You may know that most newspaper and Television news websites offer message boards where people can respond to a news story by posting their comment. Most of the time, these message boards are breeding grounds for posters who have no life and who take advantage of the online forum to post comments that can be hateful. Sometimes you'll see a comment from someone with an intelligent opinion or you might see a comment that tells it like it is.
I try not to spend too much time reading online message boards when they are frequented by people who are only there to start trouble. But occasionally I do get caught up on some story and i'll express myself.
I did express my thoughts on a story posted on a local television station website (www.13wmaz.com). The story was about the state of Georgia's legislature failing to approve a bill that would allow the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday. The mostly conservative and deeply religious polticians in our state capital have once again kissed the rear-ends of the Christian community by restricting the freedom of choice of a consumer to purchase their drink of choice on what is considered 'The Lord's Day".
Well, this is the text of my comment posted on WMAZ-TV's website.
"EFloyd wrote:
I wonder how many of these "christians" who approve of restricting the freedom of a consumer's choice to purchase Alcohol any day they choose but celebrates "freedom" on the fourth of July. How many of those same "christians" fly our American flag proud of our country and the illusion of "freedom" it represents?"
What I posted was a knee jerk reaction after reading their story. Not much different than any other posts on the site. But most of the regular posters there were in favor of the Sunday alcohol ban. Many express their religious beliefs frequently in most news stories especially if the story involves buying beer on Sunday, being gay or a woman's right to her own body....aka Abortion.
Less than 12 hours after I posted my comment it was deleted for violating the "Terms of service". I don't remember saying anything as a direct insult. I thought I was posting a question and calling out hypocracy as I see it. People post things all the time on that website about race issues and use the usual stereotypes. Most of those posts remain. But if one dares to call out the hyprocracy of the christian community, their voice gets silenced on 13WMAZ.com.
Well another poster on the website actually copied my original post as he responded to it.
ChrisWR wrote:
"EFloyd wrote:
I wonder how many of these "christians" who approve of restricting the freedom of a consumer's choice to purchase Alcohol any day they choose but celebrates "freedom" on the fourth of July. How many of those same "christians" fly our American flag proud of our country and the illusion of "freedom" it represents?
Can we answer this with one word....HYPROCRATES!!"
What's a hypocrate? Is that like a hypocrite, just bigger?
I'm a believer in Christ, but I feel that the Sunday ban on liquor sales is just ignorant. If it's going to be sold every other day of the week, it should be sold in Sunday as well. Being that many Christians believe that they shouldn't drink alcohol, it shouldn't really matter to them whether or not it's sold on Sunday, as they won't be drinking it in the first place.
So he pointed out that I misspelled the word "hyprocrite". MY BAD!
But what I was thinking when I posted that comment was that I live in a very patriotic environment where people love God AND this country. They tie them both toghether and show their pride. I don't have a problem with that. I do believe in God and I am proud to be a American. But I am not proud of Americans who say they believe in freedom but at the same time they use their religious beliefs to restrict the freedoms of American citizens. Whether its the sale of alcohol on Sunday or same-sex couples having a fairly respected and LEGALLY recognized relationship.
I call it hypocracy and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The Amazing Race 14 weekly blog: Phuket is not prounced the way it looks.
Happy Spring Amazing Race fans!
I went into watching this week’s broadcast knowing that one of my favorite teams, Margie & Luke appear to suffer a major event during this race. The preview shows Margie fainting in the heat and it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. It also appeared that other teams would struggle as well. The teams left the sixth pit-stop after a day in India where you would expect teams to struggle, but this time the Amazing Race visit to India was relatively easy.
Also easy was the departure from India. The teams left in the following order. Tammy & Victor at 10:21am, Mel & Mike at 10:50am, Kisha & Jen at 11:02am, Margie & Luke at 11:03, Jaime & Cara at 11:04 and Mike & Mark at 11:11am.
On the show, it appears that FEW could properly prounounce the name of the next destination, "Foo Kette" as in "two wong foo" or "egg FOO young" then the first half of the word KETTLE. Teams would leave India for the city of PHUKET, Thailand and all but Jaime & Cara purchased their airline tickets at a travel agency before going to the airport. But all teams made the same flights and were on even footing.
The teams had their taxi drivers and locals lead them to their first destination. Their first clue was only a photo of an animal that hinted that teams would go to the Phuket Zoo but Mel & Mike assumed their clue was to go to a beach. They found themselves lost with no one having an idea what clue the photo meant.
The first clue had teams take a photo with a tiger then participate in a local zoo performance that required having an elephant walk over their backsides. After that teams would go to retrieve their picture with the tiger and on the back of the picture would be their next clue.
It is worth noting that the tiger’s handler only had ONE ARM!
The next clue would have teams travel to an herb shop where the clerk would have to search for their next clue through 99 different drawers. It appeared that the first five teams easily passed on to the next task with Mel & Mike lagging way behind.
The detour task choices were “100 barrels” where teams would have to have to fill 53 barrels with water placed on a fishing boat preparing for a long trip and position the remaining empty barrels in precision on the top deck of the boat. Or “2 miles” where teams would have to carry a rickshaw with their team partner as the passenger to a park. Many teams went first to the marina and found it difficult to locate the boats then they changed to perform the “2 miles” task.
The “2 miles” detour was the source of a few problems teams had on this leg of the race. Teams faced flat tires with manual air pumps that a few teams forgot to bring. Teams also had difficulty with directions but one team, Mark & Michael hired a taxi to lead them to their correct destination. They used their taxi by following it to their destination then had that same taxi drive them to the final destination which was the PIT-STOP, therefore giving MARK & MICHAEL their first ever first place pit-stop arrival.
But Mark & Michael discovered a problem. They violated rules by hiring the taxi to assist them in the “2 miles” detour and they tampered with the tire pumps used for the rickshaws and put them back. For those infractions, they faced an hour long penalty forcing them to wait before they could check in.
Mark & Michael weren’t the only ones to make mistakes. Tammy & Victor prematurely dropped off their rickshaw so that set them back a few minutes as they had to run back to properly park their rickshaw vehicle. Then Tammy & Victor were SECOND to arrive at the pit-stop with less than 5 minutes left for Mark & Michael’s penalty. So TAMMY & VICTOR would end up in first place again and for that they won a vacation in Hawaii.
Closely behind Tammy & Victor were JAIME & CARA officially in SECOND PLACE with Mark & Michael having ONE minute left in their penalty wait, they would eventually become THIRD PLACE.
MARGIE & LUKE arrived in FOURTH PLACE and after Phil made a comment about Margie being like “the Bionic Woman”, Margie fainted from the heat. They ran her into a shaded area, applied water and called for medical assistance. But she recovered from her heat exhaustion and refused the medical assistance.
One could imagine the fear that Luke had in seeing his mother suffer this spell. She is his ONLY assistance in communication and they were in a foreign land. But it appears that Margie will be ok. Besides, if anything really bad had happened when this was taped, we most likely would have already known before the show aired.
Only two teams successfully completed the “100 Barrels” detour task with the fishing boats. Kisha & Jen who would then have their taxi driver drop them off at the wrong location. But Kisha & Jen arrived at the pit-stop in FIFTH PLACE.
And finally, Mel & Mike arrived was the last team to arrive and I had a prediction right two times in a row. Mel & Mike were eliminated but not for the reasons I had expected. They fell to the back of the pack upon arrival in Thailand when thought their photo clue led them to a local beach instead of the zoo. They also didn’t seem to rush through any of their task. On this leg, Mel & Mike were tourists instead of competitors on The Amazing Race. Now they can be “on vacation” as they join the other eliminated racers held “captive” at the holding resort while the race continues. This is not a bad thing for Mel. He could use some rest. I hope he had a great time doing just that.
If Mel & Mike had chosen the “2 miles” detour, one of them would have been the second casualty of the heat. I just didn’t see Mike carrying his father on a rickshaw and Mel could not have survived the physically demanding run carrying his son on a rickshaw in the heat. Even the most physically fit racers showed signs of strain. If Margie would faint after only carrying the rickshaw for part of the run, Mel would have had some issues for sure.
Well I am not celebrating the fact that I correctly predicted the elimination of Mel & Mike. I do think I have a good chance of predicting the next elimination. The gloves are off as we are not far from knowing who will make the final three. I still predict that the final three will include Tammy & Victor and I think it is a good bet on either Jaime & Cara or Kisha & Jen making the final three. I still think we could see the first all-female team winning The Amazing Race. This means either Mark & Michael or Margie & Luke are the next teams to be eliminated. I think this could turn on Mark & Michael and the previews for the next broadcast indicate that Mark & Michael having a huge problem. Apparently they lost their back packs and begin to argue over it.
I predict Mark & Michael for next elimination for another reason, playing too hard and having a relationship breakdown. The latter is always a problem for a team on The Amazing Race.
The next broadcast is in TWO WEEKS. We have to tough it out and wait a little while longer for it. And I will blog about it then. Thanks for reading and happy spring!
I went into watching this week’s broadcast knowing that one of my favorite teams, Margie & Luke appear to suffer a major event during this race. The preview shows Margie fainting in the heat and it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. It also appeared that other teams would struggle as well. The teams left the sixth pit-stop after a day in India where you would expect teams to struggle, but this time the Amazing Race visit to India was relatively easy.
Also easy was the departure from India. The teams left in the following order. Tammy & Victor at 10:21am, Mel & Mike at 10:50am, Kisha & Jen at 11:02am, Margie & Luke at 11:03, Jaime & Cara at 11:04 and Mike & Mark at 11:11am.
