How to ruin the Internet - Turkey

I don’t know if the random websites I visit are all experiencing problems due to Turkey’s banning orders but it appears many random non lethal, non pornographic websites are targeted everyday. Official figures found online say over 1100 or more sites have been blocked or outright banned and although porn accounts for many of the banned websites also a main glut of this swathing attack on the Internet and Freedom are websites that are available in every democratic country outside of Turkey.

I really feel sorry for the people of Turkey because as I write slowly the democratic rights people think they are voting for are being eroded day by day. What used to be a hit and run technique by the people in power to block and then unblock has now become a series of block and stay blocked. The original idea was to protect children I am guessing by banning all the porn sites online and any links to these but now the project seems to have moved forward to ban anything and everything that allows free speech or only bring it back if the likes of Google and YouTube (which is still banned for some strange reason) have you logon with your personal details so as to be tracked.

YouTube blocked because of a so called montage of voices explaining some top secret information (for your eyes only) government stuff. This ban is ridiculous, the internet and in fact Facebook is intertwined with YouTube (you can’t go on Facebook without having a link for YouTube appear on your screen at some stage. By blocking anything and everything they (the people in power) think they are stopping people viewing anything that big brother doesn’t want you to see. There are tools online to get around every ban and block and Turkey’s children and young adults know better than any of the more elderly people how to circumvent the bans and blocks. The people in power are playing a cat and mouse game with no chance of winning and social media took down many governments and I am sure after a period of time of treating your own people like children they will vote at the ballot box to change this. The recent vote was an anomaly because people haven’t caught up with the reality that is currently happening. At the present time many people are not aware of the full story of what is happening but with time  people will slowly realize the democracy they think they have is not a democracy at all.

I wish Turkey a bright future but it is for the people to decide this at the ballet box.

How to ruin the Internet?

Keep on blocking and denying websites, DNS relays and other such ploys to stop the flow of information and sooner or later you will have closed so many connections in the matrix of the internet that it will become an intranet (internal only to Turkey). Since we don’t use encyclopedias anymore because the internet has take it’s place, how will the children of Turkey discover the outside world? In future teachings will Thomas Edison still have invented the light bulb? Will Alexander Fleming still have made one of the most important discoveries in the fight against disease – penicillin? It may sound far fetched but this blocking and banning could one day change the information that it true in the world – subverted for their own means.

Free internet with no blocks is required as adults we can censor ourselves and make our own decisions in life. That was what growing up was all about!

Soundcloud Blocked - What Happened!

The good old days when the Internet was free of people meddling in the free flow of information. In Turkey they have recently banned access to soundcloud.com http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/gundem/25657673.asp If English speaking you can translate wıth Google Translate (not a very good translation but good enough)

You may not know of soundcloud.com you may never have used it but this blocking of yet another site is making Turkey's Internet almost as regulated as China's Internet if not more so. Many website's you visit nowadays have a screen that replaces the website's place so instead of the website's page you get a page telling you that big Daddy (büyük baba) says NO! It is of course up to a country's government to regulate their own internet but this is overkill on a grand scale. What possibly could soundcloud have done to piss the censors off.

It may sound trivial "I've lost my soundcloud", which had new indie artists producing and sharing music but this is definitely stifling the sharing of information which is what the Internet was intended for. In fact the original Internet was setup to make sure the flow of Information was always there between many of America's top Universities (in the event of a nuclear strike on the US some of the connections would perhaps still function. However, many governments by proxy through their telecommunications services cancel out website's on a day to day basis. Ask yourself a question! If we want to use soundcloud and there may be something derogatory about Turkey or Turkish people or even about myself shouldn't we be allowed to hear it and then make our own minds up if we should view/listen or browse (if that was indeed the reason it was stopped!) or should an unseen hand acting as our guardian be regulating us. Of course, porn sites should be regulated because if children see what some adults see as unnatural acts they will be affected for life by seeing what is on most sites a natural and not unnatural act for adults (all adults do it or how would the world have new babies) but there should be regulation to make sure children don't see these acts or a series of either login scenes or verify your age screens to stop them from accidentally viewing.

What possibly could a sound sharing site primarily sharing music do to annoy anyone. This alone in a country that loves music may be enough to make people think more about why their personal rights are being eroded on a daily basis.

