On  3^rd January 2012 opens the joint exhibition of the Munkácsy Foundation and the Hungarian National Gallery the Heroes, Kings, Saints – Images and Documents from the History of Hungary. The exhibition presents the pictures of the Hungarian history in a very special way. The aim of the exhibition is to introduce through the well-known lines of the Hungarian Anthem and the famous poem of Vörösmarty, the „Szózat”, the finest works of Hungarian art.

These huge topics which are based on the words of the poems can be represented easily through the historical painting.  This genre is the great genre of the 19^th century, the huge events of our history, just like the struggles of 1848-49, the years of oppression, and the changes after the Compromise, at that time these feelings could have expressed by historical paintings on the most honest way. The significant and large works of the era – such as the 15 meters tall ‘Conquest’ of Mihály Munkácsy or the finished pieces of the cycle of Gyula Benczúr about Mátyás Hunyadi – can be seen only a few times by the Hungarian audience in original.

The exhibition represents next to the art works, documents and objects of our statehood, by the cooperation of the Hungarian National Museum, the National Archives of Hungary, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the National Széchényi Library and the National Office. The exhibition is closely related to the renovation of the 19^th century permanent exhibition of the Hungarian National Gallery.

The units of the exhibition:

„Általad nyert szép hazát….” – unit shows the fateful events of the Conquest and the Middle Ages, it relieves those centuries, when Hungary was one of the most powerful states in Europe. In the focus point of the room stands the work of Mihály Munkácsy the ‘Conquest’. The huge painting, which supposed to be in the building of the Parliament, is can be seen for the public for the first time. In this room we can see the award-winner composition of Gyula Benczúr the ’Baptism of Vajk’ as well, which he finished by 1875.

The greatest part of the exhibition is situated on the first floor corridors of the Gallery. The rebuilt and renovated places opening in the dome were separated into two large thematic units. The glorious times of the nation is represented by the „Ész, erő és oly szent akarat…” section, while the tragic moments are represented by the „Ez a föld, melyen annyiszor apáid vére folyt…” part, both named after famous lines of the ‘Szózat’. Among the excellent paintings of the Turkish wars we can see the4 meters tall Zrínyi composition of Bertalan Székely, and other emblematic works of the Hungarian historical painting, such as the ’Sacrifice of Titusz Dugovics’ or the ’Women of Eger’, and the ’II. Louis found dead’. Separated unit describes the glory and tragedy of the Hunyadi’s, through representations of King Matthias Corvinus and László Hunyadi.

The „Ész, erő és oly szent akarat…” unit is one of the most spectacular parts of the exhibition, which introduces the great personalities of the Reform Era. It is a very unique occasion that the adornment of the president office of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences comes out to the public. It is the copy of Friedrich Amerling’s life-size portrait of István Széchenyi, made by György Vastagh. Next to the portrait of Széchenyi, there is an allegory about ’József nádor’. There can we see the huge painting of Miklós Barabás the ’Foundation stone of the Chain Bridge’ as well. From this part cannot be absent the portraits of the poets and composers of the National Anthem and the ’Szózat’.

The third unit of the exhibition is situated in a separated room, where we can get a complete picture of the main events of the Hungarian history and culture history. The famous Admont Code can be seen as well, which keeps the oldest laws of St. Stephen, preserved from the 12^th century. Just like the autographic library collected by Ákos Barcsay, the voivode of Transylvania, this contains the oldest records of the Transylvanian laws, for example the significant religious peace treaty of Torda.

The Werbőczy Code, the original version of the Compromise, signed by the king, and the constitution of 1949, signed by Mátyás Rákosi. We can admire the manuscript of the National Anthem and the ’Szózat’, as well the oldest notes of the musical works of Ferenc Erkel and Béni Egressy. This room is also represents the first Hungarian colourful, engraved map, made in 1528, and the map reconstruction of Miksa Hell from 1802, with the places mentioned by Anonymus.

The modern era is represented by the significant composition of Gyula Batthyány, the ‘Struggle of a thousand years’. The ‘Hungarian Part’ engravings of Lajos Varga Nádor from 1934-35, describes the events of the Hungarian history from the Middle Ages until the Horthy era. From the 40 works we represent20 in the exhibition.

Ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is balancing on the ledge of aNew Yorkhotel. He’s trying to convince negotiator Lydia Spencer (Elizabeth Banks) of his innocence in the disappearance of a diamond in his care resulting in a 25-year prison sentence. As the story unfolds, it becomes relevant it’s more than a man’s balance at stake here…

Iron Lady

Maggie Thatcher (Meryl Streep) struggles with the loss of her husband (Jim Broadbent), while trying to come to terms with no longer being the most powerful woman in politics. The Iron Lady is less of a biopic than a study in brilliant acting.

