Apology accepted.

We have a fundamental difference in attitudes - you think earthquakes can be predicted, think you see how, and consider it a race to get there, I see no evidence that short-term prediction is inevitable, and consider the current efforts (which are mainly basic research like drilling a hole in the San Andreas Fault) the best investment.

Not much point calling each other names, although arguing facts, like fact vs fiction in Jim's biography, can be enlightening.