Absolutely Anything Else

SimCityAT wrote:

I thought I would share this would share this with you all......

Dangerous West Nile virus: already 71 dead in Europe

The number of patients suffering from West Nile fever continues to rise - several cases of the disease are also known in Austria.

The fatal West Nile virus continues to spread: Across Europe, at least 71 deaths have been reported due to West Nile fever. This was announced on its website by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Thus, the virus disease killed 26 people in Serbia, 13 in Italy, 12 in Romania and one each in Hungary and Kosovo. For Greece, 18 dead were named, while the Greek Ministry of Health spoke of 21 dead.

Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes
In total, health authorities have registered nearly 800 cases of West Nile fever among people in the European Union this year. The virus is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes. It mainly attacks birds, but can also infect horses and humans.

Within the EU, most infections have so far been reported in Italy with 327 cases, according to ECDC. In France, 16 cases have been reported so far, in Austria 10. In a total of five regions of France and Croatia, infections of people with the West Nile virus became known for the first time this year, it said.

West Nile fever can be deadly
However, the actual number of infected individuals is likely to be well above the official figures throughout Europe. Because most people have no or rather harmless symptoms such as headaches and body aches.

West Nile fever is typically associated with muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes and fever. In about one out of every 100 infections, there is a serious brain disease course, experts say. Some of these diseases are deadly.

Very scary stuff,seems these virus and infections are going to get worst all over with the floods and the droughts. Insects are running ramped all over. Heard the UK has several plagues right now with 4 or 5 different sorts of insects going wild.
The east coast of the US has a few varieties of insects in mass that they have not seen in many many decades.
My cousin in Conn. had written a few months back that her husband had been bit by a tick and was in hospital for almost a week because of it.
They have allot of deer on their property which ticks just love to hitch a ride on.
It's getting weirder by the day with so many things infecting or spreading, soon they will make people take a vaccination to be able to fly anywhere, not sure I'll be traveling anywhere then, not a fan of nano tech being introduced into my system. Enough damage with GMO and chemtrails in the air, bad water and doctors who are nothing more then pill pushers. Pill pushing pimps really. How much can the human body take before it snaps?

SimCityAT wrote:

I thought I would share this would share this with you all......

Dangerous West Nile virus: already 71 dead in Europe

The number of patients suffering from West Nile fever continues to rise - several cases of the disease are also known in Austria.

The fatal West Nile virus continues to spread: Across Europe, at least 71 deaths have been reported due to West Nile fever. This was announced on its website by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

....

Can you post a link to the article?   It seems to be a recurrent threat and not a special thing other than earlier than usual seasonally. 

All over the Balkans, there's a disease we hardly hear about Crimean–Congo Haemorrhagic Fever which by all accounts is far far worse than West Nile Fever.  25% death rate!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
Very scary stuff,seems these virus and infections are going to get worst all over with the floods and the droughts. Insects are running ramped all over. Heard the UK has several plagues right now with 4 or 5 different sorts of insects going wild.
The east coast of the US has a few varieties of insects in mass that they have not seen in many many decades.
My cousin in Conn. had written a few months back that her husband had been bit by a tick and was in hospital for almost a week because of it.
They have allot of deer on their property which ticks just love to hitch a ride on.
It's getting weirder by the day with so many things infecting or spreading, soon they will make people take a vaccination to be able to fly anywhere, not sure I'll be traveling anywhere then, not a fan of nano tech being introduced into my system. Enough damage with GMO and chemtrails in the air, bad water and doctors who are nothing more then pill pushers. Pill pushing pimps really. How much can the human body take before it snaps?

I agree, it's scary stuff.   

But UK hasn't got any plagues of insects or anything like that (link?).  We're short on bees and political common sense but that's the new normal.  Bees are good.  Common sense...well...hmmm.....

Suggestion that there are plagues are completely OTT on a par with Trumpist "tremendously wet" hurricanes.   In Finland, all the mosquitoes died over the summer!  Yay!

I'm quite concerned about the next Zombie apocalypse. 

I am seriously worried it won't be up to the standard of other zombie apocalypses and dystopian futures I've come to know and love*

Anyone who is worried about TBE (Tick-borne Encephalitis) can easily get vaccinated.  They do it in Austria - possibly for free (?).  I have been vaccinated for it as I go walking in the woods and do mountain biking.   It's not that expensive to do it and it's worth doing if you spend a lot of time walking through the Hungarian bush/outback.

* I really like apocalyptic/dystopian movies and stories.

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

I thought I would share this would share this with you all......

Dangerous West Nile virus: already 71 dead in Europe

The number of patients suffering from West Nile fever continues to rise - several cases of the disease are also known in Austria.

The fatal West Nile virus continues to spread: Across Europe, at least 71 deaths have been reported due to West Nile fever. This was announced on its website by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

....

Can you post a link to the article?   It seems to be a recurrent threat and not a special thing other than earlier than usual seasonally. 

All over the Balkans, there's a disease we hardly hear about Crimean–Congo Haemorrhagic Fever which by all accounts is far far worse than West Nile Fever.  25% death rate!

Its in German though Fluffy > https://www.servus.com/at/p/Gef%C3%A4hr … /SA002M65/

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

I thought I would share this would share this with you all......

Dangerous West Nile virus: already 71 dead in Europe

The number of patients suffering from West Nile fever continues to rise - several cases of the disease are also known in Austria.

The fatal West Nile virus continues to spread: Across Europe, at least 71 deaths have been reported due to West Nile fever. This was announced on its website by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

....

Can you post a link to the article?   It seems to be a recurrent threat and not a special thing other than earlier than usual seasonally. 

All over the Balkans, there's a disease we hardly hear about Crimean–Congo Haemorrhagic Fever which by all accounts is far far worse than West Nile Fever.  25% death rate!

Its in German though Fluffy > https://www.servus.com/at/p/Gef%C3%A4hr … /SA002M65/

That's OK, I've read it.

I wonder if this is a bit of scaremongering.

Stop Press:

Hungary: Czech Republic and Poland to veto EU sanctions against Hungary

On 13 September 2018 Polish and Czech authorities independently announced that they would veto any effort to suspend Hungary's voting rights in the European Union. The European Parliament had voted the previous day to initiate the so-called Article 7 process in response to accusations to various policies and trends that critics of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party consider subversive to the country's practice. Due to the stringent voting requirements in place at multiple stages in the Article 7 process, including one that requires unanimous support from member countries, the announcements signal that EU political sanctions are unlikely to be imposed on Hungary in the medium term. Nonetheless, the issue may continue to strain relations between the EU and member states in Eastern Europe.

