PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM, Free, Breakfast, this week

If you have not already sent your RSVP, there is still time!

You Are Cordially Invited to Attend

PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM

“Western Pennsylvania Regional Breakfast Series”
Sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC)

Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Holiday Inn Select - University Center - Oakland

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is no fee for the forum, but please RSVP as soon as possible since seating is limited.
You may RSVP for the May 27 Forum by using our easy on-line reservation system which is available by clicking on http://www.eplc.org/forum_westernpa.html  or faxing the attached form..
Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues, but everyone must RSVP to attend.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. Current and Hot State Education Policy Issues Update and Discussion led by EPLC Staff and Guests
§ The 2010-2011 State Budget Debate
§ School Employee Pension System Proposals
§ PA Fiscal Challenges and Proposed Tax Changes
§ State Board Proposed Regulations Concerning Nutrition
§ State Board and Common Core Standards
§ Special Education Funding Reform Proposal
§ Charter School Legislation
§ Empowerment Act Legislation
§ PA’s “Race-to-the Top” Re-application

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Join us for an informative and robust discussion about current education policy issues that are being actively considered by state officials now and will be addressed during coming weeks before the Legislature adjourns for the summer!

Be ready to add your voices to those who will demand a responsible state budget for the 2010--2011 fiscal year that begins on July 1.

Learn how you can become active with the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign that urges the Governor and General Assembly honor the six-year K-12 education funding reform plan begun in 2008.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks to our Sponsors!

The School Finance Project of The Education Policy and Leadership Center is currently supported by generous grants from The Maurice Falk Foundation, Fulfilling the Dream Fund, and the William Penn Foundation.

The Western Pennsylvania Breakfast Series of the Pennsylvania Education Policy Forum is also supported by additional financial support from the following organizations:



A+ Schools
Association of Pennsylvania State College and
University Faculties
AFT Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units
Pennsylvania Association of Pupil Services
Administrators
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Pennsylvania State Education Association
Center for Educational Leadership - University of
Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Educational Testing Service (ETS)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is no fee for the forum, but please RSVP as soon as possible since seating is limited.
You may RSVP for the May 27 Forum by using our easy on-line reservation system which is available by clicking on http://www.eplc.org/forum_westernpa.html or faxing the attached form..
Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues, but everyone must RSVP to attend.

Swim clinic (week long practice opportunity) for Pittsburgh Public School kids

PPS Swimmers Offered Opportunity to Practice with Stingrays Week of 6/21

The Kingsley Stingrays swim team would like to congratulate elementary, middle-school, and high-school swimmers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools on their accomplishments over the past school year and to offer them a way to continue developing their swim ability this summer.

During the week of June 21st, 2010, selected swimmers from the PPS will have the opportunity to practice with the Stingrays and to receive additional targeted coaching from Coach Hosea Holder in order to improve their swim technique. The program will run from 8:30-11:00 on Monday-Friday at Highland Park Pool.

Interested swimmers should e-mail kingsley_stingrays@yahoo.com or call 412/687-3494.

Coach Holder was recently profiled by WQED-TV for his teaching and technical expertise, which routinely help swimmers become stronger, more fit, and more focused. (The show can be viewed online at http://wqed.org/ondemand/onq.php )

Kindly forward this information to all PPS swim coaches and athletic directors so that they can share it with interested swimmers and parents.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Kingsley Stingrays Swim Team
kingsley_stingrays@yahoo.com

Nanny State goes global | The Barr Code

Considering the OUTLAW of HAPPY MEALS?

Nanny State goes global | The Barr Code: "Santa Clara County recently voted to outlaw the sale of McDonald’s “Happy Meal” toys and a host of other novelties (including coupons from which a patron might download a song) provided by restaurants as a bonus for customers who purchase certain drinks or food items."

Mark Brentley's barbs strike Pittsburgh school board

P-G has an article on Mark Brently, Pittsburgh Dad and elected member of the Pgh Public Schools Board of Directors.

Brentley's barbs strike Pittsburgh school board A board member since 2000, Mr. Brentley, 53, who represents North Side and Hill District residents, is known in city politics and education circles for his consistent and searing commentary on how the inequities of race and class affect the quality of public education and life in Pittsburgh.

Sports Mgt Camp for big boys

If you know any current or former athletes interested in sports as a career, there's a great opportunity this summer in New York you may want to pass along to them.The Diamond Sports Big Apple Career Camp will be offered from July 25th to 30th, providing student-athletes a rare opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the field, and meet executives from ESPN, HBO Sports, the NY Mets and more, at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Red Bull Arena, and Madison Square Garden.A career in sports is the "next best thing" for millions of student athletes looking to make their mark off the field.  If you know any students who may be interested, here's a great way to support them.Make sure they mention they heard about this from the National Coach Survey, and they will receive a Special Offer: 25% discount off the registration fee. Deadline: June 14th.Seating is limited, for more information www.NYSportsCareers.com or 914 872-4036.John KellyPublisherNationalCoachSurvey.org57 Todd Hill CircleGoldens Bridge, NY 10526www.NationalCoachSurvey.orgJKelly@NationalCoachSurvey.org
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Fw: Instructions to Jurors

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Fw: [DW] New publications on open government data in Canada and around the world

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 16:33:09
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Subject: [DW] New publications on open government data in Canada and around the world

From: Jonathan Gray <jonathan.gray@okfn.org>
Date: Sun, May 23, 2010 at 4:17 PM
Subject: [open-government] New publications on open government data in
Canada and around the world


These links to two recent documents on open data from the Canadian
government might be of interest to folks here!

 http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-14-e.htm
 http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-15-e.htm

....

Jonathan Gray

Community Coordinator
The Open Knowledge Foundation
http://blog.okfn.org

http://twitter.com/jwyg
http://identi.ca/jwyg

_______________________________________________
open-government mailing list
open-government@lists.okfn.org
http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/open-government

-----------------------------------------
Group home for Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire:
http://groups.dowire.org/groups/newswire

Replies go to members of Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire with all posts on this topic here:
http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/7kMp2WacOIBMKzDE1ebbob

For digest version or to leave Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire,
email newswire@groups.dowire.org
with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.

Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire is hosted by Democracies Online - http://dowire.org.

Stupid on the left and on the right.

Dan Sullivan may have wrote and posted on the public Libertarian list:

I love it when the Libertarian Party gets stupid right-wing and left-wing posts on the same day, and we get to address them both at once. Then people can see that responding to right-wing stupidity does not make us left-wing and vice versa.

