This is one for the likes of Ush and LeggyShark etc, I believe. Now- I have a good friend who lives in London, who's Italian. Her mum is staying with her at the moment, and my friend has (at great expense) rebooked her flight home to Rome entirely because of Raffaele Bendandi's prediction of a devastating earthquake on May 11th. I knew nothing of him until she FB'd about this earlier- and from what I can find, it all appears to be a doomsday cult, who "believe" a rogue "evil" planet is heading for our solar system, destined to cause epidemics and wipe us out, as it once wiped out the Atlanteans... Yes, well, ignoring that- what thoughts do yous guys have about Raffaele Bendandi? I tried to find evidence (or even opinion) that he didn't predict sod all, but it was hard to locate. So- thoughts?
SBT
Well, I don't speak Italian (which virtually all the google results pages are in; he doesn't even have an English language wikipedia entry. Not a guarantee of significance, obviously, but on a reference site where small-press comics are enthusiastically recorded you might expect to find something) yet I still feel 100% confident in calling this total bullshit.
Can't find any English explanation of the May 11th part, here's a recurring passage which seems to form the basis of most of this:
QuoteHe tried to warn the authorities, but was treated like a crazy charlatan. Among his writings Bendandi had left some predictions for the future. But after his death, someone tried to burn his papers. But some fragments of these papers have been remained intact, and on these fragments have been written two dates: 2011 and 2012. The dates are not accompanied by a geographic and in the notes written there is no name of the place where the earthquake will happen, but only years. Regarding 2011 we already know the place Japan. The other date is 2012, with nothing about the geographical location of the earthquake.
http://theendtimesarehere.com/tag/raffaele-bendandi/
http://scienceray.com/earth-sciences/raffaele-bendandi-thirty-years-ago-had-provided-the-earthquake-in-japan/
No date. No location. Pretty damn wooly so far, I'm sure you'll agree. And as we've already had major loss of life in Japan (which one of those articles picks as his prediction) as well as large-scale destruction in New Zealand and Burma, surely we'll be safe until next year?
The prediction of earthquakes to any degree of accuracy is, if not impossible, certainly very, very hard. Even more so for someone who's been dead for forty years. But here's the other thing: major seismic events are actually quite common. Here's wikipedia's list of 21st century earthquakes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_21st-century_earthquakes). Look at the 2011 section and notice the frequency. Had you been bored on Hogmanay, picked a date at random and written it down, the furthest out your "prediction" could've been so far is two weeks. Congratualations, now all you need to do is work on refining your methodology.
Here's his wiki after being run through google translate:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaele_Bendandi (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffaele_Bendandi)
The bit that caught my interest was that he also predicted four trans-Neptunian planets and another inside Mercury's orbit. I loved to hear what he based this on. He's no Alexis Bouvard that's for damn sure.
Furthermore, for every Bendandi, I'm sure there's a dozen more just like him that made vague predictions that never bore out. Shenanigans, I say, shenanigans
I predict an Earthquake somewhere in the next 12 months. And a plane crash. And possibly a flood.
Let's hope your wrong. We could all do without another media circus over catastrophic losses of life.
And we'd have to burn ye at the stake as a witch ;)
I just found it odd that I'd never heard of him, if he was the Great Sporendo of Earthquake prediction. Now, obviously it's all a load of bollocks- you can't predict quakes like that, and certainly not quakes in 2011 when you died in 1979... Just wondered if any of you could point me to any debunking sites specifically about this dead charlatan.
SBT
Looking him up on Wikipedia brings me to this chap:
QuoteInterviewed on Fox News in March 2011, Berkland predicted an earthquake in California for sometime between March 19 and March 26, 2011. He cited as factors the highest tides in 18 years and the proximity of the moon, suggesting that the quake will most likely strike on Saturday, March 19, 2011.[6] An earthquake sufficient to fulfill that prediction has not been reported.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Berkland
Earthquake prediction is fun.
