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John Elkington

John Elkington

A world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development.

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The Jewish Museum, Pera House, Viagra …

John Elkington · 24 September 2009 · Leave a Comment

Elaine reflected in a mirror in the Jewish Museum Elaine reflected in a mirror in the Jewish Museum Cockerel and Viagra Cockerel and Viagra Chairs shaped like human bottoms Chairs shaped like human bottoms Pera House Pera House  Windows and chandelier Windows and chandelier Reflection of one of Canning's expropriated chandeliers Reflection of one of Canning’s expropriated chandeliers Angel Angel From the sublime ... to the recycling From the sublime … to the recycling Bench at the Reflection Pool, Pera House Bench at the Reflection Pool, Pera House Tree Tree Memorial, Pera House Memorial, Pera House Graffiti in Pera Graffiti in Pera Graffiti in Pera, 2 Graffiti in Pera, 2 Self-portrait in fender - in blue jeans Koc Museum: self-portrait in fender – in blue jeans Koc Museum: fish made from car springs Koc Museum: fish made from car springs Submarine conning tower Koc Museum: submarine conning tower Evening in the spice market Evening in the spice market

The Jews have had an up and down history in Constantinople and Istanbul, as became clear from a visit today to the Jewish Museum. Much of the day we spent in and around Pera, where I found it difficult to resist snapping images of bottom-shaped chairs or Viagra strung from a cockerel’s beak in local shop windows. But the most moving visit of the day was to Pera House, the old British Embassy, built in the style of a rather grand English country house on land ceded to the British in perpetuity. Elaine and I met and talked to the widow of Roger Short, one of those killed in the terrible bombing of 2003, which killed 13 people. She was working on the plantings around the memorial to those killed.

Later in the day, we spent a hugely entertaining couple of hours at the Rahmi M Koc Industrial Museum, where the rest of the crew were much taken with the railway carriage used by the first Sultan to visit France and Britain in the wake of the Crimean War, while my eye was taken by other things – particularly the wreckage of a Liberator, Hadley’s Harem. This was one of 177 Liberators from Benghazi that bombed oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania on August 1st, 1943 – dubbed “Black Sunday”. After bombing the target, the B-24 was crippled by a German fighter and ttried to fly to the British base in Cyprus but ended up ditching near Antalya. The bomb-aimer had been killed and the nose blown away in the attack, so God only knows what it was like ditching in the sea, the subsequent crash also killing the pilot and co-pilot. Much of the airframe was salvaged in 1995 and the cockpit section, partly restored, was put on display with the help of Roy Newton, one of seven survivors of the crash. 

In the evening, Elaine and I walked around the wonderful Spice Market, with its mounds of spices, dried fruit and honeycombs, among other delights.

New Mosque 1 New Mosque 1 New Mosque 2 New Mosque 2

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Introduction

I began this blog with an entry reporting on a visit to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod, on 30 September 2003. The blog element of the website has gone through several iterations since, with much of the older material still available.

Like so many things in my life, blog entries blur the boundaries between the personal and the professional. As explained on this site’s Home Page, the website and the blog are part platform for ongoing projects, part autobiography, and part accountability mechanism.

In addition, my blogs have appeared on many sites such as: Chinadialogue, CSRWire, Fast Company, GreenBiz, Guardian Sustainable Business, and the Harvard Business Review.

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About

John Elkington is a world authority on corporate responsibility and sustainable development. He is currently Founding Partner and Executive Chairman of Volans, a future-focused business working at the intersection of the sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation movements.

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john@johnelkington.com  |  +44 203 701 7550 | Twitter: @volansjohn

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