Swimmer faces charge after nightclub fight - Monday March 31, 2008 2:06AM

Swimmer faces charge after nightclub fight: Swimmer Nick D'Arcy was charged Monday with assault following a nightclub altercation several hours after being named to Australia's Olympic team for Beijing.

After the swim meet, before the Olympics, a hockey game broke out down under.

In some cultures, sports is just an excuse to drink. I bet, and I'm not a betting type, drinking had a role in this fray. It is bad when the people in the sports get into the celebrations and drinking.

It will be interesting to see what the Australians do about this. And, it will be interesting to learn of more of the details.

In China -- drinking behviors and public intoxication is NOT often seen. You just don't do that there.

Creative Commons Expands Documentation Project

San Francisco, CA, USA -- March 24, 2008

Creative Commons today announced the expansion of a documentation project to explain various facets of Creative Commons licensing. The initiative includes links and PDF downloads to information on critical CC specifications, recommendations, research studies and tutorials. Some of the topics covered include the CC+ and CC0 projects, a simple licensing how-to, and best practices for integrating Creative Commons licensing in websites. The documentation project also offers posters, flyers and other creative media such as the "Sharing Creative Works" comic book. These documents may be downloaded directly from the Creative Commons Documentation page (http://creativecommons.org/projects/documentation) and are suitable for high quality printing and display.

Alex Roberts, Senior Designer at Creative Commons, explained the benefits of the documentation initiative. "We're always trying to make Creative Commons licenses easier to understand and use. From the beginning, CC has championed human-readable copyright licenses. Our documentation project works to extend this practice by offering short guides and explanations to a variety of CC topics." All of the documentation is released under a Creative Commons Attribution license for redistribution, reuse and remix.

In addition to the documents created by staff, Creative Commons called upon the larger community to help build a rich documentation portfolio. Jon Phillips, Community & Business Development Manager at Creative Commons, said that user participation is crucial in the documentation process. "There are so many interesting projects using Creative Commons licenses. We need to be able to draw upon these innovative organizations and talented individuals to help define and share their best practices. We've provided the framework and source files for many of our documents to get this process rolling." Creative Commons also asked for help from the broad community of CC adopters and open content supporters to help translate the PDF documents into other languages.

Visit http://creativecommons.org/projects/documentation to learn more about the project and get involved.

About Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright licenses, Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and educators the choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms that build upon the "all rights reserved" concept of traditional copyright to enable a voluntary "some rights reserved" approach. Creative Commons was built with and is sustained by the generous support of organizations including the Center for the Public Domain, the Omidyar Network, The Rockefeller Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, as well as members of the public. For more information about Creative Commons, visit http://creativecommons.org.

Contact
Jon Phillips
Business + Community Development Manager
jon@creativecommons.org
+86 1-360-282-8624
Creative Commons
http://creativecommons.org

Press Kit
http://creativecommons.org/presskit

Chelsea Clinton campaigns on South Side - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Chelsea Clinton campaigns on South Side - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Clinton was introduced by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who noted that he and Clinton are both 28 years old were born 21 days apart, he on Feb. 6, 1980, and she on Feb. 27 of that year.

Ugly News: Center For Creative Play is closing

This is bad, bad news.

Swissvale's Center For Creative Play is closing MondaySwissvale's Center For Creative Play is closing Monday

I took my kidhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifs to this place often. We went when it was in Station Square. And, we went when it moved out by the parkway east in Swissvale. Of course, as our kids grew, we didn't go.

My one boy held a birthday party there. It was one special place for lots of great reasons.

I hope the media sticks on this story and finds out why it is closing. What went wrong? What are the bills? Did the nonprofit weenies just fumble their duties?

Tell us! We really want to know. We want to be certain that this does NOT happen again.

Update, a new blog:
http://centerforcreativeplayremembered.blogspot.com

Pittsburgh mayor, council trash 'truce' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh mayor, council trash 'truce' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'Don't throw stones when you live in a glass house, and that's what they've been doing,' Ravenstahl said."

Our Rights: ACLU Sues Over High School Dropout Rates

WireTap Magazine - Our Rights: ACLU Sues Over High School Dropout Rates.. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Palm Beach County School District in Florida over what it claims is a violation of its students' basic right to quality education as promised in the state constitution.

Dogs chase tails, the next round. Kraus' non-solution spins in place.

