If it’s not grown, its mined
I can only think of a single instance where a bumper sticker ever galvanized my outlook on anything. Years ago I saw a bumper sticker which read, “If it’s not grown, its mined”. The truth of that statement resonated with me because I was quickly able to see that all the resources we use to make everything we have around us came from either something grown or something mined. Obviously wood and food is grown but metal, salt, rocks, minerals and even the oil we use to make plastics has to be pulled from the ground. This of course includes all forms of mining from deep underground hard rock mines to solution mining, without these we would not have glass, sheetrock, tiles or steel. There would be no concrete, no bricks, no silver or gold not even copper for modern electricity and plumbing.
Just digging up rocks is simply not enough to extract the elements and minerals sought after. Often the raw ore has to be processed both mechanically and chemically to obtain the materials needed to make a finished product. Most metals start with crushing the rock to a fine powder. After this, the material can go through an acidic or basic solution for further separation. Some newer techniques use a slightly basic solution (almost soapy) for the slurry of water and powder followed by bubbling gas up through the mix creating a surface froth to carry away the concentrate in a simple separation step for further processing.
There are many forms of mining spanning the range of solution mining, hard rock mining, soft rock mining and shallow surface mining. Solution mines can be as simple as filling an old salt mine with water and pumping water in one end and out the other then evaporating the water to start the cycle over. Here the salt dissolved underground is transported to the surface as a solution for separation at the surface with minimal energy being used to bring it to the surface.
Extracting the ore itself can only be done after the deposits are first identified and verified to have cost effective concentrations of the material to allow a commercial venture to go forward. Mining and mineral engineers are trained in how to identify deposits and on the technologies available to extract and refine them. In addition to the standard suite of physics, chemistry and math (up to two years of each), mine engineers have to know how to provide adequate ventilation for an underground mine. If you took a very, very long straw or a not too long air tight water hose (having a total volume of around 500 mL), you would suffocate if you tried to breath solely through this tube. The reason is that the air you exhale would fill the straw and not mix with the outside air before you breathed it back in again. You are left breathing the same air you exhaled over and over again. An underground mine can be similar if you are operating large diesel equipment which will consume the oxygen in the air that otherwise would be used by the minors, getting fresh air into a mine can be pretty important.
Of course a mine and minerals engineer must also study geology and rock mechanics as they must design the controls to keep the mine from caving in as well as safe drilling, blasting and cutting used in making the mine. They also must understand how water travels through rocks and soil and also the commercial aspects of cost effective processing and refining.
Mines can also have an impact on the environment. Another requirement for mining engineers is to understand all potential environmental issues related to the whole process so that a mine can be planned to have minimal impact and allow fully regulatory compliant reclamation at the end of the mines life.
Oklahoma State football: Mike Gundy lifts Wes Lunt restrictions, but too late
Mike Gundy relaxed his restrictions on transferring quarterback Wes Lunt but too late to give Lunt any concrete options beyond Louisville and Illinois, Lunt told Illinois sports station WFMB. Lunt is transferring from OSU to Illinois and sat down for an excellent interview on channel1450.com, a Springfield, Ill.-based outlet. You can see that interview here.
Lunt said that Gundy called Lunt’s high school coach, Derek Leonard of Rochester, Ill., “about a week and a half ago … and said that I could go to another school if I wanted, but by that time I had lost contact with those coaches. Illinois and Louisville were great choices and I just stuck with them.”
Gundy had restricted Lunt from a scholarship at any Big 12, Pac-12 or SEC school, plus Southern Miss and Central Michigan. Lunt’s stated preferences were Louisville, Illinois, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Southern Miss. Which basically reduced his list to Louisville and Illinois.
Gundy caught a lot of grief for his restrictions, including from me, which you can read about here in this column from a few weeks ago. Lunt didn’t go into detail about how many of the restrictions were lifted. It’s good that Gundy has seen the light, no matter the reason for it. Enlightenment. Pressure. Whatever. But it’s unfortunate that it came too late. Which it obviously did.
Anyway, here are excerpts of the Lunt interview, with some of my responses.
