Tasty House of Hay Beckons Diners

tasty links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 30 October 2012)

Tasty house (left) and would-be diners

The building constructed of bales of hay in Şahmuratlı
village of Sorgun district in Yozgat has been fenced off
with barbed wire to pevent donkeys and cows from eating
it. The building houses the Kerkenesi and Şahmuratlı
Village Information and Beautification Association.

Sabri Erciyas, a member of the association's board, explained
that architect Francoise Summers, the wife of archeologist
Geoffrey Summers who came to Sorgun in 1993 to conduct
excavations on Kerkenes Mountain, initiated the project to
promote organic life in the village she visited each summer.
Erciyas said that Ms. Summers idea was inspired by the
bales of hay prepared in the village to feed the animals and
that she wanted to build a house that would be warm in
winter yet cool during the summer.

Erciyas stated that 'the Association's building was constructed
of 1000 bales of hay in 2005 but there aren't any ties between
the bales, just brick putty. The building isn't affected by earthquakes
and at first everything went well. But after the rain the putty
dissolves and then the donkeys and cows began to eat the house.
So that's why we put up the barbed wire fence.'

Death Notice Premature

angel of death links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 29 October 2012)

Mehmet Pinar, angel of death

In Altinova, Antalya, Mehmet Pinar (53) and his
friend Alim Karik (33) conspired to play a practical
joke on Pinar's uncle Cemil Atlay (64), the former
village chief. The two friends tricked the neighborhood's
imam into reading Atlay's death notice.

When they heard the notice read from the mosque,
Atlay's wife and sister fainted and his children and
grandchildren began to cry. Various friends and
relatives came to Atlay's home to pay their respects.
Atlay finally heard the news by phone while he was
in the town center, from relations who didn't believe
the death notice.

Atlay filed a complaint against Pinar and Karik, who
were found guilty by the Antalya Third Court of First
Instance and given a 2.5 month jail sentence for
'disturbing a person's peace of mind.'  The judge then
suspended the sentence but Atlay opened a civil suit
against the two friends for pain and suffering, asking
for 20,000 TL from each of them.

Doomsday Rescue Point's Hotels Full

doomsday links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 28 October 2012)

Starbase II (Sirince)

Those who believe that disaster will strike on
21 December 2012, according to the Mayan
calendar, have reinvigorated the town of
Sirince in Izmir's Selcuk district. Each year
the village usually sees a sharp downturn in
tourism during the Christmas season but this
year, because of the flow of those awaiting
'disaster', it's 100% full.

An organization known as "Blue Energy Group"
thinks that only Sirince and Bugarach, a village
in the south of France, will not be affected by
the calamity. According to the group's belief,
a (space) ship will come to Sirince and rescue
all the people there, taking them to a safe place
to avoid the disaster.

Engin Vatan, the owner of Mistik Konaklari
(Mystic Mansions) in Sirince, said that "the
demand for 2012 end-of-year reservations started at
the beginning of the year. Foreigners from around
the world are rushing here."  The manager of Erdem
Konaklari (Mansions of Virtue) in Sirince, Mustafa
Yildirdi, added that "the number of tourists has
increased. Most of our rooms have been sold."

Facebook Hubris Costs Hunters Plenty

facebook links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 23 October 2012)

Facebook famous but poorer for it.

In Sanliurfa, E.K.,B.K. and K.H. went
hunting together and they put pictures and
videos of the wild geese, ducks and quail
they bagged on Facebook.

However, citizens who saw these notified
the Directorate of Forests and Water Affairs,
which determined that the three hunters did
not have hunting licenses, fining them 1456 TL.

Additionally, another 25,950 TL fine was
levied against the three hunters, based on the
value of the animals they killed. Notification
of the total fine - 27,406 TL - was sent to the
addresses of the three friends.

B-Movie Scenario Plays Out in Izmir

murder links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 20 October 2012)

Femme fatale Z.G. & cohorts

In Bayrakli district of Izmir, coffee shop owner
Serkan B. and four other people, including one
woman, cooked up a fraud scenario that could
pose a challenge to Hollywood movies. Serkan B.
learned that auto repairman Murat M., his workplace
neighbor, had come into an inheritance from a
relative.

According to their plan, a young woman named Z.G.
brought her car to Murat M.'s shop on the pretext
that there was a problem with it. Next, Baran A.A.
came to the shop and claimed that Murat M. had
sexually harassed his wife Z.G. Baran A.A. heaped
threats on Murat M. prompting supposed good-neighbor
Serkan B. to step in and defend Murat M.

