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Turkey is Typing…

Deborah Ann Dilley · 22:30

This week, we are going to visit Turkish bloggers in alphabetical order! Are you excited!

Amerikan Turk talks about his racing (bicycle) this week. He spent Father's Day in a local bike race and was planning on participating in another on this Sunday, although his plans might have been foiled by a twisted ankle at work. Amerikan Turk also posts about the Turkish bloggers yahoo group, who this week had some “heated discussions” on whether or not to post in Turkish or English, amoung other things. Either way, whatever language, it is an excellent group to visit.

Athanasia's Daily, who I don't cover too often, wrote about the universal problems of having summer birthdays. Happy Birthday Burcu!

I am only going to post one item from Erkan's Field Diary this week….because I feel that the item deserves special consideration….he has his First Academic Publication out!

Gulay, Galatasaray and the Dogs post another little jab at fellow futbol blogger Oz Kanka and lists how some of the international players from Turkish soccer teams are doing in the World Cup.

Mavi Boncuk gives us more Turkish history with a bio on Turkish feminist Nezihe Muhittin, information on Ottoman civil law, and a primer on the Millet system and the guilds during the Ottoman period.

Oz Kanka is still giving blow by blow World Cup reporting for the Round Ball in Ankara.

Talk Turkey has been talking about Metro-logic and More Metro-logic…and no, I am not going to tell you what it is, you have to read it for yourself. (wink)

Well that's the week, not everyone was covered so I apologize for leaving some of the regulars out. Have a good one!

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Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

Salam Adil · 11:15

We have had enough.

The fearsome nights are stifling us and we now have come to hate the Fall [of Baghdad]; we hate Liberation; we hate Sunnis; we hate Shiites; we hate turbans and sidaras; we hate Jihad and Jihadists, resistance and resistors; we hate concrete; we hate streets and sidewalks; we hate the Ministries; we hate Establishments; we hate news channels and news and communiqués; we hate the Parliament that has now become a venue for swearing-in ceremonies and nothing else; we hate songs; we hate commercials; we hate newspapers; we hate cars and car-depots; we hate conferences; we hate ‘surprise visits’; we hate neighboring countries; we hate the ‘multinational forces; we hate the night; we hate the day; we hate Summer; we hate the sun that sends hell; we hate sleep; we hate water and electricity; we hate petrol and corruption and theft; we hate sectarianism; we hate sectarian ‘allocations’; we hate Reconciliation; we hate the government of national unity; we hate committees and Commissions of Integrity, Trash, Rehabilitation and Silliness; we hate [political] parties and organizations; we hate assemblies, demonstrations, banners and chants; we hate laughter; we hate crying; we hate work; we hate study; we hate each other. And we hate ourselves. But (and this is our problem) we still love something that was called Iraq.

Will you save what is left of this Iraq?

Shalash al-Iraqi, 22 June 2006 (translated by Abu Khaleel)

And on with the blog

Pssst… yes you… over here… shhh! [Salam Adil looks furtively from one side to the other]. Well, I heard H telling S that the people over in B are saying that the theme of the Iraqi blogs this week is… [looks again]… rumors. And in an environment like Iraq where one side of a city does not know what is happening on the other, rumors abound. But there is more. Given the popularity of my last post on politics, I have a new section called ‘The Week in Politics'.

If you read no other blog posts this week read these

Don't miss Baghdad's Treasure's trip to Kurdistan: (more…)

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China: When studying hard doesn't get you into college, there's always corruption

John Kennedy · 10:34

The obsessive amount of attention paid to Gao Kao (高考)—China's university entrance exams—each year suggests either collective national psychic trauma or an education system ready for some reform. Although the majority of related blog buzz could be seen surrounding the two days of testing earlier this month, in which eight million students participated, scores started coming back earlier this week giving rise to a new discussion over what many are saying is the sketchy practice of awarding additional test points to athletically-inclined students in an already troubled education system.

Sina blogger Xu Xiao writes of a new law in southern China's Hunan province which offers bonus points for high-performing athletes ranked at the provincial level and above: twenty points for each of the top six athletes in individual events or the top three team members in group events, and ten points for students ranked second or above at the national level. Seen in the post-exam conversations though, are strong claims that many students with wealthy or powerful families are having more points added to their test score than their athletic abilities would suggest.

(more…)

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