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Written by: Hannah Rion
Center for Sustainability Education and Outreach Assistant
What is the Sustainability Grant?
The Sustainability Grant program has been running here at Paul Smith's College since the Fall of 2013. Funds from the program are derived from a $30 fee that all students pay during the Spring semester. This allows there to be roughly $25,000 available annually for students, faculty, and staff to apply for. These funds are then used to support sustainable initiatives on campus and throughout the college community.
The program gives proposers options of applying for either an under $500 or over $500 grant. The under $500 grants are accepted on a rolling basis and are judged based upon a funding rubric by the Smitty Sustainability Committee. This committee is comprised of students who feel passionate about sustainability and enjoy enacting positive forms of change on campus. The over $500 grants are first reviewed by the committee, in accordance to the rubric. After this, the proposals are voted upon by the entire student body, once during each semester of the school year. If more than half of the students vote to pass the proposal(s), the grant has passed and funds are distributed.
Throughout the program's seven years of existence, more than $150,000 has been awarded to support projects focused on sustainability. These projects have ranged from installing LED light posts all across campus, to even starting the Beekeeping Club. If you have an idea you are excited about and would like to bring it to fruition, please reach out to the Center for Sustainability at _EMAIL_. We are currently accepting under $500 submissions up until April 20th. We encourage you to take a look at past grants, which can be found by visiting the Center for Sustainability's website at _URL_
Over $500 Grant Awards
Coastal Climate Stories Documentary – $2,876
Sean Jackson, Paul Smith's College Climate Fellow, had the chance to travel throughout coastal communities along the East Coast of the United States during the Summer of 2019. During his time doing this, Sean collected numerous interviews from individuals willing to share their own experiences with the effects of climate change. After conducting several interviews, he felt as though there was a disconnect between his interview transcripts and the emotional stories he was hearing. This disconnect led him to transforming the project into a documentary. Sean further believed that collecting these stories in a documentary form would create a much more relatable medium for audiences.
Sean will be using the funds he received from the Sustainability Grant to further build off of his fellowship by completing the film in its entirety and submitting the film in hopes of entry into fourteen film festivals throughout the United States. The Center for Sustainability is excited that Sean has dedicated so much time to spreading awareness of the true stories many people in the United States are facing due to the effects of the climate crisis. We look forward to the final release of the film and wish him luck in his entries into the film festivals.
Lower Textbook Costs Initiative – $6,000
The Joan Weill Adirondack Library is initiating an Open Educational Resources (OER) pilot project to help make textbook costs for students more sustainable. The program is designed to incentivize and support faculty to redesign, plan, and teach courses using free or low cost OER materials and eTextbooks in order to lower the overall cost of PSC student's education. The startling costs of textbooks can prove to be extremely difficult for many students to pay for. This initiative will assist those students by lowering the overall cost of their textbooks for select courses. In some cases, this project may lead to courses offering free textbooks to students.
The awarded funds will be directly allocated to departments and is to be used as seed money for numerous faculty members to redesign their courses around OER. This money will then incentivize faculty to take time and adjust their course to align better with OER textbooks, rather than the current text they use. The library chose to take this project on because they see the value in the college offering more hybrid class models, as well as offering affordable materials for students. It is with great anticipation that we work with both the library and faculty to see this initiative come to fruition.
Under $500 Grant Awards
The High Art and Subtle Science of Scrounging Book Purchase – $500
Nancy Dow and Bruce Kilgore, adjunct professors at Paul Smith's College, teach one of the most beloved courses the college has to offer. Conservation Design: Green Construction (SUS 310) exposes students to topics such as cordwood construction, various renewable energy sources, affordable living, and much more. The course also hosts numerous guest speakers that discuss their experiences in "green" living. One speaker that paid a visit to the class during the Fall 2019 semester was James Juczak, self-proclaimed "scrounger". Similar to how Mr. Juczak shared his expertise with students, he also wrote a book showcasing self-reliance, food growing and preservation techniques, as well as mortgage-free or alternative construction. His book, titled "The High Art and Subtle Science of Scrounging", takes a unique perspective on day-to-day living. In order to provide the twenty-six students of the class with this text, Nancy submitted a Sustainability Grant. Once awarded, these funds supported the purchase of the book for students and provided them with literature to practice in their own life. We were extremely happy to support this project that directly benefits students.
On-Campus Housing Composting Initiative – $485
Charlie Ritter, along with several other students saw a disconnect between the college's commitment to sustainable practices and how food waste is managed in the dorms. In order to solve this issue, the students developed the idea of providing residents with the opportunity to compost their food scraps in their living quarters. The project idea was developed for a class project in Politics of the Environment and quickly gained backing by both Greta Hovland, Director of Dining Services, and Lou Kaminski, Director of Residence Life and Housing. These collaborations have allowed the project to continue to progress onto the next step of implementation. The program will be implemented throughout the Spring 2020 semester with buckets being distributed to dorm buildings within the coming weeks.
The food waste in both the dining hall and Cantwell labs is already diverted to Moonstone Farm, a small farm located on the outskirts of Saranac Lake. This established partnership fit perfectly for implementing this widespread composting initiative. The students saw importance in making this program an opt-in model to avoid contamination or misuse of the buckets. Educating students on the college's current practices, as well as the overall benefits of composting is a critical part of this program. Each bucket will be accompanied with a guide distinguishing what can and cannot be placed in the bucket. Furthermore, the students hope to work with the Smitty Sustainability Committee to host outreach events that will continue to educate students. The Center for Sustainability anticipates this to be a longstanding initiative on campus and looks forward to the continued development of the program and partnerships.
Getting proactive about fighting climate change Symposium looks at national, community and individual levels
SARANAC LAKE — Around 100 turned out for a climate change symposium at the First Presbyterian Church of Saranac Lake, where the issue was discussed at the national, community and individual levels.
Titled "Climate Action: What are we doing about climate change?," the symposium was organized by Adirondack Voters for Change, and co-sponsored by the Citizens' Climate Lobby, Paul Smith's College, First Presbyterian Church of Saranac Lake and TriLakes350.org.
"I wanted to focus on the action part," said event organizer Ellen Beberman, committee chair of Adirondack Voters for Change. "For anything to change, it has to go from top to bottom. The whole society has to change. .. so the focuses went national, state, local, individual.
First to present was Richard Brandt, a research meteorologist from the University of Washington and current manager of SUNY Albany's Whiteface Mountain Field Station, monitoring air quality.
"We just recently have developed a collaboration with Rochester and Harvard and SUNY Plattsburgh, and have a remarkable instrument that's measuring the CO2 every few seconds, as well as the methane," Brandt said, of the field station.
He said they've recorded a CO2 level increase from 350 to 420 ppm in recent history, and have been detecting increases in methane as well, from fracking in Pennsylvania. These greenhouse gas buildups cause hotter temperatures, faster ice melt in the world's polar regions and rising sea levels.
"I wish I could tell more positive stories, but this is the story of climate," Brandt said. "From the science perspective, what I'm trying to say is time is of the essence.
Next, Paul Smith's College professor Joe Henderson, Ph.D., presented on the social dynamics of climate change, and the Green New Deal.
"Younger Americans are more worried than older Americans, which makes sense, given that they are the ones that are going to suffer the most from this," Henderson said.
There is good news: the American people are very slowly moving toward acceptance, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
"Gradually, people are accepting it in the United States," Henderson said. "Doubt around the science has been diminished."
Henderson said Millennials are most likely to identify climate change as a problem — even Millennial Republicans.
"There's a generational thing," Henderson said. "We are the only advanced country in the world that has one political party that denies the science of climate change."
Cathy Brown, a volunteer with the North Country chapter of the Citizens' Climate Lobby,


Persuasion vs. Proclamation
Picture of a TrainIn his posthumously published collection of lectures, Theology of Mission, John Howard Yoder introduces an interesting analogy to differentiate between communication that is truly evangelical, as opposed to that which is simply manipulative. The former, which he describes as proclamation, begins from a theological starting point. The latter, which he describes as persuasion, starts from an anthropological starting point. Yoder introduces the analogy of a train compared to a taxi in an attempt to introduce the difference between these two modes of speech. As someone raised on the music of Johnny Cash, I'm probably partial to the suggestion that "the kingdom is more like a train," but I'll leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. Here's the quote:
"The figure of speech that I use to illustrate this is the difference between the train and the taxi. The taxi will not go somewhere unless a person wants to go and pays for it. The taxi is on the client's schedule. If the taxi driver contributes at all to the decision about whether to go, it is by inviting the passenger to make the trip and saying that the rider would be happy when they get there or that the driver will get them there more cheaply, safely or quickly than somebody else. The individual's decision, however, is what determines whether the trip will be made and what the destination is, even whether the taxi will run. By contrast, when a train leaves depends on the schedule, not on any passenger's choice. Where the train will go depends on a combination of the schedule and the tracks. There is objectivity and reliability, a fitting into a plan that does not depend on any given passenger. Whether somebody gets on the train is completely his or her decision. But if somebody does not get on, they do not go anywhere. Moreover, what constitutes the destination does not depend on them at all.
Think of that difference as it relates to evangelism. Modern Western evangelism says, 'Won't you please get on so I can have a fare? Because I have to make my living running this taxi.' Kingdom of God proclamation says, 'This train is bound for glory. Get on or get left.' The objectivity, the fact that the train is going to leave without us if we do not get on, the fact that the kingdom is coming whether we want it or not, is the way of the kingdom whether we like it or not. As it happens, we will find that it is a good trip. But whether the conductor gets paid does not depend on whether we get on. The train is simply going. The kingdom is not a taxi. The kingdom is more like a train." – John Howard Yoder, Theology of Mission: A Believers Church Perspective, ed. Gayle Gerber Koontz and Andy Alexis-Baker (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2014), 109-110.
3 thoughts on "Persuasion vs. Proclamation"
 1. Yes, a good analogy, and I like the train idea. But, people do still need persuasion to get on the train. As the Apostle Paul said, we want to try anything we can (within reason of course) to persuade them.
 1. Hi Cathie,
 Yoder is using the word "persuasion" in a rather idiosyncratic way that is perhaps somewhat different then the way it is commonly used in conversation today. In the paragraph immediately preceding the taxi-train analogy, Yoder writes, "Persuasion, in contrast to proclamation, seeks to bring someone to an affirmation, and the focus is more on whether he or she has really accepted what God has done than on the fact that God did something."
 There are (at least) two dangers emerging from this turn-to-the-subject that Yoder is interested in guarding against. One is that the objectivity of what God has done in the Gospel ends up getting swallowed up by the needs of the listener with the result that what is left is a very truncated Gospel or no Gospel at all.
 The other concern for Yoder is that this turn to the listening subject can open the doors to presentations of the Gospel that seek to coerce people into making a decision for faith through manipulative means. The means and the end must line up for Yoder. A presentation of the Gospel that manipulates or coerces people, and hence fails to honour their humanity, is no longer the Gospel.
 That being said, Yoder is very interested in people responding to the Gospel. He does stand in the believers church tradition. Related to this, he insists on the fundamental "translatability" of the Gospel. Not only is the translation of the Gospel into the language of other cultures (even 21st century Canadian culture) possible, it is necessary according to the church's missional mandate. However, Yoder warns that in translating the Gospel into new languages the church must be ever on guard that the Gospel does not become captive to those language and worldviews. This is a perennial challenge for the church.
 1. Thanks for your answer, I just noticed it… I must have forgot to sign up for the email. I agree with all that! 🙂
Leave a Reply


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Ryukyu Shimpo wrote that negative opinions are growing within the GOJ toward the U.S. military's plan to discharge water containing PFAS that has been stored at the Futenma Air Station into a public sewage facility outside the base after treating it. The paper wrote that in addition to opposition from the local community, the lack of standards for releasing such water into a public sewage system are an issue. The paper speculated that the GOJ is concerned that if it approves the plan by the U.S. military, which is a public entity, the move could set a "bad example" for private companies, which have been handling such water as "waste." The paper wrote that the issue could extend beyond the framework of U.S. bases issues and affect Japan's environmental policies.
The paper wrote that the U.S. military told the press on July 8 that it is hoping to discharge the water from the Futenma base after treating it, saying that the levels of PFOS and PFOA contamination in the water will completely meet Japan's standard for drinking water of below 50 nanograms per liter. However, the production, import, and use of PFOS and PFOA are restricted in Japan because they remain intact in the environment for long periods. The paper wrote that even if the level of contamination per liter is lowered through treatment, a large volume of chemicals could accumulate in the environment as a result of the release of so much treated water. The paper quoted a GOJ source as saying that government approval of the discharge by the U.S. military would have a major impact.
According to the paper, the Ministry of Environment and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency have instructed private companies to dispose of foam extinguisher containing PFOS and other chemicals based on the Waste Disposal Law, and the SDF and other operators have disposed of such waste based on the instructions. The GOJ source said it will be difficult for the government to accept the U.S. request because in the past PFAS-contaminated water has basically been disposed of as waste. The same official reportedly told the paper that although the U.S. military cites the cost of disposing of the water as waste as the reason for its choice to discharge the water, he hopes the U.S. military will acknowledge its social responsibility.

source: m-a-p/FineFineWeb


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One does not have to look very far to see the Russian Far East and China markets appearing as attractive growth markets on the medical tourism landscape. In the case of the Russian Far East, the federation is overhauling the healthcare system by removing inefficient outpatient clinics and reducing hospital beds volume to manage oversupply. Private clinics for dental services to cosmetic surgery and private health insurance expenditures have also increased significantly. And the Russian Far East leads the federation in public health resource dollars.
For China, prospects are equally attractive over the longer term in spite of current infrastructure hurdles such as legal restrictions on aggressive marketing activities about medical tourism within the country. By way of background, the growth in China's economy these past two decades has no equal in modern history. Gross domestic product (GDP) expansion through the 1990's and years of early 2000 were 9.5% on average, and higher in metropolitan cities like Shanghai.
A country that is home to over 1.6 billion population, that sold 6.8 million tickets for attendance at the Beijing Olympics 2008, is now poised to welcome on average of 330,000 visitors per day to total over 70 million visitors between May – October 2010 to Shanghai's World Expo. Clearly, these metrics are just one representation of China's speed, economic leverage and vast potential for development in any industry, including healthcare and health related market niches.
China's current healthcare system mirrors the challenges of other developing countries in terms of access, delivery and financing of healthcare services. Issues range from long wait times, to complex accessibility, disparate medical skill levels, quality related issues at medical institutions, and a host of medical expense and affordability schemes.
As reported by the World Health Organization in 2009, China's health expenditure ratio of 4.6% total GDP in 2006 compared with OECD's 8.9% total GDP in 2007 seems reasonable until one learns that this translated into a health expenditure per capita approximation of $94 in China versus $2,984 for OECD benchmark.
KHIDI Study on Medical Tourism in Russia Far East and China
Brian Bongsik Woo, Chief Executive Officer of Docs Medical Korea, provided an interesting and up- to-date presentation on market conditions and marketing strategies in Russia Far East and China. The study was commissioned by KHIDI two years ago and reflects data from 2008.
With reference to Russia Far East, it is a geographical area about 170x's that of South Korea's territory, with a very diverse culture and set of customs marked by low birthrates and a population that is decreasing annually. Approximately 6 million residents live in Russia Far East with 2 million in the Primorsky region and the remainder residing in Khabarovsk, Sakha Republic and Amur.
The public sector accounts for 63.2% of total healthcare expenditures with 70% stemming from taxes and the remaining 30% from compulsory health insurance. Out of 156 medical institutions in Primorsky, 150 are state run and only 6 are private institutions. Moscow is comprised of 60% state run medical centers, 30% state run commercial medical centers, and 10% private commercial medical centers.
With respect to medical equipment inventories, as an example, Primorsky has seven MRI units and four CT scanners in the region which compares low relative to other countries with comparable population bases.
However, Russian Far East and other regions of the Russian Union boasts a high ratio of hospital beds, suggesting a surplus given significant budgets are being channeled into this healthcare sector, with limited improvements in overall healthcare service quality. For Korea, this study indicated that in three of their hospitals, the number of foreign patients from both Russia and China grew by 75% from 2008 to 2009.
In terms of interest and perceptions, 80% of survey respondents in the study indicated they were interested in health. Survey results also reported that approximately 20% of the population surveyed was satisfied with the Russian Far East region's hospitals. Challenges ranged from gap in medical skills, to treatment cost, outdated equipment, out of pocket cost ratios, and general service attitude.
Finally, survey results indicated that 16% went overseas for medical treatment, with most patients traveling up to two times, and some persons traveling up to three times for treatment. The majority of these patients went to China for treatment due to geographical proximity.
In terms of clinical care, medical travelers from Russia Far East went abroad for checkups, dental care, aesthetic and plastic surgery, fertility-related products to treatment for more severe diseases such as cardiovascular care.
The second country covered by the study was China, which stands as the 3rd largest nation in the world. Reference was made to four areas inclusive of coastal first-class (4) and second-class cities (26), and inland third (56) and fourth (258) class cities. The four first-class cities include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen with an urban population of 43 million and a GDP per capita of $7,780.
Comparatively, the two hundred and fifty eight inland fourth- class cities comprise a population of 326 million and a GDP per capita of $1,476. Total healthcare expenditure approximates 4.5% of GDP while healthcare expenditure per capita is $94 as reported by World Health Statistics 2009.
The Chinese citizens who have the option to travel to Hong Kong, Taiwan or further abroad for healthcare services have expressed discontent with their health system in China. In choosing an in-country hospital for healthcare services, Chinese citizens evaluate providers on the basis of physician's medical skills, hospital facilities, medical equipment, and overall reputations. As with other medical tourism markets, individuals seeking care rely on word of mouth from family and friends while searching the internet for available resources.
Survey respondents indicated that 53% of them were covered by China's basic medical insurance scheme leaving 47% without any form of medical security. This contributed to the expressed sentiment of discontent about China's health care system; many seeing limited benefits to medical insurance compared to the high cost of medical expenses.
In the long run, both Russia Far East and China appear promising for the global medical tourism industry. In spite of financial regulations, complex currency valuations, in-country healthcare infrastructure issues, policy challenges and spotty healthcare services, these two global giants are reforming their health systems and meanwhile dabbling in medical tourism concurrently. The evidence points to the fact that medical travelers and medical tourism's niche is a by-product of globalization and commoditization of healthcare worldwide.
About the Author
Vivian Ho leads and supports strategic and operational initiatives for MTA globally, with a particular focus on business development, new ventures & partnerships. A recognized global health leader, she has extensive domestic and international experience in Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. Previously, in her role as President & CEO, Queens International in Honolulu, she provided leadership in medical and health tourism development for Hawaii. She may be reached at _EMAIL_.


