No Luck With the Ladies

flirt links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 30 May 2012)

In Antalya, Ali Yılmaz (60), who sells second-hand women's
clothes in the markets, appealed to the public prosecutor,
claiming he had been defrauded. Yılmaz, who is married and
has five children, stated that two weeks ago a women named
E.S. (30) came up to him, saying she felt feint, and asked for
his help. E.S. told Yılmaz that 'my son's in a home and my
husband is disabled. I'm looking for a job and someplace to
stay.'

Yılmaz explained that he gave E.S. a job because she has
diabetes. He added that he rented a house for E.S. in Kepez
and spent 50,000TL on her but that 'in exchange she justed
flirted with me.' Yılmaz claimed that E.S. loaded up all the
things in the house one day and fled.

It has been learned that Yılmaz was an independent candidate
for parliament from Antalya. He lamented that 'even my wife
didn't vote for me in the election. The only vote I got was the
one I gave myself.'

Ancient Treasure, Relentless Hunter

gold links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 25 May 2012)

Treasure hunter Turan Gögerçin has been searching for
the treasure of the Crimean Kingdom in Giresun for four
years but after spending 500,000 TL his money is used up.
Nevertheless, he says hopefully that 'if I find another
100,000 TL I'll reach the treasure.'

Gögerçin has spent 500,000TL over four years with the
dream of finding 90 tons of gold in a valley where he claims
the Crimean Kingdom held sway 3,400 years ago. Gögerçin's
excavation, for which he has official permission, has reached
a point 60 meters deep and he's found some historical items
in the process. But he's had to take a break in excavating since
his money ran out. Undaunted, he said that 'there's definitely
a treasure there. I need 100,000 TL more.'

Gögerçin (47), of Giresun, is a bonafide treasure hunter, having
excavated with permission in various places in Turkey over the
past 20 years. He has always found the treasure he sought. His
latest effort is centered in the 2,100 meter-high Bektaş Valley in
Bulancak district, where he started work four years ago. Based
on maps, Gögerçin started his effort with a special 17-person
team in this area which he asserts was ruled by the Crimean
Kingdom 3,400 years ago.

Gögerçin claims that there are two hollows in a rock at the
uppermost point of the valley where footprints indicate the
entrance to an underground city. Here he has set up a mobile
compressor, a generator, a make-shift elevator and a drill.
At the excavation Gögerçin first found what he claims is he
guard tower for the tunnel and he has removed the dirt and
rocks from the spot. He also claims to have found torches
made from cut rock that were used to light the tower.

Every year Gögerçin continues his work by renewing his permit
and under the watch of the Gendarmerie. The first year he reached
14 meters, the second 25 meters, the third 38 meters and 60
meters in the fourth year, spending 500,000 TL in the process.
Not having found the treasure and out of money, Gögerçin had
put a steel fence around the area for now. He says 'there's an
untouched civilization underground. We will do an important job.
The civilization will attract tourism to the region.'

Continuing, Gögerçin stated that 'My money's gone. I need
100,000 TL. When I find the money I'll resume the excavation.'
With regard to rumors that the treasure contains 90 tons of gold,
Gögerçin said only that 'the amount is large.'  He claimed as well
that the graves of 3,600 slaves are in the search area.

Love Triangle Collapses on Lovers

triangle links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 25 May 2012)

Prof. Dr. Osman Altuğ, head of the Accounting and Financing
branch of the Economy and Management Faculty at Marmara
University in Istanbul, fell in love with his student Pınar Değirmenci
and arranged for an apartment for her in Ataköy 2. Kısım in 2007.
Shortly afterwards, Değirmenci earned her doctorate and started
to date Osman Çırak, the former head of Giresunspor.

When this happened, Dr. Altuğ, who is married and has two
children, complained to the Finance Ministry's tax office that
companies owned or shared by Çırak were engaging in 'tax
evasion, fake invoices and invented exports.'  The tax office
started an investigation.

