So far I know Anastassia Lisowska aka Roxalane or Hürrem was of Slavic origin, Ukranian, but at that time this region was under the control of Lehs, maybe that is why she considered herself Polish.  And right, she was very clever and manipulative even she caused Süleyman to kill his own and first son Mustafa who was very much loved by public and the soldiers. Mustafa was the most powerful nominee of being the next Sultan. And the period of Süleyman gave a start to downfall of Ottomans. I always likened the story of Roxalane to England´s Anne Boleyn by the way because Sultans were forbid to legally marry to the girls who were captured but as far as I know Süleyman broke this rule. Anyway It seems Süleyman was not that magnificent

Alameda - I must say I was surprised when I saw which site you linked. Rahowa (racial holy war) is quite a controversial organisation.

I think the term Armegon was looking for was Lechites. They gave origin to an alternative name of Poland in many foreign languages. If I remember correctly Polish as a language is Lehçe in Turkish?

On a not so serious note, it doesn´t surprise me that Roxie was one tough woman, we, Slavs, are like that. Plus she gave birth to Selim the Drunkard, which means he had to have our blood in him

Why surprising that powerful women were smart enough to have influence from behind the veil? Isn´t it obvious that tough times call for tough solutions? If you lose a leg, you learn how to use a prosthesis. Still, it doesn´t mean it´s an ideal situation, or a situation where anyone would have managed equally well. Finally, why is it strange that an abusive, self-important sultan was easy to manipulate? People convinced they´re next to god are usually easy to play

I am surprised too.........to tell you the truth....I didn´t look around that site too much, but rather just looked at the definition of Lech, Czech and Rus..........I have removed the link now....and I was trying to find something other than Wikipedia...sigh...

Little more than a decade ago, the number of foreign academics at Turkish universities would scarcely have been enough to hold a good panel discussion. Today, they could staff an entire major institution in the United States.

The more than 1,300 new faces at Turkish universities – the English-literature professor from Canada, the engineering instructor from Hong Kong, the mathematician from California or the philosophy professor from Greece – have been drawn to the country by a combination of increased opportunities in Turkey, and fewer ones at home.

“I searched for jobs in the United States, Canada, England and France. But it was almost impossible to find jobs there. After that, I started to look for job opportunities in Turkey,” a professor who wished to remain anonymous told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

“There is an incredible shrinkage of jobs in England and the United States,” said Talat Halman, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Letters at Ankara’s Bilkent University. “We can see it in the number of job applications we receive for positions.”

Turkey’s culture, history, dynamism and location also attract foreign academics to the country. According to statistics from the Higher Education Board, or YÖK, there are currently 1,310 foreign instructors and professors working in Turkey, many of them in Istanbul – almost 60 percent more than there were five years ago.

“My job search wasn’t specifically centered on Turkey, but when I came across the ad for my current position, I was excited by the fact that the university was located in Istanbul,” said Lindsay Reid, who works at Koç University.

“I was attracted to the history of the region and the country. Turkey is a fascinating and energetic place,” said Jeffrey Hibbert, who teaches at the English Language and Literature Department at Yaşar University in İzmir.

Debate over academic quality

The rapidly accelerating growth of wealthy new private universities, set up by foundations as required by Turkish law, has also contributed to the boom in foreign academics. But whether these schools are drawing new talent with their high quality, rather than just their ample funding, is a subject of debate.

“We are a developing country and that reflects on our education system as well,” Ahmet İnce, the dean of the Science and Arts Faculty at Istanbul’s Yeditepe University, told the Daily News. “Now foreign professors feel comfortable working here.”

Nakıye Boyacıgiller, dean of the School of Management at Istanbul’s Sabancı University, agreed. “Sabancı University employs 58 foreign academics and it is a criteria of [our] success,” she said. “Plus, if you are specializing in management sciences, countries such as India, Brazil, China and Turkey are important locations to be in.”

“The working conditions and opportunities at Turkish foundation universities are comparable to those in the United States, and better than in most European Union countries,” said Koen Pauwels, who teaches marketing investment at Istanbul’s Özyeğin University.

But not all academics agree. “I have worked at three private universities [in Turkey], which were all different. Yes, there are more jobs, but work conditions in Turkey are much worse than in the United States,” said one professor who did not want to give his name. “The salaries are lower and professors are required to be on campus every day, all year. This limits our time to do research, which is what our job actually is.”

According to Yasemin İnceoğlu, who works at Istanbul’s state-funded Galatasaray University, the growth of private universities has not raised the quality of education in the country.

“Although foundation universities have great advantages in terms of equipment and using new technology, they also have disadvantages because they adopt a profit-oriented approach to education,” she told the Daily News. “But their financial offerings attract academics, which force the state universities to reconsider their own visions and missions.”

Difficult job market

What is incontrovertible is that many young academics are today finding employment outside of North America. “For instance, last year, 10 recent graduates from my Ph.D. program [in the English Department at the University of Toronto] found full-time academic jobs; seven of the 10 positions were outside of Canada and three of the 10 positions were outside of North America,” said Reid.

