Expect the unexpected, follow the lovers lost in this blog.

A blog to cater your mind,body,and soul as you drink Turkish Coffee. We are proud to present our new storyline called Cafe's search for his "Zahir". Everyday is a new day for the "Cafe" (from Istanbul) & his journey for "Zahir" (from Baku). Don't expect extraordinary drama from the narrator, me. Still, this is a drama (maybe real!), and have better impact on you than watching a soap opera. Guaranteed. There is genuine feelings within inspirational periods. Cross your fingers for this story to end with happy marriage :-) All rights are reserved.

EDIT (01 July 2009) - She is engaged with another man, and I finally made my marriage proposal bringing my family to Baku. The result: She stays engaged and will have her wedding, so called "toy", with that another man.

Rest in peace Ms. Zahir.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Get a Free Credit Report Without the Extra Costs - Yahoo! Reports

After all those scam and spam about credit reports, one reliable source needed to refer us to a reliable credit service. Yahoo! did a nice job with their most recent article written by Gina Hughes.
Also, check out Cheryl Allebrand's article (from Bankrate.com) on ignorance about credit score.
Last, CNNMoney.com Jeanne Sahadi writes about killing your credit score.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Refrigerate After Opening - Vacation, Deep Freeze, Deep Fry, Zero Trans Fat - Energy

We all have something to do. We all want to do something with the energy we got. Do we need to refrigerate our energy once we begin using it. Since, it is like opening a can of tuna, or olives, and then we need to refrigerate it in a plastic container. By the way, do not leave the leftover food in the can. Empty it, and throw it away, or even better if you recycle. So, could we please refrigerate our energy. Sure we can! Go to a vacation, and see. No more hassle, worry, anything. Sun, nature, water, and the word holiday. So, it is kind of deep freezing your energy. Then, once you come back from vacation, you deep fry it, don't you? However, fries are not all healthy. Have you heard of "0" Trans Fat campaign. It is a good movement, but what about the past? Did we all get those dirty, dangerous, unhealthy fats? It wasn't known before, or they were friendly fats unless they were proven guilty. Ladies and gentleman, this blog has been timed, and it took seven minutes. No links, no pictures, plain words. Plain yogurt, you should try it with garlic. Hmm, yummy. See you soon.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Edublogs.Org - Education Blogs

I feel kinda guilty to post this on Monday, still it should be fine. Twitter is often good to get news from other people. One member, mobileminded, posted that he was moving his blog to EduBlogs. Of course, I don't of this member, and personally I don't mind this moving issue. But, what is this EduBlogs? So, we go EduBlogs.com. Wrong. This is %100 wrong. Do not do .com for every keyword. Search google, and click on the wisest result. Our smart and righteous result was EduBlogs.Org
From what I can tell (what if I spell this verb with typo; teel) looking at their home page:

* Sign up for a free education blog in seconds
* Use it to transform your teaching or talk to other teachers
* Powered by WordPress, the best blogging tool on the web
* Safe, secure and completely supported
* Embed video, create podcasts and customise your space

It sounds good for me, and I am ready to explore what they got for us.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

T-Mobile Customer Service - Experience - Free Library of Philadelphia

It is the weekend, and you may want to watch a couple of movies. Free Library of Philadelphia is a great source for international movies. You can apply for free membership, and get their card which tells you to "use it often." They have several branches in the city. Though, you can not reserve DVDs, still good deal!

Their welcome message:
"Welcome. This website enables you to exercise your freedom to be informed. Use it often."

Experience the city by walking. Philadelphia is a very walkable city, since it has one of the finest grid city plan. It is all about tree names like Chestnut, Walnut, and numbers.

Last, T-Mobile Service. Every time you call them, the rep tells his reference number, and welcomes you. But, once, one guy did not repeat that standard welcoming message. I had to ask if it was T-Mobile. It was a very interesting moment, as if I was calling my friend. "Well, can I talk to my buddy, named T-Mobile?"
The guy asked me if I want him to sing. He talked a well ten second of worthless efforts to sing, until I delivered my legitimate inquiry about T-Mobile service.

Before everything, don't forget their motto; "Stick together with T-Mobile!"


What would you do in this situation? Do you take a note of their 100-digit reference number, so you can file a complaint later? I simply said thanks, I hang up. However, I certainly believe another person would be joking with him, or even cursing to him for his stupidity. At the end, he was trying to earn his wage, if you look from an emotional perspective/lens.
One last moment of thought - What lenses do you use in what type of situation? Do you look at the person driving a 1986 Ford from an emotional lens while you drive an SUV? Or, do you use a smart-kid lens when you try to teach someone about something? Well, it is Satur-Day, and another blogger is spelling it the same way. Satur-Day. Check out his blog from Tokyo. We love international blogs at cafealaturca.

Friday, July 27, 2007

A Friday Night Delivery - Only Take Out, No Dine In

Would you mind me to operate this blog as a fast food restaurant? What would it be like? Creating the ultimate high quality community interaction is a dream. Approaching to this dream through implementing daily practices to the virtual world might seem creative and effective. Right now, I am not sure, but still trying, as you can see from the blog title of today's post.

A blog writer is like a columnist in a newspaper, I think. To be a journalist takes guts. To be a director takes a webcam (see YouTube videos, and other online videos)
However, not all videos on YouTube are bad. Here is one recommendation for Friday night date seekers. By the way, for some reason, Thursday nights in Philadelphia is very popular for outgoing people in the city, the bars are full.

