Swimming Programs suffer with reduced staffing

Swimming Programs The following six Citiparks pools will remain open through Labor Day (Monday, September 3, 2007)

Today, the swim pool at Highland Park isn't going to open until 3:30 pm.

Sandcastle is closed today too.

5 local swimmers qualify for Olympic trials

5 local swimmers qualify for Olympic trials 5 local swimmers qualify for Olympic trials Two Dietrichs among those with Beijing in their sights for 2008

Swimming is different from most of the ball sports, of course. However, people are smart. Many people know enough about swimming to respect it. It isn't right to say, "People don't know anything behind the scenes or how it goes."

Certain people might not -- like athletic directors and school superintendents -- should there be an axe to grind. But even those people are able to be educated.

The priorities of a swimmer are different. They take years to be established. But still -- people and the community can have a sense of wisdom that can't be denied.

Great article otherwise. Great swimmers. Great sport. It is wonderful to see the kids and teams reach for the stars.

kdka.com - Search Underway For Mt. Oliver Shooting Suspect

Not good. Very bad.

kdka.com - Search Underway For Mt. Oliver Shooting Suspect A search is underway for the gunman who killed a deli clerk during an attempted robbery in Mt. Oliver. Police say around 9 a.m., a customer walked into the A & E Deli Food Mart on Brownsville Road and found 28-year-old Jamal Muzaffar on the floor.

Bloggers target public officials in Philly - Tango goes beyond two

Some mainstream media (MSM) coverage about the mixing of bloggers and politics in the other half of PA.

metro You don’t have to travel too far across the Internet to find politicians being criticized, but Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark B. Cohen says a local blogger has gone too far.

Cohen — a regular on local messageboard Phillyblog.com — has been a topic of recent posts on Philadelphia Will Do, a blog hosted by local newspaper Philadelphia Weekly. The blog’s editor, Dan McQuade, has written several humorous articles about Cohen’s posts to Phillyblog.com.

Cohen, however, isn’t laughing. He’s posted comments in response to McQuade’s writings on Will Do, claiming to be the victim of malice and libel, legal terms for the willful destruction of an individual’s reputation often accompanied by a lawsuit. Other users of the site have responded to Cohen’s allegations with lewd, political and downright bizarre comments of their own.

iPhone bill is as thick as a novel - Telegraph

Justine is getting coverage from the UK now.

iPhone bill is as thick as a novel - Telegraph

As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes - New York Times

As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes - New York Times Public health is reeling. Pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death, the Ministry of Health says. Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water.

An interesting article.

However, this line is total hogwash: This scarcity has not yet created a culture of conservation. Hogwash.

The China culture, through and through, is all about conservation. They waste nothing. They conserve in almost every manner.

This is a big concept quagmire that needs to unravel to be understood. Conservation to the citizen in the US is unlike that of conservation to the billions in China.

Another statement in the article that is a huge assumption that does NOT fit with reality: China cannot go green ... without political change. That's crap NY Times reporting.

What is 'political change?' Is that like switching the house from R to D? Is it a change in the five year plan where natural resources and environment are mentioned 200 times rather than 80, in a 'state of the union?'

Furthermore, lots of China had alredy gone green. Much of China was always 'green.'

For example, billions buy fresh fruits and vegies, locally. That's all they do. That's green as it gets. Americans don't do that. They do.

Ron Paul Wins Straw Poll in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, PA)

Reported by: Tom Kawczynski

Today, I attended the Republican Committee of Allegheny County’s (Pittsburgh, PA) Annual Summer Picnic. The admission cost including lunch was $10 per person and $20 per family. Upon arriving at the event, I learned that a straw poll was being held there that was administered by the Plum Borough Republican Committee.

We had a booth there being manned by myself and another member of the Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania Ron Paul 2008 Meetup Group, and upon learning this, we made the call so that others of our group would attend and be able to participate in the event. We came to talk to Republicans and to spread our desire to work to promote the Constitution and received a friendly response from the many people who were there today.

