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INDEX Publisher / Yay›nc›: TurkofAmerica, Inc. General Manager / Genel Müdür: Ömer Günefl – omer@turkofamerica.com Editor-in-Chief / Genel Yay›n Yönetmeni: Cemil Ozyurt – cemil@turkofamerica.com Creative Director / Kreatif Direktör: Serdar fiahin Page Design / Sayfa Tasar›m: Sinem Ertafl Editor: Patricia Russo, Nancy Öztürk. Editor of Photography / Foto¤raf Editörü: Ada Köseda¤ News Center / Haber Merkezi: Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu, Müge Mengü, Ali Ç›nar, Hande Sarantopoulos, Ilknur Gurdal Fieldhouse, Jennifer Eaton Gökmen, Melda Akasel, Elif Özmenek, Ayhan Kay. Support Team / Katk›da Bulunanlar: Halim Özyurt, Demet Cabbar. Advising Committee / Yay›n Dan›flma Kurulu: Ali Günertem, Egemen Ba¤›fl, Ferhan Geylan, Güney Adak, G. Lincoln McCurdy, Mahmut Topal, Mehmet Ali Özkan, Mehmet Çelebi.
16 THE THREE HORSEMEN OF SILICON VALLEY TURKOFAMERICA bring together three important figures of the venture capital community in Silicon Valley: Bar›fl Karado¤an, George Nuray U¤rafl, and Ayd›n fienkut.
24 TRUST YOUR LIQUIDATION & ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TO AMERTURK AmerTurk, Inc. of Santa Clara, California, is one such large
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buyer in the region. Harun Sevimli, President and CEO of AmerTurk, who focuses mainly on electronic goods, states that he would like to expand the five-year-old company operations to other states in the US.
30 BRAIN DRAIN – IS A PROBLEM OR AN ADVANTAGE?
Main Office / Merkez Ofis Turk of America, Inc. 730 Fifth Avenue, The Crown Building Suite 916 New York, NY 10019 Tel: +1 (212) 659 7758 Fax: +1 (212) 659 7805 info@turkofamerica.com Representatives in the U.S.A / ABD Temsilcileri: California (Los Angeles): Barbaros Tapan btapan@turkofamerica.com Tel: +1 (213) 924 8027 Connecticut: Ali Ç›nar – acinar@turkofamerica.com Tel: +1 (203) 722 4339 Massachusetts: Mustafa Aykaç – maykac@turkofamerica.com Tel: +1 (857) 205 8318 Rochester, NY: Ersoy Y›ld›z – eyildiz@turkofamerica.com Tel: +1 (585) 266 1356 San Fransisco, CA: Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu – aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com Tel: +1 (650) 938 1764 Texas: Neriman Yüce – nyuce@turkofamerica.com Tel: +1 (817) 283 0179 Netherlands: Yasin Ya¤c› – yyagci@turkofamerica.com Tel: +31 (624) 66 92 23 Australia: Süheyl Yekenkurul – syekenkurul@turkofamerica.com TURKEY / TÜRK‹YE General Coordinator / Genel Koordinatör: Nuri Özyurt – nozyurt@turkofamerica.com Marketing & Sales Director / Pazarlama ve Sat›fl Direktörü: Ayla Toker – turkiye@turkofamerica.com Abonelik ve Da¤›t›m için / Subscription and Distribution: Nispetiye Caddesi Peker Sokak Aky›ld›z Apt. No:26/5 1.Levent Istanbul, Tel:+ 90 212 282 37 11 BASKI VE GRAF‹K: Promat Bas›m Yay›n San. ve Tic. A.fi. Adile Naflit Bulvar› 122. Sokak No:8 34513 Esenyurt - ‹stanbul Telefon: + 90 (212) 456 63 63-pbx Fax: + 90 (212) 456 63 73 E-Mail: info@promat.com.tr
Turkey has been giving a big percentage of its highly trained and talented scientists and engineers to the U.S. since the 1960’s. Today, it has reached a critical point.
40 CURIOUS ABOUT TURKISH-BORN GRANDFATHER Congressman Steve Cohen mother’s birth certificate stated
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Turk of America is a member of Independent Press Association. Turk of America, Independent Press Association üyesidir.
as Turkey in 1915? If Turkey was not the name used for the land, why they would put Turkey on the birth certificate? I still don’t know.
46 THE ARCHITECT OF WILLIAMSBURG: MKD GROUP LLC Murat A¤›rnasl›, a New York businessman of some 25 years’ standing in textiles and real estate, has now joined the elite list of names contributors to the renovation of Williamsburg, an up-and-coming New York district.
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48 TULUMBA: A LEADER IN THE ONLINE ETHNIC MARKET Of 68,000 goods offered on the site, 48,000 are books and the customers are divided evenly between Americans
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and Turks.
58 MORRIS SCHINASI AND THE MANISA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL The year was 1890. Morris was 35 and his big dreams carried him far. Borrowing US$25,000 from his beloved boss Garofollo, he immigrated to the USA in 1892 and exhibited the cigarette-rolling machine he had designed himself at the Chicago Fair.
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68 TURKS CONTRIBUTE $17B TO CALIFORNIA Dr. Ertan Elmaa¤açl›, a lecturer who lives in California, USA, reveals that Turkish migrants contribute some $17,900,000,000 to the local economy each year.
78 BEAUTY OF THE SOUL: CEMAL‹
All articles in the magazine are translated by Citlembik Ltd. / TurkofAmerica’daki tüm yaz›lar›n çevirisi Çitlembik Ltd. taraf›ndan yap›lm›flt›r. Çitlembik Ltd. Tel: +90 (212) 292 3032 www.citlembik.com.tr Cover Photo: www.istockphoto.com
that her father was born in Turkey. What would they refer to
The two brothers Cem and Ali lived and studied both in Turkey and in the US, constantly traveling back and forth between the two continents. This interaction between two different worlds enabled them to extract the best and
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synthesize their sound to be a unique musical fusion of these two worlds.
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FROM EDITOR Cemil Özyurt cemil@turkofamerica.com
ELECTIONS, STRATEGY AND TURKS n one of our previous issues our Washington, D.C. correspondent Ali Günertem flagged a largely overlooked topic. Ali pointed out that Turks resident in the USA had to review their usual strategy in light of the upcoming November elections. He held the view that Turks ought to drop their support of Republicans through thick and thin, and instead join in on the Democratic side, thereby investigating the possibility of altering the preconceptions about Turkey in general and accusations of the alleged Armenian genocide in particular.
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Following Ali’s statement, I had the opportunity to talk with many Turkish-American voters who had persistently voted Republican. Most agreed on this point: It was the Democrats who championed the Armenian Genocide Bill and therefore they, the voters, were going to support the Republicans. None paid much attention to the political mistakes the Republicans have been guilty of recently, both on the domestic and the international stage. So how much longer should this support continue? Even if the Republican candidate, John McCain, defends staying in Iraq, our next-door neighbor, for another hundred years, if ‘necessary’? Despite Turkey’s commercial losses exceeding tens of billions of dollars? Even if he
continues to champion for more corporate rights in this USA, where you live, raise your children, and pay taxes until you hurt? Even if he continues to upend the USA and the world with ill-conceived policies, flying in the face of all reason? Some Turkish voters ought to reconsider their decision to blindly support the Republicans. This support that appears to consist of nothing more than a narrow desire to hit out at allegations of an Armenian genocide needs more valid substantiation. I have no bone to pick with anyone who supports the Republicans based on their party platform, the values they defend, or their proposals for the country. Yet I struggle to reconcile the Republican profile of being largely conservative, more patriotic and less tolerant of migrant communities -such as ours- with the support it enjoys from migrants. If Turks are solely interested in the support Republicans offer against the Armenian genocide claims and are thus prepared to overlook any other shortcoming, I have a huge problem with this attitude. Do not forget that the people who will lead the country in which you raise your children, and where you’ve placed all your hopes, hold the power to shape your own future in the first place. Know that if your
own future begins to look bleak, the very same prospect applies to your home country too.
on the national, state, or city level, play active roles, and demonstrate how they are an integral part of the system.
Following the same reasoning, should Turks resident in France support the ‘ultranationalist’ leader Jean-Marie Le Pen simply because he doesn’t support the ‘Armenian Genocide Bill’ or those resident in the Netherlands vote for Jan Peter Balkenende, the Christian Democrat Appeal leader, on the same pretext? What if those very same candidates support resolutions that break Turks’ backs on social security, health, education and justice?
Siding with the Republicans simply on the basis of perceived Democratic support for the Armenian Genocide Bill is nothing more than taking the easy way out. It’s akin to stating, “Why should we Turks try to change these policies, when there already is someone out there doing our work?”
Turks living abroad must o btain voting rights before they are able to exercise political power effectively. They must join parties closest to their own political beliefs and work within to alter, if needed, any preconceptions. Their first priority ought to be the political agenda in Turkey itself. (I’m not proposing they ignore the problems of their own country, obviously.) Any who wish to spend more time and effort on these subjects ought to give serious consideration to entering the political arena in Turkey themselves. What I’m trying to say is that party politics ought to be different from fanatically supporting a football team. Turks in America should join Republicans or Democrats
The Washington-based nonprofit organization Turkish Coalition of America indicates that Representatives sympathetic to Turks number 73 in Congress. Of this number, 41 are Democrats and 32 Republicans. It is clear, therefore, that Democrats no longer ignore us. Excluding some exceptions, it’s not all that hard to see that Democrats are not necessarily all prejudiced against Turks. If all you do is oppose without making a single attempt at explaining your own position, you naturally create an action-reaction mechanism. It would be unreasonable to state that political interests founded solely on action-reaction would enjoy a healthy longevity. In other words, you would be trusting your own fate not in your own hands, but in the lips of some other person. Don’t entrust your own fate to someone else… œ TurkofAmerica • 07
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THE COMMUNITY NEWS
ARCADE TRUST TAKES THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU PLEDGE arpon Springs, FL. The first paper money showroom in America, Arcade Currency Palace, Inc. has pledged to uphold the Better Business Bureau Accredited Business Standards as well as the principles to create trust, including advertizing honestly, telling the truth, being transparent, honoring promises, being responsive, and embodying integrity. Ahmet Sandikci, aka Porscheahmet, owner of the Arcade Currency Palace, says Better Business Bureau’s accreditation is very important in business and it shows the credibility, honesty, and trustworthiness of the Arcade Currency Palace. Sand›kc› set up shop in 2005 in the old Arcade Hotel building at 210 S Pinellas Ave. He has a second location in his native country of Turkey. A third showroom is set to open in Palm Beach within the next few months, he said.
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The Better Business Bureau (BBB), founded in 1912, is an organization based in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The BBB states its purpose is to act as a mutually trusted intermediary between consumers and businesses to resolve disputes, to facilitate communication, and to provide information on ethical business practices. œ
A YOUNG TURKISH ACTOR IN THE LATEST RUSSELL CROWE FILM os Angeles, CA - The Hollywood-based young Turkish actor, Barbaros Tapan, has a part in ‘State of Play’, a film starring such Oscar-winning celebrities as Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck and Helen Mirren. Barbaros Tapan shares a restaurant scene with Russell Crowe; he has previously appeared on Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show and entertained Americans with his send-ups of actors. Russell Crowe chatted and jo-
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ked with the young actor for a long time on set, after having discovered Tapan’s Turkish origins. The movie is directed by Kevin MacDonald, of ‘The Last King of Scotland’ fame. The project is a movie adaptation of the BBC series ‘State of Play’: An illicit love affair by an American statesman, a murder, and the life story of the journalist who investigates this murder. The movie will be released in late 2008. œ
JEWELRY DESIGN AWARD FOR CREATIVE DESIGN
ew York - Young designer Burak Karavit's pendant earned him a third place prize in the ‘Best Journey Diamond Design’ category in the inaugural “JCK Jewelers Choice Awards” organized by JCK, the favorite publication of the American jewelry industry. Gelin Abaci, a leading Turkish jeweler, won the ‘Platinum Jewelry above $10,000’ category. The contest brought the jewelry and watch designs of over 430 jewelers and designers to an online vote, where 11,052 voted. The results were announced last March in the contest sponsored by the two prestigious New York based institutions, the Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL) and American Gemological Laboratories (AGL); the awards covered 17 main headings, with 55 subcategories based on pricing. These two professional bodies certified each entry. The Diamond Promotion Service sponsored the ‘Diamond Jewelry’ category, while the World Gold Council did the same for the ‘Gold Jewelry’.
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Online voting, which began in September 2007, took two stages. The finalists were re-sent to voters via a link, asking them to rate the top three. The overall winner won a platinum ring. Currently the Creative Director of Unique Settings of New York, Burak Karavit states he entered the contest not to win a prize but to share the design he’s worked on with the rest of the industry. Karavit adds that the award-winning design had previously been submitted to De Beers, the famous jewelry firm, but as their marketing budget had already been committed, the design hadn’t made it into the catalogue. Emphasizing his view that his design in the Best Journey category seemed to fly in the face o f tradition, Karavit says, “My starting point was that everyone has a unique geometric shape.” Explaining that creating this design took nearly two months, Karavit adds that these contests encourage the industry in that they showcase the latest innovations and trends, and that he’d participate in another contest, soon, in May. Karavit displays his 15-year portfolio of brochures, catalogs, advertising designs, and photographic and Photoshop work on his website: www.boorock.com œ
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AKDO RAISES MONEY TO BENEFIT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH ridgeport, CT. AKDO and its founder and CEO Hakki Akbulak hosted a grand opening celebration at its State Street Showroom in Bridgeport to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Over 200 guests were in attendance, including local officials, AKDO executives, Bridgeport business leaders and clients from the worlds of interior design and architecture. $25,000 was raised during the live and silent auction to benefit the Breast
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Cancer Research Foundation. AKDO has been an industry leader for nearly two decades, offering an incredible collection of natural stone tiles, slabs, mosaics and specialty stone. Designed by an award winning architect, the new showroom, the largest building built in Bridgeport in the past 30 years, features a trend-setting 10,000 square foot showroom and adjacent stateof-the-art 100,000 square foot indoor warehouse.œ
WESTERN UNION PRESENTS NEW COMPUTERS nglewood, CO. Western Union donated new computers and printers to the Turkish Cultural Center in New York in an effort to help the Center provide new services to members of the Turkish community. As part of a continuing effort to give back to the communities it serves, Western Union and representatives of the Turkish Cultural Center selected the new media center as the best way in which Western Union could support the community. The Turkish Cultural Center provides a location for community members to host meetings, events, and activities, including weekly movie nights featuring popular Turkish films. The Center also entertains foreign dignitaries and hosts gala events throughout New York City.
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“The Turkish Cultural Center provides an incredible service to the community in New York and the U.S. and we are happy to help them provide even greater resources to members of the Turkish community,” said Sofia Freyder, marketing manager at Western Union. “Much like the Turkish Center, Western Union is committed to providing the best possible services to the community and we are proud to have the opportunity to give back to the many Turkish consumers who rely on our money transfer services to support their family and friends overseas.” œ
TURKISH CAUCUS REACHES RECORD NUMBER
Spencer Bachus at right
ashington, D.C- With the newest addition of Congressman Spencer Bachus (RAL/6th District), the Turkish Caucus in the US House of Representatives reached its highest membership since its formation. The Turkish Caucus is a bi-partisan platform for members of Congress to focus on US-Turkish relations and issues that concern Turkish Americans. The current membership of the
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TOP 10 STATES IN TURKISH CAUCUS States Members of Turkish Caucus Texas 10 North Carolina 8 Florida 5 Pennsylvania 5 Kentucky 3 Tennessee 3 Alabama 3 California 2 Georgia 2 Illinois 2
URKOFAMERICA Connecticut Representative Ali Ç›nar met with 2008 Republian Party Presidential candidate John McCain in New York The Plaza Hotel. Ç›nar participated in fund raising event for John Mc Cain campaign and talked to Mc Cain about Turkish Americans participation of the presidental campaign. At the night, $2 million was raised for McCain's presidential campaign.œ
Representatives 32 13 25 19 6 9 7 53 13 19
SEM‹H TAREEN 'S MOVIE AT SIFF
MC CAIN MEETS NEW YORKERS
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Turkish Caucus is 41 Democrats, 32 Republicans. Texas is the state which has the most members in the Turkish Caucus, with ten. North Carolina has eight and Florida has five members of Congress in the Turkish Caucus. For more information on TCA programs, issues related to USTurkey relations and Turkish Americans, visit www.turkishcoalitionofamerica.orgœ
eattle, WA. A Turkish filmmaker's film, Yellow has been invited to SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival) as an official selection. Semih Tareen, a Turkish film composer and filmmaker living in Seattle, has been invited by the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) to screen his film Yellow as an official selection at this year's festival. YELLOW is a 7-minute short film that Semih Tareen wrote, directed, shot,
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edited, and composed the music for. In 2007, Yellow received nominations for Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Music, and Best Actress at the Terror Film Festival in Philadelphia. The largest film festival in the U.S., SIFF runs from May 22nd through June 15th. Semih Tareen, originally from Izmir, Turkey, has been living in Seattle since 1995. To date he has composed music for 21 films. He recently composed and orchestrated the music for the Turkish feature length film Gomeda which opened in theaters in Turkey in 2007. Yellow is his directorial debut. More information at http://www. semihtareen.com/yellow.html (TACAWA News)œ TurkofAmerica • 11
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EDITOR Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
TURKISH-AMERICANS IN CALIFORNIA What we need to focus on next is working better together both in socio-cultural and business contexts. We should stop 'reinventing the wheel’: Everyone who wants to do something founds another non-profit organization. ccording to U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 American Community Survey, California’s foreign born population ranks the first among the 50 states with a population of 9,916,453. This is about 27% of the state’s whole population. The tremendous racial and ethnic diversity of California makes it easier on alien residents, immigrants, and practically anyone who chooses to call the state home. You don’t feel alienated where everyone is an alien. Our fellow Turkish friends and Turkish-Americans in California feel the same way. In California there are over 10 Turkish-American non-profit/not-for-profit organizations including active sister-city organizations such as Friends of Merzifon, Turkish American Associations of California (TAAC), American Turkish Associations of Southern California (ATASC), Turkish American Business Connections (TABC), TAAF, Los Angeles Turkish American Associations (LATAA), Orange County Turkish American Associations (OCTAA), Friends of Anatolia are the first ones that come to mind, some of which are operating with active chapters in different geographic locations as well. There are also groups for professionals to network and to exchange ideas that get together on monthly bases, but are not structured enough to be an organization. With that many organizations around one wo-
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uld expect to see more synergy. Most of the organizations could be better structured and have more influence, there is no doubt about that; however, we should note there has been an improvement over the last couple years. Turkish-
my opinion it is only going to get better from now on. The demographics of TurkishAmericans in California is quite impressive; most of them are young professionals with advanced degrees in their area of expertise (especially in the
Americans are gaining more American friends that are active in community service. They are getting more involved in the state’s political affairs and they are raising funds for the politicians they feel will voice their concerns. It is not easy to do that in a state like California where the Armenian and Greek lobbies are very strong. Despite that fact, Turkish Americans have managed to get some supporters in the political arena (late Tom Lantos (D) is an example) and in
San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego Metropolitan Area). Some have founded their own companies; others play an important role in their industry. There many entrepreneurs starting new businesses in many different areas in addition to the technology companies, such as trading goods from Turkey, or opening a restaurant (the number and quality of Turkish restaurants in California have gone up remarkably in the past 5 years). These are all important facts
as they all relate to TurkishAmerican presence in California. With many of these people becoming citizens and permanent residents of USA, most of the unfair lobbying activity will eventually reverse in the favor of Turkish Americans. What we need to focus on next is working better together both in socio-cultural and business contexts. We should stop 'reinventing the wheel’: Everyone who wants to do something founds another nonprofit organization. In some cases it may be beneficial but in most cases the amount of energy required to start a new organization is underestimated. If we focus more on what is missing in the existing set-up and focus our efforts to better it, we will get better results. It will be a shame not to take advantage of California’s perfect climate that fosters many culturally diverse groups. We have the chance to show people form many different backgrounds what Turkey and our culture is really about. The same goes for the business aspect: Technology companies in California work on partnerships with different companies from everywhere in the world. We have chance to be that bridge between Turkey and California. We all have the good intentions and we all have the potential. It is all about commitment we should make to ourselves and our fellow Turkish American friends to work together. œ
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VENTURE CAPITAL
THE THREE HORSEMEN OF SILICON VALLEY
In 2007, venture capitalists invested $7.6 billion in San Jose and another $2.5 billion in the San Francisco/Berkeley area.
