All eyes are on Turkey, a Westernized, secular-but-Muslim, half European-half Asian country, as it tries to determine its modern identity. Around the globe, our daily lives are increasingly affected by other cultures. Could this uniquely positioned microcosm be a model for integration – or is it a cautionary tale?
On June 26, 2008, thirty social scientists, businesspeople and cultural thought leaders will gather in Istanbul for the Turkish city’s first Global Nomad Salon to try to answer these questions. Hosted by JANERA.com and Istanbul-based cultural writer Anastasia M. Ashman, coeditor of Tales from the Expat Harem, Turkey-based experts will guide a dinner discussion on the evening’s topic: "Turkey's East/West Identity".
The conversation will be anchored by Ersin Akarlılar, the CEO of Mavi Jeans; Neşe Gündoğan, the secretary general of the National Turkish Olympic Committee; Şerif Kaynar, the country managing director of executive recruiting firm Korn/Ferry; Ferhan Alesi, a global intercultural trainer; and Tara Hopkins, an Open Society/Soros Foundation grantee and American activist.
The dinner will take place on the rooftop of the Four Seasons in Sultanahmet, overlooking the Haghia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara.
To attend please send an email to RSVP@JANERA.com
I still remember clearly the day in 2002 when I almost met Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The choir I sang with was performing at a memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, one year after the attacks of September 11, and Tutu delivered the homily. 
In the winter of 1979, shortly before the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, my family went on holiday in Kabul. We were living in Pakistan at the time and, even though my English grandmother was visiting, my father wanted an adventure. 
12:35 a.m., Campo Alegre, Curaçao. Young prostitutes walk seductively through the palm tree lined alleys and give naked dance shows under flashing disco lights, hoping to attract business. 
At 3 a.m. I left for the airport, eager to leave New York City. I didn’t know what to expect. A few days earlier, I had been contacted by a public relations company that asked me to join a cruise down the Brazilian Amazon with a group of philanthropic doctors called Saude & Alegria. 
If you’ve never heard of Keith Reinhard, you know him by the ad slogans he created. Does “You Deserve A Break Today,” or “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” ring a bell?