Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 14, 2015

14

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Mountain Views News Saturday, November 14, 2015 


HOT EARTH-SIZED PLANET IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD


Scientists have discovered a new exoplanet that, 
in the language of “Star Wars,” would be the polar 
opposite of frigid Hoth, and even more inhospitable 
than the deserts of Tatooine. But instead of 
residing in a galaxy far, far away, this new world is, 
galactically speaking, practically next door.

 The new planet, named GJ 1132b, is Earth-sized 
and rocky, orbiting a small star located a mere 39 
light-years from Earth, making it the closest Earth-
sized exoplanet yet discovered. 

 Scientists from The Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology (MIT) have determined that the planet 
is a roasting 440 degrees Fahrenheit, and is likely 
tidally locked, meaning that it has a permanent day 
and night side, presenting the same face to its star, 
much like our Moon is locked to the Earth.

 Because of its scorching temperatures, GJ 
1132b most likely cannot retain liquid water on 
its surface, making it uninhabitable for life as we 
know it. However, scientists say it is cool enough to 
host a substantial atmosphere.

 It is also close enough to Earth that scientists 
may soon be able to find out much more about 
its characteristics, from the composition of its 
atmosphere to the pattern of its winds—and even 
the color of its sunsets.

 “If we find this pretty hot planet has managed to 
hang onto its atmosphere over the billions of years 
it’s been around, that bodes well for the long-term 
goal of studying cooler planets that could have 
life,” says Zachory Berta-Thompson, a postdoc in 
MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space 
Research. “We finally have a target to point our 
telescopes at, and [can] dig much deeper into the 
workings of a rocky exoplanet, and what makes it 
tick.”

 Berta-Thompson and his colleagues discovered 
the planet using the MEarth-South Observatory, 
a Harvard University-led array of eight 
40-centimeter-wide robotic telescopes located in 
the mountains of Chile. The array monitors small, 
nearby stars called M dwarfs, which are scattered 
all over the night sky. Scientists have determined 
that these kinds of stars are frequently orbited 
by planets, but haven’t yet found Earth-sized 
exoplanets that are close enough to study in depth.

 Since early 2014, the telescope array has 
been gathering data almost every night, taking 
measurements of starlight every 25 minutes in 
search of telltale dips in brightness that may 
indicate a planet passing in front of a star.

 On May 10, one telescope picked up a faint dip 
from GJ 1132, a star located 12 parsecs, or 39 light-
years, from Earth.

 The robotic telescope immediately started 
observing GJ 1132 at much faster 45-second 
intervals to confirm the measurement—a very 
slight dip of about 0.3 percent of the starlight. 
The researchers later pointed other telescopes 
in Chile at the star, and found that indeed, GJ 
1132’s brightness dimmed by 0.3 percent every 1.6 
days—a signal that a planet was regularly passing 
in front of the star.

 “We didn’t know the planet’s period from one 
single event, but when we phased many of them 
together, this signal popped out,” Berta-Thompson 
says.

 Based on the amount of starlight the planet 
blocks, and the radius of the star, scientists 
calculated that planet GJ 1132b is about 1.2 times 
the size of Earth. From measuring the wobble of 
its host star, they estimate the planet’s mass to be 
about 1.6 times that of Earth. 

 By calculating the size of and proximity to its 
star, the group came up with an estimate of the 
planet’s average temperature: a scorching 440 
degrees Fahrenheit.

 

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

COMMUNITY RAISES FUNDS AND HOPE FOR 
FOSTER YOUTH By Laquetta Shamblee


CHRISTOPHER Nyerges

THOUGHTS ON THANKSGIVING


[Nyerges is the author of “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Foraging California,” “Enter the 
Forest” and other books. He leads courses in the native uses of plants. He can be reached at 
Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance..com]

Thanksgiving has always 
been my favorite holiday 
of the year. Even moreso 
than Christmas. It is our 
uniquely American holiday 
where the family gathers, where we remember 
our roots, we share a meal, and we give thanks. 
I like it when the ridiculous Halloween images 
disappear in local stores, and we start to see 
traditional Thanksgiving images of Indians, 
turkeys, and pilgrims with black powder guns.

 

But look how quickly such simple and profound 
holidays get perverted. Today, we hardly know 
what “giving thanks” even means, and so the act 
of giving thanks is lost on most of us. Newscasters 
talk about “turkey day,” as if all there was to the 
day was eating turkey. 

 

Interestingly, most folks would not know whether 
or not they were eating turkey, or eating crow, and 
most of the time we’re doing the latter, figuratively 
speaking. Then, when we have barely taken the 
time to consider the notion of “giving thanks,” 
we get up early on the following “black Friday” to 
rush around with the mobs “looking for a good 
deal” to help us celebrate the consumer-driven 
commercial craze into which we’ve morphed 
“Christmas.”

 

Wow! How did we get here? What can we do 
about it? Let’s take a moment to look at the roots 
of Thanksgiving.

 

In the history of North America, we are told that 
the first historic Thanksgiving Day was in October 
of 1621. After a successful harvest that year at 
the Plymouth colony, there was about a week of 
celebrations. The local Indians and the colonists 
joined together, with the Indians generally 
showing the colonists (mostly city folks) how to 
hunt for the meal which consisted of fowl, deer, 
duck, goose, and fish. Corn bread, wild greens, 
plums, leeks, and many other vegetables (wild 
and domestic) were shared in this celebration. 
Interestingly, there is no evidence that wild turkey 
or wild cranberries (totally unpalatable without 
cooking and adding sweeteners) were part of the 
menu. 

