ICANN

ICANN has just decided to to allow domain names that are non-Latin; in Arabic, Chinese and other scripts.

This is an immense change for all the internet community; especially the search engines and search engine optimisation.

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Kadinlarimiz - Nazim Hikmet

Toprak öyle bitip tükenmez, /dağlar öyle uzakta,
sanki gidenler hiçbir zaman
hiçbir menzile erişemeyecekti.
Kağnılar yürüyordu yekpare meşaleden tekerlekleriyle
Ve onlar
ayın altında dönen ilk tekerlekti.
Ayın altında öküzler
başka ve çok küçük bir dünyadan gelmişler gibi
ufacık kısacıktılar
ve pırıltılar vardı hasta kırık boynuzlarında
ve ayakları altından akan
toprak,
toprak,
ve topraktı.
Gece aydınlık ve sıcak
ve kağnılarda tahta yataklarında
oyu mavi humbaralar çırılçıplaktı.
Ve kadınlar
birbirlerinden gizleyerek
bakıyorlardı ayın altında
geçmiş kafilelerden kalan öküz ve tekerlek ölülerine.
Ve kadınlar
bizim kadınlarımız:
korkunç ve mübarek elleri
ince, küçük çeneleri, kocaman gözleriyle
anamız, avradımız, yarimiz
ve sanki hiç yaşanmamış gibi ölen
ve soframızdaki yeri
öküzümüzden sonra gelen
ve dağlara kaçırıp uğrunda hapis yattığımız
ve ekinde, tütünde, odunda ve pazardaki
ve kara sabana koşulan ve ağıllarda
ışıltısında yere saplı bıçakların
oynak, ağır kalçaları ve zilleriyle bizim olan
kadınlar,
bizim kadınlarımız
şimdi ayın altında
kağnıların ve hartuçların peşinde
harman yerine kehriban başlı sap çeker gibi
aynı yürek ferahlığı,
aynı yorgun alışkanlık içindeydiler.
Ve onbeşlik şaraplenin çeliğinde
ince boyunlu çocuklar uyuyordu.
Ve ayın altında kağnılar
yürüyordu Akşehir üzerinden Afyon`a doğru.

Nazim Hikmet

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Fener-Cimbom

Another great win by Fenerbahce at home against Galatasaray. They have had a great start to the domestic season. So did Galatasaray, and they had a lot of promise with their new world-ernouned manager as well. But slowly the Cimbom promise seems to be coming apart whereas Fenerbahce is growing in confidence.

However, the bar is very high, which was set by Galatasaray a few years ago: the UEFA cup title. And, until any team can win such a world class title, the rest doesn't really mean much.

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Liverpool back on track

The Man U win was a big turning point for the rest of the season as they actually played well and deserved the win unlike several of the previous games. Especially doing without influential Gerard was very significant.

Mascherano/Lucas combination in the midfield was the key. Mascherano allowed Lucas to push forward, which the Brizillian seems to prefer. This begs the question why Raffa has been insisting on the Gerard/Lucas duo, which prevents Gerards to push forward. I would definitely put the Argentinian next to the captain. He is one of hte best defence-minded midfielders in the world.

Unfortunately they are still 6 points behind Chelsea.

Looking at how many games the top teams have lost so far this season, I certainly would not write Liverpool's chances off. However, they need to build on this going forward, and have no more slip ups against the lesser teams.

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Sevr Den Lozan A Avrupa - Kirmizi Hat 2-4

Sevr Den Lozan A Avrupa - Kirmizi Hat 2-4

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Sevr'den Bop'a Turkiye - Tuna Boylu

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Check out the other blogs I contribute: Overseas Property Articles | Office Refurbishment Articles

Well done to Fenerbahce and Galatasaray

They both got the job done tonight and shot up to the top of their UEFA Europe Cup groups.

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"Michael Moore's Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now"

Michael Moore's last article (spread the word):

You've Seen the Movie -- Now It's Time to ACT!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Friends,

It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"

You want something to do? Well, you've come to the right place! 'Cause I got 15 things you and I can do right now to fight back and try to fix this very broken system.

