In the miner’s hierarchical world, a supervisor effectively becomes "owner of the mine" during his typical 12-hour shift, according to Chile’s health minister, Jaime Manalich. "it is a military discipline," he said Friday. "Natural selection is extremely strong in this world. This is an extremely dangerous job."

Urzua is up to the task, according to Andres Llarena, a physician and commander in the Chilean navy who is at the mine helping coordinate medical aspects of the rescue operation. "He is a leader in his field and has been for ages," Llarena said.

For Urzua, the command challenges began within moments of the mine collapse. according to rescue workers, Urzua quickly ordered his men to huddle while he took three miners on a scouting mission. Correctly deducing that the group was trapped, Urzua instituted a set of rules that would be crucial to the men’s survival, including the strict rationing of the mine’s limited stash of emergency food – two spoonfuls of tuna and half a glass of milk per man every 48 hours.

As rescuers spent 16 days vainly attempting to drill a rescue hole 2,300 feet to the trapped men, Urzua also used his skills as a topographer to chart the miners’ underground world, which includes more than a mile of tunnels and caves and a 35-square-yard refuge, as well as a gallery where the men sleep. with a white Nissan Terrano pickup as his office, Urzua drew detailed maps, dividing the accessible space into a work area, a sleep area and a sanitary facility. He also kept the men on a 12-hour shift schedule, using the headlights of trucks to simulate sunlight.

When the first letters from the trapped men arrived topside, rescue workers were heartened to see the messages carefully worded and dated, a sign the miners were not disoriented. "you think they wrote those letters in the moment? no," Manalich said. "Urzua had that material prepared. He knew there would be a rescue mission."

The rationing of food was a particularly prescient move by Urzua. When rescuers finally drilled through the roof of the miners’ shelter, the workers had run out of food and had not eaten in 48 hours. "their health was on a curve like this," Manalich said, slicing his hand downward.

As Urzua’s 12-hour shift stretches to a month, the former football coach has such complete control over the situation that during a daily medical conference call Friday, Urzua told Manalich, the health minister: "Keep it short. we have lots of work to do."

Indeed, as the miners’ saga shifts from basic survival to active participation in a complex rescue plan, Urzua has many tasks to oversee. On Saturday, the men began the move to a new shelter, a drier area about 200 yards farther down the shaft. They had already spent days reinforcing the roof.

Urzua receives three daily briefings – one from a doctor, another from a psychologist and the third a miner-to-miner update on the technical aspects of the rescue operation. the Chilean government has in place three rescue plans. Known as plans A, B and C, each effort represents a multimillion-dollar gamble – and each depends on Urzua’s ability to organize his crew to help.

"you realize that if we do it this way, there will be some 70,000 liters of water coming down into your chamber," said Andre Sougarret, the rescue mission’s lead engineer, as he briefed Urzua by telephone Friday. For 10 minutes, Urzua and Sougarret discussed plans to construct drainage and holding pools and canals to shunt water away from the miners’ living quarters.

An audio recording of their conversation would have sounded like a normal back-and-forth between manager and shift supervisor. in fact, Sougarret was standing in a windswept tent, speaking into a Nitsuko phone system the size of a small suitcase, with cables running almost half a mile into the ground, where a weary Urzua prepared for a mission that will determine whether 33 men survive.

"I fully believe they will do it," said Al Holland, a psychologist with NASA who had traveled to Chile to share the agency’s experience with human isolation in extreme environments. "the miners are quite hearty, quite resilient. . . . They have shown every sign that they can organize themselves. They are masters of their own fate."

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Omen of the dayA target of 148 would be a formality for most teams.

Not for Pakistan, who have already been bowled out for 80 and 72 in the series to date, and who shed seven wickets in pursuit of 180 against Australia at Headingley last month.

So when Yasir Hameed, whose belligerent 36 had been invaluable in the first innings, was snaffled at slip for a first-ball duck, the visiting dressing-room had every reason to worry.

The moment, however, was so nearly lost.

Graeme Swann at second slip has been under the weather in this match, but he reacted with impressive sharpness after fumbling his initial take off James Anderson.

As with Andrew Strauss at Trent Bridge, the chance was plummeting to earth before he stooped forward to rescue it.

Buttress of the daySince assuming the captaincy in chaotic circumstances at Lord’s back in July, Salman Butt has led from the front in every way except the most obvious.

His calm demeanour has not been able to mask a tally of 16 runs in the first four innings against England, and though he exceeded that in his first-innings 17, he was still under immense pressure as he walked out to replace Hameed in that first over of the innings.

Credit where it is due, then, for a forceful and vital performance.

Though he fell short of a deserved fifty, Butt’s battling approach drew the early sting of England’s previously formidable seam attack, before two volleys of strokeplay – 10 runs in an over off Steven Finn and 12 off Stuart Broad – accounted for a sixth of the target there and then.

Delivery of the dayThough Butt fell with 45 still required, while Mohammad Yousuf was in situ, everything was under control for Pakistan.

England’s tactic of bowling wide to make him chase the game failed to take into account both his immense temperament and his deft eye for an opportunity, as he ignored all offerings from the seamers while dabbing the slightest width from Graeme Swann through third man for four.

