Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 26, 2014

EVIDENCE OF 26 ATOMIC BOMB-SCALE ASTEROID IMPACTS SINCE THE YEAR 2000 
THE WORLD AROUND USMountain Views-News Saturday, April 26, 2014 B2 
At a press conference April 22 at the Seattle Museum of Flight, three prominent astronauts 
supporting the B612 Foundation presented a visualization of new data showing the surprising 
frequency at which the Earth is hit by asteroids. The astronauts were guests of the Seattle Museum 
for a special series of public events on Earth Day 2014. 
Dr. Ed Lu, former US shuttle and Soyuz astronaut and co-founder and CEO of the B612 Foundation, 
was joined by former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, president of the Association of Space Explorers and 
Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and former 
chairman and CEO of General Dynamics, to discuss findings recently released from the Nuclear Test 
Ban Treaty Organization, which operates a network of sensors that monitors the Earth around the 
clock listening for the infrasound signatures of nuclear detonations. 
Between 2000 and 2013, this network detected 26 explosions on Earth ranging in energy from 1 
to 600 kilotons—all caused not by nuclear explosions, but rather by asteroid impacts. To put that in 
perspective, the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945 exploded with an energy impact of 
15 kilotons. While most of these asteroids exploded too high in the atmosphere to do serious damage 
on the ground, the evidence is important in estimating the frequency of potential “city-killer-size” 
asteroids. 
The Earth is continuously colliding with fragments of asteroids, the largest in recent times exploding 
over Tunguska, Siberia, in 1908 with an energy impact of between 5 and 15 megatons. More recently, 
we witnessed the 600-kiloton impact in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, and asteroid impacts greater 
than 20 kilotons occurred in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2009, in the Southern Ocean in 2004, and 
in the Mediterranean Sea in 2002. Important to note as well is the fact that none of these asteroids 
were detected or tracked in advance by any existing space-based or terrestrial observatory. 
“While most large asteroids with the potential to destroy an entire country or continent have 
been detected, less than 10,000 of the more than a million dangerous asteroids with the potential 
to destroy a major metropolitan area have been found by all existing space or terrestrially-operated 
observatories,” stated Lu. “Because we don’t know where or when the next major impact will occur, 
the only thing preventing a catastrophe from a ‘city-killer’ sized asteroid has been blind luck.” 
The B612 Foundation aims to change that by building the Sentinel Space Telescope Mission, an 
early warning infrared space telescope for tracking asteroids that would provide many years to deflect 
an asteroid when it is still millions of miles away. The B612 Sentinel Mission will be the world’s first 
privately funded deep space mission that will create the first comprehensive dynamic map of our 
inner solar system, identifying the current and future locations and trajectories of Earth crossing 
asteroids. Sentinel will detect and track more than 200,000 asteroids in just the first year of operation, 
after a planned launch in 2018. 
The B612 Foundation (http://www.b612foundation.org) is named for the asteroid home of the 
“Little Prince” in Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic novel, Le Petit Prince. The Little Prince came to 
realize that what is essential in life is often invisible to the human eye. 
For a video visualization of the findings, showing the impact size range and location of all 26 
explosions, see: https://b612foundation.org/portfolio/impact-videoEVIDENCE OF 26 ATOMIC BOMB-SCALE ASTEROID IMPACTS SINCE THE YEAR 2000 
THE WORLD AROUND USMountain Views-News Saturday, April 26, 2014 B2 
At a press conference April 22 at the Seattle Museum of Flight, three prominent astronauts 
supporting the B612 Foundation presented a visualization of new data showing the surprising 
frequency at which the Earth is hit by asteroids. The astronauts were guests of the Seattle Museum 
for a special series of public events on Earth Day 2014. 
Dr. Ed Lu, former US shuttle and Soyuz astronaut and co-founder and CEO of the B612 Foundation, 
was joined by former NASA astronaut Tom Jones, president of the Association of Space Explorers and 
Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and former 
chairman and CEO of General Dynamics, to discuss findings recently released from the Nuclear Test 
Ban Treaty Organization, which operates a network of sensors that monitors the Earth around the 
clock listening for the infrasound signatures of nuclear detonations. 
Between 2000 and 2013, this network detected 26 explosions on Earth ranging in energy from 1 
to 600 kilotons—all caused not by nuclear explosions, but rather by asteroid impacts. To put that in 
perspective, the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945 exploded with an energy impact of 
15 kilotons. While most of these asteroids exploded too high in the atmosphere to do serious damage 
on the ground, the evidence is important in estimating the frequency of potential “city-killer-size” 
asteroids. 
The Earth is continuously colliding with fragments of asteroids, the largest in recent times exploding 
over Tunguska, Siberia, in 1908 with an energy impact of between 5 and 15 megatons. More recently, 
we witnessed the 600-kiloton impact in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, and asteroid impacts greater 
than 20 kilotons occurred in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2009, in the Southern Ocean in 2004, and 
in the Mediterranean Sea in 2002. Important to note as well is the fact that none of these asteroids 
were detected or tracked in advance by any existing space-based or terrestrial observatory. 
“While most large asteroids with the potential to destroy an entire country or continent have 
been detected, less than 10,000 of the more than a million dangerous asteroids with the potential 
to destroy a major metropolitan area have been found by all existing space or terrestrially-operated 
observatories,” stated Lu. “Because we don’t know where or when the next major impact will occur, 
the only thing preventing a catastrophe from a ‘city-killer’ sized asteroid has been blind luck.” 
The B612 Foundation aims to change that by building the Sentinel Space Telescope Mission, an 
early warning infrared space telescope for tracking asteroids that would provide many years to deflect 
an asteroid when it is still millions of miles away. The B612 Sentinel Mission will be the world’s first 
privately funded deep space mission that will create the first comprehensive dynamic map of our 
inner solar system, identifying the current and future locations and trajectories of Earth crossing 
asteroids. Sentinel will detect and track more than 200,000 asteroids in just the first year of operation, 
after a planned launch in 2018. 
The B612 Foundation (http://www.b612foundation.org) is named for the asteroid home of the 
“Little Prince” in Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s classic novel, Le Petit Prince. The Little Prince came to 
realize that what is essential in life is often invisible to the human eye. 
For a video visualization of the findings, showing the impact size range and location of all 26 
explosions, see: https://b612foundation.org/portfolio/impact-video
Artist's view of last year’s fireball explosion over Chelyabinsk, Russia – termed a 

