Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 12, 2011

14

THE WORLD AROUND YOU

 Mountain Views News Saturday, February 12, 2011


NASA Finds Earth-Size Planet Candidates In Habitable Zone, Six Planet System

 NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered its first Earth-size planet 
candidates and its first candidates in the habitable zone, a region 
where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface. Five of the 
potential planets are near Earth-size and orbit in the habitable 
zone of smaller, cooler stars than our Sun.

 Candidates require follow-up observations to verify they are 
actual planets. Kepler also found six confirmed planets orbiting 
a Sun-like star, Kepler-11. This is the largest group of transiting 
planets orbiting a single star yet discovered outside our solar 
system.

 “In one generation we have gone from extraterrestrial planets 
being a mainstay of science fiction, to the present, where Kepler 
has helped turn science fiction into today’s reality,” said NASA 
Administrator Charles Bolden. “These discoveries underscore 
the importance of NASA’s science missions, which consistently 
increase understanding of our place in the cosmos.”

 The discoveries are part of several hundred new planet candidates 
identified in new Kepler mission science data, released Feb. 1. The 
findings increase the number of planet candidates identified by 
Kepler to-date to 1,235. Of these, 68 are approximately Earth-size; 
288 are super-Earth-size; 662 are Neptune-size; 165 are the size of 
Jupiter and 19 are larger than Jupiter.

 Of the 54 new planet candidates found in the habitable zone, five 
are near Earth-sized. The remaining 49 habitable zone candidates 
range from super-Earth size -- up to twice the size of Earth - to 
larger than Jupiter.

 The findings are based on the results of observations conducted 
May 12 to Sept. 17, 2009, of more than 156,000 stars in the Kepler 
telescope’s field of view, which covers approximately 1/400 of the 
sky.

 “The fact that we’ve found so many planet candidates in such a 
tiny fraction of the sky suggests there are countless planets 
orbiting Sun-like stars in our galaxy,” said William Borucki 
of NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., 
the mission’s science principal investigator. “We went from 
zero to 68 Earth-sized planet candidates and zero to 54 
candidates in the habitable zone, some of which could have 
moons with liquid water.”

 Among the stars with planetary candidates, 170 show 
evidence of multiple planetary candidates. Kepler-11, 
located approximately 2,000 light years from Earth, is the 
most tightly packed planetary system yet discovered. The 
Kepler-11 findings were published in the Feb. 3 issue of the 
journal Nature.

 Kepler, a space telescope, looks for planet signatures by 
measuring tiny decreases in the brightness of stars caused 
by planets crossing in front of them. This is known as a 
transit.

 Since transits of planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like 
stars occur about once a year and require three transits for 
verification, it is expected to take three years to locate and 
verify Earth-size planets orbiting Sun-like stars.

 The Kepler science team uses ground-based telescopes 
and the Spitzer Space Telescope to review observations 
on planetary candidates and other objects of interest the 
spacecraft finds. The star field that Kepler observes in 
the constellations Cygnus and Lyra can only be seen from 
ground-based observatories in spring through early fall. 
The data from these other observations help determine 
which candidates can be validated as planets.

Contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@MtnViewsNews.com.


This artist’s conception shows the Kepler-11 planetary system and our solar system 
from a tilted perspective to demonstrate that the orbits of each lie on similar planes. 

Image credit: NASA/Tim Pyle


Ask jai……


Ask jai is a weekly column that will strive to honestly answer your job search questions relating 
to job searching techniques, networking skills, resume writing and interviewing. The employment 
situation is getting better, however, it is still a challenge finding were the jobs are located and how to 
get pass the “gate-keepers”. As an Executive Recruiter I was privy to working directly with Corporate 
Recruiters and understanding their process in selecting which candidates to interview and hire. I will 
candidly answer your questions, possibly bluntly answering you questions, but I will be totally honest. 
My objective is to help you achieve your employment goal.

IS IT REALLY BROKEN?

Q: I spend between 10 and 20 hours a week applying on-line and sending out resumes to 
about 20 employers with no results! What am I doing wrong? Unemployed and desperate

A: Dear Unemployed and desperate:

 There could be numerous and various reasons. So, I am going to answer your question based on the information 
that you have given me. “It’s a job looking for a job”! You have probably heard this or read it somewhere. It is true. 
You probably worked 35-40 hours a week for your previous employer and the reward on payday was money. Now, it is 
time to work for you. You should increase the time you spend job searching to at least 40 hours a week. This will result 
in you finding and applying for more job opportunities and increase your chances of being contacted by employers. 
Your payday will be getting an interview and hopefully a job.

Q: Everyone thinks I have a great job and work for a wonderful company. I hate my company. I hate my job. I hate 
what I do. What do I do? Miserable

A: Dear Miserable:

 It’s time you find out what you would like to do. Employment should be enjoyment. Start by identifying what 
you really enjoy. This could be an activity, volunteer work, a hobby or something that you enjoy doing with your free 
time. Look for a company or industry that is this area. Re-write your resume and focus on your skills, experience and 
education that will target your new interest and objective. Devote time and a lot of energy in your new job search. You 
will be surprise how many companies you will find and the type of positions that will be open to you. 40 hours a week, 
52 weeks a year for the next 30-40 years doing something you hate does not make a happy person or sense. Finding 
out what you like to do will result in finding the right company, the right job and being happily employed.

Q: I am being told that I dress inappropriate for job interviews. I have my own personal and unique style of dressing 
and refuse to change it. Stylish. 

A: Dear Stylish:

 I would suggest that you research the company culture before applying for employment or accepting interviews. 
This can be achieved by searching the company on the internet, reading trade magazines, talking with employees, 
sitting outside the company and observing employees entering and exiting the building or asking the person who 
contacted you for the interview. You can not change a company’s culture. Find employment with a company that 
matches with your style of dressing. They do exist.

Everything you ever wanted to know about how to get a job…but didn’t know who to ask. ASK jai. Send your 
questions to: jai@resumeandcareerservices.com or visit website www.resumeandcareerservices.com 

 It has been reported that the White 
House will seek sweeping laws 
enabling law enforcement to more 
easily eavesdrop on communications 
traffic on the web. In these times 
rapidly-changing technology the 
administration argues that it needs 
these new powers in order to 
keep pace and that modern digital 
systems aren’t as easy to monitor 
as traditional telephones. The 
government wants communications 
companies to redesign their systems 
and information networks to more 
easily facilitate surveillance, and to 
provide law enforcement with back 
doors that enable them to bypass 
existing security measures. 

 These requests may seem extreme but 
they are hardly unique. Just recently 
the governments of the United Arab 
Emirates, Saudi Arabia and India 
threatened to ban BlackBerry devices 
unless Research In Motion (the 
company that created the BlackBerry 
and runs the service) gave those 
respective governments access to 
their encrypted communications. 
It is also hardly a secret that China 
has already built a massive internet 
surveillance system to better monitor 
and control its citizens.

 Once only seen in Eastern Bloc

countries, this wholesale 
surveillance of citizens has moved 
into the democratic world as well. 
Governments like Sweden, Canada 
and the United Kingdom are on 
the verge of passing laws giving 
their police forces new powers of 
surveillance, in many cases requiring 
communications system providers to 
redesign products and services they 
sell. A large number of countries 
are also passing data retention laws, 
forcing ISP’s and retail companies 
to retain customer data in for future 
forensic purposes.

 This administration is hardly the 
first to seek expanded authority 
for digital eavesdropping. One law 
required telephone companies to 
better facilitate backdoor access into 
their digital phone switches and 
since the beginning of the “War on 
Terror”, the NSA has built quite the 
substantial eavesdropping systems 
within the United States.

 Measures such as these can often 
be very dangerous for citizens of 
all countries. The very notion of 
requiring private companies to 
redesign their communications 
products and services in order to 
facilitate government eavesdropping 
shows the extent to which the drive 
for more security actually results in 
a lowered security profile in the long 
and short run. Communications 
systems designed with the no 
backdoor capabilities are on their 
face more secure than systems with 
those capabilities built in. 

 While the need for our legitimate 
security agencies to keep pace with 
the latest technological threats to our 
safety is very real, we must be sure 
that we don’t make the mistake of 
fixing something that isn’t broken.


SQUIRREL SIMPLICITY

This past week in Sierra Madre was indeed a dog-walker’s 
dream! The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, the trees 
are either baring succulent fruit or budding with a variety of 
brilliant colors, and there are countless birds flying and squirrels 
scampering about from one tree top to another, everywhere you 
look. Let’s face it, living in Sierra Madre (especially this time of 
year) is more than a little bit of heaven. With nature taking it’s course in such a gracious way these days, I 
am pleased to say that I have experienced a renewed awareness and appreciation for my surroundings and 
for life in general. Let me put it to you this way; right now it would be a tough task for me to find a reason 
to complain, and after all who wants to hear it any way?

One of the things that inspired me most in a relatively epic way this past week, was observing a couple of 
squirrels chasing each other over the branches of the huge avocado tree in my front yard. The fact is, I see 
squirrels nearly every day, running to and fro over the massive tree canopies and gallantly scaling the power 
lines in our community. I always enjoy watching them, but there are times when I get so used to seeing 
them, that I must confess I take them for granted and barely notice they are there. For whatever reason, 
the two squirrels I saw scurrying about in my front yard last week reminded me of how fortunate I truly 
am and that life is indeed good! Those squirrels were having a great time. It was as though there was some 
kind of party going on in that tree, that only they had been invited to. They were somewhat startled when 
I emerged from the back yard gate, and approached their “playground“ but I stood very still and quiet for a 
moment, and soon they resumed their raucous routine of frolicking, chattering and flicking their big bushy 
tails. As I stood there, spying like some kind of voyeur for several minutes, I thought to myself, “these little 
guys ‘get it‘!” Slowly but surely, I snuck closer and sat beneath the tree, watching those cute little critters 
balance and bounce on the boughs above me and before I knew it, I noticed that I had tears running down 
my cheeks. At first I couldn’t figure out why I was crying, until I realized how long it had been since I had 
spent that much time just sitting quiet and still, observing the activity of nature around me. I spend most 
of my time telling myself to “keep moving”, and “get things done”, but there is always more to do. As I 
attempt to stay mobile on the “treadmill” of life, I end up frustrated, ultimately forfeiting the freedom of the 
celebration. What good is that? It is a human way of thinking and a human way of life, not to mention it is 
my way of asphyxiating on tasks that may or may not really matter. That is not the way a squirrel lives it‘s 
life. How can I let myself stress out over the simplest things in life when as a human I am in full control of 
my own schedule, I shop at a grocery store where my food is delivered to me, I don’t even have to take part 
in the pre-requisite farming, planting, slaughtering, and packaging process of what keeps me alive. As a 
human, I have more advantages than any other creature on earth, yet I am capable of fretting and worrying 
in lieu of really living, the way squirrels do! The squirrel must forage for his own food, and when he is not 
foraging or hiding is bounty away for a later season, he is protecting the nest that he made of sticks and 
leaves, from predators and strong winds, yet he still finds time to celebrate life! The squirrel keeps it simple! 

