Erkan's Field Diary

Behemoth concert tomorrow.

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:54:22 +0000

Via
Metal concerts season in Istanbul started last week with Destruction. I could not make it to that one but I will make it to tomorrow’s Behemoth concert. Behemoth is an explicitly Satanist Black Metal band from Poland. They are notarious in album imagery and I am just curious about their live performance… at 20:00 -Balans Club, Taksim….

BEHEMOTH’S Frontman Formally Charged for Bible Destruction

from Metal Injection

By: Navjot Kaur With close to two decades of music that feeds upon the ideals of all that is Pagan and “Antichristian,” it seems that Poland-based blackened death metallers Behemoth have made an all-too overt statement contra their Roman Catholic critics. On Monday, March 8th, frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski was formally charged for insults towards Catholicism,

Click here to get yours!

Finntroll Interview

from About.com Heavy Metal

The latest release from Finntroll is Nifelvind, their fifth full-length and first since signing to Century Media Records. The Finnish folksters will be supporting the CD with a U.S. tour in April, and are currently on the road in Europe. I’m not sure if the bus fumes got to him, if the questions were answered after a long night of partying, or if he’s just an aspiring comedian, but guitarist Skrymer’s responses are definitely interesting, very creative and sometimes downright bizarre.

Richard Sennett, here at Bilgi, tomorrow This event is cancelled. Just received the mail 20 minutes...
Conference on Turkish and French Visions of Foreign Policy – TOMORROW! ...
Judas Priest and AC/DC, Grammy winners! Judas Priest, AC/DC Win Grammys from About.com Heavy Metal Beyonce,...

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Introducing Turkish Cybersphere (6)- Cinema related blogs, Censorship news and more…

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:34:48 +0000

Nominations for Turkish Blog Awards Turkish Blog Awards started.

Check out an interview (in Turkish) with Hasan Yalçınkaya, a pioneer in Turkish blogger…

An ambitious Football Manager online game, Efsane Ol [Be a Legend], in Turkish is launched here. I guess I will start playing, too:)

Two old time bloggers:
http://nahnu.org/
http://ferruh.mavituna.com/

News.Az – 23 Kurdish hackers arrested in Turkey

Turkey’s Internet Laws “Under Surveillance”

from Istanbul Calling by Yigal Schleifer

Reporters Without Borders has just issued its latest list of “Internet Enemies,” looking at countries where online activity is monitored, restricted or punished…..
……..
You can read RSF’s report on Turkey here.

Turkish Reporters Unite to Protest YouTube Ban

from MediaShift

The Turkish courts banned YouTube in May 2008, and now a new protest campaign launched by the editorial team of the Milliyet newspaper is drawing attention to how long the country has been prevented from using the website.

The initiative, which was was launched on February 19, is not the first campaign of this type. But it’s notable because previous protests came from the blogosphere and, as a result, did not receive international coverage. The current ban is the fourth such action by the Turkish courts since 2007; hopefully, this campaign will draw attention to this policy of censorship.

Web Access a Fundamental Right

from Turkish Politics in Action by Ragan Updegraff

In a BBC poll, 90% of Turks surveyed expressed their belief that the access to freely surf the Internet was a fundamental right, more than any other European country. Yet, the Turkish government is one of the most restrictive in the world when it comes to Internet freedom (see past posts on Internet freedom.)

Statistics on web censorship in Turkey here.

Start TV opened up its video archive.

2,5 million Turks are registered to online relationship sites.

Anti Capitalist Ads contest here.

