text:
It could happen. Who would have ever thought Email newsletters would take off?
It could happen. Who would have ever thought Email newsletters would take off?
Posted at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
As a noted Art Person, we're unlikely pass up an opportunity to check out Moscow's contemporary art scene. It's even more unlikely that we would miss the chance to hang out with the Chiplomat, now Snackistan's top envoy to the expanding Russian empire. Combining the two activities recently proved irresistible.
On sunny and not-that-cold-by-Moscow standards Sunday, we visited Winzavod, Moscow's contribution to the trend of transforming old communist factories into contemporary art spaces. For two ladies who appreciate Soviet industrial architecture and who like to be confronted by modern Russian aesthetics, it seemed promising
Promise unrealized, sadly. Winzavod's space has tons of potential but is poorly laid out, marked and signed. It was hard to know what was a gallery, or a private studio or a random shop. Indeed, there didn't seem to be all that much actual art to view. "Where is the art?" we asked ourselves more than once, which is a bad sign when you're at a contemporary art center.
We kept our minds open in case the art was subtle. We didn't want to let our retrograde notions of what constitutes art, especially in Moscow, cause us to miss something good.
A bearded hipster bobbed away on a phallus-shaped children's playground toy. Was he the art? A lady hipster duckfaced her friend's camera from a concrete staircase. It's probably on Instagram if you want to look for it.
A sign on a photography gallery warned that potential for offense lay ahead so those under 18 should stay away. Willing to take a chance, we climbed the stairs to the gallery. The warning was 100% correct in that photos of naked women holding cats in front of their crotches was considered art by someone. "So edgy!" we catted as we exited.
Subsequent galleries failed to evoke even that strong of a reaction.
A long steel stairway led up to what seemed like an attic area of one of the more satisfying exposed-brick spaces. Only the sign "Secret Education Center," with another 18+ warning, indicated what was at the top.
Still open-minded, we climbed the stairway to a locked frosted glass door. A young man followed us. While we mucked around a bit on the landing, trying to figure out what, exactly, we were about to enter, he rang the bell. A female voice answered via intercom (in Russian, obviously):
"Do you have an appointment?"
Was "appointment" code for something art-related? We listened carefully for a clue.
"I do," the man responded, "but I don't know if these two women out here do."
The door buzzed open. No one was visible inside and there was nothing but a reception desk, four or five closed doors and a large sign for Secret Education. A second young man entered behind the first, also mentioning his appointment.
Demonstrating the high degree of curiosity and initiative that has made her the most valued member of Snackistan's diplomatic corps, the Chiplomat pulled up the website for Secret Education on her phone.
"It's a sex education center!" she exclaimed with some surprise.
"Wait, what? Are you sure? It could be art, you know. It would for sure be better art than anything we've seen so far."
"They give handjob lessons here, according to this site."
"Hmm. That doesn't seem like art to me. Who really needs.. …."
Before considering this topic any further, we went back downstairs and outside into the cold sun. She squinted at her phone again, running through the list of classes you can take. If you read Russian, check for yourself what's on offer. If not, rest assured that the curriculum is thorough, with all the core courses you would expect as well as plenty of electives.
And because you also expect from Carpetblog valuable cultural insight you can't get anywhere else, our staff googled "Sex Coaching Moscow" and came up with this helpful article about the topic from last year. It should simultaneously entertain and horrify you.
So, when it comes to contemporary art in Moscow, if you have to ask where the art is, look, first, for the sex education center.
Posted at 08:45 PM in Adventure, FSU, Mockery | Permalink | Comments (0)
It's hard to make friends in a new country! So when we noticed that the convenience store around the corner from our flat has a Turkish flag, we seized the opportunity to establish a relationship with a bakkalcı (In Istanbul, the bakkal is the shop downstairs that's open early/late, is generous with credit and will accept your deliveries. Your bakkalcı is trustworthy enough to hold a set of keys for your visitors but gossipy enough that you need to be careful about who enters and leaves your apartment and at what time). Everyone needs one.
Carpetblogger, in Turkish: Are you Turkish?
Bakkalcı: *Eyes grow large* Evet!
(CB explains, in Turkish and French, the nature of our relationship with Istanbul, and now Nice. Pleasantries exchanged.)
Bakkalcı (if you don't know which question comes next, you have never ridden in an Istanbul taxi): Which city is more beautiful? Nice or Istanbul?
CB: Ummm. Nice.
Now, instead, we patronize L'Arabe sur le Coin (the Arab on the Corner, the other corner, opposite the ruffle-feathered Turk), who's open later, keeps the rosé cold and never asks which city, Tunis or Nice, is more beautiful.
Posted at 03:50 PM in France | Permalink | Comments (0)
During my last two weeks in Istanbul, I am taking care of business that would be impossible/too expensive/tortuous to accomplish elsewhere, particularly France. One of those tasks is getting rid of ten years of accumulated world currencies, several of which no longer exist, and which weighed about five pounds. They weren't coming to France. What to do?
Currency is only useful if you can find someone to give you something of value in exchange for it. There aren't a lot of takers for a stack of Uzbek Som that's worth less than two dollars. So what should I do with it? Throw it out? Seems wrong to do, especially the grossly devalued Ukraine Hryvnia, the $2 of which I have probably makes up half of some poor, cold babushka's pension.
There's a döviz (currency exchange) in Karaköy, near the ferry terminal. Every time I walk by it, I laugh at the sign in the window, "we take the whole world's currencies." They probably just mean Bulgaria's, right? Still, it seemed worthwhile to check it out, just to see if they meant it.
In preparation, I sat down on the floor of my office and made piles. Pakistan. Libya. Afghanistan. South Africa. Qatar. Uganda. I labeled the piles and put coins and bills from about 25 countries in sandwich bags. I was mocked for doing this, by the way.
I filled a small backpack with the sandwich bags full of coins and bills. I swaggered into Nursever Döviz.
"Really? All the world's currencies?" I asked the two guys behind the window. I smirked.
"Really, all of them." They smirked back.
I dumped my backpack out on the counter. I handed them the bag of Azeri Manat, an easy one. They scoffed and counted it out. "Of course we take that." OK, so I handed them the Rwanda bag as test. They laughed and counted it out.
They didn't blink when I gave them bills from Yemen, Saudi, Indonesia, Israel and a stack of Estonian Kroons, which aren't even used anymore. They made some phone calls, consulted charts and kept a neat list of value in Turkish Lira. The only one they wouldn't take: 1000 Iraqi dinar. Not sure why.
Too be clear, their exchange rate was not generous, but they took a handful of Malaysian coins from me! What else was I going to do with those?
So, taking into consideration that leaving every country with $1- $20 worth of its currency in your wallet deserves some kind of penalty because it's dumb, I am pretty happy with my 108 TL, or about $46. I will buy myself something nice and not share it with my tormentors. They know who they are.
Posted at 02:35 PM in carpetblog recommends, Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
It's not like anyone writes Carpetblog anymore, or reads it, but ten years of reports from Crapistan seem worthy of a passing mention, right? Carpetblog was born this week in Baku, in 2004.
The bigger news is that for the third time this decade, and eight years to the day since my arrival in Istanbul, Carpetblogger is decamping. I've been blabbing about leaving Istanbul for more than a year, so it's not as sudden or as secret as the word suggests. But, with glacial speed and inevitability, it's happening.
I considered the obligatory expat gesture of a "why I'm leaving" post but I find those self-indulgent (something careful readers know is studiously avoided on this blog). Because, who besides me, cares?
Istanbul, and Turkey, are headed in a different direction than they were when I rocked up. That's fine. It seems to be what many Turks want. It's not what I want, so I'm exercising my ability to check out. Turkey's chauvinistic political and consumer culture, once dominated by an arrogant secular elite and now by a pious middle class, interests me much less than it used to. I'm sick of water and power cuts and having to use a VPN. I like all laws to be enforced, not just the ones that restrict the media or peoples' right to advocate for their interests. I work in places like that. I don't want to live in one.
If you like how boring Carpetblog has become as it's moved west, you're going to love the next move. After this long navigating the choppy waters of countries in economic, social and political transition, I'll be based in a country that I'm convinced, despite its best interests, will never, ever change: France. It's possibly the least dynamic country in the world. There aren't even as many Russians on the Côte d'Azure as there used to be, something that both saddens and thrills me.
I'm still finding it hard, when people ask, to answer "I live in France." It sounds like I gave up. In my head, I live in Istanbul. When I think of "home," my eyes see the Bosphorus view from my balcony. My friends are the complicated people, located mostly between Cihangir and Galata, who've accommodated my faults and let me into their lives despite them. I've lived in Istanbul longer than anywhere else in my adult life. Accordingly, it's hard to synthesize years that, often simultaneously, were among the worst and best of my life; full of catastrophic, systemic failures and marginal but satisfying victories.
