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.

Inductee Bob Seger speaks at the 2012 Songwriters Hall of Fame induction and awards gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, Thursday June 14, 2012 in New York. (AP file)

“The Voice” Season 4 finale airs from 8 to 10 tonight on NBC, and the peacock network has lined up an impressive lineup of talent to perform on the hit reality TV show.

It’s a sure bet the network will drag out the announcement of the winner to the very end of the two-hour season finale. Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers and 16-year-old Texan Danielle Bradbery, both representing Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton’s team, and indie pop-rocker Michelle Chamuel, who is competing on Team Usher, are the three finalists vying for the grand prize of a recording contract.

According to Yahoo! Music, rock legend Bob Seger will perform a duet tonight with The Swon Brothers, whose excellent cover of Seger’s “Turn the Page” last week landed them in the Top 5 on the iTunes country charts and helped them advance to the finals.

OneRepublic, featuring Tulsa native Ryan Tedder, will perform its new single “Counting Stars” with Chamuel, according to Yahoo! Music. Bradbery reportedly will be matched with fellow young country up-and-comer Hunter Hayes for his new hit “I Want Crazy.”

In addition, soon-to-be returning “The Voice” coach Christina Aguilera will sing with Pitbull, plus the finale will feature performances by Bruno Mars, Florida Georgia Line with Nelly and Cher.

Look for my live blog of the finale starting at 8 tonight here at BAM’s Blog.

-BAM

Mike Gundy reportedly lifted some of his transfer restrictions on Wes Lunt. / Photo by Bryan Terry

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.

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 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”: 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.

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?

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.

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

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 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).

The NBA Finals can end Tuesday night, and should the Spurs beat the Heat in Game 6, or in a potential Game 7 Thursday night, it would be considered a big upset. Not because San Antonio is some Cinderella story, but because the Heat is considered an historically great team.

Sixty-six wins in the regular season, along with a 27-game winning streak, will produce such laurels.

But how much of an upset would it really be? Watching these games, you realize there’s not much of a difference between these teams. The Miami-Indiana series went seven games, but watching it, you could tell the Heat was the more dominant squad. The Pacers won mostly-close games. The Heat won mostly-blowouts.

Spurs-Heat is not a series of an underdog playing above its head. Spurs-Heat is a prizefight of two teams trading haymakers.

And even closer inspection of the numbers tells us that there’s not a big difference between these teams. The Heat went 66-16 in the regular season. The Spurs went 58-24. Eight games difference. But a couple of factors to consider. First, Gregg Popovich doesn’t go all out to win every game. He rests his starters frequently, as he famously did in Miami, of all places, back on Nov. 29, drawing a fine from the NBA. Erik Spoelstra countered when the Heat went to San Antonio, doing the same yet still winning. But such shenanigans really only affect a game or two in the standings.

What really makes 66 and 58 not so far apart is the schedule. San Antonio plays in the Western Conference. Miami plays in the East. Big, big difference. So big, it’s possible that these teams had virtually the same kind of success this year. But one played a schedule like Southern Cal plays. The other played a schedule like Kansas State plays.

Let’s analyze. Every NBA team plays two games a season against each of the teams in the other conference. So that’s 30 games each. That means the Heat and the Spurs played 58 games each that were identical to the other. Two each against every other team in the league.

That leaves 24 games each that are totally different. That’s not a lot of games to make up for an eight-game difference. But in this case, it does.

The West beat the East 262-188 in interconference play this season. That’s a 74-game edge. Thirty-seven games would have had to go the other way to lift the East level with the West. That’s 21/2 games per team. The average West team is 21/2 games better than the average East team. So we can use that to compare.

The Hawks won 44 games and played Miami four times. The Mavericks won 41 and played San Antonio four times. So we can call that even.

The Wizards won 29 games and played the Heat four times. The Hornets won 27 games and played the Spurs four times. So we can call that even.

The Netropolitans and Celtics combined to win 90 games and played the Heat seven times. The Jazz and Rockets combined to win 88 games and played the Spurs seven times. So we can call that a wash.

The Bucks and Cavaliers combined to win 62 games and played the Heat eight times. The Kings and Timberwolves combined to win 59 games and played the Spurs eight times. So that’s close.

The Raptors and Pistons combined to win 63 games and played the Heat six times. The Suns and Blazers combined to win 58 games and played the Spurs six times. So that’s even.

The Bulls and Pacers combined for 94 wins and played the Heat seven times. The Lakers and Warriors combined for 92 wins and played the Spurs seven times. So that’s close.

So now we’ve accounted for basically 74 games of each team’s schedule. The remaining eight games are the difference in what the Heat played against and what the Spurs played against.

The Heat played two games against the Knickerbockers (54 wins) that the Spurs did not, and the Spurs played two games against the Grizzlies (56 wins) that the Heat did not.

