www.youppo.com a new social space to catch up with friends, free storage for your pics and talk about whats happening

my page is www.youppo.com/web/damien

So the festival has so much on that its a bit hard to choose the good from the bad and the ugly … hahaha

Gus van Sant retrospective looks cool – I’d check out Elephant for his great take on the Columbine shooting … or for maybe check out Last Days his tribute to you Kurt Cobain.

I’m off to see Pan’s Labyrinth – from Guillermo del Toro set in the Spanish war, a little girl escapes from the horrors of the war, only to meet Pan in the garden maze.

Istanbul Film Festival Program and Tickets – for Tickets go to Biletix

There are many bars and restaurants that you can get local beers and wines from. Local wines are nothing to write home about, but seeing a bottle of Australian’s finest supermarket wine for about £40 is scary. Import wines are always going to be better but there is a 100% taxes on these luxuries.

So back to cocktails and where to find them … Limes are usually impossible to find here, so most cocktails get ruined with fresh lemons, juice or pummelled chunks of the stuff. So here then is your guide to places to try to find a good drink, or at least get rotten drunk.

Timeout‘s travel guide recommends Besinci Kat (5th floor English site), where you can usually find the ingredients for a good drink. They do have limes!

Adventurous spirits will probably want to try Vogue for its view, Loft for its quiet and subtle decor or Ulus 29 for the poshness of it all.

But back to Taksim – a good cocktail is hard to find – if you like a cocktail that will blow your socks off – or is so strong that you think its on alcohol then head to Şimdi which is off Istiklal Cad, the last street on the right before the Swedish Consulate in the Atlas Apartment building. They don’t seem to have a website. But they have great meze / tapas, free wireless and a good mojito with lots of mint. They give out free snacks too, which you need with a drink this strong.

I met Joe recently, he’s the Mixologist at Saf – a new restaurant with cocktail bar next to House Cafe in Tunel. Saf means Raw and is a new hip vegetarian restaurant in Istanbul. And he likes to mix a good cocktail – the Expat Harem served on the rocks in a long glass is brilliant, ginger beer, vodka and fresh cucumber juice.  Though the lack the punch of the Simdi Mojito, his Rosa Mojito will be excellant on a summers night.

Changa will be my last mention today… their ‘Wanganui’ New Zealand inspired kiwifruit cocktail is probably their best. Or maybe its the lychee cocktails or the kumquat cocktail that is best … you decide … just stay for the chocolate truffle selection for desert.

A Turkish court today ordered access to YouTube to be blocked because of videos allegedly insulting the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Paul Doany, head of Turk Telekom, Turkey’s largest telecommunications provider, said his company had enforced the ban immediately.

“We are not in the position of saying that what YouTube did was an insult, that it was right or wrong,” Mr Doany said in remarks to the state-run Anatolia news agency. “A court decision was proposed to us, and we are doing what that court decision says.”

The vast majority of Turkish internet users use Turk Telekom, a former state-run monopoly that was privatised in 2005.

Visitors to the YouTube site from Turkey were greeted with the message: “Access to this site has been blocked by a court decision!”

And a message in both Turkish and English at the bottom of the page read: “Access to YouTube.com site has been suspended in accordance with decision no: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court.”

Mr Doany said Turk Telekom would allow access to the popular video-sharing site again if the court decision were rescinded. Access from Turkey may be possible through other service providers, he said.

Over the past week, Turkish media publicised what some called a “virtual war” between Greeks and Turks on YouTube, with people from each side posting videos to belittle and berate the other.

The video prompting the ban allegedly said Ataturk and the Turkish people were homosexuals, according to news reports. The CNN-Turk Web site featured a link allowing Turks to complain directly by email to YouTube about the “insult.”

On its front page on Wednesday, the newspaper Hurriyet said thousands of people had written to YouTube, and that the Ataturk videos had been removed from the site. “YouTube got the message,” the headline said.

Insulting Ataturk or “Turkishness” is a crime in Turkey punishable by prison.

