Tales From the Crypt

crypt links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 30 July 2013)

Topcu (center) found a good hiding place.

The trial of six suspects, three of them in custody,
for involvement in a 950,000 TL fraud case in the
Samsun Municipality is continuing at Samsun First
Serious Crimes Court. One of the suspects, Mehmet
Topcu, has admitted to the charges, while the other
five have not.

In his courtroom defense, Topcu claimed that he could
prove the fraud by producing the false documents used and
the related telephone conversations and videos that would
show who conducted the fraud and how they did it. Topcu
said that he had buried all of this evidence and would show
police the place.

Consequently, yesterday Topcu was taken from the Samsun
E-type Prison and brought to Kirankoy Cemetary.  There
he showed the public prosecutor and his lawyer Suat Uzun
where he had hidden the documents. Under police escort,
two workers opened the front of the grave of  Topcu's
grandfather, Kamil Topcu, who died in 1995. Shortly
afterwards, a white bag emerged.

Inside the bag was a plastic water bottle with a flash drive
within.  Police extracted the flash drive and presented it
to the public prosecutor. Lawyer Suat Uzun asserted that
the contents of the flash drive would alter the course of the
trial, which will continue with its second hearing in August.

Samsun

Salih's Divorce Limbo

limbo links to original article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 29 July 2013)

Salih and his wife (?) Sengul.

Sahih Elik (39) works as an auto repairman in the Yenisahra
section of Kadıköy, Istanbul, and 6 years ago he filed a divorce
suit against his wife Yeter Elik, the mother of his three children.
A notice was sent to Yeter Elik to appear at the hearing but she
did not come to any of the hearings. So the court ruled that the
couple was divorced. The decision was confirmed on 11 December
2007 and conveyed to the Kartal Population Bureau. One year
later Salih Elik married Şengül Elik and they have two children.

Yeter Elik claimed that she had not received the hearing notices
so she filed suit in Kartal Family Court to have the divorce voided.
The court then voided the divorce and ordered Salih Elik to pay
alimony and child support to Yeter Elik. However, when the
court's decision about Salih Elik's continuing marriage with Yeter
Elik was sent to the Kartal Population Bureau it could not be
processed because of Salih Elik's marriage to Şengül Elik.

So while it remained unclear to whom Salih Elik was officially
married, Yeter Elik filed for divorce on 13 January 2013 in
the Family Court at the Anadolu Justice Palace. And even though
Salih Elik says that "someone who is not my wife can't file for
divorce", the suit has begun to be heard. Additionally, Yeter Elik
claimed that Salih Elik has not been paying alimony and he has
been hit with a three-month jail sentence. Salih Elik has objected
to the ruling.

About the divorce comedy which the Population Bureau cannot
even solve, Salih Elik says "these things happened to me because
of my first wife's obstinacy and improper research. I've been
roaming around the courts and population bureaus for six years.
I'm like the character in the novel  'Yasar Ne Yasar Ne Yasamaz'
(Yasar Can Neither Live Nor Die). Mine is 'Salih Can't Divorce and
Can't Be Divorced'".

Grumpy Old Butterfly Bandits

grumpy links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 28 July 2013)

In Artvin, two Frenchmen and a German were
taken into custody for allegedly trying to smuggle
abroad 2,856 butterflies unique to the region.

Learning that butterflies aren't free.

Frenchmen Jean Claude (67) and Christian Michael (63),
along with German Klaus Gunter (72), were seen
catching butterflies in Yusufeli district and were caught
by the Gendarmerie as they tried to escape in their car.

Butterfly Guantanamo

In the ensuing search, 2,856 butterflies were seized and
fines of between 33,000 and 66,000 TL will be assessed
against the culprits.

Yusufeli, in southernmost Artvin.

Village Justice for Loitering Drug Dealers

drubbing links to Sabah article

(Sabah and Hurriyet Newspapers, 27 July 2013)

Locals take exception to out-of-towners.

In Kizilcakoy village, located 18 miles from the Kosk
district center in Aydin province, one of the village
women noticed four individuals, one of whom had a
pump-action rifle,  hanging around the fig gardens at
'iftar' time (evening meal after fasting is over during
Ramazan.)

