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I read the following websites every morning to get my daily dose of music news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/ http://www.spinner.com/category/news/ I'd be glad if you guys could suggest me similar sites (more indie and electronic stuff would be most welcome). I've made some nice discoveries today. First group is from Sweden. Don't worry they are not like ABBA. They are called Peter Björn and John, and it turns out that hey already had a 2006 hit in England. This is the first time I came across their stuff, somehow they sound like Ikea would sound if it was a song. Anyway, here is their performance on Conan O'Brien: (Damn. Only thing I miss about USA are the TV shows. Ok, and the burgers) The other one is DFA mix of Diddy's Tell Me (These are the same guys who remixed Justin Timberlake's My Love) which you can listen on this page: http://www.spinner.com/2007/01/29/the-dfa-does-diddy/ Lastly, one of the most innovative musicians of ...

57th Berlinale program is released. The festival will start next week, and filled with many many great movies. I am finding it hard to plan now. This years jury president is Paul Schrader ,;the screenwriter of my favorite Scorsese movies like Taxi Driver , Raging Bull , The Last Temptation of Christ , Bringing out the Dead ; and he is also participating with his own movie in the competition. Ill plan the movies I'll watch in during the festival tonigt and will post my views here.

I stumbled upon this live performance by Borat. Lyrics are very touching, and the electro-organ solos are master grade. The lyrics go: You have a pretty face, and hair that is gold Your body is nice, like a seven year old I wanting a world that you'll be my wife But if you cheat on me, you pay with your life You be my wife i treat you nice, We will make love, whenever i like I give you two shoes A dress that is red They belong us to you Since my old wife now dead

Few months ago I wrote about BBC's Top Gear Presenter Richard Hammond's crash . While BBC keeps us BBC World viewers happy with best of episodes, The Hamster has recovered completely and was on the show. Here is a video of this episode where they discuss Hammond's crash. Emm, befor I forget, speed kills... Thanks to Ali for bringing this to my attention.

Jools Holland does not use the word supergroup often. And when he does, one should be excited... The Clash Blur The Verve Africa 70 Take 1 musician from each band, and put under the musical direction of the legendary producer DJ Danger Mouse (name behind Grey Album , Gnarles Barkley). The resulting band is truely a superband. These mucians are: Damon Albarn of Blur The Clash bassist Paul Simmon The Verve guitarist Simon Tong Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen (he's a great drummer) I haven't gotten a hold of the album yet, until that Youtube is my only source: and also the band website: http://www.thegoodthebadandthequeen.com EDIT: I'm lucky. They're coming to Berlin on 8th of Febuary.

As it was expected Federer has just won the first Grand Slam of the year, with a 3-0 straight victory against Chilean Fernando Gonzales (Fernando Francisco González Ciuffardi actually). It was not a crushing defeat like the semis, Gonzales did his best. I mean he really did, but being himself as usual, Federer never seem to get the game out of his control. He made 19 unforced errors. Gonzales 29. It was like watching a mortal giving his best to defeat an immortal. Even if he plays like an immortal, he is still human and has emotions. It's just that he somehow strips off them during the game. Whereas Gonzales was sweating passion and emotion. It was so obvious during the tie-break that decided the 1st set, that perfection without emotion would beat outstanding game with passion. It was the 6th game of the 3rd set that the match was won, and which I would remember as one of the best tennis games I watched. Rally when it was 30-30, which of course Federer won, was simply a master...

It took again a week to visit the gym again. I gotta find some more time. Results: 5 Mins Bike (while waiting for the cross trainer) 40 Mins Cross Trainer Abs Bi and Triceps My performance in aerobic exercises is getting better with , which is something I lack severely. I've got two great songs to recommend to those who find it hard concentrating on a treadmill or cross. They are by Iron Maiden: Be Quick or Be Dead: The Trooper:

