USS BOB HOPE: Bob Hope celebrated his...

USS BOB HOPE: Bob Hope celebrated his 92nd birthday in New Orleans on Monday introducing a line of Navy ships named after him. “This is our way of saying ‘Thanks for the memories,’ ” Navy Secretary John H. Dalton said. . . . The first of the new ships--which will travel as fast as 24 knots and be used to transport heavy equipment--is scheduled for service in 1998.

HOPE AND GLORY: Having a class of ships named after him is but the latest tribute to Hope--a man cited by the Guinness Book of Records as the most honored entertainer in the world. All told, Hope has collected more than 2,000 awards and citations--including 54 honorary doctorates.

ACTIVE MINDS: The Westlake Village computer giant Packard Bell wants to cash in on the lucrative software market. With its Active Imagination division, the firm hopes to tap into the $255-million market for software aimed at children, said marketing vice president Glen Ulsan, above. See Valley Business, Page 10.

ALIEN BREAST JOB: Steve Johnson has built the male chauvinist’s worst nightmare. Johnson’s special effects workshop in Sun Valley built the alien creature for the new film “Species,” based on a design by “Alien” creator H.R. Geiger. Named Sil, the seven-foot-tall creature was designed to scare through her actions: “She kills people via . . . tentacles in her breasts that shoot out,” Johnson said. “It’s going to get every guy in the audience feeling weird.”

CONDO CRASH: The housing market is still shaking 16 months after the Northridge earthquake. And condo owners and buyers have been hit hardest. The median price of a condo was $105,500 last month, an eight-year low for the month of April. . . . While that may sound like good news to buyers, many buildings still have structural defects and one of the nation’s biggest mortgage holders will require hard-to-get earthquake insurance. See Valley Business, Page 4.