Even ISIS Hasn't Thought of Poison Shoes

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 December 2014)


 Latest in WMD footwear. Designed by Richard Reid?

The Customs and Trade Ministry is pursuing the poison shoe
scandal that came to light at the Erenkoy Customs Directorate.
The Chinese-made footwear, belonging to Denge International
Shoes, contain dangerous chemical material and should have been
destroyed.  However, nearly 20,000 pairs of shoes of the Arow,
Arow Men and Arow Kids brands were not destroyed and made
their way to the market.


            Unpaid advisor?

In a statement, the Ministry related that 2,368 pairs of the poison
shoes were found in 28 provinces and taken off the market.
Minister Nurettin Canikli announced that two trainees at the
Erenkoy Customs Directorate who exposed the scandal had
been summoned to Ankara and given an award.  According
to the Ministry, the culpable firm was fined 266,490 TL ($130K).


                              Ouch!

Big Bridge in The Middle of Nowhere

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 December 2014)


   Nowhere won't be nowhere anymore.

The southeast Anatolia region is counting the days till another
dream comes true. The Nissibi Bridge in Adiyaman will the
third biggest bridge in Turkey, after the Bosphorus and Fatih
Sultan Mehmet bridges in Istanbul.

The Nissibi Bridge has been built with 100% Turkish financing by
the Gulsan firm and is Turkey's first 'cable stayed' bridge. Nissibi
will add impetus to the socio-economic development of cities like
Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Mardin and Sanliurfa, in a region where the
'solution process' (euphemism for Turkey's efforts to reconcile
differences with its Kurdish minority) is underway.


      Red line traces new bridge route.

Adiyaman Parliamentarian Ahmet Aydin, who is also the AK
Party Group Chief, said that the final segment of the 610-meter
long bridge will be put in place in the coming weeks. President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will preside at the opening ceremony.

Because of the construction of the Ataturk Dam (1983-1992)
old Samsat district and tens of villages were inundated and
road travel between Diyarbakir and Adiyaman was cut off.
Ferry boats shuttled traffic across the dam lake but Adiyaman
essentially became a dead-end, with continuous road travel
available only via Sanliurfa.

In Turkey, only the Bosphorous Bridge (1,074 meters) and the
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1,090 meters), both in Istanbul,
are longer than Nissibi.  The driving distance between Diyarbakir
and Adiyaman will be shortened by 60 kilometers, thanks to
Nissibi.

               Southeast Anatolia

Doctor Who?

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 26 November 2014)


          'Dr.' Yilman and ER friends

'Fake doctor' Ali Haktan Yilman (24) worked at quite a few
private hospitals and ambulance companies, from
Buyukcekmece in Istanbul to Izmit, even participating in
stomach and obesity operations at one hospital. He posted
pictures of himself in operating rooms and ambulances on
social media.

A high-level official from Goztepe Hospital in Istanbul, where
Yilman used a false certificate to work in the emergency
room for three months, provided information about the situation.
The official explained that Yilman went to the hospital with a
fake ID from the Turkish Physicians Union and persuaded the
emergency room crew to let him work there.

In mid-October Yilman's fraud was uncovered and he flew
to Nevsehir from Istanbul on 22 November. A lawyer on the
same flight recognized Yilman from a picture in the newspaper
and asked him his profession. Yilman said he was a doctor.
The lawyer related that an Italian woman on the flight asked
Yilman a question in English but Yilman couldn't understand
her. The lawyer then jokingly said to Yilman "a doctor who
doesn't know English?"  It turned out that Yilman's sister
boards at a school in Nevsehir.

Law professor Dr. Ali Kemal Yildiz said that Yilman could
be prosecuted for 'deliberate wounding or murder', depending
on the status of the patients he worked with. His father Naci
Yilman related that a few months ago Yilman came to his
home town of Edremit, in Van province, in a fancy car and
gave some money to his uncle, who said they sent Yilman
to a psychologist.  But Yilman duped the psychologist and
did not continued treatment.


Edremit district is near Van's provincial capital.

Henpecked Hubby Certified at Wedding

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 3 December 2014)


           So what's left to look forward to?

The wedding ceremony for Selda and Mehmet Akif Onar at
the Tarsus Ruya Ballroom was quite a colorful event.  During
the ceremony the groom was presented with an "International
Henpecked Husband' certificate prepared for him by his friends.

Tarsus District Chief Hasan Goc, a witness for the couple,
performed the marriage and presented the marriage certificate
to the bride.  Goc then gave the "Turkish Ministry for Henpecked
Husbands International Henpecked Certificate" that had been
written by Mehmet Akif's buddies, to the groom.  Mehmet
Akif laughed obligingly, as did the assembled guests.

On the framed certificate the following scale was included:
"obedience to wife and attention to her words 10, hanging
laundry and washing dishes 8, ironing 6, watching the kids 9,
making dinner and pastries as good as your wife 10, displaying
this certificate with pride 10"

District Chief Hasan Goc wished the young couple well, as
did Tarsus Mayor Sevket Can.


Tarsus is between the cities of Adana and Mersin.

Turkish Lessons To Boost Olive Oil Exports

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 2 December 2014)


        "I love the Turks", says Felix

Felix Koch, an academician at Berlin University, has come to
Edremit district in Balekesir province to learn Turkish.  The
villagers of Camci hamlet host someone from Berlin University
each year, as part of an initiative launched by village chief
Ismail Ozturmen.

Architect Felix (27)  has come for a month to learn Turkish
and Turkish culture, living in the home of Ali and Guver Aydin.
Felix says he likes the clothing outfits that are unique to
Edremit. So far he's learned to make tea and gather olives.
The villagers are teaching him to make olive oil soap, as well.
Felix declared that "I love the Turks. Turks and Germans are
brothers."

The Aydin couple say they love Felix like a son and have
even told him "we'll adopt you. But he hasn't accepted.  We're
extending Turkish hospitality He's like our son. We light the
stove and we try to make him as comfortable as possible in
our home."

As for village chief Ozturmen, he explained that "we've been
doing this project for some time now, in order to open our
hamlet to the world and have our people get to know the
people of the rest of the world.  In today's globalized world
order everything is close.  We're hosting doctoral students
from Berlin University in Germany in our village.  When
they leave we give them Edremit's Kazdaglari olive oil so
they can be our ambassadors in Berlin. We think this is a
good way to increase our olive oil exports."


Edremit district is on the Aegean coast of Balikesir.

Ghanian King of Hohoe Loses Crowns

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 1 December 2014)


Treasured photo of King Togbe, pre- crown theft.

The King of the Hohoe region, located within the borders
of the West African country of  Ghana, Togbe Ngoryifia
Cephas Kosi Bansah, lives with his German wife Gabriele
in the village of Ludwigshafen, near Frankfurt (!).

King Togbe's four crowns were stolen by a thief who entered
his first-floor home through the balcony.  The value of the
crowns is only 20,000 Euros (55,000 TL) but the King says
that their spritual value is priceless.  In a statement he gave
to the English newspaper The Times, King Togbe lamented
that "the thieves entered the house through the first-floor
balcony, broke the cabinets and took everything."

King Togbe earns his living by running a garage in the city.
The 66 year-old king still plays an active roll in the
administration of his 200,000- constituent realm back in
Hohoe via SKYPE. He also travels to his homeland many
times each year.


Yes, there really seems to be such a place.