Ironically, the Yeni Türkiye might provide more fertile ground for Carpetblog than the Eski one, but I don't care to stick around to see what happens next anymore. Given the environment in which Carpetblog was born and thrived like a meth addict in rural America, I already have a pretty good idea. Thanks, but I'll pass.
Posted at 07:07 PM in All About Carpetblogger | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
We caught up recently with the Adventurous Ladies' Dining Club, which we've heard is the hottest new eating trend in the greater Galata/Cihangir area.
Why the Adventurous Ladies' Dining Club?
The mission statement of ALDC is "To stop complaining (as much) about the homogeneous monotony of dining in Istanbul, locate pockets of immigrants and eat the food they make for themselves." Despite enormous barriers to entry (both literal and figurative), groups of permanent or temporary migrants have settled in Istanbul's outlying neighborhoods (i.e. the cheap ones) and they have to eat. We are going to find them and make them feed us.
We also appreciate how hard life in Istanbul must be for the non-European/North American yabancı, especially those with dark skin. We want them to succeed. For example, we don't know how you run a place like the amazing Ethiopian Habesha when locals don't patronize it. Maybe it's a money laundering or trafficking front, but the food is delicious, service friendly and atmosphere authentically Ethiopian, so we go there with enthusiasm. And they have a ballin' nightclub.
The name of this group sounds very discriminatory. Did you frighten all the men?
We like to think of the name as misleading rather than discriminatory. While it is true that a group of ladies conceptualized the club, we frequently accept applications from qualified male diners to join us. We really aren't that adventurous either. A restaurant is a candidate for the ALDC if it requires us to take public transportation (though we're allowed to take a taxi home if it's hot or we are really irritated or it's a day that ends in "y"). This, by most definitions, is not adventurous. But, since at least one member typically refuses to leave Beyoğlu or go anywhere she can't walk to, we view the name as positive reinforcement.
How do you identify restaurants?
Of course, we rely on Istanbul Eats to do the hard research, as everyone who wants to get beyond the kebab/mezze axis in Istanbul does. In normal cities, we would ask cabdrivers of varying ethnicities where they eat, but that's not fruitful in Istanbul because there aren't any. When we run out of dining ideas, we'll ask the West African watch sellers on Galıpdede, or the Filipino dogwalkers in Cihangir. Sorry, but "Chinese," "Italian," "Thai" or "Mexican" restaurants run by Turks for Turks may have their charms but they don't qualify for ALDC. After some internal debate, neither does Eataly, even though the local Italian immigrants love it. It's in a shopping mall. That's not adventurous!
Where have you eaten so far?
We're working our way through Aksaray. So many Syrians have moved there we wonder if there's any room left in "Küçük Halep" for the Russian and Moldovan prostitutes. The welcome we received at the delicious Şam Şerıf was enthusiastic bordering on mania. We've spotted a number of Arabic places near it, including one called, promisingly, "Beirut." [it's a Turkish restaurant with a Lebanese name] Our two Georgian favorites, which may have real names but are fondly referred to as "Bus Station Georgian/the one with dirty astroturf," and "The Other Georgian, the Nicer One, you know, the One with Wine" are in that area as well. We've had to physically restrain a founding member from entering the nearby Pamir Disco, but at least we'll know where to look first if she ever goes missing.
Zeytinburnu, home to Uzbeks, (already approved by ALDC), Uyghurs and other Turkic diaspora is another promising neighborhood. It's on the ALDC's August agenda. We've heard rumors the old Aksaray Turkmen Carpet Bazaar has moved out there as well, which adds extra incentive. Maybe we'll create a franchise: The Adventurous Ladies' Carpetshopping Club.
But Istanbul is so cosmopolitian, a bridge, it's been said, between east and west! Why is it so hard to find these restuarants?
Our response is "cosmopolitan doesn't mean what you think it means."
It doesn't, actually, mean "big, loud, dirty, overdeveloped, overtouristed with shitty infrastructure." In fact, when people describe Istanbul as cosmopolitan we assume they don't know much about Istanbul because it's just not. A cosmpolitan city encourages and embraces diverse inhabitants and cultures. Istanbul used to be very cosmopolitan, with many different nationalities and religions living together, but it isn't anymore and hasn't been for many years. If you don't know why, here's somewhere to start learning. Istanbul is an overwhelmingly Turkish city. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's hard to make a convincing argument otherwise. Its slim selection of non-Turkish food is just one example of a dominant culture that offers very little breathing space for others.
Our hope that one positive outcome of the terrible regional upheaval is that all the displaced people who settle in Istanbul do what immigrants everywhere have done: Resist the dominant culture, both its scorching prejudices and its sly temptations, to carve out a little bit of home. Adventurous Ladies' Dining Club is here to support them and eat their food.
Got a restaurant suggestion for ALDC? Tell us in the comments!
The views herein may, or may not, represent the views of all the members of ALDC. But they don't all have blogs so you'll never know for sure.
Posted at 08:39 AM in Food and Drink, Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
All the time, people ask, "Carpetblogger, can you please explain Turknology? I think you popularized the term, didn't you?"
Yes. Yes, we can and we did. Thanks for noticing.
Turknology is not something you don't not see. Turknology is showy. It begs to be noticed. In fact, if you can't admire its audacity, it probably isn't Turknology. You've certainly seen it in your daily life but maybe you didn't have the right word to describe what you were seeing. If you say to yourself "boy, that looks seriously half-assed, but it seems to work OK so I'm not going to give it any more thought," that's Turknology.
If we had to invent a slogan for it, it would be something along the lines of: "Turknology: innovation in pursuit of mediocrity."
There are certain places where Turknology comes in handy, particularly for maintenance of a home you don't own. Turknology can solve a pressing problem in a pinch, provided the consequences of inevitable failure are manageable. Need to hang a window shade or shelf in a rotting wall? Turknology is perfect for that. Who cares if it falls on someone else's head in year or so?
A Turknologist is not unskilled or without creative abilities. A Turknologist comes up with a clever stopgap measure to prevent a problem from worsening or allow it to be ignored long enough so that it becomes someone else's. Long-term solutions are rarely the objective of Turknology so it's not fair to judge a Turknologist by his failure to provide one. (A Turknologist is usually, but not always, male. The Carpetblog cleaning lady, for example, has an advanced degree in Turknology)
In some unique places, Turknology is less visible, but it's still there. In those places, you seek it out because it's vastly superior to what's available locally. Usually, those places are called Crapistan. In Crapistan, your biggest problem is rarely the one caused by relying on Turknology. (If you don't know if you are in Crapistan, we've created a helpful guide. Or two. Maybe three.)
There are situations, however, where Turknology is absolutely inappropriate. Its use must be discouraged in the strongest possible terms. These places include:
We recently had intense dental work completed in Istanbul. Over multiple lengthy visits to the dentist's office, we meditated deeply on Turknology and how much we hoped not to be confronted with it. We are pleased to announce that there was not one shred of evidence that any part of the procedure was being done half-assedly. Inserting a permanent metal screw into a jaw is not a job for a Turknologist. We've also never observed Turknology on Turkish Airlines, to its credit
We haven't spent much time in Turkish coal mines, but overwhelming recent evidence suggests over-reliance on Turknology, with predictable catastrophic consequences. Sometimes, the job just has to be done right the first time.
Posted at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Back in the day, we moved to Istanbul because it was a convenient, reasonably cheap, convivial place to base oneself while one conducted one's professional activities in Greater Crapistan. Whether that is still the case is subject to debate, best left for another post. One of the few things that had, surprisngly, become more convenient over time was renewing one's residence permit (ikamet).
Our first ikamet experience, in 2007, took place on an unsigned floor at the giant police station in Aksaray, where one proceeded through a heaving mass of non-queuing foreigners to obtain stamps allocated at 6 or 7 unmarked windows. It was impossible to know what documents were needed (we remember having to obtain three or four typewritten sentences at a copy shop around the corner. We can't remember what that document was called or what it communicated to whom).
Gradually, over time the system improved. Because we believe in positive reinforcement, we recognized this and applauded it in 2009. In response, we received an email from someone claiming to be from the Yabancı Şubesi asking for more constructive criticism, which we were thrilled to provide. By last year, the process had improved to the point where it was mildly annoying but not particularly onerous to renew your ikamet.
Those days seem to be over.
People who care more can look up the details but late last year, the government decided, with the degree of careful study and forethought that typically characterizes official actions in Turkey, to revamp the foreigner registration process. We've read this, we have no idea if it's accurate. Could be. Why the hell not?
Because we believe in public service, we are going to explain what happened when we renewed this week. HUGE CAVEATS FOLLOW. If these do not apply to you, your experience may differ, possibly substantially. Everything seems aribtrary right now. I won't know the answer to your specific situation.
