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Monday, June 14, 2010
Fw: Speak Up Wed. - Important City Council Meeting - 6/16, 9:30am
Planning is good as it is way better than the typical: folly.
From: B-PEP Special Announcement <b-pepinfo@b-pep.net>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:40:23 -0400 (EDT)
To: <Mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: Speak Up Wed. - Important City Council Meeting - 6/16, 9:30am
World Cup n@
World Cup to Break Global Viewing Records
Brand Republic
The 2010 World Cup is expected to achieve record global viewership, with an audience increase of at least 5% over the 2006 tournament, according to research by IPG's Initiative. The sports event "can be described as the largest shared experience in the world.
"Univision Bests ESPN in World Cup Opener
Broadcasting & Cable Univision attracted 5.4 million U.S. viewers for the opening World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa on Friday. Given the high Mexican-American audience composition, Univision not surprisingly bested ESPN's opening match coverage of 2.6 million viewers.
MySpace Opens Content Site for World Cup
WebProNews
MySpace is offering an interactive feature-rich World Cup community "to act as an aggregate of the flurry of World Cup activity." The MySpace World Cup Profile includes live matches and news from Univision and Fox Sports, as well as fan forums and soccer-related games.
News Websites See Record World Cup Traffic
BloombergNews websites saw a record 12.1 million visitors a minute on Friday as the World Cup began, according to Akamai Technologies. The previous record, 8.6 million, was on Nov. 4, 2008, when Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the U.S. presidential election.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Brand Republic
The 2010 World Cup is expected to achieve record global viewership, with an audience increase of at least 5% over the 2006 tournament, according to research by IPG's Initiative. The sports event "can be described as the largest shared experience in the world.
"Univision Bests ESPN in World Cup Opener
Broadcasting & Cable Univision attracted 5.4 million U.S. viewers for the opening World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa on Friday. Given the high Mexican-American audience composition, Univision not surprisingly bested ESPN's opening match coverage of 2.6 million viewers.
MySpace Opens Content Site for World Cup
WebProNews
MySpace is offering an interactive feature-rich World Cup community "to act as an aggregate of the flurry of World Cup activity." The MySpace World Cup Profile includes live matches and news from Univision and Fox Sports, as well as fan forums and soccer-related games.
News Websites See Record World Cup Traffic
BloombergNews websites saw a record 12.1 million visitors a minute on Friday as the World Cup began, according to Akamai Technologies. The previous record, 8.6 million, was on Nov. 4, 2008, when Barack Obama defeated John McCain in the U.S. presidential election.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
Fw: [DW] Quick request - Great local gov examples of online support in democracy
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:11:50
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>; citycamp<citycamp@forums.e-democracy.org>
Subject: Re: [DW] Quick request - Great local gov examples of online support in democracy
Thanks all!
These are my draft slides going in:
http://www.slideshare.net/netclift/sunshine-20-4470491
Cheers,
Steve
Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy
New Tel: +1.612.234.7072
On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 12:02 PM, Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org> wrote:
> This afternoon I am refreshing some slides with current examples of local
> governments supporting their democratic process online.
>
> I'd love to be able to point out a couple great "Democracy Pages" where a
> government has done a particularly good job presenting in a citizen-centric
> way how to engage the decision-making process, connect with elected
> officials, access accountability/transparency information etc.
>
> Any recommendations?
>
> Also, I often point out the City of St. Paul's use of e-mail alerts on
> updated docs ... any other great examples of government provided
> personalized "what's new" alerts akin to Google Alerts?
>
> I'll be sharing these examples tomorrow at the national League of Women
> Voters conference.
>
> Cheers,
> Steven Clift
-----------------------------------------
Group home for Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire:
http://groups.dowire.org/groups/newswire
Replies go to members of Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire with all posts on this topic here:
http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/3mAYIeba2aQkdTOYDJNCOn
For digest version or to leave Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire,
email newswire@groups.dowire.org
with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire is hosted by Democracies Online - http://dowire.org.
-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:11:50
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>; citycamp<citycamp@forums.e-democracy.org>
Subject: Re: [DW] Quick request - Great local gov examples of online support in democracy
Thanks all!
These are my draft slides going in:
http://www.slideshare.net/netclift/sunshine-20-4470491
Cheers,
Steve
Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy
New Tel: +1.612.234.7072
On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 12:02 PM, Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org> wrote:
> This afternoon I am refreshing some slides with current examples of local
> governments supporting their democratic process online.
