4/1/20 The Case For Opening Beaches, Parks and Outdoor Recreation Areas.

The Case for Opening Beaches, Parks, and Outdoor Recreation Areas.

The United States Declaration of Independence lists "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" as three "unalienable rights."  Unalienable means not to be given or taken away.

Sometimes people don't do what is good for themselves or others, but the assumption seems to be that those in government can make better decisions for the entire population than individual citizens can make for themselves.  Prove it.  Where are the double-blind studies that prove those decisions safe and effective?  Are the citizens too dumb or irresponsible to exercise safe behavior appropriate to their own situation?

Not only do officials presume to know better and care more than the citizenry, but they often exclude themselves from the restrictions they impose.  In their "essential" functions they exercise their own judgement and remain immune to the penalties or forced compliance exercised upon the general population.

In the case of Coronavirus, is it safer, or even possible, for a family to remain cramped together 24 hours a day in a single dwelling?  Would not total confinement in close quarters mean that any one of them having other contacts be in danger of infecting the entire household, therefore leading to multiple contacts with healthcare workers and others.

Would not an automobile or outdoor setting actually provide or allow more effective isolation and social distancing while reducing stress and possibly adding the psychological and health benefits of exercise and fresh air?

People are capable of self-distancing.  They are wearing masks and staying away from others.  It is easier in open spaces.

Can't we see that packing people in close proximity is the worst thing you can do?  Compare the disaster in New York with Wyoming, or even Los Angeles, which has a very large population, but one that is much more spread out.

There is always risk.  Nearly 70,000 people die from drug overdose every year.  Nearly 40,000 people die from car accidents, while over 4.4 million are injured by car accidents.  The flu just two years ago was killing 4,000 a week for a period of time.  Are people willing to accept risky behavior?  Do we for some reason more easily accept some causes of injury or death?  The obvious answer is yes. There is a balance to be reached.  Some risk is acceptable.   Some risk is beneficial.

The elderly might be more at risk, but they've lived through World Wars and epidemics without modern medicine and survived.  The elderly living do not need anyone to tell them how to survive.  They have done it.

From their towers, the vision of researchers is as skewed as their data and models.  Their advise is valuable but it should not be taken as the whole wisdom of mankind.  If we are to maintain our form of government, our citizens must be thought intelligent and responsible enough to make decisions for themselves.

I am not minimizing the dangers of coronavirus.  It is dangerous.  It may be unprecedented in many ways, and adequate precautions need to be taken.  However one thing that must be considered is the risk of depriving the citizenry of their self-dignity and their right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Signed,
The TreasureGuide

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8/9/18 Report - Similarities In Coins From Different Time Periods and Countries. No Atlantic Storms Other Than Debby.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

1914 Ten Dollar Gold Coin.

This found coin grades around AU50 - AU55.  It shows most wear on the high spots such as the hair above the eyes and on the reverse on the eagle's shoulder.

Yesterday I was talking about how many similar features you see on a lot of different coins from different countries.  Coins have also remained remarkably similar through the centuries.  Here is an example of how you will see the same types of things on coins from different places.

1900 Morgan Dollar.

Above is a U.S. Morgan dollar.  Notice the headband.

1939 Swiss Coin.

Here is a Swiss coin.  Notice the headband on this one and how the word for liberty is spelled out in a very similar incuse block letters.

Notice also the headband on the figure featured on the gold coin at the top of the post.

The woman on the Swiss coin looks like she could be the twin sister of the woman on the Morgan dollar.  I could give a seemingly endless list of examples showing how different coins from different places and times show remarkable similarities.

Below is a 1988 10 pesetas coin from Spain.

Spanish 1988 10 Pesetas 

See anything that you might see on a 17th or 18th century Spanish colonial coin?  Maybe the Pillars of Hercules, the crown, shield, or Plus Ultra legend?

Coins can be used to preserve history.  They often have a political purpose as well as an economic one.  When you look at a coin, whether it is a 17th century cob or a brand new proof coin, look for the message.  What is on the coin, and why?  There is a message.  Ask yourself what the message is and what was to be accomplished.

On some coins you can see that there is an attempt to promote tourism.  You've seen those, I'm sure.

I saw one coin the other day that had the message "Grow more food" on it.

Even though a lot of coins share some very common similarities, there are also some very unusual coins.  They are usually produced to make money off of collectors.

There are some coins that are in the shape of balls, cubes and pyramids, for example.  Others contain a piece of mammoth ivory, and others contain a piece of a space vehicle.  Still others are in the shape of a car or guitar and are beautifully painted.  Unfortunately I've never found any of those.

Here are some strangely shaped coins.

Some Very Unusually Shaped Coins.

Here is a link that will tell you a little about some of the unusually shaped coins.

https://www.money.org/collector/shriekengriffon/blog/odd-shaped-coins

Some small island countries such as Palua seem to make and sell some of the most unusual, evidently for income.

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The badly corroded coin I showed yesterday is a British half penny that was made 1982 - 1984.  It is not valuable at all.

The 1949 Hong Kong Five Cents coin is not worth more than a few cents in good condition either.

The 1929 1-centavo is also worth just a few cents.  There are a few of those that are error coins, such as the 1924 4 over 3 that is worth about $65 in fine condition.

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The surf is smooth, but the tides are big.  Today we'll have a negative low tide.

Tropical storm Debby continues to move away from us, and there is nothing else of interest in the Atlantic.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/25/15 Report - Memorial Day Post

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

I was thinking today that I'd talk a little about freedom, first because it is Memorial Day and we respectfully remember those who fought to preserve our liberties, but also because freedom  is a topic that I've been touching on in different ways in recent days.

We all want life, liberty and to be able to pursue happiness, but sometimes the things we do endangers our freedoms.  Lack of responsibility and good judgment puts freedom at risk.  Not that all restrictions on freedom are wise or just, but restrictions are often, not always, a reaction to something done without good judgement.

On smaller matters such as metal detecting, we often lose our liberties because someone somewhere did something stupid or harmful or maybe something that just didn't look good.  Leaving unsightly holes is one small example.  The hole might not actually be dangerous, but someone, perhaps too many someones, or someone with too much power, might see it that way.

I don't want you to get the idea here that I'm putting something like our metal detecting issues at the same level as wars and the loss of life suffered by those in the military.  I'm definitely not, but this is a blog on metal detecting and many of the same principles apply whether we are talking about large or small freedoms.  I often heard, "Take care of your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."  Take care of the small things and the large things will be taken care of as well.

Ronald Reagan once said,  “I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There’s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts.”   

H. L. Mencken said, “The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule it.”  I believe we face a lot of that these days. 

We get more rules, laws and regulations when we need them, or when we don't need them but when someone has been able to convince enough people that we do.  

Not all decisions are made with honesty, good judgement or knowledge.  That is true for each of us and governments too.  The result is that there are at times conflicts, and there are issues worth fighting for.

Government seems to have fewer and fewer limits as people are crammed closer and closer together and more and more people depend upon the government for more and more.

I find it interesting to listen to talk shows and hear how so many people are willing to give away freedoms and liberties these days.  People give their lives for our freedoms and then we give the same freedoms away because of fear, laziness, convenience, or stupidity.

I guess there will always be that tension.  Freedoms will always be at stake.  It will require vigilance and good judgement, whether we are talking about the basic freedoms of life and liberty or smaller things.

Of the smaller things, we often think it really doesn't matter, but maybe it does.  What are you willing to let slide?  Where do you make your stand?

Big things matter, but so do little things.

Remember,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net