Folly's face

Pittsburgh council changes city name to 'Sixburgh' - The Huddle - USATODAY.com They changed the name of the city to 'Sixburgh.'

Pittsburgh city council member Bruce Kraus led the proclamation that designates the city as 'Sixburgh' for all of 2009.

It's the second attempt at a football-related name change this year among the city's politicians. Before the Steelers' AFC championship contest with the Ravens, Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl said he wanted to change his name to 'Steelerstahl.'

Pittsburgh Parent Group Reopens Asbestos Debate

Perhaps points in this story need to be clarified?

Pittsburgh Parent Group Reopens Asbestos Debate: "Pittsburgh Parent Group Reopens Asbestos Debate"

Round Three: another meeting at Bloomfield Garfield Corp about Peabody

Here is the invite:

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT MEETING WITH THOMAS SUMPTER — Pittsburgh Public School Board Member

What: Pittsburgh Peabody Stakeholders Meeting
When: Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Time: 6:00pm
Where: BCG Community Activity Center 113 N. Pacific Avenue (Garfield)
Questions: Call Rick Flanagan at 412-441-9833

We will engage our District 3 board representative on Peabody and other Pittsburgh Public School related matters. (We hope other PPS Board Members will join Director Sumpter.)

You will have an opportunity to listen, ask questions, and share solutions.

Pittsburgh Peabody future is being determined—PLEASE ATTEND!

I have a lot of decent video from the last meeting last week, but have not been able to upload it yet. The last meeting was long on the report of the I.B. site selection stuff. It also went to the heart of the matter that change is necessary at Peabody. Too many kids are dropping out of high school -- 35%. And, too few are going to college. And, too few that do go to college are able to graduate with a 4-year degree.

Hope to see you there, then.

Vote for Theresa Smith, tomorrow, for city council in district 2.

I posted this at Bram's blog.

A "L" buddy of mine advocates that grooming candidates who are known in their communities is UNLIKE putting up a candidate that shills for votes.

Clearly, Theresa Smith, is known to those throughout the district, by association and deed. For her, campaign planks are things that others need to stand on.

That's the rub, Bram, with your back-and-forth with her.

Her past weaves right into the future.

I have good comfort and trust in Theresa Smith. And, I despise the city's 'one-party machine.'

I've got plenty of t-shirts. But, this might find a way home now.

Switchboard,
from NRDC :: Scott Dodd's Blog :: Steelers celebrate Super Bowl win in organic
T-shirts: "I'm a huge Pittsburgh fan, so I don't need any extra
motivation to celebrate last night's thrilling Steelers victory. (You've heard
of tennis elbow? Today I'm suffering from Terrible Towel elbow.)"

Mark Roosevelt talks about spending, principals, foundations and more

Mark Roosevelt, superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, talked to a group of Parents at the Excellence for All meeting last week.

I'm a big fan of the public schools. More like a booster than 'brainwashed fan.' And Mark Roosevelt gets three cheers from me today for following my suggestion last week to call for a two hour delay and do it early, so families could plan ahead.

Here is some insights into the school district.

Comments welcomed, of course.

Clip #1: Spending at Pittsburgh Public Schools. This is the big pledge. No new taxes.

The district is spending the same amount of money in 2009 as it did three years prior, upon the arrival of Mark Roosevelt. Fine. Except, the school district is shrinking. Thousands (exact # not sure) have voted with their feet and departed.

An overhaul and reform of the school district is happening. That might cost a bit more than normal. But, it is interesting to watch.

To the credit of Mr. Roosevelt, he has made a great number of changes among the principals within the district. This was needed, and we agree.



Part 1 and part 2 give an extensive story of Principals in PPS. (See clip #2 and #3 in this blog posting.)

In my personal experiences, we are blessed with two great principals. Mr. Netchi is presently at Phillips Elementary School. Dr. Walters is at Frick Middle School. Both men do a fine job. Dr. Barbara Rudiak was the past principal at Phillips. She got promoted a couple of years ago. She is now one of the four executive directors for the district. Dr. Rudiak is a principal of principals for the elementary schools.

