Word of the Day: Hubris

We actually came up with this idea because of the ruthless authoritarianism displayed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayypid Erdogan. But, given that we don't want to see his face or hear his voice after the sickening images of riot police cracking down on protesters  at Gezi Park and Taksim Square in Istanbul yesterday, we are going with an image of The Shah of Iran instead.

We also suspect that our blog could possibly be blocked in Turkey as there have been no hits from my late father's country in several days, but on the bright side our sister blog "Politics, Culture and Other Wastes of Time" is getting hits from Pakistan.

'Hubris:' (According to Wikipedia) Means extreme pride or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of contact with reality and an overestimation of one's competence or capabilities_ especially when this person is in a position of power.

Things We Learned on Bing Today: KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) Founded in 1919

Since we are a bit pressed for time today and we want to find out new information on the latest round of police crackdowns against protestors in Istanbul, Turkey, stemming from the government's decision to graze historic, scenic Gezi Park in Taksim Square, we are going to return to an old stand-by.

For these segments, we ask a major search engine a general question. Today, it was: "When was KLM founded?"

As it turns out, the Dutch carrier happens to be the world's oldest airline operating under its own name. KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) was founded in 1919; the major hub of the airline is Shiphol Airport in Amsterdam.

KLM has 136 destinations around the globe. It merged with Air France in 2004, and the Dutch airline is also a member of the SkyTeam Alliance.

Perhaps, it's time to go back and visit Amsterdam, we we did in 1993 to revisit the Vincent Van Gogh Museum!

The Netherlands is also one of the countries in which the blog receives the most amount of hits, though per capita, we think either Latvia or El Salvador might be the two countries in which we are most popular...........perhaps?!

http://www.klm.com

http://www.rnw.nl/

More Tweets Regarding Events in Turkey

Here are some more tweets regarding the events in Turkey. Various media outlets report that four people have been killed by the police who are cracking down on protestors in Istanbul. Protests are in full swing across Turkey as right-wing Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken draconian measures to suppress his own constituents.

The BBC is reporting that 40,000 Istanbulians crossed the Bosporus Bridge by foot; the above image is of Taksim Square where the initial protest began.

Here are the tweets:

1) Juan Cole: Taksim Square Protests in Turkey spread to other cities. Police accused of brutality.

2) Hurriyet Daily News: #Photo Clashes over #Taksim Gezi Park protest spread across #Istanbul and #Turkey.

3) Mark Ruffalo (a famous American actor): "Be safe and strong! Something tremendulous is Happening in Turkey.

4) Mustafa Edib Yilmaz (a reporter with the conservative Turkish newspaper "Zaman"): "This is crazy. Turkey is a democracy unlike elsewhere in the a region where populist uprisings occurred. Here we have elections, not insurgency."

5) Gigi Ibrahim (an Egyptian activist who helped organize Tahrir Square uprising): "It is a little too pathetic for Egyptains to think that what is happening in #Turkey is about trees?! You have to be kidding right."

6) Rawya Rageh: "Starbucks staff in #Taksim are amazing! Gave us free coffee and doing same with protestors. Ystdy they gave ppl shelter, milk."

7) Kemal Saracoglu: "May 31, 2013: Turkey_ Istanbul Man is Killed by Police."

Tweets Regarding the Revolutionary Stand Against the Right-Wing Government in Turkey

Though the island of Buyukada, pictured here, is the quietest part of the Istanbul metro area, one may well expect that the protests in Taksim Square regarding Gezi Park have affected the island community as well. The island is said to have one of the best views of Istanbul one can see.

Here are some tweets regarding the May 31st events in Istanbul. Let me make one thing clear here: I am a Turkish-American and in no way can I be objective here. I am absolutely support the protestors, and I hope this movement brings an abrupt end to the corrupt right wing leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan:

1) Hurriyet Daily News @HDNER: "Crowds cross #Istanbul's Bosporus Bridge to the European side in the early morning hours, marching in #Taksim.


2) Bianca Jagger @Bianca Jagger #Istanbul awake since yesterday morning. Police has been using tear gas & water against people for 24 hours.

3) Claire Berlinski: Okay, exciting as all of this is, I've got to get some sleep. Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of "Turkey Loses Its Marbles."

4) Alya Albayrak: Protests took and are still taking place in over a dozen Turkish cities. Thousands still on the streets. Extraordinary. #Gezi #Istanbul

5) BBC News (UK): "Turkey branches for fresh protests."

6) Asli Sonceley: Los Angeles for Istanbul right now.

7) Bruce Willis (yes, that Bruce Willis): "Let everyone know...Press in Turkey is not working....Is people dying on the streets. Turkey is suffering.