>
> I'd love to be able to point out a couple great "Democracy Pages" where a
> government has done a particularly good job presenting in a citizen-centric
> way how to engage the decision-making process, connect with elected
> officials, access accountability/transparency information etc.
>
> Any recommendations?
>
> Also, I often point out the City of St. Paul's use of e-mail alerts on
> updated docs ... any other great examples of government provided
> personalized "what's new" alerts akin to Google Alerts?
>
> I'll be sharing these examples tomorrow at the national League of Women
> Voters conference.
>
> Cheers,
> Steven Clift
-----------------------------------------
Group home for Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire:
http://groups.dowire.org/groups/newswire
Replies go to members of Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire with all posts on this topic here:
http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/3mAYIeba2aQkdTOYDJNCOn
For digest version or to leave Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire,
email newswire@groups.dowire.org
with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.
Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire is hosted by Democracies Online - http://dowire.org.
Fw: AfterschoolPGH.org June 2010
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From: "AfterschoolPGH.org & SPARC" <support@afterschoolpgh.org>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:45:54 -0400 (EDT)
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: AfterschoolPGH.org June 2010
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, you can click it to send new information or make suggestions!
3 Rivers Connect | 425 Sixth Ave. | Suite 1310 | Pittsburgh | PA | 15219 |
Fw: A New PPS.org: The Easy to Use Home of Placemaking
In this instance, PPS is NOT Pgh Public Schools.
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From: "Project for Public Spaces" <info@pps.org>
Date: Wed, 09 Jun 2010 08:47:03 -0500
To: <mark@Rauterkus.com>
Subject: A New PPS.org: The Easy to Use Home of Placemaking
|
Fw: Join Pat Toomey For Our Pittsburgh Kickoff!
If you care.
Unsubscribe
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From: "Daniel Alfaro" <alfaro@toomeyforsenate.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:46:13 -0400
To: <Mark@Rauterkus.com>
Subject: Join Pat Toomey For Our Pittsburgh Kickoff!
Dear Mark,
Please join Congressmen Pat Toomey, Tim Murphy and special guests this Saturday, June 19th, at the opening of our Pittsburgh GOP Victory office.
Below is the information for the event - please be sure to forward this email and invite your friends. We look forward to seeing you, and introducing our Pittsburgh operation.
PA Victory Pittsburgh Kickoff with Pat Toomey
Saturday, June 19 12:00PM
100 Fleet St, Green Tree PA 15220
For more information, please reply to this email or contact Daniel Alfaro at 412-872-2294.
Hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Daniel Alfaro
412-872-7994
Alfaro@ToomeyforSenate.com
www.ToomeyforSenate.com
Paid for by Toomey for Senate.
Unsubscribe
World Cup considers horn ban - World Cup News - FOX Sports on MSN
Another great place for hearing protection. To wear ear plugs is going to not only save your hearing, but also keep you fresh. The noise saps your energy. It makes you fatigue more quickly.
World Cup considers horn ban - World Cup News - FOX Sports on MSN World Cup organizing committee head Danny Jordaan on Sunday did not rule out banning vuvuzelas, the noisy plastic trumpets that have proved a hit with fans in South Africa but threaten to deafen players and viewers alike.When we were at the Olympic games in Beijing, there were times when it was loud. But, the noise in South Africe seems much greater given these horns. In China, the chant was "JGy-oh" -- to mean 'get gas' or 'show energy.' (My spelling is not accurate.)
Criticism of the vuvuzelas has been almost as loud as the instruments themselves with broadcasting companies complaining the din is almost drowning out commentary.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Hardball! Who is playing hardball?
I wish the kids, or more of them, were playing hardball -- err -- baseball.
I really wish and work to getting the kids to play water ball -- err -- water polo. But, that is not only a wish, it is a desire that I made happen last year. But.... all of a sudden, it's no-ball, no-call, no-mo-jo.
I really wish and work to getting the kids to play water ball -- err -- water polo. But, that is not only a wish, it is a desire that I made happen last year. But.... all of a sudden, it's no-ball, no-call, no-mo-jo.
Union and city bicker over hiring of summer help: "A 20-year-old program to hire summer laborers for Pittsburgh's Public Works Department is foundering for reasons city and union officials disagree on, raising concerns about whether the city will look its best this season.Ugh.
The city annually hires 15 to 30 laborers who work 40-hour weeks anywhere from April to November, cutting grass, picking up litter and performing other work. The positions pay $17 per hour.
None has been hired so far, and it's possible none will be hired all summer, Public Works Director Robert Kaczorowski said.
