Tag Archives: Turkey

In The Future Cyberwar Will Be Primary Theater For Superpowers

Cybersecurity expert explains how virtual wars are fought

With the Russia-Ukraine war in full swing, cybersecurity experts point to a cyber front that had been forming online long before Russian troops crossed the border. Even in the months leading up to the outbreak of war, Ukrainian websites were attacked and altered to display threatening messages about the coming invasion.

“In response to Russian warfare actions, the hacking collective Anonymous launched a series of attacks against Russia, with the country’s state media being the main target. So we can see cyber warfare in action with new types of malware flooding both countries, thousands of sites crashing under DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks, and hacktivism thriving on both sides of barricades,” Daniel Markuson, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, says.

The methods of cyberwarfare

In the past decade, the amount of time people spend online has risen drastically. Research by NordVPN has shown that Americans spend around 21 years of their lives online. With our life so dependent on the internet, cyber wars can cause very real damage. Some of the goals online “soldiers” are trying to pursue include:

  • Sabotage and terrorism

The intent of many cyber warfare actions is to sabotage and cause indiscriminate damage. From taking a site offline with a DDoS attack to defacing webpages with political messages, cyber terrorists launch multiple operations every year. One event that had the most impact happened in Turkey when Iranian hackers managed to knock out the power grid for around twelve hours, affecting more than 40 million people.

  • Espionage

While cyber espionage also occurs between corporations, with competitors vying for patents and sensitive information, it’s an essential strategy for governments engaging in covert warfare. Chinese intelligence services are regularly named as the culprits in such operations, although they consistently deny the accusations.

  • Civilian activism (hacktivism)

The growing trend of hacktivism has seen civilian cyber activists take on governments and authorities around the world. One example of hacktivism is Anonymous, a group that has claimed responsibility for assaults on government agencies in the US. In 2022, Anonymous began a targeted cyber campaign against Russia after it invaded Ukraine in an attempt to disrupt government systems and combat Russian propaganda.

  • Propaganda and disinformation

In 2020, 81 countries were found to have used some form of social media manipulation. This type of manipulation was usually ordered by government agencies, political parties, or politicians. Such campaigns, which largely involve the spread of fake news, tended to focus on three key goals – distract or divert conversations away from important issues, increase polarization between religious, political, or social groups, and suppress fundamental human rights, such as the right to freedom of expression or freedom of information.

The future of cyber warfare

“Governments, corporations, and the public need to understand this emerging landscape and protect themselves by taking care of their physical security as well as cybersecurity. From the mass cyberattacks of 2008’s Russo-Georgian War to the cyber onslaught faced by Ukraine today, this is the new battleground for both civil and international conflicts,” Daniel Markuson says.

Markuson predicts that in the future, cyber war will become the primary theater of war for global superpowers. He also thinks that terrorist cells may focus their efforts on targeting civilian infrastructure and other high-risk networks: terrorists would be even harder to detect and could launch attacks anywhere in the world. Lastly, Markuson thinks that activism will become more virtual and allow citizens to hold large governmental authorities to account.

A regular person can’t do much to fight in a cyber war or to protect themselves from the consequences.

However, educating yourself, paying attention to the reliability of sources of information, and maintaining a critical attitude  to everything you read online could help  increase your awareness and feel less affected by propaganda.  For the Silo, Darija Grobova.

Ferry Travelling In Europe Is Very Popular For Summer- Here Are Costs

Far from the stress of crowded airports or stations, ferries allow you to travel in comfort while taking your time.

Our friends at Vivanoda, a web platform that enables all travelers to find ferry, bus, train and plane tickets, wanted to launch a major study into ferry prices in Europe in order to gain a better understanding of the variations in ferry ticket prices according to a number of criteria (destination country, distance, seasonality, etc.).