TURKOFAMERICA bring together three important figures of the venture capital community in Silicon Valley: Bar›fl Karado¤an, George Nuray U¤rafl, and Ayd›n fienkut. 16 • TurkofAmerica
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Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
veryone has heard about Silicon Valley; the home to big names in the high tech industry such as Google, Yahoo, McAfee, Adobe Systems, Cisco, Apple, Ebay, Oracle and many more. The term “Silicon Valley” was coined by Ralph Vaerst, a Northern California entrepreneur, in 1971. Geographically, the Valley is the Santa Clara Valley, which is located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in North California. The term originally referred to the region's large number of companies working on silicon chip technology, but eventually came to refer to all the high-tech companies in the area. Venture capital investments in Silicon Valley began with Kleiner Perkins in 1972. After that, many semiconductor companies emerged in the area. The $1.3 billion IPO of Apple Computer in December 1980 marked the beginning of a new era in venture capital. Investors were less reluctant to invest in early stage companies (startups). Many of the start-up companies changed and shaped the future of high tech industry; making venture capital the most crucial part of technology advancement and financing. Even though venture capital as an investment is growing virtually everywhere in the world, Silicon Valley has been in the lead since the 70’s. In 2007, venture capitalists invested $7.6 billion in San Jose and another $2.5 billion in the San Francisco/Berkeley area. In this special California issue TURKOFAMERICA will get insider information from three important figures of the venture capital community in Silicon Valley: Bar›fl Karado¤an, George Nuray U¤rafl, and Ayd›n fienkut. Let’s get to know these wonderful people briefly. Bar›fl Karado¤an is a partner at Velocity Interactive Group who focuses
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on the internet and digital media investments. Prior to joining Velocity Interactive Group, Karado¤an worked six years at U.S. Venture Partners, a leading Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. Karado¤an's recent board seats/investments include: HIP Digital Media, Like.com, SpectraLinear, Minerva Networks, Redline Communications (LSE: REDL) and Aspendos Communications. Before becoming a venture capitalist, Karado¤an worked in both engineering and marketing at 3Com/U.S. Robotics, where he worked to develop the company's networking and cable industry products. His efforts at U.S. Robotics resulted in a number of U.S. patents. Karado¤an has a strong background in terms of his education as well; he holds an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. He earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Lafayette College, where he graduated summa cum laude. If you
want to keep yourself up-to-date on recent developments in venture capital industry and get to know Karado¤an, you should invest the time to read his blog, "From Istanbul to Sand Hill Road” (http://baris.typepad.com) which focuses on high technology, venture capital, innovation and creativity. N. George U¤rafl joined Adams Capital Management in 1999 as a General Partner, from Apax Partners, a private equity firm in New York. Prior to joining Apax Partners, he was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New York, working closely with clients in the telecommunications and media industries on strategic and operational issues for media and technology clients. His industry expertise includes electronics, networking infrastructure and semiconductors. U¤rafl received his B.S. in Engineering Physics from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and his Ph.D. with honors in Applied Physics from Yale University. He was Research Fellow in Physics at the California Institute of Technology before he
decided to pursue a career in consulting. His current board seats are BuzzLogic, Inc., DATAllegro, Inc., NextIO, Inc., Luminescent Technologies, Inc., Optellios, Inc., Qspeed Semiconductor, Inc., and TouchdownTechnologies, Inc. Among the three gentlemen Ayd›n fienkut is the one most frequently featured by the media in the US. The fact that he was an early Googler has a lot to do with that. He joined Google in 1999 as a Product Manager (he was employee number 37 – his official number is 63 but 37 is the actual number) to launch Google's first 10 international sites, its first online search licensing products and its first Safe Search. He then became the first International Sales Manager at Google, eventually closing deals with all of Google's strategic syndication partners in Asia, including NTT, NEC (Biglobe), Fujitsu (Nifty), and Rakuten (Infoseek) in Japan, Sina, Netease and Tencent in China, Korea Telecom, Empas, and Dacom in Korea, iPrimus/AOL in Australia, and Yam and Hi-net in Tai-
GEORGE NURAY U⁄RAfi’S LESSON After receiving my Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Yale University, I arrived at Caltech as a research fellow placed in charge of a research project to build a detector system for an airborne observatory. Our mission was to identify the process by which stars and galaxies form. I was working with some of the best technicians, grad students, and fellow academicians to build a system that would exceed the performance levels of current methods, and to see how far we could push the fundamental limits of physics. With more sweat than genius, the system worked as designed after a few months. We took our equipment to an airbase in Hawaii, which had an airborne observatory in a reconfigured military aircraft. The aircraft had a telescope dish on board and a four-foot hole in the fuselage, which would become exposed during observations. Our team was limited to three days and three flights to get the data we needed - if we failed, our next opportunity was at least another year away. Day one - shortly after take off, our team quickly looked for a very small spot around Orion in the night sky. The crew (used to working for NASA) informed us that there was a problem with their guidance system and we would not be able to observe on this flight. We returned to base extremely disappointed, as we had just wasted one of our three chances. Day two - tensions mounted as we took off, our eyes focused on the flight crew and their equipment (we assumed that our equipment was always in order). As we started to take data, our equipment failed. A sobering experience for a bunch of academic types not used to failure. We returned to base, knowing that we had one day to figure out how to work well as a team. The chemistry transformed quickly as everyone focused on their piece of the project, trusted others to do the same, and helped each other to get the job done. Day three - we were tense, but ready, as we took off on our third and final flight. Everything went according to plan. We had gathered enough data to confirm the existence of complex molecules in the nebula halfway through the flight. The lessons learned on those flights are never far from my mind - being driven can lure you into thinking that if you are very smart and work hard you can get anything done. In reality, our destiny often rests on how well we work as a team.
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wan. After Google’s IPO, fienkut cashed in his options and took some time off to rest and to decide what to work on next. He entertained other options in retail and the restaurant business only to come back to what he knew - the high tech industry. He founded Felicis Ventures, an angel investment firm in 2005. He has invested in over 30 companies, including Buzzlogic, Disqus, Dogster, Meraki, Mint, Shopittome, Yapta, Yume Networks, Venturebeat, Webs.com, and Weebly since then, pitching in between $25,000 to $100,000 at a time. Before joining Google, Aydin was the Product Manager for the Data Visualization and Data Mining software MineSet, and led the business development efforts for the financial services industry at SGI. Aydin received his BS in Business Administration from Boston University, his MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School and his MA in International Studies from the School of Arts at the University of Pennsylvania. I met with Bar›fl Karado¤an,
George Nuray U¤rafl and Ayd›n fienkut for lunch at a restaurant in Palo Alto; we continued our conversation at Bar›fl’s office two blocks down on University Avenue.
GLOSSARY Venture Capital: a type of private equity capital typically provided by professional, outside investors to new, growth businesses. Venture capital investments are generally made as cash in exchange for shares in the invested company. Venture capitalist: (VC) a person who makes such investments. Venture capital fund: a pooled investment vehicle (often a limited partnership) that primarily invests the financial capital of third-party investors in enterprises that are too risky for the standard capital markets or bank loans. Venture capital can also include managerial and technical expertise. Most venture capital comes from a group of wealthy investors, investment banks, and other financial institutions that pool such investments or partnerships.
First question goes to Nuray. You invested a lot in your academic career before you decided to become a consultant, eventually going on to the VC track. What triggered your decision? George Nuray U¤rafl: First let me say that I miss academic research at times, but to me it is a big and a hard decision to invest 30 years of one’s life on a tiny detail, especially when the implementation of your findings is not entirely up to you. What lured me into this field was the ability to see the big picture rather than getting lost in details.
What would you say is the primary value add of a good VC/VC firm, or an angel investor? Bar›fl Karado¤an: A good VC has to analyze the added value the new product or process offers. “What makes it different than the existing products? What makes it better than the existing solutions?” are the questions to be answered first.
Bar›fl Karado¤an: I definitely agree with Nuray, especially in the semiconductor industry you want to refrain from details as much as possible. VC’s have to keep a balance between research and the actual value add of that research.
George Nuray U¤rafl: Market analysis is more or less done by every entrepreneur before they start a business, but the main value is hidden in go-to-market analysis of a product or a solution. Even though China and India are strong technically, the
main reason they struggle with introducing new technologies lies in this go-to-market analysis. The U.S. has been doing it for a long time. Strategic and tactical marketing execution is something VC companies excel in and add value. Bar›fl Karado¤an: Knowledge of the product development process is the key here. To identify what it takes to bring a product to market requires perspective. Ayd›n fienkut: Angel investors come in earlier than VC’s in the process. Since they are individuals investing their own mo-
Ayfle Zambo¤lu with Karado¤an, fienkut, and U¤rafl.
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ney like myself, they do not invest as high amounts as the VC’s. Angel investors bear a lot of risk, so they look for a higher return on their investment. Mentoring the entrepreneurs early in the process, coaching them for their VC fundraising activities are notable value adds of angel investors. Why do you think most successful companies emerge from the U.S. and not Europe ? George Nuray U¤rafl: We can classify the reasons in two categories. One is cultural, thus educational; the other one is the way companies operate, how they define functionality. In Europe (including Turkey) education is more vigorous, you go deep in each subject, where in the U.S. you don’t go as deep in every subject, you have more freedom and more interaction between the disciplines. As a result of this you see differences in the way companies operate, in functional definition of the companies. For instance the decision making process in companies like Apple and Google varies from the traditional bureaucratic decision making. Bar›fl Karado¤an: I agree with Nuray. I want to add a couple things to that. The U.S. has a lot of experience doing this. It has a huge market and it has been investing a lot to monitor this market over the years. A product successful in the U.S. is very likely to be successful in the world. The U.S. has been the trendsetter in technology. Ayd›n fienkut: I agree with the main points Nuray and Bar›fl made. I personally think the Israeli model works very well, where they do the research and development in Israel and the product development, market analysis and sales components in the U.S. It gives you the best of two worlds. That model has been successful in many cases
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and I see it as a good fit with Turkey. Where do you think the venture capital industry stands in Turkey today? Bar›fl Karado¤an: The most important advantage in working with a VC firm is the money for the resources. VC money allows the entrepreneur to be able to stand up to the big players in the industry, by getting the resources he needs to evaluate the validity/feasibility of an idea as fast as possible. If you look at the process from this angle, there are similar instituions in Turkey that operate similarily to the VC principle like banks, but as we discussed earlier, these institutions lack the other value adds a VC firm has to offer. George Nuray U¤rafl: I think there are two types of VC in Turkey. The first one is the funds an individual raises among friends and family; the second one is the banks. So we can easily say that the concept of one individual or institution giving money to another to start a business is present in Turkey. However, the sole act of VC’s here in the U.S. is investing. There is a high probability that money invested will be lost. I am not sure this concept is well founded in Turkey yet. Ayd›n fienkut: When it comes to angel investing, there aren’t many examples in Turkey. The hardest challenge I face is many start-ups in Turkey is that they take a concept that has been successful in the U.S. and they try to repeat that success with limited resources in Turkey. I cannot invest large quantities of money since I am not a big enough firm to give them a sufficient competitive edge in the high tech sector. What are the elements that need to come together for Turkey to start its own venture capital
funds? Some say trust can be an issue in terms of venture capital funding in Turkey. Do you agree with that? Do you think Turkey has the right combination of qualities to attract VC money from the US? Bar›fl Karado¤an: I think trust is not an issue. There ways to overcome that, you can regulate more if you are worried about how the companies you are investing in use the money. The most imporatnt quality of the Turkish people in this context is their ability to take risks. I think culturally that is a plus. When I think about things that needs to be improved, the first thing that comes to mind is patience. You cannot expect a return on your investment in months or even a year. The investors in Turkey have to start thinking about long term gains to be succesful. Also failure should be acceptable. After all, you and the people you are investing in are all taking risks. Everyone should be in the right state of mind. The business culture is important as well. Here in the U.S., business is business, no one questions another’s religious beliefs or political views. They partner if the project is promising. We have to instill more of this attitude in Turkey. George Nuray U¤rafl: The first thing you need for a successful VC system is the capital. It exists in Turkey but not in the right places most of the time. For years the best investment was to lend money to the government; that perception has to change. You need good ideas and creativity and I believe Turkey is capable of that. Turkey also has the skill set (engineers, scientists to work on new projects) it needs. The only thing we have to work on is the cultural aspect of things. Especially legal and trust issues. In California a verbal contract is binding. If you signed your terms on a piece of a napkin that will protect your rights.
You won’t wait for years for a case to be resolved. Turkey has a lot to do in terms of legal issues. First, the legislators have to do the ground work to protect the investors and the entrepreneurs. Lastly, to answer your last question I don’t why U.S. VC firms won’t invest in Turkey. We try to look into every opportunity that is presented to us. Bar›fl Karado¤an: All you need is one succes story from Turkey. When you have that you will most certainly see VC’s coming to Turkey looking for more investments. Ayd›n fienkut: I believe Turkey has the skill set. There are a lot of high quality educational institutions. The graduates of these schools usually go abroad for graduate school, and many of them are frequently checking back with the industry in Turkey for possible fits. The problem is not the lack of creativity, either, as Bar›fl said. In my opinion, the lack of role models in the investment community is a major issue. The major players of the industry in Turkey, Koç Holding and Sabanc› Holding, both are focused on banking, but these banks may fail to identify the potential of a Web 2.0 application/ product precisely. I agree with Bar›fl, all we need is a couple of good examples. They will fuel the entrepreneurs in Turkey as well as local and foreign investment firms. It is important to note here that these gentlemen are willing to help in every way they can the young entrepreneurs in Turkey and in the U.S. They all said they would be willing to spare some of their time if a council or an advisory board were to be formed in Turkey to evaluate start-ups in their early phases. We thank them for their time, their enthusiasm and their willingness to share their expertise. œ TurkofAmerica • 19
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VENTURE CAPITAL
SILICON VALLEY HISTORY MILESTONES 1891 1903
Stanford University is founded by Governor Leland and Jane Stanford. Valdemar Poulsen demonstrates the first arc radio transmitter for high-quality voice transmission in his Palo Alto laboratory. He later invents the first practical device for magnetic sound recording and reproduction. 1912 Lee de Forest invents the vacuum tube amplifier in Palo Alto. His “audion” became the foundation for radio, radar, television, computers, and the electronics age. Stanford faculty and officials helped finance the work, the first of many cooperative partnerships between higher education and Silicon Valley. 1930’s Professor Frederick Terman is recruited by Stanford University and starts a lifelong promotion of the benefits of the Valley. Later, Terman becomes known as the father of Silicon Valley. 1937 Encouraged by Terman, William Hewlett and David Packard start a company to produce their audio-oscillator. Walt Disney becomes their first customer, purchasing the product for use on the film Fantasia. 1937 Stanford professor William Hansen teams with brothers Sigurd and Russell Varian to develop the klystron tube. Their work continues through WWII and leads to the development of radar and the 1948 founding of Varian Associates. 1946 The Stanford Research Institute is founded to support non-profit research. 1951 Carl Djerassi invents synthetic progesterone, "the pill," in a Mexico City laboratory. Later, Stanford's Prof. Fred Terman recruited Djerassi and Syntex to set up a research center, and later corporate headquarters, at the Stanford Industrial Park 1951 Stanford Industrial Park is established as a “center of high technology close to a cooperative university.” Varian Associates, General Electric, and Eastman Kodak quickly sign leases. 1952 IBM locates a key research facility to the valley. 1956 Dr. William Shockley founds Shockley Transistor Corporation to produce semiconductor-based transistors to replace unreliable vacuum tubes. Early employees read like a who’s who of the high-technology future. 1956 Lockheed Corporation locates an aircraft division in Stanford Industrial Park. 1958 Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and six other engineers from Shockley Transistor found Fairchild Semiconductor, the first company to mass produce integrated circuits. 1958 NASA moves a research facility to the valley. 1963 Syntex Corporation and Varian form joint venture Synvar Associates to intertwine high technology and medical science. 1968 Douglas Engelbart and team at the Stanford Research Institute (now SRI International) give first public demonstration of the computer mouse, windows, and networking. 1968 Alejandro Zaffaroni leaves Syntex to form Alza and develop new technologies for time-release medications. 1968 Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce found Intel. 1970 Intel introduces first 1k DRAM chip. 1971 Alan Shugart invents the floppy disk for data storage. 1973 Intel introduces 8088 CPU and ushers in the new era of the microprocessor. 1973 Stanley N. Cohen of Stanford University and Herbert W. Boyer of UC San Francisco invent a technique for splicing genes, leading to the formation of the bio-tech industry. 1974 Development of the Graphical User Interface (GUI) at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) led to the intuitive design of Apple's Macintosh computer and Microsoft Windows. 1975 The Homebrew Computer Club is founded to experiment with home computers. Club members go on to found nearly 20 computer companies. 1976 Homebrew founder Steve Wozniak teams with Steve Jobs to form Apple Computer and build the first microcomputer in Jobs' garage in Cupertino. 1970's Relational database technology invented at IBM's Almaden Research Center. 1982 The Stanford University Network is the catalyst behind the founding of Sun Microsystems. Silicon Graphics uses the same network chips to create its first graphic workstations. 1984 Cisco Systems is founded by Leonard Bosack and Sandra Lerner. 1989 Don Eigler, a researcher at IBM’s Almaden Research center, uses nanotechnology to spell “IBM” with 35 xenon atoms. 1993 Stanford Professor Jim Clark hires Mosaic web browser pioneer Mark Andreesen to found Mosaic Communications, predecessor to Netscape Communications Corporation and the browser that made the Internet an everyday tool. 1994 Jerry Yang and David Filo start a directory of websites that explodes into Yahoo! 2003 Google purchases Pyra Labs to support blogs, today’s online community forums. * By Gregory Gromov, netvalley.com
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THE NUMBERS & TURKS
TURKS IN CALIFORNIA
The greatest number of Turkish people have settled in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego County.
TURKISH ORGANIZATIONS IN CALIFORNIA Turkish American Associations of California (TAAC) (www.taaca .org) Turkish American Business Connections (www.tabc-us.org) Orange County Turkish American Associations (www.octaa.org) Los Angeles Turkish American Associations (www.lat urks.org) Friends of Merzifon (www.friendsofmerzifon.org) Daughters of Ataturk (www.da ughtersofataturk.org)
CENSUS 2000 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE HIGHLIGHTS General Characteristics Total population Male Female Median Age Under 5 years 18 years and over 65 years and over Social Characteristics Foreign born Male, Now married, except separated * Female, Now married, except separated* Speak a language other than English at home Economic Characteristics Median household income in 1999 (dollars) Median family income in 1999 (dollars) Per capita income in 1999 (dollars) Families below poverty level Inviduals below poverty level * (population 15 years and over) Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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rom the beginning of Turkish immigration to the United States, many Turks have settled in or around large urban centers. According to the 2000 US census, there are 117,575 Americans (and to 2005 American Community Survey there are 164,945) of full or partial Turkish descent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15,105 Turkish people live in California. The greatest number have settled in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego County. Ĺ“
F
American Turkish Associations of Southern California, San Diego (www.sdturks.org)
Turks in CA 15,104 8,092 7,012 34 976 12,097 1,470
The U.S. 33,871,648 16,843,062 17,028,586 34 2,455,019 24,650,185 3,586,794
7,947 3,815 3,315 8,101
8,864,255 949,183 6,708,018 12,401,756
53,204 68,232 34,049 326 1,891
47,493 53,025 22,711 845,991 4,706,130
Counties Turkish Population Los Angeles 4,850 Orange 1,773 San Diego 1,753 Santa Clara 1,147 Contra Costa 664 San Mateo 640 San Francisco City 565 Sacramento 540 Alameda 527 Other 2,545 Total 15,104 Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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HARUN SEV‹ML‹
TRUST YOUR LIQUIDATION & ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TO AMERTURK Sevimli started out with a 1,200sq.ft. warehouse five years ago; now he operates from one of 30,000 sq.ft.
Harun Sevimli, President&CEO of AmerTurk, Inc.
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ertain failures, mistakes or commercial errors present other businessmen with opportunities. While every businessman sets out to generate profits, even the best-laid plans flounder at times, however, necessitating the disposal of the business and the stock in hand. Goods once purchased with grand plans in mind need to be sold to minimize losses. This is the point at which the liquidation mechanism comes into play.
type of electronic good imaginable is available. The company has a staff force of 13, with Turks in key management positions. Levent Pekmen is the General Manager while Ahmet Kaylan is the store manager.
C
Sevimli states that they have plans to open branches in such US states as Florida, Texas, and New York. He emphasizes that research is currently underway. He also points out that other major players in California have already made moves towards cooperation.
