I have to be careful what I say about the clergy. A few months ago I said something about the clergy and some people were highly offended by the way I expressed myself. It didn't matter what I said to explain my side of it and how offended I was at the CLERGY's actions during that time. People were pissed at me and some tried to start trouble for me. So sadly I shouldn't use the words I used in the past. But I wish I could use my past emotions for a member of the clergy based in the Washington DC area. The person I am blogging about is a homopobic idiot plain and simple. Get mad at me for saying it but it is what it is. And if you can't see what an idiot that @#$$## is then I question YOUR level of intellgence.
Yes, I am offended again today by a member of the clergy but I am also amused at the ignorance of the person. Keep reading and watch the video and most of you will understand. I hope.
Pastor Leroy Swailes testified before the Washington DC Board of Elections and Ethics regarding the district's recently establised law that recognizes same-sex marriages that were legally performed in other states.
The pastor spoke of the usual wacky excuses for his homophobia and discrimination toward the GLBT community by comparing homosexuality to pedophilia and other "threats" to humanity.
Here is the video of the idiot
I found this transcript of the clergyman's speech on PAM'S HOUSE BLEND
Now when I, when I was growing up here sex was only between a male and female. Now it's between Adam and Adam Eve and Eve which I can't understand. You talk about discrimination and people's rights. OK. The thing about it is you have rights and you have human rights but you have inhuman rights. If a man get with another man a woman get with another man. That's it it's inhuman. So me as a man that deals with the deals with the opposite sex I don't see how you can put the two together. You have to separate them. Once you separate them that would be discrimination. Cause discrimination's a negative and a positive. Me as a black men when they discriminated against me I came out of my mother's womb like I didn't have a choice. That was a negative discrimination. If you discriminate against a homosexual that's a positive. Why? Cause of the children. You've got people they called pedophiles. Then you got pedophilia. What is pedophilia? It's when your deception is Adam and Adam Eve and Eve. And you're going to look in the eyes of a child and you're going to tell a child that sex is between Adam and Adam Eve and Eve. You become a pedophile.
These books here. These books here. When they talk about King and King. And this and this Prince (unintelligible) Prince is a pedophile book. This book here that says Heather and Heather is a pedophile book. Pedophalia. Pha-Phaillia. This book here that talk about. Daddy's Roommate? Is a pedophile book. This book here talk about All Families Are Different. Has to do with what? You have, let's see God's family which is a natural family. And you have the Anti-Christ family. Either you Christ or you Anti-Christ. Make your decision. Whatcha gonna be? You cannot be both. But if you can look in the eyes of a child and tell a child they have a choice to be hetero heterosexual or homosexual you have a serious problem. And we're back to discrimination and human rights.
Everybody should have human rights but you have to be human. You and me you deal with the opposite sex. That's by nature. That's a blueprint. If there's a plan there's a plan. If there's a design there's a design. That's the way the planet was designed. We cannot cha-change the cycle of life. That's just like oxygen comes from plants. It goes up into the air. It mix with molecules with others in the air. It comes down hit Mother Earth. When they penetrate inserts Mother Earth we have what? What. We have life. Homosexuality'd destroy us. There would be extinction of the human race. If you go back five thousand years and do the research like I have (unintelligible) last culture it was the death of their culture why? Because they gave in to strange sexua sex strange. They gave in to strange flesh. The same sex. Which is a form of bestiality. Why is it a form of bestiality? Because a beast has four legs and one gender. If you put two men together they have four legs and two penises and still one gender. That's a form of bestiality. That's what we're accepting here. If you put Adam Eve and Eve together two vaginas are still one gender. That's a form of bestiality.
We have to separate it. And when you separate something you're discrimination. If I put a glass of water here and a glass of poison, which one you're gonna choose? You're gonna choose the water. That's discrimination. If you put a heterosexual girl here and a homosexual girl here I'm going choose a heterosexual. That's discrimination. Discrimination is a negative and a positive. In order to have a future with our children and everything the word discrimination have to come in. To protect children. I cannot look in the eyes of a child and tell that child you got a choice to be heterosexual or homosexual. That would make me a sadist. So what is a sadist? A sadist is someone that distorts sex. Sex is only between a male and female and somebody comin around and tell you that they'd become a sadist. And I don't practice Satanism. And we as a city, D.C., we got to realize that you gotta 'scriminate against something that's inhuman. Thank you very much.
Now I dare someone to tell me where I am wrong about calling Pastor Leroy an idiot.
I know some of you believe that being "nice" toward our enemies and taking the high road is the best way to work toward change. Well look how far this is getting us? We have people like Pastor Leroy in a leadership position proving to be a complete idiot. And because of people like him, the only "high road" anyone should take is the highest road leaving anywhere Pastor Leroy and his ilk reside or have any form of control.
PERIOD!
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
I am in the Michael Jackson FREE ZONE and don't you dare penetrate it.
Sometime last month a celebrity named Michael Jackson died. He had LOTS of devoted fans who were distraught when the news of his death came out.
People all over world played, sang and listened to his music. Even I listened to some of the songs that I liked that Michael Jackson's voice just happened to be on. I admit Michael Jackson had talent. But Michael Jackson also had issues.
People have spent the past many many many days either talking about his talents or talking about his controversies. But my reason for this blog is to not rehash everything we know about Michael Jackson good or bad. I want to put in firmly on record that I am dropping far out of this circus.
I could say that the vultures (family) have flocked to the image and estate ($$$) of Michael Jackson like flies to a turd. The fact alone that it has taken a couple weeks to finally get to having a funeral is disgusting in itself. But that's all I am going to say about that. Count me as one who is very long tired of hearing anything further about Michael Jackson. So I insist that anyone who knows me get to know the following very very well.
I AM DONE WITH THE MICHAEL JACKSON CIRCUS! I will NOT watch the funeral circus on television, will NOT read news articles nor watch or listen to newscasts about this funeral circus. This may mean totally turning off ALL access to media for at least the next couple days. But I will be a peace.
I don't want any e-mails about. No text messages and I will not read your Twitter, Facebook or MySpace posts or status updates about Michael Jackson.
DO NOT CALL ME ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON over the telephone. Any violators of that request will hear a dial tone.
I will ignore publicity whores like Al Sharpton who think that Michael Jackson's funeral circus should represent a national day or mourning. I will also not purchase a stamp with his plastic face on it. Let me stress again, I am long tired of this frenzy. See my life will NOT come to an end because of the death of Michael Jackson.
I will enjoy some of his music in the future but I am so tired of hearing any of it right now. A couple days of honoring his memory was more than enough. But this obsession along with the media frenzy and fans who must have way too much time on their hands are rather pathetic. Its my opinion and I understand that I may be in a minority. But my life from the posting of this blog forward is now a MICHAEL JACKSON FREE ZONE!
I know it will be difficult to avoid the news, but you can be dammed sure that I will avoid any talk or knowledge of it for the foreseeable future.
People all over world played, sang and listened to his music. Even I listened to some of the songs that I liked that Michael Jackson's voice just happened to be on. I admit Michael Jackson had talent. But Michael Jackson also had issues.
People have spent the past many many many days either talking about his talents or talking about his controversies. But my reason for this blog is to not rehash everything we know about Michael Jackson good or bad. I want to put in firmly on record that I am dropping far out of this circus.
I could say that the vultures (family) have flocked to the image and estate ($$$) of Michael Jackson like flies to a turd. The fact alone that it has taken a couple weeks to finally get to having a funeral is disgusting in itself. But that's all I am going to say about that. Count me as one who is very long tired of hearing anything further about Michael Jackson. So I insist that anyone who knows me get to know the following very very well.
I AM DONE WITH THE MICHAEL JACKSON CIRCUS! I will NOT watch the funeral circus on television, will NOT read news articles nor watch or listen to newscasts about this funeral circus. This may mean totally turning off ALL access to media for at least the next couple days. But I will be a peace.
I don't want any e-mails about. No text messages and I will not read your Twitter, Facebook or MySpace posts or status updates about Michael Jackson.
DO NOT CALL ME ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON over the telephone. Any violators of that request will hear a dial tone.
I will ignore publicity whores like Al Sharpton who think that Michael Jackson's funeral circus should represent a national day or mourning. I will also not purchase a stamp with his plastic face on it. Let me stress again, I am long tired of this frenzy. See my life will NOT come to an end because of the death of Michael Jackson.
I will enjoy some of his music in the future but I am so tired of hearing any of it right now. A couple days of honoring his memory was more than enough. But this obsession along with the media frenzy and fans who must have way too much time on their hands are rather pathetic. Its my opinion and I understand that I may be in a minority. But my life from the posting of this blog forward is now a MICHAEL JACKSON FREE ZONE!
I know it will be difficult to avoid the news, but you can be dammed sure that I will avoid any talk or knowledge of it for the foreseeable future.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Amazing Race 14 finale: Another over-achieving sibling achivement.
The series finale of THE AMAZING RACE 14 had the usual tension brought on by creative editing during that rush to the finish line. Those who were eliminated during all the previous legs were taken out of their hideaway vacation spot and brought to a tropical paradise to greet the racers who suffered through eating insects, swimming, jumping, carrying loads and generally suffering around the world. Then all it took was ONE clue to bring a team down and Karma to slow another team to a crawl.
Sucks to be all of these contestants huh? Well, they got to travel around the world and didn't have to pay money for it.