On the show, it appears that FEW could properly prounounce the name of the next destination, "Foo Kette" as in "two wong foo" or "egg FOO young" then the first half of the word KETTLE. Teams would leave India for the city of PHUKET, Thailand and all but Jaime & Cara purchased their airline tickets at a travel agency before going to the airport. But all teams made the same flights and were on even footing.
The teams had their taxi drivers and locals lead them to their first destination. Their first clue was only a photo of an animal that hinted that teams would go to the Phuket Zoo but Mel & Mike assumed their clue was to go to a beach. They found themselves lost with no one having an idea what clue the photo meant.
The first clue had teams take a photo with a tiger then participate in a local zoo performance that required having an elephant walk over their backsides. After that teams would go to retrieve their picture with the tiger and on the back of the picture would be their next clue.
It is worth noting that the tiger’s handler only had ONE ARM!
The next clue would have teams travel to an herb shop where the clerk would have to search for their next clue through 99 different drawers. It appeared that the first five teams easily passed on to the next task with Mel & Mike lagging way behind.
The detour task choices were “100 barrels” where teams would have to have to fill 53 barrels with water placed on a fishing boat preparing for a long trip and position the remaining empty barrels in precision on the top deck of the boat. Or “2 miles” where teams would have to carry a rickshaw with their team partner as the passenger to a park. Many teams went first to the marina and found it difficult to locate the boats then they changed to perform the “2 miles” task.
The “2 miles” detour was the source of a few problems teams had on this leg of the race. Teams faced flat tires with manual air pumps that a few teams forgot to bring. Teams also had difficulty with directions but one team, Mark & Michael hired a taxi to lead them to their correct destination. They used their taxi by following it to their destination then had that same taxi drive them to the final destination which was the PIT-STOP, therefore giving MARK & MICHAEL their first ever first place pit-stop arrival.
But Mark & Michael discovered a problem. They violated rules by hiring the taxi to assist them in the “2 miles” detour and they tampered with the tire pumps used for the rickshaws and put them back. For those infractions, they faced an hour long penalty forcing them to wait before they could check in.
Mark & Michael weren’t the only ones to make mistakes. Tammy & Victor prematurely dropped off their rickshaw so that set them back a few minutes as they had to run back to properly park their rickshaw vehicle. Then Tammy & Victor were SECOND to arrive at the pit-stop with less than 5 minutes left for Mark & Michael’s penalty. So TAMMY & VICTOR would end up in first place again and for that they won a vacation in Hawaii.
Closely behind Tammy & Victor were JAIME & CARA officially in SECOND PLACE with Mark & Michael having ONE minute left in their penalty wait, they would eventually become THIRD PLACE.
MARGIE & LUKE arrived in FOURTH PLACE and after Phil made a comment about Margie being like “the Bionic Woman”, Margie fainted from the heat. They ran her into a shaded area, applied water and called for medical assistance. But she recovered from her heat exhaustion and refused the medical assistance.
One could imagine the fear that Luke had in seeing his mother suffer this spell. She is his ONLY assistance in communication and they were in a foreign land. But it appears that Margie will be ok. Besides, if anything really bad had happened when this was taped, we most likely would have already known before the show aired.
Only two teams successfully completed the “100 Barrels” detour task with the fishing boats. Kisha & Jen who would then have their taxi driver drop them off at the wrong location. But Kisha & Jen arrived at the pit-stop in FIFTH PLACE.
And finally, Mel & Mike arrived was the last team to arrive and I had a prediction right two times in a row. Mel & Mike were eliminated but not for the reasons I had expected. They fell to the back of the pack upon arrival in Thailand when thought their photo clue led them to a local beach instead of the zoo. They also didn’t seem to rush through any of their task. On this leg, Mel & Mike were tourists instead of competitors on The Amazing Race. Now they can be “on vacation” as they join the other eliminated racers held “captive” at the holding resort while the race continues. This is not a bad thing for Mel. He could use some rest. I hope he had a great time doing just that.
If Mel & Mike had chosen the “2 miles” detour, one of them would have been the second casualty of the heat. I just didn’t see Mike carrying his father on a rickshaw and Mel could not have survived the physically demanding run carrying his son on a rickshaw in the heat. Even the most physically fit racers showed signs of strain. If Margie would faint after only carrying the rickshaw for part of the run, Mel would have had some issues for sure.
Well I am not celebrating the fact that I correctly predicted the elimination of Mel & Mike. I do think I have a good chance of predicting the next elimination. The gloves are off as we are not far from knowing who will make the final three. I still predict that the final three will include Tammy & Victor and I think it is a good bet on either Jaime & Cara or Kisha & Jen making the final three. I still think we could see the first all-female team winning The Amazing Race. This means either Mark & Michael or Margie & Luke are the next teams to be eliminated. I think this could turn on Mark & Michael and the previews for the next broadcast indicate that Mark & Michael having a huge problem. Apparently they lost their back packs and begin to argue over it.
I predict Mark & Michael for next elimination for another reason, playing too hard and having a relationship breakdown. The latter is always a problem for a team on The Amazing Race.
The next broadcast is in TWO WEEKS. We have to tough it out and wait a little while longer for it. And I will blog about it then. Thanks for reading and happy spring!
The First BASTARD Churches of Crisp County Georgia
When my sister Erika was very little, she could not prounounce the name of our church properly. When asked, she would tell people that we went to "The First BASTARD Church". I would like to thank the BAPTIST ministers of Cordele Georgia for that reminder.
They have called on the Crisp County Georgia school system to ban scholarship applications targeted for gay students. The Baptist clergy in Crisp County accuses my beloved P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of promoting the "homosexual agenda" by the placement of scholarship applications at Crisp County High School. The so-called "Christians" love to use those two words "homosexual agenda" don't they?
There are many college scholarship programs offered by PFLAG and many PFLAG chapters including PFLAG Atlanta. However it is not known exactly what P-FLAG scholarship applications were available at Crisp County High School. We "PFLAG'ers" are deeply concerned about this. I fall in the catagory of "angry" at the religious nutcases that are making a fuss over this. (Yes I said it!)
How can you seriously consider putting another obstacle in the way of a young person wanting to get an education? It's no wonder why smaller towns like the area where this news came from are suffering from this bad economy more than anyone. Whatever jobs you can find in areas like Cordele/Crisp County are for the people they tend to produce, less educated with no ambition to do more with their life, people who are followers and not capable of becoming leaders and "Good Ole Boy" leaders who couldn't lead themselves down a one way straight line street.
As you read the article that I am sharing I also have these questions. I wonder if the same "christians" who want to ban college scholorship access for gay and lesbian students would consider it fair to also restrict access to scholorships from organizations that cater to BLACK people? United NEGRO College Fund are you next? Or how about the Tom Joyner Foundation who proudly supports sending students to only Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Would the Baptist preachers want to ban that access too?
Hey Baptist Pastors of Crisp County, how about being FAIR and BALANCED? Haha, i'm sure you've heard that theme from your favorite TV news channel.
Lets go ahead and ban ALL targeted scholorships! No more "affirmative actions" for ATHLETES and no more scholorships for students who want to go to a seminary.
Public school is one place that has become infested in political correctness and a warped idea of "fairness". So if the Baptist preachers of Crisp County are really concerned about doing things they feel are "right" then lets be fair about it. Only allow one for all and all for one type of scholorship or none at all. That sounds fair doesn't it?
But for these "christians" it is OK to be "fair" as long as you balance the scales to allow the heavy weight of discrimination to fall on a promising student that happens to be gay or lesbian.
Well God Bless America.
Hmmmm.
I'm so angry about this I am ready to quote an infamous loud mouthed preacher named Jeremiah Wright. But I won't say it right now. I still feel that it's better to be nice. Maybe I should pray for them.
Read the news article below, from the Cordele Dispatch
Gay scholarship material draws protest
By BECKY CRISSMAN
becky.crissman@gaflnews.com
CORDELE — Crisp County Board of Education has been asked to ban the presence of scholarship applications designated for gay students at the high school.
Superintendent Dr. Judy Bean received a complaint this week from a local minister regarding scholarships offered by an organization openly supportive of homosexuality. The applications are reportedly available in the guidance office of Crisp County High School.
Rev. Tony Register of Wenona Baptist Church went directly to Dr. Bean as soon as he received a copy of the flyer which he said was displayed on a table among other scholarship materials.
“It is nothing more than a solicitation for homosexuality,” said Register. “To me it openly offers the opportunity to be ‘paid’ by voluntarily coming forth and admitting homosexuality or your support of the homosexual agenda.
“I think it is an outrage and should not be allowed in our schools.”
The scholarship is offered by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). According to the flyer, applications for scholarships for $5,000, $2,500, or $1,000 are available.
Before completing the form to apply for one of the scholarships, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
• Be a graduating senior entering higher education for the first time in 2009 (2008 graduates who take a year off are still eligible).
• Self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or as a straight ally.
• Demonstrate an interest in service to the LGBT community.
• Apply to an accredited higher education institution.
According to Dr. Bean, she and members of the board were unaware of the flyer’s presence in the school. In a phone interview, Dr. Bean revealed she had learned that this was not the first year the PFLAG scholarship flyer had been on display in the school.
“Apparently this is the second, possibly third year it has been made available,” said Dr. Bean. “This is the first time this has ever been brought to our attention.