Yes, Rand Paul was naive for getting sucked in to this argument. So did Ron Paul get sucked into such arguments when he was young. The conclusions that Rand will go down in flames for this beg the question of why Ron didn't go down in flames for similar statements when he was inexperienced.

Yes, Regan Straley is right that Maddow is "a clearly insincere partisan masquerading as a journalist," but so is Regan Straley for preaching such hackneyed superficial analysis. His analysis breaks down, first because he does not deal with the underlying question of privileges enjoyed by businesses, money lenders, landlords and employers, and then because he fails to see that the anti-discrimination laws are "compensatory" privileges to tenants, borrowers, customers and employees who happen to enjoy "protected minority status."

Never has there been a case of a tenant sued for refusing to rent from a protected minority landlord, a customer for refusing to patronize a protected minority business, a borrower for refusing to borrow from a minority lender or an employee for refusing to work for a protected minority boss. The implicit, never-stated assumption is that landlords, bankers, sellers and bosses have an artificial advantage over tenants,
borrowers, buyers and employees. There is some vague truth behind that assumption, but before we get into what that truth is, let us examine where Regan's failure to consider that advantage causes his analysis to break down. Here is his key piece of illogic:

> At some point in the distant past, our society came to a general
> agreement that it was unacceptable for the proprietor of a restaurant
> to bludgeon his customers with a steak mallet, drag them into the
> kitchen, force their bodies through the meat grinder, and turn the
> results into the nightly special. While I'm not comparing the severity
> of the offenses, our society has reached a similar conclusion with
> regard to our restaurateur discriminating against customers or
> employees on any basis other than their public behavior.

What Regan misses is that it is illegal for the proprietor of a restaurant
to bludgeon *any* person with a steak mallet. However, it is not illegal
for him to refuse service to anyone other than a protected minority. That
is, he can refuse service to me for any reason whatsoever, but he
cannot refuse service to a person with protected status unless he can
prove that his motive was not discriminatory on some protected basis. I
I have seen this double standard abused myself, as when a black
employee accused me of calling him a nigger in order to get leverage
with our employer. (Actually, I had called him an asshole.) My wife
worked alongside a black woman who sued her way through college
and got a "Ph'D," because she never figured out that there is no
apostrophe in that title, and who was the worst employee in her
department, who was never fired for fear that she would sue the
college. The other employees, both black and white, were glad that she
missed so much work, because she was such an incompetent teacher
that she did more harm than good.

A few years back, some of us helped expose the hypocritical lawsuit
against Pizza Hut by the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission
because Pizza Hut did not deliver into black neighborhoods on Rodney
King Riot Night. Earlier that day, black leaders from church, community,
civil rights and social organizations marched down the streets, not so
much to protest the acquittal of the police who beat Rodney King, but to
plead with people not to engage in violence against whites that day.

Pizza Hut's national office, wanting to avoid putting their drivers in
danger, decided not to deliver in black neighborhoods that night, and
that night only. For that they were sued, and had to spend tens of
thousands of dollars defending themselves for taking the black leaders
seriously.

Now, the right seizes on examples like this, which are all too plentiful,
to rail against anti-discrimination laws, and the left either pretends such
examples do not exist or insists that the harm of discrimination by the
presumedly privileged class is a greater harm than the damage done by
false accusations. Nobody, on the left or the right, look at the deeper
questions. Just what are the privileges enjoyed by money lenders,
landlords, businesses and bosses at the expense of everyone else?

Let us first look at the money lenders, the only people against whom
Jesus engaged in violence. The value of money comes from
production. Indeed, inflation is often described as "too much money
chasing too few goods." Clearly, it is those who produce goods and put
them on the market who give value to money. Yet we turn the money
over to banks to lend to the producers of wealth who created the value
behind that money, even as we tax those producers, This clearly
transfers wealth from the producers to the money lenders, creating a
privileged class.

Then we have the landlords. It is a confusing term, because we tend to
think of the owner of an apartment building as a landlord, even though
his building is capital, and the land under the building might only be
10% of the total value of his property. Then we tend to think of US Steel
as a capitalist, when the overwhelming majority of their asset value is in
land, including but not limited to vast tracts of coal, iron ore and natural
gas. US Steel "owns" that land, coal, etc., not because they produced it
or got it from someone who produced it, but because the state issued
titles declaring that land to belong to them. In so doing, they declared
that nobody else shall have access to any of that except by the consent
of US Steel.

US Steel then employs landless and nearly landless people to work for
them. Although US Steel also rents out real estate, mostly in old
"company towns," the notable thing is that all tenants are dependent on
landlords, who literally own the earth. Now it happens that landlords
tend to be white and tenants tend to be black. (In Pittsburgh in 1990,
white households were 2/3 owner-occupied and 1/3 renter-occupied.
Black households were exactly the reverse.) If landlords, through social
compact, decide not to rent to blacks, then blacks have no permission
to be on the planet. Or, if they decide to only rent the worst land at
inflated prices, as was the case before the anti-discrimination laws,
then blacks are held down.

The purpose of the civil rights laws was not to bring about justice by
abolishing privilege, but by artificially equalizing conditions among the
"underprivileged." That is, it was to guarantee that underprivileged
blacks got to pay tribute to the landed aristocracy on the same terms as
underprivileged whites.

Of course, because they could not confront the privilege itself, they had
to create various artificial devices that worked rather clumsily. And, of
course (always of course), privilege milked these artificial devices to get
more privilege. Thus we see that, before anti-discrimination laws, small,
competitive businesses were far more likely to hire blacks and other
minorities than were big businesses that enjoyed monopoly privileges.
Yet, after the laws went into effect, the big businesses got most of the
"affirmative action" grants and subsidies, and small businesses got
most of the anti-discrimination lawsuits.

So, what would libertarians do? Some still pretend that no privileges
exist, or refuse to make the connection between these privileges and
the host of compensatory regulations that they spawned. However,
many libertarians, including LP founder David Nolan, would abolish
some privileges and tax others, removing taxes from productivity.

If land were taxed heavily on its value, and other taxes phased out, the
landlord without a tenant would be no better off than a tenant without a
landlord. This would not only make it easier for people to find housing,
but to start their own businesses and create more jobs.

As to banking privilege, it could be abolished outright. Money could be
directly issued into circulation, not through expanded government, but
by simply removing the payroll tax and possibly all of the income tax.
Any inflationary effects could be offset by phasing out Fractional
Reserve Banking, the privilege of lending money the banks don't
actually have.

