Firefighters Rescue Lazy Students

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Posta Newspaper, 13 March 2014)


'Get Out of Jail Free' card works this time but...

Seven boarding students at the Industry Profession
High School in Yüksekova district of Hakkari
province failed to emerge from their dormatory
in spite of the bell ringing to summon them to
morning lessons.  Offıcials of the school then locked
the door to the canteen, where the 7 students were
located, as punishment.

In response, the students used their cellphones to
call the fire department, which sent firefighters to
the scene. The firefighters parked in front of the
dormatory, raised the fire ladder and rescued the
students through a dorm window.


Yüksekova district (blue) in far eastern
                Hakkari province.

Al Qaida's Evil Twin Circles Turks in Syria

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet and Zaman Newspapers, 14 March 2014)


Ottoman founder Osman's Granddad's Tomb

The Tomb of  Süleyman Shah in Syria, the only Turkish
land outside of Turkey, has been 'surrounded' by the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISID).  The tomb is
located near the Syrian village of Karakozak, 35 kilometers
from the Turkish border at Suruç, in Şanlıurfa province.

For a long time the area around the tomb was under the
control of the Free Syrian Army (ÖSO) but since the day
before yesterday ÖSO forces have had to withdraw after
fierce clashes with the radical Islamist ISID, which has
been disowned even by Al Qaida.

Consequently, the tomb's surrounding area is now
controlled by ISID, which has previously made anti-Turkey
proclamations. Turkish troops guarding the tomb are on
high alert and have reported the situation to Turkish
General Staff  (TGS) Headquarters.

In turn, TGS has issued orders to army and air force units
on the border for operations against ISID in the event of
an attack on the tomb. The 25 Turkish soldiers at the tomb
have been given shoot-to-kill orders.

The area of present-day Syria was controlled by France
after the demise of the Ottoman Empire but an agreement
was reached between Turkey and France in 1921, under
which the Tomb of Süleyman Shah, the grandfather of
Osman, the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, was accepted
as Turkish territory and protected by Turkish soldiers.


Süleyman Shah's Tomb is located 35
kilometers south of Suruç district.

Ghengiz Khan: Fair Weather Conqueror

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 12 March 2014)


Environmentally-assisted warlord.

Gheniz Khan established the largest land empire in
world history and this success was due to both his
army's superiority in battle and, it turns out, climate
change.

According to research by the U.S. National
Academy of Science, good weather was a big help
to Ghengiz Khan, who united the Mongol tribes
in the early 1200's and formed one of the greatest
cavalries the world has ever known. For example,
because of regular rainfall, his horses, the backbone
of his army, were well-nourished on the abundant
grass that grew on the plains.

In 2012 scientists visited Mongolia and by examining
the rings in trunks of 1,100 year old Siberian pine trees
found in the Hangay Mountains they were able to
estimate the weather conditions of the period.
During the years of Ghengiz Khan's great invasions,
between 1211 and 1225, climate change ensured that
each Mongol warrior had at least five horses.
 

   Horde's mobility powered by good grass.

Nixon Should Have Thought of This

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 12 March 2014)

//Sabah is a wildly pro-government newspaper, as
will become apparent to the astute reader.//


       Enter the copyright lawyers.


Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan has begun a personal
struggle against the publication on social media of
real and fabricated voice recordings obtained through
illegal means. While tapes of Erdoğan have not been
removed from You Tube, it has been determined that
recorded conversations of (now arch-foe) Fethullah
Gülen have quickly been taken off the website.

It has been learned that this situation is the result of a
company close to Gülen purchasing the voice copyrights.
Since Gülen is a writer, there was no problem with him
buying the rights to his own voice but there will have
to be a different procedure for Erdoğan.

For example, Erdoğan's speeches in public cannot be
copyrighted but his private conversations and any
future books he may write fall under the copyright
provisions. Once Erdoğan secures the rights no tape
of Erdoğan's voice can be used.

In this context, You Tube, which played an important
role in the publication of the tapes, although illegally
obtained, has refused to take responsibility. A suit has
been filed against You Tube. Erdoğan's lawyers
have shown as the reasoning in their filing in suits
against CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and the
prosecutors and public officials who perpetrated the
17 December purge (of Erdoğan's ministers and their
sons for corruption), that these illegal tapes should
have been destroyed but were not.

Consequently, efforts have begun to open a suit in
international channels against You Tube for publishing
the fabricated and illegal tape recordings in a similar
way.  It has been learned that officials of You Tube
have been in discussions with the Prime Minister's
office. While You Tube representatives disown any
responsibility for the tapes, the PM Office officials
find this hard to believe.

Meanwhile, RTÜK (Turkey's FCC, only much worse)
has prepared a report about TV broadcasts that aired
the tapes and penalties are expected based on this
justification: "broadcasts must be based on the rule
of law, justice and impartiality; they cannot contain
statements that violate a person's honor and privacy;
nor statements that demean people or institutions or
that ridicule or slander individuals."

Selling Daughters to Pay Electric Bill

Türkçe links to related Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 10 March 2014)


Keeping the lights on by selling his girls.

When news came that a family in Şanlıurfa planned
to get a bride price for their 14 year-old daughter so
they could pay their electric bill, officials from the
Family and Social Policies Provincial Directorate
went into action.

The officials determined that G.A. had been taken
out of 4th grade by her family. They then met with
the family of Hamet and Zehra Ay and persuaded
them to re-enroll G.A. in her school, the nearby
Fevzi Çakmak Elementary School. Upon hearing
that she had been spared marriage, stated that
"I'm very glad I can go back to school. The state
saved the day."

However, six years ago Hamet Ay did marry off another
daughter, Nebiye who was then 13 years-old, and used
the bride price to pay off his electric bill. Hamet Ay
cannot work because of heart and kidney problems.


  Şanlıurfa Province

A Vote For Damage Control

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Posta Newspaper, 10 March 2014)

//ed.note: municipal elections are scheduled for
30 March throughout Turkey. //



In Karatay, Konya, barber Ihsan Ç. (24) took the family
car out for a drive at night. But when he saw a police car
he sped up, since he doesn't have a license, and then failed
to stop when told to by the police.

When he hit a barrier Ihsan Ç. was caught and it turned out
that he had an alcohol level of 0.15 promil.  While being put
into the poliçe car Ihsan Ç shouted "my vote is for Tayyip
Erdoğan!"  Nevertheless, the barber was fined 1,432 TL
for driving without a license and the car's owner was
fined 1,462 TL.

Karatay is one of three districts in the
provincial capital city of Konya.

Grifter's Habit Dies Hard

Türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 7 March 2014)


A dancing (and bilking) machine.

Nuh Mehmet Göncü fraudulently collected millions
from people in Kayseri, promising them that he could
get 'cheap gold', but he has been caught using a fake
doctor ID.

Göncü attained notoriety when he married off his daughter
in 2011 with a fabulous wedding at a 5-star hotel. Having
gained people's confidence, he spread the word that he had
special state authority to get gold cheaply from the mint.

After collecting about 10 million TL from 1,000 people,
Göncü disappeared.  When the fraud came to light, a great
many citizens from Kayseri, Nevşehir, Niğde, Istanbul and
Kırklareli filed complaints against Göncü.

Recently, Göncü was discovered in Kartal, Istanbul, posing as
a retired doctor. He had opened a luxurious office and started
to collect money again using the 'mint' lie. The day before
yesterday police raided his office and Göncü was taken off
to jail.  Five people who claim that Göncü bilked them out of
50,000 TL have filed complaints.