Kerre Woodham: Ring of truth or not? Hard to tell

5:30 AM Sunday Mar 20, 2011

Ken Ring. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

With all the hoo-ha going on about Ken Ring's quake forecasts and with the world watching in horror as Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant teeters on the brink of meltdown, I find myself wishing that I'd spent more time at school on left-brain subjects.

Latin, English, French and drama were a breeze for me; maths and science not so much.

But I really need to fill in the gaps in my knowledge because without a basic understanding of science, it's hard to distinguish between the scientists and the nutters - whether or not the moon has anything to do with earthquakes; whether the Fukushima meltdown can possibly be compared to Chernobyl; whether man's interference with the planet is a catalyst for earthquakes. Who knows?

I believe that Ken Ring is a scaremongering charlatan - albeit a well-intentioned one - but I have no scientific evidence with which to rebut him or his supporters.

I believe that there's very little man can do to influence the shifting of the tectonic plates, despite what the proponents of the Haarp theory believe - but again, that's just gut instinct and not certain knowledge.

Conspiracy theories and whacky predictions become the stuff of mainstream when people live in darkness, and it seems that there's a lot of us who might as well be living in the 16th century given our gullibility and desire to put our faith in soothsayers.

It's time for me to go back to school.

By Kerre McIvor

- Herald on Sunday

Richard D (Tauranga) | 11:24AM Sunday, 20 Mar 2011

The media sensationalised Ken Rings predictions, had they not grabbed it and pumped it in the fashion they have as with Kens other predictions we would be none the wiser.

In this case we should shoot the messenger. We want free press, but how about some responsable free press.

Alan Vallis (New Zealand) | 11:24AM Sunday, 20 Mar 2011

Bill Bryson had a similar desire to reconstruct his education when he realized that he didn't understand why the aeroplane he was cocooned in didn't fall out of the sky. Being Bill, he did something about it. He set out to learn how the science works. His outstanding "A Short History of nearly Everything" was the result.

I wholeheartedly recommend it as an entertaining and informative book for the scientifically illiterate and the technical cognoscenti alike.

MikeyB (New Zealand) | 11:24AM Sunday, 20 Mar 2011

If big earthquakes were related to the moon surely someone would of published this coincidence as it would all be available in the historical records. Only if there was a coincidence could Mr Ring show proof of concept so until then he should keep quiet or he will seem like a flash in the pan predicting lotto.