Two Tales from Anatolia

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 4 November 2016)


Watch that first step Emine hanım, it's a doozy!

In the Kızılırmak neighborhood of Sivas, Emine Kutluca (82)
lives in a single-family home.  The other homeowners on her
street agreed with a building contractor and their homes were
demolished.  Emine hanım, though, could not reach an agreement
with the contractor.


Sivas governor can't say 'no' to a pretty face.

As a result, a 5 meter-deep hole now greets Emine hanım at her
front door.  She related that the firm officials told her that "we
will never give you a new home.  So I said I wouldn't give them
my home. They dug a hole at my front door so I have to go
through a neighbor's house to go to and from my own.  My
water's been cut off and I have no toilet facilities.  I'm afraid
I'll fall into the hole. I've asked for help from the governor.
There's no one else to help me."


                      Sivas province

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 4 November 2016)


Too nice a place for a bridge. Remember, a bridge isn't one-way.

The Arduç family lives in Dallıbahçe village in Nazimiye district
of Tunceli province.  Three years ago, when the Pembelik Dam on
the Peri River began to collect water the Arduç family was left
stranded.  Now, a bridge that was promised to the family 5 years
ago is finally under construction.

Once built, the bridge will connect Karakoçan and Nazimiye,
allowing the Arduç family to again have a connection to the
mainland.  Ayhan Arduç, who has suffered a partial stroke, said
that for the past three years the Tunceli municipality has made
a plastic boat available to the family.

Otherwise the family can only wave to its relatives on the other
side of the water. The 60-meter bridge will solve the family's
isolation problem.  The 6-member family went on a hunger strike
(!) last year to make their voices heard.


Niazamiye district is in eastern Tunceli province.

These Kids Today: Spare the Rope, Spoil the Child; Boy With the Dragon Tattoo

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 4 November 2016)


                               "What?"

A mother in Esenyurt, Istanbul, horrified onlookers with the
punishment she handed out to her child for missing the school
bus. Ebru M. tied her 8 year-old son's hands, arms and waist
with rope and then dragged him 100 meters tied to her car.

When citizens intervened Ebru M. (32), an electrical engineer,
shouted "my father did this to me. What's it to you?"  Police
arrived at the scene and took Erbu hanım into custody.  She
was later released.

The child, whose parents divorced 3 years ago, was placed
in protective custody.  A pedagogue interviewed the boy and
determined that he had suffered psychological trauma (!).
A decision about the child will be made following discussions
with his father.  


              Esenyurt district of Istanbul

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 4 November 2016)


If one was needed, yet another reason not to get a tattoo.

In Adana, İbrahim B. (25), who has a tattoo of a dragon on
the back of his neck, grabbed 800 TL from the hands of
Ela T. as she took the money from an ATM machine on
5 October and absconded.

An alert policeman noticed İbrahim's tattoo 27 days later at a
shopping center and arrested him.

action video dragnet nabs dragon-boy.


                      Adana province

Health Edition: 'Sumo' Diet; Angelic 'Nurse'

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 1 November 2016)


   Bread and water diet fends off the 'sumo' look.

Hüseyin Pişkin (42), of Nazilli district, Aydın province, wanted
to lose weight so he could participate in his favorite sports (sumo
wrestling NOT being one of them).  Pişkin asked for advice from
Dr. Fatma Banu Öztürk, who recommended a certain kind of
bread to Pişkin.

When he couldn't find the bread he began cooking it in his own
bakery.  Now, Pişkin has dropped from 120 kilograms to 92
kilograms.  He explained that "I like adrenalin so I parachute off
cliffs. But the limit for participants is 95 kilograms.  I went with
my friends to China for parachuting but when they saw me they
thought I was a sumo wrestler.  That was the day I decided to lose
weight."

Pişkin and Dr. Öztürk are now producing rye, mixed grain and
wheat breads and are talking them up on social media.



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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 3 November 2016)


"Well, Putin wasn't going to help her, so I did."

Ahmet El İlevi was living in Aleppo, Syria, when it was bombed
by Russian-Syrian forces.  His wife and two children were killed
and his daughter Emine El İlevi was seriously wounded.  El İlevi
brought his daughter to Turkey for treatment but officials at Adana
State Hospital told him that there was no pediatric surgeon at the
hospital so they did not admit Emine.

As Emine lay in the hospital garden for hours a nurse came to
help her and later her treatment began at Çukurova Dr. Aşkim
Tüfekçi State Hospital.  An inquiry was opened by the Public
Hospitals Union into why Adana State Hospital had not admitted
Emine.


A genuine angel of mercy (now let's get that diploma!).

The investigators wanted to hear what the nurse who looked after
Emine in the Adana State Hospital garden had to say.  But it
turned out that 'nurse' K.H., who walks around the hospital in
an nurse's uniform, is not really a nurse.

In her statement, K.H. explained that "since I was a child I
always wanted to be a nurse.  So I got a uniform and I've been
going to the hospital each day to help people for four months.
K.H. even helped out in the operating room and she added that
"no one asked me for an ID."  K.H. was released.

CSI Cinderella

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 2 November 2016)


Time of death estimated to be a bit after the clock struck 12.

A shepherd grazing his flock on the slopes of Spil Mountain
in Keçiliköy village in Yunusemre district of Manisa province
on 20 October found the decayed body of a woman.  No ID
card was found on the body but forensic experts in Izmir
determined that the dead woman was about 30 years old.

The experts conjectured that the woman had died 25-30 days
prior to the body being discovered.  No fingerprints could be
obtained but the woman's DNA is currently being checked to
see if it might match anyone on the list of missing persons.

A special police team led by Sezgin Aydın, who just a few days
ago solved the case relating to the horrible death of 4 year-old
Irmak Kupal in Alaşehir, is now trying to solve the mysterious
case of the woman found on Spil Mountain.


    Police artist's sketch of the deceased.

As the DNA effort continues, the team noticed that a shoe
found on the woman's body was made from a unique type of
leather produced by a firm in Gaziantep.  The firm made only
300 pairs of the size 39 patent leather shoes, which were put on
the market in southeastern Turkey two months ago.

The team contacted police in Gaziantep and firm officials there,
as well.  All of the stores that sold the shoes have turned over
the bank information of all their customers for the past two
months.  The police team is currently in Gaziantep reviewing
store security video footage.


     Spil Mountain is just south of Manisa city.

FETÖ Café in Brooklyn Gets FBI's Attention

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 1 November 2016)



Karakuş and friend (looks a lot like FETÖ but it's not).

It is being claimed that there has been an operation against FETÖ
(Fethullah Gülen Terror Organization) in the U.S.  The FBI had
conducted searches at the home and business of Selahattin Karakuş,
who his known for his closeness to FETÖ in New York.

Reportedly, last Friday the FBI searched Karakuş's Masal Café in
Brooklyn, along with his home, in connection with an investigation.
Karakuş has shared the speeches of FETÖ leader Gülen on his
social media page.


          Specialty of the house: FETÖ-cinni. 


The Masal Café is near John F. Kennedy International Airport
and people known to be close to Gülen frequent the establishment.
In 2010 and 2011 Karakuş and his partners had some problems
with ownership of the café.  Some phony shares were said to have
been issued.  The FBI has not announced the nature of the current
investigation.


Gülen seated at his favorite table at the Masal Café recently.