Jailing Seismologists

[Deepwater6]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20025626

 

Well that will teach scientists about being specific. They need to be more like weathermen or better yet politicians, talking for hours but not really saying anything they can be nailed down to.

 

Seriously though, I think this will affect other scientists from releasing some information out of fear. With all the variables involved in an unseen underground earthquake this ruling is inane at best. I'm sure if the scientist had said a big earthquake was coming they would have all listened and left the area, yeah right.

[CraigD]

I like blamski's title for this, from his thread a few hours before this one: The L'aquila Precedent

[Michaelangelica]

https://theconversation.edu.au/scientists-found-guilty-for-laquila-earthquake-deaths-but-why-10292?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+24+October+2012&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+24+October+2012+CID_d45bbe106db37971d44b50081a6570e8&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Scientists%20found%20guilty%20for%20LAquila%20earthquake%20deaths%20%20but%20why

 

What is commonly misunderstood about this case is that the guilty parties were convicted neither for failing to forecast the earthquake nor for neglecting to advise evacuation of the city.

 

Rather, they were convicted for having provided “inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory information” about the dangers of the ongoing seismic activity and therefore undermining the safety of the population.

 

 

[Buffy]

...they were convicted for having provided “inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory information” about the dangers of the ongoing seismic activity...

Yes, you put two scientists in a room and you are guaranteed to get "inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory information"...

 

This is the country that spent millions trying to convict American Amanda Knox of murder in spite of the plentiful evidence that a known native Italian criminal probably did it.

 

The whole Italian justice system gives new meaning to the word "Kafkaesque"...

 

There art two cardinal sins from which all others spring: Impatience and Laziness, :phones:

Buffy

[Deepwater6]

https://theconversation.edu.au/scientists-found-guilty-for-laquila-earthquake-deaths-but-why-10292?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+24+October+2012&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+24+October+2012+CID_d45bbe106db37971d44b50081a6570e8&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Scientists%20found%20guilty%20for%20LAquila%20earthquake%20deaths%20%20but%20why

 

What is commonly misunderstood about this case is that the guilty parties were convicted neither for failing to forecast the earthquake nor for neglecting to advise evacuation of the city.

 

Rather, they were convicted for having provided “inaccurate, incomplete and contradictory information” about the dangers of the ongoing seismic activity and therefore undermining the safety of the population.

 

That is an important distinction Michealangelica, but again I ask, if we are given complete, accurate data about a large earthquake hitting New York city/East coast sometime in the next five years will everyone evacuate? The point of all this in the end is to save lives. If that is not achieved then what good will it do taking it out on the scientists if no one heeds the warning?

Edited October 24, 2012 by Deepwater6

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

One need only look at how many times citizens have actually been advised to evacuate because of a known oncoming disaster and how many times the same citizens have had to be rescued or buried because they refused to do so. No amount of warning will get some people to even attempt to get out of harms way until it's too late.