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Scientist Forced To Remove Earthquake Prediction

Hugh Pickens writes to mention that Italian scientist Giampaolo Giuliani, a researcher at the National Physical Laboratory of Gran Sasso, recently gave warning about an earthquake that was to happen on March 29th of this year near L'Aquilla. Based on radon gas emissions and a series of observed tremors he tried to convince residents to evacuate, drawing much criticism from the city's mayor and others. Giuliani was forced to take down warnings he had posted on the internet. The researcher had said that a 'disastrous' earthquake would strike on March 29, but when it didn't, Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency, last week officially denounced Giuliani in court for false alarm. 'These imbeciles enjoy spreading false news,' Bertalaso was quoted as saying. 'Everyone knows that you can't predict earthquakes.' Giuliani, it turns out, was partially right. A much smaller seismic shift struck on the day he said it would, with the truly disastrous one arriving just one week later. 'Someone owes me an apology,' said Giuliani, who is also a resident of L'Aquila. 'The situation here is dramatic. I am devastated, but also angry.'"

3 of 485 comments (clear)

  1. Re:A broken watch is right twice a day by clam666 · · Score: 1, Troll

    A broken watch is right twice a day, that does not make it a scientist.

    You've never met any chronologists or watch scientists have you. They need funding as much as anyone else.

    --
    I'm a satanic clam.
  2. Re:A broken watch is right twice a day by Asic+Eng · · Score: 0, Troll
    You've never met any chronologists or watch scientists have you.

    No, and neither have you.

    They need funding as much as anyone else.

    Sure. Scientific method and all that. That stuff never works - scientists are just frauds.

  3. Re:cry wolf by sortius_nod · · Score: 0, Troll

    Actually, no, it's got nothing to do with the individual.

    If the predictions are close to the mark, and you can get everyone out of the area, or prepare the area well enough that people will not be trapped, wounded or killed, this removes a massive burden on recovery efforts. To sit there and say it's about the individual is just horse shit. If you want to live like that, go out into the wilderness and live on your own with no connection to society at all.

    I really hate this idea that the individual overrides the social, it's a very narrow minded view that causes no end of grief. Sure, we would like to believe we're all unique and special, but it's just not true. We're part of a bigger "machine", just cogs. Sure, we can have individual ideas and attitudes, but we aren't here to merely satisfy our own individual wants. If that's the case we'd be solitary creatures.