Virtual Dating on Smingle

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Smingle.com. All opinions are 100% mine.

What happens when singles get together to mingle?  They Smingle!  Smingle is a new social dating site that takes cutting edge online technology to a new level.    Welcome to the world of virtual dating.

Let's face it, the internet has revolutionized the way we communicate with one another.  With social media sites and online chat rooms, it is easy to come into contact with folks from all across the planet. There have been people that I have chatted with online on different sites, and it is nice to get to know them a bit. But what if you want to get to know them beyond their profile?  That is where Smingle comes in, by providing a safe place to get to know one another before meeting.  Plus, according to the European Journal of Social Psychology, "People who go on virtual dates first tend to like each other more when they meet and are two times more likely to go on a second date," resulting in greater dating success.   

One of the cool things about Smingle is that it goes way beyond the typical chat room/instant messaging environment.  When you sign up for Smingle, you are able to create a 3D avatar that you can customize to look like you. You can change clothes, hair styles, just about anything you want.  You can create fun romantic dates like an Empire State Building date.  While on your date, your avatar will interact with your date.  For instance, type LOL and your avatar laughs.  You can even flirt and blow a kiss to your date.  Think of it as a chat room on steroids.

It is pretty simple to get started, just sign up and fill in as much of your profile as you want.  If you upload a photo to your profile, you will get a 3 month Elect Select membership for no charge.  I signed up for a free membership to check it out for this post, but I don't think Mrs. Dickster would appreciate me going out on virtual dates.  However, if you are one of my single readers, you ought to check it out.  When I was single, I tried using dating services, and if I were single, I would give Smingle a trial run.

Fun With Crawfish

An old high school and college friend of mine, the late David Mills of the Undercover Blackman blog, got me started with blogging,  One of the features that he often repeated on his blog was what he called "Why YouTube is Better than Television."  He frequently featured things that were funny, odd, eclectic; just about anything that tickled him in some way.  For some reason, when I saw this, it made me think of his old feature.  I am not sure if it is something that I will do on a regular basis or not.  It has been almost a year since he and I got together after many years, so in honor of him, here is one more reason that YouTube is Better than Television.

The Secret Menu at ampm

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of ampm. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have an ampm store near you?  I hope so.  If you aren't familiar with the ampm stores, they are convenience stores that are attached to a gas station.  These days, that is a familiar site for most of us, but when ampm first began the concept in 1978, it was fairly uncommon.  They have grown now to have over 1100 locations nationwide.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I am on the road and need to fill up my gas tank, it is nice to have a place to grab a bite to eat as well.  The ampm stores are just the place to fit that craving.  I know what you are thinking, every service station with a convenience store has things to eat.  That's true.  You could grab a hot dog just about anywhere, but ampm has recently rolled out their secret menu.

You can check out their secret menu items by visiting their Facebook page and clicking on the secret menu tab on the page.  They have already released the first five items on their secret menu, and will release additional items over the next few weeks.  In addition to the items that ampm are posting on the menu, beginning August 2nd users can create their own concoctions on the Facebook page.  See how creative you can be at coming up with your own menu items.

Of the items that have already been released, there are two in particular that I would want to try, the Hot Chihuahua and the Chili Conquistador.  The Hot Chihuahua is a hot dog topped with spicy nacho cheese and jalapeno peppers.  The Chili Conquistador is a hamburger topped with chili and spicy funyuns.  I can see why they are calling these "yums."  Check them out and let me know which ones sound good to you.

Tiger & the Porn Star-Part 2

Image by Jimi Photog via Flickr

Back in February, when Tiger Woods finally made a public statement of apology after the news of all of his marital infidelities came out, there was one person who made a big to do about the fact that Tiger did not apologize to her or the other women that Tiger fooled around with.  That person was porn star Joslyn James.

After Tiger's press conference, Joslyn held her own press conference to air her grievances (I guess she couldn't wait until Festivus for the Airing of the Grievances.)  Among her complaints was that she had given up her porn career for Tiger because he asked her to.  I remember thinking as I watched the press conference video, that she still looked like she could perform in her previous line of work.  I didn't put those thoughts in my post at that time, because I thought it might sound a little crass.

In the time since that initial press conference, Ms. James just doesn't seem to want to go away.  Tiger never did apologize publicly to her or the other adulteresses.  As the old saying goes, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  So it is with Joslyn James.  First she released several sexually explicit text messages she received from Tiger.  Then she went on a tour as a featured dancer at strip clubs across the country.

