"oh brother, where art thou?"

oh really where at thou? new year is here,but where art thou? they say foreigners are buying turkish land as in gold rush. they say that's the reason why ottoman empire was disintegrated. they blame the very existence of israel to this politics of ottoman empire. they say reciprocity is the key for such politics and since turks are very poor to buy land overseas, the foreigners shouldn't be able to buy land. since the greeks are number one foreign investors on land, oh brother where art thou?

and the answer is blowing in the wind.

again on the news, mr. turkish prime minister blamed u.s.a. for giving weapons to kurdish guerilla groups. he said "they carry american weapons, and we cannot watch while that happens, we cannot act as spectators towards the events in iraq". he said "we must follow up the events closely". well that is the very definition of being a spectator mr. minister. you are very affectionate but still one spactator. oh brother where art thou?

on the news yesterday, many students at a prestigious high school cought inhaling dangerous substances in school bathroom. according to the news, there is nothing wrong about teenagers using drugs, but what is shocking is the fact that these were rich kids with good backgrounds attending a $10,000/year high school. duh! the poor kids cannot afford drugs brother, they inhale glue on the streets, only the rich ones can afford real drugs.

a writer whose book about abused kids that was banned by the authorities (?!?) is on the news with a story of an abused 14 years old whose land lady abused her with a dildo. and the punch line is by this kid herself:
"please don't tell anyone, because if they learn they will kick us out of the house"

well, really oh brother where art thou?

the answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

on resolutions

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.
Oscar Wilde Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 - 1900)

Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched.
Thomas Jefferson, Resolutions, 1803 3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

new years celebrations

stuffed turkey with rice dinner for six (take away) $120
night out at an average restaurant per person $130
night out at a luxury restaurant per person $200
minimum wage $200

turkey, the land of controversies, turns and turbulances is getting ready for a new year. imagine a country where riches are temporary, the only permenant thing is poverty. riches change hands everyday where almost 70% of the economy is illegal (meaning trade is done off-the-record, without incurring any taxes). life is impossible for almost anybody who wishes to keep his(her) decency, pride or character. one must bribe for almost anything.

when there is no sense of tomorrow, the national motto should be something like "carpe ibidem". among all this mess turkish media and masses are getting ready to get drunk, have fun like there is no tomorrow and spend the last few liras available in their charge limits.

the media are publishing one belle du jour after another to exxagerate the event. although the reality shall set in on thursday (after a lenghty muslim holiday that coincides with the new year's eve this year), let us join the bandwagon with one of their beauties of the days.

Happy New Year everybody. I will be off until Monday unless....

christmas time

ten days to go. in a country where tolerance means tolerance to agreement, freedom of speech means freedom to speak the same language, democracy means freedom to vote for what everyone else votes, the time for controversy arrives.

what is to be celebrated is the name of the argument. new year? noel (christmas)? islamic 'bayram' (religious feast) of offering? this year the 'rumi' calendar of islam and the common gregorian one played a game to remember. within ten days time this year christmas, new year's and 'bayram' coincides. new years day and the first day of bayram, the day when every family is supposed to slaughter a sheep or a cow (sometimes even a camel -see picture below) overlaps the new year's eve. people are supposed to finish shopping for new year's and bayram on saturday, go to sleep, wake up early on sunday, slaughter some animal, cook some of it, distribute the rest among needy, go to the beauty parlor, prepare for new year's festivities, visit close relatives all day long and have fun until the first lights of monday, 1st of January. quite a schedule,isn't it?

the controversy comes when fundamentalists argue that new year's celebrations are of christian origins and therefore are sinful. there is a long time tradition in secular metropolitan Turkey to erect christmas trees and put presents under them to be opened January the 1st. however this tradition, started during the modernization efforts of 40's and 50's, is under severe attack by the ruling forces (both politically and culturally) since the first time political ruling of fundamentalist party mid-90's. within all these arguments though, I have not been able to hear one single person propogating a though such as; "let them be. whoever wants to erect a tree, let them erect whatever they wish. if someone wishes to celebrate christmas (or hannukah for that matter, since the vast majority of 'official' turkish minorities are jews), let them celebrate, whoever wishes to spend the new year's eve in mosques, let them..."

but personallyi I am enjoying a sight totally different from the above arguments since last night. a prestigious shopping mall started displaying their 'new year's' ornaments. it's one of the best I have ever seen here and it is georgeous. the whole building is surrounded by a wall of lights very much like a Russian Orthodox christmas decorations (or should I say architecture).

see it for yourselves and enjoy.