Speaking of delusions, the BBC reports that “President Niyazov of Turkmenistan has ordered the construction of a palace made of ice in the heart of his desert country, one of the hottest on earth.” Although this sounds crazy, it’s nothing new for the regime of Niyazov, as “extravagant buildings are a hallmark of his idiosyncratic regime.”
Niyazov also sparked controversy when in 2002 he “announced his intention to officially rename all 12 months of the year in commemoration of the country’s heroes and most potent national symbols.” He also proposed that the “seven days of the week [be] renamed, with uplifting phrases such as Young Day for Tuesday and Spirituality Day for Saturday,” sparking one Turkmeni man to protest that “this is a joke, the entire civilized world lives by the same calendar but Niyazov decides to set us apart once again.”
I’m very surprised that this totalitarian regime does not receive more critical media coverage, because it’s clear that the impoverished nation is languishing as a result of his extravagant indifference…
