New People article on Sports Reform for PPS

School reform’s next chapter: Sports

by Mark Rauterkus, water polo coach and member of the PPS Athletic Reform Task Force, Mark@Rauterkus.com

Serious changes to the scholastic sports landscape in Pittsburgh are brewing. The City League may try to fold its teams into the ranks of the WPIAL. The City League, also known as PIAA’s Division VIII, includes all the high schools of Pittsburgh Public Schools: Allderdice, Brashear, Perry, Schenley, Peabody, Westinghouse, Langley, Oliver, Pgh Obama, Sci-Tech, U-Prep and CAPA. The WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic League, see WPIAL.org) is PIAA (see PIAA.org.) District VII. 

With the exception of the private schools (Central, Oakland, Winchester Thurston, Ellis) the WPIAL circles the city’s borders.

If the city teams join the WPIAL, city and suburban athletes get to compete on a daily and weekly basis, not just at exhibition games and state playoffs.

Some might say the City League is to the WPIAL as a doughnut hole is to the doughnut, both in terms of geography and overall sporting opportunities and programs. The city teams have a few outstanding programs and athletes, but all in all, the city needs an overhaul to match the competitive standards of the WPIAL programs.

Some are elated with the realization of a possible move to the WPIAL for city student-athletes. Allow PPS schools a chance to play and compete on a daily basis with suburban schools. The idea has been promoted for more than a decade, and with the closing of Schenley, Peabody, South Vo Tech, and other schools throughout the decades, the move is necessary as so few teams exist and school spirit has never been worse. The City League’s termination has been platform planks from a few candidates too. 

Ken Miller wrote in an email, in part, after this news hit the Post-Gazette on Oct 6, 2010, “This will be a difficult issue for Pittsburgh's African American community. There will be some who speak out in opposition.  I think a joining of the City League and WPIAL will be GREAT for race relations in Western PA and provide greater opportunities for PPS students.  I urge B-PEP to be a strong voice in support of merging the City League and WPIAL and to do so soon.  It hits on the key issues of integration and residential segregation.  It forces white people to deal with their perceptions and the reality of inner city youth.  

“Every season when Pittsburgh City School athletes, and bands and cheerleaders are not traveling through out Western PA to participate in sporting events is a step backwards.  We should be part of demanding that our merger into WPIAL happen immediately and that the details be worked out/adjustments made within the context of a full merger.  

The decision about a full merger with WPIAL rests solely with the PPS Board - they could force this to happen immediately by returning their PIAA Charter.  Everything about negotiating with PIAA or the WPIAL leadership is bogus and missing the point.  The PPS Board is empowered to make this happen and they should do so assertively. 

Competitive balance has been a top problem within the City League. The disparity with big schools playing many games against small schools is troublesome. The AAAA (quad A) schools don’t match up well with A (single A) schools. Neither side wins as that happens.

None win when the competitive balance is wrong. In-house comfort and geographical competitors are not keys to long-term sports success. Having big PPS schools (Allderdice and Brashear) playing small schools (Langley, Westinghouse, Sci-Tech, U-Prep) is rotten competitive balance. Thankfully, that chapter in Pittsburgh’s sports scene can come to a close.

When conditions are not fair, people “tune out” and “vote with their feet.” PPS enrollment and PPS sports participation plummeted. A measure of fairness needs to exist in sports or else it isn’t fun, challenging, nor worthy.

One benefit of the merger with the WPIAL is membership size. There are plenty of tiny, small, medium and mega schools within the WPIAL. With rivals of similar size, the play is more fun because of competitive balance.

To illustrate, consider the NCAA and its balance with Division I programs, such as Pitt and Penn State, Division II programs such as Slippery Rock and IUP, and Division III programs such as CMU, Chatham and Carlow. It would be ridiculous if Pitt’s schedule was filled with games against CMU, Chatam and Carlow. Pitt’s sports teams are not in the same league as Carlow. On athletic fields, Pitt and Carlow are far apart, yet the schools are neighbors in physical geography. Likewise, the Perry High School Commodores should not schedule games with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Closeness provides nothing regarding promising athletic competitors.

