Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 4, 2015

THE WORLD AROUND US

12

Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 4, 2015 


STUDY PROVIDES NEW EXPLANATION FOR MERCURY’S DARK SURFACE

Peering into space, the surface of Mercury appears 
dark and unreflective, an observation that has long 
puzzled planetary scientists due to the planet’s very 
low surface abundance of iron (less than 2 percent).

 Iron is an important darkening material in 
airless bodies like the moon and asteroids. While 
the intense space weathering environment on 
Mercury, which efficiently converts the small 
amount of available iron into submicroscopic 
metallic iron, contributes to its dark surface, this 
effect is not sufficient to explain observations of 
Mercury’s appearance. As a result, researchers have 
long speculated that a “mystery darkening agent” 
must be contributing to Mercury’s dark surface.

 In a study published in Nature Geoscience, a 
team of researchers investigate whether carbon, 
delivered by comets and/or comet dust, could be 
this elusive mystery darkening agent.

 “Our study answers a longstanding mystery 
about why Mercury’s surface is darker than the 
moon’s surface, by implicating carbon as a “stealth” 
darkening agent, which is difficult to detect with 
available remote sensing methods,” said lead author 
Megan Bruck Syal, a postdoctoral researcher 
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. 
“Mercury is effectively painted black by the 
constant influx of carbon-rich micrometeorites.”

 Numerical calculations to assess impact delivery 
of carbon on Mercury found that micrometeorites, 
which are mostly derived from carbon-enriched 
comets, would deliver enough carbon to affect 
observations of Mercury’s surface. These 
micrometeorites’ relatively low impact velocities 
allow most impacting material to be retained by 
the planet, resulting in surface carbon abundances 
near 3-6 percent.

 Hypervelocity impact experiments at the 
Ames Vertical Gun Range also tested whether 
carbon could be effectively entrained within 
glassy, impact-generated melt products, resulting 
in darker spectral signatures. The results were 
consistent with remote sensing observations of 
Mercury by the MESSENGER mission, further 
suggesting an important role for carbon at the 
surface of Mercury.

 “Without samples from Mercury, planetary 
scientists rely on spectral modeling of Mercury’s 
surface to interpret its composition and geologic 
history,” said Syal. “Understanding the role of 
micrometeorites in delivering dark material 
to Mercury provides new ways of interpreting 
observations of the planet. Additionally, we are 
now working on how micrometeorites may have 
delivered other materials of interest to Mercury, 
including water.”

 Co-authors on this paper include Peter Schultz 
of Brown University and Miriam Riner of the 
Planetary Sciences Institute. The research was 
supported by NASA’s Planetary Geology and 
Geophysics program and the NASA Earth and 
Space Science Fellowship program.

*******

 GLOBAL ASTRONOMY MONTH 2015 (GAM 
2015) fills the entire month of April with programs 
for astronomy enthusiasts worldwide. Organized 
each April by Astronomers Without Borders, GAM 
is the world’s largest annual global celebration of 
astronomy. 

 GAM 2015 programs will include:

 Online observing, featuring live interaction 
with a worldwide audience in four special events: a 
Lunar Eclipse, the hugely popular Online Messier 
Marathon, Stars for All, and Walking on the Moon.

 AWB’s wide-ranging AstroArts program, 
connecting art and culture with astronomy in 
exciting ways with blog posts and special live 
webcasts—including the annual Cosmic Concert 
with original music composed and performed by 
Giovanni Renzo.

 An AstroPoetry contest, designed for children, 
young adults, and adults worldwide.

 A Global Star Party April 25.

 Partner programs, bringing new audiences and 
participants: Measuring light pollution worldwide 
in Globe at Night, classrooms discovering asteroids 
in the International Asteroid Search Campaign, 
and more.

 The GAM 2015 website (http://www.gam-awb.
org) is the hub of all activities, with galleries, 
articles, and fresh content continuously posted. 
You can also watch the HD Video Promo Trailer 
on AWB’s YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Jx-
tqtDE8&feature=youtu.be 

 

You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com. 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


THE MEDICINE FINALLY WORKED......