Two fanzine archives:

Muhteviyat
Hayalet Gemi

bloggers who do film reviews (VIA):

http://www.limonluk.net
http://www.mefallit.org
http://www.fragmanika.com
http://www.sosyopark.com
http://filambari.com/
http://sinemabirmucizedir.blogspot.com
http://www.kisasinema.com/
http://karelidefter.blogspot.com/
http://cinemazy.com/blog
http://www.otekisinema.com/
http://melisinema.com

http://www.umutkaracaoglu.com/?cat=5&paged=2

http://casilo.blogspot.com/
http://sigarayaniklari.blogspot.com
http://www.sinemalardan.com/
http://antikkuntik.blogspot.com/
http://www.tersninja.com/
http://www.fundalina.com/
http://serkan.blogcu.com/
http://eyupceri.blogspot.com
http://gumusperde.wordpress.com
http://beyn.org/
http://www.kadinsanat.net
http://ilkayturan.blogspot.com

http://www.futuristika.org/konu/vizyonsuz-sinema/

http://www.sinema-sinema.com
http://www.teknolojiherseyim.com

http://nediyorum.blogcu.com/turk-sinemasinda-komedi/7177243

http://www.misjournal.com/?cat=265

http://nediyorum.blogcu.com/turk-sinemasinda-komedi/7177243

www.iyikotufilm.com
http://www.handesway.blogspot.com
http://www.sineblok.com
www.sivrisinema.com

http://friendfeed.com/pitekantropus

http://www.uzaksinema.com/
http://revengeofkratos.blogspot.com/
http://kafkaesk.blogspot.com/
http://fistikyesili.com
http://alisko.org
http://www.rssimge.com

http://sinemabirmucizedir.blogspot.com/

http://www.bariserel.com
http://www.ludovicoteknigi.com/
http://simgeungor.blogspot.com/

http://www.bakiniz.com/author/cahit-binici/

http://www.kahramanlarsinemada.com/
http://www.sinemamanyaklari.com
http://arielortega.blogspot.com/
http://www.blogdergisi.com/ Benay Gavazoğlu and Ahmet Türkan
http://arielortega.blogspot.com/
http://betulkara.blogspot.com
http://browni.net/

http://mfyz.tumblr.com/

http://www.timsahavcisi.com

Introducing Turkish Cybersphere (3)- Turkish online news sites and more A list of Turkish online news sites. Not necessarily...
Introducing Turkish Cybersphere (4) * Turkish internet users have recently performed a...
Introducing Turkish Cybersphere (5)- Tivibu and more… Dear readers, would you let me know of new sites...

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Support the World Day against Cyber-Censorship

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:58:38 +0000

Support the World Day against Cyber-Censorship, 12 March…

Global: World Day Against Cyber Censorship

from Global Voices Online by Diego Casaes
Internet censorship is still a major issue in many countries worldwide. With that in mind, the Paris-based international organization Reporters without Borders (RSF) is promoting its yearly World Day Against Cyber Censorship on March 12th. On the occasion, RSF issued its latest list of “Enemies of the Internet“, where China, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Tunisia are among the most prominent examples of countries censoring the web.

Global Voices Authors Speak Out Against Censorship

from Global Voices Online by Jillian C. York

The Internet is the tool most feared today by the elites, the media and by the power. It empowers those who otherwise would remain forgotten, oppressed. It is a weapon that gives ammo to those who are protesting for justice, equality and freedom and that shakes the structures of the state – and of companies – which sees no other choice but to censor.

– Brazilian blogger and Global Voices author Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Reuters adds social media rules to its handbook

from Editors Weblog – all postings by Emma Heald

The surge in social media has benefited journalists globally by offering them a world of information at their fingertips with powerful social networking tools and news aggregator sites. But this opportunity comes along with some risks as well. To lessen these risks, Reuters has added social media guidelines and principles to its handbook, Dean Wright, global editor for ethics, innovation and news standards at Reuters, announced yesterday in the Reuters Blog.

Reader Play, Google’s Slideshow of Interesting Stuff

from Google Blogoscoped by Philipp Lenssen

Google Reader Play Transforms Feeds into Entertainment Experience

from Mashable! by Jennifer Van Grove

Working with multi-regional websites

from Google Webmaster Central Blog by John Mueller

Webmaster Level: Intermediate

Did you know that a majority of users surveyed feel that having information in their own language was more important than a low price? Living in a non-English-speaking country, I’ve seen friends and family members explicitly look for and use local and localized websites—properly localized sites definitely have an advantage with users. Google works hard to show users the best possible search results. Many times those are going to be pages that are localized, for the user’s location and/or in the user’s language.