“There is a table in the guidance office that features scholarship materials and that is in fact where the flyer was located. The board does not sanction these materials. They are placed there by guidance counselors.”
Dr. Bean said the flyer was removed after the deadline passed. She says she has never been aware of a Crisp County student receiving or even applying for one of the scholarships.
“If they can promote things like that in our schools without us being made aware of it, then we have a problem,” said Register.
“Dr. Bean informed me that neither she nor the board was aware of the material. I think that is a problem. Our local administration and government needs to be able to keep us informed.
“Every parent should have known it was there. Every community has their own moral standards and should not have to worry about things like this sneaking past us.”
Rev. Ray Burnette, director of missions for the Houston Baptist Association, said the association is taking a stand in the situation.
“We are going to speak up and let it be known how the Christian community feels about this,” said Burnette.
“As Christians we have a right to stand up for what the Bible says about this issue (homosexuality).
“It is our hope that this will be taken out of the school and in the future things like this are evaluated before they are placed in front of our children.
“I believe we should have a choice as to what our children are being exposed to.”
Bean asked the school for copies of the PFLAG scholarship information material. She was scheduled to bring that material before the board as information.
“It is unsure what, if anything the board can do about the situation,” said Bean.
Crisp County High School Principal Toriano Gilbert said the scholarship information in question is placed on a table among other scholarships available for interested students. A list of available scholarships can also be viewed on the school website.
“We do not promote any particular scholarship through our guidance office,” Gilbert said. “However, we do not discriminate against any particular group either.”
They have called on the Crisp County Georgia school system to ban scholarship applications targeted for gay students. The Baptist clergy in Crisp County accuses my beloved P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of promoting the "homosexual agenda" by the placement of scholarship applications at Crisp County High School. The so-called "Christians" love to use those two words "homosexual agenda" don't they?
There are many college scholarship programs offered by PFLAG and many PFLAG chapters including PFLAG Atlanta. However it is not known exactly what P-FLAG scholarship applications were available at Crisp County High School. We "PFLAG'ers" are deeply concerned about this. I fall in the catagory of "angry" at the religious nutcases that are making a fuss over this. (Yes I said it!)
How can you seriously consider putting another obstacle in the way of a young person wanting to get an education? It's no wonder why smaller towns like the area where this news came from are suffering from this bad economy more than anyone. Whatever jobs you can find in areas like Cordele/Crisp County are for the people they tend to produce, less educated with no ambition to do more with their life, people who are followers and not capable of becoming leaders and "Good Ole Boy" leaders who couldn't lead themselves down a one way straight line street.
As you read the article that I am sharing I also have these questions. I wonder if the same "christians" who want to ban college scholorship access for gay and lesbian students would consider it fair to also restrict access to scholorships from organizations that cater to BLACK people? United NEGRO College Fund are you next? Or how about the Tom Joyner Foundation who proudly supports sending students to only Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Would the Baptist preachers want to ban that access too?
Hey Baptist Pastors of Crisp County, how about being FAIR and BALANCED? Haha, i'm sure you've heard that theme from your favorite TV news channel.
Lets go ahead and ban ALL targeted scholorships! No more "affirmative actions" for ATHLETES and no more scholorships for students who want to go to a seminary.
Public school is one place that has become infested in political correctness and a warped idea of "fairness". So if the Baptist preachers of Crisp County are really concerned about doing things they feel are "right" then lets be fair about it. Only allow one for all and all for one type of scholorship or none at all. That sounds fair doesn't it?
But for these "christians" it is OK to be "fair" as long as you balance the scales to allow the heavy weight of discrimination to fall on a promising student that happens to be gay or lesbian.
Well God Bless America.
Hmmmm.
I'm so angry about this I am ready to quote an infamous loud mouthed preacher named Jeremiah Wright. But I won't say it right now. I still feel that it's better to be nice. Maybe I should pray for them.
Read the news article below, from the Cordele Dispatch
Gay scholarship material draws protest
By BECKY CRISSMAN
becky.crissman@gaflnews.com
CORDELE — Crisp County Board of Education has been asked to ban the presence of scholarship applications designated for gay students at the high school.
Superintendent Dr. Judy Bean received a complaint this week from a local minister regarding scholarships offered by an organization openly supportive of homosexuality. The applications are reportedly available in the guidance office of Crisp County High School.
Rev. Tony Register of Wenona Baptist Church went directly to Dr. Bean as soon as he received a copy of the flyer which he said was displayed on a table among other scholarship materials.
“It is nothing more than a solicitation for homosexuality,” said Register. “To me it openly offers the opportunity to be ‘paid’ by voluntarily coming forth and admitting homosexuality or your support of the homosexual agenda.
“I think it is an outrage and should not be allowed in our schools.”
The scholarship is offered by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). According to the flyer, applications for scholarships for $5,000, $2,500, or $1,000 are available.
Before completing the form to apply for one of the scholarships, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
• Be a graduating senior entering higher education for the first time in 2009 (2008 graduates who take a year off are still eligible).
• Self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or as a straight ally.
• Demonstrate an interest in service to the LGBT community.
• Apply to an accredited higher education institution.
According to Dr. Bean, she and members of the board were unaware of the flyer’s presence in the school. In a phone interview, Dr. Bean revealed she had learned that this was not the first year the PFLAG scholarship flyer had been on display in the school.
“Apparently this is the second, possibly third year it has been made available,” said Dr. Bean. “This is the first time this has ever been brought to our attention.
“There is a table in the guidance office that features scholarship materials and that is in fact where the flyer was located. The board does not sanction these materials. They are placed there by guidance counselors.”
Dr. Bean said the flyer was removed after the deadline passed. She says she has never been aware of a Crisp County student receiving or even applying for one of the scholarships.
“If they can promote things like that in our schools without us being made aware of it, then we have a problem,” said Register.
“Dr. Bean informed me that neither she nor the board was aware of the material. I think that is a problem. Our local administration and government needs to be able to keep us informed.
“Every parent should have known it was there. Every community has their own moral standards and should not have to worry about things like this sneaking past us.”
Rev. Ray Burnette, director of missions for the Houston Baptist Association, said the association is taking a stand in the situation.
“We are going to speak up and let it be known how the Christian community feels about this,” said Burnette.
“As Christians we have a right to stand up for what the Bible says about this issue (homosexuality).
“It is our hope that this will be taken out of the school and in the future things like this are evaluated before they are placed in front of our children.
“I believe we should have a choice as to what our children are being exposed to.”
Bean asked the school for copies of the PFLAG scholarship information material. She was scheduled to bring that material before the board as information.
“It is unsure what, if anything the board can do about the situation,” said Bean.
Crisp County High School Principal Toriano Gilbert said the scholarship information in question is placed on a table among other scholarships available for interested students. A list of available scholarships can also be viewed on the school website.
“We do not promote any particular scholarship through our guidance office,” Gilbert said. “However, we do not discriminate against any particular group either.”
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Amazing Race weekly blog: A little Shaking Going On.
Hello again fellow Amazing Race fans. I knew I was going to be late this evening and made sure to have my DVR and a backup set to record the show at 8pm. Well little did I know that like the NFL football games in the fall that could cause the show to be delayed on the east coast that the same would occur in the spring because of a sporting event that I truly don’t care about. College Basketball’s March Madness, of course traditionally shown on CBS. So while I was 30 minutes late getting home, the show was a full hour late. At least I am not missing it.
What I have been missing is on my predictions for elimination of teams on The Amazing Race. My last prediction for elimination was for Christie & Jodi because on this episode they face a “speed bump” that could cause a delay and keep them in the back of the pack. I have been predicting that the gay father and son team Mel & Mike for elimination most weeks because Mel has struggled through the hefty tasks and travel. He’s had it easy for a couple episodes. Now it’s time for suffering. Suffering? Well, this episode began with teams leaving the cold and cleanliness of Russia for the hot and dusty land of India.
Margie & Luke left the pit-stop first just after Midnight, Tammy & Victor at 12:24pm, Former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jaime & Cara at 12:30, Mel & Mike at 1:01am, brothers Mark & Michael at 1:02, sisters Kisha & Jen at 1:30am and last place team Christie & Jodi at 3am. But none of this will matter as once again, teams face that great equalizer of flight schedules AND a requirement that they make their travel through Moscow. And while the teams departed on different flights overnight, everyone would make the same flight from New Delhi to the city of Japur, India.
Once in India, teams had to travel by taxi to locate a specific tree to get their next clue. And this is when teams had trouble with taxis. First Mel & Mike’s taxi driver walked away from the car temporarily leaving Mel & Mike stranded for a few moments. Knowing their driver was getting directions and other teams already on their way, they tried to get another taxi. But their things were locked in the trunk. Other problems included one team’s taxi stopping to get gas.
Teams had a reality check while riding in their taxis as they began to see the poorer areas where people and animals were seen eating trash, children were walking around naked and living conditions were very poor. The most emotional was Luke who cried like a baby as he saw the living conditions.
Once teams located this sacred tree there were telephones there where they would have to listen for their next clue. Margie & Luke decided to follow another team and didn’t use the telephone
The next clue sent teams to a place called Amber Fort and there was the “roadblock” task that required teams to care for a camel by providing feed and water to a herd of camel. This was a physically demanding task that required carrying heavy buckets of water and large baskets of feed. It was time for the elderly Mel to do some heavy work and he did so much faster than expected.
Some teams broke some of the rules of this task by not using the correct type of bucket or basket according to local customs. But they corrected themselves part way through their task.