Serkan B. invited Baran A.A.to come to a deserted
mountain area in Bornova to 'settle the score', along
with Murat M. Once there gunfire was exchanged and
Baran A.A. seemingly fell dead. Escaping from the
'murder scene' the gang members demanded and got
money from Murat M. because 'you participated in
the murder.'

Subsequently, Murat M. complained to the the police
and eight gang members were arrested, to include
('the late') Baran A.A., (good-neighbor) Serkan B.,
Ilhami B. and Mehmet C.G.

TV Show Terrorizes Brazil's Grid

brazil links to original article

//ed. note: yet another non-Turkey-centric item deemed blog-worthy by our
editorial board//

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 20 October 2012)

TV terrorist heading for the fridge

Last night's  broadcast of the final episode of a
much-loved TV show in Brazil prompted the
nation's public electric utility to go into crisis
mode days earlier. The utility, Brazil Electrical
Energy Management Council, warned all electricity
production and distribution companies prior to the
broadcast of "Avenida Brasil" (Brazil Avenue) to
take measure to prevent the collapse of the electrical
grid on Friday night. A utility official said that "if
everyone turns on their lights and TV and attacks their
refrigerators and ovens the net will break down."

'Special Night' Incentive Proves Fruitless

pink links to original article

//ed. note: our blog is Turkey-centric but exceptions are made for worthy causes//

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 21 October 2012)

Pretty in pink

Amateur football clubs in Greece are signing
different sponsorship agreements these days
in the economically-strapped country, to include
one with a house of ill repute for material and
'morale' support. The footballers of Voukefalas
club, which is sponsored by one such 'house',
are getting nearly 1,000 Euros to wear pink
uniforms with the advertisement 'Villa Erotica'
emblazoned on them.

A perhaps more interesting aspect of the deal
is that the players get an added incentive to win -
a 'special night'. Nevertheless, this promise from
the house's owner Soula Alevridou has not remedied
the team's losing ways.

Build a Tomb and They Will Come

tomb links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 16 October 2012)

Tomb attracts the faithful

In Kavak district, Samsun, those who see the
marble tomb on the upper floor of Hatim Yeriskin's
three-story house are somewhat bewildered.
Yeriskin, who has worked in the marble business
for 11 years and who is married with two children,
says that he's gotten no respite since he built the
tomb as an advertisement.

Because his house is located on the main road to
Ankara and Istanbul, the tomb has been noticed
by quite a number of people, who then stop to pay
a visit. Explaining further, Yeriskin said that "we put
this tomb on the third floor of the house as an
advertisement and display since our store is below
street level and can't be seen readily. But shortly
afterwards people started stopping to visit the tomb,
thinking a saint is interred there."

Continuing, Yeriskin noted that "some of the visitors
make a bet with each other as to whether it's a saint's
tomb, a grave or an ad. They all want to see it and we're
fed up with all these people going up to the third floor
to look at it."

Victory on Pitch, Defeat in Locker Room

goal links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 15 October 2012)

Window of vulnerability

The day before yesterday the Adalarspor football
team, which plays in the Istanbul First Amateur League,
got a robbery shock after its match with Tokatkoy in
Pendik. Coming off their 6-2 victory the players returned
to the locker room to find that all their things had been
stolen. Some thieves had entered through an open window
and taken all the players' cellphones, credit cards, identity
cards and cash. The robbers exited through the same window.

Upon realizing what had happened, team chief Yusuf Bahar
called stadium police, who brushed everywhere for fingerprints.
Although the stadium was constructed at great expense there
are no security cameras.

Cops Can't Resist Escorting Paris

paris links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 12 October 2012)

Paris in velvet PJ's leaving town. Biker cops close by. 

Paris Hilton has gotten two cops who provided
an escort for her into trouble. Paris came to Istanbul
to make a commercial, along with an army of bodyguards.
She left her hotel the evening before last to participate
in Saba Tumer's program at a studio in Ayazaga. The
two motorcycle traffic police escorted her minibus the
entire way.

The two traffic cops waited until Paris' interview was
over and then escorted her back to her hotel. The driver
of Paris' minibus used the security lane and paid no
attention to traffic lights and one-way signs. The news
of the two copy escorting Paris of their own volition
hit police headquarters like a bomb, with Istanbul Police
Chief Huseyin Capkin ordering an inquiry right away.

