by Cheryl Rofer
I’ve been thinking some of this, on and off, but maybe now is the time to say it.
Barack Obama looks like ordinary folks I’m accustomed to. Yes, I’m white, and yes, I grew up in largely white northern New Jersey, but Obama is about the same age as, and looks a bit like, the son of my bff. She qualifies as bff because we have been more or less that status since our ages were in the single digits. Some things won’t ever change.
I am hitting Doğan Media Group (DMG) papers recently but how I missed Akşam? Owned by a once-bigger media conglomeration, Akşam’s bitter tone should be noted when one talks about the Ergenekon case. Normally, I respect Akşam’s position. Compared to major Doğan papers, it occupies a more neutral standing and unlike Vatan daily who had boasted about being independent (but then sold to DMG), Akşam stayed relatively independent. Its chief editor Serdar Turgut has an intellectual level well beyond many of his counterparts. -But of course he rejected to talk to me for my dissertation despite the talk I made with his secretary, several times. So Erkan does not like him anymore (!) and be believes his frequent quotes from famous philosophers and social theoreticians are all farcical-
Today was the fifth and last day of the 10th Biennial Conference of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. There are no news stories yet, but anthropology students at the University of Ljubljana have already written an impressive number of reports on workshops, plenaries and poster sessions.
The students have done a real great job and I hope they will inspire other conference organizers. There are exciting things being told and discussed at conferences. But until now, these stories have stayed inside a small community of scholars. Things are changing: The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) has started podcasting from their annual meetings.
Turkey’s national soccer team coach Fatih Terim talks during a press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. Turkey will play Armenia in a World Cup qualifier in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Sept. 6.
(AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)
A policy of engagement defined as a focus on national interest, and a radical turn from value-based foreign policy to nineteenth century Realpolitik, is not a workable option for relations between Russia and the West, writes Ivan Krastev.
The launch of Google Chrome had to be rushed out last night after an employee accidentally emailed a comic book explainer to Blogoscoped. The really very excellent comic explains how Google rethought the web browser from the bottom up, starting by saying how the current browsers were designed in a different era of the web when we weren’t all frequently accessing heavy, interactive applications. VIA
Last night I installed Chrome but did not feel to play with it as I was forcing myself to write for the dissertation. My current Firefox is too nice to quit honestly. The first impressions of Chrome users all seem to be good and i may change mine too but for the moment Firefox 3.0 is really good enough to beat. We will see. Before some links on Chrome, here is Ethan’s post on-
As Russia slowly pulls out of Georgia and the world of foreign policy wonks contemplates how the Olympics War will change the geopolitical map of the Caucuses, the world of citizen media is busily evaluating its (our?) own performance.
Two good friends have taken the blogosphere to task for its failures during the conflict. Rather than rise to the defense of Georgian, Russian, Ossetian and global bloggers, I wanted to take a look at their critiques and at the phenomenon of citizen media during the conflict and at the emergence of one of the interesting epiphenomena of citizen media: citizen propaganda…
* A Clash song.
Latif Demirci. 2 September 2008 Hürriyet VIA
RT Erdoğan: "you are attending the game in Erivan, ok?
A. Gül: "oh I don’t know. Would that be right?
As President Abdullah Gül continues to consider whether to accept an invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, to go to Yerevan to watch a World Cup qualifying game between the national teams of the two countries, debates have intensified over the possible consequences of his Yerevan visit.
The Ramadan started all over the world. A whole month of fasting. Now I have to get back to work/writing so i will read the Wikipedia entry for fasting later but it seems Islam’s is one of the most difficult fasting tasks. I wonder what kind of liars were those who said Islam is a religion of ease in my childhood. What kind of easiness involved in this ritual? 🙂 As part of my eccentric fragments of belief, I do fasting. And since I don’t feel attached to collective part of it, it doesn’t seem very sensical. However, it is yet another test of iron will I won’t quit. I think fasting is easier when practiced collectively and I sometimes feel jealosy for those living in a more collective mood. Yes, at least my family does fasting- mostly. But theirs is too routinized. I have to attend Iftar frequently because they are upset if i don’t. But the iftar is just another dinner in which I have to put with the then current family issues.
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Brussels, 1 September 2008 (01.09)
12594/08
COUNCIL 3
COVER NOTE
from : Presidency to Delegations
Subject : EXTRAORDINARY EUROPEAN COUNCIL, BRUSSELS
1 SEPTEMBER 2008
PRESIDENCY CONCLUSIONS
Delegations will find attached the Presidency conclusions of the Extraordinary European Council held in Brussels (1 September 2008). 12594/08 2
The meeting of the European Council was preceded by an exposé by the President of the European Parliament, Mr Hans-Gert Pöttering, followed by an exchange of views.
1. The European Council is gravely concerned by the open conflict which has broken out in Georgia, by the resulting violence and by the disproportionate reaction of Russia. This conflict has led to great suffering on both sides. Military action of this kind is not a solution and is not acceptable. The European Council deplores the loss of human life, the suffering inflicted on the population, the number of displaced persons and refugees, and the considerable material damage.
Click here to continue.
Turkey’s new Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, center, is flanked by President Abdullah Gul, right, and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, during the Victory Day reception in Ankara, Turkey, late Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008. The celebrations marking an 86-year-old victory over Greece which was considered crucial in Turkish Independence War which led to the foundation of modern Turkish republic.
(AP Photo)
Today, telecommunications technology, globalization and increased education have transformed Turkey and provided it a level of transparency, leading many people to not be convinced by demagogic rhetoric.
European leaders will try to put on a united front during a summit in Brussels today (1 September) that will review the EU’s relations with Moscow following the conflict in Georgia. But sanctions are off the agenda for now.
A cursory search for Sarah Palin’s foreign policy credentials comes up with, well, nothing. It seems that John McCain figures he’s got that avenue covered, and has picked Palin to please the conservative base, add some youth to the ticket (she’s 44), and reach out to female voters.
Vladimir Putin’s made it fairly clear over the last few years that he’s not all that concerned about his popularity in the West. Still, it’s strange to see the normally well-spoken prime minister descend to Ahmadinejad-level paranoid bombast:
Turkey is trying to tread a fine line of diplomacy between Russia and the West. As an American ally, Turkey has trained and partially equipped the Georgian armed forces under American guidance that aimed to encircle growing Russian power in the Caucasus.
@ haha.nu.found in Different Forms of Suicide Excerpts from the 13th Writing Report to Erkan dissertation committee members: Glad to be on time. This is a Saturday afternoon, I am in my office and there are exactly 100 days left before the defense day I and Jim arranged. I am contemplating about what to do … Read more