Richard Clamp > Pipeline > Pipeline::Base
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Module Version: 3.12 Source
 use Pipeline::Base;
 $object = Pipeline::Base->new()
 $object->debug( 10 );
The new() method is a constructor that returns an instance of receiving class.
init( LIST );
init() is called by the constructor, new() and is passed all of its arguments in LIST.
debug( [ SCALAR ] )
The debug() method gets and sets the debug state of the OBJECT. Setting it to a true value will cause messages sent to emit() to be printed to the terminal. If debug() is called as a class method it always will return true.
emit( SCALAR )
emit() is a debugging tool. It will cause the the SCALAR to be formatted and sent to the log() method if the current debugging level is set to a true value.
log( SCALAR )
The log() method will send SCALAR to STDERR by default. It performs no processing of SCALAR and merely sends its results to the error handle. To change your logging mechanism simply override this method in the class as you see fit.
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Splunk Lantern
Windows account activity overview

As a Windows system administrator, you are responsible for account maintenance. You need better awareness into account based activity. In the event of an issue, this type of information can serve as a starting place for troubleshooting, so you'd like to have it in an easy-to-access table.
Data required
Windows event logs
Procedure
 1. Verify that you deployed the add-on to the search heads and Splunk Universal Forwarders on the monitored systems. For more information, see About installing Splunk add-ons.
 2. Run the following search. You can optimize it by specifying an index and adjusting the time range.
index=windows OR index=wineventlog sourcetype=wineventlog
|dedup EventCode
|rex field=EventCodeDescription (?<account_desc>account)
|where EventCodeDescription NOT null AND account_desc NOT null
|table _time dest_nt_domain dest_nt_host src_user EventCode EventCodeDescription
|rename dest_nt_domain AS Domain dest_nt_host AS Host src_user AS User
Search explanation
The table provides an explanation of what each part of this search achieves. You can adjust this query based on the specifics of your environment.
Splunk Search Explanation
index=windows OR index=wineventlog sourcetype=wineventlog
Search Windows events.

Your index names may be different.
|dedup EventCode
Remove duplicate event codes.
|rex field=EventCodeDescription (?<account_desc>account)
Match and capture the work account from the event code description, then store it in the capture field "account_desc".
|where EventCodeDescription NOT null AND account_desc NOT null
Keep all events that have text both in the description and in the account_desc field. Return only the events where the word "account" is in the description.
|table _time dest_nt_domain dest_nt_host src_user EventCode EventCodeDescription
Display the results in a table with columns in the order shown.
|rename dest_nt_domain AS Domain dest_nt_host AS Host src_user AS User
Rename the fields as shown for better readability.
Next steps
The search generates a table, such as the sample table below, of account-related activity that took place in the time frame of the search. This overview would be helpful in starting out a troubleshooting investigation or also as a starting point for other reports.
Some follow-on reports and dashboards could be a search by user to see all the account-related activity for that user. That information could be helpful if a user complains about not being able to logon. The search by user for account-related activity might reveal the cause, for example, that the account was changed, disabled, deleted, or locked out.
_time Domain Host User EventCode EventCodeDescription
2020-10-06T14:09:04
SPLUNKTEL
dc-cup-01
Administrator
4624
An account was successfully logged on
2020-10-06T14:09:02
SPLUNKTEL
coredev-001
cont_bfroto
4625
An account failed to log on
2020-10-06T14:08:53
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
admin_jfrancis
4634
An account was logged off
2020-10-06T14:06:34
SPLUNKTEL
dc-den-01
admin_mdodson
4742
A computer account was changed
2020-10-06T14:05:45
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
rogue_admin
4738
A user account was changed
2020-10-06T14:05:16
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
rogue_admin
4724
An attempt was made to reset an accounts password
2020-10-06T14:05:02
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
rogue_admin
4722
A user account was enabled
2020-10-06T14:04:25
SPLUNKTEL
dc-den-01
admin_mdodson
4720
A user account was created
2020-10-06T14:03:29
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
admin_jfrancis
4725
A user account was disabled
2020-10-06T13:50:18
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
rogue_admin
4726
A user account was deleted
2020-10-06T13:24:48
SPLUNKTEL
dc-den-01
admin_dmullen
4767
A user account was unlocked
2020-10-06T13:23:49
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
pete_do
4740
A user account was locked out
2020-10-06T13:17:03
SPLUNKTEL
dc-pla-01
rogue_admin
4743
A computer account was deleted
A good next step is to put this search on a dashboard and add interactive inputs so the search can be narrowed by user, domain, eventcode, or host, all with an adjustable time picker.
The Splunk App for Windows Infrastructure has a large set of other dashboards to report on user activity that are especially useful for verifying group policies related to accounts that are inactive, have no password, have no password expiry, and so forth. The search presented here is fast and easy to run once you have the data, while the Window INF app adds a lot more searches but takes more effort to implement.
Finally, you might be interested in other processes associated with the Monitoring Windows account access use case.


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Origins of Gamburtsev Sublacial Mountains Explained
17.11.2011 - Land & Geology, Antarctic
An international team of scientists from seven nations recently published in Nature their findings regarding the origins of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, located 3 km beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. How the mountains formed is a mystery that has interested scientists since they were first discovered in 1958 as they are high, located in the middle of an ancient craton, yet have a youthful appearance for mountains.
During the International Polar Year (2007-2008), researchers from the Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province (AGAP) project flew two twin-engine aircraft equipped with ice penetrating radars, gravity meters and magnetometers over the part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet where the Gamburtsev Mountains lie. Analyzing the data they gathered, the team was able to describe the geological processes that have taken place over the past billion years to create the East Antarctic Rift System (a 3,000 km fracture extending from Antarctica to India).
One billion years ago, several landmasses collided, pushing the oldest rock of the Gamburtsevs together and forming a thick, crustal root deep beneath the mountains. Later, when the Gondwana Supercontinent (what is now South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia and the Indian subcontinent) began to break up 250 – 100 million years ago, this caused the old crustal root to warm once again. Together with the East Antarctic Rift, the crustal root pushed the land upwards again, reforming mountains and thus creating the modern Gamburtsevs.
Intricate glacier and river systems carved deep valleys in the Gamburtsevs, giving them a spectacular landscape, resembling that of the Alps. Ever since the Antarctic Ice Sheet formed some 34 million years ago, the Gamburtsevs have been protected from further erosion.
According to the article's lead author, Dr. Fausto Ferraccioli from the British Antarctic Survey, the key to piecing together the puzzle of their origin was discovering similarities between the East Antarctic and East African Rift Systems. Co-author Carol Finn from the US Geological Survey, these findings have significant implications for understanding mountain formation and ice sheet evolution within continental interiors, as the formation of the Gamburtsevs involved more than one tectonic event.
The next steps will be to retrieve the first rock samples from the Gamburtsevs to find out exactly when the mountain range formed, according to co-author, Dr. Robin Bell of Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


Pr Ntr Kmt Neter Sentra ritual
Ntr Sentra ritual
 The Ntr Sentra ritual is one of the oldest known religious rituals and variations of it have appeared (often developing independently) in religions and cultures around the world. Ntr Sentra is the sincerely held religious belief that divine smoke empowers and makes prayers more pleasing to the divine.
 "Ntr Sentra" literally means "the breath of the divine". The modern English words "incense" and "frankincense" are derived from this ancient Egyptian phrase. The modern English word "nature" is derived from "Ntr" (Netcher) and the modern English word "scent" is derived from "Sentra".
 There is active debate as to when the ancient Egyptians included cannabis smoke in the Ntr Sentra ritual. This was clearly occuring by the time the Greeks entered their Golden Age.
ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs for Ntr Sentra
 This is a ritual that can be performed by groups in a temple, as well as by individuals, families, or friends in homes and other places.
 Members of the Ntr Sentrist branch of Pr Ntr Kmt believe that the Ntr Sentra ritual using cannabis smoke for prayers is the most central and most important part of their religion.
 On February 21, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously 8-0 (Alito didn't participate because he wasn't there to hear the case) that members of the ayahuasca-using União do Vegetal (UDV) church (estimated 130 members in the U.S.) must be allowed to continue using their DMT-containing tea until a final decision is reached in their case against the government.
 The U.S. Supreme Court ruling was based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and applies to all federal officers and agencies. Similar rulings could possibly be based on similarly-worded state laws in Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas.
 No court has yet ruled specifically on sincerely held religious belief in Ntr Sentra using cannabis. Please be aware that the government routinely violates its citizens' Constitutional rights (especially under the Bush administration) and only those with a lawyer can actually exercise basic Constitutional rights. Because U.S. law only grants Constitutional rights to those who are rich enough to afford to have lawyers, you will need to hire a lawyer if you intend to try to exercise your first amendment religious right to worship a Goddess instead of the officially established God that appears in the written religious oath "In God We Trust" that is officially placed on all U.S. money.
 Please hire a lawyer before attempting to exercise freedom of religion. The U.S. has a long history of torturing and murdering those who dare to participate in pagan religions (especially Witchcraft and ancient religions) in direct violation of the officially established U.S. government religion.
 Joining the Pr Ntr Kmt religion could possibly help strengthen your defense (consult with your attorney). It is free to join the Pr Ntr Kmt church, although your donations will help support the church website and other programs. To join, contact the church at
 Learning about additional religious beliefs from antiquity and modern times will help you formulate your own personal religious doctrine, which may also help your religious defense (consult your lawyer). A major purpose of this website is to provide church members with high quality information on the Pr Ntr Kmt religion.
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Ntr Sentra poem
Mau Bast! Mau Bast!
A Basti, per em setat,
erta-na chu em asui
neter sentra semu hena net'emmit,
hetep ab em asui tau heqt.
Hail Bast! Hail Bast!
Hail Bast, coming forth from the secret place,
may there be given to me splendor in the place
of incense
(cannabis smoke), herbs, and love-joys,
peace of heart in the place of bread and beer.
other related websites
See also: cannabis, Ntr Sentrist, and guide to cannabis religion.
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text:
Welding is a skill that any do-it-yourself enthusiast needs in his arsenal. Its only when you can join metal that you can properly repair and create. This book is the perfect introduction for neophytes and an excellent refresher for veteran welders, a work so comprehensive and so complete that most readers wont need any further instruction.
How to Weld starts with a brief history of welding, an overview of the different types of welding, and a thorough discussion of safety practices. Longtime welding instructor Todd Bridigum describes various tools and types of metals, as well as techniques and types of joints. Bridigum discusses gas, stick, wire-feed (MIG and TIG), even brazing, completing each section with a series of exercises that fully illustrate the skills he has covered.
- Gloves and Masks
- Cozy Home

