Out From Under the Prayer Rug

rug links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 31 October 2013)

T.Y. (25) was to be married off as a 'kuma' (spare wife)
for money to her married cousin in Diyarbakir but she
ran away and took refuge with her older sister and her
husband Mehmet Yakinda (35).

Mesut Y. - a real rugrat.

On 12 April 2012, T.Y.'s father came to Yakinda's clothing
store and told Yakinda to give up his daughter. Yakinda,
however, believing that his sister-in-law's life was in danger,
refused. T.Y.'s father, Mesut Y., then killed Yakinda with a
revolver.

Gendarmerie teams learned from a tip that murder suspect
Mesut Y.  was hiding out in a house in Kirikkasik village of
Hazro district and the teams raided the house yesterday. Mesut
Y. could not be found so the Gendarmie kept tabs on his common
law wife Meyase Zaman (55) who had been praying since the
raid began.

After praying for a while Meyase Zaman said in Kurdish "why
aren't they leaving?". A Gendarmerie soldier who heard this told
Meyase Zaman to move off to the side and he then lifted the prayer
run she had been kneeling on. Under the rug was a hole where
Mesut Y. was hiding. The soldiers entered into the hole and arrested
Mesut Y.

Hazro district is east of  Diyarbakir city.

It'll Do Till the Real Mess Gets Here...

mess links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 30 October 2013)

One person CAN make a difference -

instigator Halil Parmaksiz.

In Kucuknaneli village of Akcakale district, Sanliurfa
province, an armed clash that arose because of a bride
matter turned into a blood feud. Halil Parmaksiz (20) killed
his uncle who bears the same name: Halil Parmaksiz. In the
same fight, the young Halil Parmaksiz (whose surname
translates to 'fingerless') went blind and his father, Ahmet
Parmaksiz, was paralyzed.

Halil Parmaksiz went to jail but was released because of his
blindness. Ahmet Parmaksiz, who has 8 children and 12
grandchildren, left his home and fields in the village and
fled, in fear of a blood feud, to the city. The family - all the
children, one of whom is handicapped, and the grandchildren -
is now living in a two-room rented home.  These 20 people,
none of whom is working, are in a life or death struggle.

But the family, though fearful of an attack, is able to breathe
easier thanks to the intervention of the region's peace ambassador,
Dr. Feridun Oncel.  Halil Parmaksiz had this to say about the
situation: "look at the cost of one moment's anger. We had
a chain-reation of tragedies. My conscience is bothering me."

Akcakale is on the Syrian border.

Leonardo da Vinci's Istanbul Projects

Leonardo links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 29 October 2013)

//ed. note: today is Cumhuriyet Bayrami in Turkey, recalling the
establishment of the republic in 1923. Also today, the Marmaray
undersea rail project will be inaugurated. Marmaray connects
the Asian and European sides of Istanbul.//

da Vinci's Golden Horn bridge planning.

A job request came from Genoa to Sultan Beyazit II in 1502.
The job involved engineering and architecture. The applicant
was registered as Likardo Usta (Master), otherwise known as
Leonardo da Vinci. Here is the translation of the request as
recorded in the archives of the Topkapi Museum:

"I your slave have thought about the matter of mills and by the
grace of God I have found a way to make mills work solely by
wind, without any need for water power. Also, thanks be to God,
I have found a way to expel water from ships by means of a self-
powered hydraulic machine, without using ropes."

"I your slave have heard that you desire to build a bridge from
Galata to Istanbul but that you have not found anyone who can do
this. I your slave know how this can be done. I will make the bridge
as high as a building and because it is so high no one will dare to
cross over it. I'll make such a bridge that ships at full sail can pass
under it."

"I'll build a suspension bridge to allow those who want to to cross
to Anatolia. May God make you believe what I say. Please know
that this slave of yours is ready to serve you always."

Da Vinci listed four projects in his letter: a windmill, a water pump,
a stone-arch bridge over the Golden Horn and a suspension bridge
over the Bosphoros. Historian Ilber Ortayli had this to say about
the letter: "it would have been impossible for Leonardo not to be
attracted to such a military empire, where there was certainly a genius
for military technology. In other words, even if the Sultan didn't
summon him, Leonardo would have gladly served the Sultan."
(The Sultan declined Leonardo's offers, by the way.)