Dr. Altuğ and Değirmenci met for coffee and Değirmenci secretly
recorded their conversation, in which Dr. Altuğ warned Değirmenci
that Çırak, whose name had come up in a match-fixing scandal, was
not a reliable person. Çırak and Değirmenci then demanded 600,000
dolars from Dr. Altuğ for this taped conversation. The two sides
met at Dr. Altuğ's request in January, agreed on 575,000 dolars and
signed a protocol.

The protocol was arranged by all parties' lawyers via email with an
agreement that none of the information about these incidents would
be shared and stipulating sanctions and penalties for doing so. The
talks broke down, however, when Değirmenci's lawyer informed all
concerned that Değirmenci would not vacate the apartment that
Dr. Altuğ had purchased for her.

All concerned filed complaints and the prosecutor opened a case
against Dr. Altuğ for 'threatening by using the names of criminal
organizations and slander', asking for a sentence of 10.5 years.
Sentences requested for Çırak and Değirmenci by the prosecutor
were 4.6 years and 3.6 years, respectively.

Locked-Out and Locked-In

Izmir links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 May 2012)

In Izmir, Mutlu Yazan (38) realized that he had left
his house key inside his fourth floor house so he tried
to enter it via the air conditioning duct. He fell and died.
Yazan's neighbors heard a noise at about 2100 hours
last night and found Yazan lying in the duct. Yazan
had previously entered his house in the same manner.

Manisa links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 May 2012

In Manisa, a mother who went into the bathroom was
locked in it by her 2.5 year-old daughter Zeynep Saray
who then sat down and watched cartoons. Firefighters
rescued the mom who was scared that Zeynep might
fall off the balcony.

While her husband was at work, Bircan Saray and her
daughter Zeynep were watching TV together the night
before last when Bircan went to the bathroom at about
2230 hours. Just for fun, Zeynep followed her mother,
locked the bathroom door behind her and returned
to the living room to watch cartoons. When Bircan
heard the door lock she realized what had happened
and in a panıc called out to Zeynep who didn't answer.

Bircan screamed at the top of her lungs, fearing that
Zeynep would fall from the open balcony. Neighbors
heard her and tried without success to open the front
door. They called police and rescue teams. Firefighters
reached the third-floor house, entering it through the
balcony, and freed Bircan.

Bircan immediately rushed to the living room and found
Zeynep happily watching cartoons. Bircan burst into
tears of joy and hugged her daughter, saying 'I thought
she'd fallen from the balcony. I was very afraid.'

Firefighter Hayri Savaşçı stated that 'when I entered
the house the little girl was on a seat watching TV. She
was very calm and content. She chuckled when she heard
her mother's screams.'

Treasure Hunt Backfires

treasure hunt links to original  article

(Sabah Newspaper, 17 May 2012)

In Çamlıyayla, Mersin, one of two brothers who placed
dynamite at a spot where they hoped to find buried treasure
died. Hayırlı Şahin (38) and his older brother Bayram Çakmak
(44) exploded dynamite under a rock the day before yesterday.
The resulting explosion caused rocks to fly hither and yon,
hitting Hayırlı Şahin in the head and torso. Şahin died at the
scene and his injured brother was taken to the hospital for
treatment. Police have started an investigation into the incident.

Brawl-ready Family at Airport

brawlers links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 23 May 2012)

Police stopped a car in front of the arrivals terminal at
Atatürk Airport in Istanbul because the car had brushed
against two women walking in the pedestrian crosswalk.
The people in the car then attacked the police when they
tried to cite the driver for using a vehicle in a dangerous
manner. Relatives Hakan S., Şerafettin A., Murat A.,
Serhat A. and Şemsettin A, set upon policemen H.Ö.and
M.D.

According to the statement of an eye witness, one of the
five people in the car asserted that 'I'm a soldier! You
can't search me! You can't ask me such questions!' Police
reinforcements arrived at the scene and overwhelmed the
attackers.  The injured policemen, one with a gash in his
eyebrow and blood streaming down his face, were taken
to the hospital. The attackers were taken into custody.
It was determined that one of the attackers had been
discharged from the military a short while ago.
 

