TUESDAY, July 21 (HealthDay News) -- Air pollution from cars can increase a child's chances of developing asthma, but add parental stress and the odds for asthma get even higher, a new study finds.
For children exposed to smoking while still in the womb, another asthma risk, parental stress also increases the risk for asthma, the researchers noted.
"There is an association between air pollution and asthma, and it grows with increasing exposure to stress in the household," said lead researcher Ketan Shankardass, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at The Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
"The cause of asthma is still unknown," Shankardass said. "It's a major illness that affects a lot of people all around the world and we still don't really have a handle on what causes it so we can't control it very well. But this finding contributes to our understanding of that causal process."
The report is published in this week's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
For the study, Shankardass and his colleagues collected data on 2,497 children in southern California. The children, aged 5 to 9, had no history of asthma or wheeze when the study started. Over three years, the researchers tracked whether or not the children developed asthma.
In addition, the researchers had the parents fill out a questionnaire that measured stress. The questionnaire asked the child's mother about whether she felt in control of her life and whether she felt she was able to handle problems or whether she had problems coping with her life, Shankardass said.
The study authors also collected data on the children's exposure to traffic-related pollution and whether the children were exposed to tobacco smoke before birth.
By itself, stress or socioeconomic status did not increase the risk of developing asthma, the researchers found.
However, when parental stress was combined with traffic pollution or exposure to smoking before birth, the risk of asthma increased more than it did for children exposed to pollution or smoke, but not stress.
Shankardass noted that exposure to traffic pollution and prenatal smoking as well as stress are more common in lower socioeconomic areas, which may help explain why asthma may disproportionately affect children of disadvantaged parents.
"For once, we may have a piece of the puzzle that would explain the social disparities in asthma," he said.
Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, said it is not surprising that parental stress can have an impact on children and asthma.
"Stress does have an impact on the immune system. Clearly, the relationship between stress, tobacco and air pollution are all bad guys," Bassett said.
"There are many different variables -- behavioral, socioeconomic, environmental and physiologic -- that dictate whether a child will develop asthma," Bassett added. "There are a lot of biologic pathways that are involved in the relationship of asthma and stress and the immune system."
Bassett also thinks gauging household stress should be part of treating children with asthma.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
CDC Panel to Recommend Who Should Get Swine Flu Shot
TUESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- With the first trials of a vaccine against the new H1N1 swine flu set to begin shortly, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will convene a panel of experts Wednesday to recommend a priority list of candidates for the vaccine.
Those recommendations will assume that a safe and effective vaccine will be available by October in sufficient quantity to start a mass vaccination program in the United States. If all goes well, the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine should be known by late August or September, federal officials said.
"The panel will get an update on the H1N1 in the United States," said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. "They will get an update on where things stand with the development of a vaccine against novel H1N1 and an update on the steps being taken to plan for a potential vaccination campaign in the fall."
By meeting's end, the CDC expects to have a good idea of who should be given priority for the vaccine, Skinner said.
"We won't have final guidelines for use of the vaccine, [but] we will have a pretty good idea of who is going to be first in line to get a vaccine if we get to the point of having a vaccine that is safe and effective by late fall or early winter," he said.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will consider various scenarios, including a vaccine shortage, Skinner said. And once a vaccine has been approved, the panel will vote on final recommendations for its use, he said.
Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, thinks he has a pretty good idea of what the recommendation for the H1N1 vaccine will be.
"We should target health-care workers, those under 2 [years of age], pregnant women, those chronically ill, those with asthma," Siegel said. "The next category should be school children. Not only is schools where flu spreads, but there isn't as much immunity in the younger population."
All these groups have been the most susceptible to the H1N1 swine flu, with the majority of hospitalizations and deaths. Unlike seasonal flu, which typically strikes hardest at the very young and the elderly, H1N1 swine flu has proven more troublesome for children and young adults. Scientists believe that older people might have some immunity to H1N1 viruses, which haven't been predominant flu strains for several decades.
Another infectious-disease expert said the twin threats of seasonal flu and the new H1N1 strain will require many people to get shots for both diseases and could pose management problems.
"This coming flu season will be quite different than those in the recent past as the new H1N1 swine flu strain will in all probability re-emerge and cause significant illness in at-risk people, such as young children and adolescents," said Dr. Pascal James Imperato, dean and distinguished service professor in the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City.
The seasonal flu vaccine will offer no protection against the H1N1 swine flu, he said.
"This means that some groups in the population will need to receive more than just one flu shot in order to be protected against all of the influenza strains in circulation," Imperato said. "This is an unusual circumstance and will require additional documentation effort on the part of those administering the flu vaccines and people receiving them to be sure that the appropriate immunizations are given."
"There may also be logistical challenges for patients and health-care providers as we attempt to deliver two different influenza vaccines during the same season," he added.
