Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 28, 2012

10

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, April 28, 2012 


INTERNATIONAL TEAM INSTALLS FIRST OF THREE TELESCOPES IN ANTARCTICA

 A team of scientists representing several 
international institutions, including 
Texas A&M University, has succeeded 
in installing the first of three Antarctic 
Survey Telescopes (AST3-1) at the 
Chinese Kunlun Station at Dome Argus, 
the highest point of the Antarctic Plateau.

 The telescope is the first of three half-
meter devices to be installed at PLATeau 
Observatory (PLATO-A), a fully robotic 
observatory established at the “Dome A” 
location in 2008 and intended to reveal 
new insights into the Universe once 
possible only from space. In combination, 
the three telescopes are expected to find 
planets around other stars the size of 
Earth, as well as hundreds of supernovas 
useful for cosmological studies.

 Texas A&M is joined in the 
international project by the Chinese 
Center for Antarctic Astronomy (CCAA) 
and the University of New South Wales 
(UNSW), which built PLATO-A and 
the control computers responsible for 
its autonomous operation. Dr. Lifan 
Wang, associate professor of physics 
and astronomy at Texas A&M, serves as 
director of the CCAA.

 “This is an astounding achievement,” 
says Prof. Michael Ashley, head of the 
UNSW team responsible for PLATO-A. “A stand-alone telescope in the pristine environment of 
Antarctica can conduct scientific research that would otherwise only be possible from space—but at a 
few percent of the cost.”

 Among its many unprecedented features, the AST3-1 is equipped with a charge-coupled device 
(CCD) camera that is 110 megapixels in size—the largest single-piece detector in use in astronomy 
today. The telescope will be used to search for 
planets around stars other than the Sun, enabling the 
continuous monitoring of hundreds of millions of 
stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, Wang explains.

 “The ability to monitor stars during the dark 
austral winter makes AST3-1 a unique facility for 
astronomical studies,” Wang adds.

 Ashley says the autonomous observatory is 
accompanied by an onsite computing system that 
analyzes the massive amount of data from the CCD 
camera in real-time to catch transient events, such 
as supernova explosions and gamma-ray-burst 
afterglows.

 In addition, the telescope can be used for 
observations of the optical afterglows of gamma-
ray bursts, which are important in early detection of 
supernovas as well as in timely data collection and 
measurement.

 “We are able to process the data from each 
exposure within two minutes after they are taken 
to promptly alert the science team when a new 
supernova occurs,” says Prof. Zhaohui Shang of the 
National Astronomical Observatory of China and 
Tianjin Normal University.

 Wang says the AST3-1 telescope is fully steerable, 
meaning it is capable of pointing to any sky area 
visible from Dome A—a huge technological 
leap in comparison to CSTAR, an array of four 
14.5-centimeter telescopes installed in 2008, which 
had no moving parts.

 “The observatory has to withstand the most extreme conditions on Earth,” says Prof. Xiangqun Cui 
of the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics Technology (NIAOT). “The winter temperature can be 
as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius, and the air pressure is barely half that of sea level.”

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


ADD CAPTION HERE

 If you’re anything like me, you’re guilty of wasting a shameful amount 
of time scrolling though Yahoo news items. Maybe it’s because Yahoo is 
my home page, or maybe I’m just a sucker for lame articles, but I often find 
myself drawn to the revolving headlines. They’re so formulaic. A handful of 
news worthy current events are cushioned between fluffy commentary about 
“Which celebrity wore this iridescent Ines di Santo gown best?” and “5 foods to help you 
sleep better!” Although I can usually guess at least two of the foods, I still click on it in vain 
hope of discovering something new and fascinating. 

 Their attraction is similar to TV news programs that bait viewers with teasers like, “Recent 
studies prove that chocolate cures chronic diseases!” You wade through 45 minutes of banal 
chatter about politics and sports (apologies 
to all you political, sports-loving readers!). 
They save the great chocolate revelation for 
the last three minutes. And without fail, 
the disclosure is a total anticlimax. Now we 
learn that chocolate contains antioxidants 
which, in moderate (tiny) amounts, help 
reduce free radicals, therefore lessening 
the aging process by a very small degree. 
Woopty doo! By the way, I have nothing 
against fluffy articles (in consideration 
of my own column). Fluff has its place. 
Therefore you’ll notice I’m not featured on 
the Yahoo circuit.

