What’s happening to all the museums?

Some of the readers of this blog probably do not know that aside from being an attorney, I am also a doctor of dental surgery. Often I see patients who speak the same languages as I do, as they feel more at ease with someone who speaks their language.

Today I saw a patient from Ukraine, from Dnepropetrovsk. She told me that there was a great museum of antiquities in Kiev. During the Maidan revolt the museum was looted, most of the valuable exhibits disappeared. She mentioned that it is similar to what happened in Egypt. At that point I remembered that the same thing happened in Iraq, when expensive exhibits from the museum of antiquities in Baghdad were stolen.

I am wondering if there is an organized crime that might be aware in advance of these revolts and systematically targeting these museums. Interpol should be investigating this. It remains to be seen if Interpol will actually solve these crimes.

Further, this lady has mentioned to me that her brother in Ukraine is also a dentist. Right after the revolt he was contacted by the authorities and was told that his practice will be audited for compliance and if he does not pas the audits, he will have to pay a fine of 10,000 grivni, which is about a $1,000, a lot of money in Ukraine . He mentioned that his practice was already audited and passed with flying colors. A this point he was told: “well, don’t you think you need to help the revolution?’ When I heard the story, it reminded me of Chicago mob shaking down people.

I am sure there was corruption there before the revolution as well, but the stories I’ve heard were not heart warming accounts.

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