"Turkey PM unveils rural boost" and Erkan mumbles on issues related to Turkish society...youth, smoking ban, state of women, the Tuzla affair and more...
Great initiative. I hope it works. In addition to already existing tons of problems, Southeastern towns are having the draught problem this year (This post will end up with a provocative note on the Tuzla affair):
Turkey PM unveils rural boost
Turkey launches a $14.5bn plan aiming to ease the poverty that feeds Kurdish separatism in the south-east.Turkey's £6bn package to woo Kurdish region
Turkey's government unveiled a £6bn investment package yesterday for the country's south-eastern provinces, taking a tentative step to counter separatist sentiment...
In the mean time for the sake of opposition,
CHP blames AKP for delay in GAP
The main opposition party cautiously welcomed the government's action plan for the development of southeastern Anatolia yesterday. “The government took a step in this direction [for and the pessimist:
Promises no longer work for the Kurds
Mehmet Ali Birand
Certainly the case but lost in other major social problems at the moment...
Facing hate crime in Turkey
As the gay and transgender community demands recognition, Turkey's conservative society is reacting with hostility, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford.
In the mean time:
A bleak picture of Turkish youth
Turkey has one of the youngest populations in the world, with about 20 million people between the ages 15 and 30. According to the 2007 census, about 60 percent of the total population of Turkey is under the age of 30.Some of the people I now has just published an excellent book on [the lack?] youth policies in Turkey:
Edited by:
Nurhan Yentürk - Yörük Kurtaran - Gülesin Nemutlu
It is in Turkish but for those who can read, one should have a look.
Check out the publisher's site.
Youth in Turkey Report
Results of the United Nations Development Program 2008 “Youth in Turkey” Report:
From an interview with one of the authors:
Only about 4 percent [of Turkish youth participate in civil society activities], and most of these are university students.Despite the perception of young people in Turkey as dynamic, middle-class students, the reality is quite different. Only 30 percent of young people are students. The remaining 30 percent are working and 40 percent are idle — they neither study, nor work. So 40 percent of the young population does not participate in work life, school life and, of course, in social life. One can call these people the “invisible youth.”…
NOT A REAL LIBERATION YET AS THE FOR CAFES IT IS POSTPONED TO NEXT YEAR...
The Liberation of Turkey—From Heavy Smoke
[Originally published in Turkish Daily News] I have never understood why people smoke cigarettes. I have tried about a little less than a dozen of them throughout my life, and each and every one was horrible. Therefore, even if they were magical health potions that heal the body and the mind, I would have a hard time using them. So it is completely beyond me why people pay to smoke those stinking white paper tubes, which only kills them slowly. Yet I am also tolerant. I know that humans are not terribly rational beings and they do all sorts of things that do not fit into reason. And we have no option other than being lenient to their wrongdoings. I am also an empiricist. I believe people find the truth mainly by learning from their mistakes. Thus, I think, we need to expose more cigarette deaths, so that more people, hopefully, might come to their senses.Turkish law enforcement on drinks and cigarettes...
I’ve always find the word ‘Turkishness’ a little bit vague. But since yesterday evening, I know better.A Dutch student/journalist asked me this week for some insight in the Turkish society at large. So, yesterday, I drove her around for a couple of hours through some neighborhoods and districts of Istanbul while talked about the ins and outs of Turkish politics. For 7 pm I had a drink and diner planned with some Turkish co bloggers. That would be nice for her.)
The Smoking Ban Kicks In
Photo from ZamanSmoking ban finds support even among pro-freedom segment
A ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces and buildings, including government facilities, sporting venues, shopping malls and public transport, went into effect on Monday as part of efforts to bring Turkish law in line with European practices.Law extending smoking ban comes into effect
New regulations extending the smoking ban in enclosed public places came into effect yesterday. The new law prohibits smoking not only in all enclosed areas, including taxis,Yusuf Kanlı: The smoking ban
As the saying goes, before the crows had their breakfast, I was out early yesterday morning to get my hair cut. One of the young apprentices working at the barber shop – that I have been frequenting for the past almost 20 years – was washing the marble-covered terrace in front of the shop in a rather weary mood.“Good morning Osman!” I said, “How are things going?” He was so fatigued doing something – apparently every morning – he hated that even the prospect of the tip he would receive a while later as I leave the shop failed to create some glimmer on his face. “Well, Yusuf Bey, let's hope it's a good morning and we will have a good day!”Inside, only one of the six barbers was there.Tagging along with Anatolian nomads
The Anatolian nomads of the sun, mountains and endless winds of the plateaus agreed to let us accompany them for a small part of their journey.Les femmes turques cherchent leur place en politique.
La Croix (France)19 mai 2008, Istanbul
Les femmes sont absentes des sphères du pouvoir en Turquie. À un an des élections municipales, une association prépare une vingtaine de Turques à entrer dans le combat politique. Istamboul, de notre correspondante.
Comment concilier engagement politique, vie professionnelle et familiale ? Comment trouver sa place dans l’arène ? Existe-t-il une solidarité entre femmes, quelles que soient leurs convictions ? Les questions fusent en cet après-midi de mai. Dans l’une des salles de conférence d’un grand hôtel stambouliote, une vingtaine de Turques interrogent deux femmes membres de partis politiques influents.
Benefits of Turkish family life
Let me share some personal observations with you before commenting on the wider political scene. Columnists should direct their readers to topics of interest, always making use of facts.Sexual health in Turkey
Two recent Turkish surveys have reached worrying conclusions about the state of sexual health in Turkey and worldwide. A 700-person survey conducted by Eczacıbaşı Girişim Pazarlama and theWho Are The Turks? II
81.9 percent of the nation would object to a coup d’état, a poll conducted late last year by Infacto Research Workshop on behalf of Bogazici University and the Open Society Institute shows. 81.9 percent said they opposed military coups and oppressive regimes, while 12.3 percent said they would support a coup; 5.8 percent were undecided.
Turkish society’s perception of Christianity (1)by Kudret Bülbül
The collapse of real socialism was accompanied by expectations that conflict would be replaced with an era of peace around the world. Turkish society’s perception of Christianity (2) Coexistence not as hard as it seems by Kudret Bülbül
In addition to questions about their overall perceptions of Christianity, participants were also asked about issues that were closely related to their families and immediate environment. Shipyard terror
Eleven deaths in five months. Two more workers have lost their lives over the span of two days in the shipyards of Tuzla. Despite the spate of warnings and so-called inspections, deadly accidents continue there.Who is responsible for the Tuzla fatalities?
The tragic deaths of two more workers in industrial accidents at İstanbul’s notorious Tuzla shipyards over the weekend has stretched everyone’s patience to the limit, with the incidents making headlines over the past few days and prompting unions and civil society organizations to call on the government to take swift action to put an end to the never-ending stream of fatalities there.Turks' perception of the disabled problematic
Turks have mixed feelings about the role of disabled individuals in society, a recent study suggests. The survey was carried out by Rehabcenter and Pi Group on 714 male and 507The Tuzla affair
Mithat MELEN
Turkey's president approves "employment package"
Leaving Muslim Women Unprotected: Red Tape Makes it Harder to Prevent Honor Killings - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News
