Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 21, 2012

18

THE WORLD AROUND US

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 21, 2012 


A New Take on a Familiar Picture

In 1995, the Hubble Space Telescope’s “Pillars 
of Creation” image of the Eagle Nebula became 
one of the most-viewed stellar pictures of the 20th 
century. Now, two of the European Space Agency’s 
orbiting observatories have shed new light on this 
enigmatic star-forming region of our galaxy. 

The Eagle Nebula is 6,500 light-years away 
in the constellation of Serpens. It contains a 
young hot star cluster, called NGC 6611, which is 
sculpting and illuminating the surrounding gas 
and dust, resulting in a huge hollowed-out cavity 
and pillars, each several light-years long.

The 1995 Hubble image hinted at new stars 
being born within the pillars, deeply inside small 
clumps known as “evaporating gaseous globules” 
or EGGs. Owing to obscuring dust, with Hubble’s 
visible-light picture it was impossible to see inside 
the pillars and prove that young stars were indeed 
forming.

A new image of this nebula taken by ESA’s 
Herschel Space Observatory provides a different 
view of the pillars and the wide field of gas and 
dust around them. Captured in far-infrared 
wavelengths of light, the image allows astronomers 
to see inside the pillars and structures in the 
region.

In parallel, a new multi-energy X-ray image 
from ESA’s XMM-Newton telescope shows those 
hot young stars responsible for carving the pillars.

Combining the new space data with near-
infrared images from the European Southern 
Observatory’s Very Large Telescope at Paranal, 
Chile, and with visible-light data from ESO’s Max 
Planck Gesellschaft 2.2-meter-diameter telescope 
at La Silla, Chile, we see this iconic region of the 
sky in a uniquely beautiful and revealing way.

In visible wavelengths, the nebula shines mainly 
due to reflected starlight and hot gas filling the 
giant cavity, covering the surfaces of the pillars 
and other dusty structures. At near-infrared 
wavelengths, the dust becomes almost transparent 
and the pillars practically vanish. And in far-
infrared light, the Herschel Space Observatory 
detects this cold dust and the pillars reappear, 
this time glowing in their own light. Intricate 
tendrils of dust and gas are seen to shine, giving 
astronomers clues about how they interact with 
strong ultraviolet light from the hot stars seen by 
XMM-Newton.

In 2001, near-infrared images from the Very 
Large Telescope at Paranal had hinted that only a 
small minority of the EGGs were likely to contain 
stars being born. However, the new Herschel 
Space Observatory image shows it to be possible 
to search for young stars over a much wider region 
and thus come to a much fuller understanding of 
the creative and destructive forces inside the Eagle 
Nebula.

Earlier mid-infrared images from ESA’s 
Infrared Space Observatory and NASA’s Spitzer 
Space Telescope, together with the new XMM-
Newton data, have led astronomers to suspect that 
one of the massive hot stars in NGC 6611 may have 
exploded in a supernova some 6,000 years ago, 
emitting a shockwave that would have destroyed 
the pillars. However, because of the distance to 
the Eagle Nebula, we won’t see this happen for 
several hundred years yet.

Powerful ground-based telescopes continue to 
provide astonishing views of our Universe, but 
images in far-infrared, mid-infrared and X-ray 
wavelengths are impossible to obtain from the 
ground because of the absorbing effects of Earth’s 
atmosphere. Space-based observatories such as 
ESA’s Herschel and XMM-Newton help to peel 
back that veil and show the full beauty of the 
Universe across the electromagnetic spectrum.

In regions like the Eagle Nebula, combining all of 
these observations helps astronomers to understand 
the complex lifecycle of stars.

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.

6 Minuses and One Plus

I have over 15 years experience in marketing and worked for 3 employers. I do not feel that a one 
page resume tells my story. What is the right number of pages for a resume? Perplexed.

Dear Perplexed,

The appropriate number of pages for a resume depends on your work history and experience. Rule of 
thumb is no more than two pages. I would suggest one page if you have less than five years experience 
and two pages if you have more than five years experience. Be sure that you include all the necessary 
information to get the employer’s attention to respond to your interest in their position: Summary of 
Experience, Work History with accomplishment statements, Computer and Software skills, Industry 
skills and Education.