After the “detour” came the “speed bump” task that only Christie & Jodi would have to complete. That task had them decorate an elephant with paint for a festival. It seemed like a fun event but they were still in last place and this task would only delay them further.
After the “roadblock”, teams had to race to a puppet store in town to get their next clue, the “detour”. Detour task choices were “Movers” when teams would have to transport several large barrels full of hay on a pedaled vehicle to a location where they would then search through the barrels for a small metal elephant trinket and then exchange it for their next clue. The other “detour” choice was “shakers” where teams would put on local costumes and dance for tips. Every team chose the “shakers” but brothers Mark & Michael chose the “movers” task and they struggled to search for the tiny trinket in the large barrels.
After earning a certain amount, teams would proceed to the next pit-stop at a place called Jaigarh Fort. The first team to reach the pit-stop was the brother-sister team Tammy & Victor. And for their first arrival at the pit-stop, they won a kayak.
The rest of the arrivals were in the following order.
SECOND: Mel & Mike
The next three arrivals were a foot race.
THIRD: Kisha & Jen, immediately followed by
FOURTH: Margie & Luke immediately followed by
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Michael & Mark
And just a few minutes behind but still in last place were the CHRISTIE & JODI and they were eliminated.
Folks, this means I got a prediction right! And this is a rare occasion. It was very possible that another team could have messed up good enough to allow Jodi & Christie time to catch up. But even Mel & Mike managed better than expected.
We are reaching a point where it is safe to predict what teams would likely make the final three. I think the sibling teams TAMMY & VICTOR and KISHA & JEN can make it to the final three provided they maintain a good relationship and remain focused through the remainder of the race. I also believe JAIME & CARA could make the final three AND I am cheering the former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to win the race. It would be the largest win related to my Miami Dolphins since the 1974 Super Bowl.
DAMN, Jaime & Cara weren’t even born when the NFL team they used to cheer for last won a Super Bowl game. I wish them well. Make us “dolfans” proud Jaime & Cara!
I also think there is a good chance for Margie & Luke to make the final three and but I have to be honest, I think Tammy, Victor, Kisha, Jen, Jaime and Cara are the strongest competitors left in the race. And as much as I hate to appear to be age discriminating I think the remaining competitors are good and will make for a good fight for the race. But they simply are not as physically strong as the younger teams.
So my predictions for upcoming eliminations include Mel & Mike and Mark & Michael. The first team because of the aged and struggling Mel and Mike is a bit of a weakling. Then Mark & Michael are at the back of the pack right now with younger and faster teams leading the pack. Their being stunt men in real life could help them survive the tough tasks but their physical size forces them to work extra hard to get through this race.
My prediction for next elimination is a tough decision. The previews for next week’s broadcast show Margie fainting in the heat but it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. She and Luke will probably survive elimination. I however predict that Mel & Mike will be the next team eliminated. I am guessing that if Margie appears to faint after a grueling leg of the race, Mel won’t have a picnic either. I don’t wish for this, I’m just keeping it real.
So again, my prediction for next elimination is for Mel & Mike.
We shall see next week. I hope you have many great days between now and then.
What I have been missing is on my predictions for elimination of teams on The Amazing Race. My last prediction for elimination was for Christie & Jodi because on this episode they face a “speed bump” that could cause a delay and keep them in the back of the pack. I have been predicting that the gay father and son team Mel & Mike for elimination most weeks because Mel has struggled through the hefty tasks and travel. He’s had it easy for a couple episodes. Now it’s time for suffering. Suffering? Well, this episode began with teams leaving the cold and cleanliness of Russia for the hot and dusty land of India.
Margie & Luke left the pit-stop first just after Midnight, Tammy & Victor at 12:24pm, Former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jaime & Cara at 12:30, Mel & Mike at 1:01am, brothers Mark & Michael at 1:02, sisters Kisha & Jen at 1:30am and last place team Christie & Jodi at 3am. But none of this will matter as once again, teams face that great equalizer of flight schedules AND a requirement that they make their travel through Moscow. And while the teams departed on different flights overnight, everyone would make the same flight from New Delhi to the city of Japur, India.
Once in India, teams had to travel by taxi to locate a specific tree to get their next clue. And this is when teams had trouble with taxis. First Mel & Mike’s taxi driver walked away from the car temporarily leaving Mel & Mike stranded for a few moments. Knowing their driver was getting directions and other teams already on their way, they tried to get another taxi. But their things were locked in the trunk. Other problems included one team’s taxi stopping to get gas.
Teams had a reality check while riding in their taxis as they began to see the poorer areas where people and animals were seen eating trash, children were walking around naked and living conditions were very poor. The most emotional was Luke who cried like a baby as he saw the living conditions.
Once teams located this sacred tree there were telephones there where they would have to listen for their next clue. Margie & Luke decided to follow another team and didn’t use the telephone
The next clue sent teams to a place called Amber Fort and there was the “roadblock” task that required teams to care for a camel by providing feed and water to a herd of camel. This was a physically demanding task that required carrying heavy buckets of water and large baskets of feed. It was time for the elderly Mel to do some heavy work and he did so much faster than expected.
Some teams broke some of the rules of this task by not using the correct type of bucket or basket according to local customs. But they corrected themselves part way through their task.
After the “detour” came the “speed bump” task that only Christie & Jodi would have to complete. That task had them decorate an elephant with paint for a festival. It seemed like a fun event but they were still in last place and this task would only delay them further.
After the “roadblock”, teams had to race to a puppet store in town to get their next clue, the “detour”. Detour task choices were “Movers” when teams would have to transport several large barrels full of hay on a pedaled vehicle to a location where they would then search through the barrels for a small metal elephant trinket and then exchange it for their next clue. The other “detour” choice was “shakers” where teams would put on local costumes and dance for tips. Every team chose the “shakers” but brothers Mark & Michael chose the “movers” task and they struggled to search for the tiny trinket in the large barrels.
After earning a certain amount, teams would proceed to the next pit-stop at a place called Jaigarh Fort. The first team to reach the pit-stop was the brother-sister team Tammy & Victor. And for their first arrival at the pit-stop, they won a kayak.
The rest of the arrivals were in the following order.
SECOND: Mel & Mike
The next three arrivals were a foot race.
THIRD: Kisha & Jen, immediately followed by
FOURTH: Margie & Luke immediately followed by
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Michael & Mark
And just a few minutes behind but still in last place were the CHRISTIE & JODI and they were eliminated.
Folks, this means I got a prediction right! And this is a rare occasion. It was very possible that another team could have messed up good enough to allow Jodi & Christie time to catch up. But even Mel & Mike managed better than expected.
We are reaching a point where it is safe to predict what teams would likely make the final three. I think the sibling teams TAMMY & VICTOR and KISHA & JEN can make it to the final three provided they maintain a good relationship and remain focused through the remainder of the race. I also believe JAIME & CARA could make the final three AND I am cheering the former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to win the race. It would be the largest win related to my Miami Dolphins since the 1974 Super Bowl.
DAMN, Jaime & Cara weren’t even born when the NFL team they used to cheer for last won a Super Bowl game. I wish them well. Make us “dolfans” proud Jaime & Cara!
I also think there is a good chance for Margie & Luke to make the final three and but I have to be honest, I think Tammy, Victor, Kisha, Jen, Jaime and Cara are the strongest competitors left in the race. And as much as I hate to appear to be age discriminating I think the remaining competitors are good and will make for a good fight for the race. But they simply are not as physically strong as the younger teams.
So my predictions for upcoming eliminations include Mel & Mike and Mark & Michael. The first team because of the aged and struggling Mel and Mike is a bit of a weakling. Then Mark & Michael are at the back of the pack right now with younger and faster teams leading the pack. Their being stunt men in real life could help them survive the tough tasks but their physical size forces them to work extra hard to get through this race.
My prediction for next elimination is a tough decision. The previews for next week’s broadcast show Margie fainting in the heat but it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. She and Luke will probably survive elimination. I however predict that Mel & Mike will be the next team eliminated. I am guessing that if Margie appears to faint after a grueling leg of the race, Mel won’t have a picnic either. I don’t wish for this, I’m just keeping it real.
So again, my prediction for next elimination is for Mel & Mike.
We shall see next week. I hope you have many great days between now and then.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
THE AMAZING RACE 14 WEEKLY BLOG: Why mama was right about always having clean underwear.
Mama used to always say "Always have on clean underwear as you never know when you might get into a situation when others may see it" Let me add to that if you are traveling in cold climates, the type of underwear should cover as much as possible and keep you warm.
Well this time I am right in front of my television and blogging my impressions of The Amazing Race as it happens. Welcome to my weekly Amazing Race Blog for season 1.
The teams are in Siberia and its cold. Not only is it cold but with the strongest and potentially fastest teams out of the way, things now start to get ugly amongst the remaining seven teams.
The greatest of what I call the “Great Amazing Race team equalizers” came into play at the start of this leg. Teams had to travel over 400 miles via train to the town of Novosibirsk, Russia. And whatever position a team had didn’t matter. Even though teams departed from the pit-stop starting at 12:35 noon, everyone would wait for the same train scheduled to depart at 10pm that night. So they had an all day wait then an overnight train ride arriving the next afternoon. An entire day of travel passes and everyone is on an equal footing.
After the train ride teams travelled by taxi to their “detour” task choices of “Russian Bride” where teams would drive themselves to an apartment complex and then drive that bride to the church to meet their groom or “Russian Snowplow” where teams would drive themselves to a stadium where they would drive snowplows through a course. The vehicles the teams would use were Russian made vehicles with 4 speed manual transmissions.
