Count Two
Beginning no later than November 2008 to the present, in Cook County, in the Northern District of Illinois, defendants ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH and JOHN HARRIS, being agents of the State of Illinois, a State government which during a one-year period, beginning January 1, 2008 and continuing to the present, received federal benefits in excess of $10,000, corruptly solicited and demanded a thing of value, namely, the firing of certain Chicago Tribune editorial members responsible for widely-circulated editorials critical of ROD R. BLAGOJEVICH, intending to be influenced and rewarded in connection with business and transactions of the State of Illinois involving a thing of value of $5,000 or more, namely, the provision of millions of dollars in financial assistance bythe State of Illinois, including through the Illinois Finance Authority, an agency of the State of Illinois, to the Tribune Company involving the Wrigley Field baseball stadium; in violation of Title 18, United States Code,Sections 666(a)(1)(B) and 2.
During an intercepted call on November 21, 2008, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked HARRIS whether he told Deputy Governor A that McCormick is going to get bounced at the Tribune. (McCormick is believed to be John P. McCormick, the Chicago Tribunes Deputy Editorial Page Editor). HARRIS said no, I told him (Deputy Governor A) that McCormick is in a bad mood, and that HARRIS was going to check with [Tribune Financial Advisor] to see whether it was part of that message about the cuts on the Ed board. HARRIS stated, I had singled out McCormick as somebody who was the most biased and unfair. ROD BLAGOJEVICH responded, to [Tribune Financial Advisor] you did? HARRIS confirmed that it was to Tribune Financial Advisor. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that would be great, and McCormick is a bad guy. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked, [Tribune Financial Advisor] is on top of this, right? HARRIS replied that Tribune Financial Advisor said they would be downsizing that division or changing personnel and that Tribune Financial Advisor understands and [Tribune Owner] understands.
ROD BLAGOJEVICH confirmed that HARRIS made the point with Tribune Financial Advisor that the Tribune is advocating that ROD BLAGOJEVICH be impeached for going around the legislature and that is precisely what were doing on Wrigley Field. HARRIS said he explained that information to Tribune Financial Advisor. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked whether Tribune Financial Advisor understood that we are not in a position where we can afford to do that if . . . the Tribune is pushing impeachment. ROD BLAGOJEVICH asked, they got that, right? HARRIS replied, HARRIS suggested to ROD BLAGOJEVICH that HARRIS explained to Tribune Financial Advisor that the Tribunes editorials discussing impeachment could jeopardize our efforts to do good things for people as well as the other thing (helping the Cubs sale at the IFA). ROD BLAGOJEVICH responded, there ya go. He got the message? HARRIS replied, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated
On November 21, 2008, approximately five minutes after the previous conversation with JOHN HARRIS, ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke again with HARRIS. At the end of this call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the Tribune thing is important, if we can get that. HARRIS replied, delicate, very delicate. ROD BLAGOJEVICH said, I know, I know. Use your judgment, dont push too hard. But you know what you got to do, right. HARRIS responded, Alright, sir.

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Are you looking for a role in clinical research that will allow you to progress to CRA? Why not start out as a Clinical Site Specialist with the opportunity to be trained in site management and monitoring? All you need is a life science background, some exposure to clinical trials and fluency in English and German/Italian! Based from offices in Central London you will be working for a rapidly expanding, progressive and privately owned CRO as part of a newly formed site management team. Initially you will provide support to the study start up process at site level, working closely with CRAs and Project Managers to make sure that study sites are set up to receive patients as quickly as possible. This will involve conducting patient and site feasibility assessments, developing clinical documentation, supporting the ethics process and setting up investigator contracts. In time you will be trained in monitoring and progress to CRA level, taking responsibility for your own sites in the UK. This is a rare and exciting opportunity to join an expanding company offering excellent training and development! Who should apply? You will have a life science background and ideally some previous experience working within clinical trials. Fluency in English is essential along with German or Italian. To be successful in securing one of these coveted roles you must be able to demonstrate attention to detail, strong communication skills, the ability to build relationships with key medical personnel and an understanding of the clinical trial process. In return for your commitment you will benefit from a competitive salary and excellent training, allowing you to develop your skills as a CRA! Call Diane now on 01784 224358 for more details.

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Two exciting things happened today.
First, we lost power in my house.  From what I hear, a quarter million people in central Massachusetts also lost power.  It was out for about 17 hours.  I was afraid that the plant light in the basement might blow because of the flickering but it seems to have survived.
Second, last night something happed and the original theme got messed up.  Rather than fix it I went to another theme I had hanging around on the computer.
After installing it and tweaking it a little bit I noticed the Photo section was no longer working.  In an attempt to fix it I upgraded to the latest wordpress.  Unfortunately it didnt help.  The photos link is still broken, but I plan to try to fix it some more tonight.
I hope people like the new look of the site.  If you have any suggestions please leave a comment for me.  Im always happy to read them.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed.