There is currently a race between the censoring of website's between Turkey and China and let's hope for the free world's sake that Turkey doesn't win this unneeded contest. The internet can be a bad thing at times but you don't need to over regulate to prevent your country's people from seeing what one person (or a select few) deems shouldn't be seen.

Intelligent people regulate themselves!!

Izmir for a Weekend: Where Do You Take Visitors?

Izmir for a Weekend: Where Do You Take Visitors?

Izmir is the sort of city that takes some time to get to know properly, so when you are expecting a visit from a friend or family member who only has a short time to spend with you in the city, you probably want to plan how you will spend your time very carefully, to make the most of the attractions that are available to entertain them. The city itself seems to attract large numbers of tourists, but they often fail to see the real city, stopping here only for a short while on a cruise along the Aegean coast. Having someone with local knowledge as a guide should at least give your guests the advantage over these visitors, even if they are only here for a weekend.

Izmir and the Aegean

Izmir is one of the links in the chain of coastal cities at which many cruises and tours around the Turkish coast choose to stop, and its location on the beautiful Aegean coast is one of its main attractions. It is possible to combine a visit to Izmir with tours of the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, or even to travel on, via Istanbul, to the Black Sea. Many visitors come into Izmir on one of these ships, and have only a short time in the city, but joining a short cruise or sailing around the local coast on a traditional gulet can also be a good way to explore the local area when you have a visitor, or even to see more of the country from your base in Izmir when you take a vacation. The coast is full of hidden coves and secluded islands where you can swim and relax, as well as historic sites and cities to visit as you travel, but there are also some interesting places to take your visitors to see in the city itself.

Top Places to Take Visitors in Izmir

Any visitor to Izmir is going to want to see some of the most historic and important attractions in the city:

1. Izmir Clock Tower: one of the most distinctive landmarks in the city, this white marble tower was built in 1901 to mark the 25th year of Ottoman sultan Abdulhamid II's reign. Make sure that you point out the North African style patterns on the columns, and remember that it makes a great meeting point for visitors who are unfamiliar with the city.

2. International Izmir Festival: the annual festival, beginning in June, is a great time to have visitors since there is so much to see and do, although you should warn them to expect the city to be particularly busy and you will need to plan ahead if you want to get tickets for the most popular events. Many venues in the city hold events, but if you can make it out to the ancient theater at Ephesus, you can give your visitors a truly spectacular experience.

3. Kadifekale: Alexander the Great's Velvet Castle on the hill of the same name is the place to go for views across the city, and for a historic site that requires less of the imagination than Smyrna, but you should make sure that your visitors are happy to take a long walk uphill if you intend to travel by foot, particularly when the weather is warm. You can find a taxi to take you if you prefer.

4. Smyrna: remnants of the Roman city of Smyrna can still be seen at the Agora. If you have been here before, you can act as a guide for your visitors, but it can be worthwhile finding a guide who knows the history if you are unfamiliar with the site. History lovers will enjoy themselves, but the ruins can simply seem like piles of rocks when you don't know how they all fit together. The statues in the site's museum may be more impressive to visitors who aren't so keen on the ruins.

5. Ethnography Museum: the best place to see some of the local historical treasures is the Archaeological Museum, but the nearby Ethnography Museum can be the best place to take visitors as it has more varied exhibits, relating to all sorts of local crafts and customs. If you can time your visit to coincide with some of the demonstrations, you can even see how different types of ornaments and materials are made.

Alongside these popular attractions, there are plenty of less well known places and activities in Izmir that most tourists miss, but which it can be fun to take visitors to discover. A meal at the top of the Asansör, shopping for souvenirs in the bazaar at Kemeraltı, or spending a day on the beach can be fun, but it is the secret spots, known only to locals that will give your visitors the best experience of Izmir. Among the experiences that are not to be missed are having a mid morning snack on a kumru or two, sipping traditionally brewed coffee in a favourite cafe, like Gümüş Tabak, and taking a peaceful stroll along the Kordon.

Traveling on from Izmir

If you and your visitor have enough time, you can also plan a few excursions outside Izmir, or join your visitor on a longer cruise or tour of Turkey. You might want to travel inland to the capital, Ankara, although it is not as attractive or historic as Istanbul, or take a tour around the caves and sculpted rock spires of Cappadocia. Many of the other coastal towns along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts are also worth a visit, but you can also travel into the Black Sea, or take a ferry across to one of the Greek islands.