I received a call from an employer who said she was reviewing resumes and wanted to ask me only 
one question: “what type of salary did I want?” I wasn’t sure what to say. I was afraid that I would 
give her an answer that would be too high or low and not be considered for the job. The answer I 
finally gave her was the salary that I made at my last position. I was really underpaid at my last job. 
What should I have said? Underpaid.

Dear Underpaid,

Employers typically conduct a “candidate screening call”. It sounds like this was a screening call and 
not a telephone interview. In this scenario there is only one person who does not know what the salary 
is. That is you. You should always prepare yourself to answer this question during a screening call, 
telephone interview or office interview. 

If you have no idea what the salary for the position is you have all the right in the world to ask the 
employer. Knowing the salary should also become part of your employment screening process. A 
possible response could have been “I did not notice a listing for the salary, could you tell me what the 
range is?” At this point you should be prepared to respond if you are or not comfortable with the range. 
If the employer does not give you a salary range and pushes you for a response, again, be prepared with a 
salary response. I would suggest that you give the employer a $5,000 - $10,000 range around the salary 
you actually want. Be very careful with your response because an employer will usually hold you to 
what ever salary or salary range you give. Research salaries in your area by checking out the following 
websites: www.PayScale.com or www.Salary.com. 

Like most IT pros I know, I occasionally 
have friends or family ask me to get them a job 
in IT. For some reason, a lot of the people who 
ask me this have a perception that everyone 
who works in IT is making great money or is 
on their way to becoming the next Bill Gates. 
Aside from having an incorrect perception 
about IT salaries, few people outside IT 
seem to understand just how tough working 
in IT really is. In order to clear up a few 
misconceptions I’ll share with you some of the 
inside info that only us IT pros know about 
our chosen career.

The hours are long. - There are all sorts of 
IT jobs, but most of them have one thing in 
common: They involve working long hours. If 
you want to work in IT, you better be prepared 
to work nights and weekends.

Your personal time will be interrupted - If 
you handle a critical support role within your 
organization, you will likely be tied to a cell 
phone. And that means you could be called 
upon to deal with an emergency at any given 
time. 

You have to deal with a lot of angry people 
- One of the worst things about working 
in IT (especially for helpdesk roles) is that 
you encounter a lot of angry people. Almost 
everyone who calls you is upset because they 
have a problem and they expect you to fix 
it right now. Often, there is a great deal of 
hostility behind these calls. Those who are 
calling are under pressure to get a job done 
— and the problem your system caused is 
preventing them from doing it.

People (friends, family and co-workers) 
expect you to fix their home computers - … 
all the time.

You have to keep your education current – If 
you didn’t like school, then this is not the field 
for you because the schooling never ends. 

Things don’t always work the way that 
they’re supposed to - Believe me when I say that 
there’s nothing worse than trying to complete 
a project by the deadline you have been given, 
only to have things come to a grinding halt 
as a result of technical problems. Computer 
systems are complicated and sometimes, in 
spite of your best efforts, things just do not 
work the way they’re supposed to. Something 
as simple as an inconsistent chip version on 
a series of system boards can derail an entire 
project. Naturally, it’s up to you to find the 
problem and fix it.

If you still have your heart set on a career 
in IT the plus side is that there’s never been a 
time quite like this to be in this field. There are 
probably more specialties than one can count 
to work in and overall IT has changed the face 
of the modern world in ways that geeks from 
earlier times could never have imagined. Plus 
One!


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

STOP SHOPPING AND 

START ADOPTING

A BIT OF ADVICE FOR TODAY’S 
‘OVER’ POP CULTURE

It’s The End Of The World, 

As We Know It!

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc.

Canyon Canine Dog 

Walking & Pet Sitting Services

Although Doom’s Day isn’t forecast for several months, I just watched 
“The Last Man on Earth,” and it put me in an apocalyptic mood. No, 
you haven’t wandered into the movie review section, I just couldn’t resist 
sharing another cinematic gem with you! This 1964 film starring Vincent 
Price was based on Richard Matheson’s novel “I am Legend.” Shot in Italy, 
mostly with Italian-speaking actors, the voices don’t quite sync with the 
lips. But that just makes it all the more deliciously corny. “The Last Man on 
Earth” is considered to be the precursor to “The Omega Man,” (1971) a film with a significantly 
bigger budget, starring Charlton Heston. Recent movie-goers will recognize its latest rebirth 
as “I am Legend,” (I suppose the name gives it away).