Today there are three bridges over the Golden Horn and two across
the Bosphorus. With the start of Marmaray, there will be a passage
under the Bosphorus, as well. The third suspension bridge for the
Bosphorus is on the way. Joining continents is not something we
see every day. Since the time of da Vinci's proposals up to today the
dream for the ages that thousands have had is now to be realized
under the sea.

Marmaray trans-Bosphorus rail link.

Note to Self: Build Self-Glorifying Tower

namegame links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 26 October 2013)

Worth waiting for, one hopes.

Hamdi Sedefci, the CHP (Republican People's Party) mayor of
Edirne, promised during the 2009 mayoral campaign to build a
155 meter high 'Sedefkule' (a tower whose name coincidentally
carries the mayor's surname) in the Yildirim neighborhood. Responding to
criticism that he hasn't made good on his promise, Sedefci declared
that "if I don't build that tower I'll change my name to Hamidiye.
Know this Edirne! If I don't do it I'll change my name to Hamdiye."
(Hamdiye would be the female version of Hamdi).

'You should name a tower after yourself, too.'

Sedefci went on to say that "the tower will be finished in 2015-2016,
God willing, if the people of Edirne give this honorable duty to me
once again."  During the 2009 campaign, Sedefci promised if reelected
as mayor to build  'Sedefkule', which would be seen not only from all of
Edirne, but from Greece and Bulgaria, as well. The complex would
include an entertainment center, stores, a walkway and pool.

Not having brought the project to realization in the ensuing four years,
Sedefci has become the target of criticism from candidates vying for
the 2014 mayoral seat. At a news conference yesterday, Sedefci said
that "One of my promises was to build a tower in Yildirim neighborhood.
Two years ago we decided to call for bids for the project but no sooner
had we done so then inspectors from Sayistay (Government Accounting
Office) came and opened an investigation."

Sedefci went on to say that "when the investigators asked questions
about the costs and beneficiaries involved in the bids everyone became
uneasy. So our friends said 'this will just be a headache for us. Let's forget
about it.' We cancelled the project to assuage our friends. Unfortunately,
that's why the tower has been delayed for a while."

Edirne

Protocol a Must, But So's the Dust

protocol links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 26 October 2013)

Protocol resumes after dust storm.

Interior Minister Muammer Guler went to Mecitozu district of
Corum Province by helicopter to participate in the funeral ceremony
for the mother of former Deputy Interior Minister Bekir Aksoy.
However, as the helicopter descended into the district stadium to
land it created a dust storm. To escape the dust, the governor and other
officials who had come to meet Guler retreated into their vehicles. The
support staffers took cover behind the vehicles.


http://webtv.hurriyet.com.tr/2/56134/0/1/bakan-helikopterle-stada-indi-protokol-toz-icinde-kaldi.aspx

As the dust settled, the protocol delegation got out of their cars and greeted
Guler who upbraided Corum Governor Sabri Baskoy, saying "why didn't you
water down the stadium?! Everyone got caught in the dust because of us."
In response, Governor Baskoy explained that "Sir, the fire department watered
in just a short while ago."

Mecitozu in eastern Corum province.

'Ocean's 11' Turkish Version; Success Short-lived

oceans links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 24 October 2013)

Turkish version not as slick.

A jewelry store located in a hotel in Colakli town,
Manavgat district, Antalya province, was robbed
with a plan that rivals movie scenarios. Rahmi B. (49),
who worked at the store, explained his plan to rob the
store of its 1 million TL worth of jewelry to Abdurrahman
C., who is already facing 49 years in jail for various crimes.
Rahmi B. promised Abdurrahman C. 40,000 TL for the job.

Abdurrahman C. accepted the deal and got a 'cloned' key
for the store from Rahmi B. Together with his girlfriend
Hanife S., Abdurrahman C. checked into room 3214 of the
hotel as guests, knowing that the hotel had no security cameras.
Their partners in the crime, Olcay G. and his girlfriend Bediha
C., also checked into the hotel.

In the planning stage of the heist the robbers found out from
Rahmi B. that the jewelry store's security camera system was
out of order. Then, on the night of 13 October, they went into
action, entering the store with the cloned key and taking 800,000 TL
worth of jewelry. Early the next morning they checked out of the hotel
and left in a rented car.

Pretty fancy target.

The heist was detected in the morning. Police found that there were
no fingerprints, the door had not been forced  and the alarm and
camera systems were not working. Thinking that the robbery was
likely an inside job, police checked a list of former employees, hotel
guest records from the previous week and vehicles that had entered
and exited the district frequently.

