a m a
Page 6 29 November 1990
Humour
S e m in a rs ... S ym p rtsittİ’İiİiİliiİiifa m s . . .Nasr-ed-din Hodja was certain that in the whole world there were no plums as sweet as those that grew on his own plum trees. One day he picked three o f the largest, bluest plums from his favorite tree. He put them on a copper tray, which he balanced carefully on his head, and started fo r Tamerlane’s house. He was certain that Tamerlane would think them to he the sweetest plums he had ever tasted.
They proved, however, to De the most bothersome o f plums. As Nasr-ed-din Hodja walked, they danced and they pranced on his carefully balanced tray.
"Because you are up there where l cannot see y o u ' he scold ed the plums, ‘ ‘you think you can whirl like three dervishes. ”
Still the three plum s jigged and reeled with each step the Hodja took.
‘‘Stop dancing! called the Hod ja. ‘‘I f you keep that up, I ’ll punish you by eating you. ”
Still the three plums twirled and cavorted.
There was nothing fo r the Hod ja to do but keep his promise. He sat down under a poplar tree and ate one plum - then another.
He spoke sternly to the third plum. “I f I give you another chance, will you ride quitely on the tray?’’
This lone plum seemed to be more behaved. It sat quite calmly in the middle o f the tray on the H od j a ’s head fo r the rest o f the journey.
Now it happened to be one o f Tamerlane’s jolly days. He receiv ed Nasr-ed-din Hodja with the courtesy due an honoured guest. Vowing he had never tasted a sweeter plum, he did not so much as hint that it seemed a lonely one. He laughed at the H odja’s jokes, calling fo r more and more o f them. Finally, when the Hodja realized that he had to hurry home before dark, Tamerlane filled his tray with gifts - gifts that proved easy to carry. Nasr-ed-Din Hodja reached home just at dusk, well pleased with his day.
That satisfied feeling remained with him fo r a week. Then he decid ed it was time to call on Tamerlane again.
‘‘What gift shad I take him ?” he mused as he looked at the empty tray. The plum s were past their
r
prime now - too soft to stand the jogging journey.
‘‘What about some good red beets?” thought the Hodja, still staring at the empty tray. “ Yes, beets will be just the thing. They are so hard that they will not bruise, even i f they do dance and prance on the tray. ”
Into his garden went the Hod ja to pull som e o f his reddest, firmest beets. He heaped these on the tray, balanced the tray on his head, and swung off, humming hap pily, toward Tamerlane’s house.
On the way he met his good friend Hasson.
“ Where are you taking those fine beets, Hodja E ffendi?” asked Hassan.
“These beets are a gift fo r Tamerlane. ”
“Beets - fo r - Tamerlane?” Hassan was doubtful.
“A ren ’t beets a good gift fo r Tamerlane?" The Hodja took the tray from his head and looked at the beets as though fo r the first time. They did not seem quite as magnifi cent as when he was pulling them. “Perhaps something else would be better?”
"Y es something else. ” “For instance?”
“Figs!” Hassan seemed very sure. “Juicy ripe figs just fresh from the tree. ”
“ Yes, fig s would be a much better gift. ” Nasr-ed-Din Hodja wondered why he had not thought o f it before. He turned into the market where he traded his firm red beets fo r a tray o f juicy ripe figs.
“ You are lucky", the fig seller told him, ‘ ‘to get so many luscious figs fo r a fe w common beets.” However, the fig seller’s next remark was not fo r the H o d ja ’s ears. “I am lucky to get rid o f those soft figs. They were so ripe that I was just about ready to throw them away. ”
Pleased with his bargain, Nasr-
ed-D in H o d ja w ent on to
Tamerlane’s court. Now, it happen ed that this was not one o f Tamerlane’s jo lly days. Instead, it was one o f his grumpy, sulky, pouting days. The H odja’s cheerful grin and his tray o f overripe figs were more than he could stand. All day he had been wanting someone to kick or to punch. Here was his chance.
“Comeat once!” he shouted to his servants.
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. F-y10th Anniversary of Teachers’ Day
Ankara (DGPI)- The “10th Anniversary o f Teachers’ D ay" first-day covers issued by the General Directorate o f the P T T were put on sale on 24 November.
The TL 500 first-day covers will remain on sale fo r three months.
I___________________________
For philately inquiries please write to the .following address:
P T T Generl Müdürlüğü Posta Dairesi Başkanlığı
Filateli Şubesi P.K. 900 06045 U lus/AN K ARA
Six o f them came running. “Take this m an’s fig s and throw them at h im !” he shouted.
“Throw every single one o f them at him! A n d throw them hard!”
The Hodja turned and ran, but the servants and the figs follow ed him. Smack! Splash! Squash! Spat ter! N ot a fig missed him. Not a fig to pop open and spill its liquid on the fleeing Hodja. He looked as though he had been sprayed with seeds and green water.
Nasr-ed-Din Hodja was still running, as fa st as his loose flo p p ing shoes would let him, when he met Hassan.
“Oh, Hassan Effendi, let me thank you seven times below the earth fo r what you have done fo r m e!”
Hassan stared at the bespat tered Hodja.
“Oh. Hassan Effendi, l thank you seven times above the heavens fo r what you did fo r m e!”
