Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, October 28, 2017

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 28, 2017 11THE WORLD AROUND US 
MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY HAS PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF 
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC 100-INCH TELESCOPE NOV. 4 
Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 28, 2017 11THE WORLD AROUND US 
MOUNT WILSON OBSERVATORY HAS PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF 
100TH ANNIVERSARY OF HISTORIC 100-INCH TELESCOPE NOV. 4 
CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

MOSQUITOS 

[Nyerges has taughtThe concentrated peppermint oil has been used 
ethnobotany since 1974. He isto rub on the skin, or as a spray, to repel insects fromthe author of several foragingbiting. In fact, in this form, the oil can actually be usedbooks, including “Guide tonot only to repel mosquitoes but to kill the larvae and

Wild Foods and useful plants” and “Foraging Edibleeggs of several of the species. [Reported in BioresourceWild Plants of North America.” He can be contacted at Technology, Vol. 71, Issue 3, Feb. 2000, “Larvicidal andwww.Schoolof Self-Reliance.com or Box 41834, EagleMosquito Repellant Actions of Mentha piperita oil.]
Rock, CA 90041]Though peppermint has one of the most pungentLet’s face it – biting insects make life miserable! It oils of all the mints, various cultivated and wild mints 
doesn’t matter if you’re in your own backyard, or hikingcan be found over North America. Wild mints are 
in the woods, or enjoying the view at your favorite lake.typically found along streams, where the leaves can beMosquitoes and other biting insects make an otherwisecollected, and the fresh oil from the leaves rubbed over 
pleasant experience very unpleasant. So what do we the skin. 
do? . 

ROSEMARY & LAVENDER 
DIET Rosemary and lavender are an old world herbs that

First, a bit of personal background. I was always theare now found commonly in nurseries. They are easy-
guy who got eaten alive by mosquitoes. To this day, Ito-grow, somewhat drought tolerant plants that prettyhardly wear short pants because when mosquitoes aremuch takes care of themselves. 
out and about, my legs look like rodents chewed on The fresh leaves can be crushed in the hands and 
them. Over the years, I have experimented with dietaryrubbed over the exposed body parts. Also, when 
solutions. Garlic in the diet was said to reduce mosquitotossed into a campfire or backyard fire, the smokebites, but it didn’t work for me, nor did taking Vitamin is somewhat repelling to insects. It’s not perfect, ofB12 pills. However, once I began to include raw applecourse, because you need to stay near the smoke forcider vinegar in my diet, I found that the incidence ofthis to be effective. 
mosquito bites has dramatically diminished. These 
days, I regularly add about a teaspoon of this particularLAUREL SUMAC 
vinegar to approximately each cup of water of fruitLaurel sumac is a shrub found in the chaparral andjuice, especially in the summer, and I have been amazedfoothill regions of the west and Southwest. I learned 
at the results. [For more on vinegar, see “Vermont Folkdecades ago that the Native Americans of the LosMedicine” by D.C. Jarvis.] Angeles County region would rub the crushed leaves

over their skin 
PLANTS 

so that animals 
You can also 

would not smell 
grow certain 

them when 
plants around 

hunting. The 
your property 

side benefit was 
which are 

that mosquitoesreputed to repel

do not like this 
mosquitoes,

fragrance. In 
and others you 

my personalmust rub on 

experimentsyour skin to 

along mosquito-
help repel bugs.

infested streams, 
And still, some 

rubbing my 
plants must be

skin with the 
burned so that 

leaves kept thethe oils in the 

mosquitos at 
smoke repels

bay, and only 
the insects. 

an occasional 
brave one would 
LANTANA 

enter my aura 

Lantana is a commonly-planted ornamental whichand try to bite. I regarded it as adequate under thehas been shown to repel mosquitoes. According to thecircumstances, and certainly better than no repellant. 
paper titled “Plant-based insect repellents: A review oftheir efficacy, development, and testing,” by M.F. MaiaARTEMISIAS 
and S.J. Moore, published in 2-11 in the Malaria JournalThe genus Artemisia includes such plants as(10, supplement 1, S11), both lantana in general, andmugwort (A. douglasiana), California sagebrushspecifically Lantana ukambensis can be somewhat(A. californica), and great basin Sagebrush (A.
effective in repelling mosquitoes just by planting themtridentate). Artemisias grow all over the world in ain pots around a residence. The smoke of the burninggreat variety of environments.
lantana leaves is even more effective. Crush the leaves and rub them over your exposed