Then there's the lingering memory of the 1976 swine flu vaccination program, during which some 500 Americans came down with a rare neurodegenerative condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which many experts believe was linked to the shot. Twenty-five of those 500 people died.
"The potential for more severe illness and many more deaths caused by this new strain of influenza weighs heavily on our minds -- as does the unfortunate outcome of the 1976 swine flu vaccination program," said CDC spokeswoman Arleen Porcell-Pharr.
The H1N1 flu vaccines will be very much like seasonal flu vaccines, which have an excellent safety profile, Porcell-Pharr said. "However, no vaccine is 100 percent safe. This vaccine will be no exception," she said.
If the vaccines are recommended for use, those who choose to be inoculated will receive information sheets describing the vaccines' risks and benefits, signs of side effects to look for after vaccination, and information on how to report adverse events, she added.
"We will be watching very closely for any signs that the vaccine is causing unexpected side effects, and we have systems in place to investigate those signals rapidly," Porcell-Pharr said.
Those recommendations will assume that a safe and effective vaccine will be available by October in sufficient quantity to start a mass vaccination program in the United States. If all goes well, the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine should be known by late August or September, federal officials said.
"The panel will get an update on the H1N1 in the United States," said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. "They will get an update on where things stand with the development of a vaccine against novel H1N1 and an update on the steps being taken to plan for a potential vaccination campaign in the fall."
By meeting's end, the CDC expects to have a good idea of who should be given priority for the vaccine, Skinner said.
"We won't have final guidelines for use of the vaccine, [but] we will have a pretty good idea of who is going to be first in line to get a vaccine if we get to the point of having a vaccine that is safe and effective by late fall or early winter," he said.
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will consider various scenarios, including a vaccine shortage, Skinner said. And once a vaccine has been approved, the panel will vote on final recommendations for its use, he said.
Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, thinks he has a pretty good idea of what the recommendation for the H1N1 vaccine will be.
"We should target health-care workers, those under 2 [years of age], pregnant women, those chronically ill, those with asthma," Siegel said. "The next category should be school children. Not only is schools where flu spreads, but there isn't as much immunity in the younger population."
All these groups have been the most susceptible to the H1N1 swine flu, with the majority of hospitalizations and deaths. Unlike seasonal flu, which typically strikes hardest at the very young and the elderly, H1N1 swine flu has proven more troublesome for children and young adults. Scientists believe that older people might have some immunity to H1N1 viruses, which haven't been predominant flu strains for several decades.
Another infectious-disease expert said the twin threats of seasonal flu and the new H1N1 strain will require many people to get shots for both diseases and could pose management problems.
"This coming flu season will be quite different than those in the recent past as the new H1N1 swine flu strain will in all probability re-emerge and cause significant illness in at-risk people, such as young children and adolescents," said Dr. Pascal James Imperato, dean and distinguished service professor in the School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in New York City.
The seasonal flu vaccine will offer no protection against the H1N1 swine flu, he said.
"This means that some groups in the population will need to receive more than just one flu shot in order to be protected against all of the influenza strains in circulation," Imperato said. "This is an unusual circumstance and will require additional documentation effort on the part of those administering the flu vaccines and people receiving them to be sure that the appropriate immunizations are given."
"There may also be logistical challenges for patients and health-care providers as we attempt to deliver two different influenza vaccines during the same season," he added.
Then there's the lingering memory of the 1976 swine flu vaccination program, during which some 500 Americans came down with a rare neurodegenerative condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which many experts believe was linked to the shot. Twenty-five of those 500 people died.
"The potential for more severe illness and many more deaths caused by this new strain of influenza weighs heavily on our minds -- as does the unfortunate outcome of the 1976 swine flu vaccination program," said CDC spokeswoman Arleen Porcell-Pharr.
The H1N1 flu vaccines will be very much like seasonal flu vaccines, which have an excellent safety profile, Porcell-Pharr said. "However, no vaccine is 100 percent safe. This vaccine will be no exception," she said.
If the vaccines are recommended for use, those who choose to be inoculated will receive information sheets describing the vaccines' risks and benefits, signs of side effects to look for after vaccination, and information on how to report adverse events, she added.
"We will be watching very closely for any signs that the vaccine is causing unexpected side effects, and we have systems in place to investigate those signals rapidly," Porcell-Pharr said.
More Can Be Done to Slow Obesity's Toll on Health: Experts
TUESDAY, July 28 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity in the United States now carries the hefty price tag of $147 billion per year in direct medical costs, just over 9 percent of all medical spending, experts reported at a national conference Tuesday in Washington, DC.
"To put that figure in perspective, the American Cancer Society estimates that all cancers combined cost our health care system $93 billion a year. So ending obesity would save our health care system 50 percent more dollars than curing cancer," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday morning in prepared remarks for the "Weight of the Nation" conference, sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But Sebelius also believes that interventions that can be put in place today can help turn the tide against obesity, especially among America's children.
