Random Thoughts on Why a student would Play Water Polo

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=18456&uid=128799118436#!/topic.php?uid=128799118436&topic=18456

Students play and engage in water polo for many reasons.

Water Polo is a great activity for you because:

Water polo is an international sport. Schools with an international focus should sponsor, support and excel at sports played on an international stage.

Water polo is the oldest team sport in the Olympics. Water polo has a rich history that spans the globe. In some parts of the world, water polo is more popular than the NBA is in the USA.

Water polo players are welcomed to join with locals when traveling abroad.

Water polo is an emerging sport in the region and in the city. Be special.

Water polo is not PIAA nor WPIAL sponsored, so its operation is directed by the coaches association. Coaches everywhere work with a cooperative spirit to help the players and teams have great experiences.

Water polo is a sport for developing aquatic fitness that can lead to lifeguarding jobs and later lifeguard competitions as even help in open water swimming.

Water polo is often a co-ed sport with joint practices that accommodate both boys and girls.

Water polo is team sport and balances well next to swimming, more of an individual sport.

Water polo is a splendid conditioning activity for all sorts of activities.

Water polo is a perfect fitness builder for competitive swimming.

Playing water polo helps swimmers build stamina and get into pool earlier for a more successful scholastic swim season from last November to early March.

Water polo games are filled with player substitutions so newer and less conditioned players can easily wave themselves out of the game when desired. Taking a break on the bench feels good. Jumping back into the action, refreshed, is rewarding.

Water polo is played at many colleges and universities. Playing water polo in younger years gives students an edge at college with an additional group of 50 or so friends. Playing water polo as a teen would allow you to instantly contribute to a collegiate water polo team squad.

Water polo is a lifelong game. College aged athletes can play with those in high school and middle school. Those who graduated from college decades ago can even jump in to play with younger athletes. Both examples were true in the summer of 2010 as Max, a college player in Connecticut practiced with our squad to stay in shape and sharpen his skills. Meanwhile, at the team’s game at IUP in August, Jay, a '92 high school grad played with our community squad.

As we grow community water polo in Pittsburgh, we’ll be able to get adults into the action at different times. So one day, when in your 20s or 30s, you’ll be able to join a water polo league for fun, fitness and another set of friends.

With water polo, you’ll be able to stay connected to your friends in the years to come, playing an alumni game against the younger students.

Play water polo now so you can coach or officiate water polo wherever you go in the future, helping other kids learn sports in a safe environment – perhaps coaching your own son or daughter’s team and practices. Gain the skills and experiences that will allow you to join an adult recreational league for water polo, or a masters swim league, or an underwater hockey league.

Water polo and swim training often includes circuit workouts, a mix of sweat and social time.

Warm-ups and cool-downs can be completed without waiting around for others to catch up.

In swimming and water polo practice, everyone participates, not just the starters. Same too for the meets and games, mostly.

Coaches' assessments are clear and easily understood.

Whatever your sport or event - whether you're a jumper, cyclist, runner, ball player, skater, swimmer, or a participant in racket sports, you'll improve your strength, mobility and stamina through water polo and its training plan. As a result, you will move much more powerfully in your sport and between classes in the hallways.

The full training plan for water polo is just coming along. Join now before the squad gets really strong.

Water polo is not expensive here. Meanwhile, players at North Allegheny have an $800 per season charge to be a part of their water polo team. Go figure.

Water polo helps to improve your ability to tolerate increasing levels of muscular fatigue.

Get more hang out time with assistant coaches, Mr. Pitch and Ms. Borza.

Enhance your overall body strength, including the strength and resiliency of muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the integrity of your joints, and the strength and density of your supporting bone structures (strength improvement). Chlorine helps makes your teeth white.

Improve your movement skill and body awareness. You'll perform exercises that utilize body weight as the primary form of resistance.

Water polo is played the length of the pool, so there is a shallow end too.

Athletes in a number of sports have been able to drop into water polo practices and games to boost fitness and give bodies a break from the constant stress of gravity.

Heighten body awareness, upgrade coordination, reduce body-fat levels, improve self esteem, sleep better at night.

Water polo experiences and play can help you to improved performances during competition of other sports.

For swimmers an polo players, the ideal time to initiate a resistance training program is always today and seldom tomorrow.

Water polo makes for an excellent way to simultaneously build strength and stamina.

Free weights and instructions on how to make various exercises and lifts in safe and effective ways are part of the overall focus for the coach and team -- especially for beginners.

We train the core because we use it -- and all the other parts of our bodies.

With water polo, we develop strength and mobility in the knee and hip joints, important for high-speed movement on land and kicking in water, plus walking when you are 80-years old.

Water polo develops stability and strength in the upper trunk, abdominal, and pelvic regions. This strength that is necessary to control torso movements during the running stride and when you strike a ball or puck in other sports.

Water polo and swimming increases upper-body strength. Control hip, trunk, and shoulder movements as you move quickly. Water polo promotes balance between the upper and lower body.

People in sports and education from around the city, region, state and world care about the advancement of the water polo program at our school, and they are watching the progress.

The rivals for the water polo team include a prep school in New Jersey, schools in central and eastern PA, and other top schools in the county. With water polo and swimming, we are eager to compete with the best.

Many of the best students in the school are swimmers and enjoy water polo too.

Going to high school state tournament in water polo in a year or two is a strong possibility given the talent of some of our key and experienced players.

Water polo’s future travel with the community team is sure to include a trip to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Become strong in the water when young and healthy as swim pools are used in other programs for rehab and jump training. Big time college basketball, volleyball and track programs hold jump training practices in swim pools -- and the one’s that can’t swim well wear life-jackets.

The whole-body involvement of water polo increases your cardio -- even when game-times are as short as 12-minute halfs. Short games are plenty long enough. Short games feel long and they give time for more games plus other things in life.

With aquatics, swimming, water polo, the training has a cumulative effect over an extended period of time. After weeks, months and years, you’ll notice appreciable gains. Best of all, you'll always be stimulated with new challenges and experiences that will grow to match your competitive efforts.

Getting a glowing job or scholarship reference from your former water polo coach is impressive. It is a snap to use the internet to find Coach Mark.

Anyone can join the Facebook group. Search for Pittsburgh Schenley Water Polo.

The video library for water polo and swimming is extensive. With these sports you can improve and learn while at your computer keyboard.

With water polo, you are under no obligation to continue as the activity relies upon drop-in participation.

Swimming in the summer is great when it is hot.

The fall water polo season of games is super short.

Feel free to call Coach Mark Rauterkus, 412 98 3432. Mark@Rauterkus.com

A dog day afternoon at Dormont Pool

Here we go again. More coverage and buzz about how we treat our animals than how we treat our own kids.

A dog day afternoon at Dormont Pool: "A dog day afternoon at Dormont Pool"

Fish and sharks at the Pgh Zoo and Aquarium has a much nicer pool to swim in than the swimmers. I frown that they build a multi-million dollar facility for them to swim in -- and we still have a broken down capital campaign for aquatic facilities for humans.

Sure, they are going to put in an 8 lane pool at Bethal Park H.S. Mt. Lebo gets a remake of its outdoor pool. The leaks and threat of being closed has passed for Dormont itself. Some gains have been made. Pine Richland might get something grand to make waves about?

Meanwhile, the Downtown YMCA pool, now owned by Point Park is going to be a food court. The swim pool at South Vo Tech is filled with cement. The Schenley High School pool is with mothballs.

The new spray parks being built by Citiparks are also fine for dogs and pets -- but hardly for teaching swimming for kids. So, they do not show up as any gain in my book.

Sandcastle was nice yesterday.

Fw: SSSNA E-Blast 9/6 - South Side Park Trail Building - Sept 18th

From: South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association <sssnapgh@gmail.com>

 

9/18 - Trail building in South Side Park

We have been offered technical assistance to rebuild/refurbish a trail in south side park in advance of StepTrek and need your help.

