Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Fw: Legal Notice from U.S. District Court: EA Sports Class Action

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From: "EA Sports Litigation" <ClassActionNotice@EASportslitigation.com>
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:54:03 -0600
To: <mark.rauterkus@gmail.com>
Subject: Legal Notice from U.S. District Court: EA Sports Class Action

To view this email as a web page, click here.

GEOFFREY PECOVER and ANDREW OWENS v. ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal. - Oakland Div.)
Case No. 08-cv-02820 CW

If You Purchased Certain Electronic Arts Brand Football Video Games
Between January 1, 2005 to the Present
You May Be a Class Member.

Membership as a class member in the Electronic Arts Litigation is the result of a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Oakland Division (Case No. 08-cv-02820 CW).

What Is This Class Action About?
The class action lawsuit alleges violations of California's antitrust and consumer protection laws in connection with the sale of certain football video games. Plaintiffs, purchasers of Electronic Arts' football video games, claim that Defendant Electronic Arts entered into a series of exclusive licenses with the National Football League (NFL), National Football League Players' Association (NFLPA), National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and Arena Football League (AFL), which Plaintiffs claim foreclosed competition in an alleged football video game market. Plaintiffs allege that this series of exclusive licenses caused customers who purchased certain football video games to be overcharged.

Defendant Electronic Arts has denied any liability and all allegations of misconduct. The Court has not decided whether the Defendants did anything wrong, and this Notice is not an expression of any opinion by the Court about the merits of any of the claims or defenses asserted by any party to this litigation.

Who Are Class Members?
The Class includes all persons who, during the period January 1, 2005 to the present, purchased the Madden NFL, NCAA Football, or Arena Football League brand video games published by Electronic Arts with a release date of January 1, 2005 to the present. Excluded from the class are purchasers of software for mobile devices, persons purchasing directly from Electronic Arts, persons purchasing used copies of the relevant football video games, and Electronic Arts' employees, officers, directors, legal representatives, and wholly or partly owned subsidiaries or affiliated companies.

What Should I Do? (Getting Further Information)
If you believe that you may be a class member (see above "Who Are Class Members"), you should get more detailed information about the class action and its potential effect on you and your rights. Further information can be obtained by going to the following website: www.easportslitigation.com. Additional information about the lawsuit may be obtained from Plaintiffs' Counsel website at www.hbsslaw.com, or by calling Plaintiffs' Counsel at 1-206-623-7292.

To Remain a Class Member
If you are a class member and you do nothing, you will be bound by the court's rulings in the lawsuit, including any final Settlement or Judgment.

To Exclude Yourself from the Class
(Deadline to Request Exclusion: June 25, 2011)
If you are a class member and you want to exclude yourself from the class and keep your right to sue Defendant, you must take further action before June 25, 2011. By that date, you must request exclusion in writing to this address:
Electronic Arts Litigation Exclusion
P.O. Box 8090
San Rafael CA 94912-8090

Or submit a request for exclusion electronically at the following website: www.easportslitigation.com

For further information about excluding yourself from the class go to the following website:
www.easportslitigation.com

Please do not telephone or address inquiries to the Court.
April 6, 2011. By Order of the U.S. District Court (N.D. Cal. - Oakland Div.).



Controller: City has $13M for projects

Folly. Folly times three. Pittsburgh has folly in a tiny size, folly in a medium size and folly in a massive size. The problems of the three bears and Goldilocks is nothing next to our woes. The ebb and flow, the diversity, the maddness. STOP THE MADNESS. WHERE's MARTY GRIFFIN?
Controller: City has $13M for projects

Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb on Tuesday estimated that the city has about $13 million for capital projects this year, a figure that puts him between a mayor who claims the city has nothing and council members who contend it has about $25 million.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11096/1137267-53.stm#ixzz1Ik0Xux9T

Go figure Scorecard:
* City Council = $25 Million
* City Controller = $13 Million
* City Administration / Mayor = $0


* Citizens = Duhhhh..... 