"Right now, they're learning the wrong habits. The share of children that are overweight has quadrupled in the last 40 years," she said in her prepared statement. "If there was an epidemic of little kids getting cancer, it would be a national crisis. But because it's obesity and the damage doesn't come until later in life, we've been slow to act."
However, simple steps can work to change youngsters' eating habits, she added. Cheaper, healthier offerings of fruits and vegetables at school cafeterias and improved access to classes and programs that emphasize physical activity have worked around the country to keep kids slim, Sebelius pointed out.
In the meantime, the cost of caring for obesity-linked health woes continues to rise. According to the new CDC data released at the conference, people who are obese spend almost $1,500 more each year on health care -- about 41 percent more than an average-weight person. Beyond those costs are the disability and early deaths caused by obesity, CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said during a press conference held Monday.
"Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they are getting worse rapidly," Frieden said. "The average American is now 23 pounds overweight."
Between 1998 and and 2006, obesity rates in the United States increased 37 percent and now one in three adults in the country are obese. Experts have long known the toll overweight takes on health, but the new report, published in the July 27 online edition of Health Affairs, outlines the financial cost of obesity.
"A normal-weight individual will spend about $3,400 per year in medical expenditures and that number rises to about $4,870 if that individual is obese," study author Eric Finkelstein, director, RTI Public Health Economics Program in Research Triangle Park, N.C., said during the Monday press conference.
For people on Medicare, expenses for a normal-weight person average about $4,700 a year, while costs for an obese person range about $6,400 annually, Finkelstein said.
The biggest driver of these excess costs are prescription drugs, Finkelstein said. Among the normal-weight population, prescription drug costs average about $700 a year, but among those who are obese the cost rises to about $1,300 a year, he said.
"For Medicare, the costs of obesity are about 72 percent greater just for prescription drugs," Finkelstein said. An obese person on Medicare is going to pay $1,400 in drug costs more a year than a normal-weight person, he said.
"Today's report demonstrating the clear link between rising rates of obesity and increasing medical costs is alarming, but not unexpected," Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said in a statement. "Obesity is the driver of so many chronic conditions -- heart disease, diabetes, cancer -- that generate the exorbitant costs that are crushing our health-care system," she said.
"The only way to show real savings in health expenditures in the future is through efforts to reduce the prevalence of obesity and related health conditions," Finkelstein said.
Hoping to turn the tide of the obesity epidemic, the CDC is taking several steps it hopes will alert people to the problem and get Americans to make the changes need to reduce obesity.
Among the strategies the CDC is promoting are making healthy food more available, encouraging more choices of healthy foods, encouraging breast-feeding, encouraging physical activity and creating sites in communities that support physical activity, Dr. William H. Dietz, director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said during the press conference.
"These recommendations, I believe, set the foundation for the community interventions necessary to reverse this problem in the United States," Dietz said.
One of the biggest problems facing Americans is soaring consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks, which add almost 150 calories to the daily diet, Frieden said.
Frieden believes that taxing sodas and other sugar-sweetened drinks will help cut down on consumption and raise revenues that can be used to fight the obesity epidemic.
The upshot of Monday's meeting is that stemming the obesity epidemic is going to take a societal effort.
"Reversing obesity is not going to be done successfully with individual effort," Frieden said. "We did not get to this situation over the past three decades because of any change in our genetics or any change in our food preferences. We got to this stage of the epidemic because of a change in our environment and only a change in our environment again will allow us to get back to a healthier place," he said.
HHS head Sebelius agreed. "These are investments that can be made at the neighborhood, city, and state levels," she said. "Everyone -- from parents to schools to local governments to food and beverage companies -- has a role to play in promoting prevention and wellness."
"To put that figure in perspective, the American Cancer Society estimates that all cancers combined cost our health care system $93 billion a year. So ending obesity would save our health care system 50 percent more dollars than curing cancer," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday morning in prepared remarks for the "Weight of the Nation" conference, sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But Sebelius also believes that interventions that can be put in place today can help turn the tide against obesity, especially among America's children.
"Right now, they're learning the wrong habits. The share of children that are overweight has quadrupled in the last 40 years," she said in her prepared statement. "If there was an epidemic of little kids getting cancer, it would be a national crisis. But because it's obesity and the damage doesn't come until later in life, we've been slow to act."
However, simple steps can work to change youngsters' eating habits, she added. Cheaper, healthier offerings of fruits and vegetables at school cafeterias and improved access to classes and programs that emphasize physical activity have worked around the country to keep kids slim, Sebelius pointed out.
In the meantime, the cost of caring for obesity-linked health woes continues to rise. According to the new CDC data released at the conference, people who are obese spend almost $1,500 more each year on health care -- about 41 percent more than an average-weight person. Beyond those costs are the disability and early deaths caused by obesity, CDC director Dr. Thomas R. Frieden said during a press conference held Monday.