Spin. Productivity's arrival is seldom -- if ever. Spin around and around and go only around.

Council cancels meeting with solicitor on billboards Council President Doug Shields said yesterday that he nixed an executive session that had been set for Monday. Instead, moratorium sponsor Councilman Bruce Kraus and Mr. Specter will work privately to resolve concerns about the resolution's legality.

Kraus says that the sign technology is moving like lightening. Therefore, he calls for a break to take a deep breath.

That is an approach of failure.

The closed door sessions are also NOT welcomed.

It must be dizzy for them to be in the middle of their folly.

Birmingham Bridge lane closings planned for tomorrow

Birmingham Bridge lane closings planned for tomorrow: "Birmingham Bridge lane closings planned for tomorrow
Friday, March 28, 2008
By Joe Grata, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The single, temporary northbound lane on the Birmingham Bridge will be closed from 8 a.m. to noon tomorrow while crews remove conflicting lane markings.

Traffic will be detoured to the Hot Metal Bridge. Southbound traffic will not be affected at that time.

However, the on-ramp from Forbes Avenue to the Birmingham Bridge in the southbound direction will be closed from noon to 5 p.m. when the work moves there. Traffic will be circled through South Oakland via Craft Avenue and Fifth Avenue and back to the bridge."

Russ Diamond says, "I await your response."

This letter is sent to his opponent in a race for the PA House.

March 21, 2008

Mrs. Gingrich:


Over the last four weeks you have made numerous remarks in the media regarding your desire for me to address "the issues." Although I believe integrity is the Number One issue in this race, I am more than willing to discuss any other state government issue you believe is important to the people of the 101st legislative district.

Because you have not yet enumerated any of the particular issues you wish to discuss, I am writing to suggest a few.

1. Article II Section 8 of the PA Constitution states: "The members of the General Assembly shall receive such salary and mileage for regular and special sessions as shall be fixed by law, and no other compensation whatever, whether for service upon committee or otherwise." I believe this language is quite plain, and I have already pledged to accept only the salary and mileage allowed by this section, if elected.

Perhaps you could explain why you are the only Lebanon County legislator currently participating in the taxpayer-funded pension and health care programs. Perhaps you could also explain why you believe these perks are not in violation of the plain language of Article II Section 8.

2. The Pennsylvania State Education Association's political arm (PSEA PACE) recently asked candidates for legislative office to fill out a questionnaire in anticipation of garnering the PSEA's endorsement. Frankly, I found the questionnaire to be incredibly taxpayer-unfriendly and was stunned that the PSEA would keep our answers from the public, as indicated on its cover page.

I believe secret questionnaires fly in the face of the transparency and openness that Pennsylvanians have been demanding over the last three years. As such, I have posted my answers at http://www.russdiamond.org/psea. I challenge you to make your answers public as well so we can discuss any differences we might have on these particular issues.

3. Our very own state Senator recently introduced SB1290 to enable a constitutional convention of the people to provide a vehicle for Pennsylvanians to exercise their "inalienable and indefeasible right to alter, reform or abolish their government" as enumerated by Article I Section 2 of the PA Constitution. If this bill was currently before the House as written, would you vote in favor of it? If not, what particular changes would you make to the bill to make it acceptable to you?

4. The House State Government Committee, of which you are a member, recently held a hearing in Philadelphia regarding altering the method we use to redraw legislative districts after each decennial federal census. Many reform-minded people believe this particular issue should be the next priority for the legislature to tackle. Did you attend the hearing? If so, what is your opinion of the testimony presented? How do you feel we should alter the redistricting system to make it more fair to all Pennsylvanians?

5. Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts recently held a press conference in the Capitol announcing pending legislation to create a "merit selection" system for appellate court judges in Pennsylvania. Do you support merit selection? If not, what particular steps would you take to improve our current system of electing appellate court judges?

6. You recently voted against a plan that would have put Pennsylvania on track to eliminating school property taxes. Instead, you voted for former Speaker John Perzel's proposal to dedicate gaming proceeds to only addressing the property tax situation for a select few. I believe Pennsylvania's working class homeowners and families deserve property tax relief as well. What in particular would you do to further address the property tax issue in Pennsylvania?

These are just a few items off the top of my head to get our discussion of the issues started. As I've been knocking on doors across the district, Republican voters have brought up many other topics that are currently on their minds. There are likely some issues that you feel are important, and I would welcome any you might suggest.