On why Lunt transferred: “It kind of happened during the season when I didn’t go back in again (after two injuries). I wanted to play it out through spring ball, because I just loved it there, I didn’t want to leave. After spring ball and talking with Coach Gundy, it was just the right thing to do for me.”
Lunt seems to have some doubt about his football future as a Cowboy. He keeps saying he loved it in Stillwater. And while yeah, it’s a total drag to redshirt after starting part of his freshman season, he’s going to have to sit out with the Illini. Why not sit out with the Cowboys and take over one of the nation’s most proven offenses, unless something else is amiss.
On Lunt’s relationship with Gundy: “To be honest, when you go to college, you don’t really have a lot of time with the head coach. It’s more the position coach. I didn’t really talk to him too much, to be honest. That’s how all head coaches are. I understand that. But when (offensive coordinator Todd) Monken left, I got to know Coach (Mike) Yurcich, loved him, but just felt like I needed to leave.”
That’s an indictment of Gundy. Lunt is right; most head coaches don’t have real tight relationships with every player. But seems like the head coach ought to develop a relationship with the franchise quarterback. Seems like that ought to be a standard procedure. Letting Lunt get away might not cost the Cowboys in the long run. But it might. And this is not a recruit who decided to sign elsewhere. This was a guy who was on campus, had shown he had big-time potential and who keeps admitting he loved it in Stillwater. You can’t let a guy like that feel disconnected enough to leave.
On deciding to transfer and discovering the restrictions: “It was hard. I didn’t kind of understand it at first. I just picked those five schools because I had a previous relationships with them before I picked OSU. It was difficult. I didn’t understand the process, so when they were blocked, I knew I could appeal but it was going to take awhile. It was frustrating. But I understand the Big 12. That’s obvious. But the others, it was a little frustrating, but that’s part of it and I understand it. It’s all good.”
I’m with you, Wes. I can understand not letting a quarterback go to Texas. I can’t understand not letting a quarterback go to Tennessee or, heaven help us, Vanderbilt.
What other schools did Lunt have contact with? “Like Vanderbilt, Alabama, Notre Dame. Those are all schools that I couldn’t go to, except Notre Dame, I could have gone there, the whole Golson (expelled quarterback Everett) thing. Alabama would have been cool to check out, but I couldn’t talk to them. That was difficult.”
What’s the deal with Bama and OSU? Ever since the Crimson Tide edged out the Cowboys for a berth in the 2011 national title game, Alabama has been waltzing with the Cowboys over QBs. Luke Del Rio was committed from OSU and ended up at Alabama last winter. Norman North’s David Cornwell, recruited by OSU, committed to Alabama just the other day. Now Lunt was interested in Bama. Makes you cut Gundy some slack for putting Alabama on the famed list.
On whether Lunt will be the Illinois savior: “It’s going to take a lot more than one person. I know that. I’ve played football for awhile. It’s not just one person. It’s a team. I just hope I can help the team as much as I can.”
Lunt is right. It’s going to take more than great quarterbacking to lift Illinois. The Illini occasionally rise up for a special season but mostly are a Big Ten rumdum. Beckman already seems to be feeling some heat, after just one (2-10) season.
On Lunt’s feeling when he was named the starting QB last spring: “It was crazy. It was overwhelming. I use that word a lot. I didn’t know what to expect. It was a whirlwind. But it was a great time at OSU.”
The truth about Lunt’s time at OSU? It was mostly hype. Well-deserved hype. Hype that I think would have become fabulous substance. But mostly hype. His games were against Savannah State, Arizona, one series against Louisiana-Lafayette, TCU, 21/2 quarters against Kansas State. And that’s it. The ‘Zona game had some great moments for Lunt, but also some shaky throws. TCU was solid. K-State was about like Arizona. I think Lunt was going to be a star. But his freshman season was spotty.
On why he picked Illinois? “There’s a lot of things, going through the process. Illinois, I’ve always loved Illinois. I grew up watching ‘em, really developed a good relationship with Coach (Tim) Beckman and Coach (Bill) Cubit. I landed up there. It was a great thing for me, because I’ve seen his (Cubit’s) other quarterbacks at Western Michigan and Stanford and such. They’ve had tremendous success throwing the ball. Hopefully, I’m fortunate enough to bring that to Illinois.”