Time: From 9AM -1 PM  Come whenever you can for as long as you can... Its not necessary to stay the whole time.

Place : Meet and Bandi Schaum field off of Mission Street.

Stay posted for more details, but keep this date as we need as many volunteers as possible.  Email info@southsideslopes.org with any questions.

10/10 - StepTrek 2010

Join us on Sunday, October 10th for our 10th annual StepTrek.  Registration is now open. 

More details and a link to registration are on http://www.southsideslopes.org/

Anyone Interested in volunteering for StepTrek, contact Brian Oswald at  brian.oswald@southsideslopes.org

Help with the wiki to give pointers to congressional races

Josh Shpayher launched a wiki that tracks governmental use of social media - http://www.govsm.com/

He is seeking volunteers to help collect data with links to congressional campaign facebook pages, twitter pages, etc. The page for the US House campaigns has more than 800 entries. http://www.govsm.com/w/House_Campaigns

Never enough hours in the class day

Never enough hours in the class day: "What are schools doing to make the best use of the time they have now?"

I am all in favor of a longer school day if it begins at 6 am with a dip into the swimming pool. And, I want to see the students after the final bell rings for another swim in the pool, say from 4 pm to 5:30 pm.

Make use of the Saturday time too.

So, in my book, schools are NOT making the best use of time from my vantage point. And, I'm not happy about it and I'm trying to get this fixed as soon as possible.

Police investigate Brookline stabbing

Police investigate Brookline stabbing: "An emergency dispatch supervisor said a man was stabbed at about 3 a.m. somewhere in Brookline then the victim was driven for unknown reasons to the South Side."

The work of the tooth fairy brings people to the South Side.

Tiger Water Polo invites its players to the NA water polo tournament

This coming weekend, Friday and Saturday, North Allegheny will be hosting the Tiger Classic. This is a high school water polo tournament featuring our NA boys and girls teams and a host of other high school teams from across the state of Pennsylvania. I spoke to the kids about it at practice yesterday. If your schedule permits, it would be great for you and your young athletes to come see water polo played at a very fast and high level. It’s a nice way too for the kids to picture themselves several years down the road, perhaps playing high school water polo. We tend to get good attendance from the Tiger Water Polo kids and they often group together to watch the games. It’s a lot of fun. In addition, seeing water polo at this level is a great learning experience for the kids.

There will be more details to come this week. Hope you can make it. I’ll send out the schedule of NA’s games when I get it this week.

Municipal Open Gov Framework - Work in Progress

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Municipal Open Gov Framework - Work in Progress

View more presentations from Jury Konga.

EXCELSIOR SPORTS: Coordinative Specificity: Triangulating On The Target III

EXCELSIOR SPORTS: Coordinative Specificity: Triangulating On The Target III: "“Power is nothing without control.”
— Pirelli Tyre"

Pittsburgh Public School Football -- week 1 action

So, Langley won, and the others from the city that played, lost. Langley won, 8-0 over Carlynton Cougars, former home to Bill Cowher.

Allderdice lost to Central Valley High School with a score of 35 to nil.

Brasher lost to Knock, at Cupples, 56-7.

Carrick, lost 40-0 to Catholic school, Seton-LaSalle.

Oliver, City League's defending runner-ups, lost to Shady Side Academy, 35-0.

Perry went to its savage neighbors, North Hills, and lost 28-7. (Indian joke)

Schenley, City League's defending champions, went to the beautiful suburb of Butler, Herman, Pa, home of Summit Academy, a 'reform school of sorts,' and lost 34-8. Summit Academy is at the site of a former school of mine, St. Fidelis. This game was played on Saturday afternoon.

Peabody did not play a game but had practice today on the field next to the school. Westinghouse didn't play a game this weekend either. Both Peabody and Westinghouse are closing after this year. Well, Westinghouse might have a team next year but it will be grade 6 to 12, single gender academy Westinghouse.

Go Mustangs! (Hint: The Mustangs are from Langley.)

Two of the games (Allderdice and Perry) were part of the recent Fedko football coverage. Both highlight clips had big plays with the city teams fumbling.

You do the math.

Bridge looks like an optical illusion.. #earthquake on Twitpic

Bridge looks like an optical illusion.. #earthquake on Twitpic: "Bridge looks like an optical illusion"

Johnny Howard ousted from Frogtown Football - Page 1 - News - Minneapolis - City Pages

Johnny Howard ousted from Frogtown Football - Page 1 - News - Minneapolis - City Pages: "Twenty years ago, the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul was a very different place than it is today. Thinly disguised brothels and crack dens brought down the value of entire blocks. Gangs patrolled the streets, charging kids a toll to walk on sidewalks they claimed as their turf, remembers Tony Schmitz, former editor of the Frogtown Times Newspaper.
'That was kind of the height of the crack epidemic around here,' says Schmitz. 'Your kid's school bus would show up and there'd be kids selling crack on the corner.'
Howard was among the loudest voices for change. He organized the Thomas-Dale Block Club, an aggressive version of a neighborhood watch program. Hundreds of community members protested the known brothels and crack houses until the city could no longer ignore them.
'That was really a critical time for how this neighborhood was going to go,' says Schmitz, an original member of the block club. 'It finally got to the point where we could go to the cops and say we need more policing there, and they would listen.'
It was Howard's idea to create a place for kids to go after school. He merged two dwindling community football teams into one program, which he called the Frogtown Football program. He poured thousands of dollars of his own money into equipment and jerseys.
The program was an immediate draw to kids around the neighborhood. Within the first few years, more than 150 kids played for Frogtown Football. For many who joined, playing football with Howard after school was an alternative to the streets, says District 7 Planning Council executive director Tait Danielson-Castillo.

Soccer Fields and Community Pressure

A case story from another community about soccer fields.

By Boa Lee,



Community Outreach and Information Leader, Greater Frogtown Neighbors Forum


A post appeared on the Minneapolis citywide issues forum in mid-March 2009. The poster, Jay Clark, the director of the Minnesota Center for Neighborhood Organizing and a well-known community organizer in the North Minneapolis and Hmong communities, told forum members about a recent Minneapolis Park Board meeting. At that meeting, Clark wrote, Latino kids and their parents were separated from the wider audience – and eventually removed from the premises – without having been given a fair opportunity to air their concerns. The Latino community members had attended the meeting to advocate for soccer fields at Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis; the meeting was taking place in another part of the city. Even before attending the park board meeting, the Latinos who were extracted from the meeting – with Clark’s help – had began a large awareness campaign to put pressure on the park board and city leaders to create soccer fields for the Latino kids already playing soccer in Powderhorn. The group had also been distributing hundreds of postcards to residents, asking the residents to send the notice of support to decision-makers like the mayor of Minneapolis.






Soccer at Powderhorn - Photo by Gayla Ellis for Powderhorn 365Meeting organizers saw Clark’s post and one park commissioner responded the next day, explaining that park commissioners were aware of the group’s campaign to get the soccer fields. Neighbors responded to the topic.


My mid-April 2009, the topic had moved to the Powderhorn Neighbors Forum, where dozens more posts from residents both in support of and against the soccer fields shared their thoughts. One Latino teen who played soccer at Powderhorn logged on to the forum using Clark’s name (but signing his own at the end of post). The teen invited neighbors to come watch a game. By this time, the issue was also receiving wide media attention and several neighborhood newspapers picked up the story and/or published Letters to the Editor written by the Latino teens asking for the soccer fields.


The best success indicator of the community’s campaign to get the soccer fields was not necessarily that the soccer fields actually came to be or even that a public official responded to Clark’s original post; rather, it was the ability to reach many more people – neighbors – through the forum and garnering a wider and more diverse base of supporters that Clark would later note in an interview with me as the most positive part of the project. Clark said he has used the forum to help highlight other campaigns – for example a campaign spearheaded by Hmong teens to get more Hmong-speaking officers to work the day shift in North Minneapolis – and intends to continue using the E-Democracy forums as another tool in his community organizer’s toolbox.