Mr. Kaczorowski said the union's hiring demands, including that he forgo background checks on program participants and hire the people the union tells him to, has stalled a program that's operated smoothly for years.
'All of a sudden, it's hardball,' he said."
Maglev FEIS--Comments until July 16
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-----Original Message-----
From: "Glenn A. Walsh" <siderostat1991@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:01:56
To: Burghwalk<burghwalk@yahoogroups.com>; PA Public Transit<papublictransit@yahoogroups.com>; PCIPB-L<pcipb-list@lists.andrew.cmu.edu>; Public Transport<Transport@venus2.pghfree.net>; Save Our Transit<saveourtransit_everyone@yahoogroups.com>; Transit-Allegheny<transit-allegheny@venus2.pghfree.net>
Cc: Glenn Walsh<siderostat1989@yahoo.com>
Subject: PCIPB: Maglev FEIS--Comments until July 16
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev Project was released yesterday and is available for public comment through July 16. The Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev Project envisions a 54-mile magnetic levitation rapid rail line that would connect the Pittsburgh International Airport, Downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
More information:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_685488.html
http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/News/TransportationStudies/PAMaglevProject/tabid/312/Default.aspx
Link to FEIS:
http://www.portauthority.org/paac/portals/Capital/PAMaglevProject/Coverpage.pdf
gaw
Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < siderostat1989@yahoo.com >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
< http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
< http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
< http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
< http://incline.pghfree.net >
* Public Transit:
< http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >
==========================================================
If you REPLY to this message, you will broadcast to EVERYONE on this list. To reply only to the sender, type %(SENDER)s in the "to" line of your message.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To unsubscribe from this list, please send an e-mail to majordomo@lists.andrew.cmu.edu with "unsubscribe pcipb-list" in the body of the message. In lieu of that, please contact the list "owner," Mike Schneider, schneider@psc.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: "Glenn A. Walsh" <siderostat1991@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:01:56
To: Burghwalk<burghwalk@yahoogroups.com>; PA Public Transit<papublictransit@yahoogroups.com>; PCIPB-L<pcipb-list@lists.andrew.cmu.edu>; Public Transport<Transport@venus2.pghfree.net>; Save Our Transit<saveourtransit_everyone@yahoogroups.com>; Transit-Allegheny<transit-allegheny@venus2.pghfree.net>
Cc: Glenn Walsh<siderostat1989@yahoo.com>
Subject: PCIPB: Maglev FEIS--Comments until July 16
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev Project was released yesterday and is available for public comment through July 16. The Pennsylvania High-Speed Maglev Project envisions a 54-mile magnetic levitation rapid rail line that would connect the Pittsburgh International Airport, Downtown Pittsburgh, Monroeville and Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
More information:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_685488.html
http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/News/TransportationStudies/PAMaglevProject/tabid/312/Default.aspx
Link to FEIS:
http://www.portauthority.org/paac/portals/Capital/PAMaglevProject/Coverpage.pdf
gaw
Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < siderostat1989@yahoo.com >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
< http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
< http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
< http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
< http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
< http://incline.pghfree.net >
* Public Transit:
< http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >
==========================================================
If you REPLY to this message, you will broadcast to EVERYONE on this list. To reply only to the sender, type %(SENDER)s in the "to" line of your message.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
To unsubscribe from this list, please send an e-mail to majordomo@lists.andrew.cmu.edu with "unsubscribe pcipb-list" in the body of the message. In lieu of that, please contact the list "owner," Mike Schneider, schneider@psc.edu
Friday, June 11, 2010
Fw: [school-discuss] [fwd] Mike Cassidy: Linux can help schools [San Jose Mercury News]
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Kendrick <nbs@sonic.net>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:53:45
To: Schoolforge Discuss<schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Cc: LUGOD<vox@lists.lugod.org>
Subject: [school-discuss] [fwd] Mike Cassidy: Linux can help schools [San Jose Mercury News]
Seen on SF-LUG mailing list out in San Francisco:
----- Forwarded message from Larry Cafiero -----
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:37:40 -0700
From: Larry Cafiero
Subject: [sf-lug] Mike Cassidy: Linux can help schools
Hey, all --
Mike Cassidy of the Mercury News wrote a column today about Linux and how
it can help schools.
Here it is: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15269820
Thought you might want to take a look.
Larry Cafiero
----- End forwarded message -----
--
-bill!