Written by Guest Writer: Imogen Reed

Seems like the Izmir Protests may have calmed down.

It is possible that the Izmir protests for their friends in Gezi Park may have slowed, calmed down or be stopping completely. I don't think that everyone is truly happy but it seems like the fact that there could be a referendum has made many people stop their protests. I am hoping that all people from all sides get something from what they want. Now, the summer season has started maybe these protests will become just a distant thought. After people have eaten, drank and swum a little they will be slower to join in with any protests. The outcome as of yet undecided.

Izmir Nightly Protest Louder Than Ever Tonight

The protests in Izmir of pot banging and hooting of horns in my opinion has increased. I couldn't hear my own thoughts tonight it was so loud. This has now become a ritual of noise, every night at 10 o'clock the noise begins and lasts for about anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes and then calms down because of what I believe is many people going on a march afterwards. This sustained noise does what? Well, the constant noise definitely lets people in power know that the average person on the street in Izmir and other places have grievances also. Maybe it is not the whole of Turkey but in Izmir the support is fairly uniform as far as I can see. How long will they continue? Only time will tell! Will they achieve what they want from their protests, again only time will tell!

Voices from inside Gezi Park Istanbul

A link to Çapul TV live from Gezi Park.



Live broadcasting by Ustream Now we can hear what they have to say in Gezi Park.

Izmir Protests - What's next? Banging Pots or Horn Blowing Every Hour of Every Day!

What is going to happen in Izmir now with the protests? Is it business as usual for the protesters? More banging of pots and pans? Or maybe a change of tact and blowing car horns for 1 minute every hour during day-time for support of Taksim. From what I have seen the protesters are not a minority and in fact could actually have more support than we think. All will be known at the ballot boxes later on but what will Izmirians do now to support their brothers and sisters.

Let's see tonight what will be. It is good to be peaceful but it seems like all groups are being pushed and this is why in Taksim as well as other places where protests are taking place, we are seeing stone throwers and other types of normally (in normal situations) not needed actions.

Istanbul Gezi Park Protests - 11th June 2013 - Post Taksim Square Crackdown

The Taksim Square protesters have now been pushed out and as of this night they have pushed the other protesters who came and attempted to support the protesters in to the back-streets with what I can say is ultimate force. After a huge amount of pepper gas was shot in to the middle of the huge crowd that began gathering, the police then moved in huge numbers, they can only mean business. I don't believe any of the operation was to take down banners at all. The overwhelming show of force can only be to clear the park of protesters. If this doesn't turn in to something completely out of hand tonight I will be very surprised.

Are they going to fight there own people for every last tree? Are they going to risk hurting people just for an AVM? What happened to the right to protest which is surely the right of every person in a democratic country? Maybe democracy died already or maybe it will die tonight. A sad day for Turkey and the days that follow and the possible brain drain of the intelligent people labelled as çapulcular, what will happen?

There were a small group of people who were firing fireworks and the occasional molatov cocktails but this was and is not the majority of the protesters. The news reports seem to be focusing just on this and not the fact that it was a dawn raid with gas shot almost immediately.

This hard response could in fact be a taste of future Turkey. Protests when they get out of hand need to be dealt with at some stage but to indiscriminately gas a crowd of possible 3000 - 4000 people (the people who this night got together to support the protesters) is out of hand in itself.

If you have been gassed take care - be careful all of you, including the police, protests can be solved peacefully.

As I write the police are pulling out to the side of the square again.

Istanbul Gezi Park Protests - 11th June 2013 Crackdown

Looks like the crackdown has begun on the protesters in Gezi Park and Taksim Square. The early morning hours of 11th June 2013, the police have gone in to crackdown on the protesters. It was only one day until a group of the protesters would have had the chance to talk about this project with developers and I believe with members of the government also but now will this happen or not? If extreme violence occurs today this could be a very bad decision to send in force in the first instance. Overall the protesters have been fairly peaceful and if any violence has occured it was because in some instances extreme force was used against them.

Very strange to see that today, almost all of the news channels are showing the crackdown but previous to this and when the protests started not many news channels decided to show the protests. The big joke amongst the protesters was that on the first day of the protests (correct me if I am wrong) one of the news channels was showing a penguin documentary and never cut in to that documentary once (ala Breaking News). Why? Unknown! Did it piss people off? Yes! Without a doubt! If divisions are shown so starkly within the media then these groups feel completely marginalised.

