Links of the Day

UGA VII Dead at 4 - After just a little under two seasons, the University of Georgia's mascot died last week due to heart failure. The beloved dog, considered the sweetest of the line, was only four. For the remainder of the season a temp dog will be used for the games with a successor prepped for next season. As a fan, it is sad news and found Mike Luckovich's comic to be a touching tribute.

Microsoft Attempts to Buy Search Content - As a sign that Microsoft still thinks money is all you need to compete in this age of the internet, the company apparently is trying to buy exclusive search access to Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The net result is it could kick off a buying war for content that means the average user will have to use multiple search engines to try and get results. There are ways around that but the net result is it’s a stupid, classless move that accomplishes little but aggravate customers. If this occurs, I think the only proper response is a complete boycott of Bing and all companies that agree to exclusive search access.

12 Hottest Geek Girls - As a sign that maybe geekdom is start to flirt with mainstream (jocks still rule so not there yet); here are 12 girls that are as gorgeous as your average movie star. They are all outstanding but Jade Raymond edges out the group as most beautiful with Olivia Munn a close second.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earth Trailer 2 - A new trailer for the upcoming DC cartoon that pits the Justice League against the Crime Syndicate (an evil JL).

GOP Purity Test Planned - As a sign that moderates are not welcome, the GOP has started plans to introduce a "purity" test for any prospective candidates. If one doesn't meet at least 7 of the 10 requirements, then they will not receive funding from the Republican National Committee nor endorsement from any member as punishment for falling marching orders. So far all current Republicans meet the requirements which claim to be part of Ronald "Reagan's Unity Principle" even though most are philosophies he didn't support and all seem to be really about hatred of Obama then driving any core party values. It is a shame the party was not this driven when they were in power.

Spitzer's "Kristen" Revealed

The identity of "Kristen", the escort discovered with now former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been revealed. Her birth name is Ashley Youmans, her current name is Alexandra Dupre, and she is simply gorgeous. I can see why Spitzer was tempted by her.

According to her MySpace page, Alexandra is 22 years old aspiring singer who left a violent home at the age of 17. You can find a sample song on her page. The details of how she got into escorting and how frequently she saw Spitzer remained unrevealed but it probably has something to do with drugs (she has history of drug use) and desire to make money with as little effort as possible so she can work on her singing "career".

As the pictures below show, she is quite the looker and may be able to use the scandal to start a book writing career or perhaps a modeling career in Playboy. If that doesn't work out, I am sure the porn industry would welcome her with open arms. I look forward to hearing about what happens next (hopefully good) in her life.

Spitzer Busted for Prostitution

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been busted for meeting with a prostitute or escort last month. Apparently he paid around $4,300 to meet with "Kristen" for 2 and half hours. Of course the media is having a field day with it as they finally get to stop talking about delegates and get to discuss something everyone understands - a sex scandal. I feel bad for Spitzer's wife, who has to do the usual stand by your political man thing. Also because I bet she was quite the looker in her prime and still pretty darn good looker. Has a "cougar" thing about her.

I can't get over that price. For $4,300 I could buy a new TV, computer, and surround sound. Or just knock off a good chunk of debt. For the money, I can't help but wonder if the escort isn't some B or C list actress, porn star, maybe some high level exec because based on a random lookup on various sites via Google, basically the more they cost an hour, the more gorgeous and named they become. One of the ads I found was for porn star Amy Reid. Gorgeous woman. If I had a few grand to throw around, I would tap that. However I am broke so pictures will have to do.

Frankly, I am betting a mass majority of politicians have cheated with their wives on a semi regular basis whether with an escort, another wife, a friend’s daughter, co-worker, whatever. I think it’s just a matter of odds. The rich and powerful are exposed to more temptation then the average person (who also cheat). For whatever reason, people are attracted to power (or money). John Q Average might be exposed to real, this would happen if I let it, temptation maybe once a month (to be generous). The rich or powerful probably have temptation thrown at them on practically hourly basis (either literal or just have the money to anytime want). With a constant stream of temptation, it’s simply a matter of time before a little rationalization will occur (hard day, no one will find out) and its off to the races. Most ignore the rationalizations because it simply doesn't come up that much but if it was a constant drumbeat I think most would fail to stay faithful (and do). Doesn't make it right, just saying that fame and fortune requires a greater will. Spitzer's clearly isn't strong enough and I seriously doubt this was the first time for him.

In the end though, this is just an amusing story for me. It is a non-event for the country at large but important for the citizens of New York. It should be interesting to see what happens next. I hope that Spitzer didn't have dreams of a Presidential run because they are dead now. Personally I just want to know what a $4,300 hooker looks like.

Abstinance Only Education Failing

For the first time in 15 years, the teen birth rate has increased 3%. Government health officials are calling it a statistical blip but experts believe the cause is the abstinence-only education pushed by the Bush administration that doesn't teach about contraception. At the same time, other reports do indicate that condom use has gone up among teens.

I have no problem with abstinence education, I just take issue with the "only" part of it. The idea that if you don't talk about having sex and just say no no no will fix everything is ignorance. Actually its dangerous and irresponsible. There are literally lives at stake and to not take every step is making sure that they are safe, be it no sex or covered sex, should be taken. All sex education should stress abstinence but no that teenagers will be teenagers and some will have sex anyway. So arm them with the knowledge they need to get pregnant and get STDs. Abstinence and contraception should be the education standard in this country. (source)