It's getting hot in herre...

Last nite after that good, bad, and ugly special edition of American Idol they had this supposed newsshow "The Pulse." Excuse my skepticism, but I don't think I'd ever turn to FOX for anything informative or serious.

They interviewed Eminem's mom on The Pulse. Personally I think she's cashing in on her son the only way she's able to. Perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Mr. Slim Shady does overexaggerate the vileness which is his mom. However, in my opinion, there is so much anger in his lyrics that I wouldn't doubt their sincerity. He's obviously really angry. And here she is trying to save face while saying she worries about her son. That's he's miserable and headed into a state of depression.

Maybe he is depressed. Debbie (Em's mom) is hardly the first person he'd turn to for help, though. The interview guy even confronted her with how a bunch of her exes have backed Eminem's accusations of her being a drug addict. Her response? That they're all trying to get on his good side. Why would he be buddy buddy with her ex-lovers? I dunno, I doubted everything she said. That doesn't mean that mother and son will never be reconciled, though. I mean, he reunited with Kim, and she took it pretty bad in his lyrics, too. You never know, that's all I'm gonna say.

Another topic on the show was static fires. This really terrified me, particularly since Calgary is such a cold, dry place in the winter. I mean, my hair left to its own devices would be staticy 24/7 in the dead of winter.

Apparently, if your body is carrying a static charge when you're filling your car up with gas, there's a chance that you may start a fire. Seriously! They even had this scientist do a (controlled) demo at a gas pump.

What happens is that as the car fills up gasoline fumes swirl and hover around the fuel port (where your gas goes into your car, where you stick the nozzle in). As you go to take the pump out of your car there's a possibility that your finger may discharge against the metal of your fuel port, igniting a fire. It's terrifying!

They admit that it is a rare occurrence (I think there were 173 cases of static fires in the US last year) but still warn people about it. Here's the tips I learned on the show:

1. Chances are, when you step out of your car and reach for the gas pump, you've discharged yourself electrically by making contact with something metal. So now you're safe.
   

2. The mistake people make lies in getting back into their car to wait for the gas to finish pumping. (Usually to keep warm in the winter.) It's all your winter clothing (nylon, wool, etc.) rubbing against the upholstery of your car that causes the problem. Now you've gone and charged yourself up again.
   

3. As you go to take out the gas pump....poof! The car, the car, the car is on fire! We don't need no water let that mother burn. Burn! Burn, baby, burn! Burn! (Ok, so I shouldn't make jokes, but still.)
   

4. Best thing to do if this happens to you is to keep the nozzle in your car where the fire is at least contained. Out of the car, the nozzle turns into a dripping, flaming torch of chaos. You will do more harm than good if you pull out rather than keep it in. Now, how often do you get to hear that? :)

This public service announcement has been brought to you by Lil Mija.