Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 20, 2011

13

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, August 20, 2011 


ALIEN WORLD BLACKER THAN COAL


Astronomers have discovered the darkest 
known exoplanet—a distant, Jupiter-sized gas 
giant known as TrES-2b. Their measurements 
show that TrES-2b reflects less than one percent 
of the starlight falling on it, making it blacker than 
coal or any planet or moon in our solar system.

“TrES-2b is considerably less reflective than 
black acrylic paint, so it’s truly an alien world,” 
said astronomer David Kipping of the Harvard-
Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, lead author 
on the paper reporting the research.

In our solar system, Jupiter is swathed in 
bright clouds of ammonia that reflect more than 
a third of the sunlight reaching it. In contrast, 
TrES-2b (which was discovered in 2006 by the 
Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey, or TrES) lacks 
reflective clouds due to its high temperature.

TrES-2b orbits its star at a distance of only 
three million miles. The star’s intense light heats 
TrES-2b to a temperature of more than 1,800 
degrees Fahrenheit—much too hot for ammonia 
clouds. Instead, its exotic atmosphere contains 
light-absorbing chemicals like vaporized sodium 
and potassium, or gaseous titanium oxide. Yet 
none of these chemicals fully explain the extreme 
blackness of TrES-2b.

“It’s not clear what is responsible for making this 
planet so extraordinarily dark,” stated co-author 
David Spiegel of Princeton University. “However, 
it’s not completely pitch black. It’s so hot that it 
emits a faint red glow, much like a burning ember 
or the coils on an electric stove.”

Kipping and Spiegel determined the reflectivity 
of TrES-2b using data from NASA’s Kepler 
spacecraft. Kepler is designed to measure 
the brightnesses of distant stars with extreme 
precision.

The team monitored the brightness of the 
TrES-2 system as the planet orbited its star. They 
detected a subtle dimming and brightening due to 
the planet’s changing phase.

TrES-2b is believed to be tidally locked, like 
our moon, so one side of the planet always faces 
the star. And like our moon, the planet shows 
changing phases as it orbits its star. This causes 
the total brightness of the star plus planet to vary 
slightly.

“By combining the impressive precision from 
Kepler with observations of over 50 orbits, we 
detected the smallest-ever change in brightness 
from an exoplanet: just 6 parts per million,” 
said Kipping. “In other words, Kepler was able 
to directly detect visible light coming from the 
planet itself.”

The extremely small fluctuations proved that 
TrES-2b is incredibly dark. A more reflective 
world would have shown larger brightness 
variations as its phase changed.

TrES-2b orbits the star GSC 03549-02811, 
which is located about 750 light-years away in the 
direction of the constellation Draco. (One light-
year is about 6 trillion miles.)

Although TrES-2b currently is the darkest 
known planet, similar worlds orbiting other 
stars undoubtedly await discovery. For now, it 
reinforces the awareness that our solar system 
may not be as typical as we once thought. An 
astounding variety of worlds may populate our 
galaxy, making it more mysterious and wondrous 
than we ever imagined.

The Kepler space telescope has located more 
than 1,200 planetary candidates in its field of view. 
Additional analysis will reveal whether any other 
unusually dark planets lurk in that data.

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.

Now That We’re All Here

 Earlier this month in the Bay Area, officials for the public transportation system 
known as BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) made the decision to shut down cell phone 
service at four of its downtown stations with the expressed purpose of disrupting a 
planned protest. In July of this year, protesters disrupted service at several stations 
during a demonstration. 

 When BART officials caught wind of another planned event the took the proactive 
step of shutting down cell tower service in order to disrupt the efforts of the protestors. 
Early reports indicated that BART cut off cell phone service by approaching carriers 
directly and asking them to turn service off. The major cell service carriers have not 
publicly stated whether or not they were involved in the action. 

 The most surprising aspect of this action is the unilateral decision on the part of a 
non-governmental entity to shut down a portion of a public utility for purely private 
reasons. During the the first days of what’s now widely known as the “Arab Spring” 
, authoritarian regimes in the Middle East routinely cut communications in and out 
of the country to keep foreign governments from interfering with internal affairs, or 
more importantly, coming to the aid of the protestors. 

 Eventually international pressure from the world community persuaded government 
officials to re-open service in their respective countries, and to their detriment, 
protestors were able to co-ordinate more efficiently and eventually bring about real 
change in their respective countries. BART’s decision to shut down cell service 
is even more striking due to the fact that for a large number of people, their cell 
phones are their primary mode of telecommunication and without service they are 
functionally cut-off from the rest of the world. In January 2011, the UN’s International 
Telecommunication Union reported that the number of cell phone subscriptions 
topped 5 billion users. That’s a number almost equal to the number of people in the 
world. Now, all five billion of those users weren’t affected by this particular action by 
a certain number were. 

 Some of those affected were just non-involved actors just trying to get from point A 
to point B, just like they had probably done for countless days and nights before the 
day in question.

