Author: Brian

AMERICA’S most pervasive cultural export is a television show that was canceled after one season on NBC, has never earned an award or even any critical respect for dramatic excellence and is often derisively called “Babewatch.”

But facts are facts. “Baywatch,” which is about the adventures of lifeguards on a California beach but is really mostly about swimwear and suntan lotion, has a wider audience on the planet Earth than any other entertainment show in history.

As one of its financial backers put it, “Over a 30-day period it certainly reaches almost every person in the world who watches television.”

Though some may debate what this says about the international perspective on American culture, apparently nothing can match the magnetic pull of wet California girls — and guys — on a beach.

Even Japan imports “Baywatch,” without the threat of tariffs. The show is seen in China, and in all the Asian countries reached by Star TV, Rupert Murdoch’s satellite delivery system. For five years it has been one of the most popular shows in Britain. People even watch in Iran, behind the backs of the mullahs.

http://www.easier.com/28953-speedo-s-space-age-swimsuit-set-for-take-off.html

To celebrate its 80th anniversary, Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand has launched Speedo LZR Racer suit, which independent testing has shown to be the world’s fastest swimsuit. Speedo has harnessed the expertise of the United States space agency NASA amongst a number of international research institutes to create a faster suit which has 10% less passive drag than Speedo’s Fastskin FSII launched in 2004 and 5% less passive drag than Speedo FS-PRO, which was launched in March 2007 and has seen swimmers break 21 World records as a result.

Made from an ultra lightweight, low drag, water repellent, fast drying fabric, unique to Speedo, called LZR Pulse, the LZR Racer is the world’s first fully bonded swimsuit that is ultrasonically welded and gives the effect of no seams at all. Ultra low drag LZR Panels are embedded into the base fabric to create a ‘Hydro Form Compression system’ helping to compress the entire swimmer’s body into a more streamlined shape and enabling them to cut through the water with more power and agility.

“When I hit the water, I feel like a rocket”, says Michael Phelps, holder of six World records, who has been involved in the development and will be sporting the LZR Racer suit as he sets out to achieve a world record breaking 8 gold medals later this year. “I can’t wait to race in it – this is going to take the sport of swimming to a new level”.

http://www.swimnetwork.com/news/swimming/blogs/archive/top-5-tuesday/2008/02/top-5-swimming-movies-of-all-time.aspx

udy, Prefontaine, Slap Shot, The Natural, Raging Bull phew…whatever. We have all seen all the great sporting movies (I hope, if not go rent the previous four immediately). But these films have been analyzed and glorified over and over again. On the other hand, who has taken the time to discuss the top Swimming Movies of all time? I’m not talking about “Stroke Technique With [Insert Name Here],” we are talking Hollywood (or, well, close to) releases. Pride has been making all the news lately in the swimming community around here lately…but how will it stack up against the classics?

5. Back to School. Actor(s)-Rodney Dangerfield. Memorable Lines: Dangerfield-”What’s your favorite subject?” College Student-”Poetry.” Dangerfield-”Really? Well, maybe you can help me straighten out my Longfellow.”

This film would without a doubt make a run for number one if it weren’t for one small little detail: it’s actually about diving. BUT, since the NCAA holds the “Swimming AND Diving Championships” every year, for the purposes of the countdown it will be stand. Who could forget the Triple Lindy, the greatest dive in the history of diving? I am still waiting for the Chinese to bust this one out at the Olympics.

4. Swimming Upstream. Actor(s)-Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis. Memorable Quotes-Paul: “You’re going to have to do better than that mate, I’ve been psyched out by experts.”

By KAREN CROUSE
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 30 — The International Swim Center pool where Mark Spitz and Donna de Varona once trained is considered a cradle of swimming, having spawned dozens of Olympians and 26 world records over the past 50 years.

Black-and-white portraits of Olympians dating to the 1960s adorn the foyer of the main entrance. On the deck is a bronze bust of the renowned coach of the Santa Clara Swim Club, George Haines, his gaze directed at the water as if he were supervising the next generation of stars.

History permeates the place like chlorine, so it would not seem the ideal hiding spot for a swimmer who owns an Olympic medal and a world record. And yet, on Friday at the Santa Clara International Invitational, a competition that has attracted many of the country’s top swimmers, Allison Wagner was invisible in plain sight.

Nobody approached Wagner, who owns 13 national titles and one of the oldest world records on the books, for her autograph. The cameras mostly followed Natalie Coughlin, her California Aquatics teammate.