Sent from my computer
-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Kendrick <nbs@sonic.net>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:53:45
To: Schoolforge Discuss<schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Cc: LUGOD<vox@lists.lugod.org>
Subject: [school-discuss] [fwd] Mike Cassidy: Linux can help schools [San Jose Mercury News]
Seen on SF-LUG mailing list out in San Francisco:
----- Forwarded message from Larry Cafiero -----
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:37:40 -0700
From: Larry Cafiero
Subject: [sf-lug] Mike Cassidy: Linux can help schools
Hey, all --
Mike Cassidy of the Mercury News wrote a column today about Linux and how
it can help schools.
Here it is: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_15269820
Thought you might want to take a look.
Larry Cafiero
----- End forwarded message -----
--
-bill!
Sent from my computer
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Got to visit JohnDennis2010.com
He is in a race vs Nancy P and he is very much into freedom!
http://www.johndennis2010.com
I have yet to visit. What do you think?
http://www.johndennis2010.com
I have yet to visit. What do you think?
Fw: [school-discuss] Andalusia deploys 220,000 Ubuntu desktops in schools throughout the region
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
-----Original Message-----
From: Guido Arnold <watsolldat@googlemail.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:36:57
To: <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Subject: [school-discuss] Andalusia deploys 220,000 Ubuntu desktops in schools throughout the
region
Hello all,
just wanted to inform you about some good news again :)
http://www.ubuntu.com/products/casestudies/Andalusia-deploys-220000-Ubuntu-desktops-in-schools-throughout-the-region
Greetings,
Guido
-----Original Message-----
From: Guido Arnold <watsolldat@googlemail.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:36:57
To: <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Subject: [school-discuss] Andalusia deploys 220,000 Ubuntu desktops in schools throughout the
region
Hello all,
just wanted to inform you about some good news again :)
http://www.ubuntu.com/products/casestudies/Andalusia-deploys-220000-Ubuntu-desktops-in-schools-throughout-the-region
Greetings,
Guido
Fw: Help Stop a Tax Increase in Pennsylvania!
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
-----Original Message-----
From: "Tom Schatz, President" <ccagwpresident@ccagw.org>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:55:06
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: Help Stop a Tax Increase in Pennsylvania!
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste - Action Alert
Dear Mark,
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has returned from the Memorial Day
recess and is once again considering a host of new taxes to make up
for a massive budget shortfall.
I urge you, if you haven't already, to tell Governor Ed Rendell and
your state senator and representative to cut wasteful and unnecessary
spending FIRST before enacting any new taxes.
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=ip9Zy2KkdBft4W3iKl1jug..
In order to eliminate a projected shortfall of at least $500 million
in the General Fund, Governor Rendell has proposed a $29 billion
budget for 2010-11 that increases business taxes, imposes new taxes on
natural gas and tobacco products, and expands the sales tax to include
many goods and services currently exempt.
With Pennsylvania, like the rest of the country, still facing one of
the toughest economies in decades, your state politicians should be
working to relieve the financial burden on cash-strapped families and
pursuing policies that encourage, rather than discourage, economic
activity and investment!
Pennsylvania already has the highest Corporate Net Income Tax rate in
the world, at 41.5 percent (when both federal and state taxes are
counted). As a result, the state ranks 45th in the nation in job
growth since 1990. The governor's proposal for combined
reporting of taxable income by corporations and their subsidiaries,
regardless of whether they have operations in Pennsylvania, will only
further burden businesses, discouraging local investment and driving
employers and jobs to other states.
One area of growth for the state economy has been the natural gas
industry, which had created an estimated 29,000 jobs by 2008 and is
projected to generate another 98,000 jobs in 2010. However, the
governor's proposed severance tax on natural gas companies
--which already pay Pennsylvania's Corporate Net Income Tax,
Capital Stock and Franchise Tax, leasing fees, and royalty payments --
would discourage further investment in this boom industry, reducing
in-state drilling activity by at least 30 percent, according to one
estimate.
While Governor Rendell's budget proposes reducing the Sales and
Use Tax rate from 6 to 4 percent, it would expand the tax to cover a
whole host of new goods and services, including advertising, truck
transportation, and business services, with the net effect that
Pennsylvanians would pay an estimated $531 million more in sales taxes
next fiscal year.
