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The Prez Sez
Hi Folks,
It is November (already!),
and soon Christmas will be upon us. Please don't forget that at the
November meeting we vote for the 2003 officers. So far the nomination
is the current standing officers, but there is still time to nominate additional
folks. Also, the Christmas party is coming up soon on December 5th,
7 p.m., at the Golden China. If you haven't let me know you and your
better half are coming (only 14 have said they are coming so far), please
do so soon.
I found this article on castor
oil in my archives, and thought I would share it with you. I don't
know who the author is, but here goes anyway:
A while back I ran across
some interesting trivia about the castor bean. That is where the castor
oil used in our model engine fuel comes from. The castor bean plant is
native to tropical Africa. It is grown as an ornamental plant in gardens,
sometimes as a houseplant, and also grown as a weed. It is an annual in
the south and a perennial in the tropics. It may reach as tall as 15 feet
outdoors. |
You probably didn't know that the seeds from the castor bean plant, Ricinus
Communis, are poisonous to people, animals and insects. One of the main
toxic proteins is ricin. If the seed is swallowed without chewing, and
there is no damage to the seed coat, it will most likely pass harmlessly
through the digestive tract. However, if it is chewed or broken and then
swallowed, the intestines will absorb the ricin toxin. One seed can kill
a child.
In 1978, ricin was used to
assassinate Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian journalist who spoke out against
the Bulgarian government. Markov was stabbed with the point of an umbrella
while waiting at a bus stop near Waterloo Station in London. A perforated
metallic pellet presumably containing the ricin toxin was found embedded
in his leg.
Castor beans are pressed to
extract castor oil, which is used for medicinal and industrial purposes.
You're likely thinking, "But what about the poison?" Well, ricin does not
partition into the oil because it iswater-soluble. Therefore, the castor
oil does not contain ricin, providedthat no cross contamination occurred
during its production.
Until next month, take care
and fly safe.
Bill |
Club Meeting
The next meeting of the MMRCC
is scheduled for November 7, 2002 at 7:00 P.M. The meeting will be held
at the TRW facility (Highway 90 Bypass). Personnel are required to sign-in
and sign out for security purposes.
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
Nominations have been made for
2003 officers. At the November meeting nominations will still be accepted
for officers. After that it will be time to vote, so lets all be
there to vote for next years officers.
As Bill mentioned, the Xmas
dinner meeting is December 5th and he doesn’t have too many signed up.
Please let him know that you are going to be there. I know that there
are great gifts to be drawn for all members attending, and the raffle will
better than all previous. I think the raffle will make it worth attending.
Lets have a good turnout this year.
I can remember, as a kid,
that in the wilds of deep west Texas, we had caster bean plants growing
in the alleys. If you didn’t know it, the stems are hollow and the
beans will just slide through. Made great bean shooters. We
are all still alive and no poison effects. I guess that someone watches
after the dumb and uneducated.
Will |