The woman asked the individuals to identify themselves
but in response they threatened her with the rifle. She
then told her sons what had happened and they gathered
a group of villagers to give chase to the interlopers. The
suspects tried to escape and one of them, G.A. (34), began
firing the rifle. However, the rifle jammed and G.A. was
set upon by the villagers who beat him unmercifully in the
village square.

Suspects E.B. (32) and S.D. (32) were also captured by
the group and similarly beaten and brought to the village.
The remaining suspect got away. Some 700 of the village's
total population of 803 gathered in the village square and
they refused to allow the Gendarmerie and rescue personnel
to approach the badly injured G. A.

The Gendarmerie requested assistance from surrounding
districts and another 150 police and Gendarmerie personnel
arrived at the scene. Public prosecutor Zeki Polat also reached
the village and began an investigation. Six hours later, Polat
wanted the three beaten suspects to be taken to a hospital
but the villagers blocked the ambulance. Only after intervention
by the Gendarmerie was G. A. finally taken away by the
ambulance.

The villagers then pounded on the Gendarmerie vehicle in which
the other two wounded suspects were sitting. Eventually, they
too were extricated from the village, with great difficulty, and taken
to Aydin State Hospital. Prosecutor Polat took statements from 10
people who witnessed the incident in the courtyard of the village
mosque. When the villagers proclaimed that "we're all filing
complaints!" Polat told them to "come to the courthouse tomorrow
to make statements."

District chief Sefa Demiryurak and Mayor Rifat Kadri Kilinc also
came to the village and tried to calm the crowd. The suspects were
thought to be involved in marijuana cultivation near the village.
According to Demiryurek, last year 70,000 cannabis roots were
seized in the village. Finally, after 'sahur' (the early morning meal
before fasting begins), the crowd of angry villagers dispersed.

Kosk district, near Aydin provincial center.

Israeli Spybird Penetrates Deep Into Turkey

spybird links to original article

(Radikal Newspaper, 25 July 2013)

Latest model drone? Doesn't look all that Jewish...

In Elazig, villagers caught a bird with a tag written in Hebrew.
Thinking that the bird was involved in espionage activities, the
villagers delivered the creature to the local government chief.
The bird was x-rayed to discover hidden devices and the x-ray
was labled 'Israil Ajan' (Israili Agent).

The villagers of Altinayva, in Agin district, found the exhausted
kestrel (any of various small falcons noted for their habit of
hovering (hmmmm)) with a tag on its leg. Suspecting spying,
the bird was brought to village chief Nedim Akmese, who turned
it over to National Park authorities. Next, the bird went to Elazig
Firat Animal Hospital, where it was x-rayed in an effort to discover
any hidden chips, transmitters or receivers.

The tag on the bird's leg carried the message, in Hebrew, '-24311
Tel Avivunia Israel' and the x-ray plate was identified by the x-rayers
as 'Israil Ajan'. The kestrel was released into the wild today at the
site of Harput Buzluk Caves.

Guntac Kayapinar, deputy chief of the local office of Forests and Water
Affairs, stated that the bird had come from Israel, noting that "they
(Israelis) do a lot of work with birds. Besides the tag, there was nothing
else on the bird. After making our determinations we released it into
the wild. We have provided the necessary information to the concerned
authorities."

Agin district in the far NW of Elazig.

Genghis Khan's Legacy Draws Mongolian President

book links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 July 2013)

//today's blog takes an historical detour for a change of pace//

Heirs to Genghis Khan view his story.

On 3 September 2012, the President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin
Elbegdorj, had his plane make an unscheduled stop in Istanbul
so he could view a unique and priceless book that tells about his
forefathers and relates the establishment of his country. The
President rushed from the airport to Topkapi Palace where museum
chief Haluk Dursun escorted Elbegdorj and showed him the hand-
written book, 'Camiu't Tevarih'.

The book is about Mongol history and the one at the Palace Treasury
at Topkapi is the main remaining copy. The President was also given
a CD of the book. 'Camiu't Tevarih' was written in the 14th century
by Residuddin Hamedani. Immediately after viewing the work,
Elbegdorj headed back to Mongolia.

Museum chief Dursun noted that his museum is full of such special
books and he explained the Mongolian President's visit as follows:
"I got a short message from Mongolian diplomats one day, saying
that Elbegdorj was on a foreign trip and would like to stop in Istanbul
on his return to Mongolia and visit the Topkapi Museum to see the
'Camiu't Tevarih'."