Fortunately for those of us interested in a Europe trip that includes ferrying, they have analyzed tens of thousands of ferry fares on hundreds of routes in Europe, as well as crossings to Turkey and the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), to get as exhaustive a picture as possible. If you enjoy comparing prices using graphs you are going to want to keep reading…

It’s not difficult to understand the appeal of Ferry travel- leisurely comfortable rides with great views.

Here are the key points highlighted by this study at European level:

  • Ferry crossings to Tunisia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Sweden have the lowest price index.
  • Conversely, ferry crossings to Turkey, the UK and Morocco have the highest price indexes.
  • Connections between Greece and Turkey and those between Morocco and Spain are proportionally the most expensive in Europe.
  • Connections between Germany and Lithuania or Latvia are the least expensive in relation to the distance travelled.
  • The shorter the crossing, the more expensive it is.
  • Across Europe, prices are higher on average from July to September. They are also slightly higher at weekends.
Ferry price index in Europe by country

For The Silo, Nicolas Pellier.

About Vivanoda
Vivanoda is a web platform that makes it easy to find ferry, train, bus and plane tickets for travel in Europe. Launched in 2013, the site has received awards from the European Commission, the International Union of Railways and the Groupama insurance group.

Boho Living In New Hotel Perched Above Turkey Aegean Sea

Bobo by The Stay Opens in Bodrum

Bringing refined bohemian living to Türkiye’s Aegean coast

Image: Bobo by The Stay

London, England – (June 2024) Bobo by The Stay, the newest of the Stay Hotels, has now opened in Bodrum, Turkey. Perched high above the sparkling Aegean Sea, Bobo offers guests ​​exclusive access to the turquoise waters of Cennet Bay, on the Turkish Riviera.

Bobo was designed by visionary architect Mahmut Anlar and his team at Geo ID.

The hotel, tailored for adults, opens with 24 exclusive rooms and suites, each with nature-inspired curved walls and floor-to-ceiling windows allowing breath-taking views of the surrounding coastline and centuries-old olive groves. The hotel’s layout ensures space and privacy for every guest.

True to its name, Bobo has been created to celebrate refined bohemian living, and offers a unique fusion of entertainment, gastronomy, and the arts. Guests can look forward to a vibrant array of cultural and artistic events, including pop-up comedy festivals, guest chefs, and sunset parties throughout the summer. For those who enjoy nightlife, the hotel offers a private nightclub for guests to let their hair down to the beat of international DJs.

Image: Paraliaki Restaurant located in Bobo by The Stay

Bobo brings the flavours of Istanbul’s Bebek Hotel by the Stay to Bodrum, featuring locally sourced dishes, live music, and signature cocktails by the sea.

Dragon, famed for its stellar Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine in Istanbul, opens its second restaurant at Bobo, while the Greek-inspired Paraliaki restaurant creates menus focused on fresh seafood. As evening descends, guests are treated to an unforgettable dining experience. With dishes created to celebrate the region’s rich maritime heritage and seating on grass or sand, guests can unwind in a laid-back atmosphere that captures the essence of Bobo living.

The hotel’s private beach club, Bobo Beach, features sun loungers on a secluded stretch of Cennet Bay, creating a perfect spot for relaxing and sampling gourmet dishes by the sea. The hotel also offers an exclusive yacht catering service for those who are exploring the beautiful waters of Cennet Bay. In keeping with the relaxed coastal vibe, there’s an outside gym and holistic Stay Spa with saunas and rejuvenating ice baths overlooking the forested bay. The Bobo Store, a boutique housed in a domed tent, will offer beachwear, artisanal wares from local craftspeople, and Turkish brands that reflect the local Aegean culture.

About The Stay Hotels

The Stay Hotels group is a collection of design-focused, culturally connected properties across Türkiye, including four in Istanbul, one in Alaçatı on the Çeşme Peninsula, and the newest on the Bodrum Peninsula. Each hotel combines modern, stylish design with respect for local heritage, offering intimate stays with attentive service.

