Aw....She broke her Nails!

SALT LAKE CITY - A Utah woman listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for her long fingernails has lost them in a car crash.

Lee Redmond of Salt Lake City sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries in the accident Tuesday.

Redmond's nails, which hadn't been cut since 1979, were broken in the crash. According to the Guinness Web site, her nails measured a total of more than 28 feet long in 2008, with the longest nail on her right thumb at 2 feet, 11 inches.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson says Redmond was ejected from an SUV in the crash and taken to the hospital in serious condition.

Redmond has been featured on TV in episodes of "Guinness Book of World Records" and "Ripley's Believe It or Not."

Encourage your Child to be a Page during the Obama Administration

To Counselors and Educators:

Please share this information with friends, family and potential US House of Representatives Page candidates. The honor of serving as a
Page during the Obama administration will be an invaluable experience.

Help identify students to participate in this enlightening educational Opportunity.

http://pageprogram.house.gov


Pages have been serving the House of Representatives for nearly two hundred years. Working as a team, Pages assist Members with their legislative duties, deliver correspondence and small packages within the congressional complex, answer phones in the Member cloakrooms, and prepare the House Floor for sessions.



High school juniors with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in core academic subjects may apply to work as Pages in the U.S. House of Representatives for a fall or spring appointment. There is no GPA requirement for Pages who work during the summer semester. While serving the House, Pages live in Washington D.C., at the Page Residence Hall, a few blocks away from the Capitol. During the academic year, Pages attend classes at the House Page School. Pages must be sponsored by a Member of Congress and be at least sixteen years old on the date they begin their term. All communication regarding the Page program must be made through the applicant¢s sponsoring Member.


GENERAL GUIDELINES

During the academic year, Pages are required to attend the Page School, in addition to their responsibilities as support staff to the Members of The House of Representatives. Pages live in the Page Residence Hall and Receive a monthly salary. The following guidelines apply to all Pages:


· Pages are required to maintain a neat appearance and a hairstyle that Is appropriate for a business environment.


· Pages must also wear ID Badges and uniforms at work and school.


· House Pages follow the House Calendar, which is subject to change. Plans and airline tickets may have to be changed or canceled if the House calendar dictates it. Never purchase non refundable tickets based on the tentative calendar in the Page Handbook.


· Pages are permitted to return home only on weekends when there are no Washington Seminars, except in cases of a family emergency.


· Pages will be unable to leave the Page Program to attend family, home school, or Community activities or functions if they occur during the school or Workweek.


· Pages earn $20,181.00 annually, with a monthly gross salary of $1,681.75. Automatic deductions are made for federal and state taxes, Social security and the Residence Hall fee.


· Pages are paid on the last working day of the month

Blago Wanted Burris To Pay For Senate Seat - Is Anyone Shocked By This?

From 2-14-09 Sun Times Story:


Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post -- something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show.

Burris acknowledges being hit up for the money in a new affidavit he has sent to the head of the House committee that recommended Blagojevich be removed from office.

» Click to enlarge image Rod Blagojevich introduces Sen. Roland Burris as his choice to fill Barack Obama's then-vacant Senate seat in December 2008. Burris acknowledges that Blagojevich sought $10,000 in campaign contributions from Burris.
(Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times)



The affidavit is dated Feb. 5 -- three weeks after Burris was sworn in to replace President Obama in the Senate.

Burris -- who did not give money to the Blagojevich campaign fund in response to the previously undisclosed solicitation -- provided a copy of the sworn statement to the Chicago Sun-Times Friday in response to questions about his contacts with the Blagojevich camp about fund-raising.

Burris acknowledged having three conversations with Robert Blagojevich, who headed the Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund -- and one of those was likely recorded by the FBI.

Burris' statement offers the third version of events he has given about his discussions concerning the Senate seat, to which Blagojevich appointed him in late December, after Blagojevich was hit with federal corruption charges that included an allegation he tried to sell the Senate appointment.