Here they are:

FIVE THINGS WE DEMAND THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS DO IMMEDIATELY:

1. Declare a moratorium on all home evictions. Not one more family should be thrown out of their home. The banks must adjust their monthly mortgage payments to be in line with what people's homes are now truly worth -- and what they can afford. Also, it must be stated by law: If you lose your job, you cannot be tossed out of your home.

2. Congress must join the civilized world and expand Medicare For All Americans. A single, nonprofit source must run a universal health care system that covers everyone. Medical bills are now the #1 cause of bankruptcies and evictions in this country. Medicare For All will end this misery. The bill to make this happen is called H.R. 3200. You must call AND write your members of Congress and demand its passage, no compromises allowed.

3. Demand publicly-funded elections and a prohibition on elected officials leaving office and becoming lobbyists. Yes, those very members of Congress who solicit and receive millions of dollars from wealthy interests must vote to remove ALL money from our electoral and legislative process. Tell your members of Congress they must support campaign finance bill H.R.1826.

4. Each of the 50 states must create a state-owned public bank like they have in North Dakota. Then congress MUST reinstate all the strict pre-Reagan regulations on all commercial banks, investment firms, insurance companies -- and all the other industries that have been savaged by deregulation: Airlines, the food industry, pharmaceutical companies -- you name it. If a company's primary motive to exist is to make a profit, then it needs a set of stringent rules to live by -- and the first rule is "Do no harm." The second rule: The question must always be asked -- "Is this for the common good?" (Click here for some info about the state-owned Bank of North Dakota.)

5. Save this fragile planet and declare that all the energy resources above and beneath the ground are owned collectively by all of us. Just like they do it in Sarah Palin's socialist Alaska. We only have a few decades of oil left. The public must be the owners and landlords of the natural resources and energy that exists within our borders or we will descend further into corporate anarchy. And when it comes to burning fossil fuels to transport ourselves, we must cease using the internal combustion engine and instruct our auto/transportation companies to rehire our skilled workforce and build mass transit (clean buses, light rail, subways, bullet trains, etc.) and new cars that don't contribute to climate change. (For more on this, here's a proposal I wrote in December.) Demand that General Motors' de facto chairman, Barack Obama, issue a JFK man-on-the-moon-style challenge to turn our country into a nation of trains and buses and subways. For Pete's sake, people, we were the ones who invented (or perfected) these damn things in the first place!!

FIVE THINGS WE CAN DO TO MAKE CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT LISTEN TO US:

1. Each of us must get into the daily habit of taking 5 minutes to make four brief calls: One to the President (202-456-1414), one to your Congressperson (202-224-3121) and one to each of your two Senators (202-224-3121). To find out who represents you, click here. Take just one minute on each of these calls to let them know how you expect them to vote on a particular issue. Let them know you will have no hesitation voting for a primary opponent -- or even a candidate from another party -- if they don't do our bidding. Trust me, they will listen. If you have another five minutes, click here to send them each an email. And if you really want to drop an anvil on them, send them a snail mail letter!

2. Take over your local Democratic Party. Remember how much fun you had with all those friends and neighbors working together to get Barack Obama elected? YOU DID THE IMPOSSIBLE. It's time to re-up! Get everyone back together and go to the monthly meeting of your town or county Democratic Party -- and become the majority that runs it! There will not be many in attendance and they will either be happy or in shock that you and the Obama Revolution have entered the room looking like you mean business. President Obama's agenda will never happen without mass grass roots action -- and he won't feel encouraged to do the right thing if no one has his back, whether it's to stand with him, or push him in the right direction. When you all become the local Democratic Party, send me a photo of the group and I'll post it on my website.

3. Recruit someone to run for office who can win in your local elections next year -- or, better yet, consider running for office yourself! You don't have to settle for the incumbent who always expects to win. You can be our next representative! Don't believe it can happen? Check out these examples of regular citizens who got elected: State Senator Deb Simpson, California State Assemblyman Isadore Hall, Tempe, Arizona City Councilman Corey Woods, Wisconsin State Assemblyman Chris Danou, and Washington State Representative Larry Seaquist. The list goes on and on -- and you should be on it!

