Yeni Anayasa gündemi: “Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu 2. yılı doldururken 60 maddede mutabakat sağlayabildi…

Türkçe: Atatürk kompozisyonu TBMM meclis parkında bulunmaktadır (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu 2. yılı doldururken 60 maddede mutabakat sağladı

T24

Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu 2. yıl bitimine yaklaşırken 60 maddede mutabakat sağladı. 112 maddede şerh var. “Yürütme”, “Son hükümler”, “Mali, Ekonomik ve Sosyal Hükümler” bölümlerinde komisyon ‘sıfır’ mutabakat sağladı. AKP’nin ‘Başkanlık’ önerisi

CHP’de Kart ile Batum arasında Anayasa krizi tırmanıyor

T24

CHP’de Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu’nun iki üyesi Süheyl Batum ile Atilla Kart arasında ‘etnik siyaset’ gerginliği yaşandı. CHP Merkez Yönetim Kurulu’ndan geçen anadil düzenlemesine karşı çıkan Süheyl Batum, Atilla Kart’ın açıkladığı Anayasa taslak

Anayasa Uzlaşma’da, AKP, ‘Başkanlık’ önerisinden geri adım atmadı

T24

Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu’nun bugünkü toplantısında, ‘Yargıtay’ ve ‘Danıştay’ düzenlemeleri müzakere edildi. AKP, CHP ve MHP’nin 40 maddenin tıkandığını söylediği ‘Başkanlık’ önerisinden geri adım atmadı. Danıştay üyelerinin seçimine ilişkin fıkrada

 

BDP’den ‘Yeni Anayasa’ yürüyüşü

Objektif Haber

ŞANLIURFA’da, 200 kadar BDP üyesi, yürüyüş düzenledi. BDP İl Başkanı Halit Yıldıztekin, ‘Çözüm sürecinin’ oyalama taktiği olarak kullanmamasını isterken, “Dilimiz, kültürümüz ve anayasal haklarımızın bir an önce anayasal güvenceye kavuşturulması

 

CHP’den anadil sürprizi

Bugün

CHP, parti içinde ve TBMM Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu üyeleri arasında krize neden olan eğitim öğretimle ilgili maddede önerisini değiştirdi. Yeni madde önerisi CHP’li komisyon üyesi Atilla Kart tarafından komisyona yazılı olarak sunuldu. Yeni maddede

Çiçek’ten Yeni Anayasa eleştirisi!

Internet Haber

Yeni anayasa çalışmalarının Meclis’in açılmasının ardından devam edip etmeyeceği sorusu üzerine Çiçek, 1 Ekim’de Meclis’in açılacağını, Cumhurbaşkanı Abdullah Gül‘ün, 11. Cumhurbaşkanı sıfatıyla son defa TBMM Genel Kurulu’na hitap edeceğini …

Cemil Çiçek yeni anayasa çalışmalarını değerlendirdi

“Motor çalışıyor ama mesafe alamıyoruz”

TBMM Başkanı Çiçek: Güneşin önemli bir kısmı battı

 

Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu, Anayasa Mahkemesi’nde kilitlendi

T24

TBMM Anayasa Uzlaşma Komisyonu, Anayasa Mahkemesi maddesinde kilitlendi. AKP, MHP ve BDP, mahkeme üyelerinin tamamının TBMM tarafından seçilmesinde uzlaştı. CHP, TBMM’nin üyelerin yalnızca 6’sını seçmesinde ısrar etti. AKP, üçte iki

Cemil Çiçek’ten ‘anayasa’ yorumu: ‘Güneş battı gibi geliyor’

soL Haber Portalı

TBMM Başkanı Cemil Çiçek, anayasa çalışmaları için “Komisyon olarak daha evvel koyduğumuz hedefin çok daha gerisindeyiz. Onun için güneş batmak üzere dedim. Güneşin önemli bir kısmı da battı gibime geliyor” dedi. Altındağ Belediyesi tarafından müze …

Çiçek’ten Yeni Anayasa eleştirisi!