Besiktas held a open training session in Besiktas Inonu Stadium yesterday. This was a long forgotten, but much missed tradition of supporters watching and cheering for the players during the training session. It was long gone since the training grounds were moved from Besiktas District to modern facilities at Umraniye, lying on the outskirts of Istanbul. Apart from motivating the players, I guess this training had another benefit. The supporters could see what the coach sees everyday during the training. Perhaps this will let them understand, and appreciate why Tigana chooses a certain player for the squad. Here is a video from the training: Alen Markaryan, Tukish-Armenian Supporters Leader of Besiktas wrote this articla about Hrant Dink's murder. I wanted to share it: Gururluyum Avaz avaz feryatların, bir çığlığın, bir şaşkın parmağın, belki kaderin, ağız dolusu isyanın, bir tetiğin, bir soğuk namlunun ve 50 kuruşluk 3 tane merminin acı haykırışları vardı İstanbul sokaklarında. Ağ...

My dreams came true. I woke up, took a look outside the window, and the roof were white... I was as happy as I used to be when we were back in our Apartment in Alabas Sokak. I ran out quickly and took some photos. It's not a lot of snow, but enough to make me smile for a day. Better, more is on the way... more pics on: http://picasaweb.google.com/ahmetcihat

2007 started very badly for Turkey. One of Turkey's wester looking intellectuals, Ismail Cem has lost his 3 year long fight against lung Cancer... He was a prominent member of center-left political movement, and will be remembered (at least by me) for his successful efforts to bridge the gap between the Turkish and the Greek people. So I'd like to bid my farewell to this Turkish politician-journalist-lawyer, who worked for what he believed to be the best for his people and world peace, by a poem from Bülent Ecevit , who passed away few months ago: The golden age of the Aegean Will revive through us As with the fire of the future The hearth of the past comes alive... Rest in peace... PS: My friend Ozan's post has a very touching poem by Ismail Cem himself.

I've been listening to múm recently, yet another cool experimental band from Iceland. Their music is a liitle more abstract compared to Sigur Ros, but equally brilliant. " Summer Make Good" is a great album, I recommend " Weeping Rock, Rock " from this album. I found out that another album I like a lot, " Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant " by Belle and Sebastian , has something in common with Múm. The twins on the cover of this album are actually original members of Múm, Gyða and Kristín Valtýsdóttir. " I Fought in a War " is the best song from this album by the way.

I can feel it. It's coming. After almost a year later I smelled the beautiful smell of snow tonight. I will pray for snow before I go to sleep...

One thing goes without saying. Being a Besiktas fan means that you will feel the excitement of football to the last minute of every game. It is unfortunately not because Besiktas is playing great attacking football, but simply because we can concede a goal from any team were playing against anytime. We played Ankaragucu (Power of Ankara to those interested in Turkish) in the last game of Turkish Cup Group stage. 3 teams could reach the 2 qualifying positions, us, Ankaragucu and Genclerbirligi (Another Ankara team, translated Youth Union). We had to win, or draw and wait Genclerbirligi to loose. We started the game pretty well, our Brazilian-Turkish Striker Nobre missed many chances, and our Brazilian Striker Bobo was simply not on his day. It was nice to see our two football magicians, Ricardinho and Matias Delgado on the pitch, performing their usual tricks. Another good thing on the pitch was to see our 33 year old left winger Ibrahim Uzulmez learned how to cross after 8 years...

A prominent Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink was assassinated today by unknown gunman outside his office in Istanbul. I am shocked. I will write down my thoughts when the mist clears out a bit. I condemn this murder, and see it as another strike by those who do not want a free democratic society in Turkey. I hope this murder does not remain unsolved like Ugur Mumcu's or Taner Kislali's... We as Turks have to see that we will not be able to advance in any way until we have a society where the free thinkers are not under threat... http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/news/397538.asp

Best Post Rock band ever. I want to get lost in the power amps.

After exactly a week, I was at the gym yesterday. Whole Berlin stayed home after the storm warning, which turned out to be an exaggeration. The buses came on time, the gym was empty, a perfect day for a training. I switched to cross trainer from the treadmill, which gives me real bad aches, to Cross Trainer: Result: 30 mins cross trainer Abs Upper Body Lightweight Baby!