Mustafa Nakeeb, who works at Bilkent University as a visiting assistant professor, echoed Reid’s comments. “I got my Ph.D. in 1999 from State University of New York [at Buffalo],” Nakeeb told the Daily News. “My professors were people who got their Ph.D.s in the 1960s. They would tell me that they got job offers before they even completed their studies. But today the situation is reversed. There are many more Ph.D. candidates than job offers.”

According to Nakeeb, the situation has led recent graduates to look for jobs in other countries, including Taiwan, Lebanon, Egypt and the Gulf countries. “Another trend applied by universities is to hire Ph.D. students to teach classes rather than hiring full-time professors,” he said. “They don’t pay any retirement or medical insurance, but poor graduate students are happy to do this because there are so many of them.”

According to a recent report by The Economist, the United States produced more than 100,000 people with doctoral degrees between 2005 and 2009 yet only 16,000 new professorships. While a graduate assistant at Yale University might earn $20,000 a year for nine months of teaching, the average pay for a full professor in the U.S. was $109,000 in 2009.

Private education in Turkey

Turkey’s first foundation-established university, Bilkent, was set up in 1984, but until the mid-1990s, there were only a handful of private universities. In the last decade, however, the number of private universities has increased immensely, and they are no longer located only in Istanbul and Ankara, but also in other provinces such as İzmir, Gaziantep, Kayseri and Mersin.

Today, there are 53 private universities in Turkey and 103 state-funded ones.

“It is going to grow more,” said Cemali Dinçer, the vice president of İzmir University of Economics. “Turkey has a great student potential. Every year, 1.5 million students take the university entrance exam. There is definitely a need for more universities.”

Yet not everyone has found the situation favorable. “Turkish universities also face funding cuts,” said Evangelos Liaras, who teaches in the International Relations Department at Koç University. “I have to leave my position next year because of that, but I don’t want to move around the world. I will look for employment at another Turkish or Greek university.”

Source: here

The manufacturer of Turkey´s second sports car, Etox, is preparing to release the vehicle´s electric version prototype within three months, according to reports.

Ercan Malkoç, the manufacturer of Etox and owner of the Erteks Auto Decoration company, said the new electric Etox would be able to reach a speed of 120 kilometers per hour and travel 250 kilometers on a full charge-up during the initial phase of production.

The company licensed the Etox Zafer, the second Turkish sports car, in 2007 and used engines from foreign brands such as Renault and Volvo, but the project has not yet been deemed a success. The Anadol STC-16, which was produced from 1973 to 1975, was the country’s first sports car.

Malkoç said the electric version – the first fully Turkish-made electric car – would be ready by May.

Noting that four Turkish firms are currently developing engines for the electric version, Malkoç said another domestic company was also working on a battery.

"We are planning to sell the electric Etox for 30,000-35,000 Turkish Liras," he said.

Describing electric cars as economical vehicles, Malkoç said one battery could be charged for $10 and could last for 250 km. "This is nearly 90 percent cheaper compared to present fuel prices.”

Requesting the prime minister´s support for the electric Etox, Malkoç said they could begin mass production in a year if the necessary assistance were extended.

Source: here

Al Jazeera acquires Turkey’s Cine 5

Turkey’s Savings Deposit Insurance Fund, or SDIF, approved Thursday Al Jazeera’s $40.5 million bid to acquire the Cine 5 television channel, which was previously seized by the government.

Qatari-based news network Al Jazeera has been preparing to launch a Turkish-language news channel based in the country for some time. Cine 5 had been put up for sale for the fifth time for $40 million on Jan. 31. Al Jazeera, which bid $21 million, increased its offer to $40.5 million on Feb. 4.

Turkey’s SDIF approved the latest Al Jazeera bid Thursday.

The result of the bidding will be presented for the approval of the Turkish Competition Authority and the Supreme Board of Radio and Television, or RTÜK.

Source: here

Antalya ranks fourth among most-visited global cities

Antalya is among the four most-visited cities in the world, trailing only Paris, London and Singapore, according to a senior official from the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The southern province is the top destination in Turkey, followed by Istanbul, Muğla and Cappadocia, said Levent Demirel, deputy director general of promotion at the Turkish Tourism and Culture Ministry.

Demirel said Antalya was one of the seven greatest tourism destinations in the world. “Antalya is among the 10 most-visited cities in the world, in the fourth position following Paris, London and Singapore. Paris, London and Singapore counted their own citizens in visitor numbers, but Antalya did not.”

The official said Turkey has seen a 3 percent growth in world tourism in recent years and is in sixth place in global rankings.

Turkey is now aiming to become the fifth most popular destination in the world by hosting 50 million tourists and posting tourism revenues of $50 billion by 2023, he said.

The country has opened culture and tourism offices in 37 countries and plans to open further ones in Toronto, Shanghai and Beijing, Demirel said, adding that they had attached great importance to a worldwide campaign.

He said ads with slogans like “My Antalya is Paradisiacal” were already being broadcast on international television channels such as BBC and CNN.

Demirel spoke at the Routes Tourism Mediterranean Forum, which was hosted by ICF Airports at the Gloria Golf Hotel in Belek and included country briefings on tourism in Turkey, Greece and Croatia.

Source: here