“Motor çalışıyor ama mesafe alamıyoruz”

TBMM Başkanı Çiçek: Güneşin önemli bir kısmı battı

CHP’de anayasa tartışması

Gerçek Gündem

Hülya Karabağlı / T24 – CHP Uşak Milletvekili Dilek Akagün Yılmaz, “Daha önce bu arkadaşları uyarmıştım. İlk dört madde CHP’nin kırmızı çizgisidir. Bir sözcük bile değiştirilemez. Bu konuda yanlış yapan arkadaşlarımızı uyaracağım. Rıza Bey’in ‘ana dil .

 

Şanlıurfa’da Bdp’den ‘Yeni Anayasa’ Yürüyüşü

Haber 3

BDP İl Başkanı Halit Yıldıztekin, ‘Çözüm sürecinin’ oyalama taktiği olarak kullanmamasını isterken, “Dilimiz, kültürümüz ve anayasal haklarımızın bir an önce anayasal güvenceye kavuşturulması elzemdir” dedi. Şanlıurfa’da, BDP’li grupta bulunanlar ..

 

CHP’de Anayasa çatlağı

CNN Türk

CHP’deki Anayasa çatlağı büyüyor. Anayasa Uzlaşı Komisyonu üyesi CHP’li Süheyl Batum ve CHP Parti Meclisi üyesi Birgül Ayman Güler ortak yazılı açıklama yaptı, CHP’li diğer Anayasa Uzlaşı Komisyonu üyesi Atilla Kart’a sert tepki gösterdi.

CHP’de Kart ile Batum arasında Anayasa krizi tırmanıyor

CHP’de anayasa kavgası kızışıyor

 

TBMM Anayasa Komisyonu Başkanı Kuzu:

Spot Haber

İSTANBUL (AA) – TBMM Anayasa Komisyonu Başkanı Burhan Kuzu, asıl olanın dünyadaki ekolojik denge olduğunu belirterek, “Denge bozulduğu zaman anayasanın bir anlamı kalmıyor, hiçbir şeyin bir anlamı kalmıyor” dedi. Kuzu, Esenler Belediyesi …

Esenler’de iki dönüşüm birden!

 

Muş”ta “Anayasa Ve İnsan Onuru” Konferansı

Pirsus Haber

Anayasa Mahkemesi Başkanı Haşim Kılıç, anayasa hazırlayanların tek kırmızı çizgisinin insan onuru olması gerektiğini belirterek, “Eğer bir kırmızı çizgi olacaksa bu da insan onurudur, başka hiçbir şey değil” dedi.Anayasa Mahkemesi Başkanı Haşim Kılıç,

 

Yeni Anayasa’da uzlaşılan madde sayısı 60 oldu

Bugün

Komisyon TBMM Başkanlık Divanı başlıklı maddede uzlaşıya vardı.Meclis başkanı, başkan vekilleri, katip üyeler ve idare amirlerinden oluşan başkanlık divanının oluşumunda “cinsiyetler arası eşit temsil ilkesi” gözetilecek. Daha önce kadın ve erkek …

CHP’de Anayasa çatlağı

CHP’de anayasa kavgası kızışıyor

CHP’de Kart ile Batum arasında Anayasa krizi tırmanıyor

 

The Guardian piece: “Erdoğan’s split personality: the reformer v the tyrant… Package aftermath…

 

Erdoğan’s split personality: the reformer v the tyrant

The Turkish prime minister revealed the iron fist in his velvet glove this summer, but of which is his true character built?

All summer long, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been in a very bad mood. The public squares and parks of Istanbul and several other Turkish cities were taken over by protesters he angrily dismissed as “riff-raff”, turning the full coercive power of the state on the largely peaceful demonstrators.

 

5 Reasons Why Erdogan’s Package Is More About Elections than Democracy

Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed the details of the much-anticipated democratization package at a press conference in Ankara today.

For an untrained eye, the package might look like a small, but important step towards a better democracy, as it includes several improvements especially for minorities.

