Libertarian Thoughts

Recently I've been reading a few libertarian-slanted blogs. I'm by no means a libertarian and disagree with much that is written. However, there are several libertarian issues that interest me, such as:

* an end to corporate welfare
* a sunset clause for all government legislation
* a simplified taxation system
* a realistic view of the threat of international terrorism
* an unrestricted internet
* true free trade

Although I live a long way away, I still try to stay in touch with Australian current affairs. From my observations, Australian politics is staid with few new ideas promoted. The Liberal Democratic Party could make politics more interesting with their different views. To be noticed they will have to promote their party well.

My first and foremost wish for the next Australian Federal election is to see the back of the current dishonest and disgraceful government. Other than that, I'd like the Independent candidates, Democrats, Greens, LDP and other minor parties to each gain significant votes in order to shake up Australian politics. I doubt this will happen but I can only hope.

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Labels: australia, personal, politics

Air Arabia Now Flies To Istanbul

Great news for budget travellers living in Turkey. Air Arabia, the Middle Eastern low-cost airline based out of Sharjah, UAE, has started flying twice a week to Istanbul.

From Sabiha Gokcen Airport on Istanbul's Asian side people can now fly via Sharjah to great destinations like Kathmandu, Sana'a, Luxor and Colombo (but not Karachi).



Checking the website, the ridiculous prices in the advert above were nowhere to be seen. In fact, from the results I got, it seemed the prices were not that much cheaper than discount-economy class on a full-service airline.

I hope to fly Air Arabia one day.

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Labels: istanbul, travel - general

Yves Larock Live At The Armada, Mersin, Turkey, 25 November 2006

This week, the above poster advertising Yves Larock 'Africanism' was plastered around Mersin. What caught my eye was the fact Yves Larock obviously was not a Turkish act, and, judging by the 'CH' on the poster, probably came from Switzerland.

Last night, after some umming and erring, flatmate Levent and I decided to go. The Armada is a new (opened this year) multi-purpose venue located on the coast east of the Hilton Hotel. Earlier in the day, a workmate called The Armada to see if males without female company could enter. A common policy in Turkey for decent nightspots is to bar single or groups of males. In typical Turkish fashion, the answer was 'maybe'.

The bouncers did accept our 20 YTL and we were allowed in. A decent crowd (500?) was in attendance, and, although not completely full, it made a perfect fit. Following a mix of Turkish and foreign dance music, Yves Larock came on after midnight. With the theme 'Africanism' on his posters, I was expecting more tribal music, than the house he played. As a person who has not been to a real disco for a long time, I did not care about semantics. Neither did Levent. We enjoyed grooving on the dancefloor almost continuously for more than 3 hours.

The great light and smoke show complemented the music. Sometimes the machine smoke was so thick the visibility was zero. The tobacco smoke also hung around.

Last night reminded me of my escapades at The Planet nightclub in Adelaide several years ago. The number of people of Mediterranean origin was the same, althought there were no broken glasses underfoot at The Armada, only cigarette butts.

By 2:30 I had tired and was ready to leave, although Levent, with the combination of raki and beer in his veins, wanted to keep going.

After 3 am we left and walked into town to Haci Baba Restaurant. I ate kelle-paca corbasi (sheep's head and feet soup) whilst Levent settled for mercimek corbasi (lentil soup).

After a great night, at 4:45 am I collapsed asleep in bed.

Reading Yves Larock's website this morning, I see that the Mersin gig was his only performance in Turkey. He came to Turkey just to perform in Mersin!!!! He must have a Mersin girlfriend, know The Armada owner or something...

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Labels: mersin, music

A Funny Restaurant Sign

This restaurant sign is displayed outside the 'Antik Han' complex in Mersin's centre. It is obviously aimed at the sailors coming off the nearby port's ships.



Anybody for CALAMARY with LIVING MUSIC at SEA MAN'S CLAP'S?

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Labels: mersin, photos - funny or odd

Pearl Jam To Rock Adelaide

In the next few days my favourite band, Pearl Jam, will play two concerts in Adelaide. Last week, U2, another great group, were also in town. Unfortunately, I'm on the other side of the world and cannot attend.

