Third-party candidates may be key in Pa. governor's race

This is NOT a news article, it is an editorial.

Third-party candidates may be key in Pa. governor's race: "In addition to his Democratic opponent, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, the ballot will include Marakay Rogers, the Libertarian Party candidate, and John Krupa, running under the banner of the tea party.
Libertarians tend to diverge from the current Republican Party on social issues. Tea Party supporters criticize both major parties. Still, it's at least broadly accurate to say that both of those constituencies, with their common opposition toward bigger government, are more likely to overlap with Republicans than Democrats."

What is the news?

The Libertarians are unlike the Rs in many ways beyond social issues. How about the war? How about privacy? How about corporate welfare? How about stimulus funding? How about size of government?

Look at the lead of this article too. In recent decades, no independent candidate has mounted a credible challenge for a statewide office in Pennsylvania. THAT is what James O wants to say first! He'll give a history lesson and think it is newsworth.

Complete crap from the P-G, as usual. There is no credible journalism.

Mr. Krupa could not be reached for comment. But some tea party activists are wary of his candidacy. Pick up the phone P-G reporter. He could not be reached yet this article is about his running. Give us a break.

Ms. Rogers, the Libertarian contender, said there are plenty of reasons for independents to run that have nothing to do with political mischief.

"The mere fact that you might not win or probably won't win is not an excuse for not running," said the York County lawyer. "The fewer candidates that run, the fewer ideas that will be discussed -- the vote for women, Social Security -- and those were originally third-party ideas. If third parties didn't raise the issue first, the other parties would never adopt them."

Ms. Rogers is a veteran tilter at the major party windmills. She ran for governor as a Green Party candidate in 2006. After migrating to the Libertarians, she ran for attorney general in 2008 and for Superior Court in 2009.

A tilter at windmills.

Crew chief overturns McCutchen's homer | pirates.com: News

Crew chief overturns McCutchen's homer | pirates.com: News: "Saturday's review marked the fifth in PNC Park history, four of which have now been overturned."

PNC Park is defective. Right?

Literacy nonprofit for poor children closes

Literacy nonprofit for poor children closes: "Literacy nonprofit for poor children closes"

This is the first I heard of the meltdown. So, the news of a shut-down. Did I miss the news of their struggle or did they only tell other literacy providers?

Sounds like the Center for Creative Play and Beginning with Books should hook up and have a joint misery ride.

If I'm in charge, Pittsburgh would be branded as the best place to parent. And, the loss of both of those organizations in recent years isn't good.

Woman trapped in hole in Sheraden

The crew had their hands full with this urban rescue.

Woman trapped in hole in Sheraden: "Woman trapped in hole in Sheraden"

They are very lucky that both didn't fall into that hole.

Tackling a tough issue head on - Brain injuries and football

So, play football. Hurt brain. The one can't think the rest of your life, if it gets bad enough.

Tackling a tough issue head on: "'You don't think about it. You can't think about it,' Clark said."

Or, don't think about it before playing and while playing.

Humm... Think again.

Hill District YMCA to break ground today at 10 am

New Y to open in a year or two.

Fw: Sad Health News from Anne Feeney ... can you help?

From: "Anne Feeney" <anne@annefeeney.com>

Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2010 23:49:23 -0700

Subject: Sad Health News from Anne Feeney ... can you help?

Hi,

How much one conversation with a doctor can change your life!

This time last week I thought the next time I'd be writing to you would be with my exciting September news and Labor Day special...

This time last week I thought I'd be in Sweden tonight  packing to go to Ireland to meet up with all my wonderful tourmates.

Instead, here I am in Pittsburgh packing to go Shadyside Hospital.  On August 3rd, in Sweden, a lung specialist advised me that I have an 11 cm tumor on my lung that is stressing both my heart and lungs in dangerous ways.  As terrifying as this diagnosis is, it is in many ways a relief to get an explanation for the several mysterious and troubling symptoms I've had for the past few months... including increasing fatigue, shortness of breath, terrible coughing, and bizarre heart rhythms. 

I could have stayed in Sweden for the bronchoscopy, biopsy and surgery ... my health insurance would have covered everything in Sweden that it covers here.  But even the best case scenario here will involve a protracted recovery period and probably at least six months out of work.  It was also hard to think about being so seriously ill so far away from my children, and my lifelong network of friends in Pittsburgh.

So here I am, at home in Pittsburgh, surrounded by friends and family.

Luckily, Tom Pigott and I have been able to arrange full and wonderful coverage for both the Ireland tours in August.  The wonderful Charlie King will be joining the August 10-19th tour, and Tom will be hosting the August 22-31st tour with some of my favorite folks in Ireland.  Both tours will continue uninterrupted, but, alas, without me this year.