While community organizing is not E-Democracy’s direct mission, the organization’s desire to increase civic engagement by providing an online space for neighbors to meet and discuss issues lends well to also aiding in, or perhaps inciting, organizing work. Giving neighbors and organizers a venue in which to share information can complement traditional community organizing. At the same time, this raises the question of how E-Democracy might enhance community organizing and social change in the 21st century.


Lessons Applied in Frogtown


In June 2010, I seeded a topic asking the Greater Frogtown Neighbors Forum members where they got their hyper-local (neighborhood) news. No one responded to that thread. But one person did start a new related thread that same day in response, stating that Frogtown was at a disadvantage by not having a dedicated newspaper and asking for creative ideas to get community news distributed to neighbors. The following day and just eight posts later (the thread ballooned to 19 posts), Tony Schmitz – a Frogtown resident and the former owner of the now defunct Frogtown Times newspaper – offered to take the online discussion offline. Schmitz offered to host a brainstorming session at his house.


Seven days after the thread started, Tony and two other residents (one of whom was Tony’s wife), Mary Turck from the Twin Cities Daily Planet (an online news site) and I discussed the idea of starting a Frogtown neighborhood newspaper. By the time the meeting ended, those in attendance had each volunteered to do more research or outreach about the idea. The neighbors become their own community organizers.


The two stories shared above represent the convergence of new technologies with old organizing models. What we know of traditional community organizing is that results are met when a group of people can come together to push for a common benefit. To build a foundation of support requires outreach, strategic planning and, oftentimes, good timing. Organizers will need to determine whether and when E-Democracy is the proper venue in which to share information and receive input. As community organizing takes greater advantage of social media and the Internet, adding a new tool like posting on the E-Democracy online forums can become part of the strategic outreach method that capitalizes on changing technology and a growing and attentive audience.


Editor’s Note: The soccer field story is ongoing with some Powderhorn Park changes and a permanent artificial turf field being built in next door in the Phillips neighborhood (after making this post, I received a telephone call from an elected official crediting in large part the campaign described above even if the permanent field will be in a nearby park).

Fw: Hey Southside dads (and moms too!), I need your help please

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: Ted Williams <twilliams@dymun.com>

Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:54:59 -0400

To: <kautzabc@upmc.edu>; <donnenbergad@upmc.edu>; <patrickfilip@gmail.com>; <steve@gototheworks.com>; <choffman@da.allegheny.pa.us>; <nikiivanov@hotmail.com>; <drewhine@hotmail.com>; <argentursa@hotmail.com>; <Dan@cwpress.com>; <pete@coachstobl.com>; <cdinunzio@medline.com>; <john@winnets.com>; <randy.tracht@gmail.com>; <peter@margittai.com>; <gquinlan@citytheatrecompany.org>; <jeff@hotmetalbridge.com>; <douglas@city-net.com>; <richard@richardkelly.com>; <bill.murphy@princeton1.com>; <alang@oxforddevelopment.com>; <mikehealey@city-net.com>; <mark@rauterkus.com>; <carmon@carmon.net>; <rnecciai1@pghboe.net>; <chawk07@gmail.com>; <jigims1@pghboe.net>; <underiner@verizon.net>; <weavej1@comcast.net>; <dpilarski1@pghboe.net>; <mvarlotta1@pghboe.net>; <kylel@xactix.com>; <sanpitt@msn.com>

Cc: <lawforkids@aol.com>; Griffin, Deborah<griffindl@upmc.edu>

Subject: Hey Southside dads (and moms too!), I need your help please

The Ad Agency where I work, Dymun + Co, is the agency for the Pittsburgh Promise.
We have a meeting coming up next Thurs (sept 9th) and we are looking to get some
Input from PPS students about the Promise.

This is the question we would like as many Pittsburgh Public School students as possible to answer:
 
IF EVERY PITTSBURGH KID HAD THE CHANCE TO LIVE UP TO THEIR POTENTIAL, WHAT WOULD PITTSBURGH BE LIKE?

If you would please pass along their response and their First Name, Age, Grade and School.
If I could have your responses by tues or wd of next week, that would be AWESOME and a huge
Help to the Pittsburgh Promise.

Also please pass along the above request to any other parents that might able to help and have
Their kids contribute.

Thank you in advance for your help.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thanks so much!

---ted williams




--------------------------------------

Ted Williams
Art Director


The Waterfront Building
200 First Avenue
Pittsburgh PA  15222
p: 412-281-2345
f: 412-281-3493
c: 412-277-6708
e: twilliams@dymun.com
w: dymun.com

Brand Development l Strategic Counsel l Advertising l Public Relations l Design

News from New Zealand, posted on a public list, about a campaign with closed debates

Rik Tindall may have posted:

Kia ora taatou,

Everyone should try running for Mayor at least once in their life. There
are lessons to be learned from this process as nowhere else.

First and foremost of the available insights is the specific nature of
the predetermination (interested bias) that tends to control New Zealand
politics, down to local level.

A version of the following statement was elicited and published in an
article by the Christchurch Star - thank you Star reporters:

"Candidates cry foul over debate snub" 20 August 2010
http://issuu.com/the.star/docs/110232cs?mode=embed&viewMode=presentation&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fsoftlight%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=dddddd&showFlipBtn=true&proShowSidebar=false&logo=http://starnews.co.nz/images/MagicBox4.gif&logoOffsetX=0&logoOffsetY=0

However the letter on which my quoted statement was based did not make
it past The Press letters editor:

Dear Sir,

Duncan Cotterill Law's closed mayoral forum brought shame upon all participants [19Aug2010]. It insulted both rate-payers and democracy.

All business ideas should be welcome at the table, for resolving economic slump. But this tired cabal, encircled by their wagon-train, shows only fear of the unknown course that society is on and their lack of preparedness for it.

Until they demonstrate commitment to democratic principle and transparency, candidates Anderton and Parker cannot be trusted with the city key.

Rik Tindall, mayoral candidate


To conclude then:

Q: what is the next worse thing to a one-party state?

A: A two-party state, it seems (under Anglo-American tutelage).

Winners are picked ahead of time, and substantive issues intentionally avoided, by a watered-down 'combative' / adversarial 'personality contest' / 'presidential race' set up by not just the media moguls.

But the big question is, can this historic shared imperial Anglo-American 'soft fascism' actually survive, or is it now in terminal decline?

What have Australian voters just said, and need now to translate, other than 'there is no real choice in parliamentary politics' as the offerings are so very much the same?

Is there a third choice that is even available under Capital+Labour monopoly? (Duopoly; the interests of capital are variously titled "Liberal", "Conservative", "Tory", "National" etc.)

On the topic of political choice, The Press certainly is forming a view:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/opinion/perspective/4054218/Aust-poll-bad-for-two-party-system

- Open up the debate, the unlimited battle of ideas, and an inclusive future can start to unfold. Otherwise, we are drifting back in time.

Another oil rig explosion in the Gulf

Ron Paul on Obama’s Iraq Speech: Mission Not Accomplished

LAKE JACKSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Congressman Ron Paul today released the following statement on President Obama’s speech from the Oval Office last night:

“The President’s announcement that all U.S. combat troops have left Iraq is no more believable than the 'Mission Accomplished' declaration was in 2003.”

.“The President’s announcement that all U.S. combat troops have left Iraq is no more believable than the 'Mission Accomplished' declaration was in 2003.

“Once again, we are being told the mission has been accomplished and our brave men and women are coming back home. Though the people are hopeful they remain skeptical, and rightfully so.

