"Culinary adventures from the Settlement to our days - the Festival of the first Hungarian white-table order.

"The culture of clothing in Hungary between 1700 and 1815 - European fashion had been shaped by French kings, queens and their lovers since the reign of Louis XIV. Paris remained the center of this leadership for centuries, and has kept its position ever since.

"Have you ever tried to imagine how life could have been more than 500 years ago in the court of the legendary King Matthias Corvinus during Hungary’s most glorious age?

"After last year’s successful debut Balaton Sound, the new festival of Sziget Cultural management gave a new meaning for the „Balaton Summer experience”.

For those living in Budapest, tonight could be the only chance to see the current greatest living Hungarian -and last surviving Ramone - on Hungarian soil, when Tamás Erdély (hopefully) gets behind the drums at Zöld Pardon. Better known as Tommy Ramone, Erdélyi ranked second greatest living Hungarian at the now defunkt Matula Magazine. But that was in the days before the death of Ferenc Puskás, which, in the absence of any up-and-coming great Hungarians, must make him current numero uno. What's more, this is also the one-time drummer's first visit to Hungary since his parents took him to Queens as a child in the 1950s. As for much of his career, Tommy will play second fiddle to the band, Ramones Mania, a Hungarian tribute to the legendary New York punk outfit. But hey ho, who cares, entry to ZP is, as always, just Ft 200 (€0.80)!

From what we assume to be the same anonymous tech-type who sent us this comes the following: Just browsing some knowledge management websites and tried out 'TrueKnowledge.com' for the query on Hungary as to local languages. Result, "We don't know of any significant written languages for the specified geographical area." That's a pretty mean assessment of Hungarian. Not sure what all this means, but in case you are wondering, "ouch" in Hungarian is aúú.

From our anonymous tipjar, an "e-video" touting a ".hu" website explaining how it can help users earn big bucks (bux) on the Internet. Unfortunately, the secret was blatant "click-fraud." Less unfortunately, the clever entrepreneur seems to have been shut down. Oh well, there's always stolen credit-cards, burglary and working for the government…

"Philip Glass was thirty years old in 1967 when on his return from studies in Europe and India he formed the Philip Glass Ensemble in New York.

"Summer fruit opulence with sweet meringue. Hard to resist!

"Few people know that the famous, colorful kalocsai folk-costume, which abounds in flower motifs, is relatively new in its present form.

"Still a stranger to her own body, a high school student discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence."

In a delicious twist on our usual excuses about cucumber season - the time of year when nothing ever happens in Hungary - a cucumber thief was killed by electric shock in Kesznyét, BAZ County, on Monday, as the owner was protecting his plantation with an electric fence. One of two other thieves was seriously injured. After this, between 30 and 50 relatives of the dead thief wanted to attack the 68-year-old owner. Police are still securing the farm of the old man, because the relatives want to take revenge. The man has been arrested for "attempted murder," the story says, which is strange, as he very much succeeded if one thief died. • It must be cucumber season in China, too, because according to Xinhuanet, Hungarian musicians have regained the world record for longest non-stop concert by performing for 216 consecutive hours at an event held near Lake Balaton from June 21. The record-breaking concert, in which more than 1,000 musicians participated, ended at 3 p.m. on Monday. One year ago, Hungary set the same record with a 192-hour concert, but this achievement was later beaten by Canada with a 200-hour performance. [news.xinhuanet.com] • There are 45,000 blind people in Hungary, and they all have serious problems using banknotes, says origo.hu. The banknotes have some embossed signs on them, but they are not Braille and they are usually too worn to feel and read. This exposes blind people to fraud in stores as they cannot tell the difference between banknotes. [origo.hu] • A man who had found a gun on a hill near Pálfiszeg (Zala county) on Monday evening, accidentally shot himself on the leg while, like a decent citizen, hopped onto his motorbike to go to the police and hand it in. Unfortunately he did not check the safety before putting it into his pocket but still made it to the Zalaegerszeg hospital in one piece. [stop.hu] • Police have caught thieves pilfering cables from Budapest transport authority BKV for the first time. Apparently, the cables, which have been going missing so often that Blikk labeled the practice a "Hungaricum", can be sold for Ft 1,000 (€4) per kilo to scrap metal dealers. Meanwhile, stop.hu reveals that BKV spends Ft 3-4 million per month on operating "spy trams" at night to prevent the practice. [inforadio.hu] [stop.hu] • Police are warning motorists of "friendly thieves" who offer to help motorway drivers after receiving 34 reports in Pest County alone this year. An accomplice takes the victims bag while an accomplice distracts the driver by pointing out a bogus puncture or defect. Romanians and Bulgarians returning home from jobs in Western Europe are often targeted as they tend to carry large amounts of cash. It is not unheard of for the thieves to damage the tire themselves to enhance credibility. [