Virtual worlds: disappearance through pervasiveness,

by openDemocracy

Author:

Raph Koster

Summary:

Remember Second Life? There was a time when everyone was moving in. But where did those worlds go? Social games – indeed, much of the social web that is not a “game”, like Facebook itself – have taken on core characteristics of Virtual Worlds without needing some of their more head-turning characteristics. Raph Koster, a designer of virtual worlds, explains that Virtual Worlds only appear to have disappeared because they are now everywhere.

Dan Terdiman at CNet engages in some handwringing over the fact that kids worlds and social games are taking over the hype that used to belong to virtual worlds.

BBC and Global Voices announce partnership

from Editors Weblog – all postings by Maria Conde

The BBC will be teaming up with the non-profit blogging network of citizen journalists, Global Voices, to offer a “different range of perspectives and commentary from around the world,” according to the BBC.

The Internet in America: A YouTube Interview with the FCC

from The Official Google Blog by A Googler

(Cross-posted from the YouTube Blog)

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably on the Internet — via your laptop, your mobile phone or other handheld device, or maybe even through your television. But in 2010, millions of Americans still do not have access to the wealth of information made available on the Web. Even though the Internet was invented in the U.S. over 20 years ago, many Americans lag behind in both access to the Internet and speed of connections, which is why the Federal Communications Commission (or the FCC, the federal agency that oversees the U.S. communications industry) is launching its much-anticipated National Broadband Plan next Tuesday, to lay out its strategy for connecting all Americans to fast, affordable high-speed Internet.

Witness Creates Sophisticated Evaluation Tools for Video Impact

from MediaShift

Last month, Jessica Clark and I explored how various Public Media 2.0 projects are measuring their level of success in informing and engaging publics. We found that many public media organizations are struggling to measure impact — and some are relying only on traditional indicators of reach, as opposed to other elements of impact such as relevance, inclusion, engagement or influence. Some projects, however, are taking a more holistic approach that is matched closely to their mission.

Greenpeace Calls For Facebook To Use 100% Renewable Energy

from All Facebook by Nick O’Neill

A new Facebook group set up by Greenpeace is calling for Facebook to use 100 percent renewable energy within their data centers. This is a reinvigorated movement from the initial backlash against Facebook’s environmental policies at the beginning of February. The latest group has over 150,000 members, far more than any previous group that has attempted to get Facebook to change their environmental policies.

How Musicians Are Using Social Media to Connect with Fans

from Mashable! by Greg Rollett

Web censorship non-stop in Turkey Erkan would like to thank the “system” whose elements...
WBF's official declaration- Support for arrested Azeri bloggers… World Bloggers: Support detained and imprisoned bloggers throughout the world!...
Despite web censorship, Turks are heavy social media users Here is the latest news on Turks into social media:...

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“AAA Annual Meeting Call for Papers Now Open (#AAA2010)

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:29:23 +0000

Special issue of Science as Culture on Identity and Narrative in STS

from Somatosphere by Eugene Raikhel

The latest issue of Science as Culture focuses on a topic which has long been central to cultural anthropology, but remains relatively novel in science and technology studies (STS): first-person narrative and the relationship between scholars and their objects of study. As Benjamin R. Cohen and Wyatt Galusky, the guest editors of the special issue, write in their introduction:

AAA Annual Meeting Call for Papers Now Open

from American Anthropological Association by Jason

The Call for Papers Site is now accepting submissions to participate in the 109^th Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. Submissions are due by 5pm EST on April 1^st. The meeting will be located in New Orleans, Louisiana November 17-21, 2010. Follow or contribute to the discussion on Twitter using the #AAA2010 hashtag!

Food and Anthropology, the blog you have been waiting for!

from FoodAnthropology by David Beriss

Welcome to the blog of the Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition.

