The treasure that lies buried
“We’re
all looking for that big treasure,” says John Howard. “It’s the thrill of the
hunt. You don’t know what you’re going to find.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Howard is president of the Genesee
Valley Treasure Seekers, a group of about 50 people that gets together on a
regular basis to metal detect. They roam beaches, parks, and old properties,
looking for treasure, adding to their home collections of coins and novelties.
They will also help people find things they’ve lost.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “There was a girl who accidentally
threw her engagement ring out the window,” Howard says. They found it for her.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Old coins, some from the 1700s, are
the most common finds of value. Howard once found a 1776 half real (Portuguese currency) that he
considers a treasure. It is more rare to find jewelry, but some people seem to
have a knack for it.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We have one fella who seems to find
a lot of rings,” Howard says. “Wherever we go he’ll find a ring.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย If the weekly, local hunts are the
tortoise’s dogged pursuit of the prize, treasure-seeking competitions (members
of the GVTS are competing in Ohio during the first week in July) are when a
treasure seeker needs speed. At competitions, fields are seeded with thousands
of dimes. Participants try to bring in as many coins as they can as quickly as
they can, vying for prizes like televisions, gold coins, or new metal
detectors.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “You work up a heck of a sweat in a
half an hour,” Howard says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย He has three metal detectors he only
uses in competitions. “You need a lightweight machine that recovers quick.
Something that’s going to take the abuse.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย It sounds addictive. “What isn’t?”
Howard says. “It is. It’s fun.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย For
more information on the Genesee Valley Treasure Seekers, visit www.gvts.org.
—
Erica Curtis
Fall
from GRACE
The
Downstate-based Campaign for Fiscal
Equity (CFE) got its wish June 26: The state Court of Appeals agreed that
New York City public schools aren’t getting the support necessary to fulfill
the state constitution’s guarantee of a “sound, basic education.” Rejecting
Albany’s case that state responsibility extends only through the eighth grade,
the court supplied another phrase that’s sure to resonate: a “meaningful high
school education.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย But the same court dealt our own
locality a different hand: It ruled against the Greater Rochester Area Coalition for Education (GRACE), which
sought state action against the effects of concentrated poverty and racial
isolation on the City School District. So the GRACE lawsuit is over. But the
issues remain.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Debate over the lawsuit has often
centered on the consolidation of school systems. GRACE, however, didn’t seek
any particular remedy. Instead, the group attacked state policies that have
contributed to the concentration of poverty — for example, a historical
failure to build low-income housing in the suburbs. Like CFE, GRACE basically
wanted the state to make good on the constitution. But the court fell back on
“local control and participation” as a basis for rejecting the lawsuit — and
in effect upheld the current municipal and district boundaries which enforce a
latter-day segregation.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย “We’re very disappointed,” says
local attorney James Gocker, a key member of the GRACE legal team. “This
concept of local control is not found in the [state] constitution,” he says.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In fact, says Gocker, “local control
is a myth.” How so? The state enforces standards and distributes funds, of
course. But Gocker gives a Rochester-area example that really shows where the
power lies: When Fairport school officials recently said they’d hold up their
budget process until state officials completed their own budget, Albany
intervened immediately, threatening to remove the Fairport superintendent and
school board.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Still, Gocker spots some hopeful
signs. “Clearly the court recognizes the plight of city schoolchildren,” he
says. Indeed, the written decision expresses sympathy for urban parents who are
trying to do the best for their kids.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The words may ring hollow for many
Rochesterians, though.
Fuel
futures
Just
as Honeoye Falls is now a global center for hydrogen fuel-cell R&D (see City
Newspaper, June 4-10, 2003), Rochester
Institute of Technology is a focal point for similar technologies.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย One example: RIT professor James
Winebrake, the school’s chair of public policy, recently published a study for
the Electric Power Research Institute on “The Future Impacts of Electric Drive Vehicles.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In
the study, according to advance publicity from RIT, Winebrake looks forward to
2025, when 50 percent of all vehicles on the road will be powered by
electricity — that is, by hybrid engines, pure electric motors, or fuel
cells. He anticipates a switch from oil imports to domestically produced
electricity that will increase annual GDP by around $40 billion.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Winebrake
gave more details last October in a related presentation to a “New York City
Electric Bus Workshop” on electric and hybrid vehicles. Electric-drive
vehicles, he said, would produce 440,000 jobs per year, and they’d save more
than $9 billion in environmental costs and $7 billion in military costs. He
concluded, with scientific understatement, that “government programs and
policies to support electric drive vehicles are justified.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย (The
federal government is already active through initiatives like the “Freedom CAR,”
or Cooperative Automotive Research program, which aims to get alternatives like
electric cars and hydrogen fuel cells in gear.)
Two
for the record books
The
good gay news keeps rolling in.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย First, the Province of Ontario’s
highest court recently legalized same-sex marriages — and Ottawa announced
moves toward legal recognition throughout Canada — which set hearts aflutter
on this side of the lake.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Then on June 26, the US Supreme
Court struck down sodomy laws in Texas
and a dozen other states, affirming a right to private, consensual sex between
adults. “This decision,” said the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, “marks
the end of the government’s authority to knock down bedroom doors anywhere in
this nation.” (In the Texas case, the police, responding to a fake emergency
call, actually broke into a dwelling and arrested two men having anal sex. The
fact that this was an interracial couple undoubtedly played no role in the
arrest.)
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Rochesterians gathered the same day
at the Gay Alliance of the Genesee
Valley office on Atlantic Avenue to celebrate. The event focused on a US
map. To great applause, activists put rainbow stickers over the states that
almost until that moment had outlawed gay sex. GAGV board member Pamela Barres
played on dissenting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s suggestion (in a
solemn court opinion, no less!) that his colleagues had caved to a “so-called
homosexual agenda.” Said Barres: “I checked my own copy of the Homosexual
Agenda — I have the paperback edition — and I hope the Supreme Court will embrace it.”
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย The decision, said local attorney
Jennifer Gravitz, means “no more ‘Don’t Kiss, Don’t Tell.'” But everyone, she
said, will have to keep working on the issues — and hope for more
celebrations ahead.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย GAGV director Chuck Bowen happily
put a rainbow sticker over his home state, South Carolina. He also made a local
appeal. “If there’s ever been a time when [the Alliance] needed support,” he
said, “it’s now.”
This article appears in Jul 2-8, 2003.