Let's give some news. e-Rewards is an online opinion panel that credits you rewards. Like, Delta Skymiles is a company that I have been completing their surveys. They are one of the members of e-Rewards, and they sent me an invitation for this opinion panel. You can discover more about e-Rewards on their website, but to hear the word from me, let me tell you. It is often very hard to get those rewards in this opinion panel. They ask very specific questions, and if you do not qualify, or you are not consistent in your answers to the first couple of basic personal questions, then you only get partial credits which is about $1.00, in comparison to $5, $10, or even $25.00 which takes your 20 minutes to complete. I couldn't have a chance to utilize my time for such money since I was not qualified for that survey. Still, it is nice, realistic, no-spam opinion panel. Two thumbs up!!

Writing this blog is all about gaining the right to say, "I told you before," or "I heard about it!"
Here, I am earning partial credit for my thoughts. I thought about this before, but didn't have the resources to implement the idea. But, maybe somebody else had thought about this idea way before me, and they were preserving this idea in their wine storage to catch the most profitable, righteous time to open up the bottle. Remember my post about mind blogging, or mobile blogging. Here it is.
Jott
What is this jott about? Jott that!

From Steve Bass' words, "You're driving home or walking the dog and have a gem of an idea. If your mobile phone lets you, and you remember how, you can record the thought as a personal message. But there's a better way.

Use your speed dial to call Jott (877/568 8486). Talk for 30 seconds and Jott turns what you say into text -- and sends it to you as e-mail. Have other you'd like to send a Jott to? Just add their name and e-mail address to your Jott contact list."

I think it is a great idea, but I still cannot accept mobile service providers to charge minutes to dial 1-800 numbers. It is just not acceptable for me from a fair-talk point of view. What is fair talk? I don't know yet, but it is not right to charge minutes for toll free numbers :-)

Check out some of the recorded voices on their website. It is awesome, and I want to quote one of the voices;
J.M. says, "I really hope the lady that I just passed in traffic was eating a fruit cup but not a jello shot."
Funny, huh? Don't you have moments of thoughts when you want to jot(t) them down. I do!

As usual, there is a security risk for Jott. Nitesh Danjani from ONLamp.com reports about the spoofing of Caller ID and adds that "Twitter (and Jott) will have to weigh the security risk of this issue against the impact to the ease of use of their service." He has some great points of discussion. And, thanks to him, I learned about twittervision which can be very very addictive to just sit in front of your computer and read twitters' updates from around the world. It is an amazing service, I do not doubt that similar amazing technological advances on such websites will follow up.

About 30 minutes invested in this post, but I learned a lot, I hope, you too! Take care, don't drive under influence in the weekend. And, if you still didn't laugh at something, here is one Paris Hilton being incapable photo when I came across during my exploring for DUI pictures. Credits to Jalopnik.com which is a site about cars. Nice job! By the way, finally, I implemented the bookmarking and feeding feature to this blog. You can also do it through addthis.com, it is a FREE service. Thanks addthis!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Chain Reaction Stories Session II - Ford Focus

I guess I mentioned about this chain reaction occurring in our lives.
1- Like, I need to focus on my work, and get it done.
2- Then, I think of Ford Focus.
3- Then, I remember an interesting person I saw in a white Ford Focus car a couple of days ago.
4- Then, Focus reminds me of a company selling water filtration systems at Karakoy, Istanbul, Turkey.

This time, I only took 4 steps. I had times when I took about 10 steps. Have you noticed this chain reaction in your mind before?

Feeling a little bit guilty about this short post, but I am leaving you with a deep meditating question.

By the way, have you heard about the power outage in San Francisco. Information Week article reports that, " AdBrite.com, Craigslist.org, Six Apart's blog sites (LiveJournal.com, TypePad.com, Vox.com), Technorati.com, and Yelp.com were all inaccessible for part of the day."

And the funny thing about one of the web hosting companies named 365 Main is, "While backup electrical infrastructure is installed in the facility to defend against power surges, an initial investigation has revealed that certain 365 Main back-up generators did not start when the initial power surge hit the building."

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

A Good Heart - Fortunetelling or Turkish Coffee Cup Reading

The news come from Jaffa, Israel. A fortuneteller named Kuma has been convicted for fraud and magic practices, plus reading coffee grounds.

"Kuma's transgression is something known to its practitioners as tasseography, the ancient art of overturning a coffee cup — usually a demitasse used for Turkish coffee — and looking for answers in the patterns left behind by the grounds."

According to Israeli laws, "it is OK to offer advice based on tarot cards and the stars. But not coffee grounds.

I have yet to find out if it is OK to practice coffee grounds reading in the US. By the way, if you know how to read coffee grounds, check out the pictures I posted on Flickr. Comment on any symbols you can figure out over the grounds.

Once again, keep enjoying your Turkish Coffee.

A couple of words about Turkish Airlines

Europe's fastest growing airlines company Turkish Airlines.
However, they still try to negotiate with "the Turkish civil aviation workers' union Hava-Is over workers' conditions are not resolved mutually."
According to Airwise News;
- The union, which represents about 11,500 THY employees including pilots and stewards,
- Turkish Airlines, which is also the national flag carrier posted a net profit of USD$132 million last year, up 28 percent from a year earlier.
Airwise also got this news from Reuters.
So, let's research Reuters about THY (Turkish Airlines). Same quoted news have been released on Yahoo India News by Reuters.
Their success might also be a result of their decision taken on Oct. 19, 2005.
"Turkish Airlines is applying new technology to achieve greater revenues from improved inventory management. The airline has s
igned a multi-year contract worth more than US$1 million with Sabre Airline Solutions for decision-support technology from the Sabre AirMax Revenue Management group of products. Turkish Airlines expects to boost total revenues by five percent as a result of the deal."

Besides, their admission to Star Alliance group at through the end of 2006 might have boosted their revenue.