Someday this blog will be seen as one of the first steps in establishing SAFN as the place people go when they ask, “what would an anthropologist think about food?” If you have not asked that question yet, then you should. Read here to find out why. Right now there is really only one other place you can go for that kind of information and it is also part of the growing SAFN intellectual empire: http://www.nutritionalanthro.org/. That is the SAFN home page, of course. If you go there, you can join in with hundreds of others who are discussing food, nutrition and anthropology right now. Also, there are some nice pictures and some really useful information on the SAFN bulletin board. If you join SAFN, you can get access to even more stuff, such as our brilliant syllabi set.

US Military Should Rely on Social Science More to Fight Jihadism …
Security Management
(For more on athropologists’ criticisms of the Human Terrain System, see Laura Spadanuta’s article “Anthropology and the Army” in this month’s print issue.

Obama and Erdoğan meeting soon… As I was not too excited with his election, I...
"Speech for the Council of Europe Cross-Border Internet, Consultation meeting (Strasbourg) Speech for the Council of Europe Cross-Border Internet, Consultation meeting...

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Now comes Sweden

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:37:55 +0000

When Turkey and Armenia come closest, third country parliaments interfere. Looks like a calculated provocation….

Sweden angers Turkey with ‘genocide’ vote

from European Voice

Turkey withdraws its ambassador to Sweden in protest at Armenia vote.

Turkey’s Ambassador to Sweden Zergun Koruturk poses between a Turkish flag and a portrait of Kemal Ataturk at the embassy in Stockholm March 11, 2010. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Sweden on Thursday and cancelled an upcoming summit between the countries after the Swedish parliament branded the World War One killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces genocide. REUTERS/Fredrik Persson/Scanpix Sweden

Armenian Massacres News Trends 1880-2010

from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M

View recent news results for armenian massacres. Curiously it is down.

FT.com / Comment / Opinion – Turkey needs more from Ataturk’s heirs

Turkey and Sweden in genocide row

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition

Turkey withdraws its ambassador to Sweden after the parliament votes to describe as genocide the killing of Armenians in WWI.

Recent Articles on Armenian-Ottoman History

Mavi Boncuk
Recent Articles on Armenian-Ottoman History

A Changed U.S. House to Vote on Armenian Genocide

from NYT > Turkey by By BRIAN KNOWLTON

As members of a House committee prepared to vote yet again on a resolution condemning as genocide the mass killing of Armenians starting in 1915, both Armenian supporters of the resolution and Turkish opponents said Wednesday that the ground had shifted since the last such vote.

Troubled Partnership: U.S.-Turkish Relations in an Era of Global Geopolitical Change
Source: RAND Corporation

A strong security partnership with Turkey has been an important element of U.S. policy for the last five decades. However, in the last few years, U.S.-Turkish relations have seriously deteriorated, and today they are badly in need of repair. The arrival of a new administration in Washington presents an important opportunity to put Washington’s relations with Ankara on a firmer footing. Turkey plays a critical role in four areas of increasing strategic importance to the United States: the Balkans, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf. In each of these areas, Ankara’s cooperation is vital to achieving U.S. policy objectives.

İBRAHİM KALIN – Losing the ‘model partnership’

Last week’s vote by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs on the Armenian genocide bill was a bad move in more than one way. It will not break the well-established US-Turkish relations but has already raised questions about the use of what President Barack Obama has called the “model partnership” between Turkey and the US.

ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ – Genocide resolution: unwise move, unethical response

I was once again embarrassed by the Turkish method of stopping the Armenian genocide resolution in Congress. Don’t misunderstand me; I find this resolution process wrong.

KLAUS JURGENS – US-Turkey: Partnerships must be of mutual interest, benefit

The widely discussed and most recent US House Committee on Foreign Affairs vote (23 “yes,” 22 “no”) in favor of labeling the incidents during World War I involving the Ottoman Empire and Armenia genocide is nothing to be shrugged off.

Annual drama between US and Turkey continues US congressional move will definitely help US favorability in Turkey...
Turkish angers builds up today And I am sure this will boost the sequel of...
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Istanbul Film Festival: April 3-18 (#istanbul2010)

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:21:53 +0000

Istanbul Film Festival to take place in April 3-18

As Turkey’s largest film activity, the International Istanbul Film Festival drew an audience of 162,000 last year. This year the programme is, once again, packed to the brim.

