Legitimite question of Jay Leno

You have to scroll down to get this Jay Leno common sense ... its worth reading and thinking about!!

        Very interesting perspective by Jay Leno...

        I hope you will all read to the end. Jay Leno puts it into perspective and makes us think about the pathetic media negativity.  That's right, Jay Leno!!

        Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....

        "The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source, right?

        "The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.  In essence, 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

        "So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?'
        "Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

        "Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

        "Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

        "Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

        "Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present ident ification papers as we move through each state?

        "Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

        "I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.

        "Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

        "Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

        "Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

        "This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

        "How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

        "Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

        "Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

        "I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this th e same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

        "The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

        "Think about it...are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

        "Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

        "They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than

        honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

        "So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?  Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about "how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way"...Insane!

        "Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage.  Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

        "We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.

        "With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

        Jay Leno
        2007

Farmers Market Budapest

Farmers Market Budapest, originally uploaded by maggiekedves.

This is one thing I truely missed... the ability to go and visit the farmers market.

Museum day

Zsolti went to have some fun time with a friend and my friend Ernest and I went to see some sights in the city.
One of our first stop was the Museum of Ethnography. There was a special exhibition about unknown ethnic groups in Europe and we found a puzzle of Europe... we had so much fun putting the map together that we forgot the museum will be closed soon.
Later we went to see the Castle and climbed the Buda Hill...
On the way home it was already dark so we could see Budapest by night.
The settings of my camera made me to realize that today was 8/8/08 :))
I already forgot how tiring it is to be a tourist, running all over seeing the sights... I was happy to reach my bed this night.

Where the trolley bus goes to sleep

This evening we were looking around in the city, went to go some shopping and we took a trolley bus which was on the way to the garage. Zsolti enjoyed that a lot... The trolley turned unexpectedly to a different route so Zsolti wanted to talk to the driver and get some more information about the garage. It is not allowed to talk to the driver during the ride but as soon as we stopped Zsolti started to ask the driver all his question. The driver was really nice and because he was heading to finish work he stayed in the stop for one more minute and answered Zsolti's questions.

My friend finally made it to Hungary

We are so happy, a friend of mine was so hard working and lucky so he could get to Hungary before we leave.
I taught him Hungarian for more than a year but spending some time in the country is a different experience.
Zsolti was also happy to have a new playmate.

Fabric day

My friend decided to help us and she is sewing pants out of the material I bought in the US. She got even more enthusiastic so we went to look for more fabrics... she wanted to create a complete outfit for Zsolti before he goes on a vacation with his kindergarten sweetheart. :) These are the first pieces.

Zsolti's 8th birthday

Early in the morning we went to the City Park with my mother.
Zsolti and Heni both were born in August and we decided to have a celebration later on... poor him he missed his birthday cake today.
To make him forget this we had fun all day.



















He met a very old friend at the City Park and they played until we needed to go. Zsolti felt artistic and he said he would like to paint on his birthday so he got a painting set. On the picture he is painting me with a mountain scenery.

The city from the top of a Zikurat

Zsolti enjoyes getting on all the different kind of public transportation in the city.
Capital of Hungary, Budapest is divided into 2 parts by River Danube and 11 bridges connects the two parts together. ( The latest one was just barely built, even new for me.)
The development of the city is very much visible in the souther region of the city where the new National Theather stands.
2 years ago the glass buildings behind Zsolti were not there yet.

Lake day

Finally the weather became hotter... so the natural waters became little warmer too. This summer first we could visit one of our favorite place with my friend Elvira.
Zsolti enjoyed splashing too. He even found a little friend for today.

Grill party with friends

Most of my friends became moms and dads through the years. Now some of us got together for a fast grill party. It is not easy to catch up 2 years. :)

The rainy days continue...

My poor brother was not lucky this year. He spent his only one week holiday for the year, at the inlaws house mostly because of the rainy, stormy weather. Good thing that he loves his motherinlaw who cooks wonderful dishes for him. Not even his motherinlaw cooks great but his fatherinlaw is an excellent cook too.
We were lucky to enjoy some of their foods too.

Trip to the parents of my sisterinlaw

I got a kind invitiation from the parents of my sisterinlaw 2 years ago after I moved to the US. Now we could visit them on the other side of the country. The weather was very sad when we left Budapest, so we could only hope the rain will stop by the time we got to our destination.
By the time we arrive, the little kids were already hungry so they started the family lunch.
Today Zsolti had to deal with 5 girls on that day.

A very very long time friend of mine

In a real friendship there is one thing wonderful... you can keep continue even after 5 or 10 years just like you saw each other last night.
Judit is a friend like that. We grew up together and spent lot of time together, now our lives sail different ways but we still like to know how is everything. It was a wonderful night we spent together I had a chance to recall my memories about John and how we got together. :) While we shared stories the rain washed the streets of Budapest.

Pusztavacs - In the middle of the country

Some of our relatives lives in the middle of the country. The country was torn apart by the decision after the war Hungary lost 2/3rd of its territory. In 1960 geographist located the middle of the country and that was the time when Pusztavacs became famous.

In 1978 an architect created a monument for the exact location close to the village. In the 80's there were Peace festivals there, I participated in some of them. We found old photos about one of the festival. This tradition stopped in 1985 because lack of organization

Wonder of a moment

On the way home I saw breathtaking scenes from the train...

