Education spending of stimulus funding

U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan just announced how states and school districts can begin receiving the first installment of education stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
Read the full story.

Edweek.org is hosting an Open House through April 8, so you can get this type of breaking news and access to all of the vital coverage posted recently on the stimulus. Some highlights you won't want to miss while access is totally FREE:

• States Eye Education Stimulus to Fill Budget Gaps
  Local officials are crying ‘foul’ as a growing number of governors make a play for federal economic-stimulus aid for schools.
• Stimulus Providing Big Funding Boost for Early Childhood
  Advocates are betting that the billions of dollars for programs like Head Start are just a “down payment” on future expansion.
• K-12 Taking Primacy in Use of Stimulus Dollars
  Many states are targeting the new education aid at elementary and secondary schools, rather than toward higher education.
• Exclusive Video Interview: Duncan on States That Reject Stimulus Money
  U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan talked with Education Week about the stimulus, school reform, teacher issues, and his pick for deputy.

For complete coverage and to keep fully up-to-the-minute, visit our Schools and the Stimulus page. Stay easily updated on all of the stimulus news: download the Stimulus widget and place it on your Web site, blog, Facebook page, or other personal page. Or get the RSS feed on the stimulus.

In addition to digging into the stimulus, you should also visit our annual report on how well states are incorporating technology into their schools, Technology Counts 2009: Breaking Away From Tradition: E-Education Expands Opportunities for Raising Achievement. Read about the latest research on e-education, find out how to search the internet for quality content, see how your state compares nationally, and download your state report.

During the edweek.org Spring Open House, all articles are available gratis.

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Highlights, edited slightly for brevity are below. Looks like a rehab of Schenley High School is very possible and able to be justified fully.

- significantly more spending flexibility on school construction than many administrators had expected.

- Unveiling the first payments at a school in Capitol Heights, Md.

- funding could be a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

- to invest significantly in best practices and scale up what works

- stabilization funds used to backfill cuts,

- allows districts to spend funds on new school construction. Lawmakers had opposed funding for school construction during the drafting of the $787 billion stimulus package, which President Barack Obama signed into law in February.

- “[School construction] has the potential to eat up a lot of these funds, particularly for states that don’t have severe funding shortages,” said Vic Klatt, a lobbyist with the Washington firm Van Scoyoc Associates, who previously served as the staff director for Republicans on the House education committee. “People who are hoping a lot of this money will go for education reform activities may be a little disappointed.”

- “In an urban district, if 30 percent of your schools are not [meeting testing benchmarks] and ... all your teachers are doing well on your evaluations, that’s going to be embarrassing.”

- connect student-achievement data to individual teachers,

- track students from high school through college graduation.

- Some states prohibit the sharing of data across systems for privacy purposes.

- more flexibility than anticipated to use money on school construction. The completed bill permitted districts to undertake modernization and repairs.

- Districts may spend on any activities authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act and other statues—including the federal impact-aid program, which authorizes funds for building new schools.

- Secretary Duncan said the interpretation offers districts the flexibility to work on construction projects that fit local needs. “There’s a need there—there’s a need to do renovation and rehabilitation,” he said. “You have areas that are significantly overcrowded, and children jammed into buildings. That doesn’t work.”

- ... spend tens of billions in taxpayers’ money on virtually anything—including new school construction,

- Districts can use the impact-aid authority to pay down past debt

- a state may not limit how a local district uses its share of the stimulus money.

- “While states allocate the funds, it should be up to local school districts and colleges and universities to decide how to use this emergency aid, not states,” the statement released by his office says.

- States do have discretion in deciding how to spend money in the $8.8 billion Government Services Fund, which can be used for “public safety and other government services,” including assistance for K-12 or higher education, as well as to support administrative costs associated with implementing reporting requirements.

- any states playing “shell games” with stimulus spending would disqualify themselves for future funding. He singled out the $4.35 billion in discretionary money he has dubbed the “Race to the Top” fund.