"The other day I got a thank you note from the Mongolian Embassy,
along with a request that we make a printed copy of the book. If we
return to the day of the visit, I can say that we waited anxiously for
the visit and I personally escorted the President. He was very pleased
and very excited. Of course, he couldn't touch the book and had to
view it in its glass case. We had a state ceremony, exchange of flags
and I showed him what happens in the training areas of the interior
court of Topkapi Palace. Then we offered him some Ottoman sherbet."

Residuddin Hamedani wrote 'Camiu't Tevarih in the 14th century and
the founding legend of the Mongols is contained in the first book of
the work, 'Mujallad-i Awwal'. Today there are four miniature copies,
two of which were written in Arabic and are in England. The
two others, written between 1314-1317 in Farsi and illustrated,
are in Topkapi Palace.

Turks roamed from here to Istanbul and beyond.

Foiled Again! Georgian Bandits Wrapped Up

foil links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 23 July 2013)

Perp Walk for foiled robbers.

 

In Kadikoy, Istanbul, three suspects who tried to spirit out
clothes stolen from local stores by lining their bag with
aluminum foil to fool alarm systems were arrested.

Songul Y. (25) became suspicious of three customers last Saturday
morning as she noticed them putting clothes into their backpack
in her store on Bahariye Avenue in Kadikoy. Songul Y. alerted security
teams to the situation and they followed the three Georgian suspects as
they headed to another store. Again, stuffing clothes into the backpack,
the thieves hoped to pass undetected through the store alarms thanks
to the foil lining in their bag. They were caught red-handed.

The high-priced pants and skirts the robbers took were returned to
the stores. Zaza P., who was using the backpack, was arrested and
the other two suspects will be deported.

Kadikoy is this blog's headquarters.

Fate Takes Two, Gives One Back

fate links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 22 July 2013)

Fateful meeting for Ahmet (left) and little Zeynep.

The interesting incident occurred in the town of Bolumlu in
Trabzon province on 26 June. Brothers Ahmet and Ismail Kar
came to the town from Zonguldak because of their father's
illness. The next day Ahmet Kar was shaken by the death of
his father and the passing of a neighbor on the same day.

Ahmet Kar first buried his father and then his neighbor. He then
set out toward the funeral home to pay his condolences. At the
same time, Zeynep Yazici lost her balance while looking on to
the street from the window of her fourth-floor apartment and fell
on Ahmet Kar's head.

Ahmet Kar collapsed in pain but quickly pulled himself together
to help take the two year-old Zeynep to the hospital. Kar got three
stiches in his head and Zeynep was taken under observation and
then released. After the miraculous event, Kar and little Zeynep
met at the scene of the incident.

Noting that had he not been passing by Zeynep would not be alive
today, Ahmet Kar remarked "look at fate. My father dies, my neighbor
dies on the same day. Can all these be coincidences? I'm still in shock.
She fell on my head and then the ground. I really felt great pain, I can't
even describe it. This must be the first time in the world  that a child
has fallen."

Zeynep was not at all aware of what had happened to her and continues
to play at the window. Her father Fikri Yazici, a municipal worker, said
that he was across from the house with a friend when the incident
happened.  He said "I have four children and I'm always afraid they'll
fall. Now it's come to pass. I saw it happen and was in shock. I couldn't
move my arms and feet for a while. Thank God!"

Zeynep's mother Rukiye Yazici noted that "the moment she fell I felt
like I fell with her. I rushed down the stairs thinking my daughter had
died. When I got to the street I was grateful. God sent Ahmet here."

Not easy to find Bolumlu in Of district.

 

Here's Bolumlu, way in the south of Of district.

 

Forest Survival Skills Test

tarzan links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 19 July 2013)

Happy couple sorts it all out.

 

S.O. (29), who lives in Istanbul, came to Bodrum four
days ago for a vacation with her boyfriend M.S. (31).
Toward morning on Wednesday the couple headed for
Torba by motorcycle but they argued en route and M.S.
made S.O. get off the motorcycle in a wooded area near
Kizilagac village.

M.S. then sped off.  S.O. walked in the darkness for a
while and then began to scream. Villagers heard the screams
and called the Gendarmerie, who arrived to take S.O. to
Bodrum State Hospital. A bit later, M.S. came to the hospital
and said that "I left my girlfriend in the forest but I kept an
eye on her from afar. Every time we argue she starts screaming
and making a scene so I took her there and left her so she wouldn't
scream. I was going to go back and get her after a while."

