Dimitra Scribbles

Finns Chant Om

2012-01-31T23:20:00.001-05:00

Forget the soft drink – I want this on my next flight!

Never Again

2012-01-29T13:12:00.002-05:00

Some six million Jews were murdered by the Nazis during World War II, and President Barack Obama commemorated Holocaust remembrance day last week with this statement to live by: "We are reminded to remain ever-vigilant against the possibility of genocide, and to ensure that 'Never Again' is not just a phrase but a principled cause. And we resolve to stand up against prejudice, stereotyping, and

What Do All The People Know?

2012-01-22T23:00:00.001-05:00

Not sure what happened to the Monroes, but listen to this.

Rainy January in Times Square

2012-01-11T22:53:00.001-05:00

A Merry Christmas Chant

2011-12-25T14:30:00.010-05:00

May blessings shower on you and yours today and always! Have patience with this lovely video because at the end of it, you realize that daily war news from the Middle East overshadows so much good there - of all faiths. Imagine the life of Christians in Syria, Iraq, Egypt & nearby places. Source on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvjiVam2HO4

Turkey: Genocide Was In Algeria

2011-12-24T01:51:00.000-05:00

French lawmakers have drafted a law that would make it illegal to deny that it was genocide when Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in 1915. Turkey cut diplomatic ties with France, Turks are protesting and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded with, "Approximately 15% of the population of Algeria have been subjected to a massacre by the French starting in 1945. This is genocide."

Rick Steves in Istanbul

2011-12-21T21:39:00.004-05:00

Istanbul was the featured city of tonight's PBS re-broadcast from intrepid traveler Rick Steves. In Chicago, the show was on Channel 20 at 8 p.m., but you can check local listings here on his Website. He brings home that the Turks have a script for the city's tourists: nation created in 1923, Sultans at Topkapi lived in rich sophistication, Istliklal Caddesi is interesting, and Hagia Sofia was

Lacroix & Empress Theodora

2011-12-04T19:41:00.024-05:00

Theodora blesses Lacroix. Credit: Elle Decor 10/2011 Designer Christian Lacroix has been enamored with Byzantine mosaics since his childhood. That would seem obscure for someone from Arles, France, except that his great grandparents dug up Greco-Roman tiles under their house there, according to an article in October's Elle Decor. The famous mosaics of Empress Theodora & Emperor Justinian are

Vintage Costume Gold

2011-12-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

In what era do you think this holiday sparkle of a necklace was made? No markings, fairly heavy, so not even gold filled, I'm guessing. But lovely, thick and modern design; very nice interlock structure too. Another vintage find! It was very hard to find modern gold design in Turkey, where I saw much ornate stuff from India.

Eye Candy Kane

2011-11-25T19:58:00.001-05:00

Not sure how we feel about newspapers and typewriter covered in snow in this fantastic Forest Park window, but better than covered in dust. The theme here is Citizen Kane, the movie, but candied - for Christmas.

Happy Two-Eyed Flower

2011-11-24T20:35:00.001-05:00

Check out this mutant Dahlia, looking like a shaggy dog, in my Thanksgiving arrangement. Bred in California, for what it's worth.

Turkey Ferry Hijacker Killed

2011-11-13T22:18:00.001-05:00

The Kurdish hijacker who held more than 20 Turkish people hostage on a popular ferry route was killed Saturday by government commandos who posed as civilians and snuck onto the boat.I took a similar ferry route just a few weeks ago. Scary on several counts. And very James Bond.The story on Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/12/turkey-ferry-hijacking_n_1089884.html

A Music Find, In Drachmes

2011-11-12T23:23:00.001-05:00

At the local resale shop, I found an unopened Greek music CD that once cost 6300 drachmas. (it should be good - Notis Sfakianakis.) If Hellas is dumped from, or abandons, the euro, how many zeros would there be in ΔΡΧ. this time?

Jesus Wasn't A NYer

2011-11-03T14:13:00.000-04:00

Manhattan Mini Storage ads are mostly clever - love this one!

New Islamic Art Galleries

2011-10-31T12:43:00.001-04:00

Renovated galleries dedicated to art of the "Arab lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia and South Asia" open tomorrow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The museum already had a well-known collection of Islamic art that it says "is one of the finest and most comprehensive" in the world. I saw a dignitary from Turkey being swept through the Met in September, when the Iznik tile gifts

Sunset on Long Beach

2011-10-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

Kite in the Cold

2011-10-30T17:06:00.000-04:00

From the Bosporus to the Atlantic in seven days ... sun and blue sky with no trace of yesterday's snow storm on long Beach, at 49 degrees with a trace of clams. There was even a diehard surfer beyond this kite enthusiast.Thanks, Buick, for the wheels to see the sun set the sand alight en rose.

