text:
Knobel, Christine
Professor Christina Cogdell
Design 40a
11 December 2014
The U.S. One Cent Coin: Raw Materials
The penny is the first coin minted in the United States (A Brief History of the U.S. Cent). This coin, known as the Fugio cent, was made of 100% copper and designed by Benjamin Franklin in 1787(McMorrow-Hernandez). In 1793 the U.S. Mint began minting the U.S. one cent coin (A Brief History of the U.S. Cent). The coin was much larger than the current penny, almost the size of the half dollar, and heavy; the weight of the coin was directly related to the value of the copper it consisted of (Cents). 1815 was the only year no one cent coins were minted due to a copper shortage caused by the War of 1812 (A Brief History of the U.S. Cent). The price of copper was rising in the 1850's and a smaller cent was developed. This penny consisted of 88% copper and 12% nickel (Cents). The one cent coin went through another composition change after the Civil War in 1864 to 95% copper and 5% zinc (A Brief History of the U.S. Cent). In 1943 the copper was completely removed and replaced with steel do to World War II; copper was reintroduced back into the penny in 1944. In 1982 the composition changed yet again; the penny became primarily zinc with a thin copper plating (McMorrow-Hernandez). Today our pennies consist of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper and cost 1.83 cents to create.
The U.S. one cent coin has had a wonderful history and many composition changes since its creation in 1787. In today's modern world the penny has no relevance and is too expensive to manufacture. The penny is often discarded in our society, the leave a penny tray is a great example. The cost of a current U.S. one cent coin is 1.83 cents but the value is still only 1 cent. This is directly related to the materials cost (CC Enterprises LLC). The costs of the raw materials are too great to keep the U.S. one cent coin in production.
The two main raw materials in the current US one cent coin are zinc at 97.5% and copper at 2.5%. Neither zinc nor copper occur as pure minerals in nature. Zinc is most commonly derived from sphalerite which is a zinc sulfide. Zinc is the fourth most important metal in the world, as far as quantity produced; following iron, aluminum, and copper (Sibley). Extraction and concentration requires great energy and processing to acquire the valuable metal. The zinc used in the U.S. one cent coin comes from the Tennessee Valley Mines; this mine group is comprised of 6 mines: Young, Immel, Coy, Elmwood, Gordonsville, and Cumberland (Smelting and Alloying). These zinc mines are underground drill and blast mines. "Scalers", large underground vehicles, are also used to knockdown loose rock from mine walls (Knoxville News Sentinel). The mineral content in the rock from these mines only contain 3-11% of zinc (Metallurgical Industry). Despite the high energy needed to extract the mineral from the surrounding rock, the value of the mineral is very profitable. (International Precious Metals Institute). The boulders and rocks that are drilled, blasted, and scaled from the walls are then sent through a concentration process which occurs onsite of each of these mines.
The concentration process begins by crushing and grinding the boulders and rocks until they are almost a fine power (International Precious Metals Institute). Once the ore has been reduced to a fine powder they are put through a froth flotation process. The froth flotation process separates the zinc sulfide from the rest of the ore. The froth flotation is divided up into cells, which usually cascade onto each other to further concentrate the zinc. Each cell is filled with water, ground ore, and collector chemicals such as xamthates, dithiophosphates, and/ or thionocarbamates (Orcia). The collector chemicals are a very small portion of the mixture. These chemicals attach to the zinc sulfides to make them hydrophobic, or to have little or no affinity for water (dictionary.com). Frothing agents such as MIBC and DSF specialty range are added to the slurry and air is then released from the bottom of the cell. The zinc sulfides, now hydrophobic, attach to the bubbles and rise to the surface of the slurry to the top to create froth. The zinc sulfide froth overfills from the top of this cell into the next cell. This process is repeated multiple times until the resulting froth is thick and containing 62-65% zinc concentrate (Nyrstar Tennessee Mines). Once the zinc is concentrated at the mine it is transported to the smelter.
The distance the zinc concentrate travels from mine to smelter is relatively small. Young, Immel, and Coy mines are located within 20 miles of each other and are about 250 miles from the smelter. Elmwood, Gordonsville, and Cumberland mines are all located within 10 miles of each other and are about 100 miles from that the same smelter in Clarksville, TN (Nyrstar Tennessee Mines). This smelter is Nyrstar, and it is utilized by Jarden Zinc; the manufacturer of the penny blanks. The first step is to remove the remaining sulfides from the zinc concentrate.
The first step is to roast the zinc concentrate; this removes the sulfide from the zinc. The fluidized-bed roaster roasts the zinc concentrate under pressure; the pressure amounts to a little less than the atmospheric pressure. The zinc concentrate is "suspended and oxidized in a feedstock bed supported on an air column." (Metallurgical Industry). The average temperature to heat the concentrate is around 1000°C. The chemical process that takes place in the roaster is the conversion of zinc sulfide to a zinc oxide.
2ZnS + 30₂ → 2ZnO + S0₂
The result is an impure zinc oxide, or calcine, and sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid from this process is very important and is used at another stage for the zinc processing. Once the roasting is complete the electrolytic process can begin (Metallurgical Industry).
Electrolytic processing, a hydrometallurgical process, is the next step for the zinc. This process includes leaching, purification, and electrolysis (Metallurgical Industry). Leaching utilizes the sulfuric acid created from the zinc roasting process. An aqueous solution of sulfuric acid, zinc oxide, and spent electrolytes is created (Zinc Environmental Profile). The zinc is dissolved in this process leaving behind iron, lead, and silver (Zinc Production). A few other impurities can also be dissolved with the zinc and so the leach solution undergoes a purification process. Purifying additives, undisclosed, are added to the leach solution and the solution temperature ranges from 40-85°C. The resulting solution is a zinc sulfate solution and it limits impurities to less than 0.05 milligram per liter. The next step of the electrolytic process is the electrolysis; metallic zinc is recovered from the purified solution in this step (Metallurgical Industry). A current is passed between a lead alloy anode and an aluminum cathode submerged in the circulating purified zinc sulfate solution. This current ranges between 3.3-3.5 volts and causes the high purity zinc to deposit on the cathode (Zinc Production). The cathode is then removed from the solution to recover the deposited zinc every 24-48 hours (Metallurgical Industry). This zinc is removed, dried, and then melted. The resulting melted zinc is cast into Special High Grade (SHG) zinc ingots consisting of 99.995% zinc (Smelting and Alloying). The current U.S. one cent coin also contains copper which has to be first extracted.
In nature copper is found as native, oxide, or sulfide. Copper sulfide, or chalcophile, is the most plentiful (Morin, 1). Copper is the third most industrial metal following iron and aluminum (US Geological Survey). The mine that Jarden Zinc, the producers of the penny blanks, receives its copper from remains undiscovered and as so the extraction of copper will be based off of the extraction and leaching methods of Morenci mine in Arizona.
The Morenci mine is the largest producer of copper in the United States; in 2013 it produced 664 million pounds of copper alone (Niemuth). The ore content at Morenci mine is a predominantly oxide copper mineral called chrysocolla. There is also chalcopyrite and chalcocite; these are the primary and secondary copper sulfides. The ore is mined exclusively for leaching at Morenci mine. Morenci mine is an open-pit copper mine located about 50 miles northeast of Safford, AZ (Freeport McMoRan). All copper produced from Morenci mine is in the form of copper cathodes that are 99.99% pure copper (Dresher). The mine extracts copper by blasting the copper bearing rock and excavating the blasted rock with large shovels. The blasted rock can contain as little as .5% copper. The blasted rock is shoveled into a truck and is hauled to the specialized leaching area on the property (ASARCO).
The Morenci mine employs a bacteria leaching process known as solvent extraction /electrowinning (SX/EW) to oxidize the copper sulfides. The bacteria used are native to the site and it oxidizes the copper sulfides to create ferric sulfate and sulfuric acid. The leaching process occurs in two large piles of crushed ore that are saturated with sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid dissolves the copper and the copper solution is recovered from the bottom of the piles. The copper is extracted from the solution in a solvent extraction process. This is done by using and organic extractant which exchanges the copper for hydrogen in the solution. The remaining solution is returned to the leaching piles as an acidic solution. Depleted electrolyte is used to strip the copper from the organic extractant. The remaining copper aqueous solution is pumped to the tank house where the electrowinning process occurs (Dresher). Electrowinning involves sending an electric current between an anode and cathode submerged in the copper electrolyte solution; during this process the copper from the solution deposits on the cathode (Freeport McMoRan Inc.). As the electrolyte is depleted of copper it becomes acidified. This can then be pumped back to the solvent extraction stage and used again as the primary source of acid for the leaching (Dresher). The resulting copper from this process is 99.99% pure and ready to ship to Jarden Zinc to become the U.S. one cent coin blank.
Jarden Zinc is located in Greensville, TN (Jarden Zinc Products). The zinc ingots travel 294 miles from Clarksville, TN and the copper cathodes travel 1,775 miles from Morenci, AZ to Jarden Zinc. Although Jarden Zinc does not outline their coin blanking process in detail, the U.S. Mint and other sites do cover the general coin making process. First step in making the blank coins is to mold the zinc in the appropriate size and shape.
The zinc is cast from the melted zinc ingots into continuous bars 1.5 inches thick by 5 inches wide. Then the bar is cut about 30 inches long. These bars of zinc then go through a roughing mill, where rollers press the bar flat with up to nine tons of force. The bars go through this stage about a dozen times until the bar is a half inch thick strip (How It's Made). The resulting strip is fed through the finishing mill; the strip is thinned down to its final thickness of 1.55mm (Enchanted Learning). The zinc strip next enters the blanking machine that cuts the circular disks that will become the penny. The rimming or upsetting machine is where the raised edge or rim is added to the penny (How It's Made). The spinning wheel in the rimming machine forces the blanks along a stationary segment; this force causes the edge to slightly rise. The coin blanks are called "coin planchets" officially once it has a rim (Unser). The planchets are led into a tub where they will be washed with water and a cleaning solution (How It's Made). The cleaning solution recommended is a mild alkaline (Jarden Zinc Products). Steel beads are added to the wash and act as an abrasive agent, smoothing and polishing the coin planchets. After the 20 minute wash cycle the tub empties into a shifter that separates out the steel beads; the planchets are then dried (How It's Made). Copper is electroplated onto the zinc using Jarden's oblique barrel plating line; this ensures that the copper plating covers the entire planchet including the rim (Jarden Zinc Products). The penny planchets are now ready to be shipped to the U.S. Mint for minting.