 The premise of “The Last Man on Earth” is that an air borne pathogen is spreading across 
continents, making people sick, killing them, and subsequently turning them into the walking 
dead. But these night walkers don’t exactly conform to our modern zombie stereotype. 
Although they have the classic zombie dead pan expression and stiff gait, they also possess 
vampire qualities. They are repelled by garlic and their 
reflections in mirrors. They are most effectively killed when 
impaled with a wooden stake through the torso. Also, these 
zombies can speak simple phrases (e.g., “Come out, Morgan! 
We know you’re in there!”). They’re too articulate to be true 
zombies, but too crude to be vampires. Everyone knows that 
vampires are sexy and well-spoken.

 The story begins with Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) 
exiting his mirrored and garlic-laden home, to drive around 
and collect bodies of the infected. (As with most zombie 
flicks, there seems to be a period of time between death and 
zombie-hood). His task is made funnier by the fact that 
the dummies must’ve weighed about 15 pounds, so Price 
effortlessly tosses them into his 50’s station wagon, not 
bothering to close the tailgate. “They’re not gettin’ out!” 
After he’s accumulated a good number of bodies, he heads to 
“The Pit,” a perpetually smoking zombie landfill. He dons a 
gas mask (left over from “Plan 9 from Outer Space” or some 
similarly cheesy production), douses the wrapped, staked 
bodies with gas, and chucks them in. On the way home, 
Morgan replenishes his mirrors and checks on his garlic 
garden. At night the zombies gather outside his house to weakly throw stones and beat against 
his boarded up doors and windows. Morgan plays a record, attempting to drown out their 
voices, and tries to get some sleep on the couch.

 One day, Morgan spots a disheveled, but otherwise normal-looking woman walking 
though a field. She is frightened, but he is able to bring her back with him. Once subdued, the 
woman, Ruth, asks how Morgan survived. He explains that years ago he was bitten by a bat 
infected with the vampire germ. The bat’s system strained the germ before it entered his body, 
thus giving him immunity. 

 Over coffee, Morgan begins to suspect that his lovely guest is infected. A potent whiff of 
garlic proves his theory. Ruth flees the room and starts to inject herself, but is interrupted by 
Morgan. She tells him that she, and her people, are infected, but keep the germ at bay through 
regular injections of treated blood plus vaccine (I didn’t understand that, but then science was 
never my strong suit, and maybe not that of the screenwriter’s either.). Ruth warns Morgan 
that her people have plotted to kill him. Overcome by exhaustion, she falls asleep on the couch. 
While she’s knocked out, Morgan hooks up a transfusion of his own blood into hers. In his 
kitchen laboratory he discovers that the transfusion has cured her! Unfortunately, the Infected 
Resistance captures Morgan after a long chase, and harpoons him in a church as he shouts, 
“You’re freaks! I’m a man --the last man!” Ruth consoles him as he dies in her arms. 

 Yet we are left with a sense of hope as Ruth leaves the church hugging her freshly injected 
arm. They killed the last man, but Ruth’s blood holds the promise of a cure. The morals of the 
story are: 1. Eat lots of garlic (seriously, it’s anticarcinogenic!), 2. Don’t pick up strange women, 
3. Don’t go home with strange men, and 4. Give blood, but with discretion.

My parents were born in the early 1920’s, which means 
they spent most of their early childhood growing up 
under the unfortunate financial influences of the Great 
Depression. I’m not sure whether they had the privilege of 
owning pets when they were young, but I do know that by 
the time I came along in the early 60’s, they were both avid 
animal lovers. However, my mother’s way of expressing love 
for animals differed remarkably from that of my father‘s. 
My dad had such a tender-hearted, open-minded attitude 
towards any animal, regardless of appearance. My mother 
loved animals too, and we spent a lot of time watching birds 
when I was a kid, but when it came to domestic pets, she had 
her preferences. I totally understood as my mother had her 
hands full raising seven children, so she had to be choosey 
about which strays she let us keep, for practical reasons. 
Daddy, on the other hand allowed us full liberty to adopt just 
about any ole stray we found along the way, and he could 
turn the roughest-around-the-edges pet into a prize winning 
trickster! I benefited greatly from both my parents’ love and 
respect for animals, but my dad’s open-hearted acceptance 
of homeless, needy pets appealed to me most. I now realize 
that in his gentle, kind way of loving the “unlovable” animal 
bequeathed to me a desire to carry on his legacy. Whether 
he knew it or not, my dad taught me that caring for all God’s 
creatures, good bad or ugly, was a fore-gone conclusion in 
life, regardless of lineage, looks or likeability.