Scallop on Long Beach

2011-10-30T16:55:00.000-04:00

The Red-Leafed Maple With Snow

2011-10-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

Beautiful foliage and big flakes on an otherwise miserable day in New York City. And the heat still isn't on despite 30-degree temperature! Ah, New York real estate.

Happy St. Dimitrios Day!

2011-10-26T08:43:00.002-04:00

From today's archdiocese calendar. "Saint Dimitrios was a Thessalonian, a pious son of pious and noble parents, and a teacher of the Faith of Christ. When Maximian first came to Thessalonica in 290, he raised Dimitrios to the rank of Duke of Thessaly. But when it was discovered Demetrios was a Christian, he was arrested and kept bound in a bath house (*). Meanwhile a haughty barbarian and

Turkey's Seismic Sunday

2011-10-23T14:26:00.003-04:00

A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday. As the death toll mounts, I unpack my bags stateside. NTV quoted Veysel Keser, mayor of Celebibag: "There are many people under the rubble ... People are in agony. We can hear their screams for help. We need urgent help." Istanbul, Turkey's largest city with more than 12 million people, was unaffected. It's closer to Europe,

New Turkish Slippers

2011-10-14T03:38:00.001-04:00

Peter Sellers, Double Agent

2011-10-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

In his second life, my favorite detective is hiding from Kato disguised as a Turkish cellphone salesman. I knew there was another reason I liked Sellers :)

Old is New Again in Cihangir

2011-10-04T22:03:00.005-04:00

The Cihangir neigborhood is one that is up and coming -- full of tiny food stalls, sweet shops, a few galleries and many vintage shops. It's very hilly and residential - no sidewalks to speak of, so walking is treacherous but everyone dodges the uphill cars pretty well, especially the proliferation of stray cats. The view is beautiful from my vantage point, and the area is connected to Istliklal

Sunrise in The East

2011-10-01T23:52:00.002-04:00

Sultanahmet harbor and vista at dawn, from my room in Pera. It's cheaper per diem than rent in New York. The minaret call is a bit different than church bells on Sunday morning.

Cups on Flatiron Strings

2011-09-27T20:03:00.001-04:00

This is an art installation in the glass triangular lobby of the Flatiron Building on 23rd Street. Each coffee cup is painted by an artist, who does so live through the end of the year. It's better viewed at night. Like everything else, this night owl says :)

House Slippers for Sale

2011-09-22T00:38:00.003-04:00

Soft-soled house shoes circa 1990 are in fashion again, says this week's New York Magazine. Six Fashion Week 20-somethings confess their love. I always liked the idea, but could never pull it off. That didn't stop me from buying and carefully storing a pair. So let me sell you my never-worn, vintage, all-leather Paloma slippers, semi-formal or casual, snug 8.5B. The pair is embroidered - in muted

NYC Firefighter Memorial

2011-09-11T14:33:00.001-04:00

On a note at the rose-draped New York City firefighter memorial "to the heroic dead" at 100th Street and Riverside Drive: "Dear Daddy, 10 years have gone by and not a day goes by that we don't think about you and the great man that you were. We wish you could be with us but we know you are watching over us from heaven. You are our hero and always will be. We are proud of what you have done and we

The Bell Tolls

2011-09-11T08:53:00.001-04:00

New York, NY -- The church bell near me began its somber tolling at 8:46 a.m., when the first plane hit.

9/11 Countdown Begins

2011-08-31T10:48:00.001-04:00

This magazine cover awaited me at the office this morning. After an earthquake and a hurricane, an anniversary doesn't seem as threatening.

Hurricane Irene Sunset

2011-08-28T19:36:00.001-04:00

As the song says, "Goodnight, Irene!" Photo looking West over silent Amtrak tracks in Queens.

Irene is Gone, But...

2011-08-28T13:44:00.004-04:00

More than one million people are without power after Irene-the-Hurricane hit New York City and the metro area, and the sky and occasional wind gusts still seem threatening. Water is rising on the coasts and in rivers. Irene means peace. What a name choice. In the end this hurricane was not as bad as predicted, though tell that to people who have been evacuated from their homes. Thankfully all is

Choose A Direction

2011-08-27T21:08:00.000-04:00

In light of Steve Jobs' decision to resign as CEO of Apple, no time like the present to contemplate accomplishments and goals. So listen to this great trance song "You Got To Go," featuring Zoe Johnston from Trance Around the World and read Jobs' Stanford University address in 2005 The song says keep your ideals high, choose a direction, gather what you need and when the moment is right for you,

Bouzouki's Lending Hand

2011-08-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

A facebook friend in Greece dug up this old song from an old movie of the same name called