Cummins Expands in Turkey

Columbus-based Cummins Inc. has announced that it will break ground in early 2011 on a multi-phased manufacturing site at the Aegean Free Trade Zone in Izmir, Turkey. The company plans to first build a filtration manufacturing plant and follow with a facility to produce alternators for its power generation business.

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BSU Group Returns From Turkey

A delegation from Ball State University has returned from a two-week educational, business relations and economic development trip to Turkey, reports Inside INdiana Business.

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Turkish Delegation Visits Indiana

On Thursday (6 May) a delegation from Turkey arrives in Indiana to research the purchase of Indiana hardwoods. The group will tour three Indiana hardwood companies: Indiana Veneers Corporation, Indianapolis; John M. Wooley Lumber Company, Indianapolis, and Pike Lumber, Akron.

On Friday (7 May), the Indiana State Department of Agriculture will host one-on-one meetings between members of the Turkish delegation and Indiana manufacturers to discuss purchasing opportunities for veneer, lumber and logs.

Last year, ISDA traveled to the Intermob Furniture Fair in Istanbul, Turkey, with the American Hardwood Export Council & Hardwood States Export Group. On that trip, Indiana landed 35 trade leads for lumber and veneer for the hardwood industry.

Jeannie Keating, manager of media relations for ISDA, has more information.

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First Global Studies Speakers Scheduled at Marian

"Hoosiers and Interfaith Dialogue in Turkey" is the topic for the first Global Studies Speakers Series event at Marian College in Indianapolis, scheduled for 7 p.m. 16 October in the Bishop Chartrand Memorial Chapel.

Panelists are:
• Dr. Pierre Atlas (pictured), director of The Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies and assistant professor of political science at Marian College
• Bilal Eksili, executive director of The Holy Dove Foundation in Indianapolis
• Dr. George LaMaster, ordained Presbyterian minister and assistant professor of communication at Marian College
• Rabbi Dennis Sasso, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck and adjunct professor of theology at Marian College

Atlas, LaMaster, and Sasso have participated in three different interfaith trips to Turkey through The Holy Dove Foundation, each led by Eksili.

Shared Beauty: Eastern Rugs & Western Purses

Though beaded purses were fashionable through the 19th and early 20th centuries, they became extremely popular in the 1920s as an integral part of the flapper-era costumes, greatly complementing the period’s beaded evening dresses. A wide variety of patterns were depicted on these bags, including flowers, trees, birds, animals, landscapes and other popular motifs.

However, some of the most fashionable designs were copied from the patterns of Persian, Turkish, Caucasian, and Indian carpets and textiles.

In "Shared Beauty: Eastern Rugs & Western Purses", an exhibition at Indianapolis Museum of Art continuing through 8 March 2009, beaded bags are displayed alongside rugs with similar patterns. This juxtaposition explores the motifs common to these objects, provides a closer look at Orientalism, and investigates the influences of Eastern art on Western art, fashion, and culture.

"The Edge of Heaven" at Notre Dame

The Edge of Heaven, a 2008 film directed by Fatih Akin, screens at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. both today (15 August) and tomorrow (16 August) in the Browning Cinema on the Campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend. Tickets are $6 ($5 for Notre dame faculty/staff, $4 seniors and $3 students).

The film, in Turkish, German, and English languages with English subtitles is not rated; it runs 122 minutes.

Awards: Winner – Best Screenplay Award, Cannes Film Festival 2007; Winner – Best Screenplay Award, European Film Awards 2007; Winner – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing 2008 German Film Awards (LOLA). You can see the trailer here.

Summary: Nejat initially disapproves of his widower father Ali`s choice of prostitute Yeter for a live-in girlfriend. But the young professor warms to her when he learns that most of her hard-earned money is sent home to Turkey for her daughter’s university studies. After Yeter`s accidental death, Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter`s daughter Ayten. Political activist Ayten has fled the Turkish police and is already in Germany. She is befriended by a young woman, Lotte, who invites rebellious Ayten to stay in her home, much to the displeasure of her conservative mother, Susanne. When Ayten is arrested and her asylum plea denied, she is deported and imprisoned in Turkey. Passionate Lotte abandons everything to help Ayten. A tragic event brings Susanne to Istanbul to help fulfill her daughter`s mission.

Turkey Latest Market for Brightpoint

Plainfield-based Brightpoint Inc. has started operations in Turkey, reports Inside INdiana Business.

It is one of the first foreign distributors to establish a presence in the expanding Turkish wireless market.

UIndy Basketball Star Named MVP in Poland

Former University of Indianapolis superstar David Logan (pictured) was recently named the Most Valuable Player of Poland's Dominet Banke Ekstraliga basketball league, reports the UIndy news bureau.

His phenomenal campaign, which also included an All-Star team nod, was highlighted by his team's advancement to the Finals, where it eventually fell to five-time defending champion Prokom Trefl Sopot.

The 6-1 guard has spent three years playing professionally in Europe. He originally signed with Edimes Pavia in the Italian League, averaging 17.1 points per game in 12 contests with the club. He then went on to Ramat-Hasharon in Turkey, where he played in 22 contests and averaged 15.4 points per game. He has played in Poland the past two seasons, playing for Polphamra-Pakmet Starogard before his stint with the Turow squad.

The Indianapolis native compiled 2,352 points in his fabulous career at UIndy.

Turkish Consul General Speaks in Indy

Kenan Ipek, Consul General of Turkey, will discuss "Turkish Foreign Policy: Orientations, Priorities and Issues" during a presentation from 3-4:30 p.m. tomorrow (27 March) in Room 405 of the Campus Center at Indiana University-Purdue University of Indianapolis, 420 University Boulevard, Indianapolis.

The event is cosponsored by American Turkish Association of Indiana, Turkish Students Association of IUPUI and the Department of Political Science at IUPUI.

Why Did Ms. Erdogan Attend Indiana University?

According to The New York Times, one of the reasons a daughter of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended Indiana University is the Turkish government's ban on women wearing headscarves at university. She could attend university in Bloomington while covering her head -- but not in Ankara or Istanbul.

There's more on Esra Erdogan and IU here.