* OVERLORDS ICA = ______
* OVERLORDS 2 = _______


* Citizens = Duhhh ..... squared.



So, these folks with office on Grant Street, and this time the talk is only about the elected ones, not those that were appointed as OVERLORDS, can't agree on addition and subtraction. This is not rocket surgery. They are off by tens of millions of dollars with three different voices. These problems happen when smoke and mirrors is part of their tool bag, cause "If I had a hammer," was confiscated by the OVERLORDS.

This smells. Pittsburgh's typical confidence comes into question. So, people who are free to invest their assets into a place don't want to be in the choke hold of those who can't even agree upon an understanding of the value of money.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Tue pow wow

Candidates Night Come meet the candidates for local elections at the Next SSSNA meeting on Tuesday April 12th.  We have invited candidates for City Council, County Executive, and County Controller. The meeting starts at 7:00 at St Paul of the Cross Retreat Center Main Lounge, 148 Monastery Avenue.  Email info@southsideslopes for more information.
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Monday, April 04, 2011

Pittsburgh Kayakers (ka-"yack"-ers)

Pittsburgh Kayakers (ka-"yack"-ers) (Pittsburgh, PA) - Meetup: "Come paddling with us!"

Hello Kayakers,

Spring is here, and it's time to get the group moving again! Here's some news about what's going on with the group and the site.

First, please take a few minutes to update your profiles. Go to the site, mouse over to the "Members" button, click on "My profile", and then click on "edit group profile". If you haven't already, upload a profile picture and type an introduction. Then please answer these four new profile questions (the old questions have been removed):

1. What kind of kayak(s) do you have, if any? Feel free to answer generally (recreational, touring, sea kayak, etc.) or specifically (color, length, make, model)
2. Where are your favorite places to paddle?
3. What kind of trips are you most interested in? (Easy, relaxed, fitness-paced, adventurous, social, urban, challenging, overnight camping, ??)
4. What other outdoor activities do you enjoy?

You can also update your communication settings, by specifying what types of emails you would or wouldn't like to receive from Meetup.

Second, please consider taking a kayaking class or two this year - some of Venture Outdoors' and Exkursion's classes will be posted on the group's calendar. These classes are fun, and they'll make you a better & safer paddler. The Venture Outdoor "Intro to Kayaking" class this Sunday indoors, so you can get in some nice warm. They teach basic paddling & rescue skills, including what to do if you capsize (yes, you're going to get wet!) The Exkursion classes start in a month and are all outdoors, taught by their friendly expert instructors (ACA-certified). They have a wide range of classes, from their Level 1 beginner class (a "dry" class, everybody stays on top) to advanced paddling, rescue skills, rolling, and coastal kayaking. Exkursion also sponsors our group in return for us promoting their classes. We therefore don't have to charge for Meetup group membership or ask for donations, so when you take an Exkursion class, you're helping the group too!

Third, the group is looking for new trip leaders. If you love to kayak, if you're an instigator, a planner, a teacher, if you like to share your favorite places to paddle with others...there's plenty of reasons why trip leading can be very rewarding. Our biggest demand is for beginner-friendly trips, so you don't have to be a hard core paddler to be a leader. The leader's responsibilities are to post an accurate description of an event (meeting place & starting time, driving directions, distance or time you'll be paddling, difficulty level, etc.), answer posted and emailed questions, show up prepared and on time for your event, do your best to keep everyone safe (the wearing of PFD's is always mandatory), and to have fun! If you'd like to give it a try, please send me an email and let me know.

Welcome to all of our new members. It's great to see this group growing larger, along with the entire Western PA human-powered community - hikers, cyclists, runners, skiers, backpackers.... Hope you all have some great outdoor adventures this year!

Mike
I've got a canoe. Can you canoe? I'd love to spend more time in the river this summer with open water swims. It is nice to have boaters with the swimmers.

