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detailer · Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Posts: 473 Location: UK

Quote: The view of Cyprus on arrival was depressing, and extinguished all hopes concerning our newly-acquired possession

Why so? Why do you need to say this now?

erolz · Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 4195 Location: Kyrenia / Girne

detailer wrote: Quote: The view of Cyprus on arrival was depressing, and extinguished all hopes concerning our newly-acquired possession

Why so? Why do you need to say this now?

This is from Cannedmoose's signature right ?

Its a quote from Sir Samuel Baker, 1879.

Are you asking why canned has chosen it as his sig?

Just a bit confused really ?

detailer · Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Posts: 473 Location: UK

erolz wrote: detailer wrote: Quote: The view of Cyprus on arrival was depressing, and extinguished all hopes concerning our newly-acquired possession

Why so? Why do you need to say this now?

This is from Cannedmoose's signature right ?

Its a quote from Sir Samuel Baker, 1879.

Are you asking why canned has chosen it as his sig?

Just a bit confused really ?

Yes I think it has some implications for ottomans but let's see.

cannedmoose · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 8:48 pm Post subject:

Is there a problem with this Detailer? It is a quote from Sir Samuel Baker's book "Cyprus as I saw it in 1879". Baker was one of the first British people to arrive on the island once it had been exchanged between the Ottomans and the British. He was there to conduct a survey of the island for the British government, in terms of how much tax revenue was to be expected and the conditions of the people, infrastructure etc. etc.

The quote in my signature is from the first chapter of his book entitled 'Arrival at Larnaca', in which he describes steaming down the coast of Cyprus and seeing a parched, arid and generally bleak landscape. It has no implications for the Ottoman's whatsoever, although in his book he does describe the state of the Cypriot people and does lay a degree of the blame for the state of the island at the feet of the former Ottoman governors. But in no way is his book a diatribe against the Ottomans, rather it is a pretty faithful, if rather quaint description of the island as he found it in 1879.

Why have I used it as my signature. I love the quote as I love the book, it chimes with the first time I landed at Larnaca airport, flying down the coast and seeing an apparently bare landscape in the mid-summer heat. I've also used it as a metaphor to head one of the chapters of my thesis, where I relate this phrase to the EU's perspective on Cyprus as a 'new possession' - one in which there is ongoing ethnic division and no clear path down which to end it.

I think therefore, you need to step back and think about the source before you jump in and assume that it's aimed in an offensive way. The number of times I've stood up for Turkish Cypriots in debates has demonstrated that I try to steer an impartial route, thus why would I post something offensive to Turkish Cypriots? I'll therefore take it as a misunderstanding and move on.

detailer · Joined: 15 Aug 2005 Posts: 473 Location: UK

Hold on cannedmoose. I definetely dont think that you meant to be offensive against Turkish Cypriot or ottomans. I just wondered why you put such a "sharp" argument as a signature?

Note: I am a bit lazy; I don't write enough to describe myself sometimes. That's the reason of mis-understanding. Thanks for the long explanation. :)

cannedmoose · Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2005 8:58 pm Post subject:

detailer wrote: Hold on cannedmoose. I definetely dont think that you meant to be offensive against Turkish Cypriot or ottomans. I just wondered why you put such a "sharp" argument as a signature?

Note: I am a bit lazy; I don't write enough to describe myself sometimes. That's the reason of mis-understanding. Thanks for the long explanation. :)

No problem, misunderstanding both ways gardesh... I wish I had the space in my signature to put the full quote, that might tone it down a bit... I had to severely edit it to get it to fit. :cry: