Category: USA

Turkey could be America’s most important regional ally, above Iraq, even above Israel, if both sides manage the relationship correctly.

Turkey’s Publishing Industry: Market Briefing | Digital Book World

Summary: The Turkish publishing market is steadily developing thanks to many factors: growth in population; lengthening of compulsory primary education to eight years, increase in the GNP, a variety of books becoming more available with the improved distribution network and the development of publishing technologies. In the last decade there has been a 300 percent increase in the number of published books with around 43,190 titles released in 2011 according to the Turkish Ministry of Culture. In 2011, the book-publishing sector reached a sales volume of 1.5 billion dollars.

The main market opportunities for U.S. publishers are in the imported books segment, which is calculated around $80 million. In addition, many international book titles are translated into Turkish, providing royalty payments to publishers. E-books are expected to quickly become an important market segment as well, with an annual growth rate of 120% since their first introduction into Turkey in 2010.

Market Entry: The direct imports of books into Turkey are typically handled by one of Turkey’s major book importers, sales agents, bookstore chains or on-line book stores. For translated books, cooperating with a Turkish publishing house or literary and copyright agency, which represents foreign publishers’ titles, would provide the easiest access to the market. Ideally, a partner should have experience in translations and an established distribution network. The publishing business of Turkey is based in Istanbul.

Turkish publishers frequently participate in major international book fairs in Europe, such as the Frankfurt Book Fair, London Book Fair, and Bologna Children’s Book Fair. These fairs provide opportunities to meet with Turkish publishers for possible cooperation.

Current Market Trends: In one of the largest educational projects in the world, the Ministry of Education in Turkey has initiated the FATIH (Movement to Increase Opportunities and Technology) Project in 2010 aiming to provide tablet computers to all K-12 students, to install smart boards in every classroom and to digitize every textbook. The project, with an expected cost of 10 billion dollars, is due for completion by the end of 2015 and will serve 17.5 million K-12 students. This project is expected to bring about huge changes in the publishing market and develop the e-book segment.

Turkish publishers initially had minimal interest in e-books, believing the market was not ready and worrying about the negative effects for published books. Turkey’s major online bookstore Idefixe first introduced Turkish e-books into the market in April 2010. Currently this is the fastest growing market segment (120% annually); in 2011 fifty Turkish publishing houses offered 1,314 titles in e-book format.

The internet is also growing in importance as a sales channel. Both international (amazon.com) and national (idefix.com, kitapyurdu.com, dr.com.tr) online bookstores are increasing their sales in Turkey.

Current Demand: Turkey does not have a body that tracks sales in the publishing market. However the Turkish Publishers Association estimates total book sales in 2011 reached $1.5 billion with 43,190 book titles. 30-35% of the book titles are translations and about 95% of them are translated from English.

The Turkish market can be divided into the segments of educational books (textbooks, supplementary books), cultural publications (fiction and non-fiction titles such as novels, hobby books etc), academic books (university and professional publications) and imported books (foreign language books). All the market segments are experiencing growth. About 31 percent of the books sold are cultural publications and 54 percent of the market consists of books related to education, language training and academic study.

Barriers: Piracy continues to be a major barrier for the publishing sector in Turkey. Turkish Publishers Association states that the market size would be 30 percent larger if the piracy of books could be controlled. According to Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works (revised in 2004), piracy is considered a public offense although enforcement of the law is weak. In 2011, law enforcement agencies conducted large-scale raiding operations against printing houses suspected of producing pirated books and seized 2 million pirated school books, which demonstrates the severity of the problem.

Trade Events: The International Istanbul Book Fair has been organized since 1982 and is the largest book fair in Turkey backed by the Turkish Publishers Association. The fair mainly targets the public, with 450 thousand attendees buying books from over 600 publishers.

For more information on selling to Turkey, please contact [email protected]

Source: U.S. Commercial Service, www.export.gov/turkey

via Turkey’s Publishing Industry: Market Briefing | Digital Book World.

February 8, 2013
Despite US embassy attack in Turkey Feb. 1, the Turkey venture to continue

A suicide bomber set off an explosive at one of the security check points outside of the US embassy in Ankara, Turkey, killing a Turkish security guard and wounding three others Feb. 1, according to a White House press briefing. King’s has been sending international venture groups to Turkey since 2010, and despite the attack, the Turkey venture is still on for this summer.

Photo from tkc.edu.

“A suicide bombing on the perimeter of an embassy is, by definition, an act of terror,” Press Secretary Jay Carney said at the briefing. The afternoon attack, which took place at approximately 1:15 p.m., prompted The White House to issue a warning for Americans to temporarily avoid diplomatic posts in Turkey and to exercise caution in crowds.

