Plan B Forum

Superstitious Italians leave Rome over mega quake prediction

ROME—More than 22 earthquakes struck Italy by noon Wednesday, as is normal for the quake-prone country. But none was the devastating temblor purportedly predicted by a now-dead scientist to strike Rome. (ed. - none of the tremors occurred anywhere near Rome)

Despite efforts by seismologists to debunk the myth of a major Roman quake on May 11, 2011 and stress that quakes can never be predicted, some Romans left town just in case, spurred by rumour-fueled fears that ignore science.

Many storefronts were shuttered, for example, in a neighbourhood of Chinese-owned shops near Rome’s central train station. And an agriculture farm lobby group said a survey of farm-hotels outside the capital indicated some superstitious Romans had headed to the countryside for the day.

The fears are all thanks to a purported prediction of a major Roman quake Wednesday attributed to self-taught seismologist Raffaele Bendandi, who died in 1979.

Scooter wrote:gay men have been denied the renewal of their driver's licence on the basis that their sexual orientation could result in "pathologies that could impair driving safety".

Joe Guy wrote:By their very nature, gay men are much more likely than a heterosexual to enter an exit.

Scooter wrote: I've heard gay men refer to someone as having a certain part of the anatomy as wide as the Holland Tunnel, but I've never heard of anyone trying to navigate it in an automobile.

Gob wrote:What can you expect of a country where catholicism is the dominant superstition?

No religion mentioned in the topic, but he's gotta bash it

First in Catania, and now in Brindisi, gay men have been denied the renewal of their driver's licence on the basis that their sexual orientation could result in "pathologies that could impair driving safety".

The story took off from the tour of military service. Physicians in Augusta, near Syracuse, Giuffrida declared his homosexuality. The military hospital informed the DMV that the civil young man was not in possession of "psycho-physical requirements required" and suspended the license pending a review of eligibility. Giuffrida, Giuseppe Lipera by the lawyer, appealed to the TAR of Catania, who suspended the measure saying that homosexuality "can not be considered a mental illness." At the same time filed a claim for damages from € 500 000 to the Ministries of Defense and Transport getting in first instance, the payment of € 100 000, later reduced on appeal to 20 000.

The Hen wrote:Of course gay men can't drive. They are always trying to bum a lift.

Joe Guy wrote:

The Hen wrote:Of course gay men can't drive. They are always trying to bum a lift.

Or lift a bum.