When the tough got going, the west gave them sanctuary, how some minds are forgetful.

SimCityAT wrote:

When the tough got going, the west gave them sanctuary, how some minds are forgetful.

Yup, 100%.   It's almost like a psychosis and cognitive dissonance.   OV himself was the beneficiary of a Soros scholarship.   Rumours abound regarding his mental state but that might just be anti-OV forces.

The HU issue has even made it into the UK media because Nigel Farage and several Conservative MEPs voted against Article 7.   I kind of like Farage as a rebellious challenging type and suddenly I now see him more for what he obviously is.

klsallee wrote:

panzer25 wrote:

It tokk 60 sec to calculate it  it would mean 0, 27% of the cars in the U.S. and 0,04% of cars in Hungary , and about 0,16% in Budapest being stolen every year it used to be way more higher everywhere in the nineties  or in 00's

Very good. Excellent you took the time to do this. I appreciate this. So 0.16% actually pretty high in Budapest, and not that much different than the "generic" USA.

But wait, there is more....

Now break it down to per capita. Americans are multi-car owners. Usually at least 2 per family. Are Hungarians? My parents alone have four cars (and lets not even get started with Jay Leno's collection.....). And I would expect, a per capita rate would show that the odds are of any family being a victim of auto theft, which is probably the most "human" based statistic, is probably pretty similar between countries -- especially in cities.

please it does not take any time you can google it u.s. has 236.9 /100 000 population for hungary thats around 20/100 000 population , but it is concentrated in budapest so there is higher risk t6here .Now in Budapest population 1,759 million data from 2016(cant found data from 2017) 1187 so 67,4 car theft per 100 000 population.

panzer25 wrote:

.....
please it does not take any time you can google it u.s. has 236.9 /100 000 population for hungary thats around 20/100 000 population , but it is concentrated in budapest so there is higher risk t6here .Now in Budapest population 1,759 million data from 2016(cant found data from 2017) 1187 so 67,4 car theft per 100 000 population.

Interesting dimension from 2016 (with numbers) of stolen car types:

1. Ford 128
2. Volkswagen 91
3. Opel 80
4. Suzuki 77
5. Toyota 69
6. Renault 66
7. BMW 54
8. Audi 44
9. Skoda 42
10. Peugeot 20
11. Seat 17
11. Citroen 17
13. Fiat 15
13. Honda 15
15. Daewoo 11
16. Nissan 10
17. Mercedes 8
17. Mazda 8
19. Lada 7
20. Volvo 6

Not as many cars as I thought and certainly not the types I'd have expected either

fluffy2560 wrote:

panzer25 wrote:

.....
please it does not take any time you can google it u.s. has 236.9 /100 000 population for hungary thats around 20/100 000 population , but it is concentrated in budapest so there is higher risk t6here .Now in Budapest population 1,759 million data from 2016(cant found data from 2017) 1187 so 67,4 car theft per 100 000 population.

Interesting dimension from 2016 (with numbers) of stolen car types:

1. Ford 128
2. Volkswagen 91
3. Opel 80
4. Suzuki 77
5. Toyota 69
6. Renault 66
7. BMW 54
8. Audi 44
9. Skoda 42
10. Peugeot 20
11. Seat 17
11. Citroen 17
13. Fiat 15
13. Honda 15
15. Daewoo 11
16. Nissan 10
17. Mercedes 8
17. Mazda 8
19. Lada 7
20. Volvo 6

Not as many cars as I thought and certainly not the types I'd have expected either

Perhaps these models are good for parting out?

fluffy2560 wrote:

Stop Press:

Hungary: Czech Republic and Poland to veto EU sanctions against Hungary

On 13 September 2018 Polish and Czech authorities independently announced that they would veto any effort to suspend Hungary's voting rights in the European Union. The European Parliament had voted the previous day to initiate the so-called Article 7 process in response to accusations to various policies and trends that critics of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party consider subversive to the country's practice. Due to the stringent voting requirements in place at multiple stages in the Article 7 process, including one that requires unanimous support from member countries, the announcements signal that EU political sanctions are unlikely to be imposed on Hungary in the medium term. Nonetheless, the issue may continue to strain relations between the EU and member states in Eastern Europe.

Well Poland has always been a close friend of Hungary, at one time they shared a King.
I do not really follow politics very much, between the US and it's issues and being a foreigner in Hungary, I can't decide which place is better or worst to live in.
At least here in HU we can live within our means and still save money.
No worries about paying bills or keeping a roof over our heads.
Still... No place is perfect.
One of my Vegas buddies is 76 and is trying to get a job at the casino my son works at.
She just published her second book and did a book tour. Either the US is very expensive to live in right now or she's out of her mind to still work after all her health issues and getting "old".
No way is working in you mid 70's anyone's dream, unless they are money crazy.
I have a feeling my friend might just be a bit off after all, she married a man 30 some years her senior about 30 years ago, her 3rd husband. He was dying from cancer when they married he wanted her to receive all his SS benefits so they married shortly before he died.
Guess she has enough tales to write her second book after all.
Maybe this time it will be more truthful then her last book was.
She had told me some tales of horror with her first husband that she didn't put in her first book. Seemed a bit dishonest to let only half the truth out.
Could of been her plan to be able to write book no. two?
She self published her first book but it was used as a educational book in women's studies at a few colleges.I thought it was rather more like a pamphlet then a real book.
My son is not too overly excited about having her on his crew, she knows just about everyone in Vegas so doesn't need his help or approval to get hired.

fluffy2560 wrote:

But what do you do with your grapes? 

Do they go into a communal/regional production or do you actually bottle and sell the wine yourself?

I am "perfecting my art" of wine making. So have not yet petitioned to get a resale license. But that is the eventual goal. Meanwhile, I actually experiment a lot. The more I have to experiment with, the better. But I have grapes coming from 1.5 hectares at the moment. What grapes that are not self processed, direct sale of them is an option if the price is right. But this years, despite the amount, the quality is very poor this year due to weather. I will just let those I don't self process go as a offering to the gods (small "g").

panzer25 wrote:

please it does not take any time you can google .

You may be right.

But if I were to Google every statistic to prove or disprove what someone else writes somewhere online I would have no time to sleep, eat, or do anything else.

Ergo, if someone makes a claim, it is up to them to back it up. Not everyone does that. But you did. Thanks for this. It is appreciated.

fluffy2560 wrote:

19. Lada 7

Someone stole a Lada???? 

