The weekly news update featuring Electron Discovery Announced
To all North Pole City Elves, those in Santa's Village, in the Lower 48 and all around the world, this is your weekly update for the week of April 24, 2023. I'm your host Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and I'm your co-host, Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone, Let's go to press.
For the week of April 24, 2023 your sponsor will be your sponsor is the TAOLF.com Merchandise Store. If you are tired of your red and green clothes, try out some designs from the department of Elfland Security's Tailor and Seamstress Division. You can connect to the store today to place your order.
Santa has expressed some concern about the excessive amount of blue bicycles in the workshop and warehouse. He has asked Latimer Snerd to take a quick inventory check against the naughty and nice list to make certain that the inventory counts are correct. "We had this issue a long time ago, and I would like to make sure this is correct, " said Santa, "It never hurts to check the list twice."
Most of the security division for the Department of Elfland Security will be heading south this week for some updated safety training taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. They attend this training and conference about every five years to get updates on new procedures and technology that is available. Their flight will be leaving early Tuesday morning and they are expected to return late Friday night. "Not all of the members will be attending this year, so security will still be available if needed", said Edward Hinklemyer, "but we expect to see some new gadgets when the team returns."
The was an interruption last week with getting the new page on the website for the Tea guidelines with Mrs. Claus. She was called away from the meeting with the WWW/PR division and had to reschedule. We expect this page to be finished and posted soon.
This week in North Pole City weather, it will be mostly sunny with a mix of sun and clouds each day, though on Wednesday, there will be a little accumulation of snow too. There will be about a half inch of snow deposited in our midst. Temperatures will be mild between -11 and -16 for the entire week.
WELF-NPC Radio will be have a booth Wednesday at the Hopscotch event. If you would like your very own WELF-NPC hot cocoa mug, stop on out and see us, we have plenty to give away.
On April 30, 1897, British physicist J.J. Thomson announced his discovery, during a lecture at the Royal Institution in London, that atoms were made up of smaller components. This finding revolutionized the way scientists thought about the atom and had major ramifications for the field of physics. Though Thompson referred to them as "corpuscles," what he found is more commonly known today as the electron.
Thomson, a highly-respected professor at Cambridge, determined the existence of electrons by studying cathode rays. He concluded that the particles making up the rays were 1,000 times lighter than the lightest atom, proving that something smaller than atoms existed. Thomson likened the composition of atoms to plum pudding, with negatively-charged "corpuscles" dotted throughout a positively-charged field. This model of the atom became known as the plum pudding model, so named for the popular English dessert. In Thomson’s analogy, negatively charged corpuscles were like raisins suspended in a positively charged cake, resulting in a neutral atom - though in the United States, where this dessert is less popular, it is often described as the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Model for the same reasons where the chocolate chips were the corpuscles that were suspended in the positively charged dough.
The plum pudding analogy was eventually disproven by Ernest Rutherford, a student and collaborator of Thomson’s, in Thomson's lab at Cambridge in 1910. Rutherford's conclusion that the positive charge of an atom resides in its nucleus established the model of the atom as we know it today.
In addition to winning his own Nobel Prize, Thomson employed six research assistants who went on to win Nobel Prizes in physics and two, including Rutherford, who won Nobel Prizes for chemistry. His son, George Paget Thomson, also won a Nobel Prize for his study of electrons. Combined with his own research, the network of atomic researchers Thomson cultivated gave humanity a new and detailed understanding of the smallest building-blocks of the universe.
The NPC Commerce Association is busy planning their city wide spring sale. Updates and information should be out as early as next week. If any of the commerce members have any last minute ideas, please plan to attend our next meeting which will be held on Thursday morning in associations new wing of the commerce building. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
The North Pole City Council will be holding their scheduled spring meeting next week. Council is expected to discuss any and all spring maintenance for the city streets and parks for the year. If you have any information for city council that needs to be reviewed and discussed, please submit the information to the city council offices no later than Tuesday of next week. City council is not scheduled to meet again until summer.
The NPC Sports League will be hosting two events this week. They will have the annual Hopscotch Event and Skip Rope Fun. Come out and try a game or two yourself this week on Monday for Skipping Rope in the Workshop breakrooms, where "Testing out" of some new jumpropes will happen and Wednesday in city center for hopscotch. In the event of snow, hopscotch will be held in the wrapping paper factory since they are ahead of schedule and there is a fairly large open space. We hope to see you there.
This week in community events we will have a Penguin Watching trip for World Penguin Day on Tuesday the 25th. If you are headed out for Penguin Watching, be sure to arrive at the Iron Reindeer Station on platform 10 by 5 am.
On Wednesday the 26th, it is Pretzel Day! Stop by your favorite Hot Cocoa Pub for hot pretzel specials all day.
Thursday the 27th for Morse Code Day, the Flight Command Division will be completing all their communications in Morse Code as part of their safety drills.
On Friday the 28th, it is National Arbor Day. To help us all celebrate, the Division of Forestry will be providing a new sapling tree for each NPC elf who stops by to plant at your cabin.
Saturday the 29th for International Astronomy Day, The North Pole Astronomy Club will host a Star Party out at Polar Bear Lake. All are welcome to attend begining at dark. Telescopes will be available.
Then on Sunday the 30th, the North Pole City Hotel will host an Evening of Jazz for International Jazz Day. The evening's festivities begin at 6 pm. Contact the hotel for additional details.
WELF-NPC would like to wish Donna "Shimmer" Livingstone a very happy 650th birthday. Donna works at the Village Bank where she got her nickname for always making sure to shine up all the coins until they shimmer and shine. We wish her many more happy years.
This is Walter "Mistletoe" Livingstone and Becky "Marshmallow" Livingstone with the reminder: You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough..
Have a good evening, and be sure to tune in next week for another WELF-NPC North Pole Radio News Update.
