[Rockhounds] Auralite-23 Bather, Blather, Blather

[gbrown at catspaw-minerals.com]

"No good deed (or suggestion) goes unpunished"

-----Original Message-----
From: Rockhounds <rockhounds-bounces at rockhounds.drizzle.com> On Behalf Of
axel.emmermann at telenet.be
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2022 11:45 AM
To: Rockhounds at drizzle.com <rockhounds at rockhounds.drizzle.com>
Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] Auralite-23 Bather, Blather, Blather

Gary,

My club, the MKA, is ambitious when it comes to identifying minerals (they
call it 'determination' but in my book that means finding out the borders of
the parameters that define a NEW mineral!). We have the knowledge and good
addresses of people who have access to XRF, RDX, and other acronyms from the
second part of the alphabet.
We do however pay for that... our members pay a small fee (copay?) and the
club pays the rest. 
We have some spectrometers and other small instruments, mostly for gemology,
but when it comes to buying a Raman-spectrometer they find that too
expensive.
OK, I can see that, but we get the bulk of out income from our annual
mineral show (which has been canceled twice, due to COVID! So we have to be
frugal in our spending).
That show is organized for collectors only, although we see wizards and
witches and paranormal geohealers pass through our halls every year. So, my
logical suggestion to the board was: organize a mineral show for the
collectors, but do the same for the healers, witches, floaters, wizards,
nincompoops and petromagicians in the adjoining hall. Do it under a
different name if you 're too ashamed and you don't want your reputation as
scientific organisation tarnished, but make sure that people can buy a
ticked for BOTH shows at a slightly reduced price. You'll get at least five
times the income from the admission, but also your invited dealers will see
MUCH more visitors passing their tables. Other dealers will hear of that and
your show will grow...
They almost ate me alive... THE IDEA that we would be associated with the
softly levitating rock-licking mystics is unbearable to the hardcore
scientifically oriented board members. 
Silly, no? We could buy a Raman spectrometer EVERY year and, while doing so,
pluck away a few lost souls from the dark side and bring them into the
light...
People seem to forget that ALL mineralogy started with superstition. ALL the
gems in the British crown jewels are meant to be healing stones in the time
they were made.
Nobody makes fun of 'Lizzy' when she wears all that stuff on her head.
So we're proud but poor....

Cheers
Axel