Education Week: Parents Schooled in Learning How to Help With Math

Family math nights. Humm. Been there. Done that. Son, go ask your mother.

Education Week: Parents Schooled in Learning How to Help With Math Efforts to encourage parents' engagement in other subjects, such as reading and science, are common and can pay dividends, said Jacqueline Barber, the director of the center for curriculum development and implementation at the Lawrence Hall of Science, in California. Yet schools tend to place a special focus on math because so many families and students seem to 'have a block against it,' she noted.

Lawrence Hall, which is the public science center at the University of California, Berkeley, was heavily involved in establishing family math nights in the 1980s. Those forums have grown more popular in recent years, as have other endeavors to encourage parent involvement in math, she said.

One contributing factor has been a requirement by some schools that parents sign contracts to help their children with homework or take an active role in their academic work, Ms. Barber said. The introduction of new and unfamiliar math curricula, sometimes called "reform" approaches, has also compelled districts like Prince William to connect more with parents, she said.

"There's a recognition that we need to bring parents along in that way," Ms. Barber said.

The problem isn't the math. It is the upper level trig and at. Whew. But all should not be lost on the other topics and subjects. Some can't help a lick with math but could be serious contributors in other areas, such as sports, band and the arts.

Women: Ask for and demand a divorce. Softball need not be linked to baseball.

Baseball wants joint Olympic bid with softball

WASHINGTON (AP) -Baseball hopes to submit a joint bid with softball in an effort to gain reinstatement to the Olympics for the 2016 Summer Games.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/02/25/oly.baseball.softy.ap/index.html

Strike out on your own, pal. The women of softball should not go down with the baseball tailspin of death.

Baseball should be knocked out of the Olympics. Softball should be included within the Olympics.

Update:

Softball rejects joint 2016 Olympic bid with baseball
02/27/09

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Softball has rejected a proposal by baseball for a joint Olympic bid for the 2016 Summer Games.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/02/27/softball-rejects-joint-bid.ap/index.html

Westinghouse, Schenley meet again in City girls' semifinals

Score was 56 to 26. Does anyone win with that score? It is a semi-final game.

Westinghouse, Schenley meet again in City girls' semifinals: "Westinghouse earned a trip to a City League championship game for the 21st year in a row with a 56-26 victory against Oliver last night in a semifinal game at Allderdice."

Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones now a role model for young swimmers - ESPN

Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones now a role model for young swimmers - ESPN It is all, inevitably, about the 'briefs.' Jones is endorsement-savvy now, and he can't utter the S-word because he has a deal with Nike. Today, he is speaker-circuit cool. As a kid growing up in New Jersey, he took barbs for competing in a sport with skimpy trunks.

Quote: "I think it's obscene." Kraus, again, has trouble paying a bill

City councilman sued over unpaid bill for campaign fliers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'The last piece came in at almost $7,000, which is way off the charts. I didn't authorize that but I didn't want them to eat the entire cost either, so I told them I'd be happy to pay $3,000 — like the other pieces,' said Kraus, 54, of the South Side. 'I paid them $1,500 as a first payment, but they want the whole thing. I'm not going to pay it. I think it's obscene.'"

I expect that the printing had the union bug on it. Is union work obscene?

That printing comes on the heels of the Jason saga. Court settlement was needed there too, I think.

Over-reaching doesn't pay.

I never spent $7,000 on a campaign brochure nor any campaign. But, I've got more than 7,000 votes.

Oh well.

I don't call this reform.

Hard hitting letter to the editor about school district.

P-G LTE: You call this reform?
The Pittsburgh school district needs to be more responsive
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
By Kathryn Fine

Four years ago, the Pittsburgh Public School Schools hired Superintendent Mark Roosevelt to navigate the district through the murky waters of No Child Left Behind, declining enrollment, underused facilities, budget deficits and a racial achievement gap through which you could drive a yellow school bus. While progress has been made toward some of these goals, real success will take the support of every part of the Pittsburgh community: parents, students, teachers, administration and school board.

Parents United for Responsible Educational Reform (PURE Reform) was started last summer by parents and city residents concerned that not enough information was reaching school district stakeholders. We aimed to serve as a clearinghouse for information through our Web site and to provide the opportunity for dialogue on our blog.

PURE Reform grew from the "Save Schenley" movement but now is focused on districtwide reform. Two issues reach into every part of the reform process: community buy-in and transparency.

Community buy-in

Mr. Roosevelt has proposed a myriad of large-scale changes during his tenure. Successful implementation of such changes must be accompanied by stakeholder buy-in. Yet efforts to meaningfully engage communities have been conspicuously absent.

• Sweeping plans were made to create smaller, 6th-to-12th grade, themed schools without community input about the right balance with comprehensive neighborhood schools, the geographic distribution of various types of schools and the impact of these changes on sports and extracurricular activities. Thus, most of the East End may be left without a full-service, comprehensive high school.

• When the merger of the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts with Rogers CAPA Middle School was proposed, the CAPA community, including the committee that was appointed by the superintendent, strongly argued against the move, citing concrete examples of how it would be detrimental to these two model performing arts schools. These stakeholders were ignored.

• Schenley stakeholders raised concerns about the dramatic decrease in diversity that would result from creating the University Prep and International Baccalaureate high schools, only to have their concerns dismissed.

• Many parents and teachers voiced opposition to a policy that allows no grades below 50 percent, which encourages mediocrity and artificially pumps up graduation rates, to no avail.

• A committee formed to select a site for the International Baccalaureate program that was displaced when Schenley was closed did not have a single member from the four schools being considered. Subsequently, Peabody and Westinghouse stakeholders formed committees to discuss the fate of their schools. This would seem to indicate that the district administration was taking its planning process to the streets, but these groups resulted from the community responding to district initiatives that had already set the dominoes tumbling, leaving few options left on the table.

• A year after the school district closed South Vo-Tech, the superintendent pledged to create a new site for the Career and Technologies Education Program. Four years later, there is still no commitment to fulfill this promise.

Transparency

Transparency is another essential component for successfully implementing far-reaching reforms. The current reform process is rife with examples of how the administration has been less than forthright:

• The Pittsburgh Public Schools contracted with Community Education Partners, a private firm that specializes in educating troubled students, for more than $5 million per year despite the fact that CEP has a track record of running what The Nation magazine has called "soft prisons" in other major cities. When PURE Reform requested information regarding performance evaluations for this organization and its facility here, the district stated that no written record of any assessment exists.

• The district administration has touted the University of Pittsburgh's involvement with the University Prep High School as a key to this school's success. To date, the exact nature of this collaboration has not been clearly articulated.

• When the superintendent recommended closing Schenley High School, substantial information was presented that countered the district's claims regarding the school's renovation needs and associated costs. The administration stymied resistance to the closure by including in its propaganda a $76 million-plus renovation figure, which was far more than needed to make the school safe for at least 30 years. The district's own experts, backed up by a committee of community professionals, estimated a $40 million renovation cost. Recent developments, such as information on inconsistencies in asbestos maintenance in the schools and the receipt of $55 million or more over two years in federal stimulus money for "shovel ready," bricks-and-mortar projects, should make revisiting the Schenley closure a real possibility.

PURE Reform is dedicated to the improvement of all of our public schools and wants desperately for public school reform to succeed. We understand that extensive changes are needed but will not accept change for change's sake. Excellent ideas are nothing without credible and efficient implementation.

We certainly do not claim to have all of the answers. We are simply asking for a comprehensive, transparent and truly inclusive reform process. It is now up to the Pittsburgh Public Schools administration to listen.

Kathryn Fine is a co-founder of PURE Reform and lives in Highland Park (www.purereform.com).

I love how the Vo Tech issue was mentioned in the wake of closing of South Vo Tech.

I've enjoyed the PURE Reform blog and the discussions there in the past year.

Faison among 6 feted by Rendells for inspiring lives - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Hat tip:

Faison among 6 feted by Rendells for inspiring lives - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Faison among 6 feted by Rendells for inspiring lives

Casino operators favor adding table games in Pa.

Casino operators favor adding table games in Pa.: "Yes to table games at state casinos, but no to video poker machines in thousands of bars and clubs statewide.

In PA, we sold the rights forever (sadly) for slots parlors to open in a limited way spread around the state.

If they want to have table games, then we must counter with two important conditions.

First, the cost isn't $50-million for table games. The cost is $400-million or more. Put it for bid with a $400-million minimum.

