What I Really Did During the Earthquake...

I thought it would be more dramatic to say I was at home when the vicious Chino Hills Quake struck two days ago. Actually, as this clip below from Sam's Entertainment segment shows, I was caught by the KTLA flash camera on a break from my tough morning schedule (Wink, wink).

Mystery Answered

The first time I saw this picture I just froze in amazement. It resembles a work of modern art to me, a mixed media piece dabbled in shades blue and pale rose surrounding crumbled marble or granite. The lighting and the intricacy of this image misleads the eye into perceiving something different.

The truth is this is a high resolution photo taken from Taiwan's Formosat-2 satellite in March of this year. In an odd way this is man made art, although it is the indirect result of man's hand. The actual image is of the collapsing Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula.

The mystery photo is a zoomed in sub scene from the larger ice shelf. What I view as an artist's skillful hands is actually a 1 mile by 2 mile close-up view of icebergs and water. Rather than broken marble, these are building size icebergs breaking away from the Ice Shelf. It's an amazing site and truly one of nature's most spectacular shows. Click on the image below and enjoy the larger version. Have a great rest of the day. Warren Hohmann

5.4 Quake Rattles Los Angeles

At 11:42 AM the Los Angeles Basin heaved and rolled as a strong temblor struck the Chino Hills area 29 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles. I was talking on the phone when there was a sharp jolt followed by a prolonged rolling. My apartment has a long narrow living room and I could see the window frames bending as seismic waves swelled under the building. I'm on the second floor so the swaying is amplified a little. Being 40 miles away from the epicenter nothing fell off my book shelves or out of my kitchen cabinets. Although some pictures got knocked over. It lasted for about 30 seconds.

The Year Without a Summer

I was a little surprised this morning to see a trough of such depth pushing down into Northern California. It’s no wonder the onshore flow has been in full force , with temperatures running below normal. My best guess is that we’re going to come away from this summer being below normal. I’ve already seen some indications that other parts of the Northern Hemisphere are experiencing cooler than normal weather including Anchorage, Alaska. Is this another year without a summer like in 1816 – Not hardly.

The year without a summer was actually caused by the major eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815. The resulting volcanic ash cloud encircled the globe, plunging the planet into a prolonged cold period. The summer of 1816 saw widespread crop failures, freezing temperatures in July and abnormally rainy weather. The weather forced Mary Shelley and her friends to stay indoors, so they decided to have a contest to write the scariest story. Frankenstein was born out of Shelley’s imagination that dark, rainy and cold summer.

We’re along way from 1816 and in fact the weather’s been downright lovely. I hope you have a great day.

Mystery Photo

What is this photo?

Antarctic Mystery

It’s the dead of winter in the Southern Hemisphere and yet the Wilkins Ice Shelf is continuing to disintegrate. This is puzzling researchers who expected the winter to bring a respite from the collapsing ice shelf. Instead recent satellite images from the European Space Agency shows that the rapid break up has not slowed down, even with the extreme winter cold.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf is a huge frozen expanse that connects the Antarctic Peninsula with adjacent islands. The shelf had been stable for most of the twentieth century, but in the 90’s everything radically changed as the shelf began to crack and fracture due to global warming. Back then scientists estimated that the shelf would be around for another 30 years. The shelf will likely not make it another year before it completely disintegrates.

What of the mystery as to why this is happening in the dead of the Antarctic winter? Some fetching looking seals, wearing specially outfitted temperature caps, may have the answer. They are making a record of temperatures at varying degrees in the Antarctic Ocean. The results show that warm water is mixing into this area from deep ocean currents. This warm water, combined with record warm air temperatures is contributing to the break up - Mystery solved.

Is the Arctic Running a Fever?

This summer tension mounts as researchers wait for September and the annual minimum of Arctic sea ice. This year is particularly important because last September the ice reached its lowest extent in modern times. The movie below, from The National Snow and Ice Data Center, represents nearly 30 years of Arctic sea ice history.

What the movie shows is that sea ice was relatively stable until the last decade when changes became more pronounced. In the last five years the retreat has become even more dramatic with 2007 (Pictured on right side of movie.) being the most extensive since satellite pictures began recording the North Pole. Never in human history has the famed Northwest Passage been opened to shipping.

This event brought tears to the eyes of the Earth's oil barons because of potentially new undiscovered reserves of natural gas and oil. In fact the USGS reported in mid July 2008 that there are 90 billion barrels of oil across the arctic and 30% of the worlds undiscovered natural gas reserves.