Just so the seriousness of this is clear, the Malaria skin. The mosquitoes just don’t like the strong scentJournal published the results of dozens of plantsput off by these herbs, and they will tend to biteused to protect from mosquitoes. Some of the less. This was documented and suggested in theplants were rubbed on the skin, some burned, andpublication “Use Plants for Pest Control,” publishedsome simply grown around residences. The studyby Cole County Yard and Garden, University ofcan be found on-line and is far more extensive than Illinois Extension. 
this article. 

PEPPERMINT 

“Watchers of the Sky”:to be useful as an indicator of distance. The 
“… The explorers of the sky, the pioneerssearch for Cepheids was expanded to other spiralOf science, now made ready to attacknebulae, and dozens were found, all of which 
That darkness once again,indicated that the distances to the nebulae were 
And win new worlds.” far too great for them to be a part of our galaxy.

Hubble’s discovery with the 100-inch had proved

Observatory founder George Ellery Hale feltbeyond question that nebulae were externalthat the 100-inch’s great light-gathering powergalaxies comparable to our own. It opened thewould be especially useful in solving the mysterylast frontier of astronomy, and gave, for the firstof the spiral nebulae. A debate was raging astime, the correct conceptual value of the universe.
to whether these graceful objects were “islandHubble used the 100-inch for decades to pushuniverses” or lesser systems tributary to our Milkyback the limits of the universe. He measured 
Way Galaxy, Into the fray stepped Edwin Hubble,galactic distances and speeds to prove that thewho joined the Mount Wilson staff in 1919.universe is expanding, changing our perception

Once at Mount Wilson, Hubble used the of the nature of the universe and leading to the100-inch to attack the spiral nebulae problem.“Big Bang” theory of its origin. In recognitionBelieving them to be “island universes” (nowof his achievements, the 94-inch Hubble Spacecalled galaxies), Hubble looked for variable starsTelescope was named after him. 
(which vary in brightness) in the Andromedanebula. One proved to be very important. It wasYou can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@ 
a Cepheid variable, a type that had been shown MtnViewsNews.com. 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

HAVE YOU SEEN MY GLASSES? 
AND OTHER TRICK 

The only person who asks more questions than aTrying to do the right thing, I said to her, “No, Ilawyer is the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. Idon’t know where your glasses are? Where did youam not saying that questions are bad, at least not allhave them last?” 
of them. What I am saying is, some questions canI thought if I said that it would solve the problembe trick questions.and I could go on with a very happy afternoon.

To know the difference between a legitimateLooking at me, she said rather smartly, “If I knewquestion and a trick question takes years ofthat I wouldn’t have to ask you where my glassespracticing being a husband. If the husband learnsare.” 
anything in his marriage, it is this.That sorted cued me in to the reality of the

I know people ask questions in order to getsituation. I was rather sure this was a trick questioninformation. Not all people ask a question in orderand I knew I needed to play this very carefully. Oneto get information. Some people ask questions inwrong word from me, and my boat was sunk for theorder to trick somebody into saying something thatday.
is compromising.She came back into the room and I looked at her 

Of course, we all know the old joke about Honestand smiled very cheerfully, hoping that that wouldAbe and his wife when she asked him, “Does this kinda solve the problem. She looked at me and said,
dress make me look fat?” “What are you smiling about?”

What does a person do in a situation like that? IfNow I was a bit confused. Are we facing a reala person is honest and tells the honest truth, it maysituation here, or, is this a trick to see if I am reallynot fare too well with him. It is not so much the on board? I could not understand any of this at thisquestion being asked as it is the answer that goespoint.
along with that question.I thought to myself, “Can a person live with

It is the smart husband who is an expert inanother person as long as we have and not knowthis “answer” scenario. How he answers his wife’s what’s going on?”
questions will determine the quality of his life. ToFinally, I looked at her and rolled my eyes upignore the question is only going to induce moreand down, hoping that she would take the hint.
questions and what husband really wants that?However, it was a useless gesture.