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

But what do you do with your grapes? 

Do they go into a communal/regional production or do you actually bottle and sell the wine yourself?

I am "perfecting my art" of wine making. So have not yet petitioned to get a resale license. But that is the eventual goal. Meanwhile, I actually experiment a lot. The more I have to experiment with, the better. But I have grapes coming from 1.5 hectares at the moment. What grapes that are not self processed, direct sale of them is an option if the price is right. But this years, despite the amount, the quality is very poor this year due to weather. I will just let those I don't self process go as a offering to the gods (small "g").

Experiment, good way to put it into words. Nothing better then homemade wine.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

19. Lada 7

Someone stole a Lada???? 

7 Lada's !!

SimCityAT wrote:

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

19. Lada 7

Someone stole a Lada???? 

7 Lada's !!

Probably for spare parts. 

I saw a documentary once about Russians travelling to Hull to collect second hand Ladas and shipping them back to Russia for dismantling.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

......
One of my Vegas buddies is 76 and is trying to get a job at the casino my son works at.
She just published her second book and did a book tour. Either the US is very expensive to live in right now or she's out of her mind to still work after all her health issues and getting "old".
No way is working in you mid 70's anyone's dream, unless they are money crazy.
I have a feeling my friend might just be a bit off after all, she married a man 30 some years her senior about 30 years ago, her 3rd husband. He was dying from cancer when they married he wanted her to receive all his SS benefits so they married shortly before he died.
Guess she has enough tales to write her second book after all.
Maybe this time it will be more truthful then her last book was.
She had told me some tales of horror with her first husband that she didn't put in her first book. Seemed a bit dishonest to let only half the truth out.
Could of been her plan to be able to write book no. two?
She self published her first book but it was used as a educational book in women's studies at a few colleges.I thought it was rather more like a pamphlet then a real book.
My son is not too overly excited about having her on his crew, she knows just about everyone in Vegas so doesn't need his help or approval to get hired.

Sounds like good planning to get his SS benefits.  He paid for it and it would end on his demise I suppose.  But more importantly,  you shouldn't have mentioned books because you know what's coming next....sorry to be a broken record.....when are you publishing yours?

Probably never, this is it.
I am way to restless to sit long enough to actually gather my thoughts.
Scattered brained for sure!
Been seeing that storm Florence has been hitting the Carolina's in the US.
My bro lives in SC, think he is more inland but still...
He may or may not inform me of any problems, he is a Libra and although I love Libra's, they can be a bit private at times.
Poor expressive me, 3 of my 5 siblings were Libra's and so is my husband.
They drive me crazy at times!
Way too over sensitive for my big mouth bold Sag. personality.
I am forever having to say sorry to them.
My friend who wrote those books, ( pamphlets, about a 50 page,"book")
is a very odd but sweet sort of person.
I do believe most people would of offed themselves if they experienced even half what she has in her lifetime.
Long sad tale of giving up her 5 kids, one was murdered by her first husband, not even sure what set him off that horrible trail.Maybe the real truth will come out one day, maybe it wasn't his child? I mean seriously what sort of person could murder a 3 year old ?She never mentioned that fact in her first book so I was a bit upset with her for not letting the truth out if that was her real goal about writing.
I mean why should I and my husband be the only ones to hear the  nasty details.
I am now thinking her entire family, parents and siblings were either under some sort of demonic spell or MK Ultra victims.
From a back  water town in the NE US. Sounds very "cult" like.
I really do want to read her new book to find out if she finally let the truth come out or not, maybe she is thinking of book no. 3?
It's funny sort of , she "juiced" my son to the job he has now but he can not stand her odd ways.
He swears she is a witch or just insane.
He and my husband always ask me why on earth I seem to attract people who live outside the box.
I see it as a badge of honor although at times even I wonder about not only my,"friends" but myself!
I am a human magnet for troubled people.
She had been a games dealer at a large casino in Vegas. A man sat on her table and was alone so they had time to chat while she dealt cards.
He was a retired Policeman from the NE US and mentioned something about the worst criminal  case he ever came across in his 40 year career.
After he told her some info about the case she told him she was the victim of the crime that haunted him all these years.
He was very happy to see she lived etc.
How odd to meet a person that saved your life over a blackjack game. He scouped her brains in his hands until the medics arrived! I always wondered why her face was a bit off center guess plastic surgery can only go so far...
How could she keep that out of her book? Hope your not eating ATM!!

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

klsallee wrote:

Someone stole a Lada???? 

7 Lada's !!

Probably for spare parts. 

I saw a documentary once about Russians travelling to Hull to collect second hand Ladas and shipping them back to Russia for dismantling.

http://lada.hu/

panzer25 wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

SimCityAT wrote:

7 Lada's !!

Probably for spare parts. 

I saw a documentary once about Russians travelling to Hull to collect second hand Ladas and shipping them back to Russia for dismantling.

http://lada.hu/

You can take the Lada out of Russia but you cannot take the Russia out of the Lada.

Why do Lada's have heated rear windows?   So you can warm your hands when pushing them.

Mrs Fluffy regularly reminds me of the Lada Samara being known as the Lada Szamár hereabouts.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
I am way to restless to sit long enough to actually gather my thoughts.
Scattered brained for sure!
Been seeing that storm Florence has been hitting the Carolina's in the US.
.....
Long sad tale of giving up her 5 kids, one was murdered by her first husband, not even sure what set him off that horrible trail.Maybe the real truth will come out one day, maybe it wasn't his child? I mean seriously what sort of person could murder a 3 year old ?She never mentioned that fact in her first book so I was a bit upset with her for not letting the truth out if that was her real goal about writing.
I mean why should I and my husband be the only ones to hear the  nasty details.
I am now thinking her entire family, parents and siblings were either under some sort of demonic spell or MK Ultra victims.......
She had been a games dealer at a large casino in Vegas. A man sat on her table and was alone so they had time to chat while she dealt cards.
He was a retired Policeman from the NE US and mentioned something about the worst criminal  case he ever came across in his 40 year career.
After he told her some info about the case she told him she was the victim of the crime that haunted him all these years.
He was very happy to see she lived etc.
How odd to meet a person that saved your life over a blackjack game. He scouped her brains in his hands until the medics arrived! I always wondered why her face was a bit off center guess plastic surgery can only go so far...
How could she keep that out of her book? Hope your not eating ATM!!