It’s not only failing businesses that wish to dispose of redundant stock; on occasion, large concerns contact buyers on the market in order to reduce nonmoving or faulty goods. AmerTurk, Inc. of Santa Clara, California, is one such large buyer in the region. Harun Sevimli, President and CEO of AmerTurk, who focuses mainly on electronic goods, states that he would like to expand the fiveyear-old company operations to other states in the US. He explains how, despite its relatively short past, the company grew rapidly: “We founded the company five years ago, but our business experience goes way back. This is the result of long and patient work.” Sevimli describes AmerTurk as a full-service asset management and disposition partner. Although Sevimli focuses mainly on electronic goods left in the warehouses of leading manufacturers, selling them in his own warehouse, he has now branched out into textiles, cosmetics and healthcare products. Sevimli started out with a 1,200sq.ft. warehouse five years ago; now he operates from one of 30,000 sq.ft. In addition to the main warehouse that exclusively handles wholesale, and he also has a 2,000sq.ft. retail store. AmerTurk does not export. AmerTurk offers goods 30 and 50% cheaper than RRP. Every
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WHAT AMERTURK DOES? • AMERTURK is a recognized leader in the liquidation industry. • Its liquidation, appraisal, valuation and wholesale staff are proven experts. • The company also conducts partial liquidations to help corporations with their strategic downsizing of re-structuring; this may be including the disposition of slow moving inventory. • AMERTURK considers a purchase of businesses, inventories and/or equipment outrights! • When companies need to downsize, the company provides professional expertise. • AMERTURK also facilitate the movement of equipment from companies of the stage of their life cycle to companies at another, to alleviate the burden on those companies that are overstocked and bring value and productivity to those poised for growth.
AmerTurk, Inc. of Santa Clara, California, is one such large buyer in the region.
THE COMPANIES AMERTURK WORK WITH Actel, Agilent, Adobe, lliance Semiconductor, Applied Materials, Asyst Technologies, Bayer Pharmecuticals, Bell Microproducts, Boston Scientific, Cisco, Celpine, Fusion One, Global Energy Equipment, HP, ISSI, JDS Uniphase, Lanwave, San Jose Mercury News, SNF, Synopsys, United Airlines. œ TurkofAmerica • 25
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U.S. PARKING
PARKING LOTS IN THE HEART OF THE BAY AREA
Eflrefo¤lu's American adventure began in 1989, when he followed his girlfriend from Turkey to the US.
U.S. Parking provides more than 140 people with employment
an Francisco – Those living in San Francisco face the same problem as residents living in other expensive cities such as New York, Chicago, and Boston: finding that elusive parking space...
S
There are 450,000 official ve28 • TurkofAmerica
hicles in San Francisco, a city of 740,000 residents and 126.9 million square meters (49 square miles). The San Francisco Transportation Agency owns 40 parking lots and 24,000 meters, which bring in a combined 30 million dollars a year. There are also privately-owned par-
king lots. These publicly- and privately-owned lots struggle to meet the parking needs of the city. Businessman Cihat Eflrefo¤lu’s U.S. Parking, Inc. operates 30 parking lots and provides nearly 15,000 parking spaces for
the city's downtown, which has 50,000 spaces in all (outside of the spaces large hotels provide). Eflrefo¤lu's American adventure began in 1989, when he followed his girlfriend from Turkey to the US. He was engaged to her for ten years, after which he married her in 1999.
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months 2007 Standard had a turnover of 152 million dollars. The Chicago-based company has 6,800 employees. According to industry experts, the American parking lot industry has a yearly turnover of 20 billion dollars. There is an equal amount of private and public companies. The daily parking lot fee in San Francisco's parking lots average 15 to 45 dollars.
Eflrefo¤lu is actually a graduate of Marmara University's Arts and Sciences Faculty and is a physics and chemistry teacher by profession. He initially enrolled in the MBA program at the State University of San Francisco but chose to enter the business world instead of finishing his degree. That abandonment of school continues to be a source of frustration for the businessman. He addresses this issue by helping students with scholarships. In addition, U.S. Parking provides more than 140 people with employment. STARTED WITH 80 CAR CAPASITY Using money from his family, Eflrefo¤lu began his parking lot business with a bid for a prime location in the center of the city. Within time, the 80-car capacity parking lot he bought in 1993 became too small for his needs. He increased the capacity to 250 cars. After 15 years and bid upon bid, he now owns more than thirty lots in the San Francisco Bay Area. The following are all parking lots operated by U.S. Parking, Inc.: CalTrans Transbay Terminal, San Francisco´s Financial District, Moscone Center, AT&T Park, San Francisco Giftcenter and Jewelrymart, the Federal Building, Golden Gate University, San Francisco Department of Public Works, Alliant International University, San Francisco Shopping Center, Westfield Shopping Center, and Momo´s Restaurant Valet Service. Eflrefo¤lu is known for the concern he holds towards the issues affecting Turkish society and the Turkish restaurant he opened four years ago in the city emerged as one of the first locations for Turks to gather. His wife, Özgül Eflrefo¤lu, and partner, Cumhur U¤urluboylar, manage the restaurant.
Cihat Eflrefo¤lu operates 30 parking lots and provides nearly 15,000 parking spaces for the city's downtown
After expanding the business within San Francisco, U.S. Parking spread out to Los Angeles, Oregon, Chicago, and New York. Their first serious attempt after San Francisco was in Brooklyn, New York, where they entered a bid. Known for his gentle manner with his employees, Eflrefo¤lu is also renowned for his hesitancy in firing people. He states, “We have more employees than we need. We want to use these skilled people in other cities.” Many of the people working there have been with the company since its founding. The businessman defines his company as a family firm. Eflrefo¤lu has bought a travel agency named Plaza Travel and also plans to get involved in land development and construction. Not forgetting about his passion for education, the businessman is also working on getting a chair for Turkish studies at the State University of San Francisco. U.S. Parking, Inc. is not the biggest player in the parking lot sector in San Francisco. It is, however, the largest after industry giants such as Standard, Central, and AMC.
The largest parking lot company in the US, Standard Parking Corp., owns 1,962 parking lots. The 2006 turnover of the company was 612 million dollars, while the net profit was 35 million dollars. In the first six
The son of a family from the Eastern Anatolian town of Sar›kam›fl, Eflrefo¤lu was born in 1960. His family was involved in the hospital and port sectors. His five siblings now live in Istanbul and he suggests that there is still a possibility of return. Having studied in Erzurum until high school, Eflrefo¤lu's actual area is physics and chemistry teaching. He also taught for one year in Izmir. He came with his now-wife Özgül to the US in 1989. They have a son named Metincan. œ
AUTOPARKS Shaw & Mission / 535 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94105 2nd & Brannan / 270 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA 94107 2nd & Minna / 81 Minna St. San Francisco, CA 94105 5th & Folsom / 900 Folsom St. San Francisco, CA 94107 7th & Mission / 1064 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103 6th & Bryant / 801 Bryant St. San Francisco CA 94103 8th & Brannan (A) / 900 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA 94103 8th & Brannan (B) / 905 Brannan St. San Francisco, CA 94103 9th & Mission / 66 9th St. San Francisco, CA 94103 10th & Mission / 1400 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Turk & Taylor / 67 Taylor St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Lot C / 546 Howard St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Duboce & Valencia / 1370 Stevenson St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Main & Howard / 200 Howard St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Main & Folsom / 250 Main St. San Francisco, CA 94105
GARAGES Transbay Terminal / 150 1st St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Geary St. Garage / 855 Geary St. San Francisco, CA 94109 Townsend St. Garage / 138 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107 Turk St. Garage / 550 Turk St. San Francisco, CA 94102 Sutter St. Garage / 1375 Sutter St. San Francisco, CA 94109 Sansome St. Garage / 955 Sansome St. San Francisco, CA 94111 Natoma St. Garage / 10 Natoma St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Mission St. Garage / 1127 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94105
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ACADEMICANS
BRAIN DRAIN – IS A PROBLEM OR AN ADVANTAGE?
Turkey has been giving a big percentage of its highly trained and talented scientists and engineers to the U.S. since the 1960’s. Today, it has reached a critical point.
how to stop the brain drain. After all, Turkey did not have many talented and well-educated individuals, and having these people leave the country to further their studies or careers elsewhere was certainly unacceptable.
B
rain drain has been a hot topic of discussion for many years in Turkey. Many have studied it sociologically and discussed it from different angles. Was it the economical crisis or uncertainty that drove young people abroad, or the quality of graduate schools abroad, or the wide array of opportunities in various technical fields?
Nowadays people are discussing whether it is a truly bad thing. With the latest developments in technology, globalization has allowed for partnerships across borders. This brings mobility to every market, as well as mobility in terms of employment. We see more partnerships between countries, both industrial and academic.
I believe there is no one clear answer to this question. More likely than not, it is the combination of these factors with different weight averages for every individual. But in recent years, the discussion has taken a different turn in Turkey. In the past, many classified “brain drain” as a huge problem that needed to be reversed as soon as possible. Policy makers, university professors, and industry leaders have been discussing
Turkey has been giving a big percentage of its highly trained and talented scientists and engineers to the U.S. since the 1960’s. Today, it has reached a critical point. Professionals who once left Turkey are looking for ways to give back to their country by initiating these partnerships. We intend to go deeper into this topic in upcoming issues but for now we will take a closer look from an academic point of view. We had
the chance to briefly ask two distinguished professors, Prof. Ahmet Palazo¤lu of the University of California, Davis and Prof. Ümran ‹nan of Stanford University, about their thoughts on brain drain, where the academic research stands in Turkey, and what more can be done for improvement. Due to their busy schedules we could not get together physically but they were very kind to spare enough time to answer our questions.
lied to a variety of complex, large-scale systems. Recently, using such techniques, we have been studying the effect of climate variations on air quality to help people understand pollution dynamics and how to deal with it. I am also interested in biological systems, especially proteins and how we can model their folding behavior using sophisticated models. Such research has the potential to shed light on diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
First of all, let me thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. Can you tell us a little bit about your main areas of research? Ahmet Palazo¤lu: For many years, I have been developing methods to safely operate chemical processes. This involves mathematical modeling of such complex systems and a fundamental study of automatic control and monitoring activities. My research can be categorized as systems engineering since our basic approach can be app-
Ümran ‹nan: My research areas include Near-Earth Space Physics, Ionospheric Physics, Physics of the Earth's Radiation Belts, Electromagnetic Remote Sensing of the Space Environment, Very Low Frequency (VLF) waves and waveparticle interactions, Lightning discharges and their effects on the ionosphere and radiation belts. I have been affiliated with STAR laboratory (Space, Telecommunications and Radioscience where I served as a director in 1997.
WHO IS AHMET PALAZO⁄LU?
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Ahmet Palazo¤lu received his BS in chemical engineering from METU in 1978 and his MS from Bogazici University in 1980. He got his PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York in 1984. He joined UC Davis in 1984 as an associate professor and has been serving as Professor of Chemical Engineering and Material Science at UC Davis since 1996. He is very well published in his area of research and has had several visiting appointments to Turkey, Germany and Argentina. His homepage can be found at http://www.chms.ucdavis.edu/faculty/palazoglu.php The homepage for the UC Davis - METU collaboration is at http://ucd-metu.ucdavis.edu/
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Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
How strong would you say Turkey is in your area of research? (Both academically, and possible industry applications) Ahmet Palazo¤lu: Research in the general area of systems engineering in Turkey is somewhat limited and exists in a few universities but only those with strong research programs. As far as I know, such research is non-existent in the industry. Ümran ‹nan: Unfortunately Turkey is not strong at all in my area. There are a lot of students coming from Turkey to the United States for graduate school – what are your comments on brain drain - (both positive and negative). How can Turkey make this brain drain into a benefit? Ahmet Palazo¤lu: With the emergence of foundation universities and the increased availability of research funds from TUBITAK and other agencies, the research infrastructure in Turkey has become more competitive than in the past. That creates a significant incentive both for students to stay in Turkey to get their PhD degre-
es and also for others who are trained abroad to go back and join academia in Turkey. Of course, more needs to be done to sustain and accelerate this trend. I don’t see this so much as a drain but perhaps an opportunity. We need to have a healthy presence of Turkish academicians in US and European universities to engage in and facilitate broad/global research agendas. When balanced well, this would be a win-win situation for everyone. Ümran ‹nan: Turkey can only stop the brain drain by providing the right facilities, opportunities and environment for research and technology in Turkey, so that the people who leave are motivated to return. However, brain-drain is not necessarily a bad thing, especially when we have an abundance of universities and educated people in Turkey. The brain-drain can be turned into a positive by making sure that the people who stay abroad are well connected with the institutions in Turkey. The Turkish government and universities should encourage the appointment of people to Courtesy/Visiting po-
WHO IS ÜMRAN ‹NAN? Ümran ‹nan received his BS (1972) and MS (1973) in Electrical Engineering from Middle East Technical University. He came to California in 1973 to obtain his PhD from Stanford University in 1977. He has been with Stanford University ever since, except for a year he spent as associate professor at Bogazici University in Istanbul (1980 to 1981). He has many publications, honors and awards, and has written two textbooks with his brother Aziz ‹nan (who is a professor at the University of Portland). He is currently a Professor of Electrical Engineering and the director of VFL (very low frequency) group at Stanford. His homepage can be found at http://www-star.stanford.edu/~vlf/umran.html sitions, and should take advantage of high-level people by appointing them to Boards of Directors or Boards of Advisors of Turkish Institutions, so that their expertise can be taken advantage of. Could you comment on industry-academia collaborations in the US and compare them to the situation in Turkey? Ahmet Palazo¤lu: My perception is that US industry is more willing and able to collaborate with universities compared to their Turkish counterparts. This is also industry specific. New and emerging industries
such as energy, pharmaceuticals, and computer technologies have more robust collaborations, while more traditional industries such as chemicals and pharmaceuticals tend to be less enthusiastic. The difference in this regard between Turkey and the US is also rooted in the structure and evolution of the respective industries as well their business goals and corporate objectives. Therefore, it is difficult to compare. Yet, I believe some of the recent developments in establishing techno-parks in universities could serve well to foster such collaborations in Turkey. Ümran ‹nan: This is a large subject. The situation in the U.S. is quite good but is rather unique, and does not exist really even in Europe. Most industries do not understand the importance of long-term research, so their interactions with universities is often limited to mundane applications, and a desire to tap into low-cost labor (students) to do things for the company. This does not work, since creativity is only harnessed through PhD programs, and those topics are usually longer term, with no immediate interest to the companies.
Stanford University Campus.
Could Turkish universities set up more joint programs with US universities? Where do we stand right now, and how do TurkofAmerica • 31
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you think it can be improved? Ahmet Palazo¤lu: I think there is a growing world-wide trend to establish academic partnerships across borders. And several universities in Turkey have already started such partnerships with European and US universities. I am sure this will continue to grow. These could be as simple as undergraduate student exchange and dual-degree programs and also as complex as multi-national research alliances. In any partnership, the partners should offer compatible and complementary benefits and I think there are many universities in Turkey that can offer substantial assets to any such partnership. As economies become globalized, education also follows. Not only the institutions can collaborate in educating students, the students also need an education that would prepare them for such a globalized and diverse work environment. As this need is recognized, universities need to expand their reach and find suitable partners that would help them fulfill their mission. Ümran ‹nan: I am not sure how much is possible here.
There are very few joint programs, and I am not sure what can be done. In outstanding schools such as Stanford, it is difficult to do anything other than recruit the best students out of ODTU (METU) and Bilkent. It does not make sense for Stanford to establish relations with smaller schools, since the students from these schools often cannot be admitted to Stanford, since the bar is so high. Even from METU and Bilkent, we admit the top three or four students, but no more. In this connection, this student interaction is already happening, so I am not sure what else can be done. I think formal relationships, in terms of exchange programs etc., might be useful with other schools, but I cannot see them working for top U.S. universities such as Stanford. Would you agree that Turkish universities have a lot to offer for collaboration? What should Turkish universities focus more on to improve education? Prof. Palazo¤lu, I know you have a joint program with METU (Orta dogu Teknik Universitesi). Could you comment on
that program as well? Ahmet Palazo¤lu: I certainly do think Turkish universities have a lot to offer. UC Davis has a long history of relations with Middle East Technical University (METU) and recently two universities signed an Agreement of Cooperation to formalize these activities. UC Davis has provided some seed funding to facilitate 6-12 month visits by METU PhD students to spend time in UC Davis research laboratories. With this program, we are building collaborations between faculty members from each campus to work on joint research projects, with the expectation that they will engage in longterm partnerships that would benefit both campuses. This is a vibrant and growing activity at the moment. We are also working to establish a joint PhD program that would allow students to spend time at both institutions as part of their education and training. We are looking at foundations and corporations in the US to see if they can partner with us to sustain and expand this partnership. METU (and other universities also) have excellent stu-
dents and they need to continue to maintain this excellence. Another key ingredient of course is commitment to excellence in basic and applied research. METU has been doing that very well also. Such a vision needs to be shared by all faculties, administrators, and the students and defines the personality of that university. As more universities in Turkey buy into this model of excellence, I have no doubt that they will continue to be sought out by universities in the US for long-term partnerships. Ümran ‹nan: I also think Turkish universities have a lot to offer but I also believe there is room for improvement. I think the first steps to be taken should be: appointment of the best possible professors, and encouraging those faculty to stay active in research in a competitive environment; establishing external criteria for measurement/assessment of the quality of graduates that the schools produce, and forcing their faculty and administration to rise above political bickering to appoint and promote the very best.œ
Bülent M. ‹nal Sales Representative Diplomat & European Delivery Levent ‹nal Client Advisor VOB BMW 1396 Rockville Pike Rockvilli, MD 20852 Tel: (301) 984-8989 Fax: (301) 984-0798 Mobile Phone: (703) 969-3977 e-mail: binal@vobbmw.com linal@vobbmw.com 32 • TurkofAmerica
Honors
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HALUK ULUBAY Ali Ǜnar acinar@turkofamerica.com
any Turks who work for Silicon Valley companies participate in major technological advances that shape the future of the world. Haluk Ulubay, who began his career in the USA at Alcatel of North Carolina, and who spent five years as a software engineer, and three years at Product Line Manager in the ATM and ADSL product lines, was a member of the team that pioneered mass scale ADSL deployment in the USA. He therefore contributed to speedy Internet access, for both home users and small and medium-sized enterprises. Headhunted by Cisco of Silicon Valley in California, Ulubay currently works as Marketing Programs Manager at the Central Marketing Organization. Cisco’s Networking Security products are part of his portfolio. Haluk Ulubay answered our questions and shared his experiences with TURKOFAMERICA:
THE MAN IN CHARGE OF CISCO’S NET SECURITY
Would you tell our readers a little about yourself first? I was born in Befliktafl, Istanbul. I went to the Kabatafl Boys’ Lycée and studied Electronics and Communication at the Istanbul Technical University School of Electrics. I took a part-time position at ElektroAkustik while doing a Master’s at ITU. I focused on the section that was constructing a data terminal for the PTT during my time at ElektroAkustik. I did my Master’s in computer design and software and finished in 1983. I joined Netafl as a software engineer after I finished my national service. I worked on the ‘Elif’ series of telephone exchanges then designed and produced for use in Turkey and the Middle East. I came to the States, an engineer bearing an H1 visa, after two years of work at Netafl, to work on software. That was originally supposed to be a two-year project, and it was a long time ago!
neering projects. I sent my CV in and completely forgot about it. I received a phone call some six months later, asking if I was still interested in the overseas position. I replied yes, and attended a preliminary interview in Ankara. The position concerned software engineering on a product that would be marketed soon. There was a second interview and I was offered a two-year contract. I accepted, this being an opportunity for me to earn money while living in the US, and I began to work at Alcatel Telecom in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.
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What made you decide to come to the USA? While I was working for Netafl, I saw an ad in a paper seeking candidate engineers for overseas engi34 • TurkofAmerica
executed the first mass scale ADSL deployment in the US of the ADSL products for which I was Product Line Manager. This has allowed us to make speedy Internet access a reality for the home user as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. Such projects are technological milestones for countries and I am particularly happy to have been a part of one. How many direct reports do you have? Are you able to tell us what your approximate budget is? The groups I manage at Cisco vary between seven and ten; as for the budgets, let’s just say multiple-millions-of-dollars.
“Nine out of ten enterprises disappear within the first five years. You’d need to be resilient enough to try and try again.”
How long did you work for Alcatel? I worked for five years at Alcatel as a software engineer, rose to the rank of manager, in charge of up to 14 engineers, depending on the project. I also enrolled in an Executive MBA program at the University of North Carolina, Kenan Flagler Business School at the same time and moved to Marketing in Alcatel. After three years as Product Line Manager (ATM and ADSL product lines) at Alcatel, I joined Cisco Systems.
