Merhaba to all our wonderful readers out in Cyberland!
Turkey is our country of the month.  It coincides with a  celebration for Turkey in the World Cup Soccer tournament. Their success in reaching third place deserves immense praise.  Turkish national pride was further boosted recently when the country assumed command of the 5,000-strong International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan, which had been led by Britain. 

A similar outburst of national pride was seen by the South Koreans after their unprecedented rise to stardom in the soccer world. One journalist said Koreans are enjoying not just success in soccer, it is their nation they are so proud of, after years of negative coverage in the foreign press. 

Just as the Olympic Games brings out the best in every country's athletes, the World Cup Soccer tournament raised the pride of all those involved.  Unfortunately, soccer hooliganism has ruined the image of soccer in many places but it is still a wonderful way for nations to compete and get a chance to show their heroes to the rest of the world. 

One thing is sure, and that is, every country, no matter how small, has wonderful people that are capable of being the world's best.  What is missing in many cases is just the opportunity.  We all need to encourage small and poorer nations to compete in world sport by increasing the opportunities for their talented individuals.

It's all about role models.  If the citizens of a country, or any human group for that matter, have a good role model to look up to, or to emulate, whether it be an acclaimed golf player or a wise president, the people can derive huge benefits that can be measured in countless ways. 

Such a role model was Atatürk whose achievements are legendary. I've included a link for you to read more about him below.  He was a man of vision, a creative man that led Turkey to many modern reforms, that other muslim nations have followed. Unfortunately not as many as we'd have liked, but we live in hope!

On holiday in Turkey several years ago I was astonished by the fierce vitality, enthusiasm, skill and pride that Turkish people showed while performing their age-old traditional music and dancing. Certainly a people worthy of great respect. 

Wishing you all a happy and peaceful July.
Hoshchakalin .. until next month.

PS. You will note that we have dropped the classified
ads section. They were taking up too much time and 
I'm sure you've had enough of them too.

Dr John K. Flynn B.D.Sc.
The Xerostar Times Editor 
Caring for Creative People
..

BeyogluAda-Cift
CanisiElvedaisHavameyerMisketMemeler OyunhavAgora MeyhanesiPasagnluSabria VaybeVefasizYalan

Find out how to set up your computer for maximum
enjoyment of MIDI music. Click Here
.

Visit these pages to find the facts on a range of inherited diseases  - their incidence, cause, symptoms, testing, screening and treatment. 
Concise information about diseases such as Fragile 
X syndrome, Marfan syndrome, Cystic fibrosis, Hemophillia, Duchenne/Becker Muscular dystrophy, Phenylketonuria (PKU), Huntington disease, Neurofibromatosis (NF), Sickle cell disease, Haemochromatosis and Beta-thalassemia.
                   Click Here
             ..

Now you can order from a large variety of modern wonder pills on-line from UK Pills. You can depend on fast, discreet delivery to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Spain, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal,  Sweden, UK and Ireland, in fact anywhere in Europe.
For more info please Click Here
...

Do you enjoy word puzzles or playing with words?
Are you a Scrabble®  fan?
This fascinating program will help you solve the
most difficult word puzzles. The manipulation of English words is taken to a new level. 

To read all about it. Click  Here
 ...

Check your Midnight Express stereotypes at the door and come in to this rapidly modernizing country with one foot in Europe and one in the Middle East. It's not all oriental splendor, mystery, intrigue and whirling dervishes but it is a spicy maelstrom of history knocking up against the present, the present bursting out all over the place, and the future peering back at the posse. Turkey is a blend unto itself.

It's also a great country to visit. The Turks are mostly overwhelmingly friendly to foreign visitors, the cuisine is frequently excellent, the cities are dotted with majestic old buildings and the countryside is often worth a good old-fashioned gasp. There's an enormous variety of things to see and do ranging from water sports to mountain trekking, archaeology to night clubbing and river rafting to raki drinking. Whether you leave Turkey with magnificent carpets, amulets to ward off evil, belly dancing tips, an appreciation of its history, or just a tan, you're likely to want to go back for more.