This is what I did to renew:
So, you've got the documents, as required on 13 May 2014 by the Beyoğlu Yabancı Şubesi, and you submit them. Once you have everything, it's not complicated; the same as the last year or two. To their credit, they give you 15 days to collect the new documents and come back without making another appointment. That's appreciated. You can just show up, and, if the right guy happens to be there, they'll accept them, collate/stamp them and send you out to pay the fees.
You thought there were no more surprises, right? Wrong. Deliver your documents and receipts back to the police.
CB "So, when can I pick it up?
YS: You don't. It goes to Ankara and they mail it back to you."
CB: "Mail? Really? When will they do that?"
YS: "I don't know. You can call them and ask."
I have found my ikamet confers few meaningful benefits, other than allowing me to enter and leave the country without hassle, which I do frequently and I have a low tolerance for airport hassle. What happens when I don't have that ikamet and I want to leave the country? Stand by! We'll find out on Friday morning.
Trust that the internet will be the first to know.
Posted at 04:56 PM in Ask Carpetblogger, Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
We've said it before: we're tired of blogging. We're rarely inspired anymore. We can hardly come up with a thought that's so sophisticated and insightful that it can't be said in 140 characters. We feel like we exhaust the creative potential of every medium available to us on a cycle that both shortens and increases with intensity every month. It's the plague of the modern: too many means to communicate too few thoughts.
We were wrong. And the solution to this problem has come from the most unlikely corner: The Turkish government.
In response to what has become the scourge of Istanbul's urban environment -- residents banging pots and pans at 9 pm in support of the Gezi Park protests -- the government has come up with an innovative idea to allow people to anonymously report their neighbors' irritating behavior by placing their complaints in a "neighborhood informant box" (NIB) for police to review.
Some people argue this is a terrible idea. We are not among those people. In fact, this is the best idea the Turkish government has proposed since it banned porn.
Opponents have clearly not spent any time thinking about its practical applications. Has it not occurred to them that they can use this mechanism to express their grievances -- ranging from the petty to the existential -- against every person, entity, animate or inanimate object or animal in Istanbul that has wronged them? Given that our list of Istanbul-related grievances is as long, complex and historical as the Talmud, this opportunity cannot be passed up. It's much better than bitching on Twitter.
Are you not yet seeing the awesome?
Anonymity means you can settle some scores using half baked theories, circumstantial evidence and idle speculation, just like you do with your friends and on Twitter, but with zero accountability and more police involvement. As someone who is striving to remove all accountability mechanisms from our life, this is exactly the creative outlet we've been seeking.
After approximately 45 seconds of thought, we have came up with a complaint list with which we could fill our NIB and probably the one up the hill too. Here are just a few: construction sites that pour cement at 2 am, the Istiklal Tramway Groper, Istiklal in general, Efes, Ramadan drummers, our upstairs neighbor who has terrible taste in music, the friend who never shows up for dinner on time, Deli Komsu, nasty street cats, the annoying guy at that party, sidewalk parkers, nosy cleaning ladies, Bambi delivery drivers who go the wrong way at high speed up Luleci Hendek, annoying houseguests, every taxi driver we've ever ridden with, people who bring Turkish wine to parties. Those are just the people against whom we have legitimate complaints but haven't yet found a better way to address them than Twitter, which never results in satisfaction. As for the list of people against whom we'd like to exact revenge for less honorable reasons, well, that's why we need the anonymity promised by the NIB.
The Turkish government has bestowed a rare gift on irritated Istanbullus as well those who have plumbed the depths of social media and found it wanting. We urge you to create a partnership with your local polis -- if he's not too busy bonking someone on the head with a teargas cannister -- and take advantage of the NIB. Everyone knows how the Turkish polis respond with alacrity and common sense whenever yabancıs file complaints, accompanied by color-printed documents in triplicate and multiple stamps, in person; if you use NIB, no one knows you're a yabancı. Let's view them as our Partners in Score Settling (PISS). It's a gift whose time has come.
Posted at 06:33 PM in Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life, Mockery, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Sayın Anadolu Agency!
When we read the advertisement for English-speaking reporters on your website, we knew we had to apply in One Minute. It would be an honor to work for a news agency with such a nuanced grasp of the language and a duty to report the truth as interpreted by Turkey's ruling party. We hope you view this post as our CV.
Anadolu Agency, in line with its target of "being the powerful news agency of powerful Turkey", is aware that it has to have a new vision of the world in its 100th year. With offices throughout the world, AA became one of the most important news agencies in the region. A project called "Centennial" was put forth, which means that the Anadolu Agency will present its understanding of "reliable, impartial, ethical and fast" journalism to the whole world as a new teaching.
You may not be familiar with our work (yet), but there's obvious synergy. Indeed, we like to think of ourselves as a "powerful blog of powerful Turkey --" a brand positioning we had not, before today, even considered. Carpetblog has enthusiastically promoted the Turkish wine industry (Wait. Is that a positive or a negative in the current context?), supported Istanbul's finest eating establishments and pretty much served as a Chamber of Commerce for the Turknology industry. We are practically an unpaid PR flack for Turkish Airlines and have single-handedly come up with a line of lifestyle enhancement products based on our own experiences in Istanbul. No one who wasn't educated here is as concerned about protecting the Turkey's image abroad as Carpetblog.
We have news agency experience too. In an effort to serve an unarticulated demand, we formed our own news agency, CihangirWire. CW served Yabancıköy faithfully until it was subsumed in a hostile takeover by GalataWire, the mission statement of which remains, to this day, "covering all news that's binocular-visible from the balcony." Furthermore, we dislike the international media as much as you do and would happily join forces in an effort to school them in the innovative reporting techniques AA has been pioneering lately.
We share your commitment to "reliable, impartial, ethical and fast journalism" and believe Carpetblog deserves the kind of platform that only Anadolu Agency can provide. We hardly ever make up stories, suck up to authority figures, take oblique shots at our enemies, embellish facts to make them more interesting or strategically alter them to present ourselves in a more favorable light. We hope that doesn't disqualify us from consideration for this position. Any rumors on Twitter that we're batshit crazy and fact-averse is just the kind of social-media based calumny that we've both been fighting so hard against (respect!).
We're eager to open salary negotiations; however, in the interests of full disclosure, we are in talks with Russia Today. They offer an attractive package but we question RT's commitment to uncovering international conspiracies. AA is breaking new ground in that department and we can help. We can think of several salacious international conspiracies right off the top of our head, but we're not going to share any of them unless you hire us immediately at our typically inflated day rate.
We are waiting for your call!
Posted at 09:27 AM in Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life, Mockery, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Dear Carpetblogger:
I'm a writer and I will soon arrive in Turkey to cover the Gezi Park protests -- super excited. I haven't been there since my fellowship in 2001! I'd like to ask your advice because I really want make sure my stories break new ground and demonstrate my deep understanding of modern Turkey. It shouldn't be too hard to stand out, right? I mean, it's not like there's anyone there already writing anything useful. Most Turks speak English, right? Where do I buy a gas mask?
Big Foot
Dear BF:
Hoş geldiniz (welcome!). We here at Carpetblog World Headquarters are thrilled that you've submitted the question because we've been dying to offer our advice on this topic but no one has ever asked.
What follows here are some phrases and visuals that we strongly suggest you include in your stories. They will go a long way to showing that you can both nail Istanbul's sense of place after just 36 hours and still grab a refreshing Efes at one of Beyoğlu's charming outdoor cafes.
We respect you too much to suggest you get some variation of "Turkish delight" or "bridge between east and west" in your headline or lede. Any intern can get that right. We do suggest you soak in the carnival-like atmosphere at Gezi Park and find a couple of locals -- one in a headscarf, the other in a mini-skirt --walking around arm in arm. It may be hard to find the headscarf girl at this particular event but don't give up easily. At the moment, there is no minaret at Taksim to complete the miniskirt visual. Shouldn't be too long before one gets built but don't make that mistake now. Embarassing.
Istanbul is a mixing pot of cultures: It doesn't matter that the Armenians mysteriously disappeared after World War I, the Greeks and Jews left in the 1950's and the Kurds are only just now starting to descend from the mountains. Europe! Asia! Continents meeting! That's all you need to say. It remains a powerful metaphor that can't be used too often.
Street cats: OMG cats! They're everywhere in Istanbul and are so cute and healthy-looking too. More pictures please! Maybe a tumblr with lots of moody hipstamatic vignetting and oversaturation, if you have extra time.
Pronunciation of Erdoğan's name: That little "g" with a hat is hard to pronounce correctly. Just harden it. No one will notice.