'Handsome' Takes Name Too Seriously

handsome links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 May 2012)

//ed. note: 'yakışıklı' means 'handsome' in Turkish//

In Aydın, Osman Yakışıklı (26) entered the home of a
woman named F.E. (35), who lives with her 15 year-old
son, through the balcony door at 5 in the morning two
days ago and stole a music player. The suspect, who left
prison two weeks ago, then went into F.E.'s bedroom
and lay down beside her.

The woman thought that her son was next to her but when
she opened her eyes she screamed. In a panic Yakışıklı fled,
jumping from the balcony and twisting his ankle. F.E.
informed the police who picked up Yakışıklı at the state
hospital where he had gone to have his ankle looked at.
The music player Yakışıklı stole was in his pocket.

When the suspect saw that the judge in court was the same
one who had sentenced him before he said 'you arrest me
all the time anyway.' Hearing this, the judge processed
Yakışıklı for the crime of disturbing the atmosphere of the
court and sent him off to jail.

Dear Diary...Whoops!

diary links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 20 May 2012)

In Çarşamba, Samsun, on 13 May 2002 villagers found
the body of a man on his knees, slumped against a
barbed wire fence along the side of the road. It was
determined that the man, who had been shot eight times,
was Mümin Ufuk Bilgin (30). Statements were taken
from people who knew Bilgin, including his father
Selahattin Bilgin (66) and his brothers Necaattin Bilgin
(47) and Mustafa Bilgin (37). However, the killers were
not found and the case was put on the shelf.

A special team in the Samsun Security Directorate was
set up and the case reopened upon the instructions of
the public prosecutor. The team examined the background
and took statements from soldiers who had been on duty
at that time, since the incident took place in a Gendarmerie
area.  On soldier said that on the day of the incident he had
seen Mümin Ufuk Bilgin lying on the back seat of a car in
which his brothers were also riding. Based on this develop-
ment, the homes of Bilgin's father and brothers were
searched and the diary of Necaattin Bilgin's wife Fatma (42)
was found.

Fatma Bilgin had begun to keep a diary three years after
the murder and it turned out that she wrote about the crime.
Fatma Bigin was relating in her diary that her husband
Necaattin Bilgin and his brother Mustafa Bilgin had carried
out the murder at the behest of their father Selahattin Bilgin.
The three denied the charges but were taken into custody.

Fate Takes Two For Keeps

Denizli links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 17 May 2012)

In Denizli's Çivril district yesterday morning high school
student Burak Ceyhan (18) was riding his motorcycle when
he hit a car driven by Ilknur Eroğlu. Ceylan was slightly
injured so Eroğlu took him the Çivril State Hospital from
where Ceylan phoned his friend Emre Başgün (18) and
asked him to look for his cellphone, which he dropped at
the accident scene.

Emre Başgün and two friends went to look for the cellphone.
Başgün entered a garden along the road and stepped on an iron
covering which collapsed, plunging him into a 4-meter deep
septic tank. Police and firefighters retrieved Başgün's body
after an hour of effort. An investigation is continuing.


yozgat links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 17 May 2012)

In Yozgat's Yerköy district an accident occurred yesterday
at 1330 across from the intercity bus terminal. A TCDD
(Turkish Railways) freight train with engineer Osman Ertan
at the helm, travelling from Ankara to Kayseri, hit retired
TCDD employee Bahri Açıkgöz who was trying to cross
the tracks, cutting him in two. Açıkgöz died and Ertan was
taken into custody.

The 'Gentleman' Prefers Pepper Spray

pepper links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 17 May 2012)

In Eskişehir, a 20 year-old youth used pepper spray on
passengers during a seating dispute and then fled. Allegedly,
a group of women boarded the Otogar-SSK line tram at the
Eskişehir Municipality stop and while sitting down asked
the youth to give up his seat. He wouldn't and when the
women insisted he got upset, pulled out the pepper spray
and sprayed it at the women.