Bendandi bringing in rogue planets has a strong whiff of Sitchin about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision
I will stand-by to repel planetary boarders but I am not going to hold my breath.
Quote from: Emperor on 25 April, 2011, 09:04:08 PM
Bendandi bringing in rogue planets has a strong whiff of Sitchin about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision
I will stand-by to repel planetary boarders but I am not going to hold my breath.
Brilliant. There's a future shock in that. If only I could write goodly
Quote from: pops1983 on 25 April, 2011, 09:53:30 PM
Quote from: Emperor on 25 April, 2011, 09:04:08 PM
Bendandi bringing in rogue planets has a strong whiff of Sitchin about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision
I will stand-by to repel planetary boarders but I am not going to hold my breath.
Brilliant. There's a future shock in that. If only I could write goodly
Wellll somewhere in my ideas notes there is "Pirates of Niburu" I just haven't come up with a decent ending ;)
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 25 April, 2011, 12:33:25 PM
my friend has (at great expense) rebooked her flight home to Rome entirely because of Raffaele Bendandi's prediction of a devastating earthquake on May 11th.
*RANT* I literaly wouldn't ever speak to her again if she was one of my friends. It's 2011 for fuck's sake!!! It's not the middle ages!
I'm equal parts exasperrated and terrified by the extent to which people in this day and age are influenced by this kind of supersticious bullshit. I work with people who actually believe in guardian angels and a few of them have actually paid 'psychics' to come into their home and contact dead relatives for them. I can't help but instantly lose all respect for anyone who believes in this kind of codswallop. They seem like stone age peasants, cowering in their hovel, and then going outside to throw rocks at the moon.
Rather than looking for evidence to specifically debunk this joker, why not just point to the reams and reams and reams of scientific study which has consistently found no value whatsoever in these kinds of predictions. *END OF RANT*
Sorry about that...it's a particular bug bear of mine and I'm in a bad mood today...
Yep, i tried that. And she replied 'well, you cant be too careful can you?'. Then, when i linked to the rogue planet stuff, and mentioned this was some weird doomsday cult nonsense, she sais 'well, let's hope so, eh?'.
Argh!
SBT
So, what we're saying is there are stacks of cheap flights available to Rome on May 15th? Nice one.
[I generally lurk these days and avoid getting involved in these kinds of threads but i couldnt resist this.I have been drinking as well :ssh:]
Its all gibbering nonsense.
Bendandi *didnt* predict a precise date and location so the May 11th date originated somewhere on the internet and spread from there because like i said a while back people have a psychological need to fixate on disaster and end of the world scenarios that are spread by various fraudulent individuals and sources not to mention people of average/below average intelligence levels.
More BS about Planet X as well which as far as i know has no basis in fact as since its arrival into our solar system is due in 2012 this must mean that it must be visible by now yet mysteriously there is NOT ONE piece of convincing/verifiable visual evidence for it whatsoever available anywhere yet there are plenty of independent astronomers who would be aware of it by now and would be able to photograph it yet you go and do a websearch for Planet X/Niburu and all you will find are various suspect prophetic/NewAge websites about it that are very interested in selling you books and videos.Do an image search for Planet X/Niburu and all you get are hypothetical mock ups and photos that feature the Sun and lens flare.
Its a Cult.
People have the right to believe in whatever hogwash they like but what annoys me is how they never seem to be bothered about anything real and meaningful that is affecting their lives on Earth so it must be a psychological condition/defect.
However there might be something of substance in the theory that a planetary body coming very close to Earth at speed that could affect the earths crust through gravitational forces that are abnormal or stronger than usual and as far as i know this theory has not been debunked as you would have to disprove known and proven physics to debunk it.Further to that Piers Corbyn of WeatherAction who is an Astrophysicist amongst other things who is a very credible source attributes the Japan earthquake to the close proximity of the Moon to Earth at that point in time so Bendandi was not likely to be a fraud on that basis or at least partly right as he claimed that gravitational forces are responsible but disregards the effect of the Sun and the Moon while claiming that they do have an effect depending on their position.*
The moon exerts a gravitational force on Earth as in tides etc so that much is inarguable.