Departing the City League and landing within the WPIAL could backfire if the city implements an extensive plan of “Co-op Teams.” The newer 6-12 grade PPS school devoted to IB academics, Pgh Obama, an outbirth of the death of Schenley, is a small school. Sports teams form Pgh Obama could rock up and down the WPIAL seasons across many sports if it ges placed into its proper classification. Meanwhile, the prospects of Pgh Obama amount to a misery with the sustained coop where the athletes from three schools play under one banner: Pgh Obama + Sci-Tech + U-Prep. When the three schools are pressed together into co-op teams, they enter the WPIAL and must play giant schools such as Seneca Valley, Woodland Hills and North Allegheny every match. That’s a train wreck that can’t be allowed.

PPS schools could have five girl teams with five starters per team so that 25 kids around the city can claim to be first team varsity basketball players. Or, PPS schools could be fortunate to have 11 teams with 55 student athletes making the same claim. Should we have 25 or 55? We win by addition in sports. Every school should have its own sports opportunities without making coops.

Coops have been in place at two junctures within the PPS. Since the formation of U-Prep and Sci-Tech, the athletes there who want to play varsity sports have been shifted to the teams of Schenley/Pgh Obama. Problem is, the shifting didn’t happen. Students don’t want to play. Participation is terrible. Research has proven that the coops that exist have been a failure for the students -- so that should not be repeated. But some are pushing the crazy options to make every Pittsburgh school enter into coops for their sports teams. School spirit, common sense and competitive balance demand otherwise.

See chart:

Insert one chart from this posting.

http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-if-city-league-sports-teams-merged.html

In some sports, such as soccer, there are three classifications. In other sports, such as basketball, there are presently four. The smallest schools are Single A. The largest are Quad A. The smallest schools are listed at the top of the list. The largest schools at the bottom. 

Pittsburgh Allderdice and Pittsburgh Brashear are big schools. No matter what, those teams from those schools would play in the bigger classification against the other giant schools in Western PA: Norwin, North Hills, Mt. Lebo.

But Pittsburgh has a number of smaller schools. Unlike the present city league, the teams at Langley, Oliver, Westinghouse would NOT need to play against the soccer powerhouse Allderdice and the over-reaching Schenley. Unless, of course, the ugly plan of coops is put into place. Then the kids at Langley would play with Brashear and face off with the big schools. And if Westinghouse joins with Allderdice, as one of the plans option reads, they would be playing against the bigger schools as well.

Kids from Pgh Westinghouse and Pgh Langley don't want to play all their soccer games against teams from Hempfield and Seneca Valley. The WPIAL kids play soccer year round. Those kids play with their soccer mates for years as they grow and develop in their respective soccer programs and reach varsity status in their high school teams. Programs are not as developed in the city.

Smaller city schools have some talented players. But, the smaller schools don't have a full bench of year-round players. Often, varsity athletes at smaller schools get to play two or three sports per year where the players at the larger schools are often more devoted to a single sport and play year-round in that sport with camps, club programs and specific conditioning.

If Pgh Obama is forced to hook up in a coop with Pgh Sci-Tech and Pgh U-Prep. Then the side goes against Plum, Penn Hills and North Allegheny in every match. Getting a single win might be impossible.

