Friends, this list has not been easy to put together. I remember taking note when Finkelstein said that History is the recording of disruptions to peace. Good news is not often news it seems, and rarely does it become history. Random acts of kindness, peaceful coexistence or just decent human behavior are not worth being written down, especially if they are not a sharp change from the usual (you know, gorging on that Haterade). So I present you with 5 good things that recently happened in the hood, at the same time reminding you that “this is how it should be to begin with” or “it could have been better” are not legitimate reasons to ignore or belittle the positive in these happenings. Here is what I came up with:
1. Partners in awesomeness, Onnik Krikorian and Arzu Geybullayeva just did a 3-Part “Facebook Diary” for BBC Azeri on “Social media and Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict transformation”.
2. There is a Turkish Film Festival in Armenia.
3. The AKP Government in Turkey prepared the Draft Bill of the Anti Discrimination Law and sent it to various institutions for feedback. It really is quite far-reaching and Bianet likes it, which says a lot.
4. The US and Russia concluded a deal to cut their deployed arsenals of nuclear missiles by 30%, in the biggest breakthrough for arms control for two decades.
5.
Four days before the game between the two archrivals of Istanbul, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe, for which in a regular season a mini police-army is summoned, thousands of Fenerbahçe fans stood up and applauded Özhan Canaydın, Galatasaray’s President who passed away earlier in the week. Canaydın was known for his adherence to fair play and sportsmanship, one of the more memorable gestures of which was his applauding the opponent at the infamous derby that Galatasaray lost 6-0 (Yes, really. I still don’t know how they let that happen). This gesture on the part of the fans, who only had to stand in silence for a minute, also led to the first YouTube video in history (meaning, that I have seen) that does not contain obscene cursing in comments but appreciation and gratitude instead. Thanks to a man who kept his head cool and chose to do good in his lifetime. Good 1 – Evil 0. At least for now, at least for that moment.
Stay tuned for more.
