Fwd: New Features and a Price Change...Coming Soon!

From: Milestone Sports <hello@milestonepod.com>

MilestonePod still the most affordable in its class

HELLO! We are proud to add even more value to the MilestonePod experience: #1. New Real-Time Firmware (released July 2017) #2. App update with new features (coming August 2017...stay tuned!) Along with these exciting additions, the MilestonePod will have a price change. As of August 1, 2017, the new MSRP will be $29.95 USD.  The MilestonePod remains the most affordable running tracker in its class. We wanted our loyal users to know about the price change ahead of time. If you are considering another Pod for yourself or a Pod as a gift, visit your local retailer or MilestonePod.com today!  PLEASE NOTE: - The MilestonePod App remains free - There will be no change in shipping costs on MilestonePod.com - This price increase may not be reflected in distributor or retailer pricing - Milestone Sport's amazing customer service: still priceless! Copyright © 2017 Milestone Sports Ltd. ask us a question

Milestone Sports · 9250 Bendix Road North · #605 · Columbia, MD 21045 · USA

Fwd: Riding the wave

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington

Well folks, it might be time to become somewhat wary – not about the state of politics in Washington (although that's worth worrying about), but about the economic situation in the nation and the world.  For eight years now we have been riding the crest of a wave of an ever accelerating asset bubble which can't possibility continue forever.  And, as economist Herbert Stein once said, 'what can't continue won't continue.  The attached article tracks the proverbial canary in the in the economic coal mine.  There's student debt, auto-loan debt, credit card debt, mortgage debt and now securities-based loans, or SBLs, being fobbed off on  unsuspecting investors as a benefit.  This is not a healthy sign . . . read on McDuff!

