We have a new controversy: “NEXT Teknofest Social”

I don’t understand why the platform would name itself in English if it claims to be local and national… Selçuk Bayraktar, a prominent Turkish engineer and chairman of Baykar and TEKNOFEST, and son-in-law of Erdoğan, announced NEXT Teknofest Social in July 2025 as a “yerli ve milli” (local and national) social media platform developed by … Read more

A video: “Sony Gives Up On Consumer Electronics…What Happened?”

  🎥 Video Overview: The Rise and Fall of Sony in Consumer Electronics This video examines Sony’s journey from pioneering tech leader to a company in decline within the consumer electronics industry, and how it eventually shifted its focus toward entertainment and semiconductor leadership. (Galaxy.ai) ⏱️ Estimated Highlights & Timestamps Approx. Timestamp Segment Title Summary … Read more

Watching the Valley of Wolves- Sexism and Violence in Valley of the Wolves and Its Spinoffs

I have watched more than 50 episodes now, and one recurrent issue is the high level of violence and, of course, the promotion of macho masculinity. I have asked ChatGPT to curate a report: Sexism and Violence in Valley of the Wolves and Its Spinoffs Valley of the Wolves (Original Series, 2003–2005) Sexist Portrayals and … Read more

İzmir burning. The scale of wildfires in the Western Turkey

Current Scale of Wildfires in Western Turkey (July 2025) Overview Western Turkey, particularly the province of İzmir and surrounding areas, is experiencing a severe wildfire crisis as of early July 2025. The situation is marked by: Multiple large-scale wildfires burning simultaneously across İzmir and neighboring provinces. Evacuations of thousands of residents from affected towns and … 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

A video: Wikipedia donations explained

Here are key timestamps linked to significant moments in the video: 00:00:00 – Introduction: Wikipedia’s Donation Appeals 00:01:03 – Criticism of Wikipedia’s Fundraising Strategy 00:02:11 – Insight from Wikipedia’s Former Fundraising Officer 00:02:45 – Volunteer-Driven Content Creation 00:04:59 – Early History: Nupedia and Its Failure 00:06:14 – Surplus Donations and Wikipedia’s Simplicity 00:07:59 – Operational … Read more

Öcalan is back with some significant statements

Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, recently made significant statements during a meeting with lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) on December 28, 2024, at İmralı prison. His key messages focused on peace, democracy, and brotherhood for Turkey and the region[1][2].   Main Points of Öcalan’s Statement Turkish-Kurdish Brotherhood: Öcalan … Read more

Liberation of prisons in Syria- some heart breaking stories come out….

Still, there is much manufactured news, too. A Turkish fact-checker listed some of them! In the past few days, Syria has experienced significant developments regarding its prison system, particularly following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Here’s a summary of the recent prison-related news from Syria: Liberation of Sednaya Prison Syrian rebels, led by Hayat … Read more

Mass detention of journalists last week:(

Last week, Turkey witnessed a significant crackdown on journalists, with multiple arrests and detentions across the country. Here’s a summary of the key events: Mass Detention Operation (November 26-27, 2024) Turkish authorities conducted a large-scale operation targeting individuals suspected of having ties to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or alleged offshoot organizations[3]. This operation resulted … Read more

Western quality media melt down in reporting the incidents in Amsterdam

It is getting harder and harder to cite Western media as good journalism in my classes. There have been significant critiques of Western media’s reporting on the Amsterdam incident involving Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. Several key points of criticism have emerged: Biased Framing and Selective Reporting Critics argue that many Western media outlets presented a … 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

A video: “John McAfee – The Millionaire Madman”

John McAfee – The Millionaire Madman: John McAfee has been described as many things… Eccentric tech millionaire. International fugitive. Presidential candidate. And suspected killer. Honestly, John McAfee’s life is one of the most fascinating and bizarre stories I’ve ever heard. And opinion is split on whether John McAfee was a hero, or the devil. You … Read more

An alleged war criminal gave a speech in the US Congress

There are differing views and claims regarding whether Benjamin Netanyahu can be considered a war criminal: Some politicians and human rights organizations have accused Netanyahu of war crimes: Congressman Jamaal Bowman refers to Netanyahu as a “genocidal war criminal” in his opinion piece[1]. Senator Bernie Sanders called Netanyahu a war criminal and said he should … Read more

Biden’s never ending gaffes- “President Putin and more

At the current NATO summit, Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “President Putin” before quickly correcting himself. Here are some notable gaffes made by Joe Biden during his presidency so far: Mistakenly referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “President Harris” on multiple occasions. At a NATO summit in July 2024, Biden introduced Ukrainian … Read more

Türkiye’s civil society lost a grand person. Rest in peace dear Sezai Hazır

I woke up to hear that dear Sezai had lost his life during surgery last night. He was full of energy and a committed civil society worker and leader. Just before the pandemic, we had a tour of talks in the Black Sea region, talking to university students on entrepreneurship. I can’t believe he has … Read more