To make the long story short, did you fly with THY? How w
as your experience? For me, their non-stop flight from New York, and Chicago (and Miami) to Istanbul is very convenient, even better if you redeem your miles :-)

Today's post took about 30 minutes. Through the surfing, I found out about Globalcool.org
The best application they offer is calculating your CO2 Emissions. Go ahead, and measure yours. and save the planet. I pledged to reduce my CO2 emissions by 2,056 tonnes.

I still stand for recycling, and cannot believe how much littering goes on in Philadelphia streets. Everything begins at the early age, even a young child can sometimes teach his/her parents. So, recycling should be on the agenda of every elementary school. My elementary school teacher told me not to even spit on the street.

While searching for the motto on Philly trash cans,
"Fill It For Philly's Sake, Do Not Litter", I found out about this Sake site, and I want to dedicate this bookmark to all my Japanese friends. Arigatto!

Last, I laughed a lot to this picture below. Again, I was intending to search for littering in Philadelphia, but Google showed me this search result.

Thanks Google, you are awesome! I
mean it.


Take care for now. Please, do not litter wherever you are breathing in oxygen.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Mind Blogging - Web, Mobile, and Here Comes Your Genuine Mind

How many times did you think about something in a very particular, innovative way?
And then, forgot!

Do we need to carry a paper and pencil all the time we have these priceless moments? Maybe, they are not going to change the world, but they may make a difference. Who knows, you might even write your own poem!

I would like to have my mind connected to a wireless receiver. I do not want to connect to Internet with my mind. I want to send my thoughts through this wireless receiver to my computer, or some type of library of thoughts, etc. Really, many times, all those priceless thoughts, metaphors, just dissolve. I am just waiting to have the tech geeks announce this innovative machine.

Philadelphia will be going wireless citywide, via Earthlink. So, it might be possible to connect to internet and do mindblogging. Or, almost everywhere, you can receive mobile phone signal (well, in subway it is very poor though!). So, mindblogging might be possible through your own cell phone. (By the way, check Blog Catalog for a mindblogging search result I found out. Indeed, the overall catalog seems to be nice agenda.)

Let's pay respect to one of the innovative ideas of this century. Low cost personal laptops for the developing countries. Unfortunately, it is not a great news appearing with the latest response from US President George W Bush's top adviser on HIV/Aids saying the world is losing the battle against the virus. The table below is taken from BBC World News.

ADULT AND CHILD HIV RATES IN 2006


Living with HIV Newly infected Deaths from Aids
Sub-Saharan Africa 24.7m 2.8m 2.1m
South and South-East Asia 7.8m 860,000 590,000
Eastern Europe and Central Asia 1.7m 270,000 84,000
Latin America 1.7m 140,000 65,000
North America 1.4m 43,000 18,000
East Asia 750,000 100,000 43,000
Western and Central Europe 740,000 22,000 12,000
North Africa and Middle East 460,000 68,000 36,000
Caribbean 250,000 27,000 19,000
Oceania 81,000 7,100 4,000
Total 39.5m 4.3m 2.9m

We are hoping to see more innovations in the health industry. It seems just unbearable to see those figures growing.

Last, I forgot to time my blogging again, but I guess it took about 15 minutes. As Mastercard ad tells us, these are priceless moments, as long as we grow a community discussing some issues over our Turkish Coffee break. Stay tuned for more!

Also, we bloggers should be able to add other bloggers (using Google's service), like a friend. I am hoping to see this feature in the near future. Google, hear my voice :-)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

What Happens If Cafe Is In Love?

Some days there may be more than one post on this blog. Some days might bring no success. And one day, it is idle due to one main reason. The love story begins. Let's try to translate one love poem from Turkish.
It is from Adnan Yucel, and you can find his Turkish poem book online.
By the way, here is a source for saying "I love you" in different languages.

I am Speechless For You

Whichever poem I begin, I am speechless
Silent as a rock on the chest of the mountain
A torrid grain of sand
Becoming my cracked lip every night
Speechless for the rain, speechless for living
If I can cry out
Maybe a river can froth by my voice
Traces of the dryness could be erased
Very long deserts could become valleys within me
Whichever beauty I long for, I am speechless
For you
Like a deep sight saying "offf" in the gap of the heart
Speechless
Missing you deep blue
Running to you lily white
And grieve deeply all of a sudden pitch black
Repenting (like asking why)

Regretting (like saying "offf")
And becoming silent
What if I can cry out
My breath could be a fountain, web of light
Whichever folk song I approach, I am speechless for you
Mourning mourning, longing longing speechless
Say I am shot
Being a drop from affair and blood
One wind of your hair
Second around the brink of your lips, I settle
Which wave could erase you from me
Which hurricane could detach you
I became a song on your strings of hair
Whenever each emotion rears up

I am speechless for you like a quake after quake
And being silent to you, believe me
I am tried
Let that light gale end in your eyes
Enough of your pressuring laws in your words
Whichever argument I long for, I am speechless for you
Speechless as much as the mourning in the morning of the triumph
To those beauties
To those silences, damn it
Take these silences, take it now
Take that
All noises grieve deeply

Adnan Yücel (translated by cafealaturca)

Saturday, July 21, 2007

July a Birthday month for Leo - No Smoking Marlboro, Philadelphia and Some Phila-Sophy.

July is the month for the zodiac sign Leo. A part of August is also included..
Who is Leo? Do you like people of Leo? Well, cafealaturca is Leo, and his birthday is counting.
Why am I telling you this?

What if all coffees have a birthday? They have an expiration date, so they should have a birthday. It is mostly called production date. Why? Produce, consume, produce, consume...
Likewise, be born, die, be born, die...