In Istanbul, guests can choose from The Stay Nisantasi Boulevard, an art-filled mansion in the Fashion Quarter; The Stay Nisantasi, a sleek retreat in the same area; The Stay Bosphorus, a revamped 19th-century waterside mansion; and the Bebek Hotel by the Stay, a glamorous hotel overlooking the Bosphorus. In Alaçatı, The Stay Warehouse is a beautifully restored former warehouse near the coast. With the opening of Bobo by The Stay, the Stay Hotels adds a coastal retreat with light-filled rooms, cultural events, and pop-up restaurants to its stable of hotels.

Yummy Turducken For American Thanksgiving Holiday Dinner

Turducken
The infamous Turducken- a bird eating paradise

“Turducken” – defined by the Urban Dictionary as: 1. (n) An American Thanksgiving holiday culinary grotesque: Consists of a chicken, stuffed into a duck, progressively stuffed into a turkey and baked. Provides hours of entertainment in the form of waiting for the sucker to finish cooking and enough sandwich meat to last through The Apocalypse.

So who in their right mind would eat such a thing? Surprisingly… many. Believe it or not, this rather savage dish dates back to 18th century in which the wealthy English would make their traditional Yorkshire pies consisting of various meats baked in a crust. However, a Yorkshire pie seems meager in comparison to the barbaric turducken.

So how did the turducken come about? Well the answer to that remains a mystery.

Many have proclaimed that they are the inventors of the infamous dish yet little is found in the way of concrete evidence. During the 1800’s chef Grimond de La Reniere created the “roti sans pareil” (“roast without equal”) in which he stuffed 17 birds each within the other. Fast forward to the 1980’s, chef Paul Prudhomme claimed that he was the creator of what we know now as the turducken.

NFL’s Hohn Madden popularized the Turducken as an American Thanksgiving “eating grotesque”. Sometimes turkey just ‘ain’t enough’

Regardless, the idea of stuffing as many animals inside the other as possible has been around for quite some time. Now the question becomes why? I have never been acquainted with the turducken myself but I have come in to contact with those who have taken on the task of both making and devouring this triple decker bird. The consensus appears to be that despite the overwhelming thought of consuming three birds in one sitting, the savory taste is something like no other.

Now, let us step back for a moment and ponder this: why does a creation like the turduken receive praise while something like KFC’s Double Decker is criticized and made out to be the accomplice to the grim reaper? NFL commentator John Madden even endorsed the turducken and Herbert’s Specialty Meats located in New Orleans, has built a business on them! Thanksgiving and Christmas alone can have them shipping out thousands of turduckens to stores and homes all over the US.

Listen folks, whether you’re enjoying a juicy turkey, duck, hen, quail, pheasant, partridge or garden warbler – it doesn’t matter. After all, it’s the holidays! Relax, enjoy (or painfully endure) the time with family and enjoy some good home cookin’! Merry Christmas! For the Silo, Holly LaRue. 

Link to Turducken Recipe

For Many European Countries, National Flower Is Second Only To Flag In Importance

Many non-native plants can happily survive in other regions of the world, which has given gardeners more choice than ever before. However, native flowers and plants can summarize the landscape of a nation, while communicating the identity of a country.

For many countries the national flower is second only to the national flag as the most important national symbol, while communicating the identity of a country.

European National Flowers Infographic

Did you work on this visual? Claim credit here.

Intelligence Squared U.S. Begins Season Debating Saudi Arabia, Iran & Turkey – In NYC & Online September 12

Saudi Arabia and Iran are vying for regional dominance, as the latter pursues nuclear weapons. Turkey is cozying up to Russia and China. Instability, conflict, and proxy wars have engulfed Syria, Yemen, and beyond. How should the United States respond to changing power, proxy wars, terrorism, and human rights issues in the Middle East? On Thursday, September 12, America’s debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. launches their fall season with a debate not one, but three motions, all investigating 
“Shifting Power in the Middle East”:

Motion 1: Is Trump right on Saudi Arabia?
Motion 2: Is the world safer without the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Motion 3: Is Turkey an asset to NATO?