It wasn’t a hard decision as Cisco was a fast-growing and successful company, yet this decision had its challenges, too. We had to redefine our strategy as a family. My wife, ‹lkcan Çokgör, had to resign from her lecturing post at Duke University. She found a new job in California and later founded her own neurology clinic. Looking back, we are convinced it was the right decision. What are your current responsibilities at Cisco? My current title is Marketing Programs Manager at the Cisco Central Marketing Organization. I’m responsible for the Cisco Networking Security products. I enjoy a global position; my group assists local marketing organizations in various countries in the implementation and execution of security marketing programs that we have designed and developed. Would you tell us about projects you have taken pride in being a part of? I have worked on many such projects at Cisco Systems. Allow me to cite one example from Alcatel: We
How do you find working with Americans and what appeals to you about the American system? The American workplace is highly pragmatic and results-oriented. As you embark upon a project, you can’t start at the end, listing the possible outcomes: You’d either lose your audience immediately, or you’d be subjected to a volley of questions. You’d instantly lose control of the meeting. Return on investment ranks very high here. In addition, success at Silicon Valley companies, such as Cisco, hinges upon constantly delivering more than the expectation. What should be done to ensure more business success for Turks in America? It’s very important to renew yourself, to learn and implement new things, as we are obliged to learn what younger graduates have picked up during their educations. It’s also very important for a manager to rise above the tactical and reach the strategic level. So long as this is accomplished, progress continues. Many newcomers from Turkey fit in well with the work system. Others struggle, confronted with the intensity of the work system. It’s all go here, 24 hours a day. It’s essential to fit in, physically, emotionally and on the family level. If you fail to fit in, you’ll have a hard time and won’t succeed as you have to.œ
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SERDAR BULUT Ayfle Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
THE ARCHITECT OF FIRST NON-ENGLISH APPLICATION ON FACEBOOK “The primary reasons behind starting my businesses have been either the fact that we would be first in the market or our business fundamentally would be better than most of the competitors in that market.” So how many companies do you have right now? I am focusing all of my energy on two companies at the moment. The Forbin Group, Inc., which provides professional IT services to various companies, and Apsyma Corporation, which is a holding company for various web startups.
Young entrepreneur Serdar Bulut has two companies. The Forbin Group, Inc. and Apsyma Corporation.
ilicon Valley culture inspires young professionals to start their own businesses. Many talk about it all the time, but only some take the step forward along with the risks that come with it. Serdar Bulut is a young entrepreneur who has taken the step forward. Here he will share with us his background, talk about his companies, and answer a couple of our questions.
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Can you tell us about yourself? I have been in the IT (information technologies) industry for over 10 years. I have worked in highvolume web application projects and management consulting engagements to deliver site assessments, security audits, business continuity / disaster recovery planning, architecture and implementation of high-availability systems, single sign-on, centralized authentication, system management automation, system-andapplication performance tuning. I 38 • TurkofAmerica
had the chance to work on projects with high profile companies such as various Fortune 500 companies including Wal-Mart Inc, Wells Fargo Bank, Apple Computer Inc and Applied Materials Inc. I worked alone as well as with teams where I was the team leader. We completed many award-winning projects. What is your background? I have a BS from METU (Middle East Technical University) in Electrical Engineering. I graduated in 1999 and came to the U.S to further my education in graduate school. I received my Masters of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Some of my research interest include Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and data-link layer protocol development for longdistance wireless systems. I have current CISA and CISSP certifications.
How did you decide to start your own businesses? The primary reasons behind starting my businesses have been either the fact that we would be first in the market or our business fundamentally would be better than most of the competitors that market. Namely, I Ceminand Ali brothers. saw great opportunities for my ideas to be successful for one reason or another. All my business have been self-funded, so I and my partners spend a great deal of effort explaining to ourselves why these ideas are great investments before we spend our money and time on them. In addition to your San Francisco based IT company, you also own a website in Turkey, herseybulunur.com. Can you tell us more about both of these? My San Francisco based business, The Forbin Group, Inc, is a professional services company. Our clients include very famous Web 2.0 companies as well as the largest tech companies – search, online retail, etc. – in the world. We also organize an event called "Geek Sessions" where anybody can come and hear technical leaders from Face-
book, Yahoo, Friendster, Sun, and etc. talk about their technologies to help other startup technologists. HerseyBulunur.Com is a free online classifieds site founded by METU graduates. Our target market is exclusively Turkish people in Turkey and all around the world. HerseyBulunur.com also has a Facebook application, which perhaps is the first nonEnglish application on Facebook. We currently exceed 1 million page views a month, and are growing over 10 % a month. Our goal is to help Turkish people find what they need faster and more cheaply. What are your plans for the future? Do you want to start more businesses in Turkey? I am currently helping a few colleagues in the Valley to start their businesses, either helping them with their presentations for potential VCs, business plans, how to select their team, and what technology to start their businesses with. I would to like to continue doing more of that. When investing in Turkey, cheap labor is not on the list of advantages for high tech companies. Therefore, the investors have to look for other reasons why they need to invest in Turkey. On the other hand, as an emerging market Turkey has a lot of potential for companies to succeed in selling new products or services. I have at least one new idea that I would like to fund or work on later this year to be marketed in Turkey. œ
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CURIOUS ABOUT TURKISHBORN GRANDFATHER My mother’s birth certificate stated that her father was born in Turkey. What would they refer to as Turkey in 1915? If Turkey was not the name used for the land, why they would put Turkey on the birth certificate? I still don’t know.
Congressman Steve Cohen is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing Tennessee's 9th district.
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ongressman Steve Cohen has been looking for an answer for a long time. Up to now he hasn’t found the answer yet. His mother’s birth certificate states that his grandfather was born in Turkey. Though he contacted the Turkish consulate in Houston, he hasn’t been able to find out more information. His mother was born in 1915 and Mr. Cohen doesn’t even have any idea which city his grandfather was born in but he is still searching...
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Congressman Steve Cohen is the first Jewish Congressman from Tennessee. In his district, he is known as the father of the lottery, and he is the only Caucasian who represents a majority-minority district. Congressman Steve Cohen won his seat in the 60 percent black district as the only
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white candidate in a crowded primary field in the 2006 election. He has been in politics since 1976 and he is now completing his first term in Congress. Cohen is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives representing Tennessee's 9th district. Prior to his election to the House in November 2006, Cohen was a Tennessee State Senator from Memphis. As a member of the Turkish Caucus, Steve Cohen a n s w e r e d T U R K O F A M E R ICA’s questions. You are the first Jewish Congressman from Tennessee and 60 percent of your district is Afro-American. How did you do it? I am the only Caucasian who represents a majority-minority
district. There are Congresspeople who represent districts with a majority-minority but it’s a collection of minorities. For instance, Congressman Robert Brady (D, PA) is one of the few whites representing a majority-minority district but when you add together Hispanics and Afro-Americans, the combination mix adds up to eh majority. My position is unique. I have had a long career in politics since 1976 and very long relations with African American people, politicians, and issues. It’s been a extra hurdle to overcome, being racially different, but as one Afro-American woman told me, they had a difficulty to vote for me but they did because I was the best candidate. Once they got over it, when they saw my work, my voting record was good, they trusted me and they believed me. Re-
election will be a difficult election but I am comfortable about winning the next election as well. Does your district lean Democrats? Yes but I have a primary opponent. Main thing, I don’t think it will be an issue concerning differences on issues, (imagine she would be pro-Armenian now) but other than that, I suspect how many people would be more comfortable with a person of their own race representing them. I don’t think the majority of Afro-Americans will let that factor stop them. What will be on your agenda? One of the things I want to do in my district is to pass a resolution. I proposed that the federal government apologize for slavery and the so-called
Congressman Steve Cohen with Cemil Özyurt, TURKOFAMERICA Editor-in-Chief.
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Jim Crow laws that victimized blacks after the Civil War. I think as a Southern Caucasian, who is more appropriate to offer an apology? President Clinton talked about an apology in 1997 and I talked to him about it. I suggested we include Jim Crow. I had forgotten about this. When I cleaned up the records in my state senate office on December 17, 2006, I was donating my papers to University of Memphis, I found this letter and I thought I could do something about it now. I am a Congressman and I can put forward a bill calling for an apology. I picked it up. I have 120 cosponsors in the House and some in the Senate. Since the end of the Civil War, 142 years and counting, we need to apologize. Before questioning what was going on in the Ottoman Empire in 1915, we have to start to apologize at home. Not to knock on other people’s doors. Slavery is slavery. Slavery is slavery and it was wrong. As far as I know, your grandfather was born in Turkey? How did you find out that? I never knew and even my mother didn’t know it. I discovered it while going through some records on the internet. But I don’t really know where he was born. My mother’s birth certificate stated that her father was born in Turkey. My mother was born in 1915. What would they refer to as Turkey in 1915? Anatolia, the Ottoman Empire or what other place, because I know the Turkish Republic was founded in 1923. If Turkey was not the name used for the land, why they would put Turkey on the birth certificate? I still don’t know. Did you contact any Turkish official? I sent my mother’s birth certificate to the Turkish Ambassa42 • TurkofAmerica
American jeans, we like American music but we don’t like the American government. I answered, well we like American jeans, we like American music and only 30 percent of us like the government. Can current American foreign policy be changed by a Democratic President or is it a policy that nobody can make any changes to, but just follow? Do you think a Democratic President can change America’s image? Absolutely. There is no question of that. Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will show a better face to the rest of the world. Both have more sympathy around the world. Obama is a member of a minority; Hillary Clinton is the wife of Bill Clinton and a woman. The U.S. does work with people rather forcing our interests upon people. The Iraq issue has been a mistake for American policy. When we invaded Iraq, we couldn’t find any partners. Even in the first Iraq War, the senior Bush got a coalition to invade Iraq. President Bush did not negotiate as much as he should have. We need to get out of Iraq. œ dor. He sent it to Houston. He came up with some fellow who was born in some place in Turkey. But I don’t think this is same fellow, as he was born in 1895. The birth record says my grandfather was born in 1885 but maybe birth record could be wrong. Well, let’s talk a little bit about the upcoming election and the U.S. foreign policy. In the past 6-7 years, the U.S. has lost its popularity around the world. What do you think? Let me give you an example. When the U.S. delegation was in Turkey last May, we had a seminar in a high school in Istanbul. One student asked a question and said: We like
WHO IS STEVE COHEN? Steve Cohen was born in Memphis, Tennessee on May 24, 1949 to pediatrician Morris D. Cohen and his wife Genevieve. He is a fourth-generation Memphian. Cohen contracted polio when he was five, and the disease caused him to shift his attention from sports to politics at an early age. When Cohen was eleven, John F. Kennedy made a campaign stop in Memphis, and Cohen took a picture of Kennedy sitting on a convertible. Cohen describes Kennedy as his political hero; the picture still hangs in his office. In 1961, Cohen’s family moved to Coral Gables, Florida where his father received a fellowship in psychiatry at the University of Miami. From 1964 to 1966, the Cohen family resided in Pasadena, California where Dr. Cohen had a fellowship in child psychiatry at the University of Southern California. Cohen, who attended Polytechnic School, returned to Florida in 1966 to graduate from Coral Gables High School before returning to Memphis where his father established his private psychiatry practice. Cohen graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1973, he graduated from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law of Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) with a Juris Doctor.
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Prof. Dr. Faruk fien sen@zft-online.de
BEING A TURK IN CALIFORNIA eing a Turk in California’ has many more positive connotations than being a Turk elsewhere in the world. The Turkish migrant population in the USA at present stands at some 440,000, close to the numbers in France and the Netherlands, two countries that attract a good deal of migrant workers. California is a major Turkish migrant center now. That being said, the work of the Armenian Lobby, heavily entrenched in key points in the state, is impossible to miss. The Armenian Lobby has succeeded in enlisting the support of the press, the public, and the commercial world, while Turks have failed to reach similar audiences. One of the key factors here is that the majority of Turkish migrants settle in cities such as New York and New Jersey. Despite relatively lower Turkish migrant numbers in California, the majority of Turks who settle in this state are much more elite. Californian Turks impressed me the most during my visit to the USA two years ago. Some conflicting numbers fly around concerning the Turkish population in the state. The most realistic seems to be that some 10% of Turks in America have settled in California, so the figure should be around 40,000 to 45,000. Whitecollar workers head this group. Turkey is the third leading country in the world in terms of outward migration. China, whose own population numbers 1.3 billion, sent some 50 million workers out of the country, while India, with 1.1 billion, provides 40
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million migrant workers. Chinese and Indians now function around the globe, from South Africa to the USA, from Kazakhstan to Tunisia. Turkey, with its population of 72 million, provides some 6.5 million migrant workers. It has been observed that in recent years, Turkish migrants have been moving not to the old favorite Europe but rather to the USA, Canada and Australia. This, then, makes Californian cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco particularly interesting to Turks. Go to any large commercial
center in Los Angeles today and you will see key positions held by Armenians who emigrated from Turkey. Turkish Armenians, and Istanbul Armenians in particular, serve Los Angeles in fine crafts, and especially in silver and gold; they left Turkey following the political turmoil of 1979, yet love their homeland all the same. Wander around the ‘Çiçek pasaj›’ and you will be struck by scenes of Istanbul’s own Çiçek pasaj›. Our Armenian compatriot, originally from Fenerbahçe, who runs the Bal›k Restaurant,
will interrogate you about which team you support first off. Should you admit to being a fan of any team other than Fenerbahçe, you'll struggle to get served! California is, at the same time, the center of many religious congregations. It’s not unusual to see Fethullah Gülen-style schools flourish here. The potential of the United States of America in general, and California in particular, to attract and assimilate Turkish migrants, and the opportunities found here, appeal to Turkish students who might have looked to Europe for higher education at first. Of the 44,000 Turkish university students in the US, some 20% study in California. Another major distinction between European and American Turks deserves mention: American Turks are able to wear their star-and-crescent sweaters on Turkish Day parades, singing the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ and the ‘Istiklal Marfl›’ all on the same day. US Turks first place their hands on their hearts during the 24th of May Turkish Ball and sing the American National Anthem, and then sing the Turkish National Anthem in unison. European Turks appear far more reticent and conservative in this context. The number of Turks resident in Europe who know the national anthems of their host county are few and far between. American Turks who have assimilated well are able to maintain their ties with Turkey, while becoming good US citizens at the same time.œ TurkofAmerica • 43
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REAL ESTATE
IS IT TIME TO INVEST OR SHOULD YOU WAIT TO BUY?
New Port Beach is the highest median home prices in California during March 2008.
he U. S. housing market has experienced falling home prices at a record rate in 2008. Given the fact that the market is stressed by mortgage challenges, this drop was no surprise to many. As of March 2008, home sales decreased by 24.5 percent in California compared to the same period in 2007, according to the California Association of Realtors. (C.A.R) The median price of an existing, single-family detached home in California in March 2008 was $413,980, a 29 percent decrease from the revised $582,930 median for March 2007. The March 2008 median price fell 1.3 percent compared with February’s revised $419,640 median price. According to C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young, the lack of available funds for loans, even for qualified buyers, continues to keep the demand side of the
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market thin, and enables buyers with financing (or all cash) to exert leverage over sellers. The numbers reported on C.A.R.’s website helps investors decide where to buy real estate in California. TURKOFAMERICA briefly talked to Neslihan Y›lmaz, GRI, SRES of Alain Pinel Realtors on her thoughts about the real estate market in California and her suggestions for home buyers. Where do you think the real estate market stands today? I think California was the most affected state in terms of falling prices in real estate. However the drop in prices did not affect the houses priced above $1 million as much. It was the first-time buyers that were affected by the crisis the most, the ones whose purchase range was below $800,000. Many private mortgage companies closed. The
safest banks to get loans from are Bank of America and Wells Fargo in California. There are a lot of houses waiting to be sold. What do you think is the reason behind this? When do you think the market is going to pick up again? Yes, there are several houses waiting to be sold and most of them are under $800,000 in California. In my opinion most of the buyers are waiting for the prices to drop further, that’s why they are reluctant to act right now. When mortgage rates slightly increase we will see a movement in the market. Also there is a significant demand for rental properties. This makes it harder for people to find rentals at affordable prices. I believe in the long term this will also translate into more activity in the real estate market. I think in two to three months we will see more activity.
What are your expectations in terms of the market for the rest of 2008? I think it is directly proportional to how the economy is going. We are still expecting to see growth in the economy. However, we will continue to see a drop in prices in states where a lot of real estate was returned to banks. Do you think the US real estate market is a good place to invest for Turkish investors right now? The mortgage crisis in the US may seem to be an opportunity for outside investors; however, if the investors plan on applying for loans in the States, I don’t see much benefit to it. They will have a harder time to qualify and the uncertainty in rates may be another disadvantage. Unfortunately, California is not one of the 25 states suitable for investment according to recent analysis. œ
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Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
SUGGESTIONS FOR INVESTORS
HIGHEST MEDIAN HOME PRICES
What would you suggest for real estate investors? How should they decide where to invest and when to invest? We have good guidelines we share with our clients. I’d like to provide that list here for all real estate investors, whether it’s their first time investing or not. 1. Compare Property Values and Rents Financial statistics only go so far; the best measure of a property's market value is often the sale prices of nearby properties. The same holds true for area rents. A low price can often be justified by a reasonable rent; renters who can afford a high rent can afford to buy instead, so reasonably priced rent is a need. 2. Be careful - Tax laws may change Don't base your tax investment on current tax laws. The tax code is constantly changing, and a good investment is a good investment regardless of the tax code. The right property with the right financing is what you should look for as an investor. 3. Specialize in something you know Start in a market segment you know. Whether you focus on fixer-uppers, foreclosures, starter homes, low-down payment properties, condominiums, or small apartment buildings, you'll benefit from experience by specializing in one aspect of investment real estate properties. 4. Study the Costs before making a solid investment! There are some important issues that must be addressed before investing. You may want to research such things as: What are operating expenses? What are the loan payments? Vacancy costs? Taxes? What does the cash flow statement look like? 5. Know where your tenants are coming from If the last rent increase was recent, your tenants may be considering a move. If tenants have a short-term lease, they may be living there simply to research the real estate market before they make their move. It is also important to collect the tenants' security deposits at closing. 6. Assess the tax situation Taxes are an integral part of successful real estate investing, and they often make the difference between a positive cash flow and a negative one. Know the tax situation, and see how it can be manipulated to your advantage. It may be a good idea to consult a tax advisor. 7. Look into current insurance coverage If the seller's coverage is based on lower-than-current replacement value, your insurance cost may increase when you pay a higher purchase price. 8. Confirm Utility Costs Ask the local utilities to verify recent utility expenses, especially if any of these costs are included in your tenant's rent. 9. Consult Your Accountant Taxation is a key element of successful real estate investing. Tax laws may change. Don't base your tax investment on current tax laws. The tax code is constantly changing, and the right property with the right financing is what you should look for as an investor. Taxation is a key element of successful real estate investing, so be sure to find an accountant who is familiar with the constantly changing tax code. 10. Inspect! Make sure that you always perform a thorough inspection of the property before buying it.