The U.S. one cent coin is the only coin whose coin blank, or planchet, is brought in and not produced at the U.S. Mint. The penny planchets now travel from Jarden Zinc in Greeneville, TN to either Philadelphia, PA 566 miles or Denver, CO 1,401 miles away. They are shipped in pallets that contain about 400 thousand coin planchets each and weigh almost a ton. The pallets are emptied onto conveyer belts and fed along the minting process (60 Minutes). The penny planchets are then taken to the press where there is a mounted reverse and obverse die. The coins are pressed by a striker that consists of two dies; the reverse or "tails side" die is stationary while the obverse or "heads side" die is the hammer. Thirty five tons of pressure is used to transfer the design of the dies to the penny (Unser). 700 pennies are pressed per minute, which means 12 pennies are pressed per second (60 Minutes). After the pennies are pressed they fall into a trap and wait for inspection. Once they pass inspection they are counted, weighted, bagged, and then stored in a vault. The pennies are eventually shipped out to Federal Reserve Banks across the nation to enter into circulation (Unser).
There are twelve Federal Reserve Banks in the country. They are located in: San Francisco, CA, Dallas, TX, Kansas City, MO, Minneapolis, MN, Saint Louis, MO, Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, Richmond, VA, Cleveland, OH, Philadelphia, PA, New York, NY, and Boston, MA (FRB). The furthest a newly minted penny can travel from the Philadelphia mint is 2,875 miles to the San Francisco Federal Reserve in California. The furthest reserve from the Denver mint is 1,972 miles to the Boston Federal Reserve in Massachusetts. Once the coins arrive at the Federal Reserve individual banks can purchase the new currency for circulation. From there the penny lives out its lifecycle. The average penny life cycle is 25 years (Jarden Zinc Products). At the end of the penny's life cycle banks return the coins the Federal Reserve. The coins are destroyed and melted (McMorrow-Hernandez).
The U.S. penny has been around since 1787. It has changed in size and composition to keep up cost of the raw materials as well as with demand. Currently the U.S. one cent coin cost 1.83 cents but only has the value of one cent. The demand is no longer prevalent either; many people do not bother to keep their pennies. The cost of the two main raw materials, zinc and copper, have exceeded the value of the one cent coin and therefore the U.S. one cent coin should be discontinued from production.
Works Cited
"A Brief History of the U.S. Cent." A Brief History of the U.S. Cent. Americans for Common Cents, n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http://www.pennies.org/index.php/penny-history/a-brief-history-of-the-u-s-cent>.
ASARCO. "Makng Copper." ASARCO. ASARCO Grupo Mexico, 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asarco.com%2Fabout-us%2Four-locations%2Fasarco-mineral-discovery-center%2Fmaking-copper%2F>.
CC Enterprises LLC. "Cost to Make a Penny: Chart/Graph." Copper Pennies. CC Enterprises LLC, 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <http%253A%252F%252Fcoincollectingenterprises.com%252Finformation%252Fcost-to-make-a-penny>.
"Cents." Littleton Coin Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.littletoncoin.com%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FDisplay%7C10001%7C10001%7C-1%7C%7CLearnNav%7CCents-History.html>.
Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, 2014. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hydrophobic>.
Dresher, William H., Ph.D.,P.E. "Phelps Dodge Morenci Has Converted All Copper Production to Mine-for-Leach." Copper Development Association. Copper Alliance, Aug. 2001. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.copper.org/publications/newsletters/innovations/2001/08/phelpsdodge.html>.
Enchanted Learning. "The US Penny - Enchanted Learning." The US Penny - Enchanted Learning. Enchanted Learning, 2003. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/math/money/coins/penny/>.
FRB. "FRB: Federal Reserve Banks." FRB: Federal Reserve Banks. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 5 Sept. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2014. <http://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/contact-banks.htm>.
Freeport McMoRan Inc. "Electrowinning." Electrowinning. FCX Freeport-McMoRan Inc., 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.fcx.com/resources/fmi/electro.html>.
Freeport McMoRan Inc. "Morecini Mine." FCX Freeport-McMoRan Inc. - Worldwide Operations, Morenci Mine and Processing Facilities. FCX Freeport-McMoRan Inc., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.fcx.com/operations/USA_Arizona_Morenci.htm>.
Knoxville News Sentinel. "Knowsy Knoxville: Nyrstar's Immel Mine and Young M." YouTube. YouTube, 27 July 2010. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaFMh9kJu1E>.
How It's Made. "Making Coins." YouTube. YouTube, 9 Feb. 2007. Web. 14 Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkHFNnOK3Bg>.
International Precious Metals Institute. "How to Refine Precious Metals - Step One: Concentration." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LlZiayAU8Y>.
Jarden Zinc Products. "About Jarden Zinc." About Jarden Zinc (n.d.): n. pag. Jarden Zinc Products. Jarden Zinc Products, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://jardenzinc.com/techdata/Jarden-Zinc-Product-Guide.pdf>.
Jarden Zinc Products. "General Plating/Finishing Information." (n.d.): n. pag. Technical Brief: Plating / Finishing of Solid Zinc Strip. Jarden Zinc Products, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://jardenzinc.com/techdata/Tech_Brief_Plating_Finishing_Zinc.pdf>.
Jarden Zinc Products. "Plant Tour | Jarden Zinc Products | Greeneville, TN." Plant Tour | Jarden Zinc Products | Greeneville, TN. Jarden Zinc Products, 2011. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jardenzinc.com/Plant-tour-jarden-zinc.aspx>.
McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua. "The Amazing And Colorful History Of The U.S. Penny." US Coins. Fun Times Guide, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2014. <http://coins.thefuntimesguide.com/2010/02/us_penny.php>.
McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua. "What's The Lifespan Of A Coin? Find Out How Long Coins Last | The Fun Times Guide to U.S. Coins." US Coins. Fun Times Guide, Mar. 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2014.
"Metallurgical Industry." AP-42, CH 12.7: Zinc Smelting (n.d.): n. pag. Epa.gov. Environmental Protection Agency, 1 Nov. 2005. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/ch12/final/c12s07.pdf>.
Michaud, David. "Copper Flotation." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcr4pBbF1Xc>.
Minning Technology. "Morenci Copper Mine, Arizona, United States of America." Mining-Technology. Kabel Intelligence Limited, 3 Dec. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/morenci/>.
Morin, Bode J. The Legacy of American Copper Smelting Industrial Heritage versus Environmental Policy. Knoxville: U of Tennessee, 2013. Print.
Niemuth, Nyal. "Re: Arizona Copper." Message to the author. 14 Nov. 2014. E-mail.
"Nyrstar Tennessee Mines." Nystar Fact Sheet on Tennessee Mines. Nystar, 28 Dec. 2011. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fs3.documentcloud.org%2Fdocuments%2F281187%2Fnystar-factsheet-on-its-tennessee-mines.txt>.
Orcia. "Flotation Reagents, Mining Chemicals - Orica." YouTube. YouTube, 21 July 2013. Web. 05 Dec. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-20HiqcBbk>.
Sibley, Scott F., ed. "Challenges in Metal Recycling." Science 337.6095 (2012): 690-95. Flow Studies for Recycling Metal Commodities in the United States. U.S. Geological Survey, 17 July 2006. Web. 26 Nov. 2014. <http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/1196am/c1196a-m_v2.pdf>.
"Smelting And Alloying - Nyrstar In Clarksville, Tennessee." About Jarden Zinc (2013): n. pag. 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://jardenzinc.com/techdata/Jarden-Zinc-Product-Guide.pdf>.
Unser, Mike. "How the Philadelphia Mint Makes Coins for Circulation." Coin News RSS. CoinNews.net, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.coinnews.net/2013/09/20/how-the-philadelphia-mint-makes-coins-for-circulation/>.
US Geological Survey. "Copper Statistics and Information." USGS Minerals Information: Copper. US Department of the Interior, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. <http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/copper/>.
"Zinc Environmental Profile Life Cycle Assessment." Zinc Environmental Profile (n.d.): n. pag. Zinc Essential for Life. International Zinc Association, 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.zinc.org/general/Zinc_Environmental_Profile_Life_Cycle_Assessment.pdf>.
"Zinc Production - From Ore to Metal." Zinc Production Process. International Zinc Association, 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. <http://www.zinc.org/basics/zinc_production>.
"Zinc Smelting." AP-42, CH 12.7: Zinc Smelting (n.d.): n. pag. Epa.gov. Environmental Protection Agency, 5 Nov. 2005. Web. 4 Dec. 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/ap42/ch12/final/c12s07.pdf>.
60 Minutes. "How Pennies Are Made." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 6 July 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/how-pennies-are-made>.
Darin Reyes
Professor Christina Cogdell
Design 40A
Embodied Energy and Inefficiency in the Lifecycle of the US Penny
In recent years, the US penny has come under much scrutiny. The penny has been more expensive to mint than its face value of one cent since 2006, when it cost 1.119 cents to produce ("Cost to Make a Penny: Chart/Graph"). Over time, Americans have grown less attached to the penny as well ("Penny Worth Saving, Say Americans"). However, there are other ways of quantifying the cost of the keeping the penny in circulation. One way is to look at the embodied energy of a product, which is the energy invested throughout an object's lifecycle including raw materials acquisition, production and beyond. When the embodied energy of a penny is considered, it is clear that the cost of producing the penny far outweighs its face value.
An object's lifecycle begins with raw materials acquisition, which, for the penny, is mining. Since 1982, the penny has been made from 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper: zinc core between two layers of copper ("What's a Penny Made of?"). The US Mint buys the blank coins that will become pennies from Jarden Zinc Products ("U.S. Penny to Be Kept as Canada Bids Coin Farewell").
Though statistics on zinc mining are difficult to find, the energy used for zinc production can be inferred by analyzing where and how often energy enters the zinc lifecycle. The zinc for Jarden Zinc Products and comes from Nyrstar Tennessee Mines, which is an operation consisting of six underground zinc mines across four Tennessee counties ("Tennessee Mines Fact Sheet" 1). Statistics on the energy consumption of zinc mining are difficult to find, but Zinc.org gives the following statement on the embodied energy of zinc:
"Among the non-ferrous metals used in building, zinc has the lowest embodied energy. It is the least energy intensive to produce, requiring one fourth the energy of aluminum, and one third that of copper or stainless steel. Zinc is less expensive to extract than many other metals, and requires lower heat and less energy to process." ("Zinc for Life FAQ's")
However, this statistic may be skewed, as the same page defines embodied energy as the total non-renewable energy investment, whereas this report includes renewable and non-renewable energy in the definition. Even without specific numbers, we can analyze points at which energy enters the mining process as a reference.
Zinc mining involves the establishment and maintenance of a large, underground infrastructure. Merrie Long of the Knoxville News Sentinel provides a video tour of Immel mine (one of the Nyrstar Tennessee Mines), for Go Knoxville. In the video, Long travels with miners 2000 feet below ground, where we see the infrastructure that facilitates the mining. Diesel fuel and electricity enter the life cycle by powering transportation vehicles, heavy machinery, and the mining infrastructure before mining even begins ("Life Cycle Assesment" 4). The mining itself begins when holes are machined into tunnel walls where veins of zinc ore are located. The holes are filled with dynamite, and the resulting rubble and ore are brought to the surface. The rubble itself is only 5-15% zinc ("Zinc Production – From Ore to Metal").
Next, the ore goes through various stages of pulverizing and separating, known as comminution ("Life Cycle Assesment" 4). In the video by Long, this takes place at Young Mill, which is also part of Nyrstar Tennessee Mines. Here, fuel and electricity enter the lifecycle again, this time to pass the ore through the stages of primary crushing, secondary crushing, separating, screening, heavy media separation, and rod/ball milling ("Tennessee Mines Fact Sheet" 1). The result is ore slurry, which is further refined through froth flotation ("Life Cycle Assessment" 4). When the product leaves Young Mill for Nyrstar's Clarksville location, it has been processed into zinc concentrate, which is 55% zinc ("Zinc Production – From Ore to Metal").
