Image to Fill Space: Van Cat

The adorable Van Cat is named so because the breed stems from the Van, a province and city is far southeastern Turkey, near the border with Iran.

Image of the Day/Week- Doberman Puppies

Since we featured a Van cat last time (white cats named for the city of Van, Turkey, where the breed originated), we thought we go with an image of a puppy dog this go-around; this is a photo of a very young doberman-pincher.

We aren't sure if one can find this particular breed of puppy at the Animal Rescue Foundation of Tulsa, Oklahoma, but the organization has plenty of dogs and cats up for adoption.

On May 15th, Top That! Pizza (8393 South Memorial location in Tulsa) will help raise funds for the animal shelter.

Anyone living in that part of the Sooner state who wants a new dog or cat can call the shelter at 918-622-5962.

SIDEBAR: Next week or some time within the very near future, we are hoping to post a series about the trip to Washington, DC, that was completed yesterday. The working title for the entries on this blog is "Next to the Burmese Embassy."www.arftulsa.orgtopthatpizza.com

Double Bonus Picture to Fill Space-Van Cat

Some people are stunned when I tell them that I once went to a zoo in Ankara, Turkey, and they had Van cats on display; the white cats which sometimes have red eyes are named for the city of Van in far-southeastern Turkey near the Iranian border.

For those residing in Columbus, Ohio, Cat Welfare of Ohio is hosting a Feline Wine and Dine at the Worthington Hills County Club on May 5. For more info, one can call (614) 268-6096.

Special Coverage- Horrific Earthquake in Turkey

Yet another devastating earthquake has hit Turkey, my late father's country. The BBC reported 138 confirmed dead a half hour ago as of 9:00 p.m., New York time (12:30 a.m. London time, 4:30 a.m. Istanbul time). The 7.2 earthquake struck the province of Van, near the Iranian border. Turkish newspapers are reporting that up to 1,000 could very well be dead when the final numbers are reported, which could take weeks to resolve.

A similar earthquake struck the province of Van in 1976, and that disaster killed over 5,000 people. An earthquake in the city of Erzincan, due north of Van, in 1963 has one of the ten worst casualties total on record (internationally).

The Turkish newspaper "Hurriyet" is reporting that up to 3,000 to 4,000 buildings in the area collapsed. The same publication quoted Bekir Kaya, the mayor of Van (the city), as saying that it was hard to get in touch with anyone to assist with the devastation due to the devastation of the city's telecomnunications infastructure.

The earthquake occured at 1:41 p.m. in the afternoon, local time (Turkey has one time zone). Ercis, a city that is 55 miles away from Van, reportedly has the highest casualty totals.

As evening fell on Van and Ercis, rescue workers were using campfires to work whatever light they could to potentially pull victims out of the massive rubble.

The Turkish Red Crescent, (http://www.kizilay.org.tr/english) the country's equivalent of the Red Cross, is also working with the relief effort.

NOTE: Deprem is the Turkish word for earthquake.