Written by Fred Patten, and published on the LASFS Rex Rotary, June 16, 1965. Intended for Apa L, Thirty-Fifth Distribution, LASFS Meeting no. 1453, June 17, 1965. Address: 1825 Greenfield Avenue, Los Angeles, California, 90025. Phone: GRanite 3-6321.

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We have two big Meetings coming up. Next week is the semiannual LASFS Elections, and that Meeting always brings out old members who seldom sow up during the rest of the six-month period. The Meeting following that is the one immediately prior to the WesterCon, and there should be a lot of out-of-town members and guests present by then. Since we can expect larger attendances than usual at both these Meetings, I'm officially asking for a minimum of 40 copies of all Apa L zines for the next two weeks. In fact, we can probably use 45 without having any leftovers. Last week, despite a total of 40 copies, counting the Incompletes we assembled (lacking only two or three zines), we still didn't have enough for everyone present.

This Meeting will bring nominations for the office of Director for the next six months, and next week's Meeting will bring the elections for this and all other offices. So it's time once again to play the old game of, "Who can we stick with it this time?" Well, rumor hath it that Ed Cox wants to run for Director. Great; EdCo has just begun turning up at Meetings again during the last few months, and being Director is always a good excuse to come to all the Meetings. And if Ed does want the job and can attend regularly, I think he'd be the best candidate for the post of those who're likely to be running. (Al Lewis says he'd probably run if he weren't going to Europe for the next 3 months. That's ok, Al; we'll get you next time around.) I also hear that Paul Turner is seeking the Directoral chair once again. Paul has proved in the past that he's a good Director, but I'll be voting against him for two reasons: firstly, he has been a Director for two terms running not too long ago, and the LASFS has a tradition of giving the post to someone who hasn't held it yet, especially when there are several competent candidates, and EdCo will do a good job; and secondly, I think Paul would be better placed as Treasurer. Paul & Ellie both proved to be excellent Treasurers when they held that post together a few years ago. The office of Treasurer is in many respects the club's most important, since the Treasurer has to keep books on finances; so we particularly need someone who's competent and good at figures in this post; and because of these reasons, it's always the hardest post to fill. So if Paul will run for this post, we can be assured of having a well-kept set of books for the next six months. Also, Paul will be able to watch the pursestrings of the Building Fund, which is so dear to his heart. So I feel that Paul Turner would be the ideal candidate for Treasurer. (Betty's done a fine job over the past term, but she does have troubles in getting to the Meetings on time.) Now, for Secretary, I nominate Tom Gilbert. Tom generally gets to the Meetings on time; he shows a methodical competence that should guarantee us an accurate and well-written set of Minutes, and he's expressed willingness to accept the post if elected. As for Senior and Junior Committeeman, Bruce Pelz has served well in the former post and wants to be re-elected, and Earl Thompson is already actively campaigning for the latter post. These are my candidates.

-- BEING COMMENTS ON LAST WEEK'S DISTRIBUTION

Mike Klassen -- Good grief, is this fiction, or did it really happen? Knowing the Labyrinth crew & their allies (that's a sloppy & inaccurate phrase, but I don't know of any general term to include Harness, Hannifen, Johnstone, Stine (even if he wasn't there), the Ellerns, and that crew), I wouldn't be too surprised to find out it actually happened. I don't think I'd care to trust myself under hypnosis to any of them, though. ## I hope you can find a better typewriter.

Redd Boggs -- Yeah, we had a Ditch Day (not called that) in my fraternity at UCLA. It's traditionally the pledge class vs. the actives, except that in this case it was the gung-ho actives that were pushing it. "When are you guys gonna get on the ball and screw us up? Come on now, you should've hit us long before now." This was another reason I dropped out of fraternity life as soon as I made active status.

Barry Gold -- Did you ever get back Finagle's Pot, or whatever it was, from Tolliver? ## There's always InterApa, and SAPS, and OMPA, and K-a (if you read comic books), plus a few more we can dig up if you're really interested in joining everything. ## I should use the Angerthas or Tengwar for my initials; they balance esthetically quite nicely. I'll sign off using them this time, and you'll see what I mean. ## The taped-on inclusions don't make it that much more difficult to collate Apa L; I know, because I've tried it the material is all of a nature that I find interesting, besides; it's not just whatever I can get 40 copies of. Apa L makes a handy storage center. I also think they may be of interest to the rest of Apa L, although this last may just be rationalization because I personally find them interesting; I don't know. How many people find the information on new postage stamps (plus articles on whatever the stamps commemorate) worth reading; and how many consider it as so much worthless junk? I'd like to know. Speaking of commemorative stamps and such, I notice that there is a John F. Kennedy Commemorative Silver Dollar available now, from Sharjah. (Actually a 5-rupee piece, but the local coin stores are advertising it as a Silver Dollar.) Junk commemorative stamps are bad enough; when they start coming out with Special Issue commemorative coins, though, ...

