[meteorite-list] New Proofs for Nakhla Dog?

From: MARSROX_at_aol.com <MARSROX_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:55:49 2004
Message-ID: <7f.203bfd41.297b412e_at_aol.com>

Ah, the power of the pen! I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged to read
the article Ron Baalke forwarded to us about Valera and the (eyes rolled
upward, throat cleared here) absolutely, positively dead animal associated
with it.

Yes, encouraged because the respected British periodical "The Guardian" (as
reported by Duncan Steel) also refers to the so-called "Nakhla Dog" story
concluding that "recent investigations seem to show that the story is
apocryphal rather than apocalyptic."

"Apocryphal" - False, counterfeit. No dog.

Of course, I wrote of this fable in a "Meteorite" Nakhla feature a couple
years ago revealing that -
- the farmer had the actual day of the fall wrong (not a very strong start to
creating the #1 legend-of-the-genre).
- the place of the so-called event was far from the strewn field (location,
location, location)
- no one ever brought forth a rock or a dog. (fugitaboutit!)

At least in the Valera case, we have a rock, sworn affidavits, multiple
quality eyewitnesses, and steaks. Medium rare, I suspect.

I offered facts derived from original Egyptian published Nakhla reports
obtained from the Smithsonian. Ron offered personal theories backed by his
startling imagination. This enchanting reading can be found in this list's
archives.

Unfortunately the otherwise timely and excellent NASA Mars meteorite website
administered by Ron - http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/html - (click on Nakhla), a
very important source of supposedly unbiased information, remains diminished
to all of our chagrin in one area by bad grammar and circular logic disguised
as fact (numbering is mine) found therein --
1."There is an eyewitness account that one of the fragments hit a dog"
Yes, a farmer sought out a reporter and made a statement.
2. "There has been some debate whether this story is true or not."
Yes, but solely from Ron. No one else on Earth (!) has challenged me.
3. "However, since there is some evidence that there some (sic) truth to the
story....
There is no evidence. Ron's only "evidence" is that ..... a man told a story
(see #1).
4"......the dog story cannot be discounted at this point".
Yes it can, and I have. And I'm done with it.

Maybe Ron or another interested reader can ask Duncan Steel of the Guardian
what "recent investigations" he's referring to that add to the demise of this
legend.

Long live the dead dog,

Kevin Kichinka
Received on Sat 19 Jan 2002 04:37:50 PM PST