"Undaunted Deliverance": Baby Born on Metrobus Gets Lifetime Transit Pass, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 17 October 2024)

                "Yılmaz Baby can ride my bus anytime!"

When Hanife Mete's labor pains demanded it and she couldn't

find a taxi in Esenyurt, Istanbul, to get to a hospital, Hanife 

hanım boarded a metrobüs, giving birth on the bus and naming

her new son "Yılmaz" ("undaunted").  (!)

In light of this historic birth, IETT (Istanbul's mass transit arm)

has issued young Yılmaz a lifetime free pass for all of Istanbul's

mass transit facilities, on the order of Mayor Erkem İmamoğlu. 

Mustafa Bozdemir, the driver of the 34 AS Avcılar-Soğütlüçeşme

metrobüs, related that "when we came to the Küçükçekmece stop

the lady's labor pains increased, so I began to get the other 

passengers off the bus.  One of our security personnel came and

we pulled the bus into an appropriate place.  Then the medical

personnel arrived. For me, it was an event I could never have 

imagined."

Added to the list of maternity hospitals in Istanbul:

"Beat & Release": Family Feud Sends Woman to Riverbottom With "Cobblestone Necklace", in Kırıkkale

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 16 October 2024)

                Not the kind of jewelry she'd hoped for.

Sevgi Gülden Yalçıner (47) left her home in Karaağil village

in Kırıkkale province's Çelebi district on 25 September but was

not heard from again.  Gendarmerie and AFAD (search &

rescue) teams began searching for her.  Given the likelihood

that murder was involved, the Gendarmerie took 12 suspects

into custody and those jailed included Sevgi Gülden hanım's 

siblings Ş.G. and Y.G., her neighbors D.G. and K.U., along 

with her boyfriend B.U.  

Ultimately, Sevgi Gülden hanım's body was found 19 days

later at the site of the Çeşnigir Bridge over the Kızılırmak

River.  An autopsy revealed that she had been shot dead with

a revolver.  It turned out that Sevgi Gülden hanım had been

in a dispute with her sibling over money that was being 

fought over in court and a decision was imminent. 

                     A 13th Century masterpiece.

Sevgi Gülden hanım was married but lived separately from

her husband.  After she was killed, her body was tied to

cobblestones with wire (!) and thrown in the river, where it

was discovered at a depth of 7 meters.  She was buried

in Kırşehir. 

 

"Betroth & Release": Gendarmie Nixes Teenage Wedding, in Samsun

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 15 October 2024)

         Now they can get back to playing video games.

Gendarmerie teams in Samsun's Bafra district went on patrol to

check on weddings in Dededağı village and determined that

a bride and groom were not of marrying age.  14-year-old (!)

"bride" İ.G. was taken under protection, while her mother G.G.,

her father İ.G., the "groom" S.E.D (17) and his mother and 

father H.D. and O.D. were all taken into custody.  An 

investigation is continuing. 

"Fleece & Release": Follow-up Report - Bridge Thief Gets 2.5 Year Jail Term, in Ankara

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 14 October 2024)

TNT's stolen bridge report from March 

            Bridge screamed: "Where's the rest of me?!"

Asserting that the 1936 Gömleksiz Bridge over the Kirmir 

Stream in Ankara's Beypazarı district "is mine", Ziya Kesğin 

sold it for scrap in January 2022, reaping 60,000 TL.  (!) Now,

though, Kesğin has been convicted on charges of  "theft-of-

bridge" and will serve 2.5 years in jail. 

The 500-meter Gömleksiz Bridge was in use for 42 years 

until flood damage made it unusable in 1978.  It was 

left idle as a new bridge was built nearby.  In 2022, the

Gömleksiz Bridge was demolished within a week and its

iron and other parts of value were stripped away.  

The legal owner of the bridge was the Highways General

Directorate but Kesğin "assumed ownership" of it and 

sold the scrap to junkmen Y.Ç. and D.K. for 60,000 TL.

However (!), a court case was opened against the three

and the verdict was delivered on 11 October, with Kesğin

convicted of theft and receiving a 2.5 year jail sentence.

The two junkmen were acquitted. 

The Kirmir Stream flows into the Sakarya River.

HMS "Harry Potter", Fit for Royalty, Takes on Fuel at Fethiye

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 13 October 2024)

                                       Queen of the Seas

The Cayman Islands-flagged, 88.5-meter-long mega-yacht 

'Samsara' owned by "Harry  Potter" writer J.K. Rowling 

anchored at Fethiye in Muğla province to take on 170 tons

of fuel. 

The yacht has been making a tour of the Aegean coast and 

had been centered at Göcek for the past two weeks.  After

taking on the fuel at Fethiye the yacht returned to Göcek.

It is not known whether or not J.K. Rowling herself is on

the yacht but both Turkish and foreign tourists were busy

taking pictures of the yacht all day long.  The yacht is worth

$150 million and has a 5-meter circular pool, a movie

theater with the latest technology, and many amenities one

would find at a luxury beach club.  The yacht can host 12

guests and has a crew of 26. 

Extravagance unlimited...

"Fate & Release": Driver Has Heart Attack, Doctor Miraculously Right Behind Him, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 12 October 2024)

                    Sometimes you just gotta get lucky.

Selahattin Demirel (68), who lives in Istanbul, has had 4 heart

attacks but has resisted pleas to have a bypass operation out of

a fear of operations phobia.  

However (!),  when Demirel had a heart attack while driving

his car, miraculously, Dr. Şamil Gerek was driving the car 

behind him.  Dr. Gerek, who is the head doctor at Adana 

Kadirli State Hospital, just happened to be in Istanbul for a

few days.  He gave Selahattin bey a heart massage and got

him to a hospital quickly, saving his life.

Dr. Gerek persuaded Selahattin bey to have an operation.

Then, without entering the rib cage, the source of Selahattin

bey's fright, the operation was made through the underarm

by Prof. Dr. Cengiz Köksal, who explained that "with some

patients it is possible to perform a heart bypass operation

by entering the chest cavity through the underarm, rather

than by opening the rib cage, with the infection risk less

and the hospital stay reduced, as well.  Perhaps the most

important aspect is that the patient doesn't see a scar and

feels better psychologically."  

Selahattin bey is feeling pretty good these days. 

"Beat & Release": Two LAW Anti-Tank Weapons, Evidently Owned by "Big Game Hunters", Found in Istanbul Basement

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 11 October 2024)

Doesn't everyone have at least one in the basement?

The evening before last on Hasan Çelebi Street in Istanbul's 

Avcılar district ("Avcılar" means "hunters") unused items 

found in a basement were put out on the street.  Two sacks 

from among these items were opened and inside of  them

there were two LAW (light anti-tank weapons) (!).

Police were alerted to this unusual "find" and arrived at the

scene, took statements from a few people and arrested one

of them. 

Neighborhood association is very anti-tank.