Paris Hilton on the front page

Finally, Dutch quality newspaper nr. 1 www.nrc.nl put a picture of Paris Hilton on the front page: a black and white one as you can see. But the heading was tough: Paris back in jail, Mama, this is not fair. Anyway, I don't think that Dutch are that much into celebs etc. We don't care about the private lives of politicians, judges, artists etc. Of course we have our tabloids. But privacy is a value for the Dutch which can not be paid in dollars! Even not in euros...

New blogs on the block

Yesterday and today added some new blogs to my favorite blogs list.
Especially the blog from Myrthe, a Dutch, now living in Yerevan, and Vassili who is trying to survive in Athens are nice blogs. Also another Dutch, Sietske, living in Beirut created an interesting blog.
None of them are propaganda blogs, but about life and love and the countries they are living in.
Found also a feature which doesn't allow 'anonymous' comments anymore. At least you must leave your name or blog name now.

Poem Five - Soul Draws

Soul Draws
(can çizer)

öptüm evet. boyunca.
cam üfler gibiydim. can çizer.
parmak izlerim de cin ali çiçeğim de
gülen kadın: derin üstünde. hoh de.
tinin söyler. ten tarih tutar.
dil en tende çizelge.

ölümü gördüm evet. kente dönmüş
film festivalinde jüri üyesi.
önden seyrediyor sahneler güneşinmiş
ölümüm yaman bir sarıkanlı. deliye yakın
veliden gün almış doru bir sıcak.
kanımca birkaç gün daha kalacak.

özledim evet. sinema diyorum izle sen.
benim sanrım susamayan ateş,
alacağı var da ondan! diyor dinmeden,
yağdıkça yağıyor annem.
özverin burada geçmiyor desem. süzülecek.
doyunca sevsem tek, göğsüne sinsem…

evet geçtim. yler üstü bir hayattı.
Y üstüne bir sevi. o seçmedi.
uyumuştum oysa. geldikçe düşüm.
aktım suyunca, dağ ve şirin ne demek.
ölümse şimdi, şu öpüşen, ölümsem demin bu
günü sürme çekmişim üzülme gözlerime.

Nurduran Duman

Typical Turkish or Turkishness...what's the difference?

One of the things I don't understand in Turkey is the word 'Turkishness'.
I know what is 'typical Turkish', like hospitality, pride, raki or baklava, but asking around, nobody could give a clear answer. If someone is telling me "you are typical Dutch (stingy, multi lingual, or whatever)", I respond: "Yes, so what?".
Turkishness sounds also something like some kind of race, and then not the inferior one...
Anyone out there to give me an answer on this?

More about Nebahat Albayrak

Studied International law in the Netherlands. And was one year guest student in Ankara, and two years in Paris.

Her father was a wharf builder, both her grandfathers were farmers in Turkey. She is not married. And she doesn't have children.

Interesting to mention that the party she is elected for strongly urged Turkey for an independent research about the Armenian democide: if this can be called Genocide in the sense of pure legal terms. Also, the outcome of this research must be accepted by Turkey and Armenia.

Promotion pictures of Turkey

The famous Janissary Band if front of Dolmabahce Palace. Where dinner will be served on the first evening of the conference!

On the right the silhouettes of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Below on the left, the city of Ankara.

Pictures are made for the booklet of a conference which I will attend next week in Istanbul: 2nd Istanbul Conference on Democracy and Global Security. Organized by the Turkish Police Force: NPD.

Censorship

Last year the New Church Amsterdam organized an exhibition The Sultan and the City. The exhibition was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and many art pieces were shown until April the 5th of 2007. Topkapi palace gave a helping hand.

The two main sponsors KPMG and Fortis held a symposium, for relations of the 2 firms, just days after the opening. Mainly Turkish banks and business leaders. I was there as well.
After the interesting speeches a cocktail, and by leaving, you got a present: a book about Istanbul, with an introduction by Mr. Koç, Minister of Tourism. But there was a problem: the Turkish government didn't allow that in the book the name of Constantinople was mentioned, and that Armenians lived in the area. After a lot of threats by the the Turkish government, KPMG removed the names 'Constantinople' and 'Armenians'. But as revenge, they put a map of Constantinople anno 1410 inside the cover.
That the Turkish government censors in its own land, a la, but that it wants to dictate its views on countries like the Netherlands is offensive.

Our own Dutch Turkish State Secretary of Justice

This is Nebahat Albayrak, Turkish born, but she grew up and is educated in the Netherlands. And holds dual citizenship: Turkish and Dutch. At the age of 29 she was elected in the Dutch parliament. And since this year, she is Secretary of State (Junior Minister) of Justice at the age of 39. Her task is Immigration. And today she made a tough stance against asylum seekers, while her party, the Dutch labor party, was more mild.
I don't see her in a cat fight with another politician, like what we saw last week in Ankara...
She became the first Muslim ever in a Dutch government.
Regarding the Armenian issue, she declared that things happened, but urged for an independent investigation.

