Mountain Views News          Saturday, June 9, 2012

9

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday June 9, 2012 


LONG AGO AND FAR AWAY

 
Astronomers at Arizona State University have found an exceptionally distant galaxy, 
ranked among the top 10 most distant objects currently known in space and the faintest 
galaxy ever observed. Light from the recently detected galaxy left the object 13 billion years 
ago—only 800 million years after the beginning of the universe.

 A team of astronomers, led by James Rhoads, Sangeeta Malhotra, and Pascale Hibon of the 
School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU, identified the remote galaxy after scanning 
a Moon-sized patch of sky with the Magellan Telescopes at the Carnegie Institution’s Las 
Campanas Observatory in Chile. Their research was published in the June 1 issue of The 
Astrophysical Journal Letters [http://arxiv.org/abs/1205.3161].

 The observational data reveal a faint infant galaxy, 13 billion light-years away. “This 
image is like a baby picture of this galaxy, taken when the universe was only 5 percent of its 
current age,” says Rhodes.

 A special filter fitted to the telescope camera was designed to catch light of narrow 
wavelength ranges, allowing the astronomers to conduct a very sensitive search in the 
infrared. “We have been using this technique since 1998 and pushing it to ever-greater 
distances and sensitivities in our search for the first galaxies at the edge of the universe,” says 
Malhotra. “Young galaxies must be observed at infrared wavelengths and this is not easy 
to do using ground-based telescopes, since the Earth’s atmosphere itself glows and large 
detectors are hard to make.”

 To be able to detect these very distant objects which were forming near the beginning of 
the universe, astronomers look for sources that have very high redshifts. They refer to an 
object’s distance by a number called its “redshift,” which relates to how much its light has 
been stretched to longer, redder wavelengths due to the expansion of the universe. Objects 
with larger redshifts are farther away and are seen further back in time. The new-found 
galaxy has a redshift of 7. Only a handful of galaxies have confirmed redshifts greater than 
7, and none of the others is as faint as LAE J095950.99+021219.1.

 “As time goes by, these small blobs which are forming stars, they’ll dance around each 
other, merge with each other and form bigger and bigger galaxies. Somewhere halfway 
through the age of the universe they start looking like the galaxies we see today—and not 
before. Why, how, when, where that happens is a fairly active area of research,” explains 
Malhotra.

************

 FROM THE FARTHEST GALAXY TO A DEWDROP IN THE GRASS seems like a long leap, but the same laws of physics prevail in both. The other day, I stopped on my morning walk 
to take a long look at a small point of brightness in a grassy lawn. It turned out to be a drop of dew reflecting—and refracting—the sunlight, creating a rainbow-like spectrum. As I sat on a 
wall beside it, I found that when I moved my head ever-so-slightly, the gleam changed from red to green and back again.

 Just as raindrops in the sky can make a rainbow for all to see, that dewdrop was making a spectrum of light just for me. It was my own personal rainbow, and I had the power to change 
its color by just moving my head. Gazing at this gave me a feeling of wonder, and I longed for a telescope—or microscope—that would let me look deeper inside that drop. Whether it’s in 
far space or on a blade of grass, I thought, science is all around us, just waiting to be seen, understood, and loved.

MAGNIFY

Hint of a rainbow

On a very small dewdrop…

Waiting to see more.

Haiku poem copyright 2012 by Robert L. Eklund Photo by: James Rhoads


SAILING WITH THE PATHOGENS

 Summer’s here! Yay! Are you planning any 
vacations? It’s hard, but try not to worry too much 
about the insane gas prices. Just remember, in 
Norway and the Netherlands they’re paying over 
six bucks a gallon. (But then again, they probably 
rely more on water-guzzling huskies to pull them 
from place to place than on gas-guzzling SUVs.)

 I haven’t traveled much, but there’s one trip 
I think I’d pass up -- a cruise. Granted, I shouldn’t judge things I 
haven’t tried. But on the other hand, I don’t need to perm my hair 
or go bungee jumping to know I’d regret it. Every so often, the topic 
of cruises comes up with my family, or at work, or more often on the 
news. None of my immediate family have been on a cruise. We’re 
very low key and usually stick to places like Solvang or Cambria, aka 
“Sierra Madre by the sea.”

 The thing I think I’d like least about a cruise ship is that there’s no 
escape. Of course most of the cruise liners are huge, and you can probably easily avoid certain people 
if you want to. However, you’re often forced to eat with strangers (I’ve been told). Perhaps the ritzier 
boats accommodate eating in privacy, but I believe lesser ships require you to eat at certain times, with 
other passengers assigned to your table.) I’m all for making new friends, etc. But if I’m on “vacation,” 
I don’t want to have to worry about making small talk and acting charming. This attitude might just 
be the introvert in me. Maybe lots of people like being thrown together with unknown individuals. It 
makes dinner all the more exciting.

