Frankly, My Dear…

I did a post on The Amazing Race All Stars, lost it and spent time trying to retrieve it before I gave up. I will now attempt another post, although you can go to cbs.com and look it up there in greater detail!

Rob and Amber left first in Santiago, Chile, but lost their lead when their plane was delayed. There was much talk among the other teams about the whereabouts of the newlywed team!

The first task was to go into a boardroom and pick out letters that were on the ties, pads, pens, etc, of the men sitting around the table and put them together to spell the location of the next task. Most teams who were first to arrive. spent too much time looking at the men and the clue was in a picture on the wall, which spelled out the name of the copper mining co. Rob and Amber managed to catch up and advance.

The task at the mining co. was to drive a front-end loader (both members) or put a huge 2 ton tire on a machine using large lugnuts. Rob and Amber chose the loader and it worked to their advantage. Most teams chose the tire and that took more time.

 Rob and Amber got through first and headed for the pit stop at the Valley of the Dead.

There was drama between the beauty queens and Charla and Mirna. Confusion reigned over the left or right turn to get to Phil and Rob and Amber were there first, winning 2 off-road motorcycles.

Drew and Kevin were last and were eliminated.   

This is a news story that made me cry, not tear up, cry. Sometimes the unfairness in life just slaps you in the face.

Ali, an 11 year old Iraqi boy, had a rare heat disease and needed surgery. His father met Capt Brian Freeman and asked if he could help. Several months later, with the help of Gift of Life International, he had several thousand dollars and an okay for Ali to go to NY for the surgery.

The same day, Capt Freeman, in his thirties, was kidnapped in Iraq and killed.

The day of the surgery, Charlotte Freeman received her husband’s personal effects. Included was a portable video game which she gave to Ali saying that Brian would want him to have it. 

He’s always been a hero to me and our children,” says Charlotte Freeman, Brian’s widow. “Hopefully he’s now a hero to everybody else, and an inspiration to everybody else as well.”

I hope so, too. He deserves it.

A group of producers have secured the rights from the Margaret Mitchell estate and plan to produce a musical, using the book, in 2008.

Hugh Jackman will play Rhett and Jill Pace, who is said to resemble Vivian Leigh, might  be Scarlett.

It will center on the slaves at Tara and be closer to the novel.

I’ll reserve judgement, but GWTW is such a great movie I don’t see how it can be improved on. With all the remakes, I’m sure this isn’t the only idea that’s been thrown out, but replacing Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh–and all the others who seem perfect for this movie? Doesn’t seem doable!

I plan to go see my favorite movie at the Alabama Theatre this summer. If you haven’t seen it on a big screen….you haven’t seen it in all its glory! And certain parts can still make me tear up!

Frankly, my dear, it is the best!

Jack Army is back in Iraq and making observations about life. Check him out at:

http://gojackarmy.blogspot.com/

Some time ago, he mentioned that there was a fox that would frequent their FOB and it seemed to have a collar on. I asked if there was a chance that it could have a camera in it and being used by insurgents. Too James Bondish? Well, he never answered me and I somehow get the feeling that he’s still getting a good laugh off that!

Update: Jack Army has an answer for those who say they support the troops but not the war.

Pfttt. Whatever.

Could they have kissed up to algore any more than they did?

Hollyweird.

Update: Mr Greenjeans, algore, has a mansion in Nashville, TN, that uses more electricity every month than the average household uses in an entire year! Remember, do as I say, not as I do! And don’t you know there was car pooling all around for the Oscars? Idiots!

If you don’t read Troy’s blog, Bouhammer’s Afghan Blog, you missed the post about the suicide bomber who while attempting to attack the base, managed to blow only himself up and provided several meals for the starving dogs in the area. I hope that’s a story that got around to his pals! The only way it could have been better is if there had been pigs in the area!

You also missed the post about Rambo, the Afghan who lives by the gate and chases off people who don’t belong there with a lead pipe. He lost his entire family to the Taliban.

Then there was the touching post of a father, Troy, trying to get home on emergency leave to be with his son for surgery and saying good-bye again to return to Afghanistan.

Lots of good posts going on at:

http://www.bouhammers.com/nucleus/Afghanblog.php

Voting on The Milbloggies, sort of like the Oscars for milblogs, ends soon. Go to milblogging.com, sign up and vote for your favorite milblog!

Milblogs, where you get it from the horse’s mouth. 

I try to ignore John Murtha as much as possible, just to keep the BP from shooting out the top of my head! However, he thinks he’s in charge of things in Washington and what happens to the troops, and yes, I know he is in a way. It makes me so mad– sputterin’, spittin’– mad that I can’t talk about him without having palpitations!

I was already ticked at his comment that the troops lived in palaces and had everything they needed! Really? Don’t get me started about care packages, etc! Guess it’s all a waste of time! Here’s a clue–shut yer yap–it’s noise pollution! http://hotair.com/archives/2007/02/20/murtha-running-the-show/

The Taylor Hicks concert is sold out for March 10th at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham, but tickets are on sale for a second concert the following night. Info is available at http://thealabamatheatre.com.

Taylor is a popular guy with the local tv stations. His tip to new contestants was not to get on their cell phones to tell every person they know they’ve been selected–it could affect their voice! He said he knew someone who lost their voice after spending too much time on their cell phone!

The soul patrol is on its way!

No, not a footall team or any other group of humans, but our nation’s emblem, the bald eagle is back!

“It’s a success story, something a lot of people have worked a long time to get to,” said Keith Hudson, the state biologist mostly responsible for tracking the eagle’s comeback in Alabama. “We didn’t know what would happen or if they would ever recover at all.”

But recover they did, and the news isn’t just good for eagles. Communities with eagle populations have reaped the rewards as tourists flocked there to catch an exhilarating glimpse of these majestic birds.

“People come from all over wanting to see those eagles,” said Mark Jackson, chief ranger at Lake Guntersville State Park, one of the prime spots for bird-watchers.

True, a chance to see some kind of obscure fish may not draw the kinds of crowds that eagles do. But the broader point is the same, whether we’re talking about a nervous darter or a mighty eagle: There is value in preserving creation, even if the value isn’t readily apparent to everyone.

Many factors share credit for the eagle’s return. There’s the Endangered Species Act, for starters. Also, the 1972 ban on the pesticide DDT, which was killing many of our feathered friends, helped the eagles get back on their talons. But a big part of the success must certainly be traced to the public’s broad support for saving the eagles.

Some bald eagle facts:

There is more info available here:

http://www.outdooralabama.com/news/release.cfm?ID=373

While I was waiting for The Amazing Race to come on last night, I watched 60 Mins. The time schedule was off because of the golf show and I didn’t want to miss the first of the TAR. One of the sujects was the good news from Iraq. I double-checked to be sure this was CBS.

 As Bob Simon talked, I was stunned! There was all kinds of building going on, people were happy, noone was being killed, and they LOVE Americans! Glad that they were liberated by Americans and are teaching English as a second language to their kids. Did you get that?

Why has this been kept a secret? I know I’ve never heard about this!

They want to be an American ally! Did I mention they love America?

I know I heard the shrieker of the House pass out! heh

If you missed it, check it out on cbs.com, 60 Mins. It put a big smile on my face!