Interview with Mert, the future organizer of worldwide blogger's meeting at Istanbul. Interview with Mert. The Meeting Of Two Continents. emmaalvarez: Tell us something about you. merkal2005: My name is Mert. I am from Istanbul, Turkey. Born in 5 March 1974. Graduated from Istanbul Technical University as a naval architecture. Since 1998 i work for www.maerskline.com in Turkey. My profession is Marketing. I discovered blogging in 2006 December. Since then i am blogging daily. I like writing a lot, i believe this is the best way for me to express myself. Words don't come easy, like solving a puzzle. I like that feeling... emmaalvarez: Mert, what can find the readers in your blog? merkal2005: My dear readers can find everything related to Istanbul and Turkey in my blog. Currently my blog is telling about my life in Istanbul. Soon i am going to post about my internet income as well. emmaalvarez: What can people find in Turkey that they didn't expect? merkal2005: Turkey is often called "the cradle of civilization," as it has been home to a rich variety of tribes and nations of people since 6500 B.C. Hattis, Hittites, Phrygians, Urartians, Lycians, Lydians, Ionians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans have all held important places in Turkey's history. Ancient sites and ruins throughout the country attest to each civilization's unique character. Plus Turkish hospitality is world wide known. emmaalvarez: I saw your blog has increased popularity very much at great speed. How have you achieved such a success? merkal2005: Thank you so much for your kind words Emma. I don't feel that i meet my targets yet, but if my blog is accepted as a successful blog by quality bloggers like you, than i feel very happy. I usually post 2-3 articles a day, i spend sometime in Mybloglog to be in close contact with my audience. I am a curious person and i hate staying in the same place. Personal improvement has always been number 1 priority in my agenda. I like to add value to other's lifes by sharing my experiences. emmaalvarez: Your blog focuses mainly in Istanbul. What makes Istanbul different from other cities in Turkey? merkal2005: Istanbul is a city between Asia and Europe. So it is a mixture of two continents. A very cosmopolitan city which has recently become so popular. Apart from this there are 15 million people are living in Istanbul. Most of the business centres are in Istanbul. emmaalvarez: What are your future plans for your blog? merkal2005: I plan to find a sponsor to arrange a blogger's meeting in Istanbul. I can't think of a better place in the world for such an organization. Istanbul is a city where the East and the West meet. Let's meet where the continents meet! merkal2005's Page

BlogCatalog has started a campaign for organ donation. When I was informed about this, I felt a strong need to contribute for a cause that I believe on completely. The best of organ donation is that when you die, you don't do it completely, but you can make something of your person continues living in another one. In some way, it's like being a hero, because your life will guarantee that others continue living. The existence of sick people whose organs are damaged is very painful. For example, people that have kidney trouble have to spend hours connected to a machine that cleans their blood. Or people who suffer from heart disease, whose existence seems to slip away each minute waiting for a phone call that may change their lives. When we talk about children the things get worse. There is nothing as terrible as a child suffering. Innocent creatures that, instead of enjoying their childhood, they are trapped in a bed, without being able to do what the other children do: play, jump, run... Organ donation can put an end to one of the worse crimes of our times. It happens each day. Children that live in the streets, without parents nor nobody who cares for them, appear lying in a corner with surgical scars. They take a kidney of some of them, and others have worse luck and they just disappeared without a trace. There are many mafias that steal the organs of the homeless to sell them for big amounts of money. If we all donate our organs when we die, those mafias will have no sense, and they will disappear. Think it, think about the pros and cons. I can't find a reason against. Let us not be selfish the last second of our lives. NOTE: If you live in the United States, you can get more info in: OrganDonor.gov. (http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/index.htm), UNOS (http://www.unos.org/), or MatchingDonors.com (http://matchingdonors.com). You can also visit the British Organ Donor Society for known worldwide links(http://body.orpheusweb.co.uk/lnks.html).

Last Saturday, I could see Steve Vai, my favorite guitar player, in live, at the Fortress of Sun in Lorca. The concert was great Steve Vai was playing as only he can do for more than three hours. Vai proved the audience to be a musician generous and shining. His musicians are really good. The performance of the drums was excellent. And Vai was very funny and kind. It's so good to be able to see a so modest genius and charming person. Here you can see and hear one of his most special songs "For the love of God": Thank you Steve Vai for an unforgettable night of music in the highs of a castle.