The final leg of the Amazing Race 14 began in Beijing China and ended in Maui, Hawaii. TAMMY & VICTOR left the pit-stop at 9:15pm, MARGIE & LUKE at 11:04pm, and JAIME & CARA at 2:04am but the earliest flight would be at 9am the next morning making all teams equal as they return to the United States.
Once in Maui, teams had to rush to a beach to prepare a pig for a traditional Hawaiian Luau. Realizing that time was of the essence, some teams changed into bathing suits while riding in their taxis. Then some teams struggled to carry the heavy pig along the beach mainly Tammy & Victor as Tammy kept dropping the pig. Cara also struggled to carry her end while Jaime verbally expressed her frustration. Margie & Luke prepped their pig first.
The next stop was at Macgregor Point where teams had to use personal watercraft vehicles to search for their next clue among hundreds of buoys in the ocean. Here you see Margie becoming more frustrated with her deaf son communications in the form of yelling during the task. Still, they finished first and continued to the next task but the other teams were catching up.
Next stop had teams travel to Maui’s “surfboard” fence where the teams had their “roadblock” where a team member had to assemble surfboards with photos that identify each of the destinations in the correct order. Luke claimed the best memory so he performed the task and while doing so he had to keep pulling his bathing suit trunks up. Eventually he just took them off and continued the task in his underwear. I guess nobody told him he could tie up the string in his bathing suit. When Victor and Tammy arrived, he had the same problem with his shorts and he also removed them and continued the “roadblock” in his Speedos.
The other two teams began to lose time on the way to the “roadblock” as Tammy & Victor’s taxi cruised along behind a very slow driver and they were unable to pass and Jaime & Cara’s taxi driver got lost. Jaime’s attitude kicked in while the driver asked for directions via phone then Karma stuck back as the taxi operator got testy and refused to give the driver directions. So as a last resort, they called the local police to ask for directions. Then their taxi had to stop for gas which further frustrated Jaime but she later apologized for yelling at the driver. Eventually Jaime & Cara caught up at the “roadblock”.
Completing the last leg “roadblock” task is like completing a puzzle by memory. Many teams struggle to get the clues in the exact order and even the best ones get frustrated on just one or two clues. That happened to Luke and he became so frustrated he threw a surfboard. Luke was stuck only on ONE clue then Victor finished first and hauled ass out of there, then Jaime helped Luke decide his final clue after she finished second.
After the “roadblock” teams headed to the King Kamehameha Golf Club for the finish line and it was an easy finish for another over achieving sibling team as TAMMY & VICTOR are the winners of The Amazing Race. JAIME & CARA were second and the deaf boy Luke with his mommy Margie came in third.
Well that’s it. The fourteenth season of The Amazing Race is done. I think this was one of the most competitive seasons ever. Teams dropped in the necessary order of ability and at least one team with a challenge was able to complete the race. And while I had issues with Luke & Margie during the later legs of the race I do congratulate them on their achievements.
Once again, South Florida has a runner up with Jaime & Cara. They did well then Jaime showed a lot of kindness with her assisting Luke in that final task. Honestly, it would not have mattered since Tammy & Victor had already left for the finish line. But many teams would not have cared enough. I don’t think Luke would have cared enough to help anyone, so he should definitely be grateful.
So that is the end of my Amazing Race blogging season. Sunday nights will be rather boring for a while.
Thanks for reading my weekly Amazing Race blogs. I truly appreciate it
Sucks to be all of these contestants huh? Well, they got to travel around the world and didn't have to pay money for it.
The final leg of the Amazing Race 14 began in Beijing China and ended in Maui, Hawaii. TAMMY & VICTOR left the pit-stop at 9:15pm, MARGIE & LUKE at 11:04pm, and JAIME & CARA at 2:04am but the earliest flight would be at 9am the next morning making all teams equal as they return to the United States.
Once in Maui, teams had to rush to a beach to prepare a pig for a traditional Hawaiian Luau. Realizing that time was of the essence, some teams changed into bathing suits while riding in their taxis. Then some teams struggled to carry the heavy pig along the beach mainly Tammy & Victor as Tammy kept dropping the pig. Cara also struggled to carry her end while Jaime verbally expressed her frustration. Margie & Luke prepped their pig first.
The next stop was at Macgregor Point where teams had to use personal watercraft vehicles to search for their next clue among hundreds of buoys in the ocean. Here you see Margie becoming more frustrated with her deaf son communications in the form of yelling during the task. Still, they finished first and continued to the next task but the other teams were catching up.
Next stop had teams travel to Maui’s “surfboard” fence where the teams had their “roadblock” where a team member had to assemble surfboards with photos that identify each of the destinations in the correct order. Luke claimed the best memory so he performed the task and while doing so he had to keep pulling his bathing suit trunks up. Eventually he just took them off and continued the task in his underwear. I guess nobody told him he could tie up the string in his bathing suit. When Victor and Tammy arrived, he had the same problem with his shorts and he also removed them and continued the “roadblock” in his Speedos.
The other two teams began to lose time on the way to the “roadblock” as Tammy & Victor’s taxi cruised along behind a very slow driver and they were unable to pass and Jaime & Cara’s taxi driver got lost. Jaime’s attitude kicked in while the driver asked for directions via phone then Karma stuck back as the taxi operator got testy and refused to give the driver directions. So as a last resort, they called the local police to ask for directions. Then their taxi had to stop for gas which further frustrated Jaime but she later apologized for yelling at the driver. Eventually Jaime & Cara caught up at the “roadblock”.
Completing the last leg “roadblock” task is like completing a puzzle by memory. Many teams struggle to get the clues in the exact order and even the best ones get frustrated on just one or two clues. That happened to Luke and he became so frustrated he threw a surfboard. Luke was stuck only on ONE clue then Victor finished first and hauled ass out of there, then Jaime helped Luke decide his final clue after she finished second.
After the “roadblock” teams headed to the King Kamehameha Golf Club for the finish line and it was an easy finish for another over achieving sibling team as TAMMY & VICTOR are the winners of The Amazing Race. JAIME & CARA were second and the deaf boy Luke with his mommy Margie came in third.
Well that’s it. The fourteenth season of The Amazing Race is done. I think this was one of the most competitive seasons ever. Teams dropped in the necessary order of ability and at least one team with a challenge was able to complete the race. And while I had issues with Luke & Margie during the later legs of the race I do congratulate them on their achievements.
Once again, South Florida has a runner up with Jaime & Cara. They did well then Jaime showed a lot of kindness with her assisting Luke in that final task. Honestly, it would not have mattered since Tammy & Victor had already left for the finish line. But many teams would not have cared enough. I don’t think Luke would have cared enough to help anyone, so he should definitely be grateful.
So that is the end of my Amazing Race blogging season. Sunday nights will be rather boring for a while.
Thanks for reading my weekly Amazing Race blogs. I truly appreciate it
The Amazing Race 14: To Pee or make the Final Three?
Hello Amazing Race fans.
I am blogging this just before the final three season finale will broadcast. This means I am a week late in blogging about the previous leg of The Amazing Race. But I have to tell you that watching last week was an amazing time of itself.
Last weekend I was out of town visiting family for a wedding. On Sunday we had afternoon storms that led to a power outage at my father’s house but electricity was on at a cousin’s home down the road. So we gathered at the house with electricity and I discovered that I have a few family members who were fellow Amazing Race fans. For the first time since I started watching the show in 2005 I spend the evening watching and talking about The Amazing Race. And I must tell you, I enjoyed every bit of it. I experienced the shared passion for the competition and opinions of the contestants.
I discovered last weekend that I am not alone in my growing dislike for the Mother and son team Margie & Luke and I am definitely not alone in my befuddlement of the outcome of Kisha & Jen’s participation in the race.
Since I am posting this so late that few if any will be able to read it before the winner is known you probably know that Jen & Kisha was eliminated and the final three would be TAMMY & VICTOR, MARGIE & LUKE and JAIME & CARA. I will tell you that I am cheering for the former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders to become the first ever all-female team to win The Amazing Race.
So to recap what happened before the final three was determined, teams were continuing on an extended leg of the race when they thought that they were headed for a pit-stop. Jaime & Cara were first at the pit-stop for the first time and since the leg was extended, there was no pit-stop prize for them. The second team was Margie & Luke and the third was Tammy & Victor. Kisha & Jen were last but relieved to know that the leg would continue. Jen had just struggled with her fear of water at a swimming pool task and was crying as they believed they were eliminated.
So as the race continues, the first stop on the extended leg was to search shops for a TRAVELOCITY KNOME which would have their next clue. And like all seasons, teams would have to carry the gnome doll with them to the pit-stop. They would then have to travel via electric bicycles across Tieanmenmin Square to a subway station for the next clue, the detour.
The Detour choices were “Beijing Opera” when teams would have to put on costumes and make up to the approval of judges before receiving their next clue, Or “Beijing food” where teams would have to go to a restaurant where teams would take food orders in the Mandarin language and serve to patrons. Most teams chose the “opera” detour except for the Chinese speaking Tammy & Victor who easily performed the restaurant detour then pulled the PUNK MOVE of selecting Kisha & Jen for the second U-TURN of the race.