Women Ski Jumpers get into the Olympics

------Original Message------
From: SI com Alerts
To: mark@rauterkus.com
ReplyTo: cnnalerts@cnn.com
Subject: 2004 Athens Summer Games News
Sent: Apr 4, 2011 1:05 PM



Alert Name: 2004 Athens Summer Games News

IOC set to approve women's ski jumping for Sochi
04/04/11 10:51 AM, EDT
LONDON (AP) After a five-year wait and an unsuccessful legal battle to get into the 2010 Vancouver Games, women's ski jumping is set to take its place on the Olympic program this week.
Read the full story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/04/04/womens.ski.jumping.sochi.ap/index.html

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Saturday, April 02, 2011

Sad Day for Pittsburgh: Obituary: Nate Smith / Leader who got blacks, women in unions

If you have not seen the Nate Smith video / movie, then you must promise yourself that you will do that soon. It is a classic Pittsburgh story that all should know and be reminded of. It was done by folks at RMU.
Obituary: Nate Smith / Leader who got blacks, women in unions

Friday, April 01, 2011

Wecht Spins Yarns With The Best Of Them On The South Side


In what was once considered “a past life,” I interviewed every important political and leader in Pittsburgh and sometimes Western Pennsylvania. On a few occasions they were even bigger. I interviewed then-Governor Tom Ridge on a golf course during an Arnold Palmer charity event. I was on the tarmac with then-President Bill Clinton.

Once upon a time I interviewed almost everyone of consequence in this region (Mario Lemieux and Fred Rogers notwithstanding) and maintained a fairly decent Rolodex. No list of contacts would be complete in Pittsburgh without Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, one-time Coroner, one-time Medical Examiner, one-time County Commissioner, frequent Democratic Committee kingpin, all-the-time lawyer and omnipresent roustabout.

I've admired brilliant people more than anyone, even more than the less-than-frequent cute girl who would find herself talking to me. I've been fortunate enough to talk with Dr. Wecht lots of times. During a conversation about a dozen years ago he complimented me on knowing a lot about his favorite subject: himself.

I've known about Dr. Wecht since the 1970's or 1980's when he was called in to investigate the deaths of (if I remember correctly) mummified babies a bizarre Gallitzen woman had in her attic at the time. Back then that was a story that garnered only local attention. Today it would be an international controversy.

Before that he was a dissenter of the “Magic Bullet” theory in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He's conducted more than 17,000 autopsies, theorized on countless others, and has been called in for almost every high-profile case there's been for more than 40 years.

It was his word I took when we heard that the jury came back with the O.J. Simpson decision. He was spot on with his conclusion.

In recent years he was targeted for wrongdoing by Mary Beth Buchanan, the U.S. Attorney under the G.W. Bush administration, who happens to be both a fellow California University of Pennsylvania alumnus and Republican. That's where most of our similarities end. I'm a part-time dink, while she's universally revered as a full-timer.

Anyhoo, Wecht was the guest of Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist, at Norman's monthly “Versus” confab. The “debate” is mostly a liberal love-fest (this was Norman's second go-'round, the first being with South Side City Councilman Bruce Kraus), but with Wecht in attendance, the discussion turned more CSI than politics.

Wecht, who recently turned 80 but looks 20 years younger, jumped into action when Norman asked if his JFK assassination theory was hogwash. Wecht effortlessly grabbed a couple from the audience, moved their chairs and in-detail re-enacted the “Magic Bullet” theory better than Jerry dissected the “Magic Loogie” on “Seinfeld.” Wecht's mind remains flawless, and humor almost vaudevillian. The audience of about 80 was enthralled.

Wecht's theories are plentiful. He says that Elvis died of a toxic drug overdose and not from heart disease, O.J. did it, but not by himself, and most remarkably (at least to me) one of Robert Kennedy's bodyguards, Thane Eugene Cesar, accidentally shot the Presidential candidate, and not only Sirhan Bishara Sirhan. He opined that Jon Benet Ramsey's partners were involved in her still-mysterious murder, and motivational speaker Jeffrey Locker rigged his own suicide to look like murder in Harlem (a New York court found a man guilty of the murder in the case nevertheless)..