Right-of-way monopolies (streets, road, sewer, electricity, railroad lines,
etc.) could be government run, and government could do a good job
with them if they weren't distracted doing all manner of things they
shouldn't be doing at all.

This was, in fact, the core economic agenda of the Progressives,
before progressivism was hijacked by socialists. Progressivism began
with the abolitionist movement and the Free Soil Party, whose slogan
was "Free Land, Free Trade, Free Men." They never got along with
socialists, because they wanted to abolish privileged and make the
state weaker, while the socialists wanted to make the state stronger by
introducing all sorts of compensatory privileges.

The same was true of the liberals before progressivism, and the same
is true of the greens today. Privilege loves socialism, because socialism
derails attempts to confront privilege head on. As a result, everyone
has an equal right to be a borrower, a tenant, an employee or a
customer, but an ever-shrinking privileged elite gets to do all the
lending, landlording, employing and selling.

Reagan later wrote in a reply to Dan, in part:

I'm certain that you would regard much of my philosophy as "leftist equalization of conditions among the underprivileged," even though in reality it seeks to dissolve the very same unnatural influences of privilege and coercion as your philosophy does. And while my philosophy also includes much of what would make up a "moderate" Libertarian platform, we could still never work together toward shared goals because you already have me pegged as "left," and therefore unworthy of consideration.

He would be wrong. Dan may have pegged one as "left" -- but that would NEVER curb Dan's (nor mine) as unworthy for future work partnerships. All are worthy for consideration in my (and I dare say, our) lives.

Jessica Hardy, USC swimmer, get the call she wanted, sorta. They left some issues unresolved for 2012, dangit.

------Original Message------
From: SI com Alerts
To: Mark Rauterkus
ReplyTo: cnnalerts@cnn.com
Subject: 2004 Athens Summer Games News
Sent: May 21, 2010 11:04 PM



Alert Name: 2004 Athens Summer Games News

Court rules for swimmer Hardy, rejects WADA appeal
05/21/10 07:45 PM, EDT
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jessica Hardy was expecting an important call, so she had the coach hold her cell phone alongside the pool while she went through her normal morning workout at USC.
Read the full story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/05/21/swim.hardy.ap/index.html

______________________________________________________________________

Receiving too many alerts?
Visit manage your alerts to narrow your topic further. Add words or
phrases in your alert criteria and refine your alert. You can also change
your delivery frequency to "daily" or "weekly" to receive your alerts to fit
your busy schedule. To edit your alerts, visit the manage alerts page:
http://audience.cnn.com/services/si/alerts/manageAlerts.jsp?source=si

______________________________________________________________________

2010 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Fw: [school-discuss] UNESCO Conference on ICT in education extends discussion to general public

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Guido Arnold <watsolldat@googlemail.com>
Date: Sat, 22 May 2010 01:11:00
To: <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Subject: [school-discuss] UNESCO Conference on ICT in education extends discussion to general
public

Hello,
I just found this and thought it might be of interest:

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=30484&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

I think the UNESCO is already pretty much in favor for Free Software,
but a few more advocats on that platform can't hurt ;)

Greetings,

Guido

Up the creek without a paddle?

Come June 5, who's going?

Venture Outdoors - Home: "Today Mayor Luke Ravenstahl challenged area canoe and kayak enthusiasts to join Paddle at the Point and break a world record for the largest raft of canoes and kayaks.

The Mayor himself plans to be on the water in a boat on Saturday, June 5th celebrating World Environment Day in Pittsburgh!"

Corbett withdraws subpoena of Twitter identities

Corbett withdraws subpoena of Twitter identities: "Attorney General Tom Corbett's office has withdrawn the subpoena it filed with Twitter, seeking to find the identities of two users who have been critical of Mr. Corbett on the social networking site.
Prosecutors said they do not need to know the identities, now that former Democratic aide Brett Cott has been sentenced to up to five years in jail for his role in the Bonusgate probe. They claimed Mr. Cott was the anonymous blogger CasablancaPa, whose identity they were seeking from Twitter, along with user 'bfbarbie.'"

Fw: Tom Corbett: Trying to kill the first Amendment!

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: "Chris Benson, PA Young Dems" <Chris.Benson@payd.org>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 16:31:42
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: Tom Corbett: Trying to kill the first Amendment!

Friends --

As a freedom-loving Democrat, I was appalled and disgusted with Attorney General Tom Corbett -- the GOP nominee for governor -- over his most recent abuse of the Attorney General's office.

To quote the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Corbett has stepped into a political minefield by using grand-jury subpoenas to try to unmask two of his harshest critics on the Internet.... But news of the subpoena unleashed a cascade of criticism from First Amendment and electronic-privacy advocates, who contend that Corbett is engaging in a Big Brotherlike attempt to silence and intimidate people who don't agree with him."

For those of us that follow Pennsylvania politics, this is just one of the abuses of power that Tom Corbett has exhibited since he took office. The betrayal of his voter-given public trust is enough to warrant his resignation as Attorney General alone.

Can you help us stick-it to Tom Corbett and tell him that he's NOT the right man to lead Pennsylvania for the next four years? Here's how, and it's easy:

Log on to your Facebook and/or Twitter account and put this in your status:

"Want to stop Tom Corbett and protect our First Amendment? Visit www.VoteOnorato.com and contribute today."

To stop our power-abusing Attorney General, we need to make sure that Dan Onorato is elected the next Governor of Pennsylvania this November.

Thank you all so much for your help, and thank you for all that you do for the Democratic Party!

For the cause,

Chris Benson, Corresponding Secretary
Pennsylvania Young Democrats





This email was sent via YDA's DEMopolis to: mark@rauterkus.com.
To unsubscribe from this list: http://action.yda.org/unsubscribe.jsp

Fw: The American Entrepreneur - Insider's Report

Check this out.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: "The American Entrepreneur" <brittany@taeradio.com>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 08:01:39
To: Mark<mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: The American Entrepreneur - Insider's Report

Read Ron's Weekly Article: To My Start-up CEO Friends
_________________________________________________________________
Links:
1. http://www.taeradio.com/articles/981/to-my-start-up-ceo-friends

Today on The American Entrepreneur

A Profile of the Female Entrepreneurship Experience in Western Pennsylvania

"The American Entrepreneur" Ron Morris spends some time with two of the
leading women in the region's business scene, Yvonne Campos of Campos
Market Research and Marilyn Landis of Basic Business Concepts . They
discuss their respective business experiences in the City of Pittsburgh, and
how their roles as leading female entrepreneurs have brought together other
women business leaders to collectively make an impact on Pittsburgh's
business climate. Plus, Alan Laick of Laick Design stops by to discuss
the things that your company is NOT doing with its website (….only you
don't know it yet!)

