Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 25, 2011

15

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, June 25, 2011 


Cassini Spacecraft Captures Ocean-Like Spray from Saturn’s Moon


NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has discovered 
the best evidence yet for a large-scale saltwater 
reservoir beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon 
Enceladus. The data came from the spacecraft’s 
direct analysis of salt-rich ice grains close to the 
jets ejected from Enceladus.

Data from Cassini’s cosmic dust analyzer show 
the grains expelled from fissures, known as “tiger 
stripes,” are relatively small and usually low in salt 
far away from the moon. But closer to Enceladus’ 
surface, Cassini found that relatively large grains 
rich with sodium and potassium dominate the 
plumes. The salt-rich particles have an “ocean-
like” composition and indicate that most, if not 
all, of the expelled ice and water vapor comes 
from the evaporation of liquid salt-water. The 
findings were published last week in the journal 
Nature.

“There currently is no plausible way to produce 
a steady outflow of salt-rich grains from solid 
ice across all the tiger stripes other than salt 
water under Enceladus’s icy surface,” said Frank 
Postberg, a Cassini team scientist at the University 
of Heidelberg, Germany, and the lead author on 
the paper. When water freezes, the salt is squeezed 
out, leaving pure water ice behind. If the plumes 
emanated from ice, they should have very little salt 
in them.

The Cassini mission discovered Enceladus’ 
water-vapor and ice jets in 2005. In 2009, scientists 
working with the cosmic dust analyzer examined 
some sodium salts found in ice grains of Saturn’s 
E ring, the outermost ring that gets its material 
primarily from Enceladean jets. But the link to 
subsurface salt water was not definitive.

The new paper analyzes three Enceladus flybys in 
2008 and 2009 with the same instrument, focusing 
on the composition of freshly ejected plume grains. 
The icy particles hit the detector target at speeds 
between 15,000 and 39,000 mph, vaporizing 
instantly. Electrical fields inside the cosmic dust 
analyzer separated the various constituents of the 
impact cloud.

The data suggest a layer of water between the 
moon’s rocky core and its icy mantle, possibly 
as deep as 50 miles beneath the surface. As this 
water washes against the rocks, it dissolves salt 
compounds and rises through fractures in the 
overlying ice to form reserves nearer the surface. 
If the outermost layer cracks open, the decrease 
in pressure from these reserves to space causes 
a plume to shoot out. Roughly 400 pounds of 
water vapor is lost every second in the plumes, 
with smaller amounts being lost as ice grains. The 
team calculates the water reserves must have large 
evaporating surfaces, or they would freeze easily 
and stop the plumes.

“This finding is a crucial new piece of evidence 
showing that environmental conditions favorable 
to the emergence of life can be sustained on icy 
bodies orbiting gas giant planets,” said Nicolas 
Altobelli, the European Space Agency’s project 
scientist for Cassini.

“Without an orbiter like Cassini to fly close to 
Saturn and its moons—to taste salt and feel the 
bombardment of ice grains—scientists would 
never have known how interesting these outer 
solar system worlds are,” said Linda Spilker, NASA’s 
Cassini project scientist at JPL.

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


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 your 
questions, but I will be totally honest. My objective is to help you achieve your employment goal.

WHO’S FAULT IS IT ANYWAY? 

I have been out of work for almost 5 years taking care of my family and raising two children. I want to return to 
the workforce. I have a finance degree and over 10 years work experience as a financial analyst. My husband is 
employed by a large corporation and they always have jobs listed on their website that I am interested in pursuing. 
I have asked my husband to talk to the Personnel Department about me and give them my resume. Which he has 
done. It has been over six months with no result. My husband has a good work history and has been with the 
corporation for 15 years. We are getting frustrated. What should we do to get me into their system to be considered 
for employment? Marika

Dear Marika

First, find out what your husband’s employer’s policy is regarding hiring spouses and family members. Next, there 
is no “we” when “you” are looking for employment. You are placing a lot of stress on your husband to assist you in 
finding employment especially with his employer. You need to take on full responsibility for finding employment 
and that should be with any employer that is looking for someone like you with your skills and experience. Start by 
letting your family, friends and former co-workers know that you are seeking employment. I am assuming that you 
are seeking employment in finance and as an analyst. A cover letter will be your key document when applying for 
any position. Your cover letter should explain why you are transitioning from family life back into the workforce. Be 
sure to include a referral name, the position you are seeking, why you are returning the workforce, why you feel you 
qualify for the position and some out standing accomplishment statements. Do not focus your cover letter on your 
family or family activities. You want to communicate to the employer that you will be completely focused on their 
needs and that your skills and experience will add value to their organization. I would also suggest that you write a 
chronological resume, include an objective heading and what you have been doing for the past 5 years. Any volunteer 
work, school activities and some hobbies all count as work experience and are appropriate to include on your resume 
into order to bring it up to date. 