The Heat played two games against the 76ers (34 wins) that the Spurs did not, and the Spurs played two games against the Clippers (56 wins) that the Heat did not. Uh-oh.

The Heat played two games against the Bobcats (21 wins) that the Spurs did not, and the Spurs played two games against the Nuggets (57 wins) that the Heat did not. Wow.

The Heat played two games against the Magic (20 wins) that the Spurs did not, and the Spurs played two games against the Thunder (60 wins) that the Heat did not. Timberrrrrrrr!

So in those eight games that basically are the biggest difference in the schedule, the Heat played teams that combined for 129 wins against an East schedule. The Spurs played teams that combined for 229 wins against a West schedule. Counting the difference in scheduling, that’s a 110-win difference.

Here’s another way to look at it. Over 74 games, the Heat and Spurs played virtually identical schedules. Then the Spurs played eight extra games against an opponent the caliber of the Nuggets or the Grizzlies. The Heat played eight extra games against an opponent the caliber of the Pistons or the Raptors.

Give the Spurs the Heat’s eight games, and their victory total goes into the low 60s. Give the Heat the Spurs’ eight games, and Miami’s victory total drops into the low 60s.

Even adjusting for schedule, Miami had a slightly better performance. But only slightly. These teams are virtually even more than just in the NBA Finals. They were virtually even in the regular season. If San Antonio wins the NBA title, it’s an upset in perception only.

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957 AM CDT TUE JUN 18 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE…THROUGH TONIGHT…

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MAINLY WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS TONIGHT…MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEVERE WEATHER
IS UNLIKELY THROUGH TONIGHT.

DISCUSSION…
NO STORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING DUE TO
STRONG CAPPING.

THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE INTO WESTERN OKLAHOMA AND ADJACENT PARTS OF
NORTH TEXAS TONIGHT AS THEY MOVE OFF THE HIGH PLAINS OF COLORADO
AND NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO. WITH ONLY MARGINAL INSTABILITY AND SHEAR
AVAILABLE…ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS UNLIKELY OVER OKLAHOMA AND
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. HOWEVER…A FEW STORMS TONIGHT MAY CONTAIN
HEAVY RAIN…GUSTY WINDS…AND SMALL HAIL.

PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT WEDNESDAY JUN 19.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…30 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR…10 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY…

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
AS A WEAK WEATHER DISTURBANCE MOVES OVER THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY…SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE OVER THE REGION. STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE
POSSIBLE…WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY
HAZARDS.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
WITH RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL…MAINLY OVER PARTS OF CENTRAL AND
NORTHERN OKLAHOMA…ADDITIONAL RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO FLOODING OF
LOW-LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY.

1. Federal Building

Address: NW 6, NW 8, Hudson and Harvey Avenues

Designer: Ross Barney + Jankowski, Chicago

One must remember the context of the time when designs were first unveiled in 1999. The building was set to replace the bomb-destroyed Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and civic leaders had scrambled to prevent the loss of the various federal agencies to the suburbs. Was this the design that civic leaders of the time wanted? Heck no. Did they have a design ordinance to insist on changes? Nope. No one said, “take this or else.” But the message was there. The design was promoted as “an inviting yet secure” complex. It certainly is seen as secure. It was noted at the time this design was released that the U-shape of the building was eerily reminiscent of the blast damage to the Murrah building. Local architects recoiled in horror, but no protest really ensued. Oklahoma City was feeling vulnerable. Downtown needed the workforce to help rebuild what had been lost. The building is as secure as a U.S. prison or army bunker in heart of Baghdad. I don’t know of anyone who likes the design, and the park is seen as less than inviting.

The original Oklahoma City Federal Building “park”.

What newcomers to town might not realize is the photo above, of the surrounding park filled with overgrown grasses was actually as the designers intended. But when weeds got into the mix, complaints finally prompted the General Services Administration to do away with the high grasses and keep the “park” mowed. The photo, interestingly enough, is from the GSA website.

Legacy at Arts Quarter

The original Legacy renderings by ADG Inc. before they were value engineered by developer Mike Henderson.

Legacy at Arts Quarter

Address: 301 N Walker

ADG Inc., Oklahoma City

Let’s be fair on this one; the complex we see today has very little in common with the original designs submitted by ADG Inc. But due to a lot of value engineering by developer Mike Henderson, Legacy at Arts Quarter is now seen as “how not to” design a major downtown apartment complex. The façade is heavy on white stucco, and it’s staining from the city’s red dirt and wind. And the admission this design was a disappointment was made by none other than Henderson himself as his one-time protégé, Gary Brooks, successfully bid to develop the old Mercy hospital site in MidTown. Sure enough, Brooks’ Edge looks nothing like Legacy. On the upside, Legacy introduced a whole new level of residential density to downtown and strove to include retail on the ground floor (which has been a partial but not complete success).

