Yes, and I was being nitpicky in response. Still don't think you're nitpick has anything to do with the example I was giving. Regardless of the price being taxed or the affect that the tax has on that price, the tax is itself taxed since the tax paid isn't directly a tax payment but income. By recursively applying the payment to account for the increased taxes you can achieve the true payment amount to cover the taxes on a given end amount.

But this is a really stupid thing to bicker about.

So, absent having actually watched the show let me just say that I am severely disappointed in the failure of any quality ogle-worthy boobies making it to the late rounds.

This we can agree on. Honestly I was disappointed in the overall lack of quality ogle-worthy boobies from the get go. Very disappointing.

Interesting. In looking to see if there's any info on a cast for China, I noticed a site that pointed something out. For only the second time in Survivor history, they didn't bring family members in. The other time was Africa. But that time they did a live satellite feed at least. Zilch this time, other than the letters. I suppose the most likely explanation is that the attempted coup that happened during filming made it impossible.

Well, as far as Lisi goes, I think it's reasonably well known that one older version of the "eeny meeny" song uses the word "Ni**er" instead of "tiger." I think her demeanor was completely consistent with someone who was thinking, "Well, well, look what we have here: three undeserving black people."

The concept of "immature Christian" is common to, though not exclusive to, conversion. Paul discusses it a lot. To me, Boo's hectoring of Dreamz had a "ministering to the natives" tone that veered close to "boy" or "manchild" territory.

The others may well just have been nuts, and it could be they all fell entitled to abuse people they felt were weak because of how they played the game rather than because of the color of the skin. On the other hand, I think there is probably a conventional wisdom among contestants that black people do not do well at Survivor. I think this may have contributed to why there was so little, "Congratulations, you guys. You're sitting there. We're not."

Wow, those are some pretty wild conjectures there. Let's start with the fact that I've never heard the "catch a n****r" version of eenie meanie, so I am rather skeptical of your "reasonably well known" claim.

As for Boo, considering that Dreamz and he had seemingly discussed religion, and Dreamz actually said, "I swear to God" and then went back on his word, I don't particularly blame him for jumping on that.

Beyond that, I saw nothing that indicated any racial motivations. 9 of the 12 people there at the end were minorities. None of them had expressed anything that would indicate racial prejudice.

Now, if you wanted to accuse Rocky of badgering Cassandra because she's a woman, that I'd buy. He did much through his whole time there to prove that he's a misogynist with zero respect for women. Show me anything that any of the others did that indicated that kind of prejudice re: race and you might have something. But I sure didn't see it.

In the end, while I wish Yau-Man didn't make that deal with Dreamz at all, which may have given him a better chance at winning, I'm really glad Earl won. He more than deserved it.

Now, the most important thing...

What the heck was Lisi on during that final tribal council? And, more importantly, where can I get some of what she had? ;)

(I should also note that in the beginning, they were initially going to break the tribes up into race again for this season, with 20 castaways, but one dropped out just before the series took place, and as a result, we had two tribes, 19 people, and four different racial groups. If the game had progressed initially, it would have looked like this...

TRIBE #1 - Jessica, Gary, Boo, Rocky
TRIBE #2 - Cassandra, Dreamz, Erica, Anthony, Earl
TRIBE #3 - Alex, Edgardo, Lisi, Rita, Liliana
TRIBE #4 - Stacy, Michelle, Yau-Man, Mookie, Sylvia

I think the better question is what should she have been on. I normally bristle at people like me making medical/psychological diagnosis with zero qualification and only a TV appearance as evidence, but it's hard to imagine any clearer evidence of some serious imbalance than the "I'm quitting/I'm trying/I'm quitting/you're losers/etc." she went through.

I have heard the Eenie Meenie thing before. I just didn't put it with Lisi's little speech thingy. It would make sense, though. I keep picturing her actions with the whole coffee incident with Stacie. She made it obvious she never liked Dreamz or Cassandra, that they were beneath her and not worthy of her assitance, just her ridicule.

I'd say the ****** version is reasonably well known though, of course, not universally so. Especially among younger people. Non-****** versions of the rhyme long pre-date, but it was the dominant form of the poem in American for quite a while.

It was one of three pop-cultural uses of the word "******" I grew up with (though only used when very young before I even knew what the word meant. My mom straightened me out pretty quickly (because of IHOP, actually).

****** knocking (knocking on a door and running away)
****** toes (Brazil nuts)
"catch a ****** by his toe"


But it is one of those things that every once in a while gets someone in trouble for using it without being aware of how it is perceived by many American blacks. A few years ago a flight attendant used the rhyme (a clean version) and black passengers sued because they felt humiliated (I believe they lost).

I have no idea what Lisi intended, but for PR purposes with an all black final three it was at best an unfortunate choice.

I've never heard the eeny meeny with "catch a ****** by his toe." Is it a regional thing? I grew up in Upstate NY.