"Obesity, and with it diabetes, are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they are getting worse rapidly," Frieden said. "The average American is now 23 pounds overweight."
Between 1998 and and 2006, obesity rates in the United States increased 37 percent and now one in three adults in the country are obese. Experts have long known the toll overweight takes on health, but the new report, published in the July 27 online edition of Health Affairs, outlines the financial cost of obesity.
"A normal-weight individual will spend about $3,400 per year in medical expenditures and that number rises to about $4,870 if that individual is obese," study author Eric Finkelstein, director, RTI Public Health Economics Program in Research Triangle Park, N.C., said during the Monday press conference.
For people on Medicare, expenses for a normal-weight person average about $4,700 a year, while costs for an obese person range about $6,400 annually, Finkelstein said.
The biggest driver of these excess costs are prescription drugs, Finkelstein said. Among the normal-weight population, prescription drug costs average about $700 a year, but among those who are obese the cost rises to about $1,300 a year, he said.
"For Medicare, the costs of obesity are about 72 percent greater just for prescription drugs," Finkelstein said. An obese person on Medicare is going to pay $1,400 in drug costs more a year than a normal-weight person, he said.
"Today's report demonstrating the clear link between rising rates of obesity and increasing medical costs is alarming, but not unexpected," Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation said in a statement. "Obesity is the driver of so many chronic conditions -- heart disease, diabetes, cancer -- that generate the exorbitant costs that are crushing our health-care system," she said.
"The only way to show real savings in health expenditures in the future is through efforts to reduce the prevalence of obesity and related health conditions," Finkelstein said.
Hoping to turn the tide of the obesity epidemic, the CDC is taking several steps it hopes will alert people to the problem and get Americans to make the changes need to reduce obesity.
Among the strategies the CDC is promoting are making healthy food more available, encouraging more choices of healthy foods, encouraging breast-feeding, encouraging physical activity and creating sites in communities that support physical activity, Dr. William H. Dietz, director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said during the press conference.
"These recommendations, I believe, set the foundation for the community interventions necessary to reverse this problem in the United States," Dietz said.
One of the biggest problems facing Americans is soaring consumption of soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks, which add almost 150 calories to the daily diet, Frieden said.
Frieden believes that taxing sodas and other sugar-sweetened drinks will help cut down on consumption and raise revenues that can be used to fight the obesity epidemic.
The upshot of Monday's meeting is that stemming the obesity epidemic is going to take a societal effort.
"Reversing obesity is not going to be done successfully with individual effort," Frieden said. "We did not get to this situation over the past three decades because of any change in our genetics or any change in our food preferences. We got to this stage of the epidemic because of a change in our environment and only a change in our environment again will allow us to get back to a healthier place," he said.
HHS head Sebelius agreed. "These are investments that can be made at the neighborhood, city, and state levels," she said. "Everyone -- from parents to schools to local governments to food and beverage companies -- has a role to play in promoting prevention and wellness."
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Burgermeister
What’s a Great American Road Trip without a Great American Cook-Out? But of course the families can’t just sit around and have a calm and relaxed picnic – it has to be a competition. So which dad can grill up the best burger? It’s like yet another cooking reality show!,six families continued to get their kicks on Route 66. They visited the Jesse James' hideout at the Meramac Caverns. The Montgomery family took in a little fishing and the diSalvatore family punked little brother Blake. But, hey! The family that plays together, stays together, right?
The King of the Road challenge found the families in Branson, Missouri, otherwise known as "The Vegas of the Ozarks." Our teams had to come up with skits for a talent show that would be judged by music icon Andy Williams, Yakov Smirnoff, and a couple hundred unimpressed locals. Yikes! Somehow, Team Pollard won over the crowd with a southern-fried version of "Old MacDonald." No one team was eliminated this episode, but the top three teams – the Pollards, the Ricos, and the Cootes – got the opportunity to compete for a trip to Hollywood. At the historic Route 66 drive-in theater, the kids got to treat the Dads like human video games, maneuvering them through a maze of cars. Team Coote and Team Pollard make a photo finish of it, but it's the Rootin' Cootes who take the final prize.
So now our six remaining families are:
* The Ricos: Ricardo (dad), Erica (mom), Danielle (13), Ricky (8)
* The Favereys: Lenny (dad), Dee (mom), Dylan (15), Ashley (10)
* The diSalvatores (Team Dysfunctional): Silvio (dad), Amy (mom), Mason (16), Blake (13)
* The Cootes (Team Rootin' Cootes): Keith (dad), Jennifer (mom), Cassidy (12) Jake (9) The Pollards: Ron (dad), Amie (mom), Aaron (17), Anslie (12)
* The Montgomerys (Team Powerhouse): Darius (dad), Alecia (mom), Darius Jr. (15), Tyler (11)
After a night of well-deserved rest and relaxation, our teams are ready to roll from Carthage Missouri. Their destination: Independence, Kansas, where, we're told, the story of Little House on the Prairie originated. For those of you don't who remember Little House, it's a children's book written by Laura Engalls Wilder about growing up with her family in the 1800s in the midwest.
