Dear Lynn,
        Thanks for your kind and wise words. I really appreciate them.
 
So here goes:
        1. To all the persons who ignored Rule #3 themselves, (check the archive,
only one of the negative messages mentioned shells AT ALL!): Who are you to
criticize others of us who did include at least the obligatory
"shell-related" comment, when you are more guilty of rule-breaking than we
are?
Rule 3. NO Off-Topic Postings:
A primary rule on any list is to respect the list's published subject by
not posting off-topic messages.
 
        2. To the person who blatantly broke Rule #4: I have received MANY letters
asking me to please reconsider unsubscribing. For them and for myself, and
for Art and Doug and Myron, and all of our new, and valued child members, I
demand public apologies for the flaming you served us. If the rules apply
to us, they apply to you too.
RULE 4. NO FLAMING:
"Flaming" means "insulting or attacking via Internet." Shellers are noted
for being Deep Thinkers. Disarm your opponents with good arguments, not by
calling them names. Remember, postings to CONCH-L are archived. Please
don't embarrass yourself in perpetuity.
 
        Is this any way to run a discussion between friends? Are we ALLOWED to be
friends? Must I stop and rethink before I dare wish everyone a happy Spring
for fear of being "too far" off topic? There are things one says to ones
friends and rather than write the same letter 25-30 times, and contribute
to telephone line glut, I prefer to do that in  the most efficient way.
 
        AND NOW: FOR MY SHELL-RELATED COMMENT/QUESTION:
        I have false teeth which do NOT stay in well. Has there been any research
into creating a glue for this and/or other cosmetic/medical uses from any
molluscan secretions? It would seem to me to be worth at least looking into
and there may be a million dollar industry just waiting on such work. I ask
this because when I handled a live Cypraea cervus in the Florida Keys, I
got my hands covered in a goo so hard to remove that I finally had to take
handfuls of sand and rub for a good period of time before it finally all
came off, along with some hide too, I might add!
 
        Mariah, who will rejoin the friendly folks, and ask that you note herein
no spelling or grammatical errors, of which there were several in the BITCH
letters!