The youth got off at the next stop and disappeared on
Hamamyolu Boulevard. Quite a few passengers were
affected by the pepper spray and they got off the tram,
too. Some passengers even passed out so 112 emergency
teams were called to the scene. Those affected were treated
and tram operations were disrupted. Police are looking for
the attacker based on a description from passengers.

Fantasy Forest of Revenge

fantasy links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 16 May 2012)

In Samsun, M.D. (28) began living by herself
after getting divorced but she was subjected
to verbal harrassment and gossip by Durmuş K.
(33). M.D. got Durmuş K.  to come to a forested
area by fooling him, saying 'I'll have relations with
you but let's do a little fantasy.'

M.D. took off Durmuş K.'s clothes and tied him
to a tree on the pretext of fantasy. After tying his
arms with his shirt and his legs with his pants,
M.D. took out a knife from her purse and cut
lines on Durmuş K.'s body and forehead. She also
took photographs of his half-naked body and said
'I'll send these to seven families and scandalize you.'

M.D. then left the forest and called Durmuş K.'s
friends, told them where he was and suggested
they 'come and get your shameless friend.' The
friends notified police who subsequently found
Durmuş K. bound to the tree and half-naked.
M.D. was taken into custody for kidnapping,
injuring and blackmail but she filed a complaint
against Durmuş K. who was taken into custody
for sexual harrassment.

Georgians on Joker's Mind

georgians links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 16 May 2012)

In Beyoğlu, Istanbul, the day before yesterday, police went
into action after getting a telephone tip from a passenger on
a city bus who claimed that a wallet had been stolen. Police
stopped the bus on Tarlabaşı Boulevard, entered though the
front doors and told the driver not to open the other doors.

Two Georgians who fit the description of the thieves given
by the tipper were taken into custody. The wallets and
identity cards of all the passengers were checked but noone's
wallet had been stolen. Police examined the passports of the
Georgian suspects and brought them to the police station to
face their accuser.

The two suspects rejected the theivery claims but they
were held in custody yesterday. When the accuser did not
show up at the police station the Georgians were released.

Bar Ban for Would-be Doctor-basher

barban links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 15 May 2012)

Zübeyde D. went to the Kilyos Family Health Center in
Sarıyer, Istanbul, and asked the doctor who examined her,
Dr. Faruk Kılıçer, to write a prescription for her sibling
who has cancer. Dr. Kılıçer refused, saying that he could
only give a prescription to the sibling in person.

The next day Zübeyda D. came to the clinic with her
neighbor Güral B. (46) who threatened  Dr. Kılıçer and
shouted 'why didn't you write a prescription for Zübeyda?!'
As Güral B. raised his arm to strike the Doctor bystanders
intervened to prevent him from doing so. Dr. Kılıçer filed
a complaint and a case was opened against Güral B. for
the crime of 'attempting to harm a public servant'.

In his statement to the court, Güral B. explained that he
had gone to the clinic based on his neighbor's request but
the doctor had chased him away. Güral B. claimed he was
innocent and asked to be aquitted. Nevertheless, the court
gave Güral B. a jail sentence of 2 months 15 days for the
crime of intent to harm.

However, citing Güral B.'s social and economic situation,
his regretfulness and the other aspects of the crime, the
penalty was changed to 'a ban on entering bars for three
months.'

Primate's Plum Passion

monkey links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 15 May 2012)

In Kahramanmaraş, the only private zoo in the city belongs
to a businessman by the name of Kazım Sezal. Anyone who
sees the plum obsession of the monkey born there 18 months
ago has to be amazed.

Sezal explained the story about the monkey, named Nazlı,
who eats only plums this way: 'one weekend she was acting
very rambunctiously. For a few days she hadn't eaten anything
we put in front of her, including bananas. When our veterinarian
checked her out he couldn't find a problem. We were at a loss
about what to do. But one day she saw a plum in the hand of a
visitor who was coming in from the garden. Nazlı just about
snapped from her leash with excitement and tried to grab the
plum. When we saw this we gave her plums right away.
Since that day a month ago she's been eating a kilogram of
plums each day. Fortunately, a kilo of plums is cheap.'