Like the mining process, the smelting and producing of zinc ingots requires a large infrastructure powered by electricity. Nyrstar's Clarksville zinc refinery is currently the primary zinc producer in the US. Here, the zinc concentrate goes through five steps to become zinc ingots and alloys ("Clarksville Fact Sheet" 1). First it is heated to 900 degrees Celsius to remove sulfur from the concentrate, a process called roasting. Next come the hydrometallurgical processes. In a process called leaching, sulphuric acid (a by-product of roasting) is used to separate lead and silver from the concentrate. ("Zinc Production – From Ore to Metal"). Zinc dust is added in the purification stage. The electrolysis stage uses electric current to deposit zinc on an aluminum cathode. The zinc that is stripped from the cathodes is what goes into zinc ingots. Each step in the smelting and purification process uses electricity directly or uses electricity and fuel to power the infrastructure that makes production possible ("Life Cycle Assesment" 5).
As stated on Zinc.org, zinc takes a third of the energy it takes to produce copper (though we know Zinc.org does not consider renewable energy in its definition of embodied energy) ("Zinc for Life FAQ's"). The disparity is caused by mining processes and the quality of copper that is mined. We were unable to locate the mine from which Jarden receives copper for their penny blanks, but my group chose to look at Morenci mine in Arizona as a reference. According to Mining-Technology.com, copper mining at the Morenci mines in Arizona involves three open-pit mines, where a similar infrastructure to the Tennessee mines is located above ground. Electric rotary rigs drill into the walls of the pits to create holes for blasting. Instead of a lift, the rubble is loaded onto trucks. The ore collected here is only an average of .29% copper ("Morenci Copper Mine").
My group toured the Old Mint in San Francisco. Though we could not find information on modern minting practices, we were able to see the space where minting would have taken place. Most of the pressing of the designs would have taken place in a single room. Though the machines did not take up much space, much force is used to press a design into each and every penny. A photo taken in the Mint Museum in Philadelphia from CoinNews.net shows that it takes 35 tons of force to press a design into each penny.
According to the US Mint's 2011 Sustainability Report, the US Mint was failing to reduce energy consumption despite an initiative to reduce consumption 30% by 2015. The report lists the US Mint's total energy consumption in 2011 as 694,462.4 gigajoules, or 192,906,111 watt-hours. This includes consumption of natural gas, diesel, liquefied petroleum, electricity and steam. ("The United States Mint's 2011 Sustainability Report" 18). Subsequent annual reports describe drops in emissions but mentions of energy consumption in the same depths as the 2011 Sustainability Report do not exist.
Because the penny requires no maintenance and is not recycled, the lifecycle ends at production.
This chart from CoinCollecting.com illustrates the cost to mint a penny from the annual reports from USMint.gov. The last annual report lists the cost of making a penny at 1.83 cents, but it does not take into account the embodied energy of each penny. Though exact numbers are difficult to locate, the infrastructure, transportation and mining processes are all energy intensive, and nonetheless result in a product that is produced at a loss. The information makes it clear that it is time to rethink not only the design of the coin, but and the design industry behind it as well.
Works Cited
Carroll, Joseph. "Penny Worth Saving, Say Americans." Gallup.com, 17 July 2006. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/23779/penny-worth-saving-say-americans.aspx>.
"Cost to Make a Penny: Chart/Graph". CoinCollectingEnterprises.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014 <http://coincollectingenterprises.com/information/cost-to-make-a-penny>.
"Life Cycle Assessment." Zinc Environmental Profile (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 9 Dec. 2014. <http://www.zinc.org/general/Zinc_Environmental_Profile_Life_Cycle_Assessment.pdf>.
Life's Little Mysteries Staff. "What's a Penny Made Of?" LiveScience.com. TechMedia Network, 13 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.livescience.com/32401-whats-a-penny-made-of.html>.
Long, Merrie. "Knowsy Knoxville: Nyrstar's Immel Mine and Young Mill." Online Video.
KnoxNews.com. GoKnoxville, 08 Jul. 2010. Web. 09 Dec. 2014.
The United States Mint's 2011 Sustainability Report. Rep. N.p.: US Mint, n.d. Print.
"Tennessee Mines Fact Sheet." Nyrstar.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://www.nyrstar.com/operations/Documents/Fact%20Sheet%20TENNESSEE%20EN.pdf>
Unser, Mike. Force to Strike a Nickel. Digital image. CoinNews.net. N.p., 30 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://www.coinnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Force-to-Strike-a-Nickel.jpg>.
"U.S. Penny to Be Kept as Canada Bids Coin Farewell." ABC News. ABC News Network, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/u-s-penny-to-be-kept-as-canada-bids-coin-farewell/>.
"Zinc for Life FAQ's." Zinc.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://www.zinc.org/info/zinc_for_life_faqs>.
"Zinc Production – From Ore to Metal." Zinc.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://www.zinc.org/basics/zinc_production>.
Nicole Tan
Professor Cogdell
11 December 2014
The U.S. One Cent Coin: Waste & Emissions
Value of the U.S. Penny
Composition of raw materials that make up the one-cent coin, which are primarily zinc and copper, have been altered multiple times throughout history in order to accommodate for socioeconomic factors that have contributed to either significant demand (as per wartime eras) or inflation of costs of copper and zinc minerals. According to the United States Mint, from the first one-cent coin struck in 1787 up until 1837, the composition of the U.S. penny was 100% pure copper, before it was switched to bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc). Copper, zinc, and a small amount of tin became the primary metal composition of the U.S. penny up until 1962, when tin was removed altogether. Copper-plated zinc has become the replacement in recent years for the one-cent coin blanks, which has resulted in a significantly lower percentage of copper in the penny and a higher percentage of zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper). The degradation of the surrounding areas in which the mineral extraction and smelting facilities are fixated (which can cover entire landscapes) can, more often than not, be traced back to the extraction of these minerals (zinc and copper) from the earth and the waste that is excreted during every step of the process. Rarely do we ever put any critical thought into the nation's one-cent coin which appears to be abundant in number, yet unwanted all the same by anyone other than large zinc and copper enterprises. According to figures released by the U.S. Mint, 6848.40 million one-cent coins have currently been produced by both the Denver and Philadelphia mint facilities as of November 2014, and cost $1.83 to make per dollar (100 pennies) (Ingraham). Face value of the current U.S. penny does not only inaccurately portray its economic value, but the environmental costs for its industrial purposes as well.
Inside Our Pennies | Copper: From Mineral Extraction to the Penny
For a long time, during the early years of our nation's history of currency, copper was the main component of the one-cent coin. Copper, which is regarded highly for its alloy-ability, conductivity, and resistance to corrosion, can generally be found in the earth in three basic compounds – native ("pure" copper), oxide (copper-oxygen compound), and sulfide ores (copper-sulfide compound). Native and oxide copper require simple smelting methods for removing waste materials in order to produce a 'pure' copper, while sulfide ores (which are the most abundant copper ores found on earth) require a more complex method of roasting (process of exposing materials to high levels of heat) before the actual smelting process to remove sulfur and oxygen components (Morin 1). Copper smelting, as defined by Morin in his book The Legacy of American Copper Smelting, is the art and science of extracting and refining the metal from its ore which follows the general production process as displayed in the table below, with the waste and emissions that are given off during each stage included:
The Mine: Mining the ore.
The Mill: Milling to concentrate the ore and remove large portions of waste. Excretes Tailings
Roasting: Roasting of ores in order to remove iron and sulfur. Sulfur dioxide and heavy metals
Smelting: To transform the ore into a much purer metal. Sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, slag
Refining: Purification of the metal in order to be used for industrial purposes. Sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, slag
So, where do these processes occur? Who conducts them? One notable area, in relation to the copper supply for the U.S. penny, is the Morenci Mine: an open-pit copper mine located in Southeast Arizona, owned by Freeport-McMoRan, that is North America's leading copper producer ("Arizona Copper"). Mining technology such as blast-hole drills, rotary gigs, and rope shovels are all utilized in order to mine the pit; hundreds of them are powered by internal combustion engines that consume oil and gasoline, every day, in order to generate enough energy to bore, crush, and transport rocks and minerals. These heavy pieces of machinery also release large amounts of hazardous carbon dioxide gas, which is well-known for creating smog over cities, their negative effects to our earth's ozone layer, and direction contribution towards global warming.
As mentioned in the graph above, concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions are released into the atmosphere throughout a majority of the pyrometallurgical process, due to the burning of mineral ores. A publication by the U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment called Environmental Aspects of Copper Production goes into great detail the impact of sulfur dioxide emissions on air and water quality, and the ways in which they are controlled. According to this document, 0 to 50,000 premature deaths per year in the U.S. and Canada are from SO2 and secondary pollutants from all emission sources (p. 162). For copper smelting, acid plants utilize methods to convert streams of SO2 gas into other materials such as sulfuric acid, elemental sulfur, and liquid sulfur dioxide. Sulfuric acid production, for example, collects hot gases from roasters, furnaces and converters, which are then cooled, cleaned and treated with more sulfuric acid to remove water vapor (p. 163). While these methods may be effective, there comes a large expense economically and energy-wise to convert SO2 emissions. Creating an elemental sulfur by-product, for example, is expensive and requires triple the energy requirement of hydro-carbon fuel (such as coke) of the control system itself (p. 165).
From the milling to the smelting and refining processes, ample quantities of slag and tailings waste by-products are produced (among a variety of others). Slag is the only one of the two that can be directly recycled into materials for other uses such as cement, yet even then may contain potentially toxic elements that are eventually released into the environment and cause pollution of soils, surface waters, and groundwaters (Salisbury). Fine particle waste residue from the extraction process of valuable minerals from mined ores make up 95-99% of the crushed and ground ores, and are called tailings – they can contain leftover processing chemicals, and are particularly difficult to manage due to their high water content (Edraki 411). Historically, waste of tailings have been deposited directly into lakes, rivers and streams, and have resulted in the direct disruption of aquatic life due to the introduction of foreign sediments into the habitats ("How Are Waste Materials Managed?"). Efforts to manage tailing mine waste other than disposal into rivers, lakes and the ocean, include valley or hillside dams, raised embankments or impoundments, dry-stacking of thickened tailings, and backfilling of abandoned mine pits or underground mines (Edraki 411). Tailings dam failures, which account for a majority of mine-related environmental incidents, and tailing sediment run-offs only magnify the geochemical after-effects that poor mining waste disposal have on the environment.
Modern Extraction Alternatives
