Without bedrock voters, the party's all but over
GREG BEAN Coda
      Afriend of mine, who's also a newspaper columnist, lives in one of those red states, and is about as conservative as they come. I've always figured I was fairly conservative, but this guy's dedication to the core philosophy puts mine to shame. Even mention Ronald Reagan's name in his presence and he gets all misty-eyed. He loved Bush, both of them.
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Sometimes in relationships things are just 'meant to be'
CLARE MARIE CELANO Girl Talk
      There's a Yiddish expression I fell in love with the moment I heard it - beshert. It means "meant to be." Like karma and serendipity, this phenomenon is nothing less than a message from God. Sometimes beshert comes to us as intimate relationships, friends, lovers, angels even, on our path - the perennial soul mate. These souls come to help us experience a change.
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They're a real tough crowd at the table
LORI CLINCH Are We There Yet?
      It has become painfully obvious here at the Clinches' abode that my culinary skills fall on empty yet unappreciative stomachs. My baked mutton has gone to waste, the praise for my casseroles lacks luster, and no one but no one seems to adore my seven bean casserole.
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Parent facing stiff penalties for assault
      The parent of a Colts Neck Pop Warner League football player has provided his hometown children's league and the state of New Jersey with its latest youth sports black eye. It is another in a growing litany of parents behaving poorly in front of children.
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