Gezi Park is central Istanbul's last park: It would be too hard in this heat to walk downhill to Tophane Park (which is small but has trees and grass), or north a few blocks to Maçka park (big, with trees and grass) or to Sanatkalar Park (which has grass and junkies, but no trees). Gezi Park has been variously (and acrimoniously) described as a few square blocks full of rats, used condoms, tinercis, homeless, concrete, a few trees, some trees, thousands of trees, and, as of very recently, dirty hippies. Go ahead and shorthand all that and refer to it the Hyde Park of Istanbul. We know what you mean.
Explain How X Event Affects Turkey's Chances to Join the EU: Turkey's highest aspiration is not to be a regional power broker with a booming economy and a bursting middle class, but rather be France and Germany's redheaded stepchild tasked with bailing out Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Some handwringing about its accession prospects is never unwelcome.
The Inherent Melancholy (hüzün) of Istanbul: Go hang out in Nişantaşı and talk to some Kemalists despondent over the headscarves driving Rangerovers. That's some serious gloom for you.
Carpetblog is here to make sure that you don't fall into common traps that have embarrassed your colleagues behind their backs at dinner parties for years. You can thank us later.
If you really want to see how it's done, follow on twitter @Aylajean, @Piotr_zalewski, @theTurkishLife, @JoeWSJ, @AChristieMiller, @aaronstein1, @FinkelAndrew, @Hugh_Pope, @RoyGutmanMcC, @aylushka_a, @BenjaminHarvey, even though none of them ever listen to Carpetblog advice.*
*No, really, those guys are the bosses of this story -- correspondents and freelancers alike, many of whom are Friends of Carpetblog -- and they are reporting their asses right off. Mad props to them. Lots of others are too! No hate! Some even report in languages we don't speak. We're pretty sure they're awesome too, but are looking for some outside confirmation first.
Posted at 06:01 PM in Ask Carpetblogger, Istanbul, Mockery, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
In a shocking announcement coming after a weekend visit to Moscow, the foremost chronicler of Devushka Style and the Wikipedia of Slutty Dressing, declared today that Devushka Style is dead.
"Given that photos of Devushkas continue to drive what little traffic this blog still enjoys, we don't make such a declaration lightly," Carpetblogger said in a statement. "An era has ended and we feel obligated to inform the readership: Stick a fork in it. Russian ladies have moved on."
Carpetblogger reports seeing more stunningly beautiful, stylishly-dressed women than classic Devushkas in Moscow. "It made us so sad. We looked around for some Zhigulis and Volgas and saw none of those either. Moscow has really changed a lot," she lamented. "If you have to argue with your friend if a lady is a Devushka or not, she just isn't."
Heels are still high, skirts are still short, bedazzling abused and animals embarrassed by the uses to which their prints and skins are put. These elements are no longer combined, however, with the ferocity and confidence of 2006, widely considered the peak of DS, according to Carpetblogger
Devushka watchers still can catch the end of the long Devushka tail in Omsk or Yekaterinberg, but style will be derivative, unoriginal and, like all hinterland trends, long past its prime. "Don't expect innovations in form, such as boots that become fishnets. Those were specific to a time and place and, like the most compelling ephemera, lost to memory until they return in the typical 20 year nostalgia cycle as irony," the blogger noted.
Carpetblogger speculates on why Devushka Style faded. "The ladies at the cutting edge 10 years ago have aged out of their leopardskin capris and their feet hurt too much to wear over-the-knee-stilettos anymore." Furthermore, like hipsters around the world, their successors prefer boring skinny jeans. "Devushka Style is another victim of globalization," she added.
Carpetblog readers demand to know What Comes Next. How will Carpetblog adapt to changes in the marketplace of post-Soviet fashion? "If we thought our readers wanted to see photos of middle-aged devushkas grinding out a living as traders, hauling cheap clothes back to Moscow from Istanbul, we'd give them some." Traders are generally fed to excess on salo and sport short frosted-tip haircuts that add years to once-high slavic cheekbones. They're as much a type as their younger counterparts, but Carpetblogger questions their appeal. "We doubt there are quite as many message boards devoted to them as there are to Devushkas and we have SEO to think about."
Always one to see the glass as half-full, Carpetblogger still has faith in the region's pensioners. "They're like oak trees resisting the harsh winds of fashion. A good floral headscarf never goes out of style. They bring stability to an unpredictable world."
Posted at 04:48 PM in Devushkas, Fashion, FSU, Russia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
A fan suggested the other day that Carpetblog has been too nice lately and that perhaps, due to unspecified reasons, the edge has dulled. We generally treat constructive criticism with absolute disdain and respond with harsh, but silent, judgment of the criticiser, but we paused to consider. Perhaps this is true. We pledged to try harder.
We had the most Istanbul of dining experiences at Unter, a trendy "gastropub" in Karaköy that's part of the Nu chain of popular awfuls, on Saturday night. For this, we take partial blame. We had high expectations. After six years of dining out in Istanbul, you'd think we'd know better than to think a "concept" restaurant might be good, even (especially?) if it serves pulled pork and even if people whose taste is generally impeccible recommend it.
The dining room, set in the corner of a nondescript building near the Turkish Orthodox church is bright and nicely designed. The menu, characterized by the "put a bird on it" graphic design aesthetic so popular these days, was well-written and lacked the common misspellings and malapropisms typical of people who think their English is fluent. Promising!
We ought to have left after the appetizer plate of prosciutto, because it was downhill from there. Our out-of-town friend made the first mistake by asking the waiter to recommend one of several dishes. "Oh, gosh, we should stop him from doing that," we thought, but we wanted to see what would happen.
The waiter, who had perfected the deer-in-the-headlights look characteristic of the Turkish service sector when faced with a request from a scary foreigner, scurried away to find someone who could speak English but still couldn't answer the question. Our friend ordered the beef tenderloin on green lentils. "Oh, gosh, he shouldn't have done that, either," we thought but didn't say. Beef orders can be risky in Turkey. (So, apparently, can dining with Carpetblogger).
We shared this beef tenderloin as it was the only dish placed on the table for, oh, about an hour. Apparently, the kitchen staff had to run down to the Karaköy fish market to get our sea bass, a rare delicacy in Istanbul, and, finding the market closed and the fishers on the Galata bridge retired for the night, set out a pole at the ferry dock.
After both of us had approached the kitchen (no point in bothering the waiters, who had perfected the "we have no idea how to solve this problem" shrug native to the Turkish service sector) to inquire, the sea bass, an overcooked scab, finally arrived. It lacked the other accoutrement (basil and onion jam) listed on the menu; just a few leaves of roka and a brussels sprout. We ought to have sent it back and gone down to the fish bazaar for a more skillfully prepared balık ekmek, but we were hungry and didn't want to appear high maintenance.
That, combined with the high prices and expensive (95TL) but OK bottle of Turkish wine, would have been enough to put this in the category of an unremarkably mediocre night out Istanbul. But the utter failure on the part of anyone in that restaurant to acknowledge that anything might have been amiss or admit fault really pushed Unter into the Peak Istanbul Dining Experience stratosphere.
Anyone seeking the experience of high-end dining in Istanbul could do worse than Unter.
Posted at 10:07 AM in Food and Drink, Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
We have been closely following the controversies in which Turkish Airlines has embroiled itself recently: that its proposed new uniforms are ugly, and that it may or may not stop alcohol service on a few domestic/some/all flights everywhere all the time.
This may shock some of you, but here it is. We don't give two shits about what THY flight attendants wear nor what they serve.
When we get on a THY plane, we have several expectations:
Those are the non-negotiables.
THY, admittedly, has a mixed record on some of those criteria*. As far as we know, no plane has fallen out of the sky. But the debate in Turkey about how well THY pilots can, or more accurately, cannot, communicate in the lingua franca of international air traffic has been, shall we say, muted (and, sadly, mostly in Danish). The wrong airport landing pilot is a favorite story here at Carpetblog. And, could they park planes farther away from the terminal and not demand passengers get a Bulgarian visa stamp? We doubt it.
We don't really care what flight attendants wear, as long as the uniforms do not inhibit their ability to prevent the plane from falling out of the sky or landing at the wrong airport. So you think the proposed uniforms are ugly and impractical? Lots of things in Turkey are ugly and impractical and people seem to live with them just fine.
Sure, we'll be annoyed if we get on a flight from Erzurum and can't have a plastic cup of Doluca, because no one deserves a cup of warm Turkish wine more than someone who's been in Erzurum. But, we'll probably get over it, because it's a 90 MINUTE FLIGHT and there's plenty of easily-obtainable Doluca in Istanbul. (We'll revisit this policy if THY switches the wine selection on European flights from "French or Turkish?" to "Doluca or Yakut?" That justifies an uprising).
But, this is the really important thing. When an airport transfer bus approaches a line of north African airlines, with six or seven planes from airlines you've never heard of waiting in a row, and yours is the one in the middle with the red tail, delightfully named "Afyonhisar," and not the one with the airline name written in handpainted Arabic (or Cyrillic) with a staircase leading into the tail section, you say to yourself -- or maybe out loud -- "Looking good, THY!" Then, you board, and you have a glass of Doluca and everything is fine.
