[meteorite-list] BS In The NYT: Black Market Trinkets From Space

From: Dave Gheesling <dave_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2011 21:46:13 -0400
Message-ID: <1D7EB98AF3E74E3DB5741C408C752616_at_meteorroom>

Ditto, Jim (and Adam).
Dave
www.fallingrocks.com

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Jim Strope
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 8:49 PM
To: Meteorite Central
Subject: [meteorite-list] BS In The NYT: Black Market Trinkets From Space

I sure agree with Adam, 150% He hit the nail on the head.

Jim Strope
421 Fourth Street
Glen Dale, WV 26038

http://www.catchafallingstar.com/


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
WOW!,

This is very disturbing. I cannot listen to any more of this and say
nothing.
The New York Times has reduced itself, once again, to a lousy rag by
demonstrating a bias towards bad news instead of the truth. It is this
ratings over responsibility attitude that is putting us into a bad light.


What used to be considered a respectful hobby/avocation a few years ago is
going the way of the Treasure Hunter. Treasure hunters were considered the
lowest life form on the planet due to all of the bad press in the 70s and
80s. A few got lucky and found valuable items. A few got their 15 minutes
worth of fame and ruined it for everybody else by bragging, overvaluing
objects they found and making promises that were never kept. A few bad
apples broke the law and ruined it for everybody else who were legally
searching at the time. The press reported only the bad situations and the
next thing you know, half of the searchable property was off limits within a
single decade. Amateur treasure hunting is barely recovering from all this
decades later. Most treasure hunters have learned to keep quite while others
have not learned this valuable lesson.


Unfortunately, my predication that the avocations of meteorite
hunting/collecting would go the same way as the treasure hunters a few years
ago is now approaching reality. It is easy to forget that it used to be
considered mutually beneficial for all involved to collaborate, the
scientist, the dealer and the collector alike. It seems with all of the new
interest, the press ignores this delicate collaboration and only seems to
focus on the bad and untrue. I have always said, you make enough noise good
or bad, you will attract attention, usually the wrong kind. It is disturbing
that meteorite hunting is now considered only treasure hunting when it goes
far beyond this. A few are ruining a perfectly respectably avocation by
focusing only on the treasure hunting and money aspect of it.


Labs are closing down to the public, voluntary associations are tied up with
meteor wrongs, public land is being withdrawn from searching and idiots are
coming out of the woodwork to get a bite at the golden meteorite apple that
was promised on TV. These idiots think meteorites are lying around like
Easter Eggs and that breaking the law to get them might be alright too. Some
of these idiots have pronounced themselves meteoriticists and are garnering
as much press as possible spewing forth B.S. They are making legitimate
hunters, collectors and dealers all look bad.


Sorry, needed to release some steam. I just hate to see a few ruin it for
the many.




Adam


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Received on Tue 05 Apr 2011 09:46:13 PM PDT