Fwd: The First Friday | American Chestnut Trees • New Blooms • A Note from Your Gardener

Face plant. And I am not talking about summer bulb planting. 

Talk about a total lack of nuts, except chestnuts. 

These people take $20M of city taxpayers money each year. 

Hello!

PS: My gardener do not write this crap. What about "your gardener?"

Mark R

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy <awenk@pittsburghparks.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 5, 2020 at 7:19 AM
Subject: The First Friday | American Chestnut Trees • New Blooms • A Note from Your Gardener

THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREE The American chestnut was once considered the largest, tallest and fastest-growing trees. The wood was rot-resistant, straight-grained, and suitable for furniture, fencing, and building. The nuts fed billions of wildlife, people, and their livestock. It was almost a perfect tree. That is, until a blight fungus killed it nearly a century ago. The chestnut blight has been called the greatest ecological disaster to strike the world's forests in all of history. Pittsburgh serves as the home to 30 American chestnuts, residing in Frick and Highland Park. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy continues planting this rare species for research and experimentation.  "I am replicating breeding work that the American Chestnut Foundation is embracing by taking advanced genetic hybrids and planting them out with surviving chestnuts trees and letting open pollination occur," Phil Gruszka, Parks Conservancy director of horticulture and forestry said. "I will never see the benefits of this, but my grandchildren might."  Parks Conservancy advocate and supporter, Kitty Brunkhorst, took a particular interest in this project.  "I learned that Phil was working with (Parks Maintenance Manager) Dick Wilford to plant American chestnut tree seeds about two years ago. It was somewhat funny to me to think of these two men finding a secret place to plant and tend these seeds, planning to see what did and didn't work," Kitty said.  "I've been concerned about trees in Frick Park for a long time, as I live nearby and spend many hours in the park. The fact that they were attempting to revive a native species seemed worthwhile," Kitty explained. To learn more about the American Chestnut and how genetic engineering can potentially revive these trees, click here. If you'd like to explore the work that the American Chestnut Foundation is doing to restore this species, click here.  "So you do a lot of planting?"  This is a question I receive often when people realize I'm a professional park gardener. Fun fact – we spend most of our time pulling weeds!  Yes, we plant trees, bulbs, and annual flowers, but this is a small fraction of what we spend our time doing within Pittsburgh's parks. The types of vegetation we plant in the parks have very specific windows in which they can be planted.  Planting trees takes approximately five days in the spring and five days in the fall. We also spend approximately two days in the fall planting bulbs and spend four-to-six days in May planting annuals. However, we spend days - actually, weeks - pullings weeds! The flower beds in the parks are planted with perennial plants that bloom year after year, so they don't require planting, but they do require regular weeding. We even pull weeds during the winter months. In the park woodlands, pulling vines from trees and removing woody invasive shrubs is a form of weeding and this is how we spend our winter months in the parks. We don't use herbicides to control weeds, so it's up to our team of park gardeners and volunteers to remove them.  Your Gardener, Angela Yuele  A compilation of the Parks Conservancy's Horticulture and Forestry team's (also known as the 'Sassies') favorite plants.  Let's talk about summer flowering bulbs! Plant these underground structures in the spring and enjoy colorful blooms through the summer! Learn about some of our favorite plants below. Jaci Bruschi, Gardener | CANNA  This cultivar is a 'South Pacific Scarlet.' It's a great cultivar of Canna from the South Pacific series; it will grow to about four-to-five feet it can be planted in a container and in a garden bed. Though it is not hardy to our zone, you can dig the bulbs up at the end of the season and save for next year's planting.   Angela Yuele, Horticulturist | GLADIOLUS  Gladiolus are an old-time favorite. I fondly remember my grandpa being very proud of his Gladiolus!  These are a tender summer bulb, which means they need to be dug up, or purchased, every year and replanted. The bloom time is brief on theses beauties. To prolong the bloom time you can stagger plantings in two-week intervals. This is a popular plant for flower arrangements as well!  Robin Eng, Restoration Gardener | GRAPE-LEAF ANEMONE Grape-leaf or Japanese anemone produce great mounding heaps of lush dark green foliage year-round. Then as the major blooms of summer appear to be dying back, they put out great cloud-like plumes of blossoms, raised above to foliage on graceful flower stalks. Although not native to the United States, these great perennials are well worth a spot in any sunny garden. Colors vary from white to shades of pink, and blooms can last for weeks on mature plants. If you're looking for a perennial addition to prolong the flowering season of your garden, this one comes highly recommended!  Maggie Herrick, Restoration Gardener | MONTEBRETIA  A member of the iris family, Montebretia (Crocosmia spp.) is a late summer bloomer that will give your garden interest into the fall. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds will be especially happy with the flowers and the seedpods that follow and provide a food source. The strappy, sword-like foliage demonstrates the relation to irises and provide a texture contrast to other plants. These flowering corms come in a range of heights up to five feet and a variety of striking colors. They are salt and drought tolerant, prefer full sun, but can tolerate some shade and make great cut flowers. Mulch these plants heavily or bring them inside during the winter to help them survive.  P.S. Remember, parks and greenspaces have never been more vital. The time you spend outdoors during rejuvenates your body and mind. Honor that time and the essential role nature plays in your daily life by choosing to make a donation today to support the parks you know and love.  Every little bit counts. You received this email because you are subscribed to General Parks News from Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. { 45 South 23rd Street Pittsburgh, PA 15203 © 2020 Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. All rights reserved.

