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Vol. XXXX, No. 4 --- April 2003 
Well, the way I see it . . . Okay, it's time for some first thoughts about this years' AFMS/CFMS Gem Show. Are you going to display? Have you sent in your entry and registration forms? Some are due by May 1, (that really means the end of April). Are your labels, case liner and display all ready? See your Federation Director or check the web site for the forms. Please support these clubs who do so much work to put on these shows. This is not a club show, it is a Federation Family show and we can all help in so many ways: No. 1 - Attend the shows. Well, speaking of gem shows and the fun it is to put them on and the income it can generate for your club, the Federation is still looking for clubs to step forward to sponsor CFMS shows for 2005 and beyond. What part of the state do YOU want the CFMS Show to be in? Speak to your club members, get the next show in your area. So as they say in Hollywood, "On with the show", Oh yes, last month I mentioned "successful stories" you could submit to the CFMS Newsletter. Yeah, well I'll be looking for them. I read the Newsletter too, and we do want YOUR ideas. Would your club like an inexpensive way to promote your society? Many libraries have established "adoption" programs whereby your club could "sponsor" one or more periodicals such as Rock & Gem Magazine, Lapidary Journal, California Geology, etc. by purchasing an annual subscription. It helps support the club's status as a non-profit, educational organization and at the same time, it may spark the interest of potential new club members. It's a "win-win" situation for everyone! Your help is needed to assist the CFMS Nominating Committee in fulfilling its job of formulating a slate of officers for the year 2004. The Committee will be meeting at Ventura during the Seaside Gemboree in June to complete this assignment. Remember that the position of President is already filled, as the First Vice President is also President Elect. While other officers may be planning to move up to higher positions, we will be accepting nominations for any of the other offices. Any nominees not designated for the 2004 slate (to be voted on at the November meeting) will be considered for future years. Your nomination should come from an officer of your Club or Society. Past Presidents of CFMS are entitled to make nominations directly. Your letter of nomination should state the background and qualifications of the person you are nominating, including positions he or she may have held in your organization or in CFMS, or in community or professional organizations. Please confirm with the person you are nominating that he or she is willing to serve if elected. Your nomination may go to any member of the Nominating Committee, as follows: Beverly Moreau, Chair Because of the early June dates of the Convention Meeting, nominations should be received no later than May 15. Thanks for your help. Whittier Gem & Mineral Society is pleased to honor BILL and ISABELLA BURNS. Bill and Isabella have been a valuable part of the Whittier Gem & Mineral Society for a very long time (40 years for Izzy and 53 years for Bill). They have both been President (at separate times) and have held or been a part of virtually all committee chairmanships. We rely on them for assistance with the annual gem show, programs and good advice. The membership of the Whittier Gem & Mineral Society wish for them to know that they are much appreciated for their friendship, hard work, and commitment to our club. Submitted by Jay Valle, Treasurer and Bulletin Editor You too can honor a club member -- individual, couple or junior -- by submitting their name(s) and pertinent information to the following address: Barbara Matz, P.O. Box 7086, Petaluma, CA 94955-7086, or If at any time your slide and video progrm request made by e-mail, fax or phone is not acknowledged by the librarian within 3 days, please make a written request using the order form and postal mail. This will cover the situation when Bill Gissler is away on extended travel. Otherwise your request may not get processed in a timely manner. Send your orders to: Bill Gissler Nora Hawkins We are saddened to report the February 18th death of Nora Hawkins, a charter member of the Marin Mineral Society. Since the club's inception in 1943, Nora served almost continuously as an officer or board member, and was the club's Federation Director for many years until she "retired" from the position in 1998. She and her husband Ken attended innumerable field trips, many of which were led by Ken. She was an active collector of rocks and mineral specimens and had a broad interest in the lapidary arts. She participated in all of the club's shows and their many trips to Quartzsite. Nora's health had deteriorated in recent years and the Hawkins' had moved to The Redwoods in Mill Valley. Ken is now the only surviving charter member of the club. (CFMS offers sincere condolences to Ken). Let's Go to the Show! This month, I'd like to turn to a topic of particular relevance given the upcoming AFMS/CFMS Show & Convention this June in Ventura, California. Please encourage any and all pebble pups and junior members who may be able to attend to enter a display (competitive or not). If your pebble pups and junior members haven't yet signed up, there's still time! This is a unique opportunity - the AFMS show moves from region-to-region with each new year, so a combined AFMS/CFMS show is a rare event we should all try to attend. Forms for entering either a competitive or noncompetitive display are available for quick-andeasy downloading from the CFMS web site (www.cfmsinc.org). You can print the forms from the web site or call Keri Dearborn at (818) 883-5253 for noncompetitive displays or Bural LaRue at (805) 874-5664 regarding competitive displays, but don't delay! Exhibit entry deadlines are May 1St for noncompetitive and May 15th for competitive displays. Why encourage your club's kids not just to attend but also display? A fun part of collecting and the lapidary arts is sharing what we've found or made. We get to "show off" and also learn from others, getting advice, sharing tips, and just generally forging bonds of friendship and networks of like-minded individuals. But building an effective display involves more than getting a glassfronted box and throwing in a bunch of rocks. The junior program leader should obtain a copy of the AFMS Uniform Rules, read through it, and then at a monthly meeting, hold a seminar with your club's kids to go over the basics of building an effective display. Such a seminar should be as hand-on as possible. Bring a variety of gem, mineral, fossil, or lapidary specimens in various