My friend Jan Boyd has set up a Caring Bridge page for those of you who want regular medical updates on my condition.  The URL is http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/annefeeney ...  (The only reason you have to log in to the site is to keep spam robots from posting stupid messages...)

I hope to be posting updates on Facebook as well as soon as I feel up to it.

I'm pretty sure it will be difficult for me to talk on the phone for a while.  I would love it if you'd post get well wishes, stories & jokes for me on my guestbook... http://annefeeney.com/guestbook.html  ... (It's a moderated guestbook, so what you write won't appear on the guestbook until I read it and approve it--- otherwise I'm pretty sure the guestbook would be nothing but ads for viagra and such..)

This diagnosis has wiped out most of my meager folksinger's savings.  I've had to cancel a lot of work that I was counting on, and incurred a lot of unexpected travel expenses.  Although most of my medical bills will be covered (now that I've come up with the $6000 in deductibles and copay), it seems unlikely that I'll be able to return to my hectic tour schedule, or any full time work, for several months.

If you want to help me out with what are going to be fairly staggering expenses by folksinger's standards... I'm hoping to find 1000 folks who'll pony up $50 ...   I really *don't* want any larger donations ... I don't want anyone to dig deep for this... and if $50 is hard for you to come by, PLEASE don't think about sending me a cent.   I know I have enough dear friends who are doing okay that those of you who are struggling shouldn't spend a second worrying about my finances.

You could send a check to me:

Anne Feeney
2240 Milligan Ave
Pittsburgh  PA 15218

or you can send a donation via Paypal to getwellanne@annefeeney.com.  If you're not sure how to do that...  there's also a "donate" button you can click about 4 inches down on the right hand side of http://fellow-travelers-advisory.blogspot.com/ ... clicking on that "donate" button will also allow you to make a safely encrypted online donation.


I'll have a lot more to say and share about health care... especially the amazing Swedish health care system, when I'm not so tired.

I hope that you'll spread the word to any of our friends that may not subscribe to the Fellow Travelers' Advisory.

As I'm wandering around the sweet little house I get to spend so little time in, I keep finding boxes and boxes of thank you cards that I have purchased and never mailed.  My heart overflows with gratitude to all of you for your daily work for justice, art and truth - for your steadfast support of the many projects I've brought to you in the past...   I am so honored to call you my friend.

Many of my oldest and dearest friends are gathering here with me at the house to help me prepare for the coming ordeal.  I cherish them, and you, and hope to be in touch with all of you soon.


Anne Feeney
http://annefeeney.com/
http://cdbaby.com/all/unionmaid - Buy CDs!
412-xxx-xxxx (cell)

"Anne Feeney is the greatest labor singer in North America." -- Utah Phillips

Hundreds vie for spot on "Biggest Loser"

Hundreds vie for spot on "Biggest Loser": "Staff with the show pointed to one man who clearly had that strong desire -- Larry Culley, 58, a lawyer and aspiring voice artist from Staten Island, N.Y., who drove into Pittsburgh and arrived at 11 a.m. yesterday. Mr. Culley, who weighs 366 pounds and wants to get down to about 200 pounds, said this is his fourth audition attempt.
He said he wants to be selected for the show because his weight is interfering with his life and his health. He said he believes he has what it takes to connect with the audience."

I wonder. What was Larry's weight the other three times he auditioned for the show? And, what did he eat as he arrived in Pittsburgh?

There is no time like the present, pal.

By the way, I found out in our recent trip to Peoria that one of my friends from the good old days was on a past season of "The Biggest Loser." He was a firefighter who had a vintage firetruck and owned an ACE Hardware Store -- and his kids were swimmers. His son was a very fast swimmer and swam in the Big 10 Conference -- and is now a high school swim coach.

I'll need to go back and look online at hulu at the past seasons to find some of his segments.

The Rauterkus Scholarship: 365 Days on a Budget

365 Days on a Budget: "All proceeds from the book generated by students enrolled in classes at our university will be donated to our department.
The funds that we donate will be restricted to be used only for The Rauterkus Scholarship given in the following semester to a Finance major who meets our criteria.
We will make the final decision on which student(s) will receive the Rauterkus Scholarship."

FYI, this is the same name -- but remote relative.

City Swim Meet: Aug 7, 2010

The 2008 team is above.



This team must be from 2007, or prior.