As a result of interrogations, Rahmi B. was identified as a suspect. Also,
the Gendarmerie obtained information about Abdurrahman C., Hanife S.,
Olcay G. and Bediha C. from the hotel guest registry. After 10 days of
investigation, police conducted  raids the night before last and captured
Abdurrahman C., who had checked into another hotel with a fake ID card.
At the time of his capture, Abdurrahman C. had three gold rings and the
cloned key in his possession.

In his statement, Abdurrahman C. confessed to the crime and provided
police with the names and addresses of his cohorts. Olcay G., Musa O.
and Volkan C. were picked up in Antalya and Rahmi B., Aslan H.,
Nuri D. and Aslan A. were arrested in Manavgat. Hanife S. and Bediha C.
remain at large and the jewels are missing, as well.

Manavgat district is in central Antalya.

  

Istanbul Murder: Ready-made B Movie Script

script links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 23 October 2013)

Casting for lead role underway.

Businessman Ramzi Matta, a Ukrainian citizen of
Egyptian descent, came to Istanbul on 14 June from Ukraine
with his partner, Kiannosh R.M., a German of Iranian descent.
Hearing nothing from Matta after this date, his family filed a
missing persons report with the Ukrainian Consulate General
in Istanbul.

On 21 August, Istanbul police found a body in a vacant lot in
Basaksehir. The body had been torn apart by street dogs but
police managed to collect some bones and skull parts. Together
with plastic handcuffs and clothes, all the collected material was
sent to the police forensics lab.

A DNA test confirmed that the body was that of Ramzi Matta.
Police then traced Matta's movements from the moment he
entered Turkey at Ataturk International Airport. Security camera
images were reviewed one by one and in the end the trail led to
a factory in Bagcilar.

Last scene, last seen.

According to police accounts, the murder evolved thusly: Syrian
grain trader Samir F. made a 14 million USD agreement with
Matta, who conducted business in Ukraine,  through Kiannosh R.M.,
for two ships filled with grain. The money was sent to Matta but
no grain was loaded onto the ships.

Holding Kiannosh R.M. responsible for being hoodwinked, Samir F.
told Kiannosh R.M. to clean up the mess. Kiannosh persuaded Matta
to get 5 million Euros in credit from an Istanbul bank to repay his
debt to Samir F. and brought Matta to the factory in Bagcilar, Istanbul.
Here Matta was surrendered to Samir F. and his men.

Matta was then killed by Macedonian Slovan P., whom police determined
Kiannosh R.M. had brought to Istanbul a day before the murder. Kiannosh
R.M. took Slovan P. back to Germany the day after the murder.  Samir F.
has confirmed the commercial disagreement with Matta but claimed that
he had no knowledge of the murder.

Contact has been established with Interpol for the arrest of Iraqi, Ukrainian,
Syrian and Serbian suspects in the case. Turkish police conducted raids
simultaneously the day before yesterday in Hatay and Istanbul, taking 11
people into custody, three of them foreigners.

  

Canakkale Tough on Bridegrooms

grooms links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 21 October 2013)

//ed. note: see blog item of 24 September 2013, regarding the
unusual treatment of grooms in Kumburun village, Ezine district,
Canakkale.//

Camouflaged anti-bridegroom commandos.

The 200 year-old Arap Deve Festival in Torhasan village of Yenice
district in Canakkale province, is tough on bridegrooms who take
girls from the village but enjoyable for the townsfolk. According to
the tradition, young men in the village paint their faces black and don
'ferace' (long full coat worn by regional women). They also attach
wheat stalks to their heads and tie bells and jingles to their belts.
Beating a drum, the youths parade around the village and play games.

Next, the "cold torture" begins for bridegrooms who take girls from
the village. The youths gather these bridegrooms, coming from outside
the village for the 'bayram' (Kurban Bayrami, the feast of sacrifice),
and demand that they perform impossible tasks. When the bridegrooms
inevitably fail they are thrown into a pool of freezing water.
Shivering, the bridegrooms emerge from the pool and head for their
homes, while the locals enjoy the spectacle.

Ezine & Yenice: bridegroom-unfriendly

Duped and Duped Again...and Again

medium links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 18 October 2013)

Like shooting ducks in a barrel.

In Adana, a young woman who says that she was
defrauded by a 'medium' who read her fortune has
found relief with the public prosecutor. A case has
been opened against the suspect for "fraud based on
religious exploitation."