Next year, Frick Middle School, a school that works and has good performance, is closing. That school will merge into the new I.B. High/Jr. High. Dr. Walters has been named as the new principal there. That school will be with grades 6 to 10 next year.

To be sure, some have other opinions. And, I am far from being a expert on the principals at other schools. But, this has been a sore spot in the overall district in the past years.



Finally, the talk we've heard in the past and the actions we've seen in the past have not always been hand-in-hand. We've been promised that bad principals and bad teachers would be removed from the district. Often, those promises didn't come true, in the past. There are some key elements within the union contract that have also been slated for changes -- that have not come about. So, all in all, these promises of actions are not what we like to listen for. The promise is an easy benchmark to make. Rather, we are in need of actions. And, a good bit of action has happened with the principals headed into the 2008-09 school year.

At this rate of change, the generation now being born have a good chance of getting a great education in Pittsburgh Public Schools. I'm interested in quicker actions than that.

Clip #4, Foundations at Pittsburgh Public Schools:



I don't like to hear the present superintendent rail against the spending before he arrived. Furthermore, the actions of the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board of Trustees still leaves plenty to be desired.

Principals are graded, and given incentive income, based upon different benchmarks. One is to manage a school that welcomes and engages with the parents / families. Pgh Public Schools is looking for tools that work in these areas. Then they'll replicate them for re-use in other schools.

Clip #5: Welcoming school starts with the principal:


The concept and programs of Beginning With Books is great. But what about the older kids!

Clip #6: Accountability with teachers explained, sorta. A system of teacher evaluation is coming. The Charlotte Danielson Framwework is the trend. But, I've not been able to locate anything yet in my early research on the Charlotte Danielson Framework. Zippo.



See a report from Pure Reform on this meeting.

Parade - or Rally?

The parade will be at noon on Tuesday. It follows the traditional St. Pats route.

I call that another lost opportunity.

If I'm in charge, there would be an evening (6 pm) rally at Heinz Field, after a breakfast (8 am) at UPMC's Sports Medicine Facility, lunch (11:30) at South Side Cupple's Field (PPS owned), and happy hour (4 pm) at Station Square with a post-rally evening dance (10 pm) at PNC Park.

Fans would be asked to attend only ONE of the four events.

Players and coaches would walk among the events, using the bike path as desired.

Mini events could be staged at Pitt's Pete, Duquesne Univ.'s Polumbo, Civic Arena, and Island Sports Complex.

All this could happen on Saturday!

City Council race full of newcomers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

City Council race full of newcomers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "A special election on Tuesday pits four political neophytes against one another to fill a vacant seat on Pittsburgh City Council.

Don't think a campaign manager for a winning state rep seat is a newbie.

Steelers fans celebrate one for the other thumb

Steelers fans celebrate one for the other thumb: "Earlier, hundreds of happy Steelers fans on East Carson Street showed their passion and potential for rowdiness as the first half of Super Bowl XLIII ended. They were celebrating James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Some of the revelers from the Rex Theatre got a little out of hand, stampeding in front of a 51C Port Authority bus and banging on its windows. One man scaled the bus and celebrated atop it, and about a dozen others followed his lead.

Two motorcycle police officers, showing restraint, coaxed the climbers down and cleared a path for the bus, sending the handful of startled riders on their way.

The police made no arrests, but other officers just down the street made a show of pulling their riot gear from a paddy wagon so the crowd could see what it might be up against."

By gones

Kevin Acklin, then 30 in 2006, a Squirrel Hill attorney, was seeking the nomination for Dave Fawcett's seat on County Council. He hosted a fund raiser in November 2006 at the Duquesne Club, Downtown.

Acklin co-chaired the Allegheny County campaign of defeated Sen. Rick Santorum. He also operated a local volunteer center for President George Bush's 2004 re-election bid.

