Here is the last press release from the Istanbul Twitter Festival Team “Istanbul Twestival”. Unfortunately I only have a Turkish version. Google translate perhaps my pretties? :) I am happy to report that there will also be a Twestival in Ankara and in Izmir, which I will hopefully be helping out with.

You should follow them on twitter and keep posted, they also might still need help so get on helping!

İstanbul Twestival Global 2010 / 25 Mart 2010
Twestival ile Twitter Kullanıcıları ‘Dünyayı Değiştirecek’ Dakikaları Kutlayacak
300’den Fazla Dünya Şehri Aynı Gün Twitter Partisi Düzenliyor
25 Mart 2010’da 24 saat boyunca İstanbul’un da arasında olduğu 250’den fazla dünya kenti, Twitter üzerinden birbirini tanımış gönüllü organizatörler eşliğinde Twestival’i kutlayacak. Twitter’ın dünya çapındaki her kullanıcısının, yerel ve global bağış toplamayı sağladığı bu organizasyon, internetin sosyal yaşamı iyileştirme gücünü de ortaya koyuyor.
Hareketin lideri Amanda Rose, bir röpörtajında ‘Bu hareketin dünya çapında bu kadar pozitif karşılanması bizleri çok mutlu etti. Bu tip sosyal sorumluluk aktiviteleri, sanal dünyada tanımadığımız insanlarla bir araya gelmek ve böylece yardıma muhtaç vakıflara bağış toplamak için çok faydalı oluyor. Twestival %100 gönüllüler tarafından yapılmakta ve tüm gelirleri seçilen vakfa aktarılmaktadır. Bu sayede binlerce hayat üzerinde pozitif bir etkimiz oluyor.’ dedi.
İlk Twestival Global sonucunda, Etiyopya, Hindistan ve Uganda’da toplam 55 su kuyusu açıldı ve 17.000 çocuğa ömür boyu içme suyu sağlandı. Bu yıl ikincisi düzenlenecek Twestival Global için yine tüm dünya kenetlenerek iyilik yarışında olacak.
Twestival, Londra, Paris,New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Beijing, Sidney, Melbourne ve Lima gibi birçok cosmopolit kentte kutlanmakta. Detaylı bilgi için web adresi; www.twestival.com.
2009’da hem global hem de yerel olarak İstanbul’da da düzenlenen Twestival’lerde Charity Water ve TODEV (Türkiye Otistikleri Destekleme ve Eğitim Vakfı) desteklendi. Bu yıl hazırlıkları devam eden etkinlikte tüm dünyada olduğu gibi elde edilen gelirler, Madonna’nın da destekçisi olduğu Concern Worldwide vakfına bağışlanacak.
Dünya çapındaki bu büyük iyilik hareketi; ‘twiter üzerinden sosyal farkındalığı arttırma’ amacıyla 2010’da Concern Worldwide için bağış toplayacak. (www.concern-worldwide.org ve http://twitter.com/concern )
Istanbul Twestival Global 2010 faaliyetlerini ve gelişmeleri takip etmek için istanbul.twestival.com adresini ziyaret edebilir, twitter üzerinden de @IstanbulTWSTVL hesabını izleyebilirsiniz.
*Program akışındaki belirlenen gelişmeler: Anadolu Sağlık Merkezi, İndeks İletişim, Kurumsal Haberler, Saylam Residence, Showhow, İmece, Yeşim Mutlu, Teknobeyin, Virgin Radio, Cicice, Red Bull sponsorlukları ve Begum Salihoglu ile Anilive canlı defile performansı, Gece Grubu performansı, konuk sanatçılar ile söyleşi ve stand-up showları ve birçok değerli Dj katılımı olacaktır.
Twestival’in Anakara ve İzmir’de de kutlanması planlanıyor.
İstanbul Twestival Global 2010 Şehir Organizatörü
Duygu Saylam
www.twitter.com/istanbulTWSTVL
http://istanbul.twestival.com

As you probably know Istanbul is the European Capital of Culture this year and today is the official launch of the “Istanbul 2010” festivities. If you’re not too sure what it is all about, then have a stroll over to http://www.en.istanbul2010.org/index.htm

There will be fireworks and concerts within key points of the city as follows:

Events at Haliç Congress Center

Time: 17:30

Place: Haliç Congress Center

Program Flow
17:30 Opening Cocktail
18:30 Opening Remarks
19:00 Special 16 January Opening Show directed by Yekta Kara
“Istanbul Magic”
Invitation of the protocol and other guests to the pier
Pushing the button by Participant protocol members to launch the firework show
20:30 Closing

Events in Taksim Square

Time: 19:00

Place: Taksim Square

Announcer: Ziya Kürküt

Program Flow
19:30 Screening of the Balloon Theatre realized in Kadıköy and DJ performance
20:10 Live Screening of the firework show realized over the Golden Horn
20:30 The Fire Theatre
21:15 Tarkan Concert
22:20 Closing

Events in Kadıköy Square

Time: 19:00

Place: Kadıköy Seaside, İspark Parking Lot

Announcer: Volkan Severcan

Program Flow

19:00 Balloon Theatre

20:10 Live Screening of the firework show realized over the Golden Horn

20:20 Mor ve Ötesi Concert

21:20 Closing

Events in Pendik Square

Time: 19:00

Place: Pendik Seaside, İspark Parking lot

Announcer: Gülhan Şen

Program Flow

19:00 Screening of the Balloon Theatre realized in Kadıköy

20:10 Live Screening of the firework show realized over the Golden Horn

20:20 Kıraç Concert

21:20 Firework show and closing

Events in Sultanahmet Square

Time: 19:00

Place: Front of Hagia Sophia

Announcer: Hande Kazanova

Program Flow
19:00 Mehter Concert

19.45 DJ Performance
20:10 Live Screening of the firework show realized over the Golden Horn
20:20 Mercan Dede Concert
21:20 Firework show and closing