The art of answering a trick question is the only“Have you seen my glasses? I need them rightthing that keeps some people on the positive sidenow.” 
of marital bliss. If, for one moment, the husband At this point, it was all I could do to keep fromthinks his wife is simply seeking an answer, he is inlaughing hysterically. I knew if I did that sort offor a lot of trouble and heartache. thing, I would be in a lot of trouble. How can you

I certainly would not have liked to have been inkeep from laughing when the situation before youHonest Abe’s shoes if he ever was presented withis of hysterical proportions?
such a question from Mrs. Lincoln. Personally, IMy wife stood in front of me both hands on herwould have loved to hear how he dealt with that hips during me and then she lifted her right hand toquestion, after all he was known as Honest Abe.scratch her head and discovered her glasses were on

This past week I was presented with such a top of her head.
question, it caught me a little bit off guard, and I did“Oh,” she said as she spun around to leave, “herenot know how to deal with it. they are on the top of my head.” 

I noticed my wife was walking through the houseNow what do I do with that? Do I laugh orlooking at everything. It may be curious, but I triedpretend I do not know what happened? Then, sheto keep out of that situation.turned around and looking at me said, “You better

Finally, she came to me and said quite sincerely,not laugh.” 
“Have you seen my glasses?”It reminded me of a verse in the Bible. “For now 

It sounds like a very simple question and itwe see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:
should deserve a straightforward answer. But I didnow I know in part; but then shall I know even asnot know what to say. What kind of trouble would Ialso I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).
be in if I told her where her glasses were?Sometimes what we are looking for is right in

I stuttered a little bit, and she being very nervousfront of us, but we can’t see it. 
at the time, turned and started searching the houseagain. What do you do in situations like this?Dr. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God 

I knew that her glasses were very important toFellowship, 1471 Pine Road, Ocala, FL 34472. He 
her, but I was in a position where I did not knowlives with his wife in Silver Springs Shores. Call him 
if this was a trick question or if I was in seriousat 352-687-4240 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net. 
trouble. The church web site is www.whatafellowship.com. 

YOUR AD COULD BE HERE!
CALL PATRICIA 626-818-2698
On Saturday, November 4th, you are invitedto come up to Mount Wilson and celebrate onehundred years of space exploration with the 100inch 
telescope.

From 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm the observatory’shistoric telescopes, including the 100-inch, willbe open to the public, with docents on handto talk about how they ushered in the modernera of astrophysics and revolutionized ourunderstanding of the universe.

Please dress warmly as it can get very cold upon the mountain this time of year. We are over amile high. Handicapped visitors should be awarethat the telescopes have several flights of stairsinside. 

From 2:00 to 4:00 pm there will be talks inthe museum auditorium on the history of theobservatory by longtime docent Nik Arkimovich,
and a talk by Sam Hale, observatory trustee andgrandson of Mount Wilson Observatory founderGeorge Ellery Hale. 

At 4:00 pm, UC Berkeley astronomer AlexFilippenko will give a talk in the museumauditorium on the 100-inch telescope. Ticketsfor this limited-seating event are available at the 
Observatory website, www.mtwilson.edu. Also 
check the Observatory website for directions fordriving to Mount Wilson.

From dark to 10:00 pm, assuming the weatherpermits, the 100-inch telescope will be open tothe public for free viewing. The telescope will bepointed at different objects during this time, sovisitors can file in and take a peek through thefamous telescope that Edwin Hubble used todiscover our expanding universe.

The 100-inch was first tested on the nightof November 2, 1917—in the middle of the 
FirstWorld War. The small crowd gathered inthe new dome at sunset included, along withObservatory staff, the visiting English poet AlfredNoyes, who later chronicled the unfolding dramain his epic poem 


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