Hey, Chew, if you thought the gombóc at Artigiana Gelati were expensive, check out these bad boys! Not quite a gombóc, the gömböc is an attempt to capitalize on a Hungarian invention, "the first known homogenous object with one stable and one unstable equilibrium point". According to the website blurb: On a perfectly horizontal, smooth surface without friction a Gömböc will always return to its single stable equilibrium position. Yet your Gömböc has a highly sensitive geometry. Non-zero slope, uneven, rugged supporting surface and wear, scratches and other damages on the surface of the Gömböc surface may result in additional stable equilibria. Even dust on the surface can impact the characteristics of a Gömböc. All for €499, or €249.50 per equilibrium.

Not only is the above a spectacular crash in a built up area on a main road just yards from a busy bus stop packed with innocent bystanders, the mangled wreckage in question also belongs to a Hungary's top crime fighters, the National Investigation Office (NNI). And according to a breathless eyewitness reporting to and taking pictures for Index.hu (click the link for more twisted metal) from Rákóczi út, the downtown scene of the carnage, bystanders were crudely told to mind their own business, the number plates of the cars were quickly hidden from view and a collection of firearms was transferred from the trunk to another vehicle. Exciting stuff! Realizing that the online portal has eyes everywhere, an NNI statement later revealed that the three passengers, who only suffered "minor injuries", had been "on duty" when the high-speed smash-up occurred. Collateral damage included a parked motorcycle, a tree and a stationary car, although in the best traditions of the A-Team, no one was hurt.

"The Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden is not only a place where you can see animals from Hungary and from far away, but also a place for education and entertainment. The garden has been a protected area since 1986.

"Blue-dyeing (kekfestes) is a centuries-old tradition in Hungary, however, only six blue-dying workshops still operate in the country. One of the most well-known of these is that of the Kovacs family, who have been passing down the craft from parents to children since 1878.

"Attila, the 4th century barbarian warlord is said to have signed his official documents with the following title:

"Waves by Marta Kucsora is currently on view at Art Factory I (formerly Sparks) until July 15. The water-themed paintings depict the vibrant clash between abstract and figurative art.

"After a rough break-up, Elizabeth sets out on a journey across America, leaving behind a life of memories, a dream and a soulful new friend; a café owner—all while in search of something to mend her broken heart.

If you lead a life of luxury but don't feel like paying up to the tax authorities, it's generally considered a wise move not to post images of said luxurious lifestyle online for everyone to see. You would think this to be obvious, and in fact, it is, but apparently not if you're a playmate, a certain category of women that unlike their Noble Nobel Prize winning counterparts, aren't exactly known for their intelligence. Thus comes the not all that shocking news from Blikk that former Playmate of the Year and government minister hotness rater Sylvi Bódi has become the subject of an investigation by tax authority APEH, who after taking time out from watching porn films said her tax returns just don't gel with all of the pictures she's posting about her exotic vacations. While once the trophy girlfriend of one of Hungarys' richest, which would explain her ability to spend money without a corresponding income, that's no longer the case, and the reason the tax authorities, who of late discovered that collecting unpaid taxes is a good idea, have started looking into her finances, while men around the world will continue to look at Bódi's body.