Jack Harness -- Gad, your production is shrinking by the week, being down to ¾ of a page now. When we started Apa L, everybody thought the Labyrinth mob would be the biggest lot of publishers of us all. Instead, you're the only one to put out any sort of regular zine, and it's getting smaller and smaller now. As you & Owen aren't working currently (Hey, Len, you can rename your typewriter), you both should have plenty of time to get out at least two pages a week for Apa L. Wha' hoppen? ## If it's not "Dr." de Thré, why do you sign in as such in the Signup Book? Incidentally, the current issue of LIFE has a review of that symposium on ESP at UCLA, the brochure for which was with the second FMZ FOR JH. Wonder if they caught any Theta Beings? This Dist'n's should warn you of the mounting danger to Ducko-Islam. ## I don't know about your acrilplastic dioxazine touring torpedo, but I hope it doesn't have any 15th-century laser beams connected with it. I don't believe in them, you know. ## Interested in a theatre party to "The Great Race" when it hits the cheaper theatres? ## I understand you're officially folding LApa. That's bad; it means that Apa L will be subjected to my notes on national flags instead. The other members may never forgive you. Whoops, I feel an attack coming on now:

SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC Volksraad Resolution, 13th February, 1858.

21. Resolved that a flag shall be adopted for the South African Republic, consistion of the following colours:--red, white and blue, each of an equal breadth, horizontally superimposed one on the other, and a green perpendicular stripe along the staff.

Thereon shall be placed the words "Unity is Strength."

A coat of arms has been adopted for this country composed as follows:--a waggon and a gold anchor on a silver field, and on that shield an eagle couchant, on the right side of the shield a man in the clothing of the country armed with a gun and equipments; on the left side a lion.

RéPUBLIQUE ISLAMIQUE DE MAURITANIE

Décret No 59-007 du 1er Avril 1959, portant description du drapeau de la République Islamique de Mauritanie.

Article premier. -- L'emblème national de la République Islamique de Mauritanie est un drapeau portant un croissant et une étoile d'or sur fond vert, conforme à la maquette jointe au présent décret.

Art. 2. -- La petite dimension un drapeau, est égale aux deux tiers de la grande dimension.

Le croissant es placé au centre du drapeau, la convexité tournée vers ki bas,

L'étoile à cinq branches est placée à l'horizontale des pointes du croissant.

And that last translates as:

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF MAURITANIA Decree No. 59-007 of April 1, 1959, being a description of the flag of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.

Article 1. -- The national emblem of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a flag bearing a crescent and a star, of gold, on a green field, conforming to the model attached to this decree.

Art. 2 -- The smaller dimension of the flag is equal to two-thirds of the greater dimension.

The crescent is placed in the center of the flag, the convexity turned toward the base.

The five-pointed star is placed horizontally to the horns of the crescent.

Howzat grab you? And if I can borrow Bruce's Cyrillic typewriter, I'll give you the flag laws of all 16 Soviet Socialist Republics in the original Russian, not to mention the English translations. Are you sure you don't want to keep LApa alive so that Apa L will be spared all this?

Ted White -- This is the first I've heard about Jack Gaughan getting back into Fandom. I knew he used to be a fan, from seeing lots of his artwork in the fanzines of the late '40s and early '50s, usually marked, "courtesy NFF Manuscript Bur'o". But that's about all I know about him outside of seeing his pro work. I'd be interested in learning more about him. ## Gad, what an experience. I'm tempted to say that California drivers are more polite, except that that wouldn't really mean anything other than that I've never run across a maniac like that on our freeways -- psychos aren't limited by geography. He sounds a perfect gangster type. I have been passed when I was already exceeding the speed limit, though.

Earl Thompson -- Okay, you've got my vote. How about seeing more by you in Apa L once you become active in the club?