[Rockhounds] Re: South Dakota - Rapid City &Calcitevs.Devil'sTower

[Axel Emmermann]

Pete, you have no idea how "Americanised" we Belgians got shortly after
WWII.
With the Marshall-plan in place and working (hallelujah for that) it seemed
like we got shifted in high gear, ready or not. A lot of changes happened,
some good some bad...
We used to live in a society where one income was quite sufficient for a
normal family. The concept of credit was unknown. The highest buildings in
major cities were either 4 stories high or churches.
Suddenly we seemed to need stuff like washing machines which made more free
time available for housewives so they could go to work to make enough money
to buy one... And nylons and Tupperware and Avon and a record player and
rock and roll records and sky-scrapers, ;-)))
There was no hurry in life and the "just-in-time" concept would have been
rightfully outlawed.
But then again... How can you collect minerals without proper
transportation? Henri Ford's idea that everybody should have a car may have
ruined the earths ecosphere, it sure made reaching far-off collecting sites
possible.
Bill Gates was part of the evolution of how we can look at a location from
literally outer space... Heck, we can explore the surface of a planet from
orbit and locate mineral deposits from thousands of miles away.

Reddy Kilowatt is one of my earliest memories... As is Elnett Satin
hairspray. The idea of commercial radio shows was adopted here in the
mid-fifties and the first to be broadcasted in Belgium was the one sponsored
by Elnett. I used to listen to it while waiting for my father to come home
from work when he had the late shift. Boy, they were "on the air" LIVE with
real orchestras and performers and only now and then they would play a
record of almost exclusively American stars!
There's also the little guy with the yellow "oil-drop-like" head from ESSO
(EXXON). That was even before they put a tiger in your tank ;-)))

There was no TV in those days and only a handful of people had a fridge. I
was five when I went with my parents to the 1958 world fair in Brussels. To
illustrate how overwhelming the American way of life was: he Coca Cola
company had built a real working plant with a real working production line
of Coca Cola. We didn't know the concept of continuous production or shifts
before that... 

Something few people on either side of the Atlantic Ocean realize or care to
contemplate on. 
One of the better things that happened was that our club hosted a real
moonrock at our annual mineral show in Antwerp. That drew a crowd, that's
for sure!

The best thing that came from the US of A was undoubtedly the portable
UV-lamp. It's inventor, Thomas S. Warren, was honored with a museum in his
name: http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/warren/aboutfluorescence.htm
Life doesn't get better than that, does it? Did I tell you that I'm into
fluorescent minerals yet? (LOL)

Cheers
Axel

 

> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com 
> [mailto:rockhounds-bounces at lists.drizzle.com] Namens pmodreski at aol.com
> Verzonden: vrijdag 4 januari 2008 17:32
> Aan: rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com
> Onderwerp: Re: [Rockhounds] Re: South Dakota - Rapid City 
> &Calcitevs.Devil'sTower
> 
> Axel, now what I'm most impressed by is that you know or knew 
> who Reddy Kilowatt was!
> 
> 
> 
> Pete
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Axel Emmermann <axel.emmermann at pandora.be>
> To: 'Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem 
> collectors' <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 4:48 am
> Subject: RE: [Rockhounds] Re: South Dakota - Rapid City 
> &Calcitevs.Devil'sTower
> 
> 
> 
> > Gee whiz, Axel. I never woulda guessed!  <;-}}}
> > 
> > Margaret
> 
> "C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never 
> can tell....
> With thanks to Chuck Berry ;-)))
> I was a rock-lover in all meanings of the term. 
> Mind you, the monoclinic form of Al(OH)3, gibbsite, was NOT 
> named for the Gibb brothers (BeeGees).
> The white costume was soon replaced with less formal clothing 
> due to a) maintance and cleaning costs b) fluorescence due to 
> the numerous balck lights in the club. I gave off more light 
> than Reddy Kilowatt.
> 
> Axel
> 
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