This was the first of events that set up the demise of Kisha & Jen on The Amazing Race. Unlike the previous one, this “u-turn” was not "blind" so Tammy & Victor were identified as the ones who selected Kisha & Jen for the “u-turn” which forced Kisha & Jen to return to perform the opposite of their “detour”, forcing them to slow down. They wrote a note on the photo of Kisha & Jen saying “Sorry, we can’t outrun you”.
After the “detour” and Tammy & Victor’s “U-turning “ of Kisha & Jen, teams travelled to a food market for this seasons disgusting food eating task, The “roadblock” where team members had to eat friend scorpions and other insects. Jen struggled the most with this task by vomiting into a bucket a couple times and drinking lots of water which would haunt her later.
One team that struggled throughout the season was Jaime & Cara in foreign lands with language barriers, Cara’s attitude toward people who didn’t speak HER language in THEIR native land. In this leg they had their usual taxi problems and fell from first to last place. The caught up with the struggling Kisha & Jen at the “roadblock” task and we had the set up for a footrace to the pit-stop. The pit-stop was the next destination after the “roadblock”. But that footrace required a porta-potty break for Jen and that was the end of the line for the Sisters from Louisville.
Tammy & Victor easily arrived first at the pit-stop and with their Travelocity Gnome they won a vacation package to the Galapagos Islands. Margie & Luke, who were elated to know that their archrivals Kisha & Jen were “u-turned”, were SECOND and Jaime & Cara were the third team to arrive thus the final three was decided.
For the record, the pit-stop location was Niao Ciao, the centerpiece of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And somewhere on the property were a group of public toilet facilities where JEN made the decision to stop to relieve herself. This was the decision that spawned many jokes and a common question.
That question was “If you had to choose between a chance of winning a MILLON DOLLARS or wetting yourself” would you have made that critical decision to make that stop at the porta potty while in a foot race to the pit-stop which was only a few feet away. Well Mother Nature (and a lot of bottled water) called Jen to make the pee stop before the pit-stop.
So Jen Hoffman will go down in history at the woman who “pissed away” a million dollars. Well she pissed away a chance at a million dollars. She said in interviews this week that she did not regret her decision, so it is what it is. But I have to tell you that many people have said that if it were them, they would have taken the chance of wetting their pants, but would have checked in at the pit-stop then sought a bathroom.
There have been many blogs about Jen’s situation. One of the best ones was “Urine or You’re OUT”. And mine is “To Pee or make the Final Three”. Well it rhymed LOL!
And so the final three was set and some of my predictions were true. I did predict that Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke would make the final three. And I hoped that Jaime & Cara would make the final three and I am hoping for them to win. I didn’t predict Kisha & Jen to win but I always knew and grew to respect them as a very strong and competitive team. My earlier predictions for Margie & Luke were also hopes but those changed as their competition became more annoying over time. Luke especially developed a poor attitude and he and his mother held more of a grudge and I find it difficult to support teams with a mean spirit.
And now it is documented. My thoughts about the next to last broadcast of The Amazing Race 14 with less than an hour before the season finale will air on the east coast. As I am typing this, there is a storm outside and the local CBS affiliate is airing storm warnings. It is raining outside my home at the moment and I hear thunder.
If there is a god, PLEASE DON’T INTERFERE WITH MY WATCHING THE FINAL THREE AS THEY TRAVEL TO HAWAII and the winner of AMAZING RACE 14 is declared.
And let’s hope that Jen has emptied her bladder before sitting down to watch the final broadcast that SHE and her sister could have been in.
I am blogging this just before the final three season finale will broadcast. This means I am a week late in blogging about the previous leg of The Amazing Race. But I have to tell you that watching last week was an amazing time of itself.
Last weekend I was out of town visiting family for a wedding. On Sunday we had afternoon storms that led to a power outage at my father’s house but electricity was on at a cousin’s home down the road. So we gathered at the house with electricity and I discovered that I have a few family members who were fellow Amazing Race fans. For the first time since I started watching the show in 2005 I spend the evening watching and talking about The Amazing Race. And I must tell you, I enjoyed every bit of it. I experienced the shared passion for the competition and opinions of the contestants.
I discovered last weekend that I am not alone in my growing dislike for the Mother and son team Margie & Luke and I am definitely not alone in my befuddlement of the outcome of Kisha & Jen’s participation in the race.
Since I am posting this so late that few if any will be able to read it before the winner is known you probably know that Jen & Kisha was eliminated and the final three would be TAMMY & VICTOR, MARGIE & LUKE and JAIME & CARA. I will tell you that I am cheering for the former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders to become the first ever all-female team to win The Amazing Race.
So to recap what happened before the final three was determined, teams were continuing on an extended leg of the race when they thought that they were headed for a pit-stop. Jaime & Cara were first at the pit-stop for the first time and since the leg was extended, there was no pit-stop prize for them. The second team was Margie & Luke and the third was Tammy & Victor. Kisha & Jen were last but relieved to know that the leg would continue. Jen had just struggled with her fear of water at a swimming pool task and was crying as they believed they were eliminated.
So as the race continues, the first stop on the extended leg was to search shops for a TRAVELOCITY KNOME which would have their next clue. And like all seasons, teams would have to carry the gnome doll with them to the pit-stop. They would then have to travel via electric bicycles across Tieanmenmin Square to a subway station for the next clue, the detour.
The Detour choices were “Beijing Opera” when teams would have to put on costumes and make up to the approval of judges before receiving their next clue, Or “Beijing food” where teams would have to go to a restaurant where teams would take food orders in the Mandarin language and serve to patrons. Most teams chose the “opera” detour except for the Chinese speaking Tammy & Victor who easily performed the restaurant detour then pulled the PUNK MOVE of selecting Kisha & Jen for the second U-TURN of the race.
This was the first of events that set up the demise of Kisha & Jen on The Amazing Race. Unlike the previous one, this “u-turn” was not "blind" so Tammy & Victor were identified as the ones who selected Kisha & Jen for the “u-turn” which forced Kisha & Jen to return to perform the opposite of their “detour”, forcing them to slow down. They wrote a note on the photo of Kisha & Jen saying “Sorry, we can’t outrun you”.
After the “detour” and Tammy & Victor’s “U-turning “ of Kisha & Jen, teams travelled to a food market for this seasons disgusting food eating task, The “roadblock” where team members had to eat friend scorpions and other insects. Jen struggled the most with this task by vomiting into a bucket a couple times and drinking lots of water which would haunt her later.
One team that struggled throughout the season was Jaime & Cara in foreign lands with language barriers, Cara’s attitude toward people who didn’t speak HER language in THEIR native land. In this leg they had their usual taxi problems and fell from first to last place. The caught up with the struggling Kisha & Jen at the “roadblock” task and we had the set up for a footrace to the pit-stop. The pit-stop was the next destination after the “roadblock”. But that footrace required a porta-potty break for Jen and that was the end of the line for the Sisters from Louisville.
Tammy & Victor easily arrived first at the pit-stop and with their Travelocity Gnome they won a vacation package to the Galapagos Islands. Margie & Luke, who were elated to know that their archrivals Kisha & Jen were “u-turned”, were SECOND and Jaime & Cara were the third team to arrive thus the final three was decided.
For the record, the pit-stop location was Niao Ciao, the centerpiece of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And somewhere on the property were a group of public toilet facilities where JEN made the decision to stop to relieve herself. This was the decision that spawned many jokes and a common question.
That question was “If you had to choose between a chance of winning a MILLON DOLLARS or wetting yourself” would you have made that critical decision to make that stop at the porta potty while in a foot race to the pit-stop which was only a few feet away. Well Mother Nature (and a lot of bottled water) called Jen to make the pee stop before the pit-stop.
So Jen Hoffman will go down in history at the woman who “pissed away” a million dollars. Well she pissed away a chance at a million dollars. She said in interviews this week that she did not regret her decision, so it is what it is. But I have to tell you that many people have said that if it were them, they would have taken the chance of wetting their pants, but would have checked in at the pit-stop then sought a bathroom.
There have been many blogs about Jen’s situation. One of the best ones was “Urine or You’re OUT”. And mine is “To Pee or make the Final Three”. Well it rhymed LOL!
And so the final three was set and some of my predictions were true. I did predict that Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke would make the final three. And I hoped that Jaime & Cara would make the final three and I am hoping for them to win. I didn’t predict Kisha & Jen to win but I always knew and grew to respect them as a very strong and competitive team. My earlier predictions for Margie & Luke were also hopes but those changed as their competition became more annoying over time. Luke especially developed a poor attitude and he and his mother held more of a grudge and I find it difficult to support teams with a mean spirit.
And now it is documented. My thoughts about the next to last broadcast of The Amazing Race 14 with less than an hour before the season finale will air on the east coast. As I am typing this, there is a storm outside and the local CBS affiliate is airing storm warnings. It is raining outside my home at the moment and I hear thunder.
If there is a god, PLEASE DON’T INTERFERE WITH MY WATCHING THE FINAL THREE AS THEY TRAVEL TO HAWAII and the winner of AMAZING RACE 14 is declared.
And let’s hope that Jen has emptied her bladder before sitting down to watch the final broadcast that SHE and her sister could have been in.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Urine or You're OUT
I am so late in blogging about last Sunday's Amazing Race broadcast.
I am so pissed about the result I just couldn't get myself to actually blog about it. And the pun is intended! I am PISSED!
The title for this short blog entry was stolen from the headline of one blog I read about The Amazing Race.
