Apology to Dr Laurence Godfrey
codeZ
I, Vitali Deev of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand, make the following
apology.
During the past several weeks I have made many postings to the newsgroup
sci.physics under the pseudonym of "codeZ", in which I have made numerous
statements about physics that were completely erroneous and in many cases
fundamentally flawed and wholly misleading to those readers of the newsgroup
not expert in the subject. When my errors were pointed out to me by various
physicists in the newsgroup, including Dr Laurence Godfrey, instead of
recognising and correcting my mistakes I continued to insist that I was
right and responded with a stream of unjustified insults and false
allegations of incompetence, ignorance, lack of comprehension and inability
on the part of those correcting me. When those physicists responded in kind,
rightly pointing out that it was I who was entirely ignorant of the subject
matter, I foolishly continued to maintain that I was right and in doing so I
compounded my errors in physics and made further false and defamatory
allegations about the physicists involved.
I have now recognised that my behaviour on the newsgroup was wholly
unacceptable and I sincerely apologise to all those concerned. In particular
I apologise for the defamatory statements that I have made about physicists
including Dr Godfrey and I unreservedly retract those statements and
acknowledge that there is no factual basis whatsoever to them.
I did not identify myself in my postings and I did not make it clear that I
was only an undergraduate student. When I informed Dr Godfrey of these facts
he agreed to accept by way of compensation for the defamatory statements
that I made about him the small amount of money that I was able to offer
him, on the condition made by Dr Godfrey that I pay this sum to 3 charities
of his choice rather than to him.
Accordingly I have agreed with Dr Godfrey's proposals that I make the
following charitable donations on his behalf:
1. ŁUK50 to the Free Representation Unit, 4th Floor Peer House, 8-14 Verulam
Street, London WC1X 8L2, England;
2. ŁUK50 to Amnesty International, PO Box 4, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV21 1RU,
England;
3. The remainder from $450 in New Zealand currency to NZ CCS, PO Box 8066,
27 Kilmarnock Street, Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
I have agreed to purchase International Money Orders or similar instruments
where necessary and to send these payments by post to the charities
concerned within 7 days. Dr Godfrey has agreed to waive his rights to
damages and costs for the statements that I have published on receiving from
me copies of the receipts from these charities.
Vitali Deev