“The biggest problem is that success in Iraq is undefinable since the mission was never defined. The reasons given for the invasion were based on misinformation. Now, the war has cost us hundreds of billions of dollars and this has contributed significantly to our economic woes.

“Forty-four hundred Americans are dead, thirty thousand severely wounded, and more than a hundred thousand are suffering from serious health problems related to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This alone should tell us that it was not worth the investment and the needless sacrifice of our young people and the taxpayers.

“It is deceitful to imply we will avoid hostilities with this new policy. We still have to contend with:

•the 50,000 troops carrying weapons remain in Iraq
•the 100,000 contractors that remain with more expected to go to Iraq
•the 9,000 special ops personnel trained in assassinations that remain in Iraq
•a huge embassy, bigger than the Vatican, that will remain
•Dozens of military bases that will stay
•Al Qaeda organizations that did not exist before the war
•Muqtada al Sadr, a strong nationalist who has gained much political power
•The fact that Iran benefits tremendously with the Shiites now in power in Iraq and is a close ally of al Sadr

“Osama bin Laden wins by 'proving' that America has an agenda of occupation in the Middle East. And, we continue to walk into his trap and hand him up his best recruitment tool in his efforts to incite hatred and terrorism against the United States.

“What’s worse, President Obama made it clear last night that the troops and resources leaving Iraq will not come home to defend our country or ease our economic woes. They will instead be diverted to Afghanistan, perhaps also Pakistan and, I fear, even Iran.

“From my viewpoint we are the losers in this fool’s errand of endless war. Tragically, this new policy is not one of peace but merely a charade that will severely undermine our national security and continue us down the path to bankruptcy—a threat that we best not long ignore.”

Typhoon Kompasu hits South Korea

Typhoon Kompasu hits South Korea: "Typhoon Kompasu made landfall in northern South Korea early Thursday, leaving two dead and causing the worst disruption to power and transport networks in the capital for a decade, a report said.


Winds of over 100 km per hour knocked down trees and utility poles and blew out windows across Seoul, as the centre of the storm passed 80 km to the north of the capital after making landfall at 6.35 a.m. (2135 GMT Wednesday) on the west coast."

Wanted: A Libertarian Candidate for a Special Election for PA Senate

A special election for PA's 45th Senatorial District (a seat in the PA Senate) is slated for November 2, 2010, along with the general election.
The district is within both Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties. The deadline to file a nomination certificate is September 13, 2010. Allegheny County will do the nomination, with the LPPA executive committee acting at the request of any members from Westmoreland County.

The nominee must reside in the district, but can be registered to vote in any manner.

Dist. 45 ALLEGHENY and WESTMORELAND Counties includes:

Part of ALLEGHENY County consisting of the CITIES of Clairton, Duquesne and McKeesport and the TOWNSHIPS of East Deer, Elizabeth, Harmar, North Versailles, South Versailles and Springdale and the BOROUGHS of Brackenridge, Braddock, Cheswick, Dravosburg, East McKeesport, East Pittsburgh, Glassport, Liberty, Lincoln, Monroeville, North Braddock, Pitcairn, Plum, Port Vue, Rankin, Springdale, Tarentum, Trafford (Allegheny County Portion), Turtle Creek, Versailles, Wall, White Oak and Wilmerding and Part of WESTMORELAND County consisting of the CITIES of Arnold, Lower Burrell and New Kensington and the TOWNSHIPS of Upper Burrell and Washington and the BOROUGH of Trafford (Westmoreland County Portion).

Call me if you are intersted of know of anyone who would be a great candidate and interested.

Mark Rauterkus: 412 298 3423.

By the way, I live in PA Senate District 42, not 45.

Time for Fall! Or, perhaps we should just call it autumn.

Fall is here.



Let's be safe out there. Fall doesn't need to be full of flops.

Perhaps we should just call it autumn.

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat has been AWOL since August 17

We've got a situation brewing in Pittsburgh's Blogger Land.

http://angrydrunkbureaucrat.blogspot.com/

August 17 was a long time ago and we're not getting any smarter.

Help! Go there and say something wise.

Getting To Pgh Obama High School

Some PAT Bus Route Links:

The 75 Bus Route, Ellsworth, goes to and from Pgh Obama and the South Side Works via the Birmingham Bridge.

http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/apps/pdfs/tdp/75.pdf

The 74 goes to Squirrel Hill and Homewood.

http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/apps/pdfs/tdp/74.pdf


The 81B also goes downtown after serving Bakery Square

The 77B (soon to be 77), 86 and 88 also are PAT buses in the area.
The rerouted 71C will visit Pgh Obama too: http://www.portauthority.org/paac/apps/maps/tdp/71C.pdf

The Moonlight Scribbler: 2010 City League Preview Week 1

The Moonlight Scribbler: 2010 City League Preview Week 1: "Monday, August 30, 2010
2010 City League Preview Week 1"

Phys Ed: Playing Music During Exercise - NYTimes.com

Phys Ed: Playing Music During Exercise - NYTimes.com: "Phys Ed: Does Music Make You Exercise Harder?"

Pittsburgh councilman seeks task force for South Side problems

Pittsburgh councilman seeks task force for South Side problems: "Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus this morning called for a task force to bring order to the South Side's party scene."

There is a task force already, Mr. Kraus. It is called GOVERNMENT. There is the City of Pittsburgh Police. Then there is BBI, Breau of Building Inspection. Plus there is the PA State Police and even city council itself.

The South Side party scene isn't the place for 'order.' Rather, it is a party. It is organic. It is government that needs to be tamed and turned into something positive. Government needs to be ordered to do its duty for the sake of public safety.

The Mayor doesn't need to take a hands on role. Nor does Big Ben. The hands on role is that of the police, parking enforcement, the LCB and even bar owners and business owners and their hired entities for clean up and such.

'Chasing 3000' arrives in Pittsburgh Friday

'Chasing 3000' arrives in Pittsburgh Friday: "Pittsburgh Filmmakers will open 'Chasing 3000' at the Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave., on Friday. The movie is about a road trip two brothers take in 1972 to witness Roberto Clemente's 3000th hit."

This looks like a fun movie.

Also on Friday night, they are trying to get a game of water polo at Woodland Hills. Arrive at 2:30 pm.

Sold em down the river.

Announcing a new Meetup for Pittsburgh Kayakers (ka-"yack"-ers)!

What: Ohio River Paddle & LST Ship Tour

When: Saturday, September 4, 2010 8:00 AM

Where: Westhall Street launch
2030 Westhall Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233

Come with us on Saturday for a rare opportunity to tour a World War II ship on the water in Pittsburgh! The LST (Landing Ship, Tank) was used to transport tanks, trucks and soldiers to beach landings in such battles as the D-Day invasion at Normandy and the battle for Okinawa. The 382'-long ship could hold 20 tanks. The ship is now a floating museum based in Evansville, Indiana, and is coming to Pittsburgh for a week.

Can a ship that big actually travel to Pittsburgh? Yes. more than 250 of the LST's were BUILT in Pittsburgh, at Dravo Corporation on Neville Island and American Bridge Company at Ambridge. They all sailed down the same river, and through the same locks, that LST-325 is sailing right now. The LST will dock at Clemente Park, between Heinz Field and the Ft. Duquesne Bridge.

We'll meet at the kayak launch at the end of Westhall Street on the North Side, next to Western Pentientiary. Please arrive a little early so we can get on the water at 8:00. A 3-mile paddle will take us up the Ohio to our landing spot at Heinz Field. We'll then carry our kayaks approx. 500', where we'll leave them in the grass adjacent to the ship. The cost of the tour is $10, which goes towards the ship's operation and restoration.

Yes, it's a holiday weekend, but we should be back before lunchtime. I hope many of you can squeeze this into your schedule!

RSVP to this Meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/kayaking-129/calendar/14600040/

Hot days -- no school!

It is wonderful to NOT have school as the days are so hot. They're talking 90-degrees out there. We're going to the siwm pool this evening.

