AP
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., left, listens as his wife Wendy Vitter speaks to the media during a press conference in Metairie, La., yesterday.

Vitter offers apology but gives no answers -- nola.com | Vitter archive

Vitter: "Those [New Orleans] stories are not true" at Your Right Hand Thief.

Senator David Vitter:

Unfortunately my admission has encouraged some longtime political enemies, and those hoping to profit from the situation, to spread falsehoods too-- like those New Orleans stories in recent reporting. Those stories are not true.

This statement virtually guarantees that Vitter will be forced to resign sometime this year, probably in weeks, as more disclosures occur and corroborative evidence is unveiled.

Writer Christopher Tidmore, a Republican candidate for the Legislature who wrote the original Louisiana Weekly stories alleging Vitter had a continuing relationship with Wendy Cortez, was present outside the hotel conference room....

Tidmore stood by his stories.

"Repeated interviews with Wendy Cortez, not only by Louisiana Weekly but also The Times-Picayune have developed an open and shut case that the woman in question, also known as Wendy Yow, had a series of trysts with David Vitter," Tidmore said. "Her identity is not in question.
-- Vitter says he's 'sorry,' returns to work, The Lafayette (La.) Daily Advertiser

(Links to Tidmore's original reports are in Thursday's post about Vitter.)

Tongue in cheek: "Maybe family values are about forgiving, forgetting and moving on." -- Pearson Cross, a political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. -- Vitter's statement raises questions in the Shreveport Times.

Woman content living in 84-sq. ft. dream home

"Two solar panels provide electricity. A tiny propane tank allows Dee to cook in her $10,000 home on wheels. "

Her monthly heating bill in winter in Portland, Ore., is $6.

The Boat Is About to Rock (Again) in Internet Video

What's Inside: Red Bull

Virtual marketers have second thoughts about Second Life - Los Angeles Times: Firms find that avatars created by participants in the online society aren't avid shoppers.

For some advertisers, the problem is that Second Life is a fantasyland, and the representations of the people who play in it don't have human needs. Food and drink aren't necessary, teleporting is the easiest way to get around and clothing is optional. In fact, the human form itself is optional.

Avatars can play games, build beach huts, dress up like furry animals, flirt with strangers — sometimes all at once.

Their interests seem to tend toward the risque. Ian Schafer, chief executive of online marketing firm Deep Focus, which advises clients about entering virtual worlds, said he recently toured Second Life. He started at the Aloft hotel and found it empty. He moved on to casinos, brothels and strip clubs, and they were packed. Schafer said he found in his research that "one of the most frequently purchased items in Second Life is genitalia."

Think of it as a puppet show.