Scientist convicted of manslaughter over 2009 earthquake

[BellaBallerina]

I'm not quite sure if this goes in Off topic or general (still learning my way around), but I had to share!!

Apparently people love taking others to court these days and will do it over just about anything... and if they can't put what they want in jail (say, mother nature) they will find someone else to pay (like, say, some poor scientists that are working as hard as they can to predict the unpredictable).

I just found this article and I'm completely baffled and shocked. I don't know anything about the Italian justice system, please someone fill me in - are all cases this ridiculous? is it a corrupt system or is it usually actually respected?

The article is here:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/wor...adly-2009-quake-1.1005457


Bella

[Summer]

.....and this in a country that allows Berlusconi to walk free.  I guess you get all the justice you can afford in Italy.   Just like here.

[TLLK]

I find this very puzzling. Italy like my home state of CA has a long history of earthquakes and they cannot be accurately predicted. The best one can do is just be prepared, know what action to take during and after the event and hope that the next tremor is just a little one.

[abs]

Outrageous. This is just about the authorities diverting attention away from themselves. There are still people who are homeless in the wake of that earthquake due to poor government.

[PeDe]

.....and this in a country that allows Berlusconi to walk free.  I guess you get all the justice you can afford in Italy.   Just like here.

not anymore he doesn't:

ROME — A court in Milan convicted former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of tax fraud on Friday and sentenced him to four years in prison. Mr. Berlusconi is also currently on trial over charges that he paid for sex with an underage prostitute. He has denied the accusation.

http://www.nytimes.com/20...ntenced-in-tax-fraud.html

 

[DowntownTO]

I was appalled by that court case. It's going to make Italian scientists in any field think twice before they try to educate the public about anything. It's bad all around.

[BellaBallerina]

I am shocked too. It would make me even question having a career in that field!

TLLK - I just moved to CA a little over 2 years ago... and my first tremor had me trying to crawl under the bed   I forgot what to do in my moment of Panic (once I realized that the person next door running a vacuum into the wall was not responsible for the room shaking - I know, my mind was all over the place!) and resorted back to my old tornado drills. Earthquakes freak me out. I dread feeling something bigger than a tremor.  

I'm really sad to hear that people are still homeless over this event in Italy 3 years later. I can see how the govt would be eager to point fingers when there's no one to blame but themselves. If only there was a medical cure for Denial.

Speaking of Italian court systems, did any of you keep up with the Amanda Knox case?