S2L77: Istanbul

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

Istanbul, straddling the Bosphorus, seen from Asia

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

Istanbul, seen from the Bosphorus

Istanbul, like Tehran, like New Delhi, is one of those cities where one's first impression is determined by one's direction of approach. Coming into Istanbul from the east, after travelling overland the length of Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, etc., I was struck by how Western, how European, how ... familiar Istanbul felt. However, we ran into tourists arriving in Istanbul from Europe and they remarked on how exotic Istanbul felt. In Istanbul, East meets West.

More photos after the jump.

The Great Gatsby (1974)

IMDB

The Great Gatsby (1974):
Redford > DiCaprio.
1974 > 2013.
Book >>> Movie (either one).
Less is more.
That is all, Old Sport. C+

The Great Gatsby (2013)

IMDB

The Great Gatsby (2013): Over-the-top, overdone CGI recreation of Roaring '20s. This Gatsby is not great, you don't even care about him. C+

Arbitrage (2012)

IMDB

Arbitrage (2012): Tycoon's business collapses. Fraud, affair, lies, cover ups grow as law closes in. Usual Hollywood stuff, well told. B-

Voting Is Just So Messy

The City of Richardson has a policy regarding electioneering at the Civic Center during early voting: "During early voting, political signs may not be erected on public property." The State of Texas has other ideas.

On June 14, 2013, the Texas Legislature passed HB 259, thereby amending Section 61.003 and 85.036 of the Texas Election Code by requiring a public entity that controls or owns a building used as a polling place to allow electioneering on the premises, subject to reasonable regulations.

Source: City of Richardson.

So, let's amend Richardson's policy to allow electioneering at the Civic Center, so long as it occurs outside the 100 foot boundary state law specifies. Easy peasy. Next issue.

Not so fast, says Richardson's City Council. After the jump, their thoughts.

S2L77: Izmir, Troy, Canakkale, Gallipoli

Izmir
April 17, 1977
Quick tour of Izmir, walking through the bazaar and the Roman agora, which was closed for restoration.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 04 08 Turkey

Izmir, Turkey

We stopped for lunch in Izmir, just enough time to find a restaurant and do a little sightseeing. And by sightseeing in this region of the world, I mean track down the ancient Greeks and Romans. Izmir being at least 3,500 years old, the Roman ruins mark but a stage in its long history, but when you only have a couple of hours, it's a good stage to hunt down.

In Troy, you go back even before the Romans to the Homeric legends of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Today, the site is an active archaeological dig. In 1977, about the only thing for the casual sightseer was a large wooden horse, so that's what I took a photo of.

Canakkale is the modern city nearest the ancient site of Troy. It's also where we said goodbye to Asia. It was there that we crossed the Dardanelles Strait, which separates Asia from Europe, on a ferry.

On the European side of the Dardanelles is the Gallipoli peninsula, the site of a major military campaign in World War I. The British and French sought to secure a sea route to Russia through the Dardanelles. Gallipoli was where the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) saw their first action in the war, with great loss of life. Today, ANZAC Day (April 25) is the day of remembrance for all Australians and New Zealanders who fought and died in all wars. It marks the dawn of national consciousness for those nations.

More photos after the jump.

Cash America's Wallet is a Little Lighter

In response to enforcement action by the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), payday lender Cash America will repay $14 million to customers and will pay a $5 million fine because "it improperly pursued some customers' debt and overcharged military service members." Apparently, Cash America charged service members annual interest rates over 36% on loans. Compare that to the interest rate banks pay you when you loan them money by making a deposit to your savings account.

After the jump, what does this have to do with Richardson?