Democrats had their chance and they blew it.

If I were living in the US, I would probably be upset. But back in Türkiye, many people around me are happy with the election outcome. They [Democratic Party leadership] insisted on a weak leader, then moved to Harris, who was not as dynamic as we thought. They ignored younger more militant voter base to … Read more

Greta Thunberg was in town to support Açık Radyo

The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg visited Istanbul to support Acik Radyo (Open Radio), a recently closed independent radio station in Turkey. Here are the key details of her visit: Purpose of the Visit Thunberg’s visit was primarily to express solidarity with Acik Radyo, which had its broadcasting license revoked by the Turkish Radio and … Read more

A video: “The Legendary Rise Of TCL”

Are you familiar with a brand called TCL? You might recognize them as the cheap TV brand but they’re a lot bigger than just that. In fact, they just overtook LG to become the second-largest TV maker in the world, only beaten by Samsung. And the way things are looking, it’s very possible that TCL … Read more

Usurping the voters’ will: Turkish government removes Kurdish mayors in Mardin, Batman

That’s just sad. Probably some blackmailing moves to force the opposition to a constitutional change… On November 4, 2024, the Turkish government took action to remove three elected pro-Kurdish mayors from office in southeastern Turkey, replacing them with state-appointed officials[1][2][3]. This move has significant political implications and has drawn attention to the ongoing tensions between … Read more

Why so many casualties in Valencia?

The devastating floods in Valencia, Spain resulted in over 200 deaths due to several key factors: Rapid onset of flash flooding: The floods occurred suddenly on Tuesday evening, catching many people off guard as they were returning home from work. The civil protection authority did not issue emergency alerts until around 8:00 PM local time, … Read more

CPJ’s 2024 Global #ImpunityIndex

CPJ’s 2024 Global #ImpunityIndex spotlights the 13 countries with the worst records for prosecuting the murderers of journalists targeted in connection to their work over the past 10 years. Here is the report Israel In the most dangerous and unprecedented war for journalists CPJ has ever recorded, Israel has killed at least 126 journalists and media workers, … Read more

A book chapter I co-authored: “Automated Journalism in Turkish Media Before the Rise of Generative AI”

Sena and I produced a piece we had worked on before into publishable material. It portrays AI in newsrooms just before the rise of Generative AI. You can read the pre-print version here. Here is the abstract for Azimli, S. O., & Saka, E. (2024). Automated Journalism in Turkish Media Before the Rise of Generative … Read more

Mayor of one of Istanbul’s biggest districts, Esenyurt, is arrested.

Just as we were getting happy with a possible peace process, a major coup added to the new arrests of Kurdish politicians, Mr Özer is a notable personality of Kurdish origin, and he was elected through CHP ranks.   I suspect he is a victim of behind the door struggles within the state circles.  Ahmet Özer, … Read more

A video: [Supposedly] “PayPal Is Dying”

00:03 PayPal is facing declining ratings and financial challenges. 01:42 PayPal transforming into an authoritarian profit-driven platform 03:27 PayPal is facing concerns over support and scammers. 04:56 High fees and unexpected charges by PayPal 06:30 PayPal can hold funds for up to 180 days with vague explanations 08:01 PayPal updated policy on safety and misinformation. … Read more

Changes in Arab and Muslim votes may cost Democrats an election in the US

As Trump leading Harris among Arab Americans, poll suggests I have curated about possible outcomes: Based on the search results provided, the changes in Arab and Muslim votes in the US could potentially affect the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, particularly in key swing states. Here are the main points to consider: Shifting support: … Read more

Israel’s UNRWA ban… A list of its violation of international treaties

After Israel’s UNRWA ban  I have asked Perplexity to list all the allegations of international treaty and law violations it initiated in recent years: Fourth Geneva Convention: Israel has been accused of violating multiple provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the protection of civilians in times of war and occupation. Specific alleged violations include: … Read more

End of an era? “Foursquare is killing its city guide app to focus on the check-in app Swarm

I sometimes wonder about the decision-making process at Foursquare HQ. Recently, I saw that Foursquare is killing its city guide app to focus on the check-in app Swarm and wondered again. A decade ago, they killed their very successful app to promote their check-in app, Swarm. They now decided to kill the app totally and focus on Swarm—such … Read more

Celebrating the 20th year of Media Anthropology Network

I have been honored to be a member of the EASA Media Anthropology Network from the outset. Our mailing list has hosted tens of e-seminars throughout the last 20 years.  Currently, network members discuss the 20 years, and here is my contribution: On the 20th anniversary of Media Anthropology Network   I was a graduate … Read more

Deporting a third country. European way of solving the refugee crisis

I saw the news that the Netherlands is considering sending some rejected asylum seekers to Uganda. I guess it may all have started with the EU’s agreement with Türkiye, which keeps millions of refugees in the country. Here are some current and recent attempts to send refugees to the third countries: The Netherlands-Uganda Proposal The … Read more

A video: “How giant lasers could get rid of space trash”

Here are the highlights by merlin.app: 00:03 Space debris posing increasing risk to orbits 01:28 Space debris poses a serious threat to our satellites and spacecraft in low Earth orbit. 02:41 Efforts to remove space debris through innovative technology. 03:55 Lasers can be used to manage small space debris effectively. 05:03 Ground-based or space-based lasers … Read more