[meteorite-list] Meteorite hunter takes £10,000 rock to auction - And a particularly BAD quote

From: Michael Farmer <mike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 07:51:39 -0700
Message-ID: <F94F9572-472B-4667-B822-B647A6211701_at_meteoriteguy.com>

This article is crap and so is the auction. H has been doing nothing but putting together these auctions ever couple of years. As I went to Russia and brought back thousands, actually more than 10,000 pieces, I am pretty sure I have more Chelyabinsk in the west than Eliott:) Te smuggling quotes don't help, and in fact, i think under UK law could easily get the pieces frozen in the Auction or confiscated by the government there.

 These are just promotional sales pitches to the gullible.

Michael Farmer

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 19, 2013, at 7:40 AM, Mendy Ouzillou <ouzillou at yahoo.com> wrote:

> http://www.astrowatch.net/2013/08/meteorite-hunter-takes-10000-rock-to.html
>
> Dear list members,
>
> This is an interesting article but what really caught my eye was the following quote: "The Russian government told the local residents that they would arrest anyone selling pieces of the meteorite overseas, so my contact had to disguise the airmail package and mix the meteorites with pieces of electronic equipment to hide them,"
>
>
> The intricacies of Russian export laws are as dense as as any Russian novel and less decipherable as highlighted by some of our own conversations regarding the topic. This quote unfortunately removes any doubt that the Chelyabinsk meteorites were smuggled out and only reinforces the misconception that our (a)vocation is run like a black market.
>
> I am sure that the actual interview was filled with more details and clarifying comments, but that is clearly NOT what was printed. Dealing with the press is a skill like any other that requires training and experience. At the very least ask for the questions in advance and respond by email if at all possible. The most important thing to do is to ask for the ability to review and make edits to the article BEFORE agreeing to doing the interview.
>
> Though you will figure out easily who was quoted, this is not about the individual. I was not there during the interview (obviously) and can't say what was or was not said. I really just want to highlight this story as a cautionary tale.
>
> As a final thought, not all reporters are bad or out to get people. They have a job to do and are motivated by a different set of requirements than what we may understand. They want a good story and you (may) want the public recognition. This is a symbiotic relationship, but if you do not understand how the game is played, you will likely get played.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Mendy Ouzillou
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Received on Mon 19 Aug 2013 10:51:39 AM PDT