What's more, the governor's proposed taxes on smokeless
tobacco and cigars will not only hurt Pennsylvania's small
tobacco farmers, another growth industry, these taxes are also
unlikely to hit projected revenue targets. Of the 57 excise tax
increases that states implemented between 2003 and 2007, only 16 met
or exceeded revenue targets. As just one example, when New
Jersey increased its cigarette excise tax in 2006, instead of gaining
a projected $30 million in revenue, the state lost more than $22
million, as smokers moved to purchasecigarettes across state
lines, or through untaxed or lower-tax venues, such as Native American
territories and the Internet.
In addition, tobacco taxes are regressive, disproportionately
impacting the poor and those living on fixed incomes. With many
Pennsylvanians struggling to make ends meet, no taxpayer --
particularly not those most disadvantaged -- should be forced to hand
over more of his or her hard-earned money to the government!
Mark, Governor
Rendell has proposed massive spending increases in each of his
budgets, usually requiring new or higher taxes, while state lawmakers
have consistently splurged in "good" years, making them
unprepared for economic downturns.
Citizens Against Government Waste's and The Commonwealth
Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives' 2006 Pennsylvania
Piglet Book identified $8 billion in potential savings over two years
from the elimination of inefficient, duplicative, and extravagant
spending -- more than enough to balance the budget. The
Pennsylvania Senate's newly approved bipartisan spending cuts
commission should adopt the Piglet Book's recommendations, and
Governor Rendell and your state legislators should follow the example
of households across the country in these tough economic times by
eliminating such wasteful and non-essential spending.
Tell Governor Rendell and your state senator and representative today
to forego raising any taxes and instead cut spending!
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=UZEVHn8Qt6OBYBJkgbRJhQ..
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Schatz
President
***
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the
lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation's
largest taxpayer watchdog organization with more than one million
members and supporters nationwide. CCAGW is a 501(c)(4)
nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that lobbies for legislation to
eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
Contributions to CCAGW are not tax-deductible for federal income tax
purposes. For more information about CCAGW, visit
www.ccagw.org.
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=SBSkpyS_2vyoP2wTv2j_ng..
Make a contribution today to help CCAGW wage and win this battle
against higher taxes
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=0WUBVJ24q2-HAdevuvDEWA..
.
Please help us by forwarding this message to your friends and
neighbors.
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=cuGXRGWUErgQGVhrhE4Y7A..
Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.
http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/CO?i=TB_Sh87RAsD1CR8R7sRd4gfvZqUmbZ1w&cid=0
-----Original Message-----
From: "Tom Schatz, President" <ccagwpresident@ccagw.org>
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:55:06
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: Help Stop a Tax Increase in Pennsylvania!
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste - Action Alert
Dear Mark,
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has returned from the Memorial Day
recess and is once again considering a host of new taxes to make up
for a massive budget shortfall.
I urge you, if you haven't already, to tell Governor Ed Rendell and
your state senator and representative to cut wasteful and unnecessary
spending FIRST before enacting any new taxes.
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=ip9Zy2KkdBft4W3iKl1jug..
In order to eliminate a projected shortfall of at least $500 million
in the General Fund, Governor Rendell has proposed a $29 billion
budget for 2010-11 that increases business taxes, imposes new taxes on
natural gas and tobacco products, and expands the sales tax to include
many goods and services currently exempt.
With Pennsylvania, like the rest of the country, still facing one of
the toughest economies in decades, your state politicians should be
working to relieve the financial burden on cash-strapped families and
pursuing policies that encourage, rather than discourage, economic
activity and investment!
Pennsylvania already has the highest Corporate Net Income Tax rate in
the world, at 41.5 percent (when both federal and state taxes are
counted). As a result, the state ranks 45th in the nation in job
growth since 1990. The governor's proposal for combined
reporting of taxable income by corporations and their subsidiaries,
regardless of whether they have operations in Pennsylvania, will only
further burden businesses, discouraging local investment and driving
employers and jobs to other states.
One area of growth for the state economy has been the natural gas
industry, which had created an estimated 29,000 jobs by 2008 and is
projected to generate another 98,000 jobs in 2010. However, the
governor's proposed severance tax on natural gas companies
--which already pay Pennsylvania's Corporate Net Income Tax,
Capital Stock and Franchise Tax, leasing fees, and royalty payments --
would discourage further investment in this boom industry, reducing
in-state drilling activity by at least 30 percent, according to one
estimate.
While Governor Rendell's budget proposes reducing the Sales and
Use Tax rate from 6 to 4 percent, it would expand the tax to cover a
whole host of new goods and services, including advertising, truck
transportation, and business services, with the net effect that
Pennsylvanians would pay an estimated $531 million more in sales taxes
next fiscal year.