shapes and sizes. Place a display case front-and-center, and then vividly illustrate display techniques (for instance, show the difference that lighting can make, show how specimens can get lost against a "busy" background of plaid versus how they can be highlighted against a neutral background like beige or eggshell white). You might also supply kids with a photocopied "tip list" of do's and don'ts of displaying (e.g., use neutral linings; strive for balance; include neat, clear labels that are precise, concise, and large enough to read; make effective use of lighting; etc.). A nice touch, if any members in your club have such photos, is a brief slide show of award-winning cases from past local or federation shows. Finally, turn the kids loose to try out different arrangements and display techniques themselves and have them share critiques and ideas. Once you've taught your pebble pups the techniques of assembling an effective display, encourage and help them to gather together the best of their rock, mineral, or fossil collections or their lapidary artwork and prepare a display for the show. The rules for competitive exhibits can sometimes be challenging to follow, even for adults, so help guide kids through them. If your kids don't feel they have enough for an individual display, organize a collective club display. One way or another, let's go to the show! Helping kids with their first big show display is a sure way to help them learn, build a network and-as always-have fun! Careless disposal of smoking materials and cigarettes is the leading cause of fatal residential fires in the U.S. According to the National Fire Protection Association, approximately 250,000 house fires per year are caused by careless disposal of cigarettes or other smoking materials. Nearly 2,000 people tragically and needlessly lose their lives in these fires. Each year more than 15,000 people are seriously burned when their clothes catch on fire. In more than half of these incidents, flammable liquids or vapors were present on or around the person's clothing. Most smoking fires start in the bedroom, living room or den when burning embers are dropped on upholstered furniture, bedding or trash... It can happen in many ways - you could drop off to sleep with a lit cigarette in your hand or knock it off an ashtray while sleeping. Check under cushions for smoldering embers. A burning cigarette can smolder between the cushions of upholstered furniture and go unnoticed for as long as five hours! Before you leave a room where people have been smoking, carefully check between sofa and chair crevices and under cushions. Check for embers, cigarette butts or matches. Make sure they have not been smoldering and remove them at once. A person's loose sleeve may catch fire on a hot stove. Someone may be working with gasoline or some other flammable liquid, then light a cigarette. They might spray lighter fluid on a smoldering barbecue fire and the resulting flames could set their clothes on fire. When a person's clothing catches on fire, action must be instinctive and immediate. There is no time to think. The one thing you should never do is run! To minimize a burn injury when your clothes catch fire, STOP! DROP! and ROLL! The principles of STOP, DROP, and ROLL are simple: Stop. do not run if your clothes catch on fire. If you are near someone whose clothing catches on fire, be sure to stop them from running and instruct them to stop, drop and roll. Once the fire is out, treat a burn injury. Cool a burn with water. Then call 9-1-1. Burns are among the most painful of injuries and are the third leading cause of unintentional death in the United States. The hands, face, lungs and groin are at particular risk because they are delicate structures and easily injured. The healing process is slow and painful, resulting in enormous suffering. Certain types of clothing are less flammable than others. Heavier clothing and fabrics with a tight knit weave burn more slowly compared with loosly knit material. Fabrics with a loose fit or a fluffy pile will ignite more readily than tight-fitting, dense fabric. Synthetic fibers such as nylon, once ignited, will melt and burn, causing severe burns. Natural fibers, such as cotton and wool, tend to burn more slowly than synthetic fibers. However, fibers that combine both synthetic and natural fibers may be of greater hazard than either fabric alone. Curtains and draperies can be sprayed with flame retardants to reduce their rate of burning. However, these chemicals should not be applied to clothing. To use the name of Smilodon californicus Bovard, is incorrect. B.H. Slaughter, 1963, reviewed the name to S. californicus and the species was renamed Smilodon fatalis Leidy 1869. This will agree with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Those who have specimens with the name of S. californicus Bovard should change their labels to S. fatalis Leidy 1869. Also, those who have specimens from the La Brea Formation should be aware that this formation does not exist. A short history of Smilodon tells us that Smilodon gracilis was the predecessor that lived in the Late Pliocene in the upper midwest of the nation. It died out in the Middle Pleistocene and Smilodon fatalis Leidy appeared. S. fatalis migrated from North America into South America where it is known as S. populator Lund, 1842. In both Americas, S. fatalis became extinct. In North America, S. fatalis has been found in California, Florida, Nebraska and Pennsylvania. In South America S. populator has been found in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Uruguay. S. fatalis has had several names over the years since the original discovery in South America in the early 1800's. First named Felis cultridens, Bravard in 1828 it was not until Leidy in 1869 named the saber tooth cat S. fatalis. S. fatalis has been named 37 different times, several times by the same author. For your information these names are::::::::
Felis cultridens Bravard 1828 Berta, Annalisa Greetings from the Yuma Gem & Mineral Society - new members of the CFMS. We are an active club from November through March. Most of us are `Snowbirds', many of us active in our home clubs. We meet the first and third Wednesdays of each month at Fortuna Palms Community Center at 10812 E 14th, Yuma, AZ. We have two rock trips each month. While we do not have a club show, for the first week of April we participate in the Yuma County Fair. For five days our club displays rocks, gems and lapidary work to a very interested group of fairgoers. We have a black light display provided by Fred Croxin of Arizona Western College. We are very pleased to have become members of the CFMS and look forward to participating in Federation activities. |