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posted in What I see - 03-08-2012, 09:14
Alptekin Baloglu, an underwater photographer, took pictures of seashores of Istanbul with his 10.5 mm lens camera (i.e., the size of a fish's eye). He took 120 thousand frames in 4 months period.
What a creative idea... :)
See @ http://www.indigodergisi.com/galeri/balik-gozuyle-istanbul/1.htm
posted in What I see - 03-05-2012, 17:41
For a presentation I was collecting some economic & financial data on Turkey. As doing this, I read some amazing facts about my country: as end of 2010, Turkey is the world's largest producer of fig, apricot, cherry, quince, poppy seed, and hazelnut. Besides, Turkey has a significant role in production of many other food & agricultural products (see the figure below). This is really amazing to read how different food & agricultural products are growing on these generous lands... :)
TURKEY IS THE LARGEST PRODUCER OF...
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 02-10-2012, 15:39
Nowadays I observe that everybody tries to choose some kind of a diet. I was wondering how "dukan diet" became one of the best sellers at the bookstore (even though I also bought one to learn what this diet is really is! :))
There is a special report published by the Harvard Medical School (*). It is clearly stated that "diets that are less than 45% carbohydrate or more than 35% protein are hard to follow, and they’re no more effective than other diets".
Low-fat diets are considered as "doesn’t taste great … and is less filling"
Low-carbohydrate diets are considered as "quick weight loss diet but long-term safety questions"
Mediterranean-style diet includes "healthy fats and carbs with a big side of fruits and vegetables"
Besides, it is declared that: "experts advise people to keep the percentage of their calories from major nutrients within the recommended federal guidelines:
- Protein: 10% to 35%
- Carbohydrate: 45% to 65%
- Fat: 20% to 35%"
Therefore, it is really clear that a balanced diet is needed instead of "shocking" your body. I now realize why I could not obey "dukan diet" (fully concentrated on protein!!!) even for a day :)
(*) http://www.health.harvard.edu/special_health_reports/lose-weight-and-keep-it-off
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 01-25-2012, 09:20
Here we go... This was one of my favorite questions :) I always thought "it is not fair!" as they are losing pounds and pounds... A new article at Prevention gives the secrets of this pesky feature (*):
1. He doesn't crave sweets
2. He doesn't get upset when he screws up
3. He lifts heavy weights
4. He doesn't use food as a therapist
5. He acts out his anger
6. He makes time for himself
7. He doesn't give up favorite foods
Even after reading the explanations for these 7 secrets, I still hate them :) I gotta go & grab another bar of chocolate.... :)
(*)http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-tips/lose-weight-guy-0?cm_mmc=Spotlight-_-788154-_-01232012-_-7-Secrets-to-Losing-Weight-Like-a-Man
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 09-23-2011, 17:12
I realized that I have not been writing for a long time. Nevertheless, as you enjoy the life, you really do not realize how the time goes on. I was travelling & having fun in the summer time, and I really do not know how to adapt city life...
Well, let's begin now... There is an article about what not to eat (*). 7 foods are listed:
1. Canned tomatoes
2. Corn-fed beef
3. Microwave popcorn
4. Nonorganic potatoes
5. Farmed salmon
6. Milk produced with artificial hormones
7. Conventional apples
Unfortunately, in Turkey we have to expand this list starting from more basic foods like bread. Even we do not know whether each bread maker uses special chemicals to make brown breads, here.
It is still helpful to keep in mind these foods...
(*) http://www.prevention.com/tips/nutrition/7-foods-should-never-cross-your-lips/1-canned-tomatoes
posted in What I see - 06-07-2011, 15:35
Here is a list of companies with the worst customer service (*):
2011 list
1. Bank of America
2. AOL
3. Capital One
4. Sprint
5. Time Warner
6. Comcast
7. Citigroup
8. Progressive
9. JPMorgan Chase
10. Farmers Insurance
About the evaluation of firms: "Customers rewarded B of A with the lowest marks, citing its fees high interest rates and dismal customer service." so it is not surprising to get these results, especially for banks.
(*) http://www.bnet.com/blog/customer-management/the-10-worst-companies-for-customer-service/440?promo=808&tag=nl.e808
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 05-20-2011, 08:47
There is good article (*) about what the most successful people do before their breakfast. You do not have to be a prophet to guess these basic things, but probably no one, especially in Istanbul, allocates enough time for these things...
1. Play, read, or talk with your kids
2. Exercise
3. Indulge your creative side
4. Think
But I really do not believe it is too late to change something in our lives. By waking up a little bit early, all of these things are possible.