Some modern methods of copper extraction include a combination of leaching and electro-winning techniques. Leaching and electro-winning are hydrometallurgy extraction processes that utilizes acids and aqueous solutions in order to retrieve copper from the ores, and are considered innovations from the traditional pyrometallurgical extraction processes (Dresher). Due to the use of aqueous solutions for extraction, leaching and electro-winning are considered "greener" alternatives, and are less harmful to the environment because no gas pollutants are released. While this may be the case, it does not mean that these processes do not leave behind waste, especially since leaching and electro-winning both use highly acidic chemicals that are potentially toxic. In fact, leaching waste is usually contained in open 'ponds' to be reused, and create a very toxic solution due to the unwanted metal concentrated within it ("Environmental Impact"). Research of recorded leaching acid spills by the Community Water Company show that the spills have the ability of impacting groundwater, which is located several hundred feet below the earth's surface, and can eventually reach nearby public supply wells ("Environmental Impact").
Inside Our Pennies | Zinc: From Mineral Extraction to the Penny
While the copper content in the current U.S. penny is only used as a copper plating (2.5%) over the actual primary element within the penny that is zinc (97.5%), the raw material acquisition process and the waste emitted from them are nearly identical. One of the suppliers of zinc material for the current one-cent coin is the Red Dog Mine in Alaska, which is also the U.S.'s largest zinc mine, and represents 79% of total U.S. zinc mine production. This open-pit mine uses a froth flotation technique to separate lead and zinc from ores, using approximately 200 tons of cyanide per year to increase separation efficiency, and leads to a critical problem called acid mine drainage (Coil et al.). Sulfuric acid can form when rock and minerals containing sulfide is expose to the air. Red Dog's prevention technique for this includes impounding mine tailings with waste rock underwater or on the surface (where acid can still become generated) to create a tailings pond, which is treated before being drained. An argument supporting this technique is that the acid run-off and tailings are maintained onsite to contain the potentially hazardous acid solution; however, the contamination of downstream waters continue to pose a threat if the impoundment is not constantly maintained (Coil et al.). According to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, if the Red Dog mine continues to operate, they will have produced an estimated 88,000,000 tons of total mine tailings by 2031.
Zinc metal production, as with copper and many major metals, is highly carbon-intensive. Carbon emissions released from the process contribute to the steadily increasing levels of greenhouse gases that endanger our earth's infrastructure. Site CO2 emissions from zinc mining averaged 0.58 t CO2/t compared to copper's 2.45 t CO2/t in 2007; mining, shipping, smelting, and refining altogether came out to 2.28 t CO2/t zinc and averaged 3.33 t CO2/t copper ("Carbon Emissions"). These numbers, while are consistent with energy requirements for refined metal production (35.7 GJ/t for copper, 24.5 GJ/t for zinc), merely highlights the amount of energy consumption and carbon emissions released during mining and metallurgical plant operations.
Penny Minting/Production Process: Where do they go?
Once the metals are produced and prepared for industrial purposes, they are transported to various locations in order to establish the framework of the penny. Due to the minimal amount of information available about who the suppliers and manufacturers were for the current U.S. penny, it made the initial research for this part of the lifecycle particularly difficult. The U.S. penny is made from copper-plated zinc blanks (zinc blanks that have been infused with a copper sheet cover, created by using excessive amounts of energy and force to pound them together), and our research revealed that Jarden Zinc was one of the primary suppliers of zinc coinage blanks (which are called planchets) for the pennies created by the U.S. Mint (How Pennies Are Made). Reports on Jarden Zinc processes and waste/emissions for production have either been removed or are unavailable online, and despite many e-mails and phone calls, have not received any reply from them. However, we were able to discover that Jarden Zinc's mining resources come from the Tennessee Valley Mines (which is comprised of six separate mines: Young, Immel, Coy, Elmwood, Gordonsville and Cumberland) (Jarden Zinc Product Guide). Once the copper-plated zinc blanks are manufactured by companies like Jarden Zinc, they are then sent to the U.S. Mint, where they are heated in giant furnaces to soften the metal, quenched (in a water and chemical solution), cleaned (with chemicals), put through an upsetting mill to raise the rims in preparation for coin pressing, then struck by coin dies to achieve their symbolic penny image design (Unser). A coin die is an engraved metal stamp installed onto the minting machines that is used to imprint the design on each side of the penny; each copper-plated zinc blank is minted with 100 to 150 tonnes pressure ("Designing and Minting").
Only two U.S. Mint facilities produce all of the minted coins in circulation; one in Philadelphia, and the other in Denver. From these two mints, they are then transported to the 12 Federal Reserve Banks across the nation that distribute the coins via coin terminal operators to depository institutions that order the coins to meet retailers' and the public's demand for them (James, Lorelai St. 6). Moving the minted pennies from the Philadelphia and Denver Mints to the Federal Reserve facilities alone releases and consumes gases that leave their own carbon footprints, as air (planes), land (trucks, trains), and sea (ships) transportation methods are used. Distance from the U.S. Philadelphia Mint from the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank, for example, is around roughly 1503.83 miles. Assuming that an ordinary semi-truck with a full load averages 5.5 to 6.5 mpg (232 to 274 mpg), and using numbers provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 22.38 lbs. of CO2 are produced by burning 1 gallon of diesel fuel. This means that the truck transporting the pennies has released approximately 5192.16 to 6,132.12 lbs. of CO2 into the atmosphere. Diesel fuel consumption for transportation in 2013 had emissions of 427 million metric tons of CO2 which, when combined with the numbers for gasoline, totaled to about 1,522 million metric tons of CO2 (EIA). While many are quick to defend diesel-consuming semi-trucks to be one of the "greenest" methods of transportation, there is no denying the fact that the carbon footprint that it leaves behind is a contributing factor to the degradation of our earth's ozone layer.
Recyclability of the Penny
Once the pennies are distributed, then what? Where do they end up? There are multiple ways in which pennies are used other than being put back into circulation. The melting down of the penny in order to extract the raw materials (such as copper) is illegal in the United States unless handled by the Federal Reserve, so recyclability by means of reverting back to their elemental forms is not particularly a popular resolution. Pennies can also be found in the pockets of coin collectors, though this ultimately is limited to the special edition and 'collector's' version of them. Pennies can also be repurposed for recreational projects, such as art: given their abundance, penny art for large scale projects are not uncommon. Usually, however, the fate of the penny is treated as the lowest coin denomination that it is, despite the effort and costs made to produce it. Pennies end up forgotten on streets, in the bottom of bags and purses, in between seat cushions on the couch, or left in a change jar – forgotten and, ultimately, unwanted.
A Penny's Worth
Pennies are a hot debate within our society today, boiling down to two straight-forward and seemingly simple resolutions: to keep, or not to keep? On one hand, the penny has been around since the beginning of the history of our nation's currency and, in a way, is symbolic in that nature. However, given the amount of energy, money and environmental sacrifices invested into the production process – from raw material acquisition up until it reaches the hands of the public – and with the fact that only major copper and zinc suppliers are lobbying in favor of keeping them around, should we not be asking ourselves: "Is it really worth it?" Pennies should be removed from circulation for the good of not only our nation's economy, but for the surrounding environment in which our economy and the people thrive. So the next time you find a penny in your pocket, or on the street, remember that the true worth of the penny – the energy, time, and environmental costs that it took to be placed in the palm of your hand – far exceeds its face-value.
"Arizona Copper." E-mail interview. 14 Nov. 2014. Nyal Niemuth Economic Geology Section Arizona Geological Survey 3550 N. Central Ave., 2nd Floor Phoenix, AZ 85012 www.azgs.az.govSurvey 3550 N. Central Ave., 2nd Floor Phoenix, AZ 85012.
"Carbon Emissions from Base Metal Mine Sites." Metals Mining. Minecost, Apr. 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
"Coinage | Jarden Zinc Products." Jarden Zinc Products. Jarden Zinc Products, 1 Jan. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
"Designing and Minting Coins." Designing and Minting Coins. Fleur De Coin, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
"Environmental Impact of Sulfuric Acid Leaching." Augusta Resource/Rosemont Copper Project. Groundwater Awareness League, 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
"How Are Waste Materials Managed?" Mining Facts. Fraser Institute, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
"The Composition of the Cent." The United States Mint. United States Mint. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://www.usmint.gov/>.
Coil, David, Erin McKittrick, and Bretwood Higman. "Red Dog Mine." Ground Truth Trekking. GroundTruthTrekking, 7 Nov. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
Dresher, William H. "How Hydrometallurgy and the SX/EW Process Made Copper the "Green" Metal." Copper.org. Copper Development Association, 1 Aug. 2001. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Edraki, Mansour, et al. "Designing Mine Tailings For Better Environmental, Social And Economic Outcomes: A Review Of Alternative Approaches." Journal Of Cleaner Production 84.(2014): 411-420. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
EIA. "How Much Carbon Dioxide Is Produced by Burning Gasoline and Diesel Fuel?" Independent Statistics & Analysis | U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. Department of Energy, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 07 Dec. 2014.
How Pennies Are Made. Perf. Morely Safer. CBS News, 2008. Online Video. 60 Minutes. CBS News, 6 July 2008. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Ingraham, Christopher. "Taxpayers Lost $105 Million on Pennies and Nickels Last Year." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Jarden Zinc Product Guide. Publication. Jarden Zinc, 2009. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
James, Lorelei St. "Coin Inventory Management Needs Better Performance Information." GAO Reports (2013): i-65. Military & Government Collection. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Morin, Bode J. "The Historic Roots of Copper Production and Smelter Pollution." The Legacy of American Copper Smelting. Knoxville: U of Tennessee, 2013. Print.
Salisbury, David. "Some Smelter Slags Represent a Significant Environmental Hazard." Some Smelter Slags Represent a Significant Environmental Hazard (12/98). Stanford University, 9 Dec. 1998. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
U.S. Congress. Office of Technology Assessment. Environmental Aspects of Copper Production. Washington: OTA Legacy, 1988. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
United States of America. Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Mining, Land & Water. Plan of Operations for Tailings and Water Management. Achorage: Teck Cominco Alaska, 2007. Official Alaska Website. State of Alaska, Sept. 2007. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
United States of America. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Office of Air Quality Planning And Standards. Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors. 5th ed. Vol. 1. Research Triangle Park: EPA, 1995. Stationary Point and Area Sources. EPA. Oct. 1986. Web. 2 Dec. 2014.
Unser, Mike. "How the Philadelphia Mint Makes Coins for Circulation." Coin News RSS. Coin News Media Group LLC, 20 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2014.


