be patient, this gets amazing

+

in an earlier post, talking about Obama and the appointment of Rham Emanuel, i mentioned how Hamas, a democratically elected government party nonetheless branded a terrorist organization, has a more rational and humane policy than the Bush administration and Obama (if we take the Obama at the AIPAC). and the following article compares another militant supporter of Israel (Hilary Clinton) to the more rational and humane policy ideas of Israel's prime minister (Ehud Olmert). how is that possible? i don't know, and i don't know what else to say. read the article here.

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by the way- when i tag this post and others "fuck" i mean it in almost the exact same way Jon Stewart uses it at the end of this video, talking about the Bush administration refusing to open an email from the EPA. it is a "fuck!" that is frustrated in response to government policy that defies logical thought and basic humanity.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Be Patient This Gets Amazing - EPA E-Mail

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

countdown to beardless?

i need a residence permit before my first 30 days in Turkey run down

Deadline: October 9th

today, my friend and colleague said i'll need a photo, and for that photo i must shave as part of receiving a government issued id

history of a beard: full beard for a year and a half, before that scruff+ for at least 4 and a half years--some of these skin bits haven't seen sun in the good part of a decade

updates as the events unfold

October 9th:

my friend and collegue says i can probably keep the beard, i think because it is not a religous beard (how would he know?) and so i went to have a photo taken.

at the teknofoto, i narrowly escaped the photographer adding a long dark beard and robe in post production. it is possible that every photographer in the city thinks an american needs a photo disguise for Iran. and, with limited Turkish, one could imagine how difficult it would be to convince them otherwise. (nothing more to explain here, i'm as confused as you are).

so after some confusion, the beard is still here, but the outcome is yet to be determined. i am one document away from convincing local authorities that my residence is legit, but they have not seen my photographs yet. they have seen my beard and failed to mention it as a problem. but who knows if the spiritual signifigance of facial hair is determined after the paperwork?

October 11th:

yes, still bearded. no, no residence pass.

simple tasks need translators, complex tasks too. need residence pass to have a bank. need a bank to get paid. Fortis practically went under, money will be coming there.

October 13:

beard, yes, residence pass no. my friend got yelled at in the rector's office, where everyone wears a different suit (it's cute really, in the states, walk into any bureaucratic building and you'll see black suits styled the same way. here, the brown pinstripe with lavender tie doesn't always work, but at least he's trying something different), and he wants to find my papers through happier means (who could blame him). so, we're waiting. i'm waiting to be paid, owed 1,800 dollars right now.

Things Take Time in Turkey (a little alliteration we've been taught [not one of my favorites]).