BDP unsatisfied, finds package insufficient

The opposition parties, particularly the Kurdish political groups, expressed their disappointment with regard to the democratization package

Democratization package leaves Alevi demands unanswered

Members of the Alevi community have expressed their unhappiness about the lack of measures in the package

EU welcomes package, will follow implementation

The European Union said it welcomed the democratization package announced by the Turkish government

Turkish PM unveils reforms after summer of protests

Some critics say Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s proposals do not go far enough in driving Turkey’s faltering democratisation

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unveiled the first big package of liberalising reforms in years on Monday, making overtures to the large Kurdish minority and proposing that headscarved women be allowed to sit in parliament and be civil servants for the first time in the history of the Turkish republic.

Turkish PM announces details of ‘democratization package’

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is revealing the details of a much-anticipated democratization package

Turkey lifts ban on headscarf, to introduce Kurdish education with democracy package

Turkey will lift the ban on the wearing of headscarves in public institutions and will introduce education in Kurdish in private schools

 

Turkish Parliament opens for painful term

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will announce the democratization package today, which he has said will contain “surprises”

Arzu Geybullayeva: Where does religion end and politics begin in Turkey: through the prism of The Gezi Park protests- Part 1

Where does religion end and politics begin in Turkey: through the prism of The Gezi Park protests

Part 1

 

It has been a few months now since Turkey, was shaken by Gezi Park Protests– an environmental outcry turn countrywide demonstration. The protest itself showed the side of Turkey many thought was long forgotten- civil popular dissent, unity, and solidarity. For the first time in years in a country of some seventy million, people rose against their government and its gripping authority of the ruling Justice and Development party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi) and its leader, the Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. If someone said that hundreds of thousands of Turks raising their voices against the ruling government’s patronizing and increasingly more conservative policies would take the streets in more than 60 towns few months ago, it would have been hard to believe. The Gezi spirit brought people together as well as left many baffled by what Turkish citizens are capable of and among those scratching their heads is also the Turkish government officials.

 

Gezi protests: religious storm in the making?

 

It all began with few environmentalists’ attempt to prevent bulldozers from entering a small park in the heart of Istanbul near Taksim Square on May 27. The Prime Minister, Erdogan envisaged a new development plan for the park- a new shopping center, with cultural centers, opera house, a mosque, Ottoman- era military barracks, and the historic Ataturk Culture Center demolished. The plan was not open to public discussion or a vote, just as it has been the case with other past and recent development projects- construction of a third bridge across the Bosphorus entailing destruction of thousands of more trees (not to mention naming it after Yavuz Selim, an Ottoman Sultan under which thousands of Alevis (1) were slaughtered), a third and biggest new airport, the largest mosque on another green space on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, (2) a canal connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and many others.

 

When the popular unrest escalated (given the heavy handed tactics of police who used tear gas and water cannon to disperse peaceful protesters and burned their tents) on May 31st, Turkey’s Prime Minister could have prevented the approaching storm. Instead he chose to press with the development plans. He refused to accept the debt of the events and left the country for a three- day trip to North Africa. Following his return it was clear his government wont budge from its earlier stand. Shortly after came the religion card. It was a (mis)calculation on behalf of Erdogan’s government to rely heavily on religion and discredit the protesters based on their spiritual affiliation (or lack thereof). Little did he know that Turkey was made up of more than just his staunch supporters (of which he said later he could hardly keep at home (3) as the protests spread across the country) and simply anti- government hoodlums (4) or “chapulcu” in Turkish, a term that was embraced (5) by the protesters following Erdogan’s fiery statement that he wont “seek permission from hoodlums to implement” his plans for Taksim. (6)

 

From the very start of the protests up until today, Erdogan’s inflammatory rhetoric portrayed and continues to do so, the demonstrations as the work of secular, westernized elite with a goal to repress religious and conservative majority. One must note that it was the Prime Minster himself who started playing the religion card, not the protesters.