Second, the terms of the license for table games expires in 9 years. And, the term for the slots license expires as well, in 18 years.

Then, the slots and table game licenses can be re-newed in the future or not, based on the wishes of our the generations yet to come.

Talking debates

I posted at another blog:

The debates are not for the candidates. Rather, they are for the ideas and for the sake of democracy.

If you don't use it -- you loose it. Our shared democracy and process of electing people hangs by a thread. When and if that system tumbles, then there is blood (more blood) on the streets.

The steal, take, bully mentality of entitlement is expressed in the deeds of hosting and participating in candidate debates. Is Pittsburgh the place where the gulf grows or shrinks between those that have and others that have not. That is what is at stake. Grow the gap or shrink it. Be fair, or be flip. Be accountable -- or be a king of a less human, less American, dying burgh.

I think Luke, Carmen and Patrick -- and Mr. Aklin too, will do plenty of debates and appearances if the public demands it and sets the stage. None have a monopoly on ideas. Each will contribute. We all will prosper if the system is robust.

Twitter hits the 'thought leader' crowd

Twitter hits the 'thought leader' crowd Twitter hits the 'thought leader' crowd Tuesday, February 24, 2009
By Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Twitter: It's not just for earthquakes anymore.

Follow me at http://Twitter.com/rauterkus.

Mackenzie just did.

Too bad there are few "thought leaders" on Grant Street. See my tweets to the left of my blog as well. But, I put more onto twitter than on this blog, in recent times. The two work in tandem. Tidbits onto twitter.

Voters Choice Act -- introducd again to PA Senate

From Michael J. "Mik" Robertson, Chair, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania

Dear Friend of Liberty,

State Senator Mike Folmer has re-introduced the Voters Choice Act as senate bill (SB) 252, the current version of which is printer number (PN) 262. This bill would change the definition of a minor political party in Pennsylvania and reduce ballot access restrictions for minor party and independent candidates.

Current election law places significant restrictions on placement of candidate names on the general election ballot, resulting in limited and often no choice for voters in November elections. Last year, about half of the races for state representative had only one name on the ballot. Several state Senate and even US Congress races also had only one name on the ballot for voters.

Limiting choices on the ballot is not healthy for the electoral process and can lead to government representing special interests over the interests of the citizens. It is true that Pennsylvanians can write-in a choice at the ballot. Unfortunately, quite often write-in votes are not reported or recorded in official vote results. We need this change to help Pennsylvania voters keep control of their government.

The following Senators are co-sponsors of the bill:

Pat Browne
Mary Jo White
Lisa Baker
Jeffrey Piccola
Rob Wonderling
Jane Earl
Jim Ferlo
Lisa Boscola

If your state Senator is not a co-sponsor, please contact them and ask them to support this important legislation for Pennsylvania voters. You can find you state representatives by clicking on the "Find Members By' button in the upper right here:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/

The Voters Choice Act was referred to the State Government Committee on February 19, 2009. The members of this commmittee are:

Charles McIlhinney, Jr. (Chair)
Mike Folmer (Vice Chair)
Anthony Williams (Minority Chair)
Joseph Scarnati, III (ex-officio)
Michael Brubaker, Jake Corman, John Pippy, Donald White (majority members)
Andrew Dinniman, Christine Tartalione, Leanna Washington (minority members)

If you state Senator is on the committee, please make a special effort to contact them and ask for their support. With your help, we can change the way our commonwealth is governed and put citizens back in control. Thank you for your support!

Cancel Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy

From a Facebook group of the same name.

President Obama just signed a $787 BILLION stimulus package on top of Bush's grossly mismanaged $700 BILLION TARP bailout from last September. While many parts of the stimulus bill will act to stimulate the economy, many parts of it simply won't. Tax rebate checks DO NOT stimulate the economy - history shows that people either spend such rebates on paying off credit card debt, or they simply save them, doing little to nothing to stimulate the economy.

The Wall Street financial institutions, auto manufacturers and countless other irresponsible actors have received BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars to bail them out of their self-created mess. This, too, does nothing to stimulate the economy. It merely rewards bad behavior and does nothing to encourage institutional change. There is a better way.

How many times have we heard from our leaders in Washington that education is the key to solving all of our underlying societal problems? The so-called "Silver Bullet." For decades, Presidents, Senators and Members of Congress have touted themselves as champions of education, yet they've done nothing to actually encourage the pursuit of one on an individual level.

Some of us have taken advantage of Federal Stafford Loans and other programs to finance higher education, presumably with the understanding that an advanced degree equates with higher earning power in the future. Many of us go into public service after attaining such degrees, something that's also repeatedly proclaimed as something society should encourage. Yet, the debt we've accrued to obtain such degrees have crippled our ability to reap the benefits of our educations, causing many to make the unfortunate choice of leaving public service so as to earn enough money to pay off that debt.

Our economy is in the tank. There isn't an economist alive who doesn't believe that the economy needs stimulating immediately. The only debate now centers on how to go about doing it. While the new stimulus plan contains some worthy provisions, very little of it will have a significant and immediate stimulating effect on the economy. The Obama Administration itself doesn't expect to see a upsurge in the economy until mid-to-late 2010.

Instead of funneling billions, if not TRILLIONS of additional dollars to banks, financial institutions, insurance companies and other institutions of greed that are responsible for the current economic crisis, why not allow educated, hardworking, middle-class Americans to get something in return? After all, they're our tax dollars too!

Forgiving student loan debt would have an IMMEDIATE stimulating effect on the economy. Responsible people who did nothing other than pursue a higher education would have hundreds, if not thousands of extra dollars per month to spend, fueling the economy NOW. Those extra dollars being pumped into the economy would have a multiplying effect, unlike many of the provisions of the plan presently under consideration. As a result, tax revenues would go up, the credit markets will unfreeze and jobs will be created.

Let me be clear. This is NOT about a free ride. This is about a new approach to economic stimulus, nothing more. To those who would argue that this proposal would cause the banking system to collapse or make student loans unavailable to future borrowers, please allow me to respond.

I am in no way suggesting that the lending institutions who manage such debts get legislatively shafted by having these assets wiped from their books. The banks and other financial institutions are going to get their money regardless because, in addition to the $700 TARP bailout, more bailout money is coming their way (stay tuned!) - this proposal merely suggests that educated, hardworking Americans who are saddled with student loan debt should get something in return, rather than sending those institutions another enormous blank check. Because the banks will receive their money anyway, there would be no danger of making funds unavailable to future borrowers.

The new Obama Administration is supposed to be about change. Nothing in the new economic stimulus package represents a significant departure from the way Washington has always operated - it's merely a different set of priorities on a higher scale, but it's certainly not materially different from any other economic stimulus package passed during the past few decades.

Washington cannot simply print and borrow money to get us out of this crisis. We The People, however, can get this economy moving NOW. All we need is relief from debt that was accrued under the now-false promise that higher education equates with higher earnings.

Free us of our obligations to repay Federal Stafford Loans and WE, the educated, hardworking, middle-class Americans who drive this economy will spend those extra dollars NOW.

If you believe that there's a better way of climbing out of this economic crisis, one that empowers us to directly spend money, start businesses, free up credit and create jobs, then please join this group and encourage others to do so as well.

There's strength in numbers - the more people to join this group, the louder our voices and the greater the chances of being heard by President Obama and Congress.

I'm sure Harvard would love this plan. More news.

W&J: Game Summaries

Local athletes playing DIII hoops, and doing it well.

W & J Game Summaries Senior guards Lindsey Hyre (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) {right} and Veronica Kust (Oakmont, Pa./Riverview) both posted career-high scoring performances on Senior Day for the Washington & Jefferson College women’s basketball team during a 93-77 PAC victory over Bethany on Saturday afternoon in the Henry Memorial Center.

Hyre finished the game with a career-best 13 points, while Kust collected 14 of her career-high 17 points in the first half.

With the win, the current W&J senior class comprised of senior forward Emily Hays (Youngstown, Ohio/Boardman), Hyre and Kust now have 87 wins to become the most successful class in the W&J women’s basketball history. The senior classes of 2006 and 2008 both accumulated 86 career wins.

Pittsburgh Steelers Wiki

Pittsburgh Steelers Wiki: "Pittsburgh Steelers Wiki"

Personal Organization

Personal Organization: "During this depression try to maintain your membership of clubs and community organizations. Don't allow yourself to become isolated. Maintain and build your relationships with other people. Try to find things that you can do together that are useful. Online networking is also a useful way to connect yourself to the world of ideas and to possible help and assistance.

My political litmus test: Subsidize a North Shore amphitheater?

My political litmus test: Subsidize a North Shore amphitheater?: "But Mr. Dowd was careful to say that the Rooneys, owners of the Steelers, were looking to breathe life into an area that had been nothing but a sea of asphalt for decades and 'to the extent we can laud that, I want to laud that.'

The Rooney family has been the reason why the North Side is mostly for surface parking spaces. They are to blame! They had the rights to develop the space around the stadium and the fumbled year in and year out.

The Rooney family should buy Heinz Field. If they want to hold concerts -- hold them in Heinz Field.

Sure, smaller end-zone concerts can be held in Heinz Field. Stages can be set to entertain only one side of the grandstand too. The Great Hall is under utilized.

Sell Heinz Field to the Steelers. The development deals have expired. If the Steelers want to put life somewhere -- they should do it with the stadium spaces, not new spaces.

Where is Forrest Gump?

Check out this photo.

You can zoom in too.

Divsion I Cap Relief - Could Division III Be Next

CollegeSwimming.com::Divsion I Cap Relief - Could Division III Be Next: "The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Committee met via conference call Monday, February 9, to discuss the potential effects of the technical swimsuit on the competitor caps for the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

Erik, 54.32, 100 free and wins BB Champs with AA time

Proud dad moment:



Wow. This is great.

Tour of Pittsburgh Peabody: 6 pm on Monday, March 2, 2009

Yes We Can!

This is an exciting time for Pittsburgh Peabody Stakeholders Committee.

As part of the process, Bloomfield Garfield Corporation has requested a tour of the Pittsburgh Peabody campus. The expected tour will include an inspection of the entire facility including areas of the building such as the auditorium, swimming pool, gymnasium, and computer labs. Below you’ll find a copy of the request.

We seek the committee’s full participation in this process. Please RSVP by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 27, 2009 by e-mail at cecilydmrandolph@aol.com or calling the office at (412)441-9833.

Sincerely,
Cecily D. Randolph, BCG MSW Intern

UPDATE ON FUTURE EVENTS:
The BCG has requested a representative from Senator Arlen Specter’s provide a review of the federal stimulus package. The discussion will include information concerning additional school district funding. The presentation date and time will be announced.

School board member to kick off council campaign

School board member to kick off council campaign Pittsburgh School Board member Mark Brentley will launch a repeat bid for Pittsburgh City Council tomorrow at noon at the Manchester Citizens Corp. at 1319 Allegheny Ave.

A board member for 10 years, Mr. Brentley, 52 and of the Central North Side, last ran for council in 2005, taking 15 percent of the vote and losing to Tonya Payne, who ousted Sala Udin. This time he faces Ms. Payne, 44, and Daniel Lavelle, 31, both of the Hill District, in the May 19 Democratic primary.

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania supports government diet

Libertarian Party of PA calls on Harrisburg to adopt spending cuts cited by the Commonwealth Foundation

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
3915 Union Deposit Road #223
Harrisburg, PA 17109
www.lppa.org

For Immediate Release: February 19, 2009

Contact: Doug Leard (Media Relations) at Media-Relations@lppa.org or
Michael Robertson (Chair) at 1-800-R-RIGHTS / chair@lppa.org

The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) today praised the work of the Commonwealth Foundation and endorsed their call for Ed Rendell and the state legislature to adopt the $5 billion in spending cuts identified in their report released last week “Government on a Diet: Spending Tips 2009.” (http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/docs/SpendingTips2009.pdf)

Ed Rendell has increased spending more than 35% since taking office in January 2003. Due to the administration’s spending habits, Pennsylvania ranks as the 11th worst state in state and local tax burden. Pennsylvania ranks 40th in job growth and 40th in personal income among the 50 states.

To make matters worse, according to the Governor’s website http://www.governor.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?, we are facing a potential $2.3 billion shortfall for 2008-2009 for which the Governor is hoping for a $1 billion federal bailout to address.

“Harrisburg cannot spend its way to prosperity for Pennsylvania,” stated LPPa Media Relations Chair, Doug Leard. “The Governor and the Assembly should take a serious look at adopting the well thought out recommendations of the Commonwealth Foundation.”

In the report, the Commonwealth Foundation identifies three categories of savings. First, the report identifies over $1.7 billion in potential savings in corporate welfare. Examples include sports stadium financing, subsidizing Hollywood, bailing out Boscov and using tax funds to build an airport (which cargo carriers have expressed no interest in using and in which key players are facing criminal accusations).

Second, the report identifies over $2.5 billion in savings by eliminating government-provided goods that compete directly with private enterprises. For example, in almost all states, the distribution and sale of liquor has been turned over to the private sector.

As another example, other states have received a far better return on taxpayer dollars by leasing their turnpike to a private operator. The PA Turnpike Commission has become a haven of political patronage and nepotism. The PTC increased tolls 25% in January and is racking up massive amounts of debt.

Finally, the report identified almost $700 million in savings by eliminating expenses that work to the detriment of citizens, for the benefit of government officials or reward the misuse of tax dollars. For example, legislative bodies have racked up millions of dollars in legal fees protecting those involved in Bonusgate (which involved misspent millions of taxpayer dollars). Another example involves Governor Rendell hiring his former law form for a $1.8 million no-bid contract to work on the failed Turnpike lease despite hundreds of attorneys already being employed by the state.

Michael Robertson, LPPa State Chair, commented “Unless the spending by the commonwealth can be brought under control, the business climate and ultimately the quality of life in Pennsylvania will deteriorate. The General Assembly and the Governor should learn the lessons from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that bigger is not better when it comes to sound fiscal policy.”

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in Pennsylvania and the United States. More than 200,000 people across the country are registered Libertarians, and Libertarians serve in hundreds of elected offices. Please visit www.LP.org or www.LPPA.org for more information.

Dowd officially enters race for mayor

Hope.

Should, could. would....

Dowd officially enters race for mayorMs. Robinson welcomed his entry. 'At the very minimum, hopefully we can get a healthy debate among all three of us.'

Carmen should rip the points of Dowd and Ravenstahl to bits. Start that debate herself.

Getting the debate is not going to be easy.

Who is hosting debates? Work on yours -- people.

If your organization can't host a debate, call another and offer to co-host or else bring your people to their event. These events need to be planned now.

Debates in front of video cameras are also worthy. You don't need a fancy hall and Jon Delano for goodness sakes.

Golly. Dowd should step it up.

Don't strip the URA of its planning capacity. Rather, liquidate the URA. Strip the URA of its life. The URA is the problem too. Take it down. Then, if necessary, in the second term, re-build a better, different, agency within the context of accountable government.

Don't ask, "Where it the mayor?" Rather, tell those who will listen exactly that the mayor didn't show up and was instead doing XYZ.

I think the city could exist without ANY no bid contracts -- from campaign donors and everyone else.

If the planning efforts of Pittsburgh are suffering from decentralization -- does that mean he'll offer central planning? I rather enjoy organic planning and planning with freedoms in mind.

Do not "scale back the use of tax incentives to entice developers," when ending all tax incentives would work better. The tax incentive should be universal -- as in the land value tax. That's real incentive to invest in the city/region.

Swimming New Zealand Update on Swimsuit Regulations for Competitions

To SNZ Membership

We have been receiving a number of queries recently in regard to the regulations for swimsuits used in Age Group competitions. We are aware that some countries have introduced new regulations restricting the type of swimsuits that may be worn by Age Group swimmers.

Please note that Swimming New Zealand will not be making any changes to its regulations at this time.

FINA is currently considering new regulations in respect to swimsuits and has scheduled a meeting in Lausanne on February 20, 2009 inviting the swimwear manufacturers and the representatives of the FINA Technical Swimming Committee as well as FINA Athletes, Coaches and Legal Commissions to discuss the issues.

The recommendations from this meeting will be considered at the FINA Bureau meeting being held from March 12-14, 2009 in Dubai.

Once FINA publish their final rulings from this meeting, we will advise all our membership through our Website/Regions.

Mike Byrne, CEO, Swimming New Zealand

Theresa Smith goes to Grant Street. Day 1 remarks and becoming chair of the Urban Recreation Committee!

She did well. Enjoy!