2 weeks ago I met with a Polish woman in an airplane. She talked about her personal life, so that I cannot write the details of it, but she said a last sentence, a sentence that brighten my life: "it can happen to you at all ages, do not forget"... This was a sentence that sustain my soul... Now, every day is like a new fresh start... I believe I can change... even it would be a small step, I know I can... why not you?
Thanks to that beatiful lady :)
(*) http://www.bnet.com/blog/time-management/what-the-most-successful-people-do-before-breakfast/439?promo=664&tag=nl.e664
posted in What I see - 05-17-2011, 14:23
Do you know who are the biggest losers? Well, a study in the Economist(*) calculates the net spending in the country’s legal forms of betting divided by the number of residents over age 16, and ranks the countries accordingly below.
If you are a gambler trying to arrange a summer holiday nowadays, this chart may guide you :)
Source: The Economist, (*) http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/05/gambling
posted in What I see - 05-13-2011, 09:31
Today an article* writes how big companies choose to replace their websites with new social media channels (such as YouTube, Facebook, etc.). The difference is really significant:
"The Wall Street Journal reported that Starbucks receives over ten times as much traffic to its Facebook page (19.4 million unique visitors each month) as to its corporate website (1.8 million). For Coca-Cola, the divergence is even starker: 22.5 million visitors on Facebook vs. just 270,000 to its website—over 80 times as much traffic."
Therefore, I decided to consider my country, Turkey, in statistics. I wanted to find some values for number of social media users in some countries, but I just found mobile subscribers per 100 inhabitants from the OECD database. Of course, this can only be an approximation to show the penetration of mobile within the countries. Indeed, the table proves itself that it is not really reliable. It is OK that Turkey is under the average of countries with about 85 subscribers, but the US, France and Canada are also below the average :)
Source: OECD
Now, another publicly available parameter can be the penetration rate of Facebook by countries/regions:
|
Country |
Penetration Rate of Facebook |
| Europe | 24.5% |
| European Union | 30.5% |
| USA | 49.5% |
| Turkey | 34.9% |
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm#top
Besides, the rate for the whole world is only 9.6% (of course the calculation of the rate for the world includes several regions of the world, where there is no computer yet).
Considering the rates, they are quite high... Think that: every 1 man out of 2 people uses Facebook in the US. It is smart to expand the ads in the Facebook :)
(*)http://www.bnet.com/blog/digital-marketing/is-it-time-to-shut-down-your-website/133?promo=713&tag=nl.e713
posted in What I see - 05-13-2011, 09:15
Did you know that your height and weight can matter for your salary? Here, some facts about it:
"People who are taller earn more money. For men, it comes out to $3,000 a year for every inch."
"There is good research in the Economist, covering decades of studies that show that we have a disposition locked in our DNA to favor good-looking people. And that good-looking people make more money."
If you will read the details of the study in the Economist, you will notice that:"Masculine features—a big jaw, say, or a prominent brow—tend to reflect physical and behavioural traits, such as strength and aggression. They are also closely linked to physiological ones, like virility and a sturdy immune system. "
.....
So, whenever a woman has to choose a mate, she must decide whether to place a premium on the hunk’s choicer genes or the wimp’s love and care. Lisa DeBruine, of the University of Aberdeen, believes that today’s women still face this dilemma and that their choices are affected by unconscious factors."
The Economist places a photo of Brad Pitt within the text. So what can I say? I really have no choice not to admire him (the study says so :))
For the two facts:
http://www.bnet.com/blog/penelope-trunk/the-ugly-truth-about-weight-and-work/369?tag=content;drawer-container
http://www.bnet.com/blog/penelope-trunk/why-women-should-lie-even-more-than-they-do/424?promo=713&tag=nl.e713
This is the study of the Economist:
http://www.economist.com/node/17672806?story_id=17672806
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 05-12-2011, 09:01
Probably due to the season change (may be due to my hormones :)), nowadays I am quite emotional as reading news about death, birth, etc.. Today an article advices not to miss "today":
"Today, go home early. Not tomorrow and not some other day. Today. At the latest, leave right on time. Projects and contracts and promotions and money and glory will be there waiting for you tomorrow. Go home, find somewhere quiet, and sit with your spouse or significant other and tell them how much they mean to you. Set aside any baggage or resentment, take off any emotional armor you wear, think about why you fell in love in the first place, and speak from your heart. Then hang out with your kids. Talk to them. Praise them. All your kids want is your attention. Attention is the easiest and the best gift you can offer. Or call a friend you’ve lost touch with. Swallow your pride if necessary and reach out. Take the first step.