This time reminds me of February/March 1998 when I went with university friend Ryan to see U2 in Sydney and then a week later saw Pearl Jam at Thebarton Oval.

A few days ago, members of the two bands performed a cheesy version of Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World in Melbourne. Here is a much better version from Pearl Jam's 2003 Adelaide concert. If you look carefully, you may be able to see my sister Anna's and my bobbing heads in the front row. Anna received one of the broken tambourines this night. Other Pearl Jam Adelaide 2003 concert videos are here. If you haven't had enough Free World Rockin', there is also a video from Pearl Jam's Milan concert I attended a few months ago.

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Labels: adelaide, multimedia, music

Photos From The Office Today

The above photo (featuring Nesibe) was taken partially reflecting and partially through a glass pane.


A delicious and relatively light cream fruit cake from Denizkizi Pastanesi (Mermaid Cake Shop).


A section of my female boss' desk, featuring 4 telephones (two wireless landline, 2 mobile), a telephone battery, an air conditioning remote control, an escape key and a pen.

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Labels: food, gadgets, personal

Tarsus

Surprisingly, this morning I did require my alarm to wake me up at
11:30. A quick goodbye to Mete and his sister and I was off to catch
the bus from Turgut Ozal Boulevard into the city.

Lady, Dafne and I were due to meet at the train station at 12 noon. I arrived late but they arrived later, only to see the 12:20 train leave without us.
Our next option was to catch a bus to Tarsus.
Luckily, when I askedakebapci for directions to the otogar (bus station) a kebab delivery car was just leaving for the direction of the otogar and we received a free ride there!

Sebi met us Tarsus' Cleopatra's Gate and, as the 3 of us from Adana had not eaten breakfast, we made our way to the great value, well-located and terrifically-set restaurant overlooking the ancient Roman road for a kebab lunch. Whilst at lunch, Sebi's English teacher, Mehmet, joined us.


Mehmet, Sebiha, myself, Lady and Dafne at the restaurant with the ancient Roman road ruins in the background

Following the meal we walked around the town, visiting St. Paul's Well and St. Paul's Church.


Many Turkish flags around a globe.

Does the Tarsus Council have any plans to take over the world?


Another Turkish flag, this one visible through an entry gate to St. Paul's Church


A St. Paul's Church ceiling detail

As Dafne had to return to Gaziantep via Adana that evening, she and Lady left early, not leaving enough time to have a proper look at the town. Next time...

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Labels: friends, tarsus

Colombian Night In Adana

The Antakya trip did not happen as expected although it may be on next weekend. The Colombia night did occur, though, and Lady Yohanna and Dafne (a trainee in Gaziantep) put on a great show.

Neither Aylin or I knew where the new AIESEC office was (despite having the address). We eventually found it in Karincalar after receiving telephone instructions.

The evening began with a PowerPoint presentation, then Colombian food followed by dancing. The audience consisted of AIESECers,
hangers-on (like myself) and 6 Erasmus exchange students from the Czech Republic, currently studying at the local Cukurova University. I met with several AIESECers I hadn't seen for a long time, including Mete and Kadriye.



Dafne and Lady presenting Colombia



Lady and Mete



Lady and Dafne demonstrated the Salsa and other Colombian dance styles. Dafne, in particular, is a brilliant dancer.



Lady, myself, Aylin and Dafne



Pearl Jam, Colombian style

Following the presentation made our way to the old AIESEC trainee haunt of Cazara Nightclub on Ziyapasa
Street. This was the place I spent New Years Eve 2003-4 in.



A special thank you to Mete for that birthday tequila and letting me crash at his place.

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Labels: adana, aiesec, friends

Weekend Schedule: Adana And Antakya

I'm about to jump on the train to Adana for Lady Yohana's Colombia night. Tomorrow, we're off to Antakya (Antioch), famous for kunefe, persimmons, mosaics and the world's first church, Saint Peter's Cave Church.

Notably, Antakya is officially part of both Turkey and Syria (see map).

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Labels: adana, turkey travel

This Day In History

* 326 - The old St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

* 1095 - The Council of Clermont, called by Pope Urban II to discuss sending the First Crusade to the Holy Land, begins.

