The New York Times: The Lede – 9/03/13,
By SEBNEM ARSU and ROBERT MACKEY
Thanks to: http://soundofheart.org/galacticfreepress/content/burst-color-turkey’s-public-walkways-become-focus-quiet-protest
Those walkways generally attract little notice, but that changed last week, when a retired forestry engineer decided to paint the Findikli stairs in the central district of Beyoglu in all the colors of the rainbow — an act of guerrilla beautification that unintentionally triggered a fresh ripple of anti-government protests.
The retiree behind the caper, Huseyin Cetinel, 64, told the local news media that his original motivation for applying a fresh coat of paint to the stairs was not activism, but the desire “to make people smile.” Mr. Cetinel said he spent nearly $800 on paint and devoted four days to sprucing up the stairs, with help from his son-in-law.
Video and more: TheLede.Blogs.NYTimes.com
Openhearted Rebellion 
Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal and commented:
Gandhi would have been proud…
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Reblogged this on Spirit In Action and commented:
Thank you for posting this. It is so beautiful! I Love it! ! Beauty is needed, color, joy, love, community; -) Oliver Cromwell with his hatred and suppression of besuty and color is the poster child for yhe whole hierarchy top down beauracracy miserable money based worldview we are working so hard to break out of as a new butterfly struggles to escape its chrysalis and spread its wings to dry in the sun.
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Much Love to you, Ohnwentsya! 🙂
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Reblogged this on JOY TO THE WORLD.
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Thank you very much for posting this Wes. I was planning to send a note about our ‘new’ protest to Golden Age of Gaia and saw this. The indigo generation in Turkey after being battered and bruised all through summer is still looking for creative ways to peacefully protest against the governing forces and of course against a possible war with Syria. Turkey’s longest land border is with Syria and the prime minister particularly enjoys banging the war drums. The retired engineer mentioned above actually lives in a district (not too far away from mine in Istanbul) that is famous with its LGBT and artist community. The colors of the rainbow is both a tribute to LGBT and to peace. What is not reported here is that the municipalities cover these stairs with grey paint every day, and the people come together and paint the stairs and streets back. This protest spread like a wild fire across the country from west to the eastern border cities and towns. Of course there are occasional clashes, policemen taking people in for carrying cans of lively colored paints (oh yes, for cans of paint!!), the news teams who film the events and painted stairs and roads are attacked, and so on… In the emantime the indigo generation says ‘This is only the begining. There is no stopping us until we live in a free country where everyone is respected whatever their sex, religion, backgroud, and race is and until we achieve lasting peace.’ I think these protesters are driving the government crazy with coming up with new protests every day. I saw groups of policemen guarding public stairs from being painted, poor things. The latest joke is to paint garbage cans so that they can appoint a policeman to each garbage can in the country. I don’t know where the inspiration for so many types of protests come from, perhaps AA Michael??
Zeynep
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Painting the stairs/trashcans and protesting peacefully is such a great idea, Zeynep. It truly is too bad that they have police out there stopping you from making your country pretty in peaceful protest.
It’s so great to see that the Turkey indigo generation isn’t giving up or losing faith. Even if your police and government are ignoring you or clearly choosing to act against your will, your aims of a peaceful Turkey will come about!
Keep on keeping on, dear friends!
Much Love,
Wes 🙂
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