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- Boston01205 351114
- Bourne01778 218001
- Grantham01476 591550
- Horncastle01507 522456
- Lincoln01522 541181
- London02078 715755
- Newark01636 673731
- Sleaford01529 411500
- Spalding01775 725664
- Stamford01780 764145
Andrew Morley
Qualifications: Qualified as a Legal Executive in 1990
Andrew is an experienced Legal Executive specialising in Dispute Resolution.
He enjoys a varied workload including building disputes, contested wills, consumer problems, debt collection, neighbour disputes, landlord and tenant issues, property disputes.
Andrew was brought up in a village near Lincoln. He is a keen cyclist and once completed the Lands End to John O'Groats ride for no better reason than it was there and it seemed like a good idea!

subset: commoncrawl


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Tag Archives: mental health
Big Data in Mental Health Symposium @ KCL/SLaM – Live Stream
Tagged big data, dobson, KCL, maudsley digital, mental health, SLaM, symposium
Symposium on Big Data in Mental Health
For anyone interested in data analytics, the BRC-MH at KCL and the Maudsley are organising a symposium on Big Data in Mental Health on July 23rd at ORTUS, Denmark Hill.
Talks will include Maneesh Juneja, Chris Hollis from MindTech, Will Spooner from Eagle Genomics and speakers from the University of Oxford, KCL and the SLaM.
More details available on the website: http://core.brc.iop.kcl.ac.uk/events/big-data-in-mental-health/
Registration on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/big-data-in-mental-health-biomedical-research-tickets-11667875931
Tagged big data, bioinformatics, Conference, KCL, london, maudsley, mental health, SLaM, symposium


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Indian Wedding – Austin, Texas
Some time ago I was blessed to be chosen as the official wedding photographer for a traditional Indian wedding here in Austin, Texas. I say it was a blessing because it was something new and amazing for me to experience. As a westerner with a Judeo-Christian upbringing, I never had the opportunity to experience such an event while growing up in rural Texas. And it made me realize that no matter what culture sponsors a wedding, there is almost always a common feeling of love and commitment that can be felt between bride and groom and amongst the families.
The Indian Wedding that I photographed was held at a small Hindu Temple located just outside of Austin simply called Austin Hindu Temple. It is my understanding that many Indian weddings frequently last several days or longer, but the part that I photographed lasted only one day.
The ceremony that I photographed began with a special groom ceremony which started around 6 am in the morning at the Hindu Temple. It should be said that most of what I witnessed throughout the day was through observation only, since I don't speak the language that was being used by the priests and facilitators during the wedding. And that wasn't a big deal anyway, because as a photographer, my mind is always focused on the visual art and beauty which only the eye sees in a wedding – or at least what the vision of what I want the viewer to see.
The groom's initial ceremony lasted around 1 hour and included burning incense, using various kinds of foods, leaves and other items for the ritual. The groom told me that he and the bride (who he doesn't see before the primary ceremony, which comes later in the day) are required to fast for some time prior to the ceremony.
After the groom's ceremony there was a break which followed with preparations for the primary ceremony, which was later held outdoors, beneath a tent. At this point the bride had begun her individual preparation for the ceremony which included several priests performing rituals including burning of incense, decorative fruits and leaves and other items (similar in some ways to the groom's individual ceremony). At this point her hair and makeup were finished with a great dedication to detail. Her hands were covered in beautiful henna designs and she was surrounded by friends and family looking on during her individual ceremony.
After a few more rituals with the groom outside next to a fire pit and then with the groom beneath the main wedding tent, it was time for bride to be escorted out by her friends.
The main ceremony was unbelievably colorful. The bride and groom changed clothes from simple robes into amazingly colorful, decorative costumes. All the bride and groom's family and friends gathered around the open air tent which was itself decorated with brightly colored flowers and other décor. The primary ceremony included priests reading and chanting from religious texts, burning of incense and other items, a fire ceremony, the bride and groom reading vows and promises to one another, friends and family offering gifts and more.
Although it was by far the longest wedding I've ever photographed (around 9 hours of consecutive shooting), it was a very rewarding and spiritual experience to be a part of such a wonderful day. I was glad to be a part of something so meaningful and beautiful for such a wonderful couple.
You can view the entire wedding on my old website Here!


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The Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL), which is bisected by the ancient Silk Road, is experiencing rapid change, driven by global climate change as well as other social and economic drivers. The governments of the countries that make up the landscape – Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and Tajikistan – and the communities living within the landscape are already dealing with the cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of these changes. In addition, ambitious infrastructure development projects like China's Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are under development. It is important to consider the potential impacts on the landscape's people and unique cultural and natural heritage, including the landscape's network of national parks and protected areas.
Lanzhou University and ICIMOD are joining hands to bring together leading scholars and national park and protected area managers to exchange knowledge and experience on topics related to ecology, conservation, agriculture, culture, livelihoods, and environment in order to build capacity and create a common platform for collaboration and knowledge sharing on issues relevant to the HKPL.
Objective: Establish a forum where national parks and protected areas along the Silk Road can share knowledge and experiences in order to improve conservation and development, with the following specific objectives:


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steve carell
Prison Mike
In the Office, Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) adopts the persona of Prison Mike when he wants to shock people about the tough conditions of prison life. As he tells it, the prison food is nothing but gruel, but by far the worst thing about prison was the Dementors.
The Ambiguously Gay Duo
Ace and Gary are the Ambiguously Gay Duo! Every night, they get stuck in tight situations together while crossing swords with supervillain Bighead. What's everybody looking at?
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
Burt Wonderstone is a world famous magician with a flamboyant streak. When his fame starts to fade, he's forced to reckon with the up-and-coming street act of the dark and mysterious Steve Gray.