 

Caught So Near the Finish Line

fined links to related video and article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 14 May 2012)

Erhan Ünal, one of the directors of a firm that brings tourists
from Russia to Antalya, set out from Moscow on 30 April
on his motorcycle to mark the 18th anniversary of the firm's
founding. In 10 days Ünal (37) covered 4,150 kilometers.

Except for border crossings the police didn't stop Ünal once,
that is until he was caught on radar 70 kilometers from
Antalya in Burdur's Bucak district, doing 122 km/p/h. After
paying the 319TL fine Ünal said 'the fine didn't bother me
money-wise but it did psychologically. I wish I'd gone slower.'

Lawrence's Delayed Screen Debut

lawrence links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 14 May 2012)

According to a report published in the La Repubblica newspaper
in Italy, the first effort to make a film about Thomas Edward
Lawrence, who died in a mysterious motorcycle accident on
8 May 1935, was initiated eight weeks after his death. Based
on secret documents from the period in the British State Archives,
director Alexander Korda wrote a scenario and cast famous
actor Leslie Howard in the role of Lawrence. Korda then applied
to the British Foreign Ministry for permission to film abroad.

However, Jordan's King Abdullah objected to the making of the
film in Palestine because such film would create a big risk in the
already tense region. The British monarchy then intervened and
requested that the Foreign Ministry 'prevent the making of this
film for our own interests. Let's not enrage our friends the Turks,
let's not have an incident like Tiran.' (probably a reference to
the Strait of Tiran at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba).

Nevertheless, director Korda tried again in 1937 to bring the
film to reality but the Foreign Ministry again vetoed the idea
even though the script had been changed. Finally, in 1939, Korda
sent a third script which was accepted by the Foreign Ministry
with the comment 'OK. There's nothing in it that will anger the
Turks.'

The same week Adolf Hitler occupied Poland and the Second
World War began. The 'Lawrence of Arabia' project was
scrapped. In 1962, director David Lean brought the film to the
screen without censorship and it won seven Oscars.

Go Sell in Traffic

sell links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 12 May 2012)

Istanbul police have begun a battle against the sellers of
water, bagels and fruit on the E-5 highway. Looking
at video police figured out the unbelievable technique the
sellers have been using. After letting out the sellers at
places where traffic is flowing nicely, the drivers of the
vehicles, which have big trunks, continue on to a point
2-3 kilometer ahead, stop and open their hoods as if there
is a mechanical problem, thus causing a traffic jam.

Using this method, 10-15  sellers hawk their goods within
the kilometer-long tie up until their items are sold. The
vehicles then move on. Consequently, teams from the
Preventative Services Bureau took 902 sellers into custody
along the Avcılar-Tuzla highway in April. Police have taken
measures along E-5 and feeder roads to prevent the sellers
from doing this again. It was determined that the water
sold was taken from nearby fountains.

Cop Interrupted

cop links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 May 2012)

In Trabzon, police responded to an announcement
from headquarters about a 'suspicious vehicle' and
ended up catching their colleague Yusuf  I. who was
making out with his girlfriend. The night before last,
at 2100 hours, surveillance cameras took note of the
parked car and police headquarters alerted teams
to the location of the 'suspicious vehicle'.

When police approached the car to check they
found two people making love. An enraged Yusuf
I. jumped out of the car holding his service pistol
and his own gun, threatening the police. Yusuf I.
was taken into custody and charged with 'resisting
arrest, armed threat and insulting a police officer.'
He has been relieved of duty.

Pray It Loud!

pray links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 8 May 2012)

Dr. Nazan Aydın, head of the psychiatry faculty at Erzurum
Atatürk University and chief of the Erzurum office of the
Turkey Psychiatry Association, had a measurement made
of the high-volume call-to-prayer announcement coming from
a mosque near her home. It turned out that the measurement
made at Hacı Selim Efendi Mosque showed the call-to-prayer
level to be 104 decibels, whereas the legal limit is 65 decibels.

