Hero Ozan shows us the laptops

A Hero’s Welcome at Europe’s First Best Buy

As luck would have it, I picked the right guy. “I’m a hero”, he told me, “I’m trained to speak about all sections of the store”. A hero is exactly whom I needed to lead me through the hordes of people at the opening of Best Buy’s first European store. After cutting the ribbon and wading through an aisle of raucous employees, we arrived in the laptop section. I quickly spotted Ozan standing quietly next to a Toshiba. “How long have you worked for Best Buy?” I asked. “Three months”, he proudly said, “let me show you around!” ...more

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  A Night Aboard the USS Bataan

  As our van weaved through shipping containers and flatbed trucks, we wondered if we were lost. There was no sign of the USS Bataan, and the dark Izmir port looked more like a mafia hangout than a temporary home for one of America’s finest vessels. Suddenly a sea of young men with crew cuts swarmed past our van, eager to sample Izmir’s nightlife; we knew we must be close. Following their trail, we soon spotted the ship’s bright lights. As we approached, officers stood at attention and saluted. We jumped out of the van and were greeted by bells and whistles as we scaled the gangway.

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  Foreign Policy in the first year of the Obama Administration

  Walter Russell Mead lectured on U.S. foreign policy in the first year of the Obama Administration at the Izmir University of Economics on November 20, 2009. Mr. Mead explained the four tenets that form the ideological basis of US foreign policy, tenets established by successive generations of American intellectuals including Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson.

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  FedEx Trade Mission Visits Izmir

  On November 13, the FedEx Turkey Trade Mission visited Izmir. Approximately 25 Izmir based companies met with the US companies to discuss potential business partnerships. Participating companies initially were introduced to the local Izmir business environment by business leader Ali Nail Kubalı. Delegates later visited the Aegean Free Trade Zone, and attended matchmaking meetings with Izmir companies. The trade mission ended with a tour of the Bay of Izmir hosted by Captain Altay Altuğ, and a dinner at a Konak Pier restaurant with the local Turkish American Business Association chapter. Prior to arriving in Izmir, the FedEx Turkey Trade Mission visited Istanbul and Ankara from November 9-12.