Lesson Learned (Not!): Once Burned, Twice Fried

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 25 February 2016)


Celebrating (prematurely) with Fatma in December. 

In Serinhisar district of Denizli province, Rıza Türkal has once
again fallen victim to his weakness for Syrian women.  First,
Türkal was introduced to a Syrian woman named Fatma by an
acquaintance, to whom Türkal paid 15,000 TL for the pleasure of
meeting Fatma.

Türkal and Fatma were married in an official ceremony on 12
December, but the next morning she drugged him into sleep and
took off with 20,000 TL worth of gold.  It turned out that Fatma
had used this method with other victims and she was caught in
Antalya.

first time see TNT report on Türkal's first brush with married life.

Last week, however, Türkal met another Syrian woman named
Riçat through a matchmaker, to whom he paid 1,500 TL.  Türkal
also had to pay 6,500 TL to the "woman's father" as a bride price.
This time Türkal married Riçat in a religious common-law ceremony.

Just like the time before, though, new bride Riçat tried to abscond
the next morning with the wedding gold.  Türkal was able to retrieve
the gold but he couldn't prevent Riçat's escape.  In the two failed
wedding attempts, Türkal lost more than 50,000 TL (about 16,000
USD).

Türkal explained his experience as follows: "I was cautious but
again I fell into the trap.  She lived in Iskenderun.  I told her about
what I'd been through before, warning her that 'if I'm fooled again
I'll be crushed.'   She swore she wouldn't do such a thing to me. In
order to get the money for the wedding I got help from my father
and my older brother. Since she didn't have a birth certificate, we
had a religious common-law wedding."

Continuing, Türkal lamented that "I saw that a message came to
my wife (!) from the matchmaker named 'Doctor'. The message read
'didn't I tell you to leave him and come back? Get back here quickly.'
I caught her trying to leave in the morning with the gold, which I
took back. There are 5 or 6 woman working for these people. They're
ruining peoples' lives by doing this."


Serinhisar district is in central Denizli province.

 

Good News Edition

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 23 February 2016)


This happened in Istanbul - the NY of Turkey. Incredible!

While in Istanbul, Dr. Seyhan Boztepe, an academician at
Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, found that the windshield
of his car had been broken while it was parked.  Surprisingly,
Boztepe found a note tucked under the wiper blade that read
as follows: "Hello, while trying to rescue my cat I fell from a
tree and landed on your windshield. I will pay all expenses. I'm
very sorry."

On the note there was also a telephone number and the person
who broke Boztepe's windshield also took care to spread gum
on the windshield crack to prevent water from entering the car.
Boztepe called the phone number and reached Resul Keleş, who
met all the expenses for the cracked windshield. Boztepe and
Keleş are now good friends.


                     Friendship instigator.

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türkçe links to related Turkish article


(HaberTürk Newspaper, 23 February 2016)

     Getting to school was never so much fun!

Twelve students who live in mountainous Kekova hamlet, on a
peninsula in Demre (Kale) district of Antalya province, have to take
a boat and then a minibus each day to get to school because there is
no road from their hamlet.  The students are the children of the
150 hamlet residents, who make their living from fishing and
tourism.

kekova-simena Wikipedia info

The chief of the hamlet, called Üçağız or Kekova, Salih Çanda,
escorts the students every day.  The boat trip takes the students
past Simena Antique City, an historic fortress, rock graves,
an ancient amphitheater and remarkable natural views.  After the
boat trip the students board a minibus for the ride to Çevreli
Bozoğlu-Tarkun Elementary School in Çevreli village. The
students get to school this way throughout their seven years at
the school.



Kekova (Üçağız) is on the peninsula to the left of Kekova island.


Demre (Kale) district is on the Med in western Antalya province.

Suicide Central: There's Something About Torbalı

türkçe link to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 23 February 2016)


Even the local psychiatrist attempted suicide! 

Occurrences of suicide in the 150,000-population district of
Izmir's Torbalı district, which has absorbed many migrants,
decreased when special measures were taken after reaching
record levels, but now suicides are on the rise again.  In 2009, 15
people, 4 of them women, killed themselves with revolvers,
by hanging or with drugs.

That same year, nearly 150 people in Torbalı between the ages of
17 and 66 attempted suicide because of family or financial problems.  
The district chief at the time, Zeki Arslan, established the Youth
Advisory and Health Services Center staffed by a psychiatrist and
a social worker. Suicidal youths from troubled families were given
psychological support.

Some 1,000 people applied for help from the center in 2010. In the
years after this, the number of applicants continued to decrease,
reaching a low of 350 in 2015.  Three months ago the doctor at the
center was transferred and applicants were no longer accepted.

However, after the center closed the nightmarish suicide incidents
began to increase again.  In the district, where the number of suicides
had dropped to 3, during the first 45 days of 2016 six people killed
themselves and 40 people tried to do so by taking drugs or wounding
themselves.

Consequently, the previously implemented measures are being
discussed again.  Current district chief Aydın Memük said that
"we've started working to keep from going back to the numbers we
saw in 2009. Our people are talking with those who might be
contemplating suicide, one by one, to try to identify a general
problem."

There was even a mass suicide event in Torbalı in 2009. 15 workers
at the construction site of the state hospital, complaining about
getting no pay, went up on the roof of the structure and atop the crane
there.  When they got a guarantee that their salaries would be paid
the workers relented.

Dr. Engin K., a psychiatrist, opened a clinic in the district, declaring
that "I'll prevent suicides."  A year later he himself attempted suicide (!).

 
Torbalı district of Izmir province.

Statues: Super-Sized Mary, Robot-to-Clothesline

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 22 February 2016)


Great idea! Make sure ISIS hears about the giant Virgin Mary 
statue...

Zeynel Bakıcı, the mayor of Selçuk district of Izmir province, has
stated that work has begun  to build a giant statue of the Virgin
Mary and set it on Bülbül Mountain.  Explaining the rationale for
this, Mayor Bakıcı said that "2.5 million people visit the home of
the Virgin Mary in Selçuk each year.  But 5 million visit Fatima in
Portugal, where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three
shepherd children on 13 May 1917."



2.5 million faith tourists behind Fatima?!  Build a giant statue!

Continuing, the mayor stated that "we have to give importance to
publicity and marketing, both big factors in faith tourism.  So we've
rolled up our sleeves to build a giant statue of the Virgin Mary here.
It will be as magnificent as the Statue of Liberty in America and the
statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro.  Our discussions with a number of
investors are continuing.  Right now we think that the statue will be
erected on the slopes of Bülbül Mountain."

The small Byzantine-era church on Bülbül Mountain is known today
as the Virgin Mary's home, where she died.  Her body is thought to
be buried somewhere on the mountain.  St. John is also said to have
lived here. Each year millions of Christians come to Bülbül Mountain
on a pilgrimage and to seek health cures and make wishes.


      Selçuk district is Izmir's southernmost.

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Posta Newspaper, 17 February 2016)




Thirty years ago a statue of a robot was placed in a park in Manisa
to attract the attention of children.  Over time, though, the park fell
into disrepair and no children play there anymore.  A local resident
has taken to using the robot statue as one end of a clothesline.


      Android's grandfather.


              Manisa province