So if you are looking for my weekly blog about The Amazing Race, hold on I will do one before the finale. I think I have calmed down from last Sunday and I will soon be able to post a rational thought. (if that's possible)
Oh and Blogger tells me I have an official follower. Whoever you are I thank you and I hope I don't disappoint you.
I am so pissed about the result I just couldn't get myself to actually blog about it. And the pun is intended! I am PISSED!
The title for this short blog entry was stolen from the headline of one blog I read about The Amazing Race.
So if you are looking for my weekly blog about The Amazing Race, hold on I will do one before the finale. I think I have calmed down from last Sunday and I will soon be able to post a rational thought. (if that's possible)
Oh and Blogger tells me I have an official follower. Whoever you are I thank you and I hope I don't disappoint you.
(Some of) My All-time "Quiet Storm" classics
You might think that my choosing these songs in a blog titled "E's ALL-TIME Quiet Storm" classics" would mean I may know something about love or romance or love making. Far from the truth! I still hold the distinction of having NEVER found that someone special much less ever having had a "date" or anything close to it. I am long over that and have accepted my failures in that arena to be destiny.
But I have always loved some music that is often shared by couples. Some of this may be called "baby making music". I just call them good songs that I have enjoyed through the years while I am very detached from the meaning of the songs.
So this lists videos of SOME but by no means all and not even a chance of listing any songs in any order. These are just random picks from my favorite nights listening to Vaughn Harper hosting WBLS "Quiet Storm" show in New York, or Huey Anderson of my hometown WEDR 99.1 in Miami or Freddie Cruz of Miami's "hot 105 Quiet Storm" or Mel Devonne's "Love Zone" show. Or the pioneering program of the "quiet storm" genre that is still heard over Washington DC's WHUR. These were some of the great songs that made for great and peaceful nights.
Enjoy if you want to feel soulfully good.
Atlantic Starr (1982)
Chapter 8 Featuring Anita Baker (1980) "I just want to be yours"
Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn (1981) "If this world were mine"
The Isley Brothers (1975) "Sensuality"
Deniece Williams (1977) "Cause You Love Me Baby" produced by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire
Love Unlimited (1974) " I belong to you" produced by Barry White, husband of Love Unlmited lead singer Glodean James-White
And speaking of Barry White, who may be considered the KING of "baby making music" during the 1970's and certainly one of the mainstays of any "quiet storm" broadcast.
"I've Got So Much to Give" (1973) title song to the album of the same name. And sadly a short version is all I could find on YouTube.
AND FOR ME THERE MUST BE SOME PHYLLIS HYMAN!!
"The answer is You" (1978)
And finally, but certainly not the last of my choices would be Phyllis Hyman's best friend, ANGELA BOFILL and her priceless song "I Try"from 1979
If there is any question about my seriousness in my love of QUALITY OLD SCHOOL, I hope this answers that question.
I ain't fooling when it comes to my old schooling!
But I have always loved some music that is often shared by couples. Some of this may be called "baby making music". I just call them good songs that I have enjoyed through the years while I am very detached from the meaning of the songs.
So this lists videos of SOME but by no means all and not even a chance of listing any songs in any order. These are just random picks from my favorite nights listening to Vaughn Harper hosting WBLS "Quiet Storm" show in New York, or Huey Anderson of my hometown WEDR 99.1 in Miami or Freddie Cruz of Miami's "hot 105 Quiet Storm" or Mel Devonne's "Love Zone" show. Or the pioneering program of the "quiet storm" genre that is still heard over Washington DC's WHUR. These were some of the great songs that made for great and peaceful nights.
Enjoy if you want to feel soulfully good.
Atlantic Starr (1982)
Chapter 8 Featuring Anita Baker (1980) "I just want to be yours"
Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn (1981) "If this world were mine"
The Isley Brothers (1975) "Sensuality"
Deniece Williams (1977) "Cause You Love Me Baby" produced by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire
Love Unlimited (1974) " I belong to you" produced by Barry White, husband of Love Unlmited lead singer Glodean James-White
And speaking of Barry White, who may be considered the KING of "baby making music" during the 1970's and certainly one of the mainstays of any "quiet storm" broadcast.
"I've Got So Much to Give" (1973) title song to the album of the same name. And sadly a short version is all I could find on YouTube.
AND FOR ME THERE MUST BE SOME PHYLLIS HYMAN!!
"The answer is You" (1978)
And finally, but certainly not the last of my choices would be Phyllis Hyman's best friend, ANGELA BOFILL and her priceless song "I Try"from 1979
If there is any question about my seriousness in my love of QUALITY OLD SCHOOL, I hope this answers that question.
I ain't fooling when it comes to my old schooling!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
86 is a lot of years so why do gay men condemn 40?
Last weekend we lost a great lady and a great talent with the passing of Beatrice Arthur at the age of 86.
As a member of the gay community I can tell you that there are a lot of gay fans of “The Golden Girls”, the television show where the late Bea Arthur was best known especially to younger generations as one of the great old ladies who shared a house in Miami during their retirement. I am showing my age in saying that I am one who appreciated Bea Arthur more in her first popular television role as “Maude” in the 1970’s. My mother watched “Maude” when I was a child and I continued to watch “Maude” when it was shown in daily reruns from the 1970’s into the 1980’s and later when cable networks like Nick at Nite and TVLand briefly presented “Maude”. I was never much of a “Golden Girls” fan. I didn’t dislike the show. I just didn’t watch much of it.
Just last year the actress Estelle Getty died. She played “Sophia”, the mother to Bea Arthur’s “Dorothy” character on “The Golden Girls” even though the late Estelle Getty was actually younger than the late Miss Arthur. Fans of “The Golden Girls” were saddened by the loss as they are saddened by this most recent loss. I don’t blame them but because of the fans I have to get something off my chest.
Before I go into my rant I celebrate the life of the late Beatrice Arthur and I appreciate her for all of her talent on the stage, television and in the movies. My favorite of Bea Arthur’s movie appearances is an uncredited role in Mel Brooks’ “History of The World part One”. She provided a couple of great minutes to the comedy film as only Bea Arthur could, brash, bold and beautifully expressed.
Now on to my rant.
I would like to inform GAY MEN especially that after a few days it is completely OK to get over it and move on with your lives. Bea Arthur’s passing several days ago was not the end of the world. She was EIGHTY SIX YEARS OLD! Most of you queens condemn gay men to death at age 40 and some of you are still crying over the death of an 86 year old woman? The same men who with their behavior may not live half as long as Bea Arthur let alone admit they are half as old as she was are calling gay talk shows on satalite radio crying in disbelief and some are still posting blogs, joining groups and one TEXT MESSAGED me a poem on the death of Bea Arthur.
Now I don’t get that many text messages, but the one I got from someone was over the top. Rather than text the drama queen back I decided to express myself this way as many of you need to understand that it is fine to grieve over a loved one. It is fine to grieve over the loss of a pet. It is fine to grieve over the loss of someone you idolized. But it is also fine to get over it.
Now I mentioned that gay men tend to believe that you are “over the hill” at age 30 and for gay men life appears to be over at age 40. At least that is how some of us who ARE over 30 and 40 are treated.
I know of MANY gay males who changed the age on their MySpace profile to reflect an age that is younger than their real age. I won’t reveal names but I am 100% sure that some of you reading this are either guilty or know someone who is guilty of lying about their age. One person has been age 30 for about 3 years now and another one went from age 32 to real age 34 and suddenly reversed to age 26 probably so he could fit in with all the young friends he has on and offline.
Oh I know I stepped on some toes there. But that’s ok. I don’t hold a grudge. I am growing old gracefully and have the gray hairs to prove it. I started going gray right at age 40. I’m not crying over it but I have been keeping my head shaved for over a decade. I can hide it and not dye it.
But back to Bea Arthur, don’t get me wrong, I was saddened by the death of Bea Arthur too and I posted a few items on MySpace and Facebook in the initial reaction to the news of her death. All of that took place on the first day. Her death did not dominate my conversations with people for the next week. It just began to disturb me when especially the youngest gay males began to overdramatize Bea Arthur’s passing.
If you are under the age of 35, most of you probably didn’t watch Maude nor were you old enough to know BEATRICE Arthur’s talent and pioneering for equal women’s rights with her TV show in the 1970’s or the comedic TV appearances on TV variety shows or celebrity roasts and her brief movie appearances. 99% of any references to Bea Arthur’s career after her death were for “The Golden Girls” while there was so much more before it.
Anyway, we all mourn her loss. Life goes on and I wish that people would look to the life and talent of people like Bea Arthur and begin to develop their own real and true self. Cause as we lose more people from the generations of a Bea Arthur we also lose our foundation. They laid that foundation for the rest of us to build on, not to feed off of.
Rest in Peace Beatrice Arthur. You deserve to rest as you completed a mountain of work that most of us left behind are too lazy to tackle.
Now everyone else ESPECIALLY THE GAY MALE, get over it, stop crying and try to do at least a third as much good with your life as Beatrice Arthur did with hers.
I can only imagine how many gay bois from the South will be crying like a toddler who broke his toy when one of the people from “Designing Women” dies. Georgia alone will probably shut down for a month of mourning.