 However, if you are set on finding employment at your husband’s company you should find out if they have 
an employee referral program. Then ask your mutual friends who are employed there if they would refer you for 
positions at his company. I strongly suggest that you try to bypass the Personnel Department and go directly to the 
person who is making the decision to hire. Ask your husband to find out the name of that person and instead of him 
contacting and giving them your resume, you do it. Call or e-mail them directly, start with who referred you and if you 
feel it would be appropriate mention your husband’s name. Continue looking for employment with other companies 
until you are employed.

 Everything you ever wanted to know about how to find a job but did not know who to ask. Ask jai. Send your 
questions to jai@resumeandcareerservices.com or visit website www.resumeandcareerservices.com. 

Following the hacker break-in at Sony the group claiming responsibility posted a 
file containing the passwords of tens of thousands of users. This proved to be a huge 
embarrassment for the entertainment giant. For users it proved to be an annoyance 
and in some cases a real headache. But for security researchers the incident proved to 
be yet another foregone conclusion. As it turns out it isn’t completely the end users’ 
fault for picking weak passwords and using those passwords to secure their online 
accounts; it’s the service providers’ fault for allowing their systems to accept them. 

Analysis of the lifted passwords show that most users had passwords of seven characters 
or less and an even larger percentage of users had passwords that were based 
on words commonly found in the dictionary. In an even riskier in-security practice 
many users created and used passwords that were based on their email address. Another 
conclusion: users frequently re-use passwords when the system allows them 
to do so. Implementing a password policy that forces users to choose strong, long, 
complex and unique passwords often results in users creating a password that ends 
up getting used on multiple sites because it makes it easier for the users to remember 
a password. While users can select strong passwords and control their reuse, the 
only gatekeeper that can force the requirement of password strength is the provider. 
User have some control over their own fates, but the online service provider has 
even more control because it is the service provider who ultimately dictates what 
is an acceptable password. From the user’s perspective if the system accepts the 
password entered it must be good enough. Moreover, in almost every case in which 
password researchers have obtained information on users’ choices of passwords, the 
breach occurred because of the provider’s poor security, not the user’s choice of a 
bad password. In the more egregious cases, such as Sony Pictures, the password file 
was stored in plain text, without encryption. When that happens, it no longer matters 
what type of password a user chose. It appears that in every case of a data breach 
users with weak passwords and users with strong passwords met the same fate when 
the security mechanisms in place to protect user data were weak.


KATIE Tse..........This and That

SUMMER TIME AND 

THE LIVIN’ IS EASY....


Last Tuesday marked the beginning of summer, but I think we’ve all 
been feeling it for a while now. Ah, summer! Long, sunny days with the 
promise of picnics and barbeques! As you might guess, it is my favorite 
season (you might recall my complaining during the fall and winter 
months -sorry!) Do you remember that iconic Staples’ ad with the dad 
blissfully rolling a cart full of school supplies, with two grim children in 
tow, to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?” Well, I don’t sing that in the 
fall or at Christmas, I save it for summer!

I think peoples’ love of summer is instilled over their many years of schooling. There’s 
something so liberating for children to walk out of their classroom, and also for the teacher 
to say goodbye to her class for the last time. Sure, we’ll be moping through the aisles come 
September, but we have nearly three long, glorious months stretching before us like an endless 
carpet. Anything is possible!

My childhood summers seemed magical to me. There were swimming lessons at the Sierra 
Madre pool (the kiddy section, until I was developmentally ready for deeper waters). Part 
of the joy of those early morning swimming classes was that my mom would get me a hash 
brown at McDonald’s afterward. Maybe she thought I had worked myself to the point of 
exhaustion practicing flipping on the side of the pool. More likely she just wanted an eager 
accomplice. The memory makes us both flush with guilty embarrassment, but those hash 
browns sure tasted good at the time.

It seems that a lot of parents believe they need to enroll their kids in summer classes to 
validate all that time off. This is all well and good if the kid actually enjoys it, and the class doesn’t 
simply serve as a babysitting service or some parental ego trip (“Allyson will master beginner’s 
French and reach intermediate piano before the first ‘Back to School’ notice arrives!”). I’m 
so glad my parents 
didn’t have these high 
aspirations for me in 
my formative years. I 
spent afternoons in our 
backyard enraptured 
with the most mundane 
things such as bamboo, 
clover, rolly pollies, and 
snails. The rolly pollies 
were fascinating for their 
ability to double over into 
a perfect sphere. They 
also made a delightfully 
crunchy sound when we 
fed them to our ducks. 
That, of course, is where 
the snails came in, too.

This isn’t to say that my parents didn’t enroll me in any structured outside activities. 
I’ve already mentioned swimming, but there were also a couple stints at ceramics. I loved 
working with clay! It was so squishy I felt it demanded constant kneading. I didn’t do it 
intentionally, but I think I annoyed a couple instructors by this --squishing while I should 
have been following directions. Many of my little “masterpieces” have been saved over the 
years and now I am able to articulate my purpose behind their design, but they were totally 
misunderstood at the time of their creation. Two examples are more than enough to suffice. 
Some ballerina mouse book must’ve really impressed me, because I made a ballerina mouse 
(with ears and tail) bowing on tiptoes with arms outstretched. The ears survived but the tail 
broke off due to poor design. Everyone was surprised that I sculpted a seated ballerina. I 
corrected them by holding the figure in its proper position. Somehow my developing brain 
hadn’t generalized the force of gravity to all objects. Another piece I made was of a girl 
sitting at a desk with what my instructor thought was a crude computer. I pointed out to her 
that the lines on the tower ran horizontally and that there were little impressions on top to 
indicate numbers. It was, in fact, an imposing stack of homework. Needless to say, my love 
of summer is deeply rooted. 