Listen Live Online - Paste the following link into your browser
Links: http://gateway.andohs.net/player/default_noax.aspx?nid=6938&sid=8316&customlogo=&shownav=&showfav=&showtuner=&nometa=
_________________________________________________________________

Saturday on The American Entrepreneur

American Entrepreneur Radio hits the road, as "The American Entrepreneur"
Ron Morris broadcasts live from Cefalo's Restaurant and Nightclub on
Washington Avenue in Carnegie. Ron talks with the father-and-son principals
of Cefalo's, Lenny and Dean Cefalo, about their story, and their experiences
in running a multi-purpose facility, specializing in fine dining, live music
and entertainment, and event management. Plus, many of TAE's regular guests
and friends will be on hand to discuss the latest business news and
information for entrepreneurs in the region, including more information on
the upcoming Entrepreneurs Growth Conference networking and business
building event at Duquesne University.

Dr. Will Clower - Plus, don't forget to stay tuned at noon, as American
Entrepreneur Radio presents Dr. Will Clower's "Business and Health", as
Dr. Clower looks at the issues that affect your personal health, and the
resulting impact on your company's bottom line.
_________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Highlights

Friday, May 28th: Robert Kiyosaki - Author of "Rich Dad/Poor Dad"

Tuesday, June 15th: Steve Wozniak - Co-founder of Apple
_________________________________________________________________

Listen Live Monday - Friday from 3p.m. to 6p.m. on 1360 A.M.

Listen Live Online - Paste the following link into your browser
Links: http://gateway.andohs.net/player/default_noax.aspx?nid=6938&sid=8316&customlogo=&shownav=&showfav=&showtuner=&nometa=

Interact Live on TalkShoe - Paste the following link into your browser
Links: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=139&cmd=tc

Listen to TAE from your phone at (724) 898-9669

Call the show live at (412) 333-1360

Interested in reaching the regions top entrepreneurs and business owners?

Contact Andrew Rossi at (412) 249-8644 or andrew@taeradio.com
==============================================

Unsubscribe mark@rauterkus.com from this list:
http://taeradio.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=59bfabe8de8afa6a938032373&id=8e09a2b809&e=f2bb744581&c=c01820f3d1

2 swimming officials file complaint with USOC - More Sports - SI.com

2 swimming officials file complaint with USOC - More Sports - SI.com: "Two longtime swimming officials claim they lost prestigious positions for speaking out against the way the sport's governing body handled sexual abuse cases, and they've gone to the U.S. Olympic Committee seeking to be reinstated."

Fw: [Locals] On-Demand Webinar - Using Technology for Community Building

From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org


I had the privilege of introducing the use of technology for community building (with a focus on neighborhoods) to a number of funders and others convened by Grassroots Grantmakers this week.

The 90 minute webinar with Q ans A is available on-demand - slides with audio, slides-only, or audio in MP3 here:

http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/845

The session description:

High Tech Meets High Touch: Using New Technology for Community Building (Webinar)

Grassroots grantmaking is high-touch work in an increasing high-tech  world. We have seen what happens when citizen leaders get together in the same room for peer learning or dialogue on issues. What new possibilities are opening up to further connect residents within and across neighborhoods using new technology? What is happening under the radar today and how can we make it more inclusive and benefit all
communities?

Join us to talk with Steven Clift, Executive Director of E-Democracy.org, the cutting-edge national organization working on this question. For some background now, see:
http://e-democracy.org/inclusion and http://stevenclift.com/.

Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com/
Executive Director - http://e-democracy.org/
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy

Fw: DR News: 2010 Primary - Incumbency, Majority, Wings Without Prayers

From: Tim Potts Democracy Rising PA <tim@democracyrisingpa.com>

Democracy Rising Pennsylvania

The Power of Incumbency Yesterday's election demonstrated once again the effect of incumbency on the choices voters have in elections. All results are from the state's Bureau of Commissions, Elections & Legislation with 99% of the vote counted. Click here. PA House:There are 203 seats up for election this year, 17 open seats and 186 seats where incumbents are seeking re-election. Percent of open seats with contests in at least one party: 94% (16 of 17) Percent of incumbents with primary opponents: 10.7% (20 of 186) Percent of incumbents re-elected: 99.5% (185 of 186) PA Senate:There are 25 seats up for election this year, three open seats and 22 seats where incumbents are seeking re-election. Percent of open seats with contests in at least one party: 67% (2 of 3) Percent of incumbents with primary opponents: 9% (2 of 22) Percent of incumbents re-elected: 100% (2 of 2) Apart from the famous defeat of Democratic U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, the only other incumbent to lose was Rep. Karen Beyer, R-Northampton, who was upset by Justin Simmons. Simmons, running on an integrity agenda, signed DR's petition for a referendum on a Constitution convention. Incumbency suppresses competition and the debate of ideas that elections are supposed to be. That's by design. Incumbents decide how the system works, and they can't resist stacking the deck in their own favor. They use the authority of their (really our) offices to raise intimidating amounts of campaign money. When the legislature is in session, the $500-per-person breakfast fundraiser is routine. And those are the cheap ones. It's the rare challenger from back home who can hope to compete. Under PA law, there is no limit to the size of campaign contributions and few restrictions on how that money can be used. Incumbents who term-limit themselves and have huge stashes of cash can perpetuate political monopolies by funding their successors' campaigns. Gerrymandering, legal obstacles to third-party and independent candidates, a public platform provided by taxpayers, and legal obstacles to easy and secure voter participation all favor incumbents, deprive citizens of choices and weaken representative democracy. Where's the Majority? Normally we think of election winners as getting 50% plus one of the votes. Then there are these winners and the percentage of votes they received because there were more than two candidates in the race: Governor, D - 45.1%, Dan Onorato Lt. Governor, D - Too close to call, but the winner will have less than 40% of the vote. The leader is Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, who also signed DR's petition. Lt. Governor, R - 26.3%, Jim Cawley Senate Districts:22nd - 22.0%, John Blake (D) House Districts:20th - 40.5%, Adam Ravenstahl (D) 85th - 44.9%, Fred Keller (R) 103rd - 46.9%, Ron Buxton (D)* 107th - 37.4%, George Zalar (D) 108th - 47.3%, Lynda Schlegel-Culver (R) 112th - 39.4%, Ken Smith (D)* 122nd - 33%, Justin Laich (D) 141st - 46.8%, Kevin Glasson (R) 190th - 47.2% Vanessa Brown (D)* 194th - 32.7%, Pamela Delissio (D) 199th - 29.2%, Stephen Bloom (R) * Incumbent In some other states, such results would bring about a run-off election, but not here. In PA, the ability of candidates to win without a majority has allowed incumbents to divide the opposition when two or more other candidates oppose them in the primary. Percent of incumbents with multiple opponents who won: 100% (8 of 8) A Wing But Not a Prayer Both major parties had contests that pitted candidates who were on the wings of the political spectrum. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, campaigned for lieutenant governor from the right wing against a crowded field of eight other Republicans. Joe Hoeffel, a Montgomery County commissioner, campaigned for governor from the left wing against a field of four. Both will put a good face on their defeats, but few gave them a prayer of winning, and they didn't. Ironically, both got the same percentage of their party's votes: 12.7%. Perhaps voters have defined the strength of the wings in both parties. In both cases, yesterday was the wings' best chance to fly because they provided real choices of political philosophy. In the general election, the contest will focus once again on the 75% of voters who aren't buying either extreme. Questions: Can PA's political center keep politics palatable for the wings? How? Can such small wings ever lift their parties? Please support Democracy Rising PA with a contribution today. Click here.Thanks! Democracy Rising Pennsylvania abides by strict NO-SPAM rules. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details. We can be reached at: P.O. Box 618, Carlisle, PA 17013  © Democracy Rising Pennsylvania 2001-2010. All Rights Reserved.