Maybe so. But if Lunt wants to ruin his own day, he could compare Cubit’s QB production to the OSU QB production of recent years.
“The Walking Dead”: Ticket to fourth season premiere offered in CASA fundraiser
Andrew Lincoln is shown in a scene from the Season Four premiere episode of “The Walking Dead.” – Photo Credit: Gene Page/AMC
“The Walking Dead” Premiere Raffle is being offered by Oklahoma County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA). Twenty percent of ticket sales will go to the United Way of Central Oklahoma’s May 2013 Tornado Relief Fund and the remaining funds will go to CASA to assist in giving children a voice in court.
The winner of this raffle will receive a ticket to “The Walking Dead’s” fourth season premiere in October in Los Angeles, with free airfare and lodging included, according to a news release.
Fans can visit the Center Court of Penn Square Mall today (June 18) through June 23 to buy a raffle ticket for $10.
Tickets can also be purchased at the Hn8th Night Market, Friday, June 28, or by calling (405) 713-6456.
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
Rick Bayless Wants to Feed You Lunch…but not without a ticket
Rick Bayless will bring Xoco to you, so you don’t have to go to Chicago to try it.
The OK Chefs Relief movement takes its next major leap on Monday with celebrity chef Rick Bayless’s pop-up explosion. Two of the three pop-ups are completely booked, but tickets for the third leg don’t go on sale until Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
The first incarnation of Bayless’ triple play will be in the east Pavilion of Leadership Square from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bayless will be in attendance with help on the grill from local chefs led by Jonathon Stranger to serve three tacos and a drink to attendees. Those interested can make their minimum $10 donation in advance starting at 9 a.m. by calling UMB Bank’s Mary Pointer at 239-5936.
With the $10 donation, you will not only receive lunch from Xoco but also a raffle ticket that gives you a chance at two tickets to Monday’s sold-out Topolobampo event, worth $1,000. No one will be served without a raffle ticket, which will be on sale as long as they last. The chefs’ goal is to feed at least 500 donors. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma for the tornado relief effort.
Bayless was born and raised in Oklahoma City, learning the restaurant business in his parents barbecue restaurant, the Hickory House. Rick ran the catering while in high school at Northwest Classen. Bayless is also a University of Oklahoma graduate.
When Bayless heard Stranger, Kurt Fleischfresser, Marc Dunham and a host of other local chefs would join New York City/San Francisco chef Danny Bowien, who grew up in Oklahoma City and graduate from Westmoore, for a two-day pop-up event to raise money for tornado recovery, he reached out and very nearly joined the first OK Chefs Relief pop-up. But it was decided they could raise more money with a second event.
The first event raised close to $80,000 in two days, and with all 20 $1,000 Topolobampo tickets sold and all 240 $60 Frontera tickets sold, OK Chefs Relief may well top $150,000 once the $10 Xoco donations are made. All the ticket and donation prices are suggested, and most of the attendees have given more than the minimum.
The city will make a proclamation that Monday officially be known as Rick Bayless Day in Oklahoma City at the Xoco event to show its thanks for the celebrity chef diverting his plans at the Food and Wine Show in Aspen, Colo., to raise money for those in his home state.
Since leaving the Sooner state, Bayless has built a long, celebrated career specializing in the flavors of Mexico. He’s published nine cookbooks and hosted 26 episodes of “Cooking Mexican” and more than 100 episodes over eight seasons of “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” on public television. The pop-ups reflect his three main restaurants: Frontera Grill, Topolobampo or Xoco in Chicago. He also has a few fast-casual niche concepts in Greater Chicago. He was also the first-ever “Top Chef Masters” champion.
Though he’s now a Chicagoan, Bayless is still an Okie at heart. His mother, Levita Anderson, still lives in town as does his sister, who is a special education teacher. Rick’s brother Skip is known for stirring up controversy on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“Wilfred” returns for third season June 20
“WILFRED”: From left, Jason Gann as Wilfred, Elijah Wood as Ryan. CR: Prashant Gupta/FX
The FX comedy “Wilfred” debuts its third season with back-to-back episodes at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20.