Burris said he sent the new statement to House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) after he read the transcript of his testimony before the impeachment committee she headed and realized it was incomplete. "There were several facts that I was not given the opportunity to make during my testimony," Burris said. "I voluntarily submitted an affidavit so everything was transparent."

In October and again in November, Burris spoke with Robert Blagojevich, who initially asked him to host a fund-raiser. Burris said he'd get back to him after the election, sources with knowledge of the conversations said. The two later talked again, and Burris again was asked for campaign cash.

Burris said he refused to contribute and "made it unequivocally clear ... that it would be inappropriate and pose a major conflict because I was interested in the Senate vacancy."

A source with knowledge of the exchange said there was some discussion about Burris possibly getting others to give or raise money on his behalf. Not so, according to Burris: "I did not donate or help raise a single dollar for the governor from those conversations and would never consider making a donation through a third party."

In all, Burris expressed interest in the Senate seat to five people in Blagojevich's camp, documents obtained by the Sun-Times show. He disclosed just one of those contacts when asked Jan. 8 by state Rep. James Durkin (R-Western Springs) during the impeachment hearings to name any contact he had with Blagojevich's people about the seat.

"I'm very surprised he didn't make these disclosures," Durkin said. "I don't know if Mr. Burris was purposely being evasive during the committee or had selected memory issues."

In a sworn statement filed with the House panel Jan. 5, before he testified, Burris said he had no contact with Blagojevich's camp about the Senate seat aside from his appointment in late December. In testimony before the committee, he added that he spoke with Lon Monk, Blagojevich's former chief of staff. In his new affidavit, Burris confirms he also spoke of his interest in the Senate appointment with Blagojevich insiders John Harris, Doug Scofield and John Wyma.

The discussions with Robert Blagojevich about money came after Burris spoke with those people. Burris had told the House committee he was unaware of any quid pro quo dangled by Blagojevich's camp.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno (R-Lemont) said Burris' new statement regarding his contact with Blagojevich's emissaries represents a "fatal wound" to a potential 2010 Burris re-election bid. His new account contains "extraordinary detail" Burris should have disclosed to the impeachment panel when he testified and to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) before being seated, Radogno said.

"If it turns out this was some sort of attempt to avoid this coming out as part of the appointment process, then he doesn't deserve to be senator," Radogno said. "I think the whole thing stinks to high heaven."

Currie acknowledged receiving Burris' letter but said she was unfamiliar with its contents.

After being read Burris' account of his dealings with Robert Blagojevich, Currie said: "Very odd. I don't know there is anything actionable here, but I would like to check the record."

Scholarships for AA Females

Florida A & M University is providing an outstanding opportunity for Black women entering college in the fall of 2009. It is designed to address their absence in the field of computer technology. Dr. Jason Black is the Principal Investigator of a recently awarded $552,000 NSF Grant entitled African-American Women in Computer Science. The grant provides scholarships from $4000 to $10,000 per year for female African American students.

We need your help to get the word out about this great opportunity to build back up the enrollment of women in the CIS Department. Pass this information along to high school or community college students, their parents, and to guidance counselors you may know. The full text of the press release can be found at the link below:


http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?a=headlines&p=display&news=602&archive

And Also Pay Attention to Blago

There is an old saying, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". That saying can now be updated to include "hell hath no fury like a politician impeached".

Blago has been going around telling some secrets. Like that some are "drunken politicians" and others who "cheat on their wifes".

Cam we get him to talk about daley and what he may be up to?

It's going to get very, very interestting!

PAY ATTENTION CHICAGO! PAY ATTENTION!

If you have never before in your life paid attention to what is going on in this city, now is the time more than ever. Why? Because not only is our economy in the tank but we have some double standards going on in our city. Last Thursday, Chicago police raided a condo on the southwest side. Inside, they found drugs and weapons. They arrested Casey Crawford, 28, who lives at the condo with a young woman. Guess who owns the condo? Asst. Supt. Beatrice Cuello, the No. 3 top cop in the Chicago Police Department and mother of the young woman living in the condo with guns and drugs.

