It is that time of the year again… the return of college football. For many this is the greatest time of year. All day cookouts, kegs, cheerleaders, the band, the pageantry, hard hitting, the Heisman, Lee Corso, the lights, 90,000 people standing and cheering, the field and the passion make this sport one of the most entertaining to watch. So without further ado, here is the debut of the Kook Wear Top 25.

1. Ohio State – The power of the sweater vest continues… at least until they play an SEC team. Still Ohio State returns AAs Malcom Jenkins, James Laurinitis and Marcus Freeman to the #1 defense in the country last year. Competent Todd Boeckman paired with the amazing Beanie Wells at RB should score their points.
2. USC – There is not much to say except that they are loaded as usual.
3. Florida – The offense starring Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin could be the best in the country. Everyone will know RB/WR/Ret Chris Rainey by the end of the year. If the defense can step up, this year could be special for the Gators.
4. Oklahoma – The class of the Big 12 and if Sam Bradford does not have a sophomore slump, the Sooners could win it all.
5. Georgia – Stud RB Knowshon Moreno leads the charge on the talent rich Dawgs. This is the ‘chic’ pick this year. They played as well as anybody at the end of last season. Only injury concerns on the offensive line can stop them.
6. Auburn – SEC tough veterans and a new spread offense can give the Tigers a boost this year.
7. LSU – The defending national champs have recruited well and their defense is downright scary. The quarterback situation is not the best though. Should be in the mix for the National Championship.
8. Clemson – Could this be the year Clemson wins the ACC? There is plenty of talent and experience returning. Jacoby Ford, James Davis and CJ Spiller should make for a potent offense. Da’Quan Bowers will be an AA on the DL before his career is over.
9. Missouri – Heisman hopeful Chase Daniels leads 15 returning starters as a title contender in 2008.
10. Texas – Strong all around.
11. Wisconsin – Dark horse contender in a weaker Big 10 this year.
12. Tennessee – A shift in offensive philosophy is underway at Tennessee. Will it translate to an SEC crown this year? Gerald Jones has slots of ability at the ATH position.
13. West Virginia – Pat White and Noel Devine will make people look silly this year.
14. Texas Tech – Michael Crabtree for Heisman?
15. Kansas – Lots of experience returning on both sides of the ball.
16. Va Tech – Tyrod Taylor possibly redshirting? Well, it will help with class separation but it would be sad to see the Hokies drop an extra game or two without him.
17. Arizona State – Can they challenge the mighty Trojans? Many believe they can and this should make for a great game.
18. Alabama – Saban can coach. The Tide has a talented recruiting class coming in. Bama was able to compete with the big boys last year but they also lost to Louisiana-Monroe. Opening week test versus Clemson can foreshadow the rest of the season.
19. Notre Dame – Only one freshman will start at the beginning of the season. Weis has recruited well over his tenure at ND. There are no excuses, the Fighting Irish got to win now.
20. Oregon – Some say the Autzen Zoo is the toughest place to play in college football. “Oooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
21. Penn State – Just win for Joe Pa baby.
22. Wake Forest – Jim Grobe can flat out coach.
23. South Florida – Can USF be the second strongest program in the state of Florida?
24. Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights keep ‘chopping wood’ up in Jersey. Should be an exciting Big East race this year.
25. Brigham Young – Kind of hating on them right now, might eat my words.

Pura vida,
Nick

As citizens of Florida can already attest to, the 2008 hurricane season is ramping up. Tropical storm Fay surprised many in central Florida this past week by stalling out and dumping over 15 inches of rain in some areas. Brevard County suffered substantial flooding and 51 homes were damaged by a tornado.

Now there are more tropical systems developing in the Atlantic. Hurricane Gustav is already making landfall in Haiti. It is expected to strengthen to at least a category 3 as it moves into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. People living in the gulf sates should take notice and start preparations now.

Also there is another tropical disturbance, Invest 95, which has the potential to develop into a storm. Currently situated northeast of the Virgin Islands, the standard computer models have this system taking a northwest trek towards Bermuda.

Here are some key suggestions for preparing for a hurricane:

1. -Plan Ahead (know evacuation routes, keep posted with the news, gather supplies, keep organized
2. -Turn off water, gas and electricity
3. -Gather non-perishable and high perishable foods, vitamins, plastic utensils and a non-electric heating source
4. -Fill the tub and extra containers with drinking water
5. -Gather batteries, radios and flashlights
6. -Fill your car with gas
7. -Board up your home, bring potential projectiles inside, secure down what cannot be moved
8. -Cut potentially damaging tree and shrub limbs if possible
9. -During the storm get to the safest room in the house (away from windows and internal to the structure
10. -If the storm is extremely strong, get out of the area completely or go to a shelter

Pura vida,
Nick

Greenpeace was originally formed back in 1971 to help with the protesting of nuclear testing. Since then, they have become a major fighting organization of natural resources and the protection of animal species. What once started as a small group has now developed internationally.

Our generation has had to endure conservation and global protection. Greenpeace has continued to modify itself to fit with these items. Earlier this year, Greenpeace put together a list of priority issues on their website that included global warming, damage to oceans and forests, nuclear energy, toxic substances, and genetic engineering. As part of their priority issues they also list ways that each individual can help.