War Horse

Albert’s best friend is Joey, the horse. With the eruption of WWI, Joey is sold to the British Army. The horse touches the heart of everyone it encounters, now wonder Albert leaves his home behind to cross the battlefields and find his brave and beautiful friend.

All screened in English with Hungarian subtitles at CinemaCity

Once upon a time, a king went hunting in the forest. At nightfall, he lost his way, and prayed for somebody to lead him out of the woods. His prayers were answered by the devil, who showed him the way, and only asked for one thing in return. Something the king hadn’t have when he left for the woods, and that became while he was away. If you’ve read any of the previous folk tales, you know two things. First, that such a thing can only be a baby, a newborn princess in this case. Second, that you never under any circumstances make a pact with the devil.

15 years later the red, flaming little man comes back for the princess. The royal parents try to outsmart the devil, first disguising the daughter of the goose shepherd, then Miss Swineherd as the princess, but the geese and the pigs recognized their mistresses. As the devil couldn’t be fooled, the king let go of his daughter, and she was taken to hell.

In hell, the devil also held a boy, Johnny in captivity. At the service of the devil, Johnny and the princess make friends, and decide to flee. As the boy is well-versed in incantations, he puts a spell and spits on a broom, so that it speaks like them when the devil calls. When the devil realizes his prisoners are gone, he tells in heavy dialect to his sub-devil to fly for the fugitives on a shovel and bring them back. By the pricking of her ears the princess feels the devil’s apprentice approaching, so they do a somersault (kecskebuka in Old Hungarian) and Johnny turns into an old priest and the princess turn into a church. The little devil catches up, and asks the priest if he’s seen a little Johnny passing by. But all the priest says is a sacred-sounding abeles cobeles. He keeps kneeling and abeles cobeles-ing like crazy, so the little devil flies back to his master. The devil sends another apprentice on a hot iron after the fugitives, who do another kecskebuka and transform into a field of wheat and its keeper. When asked about Johnny and the princess, the keeper only says ‘boo, boo’ to the birds. Disappointed by this madman, the little devil flies off. Now the devil sees it’s his job to find the young rebels, so he jumps on a broom and sets off. Kecskebuka done, the princess turns into a golden duck and Johnny into a lake. The smart devil knows it’s them, so he braves the cold water just like a fragile old lady would. He tries to catch the duck, but it just keeps swimming further and further away. Without further ado the devil drowns, and the youngsters celebrate with another kecskebuka. The princess and Johnny go back home to the king, get married and spend the rest of their lives teaching method acting and kecskebuka-ing.

The 19th Fishing, Hunting and Arms International Exhibition at HUNGEXPO is more than the most prestigious annual gathering of hunter and anglers. It is a four-day celebration of nature, and a teaser to an adventurous life in the wilderness. Before you pack your bags and leave for a hunting lodge, let’s see what’s on offer on FeHoVa. A trophy show introduces the wildlife, the flora and fauna of North America; while the collection titled 100 years – 100 trophies demonstrates the traditional splendour of hunting inHungary through 100 big game trophies from all around the country. Ever wondered about the deer population of the world? There’ll be a display of trophies including 30 different deer species that’ll answer all your questions.

What about the fish you ask? There’ll be a couple in the largest European mobile aquarium, and the fish pond won’t disappoint hopeful anglers either. Even the kids can test their angling skills at the fishing competitions by the pond; or learn new tricks and even recipes from the pros at the contest between anglers’ clubs.

The taxidermist show might prove a somewhat more bizarre experience, but the troating contest will calm your nerves. Or, if calmed nerves is not what you’re after, don’t miss out on the shooting shows or the hunting horn festival. Marvel at the talent of falconers and the flight of their birds, and master the medieval art of archery on the ELEVEN 3D Open archery championship. By the end of the exhibition, you’ll be well prepared to face Mother Nature.

]]> http://www.funzine.hu/2012-02-in-from-the-wild/feed/ 0 http://www.funzine.hu/2012-02-size-does-matter-rhinoplasty/ http://www.funzine.hu/2012-02-size-does-matter-rhinoplasty/#comments Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:16:48 +0000 szaboa http://www.funzine.hu/?p=87275 They say the eyes are the mirror of the soul, but the nose is the center of the face. And if you don’t like your nose, you’ll probably have issues with your whole appearance. If accepting what you’ve got is not your strong point, Dr Zsolt László is here to tell you about another solution.