She, like me, cares about kids. She, like me, will listen and not offer stiff arms so as to not meet and choose to be alone. She, like me, talks of responsibility. She, like me, is a parent and knows what it means to parent and treasure the next generation and their hopes interwoven with ours.

Today was one of the best days in the city's history, as per my watching of dealings since the mid 1990s. Sure, we've got a new President in Washington DC. But my hopes are more centered upon the neighborhoods where we play and raise our kids. Those places and programs that are near to us, often not present yet, are much closer to the possibility now.

Hope is a four letter word, isn't it.

Also, check http://Rauterkus.blip.tv and http://Viddler.com/rauterkus.

In other news, the Dow closes at its lowest level in more than six years. Well, playing with our kids isn't that expensive. It can be done on the cheap. It is a time investment, much more than a financial investment. When and as the economy slows -- it makes sense to re-set priorities and choose to spend the time and efforts to play with our kids.

Girls On The Run -- a program for kds -- looking for participants in these sites

Hard to get more "Running Mate" friendly than girls on the run. Well, it could get better if there were boys or kids "on the run."

Spring programs start March 2, 2009. Some sites need MORE girls, grades 3, 4 and 5.

Those sites are:

* Avalon Elementary – Northgate
* Beaver YMCA – New Brighton
* Burchfield Elementary – Shaler
* Central Elementary – Hampton
* Community Day School – Squirrel Hill
* Eden Christian Academy – North Hills
* The Ellis School – Shadyside/East Liberty
* First Presbyterian Church – Monongahela
* Franklin Park Borough – North Allegheny
* Independence Elementary – Hopewell
* Kerr Elementary – Fox Chapel
* Kingsley Association – East Liberty
* Marzolf Elementary – Shaler
* Baker Elementary – Upper St. Clair Parks & Rec.
* Verner Elementary – Riverview
* Winchester Thurston – Shadyside
* West Mifflin Middle School (grades 6-8 Girls on Track)

Both a registration and program poster (2 PDF files) are posted and available for you to print.

Meredith Colaizzi, Program Coordinator Girls on the Run at Magee-Womens Hospital, 3339 Ward St. Pittsburgh, PA 15213, ph. 412.641.1596 fax. 412.641.8902 http://www.girlsontherun.magee.edu

Swim Quick

We all respect and honor Richard Quick.

USA Swimming - Lanelines After the legendary Coach Quick was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer last year, Swim Across America launched the “Swim Quick” fundraiser to raise money for cancer research. On Valentine’s Day, swimmers across the country traded in their club caps in favor of sunny, yellow caps to show their love for Quick.

When athletes weren’t in the water, they continued to wear their hearts on their sleeves with “Swim Quick” shirts. At the Missouri Grand Prix, National Teamers, coaches and USA Swimming staff all honed blue shirts with a favorite Quick quote, “Believe in Belief” to demonstrate their belief in Quick’s fight against cancer.

'Richard's biggest strength is his enthusiasm and his intensity,” Olympian Misty Hyman said on the Swim Across America Web site. “The way that Richard inspires our team is that he believes that anything was possible if we work hard and believe in ourselves.'After the legendary Coach Quick was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer last year, Swim Across America launched the “Swim Quick” fundraiser to raise money for cancer research. On Valentine’s Day, swimmers across the country traded in their club caps in favor of sunny, yellow caps to show their love for Quick.

When athletes weren’t in the water, they continued to wear their hearts on their sleeves with “Swim Quick” shirts. At the Missouri Grand Prix, National Teamers, coaches and USA Swimming staff all honed blue shirts with a favorite Quick quote, “Believe in Belief” to demonstrate their belief in Quick’s fight against cancer.

'Richard's biggest strength is his enthusiasm.

Old trivia. Once upon a time, 1982, I was on a highway in Wisconsin, north of Millwauke, with my thumb out hitch-hiking. A van pulls up to offer me a ride, and the driver was Richard Quick, head swim coach of the Auburn War Eagles. We were all headed to the swim meet in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. I got a ride the rest of the way with them.

Our paths crossed a number of other times in the swimming world, but I was always thankful for that one day in March when he pulled over, stopped and said, "Come on, get in." He had a fine team then and many more since.

Carnegie Library of Homestead gets $150,000 grant

Carnegie Library of Homestead gets $150,000 grant: "Mr. Lloyd also announced a new web site and new ticket sales service for the Carnegie Library Music Hall, which will be easier for those who want tickets to use and will increase the music hall's profits by about $1,000-$1,500 per show. The Web site is www.Librarymusichall.com."

McDonald's(R) All American Games 2009 Team Rosters Revealed

McDonald's(R) All American Games 2009 Team Rosters Revealed The 2009 McDonald's All American Girls Team also boasts a talent-rich roster including Brittney Griner (Nimitz High School - Houston, Texas), who holds the National High School record for blocks in a game and is widely known for her incredible dunking skills. Also suiting-up for the girls will be Kelsey Bone (John Foster Dulles High School - Sugar Land, Texas), Skylar Diggins (South Bend Washington High School - South Bend, Ind.), Markel Walker (Pittsburgh Schenley High School - Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Cokie Reed (Waco Midway High School - Waco, Texas). The Girls Game begins at 5:30 p.m. ET April 1, and will broadcast live on ESPNU.

Swimmers less intense away from Olympics - Columbia Missourian

Swimmers less intense away from Olympics - Columbia Missourian “Well right now, I’m kind of fulfilling obligations to sponsors,” said two-time U.S. Olympian Mark Gangloff at Saturday's competition at the Missouri Grand Prix at the MU Student Recreation Complex.
Gangloff said those commitments include putting on swim clinics and giving talks at schools. The popularity that swimming received at the 2008 Olympic Games has allowed him to go into schools and deliver positive speeches and be a role model for children.
But other than speeches and swim clinics, Gangloff and his fellow Olympians said non-Olympic years consist mostly of training, just a little more relaxed than what they have to do to prepare for the Olympics.

New Factor In Teen Obesity: Parents

New Factor In Teen Obesity: Parents: "There may be a reason teenagers eat more burgers and fries than fruits and vegetables: their parents.

In a new policy brief released today by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, researchers found that adolescents are more likely to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day if their parents do. Contrarily, teens whose parents eat fast food or drink soda are more likely to do the same."

City tosses strikes at some landlords, but mostly home owners

This is what gets people mad in this city about these public servants. The law was passed in 2007 but it took a year for these early letters to be mailed. Where were they last year? Everything was hunky dorry without any problems?

City tosses strikes at some landlords The letters mark the city's first use of an ordinance passed in late 2007 that, along with ongoing registration of rental housing, is meant to give public safety officials a better handle on neighborhood quality of life.

Enforce what is already on the books before more is done with over-reaching legislation.

Penn Hills moves ahead with high school plans

So, Penn Hills is getting a new High School for grades 9 to 12 and it will cost $70-million. Shrinking enrollment too. And, the school will be bigger than the present high school. However, the present school is not grades 9-12, but 10 to 12, I think.

Meanwhile, in the city we can't do the touch up some plaster and ceilings at Schenley for half that cost????

Penn Hills moves ahead with high school plans: "Costs for the new building will be under the $70 million estimate stated at a previous board meeting, he said. The district will use state reimbursements and a bond issue to cover the cost.

The school board took no action on proposals for reconfiguring middle and elementary schools.

The district is in the midst of long-term planning to bring expenses in line with revenues and declining enrollment.

Two elementary schools were closed in 2008."

What's 8 inches to you?

I'm watching this blog: http://www.pittblather.com to get the scoop on Walt Harris and his new job, QB coach at Youngstown State.

Bill Gates on Education Reform in Feb 2009 - Moving at the Speed of Creativity

Bill Gates on Education Reform in Feb 2009 Moving at the Speed of Creativity February 5, 2009, Bill Gates gave a twenty minute talk at the TED conference and spoke on the topic, “How I’m trying to change the world now.” He spoke about two issues: malaria and education reform. If you forward the video to the 8:00 mark, you can immediately start listening to his remarks about education.

