In case you're wondering, Turkeys (the bird) were named after Turkey (the country) even though the birds are native to the Americas. But the birds were named after similar birds that were sold in Turkey (the country.) I don't know why they didn't just call them "Turk Birds" or something; it's not like "French Hens" are called "Frances." Can you imagine the embarrassment if beavers were just called, "Canadas?"
Anyway, Turkey has been in the news lately, with what seems like the low-impact version of the Arab Spring protests. Instead of a troops shooting protesters who are standing up to a dictator imposing an ideology, we have troops tear gassing protesters who are standing up to an elected leader imposing a shopping mall.
I hate to insult entire countries, especially a generally forward-thinking state like Turkey, but how backward and antiquated! Imagine, in the year 2013, the Turks are building shopping malls. Come on people, if you want global respect, you've got to move on to big-box stores.
Also, there seems to be a pattern with government protests and the fixation on a square. Cairo's Tahrir Square became world famous when the protesters used it as a base, we all remember Tiananmen Square in Beijing and now we're learning the name Taksim Square, the Istanbul focus of protests. So, dictators, the lesson is clear: make sure your major cities have no big squares in them. That further begs the question of why Prime Minister Erdogan wants to bulldoze a beloved park to build his mall. Why not build it over Taksim Square so the protesters have no place to go next time they want to complain.
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