[meteorite-list] Re: An Aerolite Liar

From: geoking_at_notkin.net <geoking_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:23:45 2004
Message-ID: <v0422081cba8af023a300_at_[66.2.45.3]>

Dear Ken, Mark, and List:

>A reply was received from Postermaster Scott stating that the report
>"is a canard," no such aerolite having fallen.


I greatly enjoyed the archaic writing style of this article, and also
the hilarious content. I see that meteorite pranksters were hard at
work even in the 1800s. What industrious fellows they were, skulking
about the country filing reports of aerolites "as large as a
hogshead," and others that had killed farmers in their beds. I assume
that Mohamed will now be spurred on to even greater feats of
discovery, finding tomorrow perhaps, a new Lunar or Martian meteorite
the size of a camel's hump, or a donkey.

We usually now see this wonderful word "aerolite" only in old
articles, and perhaps hand written on vintage collection labels. The
most enjoyable part for me, however, was the usage of this word
"canard" -- meaning, in English, "a false or malicious report." More
amusingly -- and as our own Anne Black knows full well -- it is the
French word for "duck," as in the bird. I suppose this term should
now be reserved specially for fake meteorite reports made by quacks.

The journalist showed little objectivity at the end, when he stated
that "the friend" (I assume he meant "fiend") who had been
perpetrating these canards, "should be killed"! Now that's the way to
deal with these pranksters : )

Regards,

Geoff N.
Received on Tue 04 Mar 2003 07:42:22 PM PST