Lump camp rocks!

Erik slept like he had jet lag or something.

I had a great meeting today. Welcome to Pittsburgh Jake House. He helped to lead a meeting among a task force to reform athletics in Pittsburgh Public Schools. It was a most productive meeting. Everyone was there, even the union rep.

I did ask that someone from either the Mayor's office or else Citiparks be put onto the committee. That's one everyone that is still not at the table. But, this is still a great time to get their engagement.

Last night we attended a great welcome part for the new graduate students. The old and the new are in town and getting ready for another big year.

Lifeguard shortage shuts Mt. Lebanon pool

Lifeguard shortage shuts Mt. Lebanon pool: "Mt. Lebanon's swimming pool was closed today because of a shortage of lifeguards.
The municipality announced season passes will be accepted at Dormont Pool."

Exclusive: Obama to widen sanctions on North Korea | Reuters

Exclusive: Obama to widen sanctions on North Korea | Reuters President Barack Obama on Monday plans to impose fresh financial sanctions on North Korea by blocking the assets of three North Korean state-owned entities and one North Korean citizen, a U.S. official said.

Thanks President Obama for doing this hostile act against another nation and its people after our son has returned from visiting South Korea.

But, the sactions are punishments for an event that happened on March 26, 2010. That's a half-year ago. Not so fresh. And, it is a good thing to not act more swiftly as a full review of the situation from March was conducted and it stated that the North Korean's are NOT to blame for the sinking of the South Korean war ship. Go figure. North Korea denies responsibility. They say they didn't do it. The US President is the bully now, even worse than it has been.

President Obama, don't escalate to war.

The U.S. official said Obama was expected to sign an executive order widening the scope of existing U.S. sanctions -- which can now be imposed on entities involved in Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs

Under the order, the United States will now be able to target U.S. assets of entities that support North Korean trade in conventional arms and luxury goods, currency counterfeiting and narcotics trafficking, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity..

Perhaps, some defense contractor got in the mini sub and shot the torpedo so as to get additional contracts and get rich in the process. Some people make money off of war. Some people are bad.

t r u t h o u t | Body Scanners in Courtroom, on Street, Continue to Raise Privacy Concerns

t r u t h o u t | Body Scanners in Courtroom, on Street, Continue to Raise Privacy Concerns: "'TSA is not being straightforward with the public about the capabilities of these devices,' said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Washington, DC-based EPIC. 'This is the Department of Homeland Security subjecting every US traveler to an intrusive search that can be recorded without any suspicion - I think it's outrageous.'"

We got a convoy -- to IUP for Saturday AM

Thanks to some gracious parents and ambitions on the part of the kids, swimmers and water polo players, it looks like our convoy of cars will wiggle out of Pittsburgh from many different locations and pass the road construction in the east and south -- and have ourselves a few water polo games at IUP on Saturday vs. the N.J. Prep School.

Thanks folks.

I think our team is set with only a few loose ends.

If you need a ride, speak up or get one!

City League preview: Title up for grabs

City League preview: Title up for grabs: "Schenley -- The defending City League champion must rebuild its offensive line, but coach Jason Bell has some talented skill-position players. De'Andre Black, who had 11 TDs last year at quarterback, will play running back, receiver and quarterback."

Fw: [Locals] 10 Must-Read Sites for Hyper-Local Publishers

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:56:20
To: <news-online@groups.dowire.org>; <locals@forums.e-democracy.org>; Journalism That Matters<jtmlist@googlegroups.com>
Reply-To: locals@forums.e-democracy.org
Subject: [Locals] 10 Must-Read Sites for Hyper-Local Publishers

See:
http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2010/08/10-must-read-sites-for-hyper-local-publishers237.html


From: MediaShift Idea Lab <interactive@pbs.org>
Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 7:20 AM
Subject: MediaShift Idea Lab
To: clift@publicus.net


MediaShift Idea Lab <http://www.pbs.org/idealab/>
<http://fusion.google.com/add?source=atgs&feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/pbs/idealab-feed>
------------------------------

10 Must-Read Sites for Hyper-Local
Publishers<http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/pbs/idealab-feed/%7E3/p_fSS0w51DI/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email>

Posted: 26 Aug 2010 11:05 AM PDT

Here at NowSpots <http://nowspots.com> we're developing a new advertising
platform that will let local publishers sell and publish real-time ads on
their sites. In my last post here on MediaShift Idea
Lab<http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2010/08/nowspots-working-to-make-local-web-ads-that-work222.html>,
I explained why real-time ads are a better business model for hyper-local
bloggers and local publishers than AdSense or existing display ad solutions.


Since winning a 2010 Knight News Challenge award to kickstart development of
our new platform, we've been busy meeting with publishers to learn more
about their needs and problems. We've also been busy reading up on what's
happening in the hyper-local publishing space. This week I'm going to share
with you 10 sites I read on a regular basis for news, commentary, and
context about business models for hyper-local bloggers and local publishers.
At the end of the post are links to subscribe to them through RSS or to
follow them on Twitter.
Top Ten

*1. MediaGazer <http://mediagazer.com>*

MediaGazer is a semi-automated aggregator for media news. It's a
dead-simple, one-page site that lists the day's top media headlines from
around the web alongside links to related coverage. What's great about
MediaGazer is that their algorithm makes sure they get just about everything
interesting each day, while their editorial touch makes sure the front page
is always interesting. Not every story on MediaGazer pertains to the local
news game, but anything good that does will be there.

*2. Nieman Journalism Lab <http://www.niemanlab.org/>*

The Nieman Journalism Lab <http://www.niemanlab.org> is a blog covering
journalism's efforts to figure out its future. Moreso than any other blog on
the web, they are squarely focused on introducing new examples of "the new
news" and figuring out what they might lead to. My only complaint is that I
wish they'd post more. Just about everything they run is in my wheelhouse as
a news startup guy.

*3. Lost Remote <http://www.lostremote.com/>*

Lost Remote is focused on "hyper-local news, neighborhood blogs, and local
journalism startups." Originally started by MSNBC.com's Cory Bergman, it is
now edited by Steve Safran. Anything interesting that happens in the local
news space that could impact hyper-local bloggers shows up here. Lost Remote
is the TechCrunch of hyper-local bloggers. A must read.

*4. Local Onliner <http://localonliner.com/>*

Peter Krasilovsky's Local Onliner blog is a repository of analysis pieces on
the future of local online publishing that he writes for the Kelsey Group
blog. As a vice president at BIA/Kelsey, where he works on local online
commerce, Krasilovsky's perspective on hyper-local news, geo-targeted
advertising and the like is worth a look for anyone who wants to understand
the business behind local publishing.

*5. Mashable's local section <http://mashable.com/tag/local/>*

Uber-blog Mashable devotes a post or two each month to the local space, and
its coverage is picking up with the rise of group-buying sites such as
Groupon and location-based social networks such as Foursquare and GoWalla. I
filter down to just posts tagged "local" to sidestep the never-ending
onslaught of headlines about Twitter.

*6. Local SEO Guide <http://www.localseoguide.com/>*

Local SEO is a sharp blog from Andrew Shotland, an SEO consultant who
specializes in local. Every hyper-local blogger needs to be aware of how
findable their content is through search. Shotland's blog offers detailed
rundowns of topics such as why sites like Yelp do so well in
search<http://www.localseoguide.com/yelp-seo-analysis-part-one/>that
can help you better connect with readers through local search.

*7. Hyperlocal Blogger <http://www.hyperlocalblogger.com/>*

Matt McGee's Hyperlocal Blogger pulls together the latest news coverage of
the hyper-local blogging space and publishes regular commentary on issues
affecting neighborhood bloggers. For instance, McGee recently responded to
the news<http://www.hyperlocalblogger.com/philly-bloggers-feeling-overtaxed/>that
the city of Philadelphia is requiring city bloggers to buy a Business
Privilege License for $300.