Do you know Kevin? Is he seeking the R nomination for Mayor in 2009?

Walt Harris possible candidate for local coaching job

Interesting.

Walt Harris possible candidate for local coaching job: "Former Pitt football coach Walt Harris might be coaching at a district high school next season.

Harris is apparently a candidate for the head coach's job at Seneca Valley. Sources said he has talked with Seneca Valley officials about the job.

When Harris was asked yesterday about his interest in the job, he said, 'I have no comment.'

Seneca Valley officials interviewed some candidates this past week and Seneca Valley superintendent Don Tylinski is expected to interview some candidates this week.

Seneca Valley athletic director Greg Caprera said the school board hopes to name a coach Feb. 9."

I know Greg Caprera. He hired me once.

I also know that Walt is missed at some Pitt Tailgates on the North Side in certain Saturdays in the fall.

This might be as productive as Montour's stint with #51, formerly of Da Bears. I'm not sure, but it could be similar.

I never did get to watch a single episode of that ESPN show. Was it ESPN? Is it available via NetFlicks?

Dear Public School Enthusiasts,

PURE Reform is collaborating with various community groups in the Hill
District, Homewood, East Liberty, Bloomfield, Garfield and Highland Park to
advocate for a coherent, logical plan for east end high schools rather than the
piecemeal approach taken to date.

As most of you know, the IB selection committee has recommended putting
the IB program at Peabody high school. What you may not know is that no
input was sought from the Peabody community and no one from that community was
on the IB selection committee. Several meetings have been organized by the
Bloomfield/Garfield corporation to urge the PPS district to include the Peabody
community in discussios and decisions regarding their school and their
students.

We are also exploring the possibility of reexaminig the Schenley closure
due to several factors:

1) other schools in the PPS have asbestos/plaster problems (Miller, Vann,
McKelvey) similar to scheleys and have been handled in a much more cost
effective manner without displacing students

2) there is still no comprehensive plan for East End high schools3) the
district is to receive $24 million from the Obama administration's economic
stimulus program for "shovel ready" bricks and mortar projects. If
realistic estimates foir the Schenley renovation are utilized ($40-45 million as
opposed to the inflated $80 million price tag), this money would easily make
Schenley reparations affordable to the district.

If Schenley were open for the IB program, other options for Peabody will
open up that will not require displacing current Peabody students.

Please consider attending the next PURE Reform Steering committee meeting
on 2/12 at 7PM. Also, tune in to see PURE Reform steering committee
members on Black Horizons with Chris Moore discussing PURE Reform issues
including sbestos issues in PPS schools and (see times and stations
below).

CHANNEL 13 Black Horizons Sunday, February 1, 2:00pm

Black Horizons Wednesday, February 4, 8:00pm

Black Horizons Sunday, February 8, 2:00pm
WQED-TV [D]

Black Horizons Sunday, February 1, 2:00pm

Black Horizons Wednesday, February 4, 8:00pm

Black Horizons Sunday, February 8, 2:00pm

WQED: The Create Channel (channel 211)

Black Horizons Friday, January 30, 10:00pm

Black Horizons Friday, February 6, 10:00pm

Remember, GRASSROOTS RULE!-- PURE Reform www.purereform.com

Natalia Rudiak kicks off city council campaign

Natalia Rudiak, Dem, is seeking a seat on Pittsburgh's City Council. She is young, smart and educated. She is a graduate of George Washington University.

Erik, my oldest son, wants to attend G.W. too, by the way. He got to meet her this prior weekend at RootsCamp Pittsburgh.

Here is her kick-off speech. I loved the part about caring for the kids and a mention of the swimming pools.

The City Paper reported that about 75 people were in attendance. I'm sure Natalia knows the difference between parallel and perpendicular.