Sports of The Times - For the Spring’s Biggest Event, It’s Regrets Only - NYTimes.com

Sports of The Times - For the Spring’s Biggest Event, It’s Regrets Only - NYTimes.com: "State of the Dixie Cup lecture to be delivered this year by Alex Rodriguez"

Dangerously Irrelevant: Our temples of knowledge are lost opportunities

Dangerously Irrelevant: Our temples of knowledge are lost opportunities: "Our temples of knowledge are lost opportunities

Robert Fried says…

We have opted not to create schools as places where children’s curiosity, sensory awareness, power, and communication can flourish, but rather to erect temples of knowledge where we sit them down, tell them a lot of stuff we think is important, try to control their restless curiosity, and test them to see how well they’ve listened to us. [The Game of School, pp. 58–59]"

Speaking of closing schools:

On Feb 3, Ed Rendell has announced that he is going to close Scotland School for Veteran's Children, a school that has been in existence since 1895, originally set up as the "Soldier's Orphan's School" for veterans of the Civil War. Continuing since their original purpose, it has serviced children of honorably discharged veterans ever since.

About 35 students are children of members actively serving in the military today.

Gov Rendell's "budget conscious nature" would "save" 0.04% from his proposed $29 B budget - while also placing 186 employees in the unemployment line and ~288 students (ranging from grades 3 to 12) back in the Phila school system!

Links:
Article on closing in local paper: http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=215943&format=html

Scotland School: http://www.milvet.state.pa.us/DMVA/987.htm

Save Scotland School: http://www.ssvcalumni.org/savessvc.html

Alumni: http://www.ssvcalumni.org/index.html

Details:

The school is not full-time military, but there is a strong JROTC program, has military roots, and produces many members of the Armed Forces, including Angelo Adams, West Point Class of 2001. John Thornton, Scotland '93, West Virginia '97, has just finished his 10th year in the NFL, starting 90% of his games as a linebacker.

Students are admitted based on a family member who was honorably discharged from the military.

As recently as 2004, Gov. Rendell visited the school and said (words to the effect): "military institutions such as Scotland School will become more important as military service becomes less popular"

Direct quote: "Three years from now, or maybe four or five [which would be NOW], this nation is going to have a crisis. We won't have enough young people going into the military."

The school has a $13.5 M budget, $10.5 from the state, $2.4 from school districts, and $.5 in federal funds.

Gov. Rendell projects a $2.2 B deficit by the end of the fiscal year in June. On Feb 4 he presented a $29B budget to the legislature. I wonder how much fat is in THAT budget.

At Scotland School, there are 186 paid staff, all of whom will be in the unemployment line in June unless this is stopped.

70% of the students are from the Phila area, and Eddie's plan is to ship them back to the public schools in . . .

Scotland is located just outside of Chambersburg, about 30 miles west of Gettysburg.

On the front page of the Public Opinion where the closing of the school was announced, there was another article about the porkulus package creating "152,000 jobs in Pennsylvania". Yet he has to claim 186 jobs at Scotland School.

From W.P. (see comments)

New site

Check it out:

pghoverlook.com

Dowd says he'll run against Ravenstahl for Pittsburgh mayor

Giving new meaning the the expression, it is all academic, Dr. Dowd is going to stand for office.

Dowd says he'll run against Ravenstahl for Pittsburgh mayor: "Pittsburgh Councilman Patrick Dowd will challenge Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in the May 19 Democratic primary, he said today.

Here is the question for Pittsburgh. What nonprofits and community groups are going to step up and sponsor candidate nights so as to begin the process of public discussion of ideas. And, there are three candidates, so I've heard. We'll see if Carmen's name is even mentioned in the news article in the paper on Tuesday.

Research: The United States Military Academy Prep School - Home Page

Doing more research into the concept of Prep Schools in advance of my public comment tongiht to the Pgh Public School Board about the concept of 13th Year as part of the new I.B. School framework.

Welcome to The United States Military Academy Prep School - Home Page The U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, known as USMAPS, the Prep School, or West Point Prep, was formally established in 1946, but the 'history' of 'prepping' of soldiers for West Point has been done since Congress enacted legislation in 1916 authorizing appointments for soldiers to West Point. The school exists today as an 'avenue of opportunity' to a carefully selected group of soldiers and civilians by providing them the academic, leadership and physical skills that will prepare them for success as cadets at the United States Military Academy.

Steelers kicker arrested after towel tussle

Steelers kicker arrested after towel tussle towel tussle

You should have heard the heartbreak outside of Reed's house on Halloween when he wouldn't play with kids on a trick-or-treat mission. Glad we didn't push it.

But next year, we'll know what to deliver in our 'reverse trick-or-treating' efforts.

Kellogg and Michael Phelps, update

From Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director Drug Policy Alliance Network:

Thanks to you, the campaign against Kellogg's for dumping Michael Phelps has gotten the media's attention. We've been the subject of hundreds of news articles, as well as a segment on CNN.

Now is your chance to increase the heat: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=e7qCxfef2lT9ib75PCLUIA..

We've swamped Kellogg's with comments on their phone lines, and
now we can make sure they listen by sending an email urging them to
retract their statement on Phelps:
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=eWqEO4XzM2xNKly4TJN3LA..

DPA Network has already contacted Kellogg's asking for a meeting, and I'll let you know what we hear. With thousands of drug policy reformers like you taking action, they'll have to respond:
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=qiiuL4sVk34F-p306fhHMw..

Believe it or not, a South Carolina sheriff is considering going after Phelps himself and has already arrested eight people associated with the party last fall at which he was photographed. So it's more important than ever to stand with Phelps and make our voices heard: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=pqIz9Sgio0a06HG4vYYgDQ..

There should be no more marijuana arrests for Michael Phelps or anyone else. And Kellogg's should renew their contract with him. Contact them today to keep this concern at the forefront of Kellogg's -- and the public's -- minds: http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=9L7HdXFen3Q8WsrJ-6fXTw..

For more insights, you can check out this thread.

Petition for Independent Inspection and Evaluation of certain schools concerning asbestos

Print it, sign it, return it.

Petition as a Google Document is here. It's not an attachment -- it's stored online at Google Docs. To open this document, just click the link above. Content of the petition below. The forces at work on these efforts are fellow volunteers with great concern about the Pittsburgh Public School district. They publish and gather online at another blog, PURE Reform and website. PURE Reform stands for Parents United for Responsible Education Reform.

---

Petition
for Independent Inspection and Evaluation

February 16, 2009

GIVEN
that incidents of asbestos plaster failure at the Schenley High
School facility in 2007 caused the Pittsburgh Public School district
to arrange for an “Asbestos Plaster Potential Hazard
Inspection” report on the Schenley building, obtain a
consultant’s opinion as to the risk of danger in connection
with asbestos plaster in the building, and adopt an enhanced
monitoring and maintenance program at the building, and

GIVEN
that extensive asbestos plaster with a history of significant failure
has also been found to exist at the McKelvy, Vann, and Woolslair
buildings, and

GIVEN
that there is no indication that asbestos plaster potential hazard
inspections were arranged, consultant opinions as to plaster risk
were obtained or enhanced maintenance programs were adopted for the
McKelvy, Vann, or Woolslair buildings, and

GIVEN
that the consultant’s stated opinion that the plaster in the
Schenley building had “maintained its integrity for
approximately 90 years, and then started to fail almost universally
across the building” is contradicted by inspections and reports
by the district’s environmental consultants,

WE,
the undersigned citizens of the City of Pittsburgh, hereby
petition the School Board for the Pittsburgh Public Schools for
an asbestos plaster inspection and opinion of risks, dangers and
relative condition of such plaster by an independent expert, of four
school buildings: Schenley, McKelvy, Vann, and Woolslair.

FOR
purposes of this petition an “independent expert” is a
qualified individual or company that has not performed work for the
Pittsburgh Public School district at any point during the past five
years and that at this time has no arrangement to begin performing
work for the Pittsburgh Public School district, and who is mutually
agreeable to both the Pittsburgh Public School district and to a
community group to be designated by the undersigned petitioners.

Swimmers love clean water

Boy, 9, takes handgun to school

Bad twist of events without a shot being fired due to some heads up work in the classroom by a teacher.

Boy, 9, takes handgun to school: "Students and teachers will be greeted by metal detectors today, though police said the incident is isolated.

Sounds like the buddies needed to get a handshake too.

Putting in metal detectors isn't going to make me feel any safer. Rather, it would make the conditions worse. This is a school for grades K to 5. For middle schools, I'm okay with that type of homeland security hassle tactic. Not so much for the elementary schools.

Is this the only case?

How much is this going to cost in terms of equipment and personelle? Put three folks on the doors and then there are fewer to coach basketball, reading and stand to guard on the street for traffic.

Autos are more of a worry than guns. Let's be sure the outside of our schools are safe with kids as they hit drop-off zones -- often on the wrong side of the street.