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In today's overheated housing market, lenders are making it easier and easier to get a mortgage. For example, some lenders have lowered the credit score needed to qualify for a mortgage. Others have increased the debt load that borrowers can carry or have made it easier for borrowers to get loans while providing little documentation. In some cases, lenders have even made it easier for people to borrow money to buy investment properties.
There are also many kinds of mortgages available today that were never available before. There are interest only mortgages, adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) for 3,5 or 10 years and adjustable rate mortgages with balloon payments at the end of a five or ten year period.
There are even adjustable rate mortgages that have introductory rates as low as 1% and that give borrowers multiple payment options.
Lenders also used to loan only 80 percent of a home's value, meaning that the borrower had to come up with 20 percent as a down payment. So, if you wanted to buy a home valued at $150,000, you had to put down at least $30,000. This might have been difficult, but at least you started out with $30,000 in equity in your home.
This standard was then lowered to ten percent, meaning you needed only $15,000 to buy that $150,000 home.
Today, it's possible to find mortgage brokers who will lend 100 percent of the value of a house or even more than 100 percent.
This can be good news for families who, until now, might not have been able to afford a $10,000 or $20,000 down payment. But you need to be careful of. Some unscrupulous lenders may try to sell you a mortgage you can't really afford. Let's say your monthly take home pay (after taxes and other deductions) is $4,000. You find a house for $150,000 and a mortgage broker willing to lend 100% or the full $150,000. A 30-year fixed FHA loan (not including taxes and insurance) will have a monthly payment of about $851.00. The total monthly payment PITI (with taxes and insurance) would most likely be close to $1,000.
A good rule of thumb is that your cost of housing should not exceed 20 percent of your net monthly take home pay (after taxes and other deductions). This means that for a $1,000 monthly mortgage payment, your net monthly income should be at least $5,000. If your income were only $4,000 a month, you would be spending about 25% of your income on housing alone.
Before you make this kind of commitment, you should take a long, hard look at your other commitments, such as car payments, tuition, and insurance to make sure you can cover them as well as your normal living expenses.
Easy, no-down mortgages can be very tempting, but it's important that you understand the exact terms and that you can meet them without stressing your finances.
For FREE help with debt and credit, subscribe today to Douglas Hanna's free email newsletter 8 Simple Steps to Debt Relief at http://www.all-in-one-info.

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Romance is alive in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, even if you are on a shoestring budget. Just a short 2-3 hour drive north of the Texas border in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, you will find the Beavers Bend State Park area. Here your efforts will be rewarded with all the natural beauty, quiet surroundings and privacy you need for a romantic time with that special someone. You won't believe you are so close to home, since McCurtain County feels like it is a world away.

Here are 6 ideas for cheap romantic vacations near Dallas/Fort Worth in McCurtain County

1. Polish your skills in the old-fashioned art of conversation

As famed love doctors and Dear Abby-types the world over have said for ages, a sure-fire way to rekindle your love affair is through quality communication. Engaging in easy, meandering conversations about nothing-in-particular amidst beautiful surroundings can stimulate the mind, body and soul and bring forth romantic feelings in the two of you in a big way. The Beavers Bend State Park area near Dallas/Fort Worth features acres of pristine forestland, lakes and mountains to serve as the backdrop for the types of romantic conversations that warm the heart and bring you closer together. A slow hike in the beautiful woods can stir many a romantic notion.

2. Re-discover your love of board games

How long has it been since you have played Scrabble, Parcheesi, checkers, dominos or Monopoly? Or put together a puzzle? Ages, I will bet. In today's wired world of MP3 players, PDAs and text messaging, it is easy to forget some of the simpler pastimes that you used to enjoy so much. If your memories of simpler times include the playing of your favorite games at home or in the backyard, imagine playing them against the backdrop in an area that LIFE magazine voted as one of the "100 Places to See in Your Lifetime."

3. Get friendly with the wildlife and the night sky

Beavers Bend State Park has wildlife you will be hard pressed to find in D/FW Metroplex: deer, turkey, rabbits, quail, hundreds of different species of birds, an occasional black bear and even migrating bald eagles! Talking long walks or sitting just outside your cabin, you and your special someone will be afforded many opportunities to spend time with the flora and fauna that make the area renowned for its beauty. At night, the stars are unencumbered by city lights and you will find stars, and planets, the Milky Way and constellations you haven't seen in a long while . . . if ever.

