Turkey Devastated by Earthquakes - happening NOW

[Jimbuna]

[Skybird]

Mesut Hançer on day 1 of the quake. He holds the hand of his dead daughter.

Such is the life of a man.
Moments of joy, obliterated by unforgettable sadness.
There's no need to tell the children that.

- Marcel Pagnol: Le château de ma mère -

[Jimbuna]

^ I've no objection to the above but when I saw that on FB earlier today I was reluctant to post it for fear of upsetting anyone.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

^ I've no objection to the above but when I saw that on FB earlier today I was reluctant to post it for fear of upsetting anyone.

It can be cathartic to let a tragic impression take hold. We already have enough phrasemongering and pseudo-concern in the media and the public stage, shallow sentimentality and cheap sensation consuming. This photo leaves an impression, it is a strong message about some basic truth we mortals must accept in our lives, and that comes at a cost, and it is a grim message. Our religions deal a lot with it, some with offering false escapes, others with attempts to indeed help us learn and transform through the suffering. I saw the picture, and it touched me so much that it brought tears to my eyes. And that is good. What kind of person would I be if it were otherwise?

"Strong and noble is he whose eye endures all things, but who in his heart feels all things." (Philippe Noiret in La fille de d'Artagnan)

That poor man. I felt distanced to the events, since my impressions from my time in Turkey predominantly were not positive. I went wrong when allowing that bias. This image changed it all for me. 11000 dead is an anonymous statistic. One single man gives the tragedy a face.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

...and they always seem to occur at an ungodly hour of the night when your snug in bed.

Originally Posted by Skybird

Mesut Hançer on day 1 of the quake. He holds the hand of his dead daughter.

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

^ I've no objection to the above but when I saw that on FB earlier today I was reluctant to post it for fear of upsetting anyone.

Originally Posted by Skybird

It can be cathartic to let a tragic impression take hold. One single man gives the tragedy a face.

I had forbeared initially myself to post the photo for the same reason Jimbuna didn't; but upon reflection and as the father of an only daughter, and Sky's moving post comments, have changed my mind 180⁰. It is an exceedingly eloquent moment caught on film.

[Aktungbby]

In today's WSJ: "Turkish authorities have widened a crackdown on those allegedly involved in shoddy construction practices and looting in cities across southern Turkey devastated by last week's earthquakes, making dozens of arrests as hope faded of finding more survivors in collapsed buildings. Relatives of some victims said they feared that the government investigation into why some buildings toppled and others remained standing would focus on lower-level offenders, not politically connected builders and government officials who approved questionable projects. The toll between Turkey and Syria stands at 35,000. Turkish minister of justice, Bekir Bozdag vowed that no one would escape punishment for the negligence that led to the collapse of buildings. Looting has been reported of damaged shops and aid distribution centers; mostly by hungry food-seekers. At least 113 other builders, architects and engineers are already in custody, according to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay."

[Catfish]

^ the wrong heads will roll.
The turkish government took the evaluation right of constructing houses away from turkish architects decades ago, the time after you could buy your "certificate" from the government (read: BRIBE).
If you paid enough money, your old ramshackle hut got the certificate just as a new one built of sand.

So if just of all the turkish government wants to see heads roll it should be their own.

[Skybird]

In many places, foreign aid deliveries were only allowed in after containers and crates were plastered over with emblems of the AKP or the Turkish Disaster Management Organization in order to generate the "right" media images. Shameless. Indecent. Repulsive. Typical Erdoghan.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Catfish

^ the wrong heads will roll.
The turkish government took the evaluation right of constructing houses away from turkish architects decades ago, the time after you could buy your "certificate" from the government (read: BRIBE).
If you paid enough money, your old ramshackle hut got the certificate just as a new one built of sand.

So if just of all the turkish government wants to see heads roll it should be their own.

Originally Posted by Skybird

In many places, foreign aid deliveries were only allowed in after containers and crates were plastered over with emblems of the AKP or the Turkish Disaster Management Organization in order to generate the "right" media images. Shameless. Indecent. Repulsive. Typical Erdoghan.

Now yer both talkin' Turkey in the uniquely 'Merikan sense of the concept!