John

• Link

Fwd: A Framework for Making Makerspaces Work

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Remake Learning

Remake Learning posted: "Research into the meaning and value of maker learning has been a focus of The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh from the first steps they took to start developing ideas for MAKESHOP in 2010. In the years since, MAKESHOP has become a national exemplar among " New post on Remake Learning A Framework for Making Makerspaces Work by Remake Learning Research into the meaning and value of maker learning has been a focus of The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh from the first steps they took to start developing ideas for MAKESHOP in 2010. In the years since, MAKESHOP has become a national exemplar among youth and family makerspaces and the Children's Museum has emerged as a leading voice for the thoughtful and informed advancement of maker learning. This summer, researchers at the museum released a report, "Making + Learning in Museums & Libraries: A Practitioner's Guide and Framework" to share what they've learned about the principles of makerspaces with museum educators, librarians, and others working in informal learning institutions. A collaboration between the Museum and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the report provides museum and library practitioners with a flexible framework and resources to support learning through makerspaces and maker programming. Dr. Lisa Brahms, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh Director of Learning and Research, and Dr. Peter Wardrip, Children's Museum of Pittsburgh Learning Scientist, conducted more than 50 interviews and site visits to library and museum makerspaces across the country. We spoke with Peter Wardrip to learn more about what they've learned through the project, and how educators and others are developing their own applications of maker learning principles. Peter Wardrip / Photo by Ben Filio How did this collaboration between the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh (CMP) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) come about? Peter Wardrip: IMLS is the federal funding organization for museums and libraries, and they were beginning to get a lot of proposals for makerspaces from libraries and museums and didn't feel there was a clear consensus on what needed to be in place to create the conditions for learning within a museum or library. So they felt there was a need to develop a framework for the field, and the CMP is recognized nationally, if not internationally, as a leader in maker-based learning experiences. And we were an early adopter of having a makerspace, but also an early adopter of having research to study learning in makerspaces. So those factors contributed to bringing together the museum and IMLS. What questions were you exploring in your research? PW: We were really interested in identifying the key components for creating conditions for learning in a makerspace. We really wanted to identify what the "secret sauce" was. A really neat facet of MAKESHOP here is that we have highly skilled, experienced, full-time educators who facilitate the experiences, and so my research is interested in teacher learning as it relates to supporting those experiences. I've been really impressed by the ways in which our educators support learning in MAKESHOP. And we are also interested in investigating how maker-based learning experiences are implemented and supported in schools. What is your background, and what led you to this project? PW: My PhD research was at the University of Pittsburgh, in learning sciences and policy. My research focused on project-based learning, data-informed instruction, and on digital badges as well. The fact that I had experience with project-based learning provided some alignment with doing research on learning in makerspaces. And I was excited to broaden my perspective on out-of-school learning experiences like libraries and museums. I've always been an active user of libraries and museums but to think of them as learning spaces—it was an exciting opportunity to learn more about them. What are the key takeaways from this report? PW: One highlight is that there's no one way to do a makerspace. I think sometimes people create a makerspace with a 3-D printer but we also saw really fantastic, ambitious makerspaces that didn't have a 3-D printer at all, or their 3-D printer was in the back room, not being used. Another is the importance of facilitators, of people. I think so often makerspaces get attention for the amazing machinery that learners use and the outlandish products that they create. But the people that are facilitating those experiences and helping manage and troubleshoot are hugely important. The other takeaway is the importance of being really clear on what your learning goals are and starting with those goals from the beginning. There are lots of reasons why a museum or library would have a makerspace. It's very important to be really clear and to put the learning goals first. Time and time again, people either told us that's what they did and that was really helpful, or, more often, we heard people say, "We wish we would have done that, because we had to backtrack." A common experience that we saw was visiting a makerspace that when they started, they had lots of really expensive equipment: vinyl cutters, laser cutters, 3-D printers. And when they began to realize that they didn't really need all of that equipment, they realized that they actually needed more cardboard, more yarn, more micro-controllers, or something that aligned more with their values and goals. How do you hope that educators and practitioners will use this publication? PW: There are two types of users that we had in mind. There is the new user, the person who wants to create a makerspace. So we have tools in the publication (and on our website, Making + Learning) to help them think about why they want a makerspace, what kinds of materials might help support their vision, and things like that. The other user is someone who has a makerspace already, but might be at a point where they can take stock of what they're doing and generate a vision, if they haven't had time to do that yet. Our hope is that both of those types of users can use the tools in the publication as a way of refining or developing their makerspace to offer a more intentional learning experience for their learners. This publication is certainly not a prescription and we have tried to emphasize that diversity of makerspaces, that there's no one way to do a makerspace. But thinking about your vision and the role that people and materials can play in your makerspace may serve as guideposts for developing a makerspace. What are the next steps for you and for the Children's Museum with respect to this publication? PW: Mostly it's a process of getting the report into people's hands. We have a massive open online course (MOOC) and people can access the MOOC at Making + Learning. Moving forward, I think this provides us with groundwork for thinking about working with museums and libraries. We have a project right now funded by IMLS to develop an observation tool to identify evidence of learning in museum and library makerspaces. And that's partially informed by this work, by many of the practitioners saying, "We need something to make claims about what's going on, and show that it's not just fun, but there's learning going on." Remake Learning | July 28, 2017 at 8:30 am | Categories: Blog Post | URL: http://wp.me/p46hoI-8Ae Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: http://remakelearning.org/blog/2017/07/28/peter-wardrip-qa/

Who wants to be the Pittsburgh voice for this open source utility?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jen Caltrider, Mozilla
Subject: I'm sorry, could you repeat that?

A whole new way your voice matters.

