A video: Collateral Murder

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photo credits: Boing Boing Wikileaks has obtained and decrypted this previously unreleased video footage from a US Apache helicopter in 2007. It shows Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, driver Saeed Chmagh, and several others as the Apache shoots and kills them in a public square in Eastern Baghdad. They are apparently assumed to be insurgents. After … Read more

Pop culture roundup: Most desired woman, the Pacific and more…

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Most ‘desired’ Turkish woman: AskMen Turkey chose Tuba Büyüküstün, a recently famed actress, as the most desired woman… Hürriyet has her huge photo album here. the Pacific. We have a problem. Turks are a bit annoyed with the new TV series’ reference to İzmir Fires where Turks are accused of starting the fire… Metin Şentürk, … Read more

follow Istanbul Film Festival 2010 at Sinefil blog (#istanbul2010)

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Melis Behlil is a film scholar and a cinephile. She has a blog in English and she is keeping a festival diary…

official festival site here.

29th IFF Opening

from sinefil by melisb

First of a series of posts on the 29th International Istanbul Film Festival

The opening night. Somehow, the films always ends up being disappointing. Last year it was Welcome – depressing. This year, it was a crowd-pleaser, and I seem to be the only person who strongly disliked it. Le Concert is about a former orchestra miraculously playing in Paris and reaching “the ultimate harmony”. Considering they hadn’t played together in 30 years and their soloist never actually performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, it’s rather surreal how it all works out.

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Introducing Turkish Cybersphere (7)- Ideefixe in e-book business, İsmail YK’s Facebook video and more…

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İsmail YK’s video: Facebook. An art of kitsch work. Tick Tock Boom Digital PR Agency presents this social media landscape that includes many Turkish sites… One of my former students and my Beşiktaş buddies Yiğit Kalafatoğlu is involved in two web projects: Emeğini Koru [Save your labor] focuses on rights issues and inserting e-signatures to … Read more

Formula of AKP’s success

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Any suggestions and comments are of course welcome. Here is a formula (!): Having one strong, charismatic leader (RTE), who had proved his administrative capacity as a mayor of Istanbul, who is surrounded by credible advisors (whom he listens to whenever he cares), who is surrounded by loyal, low profile and but politics savvy cabinet … Read more

Burqa bans will certainly help European identity crises resolved (!)

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The Burqa Is On The European hit list from Turkish Digest by A-News The burqa, a garment completely covering the female body and face, is worn in some Islamic traditions. The question whether such clothing should be forbidden in public places has been the subject of debate in many European countries lately. In the continent?s … Read more

iPad roundup

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Still happy with my Sony Reader but I know iPad rocks…

iPad Accessories: A Quick Guide to Apple?s Official Add-Ons

from Mashable! by Amy-Mae Elliott

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Erkan?s field diary: Top posts of the week and month

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Artist: Andre Butzer – found at Andre Butzer at Christine Mayer Top Posts for 7 days ending 2010-04-04 1- Behemoth concert tomorrow. 2- Turkish TV series, a threat to conservative imaginations 3- Barça at Turkish Airlines! 4- Sonisphere festival in Turkey. 25-27 June. A lineup beyond imagination 5- Recep İvedik 3 on February 2010 6- … Read more

Min dit: First Kurdish movie with Turkish subtitles

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I haven’t seen it yet.

Min Dit: The Children of Diyarbakir

On an empty road near Diyarbakir, life of ten year old Gülistan and her brother Firat takes an abrupt change. Their Father, a political journalist, and their mother are being killed before their very eyes. Having also lost all relatives during the war, Gülistan and Firat are forced to survive on their own.

Review in Turkish.

Cinephiles campaign for supporting an historical movie theatre in Istiklal Street. Emek Sineması.

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From Tayyip Erdoğan’s photo album…

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I haven’t realized before that PM Erdoğan has a personal website. Hürriyet has a selection of his photos gotten from that website. I have chosen two here. And in the mean time, a particular judge released many of Ergenekon gang suspects, the same judge who had released other suspects before and and more on the constitutional reform move…

Erdoğan'ın albümünden kendi seçtiği fotoğrafları
When he was a football player…

Erdoğan'ın albümünden kendi seçtiği fotoğrafları
Three amigoes:)

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Dink’s murderer’s interrogation video released

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Watch the video here. So humane treatment for him..

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This American Life infographics

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about the site page says:

My new years resolution is to make an infographic on every This American Life ever made. The idea is to expand and add context to the stories and information contained in the shows. Basically, anything I am curious about while listening to the pieces.

tai396.v2.jpg

Check out the site here.

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Yılmaz Güney and more snippets from Turkish popular culture

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İyi ki doğdun Çirkin Kral
It was Yılmaz Güney‘s birthday. One of the best directors and actors of all times in Turkey… Check out his photos here.

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Spring comes to Istanbul. and Istanbul news roundup

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I spend most of the day indoors preparing for the evening lecture while others enjoy the day…

http://www.digtriad.com/genthumb/genthumb.ashx?e=3&h=240&w=320&i=/assetpool/images/100401031216_0003.jpg
Istanbul Marks April Fools’ Day With Thousands Of Smiley Balloons | digtriad.com | Triad, NC | Watercooler News Article

Istanbul Getaway: Visiting the City of Light and Rain | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today’s News from Egypt

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Janine Wedel: Global elites undermine democracy

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Anthropologist uncovers how global elites undermine democracy from antropologi.info – anthropology in the news blog by Lorenz Janine Wedel has done something that far too few anthropolologists do: She studied powerful people. Those who rule the world. In her book ?Shadow Elite?, she shows how a new system of power and influence has taken hold … Read more