Example of a merger for Boys Basketball Classifications (4 classes)

Single A

Trinity Christian, 38

Eden Christian, 49

Geibel Catholic, 67

Quigley Catholic, 68

Mapletown, 69

Saint Joseph, 72

Avella, 80

Vincentian, 84

Elderton, 91

North Catholic, 98

Western Beaver, 98

Cornell, 99

Winchester Thurston, 102

Jefferson Morgan, 104

Monessen, 106

Sewickley Academy, 108

Union, 112

West Greene, 112

Lincoln Park Charter, 113

OLSH, 115

Leechburg, 116

Clairton, 124

Carmichaels, 125

Rochester, 125

Serra Catholic, 128

Pgh CAPA boys, 128

Bentworth, 136

Double AA

California, 140

Springdale, 141

Aliquippa, 148

Chartiers Houston, 148

Bethlehem Center, 149

Avonworth, 150

Neshannock, 150

Pgh Sci Tech, 150

Wilkinsburg, 155

Frazier, 157

Jeannette, 158

Sto-Rox, 160

Brentwood, 162

Fort Cherry, 162

Riverview, 165

South Side, 171

Pgh Westinghouse, 171

Bishop Canevin, 175

Carlynton, 176

Northgate, 176

Shenango, 177

Pgh Oliver, 183

Burgettstown, 188

Pgh Langley, 188

Laurel, 189

Greensburg Central Catholic, 190

Pgh U-Prep, 190

Seton LaSalle, 199

Apollo Ridge, 202

Mohawk, 207

Shady Side Academy, 213

West Shamokin, 218

Riverside, 219

Brownsville, 222

Freedom, 225

Pgh Obama, 225

South Allegheny, 230

Charleroi, 233

Steel Valley, 241

Ellwood City, 245

Ford City, 245

Quaker Valley, 246

Beaver Falls, 247

Summit Academy, 248

Freeport, 250

New Brighton, 252

Triple A

Burrell, 254

Southmoreland, 261

Washington, 263

South Fayette, 266

Deer Lakes, 267

Waynesburg Central, 267

Beaver, 279

East Allegheny, 282

Mount Pleasant, 285

Pgh CAPA girls, 285

Keystone Oaks, 296

Yough, 309

McGuffey, 317

Valley, 318

Blackhawk, 321

Derry, 321

South Park, 321

Highlands, 325

Kittanning, 325

Pgh Perry, 333

Indiana, 336

Central Valley, 339

Pgh U-Prep + Pgh Sci-Tech, 340

Belle Vernon, 346

Elizabeth Forward, 353

Pgh CAPA boys + Pgh Obama, 353

Hopewell, 356

Thomas Jefferson, 358

New Castle, 360

Ambridge, 366

Uniontown, 375

Mars, 378

Knoch, 380

Greensburg Salem, 387

West Allegheny, 389

Pgh Carrick, 392

Pgh Obama + Pgh Westinghouse, 396

Hampton, 399

Montour, 403

West Mifflin, 406

Ringgold, 418

Trinity, 429

Quad A Classification

Chartiers Valley, 447

Moon, 465

Laurel Highlands, 481

Albert Gallatin, 482

Franklin Regional, 498

Pgh Perry + Pgh Oliver, 516

Peters Township, 541

Pgh Brashear, 558

Greater Latrobe Senior, 560

Upper Saint Clair, 560

Kiski, 565

Woodland Hills, 565

Pgh Obama + Pgh Sci-Tech + Pgh U-Prep, 565

Plum, 568

Canon McMillan, 577

McKeesport, 578

Pine-Richland, 595

Gateway, 606

Fox Chapel, 610

Penn Trafford, 610

North Hills, 619

Pgh Allderdice, 625

Baldwin, 641

Connellsville, 643

Mount Lebanon, 658

Bethel Park, 665

Norwin, 666

Central Catholic, 670

Shaler, 677

Penn Hills, 686

Pgh Langley + Pgh Brashear, 746

Hempfield, 792

Pgh Allderdice + Pgh Westinghouse, 796

Seneca Valley, 899

North Allegheny, 984

Butler, 1107

Erik presented his LTP (long term project) from last year at Duquesne Univ today for other PPS students in CAS

Here are the slides from Erik's presentation:

LTP of Erik Rauterkus, then in 9th grade:

View more presentations from Mark Rauterkus.

Had a great day with the students. I got to see five presentations. Erik gave his in the first period.

