Secret Video's Shocking Diagnosis

In this hidden camera video, delivered to KTLA's Sam Rubin, medical records reveal Mark Kriski suffers from a shocking dual diagnosis - Deviated Himbo Syndrome and Nueroma Idiotitis. This 'Nurse Bob' guy has finally gotten to the bottom of one of LA TV's greatest mysteries - What the heck is wrong with Mark Kriski? Warren Hohmann

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In our day to day earthbound lives it's easy to forget that we are on a spinning globe, orbiting around a fiery yellow star. Summers are great fun for all of us as long days invite outdoor activities and socializing. We owe those endless days to the tilt of our planet as it journeys round the sun. Since I go to bed at the early hour of 8:00 PM I am keenly sensitive to the tilt and how it impacts my sleep!

Yesterday evening I realized that it was dark at bed time and in an instant I jetted through the space in my head to a place high above the solar system to see Earth as she accelerated to her date with the autumnal equinox next month. Since the summer solstice nearly one hour of daylight has been trimmed. This trend will continue right up until the winter solstice, or the shortest day of the year, in December.

I found a great WEB site that illustrates the tilt and place of the Earth on any given day of the year. It's fascinating to watch, as we zoom around the Sun, how the tilt of the planet influences the length of the day: http://www.cs.sbcc.cc.ca.us/~physics/flash/LengthofDay.swf

Press the FAST FORWARD arrow and go through an entire year. If you detect a slight speeding up and then a reduction of speed you would be correct. As the Earth's elliptical orbit takes us closer to the Sun, the forward velocity speeds up. So we literally race towards winter, as we are closest to the Sun in January. Then the planet's velocity gradually slows as we reach the farthest point away from the sun in early July. Presently we are gaining speed again, in a hurry for our big date with the Sun in January.

Warren Hohmann

Honey Please!

"Honey please" is a sarcastic remark used to combat rampant exaggeration or prevarication in a social setting. For example when a friend tells you they are going to pay the money they owe you as soon as they get part of their 50 million dollar Swiss bank account, your response should be, "Honey please." As if to say I wasn't born yesterday. Or give me a break.

Abbey bartender David Kassouf labeled the honey container with this retort to combat the endless stupidity he encounters at the bar. I find it's quite useful in any number of social and professional situations. When your boss tells you that your're not being a team player and you're only getting a 1% raise this year. You should without any hesitation respond, "Honey please!"

In Nature Man's Purpose is Realized

I set out on the summer solstice at 5:30 AM for a walk of self-renewal. My journey takes me along some of the most landscaped and beautiful streets in America. It’s a walk I take alone, craving that rarest of sounds in Los Angeles – The sound of silence. It is funny that to commune with nature I trek through Beverly Hills at daybreak. Actually the experience is quite remarkable and soulful... MORE TO COME...

There's Water On Mars!

NASA's Phoenix Mars lander has confirmed the presence of water on the Red Planet. The announcement was made on July 31, 2008 after researchers revealed the results of the lander's on board laboratory tests. The Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, heated samples of Martian soil delivered by the lander's robotic arm. An analysis of the vapors released by heating confirmed that there was water in the sample.

This previous week NASA also released a complete 360 degree panorama of the Martian surface near the north pole (Pictured Above). The photo is comprised of 400 separate images taken during the first weeks after Phoenix landed. If you click on the image and blow it up to full size you'll be in for a visual treat. You can see the polygon like patterns in the ground which resembles the same forms we see in areas with permafrost here on Earth. Also, to the right of the lander, you can see one of the trenches dug by the lander's robotic arm. The areas of white in the trench are ice and scientist we're able to see portions of it evaporate over time. They just weren't sure it was water ice until the TEGA testing.If you and I were standing on the Martian arctic plain this is what we would see all around us. It's a forbidding environment to be sure. Today's high temperature at the lander was -22 degrees Fahrenheit. If we decided to set up camp and spend the night next to the Phoenix lander, the overnight low would dip to a nippy -112 degrees. Luckily there's no chance of precipitation.

Seals At Work

When I discovered that Antarctic seals had been outfitted with special helmets, that transmit temperature data and the like to researchers, my imagination ran wild. I picture willing seals swimming around with mini satellite dishes. Happy soldiers in the climate crisis! I have emailed Dr. Vaughan with the British Antarctic Survey to find out more information on these seals at work. More to follow...