The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : U.S. Soccer: Technically Czar-Free, and Winning

The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : U.S. Soccer: Technically Czar-Free, and Winning: "Here's something I didn't realize in '06: some countries really do have soccer czars. Not just the Chinas of the world, either, but free and soccer-crazed countries. For instance, while reading this New York Times article about France's World Cup experience devolving into nation-wide racial discord (really), I was surprised to learn that France has a 'Sports Minister' and a 'junior sports minister,' both of whom Sarkozy called on the carpet and ordered 'to rapidly learn the lessons of this disaster' after France's ignominious World Cup exit."

This is very funny to me. Just look back at the success with Team USA in the recent winter Olympics in Canada. The USA leadership has been in storm after storm in the past years. There has been a merry-go-round with USA's top leadership -- and -- the team thrived in terms of medals and overall victories.

We don't need any czars in America. They don't work, generally.

Post-Gazette NOW - Polls - single gender school question

Post-Gazette NOW - Polls

Q: Do you think single gender schools will be good or bad for students?

I voted EXCELLENT, but, and that should be a much bigger but, ... the students must want to attend a single gender school. Then it would be and is and will be 'excellent.' Otherwise, not so much.

And, I'm not very fond of the idea for anything other than high school and college as an option. Not in middle school nor grade school.

Do you think single-gender schools will be good or bad for students?
Category: Education
Voting began on 6/25/2010
Voting ends on 6/27/2010

A.Excellent idea - 122 (37%) B.Maybe a good idea - 70 (21%) C.Neither good nor bad - 15 (4%) D.Definitely a bad idea - 116 (35%) E.I'm not sure - 11 (3%)334 Respondents

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/polls/Default.asp#ixzz0rtkG55aL

Pittsburgh 48 Hour Film Project is right around the corner!

On Aug. 13, 2010 through Aug. 15, 2010, you can join hundreds of filmmakers and make a movie in 48 hours! That’s right… write, shoot, edit and score a short film in 48 hours. Then see it premiered up on the big screen! Registration will begin at 12:01 am on Tuesday June 29, 2010.

The 48 Hour Film Project is going to eighty cities spanning all six continents this year. Which one of you will make the best short film to represent Pittsburgh against teams from around the world vying for the title of "The Best 48 Hour Film of 2010"?

We hope to see you in the cinema!

Best,

Kahmeela Adams
Nina Gibbs

Pittsburgh@48hourfilm.com
Pittsburgh Producers
48 Hour Film Project
http://www.48hourfilm.com/pittsburgh

Education Week: NCAA Proposes End to Early Scholarship Offers

Education Week: NCAA Proposes End to Early Scholarship Offers: "Prep players may have to wait a little longer to start accepting scholarship offers.

An NCAA committee announced Thursday that it will back a proposal to prohibit making scholarships offers to recruits before July 1 in the summer between their junior and senior years in high school. If passed, it would apply to all sports.
Coaches also would have to receive high school transcripts documenting at least five semesters or seven quarters worth of academic work for a young recruit before they can offer a scholarship.

It is the first recommendation to come out of the Recruiting and Athletics Personnel Issues Cabinet, which is reviewing recruiting conduct. Committee chair Petrina Long acknowledged it would be a difficult rule for school compliance officers to monitor."

Sounds right. If the NCAA can make more trouble for the student athletes then it will.

I think it makes more sense to have the rules have a stipulation that gives a little peace of mind to the student-athletes and their families as soon as possible. These are the same athletes that are about to be exploited for the next seasons of their lives. A bit of peace in that realm, while they are still in high school, makes perfect sense to me. So, the NCAA nixes that.

Appeals court rejects challenge to city's lost-gun law

Appeals court rejects challenge to city's lost-gun law State Commonwealth Court today affirmed a ruling that dismissed a lawsuit challenging Pittsburgh's lost and stolen gun law, deciding that the National Rifle Association and four individual plaintiffs lacked the legal standing to bring the case.

If a person does not have the legal standing to challenge a law in court, then I guess that that law has no standing to apply to any individual.

You all are invited!

Open Invite: 4th of July and our annual party. Celebrate the passing of the 10,000 milestone in blog postings!

6pm Badminton in the park by our house (12th n Sarah St). There's also room for Ultimate Frisbee. Plus swings, etc. If you don't want to play in the park, plan to show up at the house (108 S. 12th Street) any time after 7pm.

We'll have the usual arts and crafts and some "water" games.
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

How is that REGISTRY for gay couples in the city of Pittsburgh doing, really?

Bruce Kraus was keen to start a registry for gay couples in Pittsburgh a while ago. He had helpers in city hall. It began. How about an update?

I didn't think it made sense to start such a registry for a few reasons. It is an expansion of government. It is not really governement's business. The best benefit was to save a family of 4 some money on city swim pool passes. It would save them $300 over a ten year period.

Nazi Germany used records to hand out yellow, six pointed stars and pink triangles. I'd rather not have those source documents.

I had heard that the registry one year after being formed had six couples listed. But, that's not confirmed, just hear-say. So, I wonder.

Councilman wants audit of fund tapped for parking study

Sherlock!

