Because I'm A KISS Fan

Is anyone still out there?

Are we all still alive?

Nat'l ID could help in India's fight against poverty

In one of the largest information technology projects in the world, India is introducing a national identification card. The measure is an effort to eliminate some of the inefficiencies and fraud associated with social programs that help ensure food and other staples for citizens. The project has near universal approval, though there are some critics concerned that the system will be abused.

GOP budget could mean firefighter layoff in Hburg

State Senate Republicans have proposed a budget that would involve $1.2 million in cuts for the capital's fire department budget. The city is currently suffering a shortage of firefighters with an additional 30 eligible to retire by 2012. State legislators are currently battling over the budget, which is quickly approaching a month past due. State Democrats posit that the Republican budget, which cuts millions in state spending rather than raise any taxes, will lead to cuts in vital services such as fire departments.

How to fix California, 101

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

BREAKING: Proof Obama Born in Kenya

From the '[T]imes:

. . .[T]his morning,Americans for Freedom of Information released the following photograph, which shows the the newborn Barack Obama being held by his mother, Ann Dunham, with Sarah Hussein Obama, at the Obama Commune, in front of a road sign which clearly reads, “Nairobi”. The last time I checked, there was no city of Nairobi in Hawaii!

Yes yes, Fidel vacations in Kenya, don't worry about it.

XKCD: Estimation

"They could say 'the connection is probably lost,' but it's more fun to do naive time-averaging to give you hope that if you wait around for 1,163 hours, it will finally finish."

World likes U.S. more because of Obama

New polling data indicates that the world's view of America has drastically improved since President Obama took office. Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan organization, conducted the poll.

"Positive opinions about the United States have returned to higher levels not seen since before President George W. Bush took office in 2001. The Bush presidency marked a steep decline in U.S. popularity overseas, notably after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, because of a perception that the post-9/11 war on terrorism was targeted at Muslims."

How much more evidence do we need?

Palin to resign amid ethics inquiries; possible 2012 run?

Alaska Governor and one-time vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin announced that she will resign her office July 25 and will not seek re-election in 2010. While the governor did not cite a specific reason, there is speculation that she is setting herself up for a 2012 bid for president. The resignation will also allow her to travel the country more freely without facing the repeated ethics inquiries that have mired her post-November political career.

World Conquered, someone should call the Orkin Man

An Ant Mega-Colony has taken over the world. Seriously, there's like one giant gaggle of ants, hanging out all over the place, and they are buddies. From the BBC:

it now appears that billions of Argentine ants around the world all actually belong to one single global mega-colony.

Researchers in Japan and Spain led by Eiriki Sunamura of the University of Tokyo found that Argentine ants living in Europe, Japan and California shared a strikingly similar chemical profile of hydrocarbons on their cuticles.

But further experiments revealed the true extent of the insects' global ambition.

The team selected wild ants from the main European super-colony, from another smaller one called the Catalonian super-colony which lives on the Iberian coast, the Californian super-colony and from the super-colony in west Japan, as well as another in Kobe, Japan.

They then matched up the ants in a series of one-on-one tests to see how aggressive individuals from different colonies would be to one another.

Ants from the smaller super-colonies were always aggressive to one another. So ants from the west coast of Japan fought their rivals from Kobe, while ants from the European super-colony didn't get on with those from the Iberian colony.

Great, just great; Argentina again. Clearly, Sanford did this.

And just because we all want to see Ants kicking some insane ass:

XKCD: Qwertial Aphasia

The Mark Sanford Affair: immortalized in a poem

One poet was moved to pen a poem capturing and commemorating Mark Sanford's salacious seductions. Oh, what beauty! Enjoy.

On the Appalachian trail
hangs an Argentinian tale.
a trail-rhyme romance of which Chaucer
might well have been a rude endorser.
Alibis in Appalachia,
more consistent with males' nature
than the nature you may find
on the nature trail remind
the people who're in Carolina
that their Governor's a finer
lover than they thought when they
elected him. Now let us pray
for him, and nature of the male,
trailing in pursuit of tail,
and all the best of Argentina's
Ninas friendly to the penis.

