"Beat & Release": Mosque's Toilet Attendant Tries to Fight Off Crazed Kickboxer with a Shoehorn (!), in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 5 February 2025)

Kickboxer's defense: "When you gotta go, you gotta go!"

In Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district on the evening of 22 January,

champion kickboxer Yavuz Özden wanted to use the toilet in

the mosque in the Yenidoğan neighborhood.  In order to 

determine whether or not there was anyone in the stalls he

kicked each stall's door in (!).  Another toilet patron reported

this behavior to the attendant Osman Amaç (38), who came

and warned Özden to behave himself. 

Özden calmed down and entered the mosque to pray.  However,

about 45 minutes later Özden emerged from within the mosque

and attacked Amaç, who tried to fend off the attack with a 

shoehorn (!).  After Özden thoroughly pummeled Amaç, others

separated the two and Amaç was taken to a hospital suffering

from a broken jaw and partial paralysis of his face (!). 

Henceforth, "kick-me" signs will be put on doors

to discern availability. 

Police tracked down Özden and jailed him.  Amaç related

that "I went up to where the toilets are and saw that this guy

was kicking the stall doors to see whether they were empty.

I warned him about this behavior but he just said 'You're 

right, but I'm doing it anyway.'  Then he complained about

some of the facilities but I ignored him.  At that moment the

call to prayer occurred so I went into the mosque to pray."

"When I came out from the mosque he confronted me and

began punching me, hitting me in my chin.  I've had an

operation and there's a plate in my chin now, with nails and

rubber. I spent four days in the hospital and now I can't feel

the left side of my face." (!)

"Beat & Release": Idiot Has "Idiot" Tattooed on Forehead to Win YouTube contest, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(t24.com website, 3 February 2025)

          Even "fearless" people aren't idiot-proof. 

In content producer Orkun Işıtmak's "Open Competitive Bidding" 

contest, a contestant had the permanent tattoo "enayi" (idiot) 

written on his forehead in return for 80,000 TL (about $2,220).

 

Based on the format of the YouTube program, contestants agree

to accept the lowest bid offered by the producer for a specific

act. (!)

The "winning" contestant offering the lowest bid to have

the word "enayi" tattooed on his forehead was Utkan

Kormaz (whose surname means "fearless" (!))

"Don't do what I did and have the word 'idiot'

tattooed on your forehead. I regret it."

"Race & Release": Woman Nearly Gives Birth from Stress on Minibus as Drivers Race Wildly, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 3 February 2025)

                "Name the baby after me!"..."No me!"

At around noon the day before yesterday in Istanbul's Ümraniye

district, two minibus "dolmuş" (collective taxi) drivers were

racing with each other, stopping neither at red lights nor cross

walks.  The "excitement" was too much for a pregnant passenger

in one of the vehicles: "Please stop! I'm going to deliver my baby

because of this stress!" Fortunately, the woman was able to get 

off the minibus. 

However (!), another passenger recorded the two drivers' names

and plate numbers, prompting police to arrest Ramazan K. (35)

and Doğukan E. (40).   Each driver was fined 28,248 TL (about

$800), their licenses were suspended  and vehicles banned from

the roads.  After processing at the police station they were both

released. 

"B.C. & Release": Gendarmerie Nabs "Priceless" Ancient Greek Gold Crown for Sale, in Denizli

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 2 February 2025)

      Interested buyer identified as Donald J. Trump

In Denizli's Sarayköy district, the Gendarmerie got a tip that

someone was looking for a customer to buy ancient treasures.

The seller was identified and his car stopped.  In the driver's

glasses cases, the Gendarmerie found a "priceless" golden crown

weighing 70 grams, two bronze coins and a silver ring, all from

the B.C. Hellenistic period, and took S.Ç. and C.K.  into custody. 

After processing, S.Ç. was jailed and C.K. was released. Experts

from the Denizli Museum determined that the ancient items are

from the 1st and 3rd centuries B.C. of the Hellenistic period and

that the crown, in particular, is "priceless". 

"Teach & Release": Impudent Youths Get Extra Homework Instead of Jail, in Trabzon

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 31 January 2025)

         Insult them and they'll pile on the homework!

Teacher G.A., who lives in Trabzon's Ortahisar district, filed a

police complaint about U.Ç. (17) and B.M. (15) who were said

to have insulted the teacher as they passed by.  The teacher's 

complaint was sent to the Trabzon public prosecutor for a 

mediated solution. 

As the result of discussions between the teacher and the youths,

conducted by a mediator, B.M. agreed to participate in 12 hours

of sports training and reading at Prof. Dr. Necmettin Erbakan

Professional and Technical Anatolia High School, whereas U.Ç.

agreed to read a book in one month and send a summary to G.A.

Consequently, the prosecutor dropped the charges against the

two youths. 

"Scratch & Release": Bacteria From Kitten's Scratch Partially Blinds Man, in Istanbul

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 30 January 2025)

                      Cat got his eye, not his tongue.

Last November in the garden of his home in Istanbul's Esenyurt

district, Emir Kurt (27) was scratched by a kitten he was looking

after.  About a month later, Kurt began to lose sight in his right

eye.  Kurt thought nothing of it but two days later he lost all 

sight in his right eye and partial loss of sight in his left eye (!). 

Kurt went to a hospital but doctors there couldn't identify the

cause of the problem, so Kurt was sent to Kanuni Sultan 

Süleyman Training and Research Hospital, where doctors 

discerned that the "bartonella" bacteria from the kitten's scratch

had caused his eyesight problems.  

After two months of treatment, Kurt's left eye has returned to

normal but a 70% loss of eyesight persists in his right eye. 

Eye specialist Dr. Mehmet Erdoğan provided this advice with

regard to the "bartonella" bacteria: "This bacteria can cause an

infection from a cat's bite or scratch, or when it comes in contact

with an open wound.  Thorough cleansing is required after such

an occurrence and a visit to the nearest health provider should

take place within a week to 10 days."

Dr. Erdoğan said that this bacteria is spread from outside cats

but he noted that inside cats coming indoors must be thoroughly

cleaned upon entering the house. 

Suspects in police line-up. 

"Beat & Release": Neighbors Clash - "İmam Bayıldı" (Passed Out); Attacker Released But İmam Stabs Him, in Aksaray

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 29 January 2025)

Good fences make good neighbors. No fences no good.

In Aksaray the night before last at half an hour past midnight,

Muhammed Aygün, the imam at the local mosque, heard his

doorbell ring and opened the door, only to be immediately 

attacked by his downstairs neighbor Mehmet Ceylan (37), who

threw punches at Aygün and tried to strangle him with a wire (!).

Neighbors came to Aygün's rescue and he was taken to a hospital

for treatment, while Ceylan was taken into custody by police. It

turned out that two years ago, when Aygün heard cries of distress

coming from Ceylan's wife he had reprimanded Ceylan.  A few days

ago Ceylan's wife left him, prompting Ceylan to take out his anger

on Aygün.  

If Aygün gets the death penalty his last meal is ready...

In any case, after processing at a police station, Ceylan was 

released (!), but the two neighbors came face to face yesterday

at around eleven-thirty in the morning, with Aygün stabbing

Ceylan in his back, sending Ceylan to the hospital this time. 

Aygün was taken into custody and as he went to the police 

station he told reporters  that  "I was defending myself!  He

was going to kill me!  Like he tried to do last night!  Unless

he dies he'll find a way to kill me!"