Self-proclaimed history buff Ricardo Rico knows the story (probably from watching the ‘70s TV show when he was younger). But, Amie Pollard confidently confuses Little House with that other great ‘70s show about a tight-knit, struggling Midwestern family: The Waltons. She tries to educate her family by quoting that famous ending phrase, "Goodnight John-Boy." Her kids just look simply at her as if she were nuts. Oh well, not everyone watches TV Land.
Once in Kansas, Silvio diSalvatore seems to be fascinated with the worn-torn, tornado-ridden houses lining the highway. So much so, he almost rams the family RV into a mailbox, causing Mama diSalvatore to a have a near heart attack. Another day in the life of Team Dysfunctional, I suppose.
Our teams reach the "Little House" to find a family living there, dressed in appropriate 1800s garb: bonnet, big aprons, raccoon hats... the works. I have always wondered where they get these people, willing and able to impersonate historic characters. Are they paid to stage these renowned attractions or are they avid enthusiasts who enjoy recreating our nation's landmarks for tourists and passers-by? Whatever the reason, "Little House" certainly proves to be a testament to a simpler time and family life.
The best quote of the series so far (and there have been some doozies) come from our Team Dysfunctional, of course, when meeting up with Pa Engalls for the first time. Pa remarks to the diSalvatores that he's been reading about the Brooklyn Bridge being built (remember, to him, it's 1800ish). A deadpan Silvio replies in pure "New Yawker" fashion, "We don't go to Brooklyn. We're from the Bronx." Ha! Nice one, Silvio.
Next stop, The Red Buffalo Ranch for a cook-out and a pit-stop. Everyone is pumped for a cook-out. And who wouldn't be? A Great American Road Trip would not be complete without a Great Family Cook-out.
I love how Dee Faverey is genuinely surprised at the announcement of all the stops along Route 66. She and the rest of the Family Faverey are the only ones who have never traveled in an RV before. So everything is a new adventure to them. Those of us viewers who share the same lack of travel get to enjoy vicariously their wonder and adventures equally.
Now, before the teams reach the Red Buffalo Ranch, the GART producers want to show us two very different versions of the modern-day American family unit. Contrasts to compare, I suppose.
In this corner, Team Dysfunctional (you guessed it!). We have Family diSalvatore bickering very loudly over the "Low Fuel" sign on the dashboard. Amy yap yaps about the impending doom of having no gas and the fear of having to push the big RV to the nearest gas station. Silvio belligerently ignores her, of course until he makes the effort to look down to see the flashing light for himself. Caught in the middle is our poor oldest son Mason. He has to endure his parents’ loud back and forth. There is nowhere to go, obviously. You can see that he is wishing, more than anything, to be somewhere else. It actually gets hard to watch at one point.
Meanwhile, in the Rico RV, we see Ricardo and Erica sharing a quiet moment together. They are enjoying the passing landscapes with pure respect and gusto. He points out little red barns, weather vanes, and beautiful sights to his attentive wife. Caught up in the moment, he reaches for Erica's hand just to say, "I love you. This is awesome." Wow. It sure is.
Our teams finally make it to Red Buffalo Ranch only to find Reno waiting for them in a chef's hat, next to a big grill. Time for a wonderful cook-out, right? Kinda. Sorta. Not.
It's time for the King of the Road challenge! The Dads must cook six burgers, with whatever concoctions they choose, then the rest of the families get to sample them in a blind taste-test. The burger that gets the most points and best comments will win the challenge and a super-fabulous mega-grill! The three worst burgers will have to compete in the End of the Road challenge to stay in the game.
Right away, Team Dysfunctional gets nervous because they all know Silvio has never cooked anything in his life (which he readily admits). Still, the rules are rules. EVERY Dad has to cook the burgers. By the look of it, I figure Dad Coote and Dad Pollard has had plenty of experience grilling burgers in their day. Will it be another photo finish?
The King of the Road challenge found the families in Branson, Missouri, otherwise known as "The Vegas of the Ozarks." Our teams had to come up with skits for a talent show that would be judged by music icon Andy Williams, Yakov Smirnoff, and a couple hundred unimpressed locals. Yikes! Somehow, Team Pollard won over the crowd with a southern-fried version of "Old MacDonald." No one team was eliminated this episode, but the top three teams – the Pollards, the Ricos, and the Cootes – got the opportunity to compete for a trip to Hollywood. At the historic Route 66 drive-in theater, the kids got to treat the Dads like human video games, maneuvering them through a maze of cars. Team Coote and Team Pollard make a photo finish of it, but it's the Rootin' Cootes who take the final prize.