Above all, live today differently. Someday we will all probably wish we had made a few different choices along the way, but at least we won’t wish to change anything about today."
Think about yourself: how many times did you do these? How often do you recall the value of your partner, kids, parents or friends throughout the day? I will call them today to say that they really mean to me, will you?
http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/why-you-should-go-home-early-today/1540?promo=857&tag=nl.e857
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 05-11-2011, 10:36
Considering the leaders of the last decades, I always wanted to know how they can stay cool during critical moments of their lives (or at least they seem to be cool :)). This article is utterly relevant to that topic:
"Last weekend after giving the okay for special forces soldiers to raid a compound where the world’s most wanted man was believed to be hiding, President Obama straightened his bow tie and went off to roast Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Funny and unruffled, the President gave no indication he was feeling the strain of his momentous decision. He was, in short, a pretty cool customer.
It was an impressive display of calm under pressure and inspires the question — how does he do it? Is the ability to handle stress an innate characteristic like height or eye color, or is it something us mere mortals can learn to do too? According to Justin Menkes, the author of new book Better Under Pressure, the answer is very much the latter. “Attributes have a range of genetic influence and the ability to deal with pressure is on the far side of the continuum in terms of preparation versus genetics. Your ability to deal with stress is overwhelmingly about preparation,” he told Entry-Level Rebel in an interview."
and also I totally agree that:
"There’s no simple A, B, C. You can’t just read books — it’s not like that. It’s not ‘OK, I put a little post-it on my desk for a daily mantra “Remember you’re terrific!”‘ That’s useless. You have to build inside your brain, your consciousness and your stomach a knowing that you can handle it."
Have a look at to train yourself :)
http://www.bnet.com/blog/entry-level/how-to-train-yourself-to-be-cool-under-pressure/4689?promo=713&tag=nl.e713
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 05-03-2011, 08:53
After reading the blog (referred below) I read this article:
http://www.bnet.com/blog/business-research/scientifically-proven-ways-to-be-happier/711?tag=content;drawer-container
like a complement to start a happy day without stress... :)
Here, 5 ways to feel happier:
1. Spend time with the “right people.”
2. Spend time on “socially connecting” activities, such as volunteering and spending time with friends.
3. Day dream
4. Expand your time
5. Be aware that aging changes the way people experience happiness
Now, let's go back to work :)
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 05-03-2011, 08:40
Everyday we face a new challenge... We cannot reduce the stress and say "go away worries!" so easily!
In the Harvard Health Blog there are recommendations to cope with the stress. Two advices are emphasized to release your mind: writing all disturbing things and throwing into a "box" (a real box!), and scheduling your worries:
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/two-techniques-for-reducing-stress-201104092235?utm_source=review&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=APRIL2011
&j=26809974&e=ulkemb@yahoo.com&l=16278673_HTML&u=308629480&mid=148797&jb=0
Either follow these methods or not, it is true that:
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
(even Icannot keep in my mind all the time :))
posted in What I see - 04-29-2011, 15:57
There is an interesting study prepared by Payscale.com showing the return on degrees. According to their calculation based on 2010 costs and 30 year net ROI, first 5 colleges are:
1. Caltech
2. Harvey Mudd College
3. MIT
4. Princeton U.
5. Stanford U.
Considering ROI percentages, they are generally around 11.7%. These numbers would probably guide students as selecting their college...
http://www.payscale.com/education/average-cost-for-college-ROI
posted in Mind-Body-Health - 04-29-2011, 15:30
Today, I would refer an article about myths related to fitness. Probably, you have heard the following myths many times (like me):
Myth: You burn more fat if you exercise on an empty stomach
Myth: Walking at a leisurely pace for an hour is a good way to fit in exercise
Myth: You burn the same number of calories whether you walk or run a mile
Myth: You can turn fat into muscle
Myth: Muscle "weighs" more than fat
but please have a look at the following article to read the facts :)
have a healthy day...
http://www.prevention.com/health/fitness/tips-for-success/fitness-workout-mistakes-mess-with-results/article/a37f410c43a2e210VgnVCM10000030281eac____
posted in What I see - 04-07-2011, 16:17
Go and have a look at the daily chart of the Economist:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/04/public_opinion_capitalism
It is really surprising to see that in 2010 the US has become 5th country in the ranking based on the public opinion for the free market (1. Germany, 2. Brazil, 3. China, 4. Italy). Turkey is the 16th country, where approximately 28% of respondents agree that the free market is the best. In Turkey, we generally say that "do not wait everything from the government" :) but I think we still....
posted in What I see - 10-28-2010, 11:23
Last week I was in NY in order to participate in the 30th CIRET Conference, which was hosted by the Conference Board and sponsored by Bloomberg.