 Once a friend described the fabulous annual family cruises they take. She listed some beautiful, 
exotic locations in the Caribbean. I made some comment like, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there!” 
She gave me a funny look, “Go there?” she said. “I never leave the boat!” Oh my gosh! Are you telling 
me that you prefer the ship to some of the most beautiful places on earth? The destinations she named 
are all politically stable, non-scary places like Saint Martin and the Cayman Islands. It’s not as if she 
were turning down Kingston or a port in Mexico, which I wouldn’t argue against. But why on earth 
would you camp out in your state room if there’s Antigua to explore? At least take advantage of the 
duty-free shopping. Heck, I’d just be happy to get off the boat! 

 Like I said, cruises are essentially communal. Any pathogen that gets loose is going to be there for 
the remainder of the voyage. To me, the grossest things are the pools and water activities advertized on 
TV. All that water’s being recycled, and anyone with a communicable disease is capable of spreading it 
to everyone who visits that pool. You must also consider that all the ship’s drinking/cooking/bathing 
water is coming from one, limited source. If it becomes compromised, you’ve got an epidemic on your 
hands. 

 If the daytime activities aren’t scary enough for you, the ocean is creepy at night. There are no 
lampposts that rise out of the ocean after sunset. It’s just one big, spooky sea of darkness. Another 
problem is the high number of “accidents” that occur on cruise ships. Summer just wouldn’t be 
summer if there wasn’t at least one story about someone (usually female) disappearing off a boat. I’m 
sure cruise ships have all sorts of high-tech safety features, but unless they line the decks with 7 foot 
fiberglass walls, there will always be the potential for danger. One of my mom’s friends went on a cruise 
where a lady got mad at her husband and jumped into the drink. What is it about the open sea that 
bring out the drama in some people? Have they seen “Titanic” too many times? I think this particular 
lady had enjoyed a few too many grasshoppers at the bar that evening. There’s another thing: alcohol 
and boating don’t mix. Look at Natalie Wood. These sort of situations dampen the party spirit to say 
the least.

 Although I might be totally misinformed about cruises, these are my opinions nonetheless. Of 
course if I could trade a week at work for a weeklong cruise and still get paid, I’d try it. But since that’s 
unlikely, I think I’ll stick with Solvang. Besides, I already know where all the great aebleskiver places 
are. 


WEB FOCUS: Experts-Exchange

 Experts-Exchange (http://
www.Experts-Exchange.
com) is a membership-based 
online “ask an expert” site for 
technology, computer and IT 
related questions. Founded in 
1996, the company has gone 
through a few re-makes and 
has emerged as a profitable, 
premier IT expertise site 
in a very crowded field. At 
Experts-Exchange, users are 
awarded points for answering 
questions asked by other users 
or writing articles for the 
general community. This often 
results in a points-gathering 
competition for obtaining 
more points in order to 
achieve one or more of the 
various member rankings. 

 The site offers a paid 
subscription service that 
offers full access to those who 
primarily use the website to 
get their IT and technology 
questions answered. By 
answering questions posted 
by other users, participants 
can win points in order to 
get a paid subscription. Those 
users who earn a minimum of 
10,000 points are given access 
to all features of the web 
site in what is known as the 
“Premium Services Package”. 
Additionally, they also need 
to obtain at least 3,000 points 
each month to keep these 
privileges. “EE” also offers 
subscribers access to the 
extensive knowledgebase of 
answers they’ve accumulated 
over the years and this feature 
alone has proven very useful 
to many a weary system-
admin looking for an online 
solution to a vexing technical 
issue. This knowledgebase is 
divided into sections covering 
such areas as Microsoft, 
Apple, Networking, Database, 
Security, Hardware, Software, 
Storage, Programming and 
Web Development. The site 
also features a Blog section and 
an Articles section for further 
search options for users who 
can’t find what they’re looking 
for in other areas of the site. 

 If a user seeking answers 
is unable to find a resolution 
to their problem he\she can 
post a question directly to the 
board and wait for answers 
from the community. When 
posting a question the user is 
directed to assign the question 
to a pre-selected category for 
easier classification. The wait 
time for responses to posted 
question tends to be short, as 
the competition for points can 
be described as nothing short 
of intense, but the technical 
accuracy of the answers 
received tend to be right on 
the money. The user has the 
option of awarding points for 
accepted solutions or dividing 
awarded points between 
partial answers accepted. 

 So the next time you find 
yourself in need of an answer 
to a particularly challenging 
technical issue and a plain old 
Google search just isn’t doing 
it for you, swing by Experts-
Exchange.com. 


“ TWO FUR TWO”

A Second Dog in the Household

 There are various reasons why people choose 
to find a companion for their existing furry, four-
footed friend. Among the most common reasons 
are companionship for their canine, and another 
is hoping the new dog will act as a help-meet in 
buffering the blow of saying goodbye to the older 
dog, when his time comes. These are reasons why 
people choose to adopt a second dog, but the fact is, 
such a scenario can play out for reasons other than 
intention or choice. As of 8 weeks ago, I have had 
a second dog in my home, due to the unexpected 
passing of a very dear friend, and I have learned 
some amazing lessons through the experience.

