Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 2, 2011

12

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, April 2, 2011


WHEN IS AN ASTEROID NOT AN ASTEROID?

 On March 29, 1807, German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm 
Olbers spotted Vesta as a moving pinprick of light in the sky. 
Two hundred and four years later, as NASA’s Dawn spacecraft 
prepares to begin orbiting this intriguing world, scientists now 
know how special this object is, even if there has been some 
debate on how to classify it.

 Vesta is most commonly called an asteroid because it lies 
in the orbiting rubble patch known as the main asteroid belt 
between Mars and Jupiter. But the vast majority of objects 
in the main belt are lightweights, about 60 miles wide, while 
Vesta is 330 miles across on average.

 “I don’t think Vesta should be called an asteroid,” said 
Tom McCord, a Dawn co-investigator based at the Bear Fight 
Institute, Winthrop, Wash. “Not only is Vesta so much larger, 
but it’s an evolved object, unlike most things we call asteroids.”

 The layered structure of Vesta (core, mantle and crust) is 
the key trait that makes Vesta more like planets such as Earth, 
Venus, and Mars than like the other asteroids, McCord said. 
Like the planets, Vesta had sufficient radioactive material 
inside when it coalesced, releasing heat that melted rock and 
enabled lighter layers to float to the outside. Scientists call this 
process differentiation.

 McCord and colleagues were the first to discover that Vesta 
was likely differentiated when special detectors on their telescopes 
in 1972 picked up the signature of basalt, a rock associated with 
volcanic activity. That meant that the body had to have melted at 
one time.

 Officially, Vesta is a “minor planet”—a body that orbits the Sun 
but is not a proper planet or comet. But there are more than 540,000 
minor planets in our solar system, so the label doesn’t give Vesta 
much distinction. Dwarf planets—which include Dawn’s second 
destination, Ceres—are another category, but Vesta doesn’t qualify 
as one of those. For one thing, Vesta isn’t quite large enough.

 Dawn scientists prefer to think of Vesta as a protoplanet 
because it is a dense, layered body that orbits the Sun and 
began in the same fashion as Mercury, Venus, Earth and 
Mars, but somehow never fully developed. In the swinging 
early history of the solar system, objects became planets by 
merging with other Vesta-sized objects. But Vesta never found 
a partner during that big dance, and the critical time passed. 
It may have had to do with the nearby presence of Jupiter, 
the neighborhood’s gravitational superpower, disturbing the 
orbits of objects and hogging the dance partners.

 Other space rocks have collided with Vesta and knocked 
off bits of it. Those became debris in the asteroid belt known 
as Vestoids, and even hundreds of meteorites that have ended 
up on Earth. But Vesta never collided with something of 
sufficient size to disrupt it, and it remained intact. As a result, 
Vesta is a time capsule from that earlier era.

 “This gritty little protoplanet has survived bombardment in 
the asteroid belt for over 4.5 billion years, making its surface 
possibly the oldest planetary surface in the solar system,” said 
Christopher Russell, Dawn’s principal investigator, based at 
UCLA. “Studying Vesta will enable us to write a much better 
history of the solar system’s turbulent youth.”

 “Dawn’s ion thrusters are gently carrying us toward Vesta, and 
the spacecraft is getting ready for its big year of exploration,” added 
Marc Rayman, Dawn’s chief engineer at JPL.

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


This image shows a model of the protoplanet Vesta, using scientists’ best 
guess to date of what the surface of the protoplanet might look like. 

 Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/PSI


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.

WORLD BACK UP DAY

Q: The Career Center at my college suggested 
that I use an Objective Statement at the top of my 
resumé. However, several company recruiters 
that I have met at job fairs stated that I should not 
include an objective on my resumé. What should 
I do? Reinaldo 

 To use or not to use an objective statement? That is 
the question. There is a consensus among company 
recruiters and HR professionals that objective 
statements are old fashioned, and show a lack of 
experience and un-professionalism on the part of 
the job seeker. I am not really that crazy about using 
objective statements on resumés either. However, 
there is always a time and place for everything, and 
there is for objective statements. I believe objective 
statements should be used when you are a job seeker 
who is: entry-level, re-entering the job market, 
changing careers or industries, recent High School 
or College graduate; and who have little or no work 
experience, or have worked at a variety of jobs. 

 An objective statement is always placed on 
the resumé right after your name and contact 
information. It is placed in this position to grab 
the attention of the reader (or resumé screener). 
It should be considered a dynamic opener to your 
resumé and engage the employer to read and 
review your entire resumé. The objective statement 
should be short and to the point. No more than 
2-3 sentences. The objective statement should 
clarify your employment goal and what you have to 
offer. Take your time when writing your objective 
statement. It is that important. The real trick to this 
is making sure you tailor your objective statement 
specifically for each position and employer. 