Congratulations to the police thus far for not going in to heavy handed but how long will their patience last before the heavy handedness starts again. With a panzer tank like vehicle going in first, you can only expect the worst. Currently as I write the pepper gas is being sprayed left right and centre. Getting out of hand again maybe, it certainly seems like deja vu!

Just hope the outcome for everyone will be a peaceful one and hope that no-one is killed or injured today!

Talk is cheap! Fighting is usually more expensive!

Izmir by Night - Gezi Park Protests

Every night since end of May 2013 Izmirians have been out on the streets banging pots, blowing whistles, chanting slogans and using their democratic right to protest. It is here that I query whether or not the right to protest and the act of protesting actually really accomplishes anything. This being said and seeing the head of state of many countries fall because of protest I could be very wrong. Usually, in a democratic labelled country the art of protest does little, so, I suppose you could argue that bringing democracy to a country in theory gives you less democratic rights. A democratic country will never let a minority protest win, therefore in this respect the current head of Turkey is right with wanting to quash the protests. Although many, if not all the cities of Turkey joined in from what I can gather it was not the majority of each city. This could be because they are scared to protest, could be because their allegiances are not with the protesters, could be because they are not quite aware of the changes that are taking place in their country. Maybe the reason people didn't join the protests was because they think the protests are just about the park or maybe they were just watching the Turkish Olympics, the show that overshadowed the protests even though in almost all cities their were disturbances. Most of the news channels didn't show much of what was going on and when they did they were just labelled as provacateurs.

So, what now for the protesters. They are out on the streets almost every night and there is a stale-mate of sorts. Who knows what will happen but with the head of the country inflaming them more and creating a wider gap between the protesters and 'us'. This is an unknown. Calm is needed but judging by the picture below, will it be found?

Protesting Izmir at night - Alsancak and Konak.

Turkey - Banging Pots and Hooting Horns!

A slow but growing force of pot banging, hooting horns and protests is spreading around Turkey like wildfire. Over the past few days now there has been anger, emotional outbursts, famous supporters, government denial of any wrongdoing and a failure to apologise. Turkey at times has seemed anarchic and not the usual level headedness I have seen from Turks. But to be silent at this time is probably not the right thing to do. To sit idly by whilst their government slowly chips away at their civil liberties is not really an option.

It is only recently that I heard on the news there was a kissing ban, then a ban on alcohol sales (at certain times) and then plans to rip up a perfectly serene park where excessive force was used to try to remove those at the sit in. If there is anything that the government of Turkey needs to learn from all of this is perhaps that heavy handed tactics do not work and do indeed fan the flames of fire in the hearts of the people that were recently said to not really matter. What most citizens of most countries around the world do not realise is that once their governments start forgetting about a large portion of their own population, this begins a downward spiral where they can just walk over the people.

So, where is Turkey at and how long will this last, the protests, the pot banging, the hooting of horns. All of these are unknowns but with the Başbakan out of the country in Tunisia it seems like he has no interest in the protesters whatsoever. The biber gaz (pepper spray) that was liberally used to spray in the faces of unwitting peaceful protesters in Istanbul and other places has increased the tensions so much so that the anarchy and the destruction that ensued was inevitable. The government concentrated on the fact that this movement is a minority and that this movement is damaging property. This movement may not end up being a minority and could grow to be a majority. He is right about the damaging of property but this is out of frustration, the government is in power for all of the people but it seems like it is only representing some of the population, which can turn people into a different type of people who wouldn't necessarily damage council and state property but do to make a statement.

As of 9.00 p.m. the pots, pans and horns were all sounding off, tomorrow will be the same, the day after I do not know, but at the time of writing there is a movement and they need to be listened to because a country is defined by it's population and the population is 100% of the population. All people, all religions, all walks of life. They need their voice.

Gezi Park protests still continue as do many protests in many other locations around Turkey.

Sports International–Izmir. A Zombie Thriller kind of dance night.

At the Sports International Sports Centre on 10th January 2013, there was an event. They decided to do a Thriller, zombie, ‘dress up in rip clothes and zombify yourself’ kind of event. The object was fun to be had by all and for them to try and scare the flaming bejesus out of themselves and others whilst dancing to many of Michael Jackson’s hits including Thriller as an end dance. The instructors costumes and dance moves were obviously spot on and many of the dancers (possibly 100 or so people, could have been more) also danced very well, but the pace was fast and frenetic. It’s not an easy dance to do. So well done to everyone who joined in.