As if to say, "not yet you greedy bastards." The arctic is showing signs of having slightly more ice this year. As many of you know it was a cool winter across the Northern Hemisphere and that may be contributing to the rebound. Also for the last year or so the Pacific Ocean has been in a La Nina phase, or cold period. The enormity of this ocean has brought minor cooling to many areas around the globe. In just about two months researchers will examine the Arctic sea ice again and we'll know if the Arctic fever continues.

The Red Building

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Last Friday May 30th, as New Yorker’s dealt with yet another construction crane collapse, West Hollywood got its own sky crane! It went up in a single day at the Pacific Design Center. It was actually amazing to watch it being built. After 3 deadly crane collapses this year alone, the question that I have is are we supposed to trust these things as they tower over our homes and businesses?

Today the completed crane looms over the Pacific Design Center, taken from Huntley Ave. east of the site.

Trust or not the crane is heralding the arrival of the Red Building at the Pacific Design Center. Architect Cesar Pelli started working on the Blue Building in 1975. The Green Building was added in 1988 and now finally the complex will be complete with the addition of the Red Building. “When I started this I was a kid,” joked Pelli, now 80. “This is the longest project I’ve ever done, by far.” Pelli is perhaps best known for designing the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. These were the tallest buildings in the world, surpassing the Sears Tower by 33 feet, until 2003 when Taipei 101 was completed.

What are the challenges of making a RED building; well those of you who have owned a red car know the answer - Ultraviolet light attacks red, causing it to fade quickly. To ensure the building stays red for years, Pelli called for the glass to be colored with a chemical process similar to that which the ancient Assyrians used to make red glazed bricks. “After thousands of years, they’re still vibrant.” If only the Assyrians could see how their process is being used in the 21st century! They would have Buckwheat eyes for sure.

Petronas Towers

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Los Angeles July 2, 2008

One of the most bizarre aspects of my life in West Hollywood is the odd way that it intersects with Hollywood. In recent months Elizabeth Taylor has become a regular and a fan of the Abbey. Of course I can say that she has good taste since I have been a regular there for nearly a decade. I’m not sure how this relationship started or even why it came about, but there she is again rolling in for another round of martinis. We have entertained many luminaries at the Abbey including actors, musicians and a few politicians, last fall it was Hillary Clinton, but Elizabeth generates the most WOW factor of them all.


Liz’s Infamous Maybach June 2008 1

Even Ms. Taylor’s arrival has a minor WOW factor as she drives up with her entourage in an exotic Maybach. Her handlers call ahead so they can receive the support of management for entry and egress (She is in a wheel chair.). Abbey Ambassador Jesse is her host and he makes sure that she has a wonderful spot from which to hold court. She has become quite fond of Jesse and we theorize that his resemblance to the late Montgomery Clift may be part of the reason for this affection. Jesse is actually one of the nicest people and is most remarkable because he is so comfortable in his skin. Maybe that’s why she likes him so much.

Abbey Ambassador Jesse - Pride 2008 1

There is a striking resemblance between Montgomery and Jesse – Judge for yourself. Here are a couple of pictures from the 1951 Paramount film A Place in the Sun.

Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor 1

That brings me to the gift that keeps on giving. You see Ms. Taylor has become such a patron of the Abbey that she recently phoned Jesse and told him that she wanted to give the establishment a gift. So she sent over a painting of herself to be displayed prominently in the main bar. Now I am continually learning about art and would some day like an extensive collection of works, but this painting is something else. It’s kind of a Sixties acid trip meets Cleopatra with a dash of Disney glitter mixed in. Here is an exclusive first look at this stunning painting of the indomitable Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor's Abbey Painting 1

My apologies for the glare on the painting but I think you get the idea. My prediction is that this work will become a tourist attraction of sorts as people desire to see the place were Liz gets her martinis. By the way she can polish off 3 or 4, seven and a half ounce martinis in one sitting - Finally the secret to longevity is revealed!

I have gotten used to sharing the Abbey with all sorts of Hollywood types from Britney Spears to Jodi Foster, but the one constant that always stays the same is that this is the place where I go to be with my friends. We’ve all had many great laughs over the zaniness that occurs when Hollywood calls. But in the end it’s just my little corner of the world.

Warren Hohmann