* 1307 - According to legend, William Tell shoots an apple off his son's head.

* 1421 - A seawall at the Zuider Zee dike breaks, flooding 72 villages and killing about 10,000 people in the Netherlands.

* 1493 - Christopher Columbus first sights what is now Puerto Rico.

* 1626 - St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated.

* 1686 - Charles Francois Felix operates on King Louis XIV's anal fistula after practicing the surgery on several peasants.

* 1803 - the Battle of Vertières, the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, is fought, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Haiti, the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere.

* 1883 - American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.

* 1903 - The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty is signed by the United States and Panama, giving the Americans exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone.

* 1905 - Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway.

* 1916 - World War I: First Battle of the Somme ends - In France, British Expeditionary Force commander Douglas Haig calls off the battle which started on July 1, 1916.

* 1918 - Latvia declares its independence from Russia.

* 1926 - George Bernard Shaw refuses to accept the money for his Nobel Prize, saying, "I can forgive Alfred Nobel for inventing dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize."

* 1928 - Release of the animated short Steamboat Willie, the first fully synchronized sound cartoon, directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, featuring the second appearances of cartoon stars Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

* 1940 - World War II: German leader Adolf Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet to discuss Benito Mussolini's disastrous invasion of Greece.

* 1977 - Mum gave birth to Joseph Kieran, Dad's and her second child and first son, at the Ceduna Memorial Hospital.

* 1978 - Jonestown incident: In Guyana, Jim Jones leads his Peoples Temple cult in a mass murder-suicide that claims 918 lives in all, 909 of them at Jonestown itself, including over 270 children.

* 1985 - Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip by Bill Watterson, is first published.

* 1987 - King's Cross fire: In London, 31 people die in a fire at the city's busiest underground station at King's Cross St Pancras.

* 1991 - Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon set Anglican Church envoys Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland free.

* 1991 - After the 3-month siege, the Croatian city of Vukovar is invaded by Serbians

* 1993 - In South Africa, 21 political parties approve a new constitution.

* 1997 - Gary Glitter is arrested in the United Kingdom on child pornography charges.

* 2004 - Russia officially ratifies the Kyoto Protocol.

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Labels: personal

River Rambling

Here was Muftu River looking upstream from work two weeks ago:



And, here was Muftu River today:



A prize for anyone who notices a difference.

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Labels: photos of mersin, weather

For Anna

Labels: family

Blogger's Beta Is Here

I've just upgraded my blog to Blogger's new beta version. The change I'm mainly looking forward to utilising is post tagging. Soon you will be able to select different post categories, for example: mersin, travel, food, etcetera.

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Labels: blog announcements, software

Feast Of The Persimmon!

I've just eaten a fantastic feast - 1 massive persimmon!

The flesh was so succulent and juicy. Weighing approximatelly 300 grams, by the time the below specimen was finished I felt like I had eaten 2 or 3.



The persimmon season is in full swing and I plan to make the most of it until the end.

Today's Trip: Adana

Today I caught the train to Adana to meet Colombian Lady Yohana, the only AIESEC trainee living in Adana. After a cuppa at Mado we ate a delicious lunch at Cafe Keyif.

As expected, puddles of water were visible all along the journey to and from Adana, evidence of last week's rain. On the way home I took two photos of the Taurus Mountains north of Tarsus. The photos turned out okay considering they were shot at 6x zoom on a speeding train and I still haven't fully figured out the camera.



When the Cukurova Plain was rained upon, the Taurus Mountains received snow.

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me

Inspired by Tom, I've had a go at writing 10 things you probably didn't know about me.

1) I grew up in Thevenard, a port village on South Australia's West Coast, across the railway line from Ceduna. Ceduna had 4,000 people and was the largest town in any direction for 300 kilometres. The nearest traffic lights, rivers, multi-storey (3 or more levels) buildings, bridges and fast food chains were all hundreds of kilometres away.

2) In 1988 I was the first ever visitor to raa.net, the home of the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia. For my reward I received a copy of Visio in its pre-Microsoft incarnation.