If we might offer some branding alternatives to "Globally Yours," may we suggest "Yours When all Other Options are Unspeakably Awful."
*As always, we speak with love! <3 U THY!
Posted at 06:47 AM in Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life, shitholes, Transport, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
When not watching Russian dashcam videos, we have been following the European horsemeat scandale with enthusiasm. Despite having had a close relationship with a number quality equines, we don't really object to the consumption of horsemeat and have eaten our share of it in Central Asia where it's a staple. We're a bit bothered, however, by the mislabeling and the corruption of the industrial meat supply chain. And since we do live in Europe, we've wondered how, if at all, such problems plague the Turkish meat supply.
Everyone knows that the propensity to skimp on quality to save a few kuruş is not part of the Turkish national character. Even so, beef is expensive in Turkey. How can places serve a 7TL plate of köfte (meatballs) for lunch?
Even though we already know the answer, we, and our friends, have wondered aloud why some Turkish journalist hasn't done a random sample of döner kebab and published the results. Could it also be because no one really wants to know what's in a 5TL döner? But think of the upside! There could be pork in it! And, frankly, are people who regularly eat kokoreç going to be all that upset about finding a bit of at eti (horsemeat) in their (F)Atburger? It's not like it's you're going to find pig anus in your calamari here, right?
Unlike our friends at Istanbul Eats, we've never developed a taste for the late-night Taksim delicacy işlak (wet) burger, a garlicky 'beef patty" marinated in grease and tomato sauce, marketed primarily to people leaving bars at 3 am. At 2TL each, discovering those are made of horsemeat, rather than the much more readily available and economical sıçan eti, would actually be a huge relief.
Posted at 04:04 PM in Ask Carpetblogger, Food and Drink, Istanbul, Istanbul Expat Life, News, Turkey | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
It's no secret that we have a poorly concealed ladycrush on Georgia. We have written about it frequently, so much so that some of our favorite Carpetblog posts were written in or about Georgia. We fail to understand why our adventure-seeking, sybaritic Istanbul contemporaries have not yet shelled out the $300 for the two-hour flight to Tbilisi for a weekend. Do they not know passport control officers give you a bottle of wine after they stamp your passport? We have often worried that, in a haze of propagandizing, we have oversold the place. This has never happened. After a decade of living and travelling around the world, Georgia remains our favorite country, full stop, and everyone who has surrendered to our pleas to go agrees.
We just spent five days there, celebrating the fourth-annual Thanksgiving throwdown -- always a highlight of our year. After the turkey funk wears off, we try to do something somewhat adventurous. One year we visited the village of Sighnaghi, another year we cluelessly watched Georgia stomp the US in rugby, last year we went to the high Caucasus village of Gudauri. Each activity usually shares in common excessive consumption of food, wine and/or chacha. Things were a bit tamer than normal this year, mostly because key rogue elements stayed home.
We headed out to the Schuchmann winery in the Kakheti wine region. This was the first time we'd been out to this eastern Georgia valley, which is crammed up right to the base of the snow-dusted Caucasus, a view we've come to love and miss.
Overall, the German-owned lodge and restaurant were a bit disappointing. They were well-appointed but with service so sweetly incompetent that we commented "What this place needs is some Turks to whip it into shape." Thse are neither words we frequently say nor words Germans want to hear, but Turks can usually run a hotel pretty well.
But let's talk about the important thing: the quality of Schuchmann's wine, which was fantastic. We didn't get the tour we'd hoped for but we tried a variety of their wines, both European- style (aged in steel vats) and Kakhetian-style (aged in underground ceramic pots called Qvevri). We didn't much care for a traditional white called Kisi which tasted like it had gone off but apparently, we were told, it's supposed to taste like that. We much preferred the European-style 2008 Saperavi, the cabernet-like red for which Georgia is best known. They also have a 2008 Saperavi, but aged in Qvevri. We might have tried it. It can be hard to keep track.
Sometimes, after drinking a lot of wine, we worry that our judgment gets impaired -- there's plenty of hard data to suggest this is more than a vague perception -- and that the wine we've drunk a lot of isn't quite as good as it was on that cold night in front of a fire at the foot of the Caucasus with a friend.
The next morning, these residual warm feelings drove us to buy six bottles of the European-style Saperavi. The possiblity that we could be making a mistake occured to us. But, and here's the rub, it was only 6 Lari ($3.60) per bottle*. We figured it was low risk investment and it's not like it could be any worse than a 25 TL ($14) bottle of Turkish.
This, officially, is our favorite cheap wine, possibly ever. We served it at dinner last night with a bit of trepidation given our clouded judgment that night. The reaction was strongly positive. We concluded that it is actually too good to serve to the common riffraff who typically dine chez Carpetblogger.
So this is what we suggest: Germans at Schuchmann, bring in some Turks in to clean up the service at the hotel/restaurant so it justifies the rather steep rate. In exchange, teach the Turks how to make a decent wine. This is a win-win situation. We are happy to facilitate.
*That's the price at the winery with a tax-free card. It was 8 Lari without the card and 10 Lari ($6) in the supermarket in center Tbilisi. This a deal at all those prices. The 2008 Khakheti-style Saperavi was 30 Lari ($18) at the winery. The labor-intensive Qvevri aging explains the substantially higher price. We can't recall trying it so can't comment on whether it's worth it. It probably is.
Posted at 09:08 PM in Caucasus, Expat life, Food and Drink, FSU, Tourism | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)


text:
Appraisal: Flown Mercury Camera Viewfinder, ca. 1962
Clip: Season 23 Episode 23 | 2m 59s
Check out Timothy Luke's Appraisal of a Flown Mercury Camera Viewfinder, ca. 1962, in Out of This World.
Aired: 07/08/19Video has closed captioning.
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Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, Ancestry, and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Experience Not Essential
You can expect to receive between 20 to 40 hours' worth of assignments per month.
It´s up to you how much you work.
You will be operating nationwide, requiring you to travel directly from your home to most jobs. You will be expected to visit Nottingham head office when required. The major part of your work will be private surveillance, commercial surveillance and tracker deployment.
Full one-on-one training will be given by our experienced in-house team.
All positions are on a part time, self-employed basis and you will be given training in:
You will be required to sign our confidentiality agreement and, in addition, you will need at least 2 referees that we can contact.
In the first instance, please send your CV with a covering letter to firstname.lastname@example.com
Or by post to: Head Office, 140 Nottingham Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, NG9 8AR.
Thank you. Message sent.
Thank you. Message sent.


text:
Optalysys, a UK technology company, says it's on-target to demonstrate a novel optical computer, which performs calculations at the speed of light. If all goes to plan, Optalysys says it will have a 340-gigaflop prototype ready to go soon. .. from Extremtech
A group of engineers at Stanford has developed an iPad-sized, highly power-efficient way of simulating a million neurons and billions of synapses for as low as US$400. The breakthrough could both help our understanding of the brain and help develop a new generation of bionic limbs that are controlled by the patient's brain in real time with little effort at all.
The fervent apostles Nodejs have been very loud promoting server-side JavaScript. And indeed it is light weight, and fast/responsive by avoiding thread blocking by having callbacks passed as the last argument.
However beyond demos when writing 'real' applications you quickly end up indented off the right hand margin. In a sane light there is a huge challenge in readability and maintainability of nodejs applications.
There is also an incredibly active community, including Koa is an expressive middleware for node.js using generators to make web applications and APIs more enjoyable to write and read.
An example: the app.callback method returns a handler that is compatible with Node's http.createServer method, and uses co:
app.callback = function(){ var mw = [respond].concat(this.middleware); var gen = compose(mw); var fn = co(gen); var self = this; return function(req, res){ var ctx = self.createContext(req, res); onSocketError(ctx, ctx.onerror); fn.call(ctx, ctx.onerror); } };
This example is from Koa's source, and allows the following to work:
var koa = require('koa'); var app = koa(); app.listen(3000); // Equivalent: http.createServer(app.callback()).listen(3000);
Boston Limited experts in lower powered servers unveiled the latest release of Viridis Microserver range. Powered by ARM Cortex A15 quad-core processor. Based on six EnergyCore ECX-2000 cards, the Boston Viridis 2.0 hosts two four-core SoC's (Server-on-Chip) running at 1.8GHz and consuming as little as 6 Watts of power.
The ARM Cortex A15 quad-core processor, ECX-2000 delivers twice the performance, three times the memory bandwidth, and four times the memory capacity of the earlier ground-breaking ECX-1000.
It is highly scalable thanks to the integrated 80GB Fleet Fabric switch. The embedded Fleet Engine simultaneously provides out-of-band control and intelligence for autonomic operation and power optimization.