LTE: Give me liberty

Post-Gazette LTE 4/2/9

Give me liberty

It seems that President Obama's stimulus plan does come with strings attached. That really is no surprise. Over the past nine years we have come to expect the government to give at a cost. Be it "compassionate conservatism" or "hope," we the people end up paying the cost.

The Patriot Act gave us security with a loss of freedom and liberty. The Bush years led to deficit spending by the Republican Congress, and the current administration seems to be following suit. Is there really a difference in the two parties?

On issues of freedom and liberty both parties talk a good game, but in the end both regulate and impose laws that hurt both the individual and business. The Republicans wrap themselves in the flag and challenge your patriotism if you question their motives and policies. The Democrats
surround themselves with various groups and call you names if you disagree with the direction they want to take the country.

In the end, nothing is accomplished. Why? Getting things done means losing an issue to raise funds on or losing an issue to divide and scare the nation into voting against the opponent. Change is the last thing our elected officials in Washington and, yes, Harrisburg want. Real
change would involve them losing power and the citizens gaining power.

I challenge you to find what the government is not involved in as you go through your day. From the amount of water in your toilet to what you can eat or do, the government is there, helping you throughout the day. Big Brother is there whether you want him or not.

JOHN G. PARKS, Pleasant Hills

Cognitive dissonance in Pittsburgh and beyond: Blogging gets as bad as everything else.

Cognitive dissonance in Pittsburgh and beyond: Blogging gets as bad as everything else. Blogging gets as bad as everything else.

I would love to see the city sue for copyright infringement on a re-broadcasting of a city council meeting. That will be the day we get a new city solicitor, for sure.

If I was elected, I'd move to put a public domain statement on everything that the city does.

I'm a big fan of public domain.

As to the P-G interview, the first point would be a claim of fair use. There, humor helps. It is sorta a lampoon in a sick and twisted kinda way. The P-G lawyers are better served looking at employee buy-outs now, not campaign issue noise finding its way on YouTube.

Hell, Matt (or whomever), might want to send the P-G a bill for advertising its P-G web and turning the content into something that others should take notice of.

BTW, I remember when this came before council from the PWSA. It smelled bad then.

Laggard vs. Young Fluke. Humm...

I think that the YouTube clip is effective as a dis-credit to the mount of the campaign. We're watching. How one handles the bumps in the road are telling the most, it seems to me. There are sure to be other chapters.

Set the stage for the debates. They become more important as time shrinks. Carmen could rise as the two men sustain their blazing boyhood ways.

Men in Blue fast break to make officials red faced before the world

Chicago cops protest during IOC visit CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago police officers unhappy with contract negotiations have picketed outside City Hall -- an action that coincides with a visit by an International Olympic Committee inspection team.

St. Louis TSA run-in

Notice that there are 61 comments. Many of them are better than the audio.

Pittsburgh may consider payroll tax for nonprofits

Mr. Lamb, city controller, misses the mark.

Pittsburgh may consider payroll tax for nonprofits: "Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb today proposed a tax shift that would lower levies on businesses, and shift some of the burden to nonprofit employers.

He asked city council and state overseers to consider seeking state approval for a 20 percent cut in the payroll preparation tax, now 0.55 percent of for-profit employers' payrolls, but broadening that tax to include the growing nonprofit sector, which includes hospitals, universities and some insurers.

The goal is not to punish the one sector that has growth. These Dems want to tax anything that moves. Wrong approach. Without the nonprofits, Pittsburgh is dead. Tax the nonprofits, Pittsburgh would die.

There is another approach. Tax was does NOT move. Tax land. Don't tax productivity. Do not tax work. Don't diminish earnings from service to better health and quality of life endeavors (as the nonprofits are, mostly).

We need to put on a moratorium on all nonprofit land expansion. We need to turn more of our physical spaces into taxable spaces -- not nonprofit, tax free spaces.

The land grab, the trampling of neighbors by the nonproft over the taxpayers is the real long term worry of Pittsburgh.

We need to tell the nonprofits that they can expand upward. Not outward.

