Kaçkar (pronounced like catch-car) means nothing much in Turkish, except the proper name of this mountain range.  The word ostensibly comes from the Armenian ‘khachkar’ (properly written in Cyrillic) which means cross-stone.  This etymology was stolen from wikipedia.  I cannot vouch for its accuracy but I can vouch that there were a lot of stones… Read More The Kaçkars

The bulk of work by Trent Reznor under the heading of ‘Nine Inch Nails,’ according to my very current whimsy, is the kind of music that speaks to an irreconcilable relationship between an individual and the greater social world.  Between angst, disgust and rage at the sheer naked use of power by ‘pigs’ great and… Read More Nine Inch Nails / Trent Reznor

I visited Taksim square the last night I was in Istanbul on June 11.  My schedule was such that I would not have a chance to visit the city again for about two weeks, and given the uncertain nature of the square, the police, and the overall situation, I thought it was worth a gamble.… Read More Taksim Square