How come this high-ranking police official and her daughter are now being given a pass for the guns and drugs found at the condo? Any other person in this city will see their property seized, their lives ruined and their jobs lost - but not if you help run the CPD. In less than 12 hours, the department allowed the daughter to go free and declared her innocent, having nothing to do with the drugs and guns in her condominium. We're not talking about some place with a basement or attic. We're talking about an apartment.

Did you pay attention to the City Council Police and Fire Committee hearing last Friday with Police Supt. Jody Weiss? They were questioning our very highly-compensated superintendent about how the department was scammed by a 14-year-old kid impersonating a police officer. Some of the aldermen's questions to Weiss were absolutely worthless. Ald. Sharon Dixon (24th), who was arrested a few weeks ago for intoxication, kept throwing out innuendos about good cops (the ones who work with her) and bad cops (the ones who arrested her). Adding nothing else to the questioning were Aldermen Ed Smith (28th) and Walter Burnett (27TH). But I must give kudos to Ald. Isaac Carothers (29th), who chairs the committee. He did an excellent job of ferreting out the facts. It went something like this:

How did the 14-year-old get in the building? Answer: through the back door. Does the door have a lock? Answer: yes. Was the lock broke? - no. So if the door has a lock and the lock wasn't broke, how did he get in? - the back door was open. Why was the door open? Answer: it was propped open to allow the police officers easy access (As well as the 14-year-old who came in through it.)

Supt. Weiss also attempted to place the blame for no one noticing he wasn't in full uniform on the officer who was assigned to work with the kid. Ald. Carothers made a very salient point. If the department is a paramilitary organization, then only a higher-level officer can question another officer about their uniform standards. In other words, a sergeant can question an officer; a lieutenant can question both the sergeant and officer. But police officers can't question one another about their dress. Weiss had to admit that was the truth.

We also got to learn that there has been a burglary at the 35th and Michigan headquarters of a laptop and possibly a desktop computer. Supt. Weiss works on the fifth floor, the same floor where the computers came up stolen. So, hopefully when the Secret Service comes in to check security at individual police stations, they will also take a look at Jody's own backyard to make sure things don't continue to come up missing from right under his nose.

A lot has been said about the officer who rode with the 14 year old in the police car. But let me be the first to say that many an officer will tell you that they ride with other officers all the time and never speak more than one or two words between them. The officer who rode with the kid is now suing the city, claiming that her life was endangered by being assigned to a car with a kid. We need to support that officer because just like at most jobs, you don't get to pick and choose your coworkers.

Lastly, by now you should have gotten the first installment of your 2008 property tax bill. As many of us struggle to pay the higher bill based on now incorrect assessments-as most neighborhoods houses have lost value-make sure to count the boarded up houses on your blocks or surrounding your home. I drive through the Marquette Park neighborhood several times a week. Every block has two to three boarded up homes and at least two vacant homes where the front porch covered in snow hasn't seen a footprint. All the while, your mayor sits around talking about an Olympic bid-which won't benefit black Chicago, mind you-as if we can afford such a luxury.

Pay attention Chicagoans and then get mad. Get angry and remember that those who sit at the head of these tables are elected and not permanently entitled to those jobs. If our country can change presidents every four to eight years, surely we can change one mayor and a bunch of aldermen too.

Is it Really That Easy To Spot A 14-Yr-Old?

Years ago I knew a young man who always acted as if he were the security person at Lafollette Park. He would in the summer wear fatigues, t-shirt and carry around his waist a belt that looked like he had some sort of pepper spray weapon. The point is that he was 14-yr-old but his mannerism always gave off the illusion that he was much older. At least 20-yrs-old.

Vicent Richardson fooled a lot of people because no one was looking for him to be other than what he appeared to be. If JFed and now the aldermen are going to go ballistic on what Vicent pulled off, we the citizens of Chicago need to make sure that those at the top, who are compensated the most are the first to take the blame.

Plus, just because two people sit in a car together, that doesn't mean they have to talk to each other. I wonder how many of our aldermen never speak to each other?