No Country for Old Mothers-in-Law

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 30 November 2014)

//ed. note: as an occasional service to our readers we provide
audio and/or visual supplements. Audio today.//

mother-in-law compliments of Ernie K-Doe


Well, no more mothers-in-law left to complain about.

In Diyarbakir, Melek Calar was arrested for killing her mother-
in-law as revenge against her husband, who killed Melek's
mother.  In her statement, Melek took responsibility for the
murder. However, yesterday in court she changed her mind,
declaring that the real murderer was her father.

According to Melek, "my father put gloves on and killed my
mother-in-law.  Then he gave the gun to me so my prints
would be on it and had me fire the gun into the air to ensure
there was  gunpowder residue on my hand.  My brother
threatened me, saying 'if our father goes to jail he won't let
you live.' But I'm not afraid anymore because my children
are in state care. The real killer is my father."

As for father Cuco Calar, he claimed that his daughter was
slandering him.  The court decided that both father and
daughter would remain under arrest and the hearing was
postponed.

The trouble began when Melek, who is married to her cousin
Mehmet Karadayi, gave a bracelet to her father.  An argument
ensued between Melek and Mehmet. When Mehmet came to
Melek's parents' house to make up he instead began firing his
gun wildly, killing his mother-in-law Edibe Calar. A year later,
for revenge, his mother Besra Karadayi was murdered.


Diyarbakir province. Tough on M-I-L's

'Super Sweeper' to the Rescue!

turkce links to related Turkish article



Hero Sukru and mini-damsel-in-distress Ecrin

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 29 November 2014)


In Eskisehir, 4 year-old Ecrin Esen was being looked after at
home by her handicapped aunt while her parents were at
work at a factory.  Last night, little Ecrin leaned out of the
window of her 7th floor apartment in Sahin Houses on
Cumhuriyet boulevard, lost her balance and fell toward the
ground.

At the same time, Sukru Deniz (41) was sweeping the
sidewalk in front of the apartment house when he noticed
the falling Ecrin. Deniz was able to catch the child and
they both rolled over on the ground.

The seriously injured Ecrin was taken to Eskisehir Osmangazi
University Hospital, where her condition remains serious.
Deniz related the incident as follows: "two baby shoes fell
first. When I looked up I saw the child's feet hanging from
the window. I threw away my broom ran and opened my
arms. Together we fell to the ground. She was crying."


                               Eskisehir

'Flat Bread' Rivalry Stokes Regional Oven

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 28 November 2014)


Praise the Lord (or Allah) and Pass the Ammunition

At UNESCO's ninth intergovernmental meeting in Paris, new
cultural treasures for addition to the world heritage list were
put forth.  The Armenian delegation came prepared and made
a presentation for the inclusion of 'lavas' (flat bread) to the
"intangible cultural heritage list" in the name of Armenia.

Susequently, a decision was taken to characterize 'lavas',
known in Turkey as 'yufka', as "a type widespread on Armenian
territory."   Perennial rival Azerba'jan, however, quickly joined
the fray, asserting that 'lavas' is a cultural item shared by many
countries in the region, including itself and Turkey.

At next year's conference the delegation from the Azerbaijan
Culture and Tourism Ministry will make a presentation on the
matter, entitled declaring that "lavas bread is a heritage food
throughout the region."   It is clear that until then the issue will
be further enflamed. Nevertheless, for the time being, 'lavas'
will remain on the cultural heritage list as "Armenian bread".

//ed. note: not that we want to dampen the combatants' ardor,
but according to Redhouse, 'lavas' is a Persian word.//

The art of 'ebru' (marbleizing paper with paint) was added to
the intangible cultural heritage list in Turkey's name at the
meeting. Minister of Culture and Tourism Omer Celik saw
this as yet another Turkish victory at the conference, noting
that "with 'ebru' the number of heritage treasures in Turkey's
name has risen to 12."

Mooo! Purest Natural Gas Energy

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 27 November 2014)


                        Got methane?

Cows release the most methane gas of any creature in the
world and henceforth it will be used to create electricity.
Geophysics engineers Yalcin Ozturk and Safak Karatepe,
along with electronics engineer Mert Cakman, at Istanbul
Technical University (ITU) have developed a system to
collect cows' methane gas and convert it to electricity.

The system is called BioCower and the initial target is to
install it in 4,000 stables with more than 100 milk cows,
adding revenue of between 700 and 2,300 TL ($350-$1,100)
to the farmers' income.

Cakman explained that "a person produces 0.5 liters of
methane gas in a day, whereas cows produce an average
of 580 liters per day. We'll collect this cow gas and turn it
into electricity.  The thing that motivated us was a news
report from Duseldorf, Germany, in January about a stifled
stable with 90 cows that was in danger of exploding."


Safak Karatepe: one of three guys milking a good idea.

Long Train Running

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 26 November 2014)

//ed note: for atmospherics, the Doobie Brothers' 'Long
Train Running' is provided herewith.//

long train running


        You might want to book a sleeper...

A train that will depart from Yiwu, one of China's most
important commercial cities,  will arrive in the Spanish
capital Madrid 21 days later.  The route of this longest of
train journeys will cover 11,483 kilometers, longer even
than the 9,288 kilometers of Russia's Trans-Siberian route.

