Israeli mayor suggests Gaza flotilla become hotel

by Meg Nesterov on

After the deadly May flotilla raid off the Gaza coast in Israel, the Turkish Mavi Marmara vessel has been docked and held in the city of Haifa, where it awaits an internal investigation. While Turkish authorities are demanding the return of the ship, Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav is advocating for the ship to be converted into a floating hotel. Yahav hopes it can be “an international symbol of reconciliation and hope” and notes that Haifa, about 90 miles north of the Gaza strip, has become “a symbol of coexistence and cooperation between all religions“.

Meanwhile, Israel has just lifted an advisory on travel to Turkey, where 150,000 tourists were expected this summer.

What’s your opinion on the flotilla hotel? Leave them in the comments below.

[Via Today’s Zaman]

[Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons]

Turkish smoking ban? Your survival plan

by Tom Johansmeyer on

I never thought I’d have to write about a smoking ban in Turkey. It just struck me as one of a handful of locations that would never extinguish the flame. But, on July 19, the impossible will come to pass.

In part, it exists already. Since May of last year, smoking has not been permitted in Turkish taxes, malls, offices and ferries. Of course, the prohibition does not seem to have been taken literally. Cabbies, for example, pass ashtrays back to passengers, so they can duck down, smoke … and not get caught.

The rules become much tougher this July. Lighting up will not be permitted in any enclosed establishment. Unless you’re sitting outside, you won’t be smoking in Istanbul. Fines of $2,800 suggest serious consequences.

This is expected to cause financial woes for roughly 15,000 teahouses in Istanbul, according to The Atlantic. Hundreds have shut down already, and the absence of smoking in these men’s havens, at a minimum, provides additional pressure.

Other signs of the apocalypse were not reported in the article, but you have to imagine they’re coming soon.

Reinforced cockpit safety doors may have had opposite effect in plane crash

by Scott Carmichael on

File this one under “tragic”.

According to eyewitness reports who were involved in the recent accident of Turkish Airlines flight 1951, the first officer of the aircraft was alive, but badly injured when the plane hit the ground.

Apparently, it took rescue workers 40 minutes to reach him, by which time he had passed away. The long delay was caused by the reinforced cockpit door, put in place after the 9/11 hijackings, and is of course intended to keep would-be terrorists from reaching the flight deck.

The door was so hard to penetrate, that rescuers gave up and cut a hole in the ceiling of the cockpit to reach the crew.

It’s a clear case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t – you need to keep the bad guys out, but if this makes it impossible to reach the crew during an accident it pretty much defeats its purpose.

I’m sure more news about the cockpit door will be released from more official sources during the investigation, and I am curious what pilots have to say about this incident.

Breaking news – Turkish Airlines plane crashes at Amsterdam Schiphol

by Scott Carmichael on

Details are only slowly being released, but a Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-800 has crashed at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The plane was on its way to Amsterdam from Istanbul with 135 passengers on board. Flight number TK 1951 hit the ground before it was able to reach the “Polderbaan” runway.

As for right now, CNN is reporting 9 dead and an unknown number of injured passengers. The plane went down at 10:40am local Dutch time.

Update: Dutch news sources are reporting 50 injured passengers, of which 25 are in serious condition. Turkish Airlines has published a passenger name list on their site listing all the names of passengers on flight 1951.

Word for the Travel Wise (01/26/07)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Hungry? Stop off at one of these to satisfy your taste buds with some Turkish treats.

Today’s word is a Turkish word used in Turkey:

büfe – snack bar

Prepare ahead of time by visiting this Turkish Class site. Membership is free and you’ll get a lot more than some of the basics they already have listed. Online Turkish is good too, but you’ll have to register and pay to get anything more than hello, how are you and I love you. Stick to the first site and check out this Turkish vocabulary list of body parts. Wiki has an excellent starters piece on background, history and a short list of words. Scope out phrasebooks from Rough Guides, Lonely Planet or grab both.

Past Turkish words: merhaba, iyi volculuklar, sabirsiz, lokanta, ezan, gece