I will not bore you with the details of the conference nor make you jealous as telling where I visited & ate this time :) What I understood from the panel discussions and the keynote speakers was that still we need to act precautionary even though the end of recession has started to be explicitly spoken. Still the unemployment is a major issue for the US, and hence, the consumer confidence is still not so higher. As the outside world realizes the possible threats, I still cannot figure out how my country, Turkey, can ignore a possible downturn. As reading the econ&finance news, I would like to speak louder :) I really cannot observe an economic foundation for some events, like the the recent boom in the ISE....
posted in What I see - 03-31-2010, 10:43
During the last week I was in Prague to present a paper at the 69th International Atlantic Economic Conference. Prague is a wonderful historical town with its beautiful structures. If you are planning to take a walking tour, then www.prague-walkingtours.com must be your only choice. Our guide was a graduate student at the university and he was actually a walking history book J
Nevertheless, I am not writing to market Prague but to mention the speech of Prof. Vanek at the conference. You probably know this professor from the Hecksher-Ohlin-Vanek Theorem (HOV), which relies on the comparative advantages of countries and foresees factor price equalization among countries. After 55 years, Prof. Vanek says in his own words: “I am ashamed…” He is ashamed because the HOV Theorem does not explain what is going on nowadays (Clearly, there is no factor price equalization in the world!). He explains that because the HOV Theorem collapses, “the second best theory” can explain why we have to move another suboptimal state, but actually no one exactly knows to what kind of a state we have to move. Prof. Vanek presents the idea of “destructive trade”* within this framework. The destructive trade is based on the fact that as the international trade grows, the implications on the employment may not be same… The trade can destroy the jobs and skills, but there can be still gains for the capital. He mentions that for the sectors where the jobs cannot easily move (such as construction), the effect may not be severe, but there is still loss of jobs with trade. Therefore, he claims an error in the interpretation of the comparative advantage. Even though he cannot suggest an alternative system instead of free trade (because he cannot quantify all parameters), he offers to actively use GATT but not General Agreements on Free Trade….
So you can see how supporters of Krugman can be mad about this argument (Well, one of them had actually did in the discussion session). Nevertheless, I do not agree with an idea that “Vanek was against the free trade”. Actually, there were several things to accept… First, it was great to hear even after 55 years an academic can say that “I was wrong” (considering the today’s academics, who love to insist on their statements even they are wrong). Second, Vanek tries to uncover the disadvantages of free trade on jobs and skills in one country. He gives the example of the US-China to explain how the production has shifted from the US to China. Also, for the case of China he mentions some negative externalities to whole world due to the unclean production facilities in China. Lastly, unable to recommend an alternative system does not require us to mark time and ignore the deficiencies in the current system. People have to seriously think about it.
From my point of view, he is right. I am not against the free trade neither, but does free trade have to be so free?...
*He recommends his online book from his website: “Unified Theory of Social Systems”. I have not read it yet…
Special Note: The things that I wrote about the speech of Prof. Vanek are the points based on my notes. If I misunderstood some points, I apologize from Prof. Vanek.
posted in What I see - 03-09-2010, 10:54
On Sunday, there was an article about the US job market for business students at the New York Times. Brown indicates that considering the interview, internship rates there are signs of recovery in investment banking. I hope so... :)
Here is the link for the Brown's article at the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/education/08banking.html?th&emc=th
posted in What I see - 03-03-2010, 11:27
Unofficial Export Figures of February 2010
According to recently announced export figures of Turkey by TİM (the Council of Turkish Exporters), the exports of Turkey has increased by 20 per cent in February 2010 compared to the same month of last year. Even though official export figures of February will be declared on March, 31, this new change has to be carefully examined. The reason is that even though the year on year changes show recovery signs starting from October 2009, the level of the exports in January 2010 is still far below the level in January 2008 and nearly same of January 2009. Especially, considering the fact that 2010 output growth projection for the Euro Area is only 1 per cent in the latest IMF World Economic Outlook Update (January, 2010), rapid improvements in exports should not be expected without taking additional measures.
