1 00:00:00,020 --> 00:00:05,000 The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog ear that for now. 2 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:13,400 Well, hi. Clinton here. Welcome to the Dog Days of Pumpkin Spice Season. 3 00:00:13,980 --> 00:00:20,420 Yes, August got away from me because life. So this is my unofficial extension of Dog Days. 4 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:25,260 For more information on that, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com. 5 00:00:25,260 --> 00:00:30,020 I always use Dog Days to give you 31 episodes full of some interesting, 6 00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:32,799 yet totally useless, odd news. 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:37,100 And this year, to celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of comedy4cast, 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:43,500 or PAC for short, I'll end each Dog Days episode with part of a classic comedy4cast 9 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:46,720 episode. So, let's get started with... 10 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:48,700 Odd News PAC! 11 00:00:49,460 --> 00:00:53,760 When you think of a fantasy vacation home, you might picture a castle. 12 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:55,740 Well, have we got one for you. 13 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,240 It has a gleaming white exterior, resplendent with gothic-inspired architectural 14 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:04,780 features, including flying buttresses, pointed arches, and ribbed vaulting. 15 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:09,040 There's even a bell tower, and iconic round turret built into this castle. 16 00:01:09,220 --> 00:01:14,300 Walk up to the front door landing via the split staircase and step into the spacious living room. 17 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,340 Beyond that, you'll find a spiral staircase and a kitchen. 18 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:21,280 Upstairs, you'll find two bedrooms and a salon. There are balconies, 19 00:01:21,580 --> 00:01:23,480 a private patio, and more. 20 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,780 But don't get too carried away with the scale. The footprint of this fairytale 21 00:01:27,780 --> 00:01:31,580 castle is not that much greater than the average American suburban home. 22 00:01:31,740 --> 00:01:36,760 The majesty comes from the vertical lines, making this vacation home feel rather impressive. 23 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:42,680 Now swing wide the bedroom window on the side of your castle and wave good morning to your neighbor. 24 00:01:42,980 --> 00:01:47,840 You're sure to see them, because your dream castle is just a few feet away from 25 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,140 their home, which is an identical gothic-inspired castle, just like the one 26 00:01:52,140 --> 00:01:56,120 on the other side of your vacation home. And just like the one across the street. 27 00:01:56,260 --> 00:01:59,940 And all the other homes all the way down the road this way, and that way, 28 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,200 and the next street, and the one after that. 29 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:04,460 All exactly the same. 30 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:10,840 Welcome to Burj al-Babas, an abandoned mega-development located in northwestern 31 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,740 Türkiye, halfway between Ankara and Istanbul. 32 00:02:13,740 --> 00:02:18,440 The project was aimed at the wealthy elite—perhaps those weary of Monaco and 33 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,860 southern France—or Arab Gulf 34 00:02:20,860 --> 00:02:24,560 investors who would be interested in spending their holidays in Türkiye. 35 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:30,280 And this resort promised everything—unique villas with amenities like a built-in 36 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,419 elevator, underfloor heating and jacuzzis, thanks to the area's famous thermal 37 00:02:34,419 --> 00:02:37,639 springs, and views that overlooked idyllic woodlands. 