Cassandra has been the wildly popular key value (nosql) database due to it's performance and scalability. The announcements for Cassandra 2.0 claim offer more traditional database features as well as means to integrate with large event processing engines.
These features include:
Adapteva announced that the first "beta" units of the 16 core 'super computer' are being shipped to the early kicstarter 'developer' backers. Other backers are said to receive their boards by summer's end "after some final refinements."
Also Adapteva has now opened up general pre-orders for the 16-core version on its website. While all Kickstarter-bought boards will bear a Zynq-7020 SoC, new pre-orders are configured with a 7010 as standard,
However, newcomers will receive "Gen-1" boards, which will offer slight improvements over earlier versions, such as reduced power consumption and an added serial port three-pin header.
The basic 16-core board going for $99 on the online store , with an expected October delivery date. The company tells us the 64-core version will also be available for public consumption, with pre-orders beginning in Q4 this year.
With data volumes and pressure to reduce power all increasing, it is back to the future with NCSA380 Petabyte High Performance Storage System. The world's largest automated near-line data repository which has multiple automated tape libraries, dozens of high-performance data movers, a large 40 Gigabit Ethernet network, hundreds of high-performance tape drives, and about a 100,000 tape cartridges.
The system is being used with the petascale Blue Waters supercomputer making it the world's largest HPSS now in production,
Google released a new version of the Dart2js compiler, whose generated JavaScript which they claim outperforms a "hand-written JavaScript" in the DeltaBlue benchmark. Skipping for a moment the difficulty of defining "hand written" Dart is still dragging it's heels in other benchmarks for the Richards benchmark, the other benchmark that the Dart site publishes, the Dart-generated JavaScript performance for the Richards benchmark is still 26% slower than hand-written JavaScript.
Perhaps more interestingly is to compare Dart with other languages in which it is doing pretty well
Data Warehousing used to be be the place were legacy data went to die. Now Big Data means that the data warehouse has become the center of online data analysis and a key part of strategic direction.
Teradata is now blending it's Hadoop "best of breed component" approach that honors the best component developers with a well engineered package. This includes:
The Teradata Enterprise Teradata Studio with Smart Loader for Hadoop Access supports Hortonworks and Cloudera.
Teradata SQL-H, which blends Hadoop with standard SQL databases. SQL-H, which supports Hortonworks, is designed to allow analysts to query data anywhere it resides.
Our Raspberry Pi's are are quietly working away as build monitors saving power and money.
3 more options that are popping up offering a variety of other features.
"Resistance is futile ..!!" The major leading memory makers, namely Micron, Samsung and Hynix are co-developing the technology development efforts backed by the Hybrid Memory Cube Consortium (HMC). The technology, called a Hybrid Memory Cube, will stack multiple volatile memory dies on top of a DRAM controller.
These 3 dimensional chips will rely on the relatively new silicon VIA (Vertical Interconnect Access) technology as their inter connect.
The first Hybrid Memory Cube specification will deliver 2GB and 4GB of capacity, providing aggregate bi-directional bandwidth of up to 160GBps compared with DDR3′s 11GBps of aggregate bandwidth and DDR4, with 18GB to 20GB of aggregate bandwidth.


text:
Graduate Application
Graduate Application
Applying for Acceptance into the
Visit our tumblr blog: www.CSULBPsyGradPrograms.tumblr.com/
Degree Programs in Psychology
An applicant for the MA in Psychology, Option in Psychological Research (MAPR), the MS in Psychology, Option in Human Factors (MSHF), or the MS in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (MSIO), must be accepted for admission by both the Department of Psychology and the Enrollment Services Office of the University.
If your bachelor's degree is not in Psychology, please refer to the Non-Psychology Bachelor's information page.
The deadlines for submitting your university application (via www.calstate.edu/apply), transcripts and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores to the University (Enrollment Services Office) for the Master's programs are listed below, based upon the particular program. The University deadlines must be met, otherwise the department application would be considered void. Psychology department application material deadlines are listed below by program as well, and also must be met.
Psychology Department Master's Program Application Deadlines (may be subject to change for future entry years)
|Master's Program
|Entry Sem/Year
|University App Deadline (www.calstate.edu/apply)
|Transcript Deadline (to be sent to Enrollment Services)
|Department App Deadline (to be submitted to Psych dept – postmark date)
Fall 2020
Dec. 1, 2019
|Dec. 21, 2019
Dec. 2, 2019
Fall 2020
Jan. 15, 2020
|Feb 3, 2020
Jan. 15, 2020
Fall 2020
Jan. 15, 2020
|Feb. 3, 2020
Jan. 15, 2020
Steps for Acceptance to the Psychology Department
1. The GRE
Take the Verbal, Quantitative and Analytical Writing ("General" test) sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and have the scores sent directly to CSULB, using the appropriate GRE codes. (The Subject test is not required; however, the score will be reported if taken.) Sign up for the GRE early; reservations must be made for the test at least three to four weeks before the test date. Your scores are sent to you and CSULB approximately two to five weeks after you have taken the test – to insure your results are received by CSULB in time for processing, you should take the exam by the department application due date listed above. For dates of GRE tests given in your geographical area visit the GRE web site at: http://www.gre.org. The CSULB GRE codes are: Institution 4389; department – 2019 (MAPR), 2017 (MSHF) or 2008 (MSIO). (Please note: GRE scores are reported to the CSULB Enrollment Services Office, regardless of dept code used). See discussion regarding Selection Criteria below.
2. Department and University Applications
Apply to the Psychology Department Graduate Advisor for admission by the program date listed in the table above. Application forms for the Psychology Department are available through the links below in a print-only format (there are fillable versions available) – please print and complete the appropriate forms, then submit to the department. Department application forms may be hand-delivered or mailed (the mailing address is located on the department application Check Sheet linked below and several of the forms themselves). Please Note: you must also apply to the University itself – see deadlines above (www.calstate.edu/apply).
Master of Arts in Psychology, Option in Psychological Research: You are eligible to apply if you have completed an undergraduate major in Psychology that includes four specific prerequisite courses, or a major in another field with 24 units of upper division psychology that includes four specific prerequisite courses (listed on the Master of Arts, Option in Psychological Research Program information web page, and as one of the on-line application forms linked below). Three CSULB Psychology MAPR faculty members who have agreed to considering mentoring incoming MAPR students as lab space allows must be listed on the department application, section D.
Master of Science in Psychology, Option in Human Factors: You are eligible to apply if you have completed an undergraduate major in Psychology that includes three specific prerequisite coureses (additional suggested prerequisite courses are listed as well), or a major in another field with 24 units of upper division psychology that includes three specific prerequisite courses (listed on the Master of Science, Option in Human Factors Program information web page, and as one of the on-line application forms linked below).
Master of Science in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology: You are eligible to apply if you have a bachelor's degree in psychology or equivalent and have completed at least four of the five prerequisite courses (listed on the Master of Science, Option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology Program information web page, and as one of the on-line application forms linked below). If your degree is in another area and you do not have 24 units of upper division psychology, you must complete 15 of the 24 units before becoming eligible to apply to the department. If accepted, you would be required to complete the remaining 9 units the first year in the program.
University Application: Must be filed online via the www.calstate.edu/apply web site per deadlines listed above (please note: the university application fee is due at the time of application – contact Enrollment Services if you have questions regarding the university application: 562-985-5471). Official transcripts must also be sent to CSULB's Enrollment Services Office by the deadlines listed above.
International Students: Please contact the International Education office for university application instructions.
Application to the CSULB Psychology department's graduate programs is through a two-application process – please be sure to file both the department application and the university application, the latter through calstate.edu/apply.
3. Official Transcripts
You must send a set of official transcripts to the Office of Enrollment Services in order to be admitted to the University (see MA/MS Department Application Check Sheet for full addresses). These should be received by the Enrollment Services' deadlines above (by program). Transcripts are now being accepted electronically – click here for instructions.
Please note: you must apply for admission to the University as well as to the department. Separate applications are required. There is an application fee for the University. There is no fee for application to the department. You should file your University application according to the deadlines listed above (by program). You must apply to the University via the following web site: www.calstate.edu/apply (please be sure to use the CSU Graduate application for the correct academic year and semester).
International Students: please be sure to contact the International Education office for university application procedures.
4. Letters of Recommendation
Submit three letters of recommendation/MSIO recommendation forms from faculty members who are familiar with your academic work to the Psychology Department (materials submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services will not be released to the department). Please note that the Masters of Science, Option in Industrial/Organizational Psychology program has its own, separate recommendation form.
Graduate application tips: Letters
5. Statement of Purpose
Submit a statement of academic and professional goals to the Psychology Department (materials submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services will not be released to the department).
Graduate application tips: Statement 1; Statement 2.
6. Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Submit a CV to the Psychology Department (materials submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services will not be released to the department).
