Cat's Cradle

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 May 2017)


They always find the most comfortable place in the house.

In Sivas, a street cat that snuck into a home through an open window
gave birth to a litter in a baby's cradle.  When the homeowners found
the cat and its newborn kittens in the cradle in the morning they were
stunned.

The Akkaya family, which lives in a two-story detached house in the
Ailbaba neighborhood of Sivas city, were in for a big surprise that
morning.  The couple, Necat and Ayşe Akkaya, who live on the first
floor, had taken their 1.5 year-old son Samet with them on a visit to
relatives but had forgotten to close the bedroom window before they left.

Emine hanım get some more grandkids.

Overnight a pregnant street cat came in through the window and gave
birth to 4 kittens in Samet's cradle.  Necat's mother Emine, who lives on
the second floor of the house, came into Necat's house in the morning
to check on their safe return and found the cat family, to her great
astonishment.  Nevertheless, Emine hanım said that "of course, we'll
look after them. Why wouldn't we?  What a beautiful thing these
creatures have done for us."


                              Sivas province

Seagull Snatches Bitten-off Ear

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 7 May 2017)


Putting the best face on things, Çelik says it's 'Spock'ish'

At the pier on Büyükada, Istanbul, Eyüp Çelik's ear was bitten off in
a fight and a seagull snatched away the piece of his ear.  The incident
occurred last year on 29 July when Çelik (25) got into a fight with
Danyal Tolgahan Alparslan Seyrek (yes, 4 names!).

Çelik explained what happened as follows: "I was sitting in a tea garden
with my mother and niece when I noticed a fellow 5-6 meters away
roughing up his girlfriend.  Thinking that it would be best not to intervene,
I didn't want to get involved. Just then a friend called me on the phone so
I got up to chat.  But the suspect thought I was calling the police about him
so he started screaming at me. In response I said 'are you going to beat me
up like your poor girlfriend!?'"


                   Still at large.

"He jumped on top of me and pinned me to the ground, scratching me
around the neck.  Then he bit my ear.  I screamed so he got off me and
spat out the piece of my ear a few meters away.  A seagull swooped in and
snatched the ear. (!)  The suspect jumped on me again and tried to bite off
my other ear.  Fortunately, onlookers intervened and the assailant fled. I
was taken to Kartal Training Hospital where the doctor asked me where
the missing ear part was. When I told him that a seagull snatched it he
laughed. They had me see a plastic surgeon and I was released in the
morning."

As for Seyrek, who was arrested by police at the pier, in his statement to
the police he said that "I came from Germany with my girlfriend and sister.
A guy was staring at me while I argued with my girlfriend. He threw ice
cream in my face.  We began fighting and I bit his ear to save myself.  I'm
the victim!"  Seyrek has since returned to Germany but faces a 6-year jail
term if convicted.  Çelik could get a sentence of from 4 months to one year
for fighting.  The first hearing  on the case is scheduled for Thursday,
11 May.


                    Büyükada (A)

Foul Language Edition

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 6 May 2017)


Foul language is the mark of a poor vocabulary.

In Bahçelievler, Istanbul, Ümüt Polat admonished a person he heard
cursing on his cellphone to stop and was then shot by the same person.
The incident occurred in Bahçelievler the evening before last at 1700.
As Polat (33) was shopping, he heard an individual cursing on his cellphone
and warned him to stop, prompting an argument between the two.

Polat and the other individual pushed each other but the fracas escalated
with a gun being drawn on Polat.  The assailant first shot Polat, the father of
tow, in the leg as shoppers looked on in horror.  As Polat lay on the floor,
the shooter fired again into Polat's hip, put his gun in his belt and calmly
walked away.  As Polat was rushed to a hospital, police began searching for
the assailant.



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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 6 May 2017)


In this case, 'fowl language' was the problem.

In Kayseri's Develi district, Hamza Yasir Elma (17) and A.K. (14)  got into
an argument about pigeons the evening before last in the Yukarı Fenese
neighborhood.  Because Elma cursed at him, A.K. grabbed a hunting rifle
from his home and shot Elma in the leg and head, killing him.

The pigeon problem between the two began when Elma asked A.K. for a
baby pigeon.  When he received a negative reply Elma put food near his
house to draw away the pigeons from A.K.


Develi district is in southern Kayseri province.

The (Annoying School) Bell Tolls for Thee

 türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 5 May 2017)


    There's an unpleasant ringing in his ears.