We need to tell nonprofits to better utilize their existing spaces, consolidate what is already theirs -- but take no more.

We need the controller to lead an audit of all the spaces that are throughout the city and perhaps the county and measure, inch by inch, what is taxed and what is not able to be taxed with property taxes. What properties are owned by nonprofits? What are not?

Then the Pittsburgh nonprofit secret cadre of whimsical givers to Grant Street needs to sign-off on the land shrinkage plan.

This is an excellent time to make the ask as few are expanding. The Catholic Church is closing schools. They have too much land that isn't being used now. They would see a spike in the land value of existing holdings as if there is another nonprofit that wants to move -- they'll consider a move into what property the church already owns.

When you tax earnings -- government discourages earnings. That's wrongheaded policy.

I want nonprofits to flourish here. I want their employees to make money here. I just don't want the institutions to buy up all the land here as we'll have a big crash and my kid's won't be able to live here.

Pittsburgh Public Service Fund, an umbrella group of tax-exempt entities, needs to do an evaluation of the size of its umbrella. And, the city controller can help with an audit of the umbrella's footprint.

Pittsburgh is a space. The city is a space. Where the city is needs to be mapped -- and that is easily done, even with Google Earth for pete's sake. We need a grip on the spaces and the taxes associated with those spaces. That's the future of this city.

If the nonprofits want to build taller buildings, that is going to bring more value to the city. That density is going to be matched by private citizens as well. And, we'll need robust incomes -- without seeing them taxes at higher rates.

With Michael Lamb's position, we'll have higher costs of health care.

With Michael Lamb's position, we'll have government auditors snooping into the books of the Little Sisters of the Poor -- watching for hidden wage taxes.

Those are the wrong ways to lead a city.

The year-by-year breakdown has to be about the size of the nonprofit land holdings and NOTHING else. That's the breakdown that this city is hungry to understand and control.

Audit says Allegheny County sewer fixes could cost $21 billion

Is there any indication that these guys know what they are talking about other than a big cost to a government authority?

Audit says Allegheny County sewer fixes could cost $21 billion 'You should be aware that in the future, your sewerage bill is probably going to cost more than your water bill,' said Mr. Flaherty, adding that the amount of funding the authority needs over the next 15 years will be 'the largest municipal project ever undertaken in our area.'

The root of the problem isn't the what we flush -- our sewerage. No.

The problem is the rain water run off that mixes with the same pipes as what was flushed. In times of a downpour -- you don't want to be at the edge of the river unless you want to see brown trout and worse.

We need to catch more water in times of rain. We need a real awareness of wet weather management -- by land owners, rate payers, citizens and environmental do-gooders too.

Frankly, we need leadership.

Sadly, we've got bean counters in the controller's office and hacks on the authority boards.

View from the BurghChair: April Fools Is On Us

View from the BurghChair: April Fools Is On Us: "Since it's all a joke, on this April Fool's Day I found it appropriate to write about Pittsburgh's Campaign Finance and Ethics Reforms. I just can't stand it any more. Both issues are hugely important and indeed are related to each other. Like conjoined twins, one cannot exist without the other."

My comments:

America isn't the land of the level playing field. Rather it is the land of the free.

A level playing field means that the rich will have better tools to launder money. That's it. Don't fool yourself. Money laundering isn't what we want to teach and promote with our candidates -- so that when they get elected that are even better at it.

Access to politicians does NOT hinge upon campaign donations. Well, that isn't the only key. Those who are elected that don't return phone calls are generally not re-elected -- else they get jobs in the courts.

Chris Chandler's MUSE AND WHIRLED RETORT April 2009

Updated from yesterday, keep reading:

Chris is one of my folk music friends. He always has something fun to report. This month bring some big news for him. We'll need to get him to perform again for us in Pittsburgh.

T.H.E. .M.U.S.E. .A.N.D.. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.