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc.

Canyon Canine Dog 

Walking & Pet Sitting Services

ANTS ALMIGHTY!

For reasons beyond my understanding, insects are 
apparently very attracted to me. Some say the fact that I 
have so many “bug buddies” might be related to my blood 
sugar level. Another theory is that I have a kind heart and 
therefore I attract all types of creatures. Personally, I prefer 
the latter explanation for why I am such an insect magnet, 
but whether I have sweet blood or a sweet heart I do my 
best to protect myself by covering up while I am outdoors 
to deter the inevitable bite or sting. Interestingly enough, 
even ants seem to be particularly tuned-in to my presence. 
When I am out in the yard, I often find myself engaged in 
what I like to call “The Bristol Stomp”. One minute I am 
pruning a bush and whistling a tune, and the next minute 
I am dancing across the lawn, pounding my feet on the 
pavers and howling like a coyote. It’s like someone sends 
an all-points-bulletin out to the local ant colonies letting 
them know there is a vulnerable victim available, and 
immediately they come marching in exponential numbers. 
If I stand still long enough my legs are covered with ants 
within a matter of seconds. It is quite bothersome, and I 
get annoyed with constantly having to wipe them away, 
or spray them off my feet in an attempt to complete what 
would otherwise be a simple outdoor task. Even though I 
get annoyed, I try hard not to crush or smash any of them 
as I wipe them away because I think every creature has it’s 
purpose. There is a reason for their existence and they all 
matter, even those annoying ants! As a matter of fact, in 
many ways the ants may matter more than some, because 
they act like a building block for the survival of many 
other species. Ants spend their entire lives working, and 
much of the work they do helps to ensure that other living 
creatures, including plant life will survive and thrive.

Scientists believe that ants have been in existence for at 
least 92 million years. There are about 12,000 described 
species, each with their own unique characteristics. One 
thing they all have in common is a remarkably articulate 
body with which they are capable of performing some of 
the most amazing feats relative to their size. Ants live in 
colonies and maintain a fascinating social structure. They 
operate in a matriarchal society typically led by 1 queen, 
but some colonies are known to have multiple queens. The 
queen spends her life giving orders to her minions and 
mating with her winged drones (male ants). For months 
after mating, the queen lays numerous eggs to keep the 
colony well populated. Most remarkable is the fact that she 
is capable of determining the sex and status of each egg, 
allowing her to create as many workers as she needs. This 
extreme matriarchy can result in complete independence 
from male influence. One species is even known to have 
bred out the male gender all together! And we humans 
thought we had “arrived” in terms of women’s rights!

Many ant species are known for their outstanding or 
unusual features and abilities. The “mud ant” for example, 
has tiny hairs all over its body, used to collect dirt particles 
and leafy debris for an outer camouflage, making it easier 
to sneak up on prey which - in this case - happens to be 
snails. Fungus growing ants are avid agriculturists. They 
work constantly, biting off bits of live garden fungus 
during the warm months of the year, and carrying it into 
the lowest chamber of the underground nest beneath the 
frost line, where they huddle over it throughout the winter 
to keep it warm. When the frost melts, the ants carry the 
small bits of fertile fungus back up to the surface and 
place it in its original site where it will continue to grow 
from one year to the next. Then there is the “jumping ant”, 
known for its ability to jump high in the sky by using its 
elongated mandibles like a spring board. These ants are 
rather primitive and live in small colonies with as few as 
ten per den. Presumably, their ability to leap straight up 
in the air allows them to travel efficiently and helps make 
them better hunters. The “soldier ant” is quite large (up to 
1.5 cm long), and very strong with scissor-like mandibles 
that few other creatures care to contend with. When a 
predator invades this ant’s nest, the predator better be 
ready to run, because putting up a fight is not an option! 
These ants send battalion troops out to attack the invader 
and bite with all their might. Their massive mandibles 
are strong and sharp enough to cut through shoe leather, 
and they are relentless in their pursuit, so they typically 
succeed in repelling the intruder. Last but not least is the 
Argentinean “leaf-cutter” ant, known for its human-like 
engineering in building tall turrets above its mound, to 
allow fresh air to flow through the nest, and by building 
“super-highways“ used to travel from the mound to sites 
where they cut and collect leaves to be brought back to the 
nest. Many other parallels can also be drawn between the 
problem solving abilities of the ant and the human. For 
such a tiny creature with a relatively short life span, the 
ant sure makes a big impression. With fascinating features, 
instinctual intelligence and total tenacity, it’s hard to argue 
the fact that the ant is one of the most amazing insects on 
the planet, and understanding the role it plays in nature 
makes this bug a lot less bothersome to me.