Get a voice recorder and just talk into it.   You don't have to actually write anything down.  It's a legacy which people want to hear about.  Even if it's rambling snatches, a good author or editor could put that in order.   There's just so much going, who could resist reading that!  You need a ghost author!

BTW, are you sure the cop wasn't stalking her or something?  That's just weirdly coincident.   It would be scared the socks off me. Almost Twilight Zone!

I've been following the hurricane on the news/web sites and while it looks bad, there's that sort of thing going on all the time across the world.  Philippines are going to get a cyclone. I noted that the Manafort trial has got more attention than the weather on some news sites especially now he's cooperating.

I know, it's very odd that the cop that saved her life would find himself at her blackjack table decades later...
That's why she kills me, not always sure of everything she says,could be true or not?
Probably true though, everyone finds themselves at a blackjack table in Vegas at some point in their lives.
At the old El Rancho casino in the 1970's my husband sat down to play some cards and low and behold, one of his old football playing friends from the 5 th district of Budapest from childhood was dealing to him!
Unreal! I also dealt blackjack to a co-worker of my brothers from SC.
My bro has a home in SC, wonder if they are ok, He never writes anyone, maybe on one's BD he will say hi, just hi that's it, the strong quiet type for sure!
I guess I got the talking gene and he got the silent one! Having 3 older sisters probably was too much for anyone!

For a couple of years I worked at a casino owned by Stations Casinos.
OJ Simpson was arrested for breaking into a room there.
Happened after I quit that place though.
I once dealt blackjack for Wanda Sykes the "comedian" ( never found her very funny, honestly)
I came back from my 20 min break and the floor manager asked me to take part in a skit for one of her comedy specials.
Nothing funny took place at all, in fact I may of said a few semi-funny things while she was really hush mouthed and didn't say anything except to her "handler".
Cameras were rolling, I had to sign off that it was OK to  use my"image" or whatever, never bothered to even try to find the skit anywhere if it was even used for her special.
She was allowed by the casino to use a coach who told her when to hold, when to take a card etc.
She had the entire table roped off just for her and her coach.
It was "weird" to say the least.
I think perhaps only the table view was shot by the camera, no idea but it really opened my eyes up to how very scripted everything on tv really is, nothing is live any longer or spontaneous, not even the so called comedy, all rehearsed and OKed by the producers first.
She was OK, held her head down like she didn't really want anyone bothering her, like anyone in Vegas would care or really even know who she was.
She gave me a $50. tip after the hour was up and I left for another break.
Did however finally get a smile out of her before I walked away.
Not a great tip for all the pressure, after all that tip was shared with at least another 120 dealers.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

For a couple of years I worked at a casino owned by Stations Casinos.
OJ Simpson was arrested for breaking into a room there.
Happened after I quit that place though.
I once dealt blackjack for Wanda Sykes the "comedian" ( never found her very funny, honestly)....
Not a great tip for all the pressure, after all that tip was shared with at least another 120 dealers.

OJ Simpson I obviously know about - mainly for being an actor in those Police Squad movies and in real life in the car chase, murder etc.

Wanda Skyes I've never  even heard of so definitely not funny for me.

Perhaps she's A comedian call Wanda, not THE comedian called Wanda (or "A Fish called Wanda").   It always seems ludicrous that they introduce people as THE author ABC or THE politician XYZ.  I always think, who?

So do you pool your tips in casinos?  Wanda seems a generous type (not).

I've never  been on a blackjack table.  No idea how to play that.  Mrs Fluffy and I were in LV once about 20 years ago.

I put $2 in a Vegas slot machine somewhere and lost and then decided it was a waste of time and couldn't see the point. So we went to the roof top amusement park on top of MGM's (?) casino.  We ate the free (awful) food in the casinos  several times and even that got old quickly. We eventually went to Wet and Wild and also took a day trip on a plane to the Grand Canyon.  It was so cold there - we were freezing!  We were in shorts and sandals from mega-hot Vegas and didn't realise it was about 6000ft (?) above sea level.

You can check out old Wando Sykes ( yikes) on U tube. She is a older black, American Lesbian comedian. barely funny to my sense of humor.
People always ask me how to win at blackjack, honest to God, I have no clue.
I was a good dealer, followed all rules and had all the moves down but knowing how to gamble was not my job.
I played about 3 times in my life for less then $10. each try.
I dislike to toss away money like that, my husband like his video poker, usually he only spend up to $20 a day. Not going to go bust or anything.
I'll sit and watch him for a short time before I start getting antsy and wanting to leave.
He will then "force" me to play $5.00 and have a couple of free drinks which are of course not free as I usually lose plus I tip the server.
Go home, get upset that I would of had more fun for a $1. bill at the swimming pool and not gotten a headache to boot.
I'm not a great advocate for gambling.

Oh, yes, dealers these days at least in Vegas do pool their tips.
A 24 hour 3 shift split. All tips are placed on the bi-weekly paycheck and taxes are taken out first.No cheating on our part.They have a toke crew who stays an hour or so after work to count tips per shift. Think they get a extra $25. for the hour, not too bad if you do it every night after work, adds up to an extra $500. a month for nearly no work at all.
It's ok with me, somedays one seems to work themselves half to death and wonder why there wasn't more in the paycheck and other times one hardly seems to work and makes a mint.
Used to be before Vegas got corp.that dealers kept their own tips.
Not always a fare thing though, all depended on what sort of table the boss sent you over to. Many people had to kick back some of their tips to the boss to score a good table.
If they didn't like someone they would be sent to a crummy low limit table facing the WC or something.
I enjoyed a standing double deck hand dealt game, never liked that shoe that much, too easy that way. Double deck made you feel like part of the action too.
Single deck blackjack was a pain, had to shuffle every 5 mins.
I was a really good baccarat dealer, was sent to deal that at one casino almost every single day all day long, My next casino job I didn't let on I could deal that game,for some reason I wanted a break from it.
You do not get paid more per hour for knowing all the casino games but it helps to get hired to know all the games you can.
These days it's almost impossible to get hired without being a multi-game dealer.
When I started my first real casino job( not counting 3 lost days somewhere else) they had me up front and center for the public when they walked into the main floor. No idea why they put me a newbie in the main pit. ( called a pit) Had a few Hungarians working with me but those 2 were males one female, they were sent to the back area at the other end of the casino. Think they talked back one time to many, they were all bored out of their minds back there, not much action in the back of the place.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Oh, yes, dealers these days at least in Vegas do pool their tips.
A 24 hour 3 shift split. All tips are placed on the bi-weekly paycheck and taxes are taken out first.No cheating on our part.They have a toke crew who stays an hour or so after work to count tips per shift. Think they get a extra $25. for the hour, not too bad if you do it every night after work, adds up to an extra $500. a month for nearly no work at all.
It's ok with me, somedays one seems to work themselves half to death and wonder why there wasn't more in the paycheck and other times one hardly seems to work and makes a mint.
Used to be before Vegas got corp.that dealers kept their own tips.
Not always a fare thing though, all depended on what sort of table the boss sent you over to. Many people had to kick back some of their tips to the boss to score a good table.
If they didn't like someone they would be sent to a crummy low limit table facing the WC or something.
I enjoyed a standing double deck hand dealt game, never liked that shoe that much, too easy that way. Double deck made you feel like part of the action too.
Single deck blackjack was a pain, had to shuffle every 5 mins.
I was a really good baccarat dealer, was sent to deal that at one casino almost every single day all day long, My next casino job I didn't let on I could deal that game,for some reason I wanted a break from it.
You do not get paid more per hour for knowing all the casino games but it helps to get hired to know all the games you can.
These days it's almost impossible to get hired without being a multi-game dealer.

