But quakes do happen

An 18th-Century woodcut taken from a religious tract showing the effects in Boston of the Cape Ann Earthquake, on Nov. 18, 1755. The earthquake’s epicenter was just off Cape Ann and is believed to have been between 6.0 and 6.3 on the Richter scale, making it a powerful quake. It did major damage on Cape Ann and in Boston and remains the largest measured earthquake in Massachusetts so far.

“When Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning-rod {in 1749} the clergy, both in England and America, …. condemned it as an impious attempt to defeat the will of God. For, as all right-thinking people were aware, lightning is sent by God to punish impiety or some other grave sin—the virtuous are never struck by lightning. Therefore if God wants to strike any one, Benjamin Franklin [and his lightning-rod] ought not to defeat His design; indeed, to do so is helping criminals to escape. But God was equal to the occasion, if we are to believe the eminent Dr. Price, one of the leading divines of Boston. Lightning having been rendered ineffectual by the 'iron points invented by the sagacious Dr. Franklin,' Massachusetts was shaken by earthquakes, which Dr. Price perceived to be due to God's wrath at the 'iron points.' In a sermon on the subject he said, 'In Boston are more erected than elsewhere in New England, and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. Oh! there is no getting out of the mighty hand of God.' Apparently, however, Providence gave up all hope of curing Boston of its wickedness, for, though lightning-rods became more and more common, earthquakes in Massachusetts have remained rare.”

— Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (1872-1970) was a British mathematician, philosopher, logician and public intellectual.

#Cape Ann Earthquake

Lightning rods, earthquakes and Divine Providence

“Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky”, by Benjamin West

“When Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning-rod, the clergy, both in England and America, with the enthusiastic support of George III, condemned it as an impious attempt to defeat the will of God. For, as all right-thinking people were aware, lightning is sent by God to punish impiety or some other grave sin—the virtuous are never struck by lightning. Therefore if God wants to strike any one, Benjamin Franklin [and his lightning-rod] ought not to defeat His design; indeed, to do so is helping criminals to escape. But God was equal to the occasion, if we are to believe the eminent Dr. Price, one of the leading divines of Boston. Lightning having been rendered ineffectual by the 'iron points invented by the sagacious Dr. Franklin,' Massachusetts was shaken by earthquakes, which Dr. Price perceived to be due to God's wrath at the 'iron points.' In a sermon on the subject he said, 'In Boston are more erected than elsewhere in New England, and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. Oh! there is no getting out of the mighty hand of God.' Apparently, however, Providence gave up all hope of curing Boston of its wickedness, for, though lightning-rods became more and more common, earthquakes in Massachusetts have remained rare.”

― Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), British philosopher and mathematician, in “An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish: A Hilarious Catalogue of Organized and Individual Stupidity’’

A religious tract’s take on Boston being shaken by the Cape Ann earthquake of 1755.

Risk assessment and escapism

Adaped from Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

The Boston Guardian ran stories the other week on the minor earthquake (3.6 on the Richter scale) that shook southeastern Massachusetts on Nov. 8 and on the plywood business in Boston. The latter suddenly surged last summer as street-side businesses prepared for vandalism in the social disorders/protests that erupted then.  Some of the plywood went up again in anticipation of a possible Trump re-election. Most of the plywood has since been taken down.

Both cases are examples of how hard it is to decide when and how much to spend to mitigate or prevent damage from rare events, such as destructive civil disorder in cities, or  very rare events such as a powerful earthquake in New England. Boston’s last big quake was way back in 1755, when a tremor estimated to have been higher than 6 on the Richter scale did much damage in eastern Massachusetts. The epicenter was off Cape Ann, so it’s usually called the Cape Ann Earthquake. It was the strongest one recorded so far in Massachusetts.

Naturally, most New Englanders don’t want to spend money on quake insurance, though depending on what kind and size of property you have, it might make sense.

Those threats are hard enough to get people’s attention. It’s much, much harder when it comes to global warming, whose severe effects might not  be noticeable to most people for several decades. Global warming may seem both too vague and big to grasp. It recalls Stalin’s remark that “one death is a tragedy, a million deaths a statistic.’’ (No wonder he didn’t mind ordering the murder of millions.)

Stock up now!