Pgh Public Schools -- Now with SOME closed for Thursday, was 2-hour delay

Day off for SOME -- but not all. Check
http://www.PghBoe.net

Art and Code, an event at CMU that I might attend

This looks like an interesting event.

Art and Code ART AND CODE is a symposium on programming environments for artists, young people, and the rest of us. The event takes place the weekend of March 7-9, 2009 on the campus of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. It features hands-on workshops and a conference showcase for eight different creative toolkits -- programming languages made by artists, for artists.


Visit Art and Code

TV troubles

DEAD AIR (News)
By: Chris Young - February 12, 2009
Comcast removes independent WBGN from its lineup
http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws//gyrobase/Content?oid=58808

Need a link to the petition.

Chip in $1 for a competitor

Watch this video.



In other aquatic news:

Phelps apologizes to Chinese fans for behavior - 02/12/09 BEIJING (AP) -- Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps has apologized to Chinese fans for what he called his regrettable behavior after he was photographed with a marijuana pipe.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/more/02/12/phelps.china.ap/index.html

it’s a twestival. - Uncle Crappy

it’s a twestival. - Uncle Crappy: "it’s a twestival.

Dangerously Irrelevant

Dangerously Irrelevant: "Parents are using online tools to push on schools

growingupassumingyoucanpublishThe Washington Post recently published a really interesting article on the ability of well-connected parents to influence the decisions of their local school districts (hat tip to The Science Goddess). The term ‘well-connected’ refers to parents’ abilities to use online tools to communicate and mobilize (rather than to their connections to people with power).

Old Stone Inn in West End nominated for historic status

Old Stone Inn in West End nominated for historic status: "The Old Stone Inn in the West End, which is more than 200 years old, has been nominated for city historic status, stalling demolition plans.
The inn, at 434 Greentree Road, will have to go through hearings by Pittsburgh's Historic Review Commission. The prospective owner, Harris Masonry Inc., had applied for a permit to demolish the building and was expected to receive one within days when John DeSantis nominated the property for historic status last week.
The first hearing on the matter is likely to ...

New amphitheater to open at Station Square

New amphitheater to open at Station Square New amphitheater to open at Station Square

What about Sandcastle? What about the North Shore?

Feb meeting at Bloomfield-Garfield Corp with four members of the school board

The Bloomfield-Garfield Corp has been holding meeings about the pending fate of Peabody High School and overall high school reform. Last week's meeting included four of the nine school board members.

Some comments about I.B. surfaced.


This is nice and a bit of self-interest as my kids are a part of this option. Both have been in a language magnet since grade K.

The root of the problem is that the hard questions are being ignored. This exchange points out the frustration and the level of skepticism.



Meanwhile, Mark Roosevelt was on the radio today as a guest of show host, James Roddey. I'll quote from that show in another posting. However, it was so sad to hear the softball questions that Mr. Roddey offered to Mr. Roosevelt. Yawn.



The fact are clear. We know nothing. But, the reality is that the writing is on the wall. Kids in 8th grade should not sign-up to attend Peabody in the fall of 2009. The rumors are sustained and are killing the school. Those there now get to hunker down.

The decision can't wait for years down the road as board member Thomas Sumpter says. The ultimate board vote is not necessary as they can pull administrative strings. The vote to close the school is not even necessary as the school building won't 'close.' Rather, it will be replaced with a different set of teachers, students, goals and opportunities. That isn't a vote to close -- unless you want common sense awareness.


Includes personal experience of being in a blended school from a young adult who attended East Hills and Schenley and took IB. Question about the master plan. Question about the movement away from neighborhood schools to city-wide magnets. Question from NAACP about equity and getting clout for certain committees and how to get picked for committees. Some back and forth while answers getting unanswered and questions mount. The roboitcs program and who's decision it really is, really?

Hear from Randall Taylor:


Thomas Sumpter (19 minutes) talks about his points for the district and his bio.


It was reported that things stayed pretty heated at the meeting. They didn't get too much into the CTE (Vo Tech) possibility. Mostly, the talk was just setting the stage as to what the citizens concerns were, including concerns about CTE, Westinghouse, etc. Hope was that the next step would have been a meeting by the working group . No date was set. Further, they were hoping to obtain more information from Dr. Martin on CTE. His suggestions had been made internally to the PPS administrators and board for the past years.

---

Seems that the outrage from the community driven meetings has caused the administrators at the Pittsburgh Public Schools to "think again." They are meeting internally now and are expected to come out with a new, different, better and more thoughtful community process. It is messy. Elections are simple, but politics and community engagement is messy, as it should be.

So for now, Rick F., BGC, has not scheduled another meeting. In a way, it is time for a punt. The ball goes back to PPS. We'll see what they do with it next.

Updated from Feb 9, and Feb 10.

---

The 80+ page PDF of info with articles, board reports and such. http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/fixpa/images/0/04/Pittsburgh_Peabody_09.pdf

$300 Million is cash would put the City's pension fund into a healthy position in 20 years

Mayor Ravenstahl says a $300-million cash infusion today would make the city's pension fund to a healthy point in 20-years.

Rather than follow his idea of putting out two RFPs for the possible lease of the parking authority assets, I've got better ideas.

First, sell Heinz Field, a public-owned asset, to the Pittsburgh Steelers for $300-million. Sell Heinz Field now. The team should buy it.

Second, sell the parking garages. Sell them. Don't lease them. Have each parking property liquidated, over time, to buyers. Then, after a bulk of the parking facilities are sold, as is, to new owners, then lower the parking tax to five or ten percent.

A team, a brotherhood

Article about men's NCAA Division I swimming squad. This hits to the point of a "gang mentality." I talked about the "gang mentality" last week in city hall. It is a standard slogan of mine. I want positive gangs, like swim teams.

Technician - A team, a brotherhood After a swim-down and some words from coach Brooks Teal, the women's team exits the pool as the swimmers remove their pink swim caps and grab towels on the way to the locker room, but the men's team remains in the pool.

After the coaches have left, the men's team moves to the center of the pool, treading water long after the meet has ended as the seniors debrief the team. A loud chant announces the meeting is over, and the swimmers finally pull themselves out of the pool to get dried and dressed.

Such is the brotherhood of the men's swimming and diving team.

Then comes the next quote in the article -- about taking a bullet. Wrong. Rather, the positive gang is a way to prevent bullet. The huddle in the middle of the pool is a way to change one's landscape and surroundings so as to be immune to flying bullets and senseless violence.

By the way, the hope of joining such a team is not part of the plans with the Pittsburgh Promise. Kids can't go to NC State with Pittsburgh Promise funding, sadly.

PPS looks at 20 kids entering 9th grade and it isn't good.

Graphic from Pittsburgh Public Schools Administrator slide show:



Review: Twenty students enter 9th grade. The drop out rate for high school students is 35%. So, out of the 20 that started, only 13 graduate high school. Only nine go onto college. Three of them get a degree.

ABT, ABL, WNC?

Other blogs and CP are spinning wheels and kicking up the dust of recycled electrons.

Patrick Dowd might be an ABT (Anyone But Them) candidate (for mayor of Pittsburgh in 2009's D primary), but in a different context. ABT could be: women and/or blacks and/or ex-public safety employees and/or lawyers.

You can dream about an Easter arrival from the "Patcave," (term coined above in the thread, sorta like "Batman's Batcave") a big splash and a change to the world. Or, you can help those who are already trying to do such for some time. Dream or reality.

It seems to me that the train with the "anyone but" slot has left the station. A late arrival to the ballot will diminish those efforts and insure the election of the existing mayor.

But, it isn't too late to get on board with someone from beyond Grant Street.

That is prudent generosity, IMHO. And, until proven otherwise, why so blind?

Glossary:

ABL = Anyone But Luke
ABT = Anyone But Them
WNC = Why not Carmen?

Observations and Priorities

My voice is generally deployed to address social, afterschool and community stuff -- not instructional leadership.

Dances, plays, sports, use of buildings after the dismissal bell -- are areas where the Pittsburgh Public Schools and I are oceans apart.

The district's weakness in those areas are countered well with my strengths and interests. Afterschool is not a priority for those in the PPS district -- yet it is mine. I care about drop outs, gun violence, a shrinking city -- and even the Olympics.

Nutshell: I want to create literate Olympians here.