S.O. stated that similar incidents have occurred in the past, noting
that "one time in Istanbul he took me to a cemetery in the middle
of the night and left me there."  But despite the fact that M.S. confirmed
this, S.O. then changed her statement and said that she had lied
about M.S. leaving her in the forest in order to get revenge on her
boyfriend.  Wistfully, S.O. remarked "I didn't realize the media would
pick this up. I regret it."

Hairraising Tale of Hoodwinking

hair links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 19 July 2013)

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.

Fidan U. (31) came to Istanbul from Mardin in the hope
of obtaining thick hair. She went to a hair clinic in the Nisantasi
section of Istanbul but ended up bald and has filed a compensatory suit.

According to Fidan U.'s petition, the hair clinic had Fidan U.,
who is illiterate, sign a 2,000 TL promisory note on 16 January,
together with her relative Serefhan T. Next,  Fidan U. paid the 2,000 TL
for the first phase of the program and the clinic cut off a tuft of her
hair. Allegedly, the hair tuft was sent abroad to be amplified.

The clinic officials gave Fidan U. a guarantee that the amplified hair
would be set into her scalp and that after two checks five months apart
she would have thick, sturdy hair for the rest of her life. These officials
called Fidan U. on 18 April and urgently summoned her to Istanbul because
the amplified tuft of hair had come back from abroad. Explaining that the
requisite procedure had to be accomplished right away, the clinic officials
collected another 2,000 TL from Fidan U.

During the procedure Fidan U.'s remaining hair was cut off and the amplified
hair that had come back from abroad was supposedly set into her scalp.
But Fidan U. claimed that it wasn't her hair at all and was, in fact, a wig that
the clinic officials pasted onto her scalp. In her petition to the court, Fidan U.
declared that "I lost my hair and became bald. Despite the claim that I
would have 'my own natural hair', clinic officials pasted a wig onto my head,
like a practical joke. The glue comes loose when I shower and the wig
slides off. I have been in psychological therapy for three months."

Fidan U. has sued the hair clinic for 79,200 TL.

Mystery Man, One Bad Dude, Exits

baddude links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 18 July 2013)

Oh, the great things he might have done...

The person who died in a car-motorcycle accident on
Sunday in Kursunlu district of Cankiri province, and on
whose person was found a MIT (Turkish National Intelligence
Organization) ID card and a Kalishnikov rifle, has been
identified as Yusuf Say (32), who was wanted for various crimes.

There was no mention, however, in the statement from the
governor's office about the 80,000 Euro that was said to also
be in Say's possession. Cankiri Governor Vahdettin Ozcan said
that the dead motorcyclist in the mysterious accident had no
connection to  MIT and was actually being sought for crimes ranging
from murder  to theft:

"At first, it was determined that the victim in the accident that
occurred on 14 July 2013 at around 0938 hours was a citizen named
Ali Ince, who was, in fact, carrying a false license and a false security
forces ID card in that name.  From the bag that was found on the victim's
motorcycle the following items were recovered: Kalishnikov weapon,
cartridge clip, one CZ 75 B revolver, two cartridge clips and 26 bullets,
one knife and 3,520 TL. As a result of a fingerprint test conducted on
the accident victim, his real identity was determined to be Yusuf Say,
born in Sakarya province in 1982."

"Our security directorate conducted a GBT investigation of this individual
and learned that he was wanted for murder, falsifying documents, robbery,
production of narcotics substances, purchase of unlicensed weapons and
ammunition and their transport and possession."

There was a tattoo on Yusuf Say's arm that reads 'Apsuva', indicating that
he may have been of Chechen origin.

//ed. note: 'Apsuva' is the name that people of Abkhazia, a disputed territory
in Georgia, call themselves.//

Cankiri, accident scene.

 

Abkhazia on left.

 

Donna En Route, Kim* Far Behind?

donna links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 17 July 2013)

Snow surfing anyone?

Sexy USA actress Donna D'Errico has been in the Turkish
press lately more for her interest in Agri Dag (Mt. Ararat)
than for her beauty. D'Errico is on a quest to find Noah's Ark
because of her Catholic beliefs but last year during a climb of
the mountain she fell and got hurt.