Colbert Report: Cynthia Davis & Fox News

In which Stephen Colbert commends Cynthia Davis for coming out against subsidizing school lunches for low-income children in summer months because "Hunger can be a positive motivator" and then chastises Fox News for calling Mark Sanford a Democrat.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tip/Wag - Cynthia Davis & Fox News
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Jeff Goldblum

Coleman concedes; Franken next MN Senator

After a long and protracted legal contest, former Republican Senator Norm Coleman conceded and Al Franken is the next Senator from Minnesota. The Minnesota Supreme Court rejected Norm Coleman's petition in a decision released earlier today. The Democrats now expect to have a 60 member supermajority, including Franken, of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party and two independents who normally caucus with the Dems.

XKCD: Idiocracy

"People aren't going to change, for better or for worse. Technology is going to be so cool. All in all, the future will be okay! Except climate; we fucked that one up." We can only hope.

Google under scrutiny by DOJ

Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

"'Competition is a click away,' says Dana Wagner of Google, who has been on a public relations mission for the company."

As with many successful companies, Google finds itself falling under the watchful eye of the U.S. Department of Justice and regulators concerned about potential monopolistic practices. The company has around two-thirds of the Internet search market, YouTube is 10 times the size of the next biggest competitor, and it sold $22 billion in advertising in 2008. Dana Wagner, Google's Senior Competition Council and a former D.O.J. trustbuster, is tasked with explaining how Google is a relatively small company that has had success because its constant innovation has lead to superior products, but that it could fall to its competitors should that trend ever change.

Sleepwalking urination stabbing

May I apologize for my extended absence. I am no longer commuting 4 hours a day to work, or attempting to graduate from grad school while simultaneously planning a wedding. I offer the following hilarious headline as a peace offering:

KC Man Urinating While Sleepwalking Stabbed

COCKTAIL: The Daiquiri

Daily Beast writer Katie Workman provides a primer on "the drink Hemingway made famous" including a brief overview of its history and several recipes to try out. Cheers!

The Original Daiquiri:

The daiquiri, named after a nearby village, was served in a tall glass packed with cracked ice. A bit of sugar was added, and then fresh lime (or lemon—there's contention on this point) juice was squeezed over the sugar, and a few ounces of rum poured in. Then it was simply stirred vigorously. Later, the cocktail shaker became part of the equation.

Big Brother Moves to Lancaster

Little old Lancaster City just got creepier. No, Lancastrians, this doesn't count as social networking or reality tv.

From the LA Times:

Reporting from Lancaster, Pa. -- This historic town, where America's founding fathers plotted during the Revolution and Milton Hershey later crafted his first chocolates, now boasts another distinction.

It may become the nation's most closely watched small city.
Some 165 closed-circuit TV cameras soon will provide live, round-the-clock scrutiny of nearly every street, park and other public space used by the 55,000 residents and the town's many tourists. That's more outdoor cameras than are used by many major cities, including San Francisco and Boston.

Well. At least WGAL won't have to waste so much money on stock footage. . .

Iran on fire

For those of you not in the know - The Huffington Post has an excellent liveblog of all the events transpiring in the "Land of the Aryans." The reporter, Nico Pitney, is in contact with several citizen journalists in Iran and posts videos, emails, and other documents translated with the help of volunteers.

Sorry about that whole slavery thing...

But no reparations!

The U.S. House and Senate are both working on bills that would officially apologize for slavery. The wording of the Senate bill specifically prohibits the use of the apology in the search for reparations.

"Cohen said he and Harkin worked closely with the NAACP and other civil rights groups on language that would not endorse or preclude any future claims to reparations. "It will not harm reparations but won't give any standing to it," Cohen said."

Republicans were generally supportive, though one political science professor who spent time lobbying Bush to make the apology said it will be virtually meaningless coming from the Democrats because they are generally supported by African Americans and currently have a partially African American president.

Next up: Apologies for American Indians, Japanese Americans, most of Latin America, Iran...

Shocker: Detainee lied under torture to avoid more torture

The LA Times is reporting that documents they obtained show that the man behind 9/11, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed told US Military officials that he lied to his interrogators in an effort to avoid further torture and abuse. The revelation brings a new intensity to the debate over torture and the reliability of information gained from using some of these techniques.

