Cucumber Cellphone Out of Order

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 15 March 2016)


                 Don't peel the messenger.

//ed.note: in Turkish slang, 'hıyar' (cucumber) means
'dolt, blockhead, uncouth and stupid'. // 

Selim Ö. participated in a radio call-in program that
promised a cellphone as a prize in return for a correct answer.
Having given the correct answer, Selim Ö. was told by his
opposite party that he had won the cellphone and his address
and identity information were requested.

Selim Ö. was told that the cellphone, worth 2,000 TL (about
700 USD), would be sent via a cargo firm and, sure enough, a
week later Selim Ö accepted the cargo package, paying 188 TL
for the delivery fee.

Inside the package, however, Selim Ö. found a plastic model of
a cellphone and a cucumber (!), prompting him to file a complaint
with the Istanbul public prosecutor.  The prosecutor determined
that the person who sent Selim Ö. the package was Mehmet S.,
who sells products over TV and radio.

In court, Mehmet S. explained that when his brick and mortar
trade and advisory firms were shut down he took to using TV
and radio to sell products: "I make advertisements and sell lots of
products, including telephones.  I tried to reach the complainant to
make amends but I couldn't contact him. He didn't call me back. I
didn't sell him anything."

Nevertheless, Mehmet S. was found guilty of fraud and sentenced
to 2 years in jail and 200 TL in court fees.  Because of good behavior,
the sentence was reduced to 1 year and 8 months, which was postponed
pending 2 years of court supervision.

As for Selim Ö., he whined that "I was both offended and defrauded."
Asserting that the damage he suffered had not been ameliorated,
Selim Ö. vowed to appeal the case.


  Selim Ö. frustrated at getting a busy signal.
 

In Search of 40 Camel-loads of Gold

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 13 March 2016)


     Treasure hunting as a spectator sport.

Five years ago excavations were conducted in a field in Yörecekler
village of Bigadiç (pronounced with an Italian NY accent 'biga ditch'),
in Balıkesir province, in search of 40 camel-loads of gold that were
said to be buried there.   Now, different people have received
permission to excavate from officials.

The rumor that there were 40 camel-loads of gold in a cave in
Yörecekler spurred treasure hunters into action 5 years ago.  The
five compatriots excavated with machines, under the watch of the
Gendarmerie, but found nothing.


     Gold digger Maviş in hot pursuit.

Today, 5 years later, Muhammet Dalgıç of Artvin and Halim Maviş
of Bigadiç have rolled up their sleeves.  Maviş, a fisherman, dove
into the nearby Simav creek, close to the cave where the gold is
supposed to be buried.  There, Maviş noticed an underwater entrance
to the cave, prompting Maviş and Dalgiç (who surname means
'diver' !) to request permission to search for the treasure.

Once the excavation started up, again with Gendarmerie supervision,
curious citizens from surrounding areas began to come to the site.
As a result, the coffeehouse in Yörecekler village has overflowed
with customers.  Treasure hunter Maviş explained that "while I was
swimming, I saw an entrance way to the cave and I decided to do an
official excavation. With prayers, a sacrifice and good will, I wanted
to do a different kind of treasure hunt."


It must have been these guys that buried the gold.

"I'm expecting to find between 60 and 70 tons of gold.  Right now
I'll reward those who have come to watch with my prayers and love.
Yörecekler village has looked after me for 20 years.  God willing,
I'll reward them many times over.  I'll do everything I can for the
villagers and settle here, God willing."

As for his partner Muhammet Dalgıç, he said that "I came from
Artvin.  My friends and I have a common idea. Halim has led the
way."  One of the treasure hunters from 5 years ago, İbrahim Duru,
noted cautiously that "there's not much to say.  We were intent
before but nothing came of it.  God willing, this time will be better."


Bigadiç district is in south central Balıkesir province.

The Birds: Anti-drone Eagles, Istanbul Parrots

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 13 March 2016)


                            Yummy!

Serdar Hüseyin Yıldırım, the head of the DHMİ (airport
authority), in talking about the radar that DHMİ and TÜBİTAK
have developed to spot birds, noted that the radar can detect
drones, as well.

Yıldırım stated that "we'll use the radar at Atatürk Airport and then
at the new airport. Right now, though, the most effective weapon
against drones are eagles. They're being used in Holland. The drone
flies up and snatches the drone in the air. So we're thinking about
using eagles from Kyrgyzstan but it would be a bit difficult here.
Eagles are raised in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
They're really eagle masters out there.  We haven't taken any steps
as far as eagles are concerned, we're just thinking about it."


                     Go get that drone!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 3 March 2016)


            Polly wants a kebap.

Anymore it's routine to spot a parrot in Istanbul.  These loveable
birds, usually found in more tropical countries, may come to rival
seagulls as symbols of the city.  These days the parrots, with their
red beaks, can be spotted in Üsküdar, Yıldız Parkı, Eyüp, Moda,
Florya and other place around the metropolis.

Some say that the parrots arrived in Istanbul when a ship sank in
the Bosphorus in the 1990s or when a tractor-trailor full of them
overturned. Others say that parrots seized by customs at the border
were then set free in the environment.


             Parrot paradise