“I’ve been in communication with my contacts at the embassy and Turkish government, and this is not going to be something that changes the plans of the trip,” Anthony Randazzo, King’s graduate and director of economic research at the Reason Foundation, said via email.

Randazzo once lived in Turkey and now works closely with the Turkey venture.

According to Randazzo, early information suggests the terrorist group was known and has been threatening toward the US military presence in the Middle East without attacking. He added that the incident was “very sad” but will not endanger or deter the Turkey venture team.

The 40-year old bomber, Ecevit Sanli, was identified as a member of the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party, a leftist organization responsible for various attacks and assassinations since the 1970s, the Washington Post reported.

The attack on Friday dredged up recent and vivid memories of the September 2012 attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which took the lives of four Americans, including the US ambassador, Chris Stevens.

“We have an excellent tracking system where we’re learning what’s going on around the world when it comes to crises so that we’re able to respond to it right away,” Elijah McCready, The King’s College Global Engagement coordinator, said.

Although Press Secretary Carney condemned the attack, during the press briefing he said, “Turkey remains one of our strongest partners in the region, a NATO ally. We have worked shoulder to shoulder with the Turks to counter terror threats and this will only strengthen our resolve.”

McCready explained that the goal of the venture trip is for students at The King’s College to build a partnership with rising leaders in Turkey. This goes hand in hand with the mission of The King’s College which “seeks to transform society by preparing students for careers in which they help to shape and eventually to lead strategic public and private institutions.”

On the Turkey venture, students attend a five-day business conference where they discuss business ethics, Turkish-American trade, and commerce with students from top private universities in Turkey who are among the wealthiest, most connected and most likely to rise to leadership positions.

This past January, The King’s College hosted its first conference for the Turkish students.

“I think it’s neat to be sharing ideas with the students in Turkey and hear their thoughts on capitalism, democracy, Islam and other things,” Nicole Rosales (’15, Business Major), said. Rosales went on the international venture to Turkey in 2012 and plans to return this summer.

Tags: Elijah McCready, International Ventures, Jay Carney, NATO

via Despite US embassy attack in Turkey Feb. 1, the Turkey venture to continue.

February 8, 2013
Articles: Murder in Turkey Strikes Close to Home

Murder in Turkey Strikes Close to Home

By Alicia Colon

It was a note on my daughter’s Facebook page asking for prayers for Sarai Sierra, the young mother of two, then missing for a week traveling alone in Turkey, that made me wonder if my daughter knew her. Sarai Sierra’s battered body was discovered near a highway in Istanbul, last weekend.

When the story first broke in the news, I was under the impression that she was a Muslim-American so I was surprised when I learned she was Hispanic. I was even more shocked when I saw her picture after she was found murdered in Istanbul for I recognized her as a girl who grew up with my children. In fact I also knew quite well the woman who was supposed to have traveled with Sarai but had to back out due to finances.

When I first read my daughter’s Facebook note, I texted her that I was glad I had gone to Tangiers when I was young and the world was different, because I would never recommend a woman traveling to a Muslim country alone in these times.

It was 1969 when I took a ferry from Malaga to Tangiers. I worked for an airline so travel was virtually free and I liked travelling alone rather than going tourist. I sought out Morocco because I thought it was an exotic locale and it certainly lived up to my expectations. This trip ranks as my most exciting and interesting and included trips to a Sultan’s palace, a belly dance emporium, a visit from Berber Arabs in a café playing what looked like steel drums, dancing at a nightclub where I was the only female, a late visit to a bakery at 2 am and giant roaches in the hotel. I was only there overnight but I still have the silver, bronze and copper tray I bought in a tourist trap.

At the time I found the Moroccans to be sociable, sophisticated and very friendly, although there were areas like the Kasbah that resembled a scene straight out of the biblical era. As an American tourist I was treated with respect, but those days are long gone. I wish I had remained close to Sarai and her friend Magdalena so I could have warned them to leave Turkey out of their travel plans.

I realize that the Turkish government is considered moderate, but that does not mean it has control over the extremist Wahhabbi sect which has little regard for independent women. Although there had been attacks on Americans before 9/11, it was that event that emboldened the radical Islamists and the growing Sharia influence in Europe should have opened our eyes to this hatred against all of our women. It’s a hatred that feminist groups continue to ignore while they instead target the GOP and the pro-life organizations.