But then, out of the blue, Anderson re-evaluated his tactics and produced a thunderbolt to transform the closing stages of the contest.

A pearling outswinging yorker uprooted Yousuf’s off stump, and suddenly Pakistan’s cakewalk was reduced to a scrounge for crumbs.

Incisor of the dayWith their pacemen off the mark until Anderson’s late onslaught, England’s only option was to rely on the wiles of Swann, and with his habitual sense of purpose he did his best not to disappoint.

In his fourth over, he pinned Imran Farhat lbw for 33, then he did for Butt via a low nick to slip, before handing Kamran Akmal his third duck in four innings courtesy of a no-stroke lbw.

In between whiles, he skilfully deflected a shy from point onto the stumps to run out Azhar Ali.

Had he been given as little as 30 more runs to play with, he might well have had the wherewithal to tighten the noose even further.

But England made their own bed by losing their last seven wickets for 28.

Not even Swann could overcome that sort of meltdown.

Landmark of the dayMohammad Amir did the bulk of his damage in a blistering hour after tea on the third day, but in the space of four balls on the fourth and final morning he showed that a good night’s sleep hadn’t interrupted his rhythm one jot.

A single to Steven Finn was as good as it got for England, as Amir banged in a short ball to the belligerent Stuart Broad, who swished a looping catch to Mohammad Asif.

The dismissal completed a richly deserved five-for for Amir, and a notable one as well.

Only three teenagers have taken a five-wicket haul in a Test in England, and at 18 years and 130 days, he is the youngest of the lot. 

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While fasting, elephant seals won’t even bother to eat food put in front of them, he said.

Ortiz’s award covers most of his salary and dovetails with another of the institute’s awards — a five-year, $1.78 million grant he received in 2009.

The Modesto Phi Gamma Chapter of Omega Nu has granted $1,350 to the Central California Art Association to serve at-risk students and continue an art mentoring program. the Youth At Risk program began in 1989 with a grant from the city’s culture commission, grant writer Betty Jean Reynolds said. But budget cuts to the commission eliminated the arts program grant, leaving the art association to look elsewhere. the Youth At Risk program allows students from seventh to 12th grade to develop artistic skills in their area of interest and to leave with a toolbox of supplies for art projects. Art educators help the students prepare their artwork for an exhibition and reception at the Mistlin Gallery.

The art association needs about $2,000 more in donations to fund the class, planned for spring 2011. Donations can be made directly to the Youth At Risk art program through the Central California Art Association, a nonprofit organization, at the Mistlin Gallery. the Mistlin Gallery is at 1015 J St., Modesto, 529-3369. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

The California Association of Health Facilities has honored Benedict and Angela Cipponeri of Modesto’s Evergreen Nursing Home with a lifetime membership award. the award recognizes those who have provided outstanding or exemplary service to the association at the chapter and state levels.

The Cipponeris founded Evergreen in 1960 and became indomitable advocates for the industry. They took advantage of training workshops to improve their skills, add to their knowledge and the quality of care provided at Evergreen. It became a certified teaching health facility.

El Concilio, which serves the Spanish-speaking communities of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, was honored by the National Council of La Raza as its national affiliate advocate for 2010. El Concilio was chosen from roughly 300 affiliate organizations nationwide. this is the first time it received the award.

Alison Foster-Davis, executive director of Family Connections Christian Adoptions in Modesto, has been selected as a 2010 Angel in Adoption for her advocacy in adoption and foster care issues.

Chosen by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Modesto, she and 190 other “angels” will be honored at an event in the nation’s capital Oct. 6. Foster-

Davis volunteers many hours to developing adoption-friendly legislation through the California Association of Adoption Agencies and the Academy of California Adoption Lawyers.

Penelope Miller, a broker associate with Prudential California Realty, led a team that won first place in residential real estate units sales among the company’s agencies throughout California during the second quarter of 2010. Miller has almost 20 years of experience in real estate. Miller specializes in residential real estate, excelling in buyer brokerage and seller representation. She is a Direct Fannie Mae broker who closed more than 160 transactions in 2009.

Commendation by the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors:

to the Congregational Church of Salida for its 100th anniversary.

Submit items for Success & Service to local@modbee.com.

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NEW YORK – It may come as news to new parents but a U.S. study has found that mothers do get enough sleep in their babies’ first few months — it’s just not good quality.

Researchers from West Virginia University in Morgantown followed a group of new mothers and found, on average, the women got just over seven hours of sleep a night during their babies’ first four months.

That amount is generally what is recommended for adults, and, based on past studies, more than the average American gets.

But the study found that sleep is also frequently disrupted with the women typically being awake for a total of two hours a night which was worrying as sleep problems and exhaustion may contribute to postpartum depression and impact work performance.

Researcher Dr. Hawley E. Montgomery-Downs, an assistant professor of psychology, said the study challenges a central assumption about new mothers’ typical sleep patterns.

She told Reuters Health that the general assumption had been that most new mothers are not getting enough hours of sleep so the advice on how to combat daytime fatigue has focused on countering sleep deprivation, such as nap when your baby naps.