Some experiences with the Remarkable

Aloe Vera Plant by Christopher Nyerges

 

[Nyerges is the former editor of Wilderness Way magazine, and the author of 14 books, including 
“Guide to Wild Foods,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Foraging California,” and others. He leads 
regular outdoor field trips to identify edible and medicinal wild plants. He can be reached at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]

WHAT’S WRONG WITH HAVING 
A “BLESSED” DAY?


This week I heard of a place that always greeted people with, “Have a blessed day.” I have 
heard that addressed to me and I have said it back many times. On the surface, this looks like 
a very wonderful, encouraging and positive thing to do and I am all for it. I want everybody 
to have a blessed day.

 Yet, according to the news (and they never get anything wrong!), a certain 
organization was threatened with a lawsuit if they did not stop saying the word “blessed.” 
At first, I thought I was watching an old Three Stooges clip and started to laugh, but then 
I realized it was a part of the news. They were serious.

 As the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were listening to this news story we both 
came to the same agreement. Believe me, that is not an easy thing to do. If I had a good 
memory, I might think of several times in which this has happened, but right now, I cannot 
think of any. Maybe things are changing for me.

 Both of us were a little confused by this action. We talked among ourselves while the 
story was developing and we were trying to find out what part of “Have a blessed day,” was 
harmful or objectionable. I was reminded of the old saying, “Sticks and stones...” I was at the 
point where I was looking around for some sticks and stones.

 It seems to me, too many people do not have enough to do so they have to come up with 
something and this is it. Complaining about certain words as if it was important

 Objecting to certain words is, in some people’s thinking (if you can call it thinking), more 
important than dealing with crime throughout our country. For some people it is okay that 
the crime rate is rising, just do not use certain words or phrases.

 For some reason, some people associate the word “blessed” with some kind of a religious 
connotation. After all, that word is used in the Bible many times. So, for some reason, this 
word is objectionable.

 I was trying to figure out what part of “blessed” was harmful and objectionable. Obviously, 
the people objecting to the phrase do not know too much about the English language.

 One of the definitions of blessed is, “blissfully happy or contented.” Who doesn’t want to 
be blissfully happy or contented?

 My solution was to use the word “great.” Everybody would be greeted with, “Have a great 
day.” I thought this was a good way to greet people, but then my wife brought in another 
objection.

 “They can’t use the word great,” she said rather soberly, “because that word is also in the 
Bible and usually associated with God.”

 She was right. The word “great” is usually associated with God in the sense that we have a 
“Great God.” There is just no way some people will use a word that is in any way associated 
with the Bible or with God and I am not sure why.

 I have another phrase that could be used in place of “blessed.” Why not tell people to have 
a good day? After all, is that not the objective every day to have a good day? What is wrong 
with good?

 But then, the word “good” is another religious word and it is also found in the Bible. So, 
good has become offensive to people because of its association with the Bible.

 At this point, I got into a little trouble with my wife. Of course, that is not something new 
for me. If trouble is not my middle name, it is at least my destination.

 “Why not,” I said quite cautiously to my wife, “tell people to have a cursed day! After all, if 
they do not want to have a blessed day what else is there?”

 Well, did I get the lecture to end all lectures. I cannot repeat the lecture because there is not 
enough space in all of the newspapers in America to handle it. Let me just say, I will never 
repeat that again.

 Once the heat settled down and the room got quiet, my wife said something very 
thoughtful. “Why are people so terrified of the Bible?”

 She hit it that time. The most amazing thing to me are people who do not believe the Bible 
are deathly afraid of the Bible. People who do not believe in God are deathly afraid of even 
the word God or a symbol associated with God.

 Some people are really obsessed with God. They see a cross and think of God. They see two 
hands folded together and they think of God. They hear certain words and they think of God. 
They see someone pray and are deathly afraid in spite of the fact that they say there is no 
God and so who in the world do they think they are they praying to?

 The answer is quite simple. There is something deep inside everybody that believes in 
God. My advice is, quit fighting and get to know this God you are so afraid of, He is really 
great.

 David understood this quite well when he wrote, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from 
everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen” (Psalms 41:13).

 So, whoever you are, I say without any apologies whatsoever, “Have a blessed day.”

 Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 
34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 
or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net or website www.jamessnyderministries.com.