Visiting the sister of my mother

Zsolti was not yet born when I visited the sister of my mother the last time.
We dont even know why we thought they live so far - it is only an hour with a train - so my mother decided she will visit them more often from this time on.
The youngest daughter is already 12 years old. She helped with our bags, it was a relief.
In the countryside it was a habit to built a house beside the older relatives. That is visible on the picture. For some reason both my brother and me love this old kind of porch.


















The day we arrived was really hot so it was refreshing for the youngsters to splash in the plastic pool. I actually enjoyed simply staying in the shade.

















It was a coincidence that we found the whole family at home, that was the reason they invited us for this weekend so we can enjoy their company. One thing we did not know about, my mother's sister and her husband celebrated their 22nd anniversary. 22 years ago my mother was the witness for her sister that is why she held the cake for them on the picture. Their kids bought the cake for their parents as a surprise, it was a nice moment.

Special day of my mother

Early in the morning Zsolti and me left the house for doing some rounds... getting ready for the birthday of my mother.
I already knew where I would like to buy the cake for her but I needed to get some administration done before getting the cake.
The heart of the city, Downtown is mostly filled with offices and banks. That is where we were heading to when we passed by one of our famous sight the Chain Bridge...
During the night is it nicely lit... this is how it looks during the day... the royal castle is visible in the background.
I got very lucky because I found a very good cake for my mom. We had a nice lunch together and after we tried to play with one of her gifts, UNO cards. I did not know I can buy this card in Hungary. It seems things change a little... so Zsolti tried to teach my mom how to play UNO. Heni with her 4 years did not let us play though. :)
















Finally when our stomach was ready my mom got her cake for her 50's birthday. Heni enjoyed the cake the most. She started to dig the cherries out with her little hands. In few seconds she had cream all over on her. :)

Big adventure on the way home

I promised little Heni she can come with us on adventures... today we managed to get into a real big adventure.
It was not raining when we left the house but on the previous days there were raining... so we were prepared for rain.
Heni got friends with that big dog although every time the dog turned she started to run away.

On the way home we got into a huge storm and within minutes the rain collected on the streets so the public transportation stopped... the electric trolley could not pass the tunnel which was filled with water...
Little Heni was laughing and enjoyed the adventure with us.

Liget time

The early waking was very hard for Zsolti so as soon as we got back from my father he went immediately back to bed. Suprisingly even with Heni's chatting and singing he did not wake up till noon.
In the afternoon the weather was pleseant so I decided to bring the kids out to the fresh air.
This time they seemed to get along quite well as the photos shows.

Visiting my father

Changing of our plans and mostly the weather made it possible to fit an other trip to our schedule.
Around 3 in the afternoon the decision was made we are going to visit my father today. The trip was a little adventurous as the train stop is few miles away from the village he lives in and the bus connections are not too good...
We were blessed with a good weather, even the sun was peeking on us.
After an hour walk we arrived, shortly we took another walk around the village.
Long time ago I was a postman in that village so I knew the people who live there quite good.
I visited unexpectedly my old friend who was home! and she was very happy to see us.
After solving some of my father's computer program we spent the night in his residence and left early in the morning.

Little "ex-fiancée"

As much as the weekend was hot, today is suprisingly really chilly thanks to the rain all night and not it seems all day. I actually enjoy this weather although it is not easy to travel on public transportation in this weather with long skirts like mine. I already forgot these "pleasures".
Todays program was visiting Zsolti's kindergarten "fiancée". She is the same playful girl only at least a head taller (just like Zsolti). Few months ago her sister was born so now she should be the responsible older sister but it is not easy to live up to such tasks at the age of 7.

Zsolti and the Badminton

From the time we got to Fót ( little city not too far from Budapest) where Viki and her family lives Zsolti was around the badminton set... then suddenly he decided he is going to play... just right after lunch... he tried to recruit someone... but we all told him wait till 4 because the sun is burning plus our stomach was not ready for the challange. First Viki's mother and me tried to teach him how to play... later he was hunting down all of us to play... and this is how he got better and better.

After our last day I took a fast group photo with friends and our hosts. The hardest part is to get Zsolti look into the camera... very goofy.

Knight adventures

On the fourth day of our stay we got to visit an old city with an old castle. The city was filled with life as this was the weekend of the knight games.
The very first event of the day is the march of the participants in costumes. Some of them arrived from different countries in Europe and they enjoy the parade as much as all the Hungarians do.
















The most important event of the day is the fight of the knights. Most of the crowd bought tickets for the show even though the stadium is not covered so it is very trying to stand on the sun even for the audience. On the long main road there is a big craft market with all kind of goodies for kids and adults. Zsolti was all the stands. Good thing Viki and her sister was in yellow and orange I could easily spot them in the crowd but Zsolti was in grey and black... that is a little difficult to find.

4 days with Zsolti's Godmother

Viki Zsolti's Godmother is a very busy lady so we were very happy to spend 4 days with her.
When we got to their house, her mother was making peach jam, hmmm it was intoxicating.
The next day we went to the market and searched for some more berries so Viki can make a delicious berry cake. It was quite a hot day, so before we got home we decided everyone deserves an ice cream cone :)
















I saw very attractive cakes in the shop but we wished to taste the cake of our hosts.

It was refreshing to be in the house again, so grateful all of us started to help around the berrycake.
The preperation took so long the cake was only done the next day but we did not mind.
Till then Zsolti was eating watermelon practically all day long... amazing how much he can eat if he wants to.