 

After all the dancers who had joined their instructors in this dance had began to start the resting period, the instructors and a few other pre-selected dancers did a full theatrical show out of the Thriller song. As in the video they crawled and squirmed across the floor and then began to dance the zombie dance in their authentic looking zombie dress. Also, another pat on the back for everyone who made their faces up to resemble the dead creatures you wouldn’t want to invite to your next dinner party.

The instructors and their ‘zombie for the night’ friends.

 

Fun was had by all – maybe next time top hat and tails and Chantilly lace, cha! cha! 20’s style dance or dressing up in African dress and doing a tribal dance. Only an idea, but dance is international so all dances are surely on the table for future events.

Sports International Link: http://www.sportsinternational.com.tr

Not a Sports International Video but a nice zombie Thriller video remake in the streets of London:

Thriller–There’s even a dead fur on the floor! That’s just extra dead for ya!

 

“We know you’re out there because we can smell your brains!”

Brains!!!! Brains!! Send more paramedic brains!!!

Couldn’t find any videos of the real event – Feel free to send me the link and I will post it, if you can find a link of it. With everyone constantly on Facebook and twitter all the time. How can there not be a video yet?

Anyways! If you have a link to a video of the evening on Google, YouTube or somewhere else, send me the link at my link at the top of the page.

All about movies 2012 and before – cool site!

You read one piece about movies and then before you know it you can’t stop yourself reading about all these other juicy, scary, sexy, bad and downright ridiculous movies. Enjoy the link to some interest top 10 lists of movies and other factual orgasms for the film nut in all of us.

Great English Films and Film Info Lists

No Facebook - The Mayans were correct - the end of the world is nigh!

When Facebook was out of action last night for the shortest period of time (probably only 10-15 minutes at most) my wife didn't know what to do with herself. She quickly switched to Twitter and said to me, "No-one is tweeting about Facebook being down." Her face looked perplexed and then worried. I personally hate Facebook, always have, I class it as the biggest waste of time since answering silly questions on Yahoo answers like, "Can I get pregnant from holding hands?"

Back to my wife's face, she was really worried after two minutes she still didn't see any tweets about the Facebook problem that her and maybe many others were experiencing. It was only after a minute or two later she saw some tweets and realised that Facebook was having some connection problems. I had told her to connect via a proxy server for a trial of whether it was just a Turkish problem.

In Turkey because the Internet is heavily blocked in many places and with many sites that other users worldwide can use and browse without problems then I believe that this creates extra traffic. If you send some bits 1's and 0's down a set of data cables and you are blocking this data and sending messages back to users and then those users are searching again and again for other ways to get around the blockages or other alternatives simply because they cannot find the information they need then this could in theory increase the traffic. Rather than staying on a static page for a minute or so and reading or viewing the content you are constantly searching. That's my thought on it anyway!

So, my wife was in a state of disarray, just recently since managing to set-up Twitter and Facebook on her mobile phone she has become addicted to checking messages and showing me stupid videos of extremely boring music or boring people doing boring things. I have no interest in these sites nor the videos shared on them and I only see these sites of use to someone trying to increase their Google rankings for their business  website or for meeting some old school friend or work colleague that you hoped at the age of 14/19, etc years of age you would never ever see again.

I forget when I signed up to this service but it was in the early days and I thought what is all the fuss about. I was on it for one day and I got a friend request from a person that was my school enemy and I thought, "Wow! This thing is a game changer! It is promoting world peace!" The second friend request I got was from an old girlfriend and I remembered that girlfriend for the fact that she was highly crazy and highly jealous for no apparent reason. Talking to a shop assistant passing my goods through a supermarket scanning machine was enough for her laser guided eyes to start burning holes in the back of my head and after we left the store the atomic cloud could be seen for miles. Not good times and why would I want to remember this and I distinctly remember how difficult it was to close the account at the time. Like signing up with Satan, once you are in, you are in (no getting out).