After reaping the fruit of cherry beans to have coffee out of it, the fruit is dead. But, we call it production date. So, there is some irony in the production of all those food and beverage we consume. To make the long story short, I am offering you a great deal today. No, I am not. But, do you know those people talk nonsense, and when you ask them what they are talking about, they reply, "I am trying to make a point!"

Yes! And, my point is about Leo. Before that, while searching for the image for coffee cherry, I found about La'o Hamutuk Bulletin, which talks about U.S. Government Assistance in Coffee Growing Country-East Timur.

I strongly recommend you to utilize the image search online. As I searched for a picture of zodiac sign Leo, I met this blogger. She hosted this nice Leo picture, thanks.

Did you know that some people choose certain fragrances because those ones match their zodiac sign? So, basically, they heavily rely on their zodiac sign. I neither favor that, nor am opposed to.

According to this picture, Leo is placed at 4 o'clock position.
Pisces is right across Leo, so do they match each other. Or, Cancer and Virgo are Leo's neighbors, does it mean they are friends all the time? By the way, I wonder if hiring managers consider your zodiac sign for the job qualification. Because, you are supposed to have some given traits with your sign.
Leo has,
Traditional Leo Traits

Generous and warmhearted
Creative and enthusiastic
Broad-minded and expansive
Faithful and loving


On the dark side....

Pompous and patronizing
Bossy and interfering
Dogmatic and intolerant

This topic of zodiac was very relevant to our discussions about Turkish coffee and fortune telling. All these stuff are superstitious, but we love them. We love to hear about ourselves from another person. Can't you tell about yourself, when you look at yourself in the mirror? Hmm, interesting. Don't we like to hear the truths about our live from another person, although we are already aware of these truths. For example, the cigarette package.

See, the warning sign is even bigger than the brand name and logo. Still, we smoke! There is a recording label called No Smoking. I love it. Both creative and informative for all those outgoing people enjoying the night dance clubs. I advocate dancing as opposed to smoking in the night clubs. By the way, Philly had finally banned smoking in the bars and restaurants. Two thumbs Up!!! And this no smoking sign below has a point to make.
As a result, see how far we ended up talking at this Saturday's cafealaturca post. There is always stuff to talk about, it is just a matter of time investment. I will be posting the times in the future, so it might give you an idea how much sweat went for each post. Thanks for your visit. Come again! And, enjoy drinking your Turkish coffee, or cafe alaturca.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Chase, Follow, or Stalk...All Could B Misunderstood, But Don't Let UR Love Fail?!?!

A topic of discussion about love visits cafealaturca this Friday.

Live from a city where a park is called "Love Park"

An interesting story could be summarized as, from a male perspective:

Going to your regular shopping store, at a relatively consistent time you are always used to..

Seeing a cute girl..

Continue your shopping experience with the products offered in the store..

Meeting up with the same girl in another aisle once again..

Leaving the store without saying a word to this person..

Regret, stop, wait..

Watch her leaving the store, your eyes meet once again..

The moment becomes eternal, waiting for the next unexpected meeting with this girl in a relatively compact and crowded city like Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love)...

Throughout these high heart-beating minutes, your friend observes and is fascinated by this growing love story..

Next day, your dear friend sees this same girl in the subway by chance..Location and time noted down..

A couple of days later, shall we call it stalking, chasing, or following your heart? The girl and her lover meets informally, a couple of staring at each other, riding the same subway, and waiting outside the building where she works...Thinking and asking himself, why he could not go to her in the subway, and kindly introduce himself..

Love vaporizes..or not? To be continued? Now that it is the weekend, two days for deep thoughts, both for her and for the lover. She might be asking why this boy was following, maybe misunderstanding, a little bit scared. How would you feel if you were being followed by a person whose face you saw before in a grocery store?

I guess, the best option should be a little bit introduction in the subway and giving your phone number on a piece of paper. And no more following or further stalking..

A second regret...so, don't let the third one occur. Don't let your love connection fail. Try again!

Love might be a four letter word, but listen to Nat King Cole, and hear what he has for you:

L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please dont break it
Love was made for me and you



L is for the way you look at me
O is for the only one I see
V is very, very extraordinary
E is even more than anyone that you adore can

Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you
Love was made for me and you

Cafealaturca wishes you find your love in an extraordinary way..And, remember those moments with your partner every other time, and just laugh at how fascinating life is, and what life can offer you in these fast-paced times.
"Don't have your love cooked fast-food", cafealaturca thinks.

After reading this story, what do you think about eHarmony. Is it artificial? Wouldn't you prefer a natural one, like the beginning of another naturally occurred love explained in the story of the girl and her lover in the grocery store.

Do you like fresh orange juice, or pasteurized one?
Do you like McDonald's or the eggplant stew you cook at home?
Do you like listening music, or singing your own way?
Do you like reading love letters, or writing yours?
Do you look at every other women passes by you in the street, or you are always stuck with one person you are desiring to meet one day? (replace women with men in this question, if needed)

Last, love should be this. Love should be precious and eternal and always patiently fed.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Movable Type 4.0 Beta, Bookmarking, Surfing, & Finding Nemo! And.. Wakoopa

Six Apart's Movable Type "is widely recognized as the powerhouse of blogging tools because of its extensive management features and customizability. But if you don't need professional support and multiple licenses, the free version may be all you need. I tested the personal license version of Movable Type 4.0 Beta, which includes some powerful editing tools and significantly improves on the previous free offering." explains Don Reisinger from PC World.

Basically, it is an alternative to blogger and wordpress online blogging tools. I don't know how good we are doing simply by heavily relying on Google. Though, this is a simple personal blog, so a company blog might be more careful with utilizing Google products.