Nevertheless, the USA star is determined to complete her quest
and this time she's coming with a camera crew. D'Errico collected
5,000 USD in five days over the internet for the climb and she said
that "I want to fulfill my childhood dream. This summer I'll try
again."

Donna ready to climb (that's her on the right)

The 45 year-old blonde actress explained the details of her project
which she launched via "Kickstarter", an internet site that helps
people collect contributions. D'Errico said that she hopes to collect
10,000 USD by 25 July for her project, "The Secret of Mt. Ararat",
which she announced on 10 July. She's already garnered 5,000 USD.

D'Errico noted that she saw a film about Noah's Ark when she was
8 years old and was quite affected by it. She said that "So far I've
read every book and all the research about the sacred boat. I'm
preparing a long documentary that will cover my climb and the search
for the ark. I hope you'll support me." D'Errico, who survived a major
accident in 2010, stated that "this summer I'm trying again with my crew."

* for more on Kim's Turkish roots see:
kim

You Gambled...And You Lost

gamble links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 16 July 2013)

Gamblers Un-anonymous.

 

In Uskudar, Istanbul, a raid on a gambling house
began with intelligence that the gambling was taking
place at a phony organization with the words "Law
Above All" written on its front door.

Police parked in civilian cars near to the gambling
house and two policemen went in as customers. One
of the policemen said to the bodyguards at the door
"there won't be a police raid, right?", to which the
bodyguards responded "the police are in Taksim going
after the demonstrators. Gamgling goes on."

The policemen entered the gambling house and saw that
poker was being played at three tables, so one of the detectives
got a ticket and began to play, too. Meanwhile, as the game
continued, the policemen called someone on his cellphone and
said  "gambling will go on until sahur" (sahur is the meal taken
before dawn during the fasting month of Ramazan).

This was the signal to the waiting police team to raid the
gambling house. Three card dealers and seven workers were
among the 40 people taken into custody.

'Vavien', Vehicular Wife-Ejection Comes True

vavien links to related article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 13 July 2013)

//ed. note: life imitates art - the subject of the 2009
Turkish film 'Vavien' was just such a vehicular wife-
ejection, although intended, by the use of a two-way electrical
switch called a 'vavien'//

art

Saime Kormaz was riding in the truck driven by her
husband Ethem Korkmaz the day before yesterday when,
while rounding a curve at the Hamam Stream point along
the Erzurum-Kars highway, Saime flew out the door. Ethem
slammed on the brakes, stopped the truck 20 meters ahead
and ran to his wife's aid.

Saime was taken to the Erzurum Regional Training and
Research Hospital where she received treatment for various
injuries to her body, a broken bone in her hand and muscle
strains in her leg. Ethem was so shaken up by the incident
that it was sometime before he was able to give police a
statement.

life

 

Erzurum

 

Bigfoot Gives 'Herself' Away

bigfoot links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 14 July 2013)

The 'lady' had big shoes to fill.

In Baskale district of Van province, Fesih A. (33) had an
argument last Friday about land in Azikli village with
Remzi Sahin (60) and Ibrahim Senol (54) and killed them
both with a Kalashnikov rifle. Fesih A. then disappeared.

Yesterday morning, police at the Sanliurfa Intercity Bus Terminal
stopped a person wearing a skirt and a woman's head-to-toe cloak
because the individual's manner of walking looked suspicious. As
the police checked the ID card of 'Hamide Kaya' they noticed that
the suspect was wearing very large shoes. The suspect was asked
about  'her' intended destination and 'she' turned out to be 'he'.

In the subsequent investigation, the suspect was determined to be
Fesih A., who was taken off to jail.

 

Baskale, Van, on the Iranian border.

 

Bigfoot's game over, in Sanliurfa.

 

Ultimate Alimony: She Even Took the Roof

roofless links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 13 July 2013)

Yours for a song. Sunroof included.

In Adana, Sahin Idem was in a state of shock after
his wife left him and took their house's door, windows
and roof with her. He is now living in the roofless home
by himself.

Ten years ago Idem married Fatma Idem, who had two
children from a previous marriage. The couple then had
two children of their own and were living in the Yesilbaglar
neighborhood of Yuregir district, with Sahin working as a
watchman in a park.

However, Sahin (40) committed a crime and was sent to prison
for 21 months. Taking advantage of the Supervised Freedom
Law, Sahin spent the last year of his sentence working as a
watchman at the swimming pool of the Yesilbaglar neighborhood
chief's office.

