The Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS)

General Information 1997 Archive.

Table of Contents.

1. JANUARY - THOR'S MIGHTY WEAPON;
2. SEPTEMBER - WHY NOT PLANT A TREE;
3. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER - WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT MINES & CATTLE!!

January.

THOR'S MIGHTY WEAPON.
     Thunder and lightning were feared by the ancients, and even today we feel the mighty power of the thunderstorm. At this very moment some 1,800 thunderstorms are raging around the globe, and before the day is out, 44,000 new storms will have been born. They strike the earth with lightening 100 times each second.
     As a result, lightning strikes will kill nearly 200 people, cause three-fourths of our forest fires (burning 30 million dollars worth of commercial timber) and destroy 20 million dollars worth of other property.
     Destructive as lightning is, it is essential to life on Earth. In fact, it may well have played a role in the very creation of life by breakwater vapor that made up Earth's primordial atmosphere. Lightening made early man's survival more certain by supplying him with fire. Without thunderstorms, Earth would lose to the upper atmosphere in less than an hour the negative electrical charge that enables it to produce the atmospheric nitrogen upon which most plants depend.
     Lightning bolts come in various types, sizes, shapes, intensities and durations. Only one-fifth of them ever strike the ground; the rest travel within storm clouds, from cloud to cloud or from cloud to atmosphere. A typical bolt may be two to six inches in diameter and from 200 feet to twenty miles long. The single flash the eye sees may actually be several lightning strokes, as many as 40 according to one source, each of which lasts on the average of 0.00005 to 0.01 second. Actually, a single-stroke bolt contains two parts. There is a virtually invisible stepped leader of electrons traveling downward from the cloud at about 243 miles per second, and a bright return stroke that travels upward from the ground at 612.40 miles per second.
     And, because the sound of thunder travels at the speed of sound and the sight of the lightning flash at the speed of light, it is easy to calculate one's distance in miles from the lightning flash. Just count the number of seconds between the lightning bolt and the thunderclap and divide by 5.
          (No author was listed, so we are unable to give credit.)
          From Mineralog 10/96,
          via Lapidarian 11/96,
          via CFMS Newsletter 12/96.

Table of Contents.

September.

WHY NOT PLANT A TREE?
     Have you ever wondered just what can I do to combat the problems of air pollution and global warming? These problems are closely related to deforestation, desertification (expansion of desert areas), and damages from natural disasters such as forest fires, floods, hurricanes, etc.
     Trees are a big help in lowering costs of air conditioning and even lower heating bills with a good windbreak. Trees not only make your own property look better but trees along the streets improve the attractiveness of your community or your town. All of this also increases the value of your property.
     There are even reports that patients in hospitals or rest homes recover faster if they can look out a window and see trees, plants, or flowers. Research also shows we work happier, commute more calmly, and get along better when our landscape is surrounded by greenery.
     The American Forestry Association has a very active program going called Global Releaf 2000. Their goal is to plant 20 million trees by the year 2000. It has been going for some time as a group of Oregon elementary students recently celebrated the 5 millionth tree planted in a Global Releaf Forest. So far, 81 projects are underway in 34 states.
     You can join Global Releaf 2000 in your own backyard or community by sending in documentation such as a picture of you or your group with the tree and giving the species planted and the planting date. The address is Global Releaf 2000, P.O. Box 2000, Washington, DC 20013.
     If you do not have your own planting location you can assist at one of the planting projects or by contributing $10.00 they will plant 10 trees for you. Now that is a real bargain, 10 trees for $10.00. You will receive a certificate acknowledging the gift. It can be in your name, a grandchild, or someone else you want to remember. This is a great gift and for a very worthwhile cause.
     If you want more information call 800-873-5323. On the World Wide Web they can be reached at http://www.amfor.org/. There are a great many corporate sponsors such as Eddie Bauer, Chevrolet-Geo, Pennsylvania House Furniture, Barlett Tree Service, and many others.

AMERICAN FORESTS concentrates the efforts of its three centers - Global ReLeaf, Urban Forestry, and the Forest Policy Center-under the umbrella of Global ReLeaf 2000, which is helping people usher in the new millennium by improving their local, and therefore global, environment.

If you want more information you can also contact me.
          Contributed by Wayne Ehlers.

Table of Contents.

October/November.

WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT MINES & CATTLE?
     A lady in Arizona wrote that no one had the right to open mines in the mountains or allow cattle to graze on the desert. She added, "Who needs meat anyway--it is unhealthy". The response was--You do not have to eat meat if you don't want to, but you do not have the right to tell anyone else what they can eat. Also, if there were no mines allowed, there would be no toothpaste, baking soda, powders, cars, TVs, computers, telephones, jewelry, salt, pencils, pens, lipstick, coins, mirrors, ad infinitum. If cattle were done away with there would be no Jello, chewing gum, margarine, yogurt, candles, marshmallows, pasta, cosmetics, crayons, deodorant, paint, soap, combs, piano keys, glue, film, records, insulin, bone marrow, brake fluid, and much much more.
          Excerpts by Sara DuHamel,
          from People of the West.

Table of Contents.

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