 

The miscalculation of that action was fatal. All throughout the protests the protesters and organizers of the occupy Gezi movement did all they could to “embrace everyone”. And it was a religious sermon organized on a 9th day of protests which coincided with the Lailat-al-Mi’raj also known as Mirac Kandili in Turkish, that left the leaders even more so baffled. The unity among protesters was highlighted in the sermon of Ihsan Eliacik, a religious author from the anti-capitalist Muslims group who spoke that night at the park. “Mirac means ascendance . Muhammed the Holy Prophet has brought Islam by ascending to God. Islam means peace. Peace is a state of harmlessness. Do not harm anyone. Greet everyone; greet also those who are different from you. Be brothers and sisters, spread love and compassion. Today this energy is spreading out from Gezi Park. With God’s grace, completely new things are happening in Turkey” Eliacik (7) said at the park.

 

Few weeks later, as the holy month of Ramadan came to Turkey, once again the regime was baffled. The so- called unreligious Turks set up “earth tables” in the streets for iftar (dinner to break the day-long fast) with the first one set up on Istiklal Avenue of Istanbul, the city’s main pedestrian and shopping street. Everyone brought something to join the “table”- even those who have never fasted before- as a sign of solidarity. As the time went by, other “earth tables” were set up in other Istanbul neighborhoods. Among these were Fatih, and in Sarigazi Cemevi- a neighborhood known for its Alevi population long ostracized by the conventional Sunnis and the ruling party. (8)

 

Ironically, this idea of one community is something that Erdogan’s government once promised when it first came to power in 2002. Back then there was rhetoric of a different Turkey- a non-ideological approach to politics, responsiveness to demands of the people, change, development, liberty and democracy. (9) In the initial years of leadership, Erdogan took steps to distance himself and his party from the country’s earlier Islamist parties that were anti- west. In fact he was viewed as a “Nixon-in-China, a man who understood the need for Turkey’s closer integration to Europe and the global economy because of and not despite his political initiation in an openly Islamic political movement. He promised to rewrite Turkey’s international role The new Turkey would not simply be a bulwark but an agent of change- as a beacon of sound governance, a powerhouse economy, and a reservoir of good diplomatic sense”. (10)

It is unfortunate that only a decade later the AKP, especially following its second re-election is shifting further apart from its original rhetoric of a new Turkey. Turkey today no longer is united or at least not for the time being. For the ruling Justice and Development Party Turkey consists of the 50% who voted for Erdogan in the last elections in 2011, and the rest of the country. As for Erdogan himself, many see him and his party more as “xenophobic, anti- Western, inward-looking, anti-globalization and pro-status quo” (11) than what he once used to be.

1) Alevis are the non-Sunni Muslim group in Turkey. Since AKP coming to power Alevi population have had problems as the ruling government refused to recognize their “cemevi”- Alevi places of worship.

2) Çamlıca

3) Constanze Letsch, Ian Traynor, “Turkish protests: John Kerry voices concer over police use of force”, June 4, 2013, last accessed on July 21, 2013, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/03/turkey-protests-us-voices-concern

 4) Marc Champion, “A lesson for Turkey from Romania’s ‘Golaniad’ Protests”, June 17, 2013, last accessed on July 21, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/20130617/erdogansgolaniad.html

5) Needless to say, the demeaning term was widely embraced by the protesters, as they proudly labeled themselves “capulcu” and coined an English verb “capuling”

6) Luke Harding, “Turkish protesters embrace Erdogan insult and start ‘capuling’ craze”, June 10, 2013, last accessed on July 21, 2013, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/10/turkishprotesterscapulingerdogan

7) Ates Altinordu, “Occupy Gezi, beyond the religioussecular cleavage”, last accessed on July 22, 2013,  http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2013/06/10/occupygezibeyondthereligioussecularcleavage/

8) Fehim Tastekin, “Turkey’s Gezi Park Protesters Regroup for Ramadan”, July 14, 2013, last accessed on July 2013 http://www.almonitor. com/pulse/originals/2013/07/turkeygeziparkprotestersobserveramadaniftars.html