There is not much else to know about Bendandi as after reading various articles all i find are the same cut and pasted text that talks about what was written on scraps of paper so its all postulation based on virtually nothing.
*Thats going by the poorly worded/translated Wikipedia page which contradicts itself.
"Regarding 2011 we already know the place Japan."* :lol: :lol:
Yes but you didnt know before it happened so lets just attribute it to 2011 because it fits the theory.So going by that the predicted major earthquake of 2011 predicted by Bendandi turns out to be in Japan as quoted from the BS website* then why the fixation on Rome on May 11th ??
No one it seems can provide a satisfactory expanation for this prediction mostly because you cant explain BS.
Therein lies the inherent problem with predictions that are based on nothing and if anyone wants to make predictions then they should make damned sure they know and understand what they are basing the predictions on if they want to be anywhere near right.
"Raffaele Bendandi, an important astronomer, seismologer and scientist, on May 11, 2011 provide that Rome will be shaken by an earthquake so powerful that the entire city will be shaved off the face of the earth."
People who write that kind of crap firstly need to learn to write in correct English instead of gibberish and secondly they need to stop ass-uming that everyone else is as stupid as they are.
I predict the Cow will jump over the Moon on 21/12/12.I dont know why i know this but i am predicting it anyway.
Thankyou, peter. I didnt mention you in my opening remarks because i wasnt sure you were still around, but i figured either you, ush or leg.shark would be able to find a path through the seemingly circular webbery that surrounds this. Cheers, mate.
SBT
Now everyone send a Tweet to Prof Brian Cox telling him you believe in all of this PLUS the Mayan 2012 thingy. It'll make his day.... (or maybe make him scream really loud with frustration)
Quote from: Peter Wolf on 26 April, 2011, 08:09:22 PM
I predict the Cow will jump over the Moon on 21/12/12.
That's bull
Quote from: Emperor on 25 April, 2011, 09:04:08 PM
Looking him up on Wikipedia brings me to this chap:
QuoteInterviewed on Fox News in March 2011, Berkland predicted an earthquake in California for sometime between March 19 and March 26, 2011. He cited as factors the highest tides in 18 years and the proximity of the moon, suggesting that the quake will most likely strike on Saturday, March 19, 2011.[6] An earthquake sufficient to fulfill that prediction has not been reported.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Berkland
Earthquake prediction is fun.
Bendandi bringing in rogue planets has a strong whiff of Sitchin about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibiru_collision
I will stand-by to repel planetary boarders but I am not going to hold my breath.
Pffft- bring it on. I'm bored anyway.
Quote from: Bat King on 26 April, 2011, 08:44:11 PM
Now everyone send a Tweet to Prof Brian Cox telling him you believe in all of this PLUS the Mayan 2012 thingy. It'll make his day.... (or maybe make him scream really loud with frustration)
He tweeted a few weeks ago about a TV show that will air in September 2012. He also said that, despite what the 2012 pinheads were saying, we'd all still be here to watch it. I felt it was my duty, as a world class pedant, to point out that the pinheads are predicting the end for December 2012- so they'd get to see it either way.
I'm sure he laughed.
:lol:
Quote from: pops1983 on 26 April, 2011, 09:20:25 PM
Quote from: Peter Wolf on 26 April, 2011, 08:09:22 PM
I predict the Cow will jump over the Moon on 21/12/12.
That's bull
Those who disbelieve the prediction have not awakened to the next plane of vibrational frequencies and cosmic channelled messages that would allow them to see through their present vibrational spiritual prison that they recognise as reality within their relatively narrow field of experiences.Earthquakes and tidal waves and plague and spiral reverse polar polarity shifts will serve as warnings to those who mock this important message.