Norman served as a good host and the hour flew by more quickly than expected. Wecht is no wall flower. He said that the plethora of CSI shows are unrealistic in one distinction fashion: forensic pathology and detective work are two different careers and are not intertwined. That goes along well with the critics who used to say that Jack Klugman's “Quincy” was more nosey than authoritative.

Both Norman and the crowd were disappointed that they didn't touch much of politics. Wecht did blast multi-millionaires (of which he is one many times over) for taking all the money from poor people. He also complained that Marcellus Shale businessmen were raking in big bucks while new Governor Tom Corbett was slashing educational dollars from the budget. It was an extremely easy crowd to excite with such rhetoric. Reminder: Marcellus Shale money goes into job creation, for one. The cash isn't stockpiled in a room somewhere that no one will ever be able to access. The mill jobs aren't coming back to the South Side. There's a Cheesecake Factory there now.

At the conclusion of the night, both Norman and Wecht joked that no Republicans would be in the house. Meanwhile, one sat six feet away. I re-introduced myself to Norman afterward, in front of a couple of typical blue-collar yinzer Democrats who threatened to “string (me) up” upon overhearing my conversation. I retorted that it's always good to hear a tolerant Democrat, and they left, quietly.

Wecht was gone, halfway back to his Squirrel Hill abode. It was good to be back in a room with Wecht.

It was just like old times.

Afterwards, I had a chance to catch up with Mark Rauterkus, one of the most innovative minds I've met in this lil burgh. It's always good to catch up with anyone who thinks creatively and "out of the box."

Those are not ghosts at Bakery Square's hotel, they are ground floor union workers

But the URA needs to know that the joke is on us.
Bakery Square Haunted?

Bakery Square, the transformation of the former Nabisco Bakery plant in Larimer, has received much national attention for its LEED Platinum achievement, and is now making national headlines again.

Guests at the Spring Hill Suites Marriott have been complimenting the hotel manager on the touch of home provided by the smell of fresh baked cookies and cookie turndown service.

“The hotel is really beautiful, and the smell of fresh baked cookies reminds me of my grandmother’s house,” said hotel guest, May Smith. “Boy could I go for one of her chocolate chips now.”

Other guests are confused by the tiny flour footprints found in the hallway, saying it looks as if a group of ghost elves have been up to some nighttime mischief.

“Look, I love cookies and all, but I don’t want some group of ghost elf bandits breaking into my room and stealing my underwear,” said hotel guest, Sherman Oaks.

Hotel Manager Kee Blur says he’s not sure what the guests are talking about. “I have never instructed my employees to leave out cookies, nor have I seen these supposed footprints. Although I have been getting anonymous complaints that our tredmills and other workout equipment isn’t pixie friendly. Whatever that means.”

Concerned for the safety of the guests, developer Walnut Capital has taken action and contacted the guys from Ghost Adventures, suggesting they investigate the situation.

Yeah, April Fools.

But, the development deal from Bakery Square allowed the 'air rights' to the site to be without the need for union workers. So, the ground floor sits vacant with big posters on the windows. That's what doesn't smell right.

Google Motion: I'm hooked

Overview:




As a coach, this makes sense:

Monday, March 28, 2011

Fw: WMF Nomination Form ARENA

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-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Pfaffmann <rob@pfaffmann.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2011 22:28:55
To: robadmin Home<rob@pfaffmann.com>
Subject: WMF Nomination Form ARENA



Thanks to Hal Hayes, who has been working in NYC on the TWA Terminal and brought this opportunity to our attention. The nomination text is a quick rework of earlier writing by Rob & Jeff for DOCOMOMO Rotterdam 2008 and the HRC nomination 2010.

We will fight this till the wrecking ball swings (Senator Ferlo we are ready to join you even without the Sphinxes ;)

"Pittsburgh: the Crucible of Modernism"
If we lose this fight, we will make sure those responsible for this loss are well documented on the web for posterity and future political campaigns. Like the Syria Mosque (still a parking lot we might add in the hottest real estate in the region), it will become our Pennsylvania Station.

