Suicide as One's Chosen Profession

turkce links to a previous Turkish article about our hero

(Haberturk Newspaper, 6 July 2014)

//ed. note: digital copy of the article on which today's blog
is based couldn't be found on the internet - blackout?!//


Just another day at the office for Bulut bey.

Bulut Heyder (35), the father of two, threatened to commit
suicide twice before in Istanbul and once each in Eskisehir
and Bursa by climbing to rooftops. The evening before last
Heyder threatened to take his own life from the 9th floor of
a hotel in Istanbul's Taksim Square, claiming that he couldn't
pay a 2,000 TL debt.

After 20 minutes Heyder was persuaded by police to come
down. Previously, Heyder had appeared on the rooves of
various buildings saying that he would commit suicide. After
one such event in Kadikoy, Istanbul, citizens collected
670 TL among themselves and gave it to Heyder. During his
Eskisehir suicide attempt Heyder said that he owed 1,000 TL
and he gave a list of his debts to police.


Contemplating suicide...or his business plan?

Half-naked Villagers Protest Privatized Water

turkce links to related Turkish article

(Hurriyet and Sozcu Newspaper, 6 July 2014)


           You're on notice Chippendales!

A water revolt has begun in Horzumalayaka village in
Manisa province's Alasehir district. As the result of
local elections the village was transformed into a
hamlet but management of  the natural spring water
was given to a private firm by the Provincial Administrative
Unit prior to Manisa becoming a municipality.

The firm set up a filling station at the Dedekavak location
and began renting the spring water which has met the
villagers' water needs for 39 years. Yesterday the villagers
demonstrated because they've been left without water on
these hot summer days. The shirtless village men, shouted
slogans as they marched to the site of the spring.  The
village women (fortunately, fully clothed) provided support
to their menfolk.


        Horzumalayaka's answer to Brad Pitt


Village chief Erol Adiguzel made an announcement at the
Dedekavak location, which is at an elevation of 1,600 (?),
saying that they would continue to demonstrate until the
problem is solved.  He said that "without any notification
to us they gave our water to a private firm. We're already
suffering from a water shortage and now they've completely
cut us off. We have neither drinking water nor household
water. We want our government to listen to our voices."

After about two hours of demonstrating the villagers
dispersed without incident.


Alasehir district is in SE Manisa province.

Local Politics in Mardin: Playing for Keeps

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 5 July 2014)


Support the rival candidate at your peril.

In Mardin, the village chief and his relatives attacked
a family that supported a rival candidate in the local
election with rifle fire as the family was on its way to
'teravih' (a special prayer service during the holy month
of Ramazan) prayers, leaving 4 dead and 27 wounded.

Bad blood between the Guven family, which serve
as guards in Kayadere village of Omerli district, and
the Budak family and their relatives in the Demirkiran
family began during the election for village chief. An
argument between youths of both sides in the village
square the day before yesterday turned into a fight with
rocks and bats.

Omerli District Chief Tekin Erdemir heard about the
incident and spoke with the village chief and other
family members.  The night before last, just when it
seemed that the matter had been tamped down, Medeni
Guven and his relatives fired automatic weapons from
the balcony of their home at a crowd that included
members of the Budak and Demirkiran families who
were on their way to the 'teravih' prayer service.

Celil Demirkiran, his nephews Izzettin Budak, Ahmet
Budak and niece Figen Budak died at the scene and after
both sides opened fire on each other 27 people were
injured. Entrance and exit to and from the village has
been placed under supervision as the dead were buried
amid tight security measures. Suspects were taken into
custody.


Omerli district is in central Mardin province.

Demetrius 'Coulda Been a Contender'

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 4 July 2014)


The world's second oldest profession: match-fixing.

The Smithsonian Research Institute in the U.S.has published
a document concerning one of the first match-fixing incidents
in sports history. The document is a Roman one from 267 BC
and has been preserved at Oxford University. It was written on
papyrus during a sports tournament organized in Antinoopolis
city on the banks of the Nile, in the time of Roman Emperor
Gallienus.

According to the translation by Dominic Rathbone of King's
College, London, two wrestlers named Nicantinous and
Demetrius signed what could be characterized as a match-
fixing agreement. Demetrius was to fall to the ground three
times and would receive 3,800 drachma. For the agreement,
the names of two witnesses were also written on the document.
In those times, 3,800 drachma was only enough to buy a
donkey.