G.O. (26), who lives in Istanbul, contacted Leman H.
via the internet site "Sevda Medyum" last year and explained
that she was having trouble with her boyfriend. Leman H.
said that she was a medium and that she would look at her
tarot cards for G.O., for 80 TL. G.O. sent the money to Leman
H.

Leman H. told G.O. over the phone that G.O. had a curse on
herself  and that this curse would have to be broken, otherwise
her boyfriend would marry someone else. Not wanting to lose
her boyfriend, G.O. sent Leman H. 500 TL right away to break
the curse.

About a month later, G.O. again called Leman H., who told her that
"there's no one else in your boyfriend's life. He wants to come back
to you but someone is preventing this. Send another 500 TL and I'll
break the curse."  G.O. sent this money, as well. Nevertheless, the
boyfriend did not return to G.O. so she called Leman H. once more.
This time Leman H. said "I'll get your boyfriend back to you but you
have to send me another 1,000 TL."

G.O. sent the money  but nothing happened. When Leman H. asked
for still more money G.O. realized (!) that she was being hoodwinked
and sought relief from the public prosecutor. A sentence of  seven
years has been requested by the prosecutor for "fraud by exploitation
of  religious beliefs and emotions". As for Leman H., she claimed that
"what I did was legal. I even have a tax certificate."

Adana, where the ducks are medium-rare.

Ex-CIA Chief's Turkish Adventure (?)

ciachief links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 18 October 2013)

Hmmmmm....

Did the former CIA director David Howell Petraeus work
as a teacher in Turkey in his youth? Students in Sultanhisar,
Aydin province, say the answer is "definitely yes!", such that
for the longest time their conversations have centered around
Petraeus.

Now, the 60'ish students of that era are sure that the Peace Corps
volunteer named Willy Van De Grift who taught them English
for a year was Petraeus, who rose to the summit of  U.S. military
ranks before becoming CIA director.  The students, who claim that
Petraeus changed his name later on, said that "we began to suspect
it was him when we saw him on TV years later. Then we looked at
old photographs, refreshed our memories and became certain it was
him. He was very ambitious even in his youth and it was clear that
he would be a success."

Recalling 'Davit'

Ekrem Basaran, one of the students at Sultanhisar Middle School in
1966-67, said that his teacher was Willy Van De Graft, who was called
'Davit' by the staff members who didn't know English at that time.
Basaran stated that "he used to ask me interesting questions and
requested that I take him to the villages. He would speak with the
villagers with poor Turkish and take notes. When I asked him why
he was doing so he responded by saying 'when the time comes you'll
understand'".

Another former student, Mehmet Sumer, said that years later he
understood why 'Davit' seemed more like an 'agent' than a teacher.
"He wasn't good at explaining lessons. When I myself became a
teacher I realized this more clearly. He just spouted U.S. propaganda.
Since he didn't know teaching techniques we didn't get anything out
of the English he was supposed to teach us."

The oldest of the former students, Zeki Pekoz, recalled that "he spent
more time with the shopkeepers at the market than he did at school.
Petraeus is none other than our 'Davit'.

Sultanhisar, in north-central Aydin province.

Bridezilla, a Month Later, Divorcing

bridezilla links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 16 October 2013)

Bridezilla (center) in happier days.

Dr. Ali Kosar, who teaches at a private university
and who has won the TUBITAK (Turkish Scientific
Institute) scientific prize, filed a divorce suit against
his wife of one month Gulum Kosar.  Kosar's father,
Ibrahim Kosar, took the stand as a witness.

Gulum's father-in-law testified as follows: "she moved
the henna party date to another date without telling us
so we couldn't go.  I sent the bride and groom off  to a
honeymoon but they went into the hotel early. Because
the room wasn't ready my daughter-in-law made a scene.
She called me and said 'how could you make a reservation
like this?!'. In fact, she locked herself in the bathroom."

"One night my wife took ill and I tried to reach my son
but I couldn't. So I called my daughter-in-law three times
and she hung up on me each time. Then she told my son
that I was harassing her on the telephone."