Another day of Schenley Spartan Sports to dominate the City League

Christopher Thyberg (one of the championions and stars in soccer, swimming and volleyball).

Just as the Spartans of Sparta in ancient times, so goes the PPS Spartans today. They won, and won some more. But the end looms larger with each passing victory as new recruits and refreshed armies are not to be found.

Today it is boys volleyball. The City Championships are slated for 3 pm at Brashear High School. Schenley is the #1 seed. The championship format is a double elimination tournament so a couple of matches are necessary. Action will still be on the ourt at 6 pm, we expect.



Schenley's boy spikers have won the title the last 4 years. In the fall, the girls volleyball team from Schenley also won.

Today a few of the players are going to -- if the do win the title -- grab their 3rd crown of the year. Some played as 3 sport lettermen this school year and won all three City Championships: Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball.

This is the next to last year for the Spartans. Glory awaits. The last Spartan victory may yet be in the future -- or not?

I think this squad could knock off a couple of teams in the PIAA play, if they hit their groove.

Jan Raether, superstar in three sports: goalie in soccer, breastroke, IM and freestyle relay swimmer, and volleyball back-row specialist.

Video clip (below) shows Jan (pronounced "Yawn") and Martin in the 100 free at Schenley's first home swim meet this winter season.

Rand is the man!

Is there a Doctor in the house, err, Senate?

Let's cheer for Rand!

Fw: [ooo-announce] OpenOffice.org announces Summer Internship Programme

This is a serious challenge with splendid pay off in terms of technology insights as well as cash.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Florian Effenberger <floeff@openoffice.org>
Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 21:33:17
To: <announce@openoffice.org>
Subject: [ooo-announce] OpenOffice.org announces Summer Internship Programme

OpenOffice.org announces Summer Internship Programme

Mentors will guide students through OpenOffice.org development
Bounties up to 3.500 EUR per enhancement and bug fix

The OpenOffice.org Community today announced the launch of its Summer
Internship Programme. Students from all over the world are invited to
take their first steps in OpenOffice.org development. A cash bounty up
to 3.500 EUR per enhancement or bug fix is available. Participants will
benefit by learning from experienced mentors from the worldwide
community, gaining valueable skills -- not to mention the opportunity of
coding for millions of users worldwide.

Mathias Bauer, a lead developer of OpenOffice.org, says, "We think that
working on OpenOffice.org is real fun. On the other hand, we kow that
it's also a challenge for new developers. But skilled students who have
mastered the first steps together with their mentor, will have a great
opportunity to work on interesting features in one of the biggest and
most important open source projects."

Cor Nouws, member of the OpenOffice.org Community Council, adds:
"OpenOffice.org is an exciting and challenging project. From our
experience, we know that interested students can learn lots of cool
stuff. Implementing a feature for millions of users worldwide is a
perfect reference for your resume -- and something you can be really
proud of!"

The Summer Internship Programme follows the community's previous
bug-bounty programmes that have been successfully organized in the past.
It runs from May 31st to October 31st and accepted students are required
to work full-time for a period of about three months on their project.

Space is limited, so students are encouraged to apply for the programme now!


Contacts

Florian Effenberger (UTC +01h00)
OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Lead
Email: floeff@openoffice.org
Phone: +49 8341 99660880
Mobile: +49 151 14424108
Skype: floeff | Twitter: @floeff

Louis Suárez-Potts (UTC -04h00)
OpenOffice.org Community Manager
Email: louis@openoffice.org
Phone: +1 (416) 625-3843

International contacts are available at
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html


Links

OpenOffice.org Summer Internship Programme:
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org_Internship
Project Proposals:
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org_Internship/ProjectProposals

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: announce-unsubscribe@openoffice.org
For additional commands, e-mail: announce-help@openoffice.org

Carnegie Library sides with Ravenstahl on budget contribution

This is the face of "nevermind."

Carnegie Library sides with Ravenstahl on budget contribution The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's board chair has signed on to Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's interpretation of a funding disagreement, confirming in a letter dated yesterday that a $1 million pledge in the city budget was contingent on a shelved tuition tax.

The letter by library system Chair Jacqui Fiske Lazo to the mayor, released by Mr. Ravenstahl's office today, has prompted Councilman Bruce Kraus to postpone introduction of legislation that would have granted a second $600,000 payment toward keeping threatened branches open.

Well, well, well.

Is Bruce Kraus that worthless and without merit. Or, did the mayor get the the boss of the Library System?

Did you know that in New Zealand, at their libraries, patrons pay a small fee for checking out books. Furthermore, to surf the internet at sites within New Zealand is without a charge. But, there are nominal charges for use of computers and the internet in the library when surfing to sites that are beyond New Zealand.

Swimming Slide Show

Third slide is a movie of the winning 400 yard free relay by the boys of Schenley.