The document was found during an excavation conducted in
1903 at Oxyrhynchus Antique City in Cairo. In the event that
Demetrius did not adhere to the match-fixing conditions
stipulated in the agreement he would be obliged to pay 18,000
drachma to the other party (Nicantinous) of the agreement
right away. Experts say that match-fixing is also  mentioned in
some old Greek memoirs.

Terror Edition: ISIS in Bodrum; Persians Massacred

turkce links to related Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 3 July 2014)


    ISIL's navy makes landfall at Bodrum (?)

Those who saw a 'black flag' with Arabic writing on it
flying over a houseboat in Torba Koyu, Bodrum, thought
it was ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and called
police and the port authority. The houseboat's owner,
fisherman Oktay Yildiz explained that "I just made a place
for myself to stay. I put up the flag which says 'Allah is
one and Muhammed is his prophet. Obey him'. Don't
think there was any bad intention involved."


                                "What?"

======================================
turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 3 July 2014)


19th Century engraving of the lost army of II Cambyses

Researchers at Leiden University in Holland have solved
the mystery of the disappearance of the Persian army in
524 BC, thanks to an analysis of newly found hieroglyphs.
The 50,000-strong army that Iranian Emperor II Cambyses
sent to Egypt was believed to have been lost to a sand
storm. However, the Dutch researchers have found that
the Persians were defeated and massacred to the last man
by the army of Egyptian ruler III Petubastis.

//for more info on Cambyses and his lost army see the
following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambyses_II

Turn a Shovel in Turkey, Find Ancient Ruins

turkce links to original Turkish article

(Sabah Newspaper, 2 July 2014)


Have shovel, find ruins...

Teams from a private firm working on behalf of the
Mugla municipality on Namik Kemal street in Milas
were digging an excavation with a back-hoe  when
they hit the cover of a sarcophagus. Experts from
the Milas Archeology Museum Directorate soon arrived
and dug a safety trench around the sarcophagus.

The remains of six people thought to be from the
same family were found in the grave, which was
determined to belong to the Roman era.  Also found
at the site were 13 tear bottles, a pair of earings and
a mirror. After the rescue operation, the archeologists
brought all the items to the Museum Directorate.


Mugla province. Milas is west of Mugla city.

Meanwhile, in Sandikli district of Afyonkarahisar province,
at an excavation being conducted with heavy equipment
in a quarry, another sarcophagus was discovered. Work
was stopped and experts from the Afyonkarahisar Archeology
Museum were notified. In the ensuing work, the archeologists
found four other sarcophagi. The team recoverd plate and
glass parts, along with a large number of bones. According
to initial estimates, the sarcophagi were determined to be
1,600 years old.


Sandikli is in the SW of Afyonkarahisar.

Chechen Commander's Daughters Clash in Bursa

turkce links to related Turkish article

(Hurriyet Newspaper, 29 June 2014)

//ed. note: this is a follow-up report to our blog item of
16 June 2014: "Caucasus Romance in Bursa: No Happy
Ending"//


         Laura goes to the Halloween Ball.


Laura Kehursayev (27), the elder daughter of Sultan Kehursayev,
a Chechen commander, warned her younger sister Latmira
Kehursayev (24), who was in Bursa, by phone on 11 June about
her relationship with Ahiska Turk Vetan Mavludov (33).  That
same day Laura and her boyfriend Muhammet Borchaev (30)
went to the Panayir neighborhood of Bursa's Osmangazi district
along with 7 other individuals.

Latmira and Vetan Mavludov, who is married and has five
children, met with Laura to talk things over. Ultimately, a
knife and gun fight broke out between the sides and Mavludov,
who was stabbed four times, died at a hospital.

Laura Kehursayev was sought as the instigator of the incident,
along with Borchaev, by a special Bursa police team made up
of two 6-person squads.  Members of the police team posed as
corn sellers last Thursdays in an effort to nab Laura, who
tried to mask her identity by wearing sun glasses and a full-
length cloak, and  Borchaev who shaved his beard and cut
his hair in an effort to avoid capture.

Borcaev, a black-belt aikido expert, resisted arrest for quite
a while in Aksaray, Istanbul, but was eventually subdued.
Laura Kehursayev was captured, as well, and said the
following in her statement in Bursa, where she was brought
for processing: "I knew about their relationship and I called
her to end it. She cursed at me so we went to Bursa to talk
face-to-face. When she cursed me again a fight broke out.
I didn't kill anyone."

Laura Kehursayev and Borchaev were remanded to custody
and three others are being sought by police in connection
with the incident.