What's more, the governor's proposed taxes on smokeless
tobacco and cigars will not only hurt Pennsylvania's small
tobacco farmers, another growth industry, these taxes are also
unlikely to hit projected revenue targets. Of the 57 excise tax
increases that states implemented between 2003 and 2007, only 16 met
or exceeded revenue targets. As just one example, when New
Jersey increased its cigarette excise tax in 2006, instead of gaining
a projected $30 million in revenue, the state lost more than $22
million, as smokers moved to purchasecigarettes across state
lines, or through untaxed or lower-tax venues, such as Native American
territories and the Internet.
In addition, tobacco taxes are regressive, disproportionately
impacting the poor and those living on fixed incomes. With many
Pennsylvanians struggling to make ends meet, no taxpayer --
particularly not those most disadvantaged -- should be forced to hand
over more of his or her hard-earned money to the government!
Mark, Governor
Rendell has proposed massive spending increases in each of his
budgets, usually requiring new or higher taxes, while state lawmakers
have consistently splurged in "good" years, making them
unprepared for economic downturns.
Citizens Against Government Waste's and The Commonwealth
Foundation for Public Policy Alternatives' 2006 Pennsylvania
Piglet Book identified $8 billion in potential savings over two years
from the elimination of inefficient, duplicative, and extravagant
spending -- more than enough to balance the budget. The
Pennsylvania Senate's newly approved bipartisan spending cuts
commission should adopt the Piglet Book's recommendations, and
Governor Rendell and your state legislators should follow the example
of households across the country in these tough economic times by
eliminating such wasteful and non-essential spending.
Tell Governor Rendell and your state senator and representative today
to forego raising any taxes and instead cut spending!
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=UZEVHn8Qt6OBYBJkgbRJhQ..
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Schatz
President
***
The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the
lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation's
largest taxpayer watchdog organization with more than one million
members and supporters nationwide. CCAGW is a 501(c)(4)
nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that lobbies for legislation to
eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.
Contributions to CCAGW are not tax-deductible for federal income tax
purposes. For more information about CCAGW, visit
www.ccagw.org.
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=SBSkpyS_2vyoP2wTv2j_ng..
Make a contribution today to help CCAGW wage and win this battle
against higher taxes
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=0WUBVJ24q2-HAdevuvDEWA..
.
Please help us by forwarding this message to your friends and
neighbors.
http://membership.cagw.org/site/R?i=cuGXRGWUErgQGVhrhE4Y7A..
Unsubscribe from receiving email, or change your email preferences.
http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/CO?i=TB_Sh87RAsD1CR8R7sRd4gfvZqUmbZ1w&cid=0
An Agenda for Excellence: A Great K-12 Education for Every Pennsylvania Child | Tom Corbett for Governor
I need to do my homework on this plan.
An Agenda for Excellence: A Great K-12 Education for Every Pennsylvania Child | Tom Corbett for Governor: "An Agenda for Excellence: A Great K-12 Education for Every Pennsylvania Child"
CAPA Enrollment Policy from Pgh Public Schools - Board news from January 2003
Another blast from the past:
January 29, 2003 - PPS Press ReleaseSigh.
At its legislative meeting, the PPS Board of Education approved an enrollment policy for the Creative and Performing Arts High School (CAPA) that will permit students from around the county to apply and audition for admission to the program. Now housed at the BaxterBuilding in Homewood, the CAPA program will move to a new building at Ninth and Fort Duquesne streets at the start of the next school year.
Under the new policy, preference will be given to resident students who qualify for admission; however, up to one third of the school's enrollment could be comprised of non-resident students who pass the audition or portfolio review.
The policy stiupulates that the Pittsburgh School District will not cover any portion of a non-resident's tuition.
If legislation is adopted at the State level to allow for the transfer of student fees fromstudents' home districts to Pittsburgh, the difference between the payment and the actual per pupil cost will become the reponsibility of the students' parents. This may come from personal sources or scholarship funds, if available.
If such legislation is not adopted by the State, the students' parents or guardians will be responsible for full payment of the CAPA tuition.
Under the policy students applying for Grade 10 and above shall be subject to a special consideration panel that will assess each applicant's artistic and academic achievement, citizenship and attendance, and admit them on a space-available basis. Resident students applying for upper grades will have preference over non-residents.
In other action, the board approved the school calendar ...
The Board also approved the purchase of assessments to measure student performance in reading, writing, mathematics and science for a cost of $1.1 million. Additional mathematics assessments will be determined at a later date.