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


As Covid deepens inequality, questions rise on whether technology can narrow the gap
CountryMiddle east
The global pandemic has aggravated existing inequalities around the world, and triggered questions about whether technology can help level the playing field. As a leading hub for cutting edge technology and innovation, Asia faces the same debate: Can technology work for all? Developing economies are more vulnerable to the inequities of access that exist in technologies like artificial intelligence, according to Kay Firth-Butterfield, head of AI and machine learning, at the World Economic Forum (WEF). "That's partly because we don't have sufficient data, because it's simply not being created," she told during a special episode of CNBC's The Edge.
"We need data to train the models and we need that data to not be prejudiced," she said, adding that developers need to come from those same emerging economies. "There's also a problem that so many people don't have internet and don't have access to the tools of AI. So these developing economies are being prejudiced because they can't access AI, more...


text:
It is the premise of the last year of work that senior lecturer in Preventative Medicine at The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Simon Alford, has been beavering away at.
Mr Alford also thinks the new qulification he has developed – a Certificate of Competency in Health Checks Assessments to be undertaken by non-medical staff at leisure centres – could lighten the load on over stretched GP surgeries.
He wants to see leisure centre staff reach out to groups of people who might not feel comfortable accessing the same service at a GP clinic.
"There are groups within communities which do not regularly, if at all, engage with their local NHS services or visit their GP," says Mr Alford.
"Some GP surgeries simply don't have the resources or time to enable enough people to have these important health checks.
"This is worrying because it means there's many people with conditions which aren't being detected and therefore treated.
"If there were more places within local communities where people could feel comfortable going, including places they regularly visit such as supermarkets and leisure centres, then this would hopefully increase the amount of people who engage, meaning early detection or prevention of conditions."
Mr Alford hopes that the new qualification he has developed will see leisure centre staff trained to undertake basic preventative health check-ups.
These would, in turn, help to identify the early signs of conditions including high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and dementia.
"The tests themselves are not rocket science," says Mr Alford. "The science comes in interpreting the results.
"For a respiratory test blow into a tube for instance or to check on cholesterol levels prick a finger."
The Certificate of Competency in Health Checks Assessments qualification will provide training for leisure industry staff to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to complete preventative health checks on members of the public, as part of the NHS Health Check Programme.
Health checks, designed specifically for people aged between 40-years-old and 74, were introduced by the Secretary of State for Health in 2008. They are are normally carried out by GPs.
However only 50 per cent of people eligible actually undergo the checks, which are offered every five years.
Now the NHS is calling for them to be carried out in non-clinical environments, such as supermarkets and football grounds.
Mr Alford's qualification, to allow staff in non-medical environments to take on some of the health checks, is designed to ensure that the right standards are upheld across the board.
"Clinicians and GPs will be delivering the training so how to take somebody's height and weight, for example," says Mr Alford, who hopes to have the training in place at UCLan by the New Year. "We just need to have some sort of standard and with annual training we will make sure that the standards are maintained."
In practice the leisure providers would bid to deliver the 40-74 year-old health check, which is currently commissioned by local authority public health teams.
It is anticipated that through delievering the service they would be well-placed to provide a wide range of exercise and life-style advice.
Mr Alford says: "Sixty-five per cent of people generally just need lifestyle advice. Of course if a patient's blood pressure is through the roof they will tell the patient to go to a GP for future check-ups on issues but that proportion of people is understood to be quite low in the grand scheme."


text:
NATHAN DE-ẒUẒITA, THE EXILARCH:
According to Joseph b. Ḥama (Shab. 56b), Nathan de-Ẓuẓita is to be identified with the exilarch 'Uḳban b. Nehemiah, Joseph's contemporary (first half of the 4th cent.), who was a contrite sinner. The Seder 'Olam Zuṭa, too, in the list of the exilarchs (recension A, Neubauer, "M. J. C." ii. 71), mentions an exilarch called "Nathan 'Uḳban (Nathan de-Ẓuẓita). Rashi (ad loc.) gives two explanations for the surname "Ẓuẓita," which means literally either "sparks" or "hair" (comp. Ezek. viii. 3). Rashi explains that in touching the angel who received his repentance Nathan 'Uḳban either emitted sparks, or the angel took him by the hair. In Sanh. 31b Rashi explains the nature of Nathan's sin and says that after Nathan's repentance a radiance was seen about his head: hence the name "de-Ẓuẓita." According to the geonim Ẓemaḥ and Saadia, Nathan 'Uḳban, when he was young, was wont to curl his hair, his surname "de-Ẓuẓita" being derived from that habit. Another interpretation is that fire would flash out from his ẓiẓit, so that nobody could stand near him.
As to the nature of Nathan 'Uḳban's sins and repentance see Rashi to Sanh. l.c. R. Aḥai of Shabḥa, in his "She'eltot" (sections "Wa'era" and "Ki Tissa"), tells almost the same story as Rashi, of a man who was called "Nathan de-Ẓuẓita," but without mentioning either that he was likewise called "'Uḳban" or that he was an exilarch. Further, this story is related by Nissim b. Jacob in his "Ma'aseh Nissim," at great length, Nathan being placed in the time of Akiba—that is, not later than the first third of the second century.
It may therefore be assumed either that there were two Nathan de-Ẓuẓitas, the second being identical with the exilarch 'Uḳban b. Nehemiah, or that Joseph b. Ḥama. (l.c.) must be understood as comparing 'Uḳban, in his repentance, to Nathan de-Ẓuẓita, who was much earlier and, perhaps, was not an exilarch. It is true that in the Seder 'Olam Zuṭa (l.c.) it is clearly affirmed that Nathan I. was called also "'Uḳban"; but in other details the three recensions of that work disagree with Joseph ben Hama, in that they leave it to be supposed that Nathan de-Ẓuẓita was the son of Anan and not of Nehemiah, and that they represent him asthe father of Huna, the exilarch, who lived in the time of Judah ha-Nasi I. The Seder 'Olam Zuṭa has in its list three exilarchs called "Nathan," the second being the grandson of the first, and the third the son of Abba b. Huna and father of Mar Zuṭra; it is the chronology of Nathan III. that coincides with that of 'Utḳban of Shab. 56b. It may be added that Rashi (to Sanh. l.c.) confuses Nathan de-Ẓuẓita 'Uḳban with Mar 'Uḳba, "ab bet din" in the time of Samuel, which time coincides with that of Nathan II. Lazarus (in the list of exilarchs in Brüll's "Jahrb." vol. x.) supposes that Nathan I. reigned from about 260 to about 270, and Nathan II. from 370 to about 400. See Exilarch.
- Heilprin, Seder ha-Dorot, ii.;
- Zacuto, Yuḥasin, ed. Filipowski, pp. 171 et seq.


Home Heritage Useful Scots words Useful Scots word: muckle, mickle and George Washington's muddle
Useful Scots word: muckle, mickle and George Washington's muddle
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George Washington
George Washington
By Betty Kirkpatrick
Muckle is now best known to most people for its appearance in the old adage Mony a mickle maks a muckle. This is popularly thought to mean that a lot of small amounts of something will make a large amount of it. It is often used to try and encourage people to save little amounts of money in the hope, one day, that these will become a fortune.
The sentiment may be admirable, but the saying as it stands actually does not make much sense. Mickle and muckle, far from being opposites in meaning, actually mean the same thing. As nouns they both mean a large amount or a great deal of something. As adjectives they both mean large or great in size. Many Scots words have variations in spelling and muckle/mickle is an example. Meikle is another variation of the same word, as in the meikle stane (stone) mentioned in Tam o' Shanter:
And past the birks and meikle stane,
Where drunken Charlie brak's neck-bane:'
How the saying Mony a mickle maks a muckle came about is a bit of a mystery. The most likely explanation is that the phrase started out life as Mony a pickle maks a muckle. Pickle, unlike mickle, is opposite in meaning to muckle and means a small amount. This phrase, then, has the merit of making sense.
If that is the case, a most unlikely person appears to have been involved in the faulty rewording of the saying. That person is George Washington. In 1793 he referred in writing to a Scots saying: "many mickles make a muckle" adding "than which nothing in nature is more true". I doubt if he single-handedly caused the mickle problem, but he certainly added to it.
Mony a mickle maks a muckle might be linguistically inaccurate, but it has spread its wings further into England than most Scots words and phrases have done. To add to the confusion, a version of the saying has appeared in some English dialects as Many a little makes a mickle.
The word muckle is derived from Old English micel, meaning great or large, which is associated with Old Norse mikill of the same meaning. Muckle can be used as a noun, as in the saying under discussion, or as in They dinna think muckle o' him, used to emphasize a poor opinion of someone. However, muckle is often used as an adjective in a wide range of contexts, as in a muckle tree, a muckle hoose, a muckle difference, a muckle eejit (idiot) and so on.
Muckle feck refers to the larger or lion's share of something, muckle coat to a greatcoat and muckle chair to a particularly large armchair. The muckle tae is the big toe and the town of Langholm in Dumfriesshire is frequently known as the Muckle Toon.
Muckle is also found in compound adjectives such as muckle-moued, having an exceptionally large mouth. Muckle-backit means having a good strong back, always an asset, and muckle-boukit, in one of its senses, means having a large powerful physique. In its other sense it means pregnant, hardly a flattering description of a mother-to-be.
Muckle has extended its senses to mean adult or grown up. Thus an expression such as someone's muckle dochter can be ambiguous. She can either be a large (probably not a compliment) daughter or a grown-up daughter. Muckle can also mean high-ranking or important, as in the muckle fowk (people) of the toon.
Muckle fowk have often achieved their muckledom by being wealthy. This reminds me of another muckle saying: Moyen (influence) does muckle, but money does mair (more). True, very true. Our wealthy Westminster politicians are living proof of it.
 - Pingback: Useful Scots word: pickle | Caledonian Mercury - Heritage
 - _URL_ Thrissel
 By coincidence I just came over the 'many a little makes a mickle' version, with a slightly different implication, in The House with the Green Shutters, p 115:
 [The average Scotsman] has expressed his love of festina lente in business in a score of proverbs – 'bit by bit's the better horse, though big-by-bi-g's the baulder'; 'ca' canny or ye'll cowp'; 'many a little makes a mickle'; and 'creep before ye gang'.


