Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

[...]
Turkey cannot feed her people.
[...]

Total nonsense. Very few, if any, people in Turkey go hungry. Wallow in your wishful thinking if it makes you happy.

13,731,526 citizens below the poverty line.

That is according to this Turkish link....

http://en.timeturk.com/18-percent-of-Tu ... aberi.html

That is a lot of hungry people for a "regional power" that does not have a nuclear capability or adequate industrial output.

You have to interpret these figures in way that makes sense. Turkey has a huge unregistered, informal economy - estimated to be at least as large as the recorded economy - which is not reflected in official figures. There are large hoards of wealth in the form of gold kept as the local idiom has it "under the matress" that again do not appear in any official statistics. Extended family and other local social networks are very strong and this provides a very effective self-help network for the needy. In certain rural areas, a degree of subsistance agriculture and other forms of non-cash economic activity still exist. Almost everyone owns plots of land in their village. One of the reasons that, statistically speaking, rural people appear to be much poorer than their urban compatriots is because they are growing a portion of their own food and meeting other needs through informal village networks in which no cash changes hands, and so do not generate any activity that is captured in GDP figures.

Statistics mean nothing unless you interpret them correctly.

There is virtually no starvation of malnutrition in Turkey - the country is still, at a pinch, capable of producing all its own food anyhow. It is up to you. You can either believe me or not. If you wish to sit in Melbourne rubbing your hands with glee because you think Turkey is starving, do so.

[Paphitis]

Paphitis, do you also have nightmares about Turkey?

I have visited Turkey, and so I do not have nightmares about such an incapable "regional power".

I have more nightmares about Cyprus and Cypriots... Now that really does have me waking up in a hot sweat.

[Paphitis]

[...]
Turkey cannot feed her people.
[...]

Total nonsense. Very few, if any, people in Turkey go hungry. Wallow in your wishful thinking if it makes you happy.

13,731,526 citizens below the poverty line.

That is according to this Turkish link....

http://en.timeturk.com/18-percent-of-Tu ... aberi.html

That is a lot of hungry people for a "regional power" that does not have a nuclear capability or adequate industrial output.

You have to interpret these figures in way that makes sense. Turkey has a huge unregistered, informal economy - estimated to be at least as large as the recorded economy - which is not reflected in official figures. There are large hoards of wealth in the form of gold kept as the local idiom has it "under the matress" that again do not appear in any official statistics. Extended family and other local social networks are very strong and this provides a very effective self-help network for the needy. In certain rural areas, a degree of subsistance agriculture and other forms of non-cash economic activity still exist. Almost everyone owns plots of land in their village. One of the reasons that, statistically speaking, rural people appear to be much poorer than their urban compatriots is because they are growing a portion of their own food and meeting other needs through informal village networks in which no cash changes hands, and so do not generate any activity that is captured in GDP figures.

Statistics mean nothing unless you interpret them correctly.

There is virtually no starvation of malnutrition in Turkey - the country is still, at a pinch, capable of producing all its own food anyhow. It is up to you. You can either believe me or not. If you wish to sit in Melbourne rubbing your hands with glee because you think Turkey is starving, do so.

Maybe so.

But Turkey is still a 3rfd world country, and it is a far cry from being a regional power, especially when you have Israel in the neighbourhood which is more than capable of destroying Turkey's air capabilities in a matter of days.

I can also tell you that Australia alone, with a defence force of 50,000 regulars is also more than capable of destroying Turkey's airports and cripple Turkey's Air Force in a matter of days. And that is from the other side of the world (F111).

So Turkey is definitely no "regional power". That is what we are discussing here.

[umit07]

Paphitis, do you also have nightmares about Turkey?

I have visited Turkey, and so I do not have nightmares about such an incapable "regional power".

I have more nightmares about Cyprus and Cypriots... Now that really does have me waking up in a hot sweat.

Are you serious about the nightmares? May you open up the subject a bit?


P.S: Paphiti you are mixing up terminology when it comes to the poverty line (Yoksuluk Siniri) and the hunger line ( not sure about the English equivalent ("Aclik Siniri" in Turkish ). When calculating the poverty line in Turkey they take into account much more than dietary needs. Example they also add in the price of theater tickets . Turkey is not a very rich country, but not one to be underestimated. She is one of the few countries in the world to be able to sustain itself agriculturally 100%, if needed so.

[observer]

"Two million Australians below poverty line"
Headline from Australian newspaper "The Age" dated 30 Aug 2007
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 91905.html

As Australia doesn't have nuclear weapons and obviously can not feed its own people, the remarks about Australia's ability to attack Turkey can not be taken seriously

[umit07]

There is only one regional power and that of course is CYPRUS !!"

With the donkeys of Stroumbi the Great, as our number one super weapon.

[Paphitis]

"Two million Australians below poverty line"
Headline from Australian newspaper "The Age" dated 30 Aug 2007
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 91905.html

As Australia doesn't have nuclear weapons and obviously can not feed its own people, the remarks about Australia's ability to attack Turkey can not be taken seriously

I haven't seen any.

Everyone in Australia seems to be living in a nice house, has about a few rental properties and drive the latest Holden Commodore.

[umit07]

"Two million Australians below poverty line"
Headline from Australian newspaper "The Age" dated 30 Aug 2007
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 91905.html

As Australia doesn't have nuclear weapons and obviously can not feed its own people, the remarks about Australia's ability to attack Turkey can not be taken seriously

I haven't seen any.

Everyone in Australia seems to be living in a nice house, has about a few rental properties and drive the latest Holden Commodore.

Yeah you wish . If your talking about us wogs, yes. But the average aussie changes jobs a zillion times and thinks ahead from pay cheque to pay cheque.

[Paphitis]

"Two million Australians below poverty line"
Headline from Australian newspaper "The Age" dated 30 Aug 2007
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 91905.html

As Australia doesn't have nuclear weapons and obviously can not feed its own people, the remarks about Australia's ability to attack Turkey can not be taken seriously

BTW, most people who are deemed to be below the poverty line in Australia are the unemployed, 39% of single adults over the age of 65, and a more likely to be reliant on social security such as pensions.

Social groups more likely to live below the poverty line included more than 40 per cent of unemployed people, 39 per cent of single adults over 65, and more than 30 per cent of all those people whose main income is social security, the report found.

And yet, they are still eligible for social benefits and assistance. These statistics can be quite deceiving as it does not take into consideration any residual income from rental properties or shares. Every 65 yo I know is fairly asset rich, but this does not necessarily translate into an adequate income.

Also, you are very foolish to believe that Australia does not have a nuclear capability. It also has the ability to deliver nuclear weapons all the way to Europe if it needed to.

[Paphitis]

"Two million Australians below poverty line"
Headline from Australian newspaper "The Age" dated 30 Aug 2007
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 91905.html

As Australia doesn't have nuclear weapons and obviously can not feed its own people, the remarks about Australia's ability to attack Turkey can not be taken seriously

I haven't seen any.

Everyone in Australia seems to be living in a nice house, has about a few rental properties and drive the latest Holden Commodore.

Yeah you wish . If your talking about us wogs, yes. But the average aussie changes jobs a zillion times and thinks ahead from pay cheque to pay cheque.

I'm an average Aussie. And all the people I know seem to be doing just fine.