Rain, Rain Go Away II

First it was Boston that had a record-setting rainfall over a four-day period(see my May 16 post). Now it's Washington DC with a record-setting rainfall. Maybe it is time to build that Ark!!!

From Friday morning through yesterday morning, 12.11 inches of rain fell at Reagan National Airport, according to unofficial tabulations.

"This amount of rain in four days should occur once every 200 years, and we just lived through it," said Jim Lee, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service. Forecasters warned that an additional couple of inches of rain would lead to even more severe flooding, debris and damage.

June will end being the second wetest month ever in Washington DC.

Iraq War Longer Than Most

The Iraq War has now lasted longer than the Korean War, War of 1812, Mexican War and World War I. The length of this war will pass both World War II and the Civil War if it continues into next year. The attached chart is from The Washington Post.

Motorola Q Is Top Must Have

According to CNET, the Motorola Q smartphone is the number one "Must have" gadget on their current top 10 list.

It runs Windows Mobile 5. It boasts a 1.3-megapixel camera. It's an on-the-go multimedia/productivity champ, with EV-DO support, solid call quality, a full keyboard, and Bluetooth. We only wish it did Wi-Fi.

Also on the top 10 list with the Motorola Q smartphone, are the TIVO series 2 video recorder, Slingbox, Sony PSP and Microsoft Xbox 360. For the complete list and specs on all go here

Zimmerman's Walk-off Home Run

Ryan Zimmerman hit his first career walk-off home run over the left-field wall to complete the come-from-behind victory over the New York Yankees 3-2, in front of a sellout crowd of 45,157 fans. It was the largest single-game crowd in RFK history. And the Nationals took 2 of 3 from the Yankees, which also included a 7 run comeback win the night before.

How ecstatic was Zimmerman? He took a page from Red Sox first baseman David Ortiz and flipped his helmet into the air after he rounded third base. The Nationals were like college kids as they mobbed the man they call Zim at home plate.

After touching home plate and being mobbed by his teammates, Zimmerman went in the dugout ready to go into the locker room, but some fans were hanging on top of the Nationals dugout asking him to come out for a curtain call. Four of his teammates, including catcher Brian Schneider, then told him to go out of the dugout. Zimmerman did just that. The crowd cheered and Zimmerman threw his batting gloves into the stands.

"It was fun. The fans here are great and the atmosphere this weekend was awesome. It was great to be a part of it," Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman, 21, is a legitimate National League Rookie of the Year candidate. He is on pace to hit 23 home runs with 108 RBIs this season and is currently batting .286. Go here to see a clip of Zimmerman's homerun

Ipods Better Than Beer

Move over Bud. College life isn't just about drinking beer. In a rare instance, Apple Computer Inc.'s iconic iPod music player surpassed beer drinking as the most "in" thing among undergraduate college students, according to the latest biannual market research study by Ridgewood, N.J.-based Student Monitor.

Nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of 1,200 students surveyed said iPods were "in" -- more than any other item in a list that also included text messaging, bar hopping and downloading music.

This year, drinking beer and Facebook.com, a social networking Web site, were tied for second most popular, with 71 percent of the students identifying them as "in."

The only other time beer was temporarily dethroned in the 18 years of the survey was in 1997 -- by the Internet, said Eric Weil, a managing partner at Student Monitor.

World Cup 2006

It's World Cup time. Go USA!!!!!

The U.S. is in its fifth consecutive World Cup, and the expectations placed upon this squad have evolved greatly from the nonexistent ones for a team of college stars and players on low-level club teams that stunningly qualified in 1990.

The Americans enter this World Cup confident in their abilities to compete - and defeat - the best teams in the world, led by striker Landon Donovan, who has readily accepted the role as his team's offensive focal point.

But the Americans face a stern challenge in simply getting the opportunity to reach the knockout round as they open play Monday in Group E against the Czech Republic in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. For everything on the World Cup

'Kat' Gets Record Deal

Being the "American Idol" runner-up has its rewards, too. Katharine McPhee, who lost out to Taylor Hicks in the top-rated Fox show's finale two weeks ago, has signed a record deal with music mogul Clive Davis in conjunction with 19 Recordings Unlimited, the label managed by "Idol" creator Simon Fuller, it was announced Tuesday.

The 22-year-old California native's recording of two songs — "Over the Rainbow" and "My Destiny" — will be released in stores and through digital outlets on June 27.

Sharapova Advances at French Open

Maria Sharapova advanced to the fourth round of The French Open by beating Alicia Molik 6-0, 7-5.

Maria is currently seeded fourth in the World.