Sometime in late 1978, my 
mother shared with me an 
experience she had with the Aloe vera plant. My 
mother, Marie, was a Registered Nurse who worked 
at a Pasadena retirement home as the staff nurse. 
About three months earlier, a housekeeper who lived 
on-site at the retirement home began to break out in 
a hive-like rash that caused her to itch constantly. 
The cause was said to be a nervous condition. The 
patient’s thighs, back, arms, shoulders, and neck all 
broke out in this rash, which the patient described as 
“burning like fire.” 

 

My mother offered to apply the juice of the aloe leaf 
to the patient’s red spots, but the patient responded, 
“No, I’ll have the doctor check it.” The doctor came 
and prescribed Atarax (internally) for the itching 
and allergies, and cortisone (externally), which 
was applied as a cream. The doctor also prescribed 
tranquilizers for sleep.

 

After about 45 days, the patient, Lucille, told my 
mother that she still could not sleep at night, and 
that the rash hadn’t improved. Lucille noted that 
there was a slight improvement in the rash when she 
stayed home and didn’t go to work, so Lucille and 
the doctor assumed this was a nervous condition 
associated with work. 

 

So my mother, Lucille’s nurse, asked again if she’d 
like to try some aloe. Lucille responded, “Yes, please, 
bring me anything!” My mother noted that Lucille’s 
skin was hot to the touch, and there were big red 
spots all over. 

 

At 7:30 a.m., my mother took a fresh succulent Aloe 
vera leaf, slit it open, and rubbed the gel on Lucille’s 
arms, legs, back, neck – almost her entire body. 
Lucille said her skin immediately felt better. By 3:30 
that afternoon, all the visibly red spots were gone, 
and Lucille happily told my mother that all of the 
burning itching was gone. The next day Lucille told 
my mother that that night was the first night she’d 
slept in the previous approximately 45 days.

 

My mother had been somewhat reticent to apply 
the aloe because she was subservient to the doctor, 
and could have lost her license by doing something 
without the approval of the doctor. 

 

When the doctor arrived, Marie told him that 
Lucille’s rash had cleared up, and she admitted to 
having applied aloe juice. The doctor was somewhat 
taciturn as he examined the patient, and, without 
commenting on the aloe, told my mother, “It’s good 
that the medicine finally worked.” Really?!

 

My mother always had a laugh re-telling this 
story about a doctor who couldn’t see the obvious! 
Eventually, the other nurses referred to my mother 
as the “witch-doctor” because she used aloe and 
various other natural methods of healing, behind 
the doctor’s back. 

 

Over the years, I had my mother document the 
many cases where she use aloe to cure various skin 
condition, on her patients, herself, and even cats.

 

Marie used aloe for sun burn, burns from hot oil, 
skin sores, diaper rash, bed sores, even poison oak 
rash.

 

In one case, our family cat had a large open ulcer 
on his thigh – we weren’t sure of the cause, but we 
presumed that the cat got into a fight. My mother 
directed me to put some of fresh aloe gel onto the 
ulcer every day for three day, while also making 
some of the aloe leaf into a juice which was added 
to the cat’s water. The wound was completely healed 
after three days. “It was unbelievable,” expressed 
Marie, “but it worked!”

My mother’s experiences took place over 35 years 
ago, and today, Aloe vera is a common household 
word. You can buy it anywhere, even Trader Joe’s 
markets. And as the succulent plant was studied and 
researched all these years, many have come to call it 
a miracle herb. 

 

The properties of aloe are a broad mix of antibiotic, 
astringent, pain inhibitor, emollient, moisturizer, 
antipruritic (reduces itching), as well as a nutrient. 
It apparently works because of the polysaccharides 
present, the main one of which is a glucomannan. 
Others ingredients of the aloe include galactose, 
uronic acids, and pentoses. The miracle qualities 
of the aloe is not believed to be the polysaccharides 
alone, but the synergistic effect of these and other 
compounds in the leaf.

 

Obviously, many have tried to create an aloe product 
that you can buy in the bottle, and some are quite 
good. I’ve had some good results from the aloe 
drink that I have purchased at Trader Joe’s market. 
But please make no mistake about it: the best results 
come from the gel from the freshly-broken leaf of 
aloe. And though Aloe vera seems to be the best, 
any of the juice from any aloe can be used for burns, 
poison oak, etc.


Spotted Owl of the Ojibway Nation looks at an 
Aloe vera plant, for sale at the Old L.A. Farmers 
Market.

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