9) Al Jazeera Magazine, “Turkey: a master of its own” in “Turkey: a country in Transition” issue, July 15, 2013, last accessed on July 21, 2013

10) Andrew Finkel, “Turkey: master of its own” in “Turkey: a country in transition?” Al Jazeera magazine, July 2013

11) Ihsan Dagi, “What is behind the veil of conspiracy theories”, June 16, 2013, last accessed on July 21, 2013, http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist318426whatisbehindtheveilofconspiracytheories.html

 

Ayhan Kaya: Erdoğan, Merkel pleased by status quo in Turkey-EU ties; “How Turkey blew its chance to lead this troubled region…

Erdoğan, Merkel pleased by status quo in Turkey-EU ties

Following an overwhelming electoral victory that gave Angela Merkel the mandate to rule Germany for the third time, not much is expected to change in Turkish-EU relations

*************************

US concerned about Turkey’s choice of Chinese missile system

The US is concerned over Turkey’s decision to co-produce a defense system with a Chinese firm

How Turkey blew its chance to lead this troubled region

The Independent on Sunday (UK) 29 September 2013, p. 37 Patrick Cockburn The country could have enhanced its influence and saved a lot of lives. It did the exact opposite Whatever happened to the idea that Turkey was the coming power in the Middle East, with its surging economy and stable democracy under a mildly

 France, Britain and China to be in Syria peace talks: Fabius

Britain, France and China will be involved in a peace conference on Syria due in Geneva in November, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Monday.

Obama and Iran’s Rouhani hold historic phone call

The U.S. president confirms a historic first direct communication with Iran’s leader since 1979

Turkey ploughs own furrow as Mideast and EU ties worsen

Financial Times (UK) 27 September 2013, p. 4 By Daniel Dombey in Istanbul For years, the overarching question about Turkey was whether the country would become more at home in the Middle East or instead continue its decades-long journey towards European standards. Now an answer has come closer into view: neither of the above. Relations

 

UN Security Council unanimously adopts landmark resolution on Syria chemical arms

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution that demands the eradication of Syria’s chemical weapons, ending weeks of intense diplomacy

Obama: Syria chemical resolution ‘huge victory’ for world

The U.S. president hailed a U.N. resolution on Syria as ‘a huge victory’ for the world

Turkey welcomes draft resolution on Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has welcomed a draft resolution of the U.N. Security Council to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons

The Road on from Damascus: What the Syria Deal Means for the U.S. and Russia

The deal the United States and Russia struck to get rid of Syria’s chemical weaponry is neither a sign of a sea change in relations nor a victory for one party over the other, writes Olga Oliker. It is, however, something of a testament to diplomacy on both sides.

Turkey may be forced to ‘standalone’ air defenses

The integration of the chosen Chinese system with NATO assets is very unlikely

EFD Rights Watch: Drug Dealers kill a leftist activist, #HasanFeritGedik in #Gülsuyu Istanbul, despite heavy Police presence in the neighbourhood…

Hasan Ferit Gedik

Police launch operations in Istanbul’s Gülsuyu after leftist protester killed in clashes

One person was killed yesterday amid a fight between leftist groups and drug dealers in the Asian-side Istanbul neighborhood

************************

Recovering Turkey’s image will take time after Gezi protests, says Deputy PM

The Gezi Park incidents seriously damaged Turkey’s image, Ali Babacan says

Turkey to produce local tear gas out of fears of international embargo

Turkey could soon produce its own tear gas after Amnesty International’s call for embargo, officials say

Council of Europe urges Turkey to implement ECHR judgments on excessive police force

The Council of Europe has urged Turkish authorities to implement European Court of Human Rights rulings regarding police’s use of excessive force against protesters

 

‘I’ll bend you over and…’

Pınar was detained in Beşiktaş by two undercover policemen, dragged and beaten. She was taken into an İETT bus again at Beşiktaş, which was used as a detention bus. She was listening to voices coming from outside. That’s where we stopped last week. It was the third day of the Gezi incidents.