As Andy and I talked to the Republicans gathered about our shared message of small government and fiscal responsibility, a number of our members showed up and we began making an impact upon the poll. Not knowing about this event ahead of time, we were able to mobilize, and by the time the event concluded, here was the final tally out of 62 votes cast:

FINAL RESULTS

Ron Paul – 28 votes (45.2%)
Rudy Giuliani – 9 votes (14.6%)
Mitt Romney – 9 votes (14.6%)
Fred Thompson – 8 votes (12.9%)
Mike Huckabee – 2 votes (3.2%)
Undecided – 2 votes (3.2%)
Sam Brownback – 1 vote (1.6%)
Duncan Hunter – 1 vote (1.6%)
John McCain – 1 vote (1.6%)
Colin Powell (write-in) – 1 vote (1.6%)
Newt Gingrich – 0 votes
Tom Tancredo – 0 votes

We were very pleased by the fact that we were able to mobilize our members, and to show the organizational strength of Ron Paul in Pennsylvania. The list of victories continues to grow, and we know we are doing our part to spread the word. Believe me, people are beginning to notice as I saw firsthand and this is making a huge impact.

Who are the terroist now? Did you hear about the threat at the Ikea with the drinkers with a running problem?

These guys and gals run around and mark the course with a sprinkle of flower. They are called 'hashers'. They drink after the run -- if not while they run. Known as drinkers with a running problem, they are fun, fit, social, and like a challenge.

So they sprinkle some flower and a big meltdown from the authorities unfolds.

The terror makers are the public officials -- the police czars. Who pushed the panic button? It wasn't the runners. The button isn't found in some harmless flour that washes away by the wind or at the worst, with the next dew the following morning.

Meanwhile, in the Sunday paper's lead story, we learn all about how to learn how to live with disease -- type 2 diabetes. A side-bar (article, not drinking stop) covers the rebound of health from an ex-300 pound politician.

Health and wellness matters to me and to our society. We need to run. We need to be fit. We need to avoid disease such as type 2 diabetes -- a sickness that is preventable.

Furthermore, we need to not go into a tizzy when the hashers wing by to mark a route on the sidewalk with a touch of white powder.

FOXNews.com - Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA Saturday, August 25, 2007

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Two people who sprinkled flour in a parking lot to mark a trail for their offbeat running club inadvertently caused a bioterrorism scare and now face a felony charge.

The sprinkled powder forced hundreds to evacuate an IKEA furniture store Thursday.

New Haven ophthalmologist Daniel Salchow, 36, and his sister, Dorothee, 31, who is visiting from Hamburg, Germany, were both charged with first-degree breach of peace, a felony.

The siblings set off the scare while organizing a run for a local chapter of the Hash House Harriers, a worldwide group that bills itself as a "drinking club with a running problem."

"Hares" are given the task of marking a trail to direct runners, throwing in some dead ends and forks as challenges. On Thursday, the Salchows decided to route runners through the massive IKEA parking lot.

Police fielded a call just before 5 p.m. that someone was sprinkling powder on the ground. The store was evacuated and remained closed the rest of the night. The incident prompted a massive response from police in New Haven and surrounding towns.

Daniel Salchow biked back to IKEA when he heard there was a problem and told officers the powder was just harmless flour, which he said he and his sister have sprinkled everywhere from New York to California without incident.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever anticipate anything like that," he said.

Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said the city plans to seek restitution from the Salchows, who are due in court Sept. 14.

"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know," she said. "It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious. We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."

The charges need to be dropped. Fellony. The charges should go to the ones who pushed the alarm without thinking. The runners should get medals for advancing fitness, fighting for wellness, and helping local brewers.

If I'm elected City Controller -- I'll bring these folks to town and buy them entry into the Pittsburgh Marathon. But, they'll have to buy their own beer.

'It's scary and a big change': "'It's scary and a big change' Learning to live with the disease"

A big change -- is that a PUN? B-I-G, as in H-U-G-E, as in too heavy.

Dispatches from the Culture Wars - headed to a GOP picnic with this fact

If you have not figured this out yet, I like Ron Paul for president in 2008. Dr. Paul is a Republican. So, I am going to drop in to visit with some people at a GOP picnic today. (See my Google Calendar for insights).