Dear Pittsburgh Yinzers, We all sound different when we speak. What does that mean for voice recognition? When Siri hears a beautiful Irish brogue or Scottish burr or the accent of a non-native English speaker, she can get tripped up. And Siri has the full force of Apple's voice data collection operation behind her algorithm to help her understand. What about the small developer who wants to build a voice activated app? Where do they go to get samples of all the beautiful voices speaking from around the world? Up until recently, their options were to spend a fortune buying data to train their algorithms from big corporations or put their product out into the world with an untrained algorithm. It's time for a better option. Meet Mozilla's new project, Common Voice. It's an open collection of labelled voice data anyone can use to create highly accurate voice recognition software. Well, it will soon be that, with your help. In order to create this valuable public resource, we need people who speak English in all sorts of wonderful ways to go and contribute voice samples. (Note: right now Common Voice is only collecting English samples, but stay tuned, we plan to add other languages very soon.) Here's what you do — click over to the Common Voice website. There are two ways you can help. You can click "Speak" and follow the instructions to leave some of your own voice samples. You'll be asked to allow the website to access your microphone. Don't worry, we're Mozilla, we care about your privacy and won't use your microphone for anything but recording the short sentences you'll read. Have fun playing around with that. I know I did. If leaving a voice recording isn't your thing, you can also just listen. Click the "Listen" link and you'll be asked to listen to some sentences others have read and verify they got it right. That's it. It's actually a ton of fun. As voice recognition becomes more important in our digital world, everyone — from startups to students at university to that friend of yours who just likes to tinker — should be able to make sure their apps recognize all our beautiful voices. That's how we build a healthy Internet, one step at a time. Thank you, Jen Caltrider Mozilla Thanks for reading! You're receiving this email because we think you're neat. Donate to Mozilla   |   Download Firefox 331 E. Evelyn Avenue Mountain View CA 94041 Legal • Privacy

Fwd: Please share out..Educational Outcomes-Are our children thriving in our schools?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <RFlanag@aol.com>
Date: Jul 23, 2017 8:39 PM
Subject: Please share out..Educational Outcomes-Are our children thriving in our schools?
To: <rflanag@aol.com>
Cc:

Reebok

https://money.good.is/articles/reebok-trump-response?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood

Fwd: Time to grab your wallets

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington

Watch out for the movement to end cash, it could prove to be very painful – and the absolute end of non-hermit privacy.

John

Link

SKWIM System On the Road

Hi,

This Saturday and Sunday, I will be taking a SKWIM LAGOON to the area not so far from THE ROCK, as we will organize some SKWIM ULTRA for fun at North Shore of MORAINE STATE PARK as part of the fun that swirls around the triathlons, Mighty Moraine, organized by an aquatic friend, Joella of Get Fit Families. We will be there from 9-11 both days. This is our first open water SKWIM in western PA. 

Coach Mark

--

--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark@Rauterkus.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach

Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy

Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell

Allowing city workers to COACH -- and this CCAC amendment with today's vote

Hi Council Members,

The amendment to the change in the city charter that needs to head to the voters to allow city workers to also be employed by CCAC, another government entity, should be its own ballot question and not put into the measure to allow PPS SCHOOL COACHES.

Teaching at CCAC should be treated as a different exception. That different exception should be considered as its own question on the ballot for the voters.

And, is this "TEACHING at CCAC" or is it also other jobs? What about being a CCAC administrator? What of being a sports coach, or on the grounds crew, working in food service, the book store, or security, or in some other capacity?

I do not think that the spirit of the measure as it was originally put forth applies to the amendment to also allow CCAC employment. A parent is not going to desire to teach at CCAC because his or her son or daughter is enrolled at CCAC. 

If Rev Burgess wants a pay check for teaching at CCAC, that exception can be put on the ballot as a question to stand on its own. I expect that might pass too.

My other suggestion is to make the amendment to that allows paid work at CCAC -- and perhaps the entire exception that would also allow for coaching at PPS  -- be subject to a $10,000 per year limit. 

We do NOT want CCAC teachers with larger teaching loads to be able to work for the city and CCAC at the same time.

If people want to work a second job in higher education, work at the Pgh Seminary, Carlow, Chatham, RMU, Pitt, CMU, DU. 

What about PSU branch campus exception too? One could not work for the 4-H Extension, a branch of PSU in the Tech building in Connelley building. That's fine. Or, allow it to be limited to $10,000. 

In an ideal world with our democratic process, put the CCAC question as its own ballot question, different from the matter of allowing PPS Coaching. 