Fw: The Benefits of Weight Training for Kids

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: Fred Gohh <fgohh@gbsware.com>

Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:14:51 -0500

To: <undisclosed-recipients>

ReplyTo: fgohh@gbsware.com

Subject: The Benefits of Weight Training for Kids

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Back in the 1970s, researchers in Japan studied child laborers and discovered that, among their many misfortunes, the juvenile workers tended to be abnormally short. Physical labor, the researchers concluded, with its hours of lifting and moving heavy weights, had stunted the children’s growth. Somewhat improbably, from that scientific finding and other similar reports, as well as from anecdotes and accreting myth, many people came to believe “that children and adolescents should not” practice weight training, said Avery Faigenbaum, a professor of exercise science at the College of New Jersey. That idea retains a sturdy hold in the popular imagination. As a recent position paper on the topic of children and resistance training points out, many parents, coaches and pediatricians remain convinced that weight training by children will “result in short stature, epiphyseal plate” — or growth plate — “damage, lack of strength increases due to a lack of testosterone and a variety of safety issues.”

Kids, in other words, many of us believe, won’t get stronger by lifting weights and will probably hurt themselves. But a major new review just published in Pediatrics, together with a growing body of other scientific reports, suggest that, in fact, weight training can be not only safe for young people, it can also be beneficial, even essential.

In the Pediatrics review, researchers with the Institute of Training Science and Sports Informatics in Cologne, Germany, analyzed 60 years’ worth of studies of kids and weightlifting. The studies covered boys and girls from age 6 to 18. The researchers found that, almost without exception, children and adolescents benefited from weight training. They grew stronger. Older kids, particularly teenagers, tended to add more strength than younger ones, as would be expected, but the difference was not enormous. Overall, strength gains were “linear,” the researchers found. They didn’t spike wildly after puberty for boys or girls, even though boys at that age are awash in testosterone, the sex hormone known to increase muscle mass in adults. That was something of a surprise. On the other hand, a reliable if predictable factor was consistency. Young people of any age who participated in resistance training at least twice a week for a month or more showed greater strength gains than those who worked out only once a week or for shorter periods.

Overall, the researchers concluded, “regardless of maturational age, children generally seem to be capable of increasing muscular strength.”

That finding, which busts one of the most pervasive myths about resistance training for young people — that they won’t actually get stronger — is in accord with the results and opinions of most researchers who have studied the subject. “We’ve worked with kindergartners, having them just use balloons and dowels” as strength training tools, “and found that they developed strength increases,” said Dr. Faigenbaum, a widely acknowledged expert on the topic of youth strength training. (His most recent book is in fact titled “Youth Strength Training.”)

But interestingly, young people do not generally add muscular power in quite the same way as adults. They rarely pack on bulk. Adults, particularly men but also women, typically add muscle mass when they start weight training, a process known as muscular hypertrophy (or, less technically, getting buff). Youths do not add as much or sometimes any obvious muscle mass as a result of strength training, which is one of the reasons many people thought they did not grow stronger. Their strength gains seem generally to involve “neurological” changes, Dr. Faigenbaum said. Their nervous systems and muscles start interacting more efficiently. A few small studies have shown that children develop a significant increase in motor-unit activation within their muscles after weight training. A motor unit consists of a single neuron and all of the muscle cells that it controls. When more motor units fire, a muscle contracts more efficiently. So, in essence, strength training in children seems to liberate the innate strength of the muscle, to activate the power that has been in abeyance, unused.

And that fact, from both a physiological and philosophical standpoint, is perhaps why strength training for children is so important, a growing chorus of experts says. “We are urban dwellers stuck in hunter-gatherer bodies,” said Lyle Micheli, M.D., the director of sports medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston and professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard University, as well as a co-author, with Dr. Faigenbaum, of the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2009 position paper about children and resistance training. “That’s true for children as well as adults. There was a time when children ‘weight trained’ by carrying milk pails and helping around the farm. Now few children, even young athletes, get sufficient activity” to fully strengthen their muscles, tendons and other tissues. “If a kid sits in class or in front of a screen for hours and then you throw them out onto the soccer field or basketball court, they don’t have the tissue strength to withstand the forces involved in their sports. That can contribute to injury.”

Consequently, many experts say, by strength training, young athletes can reduce their risk of injury, not the reverse. “The scientific literature is quite clear that strength training is safe for young people, if it’s properly supervised,” Dr. Faigenbaum says. “It will not stunt growth or lead to growth-plate injuries. That doesn’t mean young people should be allowed to go down into the basement and lift Dad’s weights by themselves. That’s when you see accidents.” The most common, he added, involve injuries to the hands and feet. “Unsupervised kids drop weights on their toes or pinch their fingers in the machines,” he said.

In fact, the ideal weight-training program for many children need not involve weights at all. “The body doesn’t know the difference between a weight machine, a medicine ball, an elastic band and your own body weight,” Dr. Faigenbaum said. In his own work with local schools, he often leads physical-education class warm-ups that involve passing a medicine ball (usually a “1 kilogram ball for elementary-school-age children” and heavier ones for teenagers) or holding a broomstick to teach lunges safely. He has the kids hop, skip and leap on one leg. They do some push-ups, perhaps one-handed on a medicine ball for older kids. (For specifics about creating strength-training programs for young athletes of various ages, including teenagers, and avoiding injury, visit strongkid.com, a Web site set up by Dr. Faigenbaum, or the Children’s Hospital Boston sports medicine site.)

As for the ideal age to start weight training, Dr. Faigenbaum said: “Any age is a good age. But there does seem to be something special about the time from about age 7 to 12. The nervous system is very plastic. The kids are very eager. It seems to be an ideal time to hard-wire strength gains and movement patterns.” And if you structure a program right, he added, “it can be so much fun that it never occurs to the kids that they’re getting quote-unquote ‘strength training’ at all.”

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/24/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-weight-training-for-kids/?partner=rss&emc=rss

--   Fred Gohh  President  Gray Bridge Software  fgohh@gbsware.com  412-401-1045  

Counterattack saves Civic Arena for now

Counterattack saves Civic Arena for now

Parents want to keep preschool program at McCleary

Got some ink today in the P-G as I spoke at last night's school board meeting. Parents want to keep preschool program at McCleary

South Side resident Mark Rauterkus spoke against another proposed revision to move Pittsburgh Obama 6-12 from Shadyside to the Pittsburgh Peabody building in East Liberty in 2011, instead of 2012, as planned.

"The promise was made," Mr. Rauterkaus said. "There's big trust issues if you move it earlier."

The board may vote on the proposed revisions today.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10327/1105458-298.stm#ixzz167oE16y2

Mind your matter.

A parent and professor.


My kids are not playing football.

David Nolan past away last night...

Sender: libertarian-304-announce

Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2010 03:07:50 -0500

To: <libertarian-304-announce@meetup.com>

Subject: [libertarian-304] Fwd: David Nolan past away last night...

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/275/018/David_Nolan_LP_Founder_Passes_Away.html David Nolan – LP Founder – Passes Away Sources close to David Nolan tell IPR he passed away last night. Mister Nolan is survived by his Wife Elizabeth.  IPR does not have information about other family members. No cause of death is known at this time, confirmed by the same sources. Mister Nolan was one of the original founders of the Libertarian Party.  He famously founded it in his living room in Boulder Colorado along with a generous handful of other founders.  Some credit him with 'inventing' the diamond political chart with two axis', used often as a tool to debunk the left-right politica paradigm. Mister Nolan was a sitting Board Member of the National Libertarian Party

--
This message was sent by DaveP (depst8@gmail.com) from The Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh Meetup Group.
To learn more about DaveP, visit his/her member profile


Meetup, PO Box 4668 #37895 New York, New York 10163-4668 | support@meetup.com

Essay Contests

Contests

Marcellus Shale 101

Marcellus Shale 101

For Cullen Jones, golden chance to teach swimming - WSJ.com

For Cullen Jones, golden chance to teach swimming - WSJ.com

Cullen Jones was about to race in his biggest meet of the year when he heard that six teenagers had drowned in Shreveport, La.

Just over three months later, the Olympic gold medalist went to the city last week to give swim lessons.

"It was so big for me being in Shreveport after something like that had happened," Jones said Thursday.

This is why he spends months traveling the country even as he trains to get back on that podium at the 2012 Olympics. Jones has visited 12 cities in two years as part of USA Swimming's "Make a Splash" program to prevent drowning by minority children.

Maurice Lucas stands tall in mourners' minds

Maurice Lucas stands tall in mourners' minds

Boyhood friends, however, recalled that he had first been a competitive swimmer. "He wasn't going to lose at nothing," Schenley teammate Ricky Coleman told mourners.

Swimming to the other side! Rest in peace.

Shooting and melee disrupt festivities

Shooting and melee disrupt festivities

"You have a large number of people coming Downtown, trying to have a good time and enjoy the festivities. And then you have some people who just don't know how to act and they cause the trouble."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10324/1104889-455.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml#ixzz15q6kgLDI

Here is the bottom line: Some people don't know how to act. I agree.

So, what do you do? I say a plan should be in place to TEACH people how to act. Put people, mostly kids, into high pressure situations and give them great leadership. Give them opportunities to practice how to act. Teach. Instruct. Coach. Then, when they are elsewhere, out of the schools, out on the weekends, out on their own, they'll have the understanding, the grounding, the philosophy and the experiences of acting in a friendly, caring, sporting and strong way.

When you walk through metal detectors at the gates of the schools, as well as the football games -- feel safe for an hour or two. When you are split with one crowd sitting on one side of the stadium and the other side over there, apart, isolated, buffered, patrolled, -- that safe feeling lasts until you get to the bus stop or go to the parking lot.

People are going to act with a mentality of being in a street gang or being in a community. Both are learned. Both have to be tested in real life settings.

Portland's push and Pittsburgh's reality

Introducing The MARC from marcpdx on Vimeo.

Or, we can cancel varsity swim practice for Light Up Night, go downtown, rumble, dodge bullets, see 30 to 50 in handcuffs and watch fireworks.

Fw: [libertarian-304] Sat Nov 20: End The Fed event sponsored by PittCollege Libertarians and We Are Change PGH

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: DaveP <depst8@gmail.com>

Sender: libertarian-304-announce@meetup.com

Date: Fri, 19 Nov 2010 16:13:06 -0500

To: <libertarian-304-announce@meetup.com>

Subject: [libertarian-304] Sat Nov 20: End The Fed event sponsored by Pitt College Libertarians and We Are Change PGH

I hope you can join us on Saturday...there's a lot of energy in the student group and WAC-PGH.
Jake Towne is a good speaker - check out his website (linked at bottom of even details) I'm looking forward to seeing him speak.

Let's get together and network with the students and other activists!

-DaveP

Link with details and RSVP:

http://www.meetup.com/wearechangepgh/calendar/15222347/


ETF EVENT DETAILS:

12pm-3pm End The Fed Educational Outreach
Schenley Park, across from Phipps Conservatory

We will be passing out FREE educational pamphlets as well as DVD's throughout the day at various manned table locations which will start at 12pm, everyone is to meet at the entrance to Schenley Park across from the Phipps Conservatory. These educational materials will explain in detail about the Federal Reserve Banking System and why it is directly responsible for our current economic crisis and what we should be doing to protect ourselves.


6:30pm-11pm Speaker and Movie Presentation
William Pitt Union, Dining room A, Pitt Campus, Oakland

At 6:30pm, we will join members of The Publius Foundation as well as members of the Pitt College Libertarians Organization and other liberty groups/individuals on the PITT Campus in the William Pitt Union, Dining Room A, for speakers as well as a movie screening of, Aaron Russo's, America: Freedom to Fascism. This event will be free to the public and all ages are welcomed to attend, event will be open to the public from 6:30pm-11pm.

UPDATE:
Joe Kennedy, Activist and Independent Political Candidate who ran against Scott Brown and Martha Coakley for the Special Elections Senate Seat in Massachusetts in 2010, has confirmed that he will be one of the ETF speakers to present at Pitt Campus! For more information on Mr. Kennedy, please feel free to visit his site: http://www.joekennedyforsenate.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1

Jake Towne, Independent Political Candidate who ran for Congress in Pennsylvania's 15th District in 2010 against John Callahan and Charlie Dent just confirmed that he will also be speaking as well as giving a presentation about fractional-reserve banking as well as how we can return to sound money after ending the Fed! For more information on Mr. Towne, please visit his site: http://towneforcongress.com/




--
This message was sent by DaveP (depst8@gmail.com) from The Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh Meetup Group.
To learn more about DaveP, visit his/her member profile


Meetup, PO Box 4668 #37895 New York, New York 10163-4668 | support@meetup.com

China's Sun Yang sets record in Asian Games pool - More Sports - SI.com

China's Sun Yang sets record in Asian Games pool - More Sports - SI.com

un Yang of China swam the second-fastest 1,500 freestyle race of all time on the last night of an Asian Games pool program, which finished with the country being disqualified in a relay event.

Sun set the Asian Games record in the 1,500 in 14 minutes, 35.43 seconds on Thursday, finishing within a second of the world record set by two-time Olympic and four-time world champion Grant Hackett in 2001.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/11/18/sun.asian.games.ap/index.html#ixzz15fBHdQMa

Moving into Pgh Peabody High School seems to be back to fall 2012

Hi All,

The school move into Peabody for the IB school (also known as Pgh Obama) was talked about again at the PPS Board of Education meeting last night (WED, Nov 17, 2010). Their "agenda review" meeting had a conversation about this topic. We've been organizing a bit on this issue. I was there for a while and did have a couple of conversations with administrators and board members.

Watch the meeting:
Go to MINUTE 52:20 on the slider on the bottom of the frame.
http://ppstube.pps.k12.pa.us/play.php?vid=618



Recap: Ms. Sherry Hazuda put forth some questions to Mr. Lopez. It goes for about 8 minutes.

The push to MOVE the Pgh Obama Academic program from Pgh Reizenstein to Pgh Peabody in the fall of 2011 was pulled. This acclerated move was put in the newspapers last week and caught some by surprise. So, the move is back on for 2012, as the original promise states, and as the past board votes confirmed. However, in the month of December and January 2011, there may be a SURVEY of the parents and students asking them if they would WANT to rush to the new site sooner, in fall 2011. If there is overwhelming support for the rushed move, then the matter could go before the PPS Board again in January 2011 for an amended vote.


Whew.

The last time a survey was taken by PPS Administrators, the name "OBAMA" was chosen among the students. Let the record show, the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies was not the top vote getter in the prior survey. The top vote getter was Schenley. That poll also had strong votes in 2nd and 3rd for Hogwarts and Frick. But Obama was picked (4th choice) and it is what it is. I love democracy. But, I worry a bit about polls. Who is counting the votes? How are questions asked?

In my not so humble opinion, the best solution: I want trust to be earned by PPS. I want PROMISES to be kept. I hate the trend and feeling of being yanked around by Pittsburgh Public Schools.

The class of 2012, the first to graduate from Pgh Obama, (i.e,, NOT Schenley), has had a rocky road. They should NOT move again at the start their senior year, Give time for the facility at Peabody to be made ready for the new school. Give time for the school to focus on academics, not moving and boxing materials and so on. That was a promise made to them and it should be honored.