"I make up stories," Mohammed said, describing in broken English an interrogation probably administered by the CIA concerning the whereabouts of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. "Where is he? I don't know. Then, he torture me," Mohammed said of his interrogator. "Then I said, 'Yes, he is in this area.' "

WRESTLING ANNOUNCER FACE-OFF

This is truly one of the best rants I've ever heard. Do yourself a favor... take 10 minutes and listen to this

Mona Lisa showing some skin

A previously-unknown work has been uncovered of a nude, Mona Lisa-esque model. The painting was attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci at its purchase in 1845, though it may simply be modeled after one of his lost works.

"Will the Antichrist be homosexual?"

A newspaper in Wasilla, Alaska (Alaska's fifth largest city, famous for its failed abstinence-only sex education) featured a headline asking "Will the Antichrist be homosexual?" The shocking conclusion is rather... inconclusive.

Veto Corleone has the scoop.

MHP: Charlotte's Web... of Evil!

Delicious indeed.

TIME TO HANG #10

The Hershey Bears, the longest and proudest franchise in the American Hockey League, are now the greatest franchise in the history of the 73 year old hockey league. On Friday June 12, the Bears defeated the Manitoba Moose 4-1 to win the Calder Cup Finals 4 games to 2. This championship was their 10th all time and 2nd in 4 years.

PA GOP, Furries, and Sexual Predators

Pennsylvania GOP Senate Whip Jane Orie recently fired one of her top aides for being a furry, or maybe just for being a sexual predator. Apparently the guy, a member of that scurge of the internets - Furries, was trying to make arrangements with a 15 year-old for some "yiffing." What is yiffing? you might ask. With any luck, this video will help you.

Coup in New York Senate

At 3pm yesterday, the New York Senate Republican caucus and two Democrats staged a coup in an effort to change the chamber's leadership. This comes amid controversial pending legislation, including a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage and another involving tax increases that would balance the state's budget. The Democratic leadership asserts that the vote was illegal as the Senate had already ajourned and intends to fight the coup in court.

Why the black box should die

The black box was developed in the 1960s. With iPods now possessing thousands of times of the computing power of the Apollo lunar lander, Clive Irving asks why we don't let the black box die and move on to a newer, safer future with digital compression and realtime transmission of airplane data.

Commission: poor oversight for war contracts

An independent commission has concluded that oversight for wartime contracts has been abysmal. There is no central database for keeping track of contracts - who they've been awarded to, for how much, and what they're doing. The new Wartime Contracting Commission reported to Congress that, since 2001, there has been "poor management, weak oversight, and a failure to learn from past mistakes as recurring themes in wartime contracting."

Of great concern is the poor quality resulting from some of these contracts - brand new buildings that went way over budget with cracks in the foundation and generally shoddy workmanship. KBR alone billed the US $100 million for private security in spite of the fact that the contract specifically prohibited for-hire guards.

This article is just a small part of a laundry list of wasted taxpayer money and abuses.

The end is near for Minnesota senate race

The Minnesota senate race has been dragging out for months as appeal after appeal is filed. The Supreme Court of Minnesota is now reviewing the case and legal experts more or less agree: it's not looking good for Republican incumbent Norm Coleman.

XKCD: Period

"413 nanohertz, by the way."

Domestic terrorist warns of further attacks

Domestic terrorist Scott Roeder, alleged assassin of abortion doctor George Tiller, called the AP from prison and warned that more violence was planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal. Sounds like an imminent threat against the lives of Americans - so does this mean we get to waterboard him to find out? He's probably just crazy, but his computer indicates he was in daily communication with anti-abortion groups, providing him with Tiller's movements, and better safe than sorry...

Ironic Poem About Prostitution

Thank you, George Orwell.

When I was young and had no sense
In far-off Mandalay
I lost my heart to a Burmese girl
As lovely as the day.

Her skin was gold, her hair was jet,
Her teeth were ivory;
I said, "for twenty silver pieces,
Maiden, sleep with me".

She looked at me, so pure, so sad,
The loveliest thing alive,
And in her lisping, virgin voice,
Stood out for twenty-five.

I'll see your netbook and raise you one xpPhone

How would you like a phone with an AMD CPU, gig of RAM, 64 gig SSD hard drive, wifi, touchscreen, camera, and 5 hour battery?  Oh, and it runs a version of Windows XP.  Ladies and gentleman - the xpPhone.