 Maybe BART officials did do the right thing as far as public safety was concerned 
and acted fully within their rights on their property. But what about the rights of 
the people who weren’t a part of this planned action and were unjustly denied the 
enjoyment of cell services they paid for and who were also denied the Freedom of 
Speech protections because a private, well-monied business concern decided that 
their issues and concerns overrode the rights of those affected? These things matter 
because it doesn’t take 2 or 3 billion interrupted calls for someone’s Freedom of Speech 
right to be violated; it only takes one. 

I read an article recently that said that some employers are only considering employed candidates for their 
positions. Is this against the law? Jonathan 

Dear Jonathan:

If this is not a law it should be. This would seem to be a form of discrimination. I suspect these employers are 
not actually advertising or publicly stating that they will only consider employed candidates for their open positions. 
However, what employers do behind closed doors in regards to how they make their hiring decisions is, and will 
always remain, confidential. Do not let some article like this keep you from seeking employment. Continue to 
apply for positions that match your skills, experience and education. Submit an effective resume that addresses the 
employer’s requirements and qualifications. Write a dynamic cover letter that focuses on your accomplishments and 
states your interest in their company and the position. Do not let statements, newspaper articles or anyone keep you 
from pursing a position you are interested in being considered as a candidate. 

 Is it OK to go around recruiters and directly contact the hiring manager. Would it be considered inappropriate 
or healthy assertiveness? Audrey

Dear Audrey:

It would depend on if the recruiter is working for you or the employer. There are two type of recruiters, agency 
and in-house. The agency recruiter is retained or commissioned by an employer to fill a position. The agency 
recruiter recruits, screens and selects a candidate to present to the employer. This type of recruiter is working on your 
behalf and the employer. Their goal is to recruit the ideal person who will eventually be hired by the employer. The 
employer expects the recruiter to partner with them in their search for candidates. A hiring manager might consider 
it inappropriate behavior for a candidate to go around the recruiter and directly contact them. This action might also 
reflect badly on the recruiter and hurt a candidate’s chances at being hired.

If this is an in-house recruiter, who is employed by the company, I would advise you to also be cautious. You do 
not want to offend anyone and possibly lose an employment opportunity. The right thing to do in either situation 
is to ask the recruiter for permission to directly contact the hiring manager and state your reasons. If the in-house 
recruiter or agency recruiter approves, then go for it. If they do not approve, you will have to trust and leave it in the 
hands of the recruiter. 

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.


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

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

 

 Besides ex-pat Swedes, who go there for the meatballs and kipper 
snacks, IKEA is for people going through some life transition. The 
last time I visited the store was when I moved into my apartment. It 
was a few years ago, so my memories are sketchy. I remember the 
store being a multileveled warehouse with rooms instead of aisles, 
and no clear signage indicating where you’re going. No doubt this 
layout helps customers better visualize the furniture in context, but 
I just think IKEA wants you to get lost and buy more stuff. I recall 
scribbling item numbers, prices, and dimensions on a pad of paper as I went from 
room to room, trying to remember if the “Malm” was a darker brown than the “Odda.” 
Next, we (a willing victim such as my dad or then-boyfriend-now-husband) descended 
into the bowels of the store to fetch the items from aisles of identical flat cardboard 
boxes (see, aisles had to come in eventually). It was like the end of “Raiders of the Lost 
Ark,” but crowded. And you better hope you copied down the item numbers correctly, 
otherwise you might end up with an Odda instead of a Malm. Finally, we hauled the 
boxes on a metal gurney to the car. At the apartment, the victim and I unpacked the 
things and put them together at a later date, because you can only concentrate so much 
in one day.

 One of the beauties of IKEA, I never appreciated until now, is the simplicity of its 
designs and directions. A picture is 
preferable to a thousand words, and 
I became keenly aware of this while 
helping my friend assemble a Fisher-
Price bassinet. Our husbands were 
at work, and in an attitude of “girl 
power,” I assured her we’d finish the 
thing before they got home. She 
warned me it was a two-person job. 
We started by holding metal poles 
in place while stretching very taut 
fabric over them, and then inserting 
more poles into more tight fabric 
tubing. I mused that this must be 
what building a tent is like (you can 
tell how often I go camping), and considered it might even be a three-person job. 
Subsequent steps had us tightly maneuver the ruffled skirt over its frame and fasten it 
all together with a series of tightly stretched pockets and snaps. The key word in all of 
this is “tight,” if you haven’t noticed.

 Feeling successful at having won the battle of pockets and snaps, we stood up to 
admire our progress. “Alright, now we need to snap the first canopy arm onto the 
frame aligning with the holes on the frame through the slot on the side of the skirt 
with two slots,” she read. That sounded fine, except our slots didn’t match the slots in 
the picture. We compared them every way we could, but each time, ours turned out 
looking backwards. “Did we put the skirt on backwards?” “No, because it says the 
‘Warning’ sign needs to be at the back like ours is.” “But then the slots don’t line up 
with the holes.” “Okay, let’s take it off and put it on the other way.” So we undid all our 
beautiful snap and pocket work and refastened everything “backwards.” “Well, now 
the slots line up, but it doesn’t match the picture.” Again, we analyzed all the angles 
and concluded this was the way it had to be, despite Fisher-Price’s guidance. “Now,” 
she read, “we stretch the canopy across the skirt frame and secure the ends with snaps.” 
“Ah ha!” I shouted, clutching the edges of the canopy. “There are no snaps, it’s all 
Velcro! Now we know we can’t trust the instructions!” I felt vindicated. Although 
technically backwards, we finished it before the guys got home.

