A To Z Challenge: Seismology And Scientists Convicted Of Manslaughter

Seismology is a branch of earth science that studies earthquakes. It's a relatively new field due to the fact scientists have only been capable of truly measuring the entire scope of earthquakes for around 100 years, though different societies have had their methods of detecting shifts in the ground for far longer than that--the first seismograph (a device that measures seismic waves, or waves produced by earthquakes or other extreme phenomena) was built in 132 CE in China.

Perhaps a recent development in seismology that has received the most attention was the six-year jail sentence handed down to six scientists and a former government official. In 2009, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck the town of L'Aquila in Italy and killed 309 people; the scientists and official, part of a National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks, were accused of manslaughter for failing to predict the earthquake. The court's decision is based on the idea the statements put out by the commission were misleading in that they falsely provided a sense of security before the disaster--at one point, a statement was put out saying there was no danger. However, the scientific community has protested the court's decision because they feel it is, at least partly, an attack on science. Earthquake prediction is extremely difficult and there are zero tried and true methods of figuring out when the next significant quake is going to hit.

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Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/seismology
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/waves.html
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/studying.html
http://www.seismosoc.org/society/education/careers.php
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=seismology
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20025626
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/10/italian-scientists-convicted-of-manslaughter-for-earthquake-risk-report/

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Do you agree with the court's decision? Or do you think that in these types of cases, regardless of the number of people dead, there are no grounds for scientists to be convicted?


-----The Golden Eagle

A To Z Challenge: Forensics And Finding The Right Evidence

Forensic science, or forensics, is a field you've no doubt heard of. It focuses on the use of science and technology to present evidence in court, and in a lot of fiction forensics is simply presented as your lead detective sending something to the lab and getting back important evidence against a criminal or criminals. However, forensics is complicated and has a lot more depth than just comparing someone's DNA--and they're beginning to find holes in practices that have gone on for decades, including bite mark analysis and even fingerprints.

In addition to physical evidence, with the surge in digital devices in people's lives a new branch of forensics has been added: Computer forensics. This is the analysis of data found on someone's hard drive (and other storage devices) or, in cases of remote attacks, a tracing of information packets that can sometimes be followed along the route of attack; the latter is called "network forensics".


If you live in the USA (because PBS restricts access and their videos aren't playable outside the country, darn it--though you could conceivably download a VPN to circumvent a regional block) and are interested in the field, then I highly recommend watching this NOVA program about forensics. It's fascinating.

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Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/forensics
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/weekinreview/28santos.html
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=12589
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/40151/computer-forensics
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/forensics-on-trial.html
http://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/forensics.pdf
http://www.newyorkcomputerforensics.com/learn/forensics_process.php

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Do you have any favorite examples of forensic science, either fictional or real? Do you think older techniques that are now proving to be less-than-reliable should be completely phased out? Are you in favor of DNA profiling if there's biological evidence it can be extracted from?


-----The Golden Eagle

Book Review: She Thief

Title: She Thief (called Two Good Thieves originally--I like this title much better)

Author: Daniel Finn

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Genre: Speculative/Dystopian Fiction

Page Count: 297

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Cover Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Perfect for the book, and I love the collage-style format. The images they used for it match the book really well, too. Also, the color theme matches the feel of the novel. (I don't know why, but my copy has a few different images on it--maybe it's just a UK vs. US thing, but I can't find the right one anywhere . . .)

Inside flap: 

The girl, Baz, and the boy, Demi, are master pickpockets. They weave through rich neighborhoods to slip bags off shoulders and wallets out of pockets before disappearing into the crowd. Their loot goes to Fay, who runs a gang of child thieves from her den in the Barrio. This sweltering slum--in a city that is imagined but all too real--is what passes for home to the kids, and Fay is what passes for family.

That all changes the day Demi steals a magnificent blue ring. Soon, the police chief and the Barrio's crime lords close in on Fay, and she begins to break under their pressure.

Baz has never doubted Fay beore. She's never been apart from Demi, either. But soon, Baz is left alone to find her way through a world more corrupt than she's ever realized. Here, the lives of children are thrown away without a moment's hesitation. Here, the rich and powerful are just thieves on a larger scale. And somewhere in this wreck of a city, Baz must find the scraps of hope, the small acts of kindness, and the steely strength that will take her back to Demi and wash them away from the Barrio for good.

My expectations: Mixed. I thought Baz and Demi would have some sort of romance going on, which I wasn't expecting to be too good, but I liked the idea of pickpocketing and trying to make a living in such a place as the Barrio.

It exceeded my expectations by far.

About the book: There is not, in fact, any romance going on between Baz and Demi; they're more like very close siblings (although they aren't actually brother and sister) who can understand each other very well and get along as a team. They were perfect for each other, and the friendship, despite its ups and downs, was strong and dependable. This part of the story was well-written.

In fact, the entire book was well-written. The world that Finn creates is amazing, the characters are diverse, and the atmosphere of the Barrio and the city really puts you there racing along with Baz and her fellow thieves.

I love the way her wrote it, too. The language flows differently from a lot of novels; for example:

"What!" He pulls a face like she's just told him he's got to jump to the moon. Demi can't say anything or think anything unless he can double its size.

It's a wonderful change. You'd have to actually read the book to really get the feel of the writing, but it's excellent.

• Plot:

Very good. It wasn't too fast, or too slow, like some books are. The stakes of failing to steal successfully always loomed, the threat of going to "The Mountain", basically a slave-labor place for criminals (including children) kept the tension, and the ending was very fulfilling.

• Characters:

I loved Baz. She was strong, quiet, determined, and smart. I was cheering for her the whole time.

Demi was a good counterpart to Baz; less cautious, but also smart and a very good thief, I loved him as a character as well.

Fay. I didn't particularly like Fay, but she was a good character. She had diversity, dimensions, and personality.

The other characters were also good characters.

• Setting/Elements:

The Barrio has a lot of parallels to our world; poverty, thievery, crime, abuse. It's the darker side of humanity, and also the hope that keeps people alive.

Other: There is what they call on movies "thematic elements", or, in this case, what I mentioned above. There is little or no language (I can't remember that there was anything) and some violence.

Do I recommend this book? Yes. Absolutely. Go for it. Search it. March forth demand it from your librarian.

*Note: I made the cover image bigger than I usually do; do you like the cover big, or do you prefer it smaller?*

-----The Golden Eagle