Dispatches from the Culture Wars Giuliani at Ground Zero, Take Two Category: Salon.com decided to find out exactly how much time Rudy Giuliani actually spent at Ground Zero and do some comparing. Here's what they found: On Friday, a New York Times story examined Rudy Giuliani's schedule in the months after 9/11 to verify his controversial claim that, like rescue workers, he'd spent long hours at ground zero, and so was 'in that sense ... one of them.'

In fact, the Times found, he only spent 29 hours at the terror site between Sept. 17 and Dec. 16...

By our count, Giuliani spent about 58 hours at Yankees games or flying to them in the 40 days between Sept. 25 and Nov. 4, roughly twice as long as he spent at ground zero in the 90 days between Sept. 17 and Dec. 16. By his own standard, Giuliani was one of the Yankees more than he was one of the rescue workers.

I used to be a Republican. I joined that party to work hard to make sure Tom Murphy would leave office. I ran for Mayor in 2001 because I hated with the D party leaders were doing to Pittsburgh.

I left the R party the day I saw that some suburban Republicans, headed by Mike Turzi, R, of the PA House, had a plan for Pittsburgh's future. Their plan was NEVER discussed with me or any city Republicans. They wrote up a 16 page document and didn't share it with us at all. And, I had been calling upon them for discussions for months, repeatedly. I determined that they were no friends of mine -- nor the city.

I'll return to the Republican party ranks after the election, about November 7, 2007. I'll want to give my vote to Ron Paul in the GOP Primary in 2008. Then again, I expect to switch back to my Libertarian party registration after that deed is done.

I made a decision in 2007 to NOT run against any Republican in the races I am engaged. There is no Republican running for Controller. There is no Republican running for Pittsburgh City Council, district 3.

I did NOT want to run in the race for mayor in 2007 -- after it was known that Mark DeSantis, R, would be a real candidate. I'm happy to let DeSantis run -- without me to contend with.

Report: Penguins And Sabres To Play Outdoor Game - Sports News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

This trend to turn back the clock is a splendid movement within sports.

A hockey game is slated for the outdoors on New Year's Day in Buffalo, NY, at a NFL stadium, home of the Bills.

Report: Penguins And Sabres To Play Outdoor Game - Sports News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh Penguins And Sabres To Play Outdoor Game

An outdoor game could be played in Pittsburgh. Wouldn't that be great. They could set up a hockey rink at Heinz Field or PNC Park. But I've got a better venue for such a game -- and I don't mean on the frozen Allegheny River near the Convention Center.

The Penguins could play an outdoor game, under the stars, in the Civic Arena. Retract the roof! Fix it. Have fireworks -- BEFORE the the game.

The Pirates have fireworks following the games in the summer. But the Pens, in the winter months, could have fireworks before the game. Or better, at the break following the first period.

With the roof open, people in their seats would be able to see the fireworks without a problem.

The problem is, the Pens and the city didn't take care of the classic gem of a facility, the Civic Arena.

For the amount of money it would take to set up the ice in the outdoor stadium, and then repair the turf again after the rink departs, the roof could be made to retract again.

It was great being in the Civic Arena for an event and having the roof open. It was great. They'd push one button and about two-minutes later, the dome is folded back within itself with only a small slice of the pie still in place.

Just a year ago or so I was making noise that the Penguins should build the new arena out by the airport, near the fans, away from the city and the new residents. Then the Civic Arena could be saved, and fixed, and used for civic events.

They could even hold one, or a few games each year at the old venue -- under the stars -- for turn-back-the-clock night. Triple the ticket prices for those nights, if necessary.

The region does not 'progress' when it churns. To advance the region means it must grow.

Do the math: +1 -1 = 1 in the end. That's one new arena with a subtraction of one old arena giving the region one arena.

I'd rather see one new arena built and one old arena retained so at the end of the cycle there are two arenas, not just one.

The same happened with the stadiums. Think about it. We lost Three Rivers Stadium and the debt didn't go away, just the asset. And we lost Pitt Stadium. Those two venues were replaced with Heinz Field and PNC Park.