Prof. Dr. Aydın pointed out that this noise level is considered
'harmful', according to paragraphs 182 and 184 of the Environ-
ment Law, and 'dangerous', based on World Health Organization
and European Union values. Prof. Dr. Aydın noted that when
mosque officials were warned about this they told her to move
her house and even threatened her, so she filed a criminal
complaint.

Public Prosecutor Yusuf Eraslan investigated Dr. Aydın's
complaint and concluded that 'it is not possible to
characterize the call-to-prayer as noise.' Eraslan decided that
there were no grounds to pursue a case. Commenting on the
decision, Dr. Aydın said that 'excessive noise is harmful
to health and especially to mental health. We're not against
the call-to-prayer, we're just against irritating excessive
noise.'

 

Runaway Bride Out East

runaway links to video and original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 7 May 2012)

A father and son who kidnapped a girl from Ağrı and took
her to Erzurum by car ignored police warnings to stop. They
were finally apprehended at a barricade set up by police
holding rifles and wearing bullet-proof vests at the entrance
to Aşkale (west of Erzurum).

Mehmet K.(44), his son Mesut K.(21) and Zübeyde I.(20)
emerged from the car. During the interrogation of the father
and son it was determined that they are being sought for
robbery charges. Mehmet K. and his son Mesut K., who
said he loves Zübeyde I., confessed to abducting the girl
from Tutak district in Ağrı and taking her to Erzurum. All
three were taken into custody by police.

Imams Entertained, Then Entrapped

imams links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 May 2012)

In Fatih, Istanbul, some individuals stripped two imams at
gunpoint and took pictures of the imams with women. They
then beat the imams and had them sign a 10,000 TL
promisory note under threat of blackmail.

Subsequently, a case was filed against nine persons, two of
them women, asking for sentences of 70 years each. According
to the indictment, Imam Ramazan Y., who serves at a mosque
in Fatih and lives in quarters there, presided over the marriage
of one Zehra Y. a while ago and made her acquaintance. Last
month Zehra Y. and her friend Yeliz T. went to Ramazan Y.'s
house under the pretext of cleaning it. Concurrently, Ramazan
Y. summoned Adem B., an imam from another mosque, to his
house.

While the two imams were sitting (!) with the women six
people raided the house and one of them, Cahit I., put a
blank gun to the head of Ramazan Y. and declared 'you're
engaging in prostitution with these women!'

Three blank guns were seized from the home of Cahit I.
and eight of the suspects were arrested by the court.

Self-inflicted Love Wound

knife links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 May 2012)

An English youth who came to Izmir to make up with the
Turkish girlfriend he met on Facebook was stabbed. Thomas
Archer (27) went to the hospital in Buca, saying that he did
not know his attacker. Police first noticed that the youth's
tee shirt was not ripped. Also, no trace of blood was found
at the scene of the incident but a bloody knife was found in a
vacant lot.

Police determined that Archer had bought the knife at a
shopping center. After his lie was exposed Archer confessed
that he had stabbed himself to attract his girlfriend's attention.

Oscar-worthy Trick Nets Cows

oscar links to original article


(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 May 2012)

In Kayseri, Hüseyin O., Mehmet O., Sabri O. and
Selahettin S. buried a earthenware pot, within which
they put a phony Oscar statuette, in the garden of
livestock feeder Mustafa Daş. A few days later they
came to Daş and told him that there was buried treasure
in his garden.

These individuals succeeded in fooling the farmer, dug
up the garden and 'found' the earthenware pot they had
previously buried. They then convinced Daş that they
would take the Oscar statuette that emerged from the
earthenware pot to Switzerland and sell it but that
they needed expense money for this undertaking.

The four suspects took four cows from Daş but left
the Oscar statuette with him. They then disappeared.
Daş realized he had been hoodwinked an called police.
Two of the suspects have been caught and the cows
returned to Daş.