 Here is an example of a poorly written objective 
statement: “To obtain a position that will offer 
me a challenge, experience and an opportunity 
for growth.” This person’s resume will be tossed, 
period! The reviewer will assume the job seeker 
does not have experience, they want the employer 
to decide where they would fit in the company, 
and they bring no added value to the success of the 
company. The job seeker should state the position 
they are seeking, their experience and how they 
would fit in. The following objective statement 
will also get your resume overlooked: “Seeking an 
entry-level position where I can learn and grow with 
a progressive and growing company.” Again, state 
the position you are interested in applying. Note: 
employers do not want to feel they are paying you 
to learn at their company. State your experience. 
Next, obviously employers feel their company is 
progressive and always growing, or they would not 
be recruiting and hiring. Really try to always put 
yourself in the shoes of an employer and read your 
resumé from their perspective. Then ask yourself, 
would you hire you? Finally, only you can decide 
when and when it is appropriate to use an Objective 
Statement. 

 March 31st was designated “World Backup Day” (probably by a group of 
business interests looking to sell a fair amount of backup solutions, no doubt) 
and even though this may not be the most distinguished “World ____ Day” 
that you’ve probably ever heard of, now is as good a time as any to turn our 
attention toward protecting our digital assets. Even though it’s probably a 
VERY good idea to backup your computer system far more frequently than 
once year in order to provide adequate protection for your system, if you 
haven’t been as attentive to your backup strategy now is the time to get 
attentive. As far as backups go, the good one that you do have is worth more 
than its weight in gold should the unthinkable happen and your system crash. 
Fortunately for the modern computer user there are many options available 
to make the task of data protection as simple and as reliable as possible and 
this makes backing up important data as simple as possible. 

 Quite possible the simplest (and quickest) way to backup important data 
is to use a USB Flash Drive or Memory Stick. The process for using one a 
flash drive as a backup device is usually as simple as plugging the drive into 
an available USB port and dragging the data to be backed up over to the 
corresponding removable drive and - voila! - the data you’ve selected has 
been copied and protected. This is the essence of a backup strategy. The 
preceding example is a very limited example of a backup but if you have 
data that you must have protected as simply as possible this is the way to 
do it. Flash drives can be purchased in sizes as large as 256GB. A drive this 
large can backup most peoples’ entire hard drive. The plus side of this type of 
backup is ease of use. If you’re interested in a more comprehensive backup 
you’ll have to use a backup program such as the backup program that comes 
with Windows OS’s ,Time Machine or some other third party program in 
conjunction with some removable, writable media. Although this type of 
backup is more technically involved it has the plus side of being capable of 
recreating a trashed hard drive back to its state at the time of the most recent 
backup. For those who’d like the most comprehensive backup without having 
to be too involved with the process there are several online backup services 
(Carbonite, Norton Online Backup, iDrive,etc). With the online backup 
services in order to restore a lost drive you would be responsible for getting 
your system back to a state where an internet connection would be possible 
and typically these types of backups do not restore programs.

No matter which backup solution you choose be sure to pick one and use it. 
You’ll be glad you did.

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


CANINE KISSESS

 

One of my 
favorite daily 
activities 
happens in the 
late afternoon, 
when I am 
relaxing in a 
lounge chair on my back porch, playing my banjo 
and soaking up the peaceful ambience of the 
evening. I love listening to the rush of the water 
running down the Sierra Madre wash alongside my 
yard and the numerous birds chirping away in the 
trees. It is then that my beloved bloodhound, “Tater” 
typically comes around, plants her enormous front 
paw on my foot and gazes up at me with begging 
eyes, indicating that she is ready to join me up on 
the chair for a snuggle and love session. 

 That bloodhound of mine is one of the most 
affectionate dogs I have ever known, and I believe 
I speak accurately on her behalf when I say that 
snuggling up to me is one of her favorite pastimes 
too. Tater is not a big “licker”, but boy does she love 
to snuggle, and she really knows how to hug. That’s 
right, she hugs me, big time! When I wrap my arms 
around her neck, she leans in toward me, lays her 
enormous head on my left shoulder, lets out a deep 
breathy moan of contentment, and sits tight in that 
position until I finally pull her away. 

 She definitely prefers hugging over kissing, 
although there are times when she does like to give 
me a big kiss right in the middle of my face. Usually 
when I laugh out loud in response to the funny 
faces she makes, she will start licking my face from 
chin to brow tentatively and gently, barely touching 
my face with the tip of her tongue. Of course I start 
laughing even harder when she does that, which 
incites her to lick harder and more intensely. The 
entire scenario is quite amusing, as I am sure you 
can imagine! 

 While I know where Tater’s mouth might have 
been before she starts to lick my face, and at times 
her breath can be quite deathly, I allow it because, to 
me her licks are actually kisses and they are her way 
of demonstrating affection for me. 

 Having recently read a book entitled “Inside of 
a Dog” by Alexandra Horowitz, wherein the author 
touches on the very subject of dog kisses, I have 

begun to think that my theory about Tater’s licks 
being kisses is totally blown. After all, Alexandra 
Horowitz is a psychologist who has spent much of 
her time focusing on the mind of the canine, and if 
that is not enough, she is now a renowned author. 
What do I know, right? But still, I cannot help 
interpreting Tater’s kisses as a sign of her affection 
for me. 

