Cures, Talent, & The Edge.

Some really great news! Inspiring article here:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/06/cleveland-clinic-doctor-reports-a-possible-vaccine-to-prevent-breast-cancer/1

American's Got Talent starts tonight. Rumor has it that the talent this year is higher than any previous year. I usually don't watch the show until later on after they have weeded out the awful acts that are just put on to embarrass themselves. I'm into talent, not embarrassment.

This morning in The Oregonian's Edge Column they had some pretty funny things. It is one of my favorite columns. Here are two excerpts from today's column:

How do you know when you're staying in a Kentucky hotel? When you call the front desk and say "I've gotta leak in my sink" and the person at the front desk says "go ahead."

Emily Sue passed away and Bubba called 9-1-1. The 9-1-1 operator told Bubba that she would send someone out right away. "Where do you live?" asked the operator. Bubba replied, "At the end of Eucalyptus Drive." The operator asked, "Can you spell that for me? There was a long pause and finally Bubba said, "How 'bout if I drag her over to Oak Street and you pick her up there?"

You can read the entire edge column here:

http://blog.oregonlive.com/edge/2010/06/tuesdays_edge_theres_about_a_c.html

That is it for the day. I am starting to be really optimistic about a cure for cancer. I think we may see the cure for breast cancer in our lifetime and maybe the cure for some other forms of cancer. What do you think? Are you going to watch America's Got Talent from the get go or are you going to wait for when the real talent comes on? The excerpts from The Edge, vote funny or not.

Who Am I?

Yesterday's answer was my second cousin, Lt. Edward Grover Delong.

I was the daughter of two former slaves and born in 1863. I died in 1954. I was one of the first of my nationality to earn a college degree which lead me to become activist for suffrage and civil rights. My dad was said to be the son of his white master. After his freedom there are reports that dad became a self-made millionaire from real-estate investments. He was married twice. My mother was his first wife. I majored in classics at Oberlin College among mostly white male students. Despite me being in the minority the freshman class nominated me as class poet, and also to two of the college's literary societies. I earned both a bachelor's and master's degree from Oberlin. I would also later study in Europe where I became fluent in French, German, and Italian. In 1891 I married a lawyer who became the first black municipal court judge in Washington, DC. I had three children who died in infancy but soon gave birth to a daughter. We later adopted a second daughter. Through dad I met Frederick and Booker T. As a high school teacher and principal I was appointed to the Board of Education. I was the first black woman in the United States to hold such a position. I was the first president of the newly formed NACWC. Members established day nurseries and kindergartens, and helped orphans. I also founded the NAUW. The NAUW started a training program and kindergarten before these were incorporated in the Public School System. Although written sources about me primarily highlight my role as an activist and clubwoman during the progressive era, it is important to note that I had an active and prosperous career as a journalist. The white publications I contributed to include the Washington Evening Star and the Washington Post. In 1904 I was invited to speak at the International Congress of Women, held in Berlin, Germany. I was the only black woman at the conference. I received an enthusiastic ovation when I honored the host nation by delivering my address in German. I then proceeded to deliver the speech in French, and concluded with the English version. I was a founding member of NAACP. In World War I, I was involved with the War Camp Community Service, which aided in the recreation and, later, the demobilization of Negro servicemen. I worked actively in the suffrage movement. In 1950 I started what would be a successful fight to integrate eating places in the District of Columbia. In 1949 myself and two colleagues entered a segregated Restaurant. When we were refused service we promptly filed a lawsuit. Our attorney argued that the District laws were unconstitutional and later won the case against restaurant segregation. In the three years pending the decision I targeted other restaurants. My tactics included boycotts, picketing, and sit-ins. Finally the court ruled that segregated eating places in Washington, DC, were unconstitutional. After the age of 80, I continued to participate in picket lines, protesting the segregation of restaurants and theaters. During my senior years I also succeeded in persuading the local chapter of the AAUW to admit black members. I lived to see the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education, holding unconstitutional the segregation of schools by race. I died two months later at the age of 90. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower paid tribute to my memory in a letter read to the NACW convention, writing, "For more than 60 years, her great gifts were dedicated to the betterment of humanity, and she left a truly inspiring record." I am also listed on list of the 100 Greatest African Americans. Who Am I?