April 1, 2009
Vol X Issue vI
Silver Spring, MD

As I am sure by now most of you have heard, things are pretty a buzz here in chandler land. So I want to first say thanks all of the letters of congratulations for my most recent little blip of recognition on the National Radar screen. Thank you Thank You THANK YOU! It has been a trip!

For those of you who don't know, In Barack Obama's recent national town hall meeting, a question was asked to The President of the United States by YES! Little ol me! I couldnt believe it either, I am still kind of in shock. But all the hype at home afterwards made it even wilder.

It was a simple question really. It was about breaking up the banks. I guess that is why they picked it. But still - Wow! Truthfully, I logged on to ask the question more or less on a lark and didn't think much about it. Then I got an email (a You-Tube message actually) saying it was going to be used!

I mean it's not like I asked all of you to go out there and vote for my question like the people wanting him to address Marijuana legalization. My favorite oxymoron BTW: Marijuana Initiative.

Anyway, I digress. I asked that if the financial institutes are too big to fail what steps are being taken to break them up so they will no longer be too big to fail. His answer, you will recall (at least I thought) was pretty lame. Basically he said, "Tougher regulation." At first I was (honestly) kind of pissed. But then, the phone started ringing and emails started pouring in. Sheeze, I have been trying to get national attention for 20, now 21 years (technically 20 years and 11 months, but who is counting?) and I get more attention for this one thing I did as a lark than the 13 albums I have put out combined!

It was nice hearing from a bunch of people I hadn't heard from in a long time. My mother was impressed. I got a bunch of extra hits on my web page (although not as many as you would think after kind of having a conversation with the President of the United States.) OK, it wasn't in real time or linear, and wasn't really even a conversation at all, I just had my name and home town of Stone Mtn, GA read and then a little U-Tube clip of me reading a from a piece of paper in my bed room. But it was on national TV.

Can't I say I had a conversation with the President of the United States? Can't I have my little moment, just for a second? OK maybe not. It is pretty amazing how many people will contact you just from one little blip on the national media.

Three different people went to my website and then telephoned me to ask if we were related because we had the same last name. Really. One of them called at 2 AM in the morning! I am going to have to remove my cell number from my website.

Well, thats the way I thought about it. It was cool. (except for that) But then, I get an email to the chandler.org account from a company called Schwartz and Lowman who handle advertising for Wachovia Bank. They liked the question too.

Ya see Wachovia was recently bought by Wells-Fargo. They want people to know, that they have heard our concerns and they understand. So they are launching an ad campaign. "Wachovia, we are still in the neighborhood!"

These guys had gone as far as researching my past little newsletters and found the one where I talk about the bank account I had when I was a teenager, and how it got bought by someone and then by someone else and then by First Union and then by Wachovia. Now that Wachovia has been bought by Wells Fargo and they received TARP money, AND in the wake of the AIG bonus brew-ha-ha they want to launch an add campaign. That's where the ad company comes in.

They want me to tell MY story in an ad. "Wachovia, We're still the same bank."

They liked me -- Chris Chandler taking his concerns to the president, and They want people to know that they too are listening.

It's cool I read the first draft of the script day before yesterday. They liked the angle, of little ol broke nobody folk singer trying to make a living and taking his little bits of money to his neighborhood bank and then the bank gets bought and sold. So he manages to get on National Television to ask the president about his concerns. There is a shot of Wachovia executives watching in a big board room and then deciding to invest in a play ground at an inner city elementary school. WAY COOL!

I start the shoot in two weeks here in Silver Spring. So, to any of my stage hand friends that are reading this, I know where you can get some work. I kind of have an in!

Twenty years on the road and FINALLY Chandler catches a break. I am going to be featured in a national TV ad for Wachovia- Wells Fargo. "Wachovia, investing in Neighborhoods since 1953." The thing that honestly excites me, aside from a national Bank hearing my concerns and doing something about it, is the pay. I will make more from this one ad than I did in all of 2008 and 2007 combined!