Program can be found here

Istridye Balik Lokantasi: The Business of Lunch

from Istanbul Eats by

Greek musicians a force on Istanbul’s vibrant music scene – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

Turkey Quake Reminds Istanbul of Danger
Voice of America
The 14 million people living in Istanbul are waiting for what is known there as, “The Big One.” A Turkish television program remembering the victims of the

Istanbul municipality boosts income with property sales
Hurriyet Daily News
The total value of city properties sold by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, led by Mayor Kadir Topbaş, over the past five years amounts to 880

Greek musicians a force on Istanbul’s vibrant music scene
Hurriyet Daily News
Few musicians active in Istanbul’s vibrant music scene blend in as well as the Greeks. Look at any calendar for a music venue and it isn’t hard to find

Small bike shop cultivates cycling culture in Istanbul
Hurriyet Daily News
Littered with potholes and crowded with traffic, Istanbul’s streets are far from the ideal surface for traveling by bicycle. On the Anatolian side, however,

İstanbul tops European cities in real estate development
Today’s Zaman
Turkey’s economic powerhouse İstanbul holds the top spot on PricewaterhouseCoopers’ ranking of European cities in terms of real estate development prospects

Earthquake law is necessary for Istanbul, says mayor
Hurriyet Daily News
An earthquake law especially for Istanbul should be come into force, according to the city’s mayor who said he was planning to discuss it with the prime

Istanbul Film Festival to feature more than 200 films
Hurriyet Daily News
The countdown has begun for Turkey’s largest film event, the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival. Under the sponsorship of Akbank yet again

Tolstoy, Salome to vie for Golden Tulip at İstanbul film festival
Today’s Zaman
Held annually by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), the festival will mark its 29th edition on April 3-18 in seven theaters across

İstanbul’s outlying districts come to fore with new developments
Today’s Zaman
With recent investment projects and more to come, İstanbul’s Pendik, Şerifali, Çekmeköy, Bayrampaşa and Silivri districts have attracted a great deal of

Uçuncu Mevki: Student Fare

from Istanbul Eats

“”The first edition of ‘Istanbul 2010′ hits newsstands (#istanbul2010) it can be dowloaded here. STARTING POINT: The first edition...
Istanbul in 2010. A heavy metal haven! (#istanbul2010) Here are some of the upcoming concerts. All major bands...
Istanbul under snow (#istanbul2010) More photos can be found here. Istanbul is under...

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EP against ACTA measures

admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:09:53 +0000

EU Parliament votes 663-13 against ACTA’s enforcement measures

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

The European Parliament resoundingly voted against the secret Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), in a resounding 663 to 13 tally. The parliamentarians defied the EU executive and threatened to take the issue to the European Court of Justice if the EU doesn’t reject ACTA’s provisions on disconnection for infringement and other enforcement provisions.

French racists steal poster idea from Swiss racists

from FP Passport by Joshua Keating

If you’re going to make a xenophobic poster, at least make it original:

MAIN FOCUS: Dispute over European Monetary Fund | 10/03/2010

from euro|topics

Germany’s proposal of founding a European Monetary Fund (EMF) has triggered a dispute between politicians and banks. While the European Commission is considering setting up such an institution the leaders of the Eurozone’s central banks are against the idea. The Fund could help crisis-stricken Eurozone countries, the press writes, but strengthening existing institutions could also prove worthwhile.

Swedish newspapers reprint Mohammed cartoon

from FT.com – World, Europe

Leading Swedish newspapers have published a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog after the foiling of an alleged plot to kill the artist responsible for the drawing

Germany’s Worst School Names

from Strange Maps by strangemaps

German Exports and that Looming Double Dip

from A Fistful Of Euros » A Fistful Of Euros by Edward Hugh

I hadn’t seen an advance release of the January German export data, when I wrote the following on Tuesday, honest injun I hadn’t:

Well, this is only a hypothesis. But if the hypothesis has any validity we should be able to make some predictions on the basis of it. I would make two. Firstly, since East Europe’s economies are often dependent for their growth on exports to the West, and in particular to Germany, then we should be able to see some “shadow” of this German process cast out into the East.