We should have kept Pitt Stadium, kept 3RS and build a new baseball only park -- something like Forbes Field! (giggle)

We could play outdoor hockey at Pitt Stadium. Then Pitt's Hockey Teams (both men and women) could have home-ice venue. Oh well.

And to refresh everyone's memory, to round out the discussion with talk of 'roundball' -- The Pete, Pitt's new basketball venue, the one with the new roof and mega cost overruns, should have been built in Hazelwood, near the Parkway East, Panther Hollow and graduate student housing at Pitt's River Campus.

My plans are viable, sustainable and much better for the region.

If I was the controller and with a staff and elected position, I'd be able to issue the reports with the finance data to make sure we had more accountable leadership and directions for the region. I'd be happy to stand up to the Rooney family, the professional teams, the stadium authority, and other special interests.

The oldest arena in the NHL, the Civic Arena, now called the Mellon Arena, is a liability, so they said. Ha, ha, ha. The joke is on them. Now the NHL has learned that the game could be played outdoors. New will be a liability in the future.

The Pens will get a new venue and wish they had an old one.

The Pirates built a new stadium that was made to feel like an old, classic stadium.

First Fruits: Fifth/Forbes corridor shows signs of progress at last

First Fruits: Fifth/Forbes corridor shows signs of progress at last The anchor for the $32 million Market Square Place project will be the Downtown YMCA, which will move from its current location on the Boulevard of the Allies. Millcraft also is planning 46 upper-floor apartments priced to attract residents earning $40,000 to $50,000 a year.

This is churn for the YMCA and YWCA. It is a net loss of space.

Aaron Russo - DEAD. He died yesterday

Ouch.

Aaron Russo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Aaron Russo (February 14, 1943 – August 24, 2007) was an American entertainment businessman, film maker, and libertarian political activist.

At Pittsburgh's BootCamp in the spring, I provided a DVD handout to people who wanted it. The DVD Handout was of Aaron's film, Freedom to Fascism.

He was way to young to die.

Do you remember the movie, The Rose, with Bette Midler?

YouTube debate among presidents has been saved. What about local debates?

The online world wears a big smile with the saving of the Presidential YouTube debate among Republicans.

We won the first battle. Because of online grassroots activists like us, we saved the Republican YouTube debate.

Now we as Republicans need to actually WIN the debate by the encouraging everyone to submit their questions, online and off. Please ask the candidates your question at:

http://www.savethedebate.com/submit.php?s=stf

And sign up to be a Video Volunteer to collect questions in your community at:

http://www.savethedebate.com/VideoVolunteer?s=stf

I can help you get your question put in to the candidates -- or put into the mix to be picked by organizers before being shown to the candidates.

But frankly, I'm a little worried about the local debate scene. When Roddey and Onorato were in a race, they gathered hundreds of times. When Murphy and O'Connor were in races, they were on TV dozens of times -- in debates and with extended interviews.

The debates must be booked NOW. They are not going to materialize, I fear.

And the next question comes, debate inclusion.

Closed for the summer

What's up with the City's outdoor swim pool at Ormsby? Yesterday was the hottest day of the summer and the pool is empty. No water?

In other open and closed news:

Kennywood will open at 5pm on Friday, August 31, but will be closed from August 27 through 30.

Kennywood will have regular park operating hours over Labor Day Weekend, as well as our September Bonus Weekends on the 8, 9, 15, and 16.

CQ Today - Hill Computers Used for Thousands of Wikipedia Edits

CQ Today - Hill Computers Used for Thousands of Wikipedia Edits Political spats, petty vandalism, cleft chins and Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s (fictional) death by shark attack — Wikipedia users on House computers clearly have a lot of time on their hands.

A new online tool has made it possible to see a full archive of edits to the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, organized by the computer network from which they originated. The list of categories includes major corporations, media outlets, and, of course, Congress.

I've been watching this for some time.

Web 2.0

The Pittsburgh Comet: Crime and No Punishment

The Pittsburgh Comet: Crime and No Punishment

See my interaction with a fellow blogger, Bram. Look into the comments section.

Bram snines new light onto the Department of Public Works within the city. He gives a rather bold opinion. Check it out. My approach is more, Potter-like. And, that isn't "Chris Potter" emulation.

