Merry Christmas from the crew at DeepSaidWhat.com.

Came across this story on Christmas Eve in the Wall Street Journal and we thought it was worth sharing. For the WSJ column, click HERE.

SURA Arts Academy, a free, diversity-themed digital photography instruction program for youth run by the Arab American National Museum (AANM), is accepting registrations for the Spring 2009 semester, which begins on January 20 and concludes on April 7.

Thirty slots are available at no charge to students in grades six through nine who reside in southwest Detroit and adjacent areas.

SURA registration materials and program details are available for download at http://www.arabamericanmuseum.org/SURA-Arts-Academy.id.438.htm or by contacting Janice Freij at 313.624.0203 or jfreij@accesscommunity.org.

Entry forms to submit works for the exhibit are available at www.dcacarts.org, or by calling 313.943.3095, or by visiting the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

The Dearborn Community Arts Council will present the photography exhibit at the Padzieski Art Gallery from Thursday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, March 8.

The hours of the Padzieski Art Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Fridays from noon to 6 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 5:30 p.m. and through intermission during theater performances.

Joe Piscopo, Victoria Jackson and Don Novello, who is known as the smooth-talking Father Guido Sarducci, will perform at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center on Jan. 17, 2009.

The performance, which features a live orchestra, begins at 8 p.m.

Tickets: $24-$29 at The Center Box Office. Call or visit The Center at (313) 943-2354 or www.dearbornfordcenter.com

The third and final installment of 2008 Summer Tax Bill is due Jan. 14, 2009. Make checks payable to the City of Dearborn. Late payments will be charged 1 percent per month on unpaid balance from July 1, 2008.

The Dearborn Chamber of Commerce and Comcast Business Class are partnering for a special event at Cheli’s Chili Bar in Dearborn. Chelios will be on hand to sign autographs. Cost is $10 and includes appetizers and entree into drawing for Chelio’s jersey and 50/50 raffle.  Comcast representatives will be on hand to show you how to save money for your business communications. For more information call the Chamber at (313) 584-6100

Well, it has been a bit longer than I would have liked, but DeepSaidWhat.com will be back and running before Christmas if all goes as planned. We’ve moved to a new server with a larger bandwidth, which means we now will be able to offer Pod casts as well as streaming video. The actual appearance of the page hasn’t changed much but we have added a bit more functionality and a couple new features. We’ll have more to share and say later this week.  Thank you for your patience.

Candyce Ewing Abbatt missed unseating Dearborn’s 19th District Court Judge Mark Somers by just a couple hundred votes. So it’s no surprise she has filed petitions with the Secretary of State seeking a recount.

In a front page story in Sunday’s Dearborn Press & Guide, Abbatt tells the paper that while she doesn’t believe the outcome of the election will change, she owes it to her supporters to address what she says are “concerns about the outcome of the election.”

“After evaluating the election data by precinct and speaking with those who have expertise on these matters, I requested a recount based upon statistical aberrations in some of the results,” Abbatt tells the Press & Guide. “While I am not counting on a change in the outcome, I felt that I owed it to my community and my supporters to address concerns about the outcome of the election, given that it was so close.”

Somers defeated Abbatt by 228 votes, 17,077-16,849.

Abbatt, who was seeking her first public office, told the Press & Guide that even with a highly-competent city clerk and staff, computer error is still possible. Abbatt said a recount will put all doubts to rest about the outcome, so both sides should be pleased with the request.

While final campaign expense figures aren’t due until Dec. 4, records through Oct. 21 reveal that the race for this judge seat was an expensive one. Quoting an amended pre-general election campaign finance summary page, the Press & Guide said Abbatt received $161,055 in total contributions for her campaign from April 15, 2008, to Oct. 21, 2008. Abbatt spent $126,779.11 on her election bid, leaving the campaign with an ending balance of $34,275.89, according to the report.

Somers, meanwhile, received $41,204 and spent $32,135.32 on his re-election bid, leaving his campaign with $9,069.38, according to pre-election figures the paper quoted.
For the Press & Guide story, click HERE.