Somehow, I always knew that James would end up on her feet, or should I say her back.  James continues to try to cash in on her notoriety as one of Tiger's playthings.  Earlier this month, Vivid released a new movie starring James.  Of course it is a porno spoof with the title "The 11th Hole."  Each scene is based on the text messages that James received from Tiger, and the title is a play on her being Wood's 11th mistress.

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Storm Knocks Out Power to Several Thousand

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We had a terrible storm blow through the area on Sunday afternoon.  Our lights started flickering in our house about 15 minutes before the rain actually hit us.  We were fortunate.  With the exception of the lights shutting off for a brief moment, we never lost power.  Our only inconvenience was having to deal with a computer shutting down and having to reset a few clocks.

Others in the DC area were not so lucky. Immediately after the storm, there were well over 300,000 Pepco customers that lost power, primarily in DC and Montgomery County.  As of last night, Pepco still had over 200,000 customers without electricity.  They are estimating that most of the power will not be restored until the end of the week.  Needless to say, the natives are a bit restless at this news.

I understand the frustration of not having power for several days.  Back in 2003, Hurricane Isabel came rolling up the east coast.  I remember watching the radar maps to see the path of the storm because I was concerned about our basement flooding again.  It looked like the storm was going to be a bit west of us, and it was fairly quiet in my neighborhood.  It looked like we were going to miss the worst of the storm when all of a sudden our power went out.

It was about 3 or 4 days before the power came back on.  I pretty much took it in stride, as expected it to be bad.  The toughest part was trying to explain to my autistic son, who was 9 at the time, why he couldn't play his video games or watch television.  We were fortunate to be able to go take showers or watch a little television at my brother in law's place since he had power.  I took my son bowling with my nephew and brother in law, and decided to call home.  You never saw anybody so happy when the answering machine picked up because it meant the power was back on.

So, I am sympathetic to the frustrations of those without power.  Fortunately for us, we lost our power in September as opposed to the heat of July.  The interesting thing is that Pepco has been hit by a lot more outages from this storm than all the other electricity providers.  The same thing happened during our blizzards last winter.  It makes you wonder if there is something in their infrastructure that makes them more susceptible to outages.  Fortunately, I get my electricity from BG&E.

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Music Monday-James Otto "Groovy Little Summer Song"

Since it is summer and we have been sweltering in the heat wave, I decided to pick a song for Music Monday that brings to mind time at the beach and maybe a little summer romance.  Here is James Otto and his "Groovy Little Summer Song."  Happy Music Monday, and try to stay cool.

James Otto   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


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Juniorize Me!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Arby's. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every now and then, I have to indulge myself in a little fast food.  You can pretty much go any place if you want to get a dried out burger, or some sort of chopped and processed product that once resembled chicken.  When I want real food, like a real roast beef sandwich, I head to Arby's.

The latest addition to the Arby's value menu is their new Arby's Jr. Deluxe starting at only $1.  The Jr. Deluxe is a roast beef sandwich on a sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomato, and mayo.  Sounds pretty delish to me.

In honor of the launch of the Arby's Jr Deluxe, Arby's is bringing back the Arby's Jr. character to help introduce the sandwich.  They also have put something pretty cool and fun on their website.  Visitors can upload a photo and Create Your Own Personalized Arby's Jr.

In addition to personalizing your character with your photo, you can add a personal message, either recording your own voice or taking advantage of their text to voice technology. It is pretty cool. You can then share your personal Arby's Jr. message on your favorite social networking sites, email it to your friends, or put in on your website. Mine is below.

So if you are a roast beef fan, or just want to have a little bit of fun with some cool technology, check out the website and Juniorize yourself.

Mother Murders Her Two Children

I was driving into work this morning when I heard about the following story.  A 30 year old Texas woman, Saiqa Akhter called 911 to tell the dispatcher that she killed her two kids.  After telling the operator that she killed the children, she proceeds to inform her how she did the act.  First, she tried to poison them by getting them to drink bathroom cleaner.  When that didn't work, she used a wire to strangle the kids.

The next part of the story is the reason this particular murder of a child by a parent caught my attention.  When the 911 operator asked her why she killed her kids, I was floored.  Among her reason  for killing her kids were that her kids were both autistic, and she did not want her kids to be that way.  She wanted her kids to be "normal."

As the father of a 16 year old autistic boy, I know all too well the difficulty and disappointment in having a child with autism.  It is a lot of work.  For most of my son's life, I have worked two jobs so that my wife is able to stay home with him.  When I am not working, I am usually engaged with him in some way, shape or form.  There is very little me time or couple time for me and my wife.  I can't begin to tell you how tired I am.

