The Greatest - Even Then They Knew

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 10 June 2016)


  Champ tends to needy kids in Munich in 1976.

Emel Hadduroğlu Ozan (76) lives in İskenderun district of
Hatay province.  She went to a tomb to pray for world-famous
boxer Muhammed Ali, who had her children medically treated
40 years ago (!).

In 1965, Ozan's daughter Nilgün and son Camiz became ill
because of a blood disorder caused by Ozan's marriage to a
relative, so she went to Germany to work and to get treatment
for her children.


"Muhammed Ali will pay for treatment of Turkish kids in U.S."

While Ozan and her family were in Munich in 1976, Ali came
there for a match.  Ozan took her kids to Ali's hotel.  He
noticed them as they called out to him from among other fans
and Ali then and there promised to have her children treated in
the U.S.

However, Nilgün died as the travel documents were being readied
and German doctors said they could operate on Camiz there.
Nevertheless, Ali sent two professors from the U.S. to join in
the operation. Camiz passed away at age 32.

Ozan explained that "ever since I heard that Ali died I've been
sick myself.  That day (in Munich in 1976) he said to me 'don't
cry, I'm a father, too. I'll help you.'  I'll never forget the kindness
he showed to me."    


              But only one was real.

Angry Birds (Not!)

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 9 June 2016)


   It's fine as long as he doesn't bring a baby.

Eskikaraağaç village in Bursa is the only Turkish member of
the European stork villages network.  Fisherman Adem Yılmaz
there has had a 5-year friendship that makes one think of the
La Fontaine Fables.

La Fontaine Fables links to Wikipedia info.

The stork comes with migration but won't leave Yılmaz's boat
for a moment. The skipper flings fish that the stork snatches
in mid-air.  Yılmaz explained that "our friendship has gone on for
4-5 years. Every year he remembers me and each Spring when he
flies in we meet at our rendezvous point. Storks are really very
special birds."

For 12 years Eskikaraağaç village has held a stork festival within
the scope of the "Stork Friendship Village Project.  The village is
the only one in Turkey that is represented in the European stork
network.


Eskikaraağaç village is on the north shore of Lake Ulubat, west 
of Bursa city.

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

(Sözcü Newspaper, 9 June 2016)


            Hungry, not angry, birds.

In Düziçi district of Osmaniye province, a government building did
not pass the earthquake-proof test so a court ruled in February that
the building had to be demolished.


              Squatter swallows.

However, when it came time to tear down the structure, officials noticed
that there were 600 swallow nests with more than 1,000 baby birds
housed in the front of the building. Consequently, the demolition has
been postponed until the birds are mature enough to fly away. General
Secretary of the Provincial Secretariat Mehmet Yanık declared that
"Nature is important."


Düziçi district is in eastern Osmaniye province.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ingilizce links to English language news report of 7 June 2016

And you think you have a long commute...

A tiny seabird has set the record for the longest migration

flight, travelling 96,000km (59,600m) in its round trip 

between Northumberland and the Weddell Sea in Antarctica.

The Arctic Tern travelled 5,000km further than the previous

record holder – another Arctic Tern from the Netherlands.

Researchers from Newcastle University fitted 29 birds with 

electronic geolocators for BBC's Springwatch in order to 

track their migration route over the course of the year. 

The first of the birds – which weigh just 100g – returned

 to Farne Island on the Northumberland coast this spring.

   The secret: In-flight refueling?

No Mehmet, It's Not OK

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 8 June 2016)


Long overdue, he gets his just desserts, just like at the OK Corral. 

In Konya, Havva Büyükdoğurcan (42) first married 22 years ago
and after two years her husband died of an illness. Havva then
moved in with her family, together with her child in the İsmil
neighborhood and began an affair with married man Mehmet Ok
(39), which lasted a few years.

However, Ok insisted on continuing the relationship and threatened
to tell Havva's family.  As a result, Havva consented to see Ok,
who sometimes forced her to have sex.  In 2005, Havva married
again but Ok didn't leave her alone, once again threatening to tell
her new husband about their relationship. Consequently, Havva
continued to get together with Ok.

Ok came to Havva's house 10 days ago, took Havva by force to
İsmil neighborhood, beat her and raped her.  The day before
yesterday Ok phoned Havva and said "I'm going to come to your
house and rape you." (!)  Shortly afterwards Ok showed up at
Havva's home in the Sakarya neighborhood of Selçuklu district.

At this point, Havva grabbed her unlicensed revolver, which she
had obtained in İsmil neighborhood, and said to Ok when he
knocked on the door "I've had enough of you!"   Seeing the gun,
Ok turned tail and headed down the staircase but Havva shot him
in 6 places, killing him.