Fellow Gets Fresh, Stabbed, Drunk

bar links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 4 May 2012)

In Balıkesir's Bandırma district, Erhan B.(35)  went to
the home of his girlfriend Yonca Nur G. (30) the night
before last and paid the price for getting fresh with her
by being stabbed. Reportedly, the young couple at first
watched TV but a bit later Erhan B. started to get fresh
with his girlfriend. Yonca Nur G. warned him to stop and
when Erhan B. didn't she plunged a fruit knife into his
stomach.

Erhan B. then left the house, went to a bar and started
to drink. As Erhan B.'s condition worsened the waiters
noticed blood on his shirt and called 112 Emergency
Services and the police.  Erhan B. was treated and
explained that his girlfriend had stabbed him. Yonca Nur
G. was taken into custody but when Erhan B. declined
to file a complaint against her she was released pending
trial.

Turks Occupying Syria

tomb links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 May 2012)

The news agency AP has published a report about the Caber
Fortress and the Tomb of Süleyman Şah in Syria, which are
guarded by Turkish soldiers and which are considered Turkish
territory, based on agreements made first with France and
then with Syria. A Turkish military official stated that 'Our
soldiers are there. There's no problem whatsoever.'

Osman Bahadır Dinçer of the International Strategic Research
Center in Ankara, though, said that 'This is a risk for Turkey.
If some people want to draw Turkey into the (current Syrian)
problem they could be involved in a provocation against these
soldiers.'

The tomb occupies the only Turkish territory outside the
country's borders, located 25 kilometers from the Turkish
border near Karakozak village. The grave of Süleyman Şah,
the grandfather of Osman Bey, the founder of the Ottoman
State, used to be visited by many Turks but the number of
visitors has dwindled of late.

Got Milk? Got Sick

gotmilk links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 May 2012)

The 'Free School Milk' project begun in elementary schools
throughout Turkey, from first to fifth grades, has shocked
both students and parents because of reports of 'poisoning'
from many provinces. The poisonings began in Diyarbakır
and spread to Sivas, Edirne, Istanbul, Konya, Samsun, Adana
and Antalya. Countrywide, 1193 students were taken to
hospitals and in many provinces the milk distribution was
stopped.

//The responsible officials responded to the incident as follows://

Minister for Food, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry: 'Based on
the information we have, the illness occurred in children with an
extreme sensitivity to milk. There's no question of the milk being
spoiled, stale or of food poisoning. This reaction can be seen in those
drinking milk for the first time. In other words, lactose intolerance.'

Governor of Diyarbakır: 'It's an incident where a few children
complained of an upset stomach. The other children were affected
psychologically. We don't think it's because of the milk.'

National Education Minister: 'The incident is not a case of food
poisoning. Our initial judgement is that the situation was based
on the children's sensitivity to milk.'

In Search of Old Warriors

çanakkale links to related article

(Cumhurriyet Newspaper, 30 April 2012)

Sema Inanç, an eleventh grade student at Berger Feld school in
Gelsenkirchen city in Germany, got hold of information to the
effect that the grave of a German soldier named Rudolf Bettaque,
who died during the Battle of Çanakkale in 1916, was located
in the German Military Cemetary in Tarabya, Istanbul. Inanç
was part of a history study group at her school and last
December she contacted the family of Bettaque in Hamburg.
They hadn't had any information about him for 96 years.

Inanç's sister school in Büyükçekmece, Istanbul, invited the
nephew of  the fallen German soldier to come to Istanbul.
Rolf Bettaque came and placed flowers on the grave of his
uncle Rudolf.  Rolf said that he had long sought his uncle's
resting place and then 'one day my phone rang and a Turkish
girl said that she had found my uncle's grave. We are very
grateful to this young girl because she brought such joy to
us.

Rolf Bettaque was quite touched being at the grave of his
uncle and his words were very emotional: 'Hello uncle.
I've come. I've been searching for you for a long time and
miraculously we've found you.'

sarıkamış links to related article

(Radikal Newspaper, 27 April 2012)

Ottoman soldier Mehmet Fuad Tokad wrote his experiences
down in a two tiny notebooks and hid them away in a
matchbox during the First World War. Tokad's memoirs
have been translated from Ottoman into Turkish by Turkolog
Jack Snowden, who toured the martyrs' cemeteries and the
sites of Russian-era prison camps in Sarıkamış.