I don't say these things because I want anybody to feel sorry for me, or pat me on the back and call me a great dad.  I only say it because I know how hard it is and how easy it is to get frustrated.  Trust me, I am no saint, and on more than one occasion I have lost my patience, but never to the point where I would harm my child.

Aside from the obvious of no longer having her kids around, Akhter is really going to miss out.  In the 16 years of having my son around, quite often the things that make dealing with him difficult are the things that make him an absolute joy.  How many fathers of a 16 year old boy can say their son will sit on the couch with him and lay his head on daddy's chest when he is tired?  The laughter that comes from my son when he plays a video game the "wrong way" is just priceless and reminds me that games are supposed to be fun.

There are very few things in this life that I have a zero tolerance for.  Crimes against children and the defenseless are one of those.  In cases like this, I believe in the full force of any punishment the government can mete out.  In fact, in cases like this, I do not believe there is anything such thing as "cruel and unusual punishment."  Authorities are preparing capital murder charges against her, as well they should.  The punishment should fit the crime.

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PolitiZoid-"Same as it Ever Was"

Two weeks ago, PolitiZoid released their version of "Money for Nothing" as performed by Mark Knockoffler and Dem Strait.  Now they have come out with The Talking Feds and "Same as it Ever Was."  Another classic.

Better Late Than Never

Image via Wikipedia

I greatly admire our men and women in uniform.  They put their lives on the line for us daily to protect our country and way of life.  To me, they deserve our support, regardless of whether or not you agree with the reasons they may have been sent into battle.

Army Lieutenant and helicopter pilot Ronald Markiewicz was awarded the Silver Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic efforts during battle.  He received his medals today in the office of Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) for his service in the Vietnamese War 39 years ago.

Lieutenant Markiewicz flew two missions during the war where his chopper was hit by anti-aircraft fire.  In both instances, he was wounded in battle.  The first mission was to bring supplies to Vietnamese marines and to pick up wounded servicemen.  The second mission was to help troops recover downed helicopter crews.

Congratulations to Lieutenant Markiewicz for the well deserved recognition of his heroic actions during his time of service.  Thank you for your service to our country.  You should have been honored long before today.  

Music Monday-Billy Currington "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer"

First, Billy Currington told us that "God is great, beer is good, and People are Crazy."  Since beer is good, it makes sense to have it as a part of ones life.  With enough practice, you can get "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer."  Everyone should be good at something, but somehow, I don't think being good at drinking beer will help you win the girl like the beer pong expert in this video, but you never know.

Billy Currington   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


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Maryland Earthquake

Image via Wikipedia

An earthquake that registered 3.6 on the Richter scale struck in Gaithersburg, Maryland, just outside of Washington DC around 5:00 am this morning.  While 3.6 is considered a rather small quake, it is pretty significant for us.  In fact, it is the highest confirmed magnitude for a quake to hit the state. I personally did not feel the quake here in Bowie, but according to Bowie Mike of the Bowie Living blog, he could feel it at his home. 

While I did not feel this particular quake, I did experience one about 18 years ago.  My wife and I were heading to Hawaii for a vacation with her family.  We went out a week after the rest of her family, and we had an overnight layover near LAX airport.  Early in the morning, I was shaken from my slumber when I felt the bed vibrating.  I knew I hadn't put any quarters in any slots near the bed, so I was suspicious.  It sounded as though there was a storm outside, as it sounded like wind blowing through the trees outside our room.

I jumped out of bed to take a look out the window.  When my feet hit the floor, I had the sensation as if I was standing on a boat being tossed on waves.  I looked out the window and could see waves in the swimming pool below our room.  As the tremors died down, I got back into bed and turned on CNN to discover that we were feeling the results of a 7.3 magnitude quake that struck in Landers, CA.

Later that morning we had breakfast at the hotel before taking the courtesy van over to LAX.  The van stopped to let one other couple out at their terminal, when I heard the broadcasters on the radio commenting that another aftershock was coming through.  Then the van started rocking.  I looked out the windows and the light posts around the airport were swaying like trees in a strong breeze.  I was starting to wonder if we would ever make it to Hawaii.

Eventually we were able to take off and enjoy a week in Hawaii.  My first, and so far only experience with earthquakes was disturbing to say the least.  So the fact that I did not feel today's quake, no matter how small it was, doesn't break my heart any.

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Holder, Arizona, and Santuary Cities

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I was driving home from work this evening, listening to The Mark Levin Show on the radio.  He referenced this article in the Washington Times about Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama administrations decision not to sue so called "Sanctuary Cities" that refuse to cooperate with federal law in enforcing immigration law, in spite of a 1996 federal law that requires states to cooperate.  Meanwhile, as we all know, Holder and the Department of Justice have sued the state of Arizona for actually wanting to enforce immigration laws.