Havva hanım then called police and said "I've killed someone.
Come and get me."  Havva was taken into custody and to jail.


                       Konya province

The Customer''s Always Right. Right?

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 7 June 2016)


"Hey, I just do what the customer tells me to, y'know."

The taxi driver who caused the death of Serkan Erkök (23) on the
E-5 highway in Merter, Istanbul, has been captured in a movie-like
operation.  The incident occurred at 0430 on the morning of 20 May.
The taxi driver who hit Erkök, a fourth-year student in the Aydın
University Radio and Television Department and a scenarist and
director, left the scene of the accident without hesitation.

In order to find the car that hit Erkök, police reviewd MOBESE
(Istanbul's police surveillance video) and identified the route taken
by the car, which had a broken right headlight.  As a result, driver
Tahsin Ay was taken into custody.

In his statement, Ay explained that "I had a customer in my taxi
at the time of the accident. He said to me 'forget about it, it's not
your fault. Keep going.'  I agreed with the customer and kept on
going."  Ay was taken to the Bakırköy Court House and jailed.



Merter is about where the red dot is, in Istanbul.

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

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 7 June 2016)


    If only he'd been more customer-friendly...

In Köşk district of Aydın province, customer Hüsamettin S.
rode into a gas station on his motorcycle and wanted gas on
credit.  Pump jockey Ali Çetinkaya insisted on cash and an
argument ensued.  At this point, Ahmet Tan (23) intervened to
try to calm the two adversaries.

Enraged, Hüsamettin S. left the scene spewing curses at Ali
and Ahmet.  Shortly thereafter Hüsamettin S. returned on his
motorcycle with a pump-action rifle and began firing left and
right.  Ali and Ahmet ran for cover inside the station and a
bullet hit Ahmet, who had taken shelter in the bathroom, killing
him.

Police picked up Hüsamettin S. five hours later as he was trying
to flee by hitchhiking.
















Köşk district is in north central Aydın province.

Protecting Accident Victims (Sort of) & Frogs

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 6 June 2016)


"What's a contradiction?"

In Istanbul, Hamdi Kançağı, the head of the Traffic Accident
Victims Association, has sparked a controversy over his actions
after an accident he was involved in.  The incident occurred on
4 May in Istanbul when Kançağı struck an 18 year-old girl, Helin
Bulut, with his car.

Bulut was taken to a hospital where she was operated on because
of bone breaks in her leg.  A plate was put in her leg and Bulut
was not able to get out of bed for a month, cutting off her school
work, as well.


Helin hanım in month-long traction after her 'minor mishap'.

The girl's father Veysi Polat had this to say: "He (Kançağı) took
my daughter to the hospital. He didn't call 155 (Turkey's 911)
nor did he summon an ambulance.  There was no police record
taken. Should the head of the Traffic Accident Victims Association
behave like this?"

Continuing, Polat added that "at the hospital he took her to the
doctor made three different diagnoses, so we got suspicious.
We asked for a good doctor but he said that would be 'expensive'.
On top of this, he suggested that we use a lawyer from his
association if we were going to file a lawsuit.  How could
someone you have victimized be defended by your lawyer?"

In his own defense, Kançağı explained that "it wasn't much
of an accident, the young girl just lay on the ground.  I took
her to the hospital right away."  And although Kançağı admitted
that he didn't call 155 he said that he gave information about the
accident to the police at the hospital.

As for suggesting his own lawyer to represent his victim,
Kançağı asserted that "we help accident victims. Why would
we make make an exception in this case!"   A case against
Kançağı for "negligently injuring" prepared by the police
has been forwarded to the public prosecutor.
 


Call at your own risk. Just hope Hamdi bey doesn't answer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 6 June 2016)


    No, his name's not Kermit.  It's Mehmet.

A group organized a trip to two lakes - Çinligöl and Karagöl - where
the Toros frog lives in Ulukışla district of Niğde province. After
riding around the lakes in their rough terrain vehicles and motorcycles,
group members immortalized their trip on Facebook.

Environmentalists who saw the vehicles in a area which is supposed
to be silent for the good of the frogs, reacted fiercely to the
intrusion.  Ulukışla District Chief Ferhat Atar went into action
right away, closing off all the roads around Karagöl.  He promised
to have the Gendarmerie track violaters and take appropriate legal
action.


What's with all this preferential treatment for frogs lately?!

The Toros frogs are 7.5 centimeters (about 3 inches) in length and
live in the two lakes, which are in the Bolkar Mountains, some
3,000 meters above sea level.  The male frogs have an internal
voice box so they don't croak like other frogs.

   

 
Ulukışla district is in southernmost Niğde province.