The 82-car train will arrive in Madrid in December. Yiwu
is the wholesale sales center in China, the hub of
global trade.  Most of China's exports move by sea but
Beijing would like to have some of this transport done by
rail across the route of the ancient Silk Road. In this regard,
China has budgeted $40 billion to link itself to Europe by
rail.

Another rail project planned by China would cross Turkey.
The project, announced a few months ago and scheduled
for completion in 2020, would begin in Sincan, China, with
a route taking trains across Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Turkey, and on to
Europe.

'No-Hassle' Car Sale Turns Problematic

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 25 November 2014)


   Car sellers watch out! 10 million TL fraud!

In Istanbul, a gang that passed itself off as a fancy car
dealership won the trust of luxury car owners, took
their cars without paying for them, and then disappeared.
The amount of the fraud is 10 million TL ($5 million).

The bilking was exposed when computer company owner
Savas Demir sold his Audi A5 car.  As soon as Demir put
an ad for the car on the internet two members of the gang
called, saying they would buy his car without any haggling.

Demir was invited to a car dealership and was met there
by a well-dressed secretary.  The dealership owner A.T.
told Demir that "I have a customer also named Savas. Your
plates are perfect for him (the plates have 'SVS' - for 'Savas').
We'll buy your car for him without any bargaining."

During the conversation the secretary made a point of
interrupting to tell A.T.  "Sir, $100,000 has come. Which
account shall I put it in? And $200,000 has come, where
should we send it?"  Hearing this, Demir was impressed.

Demir went with a couple of the dealership's staff to the
notary to complete the sale and when he was told that the
money for the car had been placed in his account the deal
was done.  However, when Demir checked his account he
found that only 1,750 TL ($850), rather than the agreed-
upon 177,500 TL ($90,000), had been deposited.

Relating this to the dealership staff, Demir was told that
there had been an accounting error and that he should
come to the dealership tomorrow to get his money in cash.
However, when Demir came to the dealership the following
day he found nothing there.

Demir realized that he had been hoodwinked so he checked
around, finding out that his car was now being offered for
sale by another internet dealership for 157,000 TL ($75,000).
Demir went to court, filed a complaint against A.T. and
had a hold put on his car so it cannot be sold.  The public
prosecutor added Demir's name to about 100 others who
have been similarly bilked.

Comet Hotel Not a Star Performer

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 24 November 2014)


When you REALLY want to get away from it all...


A page on one of the most popular internet tourism and hotel
sites, facetiously advertising the "67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Comet Hotel", has drawn a fine.

The fake ad on the website announced that there is a hotel on
the comet, ready for holiday-goers. Contained in the ad is a
'comment' concerning a vacation at the 'Philae Hotel'  on the
comet. The supposed vacationer, Mr. Philae Lander, related
in his 'comment' that the long journey to the site takes 10 years
and that the Rosetta transporter subjected him to a "chaotic
landing" at the hotel.  In addition, Mr. Lander shared that the
vacation spot is sunless and quite cold, there is no night-life -
or any other life, for that matter.

The 'comment' ends with Mr. Lander relating that "I am
waiting anxiously for my return trip." Lander gave the hotel
just 1 star, on a 5-star rating scale.  

Unamused, the European Space Agency (ESA) filed suit for
damages against the ad's author, who has not yet been identified.
The resulting fine amounts to 100 Euros.

Real-life Soap Opera Drama at the Airport

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 23 November 2014)


   E.C. missed out on a great Denmark vacation.

The couple Muhammed C. (29) and Nuriye E. (30) met in
Denmark and had a son they named E.C. in 2007.  The
child was registered under the father's name at the Turkish
Embassy in Copenhagen and the family then moved to
Ankara.  Shortly afterwards, Nuriye E. decided to leave
Muhammed because he was beating her.  A case was
brought against Muhammed for 'attempted murder' (!)
and the couple began living apart.

Muhammed filed for custody of E.C. but the court awarded
custody to Nuriye on 19 November.  The following day,
Muhammed tried to kidnap the child to Denmark with the
aid of his mother Birsel C.  Nuriye learned of the plan that
morning and was able to have a judge issue an order
forbidding E.C.'s departure from Turkey.

Nuriye took the judge's decision to passport authorities who
contacted the airport in Istanbul, only to learn that the plane
was on the runway ready to take off.  Nevertheless, police
contacted the air traffic control tower and had the plane
returned to the passenger gate.

The child was taken from Muhammed and his grandmother
Birsel, and delivered to Nuriye in Ankara. The question of
how E.C. was able to be boarded for an external flight without
the permission of his legal guardian, Nuriye, is being
investigated. As for grandmother Birsel, she simply said
that "I was taking my grandson on a vacation."

Blind Leading The Blind at Highway Dept.

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Aydin Life website/Hurriyet Newspaper, 22 November 2014)


"You'd have to be blind not to notice this stop sign"

The stop sign placed in the middle of the track laid on the
sidewalk for the blind to follow, along the under-construction
Kepez-Guluc road in Eregli district of Zonguldak province, has
been removed by highway crews.

The same crews had initially planted the stop sign but reactions
from local people and the media prompted its removal last
night.  In particular, Muammer Arslan, chief of the Elmatepe
neighborhood, led the cry to have the stop sign taken out.


Eregli district is in the west of Zonguldak province.