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Can humans start an earthquake? | May 27, 2010
Chuck Bryant
On the old Richter scale.
Josh Clark
Is that how we pronounce it? I thought you spoke German.
Chuck Bryant
I just thought it would be funny if we mispronounced even things everybody knows. Because we have a reputation for mispronouncing difficult things.
Josh Clark
All right. Let’s start doing it.
Chuck Bryant
The Richter scale.
Josh Clark
Okay. Well, on the Richter squale – can we do that?
Chuck Bryant
Sure.
Josh Clark
It hit a – what did you say? A 7.9?
Chuck Bryant
Yeah, thereabouts.
Josh Clark
And like I said, it killed 80,000 people. It was an enormous horrific earthquake and very quickly – I remember NPR was there because they were covering the Olympics. So everybody went to Szechwan instead. Because it was right before the Olympics, right?
Chuck Bryant
We were here.
Josh Clark
We were here, but NPR did a month of coverage on this earthquake. Everybody was talking about it. But one thing that flew under the radar – at least my radar – was that there were, and still are, allegations that the earthquake was actually manmade. At least hastened by a manmade structure – specifically, the -
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Josh Clark
Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I’m Josh Clark. With me, as always, is Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant. You know us as Chuck and Josh.
Chuck Bryant
We debated this. It’s Josh and Chuck.
Josh Clark
It’s Chuck and Josh now.
Chuck Bryant
Dude, it’s – what do you mean now?
Josh Clark
Well, it was Josh and Chuck. And then it became Chuck and Josh. I’m sure in the future it’ll just keep rotating. It’s like the wheel of time.
Chuck Bryant
Well, Josh and Chuck has a ring that I enjoy.
Josh Clark
How about Chosh and Juck?
Chuck Bryant
And Matt.
Josh Clark
Yeah, with special guest producer, Matt.
Chuck Bryant
Jerry’s not here to spank us when we err.
Josh Clark
No. Which means we can get away with a lot of stuff!
Chuck Bryant
Right.
Josh Clark
Although, I think we’re self-regulating these days.
Chuck Bryant
Yeah, we’re doing pretty well.
Josh Clark
Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. Chuck?
Chuck Bryant
Yes.
Josh Clark
You want to get into it?
Chuck Bryant
Sure.
Josh Clark
You the earthquake in May of 2008?
Chuck Bryant
In China?
Josh Clark
Szechwan Province?
Chuck Bryant
Yeah.
Josh Clark
It killed 80,000 people, I think, right?
Chuck Bryant
Awful. A 7.9.