Rescue Me Season Three

Rescue Me season three premieres tonight on FX at 10. While there are plenty of police, fire, and rescue shows on television these days; Rescue Me is clearly one of the best. The show follows the lives of New York City firefighters of Engine 62, and their battles on the job and in their personal lives in the post-9/11 world. Denis Leary stars as Captain Tommy Gavin, a recovering alcoholic whose life is in complete disorder. The stresses of his job are shown through conversations with his dead cousin Jimmy Keefe, a former firefighter who died in the world trade center, as well as illusions of people he has watched die while on the job. Since FX is practically the step-child of HBO, Rescue ME is definitely not your normal cable TV show. Let’s just say it’s TV MA. Check it out!

Memorial Day

For many, Memorial Day Weekend is a time to cookout, go to the beach, or take advantage of a day off from work. These everyday activities would not be possible without brave men and women that serve in military at home and abroad, many of which have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Whether or not one agrees with the United States current involvement and democratic efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, everyone should support our troops unconditionally.
Whether it is a bridge being built in Basra, or a new school in Kabul, rarely do we hear about the positive impact of our troops currently stationed in the Middle East. Unfortunately the absence of postive progression is seen all to often on our evening newscasts and in our local papers. Many of these unreported steps toward democracy have taken the lives of our mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters.
So today, take a moment to remember those that have preserved our liberties in the past, and are working to help others live in a free society today. It is something that many of us take for granted everyday.

Soul in Your Soles?

Nike and Apple have teamed up to help you tone with tunes with the Nike+iPod sport kit. These $29 kits will go on sale in two months. Shoes will retail for $100. In my opinion, this is a win-win for both Nike and Apple with more revenue for these already powerful companies. It is also a way to possibly help our country slim its massive waistline. The downside, you need an iPod Nano. If you have a Video iPod, like me, you must slim down your MP3 player. Below is an article from Forbes with more info on the Nike+iPod sport kit.

Power Song: Armstrong Endorses IPod-Nike Sport Kit
Greg Levine, 05.23.06, 5:30 PM ET
New York -

Does Steve Jobs have the "Eye of the Tiger"? Or is he more a "Flashdance...What a Feeling" man? We may never know the answer to that. But we can have our own workout music perfectly choreographed to Hollywood standards, thanks to Jobs' Apple Computer.

Once called a '"computer company," the billionaire's Apple now more often is categorized under "digital entertainment," and its iPod is the crux of this story. The category-killing music player is part of a deal between Apple and a sort of "old economy" company, Nike.

The two together are creating a wireless system geared to revolutionize what a 1962 film called the loneliness of the long-distance runner. The Nike+iPod Sport Kit, priced at $29, will allow a jogger to monitor his performance--and synchronize songs to underscore the drama of the moment.

Nike sneakers embedded with an electronic sensor will communicate with an iPod Nano music player, delivering stats on duration and distance achieved, and calories burned. The data can be stored on the iPod, which could then display the figures onscreen or furnish it phonically via headphones.

The Sport Kit, slated to hit the shelves in two months, has reportedly nailed an endorsement from Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. The seemingly superhuman athlete--conquering multiple-organ cancers and winning several of the grueling Gallic bike races--plans to run his first New York City marathon later this year. And in the unlikely event Armstrong loses motivation, he can take strength from the iPod's special new feature, the "Power Song": This allows a runner who's hitting the wall to instantly summon up a certain piece of music for extra drive.

In other words: Feelin' strong now.

Busy Hurricane Season Predicted

Another Atlantic hurricane season is upon us. If it is anything like last year, start preparing now! The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the busiest on record with 27 major storms forming, 14 of which achieved hurricane status. Everyone remembers the final days of August 2005, with the formation, movement, and eventual destruction from Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully, Mother Nature will spare the coastal states and allow the slow rebuilding process to continue this summer. However, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its predictions for the year today and things look very unsettling.

