Isis

GOP strategist Carol L. Hirschburg said yesterday that she is cooperating with the state prosecutor's office in its review of a $110 million technology contract at the Maryland Department of Human Resources and is confident that she is not the focus of the investigation. Hirschburg, the president of Isis Technology Consulting LLC, said in a press release that investigators told her during a March 14 interview that they have "grave concerns" about "some people presently and formerly associated" with the Canton Group of Baltimore, another firm that was part of the contract.

Just got a very interesting email from a local cat advocate. Apparently cats rescued from a Westminster home during the taping of a recent episode of the show "Hoarders" need homes. Here is the email I got from Jill Mehra, a volunteer with Metro Ferals. The Humane Society of the United States thought the readers of Unleashed might be able to help out with these cats. Mehra writes: Basically, the A&E Network produces a show called Hoarders. They recently taped an episode in Westminster.

Seven-year-old Shannon Dee moved his fingers across the computer keyboard with the skill of a budding pianist.But instead of hearing beautiful music, Shannon's keyboard playing produced geometric shapeson the computer screen.Eight long, thin rectangles and six tiny squares appeared, followed by a message telling Shannon he had counted 86 correctly.But Shannon didn't revel in his triumph. Instead, he moved on to the next number, 27. No problem. A few quick strokes on the keyboard and Shannon had punched out another correct answer: two rectangles and seven squares.

It was all about new prizes, new catchphrases and history repeating itself in Wednesday's episode. Oh, and AC Slater was there, too. The 12 ladies tried to let their personalities shine in an interview with "Extra's" Mario Lopez, then had a photo shoot on stilts - literally. In a first in "Top Model" history, the girl with the worst photo wasn't cut. Such is the magic of winning immunity during a challenge. Because of this little twist, we said goodbye to one of our favorite models.

Mark Baumgardner, a member of an advisory panel on county capital projects, was ready to ask some tough questions about the school system's $50 million ISIS computer program yesterday.But when school officials handed their proposed $36.4 million 1992 capital budget to the Planning Advisory Board, ISIS was nowhere to be found.ISIS (Integrated School Information System) is now in the school system's operating budget, School Superintendent Larry L. Lorton saidafter the meeting. With ISIS' administrative component almost complete, virtually all money spent on ISIS from now on will payfor the instructional part of the program, he said.

Isis withdraws from program The head of a firm fast-tracked for state certification as a minority business has withdrawn her company from the program. But the probe of Maryland's minority business enterprise system continues. Carol L. Hirschburg, a longtime Republican strategist, had asked that her company, Isis Technology Consulting LLC, be removed from Maryland's Minority Business Enterprise program March 1, the same day The Sun detailed her efforts to get a $12 million slice of a three-year, $110 million technology contract with the state Department of Human Resources.

An Ehrlich administration loyalist questioned the legitimacy of a firm headed by GOP strategist Carol L. Hirschburg during a pre-bid session held before the firm's inclusion in a $110 million technology contract with the Maryland Department of Human Resources, according to a transcript of the meeting obtained by The Sun. During the January 2006 meeting, former state transportation administrator Gregory J. Maddalone asked whether Hirschburg's firm would...

The Ehrlich administration fast-tracked a minority business application from a group of prominent Republican women, clearing the way for their hastily formed firm to participate in a $110 million information technology contract with the Department of Human Resources, an investigation by The Sun reveals. The company, called Isis Technology Consulting LLC, was the brainchild of long-time GOP strategist Carol L. Hirschburg.

Isis Tozati de Albuquerque, daughter of Jose Alfredo de Albuquerque Filho and Isabel de Silva Tozati Albuquerque of Sao Paulo Brazil, married Richard Slomba, Jr., son of Richard Slomba, Sr. of Dundalk, Maryland and Lorri-Ann Watkins of Dundalk, Maryland on June 13, 2008 at the Towson Court House. Isis is a 2006 graduate from the University of Anhembi Morumbi with a degree in Advertising. Ricky is a 2004 graduate of Archbishop Curley of Baltimore, Maryland. He is employed with Long and Foster Realty.

America's Next Top Model returns for its 11th cycle tonight, and the most interesting participant is Isis, a contestant who was raised in Prince George's County and describes herself as "physically born in the wrong body." The producers do a smooth job of introducing Isis. As she comes before host Tyra Banks for the opening interview, the supermodel asks Isis to describe her sexual identity. "Some might say transgendered or transsexual, but I prefer physically born in the wrong body," she says, explaining that she never felt at home in the male body.