Email Blast on Election Eve

Hi All,

Tomorrow, Tuesday, election day. That means we vote. Well, to be more exact, a few will vote. I can't vote on May 18, 2010, here in Pennsylvania. It is forbidden for me, as I'm a member of the Libertarian Party. I'm among the nonvoters and generally in the majority on these primary Tuesdays.

Any 'reform' of state government needs a focus on election laws and practices. Some of the ridiculous rules are not real laws but are just the way the judges and election departments have made their interpretations.

Since I can't vote, here are some thoughts from me to you. Perhaps you are a primary voter, as I love discussion, debate and a democratic process driving public policy decisions. This concept of elections with decisions made at the ballot box MUST THRIVE so decisions are not made in the streets with bullets. Yesterday I returned from Dubai, UAE -- a place where voting is absent. But, they've got no taxes and a "Pittsburgh Promise" that gives free education and college tuition to all the locals, for studies anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, if in Thailand, (translation = Free Land), I might find myself perched with my video camera within the fray among the "Red Shirts," demanding elections. Thankfully, I just get to make an email blast.

So, do vote, if you can, but don't vote in a clueless ways. It is okay to skip parts of the ballot. And, by all means, never vote for anyone who is running without any opposition. That's the worst. We have far to many elections where there is really no choice at all. And, voting for someone over nobody sends the wrong message as I'd much rather have "NONE OF THE ABOVE" inserted onto all ballot questions.

As for voting in Allegheny County, Dan Onorato was at the helm when new electronic voting machines were purchased. He made a very bad choice. I have no trust in that decision -- and that alone should disqualify him from being governor. But there is more. Dan Onorato also was at the helm of the county and had wonderful opportunities to do something about PARKS. He did next to nothing on the overall issue of PARKS, an issue I care greatly about. With Mr. Onorato, the bulk of the talk of parks was about minerals and the unannounced killing of geese, not about care for our kids, coaching and programs that build community. His "nonprofit parks foundation" is a complete failure and huge fumble by Mr. Onorato. It Onorato wins, I guess I won't get appointed to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness. Vote, if you can, for Jack Wagner, in that race.

Other great voting advice:
+ PA Republicans, please vote for Russ Diamond for Lt. Governor. He is 3rd on the ballot.

+ A couple of "Libertarians" are in two special elections in PA. One is for PA House and Don Walko's former seat and the other if for US House and John Murtha's former seat.
- Demo Agoris is the L candidate as Representative in US Congress, District 12.
- Daryl Putman, L, is the candidate and Representative in the PA General Assembly, District 20.
Both are worthy of your vote if you reside in those districts.

+ Kentucky Rs, please vote for Rand Paul for US Senate.

+ Change is good with politicians, IMHO. I hope the D party sees fit to vote out the snarlin, err, Senator Arlen Specter.


Change is bad when it comes to authentic physical assets. Really, I balk about CHURN that wants to cloak itself as progress. So, tonight, Monday, May 17, some will meet to talk about the Civic Arena after the Penguins move out. A free event called CITY LIVE! REUSE THE IGLOO?. This lecture is from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at North Side's HAZLETTE THEATER on May 17, 2010. We should keep the Civic Arena for reuse. That would be prudent public policy.

I love to keep in touch. Send me changes to your email address. I'm at Mark@Rauterkus.com .

Plus, let's be Facebook Friends: http://www.facebook.com/rauterkus
FB Group: Pittsburgh Schenley Swimming = http://www.facebook.com/rauterkus#!/group.php?gid=194350183762
FB Group: Pittsburgh Schenley Waterpolo = http://www.facebook.com/rauterkus#!/group.php?gid=128799118436

Twitter: http://Twitter.com/rauterkus

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rauterkus

Reactions welcome on the Running Mates blog: http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/

--
Ta.


Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
Swimming and Water Polo Coach, Schenley High School, Pittsburgh, PA
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

Grant, in a 'red shirt' when we visited Bangkok. Grant, Erik, Catherine and Mark.

Wishing for peace for the "Red Shirts" in Thailand.

Let's vote our way out of this, rather than shoot civilians.

City League Girls' Track and Field Championships

Three cheers for Schenley's girl track superstars -- winning the city title. Two of the girls were also on the swim team!

Yeah to Nisha and Zena!

City League Girls' Track and Field Championships In the 1,600 event -- 1. Amber Key, Peabody, 5:46.44. 2. Nisha Lipowcan, Schenley, 5:47.57. 3. Mari Baron, Allderdice, 5:50.16.

3,200 relay -- 1. Schenley (Karla Reed Simmons, Zainab Sheriff, Zena Lapp, Nisha Lipowcan), 10:36.56. 2. Allderdice, 10:41.69. 3. Langley, 11:06.29.

Way to go!

City League Track Championships: Schenley teams continue dynasty

City
League Track Championships: Schenley teams continue dynasty: "'I
take pride in this uniform and this school,' Sims said. 'Winning is always a big
deal to us because we work hard."

So, when the team lost in the past, it was a problem with "showing up."

Hard work is great. Show up too!

Way to go Schenley.

Getting Communities to Buy into Your Project | Turning Ideas into Action

Golden Rules for an online community:

Getting Communities to Buy into Your Project | Turning Ideas into Action: "On the rules of participation, a couple of examples come to mind. The Gemidiriya project in Sri Lanka has the Golden Rules for Village Organizations and Village Companies. These are:

we must contribute to our development
we must have confidence in ourselves and practice self-help
we are accountable to the village for all our actions
good governance is key to success
let us develop our village step-by-step
cost effectiveness pays
be open and transparent in our dealings
uphold the principles of equity and inclusion
act timely and ensure quality
seek help when required

The Golden Rules were developed with communities through participatory workshops so they resonate with communities. When you visit the project area, you can see the Golden Rules everywhere; they are respected."

We miss you, man.

While we were out, the Pens lost! OMG.

Is it over? Pinch me. We've had a bad dream. The playoff beards are but a fleeting memory too?

This is how they move on post Penguins in Liverpool.

Fast Dancing at Pittsburgh Folk Festival -- right past the Baltic Sea

Today was a whirl in a few different ways. We (Catherine and I) ended our trip to Dubai. We sat around the hotel pool in the late afternoon and then headed to the airport on Saturday night. The plane took off around 10:30 pm Saturday and we landed before dawn in Atlanta on Sunday. A couple of hours there and we're home to Pittsburgh only to head out to the Folk Festival in Monroeville for more food from Lebanon and the middle east.

Eirk and Goda performed, on stage, as part of "Team L."

