Pitsburgh Xplosion of ABA Basketball -- interesting PR outreach to real Heroes.

Hoops for Heroes

Pittsburgh Xplosion, www.pittsburghxplosion.com, offers free tickets to Police Officers, Firefighters, EMS and Military.

The Pittsburgh Xplosion is the city's new American Basketball Association team. It honors local heroes by making free tickets available all season to police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and active members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

The special offer is good for all of the team's home games at Mellon Arena and Pitt's Peterson Events Center. The free tickets, generally $12.50 each, are distributed on a first come, first served basis at the Box Office on the day of the game.

To receive a free ticket, fans must present ID that confirms their current status in the police, fire service, EMS or military.

The team has former NBA players, Armon Gilliam and Myron Brown, and a blend of talented players with college and professional experience.

The Hoops for Heroes ticket offer is our way of saying thanks to these outstanding men and women.

There is a limit of one free ticket per eligible person for each of the team's 17 remaining home games. Fans eligible for this offer will also have the option of receiving a $12.50 discount off the price of other Xplosion home game tickets, which range from $25 to $55. This offer is good only at the Box Office; it does not apply to tickets purchased in advance or through Ticketmaster.

Schedule snapshot:

Fri, Nov 25 @ Petersen Event Center, 7:00 pm

Wed, Nov 30 @ Mellon Arena, 7:00 pm

Promotion for Nov 30: Salvation Army's Treasures for Children - Bring a new toy to the Mellon Arena gate and receive $5.00 off admission!

Fri, Dec 2 @ Mellon Arena, 7:00 pm

Wed, Dec 7 @ Petersen, 7:00 pm

Mon, Dec 12 @ Mellon Arena at 7:00 pm

Thur, Dec 15 @ Mellon Arena at 7:00 pm

Tue, Dec 20 @ Mellon Arena, 7:00 pm

Mon, Dec 26 @ Petersen, 7:00 pm

Mark Roosevelt with Urban League radio show

The Development and External Relations Department at the Urban League produces a live, call in radio show hosted by the Urban League of Pittsburghs President and CEO, Esther Bush. The show is called Urban Reality and airs every other Saturday from 7:00-8:00 a.m. on WAMO, AM 860. The show's guests discussing issues of importance to the African American community.

Superintendent Mark Roosevelt will be the featured guest on Saturday November 19, 2005.

Call with questions and hear what other parents are saying.

Getting into the ear of the leader of the free world -- while in China

President Bush is in China.

Fear not, I'll spare you from photos of our three recent trips to China and instead share this scoop.

This image is a recent photo of the leader of the free world while in China. President Bush is inserting a hearing plug into his ear used for translation purposes. The hearing device was made by a company in Chicago -- while we were there last week visiting.

He uses an Etymotic earphone. President Bush got turned onto Etymotic's products for use with his iPod. At the lab they sent along three sets and moved the volume control to a lower on the chord for easier adjustments without being as noticed. He'll need ot listen to the transaltors with foreign leaders.

Communication is critical! Often communication elements become very technical. And, for communication efforts to play to the widest audiences, it has be of the highest quality.

BlogShares - Rauterkus

The value of my shares are climbing -- like the cost of home heating oil. Who woulda thunk... :)
BlogShares - Rauterkus:
13:16 08 Nov 2005 B$8.97
21:10 06 Nov 2005 B$6.84
08:06 05 Nov 2005 B$5.47
00:51 04 Nov 2005 B$4.31
06:19 03 Nov 2005 B$3.35
17:13 19 Aug 2005 B$3.35
11:44 07 Feb 2005 B$2.69

Associate sites

The eVote blog.

The eVote.CLOH.org site.

Deliberate.com.