We should boycott any Muslim controlled country that does not welcome tourists and keeps them safe — which means all of them. Perhaps if enough Americans stay home, the so-called moderate nations will rein in the animals in their midst. Even if not, lives would be saved.

It is very painful to see the nasty comments posted on news articles about Sarai, a young mother of two, calling her selfish and stupid for abandoning her children to go on a photographic jaunt. Now stories are coming out trying to tarnish her motives for going to Turkey to begin with. These are the times when I loathe being part of the media that has become as bad as the tabloid paparazzi climbing over one another to be first with the dirt.

All I can think of is that this sweet young mother is dead, and I don’t care whether her death came from an unwise decision or if some intrigue was involved. I know that I was very, very lucky in 1969 and at the time I took some dangerous chances as well. I will always remember the young Sarai and her sister walking with their Mom along Van Duzer, always beautifully dressed and coifed. My deepest sympathy for her family.

R.I.P. Sarai.

via Articles: Murder in Turkey Strikes Close to Home.

February 7, 2013
Sex twist in slay

Slain mom’s Internet pal claims they had sex tryst in Turkey – NYPOST.com

SI mom’s final fling with Turkish lover

By SELIM ALGAR and JEANE MACINTOSH

Last Updated: 4:14 AM, February 7, 2013

Posted: 2:07 AM, February 7, 2013

A murdered Staten Island mom not only hung out with a “criminal element” on her dream European vacation — she also made room in her busy itinerary for a secret rendezvous with an Internet beau.

Amateur photographer Sarai Sierra — who left her husband and two young sons in New York for the trip overseas to take pictures — had sex the day before she vanished with a man she’d first met online last fall.

The fellow, identified only as Taylan, told police he had consensual sex with Sierra on Jan. 19, after a first date in the bustling tourist city Jan. 13, according to Turkish newspaper Vatan.
TRAGIC END: The coffin of Staten Island mom Sarai Sierra (inset) is borne in Istanbul yesterday for the trip back to New York City.
He hoped to see her again, but she never responded to his messages, Taylan told cops.

Taylan’s revelation came as The Post first reported that FBI investigators in Turkey are looking into Sierra’s ties to “sketchy characters” in Istanbul.

“She gets there, and the first people she met up with were a criminal element,” a source said.

Federal agents are still in the early stages of their probe and want to know whether Sierra got involved with drug traffickers, human traffickers or efforts to transport jewels or currency illegally, a law-enforcement source said yesterday.

The adventurous Sierra left New York for her solo trip Jan. 7 with a credit card, $400 in cash, running shoes, high heels and her iPhone and iPad, her husband, Steven Sierra, told investigators.

She was found dead of a single blow to the head in a seedy area of Istanbul Feb. 2, nearly two weeks after she failed to show up for a Jan. 21 flight home.

Taylan, who has been extensively interviewed by Turkish authorities, had previously denied a physical relationship with Sierra and claims he was not involved in her disappearance or murder.

He is one of 22 people that Turkish police have taken sperm and/or blood samples from as they hunt for Sierra’s killer.

Meanwhile, Istanbul police said they continue to press witnesses — including a tipster who claimed he saw Sierra with a group of men known for hustling and harassing tourists.

The tipster told cops he first saw Sierra Jan. 11, speaking to a man outside the popular Sultanahmet Mosque in Istanbul. The man handed her a card, Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported.

After leaving the mosque, Sierra was seen talking to the man and “took a walk” with him and four or five other men, the tipster said.

Sierra flew to Amsterdam Jan. 15 and to Munich the next day, returning to Istanbul Jan. 19.

The tipster told authorities he next saw Sierra with the same man Jan. 21, at Topkapi Palace.

Sierra’s body is slated to be flown back to the US today, officials said. Her husband, Steven, and brother, David Jimenez, were also returning to Staten Island yesterday after flying to Istanbul to search for her.

Sierra’s friends and family said they don’t believe Taylan’s story of a Turkish fling.

Local churchgoers raised the funds for Sierra’s cash-strapped husband and brother to fly to Turkey. The family sold her Instagram photos online to pay for shipping her casket home and her funeral.

Turkish Airlines didn’t charge to fly Sierra home, and Matthew Funeral Home donated its services. A Staten Island cemetery has offered her a free burial plot.

Additional reporting by Josh Margolin

via Slain mom’s Internet pal claims they had sex tryst in Turkey – NYPOST.com.

February 7, 2013
Man held in Turkey claims he had affair with murdered New York woman

A man being questioned by Turkish authorities in the murder of a New York tourist found beaten to death in Istanbul has reportedly told authorities there he had a sexual relationship with the woman.