If any of you know any entertainment lawyers out there I could use a hand because honesty I am in a little bit over my head. There is all this stuff in this contract I just got about my likeness being owned, and what happens if there are repeat commercials. Like what happens if I become like the "Mr Whipple." of Wachovia? Or The Maytag Repairman?

I mean stranger things have happened. But I can't think of any. Wow what a weird two weeks!

Yes, I am still doing the tour in May with Danny Dolinger. I don't think it is going to change that much its just I will be able to make a bit more of a comfortable living for this one commercial. YAY! To comfort. But, don't worry. I will still be keeping it on the road. Speaking of such I will see you between the white lines!

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A.n.n.o.n.c.m.e.n.t.s.

The TV commercial should be running by late spring. I hope to be able to put an advance copy on my web site!
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As part of my contract Wachovia has agreed to forgive the $800 in bounced check charges was complaining about a few months ago. In exchange I have agreed to run an ad for them in this news letter for one year.

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Danny Dolinger and I are STILL doing the NE tour in May. We have some holes in our calendar and would be willing to extend the tour on either end. See dates below.
In particular we would like something in Baltimore and DC.

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Paul Benoit and I are looking for dates on the West coast for July for the Wachovia in your neighborhood House Concert Tour.
I haven't posted much but we have a lot of irons in the fire. We are looking for shows anywhere from Santa Cruz to Courtney, BC.
As well as a date in DC/Balto/Philly June 13 14ish He will be playing with me at X-Fest.

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Paul Benoit and I are looking for dates in England and or Holland for August. Again, nothing is posted but We have some irons in the fire. If you can be of some help here please let us know.

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The Box set continues to do well. If you are interested in obtaining a boxed set featuring the best of the past twenty years on the road click here.
I can still sell the ones I have before I have to add the Wachovia Logo to it.

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I hope to have a book out for the summer that is a compendium of the best of the past ten years of this news letter. T.H.E. .M.U.S.E. .A.N.D. .W.H.I.R.L.E.D. .R.E.T.O.R.T.

*********************************

I have a different featured video on my home page each month. I have not completed a new one since the last George Mann Project. I am still working on one for Anne Feeney.

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T.H.A.N.K. .Y.O.U.!
Edward Lowman and Neil Schwartz at Lowman and Schwartz, Barack Obama for answering and staff for picking my question, Jill Hirshorn at Wachovia, Shirley Myers, Anne Feeney, Celene de Loach, The Baltimore Poetry Slam, Brian QTN, Joe and Jay, EEQ, Pat Barnes, CD Baby

H.E.R.E.S. .D.A. .D.A.T.E.S.
(see comments)

http://chrischandler.org/

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Here is the update:

The April 2nd Edition of The Muse and Whirled Retort from Chris Chandler
T.h.e. .M.u.s.e. .a.n.d. .W.h.i.r.l.e.d. .R.e.t.o.r.t.

The April the 2nd edition
April 2, 2009
Vol X Issue vi supplemental
Silver Spring, MD

APRIL FOOLS!

No, ladies and gentlemen - I am not now the Mr Whipple of Wachovia. But thanks so much for believing I was (those of you who did)

I am not sure if I enjoyed the letters of congratulations or the lengthy multi-paged screeds on the evils of Wachovia and how I am a major sell out.

Or even the little walks down memory lane from April Fools 5 years ago when I managed to convince many of you that I was now a motivational speaker for Lockheed Martin and would be opening for the Charley Daniels Band at the Paul Wolfowitz theatre in Langley, VA.

This time around, I managed to fool some of the smartest people I know. Zoinks!

I think my favorite might have been my own entertainment lawyer writing me asking, "What do you mean you need an entertainment lawyer?!"

Someone told me they had read it out in the blog-o-sphere first. HA! I have trouble traversing the Chandler-o-sphere so I will just imagine that part to be true.

OK OK. If any one of you had written me to say you asked a question in Barack Obama's town hall meeting I would have bought it.

Maybe I would have bought that anyone of you was becoming a spokes person for Wachovia. Where my BULL SH@#%*! Flag would have gone up is the fact that Wachovia Bank would hear our concerns and start investing in neighborhoods.

