This is an interesting article about the historic Tophane area of Istanbul, which, the writer neglects to mention, is also prime Carpetdog habitat.
Stage for social life
One
of the first structures encountered at Tophane apart from the Nusretiye
mosque is the impressive fountain that occupies the corner of the
square opposite the mosque.
Erected in 1732, the richly
decorated, monumental fountain was the end of one of the water pipes
leading downhill from Taksim.
In contrast to the solemn,
military atmosphere of the nineteenth century, in the eighteenth
century Tophane Square was lively and populated, dominated by the
fountain at its center and surrounded by large trees. Travelers busily
arrived and departed at the ports, goods were sold at market stalls...
As moderates who appreciate the tenuous position of dogs in Muslim countries, the Carpetdogs were outraged when they heard about how the Iranian police are cracking down on dog owners by confiscating their dogs! Dog ownership, it seems, is a symbol of western depravity and another excuse for the police to insinuate themselves into people's private lives.
As on many other theological questions, Islamic scholars are divided over whether dogs are unclean like rats, or if Allah says in the Koran that nothing bad has been created in this world.
Something must be done!
Since life is slow in Istanbul and the Carpetdogs underscheduled, they are ready to leap into action. Perhaps there is U.S. funding to organize dogs in support of regime change, democratization? They are experienced...
Any day, any place, Skip!...
Someday, when I no longer live in Istanbul, I will remember it every time I smell cat pee and coal. Since coal-burning season is past, ripe cat pee is pretty much the dominant summer odor of my 'hood.
Istanbul's neighborhoods --like Baku's -- are lousy with cats -- mangy, skanky, smelly scrapper cats. And they breed like rabbits. Lately, we've had many of what we referred to in Baku as "dead kitten days" -- days that are so hot, the little kittens just can't cope and collapse on the sidewalks.
On one hand, I think they are blights. On the other hand, in a city where much food-related garbage lies around on the street, they provide a very useful service. I figure for every cat I see, that's several rats I don't see. Although I am an accredited rat master, independent rat...
Family is the cornerstone of civilization. What a shame that it is under threat from so many different directions these days. That's why, when the Carpetblog family is together, we plan activities in which everyone can participate. It helps strengthen the bonds of love and affection and makes every individual feel valued and loved.
Cleanliness is next to......
He thinks it would look a lot like Skip's. Skip is able to pull it off pretty well and he has a lot more spots and the same number of opposable thumbs....
One of the funnest parts about blogging is making blogfriends. Blogfriends are like radio DJs. Based on the selective information that person provides about him or herself, you develop an image in your head of what he or she looks, thinks like and even what their real name is. Then you get to meet the person and poof! Everything has to be recalibrated to match reality.
Carpetblogger just met Chirol of Coming Anarchy for a couple of beers beneath the Galata Bridge as he passed through Istanbul. Fortunately, we remembered to ask his real name right before meeting up. He had just visited Azerbaijan and oddly, he didn't find it all that compelling. Hard to believe. Here's a piece of advice if you're about to meet a blogfriend for the first time: He or she will probably be younger than you...
The Producer is moving into a new home/office Baku-style McMansion with a pool and a huge yard. This is a good thing. He's moving out of the ghetto apartment next to the trauma hospital where the trauma sometimes stumbles in on a bloody stump. He's going to end the gravy train for Samaya the Azeri cleaning/sleeping-on-the-couch lady. No longer will the kitchen and the bathroom serve as the shower. Goodbye to the Mecca tag and the ceramic model of the Karbala shrine, stuffed with feathers and camel weed, hanging on the wall.
But there have been rumblings lately, subtle comments, about my fitness as a single mother. There have been insinuations about the quality of life enjoyed by dogs who have only one park and limited educational and social opportunities. He recently quietly...
Things My Dogs Eat:
Vegetables;
Bread people throw out for the birds;
Chips given to them by the neighborhood urchins;
Scraps of kebab and other unidentified matter on the sidewalks;
Things I leave unattended on the coffee table;
Ghetto cats
Things My Dogs Do Not Eat:
The imported $90/bag of American kibble, painstakingly sought out and selected to address the specific dietary needs of their advanced ages.
This conflict has inspired a number of lively inter- and intra-species debates. The lines of argument in the latter are pretty one-sided and consist mostly of me declaring that, under the current ruling regime, hunger strikes have never been an effective tool to bring about social change.
The interspecies debates are a little more complicated. Some, such as the...
The guy who bring my breakfast borek to the door as I walk by;
The guy who brings my fresh orange juice to the door as I walk by;
The guy who brings my bottle of wine to the door as I walk by;
The two 16th century mosques that sit at either end of our woefully inadequate patch of grass;
Seeing the sun coming up over the Bosporus as I walk down the hill in the morning;
*This is what my walk might look like if I lived in a better part of town
Prayer calls. The carpetdogs and I disagree about the prayer calls. With
all the mosques competing to see who can give god the most glorious
shout-out five times a day, it's a little like living in a football stadium. I think the prayer calls add a bit of oriental mysticism to
the twice-daily sniff and squat. However, being...
After getting drugged into a doggie stupor twice in two days and abducted by Ukrainian aliens, the carpetdogs would like to assure their fans and admirers that almost everything is well.
Only DOGS ride in crates
The apartment meets their high standards, as does their $80 a bag imported kibble.
They do wish to air a grievance. Carpetdogs believe that walking in the crowded, narrow streets of their new neighborhood to a wholly inferior park represents a major drop in their standard of living. They point out that in Kyiv, they had three high quality parks within casual walking distance and island shashlyk for weekend snacks. While some people may be easily impressed by the 16th century mosque and Bosphorus views at their new park, they are not amused. Plans are underfoot to......
Old dog, Same tricks, just slower
(For interested parties, the frisbee thrower is not the Producer; it's Sammich. The Producer can only play frisbee under carefully controlled circumstances.)
Fall is a lovely time to have shashlyk on the island, isn't......