Refik Anadol, Turkish-American Artist Receives The Lifetime Awardees for 2019 Florence Biennale - Contemporary Arts

Franco Zeffirelli, Florence-born director, set and costume designer, and producer acclaimed worldwide, has been bestowed the Lorenzo il Magnifico Lifetime Achievement Award for Visual and Performing Arts. The Award for Sculpture goes to Mexican sculptor Gustavo Aceves, whilst Turkish-born young artist Refik Anadol receives the Award for New Media Art.

Turkey Bids Farewell to Renowned Historian Kemal Karpat

The last rites of internationally acclaimed historian Kemal Karpat were performed on Feb. 25 in a state ceremony. Karpat died of natural causes on Feb. 20 in the U.S. at the age of 96. In a funeral ceremony held at Istanbul University, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Turkish people should follow his footsteps and pursue "even greater" academic achievements. "He was able to approach the old debates of Turkey in a much more realistic and moderate way," Erdoğan said. Erdoğan said the birthplace of the historian, Dobruja region of Romania, could seem far from Turkey today, but Karpat was born to Turkish parents.

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Prominent Turkish Historian Kemal Karpat Dead in US at 96

Internationally acclaimed Turkish historian Kemal Karpat died on Feb. 20 in the United States aged 96, a Turkish official said. Turkish Consul General in Chicago Umut Acar told Anadolu Agency that Karpat died of multi-organ failure in Madison, Wisconsin at around 6.40 p.m (1240GMT). Karpat, an expert on the Ottoman Empire and modern Turkish history, was an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He celebrated his 96th birthday on Feb. 15, said Acar.

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Turkish-American Owned Benseron Selected One of 50 Florida Companies to Watch

Benseron Hospitality is pleased to announce the 50 statewide companies expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Benseron Hospitality was selected from more than 500 nominees for Florida Companies to WatchSM, a statewide program managed by economic development group GrowFL, in association with the Edward Lowe Foundation. Benseron Hospitality’s management team, competitive market position and strong community involvement were among several factors that put them in contention for the award. “These stand-out companies are all led by entrepreneurs, and have demonstrated their capacity and intent to grow,” said Dr. Tom O’Neal, GrowFL executive director. “They also all have critical intellectual property or a niche position that gives them a competitive edge in their markets,” he said.

SOM Unveils Design for Burj Jumeira Tower in Dubai

Architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has unveiled the design for the 550m Burj Jumeira tower in Al Sufouh, Dubai, UAE. Designed by SOM, the first phase of the skyscraper is expected to be completed in 2023. The tower is located directly between the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel and the Sheikh Zayed Road and set to become the new focal point in the Dubai skyline.
Upper stories of the tower will feature dining, active programming, and multiple observation decks offering 360° views of Dubai.

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Microsoft Acquires Citus Data Founded by Turkish-American Entrepreneurs

Microsoft has acquired Citus Data which is founded by Umur Cubukcu, Ozgun Erdogan, and Sumedh Pathak in 2011. Microsoft and Citus Data will further unlock the power of data, enabling customers to scale complex multi-tenant SaaS applications and accelerate the time to insight with real-time analytics over billions of rows, all with the familiar PostgreSQL tools developers know and love.

Father of Dr. Oz Dies Aged 94 in Istanbul

Father of Turkish-American cardiac surgeon and talk show host Dr. Mehmet Oz has died at the age of 94 in Istanbul on Saturday, according to hospital sources. Mustafa Oz was receiving treatment for a while, said the sources, who asked not to be named, due to restrictions on speaking to the media. The sources did not provide further details of his treatment process.

Brooklyn Borough President Supports WeWalk

By Ali Cinar-New York - Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams joined the representatives from WeWalk — developers of a “smart cane” for the visually impaired — to demonstrate the first-of-its-kind technology to Brooklyn and to announce the launch of a pilot program for clients of Helen Keller Services for the Blind, a non-profit organization based in Downtown Brooklyn helping people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired, and students from Lighthouse Guild, an organization dedicated to addressing and preventing vision loss. The technology, which was developed in Turkey through the non-governmental organization (NGO) Young Guru Academy (YGA), facilitates the world’s first open platform “smart cane,” which features security LED lighting, integration with mobile apps such as Google, Lyft, and Uber, and voice-command capability.

Selen Comes in Like a 'Typhoon', Turkish Immigrant Voted Chatham Township Mayor in 3-2 Count; Kelly Voted Deputy Mayor

Tayfun Selen takes the oath of office as Chatnam Township Mayor with former Lt Governor Kim Guadagno doing the honors. Credit:TAP ChatnamBy ED BARMAKIAN, CHATHAM, NJ - "My name is Tayfun Selen. I'm the mayor of Chatham Township." Those words brought applause from the packed crowd in the Chatham Township Municipal Building meeting room on Thursday night when Selen achieved what he described as the "American Dream" after he was voted in as the new mayor of Chatham Township and sworn in with the help of former Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno. An immigrant from Turkey, Selen came to the United States 22 years ago, starting out as a gas station attendant with little mastery of the English language. It was noted that he is not the first Turkish immigrant to serve Chatham Township since Turkey native Rustem Bey served as the township's very first police chief.

Tayfun Selen Becomes First Turkish Mayor to Be Elected in US After Being Voted Chatham Township Mayor

Tayfun Selen was sworn in Friday as the new mayor of Chatham Township in the state of New Jersey, becoming the first Turkish national to hold such a position in the United States. Once an immigrant from Turkey, Selen, a Turkey-born American citizen who came to the U.S. 22 years ago, has been an elected member of the Chatham Municipal Committee since 2017. The election result regarding Selen, who is a member of the Republican Party, was announced by Turkey's Consulate General in New York via their Twitter account.

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