In 2004, I publicly challenged you to participate in three separate debates on the issues. That challenge was widely reported by the media but went unanswered by you. Instead, you claimed at the subsequent League of Women Voters forum that it was the only debate to which you were invited.

This year, I will allow you to name the time, place and method of discussing these and other issues important to the people of the 101st district. We can meet face to face, create a joint blog, appear on television or radio, conduct a written correspondence series in the spirit of the Founding Fathers, or utilize any other public forum you choose.

I await your response.

American E -- sizing up a potential Bomb Thrower

Ron Morris, The American Entrepreneur, rips the honeymoon rug out from under the new boss of Pittsburgh's High Tech Council.

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles So, Do We Have a Bomb-Thrower, or Not?

Hon, get to work. Burn the midnight oil. Nose to the grindstone. We'll burn that bridge when we get to it.

PA Gaming Control Board Announces Public Input Hearing Schedule For Category 1 And 3 Slots Casino License Applicants - Pennsylvania Gaming Control Boa

Speak up friends in PA.

PA Gaming Control Board Announces Public Input Hearing Schedule For Category 1 And 3 Slots Casino License Applicants - Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: "PA Gaming Control Board Announces Public Input Hearing Schedule For Category 1 And 3 Slots Casino License Applicants"

County To Use Non-Lethal Method To Control Geese

Never say never.

kdka.com - County To Use Non-Lethal Method To Control Geese: "County To Use Non-Lethal Method To Control Geese

Hogan got a National Parenting Award for his book!

The National Parenting Publications Awards have named “The Modern Mom’s Guide to Dads” (www.momsguidetodads.com) authored by my friend, Hogan Hilling, as a 2008 Gold Award recipient. NAPPA Parenting Resources winners are considered to be the best in books, CDs, baby gear and other innovative products that make parenting easier and more enjoyable.

Way to go Hogan.

Hogan came to Pittsburgh a while ago and gave a talk to a national meeting at the Hilton. I have a copy of that presentation and should make it available with a new interface some day. I often give it to new parents as a gift on 2 audio CDs.

Interested?

Pittsburgh could and should brand itself as the ideal place to parent.

When the economy sours -- playing with your kids is in one great activity. It is cheap. And, it is rewarding too. We have a good culture of parenting here, in this region. With some attention, outreach and devotion -- it could be a GREAT CULTURE for parenting and community!

Upgrade or get OpenOffice. 2.4

he OpenOffice.org Community is pleased to announce the release of OpenOffice.org 2.4, the latest version of the leading open source office productivity suite. OpenOffice.org 2.4 includes new features, enhancements, and bug fixes to all its core components. OpenOffice.org 2.4 is available for immediate download from http://download.openoffice.org.

New features:

Users will appreciate changes such as usability improvements in printing, and further enhancements to PDF handling (OpenOffice.org creates PDF files 'out of the box' to ISO standard). The default font is now DejaVu, which supports more languages/localisations than the previous BitStream Vera -part of a raft of localisation improvements covering languages from Hiligaynon to Quechua. Mac OS X users will appreciate the use of the native Quicktime player and spell-checker.

Writer, OpenOffice.org's word processor, now has easier selection of the language for spellchecking; users can set options for printing hidden and place holder text and for following hyperlinks; text selection and 'find and replace' have been improved; and 'power users' will appreciate new extra keyboard shortcuts for paragraph styles.

Regular users of Calc, OpenOffice.org's spreadsheet, will appreciate the streamlining of data and formulae entry. Other new features include a 'smart move and copy' for blocks of cells; the ability to transform data into columns; and improvements to printing, data filtering, and the Data Pilot.

Usability improvements have been made to Draw, the drawing and diagramming module, and Impress, OpenOffice.org's application for creating presentations. Both applications have enhanced PDF export capabilities. In addition, Impress now has a new range of thrilling 3D transition effects supported through an extension.

The Chart module, used throughout OpenOffice.org, continues to evolve rapidly. Novice users benefit from more intelligent default choices from the graphics engine; advanced users have more options allowing them to fine tune a chart exactly the way they want it.

OpenOffice.org's database application, Base, now supports MS-Access 2007 (accdb files on MS-Windows), and has enhanced capabilities for MySQL, Oracle/jdbc, and native (HSQL) databases. The Query Designer is also improved.