text:
November 1, 2019 Friday Lunch Seminar
12:15 〜 13:00
CiNet 1F Conference Room
"Adaptive motion control of the upper arm: from the past to the future"
School of Life Science and Technology
Department of Life Science and Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Host PI: Takafumi Suzuki
Motion control mechanisms of the brain is a major subject of neuroscience, and the accumulated knowledge is expected to feed back to society. Adaptive control movement of upper arm has been tried to be understood referring to control theory in control systems engineering. Since optimal feedback control (OFC) model was introduced into neuroscience in early 2000s, OFC may be one of the most challenged models to test its plausibility. After briefly reviewing the history of motion control models in neuroscience, in this talk, the motion control mechanism of upper arm is reconsidered in the framework of OFC referring to works carried out in my laboratory, which include simulation and behavioral studies, and unit recording studies in the monkey. OFC was able to fairly well account for information representation in the motor cortex and some aspects of the behaviors except motor learning when a cost function was appropriately defined. Finally, I would like to mention to a future applicational work.
About CiNet's Friday Lunch Seminars:
The Friday Lunch Seminar is CiNet's main regular meeting series, held every week at 12:15 in the beautiful main lecture theatre on the ground floor at CiNet. The talks are typically 40mins long and orientated towards an inter-disciplinary audience. They are informal, social, and most people bring their own lunch to eat during the talk. They are open to anyone who is feeling curious and wants to come, regardless of where you work.


text:
Want to know where your fellow zombie survivalists are?
Oxford Internet Institute researchers Mark Graham (of Floating Sheep's fame), Taylor Shelton, Matthew Zook, and Monica Stephens mapped the world's zombie "outbreaks":
- Using a keyword search for "zombies," the following map visualizes the absolute concentrations of references within the Google Maps database. The map reveals two important spatial patterns. First, much of the world lacks any content mentioning "zombies" whatsoever. Second, and related, the highest concentration of zombies in the Geoweb are located in the Anglophone world, especially in large cities. The results either provide a rough proxy for the amount of English-language content indexed over our planet, or offer an early warning into the geographies of the impending zombie apocalypse.


text:
The majority of financial institutions overlook opportunities to derive full value from their regulatory-driven investments. But those who do embrace compliance as a business opportunity and elevate its stature within their organization can create a competitive advantage. Financial institutions who effectively leverage compliance activity can add value for customers, employees, community relations, market position, and positively affect their bottom line.
Download EVERFI's guide, From Checking the Box to Building the Brand: How to Use Compliance Activity to Add Value, and you'll learn:
- How to build a culture of compliance in your workplace
- Why financial education is a valuable compliance componenet
- Tips for leveraging your compliance activity to add value


text:
Earth Notes: Lava Falls Flood
A hundred years ago, before big dams constrained the Colorado River, boating was exciting and far less predictable.
The Birdseye Expedition of 1923 experienced such excitement at Lava Falls--the monstrous class 10 rapid on the Colorado in Grand Canyon. Claude Birdseye and his 11 men were the first U.S. Geological Survey crew in the Canyon, and they made significant measurements along the river and mapped a slew of potential damsites.
The expedition arrived at Lava Falls on September 17, just as the river went on a rampage. Light rain and thunderstorms had passed through, but they were unaware of a major monsoon storm far up in the Little Colorado River basin. The river was flowing at just over 9,000 cubic feet a second.
On September 18, it had quadrupled. Birdseye reported "the river commenced to rise and continued to rise all night." And a sleepless night it was as the crew had to keep lugging the 800-pound boats to higher ground to avoid the rising water. That morning they watched huge driftwood logs float by in the mud-choked river, while the rapid itself had completely changed.
At the flood's peak, the Colorado rose 20 feet and reached more than 98,000 cubic feet a second, ten times what it had been two days earlier.
Birdseye and his men waited a couple more days before deciding it was safe to proceed downstream. They had witnessed one for the record books, and left us with a reminder of just how truly wild the Colorado River was a century ago.
This Earth Note was written by Rose Houk and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.


text:
Telemedicine Africa Rolls Out Virtual eHealth Centers in South Africa
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Telemedicine Africa has collaborated with Dimension Data and the IDC to set up private telehealth centres in South Africa.
The virtual eHealth centres will use a public-private partnership (PPP) model to provide nurses at primary care clinics with workstations that boast video conferencing infrastructure connected to medical devices, such as electronic stethoscopes and blood pressure machines, to examine a patient. The patient information is then sent to a doctor or specialist remotely to make an informed diagnosis.
In an interview with eHealthNews, Telemedicine Africa Managing Director and one of the creators of the telemedicine workstations, Dr Moretlo Molefi, explained that clinics and hospitals would continue to contract different types of specialists on specific days of the week as they do currently. However, the use of telemedicine will ensure that patient waiting times are reduced in an efficient and cost effective manner.
"We understood the need for a user friendly system for nurses and we developed our workstations in collaboration with Stellenbosch University, SUNPA and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) as a model for all developing countries," said Molefi.
- Health Care


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Using breakpoints
In Pega Robot Studio, you can use breakpoints to debug automations. They are points in an automation from which you can pause execution to examine the current values of variables and the status of an application. You can step through execution and data paths from a breakpoint, which slows down the automation flow and allows you to see the cause and effect of every design block. A red dot is displayed in the Designer window when you create a breakpoint on the automation links. You use the following commands to examine your automation:
Command name Description Menu button Hotkey
Step-into You can follow the execution path of the program and track each variable.
Step Into icon button
F11 key
Step-over You can step over the execution of a design block. If the block contains a function, the function is executed, and the result is returned without going into the execution details.
Step over icon button
F10 key
Step-out You can return to the previous execution point where the function was called.
Step out icon button
Shift + F11 key
Continue You can continue execution until the next breakpoint is reached or the program exits.
Continue icon button
F5 key
Stop You can immediately end the execution of the automation and call the program to exit.
Stop icon button
Shift + F5 key
You can add, delete, disable, or enable breakpoints anytime before or during the debugging process.
Breakpoint functionality
You can access and modify the breakpoints before and during the debugging process by right-clicking the automation link where you want to add a breakpoint or an existing breakpoint. The following table describes the actions that you can perform on a breakpoint from the right-click menu:
Action
Purpose
How to use it
Toggle breakpoint right click menu
With Toggle Breakpoint, you can add a breakpoint to an automation from the designer window.
Right-click the automation links that are in front of the design block that you want to inspect, and then select Toggle Breakpoint.
Delete breakpoint right click menu

With Delete, you can delete breakpoint from an automation when you no longer need it.
Right-click the automation link and select Delete.
disable breakpoint right click menu
Disable allows an automation to pass over a breakpoint but still keep it in the automation.
Right-click the automation link and select Disable.
enable breakpoint right click menu
Enable allows turn on an existing breakpoint in an automation.
Right-click the automation link and select Enable.
While these options are available on the right-click menu of the automation or data links, you can also disable, enable, and delete breakpoints from the Debug menu and the Breakpoints window.
Check your knowledge with the following interaction:
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text:
Grade Range: 4-8
Resource Type(s): Lessons & Activities, Worksheets, Reference Materials
Date Posted: 9/9/2008
This manual, included in the online exhibition Invention at Play, from the Lemelson Center, will provide an array of activities, resources, and approaches that will underscore the role of play in the inventive spirit in all of us. Through play we develop certain "habits of mind" - curiosity, persistence, imagination, communication, problem solving - as well as skills in manipulating and understanding the properties of the material world. Research has shown that this array of abilities has been and continues to be an important part of the inventor's tool chest.
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades K-4)
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)
Standards in History (Grades K-4)
United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)


text:
You would never guess that a bunch of tiny little metal balls could turn into mindblowing art. But as this video shows, when all those teeny balls are magnets, they stick together to make amazing shapes. They're called Nanodots. First the hands make lots of hexagons, then stacks them to make an "octahedron" – a 3D shape with 8 faces (just like an octagon is a flat shape with 8 sides). The octahedron is just one of 5 cool chunky shapes you can make where every face is the same shape with all equal edges: it has 8 triangles. Then the hands make a dodecahedron, which has 12 pentagons as faces. Watch to see what else the Nanodots can make!
Wee ones: How many sides does a triangle have? Hold your hands together to make a triangle hole with your fingers and thumbs!
Little kids: How many sides does a pentagon have? Bonus: If you've made 10 of the 12 pentagons to make the dodecahedron, how many more do you need to make?
Big kids: Each triangle in the octahedron has 7 Nanodots in the longest row, with 6 Nanodots above that, 5 above that…all the way to 1. How many Nanodots does one triangle have in total? Bonus: The opening shows 3 octahedrons already made. How many triangle faces do they have altogether?
The sky's the limit: If each octahedron face has 7 Nanodots on the edge, then 6 in the next row up, and so on, how many dots in that triangle aren't on the edge? See if you can figure it out without counting them in the picture!
Wee ones: Make a triangle with your hands! It has 3 sides.
Little kids: 5 sides. Bonus: 2 more pentagons.
Big kids: 28 Nanodots. Bonus: 24 triangle faces.
The sky's the limit: Just 10 Nanodots. Only the 4 middle dots in the row of 6, plus the 3 middle ones above that, 2 above that, and finally the last one (the middle dot in the row of 3).