In personnel action the Board promoted Andrew King from his current position of Director of Student Services to the position of Chief Academic Officer. He will assume responsibility for overall school operations and curriculum development and instruction, among other duties.
Rally about Jordan Miles case is June 12, 2010
One page brochure to rally in PDF.
Text of brochure:
Jordan Miles, in a photo released by his mother
after Pittsburgh police brutally assaulted him.
On January 12th, plain-clothes police officers
Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte and David
Sisak brutally beat Jordan Miles, a CAPA
honors student and viola player. On March
19th, Ewing, Saldutte and Sisak were
awarded commendations by the Pittsburgh
Police Bureau.
The officers involved claim that Jordan was
carrying something heavy and resisted arrest.
Considering that the three officers were not
wearing uniforms and were driving an unmarked
vehicle, his desire to escape was
more than justified. Jordan Miles’ only crime
was being a black teenager in Homewood.
Join us to demand:
Prosecute Richard Ewing, Michael Saldutte and David Sisak!
End racial profiling and police brutality!
Community control of the police force!
Issued by the Alliance for Police Accountability
For more information: bsfish27@aol.com or 412-628-5849
While Jordan is one of the most recent victims, any one of us could be next. People
across communities need to stand up and demand an end to police brutality. On June
12th, let’s make it clear that racist attacks on Pittsburgh’s youth by those who are paid
to protect us will not go unanswered in a system that demands equality for all!
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Digital Neighborhoods N@
The Pew Internet and American Life Project just
released their "Neighbors Online" report.
Join dozens of "neighbors online" hosts in a Q and A with the report's
lead author Aaron Smith on the Locals Online community of practice:
http://e-democracy.org/locals
The report is available directly here:
http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Neighbors-Online.aspx
Here is a blog summary I wrote up with a particular focus on what the
report challenges us to do in terms of making this powerful and
cherished form of online community building accessible to _all_:
http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/858
The text from that page:
According to the just released Neighbors Online report from Pew
Internet and American Life, 27% of American adult Internet users (or
20% of adults overall) use “digital tools to talk to their neighbors
and keep informed about community issues.”
This is an amazing number and a great starting point.
Today, we finally have baseline for the growing neighbors online
movement. The other week we hosted a webinar on how to use technology
for community building. This week we have some real numbers to help us
develop strategies to broadly serve and connect as many people as
possible not just those who easily show up – because if we don’t we
will soon be talking about how we red-lined neighborhoods out of the
community and democracy building opportunity of a generation.
In summary, to reach the 27% of Internet users engaging locally online:
* 14% read a blog dealing with community issues at least once in
the last year (while the frequency of visits wasn’t measured in this
survey, 1/3 of general blog readers check blogs each day)
* 13% exchanged emails with neighbors about community issues
(think informal “to:” “cc:”)
* 7% say they belong to a community e-mail list (this intensive
and typically daily experience is the cornerstone of E-Democracy.org
Neighbors Issues Forums experience) – this equates to about 10 million
American adults connected most days with their neighbors online in
community life!
* 6% communicated with neighbors by text messaging on cell phones
* 5% joined a social network site group connected to community
issues (like Ning and Facebook)
* 3% followed neighbors using Twitter (note the embryonic trend of
geo “hashtags” like #nempls – we feed it too)
Aaron Smith, the report author, in a private exchange noted to me that
2/3 of respondents only did one of these items. This bolsters my view
that the “there there” very local spaces online is almost a natural
monopoly – so making a unified online space available via multiple
technologies is essential (we use e-mail, web, web feed, Facebook, and
Twitter in an interconnected way for example) to reach more people.
The Inclusion Challenge
It has been our experience that the vast majority of “organic” local
online places started by passionate volunteers (some placeblogs are
quasi-commercial, but outside of such blogs, this is not an adjunct of
journalism) serve middle and upper income communities – urban
homeowners. The people who know about neighbors forums – LOVE THEM –
based on the feedback we’ve received on our forums (including the one
I host) and the all the new volunteers emerging to serve the 10+ new
communities (often jealous of what they see just next door to them).
First some good news focusing mostly on 7% on neighborhood e-mail
lists (although we do see local social networks, blogs, etc. all
blending together at some point anyway):
* Whites and Blacks participate equally at 8% of Internet users
* Urban participation is 10% and suburban isn’t far behind at 7%
* Women participate strongly at 9% in fact, we could say we need
more men who are only 5% (this is not the case with political
interaction online where white men dominate)
* With the community blog numbers, both young adults (16%) and
African-Americans (18%) Internet users have read a blog with community
issues at least once in the last year compared to 14% overall.