I am waiting, still to hear from a new employee, Holly. She is the new czar of afterschool with Pittsburgh Public Schools. My meeting with the principal of the IB School, Dr. Walters, has been on hold since December.

On Monday, I will go to the PPS Board and deliver a position paper about the concept of 13th grade at the new I.B. Jr/Sr High. Stay tuned. I've been talking about this for a few weeks, online and in personal meetings.

The academic viability of IB is unquestioned for some students, for sure. Getting the school to be a success, year-in and year-out where more than a thousand (or more) students thrive, in Pittsburgh, remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, south of the city in Mt. Lebo comes this school news.

These guys can't even build a new swim pool. Now they want a high school. Oh boy.

Some Mt. Lebanon residents ask for new high school: "A group of Mt. Lebanon residents last night asked the school board to consider building a completely new high school, a move that would require the community to approve a referendum on the matter.

Group members, who said their organization is called Build Our School Now, asked the board to vote for building a completely new high school rather than renovating the current structure and to put the issue to a referendum, which would be required under state law.

State formulas for debt limits hold Mt. Lebanon to spending no more than $110 million on the high school project without getting a referendum approved by the community. A new high school would cost about $150 million.

Build Our School Now representatives, including Kristin Linfante and David Brumfield, pledged to the board that they would knock on doors in the community lobbying people to approve the referendum.

Perhaps they could buy Schenley High School. And, for good measure, we'll also air-lift them the Civic Arena as well.

Are you on thin ice for Valentines Day?

We talked about this yesterday with my sons in terms of planning a family date.

Valentine's skates scheduled around the county
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh and Allegheny County have scheduled Valentine's Day skating events.

The annual Valentine's Day skating event Saturday at the Schenley Park Ice Rink, Valentines on Ice, starts at 7 p.m. and includes 2-for-1 admission, chocolates and hot drinks, picture taking, salsa dancing lessons, door prizes, a puck-shooting contest and a free rose for the first 200 women.

North and South Park ice rinks will host Sweetheart Skates on Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m. Couples skate for the price of one and receive a free carnation. Admission for skaters 13 to 59 is $5. Admission is $3 for seniors 60 and older and children 12 and younger.

Down to Dowd - Early Returns - post-gazette.com

Down to Dowd - Early Returns - post-gazette.com: "Down to Dowd"

Unless one overlooks the women, the black women.

I hate to see coverage given for a non-starter of a story. There is more coverage about those who are not running than those who choose to run.

The ONLY announced challenger needs significant coverage. And, it is a blessing that she'll be the only challenger. The best way to beat the status quo politician is to gang together behind ONE opposition candidate. The 4th estate watchdogs need to wake up.

Stimulus Plan and the Senior Senator from PA

US Senator from PA, A. Specter, completely caved and has worked with other 'moderates' to rework the stimulus plan. It is expected to come up for vote today in the Senate.

Here is an email that he sent out yesterday describing his (pathetic) support of the stimulus:
http://specter.enews.senate.gov/mail/util.cfm?gpiv=2100031872.227611.493&gen=1

His contact information can be obtained here:
http://specter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

His office fax numbers are:
202-228-1229
215-597-0406
814-455-9925
610-434-1844
570-826-6266
717-782-4920
412-644-4871
570-346-8499
(Two free faxes per email per day can be sent via http://faxzero.com/ )

Here is a sample letter that you can use:
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/senateletter.php (also, remind him that his term is up in 2010)

Pie chart illustrating the spending for the stimulus plan: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/stimulus-pie-chart/

Citizen lawmaker: Ms. Smith goes to Grant Street

The P-G ponders Theresa Smith.

Citizen lawmaker: Ms. Smith goes to Grant Street: "Theresa Smith has spent years working to improve her city and her Westwood neighborhood, always from outside the government looking in."

Well, that isn't true.

Theresa worked for Pittsburgh Public Schools as one of five directors of a PERC, Parent Education Resource Center. The PPS budget is larger than that of the City's budget. So, she wasn't in city government, she was a government employee in a neighborhood.

The experience issue here is that the P-G, as journalist and news reporters, doesn't get it right.

Theresa was also experienced by helping Dan Deasy's campaign in his quest to become a State Rep.

Sure, there has been countless hours as a volunteer. Sure, she has been tireless. But she is no novice.

Sadly, the P-G editorial board folks are just too far out of touch. I don't care about their opinions. But, I do care that they weave them from facts and awareness. I wish they'd work to get out of the bubble in the bottom of the "Main Stream Media" river.

Well wishes are fine. But, just as it is going to take more than Grant Street to solve the problems of the city, it is also going to take 'watchdogs' of the fourth estate to be better clued into the reality of our landscapes. The P-G needs to help too. Too often it has been on the wrong side in the struggles of bettering our city.

---

My statement on the day after the special election win of Theresa Smith.

(Updated from 9:30 am.)

Michael Phelps, Kellogg's and being dumped upon

Olympic champion Michael Phelps was photographed taking a hit from a bong.

Amidst the media uproar that ensued, Kellogg's announced that it would not renew its sponsorship deal with Phelps.

Call Kellogg's now and tell them that if they dump Phelps we dump them
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=uoHTEyF3QmqQCLb2Jv-svA..

Like you, we're sick and tired of the public outings and forced apologies and recantations, which perpetuate this shameless hypocrisy.

More than 70 percent of Americans say that marijuana should be decriminalized and that no one should go to jail for its use.

We agree. Even the residents of Kellogg's home state of Michigan recently passed (by an overwhelming margin) a ballot initiative legalizing marijuana for medical purposes.

Dropping Phelps hurts the Kellogg's image far more than associating with someone who smoked marijuana. Call them to tell them what you think (you'll find helpful instructions and talking points if you follow this link to our website).
http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=5NqcyH2v4BvQxClyevHapw..

Sincerely,

Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director Drug Policy Alliance Network

P.S. You can also read my piece in the Huffington Post on this issue.

http://dpa.convio.net/site/R?i=066Uqk70AGF3vI2WSHXMDA..

Pittsburgh Twestival 2009 in McKees Rocks on Thursday

Homepage | Pittsburgh Twestival 2009: "Pittsburgh US Twestival 2009

12 February 2009, 19:00, Downey House , 6080 Steubenville Pike Mc Kees Rocks, PA 15136-1398"

Anyone going from South Side?

Mike Ference, running mate, Letter to Editor, Time to Attack in Pennsylvania

By Mike Ference

Clairton, PA 15025, Email: Ference@icubed.com

Every day brings new evidence that we no longer live in a civilized and principled society. The worst part, it usually concerns another case of corruption involving a member of the PA Senate or House; a PA judge; law enforcement officer; District Attorney or some other Pennsylvania public servant. (I prefer, serpent). However, the latest news of wrongdoing in Pennsylvania involves what I call child trafficking at its lowest level.

As reported in the Associated Press, Pennsylvania President Judge Mark Ciavarella and Senior Judge Michael Conahan agreed to plead guilty to various federal charges (no state charges, PA politicians take care of their own) and face seven years in prison. Their crime, court documents said they took kickbacks for sending children to detention facilities run by PA Child Care in Luzerne County and a sister company in western PA. Altogether the judges took $2.6 million in bribes.

PA Child Care is owned by Gregory Zappala, a son of former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Zappala, Sr., and brother of Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala Jr.

As more and more cases of corruption — and cover-up — come to light, one begins to wonder whether Pennsylvania politicians should be considered any more trustworthy than, say, Saddam Hussein.

So — what should be done? Given the level of wreckage and anguish caused in the lives of so many people, it seems appropriate to look to the war on terror for a model strategy.

A first prong of attack might involve a Special Forces unit made up of highly skilled and trained military personnel capable of tracking down and obtaining confessions from any current or former owners of businesses that deal in child trafficking. Did more judges take kickbacks for sending innocent children to detention homes? How many dysfunctional Pennsylvania politicians, police officers and other scoundrels working for the state were involved?

If rights are violated, if military personnel sometimes go a little too far, so be it. Those incapable of civilized behavior shouldn’t expect the rights and privileges of civilization.

A deck of cards can be created to help identify the hard-to-find as well as the disgraceful political leaders who permitted, and in essence, condoned the incarceration of young children. Photos of the most deviant and reprehensible Pennsylvania officials accompanied by a list of their offenses will encourage us all to do our patriotic duty in helping the authorities track down suspected Pennsylvania politician/terrorists.

