kurt_erichsen

i_hope_that
For many of us, the holidays can be kind of rough. If you're searching for a network of understanding friends, this ultra-nurturing community encourages you to express your heartfelt wishes and offer other members encouragement and acceptance. Not for the terminally snarky or emotionally-challenged, this is a good-spirited place to lend comfort and support.

diygifts
Feeling crafty? If you've got a few last folks on your holiday gift list, this is a great place to seed your creativity and generosity. You'll also discover wonderful DIY tips to decorate your home and entertain guests. Offering a no-frills-no-skills attitude that welcomes the cash-challenged and arts-phobic, you're sure to get ideas and make friends in the process.

cooking_club
A fun and friendly community dedicated to those who love to cook, whether you're a meat-and-potatoes type, an aspiring gourmand, and/or a vegan. In search of a brilliant dish to use up those weekly leftovers? Post your ingredients and you'll be whipping up a feast by dinner. You can also share favorite recipes. For Type A chefs, you can spice up your culinary repertoire with exciting cooking challenges.

Some time ago an Operettszínház performace of the famous Kálmán operetta Csárdáskirálynő (Die Csárdásfürstin / The Gypsy Princess / The Csárdás Queen) was broadcast on Hungarian TV, and I noticed someone had put up clips from it on YouTube. I thought I'd post those clips here as well because I love that operetta and think the goodness must be shared to both those who already know it and those who don't yet.

For those unfamiliar with the operetta, there's a synopsis here. The Hungarian version spells some of the names slightly differently than the German version. In order to be as confusing as possibly, I'll use the German names and the Hungarian song titles!

The cast:
Sylva (Szilvia): Fischl Mónika
Edwin: Vadász Dániel
Boni: Peller Károly
Stasi: Szendy Szilvi
Féri: Földes Tamás

( Videos under the cut! )

stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.

For any Vámpírok Bálja fans, I just can't resist coming here to tell that now on the official website, the background music on the Hírek (news) page is Pásztor Ádám's Őérte (Für Sarah).

Also, the music on the Extrák page sounds like a very early Mihálka Gyuri doing the same song. While he's much better nowadays (it's actually astonishing how much and how quickly he's developed since then, since that has to have been recorded in May 2008 at the earliest and the difference with his premiere in August 2008 already is considerable), it's still a lovely, gorgeously sung performance.

There are also background songs from other performers on the other pages, but I think the rest of them are either from the recording or available on the Letöltések (Downloads) page.

taste_buds
Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.