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Peru: Investors from Japan to build meteorite museum in Puno

(LIP-ir) -- Peru's Geological, Mining and Metallurgical Institute (INGEMMET) announced that Japanese businessmen have planned to build a space museum in Carancas, Puno (795 miles southeast of Lima), the region where a meteorite landed in September 2007.

Construction is to begin in April and $90 thousand are to be invested in the state of the art museum that will be able to withstand Puno's extreme weather conditions, said Hernando Núñez del Prado, director of institute affairs for the INGEMMET.

Aside from exhibiting pieces of the chondrite, the museum will give visitors information on aerospace science and astrophysics related to cosmic phenomenon.

Núñez del Prado explained the crater where the meteorite had landed would remain covered by a 20x20 meter piece of canvas to keep it from being affected by the heavy rainfall in Puno.

He also stated a law was being proposed to protect the country from "meteorite hunters".

Furthermore, National Geographic has announced it will present a documentary in four languages this year on the meteorite that landed in Puno, said Rocío Gómez Paredes, a natural resources manager fro the regional government of Puno.

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# From Miami says :
18 February, 2008 [ 21:09 ]

Cool.  I hope some of the museum ticket sale proceeds go to the villagers nearby the meteorite crash site.

# Michael Farmer says :
19 February, 2008 [ 01:28 ]

The only thing Peru needs to do is fire corrupt police and incompetent "scientists".

# Gulio says :
19 February, 2008 [ 08:13 ]

It's a trap!

They lure gringos and kidnap them, using the paid ransom to build the museum!

# Randall Gregory says :
20 February, 2008 [ 08:45 ]

Michael Farmer, your comments are as worthless as you are. You trash highly educated people with the mind of a person that barely made it through high school. Ironic.

You came into Peru, created trouble with the government and people of Peru hampering legitimate scientific work, trashed scientists and police officials, stole intellectual property to promote your website, swindled other meteorite dealers with false claims of hammerstones, and attempted to discredit honest South American dealers.

You got a lot of nerve posting here. But I guess idiots never learn. What really amazes me, is that some people actually believe the things that you say. You have never offered a shred of evidence to back up your claim, just vile spew. 

And because of your actions, Peru is now considering laws to protect future meteorite falls. This in turn may spur other South American countries to adopt similar laws. Congratulations. You permanently tarnished the entire meteorite collecting and scientific communites. Take a bow, your mother would be proud of you.

# new tour atraction says :
20 February, 2008 [ 11:49 ]

would be cool to see this new wonder from space, hope they dig it up so we can see it here in Peru, and not just bits of it being sold on e bay.

# Randall Gregory says :
22 February, 2008 [ 14:01 ]

Although somewhat sceptical from my own efforts to preserve the crater and the failed efforts of the regional government, I really hope this new initative is sucessful because this crater needs to be preserved not only for Peru but the scientists, students, and children of the world. Visiting the crater gives one a sense of awe and wonder of this historic event. The crater is the freshest on Earth and still contains valuable scientific information.

Additionally, the warm and friendly people that live in this community  very poor with a majority of the children undernourished. Anything that may help them would be a blessing.

# mericorps says :
22 February, 2008 [ 18:16 ]

Perhaps your efforts have failed..let me take a guess..because..as is indicated by your demeanor on this board...you have not mastered the art of making friends and influencing people.

I know that as a result of your behaviour here, I would avoid anything having anything to do with you or your chief rival, I would not trust anything you have to say and I would doubt both your professionalism and integrety in any venture you partake.

# legal says :
22 February, 2008 [ 23:40 ]

Here we going again; someone else,trying to get a piece of the pie,Japan looking for aways to,cruise in,set up a business venture,bring in their own,tourist and staff (understand their language only)from their own country, make a profit and filter the proceeds off-shore and back to their own country;(Clever) where have we seen this before,in the world. Will the people of that community benefit anything out of this,(bloody doubt it) The intention of Investment will only benefit those in the makings

# Michael Farmer says :
23 February, 2008 [ 12:39 ]

Randall, I still have no heard from your crack team of lawyers? When is the trial? I am wiating in fear for the last 6 months.
I have seen photos of the crater, or what is left of it, some Germans were there recently.
How is Major Anaya? Still robbing tourist and scamming people I assume?
How are you, busy being a Doctor, Lawyer, or whatever you pretend to be this week? How many pieces of Carancas did you buy?  I am still confused after our many lies, please set the record strait once and for all. Now that the excitement is gone, it must be boring to be you.
Mike

# Randall Gregory says :
23 February, 2008 [ 18:20 ]

Mericorps (Michael Cottingham),
It's already documented in various newspapers that I spent a considerable sum of my own money in efforts to protect the crater. Nunez de Prado also tried. I'm not looking for support. The crater museum will never materialize just like the concrete ditch to divert the spring rains was never constructed.

Michael,
Ask someone to explain the statue of limitations to you. I'm still suprised that you would post here after the things you did. Scamming other dealers, stealing intellectual property from scientists to promote your meteorite sales and that's just the tip of the iceberg. As a matter of fact, you even stole one of my photos and posted it in various places. Need proof? 