As a member of the gay community I can tell you that there are a lot of gay fans of “The Golden Girls”, the television show where the late Bea Arthur was best known especially to younger generations as one of the great old ladies who shared a house in Miami during their retirement. I am showing my age in saying that I am one who appreciated Bea Arthur more in her first popular television role as “Maude” in the 1970’s. My mother watched “Maude” when I was a child and I continued to watch “Maude” when it was shown in daily reruns from the 1970’s into the 1980’s and later when cable networks like Nick at Nite and TVLand briefly presented “Maude”. I was never much of a “Golden Girls” fan. I didn’t dislike the show. I just didn’t watch much of it.
Just last year the actress Estelle Getty died. She played “Sophia”, the mother to Bea Arthur’s “Dorothy” character on “The Golden Girls” even though the late Estelle Getty was actually younger than the late Miss Arthur. Fans of “The Golden Girls” were saddened by the loss as they are saddened by this most recent loss. I don’t blame them but because of the fans I have to get something off my chest.
Before I go into my rant I celebrate the life of the late Beatrice Arthur and I appreciate her for all of her talent on the stage, television and in the movies. My favorite of Bea Arthur’s movie appearances is an uncredited role in Mel Brooks’ “History of The World part One”. She provided a couple of great minutes to the comedy film as only Bea Arthur could, brash, bold and beautifully expressed.
Now on to my rant.
I would like to inform GAY MEN especially that after a few days it is completely OK to get over it and move on with your lives. Bea Arthur’s passing several days ago was not the end of the world. She was EIGHTY SIX YEARS OLD! Most of you queens condemn gay men to death at age 40 and some of you are still crying over the death of an 86 year old woman? The same men who with their behavior may not live half as long as Bea Arthur let alone admit they are half as old as she was are calling gay talk shows on satalite radio crying in disbelief and some are still posting blogs, joining groups and one TEXT MESSAGED me a poem on the death of Bea Arthur.
Now I don’t get that many text messages, but the one I got from someone was over the top. Rather than text the drama queen back I decided to express myself this way as many of you need to understand that it is fine to grieve over a loved one. It is fine to grieve over the loss of a pet. It is fine to grieve over the loss of someone you idolized. But it is also fine to get over it.
Now I mentioned that gay men tend to believe that you are “over the hill” at age 30 and for gay men life appears to be over at age 40. At least that is how some of us who ARE over 30 and 40 are treated.
I know of MANY gay males who changed the age on their MySpace profile to reflect an age that is younger than their real age. I won’t reveal names but I am 100% sure that some of you reading this are either guilty or know someone who is guilty of lying about their age. One person has been age 30 for about 3 years now and another one went from age 32 to real age 34 and suddenly reversed to age 26 probably so he could fit in with all the young friends he has on and offline.
Oh I know I stepped on some toes there. But that’s ok. I don’t hold a grudge. I am growing old gracefully and have the gray hairs to prove it. I started going gray right at age 40. I’m not crying over it but I have been keeping my head shaved for over a decade. I can hide it and not dye it.
But back to Bea Arthur, don’t get me wrong, I was saddened by the death of Bea Arthur too and I posted a few items on MySpace and Facebook in the initial reaction to the news of her death. All of that took place on the first day. Her death did not dominate my conversations with people for the next week. It just began to disturb me when especially the youngest gay males began to overdramatize Bea Arthur’s passing.
If you are under the age of 35, most of you probably didn’t watch Maude nor were you old enough to know BEATRICE Arthur’s talent and pioneering for equal women’s rights with her TV show in the 1970’s or the comedic TV appearances on TV variety shows or celebrity roasts and her brief movie appearances. 99% of any references to Bea Arthur’s career after her death were for “The Golden Girls” while there was so much more before it.
Anyway, we all mourn her loss. Life goes on and I wish that people would look to the life and talent of people like Bea Arthur and begin to develop their own real and true self. Cause as we lose more people from the generations of a Bea Arthur we also lose our foundation. They laid that foundation for the rest of us to build on, not to feed off of.
Rest in Peace Beatrice Arthur. You deserve to rest as you completed a mountain of work that most of us left behind are too lazy to tackle.
Now everyone else ESPECIALLY THE GAY MALE, get over it, stop crying and try to do at least a third as much good with your life as Beatrice Arthur did with hers.
I can only imagine how many gay bois from the South will be crying like a toddler who broke his toy when one of the people from “Designing Women” dies. Georgia alone will probably shut down for a month of mourning.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Amazing Race 14 Weekly Blog: Still Water too Deep
Greetings fellow Amazing Race fans. Let me start this by saying OH HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN! We had a team who was on top with a fight, causing a grudge between then another team and then the fear of one caused the “mighty” to fall from grace much to the delight of their new enemy. But then the laugh was on everyone else. That’s basically what happened during this broadcast but if you want to know what happened, read on.
I missed the first ten minutes of the broadcast. But basically we all know that we are down to FOUR teams and three teams arrived around the same time at the pit-stop mat and naturally those three teams would leave the pit-stop at the same time in order of their arrival. The three teams that left together were Kisha & Jen, Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke. I didn’t get to see the departure times for the teams and for the last place team Jaime & Cara but all teams made the same flight out.
I came into the broadcast at ten minutes into it watching as all four teams were at the airport and the Chinese speaking Tammy & Victor were asking the airline ticket agent to place the other teams toward the back of the plane. Other teams were concerned about their seating positions on the aircraft as the closest to the front of the plane, the quickest they would be at getting off.
Another noticeable thing is the isolation between Kisha & Jen and the other teams especially Margie & Luke after their confrontations of the last leg of the race. One team member mentioned that it was very cold at their destination, but viewers could tell that it was cold in that airport terminal as well. Luke appeared to still be upset and stared into space deliberately ignoring other teams.
All four teams were on the same flight to Beijing and Tammy & Victor were the first off the plane and into a taxi then Kisha & Jen raced Margie & Luke to catch the next taxi out and it was confirmed that Luke was holding a grudge against the sister team. The last team out of the airport was Jaime & Cara, who were the last to get off the airplane. All teams’ taxis seemed to race each other to the next destination but Tammy & Victor’s taxi eventually arrived third and Margie & Luke’s taxi got lost putting them in last place.
The first destination was to a massage parlor where a racer would have to drink tea and participate in a painful foot massage then drink more tea. If a racer couldn’t handle the intense foot massage they would have to start the massage over. Many racers either didn’t enjoy the taste of the tea or the idea of someone touching their feet.
After the grueling foot massage, teams travelled to a sports training school for the next clue. Teams then asked taxi drivers if they knew how to get to the next destination and some teams struggled to communicate with the drivers. Tammy & Victor communicated with a driver in Chinese then fought for the same taxi with Jaime & Cara who claimed they stopped the taxi first. So basically Tammy & Victor gave Jaime & Cara’s driver their destination. They were not happy about the mishap but were vindicated when Jaime & Cara’s taxi dropped them off at the wrong entrance.
The next destination was a sports training school and the “detour”. The detour task choices were “sync” where teams had to perform synchronized diving tasks until the team achieves a perfect score or “swim” where teams had to put on very tight fitting Olympic style Speedo swimsuits then swim 8 lengths in an Olympic sized pool in order to get their next clue. This “detour” was based on Beijing being the location of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Tammy & Victor did the “sync” diving task while Kisha & Jen first tried the diving then because of Jen’s fear of the pool, they switched to the swim “detour”. Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara chose the swimming task and easily completed the “detour”. Kisha & Jen then switched back to the diving detour where Tammy & Victor continued to dive over and over and failing to get a perfect score. After several failed attempts, Tammy & Victor switched to the swimming task. Jen’s fear of the water got the best of her and she broke down and cried appearing to give up.
After the aquatic “detour” teams headed to the next pit-stop location at the DRUM TOWER and the first team to arrive was JAIME & CARA, and they won NOTHING for it. Turns out this would not be a pit-stop and the leg continues into the next broadcast.
“To Be Continued” as they say. But if you want to know the current standings, Margie & Luke left the swimming task after Jaime & Cara, followed by Tammy & Victor and Kisha & Jen who surely appeared to be up for elimination.
The next broadcast promised to be a nasty one as teams with small stomachs will face eating foods they are not used to. Longtime viewers of The Amazing Race know that usually means some racers eating more than they can handle and possibly getting sick. But the preview also shows Jaime & Cara struggling with language differences. This could mean another fall from temporary grace.
As for my predictions, I did say that I would not be surprised if there were another non-elimination leg of the race and we sort of had that. While the race continues instead of a pit-stop, the team that would have been eliminated is not the one that I had predicted. I predicted Margie & Luke for this elimination but they turned out to end the broadcast in second place.
So my predictions are OVER! I tried and I had fun with it, but we have four good teams and it is not easy to predict who will do what. All I will say is I will cheer for Jaime & Cara to make the final three and win this season of The Amazing Race for reasons I have stated before. They are former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders and they are from my hometown area of South Florida. I am supporting my hometown. Since our hometown NFL football team can’t seem to win any championship for THIRTY FIVE years now, why not have our team’s former cheerleaders win The Amazing Race? And this will be the first all-female team to win The Amazing Race. Even if Kisha & Jen should happen to win, that record will be finally achieved.
Sadly, another preference instead of prediction is for the elimination of Margie & Luke. They were my favorite team and they are one of the best but Luke and his mommy’s competitive spirit has diminished and I hoped for better. I would also prefer Kisha & Jen elimination for the same reason. But only one team will be eliminated and it’s anyone’s guess as to who. But my greater support is for Jaime & Cara and Tammy & Victor to be the main two of the final three.