"superbolide" event. Credit: Don Davis 

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@MtnViewsNews.com. 
PET OF THEWEEK 
CLEOPATRA: ANIMAL ID#A4695495 
LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?
Thea is a beautiful miniature 
pinscher-chihuahua mix. She 
has been at our shelter since 
September 2011. We have no idea 
why she has been passed over for 
adoption. Many of her kennel 
mates have found homes during 
the past two years, but Thea’s 
family has not found her yet. 
Thea will greet anyone near her 
kennel by jumping up and down 
on her long legs. It’s as if she is 
saying, “Pick me! Pick me!” She 
loves the staff and volunteers 
she has interacted with, and will 
reward them with a quick kiss 
when she is picked up or harnessed for a walk. 
Thea loves to go for walks and is very good on the leash. She has a medium energy level, and will 
run if she has the chance, but she is also a good walker. When she has the chance to get off leash in 
the small shelter yard area, she loves to run laps around the yard, especially if she has another dog 
to play with. She is very playful with other dogs and with toys, but when you are least expecting 
it, she will jump into your lap for a little kiss and cuddle time. Then she is off again playing tag 
with her dog friends (or people friends). She is a smart girl and will sit for treats. She has gone to 
several off-site adoption events, and is a perfect lady out in public. 
Thea can be shy with new people, and is a little selective on who she will allow in her personal 
space, but once you have gotten to know her, she is friendly and happy to see you. Thea needs a 
family who will allow her the time to get to know them and earn her trust. It doesn’t take long once 
she is feeling comfortable and secure. Then she will love you forever! 
Thea is about 3 years old and weighs about 10 pounds. She is mostly black with beautiful tan 
highlights showing off her pretty face and her long legs. Her coat is very short and does not require 
much grooming. Please consider coming in to meet the lovely Thea. 
She currently resides at the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society located at 851 E. Grand Avenue in 
San Gabriel. We are located off San Gabriel Blvd., north of Mission and south of Las Tunas. 
To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Thea (aka…5199), please stop by any time from 10:00am to 
4:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday. 
Her adoption fee is $120 which includes her spay surgery, a microchip, first vaccinations and a free 
wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. Feel free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for more 
information on Thea. 
See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for information and photos of all our available pets. 
Meet a wonderful dog that exemplifies true beauty in 
its furriest form, the lovely Cleopatra (A4695495)! 
Cleopatra is an outstanding two-year-old blue merle 
female Australian Shepherd mix puppy who was found 
in San Gabriel and brought to the Baldwin Park Animal 
Care Center on April 10th. Weighing thirty-five pounds, 
Cleopatra is an all-around amazing catch of a dog. She 
has a sweet disposition and a great enthusiasm for meeting friends -- human and canine alike. 
She is a love bug that wiggles her behind when happy, and she’s intelligent too. She walks 
attentively on the leash and even knows both the “sit” and “lie down” commands. This medium-
energy girl will make an awesome indoor pet for absolutely anyone in any living situation. To 
watch a video of Cleopatra, please visit the following link: http://youtu.be/272Xc8SlWlg 
To meet Cleopatra in person, please see her at the Baldwin Park Shelter, located at 4275 
N. Elton, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She is currently 
available now. For any inquiries about Cleopatra, please reference her animal ID number: 
A4695495. The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 pm-7 pm Monday-Thursday and 10am-
5pm Friday-Sunday. This is a high-intake shelter with a great need for adoptions. For more 
information about Cleopatra or the adoption process, contact United Hope for Animals 
Volunteer Adoption Coordinator Samantha at Samantha@hope4animals.org. To learn more 
about United Hope for Animals’ partnership with the Baldwin Park Shelter through its Shelter 
Support Program, as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes available for adoption in 
local shelters, visit http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/shelter-support-program/. 
LIFE’S TRUE TREASURES: 