During the start of this leg, teams tried to follow each other. Some assumed they still could have alliances with other teams but those so-called alliances began to disappear. The first to pull away from that (literally) was Victor who drove away leaving other teams behind while each of them were getting directions to their “detour” destination.
About half of the teams chose each of the “detour” task choices and there were few problems except for the blondes Christie & Jodi driving their bride to the wrong church. Tammy & Victor finished the snowplow task first and Mel & Mike finished driving the bride to the church first.
Then teams had to drive themselves to a library to search for the next clue and for things many of us should not see ESPECIALLY IN HIGH-DEFINITION… Host Phil Keoghan IN HIS UNDERWEAR!
Actually, it was the introduction to the “roadblock” task where one team member would have to run in a marathon in their underwear. Yes, in the cold winter of Russia, team members had to run outside in their underwear. The team member had to run with fully clothed Russian running partners for about a mile and a half from the library to a theatre where they would meet the other team partner and check in at the pit-stop. The Pit-stop is inside the theatre.
The racers we got to see in their underwear (or less) were Luke in a pair of “tighty blackie” briefs, Cara and Tammy each wearing bikini briefs and tops that didn’t reveal much, Mike in loose fitting boxer briefs, Mark in tight fitting black boxer briefs, Jen who had to actually put on some underwear to complete the task and the only one caught wearing a THONG, the bare-frozen assed Christie.
The racers ran the freezing streets to cheers and looks from the locals. The women got some special attention from the local men including some honking car horns and even a police siren.
Luke was the first to finish and therefore he along with his mother Margie were FIRST at the pit-stop. Their prize for the first-place finish was a vacation to a much warmer locale, Saint Lucia.
The rest of the arrivals were the same order as I mentioned in the underwear run
SECOND: Tammy & Victor
THIRD: Jaime & Cara
FOURTH: Mel & Mike
FIFTH: Mark & Michael
SIXTH: Kisha & Jen
SEVENTH: Christie & Jodi were last but this was the first of the NON-ELIMINATION legs of this season. That is a good prize for having to run outside in your underwear in sub-freezing temperatures. But for not having been eliminated Christie & Jodi will have to complete a special task that is exclusive to them, also known as the “speed bump” and it could seriously delay them and increasing their chances of being eliminated in the next leg.
So we have another first to worst situation. The “dumb blonde” came out of Christie & Jodi when they drove their bride to the wrong church. Kisha & Jen still appeared to have that big sister, little sister battle but on a friendlier scale. Add to that the little sister struggled to drive a stick shift. So Kisha & Jen also fell from the top two to the bottom two.
MY PREDICTIONS:
I think Tammy & Victor will be the strongest team on the race and reach the top three as long as they maintain a civil relationship. But I also think they will play dirty to survive the rest of the race. Also willing to play dirty may be Margie & Luke. I am not sure they will make the final three but they will not go down without a fight. I am not predicting specific teams yet but I do think there is a good chance that there may be an all-female winner of the race. We have three strong all-female teams left who are fully capable both physically and at least two of the teams mentally. I am sorry but I have to pull the stereotype about the “dumb blonde” and predict that Christie & Jodi will struggle to survive another leg. It is for that I am predicting CHRISTIE & JODI for next elimination.
Now, the previews for the next broadcast will show emotions and potential disaster as one team may have lost their bags. That type of mishap has killed off teams in previous seasons. But you cannot assume anything from the previews for the next broadcast. Creative editing creates great illusions.
But because of the next destination being in India and the upcoming “speed bump” task which surely would be something difficult while in India and the fact that it would be two young women who are not accustomed to the heat and poverty they will see while traveling in India. I maintain my current prediction that CHRISTIE & JODI will be the next team eliminated.
We will also see other teams struggle while in India as it has always been the most difficult area of travel on The Amazing Race. From the poverty, the unsanitary conditions or the local transit system together with the tougher tasks based on local customs. The Amazing Race will have tough times ahead.
And I will be watching from the comfort of my air-conditioned home. I can’t wait until next week.
And I hope to never have to see Phil in his DRAWZ ever again!
Well this time I am right in front of my television and blogging my impressions of The Amazing Race as it happens. Welcome to my weekly Amazing Race Blog for season 1.
The teams are in Siberia and its cold. Not only is it cold but with the strongest and potentially fastest teams out of the way, things now start to get ugly amongst the remaining seven teams.
The greatest of what I call the “Great Amazing Race team equalizers” came into play at the start of this leg. Teams had to travel over 400 miles via train to the town of Novosibirsk, Russia. And whatever position a team had didn’t matter. Even though teams departed from the pit-stop starting at 12:35 noon, everyone would wait for the same train scheduled to depart at 10pm that night. So they had an all day wait then an overnight train ride arriving the next afternoon. An entire day of travel passes and everyone is on an equal footing.
After the train ride teams travelled by taxi to their “detour” task choices of “Russian Bride” where teams would drive themselves to an apartment complex and then drive that bride to the church to meet their groom or “Russian Snowplow” where teams would drive themselves to a stadium where they would drive snowplows through a course. The vehicles the teams would use were Russian made vehicles with 4 speed manual transmissions.
During the start of this leg, teams tried to follow each other. Some assumed they still could have alliances with other teams but those so-called alliances began to disappear. The first to pull away from that (literally) was Victor who drove away leaving other teams behind while each of them were getting directions to their “detour” destination.
About half of the teams chose each of the “detour” task choices and there were few problems except for the blondes Christie & Jodi driving their bride to the wrong church. Tammy & Victor finished the snowplow task first and Mel & Mike finished driving the bride to the church first.
Then teams had to drive themselves to a library to search for the next clue and for things many of us should not see ESPECIALLY IN HIGH-DEFINITION… Host Phil Keoghan IN HIS UNDERWEAR!
Actually, it was the introduction to the “roadblock” task where one team member would have to run in a marathon in their underwear. Yes, in the cold winter of Russia, team members had to run outside in their underwear. The team member had to run with fully clothed Russian running partners for about a mile and a half from the library to a theatre where they would meet the other team partner and check in at the pit-stop. The Pit-stop is inside the theatre.
The racers we got to see in their underwear (or less) were Luke in a pair of “tighty blackie” briefs, Cara and Tammy each wearing bikini briefs and tops that didn’t reveal much, Mike in loose fitting boxer briefs, Mark in tight fitting black boxer briefs, Jen who had to actually put on some underwear to complete the task and the only one caught wearing a THONG, the bare-frozen assed Christie.
The racers ran the freezing streets to cheers and looks from the locals. The women got some special attention from the local men including some honking car horns and even a police siren.
Luke was the first to finish and therefore he along with his mother Margie were FIRST at the pit-stop. Their prize for the first-place finish was a vacation to a much warmer locale, Saint Lucia.
The rest of the arrivals were the same order as I mentioned in the underwear run
SECOND: Tammy & Victor
THIRD: Jaime & Cara
FOURTH: Mel & Mike
FIFTH: Mark & Michael
SIXTH: Kisha & Jen
SEVENTH: Christie & Jodi were last but this was the first of the NON-ELIMINATION legs of this season. That is a good prize for having to run outside in your underwear in sub-freezing temperatures. But for not having been eliminated Christie & Jodi will have to complete a special task that is exclusive to them, also known as the “speed bump” and it could seriously delay them and increasing their chances of being eliminated in the next leg.
So we have another first to worst situation. The “dumb blonde” came out of Christie & Jodi when they drove their bride to the wrong church. Kisha & Jen still appeared to have that big sister, little sister battle but on a friendlier scale. Add to that the little sister struggled to drive a stick shift. So Kisha & Jen also fell from the top two to the bottom two.
MY PREDICTIONS:
I think Tammy & Victor will be the strongest team on the race and reach the top three as long as they maintain a civil relationship. But I also think they will play dirty to survive the rest of the race. Also willing to play dirty may be Margie & Luke. I am not sure they will make the final three but they will not go down without a fight. I am not predicting specific teams yet but I do think there is a good chance that there may be an all-female winner of the race. We have three strong all-female teams left who are fully capable both physically and at least two of the teams mentally. I am sorry but I have to pull the stereotype about the “dumb blonde” and predict that Christie & Jodi will struggle to survive another leg. It is for that I am predicting CHRISTIE & JODI for next elimination.
Now, the previews for the next broadcast will show emotions and potential disaster as one team may have lost their bags. That type of mishap has killed off teams in previous seasons. But you cannot assume anything from the previews for the next broadcast. Creative editing creates great illusions.
But because of the next destination being in India and the upcoming “speed bump” task which surely would be something difficult while in India and the fact that it would be two young women who are not accustomed to the heat and poverty they will see while traveling in India. I maintain my current prediction that CHRISTIE & JODI will be the next team eliminated.
We will also see other teams struggle while in India as it has always been the most difficult area of travel on The Amazing Race. From the poverty, the unsanitary conditions or the local transit system together with the tougher tasks based on local customs. The Amazing Race will have tough times ahead.
And I will be watching from the comfort of my air-conditioned home. I can’t wait until next week.
And I hope to never have to see Phil in his DRAWZ ever again!
THE AMAZING RACE WEEKLY BLOG-A little late but done
I apologize for the long delay in getting my weekly Amazing Race blog out. I didn’t get to watch the show for a few days but I assure you that this blogging is still a fresh reaction to what was seen on the previous broadcast of The Amazing Race 14. Until watching this broadcast (recorded via DVR) I have had no knowledge of what happened or who was eliminated. I avoid all media and talk about the show until I see for myself. My having a very busy work week allows for this.