Now that IS a Whopper .

Well, in any event, I felt a second E-Mail is in order. Feel free to reply.

OK OK - I promise not to bug you guys with two E-Mails in a row like this often. I really try to make this strictly a once a month thing. I really do appreciate your kind words and thoughts.

I am going to wait to unsubscribe those of you who did so until after tomorrow in the hopes that this note will at least change some of your minds.

I won't bore y'all with another newsletter - other than to say

THANKS for all the responses.

I swear the people on this list are the absolute coolest folks on the planet!

And since so many of the coolest folks on the planet have asked -I

will give you a few highlights of what is really going on.

City-County merger goes nowhere fast

City-County merger goes nowhere fast City-County merger goes nowhere fast
It's been a year since officials proposed a referendum on governments' consolidation
Thursday, April 02, 2009
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It was pitched as a historic moment when, a year ago tomorrow, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl called for a prompt referendum on merging the region's two biggest governments.

With no concrete movement toward a referendum, it now seems to some like a false start.

That is not a false start. Rather, too little action. And what action they deliver when it comes is too late. This is the typical "little and too late" theme.

It is too little as they are only talking about a merger of the city and county -- and NOT the other 100+ municipalities.

It is talked about being too late as they did nothing in the past year.

Frankly, I have a much different focus and would offer a different type of leadership. The next merger to happen should be with our parks. Let's merge city, county and school district park assets.

Commonwealth Foundation Acknowledges Rendell's Economic Policies Are Working | Commonwealth Foundation

Because it is still not midnight:

Commonwealth Foundation Acknowledges Rendell's Economic Policies Are Working | Commonwealth Foundation “We’ve been wrong. Gov. Rendell has proven that you can in fact stimulate the economy by increasing government spending and debt,” Brouillette said. “We thought raising taxes on working families, increasing the debt on our children, and spending taxpayers’ money faster than it comes in was a formula for failure. But the new data from BIG—one of Gov. Rendell’s favored “economic development” projects—reveal that Pennsylvania in fact has become the first state to ever tax, borrow and spend itself to prosperity.“

UPDATE: Lawrenceville Dog Park | Chris Lugo's Bloggy Blog

UPDATE: Lawrenceville Dog Park | Chris Lugo's Bloggy Blog: "NO JOKE! Here’s the skinny on the Lawrenceville Dog Park effort:

We are currently in the process of acquiring the support of our local elected officials and community development organizations. We will presenting our proposal to them in early April. With their support, we will then present our proposal to the City of Pittsburgh and the Urban Redevelopment Authority in mid-April. We plan to have a dedicated site by May.

Pittsburgh won't audit water authority debt deal

Pittsburgh won't audit water authority debt deal Pittsburgh City Council voted tentatively against commissioning an audit of a Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority debt deal today, denying Councilman Patrick Dowd the review he has sought of the $414 million borrowing.

The finance deal smelled bad when I first saw it. All authority dealings need to be put under a microscope. Hell, I'm in favor of getting rid of all the authorities. Liquidate them all.

Plus, a good way to put real accountability into the authorities is not to micromanage each deal. Rather, put some real democracy into the operation of the respective boards. All authority board members should have to face the citizens after being appointed and pass regular 'retention votes.'

The board members need to watch the authorities. Now, however, we've got goofy governance.

Patrick Dowd is a board member of the Water & Sewer Authority. He should insist that they audit themselves.

But most of all, when it comes to audit capacity and powers -- engage the city controller. Mike Lamb, my loyal opponent, used the word AUDIT every other sentence when he was running for office. Get the controller and Lamb to do the blasted audits. We can hold Lamb accountable for audits -- or not re-elect him.

If there is a lack of audits, and I bet that could be the case, as Dowd is trying to make, then blame Michael Lamb, the city's controller.

The job of City Council is NOT to run audits. No way. The job of council is to handle the purse strings and to write legislation.

