September 2008 Archives

	Julia Dorn-Buckler
	Producer

Scaly, slippery, sensational… Shooting stories for Hooked Again: Monster Fish II is another wild, unforgettable ride that defies the imagination. To encounter goliath fish face-to-face, I had to meet them on their turf… I plunged into raging waters in the Fraser River, British Columbia… dove into Thailand’s lakes… and jumped into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I met some of the world’s most amazing pro and amateur anglers. Sharing jaw-dropping fishing stories that got me hooked.

I traveled around the world to uncover the most astounding fishing you’ve ever seen. Once caught and reeled in, these stories get entangled in a net of milestone memories. Releasing them is sheer impossible. Too impressive these fish and anglers’ tales are. I explored some of the biggest, most feared and fabled mammoth whoppers under water. Join the ride and witness more adrenaline-pumping, pulse-racing, ultimate showdowns of Man vs. Fish.

In New Zealand, I interviewed Matt Watson. He and his team set out on a dangerous assignment. Working for the department of conservation, they planned to get a live DNA sample – of a Great White Shark! Watch how they come face-to-face with one of the ocean’s most feared and mysterious alpha predators. These colossal killers are smarter than we think. See how great whites detach their jaws and devour thirty pounds of flesh at a time.

Then, I re-enacted the breathtaking face-off between two German anglers and Europe’s largest freshwater fish – a giant Wels Catfish. After battling the goliath for over two hours on rod and reel, Sebastian Rozwadowski and Christoph Grefe, had only one thing left to do: wrestle the beast with bare hands. In the world of monster fish, these whiskered whoppers may not be pretty, but they pack a wallop. Discover how these flesh-eating river giants reach jaw-dropping proportions.

	Greg Chapman
	Research

How's everyone today. As the nation waits on the edge of their seats to see what will happen with the economy, there is no doubt that for many of you anxious to see what will happens over the the next couple of days in Congress. Being here in DC there is no escaping the topic and suddenly everyone (I myself am guilty of this) is an expert on what will happen with the economy.

All of that said, I want to lighten the mood and give y'all some other stories that hopefully can lighten the mood or give you a topic other than the eco....not even going to say it.

Charles Schulz and Charlie Brown would be excited to know that the Great Pumpkin is alive as ever.

This is either Little Shop of Horrors or (for all you classic Nintendo fans) Mario Bros. come to life..

Saturn is pretty heavy.

Speaking of space, a viewer sent me this amateur photo of the moon (left) and Jupiter (right) that they took by putting a camera up to their telescope and clicking away...

A rupture in a jetliner’s pressure dome. A nuclear power plant turbine that needs to be replaced. A cruise ship that needs another engine. Repairing live 500,000-volt lines from a platform mounted outside a helicopter. These fixes take much more than your average piece of duct tape. When big industry breaks down, the results can be costly and the fixes dangerous. It takes brave souls with steady hands to get them back up and running. And working alongside them is engineering enthusiast and adrenaline junkie Sean Riley.

World's Toughest Fixes takes you inside some of the most daunting repair jobs imaginable. Each one-hour episode follows Sean Riley as he pushes himself to the limit while working with some of the world’s top mechanics, showing viewers how these challenging fixes are tackled.

Nat Geo: What does this series offer?

Rob Kerr: We live in a technologically advanced world and often take for granted all the benefits and conveniences of modern living. But in order to catch a flight on a plane, fill up our gas tank with fuel or even simply turn on a light switch, we need the infrastructure in place and the people who can build, maintain and fix it. We wanted to show the unsung heroes of industry, ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Nat Geo: What sets this series apart from other “on-the-job” types of shows?

Rob Kerr: The series is tackling some very big stories, and rather than playing the role of a conventional host, Sean Riley’s aim is to get as close to the action as possible, get to the heart of the fix and into the minds of the folks who are carrying it out.

The series has a great combination of heart-stopping action and loads of detail. We take viewers on the front lines of jobs that keep the world turning, and the serious problems they encounter on a daily basis. These are big-time fixes that have real-world consequences. We brainstormed and searched for fixes on a monster scale that are not only unique and visually interesting but also take viewers into environments in a way that has not been seen before on television.

Many of you have written, e-mailed, and called to ask how Donovan, who was profiled in Lockdown: Life on the Outside, was doing.