--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark@Rauterkus.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach

Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy

Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell

Prudent challenges

--

--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark@Rauterkus.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach

Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy

Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell

Thanks for speaking to the PPS Board - from Anthony Hamlet

Fwd: The Neoliberal Agenda

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington <jehemington@verizon.net>

The three attachments are in some ways related as evidencing the results of the neoliberal plutocracy.  In the first, Paul Street details what I have been arguing from the beginning about the Trump election.  That is, that the primary support for Trump did not come from working and lower class whites.  Instead, his strongest support came from what I describe as country club/chamber of commerce whites who are generally well off and represent one of the most reactionary forces in our society.  They tend to care about only two issues, lower (or no) taxes and the elimination of 'unnecessary' regulations.  This is a quasi-libertarian group which tends to care only for their own selfish interests – a core constituency of the neoliberal thought collective.  They strongly believe that they have no responsibility at all for the ills of society nor any interest helping others.  Strangely enough, many, if not most are or believe themselves to be committed Christians – though they seem to have a strange interpretation of Christ's teaching.  The second article deals with plutocracy, its consequences and how both major political parties have come to represent its interests.  The third article discusses the impact of neoliberal agenda on higher education caprification of university teaching positions along with labor's efforts to organize adjuncts and graduate assistants in order to afford a reasonable living opportunity.

One thing that has been quite clear to me is that many of the so called working class whites who voted for Trump were not so much voting for Trump as against the plutocracy which controls both major parties.  It is also clear to me that had the Democratic Party not deliberately sabotaged Bernie Sanders campaign, Sanders would have soundly beaten Trump in at least two of the contested Rust Belt states and won the election.  The shame is that the Democratic Party cares more about pleasing its billionaire contributors than it does about doing what needs to be done for the people and for society as a whole.  This is not the same as saying that Bernie Sanders was the best possible candidate or that all of his policies would have been beneficial.  He was much too willing to follow the military in its effort to subdue the world for corporate interests, but his economic policies would have benefitted many millions of Americans – and most Americans understood that, particularly on the issue of health care for all.

John

Links

The Notion That White Workers Elected Trump is ...

This is What Plutocracy Looks Like

As Universities are Gutted

Fwd: Threats abound

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington 

These days it seems as if threats of various enormity abound almost everywhere.  Cable news seems never to stop selling fear and loathing – regardless of which political agenda is being cast as the evil one.  But there is one very real threat that few media of any stripe are reporting and it may be, in many respects, the most serious of all.  That is the accumulation derivatives by the four major Wall Street mega-banks as detailed in the attached article by Pam and Russ Martens of Wall Street on Parade.  One bank, Citi, holds derivatives with a notional value of $54.8 trillion dollars.  To get an idea of just how problematic this is, the global GDP of all nations is estimated to be only $75.6 trillion in notional value.  As stated in the article, there is no way that there could ever be sufficient counter-parties to cover this in the event of another financial crash.  More importantly, little or nothing has been done since the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 (GFC) to correct the problems in the financial industry which led to the 2008 crash.  Dodd-Frank when passed was too little, too late and it has since then diluted and de-toothed at the behest of these financial titans.  When the next crash comes, and it almost certainly will, since the same basic players remain in charge both in and out of government, it is likely to be far more devastating and destructive than the one which preceded it.

If there was not a sufficient threat from nuclear war given the insane policies put in place by the Trump administration, not to mention the two previous administrations, cataclysmic financial crises almost always lead to global warfare.  We got lucky in 2008 because the financial bleeding was stopped, but the non-financial victims were never made whole as were the bankers who got to keep all of their ill-gotten gains as well as all of their power to continue operating multi-trillion dollar gambling operations – which is what derivatives really are.  Unfortunately, the main stream media will almost never pay attention to the criminals in high places and instead focus on crime in the streets.  As a result, it is likely that, as before, the crisis will almost certainly find most Americans unprepared (though it is certainly difficult for one to know how to prepare for such a collapse).   Because the victims of the 2008 GFC have never been made whole and have since been ignored and/or denigrated by both major political parties, we have the rise of right-wing nationalism and the election of a very dangerous president with little capacity for restraint or for rational decision making.  As such these are extremely volatile times in which almost any event can lead to catastrophic consequences for us all. 

