Anything and Everything Snippits

[jj]

AYÞE ÖZGÜN
I have a theory and I'd like to share it with you. The only ladies who claim to have "full" lips are those who can put on a lipstick without looking in a mirror! Think about it!

Most of my beautiful lady friends, when they feel they have reached the prime of their life (this could be around 33!), have found themselves in the operating room of the famous aesthetician Dr. Onur Erol and began receiving botox injections. I understand that is the application of "fats" taken from, say the neck of a person, and applied to creased or "likely to be creased if you don't act now" places which usually involves the lips.

If you look around you at parties and lunches you will begin to notice how many ladies are beginning to look-alike with apple-round high cheek bones, an unmovable forehead and crease-proof under-eyes. They laugh but the expression does not show on the face. They are sad but the lines of sorrow just don't show. It is as if all these ladies are wearing the same expressionless mask but feeling all the more "beautiful" because of it.

I don't know what this botox operation involves. Some say it is just "injections" given on a high chair while others claim you have to lie on an operating table for treatment. Moreover, not all my friends who have had treatment admit to it.

However, I can tell. How? I'll tell you how. Say I call them on the telephone around 11:00 and invite them to meet me for tea in the afternoon at one of the "in" places, because that is where they like to be seen. If they come up with a silly excuse like, "Oh, I have to visit my high school teacher today," you can bet your bottom dollar they have had treatment and are waiting for the inflammation to go down.

Anyway, the good news I learned today is that these "beauty conscious" friends of mine do not have to wait for inflammation to die down any longer because, recognizing their dilemma, the good doctors have devised a "lip inflating" lipstick which can be used at whim and taken off once they returned to their apartments, much like removing their gloves after a walk in the park on a chilly January morning.

I say bravo to the good doctors but that is not all. Lo and behold, I understand men use this inflammatory lip cover as well. Made of "collagen" it seems one needs only to apply the ample amount layer after layer upon the existing lip foundation as given to us by God, and before you know it, there you are full lipped and ready to venture out of your door for an evening of fun at a party or a concert.

I don't know if these collagen inflated lips are kissable. I worry they may come off like biting off three slices of roast beef off an open sandwich, if you know what I mean. Is it "edible" is my question. Should it be spit off or chewed on as if nothing happened and be digested?

I understand the men demand the non-colored or "neutral" collagen lipstick so people who see them for the first time can't tell whether their lips are their own or not! This, of course, is an American invention and the brand name is My City Lips. That is so self-explanatory that I can't get over it. You didn't expect them to name this product My Village Lips did you? So here is what I claim. All my friends who use the My City Lips product need not look at a mirror when applying their touch up and that is a load off their busy and heavy laden back isn't it?

[jj]

‘We hope that this meeting in Ankara will help to build awareness of the fact that homophobia is not a matter only for gays and lesbians, but is also a matter for heterosexual women and men,’ says gay rights activist Erol

EMÝNE KART

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


The gay society in Turkey is planning to hold an international meeting in Ankara this spring in order to bring together gay groups from across the globe to tackle the problem of homophobic feeling by simultaneously marking the second International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) -- a courageous move from a widely conservative country like Turkey.

The activity titled the “International Anti-Homophobia Meeting” is being organized by the Ankara-based Kaos Gay-Lesbian Cultural Researches and Solidarity Association (Kaos-GL) and will kick off on May 17, the day designed to help unite lesbian and gay groups in both liberal and more conservative countries.

The day was designated last year, on the 15th anniversary of the day the General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from their list of mental disorders.

“We hope that this meeting in Ankara will help to build awareness of the fact that homophobia is not a matter only for gays and lesbians, but is also a matter for heterosexual women and men,” Ali Erol, a gay rights activist from Kaos-GL said in an interview with the Turkish Daily News.

“We want to discuss and share our thoughts concerning a world where gays and heterosexuals will together enjoy freedom.”