So by the time anyone reads this there will have been TWO broadcasts of The Amazing Race and a new twist to the game will have been revealed. The BLIND U-TURN which allows a team to force a team into a delay anonymously.
Anyway picking up where I left off, there were EIGHT teams. The last team to be eliminated made a huge mistake by making a very risky airline reservation that turned into an overnight delay leading to their elimination. Also we saw a team fall from first to last mainly due to their collapse in teamwork.
IN Romania, the nine remaining teams had to travel to a Hydroelectric Dam in Siberia. Teams were required to travel through Moscow Russia. The teams departed the pit-stop over a three hour spread and split over four different flights and connections from Romania to Moscow. Five teams found themselves stuck in Moscow because of a delayed flight while three teams made the same flight together into Siberia.
The departures from the pit-stop were in the following order. Mel & Mike left at 10:49pm, Amanda & Kris at 10:43, Kisha & Jen at 10:45,Maggie & Luke at 11:03pm, March & Michael at 11:05, Christie & Jodi at 11:08, Jaime & Cara at 11:29pm and Tammy & Victor left the pit-stop two hours later at 1:30am.
Upon leaving the pit-stop teams tried to make their airline reservations by using their taxi driver’s cell phones. But Mark & Michael somehow called Jaime & Cara’s taxi and as that team realized what happened, they seized the opportunity by pretending to be travel agents. It was a funny joke that could have really screwed Mark & Michael up but both teams still managed to make their airline reservations later at the airport. The joke would eventually be on Jaime & Cara as Mark & Michael was one of the three teams to make the connecting flight to Siberia. Jaime & Cara was one of the five teams left behind in Moscow.
The three teams that made the first flight to Siberia arrived overnight and had to wait for the facility to open in the morning. The remaining teams waited in the Moscow Airport overnight and arrived in Siberia in the morning.
Once at the hydroelectric dam teams were given the clue to travel to a church for the detour task choice of either “Stack” where teams would have to stack firewood in precision like wood blocks or a house of cards. Or “Construct” where teams would have to build and install wooden window shutters.
Mark & Michael were in first place but had a mishap while stacking the firewood then they gave up and went to the other task. This allowed Kisha & Jen to finish first quickly followed by Christie & Jodi. While Mark & Michael were searching for the location of their “detour” task, the remaining five teams arrived to work on the firewood stacking “detour” and most of those teams had mishaps where their stacks fell. Some of them had their stack fall just as they reached completion.
Margie & Luke and Tammy & Victor each completed their stacks of firewood. Mel & Mike had a complete collapse of their stack and Amanda & Kris and Jamie & Cara had a partial collapse. Mel, Mike, Amanda and Kris each decided to give up and complete the other “detour” task but one team would find themselves surprised later.
At this point teams faced the new version of the “Amazing Race” “U-Turn”, now called the “Blind U-Turn” where teams could anonymously impose a “u-turn” on another team. The “U-turn” requires a team to return to complete the opposite of their “detour” selection. The fastest and most capable team, Amanda & Kris were selected for the “u-turn” anonymously by Margie and her deaf son Luke. Their reasoning for this was to give Jaime & Cara a chance to complete their stack and stay in the race.
Jaime & Cara managed to finish stacking their wood and moved on to the “roadblock”. The other teams that chose the wood shutters “detour” either struggled to assemble their shutters or to locate a house to install them. The teams worked together during the “detour” but one of them admitted accurately that it was a “caravan of idiots” like the blind leading the blind. One of those teams not yet knowing they were doomed to repeat the task they had given up on.
After the “detour” teams travelled to an amusement park and the “roadblock” task having one team member ride a bobsled at a high rate of speed and while doing so they must look for and memorize letters posted along the course then unscramble the letters to create a word at the end of the ride. The word would be the name of a Russian Playwright.
Luke struggled to complete the roadblock task and became discouraged but with the other teams running slow he had plenty of time to keep trying and finish the task.
After the “roadblock” teams were led to the next pit-stop, The Krasnoyarsk Theatre in Siberia Russia.
It was a race to make first place. Kisha & Jen finished the roadblock FIRST but Christie & Jodi made it to the mat first. For their first place arrival, they each won a motorcycle. Kisha & Jen arrived SECOND.
The rest of the arrivals were….
THIRD: Tammy & Victor returned to the top half of the pack from last place to third
FOURTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Mel & Mike, the team I predicted for elimination survived another leg of the race thanks to the blind u-turn and for their making no mistakes on this leg of the race. But if not for a faster team being sent back to repeat a task I am not sure that Mel & Mike would rank as high as they did.
SEVENTH: Mark & Michael ran out of money to pay their taxi but bargained with their driver and still made it to the mat before the next team and avoided elimination.
EIGHTH: Amanda & Kris assumed that they were selected for the U-turn by Kisha & Jen or Christie & Jodi because of those teams making an earlier flight or being “untrustworthy”. Then Kris commented that Mel & Mike or Margie & Luke would be more compassionate. But it was Margie & Luke who helped keep Amanda & Kris in last place. And Amanda & Kris were eliminated.
The elimination of Amanda & Kris leaves this season of the race with NO strong young athletic male on the race. When things reach a point of needing extreme physical ability, Kris would have easily been one person who could stand up to the challenge. Their elimination also means the end of any married or dating couple on the race. It’s all siblings, friends or relatives. No romantic relationship issues to get in the way of competition.
As for my lame assed predictions for elimination, I think it is a tossup between the current last place teams. In this case you have the oldest competitors in the race with what appears to be a considerable amount of time that could be a problem for them catching up. The previews for the next broadcast show teams having to go for a run in the cold. That could be a problem for those who are out of shape or have limitations. So I will go out and predict again for MEL & MIKE for possible next elimination. I don’t mean to pick on them as they are a team I like but Mel is not the strongest person on this race. He has shown signs of struggle and if another u-turn is used against a stronger team that may be the only thing that keeps him and his son alive a little longer in the race. But for now I predict Mel & Mike for next elimination.
Again, sorry for my very late posting of what is supposed to be a weekly blog. In less than 24 hours we will have seen another Amazing Race broadcast and this time I will be home to watch it on schedule. I expect to post my remarks shortly after.
So by the time anyone reads this there will have been TWO broadcasts of The Amazing Race and a new twist to the game will have been revealed. The BLIND U-TURN which allows a team to force a team into a delay anonymously.
Anyway picking up where I left off, there were EIGHT teams. The last team to be eliminated made a huge mistake by making a very risky airline reservation that turned into an overnight delay leading to their elimination. Also we saw a team fall from first to last mainly due to their collapse in teamwork.
IN Romania, the nine remaining teams had to travel to a Hydroelectric Dam in Siberia. Teams were required to travel through Moscow Russia. The teams departed the pit-stop over a three hour spread and split over four different flights and connections from Romania to Moscow. Five teams found themselves stuck in Moscow because of a delayed flight while three teams made the same flight together into Siberia.
The departures from the pit-stop were in the following order. Mel & Mike left at 10:49pm, Amanda & Kris at 10:43, Kisha & Jen at 10:45,Maggie & Luke at 11:03pm, March & Michael at 11:05, Christie & Jodi at 11:08, Jaime & Cara at 11:29pm and Tammy & Victor left the pit-stop two hours later at 1:30am.
Upon leaving the pit-stop teams tried to make their airline reservations by using their taxi driver’s cell phones. But Mark & Michael somehow called Jaime & Cara’s taxi and as that team realized what happened, they seized the opportunity by pretending to be travel agents. It was a funny joke that could have really screwed Mark & Michael up but both teams still managed to make their airline reservations later at the airport. The joke would eventually be on Jaime & Cara as Mark & Michael was one of the three teams to make the connecting flight to Siberia. Jaime & Cara was one of the five teams left behind in Moscow.
The three teams that made the first flight to Siberia arrived overnight and had to wait for the facility to open in the morning. The remaining teams waited in the Moscow Airport overnight and arrived in Siberia in the morning.
Once at the hydroelectric dam teams were given the clue to travel to a church for the detour task choice of either “Stack” where teams would have to stack firewood in precision like wood blocks or a house of cards. Or “Construct” where teams would have to build and install wooden window shutters.
Mark & Michael were in first place but had a mishap while stacking the firewood then they gave up and went to the other task. This allowed Kisha & Jen to finish first quickly followed by Christie & Jodi. While Mark & Michael were searching for the location of their “detour” task, the remaining five teams arrived to work on the firewood stacking “detour” and most of those teams had mishaps where their stacks fell. Some of them had their stack fall just as they reached completion.
Margie & Luke and Tammy & Victor each completed their stacks of firewood. Mel & Mike had a complete collapse of their stack and Amanda & Kris and Jamie & Cara had a partial collapse. Mel, Mike, Amanda and Kris each decided to give up and complete the other “detour” task but one team would find themselves surprised later.
At this point teams faced the new version of the “Amazing Race” “U-Turn”, now called the “Blind U-Turn” where teams could anonymously impose a “u-turn” on another team. The “U-turn” requires a team to return to complete the opposite of their “detour” selection. The fastest and most capable team, Amanda & Kris were selected for the “u-turn” anonymously by Margie and her deaf son Luke. Their reasoning for this was to give Jaime & Cara a chance to complete their stack and stay in the race.