Different world. 

I don't know any of these intricacies of casino life nor do I have any knowledge of the games.  Maybe you could have been an advisor on that Good Fellas movie!

Kick back to the boss sounds a bit crappy but that's the same everywhere - if you're "in" you get a nice desk and if you're out, you get the one next to the noisy machinery. 

I've been in the casino here - the main one (?) near Vaci ut.  Big old building.  I went there with Dutch guy I was working with.  I thought it wasn't very interesting.  There was no dress code then so we were in jeans and T-shirts.  He loved those games - used to go through a few hundred and next day would tell us he made $1600 or something or other.  I don't know if that was just BS'ing us as the house doesn't lose longer term. He was down there every night as far as I knew.  He said he was at the tables one night and Schwarzenegger was sitting next to him - this was 20+ years ago.

BTW, speaking of which, I am pretty sure the next Terminator movie (No. 6)  is being filmed next to our local airfield.  There's a bit of a valley there.   Last night a "Russian" helicopter gunship was flying backwards and forwards over us.

I know that small airport near you,We used to see airshows there years back.
My husband loves planes, he worked making parts for them, sometimes even experimental planes. Did some work for the Space Shuttle, the Challenger, the one that blew up.
I told him I hoped the FBI wouldn't be looking for him because it blew up!.. No that was tragic,he always made "perfect" parts. At least as perfect as can be made by man.
They are all tested and tested measured etc.Heat treated and more.

Me give advice on gambling? no, I've never won myself and really don't enjoy it at all. The games are so simple a kid can play them, boring.
I don't play card games but would bet even an old ladies tea party session of Bridge is more complex then a casino game.
All based on 4 grade math, at least 4th grade math of years back, maybe these days it's college level math?
I never had to pay a kick back at work, this was way before I ever even thought about dealing.
I have paid to get a job, to be at least considered for the job.Not sure they still have these sorts of things or not. My 76 year old friend and her old craps dealing friend owned and operated a dealers agency. I paid about one weeks wages for my first dealing job to them to be allowed to go in and apply for the job. Dealers must pass a test before getting hired and can be fired without going through HR for the first 3 months of being a new hire.So even if you're willing to pay you still have to pass the tests. Their business  is closed now, she is still working but her old partner is enjoying the good life playing golf all the time.Guess she was either silly with her money or he was slicker then she was.She is still working hard to get by.
It was odd though at my job the casino manager was old school, really a old style Italian sort of mob guy, just got that vibe off of him and everyone was in fear of him. He was The Boss no questions asked ever. He never spoke to the lowly workers in person but for some odd reason when I'd be walking the halls with other dealers he would always ask how I was and use my name. It would blow everyone's mind that he even remembered my name let alone said hello to me.Was always professional and never mean or rude to me although he often would watch games in action from the security area. Dealers would be pulled aside sometimes and corrected right then and there for doing something wrong, making "funny moves" or anything minor. I got away with murder or my London teacher really did a good job teaching how to stand walk and make every move clear for security.I owe her allot I suppose.
I tell people a smile and good attitude really can get you far as long as it isn't a fake smile.

I never took it very seriously as a career, was told a few times that I should try for floor person but wasn't interested, I hate work period.Once a job is no longer "fun" I can't do it any longer.Guess I've been spoiled a bit by my husband. If I'm not happy, his life is hell so that's it.
It was OK for the time, helped my husband put together a nest egg, so here we are enjoying the hard earned fruits of our labor...( Maybe I should of worked overtime?)
Wasn't a bad gig for a housewife, made better then average wages , at one time it was crazy how much money was coming into the house. All 3 of us worked plus my son's Korean GF was making $500 to $1,000 a night as a dancer.
She however loved to gamble when she wasn't dancing. She would blow through thousands and thousands of bucks in a 36 hour marathon of video poker.
She had to go, she was dangerous with that out of control gambling addiction. Sad, otherwise she was OK.
My 76 year old friend was dealing in the 70's, one of the first group of females to become dealers.
She had it hard, the male dealers resented her and her bosses treated her terrible, not sure why she stuck it out.
Once when the mob was running things there she was dealing and made some sort of mistake , not sure what happened. They took her in the back room and punched her so hard in the stomach that she passed out on the floor.
I was shocked, asked what did she do when she came to?
She told me she just got up and went back to her table to work.
I asked why?
She liked the money and needed a good paying job.
Dang, I'd rather live in a grate then put up with that nonsense.
I worked with a really funny, nice and smart lady from Turkey at a brand new casino in Vegas, off the strip place that was quiet during the day when we worked. It was a sweet gig, made money from the 24 hour split without having to kill ourselves, in fact it was boring at times, no customers during the daytime.
Was good as a temp job between traveling to Hungary every 6 months so I stayed for 6 months at that job.
Anyway, in Turkey she was a dealer in Istanbul.
One of her co-workers did something wrong so the bosses cleared out the casino but forced all the workers and dealers into a back room and locked the door on them.
In the next room the could hear the screams and cries from the dealer who had made a mistake, they were beating the pulp out of him and wanted to put the fear of God into everyone else.
They finally allowed everyone to go home.
She wanted to quit on the spot but knew she couldn't leave like that or they might go after her family for some reason.
She returned to work but within a week, her "granny got sick" and she had to move to another city to care for her... Good excuse from her to get out while the getting was good.
I'd never work under those conditions , we are regulated in Vegas, get regular breaks, insurance free meals and a room to relax in between rounds of dealing. Have HR dept. where we can file any complaints.
Treated better then most hairdressers are treated, no one is allowed to talk rude to us or we can call the floorman over, no touching of the dealers and we can get guards to walk us to our car if we have any fears. Spoiled really.
The only thing my friend said was great about the mob running Vegas was everyone was making a ton of money, every 2 years or so dealers were buying new Cadillacs, everyone had a nice house with swimming pool. If your child or family got ill or hurt the mob would still pay you to stay home and care for them or even pay for their medical treatment. It was like family unless you did something wrong that is.
I learned to deal casino poker at a school in New Mexico.
It was run by a older gay women from London who was super posh acting and her partner at the school was a chubby rough rude talking old craps dealer from Vegas.
He didn't pull any punches when correcting us at the school while she was like a second mum, always kind and sweet with us.
It was odd but they both were great teachers.
She dealt at private casinos in London where she had to show up for work in a evening gown and high heels, maybe one rich client a night would come in with 6 women on each arm all dressed to the hilt with furs and diamonds on, while this male instructor was from downtown Vegas in the 50's and 60's. Odd couple for sure.
I later called her up from Vegas after I got my first job there to inform and thank her for everything she had done to teach me the proper way to deal with style.
She told me her partner had probably been murdered. He had gone back to Vegas where he owed allot of people allot of money...
Oh well, he should of known better.
PS. Never believe anyone who says they won at a casino, they may of won that day but they will never admit how much they have lost overall. Can't win big unless you're will to lose big.
My son is a floorman in Vegas. He says the quality of the dealers is very low these days, The tips are down and they will hire almost anyone now. Even dealers who can barely deal and only know one game. Very strange to hear that since I've noticed they are doing allot of construction in Vegas with several new big maga casinos being built. Maybe they will use more machines then live games in the future?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I know that small airport near you,We used to see airshows there years back.
My husband loves planes, .....