Compressibility factor (gases)
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(CC) Image: Milton Beychok
Figure 1: Example graphs of gas compressibility factors
The compressibility factor (Z) is a useful thermodynamic property for modifying the ideal gas law to account for behavior of real gases.[1][2][3][4][5] It is a measure of how much the thermodynamic properties of a real gas deviate from those expected of an ideal gas. It may be thought of as the ratio of the actual volume of a real gas to the volume predicted by the ideal gas at the same temperature and pressure as the actual volume.
For an ideal gas, Z always has a value of 1. For real gases, the value may deviate positively or negatively, depending on the effect of the intermolecular forces of the gas. The closer a real gas is to its critical point or to its saturation point, the larger are the deviations of the gas from ideal behavior.
The upper graph in Figure 1 illustrates how the compressibility factor varies for different gases at the same temperature and pressure. The lower graph illustrates how the compressibility factor of a gas (for example, methane) at a given pressure varies with temperature.[1]
This article deals only with the compressibility factor of gases and does not delve into the compressibility of liquids or vapor-liquid mixtures.
Determination of gas compressibility values
The ideal gas law is defined as:
and the ideal gas law corrected for non-ideality is defined is:
= pressure
= molar volume of the gas
= compressibility factor
= Universal gas constant
= temperature
and thus:
which is the simplest and most widely used real gas equation of state (EOS). The major limitation of this equation of state is that the gas compressibility factor, Z, is not a constant but varies from one gas to another as well as with the temperature and pressure of the gas under consideration. It must be determined experimentally.
Where experimental data is available for specific gases, that data may be used to produce graphs (such as in Figure 1) of Z versus pressure at a constant temperature or of Z versus pressure for various temperatures for those specific gases. Such graphs are useful for readily obtaining interpolated values of Z between the experimentally determined values.
The compressibility factor, as mentioned earlier, may also be expressed as:
There are three regimes that affect the compressibility factor:
 1. the value of Z tends toward 1 as the gas pressure approaches 0, where all gases tend toward ideal behavior
 2. the value of Z is less than 1 at intermediate pressures because the intermolecular forces of attraction cause the actual volumes to be less than the ideal values
 3. the value of Z is greater than 1 and ultimately tends toward infinity at high pressures because the intermolecular repulsive forces cause the actual volumes to be greater than the ideal values
Generalized compressibility factor graphs for pure gases
The unique relationship between the compressibility factor and the reduced temperature,, and the reduced pressure,, was first recognized by van der Waals in 1873 and is known as the two-parameter principle of corresponding states. The principle of corresponding states expresses the generalization that the properties of a gas which are dependent on intermolecular forces are related to the critical properties of the gas in a universal way. That provides a most important basis for developing correlations of molecular properties.[6]
As for the compressibility of gases, the principle of corresponding states indicates that any pure gas at the same reduced temperature,, and reduced pressure,, should have the same compressibility factor. [3]
The reduced temperature and pressure are defined as:
and are known as the critical temperature and critical pressure of a gas. They are characteristics of each specific gas with being the temperature above which it is not possible to liquify a given gas and is the minimum pressure required to liquify a given gas at its critical temperature.[7] Together they define the critical point of a fluid above which distinct liquid and gas phases of a given fluid do not exist.
The pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) data for real gases varies from one pure gas to another. However, when the compressibility factors of various single-component gases are graphed versus pressure along with temperature isotherms (as shown for methane in the lower graph of Figure 1), many of the graphs exhibit similar isotherm shapes.
(CC) Image: Milton Beychok
Figure 2: Example of a generalized compressibility factor graph[8]
In order to obtain a generalized graph that can be used for many different gases, the reduced pressure and temperature, and, are used to normalize the compressibility factor data. Figure 2 is an example of a generalized compressibility factor graph derived from hundreds of experimental P-V-T data points of 10 pure gases, namely methane, ethane, ethylene, propane, n-butane, i-pentane, n-hexane, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and steam.[2][4][9][10]
There are more detailed generalized compressibility factor graphs based on as many as 25 or more different pure gases, such as the Nelson-Obert graphs.[11][12][13] Such graphs are said to have an accuracy within 1-2 percent for Z values greater than 0.6 and within 4-6 percent for Z values of 0.3-0.6.
The generalized compressibility factor graphs may be considerably in error for strongly polar gases which are gases for which the centers of positive and negative charge do not coincide. In such cases the estimate for Z may be in error by as much as 15-20 percent.
The quantum gases hydrogen, helium, and neon do not conform to the corresponding-states behavior and the reduced pressure and temperature for those three gases should be redefined in the following manner to improve the accuracy of predicting their compressibility factors when using the generalized graphs:[4][10]
where the temperatures are in degrees Kelvin and the pressures are in atmospheres.
Generalized compressibility factor graphs for gas mixtures
The generalized compressibility factor graphs for pure gases (such as exemplified in Figure 2 or the Nelson-Obert graphs may also be used for gas mixtures by using Kay's Rule proposed by W. B. Kay in 1936.[14] That rule predicts the P-V-T behavior of a gas mixture by determining the compressibility factor for a gas mixture at the reduced temperature and reduced pressure defined in terms of the pseudocritical temperature, and the pseudocritical pressure, which are defined as:[15][16]
= the pseudocritical temperature of the gas mixture
= the critical temperature of a component of the gas mixture
= the pseudocritical pressure of the gas mixture
= the critical temperature of a component of the gas
= the mole (or volume) fraction of a component of the gas
The pseudoreduced temperature,, and pseudoreduced pressure,, to use with the generalized compressibility factor graphs for pure gases are then:
A compressibility factor graph for natural gas (which is a mixture of hydrocarbon and other gases) using pseudoreduced temperatures and pressures is available on the Internet.[17]
The van der Waals equation
The van der Waals equation was developed in 1873 and may be expressed as:[1][2][3][4][5]
is a measure of the strength of attraction between the gas molecules
accounts for the volume occupied by gas molecules, which decreases the available open volume
The van der Waals equation may be re-arranged as:
and the compressibility factor can be written as:
and we now have an equation for determining by using the van der Waals parameters and :
Although and are referred to as "the Van der Waals constants", they are not truly constants because they vary from one gas to another; they are, however, independent of P, V and T. In other words, they are constant for the specific gas being considered. Given the critical temperature and pressure for a specific gas, and can be obtained for that specific gas from these equations:[2][3][4][9]
For example, the critical pressure of ethane is 4.884 MPa and the critical temperature is 305.43 K (32.3˚C).[4] Using the universal gas constant,, of 8.3145 Pa m3 K-1 mol-1, the above equations yield = 0.557 m6 Pa mol-2 and = 6.500×10-5 m3 mol-1.
Tabulated values of and for various gases are available in these references[1][4][18] as well as many other sources in the technical literature.
Modified versions of the van der Waals equation
Determining compressibility factors by using the van der Waals equation of state is an improvement over using the generalized compressibility charts. However, there are modified versions of the van der Waals equation of state which provide even more improvement. Perhaps the most commonly used equations of state by engineers working in petroleum refining, petrochemical production, natural gas processing, cryogenic distillation and related industries are: the Redlich-Kwong equation developed in 1949,[19][20] the Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation developed in 1972[19][20][21] and the Peng-Robinson equation developed in 1976.[19][20] Those three equations are essentially modified versions of the van


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Dry Conditions to Continue in Most Parts of Kenya
By Willy Ngumbi
Most parts of the Kenya are likely to continue being dry, however, moderate rainfall may be experienced in certain parts including the Highlands West of Rift Valley, the Coast and the Highlands East of Rift Valley.
This is according to the Kenya Meteorological Department(KMD) weekly forecast where countrywide temperatures during the day are likely to be moderate (20 to 35 degrees Celsius) and less than 10 degrees Celsius during the night.
Moreover, in the Highlands West of Rift Valley, the Lake Victoria basin and Central and South Rift Valley, mornings are expected to be sunny with afternoon as well as night showers and thunderstorms.
According to the organization, North-western part is expected to be generally sunny during the day and partly cloudy at night with temperatures likely to range between 23 to 34 degrees Celsius during the day and 11 to 26 degrees Celsius during the nights.
KMD also added that the Highlands East of Rift Valley including Nairobi county are expected to be cloudy in the morning with sunny intervals and occasional afternoon and night showers over few places.
Furthermore, generally sunny conditions during the day is expected in North Eastern with temperatures likely to range between 22 to 33 degrees Celsius while nights are expected to be partly cloudy.
Additionally, in the southern lowlands, mornings are expected to be cloudy breaking into sunny intervals for the rest of the day with the possibilities of afternoon showers over few places while and cloudy nights.
In the coast region, the mornings, early afternoon and night showers are likely to occur over few places occasionally spreading over several places with temperatures during the day likely to be 26 to 29 degree Celsius while night temperatures expected to be 20 to 24 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, according to KMD, most parts of the country were generally dry during the last seven days with light to moderate rainfall recorded in a few stations including the Highlands west of rift valley, Highlands East of Rift Valley and the Coast region.
The organization also noted a decrease in day-time(maximum) temperatures over most parts f the country while night-time(minimum) temperatures increased.