My dad was a missionary who held numerous speaking engagements throughout the southeast region of 
the US. As the youngest of 7 children, I got to travel with him quite a lot while my siblings were in school 
or working. I remember one of the acronyms dad used in many of his presentations; it was “K.I.S.S.”, which 
stood for “Keep it simple, stupid!“ Although that may seem less than user-friendly or conventional in terms 
of semantics for a speech, the meaning is definitely clear. That silly sounding acronym somehow came to 
mind during my epiphany beneath tree and it was a very humbling moment for me. I believe that God 
speaks to us through His creatures and creations, and boy did He ever deliver a message to me that day! We 
all have responsibilities and commitments that may seem overwhelming at times, and we all have different 
ways of dealing with stress, but I feel it is important to take the time to be silent and observant, and enjoy 
the therapeutic virtues of nature. While the squirrel may seem like a pest to some, because it steals fruit 
from the tree, I say it can also act as a messenger, delivering a very important lesson from the Maker, to 
teach those of us who need to re-learn how to appreciate and enjoy life, simply like a squirrel!

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc


HAVE FOOD, WILL TRAVEL

 So, my husband and 
I are driving to the 
swank open house 
of my friend’s newly 
rebuilt theatre (Mosaic 
Lizard, Alhambra!), 
when suddenly we come 
upon a mob of people 
queuing up to a bright yellow-orange 
truck. They’re mostly young, and all of 
them are completely absorbed with their 
mobile devices. As we pass, my husband 
tells me that it is none other than the famed 
Grilled Cheese Truck! I need to put out a 
disclaimer before we go any further. I am 
not a foodie or a techie. I don’t tweet or do 
facebook. I am the epitome of unhip.

 As square as I am, I haven’t escaped 
the food truck craze that has spawned 
everything from cupcake carts to waffle 
wagons. Some trucks specialize in one 
thing (shaved ice, crepes, hot dogs), but 
most have recognized the need to diversify 
their menu and services if they want to 
keep up with the fierce competition. It’s 
not enough just to serve food these days; 
you have to cater office parties, too. Several 
trucks boast greasy fried fare. A lot of them, 
however, claim to be organic, sustainable, 
and green, which makes me wonder if their 
vehicles are electric. Emitting diesel fumes 
between stops seems like it would cancel 
out their environmental efforts. 

 Though visiting a food truck might 
damage my solidly unhip image, I must 
say a couple deli trucks I looked up have 
some good-looking pastrami sandwiches 
(if Philippe’s ever launches a food truck I 
will be a devoted follower!). My husband 
joked that he is holding out for the truck 
that serves Kobe beef prime rib sliders. 
You know they’ve gone too far when they 
start peddling foie gras. Oh wait, I just 
found one! (You can try their cheese 
tasting for $45 per person; they have caviar, 
too.) Somehow the idea of eating foie gras 
off a paper plate in the middle of the street 
seems to diminish the elegance of the dish. 
I didn’t find a truck that has Kobe sliders, 
but I’m sure they’re out there somewhere.

 Despite my unwillingness to shell out 
$45 for a plate of cheese, I think it’s my 
inherent technological incompetency that 
makes me unable to appreciate the draw of 
the food trucks. I suppose the idea is that, 
after you tweet that you’ve fantastically 
found the latest popular food truck, you 
have to take a picture or video of yourself 
high-fiving the cooks or biting into a 
grilled provolone smoked salmon ciabatta. 
Then you post these on the Internet as vital 
evidence of your most recent participation 
in the food truck revolution. (Oh look! 
On foursquare your friend just checked in 
two blocks away at that new Vietnamese-
Mediterranean fusion truck! He tweeted, 
“You gotta try the lamb pho and feta spring 
rolls! See pic of fish ball gyro sandwich!”). 

 Everyone knows these highfalutin trucks 
have their humble origins in the taco truck, 
an icon in Southern California --and 
probably the rest of the country as well. 
(This might explain why I was able to find 
a truck for almost any cuisine under the 
sun except Mexican food.) The taco trucks 
of old are still with us, and no doubt their 
fare is just as good, and you don’t even have 
to wait behind a long line of hipsters with 
iphones!