The current results, reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggest that new mothers’ highly fragmented sleep is the cause of daytime fatigue.

That sleep pattern, Montgomery-Downs said, is similar to what is seen with certain sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, where people log enough hours in bed, but get little restorative, good-quality sleep.

Sleep occurs in repeated cycles that each last 90 minutes to two hours. Depending on how often a new mother is waking up, she may get few or no full cycles of sleep, Montgomery-Downs noted.

“We need to think about what kinds of strategies can help consolidate sleep” for these mothers, Montgomery-Downs said.

One tactic, she suggested, could be for breastfeeding mothers to find time to pump milk and store it in bottles so that they do not have to be the one to always get up with the baby.

While quick naps might not do much, Montgomery-Downs noted that “if you’re one of the lucky parents” whose infants typically nap for at least two straight hours, taking that time to sleep could be helpful.

The findings are based on 74 new mothers who were followed between either the second and 13th week of their infants’ lives, or between the 9th and 16th week.

The women kept track of their sleep patterns using sleep “diaries,” and also wore a wristwatch-like device called an actigraph that recorded their movements during the night.

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George Whitfield  (1714-1770)

I’d like to introduce you to another of my “Spiritual Heroes”  -  George Whitfield. Born under a mile  away from my own birthplace in Gloucester, England he was a Spiritual firebrand who became one of the most famous “Great Awakening” preachers in America during the 1700’s. Whitfield was a man who literally changed America with his preaching! It is reported that he preached more than 18,000 sermons in his 34 years of preaching, between England and America. It is said his voice could be heard a mile away, and his open-air preaching reached as many as 100,000 in one gathering, (without the use of a sound system!)

It is estimated that during the 7 trips George Whitefield made to colonies in America, that at least 80% of the population heard him preach at least once. He was both loved and hated, adored and reviled. He stirred the emotions of sinners and saints. Literary men of his times frequented his meetings. Lord Chesterfield, icy as he was, warmed under his preaching. Lord Bolingbroke, not a generous critic, said, “He is the most extraordinary man of our times. He has the most commanding eloquence I ever heard in any person.” Franklin of America, a cold-blooded, calculating philosopher, said of the revivalist Whitefield, “It was wonderful to see the change made by his preaching in the manners of the inhabitants of Philadelphia. from being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if the whole world were growing religious.”

Whitefield’s preaching was often violently opposed. During one of his American revivals Whitfield wrote; “I was honored today with having a few stones, dirt, rotten eggs, and pieces of dead cat thrown at me”. such things were common, with those opposed to his preaching using every means available to drown out the sound of his words with drums, trumpets and other instruments. his last sermon was delivered in the open air at Exeter, Mass., the day before he died in 1770 in Newburyport, where he is buried.

John Wesley wrote of his friend, “”have we read or heard of any person who called so many thousands, so many myriads of sinners to repentance? Above all, have we read or heard of anyone who has been God’s blessed instrument to bring so many sinners from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God as Whitefield?”

God is looking for people to become firebrands in this day, men and women, completely sold out to Him, who are willing to sacrifice all to see America shaken by another great Awakening. will you be one of those who will cry out for the fire of the Holy Spirit to ignite your heart? will you cry out for an anointing of Apostolic zeal to lead America again to Jesus?

Here are some quotes from this great Preacher:

“Believers keep up and maintain their walk with God by secret prayer. the spirit of grace is always accompanied with the spirit of supplication. It is the very breath of the new creature, the fan of the divine life, whereby the spark of holy fire, kindled in the soul by God, is not only kept in, but raised into a flame. A neglect of secret prayer has been frequently an inlet to many spiritual diseases, and has been attended with fatal consequences.”

“Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer.”

“Be content with no degree of sanctification. Be always crying out, “Lord, let me know more of myself and of thee.””

“The Christian world is in a deep sleep; nothing but a loud shout can awaken them out of it!”

“Go to bed seasonably, and rise early. Redeem your precious time: pick up the fragments of it, that not one moment of it may be lost. Be much in secret prayer. Converse less with man, and more with God”

“The renewal of our natures is a work of great importance. It is not to be done in a day. we have not only a new house to build up, but an old one to tear down.”

“Works? Works? A man get to heaven by works? I would as soon think of climbing to the moon on a rope of sand!”

“It is true, a man that is born again of God, may, through surprise, or the violence of a temptation, fall into an act of sin: witness the adultery of David, and Peter’s denial of his Master. but then, like them, he quickly rises again, goes out from the world, and weeps bitterly; washes the guilt of sin away by the tears of sincere repentance, joined with faith in the blood of Jesus Christ; takes double heed to his ways for the future, and perfects holiness in the fear of God.”

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all, to comfort under, and deliver you from tribulation; to preserve you to your respective place of abode; and when there, to keep you in his fear, that you may live to his glory; that to live may be Christ’s, and to die by your eternal gain; so that you may live with him through eternal ages, and sing Hallelujahs to him for ever. Amen.”

The Firebrand of the Great Awakening

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