Snowden came first to Erzurum and then to Sarıkamış to
see first-hand the places mentioned in the diaries, which
have been published as a book, entitled 'Matchbox Diaries
of Sarıkamış and Siberia'. He stated that 'we published the
book a year and a half ago. It contains the memoirs of
War Academy student Mehmet Fuad Tokad from his
departure from Istanbul on 8 January 1915 to 19 March
1917.'

Snowden noted that Tokad had been taken prisoner by
Cossacks in February 1916 and brought to Sarıkamış.
Continuing, he said that 'after staying in a prison camp
here for two months he was taken by train to Vetluga
prison camp in Siberia. Two and a half years later he
was released. He returned to Istanbul and served as a
senior engineer in PTT for 35 years. His memoirs are
preserved in this little matchbox.'

After serving at the American Embassy, Snowden retired
and began work on translating the diaries upon marrying
Mehmet Fuad Tokad's granddaughter Müge Tokad
in 2008.

Wheel Up Struggle Down

ramp links to related article

(Cumhurriyet Newspaper, 30 April 2012)

In Trabzon's Ayasofya neighborhood, an overpass was
built with one side having a ramp and the other a staircase,
leaving pedestrians in a difficult situation. On the seaside
there is a ramp for people using strollers, bicycles,wheelchairs,
and the like to gain access easily. The other side, though, has
been built as a staircase making descent hard for these people.

Gökmen Kutay, an interior designer who lives next to the
overpass, said that 'the builders are no doubt proud of what
they've done but there's really nothing anyone can say. An
overpass was needed here because everyone has had a
problem crossing over but this overpass doesn't compliment
Trabzon from the standpoint of modernity, visual quality
and usefulness.

Porno Defense Doesn't Spare Killer

devil links to original article

(Mynet Website, 23 April 2012)

In Bursa, Yusuf Özcan (41) stabbed his wife Arzu Civil, whom he had
divorced but was living with, in 22 places, killing her, and got a
sentence of 18 years in jail.However, a higher court found the sentence
to be too light and when Özcan came before a judge again he was
sentenced to life imprisonment for 'intentionally killing another person'.

The incident in question occurred in August 2008 in the Ovaakça district
of  Osmangazi when Özcan, a worker in a textile workshop stabbed Arzu
Civil, the mother of his two children whom he had divorced but was living
with, in 22 places with a bread knife, killing her. Özcan fled but subsequently
surrendered to the Gendarmerie, while Civil was brought to the Muradiye
State Hospital, where she died.

In the statement he gave, Özcan said that he was drunk the night of the
incident and that he killed his wife for having relations with another person.
This time Özcan was tried in the Bursa 5th Serious Crimes Court. In previous
hearings Özcan had claimed that he did not intend to kill his wife, explaining
that 'a woman, whose face wasn't shown, in a porno film I watched was wearing
a faded sweater and a turban like Arzu. Her voice sounded like Arzu's, too. I
put these images on my cellphone and showed them to her. We argued and
fought and went to court. I divorced Arzu, who was pregnant, but we began
to live together again so the child wouldn't be without a father. On the day
of the incident we argued about the images again. When she said some
inciting words I lost it, grabbed the knife and started stabbing without
thinking. My aim was not to kill her.'

Özcan was at first given a life sentence but then the court accepted that Özcan
had been provoked because the form and clothes of the woman in the porno
film resembled those of Civil  and because Civil had referred to  Özcan
insultingly as a  'pimp' during their argument. Özcan's sentence was therefore
reduced to 18 years. The higher court found his sentence 'insufficient' and
voided the lower court's decision. When brought before the higher court
Özcan claimed that he had killed Civil because she had insulted him.
Nevertheless, the higher court sentenced Özcan to life imprisonment.