 

Live thread… Turkey’s “Democratization” Package to be announced now…

You can watch it online here at CNN TURK.

 

11:10

PM Erdoğan starts his talk.

No opposition dailies were allowed due to “lack of seats”

Turkish PM Erdoğan to unveil earnest ‘democracy package’

A highly anticipated “democratization package” will be announced today by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

 

Bulut/ Depolama Seçenekleri. Çevrimiçi araçlar serisinde 3. bölüm…

English: Diagram showing overview of cloud computing including Google, Salesforce, Amazon, Axios Systems, Microsoft, Yahoo & Zoho (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

 

Geçen gün kızkardeşim abi sende ekstra hard disk var mı dediğinde ya bak böyle böyle depolarsın dedim ama ikna edemedim. Yine de eldeki kaynakları bir paylaşalım. Tabi ki bu liste kesin bir liste değil, atladığım seçenekler vardır, okuyucular bunları yorum kısmına eklerse ne güzel olur…

 

Bulut Bilişim aslında yalnızca çevrimiçi depolama değil, çevrimiçi işlem de yapabilmeyi içeriyor en kaba hattıyla. Yine de ilk akla gelen depolama tabi… Aşağıda listelediğim tüm hizmetler bedava depolama imkanı veriyor. Neredeyse hiç para ödenmeden tüm dijital belgelerinizi depolayabilirsiniz…

 

Efendim, Dropbox bu alanın hala en birinci hizmeti. Buna itiraz edemem. Ama burada hesabım olsa da benim ilk ve hala en büyük göz ağrım Google Drive. Hem diğer Google hizmetleriyle entegre olmuş olması hem de bana lazım olan tüm ofis işlemleri ihtiyacını karşıladığı için Drive benim için hayati bir rol oynuyor.

 

Drive’dan sonra özellikle depolama için en çok kullandığım hizmet Yandex Disk. O da Google Drive gibi daha büyük bir işlem hacminin parçası olarak sunuluyor.

 

Pek beğendiğim ve sürekli ilerleme gösteren bir hizmet de Box.com

 

Henüz kullanmaya başlamasam da Bitcasa kullanışlı gözüküyor. (10 GB’a kadar bedava depolama imkanı sunmakta)

Ayrıca Amazon Cloud Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive ve de benim işim olmasa da Apple iCloud’la da 15 GB’den fazla bedava çevrimiçi depolama fırsatı olabilir.

Belge/kitap paylaşımında Scribd kullanıcı dostu bir site.

Sunum dosyaları paylaşımında hala  SlideShare iddialı.

 

Süreli yayın paylaşımında Issuu ‘a bakılabilir.

 

Çin’in Tencent’i 10 TB’a kadar depolama fırsatı veriyor. Ama açıkçası Çince arayüzle uğraşmak pek istemedim. Yine de şuraya bir bakın: http://www.weiyun.com/disk/

Yine Çin’in Ali Baba’sı da bulut işine girdi ve aslında çok da yer veriyor. Onun da haberi burada. Bir deneyin bakalım. Ha yine Çin’den Baidu and Qihoo da 1 TB yer veriyormuş.  İşler yolunda gidiyorsa ben de deneyeyim:)

 

BitTorrent’le güçlendirilmiş sınırsız buluş depolama imkanında bulunan Hive da var.  Ama bu beta servisinden henüz davetiye alamadım. Alan arkadaşlar bize bir haber etsinler, nasıl bir servis diye… Haberi şuradaydı.