OpenOffice.org 2.4 is the eleventh release in the 2.x series (launched in October 2005) and demonstrates the Community's commitment to continuous and regular improvement of its software. The next major release - 3.0 - is planned for the autumn/fall this year. If you would like to help us, please visit http://contributing.openoffice.org.

The OpenOffice.org Community

This is how they stop UNIVERSAL Health Care

Looks good on the outside. But, these types of groups, (Chambers, etc.), have been the ones who offered up a great deal of push back to universal health care. The organizations sell insurance. They know that they'll die if all the members are insured.

Announcing a Health Care Plan for the Arts Community

The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is proud to announce the arrival of a health care program for local individual artists and part-time and seasonal employees of local cultural organizations. This is not a traditional health insurance program, but a limited benefits medical plan that was designed based on input from the arts community about desired benefits and pricing. Eligible Arts Council members will have the opportunity to choose from three tiers of coverage. Starting at under $60 per month, the HM Care Advantage plan includes benefits for physician office visits, annual wellness tests and screenings, ambulance and emergency room coverage as well as discounts on pharmacy, vision, fitness and wellness services. Some plans also include an additional critical illness component. Coverage will begin on July 1, 2008.

First Information Meeting
Monday, March 31 at the New Hazlett Theater

The first informational meeting about the program will be held on Monday, March 31 at 6:15 pm during Last Days Café at the New Hazlett Theater. Last Days Café is a casual happy hour held the last day of each month from 5:30-8:30 pm that features time for networking, complimentary refreshments and a brief program. The New Hazlett Theater is located at 6 Allegheny Square East on Pittsburgh’s North Side. If you cannot attend, visit the Arts Council’s website www.pittsburghartscouncil.org after April 1 for dates of upcoming meetings and webinars and to download an informational brochure.

Questions? Interested? Contact us at 412.391.2060 x 234 or rfreytag@pittsburghartscouncil.org.

With the introduction of this plan, the Arts Council has taken an important first step towards making health coverage available to everyone in the local arts community who needs it. We look forward to taking more steps forward in the future!

Best Wishes,

Mitch Swain, CEO
Tiffany Wilhelm, Director of Development and Membership
Ryan Freytag, Development and Membership Coordinator

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
707 Penn Avenue, 2nd Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3401
412.391.2060

All British athletes to be tested before Olympics - Wednesday March 26, 2008 12:26PM

Wonder if this was a 'no bid contract?' The bill has to be heavy.

SI.com - More Sports - All British athletes to be tested before Olympics - Wednesday March 26, 2008 12:26PM Every British athlete going to the Beijing Olympics will be drug tested at least once in the run-up to this summer's games.

UK Sport announced plans Wednesday for the country's most comprehensive pre-Olympic testing program, with more than 1,500 tests set to be administered on the athletes competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Frank Deford: Pollution, politics have turned the glory of the Games into disrepute - Wednesday March 26, 2008 11:09AM

SI.com - Writers - Frank Deford: Pollution, politics have turned the glory of the Games into disrepute - Wednesday March 26, 2008 11:09AM: "in many respects the IOC and China are good bedfellows.

Chatham University to play Varsity Water Polo next year -- this weekend club games at CMU

CMU is hosting a water polo tournament this weekend.

Chatham University - Chatham Athletics - Water Polo: "“By adding Water Polo we are building on the strength of our Swimming/Diving program and utilizing our athletic facility in a new way,” said Buxbaum. “This team wouldn’t be a possibility if it weren’t for the addition of the AFC to campus in 2005 and we look forward to recruiting from a new group of students looking to compete in collegiate-level women’s Water Polo.”

The Blog of Burgher Jon: FIGHT!

The Blog of Burgher Jon: FIGHT!: "# Councilman Kraus says 'liar liar pants on fire.'
# Mayor Ravenstahl says No, you're the liar.'

Good back up:

The Busman's Holiday: Notes & Quotes -- Alleged Mayoral Threat Edition

Closed for executive session. Moratorium pending. Death eminent.

Local politicians seem to be hell bent on shutting down this once thriving town.

In other news: Rev. Burgess (city council member) asked a question where he didn't know the answer.

A bill proposed about 'signs' by Bruce A. Kraus is headed to 'executive session.' Then I expect it will hit the meat grinder.