In the 2011-2012 school year, it would be GREAT if the facilities of BOTH Peabody AND Reizenstein were made available in AFTER SCHOOL TIMES to the students of the city and the 6-12 school. The middle school setting and the high school needs are hard pressed to fit within one school. The schools were built for either middle school or high school. Not both. The crunch is GREATEST after school as multiple teams with multiple sports try to fit in one pool, one gym, one field. It doesn't work well -- especially if the goal is to develop kids, teams and programs to compete with the WPIAL soon.

On MONDAY, Nov 22, 2010, another PPS Board Meeting happens where the board listens to PUBLIC COMMENT in 3 minute chunks. To speak, or get onto the speaker list, call 412-622-3600 and ask to be included on the agenda. That meeting begins at 7 pm. I am speaker #3. My topic: Moving IB to Peabody in fall of 2012. I will also talk about using all the available facilities for all sorts of after school activities.

Then on Tuesday, the board will vote. But, the question of a rush to Peabody for the fall of 2011 has been removed from the agenda as of now.

Thanks for caring about our kids and their opportunities -- both in and beyond the classrooms.




One of the reason why it is NOT prudent to move into Peabody in the fall of 2011 is the fact that the PPS Summer Dreamers is slated to use Pgh Peabody for five weeks in the summer of 2011. The fix up work, even a fresh coat of paint and removal of the Highlanders markings would take longer than the two open weeks to prep for the new school year for the new school population. It is great to have Summer Dreamers at Peabody. And, it will be great to have the facilities people have a number of months in the next year to spruce up the space.

National Opt Out Day at the Airports

Cullen Jones gives children gold-certified swim lessons - USATODAY.com

Cullen Jones gives children gold-certified swim lessons - USATODAY.com

Olympic gold medalist Cullen Jones was back in the pool Wednesday, sharing his story with a community where six teenagers drowned in the Red River this summer because they couldn't swim.

Jones' appearance was part of Make A Splash, the USA Swimming Foundation's child-focused water safety initiative. Make a Splash partners with cities, schools, swim clubs and non-profit groups across the country to offer swimming lessons.

Cook: Steelers make wrong move with Reed

Cook: Steelers make wrong move with Reed It's never a good thing to take on the paying customers.

As inane as his ramblings were, Reed was much more inflammatory during the summer after he failed to reach a long-term contract with the Steelers. "I was told one thing and another thing happened. I'm not a big fan of lying," he said,

Possibly the Greatest Arcade Basketball Rapid Fire Dominance You’ll Ever See

Possibly the Greatest Arcade Basketball Rapid Fire Dominance You’ll Ever See

Some Running Mate should go to this, before going to the Harry Potter movie at midnight

dorkbot is an international movement centered around people who like to do strange things with electricity. This time:

Heather Knight, a doctoral student at Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute and founder of Marilyn Monrobot, creates socially intelligent robot theater performances.

Kelly Gates does work that has focused on the politics of computerization and surveillance system development in post-war United States.

WHEN: Thursday, Nov 18: 7:30 PM at Brillobox Theater:
http://www.thisishappening.com/VenuePage.php?curVen=60769&show=profile

NEIGHBORHOOD: Bloomfield

IT'LL COST YOU: $Free

AGES: all ages

PRODUCED BY:
+Dorkbot http://www.thisishappening.com/OrgPage.php?curOrg=38051&show=profile

Rugby!

Folks, enjoy this year's NFL while you can as the league is going to take a year-long vacation next year. There will be a labor and ownership problem. The games will not be played. That's a dark outlook, but it has been brewing and may come to pass.

With this in mind, it is a great time to get into world rugby action.

On Saturday there is a game on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. This is called a 'Test Match.' South Africa visits Scottland. Who is going to win? Place your vote in the poll on the left side of the blog.

Vote today.

Next year the rugby will be better understood if you get into it this year. And next year is a world championship rugby tournament.

Folks will fall in love with international rugby, if you give it a chance.