Things have calmed down since the turbulent and violent days of early 1999, when the PKK (Kurdistan Worker's Party) conducted furious guerrilla attacks on Turkish authorities over the capture and imprisonment of rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan. Although a ceasefire is in effect, security is still an issue. Bomb attacks occur occasionally in Istanbul. Some provinces are considered PKK strongholds, in particular Hakkari, Sirnak, Tunceli and Diyarbakir. Check with your embassy or consulate for up-to-date information on travel in the southeastern and eastern part of the country, and if you decide to go stick to the main roads. Also, tensions between Turkey and neighboring Iraq make this border area a bit iffy, particularly since US air strikes on Afghanistan begun in October 2001 have heightened security concerns throughout the region. Most areas of Turkey are very safe, however, provided travelers use common sense, keep a low profile in trouble prone areas and avoid political gatherings and demonstrations. 

Full country name: Turkey
Area: 779,452 sq km (483,260 sq mi)
Population: 65.7 million
Capital city: Ankara (pop 3.7 million)
People: Turks (85%), Kurds (12%), other Islamic peoples, Armenians, Jews
Language: Turkish
Religion: Muslim
Government: Republic
Prime Minister: Bülent Ecevit

GDP: US$409 billion
GDP per head: US$6200
Annual growth:-5%
Inflation: 64%
Major industries: Agriculture, motor vehicles, petroleum, engineering, tourism
Major trading partners: Germany, USA, Italy, UK, France, Russia.
To find out more please Click Here
.

To find out more Click Here
...

A web site where you will find a huge choice of ezines covering every interest.

Please rate the XT at Cumuli.com  Click Here

An interesting site for cat lovers - a group of Turkish Van Breeders and exhibitors, concerned about the future of this beautiful cat.  Since that time they have grown to become the largest single breed club representing the Turkish Van, with a membership in excess of 250. 
To visit this web site please Click Here
..

This web site provides short but comprehensive courses in a variety of subjects, which can be accessed anytime, and from anywhere. The web master, Pooja Srinivas gives all  participants excellent email support. You'll be surprised at the very reasonable fees too!
To find out more please Click Here
..

The concept of networking computers is not new. Businesses have been connecting computers to share files, printers and peripherals for many years. But home users have been slow to jump on the networking bandwagon as until now the only way to connect computers was by stringing cable throughout the house. While many new homes are pre-wired for a home network, rewiring an existing home can be difficult and expensive task. But that is changing with the advent of Wireless Home Networks. Today you can start a home network for under $300

To read the whole story, please Click Here

This magic program produces realistic 3D images of Books, Boxes, CDs  and DVDs. There is no other 3D cover program that comes close to this one
You can get a sneak preview of the results at our new web site. www.ebook3dwizard.com

Have a look at the examples, we think you'll be impressed with what this program can do.

Download the free trial version now.

To go to the web site, please  Click Here
..

This is cutting edge software for the eBook author!
This program was designed to convert an MS Word document into a series of HTML pages. This allows an eBook author to create a large .exe eBook within a very short time frame. Until now, this has not been possible.  The program automatically links all pages ready for the compiler and there are many other features that are time and labor saving. Your eBooks become works of art. Our new web site can be seen at: www.ebook-composer.com

Download the free trial version now!

To go to the web site, please  Click Here
...

Here's your chance to get 2 free MP3 recordings of Elliot J. Huntley in his tribute to The Chairman of the Board. 

These two numbers are the first official recordings and they represent just a fraction of Elliot's on-stage performance - they'll leave you thirsting for more!

Elliot took a break from compering his comedy club evenings to record this music for his many fans in England. He is planning a CD album.

Elliot's book "After the Break-Up of The Beatles" has been selling like hot cakes and has reached number one on Amazon.co.uk George Harrison book list. Congratulations to Elliot - not a bad effort for his first book !

He is now writing a new book about Chris Needham
who was a TV celebrity in the UK 10 years ago.
There is a page with more detail about this exciting project, so don't miss it!

To see Elliot's web site and download the two free MP3 recordings, please: Click Here
.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic and its first President, stands as a towering figure of the 20th Century. Among the great leaders of history, few have achieved so much in so short period, transformed the life of a nation as decisively, and given such profound inspiration to the world at large. 

To view the web site please Click Here
 

Best-selling author Robert Bly offers an interesting angle on how watching too much TV may be harmful to children. 

"There is a story out of Africa about reading that offers some new information. Teachers were training men and women, about thirty-five years of age, to read for the first time. The teachers eventually learned to warn them: 'When you are practicing reading in your room, put a blanket over your shoulders.' It turned out that the effort involved in reading was so large that it could drop the body temperature two or three degrees and so could bring on a cold or a sore throat. Most of us, having learned to read at a time of inexhaustible energy, have forgotten how difficult it was. 

