Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 16, 2016

14

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, January 16, 2016 


CHINESE ROVER ANALYZES MOON ROCKS: First New ‘Ground Truth’ in 40 Years

In 2013, Chang’e-3, an unmanned lunar mission 
from China, touched down on the northern part 
of the Moon’s Imbrium Basin, one of the most 
prominent of the lava-filled impact basins visible 
from Earth.

 It was a beautiful landing site, said Bradley L. 
Jolliff, PhD, the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth 
and Planetary Sciences at Washington University 
in St. Louis, who is a participant in an educational 
collaboration that helped analyze Chang’e-3 
mission data. The lander touched down on a 
smooth flood basalt plain next to a relatively fresh 
impact crater (now officially named the Zi Wei 
crater) that had conveniently excavated bedrock 
from below the regolith (the ground-up surface 
layer of fragmented rock) for the Yutu rover to 
study.

 Since the Apollo program ended, American 
lunar exploration has been conducted mainly 
from orbit. But orbital sensors mostly detect the 
regolith that blankets the Moon, and the regolith 
is typically mixed and difficult to interpret.

 Because Chang’e-3 landed on a comparatively 
young lava flow, the regolith layer was thin and not 
mixed with debris from elsewhere. Thus it closely 
resembled the composition of the underlying 
volcanic bedrock. This characteristic made the 
landing site an ideal location to compare in situ 
analysis with compositional information detected 
by orbiting satellites.

 “We now have ‘ground truth’ for our remote 
sensing, a well-characterized sample in a key 
location,” Jolliff said. “We see the same signal 
from orbit in other places, so we now know that 
those other places probably have similar basalts.”

 The basalts at the Chang’e-3 landing site also 
turned out to be unlike any returned by the Apollo 
and Luna sample return missions.

 “The diversity tells us that the Moon’s upper 
mantle is much less uniform in composition than 
Earth’s,” Jolliff said. “And correlating chemistry 
with age, we can see how the Moon’s volcanism 
changed over time.”

 Two partnerships were involved in the 
collection and analysis of this data, published 
in the journal Nature Communications [http://
www.nature.com/ncomms/index.html] Dec. 22. 
Scientists from a number of Chinese institutions 
involved with the Chang’e-3 mission formed 
one partnership; the other was a long-standing 
educational partnership between Shandong 
University in Weihai, China, and Washington 
University in St. Louis.

 The Moon, thought to have been created by the 
collision of a Mars-sized body with the Earth, 
began as a molten or partially molten body that 
separated as it cooled into a crust, mantle and 
core. But the buildup of heat from the decay of 
radioactive elements in the interior then remelted 
parts of the mantle, which began to erupt onto the 
surface some 500 million years after the Moon’s 
formation, pooling in impact craters and basins to 
form the maria, most of which are on the side of 
the Moon facing the Earth.

 The American Apollo (1969-1972) and Russian 
Luna (1970-1976) missions sampled basalts from 
the period of peak volcanism that occurred 
between 3 and 4 billion years ago. But the Imbrium 
basin, where Chang’e-3 landed, contains some of 
the younger flows—3 billion years old or slightly 
less.

 The basalts returned by the Apollo and Luna 
missions had either a high titanium content or 
low to very low titanium; intermediate values 
were missing. But measurements made by an 
alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer and a near-
infrared hyperspectral imager aboard the Yutu 
rover indicated that the basalts at the Chang’e-3 
landing site are intermediate in titanium, as 
well as rich in iron, said Zongcheng Ling, PhD, 
associate professor in the School of Space Science 
and Physics at Shandong University in Weihai, 
and first author of the paper.

 Titanium is especially useful in mapping and 
understanding volcanism on the Moon because it 
varies so much in concentration, from less than 
1 weight-percent TiO2 to over 15 percent. This 
variation reflects significant differences in the 
mantle source regions that derive from the time 
when the early magma ocean first solidified.

 “The variable titanium distribution on the lunar 
surface suggests that the Moon’s interior was not 
homogenized,” Jolliff said. “We’re still trying to 
figure out exactly how this happened.”

 

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


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

THERE IS NO KNOWN 

CURE FOR HAPPY-ITIS

LOCAL BUSINESSWOMAN 

DESPINA ARZOUMAN PRACTICES 
THE ART OF REFLEXOLOGY

 Now that the pressure of the Old Year is off and 
the New Year has just begun, I can chill out a little 
and rest for a while.

 Towards the end of the Old Year, there is a lot 
of pressure to get caught up on all of those stupid 
New Year’s resolutions I made for the year. Every 
year I am pressured into making some silly New 
Year’s resolution. I would think that after a while 
this would get old.

 For some people, this is simply a way of life and 
addressing the New Year.

 “Have you got your New Year’s resolution list 
made up,” my wife always badgers me.

 I used to be able to get away with saying, “Yes, I 
sure do.”

 That worked until one year she said, “Can I see 
your list of New Year’s resolutions?”

 I dodged that for as long as I could and then had 
to confess that I really did not have any New Year’s 
resolutions.

 That was a major mistake on my part because the 
Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage volunteered to 
help me make up a list of New Year’s resolutions. 
That list was so long that, if taken seriously, it 
would take me the rest of my life just to put a little 
dent in it.

 From then on, I made up my own little list of 
New Year’s resolutions.

 Usually on my list is one resolution dealing with 
losing weight. I cannot tell you how many times I 
have lost a pound only to find it and its friend the 
next day. I cannot help it, I guess I am so pleasant to 
be around this weight cannot stay away from me. 
Maybe I should try to be a little grumpier this year. 
(That would make a great New Year’s resolution!)

 Somebody in our house is very serious about 
New Year’s resolutions.

 The year starts out with, “You got your New 
Year’s resolutions all ready?”

 It then evolves into, “Have you started on your 
New Year’s resolutions yet?”

 The next evolutionary point is, “What New 
Year’s resolution have you completed?”

 The evolution ends with, “Have you completed 
your New Year’s resolutions yet?”

 This is one reason why I do not believe in the 
theory of evolution.

 At each evolutionary stage, my stress level 
increases appropriately. By the time December 
comes around my life has evolved to a point of 
absolute nervous recklessness and major stress 
because I know not one of those New Year’s 
resolutions were met.

 That is why I like January. Yes, I have that list 
of New Year’s resolutions, but I have not really 
started thinking about them yet. That is the beauty 
of January. Nobody is thinking about working on 
those resolutions nor is anybody, especially in my 
happy domicile, questioning about where we are 
along with our New Year’s resolutions.

 For the most part, January finds me in a state of 
sheer happiness. I call it, happy-itis and as far as I 
know, there is absolutely no cure for it. I just love 
being happy and on occasion my face joins in the 
celebration.

 “Why,” my wife demands, “are you so happy?”

 This is where a husband has to carefully think 
about his next response. Should I tell her the truth 
or should I tell her what she really wants to hear? 
Sometimes these two do not hold hands.

 I compromise and say, “I’m just happy about 
starting a new year and what it has for us.” Then 
I smile broadly, which usually throws her off her 
game.

 Being happy is one of the great benefits of life 
that not many people have discovered. I know 
there are many times when happiness does not 
really fit the occasion, but I am concentrating on 
those times when it does fit. I love being happy.

 Not only that, but I love trying to make other 
people happy as well. Wherever you go these days 
all you find are people under stress and discouraged 
without much motivation to go forward. I think 
everybody needs a dose of happiness every now 
and again.

 I am hoping that somehow I could be infected 
with the happy-itis virus and infect as many people 
as I can. Of course, I know there is absolutely no 
cure for this disease and if I ever find anybody 
looking for a cure, I am going to go after them with 
everything I got. (That would make a great New 
Year’s resolution!)

 Often when facing a serious problem, my wife 
will look at me and say, “Wipe that smile off your 
face right now. Let’s get serious for a change.”

 That has been my problem. It is very difficult, 
especially during the month of January, for me to 
get serious about anything. Everything I see brings 
a smile to my face. Every person I meet causes me 
to giggle and when I giggle, it is hard to hide it 
from my face.

 James understood this when he wrote, “Behold, 
we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard 
of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the 
Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender 
mercy” (James 5:11).

 There is more to life than being happy, but not 
much more. Happiness comes from deep inside 
and flows to the outside so everybody can see it 
and benefit from it.

 The Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family 
of God Fellowship, Ocala, FL. Call him at 352-687-
4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. The church 
web site is www.whatafellowship.com.


[Nyerges is the director of the 
School of Self-Reliance, and the 
author of such books as “Extreme 
Simplicity,” “How to Survive 
Anywhere,” and others. He 
can be reached at Box 41834, 
Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or www.
ChristopherNyerges.com.]

 Despina Arzouman practices 
the art of Reflexology here in 
Sierra Madre.

 What is “reflexology”? It is 
the art and science based on the 
theory that there is a map of the 
human body reflected on the 
feet, hands, and ears, and that by 
touching spots on the feet, hands 
and ears, the nerve endings send 
impulse messages to the brain, 
and the brain sends messages 
to the body parts. Reflexology, 
somewhat related to acupressure, dates back to ancient 
Egypt, according to what can be seen in hieroglyphics.

The Chinese have proven (via acupunture) that “points” 
reflected in the ear effect and balance one’s health, 
and so reflexologists have adopted the use of the Ear 
acupuncture chart for reflexology. The 
Ear acupuncture chart has been accepted by western 
Medicine.

 Though she began her Sierra Madre FootSmarts 
practice in 2002, her interest in the healing art goes back 
to her early 20s.