So now our six remaining families are:
* The Ricos: Ricardo (dad), Erica (mom), Danielle (13), Ricky (8)
* The Favereys: Lenny (dad), Dee (mom), Dylan (15), Ashley (10)
* The diSalvatores (Team Dysfunctional): Silvio (dad), Amy (mom), Mason (16), Blake (13)
* The Cootes (Team Rootin' Cootes): Keith (dad), Jennifer (mom), Cassidy (12) Jake (9) The Pollards: Ron (dad), Amie (mom), Aaron (17), Anslie (12)
* The Montgomerys (Team Powerhouse): Darius (dad), Alecia (mom), Darius Jr. (15), Tyler (11)
After a night of well-deserved rest and relaxation, our teams are ready to roll from Carthage Missouri. Their destination: Independence, Kansas, where, we're told, the story of Little House on the Prairie originated. For those of you don't who remember Little House, it's a children's book written by Laura Engalls Wilder about growing up with her family in the 1800s in the midwest.
Self-proclaimed history buff Ricardo Rico knows the story (probably from watching the ‘70s TV show when he was younger). But, Amie Pollard confidently confuses Little House with that other great ‘70s show about a tight-knit, struggling Midwestern family: The Waltons. She tries to educate her family by quoting that famous ending phrase, "Goodnight John-Boy." Her kids just look simply at her as if she were nuts. Oh well, not everyone watches TV Land.
Once in Kansas, Silvio diSalvatore seems to be fascinated with the worn-torn, tornado-ridden houses lining the highway. So much so, he almost rams the family RV into a mailbox, causing Mama diSalvatore to a have a near heart attack. Another day in the life of Team Dysfunctional, I suppose.
Our teams reach the "Little House" to find a family living there, dressed in appropriate 1800s garb: bonnet, big aprons, raccoon hats... the works. I have always wondered where they get these people, willing and able to impersonate historic characters. Are they paid to stage these renowned attractions or are they avid enthusiasts who enjoy recreating our nation's landmarks for tourists and passers-by? Whatever the reason, "Little House" certainly proves to be a testament to a simpler time and family life.
The best quote of the series so far (and there have been some doozies) come from our Team Dysfunctional, of course, when meeting up with Pa Engalls for the first time. Pa remarks to the diSalvatores that he's been reading about the Brooklyn Bridge being built (remember, to him, it's 1800ish). A deadpan Silvio replies in pure "New Yawker" fashion, "We don't go to Brooklyn. We're from the Bronx." Ha! Nice one, Silvio.
Next stop, The Red Buffalo Ranch for a cook-out and a pit-stop. Everyone is pumped for a cook-out. And who wouldn't be? A Great American Road Trip would not be complete without a Great Family Cook-out.
I love how Dee Faverey is genuinely surprised at the announcement of all the stops along Route 66. She and the rest of the Family Faverey are the only ones who have never traveled in an RV before. So everything is a new adventure to them. Those of us viewers who share the same lack of travel get to enjoy vicariously their wonder and adventures equally.
Now, before the teams reach the Red Buffalo Ranch, the GART producers want to show us two very different versions of the modern-day American family unit. Contrasts to compare, I suppose.
In this corner, Team Dysfunctional (you guessed it!). We have Family diSalvatore bickering very loudly over the "Low Fuel" sign on the dashboard. Amy yap yaps about the impending doom of having no gas and the fear of having to push the big RV to the nearest gas station. Silvio belligerently ignores her, of course until he makes the effort to look down to see the flashing light for himself. Caught in the middle is our poor oldest son Mason. He has to endure his parents’ loud back and forth. There is nowhere to go, obviously. You can see that he is wishing, more than anything, to be somewhere else. It actually gets hard to watch at one point.
Meanwhile, in the Rico RV, we see Ricardo and Erica sharing a quiet moment together. They are enjoying the passing landscapes with pure respect and gusto. He points out little red barns, weather vanes, and beautiful sights to his attentive wife. Caught up in the moment, he reaches for Erica's hand just to say, "I love you. This is awesome." Wow. It sure is.
Our teams finally make it to Red Buffalo Ranch only to find Reno waiting for them in a chef's hat, next to a big grill. Time for a wonderful cook-out, right? Kinda. Sorta. Not.
It's time for the King of the Road challenge! The Dads must cook six burgers, with whatever concoctions they choose, then the rest of the families get to sample them in a blind taste-test. The burger that gets the most points and best comments will win the challenge and a super-fabulous mega-grill! The three worst burgers will have to compete in the End of the Road challenge to stay in the game.