I will be following the export figures…
Ulkem Basdas
posted in What I see - 02-23-2010, 12:52
11 Mayıs 2009
Bireylerin rasyonel davrandığını savunan klasik iktisadi modeller, uzun yılların ardından tekrar bakıma girmek üzere… Temelinde; herkesin “kendi çıkarı doğrultusunda en mantıklı” seçimleri yapacağını varsayan bu modeller, mevcut piyasaları mükemmel karakterize eden özetler olsalardı, şüphesiz şu an yaşanan kriz de “öngörülebilir” olurdu. Ne var ki durum böyle değil, özellikle de sadece gelişmekte olan ülkelere özgü senaryolar yazmayı sevenler için bile durum böyle değil… Peki, bu durumda davranışsal finans bize farklı ne öneriyor? Bu yolla herşeyi açıklamamız mümkün mü ve krizden çıkış stratejimiz ne olacak?
Öncelikle, davranışsal iktisat ve davranışsal finans bize mevcut dünya ile ilintili birşeyler söylemeye çalışıyor. Meier Statman’ın CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Enstitüsü’ndeki konuşmasında söylediği gibi, standart modeller “rasyonel” bireyler var diyor, davranışsal finans ise “normal” bireyler var diyor. “Normal” bireylerin umutları, korkuları, pişmanlıkları ve çoğu zaman yanlış da olsa fikirleri var. Kimi zaman kendilerine çok güveniyorlar (kendine fazla güvenme anomalisi), kimi zaman olması gerekenden fazla veya az tepki veriyorlar (aşırı reaksiyon ya da az reaksiyon anomalisi). Bazen de aynı miktar getiriyi kaybetmek ya da kazanmaya farklı değerler biçiyorlar (Kahneman ve Tversky’nin Umut (Prospect) Teorisi’nde olduğu gibi). İşte tam da normal yatırımcı ile rasyonel yatırımcının ayrıldığı noktada gerçek piyasalar anlam bulmaya başlıyor. Bu durumda bir diğer soru: peki, davranışsal finans ile her şeyi, en azından yaşanan son krizi, açıklamak mümkün olabilir mi? Tüm modeller ve teoriler gibi maalesef bu, davranışsal yaklaşım için de mümkün değil. Her kriz kendi dinamikleri özelinde oluşuyor. Davranışsal finans üzerine daha çok araştırma yapıldığını varsaydığımız bir dünyada bile, krizin öngörülebilirliğinden ya da tüm dinamiklerinin eksiksiz tanımlanabilirliğinden bahsetmek mümkün olamayacaktı. Davranışsal finans ile mevcut piyasaları daha iyi anlayabiliyoruz ama hala bir eksiksiz bir tablo çizebilmiş değiliz.
Fakat bu durumda, çıkış stratejisi nedir? Bu kadar çok bilinmeyenli bir denklemi nasıl çözeceğiz? Rasyonel modellerin zaten yetersiz kaldığını ifade etmiştik. Rasyonellikten ziyade normalliği savunan davranışsal yaklaşım da maalesef çıkış rotaları sunmuyor önümüze. Üstelik tüm gelişmiş ve işleyen piyasalar eş zamanlı bir çöküş yaşamışken, kendi özgü yapısında doğmuş ve gelişmiş bu son krizin henüz açıklama safhası tamamlanmamışken, bir çıkış stratejisinden yoksunuz. ABD başta olmak üzere tüm ülkeler, orta ve uzun vadeli planlar ortaya koymaya çalışıyorlar: maksat sadece krize yönelik acil çözümler üretmek değil, yapısal dönüşümler başarmak ve planlarla “neredeyiz, ne yapıyoruz” sorularını masaya yatırmak… Türkiye özelinde, “krize teğet geçme” mantığıyla müdahalede geç kalınmış bir durum söz konusu. Krizi kabullenmeden krize çözüm bulmak nasıl olacaktı? Tabi, nihayetinde biz de kabullendik. Şimdi yapılması gereken rotamız belli olmasa da, rüzgârın yönünü tayin edebilmek. Evet, bilinmeyenler var, fakat en azından yapısal reformları da içeren gerçekçi, orta vadeli bir plan ortaya açıkça konmalı. Aksi takdirde, çok bilinmeyenli denklemlerin içinde boğulup gideceğiz… Tüm bu tartışmayı Keynes’in şu sözleriyle bitirmek gerekecek: “Piyasalar, sizin dayanma sürenizden daha uzun süre irrasyonel kalabilir (The market can stay irrational, longer than you can stay solvent)”.