4. Show up. Picket the local branch of a big bank that took the bailout money. Hold vigils and marches. Consider civil disobedience. Those town hall meetings are open to you, too (and there's more of us than there are of them!). Make some noise, have some fun, get on the local news. Place "Capitalism Did This" signs on empty foreclosed homes, closed down businesses, crumbling schools and infrastructure. (You can download them from my website.)

5. Start your own media. You. Just you (or you and a couple friends). The mainstream media is owned by corporate America and, with few exceptions, it will never tell the whole truth -- so you have to do it! Start a blog! Start a website of real local news (here's an example: The Michigan Messenger). Tweet your friends and use Facebook to let them know what they need to do politically. The daily papers are dying. If you don't fill that void, who will?

FIVE THINGS WE SHOULD DO TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND OUR LOVED ONES UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THIS MESS:

1. Take your money out of your bank if it took bailout money and place it in a locally-owned bank or, preferably, a credit union.

2. Get rid of all your credit cards but one -- the kind where you have to pay up at the end of the month or you lose your card.

3. Do not invest in the stock market. If you have any extra cash, put it away in a savings account or, if you can, pay down on your mortgage so you can own your home as soon as possible. You can also buy very safe government savings bonds or T-bills. Or just buy your mother some flowers.

4. Unionize your workplace so that you and your coworkers have a say in how your business is run. Here's how to do it (more info here). Nothing is more American than democracy, and democracy shouldn't be checked at the door when you enter your workplace. Another way to Americanize your workplace is to turn your business into a worker-owned cooperative. You are not a wage slave. You are a free person, and you giving up eight hours of your life every day to someone else is to be properly compensated and respected.

5. Take care of yourself and your family. Sorry to go all Oprah on you, but she's right: Find a place of peace in your life and make the choice to be around people who are not full of negativity and cynicism. Look for those who nurture and love. Turn off the TV and the Blackberry and go for a 30-minute walk every day. Eat fruits and vegetables and cut down on anything that has sugar, high fructose corn syrup, white flour or too much sodium (salt) in it (and, as Michael Pollan says, "Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants"). Get seven hours of sleep each night and take the time to read a book a month. I know this sounds like I've turned into your grandma, but, dammit, take a good hard look at Granny -- she's fit, she's rested and she knows the names of both of her U.S. Senators without having to Google them. We might do well to listen to her. If we don't put our own "oxygen mask" on first (as they say on the airplane), we will be of no use to the rest of the nation in enacting any of this action plan!

I'm sure there are many other ideas you can come up with on how we can build this movement. Get creative. Think outside the politics-as-usual box. BE SUBVERSIVE! Think of that local action no one else has tried. Behave as if your life depended on it. Be bold! Try doing something with reckless abandon. It may just liberate you and your community and your nation.

And when you act, send me your stories, your photos and your video -- and be sure to post your ideas in the comments beneath this letter on my site so they can be shared with millions.

C'mon people -- we can do this! I expect nothing less of all of you, my true and trusted fellow travelers!

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

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Counting down in 10...9...8...

... in only 10 weeks across May and June all but 2* of the Runneymede Homes, Saville Place apartments were sold via local estate agent, Barton Wyatt. First time buyers, downsizers and even investors have been the hungry property audience for this development capitalising on the zero stamp duty threshold and prime location in Englefield Green Village, Egham.

With prices from £174,500 the high specification one and two bedroom apartments are not all subject to stamp duty one of the key appeals for the buyers, however Judith Hogg-Fox, one of the buyers comments, “The stamp duty threshold is always in the mind when one is looking at this price band although I would not strictly have bought only based on the threshold but more on the actual property itself”. All of the 10 apartments include an open plan, fully fitted kitchen/living room and stylish bathroom. The master bedroom in the two bedroom also incorporated an en-suite shower room.

James Wyatt, Senior Partner at Barton Wyatt Estate Agents Surrey, comments, “For the first-time buyer Saville Place offers affordability and value for money, a phrase rarely used throughout much of the 2007 property peak. First-time buyers have for a long time been priced out of the market and now that property prices have stabilised and finance has become more available, many are jumping at the opportunity to get on to the ladder. Equally those struggling in the current economy or with changes in circumstance are looking for spacious and well finished homes to downsize to, without losing those home comforts they have become accustomed to.”