(TEMP HOLDER... File is going to be embeded here from both Rauterkus.blip.tv and Viddler.com/rauterkus)

2-Hour Delays slated for Feb 2 at these districts

* Pittsburgh Public Schools

* Penn Hills

* Rumor: Johnstown = closed.

Where else?

Two hour delay chatter

Fred Honz Man, KDKA Radio airbag, is talking about the two-hour delay for Monday morning. The Honz Man and I don't generally agree.

Fred hates the 2 hour delay. I love it. But, when you look at his objections, few hold up.

He said, more productive nations are cleaning our clock due to work ethic. Well, I was in Beijing on 8-8-08. The city and the nation came to a stand still. And, rightly so. The sports event is a time to focus and be in the moment. To be present. These are rare opportunities. And, it is historic.

Sports provides lessons for kids. I'm going to keep my kids up to watch the game, guilt free. They'll sleep a little extra the next morning and then we'll get onto our day and learning.

Few people make a living at sports as sport stars, so said the Honz Man. I say, some do. Even on the KDKA news just prior the tourism people in Tampa are happy to have a boost of 60% in hotel stays due to the Super Bowl. That is an economic impact, not just from the players on the field. Lots and lots of people are making money because of the Super Bowl beyond the players. The waiters, pizza makers, soda vendors, tourism industry, t-shirt vendors and so on.

I raised the point that Eat'n Park is going to be closed when the game is on. Fine for them. They are able to do as they wish.

Sports are, in part, about relationships. Another part of sports is 'time.'

While I'm strongly in favor of the 2-hour delay for Pittsburgh, I would not be happy with a National Holiday for the day after the Super Bowl.

An email went to the radio station and was read about making it Super Bowl SATURDAY. Wonderful idea. Why not play the game on Saturday, rather than Sunday. Heck, I'd be happy to have a 3 pm or 4 pm game.

Staying up to 10:30 pm is just too late for my kids. Our normal get ready for bed time has been 8 pm. The elementary school kids are not able to check out at 10:30 and be expected to perform on Monday.

Some of the bars on the South Side are going to be closed on Sunday -- so as to avoid the troubles that might follow in the wake of the game. Fine.

Those with regular jobs who can't get extra time and need to deal with the kids have advance warning with this news, this week. The worst is a 2-hour delay with no advance notice.

Fred should worry more about the yahoos that will take to the streets in a drunken rage to celebrate under the nose of the police, helicopters and road blocks. That's where plans and cool is necessary -- as well as an advance understanding. Get naked and streak will get you a lifetime sanction that won't let you be a teacher, drive a bus nor work in a hospital. Ouch.

This is not about making an 'excuse.' Wrong. This is about being prepared, being proactive, being prudent. There won't be any excuses come 10 am.

I've been very critical of Mark Roosevelt and certain elements of Pgh Public Schools in the past. This is one area where I think he and the cabinet have done a great service to the city and the quest for education. Lessons can and should be learned on Sunday night.

A two-hour delay is NOT like calling off for the day. It is a delay. We do want to make sure that Monday is productive, but that it starts later.

What other school districts have called for a 2-hour delay for Monday, Feb 2?

Leave a pointer or comment.

Tandem whitewater kayak about to hit the marketplace

Like Batman and Robin, Butch and Sundance and Thelma and Louise, Eric “EJ” Jackson is hoping his newest kayak design could be a memorable hit.

With his new Dynamic Duo, Jackson brings to the marketplace a performance -oriented tandem whitewater kayak. Based on the premise that sometimes two heroes are better than one, the Dynamic Duo is based on the Hero, the river running/creeking model in the Jackson Kayak lineup of best-selling whitewater boats.

Besides pure fun, Jackson sees the Dynamic Duo as another arrow in his quiver of market building tools aimed at growing the paddlesports market.
Jackson said the Dynamic Duo tandem whitewater kayak is the perfect boat for schools and individual enthusiasts to teach others to kayak. He believes that twice as many non-paddlers would be willing to try whitewater kayaking, if they knew their first experience would be in a tandem kayak with an experienced guide.
“The Dynamic Duo will be a great way to introduce Class I or II boaters to Class III water with confidence,” Jackson said. He said he also thinks the Dynamic Duo may prove to be a new way for outfitters to offer a private guided experience to the most adrenaline addicted rafting clients.

