"Oscar" Enforces Cat-Free Zone at Fish Market

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 28 December 2017)


Oscar pursues one feline that dared to challenge the zone.

At a fish market in Trabzon, owner Ceyhun Örseloğlu's Golden
Retriever "Oscar" keeps the market free of cats.  Oscar is also
a favorite of the market's customers and he has a special spot from
where he keeps watch for any approaching cats. 

Örseloğlu explained that "We got Oscar when he was 35 days-old
and raised him here.  He's been with us for 3 years and has become
the market's mascot.  Oscar is a complete professional - he has no
interest in the fish and eats his own dog food.  We had quite a problem
with cats in years past so that's why we brought Oscar on board."


                        No Cat Shall Pass!

Turks' "Dutch Treat" Revenge Dog Searches

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 27 December 2017)


             They're not sniffing for tulips.

When Dutch authorities at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport used dogs to
search passengers flying to Turkey, the Turks responded immediately.
At Atatürk Airport in Istanbul Dutch passengers coming from Holland
were subjected to dog searches, as well.

The night before last at 2345 hours, police at Atatürk Airport used dogs
to search the baggage of Dutch passengers arriving on Turkish Airlines
flight 1954 from Amsterdam.  After the passengers went through passport
control and retrieved their bags from the baggage carousel, police stopped
Dutch passengers and had dogs sniff their luggage. 


"Don't bite the nice Dutchman, just scare him a little."

Evangelicals: Noah's Ark 4-Kilometers Long

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 27 December 2017)


                 Noah's Ark's dry dock found!

Raul Esperante, a researcher from  the Geoscience Research Institute
in the USA, which is financed by a church,  believes that remnants of
Noah's Ark can be found in the vicinity of Ağrı Dağı (Mt. Ararat) in
eastern Turkey.  Interest among Christian groups in Noah's Ark and
Ağrı Dağı is not new - in 2010 a group of evangelical Christians that
included some Turks and Chinese, conducted research around Ağrı
Dağı and found some pieces of wood.

The evangelicals had the wood carbon-dated and they claim that the
result was 4,800 years, which conforms with the date that Noah's Ark
"went to sea" (!).  Based on the wood parts found, the evangelical
researchers estimate that the ark was 4,000 meters long (!).


Evangelicals discovered this painting as proof, also carbon-dated
to 4,800 years ago.  Looks more like 5 km. to me...

However, the scientific community rejects such claims.  Nicholas
Purcell of Oxford University characterized the evangelical groups'
claims as "as always, nonsense".  British archeologist Mike Pitt
also asserted that the evangelicals had not found any persuasive
evidence related to Noah's Ark.

Smelly Feet Edition

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Korkusuz Newspaper, 26 December 2017)


Sharing his aroma with the Bosphorus.

Without any concern for himself or others, a diver on the Fatih Sultan
Mehmet Bride over the Bosphorus stuck his two feet out the window
and worked the gas pedal with a stick while transitting the bridge.
The driver, who remains unknown, told his friend filming the episode
to make sure he got the bridge in the picture, as well.


FSM Bridge is the second of the three trans-Bosphorus bridges.

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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 26 December 2017)


                                  What?

In Russia last week, a "smelly socks" incident occurred on a Moscow-
Kaliningrad flight.  A male passenger (54), whose name has not been
revealed but who lives in the city of Swetlogorks in the Baltic region,
berated an unidentified Kaliningrad male, aged 31, who took off his
shoes despite the smell, during the flight. 

When the plane landed the two continued their argument in the
auto park, where the 54-year-old stabbed the younger man in the
chest.  The attacker now faces a 10-year jail sentence.


     
The appropriately named "Swetlogorks" district is on the left.

Georgian Cheap Gas Tourism

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Sözcü Newspaper, 25 December 2017)


Raise up the tire to fill the tank to the last possible drop.

The people of Turkey's Ardahan province have found the solution to
the problem of ever-increasing gas prices in neighboring Georgia. 
Whereas in Turkey the price for gas is 5.66 TL per liter (about $6 per
gallon, 2/3 of which is tax!), in Georgia gas goes for 3.8 TL per liter. 
Since visas have been eliminated between Turkey and Georgia,
Turks can enter Georgia for a 15 TL fee and fill up their tanks with
cheaper gas.

Mustafa Gülen (no relation - one hopes!- to FETÖ chief Fethullah
Gülen), who lives in Ardahan's Posof district, 14 kilometers from
Georgia, says he has bought his gas in Georgia for years, noting
that "it only costs 15 TL to enter Georgia and we can fill up our
gas tanks and buy goods that are cheaper there than here."

A Funicular Named Desire

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(HaberTürk Newspaper, 25 December 2017)


C.B. got a bit too much for the price of her carfare.

The incident occurred a month ago.  Theater performer C.B. was on
the funicular railway from Kabataş to Taksim in Istanbul and sat
next to the window on one of five seats in the back of the funicular
car.  Besides C.B., there was a young man and a 10-year-old boy in
the car, as well.

C.B. put on her earphones to listen to music and when she turned her
head to the right, she was startled to see that the young man, Yusuf A.,
was looking at her and satisfying himself (!).  In a panic, C.B. changed
her seat and when the funicular reached Taksim she found a policeman
and reported Yusuf A.

Upon C.B.'s complaint, Yusuf A., who is Jordanian, was arraigned
in court, where he stated that "I know what I did was wrong and I
regret it.  I know it's not a good thing.  I'd like to come to an agreement."
The judge, though, decided that Yusuf A. should be tried for "sexual
harassment", which carries a jail sentence of from 9 months to 4.5
years.


Yusuf A., left, asked the judge "was that wrong? Should I not
have done that?"

 

On The Road Edition

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 24 December 2017)


            Not your usual 'watery grave'...

In Ergene district of Tekirdağ province, Mustafa Canlı (34), a driver
for a recycling company, parked his truck at the side of the road.  Canlı
then jumped from his truck and landed on a piece of fiberboard that
was covering a well.  Canlı broke through the fiberboard into the well.
Rescuers pumped out the water in the well and found Canlı's body.
//ed.note: ironically, "canlı" means "alive" in Turkish.//



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türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 24 December 2017)


"Just cause you're saving a life, you think you're better than 
me?!"

In Manisa, as an ambulance was rushing a 13-day-old baby to
Merkezefendi State Hospital, another driver named S.B. accosted
the ambulance crew, shouting "why are you flashing your lights?!
You think you're better than me?!"   S.B. assaulted the crew and
both he and the crew filed complaints with the police.

Aydın Akagündüz, a member of the union Türk Sağlık Sen, ambulance
driver N.A., and emergency medical technician H.T. filed complaints
against S.B. for a physical attack, while medical technician S.Ç.
filed a complaint against him for verbal abuse.  Akagündüz related
that "the driver cut us off and shouted 'can you pass ahead of me?!
Why are you flashing your lights?!'  The driver grabbed our driver
by the throat and attacked him.  This guy then opened the back door
of the ambulance and punched our medical technician, as the other
technician called the police.  We were delayed half an hour in
bringing the baby to the hospital.  The attacker said that the ambulance
crew attacked him but that is absolutely a lie."