So you now have my preferences instead of predictions. The final three will be decided next week. And I will have to make sure that I return from a cousin’s wedding so see the entire program on time. I am looking forward to it.
I am also looking forward to my cousin Nicole’s wedding this weekend. I wish her and her groom all the best and I wish all the family traveling to the wedding safe travels. I am looking forward to seeing some of the family for the first time in at least 4 years.
See you next week, Same Amazing Race time, Same Amazing Race Blog.
I missed the first ten minutes of the broadcast. But basically we all know that we are down to FOUR teams and three teams arrived around the same time at the pit-stop mat and naturally those three teams would leave the pit-stop at the same time in order of their arrival. The three teams that left together were Kisha & Jen, Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke. I didn’t get to see the departure times for the teams and for the last place team Jaime & Cara but all teams made the same flight out.
I came into the broadcast at ten minutes into it watching as all four teams were at the airport and the Chinese speaking Tammy & Victor were asking the airline ticket agent to place the other teams toward the back of the plane. Other teams were concerned about their seating positions on the aircraft as the closest to the front of the plane, the quickest they would be at getting off.
Another noticeable thing is the isolation between Kisha & Jen and the other teams especially Margie & Luke after their confrontations of the last leg of the race. One team member mentioned that it was very cold at their destination, but viewers could tell that it was cold in that airport terminal as well. Luke appeared to still be upset and stared into space deliberately ignoring other teams.
All four teams were on the same flight to Beijing and Tammy & Victor were the first off the plane and into a taxi then Kisha & Jen raced Margie & Luke to catch the next taxi out and it was confirmed that Luke was holding a grudge against the sister team. The last team out of the airport was Jaime & Cara, who were the last to get off the airplane. All teams’ taxis seemed to race each other to the next destination but Tammy & Victor’s taxi eventually arrived third and Margie & Luke’s taxi got lost putting them in last place.
The first destination was to a massage parlor where a racer would have to drink tea and participate in a painful foot massage then drink more tea. If a racer couldn’t handle the intense foot massage they would have to start the massage over. Many racers either didn’t enjoy the taste of the tea or the idea of someone touching their feet.
After the grueling foot massage, teams travelled to a sports training school for the next clue. Teams then asked taxi drivers if they knew how to get to the next destination and some teams struggled to communicate with the drivers. Tammy & Victor communicated with a driver in Chinese then fought for the same taxi with Jaime & Cara who claimed they stopped the taxi first. So basically Tammy & Victor gave Jaime & Cara’s driver their destination. They were not happy about the mishap but were vindicated when Jaime & Cara’s taxi dropped them off at the wrong entrance.
The next destination was a sports training school and the “detour”. The detour task choices were “sync” where teams had to perform synchronized diving tasks until the team achieves a perfect score or “swim” where teams had to put on very tight fitting Olympic style Speedo swimsuits then swim 8 lengths in an Olympic sized pool in order to get their next clue. This “detour” was based on Beijing being the location of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Tammy & Victor did the “sync” diving task while Kisha & Jen first tried the diving then because of Jen’s fear of the pool, they switched to the swim “detour”. Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara chose the swimming task and easily completed the “detour”. Kisha & Jen then switched back to the diving detour where Tammy & Victor continued to dive over and over and failing to get a perfect score. After several failed attempts, Tammy & Victor switched to the swimming task. Jen’s fear of the water got the best of her and she broke down and cried appearing to give up.
After the aquatic “detour” teams headed to the next pit-stop location at the DRUM TOWER and the first team to arrive was JAIME & CARA, and they won NOTHING for it. Turns out this would not be a pit-stop and the leg continues into the next broadcast.
“To Be Continued” as they say. But if you want to know the current standings, Margie & Luke left the swimming task after Jaime & Cara, followed by Tammy & Victor and Kisha & Jen who surely appeared to be up for elimination.
The next broadcast promised to be a nasty one as teams with small stomachs will face eating foods they are not used to. Longtime viewers of The Amazing Race know that usually means some racers eating more than they can handle and possibly getting sick. But the preview also shows Jaime & Cara struggling with language differences. This could mean another fall from temporary grace.
As for my predictions, I did say that I would not be surprised if there were another non-elimination leg of the race and we sort of had that. While the race continues instead of a pit-stop, the team that would have been eliminated is not the one that I had predicted. I predicted Margie & Luke for this elimination but they turned out to end the broadcast in second place.
So my predictions are OVER! I tried and I had fun with it, but we have four good teams and it is not easy to predict who will do what. All I will say is I will cheer for Jaime & Cara to make the final three and win this season of The Amazing Race for reasons I have stated before. They are former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders and they are from my hometown area of South Florida. I am supporting my hometown. Since our hometown NFL football team can’t seem to win any championship for THIRTY FIVE years now, why not have our team’s former cheerleaders win The Amazing Race? And this will be the first all-female team to win The Amazing Race. Even if Kisha & Jen should happen to win, that record will be finally achieved.
Sadly, another preference instead of prediction is for the elimination of Margie & Luke. They were my favorite team and they are one of the best but Luke and his mommy’s competitive spirit has diminished and I hoped for better. I would also prefer Kisha & Jen elimination for the same reason. But only one team will be eliminated and it’s anyone’s guess as to who. But my greater support is for Jaime & Cara and Tammy & Victor to be the main two of the final three.
So you now have my preferences instead of predictions. The final three will be decided next week. And I will have to make sure that I return from a cousin’s wedding so see the entire program on time. I am looking forward to it.
I am also looking forward to my cousin Nicole’s wedding this weekend. I wish her and her groom all the best and I wish all the family traveling to the wedding safe travels. I am looking forward to seeing some of the family for the first time in at least 4 years.
See you next week, Same Amazing Race time, Same Amazing Race Blog.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Amazing Race 14 Weekly Blog: "Who you calling a Bitch"
Greetings fellow Amazing Race fans. Sorry for the one day delay. I notice through my DVR recording that the show aired at its normally scheduled time at my east coast home. However I had some work to do on a Sunday that prevented me from seeing the show until the next evening. But better late than not at all.
We left the previous broadcast knowing that Mark & Michael violated race rules twice and were to wait out a FOUR HOUR penalty before they can continue with the race. Also , they were in a non-elimination leg and with Mark & Michael in last place, they avoided elimination but would have to face the “speed bump” challenge on the next leg in addition to the long penalty wait. So I begin this week’s blog knowing that I predicted Mark & Michael are guaranteed elimination as there was a lot stacked against them.
So we begin in Bangkok, Thailand with teams leaving the pit-stop during the daylight morning hours. Margie & Luke left at 9:36am, Jaime & Cara at 10:30am, Tammy & Victor at 10:40am, Kisha & Jen at 12:43 pm and Mark & Michael at 4:08pm.
By the time Mark & Michael left the pit-stop, everyone else had made their first flights leaving Bangkok.
Teams had to fly to Guilin, China by making a connecting stop in the city of Guangzhou, China. Margie & Luke flew as a solo team and Jaime, Cara, Tammy and Victor flew on the next available flight and would meet Margie & Luke at the airport. All three teams were scheduled to take the same flight into Guilin, China. That flight was to leave at 8:30pm but was delayed.
Kisha & Jen spent the entire day traveling as a solo team bypassing the three teams whose flight was delayed. Their 9:10pm flight to Guilin was on schedule and they would arrive ahead of the other teams. Mark & Michael arrived the next morning. So the teams were pretty close to equal at this point.
Once teams finally arrived in Guilin, they had to take taxis to locate a hair salon for their next clue. That clue had teams travel to a bridge for the “roadblock” task. More on that later but things got interesting on The Amazing Race. A little competitive drama came into play.
This is the point when the competition finally got heated especially between the mother and son team MARGIE & LUKE and the sister team KISHA & JEN. It was both a physical and verbal confrontations as Luke appeared to elbow Jen as she pushed him while they both were racing to a clue box, then Jen called the deaf gay Luke a “Bitch” which Jen stood by very proudly saying she called Luke a bitch because it was a bitch move.
Luke’s mother would tell him in the taxi that he was called a bitch to which Luke responded in sign language that “it was a good thing that I was deaf because if I had heard her call me a name, it would have been ON”. Looked like fighting sign language to me. But we also saw in the separate taxi that Kisha & Jen also believed that the game was “on” for them too. Jen continued to refer to the mother and son team as “bitches”. Luke told his mother that it was time to play dirty but she cautioned him against it. But looking back on earlier legs of the race, Luke was ready to play dirty a long time ago. One of the eliminated racers referred to Luke jokingly as the “sinister deaf kid” with a few surprises up his sleeve.
Luke and Jen had another pushing match as they both reached the same clue box at the same time again. This time words were exchanged between Margie & Jen with Margie telling Jen to “cut it out” as Jen did push Luke to get the clue before him and Luke also pushed Jen into the clue box. Kisha stayed out of the physical fight but said that Luke’s behavior was “unacceptable”, defending her sister and teammate who was just as guilty if not more because of her name calling.
Back to the “roadblock”, it was a fishing task to be performed by one team member. They had to use a trained retrieving bird to get ten fish from the water and place into a bucket before getting their next clue. Four teams were performing this task at the same time with Kisha & Jen finishing first and former front runners Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke slipping back.
Upon leaving the “roadblock”, Jen & Kisha referred to karma as during the “roadblock”, Luke was bitten in the hand by one of the birds. When that happened, you saw one of the many bits of drama queen diva come out of Luke. His reactions to being bitten by the bird and the small amount of blood the bite drew were definitely “diva” like.