The eVote Blog, one of my other blogs. It covers more technical voting elements.

eVote Blog Memo to Allegheny County Council and Board of Election at Public Comment Hearing: Allegheny County Voting Machine Selection Process (HAVA)

hannahinisrael.com

hannahinisrael.com keeping in touch from across the ocean

THE PAY-JACKERS REPENT: But it's not enough - PittsburghLIVE.com

THE PAY-JACKERS REPENT: But it's not enough - PittsburghLIVE.com

As expected, the Pennsylvania Senate followed the lead of the state House and Wednesday repealed its self-dealt and wholly unconstitutional summer pay raises. But the wound is not healed.

Folks like Majority Leader Chip Brightbill slobbered all over themselves yesterday trying to pick up the Oscar for Best Speech of Contrition in a Lead Pay-Jacking Role. 'We are here to correct a mistake,' the Lebanon County Republican said. 'As one of the people who exercised poor judgment, I would like to apologize.'
We hope there are some real and good Republicans out there who are ready to plug that 'poor judgment' line into campaign commercials and send the Chip Brightbills, Bob Jubelirers, Sam Smiths, John Perzels, Bill DeWeeses, Mike Veons and the rest of their ilk packing in the 2006 elections.

Republicans and Democrats, those who voted for the no-debate, middle-of-the-night pay-jacking -- and those who didn't but who then accepted the ill-gotten gains -- violated the public trust. No apology and no repeal can 'fix' things. All must go.
All must be driven from the positions of authority they abused.

The rejection of Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro and the pay-raise repeal are just the first of many, many battle victories in what will be a yearlong revolution to reclaim a Pennsylvania government that is of, by and for the people.

The fight is right. The fight is on. And the people will prevail.

Speaking with others about the voting machines

PUBLIC HEARING ALLEGHENY COUNTY COUNCIL
Thursday, November 17, 2005 5:00 PM, Gold Room

To afford interested parties an opportunity to express their views on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and its effect on Allegheny County’s voting machine modernization.

1. Shea McKinney, Private Citizen

2. Joan W. Stein, President & CEO – Accessibility Development Associates, Inc.

3. Dr. Robert Harper, Professor, Computer Science Department – Carnegie Mellon University

4. Tim Stevens, Chairman – Black Political Empowerment Project

5. Paul O’Hanlon, Esq., Disabilities Law Project

6. Audrey N. Glickman, Private Citizen

7. Suzanne Broughton, President, League of Women Voters of Greater Pittsburgh

8. Colleen Willison, Private Citizen

9. Richard King, Private Citizen

10. Dr. David Jefferson, Chair, California Secretary of State’s Voting Systems Technical Assessment and Advisory Board

11. Danny Sleator, Professor, Computer Science Department – Carnegie Mellon University

12. Mark Brentley, Sr., Member, Pittsburgh School Board; Host, Voter Education Program

13. Marybeth Kuznik Executive Director, Vote PA

14. Deborah Gouge, Private Citizen

15. Eugene Barton, President, PA Council of the Blind

16. Mark Rauterkus, Libertarian Party

17. Kathleen Paul, Private Citizen

18. Eugene Mariani, Private Citizen

19. Adrian Perrig, Private Citizen

20. Sam Gibson, Private Citizen

21. Gary S. Schermer, Private Citizen

22. Angela Yocham Private Citizen

23. Antoine Pearson, Private Citizen

24. Dan Taylor, Private Citizen

Break a leg folks.

Questioning our pay-jackers - PittsburghLIVE.com - Letter to editor

Questioning our pay-jackers - PittsburghLIVE.com Questioning our pay-jackers

For those who are temporarily outraged at our state legislators for increasing their salaries, here are some facts for your consideration that should, if you give it some thought, cause you to question some basic assumptions about state government:

The New Hampshire Legislature is the only one in the U.S. larger than Pennsylvania's, with 400 representatives and 24 senators. However, the representatives and senators receive only $200 per year plus mileage reimbursement. There are no career politicians in New Hampshire.

The Georgia Legislature, the oldest in the United States, convenes on the second Monday in January and runs for 40 businesses days, adjourning in mid- to late March. These are not full-time jobs.