Details on “Wilfred,” provided by FX, are as follows:
“Wilfred” is a half-hour, live-action comedy about “Ryan” (Elijah Wood), a young man struggling to make his way in the world until he forms a unique friendship with “Wilfred” (Jason Gann), his neighbor’s canine pet. Everyone else sees Wilfred as just a dog, but Ryan sees a crude and somewhat surly, yet irrepressibly brave and honest Australian bloke in a cheap dog suit. While leading him through a series of comedic and existential adventures, Wilfred the dog shows Ryan the man how to overcome his fears and joyfully embrace the unpredictability and insanity of the world around him.
“Wilfred” is based on the critically acclaimed Australian series of the same title and was originally adapted for FX by David Zuckerman (“Family Guy,” “American Dad,” “King of the Hill”). Zuckerman also serves as an executive producer along with Reed Agnew, Eli Jorne, Jason Gann, Rich Frank and Jeff Kwatinetz of Prospect Park. Randall Einhorn, and Joe Connor and Ken Connor of Renegade, producers of the Australian version of the series. Einhorn also serves as director. “Wilfred” is produced by FX Productions. The Australian version of “Wilfred” was written by Jason Gann and Adam Zwar, directed by Tony Rogers and produced by Jen Livingston.
Season Three
Episode One
“Uncertainty”:
Ryan and Wilfred search for Wilfred’s original owner. Written by Reed Agnew & Eli Jorne; directed by Randall Einhorn.
Episode Two
“Comfort”
Ryan befriends Wilfred’s enemy – the mailman. Written by Cody Heller & Brett Konner; directed by Randall Einhorn.
Standard Car Parts Bite the Dust
By Chuck Mai, AAA
Quite a few longtime (and beloved) car parts are slowly fading away or gone altogether.
** Ash trays and cigarette lighters (although the power ports remain).
** Crank windows – even the most basic car today has power windows.
** Cassette players. Are you kidding? Some manufacturers are doing away with CD players and there is even talk of eliminating the AM band on radios.
** Whitewall tires. However, I believe they’ll come back at some point. Probably the same time spats make a return.
** Sealed-beam headlights, which have been replaced by xenon and halogen bulbs.
** Glass fuses. These days, they’ve been replaced by spade fuses of different types and styles.
** Vinyl tops and vinyl seats. Now, everything is either cloth or leather.
** Drum brakes. Although still around, many cars have four-wheel disc brakes, which were once only found on sports cars.
** Front bench seat. The middle passenger has been replaced by cup holders and storage boxes.
** External door locks on both front doors.
What’s next to go? My prediction is windshield wipers. They’ll be replaced by high-pressure air nozzles that sweep across the windshield, blowing off rain and drizzle. I just made that up. But then again, who ever thought we’d never see hubcaps again?
Obama Administration Threatens Veto of Rep. Frank Lucas’ Farm Bill
The Obama administration issued a veto threat for the multi-year farm bill set for consideration by the U.S. House this week. The statement says the bill cuts too much from the food stamp program and not enough from subsidies to farmers.
Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, is the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee and will be managing the legislation on the House floor. Lucas said last week that he was optimistic the bill would garner enough votes for passage.
The normally laid-back rancher delivered a fiery defense of his bill on the House floor on Tuesday, saying he had seen the devastation wrought in his home county, Roger Mills, in far western Oklahoma, as the result of bad farm policy. He said he wasn’t going to repeat the mistakes of the 1920s and 30s and 1970s and 80s.
He outlines the reforms and cost savings in the bill and urged lawmakers to work with him on the legislation, which is expected to be on the floor for the next two days for amendments.
Here is the administration’s statement:
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 1947 – Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013
(Rep. Lucas, R-OK, and Rep. Peterson, D-MN)
The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1947, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013. The bill would reduce access to food assistance for struggling families and their children, does not contain sufficient commodity and crop insurance reforms, and does not provide funding for renewable energy, which is an important source of jobs and economic growth in rural communities across the country.