You made a big mistake when you accused Major Anaya when it was lower ranking police officers that you claimed tried to extort money from you. You never presented any evidence to support your allegations but made serious accusations. Are you aware that in that area are three different police agencies? Did you get the names of these police officers? Did you even attempt to report this to Major Anaya the next day? You were with the Mayor, Chief of Civil Defense, and people of Desaguadero and you had their support. You even said they cheered you when you made your speech. You were spreading American dollars all over the place so why would the police want you to leave? Why did you high-tail it out of Peru? Why did Karl and Robert never say anything in support of your story.

I know Major Anaya is a lier but so are you. You never substantiated anything. He claims he was in another city when these events happened. Can you prove he wasn't?

And stop with the lawyer, doctor email stuff. Most people already know that the e-mail accounts I created was a joke. Is that the best you can do? Accuse me of using phony e-mail accounts.

I don't pretend to be anyone. Seriously, How could anyone take Dr. Jack Daniels (Dr. Drunk) @ gmail.com as a valid doctor? Maybe you're the only one. Everyone else saw the humor in it. It´s a joke e-mail account. Get it? You need to expand your mind a little.

Some people know, but you'll never know how much I have in grams or kilograms. So far, it's been donations and not sales.

Peru had four other falls last year and has a ton of unexplored desert locations that may surpass Oman and NullArbor in number of meteorites recovered.  When I'm not para-gliding, surfing, or exploring South America with my wife, I'll be researching and hunting.  Maybe boring to you.

And can you at least be a little more professional when you compose. Use a spell-checker. "I have no heard", "wiating in fear", "our many lies",
"set the record strait". It makes you look uneducated.

And stop with death threats and sending e-mails to my children or else I might really get angry. I don't think you would want that.

# Michael Farmer says :
24 February, 2008 [ 11:26 ]

Randall,
I am so sorry for my typos, I am writing on an arabic computer, not so easy to do.

Anaya is an a******, you are an a******, and Peru is a s*******, infested with thieves, corruption, and trash.

Would you hang around while police are extorting you? Please.......

Karl and Ward do not speak Spanish, and they do not care to post anything about the adventure, I am the one who enjoys toying with you.

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# Randall Gregory says :
24 February, 2008 [ 16:24 ]

Michael,

Have someone read this to you slowly so you understand and please don't be afraid to ask questions. Professionalism can be learned!

Typing on a Arabic computer? Cheap excuse for laziness. Are you also using a Arabic العربية al-‘arabiyyah keyboard? Are you too lazy to buy an wireless USB American keyboard or that you're not smart enough to go into Windows Control Panel, Language options and add a new keyboard codeset?

Lesson #1 Capitalize the names of languages, races, nationalities, and religions.  Capitalize words formed from them. Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives.  Do not capitalize common nouns.

"Arabic" is considered a proper adjective and should be capitalized.

Spell checking programs are used to correct spelling errors in a document regardless of what kind of keyboard you have. You run the spell checker and it will show you all your mistakes. To bad they don't make one to analyze your life. That was one big mistake. Some spell checking programs even have grammar assistants. Amazing! huh?

End of Lesson #1


I agree that Anaya is what you say he is and there is a good deal of corruption in Peru. This so-called corruption is prevalent in ALL countries. Rich people get preferential treatment by paying for it.

You want a government official to speed up paperwork or bend the rules for you? You pay. You want a better place in a long line of people waiting? You pay. You violate a driving law? You pay the cop and then drive away. Most of the time it is initiated by the person that wants or needs preferential service. It is a system that has been in place since the dawn of civilization. If you want something, you pay for it.

You came into the country and lied to the Mayor of Desaguadero, Police Chief, Chief of Civil Defense, that you were an American scientist from the University of Colorado.

Everyone believed you were a professor, yet you claim that you were extorted? For a cop to try to extort money from an American scientist would be akin to committing suicide.

My friends tell me that this type of extortion is almost non-existant. Extortion is a very serious crime here in Peru and most other countries. Peru has passed laws that double or triple prison sentences for crimes against tourists and visitors.

Think about it. Headlines, PERUVIAN COP EXTORTS MONEY FROM THREE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY SCIENTISTS. Except in your case you claim it was the Police Chief that extorted money from you.

New headline: PERUVIAN POLICE CHIEF SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON FOR EXTORTING $100 FROM THREE AMERICAN SCIENTISTS. Can't you see how ridiculous your story is to most people?

Scores of other people were there before your visit and after your visit that bought or were given stones. GENUINE professors from South American universities, tourists, students, engineers, medical professionals and even my ownself and not a single problem. ZERO.

And then you come in flashing all this cash, posing as a scientist and demand that the town extract this million-dollar meteorite...

SO WHAT IS THE REAL STORY? MIKE. Come on, tell the truth, stand up like a man and tell the truth for a change. Admit you made a mistake. Swear to God that your story is true. Can you do that?  And please tell us why you bought a portable water pump when you were in Desaguardero? To donate to the city?

