Scientists found guilty for earthquake deaths.

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An excellent example of why politics and religion should have no place in matters of science.

Six Italian scientists and a government official have been found guilty of multiple manslaughter for underestimating the risks of a killer earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009.

They were sentenced to six years in jail in a case that has provoked outrage among scientists worldwide.
My recommendation is that whoever brought this action against the scientist should serve the 6 year term.

Scientists found guilty for earthquake deaths

Joe Mobley
  • Profile picture of the author williambrown
    This is so depressing, science should be used to help save lives and to help us with our way of living not to kill people using experiments
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    • Profile picture of the author derekwong28
      Originally Posted by williambrown View Post

      This is so depressing, science should be used to help save lives and to help us with our way of living not to kill people using experiments
      There was no issue of experiments here. Earthquakes are notoriously difficult to predict and the scientists were convicted because they issues a reassuring message to the inhibitants.

      If there is ever a case of mass protests and resignations by the scientific community, then this would be it. Who is going to want to work for the Italian government as a scientist now?
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Italy takes a giant leap ... backwards.
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    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill View Post

      Italy takes a giant leap ... backwards.
      Yep. Just about 400 years worth...
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      • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        Yep. Just about 400 years worth...
        Was that a random number, or were you perhaps thinking of Giordano Bruno?
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        • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
          Dennis,
          Was that a random number, or were you perhaps thinking of Giordano Bruno?
          Galileo. Early 1600's, if I recall correctly. And, having just checked Wikipedia, I did, surprisingly.


          Paul
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          • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
            Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

            Dennis,Galileo. Early 1600's, if I recall correctly. And, having just checked Wikipedia, I did, surprisingly.


            Paul
            I figured it was Galileo or Bruno. Guessed the wrong one. Bruno was burned at the stake in 1600, in part at least, for his cosmological theories, the same Copernicanism beliefs Galileo had.
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  • Profile picture of the author equranstudy
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Matt Pickstone
      Originally Posted by equranstudy View Post

      Very funny that scientist have been punished for some thing which is unpredictable
      I don't see the funny side at all!
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  • Profile picture of the author reviewers
    I read this about 3 hours ago in the news and couldn't believe they were holding people responsible for natural disasters now. What has this world come to?
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    For a country expecting a major eruption from a mountain that has 800,000 residents, I'd say that they just pulled a major boner. They know more about how volcanoes work but now will either cause massive land sales on the mountain over-predicting just to be safe, or they will just resign and say handle it yourself to the stupid politicians.

    I wish scientists ran things instead of politicians.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post


      I wish scientists ran things instead of politicians.
      why?, they agree on the important stuff about as often as politicians do.
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      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

        why?, they agree on the important stuff about as often as politicians do.
        They agree a hell of a lot more than all the poitical editing would make you believe.
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        Sal
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        • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
          Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

          They agree a hell of a lot more than all the poitical editing would make you believe.
          I dunno, i was almost a scientist in a prior life.

          I never made it up the food chain far enough to ever "justify" my own conclusions
          and everyone was always worried about funding... everything was based on who
          was going to provide the next dollar.

          i got lucky and changed fields.

          I believe i learned a lot. I am not really sure how much now,
          as lot of what i "learned" has since been proven to be bullshit.

          its a weird... weird world we live in.

          Me, i have put everything aside, ( i assume now, that everything is a lie )
          and now I am doing nothing more then making sure my family is happy, healthy...
          and hopefully prepared to survive when i am gone.
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          • Profile picture of the author HeySal
            Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

            I dunno, i was almost a scientist in a prior life.

            I never made it up the food chain far enough to ever "justify" my own conclusions
            and everyone was always worried about funding... everything was based on who
            was going to provide the next dollar.

            i got lucky and changed fields.

            I believe i learned a lot. I am not really sure how much now,
            as lot of what i "learned" has since been proven to be bullshit.

            its a weird... weird world we live in.

            Me, i have put everything aside, ( i assume now, that everything is a lie )
            and now I am doing nothing more then making sure my family is happy, healthy...
            and hopefully prepared to survive when i am gone.
            I f***ing LOVE science. I eat it for lunch. I majored in a mind science (linguistics) in school and it's a kewl subject -- what really cranks me though is earth science. That I've self studied - I'm into geology, rock and gem hunter. I used to do a newsletter on my website and I got close to many fields of scientists - meteorologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, geologists, and physicists. They have completely rocked my entire world. About the only thing my formal ed is good for is creating propaganda - and I don't really wanna work for the gov. LMAO. So I do stuff like this and misc real world stuff for funding - but I still get the inside line on the fields that ignite me.

            Things I know for a fact are that people have no idea what propaganda is and how it is used. Also - what scientists know in many sciences never reaches the public (and, yeah, you're right - money - but there's also authority and prestige as a blocking point, too,) but that also comes full circle back to money.

            They use the idea that people would become uncontrollable for one reason or another if the truth were known to suppress one hella lot of information from us. I'm going out on a limb here - but, they are right. Science (at least the earth and space sciences) have accelerated incredibly in the last decade or so - and physics - quantum started about 85, I believe. There are masses of information that we know - masses of technology we have to find out.

            We are also in a period of political upheaval - this time on a global scale and the cognitive dissonance of the masses is just deafening. You throw anything at them right now that is corrosive to belief systems and you are igniting a fire.
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            Sal
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            • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
              Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

              I f***ing LOVE science. I eat it for lunch.
              Ditto. I just knew there had to be a reason your posts tended to resonate with me.


              BTW, do you know "Joey" from friends?

              if you do ...

              So, how you doing ?

              If not, ignore. dumb joke :rolleyes:
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              • Profile picture of the author HeySal
                Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

                Ditto. I just knew there had to be a reason your posts tended to resonate with me.


                BTW, do you know "Joey" from friends?

                if you do ...

                So, how you doing ?

                If not, ignore. dumb joke :rolleyes:
                Are you serious? I am SOOOO fine. Thanks.

                OUUU - resonate. Now we are talking quantum energy fields. WTH are you doing in Florida - all the kewl science is out here in the West. Except for underwater exploration. You know Don Patterson out there with Expedition Resources? Have him tell you the San Salvador story sometime. Guaranteed to piss you off royally. Expedition Resources isn't his first company - the first one was destroyed by a couple of governments after it located (discovered, whatever) one of the largest pirate caches in history. They thought it was John Watley's - all the evidence pointed in that direction. Anyhow - you can read it on my website newsletter archives if that kind of exploration floats your boat. There was a LOT of crap going on behind the scenes but I promised not to print it. When a scientist tells me to keep my mouth shut - I do so. I've been able to get a lot of info that I can't print because people learned they could trust me when I said I'd never print it.
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                Sal
                When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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    • Profile picture of the author dagnyjbarber
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      For a country expecting a major eruption from a mountain that has 800,000 residents, I'd say that they just pulled a major boner. They know more about how volcanoes work but now will either cause massive land sales on the mountain over-predicting just to be safe, or they will just resign and say handle it yourself to the stupid politicians.

      I wish scientists ran things instead of politicians.
      Completely agree with you buddy.
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  • Profile picture of the author forganics
    Banned
    This is a hell of a precedent to establish. I can see if it was direct neglect but to say they didn't give "sufficient warning"... who decides that?!
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  • Profile picture of the author derekwong28
    It is much braver to issue a reassuring statement rather than an alarmist one.

    I have stopped a number of planned abortions before that were based on dubious rubella test results. If I had got it wrong, I could have been sued to the ends of the earth.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Maschke
    I wouldn't say all science took a big hit on that.

    There is public sector and private sector.

    There are even sectors that are protected from such finger pointing. Vaccines, GMO's and such.

    We've been down that road before though, and even I'm getting tired of the same scenery.
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  • Profile picture of the author theomegaformula
    So we're holding people responsible for natural disasters now? They were better off just not reporting it than to say "everyone should stay indoors" though. I'd like to see how their appeal(s) go.
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  • Profile picture of the author RyanEagle
    When it comes to politics, I don't believe in everything they say. This sentence from the article could probably be true:

    "Many complained that they were merely scapegoats and warned against putting science on trial."
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  • Profile picture of the author expansation
    This feeds nicely into the culture of believing that scientists have the answers to everything and that someone is always at fault.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
    Perhaps you belong to a forum that has religious discussions? Please share and I will pick up the conversation there.

    Joe Mobley

    Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

    What has this to do with religion? The only relationship I can see is a blind faith in science that was unrewarded --and that is a leap.

    Until government cuts all funding for science, science and politics will be in bed together. There's no way around it.
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    • Profile picture of the author LearnNOTmoney
      Religion has nothing to do with the ignorant decision that was made against the scientist.
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      • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
        Originally Posted by Ken_Caudill View Post

        What has this to do with religion? The only relationship I can see is a blind faith in science that was unrewarded --and that is a leap.
        Originally Posted by LearnNOTmoney View Post

        Religion has nothing to do with the ignorant decision that was made against the scientist.
        Agreed. In this instance, religion does not appear to be involved. However, that was not my point. Perhaps I should reword the sentence.

        "An excellent example of why politics, like religion should have no place in matters of science."

        If you are a member of a forum or website that allows religious discussions, feel free to share and I can elevate the discussion there.

        Joe Mobley
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        • Profile picture of the author LearnNOTmoney
          Originally Posted by Joe Mobley View Post

          Agreed. In this instance, religion does not appear to be involved. However, that was not my point. Perhaps I should reword the sentence.

          "An excellent example of why politics, like religion should have no place in matters of science."

          If you are a member of a forum or website that allows religious discussions, feel free to share and I can elevate the discussion there.

          Joe Mobley
          As much as i agree with you, it is not possible considering Italy political culture.
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  • Profile picture of the author fin
    D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G.
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    • Profile picture of the author Blackman75
      Originally Posted by fin View Post

      D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G.
      And S.T.U.P.I.D.
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