[meteorite-list] ??SaharaMet...who are they!

From: al mitt <*almitt_at_meteoritecentral.com*> Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2011 10:43:11 -0400 Message-ID: <D3AA124DD885423C877D7D3DFAE13523_at_StarmanPC> · almitt_at_meteoritecentral.com

--
METEORITE MARKET TRENDS
December, 2004
by Michael Blood
As the Tucson Show approaches: The "Meteorite Week" will be the
first week of Feb.culminating on the weekend with:
The now famous "Birthday Bash" Friday evening, Feb. 5th. This year
at a new location yet to be announced ? but enough space to hold EVERYONE,
which now means A  LOT of folks! Of course we will
all be blessed with celebrating the recipients of the Harvey Awards for
the year presented by the Cheech and Chong of the Meteorite community:
Geoff Notkin and THE REAL Steve Arnold, usually dressed in Western garb, but
with these two ? who knows with these two? This is an event never missed by
the other Steve Arnold (of Chicago!!!), as well.
Proud Tom will also be there, but, unfortunately, since he has been in
hiding low these many months, and since, even when "out" he is not really
"out" ? but rather closeted, we will, no doubt, NOT see himS. though he will
undoubtedly be there. (sounds a bit biblical, doesn't it?)
Saturday, Feb. 6th will see two auctions:
The second year of the Al Lang Silent Auction will conclude in the Executive
Inn, Rm130. Bids can be placed throughout that week. Exact time of
conclusion is unclear at "press time" but you can check with Al or Iris Lang
when writing in your bid that week or early in the day, Saturday.
The Michael Blood Auction ? or People's Auction ? will
be held in the same location as last year at 1150 N. Beverly
119
Ave. off Speedway. This is the VFW Post #4903 & full directions
are available on the Auction Website at
http://www.michaelbloodmeteorites.com/AuctionTucson05.html
Sunday, Feb. 7th the Macovich auction will be held at 10 AM next to
the pool at Inn Suites. Pieces will be on display most of the week preceding
the auction in Darryl Pitt's room.
People should look to Meteorite Exchange for a list that
will soon appear listing each and every meteorite dealer and
event not to be missed at Tucson ? the meteorite Mecca of the
world.
LATE BRAKING ADDENDUM!
Bruno & Carine have informed the meteorite community of
the following actions taken by Roland and Richard Pelisson
of SaharaMet:
"What the Pellissons are doing is just unbelievable, they already did
contact the French interior Ministry as well as the Customs offices in
different countries. They are linking the meteorite community to terrorismS"
If one goes to Google and types in "money for terrorism" the top site listed
is a page from the Pellissons' web site:
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/Sahara/Nwa.html
While a good deal of propaganda fills the pages, it essentially
states that any and everyone exporting NWA meteorites,           120
EXCEPT THEMSELVES are engaged in the financing of
terrorism! This is the most outrageous crappola to result
from the 9/11 tragedy since the issuance of the "Homeland
Security Act, removing most of the constitutional rights of
US citizens. Read the following paragraph which is a direct
quote from their site:
"Smugglers, dealers, investors, all the people who buy, sell, trade and
publish documents about these meteorites want to conceal the truth. As long
as the collectors believe that unknown hunters wish to keep the locations of
their finds secret, that all these meteorites are good for
science and a good purchase, the business will go on! The plundering
of North Africa, the support to organized smuggling rings, the financing
of terrorism, all that happens behind the Moroccan border in Saharan
countries is of little concern for too many people today."
I have seen outrageous acts committed by meteorite dealers in an
attempt to discredit what they consider competition (rather
than colleagues) but nothing comes remotely close to THIS!
Thanks to the actions being taken by the Pelissons the entire
meteorite community will likely become tainted in the eyes of
not only the public in general, but by customs in particular and
entire governments!
Of course, the implications of these accusations in terms of impact
on the Meteorite Market are overwhelming!
       Stay tunedSS Michael
121
METEORITE MARKET TRENDS
January, 2005
by Michael Blood
If you read last month's column, you are aware of the international
concern arising from the Pelissons taking to a court of law their
ludicrous claim of NWA meteorite dealing and collecting being
directly linked to terrorism. If the courts begin to attach credibility
to these claims, the meteorite market as we know it will be changed
forever ? and certainly not for the better.
Please note that the Pelissons accuse ALL meteorite collectors who
have ever purchased any NWA material of conspiracy. Don't take
my word for it, read their own wording, below.
If you disagree with the Pelissons, I urge you to write a letter to whom it
may concern and deliver it to Bruno & Carine in Tucson
at Room 309 in the Inn Suites. If you are not going to Tucson, please mail
me your letters at:
"Meteorite Propaganda"
c/o Michael Blood
6106 Kerch St.
San Diego, CA
USA   92115-6628
and I will take them to Bruno & Carine to combat the outrageous and
irresponsible claims made on the web site mentioned in my letter below:
Here is the letter I am taking - if you so choose, you may use any part of
it, rewording it as appropriate to fit your own circumstances:
122
To Whom It May Concern,
I have been a meteorite dealer and collector for well over 10 years. I  have
been published in every meteorite periodical in the English speaking world
and author a monthly column in  METEORITE TIMES.I, my customers and my
friends all collect meteorites, many of which come from Africa.