3) I've travelled faster legally in a road vehicle than illegally: 255 km/h in a Porsche 911 Carrera 4x4 on a German Autobahn where there is no specific speed limit versus 160 km/h in country South Australia where there is a 100 or 110 km/h limit. Unfortunately, I wasn't driving the Porsche. Instead, a retired professional car racer friend tore up the road!

4) My parents' families contrast greatly. One side, brought up as Agnostics, consists of 4 'traditional' nuclear families. The other side, brought up as Catholics, consists of 12 siblings in total but only 4 of them are in nuclear families.

5) I saw in the millennium drinking vodka and Russian champagne at a private suit and tie party in Gdansk, Poland, the home of the Solidarity movement.

6) My first ever crush was on the music group Wilson Phillips in their video clip for 'Hold On'

7) Besides Taheny.com and NewLira.com I own many domain names including quilt.tv, cuisine.in and new.sg.

8) When I was 10&1/2 I moved with my family from Thevenard to Port Lincoln. I hated this move and took several years to get over it emotionally.

9) In 1999 I, along with my Auntie and 2 Belgian friends were almost trapped by a fire in Antwerp. If we had attempted to escape a few minutes later, we wouldn't have survıved. My friend's apartment and everything he owned was completely destroyed.

10) I've never smoked an all-tobacco cigarette

Post Mersin Flood

Today was a fine, mild and sunny day, in contrast to yesterday's rain. The river level was much lower and the flood danger had passed.

The local council placed large rocks on the riverbank to reinforce it and minimise further erosion.

Compare the river level of the photos below with those taken yesterday.



Council Workers



Looking downstream towards the outlet into the sea



Looking upstream - someone has lost their soccer ball (see dot on the water)



Depositing large rocks on the river bank



Some links:

Mersin flood stories (in Turkish) with accompanying photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 (see photos at bottom)


BBC's latest

Red Cross/Red Crescent's Turkey Floods Information Bulletin

A slightly related story: 6 Alanyaspor players and an official were injured when struck by lightning a few days ago.

Yes, Winter Has Arrived To Mersin!

The answer to my previous post title question is: yes, emphatically!

Today the rain came. And hard. Very hard.



In the space of a short time, the river opposite work rose to dangerous levels





A section of the river bank eroded enough to knock over trees and the edge of the paving.


Looking downstream


Looking upstream

For a few minutes the female toilet and hand basin at work spat out water. Ahmet surmised that the sewers let out into the river and the force of the river pushed water back up the pipes.

The rain and swollen river transported a few creatures to areas they wouldn't normally be.



I picked this tortoise off the road and place it on the saturated riverbank grass



This frog is between work's front glass and security grill

The erosion today was not as bad as that of December 2001:



On the way home this evening I passed a few shops that received minor flooding.

Unfortunately, Mersin is not the only part of Turkey experiencing heavy rain and flash-flooding. At least 21 people have died, mainly in the southeast of the country. Eastern Istanbul and the Antalya province have also faced floods. According to NTVMSNBC:

"[I]n the Kizkale district of Mersin in the south of the country dozens of parked vehicles washed into the sea."

I think the article must mean Kizkalesi.

UPDATE: The following day the river level was substantially lower. See my next post for updated photos.

Has Winter Arrived Early To Mersin?

Mersin received lots of rain in the past few days and the temperature has cooled down. I've started to wear jumpers during the day and winter pyjamas at night, changed my bedding and just connected the shower to the electric water heater. Despite this, the temperature still reaches the early 20s during the day.

Cricket, Cricket Laughs And An Ugly Bedroom

Australia strolled to a comfortable victory against India on Sunday. I hadn't seen any cricket on television since visiting Australia in February. Peter and I enjoyed a few beers as two Aussies do when the cricket's on the tube.



Still on a cricketing note, Peter was kind enough to lend me (Some of) the 12th Man's Greatest Hits, a CD by funnyman Billy Birmingham (A.K.A.: The 12th Man). Bill, Max, Richie and Tony have never sounded funnier!



Peter's son, Michael Can, has one of the most eyesore bedrooms I have ever seen:



Which soccer team does he support?