9 Years for Stealing Salami; But Mercy Prevails

hungry links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 November 2013)

Hunger Games participant B.A.

In Adana, B.A. (17) allegedly stole cheese, salami and
drinks from the café he worked in. A nine-year
sentence was requested by the prosecutor during
B.A.'s trial. In his own defense, B.A. said he was driven to
the crime because "I was hungry. So I ate."

The day before yesterday B.A. appeared before the judge for
the last time and still did not confess his guilt.  B.A., who is
being tried without incarceration, explained that "I worked at
Hasan T.'s place for three months and then left. The day of the
incident I ran away from home. I was cold so I went into my
old work place through an open window. I ate a slice of cheese
and I drank some fruit juice."

The judge decided not to penalize B.A. for theft  because he was
simply trying to relieve his hunger when he entered the store.
However, the judge did hand B.A. a sentence of 6 months 20 days
for "violating the privacy of a work place."  In any event, the
sentence was left in abeyance.

Adana

One Heck of a Wedding!

wedding links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 6 November 2013)

'Hamo Aga'

Mehmet Arslan (67), known by the moniker 'Hamo Aga',
lives in Isiklar village of Bismil district in Diyarbakir province.
Arslan has four wives, 56 children and 300 grandchildren. He
recently held a wedding for one of his grandchildren, Omer
Arslan, inviting 5,000 guests.

Arslan has a spread of about 1,000 acres in Silvan and Bismil
districts. Because of his many wives and children, for a time
Arslan was a news item in European countries. His nephew's
marriage to Nezahat Kahraman was held in the Isiklar village
square. The father of the groom is Arslan's son Tahsin Arslan,
who was an AKP candidate for parliament in the last election.

About 100 animals were slaughtered for the wedding feast and
about a half ton of rice was used for the meal, as well. As soon
as the wedding began automatic weapons and revolvers were
fired off in celebration. 'Hamo Aga' implored the guests not to
shoot their weapons,  saying "please don't shoot. We don't want
there to be a tragedy."

Nevertheless, although the gunshots quieted for a time, they
were soon heard again. The wedding was held in a 3,000 square
meter open area with lots of Kurdish music and dancing. All
throughout the wedding, dollars rained down on the happy couple.

Bismil district is east of Diyarbakir city.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

catalhoyuk links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 5 November 2013)

//ed. note: another in our occasional forays into the world of
Anatolian history. Herewith two items about the ancient Hittites.//

Warning! She's ready to blow!

The world's oldest warning sign has been found at Catalhoyuk.
Based on research, the sign has been dated to 9,000 years ago
and it depicts a volcano spewing lava alongside a nearby settlement.
Scientists think that the sign was intended to alert settlers to a
possible eruption. The sign was drawn on a wall about 100 kilometers
from Hasan Volcano, which is located on the current border of Aksaray
and Nigde provinces.

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

kultepe links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 5 November 2013)

Dig We Must!

Excavations at Kultepe Hoyugu (mound) in Kayseri have uncovered
a very large monument building, dating from 4,500 years ago. Prof. Dr.
Fikri Kulakoglu, the dig chief and a member of the faculty at the
Archeology Department of Ankara University,  announced the discovery.
The excavation has been ongoing at Kanis-Kultepe since 2010.

Kulakoglu explained that they have so far exposed a 75 x 60 meter portion
of the building and he added that "this building is the biggest found in
Anatolia and the Middle East so far. Right now we're only in a corner of
it. When we see all of the building it will be extraordinarily large. This
wasn't a house or a residence. More likely, it was an administrative structure.
We think the king of  Kanis lived here or it was where his administration was
located."

Kulakoglu went on to say that "we've found about 1,000 seal prints associated
with the building. We think that these seals came from the region of northern
Syria that today we call Tell Beydar and they reveal to us an international
system of trade from those days. This trade was centered in large measure in
Kultepe and it reflects the systematic trading between northern Syria and
Anatolia, 500 years before the Assyrian traders came. In the years ahead
we think that continued excavations here will show us the nature of the
building and the trading system."

 

Kultepe-Kanis

 

High-Tension Their Specialty

hightension links to original article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 4 November 2013)

Acrophobiacs need not apply.

For 63 years 2,000 people from Golkoy district of Ordu province
have been erecting high-tension stanchions and pulling cables
to illuminate Turkey. The late Izzet Yigit set out from Golkoy's
Aydogan village - population 2,467 - in 1950 and went to Italy to
learn this skill. When he returned he passed on his knowledge to
to youth of the village.

The fellows from Aydogan village began to work in the business
of running high-tension lines around Turkey and soon became the
experts. The profession that began in Aydogan spread to others
throughout the district and now these workers can be found on jobs
abroad, as well. Aydogan Mayor Fikri Uludag confirmed that many
Golkoy residents work on high-tension tower projects and base
station constructions around Turkey and in many foreign countries.

