Save a radio show, The Edge of Sports

Updated: See comments.

Edge of Sports Nation: The People at Sirius/XM have decided that they will be no longer broadcasting Edge of Sports Radio. Their reason has nothing to do with the quality of the show.We have interviewed political/sports legends from Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Jim Brown; sportswriters from Sally Jenkins to Selena Roberts; sports sociologists from Dr. Graham Farred to Dr. Mary Jo Kane; and the most cutting edge bloggers from Michael Tillery to DK Wilson. We have also used the show to spur debates throughout the sports world from our interview with the late Pat Tillman's mother Mary to our conversations about the Firestone boycott before the Super Bowl.

This is the only show where sports and politics come together and that's exactly why it is getting the shaft. The high ups at Sirius XM LIKE the show but think it is too sporty for the political channel and too political for the sports channel. We need you to tell them otherwise. If you have never listened to the show, go to this link address.

http://www.edgeofsports.com/audio.html

If you do dig the show, or just support the concept of a radio show that brings these issues together, please send RESPECTFUL complaints WITHOUT profanity to the following email addresses.

MKarmazin@SiriusXM.com; SGreenstein@SiriusXM.com; JColeman@SiriusXM.com; GParsons@SiriusXM.com

If you are a Sirius/XM subscriber, go to http://xmradio.com/help/emailus.xmc?ch=167

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Update:

E of S Nation. Well I'll be g-damned. We won. This is the quickest victory since Tyson took out Spinks. Or King Kong Bundy avalanched George Welles. It seems that hundreds of people emailed the top brass at Sirius/Xm this morning and told them to keep Edge of Sports Radio and in record time, it worked. We are going to be on Sirius/XM Sports Nation on weekends and we will still post the show to iTunes and on edgeofsports.com. Give us two weeks to get the paperwork signed and then we should be back.

Thanks so much to everyone who sent emails, faxes, or just vibrations to the Sirius/XM honchos. In fact, part of the deal is for me to ask folks to please please stop emailing them.

I haven't been this happy since game 6 in 1986. This almost makes up for picking West Virginia in the final four.

In struggle and sports,
Dave Zirin

Blog of the Allies, New Pittsburgh Blog

The Pitt News has a guy that is blogging on his own. He did the bit about the couches and I sent him a note that came back with this pointer. Nice, again.

Blog of the Allies: "Have you ever taken a wrong turn off Bates and ended up in East Berlin, 1984?"

"So preposterous!" Lehe: Couch law cramps 'Burgh living

From china - foods

In China, two women sit on a porch couch like this.

The Pitt News - Lehe: Couch law cramps 'Burgh living Behold City Council’s recent commandment: It is now illegal to put a couch on your front porch in Pittsburgh.

The law sounds ominously like the climax of an unlikely slippery slope argument. Imagine: You’re talking to some right-wing militia nutjob about building codes. “Some basic safety ordinances are called for,” you say. And nutjob says, in a fit of paranoia, “Building codes are fine. But before long, they’ll make it illegal to put a damn couch on your own front porch!” You throw up your hands in disgust because the idea is so preposterous.

Understand that Mr. Kraus, on city council, could be called "Mr. Preposterous."

That's a college word, preposterous.

Latin praeposterus, literally, in the wrong order, from prae- + posterus hinder, following — more at posterior

The posterior part is best left for another day or another blog.

And, source 2:

Contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd. See Synonyms at foolish.

More from The Pitt News:

The newspaper coverage and the City Council members themselves make it clear that the ban is to prevent couch burning... I came to a surprising conclusion: You can burn a couch that isn’t on your porch. Clearly, a porch couch can be stolen and burned by someone besides the owner, but I would submit that the City Council instead take the radical step of making theft illegal.

For every infringement on people’s liberty, the extent of imposition has to be weighed against the severity and commonness of the problem the infringement tries to pre-empt... The couch-burning problem is not serious. It rarely happens. Only a dozen or so of the many thousands of couches that sit on Pittsburgh’s porches year round are set afire. Obviously couch burning should be illegal, but the act is not especially damaging either. The porch couch ban is equivalent to putting stop signs at every single intersection in Pittsburgh, because statistically over one year the stop signs might save a life.

OMG. Only a knucklehead would take the city councilman's logic to its next step by suggesting the city put stop signs at every intersection in the city to prevent car crashes. Bruce Kraus has his marching orders now. The volumes of research will be waved in council chambers in the weeks to come -- and we'll have someone to blame beyond the over-reaching legislative folly wizard.

The Kraus viewpoint is disconnected from reality.

Oakland is not burning. All of the damage happened in one night, not all week long. The damage done by couch burning is also negligible compared with the overturned cars, bus stop collapses and bonfires that people set with trash cans and wooden debris, not couches. It is downright amazing what people can burn when they put their minds to it. That’s Yankee ingenuity in action.

Kraus also makes a non sequitur: “One idiot decides to place an accelerant on the wood of that porch, and that whole row of houses could go up.” This is to say that, if someone covers a porch in gasoline and lights up a couch that’s on the porch, then the porch will catch on fire.