                                                           

Time to apply for the 2018 staff for our efforts with Summer Dreamers: Swim & Water Polo Camp and more

The 2018 efforts are going to include a site at U-Prep in the afternoons with PPS Summer Dreamers Swim & Water Polo. Other help is needed on the Northside in the mornings with The Pittsburgh Project. In the evenings, swimming is going to happen at Citiparks' outdoor pool at Ammon Rec Center on Bedford Avenue and Memory Lane on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Monday evenings we expect to go to north to Moraine State Park for open water swimming.

Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends are the times we keep reserved for travel to other pools around the region.

Screenagers

Christmas Letter, December 2016

Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season, of course…

I hope your year has been full of people responding to you with “of course.” The world needs more people saying “…of course”. Whether it is “of course you are welcome here” or “of course I’ll help”. Even “yes” isn’t as good as “of course”. “Yes” means it could have been “no” – of course means there was never any question.

The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that the phrase “of course” first appeared in the mid-1500s and was used to mean "belonging to the ordinary procedure; customary; natural." The use of "of course" within the phrase "as a matter of course" appeared in the 1700s and had the same meaning. The use of "of course" as a standalone phrase emerged in the 1800s when the definition, "customary; natural," was modified slightly to become, "naturally; obviously."

I have been reflecting on how blessed we are with so many friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers who respond to our spoken and unspoken requests with “of course.” When Erik (now 22), landed an internship with Strategy& (division of PriceWaterhouseCoopers) this past summer in San Francisco, it was the Bratt family who said, “Of course, he’ll live with us.” The summer was wonderful. Erik is now mid-senior year at Swarthmore College and has accepted a position upon graduation with Boston Consulting Group and will be living in Philadelphia.

Grant headed for an internship at the University of South Dakota in June and the Jorgensen family said, “Of course, Grant can stay in our home.” And when Grant decided to head for New Orleans to attend Tulane University, friends in that area all responded with, of course, we are just a phone call away if he needs anything. Grant approached first semester freshman year with his own “of course” attitude and made his way into a biochemistry lab. This research and community of researchers has become a focus of Grant’s freshman year.

Mark rarely is met with “of course” in his quest for innovative and additional aquatic programming for inner-city youth. But, he continues to fight back with “of course we’ll use the pool, have programming on weekends, and welcome all ages.” Mark ignores obstacles and is now running more programming and positively impacting more lives than ever.

