Hey guys, Tourists in Rome may find the eternal city a bit quieter than usual this week. The reason… a predicted earthquake. Now I know what you are thinking, there is no way to predict an earthquake… and you are correct, that is the official scientific stand on the topic. But that is not stopping thousands of Roman citizens from getting out of the city ahead of the May 11th “D-day.”
According to Raffaele Bendandi, who died in 1979, earthquakes can be predicted by analyzing the movement of the planets, the moon, and the sun. Though the scientific community disagrees with Bendandi, history records that he did predict the 1923 earthquake which hit the eastern coast of Italy. So impressed with Bendandi was fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, that he knighted him in 1927.
National television stations in Italy have been running television promotions and commercials trying to calm the fears of the populous, but the fear still grips Italy… and Rome in particular.
Even odder, Bendandi probably never even predicted a May 11 earthquake. According to Paola Lagorio, the president of an association dedicated to Bendandi, there is no reference to any earthquake around Rome in 2011 in any of Bendandi’s writings.
Thousands of Romans are not taking any chances… the government expects mass work stoppages and a huge exodus from the city today…
I guess we will wait and see… bum bum bum…
I suppose that this is another prime example of mass hysteria gripping the people. Even when there is no proof of the earthquake that will "happen" tomorrow, people are still flocking away from the city. Then again, if I lived in Rome, I guess if I woke up tomorrow morning and felt a rumbling beneath me, the last thing I want to hear from someone is "I told you so!"
ReplyDeleteI would most likely respond in the same manner. I would leave the city in a hurry, then, probably return on May 12th. When people have something to look forward to, such as a birthday or holiday, the last thing they want is an untimely death. I suppose that this is one of the reasons for why the citizens of Rome are leaving for the day.
Here's to hoping that the earthquake does not happen.
-Jake M.
This reminds me of a certain Mayan prediction saying we'll all die on December 12, 2012. You can't go through life believing all of these things. It'll just restrict you. But if the people are truly worried, there is nothing wrong with leaving for a few days. I'm hoping for no earthquake, but we'll see what happens.
ReplyDelete-Brandon Maxwell
I dont know if you can predict earthquakes from the alignment of the planets. If the earthquake does happen I think countries should pay attention to the alingment of the plantes more because maybe this does work. It could save many lives or it could make many more lives difficult. If a family listens to the prediction they would leave the city and leave all their stuff behind. There could be no earthquake and when they return home, their house is not occuopied so it can easily be broken into. There can be a big problem with that and families could protest and do stuff like that. So this could be a helpful thing or a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I agree that there is no possible way to predict an earthquake, if everyone were running around terrified I highly doubt that anyone would be able to sit at home calm. The rush and the nervousness of those around you would probably cause yourself to go into a state of panic as well. I think what most people are thinking is that they're better safe than sorry; and I can't blame them.
ReplyDelete