 I guess it all boils down to the same basic 
premise that I tend to adhere to any time I analyze 
canine behavior; it is that every dog is indeed an 
individual, therefore they each lick or “kiss” for a 
variety of reasons. In her book, Horowitz states 
that a dog licks only because he smells something 
tasty or interesting on your skin, and he hopes to 
find something there to eat. In Horowitz’s view, the 
dog never licks the one he loves because he wants 
to show affection, only for instinctual or practical 
reasons. 

 Well, I tell you what, I was quite disappointed 
when I read this chapter, because I kind of like 
the idea that my dog loves me enough to kiss me. 
Certainly I don’t deny the fact that some dogs will 
lick their master or someone else they come in 
contact with, simply as a response to something 
that wakens their sense of smell or hunger, or even 
as a response to some sort of disease, but I refuse 
to accept the fact that those are the only reasons 
dogs like to lick. I still believe that dogs like to lick 
or “kiss” as a means of showing their affection. The 
fact that Tater only does it when I laugh at her silly 
antics while we are spending intimate time together 
tells me that she is not being driven by her appetite 
or by her internal instincts, rather it is her way of 
connecting with me. 

 Perhaps I just need to believe my dog is capable of 
that sort of understanding and affection, so I work 
hard to find it and I assign meaning to it…maybe, 
maybe not! Still, I say every dog is an individual 
being, so who knows what your dog is thinking 
when he licks your face? Ultimately, I think it is 
all good when you get a big sloppy kiss from your 
canine companion. There is no doubt that it can be 
a healing experience, and who would look that “gift 
horse” in the mouth? What have you got to lose? ~ 
Love and let lick!

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc


WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HORN?

 
Do you notice something 
missing every day 
around noon? Until my 
dad pointed it out to me, 
I hadn’t realized that the 
Sierra Madre Volunteer 
Fire Department has 
stopped daily testing 
their emergency air horn! Since I don’t 
work in Sierra Madre, it’s understandable 
that I didn’t immediately notice its absence. 
But now I really miss that dependable blast 
signaling the middle of the day!

 If you are unfamiliar with the legendary 
air horn, it stands (now silent) at Baldwin 
and Montecito with a big sign under it 
warning passers by of three short, loud 
daily blasts. The idea is that, in case of 
emergency, the horn will alert residents to 
tune in to local news outlets for information. 
It is a beloved relic from the days before cell 
phones and other technological advances in 
communication. In its hey day, there was 
even an elaborate “code” of blasts to alert 
firefighters as to which area of the city was in 
jeopardy. In recent years, the horn sounded 
daily at noon, and then at 7:00 pm. James 
Carlson, Management Analyst for the city, 
informed me by email that the silence of the 
horn occurred some years ago when it was 
“constantly going off late, not at all, or was 
making odd sounds.” What odd sounds 
was it making? Was the horn wheezing like 
a kazoo or blowing raspberries? It almost 
sounds like the work of adroit pranksters.

 Carlson assured me, however, that the 
horn is in the process of being repaired, 
which begs the question how it got broken? 
He responded that it had suffered a number 
of mechanical ailments, and that “we finally 
got to the point where it was decided that 
the equipment really needed to be replaced. 
Understand, there is no ‘store’ for fire horn 
equipment, so we are putting together the 
same system with some technical assistance 
from a number of volunteers in the area.” 
God bless them! If that doesn’t just typify 
Sierra Madre then I don’t know what does. 
Where else would there be a public outcry 
over the removal of an antiquated alarm 
more because of its importance to the town’s 
history than its safety, and volunteerism 
to patch the thing up? I heartily look 
forward to its reinstatement. If I had any 
technological competence I’d offer my own 
services.

 Carlson also stated that when the horn 
returns to its working capacity it will be 
tested daily at 5 pm rather than noon or 7 
pm. He reported that there were a thousand 
different public opinions regarding when 
the horn should sound, and after presenting 
the decision to the city council, they landed 
upon 5 pm. Personally I think noon and 5 
pm is the best option. Noon seems fitting 
because it marks the middle of the day, 
lunch, etc. I also agree with 5 pm because 
we should all be reminded of when the 
cocktail hour starts.

 Speaking of cocktail liberality, if you 
can’t wait for our volunteers to fix the air 
horn, you can always hear its blaring glory 
in that 1950’s classic “Invasion of the Body 
Snatchers,” truly a cultural and cinematic 
gem every Sierra Madrean should 
experience!

 Disclaimer! I didn’t anticipate discovering 
such a wealth of information about the fire 
horn when I started this piece. Therefore, 
I acknowledge that there are other 
knowledgeable historians, George Maurer 
and Debbie Henderson, who I was not 
able to interview due to time constraints. 
Perhaps I will revisit this topic in a future 
article. Until then, watch “Invasion” if 
you haven’t already, and fix yourself a dry 
martini at five!