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Focus on APS Topical Groups
Group on Few Body Systems
By Michael Lucibella
A notable moment for the APS Topical Group on Few Body Systems (GFB) came at the 1989 APS meeting in Baltimore, where the group sponsored a now famous symposium on cold fusion. The subject was all over the media after Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons controversially claimed to have produced fusion in their lab. At the high profile meeting, eight of the nine speakers refuted the Fleischmann-Pons claims, roundly rejecting the recent cold fusion assertions.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of GFB. The Group's main purpose has always been to bring together a broad range of scientists who work on atomic and subatomic systems involving three or more particles. By taking this interdisciplinary approach to research, GFB may be the most scientifically diverse of all topical groups.
Few body systems can yield some of the most fiendishly complex problems to work with. Single and two body systems involve only a small number of variables while much larger systems can be simplified by studying their overall dynamics statistically. That middle range is where the number of variables quickly becomes overwhelming and has often stymied attempts to precisely model atomic and nuclear behavior. But results in this area have led to advances in fusion research and an overall better picture of the universe. Few body interactions between hydrogen and helium atoms play an important role throughout the observable cosmos.
Bringing together a wide variety of scientific disciplines to the group has allowed the sharing of techniques that work across many fields. Though the forces acting between different particles may differ, the tools and methods for calculating their properties are often the same. This allows disciplines ranging from atomic physics to physical chemistry to come together and share their knowledge.
The group can trace its origins back to several older organizations. Starting in 1965, the International Few Body Conferences, typically occurring every two years, served as the major gathering for physicists working on various few body problems and research. Nuclear physicists made up the audience of the first two meetings, before other fields began to filter in by 1974.
A few years later in 1977 theoretical chemist Don Kouri and nuclear theorist Yeong Kim submitted a proposal to the Gordon Research Foundation to create a parallel series of interdisciplinary conferences on few body physics. These conferences laid the groundwork for the later GFB by enthusiastically reaching out to different fields. One of the core principles of these Gordon Conferences was to keep the presentations on a reasonably technical level so that the chemists could fully understand the physicists' presentations and vice-versa.
In 1982, however, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), acting under the recommendation of the APS Division of Nuclear Physics, refused to sponsor the tenth Conference on the Few Body Problem. The IUPAP said that there had been too many such conferences and demanded a three-year hiatus. To combat this unwelcome intrusion, participants at the 1984 Gordon Conference circulated a petition asking APS to dedicate one of its newly announced Topical Groups to Few Body Physics.
Frank Levin, Founding Chairman of the GFB, remembers the petition well, "The response of the attendees at the 1984 Gordon Conference was overwhelmingly positive–I think everyone signed the petition urging the formation of the GFB–and of course the rest is history."
Since its inception twenty-five years ago, GFB has stayed true to its interdisciplinary approach to few body problems. Today the group is made up mostly of nuclear and atomic physicists, but also incorporates members in molecular physics, physical chemistry, particle physics, and even some specialists in condensed matter research.
"The group's main focus was and I believe still is to be an umbrella organization that brings together researchers in different disciplines…who work on few-body problems and multiparticle dynamics," Levin said.
While the group's focus may not have changed over the years, the technology and methodology certainly has. An infusion of better computing power and more accurate measurements has brought a previously unheard of level of precision to the complex field.
"When we started, two and three body problems were the limit of what we could do," said Wayne Polyzou of the University of Iowa, current Chair of the Group, adding that computers now can calculate the interactions of up to ten bodies, "This has transformed nuclear physics from twenty-five years ago from a qualitative type of science to something more quantitative."
One of the major issues facing the Few Body Group has been low membership rates in recent years. The group grew initially from its start of around 100 members, but then began to plateau. Today, at 310 members, it is the smallest topical group, just passing the minimum of 300 required members. The Gordon Conferences have been discontinued because of low attendance.
"I am quite hopeful that we can bring it back up," said Ravi Rau, Chair Elect, "We used to be a bit larger. We've always been small."
The Group is always tirelessly recruiting. At the upcoming April Meeting, clipboards will be circulated at workshops that would be interesting to potential members of GFB. In addition, members of the group plan on vigorously appealing to students, since they are allowed to be members of up to two APS units free of charge.
Members of the group are always pushing the limits of precision. "When you deal with small systems, you can do complete calculations and measurements" Polyzou said, "You really can do realistic physics."


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- Key value store
- Run on large number of commodity machines
- Data are partitioned and replicated among these machines
- Relax the data consistency requirement. (because the CAP theorem proves that you cannot get Consistency, Availability and Partitioning at the the same time)
The underlying data model can be considered as a large Hashtable (key/value store).
The basic form of API access is
- get(key) -- Extract the value given a key
- put(key, value) -- Create or Update the value given its key
- delete(key) -- Remove the key and its associated value
- execute(key, operation, parameters) -- Invoke an operation to the value (given its key) which is a special data structure (e.g. List, Set, Map.... etc).
- mapreduce(keyList, mapFunc, reduceFunc) -- Invoke a map/reduce function across a key range.
The underlying infratructure is composed of large number (hundreds or thousands) of cheap, commoditized, unreliable machines connected through a network. We call each machine a physical node (PN). Each PN has the same set of software configuration but may have varying hardware capacity in terms of CPU, memory and disk storage. Within each PN, there will be a variable number of virtual node (VN) running according to the available hardware capacity of the PN.
Data partitioning (Consistent Hashing)
Since the overall hashtable is distributed across many VNs, we need a way to map each key to the corresponding VN.
One way is to use
partition = key mod (total_VNs)
The disadvantage of this scheme is when we alter the number of VNs, then the ownership of existing keys has changed dramatically, which requires full data redistribution. Most large scale store use a "consistent hashing" technique to minimize the amount of ownership changes.
In the consistent hashing scheme, the key space is finite and lie on the circumference of a ring. The virtual node id is also allocated from the same key space. For any key, its owner node is defined as the first encountered virtual node if walking clockwise from that key. If the owner node crashes, all the key it owns will be adopted by its clockwise neighbor. Therefore, key redistribution happens only within the neighbor of the crashed node, all other nodes retains the same set of keys.
To provide high reiability from individually unreliable resource, we need to replicate the data partitions.
Replication not only improves the overall reliability of data, it also helps performance by spreading the workload across multiple replicas.
While read-only request can be dispatched to any replicas, update request is more challenging because we need to carefully co-ordinate the update which happens in these replicas.
Notice that virtual nodes can join and leave the network at any time without impacting the operation of the ring.
When a new node joins the network
- The joining node announce its presence and its id to some well known VNs or just broadcast)
- All the neighbors (left and right side) will adjust the change of key ownership as well as the change of replica memberships. This is typically done synchronously.
- The joining node starts to bulk copy data from its neighbor in parallel asynchronously.
- The membership change is asynchronously propagate to the other nodes.
Notice that other nodes may not have their membership view updated yet so they may still forward the request to the old nodes. But since these old nodes (which is the neighbor of the new joined node) has been updated (in step 2), so they will forward the request to the new joined node.
On the other hand, the new joined node may still in the process of downloading the data and not ready to serve yet. We use the vector clock (described below) to determine whether the new joined node is ready to serve the request and if not, the client can contact another replica.
When an existing node leaves the network (e.g. crash)
- The crashed node no longer respond to gossip message so its neighbors knows about it.
- The neighbor will update the membership changes and copy data asynchronously
We haven't talked about how the virtual nodes is mapped into the physical nodes. Many schemes are possible with the main goal that Virtual Node replicas should not be sitting on the same physical node. One simple scheme is to assigned Virtual node to Physical node in a random manner but check to make sure that a physical node doesn't contain replicas of the same key ranges.
Notice that since machine crashes happen at the physical node level, which has many virtual nodes runs on it. So when a single Physical node crashes, the workload (of its multiple virtual node) is scattered across many physical machines. Therefore the increased workload due to physical node crashes is evenly balanced.
Once we have multiple copies of the same data, we need to worry about how to synchronize them such that the client can has a consistent view of the data.
There is a number of client consistency models
- Strict Consistency (one copy serializability): This provides the semantics as if there is only one copy of data. Any update is observed instantaneously.
- Read your write consistency: The allows the client to see his own update immediately (and the client can switch server between requests), but not the updates made by other clients
- Session consistency: Provide the read-your-write consistency only when the client is issuing the request under the same session scope (which is usually bind to the same server)
- Monotonic Read Consistency: This provide the time monotonicity guarantee that the client will only see more updated version of the data in future requests.
- Eventual Consistency: This provides the weakness form of guarantee. The client can see an inconsistent view as the update are in progress. This model works when concurrent access of the same data is very unlikely, and the client need to wait for some time if he needs to see his previous update.
Depends on which consistency model to provide, 2 mechanisms need to be arranged...
- How the client request is dispatched to a replica
- How the replicas propagate and apply the updates
Master Slave (or Single Master) Model
Under this model, each data partition has a single master and multiple slaves. In above model, B is the master of keyAB and C, D are the slaves. All update requests has to go to the master where update is applied and then asynchronously propagated to the slaves. Notice that there is a time window of data lost if the master crashes before it propagate its update to any slaves, so some system will wait synchronously for the update to be propagated to at least one slave.
Read requests can go to any replicas if the client can tolerate some degree of data staleness. This is where the read workload is distributed among many replicas. If the client cannot tolerate staleness for certain data, it also need to go to the master.
Note that this model doesn't mean there is one particular physical node that plays the role as the master. The granularity of "mastership" happens at the virtual node level. Each physical node has some virtual nodes acts as master of some partitions while other virtual nodes acts as slaves of other partitions. Therefore, the write workload is also distributed across different physical node, although this is due to partitioning rather than replicas
When a physical node crashes, the masters of certain partitions will be lost. Usually, the most updated slave will be nominated to become the new master.
Master Slave model works very well in general when the application has a high read/write ratio. It also works very well when the update happens evenly in the key range. So it is the predominant model of data replication.
There are 2 ways how the master propagate updates to the slave; State transfer and Operation transfer. In State transfer, the master passes its latest state to the slave, which then replace its current state with the latest state. In operation transfer, the master propagate a sequence of operations to the slave which then apply the operations in its local state.
The state transfer model is more robust against message lost because as long as a latter more updated message arrives, the replica still be able to advance to the latest state.
Even in state transfer mode, we don't want to send the full object for updating other replicas because changes typically happens within a small portion of the object. In will be a waste of network bandwidth if we send the unchanged portion of the object, so we need a mechanism to detect and send just the delta (the portion that has been changed). One common approach is break the object into chunks and compute a hash tree of the object. So the replica can just compare their hash tree to figure out which chunk of the object has been changed and only send those over.
In operation transfer mode, usually much less data need to be send over the network. However, it requires a reliable message mechanism with delivery order guarantee.
Multi-Master (or No Master) Model
If there is hot spots in certain key range, and there is intensive write request, the master slave model will be unable to spread the workload evenly. Multi-master model allows updates to happen at any replica (I think call it "No-Master" is more accurate).
If any client can issue any update to any server, how do we synchronize the states such that we can retain client consistency and also eventually every replica will get to the same state? We describe a number of different approaches in following...
Quorum Based 2PC
To provide "strict consistency", we can use a traditional 2PC protocol to bring all replicas to the same state at every update. Lets say there is N replicas for a data. When the data is update, there is a "prepare" phase where the coordinator ask every replica to confirm whether each of them is ready to perform the update. Each of the replica will then write the data to a log file and when success, respond to the coordinator.
After gathering all replicas responses positively, the coordinator will initiate the second "commit" phase