Right away, Team Dysfunctional gets nervous because they all know Silvio has never cooked anything in his life (which he readily admits). Still, the rules are rules. EVERY Dad has to cook the burgers. By the look of it, I figure Dad Coote and Dad Pollard has had plenty of experience grilling burgers in their day. Will it be another photo finish?
Love Triangle
It’s eviction day in the house, and the result seems predetermined. Laura will go home. But “predetermined” results have a way of changing on the final day. Will Laura do anything to try to save herself? Let’s find out together.
At about 7:45 am, we have our first awakening of the day – it’s Russell. He goes to the bathroom and tweezes his eyebrows. He follows that up by shaving his head. Riveting. Then he goes back to bed.
While there is some other movement, nobody is really up until Big Brother issues a wake-up call between 9:30 and 10. Jeff starts making breakfast, but he realizes the ham he was going to use is expired. Whoops! In fact, it’s like nine days expired – don’t they clean out the fridge in the house? You’d think with that many people, the food wouldn’t have time to expire.
Ronnie stays hidden in his bedroom. Natalie comes up to see him and asks if Russell talked to him. In case you missed yesterday’s live feed action, Russell made an overture to Ronnie to become secret allies next week (while still outwardly torturing him). Natalie and Jessie too. And it looks like there is sympathy from Lydia and Kevin as well, though they aren’t working with the Athletes and each group doesn’t know about the other.
Watch Big Brother 11 on SuperPass. Can't see on TV
Anyway, it looks like they’re in an HOH room lockdown, so while Ronnie can stay in the room, the others have to pile in as well – they sing a rousing chorus of “rathole, rathole.” Ronnie must just be thrilled. Wait, it looks like Big Brother is intervening and making them stop.
The houseguests amuse themselves in various stupid ways in the room for a while. At one point, they accuse Ronnie of stealing all the milk for his cereal. Oh please. Casey makes a number of rat-related comments at Ronnie’s expense. You know, when Casey came into the house, I thought I’d like him. He seems like the kind of guy who would have been picked on in school – kind of offbeat, you know. Instead, he’s one of the ringleaders who is doing the picking on Ronnie! I mean, I know Ronnie deserves to be hammered in the game for the way he’s played, but this is turning into a Lord of the Flies type of situation here.
Casey, Laura, and Russell discuss Laura leaving. It doesn’t look like Laura has any illusions whatsoever that she might stick around. They indicate the first thing she will do is ask for a pizza. Russell says he expected the live audience to boo Braden when he walked out last week, but Laura notes that there are “applause” signs. Indeed, I think that’s the only reason Braden got applauded; but just today, he got what he really deserved – a Reality TV Hall of Shame Moment.
At about 12:30, the lockdown is finally over. Not to say they were bored, but at one point they were resorting to reading the nutrition information on a can of chili!
As everybody leaves the HOH room, Ronnie is forced out as well – and he has to take his stuff and vacate the premises. As they’re leaving, Natalie hangs back and asks him again about Russell, and Ronnie tells her that Russell did indeed talk to him, but she can’t say anything or he’ll kill Ronnie. Naturally, she immediately tells Jessie.
Various routine activities occur, including prepping for the live show, cleaning the house, getting dressed, etc. Nothing of great import here. The feeds blink out from time to time. Still rather dull. They’re all just pretty much waiting for the live show.
Finally, the live show arrives. Did you miss it? Then read all about it right here. In short: Laura is gone; Jessie is HOH again.
Before moving on to new game talk, Jessie mentions the goodbye message he left for Laura – flexing his bicep and making fun of her for saying he would be going home in the second week.
Natalie tries to stir things up a bit by bringing up the lone vote to save Laura. Of course, we know it was Natalie herself who cast that vote, but the others don’t. She says she had just told Julie Chen that the house was united and then that happened! Most of them seem to be taking it with some humor, though Chima is trying to figure out who cast the vote. When somebody asks for a show of hands, they all say they voted to evict Laura. Russell says they should just let it go.
Natalie is already planning who she wants to leave this week. She tells Jessie he can’t put up Ronnie or Ronnie is gone. She does want Casey out, though, if only because he wanted to put the Athletes on slop. Jessie says Jordan and Michele are obvious choices to be nominated since they are not in the NBK (Natural Born Killers) alliance. But he points out that they still need to act like Ronnie will be headed home. If he doesn’t end up putting Ronnie on the block, he recognizes others will be gunning for him. Natalie suggests maybe they should just be honest about keeping Ronnie. (Honesty?! In the Big Brother house? Shut your mouth, child!)
Getting back to the lone vote issue, Kevin tells Jessie and Natalie that Jordan thinks Michele cast the vote. Meanwhile, Lydia and Chima talk and believe Casey and Michele should be nominated. They also agree that if four of the final five are Athletes, they’re gonna be pissed. Well, duh, since that means at least one of you wouldn’t be there!