 When my next door neighbor called saying he 
felt sick and asked me to come over, so I did. At 
the time, I had no idea he would be rushed to the 
hospital, never to return home, leaving his 3-year-
old dog “Molly” in my care. I never gave it a second 
thought as to whether or not I would take care of 
Molly, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit 
overwhelmed by the sudden loss of my friend and 
the addition of a second dog to my home. You see, 
I already have a 10-year-old bloodhound named 
“Tatertotts”. I adopted her 8 ½ years ago. Tater was 
adoptable because she was too aggressive for the 
show ring. Her unpredictable behavior is apparently 
the result of in-breeding, or at least that’s what I 
think caused her social short-comings. For this 
reason, Tater has always been a challenge when it 
comes to social interaction. She is fine at home with 
me and my husband, but as soon as she is forced to 
share her space with others, trouble ensues.

 For the first two weeks, Tater and Molly got along 
fine and I was so happy for Tater, as I had thought 
she would live out the rest of her life lonely with no 
social interaction other than me and my husband. 
Unfortunately, the fun-loving ended about halfway 
through the third week of having Molly in our 
home. I guess Tater got tired of sharing her space, 
and decided it was time to put her foot down! (And, 
in case you haven’t met Tater, I’ll tell you now, she’s 
got a big foot to put down!). Well, that’s when the 
“fun” started for me. I soon found myself rotating 
2 dogs in my home to avoid confrontation and 
potential blood-shed. Finally, I called my vet and 
asked her what I should do to help facilitate the new 
relationship, and her first bit of advice was that I 
continue giving Tater lots of positive reinforcement, 
and allow her to be the “top-dog” in her own home.

 My vet gave me some very specific tips on how 
to go about dealing with Tater and Molly to ensure 
the best outcome. First of all, she said that if a fight 
should break out, I should not yell or get excited 
(easy for her to say), rather I should keep an even 
tone and talk to Tater calmly, saying such things as 
“it’s ok, girl, I know you are just protecting your 
territory, and we know you are number one, now 
come on and let Molly have a little space too, just 
be yourself and she‘ll know you‘re the boss”. It may 
sound silly to talk to your dog like a person, but they 
pick up on the vibes you are sending out, so it really 
does help to tell them what they need to hear.

 The bottom line is I must confirm Tater’s position 
of hierarchy over Molly, and not reprimand her for 
protecting her territory. Well, I’ll tell you right now, 
that is a challenge when my 108-pound bloodhound 
is standing over Molly, who weighs about 40 
pounds! Still, I get the logic behind my vet’s advice 
and I trust her opinion, so I am doing my best to 
carry it out. I still keep Molly and Tater separate most 
of the time, but I am working toward allowing short, 
closely monitored visits together in the back yard. 
I’m just not confident enough to allow a potential 
confrontation between them yet, although I am told 
it is necessary in order to let them work things out 
and establish their respective roles. My situation is 
one in which I did not choose to adopt a new dog, 
but I love Molly and I made a promise to Fred that I 
would always be there for her if she needed me, so I 
am committed to making it work.

 Many pet owners are making the choice to adopt a 
second dog, and with so many in shelters these days, 
I think that is wonderful! In this case, it is important 
to find the best match for your existing pet. Although 
each dog is an individual, some handle change better 
than others. There are some basic considerations to be 
made before adopting dog # 2. Age, gender, size and 
energy level are among the most important variables 
to be considered. It is also important to recognize the 
fact that, unless the existing dog allows otherwise, the 
new dog will most likely have to play ‘second fiddle’. If 
your dog has lived in your home for quite a long time, 
unless he happens to be very passive and allows the 
new one to dominate, he will assume the position of 
“top dog” when you bring another one home.

 Another important thing to be considered is that the 
new dog should not be too energetic or hyper-active, 
compared to the energy level of the existing dog. For 
example, bringing a rambunctious puppy into the 
home of an elderly, perhaps even deaf or blind dog 
could create a disaster for all involved. If the purpose 
is to find a friend for an older dog, do your best to 
find a younger dog that will show full respect to the 
elder. In fact, regardless of age, energy level is a very 
important issue to be aware of in general. Also, dogs 
are very territorial, so if a dog has lived in it’s home 
for many years, naturally he will defend his territory 
against a potential predator, even another dog. Be 
aware of your dog’s level of territorial tendencies, 
do not punish him for such behavior, and try to find 
another dog who will respect those boundaries.

 There is much more to know and prepare for before 
adopting a second dog, so take the time to research 
the issues and ask questions. The more you know and 
understand about the nature of dogs and how they 
interact, the better your chances of maintaining an 
harmonious home with more than one pup on the 
premises! So far, in spite of the challenges, I think we 
are making progress here at the Leclerc home. I love 
Tatertotts with all of my heart, and I love Molly, too. 
They both bring so much joy to my life that I refuse to 
give up on helping them get along. They are teaching 
me so much through the process, I feel like I’m back 
in school! I guess you could say I am 2 for 2 as a dog 
lover and pet owner at this point. I wish the best to 
those of you who wish to add a second dog to your 
home. Try to understand the reasons behind their 
behavior, stay positive and above all, don’t give up!

 

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc