[meteorite-list] Swedish Fireballs with pasta and sauce

From: Michael Gilmer <michael_w_gilmer_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 07:44:20 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <217959.25988.qm_at_web58402.mail.re3.yahoo.com>

Hi Martin and list,

The Danish law (and others like it) are excellent examples of human
arrogance. No man or government ever "owns" a meteorite. We are
only temporary caretakers of these cosmic relics. The lifespan of
the most enduring Earthly government is but an eye blink on the
cosmic timeline. I always laugh when I consider the hubris of men,
and the concept of a government owning all meteorites that happen
to fall on a piece of land that the same government stole from someone
else is the height of human arrogance. Last time I checked, the
Danish (or anyone for that matter) were not the original inhabitants
of the land they now claim. Ownership of the Earth below our feet
or the rocks from the sky above is a privilege granted by the Goddess
of Chance - and nothing more. When the weak body of man or the flimsy
apparatus of the state crumbles into dust like the monuments of
Ozymandias, these 4+ billion year old relics will continue on with
their strange journey - regardless of what fool signs a piece of paper
and claims ownership.

I now have 52 localities in my collection....do I own them? No.

I am just lucky enough that Fate placed them in my loving hands, so
I may look after them until it comes time for me to rejoin the stars.

Laws like these (that Martin mentioned) hurt everyone and benefit no one.

Regards and clear skies,

MikeG

.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
..........................................................

Message: 11
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:17:16 +0100
From: "Martin Altmann" <altmann at meteorite-martin.de>
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] MASSIVE fireball in Sweden this morning.
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Message-ID: <002101c97966$b485c320$177f2a59 at name86d88d87e2>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Mike,

The second word of your introduction I second.

> Europeans, get to work on this!

Not worth looking for.

Denmark:

"under s.36b of the Museum Law Act (1989)finds are "geological objects of
unique scientific value" and must be delivered to a state museum. Under
s.36b(3) the museum pays the finder a fee based on the market value adjusted
for the speed and care taken by the finder and carrying out this obligation.
Greenland, as part of Denmark has a similar rule..."

(Schmitt et al. MAPS 37,2002).

The funds of the Copenhagen museum for meteorite acquisitions are since
years ZERO.
They even have no funds to curate their meteorites there lege artis.
Agpalilik - the recovery was the highlight in the annals of this
institution,
is kept open air in the court of the museum and suffered already heavy
damage by humidity.
In 50 years they haven't managed yet to built a little roof for a few
hundred bucks to protect this iron from rain.

Under these circumstances, a finder can't expect to be compensated in a
timely and adequate manner.

Btw. a market value can't be determined, because Danish meteorites can't be
traded because of this law. (There were some brains involved in making that
law.....)

(At least Denmark seems not to have added meteorites to their national
UNESCO cultural heritage lists.
Canada and Australia did so.
All specimens of Cape York in the institutional collections in Canada and
Australia, which don't have export papers, showing that they were once
allowed to be removed from the country of find Greenland,
have to be returned to the Danish state. Great that USA didn't make that
mistake, to see Peary's mountain of iron rusting next to Agpalilik in the
museum's court would break the hearts of all meteoriticists).

Btw. the interpretation of the UNESCO convention of 1970 like Australia and
Canada followed, is the exact opposite of that what the UNESCO working group
on meteorites, consisting of the curators of London, New York, Paris and
Budapest, and members of the UNESCO legal department recommended in their
premilary work for the convention, starting in 1964 (concealed by Schmitt et
al. in their article).


Under these circumstances, noone will search for a meteorite on Danish
territory.

Hopefully it felt in Sweden.

Best
Martin


      
Received on Sun 18 Jan 2009 10:44:20 AM PST