SI.com - More Sports - Gunmen kidnap Iraqi Olympic committee chief - Sunday July 16, 2006 12:49AM

Sports Illustrated Gunmen kidnapped the head of Iraq's Olympic committee and more than a dozen employees Saturday after storming a meeting of sports officials just days after the coach of Iraq's national wrestling team was killed.

Sports happen in a complicated, networked, society -- where they should be hosted.

New rail route no sure thing - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

New rail route no sure thing - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Why vote palm cards

The Pittsburgh League (of Pissed Off Voters) is putting together a new palm card and we need help to fill in the "Why Vote" section. We are having a contest between today and Friday, July 21 at 5 PM for the hippest, BRIEF, statements about why it is in the interest of young people to go to the ballot booth twice a year for the rest of their lives. Send us your witty catch phrases. The winning statements will be used on the palm cards, which will be distributed throughout the Southwestern PA area.

Please send all entries to Jeremy at jerecp@bu.edu by Friday, July 21 at 5 PM.

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My top suggestion:

Voting makes your teeth whiter.

My wife's suggesting: "So we don't have a president like we've got now."

That seems to be enough of a reason to go vote -- continually.

Charter School Public Hearing in Pgh

A public hearing has been scheduled by the Pittsburgh Board of Education for the resubmitted application for the Education InnovationsLAB Charter School.

We are seeking your support as we bring what will be the best K-12 public school in the District. For more information about the school, please visit www.educationinnovations.org.

Your testimony will go a long way in helping us get the school started. If you cannot make it, we can submit a short email from you as your testimony. However, you still need to call the District to be placed on the agenda. The number to call be placed on the agenda is: 412.622.3600. They will ask for your name, address, and telephone number. Make sure they know you want to be on the eiLAB Charter School public hearing agenda.

The meeting will take place: Monday 17 June 2006, 6:30 PM at the Pgh Board of Education Administration Building, Conference Room A, 341 South Bellefield Ave, in Oakland.

Again, put yourself on the agenda, even if you can’t make it. if you won’t be making it, email us your testimony (s.wilcox@educationinnovations.org) and we will submit it on your behalf.

Also notify ifif you have placed yourself on the agenda.

Tom Lingenfelter says “LET’S KICK BUTT”

Gov. Ed Rendell stated in April that he signed the pay raise because
sometimes “YOU HAVE TO KISS A LITTLE BUTT” – but Lt. Gov. Candidate Tom
Lingenfelter thinks Gov. Rendell has it all wrong and has made a campaign
promise to be the first butt kicking Lt. Gov. in PA history.

Lingenfelter and his running mate, Independent for Governor Russ Diamond, must clear the first hurdle of getting 67,070 voters to sign petitions to get on the ballot by July 29. This legislative requirement is 65,070 MORE signatures then needed by Rendell and Lynn Swann to get on the ballot!

Lingenfelter said his petition drive “Let’s Kick Butt” is asking concerned Pennsylvanians to get off their butts and get a little exercise collecting signatures to put Independent butt kickers, Diamond and Lingenfelter, on the ballot.

Ed Rendell has made it clear that his vote is for sale. Lingenfelter said “the midnight pay raise that legislators gave themselves, supported and signed by Rendell, has shown Pennsylvanians that the buying and selling of power must not be tolerated. Pacleansweep.com, founded by Diamond to “vote ‘em all out” is leading the charge to clean house in Harrisburg.

Fifty encumbent lawmakers have already been kicked in the butt and will not be returning next year. The chief payjacker, Ed Rendell, also needs to receive a swift one where it will do the most good. Lynn Swann, the GOP candidate, who has aligned himself with ousted payjacker Senator Jubelirer and the other half of the political duopoly, will not be doing any kicking.

Butt, it all comes down to 67,000 signatures. Lingenfelter, a former USA Counter-intelligence Special Agent and a real butt kicker said, “if you want to ‘kick butt’ give him a call at 215-230-5330 or check-in at www.RussDiamond.org and join Pennsylvania’s Butt Kicking team.

Amanda plans to compete in fourth Olympics

SI.com - Olympics - Beard�plans�to compete�in fourth Olympics - Friday July 14, 2006 8:13PM Amanda Beard is aiming for her fourth Olympics. Beard made her debut at 14 at the 1996 Atlanta Games, collecting a total of two gold medals, four silver and one bronze. Now 24, Beard is training for Beijing in 2008.

Baseball Begins to Listen to Sweatshop Foes

Baseball Begins to Listen to Sweatshop Foes Dave Zirin & Derek Tyner

Major League Baseball's All-Star game is supposed to be a breezy exhibition of the sport's brightest stars. It's also a place for baseball's corporate patrons to be wined, dined and reassured about the current state of the game.

CollegeSwimming.com reports that N.J. budget ills force cuts to Rutgers Swim Team

This sucks.

CollegeSwimming.com The casinos can remain open, but apparently not the swimming team. Following a turbulent week that saw the state government shut down over the legislature's inability to pass a spending bill, the Rutgers Board of Governors today approved a universitywide budget for the 2006-07 academic year that includes the elimination of men's swimming. The cuts are a part of a larger $50 million package of spending cuts across the state university.

The Scarlet Knights have been enjoying growing success under Chuck Warner. The men's team has moved to the top half of the Big East while sending swimmers onto NCAA's in three of the past four years. More importantly, the institution is New Jersey's flagship university.

There is plenty of talk in our region about how gambling is going to bring in all this money. Well, in Jersey, home of Atlantic City, what is going on there? They've had gambling. Now they get this mess up.

Gambling is bad. But the ill that comes in the wake of gambling's discussions are very bad for folks far from the slots and casinos. This is bad for everyone. We can't put a fire-wall around the gambling backlash crud that has already shown its face and is going to get worse.

If you hate gambling -- as I do. We've got to fight. One candidate for governor wants to NUKE the gambling law, by the way, Russ Diamond.

Any Rutgers grads, swim fans or common sense folks out there in or around Jersey want to fight for that swim program -- jump on board too.

Just "LAY THE SHOVEL DOWN" -- and say NO to the North Shore Tunnels

The light rail line on the North Shore, as it is going to be constructed, can't even pass around the north side of the WEST END BRIDGE. So, going down the North edge of the Ohio to the airport is just another 'false hope' and 'pipedream.'

This plan sucks. It should be stopped.

To go to the airport with light rail, use the blasted airport bus way for goodness sakes.

Small Brain Behaviors are NOT welcomed in our public arena

Clean Sweeper on a bike and feeling tidy.

Question: Shouldn't the goal be to get elected and THEN you could push for changes from the inside?

Not for me. And, not for the sake of my kids, their peers, and their kids.

I want to live in a world where there are NOT "insiders" and "outsiders." I want a world where people stand and fall on their own merits. When that happens, our public life is going to be much better.

When we are more able to elect great candidates regardless of the person's party designation, then we're going to soar in Western PA and throughout the state. When people have the real freedom to associate without fear of being less effective, then we'll be stronger too.

So, part of this fight, for me, is to fight against small brain behaviors from fellow citizens who are too quick to put labels on others and keep tiny, neat, small boxes around people and ideas that should NOT be there.

Concerning the drive for 5 on council -- from 9

We need people to write laws. Those people should be on city council. Then we need managers. They should be in the Mayor's Administration. Then we need journalist watchdogs. They should work at various places with editors who can see the big picture. Finally, we'll need voters to hire the right people for the right jobs.

Recently, our city council has been doing to much work for individual constituents. This happens because the Mayor's office has been kissing but with PNC, gambling, and the Rooneys -- All Stars, etc.

Then we have overlords who are out to lunch and bailouts that are worthless. The whole system is a mess.

My hope is that a cut to five on council will work to make council do only what it should -- and not be the mayor's complaint center (which all got the ax).

Garner puts All-Star Game in motion

Great game-coverage.

Garner puts All-Star Game in motion: "Phil Garner managed an All-Star Game in Pittsburgh the same way he played in the city a quarter-century ago. His NL players got their uniforms dirty, ran the bases aggressively, even pushed each other out of the way to get to popups.

The man once known as 'Scrap Iron' was tired of hearing how the AL had a tremendous advantage in talent and motivation, and he pushed nearly every button possible to try to squeeze out a surprise victory.

You all come back now, you hear.

Notary Rejection

This came in via email:

A volunteer for the campaign of Russ Diamond attempted to get a petition notarized in the office of Rep. Stanley E. Saylor (R-94)
today, but was refused. The constituent lives in the 94th Assembly district.

A call to the Cape Horn Plaza office by David Lynn, the campaign's Assistant Treasurer (that's me) confirmed that the staff was unsure whether or not nominating petitions could be notarized by the Assemblyman's staff.

If you think that's as ludicrous as it sounds, send Rep. Saylor an email at ssaylor@pahousegop.com. You can also call him and tell him what a great job he and his staff are doing. You can also call him at 717-244-9232 (Red Lion, PA) or 717-783-6426 (Harrisburg, PA.)

If possible, I plan to seek this notary's commission. If I'm not mistaken, a notary should be able to notarize any legal document, regardless of its content.

I'm going to take a few pages of my petitions to a local state rep in the next day or two to see if I get the same treatment.

PoliticsOnline - News, Tools & Strategies

PoliticsOnline - News, Tools & Strategies 'The on and off-line world of politics are no longer separate
realities...the leaders on the web are leading the world.'
- Phil Noble, founder PoliticsOnline

Call for this year's list of the 10 who are changing the world of internet and politics.

By the way, don't nominate me. I don't want to go to Paris France in October -- as I'm still scratching my head about the sportsmanship shown in the World Cup match with that head butt. So, I'm going to renew my "France, no thanks, pledge" that has served me well my entire life.

Besides, I'm going to be working to change the world in October with my own campaign for PA Senate. I don't need to take time out of that race for the award, this year.

Where is the award going to be given in 2007? By then, the Platform.For-Pgh.org wiki might hit 2,000 pages.

Jerry Bowyer - PittsburghPlatform - On-air hosting career is finished

Jerry Bowyer sent out an email saying that he has turned a new leaf and is now into coaching. Welcome to the profession, Jerry.

Jerry Bowyer - PittsburghPlatform When a football player blows out a knee, if he knows how to, he coaches. That’s what I’m going to be doing. Coaching the amazing and wonderful Susan Bowyer on how to manage a media company, and coaching seven astonishing kids on life and faith and entrepreneurship.

To me, coaching isn't quite as described in the email -- but I get his point.

Russ Diamond for Governor gets an endorsement

Russ Diamond for Governor The American Reform Party (ARP) has endorsed Independent Russ Diamond for Governor of Pennsylvania. The endorsement, conferred by the national ARP leadership, was jointly announced by the Diamond campaign and the ARP.

Bad News: Mayor O'Connor Diagnosed With Cancer

Bob O'Connor has been diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Legends & celebrities: Fun and a game ... but mostly fun

Another reason why swimming is so much better than baseball will ever be.

The legends & celebrities: Fun and a game ... but mostly fun 'The best thing about the whole day is showering with the former players.'

The life of party probably isn't you - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

So the media gets to go and, the coverage is built so as to rub it in on the locals. Big whup.

The life of party probably isn't you - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The life of Pittsburgh's party probably isn't you

By Richard Byrne Reilly, TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, July 8, 2006

Pittsburgh's best All-Star parties are the ones you probably aren't invited to.

All bets off in New Jersey

All bets off in New Jersey
How long the casinos will be idle is not known, but all hotels, restaurants, retail stores, nightclubs, spas and bars that are not on the gambling floor remain operational, authorities said.

Tourism is expected to be harmed by the shutdown.

'The summer was anticipated to be a huge draw for the resort because of all the expanded casinos and new non-gambling attractions, like the $200 million shopping and dining complex, The Pier at Caesars, which debuted last week,' said the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The government crisis involves an impasse between Governor Jon S. Corzine and state lawmakers who were $1 billion apart on a balanced budget.