Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Turkey, thanks to being under tight security including shutting down major arteries, snipers and security checkpoints in Istanbul and portions of the public transit system in Istanbul went off with nary a hitch, and the main demonstrations during the duration of his stay were either far afield from his itinerary […]
Shaky beams
Acarkent, an upscale housing division in the suburbs on the Asian side of Istanbul, has been racked with scandal the past week as investigations have shown that the lion’s share of the homes on the gated estate were constructed illegally and to the detriment of the local environment. The first dwellings on the compound, nestled […]
Biological Control May Beget Exotic Invaders
It’s not easy to be good. You thought you’d do the responsible thing and buy some ladybugs (technically beetles and not ture bugs at all, known as ladybirds in the UK) at the store to keep your roses clean instead of spraying poison. Little did you realize, you could be harming your local eco-system and […]
Israel, take a break
Last week a gaggle of awkward political bed fellows turned up for the Kadima party’s first annual conference. With no clear manifesto on domestic issues, and no consensus on how to handle the countries many security quandaries, Kadima is symptomatic of the national disorientation that is prevalent in Israel today. Israel‘s political ‘big bang’ saw […]
Solana’s Biggest Fan
Meet Xavier Solana. The biggest wasteful surplus in the European Union today. I’d hazard a guess there’s no one more unstomachable anywhere from Belfast to Berlin. I wish he’d stop visiting the Middle East and talking like he’s got the faintest idea what’s really going on here. This man has got his head so far up […]
Say Hello to Matt White…
Matt White, one of today’s most intriguing and gifted new artists, has been named one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “10 Artists To Watch.” Gearing up for the release of White’s debut album, DO YOU BELIEVE, Geffen Records has released BLEEKER STREET STORIES, , featuring 3 songs from White’s forthcoming album. White joined Lifehouse on the […]