If you are not vibrationally re-aligned you will not be able to witness this important event.Also you will not be able to witness the orange planet NibuBooBooburu enter our solar system where it will transversely orbit the Sun for a limited time before continuing its 750,000,000 yr planetary shift.
Shortly i will provide a link to my Facebook page where all are welcome......
Apologies. I see the error of my ways now.
Let all heretics be drowned in a sea of creamy dairy righteousness!
Quote from: Emperor on 25 April, 2011, 10:18:35 PM
Wellll somewhere in my ideas notes there is "Pirates of Niburu" I just haven't come up with a decent ending ;)
Niburu? That's the anti-Mondas, innit?
Quote from: pops1983 on 27 April, 2011, 07:59:20 PM
Apologies. I see the error of my ways now.
Let all heretics be drowned in a sea of creamy dairy righteousness!
One down - 6 billion or so to go........
All i need to do now is create a website with books and videos plus a short film to promote it plus a Youtube channel.
[elsewhere very recently i read a comment by someone who was trying to promote their conspiracy website that was claiming the Japanese earthquake was photoshopped !!! and they were being serious :crazy: which was very funny despite it being a complete insult to those that were caught up in it]
Quote from: SmallBlueThing on 25 April, 2011, 12:33:25 PM
This is one for the likes of Ush and LeggyShark etc, I believe. Now- I have a good friend who lives in London, who's Italian. Her mum is staying with her at the moment, and my friend has (at great expense) rebooked her flight home to Rome entirely because of Raffaele Bendandi's prediction of a devastating earthquake on May 11th.
It was reported that people were fleeing Rome, Italy in readiness for an earthquake predicted to occur today, May 11, 2011.
Two earthquakes
strike Spain instead,
May 11th, he's a little out by a few hundred miles but not bad though considering the usual total irrelevance of most 'predictions'.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/11/spain-earthquake-2011-mag_n_860646.html
I am very sceptical about these so called psychics. But one instance did have me reeling slightly about two years down the line.
I did and install once in a small town called Gotham. The customer claimed to be a medium and thus tore into my workmate causing him to OOO and AAAH. She turned to me and said I was almost impossible to read and wasn't getting much, she then said that the name Emillie came to mind and asked if I had any children. Obviously I did (she was 1 year old at the time) but I didn't know her name.
Two years down the line I find out My daughter's name is Emillie, bish bosh a little poo drops out.
I am still a sceptic but still it makes you think.
V
QuoteI am very sceptical about these so called psychics.
In fairness he never claimed to be psychic.
At least Raffaele Bendandi's forecasts had a smattering of method if not exactly 'science':
QuoteAfter the 1908 Messina earthquake, Bendandi developed his own theory, without any objective evidence, about nature of earthquakes and the alleged causes that determine them. He believed that earthquakes are caused by planetary alignment in the solar system – that the moon, sun, and other planets have gravitational influence on the movements of the earth's crust.[1] Bendandi was self-taught and never published a verifiable scientific exposition of his theory.
In response to vzzbux, I read a good book about cold reading last year by Ian Rowland that explains a lot about how psychics work.
Your psychic customer probably went for the name Emily as it's a fairly popular name and easy to manipulate for near-hits as well (Emma, Amelia etc.)
Assuming that you're roughly the same age as me, asking about children would probably be a reasonable guess as well.
Were there any other statements like "you have a box of unsorted photographs", "I see a broken watch or clock" or "there's a calendar or diary in a drawer that's not for this year"?
Quote from: The Cosh on 25 April, 2011, 02:47:42 PM
Can't find any English explanation of the May 11th part:
Further to this. Quote from Bendandi's archivists, via BBC. Full text here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13354988
QuoteBut the president of the Osservatorio Geofisico Comunale, the foundation that honours Bendandi, said they had no record of the much-discussed prediction and have dismissed it as an urban myth.