At about 7:45 am, we have our first awakening of the day – it’s Russell. He goes to the bathroom and tweezes his eyebrows. He follows that up by shaving his head. Riveting. Then he goes back to bed.
While there is some other movement, nobody is really up until Big Brother issues a wake-up call between 9:30 and 10. Jeff starts making breakfast, but he realizes the ham he was going to use is expired. Whoops! In fact, it’s like nine days expired – don’t they clean out the fridge in the house? You’d think with that many people, the food wouldn’t have time to expire.
Ronnie stays hidden in his bedroom. Natalie comes up to see him and asks if Russell talked to him. In case you missed yesterday’s live feed action, Russell made an overture to Ronnie to become secret allies next week (while still outwardly torturing him). Natalie and Jessie too. And it looks like there is sympathy from Lydia and Kevin as well, though they aren’t working with the Athletes and each group doesn’t know about the other.
Watch Big Brother 11 on SuperPass. Can't see on TV
Anyway, it looks like they’re in an HOH room lockdown, so while Ronnie can stay in the room, the others have to pile in as well – they sing a rousing chorus of “rathole, rathole.” Ronnie must just be thrilled. Wait, it looks like Big Brother is intervening and making them stop.
The houseguests amuse themselves in various stupid ways in the room for a while. At one point, they accuse Ronnie of stealing all the milk for his cereal. Oh please. Casey makes a number of rat-related comments at Ronnie’s expense. You know, when Casey came into the house, I thought I’d like him. He seems like the kind of guy who would have been picked on in school – kind of offbeat, you know. Instead, he’s one of the ringleaders who is doing the picking on Ronnie! I mean, I know Ronnie deserves to be hammered in the game for the way he’s played, but this is turning into a Lord of the Flies type of situation here.
Casey, Laura, and Russell discuss Laura leaving. It doesn’t look like Laura has any illusions whatsoever that she might stick around. They indicate the first thing she will do is ask for a pizza. Russell says he expected the live audience to boo Braden when he walked out last week, but Laura notes that there are “applause” signs. Indeed, I think that’s the only reason Braden got applauded; but just today, he got what he really deserved – a Reality TV Hall of Shame Moment.
At about 12:30, the lockdown is finally over. Not to say they were bored, but at one point they were resorting to reading the nutrition information on a can of chili!
As everybody leaves the HOH room, Ronnie is forced out as well – and he has to take his stuff and vacate the premises. As they’re leaving, Natalie hangs back and asks him again about Russell, and Ronnie tells her that Russell did indeed talk to him, but she can’t say anything or he’ll kill Ronnie. Naturally, she immediately tells Jessie.
Various routine activities occur, including prepping for the live show, cleaning the house, getting dressed, etc. Nothing of great import here. The feeds blink out from time to time. Still rather dull. They’re all just pretty much waiting for the live show.
Finally, the live show arrives. Did you miss it? Then read all about it right here. In short: Laura is gone; Jessie is HOH again.
Before moving on to new game talk, Jessie mentions the goodbye message he left for Laura – flexing his bicep and making fun of her for saying he would be going home in the second week.
Natalie tries to stir things up a bit by bringing up the lone vote to save Laura. Of course, we know it was Natalie herself who cast that vote, but the others don’t. She says she had just told Julie Chen that the house was united and then that happened! Most of them seem to be taking it with some humor, though Chima is trying to figure out who cast the vote. When somebody asks for a show of hands, they all say they voted to evict Laura. Russell says they should just let it go.
Natalie is already planning who she wants to leave this week. She tells Jessie he can’t put up Ronnie or Ronnie is gone. She does want Casey out, though, if only because he wanted to put the Athletes on slop. Jessie says Jordan and Michele are obvious choices to be nominated since they are not in the NBK (Natural Born Killers) alliance. But he points out that they still need to act like Ronnie will be headed home. If he doesn’t end up putting Ronnie on the block, he recognizes others will be gunning for him. Natalie suggests maybe they should just be honest about keeping Ronnie. (Honesty?! In the Big Brother house? Shut your mouth, child!)
Getting back to the lone vote issue, Kevin tells Jessie and Natalie that Jordan thinks Michele cast the vote. Meanwhile, Lydia and Chima talk and believe Casey and Michele should be nominated. They also agree that if four of the final five are Athletes, they’re gonna be pissed. Well, duh, since that means at least one of you wouldn’t be there!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Soundtrack : Transformers Revenge of The Fallen (Preview)
01. Linkin Park - New Divide
02. Green Day - 21 Guns
03. Taking Back Sunday - Capital M-E
04. The Fray - Never Say Never
05. Nickelback - Burn It To The Ground
06. The Used - Burning Down The House
07. Theory Of A Deadman - Not Meant To Be
08. The All-American Rejects - Real World
09. Hoobastank - I Dont Think I Love You
10. Staind - This Is It
11. Avenged Sevenfold - Almost Easy
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