Hey Aquanut:
Strange turn of events:
Some nations are beginning to realize that the UNESCO convention is primarily a management device designed by Europeans to exert their separate claims to everything lying in the sovereign waters of the third world. Globalization at the expense of everyone who doesn’t know any better. This is called “World Heritage” in ideologue speak.
Enter Spain who has effectively said, “No, it does not belong to the world, it belongs to Spain, and we’ll get the PC types in the American government to help us make it so.” Read: “Let’s steal everything we can from these dumb asses by using a ‘legal precedent’ concocted by our fifth column confederates in the egalitarian establishment.”
Result: third world begins to see that UNESCO is meaningless when money is involved.
Enter The Bahamas who, like most smaller nations with seaboard, basically have what might be referred to as a ‘structured settlement’ in place (thank you J.G. Wentworth), with wreckage all over the countryside, possibly with money to be had. They need the money, they know it, and everybody knows it is probably there to be found. Found money; the best kind of money known to the luckless! Furthermore, as part of the Commonwealth, they see that they can have their national treasure if they pay a price for it, as is the case in England herself. But, they don’t have cash for treasure, so they examine the model devised in Florida some 50 years ago and see that it served Florida well enough (consider the many thousands of coins in the ‘study’ collection in Tallahassee). Found money! However, this is an invitation to commercialization, rather than archaeology, from the altruistic point of view. We are talking about found money, not ‘cultural resources’.
As things get tougher and tougher, more folks like the Bahamians will begin to entertain the actual concept of taking the term ‘cultural resource’ for its true, plain English meaning, to wit: a product of our culture which can be used. The double-speak standard of academic dialectics will take a back seat as ‘cultural resources’ terminology takes on a new meaning.
Now, philosophical conflict aside, could you possibly find a better place to train for underwater archaeology than the Bahamas? I can only think of a few spots that might be more advantageous, particularly the Med, but, still, consider everything the Bahamas has going for it from an academically suitable venue…
They have the proximity to North America and South America.
They have a vast potential undersea laboratory, much larger, per capita than anywhere else in the western hemisphere.
They have the weather.
They have supreme water conditions where an operation can be recorded visually and students can be deployed to work for extended periods on the bottom.
They have a stable government and enjoy the protection of the Commonwealth.
They have a long history of living as mariners, with a huge number of experienced sailors and captains available, along with commercial vessels suitable for support.
They have a long history in the wrecking trade as well.
They have friendly people, and the universal language, English, is the native tongue.
Did I mention their beautiful water?
I hope the Bahamians can profit from all of this with some sort of university extension dedicated to underwater archaeology, and I hope they manage their new venture into salvage with a benefit for everyone involved. No doubt, this potential academic institution will not be one anchored in the United States, but from Europe, perhaps England, where artifact collection is not deemed to be a religious experience as it seems to be touted here in the States.
If this pans out, possibly other countries will consider similar ventures. Meanwhile, strangeness does prevail. Consider the Dominican Republic, which just ratified UNESCO, effectively ending 20 or more years of commercial enterprise that has netted the country millions in recovered ‘cultural resources’. A mystery for sure.
Cay Sal Bank.
If you want to stay anon on the net,use a wireless from one of the many free wireless sites all over the state of florida or even hack into one.