Hassan, who knew the ways o f Tamerlane, began to realize what must have happened. “ Why do you thank me?” he asked.
‘ ‘Oh, it is good that I took your advice-your wise, wise advice.”
“ W hy?” Hassan was still bewildered.
“I f it had been the hard red beets that I gave to Tamerlane, ” ex plained Nasr-ed-Din Hodja, “i f it had been the hard red beets that his
servants threw at me He could
not finish the sentence. He was thinking what a bruised and broken man he would have been. “Oh Hassan Effendi, it is wise to take the advice oj good friends. Allah be praised! ”
ismet Birsel’s “Togetherness”
Ankara (DGPI)- İsmet Birsel, the General Director o f Cultural A f- fairs o f the Foreign Ministry, open ed a p a in tin g ex h ib itio n , “Togetherness" on November 22 at the Ankara M İ-GE Gallery.
Birsel, who is a diplomat, depicts in his work the togetherness that comes with each passing day.
H is paintings are m ainly devoted to themes based on music, expectations, balls, feasts, exhibi tions and streets.
He has both depicted the joyous union o f people waiting in line at bus stops as well as the loneliness that afflicts others.
In his paintings on music, he has brought to the fo re the fu ll splendour o f classical music. One can almost hear the sounds o f music from his works.
One could say that the painter, ism et Birsel, has managed to transfer to his canvas in vivid col
our, all that he has seen and
ap-preciated as a diplomat.
The artist has above all been deeply affected by both the warmth emanating fro m the closeness o f people and the sadness o f those wo are lonely.
ism et Birsel
Ism et Birsel was born in Izmir in 1934, where he completed his secondary education. When he at tended Istanbul’s Robert College, he studied with the artist Bedri Rahmi Eyüboglu. He studied law in Paris, where he also staged his fir st ex hibition.
In 1958, he entered the Foreign Ministry as a civil servant. During his tour o f duty in Brussels, Geneva and Rome, he continued to paint.
He participated in one-man shows and group exhibitions, and was made a member o f the Pulchri Studio in Lahey.
He was ambassador to Teheran and Lahey.
SIS
- Continued from Page 4.The D epartm ent of Research,
Analysis an d Statistical
Techniques
Its duties are to prepare and
improve the implementation
methods of censuses and question
naires conducted by the Main Ser
vice Units according to the latest
techniques available; to study and
analyze the information collected,
to conduct research on subjects
dealing with economic and social
issues; to establish the statistical
standards; to contribute to the
statistical studies of other public
institutions and orient them.
The D epartm ent of
Statistics an d Econom etrical
In terpretations
It is in charge of making
statistic, econometric and quan
titative analyses and to model
studies for achieving reliable in
dicators at an international stan
dard. It is also responsible for
evaluating the data collected by
the Institute in comparison with
other sources and interpreting it to
explain the indicators attained for
development plans and program
mes; to make suggestions; to
transfer the information it collects
in contacts conducted locally and
abroad to concerned institutions,
and similar activities.
The D epartm ent of
Technical Affairs
It
is
responsible
for
establishing the standards of
statistical publications; answer
ing the questions directed at the
Institution, subscription and
distribution of publications; to
publish the Turkish Statistics An
nual and the Annual Turkish
Statistics Handbook; to document
periodic and non-periodic publica
tions; to promote the Institution
and its activities; to prepare the
necessary promotional material;
collect and organise materials re
quired for censuses and question
naires; to do all types of printing,
and similar activities.
The D epartm ent of
In tern atio n al Relations
a n d EC
It is in charge of establishing
international statistics standards;
determine the principles of
cooperation in joint projects to be
conducted with international
organisations; coordinate between
units of the Institution and the
organisation abroad; assist the
Chairman in planning domestic
educational programmes; meet
the demand for information from
international
organisations;
evaluate international papers,
reports and documents; prepare
censuses, questionnaires and
researches at international stan
dards in cooperation with interna
tional institutions; determine the
standards of the European Com
munity and attain indicators at
this level, and other activities.
Data Processing D epartm ent
Among its duties, we can
cite, the editing and coding of data
collected by censuses and ques
tionnaires, the drawing up of pro
grammes, entering data and
controlling processes; storing data;
creating package programmes;
spreading the use of computers in
the Institute; creating directories,
setting up a Statistics Data Bank;
providing on-line data flow, and
similar activities.
The State Institute of
Statistics
provides various
statistical data required for
both public and private sectors.
SIS sends its publications to
the concerned public and research
institutions both at home and
abroad and in addition it meets
the demands of others researchers.
The Institution distributes
unpublished information legally
available. According to current
regulations, it cannot publish per
sonal or private information.
Realizing that economic and
social events at national or inter
national level cannot be followed
without reliable statistical data
prepared by sound methods, the
Institute is aware of its key posi
tion, and deploys every effort in
infrastructure and organisation to
reach high standards.
Reporters’ Association
Continued from Page 3
The centre will consist of a
250-capacity congress hall, a
simultaneous translation centre, tele
fax, and an information centre open
to the public. Postal and banking
services will also be provided.
İstanbul Şehir Üniversitesi Kütüphanesi Taha Toros Arşivi