"Apparently when the visual cortex takes in the word 'bridge,' for example, it refers it to the forebrain, which in turn refers it to the midbrain, which creates the image of a bridge in the 'mind's eye' and sends it back. So reading means a journey from the visual cortex to the forebrain and a microsecond later to the midbrain, and then the image leaps back. Such travel through the brain, with 'arsenic lobsters,' as Lorca says, 'falling on your head,' is the joy of reading. 

"A profound athletic energy is evicted when we read 'The three Billy-Goats Gruff stood under the dark bridge, waiting.' We see the bridge first, then the darkness under the bridge, and then the three Billy-Goats Gruff, waiting in the darkness. It is as if a great horse leaps across the space between neocortex and midbrain, then leaps back, with its rider, six times in that single sentence in order to carry the darkness under the bridge, the bridge itself, the goats and their horns and their gruffness over to the 'mind's eye.' 

"Television short-circuits all that work, that exercise, that play, that joy, by providing the image. The neocortex does not need to bring out its great leaping horse. The television set delivers the image directly to the midbrain. Neil Postman, in 'Amusing Ourselves in Death,' has written cogently about the damage caused by this short-circuiting. Joseph Chilton Pearce believes that heavy watching of television means the end of the evolution that the brain has experienced so far." 

for more on Robert Bly's book, please  Click Here
..

Anyone who visits Turkey or has a meal in a Turkish home, regardless of the success of the particular cook, is sure to notice how unique the Cuisine is.

The intention of this site is to help the uninitiated to enjoy Turkish food by achieving a higher level of understanding of the repertoire of dishes, related cultural practices and their spiritual meaning. 

Fully justifying its reputation, Turkish cuisine is always a pleasant surprise for the visitor. The variety and simplicity of the recipes and the quality of the ingredients are guarantees of delicious meals. 

For more info  Click Here
...

Voted 'Best Business Program' by PC Magazine.

To visit this web site, please Click Here
..

I have a 50-something year old friend, Jack, who is perhaps the best bass guitar player in Central New York.  By day he paints houses for a living; by night he plays in a local rhythm and blues cover band. 
If he ever had dreams of making it big, it was a dream he gave up years ago, long before I ever met him.  But he never makes a big deal out of it.  He's a funny, laid back sort of guy who seems to have 
accepted the fact that he was at the airport when his ship came in.

But because he's quite well known around the local music scene, Jack was asked to join a few other musicians to open for the headliner, Al Jarreau, at our annual Jazz Festival.  He tried to maintain his 
offhand demeanor when he told me about it, but I could see and hear how much this short gig meant to him.  He was nervous, excited, proud and fearful, all at the same time.  This wasn't a typical job at a 
local tavern, playing for people who only wanted to hear songs they knew.  This event would draw thousands of people, many of whom eat, drink and sleep jazz.

A group of us decided to go, not because we're jazz enthusiasts, but because we like Jack.  And seeing Al Jarreau would be pretty cool. 
Besides, what better way to spend a warm summer evening than at an outdoor concert with cold beer and good friends?

We watched and listened to a couple of other acts on the giant main stage.  The MC then announced that Jarreau would be on in 30 minutes.  Where was Jack?  Had we missed him? 

Then I heard his distinctive bass.  Rather than playing on the main stage, Jack and the other musicians had been relegated to a much smaller stage in a nearby tent.  We managed to snag excellent seats inside, near another group of people we knew, and yelled Jack's name to let him know we'd come to cheer him on.

The next half hour was magical.  I'd never seen Jack look happier, never heard him play better.  The four musicians, who had only rehearsed together a few times, played some of the best jazz I'd heard all evening.  Sometimes glancing at one another, sometimes lost in sounds of their own instruments, they played as though they had been together for decades.  More and more people moved into the tent to watch this awesome quartet of talented professionals.  Feet tapped, heads swayed, and applause and cheers erupted after each number.

But what I'll always remember was the look on Jack's face.  For those 30 minutes, he was living his dream, and it transformed him.  He looked younger, healthier, more handsome.  Alive.

I thought, so *this* is what it looks like when someone is doing what they love and live for.  How beautiful it is!   Perhaps we writers look like that sometimes at our keyboards, lost in our own words, 
writing for the sheer love of it.  If so, I want to spend more of my life looking and feeling like Jack did last night.  I hope you do, too.

Mary Anne Hahn is the Publisher of an ezine called "Write Success"  Write to her now!  Click Here
..

I've chosen to make this Forum 'public' so anyone can participate, so feel free to tell your friends!
To view the Forum:   Click Here