Another option would be to divide Pennsylvania into territories. A color-code warning system would be established, alerting parents about crooked judges, corrupt cops and district attorneys holding court in their respective regions. Depending on the designated color for a particular region, parents would know whether their children should attend a juvenile hearing or escape to a third world country where children are treated with more dignity and respect.

To aid this unique war on terror, a pool of money should be collected, not involuntarily from taxpayers, but voluntarily from those decent human beings who believe crimes committed against our children are sins that God takes very seriously. Some of the funds raised could then be turned into outrageously tempting reward sums for information leading to the capture of our targeted criminals. Once the rogue politicians have been imprisoned and forced to talk, I recommend that their confessions be given to someone like Steven Spielberg or George Romero. Hollywood writers and producers could create a blockbuster movie like Roots or Schindler’s List to serve as a bitter reminder that these crimes should never again be permitted to occur. Tom Savini could be hired to recreate the horror on the faces of child actors chosen to play parts.

Proceeds from the movie could go to victims of abuse and their families. And no matter how old the crime, compensation would be available. There should be no statute of limitations when the rights of children have been violated by those who lived much of their adult lives perched on a pedestal heightened by the trust of innocent and vulnerable residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In fact, I would extend compensation to the second and perhaps even third generation of sufferers. It would certainly include siblings denied the experience of growing up with a brother or sister untraumatized by such abuse. And since crimes of abuse tend to echo, it would extend to the victims of the victims as well.

If all else fails, is it any less rational to declare war on the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as part of a war on child abuse than it was to declare war on Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11 or Al-Qaeda and apparently had no weapons of mass destruction) as part of a war on terror? How many innocent children have been verifiably lost to this menace — and how many more will be lost if we don’t make a preemptive strike?

Child trafficking and those who willfully hid the crimes as far as I can see, this brings us much closer to the realm mortal sin. And the sinners include not just the judges who sentenced the children and took the money but also those who are staying silent because of concerns about a paycheck, a 401K, a pension, or a fear of standing up to the mobsters who orchestrated this crime. God has a place for everyone — and if you abuse children or protect the abusers of children, we can only hope that your place is called hell.

My first religious film is out. To debut on Church on Sunday!

I just uploaded this.

Sunday, tomorrow, is our Religious Education Sunday. Once a year we take some time to talk to the adults as to what goes on with the kids in "R.E." (our term for Sunday School).

Updated Sunday afternoon:

Steelers Nation: Are you ready for some baseball?

Baseball season is just around the corner. The cold weather is about to break.



Plus, Baseball star Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003. But this is news in 2009. Meanwhile, Congress looked into this in 2006. Go figure.

Common Sesnse from Ron Paul about bailouts

District 4 City Council Race: Ho Hum...Natalia Dropping the Ball!!!

Thanks to Mark Rauterkus, I listened to Natalia Rudiak's introductory campaign speech. Ho Hum.

As a long-time, fairly active member of that community, I can honest say I never heard of Natalia or her family surname. The good news is, Natalia is now involved in the Carrick Community Council, the same organization I tried in vein to bring any life to for about five years. Good luck to her, a huge mess has been left behind.

Now I Googled her and it took a little while to find out what the young lady looked like. Ms. Rudiak is a looker. With the possible exception of Chelse Wagner (who really knows...the almost never spotted Ms. Wagner is an urban myth in my estimation), Ms. Rudiak might just be the most attractive figure in Pittsburgh politics. That's with all due respect to Mr. Rob Frank, the hardest-working Democrat the corrupt system doesn't want.

Her campaign website, until recently, contained only a link to donate. Now you can find a marginally better site. When I watched the original podcast of her speech, I held my breath when I heard her jam union rhetoric down our collective throats. That's because that 10% of the voting population is given the weight of the world in our little corner of the planet. (However she did mention empty storefronts and entrepreneurship. Those terms were non-existent in possible DJ-to-be Jimmy Motznik's jargon.)

Next up, Facebook. In 2009, a young, presumably dynamic and smart candidate doesn't have a Facebook page. Nor does she have a MySpace presence. Pittsburgh's friend Bill Peduto still updates his, or has someone do it for him. Rumor has it that Rudiak has supporters who are also pals with Mr. Peduto. You'd never know it on the technological front.

This is a race the Wagner family wants to control in the worst way. And that means planting their contractor-in-the-hole Anthony Coghill on Grant Street. The seat is almost always controlled by the Brookline and Beechview contingent of the district. Communities like Rudiak's Carrick are generally underperforming bystanders. That being noted, Motznik barely squeaked by in his re-election bid against Coghill because of Carrick voters. He in turn thanked his blue-collar, union supporters by snubbing them when it was time for the city's infamous walking around moneys. His potential District Justice seat doesn't include Carrick.

Rudiak may split the ticket with Anthony Mosesso, a decades-long mover-and-shaker in the tiny hamlet of Bon Air. Mosesso is the candidate who would take the District 4 City Council seat seriously. It's historically been nothing but a stepping-stone for young Democratic whipper-snappers. No one has taken the post seriously in many, many years. Mosesso would. Mosesso runs laps around all of the other candidates when it comes to visibility and accessibility. The guy lives for the neighborhoods.

Rudiak is THE candidate who could inject spunk into the race. It's hard to tell where School Board member Jean Fink stands. It's even harder to determine if she has any political sway whatsoever when it concerns this race.

The District 4 City Council race promises to be a good one...IF some people get into the 21st Century. It's just too bad that the district, with its huge amount of hard-working, loyal Pittsburghers, haven't been treated to a candidate who cares about them for more than 20 years.

Let's hope that changes. The RIGHT candidate has not yet stepped to the forefront.

The Real Reason Why The GOP Is Changing Registration

The Post Gazette and its fine political reporter, James O'Toole, posted their interpretation of an electoral phenomenon: why Republicans are becoming Democrats.

The following: "Recent Republican losses in Pennsylvania have been spurred by defections from among the party's more affluent and better-educated voters.

One of the strongest recent currents in Pennsylvania politics has been a shift of registered voters from the Republican to the Democratic Party. A new survey suggests that this change has been led disproportionately by some of the GOP's more upscale members, estranged by the Bush administration and the unpopular war in Iraq."

Point one: despite measurable advances and progress, liberal rags like the P-G will tell us that the war in Iraq is unpopular. Of course it is...while people are worried about losing their jobs and/or homes, we are force-fed tripe that the war in Iraq isn't successful. When in fact, it is remarkably successful.

"Muhlenberg College's Institute of Public Opinion looked at a sample of the hundreds of thousands of former Republicans who have swelled the ranks of Democrats over the last two federal election cycles.

In May 2006, just months before an election in which the GOP lost four U.S. House seats along with Rick Santorum's Senate seat, Democrats held a registration lead of roughly 550,000. By last November, as President Barack Obama was carrying the state by the widest margin of any White House contender in decades, the Democratic advantage had grown to 1.2 million voters."

Point two: REPUBLICANS WERE SICK OF RICK SANTORUM! That's what happens when you have a pompous jerk in an influential position. Santorum deserved to get the boot!

Point three: ACORN. Fraudulent organizations like this one led the way to voter changes. Nowhere in those paragraphs does it say anything about Republicans changing positions.

"But the Muhlenberg findings suggest that it also reflected a longer-term reaction against Republican policies."

Point four: Hogwash. In fact, conservative Republicans did not have much of a choice in the last election. Conservative candidates like Mitt Romney were inexplicably cast aside early on as John "Mr. Moderate" McCain somehow gained control of the party's nomination. Conservatives were energized by the "real rock star" of the Presidential campaign, Sarah Palin. Alas, the "Messiah" tag was given to Barack Hussein Obama and scare tactics were thrown out to scare moderate Republicans and a new, vast parade of fawning Obama-ites.

Point five: It's too early to tell if the voter-registration changes will stick. Let's see where we are in a year from now.

Onorato supports combining communities by school lines

Merger mania.

Onorato supports combining communities by school lines Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato said today that consolidating the state's 501 school districts into 100 -- as suggested by Gov. Ed Rendell Wednesday -- might be a bit extreme, but he would favor consolidating the county's 130 municipalities into 43.

What Rendell said was all about the schools. What Onorato said was nothing about the schools. Neither of them have offered to do a darn thing about quality of life nor freedom.

The Allegheny Insitutue pointed out that the biggest school districts in the state do the worst in terms of educating the kids and cost the most. So there is a forumla that is worth avoiding.

Bigger isn't better. Bigger is bigger. Better is better.