Author: Aylin D. Miller

  • Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

    Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

    Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, including the United States, Canada, the European Union, Israel, and others. However, it is important to note that opinions on this matter can vary, and different countries and entities may have different perspectives on the classification of Hamas.

    Some people such as Turkish president Erdogan have the opposite opinion. Turkish president Erdogan said that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.

    filistin hamas askerleri

    Some people agree that Hamas is not just a terrorist organization, but far worse and too big to be labeled as terrorists. They believe that they are a political party that also has its own military and enforcement.

    hamas militanlari

    The foot soldiers are trained radicals who blindly follow their billionaire leaders.

  • What is Turkey doing in Africa?

    What is Turkey doing in Africa?

    As the West reduces its presence and influence in Africa, Turkey is using trade, aid and education to make inroads into the continent.

    And it has even rebranded itself as an “Afro-Eurasian country”, as the BBC’s Esther Kahumbi reports

  • KEXP presents Gaye Su Akyol

    KEXP presents Gaye Su Akyol

    gaye su akyol

    KEXP presents Gaye Su Akyol performing live in the KEXP studio. Recorded September 20, 2023

    Songs:
    Vurgunum Ama Acelesi Yok
    Böyle Olur Mu
    Martılar Öpüşür, Kediler Sevişir
    Love Buzz

    Gaye Su Akyol – Vocals
    Ali Güçlü Şimşek – Guitar
    Görkem Karabudak – Bass, Keyboard
    Berke Özcan – Drums

    Host: Darek Mazzone
    Audio Engineer: Kevin Suggs
    Audio Mixer: Görkem Karabudak
    Mastering: Matt Ogaz
    Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Carlos Cruz, Jonathan Jacobson, Scott Holpainen
    Editor: Jim Beckmann

    KEXP

    KEXP’s mission is to enrich your life by championing music and discovery. Our vision is a connected and compassionate world embracing curiosity and a shared love of music.

    KEXP is an international community of music lovers and music makers, and a nonprofit organization fostering relationship and community building through broadcast, online, and in-person music experiences. 

    Since our founding at the University of Washington in 1972, we’ve remained focused on championing music from all around the globe – spanning eras, styles and traditions. KEXP operates one of the most influential listener-supported music radio stations in the world, broadcasting at 90.3 KEXP-FM, Seattle and through our website and mobile apps. On KEXP’s YouTube channel, our world-renowned Live on KEXP sessions feature exclusive in-studio performances and interviews from emerging and established artists. From a public facility at Seattle Center, KEXP produces hundreds of live performances and music events each year, many of which are open to public audiences at no charge. 

    Gaye Su Akyol

    Gaye Su Akyol (born 30 January 1985) is a Turkish singer, painter and anthropologist.

    Biography
    Akyol’s father is the painter Muzaffer Akyol; her mother was a civil servant, but she passed away in 2014. She graduated from the anthropology department of Yeditepe University in 2007. After that she built her career as a painter with exhibitions both in Turkey and abroad. Before her solo career, she also performed in music bands Mai, Toz ve Toz and Seni Görmem İmkansız alongside Tuğçe Şenoğul.

    In 2017, she composed a few songs for the soundtrack of Red Istanbul a film directed by Ferzan Özpetek. In November 2023 they recorded their first performance for the Seattle radio station KEXP.

    Inspirations include singer-songwriter Selda Bağcan and the grunge band Nirvana.

  • Os(th)man S(th)inking

    Os(th)man S(th)inking

    Where does the word Ottoman come from?

    Do you remember this commercial with a German coast guard on his first day who receives an SOS message by radio saying: “Help us we are sinking”. The German coast guard answers back: “Vat are you tinking about?”

    Osman is a Turkish name and Osmanlı was the name of the empire ruled by Osman’s family.

    Ottoman script was etymological just like English, unlike the Modern Turkish script which is phonological, that is written just as pronounced. Osman is actually spelled in Ottoman Turkish as Othman. It’s read as Osman while written as Othman. Just like reading “asthma” as “asma”.

    “th” is pronounced like an “s” in Persian and Ottoman Turkish, while it is pronounced as a “t” like people in the Italic Peninsula opted for in the Middle Ages for the name Othman.

    Voiceless “th” is a dental fricative and the closest to that is either the voiceless coronal sibilant “s” or the voiceless dental plosive sound “t”.

    Where does the word Ottoman come from?

    Ottoman script was etymological just like English and Osman was actually written as Othman in Ottoman Turkish.

  • The Palaiologos family

    The Palaiologos family

    The Palaiologos family was a Byzantine Greek imperial family that ruled the Byzantine Empire from the 11th century until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. They held the throne for over two centuries. The last reigning member of the Palaiologos dynasty was Constantine XI Palaiologos.

    By the 14th century, the Ottoman Turks were rapidly expanding their empire, encroaching upon Byzantine territory. The Byzantines, under the rule of the Palaiologos family, found themselves in a precarious position, struggling to defend their lands against the rising power of the Ottomans.

    One of the pivotal moments came in 1354 when the Byzantine Emperor John V Palaiologos sought Ottoman assistance against rival factions within his own empire. While the Ottomans helped him regain his throne, they gradually gained influence and control over Byzantine affairs.

    Over the years, the Byzantine Empire continued to decline, facing internal divisions and external pressures. The Ottomans exploited these weaknesses, launching military campaigns and gradually capturing Byzantine territories.

    In 1453, the Ottoman Turks, led by Mehmed II, besieged Constantinople. Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Byzantine Emperor, fought bravely during the defense of the city. However, on May 29, 1453, the Ottomans breached the walls of Constantinople, leading to the fall of the city. According to historical accounts, Constantine XI died in battle, fighting on the front lines. The fate of his body is not entirely clear, and there are different accounts of what happened to it.

    Palaiologos family

    After the fall of Constantinople, members of the Palaiologos family faced various fates. Some were captured by the Ottomans, while others managed to escape and sought refuge in other parts of Europe. The diaspora of Byzantine nobility contributed to the spread of Greek culture and learning during the Renaissance.

    The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marked the end of the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire replaced it as the dominant power in the region. The Palaiologos family’s political influence came to an end with the fall of Constantinople, and its surviving members scattered throughout Europe.

    Source: Wikipedi, Patrick S., Britannica

  • Is Urartu Armenian in origin?

    Is Urartu Armenian in origin?

    No, the Urartu, probably the source of the biblical placeholder Ararat, despite sharing an anachronistic geographical overlap with the Armenians, are not related to them. The Urartu had a written language in cuneiform script and that language is not Indo-European, the group Armenian is in, or Semitic or Sumerian-related. After long time belief that it is a language isolate or at best had been related to some proto-Caucasian, as a result of coincidence, it has lately been detected as closely resembling the highly complex North Caucasian language Chechen, widely spoken today in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Daghestan.

    urartu armenian caucasian language mehmet kusman

    Mr. Mehmet Kushman, an ethnic Chechen Turkish national, who convinced the archeological group after seeing them transliterate cuneiform to give it a go at modern Chechen language. After striking similarities detected between the two, the security guard dedicated his life to learning cuneiform, Assyrian and Urartu language and became one of the leading experts in Urartu culture. He is the carbon Rosetta stone of Urartu inscriptions.

    Kutluk Ozguven on Quora