Water Clouds: WISE 0855

Astronomers have found clouds filled with water outside of our solar system. This is the first discovery of water clouds and the "remarkable find was located 7.2 light years from Earth on a brown dwarf-a type of low-mass star-called WISE 0855." It is the coldest object outside of the solar system and looks very similar to Jupiter.

"NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) first detected WISE 0855 in 2014. It wasn't until recent observations over 13 nights and about 14 hours, using Hawaii's Gemini-North telescope and the Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph, that researchers say they were able to get a clear enough picture of its infrared spectrum."

WISE 0855 has water vapor and clouds. Both Jupiter and WISE 0855 have large amounts of water vapor and have similar temperatures. "The brown dwarf likely has a less turbulent atmosphere than Jupiter, however. That's because it does not heavily absorb the toxic gas phosphine like Jupiter does."

"The atmospheric findings appear to further blur the line between planets and brown dwarfs, which are often called failed stars."

Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/water-found-outside-solar-system_us_578240c7e4b0c590f7e9b48c?ir=Science&

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The Apple Pan

On Saturday my daughter and I went to the Apple Pan. On Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Apple Pan has been serving unbelievably great hamburgers and french fries since 1947. I've been going to this small hamburger restaurant since I was 16. You walk in and the smell of delicious hamburgers and salty french fries hit your nose. The restaurant is one long rounded counter, with red spinny chairs and plaid wallpaper. Everyone who works there moves fast and efficiently. At the Apple Pan there is a system. You wait in line by the walls at the door until someone is done so you can take their seat and experience the out of this world food.

I haven't been to the Apple Pan in years because I changed my diet and cut out greasy foods like hamburgers and french fries. On the occasion I still eat a good burger or indulge in some ice cream but I mostly stick to vegetables. My youngest daughter had a craving for a burger so we hopped in my car on Saturday around 12:30. We got a parking spot right away, walked in and about five minutes later we were sitting down. I have always liked the left side of the counter.

I didn't get a hamburger because I knew I was going to regret it later. My daughter got a hickory burger with fries and a Dr. Pepper and I opted for a 7-Up. Even the sodas taste better at the Apple Pan. Within five minutes after ordering our food the fries and hamburger were sitting in front of us. She took her first bite and said "why have I never gotten this burger before?" She always ordered a more plain burger, but as she's gotten older her taste buds have changed and I think after this she will never go back to a plain burger at the Apple Pan.

To finish off our meal we got a slice of apple pie and vanilla ice cream. The Apple Pan has the best apple pie. It tastes great cold so of course we brought the leftovers home.

While we were eating one of the chef's came up to us. I've known him for 25 years. He knows all of my daughters and it was great to see him.

The Apple Pan has a special place in my heart. I used to go there constantly, get two hickory burgers, fries and an apple pie. There is no denying that I could eat more than a lot. Walking into the small restaurant instantly makes me feel like I'm at home. I feel comfortable and at ease. It is one of my favorite places that hold a lot of memories for not only me, but now for my daughters too.

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Three Twins Ice Cream: Ice Cream For Acres

I was at Whole Foods yesterday browsing the ice cream isle. Underneath the Ben & Jerry's section there was an ice cream brand called Three Twins Ice Cream. I picked out the chocolate malt flavor, threw it into my basket and finished the rest of my marketing.

We got home and ripped open the pint of ice cream. We dipped our spoons into the soft ice cream and our eyes widened as we tasted the chocolate malt flavor. I began reading what was on the container. I read:

"The chocolate malt was undeniably a part of the fabric of this country's soda fountain days. While poodle skirts and cars that get eight miles per gallon might have gone out of favor, the flavor that a chocolate malt delivers is timeless. I hope that you'l enjoy our ice cream-form take on it as much as my brothers, who both claim it as their favorite. As always, your purchase supports the preservation of at least six square feet of land through our global conservation initiative. Ice Cream For Acres. By partnering with some great non-profits, we're protecting threatened habitats with each pint sold."

Without knowing it I bought a product that is helping the environment. I was only focused on the ice cream, but this brand is a lot more than just ice cream flavors.

"In 2011, Three Twins launched an innovative land conservation initiative called Ice Cream for Acres. Through the program, you help protect rainforest land, sensitive habitats and other significant spaces, whenever you purchase Three Twins Ice Cream." By buying a pint you will protect 6 square feet of land and if you purchase a quart you will save even more. Three Twins Ice Cream opened up a store in Santa Monica, San Francisco, Larkspur, San Rafael and Napa. Each single-serve cup you purchase will save at least 2 square feet of land.

