[meteorite-list] Re: New British fall?

From: geoking_at_notkin.net <geoking_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:44:34 2004
Message-ID: <v04220804b6c41e9206f8_at_[63.25.170.29]>

Dear Rob and List:

Rob, thanks for posting that news article! I had to laugh, and it
made me miss home as the tone is so wonderfully English. Too bad it's
not April 1, instead of March 1. This does read like an April Fool's
story.

Local English papers have a need to ground their stories close to
home, by including lots of detailed personal information such as the
names of the lady's dogs:

>Mrs Mercer was walking her two dogs, Chubby and Annie,

(As if that has any bearing on the story) . . . where she works, and
how many children she has:

> . . . mother-of-two Mrs Mercer, who works at a local Tesco store.

(It would *have* to be Tesco, of course) . . . and then to add some
drama, i.e. the local Army bomb disposal squad being called in, to
check for radiation.

>. . . the object started making "weird" noises . . . popping and
>cracking noises, which are not usual."

You mean . . . not unusual for a meteorite? I see the Army squad has
a lot of experience dealing with this type of thing. What a relief
for Yorkshire residents!

My favorite part is when Mrs. Mercer says she went to have a look at
the crater but "could not see to the bottom of the hole. It was quite
deep." You can imagine her remaining perfectly calm, and describing
all of this to the local journalist (including the "smoke bellowing
[sic] out of it") over tea.

The only item missing is the ubiquitous statement from the local
university expert (as Mike Farmer has noted) saying that, "Meteorites
usually range in size from a grain of sand to a teacup."

Very entertaining, thanks. Please keep us posted on developments. I
guess this story will have ousted the Royal Family from the front
page for at least one day.

: )

Cheers,

Geoff N.







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Geoffrey Notkin
Senior Art Director
Stanegate Studios/Notkin.net
P.O. Box 87, Jersey City, NJ 07303

Telephone: (201) 435-8888
Fax: (201) 946-1199

Email: geoking_at_notkin.net ammonite@aol.com
Web: www.notkin.net

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A paleontologist has more cause than most to reflect upon time: its
measurement, its span, and its consequences.

  -- Richard Fortey

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Received on Thu 01 Mar 2001 11:05:26 AM PST