[meteorite-list] Lorton, Smithsonian and "cool" scientists thinking

[Galactic Stone & Ironworks]

Hi Steve and List,

Great post and unfortunately very true.

Something I have noticed in the last couple of years - more and more
scientists have ponytails, dreadlocks, and tattoos.  When I watch
science documentaries on TV now, you often see a young scientist with
a goatee and dreadlocks.  It's funny and encouraging at the same time.
 Times are a changin and people are becoming more open minded and
tolerant.

When I grew up in the early 70's, all scientists on TV had buzz-cuts
and looked like cops.  So, perhaps this archaic anti-collecting
attitude we go the same way as the dinosaurs.  Just give it time.

Seriously, next time you watch a science documentary (especially the
ones about astronomy), take a look at the scientists they interview -
you see a few "old school" types, but you also see the next young crop
of up and coming scientists, and if looks are any gauge, then I feel
hopeful that these exclusionary attitudes and snobbish views will
disappear along with the buzz cuts and pocket protectors. ;)

Best regards and happy hunting,

MikeG

PS - isn't the Smith publicly subsidized by tax payer money?  If so,
what right do they have to deny access to the specimens?



On 1/29/10, MeteorHntr at aol.com <MeteorHntr at aol.com> wrote:
> Hey List,
>
> It was my understanding that a local news station was  called to the Lorton
> doctor's office, and then that TV news crew  actually drove the meteorite
> to the Smithsonian for verification. At  that time, it became obvious that
> it
> was a genuine meteorite and then efforts by  the museum personnel were
> started to acquire this specimen for the  museum.
>
> In any case, when I arrived at the fall site the next day after  the story
> broke, with a Meteorite Men camera crew on my heels, Smithsonian  personnel
> were there at the fall site, which I thought was great.  You  can't blame
> them for wanting to obtain the rock.  In fact, there would be  something
> wrong
> if they didn't want to acquire it.
>
> I will say that our  Meteorite Men producers made extensive attempts to
> gain permission from the  Smithsonian for me to come to the U.S. National
> Collection with a camera crew  and shoot footage of Earth's newest alien
> visitor
> to appear in one of our  upcoming February episodes.  If the Lorton story
> would have played out big  enough, it could have become its own episode,
> most
> likely running at the end of  February or in March of this year.
>
> We were willing to pay  the $1,000 shooting fee that the Smithsonian
> normally charges, but we were  flatly denied ANY access to the Lorton
> specimen for
> our TV show.  I am not  sure of all of the reasons, and who made the actual
> decision to deny us and our  audience the opportunity to see it first hand,
> but it seems that because the  Smithsonian now has their own new cable TV
> network, and as such it is  now their policy to not give any competing TV
> networks any access to shooting  any of their stuff in their collections.
>
> We also wanted to film  the actual Tucson Ring specimen, that is the
> centerpiece in the National  Collection's public display, for this next
> Wednesday's episode of Meteorite Men,  but we were flatly denied access a
> few months
> ago to shoot that as well.   The February 3rd episode of Meteorite Men goes
> into the historical story of the  Tucson Ring and of course, as the center
> piece to our National Collection now on  display in Washington D.C., it's
> final resting place is an important part of the  story of the greatest
> legend in
> all of meteorites.
>
> However, I was  told that the "powers that be" at the Smithsonian did offer
> to sell us a black  and white still photo of the Ring for $400 to use on
> the show.  Nice of  them, wasn't it?  So, I don't think the problems we had
> this last week were  related to the Lorton fall in particular, but seems to
> be
> a bigger bureaucratic  problem elsewhere.
>
> Apparently, other networks have had severe access  challenges lately in
> wanting to get footage of other national treasures since  the Smithsonian
> cable
> network was formed.  In our case it seems to be a  real shame as it would
> have generated great PR for both our TV show and for the  Smithsonian and
> for
> meteorites in general.
>
> Well, maybe one day, a  few years down the road, we can look forward to the
> Smithsonian Cable TV Network  running their own TV show about meteorites in
> general and maybe the Lorton  specifically and we will all get to see it
> again.
>
> It is not my intention  to paint the meteorite professionals at the
> National Collection in a bad  light.  In fact, I would invite them to
> respond here
> to give their side of  the story.  I have traded with the Smithsonian in the
> past and I even sold  the Smithsonian some West specimens this last year.
> While the process was  complicated and took a very long time, the people I
> worked with were great, and  I consider them friends and colleagues in our
> celestial quest.  I get the  feeling that the challenges we face are in
> other
> departments other than  theirs.
>
> I do know there is still some prejudice against the  collecting community
> among some in governmental employed academia.  There  are those that still
> think all meteorites should be owned by governments and  that there should
> be
> no private hunting for, collecting and owning of  meteorites.   There seems
> to be a few dinosaurs holding onto the idea  that if someone earns a buck,
> or God forbid -- a living, in the meteorite  business, it is a bad thing.
> (Ironically, I am still looking for the list  of scientists and curators
> that
> donate 100% of their paychecks each week back to  the institutions that
> employ them, because they really believe it is wrong for  anyone to earn any
> money from working with meteorites.)  And what is really  ironic, is that
> people like Dr. Art Ehlmann at T.C.U., who really does all his  meteorite
> work
> gratis, is on the top of the list of people who do their  meteorite work for
> no pay AND he is also on the top of the list of scientists  that support our
> collecting communities efforts.
>
> It is possible that there is an underlying fear that being associated  with
> a TV show that features non-governmental collecting of meteorites could
> somehow cast them in a negative light, especially among a handful of archaic
>
> thinking colleagues that might scorn them at the Meteoritical Society
> meetings.  Remember in junior high school, when a cool kid would talk with
> a
> non-cool kid, and all the other cool kids would shun their ill-acting
> member?
> Yea, I kind of think that "we are better than they are" thinking  might
> still happen at some level amongst the "cool" scientists in the field.
>
> I am not sure who all still feels that way in the research community (maybe
>  someone can make a list of them online?) as I have noticed a much more
> enlightened view from more and more scientists as the years pass.
> Hopefully
> that haughty bias will eventually dissolve away as people realize the
> positive contributions the private collector community makes to the science
> and
> that we are all in this great and healthy symbiotic relationship  together.
>
> Steve Arnold
> of Meteorite Men
>
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