Bulut’taki tüm malzemeyi tek bir elden kumanda etmek için de JoliCloud var. Henüz kullanmadım ama sanki yakında kullanırım bunu…

Eurosphere roundup: Blow to Golden Dawn in Greece… Berlusconi

 

Greek police arrest dozen Golden Dawn members, including party leader

Greek police arrested the leader of the far-right Golden Dawn Party in a morning operation

Greek neo-Nazi MPs to face criminal charges: Court source

Five lawmakers of the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn including its founder Nikos Michaloliakos will face charges of belonging to a criminal organization

 

Berlusconi calls for snap Italy elections

Ex prime minister’s order for his ministers to quit coalition ignores warnings by IMF and European Commission that Italy needs political stability

Key Thatcher speech ‘not anti-EU’

Thatcher Bruges speech ‘not anti-EU’ says its author

 

 

Serbia bans gay pride march again; EU slams decision

Serbia’s government banned a weekend gay pride march for the third consecutive year, sparking protests by gay activists and criticism from the EU

 

Almost a third of Austrians projected to vote anti-euro parties in its national elections

*

Chancellor Werner Faymann (R) & Frank Stronach (L)

Hot on Germany’s heels, Austria is up with its national election on Sunday.

 

Austria is currently governed by a ‘grand coalition’ of Chancellor Werner Faymann’s centre-left social democrats (SPÖ) and the centre-right People’s Party (ÖVP) lead by Michael Spindelegger. Polls put SPÖ at about 27% and the ÖVP 23% –  theoretically enough secure a return to office.

 

Why the EU should agree to disagree on GMOs

The demand to transfer powers from the EU back to the national level is politically en-vogue in several EU member states at the moment. EU policy on agricultural biotechnology, however, is an interesting exception, writes Maria Weimer.

Maria Weimer is assistant professor in EU law at the Law Faculty of the University of Amsterdam and a senior research fellow at the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance. This commentary was first published here on BlogActiv.

The Council of Ministers has recently become deadlocked over a Commission legislative proposal to re-nationalise parts of EU legislation on the cultivation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). According to the 2012 Danish EU presidency progress report, “a political agreement on the GMO dossier is not possible.”

Angela Merkel, the empress of Europe

If one were writing a guidebook for would-be political leaders, one might well use Angela Merkel as a negative example. She is not media-friendly. She is not charismatic. She is not physically fit or well-dressed. She does not give off an aura of decisiveness; indeed, she has been known to leave extremely important decisions until it is almost too late. Her political campaigns are boring, her personal life even more so. She sometimes likes to compare her economic policies to those of a “Swabian housewife.”

Centre for European Politics: EU Budget for 2013: what’s all the fuss?

In recent days the European Commission has asked for € 3.9 billion extra to supplement the EU’s annual budget of 2013. This has unleashed some predictable opposition from Eurosceptics including those in the British government: http://www.b…

Democratization-AKP style: Opposition dailies excluded from tomorrow’s media show…

Turkish PM to announce democracy package with simultaneous translations in English, Arabic

The Turkish prime minister’s announcement of the much-anticipated democratization package on Sept. 30 will be simultaneously translated into English and Arabic

‘Historic’ package not ordered by jailed PKK leader, genuine AKP project: Turkish PM

PM Erdoğan has brushed aside opposition criticism about a much-anticipated democratization package that will be made public in two days

Three from our group betrayed us: Turkish Prime Minister

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reproached three AKP deputies for voting against a law banning the closure of political parties

Where Turkish politics meets football: AKP’s offside goal against ‘Çarşı’

ÇARŞI are being painted as the culprits of the pitch invasion and violence of the Sunday game. However, the ‘losing side’ of the incident is also ÇARŞI and the wider Beşiktaş fan base, a clear contradiction in terms.

The derby match between Besiktas and Galatasaray that was played in Istanbul was abandoned at the 90+2nd minute after an eruption of violence resulted in a pitch invasion. Foreign papers and local news reports alike have concentrated their coverage on the presence of violence without really probing the consequences or the underlying reasons why this event took place in the first place. Conveniently, we have also stopped questioning issues surrounding the AKP’s recent conduct or the ‘democracy package’ that the AKP have been promising to announce for the past 3 weeks.