We will then use this as the rallying cry for "Pittsburgh Moderns" a chapter of DocomomoUS that will fight on for Pittsburgh's modernist buildings not as curated objects but as useful and inspirational parts of 21st century Pittsburgh.

We will not forget.

Rob Pfaffmann, AIA, AICP
rob@pfaffmann.com
Reuse the Igloo
www.reusetheigloo.org
and on facebook groups: Reuse the Igloo

Public Transit and Private Investments - Dan Sullivan's mentions

Brian O'Neil of the P-G wrote about a Libertarian friend, Dan Sullivan:

Though hard to believe, private transit was worse
Sunday, March 27, 2011
By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If ever you get to thinking an idea is new or will solve all problems, read some history.

Take public transit. (And take it quick, before your route is axed.)

Why not privatize it? The very word evokes a cleanup, like Simonizing the car or deodorizing your armpits.

But Pittsburgh had private bus service for a very long time. Only old-timers would remember the almost annual fare hikes in the 1950s, and fewer still would know that the Pittsburgh Railways Co. spent much of the first part of the 20th century in and out of bankruptcy proceedings.

Allegheny County's Port Authority took over Pittsburgh Railways and other transit lines, each with its own fare structure and no transfer privileges, in 1964 -- when these private carriers were circling the drain.

Dan Sullivan, 61, is an Oakland resident who rode the private trolleys as a kid and has been poking the powers on Grant Street for most of his adult life. But he isn't nostalgic for private lines.

A student of local history, Mr. Sullivan reminded me that Christopher L. Magee, Pittsburgh's 19th-century political boss, became nationally famous by artfully ripping off this city through the streetcar lines he owned.

Lincoln Steffens, the great muckraker, outlined that history in 1903 in "Pittsburg: A City Ashamed.'' (So many people were stealing from the city then that someone evidently absconded with Pittsburgh's "h''.)

Pittsburgh long has been allergic to a genuine two-party system, so a Republican machine ran the city then. Mr. Magee, a charming rogue in partnership with the harder-edged William Flinn, ruled all but absolutely.

"The city has been described physically as 'hell with the lid off,' '' Mr. Steffens wrote in McClure's magazine in May 1903. "Politically it is the same with the lid on.

"Magee wanted power, Flinn wealth. Each got both those things; but Magee spent his wealth for more power, and Flinn spent his power for more wealth.''

Rail, specifically the Pennsylvania Railroad, was king then. In Pittsburgh and in Harrisburg, its lobbyists distributed railroad passes to politicians. (Until Super Bowl tickets were invented, lobbyists had to make do.)

Rail barons became so adept at seizing land through eminent domain, Mr. Sullivan says, that America gained a new verb, "to railroad,'' meaning to rush something through. But the Magee-Flinn machine was too canny to just give plums away. The bosses kept the lion's share for themselves and the two men made ridiculous money.

"Magee did not steal franchises and sell them. His councils gave them to him. He and the busy Flinn took them, built railways which Magee sold and bought and financed and conducted, like any other man whose successful career is held up as an example for young men.''

Mr. Magee's Consolidated Traction Company was capitalized at $30 million at a time when the city's public debt was $18 million, Mr. Steffens wrote. Yet Pittsburghers not only tolerated this legal graft for a quarter century, they revered Mr. Magee. When he died in 1901, they began pitching in for his monument.

His memorial stands near the Carnegie Library in Oakland. Dedicated in 1908, when it attracted a crowd of 2,000 people, this bronze-and-granite tribute to Christopher Lyman Magee was one of the final works of the great sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Magee-Womens, the hospital Mr. Magee founded in honor of his mother, stands at the site of one of his old railway administration buildings.


There is a Citiparks swim pool also called Magee.

Mr. Sullivan's website, http://www.savingcommunities.org, has a long section under the heading "Private Railroads and Plunder.'' He believes "forward-thinking plunderers are recognizing that the era of the automobile is coming to an end, and want to get their transit back.''