If council wants to choke the authority -- do so with votes at the purse strings. Dowd didn't deploy his true power when he should and could have. Votes matter.

Hosts Mayoral Debate: E-Mail Your Questions

WPXI PITTSBURGH -- The race for Pittsburgh’s next mayor is an important one, and that’s why WPXI is hosting a debate for candidates running in the May 19 democratic primary.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Patrick Dowd and Carmen Robinson will be in the WPXI studios for a debate on Monday, April 6 at 7 p.m.

The debate, moderated by Channel 11 News anchor Darieth Chisolm, will air live on PCNC from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will be rebroadcast later on WPXI.

Your input is crucial in this process, which is why we're asking for questions you’d like to ask the candidates. Please e-mail your questions to Webstaff@wpxi.com.

Your question may be one of the ones chosen to be asked during the live program.

Please include your name and the area where you live.

If you post your questions here, too, I might ask it when I see these folks with my video camera in my hand.

Where Have All the Republicans Gone? - Blogs - Slag Heap - Pittsburgh City Paper

Where Have All the Republicans Gone? - Blogs - Slag Heap - Pittsburgh City Paper: "Where Have All the Republicans Gone?

We tried. But, the Rs do NOT play well with others.

When I was an "R" in the city, kicking up rants about TIFs and such, I was floored when suburban GOPers came out with a plan for Pittsburgh and they didn't even talk to us in the city.

I switched then to Libertarian.

I've been much happier since.

I hated what G.W.Bush did to the nation and the world.

I love what Ron Paul said and still says.

Even Mark DeSantis did a horrid job at playing well with others. There were indie and "L" candidates on the ballot, doing TV Shows for & with HIM -- and he worked against himself and us. DeSantis was a failure at building opposition forces to the mindlessness of one-party domination in this town -- as has been James C. Roddey.

call to help with audit of phantom ballots

Please Help Complete our Audit of Phantom Ballots
This Friday April 3rd at the Division of Elections!

We will meet 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 2:00 pm (Should only take about 2.5 hours with 6 volunteers)
How: Simple and fun! Follow the link to see how its done!

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


(We ain't April Foolin'! - 16% of the precincts have phantom ballots!)

Richard King, Ph.D.
kinggaines -at- comcast -dot- net

The Pitt News - Minority graduation rates lagging

Not a joke.

The Pitt News - Minority graduation rates lagging: "Minority graduation rates lagging"

Becky Reiser Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Graduation rates for Pitt’s minority students are almost 20 percent lower than those for white students. But Pitt isn’t the only school in the state experiencing this trend, which experts say traces back to grade school.

Information compiled by the state Department of Higher Education indicates that in 2007, the graduation rate, which measures the proportion of students who graduate within six years, for black students attending Pitt and its satellite campuses was 43.8 percent, while Pitt’s non-minority graduation rate was 62.3 percent.

Marilyn Barnett, an educational consultant and chairperson of the education committee for the NAACP of Pittsburgh, said that the disparity of graduation rates stems from problems in education beginning at the kindergarten level.

"The education gap causes polarization and low graduation rates," said Barnett.

Ishioma Opia, a member of the African Student Organization and the Black Action Society who will graduate this month, said she’s seen glimpses of this.

When the minority graduation rates are lower, she said, "It’s not because the classes are too hard. Some students don’t make it for financial reasons or because they transfer out."

Barnett said she believes the philosophy driving education is flawed. Most universities, she said, don’t spend enough time discussing ways to education people from all backgrounds in their classes.

"Teachers tell me they teach without seeing color — but they should see color!" said Barnett. "There is no effort to make students feel welcome. There is no diverse faculty, no history of all cultures. This turns kids off early, and you can see this as early as fourth grade."

Barnett described the "horn effect," which is when underrepresented groups’ grades decrease while other people’s grades increase.

The solution, she said, is to hire teachers who care and will hold their students to high standards. This strategy has prompted an increase in minority enrollment at private and charter schools.

