User:K. Lastochka

a little about myself

Talpra magyar, hí a haza!
Itt az idő, most vagy soha!
Rabok legyünk vagy szabadok?
Ez a kérdés, válasszatok! –
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

I am a musician/amateur linguist/history enthusiast/football fan currently living and studying in the USA. I am of several ethnic ancestries and my family has been in the US for many generations, but, like my esteemed countryman Franz Liszt, I still primarily identify as a Hungarian. :) Not surprisingly then, most of the articles I work on are related to either Hungary, music (classical and folk), or even better, Hungarian music. My knowledge of the Hungarian language is currently weak, but I am studying and picking it up fairly quickly. Stay tuned...

Other interests besides Hungary and music include history, Central Asia (especially Turkmenistan), Romanticism, political science, poetry and great literature (especially Central European and Russian--Pushkin rocks my world), world peace, and football (especially Liverpool FC and the Czech national team!)

(Also, I suppose I should clarify since it's confused a few people: my username bears absolutely no relation to my real name. It's just a longstanding nom de plume. )

This user seeks to promote peace and harmony among Central and Eastern European Wikipedians.

What I'm doing on Wikipedia

My editing philosophy for controversial issues is based on the assumption that there is always a way to say something neutrally and non-obnoxiously without compromising accuracy or clarity. However, I also strongly believe that the admirable principles of neutrality should not be abused, whether to "water down" articles or give misleading undue weight to strange things. It's a delicate balance, but one I believe is very important to pay attention to. I frequently try to be a "Wiki-diplomat" to resolve disputes between users or on hot-button issues – not saying I'm always successful though. :) Outside of controversial issues, I do routine cleanup, fix the sometimes anguished English of our much-appreciated colleagues for whom English may be a third or fourth language (I appreciate these editors because they frequently write articles on things that people outside the US/UK might not have ever heard of!), contribute in varying capacity to articles relating to those interests listed above, and try to figure out how to format my userpage even better.

I also now have an account on HuWiki--only time will tell if it's a good idea or not...

Userboxes

vital stats vln-3 This user is an advanced violinist. This user is proud to be a Magyar. This user is of multiple ancestries. pno-2 This user is an intermediate pianist. pl-#%*& This user can curse in Polish, but prefers not to in polite company. This user identifies as a Lisztian. This user is female. This user is of English ancestry. This user is of Irish ancestry This user suffers from Monophiltrumitis.

Interests, etc. This user enjoys classical music. This user is a member of WikiProject Hungarian Culture. This user is a member of WikiProject Central Asia. This user is a member of WikiProject Czech Republic. This user listens to World Music This user plays football with hands only when tending goals. This user is interested in the Romantic period. This user is a history buff. This user's favorite composers are Béla Bartók, Franz Liszt, György Ligeti, Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvořák, Zoltán Kodály, Frederic Chopin, and many, many others.... This user misses Puskás Öcsi. band-3 This user loves the band Muzsikás.

Politics and Big Issues This user admires Vaclav Havel. This user is a pacifist. This user strongly advocates freedom and democracy in Turkmenistan. This user is a patriot, not a deranged right-wing nationalist. This user supports Székely autonomy. This user wishes that Hungarian politicians would stop bickering and actually try doing some good for the country. This user does not believe in the Curse of Turan. Really, she doesn't. pol-0 This user finds nearly all political parties irritating.