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I had so much fun shooting for Port Royal Outfitters in Atlanta with Ben and Kate this past weekend! It was so hot outside, but that didn't stop us from eating popsicles and modeling their Fourth of July tees. It was so nice meeting the founder of the company–– Benjamin is seriously so nice and down to earth, which makes their products that much better!
Port Royal Outfitters makes the most amazing belts, bowties, ties, tees, and hats, so make sure to check them out in time for father's day!


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Kings Blog
Sixers turn back Kings, 114-107
Player of the game: Robert Covington led seven 76ers in double figures with 24 points as Philadelphia overcame an 18-point deficit to win.
Turning point: After the Kings took a 73-55 lead, their biggest of the game, the Sixers outscored them 33-11 over the final 8:46 of the third quarter. Ish Smith also came off the bench (10 points, nine assists) to spark the Sixers in the third.
Key stat: The Kings gave up 27 points off 18 turnovers.
X-factor: That the Kings could not capitalize on a big advantage inside. DeMarcus Cousins had 39 points and a career-high 24 rebounds, but the team did not make the most of his game.
Records: Kings 22-42; 76ers 15-50
Injury update: The Sixers sat veteran guard Jason Richardson for rest because they play Brooklyn tonight.
Up next: The Kings play the Wizards in Washington, D.C., today at 4 p.m. on CSNCA.
Jason Jones


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Reindeer Hooded Cowl Christmas
Happy Holidays!!!! What better way to keep warm that with a festive cowl!!! Antler and a red nose make this fun for Christmas and cold weather.
All of my patterns are put through rigorous testing to ensure quality and satisfaction.
THIS IS A PDF FILE. Adobe is required to read this pattern. It can be downloaded for free at www.adobe.com
You are welcome to sell finished items. All patterns are copyrighted. Please do not copy, sell, or redistribute this pattern in any way. All photographs in listing and patterns are not to be used for the sale of your item.
Please provide this copy and link to my Ravelry shop when selling or sharing finished products online. It is much appreciated!
Pattern by https://www.ravelry.com/designers/briana-k-crochet
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Idaho Wilderness Company
Idaho's Finest Wilderness Excursions On the Middle Fork of the Salmon River
June 11, 2016
Are you a river rafter and seeking employment in Idaho? Perhaps you have experience in river fishing, fly fishing, camp cooking, big game guide hunts? We may have just the opportunity you're … [ Read More ]
May 6, 2018
Most of our guests ask for it, or at least about it. Big is a relative term and means nothing without context. A vast … [Read More...]
More Posts from this Category
In 2014, I returned to the river for the third time. This time was with Steve and his crew at Idaho Wilderness Company.
Having done this trip two … [Read More...]


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The Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club is a semi-
(Availability may change as daylight and weather dictate)
For tee-
For group outings please contact us at the above mentioned phone number or 905.468.3424 x14.
As a 9 hole course, we are very limited in the number of available tee times we can offer the public.
As a result, all singles and twosomes who come to play should understand that they are very likely to be paired up with other golfers to complete a foursome whenever possible. This policy is especially true and strongly enforced during peak times.
It is our feeling that ultimately this aids the overall pace of play on the course for everyone, leading to a more enjoyable experience.
|Spring Season
|Prime Season
|Fall Season
Ends April 26
April 27 – October 7th
October 8th - End of Season
Spring Rates now finished for the 2019 Season
9 Holes: $21
18 Holes: $32
Carts Extra
|Cart Fees
|Rental Clubs
|Local Resident Card
Everyday, per person
Available from Mid April
|9 Holes: $10.50
18 Holes: $16.50
Pull Cart: $5
|Rental sets include complimentary use of pull cart
|Call Pro Shop for details
905.468.3424 x13
"Each time I travel to Canada I end up here for at least a few of my meals! Love to golf and then relax afterwards. Every meal I've eaten here has been well worth waiting for after a long day of golf!"
– Nadine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


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In the meantime, both regional and international communities are keeping a close watch on Sudanese affairs, and are keen to push for a peaceful referendum in a secure environment that does not renew the civil war, pushing one or other party into turmoil that endangers the whole region, and fuelling the furnace of instability. To avoid this possible future, a dialogue to discuss post-referendum issues between the ruling factions in Sudan - the National Congress and the SPLM - was organised under African patronage and attended by the UN. Following sessions in Khartoum and Juba on 10 and 19July respectively, a 'contingent agreement' identifying the approach of negotiations on ten main contentious issues was announced. These issues should be resolved ahead of the formation of the two proposed states - should the south decide on secession - so that the two states can enjoy a peaceful neighbourhood.
In spite of the fact that discussion of post-referendum issues prepared the people psychologically for the possibility of secession, which greatly disturbs the north, it has been revealed that there is a very high level of interaction and dependency between the north and south, to the extent that it is be difficult to contemplate how a southern state could possess the required components of a viable state that could survive independently of the north. Committees emerging from these sessions have to discuss 14 issues, and agree on them before the referendum on 9 January 2011.
These issues are:
Public service;
The status of integrated joint military units and Sudanese national security;
International agreements and treaties;
Assets and debts;
Oil fields, production, transportation and export;
Contracts and the environment in oil fields;
Copyright; and
Other issues.
Nationality: the problem of citizenship
There are three possibilities in dealing with the thorny issue of nationality and the question of the type of citizenship people in the south would have should they choose secession. This is particularly true for those southerners living in the north, who don't possess the basic elements to support their living in the south because they have established a livelihood in the north. According to some organisations, about two million southerners have established their lives in the north over the past decades. The three possibilities to address their citizenship question are:
The two states will allow interested southerners to have dual nationality. Those of dual nationality will enjoy full citizenship rights in both the north and in the south. Currently, the Sudanese constitution allows the dualism of nationality. However, northerners might also ask for the same treatment, which might not find acceptance by southerners. The option of secession might effectively be put to rest if both sides agreed on exchanging nationalities.
The second option is to give southerners living in the north the right of choice between the nationalities of the two states. They would be allowed citizenship in only one of the states, and would lose citizenship in the other. Northerners might reject this option because of the pressure on resources for them, and because the minority southerners will enjoy the resources of the new southern state.
The third option is automatically to consider all southerners as citizens of the new southern state, and ignore other factors.
Each of these options has its peculiarities and consequences in relation to people's rights and liabilities. Journalist Faisal Mohammad Saleh, quoting the warning of the Rivujo InternationalOrganization, said that a dangerous possibility is the emergence of groups with no nationality - in particular, the Bedouin, who are not affiliated to or recognised by either of the proposed states. They may be subjected to difficult humanitarian conditions as they will not have any right of citizenship.
The most important issue related to the citizenship predicament is the status of the southerners in the public service. This issue has been discussed at length since it impacts on livelihood, accommodation, health and social insurance.
The Nifasha Treaty stipulated that the proportion of southerners in the public service should not be less than thirty percent. This target has already been achieved. However, the status of this issue may change if the southerners choose separation. Difficult legal and humanitarian issues are expected to arise as a result of the loss of thousands of jobs in Sudan.
Resources: Profit and loss calculations
Following citizenship issues in importance are economic issues, such as how to deal with the assets of the Sudanese state, whether in the south or in the north. This is in addition to the sovereign debt, which is estimated at around thirty five billion US dollars. The two parties are divided on the issue of this debt. Earlier, southerners viewed this debt as the responsibility of successive governments in the north. They believed that the debt was the fuel of the war waged by the north on southerners for decades, and that the south gained nothing from the incurring of the debt. However, it now seems that the tone has changed and both parties are accepting responsibility, notwithstanding the debt's origin and usage. Many scenarios were discussed on how to deal with the debt in the case of the separation. One scenario was to divide them according to the percentage of population.
Another post-referendum economic issue is oil. Eighty percent of Sudanese oil comes from the south, while all the infrastructure for exporting the oil is located in the north. This includes refineries, pipelines, export terminals, and so forth. Many observers view this integration and interaction in the oil economy in Sudan as an element of unification rather than separation. This was emphasised when experts pointed out the difficulty and high costs of exporting oil through the Kenyan port of Mombasa. There are many constraints that prevent exporting the southern oil through Mombasa, including:
The River Nile runs from the lakes area towards the north, and moving up the river - against the current - to the Kenyan port of Mombasa in the south east is difficult.
The distance that the southern oil has to travel to reach Mombasa exceeds 1 900 kilometres, and it has to cross very difficult and uneven topography characterised by many mountains and hills. The security in this area is also unstable; oil pipelines would be within firing range of the Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army.
The infrastructure of exporting oil through Mombasa, which includes refineries and terminals, is very expensive.
The financial costs are estimated by some sources at tens of billions of dollars.
Even if there was to be sufficient funding for establishing such infrastructure, its establishment would take four to five years. The present government in southern Sudan, dominated by the SPLM, cannot, however, survive for one week without the cash-flow generated by oil, which constitutes 98 percent of the financial revenues of the south.
Many experts argue that the mere economic calculation of the oil equation in relations between the south and north necessitates objective negotiations that must result in an agreement that will ensure the flow of oil exports through the north, and will raise the hope that oil could become the decisive factor in a unity deal. This unity could be encouraged by reviewing the Nifasha Treaty in a way that gives the south, currently taking fifty percent of the produced oil, further preferences.
Another important issue in the pre-referendum period is the issue of oil contracts and the environment. Although there are agreements that impose on oil-producing companies the maintenance of a clean environment in their geographical area of production to avoid pollution and its catastrophic impacts on the environment, many oil-producing countries have, in fact, suffered from these effects. Despite agreements on environmental conservation, poor compliance by these companies has frequently been reported, requiring re-negotiation and rigorous enforcing of controls and accountability.
It is important to note that the oil contracts were signed with Chinese, Malaysian and Indian companies in the absence of the SPLM, with the western companies boycotting Sudan for political reasons. The procurement and possession by Asian companies, led by China, of the greater share in Sudan's oil is considered one of the triggers for the struggles in the region, and a stimulus for US and EU interference in Sudanese affairs. The west is even ignoring the imminent dangers most studies have indicated exist if a separate state were to be established in the south of Sudan. These dangers weaken the components of any such emerging state. The west is ignoring these factors, and is looking for a foothold for its investments in the south. Therefore, the contracts issue, as a post-referendum issue, aims at addressing the economic interests and greed of the west to gain investment influence in the south as a reward for its support to the south in the north-south struggle. If events move in the direction of separation and the establishment of a new country in this African region, the area would be exposed to more clashes of interest between the main economic powers.
The currency to be used by the expected southern state is not that serious an issue in the current negotiations. The two parties may agree on the continued use of the Sudanese pound, or the south may chose its own pound. In any case, the south will need to establish a monetary and banking system to meet the necessary requirements to organise the economy of the newly established state.
The Nile water is also considered an important component of the economic package to be negotiated. Observers note that the Nile, despite its importance, was not given the attention it deserved in the comprehensive peace agreement signed in 2005 between the Sudanese government and the SPLM. It was referred to in passing in the authority protocol, but not in the resources protocol. This reference makes it a matter for the central authority, without paying attention to the fact that forty five percent of the resources of the Nile river basin lie in the south, and ninety percent of the south lies in this river basin, while twenty eight percent of the Nile waters cross the border from the south to the north and then to Egypt. The total water extracted from the southern marshes and added to the totality of the Nile is about twenty cubic metres.
Despite the neglect by the comprehensive peace agreement of the issue of the Nile River, the recent call - for example, in the Entebbe agreement last May, by seven of the basin countries to confront the estuary countries, i.e. Egypt and Sudan, necessitates placing the problem of the Nile at the heart of post-referendum issues. In addition, and despite the negligence of the SPLM on this issue, all factions refer to the possibility of the south joining the complainant countries as it is part of them, and these countries are its direct neighbours who would have political and economic impacts on an independent south. The south will also require their direct support in the event that the north rejects the results of the referendum if it decides to establish a new southern state.
Another post-referendum economic issue is that of copyrights. Whether for the southerners who possess economic rights in the north, or the northerners who possess economic rights in the south, there is a great understanding of the strength of interdependence between the two. All discussions on this issue indicate that both parties are willing to maintain their rights in an open economic process between the two neighbouring countries in the case of separation. In addition to the strength of integration and interaction between the two proposed states, the benefit of this trend is supported by Sudanese experiences of economic integration across the continent and with neighbouring countries. One of the most prominent examples of these integration experiences is what is occurring between Egypt and Sudan through the agreement of the four freedoms of the people of the two countries:
Freedom to work;
Freedom of movement;
Freedom of residence; and
Freedom of ownership.
While most post-referendum issues are of an economic nature, there are also issues that relate to security, which is of particular importance in a country full of potential hazards such as the non- demarcation of borders and the disagreement around them. Abyei, for example, is a sore point in this regard. The district was the site of a battle between the Sudanese army and the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA - the SPLM's armed wing) in May 2008, which was followed by an agreement on various security measures regarding the presence of the two armies. The confusion about whether Abyei will fall in the north or the south could result in serious problems. All these issues have been placed on the post-secession issues table. However, the most important of these security issues relates to the integrated joint forces. Observers believe that these forces would either be dissolved or entrusted with border security. Discussion also covers the fate of the current partnership between the security forces and the national intelligence services.
The last point of discussion between the government and the SPLM is related to international agreements and treaties signed between the Sudanese government and the international community. This issue does not seem complicated. The two parties may reach a compromise in which they both abide by previously signed agreements, while reviewing later agreements that require the commitment of each party alone. It should be noted that tension and other complications between the Sudanese government in the north and the international community will appear as a result of the separation of the south. The tension between the government in the north and the US and EU will continue for other reasons.
These are the most important post-referendum issues that are being discussed by the two sides in great secrecy. The possibility of the two sides successfully reaching agreement on these issues during the coming few months is in itself a positive sign that could lead to unity and ensure a peaceful relationship between neighbours.
* Al Musalami Al Kabashi is the Director of the AlJazeera office in Sudan