 

In fact, some (but not all) historians question 
whether or not there were any religious overtones 
at all on this “first Thanksgiving,” citing such 
evidence as the archery and firearms games, 
and the running and jumping competitions, 
which they say would never be done at religious 
ceremonies by the Puritans.

 

What then is it, if anything, that sets the American 
(and the Canadian) Thanksgiving celebration 
apart from any of the other myriad of Harvest 
Festivals?

 

The pilgrims experienced a severe drought in the 
summer. That season, they were totally dependent 
on wild game and wild plants, and owed their 
survival largely to the English-speaking Indian 
“Squanto” (Tisquantum). In their lack, they 
refocussed upon their real purpose for coming 
to this new land. They sought to establish a time 
to give thanks for their spiritual bounty, in spite 
of the fact that they had no material bounty that 
year.

Not widely known is that this thanksgiving feast 
had political overtones, which seem to have 
largely backfired. Tisquantum was actually the 
interpreter for Massasoit, who was the political-
military leader of the local Wampanoag tribe. 
Massasoit was worried that his weakened tribe 
would be taken-advantage of by the stronger 
Narragansett. Massasoit would permit the 
European newcomers to stay as long as they liked, 
as long as they aligned with Massasoit against the 
Narraganset. (There was a short-lived peace, and 
you can read all about it in your history books). 

Despite the varied history of this day, Americans 
have chosen to see this as day set aside so that we 
do not lose sight of our spiritual heritage, which is 
the real bounty.

 

Both Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July are 
the times that Americans have traditionally set 
aside to reflect upon the concepts of “freedom” 
and “giving thanks.” The purpose of such special 
times of reflection is to see how well we have 
done during the past year, and determine what 
corrections we should make if we find that we are 
veering away from our chosen path. It should not 
be a time of merely “having fun.”

 

As long as we confuse “giving thanks” with 
“eating a lot of really good food,” the practical 
effect is that Thanksgiving today is little more 
than a Harvest Festival. “Giving Thanks” is a 
particular attitude which accompanies specific 
actions. Perhaps sharing our bounty with the 
needy would be a better Thanksgiving activity 
than eating large volumes of food. More to the 
point, perhaps we should use Thanksgiving to give 
thanks where it is due -- to the American Indians 
who have become the “forgotten minorities.” 
Rather than “eat a lot,” perhaps we could send 
blankets, food, or money to any of the American 
Indian families or nations who today live in Third 
World conditions.

 

To me, the essence of Thanksgiving was the 
coming together of two cultures, trying to work 
together under trying circumstances. Yes, they 
shared a meal. Food sustains us. But it was not 
about food, per se. They practiced with their bows 
and guns, a sign of mutual preparedness. And in 
their own ways, they “prayed to God,” in the ways 
that were appropriate to each culture. 

 

By the way, much has been said about the term 
“Indian,” supposedly because Columbus thought 
he was in India when in fact he never got beyond 
the Carribean islands. But not everyone agrees 
with that linguistic conclusion. For one, India 
was not called “India” in the late 1400s. Some 
have suggested that it was the phrase “en Dios” 
(with God) that Columbus used to describe how 
the native, who lived simply and were perceived 
to be “close to God,” was the actual root of the 
term “Indians.” It is still debated.

 

But we really should not forget our national roots. 
Don’t just give lip-service thanks to the Native 
Americans whose land was taken. Rather, find 
those organizations that are actually providing 
real assistance to Native Americans in poverty, 
such as many of those living in the third world 
conditions so prevalent on today’s reservations. 
(IF you have trouble locating such organizations, 
contact me and I will make some suggestions).

The Mediterranean Room was buzzing with 
excitement at Brookside Golf Course on 
Thursday, November 7th as Journey House hosted 
an evening event to raise funds for the nonprofit 
agency’s Beyond Foster Care initiative. Almost 
100 people gathered to celebrate the progress 
and success of more than 75 former foster youth 
who are currently pursuing undergraduate and 
graduate degrees. Board members and guests 
had the opportunity to mingle and dine with 
the college students who attended. The evening’s 
MC, Dameon Pichetrungsi was among several 
Journey House alumni who attended. Years 
ago, he was a resident at Journey House before 
the loss of funding resulted in the closing of the 
Transitional Living Program for foster youth. He 
is now a Special Education Instructor for LAUSD 
and has written a screenplay and produced a 
movie trailer about his experience in the foster 
care system.

After several former foster youth shared their 
experiences in foster care and how Journey 
House has helped them to accomplish their goals, 
actress/singer Monica-Crystal took the podium 
as keynote speaker. She spoke of growing up in a 
broken home and overcoming adversity to pursue 
her dream of becoming a professional entertainer 
and starting her own company. 

MC Dameon and Monica-Crystal surprised the 
audience with an impromptu duet performance 
of a song written by Dameon called Trials 
and Tribulations. When they finished to the 
applause of everyone standing, it was a wonderful 
acknowledgment and celebration of how Journey 
House continues to makes difference in the lives 
of young people beyond foster care.


Monica-Crystal and Ebony

Monica-Crystal and Dameon Pichetrungsi

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com