The Turkish man, identified only as “Taylan,” gave DNA and sperm samples to police investigating the death of 33-year-old Sarai Sierra, a mother of two found beaten beyond recognition near ancient walls in Istanbul, the Turkish daily Vatan reported Wednesday. The man told investigators he had a consensual sexual relationship with Sierra before she was last seen on Jan. 21, according to the newspaper.

But Sierra’s best friend, Magdalena Rodriguez, told FoxNews.com she doesn’t believe the man’s claim.

“We know Sarai. We know she didn’t run off with anybody,” said Rodriguez, who originally planned to accompany Sierra on her solo vacation to Istanbul.

“She would have told me. She would have said something,” said Rodriguez, who claims she was in constant contact with Sierra during the trip.

“I don’t believe what he [Taylan] says for one second,” she said, adding, “Sarai wouldn’t willingly and knowingly involve herself with people who did not have her best interest at heart.”

Sierra, a freelance photographer from Staten Island, N.Y., traveled to Istanbul Jan. 7 and failed to return on a flight Jan. 21.

Turkish authorities say Sierra died from a single blow to the head. A local funeral company on Tuesday told the Hürriyet Daily News, an English-language newspaper in Turkey, that she had multiple injuries to her head and face.Her body was found Saturday near remnants of the city’s ancient walls. Turkish police said there appeared to be no sign of a sexual assault, though the New York Daily News reported the woman was found in only a shirt and underwear. Sierra’s gold jewelry was still on her, but her tablet computer and U.S. cellphone are missing.

A source familiar with the investigation told FoxNews.com that Sierra had contacted “amateur tour guides” online in advance of her trip. Taylan was among the individuals whom she had communicated with, and the two were known to have met on Jan. 13, according to multiple Turkish media accounts. The pair had planned to meet by the Galata Tower on Jan. 21 — the day she was last seen — but Taylan reportedly told investigators that Sierra never showed up.

Rodriguez claims she and the family were aware of Sierra’s online communications. “We knew about the tour guides … We knew she planned to meet them,” she said, adding, “She’s not one to just meet a random person and then wander away with them.”

New York Rep. Michael Grimm, a former FBI agent, said Turkish police still have hours of video footage to review as they piece together Sierra’s last movements. A special unit of Turkish police set up to find Sierra has an image of her at Galata Bridge, which spans Istanbul’s Golden Horn waterway and where she went on her last day to take photos. An FBI official confirmed to FoxNews.com that the agency is also involved and has been since the early stages of the investigation.

SEND TIPS TO [email protected]

During her trip, Sierra made two pre-planned excursions to Munich and Amsterdam, and then returned to Istanbul. Authorities are probing Sierra’s trips to Munich and Amsterdam as part of the investigation into her death. Friends and family insist Sierra visited the three places because she was “in love” with the architecture and culture of those cities and wanted to practice her photography.

“We knew she was going to Munich and Amsterdam. Nothing about this trip was a surprise. She made her own route and that’s what she wanted to do,” Rodriguez said.

Prosecutors in Istanbul got a court order Monday for authorities to take blood and DNA samples from 21 people already questioned in the death, according to Turkish state media.

Samples reportedly taken from under Sierra’s fingernails suggest she may have tried to fight off her attacker. A blanket was also found near the body, leading investigators to question whether she was killed in another location and then placed near the ancient walls, which are close to a highway.

Sierra’s husband, Steven, is still in Istanbul, where he traveled last week to help in the search. The woman’s body is reportedly being flown out of the country for free on Thursday by Turkish Airlines. Sierra’s family sold many of the her photographs online to help pay for her funeral. Any additional funds will go to Sierra’s two young sons, who have not yet been informed of their mother’s death.

FoxNews.com’s Cristina Corbin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

via Man held in Turkey claims he had affair with murdered New York woman | Fox News.

February 7, 2013
NY mom found dead in Turkey: Should moms not travel alone?

NY mom found dead in Turkey: Should moms not travel alone?

12:56 am February 5, 2013, by Theresa Walsh Giarrusso

The Staten Island mom who traveled alone to visit Turkey for several weeks was found dead on Saturday. And what I can’t get over is the outpouring of blame not for the person that killed her but for the mother for traveling alone.

Here is the background of the story if you haven’t been following (I bolded the big stuff):

From The Associated Press:

“A New York City woman who went missing while vacationing alone in Istanbul was found dead on Saturday and police detained nine people for questioning in connection with her case, Turkey’s state-run news agency said.