Greenpeace has taken a very active role in educating and supporting people our age who want to help save our environment. Just this summer, one of our friends (pictured here in her Kook Wear Gear!) got accepted into a Greenpeace/Seventh Generation program called Change It. This program was developed to help train and empower students to become the next generation of leaders for a global movement change. These students were educated by Greenpeace activists and employees on lobbying, organization techniques, media and communications, and conducting peaceful demonstrations.

The event's slogan touted in this banner, reminds us that saving the world can still be fun =) "A warm climate is worse than a warm beer."

Pura vida,
Ben

Amazon has just lunched Amazon Green, "a cross category program that includes a list of products that customers have selected as the best green products offered by Amazon.com". Basically it's just a big list of everything that is somewhat green in Amazon's extensive inventory.

One nice features of Amazon Green is that to make the green list, Amazon.com customers have to vote for it. This should keep the phony green products off the list. Another added benefit is the customer reviews that accompany every Amazon product at the bottom of the page. Customer reviews are the first thing I look at; fellow customers don’t hold anything back compared to corporate marketing staff.

With the launch of Amazon Green also comes the Amazon Green Blog. Although it is currently short on articles it has the potential to be a strong contender in the eco-blogosphere.

I like Amazon's new green initiative, the only way it could be better is if they would promise to put a certain percentage of each "green" sale towards a worthwhile cause.

Pura vida,
Matt

Moodhosa's, a Kook Wear Team Member, is releasing their first CD on Friday August 29th at the Common Grounds in Gainesville, FL. Kook Wear will be there to support Moodhosa as well as to show off some product. If you with in driving distance you should make the trip, this will be a night to remember.

The Common Grounds is located at:

View Larger Map

Here is the Facebook event URL:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=62802665642

Pura vida,
Matt

Not believing in the one-site-fits-all approach offered by E-bay and Craig's list, long time friends Matt Patterson and George Opadchy have built an international bridge between So Cal and Sydney. Their brain-child, goboarding.com, is part E-bay, part Craig's List and 100% user friendly for surfers, skaters, and snowboarders.

Their motivation was the thought that core surfers don't want to buy surfboards at the same place they buy knick-knacks. The site allows users to post one item for free per month - its $2 for each concurrent item, and account set-up is free. Retailers are allowed to post unlimited items for a flat monthly fee.

The site was originally aimed at the second hand market, but after talking with shop owners, it was clear retailers wanted the ability to post product too. Now that Kook Wear has learned of this site, who knows, you may find some of our gear up there in the future. In the mean time, we would never suggest leaving the Kook Wear online store, but if you can't find what you're looking for give, Go Boarding, a look.

Pura vida,
Ben

The 2008 Olympics, set in Beijing, are set to begin August 8th. The Chinese government has undertaken drastic measures in the last month or so to reduce the air pollution that plagues the city.

On July 1st, 300,000 high-polluting vehicles were barred from the streets. Then on July 20th, driving restrictions were implemented which limited to driving on odd or even days; this depending upon the last number of their license plate. These measures have removed about two million vehicles from the streets.

Also, many factories in the city and surrounding areas were shut down in an effort to improve air conditions. Check out this video:

This vid can also be found on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZqBvtZpP0

Isn't it sad that we have to undertake "emergency" procedures to get air quality to an acceptable level? I think it is safe to say that pollution is getting out of hand when people are concerned about the health of the competing athletes who will only be in the city for a month… And that it is ridiculous that the times of certain endurance events might have to be changed to times when smog levels are reduced…

Then on the other hand you can look at this situation and have hope. Drastic changes have been made and it affected the lives of millions of people. While there has not been much improvement in air quality, there has been some difference. These changes have only been in effect for a month! Imagine if these changes were made for a whole year! I’m not naive, I know that there will always be some level of pollution, but it does illustrate that we as a society are capable of making drastic changes to improve the health of our planet.

Pura vida,
Nick

There is a new sensation overtaking the skydiving world. Its called a wingsuit, birdman suit or squirrel suit. The wingsuit is another step in the ultimate pursuit in skydiving; horizontal movement and no parachute.

The wingsuit basically increases the surface area of the human body thus slowing the terminal velocity of free fall from 120mph to about 60mph. The flying squirrel does something similar when it leaps out of trees. The suit creates an airfoil shape that generates lift. Also a tremendous amount of horizontal velocity can be developed. Therefore a small parachute must be deployed before landing to slow this movement.

Wingsuit flying as dangerous as it is fun. But that won't stop people from trying new things. In 2003 Felix Baumgartner flew across the English Channel and reached speeds of 220mph using a carbon fiber wing. In 2005 the Birdman Rocket Team successfully mounted jet engines on the feet of one of their team riders.

check out this video:

This vid can also be found on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHlOvhlKPvs

Pura vida,
Nick

The new PayItGreen Alliance encourages consumers to turn off the paper bills to save trees and money. The alliance is a coalition of financial services companies such as Bank of America, Wachovia, and Citi that are committed to changing the way we pay bills.

It makes sense…

By receiving statements and paying bills online you can save trees and money by not using postage stamps. If it hasn’t clicked yet look at these numbers:

Pura vida,
Matt