"20th of March???!!!" wailed my 9 year-old in distress. She had just heard TV3's promotion of an interview with Ken Ring, who normally claims to predict daily weather in advance by copying 18 year-old weather maps. The Moon has an 18 year cycle, and he believes that it's all to do with lunar cycles. He sells books of such mindless weather "predictions", and apart from misleading the public and taking their money, he's usually harmless, but not this time.
This time he has predicted another major quake on March 20th, and added waves of anguish to an already stressed out city. My daughter's reaction was typical, and I have spent plenty of time informing her of just how loopy and inaccurate Ken's weather predictions are. Shame on Ken Ring for adding to distress, for pretending to be a scientist (his earthquake predictions have been found wanting from a statistical point of view), and for making money and notoriety out of other people's misfortune.
Shame on TV3 for giving him oxygen. John Campbell tried to debunk him, but instead of doing a comprehensive job, merely fostered pity for the man by mistreating him at the microphone. He deserves no pity, and definitely no time on TV.
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