Before Mark & Michael could proceed to the “roadblock” they had their “speed bump” task that had them washing and drying customer’s hair at the hair salon where the first clue was located. The “speed bump” was not a hard task and Mark & Michael appeared to have fun with it.
After the “roadblock” teams had to travel to an ancient gate across town for the next clue, the “detour”. The “detour” task choices were “Choreography” where teams would go to a local island to learn and perform dance routines or “calligraphy” where teams must copy Chinese lettering that would spell out the name of four calligraphy artist stations. They would have to meet all four stations before getting their next clue. That clue would include a photo of their next destination which would also be the next pit-stop called “Banyan Lake”.
The arrival at the pit-stop was the “amazing” in The Amazing Race. It was a three way foot race with the first three teams to choose the “calligraphy” detour and a near equal arrival at the pit-stop mat followed by more drama.
But first the arrivals at the pit-stop in order were
FIRST: Kisha & Jen and for being the winners, they won a vacation package to Barbados.
SECOND: Tammy & Victor
THIRD: Margie & Luke
The drama between Jen & Luke continued as they told their sides of what happened during the race. Tammy & Victor just stood there with confused looks on their faces and Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan tried to play referee. There was a moment when Luke played “diva” and walked off and angrily sign language the word “bitch” then Phil asked Luke to return to the mat so everyone can talk about it.
The drama escalated as Kisha & Jen smiled and even laughed which set Luke’s mother Margie into an angry response yelling about how Luke had been laughed at for his situation by people all of his life and compared it to the challenges that Kisha & Jen may have faced for their being black. Margie & Luke were clearly upset at Kisha & Jen for their constant smiling and chuckling during this confrontation to which Kisha responded that smiling and laughing is how they dealt with difficult situations. They tried to apologize but it appeared that Margie & Luke were not accepting it. Luke was especially angry and Margie eventually said she just had a bad day and wanted the day to end so she could forget about it.
The first three teams at the pit-stop were the also the first ones to choose the “calligraphy” detour choice while JAIME & CARA chose the dance routine “detour” first. It seemed to be a natural for them as they were cheerleaders and knowing and performing dance routines were their best suit. But this time, they could not meet the approval of the judges. They were repeatedly turned down and because of the language difficulty they considered giving up and performing the other “detour” but stayed with it and successfully completed the dance routine. Jaime & Cara’s struggle set them behind only slightly while Mark & Michael had no problems and broke no rules as they tried to regain their lost time. And while their physical size may make what I say next seem like an insensitive pun, Mark & Michael came up short. Jaime & Cara would eventually make it to the pit-stop in FOURTH PLACE and Mark & Michael were last to arrive and were eliminated.
So this season’s Amazing Race continues with the strongest teams of the season vying for the top three and for me, predicting the next team to be eliminated will be difficult. The previews show Jen struggling with her fear of water at a swimming task. The previews for the next broadcast show her wanting to give up. I doubt that would be the result.
It’s anyone’s guess as to who will make the final three. At this point anything I say about predictions is probably more of a preference than a prediction. I would like to see Luke & Margie and Jamie & Cara at least make the final three. I don’t really care which team of Tammy, victor, Jen and Kisha makes the final three. I could base any predictions on recent performance. If a team is having relationship problems or they are too focused on playing against another team more than actually playing the game they will struggle and suffer setbacks.
If the previews for the next broadcast are an indication, then Kisha & Jen will fall from their first place position. If Luke and his mother Margie remain angry with Kisha &Jen then they will fall out of this race very quickly. They have enough challenges travelling internationally with Luke’s hearing impairment. If they aren’t completely focused then the race is over for them. Tammy & Victor are the strongest team in terms of physical, mental and relationship strength. I am sure they will make the final three. Jaime & Cara have some catching up to do and one of them needs to check her attitude and impatience so they both can win. They get along with each other very well, but one of the former cheerleaders is a bit of a hot head.
So with those thoughts I have come up with these predictions.
THE FINAL THREE: I predict TAMMY & VICTOR to be included in the final three with a strong possibility of winning the Amazing Race. I also predict that Jaime & Cara WILL be in the final three. The third team in the final three is a difficult choice.
However my prediction for next ELIMINATION is not the team that appeared in the previews to be giving up due to a fear of the swimming pool (Kisha & Jen). My very reluctant prediction is that MARGIE & LUKE will be the next team eliminated. I hope I am wrong but I don’t get the impression that Luke will let go of his anger with Jen too soon and along with his mother’s support and defense they won’t be focused enough on the race to compete effectively and it will cause them to slip in their performance.
I really hope I am wrong in this case, but as it stands my prediction for next elimination is Margie & Luke with strong predictions that Tammy & Victor and Jaime & Cara will make the final three with a chance at winning the race and a stronger chance of Kisha & Jen being in the final three over Margie & Luke. However I would not be surprised if there were another non-elimination leg before the end of the race.
My preferences are that Jaime & Cara step up their game and become the first all-female winners of The Amazing Race. But that is very biased on my part because they are former cheerleaders of my hometown NFL football team, The Miami Dolphins. I would love to see them win.
I wouldn’t be upset with any of the teams winning The Amazing Race this season. This season saw the eliminations go as they should. The weakest were gone one team by one and there were no real manufactured superstars who are expected to win just because of who they are.
I am looking forward to a good finish to The Amazing Race in the coming weeks. And wish my readers a happy and safe week. Enjoy the great spring weather too.
We left the previous broadcast knowing that Mark & Michael violated race rules twice and were to wait out a FOUR HOUR penalty before they can continue with the race. Also , they were in a non-elimination leg and with Mark & Michael in last place, they avoided elimination but would have to face the “speed bump” challenge on the next leg in addition to the long penalty wait. So I begin this week’s blog knowing that I predicted Mark & Michael are guaranteed elimination as there was a lot stacked against them.
So we begin in Bangkok, Thailand with teams leaving the pit-stop during the daylight morning hours. Margie & Luke left at 9:36am, Jaime & Cara at 10:30am, Tammy & Victor at 10:40am, Kisha & Jen at 12:43 pm and Mark & Michael at 4:08pm.
By the time Mark & Michael left the pit-stop, everyone else had made their first flights leaving Bangkok.
Teams had to fly to Guilin, China by making a connecting stop in the city of Guangzhou, China. Margie & Luke flew as a solo team and Jaime, Cara, Tammy and Victor flew on the next available flight and would meet Margie & Luke at the airport. All three teams were scheduled to take the same flight into Guilin, China. That flight was to leave at 8:30pm but was delayed.
Kisha & Jen spent the entire day traveling as a solo team bypassing the three teams whose flight was delayed. Their 9:10pm flight to Guilin was on schedule and they would arrive ahead of the other teams. Mark & Michael arrived the next morning. So the teams were pretty close to equal at this point.
Once teams finally arrived in Guilin, they had to take taxis to locate a hair salon for their next clue. That clue had teams travel to a bridge for the “roadblock” task. More on that later but things got interesting on The Amazing Race. A little competitive drama came into play.
This is the point when the competition finally got heated especially between the mother and son team MARGIE & LUKE and the sister team KISHA & JEN. It was both a physical and verbal confrontations as Luke appeared to elbow Jen as she pushed him while they both were racing to a clue box, then Jen called the deaf gay Luke a “Bitch” which Jen stood by very proudly saying she called Luke a bitch because it was a bitch move.
Luke’s mother would tell him in the taxi that he was called a bitch to which Luke responded in sign language that “it was a good thing that I was deaf because if I had heard her call me a name, it would have been ON”. Looked like fighting sign language to me. But we also saw in the separate taxi that Kisha & Jen also believed that the game was “on” for them too. Jen continued to refer to the mother and son team as “bitches”. Luke told his mother that it was time to play dirty but she cautioned him against it. But looking back on earlier legs of the race, Luke was ready to play dirty a long time ago. One of the eliminated racers referred to Luke jokingly as the “sinister deaf kid” with a few surprises up his sleeve.
Luke and Jen had another pushing match as they both reached the same clue box at the same time again. This time words were exchanged between Margie & Jen with Margie telling Jen to “cut it out” as Jen did push Luke to get the clue before him and Luke also pushed Jen into the clue box. Kisha stayed out of the physical fight but said that Luke’s behavior was “unacceptable”, defending her sister and teammate who was just as guilty if not more because of her name calling.
Back to the “roadblock”, it was a fishing task to be performed by one team member. They had to use a trained retrieving bird to get ten fish from the water and place into a bucket before getting their next clue. Four teams were performing this task at the same time with Kisha & Jen finishing first and former front runners Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke slipping back.
Upon leaving the “roadblock”, Jen & Kisha referred to karma as during the “roadblock”, Luke was bitten in the hand by one of the birds. When that happened, you saw one of the many bits of drama queen diva come out of Luke. His reactions to being bitten by the bird and the small amount of blood the bite drew were definitely “diva” like.
Before Mark & Michael could proceed to the “roadblock” they had their “speed bump” task that had them washing and drying customer’s hair at the hair salon where the first clue was located. The “speed bump” was not a hard task and Mark & Michael appeared to have fun with it.