Furthermore, some blogging concerns future employers. Denise Howell discusses this issue of blogging (and facebook-type social networking profiles) with the George Lenard.

OK, now, cafe talks..cafe advises..(the word form is advice, don't mix 'em up)

Whether you are using Firefox (which is an awesome browser) or the goody Internet Explorer browser, or other ones like Safari, etc., do you bookmark some websites? At times, finding a nice site happens, but no time to read it. So, what do we do?
Control+D
or, simply,
Bookmark This Page

I prefer to share some of these websites with you, and then deleting them from my bookmark list. Because, it often gets way too long for a list. Managing the bookmarks is also a hassle. So, using online sources such as Digg.It, or Google's Bookmarks would be your best bet. Since these websites are online, its bookmarking would better be online. No need to exhaust your computer.

And, shall I squeeze the discussion of Wakoopa in this post. According to TechCrunch, "Wakoopa uses a downloaded tracker, except if follows how often you use applications. Similarly, Wakoopa has also built a Rails-powered social website around the data, letting users share their preferences with friends, write reviews of their favorite application, and download new ones."


Qwerky tells that "the software wants you to download an unobtrusive piece of software, track the programs you use, and send that information to their website. "

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Sir Tom Hunter give away £1bn to charity; and JJB Sports, Grocery, Mining, Private Equity

Sir Tom Hunter, from a mining village of New Cumnock in Ayrshire, Scotland, is ranked as "the 60th richest person in the UK" and his estimated fortune is about £1.05bn. His father was a grocer. He began "his career by selling trainers from the back of a van." For his full profile, go to BBC News.
"His immense wealth came from the Sports Division chain of sports shops, which he founded in 1984 and sold to JJB Sports in 1998."

So, in 14 years, he managed to gain the necessary skills and courage to grow his company and sell for over £250m. Using a currency convertor, it comes to about $513m, a little bit more than half a billion dollars. His current fortune is four times this amount, about $2bn

So, in 14 years earning half a billion dollars.
From 1998 to 2007, multiply it by 8, a total of $2bn.
In the last nine years, his return on investment (ROI) is around 300%
I think he had a good investment.

"The tycoon has continued to accumulate wealth through the West Coast Capital private equity partnership he founded in 2001."

He founded Hunter Foundation in 1998, which is about the time he sold his sports company. If I would have a mass money like half a billion, I would immediately share it with the people in need, and start a foundation. Tom and Marion Hunter's message on the website stresses;

"No-one ever wakes up and deliberately says to themselves, ‘I must fail today’ but sadly not enough of us go to school or work and say, ‘Today, I’m really going to make a positive difference.’
Success for us is enabling every child to be all they can be, as simple and as challenging as that sounds. We will succeed, one way or another."

Investing in the future of a child would be the most influential and profitable one in my opinion. Observing a growth of another philanthropist and an entrepreneur would be a beautiful artificial cloning of a person like Tom Hunter. Giving a light to new Tom Hunters should be an incredible feeling.

Sir Hunter's life story would be an inspiring one. Especially, after we learn that he started out with selling trainers from his van. I was operating an evening/night cafe in my dorm. It was all due to my irresistible feeling to see my high school dormmates craving for food and some drink once the main cafeteria was shut down after 10pm. I relied on people's dignity and honesty that people were getting their sodas/snack, and then putting a check mark next to their name on the customer list. So, there was some sense of layaway. People were paying for their sodas and snacks at the end of each school week. The business was like a non-profit organization, advancing their intelligence through healthy living.

In short, another great entrepreneur in today's life was selling pizzas in his college dorm. So, as long as there is sales, there are the seeds for starting your own company, perhaps! Without sales, there is no profit, no money, nothing. Maybe, just love :-)
Even love needs water, otherwise it might evaporate in today's capital-based economy.

Last, his donation to Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship @ Strathclyde is also another smart investment to bright mind of the future. By the way, the institution is having a competition, but is only open to internal community.
At the end, let's ask if those super rich people like Tom Hunter has the duty to share their wealth?

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Top 10 International Facebook Clones - Mashable and The Original Post by German piece by Zweinull.cc


I learned about this website through the Facebook group I am subscribed to. By the way, you can always join our Turkish Coffee [add some sugar if you want].
Once you sign in to Facebook, search groups for "Turkish Coffee"

Back to the topic of Facebook Clones.
"As Facebook marches towards a potential IPO, savvy (some might say shameless) entrepreneurs around the globe continue to develop foreign clones of the red-hot social network. Many of these have been around for years, and some have been very successful. Here is a look at 10 of the most profitable copycats so far."
Here is the short list of Facebook clones. You can find the detailed list on Mashable website.
StudiVZ
Xiaonei
vkontakte.ru
DesiMartini
studentSN
Schuelerregister.de
Feierabend.de
Schueler
StudentFace
Qiraz

To me, cloning a good website is not original. There should be some creativity in the project. There should some innovation. If you cannot make your clone better than the original, then they should not clone. Like the most-often-story I hear during MS-Apple discussion, Microsoft has always been cloning Apple's programs. I hope a more innovative future for this booming social networking websites.

And some other clone-like websites I hear about through the comments left on the post.
MyGrowUp

Mondus

Monday, July 16, 2007

Coincidence and Mineral Water - How Many Actions You Can Take at Once?