May 22, 2006 — NOAA today announced to America and its neighbors throughout the north Atlantic region that a very active hurricane season is looming, and encouraged individuals to make preparations to better protect their lives and livelihoods. May 21-27 is National Hurricane Preparedness Week.
During a news conference at the NOAA National Hurricane Center, Deputy Secretary of Commerce David A. Sampson noted, "Preparation is the key message that President Bush wants to convey during National Hurricane Preparedness Week. The impact from these storms extends well beyond coastal areas so it is vital that residents in hurricane prone areas get ready in advance of the hurricane season."
"For the 2006 north Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA is predicting 13 to 16 named storms, with eight to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which four to six could become 'major' hurricanes of Category 3 strength or higher," added retired Navy Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
On average, the north Atlantic hurricane season produces 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, including two major hurricanes. In 2005, the Atlantic hurricane season contained a record 28 storms, including 15 hurricanes. Seven of these hurricanes were considered "major," of which a record four hit the United States. "Although NOAA is not forecasting a repeat of last year's season, the potential for hurricanes striking the U.S. is high," added Lautenbacher.
Warmer ocean water combined with lower wind shear, weaker easterly trade winds, and a more favorable wind pattern in the mid-levels of the atmosphere are the factors that collectively will favor the development of storms in greater numbers and to greater intensity. Warm water is the energy source for storms while favorable wind patterns limit the wind shear that can tear apart a storm's building cloud structure.
This confluence of conditions in the ocean and atmosphere is strongly related to a climate pattern known as the multi-decadal signal, which has been in place since 1995. Since then, nine of the last 11 hurricane seasons have been above normal, with only two below-normal seasons during the El Niño years of 1997 and 2002.

Bonds stuck on 713

Barry Bonds' homerless streak extended to nine games after he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in the Giants' 1-0 loss to bay area rival Oakland on Friday night. After the game, Bonds told a reporter, "I'm staying out of the news, brotha." Oh really Barry. Has Barry taken steriods?

The following excerpt is from the recently released book "Game of Shadows" by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. Barriods is being questioned by prosecuters at the grand jury trial in Dec. 2003:

"At the end of [the] 2002, 2003 season, when I was going through [a bad period,] my dad died of cancer.... I was fatigued, just needed recovery you know, and this guy says, 'Try this cream, try this cream,'" he [Bonds] said. "And Greg came to the ballpark and said, you know, 'This will help you recover.' And he rubbed some cream on my arm ... gave me some flaxseed oil, man. It's like, 'Whatever, dude.'"

Bonds was shown a vial that the government believed had contained the Clear. Bonds insisted it was for flaxseed oil. He said he had ingested the substance by placing a couple of drops under his tongue -- the prescribed method for taking the BALCO steroid but hardly the common way to down flaxseed oil. "And I was like, to me, it didn't even work," he told the grand jury. "You know me, I'm 39 years old. I'm dealing with pain. All I want is the pain relief, you know? ... I never asked Greg. When he said it was flaxseed oil, I just said, 'Whatever.' It was in the ballpark ... in front of everybody. I mean, all the reporters, my teammates. I mean, they all saw it. I didn't hide it ... . You know, trainers come up to me and say, 'Hey, Barry, try this.'"

Bonds's shaky cover story continued:
They began quizzing Bonds about doping calendars and documents showing the results of blood and urine tests, all pulled from folders marked with Bonds's name or initials. Did the notations for "Growth" and "G" mean Bonds had been taking the anabolic substance human growth hormone? "I don't know what G is,"
He further denied having any knowledge of any of the numerous documents that the prosecution had against him:
Nadel showed Bonds a bottle and asked about a calendar notation that referred to the steroid depotestosterone. "I have never, ever seen this bottle or any bottle pertaining that says depotestosterone," Bonds said. "It's an injectable steroid, right?" Bonds denied using it, then began rambling again: "Greg is a good guy, you know, this kid is a great kid. He has a child."