We launched our Inclusive Social Media effort with Ford Foundation and
St. Paul Foundation support to develop inclusive Neighbors Issues
Forums in lower income, high immigrant neighborhoods – or what we felt
are areas that are completely missing out from the community building
power of local online engagement. We see the Internet as the most
cost-effective “ice breaker” opportunity out there that can create new
bridges and sustained bonds. With intervention and resources for real
outreach and inclusion, neighbors online will do far more than just
reflect existing social capital.
So now we have numbers on the digital participation divide we must
close – among Internet users (not just the general population, so we
are talking connected people):
* Only 2% of those with household incomes under $30,000 are on a
neighborhood e-mail list, still only 3% up to $49,000 while between
$50-75,000 it is 7% and over $75,000 it is a whopping 15%
* Only 3% of Hispanics (both English and Spanish Speaking) are on
a neighborhood e-mail list – while they don’t measure Asians or
immigrants specifically, our guess is that the percent would be even
lower – our efforts target the highly East African Cedar Riverside
neighborhood and the plurality ~40% Southeast Asian (Hmong) with
African-American (20%) and White (20%) Frogtown neighborhood)
* Only 2% of rural residents belong to a neighborhood e-mail list
(while terminology may have been a factor here, we’ve learned a lot
from our Rural Voices effort to launch 4 community forums in rural
communities and would like the opportunity to invest more in this area
– in fact we’ve recently submitted small grant proposals to bring the
majority Native American and also lower income Cass Lake Leech Lake
forum into our Inclusive Social Media effort which will put a simple
one hour a day Community Outreach and Information Leader on the
ground)
Next Steps?
Here are some rough thoughts that we add to over time:
1. Inclusion Matters – As an organization, E-Democracy.org needs to
focus on bring these powerful online community building opportunities
to all – especially the people and communities being left behind. We
need more partners and funders to make this happen in the next phase
of our Inclusive Social Media effort in 2011 and beyond. Interested in
helping? Contact us. In the near term, we need to find resources to
work with the vibrant Powderhorn Park Neighbors Forum to build on
their expressed interest in recruiting more Latino participation. They
have had some bi-lingual postings, but the community in looking for
ways to build more connections as they confront in part a summer of
youth/gang related violence.
2. We Need a Good Directory Look-up – Most people don’t know about
online community spaces (I think). If they did far more would join. We
need to create a technology/format agnostic directory with geographic
and map based look-ups for these two-way local online communities. We
need to build on the work of Placeblogger and the UK-based
GroupsNearYou site which isn’t actively being developed.
3. Neighbors Online Week – With a good directory, we can then
promote such sites nationally/globally. I want the President of the
United States to be able to say (like the White House did with the
launch of Serve.Gov), go to X site, connect with your neighbors –
ACROSS the political spectrum – and build your community.
4. Move the Field – OK, so while we’d love to have many more people
start a forum with us, most of you will do your own thing. It is human
nature. As part of our inclusion-oriented Participation 3.0 initiative
we’ve convened dozens of local “hosts” for peer to peer exchange on
Locals Online. Let’s make it hundreds, share effective practices and
lessons, and inspire thousands of new “hosts” to start or effective
grow local online spaces that work. Based on the Pew numbers, we
estimate that there could be 30,000 neighborhood e-mails list hosts
for example. They are almost all working in isolation. Time to
connect!
Closing Remarks
If the Internet was first about going to the world, then connecting
privately with friends and family via social networking, the
revolution is finally coming home to everyday public and community
life. We don’t want the Internet to replace a face-to-face
conversation over the back fence, we want it to make those real
connections among neighbors possible for everyone in a busy modern era
where getting to know your neighbors is extremely difficult. We don’t
want the hyped location-based mobile technology to be viewed as the
way to connect with your existing friends because you are surrounded
by uninteresting strangers. We’d rather use technology to have fewer
strangers starting from where you live everyday. In short, meeting
your neighbors online might just be the best opportunity to connect a
nation in public life and counter those intent on pulling us a apart
with online partisanship and political diatribe masked as online
interaction.
Twitter has been "over capacity" all day.
Mark Rauterkus (left), coach and dad, with Erik Rauterkus (bald), freshmen, Schenley High School swimmer, with the city championship trophy in March 2010.
Hazelwood man to be charged with growing marijuana
Hazelwood man to be charged with growing marijuanaHarmless crime without a victim.
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