Residence Inn:

Address: 400 E Reno

Designed by Lohmeyer-Russell, Springfield, Mo.

This project was partly, but not totally, what inspired me to seek a transfer from the newspaper’s city desk, where I had been working on investigative stories, to creating an entirely new downtown development, public/private development beat on the business desk. I saw Lower Bricktown being developed in a manner that was upsetting readers who were disappointed in what they were seeing rising out of the ground and wondered why they weren’t being told enough in advance about what was set to be built.

By the time these plans emerged in 2005, just before I changed beats, the Harkins Theater, and smaller restaurant buildings were already built.

It’s not as if there weren’t any complaints voiced when this project, the third and last John Q. Hammons hotel to be built downtown, was pitched to the Urban Renewal Authority. Indeed, it was noted that these designs probably wouldn’t have passed the Bricktown Urban Design Committee, which governs Bricktown north of Reno Avenue.

Architect Jim Lohmeyer suggested the difference in design was good – that it differentiated the original historic Bricktown from the newly developed Lower Bricktown. Some influential folks in downtown’s leadership quipped to me “it differentiates good design from crappy design,” and “better than crappy makes us happy.”

The hotel has a color brick and green roof with no connection to the materials historically used in the old warehouse district. The design is closer to what is typical for a suburban hotel. The hotel has no real connection with the adjoining Bricktown Canal (oddly, much of Lower Bricktown has been developed to turn its back on the canal).

Urban Renewal commissioners at the time seemed quite aware of what they were approving, as you can see in the following quote from a 2005 article by Brian Brus at the Journal Record.

“The Bricktown Urban Design Committee does a good job of maintaining the standards north of Reno, but they don’t apply south of Reno,” said commissioner Jim Tolbert. “To the south, it’s mostly up to Urban Renewal to maintain because it’s mostly Urban Renewal Authority. I think it’s too late for there to be any standards.”

Final observation: the Residence Inn and the rest of Lower Bricktown have been cited several times by developers attempting to get Urban Design approval for projects being attempted north of Reno Avenue. Such efforts have been quickly dismissed by members of the Bricktown Urban Design Committee. And even the Urban Renewal Authority put its foot down and demanded changes when Lower Bricktown developer Randy Hogan attempted to design a Kevin Durant restaurant that would again turn its back on the canal.

Myriad Gardens restaurant (still empty)

Address: Robinson between Sheridan and Reno Avenues

Designed by Gensler

This will likely be the most controversial of my picks, but I’m sticking with it. Gensler’s work at Devon Energy Center and overall contributions at the Myriad Gardens will almost certainly, and should win major awards. But this one building is empty a year after completion, and designers, planners and project managers were warned in advance. Photographed from the right angles, it’s simply beautiful. It’s too early to say that form won out too much over function, but with the money spent to create a great glass overlook to the Myriad Gardens lake, the street façade is institutional and forgettable. Not The exterior panels already show evidence of wear and tear similar to what we’ve seen with the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library. Functionally, something about this building has been scaring away restaurant operators. To say that’s a matter of market timing and demand goes against the openings of some pretty unique new downtown restaurants just in the past few months. The big shame here is that some of the urban core’s most respected restaurant operators warned in advance this design wouldn’t work, that the city and Myriad Gardens Foundation would struggle to find a tenant. The restaurant folks were ignored; the building remains empty.

Dishonorable mentions:

American Choral Directors Association

Metro Transit Bus Transfer Station

American Choral Directors

IRS Building

Designer Zac Posen

Here comes the bridal designer … .and it’s Zac Posen. He hitched his creative talents with David’s Bridal for a collection of bridal gowns that’s much more budget friendly than his usual clothing.

Called Truly Zac Posen, the line will consist of six gowns that will be in stores February 2014. The gowns will be in gradations of ivory and priced between $850 and $1,350.

Posen doesn’t leave out the bridesmaid or mother of the bride either. And lucky for them, the five “social occasion dresses” can make the walk down the aisle or into the cocktail party. Those dresses will be available in neutral hues and a metallic jacquard. These are easy on the wallet, too, with prices that will range from $195 to $225.

Posen doesn’t take his bridal designs over the top. Instead, he prefers contoured bodies and long trains.

Other lines at David’s Bridal include Vera Wang, Oleg Cassini and Melissa Sweet.

Today’s featured event:

NORMAN – Help your child experience art through the colorful world of Dr. Seuss in today’s Art Adventures at 10:30 a.m. at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave. Today’s activity will focus on the Dr. Seuss book “My Many Colored Days.”

For more information, go to www.ou.edu/fjjma.

For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.

-BAM

This week started off with a bang Monday when Edward Snowden, the man behind the leak of the National Security Agency’s surveillance program, hosted a live Q&A on The Guardian’s website.