Statewide, the 10 cities and communities with the highest median home prices in California during March 2008 were: Cities Price Newport Beach $1,198,500 Danville $990,000 Santa Barbara $977,500 Redwood City $872,500 Mountain View $862,000 San Clemente $842,000 Sunnyvale $806,500 San Ramon $790,000 Redondo Beach $774,000 San Francisco $755,000
HOME PRICE INCREASES Statewide, the cities and communities with the greatest median home price increases in March 2008 compared with the same period a year ago were: Mountain View 25.8% Sunnyvale 15.2% Redwood City 12.9% Yorba Linda 10.4% San Ramon 7.6% Ridgecrest 7.6% Claremont 6.7% West Hollywood 3.6% Laguna Niguel 3.3% San Francisco 0.7%
TOP 25 US APPRECIATING REAL ESTATE MARKETS Rank Real Estate Market
Median Price
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
$194,000 $112,000 $241,000 $174,000 $380,000 $148,000 $204,000 $132,000 $155,000 $241,000 $154,000 $154,000 $117,000 $161,000 $164,000 $162,000 $137,000 $535,000 $239,000 $208,000 $112,000 $178,000 $235,000 $398,000 $159,000
Albuquerque, NM McAllen, TX Salt Lake City, UT Austin, Texas Seattle, WA Houston, TX Biloxi, MS El Paso, TX Nashville, TN Portland, OR San Antonio, TX Las Cruces, NM Little Rock, AR Dallas, TX Monroe, LA Boise, ID Jackson, MS New York, NY Raleigh, NC Newport, NC Fort Smith, AR Spokane, WA Charlotte, NC Bar Harbor, ME Hot Springs, AR
Expected Appreciation 9.1% 8.9% 8.6% 8.4% 8.2% 7.8% 7.5% 7.2% 6.9% 6.7% 6.5% 6.4% 6.4% 6.4% 6.3% 6.1% 6.1% 6.0% 5.9% 5.8% 5.8% 5.8% 5.7% 5.5% 5.4%
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MURAT AGIRNASLI
THE ARCHITECT OF WILLIAMSBURG: MKD GROUP LLC
ew York – Mimar Sinan, the most famous architect in Turkish history, was a genius who served four Ottoman Sultans and created hundreds of buildings (1490-1588.) Mimar Sinan’s intelligence, inventiveness and distinctive architecture place him firmly in a key position in world architecture. Major monuments such as the Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) and Taj Mahal were built by Mimar Sinan’s students. Mimar Sinan was born in A¤›rnas, Kayseri, a town that always led the way in trade and industry in Anatolia. He loved A¤›rnas dearly. Visitors to A¤›rnas see an ins-
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cription in his house, now a museum: “I wouldn’t have been around if it weren’t for my village.” We tracked down Murat A¤›rnasl›, a fellow citizen of Sinan in New York, and had a chat. Murat A¤›rnasl›, a New York businessman of some 25 years’ standing in textiles and real estate, has now joined the elite list of names contributors to the renovation of Williamsburg, an upand-coming New York district. In 1983 Apparel Trading International, Inc., a company cofounded by Murat A¤›rnasl› and his wife Ender A¤›rnasl›, began
marketing surplus designer apparel to off-price sales chains. Since 2002, the year he entered the residential development market his joint venture partnerships has completed 64 flats, eight of which are luxury properties, in four different projects in Williamsburg. The construction and develpment company MKD Group LLC is a joint venture company of Kiska Group LTD and Agime Capital LLC. Currently under way is the 58flat and 70-room McCaren Park Hotel and Apartments projects. We chatted with Murat A¤›rnasl› about a three-decade period that
begins with him still at school. How did you first go into business? I began to work every summer holiday as early as the age of eleven. It’s naturally not that easy to embrace work wholeheartedly when you’re a child. But my father, may he rest in peace, encouraged me so much so that I matured quite early as I learned about the world of business. I began working in earnest between 1976 and 1977 while still a student at the Bosphorus University when I started employment in the marketing department of a
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company that sold textile products to Europe. After working there for about a year, I decided to set up my own business. How did you come to be in the USA? I fell in love while still a student at university with Ender, my now business partner and wife, and I married in the third year. Needless to say, both families were concerned at first since we were so young. We finished university in 1979. That summer we went abroad, both as a belated honeymoon and also as something of a search for a new life. We visited a few cities in Europe and then came to Virginia to visit some close friends. I’ll never forget it; it was on our fourth day when I had already made my mind up. The USA was like no other country. I said to myself, “This place is utterly devoid of prejudices; people spend money freely. There can be no better environment in which to trade.” We first enrolled at an MBA program in Finance. It was during this higher education program that we were able to lay the foundations of our new life in the New World. How did you get to New York and establish your business? We lived in Virginia close to two years. I was importing textiles from Turkey and marketing these products to purchasers in New York as well as clients. I spent virtually half the week in New York. By the end of 1982, my wife and I decided to settle in New York and grow the business here. It was a tough decision, as my wife didn’t want to move to New York. It took a lot to convince her that New York was the center of world trade and it was the indisputable choice for business. She now loves New York far more than I do and I suspect she wouldn’t live anywhere else. We first set up the New York-
based Apparel Trading International, Inc. in 1983. Today we trade with 16 countries. We have an office and a warehouse in Nicaragua in Central America, employing some 110 staff. Apparel Trading markets surplus production for designer apparel to off-price sales chains. My wife heads that business. We have ten staff in the New York office. Our second company, AGIME Capital LLC, was set up, again in New York, in 2002. Where is AGIME Capital’s focus? Our focus is residential development industry and construction. Our entry into the construction sector is the happy outcome of a coincidence. Sometimes faith does take a hand. One fine summer evening, Erden Arkan, the General Manager of Kiska USA and I were chatting at a Turkish American Business Forum cocktail party. Erden mentioned during the course of the evening that Brooklyn’s Williamsburg district was poised for the same sort of redevelopment as SoHo had undergone. Three senior managers within Kiska, supported by O¤uz Gürsel, Kiska’s proprietor, had decided to enter residential development and already started a couple of projects. Erden proposed I join them. We got together the following day, agreed in principle, shook on it and laid the foundati-
ons of today’s partnership. Our friends and acquaintances have also supported us as investors. I believe we managed to some fine work here. Can you talk about your projects? We built and sold a 14-flat condominium in Williamsburg South 6. Then we purchased a former women’s prison in Harlem. This was a protected, landmark building. We rehabilitated the interior entirely, converting it into eight luxury condominiums and sold them. Then came the 28-flat building in North 11, which, in my view, is the finest building in Williamsburg. Many friends joined into this project as a consortium. It was a good job and a profitable one. We have
currently finished a new building of 14 flats. This building will go to rent. In addition there is another new construction project under way: McCaren Park Hotel and Apartments. This project comprises two buildings of 58 apartments as well as a 70-room boutique hotel, a health club, a restaurant, a 130-car park and a roof-top bar on the roof of the hotel with a New York view. It’s a very exciting and good project. It fits in perfectly with Williamsburg’s demographic make-up and lifestyle. Young couples, for example, will be able to order cleaning and linen changing service from the hotel. They will be able to return home from work in the evening and relax at the sports hall and spa, and then order room service food. They will then be able to enjoy post-dinner drinks at the roof-top bar, enjoying a fabulous New York view. WILLIAMSBURG Close to New York City, Williamsburg is a settlement that has welcomed Germans, Hassidic Jews, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. Popular with the artistic crowd and the hip as well as with migrants, Williamsburg was a particular favorite with artists due to lower rents as much as its proximity to New York in the 1970s. This tradition lasted well into the 1990s. At that time, some 3,000 artists resided in Williamsburg. œ
WHO IS MURAT A⁄IRNASLI? Son of Niyazi A¤›rnasl›, one of the best-known lawyers of Turkey, Murat A¤›rnasl›, was born in Ankara in 1955. After graduating from the TED Ankara College, he finished the Bosphorus University School of Management in 1979. In the same year, he was accepted at the MBA program of the University of Richmond and obtained his MBA in 1981. He still serves as CEO at Apparel Trading International, Inc., which he founded in 1983. ATI, a leading off-price wholesaler for 25 years, has many an accomplishment to its name in the ready-to-wear industry. He founded the AGIME Capital LLC. in 2002 to invest in construction, finance and property. Murat A¤›rnasl› currently heads the New Yorkbased Turkish American Business Forum. He is married and has a son named Erman. He speaks English, Spanish and Turkish.
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TULUMBA
TULUMBA: A LEADER IN THE ONLINE ETHNIC MARKET
Of 68,000 goods offered on the site, 48,000 are books and the customers are divided evenly between Americans and Turks.
Koray Y›lmaz, a Tulumba.com partner.
48 • TurkofAmerica
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hen Tulumba.com was first launched four years ago, the founder of the site stated that his goal was to “help consumers and Turkish goods find each other.” Within this four-year period the Tulumba portal has sold 700,000 products and has reached 100,000 customers. Seeing an initially high growth rate of 40 percent within the first two years, it later settled down to a 5-10 percent growth. “Thirty percent of our customer base comes from Turks living in the US,” states Koray Y›lmaz, a Tulumba.com partner. He goes on to add, “What we do is actually quite crazy. It's exhausting to deal with this many details.”
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Y›lmaz is quick to point out, however, that in spite of their vast product range and large number of orders, customer complaints are almost nonexistent. Zafer Zambo¤lu, a Tulumba regular who lives in San Francisco, stated that he had never come across any problems with ordering or receiving goods from the website. “There are often doubts associated with the professionalism of Turkish firms but we haven't witnessed that with this website,” he states. Dave Muldoon, a customer from Massachusetts, also expresses his happiness with the quick response time of the company to the orders he placed. “I saw that the products I ordered were mailed the
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same day and I received them in two days. It really is amazingly fast. I will definitely shop with them again.” There are also famous names among Tulumba's customers. The Republican Party's 2008 presidential candidate John McCain and real estate mogul Donald Trump’s wife Melania Knauss Trump are among such names. Just this past September, McCain paid $158 for Turkish coffee and a traditional Turkish coffeepot. Trump's wife, on the other hand, ordered a Turkish towel and Turkish bath bowl. After a prompt check to ensure that there was no consumer fraud, the site's owners realized that McCain and Trump were indeed the ones who had placed the orders.
One of Tulumba.com’s customers is real estate mogul Donald Trump’s wife Melania Knauss Trump.
Sixty-five percent of customers who find Tulumba do so from search engines. Fifteen percent live in New York and California. Florida, New Jersey, Texas, and Illinois round out the states with the most customers. Of all buyers, 25 percent have only bought once.
tempting to enter the Arab market in America, comprised of nearly 3 million people from 18 different countries. Having also researched the Greek and Iranian markets, Y›lmaz maintains that in the near future they will also begin to sell goods targeted towards these two markets. He states, “We have put Tulumba.com on automatic pilot. It's at the point where it can coast along while still maintaining the same level of quality. Now we want to take what we have accumulated here and use it to expand into other ethnic markets.”
Tulumba wants to branch out into other ethnic markets by drawing on its four years of experience in providing products to the Turkish population in the US. Y›lmaz states that their new website buyarabic.com is at-
TURKISH DELIGHT AND TURKISH COFFEE The most popular goods on Tulumba are Turkish delight and Turkish coffee. Of 68,000 goods offered on the site, 48,000 are books and the customers are di-
vided evenly between Americans and Turks. In addition to goods, people can order telephone cards, flowers, and insurance. The tulumba.com.tr address has recently opened and is offering e-trade services in Turkey. Customers can also find health and beauty care products through amazon.com. Y›lmaz underscores their happiness with the Turkish film and music sales on amazon.com. Tulumba.com was AKM Partners’ first investment and is the flagship of any future endeavors that the company will undertake. Y›lmaz expresses their desire to open stores in various states in the coming years and adds, “These plans have everything to do with time and financing, of course. In order for expansion to take place we need time and patience.”œ The Republican Party's 2008 presidential candidate John McCain paid $158 for Turkish coffee and a traditional Turkish coffeepot.
The most popular goods on Tulumba are Turkish delight and Turkish coffee.
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TURKISH HOUR TV
A SHARED LOVE OF BROADCASTING
Sinem Saniye, Turkish Hour TV show host, Serdar Acar and Selçuk Öksüzo¤lu are together.
In spite of their financial troubles, Turkish Hour has provided an enormous amount of promotion for Turkey. Acar points out that they have provided 160 30-minute programs without any gaps. ew York – Everything started with two young people who met on the website mandy.com, a website for TV and film professionals to network and communicate. Serdar Acar studied market research and advertising in Turkey and took film and directing courses at New York University. Selçuk Öksüzo¤lu obtained a Master's degree in film and media at Hunter College in addition to shooting short films and documentaries, six films in all.
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They started on their programming adventure by asking themselves: “How could one broadcast an English-language TV program about Turkey in the US?” After overcoming many physical and financial obstacles, they were able to air the first English-language Tur50 • TurkofAmerica
kish program ever produced in the US in March 2005. The program, called Turkish Hour, has since been broadcast in Manhattan and the surrounding areas for 160 consecutive weeks (at the time of this article) and has recently begun to reach 23 million households (in other words about 70 million American viewers) by way of national broadcaster CoLours TV channel. The program, which started on public access channel Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN), lasts 30 minutes and mainly features programming promoting Turkey. Likewise, it gives time to showcasing activities taking place around New York and its surrounding areas. American viewers are also treated to Turkish recipes. Since
MNN is a public access channel there is no fee to broadcast most types of programming. However, there are some conditions. Advertising is absolutely not accepted and the program must be made by the person applying for the airtime. Turkish Hour takes its place alongside other ethnic and cultural programs in the program schedule. MNN reaches nearly 550,000 households in Manhattan and other boroughs. Program producer Serdar Acer states the following, “If we assume that every household has four people then the number of people watching us is 2.2 million.” REGIONAL PROGRAMMING Without financial support, a costly endeavor such as broadcasting would be next to impossible. Indeed, the biggest need the
Turkish Hour team has expressed from the beginning is financial support. After the first ten weeks of programming on MNN, the Turkish Ministry of Tourism's New York attaché offered some support. The adventure at public access channel MNN was quickly coming to an end. Requests were coming in from people who lived outside of the New York area who wanted to watch. This emboldened the two to expand the reach of their programming. Acar and Öksüzo¤lu decided to move their program to a channel that would allow for advertising and searched for five months for just such a channel. They met with representatives of more than 80 TV channels. In August of 2005, they managed to rent time for a fee from the Regional News Network (WRNN), a channel that serves New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Turkish Hour began to be broadcast once a week on WRNN to all three states from August 2005 on. The New York Tourism attaché once again provided support. “We were only able to meet 20 percent of the costs with the help of the attaché,” states Acar. The new channel did, however, bring new viewers to Turkish Hour. While their viewership numbers during their relationship with MNN was 2.2 million, the number increased to 25 million with WRNN. However, the one missing aspect of the show was advertising. Despite the continuous programming, they weren't able to garner interest from advertisers for the show. As a result, the pair had to give up the program's broadcast on WRNN after struggling to make weekly payments without the help of advertisers. Although no longer showing on WRNN, MNN still continued to air weekly episodes of
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Turkish Hour until, after finding support from the Office of the Prime Minister's Turkey Promotion Fund, the program was able to air in three states on WRNN from July 2007 on.
situations before. They were able to obtain funds from the Office of the Prime Minister's Fund for the first couple of months of 2008 but were unable to do so for the second half of the year.
BROADCASTING TO ALL OF THE US Once again facing a potential audience of 25 million, the pair returned to their efforts with a renewed vigor to find advertisers within the Turkish business community in the US but were again unsuccessful in their attempts. Working solely with the money provided by the state, Acar and Öksüzo¤lu had to continue to prepare a small budget for every show produced.
In spite of their financial troubles, Turkish Hour has provided an enormous amount of promotion for Turkey. Acar points out that they have provided 160 30-minute programs without any gaps. “If you consider investing a trifling amount such as $1000 for 30 seconds every week for 160 weeks, you would see that just in Manhattan our programs advertising Turkey are worth 9.3 million dollars. If you add the other regions and national channels that we broadcast to you wouldn't even be able to calculate the benefits, and it would be a huge boost for Turkey,” he states. The Tourism Ministry announced that for the first time, the
Öksüzo¤lu and Acar were, however, able to negotiate a move to CoLours TV and from March 31, 2008 on started broadcasting to all of the US from their new home. The outcome was unfortunately all too similar to
American viewers are also treated to Turkish recipes.
advertising and promotion budget for North America would be 10 million dollars. Already broadcasting in mainland America, Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the army bases of Iraq and Afghanistan, Acar stresses that they are staying afloat largely through personal will. “We will continue for another one to
two months and will then look at our options. If we can't get funding from the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Tourism, or business circles, we will have to shut down the only television program that has been promoting Turkey in America for the past three years.” He adds, “But we haven't given up hope, we're still cautiously optimistic.”œ
TO WATCH TURKISH HOUR TV Monday: 4:30pm CoLours TV (USA Nationwide) Tuesday: 11:00pm WRNN TV (NY, NJ, CT) Wednesday: 1:30pm CoLours TV (USA Nationwide) Thursday: 8:30pm and 1.00am CoLours TV (USA Nationwide) Sunday: 11:00 AM CoLours TV (USA Nationwide) Sunday: 10:30pm MNN TV (New York City)
COLOURS TV CHANNEL DETAILS CoLours TV is available on Channel 9407 & 9396 on the DISH® Network Satellite TV. CoLours TV is also available on cable from the following carriers: Time Warner, Comcast, Insight, NCTC and Cox.
WRNN TV CHANNEL DETAILS States: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut Counties: Westchester, Putnam, Fairfield, Orange, Rockland, Hudson, Essex, Bergen, Pike, Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Passaic, Somerset, Union, Middlesex ?Boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, The Bronx Cable Vision: Channel 19 or 6 Time Warner: Channel 91, 12 or 22 RCN: Channel 16 Comcast: Channel 20, 19, 25 or 26 DirecTV: Channel 62 or 394 Echostar (DISH Network): Channel 62 or, 116 Charter Communications: Channel 2, 4 or 14 Nuvisions: Channel 14 NYU TV: Channel 68 Paragon Cable: Channel 23 Berkshire Cable: Channel 4 Valstar Cable: Channel 42 MidHudson Cablevision: Channel 69
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WASHINGTON BACKSTAGE Ali Günertem agunertem@turkofamerica.com
GLOBAL GROWING PAINS ne the most important issues that has recently arisen in the US presidential election is the slumping economy and the negative effects of competition brought about by globalization. It may come as a surprise to some that polling shows both Democratic and Republican voters' primary concern is no longer the Iraq War and its negative results but rather the economy.
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According to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll taken in April, 67 percent of voters stated that the economy was the foremost issue in their minds, followed by the increase in the price of gas at 59 percent, with the issue of Iraq taking a bit of a backseat with 48 percent. In the past couple of weeks, Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have been faced with questions regarding free trade agreements that the US recently signed with Colombia. Outsourcing, the term used for the shipping of American jobs overseas because of the greatly lowered cost of production, is rapidly becoming one of the most sensitive issues in the race. Unemployment has risen and many manufacturing jobs are now largely being performed by workers in foreign countries. According to figures released in March 2008, the number of unemployed in the US has reached 7.8 million, while the rate of unemployment is 5.1 percent. In addition to manufacturing, the customer service and research and development departments of large companies have also been shipped overseas to 52 • TurkofAmerica
countries such as India, where employment costs are much lower. The customer service side of telecommunication and Internet companies such as AT&T and AOL have already been outsourced to India. A person in America who calls customer service more often than not finds him or herself talking to someone from India. Even technical support, as long as it is not too complicated, can be performed from abroad. Companies from a wide variety of sectors ranging from airlines to banks are choosing outsourcing as a business option. Delta Airlines, HSBC, Verizon, Cisco, Capital One, and Alcoa are among the 400 companies that have outsourced to India. In recent times, American consumers have begun to voice their unhappiness with this trend. Cultural differences, language difficulties, and timeliness are all issues that consumers have raised in an attempt to bring these services back to the US. However, it can't be argued that only major economies have seen benefits from this trend. The technical knowledge and skills that have been gained are quite astounding. When we say “major economies” we are, of course, referring to China and India. There are 2.5 billion people living in these two countries and in this era of rapid globalization, these populations are quickly integrating into the globalized economy. This integration, however, is not a completely smooth process and the road to success is paved with difficulties. The increase in gas prices is just one of the
many visible manifestations of this trend. India is planning to release a car built by its own Tata Motors, which will sell for $2500. Moreover, the French car producer Renault and its Japanese counterparts Nissan, Toyota, Hyundai, and the Chinese Chery, are also preparing to manufacture cars close to this price. Renault has gone one step further by actively searching for partners in Indian factories. In other words, all these new technologies and approaches show that already limited energy sources will be depleted even further. Developing countries are simply attempting to get a slice of the energy pie as a result of economic growth. When one looks at the figures, one can see the following: 70 million vehicles were sold in developing countries such as China and India. According to numbers released on March 31, 2008, the number of cars sold in India has reached 9.6 million. In a country such as China, where the number of people wishing to be car owners is rapidly rising, the number of car owners still numbers at 20 out of every 1000 people, while in the world as a whole the number is 120 out of 1000. If we assume that in 2010 7.5 million units of vehicles will be sold in China and the number of car owners will reach that of developed countries, than we can obviously see the future threats to natural resources. There is also the issue of security in the production of cars at this low price. People are living in fascinating times. Developing countries are now doing what Western economies did years
ago and it is now relatively easy to see what is right and wrong with this process. The trend of irresponsible consumption essentially started in the United States. It is the same place that that trend has seen a decline due to humankind's endless search for natural resources. To put it in simpler terms, we have consumed the whole earth. With each passing day, we are taking more and more out of the pockets of our children. As we look at China's and India's integration into the global economy, we see that the process itself is reckless. Responsible people are now searching for a solution. They are seeking to implement economic structures and alternative energy resources that will allow them to live happily in the near future. I reiterate that although Turkey is still at the beginning of this development and has not yet lived up to its fullest potential, there is still a chance that the country will get through difficult times with a minimal number of scars, depending of course on responsible planning. From what I've seen so far, however, we, like India and China, are growing without a proper sense of control or education. Personal education is very important in this planning process. In the end, both planning and consumption are personal choices about how to act in society. It will be too late if we don't take steps now to partner with private and public institutions in order to educate younger generations on safe energy usage. This holds true not only for Turkey but also all developing countries that are experiencing growing pains in their search for development.œ
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FAH‹R ATAKO⁄LU
ahir Atako¤lu’s new album “Istanbul in Blue” is being picked up by many radio stations across the USA and the list is growing. Atako¤lu’s fans have sent thousands of email requests to XM Radio to listen his latest album.
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ROAD TO THE GRAMMYS:
FAH‹R ATAKO⁄LU’S
ALBUM HITS THE CHARTS
A major composer, arranger and pianist who is famous in his native Turkey and becoming increasingly well-known in the United States, Fahir Atakoglu’s latest album “Istanbul In Blue” is the “most added” and the most increased in air play album, according to Jazz Week and Media Guide.
Previous, Fahir Atakoglu recorded “If” (a trio set with bassist Anthony Jackson and drummer Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez) and the ballet East Side Story.
“Istanbul in Blue” is #39 on the Top 50 Jazz Albums Chart and #4 on the World Music Album Chart. New World and Media, the radio promoters of the Album, have reported a total of 77 radio stations playing Fahir Atakoglu all across US, and the number is increasing weekly. Over the week of April 21-28, 2008, the total spins of the album was 84. Media Guide, which provides the world’s most comprehensive, accurate, and reliable airplay data products provided this information. Jazz Week is the definitive Jazz and Smooth Jazz national radio airplay chart—a weekly report of the top fifty Jazz and Smooth Jazz recordings played on radio stations across the United States and Canada. Scott Yanow, author of nine jazz books, says: “When one considers the great variety to be heard throughout Istanbul In Blue and the perfect mix of melodies, grooves and improvisations, Fahir Atakoglu’s future is certainly one to watch closely.” Yanow describes the “Istanbul in Blue” album is a wide-ranging set that at first seems like jazz/rock fusion, but also includes the influences of Turkish music, some acoustic interludes, and sections that are completely unclassifiable.
