Suburban Cincinnati man indicted on 19 counts of gross sexual imposition, importuning, kidnapping and creepy pervy shit with 11 minors, ranging in ages from 9 to 16.

His approach? Market research - he was conducting "underwear surveys".

Court documents say Hawkins claimed to be with a market research company called Springfield Research. He would meet with the children and their parents, then remove the children to a separate area and ask them to remove their clothing to inspect their underwear.

Hello? Mom? Dad? That odd tingling sensation you (might have) had in the back of your head? It was trying to tell you something. I know, that clipboard was very professional looking. But it was just a prop.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 06:05 AM | Comments (29)
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Well, we have to hand it to them. The high fuel costs that they secretly cheer for have ignited public interest in alternative energy sources.

Like coal. Wood. And seeds n' trash n' shit like that.

*giggle*

The worst, most extreme type of leftists are actually happy with the rise in the cost of oil. Since fuel drives industry and by extension, American capitalism, they enjoy the groaning sound that our economy makes when fuel costs are high.
It's healthy to point and guffaw at them when the Law of Unintended Consequences inevitably springs forth to make foolish monkeys of them.

When people, especially American people, are asked to ratchet back their standard of living for some unprovable global gain, they say they feel just terrible about pollution and global warming, but their actions say "Screw You, my kids aren't going to be cold this Winter."

Some of us in Northern climes have noticed this as a local phenomenon:

People are buying coal and wood burning furnaces at an astonishing rate for the middle of Summer.

Area stove installers and fuel dealers say climbing heating oil prices have promoted intense interest in coal and wood at a level not seen since the 1970s, when the Arab oil embargo roiled the markets and inspired many to seek energy alternatives.
"Our sales are up easily 200 to 300 percent," said Eric Strom, co-owner of Kirley Masonry Supply Co. in Mansfield, which sells and installs wood pellet heating equipment.

It ain't just local, folks.

Story

Not since the Carter administration have water-cooler conversations been so dominated by the subject of heating alternatives such as pellet stoves, wood stoves, coal stoves and solar panels. Those options beat cranking up the thermostat and burning oil that's becoming as precious as gold.

...after story.

As international energy experts search for a feasible alternative to gasoline, some people are simply turning to alternative ways to heat their homes.

Outdoor furnaces, which burn coal, seeds and wood, are becoming an increasingly popular commodity in the region, as the cost of natural gas, oil and electricity continue to climb.

Coal, wood, seeds....that stuff burns super squeaky-clean, right?

Right?

Well, some of it does. But most people are going for cheap and dirty.
As always. Bless their hearts.

Posted by: LauraW at 05:55 AM | Comments (27)
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Interesting stuff. Can anyone spot what the "problem(s)" here will be with inexpensive water splitting that would allow millions of homes to go "off grid"?

...Nocera hopes that within 10 years, homeowners will be able to power their homes in daylight through photovoltaic cells, while using excess solar energy to produce hydrogen and oxygen to power their own household fuel cell. Electricity-by-wire from a central source could be a thing of the past...

Have I dropped enough hints that you can see where the problem is now?

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 09:02 PM | Comments (96)
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Marcel Lizak, 33, was arrested for DUI at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, said Campton Hills Police Chief Greg Anderson. Lizak was released from police custody at 8:24 p.m. after getting his driver's license back and posting $100 bail.

After getting out of jail, Marcel went to a bar. A couple hours later, he leaves the bar, and...

Lizak was struck by a car and killed while attempting to cross Illinois Highway 38 near LaFox Road at 11:18 p.m. The driver will not be charged, police said.

Darwin is a bitch.

Posted by: Open Blog at 06:46 PM | Comments (22)
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And who is the fiend who first offered up, in the words of the New York Times a "racially tinged attack on Mr. Obama" by connecting Paris Hilton and The Obamassiah?

Some guy named Barack Obama.

Posted by: DrewM at 06:16 PM | Comments (16)
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Interesting development. .

At least 87 Palestinians have been transported to the West Bank town of Jericho by Israeli security forces, two days after they fled clashes with Hamas in Gaza...