I don't buy predictions of the car's demise, nor of any wholesale switch from public to private transit. But it's clear the Port Authority can't continue as a vital way to get around without a massive overhaul.

On Friday, the head of the transit union offered the equivalent of 13 percent in wage givebacks (with some of that diverted to the pension fund). The Port Authority board rejected that offer and decided Saturday to move ahead with the route cutbacks that take effect today.

And there's no talk of building any monuments to anyone.
He refers to Dan's website. The pertinent link is:

http://www.savingcommunities.org/issues/transportation/railroadplunder.html

This is what I will touch on at the conference in Minnesota, where several transit experts will speak on funding transit through land value capture.

http://www.cgocouncil.org/conf11.htm

Dan's Note: Our objection to privatized transit is that it consists of licensed monopolies. Truly private enterprise is either unlicensed or based on open licenses to all who can meet safety standards.


Harold wrote: I wish Brian had explained the basis of Magee's "legal graft" - one assumes it was through city and borough councils giving him bankrupted trolley and bus lines for free, rather than making him and Flinn pay the market price through a public auction, but it'd be nice to know for sure.

Navigate to this link: http://www.savingcommunities.org/issues/transportation/railroadplunder.html

The end point from Dan on the page above says: If public transportation is to function properly, it must be placed completely under public control and funded from the land values it creates. 

I support the "Land Value Tax."

But to the point of public transit, I also think that the PAT, an AUTHORITY, is wrong on a number of critical matters. First off, I don't think any authority is really under public control. The board members are appointed and are not accountable to the voters. I would love to see authority board members face 'retention votes' so that they must pass a layer of public review at the ballot box to retain their appointed positions. Last week I squeaked about this to Chelsa Wagner.

Furthermore, the public authority is too big and itself a monopoly. If we must have public transportation, allow for a bit of competition among the public entities. For example, PAT should be split into a bus company, a rail / light rail company, and then a tunnel and bridge and busway company. The third would be a physical asset company, more like a PAT Pike.

If PAT's busway, or PAT Pike, was a stand alone company, then I am sure that we'd have bikes on the East Busway and through the tunnel under Mt. Washington. I'm sure that we'd have the Presidential motorcade hit the busway for mid-day trips into and out of the city without jamming the Parkway West for a full day. And, I'm sure that the operation and maintenance of the tunnel under the river would not be seen as a wise investment as each rider would have to pay far more than $20 a trip. Plus, we'd get real transit hubs with small business development that made sense -- far beyond a few park and ride stations.

How to Design Neighborhoods for Happiness via Neal

It's been a while since I last posted, though the forum came to mind late last week when we (Shareable Magazine) published a story by Jay Walljasper entitled:

How to Design Neighborhoods for Happiness:
http://bit.ly/dIJ4NM

This is a great short post about how to design pocket neighborhoods. I hope it's helpful.

Neal

ps. more neighborhood stories and how-tos can be found on your neighborhood channel: http://www.shareable.net/tag/neighborhoods



Neal Gorenflo

About Neal Gorenflo: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/5uDGHs6vM6wnnONRLUHFXG

View full topic, share on Facebook, Twitter, etc:
http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/707D8Tu6BQFlKtv8EfNun2


Help our volunteers in Christchurch, New Zealand with post-quake forum outreach:
http://e-democracy.org/chchdonate

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Losing Our Way - NYTimes.com

Losing Our Way - NYTimes.com

So here we are pouring shiploads of cash into yet another war, this time in Libya, while simultaneously demolishing school budgets, closing libraries, laying off teachers and police officers, and generally letting the bottom fall out of the quality of life here at home.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Flurry of Education Bills hit PA Senate

Thanks Ron C.
On March 22, the chairmen of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Jeff Piccola (R-15) and Senator Andrew Dinniman (D-19), announced the introduction of an 18 bill package aimed at providing mandate relief for school districts. The following bills were introduced:


Senate Bill 202 (Sen. Dinniman, D-19) would allow alternative certification pathways for principals and teachers; 

Senate Bill 293 (Sen. Eichelberger, R-30) would increase the thresholds for bidding contracts to $25,000;

Senate Bill 296 (Sen. Brubaker R-36) would increase the thresholds for bidding contracts to $25,000;

Senate Bill 329 (Sen. Dinniman, D-19) would suspend non-essential reports from districts to PDE in years in which state 
education funding declines;

Senate Bill 537 (Sen. Rafferty, R-44) would require a 2/3 vote by school boards to raise property taxes;

Senate Bill 612 (Sen. Folmer, R-48) would allow school districts to furlough for economic reasons and require proportionate reduction of administrators;

Senate Bill 801 (Sen. Waugh, R-28) would allow districts to bid single prime;

Senate Bill 802 (Sen. Piccola (R-15) would allow school districts to hire either school certified nurses or registered nurses;

Senate Bill 803 (Sen. Piccola, R-15) would allow districts to advertise from a menu of options including the internet;

Senate Bill 814 (Sen. Corman, R-34) would reauthorize the Mandate Waivers program and allow bidding for school construction projects both multi-prime and single prime;

Senate Bill 844 (Sen. Dinniman, D-19) would allow districts that are making AYP and showing adequate PVAAS growth be waived from PILS administrator training requirements;

Senate Bill 857 (Sen. Smucker, R-13) would repeal language that requires school districts to use increases in basic education funding for new programs and expansion of existing programs;

Senate Bill 858 (Sen. Waugh, R-28) would allow districts to hire certificated superintendents or candidates who have degrees in business or finance;

Senate Bill 869 Sen. Alloway (R-33) would no longer require school districts bordering Pennsylvania to provide transportation for students to attend out of state private schools;

Senate Bill 870 (Sen. Eichelberger, R-30) would repeal sections of the School Code that require 10 paid sick days and paid sabbatical leaves;

Senate Bill 871 (Sen. Brubaker, R-36) would suspend continuing education and professional development for teachers for 2 years;

Senate Bill 872 (Sen. Brubaker, R-36) would remove requirements for the establishment of concurrent enrollment committees and quarterly meetings;

Senate Bill 873 (Sen. Brubaker, R-36) would require the Secretary of Education and the State Board of Education to review and overhaul the PlanCon process for school construction and reimbursement.

The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider this package of bills on April 5.

2011 NCAA Division I Men's Championships

Fw: My underwater hockey team IN a commercial!!

