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Our rivals Fenerbahce played PAOK in the European League Playoffs. Partly because of the rivalry with Fenerbahce, and partly because of the story that I've been hearing -but not able to confirm- that PAOK's founders included Greek Besiktas supporters from Istanbul there was a growing solidarity among fans of the two clubs. To the delight of PAOK and some Besiktas fans, PAOK eliminated Fenerbahce out of the Cup. I feel it was important to see that the passion for the colors or the emblem of the club -both clubs share Eagle as their emblem- could transcend nationalistic fervor kindled by the media on the both sides of the border. A similar feeling was to be felt in Ankara, where a handful of Greek supporters opened the banner above, in the Turkey-Greece game of the Basketball World Cup. This time to the delight of all Fenerbahce and Besiktas fans it was the red and white jerseys that came out victorious.

Fenerli dostlarim yanlis anlamasin. Bu aksam siyah ve beyaz ve Kartal askim one gecti. Bu aksam Istanbullu Selanikliler Atletizm cemiyetini destekliyor olacagim. Keske Young Boys'u elemis olsalar, beni bu pozisyona sokmasalardi. Esas heyecan Helsinki'de tabi. Mac oldugu gun konsantre olmak imkansiz. Tum Besiktaslilar icin Pinar'in deyimile Türkiye'nin Vampiri Hakan Peker'den gelsin: Atesini yolla bana, sak sak sak! Daha daha sokul bana sak sak sak !

Me and my friends were on our way to King Hekataios' banquet. Except that I don't have a Facebook account, and its not my picture. This is from one of the newest archaeological finding in South Western Turkey. Do have a look at the pictures of the findings ( link to the gallery )

I was discussing the trouble Greeks have with the name Macedonia with friends on Friday. Actually more trying to understand how they feel about it. I argued it is not the right of Greece telling what name Macedonians use for their country, and Macedonia has no right claiming Greek territories. That seems to be what Greeks believe. Argumentation goes, what comes after the name, territory claims? We must draw a red line somewhere. It reminded me the exact same argument against acknowledging the terrible atrocities committed against the Anatolian Armenians around 1915. The knee jerk reaction is: "What happens after the apology, territorial claims?" Nowadays Turkish political agenda is focused around what is called "The Kurdish Expansion" -which should be "Human Rights Expansion" in my opinion- which boils down to the recognition of Kurdish identity in Turkish. Status Quo protectors -who in a travesty of the term happen to be Social Democrats- cry out the same...

aşkolsun sana çocuk(*) ve selam olsun gidenlerinin arkasından sessiz kalmış ülkeden, isyanlarını bütün dünyaya duyuran çocuklarını seven insanların ülkesine ... - greetings from the land, who stood silent after the departed ones, to the land of the people, who let the whole world hear their rebellion, and who loved their children. (*) http://sairlerparki.blogspot.com/2008/12/alexandros-grigoropoulos.html

The people of the cradle of democracy are giving another great example of courage and humanity, by standing against the tyranny of the coercive force monopoly in modern society, which we call the "Police." No sir, you cannot get away with killing a young boy at will... When they kick out your front door How you gonna come? With your hands on your head Or on the trigger of your gun When the law break in How you gonna go? Shot down on the pavement Or waiting in death row You can crush us You can bruise us But you'll have to answer to Oh, Guns of Brixton (*) Athens district around the Politechnical University where the protests got started

I visited Athens for a conference. I stayed the weekend to experience this antic city on the other side of the Aegean. Unfortunately I am not impressed. That is not to say that Athens is not a fun town, with beautiful girls and a nice beach just 30 minutes away with tram. All that is true. But the city itself is so reminiscent of Turkish cities like Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul that I did not feel I was in a foreign city. And therefore I was not all that impressed. Yet I think it is a decent 3 day trip for those of you who are not from Turkey. For my Turkish friends I wouls suggest visiting the Greek islands or rural Greece instead. Here is a small guide to athens, which is also available as a Google Map . The Airport: is connected conveniently to the city center with subway (called Metro). The tickets cost 6€. Ride takes 45 minutes, the firs train leaves at 5:30 from the city. The City: The city center is also meshed with many subway station. Daily card which includes trams costs 3€. I...