You have a Picture Mail from cpalmer245@pm.sprint.com

Message: View Entire Message Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture MailSM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

Please be aware your friends can forward your picture, video, and album share invitations to others or post the unique Web link to your share invitation on any number of sources (e.g. blogs), through which others could also gain access to your online photos. If you have private or sensitive photos you are sharing, please share them only with those you trust.

© 2010 Sprint. All rights reserved.

Woman with a cause: Mimi Hughes will try to swim the length of the Ohio River to raise awareness about women's issues

Woman with a cause: Mimi Hughes will try to swim the length of the Ohio River to raise awareness about women's issues: "Woman with a cause: Mimi Hughes will try to swim the length of the Ohio River to raise awareness about women's issues"

See comments for full article.

Blast from the past: A PPS sports proposal is uncovered and mostly unrealized.

I did not write this. I did just re-type it. It is not on the internet, until now.

My slim connection to this report below comes from the follow-up meetings that were held in the wake of this report's delivery. There were a few meetings among concerned parents and community members that were held. I attended a couple of them. After a while, the meetings stopped.

A fellow parent with kids in PPS who has also worked in a couple of different government posts with community and economic development was my contact to that group in the past. Furthermore, this parent stayed involved in the process into 2011. .

This report was the first matter of business, of sorts, for the new task force. It was shared by Mike G, of PPS, as a way to kick off the conversations and review what was suggested in the past and how much and how little was changed as per these suggestions.

Recommendations for the Improvement of the Interscholastic Athletic Program

Submitted to Dr. John Thompson, superintendent of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, by the Athletic Excellence Task Force, 2000-2001

Introduction

The School District of Pittsburgh is committed to providing a comprehensive educational program that addresses the intellectual, emotional, social and physical growth and development of every child. Interscholastic Athletics has always been an important part of that educational experience for the student athletes and the student body at large. Students participating in the Athletic Program get a chance to learn not only the knowledge and skills associated with the sport, they also develop important life skills such as teamwork, sportsmanship, cooperation, planning, goal setting, time management and many others. Many student athletes develop lifelong relationships with teammates and colleagues through their involvement with Interscholastic Athletics.

The Athletic Program has provided the opportunity for many students to utilize specific talents and ability while participation in an enjoyable part of school life. For most athletes, sports activities provide the involvement in and connection to school that raises self-esteem and school pride. It also provides an opportunity for parents to become involved in their child’s school activities. It has long been a way for the community to remain involved in the total PPS program.

The athletic program may not only b physically demanding but also academically challenging for the student athlete. Student athletes must devote countless hours to athletic practices and contests while remaining their commitment to academic success. Therefore, we owe the student athlete, their parents and peers, excellence in Athletic Programming including coaching, facilities, equipment, training and academic support. Since athletics is such a positive experience for many students, we must not only continuously improve the program we must also provide a system that ensures maximum student participation.

It is in this regard that the Athletic Excellence Task Force was convened. We offer the following recommendations as a means to improve the overall Athletic Program. While there are many recommendations included in the report, we are prepared to remain as an advisory committee to the District, to develop a prioritized action plan for implementing any recommendations that may ultimately be approved by the Board of School Directors.

Participant List from 2000-2001

Ray Ames, Faculty Manager
Patsy Aluise, Principal
Cherri Banks, TLA
Dwight Clay, Official
Terry Cowden, Coach
Rico Davis, Official
Al Fondy, PFT
George Gensure, PFT
Kelli Jackson, Coach
Brenda Jones, Coach
Phyllis Jones, Coach
Andrew King, Student Services (what?), King was PPS Administration
Fred Lucas, Coach
Sarah Martin, Health & Wellness
Robert Miller, Principal
Pamela Murray, Parent
Robert Pajak, Athletics
Vernon Phillips, Principal
Sandford Rivers, University Staff
Dana Schumacker, Parent
Donald Smith, Parent
James Solters, Moderator
Bill Tenney, Parent
Un-Named Parent
Art Victor, Parent
Brian White, Student Services

General Recommendations
Athletic Program
Where possible have two divisions for all Interscholastic Sports at the Middle and High School levels. Schools would be periodically reassigned to a particular division to maintain parity and competitiveness among teams. Longitudinal studies could be completed every three years to determine divisional assignments.

Require each school to play a minimum number of exhibition and regular games to increase the playing experience of teams.

Modify the Middle School program to include:
Football at the 7th and 8th grade levels,
Baseball instead of Softball,
A track and Field program,
Interscholastic opportunities at K-8 schools.

Maintain Intramural funds centrally and allocate to schools once program is established.

Explore strategies to enable elementary and middle school teachers to coach at the High School level with minimal intrusion on their teaching responsibilities.

Explore strategies to minimize the intrusion on teaching and learning activities due to student participation in athletic contests.
Establish equity of access to athletic programs, equipment and facilities: this may involve use of alternative sites for practice and contests and pairing of schools to ensure adequate team membership.

Add an additional professional position to assist the Program Manager of Athletics with the following:
Completion and implementation of a systemic plan for implementation of Task Force recommendations;
Developing a PPS Athletic Program web site.
Developing and implementing a marketing plan.
Establish partnership with the City for sharing fields and other facilities.
Establish partnerships with local professional teams for financial and marketing support.
Establish viable and active PPS Interscholastic Alumni group.
Develop equitable funding formula for all sports.
Monitor practice sessions, athletic contests and intramural activities.
Assist with the selection, training, and evaluation of coaches.
Developing a plan to secure supplemental funding from private and public sources.
Establish a Pittsburgh Athletic Association to support the PPS program.

Student Participation
Develop and adopt a Code of Student Sportsmanship that would be signed by student athletes and their parents. This code would establish parameters for acceptable behavior during practice and athletic contests.

Develop a form for spectators or staff to use when reporting an alleged incident of unsatisfactory sportsmanship. Form would be submitted to Athletic Office and appropriate principals and the incident would be investigated.

Increase number of viable junior varsity athletic teams by including more sports and adding an assistant coach where appropriate.

Develop manual for all student athletes that includes eligibility guidelines, college entrance requirements, NCAS guidelines and academic support information, e.g., tutoring, mentoring, homework assistance and Code of Sportsmanship.

Facilities

Improve and maintain a safe and appropriate surface on all grass fields.

Explore possibility of another site for playing District football games and Track and Field events and Baseball games.

Establish equitable sizes and seating capacities for gymnasiums.

Provide equal access to gymnasiums for Middle Schools.

Develop multi-sport training facilities.

Group schools where possible to increase access to adequate facilities.