Original Roots of Happiness 

by Chris Leclerc 

Happy Tails 
“Right now at this moment, you have a mind 
which is all the basic equipment you 

need to achieve complete happiness.” ~ Dalai 
Lama 

Is it just me, or has the majority of the population 
in our “highly advanced” American society 
lost sight of what really matters in life? Perhaps 
the wonders of technology and the seemingly 
unlimited resources that make our lives so much 
easier in America, have become a distasteful 
distraction from life’s true treasures. 

I remember a conversation I had with a couple of 
close friends at an open house Christmas party a 
few years ago, during which I lost my audience 
when I admitted that, in some ways I envy those 
who live in lesser developed countries where they 
still practice tribal rites, they value their cultural 
roots, and have not been tainted by the lures of the 
western world. If that wasn’t enough, I continued 
my ‘monologue’ by confessing that if given the 
option, I doubt I would ever have even invented 
the clock. I know that sounds pretty radical, but I 
truly feel that way. 

Understandably, my friends were quite perplexed 
by my less-than-conventional comments, and they 
were rather astounded by my overall opinion that 
mankind has lost it’s way in this world by leaving 
their original roots behind to chase rainbows of 
power, success, fame and fortune, and last but not 
least, to trade irreplaceable treasures of nature for 
the conveniences and comforts of life. 

I have been told that moderation is a key 
component to health and happiness, and for the 
most part I agree. So, when new cultural concepts 
arise, I often wonder why people find it necessary 
to completely do away with, and replace the 
original ways of living with the new. Knowledge 
and understanding are God-given virtues that we 
humans were blessed with from the beginning, 
and He instilled such virtues within us for an 
express purpose; to determine and choose the 
right path for ourselves as part of His creation. 
While the relatively recent rise of technology & 
scientific discovery are considered to be positive 
developments for mankind, they can never replace 
the basic inherent virtues that God gave us as tools 
for living on earth, from the beginning. 

It seems that few 
cultures have managed 
to adhere to the 
basic premises of 
life that were taught 
from the start, but 
there is one “underdeveloped” 
nation, 
centered deeply in the 
eastern hemisphere 
whose people seem 
to have found a way 
to maintain their 
appreciation for their 

original roots of happiness. An ancient country 
with a mere population of about 600,000people, Bhutan is a kingdom neatly centered 
in the Himalaya, sandwiched between two 
huge neighboring countries; China and India. 
Boasting more natural wildlife refuges and more 
appreciation for nature than any other country on 
earth, Bhutan is a virtual paradise lost. 

In a relatively recent survey, 97% of the Bhutanese 
population declared themselves to be ‘happy‘. In 
terms of monetary and material wealth, Bhutan 
hardly even registers on the world index, so I 
cannot help asking myself, “What is it about 
Bhutan that generates so much contentment?”. 
The simple answer is that the kingdom of 
Bhutan has chosen an alternate path to that of 
economic development. Ironically, while Bhutan 
is considered to be among the poorest countries 
on earth, more of God’s creatures thrive in their 
natural habitat there, than in any other country! 

Bhutanese people live by a code of life that is 
very different from ours in the western world. 
Their decidedly slow-growth approach in today’s 
society, sets them apart from the rest of the world. 
The Bhutanese culture is guided by the ideals of 
sanctity of life, preservation of nature, and giving 
back to earth what has been taken away, so in 
keeping with their philosophies they intentionally 
resist the influences of western “progressive” 
culture, particularly the idea of making life simpler 
with technology, and the pursuit of monetary 
gains. To me, this makes total sense. 

Indeed, the Bhutanese are people after my own 
heart. One thing that I really respect about the 
Bhutanese culture, is the fact that the citizens 
never assume true ownership of the property they 
occupy. Not because the government says so, but 
because they believe that the earth can never truly 
be owned, but only borrowed for the period of 
time during which they occupy it. How true this 
is, regardless of where you live on planet earth. 

The lessons that can be learned from the cultural 
lifestyle of the Bhutanese are manifold. They 
protect the animals with which they share their 
land-mass. They appreciate every aspect of nature, 
and are careful to reciprocate to keep a healthy 
balance. They are calm-spirited individuals who 
do not let themselves become caught up in the trap 
of need or greed, and to me that is the ultimate 
true root of happiness. 


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Call Patricia at 626-818-2698 Today!