*8. Chicago Art Magazine Transparency
Pages<http://chicagoartmap.com/transparency/>
*

A bit of a hidden gem, this series of blog posts by Chicago Art
Magazine's<http://chicagoartmagazine.com/>Kathryn Born covers a seven
month period in late 2009 during which she
launched a collection of websites focused on the Chicago art scene. In these
posts, which carry a bit of a confessional tone, she discusses how hard it
is to sell ads to local galleries, and her philosophy on creating quick
content for the web. They're a great recounting of the trials and
tribulations of starting a hyper-local web publication, and every
hyper-local blogger should read them.

*9. MediaShift Idea Lab <http://www.pbs.org/idealab/>*

The blog you're reading right now has been a favorite of mine ever since I
started Windy Citizen <http://windycitizen.com> in 2008. I love the site for
its great think-pieces about the future of news and updates from Knight News
Challenge winners. We're excited to have a spot of our own now, and we still
drop by regularly to see what's new. For hyper-local bloggers interested in
new ideas about the space, this should be a regular stop.

*10. eMedia Vitals <http://emediavitals.com/>*

eMedia Vitals has an old-school name and takes an old-school approach to
covering tactics and strategies for growing your digital business. Editor
(and co-founder of TechicallyPhilly.com <http://technicallyphilly.com>) Sean
Blanda turned me onto the site at SXSW last year and I've since found their
analysis to be relevant to people working in the local news space.
OPML File and Twitter List

These are the sites I'm reading on a regular basis to keep up with what's
happening in the hyper-local space. I'm sure you may have a few favorites of
your own that I omitted. If so, feel free to share them with me in the
comments below or via Twitter (I'm @bradflora <http://twitter.com/bradflora>
).

I've created an OPML file that you can import to add the feeds for all these
sites to Google Reader. You can find it
here.<http://www.pbs.org/idealab/HyperlocalOPML.xml>

And if you prefer reading your news through Twitter, I've created a list
over on the NowSpots Twitter account <http://twitter.com/nowspots> that you
can follow to add these folks to your Twitter feed. You can find it
here<http://twitter.com/#/list/nowspots/hyperlocalmustreads>
.

Happy reading!
You are subscribed to email updates from MediaShift Idea
Lab<http://www.pbs.org/idealab/>
To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe
now<http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailunsubscribe?k=XGkZl7K2xx_2d5MiYe4FF5X2f50>
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USA 60610

Steven Clift
Ericsson, Minneapolis
Info about Steven Clift: http://forums.e-democracy.org/p/stevenclift

View all messages on this topic at: http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/2qgKGQJGykeO7h4Fi8LpNi
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The last year for some -- Sorta like FOURTH DOWN for THREE

Three teams in the city league sports are going to go away next year: Schenley, Peabody and Westinghouse. All three are sure to be gone. So, this is the last year for them on the gridiron.

Oliver is a question. That school gets a major change, so it might be able to have a football team. Time will tell.

The P-G sports has a run-down of all the area teams on its web site now. Lsst year, Schenley won it all in a double overtime game against Oliver. This year's league play looks to be interesting.

Stay safe out there. Enjoy the new field at Cupples Stadium.

Predictions, anyone?

I say that teams that score the most points have the best chance of winning.

Fw: First Tee Coach Training

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: Firstteepitt@aol.com

Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:21:46 EDT

To: <firstteepitt@aol.com>

Subject: First Tee Coach Training

Dear TFTP Friends,

 

Our chapter will be hosting two coach trainings, noted below.  Please share this with any friends or colleagues who may be interested in volunteering as a First Tee coach.  We also welcome board members and others who are interested in learning more about our program.

 

If you have previously had a Level I training you are welcome to register for Level II.  These sessions are free and there is no obligation.

 

Thanks,

 

Marc Field

 

Tuesday August 31^st from 6 to 8:30 pm TFTP will be hosting a Level I training.

The purpose of Level I training is to better understand the Life Skills curriculum and The First Tee Coach Philosophy.  

 

Level I training is for all TFTP Members that haven't participated in a training previously as well as anyone interested in learning more on ins and outs of TFTP. 

 

Wednesday September 1st from 6 to 8:30 pm TFTP will be hosting a Level II Training.

Level II training is conducted for all TFTP members that have participated in Level I training and have coached at least 1 season.   

This Level II training will focus on the Empowering Youth building blocks and Continuous Learning.  (please bring your clubs)

 

Please RSVP to Eric Amato as soon as possible.

Finger foods and beverages will be provided.

 

Thanks

 

Eric Amato

Director of Golf and Instruction

www.thefirstteepittsburgh.org

eamato@thefirstteepittsburgh.org

(412)-622-0108

The First Tee of Pittsburgh is a United Way Donor Choice Agency. 

You may direct your United Way contribution to #1436656

 

Marc Field
Executive Director
The First Tee of Pittsburgh
5370 Schenley Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
(412) 682-2403
(412) 682-2405 (Fax)
www.thefirstteepittsburgh.org

The First Tee of Pittsburgh is a United Way Donor Choice Agency.
You may direct your United Way contribution to #1436656

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before printing this message

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Daily Reveille - Swimmers volunteer with NBC’s ‘School Pride’

Daily Reveille - Swimmers volunteer with NBC’s ‘School Pride’: "“This semester we are going to pair with an elementary school close to campus,” Spears said. “Each swimmer will go there two times a month for an hour to read and mentor to the same kid for a whole semester.”"

Out of the pool: Philadelphia swim club faulted for bias

Out of the pool: Philadelphia swim club faulted for bias: "Since July, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission has been investigating whether a private suburban Philadelphia swim club disinvited 56 minority kids from using its pool after some members of the all-white club complained.
This week, the commission released a report that won't be celebrated at the Valley Club in Montgomery County. The 33-page report identifies 'racial animus' and 'racially coded comments' by some members as probable cause for why the club revoked a contract with the Creative Steps Inc. day camp and returned its $1,950 payment after one visit.
The investigators recommended that the club pay a $50,000 civil penalty for discrimination, reimburse the family of the child whose parents filed the complaint for expenses and legal fees incurred and provide racial sensitivity training for the club's board members."

Speakers debate future of Civic Arena

I got my photo in the paper, standing in the background of this shot.

Speakers debate future of Civic Arena: "Nearly 50 people had their say over the future of the Civic Arena today, but in the end no clear consensus emerged as to whether the silver-domed landmark should stay or go."

Churn, baby, churn. That's all they offer.

Progress is 1 + 1 = 2.

Non progress is +1 - 1 = same.

Where is the promised "practice ice" that the Penguins want? Hey, let's use the Civic Arena as a practice ice.

Penguins, real penguins, are great parents. They treat their offspring with great care and loads of attention. Pittsburgh should be known as a great place to parent. And the Civic Arena, as a new civic center, can be a proud parenting place. We can go there to celebrate high school graduations. We can go there to watch high school scholastic sports, from basketball to ice hockey. We can go there with our kids and see "The Wiggles" -- so that there is a low-overhead venue, unlike the Peterson Event Center where the tickets are $77 each. I'm not that into The Wiggles at $77 per ticket.

Tractor pulls, monster truck events, circus acts, dirt-bike shows, and staging areas for G-20 whatnot can happen at the Civic Arena -- where we don't need to worry much about the leather seats and there is no demand for luxery box seating.

There are plenty of different uses for the 3 acres that presently occupy the civic arena footprint that are beyond what David Moorhouse can imagine.

The SEA board is like the hired real estate broker that the property owners employ to supervise the assets. The owner is the people, the public. The asset is much like an apartment in that a tennant can't move out of the rented space and tell the owner that the former space rented and occupied by the old tennant must be torn down. That's crazy. That's what Moorehouse thinks should be done. If the real estate broker, something that Wayne Fontana knows about, does not do a good job, -- then the owners are going to fire them. Senator Fontana knows a pinch about being a landlord as he hung out in office were business was done in the past. Perhaps he can make history by being such a poor stewart so as to give the ex-tennant the deed to the property after moving out.