Please think about it. Then register and vote Libertarian. It's a matter of who owns your body and who spends your money.
Nick Kyriazi, Deutchtown

PoliticsPA -- PAY Grab goes poof! A second state-wide win in as many weeks!

The repeal of the pay raise has come. Now, we've got to be certain that is is all paid back. And, then we need to get that clean sweep in high gear.

PoliticsPA Pay Raise Repealed Gov. Ed Rendell has signed the pay-raise repeal, ending a the legislature's four-month ordeal at the hands of outraged Pennsylvania voters. Earlier this afternoon, the state Senate voted 50-0, agreeing with the House to roll back the massively unpopular raises enacted in July for for lawmakers, judges and top state officials.

Subjected to intense public pressure to repeal the raises, which were enacted in the wee hours of July 7 without public hearings, the House and Senate had wrestled for more than a week over how to take back raises granted to state judges, who received them right away. The state Constitution bars cutting the salary of judges without cutting the pay “of all salaried officers of the commonwealth,” a provision designed to protect judicial independence.
Brightbill apology
Senate quotes
Representative Metcalfe spin
Scranton spin
Logan Spin

LIBERTARIAN-LEANING JUSTICE

The original attribution: Ilya Somin, assistant professor at the George Mason School
of Law.

"Most debate about Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has focused on his propensity to vote to overrule Roe v. Wade and the similarity between him and conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. But despite the superficial parallels between the two conservative, Italian-American Catholic jurists, it is important to recognize that Alito has a substantial libertarian dimension to his jurisprudence as well as a conservative one. In several key fields of law, he is more likely than Scalia and other conservatives to be skeptical of assertions of government power. More important, there is much in his record that should appeal to libertarians...

"While judges should not simply vote for whatever outcomes because they prefer them on policy grounds, a libertarian orientation helps sensitize jurists to the fact that the Constitution is meant to constrain government, not just empower electoral majorities, as some conservatives claim. Here Alito's libertarian streak and his differences with Scalia may have an impact.

"...Obviously, Alito is far from being an across-the-board libertarian. But there is much for libertarians to like in his record, more than in the case of Scalia. Liberals understandably have less reason to support Alito than libertarians do. But they should think seriously about whether they would rather have a conservative with a significant libertarian streak like Alito or a pro-government conservative who will be just as likely to overturn Roe, but less likely to vote to restrict government power over religious freedom, free speech, or immigration."

Reactions welcomed, of course.

Panel sets stage for debate over lieutenant governor's selection

It isn't right to be "un-democratic" and to be so "anti-women." Lt. Gov Catherine Baker Knoll, a local, is getting public praise from her boss, Ed Rendell, but is often viewed in a different light when it comes to the unspoken comments. What about honesty? And, if the story of praise is sincere, then there is nothing else to say.

I agree with the last line in the article. I too trust the people more than I trust the politicians.

PennLive.com: NewsFlash - Panel sets stage for debate over lieutenant governor's selection Panel sets stage for debate over lieutenant governor's selection

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A Senate panel Tuesday endorsed a bill that would allow gubernatorial candidates to pick their running mates rather than being paired with the choice of Republican and Democratic voters in the primary election.

The bill, forwarded 6-5 by the State Government Committee, could if approved change the political landscape in next year's gubernatorial election and focus new attention on gaffes by Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll.

Teacher contract -- a four year deal gets signed

I turned to the Fox Chapel web site today after hearing yesterday's budget presentation from Pittsburgh's outgoing mayor. He mentioned Fox Chapel at the microphone. The mayor is talking about Fox Chapel to make the point that the next breed of leaders for the city need to think in a regional way. We can't think Fox Chapel as a competitor -- but we have to think of the entire region.

I coached the boys and girls varsity swim teams at Fox Chapel a couple of years ago in a "transitional season." The old coach has split to a new job out-of-state. He was a young guy (sound familiar) and his wife was able to land a job there too. But, all the coaches on the staff left at the same time. The varsity team needed a coach and I stepped up.

I have a lot to say about those concepts of regionalism raised by the mayor and how we should NOT compete with Fox Chapel-- but for now, check out the news there. The Fox Chapel Teachers got a new deal signed. See the notes of the blog or their home page for some of the details. http://www.fcasd.edu.

I'm sure that the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers are looking long and hard at the plans and vision of the new superintendent of schools, PPS's Mark Roosevelt. The teachers are going to see their ranks shrink. Some 250 jobs are going to be cut. Plus, there is sure to be a lot of shifting of jobs among schools as so many schools are getting a make-over or else closing.

One cornerstone of the new plan for next year is a longer school day for the "accelerated learning academy" settings. Those kids need to be put into overdrive to catch-up.

The Fox Chapel plan calls for more working days in the school year, but the work day is kept to eight hours.

Presently, I can only wonder what's going to happen with the union and the reaction of the plans for the district. Should be interesting.

Legislator's lonely....

In Beaver Falls, not everyone is angered by their legislator's lonely vote for a pay raise

'He's one of the main reasons that I'm no longer a Democrat,' said Rep. Mike Diven, R-Brookline, who served four years as a House Democrat and then switched to the Republican Party this year.

'He's what's wrong with Harrisburg. The mentality he carries -- he's disconnected from people. It's his way or the highway on issues.'

Okay Republican Diven, then what's to say you won't switch back to being a D, if and when the state house leader, the Beaver Falls D, Veon, departs Harrisburg???

Will you campaign for a Dem challenger to Veon in the Dem's primary in Beaver Falls? Will you offer ideas and money to that challenger?

Would you campaign for a Republican challenger to Veon should Veon win the D's primary?

Mike left the D's party. Mike became a Republican because he was pushed out or pushed away by the Dems. You can go from point A to point B by driving in reverse or driving in forward. Sure, you're allowed to peek in the rear-view mirror. Perhaps that's all that is being offered in this quote. I wonder, as do others, if Mike join the Republicans because he valued the Republican approach. And, now that Mike is in the GOP Camp, is he still a (self-described) "back bencher?"

What's the upside to being in the 'majority party' now?

Opponents speak against Pittsburgh-area racetrack proposals

AP Wire | 11/15/2005 | Opponents speak against Pittsburgh-area racetrack proposals
'This site is so patently inappropriate for a variety of reasons that to approve this racetrack would be to destroy South Versailles Township,' said Joel Aaronson, an attorney hired by residents who don't want to see the Oak Park racetrack built near their homes.

Amen.

To be clear, I don't want to destroy South Versailles Township. Nor Baldwin, and other areas just over the edge of the city. We do need to think like a region, more and more. The race track is at the edge of the city and would hurt those over the border more than most of the people in the city.

But, the sky isn't falling either. Destroy?

The plan is bad. Very bad. It should not occur for many reasons. But, let's keep our wits and not go overboard and say that the sky is going to fall.
If the good people of South Versailles want to meet with me and my camera -- we'll be able to do that. I'd love to hear and see how bad it would become.

Hay's hilltop (artist friend).

Yesterday's meeting was on my agenda, but I didn't attend as I picked up the boys at school and went to swim practice. I've been on the record as a vocal opponent to the Hays race track in the past.

Let's get in shape!

Gene Ricciardi -- stepping down as City Council President

My council-person, Gene Ricciardi, is about to step down as the President of Pittsburgh's City Council. His time there is about to end by the end of the year (2005). So, he can step down and help with the transition to a new council leader.

But, Gene can NOT step down until there are enough votes (five are needed) among the councilmembers (9 are on council) for the next President. Right now, the five necessary votes for president have not been found for any one individual. So, Gene stays on in the position.

Gene get's a vote in the new leader if he steps down now. If he waits until the end of his term -- the new council president is picked without his influence.

Council president gets to make a few assignments among the members of council for chairs of various duties, i.e., public works, budget, Citiparks.

Being Council President isn't a big deal, generally. It is a feather in one's cap however. That is why there has been some talk about Sala Udin getting the nod to be council president. Sala is being retired from city council due to his loss at the polls in the May 2005 primary. Council could give Sala the title as a resume builder for his entry into the private sector.

I wrote to Sala last night asking him if he would like to get my help in setting up a blog for himself. I think that might help him more, showing he's stayed within the modern era of communications.

Sala would NOT be the first black man to be Pittsburgh's City Council President. That historical feat has been accomplished years ago.

But why stop Sala at the level of Council President?

Sala Udin could be named City Council President as a first step. Then, Mayor Murphy resigns as the second step. Then comes the third step: Sala Udin moved to the mayor's office and Pittsburgh would have the city's first black mayor. The big deal about being city council president is the the migration of roles to mayor should there be an emerengy opening.

What would that do to their pensions?

Bob O'Connor could still go around town calling himself the next mayor.

City officials and VIPs have been playing musical chairs around here for some time now. I should turn this into a contest, play-by-play of the musical chairs among people and spaces.

We've got Valerie McDonald (in the next post) who moved from office to office, just as Lt. Gov, KBN, has done. But there are plenty of others.

Mario went from hockey player to team owner and would-be casino operator.

Neighborhood groups have become builders and developers with their housing projects. Developers then become politicians building department stores (Lazarus).

Land owners (speculators) have become toll road builders for the Mon Valley and big-time political donors.

Casino operators have become political donors and hockey arena builders.

Librarians make expresso. Expresso makers maintain wireless network hubs. Library Board Members move books from historic structures to leases above laundry mats.

You get the point. And there are a lot of better one's yet to be made.

I'm a musical chair kinda guy as well. I've been a journalist, coach, publisher, small businessman, coach, computer guy, dad, community activist, party-jumper, candidate, coach, blogger.

PA VERIFIED VOTING -- looks like optical scanning is best short term solution.

PA VERIFIED VOTING HOME PAGE What are Voter-Verified Paper Ballots (V-VPBs)?

Voter-verified paper ballots safeguard the integrity of elections. V-VPBs prevent inaccuracies and covert computer fraud while providing the secure basis for audits and recounts. Voters inspect and verify that the ballot accurately reflects their intention to vote, this is called 'verification'. Voters then place the paper ballots in the ballot box for counting. Audits of V-VPBs provide the best measure of accuracy for electronic voting in elections. In America, voting always occurs in privacy to prevent the historical problems of coercion and bribery in elections. Because we vote in the privacy of the voting booth, only the voter can verify that the official ballot is accurate. Because inaccuracies due to error or fraud in computer voting are covert, voter-verification of a permanent publicly observable official record (the paper ballot) is the essence of the intended safeguard of V-VPBs.

Long term, the real solution is an OPEN SOURCE Software Solution.

A primer for a grass-roots campaign -- they end if you run for judge

A primer for a grass-roots campaign Kathryn Hens-Greco is not a candidate for the Pennsylvania Legislature, but she seems like many people I've encountered who are considering a run. A week ago, she received roughly 129,500 votes for the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, more than enough to become a judge.

Ms. Hens-Greco hadn't been hand-picked by her party. She won a nomination through the Democratic primary without getting the party committee endorsement.

KHG ran in 2001 too. That was overlooked in the story, perhaps. They didn't start two years ago. They started six years ago, I imagine.
Next, comes this line from Sam: Running for office is hard work, but Sam Hens-Greco says, "The great thing about political campaigns is that they end."

The campaign season for state-reps never ends, really. State Reps are elected to 2 year terms. The judge is generally 8 years. Some are for 10 and others get life appointments. So, Sam is right about the end in the campaign cycle for the bench positions. But, the end is never near in other races.