4. Rent a luxury cabin

In McCurtain County there are a host of providers of luxury cabins, many of which are complete with kitchens, fireplaces and hot tubs. Start your culinary adventure with a trip to the local grocery store, picking out your favorite veggies, pastas and meats. Then, enjoy the lunch or dinner you cooked together next to the window or outside while you watch the wildlife go by. Of course, a glass of wine and a spell in the hot tub should heat things up as well.

5. Picnic next to a picturesque stream

Picnics are one of the most classically-romantic activities in which a couple can engage. The food, the beverages, the blanket, the surroundings - it can all add up to big-time romance. In McCurtain County, you won't have to look far to find the ideal spot to lay out your blanket, set out your basket and enjoy each other's company over a sumptuous feast or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Whether you choose to prepare your food in your cabin or purchase a ready-made meal at one of the local food stores, picnics are a great way to create an ambiance of romantic fun.

6. Enjoy a glass of wine on your own private porch under the stars

If you are a wine lover, bring a bottle or two with you on your McCurtain County romantic vacation getaway. Whether your fancy is red or white wine, you will enjoy it more when sitting on your private porch looking at scenery in an area that the Dallas Observer voted as the "Best Getaway from Dallas." The fresh scent of pine trees and the infinitely starry sky stretching out above you - combined with the ambrosia from a glass of your favorite wine - will together serve as natural aphrodisiacs.

McCurtain County's Beavers Bend State Park area offers countless opportunities for experiencing those romantic moments that most couples don't get to have as often as they would like. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and are looking to create for yourselves some very romantic moments, jump in the car this weekend and take the short drive the 2-3 hours to McCurtain County. Doing so could do wonders for your love life.

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The Heisman Memorial Trophy, without a doubt the most hyped and over-analyzed individual award in all of sports, will be given out tonight. TV networks love the Heisman trophy because it gives them hours upon hours of material to babble about instead of doing something productive, which is why I've grown to dislike the Heisman Trophy over the years. The more they talk about it every single damn week, the less I seem to enjoy it.

The three finalists this year are all Quarterbacks for three of the most visible powerhouse teams in the country. Last year's winner, Tim Tebow, will try to become the second ever two time winner, and I think he's got a better chance than most people realize. The betting odds show Sam Bradford as the favorite, followed by Colt McCoy and then Tebow. McCoy and Bradford have had the advantage of ABC covering the Big-12 South every Saturday night for what seems like the last 2 months, and that's just the kind of national media exposure which would make either one a shoo-in. But you can have only one shoo-in, and adding a second makes both into shoo-outs.

The problem the other two contenders have is that they are basically the same candidate, ie the star QB of a Big-12 South power. Tebow, of course, is basically the same except that he's the star QB of an SEC power, and like many elections before it this one will have as much to do with geography as with worthiness.

In order to win the Heisman, typically you need full support from the voters in your geographic region plus a smattering of support from other pockets of the country. Tim Tebow's advantage is that he is basically the one and only shining star from the SEC. All the SEC voters will vote for him first, and anyone looking in at the SEC will vote for him before anyone else in the Conference. Colt and Bradford, however, will be fighting over the same base of voters and they're likely to split them. Adding to their disadvantage is the fact that the Big-12 has a number of other big name stars, including Graham Harrell, Mike Crabtree, Zac Robinson and Chase Daniel, who won't win but will pick away even more votes from Bradford and/or McCoy.

Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but it seems pretty obvious how the votes will split. If Bradford does win, it will basically be a result of his performance against over matched Missouri in the Big-12 Championship game, the last big game in the voters minds. If that's the case I'd be especially pissed if I were a Texas fan, since they had as much of a claim to be in that game as Oklahoma (more so in my opinion). So not only has the BCS screwed Texas out of a division title, Big-12 Title, and trip to the National Championship game, but it also screwed Colt McCoy out of a chance to win the Heisman which was instead afforded to Bradford.

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Well, we ended up watching about the first 10 minutes without sound, but several people have gone to talk to the managers and they are working on it.  Finally the sound comes on, and we all erupt in applause and whoops of joy...and we are waiting on them to start the movie over....and we are waiting, and waiting....and still the movie keeps playing.  So a pretty good bit of people got up and left because they  were disgusted with the whole thing.  But most of us just stuck around after we learned that no one knew how to restart the movie. Well, even with all that happened, we watched right to the very end, and I must say it was a GOOD movie.  I never had a moment where I felt bored or distracted or anything like that.  It kept me entertained......and without spoiling anything for those of you who are going to see it.....let me tell you the ending was quite a shock....talk about leaving someone wanting more......I can't wait for the next installment.

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