An "America's Next Top Model" cycle with past models may be a thing of nightmares for Tyra I-Made-Smize-A-Word Banks, but it's something I and many other fans have been hoping for since Twiggy left several cycles back. In fact, Tyra and the gang have seemed to revamp this cycle to cater to what we fans love best -- endless drama, bickering, catchphrases and the ability to judge harshly without really knowing the girl. It's a dream come true. Fourteen past "ANTM" favorites, Angelea, Laura, Lisa, Bre, Bianca, Brittany, Dominique, Sheena, Kayla, Allison, Camille, Shannon, Alexandria and Prince George's County girl Isis filled the house yet again.

Isis King, the first transgender contestant to appear as a finalist on the popular reality show "America's Next Top Model," has signed a contract to participate in Baltimore Fashion Week, the event's director confirmed Friday afternoon. King will attend the event as a front row guest on Aug. 19, and will model clothing for several designers the following two nights. "Having Isis in Baltimore Fashion Week within our fourth production year is the epitome of success," said Sharan Nixon, whose company, Butterfly Productions, runs the four-day event that highlights designers and models during a series of runway fashion shows.

Isis King is by no means a finished project. She's an evolving work of art. Many expected the 25-year-old to be sashaying the catwalks for major fashion houses in Europe after her ground-breaking appearance on "America's Next Top Model. " But she has essentially walked away from the industry because she thinks it limits her artistic talents. King, a Prince George's County native now living in New York City, is pursuing a design career and testing the waters in acting. That doesn't mean that she has completely turned her back on the runway, though.

America's Next Top Model returns for its 11th cycle tonight, and the most interesting participant is Isis, a contestant who was raised in Prince George's County and describes herself as "physically born in the wrong body." The producers do a smooth job of introducing Isis. As she comes before host Tyra Banks for the opening interview, the supermodel asks Isis to describe her sexual identity. "Some might say transgendered or transsexual, but I prefer physically born in the wrong body," she says, explaining that she never felt at home in the male body.

1. Comedy Jerry Seinfeld: He'll finally be on TV again. Unfortunately, he'll be shilling for Microsoft. But - in Baltimore - fans can get Jerry without the Bill Gates baggage in a series of stand-up shows next weekend at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Now a family man, Seinfeld has cast his eye toward the kiddie set. Expect the subjects of Elmo and "portable insane asylums" (aka inflatable playsets) to come up. For more: ticketmaster.com Concert 2. Ben Lee: Known for dating actresses Claire Danes and Ione Skye, this awkward-looking Australian singer might just be the Lyle Lovett of our time.

Isis Tozati de Albuquerque, daughter of Jose Alfredo de Albuquerque Filho and Isabel de Silva Tozati Albuquerque of Sao Paulo Brazil, married Richard Slomba, Jr., son of Richard Slomba, Sr. of Dundalk, Maryland and Lorri-Ann Watkins of Dundalk, Maryland on June 13, 2008 at the Towson Court House. Isis is a 2006 graduate from the University of Anhembi Morumbi with a degree in Advertising. Ricky is a 2004 graduate of Archbishop Curley of Baltimore, Maryland. He is employed with Long and Foster Realty.

Isis Technology Consulting's participation in a $110 million state contract was short-lived. But state officials are reviewing how the company, founded quickly last year by a Republican political consultant and three other women, was fast-tracked to receive certification as a qualified minority business. The perception of favoritism can be as damaging as a finding of favored treatment. And the circumstances surrounding Isis' interest in the information technology contract, as reported by The Sun's Lynn Anderson, looked like a sweet deal.

Egyptian pyramids and pizzas may seem like an odd duo, but brothers Ahmed and Ashraf Abobaker and their partner, Haime Shapero, have combined the two at their newest restaurant, Cafe Isis in Timonium.Mediterranean pizza is a specialty at all their restaurants: Cafe Isis, which opened last September, and the Al Pacino cafes on Cathedral Street and in Pikesville.Soon, all three restaurants will share the Cafe Isis name, but not the Egyptian-temple decor of the Timonium location. The expansive space in the Round Woods Shopping Center looks like a backdrop for Cleopatra, with distressed honey-colored blocks scaling the walls, and a border of faded hieroglyphics.

The state of Maryland should hang a sign outside the office of its Minority Business Enterprise certification program that reads: Entrepreneurs with political or professional connections need not apply. That might seem extreme, but the program that has helped minority-owned companies reap more than a billion dollars annually in state contracts should primarily serve startups and small firms that need the help to compete against the big boys. The state's MBE certification program has come under scrutiny because of its 2005 certification of a company that was co-owned by a well-known Republican strategist.

State Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said that an audit has uncovered serious flaws in the state's Minority Business Enterprise program, including a "cynical manipulation" that allowed a company headed by Republican strategist Carol L. Hirschburg to wrongly obtain certification under the program. Hirschburg's firm, Isis Technology Consulting LLC, and five other businesses were cited in an audit of 39 minority firms whose applications for certification were expedited, or "fast-tracked," between 2001 and 2006.