Constructing a CV tips:
Illinois Univ (PDF)
Cornell Univ (Includes examples)
Selection Criteria
Satisfactory performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) for all portions of the General test (verbal, quantitative and analytical writing) is expected. In recent years the average combined total (V&Q) for the entering class has been about 306, with individual scores ranging from 297 to 317. (The Subject test is not required.) It is highly suggested that preparation for the GRE tests is undertaken. Applicants are advised to take the GRE by the program deadline listed above, to insure the scores will arrive in time for processing.
A GPA of approximately 3.4 for the last 60 semester units (90 quarter units) as well as for all psychology units completed is considered minimum to be competitive.
(List of GPA calculators)
An application is judged upon its overall strength, and that strength against the applicant pool for that program. The stronger each individual part of the applicant is (GPAs, GRE scores, Recommendations, Statement of Purpose, etc.), the stronger the application is as a whole. High GRE scores can offset lower GPAs, or vice versa. GPAs can be raised through additional coursework, but it is challenging to do so.
Admissions are on a competitive basis and students who are not selected may on rare occasion be invited to take courses in the department as a conditionally admitted graduate student in order to make up deficiencies in key areas or to demonstrate competency in work at the graduate level (this is at the program's discretion, and will be offered to the applicant – it is not the applicant's option), or they more likely will be instructed to do so through Open University (CSULB extension).
The department encourages minority students, out-of-state students and foreign students to apply. The selection committee carefully weighs qualitative as well as quantitative factors in making its admission decisions. Particular attention is directed at selecting students with the motivation, as well as the intellectual skills, to pursue a career in academic psychology. Research experience, generally assisting psychology professors in their research labs, is prized for the MAPR and MSHF programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all of my Letters of Recommendation have to be from Psychology professors?
Letters of Recommendation are used by graduate program selection committees as predictors of academic success at the graduate level. Generally they are obtained from professors for this reason. It is best if they are from professors in the area of study to which you are applying. However, if a psychology professor feels he/she cannot provide a strong letter, and a professor in another area can, it would be best for the recommendations to be as strong as possible. One of the CSULB faculty, who offers advise on applying to graduate school to his undergraduate students, suggests asking faculty if they have the time to write a powerful letter (asking if they have "the time" gives a faculty member a chance to decline without the pressure of having to say they don't feel they know you well enough to do so).
Recommendations from supervisors are advised only if relevant. Because Industrial/Organizational Psychology focuses on the workplace, it is acceptable to have a recommendation from a supervisor, providing that individual can address IO-related work experiences (did the applicant supervise or train others). Ideally that would be a fourth evaluation. Please note that our MSIO program uses a Recommendation ratings form rather than ask for letters.
I'm a current CSULB student/recent graduate of CSULB – do I need to reapply to CSULB?
Do I have to submit transcripts again?
Yes, CSULB students need to graduate and reapply, via the www.calstate.edu/apply web site – they cannot enter a graduate program without having a bachelor's degree by the entrance semester, or complete their current master's or certificate program.
You need to have updated transcripts sent to CSULB only if you have attended the other school(s) since they were originally sent. You do not have to order transcripts from CSULB.
Do all my department application materials have to be sent together?
When will I receive acknowledgement of receipt of my department application?
Individual application materials received by our Graduate Office will be filed until the applicant's department application form is received, at which point all materials will be gathered together. (Very often recommendation letters are sent directly by those providing them.)
Beginning early January the Graduate Advisor will begin to send out emails confirming receipt of the department application, and state whether it is complete, or may be missing any documents at that time (no additional notice of missing items will be sent). Once all missing items are received and the dept. application is complete, notice of such will be emailed. (Please be sure to notify the Graduate Advisor of any change in contact information.)
Should my recommendation forms be sent directly to the department, or with the other parts of my department application?
What address should recommendations be sent to?
They may submitted either way; however, if you submit them yourself, they must be sealed by the individual providing the recommendation. The department address is on the recommendation forms (see application form links below), as well as the Check Sheet.
When will I hear regarding the results of my department application?
Generally, notices will be mailed out for the MSIO and MSHF programs two – two and a half months after those programs' submission deadlines. MAPR decisions should be mailed within two – three months after that program's deadline. Depending upon the selection committees' teaching schedules, the number of applicants, and the semester calendar, it is possible notices could be mailed sooner. Please notify the Graduate Advisor via email if your mailing address changes.
I'm filling out the university application via the www.calstate.edu/apply web site. Do I have to fill in the Statement of Purpose box?
No, just type something similar to "See department application." Submit your Statement of Purpose directly to the Psychology department.
Also, ignore the request for three letters of recommendation to accompany the university application. Your recommendations should also be submitted to the Psychology department only.
What else should I do to prepare for application to one of the Master's programs?
You will be expected to have psychology research experience for all three of our master's programs; this is obtained by assisting one or more professors with their research. To work in a professor's lab, a suggested strategy would be to ask a professor with whom you've taken a course (and done well in) if he/she would be able to take you into his/her lab. Having research experience lets master's program selection committees know you have a first hand knowledge of what is involved with psychological research. Also, it allows you to request letters of recommendation from these professors.
It it highly recommended that you prepare for the GRE General tests in advance.
Getting involved with department student organizations, particularly those in the area you wish to apply to, may further your exposure to these professional areas. We have students organizations specifically in the areas of Human Factors and Industrial/Organizational Psychology; those interested in our MA-Psychological Research program would best be served by our PsiChi and PSA student groups. Other institutions may have such organizations for their students – check with your department for information.
How can I make sure I have the required prerequisite courses met, if taken at a school other than CSULB?
The Psychology department's policy is that prerequisite course evaluations will be made for successful applicants at the time of offers. Course syllabi must be provided for equivalency determination. Incoming students may make up one prerequisite course their first semester – very often this is our PSY 310 – Intermediate Statistics course. Our catalog course descriptions are provided on the program prerequisite forms – if you are looking to take equivalent courses, it is suggested that you show the descriptions to instructors of those courses at the institution you took them/wish to take them.
What are the CSULB tuition costs?
How do I establish California State Residency?
To see current graduate student fees and tuition, see the following web page: CSULB Registration Fees Registration fees are subject to change by the State of California.
Please visit the following CSULB Enrollment Services Office's web page on Residency:
When should I apply for Financial Aid?
Please see the CSULB Financial Aid web pages, particularly the FAQs, for complete information regarding filing the FAFSA. You must file your FAFSA by March 2nd for the following fall entry semester to be considered for the greatest number of aid programs (this is referred to as meeting Priority). If there is a place on the FAFSA to so indicate, please state that you wish to be considered for Work and Loans. You are not committed to accepting loans at this point, but if you wish to be considered for a job on campus through the Federal Work Study program (if awarded), you must say yes to the question regarding Work-Study on the FAFSA (as well as meeting the March 2nd Priority deadline). Please note: International Students are not eligible for Federal or State aid through the FAFSA.
A print-only version of the Psychology Master's Programs' department application is made available here (the department application cannot be completed on-line). Click on each appropriate form listed below, print it out, complete and submit.
- Informational (for applicant's use – do not submit form)
Department Application Cover Sheet
Check Sheet for MA/MS Department Application (includes mailing addresses)
MSIO Course Information Sheet
Graduate School Application Tips Sheet
Financial Aid (apply between January 1st and March 2nd for priority – extremely important consideration deadline)
- Required (to be submitted to Psychology Graduate Office)
Department Application Form (required)
MAPR Faculty Mentor List (required for MAPR applicants – section D of department application)
- Recommendation Form for MAPR and MSHF programs (three required)
- Recommendation Form for MSIO program (three required)
- GPA Computation Form (required)
- MA in Psychology, Option in Psychological Research Prerequisite Form (required for MAPR applicants)
- MS in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational Prerequisite Form (required for MSIO applicants)
- MS in Psychology, Option in Human Factors Prerequisite Form (required for MSHF applicants)
- Statement of Purpose (required – see Department Application Form instructions – page 2)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) (required – self generated)
If you experience difficulties in printing the above documents, please make sure that your web browser is a recent version and that you are using Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher (available by clicking on the "Get Acrobat Reader" icon below). If still experiencing difficulties, try selecting "Print as image" on print dialogue box.
Also available: Fillable Department Application Forms
The following are fillable versions of the above Psychology department application forms. After you (and your recommenders) complete each form, please print out and mail or submit as hard copies. Electronic documents will not be accepted.
Please contact the Psychology Graduate Advisor if you experience any difficulties with the forms.