The Administration strongly opposes the harmful cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a cornerstone of our Nation’s food assistance safety net. The bill makes unacceptable deep cuts in SNAP, which could increase hunger among millions of Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, including families with children and senior citizens. The Administration believes that Congress should achieve significant budgetary savings to help reduce the deficit without creating hardship for vulnerable families – for example, by reducing crop insurance subsidies. Rather than reducing crop insurance subsidies by $11.7 billion over 10 years, as proposed in the President’s Budget, H.R. 1947 would increase reference prices for farmers by roughly 45 percent and increase already generous crop insurance subsidies at a cost of nearly $9 billion over 10 years to the Nation’s taxpayers.
The Administration supports enactment of a multi-year Farm Bill that includes a long-term extension of disaster programs and promotes rural development, preserves a farm safety net, maintains strong nutrition programs, encourages the development of local and regional markets, enhances conservation, supports environmental stewardship, complies with our World Trade Organization commitments, advances agricultural research, and provides funding for renewable energy. In addition, the Administration believes that crop insurance payments should be tied to the Nation’s soil conservation and wetland protection goals. The legislation should also contribute significantly to deficit reduction, with savings from reforms proposed in the President’s Budget.
Consistent with the President’s Budget, the Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to achieve crop insurance and commodity program savings not contained in H.R. 1947, while at the same time strengthening the farm safety net in times of need and supporting the next generation of farmers. The Administration also looks forward to working with the Congress to structure reporting requirements to maximize and facilitate agricultural research without creating undue burdens. The Administration believes that provisions that would create unneeded barriers for agencies with regulatory responsibilities in executing their missions should not be included in a final bill.
Finally, the Administration looks forward to working with the Congress to reform the P.L. 480 Title II food aid program in order to provide food aid to starving people faster and feed millions of additional people per year at current funding levels.
If the President were presented with H.R. 1947, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.
Guthrie’s Rock-A-Way Tavern to host National Geographic Channel’s “Mudcats”
National Geographic Channel will be filming its noodling reality series “Mudcats” July 10-31 at Guthrie’s Rock-A-Way Tavern, according to a news release.
The tavern first hosted the filming of a noodling event for the series during its premiere season on the History Channel which debuted in 2012.
For more information on “Mudcats,” visit nationalgeographic.com/channel/mudcats/ and for more information on Rock-A-Way Tavern, visit RockAWayTavern.com
College football: Ranking the Big East non-conference schedules
Time to analyze Big East football’s non-conference schedules. Why? Because for one last year, the Big East has an automatic berth to the BCS. One of these teams will play in a major bowl. Next year, when Louisville and Rutgers move on to the ACC and Big Ten, respectively, this conference becomes the American Athletic Conference and loses its standing with a major bowl berth:
1. SMU: Texas Tech, Montana State, at Texas A&M, at TCU. Heck of a schedule by the Mustangs. Three old Southwest Conference foes, all of them decent teams at least.
2. Central Florida: Akron, at Florida International, at Penn State, South Carolina. Few teams will play a pair of opponents as strong as the Nittany Lions and Gamecocks.
3. South Florida: McNeese State, at Michigan State, Florida Atlantic, Miami. Typically strong schedule by the Bulls.
4. Connecticut: Towson, Maryland, Michigan, at Buffalo. UConn also hosts South Florida, Louisville and Rutgers. That’s a good home schedule.
5. Temple: at Notre Dame, Fordham, at Idaho, Army. Notre Dame solves a lot of scheduling woes.
6. Cincinnati: Purdue, at Illinois, Northwestern Louisiana, at Miami-Ohio. Decent schedule for a program fighting for its football life.
7. Rutgers: at Fresno State, Norfolk State, Eastern Michigan, Arkansas. The Scarlet Knights won in the Ozarks last season.
8. Houston: Southern U., Rice at Reliant Stadium, at Texas-San Antonio, Brigham Young. Not a great schedule, but the Cougars move into a new stadium in 2014.
