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Last year, Australian bureaucrats facilitated the destruction of a priceless, irreplaceable, scientific collection of plant materials on loan to their country's scientists from France. Apparently the actual destruction was carried out by an "external contractor", but that in no way absolves the bureaucracy.
Jeanson had received a message from the director of the Queensland Herbarium in Australia that was abrupt to the point of being blunt. It told him that a package of 105 botanical specimens of Australian plants owned by the Jardin des Plantes – and gathered by an intrepid French botanist more than 200 years earlier – had been destroyed by Australian biosecurity officials.
To this day, Jeanson can't quite believe what happened, and nor can scientists and museum directors from around the world who have followed the story with horror.
The specimens were both priceless and irreplaceable. How could anyone, let alone government officials, incinerate such artefacts? It was simply beyond Jeanson's comprehension. It remains so, even after post-mortems and investigations conducted in both countries, by scientists and bureaucrats, after diplomats stepped in and compensation negotiations were undertaken.
The specimens destroyed were part of the catalog of the world's plants and were a part of a base for pharmacy, agriculture, and any kind of science based on plants.
Source : 'Would you burn the Mona Lisa if it was sent?': Our horror bureaucratic bungle
(Score: 5, Informative) by canopic jug on Monday February 26 2018, @06:42PM (11 children)
It's probably worse than that if it is part of the general trend towards uneducated, unknowledgeable, and undertrained staff I am seeing in recent years. It's a real bite but there might be few places remaining where even a motivated young person can get a proper education any more. A number of them that I knew who were motivated were really singled out by those in charge who really worked to beat it out of them. Two didn't break.
About how that Customs services, over on the other side of the planet a professional musician from Canada made the mistake of passing through JFK and had 11 of his flutes confiscated [slippedisc.com] and destroyed [bostonglobe.com]. When called out, the US Customs just doubled down on stupid [foreignpolicy.com].
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Monday February 26 2018, @06:51PM (2 children)
I once ordered some books from USA to Germany and it was held in the custom. I had to go there and open it to show them it wasn't containing god knows what they thought heavy thick books could be. Brick, may be?
(Score: 2) by frojack on Monday February 26 2018, @07:14PM (1 child)
Maybe they wanted you present when your shipment of Cuban Cigars was opened?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by cubancigar11 on Tuesday February 27 2018, @05:54AM
Are cuban cigars banned in Germany too?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Monday February 26 2018, @07:12PM (3 children)
Your own linked story at foreign policy.com calls the whole incident into question.
Customs seized and disposed of fresh cut green bamboo, a notoriously invasive plant.
Those were packed in different luggage than the flutes, which customs said they didn't touch.
So at best this is a he-said she-said story. Maybe read these links before you post them?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by canopic jug on Monday February 26 2018, @07:44PM (2 children)
From the update in the Foreign Policy article:
If he did have fresh bamboo, then he is quite an asshole. However, separate from that the flutes are gone [npr.org]. The two problems are not mutually exclusive.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by insanumingenium on Monday February 26 2018, @09:43PM (1 child)
Occam suggests that these flutes were mistaken for live bamboo, and therefore the musician denying the existence of live bamboo, customs denying the existence of flutes, and the confiscated flutes not being in luggage all make sense. Anecdotally, I can see where an overzealous goon could mistake a Ney [wikipedia.org] for (dried) bamboo.
(Score: 2) by canopic jug on Tuesday February 27 2018, @05:32AM
Yeah. That assessment makes sense, particularly after re-reading all four articles.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday February 26 2018, @07:21PM (1 child)
Yeah, well, if the picolo player - errr, flute player - had been allowed through customs, he may well have planted his picolo - errr, FLUTE, I mean - and started another invasive species growing. Just look at this article, then try to imagine picolo bushes growing all over America - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu#Invasive_species [wikipedia.org]
/sarcasm
Picolo joke gratis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dk_ZYw_BtY [youtube.com]
For those who fear Youtube - https://cosmo360.blogspot.com/2010/04/joke-piccolo-player.html [blogspot.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 26 2018, @11:29PM
Farmers grow highly invasive bamboos in the US south for profit. Most won't survive anywhere slightly near north.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 26 2018, @07:37PM
As long as they aren't slapped down, hard - they'll try for more the next time.
Such is human nature.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 27 2018, @04:43AM
Did you read the article you linked? It says that customs claims there were no flutes when they examined the luggage. Instead there were fresh cuttings. Now, that maybe bullshit, but they didn't double down on stupid. They claimed it wasn't true.