Ensure that each program has access to safe and appropriate equipment for training needs.

The report also has some background memorandums. One is from John Walluk, Director of Facilities, dated May 10, 2001, about costs to bring all the high school and middle school athletic field facilities up to an equal standard. It includes a few charts.

Another memo is about substandard Middle School Gyms.

The student eligibility memo from the task force is enclosed too. It was prepared by a sub-committee. I'll re-type that memo soon.

Selection of coaches is another memo with a sub committee. That inclueds some forms for coach application resumes for the Human Resource Dept of PPS.

The code of ethics for coaches is enclosed as is another memo, training of coaches. That included a coaches rating factor table. It was from a sub committee for the evaluation of coaches.

Lieutenant governor a popular job - Russ Diamond is the man!

Calling all Republican friends who are going to vote in the PA Primary. Here is the guy you want for Lt. Governor.Lieutenant governor a popular job

Russ Diamond of Lebanon County, who got much attention in 2005-06 as the head of PA Clean Sweep, which fought to overturn the legislative pay raise.

Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/10134/1058002-178.stm#ixzz0nwAQqWca

I full endorse Russ Diamond for PA Lt. Governor in the 2010 primary on the Republican ticket.

OpenOffice.org is one of the most popular products of the FOSS, Free/Open Source Software

OpenOffice.org is one of the most popular products of the FOSS (Free/Open Source) community, and for many millions of people it is their first experience of FOSS. Key to OpenOffice.org's success has been its ability to compete openly and freely with competitors on any platform, and demonstrate that FOSS is a better choice.

Uniquely among leading office suites, OpenOffice.org provides a mechanism
for developers to build and release "extensions" to provide additional
features. Extensions can be added and removed at will by users, giving
them the freedom to tailor their own copy of OpenOffice.org to do what
they need to do. The OpenOffice.org Community has created a common
repository where users can select and download extensions.

The OpenOffice.org Community Council has been asked by the FSF to give the
FSF an effective veto over which extensions should be permitted to appear
in this repository. The Community Council has felt unable to do this. We
believe passionately that FOSS delivers better software - including
extensions, but that users must be free to make the comparison and reach
their own conclusion.

It is a fact that the vast majority of our users currently run OpenOffice.org on a proprietary operating system, alongside other proprietary software. We respect their choice, and believe the best way to influence them to change is by delivering high quality FOSS software that meets their needs.

The OpenOffice.org Community Council regrets that the FSF was unable to accept our compromise proposals for a more clearly signposted extensions repository. We believe the creation of an alternative repository will cause confusion and will lead to a poorer experience for users. However, we are more than happy to work with the FSF to encourage FOSS developers to address areas where proprietary only solutions exist.

The OpenOffice.org Community Council
http://council.openoffice.org/

War on Drugs gets FAILING GRADE. Don't ch think?

They reached NONE of their goals. Zero. That sounds like a total failure.

Post-Gazette.com

After 40 years, the United States' war on drugs has cost $1 trillion and hundreds of thousands of lives, and for what? Drug use is rampant and violence even more brutal and widespread.

Even U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske concedes the strategy hasn't worked.

"In the grand scheme, it has not been successful," Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. "Forty years later, the concern about drugs and drug problems is, if anything, magnified, intensified."

As a Libertarian, I've got better ideas.

RunRev Blog | RunRev

RunRev Blog | RunRev

Meet Ultra Marathoner Charlie Engle at the Pittsburgh Premiere: Running the Sahara

While I'm in the desert, in Dubai, you all back home can have a desert experience. Check it out. Tonight.

Meet Ultra Marathoner Charlie Engle at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Premiere of Running the Sahara


Running the Sahara chronicles an attempt by three ultra marathoners to run across the entire length of Africa’s Sahara Desert, tackling not only the elements, but also unimaginable physical and emotional obstacles. Their goal is to run through Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt, anticipating two marathons per day, for eighty days - without a day off.


The expedition spans 4,300 miles (6,920 kilometers) and passes through six countries. Charlie Engle from the United States, Kevin Lin from Taiwan, and Ray Zahab from Canada, have run together in marathons before. But this expedition is different. It’s a grueling test of will – a story about the human spirit under fire – and a chance to accomplish something that no known person has ever achieved.


WHEN: Thursday, May 13, 7:00p.m.


WHERE: Southside Works Cinemas, 425 Cinema Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15203
TICKETS: $18

Your ticket includes admission to the screening, virtual swag bag, and a post film Q & A with Ultra Marathoner Charlie Engle. Charlie will be available to sign autographs.


Advance online tickets will be available up to 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 13, 2010. At the door tickets are $25.00 and do not include the virtual swag bag.
Please go through http://nehst.com/grp  to buy your tickets and Girls on the Run at Magee-Womens Hospital will get $3 for every ticket sold (only through that link).


Don’t forget the GOTR 5K is this Sunday at Sandcastle!


http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?EVENT_ID=1846184&CHECKSSO=0


http://www.gotrmagee.org

Snow day backlash

Senate Bill 1297: Prohibits the Secretary of Education from allowing a school district to reduce the number of instructional days due to school closures resulting from severe weather conditions unless expressly authorized by an act of the General Assembly or unless the school district can demonstrate that the number of days schools were closed due to severe weather exceeds the number of remaining available days through June 30. Under this proposal, school districts must utilize all available days through June 30 in order to meet the state’s 180 day instructional requirement, including those days previously scheduled for vacation, in-service or Saturdays. The bill does provide for student absences for religious observances on Saturdays. The bill does not affect current provisions relating to graduating seniors. SB 1297 prohibits the Secretary of Education from making payments to school districts for instructional days not completed due to severe weather conditions. SB 1297 awaits further consideration by the full House.

Generally, our family has a big attraction to the concept of "No Child Left Behind" in that when we travel -- we generally always bring our kids with us. We've taken them to China, New Zealand and other far off places -- skipping school, so to speak. As this blog is posted, we've left our kids in school in Pittsburgh while we go to the Middle East.

Point is, every rule can be broken from time to time. That's flexibility. That's valued. When we pulled our kids out of school and went to China and missed 20 or 30 days of school, -- we were still learning, teaching and exploring.

I don't like a ridgid life. And, I really don't want to put too much power into the hands of the PA House of Represenatives.

Perhaps these guys were not so interested in the power of the decision, but the sadness that comes when they are the one's who can grant a snow vacation as a legit time away from the classroom. They wanted to play Santa Clause with school days -- not the Secretary of Education.