Twenty days ago Fatma and Sahin had an argument over jealousy.
Fatma left Sahin, taking her two children from her previous marriage
and leaving Sahin with their two children. As she left, Fatma and her
older brothers removed the door, windows and roof from the house.
Sahin's neighbors alerted him to the situation and he arrived at in home
to see the house being torn apart. Because of the law he was released
under, Sahin could do nothing to intervene, lest he get into trouble.

Now Sahin is bewildered about what to do next with his two children.
He decided for the time being to give them over to the Family and
Social Welfare Office in Adana and said "I was concerned about my kids
but now that they're in the care of the state I'm relieved. Whenever I want
I can go to see them and their mother can, too."

Sahin said that the house had been left to him by his mother and he added
that "while I was in prison my siblings helped out with the house and I
don't deny that my wife played her part, too. But I can't understand why
they took the washing machine, furnishings, windows, doors and even the
roof. They said they were going to sell the stuff and pay off debts. I'm
unemployed so I can't get the roof fixed. I love my wife, she's my children's
mother. If I get my house back I'll get my kids from the orphanage."

Adana

Facebook Vanity Trips Up Rapist

facebook links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 10 June 2013)

one posting too many...

 

O.C., M.A. (25) and I.G. (26) phoned a local radio
station in Afyonkarahisar in 2007, asking the DJ, N.D.,
to play a song by Muslum Gurses. When N.D. refused
to play the song the three men came to the radio station,
beat up two male workers and took cellphones and money.

The three also kidnapped N.D., took here to a forested area
and raped her. Police determined the identities of the suspects
and caught M.A. soon after. O.C. and I.G. remained at large
and were given sentences in absentia of 28 years and 41 years,
respectively.

Afyonkarahisar, scene of the crime.

Arrest warrants were issued for the two fugitives. Police learned
that O.C.'s family lives in Ipsala district of Edirne province and
they found him from his postings, under his real name, on Facebook.
One of O.C.'s postings read "some people are after me.Good luck,
there's no one like me :)" and he shared a picture of himself with
a port in the background.

Police determined that the port was Tekirdag and they caught O.C.
working under a false identity as a butcher at a farm there.  O.C.
was placed in the Tekirdag T-Type Closed Prison. As for I.G., for
whom a 41-year sentence remains in effect, he remains at large.

Nabbed in Tekirdag.

Man Up Above, The Beasts Below

bears links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 July 2013)

Who's afraid of the big bad bear?

 

Representative bear.

In Inebolu district, Kastamonu province, six workers
running a power line had to be rescued by the Gendarmerie
after they spent two hours hiding on the power poles and in
a tree for fear of bears.

The workers were putting in new power lines near Ikizler
village when they saw a bear below them. The bear wouldn't
leave so the workers called the Gendarmerie by cellphone
and requested assistance. When the Gendarmerie arrived the
bear finally left the scene.

The workers told the Gendarmerie that a couple of their
colleagues were working in the nearby forest. The Gendarmerie
team searched for them, as well, and found them up in a tree,
waiting out the bear.

Inebolu is on the Black Sea coast.

========================================================

tiger links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 9 July 2013)

One angry mama.

In Indonesia, five people were rescued yesterday after
hiding for five days in a tree to avoid Sumatra tigers that
killed one of their friends. The six people had gone to
Leuser National Park to gather a special wood used in making
perfume when they accidentally killed a baby Sumatra tiger.

Angered at the death of their baby, the other tigers ravaged one
of the perfume-gathering group's members. The other group
members, in fear for their lives, climbed a tree, where they remained
stuck for five days while the tigers roamed below.

Leuser Park on the NE side of Sumatra.

Parliamentarian's Burden Lifted

burdens links to original article

(Sukru Kizilot, Hurriyet Newspaper, 7 July 2013)

People vs. Parliamentarians. Same the world over.

While I was having tea with the tax office director in his
office, an agitated person with a tax notice came in
without even saying hello and began talking:

"Mr. Director, I'm a parliamentarian, what's with this
tax notice? We have immunity, can a penalty be assessed
to a parliamentarian?"

The Director looked at the tax notice and said calmly "Sir,
this is a different issue, there's no connection with
parliamentarian immunity. This penalty has to do with your
construction company."