Opia said that college students often face a different set of challenges than grade-schoolers and thinks part of the reason the minority graduation rates are low is because students tend to change their course of study.

"Students end up switching majors as juniors to try and secure a future," said Opia. They might realize that their field isn’t lucrative.

Job placement also causes students to strive for more degrees to become more appealing in the job market.

Opia is completing a major in rehabilitation science and two certificates, one in West European studies with a concentration in Spanish and one of pathokinesiology in rehabilitation.

"I have friends completing like, five majors so they can get a job," said Opia.

Barnett suggested that students would be more likely to graduate within six years if they are aware of the challenges they face.

"Under-represented groups need to understand their history, like civil rights," said Barnett. "There needs to be a psychological change in their minds to understand the social and political impact of civil rights."

Barnett said students shouldn’t use the struggle for equality as an excuse for delaying graduation or failing. Rather, they should use it to motivate themselves.

"People do overcome those models," she said, referring to Pitt’s statistics.

Some have said that the Pittsburgh Promise is but a bad April Fools Joke as too many of our kids that do go to college are not well prepared and are dropping out. So sad.

1million poured into new local swimming pool : Nottingham City Council

1million poured into new local swimming pool : Nottingham City Council: "This boost for local swimmers comes as the Government announces that free swimming for everyone aged 16 and under or 60 and over is to be extended from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2011. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is providing 140m to fund the nationwide free swimming programme, which will be available at all eight of Nottingham City Council's pools. Proof of age (which could include a Citycard or Leisure Card) will be required.

The Brits are going to be hard to beat in 2012 Olympics.

City to get less aid from local nonprofits

This plan of begging with the nonprofits was always a bad idea. Talk about pay to play! My solution is still pending.

City to get less aid from local nonprofits: "The City of Pittsburgh will get less aid from local nonprofit organizations than it did in recent years under a payment schedule submitted to City Council yesterday,

The city should do a complete inventory of all land owned by the nonprofits. Then the gross amount of nonprofit land should be reduced year by year.

Pittsburgh should call for and implement, in a cooperative way, a moratorium on all land expansion from the nonprofit sector. If the nonprofits want to expand, they should grow upwards. Or else, the nonprofits can rent from a tax paying owner.

County Announces Plans To Build Taxpayer-Funded Professional Wrestling Arena

Allegheny County authorities, along with the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance (KSWA), announced today that a new, publicly-funded professional wrestling arena will be built in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood.

Persons close to the negotiations revealed that the $4.1 million structure will be erected next door to the Lawrenceville Moose at 120 51st Street.

Real estate taxes will also be excused as part of the deal for five years, according to county authorities. The tax abatement is a part of an economic stimulus plan to encourage small business growth.

Industry insiders call the deal revolutionary, especially since it falls on the heels of the Mickey Rourke-Oscar nominated, “The Wrestler.”

Landon Mark, real estate liaison for the county, says that breaking ground on the multi-million dollar experiment will occur within a few months. “Next to building the new hockey arena, and with the possible exception of a NASCAR track in the Hays neighborhood, this is simply the biggest, best news for the region in these tough times,” added Mark.

Funding will be made possible through money from the current Regional Asset District (RAD) budget. There is also talk of siphoning from a proposed half-cent “sin tax” increase on cigarettes to assist with overruns. Authorities say that naming rights is also a possibility.

Organizers and promoters with the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance expressed gratitude and applauded the decision. “The region has been a hot-bed for professional wrestling and this beautiful arena will be the crown jewel of the industry,” said Francis Gotch, senior vice president of real estate development.

Originally a warehouse, the future KSWA Arena will sport a glitzy outdoor waterfall, a parking garage for 200 cars, and a chain restaurant called HEADLOCKS.

La Lucha, a Mexican immigrant who has become one of the KSWA's most celebrated Megastars—and a former World Champion—will be on hand for an official announcement soon.

Special tax incentives will also be given to KSWA stockholders as part of the plan. The arena is expected to create dozens of jobs and should be open April 1, 2011.