Reporter Glenn Greenwald helped oversee the live chat, allowing readers to ask Snowden questions about his personal life and the leak.

Why is this a big deal?

Well, probably because Snowden is a very wanted man whose last known whereabouts were in Hong Kong. Why would he risk his location for the Q&A? It’s all very interesting.

Not to mention the Internet’s role in all of this. Without it, the Q&A and original contact with the press might have not even been possible.

If you’re interested in this case, you should definitely read the chat transcript. Snowden even explains to readers that despite what some may say, he’s not a spy working for China.

“Ask yourself: If I were a Chinese spy, why wouldn’t I have flown directly into Beijing? I could be living in a palace petting a phoenix by now.”

Next, we have some news on Facebook and its implementation of hashtags.

Welcome Facebook. #BetterLateThanNever.

The company posted a blog last week announcing that hashtags on similar services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pintrest allow you to add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion.

Now when you click on a hashtag in Facebook, you’ll see a feed of what other people and Pages are saying about an event or topic, the company explained on the blog.

Why is this a big deal? One guess is advertising.

According to AllThingsD.com, data from Nielsen’s latest research shows that nearly half of smartphone owners and tablet owners said they use their devices as second screens while watching TV every day.

Now wouldn’t it be nifty if Facebook could cash in on some of those hashtags being used in commercials for products and events? Yep.

Overall, I think integrating hashtags is a great step forward for Facebook, but not everyone has them yet.

I’ve seen people use them on my Facebook, but I can’t click them. It reminds me of a time when people were using them in the beginning to cross promote tweets on Facebook. I couldn’t stand it then, and now I can’t stand not having hashtags.

I understand it takes awhile to roll out new features, but I wish we could speed that process up.

Another Facebook product might also be getting a revamp soon. Rumors have been circulating that Instagram might be adding video functionality to its app this month.

WeTheUrban Tumblr writes that TechCrunch notes Facebook has been sending invites to key people regarding a private press conference being held on June 20.

The conference could be to launch the hashtags, but sources close to Facebook say the company is planning to integrate video sharing on Instagram, according to WeTheUrban Tumblr.

Looks like the rumor is that Instagram will allow for anywhere between five and 10 second videos, but it’s not clear yet if filters will be available for video. Vine better watch out.

Finally, I wanted to talk about reports of a CBS reporter’s computer being hacked.

Last week CBS News confirmed that reporter Shayl Attkisson’s computer had been hacked. The news of the hack broke in the middle of the NSA leak, causing some to question if the Obama administration might have been involved.

The Huffington Post reports that Attkisson is well known for her aggressive reporting on the Benghazi attack and the Obama administration’s Fast and Furious controversy.

“The analysis found very unusual activity buried deep in the computer,” she said during an appearance on “CBS This Morning.” “The unauthorized party accessed the CBS computer at my home on multiple occasions, and specifically in December, they used sophisticated methods to cover their tracks, meaning they tried to remove the indications of their previous unauthorized activity.”

Attkisson also said the breach is “a very serious and disturbing matter.”

I’ll continue to follow this case for new updates on the hack and who might be responsible.

That’s all for this week. See you next Tuesday.

- Tiffany

Check out a couple of the musical highlights of Monday night’s final live performance episode of “The Voice” Season 4: Coaches Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Usher and Shakira performing “With a Little Help From My Friends” and the top 16 singing Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes’ “Home.”

“The Voice” Season 4 coaches and host Carson Daly

Muskogee’s The Swon Brothers and 16-year-old Texan Danielle Bradbery, both representing Oklahoma country music star Blake Shelton’s team, and indie pop-rocker Michelle Chamuel, who is competing on Team Usher, are the three finalists vying for the grand prize of a recording contract. Since one of Shelton’s finalists won the past two seasons, Team Blake is working on a three-peat on “The Voice.”

The winner will be revealed during the live two-hour season finale airing from 8 to 10 tonight.

Check out my live blog of Monday night’s performance episode here.

As previously reported, Zach and Colton Swon performed on Monday the Eagles’ standard “I Can’t Tell You Why,” with Zach on piano, Colton on guitar and their sibling harmonies in the forefront. It also showcased their falsetto singing, something we hadn’t really seen them do before, and they nailed that aspect of the song.

For their coach duet, the Swon siblings teamed with Shelton to perform Brad Paisley’s smash “Celebrity,” which showed off not only their musical abilities but the ironic sense of humor the Oklahomans share. After all, you’ve got to have a sense of irony to perform a song mocking reality show while on a reality show.

“I Can’t Tell You Why” and “Celebrity” are the two songs from Monday night’s episode for which iTunes downloads count for votes. You’ve still got almost an hour to vote by downloading, calling toll-free, texting or online balloting. For complete voting instructions, go to www.nbc.com/the-voice/vote/methods.

-BAM