"I can say with absolute certainty that in the papers of Raffaele Bendandi there is no provision for an earthquake in Rome on the 11 May 2011," Paola Lagorio told Abruzzo in March.
"The date is not there, nor is the place."
I'm with Mr Lee Bates on this one.
Every person who claims to have psychic powers is a liar and a fraud.
Quote from: Richmond Clements on 12 May, 2011, 09:32:38 AM
Every person who claims to have psychic powers is a liar and a fraud.
And as always I'd advocate that anyone that takes money in respect of these claims should be arrested and charged accordingly. It's no different from any other kind of willful fraud.
Quote from: TordelBack on 12 May, 2011, 09:42:51 AM
Quote from: Richmond Clements on 12 May, 2011, 09:32:38 AM
Every person who claims to have psychic powers is a liar and a fraud.
And as always I'd advocate that anyone that takes money in respect of these claims should be arrested and charged accordingly. It's no different from any other kind of willful fraud.
Absolutely.
It takes a special kind of sociopath to prey upon those who have just lost parents or children.
Quote from: Matt Timson on 27 April, 2011, 05:40:51 PM
Quote from: Bat King on 26 April, 2011, 08:44:11 PM
Now everyone send a Tweet to Prof Brian Cox telling him you believe in all of this PLUS the Mayan 2012 thingy. It'll make his day.... (or maybe make him scream really loud with frustration)
He tweeted a few weeks ago about a TV show that will air in September 2012. He also said that, despite what the 2012 pinheads were saying, we'd all still be here to watch it. I felt it was my duty, as a world class pedant, to point out that the pinheads are predicting the end for December 2012- so they'd get to see it either way.
I'm sure he laughed.
:lol:
LMAO
It is funny how wound up he gets about it.
Quote from: TordelBack on 12 May, 2011, 09:42:51 AM
Quote from: Richmond Clements on 12 May, 2011, 09:32:38 AM
Every person who claims to have psychic powers is a liar and a fraud.
And as always I'd advocate that anyone that takes money in respect of these claims should be arrested and charged accordingly. It's no different from any other kind of willful fraud *and deception*.
.
That isnt to say that anyone who may or may not have some kind of psychic ability is into deception and fraud.For some its a deeply personal thing that they choose not to talk about most of the time but i do get that we are talking about those that are in the public arena like Derek Acorah and those types and anyway the term "Physic" is a very broad and loose term.
You were talking about "Psychic powers" anyway and that implies some extra-ordinary ability like contacting the dead or moving an object with your mind whereas i am not sure that if you see ghosts or are more perceptive than the average it would be considered a psychic power as such.
Never fear, another apocalypse is due on the 21st:
www.salon.com/news/religion/index.html?story=/news/feature/2011/05/10/rapture_may_21
I'm going to a lecture on Thursday evening about the end of the world. I'll be sure to pass on any salient points.
(it's being given by a bit of a hero of mine, Prof. Jocelyn Bell Burnell)
M.
I think the world has been due to end every day for the past god knows how long.
I am sure the world will end tomorrow in some horrible way.
V
Quote from: vzzbux on 17 May, 2011, 09:40:16 PM
I think the world has been due to end every day for the past god knows how long.
I am sure the world will end tomorrow in some horrible way.
No, that hasn't been predicted therefore is false.
Y'know what? As much as we've been mocking this fella, I would be really interested to read a full description of his theories (unfortunately, as has been pointed out, he didn't publish anything). From what little I've gleaned from the internet, he was a scientist, even if he's only considered a pseudo-scientist. Regardless, I would like to hear about this fella's hypotheses. As is, there's nothing here that ye can fully refute
As
Quote from: Emperor on 17 May, 2011, 02:07:45 AM
Never fear, another apocalypse is due on the 21st:
www.salon.com/news/religion/index.html?story=/news/feature/2011/05/10/rapture_may_21
The article states that these idiots will continue to keep crunching numbers and re-predicting the apocalypse if the May 21st apocalypse is a non event and while i have a certain amount of tolerance and respect for others faiths and beliefs this is clearly some kind of mental disorder as its not like they have the commonsense and decency to just STFU if it doesnt happen instead of continually flogging a dead horse.