The two cops were relieved of their motorcycles
and assigned to watch duty in a service building. They
claimed that they did not benefit in any way by
providing the escort, noting that "Paris Hilton's
security group chief  told us that 'it would be good
for Turkey's image if you help us out' so that's why
we did it. We didn't do it for any personal gain."

The policemen's penalty will be determined after an
administrative inquiry is completed.

Bakery Cooked A Bit Extra

torch links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 11 October 2012)

Sengur's memory fuzzy on arson thing...

In Uskudar, Faruk Sengur (28) was fired
from his job at a bakery 20 days ago and
took revenge by burning the place down.
In his statement Faruk Sengur, who was
apprehended in a taxi on the night of the
incident with a television by his side, said
that 'while I was drinking at home I started
thinking about getting fired. They didn't
even pay for my insurance. So I went to
the bakery and took the 121 TL in the register,
along with the TV. But I don't remember
starting any fire. All I remember is throwing
away my cigarette.'

Brit Pranksters Face Own 'Midnight Express'

express links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 8 October 2012)

Boys night out...jail beckons

In Sariyer, Istanbul, three high school-aged
tourists have been taken to court for letting the
air out of car tires for the fun of it. The incident
occurred on the street of a friend's home where
the youngsters had been drinking.

The prank took place at about 1 AM on 16 August
in the Tarabya section of Sariyer. Citizens on their
way to work in the morning noticed that their car
tires had gone flat.

The police looked at security camera video and did
some research, finding out that the tires had been
flattened by three English boys - Hugor Rory Rixon
Brown, Stefan Mark Gerard and David Graham
Gilfillan - who had come to Istanbul from South
Africa.

The three tourists stated at the police station that
they had gotten drunk and let the air out of the tires
for fun - something considered a joke in their own
country. They claimed that they had no bad intentions
and would compensate those affected.

Concluding the investigation, the prosecutor requested
a jail sentence of from four months to three years for
'damaging property'. The three tourists will be tried in
the Istanbul Court of First Instance.

'Bride' Missed Her Own Wedding

stand-in links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 October 2012)

In Diyarbakır, Leyla O. (24) got a court order for
protection against her live-in boyfriend who beat her.
But when she went to get a passport she was in for
a shock, learning that her abusive boyfriend had
'married' her and changed her name.

Leyla O. immediately went to the Marriage Bureau
and looked at the records, only to find her own picture
along with those of the witnesses who attended the
'wedding'.  Leyla O. asserted that her boyfriend had
brought another woman to the bureau and 'married'
her in Leyla O.'s name.

Leyla O. filed a complaint with the prosecutor and
told the court that 'I left him. He did this so I can't
marry anyone else.' H.O., the boyfriend, though, stated
that he had 'married' Leyla O. of her own free will and
that he wasn't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes.

The officials from the Marriage Bureau and the witnesses
stated that they couldn't remember the woman who had
put her signature to the 'marriage'. When the forensics
bureau declared that 'the signatures and photographs did
not constitute proof'' of Leyla O.'s claim, H.O. was
acquitted.

TV Thieves Caught on TV

tv links to original article

They sought TV, got caught by TV

(Sabah Newspaper, 8 October 2012)

In Küçükçekmece, Istanbul, thieves stole an LCD TV by
prying open the door of a coffee house. Police viewed
security video and determined that the robbers had come
to the coffee house during the day to check out the TV.

The owner of the coffee house in the Kanarya section of
Küçükçekmece, told the police that the day before yesterday
he had come to his store in the morning to find that the door
had been forced open with a screwdriver. The police came
and noted that the LCD TV had been stolen. They reviewed
the internal and external security video recordings, noticing
that two patrons had told the coffee house owner that
they were painters and then sat down for tea.

The video showed that the two suspects acted suspiciously
as they drank their tea and watched TV. The police also
saw that the two figured out how the TV could be removed.
The video caught the two coming to the store early the next
morning, forcing open the door with a screwdriver and taking
the TV, which they put into a rented car.

Police determined that the suspects were Yusuf K. (38) and
Orhan B. (33), both of whom have records. They were taken
into custody the same day and confessed that they sold the
TV for 200 TL to buy drugs.

Sting Snares Police This Time

bees links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 5 October 2012)

Sting victims en route to hospital

Police stopped a truck yesterday on the Mugla-
Marmaris highway for a routine traffic check.
For some unknown reason bees erupted from the
beehives in the truck and stung officers Ilyas
Atasever and Fatih Tiryaki in various places.
The policemen called for back-up by radio and
were transported to a hospital. Policeman Ilyas
Atasever was placed in intensive care.