After 6 Months as a Marine, our beloved friend Seckin, a.k.a Diego, is coming back home today. Being the first of the gang to complete the compulsory military service, he's the first to face a life with million possibilities without any excuses. I am sure life will be kind to my friend, as it should be to someone who harbors nothing but good will towards life itself and towards the most of the people in the world. I mean we are talking about a guy, who almost had a depression just because the country was being governed so badly before the 2001 crisis. If the life is not fair, we know what to do: "Cekeriz Emaneti, S...riz Adaleti!"

I was asked by a friend of mine , whose taste for cinema I admire, a very simple but an important question. This picture is the question. My answer: De Niro... Yours?

"The Way of the Samurai is found in death. Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day when one's body and mind are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows, rifles, spears and swords, being carried away by surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to death by a great earthquake, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of one's master. And every day without fail one should consider himself as dead. This is the substance of the way of the samurai." My friend Pinar suggested me "Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samuara", which opens up with the quoute from Hagakure above, a few months ago. I got a hold of it last weekend and watched immediately. Well I loved the movie, and thought I should pass the helpful suggestion on to other people. The movie's about a mafia hitman, who kills a disrespectful family member, bu...

For those who didn't know it until now, I love British humour. And I came to appreciate it much more ever since I moved to Germany. And Jeremy Clarkson is one of the most successful TV personalities from UK, who is loyal to this tradition. BBC World's been airing a best of series from "Top Gear", while new series are in production after the miraculous escape of one of the presenters, Richard Hammond, from a high speed crash. Today I watched how they tried to outrun a Challenger II Battle Tank with a Land Rover Sport. Talking about the tank, Jeremy mentioned the types of ammunition it used with the following words: "It has high explosive rounds, which hit the target and blow it to pieces, and depleted uranium rounds, which penetrate the armor on the target, and give everyone inside ... two heads!" Simply Brilliant. The video is (naturally) on youtube:

It is a fixed question that every football fan has came across at least once in his lifetime. Pele or Maradona. Unfortunately, some people - fueled by the money hungry Fifa-Nike money making machine - have even suggested Ronaldinho should be added to this question. For me there is NO question. Diego is the god of football, Pele and Ronaldinho can only be prophets maybe, that is only if Maradona sent them. And if he ever did send a prophet, I guess it would have been George Best... The picture above should not be taken as a "proof of god", rather a touch of god. Cause he does not need a proof. The picture is from Mexico 86' and the desperate team who had to send 6 players to stop Maradona is Belgium.

I'll keep a track of my training program on my blog, which hopefully motivate me. So: Day 1 - 10 Jan 2007: 10 mins uphill walking (5.5 kmh) 10 mins jogging (7kmh) Upper Body Weight Change (+/-) = 0kg As Ronnie Coleman said: " Lightweight Baby! "

Before: After:

I battled hard against the i-pod fever. I was honing my Linux skills. Then I used my sisters Powerbook, that was the first blow. Then this came. I've got not much to say but: Apple, I surrender... More pics and specs on: http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/

Just fill in your hard drive of your portable mp3 player with music you liked, music you never listened, music you hated, and press shuffle button. Go on an musical joyride. Here is what I got today:

If anyone of you find it hard to get back to the office life after vacations like I do, I've got the perfect remedy: Another great feel-good-song from Zebda is Olalaradime (not on youtube), thanks to OnurKA for reminding me of Zebda again!

Conceptual artist Johnaton Keats has released a cell-phone ring tone cover of the legendary 4' 33'' by John Cage . 4' 33'' consists of three movements, which are actually the conductor turning the pages, and 273 seconds of silence, a reference to -273 degrees - Absolute Zero . The idea is that the audience are actually both creating the piece by making sounds, and are listening to the piece, so that each performance is unique. Cage was influenced by a series of blank paintings by Robert Rauschenberg , where different light conditions and the shadow of the observer created unique paintings for each observer. Here is an interesting symphonic version of 4' 33'' from BBC. Note how the audience tries to be silent, but fails to do so when the conductor turns the pages.

i don't know where i am i don't know where i've been but i know where i want to go so i thought i'd let you know PS: The song has one of the most touching video's I've ever watched. Yes I used "touching", I guess I am really growing up.