It really is gorgeous; the Wikipedia picture does not do it justice.
Anyway, the Humboldt County paper is the Times-Standard. Today it ran two front page stories having to do with eBay.
First, you may remember in 2002 an entire town, Bridgeville, was put up for auction on eBay and sold for $1.77 million, but the buyer backed out. But in August 2005 Daniel La Paille, a college student from L.A., managed to buy the town for $1.3 million with the expressed desire of turning it into a retreat for his family. By November 2005 he was dead of a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Bridgeville is still for sale.
The second headline is "Former curator pleads guilty to theft." Robert Kenneth Newell, 60, pleaded guilty to stealing antiques from the Fortuna Depot Museum and selling them on eBay, including antique fishing equipment that fetched more than $800.
Newell told the court that the items he took were not of much value to the museum and probably never would have been displayed. "I'm not trying to say I'm not guilty, but what we're talking about is junk," he said.
posted on July 10, 2009 09:43:13 AM new
Well, he was trying to downplay the severity of his offense.
He was sentenced to 45 days at Humboldt County jail, 25 hours of community service, pay more than $500 in fines, is banned from using eBay and must publish a letter of apology to the public.
On another topic, Highway 101 north from San Francisco is a scenic and educational drive. It's simply amazing how many stores there are in Mendocino County that sell hydroponic gardening supplies. (Marijuana growers in Mendo County generate an estimated $1 billion/year in sales. Some do it in their backyards, others under lights.)
posted on July 10, 2009 10:00:39 AM new
We've learned through our association with our local museum (run pretty professionally, I must say), that ALL gifts to a museum, if accepted by the curator, must include paperwork, and the donor is given the option of getting the item back if it isn't of value to the museum.
We could NEVER sell an item (de-accession is the term) without that paperwork. If the donor didn't care about the item's future, we can sell it. Otherwise, NO. And actions like this guy's undermine the public's confidence in making further donations. What a jerk.
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"Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who ***dared to dissent*** from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, ***may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion."*** --Eisenhower