While writing about a specific title, on radio the song named with the same title played. Coincidence, right? Anybody can explain this? Any research done? If found, please post your comment.
Along the same lines, well it is not, but still worth it during this hot summer, some cooling suggestions. I want to recommend a few mineral water brands. While searching for mineral water images, I found about Good Experience website, which is about "Our mission is to encourage the creation of good, meaningful experiences in business and life."
This website is very hot. It lists all mineral waters around the world.
My suggestions are as the following:
from Germany - Gerolsteiner Sprudel (can be found in Trader Joe's, very affordable price)
from Turkey - Sirma and Uludag (sometimes available in ethnic stores)
from Italy - San Pellegrino (can be found in Trader Joe's, little bit expensive price)

From the list of each countries' mineral water brands, Italy is leading with 585 different kinds of brands. Germany is following with 490. Perrier's France has only 215 kinds.
Would you like to see a giant picture of San Pellegrino mineral water? By the way, their website is pretty fancy, nice one.

Here is the full list:
* Algeria (10 Brands)
* Andorra (2 Brands)
* Argentina (24 Brands)
* Armenia (9 Brands)
* Australia (52 Brands)
* Austria (32 Brands)
* Azerbaijan (5 Brands)
* Belarus (2 Brands)
* Belgium (44 Brands)
* Bolivia (3 Brands)
* Bosnia and Herzegovina (15 Brands)
* Brazil (72 Brands)
* Bulgaria (12 Brands)
* Burkina Faso (2 Brands)
* Cameroon (3 Brands)
* Canada (87 Brands)
* Chile (6 Brands)
* China (66 Brands)
* Colombia (2 Brands)
* Costa Rica (5 Brands)
* Croatia (16 Brands)
* Cuba (1 Brand)
* Cyprus (3 Brands)
* Czech Republic (32 Brands)
* Denmark (16 Brands)
* Djibouti (1 Brand)
* Dominica (1 Brand)
* Dominican Republic (1 Brand)
* Ecuador (6 Brands)
* Egypt (13 Brands)
* Ethiopia (1 Brand)
* Fiji (3 Brands)
* Finland (13 Brands)
* France (215 Brands)
* French Polynesia (4 Brands)
* Gabon (1 Brand)
* The Gambia (1 Brand)
* Georgia (8 Brands)
* Germany (490 Brands)
* Greece (30 Brands)
* Grenada (1 Brand)
* Guadeloupe (2 Brands)
* Guatemala (3 Brands)
* Hong Kong (6 Brands)
* Hungary (20 Brands)
* Iceland (10 Brands)
* India (38 Brands)
* Indonesia (13 Brands)
* Iran (23 Brands)
* Ireland (15 Brands)
* Israel (7 Brands)
* Italy (585 Brands)
* Ivory Coast (1 Brand)
* Jamaica (1 Brand)
* Japan (16 Brands)
* Jordan (4 Brands)
* Kazakhstan (9 Brands)
* Kenya (17 Brands)
* Kuwait (1 Brand)
* Latvia (3 Brands)
* Lebanon (4 Brands)
* Lithuania (9 Brands)
* Luxemburg (8 Brands)
* Macedonia (10 Brands)
* Malaysia (15 Brands)
* Mali (1 Brand)
* Malta (3 Brands)
* Mauritania (2 Brands)
* Mauritius (2 Brands)
* Mexico (16 Brands)
* Moldova (2 Brands)
* Montenegro (1 Brand)
* Morocco (3 Brands)
* Namibia (3 Brands)
* Nepal (6 Brands)
* Netherlands (19 Brands)
* New Zealand (18 Brands)
* North Korea (3 Brands)
* Norway (11 Brands)
* Oman (1 Brand)
* Pakistan (16 Brands)
* Peru (5 Brands)
* Philippines (6 Brands)
* Poland (56 Brands)
* Portugal (49 Brands)
* Qatar (1 Brand)
* Republic of Congo (1 Brand)
* Reunion (1 Brand)
* Romania (24 Brands)
* Russia (44 Brands)
* Rwanda (1 Brand)
* Saint Lucia (1 Brand)
* Saudi Arabia (9 Brands)
* Senegal (2 Brands)
* Serbia (16 Brands)
* Seychelles (4 Brands)
* Slovak Republic (20 Brands)
* Slovenia (16 Brands)
* South Africa (47 Brands)
* South Korea (9 Brands)
* Spain (169 Brands)
* Sri Lanka (2 Brands)
* Suriname (1 Brand)
* Sweden (13 Brands)
* Switzerland (45 Brands)
* Syria (3 Brands)
* Taiwan (7 Brands)
* Tajikistan (2 Brands)
* Tanzania (1 Brand)
* Thailand (7 Brands)
* Togo (1 Brand)
* Tunisia (6 Brands)
* Turkey (42 Brands)
* USA (178 Brands)
* Uganda (2 Brands)
* Ukraine (16 Brands)
* United Arab Emirates (4 Brands)
* United Kingdom (152 Brands)
* Uruguay (2 Brands)
* Venezuela (10 Brands)
* Vietnam (9 Brands)
* Yemen (2 Brands)
* Yugoslavia (5 Brands)
* Zimbabwe (1 Brand)

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Soulful Sundays Ikea Meatballs and Severe Hot Weather Channel

You bet! Just know the right keyword, and you will find the answer you are looking for. Well, searching for IKEA pictures may also let you discover some nice blogs. Today, I will be sharing some of this blogs with you. If we think each blog is one person, and every time you sign up to their RSS feed, it is like adding their phone number to your cell phone.
Two days ago, Death Valley in CA was around 107 Degrees (in Fahrenheit)
Today, it is around 33 Degrees (in Celsius) in Philadelphia.
What is the relationship between this two regions? It is Weather Channel.
And, don't forget to check out their photo gallery. People like you send pictures like the one below:
Wisconsin at it's Best Captured in Chippewa Falls July 12th 2007
or this picture at right:
A cloud formation that looks like Cupid's arrow through a heart.