Orhan Çebi,  a real estate and investment advisor in the Güngören
district of Istanbul, cut the cable for the sound system of the Haznedar
Abdi İpekçi Middle School twice, complaining that the bell sound was
too loud.  In consequence, a case was opened in Bakırköy's 9th Court
of First Instance against Çebi for "damaging public property", which
carries a jail sentence of 1 year 3 months to 5 years.


Another Güngören resident who comes out when the bell rings.

The court ended up fining Çebi 2,500 TL (about $700) but at a hearing
yesterday Çebi declared that "the damage I did cannot amount to 2,500
TL.  Not even 50 TL. There are three schools across from my office.
The bells sounds have a negative effect on my work and projects so I
had to cut the cable for the school's P.A. (public address) system.  The
bell even rings at midnight and on the weekends when its forbidden for
the bell to ring.  Is a 2-meter cable more important than my mental
health?!  There's something wrong here and I want it corrected!"



               Güngören district, Istanbul

Marriage + Adana + Women Named Z.K. = Trouble

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 4 May 2017)


    Should have just dated for another 6 years.

In Adana, Denizhan Dener (36), who lived in the Kurtuluş neighborhood
of Seyhan district, invited his elders to come to his house to discuss his
intention to ask for the hand of Z.K., his girlfriend of 6 years, in marriage.
Dener lost both his parents long ago so he wanted the approval of his
older relatives for the marriage.

However, his brother-in-law İsmet Metin (76), a former governor of
Adana, his wife Nurşen Metin (68), their daughter Senem Metin (41),
another aunt Gönül Cengiz (66) and her son Suphi Cengiz (38) all
opposed the proposed betrothal and refused to go to Hatay to ask for
Z.K.'s hand.


Former Gov. İsmet Metin and Nurşen Metin.

An argument erupted and Dener shot and killed all his relatives.  He then
called Z.K. to tell her what had happened and the police, as well, saying
that "I killed my family elders. By the time you get here I'll have killed
myself."  Sure enough, when police arrived at the 4th floor flat in the
Çelik apartment house they found the bodies of all the victims, along with
Dener's.


                             Adana province

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 1 May 2017)


Child groom gone before shaving even started.

In Adana, Isa Arıç (17) was killed by the lover of his 'imam nikâhlı'
(married in a religious rather than official ceremony) wife.  The incident
occurred in the Kemalpaşa neighborhood of Sarıçam district of Adana
city the day before yesterday.

Arıç had married Z.K.(17), the daughter of a relative, two months ago.
When Arıç told Z.K. he would not be coming home she invited her lover
I.D. to come over.  But when Arıç returned home in the morning he
caught Z.K and İ.D. in bed together.  İ.D. then stabbed Arıç twice in
the chest and fled from the balcony

İ.D. and Z.K. were arrested and a group of Arıç's friends set İ.D's
house on fire.

Balcony Edition: Death-by-Couch; Bilker Duped

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 3 May 2017)


                              No comment :(

Ali Yendekoğlu, a hairdresser and father of two in Davutlar neighborhood
of Aydın, wanted to get twin couches that a customer had no need of so
he went to his customer's home with a truck.  But rather than take
the couches down the staircase, Yendekoğlu opted to lower them down
from the balcony using a rope.

As the couch hung by a rope from the balcony the rope slipped from
Yendekoğlu's hand but wrapped around his foot, sending him crashing
to the ground below along with the couch.  The first ambulance called
broke down so a second ambulance, arriving late, took Yendekoğlu to
Kuşadası State Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.  Yendekoğlu
was going to celebrate his birthday on  May 5th.




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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 3 May 2017)


Mehmet's Romeo and Nilüfer's Juliet ends badly for him.

On 27 April in Keçiören, Ankara, Nilüfer Tokgöz received a call from
one Mehmet K., who identified himself as a policeman.  Mehmet told
Tokgöz that terrorists were using her ID card and that there had been
some suspicious activity in her bank account.  Mehmet advised Tokgöz
to withdraw all money from her account, bring it home and await
further instructions.

Tokgöz withdrew $21,815 from her account and headed toward her
home.  However, she decided to stop by a police station to let officials
there know about her situation.  After hearing her story, police told
Tokgöz to take the money home and then summon Mehmet to the
house when he called to pick up the money.

Mehmet arrived at Tokgöz's home and told her to throw the money
down to him from her second floor balcony.  When Mehmet grabbed
the bag of 'money' - just paper - he was quickly apprehended by police,
who are now looking for Mehmet's partner-in-crime Halil K., as well.


Keçiören is near Pursaklar, just north of downtown Ankara.