Councilman wants audit of fund tapped for parking study: "Council found the $250,000 in old capital accounts dating to the 1990s. The ICA and Mr. Burgess want to know why the money was just sitting around, what its proper use would be and whether other pots of unused money exist."

Dude, be sure to look in the laundry basket of Doug Shields too.

Coach talks about the next USA opponent, Ghana

Wandering: "African teams are killing me. I am still convinced they have the talent to compete with any team. Ghana and Ivory Coast showed lots of immaturity in not getting the results they needed in their last matches. I respect having a certain style. I understand pride and holding on to certain values. Every athlete dreams off making certain plays and scoring goals in big moments. But at some point all those things need to be put aside, or at least in the right place, to win a match. Ghana was casual and selfish against Australia, they played like they were gonna win just cause they are better. This happens all the time in all sports, but you don’t do it here when you have three matches to qualify."

On Special Education - Education Week

On Special Education - Education Week: "Schools Could Use Guidance on Physical Education for Disabled Kids"

Then go here:
http://aforathlete.wikia.com/wiki/Time_Out!_I_Didn't_Hear_You

Sustain the embrace

Education Week: Study Finds Success in NYC's 'Small Schools' ... a major study of New York City high schools has found that students are more academically successful in smaller, more personal high schools that they choose for themselves than they are in larger, more traditional schools.

Here is the point I'd love to make, "Different strokes for different folks."

We should have some small schools. We should have some big schools. We should have some flavors of schools that are unlike the flavors of others. Even a girls public high school campus would be welcomed -- if the boys had their own all city public boys school campus too.

43rd post at the Pure Reform Blog

"When freedom enters, the slaves are the ones that benefit the most. Yes, the poor get richer."

Bank on it.

I wrote and posted in a thread at the PURE Reform Blog about school choice within Pgh Public Schools so as to make ALL of our high schools magnet schools so as to end all feeder patterns for high schools in the city.

Here is the whole post, placed here, slightly out of context. Sorry about that.

---

When freedom enters, the slaves are the ones that benefit the most. Yes, the poor get richer.

Same too with "open enrollment."

It is CRAZY to say that the rich will get richer with choice among schools in PPS. CRAZY.

Presently, there is very little balance. Balance isn't the goal anyway. Fight for balance and then find all at the bottom.

BTW, the real rich (as a class) are not in PPS at all.

With this plan, (well, there isn't much to point to in "THIS PLAN" other than to say the end of all feeder patterns for high school students in PPS) ALL the KIDSs are put into good schools. NOBODY will go to crappy schools. Now plenty are forced to go to bad schools and with choice, the bad schools will need to do a better job -- or else die.

There will NOT be a large group of parents who choose to send their kids to NO SCHOOL -- for whatever the reason. Think again.

The REAL nasty cycle that is very hard to end is FORCE. We end force with CHOICE. We end slavery with freedom.

BTW, we do do single race schools in USA -- its often found in suburbia. The dangerous territory is silly talk that makes little sense.

Noise-induced hearing loss is completely preventable

A Post-Gazette news article featured expert quotes from Catherine, my wife.

Noise-induced hearing loss is completely preventable

Hearing loss has little to do with the source of the sound and everything to do with the dosage, or the level of the sound and the amount of time spent listening to it, said Catherine Palmer, audiologist and director of UPMC's Center for Audiology and Hearing Aids. MP3 players don't cause hearing loss, and it's not any more dangerous to listen to music from an iPod than it is to listen to music from a stereo or car
speakers, experts said.

'Sound is sound. The ear doesn't care how it got there,' Dr. Palmer explained.

The problem with MP3 players comes when people listen to them for too long at levels that are too high.
The greater the exposure, the greater the chance of hearing loss because it builds up over time, Dr. Palmer said."

Have you checked out the Mount Vernon Statement yet?

New Page 1 THE MOUNT VERNON STATEMENT
CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATISM: A STATEMENT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

We recommit ourselves to the ideas of the American Founding. Through the Constitution, the Founders created an enduring framework of limited government based on the rule of law. They sought to secure national independence, provide for economic opportunity, establish true religious liberty and maintain a flourishing society of republican self-government.
These principles define us as a country and inspire us as a people. They are responsible for a prosperous, just nation unlike any other in the world. They are our highest achievements, serving not only as powerful beacons to all who strive for freedom and seek self-government, but as warnings to tyrants and despots everywhere.

New Meetup: Tsunami planned after golfers depart Oakmont

From: Mike Cornell <cornells@zoominternet.net>

Sender: kayaking-129-announce@meetup.com

Announcing a new Meetup for Pittsburgh Kayakers (ka-"yack"-ers)!

What: Tsunami!

When: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 9:00 AM

Where: Allegheny River, Harmarville

What happens when a huge bridge falls 100' into a river? Tsunami! Gather up your nerve and your sense of adventure for an all-new way to experience a dynamite-packed implosion. Tuesday July 13, the the old PA Turnpike bridge at Harmarville will drop into the Allegheny River like a sack of potatoes, and we'll be there, bobbing on the water, 1000' away, watching it go down!

