"Snazzy" Graphics, Too Difficult for Coiney to Navigate?

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I mentioned the revamp of the SAFE webpage and Lobboblogger Pete decided to take a look and have a grumble. After all that is what he is paid for by the coin dealers association. According to Tompa ('SAFE: Keeping its Own Secrets Safe?' Monday, March 26, 2012), there is some nefarious conspiracy of silence here too. SAFE "must be hiding" something:

the snazzy graphics can't hide the fact that the website tells little about who really runs the operation or how it is financed. There is a ghostly drop down menu under "about us," but it is difficult to access. After a few tries, I was able to access this page entitled, "Who is Safe?"

Is it really such a difficult hand-eye-coordination task to navigate the SAFE website? I had not noticed any difficulties earlier in the evening, so I thought I would test it out again with a little help. I can report that "Socks" had no problems. What a brainless cat can do, a coiney surely should be able to do too.

The coiney lobbyist-blogger sees something suspicious in the fact that the advocacy of an organization called "Saving Antiquities for Everybody" (ie from looting, smuggling, the illicit trade etc) "seems to mark SAFE as merely an adjunct of the AIA". I would say it is hardly surprising that one US-based organization advocating sustainable management of archaeological resources advocates ideas similar to another US-based organization advocating sustainable management of archaeological resources. It surely would be more suspicious if they did not, if they were trying to undercut the efforts of the Archaeological Institute of America. "Socks" says he understands that too. Mr Tompa and his coiney followers are going to need to have it explained to them.

Lobboblogger Pete demands to know:

And who exactly funds SAFE? [...] are there any direct or indirect governmental funders?

Ah, the nefarious secret government conspiracy he means. "Socks" says he doubts there is any such thing, and directs Peter Tompa's attention to a little drop down menu he found about something called "fundraisers" where there is no mention of going cap-in-hand to the US Gubn'mint. Just people getting together to try to do something about the current state of the antiquities market in the USA and related issues.

So who runs SAFE? Here is the envigorating smile of Brooke Todsen, the Executive Director, and over on the right is Peter Tompa trying to smile at an ANS gathering. The Executive Director of the Ancient Coin Collectors' Guild has little to smile about these days too. I'm on the side of the lady on the left. So is "Socks".

Photos: "Socks", Brooke Todson, dealers' Lobboblogger Pete.