Must See TV: Derringdo in Adana

jumpkick links to related article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 15 October 2013)

Scenes of a street fight taken by MOBESE (street surveillance)
cameras in Adana on 15 September have come out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JM34SP9H4A&feature=player_embedded

On the day of the incident, Semsettin Tagas and his brother Ibrahim Tagas hit
7 year-old M.S., who suddenly appeared on his bicycle in front of their minibus.
The Tagas brothers called for an ambulance but were set upon by Hizir Tasci and
his son Ergun who saw the accident. Semsettin Tagas's left arm was broken by
blows from a wooden club.

Some citizens tried to help the Tagas brothers but others attacked them as they
boarded their minibus in an effort to escape. At this point, a young fellow jumped
on to the minibus from a second story balcony and punched the brothers who then
somehow managed to flee the scene, headed for the hospital.

Adana

Ruthless Thieves' Home Invasion

balcony links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 14 October 2013)

No country for old folks.

In Basaran town of Kuyucak district, Aydin province,
someone knocked on the door of the Kurtoglu couple
at 0330 in the morning. Reportedly, two people for whom
Emine Kurtoglu (75)  opened the door pushed her down and
headed for the bedroom. The two thieves beat Ibrahim
Kurtoglu (93), who had woken up because of the noise, as
they screamed "where's the money?!"

When Ibrahim claimed there wasn't any money the thieves
dragged him to the balcony and threw him off. Falling onto
the cement from the 3.5 meter balcony, Ibrahim lost his life.
The attackers next went after Emine, who began to scream,
and threw her off the balcony, as well.

Son Mehmet on fatal balcony.

Neighbor Atalay Demir noticed the elderly couple lying in
a pool of blood as he headed for his field in the morning. A
rescue squad came and took the badly injured Emine to Aydin
State Hospital.

In the statement he gave to the Gendarmerie, the couple's son Mehmet
Kurtoglu said that "last month four 'bohcaci' (ladies selling cloth) came
to my parents' house. My father told my mother to 'get 50 TL from upstairs'
for a bedspread cover and one of the 'bohcaci' followed my mother. Having
learned where the money was kept they came back to get the remaining 950
TL. We think this is how the incident occurred."

Kuyucak district on far right.

Drug Kingpin Only 'Mostly' Dead

dead links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 12 October 2013)

Back from the grave.

An investigation has been opened concering officials
at the Yuksekova (Hakkari Province, in far southeastern
Turkey) Census Directorate who listed Mehdi Serdar as
'deceased'. Serdar was captured last week along with 346 kilograms
of heroin in an operation conducted by the Istanbul police, with
support from MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization.)

Teams from the Istanbul police narcotics squad started technical
surveillance of Serdar 13 months ago after getting a tip from MIT.
Serdar's relatives, knowing that two arrest warrants had been
issued for Serdar and conscious of the likelihood of telephone
surveillance, repeatedly said during phone conversations that
"Medhi died. Too bad. May God rest his soul."

According to official records, Mehdi Serdar died on 20 September
2011 and was dropped from the census roles. However, reports
surfaced that Serdar had been seen coming to and leaving his house.
Police surveillance also confirmed that he had met with his gang.
MIT also had information that Serdar was alive.  All this was put in
his interrogation file.

During one police search of Serdar's home in Bahcesehir (Istanbul),
his wife scolded police, saying "why are you searching a dead man's
home? My husband is dead."

Rookie Kidnappers Turn Tail

kidnap links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 11 October 2013)

Kidnapping not for sissies.

Electrician Erhan Geckin has rented space in
the store of Ayhan Vardar, who has household
appliance stores in Cerkezkoy district of Tekirdag
province, for a long time. But Geckin came up with
a plan to kidnap the seven year-old daughter of
Vardar, who lives in the same building.

Geckin's son Ismail Geckin works in the store with
his father. Ismail,  Ugur K. and Semih K. kidnapped
the young girl as she left the house and headed for
the market, hustling her into a car. The kidnappers
headed toward Saray and at the town of Kapakli they
all transferred to the car of Erhan Geckin, who was
waiting for them there.

However, the kidnappers saw a Gendarmerie vehicle
at Yenikoy town, got scared and put the child out of
the car. The young girl was found crying by the side of
the road and returned to her family.

The girl didn't say anything about her kidnappers and
they all returned to work the next day as if nothing had
happened. Police, though, became suspicious of Erhan
Geckin, began listening to his phone calls and solved
the crime. The suspects were all taken into custody and
confessed that they kidnapped the girl in hopes of a
two million TL ransom.

Erhan Geckin and two of his accomplices were arrested
by the court.

Tekirdag province.