Last year, demonstrations and protests were held in more than 40 countries, including the first gay rally ever in China. So far, only Belgium has officially recognized the event. More than 15,000 people worldwide have signed a petition asking for U.N. recognition of the day.

During the five-day anti-homophobia event in Ankara that is scheduled to end on May 21, participants and attendants coming both from Turkey and abroad will have the chance to participate in workshops, conferences, presentations and screenings. All of those various activities will question and try to find a solution to issues such as gay-lesbian partnerships and marriages, the problems in families that have homosexual sons or daughters, coming out to parents, how parents' attitudes around this issue may change, homophobia in the family and resistance tactics employed by young gays or lesbians.



‘Homophobia is everywhere in daily life':

Erol said that they preferred to have a comprehensive meeting that's open to every one instead of having a meeting that's only limited to academics or only open to gays and lesbians.

“In Turkey, ‘homosexuality' is not officially defined as a psychological disorder or a mental disease except in military psychiatry literature,” he noted.

“However, homophobic attitudes and practices can be seen in every field of daily life,” Erol emphasized, and added that Kaos-GL has attributed particular importance to sharing the experiences of foreign guests regarding their struggle against homophobia.

According to Erol, the event in May will offer attendees the opportunity to meet activists of various gay and lesbian organizations from Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Hungary, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden and the United States.

“Homophobia is obviously a global issue,” he added.

Although Erol is right to suggest that homophobia is not an issue specific to Turkey as it is a global issue, he is actually someone who has been through the most difficult times of the struggle in Turkey for gay rights.



Kaos-GL symbolizes a long journey for gay rights:

Kaos GL, of which Erol has been an active member from the beginning, started as a civil society initiative that aimed for the liberation of gays in Turkish society by publishing Turkey's first and only lesbian and gay journal -- Kaos GL -- since September 1994.

After more than a decade of struggling as an informal activist group, Kaos-GL was finally approved in July last year as a nongovernmental organization under the name of Kaos Gay-Lesbian Cultural Researches and Solidarity Association.

However, in September, the association faced being shut down when the deputy governor of Ankara asked a court to order its closure, claiming that it violated morality laws.

Eventually, the Ankara Prosecutor's Office decided not to open a case, noting that there was nothing immoral in the name or the regulations of the organization.

Media Prosecutor Kürþat Kayral decided against the complaint filed by the Ankara Governor's Office. He said the Associations' Law was prepared in accordance with European Union criteria, the Accession Partnership Treaty and the European Convention of Human Rights, adding that the law was based on the principle of not getting involved in the private affairs of associations, allowing them room to work without any state or public pressure.

In a written statement, he said the words “lesbian” and “gay” were freely used in daily life and in scientific research, adding: “At a time when the concept of sexual discrimination is openly discussed, being a homosexual does not mean the person is immoral. Those who study morality all agree that the most important thing for human beings is to have the right to exercise free will.”

Prejudice against homosexuals remains strong in Turkey, even though same-sex relationships have never been criminalized as in other Muslim countries and homosexuals today figure among the country's top celebrities.

[jj]

In a country where the gap between the rich and the poor is growing bigger and bigger, finding a common ground for the poor and the rich could not be harder particularly considering people's living standards, which are often closely associated with dining habits

YASEMÝN GÜRKAN

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


When passing in front of a bakery that sells the famous Turkish pastry product, simit, which could be defined as a ring shaped sesame bread, it's impossible for one not to be captivated by the incredibly charming smell of freshly baked simit.

Simit, this o-shaped sesame bread, is probably the most common item in the lunch menus of Turkish students, as it is with those who have lower incomes. Apart from that, it's one of the most favored pastry products to accompany an afternoon tea gathering, whether you are a businessman, a housewife, a musician, an academic, a politician, a student etc.

In a country where the gap between the rich and the poor is growing bigger and bigger, finding a common ground for the poor and the rich could not be harder particularly considering people's living standards, which are often closely associated with dining habits. But as one strolls through the stores on a street, the sole place one can see the very diverse sections of society together will be one of the numerous simit houses, which started to become widespread, especially in metropolises, in the past few years.