What about Clomiphene (also known as Clomid), an anti-estrogen drug employed by steroid users when coming off a cycle? "I've never heard of it." Erythropoietin, a.k.a. EPO, an endurance-boosting drug? "I couldn't even pronounce it." Modafinil, a stimulant? "I've never heard of it." Of the substances Anderson provided, Bonds said, "If it's a steroid, it's not working." The prosecutors also quizzed Bonds about a calendar entry that said, "Barry 12-2-02 T, 1CC G -- pee." Did that reflect events on Dec. 2, 2002, when Bonds used testosterone and growth hormone and then gave a urine sample to Anderson for a private drug test? "T could mean anything," Bonds replied. "G could mean anything. And pee could probably mean anything."

Dunder Mifflin Still in Business

NBC's The Office will return to the 2006 Fall lineup for a third season. The gang at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton Branch will be selling paper once agian. This dry comedy is possibly the funniest show on television right now. Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, and Pam Beesley, among others will return. But will Jim Halpert still be an employee at the Scranton,PA office? Below is a list of the fall 2006 NBC lineup.

NBC'S FALL SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9 p.m. Heroes
10 p.m. Medium
TUESDAY
8 p.m. Friday Night Lights
9 p.m. Kidnapped
10 p.m. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. The Biggest Loser
9 p.m. Twenty Good Years
9:30 p.m. 30 Rock
10 p.m. Law & Order
THURSDAY
8 p.m. My Name Is Earl
*8:30 p.m. The Office
*9 p.m. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
10 p.m. ER/The Black Donnellys (January 2007)
FRIDAY
8 p.m. Deal or No Deal
9 p.m. Las Vegas
10 p.m. Law & Order: Criminal Intent*
SATURDAY
8 p.m. Dateline
9 p.m. Drama series repeats
SUNDAY
7 p.m. Football Night in America
8 p.m. Sunday Night Football

* Moved to new time slot

No Superfly Season for Mayfield

Humiliating. Inconceivable. Disappointing. Call it what you want. This season has been nothing short of a total disaster for Jeremy Mayfield and his Dodge Dealers team. After 11 races this season, Mayfield sits in the 35th position in the Nextel Cup standings. Mayfield has not posted a single top 10 finish this season. A 13th place finish in April at Talladega is Mayfield's best number of the season. This is the same driver that has competed in the Nextel Chase for the Championship the past two season with two victories since 2004, Richmond and Michigan. What has happened to the senior driver for Evernham Motorsports? A shake up from the boss.
In the off season, driver Scott Riggs came over from MB2 Motorsports to pilot the valvoline car. This year, owner Ray Evernham decided to switch up his teams, changing Mayfield's pit crew with teammate Kasey Kahne. While the crew change hasn't been drastic, the team director change has. Out with Kenny Francis, a member of Mayfield's 19 team since 2002, and in with Chris Andrews. Andrews has very little experience as a team director (crew chief), and it clearly shows. Ray Evernham needs to make a change. In NASCAR, changes on teams, whether it's a driver or crew chief, happen faster than you can say mullet. But Evernham has balked on mixing up Mayfield's team.
There is no reason why a talented driver like Mayfield should be barely on the fringe of qualifying for races with an inexperienced team. He has been the top driver on the team for the past two plus seasons. Evernham wants his young prodigy Kahne to succeed. After a spectacular rookie season in 2004, Kahne had a disappointing 2005, finishing 23rd in the final standings. Kahne is one of NASCAR's most marketable drivers and a fan favorite. Just ask any women between the ages of 13-30.
NASCAR is a sport that depends on funding from million dollar sponsorships. It has been reported that Nextel Cup teams get between $10 million to $20 million from sponsors for the primary spots on their cars. So who can blame Evernham for wanting Kahne to be a top driver. However, Evernham needs to treat Riggs, Kahne, and Mayfield like he would his children, equally.

Soul Patrol!

In the two years I have been watching Fox's American Idol, Taylor Hicks stands out to me the most. He isn't a teenager. He looks like he could be a spokesperson for Grecian Hair Formula. But right now Hicks could care less. His raspy voice, and millions of telephone calls and text messages, has sent him into the finals of American Idol. Next week, Hicks will go up against Katherine McPhee in the finals at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Good luck Taylor