At work, I have had an exciting year of expanding services with the focus that treating hearing loss can improve health outcomes. I am so thankful for a group of colleagues around me who respond to these ideas with, “Of course we’ll figure out how to make this work, and find the resources, time, and expertise to do all of this.” And, of course, I enjoyed telling Main Stage stories for The Moth in New York and Pittsburgh this year.

We hope you hear “of course” throughout 2017, and we hope you’ll think of responding with this phrase so people know there was never any doubt that you would help them, cheer them on, include them…and, of course, we wish you and yours health and happiness in 2017!

Catherine Palmer and Mark Rauterkus
108 South 12th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Obama Academy Varsity Swim Calendar

Tips:

When in doubt, call. Coach Mark is 412-298-3432. Okay to text, but the text messages are not seen as quickly.

You can bookmark this page, or get the google calendar to work with your set up on your phone and computer. Subscribe to it.

Another google calendar is the one at CLOH.org.

Great news on ballot access in PA

The ballot access struggles have become something that is able to be managed in Pennsylvania.

http://www.post-gazette.com/early-returns/erstate/2016/07/01/Federal-judge-gives-third-parties-a-helping-hand-on-PA-ballot/stories/201607010174

Welcome changes. Thank goodness. 

I had first hand experiences with the crazy requirements that have been part of the landscape in PA. Let's hope for sanity in the future.

----

By Chris Potter / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A federal judge has made it easier for third-party candidates to appear on the state ballot this November, possibly adding a new variable into an already dizzying presidential election.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an order asserting that presidential candidates in three minor parties — the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party — will need only 5,000 voters to sign their nominating petitions. That's roughly a quarter of the 21,775 signatures they would have needed under the old rules.

The order "restores voter choice to Pennsylvania elections, which has been absent other than the major parties," said Oliver Hall, an attorney who represented the minor parties. "Now people can decide if they want to vote for someone else entirely, and that's how our elections should work."

Major-party candidates need only 2,000 signatures to get on the primary ballot — where a win ensures a space in November. But previously, minor-party statewide candidates were obliged to meet a threshold equal to 2 percent of the previous statewide vote-count. In past years, that has required candidates to obtain up to 67,000 signatures.

Mr. Hall said that even under the old rules, it was “close to a certainty” that the third-party contenders would have won spots on the 2016 ballot. But Thursday’s ruling also makes it harder to remove them.

Previously, if the legitimacy of a candidate’s signatures was successfully challenged in court, the winner could recoup the legal costs of doing so. In 2004, for example, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader was billed over $80,000 -- a crippling sum for smaller political parties.

Judge Stengel's ruling restricts the ability to assess such costs. That was "absolutely a load off our minds," said Shawn Patrick House, who chairs the state Libertarian Party.

Signature requirements for other races are also lower. Candidates for auditor general, treasurer, and attorney general — all of which are on this year’s ballot — must procure 2,500 signatures. Senate candidates must also produce 5,000 signatures. But the ruling may have the greatest impact on the race for president.

Pennsylvania is a potentially key battleground, and polling shows many voters discontented with both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

“Usually I discount third-party candidates,” said Muhlenberg College pollster Christopher Borick. “But the polls in Pennsylvania show the race as fairly close. Put that together with the high unfavorable ratings of both candidates, and a third-party candidate or two could be pivotal.”

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Ms. Clinton leading Mr. Trump by 39 percent to 36 percent, with Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson garnering 9 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein with 4 percent. Mr. Borick said that while Ms. Stein would likely appeal to “disenchanted progressives” who might otherwise back Ms. Clinton, Mr. Johnson’s impact was harder to gauge: “Nationally, it seems like he draws marginally from both candidates.”

The legal dispute over the requirements dates back years. In 2015, Judge Stengel ruled that the high signature requirements, combined with the threat of financial penalties, meant "the ability of the minor parties to ... voice their views has been decimated.” Gov. Tom Wolf's administration appealed, saying it had no power to change election rules set by the courts and the legislature.