Jaime & Cara managed to finish stacking their wood and moved on to the “roadblock”. The other teams that chose the wood shutters “detour” either struggled to assemble their shutters or to locate a house to install them. The teams worked together during the “detour” but one of them admitted accurately that it was a “caravan of idiots” like the blind leading the blind. One of those teams not yet knowing they were doomed to repeat the task they had given up on.
After the “detour” teams travelled to an amusement park and the “roadblock” task having one team member ride a bobsled at a high rate of speed and while doing so they must look for and memorize letters posted along the course then unscramble the letters to create a word at the end of the ride. The word would be the name of a Russian Playwright.
Luke struggled to complete the roadblock task and became discouraged but with the other teams running slow he had plenty of time to keep trying and finish the task.
After the “roadblock” teams were led to the next pit-stop, The Krasnoyarsk Theatre in Siberia Russia.
It was a race to make first place. Kisha & Jen finished the roadblock FIRST but Christie & Jodi made it to the mat first. For their first place arrival, they each won a motorcycle. Kisha & Jen arrived SECOND.
The rest of the arrivals were….
THIRD: Tammy & Victor returned to the top half of the pack from last place to third
FOURTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Mel & Mike, the team I predicted for elimination survived another leg of the race thanks to the blind u-turn and for their making no mistakes on this leg of the race. But if not for a faster team being sent back to repeat a task I am not sure that Mel & Mike would rank as high as they did.
SEVENTH: Mark & Michael ran out of money to pay their taxi but bargained with their driver and still made it to the mat before the next team and avoided elimination.
EIGHTH: Amanda & Kris assumed that they were selected for the U-turn by Kisha & Jen or Christie & Jodi because of those teams making an earlier flight or being “untrustworthy”. Then Kris commented that Mel & Mike or Margie & Luke would be more compassionate. But it was Margie & Luke who helped keep Amanda & Kris in last place. And Amanda & Kris were eliminated.
The elimination of Amanda & Kris leaves this season of the race with NO strong young athletic male on the race. When things reach a point of needing extreme physical ability, Kris would have easily been one person who could stand up to the challenge. Their elimination also means the end of any married or dating couple on the race. It’s all siblings, friends or relatives. No romantic relationship issues to get in the way of competition.
As for my lame assed predictions for elimination, I think it is a tossup between the current last place teams. In this case you have the oldest competitors in the race with what appears to be a considerable amount of time that could be a problem for them catching up. The previews for the next broadcast show teams having to go for a run in the cold. That could be a problem for those who are out of shape or have limitations. So I will go out and predict again for MEL & MIKE for possible next elimination. I don’t mean to pick on them as they are a team I like but Mel is not the strongest person on this race. He has shown signs of struggle and if another u-turn is used against a stronger team that may be the only thing that keeps him and his son alive a little longer in the race. But for now I predict Mel & Mike for next elimination.
Again, sorry for my very late posting of what is supposed to be a weekly blog. In less than 24 hours we will have seen another Amazing Race broadcast and this time I will be home to watch it on schedule. I expect to post my remarks shortly after.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Amazing Race weekly Blog: Sibling steam lost.
Before I begin this week's blog I need to rant....
NOTE OF SUGGESTION TO LOCAL CBS AFFILIATE WMAZ-TV CHANNEL 13 IN MACON GEORGIA!
WHEN YOU DECIDE TO RUN A SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR EMERGENCY WEATHER YOU COULD AT LEAST PLACE IT IN A POSITION ON THE SCREEN THAT DOES NOT BLOCK THE TEXT THAT APPEARS DURING THE AMAZING RACE! SURE, YOU THINK THE SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR WEATHER ALERTS AND SCHOOL CLOSINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT DAMN, BE CONSIDERATE FOR PEOPLE WHO TUNE IN TO WATCH THE AMAZING RACE.
The reason for the opening statement is because on the evening of the March 1st broadcast of The Amazing Race in Central Georgia, the area had a rare snow storm of LESS THAN ONE INCH of snow which caused some sort of a panic and most of the schools decided to close on the next Monday even though most of the snow DIDN’T STICK and or had melted within a couple hours! The local station plastered message scrolling at the bottom of the screen through MOST of the broadcast and I was unable to read anything that would identify a team, a location or a team place position throughout this week’s broadcast.
I bet they weren't as paranoid about snow in the Northeast, where some areas got a FOOT of snow this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now, on to the blog
Greetings everyone and I apologize for my delay in posting this week’s weekly Amazing Race blog. I had a busy weekend so I missed the actual broadcast. But thanks to the DVR, I had the show recorded and watched it a day later, so here are my impressions for this week.
So far I am enjoying the season. I like the new editing and updated theme music for the show. And certainly I am enjoying the scenery. Also there are hardly any teams or team members that are annoying the crap out of me unlike any other season so far. I have noticed a great problem developing with the sibling teams. The older sibling takes on a more dominant role and the younger sibling feeling disrespected and wanting more equal and fair treatment from the older sibling. As the older sibling with a very vocal and sometimes mean spirited younger sister I certainly know how it feels to think I know more because I am a few years older and have to fight with the younger sister over it. It’s really not a fun position to be in and I could see where it could eventually cause problems in a situation like The Amazing Race. So we are about to see an escalation in tension between siblings within a team.
Having said that, the top team from last week’s broadcast is the brother-sister team TAMMY & VICTOR who arrived at the pit-stop in Salzburg Austria first and breezed through the last leg of the race but began to show signs of struggling to get along.
The departures from the pit-stop began late in the morning with Tammy & Victor leaving at 10:13am nearly two hours before the next team, the gay father and gay son Mel & Mike who left at noon. Followed by Amanda & Kris at 12:15, mother and son Margie & Luke at 12:30 then married couple Brad and Victoria, former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jamie & Cara, sisters Kisha & Jen, brothers Mark & Michael and finally, the blonde beauty queens Christie & Jodi. I don’t have the departure times for most teams because of screen blockage for weather problems we had over the weekend. The local station ran messages at the bottom of the screen so I could not read the actual time of departures. I do remember from the last broadcast that there appeared to be a long stretch toward the end with the last place team arriving very late at night.
Teams travelled to Romania to the gymnasium where Olympic Champion Nadia Comeniche trained for the 1976 games. And getting to Romania was a challenge for some.
So with the rather large stretch of time between the first and last team departures, Tammy & Victor had the greatest head start of at least two hours before the second team. Most of the next teams were able to catch the same train and they made reservations for flights leaving for Romania at 4:45pm while Tammy & Victor made reservations for a 3pm flight. But their plane had to return to the airport in Munich because of mechanical problems. With their great head start completely vanished, Tammy & Victor had to settle for a 9:30pm flight with the four teams at the back of the pack. Meanwhile, married couple Brad & Victoria gambled on an earlier flight (7:30pm) with a connection and lost because their first flight was delayed and they missed their connecting flight in Amsterdam. They were forced to wait until the next morning for any available flight to Romania.
So Mel & Mike, Amanda & Kris and Margie & Luke were all hours ahead of everyone else arriving in Romania and took taxis to the historic gym for this episode’s “roadblock” task where teams had to perform gymnastics. We saw Amanda complete the procedures first then Margie and Mike. Those three teams moved on before the next few teams flight arrived. Then Tammy & Victor, who started this leg with a two hour head start, had bad directions and were the last of the teams from the 9:30 flight to arrive at the roadblock. Now Tammy & Victor were further behind in the race. Then Tammy struggled to complete the gymnastic procedures under the constant pressure of her older brother pushing her to get the task done. The other teams had left the gymnasium.
It is at this point, THE GREAT AMAZING RACE TEAM EQUALIZER DEMON came into place as ALL but one team met at the Bucharest train station. The train everyone would have to take was not leaving until 6am the next morning. The one team behind was Brad & Victoria at the airport in Amsterdam with no chance of catching up.
After the roadblock, teams then had to travel by train to the area of Transylvania to locate “the black church” for the “detour” task choices of “gypsy moves” where teams would go to a Gypsy settlement where they would act in helping a Gypsy family move using manual labor or “vampire remains” where teams would have to perform tasks inspired by “Dracula” that involve opening a coffin and smashing antique wooden frames stored inside the coffin to locate the Amazing Race flag then give it to someone dressed like a vampire to get their next clue.
After the “detour” task teams travelled to a local house for the PIT-STOP. Amanda & Kris were first to finish and could have been the first at the pit-stop but they lost their fanny pack with all of their money and passports inside. Mel & Mike were next to leave for the pit-stop and were FIRST to arrive at the pit-stop. For that they won a vacation package to Costa Rica from show sponsor Travelocity. Amanda & Kris found their fanny pack and arrived at the pit-stop in SECOND place.
The rest of the arrivals were…
THIRD: Kisha & Jen
FORTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Mark & Michael in a foot race with the next team
SIXTH: Christie & Jodi. The team I predicted to be eliminated had little problem during this leg of the race. They also caught up
with the help of travel schedules.
SEVENTH: Jamie & Cara
EIGHTH: Tammy & Victor struggled to get along and in the process, they got lost during the “detour”. Then Victor became emotional through the “detour” task and appeared to have given up. They also had the unfortunate luck of the early first flight that had to return to the airport and killed their strong lead. I’m sure that played a role in their spirit during this leg of the race. It clearly was not a good time for them.