The Attorney General's office is supposed to be the chief law enforcement officer in the country.  It would seem that by deciding which laws to enforce, Mr. Holder is in dereliction of his sworn responsibilities.  In Holder's world, it is OK to disobey federal law if you are a radical leftist state or city and it fits in with his leftist ideology.  By the same token, if you want to enforce federal law, which is all the Arizona law wants to accomplish, you are in a heap of trouble.

If I were President, and it would never happen, I would have a pretty simple policy for dealing with illegal immigration. First and foremost, secure the border.  Second, enforce existing laws, and that means dealing harshly with those entering illegally and those employers that hire illegals.  Third, any state, city, or jurisdiction that declares itself to be a "sanctuary" for illegals would immediately cease getting any federal funding of any kind.  I considered adding "shoot to kill" but thought that might be a little too harsh.

Speaking of Mark Levin and the State of Arizona, I was glad to hear that Mark's Landmark Legal Foundation has filed an Amicus Brief in support of the state of Arizona in the court case brought against the state by the ACLU and the Mexican government.  Mark read a good bit of the brief in the first hour of his program tonight.  All I can say is that I am glad that conservatives have a man like Mark Levin and Landmark Legal Foundation fighting on our side.  Keep fighting, Mark. 

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Music Monday-Trace Adkins "This Ain't No Love Song"

I am a big fan of Trace Adkins.  He has a distinctive vocal style.  I like his politics.  So when I visited CMT.com today to look for videos for Music Monday, I was glad to see a new video from Trace.  I had to make it my choice for Music Monday.  It is half music video, and half Victoria's Secret commercial.  For you guys out there, the video is worth watching just for the model.  She is SMOKIN! 

Trace Adkins   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


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A Few New Baysox Pictures

It has been a while since I have posted any of my Baysox photos, so here are a few from the last couple games that we have been able to attend.

Charles Lollar vs Collins Bailey

I have mentioned a time or two that I am not a fan of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who also happens to represent the Congressional District where I live in the state of Maryland.  Unfortunately, in a Democrat stronghold like the state of Maryland, it will be difficult.  There are two Republicans currently running for the GOP nomination to try to unseat Hoyer; Charles Lollar and Collins Bailey.

Both men are successful businessmen, husbands, and fathers of four.  More importantly, both men espouse conservative virtues.  Lollar is a Major in the USMC Reserves, has been very active in the Tea Party movement, and is one of a growing number of African-American Republicans.  Bailey promotes adherence to the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, and the FairTax.  Either one would get my vote over Hoyer in November.

If social media like Facebook and Twitter are any indicators, the edge in the upcoming primary would appear to favor Lollar.  On Twitter, Lollar currently has 412 followers, while Bailey has 218.  On Facebook, Lollar has a much more dominant following with 2794 fans compared to 463 for Bailey.  Both also have a fairly high profile endorsement listed on their websites.  Bailey has been endorsed by Texas Congressman, and former Presidential candidate, Ron Paul, and Lollar has appeared on and received the endorsement of conservative commentator Sean Hannity.

The primary takes place on September 14, 2010 which will give the winner a mere seven weeks to launch a successful campaign against Hoyer who has held the seat for nearly 30 years.  It is time for new blood.  Whichever man, Bailey or Lollar, that wins the primary will have my vote come November.  May the best man win.

LeBron James Decision Day

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I have always been a huge sports fan.  At times, so much so to the detriment of other interests.  Over he last few years, my interest has waned somewhat.  Even though my overall interest has waned, I still somewhat follow the general happenings of the major sports.  So I have been aware that LeBron James has been weighing his options as an NBA free agent.

There is no doubt that James is one of the most talented players in the game.  He will definitely receive the maximum offer allowed from whichever team he decides to sign a contract with.  I do not begrudge anybody for getting the maximum amount of money for utilizing their talents.  I confess that when you start talking about the kind of money he is going to get, that I do get a little sentimental and like to see players show a little loyalty and take a little less to stay with their home town team.  In this particular case, his current team can offer more by giving him an extra year on the contract.

As I said, LeBron is a tremendous talent, and probably the most high profile free agent to hit the market in any sport in recent years.  So I do understand the hype surrounding his decision.  The part of the hype that I do not understand is the decision of ESPN to broadcast a one hour television special devoted to the announcement of where James will play next year.  I for one will not be watching the show, and I speak as somebody who has sat through several rounds of watching the NFL draft.  I will just catch it on the news if they don't put a crawl on whatever show I end up watching.  