 Yes, a sizable portion of Yahoo articles 
are lame. Despite their lameness, I’m always 
amazed at the total irrelevancy of the photos 
accompanying them! I speak of the “stock 
images” that appear on the Yahoo headline 
loop. You know what I’m talking about. 
There’s a photo of a silver haired, healthy 
looking couple smiling into the camera. The 
article that goes with this picture could easily be anything from “Avoid common retirement 
mistakes” to “Finding love after 50.”

 Seriously, it’s a kick to just look at the pictures and try to guess the topic, or to come up 
with alternate titles. As I write, I see a photo of a man with his flip flopped feet propped up 
on a desk, getting ready to launch a paper airplane. Just by looking at it, I’d say the story 
might be about “Retiring by 45” or “Scoring the day job you’ve always dreamed of.” The 
article’s actual topic is “10 reasons your co-workers hate you.” Hmm... Yeah, I really saw that 
one coming. Maybe some scowling co-workers would’ve better tied this picture to its article, 
but then it couldn’t be used for articles about retiring at 45, etc. 

 It must be a hard task to purposely create photos broad enough to vaguely relate to a 
wide variety of topics. You have to wonder what the photo shoots are like for these images. 
Does the camera man instruct the models to look worried, as if they’re suspecting their 
spouse of infidelity while equally suggesting the anxiety accompanying a colonoscopy? I 
could go on indefinitely about these photos and their infinitely versatile models, but I think 
I’ve contributed enough fluff for this week! (Bonus challenge! Look at the rabbit and try to 
come up with a few likely titles. Don’t look at mine until you’ve come up with at least three 
of your own!)


EVEN WORSE THAN 
THE FIRST

 Just when you think we’ve heard the last of 
controversial internet legislation like PIPA 
and SOPA, this week Congress will be voting 
on a piece of cyber-security legislation called 
CISPA - the “Cyber Intelligence Sharing 
and Protection Act” that online privacy 
advocates are describing as draconian. A 
quick review of this bill’s chances of passage 
is revealed by the fact that the bill emerged 
from the House Intelligence Committee 
with an overwhelming vote of 17-1. 

 In summary, this bill would create an 
exception to all existing privacy laws. In 
doing so, it would permit online companies 
to share our information with each other and 
would build a sharing framework that would 
allow for the transfer of vast amounts of data, 
including sensitive personal information - 
such as internet use history or email content 
- to any agency in the government. This 
includes military and intelligence agencies 
like the National Security Agency or the 
Department of Defense Cyber Command. 

 Once in government hands, this 
information can be used for any non-
regulatory purpose, so long as at least one 
stated purpose is cyber-security. While SOPA 
and PIPA both were aimed at protecting 
intellectual property at the behest of the 
major entertainment and internet service 
providers, CISPA is further-reaching in its 
aims and touches on two issues sensitive for 
end users right now, specifically, 1) just how 
public is the private information we share, 
and 2) who has the right to share it?

 CISPA answers both questions and, the 
more the public learns about the inner 
workings of this legislation, the more likely 
it would be demand its defeat. The bill’s 
sponsors include tech heavyweights such 
as AT&T, Boeing, Microsoft, Time Warner 
Cable, Facebook, Google, Intel, Verizon and 
IBM. While there are undoubtedly more 
sponsors than those listed here, even this 
short list represents a significant corporate 
presence on the Internet. Coupled with the 
existing (and growing) cyber-surveillance 
state currently in place, the resultant 
information-gathering apparatus would 
eventually monitor every keystroke entered 
domestically and cover a large portion of 
foreign computer-to-computer transactions. 

 The most vocal critics of CISPA cite the very 
real potential for First Amendment abuses 
under the guise of a robust national cyber-
security program. Since a very large number 
of people participate in various social media 
forums, it wouldn’t take much effort at all 
for government law enforcement agencies to 
launch targeted investigations into persons 
and entities it considered a threat even 
though those targets may have done nothing 
more than expressed a constitutionally-
protected opinion or questioned the policies 
of its government. While one could easily 
argue that these agencies exist specifically 
to investigate and thwart threats to national 
security, at the same time one should 
ask just how much more power do these 
agencies need to accomplish their mission? 
The Patriot Act was passed in October 2001 
and has spawned a whole slew of similar 
legislation that expands the powers of 
surveillance and data-gathering capabilities 
now in the possession of the state. 

