Türkiye’s bootleg alcohol problem continues. A 2025 list so far

Here are some instances of bootleg alcohol-related deaths in Turkey in 2025: Istanbul (January 2025): At least 30 people died in Istanbul over a three-day period after consuming bootleg alcohol, with dozens more hospitalized. This was part of a broader crisis where high taxes on legal alcohol led to increased consumption of counterfeit drinks1. Istanbul … Read more

Turkey’s independent media protesting Google over algorithm changes

The recent closure of Gazete Duvar triggered a new series of criticisms towards Google’s search engine algorithm changes. Below is a curation of news on this topic ending with a comparative angle with other countries. My approach to Google has turned relatively sour recently, but I still don’t believe the platform itself is the only … Read more

Unprecedented Sectarian Violence Against Minorities in Syria: March 2025 Crisis

I hoped that this was just speculation or propaganda, but unfortunately, many Syrian Alawites were massacred in the last couple of days. Here is a curation I made through Perplexity: Unprecedented Sectarian Violence Against Minorities in Syria: March 2025 Crisis Recent weeks have witnessed one of the deadliest outbreaks of sectarian violence in Syria since … Read more

Good piece: “How Heavy Metal Fuels Indigenous Revival in Patagonia”

  An anthropologist plunges into the world of Patagonian heavy metal music in Argentina to explore how the genre relates to language and cultural revitalization. Read the rest here: How Heavy Metal Fuels Indigenous Revival in Patagonia  

A video: “115M Downloads, No Business Model – How BeReal Lost Everything”

BeReal was one of the fastest-growing apps in the world. Within a year it leapt to number 1 on the App Store, with over 100 million downloads. It was hailed as the “anti-Instagram” that encouraged healthier social media habits and didn’t push ads down user’s throats. However, as much as these were positive attributes from … Read more

Academic freedoms in the US under threat. A list of second Trump gov’t attack so far

For ages, I have written about the restrictive measures against academic freedom in Türkiye. It was nearly unthinkable to imagine this for the US setting, but here comes a period when American academics may be under more pressure than back home. Yesterday, I saw the news that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian … Read more

Unboxing- The email message that had informed me about my admission to Rice Anthro…

19 February 2001 Among myriad tasks and projects, I continue unboxing my personal history. Here is the print of the email from Prof. George Marcus. He announced my acceptance to the Rice Anthropology PhD program. I remember that day vividly. I got the message while working as a TA at the Bilgi Media Department. It … Read more

Check out! A website for “European alternatives for digital products”

European Alternatives is a project by Constantin Graf that collects and analyzes European alternatives to digital services and products, such as cloud services and SaaS products. We regularly receive advice and suggestions from European Alternatives users, so feel free to reach out! Read more here Here is the growing list of alternatives categories.

The U.S. halting all military assistance to Ukraine…

In the last week, the U.S. government has taken several significant measures against the Zelensky government in Ukraine: Suspension of Military Aid: Following a heated Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the U.S. halted all military assistance to Ukraine. This decision affects hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons … Read more

When in crisis, better call Türkiye?

The image shared in the tweet by @alemannoEU  triggered both positive and negative comments about the Turkish flag’s inclusion. Well, I don’t mind at all. I hope the current geopolitical crises may help Türkiye become better positioned within the European frame. But both parties, the EU and Turkish leadership, should really work for it. Let’s … Read more

A video: “The AI models making huge money on Instagram”

Aitana Lopez is the most popular of the new wave of realistic-looking AI influencers and the agency that created her say they are making thousands a months from her. We visit the Barcelona-based creators of Aitana – the most popular and highest earning AI Instagram model to find out how they curate and create her … Read more

The tariff wars begin

The US is breaking up with its allies… Economists and experts overwhelmingly disagree with President Trump’s tariff policies, citing numerous negative consequences for the U.S. economy and consumers123: Economic Impact Inflation: Most economists believe the tariffs will increase inflation and slow economic growth1. Consumer Costs: The typical U.S. household is expected to face over $1,200 … Read more

Europe in solidarity with Ukraine

Europe declares strongly its support to Ukraine125. The European Union (EU) and its 27 member states have provided unprecedented assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion. This support encompasses several key areas: Financial Aid The EU and its member states have made available close to $145 billion in financial, military, humanitarian, and refugee … Read more

A video: “Ford’s $100 Billion EV Disaster”

After seeing Tesla hype surge and EV demand boom, Ford made the fateful decision to go all in on EVs themselves investing over $100 billion into EV factories, battery technology, and research and development. From a sentiment POV, Ford has actually done quite well as the Ford F150 Lightning and the Mustang Mach E have … Read more

PKK announced ceasefire but I feel like not much excitement around

We live through exciting days, but I feel like PKK’s announcement did not get adequate coverage among the regional and global developments. Since most of the negotiations were secret, we do not know much, but I am glad to hear this anyway! Öcalan’s call got a response from his organizationç The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) … Read more