The Penguins are done with the Civic Arena. They've moved on. Fine. But we have not said it is time to destroy the arena, the Penguins said it. We want to keep the Civic Arena. We want to put the asset to good use in the future. We want to take our kids and their kids there.

The Penguins don't want the Civic Arena around because it detracts from the value of the Consol Energy Park -- as they think a victory comes from subtraction. That's more crazy thought.

The Civic Arena can be a practice ice for the Pens.

The Civic Arena can be a place for over-flow crowds as the Pens hold community celebrations that expand beyond the walls of the Concol Energy Center.

The Civic Arena can be a place to go to watch Pens AWAY GAMES.

The Civic Arena can be a place to go to high school graduations, and other less important but still necessary community events. The Pens can collect money from parking, meals and entertainment for the patrons not directly associated with season tickets.

There are many hockey nights in Pittsburgh, but every night isn't a hockey night. And, some of those nights, days, mornings and even while hockey nights are in progress can be civic times at other places.

Fw: Pennsylvania voters deprived of choice in November

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: doug_leard@juno.com

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:34:37 -0500

To: <mark@rauterkus.com>

Subject: Pennsylvania voters deprived of choice in November

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) candidates forced from ballot
 
Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania
3915 Union Deposit Road #223
Harrisburg, PA 17109
www.lppa.org
 
For Immediate Release: August 23, 2010
 
Contact: Doug Leard (Media Relations) at Media-Relations@lppa.org or
Michael Robertson (Chair) at 1-800-R-RIGHTS / chair@lppa.org
 

 
Harrisburg, PA –  Marakay Rogers, Kat Valleley and Doug Jamison wanted to run for state-wide office on the Libertarian Party ticket.  They wanted to give Pennsylvania voters more choices in the election.

They collected 25,033 signatures to comply with Pennsylvania’s immense ballot access requirements so their names could appear on the ballot.  That’s 23,033 more than are required for Republican and Democratic state candidates.

Republican and Democratic power brokers do not want ballot choice for Pennsylvania voters and challenged the signatures of all third-party and independent state-wide candidates.

Marakay, Kat and Doug wanted to fight the challenge. They traveled to Harrisburg to fight the challenge.  In 2004 and 2006, the courts assessed over $80,000 in fees to a candidate who lost a ballot access challenge.   This year, our lawyer estimated these fees would run between $92,000 and $106,000. Using this leverage, the power brokers offered a deal – drop your efforts to be on the ballot and avoid exorbitant challenge fees or continue to fight and face the risk of fees that could easily lead to personal bankruptcy.  The potential cost of a loss was too great.  After deliberation, our candidates withdrew.
 
The Libertarian Party candidates are not alone. The old-party power brokers have used the signature-challenge process to remove all of the alternative statewide candidates who successfully filed to appear on the November 2010 ballot. 

Though the challenge provision of the election code has been in place since 1937, it was not used to remove a statewide candidate from the November ballot until 2004. Since then, the challenge has become standard operating procedure for the old parties.

Marakay Rogers, candidate for Governor, said "This type of dealing may signal the end of third-party campaigning in Pennsylvania, except for the rich or the brave.  Anyone can file a challenge and then threaten to clobber their opponent with outrageous and unaffordable legal fees that started accumulating long before any actual hearing.  Even for someone who does believe they have enough valid signatures after a challenge, the threat of the fees assessed is enough to force you to back out just in case you might not win."

Added U.S. Senate candidate, Doug Jamison, “I, and my fellow state-wide candidates, will continue our efforts as write-in candidates. At the same time, this challenge has effectively disenfranchised the great citizens of this commonwealth from their fundamental right of the democratic process of selecting the best candidate.”

LPPa Chair Michael Robertson concluded “"The unlevel playing field that alternative party and independent candidates face to be included on the Pennsylvania ballot has turned into a wall. We are calling on the General Assembly to tear down that wall, and allow the voters of the commonwealth the choices they deserve."

The LPPa has strongly endorsed the Voters’ Choice Act, or SB 252, which was introduced by Sen. Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon).  The bill would equalize ballot access across all parties, not just the Democrats and Republicans.  Unfortunately, the bill has been sitting in committee for over a year, with little indication that it will be passed before the end of the year.

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.

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Value added

Value added: "When I think back on my days at college, I rarely, if ever, look at the nice diploma I was given at Westminster College. Instead, I reflect mostly on the lessons learned outside the classroom.
It's a difficult thing for most college presidents to admit, but a large part of a college education has nothing to do with professors, computers, social media or ivy. Much of how we prepare ourselves for the world outside the classroom is learned in the margins of college life. While students are busy using the classroom to make the 'other plans' John Lennon wrote so cogently about, they also absorb needed lessons on how to exist in the world."

New field construction brings excitement and controversy - The Tartan Online

New field construction brings excitement and controversy - The Tartan Online: "Last week, the university opened a new soccer field in place of the old intramural (IM) field. Carnegie Mellon had been hoping to build another field, for the purpose of hosting soccer, track, or intramural events, for the past four years. These ideas began to float around as early as 2006, shortly after the installation of new turf at Gesling Stadium. The turf helped tremendously in the logistics of organizing intercollegiate, intramural, and club events, but another field was deemed necessary."

Physical rigors, mental fortitude test SWAT recruits' true grit

Physical rigors, mental fortitude test SWAT recruits' true grit: "it was on to physical aptitude in a weight room at headquarters. They were to bench press 100 percent of their body weight, do 29 sit-ups in under a minute, and run 11/2 miles in less than 15 minutes under the heat of a midday sun.
Later in the day, they would hit a city pool, where they were to swim 200 yards and tread water for 10 minutes -- while wearing parts of their uniforms."

Good luck.

GOP call ballot access effort fraud. They lie.

In an email by Victor Stabile, a Republican County Chair, he uses the word, "fraud." The loop size on a signature, the use of a middle initial, an brief of a townships such as Pgh instead of Pittsburgh, and other wingnut claims is not real world fraud.

From different sources:

If that name, Victor Stabile, is familiar, he was the person behind the effort to keep Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr of the ballot by, in essence, saying the LPPA can't substitute candidates from what's on the ballot access petitions. I can't vouch for the origin of the email below, but if it's really from Stabile, it's certainly in-character. Mark

PS -- Tell me again, what's the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats?--

---

Subject: Great News From: "Stabile, Victor P. (HB)"Date: Tue, August 17, 2010 2:33 pm To: "Stabile, Victor P. (HB)

"Dear Friends: I am very pleased to report to you that challenges to the Green, Tea Party, and Libertarian candidates for state-wide office have been successful and these third party candidates will not be appearing on the November 2010 ballot.

If you recall, I sent you last week an article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review which blew the whistle on the Onorato campaign for staging a Tea Party candidate backed by Onorato's union friends in Philadelphia to run for Governor under the Tea Party label. We can now say it did not succeed.

I would be remiss in not recognizing the fantastic organizational job and resources devoted by our Republican State Committee through Luke Bernstein and his staff to organizing the challenges to these third party candidates. I also would like to recognize the number of counsel, including RSC Counsel Lawrence Tabas, Ron Hicks, Dauphin Chair John McNally, and, who like yours truly, devoted many hours and legal ability since last week to working in the Commonwealth Court to document the rampant abuse in these petitions. Voters do not get disenfranchised when fraud is uncovered. Unfortunately, this seems to be the process we are left with to deal with these situations until this type of impropriety is prosecuted.

OK, now that this is done, time to get out and elect our Republican candidates! All my best.

Victor P. Stabile, Chairman, Cumberland County Republican Committee

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Another voice gives another opinion.

Un-American Republican and Democratic Cowards Steal Your Right to Vote
Posted by: "Regan Straley"reganstraley@yahoo.com

"Wisdom begins with calling a thing by its proper name."- Ancient Chinese Proverb

Un-American Republican and Democratic Cowards Steal Your Right to Vote for the Candidate of Your Choice . . . Again

Pennsylvania' s Electoral System is a National Disgrace which Demands Your Immediate Attention.

As of today, it appears that the rapacious two-headed beast known as the Demopublican party--which never tires of hoovering the livelihoods out of your paychecks and pensions and giving it to war-profiteering, bonus-addicted corporate executives who pocket most of the pillage and toss the pesky spare change out into clamoring throngs of starving Third World slave laborers--will once again be successful in making sure that you have no real options in the upcoming Fall elections.

Principled third-party and independent political candidates for statewide office in Pennsylvania were required this year to obtain 19,082 petition signatures from registered voters in order to appear on November's ballot alongside the soulless Republicrat sell-outs who are allowed on with a mere 2,000 signatures. Due to some anomalous twist in the cosmic wormhole which should keep Stephen Hawking busy for decades, they were all able to do it.

Early on the morning of Monday, August 9, a cadre of delusional young Doc Marten-wearing Republican and Democratic lackeys who think they will somehow be spared the consequences of their bosses' corruption, bloody froth oozing from their fanged pie holes and briefcases full of "legal" documents handcuffed to their quivering, alcohol-soaked wrists, could be seen camped out on the portico of the Pennsylvania Department of State eagerly awaiting their opportunity to deny your right to fair and free elections. Within hours, sleep-deprived but determined representatives from the state's Libertarian, Tea, and Green Parties would ascend the steps proudly carrying more than the requisite number of signatures needed to qualify their gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates, only to be met by a zombified cabal of recent Political Science graduates armed in all their ass-kissing Establishment glory with reams of superficial objections and inane technicalities.

Competition- averse, pseudo-conservative Republicans like our next unscrupulous governor, Tom Corbett, and U.S. Senate wannabe Pat Toomey have all but ensured that you won't be given the opportunity to vote for any Libertarian or Tea Party alternatives. The delicate little schoolgirls on the Democratic side who are afraid of a challenge, executive-mansion mongerer Dan Onorato and the phoney "outsider" lusting after the Senate meal ticket, Joe Sestak, have reduced their Green Party opposition to Mickey Mouse status and left progressives with nowhere to turn for real participatory democracy, sustainable economics, equitable healthcare distribution, or ecological sanity.

"Keeping candidates off the ballot is as bad, if not worse, than denying one the right to vote," said Lou Jasikoff, Chair for the Northeast Pennsylvania Libertarian Party. "Currently we have men and women dying in Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure free and open elections there and yet both the Democrat and Republican parties found it necessary – even in light of 'bonusgate' – to choke off access to the ballot and to give citizens less choice."

"We submitted over 19,000 signatures as required by law," said Mel Packer, derailed Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, "an accomplishment of major proportions for a grassroots campaign such as ours. Sestak is showing his cowardice with this challenge. Instead of competing with me in the marketplace of ideas, he's simply kicking me off the ballot.

"In 2004 and 2006 respectively, Pennsylvania' s well-greased Democratic machine successfully pulled this same un-American stunt on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign and Green Party U.S. Senate hopeful Carl Romanelli. The Democrats' concerted effort to restrict Green Party ballot access has since mushroomed into what we now refer to as "Bonusgate," in which Democratic officials have been caught red-handed using state employees on state time to comb relentlessly through Green Party petitions looking for names they can present to politically- appointed judges as possibly invalid, all on your dime.

Despite the recent convictions of former Democratic State Representative Mike Veon and a number of state Democratic staffers--as well as the promise of future convictions against former Democratic House Speaker Bill DeWeese and top aides-- Nader and Romanelli remain on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees they've been ordered to pay to the Democrats' shysters for their hard work in trashing the right of Pennsylvanians to vote for the candidate of their choice. The working-class Romanelli alone is in the hole for $80,000 and is in danger of bankruptcy, all because he had the unmitigated gall to run for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania as something other than a Democrat or Republican.

Folks, I know you're busy trying to feed your families and pay your mortgages, and I know this can all be pretty confusing and difficult to comprehend at times, but if you have any interest at all in correcting the state's and the nation's nosedive into a bottomless morass of economic depression, government corruption, and never-ending illegal militarism, you really need to awaken from your corporate-induced stupors and start paying attention.

As for Libertarians, Greens, and Tea Partiers, please consider anew my tired and oft-repeated mantra to at least temporarily bridge the vast philosophical wastelands between you, pool all available resources, and slay the corporate dragon of Demopublicanism. A Coalition of the Sick and Goddamned Tired, if you will.

Only after thatwill real debate be possible.

Regan Straley  http://libyahill.blogspot.com/

I am on the side of Regan, not Jim Roddey and not Wayne Fontana, D, PA Senate district 42, who used his bonusgate efforts to run without any opposition in 2006.

http://fixpa.wikia.com/wiki/Fontana_Folly_and_Bonusgate_Proof_to_queer_election_in_2006

Answer sought on parks group - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Another blast from the past. If I'm Tom C, I'm asking these questions of Dan Onorato because nothing has been done.

This article ran on Tuesday, September 7, 2004:

Answer sought on parks group - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato says he's working to create a nonprofit group to raise money for the county parks system. Some County Council members wonder why it hasn't been done yet.
They also complain that they get only vague answers or no answers at all from Onorato on what progress has been made.
Relations between council and Onorato have grown tense lately as the two have clashed over who holds the authority to merge city and county departments. Both sides expect to settle the dispute in court"



Former Chief Executive Jim Roddey and council created a Parks Department in October 2002. Roddey said the move was designed, in part, so the county could set up a nonprofit to raise money for and help run the parks, as the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has done since 1996.

It's a concept Onorato is familiar with: While serving on City Council, he co-sponsored the legislation creating the conservancy, and is a life member of the organization.

"Any foundation or corporation, they were all leery of giving the city money because they didn't think it would make it to the parks," Onorato said. Setting up a charity whose sole mission is bolstering the parks system makes it easier to get private cash to match the public's contribution.

As a result, he said, "the parks have never looked better. They leveraged all the public dollars, and it's more than the parks ever would have seen under the city's management."

The city parks conservancy has a 20-year master plan to protect and improve Frick, Highland, Riverview and Schenley parks. The plan, which is expected to cost $100 million, includes eventually connecting all four parks.

"I'm a big believer in it," Onorato said. "I think its one of the best things that ever happened to the (city) parks." Eventually, the county will follow suit, he said.

County Council's parks committee Chairwoman Joan Cleary said she's written letters to Onorato asking for details about what progress has been made.

"They told me they're working on it," she said. "They didn't give me a timetable."

Onorato said that's because he doesn't have one yet. He and Parks Director Andy Baechle, who got his job a couple of months before Onorato took office in January, are still trying to "get our hands around what needs to be done in the parks, and put a strategy together."

Councilman Vince Gastgeb, a Bethel Park Republican and avid parks proponent, said Onorato has had nine months in office to put a plan together. Until the nonprofit is set up, the Parks Department can do nothing about the $120 million in estimated repairs that are needed in the counties' nine parks, he said.

The Parks Department was created under Roddey's watch, and Onorato said his predecessor "punted" on the creation of the nonprofit.

Setting up a parks nonprofit "was one of the things we intended to do on the first of this year," Roddey said. "It's a relatively simple process, but there was so much going on, and with the election, it's just not something we got around to doing."

Mr. Onorato has been a failure in terms of parks management and growth. The parks are nice, but there isn't any growth except in terms of talk about drilling for minerals and geese.

Progress is .... ?????