Supporters talk about other reasons, such as rodents and insects that infest couches. This is a classic case of a solution in search of a problem. It’s like people who argue for lower speed limits because driving your car fast hurts its gas mileage, which causes global warming and terrorism and supports governments hostile to women’s rights.

No one believes Pittsburgh suffers from serious rodent problems, or that any such problems are due to porch couches. No one was biting their nails over rat problems before the Super Bowl. Besides, the consequences of vermin infestation fall mainly on those who possess the couches.

Show me the upstanding Pittsburghers who shake their fists at fate and cry: “I did everything right! I keep a clean household! But my neighbor has a couch on his porch that rats use as a springboard for swarm attacks on my home.”

Those who say porch couches are a fire hazard forget that this is only true to the extent that couches in general are fire hazards. The danger doesn’t go away inside the house. A couch actually seems more dangerous inside, where it is dry, can burn a long time with no one noticing, and sits among carpets and other fire-prone upholstered furniture. Is a ban on all couches next? This is a silly, slippery slope. Yet, if you had told the average person five months ago about a porch-couch ban to stop rioting, she would have thought you silly then as well.

The important thing about these complaints — couch theft, couch burning, rodent infestations, fires — is that they are already illegal. More people calling the police, and better police response, would solve these problems surgically.

Well written Lewis.

From texture - misc.

Some things just bug me more than others.

South Side's revelry challenges police

Here is the perfect example of when it is great to scream, "Think Again!"

South Side's revelry challenges police: "'I'm sorry, officer,' the man said. 'I apologize. I didn't even think about it.'"

Didn't even think about it. Well, a $100 ticket -- or whatever the amount -- is good cause to think again. The ticket, the enforcement, would be a 'wake up call' that would linger longer in that guy's memory. And, in the collective conscious of the community.

So, did this guy get a ticket? Was a fine ordered and collected by the police? The order came from the neighbors. What was delivered by the officers of the peace?

Yep, think again to Mr. Kraus too. He is the one who wants more state help on the South Side, saying they don't help enough but it was a State Police Officer that used his gun while on patrols the week prior.

Kraus wants to get a 'handle on this.' The city doesn't need city council members putting handles on what they can't handle.

I'd say that the neighborhood's personality changed on St. Patrick's Day much before 6 pm. It changed on the day of the St. Pat's Day Parade, the Saturday before St. Pat's Day -- by about 10 am. So, the re-change on Tuesday, the real St. Pat's Day, came at 6 pm -- as reported.




A tall girl in black tights and a short skirt was walking away from a long, wide puddle that was streaking over the pavement toward the cruiser.

She saw the officers, flipped jet black hair over her shoulder and stalked away.

"That's class there, sweetheart, real class," Officer Stover called after her.

She was lucky they hadn't actually seen her urinating, he said. They would have issued a citation.

That's enforcement. That's evidence. That's when it is time, again, to "Think Again." Issue the citation.

School Districts Paying Double At Pump - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh

Target 11: School Districts Paying Double At Pump - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh Target 11: School Districts Paying Double At Pump
PITTSBURGH -- Are local school districts being taken for a ride when it comes to filling up their school buses?
Target 11 investigator Karen Welles crunched some numbers to find out.
It cost $4.31 a gallon to fill up almost every school bus in Allegheny County when the price at the pump is about $2.00 a gallon.
Why so much more?

Meet Dok and Kevin, together

This image was taken at the Kingsley Center, home to the Kingsley Stingrays swim team, under coach Hosea Holder.



Time for a pep talk, and a blast from the past.



Choose your friends wisely. Give it a go. It is time to turn good into greatness.

FLUKE gear

Shop to you drop.

FLUKE FLUKE

Mayor Luke? Total fluke.

Urgent call for help for the sake of democracy

Please Help Audit Phantom Ballots

Tomorrow at the Division of Elections!

Meeting at the Division of Elections at 10 am!

What: Phantom ballots occur when more eBallots are cast than
voter's signed in to vote on the touchscreen voting machines.

Where: The Allegheny County Division of Elections
6th floor of the County Office Building,
542 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219

When: 10 am to 2:30 pm
If we hope to get 10 volunteer auditors.

How: Simple and fun! Follow the link to see how its done!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRtsKF4Ox2c

The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them

The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them he Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How to Construct and Use Them

I hope to use Concept Maps with Mark Conner, a Pgh Public School employee in charge of family engagement.

They tried to kills us. But we won. So, let's eat.

Words from the refrain from a Purim song by Dave Nachmanoff.

St. Pat's Day in Ireland

Too bad they didn't have couches to burn.

Home | WOPULAR: "Cars torched, firefighters attacked, police bombarded and neighbors terrified: It was another fine St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, where inebriated mobs annually turn districts of Dublin and Belfast into a nightmare.

Where is Dan Rooney when you need him? He could stand there in the helmet and spikes and fix it all.

Olympic Swimmer Visits Capitol Hill

Olympic Swimmer Visits Capitol Hill - washingtonpost.com: "Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones yesterday implored lawmakers to put federal and state monies toward what has been a privately financed program to teach swimming skills to inner-city children."