Jazz Week publishes a weekly magazine, which includes articles, industry news, CD reviews and the Jazz Album Chart, the Smooth Jazz Album Chart, and the Smooth Jazz Single Chart of the top fifty most played albums and singles. Media Guide, a media monitoring and technology company, monitors music and advertising on over 2,700 college, non-commercial and commercial radio stations in 150 US markets, and over 3,500 internet stations in realtime, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Fahir Atako¤lu at a New York concert.
“Istanbul In Blue” is the “most added” and the most increased in air play album, according to Jazz Week and Media Guide.
Beside the jazz album charts, XM Satellite Radio, which has over 12 million subscribers, is playing eight Atako¤lu’s tracks in their playlists. They are playing Trapped, Fuse On, SyncOp, Gypsy In Me, Aheste, Yana Yana, Saturday, and Ten Eight on their "Beyond Jazz" station. To request to listen to Atako¤lu’s album, you can e-mail:beyondjazz@xmradio.comœ
ABOUT FAH‹R ATAKO⁄LU Fahir Atako¤lu is a renowned Turkish pianist and composer who has worked with a wide range of artists across many genres of music, ranging in style from symphonic scoring to advertising jingles. He was born in Istanbul, Turkey. From the age of 7, Atako¤lu was interested in music and began playing piano and drums. Though his family intended for him to continue in the family business, his mother fostered his interest in music and through his music teacher Muzaffer Uz he was introduced to Cemal Reflit Rey, Turkey’s famous composer, pianist, script writer, and conductor. Atako¤lu studied under Rey from 1977-1979. He attended the Istanbul State Conservatory from 1978-1980. In 1980 he moved to London and for five years studied at both the London School of Music and Croydon College. He earned a degree in marketing and advertising from Croydon College in 1983 and returned to Istanbul to work as a jingle composer in the advertising sector. Atakoglu has created music for commercials, news segments, and documentaries via advertising agencies including Lintas, McCann Erickson, CDP Europe, Young & Rubicam, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Ogilvy & Mather. Atako¤lu acknowledges that his training in ad jingles honed his skill as a composer to create immediate context within his music. He has also composed music for Turkey's top bands and musicians, including Mazhar Fuat Özkan, Sezen Aksu, and Sertab Erener. He also composed music for the Greek musician Notis Sfakinakis, with Atako¤lu's song Telos Dios Telos going platinum with sales over 480,000 copies. Since 1994, Atako¤lu has recorded 10 albums which have sold over 2 million copies in 17 countries. His previous album, “If” is a collaboration featuring bass guitarist Anthony Jackson and two time Grammy award winning percussionist Horacio "EI Negro" Hernandez.
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TURKISH PARADE
TURKISH PARADE IN NEW YORK
he 27th edition of the traditional Turkish Day Parade and Festival, organized by the Federation of Turkish-American Associations, or TADF, in New York, was met with great interest this year.
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The parade commenced from Madison Avenue and 56th Street to Dag Hammarskjold Park, where the festival was held. Associations affiliated with the TADF and groups coming from Turkey, supported by a number of Turks from the surrounding states, attended the event. An enormous Turkish flag and a portrait of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, attracted everyone's attention. Folk and dance shows were applauded by thousands of Turks waving national flags. Other Turkish related groups such as Ahiskans, Azeris, Bulgarians and Turkistans supported the Parade Approximately 5,000 TurkishAmericans and Turks from Turkey walked down the Madison Avenue behind colorful banners and Turkish and American flags, displaying their ethnic pride and solidarity for all to see. Among those who marched proudly down the Madison Avenue were the famous Turkish soccer teams Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Besiktas. The festival began with both Turkish and American anthems, followed by one-minute standing ovation for Atatürk and his fellows. Turkish Ambassador to Washington Nabi fiensoy, Turkish Permanent Representative to the United Nations Baki ‹lkin, Turkish Consul General in New York Mehmet Samsar, Justice and Development Party Deputy Chairman Egemen Ba¤›fl and State Minister Mustafa Yaz›c›o¤lu were present at the festival. Famous Turkish singers Sinan Erkoç, Cezai P›nar Aylin and Safiye Soyman were among the performers. (Anatolia Agency) œ 56 • TurkofAmerica
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MORRIS SCHINASI
MORRIS SCHINASI AND THE MANISA CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Abdülhamid II honoured Morris with a Mecidiye of the Fourth Order in 1906 for his services to the Turkish economy by importing Turkish tobacco to the USA and his son Leon (who had a soft spot for horses) was presented with a pure Arab stallion from the Ottoman stud line. rs. Laurette Schinasi came to Turkey in 1930 to meet with Department of Health officials in order to present a petition to found a children’s hospital in Manisa in line with the last will and testament of her husband, Morris Schinasi; he had died three years previously in the USA. Construction began immediately, following approval by the Department, and the then International Moris fiinasi Hospital was commissioned in 1933; it still serves the public today, as the Moris fiinasi Children’s Hospital.
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Morris was born in 1855 in Manisa to a relatively poor Sephardic family as one of four children; he had two brothers (Solomon, also known as Shlomo, and Yaakov) and a sister (Sultana.) Sephardic Jews, Spanish and Portuguese Jews, opted to leave their homeland in 1492 and thereafter rather than submit to forced conversion to Catholicism. The majority of the Sephardim settled in Ottoman lands following an invitation by Sultan Bayezid II. Of the 20,000 Jews still living in Turkey, some 96% are Sephardic.
Morris Schinasi. (Courtesy of Naim Güleryüz)
58 • TurkofAmerica
Morris was forced to leave school and begin work when he was young. Falling ill at the age of 14, Morris was treated in hospital and soon appreciated the value of education. In 1870, at the age of 15 and with all he had to his name-two Mecidiye (Imperial gold coins)--he sailed to Egypt in
search of new opportunities and began to work for a Greek tobacco merchant named Garofollo in Alexandria. Garofollo traded in tobacco as well as in the manufacture of cigarettes. He liked this intelligent, diligent, ambitious and driven young man and took him under his wing. MORRIS’S DREAM The year was 1890. Morris was 35 and his big dreams carried him far. Borrowing US$25,000 from his beloved boss Garofollo, he immigrated to the USA in 1892 and exhibited the cigarette-rolling machine he had designed himself at the Chicago Fair. Until then, every single cigarette had been hand-rolled, paper and tobacco being purchased separately; this new machine created a good deal of interest. He repaid the US$25,000 loan and sent out for his brother Solomon (Shlomo.) Once Shlomo had arrived in New York, they established the “Schinasi Brothers Company” on Broadway and 120th Street. According to author R›fat N. Bali, writer of ‘Moses’ Children, Republican Citizens’, their Egyptian Prettiest brand Turkish cigarettes, rolled with Turkish tobacco, soon became very popular. True to his origins and his own poor childhood, Morris invited Turkish workers, in particular from Manisa, to work in his factory. At one point there were some 200 Manisa Jews working there.
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Naim GÜLERYÜZ / Researcher-Writer
at the school at 91 Forsyth Street, New York. Solomon (Shlomo) died on Saturday, the 4th of October, 1919, following a two-week coronary illness, at his Villa Julia on Riverside and 89th Avenue. This mansion, which had originally been purchased from Isaac L. Rice, currently houses the Yeshiva Ketana Jewish school.
Morris Schinasi’s house at Riverside Drive, 107th Avenue. The building is listed as a historical building. (Courtesy of Naim Güleryüz)
Morris lived as a bachelor until the age of 48; it was during a business visit to Salonica that he met the granddaughter of a colleague, Joseph Ben Rubi. He married the 16-year-old Laurette in 1903. They had three daughters (Victoria, Juliette and Altina) and a son (Leon.)
Abdülhamid II honoured Morris with a Mecidiye of the Fourth Order in 1906 for his services to the Turkish economy by importing Turkish tobacco to the USA. (Courtesy of Naim Güleryüz)
ABDULHAMID II HONOURED The New York Times reported on 7 March 1916, Schinasi Brothers sold their two million-dollar cigarette factories and all commercial rights to the business to the Tobacco Products Corporation in 1916 in exchange for three and a half million dollars and retired. Morris’s son Leon was elected to the board of the new company; he left this position in July 1918 and joined the Standard Commercial Tobacco Company as Vice-President and General Manager.
Abdülhamid II honoured Morris with a Mecidiye of the Fourth Order in 1906 for his services to the Turkish economy by importing Turkish tobacco to the USA and his son Leon (who had a soft spot for horses) was presented with a pure Arab stallion from the Ottoman stud line. The presentation was carried out by HE Mehmet Ali Bey, the Ottoman Ambassador to Washington, in July 1908. The Schinasi brothers of Manisa, who were members of the Anatolian Sephardim Union and Peace Society as well as the Shearith Israel Synagogue in New York, joined many other institutions in the city to help other Sephardim in need. One of the leading such institutions, The Federation of Oriental Jews, elected Morris Schinasi Honorary President on the 7th of June 1914 at a meeting attended by over one thousand Sephardim
Morris died in September 1929 at the age of 74; in his will, he had designated a large portion of his wealth, well over five million dollars, to charity. A one-million-dollar fund was entrusted to the Chemical Bank and Trust Co. of New York for the express purpose of founding a hospital in Manisa, the town of his birth. Morris never forgot his home country of Turkey; many of the rooms in the marble French Renaissance mansion he commissioned in 1909 (the architect was the famous William B. Tuthill, who had previously designed Carnegie Hall) at Number 352, Riverside Drive, 107th Avenue, were done in a Turkish style. The bathroom was set out like a Turkish bath with washbasins typical of that layout. This building is currently listed as a historical building and in 1979 was sold to Hans Smit, a law professor at Columbia University. The surname Schinasi is thought to be a version of the popular Jewish surname Ashkenazi; yet Morris’s daughter Altina was unable to confirm this point during our interview. Altina was born on the 4th of August 1907; during her career as a shopwindow decorator, the Harlequin spectacles she had designed in the 1930s had proved highly popular. Altina had published her meTurkofAmerica • 59
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MORRIS SCHINASI
moirs in “The Road I Have Travelled” (Apodaca Hill Press, New Mexico, 1995) and died in her home in Santa Fe on Thursday the 19th of August 1999. This, in short, is the life story of little Morris, who was cured of his illness at a hospital and who, when he became a successful businessman far from his homeland, never forgot his origins, bestowing a valuable institution for the aid of the less fortunate. May his story inspire us all. MORIS fi‹NAS‹ CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Laurette Schinasi and Huntington Turner, a manager at Chemical Bank, travelled to Turkey and met the then Secretary of Health Dr. Refik Saydam and high-ranking officials on the 27th of April 1930. Long negotiations resulted in an accord on land allotment, construction and operation as well as the use of the fund. $200,000 of the fund was set aside for construction and equipment while the remaining $800,000 was deposited in Ziraat Bank, with interest to be paid to the hospital annually. The equipment and consumables for the hospital were imported on the basis of a special duty waiver as per Bill Number 1907, dated the 28th of December 1931. The hospital was set in the midst of a seven-acre garden and equipped with state-of-theart equipment and instruments. The architect was W. Stuart Thompson and construction began on the 1st of June 1932. Open prison inmates worked on the site; construction finished in a short time and the hospital was inaugurated on the 15th of August 1933 at a ceremony attended by the Governor of Manisa, Lütfü K›rdar. The hospital began to accept patients officially on the 1st of October 1933. 60 • TurkofAmerica
Schinasi and his wife Laurette. (Courtesy of Naim Güleryüz)
Serving as a general hospital until 1968, it joined the Department of Health in that year and was recommissioned as a Children’s Hospital.
drawn carriage and the ambulance was a horse-cart. The horse was until recently listed as capital equipment and only dropped off the list when it died.
When it was first opened, the hospital grew its own vegetables in its garden and obtained eggs from its own chickens; the Head’s official vehicle was a horse-
In time, the hospital’s own water source was handed over to the military and the small woods in the garden made way for concrete buildings; yet it still maintains
its original 1930s look as well as the majority of its original infrastructure, such as the heating and air conditioning systems. This nostalgic aspect is reinforced by such details as the historic elevator that still works on a mechanical pulley system. Thanks to the financial assistance provided by the original
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The hospital opening ceremony in 1933. (Courtesy of TR Department of Health, Moris fiinasi Children’s Hospital)
fund and additional State help, the buildings, now used as Health Directorate and School of Medicine, have been restored, rebuilt as needed and equipped with the latest technology. The boiler room was the most re-
cent restoration and now serves as a modern laboratory. Upper floor rooms that were unused have been renovated and now serve as a private patients’ wing. The Celal Bayar University School of Medicine
The Moris fiinasi Children’s Hospital in Manisa. (Courtesy of TR Department of Health, Moris fiinasi Children’s Hospital)
was opened on the 1st of March 1994 and the Moris fiinasi Hospital was taken over by a 23rd of April 1994 protocol from the Department of Health. The annex, the construction of which was fi-
nished in 1995, was added to the compound. The Moris fiinasi Children’s Hospital, led by a selfless health team, serves the children in the area; it is one of seven children’s hospitals in the country. In-patients numbered 2,879 in 1999 and 2,032 between January and August 2000. Out-patients numbered 34,313. Occupancy rates were 54.6% in 1999 and 59.5% in the first eight months of 2000. Some 239 surgical procedures were carried out in eight months, eight of which were major operations. During the same time period, some 4,609 X-rays were taken. The fund has been successfully managed by Chase Bank, as it’s now called; officials pay a visit to the hospital every other year and hand over the annual income. In addition, a Moris fiinasi State Children’s Hospital Development Society has been founded to support the hospital. œ TurkofAmerica • 61
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INVESTMENT By Jon Kempner* jon.d.kempner@smithbarney.com
INVESTMENT DIVERSIFICATION USING ASSET ALLOCATION
ost of us have heard the saying: “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” For years, financial experts have urged investors to spread their money across different types of asset classes—such as stocks, bonds, and cash—in order to help reduce risk and enhance long-term returns.
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Yet, all too often investors ignore this advice, pouring the bulk of their funds into a relatively narrow handful of investments – or even into a single stock. Although diversification does not ensure against loss, it can be and important factor to helping you achieve long-term financial success. This article will explore some of the many factors that must be taken into account to construct a properly diversified portfolio. MODERN PORTFOLIO THEORY The concept of diversification finds its roots in Modern Portfolio Theory. This theory states that portfolios created using a mix of different asset classes and investment styles should deliver higher returns with less risk than any one asset class would by itself. The 62 • TurkofAmerica
goal of asset allocation is to identify the best possible combination of stocks or other assets, based on their expected returns and the expected fluctuation – or volatility – of those returns over time. With this knowledge in hand, investors can construct portfolios that reflect this optimal mix as closely as possible. PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE The usefulness of an asset class in a portfolio is based on its expected rate of return and volatility, plus the correlation between its performance and that of the rest of the portfolio. Correlation is a statistical measure of the degree to which the returns on different assets move in the same direction at the same time. Modern Portfolio Theory predicts that the lower the correlation, the more likely a particular asset class will improve long-run portfolio performance by smoothing the volatility of returns. Thus, even asset classes with relatively low expected returns and/or relatively high expected risk may be worth including in a portfolio, if the correlation with the other asset classes in the portfolio is
low enough. Because of these benefits, a properly diversified portfolio should yield higher expected returns and/or lower expected risk than any of the specific asset classes in the portfolio. A properly constructed portfolio should reflect the best possible trade-off between expected risk and expected return given the various possible combinations of assets. The process of creating such portfolios is called portfolio optimization, and is a critical element of any asset allocation plan. ASSET ALLOCATION PROCESS Developing an asset allocation strategy requires an in-depth statistical analysis of asset class performance. While this process begins with an analysis of historic risk and return results, it shouldn’t end there. The capital markets are constantly evolving, and what occurred yesterday might not
happen tomorrow. With many different variables and strategies impacting diversification decisions, many investors may find it difficult to chart an appropriate course. In order to make the best decision, it is important to consider the factors that impact your asset allocation strategy. Besides past performance, we have mentioned that the expected returns, volatility of an asset class, and the correlation between the two influence the portfolio performance and should impact your decision on which assets to allocate. [For more information on investment diversification, contact me today for a copy of Smith Barney Consulting Group’s White Paper, Investment Diversification Using Asset Allocation.] *Certertified
Financial Planner™/Fi-
nancial Advisorœ
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NBA
HEDO TURKOGLU WINS MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD Hidayet Turkoglu received a total of 380 points, including 61 first-place votes, from a panel of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.
Hedo Turkoglu (at right) and Eminonu Mayor Nevzat Er with Turkish kids in Istanbul.
ew York - Turkish player Hidayet (Hido) Türko¤lu of the Orlando Magic is the winner of the 2007-08 NBA Most Improved Player Award presented by Kia Motors, the NBA announced on April, 28th. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons. Turkoglu received a total of 380 points, including 61 first-place votes, from a panel of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The Memphis Grizzlies’ Rudy Gay finished second with 167 points (23 first-place votes) followed by LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trail Blazers with 128 points (nine first-place votes). Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote,
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three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received. As part of its support of the Most Improved Player Award, Kia Motors will donate a brand-new 2009 Kia Borrego seven-passenger SUV on behalf of Turkoglu to a grassroots program of the Parramore Kidz Zone, an initiative which provides positive, preventative programs for local youth in Orlando. The Orlando Magic made a previous $250,000 pledge to this program. Kia Motors will present a Borrego to the charity of choice of each of the four year-end award winners in 2008 as part of the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.” The eight-year NBA veteran started every game for the Magic and
averaged career highs in scoring (19.5 ppg). – nearly eight points above his career average (11.7 ppg) -- rebounding (5.7 rpg) and assists (5.0 apg). Turkoglu shot .400 from three-point range and .829 from the free throw line. The 6-10 forward earned two
Eastern Conference Player of the Week nods (Jan. 27 and Feb. 3), and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in April. Last season, Turkoglu averaged 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists. The 2007-08 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.” The awards, which are part of a multi-year marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, also include the Most Valuable Player, Sixth Man Award, and Defensive Player. The series also includes the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors. œ
2007-08 NBA MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS VOTING RESULTS Player Hedo Turkoglu Rudy Gay LaMarcus Aldridge Al Jefferson Rajon Rondo Mike Dunleavy Jose Calderon Chris Paul Beno Udrih David West
Team Orlando Memphis Portland Minnesota Boston Indiana Toronto New Orleans Sacramento New Orleans
1st 61 23 9 6 6 3 2 5 1 1
2nd 22 14 22 16 10 9 10 4 2 2
3rd 9 10 17 22 17 9 5 4 6 4
Points 380 167 128 100 77 51 45 41 17 15
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WOMAN RIGHTS
orldwide, one out of every three women is subjected to violence, forced to have sex, or is otherwise abused. United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, points out that billions of dollars are made through human trafficking and that it has become the third most lucrative illegal sector after guns and drugs. She also underlines the fact that children and women make up 80% of those who are trafficked.
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The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was founded with the goals of developing the economic security of women throughout the world, preventing women from becoming victims of violence, and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among girls and women. Now, with the help of volunteers from all over the world, UNIFEM has started to make its voice heard. By its various activities, UNIFEM draws attention to all of the hardships to which women are exposed. UNIFEM, which operates under the aegis of the United Nations, has supported over 234 enterprises to defend women’s rights in 109 countries. These include work in a variety of areas, from human trafficking in the Ukraine and honor killings in Palestine, to dealing with the trauma of female ex-combatants in Ruwanda. UNIFEM, which operates through its various chapters all over the world, has 11 chapters in the United States. UNIFEM fights to stop violence and discrimination against women in the United States with various activities through its chapters in Boston, Nashville, Chicago and Atlanta as well as the Metropolitan New York Chapter. Leslie Erway Wright is the president of the New York Metropolitan Chapter. Wright, along with 25 volunteers, serves on the administrative board. 64 • TurkofAmerica
Kathleen M. Connor and Susie Schneider
UNIFEM SAYS, “STOP THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN” Worldwide, one out of every three women is subjected to violence, forced to have sex, or is otherwise abused. Kathleen M. Connor and Susie Schneider are long-term members of UNIFEM and serve on the board of the New York Chapter. Susie Schneider, who was born in Thailand and educated in Australia, is also a professional costume and jewelry designer in New York. She points out that biggest problem that women face in the United
Nicole Kidman, Academy Award-winning actress and Goodwill Ambassador of UNIFEM, and Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of UNIFEM.
States is local violence. Schneider says that they meet up once a month, and that they take the issues that they want to call attention to, to the board. Connor and Schneider, whose children go to the same school, point out how important it is to get youth involved. UNIFEM’s annual fees are $50 for adults and $35 for students.