Department Application Form (required)
(see above link for MAPR Mentor List – required for MAPR applicants)
Recommendation Form for MAPR and MSHF programs (three required)
Recommendation Form for MSIO program (three required)
GPA Computation Form (required)
MA in Psychology, Option in Psychological Research Prerequisite Form (required for MAPR applicants)
MS in Psychology, Option in Industrial/Organizational Prerequisite Form (required for MSIO applicants)
MS in Psychology, Option in Human Factors Prerequisite Form (required for MSHF applicants)
Statement of Purpose (required – see Department Application Form instructions – page 2)
Curriculum Vitae (CV) (required – self generated)
Helpful links
Psychology Graduate Advisor
Contact information, office hours
CSULB Campus Tours
Campus Sculpture Tour
New Graduate Student Resources
Directions to CSULB
Get Acrobat Reader link
Link to Adobe to download Acrobat Reader (free – needed to access PDF documents)
Other Related CSULB Master's Programs
Advanced Studies in Education and Counseling (formerly Educational Psychology)
Counseling Programs (including MFT, School Counseling)
Master of Social Work
Graduate School Tips
Statement of Purpose 1
Statement of Purpose 2
Constructing a CV
CSULB GSRC (Includes free consulting as available)
Illinois Univ (PDF)
Cornell Univ (Includes examples)
Recommendations and Advice
Other web sites of interest
City of Long Beach Visitors' page
Visitor's Guide


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1Ranking and status for 2017. For independence methodology and ranking, see InvestmentNews Center (http://data.investmentnews.com/ria/);
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C-F wrote:Hello, lovely tokipona community!
I recently got an official tokipona book (the one is now available at Amazon). One of the book's appendixes presents a writing system consisting of simple ideograms, which (I thought) was a kind of official.
I like it because all symbols are easy to remember and write (in contrast of the "sitelen" system, which looks attractive and mysterious, like Maya signs, but is not quite suitable for hand writing because of complexity).
But surprisingly I can not find any reference to this writing system in the net, including the http://tokipona.net/ website. What happened to it? Is it no more supported? What is a modern alternative?
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


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See ya, winter! Remember back in January when you resolved to get fit in 2014? But then, you know, it was cold out, and gyms are expensive, and you thought maybe you ought to hold off on the fitness thing. Well, time to check in on that resolution. Now's the time to reap the many benefits of exercise, and you can do so with just a pair of good shoes and a positive outlook – by becoming a runner.
And what if not only you became a runner, but so did your mom and neighbors and co-workers? That's a question Mizuno Running, an apparel and footwear manufacturer, and University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School sought to answer in their "What If Everybody Ran" campaign, launched this month. Researchers tried to figure out what would happen if every American who could become a runner did in fact regularly run. According to their calculations, a lot of great things: Life expediencies would increase by about six years; $143 billion would be saved in health care costs; and people would be happier.
In a world where everyone ran, you would need to join the club. But first, you need a plan, and Jenny Hadfield can help.
Hadfield is a running and fitness expert who's authored the books "Running for Mortals" and "Marathoning for Mortals." As the titles indicate, Hadfield understands that most of us don't have Kenyan genes, or the time and energy to commit our entire lives to running. But by starting our runs with baby steps, most of us can find routines that are both healthy and fun. U.S. News asked Hadfield what "off the couch" runners – the newest of newbies – need to know. Her responses have been edited.
What are the very first steps of becoming a runner?
The first step, truly, is to start where you are, rather than from where you want to be. It's the No. 1 mistake, and I made it myself when I first started to run: It's a nice spring day; you're excited; you have your new outfit and shoes, so you try going as far as you can, as fast as you can. And when you finish, you're either crying or not feeling very good. It destroys the flow of the momentum.
[Read: Don't Make These 4 Workout Mistakes.]
If you're coming off the couch, the best thing overweight folks can do is start a walking program. Develop a base of, say, four weeks of walking 30 to 45 minutes three times a week, and build on that. If you're not overweight, but you're getting off the couch, start with a run-walk program. Start with 30 minutes three times a week, every other day.
Your 30-minute workout is like an Oreo cookie in that it begins and ends with a five-minute walking warm-up and cool-down. In the 20 minutes in between, run until you can hear yourself breathe, and then walk until you catch it. This way, you're training by your fitness on that given day and allowing your body to adapt to the impact force. At the end of that first workout, instead of feeling tired and crabby, you'll feel fantastic. When you enjoy running, you'll want to do it again.
What advice do you have specific to new runners looking to lose weight, besides starting with a walking program?
Recognize that if you try and do too much too soon – nutritionally and physically – it can be overwhelming, and that's how a lot of people crash and burn. The more gradually you transition, the more you'll be able to adapt and change your lifestyle.
So, if you start with a running program, work into the nutritional part of it. Try simply tracking what you eat for a couple of weeks. (There are a lot of good logs out there, like FitDay, MyFitnessPal and FitBit.) Most of the time we're in denial about what we're eating, so it's helpful to see just how many calories, and how much fat, protein and carbohydrates, we're consuming. Being aware motivates you to say, "Hey, maybe I won't have ice cream tonight."
Speaking of nutrition, what should we eat before and after runs – whether we're looking to lose weight or not?
If you're running for 30 minutes, you don't really need to eat before. Just make sure you're eating regularly throughout the day. For post-workout, there's a short window of recovery. Within 30 minutes of finishing your run, have a snack that's high in carbohydrates and protein. Think: celery sticks and little bit of peanut butter, or maybe almonds and a piece of fruit.
[Read: What to Eat Before Running.]
Do you have any advice for picking out running shoes? With all the brands and fads – like the minimalist shoes – it's sometimes an overwhelming decision.
If you're new to the sport, go to a running specialty store and get fitted. Talk to a staff person, and he or she should watch you run in the shoe, ask what you're going to do in the shoe, look at the shape of your foot and measure your foot. If they don't do that, go to another store.
I don't think the minimalist shoe is a great place to start for people new to running, unless they're willing to start really, really gradually and build up their foot strength. Otherwise, it can cause some calf strain and soreness.
How do you know when you're ready to race?
Give yourself at least two to three months. Once you can either continuously run or run-walk in those 30 minute intervals, you ought to sign on the dotted line for a 5K.
[Read: Will the Couch to 5k Plan Work for You?]
What's the value of racing?
It provides accountability to a goal, which is motivating. Plus, it's exciting. There's a big difference between exercising in general and training for something, because you know you've got to prepare for your D-Day, so it brings purpose to your workouts. And it also shows progress. In your first workout, you may have run a mile and a half in 30 minutes. And now you can do a 5K in 30 or 35 minutes.
Any other general advice for new runners?
Mix up your routine. It's a great motivator to run one day, and then try, say, a Zumba or cycling class. You feel good about coming back to that second run of the week because you're not doing the same darn thing every day. And truly listen to your body as you train. Some people do my Zero to Running program in 10 weeks, but it took me three months to do it when I first started. Listen to your body, and don't push through pain. Also, don't compare yourself to your neighbor, or your husband or wife who runs. Everyone is unique.
[Read: Top 6 Strength Moves for Runners.]


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My favorite tiny house news of the week…first tiny house hotel now open in Portland, Oregon! This news is very inspiring to me! I would love to open a tiny house bed and breakfast. It's been a scheme of a dream which Cedric and I have been tossing around for some time. I'm excited to see if this type of tourist accommodation attracts more folks to the lifestyle. It's definitely a great way to get ideas and stay in a cool space in a rad city. I wish I could have hung out in a tiny house before we started building. It would have really helped me conceptualize our design before building.
Ranging in size from 100-200 square feet of custom built coziness, they sport all the amenities you would expect from a hotel. Flush toilets, hot showers, full kitchen and outdoor covered seating. Add in hammocks and fire pits and you've got yourself an excellent set-up! The Pearl, shown here, is the smallest of the three tiny houses coming in at 90 square feet. A modern design with gorgeous custom wood work, it was designed and built by Shelterwise LLC. With a dining room table that converts in to a queen size bed, this accommodation truly meets the challenge of small space design with creative solutions.
The three houses definitely have their own personalities. The Rosebud, shown left, is the next size up at 120 square feet and provides that woodsy, cabin-like appeal. According to their website this is best rented for 1-2 people. The Tandem, their largest accommodation can hold 4 but they recommend that family or close friends share the space due to it's open floor plan. At 160 square feet it would definitely be a cozy fit for four. The pictures suggest a bright and comfy stay no matter which house you choose!
If I ever make out to Portland I will definitely check this place out!
Your Turn!
- Would you pay to stay at a tiny house hotel?


text: Option to keep notification "persistent" rnewsat says:Sometimes I missed alarm because it was too short and low or I was too busy. I hope RTM works like an alarm.Please add RTM the feature that it beeps until I checked it.Posted at 6:11am on November 18, 2011 guptashubham123 says:Must have basic feature for all task management apps and strangely no one has it, EverNote, Google Keep, Any.Do or Remember the Milk. Strange !Posted 3 years ago Log in to post a reply.