It was now 2 o'clock in the morning and my wife had to wake up at 6 a.m. and I said, "Go to bed and it will be back online tomorrow, I'm sure." She couldn't stop herself when she received a tweet that it was back on, she had to log in and check the sent posts straight away. A late night, a late wake-up in the morning and late for work as well. Facebook has not only become a social tool but it has become the reason you are late for work, the reason you are too tired to make love, the reason you are talking with enemies that you don't want to talk to any more and not talking to your real friends anymore. When Facebook went off, I saw a lost soul who couldn't find her way, a woman who is more than able to control her life but seemingly unable to control anything if Facebook doesn't work. If the Mayan predictions are true, one solar flair later and millions, maybe billions of Facebook users may well think that their world has ended. No electricity, no social tools - they lost all their social tools during the Facebook initiation. When the world goes 'no electric', then God help us all.

Happy New Year!

Professional Resume (CV) Writing Service

If you like me have a hard time every time it comes to reworking your resume (CV), if you have a hard time getting it right, if you think that there are many people who are getting that step up the ladder but not you, then http://www.resumewritingservice.biz/ is a great website to visit to make yourself a perfect resume.

The website helps people who are unhappy with their jobs, people who want to earn more money and climb the career ladder to a better job with better prospects. Aimed at individuals that need to gauge their resume to a particular kind of job and take that leap to the next level in their career path. As well as a 'First Resume Pack', 'Resume Distribution' and 'References Verification' services, they also offer 'Job Search Assistance'. The complete package for resume production and job search on one website. The first order offers a 20% off discount.

In today's job market of it takes that special something to get you even to the interview stage so a helping hand from resume writing service will go a long way. Some people may think it is easy to create a resume but it is a finely tuned art form that any help from experts will give you that extra boost in your career prospects.

Whether in Izmir or any other location in the world for an English professionally produced Resume, these guys can work wonders.

Foça Bomb Victims–Bostanlı Karsıyaka Walk 09-07-2012

After the dreadful news of the bomb in the locality of Izmir, Foça to be exact a walk was organised that started in Bostanlı on Thursday night and continued on to Karşıyaka as a protest to the bombers of the army bus in Foça.

My wife and I joined the walk as it trailed to Karşıyaka. As it began there were about 200 at most but as it passed through the heart of Bostanlı it increased in size to a crowd of I’d say around 800 or so but many other people joined in along the way with flags waving and chants in support of the people protesting the bombing. A good deed to organise this from the organiser and he should be happy with himself that it was a good show of faces since so many of Izmirians are out of the city in the hot summer months.

With one victim of the bombing dead and four more in critical condition I just have to say, başarılı sağ olsun (commiserations) to the dead soldier’s family and geçmis olsun (get well soon) to the other 4 soldiers families.

Let’s all be vigil now and look for any signs of any suspect packages and report them immediately to the police.

Turkish Potanın Perileri - Basketball Fairies Quarter Finals - 66-63

A great match was played by the Turkish women's team but unfortunately all was lost in the forth quarter. They played superbly throughout the whole tournament and it is a upsetting that this final match played against Russia didn’t produce a better result and a win. They played their hearts out and this team could have taken it all the way to a gold medal if their shots at times of crises could have been a bit more on target. In the last quarter of the match they had a few shots that if they had gone in could have levelled the game and then spurred them on to a win. There was one moment when Hollingsworth could have got two penalty shots in to level the scores but you can’t blame her since the pressure in an Olympic match is extreme.

All in all a great and gripping match and such a close match – next time with the same team or some subtle new additions they could win. Commiserations for the Potanın Perileri but don’t be disheartened because you played extremely good basketball and you deserve your own personal medal for that. Good luck for Olympics 2016 in Rio De Janeiro

 

To see how they got to the quarter finals and who they won on the way, you can look at this link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_at_the_2012_Summer_Olympics#Women.27s_tournament

Recently I was forced to answer, “What has Great Britain got?” by a supposed Turkish friend of mine…

When I was recently harshly forced to answer the question, “What came from Great Britain?” “What has Great Britain got?” Strangely, I didn’t have much to say and because I am not an historian and never had any interest in history, I couldn’t really come up with much, apart from flushing toilets and the television. There are many more inventions that came from Great Britain (UK) - England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales but maybe because of the fact that I was always fucking around in my history lesson, I never learnt any of it. Or if I did, it is floating around in the back part of my brain somewhere with no intentions of coming out into the light of day. I am aware that the UK does have a rich culture when it comes to invention, sport and the arts but it was always lost on me. I suppose I should have paid a little more attention in those history lessons. The obvious fact that most people know of the UK as either hooligan central, a place to come as an illegal immigrant or just pure rudeness from the youth of UK was not helping much.