Judge Stengel’s order bridged that impasse, and in fact incorporated the administration’s own proposed signature requirements. “Governor Wolf ... wants to ensure greater ballot access for minor parties,” said Mr. Wolf’s office in a statement, “and he is pleased with Judge Stengel’s ruling.”

The state Republican Party sounded less pleased. "These are decisions that we believe are best left to the General Assembly,” it said in a statement.

In fact, Judge Stengel’s order applies “until ... the Pennsylvania Legislature enacts a permanent measure amending or modifying the process to place [minor parties] on the general election ballot.” A measure to do so, House Bill 342, was passed by the House, amended by the Senate last month, and is pending in the House again. The bill sets out petition requirements consistent with those in Judge Stengel’s order.

But for the time being, as Mr. House put it, "We have more than Coke and Pepsi candidates.”

EXTENDED Red Light at Duquesne Univ after the Armstong Tunnel is bad and has to go away

A few months ago, someone made a decision to have an extended red light. Rather, a walk sign should have been used.

Often cars back up on the downtown side of the Armstrong Tunnel. Often only 3 or 4 cars get past the green light. Then it turn red. And, often, there are no pedestrians around.

Let's get this fixed.

Catherine Palmer's story on national radio broadcast --> Good news and bad news.

Catherine's story now has its own page.

http://themoth.org/posts/stories/good-news-bad-news

But, the problem is that her LAST story, The Toast, is now missing from the site, sadly.

Gotta listen. Only 5-mintues long.

Oh well

Please include attribution to http://blog.hubspot.com with this graphic.

Two things to think about with Pittsburgh's next Superintendent of Schools

The first thing we need from a new superintendent is an approach that supports school and community sports. I'll devote a different post to that topic. Here is another set of insights that we should put high on the list.

I think that the new superintendent needs to understand buildings, building schools, and building school culture as applied to the buildings that they reside within.

I hate to write this as I am generally a "software" kind-a guy who stresses the PROGRAMS and not worried about the the "hardware" and the bricks and mortar. The buildings take a back seat to the teachers, the school culture, the education and the dynamic learning that can and should happen. But golly, in Pittsburgh, we got issues with old buildings and bad decisions within the buildings and huge capital overhead that is not helping to retain our sense of pride and scholarship that should be happening.

I get to go to a lot of school buildings as we travel around with sports programs. Our city facilities are weak. Sure, CAPA is sweet. But, as I see CAPA, I hate that it is grades 6-12 rather than just 9-12.

Westinghouse & Carrick got nice upgrades not too long ago, but have you seen what has been done at many suburban districts? BP, Lebo, Penn Hills, Baldwin, West Allegheny, USC, etc. And the schools we have visited elsewhere beyond W.Pa are sensational.

In terms of taxpayer interest, the school and capital questions should loom large for a superintendent search process. Managing a building project and construction teams is way beyond the comfort zone of what's in place now. And, PPS can't even get a penny on the dollar for its existing and non-utilized facilities.

PPS made some serious, generational mistakes with Schenley, with South Vo Tech and many other building and grounds assets.

I think the new superintendent should be able to point to their professional history and say that these X-Y-Z schools were rehabed, re-build, opened, and construction was managed flawlessly for the course of these multi-year efforts. And, I want to get construction firm testimonials with lots of documentation and critical review on those mega projects.

Above rant began at the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1684791538424529/

Keeping Kids Safe, Clearances and new PA Laws

Insights from a session hosted by The Forbes Fund and others about clearances, reporting of child abuse and other new trends with law changes in PA.

We have a ladder of engagement drafted that deploys Digital Badges for adults to assist with this process. A position paper from my is forthcoming.

Phone message script

This is Coach Mark with Summer Dreamers water polo.

I'm calling to the homes of the students who are with us at Camp Langley with Summer Dreamers.