PS. Never believe anyone who says they won at a casino, they may of won that day but they will never admit how much they have lost overall. Can't win big unless you're will to lose big.
My son is a floorman in Vegas. He says the quality of the dealers is very low these days, The tips are down and they will hire almost anyone now. Even dealers who can barely deal and only know one game. Very strange to hear that since I've noticed they are doing allot of construction in Vegas with several new big maga casinos being built. Maybe they will use more machines then live games in the future?

Ah well, if your hubby likes planes I suppose he knows about these guys:  Goldtimer.hu.  I plan to go on HA-LIX (the Dakota DC-3 clone) one day.  We see it regularly flying over our house.  I have flown from Farkashegy a few times but not recently. Last time was in glider launch by winch - one hell of an elevator.

I was pretty sure the Dutch guy was BS'ing me on his winnings.  He was pretty wealthy anyway with his own company but I never understood how he was going to manage to keep wealthy visiting the casino all the time.  In the end he took his company public and finally ended up with millions.   When he did that he took his entire 20 employees to Las Vegas for a week! While he was there, he tripped up somewhere and ruptured his Achilles tendon!  I don't know if he's still got millions or a working foot.

I heard that the Supreme Court has effectively legalised Sports Betting now.  That's a new dimension to the world of gambling.  I wonder if the US government is going to exonerate and compensate those people they banged up in jail unconstitutionally because they were engaged in sports betting?  Maybe there will be plenty of court cases now.

I personally wouldn't mind if all casinos closed down for good.
It is a serious and evil addiction.
Those working in the industry can be trained to do something else.
I once asked a daily blackjack player how on earth he could afford to play everyday, all day long.
He was a senior citizen from SE Asia.
He told me in the 1960's or 70's he bought up tons of lots of land in and around Las Vegas.
Whenever his cash reserves get low, just just sells off some land.
A real,"hillbilly" older couple were at our casino 5 days a week,Mon. through Friday like a job.
They both dressed sloppy but the women had diamonds on everywhere.
I swear on my life, they both spoke like they had marbles in their mouths, I never could understand more then one word either of them every said. I thanked God neither of them were the chatty type.
I enjoyed dealing on high limits games when when I was sent to their table it was a real drag, couldn't wait for my break to get away from them.
The husband wore bib overall's or a pressed white  shirt with slacks like a uniform, all the time, he often smoked a horrible( they all smell horrible to me) cigar and stunk up the table.
They were there sitting at the middle table on the seats when I came into work at 11 am or noon when I started and were still there when I left at 7pm or 8 pm at night.
She played usually $50 to $150 a hand and he was $100. to the table limit, could be $500. per hand , not per day.
The were from the mid west and owned some huge trucking co. or so my boss told me.Two of the dumbest and most boring people I ever had to spend time with.
They lost and lost, if another idiot would out bet this guy he would ask the boss to close off the table by raising the limit to scare off anyone who "outshined" him. insane stuff.
Had a women at my baccarat table break down and start crying on me.
It was just her against the house, no other players sitting down.
She begged me to "let her win" since she had just lost $50,000 that evening and had been up all night trying to recover her money! Dumb or what?
Some people would bring their kids to the free 2-3 hours of casino fun time in the play rooms that some casinos have, you pay a small fee and they will babysit while the parents gamble.
It was getting late once and I was looking forward to going home. The mom said my sitter time is about done, I guess I'll grab a pizza for the kids before taking them to another casino for another round of babysitting.
These people do not deserve children!
Some guy telling me he was playing with his rent money , all sorts of silly things.
After awhile you just don't hear the voices anymore!!
Funny when I first started ealing cards, a fellow dealer told me, "never look them in the eye" great advice!
Hard to believe but I once made the mistake of looking a serious hard core gambler in the eye and I swear his eyes were black. Scared me so much I said Jesus in my mind!
Worked with a sweet Chinese lady who had worked at that one casino for 25 years! She was going to quit as soon as her daughter finished medical school. She did quit soon after I did and was enjoying her retirement at the gym.
Anyway, she told me for 25 years all day long in her head she said over and over again the name of Buddha. Thought if he works for her then Jesus will work for me, whatever gets you through the day!
I have a face that people do not often forget, it can be a curse at times.



