The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union for a period of one calendar year during which it is given a chance to showcase its cultural life and cultural development. A number of European cities have used the City of Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in doing so, the way in which they are viewed internationally. The European Capital of Culture programme was initially called the European City of Culture and was conceived in 1983 by Melina Mercouri, then serving as Greek Minister of Culture. Mercouri believed that at the time, culture was not given the same attention as politics and economics and a project for promoting European cultures within the member states should be pursued. The European City of Culture programme was launched in the summer of 1985 with Athens being the first title-holder. During the German Presidency of 1999, the European City of Culture programme was renamed the European Capital of Culture. During the first two decades, cities were chosen primarily based on cultural history, scheduled events and the ability to provide infrastructural and financial support. A 2004 study by the European Culture Commission (Palmer Study) demonstrated that the choice of European Capital of Culture served as a catalyst for the cultural development and the transformation of the city. Consequently, the beneficial socio-economic development and impact for the chosen city are now also considered in determining the chosen cities. Following the EU Resolution in 1999 enlarging the ECOC Project as to include non-member countries, a group of civil society volunteers in Turkey arranged a meeting on 7 July 2000 in order to establish an "Enterprise Group" that would take the required steps for Istanbul to be a candidate for European Capital of Culture. After long processes and endeavors of many civil society members, Istanbul was found ready on 11 April 2006 for being the European Capital of Culture 2010 along with Peç (Hungary) and Essen (Germany). Conceding the view of European Parliament and approval by the Council of Cultural Ministers of the European Union on 13 November 2006 Istanbul was finally announced to be the European Capital of Culture for 2010. Why Istanbul? Istanbul maintains a distinguished position among the metropolis of the world with its unique geographical location and a cultural heritage of thousands of years. As one of the most energetic cities in the world Istanbul continually gets to be an attraction center.

The pirate bay is world's best known source for illegally traded movies, games, music etc. However, they don't host it directly but provide the user with torrent links. So, a bit-torrent client is the requirement to access it all. So, how come such a pirate site can survive wit ...more

This article is just a Critical Analysis, and in no way a fool proof claim. I haven't been to the past, so I use Logic. Globally Accepted Facts Hinduism - Factually accepted to be the Oldest Religion Vedas - Factually accepted to be the Oldest Religi ...more

"Be yourself." "Stand up for what you believe in." "Your life is yours to create." "Write your own destiny." These are but a few of the cultural cliches that are passed around by everyone on a fairly regular ...more