38 00:02:38,570 --> 00:02:43,850 Well, the management company made it clear to prospective buyers that no alterations 39 00:02:43,850 --> 00:02:48,530 could be made to the exterior of your vacation castle, or vassal, if you will. 40 00:02:48,669 --> 00:02:55,070 Meaning it would forever be identical to the resort's 731 other vassals, 41 00:02:55,310 --> 00:02:58,690 packed in tighter than a size 10 foot in a size 6 shoe. 42 00:02:58,970 --> 00:03:03,310 And the underfloor heating and the jacuzzis? That ended up being too expensive, 43 00:03:03,310 --> 00:03:05,370 so they were dropped from the plans. 44 00:03:05,490 --> 00:03:10,430 Just like how the in-home elevators were scrapped. after the elevator shafts had been built. 45 00:03:10,650 --> 00:03:15,030 We're also not sure how many of the vassals would have had magnificent views 46 00:03:15,030 --> 00:03:17,150 of those idyllic Türkiye-ish woodlands. 47 00:03:17,310 --> 00:03:20,690 Many of the units are on the same level, meaning you would have been more likely 48 00:03:20,690 --> 00:03:25,090 to have a magnificent view of the back of your neighbor's villa, their identical villa. 49 00:03:25,270 --> 00:03:29,330 Construction on the 732 vassals began in 2014. 50 00:03:29,490 --> 00:03:36,310 By 2018, 587 were in various states of construction. But opposition to the project 51 00:03:36,310 --> 00:03:38,790 from members of the local community was growing. 52 00:03:38,950 --> 00:03:42,370 The town of Mudurnu is a potential UNESCO World Heritage Site, 53 00:03:42,430 --> 00:03:46,850 which dates back to Roman times, and is celebrated for its distinctive Byzantine 54 00:03:46,850 --> 00:03:48,130 and Ottoman architecture. 55 00:03:48,390 --> 00:03:52,990 The mini-chateaus were completely out of place. Then, an economic crisis hit 56 00:03:52,990 --> 00:03:55,890 Türkiye, and the development company went bankrupt. 57 00:03:56,170 --> 00:03:59,990 Plans were put on hold. People who had purchased vassals for as much as half 58 00:03:59,990 --> 00:04:02,750 a million dollars couldn't move in, possibly forever. However. 59 00:04:03,090 --> 00:04:07,390 Nothing was 100% finished, and for some reason the richest of the rich lost 60 00:04:07,390 --> 00:04:10,830 interest in a resort that looked like a castle farm. Go figure. 61 00:04:11,030 --> 00:04:15,870 The vassals now sit silent, exposed to the elements and ridicule. 62 00:04:16,029 --> 00:04:19,649 In case you're curious, we'll have a link in the show notes for this episode, 63 00:04:19,790 --> 00:04:25,970 Drawbridge Not Included, over at comedy4cast.com, all one word with the number 4. 64 00:04:26,339 --> 00:04:30,220 Where you can see a Google Maps overhead view of this repetitious resort. 65 00:04:30,420 --> 00:04:33,360 You can also drop down to see it via Google Street View. 66 00:04:33,580 --> 00:04:37,140 Just remember, there's nothing wrong with your eyesight. You are seeing double, 67 00:04:37,300 --> 00:04:39,420 and triple, and a lot more. 68 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:45,980 And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip. 69 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:52,000 For this clip, we're headed back to November of 2010, and a parody of all those 70 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:56,660 Ghost Hunter shows, and Bigfoot shows, And, well, you get the idea. 71 00:04:57,060 --> 00:04:59,640 This clip is from the setup of the story. As soon as we got the call, boom, we were on our way. 72 00:05:08,860 --> 00:05:11,940 Okay, we're rolling. Time to get some background information. 73 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:14,720 We're headed to the Venus Arms Hotel and Towers. 74 00:05:15,060 --> 00:05:18,020 That's the building in the center of town, right? The one with the observation 75 00:05:18,020 --> 00:05:19,899 deck on the fourth floor? Yep. 76 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:24,060 The Venus Arms is this crazy old building down in the center of town. 77 00:05:24,060 --> 00:05:27,080 It has this observation deck way down on the fourth floor. 78 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,640 It seems like they've heard some strange noises in the building lately. 79 00:05:31,060 --> 00:05:34,300 Carol, what do we know about the Venus Arms Hotel and Towers? 80 00:05:34,700 --> 00:05:37,420 We know the place opened in 1953. 