Dear Dr László,

My friends keep telling me my nose looks normal, but all I see is a huge trunk. In my head I’ve got a perfectly pert nose, and that’s exactly what I want to see when I look in the mirror. Can you please tell me about the procedure?

Thanks in advance,

Annie

Dear Annie,

Rhinoplasty is a way to restructure or reshape a nose. We can reduce the size of a nose, remove the protrusion, restructure the wide bony nasal framework, and correct the oblique axis of the nose. Beside aesthetic reasons, rhinoplasty can help restore nasal functions after traumas.

During surgery, we fill the outer and inside surface of the nose with an astringent and anesthetic solution that may cause some post-procedure pain. We cut 1 cm from the nostril to free the dorsal nasal flap, cut off the protruding cartilaginous and bony bits, and restructure the frontal bone framework. In order to keep the flexibility of the nose, this framework needs to be torn.

Following the surgery, we plaster the nose. The plaster stays on for about a week. You might expect swelling and hemorrhaging around the eyes and nose are, but they’ll be absorbed within a week.

Should you have further questions, feel free to contact me for a free consultation.

Best Regards,

Dr Zsolt László

The Gunblade (FF VIII)

The Gunblade seems like fantastical genius in concept. It’s two classic weapons put together, and they should be like bread and butter. But if you take just a second to think about it, this is one of the most idiotic creations in videogame weapon history. If you just look at it from a practical point of view: How in the world are you supposed to handle it? A gun is held horizontally, a sword is used vertically (okay, mostly). That thing will break your hand and wrist faster than you can say ‘his thing is breaking my hand and wrist.’ Also, how does it work? The barrel is in the blade. Where’s the bullet go? How does the kick not rip your arm off? It’s tying to be cool while being anything but.

Wakka’s Blitzball (FF X)

Blitzball itself is a weird concept and sport. It’s like soccer and water polo mixed together, with the players kicking and poisoning each other, while holding their breath for hours. Fine, it’s fantasy, but it is still way to over the top. Or not. Depends on the individual. What cannot be argued is that no matter what the game is, having a ball be one of the strongest weapons in your epic tale of world-saving proportions is really dumb. Seriously, it is better than almost any other weapon. It is a melee weapon that can be used as a ranged one, always returns, and turns enemies into stone. You fight a creature the size of an island with a ball. A ball.

The Wrist-mounted Dog Launcher (FF VIII)

The name really says it all, doesn’t it? But let’s break it down. Rinoa, a simple, beautiful, young woman, raises her arm, attaches Angelo – her large dog – to her wrist-mounted crossbow. She then fires the dog, with incredible speed and accuracy into whatever demon, monster or crazed witch is in front of her (even a zombie-body double of the president at one point – don’t ask).  Okay, this might sound over the top enough to be deemed awesome, but you have to keep in mind that this was the first realistic game of the series. Though you do enslave the devil, and a demonic tank-engine in the same game, so we really don’t know what to think.

Final Fantasy VI

You would think that it is best to start with first game that started it all, but each entry is self-contained (mostly). So though there will always be debate over which entry is the best, there is no questioning that FFVI is among the greatest games developer Squaresoft has ever created. The 60+ hour story starts with a simple freeing of a slave in a world without magic, and ends with the player fighting a god. Epic doesn’t begin to cover. Add in the Active Time Battle System that opens the possibility of outrunning enemies’ chance to strike and character-specific skill-sets, and you’ve got one of the defining moments of the entire genre. Though a Super Nintendo classic, it is now also available on emulators and even the Nintendo Wii.

Final Fantasy VII

Yes, the next immediate iteration of the series is the next best entry. Switching platforms, FFVII for the Sony Playstation set a new benchmark not for RPGs, and games on the system in general. The story again is one of world-saving, but this entry expanded everything, and characters became immensely memorable. Without spoiling anything, this game contains one of the most emotional moments for every gamer alive to appreciate it. Limit Breaks, a staple of the series since then, were introduced. For the uninitiated: each character takes a certain amount of damage. When the limit is reached, their attacks do extra damage. Each character has at least four, with one having nine. At least 50+ hours of game time, with not one lull to be found.

Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2

Arriving at the latest, we incidentally find ourselves playing the second straight out sequel in Final Fantasy history. The new games are actually a fun way to enter into the series. While the original FF XIII was extremely linear, the fast-paced and revamped combat-system quickly gives you the basics of turn based combat while the story remains incredibly focused and involving. XIII-2 opts for a more traditional open world setup, with several universes and time-lines to explore, and even adds new elements to combat such as tamable monster allies (though the story does get a bit muddled). As always, these games both contain the essence of Final Fantasy, and are gorgeous to boot.

Bodyweight exercises are a bargain if there ever was one. There are numerous programs built around it, and you’ve done them in school. Even the British air force uses systems based on it (called 5BX, available free online). Why? Simple. These exercises do not require free weights; your own weight provides the resistance for the movement. Because of this, bodyweight exercises are the ideal choice for anyone who’s interested in fitness but doesn’t’ have equipment or wants to work out at home. Difficulty can be progressed or regressed to meet individual needs, allowing people of all levels of fitness to participate. Some exercises have been shown to benefit not just the young, but the elderly as well! Most common are the push-up, the pull-up, and the sit-up, but in time, with enough training, you can have the balance to do even a handstand pushup, one of the most beneficial exercises in terms of developing your core muscles and remaining in excellent shape.

Kettlebells are kind of like cannonballs with a handle, which are used to perform a variety of exercises that combine cardio, strength and flexibility training. Unlike dumbbells, the kettlebell’s center of mass is extended beyond the hand. In laymen’s terms, you’ll be swinging it, which is a more complicated and involving type of movement.  Each exercise is different, but the basic movements, such as the swing, snatch, clean and jerk will engage your entire body, with a focus on yourlower back, legs, and shoulders. You only need one kettlebell of one weight for the basics, which means the focus is on repetitions not increases in weight. For example, the snatch involves muscles of the abdomen, shoulders, arms, and back and may be repeated continuously for several minutes. This combination makes the exercise partially aerobic and more similar to high-intensity interval training, and despite its rugged looks, kettlebells are fast becoming a staple of even women’s aerobic classes.

The David Concept is our last entry, and the most modern. Established in the 80’s, David Solutions has been one of the leading innovators in resistance training and rehabilitation programs. You’ve seen their machines at the gym, or at least ones that copied them. The company developed a singular philosophy (the titular concepts) of using modern medicine and applying the latest IT technology to distill world class rehabilitation and prevention technology. Not only do they provide individuals or groups with their specially designed machines, but their own centers are also staffed with specially taught and educated trainers who can walk customers through any number of their Circular Spine or Hip- and Knee concepts. Circular in this case means there are medical examinations before during and after training sessions, to ensure proper movement and monitor progress. If you’re into tech, you’ll be pleased.

Noah’s Ark is an epic silent film, released in 1928, directed by Michael Curtiz (Mihály Kertész originally). The flick featured miniatures and the usual double-exposures, but it was one of the first films of the time to depict the full-scale destruction of actual sets. Not long after Noah receives commission to build an Ark, you get the massive flood sequence. In it, a fierce storm and lightning bolts destroy the Temple of Moloch – double exposure and miniatures; then torrents of water cause a massive flood that ravages everything – actual massive flood. Gigantic tanks of stored water were opened and released during filming, dumping a devastating amount of water upon hundreds of unsuspecting extras. Several people were injured, or rumored worse, but Curtiz wound up with a pretty amazing shot…

We covered water, so let’s do a 180, and take a look at one of the pivotal shots in a different type of classic. The kind of classic that has Will Smith knocking out aliens, and Jeff Goldblum hacking their mother ship with a Mac. Of course we’re talking about Independence Day. No they didn’t use a real laser to blow up the Whitehouse. The wall of flames between the skyscrapers though? That looked pretty realistic, right?  Well fire, by nature, does not travel sideways. So, fake fire? Nope. The effects team built an amazing replica of a street, and set it on its side, than placed explosives on the bottom. They called it the death-chimney, and when the footage of the inevitably cool explosion was slowed down, it looked so good, the whole film was basically sold on those few frames.

Okay so we’ve covered physics-bending tricks done to cars and places, but what about people? Well, we saved the best for last. In Apollo 13, the crew, as it often happens in space, is shown experiencing weightlessness. We’ve known since the Matrix that you can just hoist people up on wires, and then get rid of them digitally, but then NASA stepped in. You see, actual astronauts do in fact have to be trained in handling zero gravity, and so they are trained on the “Vomit-Comet”. The KC-135 airplane is designed to travel in parabolic arcs (up and down) at high speeds. This motion creates a small window in which true weightlessness is achieved by anyone on-board. It reportedly took 600 arcs to finish every scene needed. Wait… it’s called the what now?