Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 30, 2011

14

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, July 30, 2011


Fourth Moon Discovered Orbiting Pluto


Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope 
have discovered a fourth moon orbiting the 
icy dwarf planet Pluto. The tiny new satellite, 
temporarily designated P4, was uncovered in a 
Hubble survey searching for rings around the 
dwarf planet.

The new moon is the smallest discovered 
around Pluto. It has an estimated diameter of 8 to 
21 miles. By comparison, Charon, Pluto’s largest 
moon, is 648 miles across, and the other moons, 
Nix and Hydra, are in the range of 20 to 70 miles 
in diameter.

“I find it remarkable that Hubble’s cameras 
enabled us to see such a tiny object so clearly from 
a distance of more than 3 billion miles,” said Mark 
Showalter of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, 
Calif., who led this observing program with the 
Hubble Space Telescope.

The finding is a result of ongoing work to support 
NASA’s New Horizons mission, scheduled to fly 
through the Pluto system in 2015. The mission is 
designed to provide new insights about worlds at 
the edge of our solar system. Hubble’s mapping of 
Pluto’s surface and discovery of its satellites have 
been invaluable in planning for the New Horizons 
close encounter.

“This is a fantastic discovery,” said New 
Horizons’ principal investigator Alan Stern of the 
Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colo. 
“Now that we know there’s another moon in the 
Pluto system, we can plan close-up observations 
of it during our flyby.”

The new moon is located between the orbits of 
Nix and Hydra, which Hubble discovered in 2005. 
Charon was discovered in 1978 at the U.S. Naval 
Observatory and first resolved using Hubble in 
1990 as a separate body from Pluto.

The dwarf planet’s entire moon system is 
believed to have formed by a collision between 
Pluto and another planet-sized body early in the 
history of the solar system. The smashup flung 
material that coalesced into the family of satellites 
observed around Pluto.

Lunar rocks returned to Earth from the Apollo 
missions led to the theory that our moon was the 
result of a similar collision between Earth and a 
Mars-sized body, 4.4 billion years ago. Scientists 
believe material blasted off Pluto’s moons by 
micrometeoroid impacts may form rings around 
the dwarf planet, but the Hubble photographs have 
not detected any rings so far.

“This surprising observation is a powerful 
reminder of Hubble’s ability as a general 
purpose astronomical observatory to make 
astounding, unintended discoveries,” said Jon 
Morse, astrophysics division director at NASA 
Headquarters in Washington.

P4 was first seen in a photo taken with Hubble’s 
Wide Field Camera 3 on June 28. It was confirmed 
in subsequent Hubble pictures taken on July 3 and 
July 18. The moon was not seen in earlier Hubble 
images because the exposure times were shorter.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde 
Tombaugh, an amateur astronomer working at 
Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Ariz., and it was 
hailed as the ninth planet in our Solar System. 
It was subsequently “demoted” to the status of 
“dwarf planet” by the International Astronomical 
Union (IAU) in 2006. The IAU decision was quite 
controversial at the time, and is not yet universally 
accepted. For example, in Tombaugh’s home state 
of New Mexico, the Legislature passed a resolution 
stating that Pluto would always be considered a 
planet in New Mexico.

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.

It’s SAAD...but 

that’s a good thing! 

Today is July 29,2011...the last Friday in July...does anybody know what day it is? 
Anybody...Bueller?

That’s right...it’s System Admin Appreciation Day! First celebrated in July of 2000, 
System Administration Appreciation Day is the day set aside to show appreciation 
for keeping the computer systems that we all depend on up and running. Other, more 
popular Appreciation Days, (Teacher, Secretaries, Nurses, etc) enjoy far more public 
recognition, but for those of us who happen to be System Administrators (here, here) 
this day is mostly about a job well done...that we usually congratulate ourselves on...
and then obsess about doing said job better. Lol. No…really, we obsess about this 
kind of stuff all the time. Systems, that is. 

I once had an installer from Time Warner come to a job I was working and asked 
me what my typical day was like. He wondered what could I possibly be doing all day 
long since everything was up and running. I was a little taken aback by that question 
but after I thought about it for a second I could see where he was coming. Because, 
even if I must say so myself, the setup I was managing at the time was pretty sweet. 
That place looked like a photo shoot for a company that sells server rooms. It was 
sweet but it didn’t look like that when I first met the place. In fact, it looked like a 
photo shoot for something else entirely, a very not-neat something else entirely. I 
remember being in the interview for that job, listing my qualifications and experience 
and relaying to the company my vision of what I could do for their IT infrastructure 
specifically, and their company in general. After they took me up on my offer I got 
to work turning their computers and stuff into a fully-staffed, fully-operational IT 
department that supported an infrastructure consisting of 20 servers, 250 workstations, 
several branch offices, a field sales force and boasted a 99.9% uptime record. That 
place didn’t get that way on its own and it certainly didn’t stay that way on its own. A 
System Administrator got it where management wanted it to be. 