Housekeeping first: Thanks for taking this call. If nobody at this phone number has any kids in our water polo program – I appoligize for the call and if you PRESS #1 on your phone, I'll kindly remove this phone # from this summer's call list.

Good news: At camp, we are making progress. Most have made great strides in fitness, running and swimming.

Bad news: Some of the behaviors with some of the students at the pool, in the locker areas and especially at transition times have been making un-necessary burdens to other students, the staff and even the lifeguards. I'm heartbroken to see some of the kids fighting. Camp behaviors need to improve or else we run the risk of getting expelled from taking our squads to the pools.

Guardians, please take a moment to talk about good behaviors within the activities and throughout the school day. We are stressing LISTENING, playing well with others and good sportsmanship.

Extra news: The Liberty Mile is approaching. Plus, we have EVENING swim sessions and will be holding extra practices AFTER Summer Dreamers ends. Come for a swim on the Northside on Mondays and Wednesdays, or Mt. Washington on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Hill District YMCA on Fridays. We need all the paperwork for the race entry right away. A new handout is expected to be sent home tomorrow.

Help in reaching kids, ages 14 to 21, for the city and county's summer job program before the application deadline

I've been working in April 2015 as a recruiter for the 2015 Learn & Earn Youth Job Program so that kids are aware and making their application for summer jobs. We go to schools and mingle at lunch period to help get out the word. But there are plenty of others that we are not reaching, and we could use your help.

As you see a kid in the next week, ask them if they've got a summer job and if they've applied for the city program.

The application is full of "red tape" in that the kids need birth certificate, a Social Security card (not just the number), proof of address (a copy of a report card with the student's name and address will do), and proof of household family income too. All the details on in an 8-page PDF.

http://www.ENECpittsburgh.org

RIP to Shorty Rauterkus, 87, of Iowa

I can't say I knew this gentleman in Iowa, nor his family. But, we know that their family and mine are related from a generation or two ago.

It is interesting that hs name "Jerome," was also used on my mother's side as her brother, my uncle, was Uncle Jerry. Plus, my sister is "Geri Ann." 

Jerome “Shorty” Rauterkus, 87

Published: in Harlan Iowa's newspaper. on Thursday, April 16, 2015

    Manilla -- Jerome “Shorty” Rauterkus, 87, died Tuesday, April 7, 2015, at the Manilla Manor.

    Visitation will be Thursday, April 9 from 4 - 8 p.m., Rosary at 7 p.m. and services Friday, April 10 at 11 a.m. all at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Manilla. Burial is in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Manilla.

    Rauterkus is survived by his four daughters, Deb (Chris) Martin, Seadrift, TX; Jean (Steve) Drey, Storm Lake; Renee (Dan) Brown, Petoskey, MI; Cherri (Ramon) Martinez, Kyle, TX; and three sons, Richard Rauterkus, Sam (Julie) Rauterkus and Rob Rauterkus, all from Manilla; 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

    Pauley Jones Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.

Peace to the Rauterki of Iowa and Texas.

Family Christmas Letter, sent on New Year's Day, 2015

Happy New Year, 2015

Food is our common ground, a universal experience…James Beard

Looking back on 2014, food has been a strong theme for us. Many friends and family have provided us with food, the equipment to make great food, and food recipes that shaped our experiences this year. Finding time to sit down as a family for meals is a priority and has taken many shapes this year as we manage various schedules. If you are in Pittsburgh, let us know, we’d love to share a meal with you!

In March, the whole family made a trip to Orlando, Florida, for one of Catherine’s conferences with Grant and Mark heading on to Dallas for one of Grant’s water polo competitions. Mark arrived in Dallas and made his way to a hospital where they removed his burst appendix. This started a 5 week stay in two hospitals which involved Mark eating almost no food! As part of his recovery, his sisters (who were instrumental in his care) gave him a Vitamix blender. If you don’t have one, put this letter down and get one. This piece of equipment has allowed us to create things from scratch that we never would have imagined. Whether it is smoothies, almond or coconut butter, or tomato bisque (recipe included), we use this blender multiple times a day!