John

Link:

• Why Wall Street Should Be Viewed as a Major National Threat

Fwd: Tyranny's little helpers

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ben Settle <ben@bensettle.com>


I've said it before I'll say it again:

The best overall business/marketing book I possess (and have been reading almost non-stop since January 2008) is Ken McCarthy's "System Club Letters" book. I dig it so much I even gifted it to my "Email Players" subscribers a few years ago.

My favorite chapter is about Independence Day.

(That's today in the US.)

Ken 'splains why it's lost its meaning:

"Reason #1: Independence is no longer a treasured virtue in our country. Reason #2: Many of the things that the Founding Fathers found so objectionable - like taxation without representation for example - have become institutionalized in the US. Big business, big media, big government - the country seems to be run for their benefit today, not ours."

True.

People are completely gullible.

(Just look at how people follow corrupt politicians like rats following the Pied Piper...)

Another great insight from that chapter:

Ken notes how when this country was founded 90% of people worked (and thought) for themselves.

Today?

Only 10% do.

The rest are slaving away, swallowing everything the media tells them ("Russians!"), voting their rights away for fear of non-existent boogymen, enthusiastically cheering on unelected activist judges making laws out of thin air and based on their feelz, piling on debt, race baiting, class warfaring, never questioning, always obeying — tyranny's little helpers.

Ken's solution?

Become economically independent.

And then use your economic independence to take a stand against the politicians and unelected bankers, bureaucrats, judges, and foreign interests trying to steal yours and your children's birthrights for their 30 pieces of silver.

Anyway, I highly recommend reading it.

And then *keep* reading it.

Perpetually.

As far as how to become economically independent...

I've got a pile of low cost eBooks (most under $3) on Kindle that can help you with everything from copywriting and email… to affiliate marketing and traffic… to positioning, publishing newsletters, selling & persuasion, and how to build a swipe file… and everything in between (including my Villains persuasion book and even a series of novels about zombies and vampires and other deranged monsters that go bump in the morning if'n that's your thang…).

It's like an Independence Day fireworks display of value.

And, it's dirt cheap.

Get your bargain-basement lovin' here:

http://www.BenSettle.com/kindle

Ben Settle





Copyrighted & published by Settle, LLC.

If you are even thinking about swiping or stealing this
email, read this letter from my attorney first:

http://www.BenSettle.com/blog/swipe-file

Ben Settle
World leader in email copywriting education
Settle, LLC


PO Box 2058
Bandon OR 97411
USA

Time to visit -- especially at the public pools

Hi All,

Summer in the city! Hope you and yours are safe and healthy.

Last week highlights: 20 adults joined together to play water polo at
Citiparks Ammon outdoor swim pool in The Hill District. We're looking to
add youth and rookie games in the shallow-water in the weeks to come.

Next practice: 6 pm to 7:45 on Thursday, July 6 at Ammon, Bedford Ave &
Memory Lane.

Then again on Tuesdays, again on Tuesday, July 11. All are invited.

+ +

Lots of action is happening and being documented with some fun photos at
Swim & Water Polo with Pittsburgh Public Schools Summer Dreamers. Follow
along at http://CLOH.org.

+ +

Your help is desired in building political for the inclusion of AQUATICS
within the new Community Schools venture taking root in PPS this coming
school year

http://cloh.org/wp/archives/1090

+ +

Our Independence Day open house is slated for the evening of July 4th,
again, of course. Both of our boys are home this summer -- and both have
appartments in other cities. Come for a visit and watch fireworks from the
deck.

+ +

Fingers are crossed for the still pending opening of the outdoor pool on
the Northside at The Pittsburgh Project. We have dreams of playing lots of
SKWIM there this summer. SKWIM is a great inter-generational game and we
want to build our base of participation throughout the city and the nation.

Hope to see you soon, so we can talk about the endless list of benefits in
this quest in "playing well with others."


--
Ta.


Mark Rauterkus       Mark at Rauterkus.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach
Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy
Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell