Italian Justice - Shake, Rattle and Roll

[NoLeDeMiel]

Please someone tell me there's more to the story than that.

http://phys.org/news/2012-10-italy-quake-verdict-science-trial.html

Seismologists said they were horrified after six of their colleagues were sentenced to six years in jail for manslaughter Monday on charges of underestimating the risk of an earthquake that struck Italy in 2009.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Well, SOMEONE has to be held accountable.  SOMEONE has to be blamed when shit like this happens.  After all, it's hard to work up a good sense of moral outrage against a tectonic plate, right?  And outrage is what it's all about.

[M. Nigel Salt]

Why are even the top-ranking comments on that article completely retarded?

[M. Nigel Salt]

Slightly more detail in this article: http://www.nature.com/news/italian-court-finds-seismologists-guilty-of-manslaughter-1.11640

[M. Nigel Salt]

On the topic of earthquakes, you might find this interesting, if not useful: http://www.pnsn.org/earthquakes/recent

[LMNO, PhD (life continues)]

So from what I get out of this, a closed dorr meeting was held, the scientists gave an assessment (the specifics of which were not in the article), and then a government mouthpiece says, “the scientific community tells me there is no danger because there is an ongoing discharge of energy”. Which, and the article points this out, Most seismologists, including several of the indicted, consider this statement to be scientifically incorrect.

From what it sounds like (and this is only from the limited facts given), the mouthpiece got it wrong, and that's what caused the victims to stay in the city.  Which means it's his fault, not the scientists.

[M. Nigel Salt]

So from what I get out of this, a closed dorr meeting was held, the scientists gave an assessment (the specifics of which were not in the article), and then a government mouthpiece says, “the scientific community tells me there is no danger because there is an ongoing discharge of energy”. Which, and the article points this out, Most seismologists, including several of the indicted, consider this statement to be scientifically incorrect.

From what it sounds like (and this is only from the limited facts given), the mouthpiece got it wrong, and that's what caused the victims to stay in the city.  Which means it's his fault, not the scientists.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I got as well. It sounds like the seismologists basically said, accurately, that they couldn't predict an increased risk of earthquake because it's an area with many earthquakes already, and the government dude translated that to "Scientists say there's no risk".

When, of course, if you live on a fault, there's ALWAYS risk, and many small earthquakes don't necessarily precede a large one so it's hard to consider them warning signs. (Although a bunch of small earthquakes under a volcano may be a pretty accurate warning sign for eruption, that's quite different.)

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Italy imprisoning scientists?

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!

[Prince Glittersnatch III]

My hope is that this will lead to a legal precedent by which weathermen can be held responsible for water damage when they fail to predict rain.

[M. Nigel Salt]

My hope is that this will lead to a legal precedent by which weathermen can be held responsible for water damage when they fail to predict rain.

Or, perhaps, mass executions when they fail to predict drought.

Hell, why not go whole-hog and make the study of science punishable by death, nip it in the bud before they have a chance to predict anything in case they get it wrong.

[stelz]

One possible end result: "Science is for entertainment purposes only. Science is not responsible for any content or information that you receive or share through our agents."

[LMNO, PhD (life continues)]

Whatever happened to, "WE REPORT.  YOU DECIDE."

[Cain]

This thread title bugs me.

"Italian Justice" is a blatant oxymoron.

[P3nT4gR4m]

This thread title bugs me.

"Italian Justice" is a blatant oxymoron.

No it's not, it's a euphemism for "decapitated horse"