 My husband and I later helped them assemble some more furniture. But, being 
IKEA, it was all comparable smooth sailing. I think my IKEA days are over for a while. 
That is, unless I go back to try their meatballs. Hey, 10 pieces are only $2.99!

The Sensational, Silk-Spinning 
Spider - Friend or Foe?

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc.

Canyon Canine Dog 

Walking & Pet Sitting Services

Throughout history, certain species of animals, at various 
levels on the food chain have fallen prey to a predator that 
is very different from what one might expect. This private 
predator is not located in the forests or in the deep depths 
of the ocean, where most wildlife survival attacks take 
place. This predator is rarely ever pointed out in public, 
and rarely claims the blame or admits taking part in the 
prey and attack process. 

The predator I am referring to is the incredible human 
being, and the attack is not only physical, but mental and 
spiritual as well. The human’s tendency to spread negative 
rumors and create long-term urban legends that cause 
irreparable damage to the reputation of other species is 
typically based on ignorance and fear, and the preferred 
prey can vary tremendously from one species to another. 
Unusual behavioral patterns or physical appearances of 
creatures that are extremely different from ourselves are 
often misunderstood, so rather than taking the time to 
learn more about other creatures, and understand why 
they look or act the way they do, we humans often put 
them into a category that defines them as creepy and 
extinguishable. I find it rather ironic that so many living 
things on this earth that play a major role in the survival of 
we humans, are those that we tend to fear the most.

Of the many creatures who have fallen prey to the 
human’s presumptuous paranoia throughout history, the 
spider is most likely among the top on the list. I think 
that this is really quite unfortunate, because spiders play 
such an important role in the balance of our ecosystem. 
In fact, without spiders this world would be in big trouble, 
both on a local community level as well as on a mega-
scale level, in the overall scheme of survival. Spiders are 
among the approximately 100,000 species that fall into 
the classification of Arachnids, mainly characterized by 
the fact that they have four pairs of legs and a body that 
is separated into two segments. There are about 2,000 
different species of spiders in the United States, and 
although, with the exception of one family, all spiders 
do carry venom to subdue their prey, very few are likely 
to cause concern to the human being. More often than 
not, any cause of concern related to a spider bite is due 
to an allergic reaction. Only two species of spiders found 
in North America are known to be a serious threat to the 
human. They are the black widow and the brown recluse. 

When you line up the true facts, break it down and do 
the math it becomes clear that the risks that spiders present 
are minimal, and arachnophobia becomes nothing more 
than another form of paranoia on the part of the human. 
Now that we know the truth about the minimal risks 
spiders present, let’s focus on the good things they do and 
the hard work they perform on a daily basis to ensure the 
health and welfare of our existence. 

All spiders produce silk, with which they weave their 
wonderful webs and this fascinates me beyond words. 
Some webs can be so large they cross the street from 
one tree or telephone pole to another. I saw a huge one 
recently during a walk with my dog, and I wish I had had 
my camera with me at the time, because it was absolutely 
gorgeous - a really remarkable work of art! But, aesthetic 
beauty is not necessarily the purpose of the silken spider’s 
web. 

As we all know, the main reason why the spectacular 
spider weaves its sticky, silky web is to catch insects and 
other small creatures to eat. This is the most important role 
that the spider plays in nature, and it has a direct positive 
impact on each and every one of us. If you annihilate 
every spider in your house and in your yard, you will 
most definitely find out (the hard way) just how valuable 
those eight legged creatures are to you. Indeed, you will 
probably find yourself calling the exterminator numerous 
times thereafter, because your home would most likely 
become infested with every type of tiny creature that you 
can possibly imagine. 

The truth is that the spider keeps our local bug 
population in check in a way that no one else could, 
including a human in a uniform with a can of killing 
chemicals! So what would you rather have? A delicate, 
illusive, shy eight-legged being who is more afraid of you 
than you are of him, or an entourage of stinging, biting 
or just plain annoying insects invading your living space, 
both inside and out? 

The answer comes easy for me. I prefer to keep my 
interesting, artistic spider friends around where I can 
benefit from their gorgeous works of silken art, and their 
veracious appetite for certain blood-thirsty creatures who 
would otherwise over-populate and potentially make my 
life miserable. Isn’t is amazing how just a little information 
can do so much good for the reputation of an historically 
misunderstood, feared creature? 

In tune with my typical “Happy Tails” theme, I encourage 
all my human friends to educate themselves better about 
all living things, particularly those that differ from us, and 
learn to appreciate the value of their presence.