Events in Bağcılar Square

Time: 19:00

Place: Bağcılar Square

Announcer: Jess Molho

Program Flow

19:00 Screening of the Balloon Theatre realized in Kadıköy

20:10 Live Screening of the firework show realized over the Golden Horn

20.20 Zara Concer

21:20 Firework show and closing

Beylikdüzü Square Events

Time: 19:00

Place: Beylikdüzü Municipality Social Events Arena

Announcer: Asuman Dabak

Program Flow

19:00 Screening of the Balloon Theatre realized in Kadıköy

19:30 Şaman Dance Group’s Show

19.55 DJ Performance

20:10 Live Screening of the firework show realized over the Golden Horn

20.20 Nil Karaibrahimgil Concert

21:20 Firework show and closing

And for those who cannot make it..you can watch the events directly from the comfort of your couch on the Istanbul 2010 website! (which is what I will have to do since I’m stuck in Cesme)

Have fun guys!

Istanbul is having some wonderful spring days. I have to work on my paper, and i just have to watch the good day from my office window, but if you can, go out and have fun!

There will be five conferences on Istanbul in Istanbul Bilgi University. If you are interested in urban sociology, then, you are welcome. I haven’t translated the material as these will take place in Turkish- I assume.

İ s t a n b u l A r a ş t ı r m a l a r ı

Kent Çalışmaları Bahar Dönemi Sohbet Programı

santralistanbul kampüsü

12 Mart — (14.00 – 15.30 / E4 – 305) Erol Balkan (Hamilton College, NY/Sabancı Üniv.) “Sınıfın yeniden üretimi: İstanbul’da neoliberal politikalar, eğitim ve orta sınıf”

2 Nisan — (17.00 – 18.30 / E2 – 303) Murat Güvenç/Eda Yücesoy, “1990 ve 2000 nüfus sayımlarına göre İstanbul’a göç, İstanbul’dan göç”

16 Nisan – (17.00 – 18.30 / E2 – 303) Mimarlık Programı, “İstanbul Karanfilköy için kentsel dönüşüm senaryoları”

14 Mayıs – (17.00 – 18.30 / E2 – 303) Murat Güvenç/Eda Yücesoy- “20. yüzyılın başında Pera’nın sosyal coğrafyası”

28 Mayıs – (17.00 – 18.30 / E2 – 303) Sosyoloji Bölümü (F.Kentel/A. Duben) – “İşçi sınıfından kültürel cemaatlere: 1960-2008, Eyüp’ten Kağıthane’ye”

Have you noticed?

You must’ve.

I mean, it’s so pretty and obvious..

We’ve been painted over and now sport a funky new Metblogs Istanbul site!

Please register through the link on the side bar if you wish to comment, it only takes a couple of seconds and will make me so happy. Really.

The Media and Communication Systems Department cordially invites you to

Prof. BARBIE ZELIZER’s Talk

“Taking Journalism Seriously” at 2:00 p.m. at AKO Kuştepe on December 17

the BBC programme for the unsigned musicians is in town. It will be held in

Bilgi Üniversitesi santralistanbul Kampüsü
E-3 Binası, Eski Silahtarağa Elektrik Santralı,
Kazım Karabekir Caddesi No1,
34060 Eyüp, İstanbul
this Saturday between 10:00-18:00!

check out more here

How do you see America? Washington Post writer Amar Bakshi (www.washingtonpost.com/america) wants to casually interview a group of Istanbul bloggers on this question for The Washington Post. He’d use video,
and feature your writings on the subject as well.

We’re going to be meeting Amar on Sunday morning for breakfast and lots of opinion swapping (I made that sound dirty intentionally) will occur. Those interested in voicing whatever kind of thought they have of America, positive or negative (don’t forget this is a friendly meeting though) then please email me and I will tell you exactly where and what time we’ll be meeting up. idil [at] angelvox [dot] org

See you there :)

Filmekimi will be held between October 19-25 at Emek movie theatre…21 films will be screened during this İstanbul Autumn Film Week…

It will be a week of cinema pleasure and I’ll voluntarily lock myself up at Emek…
If you want to join this film-feast, please hurry up a bit because almost all tickets have been sold out yesterday-the first day tickets were offered for sale!

It was “Sleepless Night” at the İstanbul Biennal… So I can sleep only now… The ones who will be awake, enjoy the sunny yet chilly weather and cotton candy like clouds…

Living in Istanbul?
Dedicated and passionate about the city?
Have time on your hands to blog about it?
Want to be a new member of the Istanbul Metblogs team?
Want to show the world that Istanbul is the place to be?
Erkan and I are currently working on bringing a team together of Istanbul lovers who are willing to write about the city. If you are interested in joining the us please email me at idil [ at ] angelvox [dot] org with the subject line “Istanbul Metblogs Author Application” with a short description about yourself (no, not physical :)) and why you would like to join us.

Thanks in advance for helping us rebuild the team.

Idil
Istanbul Metblogs Team Captain