Nightmare Lisbon Treaty

by Open Europe blog team

Today, the Lisbon Treaty has been in force for 100 days. The result? A more democratic and open EU? A Union which voters have an easier time understanding and identifying themselves with? Simpler and more ’streamlined’ institutions? Not quite.

On it’s 100th day in force, the fundamental flaws of the Lisbon Treaty – which many of us warned against – are beginning to hit home around Europe.

Spain’s politics of memory,

by openDemocracy

Author:

Guy Hedgecoe

Summary:

The Madrid train-bombings on 11 March 2004 provoked a dignified outpouring of collective grief. But the moment was soon reclaimed by Spain’s enduring political warfare over the national past, says Guy Hedgecoe.

The centre-left Spanish government led by prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announced in mid-February 2010 that it was going to “repair” the memory of the poet Miguel Hernández, a Republican former goatherd who died in prison in 1942 – the third year of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship – at the age of 31.

Copenhagen Summit and EU agenda roundup Arrested demonstrators sit on the ground as they are...
"EU's Lisbon Treaty comes into force EU’s Lisbon Treaty comes into force and more from the...
A good read on Euroscepticism (and a Euro roundup) Nosemonkey interviewed: On euroscepticism from Nosemonkey’s EUtopia Forgot all about...

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A few EU related cartoons

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:08:57 +0000

by Miro Stefanovic

more at ANTE PORTAS, the cartoon project book from Macedonia

Anti-Kurdish Initiative propaganda begins to gain ground…Political Cartoons at work… I have begun to receive forwarded emails with highly ultranationalists...

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The doyen of Turkish cartoonists, Turhan Selçuk passes away…

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:06:08 +0000

TURHAN Selçuk passes away March 11, 2010 in Istanbul

from caricaturque by kozyurt

The doyen of Turkish cartoonists, Turhan Selçuk dies in Istanbul early this morning March 11, 2010 at 01.30 h at Acibadem Maslak Hospital where he had two operations since he was hospitalized on March 7. He was one of the three founders of the Association of Cartoonists in Turkey in 1969.……..
See his works at
http://www.sanalmuze.org/sergiler/contentxy.php?sergi=397&ic=90&pg=0
http://www.karikaturculerdernegi.org/karikaturculer.asp?id=4159

Abdülcanbaz was one of the most famous creations by Mr. Selçuk.

In memoriam | Turhan Selcuk (1922-2010)

from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M

And a social roundup:

Women warm themselves near their destroyed house in Okcular village in the eastern province of Elazig, Turkey, Monday, March 8, 2010.THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Burhan Ozbilici

FATMA DİŞLİ ZIBAK – Turkey’s unchangeable reality: earthquakes

Unfortunately, Turkey, which is located on major fault lines, lost 51 of its citizens due to an earthquake with a magnitude of 6 in the eastern province of Elazığ on Monday. The victims for the most part lived in stone and mud-brick homes in rural parts of the province.

A man walks in Okcular village in the eastern province of Elazig, Turkey, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, a day after a strong earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6, hit eastern Turkey early Monday, killing at least 57 people and knocking down houses in at least six small villages, the government said. The quake affected villages near the town of Kovancilar, toppling stone or mud-brick homes and minarets of mosques, officials and media reports said.

(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)

Unemployment Increased to 14 Percent in 2009

from Bianet :: English

The Turkish Statistical Institute announced the official unemployment figures for 2009. With almost 3.5 million jobless people 14 percent of the population is out of work. Almost half of all Turkish employees work off the record without social security.

401 gendarmaries in 10 years committed suicide

Turkish pop singer Tarkan speaks to the media after his release outside a courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, March 1, 2010. Turkish police detained Tarkan, the country’s best-known pop star, in a narcotics raid Friday in Istanbul along with nine other people. Tarkan, who only uses one name, and others were detained for their alleged links with two drug dealers being monitored by narcotics agents, the state-run Anatolia news agency said. Police reportedly found and seized a small amount of hashish at the pop star’s country home in the Omerli district near Istanbul, the agency said.(AP Photo )

Turkish pop star Tarkan held in drugs raid – CNN.com

Writer Pala says military interferes with private lives of its members

by YONCA POYRAZ DOĞAN

İskender Pala, a distinguished writer and scholar who was expelled from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), says the TSK has become an institution that interferes with the private lives of its members.