Turkey, which hopes to join the European Union, has been roundly condemned for not doing enough to curb extreme nationalist sentiments and to protect freedom of expression.

You know its spring .. more bands are touring. This week its Incubus or if you are a fan of something more local then Jazz Funk / Fusion act the Brooklyn Funk Essentials are playing 4 nights a Babylon .. tickets are probably sold out for the weekend.

Alternatively get out and enjoy the ‘spring’ weather – it might still be cold and a little wet – take the metro up to Levent and shop for that new outfit in Kanyon or Metrocity … you can loose a whole day in those shopping malls.

Mixed Menu
Mid Priced
Open 7 days til 10pm
Free WIFI

Great options in a friendly chilled atmosphere with a large communal table to sit around and enjoy your food or a just grab a juice or coffee. You can quite easily pass a few hours here with friends.

Menu options range from breakfast Turkish specialities like spicy-scrambled eggs (memnen) to more traditional breakfasts of breads and cheese. A range of great fresh juices get you started, try the House Boom combo juice with 1/2 banana, some apple, fresh orange and cherry juice.

Head down anytime of the day for lunch or dinner options from green lentil salad with white cheese and french mustard dressing or a large pizza with pear, walnut and rockfort cheese. If you want more space to yourself, try to grab one of the few tables for 2 in the back room and if you find smoking really gets up your nose, ask for seat right by the entrance.

For summer days and a Sunday brunch head to the Ortakoy and then go shopping at the local markets.

Finishing soon is the Cengiz Han exhibition at the Sabanci Museum why not just skip the gallery and head straight for desert at the Muzedechanga. Enjoy the view while nibbling on your brunch. Then walk the 4 floors and make sure you use the stairs. Think of the guilt free dining you just did and all that exercise.

Taking a taxi, get out at Rumeli Castle and admire the view and stroll around before walking down to Lucca in Bebek. Always busy and with great bar snacks and meals this should be good for lunch.

From here its a short trip back to the city – choose a ferry if its fine … or grab a taxi across the road from the cafe.

But stop along the way for one more fantastic view – the Istanbul Modern – head for the back and the breathtaking view from the cafe! Yup, you should now be intellectually full and ready for another coffee and cake with that view!

Sunday Night – Free Party at Babylon for the Closing of the !F Festival

However … if you don’t have a window seat at Ulus 29 or tickets to Kenan Dogulu and you want to go see the UEFA Cup Fenerbache Game, then DAMNED TO DAMNATION BE YOU.

If you are looking for alternative ideas this week … try calling Tuus for a later dinner or maybe Besinci Kat (5th floor) for the queer set.

Some other suggestions are to head to Tesvikye and one of the pharmacys and spend a bit on Dermalogica products – We recommend the Dermalogica MultiVitamin Power Firm for and Eye and lip area. Try Taylife for a treatment and book a night in the Sofa Hotel.

Happy Valentines Day to all those who are loved and be loved in return

— Alternatively do just listen to Bob Marley sing ‘could you be loved’

Bonnie “Prince” Billy has been performing for some time now. I saw this american singer-songwriter in London last year playing from his latest album. You can call this indie and guitar based or maybe ‘alternative country’ but he’s a treat.

Expect him to play songs from his 12th album, The Letting Go. Recorded in Reykjavik with one of Bjork’s engineers – its a mix of folk, country and blues with strings attached.

• Tickets from Biletix 

One half of Kruder & Dorfmeister -Everyone must have a copy of the K&D sessions, mines still on hi rotation in my CD player! Richard Dorfmeister is here for one night DJ set at Babylon this Friday.

• Tickets from Biletix

Bonnie Prince Billy – Februay 9

Plinky plonk, guitar based sounds and vocals from this amply talented man. Bonnie Prince Billy will be giving us a taste of all that hes got. Having seen him in London last year, this is something worth going to.

• Tickets from Biletix

Coming up …

Istanbul Film Festival IF Festival Feb 15 – 25