It wouldnt be so bad if they were not so absolute about their own predictions and actually admitted that they were not 100percent certain its going to happen even just to cover themselves but they all seem to prefer setting themselves up for a fall.
whatever.......
It just becomes very tiresome and boring in the end.
Quote from: Peter Wolf on 17 May, 2011, 09:54:43 PM
The article states that these idiots will continue to keep crunching numbers and re-predicting the apocalypse if the May 21st apocalypse is a non event...
Are you suggesting that they are utilising the same goal post moving tactics as the proponents of Intelligent Design? NEVER!
Quote from: Mikey on 17 May, 2011, 02:07:34 PM
(it's being given by a bit of a hero of mine, Prof. Jocelyn Bell Burnell)
Wow, that'd be great - she comes across as absolutely fascinating when I've seen her on TV. She's probably one of the best things to ever come out of this island. Well, Lurgan certainly.
So you didn't hear of this prediction then ?
http://kathlaforteza.blogspot.com/2010/10/joe-brandts-vision-of-california.html
Quote from: O Lucky Stevie! on 18 May, 2011, 07:44:50 AM
Quote from: Peter Wolf on 17 May, 2011, 09:54:43 PM
The article states that these idiots will continue to keep crunching numbers and re-predicting the apocalypse if the May 21st apocalypse is a non event...
Are you suggesting that they are utilising the same goal post moving tactics as the proponents of Intelligent Design? NEVER!
You cannot reason with what cannot be reasoned with.
Just in case anyone was worried about this kind of thing:
QuoteYou've committed your life to Jesus. You know you're saved. But when the Rapture comes what's to become of your loving pets who are left behind? Eternal Earth-Bound Pets takes that burden off your mind.
We are a group of dedicated animal lovers, and atheists. Each
Eternal Earth-Bound Pet representative is a confirmed atheist, and as such will still be here on Earth after you've received your reward. Our network of animal activists are committed to step in when you step up to Jesus.
...
Unfortunately at this time we are not equipped to accommodate all species and must limit our services to dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and small caged mammals. [Please note: we can now offer rescue services for horses, camels, llamas and donkeys in NH,VT, ID and MT ]
http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com
As an agnostic I wonder if I can offer to help out, I'm just as screwed as the atheists, I'm just not sure how much more screwed ;)
Heh. I heard talk of a certain airline who took the rapture so seriously that they make sure that at least one of the pilots in each plane is an atheist.
Quote from: Mardroid on 19 May, 2011, 08:58:50 PM
Heh. I heard talk of a certain airline who took the rapture so seriously that they make sure that at least one of the pilots in each plane is an atheist.
#cough# (http://www.snopes.com/religion/pilot.asp)
Quote from: Emperor on 19 May, 2011, 09:03:38 PM
#cough# (http://www.snopes.com/religion/pilot.asp)
It was only hearsay. (I.e. I heard it from someone who heard it from... etc.) Just struck me as amusing if true. And only one airline (I forget which. If it was even mentioned) as opposed to ALL airlines, like that article is covering. Good find though.
Well, we can all sleep safe for a while - it transpires the world WILL NOT END in 2012 ;)
Prof. Burnell was great. The talk came about because when she was speaking at schools etc, especially in the US, people starting asking her about it and as it was news to her, she thought she'd better look into it. She went through a few of the astronomical doom predictions with her professional eye, providing insight and a few laughs along the way. Unsurprisingly she was a very engaging speaker and the lecture was rounded off by a bit of a discussion on the crazy intertubes, science communication and teaching. I chickened out from saying hello at the bun whurry afterwards to my regret, but hey.
As you were.
M.