One day while out at one of the pools where we were living 2 men were sitting in the distance at a pool side table.
I got out of the pool to relax and dry off.
One guy approached me and said ,"I know you, you took all my money".
Creepy I just said something off the top of my head like,"I didn't do anything but my job, it was the casino that took your money", smiled and left straight away.
People will not except they have a problem, love to blame anyone and anything other then themselves.
Gambling could be fun if you can control yourself and see it as just testing your luck, most people go out of control even if it's only for a day or two while they are on vacation.
Think the average loss per person was about $500, read that somewhere years back.That is for your average holiday gambler, not for locals with more money then brains.
I "sold out" just once, not proud of it either. Some drunk guy told me it was his birthday and he wanted me to enjoy his BD too. He was playing 2 hands at once for $100. a hand, $200. per round.
He was putting up bets for us dealers, a $50 which would tun into $100. on one of his two hands if he won the bet.
They have a silly saying in casino's, "dealer wins, player wins".The dealer win tips if the player wins the hand.Which really means if you tip the dealer they win the bet with you.Most players want the dealers on their side and tips are really only thing that talks.
Ok, so every time I told this drunk guy Happy Birthday, he would remember to put up a bet for us dealers.
All the dealers standing near me who weren't busy were watching the table in greed.
The pressure to get "toked" was on me from my co-workers. ( Tips are called tokes in the industry, like a token)
Every 5 mins I reminded him by just saying, Happy Birthday" everytime i said that he came out of his stupor and put up a tip for us dealers.
I sold him out, I felt but my co-workers actually patted me on the back when I got off the game.
It is illegal for dealers to hustle  for tips but all I said was Happy B D.
He hardly won any of the bets he had put up for me otherwise I would of dropped more then $1,000 for the hour.
I've seen cocktail servers get $100. $500. and even $1,000 in checks(chips) for serving one watered down free cocktail!
My son's former Korean girlfriend with the gambling problem had been a cocktail waitress at Caesar's when she was younger. She put her ex-husband through law school and paid his way while he studied for years by just serving drinks to players.
One reason at some casino's you can see really old cocktails servers who look insane in those reveling uniforms, the money is too good for them to quit and they won't ever quit until they drop in some cases. My son's old GF only quit being a server after her husband started to practice law and she bought them a house up on OR. near a river.She just got bored with her housewife life and came back to Vegas after she divorced.She was always sorry she had quit that casino job.
He was going to toss out his money no matter what, might as well go into our pockets since we were working for it. Not exactly sure how much I dropped in the hour, not the largest amount ever but at least over $1,000. Guess the next dealer built on that because we had a good day in the end.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I personally wouldn't mind if all casinos closed down for good.
It is a serious and evil addiction.
Those working in the industry can be trained to do something else.
I once asked a daily blackjack player how on earth he could afford to play everyday, all day long.
He was a senior citizen from SE Asia.
He told me in the 1960's or 70's he bought up tons of lots of land in and around Las Vegas.
Whenever his cash reserves get low, just just sells off some land.
A real,"hillbilly" older couple were at our casino 5 days a week,Mon. through Friday like a job.
They both dressed sloppy but the women had diamonds on everywhere.....

I wouldn't care myself if they closed them all down either.  Never held an interest for me and I don't know anyone really who engages in those gambling activities. 

You can never judge a book by its cover.  There are so many internet type stories of rough/vagrant looking people cruising up to car showrooms and buying really fancy and expensive cars for cash.    Maybe the same people hang out in casinos in LV.

The last "tip" I read was to check the person's watch out, not what they were wearing clothing wise.  You can get people in sandals, t-shirts and ripped jeans but sporting a 20K watch and that's the clue to their wealth, not their dress sense.

I used to have a $2K watch but it broke. I bought it 20+ years ago.  I tried to get it repaired and it was so expensive I thought they were taking the mickey.  I currently wear a $100 watch.  Then I realised I could buy 20 x $100 watches and if someone stole it, it wouldn't be a big loss.  $100 tells the time the same way as a $2K watch. And I have been robbed a few times and lost my watch twice. My all time fave watches cost maybe $40 each and I've had 3 of them.  They last between 3-5 years before they break.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

I personally wouldn't mind if all casinos closed down for good.
It is a serious and evil addiction.

I have the same generic opinion of anti-social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) as they are purposely designed to be addictive.

But.....

As with all things, rather better regulation rather than an outright ban would be better to minimize damage while still allowing appropriate "fun". That is, most anything in moderation can be fun and pretty harmless. The trick is to find that line when "moderation" is crossed. And if those that create those such activities refuse to self limit before that line is cross, then others may need to impose more rigid requirements to enforce that line (unfortunate, but at times such imposed limits should be considered on the unwilling).

Just had 2 Seiko watch batteries replaced at the watch shop.
Brought in 3 of them but the watchman told me something was broken electrical, will repair it later... How many watches can I wear at once?
I picked up about 3 watches in the US for $5. each second hand with real leather bands in good shape,have a solid white gold watch from the 1960's with a few diamonds on it, don't wear that often enough since it is a wind up watch but very nice.
Funny thing is with all the watches we have between us, we still have not replaced our kitchen clock after it broke down.
I'm always looking at my wrist watch to know the time.
My father had a really nice watch he bought when he was single and on the "prowl" some French made classic watch, Pierre something or other...Or could have been a Louis whatever... bought it in the late 1930's and at the time it was rather pricey, must of been a great watch because it's the only one he ever wore until his death in 1986.
The thing is my "evil" step- mom( happened to be a US/HU) didn't give it to my brother when our father passed on, didn't give my bro the ring my father always wore either, heard she gave them to her son.
WTF?
Some people are just bad, period!
I mean we all heard thousands of times how much my father wanted my bro to get his things. Had a Pearl handle vintage gun also which my bro never saw.

Rather than starting a whole thread which will undoubtedly become highly contentious, I thought I'd use the cover of "Everything else" to post a request for moderate comments on the topic at hand in this post.

I must say, I'm starting to get alarmed at the notion of an "illiberal" democracy. I believe Hungary is more democratic than one might believe reading the news and can even understand the reluctance to have an imposition of migrant quotas on them, but still; I am shocked that Hungarians are so willing to support a man that is so clearly at odds with traditional democratic values after finally being in a position to win their hard won freedom. The cronyism and Putin like approach can only lead to a bad place. I understand Hungarians can technically vote out Orban but if courts and media are largely stacked in favor of the current government does, it does raise the possibility of declining democracy in the future if not now.

It seems to me that whether right or left leaning, I would have expected people to generally love the idea of freedom and not support anyone that might threaten it.

How do those living there feel the tide is directed? Are MEP elections likely to show a pendulum swing back to the center or is this a permanent trend?