81 00:05:38,580 --> 00:05:43,740 Wow, that's more than 50 years ago. Yep. 82 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:49,100 Amazing the place is still standing. They really built things to last back then. 83 00:05:49,420 --> 00:05:52,600 The call came in from a Mr. Danny Hillcrest. 84 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:57,040 Okay, I think the first thing we need to do when we get to the hotel is speak 85 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,920 to this Mr. Hillcrest. Great idea. 86 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,800 Jacob, I've got a question. Yeah, what's that? 87 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,700 Why didn't we go over all this stuff when we were in the office? 88 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,160 Well, it's so much cooler to communicate via these walkie-talkies on the way there. 89 00:06:13,380 --> 00:06:17,240 But wouldn't that make more sense if we weren't all in the same van? 90 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:24,120 Carol can be a little naive at times. How can we use walkie-talkies when we're not walking? 91 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:32,100 Finally, we got to the hotel. Okay, we're here. Let's go in. 92 00:06:35,830 --> 00:06:40,050 Welcome to the Venus Arms Hotel and Towers. Boom. 93 00:06:40,470 --> 00:06:44,790 Immediately we see this guy in some kind of wacky military uniform coming towards us. 94 00:06:45,090 --> 00:06:48,850 Whoa, what's that all about? Can I take your bags? No thanks, 95 00:06:48,970 --> 00:06:52,130 soldier. Most of the time I can usually find them again. 96 00:06:52,330 --> 00:06:55,110 We're Spirits and Hauntings Advanced Asset Management. 97 00:06:55,390 --> 00:06:58,510 How's that? You can call us SHAAM for short. 98 00:06:58,750 --> 00:07:03,590 But that's with two A's. I really think we should have thought that name through 99 00:07:03,590 --> 00:07:07,290 a bit more. Oh, there you are. 100 00:07:07,490 --> 00:07:10,410 You, uh, know these folks, Mr. Hillcrest? 101 00:07:10,630 --> 00:07:15,050 Of course I do. I can tell a SHAAM a mile away. 102 00:07:15,470 --> 00:07:20,130 See what I mean? Uh, Mr. Hillcrest, you're the person who called us about your 103 00:07:20,130 --> 00:07:22,130 apparition. I love that game. 104 00:07:22,630 --> 00:07:27,670 Remove wrenched argyle. What can you tell us about what's been happening here? 105 00:07:27,830 --> 00:07:36,470 Oh, we've been hearing eerie, spooky noises here at the hotel lately. What kind of noises? 106 00:07:39,810 --> 00:07:43,690 That was pretty good. It almost sounded just like it. 107 00:07:43,970 --> 00:07:48,350 Well, what do you know about that? That sounds like it could be old lady Cindy 108 00:07:48,350 --> 00:07:52,690 Mendenvernanhorffen and the Venus Arms Ghost. 109 00:07:53,330 --> 00:07:58,930 So then, out of nowhere, this cap guy tells us there's a ghost haunting this place. 110 00:07:59,430 --> 00:08:04,950 Didn't see that coming. What happened to this Cindy Mender Mylar moped? 111 00:08:06,790 --> 00:08:09,850 This Cindy person? Did she fall down the elevator shaft? 112 00:08:10,070 --> 00:08:14,770 Die in a horrible hotel fire? Did she have a heart attack in her room and go 113 00:08:14,770 --> 00:08:16,050 undiscovered for weeks? 114 00:08:17,090 --> 00:08:19,490 You're a bunch of sick pups, you know that? 115 00:08:22,350 --> 00:08:25,410 That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Pack. 116 00:08:25,610 --> 00:08:29,270 But first, a shout out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons, 117 00:08:29,270 --> 00:08:34,350 including our producer-level patrons Paul Barrie from the A Window to the Magic 118 00:08:34,350 --> 00:08:39,530 podcast and Kirby Bartlett-Sloan from the 20-megabyte Doctor Who podcast. 119 00:08:40,030 --> 00:08:42,210 You too can support comedy4cast 120 00:08:42,210 --> 00:08:46,830 and get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month. 121 00:08:47,070 --> 00:08:53,270 Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number 4, on Patreon.com. 122 00:08:53,450 --> 00:08:59,309 Lending their voices in this episode were Paul Barrie, Susie, Barely, and Kim. 123 00:08:59,710 --> 00:09:06,190 Additional voices, script, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025. 124 00:09:06,750 --> 00:09:10,450 All rights reserved. Talk to you again next time. But for now, 125 00:09:10,650 --> 00:09:13,610 that's it. We're done, done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.