Dubbed Africa’s newest extreme sport, a number of outfitters offer tandem kayak trips on Africa’s legendary Class V Zambezi and Nile rivers, pairing experienced kayak guides with “no experience necessary” tourists. The craze has spread to Class V stretches of the Kaituna River on New Zealand’s north island.

Measuring 12 feet by 26.5 inches and weighing 75 pounds, the Dynamic Duo is designed for an optimum combined weight range of 265 – 500 pounds. In its conception, Jackson’s longtime design partner David Knight also tackled the challenge of making sure the boat offers good performance over a wide range of weights and distributions.

The stern cockpit can comfortably accommodate paddlers weighing as much as 260 pounds while the bow can fit those weighing up to 200 pounds and as low as 30 pounds.

Available in standard Jackson Kayak colors, MSRP is $1599. The boat is available for purchase at Jackson Kayak dealers.

For further information about the Dynamic Duo and the complete line of Jackson Kayak best-selling whitewater and recreational boats and a list of Jackson Kayak dealers, visit http://www.jacksonkayak.com .

Jackson Kayak Dynamic Duo

Chad Hermann, madman, wordsmith, DeSantis booster, burnout victim - finished from rehab

A comment at the 2PJ blog says, in part:

Chad Hermann is returning – but not to his old blog. On Monday, he’ll start blogging at www.post-gazette.com. That’s one hell of an audience, and I understand he’s going to cut loose. I am just glad that I’ve always been nice to him.

Another escape from the ivory tower.

Short Course Junior Olympics 2009 Championship Swim Meet - Presented by: Southern California Swimming and Golden West Swim Club & www.LiveSwim.net - www.LiveSwim.net

Short Course Junior Olympics 2009 Championship Swim Meet - Presented by: Southern California Swimming and Golden West Swim Club & www.LiveSwim.net - www.LiveSwim.net: "www.LiveSwim.net is please to partner with Golden West Swim Club to provide you with this live look at the Southern California Swimming Short Course Junior Olympic Championships. The younger swimmers will be making a splash January 30th - February 1st, 2009, and the older swimmers will be hitting the water February 5-8th, 2009. Broadcast will begin at 9am and end at 7pm or at the end of the night whichever comes first. There will be replays all night so stay tuned to see it all. After the first day there will be recordings available on demand and the links will be posted. Please tell your friends!
We are also pleased to announce the awesome high quality stream. This stream will bring you here to the deck and will give relatives and friends hundreds of miles away an opportunity to see the races of the one they love."

Does this look like Big Ben?

Things to do in Florida.

One could step it up and go rasslin' with the birds -- or a gator?

I don't mind as long as he wears a helmet.

RootsCamp Pittsburgh wrap up and Dan Onorato's speech

We talked about some interesting concepts:

 

RootsCamp is a great concept and its first event in Pittsburgh was a fine gathering. Sadly, it was on the same day as the Black & White Reunion. Oh well. I tried to get them to work together, but it could not happen, so I was told.

RootsCamp is to happen on Saturday in Philly. Go if you can.

RootsCamp didn't get a lot of support from certain sectors. It did well with the union groups and some progressives, of course. But there is a lot of people that should gather that was missing. Wish I had seen more from the PodCamp gang, Rustbelt bloggers, the film makers, PCTV, church groups, school advocates and new age plus eco folks. Oh well. We had a nice audience.

Dan Onorato was given the podium at RootsCamp Pittsburgh on Saturday. A welcome would be fine. His was a long welcome. Very long. But, the US Steelworkers insisted he be given the time and they did a wonderful job of hosting. So, host rules.

I flipped on my video camera and got this, in two parts.