Oops - Republicans "accidentally" reveal state secrets

After a closed-door Intelligence Committee hearing on the interrogation of terror suspects, Republicans revealed some of what had been discussed - a big no-no for a closed hearing about classified information.  The Republicans are touting that information presented at the hearing indicated that waterboarding yielded valuable information, but Democrats won't comment because it was a closed hearing.

Oops - US accidentally releases nuclear secrets

In a bid for the 2009 Bonehead Move of the Year award, the U.S. government accidentally released documents containing "highly confidential" nuclear secrets, including an exhaustive list of civilian nuclear sites and stockpiles.  While it's probably not a big deal, it was a stupid move all the same.

GOP, White Voters, and Southern Strategy

In which Nate Silver takes a look at political party demographics and finds that the GOP has always been overwhelmingly white.  He also mentions Southern Strategy, and this contributor never realized the extent of racism used in politics - chalk it up to a little idealistic naivete.

The Truth About Abortion

Abortion is a divisive issue that incites strong emotional responses from all sides.  The problem is that many people don't really know what they're talking about.  Abortion is a relatively rare procedure that is only available in 13 percent of the nation's counties.  Where it is available, there are often many restrictions, some of which rely on political pseudo-science to scare off would-be patients (e.g. requiring counseling that tells girls that abortions increase the risk of breast cancer when no such link has been established).

The recent assassination of Dr. George Tiller, one of the last doctors still performing late-term abortions in the United States, demonstrates that domestic terrorism is still alive in this country.  Furthermore, it has put the Obama Administration in an uncomfortable position after the DHS released a report finding that it was highly likely that domestic terrorism might be commited by “groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion."

As one of the few remaining providers of late-term abortions told MSNBC, “the only difference between the Taliban and the people who kill doctors in the United States is 8,000 miles.”

Salinger surfaces for a suit

Reclusive author, J.D. Salinger is suing an author by the pen name John David California who penned a sequel to his magnum opus Catcher in the Rye.  The new book, titled 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, features a 76 year-old man named Mr. C. (presumably Holden Caufield), after he escapes from a retirement home.  The novel is dedicated to Salinger, who even makes a cameo appearance.

If it makes it, the novel will be published in Britain in the summer and the U.S. in the fall.

Canada: Land of Beautiful People

10 handy phrases for your next trip to Japan

This is a list of ten useful phrases in Japanese for your next visit to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Number 3 is the clear winner:

"3. “Ara! Onara suru tsu-mori datta keh-do, un-chi ga de-chatta.”

The literal translation of this useful phrase is “Oops! I meant to fart but poop came out”.

Saying this useful phrase never gets old, especially in public places, especially on a first date and most especially if it’s clearly one of only 10 Japanese phrases that you’ve memorized.

When in Southeast Asia, I especially enjoy muttering in Japanese about crapping my pants while walking past Japanese tourists. The reactions are priceless."

86 rules of drinking

86 Rules of Drinking - a few personal favorites:

"29. If you owe someone twenty dollars or less, you may pay them back in beer.

65. Before you die, single-handedly make one decent martini.

68. If there is a line for drinks, get your damn drink and step the hell away from the bar.

71. It's acceptable, traditional, in fact, to disappear during a night of hard drinking.
You will appear mysterious, and your friends will understand. If they even notice."

Dutch prison crisis: too few prisoners

The Dutch are faced with a crisis - they don't have enough prisoners to fill their prisons.  The sub-sea level country may be forced to shut down prisons and lay off over a thousand workers.  There is a bright light - Belgium currently has an overpopulation problem and the two countries are working on a deal to keep some Belgian prisoners in Dutch prisons.

XKCD: Designated Driver

"Calling a cab means cutting into beer money."

SCOTUS, the GOP, and the Latino vote

The L.A. Times explores the implications of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation process for the future of the GOP with regard to regaining lost ground with the Latino vote.  While George W. Bush won more than 40 percent of the Latino vote in 2004, Obama won more than two-thirds of the vote this past election.

"The [Republican] senators seemed to be taking their cues from quieter voices within the party who cautioned that opposing the country's first Latino Supreme Court nominee would amount to political suicide."

