sekersiz= without sugar

"Leading international politicians have reached a new agreement on tackling climate change, at a Washington summit.

Delegates agreed that developing countries will have to face targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions as well as rich countries.

The informal meeting also agreed that a global market should be formed to cap and trade carbon dioxide emissions.

The non-binding declaration is seen as vital in influencing a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, correspondents say.

The forum's closing statement said man-made climate change was now "beyond doubt".

"Climate change is a global issue and there is an obligation on us all to take action, in line with our capabilities and historic responsibilities," said the statement from the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment (Globe).

'Tipping point'

The two-day meeting brought together legislators from countries including the Group of Eight rich nations, plus Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa.

The BBC's environment analyst Roger Harrabin was at the meeting and says that although the declaration carries no formal weight, it indicates a real change in mood.

The legislators agreed that developing countries had to face targets on greenhouse gas emissions, in the same way rich countries do.

They said they wanted a successor to the Kyoto Protocol - which expires in 2012 - in place by 2009.

US senator Joe Lieberman forecast that the US Congress would enact a law on cutting emissions by the end of next year, possibly this year.

And presidential candidate John McCain, who is co-sponsoring climate legislation with Mr Lieberman, was emphatic on the need for new initiatives.

"I am convinced that we have reached the tipping point and that the Congress of the United States will act, with the agreement of the administration," he told the forum.

But Dr John Holdren, the head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), said President George W Bush needed to appreciate that the US economy would not suffer unnecessarily if emission were capped.

"The economic damage from not addressing climate change is much larger than the economic cost of addressing it," he said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian parliament moved to force the government to meet its Kyoto Protocol target for reducing emissions.

The ruling Conservative party argues that meeting the target, of reducing emissions by 6% from 1990 levels by the period 2008-2012, is impossible.

The parliamentary vote gives the government 60 days to formulate a plan for getting back on track.

With United Nations climate negotiations in November failing to agree a timetable for mandating new cuts in emissions when the current Kyoto targets expire in 2012, the British-led Globe set up the Washington meeting in the hope of stimulating progress in a less formal setting.

The UN's panel on climate change said earlier this month that higher global temperatures caused by man-made pollution would melt polar ice, worsen floods and droughts and cause more devastating storms".

BBC News, 16.02.2007

the Redhouse definition of "fidan" is "sapling, young tree"

when used in "fidan boylu/gibi", it means "tall and slender"

"Meals and the socializing that happens while eating are a big part of the Turkish culture.
When I visited Turkey for the first time I quickly noticed that restaurants always seem to be busy and food places are on every corner. If you have ever been to Turkey or are living here now and you have Turkish friends, you know that Turks are passionate about their food.
Colorful and inviting, cafes and restaurants are on every corner. Vendors roam the streets or stand on the line between lanes on the motorway as you approach the bridge to sell snacks. Buffets and kiosks line the roadside and glass-sided pushcarts display other savories. For better or worse, the American fast food chains have joined the race. Don’t get me wrong! I love a good American pizza or hamburger. It is great to drive through and pick up on the run or to settle the bad tummy syndrome. In that moment of feeling homesick, it is good to go to the fast food chain we are familiar with. But we must be honest with ourselves and admit that any fast food next to good home-cooked Turkish food is rather pathetic.
Eating Turkish food is one of the most memorable events of a trip to Turkey.
Just think Turks enjoy this privilege every day!
The other night I was craving Turkish food. I have never really tried to learn to cook it because I have never been able to really master it like a Turk. My early attempts were met by neighbors saying, “This is an interesting American dish, we have something like this called …” and naming the dish I had tried to make. So I gave up.
We decided to eat Turkish food out at one of the nice, moderately priced restaurants. To this day, after having been here for so many years, I am still impressed with the meze (cold starters) trolley the waiter brings to the table. It usually has 10 or more varieties to choose from. Typical selections include stuffed grape leaves or green peppers (dolma), cheese, vegetables such as eggplant and watercress folded in garlic yogurt, chickpea paste (hummus), potato salad and cracked wheat in tomato and chili sauce (kısır). Of course, there is usually delicious fresh bread or pita. Normally for me a few of these dishes make a meal in itself along with a salad. But this time I was craving a special meat dish. I wasn’t sure which one.
Even though I have eaten at this restaurant many times over the years, I studied the meat dishes (et) pages carefully, trying to figure out which one I was craving. The waiter watched me from a distance, probably wondering why is she taking so long since she knows our menu almost by heart.
It must have taken me 15 minutes to decide. I read what seemed pages and pages about the meats: regional specialties abound. In southern Turkey, Adana is famous for “Adana kebab,” a spiced minced meat. Istanbul is known for “midye” or pilaf-stuffed mussel meze. The Black Sea specializes in hamsi (fried anchovies) and corn bread; and the Syrian borderlands (e.g., Antep and Urfa) love spicy shish kebabs. By the way, the spices and herbs used to delicately flavor the meat vary from region to region. I kept reading -- güveç dishes, which are delicious casseroles cooked in earthenware pots were on the list. I considered et sote, a kind of goulash that is very good, would be a possibility for me to order.
But then I saw Iskender kebab.
It is a speciality of Bursa. I knew what I was going to order.
Maybe you did not know that İskender kebap is named for the chef who created the dish. Also İskender means Alexander. According to all the ocal sources, Mehmetoğlu İskender Efendi created the first plate of İskender kebap in Bursa in 1867. The lamb he chose was raised on the thyme-covered slopes of Mt. Uludağ (which rises south of Bursa, south of İstanbul and the Sea of Marmara). He roasted the meat as self-basting döner kebap on a vertical grill, cut off thin slices as it was done, spread the slices on top of a bed of diced flat pide bread, then topped the meat and bread with savory tomato sauce and browned butter. Adding a dollop of yogurt on the side and a sprinkle of parsley on top, the dish was served to his guests.
It is absolutely delicious! Just hit the spot.
Even though fast food chains seem to be everywhere and I enjoy them, may Turkey preserve her culinary heritage! Turkish cuisine is among the best in the world".