As a HU citizen abroad, I am saddened at the thought that I might have misread Hungary as a country that embraces democratic values but am willing to accept that it's not as bad as we are led to believe in the west.

Would love to hear your thoughts? Angry rants are not being solicited. I'd really like to get a sense of what people living there think without getting extreme. What is the populace's mood on the ground? How do the up and coming younger generation of Hungarians feel and where are they likely to lead the country?

marklivesinla wrote:

Rather than starting a whole thread which will undoubtedly become highly contentious, I thought I'd use the cover of "Everything else" to post a request for moderate comments on the topic at hand in this post.

I must say, I'm starting to get alarmed at the notion of an "illiberal" democracy. I believe Hungary is more democratic than one might believe reading the news and can even understand the reluctance to have an imposition of migrant quotas on them, but still; I am shocked that Hungarians are so willing to support a man that is so clearly at odds with traditional democratic values after finally being in a position to win their hard won freedom. The cronyism and Putin like approach can only lead to a bad place. I understand Hungarians can technically vote out Orban but if courts and media are largely stacked in favor of the current government does, it does raise the possibility of declining democracy in the future if not now.

It seems to me that whether right or left leaning, I would have expected people to generally love the idea of freedom and not support anyone that might threaten it.

How do those living there feel the tide is directed? Are MEP elections likely to show a pendulum swing back to the center or is this a permanent trend?

As a HU citizen abroad, I am saddened at the thought that I might have misread Hungary as a country that embraces democratic values but am willing to accept that it's not as bad as we are led to believe in the west.

Would love to hear your thoughts? Angry rants are not being solicited. I'd really like to get a sense of what people living there think without getting extreme. What is the populace's mood on the ground? How do the up and coming younger generation of Hungarians feel and where are they likely to lead the country?

You won't get rants here.

I'm interested to hear what made you decide to post something here about it?  Was it the media reports? The European Parliament vote?   The comments of the Spanish Foreign Minister?   I know you are a HU citizen so I see your interest, but I'd have thought in LA, no-one says much about Hungary at all.  Has Hungary's profile gone up recently in the US media?

By the way, have you read or seen - the highlights at least - of the Sargentini report?

Hi Fluffy,

Well I figured "Absolutely Anything Else" is the right place for it. I suppose I'm interested because being utterly removed from both the EU and HU, I wanted to get a "boots on the ground" sense of how things are going in Hungary. Reading reports here, the media in general portrays HU as drifting slowly towards "Putinism." I am trying to get a sense if Hungarians feel that way.

As an HU citizen, the direction of the nation is important to me. As a non-speaker of the language it's hard for me to gauge anything from "the horse's mouth."

I'm admittedly a liberal (fat good it does me here in the US), but ultimately, anything close to center is all I hope for. The swinging pendulum is in a sense what keeps both sides "reasonably" honest. It's not so much HU's existing political situation that concerns me, but the possible drift towards a framework that ultimately erases democracy in all by name by slowly changing the constitution and stifling a free press.

I will look at your report with interest. Do you have any observations yourself that you might share?

marklivesinla wrote:

I believe Hungary is more democratic than one might believe reading the news

Why do you think that?

For example, a tyranny of the majority is very democratic, but still a tyranny.

marklivesinla wrote:

Hi Fluffy,

Well I figured "Absolutely Anything Else" is the right place for it. I suppose I'm interested because being utterly removed from both the EU and HU, I wanted to get a "boots on the ground" sense of how things are going in Hungary. Reading reports here, the media in general portrays HU as drifting slowly towards "Putinism." I am trying to get a sense if Hungarians feel that way.

As an HU citizen, the direction of the nation is important to me. As a non-speaker of the language it's hard for me to gauge anything from "the horse's mouth."

I'm admittedly a liberal (fat good it does me here in the US), but ultimately, anything close to center is all I hope for. The swinging pendulum is in a sense what keeps both sides "reasonably" honest. It's not so much HU's existing political situation that concerns me, but the possible drift towards a framework that ultimately erases democracy in all by name by slowly changing the constitution and stifling a free press.

I will look at your report with interest. Do you have any observations yourself that you might share?

This is the right place for discussions on any topic.

I've got a wealth of opinions and I'm happy to share. I hope some of the other usual suspects will contribute  to discussions. 

There's certainly not much of a home for liberals here but that's a weird thing about the world in general - lots of nutter extremists are gaining power across the region and further away.  It cannot go on forever but it's quite painful to watch. 

The Sargentini report is generally accurate.  The lighting contracts are well known here in Hungary.  There have been other instances such as the cigarette/tobacco monopoly and even the Sunday opening hours restriction was part of it.  Then there are controls on the media - closure of newspapers and loss of the last independent TV news station recently. Other rumours are that non-Fidesz areas get less money.  All sorts of rumours abound here.  Overtly, there's this ludicrous Soros demonisation and attempts to get CEU out. Open Society have had to leave.  There's other weirdness as well like the criminalisation of NGOs and lawyers engaged  in civil rights - e.g. representing asylum seekers.   

OV always needs an enemy for his election campaigns. The next one will be the EU and a campaign to leave it.  OV  gets about $6 billion in EU cohesion funds a year so if he lost that, it would be a dent in the economy.  Maybe he thinks he can weather that with Russian help.

OV has signed up to buy a nuclear power station from Russia. The deal was subject to some scrutiny by the EU as it was a direct signing with Russia and didn't go through a public procurement process.  I have always thought that OV was against green power because he needs people to support his $10 billion power station.  He plans to "give away" electricity to some sections of the population.

Despite the supposed OV victory in the recent elections, a lot of people did not vote for him.  He has a mandate but it's not overwhelming. There are even rumours the election was rigged,

To answer your question, yes, it's drifting to more and more less tolerance in Hungarian society.  It's got creeping elements of increasing state controls. 

I hate to say it but the Hungarians are somehow getting dumbed down.  They only read Hungarian government controlled media, there's no independent opposition voice.  As it's been almost a generation since the wall came down, many younger people have no memory or even knowledge  of communism or fascist history. I've even heard people wishing for a dictatorship.  If you ask them - "do you want to be grabbed off the street because of your views and locked up without trial?" they all say, of course not.  But that's what they say they want.     

The other parties are all fragmented.  It will eventually happen that OV and his cronies will be ousted but it's just not going to happen any time soon.

In the USA you have  some constitutional protection from crazy stuff but here, there's not enough of that.  OV can change the constitution and has done and he's made Hungary less rich for it.