According to Nationwide the average UK home went up 0.9 per cent in June, which is the third time in four months that the building society has announced a rise in values. Experts are reporting that now is a good time to buy bricks & mortar, with tentative predictions of a relatively positive outlook for the rest of 2009. James Wyatt further states, “2008 was an ailing year for estate agents but in 2009 so far we have seen a strong revival in the market especially at the lower end with increased confidence from both buyers and sellers. Across the first 4 months of this year, we at Barton Wyatt have gained a 75% market share highlighting the continuing boost in the market.”

Even so, it may seem surprising to hear that investors in the Surrey area are still looking for buy-to-let investments, selecting only the best quality and prime location apartments to dip into their pockets for. Saville Place in Englefield Green Village is close to the Royal Holloway University of London meaning an annual demand for student lets in the area, a reliable choice for any investor; this is one of the main reasons Judith Fox-Hogg invested, she continues, “I already have successful rental properties in this area and it’s an area I know very well”. One of the first time buyers is also a student at the University.

For more information, contact Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey

What a shame

It is so disappointing that the Turkish football team couldn't even make it to the qualifications from such a straightforward group.

It is such a waste of talent.

I think they will need a world class manager, who can actually introduce some discipline into the team.

So, we'll be supporting Brazil again then :)

Welcome to the new Greek Prime Minister

The British Financial Times newspaper reported newly elected Greek leader Papandreou's first visit to Turkey as an unexpected development.

Following Sunday's big election victory, Mr Papandreou picked the "Old enemy" Turkey the his first overseas visit. According to the analysts for the region, this is not only for symbolic but also practical reasons.

Mr Papandreou will pay an unexpected visit to his Turkish counterpart on Friday in an attempt to revive the relationships between the 2 countries.

A prominent figure in Turkish politics pointed out that there is no need to break the ice at all. He said "Papandreou is a well-known figure here in Turkey and his first visit to Turkey is symbolic and it is a great honor".

During this visit a framework of negotiations for Cyprus' reunification will be debated, and a roadmap is expected to be agreed.

A Greek insider commented that a restart of continuous dialogue with Turkey will be a priority for the new Greek government

Mr Papandreou will visit Cyprus at the end of this month to meet the Greek and Turkish communities.

Mr Papandreou also visited his old counterpart (at the foreign ministry) Ismail Cem's grave and laid some olive branches. Both Mr Cem and Mr Papandreou played a key role a decade ago in triggering the improvements in relationships following many years of suspicion and animosity between the 2 countries after the earthquakes in both Turkey and Greece.

Turkish Republic and Armenia

Turkish Republic is well on her way in becoming a super state in the Middle East and Black Sea/Crimea region.

Following on from active involvement in brokering a peace process between Palestine and Israel, as well as Syria and Saudi Arabia, Turkish Republic is now doggedly pursuing the improvement of relationships with Armenia.

And, finally, there seems to be some some recognition in the international arena for these efforts. BBC claims that both the EU and the US are increasing the pressure on Armenia in "playing ball".

There are 2 main sticky points in improving the relationships between the two countries:
- Armenian claims about so-called killings of Armenians during World War I.
- Armenian occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan

And, the Turks are calling the Armenian bluff and forcing them to sign a protocol to investigate these allegations of these killings by a jointly formed group of experts with additions from other countries.

Armenians need to remember that they need the Turkish border opened more than Turkey needs it. This is going to be Armenia's main trade route to the West.

And, the Turkish government needs to remember the grim consequences of being sentenced based on some unfounded allegations.

Laptop does not wake up

I have been having trouble with waking up my laptop when it is only on Standby (in other words when I just shut the lid).

I use Windows XP but a lot of people are reporting similar problems with Vista as well.

My experiments show that this is most likely to happen when the laptop is put on Standby while it is connected to the power supply (ie, the mains).

99% of the time I have Firefox open.

Recently, I've figured out that Firefox is the root cause somehow for this. I did exactly the same things that would cause the problem but without the Firefox running, and so far the results are encouraging.

New estate agency directory

Estate Agents in Berkshire

UK Property Rental Agents