We enjoyed visits with Erik as he took breaks from his studies at Swarthmore College. He has been a good sport about trying all the new things we’ve been creating in the kitchen. Erik was thinking about food this summer in Washington, DC, while he was an intern in the Office of the First Lady. We’ve included one of Michelle Obama’s favorite recipes. He helped with Mrs. Obama’s school lunch initiative and other child health issues. Friends of Mark provided housing for Erik. We really can’t thank them enough! Erik continues his work from a distance with the Loveless Cafe – another great place for food, especially the biscuits and jams!

Mark was hired as the women’s club water polo coach at Carnegie Mellon University. He is still the boys’ varsity swim coach at Grant’s High School, Pittsburgh Obama Academy. He managed another successful Swim and Water Polo Camp for nearly 200 kids with Pittsburgh Public School’s Summer Dreamers. Open, drop-in community water polo for adults and high school swimmers happens at 5pm every Friday at Thelma Lovette YMCA on Centre Ave in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. At a recent AM swim practice, Mark gave a phone interview to the BBC about a swimmer he coached 30+ years ago. Ebooks, apps development and a Kickstarter campaign are on tap for early 2015.

Grant continues to golf, swim and play high-level water polo which sends him to the suburbs and local colleges many evenings each week. One way or another, we all have dinner together whether it is at 4 or 10 pm, and sometimes both! Grant went to the USA Water Polo Junior Olympics with Greenwich Aquatics (CT). He and Catherine had fun spending time with close friends in New York while Grant practiced with that team in July.

This friend is a gourmet cook so Grant got a sense of what it would be like to be an athlete with a private chef!

Catherine continues to help her Mom stay in independent living with frequent visits. A recipe from Mark’s sister, Margie, is one of Barbara’s favorite dinners (recipe included). Barbara is the perfect person to bounce cooking ideas off of and she taught us the trick to great kale salads (recipe included).

We hope you’ve had time over this holiday to share food with loved ones and we wish you the time and space to do more of this in the New Year. Here’s to good health and happiness in 2015!

Mark, Catherine, Erik, and Grant

108 South 12th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203; mark@rauterkus.com; NUKED other ADDRESS

412-298-3432; 412-xxx-xxxx

---

Some recipes we thought you might enjoy in 2015!

White House kitchen Garden Cucumber Soup (a recipe from Michelle Obama which she shares in her correspondence)

2 cups almond milk (or scald 2 cups milk w/a handful of slivered almonds; steep 10 minutes, let cool, leave almonds in)

2 large cucumbers; 3 oz Greek yogurt; 2 Tbsp dill, salt, toasted almonds, Greek yogurt, and dill for granish

Peel, seed and coarsely chop the cucumbers. Add cucumbers, almond milk, Greek yogurt, dill and salt to blender and puree until smooth. Serve chilled. Garnish w/toasted almonds, a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprig of dill.


Slow Cooker Creamy Italian Chicken (shared by Margie Guyer, Mark’s sister)

2 lbs boneless , skinless chicken breasts; 1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix; ½ cup water; 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese;
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom soup)

3 cups cooked white, long grain rice (or for a low carb version, put this over spaghetti squash or other vegetables)

Place chicken in crock pot. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water, pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours. Mix together cream cheese and soup in a separate bowl. Remove chicken from the crock pot to a plate. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in the bottom. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken. Cook on low until heated through. Serve on rice (or spaghetti squash).


Tomato Basil Bisque (from The Joy of Cooking (and Eating) Fat)

1 large onion sliced ¼ inch thick. 6 large or 12 small tomatoes (about 3 cups worth); 10-15 fresh basil leaves; ¼ cup light olive oil; ½ tsp finely ground black pepper; 4 cups chicken broth; 1 cup heavy cream

Put olive oil and onions in a pot and brown over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them along with the basil leaves and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes (tomatoes should be soft). Place all of this into a blender for 60 seconds. Rinse the cooking pot, place a large sieve over it, and strain the blended mix though it. Discard any solids. Add the chicken broth to the tomato puree and warm over heat. Take soup off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream.