In this latest installment in Intelligence Squared U.S.’s new “Unresolved”
series, debaters must declare their “yes” or “no” stance on each separate motion, allowing for both sharp disagreements and unexpected
alliances. The debaters will be:
* Michael Doran, senior director on the National Security Council under
President Bush* Reuel Marc Gerecht, former CIA case officer* Bernard
Haykel, professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton* Brett McGurk, the State Department’s former Special Presidential Envoy for the Global
Coalition to Defeat ISIS* Barbara Slavin, the director of the Future of Iran Initiative

The debate will be held at NYC’s Symphony Space and stream live online, then air soon after as part of the syndicated public radio show and podcast “Intelligence Squared U.S.” On September 12, online viewers can tune in at IQ2US’s website: https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/unresolved-shifting-power-middle-east

 WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates “Unresolved: Shifting Power in the Middle East”
WHEN: Thursday, September 12 / 7:00-8:45 PM EDT
WHERE: Peter Norton Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway, New York, NY
TICKETS: $40 ($12 for students w/ ID). To purchase, visit http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/  

Debaters Bios: * Michael Doran, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
Michael Doran is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., where he specializes in Middle East security issues. Doran served as a senior director on the National Security Council under President Bush and was responsible for helping to devise and coordinate U.S. strategy on a variety of Middle East issues, including Arab-Israeli relations and U.S.
efforts to contain Iran and Syria. He also served in the Bush
administration as a senior adviser in the State Department and a deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Pentagon. 

* Reuel Marc Gerecht, Senior Fellow, The Foundation for Defense of
Democracies & Fmr. CIA Case OfficerReuel Marc Gerecht is a former
case officer for the CIA, where he served as a Middle Eastern targets
officer with the CIA’s directorate of operations. He is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a non-partisan organization
centering on national security, where he focuses on Iran, sanctions,
terrorism, and the Middle East. He is the author of “Know Thine Enemy: A Spy’s Journey into Revolutionary Iran” and “The Islamic Paradox: Shiite Clerics, Sunni Fundamentalists, and the Coming of Arab Democracy,”
among others.  

* Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies, Princeton University Bernard Haykel is a professor of Near Eastern Studies and the
director of the Institute for Transregional Study of the Contemporary
Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia at Princeton University. After working as a post-doctoral research fellow at Oxford University in
Islamic Studies, he joined New York University in 1998 as associate
professor before taking up his post at Princeton. He became a
Guggenheim fellow in 2010 and is co-editor of the book, “Saudi Arabia in Transition; Insights on Social, Political, Economic and Religious Change.” 

* Brett McGurk, Fmr. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISISBrett McGurk served as Special Presidential Envoy for
the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS at the U.S. Department of State, where he helped build and then lead the coalition of 75 countries and four
international organizations in the global campaign against ISIS. He served in senior positions in the Bush and Obama administrations and has led some of the most sensitive diplomatic missions in the Middle East over
the last decade. McGurk is currently the Frank E. and Arthur W. Payne
distinguished lecturer at the Freeman Spogli Institute and Center for
Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. 

* Barbara Slavin, Director, The Future of Iran Initiative, The Atlantic CouncilBarbara Slavin is the director of the Future of Iran Initiative and a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. The author of
“Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the US and the Twisted Path to
Confrontation,” she is a regular commentator on U.S. foreign policy and
Iran on NPR, PBS, and C-SPAN. Previously, Slavin served as a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Slavin
is a career journalist, and currently writes as columnist for
Al-Monitor.com, a website devoted to news from and about the Middle
East.   

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)
A non-partisan, non-profit organization, Intelligence Squared U.S. was
founded in 2006 to address a fundamental problem in America: the
extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. Their mission is to
restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to American public
discourse. The award-winning debate series reaches over 30 million
American households through multi-platform distribution, including
radio, television, live streaming, podcasts, interactive digital content, and on-demand apps on Roku and Apple TV. With over 160 debates and
counting, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to “think
twice” on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News
correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008.