That’s what sysadmins do: they make your systems work. And when your systems 
work the way their supposed to work, take a day to say thanks, at least once a year. 
Happy SAAD to all of us!

What is the proper protocol regarding thank you notes and how soon after an interview should I send one to the 
employer? Mr. Etiquette

Dear Mr. Etiquette

It is always a “good thing” to send a thank you note. I know candidates that were not hired because they did not 
send a thank you note to an employer. Job seekers should include thank you notes or letters as key components in 
the interviewing process. There are employers who believe that receiving a thank you note from a candidate is the 
ultimate “closer” to making a hiring decision. Sending a thank you note to the employer or interviewer demonstrates 
that you can follow-through, and would be a considerate employee. Your thank you note should be short and to 
the point, addressed to the person, include the date or day you interviewed, the position you interviewed for, the 
reason why you are interested in the position and the company. End the note with a strong closing statement (i.e., 
I am looking forward to joining your team) and offer to come for another interview or to contact you for further 
information. Be sure to sign with your complete name, include your telephone number and an e-mail address. 

You should send a thank you note within hours after an in-person or telephone interview. Yes, send a thank you 
note even after a telephone interview. Always request or get the name and contact information of the interviewer or 
interviewers and send them a thank you note. A majority of job seekers usually send e-mail thank you notes, and 
this is immediate and appropriate. However, if you want to distinguish yourself from the other candidates, send a 
handwritten thank you note.

A hand written thank you note implies that you have taken the time to send a personalized message. Select a 
professional style note card or paper that reflects your personality. Do not choose quirky note cards or flamboyant 
paper. Thank you notes or cards should always be handwritten. Thank you letters are usually lengthier; computer 
generated, written on high quality paper and include your signature. I suggest that you send a thank you note to 
anyone that assisted you in the interview process, this would include: receptionists, assistants, and everyone who 
interviewed you at the company. You never know who is included in making the hiring decision. Do not write the 
same message on each thank you note. Individualize and personalize every thank you note, card, letter or e-mail. 
Do not forget to send your referrals and references a handwritten or e-mailed thank you note every time you 
complete an interview. This will keep them on board and continue to give you excellent recommendations. It is 
always appropriate to send thank notes and people really appreciate receiving them. 


WEDDING FEVER

Ah, summer! Three mellow, sunny months that make the other 
nine tolerable. There are a myriad of ways to celebrate summer. 
People enjoy the beach, gardening, barbeques, floating in a pool, 
or just chilling on the deck appreciating being alive in Southern 
California in the summer. One of summer’s many advantages over 
the rest of the year is there are not gift-giving holidays you feel 
obligated to attend (Fourth of July doesn’t count). But on that same 
note, summer has one pitfall --it’s wedding season.

 Have you been to a wedding this summer? I haven’t... yet. Possibly you got by 
without having to go to any, but most likely you’ll have to do face time at at least one. 
Is it just me, or have a lot of weddings (like the rest of the culture) become totally 
overblown spectacles of excess? I must confess a couple elements of my wedding (not 
my idea) were more elaborate than they needed to be, but that’s a whole other article.

 In the olden days, being a bridesmaid only required that you wear an ugly dress 
and show up for the rehearsal and wedding. But these days I’ve heard of brides asking 
their bridesmaids to change their hair color or get Botox in 
preparation for the big day. And bachelor/bachelorette parties 
have grown into week-long affairs such as golf excursions in 
Arizona and cruises to Mexico. Resorts spas are also popular. 
I understand that some girls like to bond while getting peeled 
and exfoliated together, but I ain’t one of them. 

 Of course probably the most annoying new wedding 
trend is the “surprise” first dance. This has been so overused 
it hardly warrants the terms “new” and “trend.” If you’re 
unaware of this gimmick, it starts off with the bride and 
groom slow dancing to a tame wedding classic. Then 
SUDDENLY the music turns to static. The happy couple is 
“shocked.” When the sound comes back, it’s a rock or rap 
song, to which the bride and groom start break dancing and 
doing other gown-threatening stunts. Some even go as far as 
having their bridal party join the action, and put on a highly 
choreographed show. It’s hard enough coordinating ten or 
more people for the wedding and one regular rehearsal; I can’t imagine the planning 
necessary for a group that size to learn something worthy of “The Lion King.”