Bring food and drink, noisemakers, video cameras, marine radios & police scanners, flags, crazy hats, Frisbees & beach balls; it's a goofy event, so come prepared!

We'll launch from Oakmont or Harmarville, no more than a mile away, and then hang out on the river, waiting for the big moment. When will that moment be? I don't know yet, but I assume that the Turnpike will be closed during the implosion, and all Turnpike closures are publicized in advance. Probably mid-day; for safety, they wouldn't do it at night, and they'll probably avoid rush hours. I'll update the listing as I get more information.

Thrills! Spills! Mayhem! Destruction! Isn't THAT worth a day off work?

Learn more here:
http://www.meetup.com/kayaking-129/calendar/13894387/

Heart Health in PA

American Heart Assn sent this. I've got a reply at the end.

Urge the PA Senate to bring House Bill 816 up for a vote in Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee!
Dear Mark,

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in Pennsylvania, killing more people than the next five leading causes of death combined. Stroke is the third leading cause of death and is the leading disabler among adults. Beyond the toll in suffering and death, these two diseases place a tremendous burden our health care system. And yet, Pennsylvania invests ZERO resources to the prevention and treatment of these diseases!

Urge the Senate to take the next steps to support heart health!

The good news is there is a solution to significantly reduce the impact of these diseases through House Bill 816. House Bill 816 would lay the foundation to expand the Heart Disease and Stroke Program at the state level when implementation funds become available. The bill was voted out of the House unanimously in March, but has yet to see movement in the Senate!

Urge the Pennsylvania Senate to bring this bill up for a vote in the Public Health and Welfare Committee to keep the bill moving!

Thank YOU for all you do to help improve the heart health of Pennsylvania!

Jennifer Ebersole, PA Advocacy Director
American Heart Association

Melissa Brown, Grassroots Director
American Heart Association

Isn't an investment into Physical Education in schools count for SOME spending heart health?

Death generally means that one's heart stops beating. Not always, but often. So, it isn't a real shocker (PUN) that failure of heart beating is a leading cause of death.

We need to do plenty more for fitness in PA, of course. Now I'll go find the bill.

Oversight board balks at funding parking study

Oversight board balks at funding parking study

The OVERLORDS speak! Quick, check for a pulse.

Don't pay $250,000 for a study. That's like paying someone to do your homework. How about if members and staffers of city council do their own homework and only took a paycheck for doing their job -- and NOT paying the consultants a nickle.

Canada-based earthquake felt here

Canada-based earthquake felt here: "An earthquake centered in Canada could be felt by some people in the Pittsburgh area this afternoon.
Reports of buildings shaking came from Carlow University in Oakland and from the South Side."

I felt it. No doubt. Felt like the boards on the floor were moving as a football team marched in the next room. No noise, but the gentle wobble of the floor. I was checking my voice mail.

Nobody cares. Now back to your regular World Cup Victory Party Celebration. Cheers and here is to your face paint gets a touch-up soon!

South Africa may bid on Summer Olympic Games

Rogge plans to discuss possible SAfrican bid with President

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- IOC president Jacques Rogge will discuss the possibility of a South African bid for the Olympics when he meets with South African President Jacob Zuma next month.

Read the full story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/06/23/south.african.olympics.ap/index.html

Fw: Big Phone. Big Cable. Same $ellout.

From: "Josh Silver, FreePress.net" <info@freepress.net>

End These Secret Meetings! The Wall Street Journal just revealed that the FCC has been convening secret backroom meetings with phone and cable lobbyists to cut a deal on Net Neutrality. The closed-door meetings have included a small group of lobbyists from AT&T, Verizon and Google. The goal, according to insiders, is to "reach consensus" on rules of the road for the Internet. This is outrageous. The FCC can’t ignore the public's demand for Net Neutrality and then quietly give control over the Internet to a few massive corporations. Tell Obama and the FCC: Stop These Secret Meetings President Obama pledged to "take a back seat to no one" in his support for Net Neutrality. To head the FCC, he appointed Julius Genachowski, the man who crafted his pro-Net Neutrality platform in 2008. But even after millions of people joined Obama’s call for Net Neutrality, FCC staff is huddling with industry lobbyists in secret to cut a deal that could leave the free and open Internet in jeopardy. This plot is all too familiar. We've seen it before, during the BP oil disaster and the subprime mortgage meltdown, when government officials put the interests of big business ahead of those of the public. Now, the same thing is happening to the Internet. We can’t let the one agency tasked with oversight of communications strike secret deals that undermine Net Neutrality. Don’t Let Lobbyists Determine the Future of the Internet Sign our letter to President Obama and the FCC to end the secret meetings and guarantee that the public -- including the tens of millions of Americans who use the Internet every day and in every way -- is given a seat at the table. Thank you, Josh Silver President and CEO Free Press http://www.savetheinternet.com/ http://www.freepress.net/ P.S. Be sure to sign the letter to Obama and the FCC. Then forward this e-mail to your friends in Pennsylvania and share the action via Twitter. P.S.S. Check out our full-page ad protesting the secret meetings, which ran in today’s Washington Post.