Mayor Uludag noted that the late Izzet Yigit taught the skill to the
town's youth and initiated the movement of these young people to
high-tension projects throughout Turkey. The Mayor added that
"thanks to Izzet Yigit, for over 60 years people in our town have
been able to earn a living from this electricity profession they have
learned. Ninety percent of our people - about 2,000 people in Golkoy -
earn their living from what they learned from Izzet Yigit. Our experts
went on to teach this profession to fellows in Trabzon, Mersin,
Kahramanmaras and Tokat."

Golkoy district is in southern Ordu.

And The Walkin' Man Walks...to Erzurum

walker links to original article

(Aydinlik Newspaper, 1 November 2013)

//ed. note: thanks to alert reader Muge for this unusual item.//

Walk happy!

Stephan Meurisch (32), an electrical technician, left Munich,
Germany, 19 months ago on foot and after travelling 5,800
kilometers he has reached Erzurum. Meurish said that he
passed through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and
Bulgaria before entering Turkey. He plans to continue on to
China via Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, India and Nepal.

During his trek, Meurisch wore out four pairs of shoes and he
added a shoe size, as well. Along the way he passed through
towns and pastures, rather than following the highways, and
he didn't hitchhike either. Meurisch said that he walked 20
kilometers each day and he added that "when I left Munich I
didn't have much cash so I painted, collected olives and worked
construction jobs along the way to make money. In villages
I worked in orchards."

Meurisch added that "in Turkey, over 13 days,  I traversed Istanbul,
 Kocaeli, Yalova, Bursa, Iznik, Manisa, Balikesir, Izmir, Mugla,
Antalya, Konya, Sivas, Nevsehir and Erzincan before arriving in
Erzurum. I liked the villages and the villagers were very nice to
me. I figure it will take me 4 or 5 years to get to China."

Overexposure in Kayseri, Istanbul

kayseri links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 2 November 2013)

Celebrity, in the negative sense.

A foreign worker who came to Kayseri in hopes of
finding work said that he was hoodwinked. For revenge,
the worker has posted pictures on walls of F.M., whom he claims
defrauded him, that describe F.M. as "an impostor, a swindler".

The hundreds of posters the foreign worker has had printed
have exposed F.M.  In addition to F.M.'s photo, the posters
carry this message: "Attention all firms! He swindles illegal
workers out of their money. Do not trust him. Impostor! Swindler!"
The posters have been plastered on walls all around Kayseri on
bank walls, utility poles and store signs, attracting the attention
of citizens.

Such complaints about F.M. have surfaced before but each time
he gives a statement to police and is set free.

Kayseri

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

 Istanbul links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 2 November 2013)

uh, I think we're on TV.

In Kagithane, Istanbul, an interesting image has come out
of thieves robbing an apartment there. The young robbers
look at the camera, grab some jewelry and flee in panic. The
apartment's owner, Husniye D. took the video images to the
police.

Four months later one of the captured thieves, Masum Y.,
confessed to the crime and was sent to jail. The prosecutor
has opened a case against Masum Y., asking for a sentence
of up to ten years.

//ed. note: ironically, 'masum' means 'innocent'.//

Dear Diary, Don't Let Dad Read This

diary links to original article

(Sabah Newspaper, 1 November 2013)

Diary victim Akif Yilmaz.

In Melikgazi, Kayseri province, Akif Yilmaz (22),
who breeds animals with his father, was making
plans to marry S.K. (22), the neighbor's girl he has been
talking with for the past three years. However, the
day before yesterday Osman K., the girl's father, found
S.K.'s diary. When Osman K. secretly read the diary and
found out about his daughter's love he flew off the handle.

Osman K. made his daughter arrange a meeting with Akif
Yilmaz, during which Osman K. forced the young man into
his car and took him to Yilanli Mountain. There, Osman K.
began beating Yilmaz with a club while shouting "how dare
you look at my daughter!" Osman K. also stabbed Yilmaz in
the leg.

Thinking Yilmaz was dead, Osman K. called his father, Harun
Yilmaz (52), and said "come and get your son's body." Amazed
at what he heard from his neighbor Osman K., Harun Yilmaz
went to the specified place, where Osman K. proceeded to beat
Harun Yilmaz as he had done to his son. After being taken to
the hospital, both Akif and Harun Yilmaz filed complaints against
their neighbor, Osman K.

Nevertheless, Akif Yilmaz declared that he would not abandon his
love, noting that "I didn't fight back because I wanted to show
respect to my future father-in-law. I pretended I was dead so he
would stop beating me. When he saw I was lifeless he called my
father and then beat him when he arrived at the scene. I got up
at this point but since my left ankle was broken there was nothing
I could do. But this love won't die."

Melikgazi is in Kayseri city.