"Mr. Director, can such a thing happen? Why don't you
take a good look at the tax laws. I'm sure there's a paragraph
that prevents parliamentarians from being penalized."

"Dear Parliamentarian, there is such a paragraph in the tax
law, paragraph 373, that refers to 'compelling circumstances.'"

"OK brother, put my situation into the 'compelling circumstances'
exemption and lift the penalty."

"Sir this is impossible. The 'compelling circumstances' are spelled
out one by one in the law. For example, serious illness, a serious
accident, imprisonment, earthquake, flood, loss of records. Also,
special situations that occur out of the control of a person, such as
an airplane hijacking or  martial law, are covered by the 'compelling
circumstances' exemption. Your being elected as a parliamentarian
is not one of these."

"Give me the law, let me take a look!".  The parliamentarian then
read the paragraph carefully but couldn't find a section that he liked.
Toward the end of the paragraph, though, he found a sentence that made
his eyes glow: 'situations like these'.  "Look here, my situation falls
into this category, 'situations like these.' So lift the penalty."

"Sir, we can't make such a judgment but the best thing for you to do
is to get an administration ruling from the Finance Ministry that says
that being elected as a parliamentarian falls into the 'situations like these'
category. Then we'll lift the penalty."

So what happened next? As you guessed, the parliamentarian got the
requisite ruling and his penalty was lifted. For those of you who don't
believe this or are curious, you can find the ruling on page 1744 of the
second volume of my book 'Council of State Decisions and Rulings
Regarding Conflicts'.

Surprises: While Enjoying the View; While Picnicking

view links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 July 2013)

Car with a mind of its own.

In Mugla, a couple who left their 10-month old baby
in the car while they enjoyed the magnificent view of
the Gulf of Gokova, returned to find the car and child gone.
The couple explained to police that "someone stole our car
with our baby inside!" The child was saved when a
15 year-old boy noticed that the car was stuck among
trees at the cliff's edge.

Hakan and Saadet Sahip, who live in Germany, had come
to Turkey for a vacation by car. En route to Marmaris, they
came upon the Gulf of  Gokova and pulled off to the side
of the road to enjoy the view. They left their 10-month old
son Selim Han in the car while they and their other son
Kayhan Veysel headed down to the viewing terrace.

However, in his haste Hakan Sahip had forgotten to put
on the emergency brake and when they returned to find
the car gone they panicked and called police. Units in the
area were alerted to the make and model of the car.

About this time, 15-year old Serkan Ozturk, who was serving
tea with his father at the viewing terrace, heard a baby crying
from the cliffside. Ozturk found the child and brought him to
the terrace, where citizens called the police. When the Sahip
couple, who were making a statement to police in Mugla,
got news of their son's recovery they burst into tears.

Views are great, but take all the kids with you.

 

 

===========================================================

 

picnic links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 July 2013)

Safe found in an unsafe place.

In Konya's Selcuk district, shop owner Musa Gorgulu
brought his car to a repair shop but later learned that
someone had broken into the car and stolen it, along with
the safe that was inside. Police subsequently found the car
abandoned.

Security camera video footage from the underpass of the
train tracks was then reviewed by police who noticed three
people with their faces covered acting as if they were
handicapped in the video. Police suspected that Ridvan Y. (18),
Hasan A. (18), M.E. (17) and M. O. (17), who all have records
and work at a local carwash, may have been involved in the
incident.

Police tracked the four suspects and found them having a picnic
in Karaaslan Hadimi Park. The stolen money was taped to their
bodies. The safe was found in a canal and the suspects exclaimed
that "we never thought this much money would be in the safe."
  

Selcuklu near Konya city.

  

Dead Man Walking

ruse links to related article

(Posta Newspaper, 5 July 2013)

Drowned in Malatya, found in Istanbul

Mens clothes and a cellphone were found the day
before yesterday on the shore of Karakaya Dam
Lake in Battalgazi, Malatya. Police determined that
the phone belonged to Mustafa Akar (42), about whom
a missing persons report was filed on Sunday.

Thinking that Akar had drowned while swimming
in the lake, search efforts were conducted there but
no traces of Akar were found. Police then checked
MOBESE and security camera video records and
determined that Akar was alive and had gone to
Istanbul.

Akar was found in the home of a relative in Fatih,
Istanbul. It is alleged that Akar is deeply in debt
and was trying to convince his creditors that he had
died.

Malatya