Cyberculture roundup: GNU turned 30 years old, Free Software still important… Pew report: 15% of American adults ages 18 and older do not use the internet or email…

Why Free Software Is More Important Now Than Ever Before

GNU just turned 30 years old. But much has changed since the beginning of the free software movement; now there’s SaaS and more. Malware is common in proprietary software products since users don’t have control over them. Why does this control matter? Because freedom means having control over your own life.

Who’s Not Online and Why

As of May 2013, 15% of American adults ages 18 and older do not use the internet or email.

Asked why they do not use the internet:

• 34% of non-internet users think the internet is just not relevant to them, saying they are not interested, do not want to use it, or have no need for it.

• 32% of non-internet users cite reasons tied to their sense that the internet is not very easy to use. These non-users say it is difficult or frustrating to go online, they are physically unable, or they are worried about other issues such as spam, spyware, and hackers. This figure is considerably higher than in earlier surveys.

• 19% of non-internet users cite the expense of owning a computer or paying for an internet connection.

• 7% of non-users cited a physical lack of availability or access to the internet.

Report: Cell Internet Use 2013

63% of adult cell owners now use their phones to go online, a figure that has doubled since we first started tracking internet usage on cell phones in 2009. In addition, 34% of these cell internet users say that they mostly go online using their cell phone. That means that 21% of all adult cell owners now do most of their online browsing using their mobile phone—and not some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer.

Report: Cell Phone Activities 2013

Fully 91% of American adults own a cell phone and many use the devices for much more than phone calls. In our most recent nationally representative survey, we checked in on some of the most popular activities people perform on their cell phones and found:

• 81% of cell phone owners send or receive text messages

• 60% of cell phone owners access the internet

• 52% send or receive email

• 50% download apps

• 49% get directions, recommendations, or other location-based information

• 48% listen to music

• 21% participate in a video call or video chat

• 8% “check in” or share their location

From Anonymous to Bitcoin, The Good Wife Is the Most Tech-Savvy Show on TV

Fictive depictions of tech are influential. In most shows, technology is painted as either implausibly superpowered (‘Wait?enhance that image!’) or alarmingly dangerous. The Good Wife avoids this Manichaean trap.

Facebook Tweaks News Feed Ads Algorithm To Factor In User Feedback

Facebook announced another tweak to the algorithm that determines which ads appear in users’ News Feeds, giving more weight to the feedback it receives on ads, particularly how often they are hidden or reported.

Istanbul’s Kadıköy offers free Wi-Fi on streets

Istanbul’s Asian side district of Kadıköy will be hosting free, limitless Wi-Fi for internet users

Google turns 15: Here are 10 milestones that have shaped its search program

There’s something special about September 27, at least as it relates to one of the technology industry’s biggest players. It marks the 15th anniversary of Google’s founding* and the company has highlighted the occasion by revealing several updates to its search algorithm. But how has search, the cornerstone of all things Google, changed over the past decade and a half?

Microsoft Wants Google to Censor Its Wikipedia PageDay in and day out copyright holders send hundreds of thousands of DMCA takedown notices to Google, hoping to make pirated movies and music harder to find.

Attention v. relationship economy

Oddly, Google chief economist Hal Varian analyzes newspapers‘ problems and prescribes solutions strictly from an old-media perspective — based on attention to marketing messages — rather than an internet (namely, Google) perspective of relevance and relationships.

12 True Tales of Creepy NSA Cyberstalking

The NSA has released some details of 12 incidents in which analysts used their access to America’s high-tech surveillance infrastructure to spy on girlfriends, boyfriends, and random people they met in social settings. It’s a fascinating look at what happens when the impulse that drives average netizens to look up long-ago ex-lovers on Facebook is mated with the power to fire up a wiretap with a few keystrokes.

NSA has, as the paranoids warned us, been studying the social ties of Americans through our data

Gen. Keith Alexander, National Security Agency director, testifying Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

NSA Is Building Social Graphs of Americans’ Data: Report

The U.SNational Security Agency has been using phone and email records to build visual graphs of Americans’ social connections