After the “roadblock” teams had to travel to an ancient gate across town for the next clue, the “detour”. The “detour” task choices were “Choreography” where teams would go to a local island to learn and perform dance routines or “calligraphy” where teams must copy Chinese lettering that would spell out the name of four calligraphy artist stations. They would have to meet all four stations before getting their next clue. That clue would include a photo of their next destination which would also be the next pit-stop called “Banyan Lake”.
The arrival at the pit-stop was the “amazing” in The Amazing Race. It was a three way foot race with the first three teams to choose the “calligraphy” detour and a near equal arrival at the pit-stop mat followed by more drama.
But first the arrivals at the pit-stop in order were
FIRST: Kisha & Jen and for being the winners, they won a vacation package to Barbados.
SECOND: Tammy & Victor
THIRD: Margie & Luke
The drama between Jen & Luke continued as they told their sides of what happened during the race. Tammy & Victor just stood there with confused looks on their faces and Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan tried to play referee. There was a moment when Luke played “diva” and walked off and angrily sign language the word “bitch” then Phil asked Luke to return to the mat so everyone can talk about it.
The drama escalated as Kisha & Jen smiled and even laughed which set Luke’s mother Margie into an angry response yelling about how Luke had been laughed at for his situation by people all of his life and compared it to the challenges that Kisha & Jen may have faced for their being black. Margie & Luke were clearly upset at Kisha & Jen for their constant smiling and chuckling during this confrontation to which Kisha responded that smiling and laughing is how they dealt with difficult situations. They tried to apologize but it appeared that Margie & Luke were not accepting it. Luke was especially angry and Margie eventually said she just had a bad day and wanted the day to end so she could forget about it.
The first three teams at the pit-stop were the also the first ones to choose the “calligraphy” detour choice while JAIME & CARA chose the dance routine “detour” first. It seemed to be a natural for them as they were cheerleaders and knowing and performing dance routines were their best suit. But this time, they could not meet the approval of the judges. They were repeatedly turned down and because of the language difficulty they considered giving up and performing the other “detour” but stayed with it and successfully completed the dance routine. Jaime & Cara’s struggle set them behind only slightly while Mark & Michael had no problems and broke no rules as they tried to regain their lost time. And while their physical size may make what I say next seem like an insensitive pun, Mark & Michael came up short. Jaime & Cara would eventually make it to the pit-stop in FOURTH PLACE and Mark & Michael were last to arrive and were eliminated.
So this season’s Amazing Race continues with the strongest teams of the season vying for the top three and for me, predicting the next team to be eliminated will be difficult. The previews show Jen struggling with her fear of water at a swimming task. The previews for the next broadcast show her wanting to give up. I doubt that would be the result.
It’s anyone’s guess as to who will make the final three. At this point anything I say about predictions is probably more of a preference than a prediction. I would like to see Luke & Margie and Jamie & Cara at least make the final three. I don’t really care which team of Tammy, victor, Jen and Kisha makes the final three. I could base any predictions on recent performance. If a team is having relationship problems or they are too focused on playing against another team more than actually playing the game they will struggle and suffer setbacks.
If the previews for the next broadcast are an indication, then Kisha & Jen will fall from their first place position. If Luke and his mother Margie remain angry with Kisha &Jen then they will fall out of this race very quickly. They have enough challenges travelling internationally with Luke’s hearing impairment. If they aren’t completely focused then the race is over for them. Tammy & Victor are the strongest team in terms of physical, mental and relationship strength. I am sure they will make the final three. Jaime & Cara have some catching up to do and one of them needs to check her attitude and impatience so they both can win. They get along with each other very well, but one of the former cheerleaders is a bit of a hot head.
So with those thoughts I have come up with these predictions.
THE FINAL THREE: I predict TAMMY & VICTOR to be included in the final three with a strong possibility of winning the Amazing Race. I also predict that Jaime & Cara WILL be in the final three. The third team in the final three is a difficult choice.
However my prediction for next ELIMINATION is not the team that appeared in the previews to be giving up due to a fear of the swimming pool (Kisha & Jen). My very reluctant prediction is that MARGIE & LUKE will be the next team eliminated. I hope I am wrong but I don’t get the impression that Luke will let go of his anger with Jen too soon and along with his mother’s support and defense they won’t be focused enough on the race to compete effectively and it will cause them to slip in their performance.
I really hope I am wrong in this case, but as it stands my prediction for next elimination is Margie & Luke with strong predictions that Tammy & Victor and Jaime & Cara will make the final three with a chance at winning the race and a stronger chance of Kisha & Jen being in the final three over Margie & Luke. However I would not be surprised if there were another non-elimination leg before the end of the race.
My preferences are that Jaime & Cara step up their game and become the first all-female winners of The Amazing Race. But that is very biased on my part because they are former cheerleaders of my hometown NFL football team, The Miami Dolphins. I would love to see them win.
I wouldn’t be upset with any of the teams winning The Amazing Race this season. This season saw the eliminations go as they should. The weakest were gone one team by one and there were no real manufactured superstars who are expected to win just because of who they are.
I am looking forward to a good finish to The Amazing Race in the coming weeks. And wish my readers a happy and safe week. Enjoy the great spring weather too.
Monday, April 20, 2009
I thought "tea bagging" meant Lipton and a cup of hot water
I know I don't get out much. Even if I tried it doesn't work out so well so I do keep myself busy with work and it keeps me occupied. But there are many things I have missed out on. LOTS of things I have missed out on. Some good and thankfully I have also avoided things that I probably would never understand.
Having said that, I have learned TWO things in recent weeks, I completely missed them as if I were living under a rock. And in the case of these two things I have learned, I am go glad I missed them. I do find them amusing and I know people who enjoy such things well enough to think that I am a total "square" who is completely ignorant of the ways of today's world.
So be it, let me be ignorant.
I didn't need to know the meaning of "Tea Bagging" when people staged protest events for Tax Day, April 15th. I thought of "Tea bagging" as the STUPID idea of sending tea bags to members of congress. Little did I know that "tea bagging" meant dipping somehing somewhere.....perhaps a Lipton or Tetley into a cup of hot water? Oh, in a sense, I guess if his name was Lipton or her name was Luzianne or someone had the nickname "tetley" or they had "red diamonds" in their collection.
If you are like I was and did not know what "tea bagging" means to some segments of society, I am not going to help you figure that out. I'm too shy to say. I do find it amusing that certain news commentators and talk radio show hosts, ESPECIALLY THE GAY ONES,found great amusement out of people using the "Tea Bagging" phrase and suddenly the conservative politial pundits stopped using the phrase and FOX News began bleeping the phrase out whenever they played a video or audio clip of anyone saying the phrase "tea bagging" and the tax protests were now called "Tea parties". Wow I guess "tea bagging" is a bad word now.
I can see a connection between what I have learned about "tea bagging" with the tax protests of April 15th and what I learned about April 20th, or as it has been declared "FOUR- TWENTY DAY". I don't have glaucoma or the munchies at the moment, so I don't see how I would need to celebrate "four twenty day". But I do enjoy the TV show "weeds".
I learned today that April 20th is considered "four twenty day" for those who wish to make the use of marijuana legal. Yes, 4-20 is the day to celebrate the human catnip. I had NO idea.
I always say its good to learn something new everyday. I need to rethink that. Some things are best not learned. At least for a nerd like me.
One good thing about these new discoveries is that learning about "tea bagging" helped me cut back on my heavy TEA DRINKING.
Oh, but there are SOME tea-bags are calling my name!
Having said that, I have learned TWO things in recent weeks, I completely missed them as if I were living under a rock. And in the case of these two things I have learned, I am go glad I missed them. I do find them amusing and I know people who enjoy such things well enough to think that I am a total "square" who is completely ignorant of the ways of today's world.
So be it, let me be ignorant.
I didn't need to know the meaning of "Tea Bagging" when people staged protest events for Tax Day, April 15th. I thought of "Tea bagging" as the STUPID idea of sending tea bags to members of congress. Little did I know that "tea bagging" meant dipping somehing somewhere.....perhaps a Lipton or Tetley into a cup of hot water? Oh, in a sense, I guess if his name was Lipton or her name was Luzianne or someone had the nickname "tetley" or they had "red diamonds" in their collection.
If you are like I was and did not know what "tea bagging" means to some segments of society, I am not going to help you figure that out. I'm too shy to say. I do find it amusing that certain news commentators and talk radio show hosts, ESPECIALLY THE GAY ONES,found great amusement out of people using the "Tea Bagging" phrase and suddenly the conservative politial pundits stopped using the phrase and FOX News began bleeping the phrase out whenever they played a video or audio clip of anyone saying the phrase "tea bagging" and the tax protests were now called "Tea parties". Wow I guess "tea bagging" is a bad word now.
I can see a connection between what I have learned about "tea bagging" with the tax protests of April 15th and what I learned about April 20th, or as it has been declared "FOUR- TWENTY DAY". I don't have glaucoma or the munchies at the moment, so I don't see how I would need to celebrate "four twenty day". But I do enjoy the TV show "weeds".
I learned today that April 20th is considered "four twenty day" for those who wish to make the use of marijuana legal. Yes, 4-20 is the day to celebrate the human catnip. I had NO idea.
I always say its good to learn something new everyday. I need to rethink that. Some things are best not learned. At least for a nerd like me.
One good thing about these new discoveries is that learning about "tea bagging" helped me cut back on my heavy TEA DRINKING.
Oh, but there are SOME tea-bags are calling my name!
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