Turns out that now I do have a keen interest in history and also sports (Hope my Dad forgives me for being sick just before the big match he wanted to take me too when I was young). Never got interested after that.

Anyhow, getting back to the original point of this particular post. My supposed friend who had been fairly nice to me all day, like a two face on the Batman films changed his tact from a previously charming individual to a rattle snake and forced me to answer the question in the title. As I said, I am not as clued up as I should be on everything British and why he was pushing so much I do not know. With relish in his eyes like he himself had won his own personal medal against me, he gloated and said your country has brought nothing to the world. If I was in the UK, I would be deeply offended but I am not. I was never a patriotic person even when I was in the UK but I don’t know what it is about someone taking a crap on your birth country, it just makes you feel sad that in this day and age people in any country can still hold a grudge and be a near on racist. I am proud of having my Turkish citizenship but I am equally proud of my birth country since without some of the innovation from the UK and even from many English speaking countries what would we have today. Every country has their own pride in sports, history and many other areas. Isn’t it about time that the people of the world realise that we all work together to make the world what it is today. Don’t dirty your world, keep it clean, don’t make war with people, especially your own people (Syria), and most of all keep love in your heart. Competition is for keeping the mind and body working, not for making war with individual persons or countries.

I am proud that I was born in a democratic country and I am also proud that my countrymen gave back to the world the inventions that were discovered and the innovations that were had. Who knows where we would be without any of these inventions or innovatıons? All I know is, I do have great Turkish friends, and as well as sharing what great things their countrymen have done, (for one Atatürk, who was really a great man, a leader, a warrior and an inspirational thinker), we share with each other, without taunting each other, like we are kids in a playground fight.

All countries should have pride whether they give to the world, win at sports, or even if they don’t do anything, they should still have pride because together we are the human race, and together we make this world work. So let’s put aside any over emotion about any one country and try to be as one. We are all good people and if we see ourselves without boundaries and without differences then this world and the human race will survive a lot longer than we think is possible.

Still a beautıful song and still occasionally I meet people who just don’t get on with each other. So, I ask anyone who hates somebody in the world or who has no respect for anyone or any country that is not their own to watch this and think. Humans can be very evil, but humans can also be very good, let’s try and be only good.

 

Look at the Olympics as a model for how competitors and people should stand side by side in life. Even in times of loss they still have sportsmanship. The world needs this in every day life rather than gloating at others because we can’t think what good they have brought to the world.

Ojolie.com–Cat ecards, dog ecards, cutesy ecards

Ojolie.com offers beautiful, animated ecards with tasteful music for birthday, Christmas and other occasions and holidays.

If you haven’t heard of Ojolie.com then take a quick look at their website to find a fine selection of e-cards that you can send to your friends and loved ones. It is written on their website that their cards are works of passion. This is definitely the case since each ecard is exceptional. You can try their free ecards and there is also a nominal membership fee which gives you access to many more beautiful designs.

I especially liked the dog ecards and also the cat ecards but who doesn’t like cutesy cats and dogs.

Ojolie.com manages to keep the sentimental value of the old ‘send through the mail’ card type and encapsulates them in this wonderful website that leaves many of the free ecard websites that have sprung up everywhere on the internet a sorry last place.

Well done ojolie, keep up with the great ecard designs and keep the sentimental value of your cards going. The internet has been mulled of love and sentiment since its beginnings so, nice to see one company who loves to keep it back to basics with sentiment.

Is it me or is it global warming hot this summer?

What with the ice in its millions or billions of cubic litres melting and NASA recently reporting that the recent heat waves and hot weather are connected to global warming it just left me thinking and dreaming of when winter is about to arrive. I need some cold fresh air in and around my body and not the cold air from an air conditioning system that we all turn to in the hot summer months. It is so hot, that when I wake up I feel like a dried fruit, all the moisture sucked and dried out of me. I am hoping it is just a blip on the radar but it appears with NASA’s confirmation that there is a connection to global warming that we could be in for a few more blisteringly hot summers. In Izmir, I have not seen the temperature gauge go up to more than 43 degrees centigrade before but I haven’t been here all that long. Judging by what some of the locals are saying it is hotter than they are even used to. Winter! hadi! hadi! hadi! Come on!

Check out this great guide I was sent to keeping cool in a heatwave.