Why Republicans will fail in SCOTUS fight

Slate's Dahlia Lithwick explains why it would be hypocritical and ineffective for Republicans to try to fight Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor on grounds of her being too "emotional" or empathetic to be impartial.  Other likely avenues of attack, including judicial activism and racial bias, are already easily shot down by the facts.  Overall, an interesting article that offers insight into the uphill battle the Republicans have in the SCOTUS confirmation process.

"Judge Sotomayor has taken a fairly moderate, text-based approach to the cases before her, placing her much closer to retiring Justice David Souter than to the late Justice William Brennan on the judicial activism spectrum."

"You can't say she's a judicial activist and then criticize her for applying 2^nd Circuit precedent."

Cocktail: Bacontini

This one comes from a list of The Top 5 Gnarliest College Drinks Known to Man.  Enjoy (responsibly?).

This was made after me and my roommate at the time had literally nothing to do nor drink except the ingredients to a martini and bacon. I’ve actually seen this served in a real bar in New York - somewhat different.

• Cook 3 strips of bacon until crisp.
• Immediately eat one. Why? Just because.
• Crumble up the second one, put into ice in the Martini shaker.
• Strain the gin and vermouth through one of those Martini shaker things.
• Place other bacon strip into this new drink.
• Congratulate yourself.

Should we sleep like the Cleavers?

Sleep is an important part of everyone's day and everyone sleeps best under certain conditions, so should we sleep in separate beds or even, gasp, separate rooms from our spouses?  Gwendolen Fairfax asks precisely that question.

Bunk beds, anyone?

Arab world a little more hopeful about Obama

In a recent poll, the Arab world appears to hate America a 

little less and is a little more hopeful about US policies.

"Just over half of the Arab respondents from six countries say they are 'somewhat hopeful' or 'very hopeful' regarding the Middle East policy of US President Barack Obama's administration, a new survey has found."

Oh shit! N. Korea's got nukes!

North Korea has announced that they successfully completed an underground test of nuclear weapons.  Seismologists in the US and South Korea have confirmed that the 4.5 quake indicates a nuclear test.  The UN Security Council has convened for an emergency meeting and China and Russia have already condemned the test, calling for a return to the multi-lateral talks.

Red Bull: It's got cocaine!

Red Bull may have to change its signature slogan from "It'll give you wings" to "It'll give you arythmia" since authorities in Germany have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull and Cola drinks.  Germany is now considering a national ban on the popular energy drink.

Scientology faces fraud charges in France

Unlike in the United States, Scientology does not enjoy status as a recognized religion in France.  The church is facing charges of fraud amid accusations that it is merely a money-making cult.  The defendants include the group's Paris headquarters and bookshop as well as seven leading French Scientologists, some of whom are being charged with illegally practicing as pharmacists.

TPFD: Mathematical Holidays

NH set to become number six

New Hampshire's governor has sent legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage back to the legislature where it will almost definitely be revised, passed, and then signed.  This will make New Hampshire the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.  Gov. Lynch maintains that he is personally opposed to same-sex marriage; however, he decided to look at the issue "through a broader lens."

Crocs, meet the Croc Car

Engineers have created a car that is composed primarily of the same foamy substance that is used in the (popular?) Croc shoes.  It floats, it drives, it gets 100 miles per gallon and it's competing for the Automotive X Prize.

In Spain, Yeyo is in the Air

The cocaine in Spain falls mainly on the... cities.  Recent studies in Madrid and Barcelona have detected everyone's favorite White Powder in the air.  While no one is going on a bender from the Iberian Incentive, it potentially presents a new way to measure drug use anonymously.

XKCD: Car Talk

"It was the funniest 6.5 seconds of my life, although as usual like 80% of it was just Tom and Ray's gasping, hacking laughter."

Cocktail: White Bull

WHITE BULL

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ oz Tequila
• 1 oz Kahlua
• Cream

INSTRUCTION

Pour the tequila and Kahlua over ice into an old-fashioned glass and top with cream. Stir gently and serve. Garnish with a cherry.