During his morning visit to Capitol Hill, Jones in particular urged lawmakers in his home state of New Jersey to commit funding for the USA Swimming Foundation's "Make a Splash" initiative, which Jones said helped 2,500 inner-city kids in Atlanta learn how to swim last summer.

The four-year-old program, Jones said, has spread to 21 states but its success has been jeopardized by the economic crisis.

Jones, who won a gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay in Beijing, learned to swim after nearly drowning at a water park in Irvington, N.J., when he was 5.

"This is something we really want to catch fire and spread throughout the country," Jones said.

Motznik vs Diven and a real solution

Marty Griffin of KDKA Radio is going to rant about Diven and Motznik on his show. I just sent this via instant message:

Judges, or district magistrates, don't really represent the people. Rather, they are to uphold the Constitution and laws. Greater scrutiny and higher standards are necessary.

Solution: Insert "NOTA" - "None Of The Above" voting on all ballots. If NOTA wins, a re-do with different candidates is necesary. Works wonders in other areas. PA could do it too.

Diven, Motznik challenge each other's election petitions

My oh my.

Diven, Motznik challenge each other's election petitions City Councilman Jim Motznik -- who is battling his former boss Michael Diven for an open district justice seat in the city's South Hills -- filed court papers today challenging Mr. Diven's nomination petitions, and Mr. Diven turned around and did the same to his former chief-of-staff.

Democracy at work.

Michael Diven is the guy who had dead folks rise up to sign past nomination petitions.

Public service set for some in Super Bowl disturbance

Public service set for some in Super Bowl disturbance Forty-one of the 44 accused in the unruly Feb. 1 celebration showed up at Municipal Court this morning. Three others did not receive the mailed summonses and the court will attempt to contact them again.

A contrarian strikes again

Rant on the folly that is Bruce Kraus.

A contrarian strikes again - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Here's the pressing question for a Pittsburgh City Council featuring one member who says 'there's absolutely no room for discussion' of its tentatively approved ban on indoor furniture being used on outside porches:

Why is such furniture on an unenclosed porch, balcony or deck that's not visible from the street or sidewalk any less of a supposed public hazard (for fire and/or vermin) than such furniture that is visible? At least that's how the proposed law, set for final approval this week, appears to be styled.

The legislation ostensibly is designed to thwart torchings during spontaneous street celebrations -- think Oakland, think Super Bowl XLIII -- and to eliminate yet another place for rats to supposedly plot The Siege of the Cathedral of Learning. Author Bruce Kraus, the councilor who has appointed himself the no-discussion Kraussissar, er, kommissar, says 'Rome is burning.'

How many aggravated couch burnings does Pittsburgh have in a given year again, Herr Kraus?
Yes, Mr. Kraus, Rome is burning -- the city remains in state receivership, the pension funds remain virtually bust and systemic budget flaws soon likely will metastasize like a voracious ugly cancer.

And City Council is 'prioritizing' by regulating outdoor furniture. Can dictating the color of our homes, what flowers we plant and the number of scoops in our coffee makers be far behind?

To the credit of Mr. Kraus, but really to employees of public works, the South Side is clean this morning. On Sunday, the clean-up from the weekend was in full swing. The place looks good.

Yesterday, a neighbor was using some green paint to cover a mailbox that had been a vandal magnet. I asked if she was painting the green with the left overs from St. Pats Day. Thanks for that effort. I dare not give more details as she isn't a union worker.

But, back to the couch.

What if a couch shows up in front of Mr. Kraus' home? Does he get to pay the $500 per day fine?

Couches are able to burn. But, worse than a couch are the Eucalyptus tree. Let's ban all Eucalyptus trees too. And, pine trees burn. Let's ban all pine trees. And, what about a top cause of fires -- Christmas Trees. It would be better for Mr. Kraus to ban all Christmas Trees than to ban indoor couches placed outdoors.

Datestone is a solid find, but where to put it?

Datestone is a solid find, but where to put it?: "Neighborhood activist Carl Suter of Crafton Heights, who happened on it two weeks ago, thinks it deserves a better fate, perhaps as an artifact along one of the city's riverfront trails.

I agree with Carl. Put the stone back in Point State Park.

Do not press 9 0 # while on the phone

90# on your telephone is a no no!

I dialed '0', to check this out, asked the operator, who confirmed that this was correct so please pass it on . . . (l also checked out Snopes.com. This is true, and also applies to cell phones!)

PASS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW

I received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service Technician (could also be Telus) who was conducting a test on the telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine (9), zero (0), the pound sign (#), and then hang up.

Luckily, I was suspicious and refused. Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number.

I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE.

Driver dies after chaotic South Side chase

Bad news.

Driver dies after chaotic South Side chase Driver dies after chaotic South Side chase

It's PI day!

Everything is going around in circles today. There was a famous mathematician who discovered that our universe may not be just simply a rectangular space but may be bent into a huge hypersphere instead, with pi around it (circumference/diameter).

His birthday was today in 1879 - Albert Einstein.

Now you know he rest of the story.