Return to work not easy for stay-at-home dads - Your Career - MSNBC.com

Return to work not easy for stay-at-home dads - Your Career - MSNBC.comIt appears men who make the decision to become stay-at-home dads may be in even more career hot water.

I've been a stay-at-home dad. This article cuts close to the bone.

At the outset, I'd bicker with the concept in the lead paragraph of doing nothing to update their skills.

It might be bad to stay at home and do nothing. Sure. But, I didn't. While I was at home, my resume took a serious hit. however, my skill creation efforts did not shrink.

Working on the internet and going to work on community efforts present different opportunities for establishing skills while I was an at-home dad. This overlooks the whole challenge of being an at-home dad too.

When I was an at-home dad, my professional career was jolted. No doubt. But skill crafting does not need to STOP.

The root of article says men have added problems as we try to return to work. You bet. I feel that Pittsburgh's society, by and large, doesn’t give much credit to a recent at-home dad. Some do. Many don't. Some women are the worst. There is a bit of unspoken discrimination, sad to say. But, the “unmanly” tag isn't the hurdle. Unworthy for interviews and unworthy of job offers is more of a hit than being called 'unmanly.'

“In our culture, we look at work and family issues as women’s issues and don’t acknowledge men have at least the same kind of concerns about their families.

This is where I have a strength -- issues. I care about family issues. I care about healthcare, wellness, schools, parks, pedestrian life, parenting, and -- discrimination.

We've fully accepted the uncommon family structure in our house. Sadly, the rub comes with the plug-in to the greater community and wide-perceptions, especially the media. If I gave a damn what others thought I'd be a basket case.

Men face more prejudice when they decide to return to the workplace than women do. Save the males!

Men also face more prejudice when they are in school, before the workplace, as men's swim teams at many universities are axed.

Are there firms in Pittsburgh where men take "vacation leave" instead of "Family Leave" with the birth babies?

Stay-at-home dads usually have little support. But the real need for support isn't at the workplace nor within the family. Rather, it is within the community. Few guys made the same choices. More are doing so. But we're few and far between. The support I valued the most was on the internet among other at-home dads.

I agree that it is important for men to have the support of other men. This can't be overstated. Dads need playgroups. Dads need other dads to lean upon, just as women have had for the ages. Validation isn't nearly as important as plain old fashioned tips and socialization among adults.

Men get that support from men’s groups where men get the fathering, the wisdom and the tough love they need to make unpopular decisions,” says Wayne Levine, a clinical psychologist and founding director of BetterMen.org.

The article says stay-at-home pops are in uncharted waters. That's right where I want to be. I want to make my own, original mistakes, not repeat the mistakes of others.

Sometimes being a guinea pig can play in your favor.

Podcasting to spin into action shortly. Heavy Or Not, let the round up and shake ups flow

The fall is going to be busy. Two programs are going to swing into action: Heavy Or Not, and Take Your Mark.

Blogger has some new features that give more muscle to bloggers.

This is a test. For the next 20 seconds, this blog will experience a test of the button on the far right side of the screen shot in the image below.

From signs

UPMC announces $618 million profit, fends off critics - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

This is great. Michael Lamb came out of his slumber and gave a quote to the media. Wonderful.

UPMC announces $618 million profit, fends off critics - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Allegheny County Prothonotary Michael Lamb, the Democratic nominee for city controller, wondered whether UPMC pays its fair share for city services, a recurring theme among critics. 'They do have the state law regarding nonprofits on their side, but given the fiscal situation of the city, we want to ensure everyone pays their fair share. The question is, what is their fair share?' Lamb said."

I sent an email to the reporter that wrote the article.

Hi,

I see you give ink to Michael Lamb, D, candidate against me in the controller's race. I am so glad you did. He has been absent in recent months. He has nothing to say. And, what he said in the article you published is perfect -- as it is nothing but the sound of him scratching his head wondering what in the world is going on.

If you'd like more quotes -- call me or email. I have a very close relationship to UPMC. Plus, I have a real plan that can be deployed throughout the city with UMPC and the other nonprofts.