 CISPA is directly targeting people who leak 
government and nongovernment secrets to 
journalists or anyone else – and they want 
to deputize Facebook, Google, Twitter, and 
Microsoft to help do their dirty work.


PET POISONING - PREVENTION 
AND PROMPT RESPONSE

 Spring is my favorite time of year, and this spring has turned 
out to be uniquely awesome! The weather has been absolutely 
gorgeous, the trees are budding, the flowers are blooming in 
a wide variety of brilliant colors and the wildlife is thriving at 
its peak! Who could possibly disagree that our quaint canyon 
village becomes a virtual paradise during the spring season of 
each year? In the evenings I have been hearing the high pitch 
hooting of young owlets, echoing from a nest in the huge 
eucalyptus tree just across the wash, and I have seen more 
deer with young fawns and coyote families with pups passing 
through my neighborhood, than I have seen in years. A client 
of mine who lives in the Monrovia canyon even told me that 
she saw an adult mama bear with two baby cubs hunkering 
down beneath the sprawling oak canopies on the wooded 
property behind her house last week. I have not been so lucky 
as to see that bear family myself, but I keep my camera poised 
while visiting her gorgeous golden retriever, “Gus” just in 
case I do get that lucky! One of the things I love most about 
this season, is the feeling that it brings to my soul. That fresh 
feeling of cleansing and starting anew. 

Replacing dead plant materials with new flower beds and 
vegetable gardens speaks volumes to my heart and gives me 
a renewed positive outlook for a fresh start. “Out with the 
old…and in with the new”.

 For many local residents, this season brings with it a long 
list of gardening tasks, not the least of which is tilling the 
soil and adding fertilizers to enhance the growth of fresh 
plantings. There are numerous products in today’s market 
that are specifically designed for the purpose of enriching the 
soil or killing the weeds and encouraging new plant growth. 
That is all good, however most commercial grade products 
contain additives that may be great for certain plants, but 
could have a detrimental effect on the health of wildlife and 
domestic pets, not to mention long term effects they may have 
on the environment. In fact, most of the gardening products 
likely to be found in our local nurseries and department stores 
are full of toxic chemicals and synthetic ingredients that can 
cause major damage to the health of the human as well. (But, 
that’s a subject for someone else’s article!)

 If your pets are like mine, they love to explore the great 
outdoors. To them, the back yard is their playground; a well-
prized, well-protected personal possession of their very own! 
And why not? They deserve it, right? My bloodhound could 
sleep all day if uninterrupted, but the minute she senses 
another creature lurking about in “her” yard, she springs to 
life in an instant, and leaps into action to chase whatever it is 
she thinks might be infringing on her territory. When Tater is 
not on “back-yard border patrol”, her other favorite activity is 
foraging for avocados, or any other potential eatable she might 
find half buried in the dirt in her back yard, and let me just say 
that with a nose like hers, she leaves no stone unturned! That 
is the main reason why I am very selective when it comes to 
the yard and garden products I use. Don’t get me wrong, my 
intention is not to over-dramatize a simple seasonal task such 
as home gardening. I just want to emphasize the importance 
of taking great care when using potentially toxic products that 
your pet (or child, for that matter) might come into contact 
with. Take the time to read all of the instructions on the 
package, particularly notes regarding proper use and storage 
of the product, and commit to taking necessary measures to 
prevent accidental poisoning. It’s just a matter of being aware 
and being very careful…basically, be a responsible consumer 
and pet owner. How hard is that?

 Sometimes accidents do happen, as we all well know. If 
your pet should gain access to toxic substances that can 
cause damage to their health, it is important to recognize 
the symptoms and take immediate action to remediate the 
situation. Educate yourself on what to watch for. There are 
several websites on-line that offer important information 
about pet poisoning, including symptoms to look for, how to 
best be prepared should such an unfortunate scenario take 
place, and important information that the vet will need in 
order to treat your pet as promptly as possible. Always have 
your veterinarian’s phone number close to the phone. Prompt 
response and preparedness is paramount when it comes to pet 
poisoning. Time is of the essence, and the quicker you get a 
poisoned pet treated the better. Enjoy the spring season and 
the inspiration that it brings, but don’t forget to protect your 
beloved furry four-legged friends who so depend on you to 
provide them with a safe and healthy environment!


Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc