Pop City - What to Do with Kids over the Holidays

Pop City's Anne: You should have your kids on a swim team.

Pop City - What to Do with Kids over the Holidays My kids are bouncing off the ceiling. Each day, they seem wound a little tighter and the list of things they need gets longer. I’m beginning to dread the holiday break—and the season has only just begun.

Or, if you don't have them on a swim team -- or other sporting activity -- then you have have them sit around on the computer and look at this slideshow of kids on our team who are NOT bouncing off the walls.

Cupcakes

These kids don't eat cupcakes!

Bloggers elsewhere are fussing over a cutting edge economic theory that makes cupcakes the center of the world. My next serving of crumbs to that discussion includes these photos from are travels to China.

In China, people don't generally have ovens. So, all of their baked goods come from stores and bakery merchants. Hence, there are a number of them in the citys. People don't generally eat many baked goods as a habit, but, they can't pop a pan of brownies into their ovens as we do in America -- because the typical home only has a stove and is without an oven.


Cakes and cupcakes in Chengdu.

Bakery in Hong Kong


Mr. Squid wears a baker's hat! Squid cupcakes, anyone? I don't know the translation. The photo shows the roof of a fast food stand in Ocean Park.

We visited with one family who did have an oven. They had to have it moved from one city to another when the dad took a different teaching job at a different International School. He is an American. She is Chinees. Check out the video just uploaded to Rauterkus.blip.tv from their living room that shows the three sisters singing a traditional Chinees song for us and playing their violins. They are very talented. They live in Chengdu.

THE RECORD.COM | Penguins could be moved, Bettman warns

Canadian press reports:

THERECORD.COM | INSIDER | Penguins could be moved, Bettman warns Team's future in Pittsburgh uncertain if casino plan nixed, NHL commish says

The last minute charge to lock up an Isle of Capri victory for the stand alone slots license is being waged from Canada.

Just yesterday I was ranting about the International Olympic Committee and urging them to side with the Canadian women who want to get medals in Vancouver in 2010 in ski jumping. Now today, we need to break the peace and harmony with this ploy to pit them against us for a team that's mascot is only found in the other hemisphere.

Did you know that there are no Penguins, other than Tux, that reside in the North. Tux is everywhere. So, moving the Penguins to Canada would be taking them farther from their natural homelands. So there.

Perhaps, if the Penguins move, we can save the Civic Arena and turn it into an indoor ski jumping venue. Then the outdoor course can be built off of Mt. Washington with its landing zone near the foot of the casino in Station Square.

Tune into KDKA TV News about PAT's public meeting on its Scorecard

KDKA TV news interviewed me today while I was a participant at the public meeting hosted by PAT (Port Authority Transit) concerning its SCORECARD.

I've got a lot to say about the concepts. But, I'm out of time.

If anyone catches the segment, let me know what was aired.

Two Cows - Free Talk Live - Humor with labels.

Two Cows - Free Talk Live OLYMPICS-ISM
You have two cows, one American, one Chinese. With the help of trilling violins and state of the art montage photography, John Tesh narrates the moving tale of how the American cow overcame the agony of growing up in a suburb with (gasp) divorced parents, then mentions in passing that the Chinese cow was beaten every day by a tyrannical farmer and watched its parents butchered before its eyes. The American cow wins the competition, severely spraining an udder in a gritty performance, and gets a multi-million dollar contract to endorse Wheaties. The Chinese cow is led out of the arena and shot by Chinese government officials, though no one ever hears about it. McDonald's buys the meat and serves it hot and fast at its Beijing restaurant.

Lane 9 News Archive: 2006 Open Water Swimmers of the Year: Larisa Ilchenko and Thomas Lurz

Lane 9 News Archive: 2006 Open Water Swimmers of the Year: Larisa Ilchenko and Thomas Lurz 2006 Open Water Swimmers of the Year: Larisa Ilchenko and Thomas Lurz

We did a lot of open water swimming this summer. Some of the photos and videos are online at http://Rauterkus.blip.tv.

To Gov Rendell: Veto the Free Drink Policy for Casinos

A bill is before Governor Rendell that gives the casinos the option of providing free drinks to its patrons.

I think it would be better for Pennsylvania if the bill was vetoed. It should not come about. I would not have voted for the bill if I was in either the PA Senate or PA House.

The gambling casinos are coming. They need to act like the other establishments in our communities. It is not legal to use booze as an incentive for any operation. I would not want it to be legal for casinos.

The competitive forces that are at play in this bill is beteen the casinos and the rest of the community. Not the casino in West Virginia (and there are no free drinks in W.Va casinos) or Las Vegas and those in Pennsylvania.

This is a bill about the LCB (liquor) and not a rider on the gambling legislation.

The bill is bad on principle. It is bad for small business. And, the bill is bad in terms of governmental operations. The legtislative process for this bill is suspect, to say the least.

The members of the PA House and PA Senate, and executive branch, have been drunk on gambling money for some time. The PAC money from gambling has flowed into their slush funds for years while the gambling bills were drafted. Now, these folks in Harrisburg want to get drunk again, but this time on the stipulation of free drinks within the casinos.

There was "little or no public comment" on the bill before it was approved by the House and Senate. The bill has become the latest in the long list of last-minute legislation that hurts the commonwealth. It was added as an amendment to a bill making changes in the state liquor code and didn't receive three separate days of hearings in the House and Senate. This is required by the state constitution.

People on the South Side are worried about the traffic patterns with the new casino that could open in Station Square. We might wish for bumper-to-bumper traffic throughout our streets if all the patrons depart with a drunken state due to the free drinks. At least they'll be going so slow we'll be able to dodge some of them. Or, arrest them.

Why give free liquor between the hours of 7 am and 2 am? If I was able to, I'd say that the free drinks can happen from 2 am to 10 am. Then there would be some peace in the neighborhoods. And by 10 am, we'll be able to have all the police picking up the drunks as they exit the parking lots.

As it stands now, the drunks are hitting the streets when there isn't any mass transit. And, it is impossible to hail a cab.

The Libertarian in me said that free drinks should not be restricted. Rather, allow for any business to offer free drinks anytime. Why should some have to curb all free drinks while others get the right?

But, if you give away free drinks, you can't tax them.

The huge amounts of money that has flowed to the Mohegan Sun in its early days of operation proves that there is no need for 'free drinks' to make these places a success.

Rendell has until Saturday to decide whether to veto the bill.

Carlynton Swim Club Calendar

A public calendar for the Carlynton Swim Club is available. Those on the team might want to subscribe, by clicking the button.

Speaking of women in high places. How about ski jumping.

Events for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouber are being set and in the hunt is:

Skicross.

Skicross runs on the circuit now and features a downhill race among a handful of athletes over bumps and without lanes. Snowboarders did it last time. Think short track speed skating but on a mountain.

Women's ski jumping.

Individual curling.

Team luge.

My favorite is the involuntary luge. Picture someone giving NBC's Today weather personality, Al Roker, a huge push and unwilling sendoff while at the top of the bobsled run. We'll have to turn to YouTube for that sport I fear.


Women don't do ski jumping in the Olympics now. Nor do they do the 1500 meter event in swimming, sadly. It is only fair that they have a medal opportunity too. The first world championships for women in ski jumping isn't slated until 2009. So, this might be your opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new sport and hit the big time.

Pittsburgh, give its Mt. Washington landscape, and the backdrop of the city, could be a wonderful venue for the 2007 women's ski jump state championships. I have never understood why we don't have soap box derby events down Mt. Washington too. We did have a great professional bike race, but that went poof!

I'd like to put my voice along with that of the Canada's women ski jumpers asking the Vancouver organizers to "embrace this opportunity to remove the final barrier to equal participation by women at the Vancouver Olympics."

If you have not heard, Philly is NOT in the hunt for hosting a future summer olympics. They pulled the plug on that effort some time ago. But in the UK, the British government announced that costs for the main Olympic complex for 2012 had gone up by $1.7 billion to $6.25 billion, mainly due to higher steel prices and security concerns. Some suggest the total cost could reach more than $15.1 billion.

London organizers and the IOC insist, however, that many of the costs are not directly related to the Olympics, and are meant for the long-term regeneration of the rundown east London site where the main Olympic park is being built. The actual games operating budget is around $3.87 billion, and the IOC says it is satisfied with the pace of preparations.

Perhaps we should push for McKeesport and the Mon Valley as a host for a future Olympic Games. And, we'd have the steel prices under control as we could fire up a historical steel mill. That would make good sense for a heritage project. And, perhaps we'd then be off the hook and have volunteers run the operation, like they do now with the model train displays. That could by-pass any prevaling wage and union issues.

The I.O.C. may or may not provide news still pending from Italy's Olympics. Still in limbo, like the ones in Guantanamo Bay, is the alleged doping substances, equipment at the lodgings, and the Austrian cross-country and biathlon teams from the Turin Games. An update from them might come concerning the continuing investigation. Perhaps Dr. Cyrl Wecht should hop a flight and get to the bottom of this, along with Sheriff DeFazio, of course. Preliminary findings from Italian authorities have been furnished (pun), but not enough exists to take any action so far.

Tell the travel agent, the meeting is in Kuwait.

He is Pgh and so is she.

IamPgh This is a post to an open call to Pittsburghers that want to be a part of IamPgh.

Here is what you need to do:

* Send an email to donorkoskey AT gmail DOT com

* Include the following:

* Name
* return email address
* Neighborhood
* Job/ Degree
* Age Group
* A short paragraph about yourself

I will write you back and ask a series of questions. Answer the questions as honestly.

All is well except the part about honesty. Honesty hurts. It is what we need. But honesty isn't what people really want.

Perhaps the bios can become a good source for points from the who category at the Platform.For-Pgh.org/wiki/.

Big Media Interlocks with Corporate America

Big Media Interlocks with Corporate America Big Media Interlocks with Corporate America by Peter Phillips

MSM = Mainstream Media. Humm... What interlocks do we have to deal with in Pittsburgh?

That would make an interesting map and network.

City Council back to nine. Now 6 + 3. Welcome D. Harris.

Darlene Harris, new to city council said that public safety includes building inspection. "There are a lot of buildings that need torn down."

To be or not to be!

That was the quote from KQV Radio. Proudly, my son, 11, heard the news report with her voice while we were driving home from swim practice and said, "buildings need to be torn down."

We have three on council who are women, now. The report said that Pittsburgh's council makes history with three being women. Wow. We are cutting edge now. Western PA really needs more women in elected office.

However, one of the next news stories reported on a Pitt Law Professor who just filed a friend of the court brief about a women who was attempting to keep a judgement about gender discrimination and a wage dispute. She had been under paid on the job next to all the others -- all men. But, the appeal seems to have set a 180 day period for the need to file a complaint. If that fails to be overturned, the rights to equal pay are going to be set back decades.

Last week, Pitt's University Times, a faculty and staff newspaper, had a story about equal pay among university professors throughout the major research institutions. That story gets my attention, given that we live off my wife's salary. Women are not making much progress in terms of their take home pay, so said the article.

University Times Gender Inequity: AAUP report faults higher ed.

Darlene's tenure on City Council might be brief. She is due to face the voters again in a few months. Her seat comes due in the spring, 2007, primary and again in the 2007 general election. Same too with Jeff Koch of District 3.

Darlene's honeymoon has just begun. The clock has started to tick. I figure she'll have some time to coast with decent voter approval to her benefit as the months turn into the spring primary. However, if Darlene talks like a 'yinzer', and if Darlene talks with paper-thin depth of issues, and if Darlene stays without a web site -- alarms will come quickly.

We do have issues with the city and public safety. However, we have bigger issues for city council's attention. City council means little because we have two overlords, the I.C.A. and Act 47 team. Our democracy has expired.

Some want to cut city council from 9 to 5. Others say cut it from 9 to 7. I say, cut it by 50-percent in terms of pay checks for as long as we've got overlords here in Pittsburgh doing the jobs of all of its elected officials.

The people on city council should not be making their full pay checks because they have been replaced. The overlords are doing the jobs once done by those on city council, by the mayor and by the city's controller.

For the past few years, the citizens have been paying city council for doing little. And, we have to pay for the ICA and Act 47 stewards. We are paying triple!

Futhermore, there is no incentive to get back to normal conditions. I want my democracy to work -- if not flourish. But, we shouldn't be rewarding their failures. If we gave city council a 50-percent pay cut, and in turn, cut the pay for all the overlords too, then put the money into escrow until AFTER the city is solvent again -- then we'll have some leverage and might get somewhere.

Getting out of this financial mess is going to take some effort. I agree they should be paid. But, let's pay them after the work is done. Let's hold the bulk of the pay until they've proven that the city is back on its feet financially.

One should never pay a contractor in full as the work is being done?

You pay a good faith amount. You cover the costs and supplies. But, you hold the bulk of the money until after the work is done.

Furthermore, once we come out of our financial funk, I'd suggest that we hold another 50% (that's 50% of the 50%) for three additional years as a guarantee that the city won't slide back into distressed status again.

We don't have any built-in incentives. Nor do we have any guarantees. Both of those problems can be fixed with this solution.

Cut the pay of all elected city officials by 50-percent. Hold the pay cut in escrow. Pay out half of the amount from escrow after the departure of the overlords (both Act 47 team and ICA czars). Pay the final portion from escrow to the credited city officials, or their heirs, three years after the departure of the overlords if the city is still on solid financial footing.

Likewise, cut the pay of the overlords and have them sare the same deals as that of the city council, mayor and city controller.

Pitt Football: Turn down any bowl invite. Hold spring game at Cupples Stadium on the South Side

The University of Pittsburgh football team has lost its last five games of the year. They should NOT get a bowl bid. And, if they do get a bid, they should NOT accept.

Pitt's seniors might like another road trip. However, they should be packing their bags for the senior all-star games. Palko will suit up in one of the games. Great for him. Good for the others as well.

Pitt's payday for a bowl game that would have the team is not going to be serious money.

Pitt will get a good pay check due to the BCS Bowls because of the Big East's revenue splits. Louisville, Rutgers, and WVU can soak up the cash and give a share to Pitt, this year. Perhaps Cinci goes to a bowl game too.

Let Cinci play Ohio U. in Detroit on Dec 26.

Let Cinci play Western Michigan in Toronto on Jan 6.

Pitt should stay home, train (as indididuals or in small groups), lift (of course), recruit, study, heal and plan for its spring game.

Pitt should hold its spring football game on the South Side. It could be hosted at South Vo Tech, also known as George K. Cupples Stadium. It would be nice to know of Cupples as a place where Pitt plays, besides the Pittsburgh Passion.

The spring football weekend could bring a giant all-sports parade down East Carson Street. The players, band, coaches and students should all be a part of the activities. Each department could host its own social at various watering holes. Sidewalk sales, alumni outreach, and plenty of networking could fill the days and nights. And, the blue vs. gold game could be hosted to a sell out crowd.

This can be the South Side Spring Sports Street & Stadium Spectacular.

Bring on all the sports teams, not just football. The basketball teams can hold a clinic. The softball and baseball alumni can play on the neighborhood field. The track team can hold a specialized meet -- perhaps with D.U. -- in the stadium, 1 hour before kickoff.

In City Theater, we'll hold a special concert and pepper it with messages to the audience about how to park cars in the South Side.

Is it time to rein in current gargantuan deficit spending habits?

Perspective:

The Three Rivers Post & Standard � Bond Rating Up for Pittsburgh… But other Shoes Will Drop ... Government accounting makes Enron accounting seem like an addition mistake on a Girl Scout’s cookie order form...

Main Page - PittsburghPlatform

Main Page - PittsburghPlatform The home page of my wiki site, Platform.For-Pgh.org, has been accessed 199,906 times since the last time the counter has been reset. The magic 200K number is about to come. The site has swelled to 1,685 pages. Meanwhile, my Ford Tarus station wagon is about to flip beyond 100,000 miles.

Safe travels to everyone, regardless of your odometer's setting and altitude.

Smurphy claims Steelers' save - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

I blogged about this early in the week.

Smurphy claims Steelers' save - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review FORMER MAYOR'S CLAIM. Talk about your revisionist history.

Former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy essentially and inaccurately claimed last week that his efforts to build Heinz Field kept the Steelers from leaving town.

But, you still don't see anything from this blog in the best of the blog area of the Trib. Such is life in this region.

There aren't words to describe this tragedy.

SI.com - Spanish cycling champ dies after bike crash - Sunday November 26, 2006 World track cycling champion Isaac Galvez of Spain, a runner-up in a Tour de France stage last summer, died after crashing during a six-day track race in Ghent. He was 31.

Galvez died Saturday night after crashing against the railing during the next-to-last day of the Madison competition, event organizer Rob Discart said. Galvez, who raced for the Caisse d'Epargne team, was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

kdka.com - Allegheny County Council Loosens Smoking Ban

kdka.com - Allegheny County Council Loosens Smoking Ban (AP) PITTSBURGH Allegheny County Council has loosened its new workplace smoking ban even more.

The ban, which takes effect January second, bans smoking in any work place or public building and was passed to protect the health of people who are forced to work in those buildings.

But the amendment approved yesterday will let people smoke within five feet of a building's entrance, instead of the original 15-foot buffer zone in ordinance.

The smaller zone is meant to make it easier for patrons and employees to step outside for a quick smoke.

But opponents, including the five County Council members who voted against the amendment yesterday, say it will expose some employees -- like doormen and security guards -- to even more smoke than they faced before.

Libertarian Party Gives Thanks

The Libertarian Party wishes Pennsylvanians a happy Thanksgiving, and gives thanks this holiday for:

* Iraq holding free elections with multiple candidates. Perhaps this will serve as an example for bureaucrats who believe Pennsylvanians cannot handle more than two candidates in any statewide race;

* Continued cooperation among independents and third parties regarding reform of Pennsylvania’s unreasonable ballot access laws;

* The Clean Sweep movement for sweeping big government incumbents from office;

* Ed Rendell opposing tax increases for a few months. He waited until the polls closed before he announced his plan to raise taxes;

* Our Founding Fathers, who created a constitutional republic (not a democracy) that established laws to protect our rights to life and property.

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in the United States with more than 600 officials serving in office throughout the nation. Visit www.LP.org or for more information on the Libertarian Party.

Rendell -- we deserve it! Westinghouse to build NUKES for China while Gateway NUKES teachers.

Gov. Rendell says Westinghouse should come to Western Pennsylvania with additional jobs because "We deserve it."

Wrong!

Mary Griffin, on KDKA-radio, just called me a 'naysayer.' Well, he is part right.

Understand that China is going about to build 400 Nukes -- for electrical power (i.e., Three Mile Island) in the next ten years. That is a given. They approved the goal. It is going to happen.

On the table now for Westinghouse is how to supply a share of those plants. They've got the nod to build four, as tests. If these go well, they'll build 100 more, if not 300 more.

A number of suppliers are going to build Nukes in China, and Westinghouse is in the mix. It makes good sense for China to diversify and keep the plants from various builders with various technology applications so as to be competitive.

The business decision made by Westinghouse executives won't put any weight on those attitudes that the Governor talked of -- "We deserve it." And, those attitudes from the top politician in PA say plenty as to where and where not to locate a big business venture.

A tax abatement from the Gateway School District is not going to be the factor to make a "go" or "no-go" decision for Westinghouse in this deal. If those jobs come, they'll come here because of the overall landscape of the business climate for Westinghouse and its hope of doing well in the building of those nukes for its new, best customer, China.

Some hyper charged Keystone Opportunity Zone -- or Enterprise Kiss Butt Tax Give-Back -- is NOT going to factor into this global policy. It amounts to a pimple in the scope of the marketplace forces and the deals that they'll be hatching. A pimple.

But, to Gateway Schools -- it might mean 30 teachers. It will be serious. And, the take-a-way comes from the kids that are with us today. And, the take-a-way comes with a serious cost to our freedom.

If you want to talk about what matters and what doesn't -- let's talk about building NUKES here in the USA. Westinghouse has to go to China to revitalize its NUKE Building Operations because there are no customers here in the USA.

Let's talk about about energy! I like to turn on the lights and have them work. I love to have heat in our home. I'd love to drive an electric bike around town.

China is increasing its competitive outlook for its people and its companies. It is building -- and we're trying to make give-a-ways to benefit some mega corporate deal at the local level. Yet what we build for them is not welcomed here!

Senator Logan talked about building Nukes for Japan. Duhh....

The Governor said that the ones who speak up against these 'corporate welfare' deals might be right when it comes to a philosophical confab. But, then Rendell said, "this is the real world." He needs to get these jobs from Westinghouse to land here in Western Pa and not North Carolina or Tennessee. The other regions are giving incentives too. In the real world you have to give up something. You have to make an investment.

Well, the real world value of these tax breaks amounts to nothing except a loss of liberty.

The wheeling and dealing that the Governor and those like Jane Orie and Sean Logan are huffing and puffing about with Westinghouse is a power and influence charade. They want to be the one's who are bringing in new jobs. They want to make noise -- then take the credit. They want to say they were instrumental in landing those jobs.

Don't be fooled.

If Marty's Army sends thousands of letters to Westinghouse executives saying -- "stay here", fine. A letter writing campaign will create a lot of noise. The signal should not be, "because we deserve it." Nor should it be, "because Ed Rendell is a nice guy."

Rendell said in the interview on the radio that he is NOT permitted to talk about the specifics of the deal, as ordered by Westinghouse, until a decision is made. So, we've got behind closed doors deals being hatched. And the Governor is proud of this.

Westinghouse has the upper hand and is able to silence the Governor. And, the Governor is happy about his loss of freedom to talk to the public.

I don't want a governor that is able to be silence by corporate interests.

It is China where there are mega problems of humanity because people there are not free to speak without the state's blessing.

It is in China where web surfing at Google gives one set of results that have been filtered to meet the wills of the authorities -- not here.

Now China is going to crack into our landscape by being a big customer for a big corporation -- and in turn our state's top politician is going to act like the Communist Party acts in China.

In the next posting, we should examine what they do in China at its Casinos in regard to free drinks. West Virginia doesn't offer free drinks to those that play the slots. But, in Macao, China, at the Playboy Casino, you get more than drinks if you book a party for more than a dozen customers. Sigh.

My game plan is different. My priorities are not like that of the big-government Dems and Reps. And, this isn't a D vs. R thing. Here, the Ds and Rs are both to blame and are equally guilty. Governor Ridge created the Keystone Opportunity Zones.

The Governor should put together a task force. The task force could be chaired by the Governor himself. He can be the point person on this. It is a big deal, understood. But, don't make any give-a-ways. Westinghouse needs to get what it needs -- and it must pay for what it needs and gets.

I'd insist that Westinghouse pull its own weight, from day one. I'd insist that we be open, transparent, eager partners, flexible, and creative. Be straight with all parties. But, I'd not sell out for hype, nor for the sake of our freedoms. I want state, regional, county, schools and municipal cooperation along with that of the wonks and the lockstep boosters such as the chamber of commerce.

Cooperation does not mean taking from one and giving to another.

We are going to thrive in Pennsylvania, if we are free. That's the hinge.

We've taken the low road. We've lost our freedoms. We've got a frail democracy. We've put so many bobbles on the getting of new jobs that we take from elsewhere and speed up the decline.

The turn around that we seek isn't going to come with 3,000 new jobs that are wrapped with corporate welfare dealings.

Self reliance matters. That's how we need to thrive. We can't take the 'we deserve it' pledge to the global marketplace and expect to get anything other than squat.