Although we can't tell if the emergence of these bakeries -- commonly named “simit sarayý” or “simit dünyasý,” which can be roughly translated into English as “simit palace” or the latter as “simit world,” or even more surprisingly as "simit center" -- is mainly based on an attempt to make this centuries old pastry become more widespread among the community. It also comes as a result of the huge demand for the product. One thing is for sure: Simit nowadays occupies a larger than ever place in the lives of Turkish people.

There are a total of 40 registered simit houses in Ankara alone as well as some 200 bakeries that bake and sell simit. The bakeries also provide the simit to the street vendors who often wander the city streets all day long.

Today you can find simit in all shapes and sizes and with different ingredients added to it to make it tastier and attempt to offer an alternative to fast food. Just one of varieties are made with cheese and olives. In addition to that, simit varies in its taste according to which province it belongs to -- from salty to sweet, and crisp and brown to white and soft.

The origins and essentials:

According to the deputy head of the Commerce Chamber of Simit Bakery Owners, the story of simit dates back to the Ottoman period, when the Ottoman army used to go on long trips, often for wars. Turan Erol said in an interview with the TDN that since the Ottoman army, during their long trips, needed some sort of bread they could eat over a long period of time without it decomposing, the bakers used to produce a ring-shaped bread that could stay fresh for a long time (although this is not the case today since the simit has to be consumed when it's fresh and crispy. However, you may refresh a simit by simply heating it in a toaster.) Back then simit did not have sesame seeds -- something which is unthinkable in this day and age. Over the course of time, during the 20th century, the recipe was altered but the main ingredients never underwent change: Flour, salt and water.

It might be difficult to imagine that only these three raw ingredients can be combined to produce an utterly delicious food product. But there's a secret to it: The indispensable cooking hint for a delicious simit is usually incorrectly thought to be the sesame. But surprisingly, the crucial part is pekmez -- a kind of syrup made by boiling grape juice after the harvest period. It is often made in villages and is a unique traditional element of Turkish cuisine.

Apart from the pekmez, there are some other aspects of simit that define its taste and quality, such as the flour and water and oil used in the dough. When you compare two simits -- one bought from a street vendor you do not know and the other from a simit bakery -- the difference in their taste is apparent.

Erol, who runs a simit house in Kavaklýdere, said although the recipe would never differ, the difference in taste stemmed from the quality of the ingredients used.

This magic combination of the above ingredients is being sold at quantities of around 120,000 to 150,000 a day in Ankara, from simit bakeries or from street vendors. The amount may seem small but Erol says the reason for this is that the other pastry products sold in the simit houses balance out the sales of simit.

Although this type of bread is continuing to keep its popularity in Turkey, as it does in Greece where it's known as koulouri, it's surprisingly not found in any other country. A quick search on the Internet would provide you with various recipes for simit but often with ones that include extra ingredients which make the simit taste far from how one made with original ingredients should.

During the 1960-70s, thousands of Turkish people emigrated to European countries -- mainly to Germany -- seeking better opportunities for earning a living. While they did so, they gradually started to carry their cuisines to these countries. As Turkish bakkals (grocery stores) and restaurants started to be opened one after the other in Turkish quarters that the Turkish communities formed in these foreign countries, strangely enough, not one person thought of opening a simit bakery in those quarters.

Erol said the lack of entrepreneurship in this area is because there were not many master bakers among those who went to foreign countries who could make the dough of simit.

But he added that they have plans to open a simit house abroad, like the ones that have become common in Turkey since 1999, although he did not specify which country they were planning to open the business in.

He said simit is better known in Russia and in the central Asian republics than it is in Europe and America.

Simit is likely to continue growing in popularity with its newly introduced varieties as Turkish cuisine seeks to introduce one of its essentials to the world.

[juicyjude]

Really interesting that love those barm cakes but never knew what they were called, cheers for that