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- Store or remove valuables prior to staging to avoid damage when rearranging furniture.
- Prepack them for the move so they are not displayed during open houses.
- Ensure they are adequately insured. Jewelry, for example, may only have limited coverage under your regular homeowners' insurance.
Most people own a few valuables, whether they are irreplaceable keepsakes or expensive belongings. Staging, showing, and selling your home results in a lot more rearranging and traffic than usual, which is important to consider for keeping your valuables safe. To reduce the risk of breakage, theft or loss during the selling process consider the following:


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Mineral Mines & Quarries Inspectorate | Alert | No.421 V 1 | 16 December 2022
A short but significant storm passed across a mine during day shift operations. Surface trucking operations were halted and operators were instructed to park machines. Personnel were transported to crib and office facilities until the storm passed.
Upon returning to the parking areas to resume operations, workers discovered the tyres (positions 3, 4 and 5) on a rear dump truck had exploded. The explosion caused tyre fragments to project into the general park up area and nearby mine road, and a rock ejector was found approximately 10 metres away from the machine.
It is believed a lightning strike during the storm caused internal pyrolysis on the tyres leading to the explosions.
Investigations are ongoing and further information may be published as it becomes available. The information in this publication is what is known at the time of writing.
We issue Safety Notices to draw attention to the occurrence of a serious incident, raise awareness of risks, and prompt assessment of your existing controls.
A number of safety notices have been published regarding adverse weather and lightning strikes, including the following:
Contact: Rob Henson, Inspector of Mines , +61 7 4745 4114 _EMAIL_
Issued by Resources Safety & Health Queensland
All information on this page (Tyre explosion on rear dump truck following lightning strike - _URL_ is correct as of time of printing (30 Jan 2023 5:45 am).


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Microwave cleaning
Use microwaves to clean up the stratosphere
 [vote for,
Use microwave lasers (masers) to break down water vapor in the stratosphre releasing OHradicals which break down greenhouse gases.
The greenhouse effect is caused by several gases, not just CO2.
Methane is a very potent GHG and so are the chloroflurocarbons which also cause ozone depletion.
Back in the early 1990's the US nationl academy of sciences discussed the possibility of using lasers to destroy flurocarbons in the strratepshere and thereby reduce both global warming and the ozone hole but decided it was too expensive.
I think it would be more effective to increase the level of hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere (OH-).
So I'd shoot two or more low-powered masers (microwave lasers) into the atmosphere from a high altitude so that they intersect in the stratosphere.
The power levels would be low enough at ground level not to cause environmental harm but the beams woudl reinforce when they intersected in the stratosphere.
Microwaves break down the water in the atmosphere into OHand H+ ions which then break down other chemicals by reacting with them.
Converting methane to carbon dioxide would decrease global warming because methane has about twenty times the warming potential of carbon dioxide.
Breaking down chlorofurocarbons would have an even greater effect because they have a warming potential several hundred times that of carbon dioxide.
(There might be other ways of getting the same effect - for example, there are catalysts which also break down methane when exposes to light, coat balloons with them and float them in the stratosphere.
Iangould, Sep 28 2006
Please log in.
 It seems like this would just break the methane into CO2 (and water). Not a great gain for the cost.
omnilynx, Sep 29 2006
 And fried chicken will rain from the skies. Well, nuked starlings at the very least.
Galbinus_Caeli, Sep 29 2006
 sp. chlorofluorocarbons?
 ...but I like the general idea... but would anyone like to offer some numbers about
1. CO2 produced by generation of energy to power the masers vs.
2. CO2-equivalent (in methane) broken down by resulting maser beams?
 For example, if the'several hundred times' figure is based on mass of CO2 vs. equal mass of methane, and, for the sake of argument we postulate, conservatively, that several=3, then we have a break-even point where, say, every tonne of CO2 produced from, say, a dirty old coal-fired power station will allow us enough energy at the intersection of the maser-beams to break down three-and-a-bit kilos of methane.
 So, does anyone know how much raw energy a power plant might yield for a tonne of CO2, and how much of that of that will lost in transit up to the remote plateaux where the masers sit?
 If we know that, then we can think about how much energy the masers will lose cooking starlings and other small objects in the atmosphere below the intersection, how much will go straight through the intersection and head out into space, etc.
 Then again, what if we had the masers powered by arrays of solar panels in the middle of a desert, the beams intersecting somewhere in a substantial gap between two or more such arrays, and the resultant water irrigating the desert? Or is there no methane over deserts?
 sorry about incoherence, it's getting late here.
pertinax, Sep 29 2006
back: main index


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BAY AREA DATELINES
Published 4:00 am, Monday, July 12, 1999
Monday alert to Spare the Air Oakland The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued a Spare the Air advisory for Monday.
The district expects that the air will exceed ozone health standards on Monday due to high temperatures and low onshore winds. These factors set up conditions that produce ground-level ozone - the main ingredient in smog.
Smog hurts people with respiratory and heart conditions, as well as the young and elderly, the district says. The goal of the Spare the Air program is to warn the public of these dangers and to ask people to avoid driving if possible, because smog-forming gases are emitted from tailpipes and evaporating gasoline.
For more information, call (800) Help-Air or check _URL_.<


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Portis Gold Mine
The Portis Gold Mine, located in the northeastern corner of Franklin County, was the first mine in the Eastern Carolina Belt (composed of Warren, Halifax, Franklin, and Nash Counties) and operated intermittently from about 1835 to 1936. The Portis gold deposit was in the rocks of the Spring Hope Formation in the eastern slate belt. The primary mining method has been identified as "hydraulicking" 15 to 30 feet of surface material, but recovery was hampered by the region's sticky clay. The total amount of gold mined is unknown. In 1884 the estimate was more than $1 million, and in 1972 one geologist projected that up to $7 million worth of gold was mined in that area.
By the end of the nineteenth century, gold in the Portis mine was difficult to find and there were no profits to be had. The final attempts to extract gold were by the Norlina Mining Company, which brought in heavy mining equipment and constructed an assay lab, a main building for the crushing equipment, a dormitory, a superintendent's house, a blacksmith and machine shop, and a six-million-gallon reservoir for the water required by the gold recovery process. The cost of the mining operation exceeded by one-third the value of the gold recovered, and the mine was closed in 1936.
P. Albert Carpenter III, Gold Resources of North Carolina (1972).
Richard F. Knapp, North Carolina Gold: A Selected Bibliography of Mining History, Technology, and the Reed Gold Mine (1978).
Thilbert H. Pearce, "The Portis Diggings," The State (1 Apr. 1972).
Bruce Roberts, The Carolina Gold Rush (1971).
Sketch of Portis Mine, North Carolina Maps, North Carolina Collection, UNC Libraries: _URL_
Gold Mines, NC Historical Marker E-89: _URL_
1869, 1870 Act to incorporate Portis Gold Mine in Franklin County: _URL_
1876,77 Bill to extend Portis Gold Mine in Franklin County: _URL_
1 January 2006 | Willard, George-Anne


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The 10th Annual Suicide Awareness Banquet, "Celebrating Ten Years of Hope" took place this evening at Colburn United Methodist Church.
Keynote speakers were Sandra Harstine and Russ Crabtree. Both were instrumental in developing the regions five suicide prevention coalitions.
"I'm going to be talking a little bit about the epidemic of suicide and how serious this is in our country," said Crabtree, Director of 'Best Minds'. "It's kind of an unrecognized problem still in many part of our society "
Ten percent of american adults suffer from depression and more than thirty-eight-thousand people complete suicide each year. Many of the people represented by these statistics were part of a church community. The focus of discussion at this year's banquet was ways churches can address suicide.
"I'm going to be talking specifically about faith communities and what I do with faith communities, I generally spend a day with pastors and leaders and help them look at the myths for example in the Bible, kind of the ideas that people have about what's in the bible about suicide. If you can say the word suicide in a sentence, you can save a life," said Crabtree. The title of his message was "Saving Jonah and Other People of Faith".
There were about 120 attendees. The banquet was hosted by suicide prevention coalitions represented in Coshocton, Gurnsey, Morgan, Muskingum and Perry counties.