9. Louisville: Ohio U., Eastern Kentucky, at Kentucky, Florida International. Not a schedule befitting a program of the Cardinals’ status.
10. Memphis: Duke, at Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State, Tennessee-Martin. Actually, for Memphis’ lack of standing in college football, this isn’t an awful schedule.
West Virginia beat writer Allan Taylor: Loss of superstars leaves offense ‘in open-audition mode’
West Virginia visits Norman to face Oklahoma on Sept. 7, but without its offensive superstars like Tavon Austin from a year ago. PHOTO BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
NORMAN — Oklahoma opens Big 12 play a little earlier than usual in 2013.
The Sooners host West Virginia on Sept. 7 in their second game of the season. Last year, of course, OU won a 50-49 shootout in Morgantown, W.Va., in the two teams’ first meeting as conference foes.
The Mountaineers lose offensive stars Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey from last year’ squad, so they’ve obviously got some big shoes to fill.
Continuing my blog series with a beat writer from each of OU’s 2013 opponents, Allan Taylor from MetroNews was kind enough to answer a few questions about West Virginia.
You can follow Allan on Twitter @AllanTaylorWVU.
The series will run each Tuesday and Thursday at noon for the next several weeks.
1. First and foremost, how the heck does West Virginia plan to replace all the offensive playmakers it lost? In your opinion, who steps up to fill those roles?
The simultaneous exodus of quarterback Geno Smith (back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons), top receivers Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey, and three O-line starters left the offense in open-audition mode.
The quarterback battle between junior Paul Millard and redshirt freshman Ford Childress became more crowded when Florida State Clint Trickett — a junior with immediate eligibility — transferred to WVU in April. He’s a former Morgantown kid who likely wouldn’t have returned without some confidence he could win the job.
The receiving corp lost 315 catches and returns only 63. (Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson cracked that WVU has more drops coming back than catches.) The search for “the next Tavon” is futile, because his sort of elusiveness is rare, but the Mountaineers have a trio of junior college receivers, led by Kevin White, and four-star freshman Shelton Gibson who will try to pick up the production.
2. The WVU-Oklahoma game was obviously one of the most memorable for both squads last season. How much did that one hurt for not only the players and coaches, but the fans?
The highlight-heavy game was a rarity in that even the losing side recognized what a breathless evening of football it was. (The irony is that West Virginia came within a point of sweeping Texas and OU, and still didn’t factor in the Big 12 race.) Ultimately, the loss cemented Dana Holgorsen’s decision to shuffle his defensive staff, and also doomed WVU to the blustery torment of the Pinstripe Bowl.
3. West Virginia was expected by many to take the Big 12 by storm last season, but it didn’t quite work out like that. Do you think those expectations got to the Mountaineers?
The preseason excitement around that new-league smell was exponentially heightened by the 5-0 start and Smith’s rapid climb to Heisman frontrunner. Alas, the back-to-back cross-country trips to Austin and Lubbock were the kind of scheduling hump great teams can overcome, but WVU revealed itself to be far from that.
The Mountaineers’ defense might have looked functional against a Big East schedule, but it simply lacked the skill and experience to compete against the sharp, uptempo offenses of the Big 12.
4. All things considered, how would you grade West Virginia’s first Big 12 football season?
A to F, I’d give it a D, because the program went 7-6 with a collection of offensive playmakers the program may never enjoy again. On the Mohs hardness scale, I’d score it a 1, because there was a noticeable void of toughness as the season started unraveling. By the time WVU was getting pummeled by Syracuse in Yankee Stadium, the fight was completely gone.
5. The Mountaineers lost offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to Oklahoma. How much did his departure sting the folks in Morgantown?
Losing the Bill-dozer less than a week after signing day was a jolt, though the bigger burn was losing to him another Big 12 program. Holgorsen backfilled in strong fashion nine days later by luring West Virginia native Ron Crook from Stanford.
Bedenbaugh was one of five assistants gone from last season’s staff: quarterbacks coach Jake Spavital (Texas A&M), running backs coach Robert Gillespie (Tennessee), cornerbacks coach Daron Roberts (fired) and special teams coordinator Steve Dunlap (reassigned).
