>Dear Colleagues,
Am I the only person on the TSG mailing list not
to understand the letter below from Matteo Levi.
Is he supporting or attacking the scientists
involved. I signed the letter because I believe
it to be absurd to even consider prosecuting
scientists for failing to be fatidical; was this
a good or bad thing to do? When lawyers instigate
such proceedings for social or financial reasons,
society is in very bad trouble.
Best wishes,
John Dewey
>Dear all,
>we appreciate a lot INGV work for risk reduction in Italy, indeed.
>But there is a letter at
>www.mi.ingv.it/open_letter/ you may be asked to
>sign or receive or could have received, stating:
>"indicted scientists...for
>manslaughter...prosecuting scientists for
>failing to do something they cannot do yet -
>predict earthquakes"
>You should consider not to sign and inform our
>colleagues the hidden risk inside it.
>Just after the prosecution, as a procedure
>required by law (i.e. "atto dovuto") Italian
>Premier suddenly attacked the judges.
>Please, be well-aware that judges never talked
>about they did not yet-predict earthquakes nor
>manslaughter.
>Personnel in Commissione Grandi Rischi, the
>Comitee where some scientists were (but not all
>the scientific community involved in
>geosciences) has got the task by law, to say
>what to do in case of a risk having known the
>more about. E.g. they should have read the Book
>on regional risk by prof. Barberi himself, the
>papers by Abruzzo Engineering about building
>weakness (every building they studied about fell
>down) and they shoud have well known De Luca G.
>S. Marcucci et al, 2005(*) explaining some year
>before an amplification effect under l'Aquila
>town. They should have known. For civil defence
>purposes they have a budget around 25 millions
>euros a year (and around 80 millions euros a
>year more for research ministry), just enough to
>stay some day and night in l'Aquila and try
>saying something more. How much money do you
>have for your studies?
>They should have said "we cannot predict BUT
>please pay attention", instead they had a really
>fast meeting, less than half an hour!
>"we cannot predict but there can be or not an
>earthquake, you can come back home". Someone
>trusted and died under.
>There had been having earthquakes from 6 months
>and more. Half an hour and escape from l'Aquila
>just one week before is hard to understand as
>308 people died.
>So, please, do not trust everything you read. Please, get full informed about.
>That letter will be sent to the President of
>Italian Republic so to escape from an ordinary
>trial and strike fear into Judges (as He is the
>chief in charge of all the Italian Judges).
>
>Berlusconi's way is getting fashion: a simple
>procedure required by law is getting an attack
>to the Science.
>Whose side are you on? I hope the Science one.
>
>Please, realise we are in Italy and Mr. Boschi
>has been president from 27 years (Fascism lasted
>only 20 years).
>Maybe he loves to reach 30 years as a record?
>
>
>(*)De Luca G., S. Marcucci, G. Milana, T. Sanò
>(2005). Evidence of Low-Frequency Amplification
>in the City of L'Aquila, Central Italy, through
>a Multidisciplinary Approach Including Strong-
>and Weak-Motion Data, Ambient Noise, and
>Numerical Modeling. Bulletin of the
>Seismological Society of America, Aug 2005; 95:
>1469 - 1481.
>
>Some references:
>http://www.primadanoi.it/notizie/26906-Negligenza-imprudenza-e-imperizia-cos%EC-la-Procura-incastra-la-Grandi-Rischi
>http://www.primadanoi.it/notizie/26876-Indagata-la-Grandi-Rischi-magistrati-disprezzano-la-scienza
>
>Please, share it as a correct way to let
>everyone involved informed so to help decide.
>
>Matteo Levi
--
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John F. Dewey FRS, UC Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Geology
Department of Geology
UC Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis CA 95616
Telephone Nos:
530 752 5829 (UC Davis)
011 44 (0)1865 735525 (home)
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