“The Americanization of “mental illness”

Exporting American mental illness

from Neuroanthropology by gregdowney

The New York Times Magazine has a great discussion of the effects of the exportation of American ideas about mental illness, titled appropriately, The Americanization of Mental Illness by Ethan Watters, based on his forthcoming book, Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche, coming out this month from Free Press. The article is quite good, offering some intriguing cases, such as the rise of virulent, American-style anorexia nervosa in Hong Kong, the effect of possession beliefs on communities? reactions to schizophrenia, and how the narrative of mental illness as ?brain disease? might actually lead to great stigma as it spreads and replaces local understandings. The article is well worth a read, and I?m looking forward to the book.

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If anyone guilty, it should be not Obama but..

… Nobel Peace Prize committee…


This morning, President Obama spoke at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway.
President Obama at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

Nobel-winner Obama defends war

from BBC News | Europe | World Edition
US President Barack Obama defends the waging of “morally justified” war as he collects the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.

Obama’s Nobel balancing act

from Mark Mardell | The Reporters by Mark Mardell (the Reporters)

obamanobel_ap226.jpgThe president of war and peace appears to have pulled off a difficult balancing act, by refusing to bask in the glow of merely being the “anti-Bush”. In Oslo, Obama told his European audience what many Americans will see as some hard truths.

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Obama and Erdoğan meeting soon…

As I was not too excited with his election, I am not too disappointed with Obama’s moves on Afghanistan. In fact, I remember he was repeatingly on Afghanistan instead of Iraq. Now PM Erdoğan will be meeting with President Obama. It is reported that Obama wants soldiers from Turkey. The latter does not intend to give any. I hope TR-US relations will go through another bitter period…

“What Obama Should Say to Erdogan”

from Istanbul Calling by Yigal Schleifer

Hugh Pope, the International Crisis Group’s Turkey analyst — who just returned from a two-month fellowship at the Transatlantic Academy in Washington — has a new paper out ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Monday visit to the White House. The paper, published by the Transatlantic Academy, takes a close look at two areas in which Washington has an interest in pushing Ankara along, its normalization process with Armenia and its European Union membership process, and also helpfully unpackages the debate over Turkey’s perceived eastward “drift.”

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The Decade in 7 Minutes and a Friday video selection from Erkan

The Decade in 7 Minutes:

I?ve Got Nothing: Crowdsourced Song Created by YouTubers [VIDEO]

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US military….

US military spending vs. the World:

us military spending

@ haha.nu

and a roundup Americana….

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Americana scenes

The American way Irony & contrasts. @ haha.nu The boundaries of Brand Obama by Mark Mardell (the Reporters) The president’s home city has been knocked out in the first round of the vote to choose the host city for the 2016 Olympic Games, even though he and the First Lady travelled to Copenhagen to push … Read more

Hard times for Obama

Obama, who has won the rhetorical propaganda war, is now losing it. Accusations to him are incohere but who cares? Looks like Republicans are striking back:)

Some Obama Foes Are Indeed Racists

by Eugene Robinson

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After Obama

There is of course a huge flow of journalistic production. This is just a small bite. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to collect more links. In the very end, there are also a few links I had collected under the category "americana".

Taking it to the Kids


I had the chance yesterday to attend Barack Obama’s town hall meeting with some 100 Turkish university students. The event was broadcast live on Turkish television and seemed to me like another successful public diplomacy effort, particularly in a country where America’s image (or at least that of the American government) had sunk very low. Obama clearly has star power — "I love him!" one young woman told me — but listened carefully to the students’ questions and delivered serious, but down to earth, answers.

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"ACLU Releases Comprehensive Report On Patriot Act Abuses

Hillary Clinton in town!

Found in Girls with Guns . 1925. "Girls’ rifle team, University of Maryland." National Photo. View full size.

Public sensitivity criteria for using Turkish territory

ISTANBUL – The use of Turkish ports for the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq appears to be one of the most important items in the agenda of the Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton’s visit to Ankara this weekend.

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What happens on April 25th?

Yuvakuran below urges us to think about what might happen after April 24:

On 24th April 2009 Friday morning, it is most likely that the new US President will make an unavoidable and regrettable speech on so-called genocide, to put fuel on an 100-years old sad historical story in order to please his Armenian voters and to repay his election debt.

And he announced the most likely response:

The day after, we may read that Incirlik Air Base is closed to all foreign access.

New Turkish foreign policy seemed to have decided not to rely on the Jewish lobby in US that had helped prevent the becoming of this scenario before.
One likely idea might be that Turkish leaders believe Turkey has now self-confidence, that she is indispensable in Middle East. So that nothing changes.
But more likely idea is that Mr. Obama may try to bypass Turkey. His special envoy did not even visit Turkey… I do not think US or EU countries give much credit to Turkey at the moment and I am not sure if this is right or wrong but this seems to be the case. Turkey is risking her chances, she might win or not. Mr. Obama may have revolutionary ideas for domestic politics but in foreign policy he might have relied on the overall FP structure. Honestly, the best thing he could do would be not to start another war. We will see. But in the mean time, this dark scenario may happen. That is, the closure of İncirlik Base.

That seems inevitable. AKP cannot act against a sweeping nationalist reaction.

In the mean time, in these tense and but exciting times, your Erkan will be serving his military duty. Yes, it is time. I will write about it soon.  I might miss some but experience some other things. We will see…

The Day After April 24th 2009

By yuvakuran

Dear Energy Professional, Dear Colleagues,

On 24th April 2009 Friday morning, it is most likely that the new US President will make an unavoidable and regrettable speech on so-called genocide, to put fuel on an 100-years old sad historical story in order to please his Armenian voters and to repay his election debt.

The day after, we may read that Incirlik Air Base is closed to all foreign access.

After every US presidential elections, Turkish Ministry of foreign affairs, Turkish armed forces, Turkish media, and Turkish intellectuals have an important task. When the winner is a democrat candidate, we should start to educate the newcomer, and his/her staff/ advisers, what they can expect, what to say, what not to say. ……………

Erdoğan in weekly satire magazine covers:

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"Love for America returns

There were several inauguration parties in Istanbul. Some Turks were as excited as pro-Obama Americans…

Love for America returns

By Joerg Wolf

The Washington Post has learned that Americans are feeling the love from around the world:

With Obama’s Election, Expatriates Say, There’s a New Attitude Abroad. Instead of Challenges on Iraq and WMDs, They’re Met With Hugs and Good Wishes.

 

Goodbye Mr. Bush, we will never miss you by MUSTAFA ACAR

Dear George W. Bush,
I have to say a few words now that you are no longer in office. Please accept this as a farewell message you have deserved for a long time.

 

 

Turkish-American Relations in the Obama Presidency

 

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"The 36 tests of Barack Obama

"Top 10 most annoying Americanisms

"Deluding The Americans about The Anti-Americans