Regarding news reports about Iraq in general and the cultural artifacts specifically, I offer the following comments and .. suggestions: (1) - Recent reports imply that not thousands upon thousands of items were lost/looted .. but rather (depending on the source) .. 33 or less than 100. - If that's true, that's wonderful news! - Swaths from the tapestry of our collective heritage have been preserved in .. loosely speaking .. the public domain. (2) - Reports of museum directors "pulling a fast one" .. Iraqi people destroying their own heritage .. and other .. (to borrow a phrase from Donald Rumsfeld) .. "untidiness" .. are, and will continue to .. have a negating effect on decades of hard work that the museum community as a whole have invested in defining their role as safe harbor for cultural heritage .. and reputable dispensors of wisdom and truth. - There are those who will enjoy "using" news reports of Iraqi museum malfeasence to further their own goals and agendas. - And I leave it at that for now, other than suggesting that there may be some repurcusions for YOUR museum .. something to consider. - I leave it at that for now. (3) - Personal suggestion - News agencies are businesses first. - They have to sell their media so they can sell advertising, day in day out. - The news business is a labor intensive one, which means stories need filing under intense deadlines, with human frailties and limitations influencing the results. - As others have suggested and/or implied .. be a critical thinker when consuming news .. cast your news net wide .. evaluate possible agendas .. consider primary sources and the heirachical flow of news in its temporal cascade. - I'll leave as it is as well. Just my personal views that may not be "museum related" as independant items .. however taken collectively, I believe them relevant to the promotion of museums, et al, as pillars of positive support for communal benefit. - In my mind it would be a tragedy if even one person created a negative association in their mind for museums in general .. after hearing a story that "some" museum personel may have been playing hanky panky. -- Roy Hemmat Director, Discovery Media http://www.MuseumStuff.com ** 1000's of museums and educational links now available through our award-winning gateway ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).