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PolitiZoid-"Money for Nothing"

Last night, I was checking out Nealz Nuze to see the latest happenings that Neil Boortz had posted on his site.  I was glad to see that Boortz says he has Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing" on his iPod.  I do too; I loves me some Dire Straits.  However, he had posted this YouTube video from PolitiZoid from the band Dem Strait and their version of "Money for Nothing."  Classic.  Frankly, I didn't think that Biden, Pelosi, and Reid had that much musical talent.  President Obama even makes a cameo appearance.

Jaywalking-4th of July Edition

I received an email today from Human Events that had this Jaywalking episode in honor of the July 4th holiday.  Sadly, most of the people who made the airing showed a pathetic lack of rudimentary knowledge of why we celebrate.  Jay has three generations of one family in the final segment, and only the elder statesman, grandpa, answers any questions correctly, and he aces them all.  Sadly, I feel this generational disparity is an indictment of our educational system.  It also explains how a community organizer who can become President.

About two years ago, I posted a link to a Civics Knowledge test that was sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.  When the test was first released, 71% of those taking the test failed, and the average score was 49%.  I did fairly well two years ago, getting 84.7%.  After seeing this Jaywalking episode from the Tonight Show, I retook the test, and improved my score, getting 90.9% correct.  You can click this link to take the test.  Let me know how you do on it.

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Music Monday-Lee Greenwood "God Bless the USA"

Since yesterday was Independence Day, my choice for Music Monday is Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA."  These days we need God's blessing more than ever.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.


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The Declaration of Independence and Elena Kagan

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"When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thus begins the Declaration of Independence, our founding document.  As high a regard as conservatives have for our Constitution, we hold the Declaration of Independence in equally high regard.  Abraham Lincoln considered the Declaration to be the foundation of his political philosophy and the guiding principal as to how the Constitution should be interpreted.

The 9th Amendment of the Constitution states that other rights that are not listed in the Constitution exist, and those rights can not be violated just because they are not specifically listed.  Among these would be our inalienable rights as declared in the Declaration. 

There are many reasons why Elena Kagan should not be confirmed as a justice to the Supreme Court.  Her statement to Senator Tom Coburn during the confirmation hearings that she "doesn't have a view of natural rights independent of the Constitution," is a clincher for me.  The idea that our rights come only from the Constitution, and therefore the government, runs counter to the Declaration of Independence and our founding as a nation.

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Charles Lollar for Congress

This morning, I ran out to the grocery store to pick up a couple items for dinner.  At the traffic light where I needed to turn to get to the store, there were two African American gentleman passing out campaign literature.  Usually, I pass by anybody at a traffic light passing out info, asking for donations, or selling something.  However, these gentleman were passing out campaign literature for Charles Lollar.

I had seen Lollar on the Hannity television show a few weeks ago, and was impressed.  Lollar is a Major in the USMC (Reserves), a businessman, a husband, and a father of four.   Lollar is running for Maryland Congressional seat in the 5th District, which happens to be the seat currently held by one of my least favorite politicians, Steny Hoyer.  He still needs to win the Republican primary against Collins Bailey, but so far I have seen Lollar's name out there a lot more than Bailey's.  Both men would be a major improvement over the status quo.

Lollar joins a growing number of minorities running for office this year as a Republican.  After years of being labeled the "Party of Old White Men," it is good to see a little diversity in the GOP.  Sure, you had your occasional African American Republican like JC Watts or Herman Cain, but they were few and far between.  In 2006, we had Michael Steele running against Ben Cardin here in Maryland, but unfortunately fell short.  Here is hoping that folks like Lollar, Allen West, and Star Parker, among others can continue to rise in prominence in the GOP, and help draw other minorities away from the Democrat Party.

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A New World Record

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Well, the Tiger Woods/Elin Nordegren saga appears to be over, or at least getting closer to the end.  It is being reported that the couple has reached a divorce settlement after Tiger's multiple affairs.  Nordegren will reportedly walk away with $750 million and custody of the two kids, and Tiger will again be able to swing his club wherever he chooses to.

The settlement will set a new record in terms of celebrity divorce settlements.  As part of the agreement, Tiger will not be able to bring any new lady friends in contact with the kids unless he ends up marrying them.  For her part, Nordegren will not be allowed to make any public comments about his alleged affairs as he tries to rebuild his image.

Though as I type this, there have been new reports that she will not get as much as originally reported.  No matter, she deserves every penny she gets from him for the way he publicly humiliated her.  I guess this shows there is truth in the old saying, "it's cheaper to keep her."  If Tiger ever marries again, let's hope he has learned his lesson.

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