Since the making of this film, Donovon's managed to stay out of trouble, but is struggling financially. He's picked up temporary and day-labor work, but has not landed a steady job due to the rough economy and his ex-felon status. He's trying to do the best he can for his family, even as he struggles to establish himself. His brother James and sister LaToya remain out of jail. Donovon and Eva are doing well and he says he loves being a dad to her.

Donovon and his girlfriend LaTosha are proudly expecting a baby boy in December. He says the coming arrival of their new baby makes his search for a full-time, permanent job all the more urgent. Donovon is willing to relocate to work long, hard days. He says he's just looking for a break.

More to come in the next couple of days on how to help...

If any viewers have any job opportunities that they would like to forward to Donovon please e-mail him directly at Donovon.Green@yahoo.com

TELEVISION HISTORY - DOG WHISPERER HITS THE 100 EPISODE MILESTONE

[10:20 pm pt] Well everyone thats all I have for you tonight. I want to thank you all for coming and going to this celebration tonight. And I would like to personally thank all of the Dog Whisperer Fans out there for watching and riding along with Cesar on this journey.

He appreciates you, I appreciate you and most of all the National Geographic Channel appreciates you. You have made it possible for this show to happen.

Over 650 of you have commented over the past couple of days congratulating Cesar on 100 episodes. Hopefully this video will encompass most of the love that you wanted to express to Cesar Milan. Don't forget to tune in this Friday at 9p et/pt for the 100th epsiode.

Have a great night. Keep watching.

- Greg Chapman

The future is now at NGCVideos.com. Newly released HD-Showcase brings full-length, high quality National Geographic Channel documentaries right to your desktop. There aren't any "glitzy player" add-ons, just the amazing high definition footage. After downloading the small plugin for the player, you'll be tuning in to some of the best HD footage around.

Stream now by clicking here

Let us know what you think! The It's important that we hear from you. The more we hear, the better experience we can create for you. As of right now the section has ten different docs, but comment here as to what you think, and what you want to hear and we'll do all we can to deliver.

The NGC Blog is very proud and honored to have the following contribution from Vicki McAuley. Vicki is the wife of life-long adventurer Andrew McAuley. As documented in the upcoming premiere SOLO, Andrew set out to become the first person to kayak from Australia to New Zealand across one of the wildest and loneliest stretches of ocean on Earth. On February 9, New Zealand maritime authorities received his distress call. Having survived a harrowing and torturous month at sea, conquering monstrous swells and terrifying storms, McAuley lost his life only a day from completing his journey. Below is Vicki opening up to her thoughts about the film and how she has managed to cope with this tragic loss.

Vicki McAuley

A friend of mine gave me a beautiful little book just recently, and in the opening pages I read, "There is no way out of grief, only through grief." How very true! And also, I guess, how very timely for me to be reading these words, because I was given the book at a time when all the stress and trauma of the documentary was coming to a head.

Many times I've questioned the wisdom of continuing on with the process of having this documentary made. Why do it? Why drag myself through hell again as I relive this nightmare?

The resounding answer is that Andrew began this whole process years ago with a dream, and that dream, through his tenacity, persistence and outright courage became initially a reality for him, although ultimately a nightmare for those of us who love him so very much. Yet I know he would want me to see the project through to completion - a vastly different story to what it was supposed to be, yes. Nonetheless I believe he would still want the story told. And very importantly for me, I've realised that the documentary has been an essential part of that process of working THROUGH grief.

In February last year, we held a memorial service for Andrew, and at that time I asked him to give me the strength and courage to continue on without him. These past 18 months have taught me many things, but most importantly I've learned that Ant really is still there for me, and he's guiding me and he's giving me strength, and he's giving me the courage to face life. I'm blessed in having a beautiful little son, Finlay, who has many of his dad's exceptional qualities, and I'll do all I can to ensure that Finlay grows up with his father's strength of character, and his enduring passion for life and for adventure.

The directors of Solo, Jen and David have made what I believe to be a very confronting and evocative story of my husband's incredible voyage. It was a profound physical and psychological journey that Andrew travelled, and I think that his story will have a profound affect on the viewer. And I hope this story will help to open up conversation so that people can know that it's OK to talk about it, because that's another thing I've learnt this past year and a half - people don't know how to talk about death.

Ant has always been the one person I know who truly had the gift of reaching out and grabbing life, and living it to the fullest, and squeezing every ounce of excitement out of it.
I have the most incredible undying love and respect for him for being brave enough to follow his dreams. And I want to talk about him, not only because he's an incredible man, but also because talking, for me, is very necessary in working through grief. It is my hope that others might gain some understanding, and inspiration, and empowerment from Andrew's story.