Married couple Brad & Victoria went on to finish through the leg of the race and arrived after dark and were eliminated. They took a chance on a flight schedule that would have arrived earlier than a later leaving but direct flight that other teams selected. It was a gamble that cost them the race because of a delayed flight and a fogged in connecting airport.
And now I come to the end of this week’s blog and I missed the prediction for elimination. That is actually the norm for me. Sometimes it’s more of a “who I wish would be eliminated” prediction than one based on true ability. But we have good teams left. I should say we have good capable teams left. But if I had to choose one team for elimination that choice would have to be narrowed down to one of strength or great disadvange. But you can’t let any disadvantages fool you.
We have the first ever deaf contestant on the show with Luke & Margie and he and his mother have remained in or near top positions so far. Same for an injured and aging father traveling with his not-so strong son (Mel & Mike). The father is struggling to keep up and sometimes you wonder if he will drop dead. Or is it just an old gay drama queen about to come out?
If I had to continue my tradition of predicting the next team to be eliminated then I have a tough choice to make. The top team is now at the bottom. The bottom of the past couple legs managed to step ahead a couple positions. The team with the “weakest” contestant is Mel & Mike with the old man struggling through most of the heavy tasks. It is not going to get any easier as this race goes on. So I will continue my weekly predictions and I have to say that we will have another “first to worst” situation next week with Mel & Mike being eliminated or at least in last place. That is my prediction. Mel his son Mike.
If they are eliminated they will be fine. Mel needs some rest and you know the eliminated racers have that hidden retreat to hang out at while everyone else lives the rough life in a quest for a million dollars. Hey, it’s still a good “free” vacation.
WE shall see next week. I will try to blog a little sooner after the broadcast.
Have a good week!
NOTE OF SUGGESTION TO LOCAL CBS AFFILIATE WMAZ-TV CHANNEL 13 IN MACON GEORGIA!
WHEN YOU DECIDE TO RUN A SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR EMERGENCY WEATHER YOU COULD AT LEAST PLACE IT IN A POSITION ON THE SCREEN THAT DOES NOT BLOCK THE TEXT THAT APPEARS DURING THE AMAZING RACE! SURE, YOU THINK THE SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR WEATHER ALERTS AND SCHOOL CLOSINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT DAMN, BE CONSIDERATE FOR PEOPLE WHO TUNE IN TO WATCH THE AMAZING RACE.
The reason for the opening statement is because on the evening of the March 1st broadcast of The Amazing Race in Central Georgia, the area had a rare snow storm of LESS THAN ONE INCH of snow which caused some sort of a panic and most of the schools decided to close on the next Monday even though most of the snow DIDN’T STICK and or had melted within a couple hours! The local station plastered message scrolling at the bottom of the screen through MOST of the broadcast and I was unable to read anything that would identify a team, a location or a team place position throughout this week’s broadcast.
I bet they weren't as paranoid about snow in the Northeast, where some areas got a FOOT of snow this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now, on to the blog
Greetings everyone and I apologize for my delay in posting this week’s weekly Amazing Race blog. I had a busy weekend so I missed the actual broadcast. But thanks to the DVR, I had the show recorded and watched it a day later, so here are my impressions for this week.
So far I am enjoying the season. I like the new editing and updated theme music for the show. And certainly I am enjoying the scenery. Also there are hardly any teams or team members that are annoying the crap out of me unlike any other season so far. I have noticed a great problem developing with the sibling teams. The older sibling takes on a more dominant role and the younger sibling feeling disrespected and wanting more equal and fair treatment from the older sibling. As the older sibling with a very vocal and sometimes mean spirited younger sister I certainly know how it feels to think I know more because I am a few years older and have to fight with the younger sister over it. It’s really not a fun position to be in and I could see where it could eventually cause problems in a situation like The Amazing Race. So we are about to see an escalation in tension between siblings within a team.
Having said that, the top team from last week’s broadcast is the brother-sister team TAMMY & VICTOR who arrived at the pit-stop in Salzburg Austria first and breezed through the last leg of the race but began to show signs of struggling to get along.
The departures from the pit-stop began late in the morning with Tammy & Victor leaving at 10:13am nearly two hours before the next team, the gay father and gay son Mel & Mike who left at noon. Followed by Amanda & Kris at 12:15, mother and son Margie & Luke at 12:30 then married couple Brad and Victoria, former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jamie & Cara, sisters Kisha & Jen, brothers Mark & Michael and finally, the blonde beauty queens Christie & Jodi. I don’t have the departure times for most teams because of screen blockage for weather problems we had over the weekend. The local station ran messages at the bottom of the screen so I could not read the actual time of departures. I do remember from the last broadcast that there appeared to be a long stretch toward the end with the last place team arriving very late at night.
Teams travelled to Romania to the gymnasium where Olympic Champion Nadia Comeniche trained for the 1976 games. And getting to Romania was a challenge for some.
So with the rather large stretch of time between the first and last team departures, Tammy & Victor had the greatest head start of at least two hours before the second team. Most of the next teams were able to catch the same train and they made reservations for flights leaving for Romania at 4:45pm while Tammy & Victor made reservations for a 3pm flight. But their plane had to return to the airport in Munich because of mechanical problems. With their great head start completely vanished, Tammy & Victor had to settle for a 9:30pm flight with the four teams at the back of the pack. Meanwhile, married couple Brad & Victoria gambled on an earlier flight (7:30pm) with a connection and lost because their first flight was delayed and they missed their connecting flight in Amsterdam. They were forced to wait until the next morning for any available flight to Romania.
So Mel & Mike, Amanda & Kris and Margie & Luke were all hours ahead of everyone else arriving in Romania and took taxis to the historic gym for this episode’s “roadblock” task where teams had to perform gymnastics. We saw Amanda complete the procedures first then Margie and Mike. Those three teams moved on before the next few teams flight arrived. Then Tammy & Victor, who started this leg with a two hour head start, had bad directions and were the last of the teams from the 9:30 flight to arrive at the roadblock. Now Tammy & Victor were further behind in the race. Then Tammy struggled to complete the gymnastic procedures under the constant pressure of her older brother pushing her to get the task done. The other teams had left the gymnasium.
It is at this point, THE GREAT AMAZING RACE TEAM EQUALIZER DEMON came into place as ALL but one team met at the Bucharest train station. The train everyone would have to take was not leaving until 6am the next morning. The one team behind was Brad & Victoria at the airport in Amsterdam with no chance of catching up.
After the roadblock, teams then had to travel by train to the area of Transylvania to locate “the black church” for the “detour” task choices of “gypsy moves” where teams would go to a Gypsy settlement where they would act in helping a Gypsy family move using manual labor or “vampire remains” where teams would have to perform tasks inspired by “Dracula” that involve opening a coffin and smashing antique wooden frames stored inside the coffin to locate the Amazing Race flag then give it to someone dressed like a vampire to get their next clue.
After the “detour” task teams travelled to a local house for the PIT-STOP. Amanda & Kris were first to finish and could have been the first at the pit-stop but they lost their fanny pack with all of their money and passports inside. Mel & Mike were next to leave for the pit-stop and were FIRST to arrive at the pit-stop. For that they won a vacation package to Costa Rica from show sponsor Travelocity. Amanda & Kris found their fanny pack and arrived at the pit-stop in SECOND place.
The rest of the arrivals were…
THIRD: Kisha & Jen
FORTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Mark & Michael in a foot race with the next team
SIXTH: Christie & Jodi. The team I predicted to be eliminated had little problem during this leg of the race. They also caught up
with the help of travel schedules.
SEVENTH: Jamie & Cara
EIGHTH: Tammy & Victor struggled to get along and in the process, they got lost during the “detour”. Then Victor became emotional through the “detour” task and appeared to have given up. They also had the unfortunate luck of the early first flight that had to return to the airport and killed their strong lead. I’m sure that played a role in their spirit during this leg of the race. It clearly was not a good time for them.
Married couple Brad & Victoria went on to finish through the leg of the race and arrived after dark and were eliminated. They took a chance on a flight schedule that would have arrived earlier than a later leaving but direct flight that other teams selected. It was a gamble that cost them the race because of a delayed flight and a fogged in connecting airport.
And now I come to the end of this week’s blog and I missed the prediction for elimination. That is actually the norm for me. Sometimes it’s more of a “who I wish would be eliminated” prediction than one based on true ability. But we have good teams left. I should say we have good capable teams left. But if I had to choose one team for elimination that choice would have to be narrowed down to one of strength or great disadvange. But you can’t let any disadvantages fool you.
We have the first ever deaf contestant on the show with Luke & Margie and he and his mother have remained in or near top positions so far. Same for an injured and aging father traveling with his not-so strong son (Mel & Mike). The father is struggling to keep up and sometimes you wonder if he will drop dead. Or is it just an old gay drama queen about to come out?
If I had to continue my tradition of predicting the next team to be eliminated then I have a tough choice to make. The top team is now at the bottom. The bottom of the past couple legs managed to step ahead a couple positions. The team with the “weakest” contestant is Mel & Mike with the old man struggling through most of the heavy tasks. It is not going to get any easier as this race goes on. So I will continue my weekly predictions and I have to say that we will have another “first to worst” situation next week with Mel & Mike being eliminated or at least in last place. That is my prediction. Mel his son Mike.
If they are eliminated they will be fine. Mel needs some rest and you know the eliminated racers have that hidden retreat to hang out at while everyone else lives the rough life in a quest for a million dollars. Hey, it’s still a good “free” vacation.
WE shall see next week. I will try to blog a little sooner after the broadcast.
Have a good week!
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