Granny's Purse Sacrificed but Redeemed

granny links to original article

(Turkiye Newspaper, 10 October 2013)

Fatma and handbag before...

In Bolu, the handbag of Fatma Kalyoncu (80), containing
780 TL that she had just withdrawn from a bank, was
blown up on a bench where she had forgotten it.

Today at around noon, citizens noticed the handbag lying
on the bench on Izzet Baysal Boulevard, which is closed
to vehicular traffic, and called police. Strict security measures
were taken on the street and a bomb-disposal expert examined
the purse, then attached a fuse to it. Citizens behind the security
barrier took pictures of the scene with their cellphones.

...and after.

After the handbag exploded shredded banknotes were scattered
all over the street.  Police gathered up the damaged money and
put it into an evidence bag. Meanwhile, Fatma Kalyoncu went
to the police station to explain that she had withdrawn her 780 TL
retirement pay from the bank and then forgot her handbag on the
bench.

In total the police gathered 1,300 TL of damaged banknotes after
the explosion and went to the bank with Fatma. There, bank officials
took receipt of the shredded money and gave Fatma new banknotes.
After the incident Fatma explained that she had gone off to buy herself
a new dress and had absent mindedly left her handbag on the bench:
"I went to buy a dress and then realized I didn't have my bag. The
money for the sacrifice (sheep, goat) I was going to buy for Kurban
Bayrami (Feast of Sacrifice) was in my bag. There was a total of
1,300 TL in it."

Bolu province.

  

Vigil at Prison for Swallowed Diamond

swallow links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 9 October 2013)

Ukrainian diamond-swallowing trick.

A Ukrainian tourist was caught at the Covered Bazar
trying to cover up his thievery by swallowing with
sleight of hand a diamond he had stolen. Consequently,
there's a state of alert regarding his intestines at the prison
he's being held at.

According to information obtained by Sabah's Special
Intelligence Unit, the state prosecutor has written a letter
to the administrators of the Maltepe prison instructing
them not to let the diamond fall into the sewerage system
there. The prisoner cannot use a toilet and must defecate
in a bowl instead.

The prison is now on alert with these instructions. However,
the suspect, Ukrainian Nikolay Nikolayevic (30) claims that
the diamond is his own and has gone on a hunger stike to
avoid having to use the 'facilities'.

The diamond that has caused such a fuss at the prison was
stolen last Saturday at the Covered Bazar when Nikolayevic
swallowed the 20,000 TL diamond and tried to replace it
with an imitation diamond. The jeweler, though, recognized
the fake diamond, shut the store and called security. Nikolayevic
was taken into custody and sent to Maltepe prison.

An x-ray ordered by the prosecutor revealed that the diamond
was in fact in Nikolayevic's large intestine. Doctors considered
a vacuum technique or an operation to get at the diamond but
ultimately decided to let nature take its course. That's when the
prosecutor ordered that Nikolayevic not be allowed to use the
toilets at the prison. But now the prisoner is refusing to evacuate
his bowels.

Turks Help Indians and Firemen in U.S.

indians links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 8 October 2013)

Thirsting for Turkish drinking water.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag announced that TIKA
(Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency)
would implement a drinking water project for American Indians living in Arizona. Bozdag explained that "For the first time in history, Turkey, which over time has received aid from the Marshall Plan, IMF and World Bank, will now bring to fruition a project in a place where American Indians live in the U.S., the most developed country in the world. This is a very important step in regard to showing how far we have come."





firemen links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 8 October 2013)

Now they'll only marry Turkish girls.

A group of Turkish women in Texas have donated the proceeds
from their book "Turkish Food Made With Love" to the Turkish
Soldiers Fund and to the Texas Firefighters Association. At a
news conference, the Turkish women stated that "we selected the
firefighters in Texas because they are the first ones to respond to
help us where there's a tragedy." Saduman Gurbuz, Derya Topaktas,
Nuran Sarilar, Songul Agir and  Emine Goreci Dervisoglu expressed
their gratitude to the firefighters for their heroism during fires.

                                                               J.R. would be jealous...

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,000 year-old Burnt Brain's Secret

brain links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 October 2013)

Scientists' efforts to solve the secret of  the burnt
brain found in 2010 at Seyitomer Hoyugu* in Kutahya
are continuing. The British scientific journal New Scientist
published an article focusing on alternative reasons for
the phenomenon.