Charlotte Mcpherson, "Turks: A nation with a passion for food", Today's Zaman, 16.02.2007

I am not in Venice for the Carnival
-10 days of street theatre, pageants and masked balls...

fado- Mariza, "O deserto"


"...E que tanto deserto
Tao de repente
Faz-me pensar
Que o deserto sou eu
Se nao me vieres buscar"

"A few years ago I was strolling along the newly landscaped İzmir waterfront in early afternoon. Young couples passed me by, hand in hand. Others sat with their arms wrapped around each other on the sea wall. A few held red balloons. What a lovely town, I thought. Everyone seems so happy. Must be the new promenade. Then I glanced at the calendar and noticed the date. Of course it was Feb. 14, St. Valentine’s Day, that quintessentially Western celebration of love, newly adopted by the Turks.
These days Lovers Day is a familiar fixture in the İstanbul calendar, and shop windows are full of gift ideas. But in the same way that Western Christmas traditions that mean nothing to Muslims have migrated to the New Year, so, St. Valentine being a mystery to most Turks, his feast day has turned into the blander but altogether more intelligible Sevgililer Günü (Lovers’ Day).
Here in Cappadocia the idea has been slower to catch on. It’s true that young Göremelis, especially those with foreign girlfriends, appreciate the importance of flowers and chocolates. But otherwise this is one Western tradition too far for the locals. In Nevşehir the florists are as quiet as ever. Likewise the sweet shops. The only red balloons in evidence are those welcoming a new driving school to the town.
In Beğendik I spot sales staff casting doubtful eyes over their Lovers’ Day display. They’ve erected a veil and tied a big bow of ribbon over a basket of toiletries, but still it lacks a certain something, not least because the crucial explanatory words, Sevgililer Günü, are nowhere to be seen.
The trouble is that until recently most Cappadocian marriages had little to do with romance, and even now many Göreme partnerships are still arranged by the couple’s family. These days most people tie the knot in their late teens or early twenties, but there are still many older villagers whose nuptials took place when they were little more than children. One grizzled villager told me how he had become engaged when he was just 14: “My wife was only 13. When I went to visit her, she was so scared that she hid under the table.” Another reminisced about how his father had been allowed to look at his fiancée’s face for only as long as it took for a match to burn down.
In such circumstances love is something that grows over time, not the bedrock of marriage as is thought of in the West. But television advertising has a lot to answer for, and now middle-aged Göremelis, whose idea of romance would stretch no further than the offer of a sunflower seed, find their wives demanding to know what they will be receiving for Lovers’ Day. They’re joking, of course, but it’s an edgy kind of joking because all of them have heard about the exceptional husbands, the ones who’ve wised up to the new ways of the world and returned home clutching bouquets for their spouses".

Pat Yale, "Hearts and Flowers", Today`s Zaman, 13.02.2007

"As Valentine’s Day approaches, a survey conducted by the Ýstanbul Kültür University Art and Design Faculty Research Center among college students revealed that
74 percent of students have already fallen in love. Of the 74 percent, 41 percent have fallen in love once and 21 percent have fallen in love twice.

Faculty Dean Dr. Nükhet Güz, who headed the project, said, “Over 430 students were polled in the survey that was conducted to understand the perception of love among youth.” According to survey, the students said faithfulness was the first attribute come to mind when asked about “love and the Turkish woman,”
followed by jealousy and sensitivity. As for “love and men,” most said dishonesty was the first thing to come to mind.
In the “perception of love and Valentine’s Day” part of the survey, 6 percent first think of affection when talking about love, followed by the name of their beloved and then faithfulness. Sixty-three percent prefer to express their love face to face, 9 percent via telephone and 4 percent via e-mail.
The survey also pointed out that 18 percent of Turkish youth experienced first love at the age of 18, 13 percent experienced it at age 17 and 9 percent at age 16. When asked about Turkish society and love, 49 percent had no comment, 4 percent said they first think of the taboos and 2 percent said marriage. Asked what they were willing to do for their loved one, 13 percent said anything, 9 percent said die, and 4 percent said marriage. This figure revealed that the previous wild endeavors by lovers in the past no longer existed as the willingness to “do anything” was considered too ambiguous".

12.02.2007

Today’s Zaman