“Sarai Sierra, a 33-year-old mother of two, was last heard from on Jan. 21, the day she was due to board her flight back home. Her disappearance attracted a lot of interest in Turkey, where such disappearance of foreign tourists are rare and Istanbul police had set up a special unit to find her.

“The Anadolu Agency said the body of a woman was discovered Saturday evening near the remnants of ancient city walls and that police later identified it as Sierra’s.

“The agency did not say what caused her death. The private NTV television reported that she was stabbed to death, while a private news agency, Dogan, said she had a wound to the head, suggesting she may have been hit by an object.

“Police reached by The Associated Press refused to comment on the case.

“Sierra, whose children are 9 and 11, had left for Istanbul on Jan. 7 to explore her photography hobby and made a side trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Munich, Germany. She had originally planned to make the trip with a friend, but ended up traveling alone when her friend canceled.

“She was in regular contact with friend and family and was last in touch with her family on Jan. 21, the day she was due back in New York. She told them she would visit Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn waterway, to take photos.

“The location where the body was found, is a few kilometers away the bridge. It is near a major road that runs alongside the sea of Marmara and offers an iconic view to visitors of dozens of tankers and other vessels waiting to access the Bosporus strait. Police stopped traffic on the road as forensic police inspected the area.

“Anadolu suggested Sierra may have been killed at another location and that her body may have been brought to the site to be hidden amid the city walls.

“At least nine people were detained for questioning in Istanbul over the arrests and a police official on the site told journalists two of them were women. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters on the case.

“It was not clear if a Turkish man Sierra had exchanged messages with during her stay in Istanbul was among the group that was detained. That man was detained for questioning on Friday but was later released. Turkish news reports had said Sierra had made arrangements to meet the man on Galata Bridge but the man reportedly told police the meeting never took place.

“Sierra’s husband, Steven, and brother, David Jimenez, travelled to Istanbul to help in the search. Sierra’s mother, Betzaida Jimenez, said she couldn’t talk when reached in New York.

“Shortly after she was reported missing, Turkey set up a special police unit which scanned through hours of security camera footage in downtown Istanbul in search of clues over her disappearance. A Turkish missing persons association had joined the search, handing out flyers with photos of Sierra and urging anyone with information to call police.

“While break-ins and petty thievery is common in Istanbul, the vast and crowded city is considered relatively safe in comparison to other major urban centers. The American’s death was unlikely to have a significant impact on tourism, an increasingly large component of the Turkish economy.

“In 2008, an Italian artist Pippa Bacca, was raped and killed while hitchhiking to Israel wearing a wedding dress to plead for peace. Her naked body was found in a forest in northwest Turkey. A Turkish man was sentenced to life in prison for the attack”

So what is interesting is the comments following the story and there were similar comments on other sites – even Turkish news sites.

From the Huffington Post comments on the AP story above:

masseynm

What in the world was she thinking???

americanpatriot4ever

brings more than his fair share to the table

Visit the Muslim world at your own peril. No lifeguards on duty (in any sense of the word).

(I lost the name on this one)

Very, very sad. I had hoped so much that she would return home to her family. I have traveled alone, and unfortunately, it can be very dangerous for a woman to travel alone. I don’t blame the woman; I blame the killer. It takes guts to travel like she did…RIP.

Missteek

I am so sorry for her and her family. I hope the culprits are found.

Let this (sadly) be a lesson………it is unwise to travel alone, especially to a foreign country, when you are a woman.

Judith Berge

I live on staten island where this woman was from. Rip…I don’t understand what she was doing going there alone. I will pray for her and her family.

relaxxing

if you’re young and single careful when you chose to go to another country, having children should make you think twice before going alone..

ridemaster

I would never let my wife travel alone to another country.”

This was only one of a few that blamed the killer and not the woman:

“tozomona

“Very, very sad. I had hoped so much that she would return home to her family. I have traveled alone, and unfortunately, it can be very dangerous for a woman to travel alone. I don’t blame the woman; I blame the killer. It takes guts to travel like she did…RIP. “”

So what do you think: Should women not be traveling alone? (I got a lot of heat for telling my babysitter to be careful when she traveled with her buddies. ) Should moms not travel alone because they have such big responsibilities at home? Is the mom to blame or the killer? Should the husband have put his foot down when the friend dropped out? Should the husband have gone with her? (The difference there is traveling with a friend someone else is paying half the expense but with your husband you’re just doubling the expense. ) Is there benefit for women/moms/wives to get out and see the world without family?

Is Turkey the issue? Are women safe to travel alone other places – France, Spain, Israel, Bermuda – or no where?

February 6, 2013