Hittite version of Einstein's brain.

Dr. Meric Altinoz of Halic University provided an
evaluation to the magazine in which he posited that
the brain's owner had been buried in an earthquake or
volcanic eruption. Dr. Altinoz explained that in the ensuing
fire the oxygen was used up so the brain did not putrify
and disintegrate. He suggested that the potassium, magnesium
and aluminum in the alluvial soil may have enveloped the
brain like a candle and prevented its deterioration.

* Seytomer Hoyugu is an ancient (1800 BC) Hittite burial ground
located about 25 kilometers northwest of Kutahya city.

Kutahya

Daughter Pays Dearly for Dad's 'Honor'

honor links to related article in Hurriyet Newspaper

(Posta Newspaper, 5 October 2013)

Has that honorable look, henceforth.

In Gaziantep, Ayfer Gulecoglu (18) fled to the home of
her sweetheart Ali C. (28) when her family wouldn't grant
permission for them to marry. Subsequently, though, her
father Salih Gulecoglu (62), a retired watchman, sent word
to Ali C. that he was agreeable to the marriage.

Salih Gulecoglu told Ali C. to bring Ayfer back home and
both families then resoved to have the couple get engaged
on 5 October. Thinking all was well, Ali C. brought Ayfer
back to her father's home the day before yesterday.

Yesterday morning Salih took Ayfer to the fruit orchards in
Sam village, supposedly just for an outing. The father then
shot the daughter with a revolver. Afterwards, Salih called
the 155 police line (911) and said "I've killed my daughter
and cleansed my honor. Come to the fruit orchards and pick
me up."  

Gaziantep

Party On, With Dead Man's ATM Card

atm links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 4 October 2013)

ATM parties are over.

In Afyonkarahisar, the body of Aziz Eyismen (67), who
disappeared two years ago, was found by following a woman
named T.B. who has been withdrawing Eyismen's retirement
salary from an ATM for the past four months.

T.B.'s husband M.B. went to prison last year for robbery and
looting. Before Eyismen disappeared, M.B. and an individual
named H.S. were known to drink alcohol in an abandoned
building. Eyismen's body was found buried in the foundation
of this house, located on 7th Street in the Mecidiye neighborhood,
in a search conducted with the use of trained dogs brought from
Ankara.

T.B. and H.S. were taken into custody. The suspects had continued
their alcohol-fueled parties in the same house after burying
Eyismen.

Afyonkarahisar

From Flat Tire to Flat Broke

flat links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 2 October 2013)

Charade at the tire-repair shop.

Ugur Uzal is in the iron and steel business in Payas
district of Hatay province and last Saturday he went
to Iskenderun to withdraw money for payments. Uzal
parked his car near the bank he entered but four people
who had followed him punctured the tires of his car
while he was in the bank.

Uzal withdrew 670,000 TL from the bank and headed
off in his car.  Another car, with the robbers inside, came
up along side to tell Uzal that he had a flat tire. Without
stopping, Uzal headed for a tire repair shop to have his
tire problem taken care of.

As Uzal waited for the repairs to finish, two of the robbers
entered the repair shop and asked the owner about buying tires.
While one robber distracted the owner with the tale about
purchasing tires, the other one snuck into Uzal's car and stole
the money.  The  tire-buying robber told the shop owner  he
had changed his mind, left the shop with his cohort and fled
in a car with the other two robbers.

After waiting for the tire repairs to finish, Uzal got into his car
only to find that his money was gone. Uzal alerted the police,
who, after obtaining descriptions of the robbers from nearby
surveillance cameras, are searching for the thieves.

Payas just south of Dortyol

in Hatay-Antakya province.

Inherit The Wind!...uh, Stick

inherit links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 2 October 2013)

In Alanya district, Antalya province, Hayri Demirel, his
mother Ayse Demirel, grandmother Ayse Kandemir and
uncle Hasan Kandemir, received news from the court in
Gundogmus (a village in the mountains north of Alanya)
that they had been left an inheritance.

Well, better than nothing...right?

The Demirel and Kandemir families, learning that the
inheritance had been left to them by Mehmet Kandemir,
who had died in 2010 at the age of 83, headed for Gundogmus
on 18 September to claim their prize.

They received from the court as their inheritance a stick that
Mehmet Kandemir had used in a fight in 2007 and which had
been entered into evidence in the related court case.

The families then returned disappointedly to Alanya.

Alanya district on the right.