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From: DEB RAMAGE <dramage1@hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:18:04 +0000
To: aem55@pitt.edu<aem55@pitt.edu>; Amy Ramage<amoid@comcast.net>; AndreaMcQueen<fishswimtoo@yahoo.com>; Arlene Kensinger<arlenekensinger@yahoo.com>; Barb Gutzwiller<blgutzwiller@zoominternet.net>; Ben Holtzman<benjamin.holtzman@gmail.com>; Betty Davic<edavic@kent.edu>; Bev Bradford<bbradford@camelotcoal.com>; Beverly Kerkam<beverly_kerkam@verizon.net>; <bradley.ramage@sunmed.com>; brecallender@hotmail.com<brecallender@hotmail.com>; Carol Lewis<cjpyatt@msn.com>; Carrie McDermitt<camcdermitt@gmail.com>; Char Morris<char514@zoominternet.net>; Cindy Byers<mgxb98@yahoo.com>; Cindy Reisser<crrpres@comcast.net>; Dale Wagner<mrdrwagner@gmail.com>; Dave Sherrieb<dsherrieb@indy.rr.com>; <david@relaxnow.org>; Dawn Gilson<vlangel@hotmail.com>; Dianne Gabel<di_gabel@yahoo.com>; Dianne Wagner<dikenkoda@zoominternet.net>; <dreckless@aol.com>; <ebusredos@comcast.net>; Gail Pebworth<pebwortg@wabash.edu>; Gary Torick<gwt52@consolidated.net>; Georgianne Barry<manatee7@zoominternet.net>; <gracenewstart@yahoo.com>; Grant Butson<grant.butson@lfg.com>; Gregory McQueen<c.gregory.mcqueen@erieinsurance.com>; Guillaume Besson<guillaume.besson@yahoo.fr>; Heath Wagner<hkw1973@yahoo.com>; Helen snead<helensnead122@gmail.com>; Jack Ramage<jramage@mbawpa.org>; Jack Beaulieu<jackbeaulieu@verizon.net>; Jay Ammon<jay@jayammon.com>; Jay Egar<eger@consolidated.net>; Jeff Grover<felix43@hotmail.com>; Jeff Banyas<jbanyas@zoominternet.net>; Jerry<bigmacsmlfry@yahoo.com>; <jmclaughlin@att.net>; Joe Humbert<josephbhumbert@eaton.com>; John Wagner<john.wagner85@gmail.com>; Jordan Wallace Ramage<jramage@mix.wvu.edu>; JoycePratley<jpratley@verizon.net>; Judy Wagner<jwg60@verizon.net>; JudyGoodhart<ljgoodhart@bresnan.net>; june00@zoominternet.net<june00@zoominternet.net>; karen Lucovich<klucovich@zoominternet.net>; KathyNevins Green<dksummers@ma.rr.com>; Larry Kuremsky<estates@kuremsky.com>; Len Schoettker<resist@zoominternet.net>; <lewfarm1@consolidated.net>; LindaHeery<heerys@zoominternet.net>; Linda Nath<snowbird@zbzoom.net>; LindaNeugebauer<wneug@atlanticbb.net>; Linda Schulte<lindaschulte29@gmail.com>; <mark.rauterkus@gmail.com>; Martha Smith<mas1920@earthlink.net>; Mary melick<marymelick@bigpond.com>; <matt@yanniassociates.com>; Matt Leisie<leisie1@zoominternet.net>; Max<maxwell.e.hand@gmail.com>; meyergab@verizon.net<meyergab@verizon.net>; <mgruetze@gmail.com>; MichaelKernan<mikernan76@gmail.com>; Michelle Ramage<michelleramage17@gmail.com>; Mike<mitchnd@yahoo.com>; <mkernan@planthealthcare.com>; <nettie5646@yahoo.com>; patrickandnugget@aol.com<patrickandnugget@aol.com>; patti3@zoominternet.net<patti3@zoominternet.net>; pdemarco@zoominternet.net<pdemarco@zoominternet.net>; Phil Bell<bellpb@muohio.edu>; Pohla Smith<pohla@aol.com>; pracoach@gmail.com<pracoach@gmail.com>; robert neubert<neu7@hotmail.com>; Robin Hazelgrove<robynhazelgrove@bigpond.com>; RoseMcQueen<roseandgordo@aol.com>; Ryan Mcdermitt<mcdermitt@yahoo.com>; SallyRadke<sally.radke@gmail.com>; Sam Gonzalez<samuelgonzalez2@eaton.com>; Shirley Golden<shirley25@comcast.net>; Stan Patterson<stan.patterson@poacfl.com>; Stephanie Kingston<stephanie.kingston@poacfl.com>; Steve Davis<stevejdavis@sbcglobal.net>; Susie Fleming<swfleming@verizon.net>; tessaandavie@aol.com<tessaandavie@aol.com>; Tom James<tjfirefly@aol.com>; Tom Swogger<tswogger@gmail.com>
Subject: My underwater hockey team IN a commercial!!

http://apps.facebook.com/unstoppabletour/
 
FINALLY!! Our Pine Richland Underwater hockey team is featured for FIVE minutes on this Utube/ facebook commercial just out. We helped film it last October but I couldn't tell very many till now. TOTALLY cool & so proud I didn't wind up on the "cutting room floor"!! Didn't know if they'd include a WOMAN fighting underwater with this "jock" or not!!  Love, Deb