 While the whole surprise first dance idea is ridiculous in and of itself, it reveals 
a larger concept now widely accepted regarding weddings. They must be unique and 
entertaining. Those aren’t evil desires, but they have become the driving force among 
many weddings. I’ve quoted the book, “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age 
of Entitlement” before, and this seems like a good opportunity to put another plug 
in for it. I agree that no one should purposely bore their guests, but when everyone 
is trying to have a unique wedding, that means no one really is. And frankly, if I 
remember someone’s wedding because the groom arrived by helicopter or they had 
Justin Timberlake MC-ing, I’m just going to remember that they overdid it. 

 I can only speak for myself, but I would wager that most guests don’t come to be 
entertained. If that’s what they wanted, they’d go to a Lakers’ game. They come because 
they like you or they’re related to you --sometimes even both. At the end of the day, 
guests have only a few requests: don’t make them sweat (literally), don’t ask for audience 
participation (If uncle Bob didn’t plan a speech, don’t have your MC stick a microphone 
in his face), the food need not be gourmet, but shouldn’t bounce if it falls off the plate. 
Finally, and most universally agreed upon: make it brief. That’s all! No helicopters 
necessary!

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


THE CULTURALLY 

CORRECT CANINE

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc.

Canyon Canine Dog 

Walking & Pet Sitting Services

I have always been amazed at the many ways that 
a dog can change a human being’s life for the better. 
There are various and sundry reasons why the family 
dog has earned the age-old title of “man’s best friend”, 
and rightfully so. Among the many character virtues 
that the canine shares with his two-legged human 
companions, most amazing to me is that fact that the 
dog is capable - and more than willing - to bridge the gap 
between humans of differing ages, cultures, lifestyles 
and languages. The idea that a dog is actually capable 
of bringing people together who would otherwise most 
likely not even bother to share the time of day with one 
another, really hit close to home for me this past week. 
I am a person who appreciates diversity in my life. I 
have an eclectic collection of friends including people 
of various colors, shapes, sizes, ages and walks of life, 
but I must admit that I am only human, therefore I do 
still notice the differences between myself and others. 

No matter how hard I try to ignore or even erase 
thoughts and preconceptions that may come to 
mind when I cross paths with people who look or 
act different from myself, there are times when I 
make certain presumptions based on appearance or 
behavior. When those preconceived notions come 
to mind, I try very hard to suppress them, but the 
thoughts are there, regardless. I realize that my mind 
works this way because I was raised in a culture that 
inherently encourages the identification of others 
according to the color of their skin, racial origin, 
behavioral patterns, or even financial status, and I 
think that is very unfortunate. If I could change that 
about my culture, I most definitely would. But, it is 
what it is and all one can do is live one‘s own life the 
way they know they should. I said all that to say this…
Thank God for dogs!

During a recent walk with “Bo” and “Loucie“, two 
of my favorite canine client companions, we were 
trekking up Grandview towards the Arcadia highland 
community, when we happened to cross paths with an 
older couple walking two darling silky terriers . Because 
Bo and Loucie are always very cordial in dealing with 
other dogs that we meet along the way, I was not 
concerned about a potential canine confrontation, so 
we stayed steady on our trail rather than crossing to 
the other side of the street. As we drew closer to the 
couple who were walking in the opposite direction on 
the same side of the road, I looked up at them, gave 
them a wide, “happy to meet ya” kind of smile, and 
said “good morning!” 

Initially, they both looked away in what may have 
appeared to be embarrassment. My thought is that they 
were not completely comfortable with my greeting, 
simply because they are not completely comfortable 
with their skills in speaking the English language. 
Apparently, however the two dogs I was walking, 
spoke the same language as the two that they were 
walking, so they greeted each other with nothing but 
confidence and appreciation and within a moment’s 
time, we humans followed suit and stood and watched 
the dogs interact and socialize with intent vigor. By the 
time we parted ways, having observed such kind and 
reciprocal social behavior between our pets, I felt that I 
had made a couple of new friends that I hope to bump 
into again in the near future, and I would like to think 
that they felt the same way. 

See what I mean? How cool is it that our pets can 
play a part in bridging a gap between ourselves and 
our neighbors? That is what prompted me to write this 
short (yet, hopefully effective) article about the value 
of a dog’s social virtues. Perhaps we humans can learn 
from the canine’s willingness and ability to behave in a 
culturally correct manner. Meanwhile, they are there 
for us. So, let us be thankful that God created creatures 
such as the canine to help we humans with our social 
skills. Who knew the dog could be such a valuable 
asset in our human lives?