...Israel said 181 members of the Hilles clan, one of the most powerful Gaza families associated with Fatah, sought refuge in Israel on Saturday after a fierce assault by Hamas on their Gaza City neighbourhood, which killed 11 people and wounded more than 90 others...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 02:22 PM | Comments (19)
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You know the drill -- can't bump old posts, so here's another one. (And interestingly, it looks like the new site won't publish anything you save as a draft first, so careful.)

(If you want to catch up, first thread's here and the second here.)

Based on the feedback, it looks like Saturday, August 16 will be the date. Here's your last chance to scream about it before it's officially official. You can also email me at blog dot someone at gmail dot com if you haven't already.

A recap, mostly culled from the original post:
Morons Take Manhattan 2: Electric Boogaloo. It's finally happening.

Where? Similar to last time: a bar in NYC.

Who? Well, morons. Socially inept men and some surprisingly attractive (married) women.

What? Val-U-Rite. Hobos. Ewok-baiting. Lamenting New Blogging Thingy. You know the drill.

Posted by: Open Blog at 01:40 PM | Comments (12)
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This case just gets stranger and stranger.

WASHINGTON — Authorities say the top suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks was obsessed with a sorority that sat less than 100 yards away from a New Jersey mailbox where the toxin-laced letters were sent.

Multiple U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that former Army scientist Bruce Ivins was long obsessed with the sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, going back as far as his own college days at the University of Cincinnati

When I originally blogged about this last week I expressed hope that the feds would lay out their case in a full press conference to help tamp down wild speculation and give some additional legitimacy to their charges in light of the botched initial investigation.

Unfortunately, it looks like little strands are coming out one by one and that will only help to fuel crazy theories and cast doubt on the governments case.

Posted by: DrewM at 11:38 AM | Comments (38)
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Posted by: Ace at 11:22 AM | Comments (26)
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Following up on Gabe's post from this morning, the question of whether or not the President can call Congress back is moot because the White House says it won't do it since no good will come from it.

The White House has rejected calls from House Republicans that it convene a special session of Congress on energy, saying it wouldnÂ’t make a difference.

“We don't have plans to call Congress into session -- it won't make a difference if Democratic leaders are unwilling to bring up a bill for an up-down vote,” said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) asked President Bush to convene the special session in an Aug. 1 letter. The same day, House Republicans launched an unusual protest on the House floor urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to call Congress back to work.

"Since Speaker Pelosi has decided not to keep the House in session to allow this vote to take place, we urge you to use the power vested in you by the Constitution to convene an immediate energy special session of Congress,” the letter said.

...A spokesman for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said McCain supported bringing Congress back into session to address energy issues.

House aides said that while the president can declare that Congress must sit for an emergency session, he cannot set the agenda – only the leadership of the majority party can do that.

So much for a coordinated Bush-McCain strategy.

Just because the White House can't set the agenda officially doesn't mean it's without any influence, there's this little thing called the 'bully pulpit'. The sight of Democrats either doing anything other than passing drilling legislation or simply showing up and walking out would have been priceless. Sure, it would have been a political stunt. What's your point?

This White House has never really been any good at mobilizing public opinion, has it?

Of course the danger also exists that the Democrats would cave and much like credit for the surge in light of progress in Iraq, McCain's advantage might have dissipated.

Still, Maverick is the winner here. Even though nothing gets done, which is likely the same as if Congress did come back, he still gets his issue.

Meanwhile, Obama is flipping around looking for any policy that will get him on the right side of this issue, no matter how much it contradicts his previous positions.

I just realized something...the way I wrote this makes it sounds like I think Bush should have called a session. I think it would have been a bad idea because it's August and no one is paying attention and it keeps the issue alive for McCain to beat the Democrats about the head and shoulders.

The line about the White House not knowing how to rally public opinion is true, it just doesn't really apply here. Sorry I stuck in there for some reason, I'm just not sure why. Pent up frustration after 7 years perhaps?

Again, sorry about that. I'll start drinking now.

h/t The Corner

Posted by: DrewM at 11:18 AM | Comments (30)
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