The saints are coming

Turkey ranks 105, out of 115 countries, regarding gender-equality. When the parties presented their candidates, there will be not more than 40 women elected in the next parliament.
Which is less than 10%. Compare this with most European countries, Turkey doesn't take the female population that seriously.
Or can we call this culture relativism?
At least I expected more of the CHP.
Also, a lot of candidates run for parliament, avoiding prosecution...
Please explain the logic behind this. So, when elected you can commit all kind of crimes.. Yes, the good old boys club of Turkey are...Saints...maybe for their mothers.
The saints are coming: how long now?

From the other side of the world.

Today, a Dutch Catholic newspaper announced that they want to fire their Chief Editor.

Simply because he was cheating on his wife, and he had a relationship with someone...else.

If this was Turkey..))) And the EU was pressing Turkey to abolish that 'adultery' law...
For your information, this is Ms. Holland, without make up.

A lovely Ad

...nothing more to add.

Quoted or...

After my column Cyprus and the EU - What matters is the perception I got a request from an American journalist in San Fransisco for a written interview about Cyprus.
I gave him some answers on his questions related to Cyprus, and that was it.
Here is the article.
Therefore I am surprised to see myself quoted on matters of religion and the Armenian issue.
I didn't say anything about that. I wrote something in my column Turkey needs confidence, not fear. As a result of this column, I got many angry reactions from the Armenian diaspora.

Anyway, this week my column is about Communication in Turkish politics.

Protest

I am against these pictures. Photos made in front of Westminster cathedral in London. As a protest against the Pope's remarks during his infamous speech in Regensburg last year. I remember the Danish cartoon crisis. Are these slogans not an insult as well? Btw, they could protest freely in front of church...

Birthday of Ataturk

Everybody in Turkey knows Ataturk. His work, his life (although his marriage is still a no-talking issue) his vision, his life style. But if you look for his birthday, it always: Ataturk born in 1881, in Salonika, Greece. Without a day.

But it was fun to read an article by Turkish-Dutch student, who 'discovered' that Ataturk was born on the 17th of May 1881. For astrology freaks: the same birthday as Khomeini, Qaddafi, Enya, Stevie Wonder, and me...Will they threat me now with more respect in Turkey?...

Manuel Uribe

This is Manuel Uribe from Monterrey, Mexico. The world's heaviest man: his weight is 560kg, or 1234lb.

The Lion and the Statue

A Man and a Lion were discussing the relative strength of men and lions in general. The Man contended that he and his fellows were stronger than lions by reason of their greater intelligence. "Come now with me," he cried, "and I will soon prove that I am right." So he took the Lion into the public gardens and showed him a statue of Hercules overcoming the Lion and tearing his mouth in two.
"That is all very well," said the Lion, "but it proves nothing, for it was a man who made the statue."

"WE CAN EASILY REPRESENT THINGS AS WE WISH THEM TO BE."

Bilderberg group

The Bilderberg group is gathering this year in Turkey. Just some policy makers. Many people are annoyed not to be the guest. But a simple round of opinions by decision makers from many countries is not that bad. At least: they are talking. And preventing.

The Bilderberg group was established in the Netherlands, and it is a NGO. Not more, not less, just that.

Turkish politics

For weeks now, I am trying to finalize a column about Communications in Turkish politics. But one way or the other, I can not finish it. I want to stay out Turkish politics with my comments, since it is too many intrigues, and sometimes, I can not simply follow the thoughts of the Turkish politicians.
They all seem pretty confident with themselves, and I don't think they care about the ordinary Turkish people. But I had the privilege to meet Bulent Tanla, representative of the CHP Istanbul, who yesterday said that he will not run for the elections in July. In particular, I worked with Hasan Tanla, his son. Very descent people!
Yet, if I look at the leaders of all the parties, sorry, but none of them makes me excited. Maybe I start to become a Turk..lol..

Holland Festival

Yesterday, May 29, the yearly Holland festival started. Music, dance, movies, etc. Until June the 12th. Here is the program.

Representative of humanity

This symbolizes my way of thinking, and see proof in daily life. Taken from wikipedia. See the link below.

Christ vs. Lucifer and Ahriman

Lucifer and his counterpart Ahriman figure in anthroposophy as two polar, generally evil influences on world and human evolution. Steiner described both positive and negative aspects of both figures, however: Lucifer as the light spirit that "plays on human pride and offers the delusion of divinity", but also motivates creativity and spirituality; Ahriman as the dark spirit that tempts human beings to "deny [their] link with divinity and to live entirely on the material plane", but also stimulates intellectuality and technology. Both figures "exert a negative and evil effect on humanity because man allows their influence to be misplaced and one-sided," yet their influences are necessary for human freedom to unfold.[2][5]
According to anthroposophy, each human being has the task to find a balance between these opposing influences; each person is helped in this task through the mediating being of the Representative of Humanity, also known as the Christ being, a spiritual entity which stands between and harmonizes the two extremes.[5]

For the full article, click here.