Don't you think that the form of the cloud can also be like Turkish coffee grounds. People can read it like fortunetelling. But, whose fortune would it be? A shared fortune?

Searching for IKEA in Google Images, here are some of the blogs featured in today's special cafealaturca post.

1) Duncan's TV Ad Land
Featuring IKEA's Persian Rug Advertisement
It is a descent TV commercial blog
and another one who commented on Duncan's post.

2) Bjorn Snellman's DAXION Blog
Bjorn is sharing his business life from the early entrepreneurial projects to his current ownerships. He is also sharing his job experience. He seems to be a role model for hard-working bread-winners. I show two thumbs up for such great people. Read his story, it is pretty fascinating, from Finland. By the way, there is some coffee smell there, don't miss it:)

3) Shanghai I Know This City
Whether you have been to this city or planning to go, or even not interested, they say "you can get lost for several days in IKEA." Plus, they have an IKEA picture on their post. But, they don't allow for comments unless you are signed in. I don't like that. Maybe it is to prevent spam comments. Alright. By the way, something off topic, while watching a subtitled French movie on Sundance Channel, I learned about the phrase shown in the subtitle: "even-steven"
Pretty funny phrase.

4) Coolz0r Marketing Thoughts
OK, this is a very cool website. Not only their Absolut IKEA in New York post is amazing, the most recent post I came up was about a Blended iPhone.
This blog is also using social tools that you can sign up to any RSS feed you are using. So, you can get instant updates about this blog.

5) The Unofficial IKEA Web Journal
Our last entry is a pretty good web journal about IKEA. An inspiring quote from the post:

"As a child, Kamprad rides his bike around Stockholm, buying up off-price merchandise—including matches, fish, seeds and Christmas-tree decorations—to sell to his neighbors in the farming village of Agunnaryd. In 1943 Ikea is founded as a door-to-door enterprise specializing in items like picture frames and stockings. The logo uses the colors of the Swedish flag. In 1951 the company published its first furniture catalogue. With no shipping facilities, Kamprad makes a deal with the local milkman to deliver orders with daily dairy drop-offs as well as to the nearby train station.."

This is the end of story for now. As good food takes time, this well-off post took a little bit time and search. Hope you enjoy the ride.
Last, here is a nice tune that I listen over and over again, (doesn't necessarily mean that I watch the video clip over and over again:)
Trick and Kubic - Easy


If you hear a sound
from a voice inside
tellin' you
something's not right
you're gettin' tired
of this life
you just don't know
how to thrive
maybe one day
you will see
life's in motion
and you are the beat
flowin' with it
everday
no matter how
just find the way
open your eyes
and feel new-born
threre's no reason
no need to mourn
things will change
and you will see
that your mind
will set you free
don't be impatient
don't run away
let me tell ya
that one day
you will see
how easy it is
how easy it is

(easy, easy, easy)

you wonder what it´s gonna be like
when you listen to that voice
speaking to you all the time
tellin' you all the things you need to know
it may be hard to understand
and hard to follow from time to time
but if you're not trying
nothing will change
it's your choice
the way you live your life
and not only within your dreams
with your eyes wide open
there's a lot more to see
than you've seen so far
so why don't you just give it a go?
and listen to what your heart says?
and stop questioning
it's easy

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Saturday Night Turkish Music Feed - Summer 2007

Well, it is saturday night, cafealaturca has some suggestions for you to listen. We are listing you our top five for this summer's Turkish music hits. Enjoy!
Mustafa Sandal - Indir

Bengu and Serdar Ortac - Korkma Kalbim

Hande Yener - Romeo

Izel - Belli Mi Olur

Ozgun - Kivirir

Friday, July 13, 2007

Dating in Central Park vs. eHarmony and All That Jazz

Was committed to dedicate one post for dating, since the summer is almost half way over. One topic of discussion could be if it is only summer we crave for dating. Another topic is what cool places are there for dating. While searching for Central Park Concerts in NY, "Dating Ideas" subtitle flipped my mind on the official Central Park website. Besides, I was glad to learn about this gig.

August, 17 2007 at PAUL VAN DYK IN CENTRAL PARK
Rumsey Playfield, NY, New York

Nowadays, on the US channels, eHarmony's commercial are broadcasted very often. According to the commercial, you can review your matches for free. Quote:

* Now it's FREE to receive and review your matches!
* Each compatible match pre-screened for you across 29 Dimensions.
* Get started now. Simply register and take the questionnaire to receive your matches.

I am not a big fan online dating, oh sorry, relationship networks, however their marketing pitch seemed to me very aggressive, so I mention their name here.

I will be adding more of my opinions about dating on this post later on.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Turkish Pistachios from Antep and Online Testimonials

I was glad to click one of the advertisement on one of a thousand websites I surf everyday. Yes, I am joking, it is not thousand:-) Anyways, Nuts Online seems to be a very descent website selling quality and different origin pistachios. I will be recommending the ones from Antep region. But, you are free to check other offerings. One of their testimonials is pretty funny, and wholeheartedly written.

"with my first taste of your Turkish(Antep) pistachios I thought I died and went to heaven..."

Eat nuts for a healthy life! By the way, the company history is quite flamboyant.

Jobhunting, Job Chase and Discover da Real Job

How many of us land a job that we like? What percentage
of people love their job from the beginning? Monster.com
is delivering some questions for you to "discover the work you were born to do."