 She discovered reflexology when she was a dancer. “I 
started dancing at age 19,” says Arzouman. “From ages 23 
to 30, I used a reflexology chart as a guide to direct energy 
through the areas in my feet up into the corresponding 
areas in my body. I discovered new levels of energy with 
this practice.”

 At the same time that she discovered dance, about 
age 19, she was diagnosed with cystic mastitis, which 
is a fibrous type of matter in the breast. “I attributed 
it to taking birth control pills when I was 17,” explains 
Arzouman, who also read news reports claiming that 
many breast problems were, or were not, related to birth 
control pills.

 “I started working as a legal secretary at that 
time,” says Arzouman, “and my first job was typing 
a chronology of events for a client who had radical 
mastectomy. That these events coincided it alerted 
(and scared me) out of my wits. So I went to all the top 
physicians in New York for answers. One charged me 
$350 for the initial visit -- that was 35 years ago! -- and I 
felt he treated me like I was nothing, like a piece of meat; 
but then, some conscious aspect of my mind told me 
that he has no clue who I am and no idea what’s wrong 
with me, nor what to do.”

 Arzouman started to take care of herself. She began 
by reading Prevention magazine, and health-related 
magazines. She studied diet, exercise, supplements, and 
started making her own whole wheat bread, took dance 
lessons, and that set a new tone for her life. “I never took 
the pill again,” adds Arzouman. “I stopped eating beef. 
I stopped eating all sandwhich meats – which are full 
of nitrates. I began to monitor my own body and mind. 
And I truly believe that if I listened to doctors and did not 
take action my own, I’d probably have had breast cancer 
by now.”

 According to Arzouman, everyone should be 
educated on how to care for their body and take some 
personal responsibility. The biology of the body should 
begin being taught at kindergarten level. 

 HOW SHE BEGAN HER 
BUSINESS

At around age 44-46, says 
Arzouman, “my personal life 
underwent several dramatic shifts, 
which forced me to reassess my 
life and reinvent it; and I knew I 
wouldn’t go back to being a legal 
secretary.” She saw an ad from the 
American Academy of Reflexology 
(located in Burbank) and because 
was already intimate with the 
subject, decided to take their 
course in order to get certified as 
a reflexologist. She scored 98 on 
the written and “hands on” test, 
and then started her Sierra Madre 
practice in January of 2002.

 “I learned by doing. 
Even though I intuitively knew the 
reflexology map by doing it myself, 
I had to shift my focus when I was working on others,” 
explains Arzouman. “I had to shift how I was feeling 
energy through my hands. I had to approach each session 
as a blank slate to feel and monitor what was going on 
with this other person. This enabled me to develop a 
feeling of empathy.”

 Arzouman adds that she has had successful treatments 
where shoulder and knee pain have been greatly relieved. 
Plus reflexology has been successful in relieving stress 
and migraine headaches. “Reflexology is a great way to 
relieve normal aches and pains, and to reduce stress and 
prevent illnesses,” says Arzouman.

 In terms of how reflexology fits in to an overall integral 
self-health regimen, Arzouman figures that it accounts 
for almost 10% of the total. The rest of the health regimen 
should include diet, exercise, self-esteem, emotional care, 
general mind-set -- which is all rooted in practicing self 
discipline. For example, she points out that we need to 
learn to feel into the ramifications of all our actions, so 
that we might begin to supersede the impulses of nature. 
Instead of a snacking on greasy fast food and drinking 
soda, we could eat an apple, or drink good water.

 Arzouman quickly points out that she doesn’t have any 
sort of “health care plan” except her own. “I’m against 
mandatory health care because I have been monitoring 
and taking care of my self the past 20 years,” she explains. 
“I work to eat right, to watch my weight, and meditate 
and monitor my actions, and to then watch for signs 
following. I consciously observe my internal processes 
and try to be familiar with all my internal organs. I watch 
how my body digests, how I think, my need for water, 
etc.”

 She adds that each one of us should take far more time 
to educate ourselves in how our bodies work, and should 
self discipline to live in accord with healthy principles.

“You can’t have bad habits and expect good health, and 
you can’t take a pill to make bad choices go away,” she 
explains. “Personally, I can’t imagine how pharmaceutical 
chemicals running through my blood stream could 
make me feel better. As far as I’m concerned, drugs dull 
the senses as well as the mind, which is even worse than 
whatever the drug is supposed to be remedying!” 

“Remember that the body is not going to live forever,” 
explains Arzouman, “and life is supposed to be about 
personal struggle -- wrought with feeling, thinking, 
doing -- in order to grow mentally and otherwise. And 
struggle ought not be confused with misery.”

 You can contact FootSmarts at (626) 355-3414 for more 
information, or go to www.footsmarts-reflexology.com.

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com