"We started Ice Cream for Acres to conserve land, but also to demonstrate how such a seemingly insignificant choice such as which ice cream to buy can have a meaningful impact."

Three Twins Ice Cream: http://threetwinsicecream.com/about/

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Glaciers Are Melting In Alaska

Last week a landslide spread across a glacier in southeastern Alaska. Paul Swanstrom, a sightseeing pilot first saw the slide on June 28 when "part of a mountain gave way near Lamplugh Glacier, in Glacier Bay National Park, about 100 miles northwest of Juneau."

"The slide caused seismic tremors that first registered at magnitude 2.9, according to data from the Alaska Earthquake Center." It was later recalculated and the magnitude was actually 5.5. A peak on the west side of the glacier seemed to be the cause of the slide. The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory "estimated the slide involved more than 165 million tons of material."

As warmer temperatures cause more glaciers to melt, it will also cause more slides. "Glaciers buttress the mountainsides that surround them; when the ice disappears, the slopes lose some of their support, and erosion or earthquakes can cause them to collapse."

New York Times Article As Glaciers Melt In Alaska, Landslides Follow: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/science/alaska-landslides-glaciers-melt.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

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The Importance Of Taking Pictures

We are living in a time surrounded by pictures. Posting pictures, taking pictures, posing for pictures, planning pictures in advance. Everywhere you turn there is a social media outlet waiting for you to post a picture of your lunch, you and your friends or the sun setting on the beach. With that being said, I don't think many people understand the importance of a picture.

Today, a picture is taken so that it can be posted and everyone can see that you're doing something important or fun or "picture worthy." Before there was Facebook, Snapchat or Instagram, taking a picture was meant for the sole purpose of having the memory to look back on. Graduations, important events, Sunday afternoons and summers at the beach all called for the flash of cameras and the winding of film.

At my parents house there are two boxes filled with pictures that my daughter and my dad are currently sorting out to put into albums. I sat with them a couple of times and flipped through all of the pictures that were spread out on the table. I left with a content feeling in my stomach and a smile on my face. Some of the pictures that I held in my hand brought up great memories that I had forgotten about. Seeing the amount of pictures that my parents took of me growing up, of them with their friends at my childhood home and the many pictures at birthday parties made me feel warm and fuzzy. I'm glad that my parents always had a camera in their hands. 

Pictures should be taken so that forty years from now, you can look back and remember the memory fondly. Pictures should be taken to cement the memory in your mind and in your hands. Pictures should be taken without the thought of "where am I going to post this?" and "what filter should I choose?"

It might sound old fashioned, but photo albums are important to have, even in 2016. Yes, you can upload all of your pictures to your computer and back them up on a hard drive, but having the physical copy of a picture in your hands feels so much stronger than looking at it through a computer screen. I suggest you get some photos printed and stick them in a photo album. In twenty years from now, you'll be happy you did. 

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The Broad Museum

On Sunday my family and I drove into downtown L.A. to visit the Broad Museum. We got there at 3:45 and waited in line for our 4 o'clock reservation. We got tickets for the Cindy Sherman: Imitation of Life exhibit which actually turned out to be pretty interesting. We spent an hour or so in the museum, walking through the massive table and chairs to looking at different paintings. It's a massive museum and a great way to spend a couple hours on a hot day.

The Broad was a great experience and if you're in the downtown area I recommend you go and see it for yourself. There were many interesting and creative pieces that made you think.

After the museum we went to dinner nearby. After a great meal we walked out of the restaurant and saw a vegan ice cream truck outside of the museum. We all got a scoop of vegan ice cream and enjoyed what was left of the sun before it set. Sunday was a great day filled with feel good memories and delicious food. 

Happy Independence Day

On July 4, 1776 America became an independent nation. Celebrated with fireworks, sparklers and parties that consist of food shaped like the American flag, it is easy to say that the fourth of July is never a small celebration.

Growing up I spent my 4th of July's at the beach. My family and friends and their family and friends would gather at our beach club and spend the entire day running into the ocean, eating hamburgers and fries and laying out in the sun getting a tan. The smell of sunscreen and tanning oil was a familiar, comforting scent that reminded me of summer, sun and smiles. Fireworks would go off as soon as the sun set and we would gather around the fire roasting s'mores.

This 4th of July I want to encourage you to start your own tradition or take part in one that you already have because Independence Day is meant to be celebrated with friends and family, doing something that you love and smiling and laughing along the way.