During Wagner’s two races in Friday’s preliminary session, the chatty public-address announcer did not trumpet her achievements, as he did with other participating Olympians like Coughlin and Michael Phelps.

The lack of recognition did not seem to bother Wagner. “It’s a young person’s sport,” said Wagner, who was 32nd in the 100-meter freestyle and 39th in the 100 fly Friday.

Besides, Wagner considers herself an altogether different person than the skinny, single-minded perfectionist who was 16 when she set a world record in the 200-meter individual medley in a short-course meters pool in 1993, and 18 when she won a silver medal in the 400 individual medley at the 1996 Olympics.

Since her star turn in Atlanta, Wagner has quelled an eating disorder, earned a degree in Buddhist psychology and traveled solo around the world for eight months.

A decade-long journey of self-discovery led Wagner back to the swimming pool, a place that once set off a wave of negative emotions.

By DUFF WILSON
RALEIGH, N.C., June 15 —Michael B. Nifong, the Durham County district attorney, announced Friday that he would resign, as he faces disciplinary charges for his handling of a sexual assault prosecution against three former Duke University lacrosse players who were later declared innocent.

Speaking in a barely audible voice in testimony before a disciplinary hearing panel, Mr. Nifong apologized to the players, their families and the North Carolina justice system.

His resignation came as a surprise on the fourth day of a hearing by the North Carolina State Bar, which has charged him with “systematic abuse of prosecutorial discretion” for withholding evidence and making improper pretrial statements.

“It has become increasingly apparent, during the course of this week, in some ways that it might not have been before, that my presence as the district attorney in Durham is not furthering the cause of justice,” Mr. Nifong said.

Joseph B. Cheshire, a lawyer for one of the three former players, said of Mr. Nifong’s promise to resign: “I believe it is a cynical political attempt to save his law license. His apology is far too late.”

Mr. Nifong, 56, still faces the resolution of the ethics charges, perhaps as early as Saturday, which could lead to his disbarment. Mr. Cheshire said defense lawyers planned to file a motion requesting that Mr. Nifong be found in criminal contempt of court for misstatements to the judge and lawyers in pretrial hearings. The charge, if upheld, could result in fines or jail time. The families are also considering civil suits.

The case stemmed from accusations by a stripper hired for a lacrosse team party in March 2006 that she had been sexually assaulted by three players. It developed into a case that was charged with issues of race and privilege.

Mr. Nifong, who had declared team members “a bunch of hooligans,” eventually dropped the most serious charges against the men and then recused himself from the case when the state bar brought charges against him.

In April, North Carolina’s attorney general, Roy A. Cooper, dismissed all the charges, saying there was no evidence of an attack and calling Mr. Nifong “a rogue prosecutor.”

LOS ANGELES — After suffering the fallout of a writers’ strike last year and a fall season in which three networks posted significant ratings declines, network programmers have turned their attention to changes that can be made quickly.
The issues are most acute at ABC and NBC. In the audience category both those networks use as their chief barometer of success, viewers from the ages of 18 to 49, each network is down 12 percent from last year. The Fox Broadcasting network is off even more at 14 percent, but it has introduced its usual winter schedule of strong programs, led by “American Idol,” and should steam ahead into the lead in that age group within a few weeks.

CBS, the one network that actually gained overall audience this season, is off only 3 percent among those young adult viewers and has the fewest programming holes to fill.

But worries about the network business are pervasive, especially because of the downturn in the economy. CBS executives have lamented privately that the network has not been able to take full advantage of its strong fall and that the advertising market has stalled. That has led to fears about what might happen this spring when advertisers make their commitments to new fall television shows.

http://www.nationalpost.com/life/Phelps+could+face+criminal+charges+report/1253528/story.html

RALEIGH, N.C. — Record-breaking Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps could face criminal charges following the publication of a photograph purportedly showing him smoking marijuana, The State newspaper of Columbia, South Carolina reported Tuesday.

A South Carolina law enforcement official said he would charge Phelps if he could prove the U.S. Olympian smoked marijuana in his county.

“This case is no different than any other case,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told The State.

Lott’s comments come after a British newspaper published a photograph purportedly showing Phelps smoking marijuana at a party being held by students at the University of South Carolina in Columbia in November.

Columbia, the South Carolina state capital, is located in Richland County.

“This one might be a lot easier since we have photographs of someone using drugs and a partial confession. It’s a relatively easy case once we can determine where the crime occurred.”

Phelps apologized Sunday after publication of the photograph by the News of the World, calling his behavior “inappropriate.”

Both the University of South Carolina and Columbia police departments have said they would not pursue charges against Phelps, The State said.