The claim has been made by the Pelissons on their web site at
http://www.saharamet.com/meteorite/data/Sahara/Nwa.html
as follows:
       "Smugglers, dealers, investors, all the people who buy, sell,
trade and publish documents about these meteorites want to        conceal
the truth. As long as the collectors believe that        unknown hunters
wish to keep the locations of their finds        secret, that all these
meteorites are good for science and a        good purchase, the business
will go on! The plundering
       of North Africa, the support to organized smuggling rings,
       the financing of terrorism, all that happens behind the
Moroccan border in Saharan countries is of little concern
       for too many people today."
I know the vast majority of dealers who go to NW Africa to purchase
meteorites from nomads and other African nationals and a few who even find
them themselves. I know ALL of the US dealers and searchers who engage in
these activities. Not one single person I have spoken to has ever seen or
heard of one single incident to support these claims. They are preposterous,
slanderous and
123
outrageous. Were the hundreds of collectors in the meteorite community not
so outraged by  their claims, the Pelissons
would merely be the laughing stock of the the world meteorite community.
However, terrorism is NOT something anyone finds the least bit humorous and
for the Pelissons to  claim a link between the meteorite dealers and
collectors with the terrorist community sickens as well as outrages and
flabbergasts every collector and dealer with whom I have discussed this
matter.
It is my understanding that at least one court is actually considering their
claims at this time and I would like to emphatically state
that any credibility given to these malicious and totally outrageous
allegations would be an error of colossal proportions and without evidence
of any foundation whatsoever.
Sincerely,
Michael Blood
Dealer, collector, author and auctioneer of meteorites.
124
On 4/7/11 5:26 AM, "Dave Myers" <whitefalcons007 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
Hi Paul and list,
The NYT story is bad enough, But who are these meteorite
> hunters, Roland and
Richard Pelisson who have the Sahara Met website.
They
> claim on there web site that NWA meteorites are "International Contraband"
>
that support Terrorism.
It looks to me that they want all the NWA finds for
> them selfs.
Has anyone ever contacted them? They seem to have had a lot of
> there meteorites
classified in the US.
Just wondering if anyone knows
> these two guys, There does not seem to be much
talk about them on this
> list?
Dave Myers
----- Original Message
> ----
From: Paul H. <oxytropidoceras at cox.net>
To:
> "meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com"
> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thu, April 7, 2011 7:48:33
> AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] NYT Story ? Overseas and Local
> Distribution
?Overseas list members, if you have the opportunity,
please
> peruse the International Herald Tribune to
see if they picked up the story
> and run it in its entirety.?
By searching the International Herald Tribune
> web site,
I found that it was published in this newspaper on
April 4
> at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/science/05meteorite.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=
> meteorites&st=cse
The entire story also appeared in the Sydney Morning
>
Herald as ?Souvenirs from space,? April 7,
> 2011,
http://www.smh.com.au/world/science/souvenirs-from-space-20110406-1d4g9.
> html
Also, it appeared at:
1. rssbroadcast,com, April 4,
> 2011
http://rssbroadcast.com/?p=40828
http://rssbroadcast.com/?p=40742
2.
> WA.today, Australia, April 6,
> 2011.
http://www.watoday.com.au/world/science/souvenirs-from-space-20110406-1d
> 4g9.html
3. Yahoo
> News
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthAmexemObservers/message/10634
4.
> Daily Comet, Lafourche Parish
> Louisiana
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/NY/20110405/ZNYT03/104053033/1225/
> news100?Title=Black-Market-Trinkets-From-Space
5. A version of the New York
> Times story, ?Il mercato nero
dei meteoriti? appeared in the ?Post? on April
> 6, 2011,
http://www.ilpost.it/2011/04/06/il-mercato-nero-dei-meteoriti/
This
> entire text of this article is making the rounds
of the Internet. This is
> something that definitely needs to
be considered in any response. It certainly
> will make
preparing an effective response to the article quite difficult
as
> it is being reprinted, in some cases under different
titles and in different
> languages, in a wild range of media
outlets.
To further complicate matters,
> the link to this article is
being posted a number of web sites. For
> example;
1. Egyptology News
> at:
http://egyptology.blogspot.com/2011/04/black-market-trinkets-from-space.ht
> ml
2. environmental reporting
> at:
http://word.emerson.edu/sprg11jr364/2011/04/04/black-market-trinkets-from-
> space/
and 3. American
> Scientist
http://www.americanscientist.org/science/pub/-1875
Yours,
Paul
> H
______________________________________________
Visit the Archives at
> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
Meteorite-list
> mailing
> list
Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listi
> nfo/meteorite-list
______________________________________________
Visit the
> Archives at
> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
Meteorite-list
> mailing
> list
Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listi
> nfo/meteorite-list
--
"Teachin' a pig to dance is a waste of time and it irritates the pig"
Mark Twain
--
1. Whenever you're wrong, admit it,
2. Whenever you're right, shut up.
Shaquille O'Neal
______________________________________________
Visit the Archives at 
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
Meteorite-list mailing list
Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list