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Here's to looking forward to the next 10,000 views milestone.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Salamat, salamat, salamat!
Here's to looking forward to the next 10,000 views milestone.
9 comments:
- cruise said...
congratulations, kita naman ang ebidensiya, mahusay ka talaga. ipagpatuloy mo yan!
- Thursday, March 30, 2006
- Sidney said...
Wow ! Congrats !
Your pictures are good and you have talent so you deserve it !
- Saturday, April 01, 2006
- Yesterdays_ashes said...
WTG Oggie,
Your pictures are so beautiful to look at....thank you for sharing them with us to enjoy. Wishing you the best.
- Sunday, April 02, 2006
- micki said...
Congratulations on the 10,000! How wonderful! This shot is stunning!
- Tuesday, April 04, 2006
- Ferdz said...
Congrats! Magaganda naman talaga pics mo!
- Tuesday, April 04, 2006
- estan said...
uy, congrats pare!
- Sunday, May 21, 2006
- Leah said...
hi Oggie,
Finally had the chance to view and read some of your posts. Wow! galing ng mga pix mo. Pwede bang manghiram para pang-design ko sa blog ko. I really like this one with the bamboo and and the sun. Very peaceful.
all the best
- Saturday, September 16, 2006
- oggie said...
hi leah!
sure, go ahead and use it. you can also get it thru my flickr site, feel free to visit www.flickr.com/photos/oggie and browse through my set entitled "sunrise, sunset"
God bless!
- Saturday, September 16, 2006
- Leah said...
ok, thanks. I will look at your photos...I'll just let you know what I like best to use as header for my blog template (still in the editing stage). Ganda kasi talaga ng work mo. I would love to get an original print. I'll let you know.
- Sunday, September 17, 2006


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Why should England's one-day team have all the fun? Follow in their footsteps for a dose of winter sun or an early summer break
By Richard Roberts
England take on the West Indies in a tour of the Caribbean with three one-day internationals (ODIs) this March. And though the team will be under pressure to secure a result following defeat to India, we can't feel too sorry for them as they head off for a week of West Indian sunshine. Plan your own winter escape with a Caribbean break inspired by the tour. If it's good enough for them…
Start in St Kitts
Eoin Morgan's side will get ready for the series with two warm-up matches against a West Indies Cricket Board President's XI. Though the two games aren't part of the series proper, they conveniently mean an extra destination. And not just any destination: lovely, sunny St Kitts. A typical Caribbean paradise, St Kitts is one half of the two-island nation of St Kitts and Nevis. With mountains covered in greenery and picture-perfect beaches, St Kitts is worth the trip alone – whether or not you're lucky enough to have tickets for the matches.
Though St Kitts makes a perfect sun-sea-and-sand break, there are also plenty of historic sights here. The island has a long history entrenched in the slave and sugar trades, and the UNESCO-listed Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park is a monument to 18th-century architecture and the island's troubled past.
One of the best ways to see this fascinating destination is on a cruise that lets you discover several of the Caribbean's standouts. Our Miami and Caribbean Eclipse Cruise combines island-hopping with a stay in fashionable Miami.
Weigh anchor in Antigua
The first two ODIs take place at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in Antigua. So if you're looking to be near the action then the northeast of the island is the ideal base. Conveniently, that's also where you can find some of Antigua's best beaches, as well as natural sights such as Devil's Bridge – a spectacular rock arch where waves explode against the rugged coastline.
If you're looking for a base for the cricket or just some well-earned sun and relaxation then we have the ideal Antigua package – book a stay at the Verandah Resort and Spa to be just 20 minutes' drive from the stadium right on the coastline.
Hit the beach in Barbados
England will end the tour with the third match at Barbados's Kensington Oval on Thursday 9 March. One of the West Indies' most well-known islands, Barbados is what most people think of when they picture the Caribbean, from the tropical beaches of the west coast to the Mount Gay rum distillery. If you want to combine a trip to watch the series finale with some more Caribbean adventuring, then a twin-centre trip to Barbados and the spice island of Grenada is a great way to uncover another jewel of the Caribbean. Or if you want to just go all-out and cover all the standouts of the Caribbean then treat yourself to our all-inclusive drinks cruise.
But if cricket is your top priority then there's also plenty of accommodation near Bridgetown that also gives you access to some fantastic Bajan beaches – The House is just a few minutes' drive up the stunning west coast from the Kensington Oval and gives you access to water sports and swimming with turtles as well as the winter's top sporting fixture.
Pad up for summer
Finally, if you've just got cricket on the brain then plan ahead and book tickets for a game at Old Trafford with Mail Travel this summer. You can take your pick from fixtures including a T20 game, the test against South Africa or the home ODI against the West Indies, and our packages come with superb seats as well as perks including a gourmet picnic. Book now to get your tickets or treat a cricket fan close to you.