Peru is a poor country but far from being a sh..hole as you describe it. Most people here are hard-working, honest and decent. I've found that most Peruvian have higher moral standards than Americans. There is also a great deal of poverty here and the area that you went into was one of the worst. Many many children die due to weakened immune systems from malnutrition.

To me, Arizona is probably one of the worst places in the world to live. You live in the middle of the desert, surrounded by strip-malls and parking lots.

I live less than a mile from the ocean in an area with close to perfect weather. I walk everywhere in absolute comfort and safety. I have beautiful parks, malls, casinos, world class restaurants, surfing, paragliding, a ocean-view state-of-the-art heath club with tennis and a swimming pool. I can only describe it as paradise. Where I live is like New York City, Las Vegas, Miami Beach and Honolulu all rolled into one.

Anyway, toy with this...

Iz herd it thru da grapevine dat yous Farmer girlfriend dat worked at McNerdo could suck a golfball thru 40 feet of garden hose. Is that really true? I guess dat .... had quite a reputation wit da guys. I refused to believe dat garbage. Ten feet maybe, but 40 feet?

Randall

BTW, you can remove my picture from your and MB's website. I am happy to report that the crater house has a brand new roof.

# Randall Gregory says :
24 February, 2008 [ 23:20 ]

Mikee,

One last thing. Learning to fly a helicopter is difficult. Learning to type on a Arabic keyboard is not that difficult. (except for you)

And why do Karl and Robert care not to post? You're their buddy and expedition leader. Maybe they just don't want to be associated with a corrupt meteorite dealer. I think that might be the real reason.

Randall

# Randall Gregory says :
25 February, 2008 [ 22:44 ]

Hey Mike,

Where are you? Afraid to show your face?

You have no idea as to the number of Mike Farmer cartoons and jokes floating in cyberspace.Some are really hilarious. You're becoming infamous. Have you seen the one with you and Connelly or the one with the monkey on your back? Laughed till I cried. Sorry to hear about your divorce, but really, what woman would want a husband like you?  Just another day in the life of a meteorite hunter. Huh?

Randall

# michael Farmer says :
28 February, 2008 [ 11:20 ]

Randall, I am too busy to keep up with cartoons, I will leave that to the likes of you. Talk about trashing scientists, Connelly is one of the best in the world, so someone is trashing him? hmmmm, sounds like some serious sour grapes to me. I wonder where you get your gossip, you sound like a 90 year old woman. I am not getting a divorce, unlike what you did, so please, don't worry too much about my private life will ya, I am sure you have a few more years left, and you really don't need to spend them fuming about my success in Carancas, and your failure. You were there before us, yet you got nothing, poor poor baby, imagine the money you could have made.  I guess paying the poor locals was just too much for you to do.

# Randall Gregory says :
28 February, 2008 [ 12:46 ]

Mike,

The cartoons are about you.  Let me repeat it so it might register in that simple little mind of yours.
THE CARTOON WAS ABOUT YOU PRESENTING SOMETHING TO CONNELLY!
FOR CLASSIFICATION.  The cartoon was similar to the one that was made
about Peruvian scientists that you thought was so funny. Remember that
one? The group of neanderthals that was labeled Peruvian scientists. I have a copy if you lost it. Did you make that one or one of your friends?

I have the utmost respect for all scientists. They have my respect and admiration. 
I went to college so I know how difficult it is to obtain a degree. You dropped out of college in your first year.

Exactly what success did you have at Carancas?  Because of your actions, the government was forced to temporarily shutdown access to the crater preventing legitimate scientists from conducting reasearch. Änd now, Peru will be passing laws to prohibit meteorite hunting. I guess you were pretty sucessful.

Was I unsucessful? Time will tell. My efforts were directed at protecting the crater from the spring rains. The director of IGEMMET, Nunez de Prado and myself both tried to protect the crater but were unsuccessful.

My motivations are not monetary. You're absolutely right! I gave the locals food, tools, money, 
and material to help protect the crater. I went on TV in Puno 
with a general appeal to the public. I made friends in Carancas, Desaguardero and Puno. You made enemies. I tried to protect. You tried to hustle. It's all recorded. It's all true and it's part of history.

# Randall Gregory says :
29 February, 2008 [ 16:37 ]

Stay tuned for more tales of the Meteorite Mafia. Starring Mike "Mad Dog" Farmer and his sidekick Ron "The Con" Farrell.

# Randall Gregory says :
29 February, 2008 [ 17:01 ]

For those of you unfamilar with Ron "The Con" Farrell, he was a American meteorite dealer that spent over two months in a Brasil prison for stealing probably the most valuable meteorite on Earth

(Angra dos Reis), from Brasil's Museum of Natural History.

Fortunately the police discovered it hidden in a shoe in Ron's luggage at the airport where he was waiting to board a plane for the United States.

Mr. Farmer has also been accused of theft numerous times.