Unraveling The Turkish Inferiority Complex

from The White Path

[Originally published in Hurriyet Daily News] LONDON – Every time I come to this magnificent city, I admire the way the British honor their past. This time, I was impressed even more, for I had a chance to spend a whole morning in the House of Lords, at which a conference about Turkey’s emerging role in the world was held. While walking in the corridors of the splendid building, I could not count the number of statues of former statesmen that I saw. But I could well feel how tradition keeps the British proud and dignified. The Turkish Parliament, in contrast, is devoid of any symbol that will give you a sense of history. The current one is the third parliament building since the 19th century, and was totally refurbished in the early 90’s. Now it has white walls and bright orange chairs, which look anything but kitsch, and has anything but character. If there were no Turkish flags in the hall, and no drones of men with moustache, you would hardly guess this was actually the Turkish parliament.

Professor Mehmet Altan: ‘We need urban religiosity for normalization

by AYŞE KARABAT

Professor Mehmet Altan, who teaches at İstanbul University’s department of political economy, believes that the fight that is presented as one between secularists and Islamists is really in essence a class conflict in which religion is used as a tool.

Turkish Wines

from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M

French maître Sommelier Mme. Annie Crouzet and her wine expert assistant Mr. Gerard Gutierrez made a trip to Turkey between 29 April – 8 May 2009 with the purpose of discovering Turkish wines and promoting them in France. The tour included most of the wine regions of Turkey including Cappadocia, Ankara, Manisa, Izmir,Istanbul, Sarköy and Tekirdağ which is in Thrace. The names of the wineries hosted the tour were Büyülübağ, Doluca, Idol, Kavaklıdere, Kayra, Kocabağ, Sevilen, Turasan, Umurbey, Urla and Vinkara.

Vogue Turkey Debuts

from Mavi Boncuk by M.A.M

Vogue Turkiye Editor in chief Seda Domaniç [1] (left)
Mavi Boncuk |

Conde Nast [2] is adding yet another international addition to their portfolio with a Turkish edition of Vogue magazine which will release it’s innaugural issue on March of 2010 and the new magazine was fêted with a launch party at the Crillon in Paris.

Results Profile: Turkey Health

from Turkey | World Bank

Reforms Deliver – Turkey Expands Health Insurance, Improves Care………

State of Turkish women; surveys, stats etc. A keen observer of state of Turkish women, Jenny White...
The Economist on the Turkish army… The Turkish army Economist Scores of officers, including retired generals,...
A sad day for Anthropology: Levi-Strauss Passes at 100 last updated: 17 Nov 2009- 13:30 “Nec minus ergo...

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The Winter Thief. New novel from Prof. White

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:40:09 +0000

I had the honor to meet her in person. Prof. Jenny White an anthropologist, author of Islamist Mobilization in Turkey: A Study in Vernacular Politics, also writes detective novels that take place in late Ottoman times. Latest novel just released…

The Winter Thief

January 1888. Vera Arti carries The Communist Manifesto in Armenian through Istanbul’s streets, unaware of the men following her. When the police discover a shipload of guns and the Imperial Ottoman Bank is blown up, suspicion falls on a socialist commune Arti’s friends organized in the eastern mountains. Special Prosecutor Kamil Pasha is called in to investigate. He soon encounters his most ruthless adversary to date: Vahid, head of a special branch of the secret police, who has convinced the sultan that the commune is leading a secessionist movement and should be destroyed—along with surrounding villages. Kamil must stop the massacre, but he finds himself on the wrong side of the law, framed for murder and accused of treason, his family and the woman he loves threatened.

Another spring day in Istanbul in the middle of winter I took these photos a few days ago when Istanbul...

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