Andrew endured incredible hardship for 30 days at sea in his tiny kayak and demonstrated almost inhuman resolve to weather the extreme conditions. I take solace in the thought of the indescribable feeling of euphoria that he experienced when he sighted the mountainous coast of New Zealand. I'm sure words could never express his emotions at that moment when the low lying clouds appeared on the horizon, with the first glimpse of mountains rising above the clouds. I hold onto that imagery.

SOLO premieres Monday, September 15 at 10p et/pt.
Click here to watch the documentary's trailer.

Many of you may have seen Friday's moving premiere of DogTown: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs and are curious as to what has happened to these amazing case files. Here is a little update for all of you.

First, all dogs are attending Canine Good Citizen classes that teach them how to interact and play with other dogs and how to act while on a leash. While they take these classes they remain on a leash and have some distance between themselves and other dogs due to history of aggression, but they are doing great and aren't showing big signs of aggression.

When they aren't in classes, they take trips down to Kanab Creek with other trainers and enjoy to swim in the summer sun.

As for the dogs...

Meryl, one of the toughest cases in DogTown because of her aggression, is making phenomenal progress. Dog Trainer Ann Allums said that she is now at the point that she can safely introduce Meryl to anyone and within a minute (and a treat), Meryl is in love with her new best friend. Meryl is working hard during her Canine Good Citizen classes (And showing much promise!). She is learning the basics of heeling, sitting and staying and is doing better and better with handling distractions. Not all serious stuff for Meryl, Trainer Ann Allums is teaching her roll-over and wave. She is progressing so well and showing improved dog-to-dog skills that the folks at DogTown are using her to be a first dog for the other Vick dogs to be introduced to.

Denzel, the very sick dog when first coming to DogTown, is doing well in his Canine Good Citizen classes and is very healthy and happy. He comes in every day to the kitchen, has his breakfast and then stretches out on the "dog sofa" for a 5-hour nap.

Georgia has been able to trust more of the DogTown employees beyond trainer John Garcia. She loves all of her caregivers now. She has turned in to an outdoors girl and wants to be outside as much as possible. And she also is a bit of a homebody, always ready to go back to her area for some rest.

Cherry is overcoming his shyness and progress in all walks of life. He's able to meetnew people and has a number of new playmates. He often comes in to the Dogtown HQ to hang out with the trainers in their office, which is a good sign considering the office is a hectic place, with lots of comings and goings and new people every day.

To learn more about the show DogTown click here.

To learn how to help the dogs of DogTown go to BestFriends.org

Join the Party...Click here to join the live blog!

2,100 audition tapes.
309 dogs.
150 different cities and towns.
545 “tssts!”

National Geographic Channel's Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan celebrates 100 episodes with reunion of rehabilitated dogs, surprise visit from lassie and updates on past stories.

On Wednesday, September 17, 2008, NGC Blog's Greg Chapman will head to Hollywood to celebrate with Cesar Milan and his four legged friends the 100th Dog Whisperer Episode. Greg will be there live with some of your favorite pack leaders, celebrities and, of course, Cesar. Greg will be relaying all the glitz, glamour and barking going on during the celebration. Its sure to be a "don't miss" event for all Dog Whisperer fans.

Submit your questions, comments or congratulations now for the chance to have it included during this milestone event.

Come back to natgeotv.com/blog for the live blogging event! It all starts Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 8:00p on the East Coast and 5:00p on the West Coast.

	Greg Chapman
	Research

We are on the brink of fall. Schools are back in session, leaves are clinging onto their final days and I for one cannot wait until football starts this week, (Go Eagles!). Fall is a time when kids crack open the books and parents take a sigh of relief that summer vacation is over.

That said, adults don't have to be left out. I found a bunch of stories this morning that I thought you would all like and are pretty facinating. If anything they are great for water cooler natter.

Source: NASA /JPL-Caltech

Back in May we did a live chat for the landing of the Phoenix Rover on Mars. Analysis continues this week on the deepest soil sample the rover has pulled up to surface. To your right is a 10-frame loop of ice clouds moving across Mars' atmosphere. Yea, they are just clouds, but they are Martian clouds!

Caught in the wild....new electric car exposed before it was supposed to be.

An explanation as to why Hurrican Gustav wasn't as strong as everyone thought it was going to be.

Video of Vladamir Putin going tiger hunti...er...tranquilizing?

And this elephant is smarter than a lot of us.