2nd Century meets 21st Century

Using 21st Century technology, scientists are able to unlock a treasure trove of ancient history and literature.  CAT scans and infrared analysis are allowing scientists to decipher texts that are too fragile to unrole or discover hidden texts that have been scraped away or simply faded over the millenia.  Wall Street Journal has the scoop on the Next Age of Discovery.

White House Correspondence Dinner 2009

The love, the laughs, the wailing on everyone from Hillary Clinton to Rush Limbaugh and Fox News: President Obama's speech at this year's White House Correspondence Dinner.

Konami code works in Facebook

Log onto Facebook.  Outside of any text boxes, type the Konami Code (↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A ENTER ) and you'll see a lens flare effect anytime you click, scroll, or type.

Another One Bites The Dust....

It has been reported that LA Dodgers left-fielder Manny Ramirez has been suspended 50 games for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs.

...No wonder the Dodgers are 13-0 at home right now!!!

What does 1 in 7 really mean?

We've all heard the statistic: 1 in 7 Americans is not covered by health insurance. Then comes the inevitable follow up: and millions more are underinsured . . . The harder question, as we try to tackle this problem is, who are the uninsured? The Christian Science Monitor's patchwork nation blog divides America demographically into 11 community types by county. This week they're exploring who's being hit by the healthcare crisis the most?

Comprehensive healthcare and insurance reform has been tried countless times before, and the same pitfalls descend each time: one side says Tort Reform will solve the crisis the other says that only single payer health care will get anything done. In reality both sides are naïve. Medical malpractice is less than 1% of American health care spending and limiting the right to recover violates one of the basic tenants of Tort law, the right to be made whole, a tenant which is a basic foundation of civil justice long before America came to be. On the other hand single payer isn't going to happen, America hates socialism. Getting burnt to the ground in World War II changed Europe forever; market fundamentalism had no choice but to get out of the way when state-centered rebuilding (much of which funded by American dollars) brought Europe back to life. America has never faced such an identity crisis.

Nevertheless, healthcare reform isn't discretionary. We already have universal healthcare. We should recognize that we have the least efficient universal healthcare plan in the world, and maybe we can put some of that American ingenuity to work to change that. What am I talking about? Emergency Rooms; if you are experiencing a medical emergency, they can't turn you away. This means medical indigents don't get basic care when healthcare is cheap, but wait until a cough becomes pneumonia. And when they can't pay for expensive inpatient care, who pays for it? You and I already do. Sometimes its Medicaid, sometimes the Hospital itself absorbs the cost. Either way, the cost already comes back to you, in taxes or insurance premiums.

Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

The First Mother-in-Law is getting along well in her new role at her new residence.  New York Times' Rachel Swarns takes a look at Marian Robinson's life in the White House.

What can Professor Obama tell us about the next Supreme Court Justice?

The New York times is running an article about President Obama's style as a Constitutional Law professor at the University of Chicago. By all accounts he appeared to be a pragmatist, institutional structuralist who scoffed at the naïvete of apolitical legal formalism. With a sudden vacancy at hand on the Supreme Court, what does this tell us about an unnamed Justice to be?

From the article:

Mr. Obama often expressed concern that “democracy could be dangerous,” Mr. Stone said, that the majority can be “unempathetic — that’s a word that Barack has used — about the concerns of outsiders and minorities.”

But when a student asked Mr. Obama to name the circuit judge he would most like to argue in front of, he named Richard Posner, a conservative. Judge Posner was smart enough to know when you were right, Mr. Obama told the class.

Obama decimates Women's basketball team in PIG

In a game of PIG at the White House, President Obama single-handedly owned the UConn women's basketball team, talking trash the whole time.  There's a reason he's president and they're not.

In other news, I can't believe I'm tagging a post with "Sports."

Everyone loves getting mail

For help, look to the Shadow?

From CNET:

We can all rest easy knowing that our streets are now protected by a motley crew of pseudo-heroes known as The Allegiance.
. . .
A 21-year-old man (I'll believe it when I see it) from Milford, Ohio, Shadow Hare claims his Allegiance of Heroes reaches all across the country, with masked vigilantes each protecting their respective cities. There's Aclyptico in Pennsylvania, Wall Creeper in Colorado, Master Legend in Florida, and Mr. Extreme in California.

For us, the real hero is local news has the real scoop:

Also, Shadow wants to be your friend on MySpace