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Two weeks ago, I made a bee line for my favorite thrift store. It was Wednesday, or as I like to call it, the Thrift Shopper's Dream Day because all of the clothes were half off. I wasn't sure what I'd find but I was excited to see what they had to offer. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed. I found five formal gowns to add to my studio wardrobe inventory for my portrait clients. They ranged from $6 to $1! Once I scooped up the dresses, I started looking for items for my own wardrobe.
Most of the items that I found were fitness and lounge wear. I was especially thrilled to have found fitness shorts and skorts since I usually have to roll up my sweat pants to workout in the summer. The gold shorts that I found are made of very lightweight fabric and look something I imagine a sexy boxer would wear, lol. I also found a thin screen printed hoodie that is perfect for wearing around the house and outside when it gets a little nippy (or for protection against the sun). I found a great pair of spiderman printed joggers in the men's section along with a StarWars t-shirt (my first sci-fi paraphernalia!).
My favorite finds from that trip was a pink trench style rain coat (a surprise gift for my Mom), a pink polka dotted skirt with a beige stripe at the bottom and a pink waist-lentgh blazer with black lace in the back. I can't wait to take it for a spin at my next networking opportunity! I also plan to wear it for other occasions like church, dates and client consultations! I'll be starting up my daily OOTD and weekly capsules again and these pink numbers are sure to make a few appearances.
After this trip to the thrift store, I'm down to 13 slots left in my 100 item curated wardrobe. Once I reach 100, I'll create a visual library to help me keep track of what I've worn and give me ideas for new combinations. What have you been wearing lately? Find any treasures at your local thrift store that you absolutely love? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Have courage,


text: Although catching and eating fish and shellfish is an important part of the way of life for many Louisianans, there may be health risks associated with eating fish or shellfish harvested from particular water bodies in Louisiana. When harmful chemicals are released into the environment, these chemicals may contaminate some lakes, rivers, streams or ponds. Over time, these contaminants may accumulate in the bodies of the fish or shellfish that live there. When these contaminated fish or shellfish are caught and consumed, the contaminants may get into the body of the person that consumed them, which may pose a threat to human health. Fish consumption advisories are issued when contaminants are found at levels that may potentially impact the public's health. The Louisiana Department of Health, in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), issues fish consumption and swimming advisories to help ensure the safe enjoyment of Louisiana's water resources. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) are also consulted during the course of advisory development and dissemination. The Louisiana Fish Consumption and Swimming Advisory app was designed to protect human health by making fish consumption and swimming advisories readily accessible via an interactive map.


text:
Since both Khang and I are unemployed, every Thursday, we head off to Khang's family's gas station to help out by lifting and smashing down boxes. We had to make sure things were spick-n-span because the audit lady was suppose to come in the next few days.
Well, after doing our usual routine, Khang's mom told us that we needed to pick up the fallen advertisement signs on the grass. Khang needed to fill his gas tank so he told me to move his truck and fill it up while he fixed the signs…since I always have to move the truck and such, I told him nope and went to fix the 2 fallen signs myself. I got one up rather quickly… I just picked it up, stabbed it into the ground and stomped on it to make sure it was locked and secure..and voila…the 2nd one wasn't so easy though.
The 2nd sign was originally posted in a small bush in the ground, so when it had fallen, it uprooted some of the plant, and I couldn't find a way to stick it in without further harming the plant, so I waited for Khang. He was taking a bit longer since there was a long line at the pumps, but once he got to the pump, he went to help me…but as he approached, some crazy looking, bum-lady waiting in line for gas, pops her head out of her beat up astro-van and says to Khang in a semi-joking manner "why were you just sitting in your car while she did the work!".. well we laughed it off and then Khang starts to "fix" the fallen sign. I told him I didn't do it because I didn't know what to do about the plants…well he said it didn't matter and just stomped all over the plant and eventually got the sign in.
As Khang was walking off with his goofy smile, the lady speaks out to us and tells us that we gave the plant an owie…and Khang replies, it's ok! it's my plant!! hahah……….
Well…since we finished our work, filled Khang's tank, said bye to his mom as she was listening to the crazy looking lady tell her what Khang did to the plant and drove off…we got a call a few minutes later to find that Khang forgot his coat, so we had to do a huge u-turn around and travel all the way back….
I quickly hopped out of the car to grab the coat and to my surprise..the crazy looking lady was still in the gas station………… she was the auditor…. HAHAhahahahhaa…….the crazy lady again..repeated how Khang gave the plant an owie again, and Khang's mom, while "laughing along" told her she got docked off points from it…HAHa… -________-
O man…the timing of all this was amazing…


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Skincare and Beauty Lounge Services
Skin Treatments, Body Treatments, and Waxing..oh my!
We offer facials, eyelash extensions, waxing, spray tanning, brow and lash tinting and more!
The Skincare and Beauty Lounge at Simply Beautiful Artistry offers you the opportunity to look and feel your best from head to toe. See the price list below for treatments like facials, waxing, spray tanning, lash extensions, brow and lash tinting and more! If you have a question about treatments please navigate to the contact us page and call, text or e-mail the skincare studio!


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EeFall wrote:I wrote an email to my son, his wife, and my wife today and apologized! I had some really good sleep the night before. Yes, I am going completely insane without sleep, no doubt about it. Sleep makes all the difference. My son called me today and all is well once again and we are going to our granddaughters 1 year old birthday next Saturday!
Wonderful !


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The ECO 2018 regular and late breaking abstract submission are now closed.
Abstract Guidelines
ECO2018_Oral Presentation Guidelines
EASO has again selected Call4Posters™ as their preferred poster printing partner for the ECO 2018 Congress. Call4Posters® Poster Printing Service is a poster service that will enable you to have your poster professionally printed, reviewed and shipped directly to the poster hall.
Your poster will be waiting for you at the Registration Area – no need to worry about carrying it on the plane.
Please visit http://eu.call4posters.com/eco/c/1667?meetingposter=true to submit your poster file for printing.


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Hello Everyone! I am very excited that today, I am participating as a host for the Audio Book Tour for Stonewiser: Heart of The Stone by Dora Machado! (Innovative Online Book tour).
Please see the details below on this awesome book and the next books in the series, also I share my thoughts on Stonewiser: Heart of The Stone!
Author of the Stonewiser Series
Dora Machado is the award winning author of the Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, from Twilight Times Books, available July 2013. She is one of the few Latinas exploring her heritage and her world through the epic fantasy genre today. She holds a master's degree in business administration and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown University. She was born in Michigan and grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a bilingual fascination for writing, a love for history, and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She enjoys long walks, traveling, and connecting with the amazing readers who share in her mind's adventures. She lives in Florida with her indulging husband and three very opinionated cats.
About Dora Machado's Novels:
Dora Machado is the award winning author of the Stonewiser trilogy and her newest novel, The Curse Giver. She is one of the few Latinas exploring her heritage and her world through the epic fantasy genre today. Her first novel, Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, won the 2009 Benjamin Franklin award for best debut novel. Her second novel, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone, won the 2010 Independent Publishers Book Award's (IPPY) Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the year. Her third novel, Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone, won the 2012 Independent Publishers Book Award's (IPPY) Silver Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the year. All three novels were finalists in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Category. Her latest novel, The Curse Giver from Twilight Times Books is available July 2013.
To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com
Subscribe to her blog at http://www.doramachado.com/blog/ , sign up for her newsletter at http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
- Website www.doramachado.com
- Blog http://www.doramachado.com/blog/ , sign up for her newsletter at http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php and follow her on
- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101?ref=ts
- Twitter https://twitter.com/DoraMachado
- Amazon Author Central amazon.com/author/doramachado
- Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Stonewiser-Heart-Stone/dp/B00F6DB9FG/ref=la_B006RW7R7O_1_1_title_1_audd?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390500741&sr=1-1
- Audible http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Stonewiser-Audiobook/B00F52CJIY/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1390500786&sr=1-1
Stonewiser: Heart of The Stone (Audio Book)
Winner of the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award for best Debut Novel
Finalist for 2009 Foreword Book of the Year Award for SFF
Between truth and deception, between justice and abuse, a stonewiser stands alone with the stones. Or so begins the stonewiser's oath. But what happens when a rebellious stonewiser discovers that lies have tainted the stone tales?
In a world devastated by the rot's widespread destruction, only the tales preserved in the stones can uphold the truth and defend the Goodlands. In this world, stone truth is valued above anyone's word, and stonewisers are the only ones capable of retrieving the tales from the stones, the only link between past and present, order and chaos.
Sariah is the most gifted stonewiser of her generation, but her talent does not atone for her shortcomings. A survivor of the Guild's brutal training, she is curious, willful and disobedient. Yet not even Sariah is prepared for what she finds when she steals into the Guild's Sacred Vaults: A mayhem of lies and intrigues that shatters her world.
Hunted, persecuted, and betrayed, Sariah must make an unlikely alliance with Kael, a cynical rebel leader pledged to a mysterious quest of his own. The fate of their dying world depends on their courage to overcome centuries of hatred and distrust. But not even the grueling journey has prepared them for what they are about to discover. Because nothing is really as it seems, and the truth is more intricate and devastating than they ever suspected….
My Review
I will start off saying that this was my first experience reviewing an audio book, and it was an awesome experience! Really, Melissa Reizian Frank did a fabulous job with the story-telling and I enjoyed the experience immensely:)…
Ms. Machado's story in one word was fascinating…wow! The story concerns Sariah who is a Stonewiser and has always believed that the Stonewiser Guild and those of her kind stood for Justice and all that was True…but after a harrowing experience, she discovers that what she has been told lies and that there was betrayal within the Guild and she sets out on a journey to find the Truth…along the way she makes unlikely acquaintances and discovers much about herself and the Stonewisers.
I will say that I truly enjoyed Ms. Machado's storytelling. This author is an expert at world building, the world she created was intricate, magical, dark and sometimes very painful. But Ms. Machado did a fantastic job of guiding her characters through the maze of this world which kept me on the edge of my seat through the telling of this story.
I liked Sariah and I admired her thirst for her calling…(the stones) and the strength she exhibited in not simply accepting what was told, but discovering the truth on her own terms…
Stonewiser was a gripping, novel that is Dark Fantasy at its best. Steady, engrossing pace, detailed and interesting plot that will keep the readers hooked and characters that are realistic and easy to become invested in their lives.
I fully recommend Stonewiser:Heart of The Stone to those searching for a fresh, unique voice in fantasy! I do recommend this for Mature readers.