We really like this Bisque served with Giada De Laurentis’ Parmesan Crackers. Place heaping Tbsps of shredded Parmesan cheese onto parchment paper covered backing sheet. Bake for 5 minutes at 400 degrees. He dips these into the bisque (kind of like grilled cheese and tomato soup without the carbs!)


Kale Salad

Barbara Palmer taught us the trick to great Kale salads. Use scissors to cut the kale away from the stalk and then into small pieces. Drizzle lots of olive oil over the cut up Kale and then scrunch it with your hands (this breaks the stiff veins and is the key to great kale salad – scrunch a lot!). Then add the juice of one lemon and the zest. We like two variations from here: 1) grate parmesan cheese and sprinkle bacon bits over it or 2) add ½ cup of quinoa, feta, and pecans.

When a college team mails in a "F" -- they get the next year OFF too

California University of PA has a football team with five of its players in jail and in serious trouble due to some late night fight. All the players have been kicked out of school. The team is scratching its next game this weekend. Forfeit. Gannon wins. Cal U sees its home game vanish. And a guy is in critical condition after a life-flight to Allegheny General Hospital. Hope he doesn't die.

This is another football forfeit. Here is another brick in the wall that signals the long, slow departure of that game from society's landscape. Football is well past its peak and is headed to the toilet bowl in the years to come.

In water polo, after a team mails in a "F" -- the next year they are kicked out of the league. A team that forfeits gets the following year without the ability to play in the league.

This would be a great time for those at CalU to look into creating a number of different activities to take the place of football. How about an Ultimate Frisbee House League? What about Rugby 7s and Rugby Union teams? How about water polo? Perhaps they should do a better job at CalU with their Powerlifting matches and Bodybuilding too. And finally, most of all, time to hook up with the Boys to Men program and get those discussions established about accountability of actions, stopping violence, and intervention.

None know what the future holds for these guys and the overall program. But it is a good thing to take a break and think again. Let's establish a different set of norms and get everyone to play nice with others.

For Swim & Water Polo Camp Participants for Summer Dreamers 2014

Tiny URL of same form below: http://tinyurl.com/q7e8227.

Long URL of same form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1AL96ZdMHbqhp8PDvu6yzplVx_z2AyX-_BgSYF79bLp4/viewform?usp=send_form

Happy Labor Day to all, and a special shout out to the long, lost net friend, The Mosque Avenger

I am missing the Mosque Avenger. Where ever he may be, "Happy Labor Day."

Schenley SOLD

Many citizens gave great effort to save Schenley's building as an educational asset for city students. This was a noble fight. The public district used all its might and loads of misinformation to insure its eventual liquidation. 

Now, I fear, it is safe to say that the only things left to do is watch, wait, wag fingers and say, "We told you so." 

The deed to the building is almost gone from the clutches of its public trustees. 

Fingers wag at Mark Roosevelt, Patrick Dowd (former PPS board member who greased the pathway to closing the school) and all other politicians who did nothing, little or mowed down the grass-roots opposition.

Eventually the building will be filled with student housing.

Perhaps there will be a tweet or media story about the first resident to the Schenley Dorm who also uses some Pittsburgh Promise funds to pay for college. Perhaps the ownership of the building will flip from PMC. Perhaps historic tax credits will come too -- or a TIF like "development deal" tied to another project bundled with this rehab. Perhaps the union workers will get an elevator job and taxpayers get the shaft. 

Let's live to fight another day.

Sold! 

Wag on the ready.

One of the thousands of things you can do with LiveCode

I got a mention on another blog about the software I wrote to keep track of attendance at Swim & Waterpolo Camp with PPS Summer Dreamers. 

http://livecode1001.blogspot.com/2013/02/keep-track-of-kids-at-summer-camp.html#comment-form