Kathleen M. Connor, who was born in Manhattan and who graduated from Pace University, is retired. After losing her husband, who was a successful Wall Street investor, she now handles her own investments. Connor, a mother of three, believes that all people have to do whatever is in their power to stop discrimination and violence against women, and have to take active roles in the various activities that are organized. UNIFEM has also drawn the attention of Hollywood and state representatives. Nicole Kidman, the Goodwill Ambassador of UNIFEM, supports various activities. Nicole Kidman had encouraged widespread participation in the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign (www.sayNOtoviolence.org), a global Internet-based advocacy initiative by UNIFEM. In addition to Nicole Kidman, Princess Basma of Jordan and the honorable Phoebe Asiyo of Kenya also show support through their active presence at various activities. For further information on UN‹FEM go to www.unifemusa.org/. ABOUT UNIFEM UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality. UNIFEM was created by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1976. UNIFEM’s mandate is to: Support innovative and experimental activities benefiting women in line with national and regional priorities. Serve as a catalyst, with the goal of ensuring the appropriate involvement of women in mainstream development activities, as often as possible at the pre-investment stage. Play an innovative and catalytic role in relation to the United Nations’ overall system of development cooperation.œ
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TURKOFAMERICA SPECIAL
BUSINESSMEN GET HAGIA SOPHIA AT TOGETHER AT THE THE AMERICAN M E DIT E R R A N E A N AIRLINES TERMINAL EXECUTIVE DINNER N ew York - In the year 532 AD, the Roman Emperor of the East, Justinian I, ordered the leading architect of the day to build a monument that would outshine all other religious buildings. The end result, which took five years to complete, was the Hagia Sophia, and it didn’t disappoint the emperor.
os Angeles – About a year ago, a group of Turkish businessmen who live and work in or around Los Angeles decided to make a habit of getting together regularly. The first ever meeting took place between Nevin Sanl›, President of the Los Angeles-based business valuations company Sanl› Pastore & Hill and Engin Ar›k, President and CEO of Luminit. Now called the Mediterranean Executive Dinner, this tradition, which began with only two participants, currently hosts some 12 senior managers and businessmen. The businessmen and managers who get together once a month in or around Los Angeles aim to add new names to the network and thus grow into an influential group. Nevin Sanl›, one of the leaders of the group, says, “We continued, even if only two people were able to make it,” and adds that they want to attract younger members in order to grow in size and influence.
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The May meeting took place at The Grille Restaurant, The Fairmont Miramar Hotel, Santa Monica; TURKOFAMERICA was
also invited. The businessmen mainly discussed the commercial world, their own experiences in different countries and Turkey. These dining meetings take the form of an ideas exchange. To cite one example, the latest meeting saw an exchange on experiences and potentials related to Vietnam, Korea, Russia and Taiwan. There are currently no female members of the group; yet the group is determined to attract new names. The venue is selected by a different member each time. The latest one was the choice of Selçuk Çak›r, the manager of MSD Capital, who directs Michael Dell’s (of Dell fame) investments.
Consecrated in 537 AD, the Hagia Sophia, the capital of Orthodox Christianity, a favorite tourist destination, standing opposite the Blue Mosque in the heart of Istanbul. Converted into a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453 and decorated with its first minaret, the Hagia Sophia gained its final form with the minarets added by Sultans Bayez›d II and Selim II. The Hagia Sophia also decorates the new American Airlines terminal at the New York JFK airport. There is one significant
difference, however. American Airlines commissioned murals of every major iconic building from around the world for its terminal, yet their insistence on depicting the Hagia Sophia without minarets drew criticism from Turkish passengers. Yüksel Oktay, a resident of New Jersey, wrote to the airline, noting the mistake in depicting the Hagia Sophia without minarets, despite all the other buildings being shown true to the original. Pointing out that Delta Airlines’ ad campaign preserves the minarets, Oktay also added that he wouldn’t fly American Airlines until the deliberate error was corrected. Margaret R. Addison of American Airlines Customer Relations replied that the mural was an artist’s impression and that they wouldn’t force an artist to change his art. The Turkish Tourism Attaché in New York also contacted the airline about the painting. œ
The Santa Monica meeting of MED also hosted Vatche Artinan, President of Calnetix, Vacit Arat, President and CEO of Microfabrica, Turan Kahraman, President of Askew Industrial Corp., Nevin Sanl›, President of Sanl› Pastore & Hill, Engin Ar›k, President and CEO of Luminit, Ayd›n Kocataflk›n of Chrome Hearts and Süleyman Tuna of S2NA Structural Design. œ TurkofAmerica • 65
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ADVERTORIAL
FAMAGUSTA PORT & FREE ZONE NORTHERN CYPRUS AWAITS FOR INTERNATIONAL INVESTORS The Free Zone has the chance of becoming the ideal transit and/or production base for all Mediterranean and Black Sea countries. - Services, accommodations and logistic support for small tonnage yachts and similar vessels - The establishment of company headquarters for all above mentioned services - Coastal banking and insurance - Similar enterprises, which will have projects, presented
Selçuk Tür, General Manager of Istanbul Atatürk Airport Free Zone Founder-Operator Inc.
he Gazimagusa harbor and the Free Zone in Northern Cyprus have come to the forefront as investment opportunities for investors with the possibilities that they provide. The island of Cyprus has always been a center for commerce throughout history, mainly due to its geographical location at a cross point of both important local and international channels of commerce. Today the Gazimagusa harbor and the Free Zone reflect the great potential that Northern Cyprus has in becoming an economic and commercial center due to its proximity to Turkey and the Middle East. Additionally, after the entrance of Cyprus into the European Union and the acceleration of international commerce in the Mediterranean, it looks like the Gazimagusa harbor and the Free Zone in Northern Cyprus will also get their fair share.
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When the largest petrol filling harbor of the Mediterranean starts working at full capacity on 66 • TurkofAmerica
the northern part of the island, then there will be a large increase in shipping traffic, which will add to the opportunities at hand at the Gazimagusa harbor. The Free Zone also has the chance of becoming the ideal transit and/or production base for all Mediterranean and Black Sea countries. Due to the heavy trade, the Gazimagusa harbor and the Free Zone also constitute an excellent investment opportunity for investors in banking and insurance. INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES The activities that will take place in the Gazimagusa harbor and the Free Zone can be listed as follows: - All forms of industrial production that does not create environmental pollution - Transit commerce and storage service, - The assembly and repair of imported goods - Logistic and terminal services for commercial ships - Shipbuilding, repair and assembly
SERVICES PROVIDED There will be various facilities and services provided to the companies investing in the Gazimagusa harbor and the Free Zone. We can list the facilities and services as follows: - Long term leasing of land to production sectors - The rental of modern offices, work places, closed and open warehouses to businesses - Continuous telecommunications and energy will be provided to all businesses - Office services including cleaning - Top level securit, - Import – export – customs support and 24 hour harbor services, including off-loading, loading, internal and external transportation, without the demand of overtim, - Other services as needed TAX IMMUNITIES The enterprises and the investors in the Gazimagusa harbor and Free Zone have complete immunity from taxes such as corporation taxes, income taxes, and value added tax (VAT) and are also exempt from having to show accounts to the state’s finance departments. All money transfers are allowed anywhere in the world, without limit, as needed by income and transactions. In light of all of this information, market conditions, and with all of the opportunities provided, the Gazimagusa harbor and the Free
Zone will be the place for tomorrow’s profitable investments and business operations. The Zone is one of the most important investment centers for those investors who would like to be part of the huge potential that Cyprus has in becoming a valuable economic and commercial center in Eastern Mediterranean. HEART OF MEDITERRANEAN • At the junction point of international maritime lines at the hearth of Mediterranean. • At the Mid-Point of Asia, Middle-East and Africa • Very near to The Greatest Crude Oil Filling Facilities At Mediterranea • A logistics, production and warehousing base for Middle-East and Black Sea countries • Income / corporate tax exemption for producers • No customs duty neither VAT for goods in the zone • Free transfer of earningsœ
CONTACT Famagusta Port & Free Zone Founder and Operator Inc. Ya¤c›o¤lu ‹fl Han› Nicosia Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic Tel: (+90) 392 228 61 26 Fax: (+90) 392 228 62 39 www.portisbi.com
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SHOW BIZZ
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MATT LAUER?
Matt Lauer with American authors who live in Istanbul, Jennifer Eaten Gokmen and Anastasia M. Ashman.
PARIS HILTON SHOWS BELLY DANCING SKILLS aris Hilton was in Turkey as the guest of a Turkish private Television channel and attended the Miss Turkey 2008 beauty contest as a jury member. After completing her first goodwill tour of South Africa, Paris Hilton landed on the red carpet at the 2008 Miss Turkey pageant in Istanbul.
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During the visit, Paris Hilton wowed people in Turkey by
showing off her belly dancing skills on the country's national television. Paris accepted the offer from a well-known local dancer Asena to perform on stage at the Miss Turkey beauty pageant, where Hilton was a judge. The Simple Life star was unable master the hipshaking boogie but managed to add her own flair by doing some sexy swaying as the audience cheered. Paris helped choose the stunner who will represent their country in the Miss World contest. "This is my first time judging anything like this. I'm going to look at how the girls carry themselves, what they look like, the way they dress and what they say, The Sun quoted her, as saying. Paris Hilton carried a threemonth-old baby named Deniz before an interview in Istanbul. (ANI, London) œ
att Lauer, co-anchor of NBC News' Today Show, was in Istanbul, Turkey on May 1, as part of the series "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" Under the headline "Want the best of Asia and Europe? Try Istanbul Explore the city that straddles the threshold of two cultures and continents" the program highlighted the complex and remarkable characteristics of the city.
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The morning program also aired segments on other cities and areas throughout Turkey, including Bodrum, Cappadocia, Izmir, Kusadasi, Pamukkale, and Efes. Each segment accentuated distinguishing features of each city. For example, in the ancient Roman city of Efes (Ephesus), the rich history of the city was presented in light of the fact that the apostle Paul first came to the city in abo-
ut the year 53 AD, giving some of his first sermons there in the amphitheatre, as well as being the host city to the last home to the Virgin Mary. The vast and varied nightlife options were also laid out in Istanbul and Bodrum. Interesting trivia items were shared with viewers, too-including Turkey's ownership as the home of Santa Claus, the home of two world wonders (the Temple of Artemis in Efes and the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus in Bodrum), and the site of the literary legend of Troy. The programming on Turkey was supplemented by online coverage of tourism and history of Turkey, including videos, photos and feature stories. To access this information, visit www.msnbc.msn.com (TACAWA News)œ
MAS TE R PLAN he Turkish actor Murad (a.k.a Alex) Demir, who lives in Hollywood, has a leading role in the “Master Plan”, a short directed and produced by the Iranian Brad Bahmanpour, who was educated in Turkey. The film was shot on Redondo Beach, Los Angeles. Explaining that the director reached him via video posted on
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youtube, Demir adds that he’s not fussy about the size of the part; what matters is the practice of acting before the cameras. Portraying a detective that solves a murder in the film, Demir also emphasises how important it is for Turks to feature more in the entertainment sector, both for Turkey and Turks in general. œ
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THE TURKS & ECONOMY
TURKS CONTRIBUTE $17B TO CALIFORNIA Dr. Ertan Elmaa¤açl›, a lecturer who lives in California, USA, reveals that Turkish migrants contribute some $17,900,000,000 to the local economy each year.
brothers Cem and and studied both in Turkey.
While home ownership in California in total is 54%, 60% of the Turks own their homes.
alifornia resident Dr. Ertan Elmaa¤açl› finished his three and a half year DBA with a paper on “The Turkish Diaspora Who Live in California and Their Contribution to the Economy.” This research aims to present the Californian Turks in a better light as well as reveal their contribution to the local economy. This expansive book of 281 pages is not limited to survey questions and results, but also offers statistical information. We chatted to Dr. Elmaa¤açl› about his research… How many people participated in the survey, and was this number sufficient for you to get the correct information? A total of 158 participated. The
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survey contained a large variety of questions that complemented one another. The questions were asked a number of times. You may ask the same question in different ways, subtly enough that the participants cannot tell; we call these ‘control questions’ that enable us to verify the answers. I tried to minimize errors by asking questions in both Turkish and English. I’m grateful to our societies in both North and South California for their assistance. I participated in Turkish forums and tried to reach as many people as possible through a variety of channels. How many sections are there in the book?
The book comprises three presentations. I tried to define the migrants in California in the first section. Their education levels, their reasons for coming here, why California, when they arrived, how many generations, their sex, whether they work or not, etc. In the second section, we present the Turks’ contribution to the economy of California. The third section comprises a diagram I developed, which outlines the education levels of Turkish migrants in California and I then developed various models based on their skills in adaptation. Would you please share the results of the information you gathered at the end of the first section?
Turkish migrants came due to the poor economic outlook in the Ottoman Empire between 1880 and 1920. My research revealed that in the 1940s there were very few migrants who came this way. The numbers increase after 1960. The majority of Turks in California chose to come here. Later waves comprised better educated people who opted to come to California. There was a lot of individual migration. 51% of the Turks here came to study, 18% to find work, 14% came due to marriage and 6% because they were curious. 57% came straight to California while 53% first lived elsewhere before finally coming here. 60% have
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Ifl›l Öz-San Diego*
and trained. I sincerely believe that this diagram will open the way to further research. The survey reveals that Turkish migrants here are far from pessimistic. They are convinced they will overcome any obstacles that might face them. Only 20% have given up due to the difficulties they’ve faced. Even the visa issues following the 11th of September have failed to discourage Turks.
51% of the Turks here came to study, 18% to find work, 14% came due to marriage and 6% because they were curious.
been here fewer than 16 years, yet 81% are already American citizens or hold green cards. While home ownership in California in total is 54%, 60% of the Turks own their homes. 70% faced no major problems. 40% work. 92% hold a university degree, while 66% hold a master’s or other higher degree. I tried to find the following answers on Turkish migrants in the book: Their ages, when and from where they arrived in the US, their professions, their current employment status, their visa status, how many generations have lived here, and even whether they rent or own their own property, or whether they faced any issues regarding their visas. In addition, you can find which cities Turks live in. How great a contribution do Turks make to Californian economy, according to your research? Their total contribution is $17,899,992,142. In other words, some 0.89% of California's economy. Not even one percent, I know, yet this is no mean figure. Had California been a country in its own right, you’d have seen the scale of the amount. I have shown this in the diagram. Turkish migrants’ contribution to Californian economy is significant.
Have Turkish migrants contributed to the Californian economy at the same rate from the beginning? The first wave of migrants predate the 1980s; the second arrived in the 1980s, the third in the 1990s and the fourth since 2000. The first generation was highly educated and their contribution is some four billion dollars. The second have also adapted well, though their education level is not nearly as high and they have a contribution of 3.1 billion dollars. The largest single group is the third generation, contributing some 6.2 billion. Their education and adaptation levels are high. The fourth and final generation is the highest educated though least well adapted, as they are so new in the States. Their contribution is 4.6 billion dollars. The highest employment levels are found in the first and second, due to expe-
rience. On the whole, Turks who live in California are highly educated and do not suffer from adaptation issues. Are there any other major differences based on the timeline of arrival? Indeed there are; women have gradually begun to migrate more and more to California. In line with higher education levels, more women appear to have chosen to live in the States than men. How do Turkish migrants fare in terms of education levels and their adaptation to California? The “Migrant Adaptation Matrix” indicates that Turkish migrants in California enjoy high levels of education and adapt well. Our migrant population here is determined to own their own businesses, they are well educated
In trying to promote the Turkish population with this research, Dr. Elmaa¤açl› believes our economic contribution to California has proven itself. “When you consider the fact that we all represent Turkey, it’s important for the Turkish state to recognise this. Ilhan Kaya had conducted similar research on Turkish migrants in New York. My book is the first one since his. This information is relevant to the employers in America; as proven statistically, we have a huge potential,” he says. His family originally from Kayseri, Dr. Elmaa¤açl› was born in 1972 in Siegen, Germany. He went to school there and arrived in the USA in February 2003. Following his Bachelor of Science in Management in 2003, he then undertook an MBA in 2004 and began his Master’s in the same year. He finished his Master’s at the California School of International Management in San Diego. Stating that he’s already received an offer from an international company, Dr. Elmaa¤açl› adds that he will return to Germany: “I will try to promote the information I gathered as much as possible. I want to publish this book in the States, in Turkey, Germany and the UK. This is just a beginning; I sincerely hope that younger generations will refer to my book before they embark upon further research of their own.” * Published with the consent of Turkish Jour -
Dr. Ertan Elmaagaçl›
nal, www.turkishjournal.comœ
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TACCI ELECTION
TACCI’S FIRST FEMALE LEADER TACCI is the first US-wide business association to be headed by a woman. Sevil Öz›fl›k, partner of Haker & Ozisik LLP, was elected as President.
TACCI Board Members are together.
ounded by the New York Commercial Attaché and New York based Turkish companies in 2002, the Turkish American Chambers of Commerce and Industry (TACCI) appointed its new line-up at its March General Assembly. Elected as Chairperson at the first Board meeting was Sevil Öz›fl›k, partner of Haker & Ozisik LLP. Öz›fl›k competed against Hüseyin Ünver, General Manager of Exsa Americas, Inc., for the position and won by 15 votes 3. The new administration will run until 2010. The Washington, DC-based Assembly of Turkish American Associations had also elected Nurten Ural, another female, as Chairperson. Another female head is Banu Onural, the Chairperson of the Washington, DC-based Turkish-American Scientists and Academicians Society. TACCI is the first US-wide business association
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to be headed by a woman.” The General Assembly held on the 30th of March at the New York Türkevi saw a total of 38 candidates vie for the 18-member board. Representatives of the 75 members of the Chamber voted at the elections, where U¤ur Alt›ntafl (Çak Textile) and R›za Atafl (Istanbul Group, Inc) won 54 votes. Both names had appeared in both parties’ lists, which was cited as the reason for the high number of votes. The only American board member of the Chamber, John J. Driscoll (Thompson and Knight LLP), failed to make it on to the 18-member Board on this occasion. Çi¤dem Acar, Celal Seçilmifl and Altan Ergün were the other members of the previous Board who didn’t make it this time. New members of the Board are U¤ur Alt›ntafl, Razi Canikligil (Hurriyet USA), Ali Do¤an
(Ali Baba's Turkish Cuisine) and Zehra Tafl (Radyo Turkum, Inc.) This is the fourth TACCI election since 2002. Elected as Vice-Chair were Tahir Erimli (Elite Gold, Inc.), Ferhan Geylan (Gilan Jewelry Corporation), Salim Görür (Mavis Development Corporation), Ömer Günefl (Turk of America, Inc.) and Naz›m Kalkanc› (C.N. Wire Corporation). Burak Alpaslan (Vital Planning Group LLC) became the Secretary. The previous General Assembly of two years ago had seen 45 members voting and the highest votes had gone to then Chairman, Mustafa Merç (43) and Sevil Öz›fl›k and Ferhan Geylan (41). TACCI, which started with 117 members in 2002, is determined to make its voice heard with committees and countrywide activities in the forthcoming period. œ
TACCI BOARD President Sevil Öz›s›k, Haker & Ozisik, LLP. Vice Presidents Tahir Erimli, Elite Gold, Inc. Ferhan Geylan, Gilan Jewelry Corporation Salim Görür, Mavis Development Corporation Ömer Günefl, Turk of America, Inc. Naz›m Kalkanc›, C.N. Wire Corporation Treasurer Yasemin K. Koyuno¤lu, Fort Lee Federal Savings Bank, FSB Secretary Burak Alpaslan, Vital Planning Group LLC Board of Directors Ugur Alt›ntafl, Cak Textiles USA, Inc. R›za Atafl, Istanbul Group, Inc. Razi Canikligil, Hurriyet USA Ali Do¤an, Ali Baba's Turkish Cuisine Y›ld›r›m Ero¤lu, Vak›fbank New York Branch Mustafa Merç, Turkon America, Inc. Zehra Tafl, Radyo Turkum, Inc. Mahmut Topal, Calik USA, Inc. Vecdi U¤urlu, Royalty Auto Sales, Inc. Hüseyin Ünver, EXSA Americas, Inc. Disciplinary Committee Tülay Çakmak, CargoTrans, Inc. ‹pek Sökmen, Turkish Express Line Attila Türkkan, Overseas Development Corporation Audit Committee O¤uz Alpöge, Next Information Systems, Inc. Mehmet Bilici, Sunset International Trade LLC Adalet Gümüfldere, Club America Travel & Tours, Inc. Board of Directors Substitute Celal Seçilmifl, Seckin Management, Inc. Çi¤dem A. Acar, Esq., Acar Law Firm, PLLC Bahad›r ‹nözü, Novaces LLC Do¤an Y›lmaz, Bank of New York Mellon John J. Driscoll, Thompson and Knight LLP Altan Ergün, Le Centre Capital Ahmet Tuncer, UTA-USA LLC Mehmet Uca, Dynasty Gold & Silver Tunç Hepgüler, Sarar USA, Inc. Disciplinary Committee Substitute Member Tunç Özlü, Sneaker Temple LLC Audit Committee Substitute Member Ali Baklan, Baktat Foods, Inc.
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DONATION
TURKISH COALITION OF AMERICA REACHES OUT TO MEXICO W ashington, DC – Today on Capitol Hill, the Turkish Coalition of America (TCA) announced its donation of two fully equipped ambulances to the Mexican Red Cross to be used in the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco. The announcement was made with Representatives Ortiz and Reyes, who were instrumental in facilitating this gift, along with representatives of the Mexican Red Cross, the Turkish Embassy and the Mexican Embassy. Mexico was hit with one of its worst national disasters in November 2007 when the state of Tabasco was hit by a Hurricane, causing massive flooding and the destruction of tens of thousands of homes, schools, as well as the state’s crops. The flooding left over a million people homeless with an estimated one-third of them children. The Ambulances are donated to the Mexican Red Cross as a gesture of friendship, in the hopes of a more speedy recovery in future cases of need. “Turkey lived through a major national disaster in the August 1999 earthquakes. Turkish Americans know firsthand how crucially important international assistance was in saving lives and rebuilding the earthquake struck regions in Turkey. Nations across the globe, the United States and the American people in particular, showed great support and sympathy to Turkey during its dire days,” said TCA President G Lincoln McCurdy. “Mexico and the people of Mexico also contributed life saving aid and rescue resources that 72 • TurkofAmerica
Turkish Americans donate Two Ambulances to the Mexican Red Cross.
ves, to bring together the people of Mexico, Turkey and the United States. “When natural disasters strike, rescue operations need strong support from the international community, regardless of nationality or religion,” said Representative Ortiz. “These ambulances are a symbol of friendship and cooperation, and I thank the Turkish Coalition of America for this goodwill gesture between Turkey, Mexico and the United States,” continued Ortiz.
TCA dedicated the two ambulances to Congressman Solomon Ortiz (D-27th/TX) and Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-16th/TX) at a ceremony on Capitol Hill.
helped alleviate the suffering of those impacted by this earthquake. This gift from Turkish Americans to the people of Tabasco, Mexico is our way of showing solidarity to victims of natural disasters that affect us all,” continued McCurdy. TCA dedicated the two ambulances to Congressman Solo-
mon Ortiz (D-27th/TX) and Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-16th/TX) at a ceremony on Capitol Hill on May 15, 2008. The dedication was designed to recognize the efforts by Congressman Ortiz and Congressman Reyes, who are deans of the Hispanic Caucus and members of the Turkish Caucus in the U.S. House of Representati-
Daniel Goni Diaz, President of the Mexican Red Cross and Dr.Burak Akcapar, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Turkish Embassy, and TCA President G Lincoln McCurdy with the Congressmen.
"I applaud the Turkish Coalition of American for providing the Mexican Red Cross with these ambulances. These vehicles will provide much needed emergency care to those communities in Tabasco that continue to suffer as result of last year's devastating floods," commented Congressman Silvestre Reyes. “During Mr. Lincoln McCurdy’s visit to our National Society and knowing about our needs, we established the commitment to arrange for the donation of two ambulances, which will be serving the society in the state of Tabasco,” said Daniel Goni Diaz, President of the Mexican Red Cross. “Thank you for this donation that will alleviate the increasing needs of the population in this area. Also in attendance were the Ambassador of Mexico, His Excellency Arturo Sarukhan and Dr.Burak Akcapar, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Turkish Embassy. œ
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ASSOCIATIONS
AMERICAN TEACHERS WILL VISIT TURKEY
ashington, D.C. - 84 educators from 21 US cities have been competitively selected to visit Turkey this summer on study tours organized by the Turkish Cultural Foundation. The study tours are part of a partnership program with the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), which includes teacher workshops on Turkey, the study tours, as well as cultural programs on Turkey for the general public. The teachers have been chosen from hundreds of applicants, who participated in workshops on Turkey, organized by 21 local chapters of WACA. The teachers come from Alaska, Colorado, the greater Washington, DC area, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Ten-
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nessee and Washington. Divided into three groups traveling to Turkey in July and August, the teachers will visit Istanbul, Bursa, Edirne, Ephesus, Sivas, Konya, Cappadocia and Ankara, as well as other cities and sites. During their tour, the teachers will learn about Turkish music and cuisine, practice Ebru, the art of paper marbling, and visit the Iznik Foundation, where world-famous Iznik tiles are still made today. They will also visit a variety Turkish public and private schools and receive briefings by non-governmental organizations on educational, political, social and economic issues of Turkey. Comments by teachers participating in last year's study tours and pictures, as well as this year's study tour itinerary can be found at www.turkishculturalfoundation.org/pages.php?ID=13.œ
ASA CELEBRATES TWO SPECIAL ANNIVERSARIES ew York, NY -The Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) celebrated two very special events with cultural performances and a reception on May 10th. The day's activities marked two important anniversaries - the 85th birthday of National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev and 90th Anniversary of the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (ADR). The special guest of honor was Azerbaijan's first daughter, Leila Aliyeva, who was escorted by her husband Emin Agalarov. The guests included, Consul General of Turkey, Mr. Mehmet Samsar and Mrs Samsar, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to UN, Mr. Ilgar Mammadov, Mr. Kaya Boztepe, President of the Federation of Turkish American Associations, Mr Grant Lally, Director of U.S. Senator John McCain's election team, Mr. Nobert Yevdayev and Yakov Abramov, Azerbaijani Jewish Community. Event was at-
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tended by over 200 guests from Azerbaijan, Turkish, Jewish and Russian communities. Performances by American and Azerbaijani-American singers, musicians and dancers took place at the magnificent Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House at 1 Bowling Green at the historic lower end of Manhattan. Grant Lally, a lead member of U.S. Senator John McCain's election team brought a message from Senator McCain. "I bring greetings from Senator McCain to the Azerbaijani-American community and to Azerbaijan as well. He sends his best wishes on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of ADR and the 85th anniversary of the birth of Heydar Aliyev," he said. Senator McCain looks forward to continuing good relations with Azerbaijan and AzerbaijaniAmericans," he said. The evening was highlighted by the artistic performances of AzerbaijaniAmerican and American singers, musicians and dancers. œ
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RENOWNED FACES IN ISTANBUL
DONALD TRUMP’S FIRST VENTURE IN EUROPE: ISTANBUL TWIN TOWERS
SAWYER COMES TO TURKEY FOR MAGNUM Josh Holloway, who plays the character Sawyer on the program, came to Turkey to be photographed for advertisements for the Magnum ice cream brand. he popular adventure series "Lost," which continues to set TV ratings records, is a phenomenon. One of the series' most popular stars, Josh Holloway, who plays the character Sawyer on the program, came to Turkey to be photographed for advertisements for the Magnum ice cream brand. Many celebrities have taken part in Magnum advertisements, including Elizabeth Hurley and Eva Longoria. Holloway will be the first male celebrity Magnum signed to a contract. The photo shoot took place in April. Holloway was among People magazine's list of the “50 Most Beautiful People” and was named one of the sexiest men by OK! Magazine. He is one of the most admired actors in the cast of the Emmy and Golden Glo-
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Josh Holloway at a night club in Istanbul.
To kick off the $500 million project, Ivanka Trump, vice president of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at The Trump Organization, came to Istanbul to represent her father. roject of Trump Towers Istanbul was introduced in Hilton Convention Center in Istanbul in last April. Saturday night marked the introduction of American real estate mogul Donald Trump's first venture in Europe: Twin towers in Istanbul's fiiflli district. To kick off the $500 million project, Ivanka Trump, vice president of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at The Trump Organization, came to Istanbul to represent her father. This weekend she was able to take a night off from her busy schedule and party with the Istanbul jet set. Packed into the Hilton Convention Center, Istanbul's elite enjoyed wine and hors d'oeuvres in a giant hall decorated like a ‘60s New York jazz club. Many prominent businessmen, journalists and politicians were able to rub shoulders, literally, with Ivanka and each other. Eventually the lights dimmed and guests were treated to some
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generous flattery of Istanbul on screen and a video collage of Trump's other properties around the world, all of which were designed to convey “excellence, quality and success.” Ivanka was invited on stage for a brief speech, followed by a prerecorded video of “The Donald” himself. Complete with professional scowl, he thanked the guests and praised both the economy and the excellence of Istanbul. Taflyap› Chairman Emrullah Turanl› offered more details about the project itself. He said one tower was to be commercial, one residential, and that the project was expected to generate nearly $1 billion in revenue. With the presentations over, the crowd was free to listen to the songs of the Rat Pack Revue Tribute Show, a subtle reminder that when it comes to being a rich, macho New Yorker, The Donald is up there with Ol' Blue Eyes. (Turkish Daily News, April 21, 2008)œ
be award-winning program. The actress who will accompany Holloway has yet to be announced. Can Ulkay, the director of Atlantik Film, director of the advertisement, which was prepared by Pars McCann Erickson. Algida's marketing director, fiükrü Dinçer, said the company hopes the new campaign will broaden Magnum's image. “It was important that the new face of Magnum display extraordinary passion, at this point we decided to take a different step and work with a male star,” said Dinçer. The company said they chose Holloway because besides his success with his role in Lost, he has the characteristics suited to the Magnum world: He likes women and living an adventurous life. (Turkish Daily News, April 17th, 2008)œ
Ivanka Trump, vice president of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at The Trump Organization.
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MUSIC
A TALENTED GUITARIST AND A FINE PIANIS NISTT Based on Exercise Physiology Principles," in which he combined information from the various sub-disciplines of kinesiology, including functional anatomy, biomechanics, and exercise physiology, as they relate to guitar-playing. He was the first guitarist to be awarded the "Dean's Prize," which is the highest honorary prize of the Yale School of Music. In addition to his great talent as a
virtuoso, he is a wonderful teacher, appreciated by his many students around the world. He has performed and taught master classes throughout the United States, Spain, and Turkey and has been a faculty member at the University of California, Santa Cruz, teaching guitar, since 1998. Besides his work as a composer, Mesut Özgen has been a strong advocate of new music for guitar and frequently collaborates with
Pianist Zeynep Üçbaflaran’ style has been described as being clean and clear, deep and true and able to get to the point without any frills.
Guitarist Mesut Özgen.
Guitarist Mesut Özgen is described by one of his fellow guitarists as a great virtuoso who will dazzle audiences for years to come. alifornia is fortunate to have two very talented musicians; Zeynep Üçbaflaran and Mesut Özgen. Both artists are natives of Turkey and are renowned for their extraordinary talent. This special California issue gives us the chance to take a close look at these two musicians’ careers and share their successful life stories with you.
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Mesut Özgen is described by one of his fellow guitarists as a great virtuoso who will dazzle audiences for years to come. I got the chance to listen to him once. His distinctive style had character and flair; he was playing with compassion, right from the heart - a quality every artist craves for. 76 • TurkofAmerica
After seeing him play, you are certain that he was born to do this. It surprises many to find out he started playing the guitar in 1981 during his medical school studies in Turkey. After seven years of medical practice, he decided to pursue his interest in music and moved to the U.S. to study guitar with Benjamin Verdery at Yale School of Music. He received his Master of Music degree and Artist Diploma from Yale and got his D.M.A. in solo performance with Prof. Frank Koonce at Arizona State University. He made use of his background in medicine in his doctoral thesis, "Designing Technical Training Programs for Classical Guitarists
Pianist Zeynep Üçbaflaran.
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Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
PIANIST ZEYNEP ÜÇBAfiARAN Unlike Mesut Ozgen, pianist Zeynep Üçbaflaran started her music career at the age of four. She was among the youngest to be accepted to the Istanbul Conservatory. During her first years as a very young pianist she studied with Rana Erksan and Ozen Veziroglu. Her extraordinary talent was instantly recognized. In 1987 Üçbaflaran enrolled in the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where she studied under Prof. Zempleni Kornel, Prof. Katalin Nemes (pupil of Bela Bartok), Balazs Kecskes, and Prof. Istvan Lantos. She received her Concert Artist Diploma from the Liszt Academy of Music. After obtaining her Teacher and Concert Artist Diploma in 1994, she entered the Hochschule fur Musik, Freiburg, Germany and continued her studies with Prof. Dr. Tibor Szasz. Üçbaflaran received her Diploma in Aufbaustudium from the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg, Germany. After Germany she came to the U.S. to further her studies. She has obtained her MA and DMA degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California, where she studied with John Perry. Her style has been described as being clean and clear, deep and true and able to get to the point without any frills.
REVIEWS OF MESUT ÖZGEN GuitArt International (Italy): "Glimpse inside the future of concert art...” [on New Dimensions in Classical Guitar] Guitar Review (New York): "This CD [Troubadour] is a shining example of this guitarist's great talent." Acoustic Guitar (California): “Özgen’s playing is stunningly versatile and expressive throughout.” Classical Guitar (England): "This is the finest music DVD ever...both the sound and the vision are of pristine quality...remarkable achievement..." [on New Dimensions in Classical Guitar] Santa Cruz Sentinel (California): "Özgen displayed spectacular classical guitar at the Distinguished Artists concert..." [on New Dimensions in Classical Guitar]
other composers. Özgen has also a long-standing interest in bringing classical guitar music to a larger audience. His staged performances include “Folkie Classical Guitar,” presenting classical music based on various folk cultures, with special stage design and costumes, as well as “Pick and Roll” for guitar ensemble by Ben Verdery, featuring a basketball player in dialogue with the
ensemble and utilizing spatial elements in the hall. He keeps busy with teaching, as well as with his regular solo recitals, writing solo, duo, and ensemble music for guitar and other instruments based on or influenced by traditional Turkish music. Özgen's solo CD "Troubadour" features classical guitar works inspired by Turkish, Spanish, Argentinean, and American folk traditions.œ
REVIEWS OF ZEYNEP ÜÇBAfiARAN
In 1996, Üçbaflaran won the Second Prize at the Los Angeles Liszt Competition. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the same competition in 2000. Her awards include the American Liszt Society Award, the Rozsnyai Memorial Award, the Ina Broida Award from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Southern California Associates Music Merit Scholarship. She is also a recipient of the MAA 2001 Aspen Summer Music Festival Scholarship, where she was selected to play in the distinguished artist Master Class of Leon Fleisher. She was designated a "woman of distinction in the year 2003" by the Daughters of Ataturk organization in the US. She has given many recitals and concerts in Turkey, Hungary, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, Egypt, Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Belarus, and in the United States. Her Wigmore Hall debut in London was in November 2004. Her album, W. A. Mozart (Eroica JDT3311), which was issued in March 2007, was very well received in the classical music community. Andrew Druckenbrod of The Gramophone, a very well respected classical music magazine, wrote, “A fine pianist finds bubbling delight in Mozart: Üçbaflaran has a remarkable affinity for tonal shading; she keenly understands how chords and sonorities function in a given phrase.. She does not let a single phrase pass by her without considering its function in the greater context of the piece, and tempi are ever so slightly inflected throughout to brilliant results. This infuses Mozart with a continual bubbling energy that is delightful to hear." In February 2007, she recorded the piano music of the Turkish composer A. Adnan Saygun for Naxos International. Her CD is available as of April 29, 2008 worldwide. Zeynep Üçbaflaran is currently residing in Santa Barbara, California with her family. She is keeping up with her busy schedule of concerts. When asked about where classical music stands in Turkey, she says the interest from the community is not as high as she would like it to be. She says to support the composers in Turkey; artists living abroad should include pieces by Turkish composers in their work.
The Gramophone : "An agreeable elegance pervades pianist Zeynep Ucbasaran's playing.." All Music Guide: "As a Mozart player, Ucbasaran touches the sublime..." Audiophile Audition: "Ucbasaran’s strong suit is her clean articulation girded by a powerful sonority..." MusicWeb: "An excellent recommendation for three of Mozart’s rarer sonatas played with real conviction.." American Record Guide: "The Turkish pianist gives us objective performances of clarity, sharp detail, rhythmic vitality, and integrity..."
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CEMALI
BEAUTY OF THE SOUL:
CEMALI “We see ourselves as consummate musicians. We write our own lyrics, compose and arrange our own music.” he theme of Cemali’s music is universal love, and it is not hard to see the reflection of that love in everything they do: their music, their way of life, their devotion to philanthropy.
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The two brothers Cem and Ali lived and studied both in Turkey and in the US, constantly traveling back and forth between the two continents. This interaction between two different worlds enabled them to extract the best and synthesize their sound to be a unique musical fusion of these two worlds. Fans hope to see Cemali more in the future; Cem and Ali are hoping that they will not deprive their fans of their music. Cem and Ali both are tireless contributors to the Turkish American community. Given the quality of their work and where they stand in the musical community, one might expect to see signs of arrogance, but that is not the case at all. They are the most humble, down to earth, wonderful, good hearted, extremely thoughtful people one can meet in a lifetime. Here we talked briefly with them about their lives, their music and their plans for the future. I know your name has a lot more to it than just being the combination of your names. Can you tell us about it? In ancient Anatolian literature Cemali means beauty of the soul. In contemporary poetry the same word is used to describe the loved one’s grace which ref78 • TurkofAmerica
lects goddess herself. It is ironic that Cemali is the combination of our names Cem and Ali. Can you tell us more about your trips between Turkey and the U.S.? We came to the US when we were very young. In the mid 60’s our parents came to New York to find better opportunities. We moved to San Francisco in the mid 70’s. My father, ‹brahim Tosun, is one of the founders of TAAC (Turkish American Association of California) Our parents instilled the love of Turkey in us, we were never alienated from our roots just because we were living abroad. How does your creative process work before an album? Are you involved in every step of the process? We see ourselves as consummate musicians. We write our own lyrics, compose and arrange our own music.
Cem and Ali brothers.
You are the first alternative pop group in Turkey. What were the qualities you had, to start the alternative pop genre in Turkey? Our musical style is a culmination of many years of work. We embrace electronics and incorporate them into the traditional compositions. Our music becomes the fusion of our cultural heritage and the American influence we have.
family had a huge influence on you, for instance. And how has your heritage translated into your music? We are actually carrying on a long family tradition of folk poetry and musical compositions and renditions. Our father and grandfather are respected and loved bard singers of the Anatolian Ashik folk tradition. We talk about universal love – to us it means love of all beings on our earth in the sense of the great Shaman Mysticism. Many of our songs deal with personal suffering and joy. We use melodies, alternative rhythms, new age harmonies, and World Beat together with our poetry to create what is in our hearts.
How would you define your cultural heritage? I know your
You were really popular in 1995. Were you surprised at
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Ayfle Önal Zambo¤lu aozamboglu@turkofamerica.com
I would say what we presented at that time was beyond the music market at the time. In time there was more appreciation for different music styles and the media became more accepting of the alternative music. This was one factor. The second one, in my opinion, is we try to instill the philosophy of the Ashik folk tradition in our work and as you know all Ashik folk songs are timeless. Maybe we were able to capture a part of that magic in our work…
The two brothers Cem and Ali lived and studied both in Turkey.
the initial reaction you received in Turkey with your debut album “Duymak ‹stiyorum”? “Duymak Istiyorum” became a hit right away. We were very happy but we did not expect that much interest at first. Our video was a hit as well. Many professionals in the industry were so skeptical about it. They were worried it looked cheap. (Cemali’s video of Duymak istiyorum was the first video clip shot on film to be shown in Turkey. It was filmed in San Francisco and was in black and white). Everyone, except us, was surprised when we got positive feedback on the video. I believe Turkish people are good judges. If it’s coming from the heart it is impossible not to capture the audiences.
“Duymak istiyorum” is a song people still listen to, and so are “Sever misin o zaman” and “”fiimdi hayallerdesin”. What makes your music stand the test of time in Turkey where the pop culture consumes songs very quickly?
A lot of people in Turkey are wondering where you are. What are your plans for the future? In Turkey, if you are not making public appearances frequently people forget you exist. We were never “paparazzi” material anyways, but since we are living abroad, that makes it harder for us to be involved in projects that are going on in Turkey. We have a lot of concerts, we participate in a lot of world music festivals and travel internationally, but it is not enough to draw media attention in Turkey. We are planning on working more on some of the songs on our album “Yuh Yuh”. That album could not be distributed due to problems with the record company, and we want to release it again. In addition to that we are working on a new project. We are in the process of selecting a trustworthy company to work with since we suffered from unreliable companies in the past. œ
SOME EXCERPTS FROM THE PRESS Cemali’s progressive musical sense has actually made them Turkey's first alternative pop group in it's history. They are one of those rare world-fusion bands that manage to touch the soul. (Robert Phenix, E-Music) In today’s barrage of electronic-world music releases, sometimes an album comes along that breaks through all the static and feedback, and shines with brilliant creativity and originality. (J. Poet, Beat Magazine) Their sound is very distinct and this makes the duo unique in the world-fusion genre. (Kyle D’Ambo, Zero Magazine)
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