The Tin Man Goes Postal

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 5 January 2015)

going postal. an original film by a harried mailman


   Armored and dangerous.


In Kutahya, mailman Nevzat Coban, who a while ago made
a short film about the plight of the postal carrier, distributed
a letter urging mailmen not to surrender their hardship pay.
To call attention to the matter, Coban donned a costume made
of tin which he calls the 'anti-calamity' suit.

Support pouring in from mailmen around the world.

Coban explained the concept for his suit as follows: "The cap
on top protects you against falling bricks, icicles, flower pots
and shoes. The body armor protects against clubs and dogs. Our
esteemed parliamentarians passed a hardship pay law for
themselves at light speed.  I recommend this suit to our
parliamentarians so they don't experience any undue hardships."


Has lawyer working on trademark issues...


                    Kutahya province.

Spiderman Goes to the Dark Side

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 3 January 2015)


Bad Spiderman exposed - that's him on the right.

In Istanbul, thieves robbed the automatic ticket machines at
metro stations. The thieves, one of whom wore a Spiderman
outfit (!), took 40,000 TL ($20,000) and were first caught on
camera.  Using a jack to lift up the metro station roll-down
shutter, the four robbers slid under it to get into the stations
and used a special apparatus to quickly open the ticket machines.

Police in Kadikoy, Istanbul, checked the finger prints left on the
ticket machines and with the help of the video images identified
two of the culprits.  They took Hayrettin Aydin, who has a record
that includes involvement in 35 separate muggings and robberies,
and former Georgian policeman Resul Babayev, who wore the
Spiderman costume, into custody.

A search in the suspects home turned up a crowbar, jack, wrench,
narcotics, a bag, counterfeit money and a fake police badge. The
two suspects were jailed and the other two remain at large.
 

Good above ground, bad in metro stations.

Barcode Banner Baffles Thought Police

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Zaman Newspaper, 2 January 2015)


               Changing the rules.

Banners hung by opposition parties in Turkey recently against
'thievery and corruption' have been removed by police but a
new twist in this banner war occurred in Eskisehir. The MHP
(Nationalist Action Party) Eskisehir Provincial Directorate hung
a 'barcode' banner that can only be read by smart phones. When
decoded the message reads as follows: "There's nothing written
on this banner but you nevertheless know what we want to say."


The smart phone revolution gets political...


The barcode banner was hung from the top floor of the 3-story
MHP party building in the Koprubasi neighborhood on Two
September Boulevard. Both the MHP and CHP (Republican
Peoples Party) have hung banners protesting 'corruption and
thievery' in a number of provinces and districts, only to have
them taken down by the police.


                         Eskisehir province.

Governor 'Elevating' Fitness, by Decree

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sozcu Newspaper, 1 January 2015)


           Gov. Dursun Ali (The Rock) Sahin

giresun TNT report on Gov. Sahin from his time in Giresun.

The prohibition governor is at it again...Edirne Governor Dursun
Ali Sahin has announced the new prohibitions in the name of the
fight with obesity for the new year.  Sahin spoke at the governor's
building to publicise the "Project for the Use of Stairs Instead of
Elevators", decreeing that elevators would henceforth not stop at
the first three floors of any building in Edirne.

The project went into effect today, 1 January. Previously, Governor
Sahin had decreed that only one cube of sugar would be offered at
coffeehouses and he added, in this regard, "we've prohibited salt
from being placed on tables in restaurants and any establishment
that does not adhere to this prohibition from 1 January on will pay
a fine."


In Edirne even with an elevator you live in a walk-up.

Trading City Rat-Race for Village Sheep

turkce  links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 1 January 2015)


Topakli's 'Dorothy': "There's no place like home."

Mehmet and Perihan Demir, who now live in Kahramanmaras,
left for Istanbul to make a better livelihood for themselves years
ago.   Once in Istanbul, they first worked as street vendors and
then sold clothes they got from ready-made clothes factories
in Mahmutpasa. Five years later they had their own ready-made
clothes workshop and continued to make sales.

Business kept improving for the Demir couple and they ultimately
set up an even bigger clothes factory. Nevertheless, from the day
they first left their village for Istanbul they treasured the dream of
one day returning home.


   Admit it. You've thought about doing it, too.

Finally, in 2010 the Demirs sold their business and home in
Istanbul  and returned to their hometown of Topakli village in
Kahramanmaras's Elbistan district.  They built a 2,500 square
meter stable and started to raise 200 sheep. Today the flock is
800-strong.

Perihan Demir (42)  leaves home early in the morning with her rifle,
shepherd's cane and her Kangal dog 'Cirkin' to take the sheep
up into the mountains to graze, returning home at sunset.  She
has two children, one at university, and says "for 25 years I had
the good and the bad of Istanbul. But we never lost our love for
the village we left reluctantly so long ago.  I'm very happy in these
mountains. I could have been the 'lady boss' in Istanbul but here
I'm the 'shepherd lady'".  


Elbistan district is in northeast Kahramanmaras province.