Ask yourself these questions, and record your answers:

1. What subjects do you most enjoy reading about?
2. What television or radio programs do you most enjoy?
3. What are your favorite types of movies?
4. What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes?
5. What type of volunteer activities do you prefer?
6. What subjects do you enjoy discussing with friends?
7. What subjects come to mind when you daydream?
8. What have been your favorite jobs?
9. What were your favorite school subjects?
10. What are your pet peeves?
11. If you doodle, what do you often draw?
12. If you ran the world, what changes would you make?
13. If you won a million bucks, what would you do with it?
14. Who are your favorite kinds of people?
15. How would you like to be remembered after your death?
16. What are your favorite toys?
17. How would you describe your political beliefs?
18. Who do you most admire in life and why?
19. What tasks have brought you the most success?
20. What tasks do you think you could do well that you haven't yet done?

Examine your answers. Do you see a certain behavior or belief in more than one aspect of your life? What information do you see repeated that seems to reveal a behavior pattern? What are your long-lasting interests?

Using this information, paint a self-portrait by completing the following statements:

* I am mainly interested in…

* I believe most in…

* I most value…

* For a good life, I feel I need…

* I can do the following well…

Now ask yourself if your current job helps you achieve these five statements. If it does, you're probably in the right career. Chances are, however, that the nagging voice means your current career is not satisfying your core features. If this is the case, then it's time to find a better fit.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Local Stories about Turkish Coffee - Ukraine

I really enjoy reading Turkish Coffee news from around the world. Today's guest is Ukraine. Thanks to Google News widget, otherwise I would not be aware of this article published in Kyiv Post. Once again, I will be sharing some interesting parts of the article.

"Moreover, the desired drink at most cafes in Kyiv is usually prepared Italian-style – if you want a small cup of it, you will have to get an espresso. If you inquire about a cup of Turkish coffee, I guarantee that the waiter will give you a very surprised look."
What can I say? I laughed a lot. Why do they give a surprised look? When will Turkish Coffee defeat espresso's legacy?

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Local Stories about Turkish Coffee - Israel

It would be great to host a broad range of audience from different parts of the world in this blog to share their local experiences with Turkish Coffee. A local news I found out today comes from Israel. Published in The Jerusalem Post, "Strauss Group Ltd. doesn't represent a monopoly in the Turkish coffee market, an Israeli court ruled Monday."
Here is some information about the company.

"Thomson Financial Business Description:
The Group's principal activities are manufacturing, marketing and distribution of a broad range of food products, including yogurts, dairy desserts, soft cheeses, confectionery, coffee, chocolate, salads, freshly squeezed juices, baked goods, salty snacks, olive oil, honey, cereal-based products and soy desserts. The Group's shares are listed on the Tel Aviv stock exchange."

The company is ranked 12th in the Dun's 100 Israel's Largest Enterprises.


Coffee Consumption and Turkish Coffee's Local Presence in a Global Brand - Gloria Jean's Coffee

Thanks to Google once again offering the news section on the left side of this blog. A recent news article about Turkish Coffee gives me valuable information to share with you. First of all, many global coffee brands are have been entering Turkey. Gloria Jean's is one of them. They include Turkish Coffee in their menu, and one customer comments "seeing our local tastes in a global brand makes me happy." I certainly agree, but I want to see Turkish Coffee in the menu of all coffeehouses around the world. In the beginning, this offer can be led by chain stores, or independent stores, doesn't matter. But, it should start soon. However, there is also the dilemma of the name. If there is Turkish Coffee on the menu, why not Arabic coffee, Greek Coffee, Lebanese Coffee, Armenian Coffee, and so on. Still, I don't think it is a big deal. During Ottoman Empire, there was one and only coffee which was today's Turkish Coffee. So, all other coffee's can still unite under the name of Turkish Coffee. And, flavors might be dedicated to certain countries. Like, cardamom flavor might be called Arabic coffee, and so on. Well, it is open for discussion, please share your opinion. Last, the hesitation to offer Turkish coffee (in the US) might come from the difficulty to brew it on site. So, an easier way to brew might create easier access for purchase.
And finally, here are the coffee consumption figures quoted from Zaman newspaper:

Turkey does not take an important part in global coffee consumption.
According to the numbers of 2001, the country that consumes the most coffee is the US. The order of per capita consumption after the US is:

Finland - 11.1 kg

Sweden - 8.55 kg

Denmark - 9.71 kg

Norway - 9.46 kg

Australia - 7.9 kg

Germany - 6.9 kg

Switzerland - 6.80 kg

Holland - 6.48 kg

Coffee consumption in Turkey is under 200 grams.

The Global Compact Leaders Summit at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland 5 - 6 July 2007

The Global Compact Leaders Summit took place on 5th and 6th July. It is a little bit late notice, but I wanted to share two important videos recorded during the meeting. You can find all the videos on UN webcast page.

A tiny bit information about the gathering:
"The Global Compact Leaders Summit will be an historic gathering of approximately 1,000 top executives of participating companies, heads of international labour, civil society and United Nations agencies, in addition to select government officials. Participants will reflect the composition and regional distribution of the various stakeholder groups within the Compact."

The president of Corporate Communication and Information Technology Group at Koc Holding AS, Ali Koc, gave a very effective speech during the Plenary meetings.
His quote from Jim Collins's Good to Great book was very relevant. He said that greatness is not a function of circumstances, it is a result of conscious choice and discipline.

Also, I would suggest Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Coca-Cola Company, Mr. E. Neville Isdell's speech. He focused on more political dilemmas like "conflict on resources costing lives." He also said "the global population continues to grow mainly of course in places that are less able to support additional inhabitants." He gave worthy note on the importance of water resources and global climate change.

As a result, I would highly recommend Mr. Isdell's video. And, I highly appreciate the talks, but everybody needs to walk the talk.