My personal memory of my parents’ contrasting 
approaches to pet ownership somehow reminds me of 
the differences I observe among prospective pet owners 
in today‘s society. Here we are in 2012, decades later and 
while some things have changed, it seems that many have 
stayed very much the same. The most important thing that 
I would like to see change regarding pet ownership is the 
individual’s ideal of what makes an animal a great pet. Too 
many people in today’s society still maintain the mindset 
that only pure bred dogs are worth having. When domestic 
dog breeding first began, there were very specific needs to 
be met for survival purposes. When man realized that a dog 
breed could be manipulated to meet their preferences for 
appearance, it eventually became a trend to have just the 
right dog, with just the right look; they wanted something 
they could flaunt in social settings. Basically, the practical 
reasons for breeding dogs began to fade into the need to be 
noticed and respected in mainstream society. Kind of like 
the way diamond earrings are worn by women to make 
themselves stand out in the crowd. Dogs became just another 
accessory, and the “perfect” specimen of a given breed would 
set one apart from the rest.

Now that the earth is grossly over-populated with animals 
left homeless by irresponsible humans, many of the pet owners 
in today’s society know better than to breed or purchase a 
pet intentionally bred. The idea that a purebred dog makes 
a better pet than a mixed breed is absolutely ludicrous and 
considered passé among today’s ever-growing community of 
true animal lovers. According to a report issued last week by 
the American Humane Society, California ranks as #1 in the 
nation for humane treatment to animals, partly based on the 
fact that we value the life of every animal equally regardless 
of breed. People are realizing the true beauty and intelligence 
of any dog, and many have come to prefer a rescued dog over 
one bred intentionally. The main reason for the movement 
toward adopting versus shopping is the fact that there are so 
many animals in shelters who need loving homes it makes 
no sense to bring more into the world until we can get a grip 
on the current population. The human started a “trend” long 
ago, and we have dropped the ball on our part of the bargain. 
It’s time for the “shallow Hal hound lovers” in today’s society 
to stop being dog snobs and get on board.

The United States spends approximately 2 billion dollars 
a year rounding up, euthanizing and disposing of homeless 
animals (USA Today). 56% of the dogs and puppies taken 
into shelters are euthanized (National Counsel on Pet 
Population). About 5 million pets are killed in shelters each 
year. In six years, one un-spayed female and her offspring 
can produce 67,000 dogs (Spay USA). These statistics make 
me absolutely sick to my stomach. The public acquires only 
14% of its pets from shelters; 48% are found as strays or 
come from friends or shelters, and 38% get their pets from 
breeders or pet stores. It is that 38% percent that concerns 
me most, along with the fact that many pet owners are still 
neglecting to spay or neuter. The way we treat our domestic 
animals has become a blight in our society. Let’s face it, 
breeding has worn out its welcome, with these statistics in 
mind.

If you really do love animals, put your efforts into helping 
turn things around rather than adding to the problem by 
bringing more animals into the world. I love puppies, I do, 
but I also love chocolate. Get my drift? Just because you can, 
doesn’t mean you should. There are thousands of puppies in 
shelters who need loving homes, so stop breeding and spay 
or neuter your pets before they breed on their own. Dogs 
are not accessories to be flaunted, so do away with the list 
of hoity-toity criteria, and open your heart to the beauty of 
every animal. Visit your local shelter and I guarantee that 
the desperate look on those dog’s faces will be enough to 
convince you not to purchase a pet from a puppy mill store or 
a breeder. Haven’t we done enough damage? With so many 
homeless animals begging to be loved, and hoping to have a 
home before their expiration date arrives, it’s time for people 
to come out of our shallow shells and assume responsibility 
for the mess we’ve made. Every animal is loveable, in fact 
adopted shelter dogs are typically much more grateful than 
purchased purebreds. I hope I haven’t stepped on too many 
toes, but I refuse to be silent on this issue. For those who “get” 
my point, thank you. Let’s stop the madness, for the animal’s 
sake.