---

We have also been watching results from USA Nationals. http://www.star-meets.org/results/Nats/2010/

Sports question pitched to the A+ Schools question sink hole

Sports within a school that ranges from grades 6 to 12 require gyms and athletic spaces for both high school and middle school teams. One gym or one swim pool, even large gyms, can't work for two schools.
The sports teams will not fit into PPS WESTINGHOUSE 6-12, just as they do not work at Schenley / Obama @ Reizenstein (another PPS 6-12 school) and soon to be @ Peabody.

In basketball season, for example, six different teams (Varsity, JV, Middle School for both boys and girls) must practice and play games. Gyms are used for wrestling, dances, Physical Education, spring sport conditioning, intramurals, and hopefully community-club teams with wrap around services.
There have been no plans nor answers on how to fix this serious problem with the schools -- except to drop the ball with athletics.

To combat street gangs, we need sports gangs and school gangs with challenging and high quality enrichment in realms where parents and coaches and educators control.

If sports are a priority, then PPS MUST double the size of its athletic facilities at all 6-12 schools, including locker-rooms.

Does PPS really care about sports and afterschool?

If PPS does care, when and how are the athletic facilities going to double? And, how much does that investment cost?

Our next big trip looks like this

Everything is now booked for South Africa.  We will fly out on Friday, October 22nd.  We will arrive in Durban in the evening on Saturday, October 23rd.  We will be at the Sports Champagne Resort in the Drakensburg Mountains through Wednesday October 27th.  Wed afternoon we will drive to Johannesburg (long drive).  We'll stay the night by the airport.  The next day we'll fly to Kruger National Park (Nelspruit airport).  We'll be driven to the private lodge.  We'll have a safari that afternoon and then two the next day (Friday October 29th).  We'll spend the early morning of Saturday, October 30th in the park and then be driven to the airport. We'll fly to Cape Town and have a family room at a hotel by the water there.  The evening is on our own.  Sunday, October 31st we have an all day private tour.  Being a private tour means we have a plan but we can deviate from it.  On Monday, November 1st we have another tour (around the cape) but again, it is private, and we can deviate from it as we like.  We'll leave for Pittsburgh on November 2nd, arrive in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, November 3rd.

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/seal-commuters/262ttp0n Seal Island Video

Fw: [DW] IdeaHub from the Department of Transportation

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-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Fri, 6 Aug 2010 14:04:57
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Reply-To: clift@publicus.net
Subject: [DW] IdeaHub from the Department of Transportation

This caught my eye:

DOT launches IdeaHub (08/03/2010) Transportation launched an online
community where its employees can share and collaborate on new ideas
with their 55,000 colleagues across the country. The online community
will allow the department to post challenges to employees as a way of
getting people to think about specific questions or problems.
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/08/ideahub-to-engage-dotemployees-tap-their-expertise.html

I wonder if state and local transportation officials might participate?

A decade plus ago I recall running into a transportation listserv that
sparked my interested in inter-governmental effective practices
exchange. Not sure if it is alive today, but many niche groups are
still out there:
http://www.google.com/search?q=transportation+listserv

Speaking of intergovernmental exchange, I think the UK has some action
worth noting:
http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk

Cheers,
Steven Clift


Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy
New Tel: +1.612.234.7072



From: <lisa.nelson@gsa.gov>
Date: Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 12:37 PM
Subject: [MuniGov2.0] August 6 Weekly Research and Best Practices Email
To: munigov@googlegroups.com



Happy Friday,

Here is the August 6 research and best practices email. As always,
feel free to pass the information along to others who might be
interested or refer them to
https://forum.webcontent.gov/?page=research_newsletters.

Last week a few people had difficulty opening the usability links. I
am attaching the article that it came from with the links. The
checklist and 25-minute video links are IN the article and available
to the reader.

Lisa Nelson, GSA
Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies

Research

IT Trends in State Government (07/27/2010) NASCIO/TechAmerica/Grant
Thornton survey finds tough economic times have presented new
opportunities for CIOs. Many have been able to implement new
cost-saving strategies, innovative business models and emerging
technologies. http://www.nascio.org/publications/documents/NASCIO-2010StateCIOSurvey.pdf

Canadas Global Positioning Strategy (06/2010) The Canadian
International Council considers the shift in the global balance of
power. Three "game changers" are identified - the rise of China, India
and other players in the global economy, the entry of the United
States into a period of relative economic decline and the hardening of
the border between our two countries since 9/11. http://bit.ly/aNPgok

News

Federal Agency Social Media Hubs (08/02/2010) Many federal agencies
are creating hubs for their social media connections. Some provide
access to specific media links, such as agency bloggers, others
provide links to policy and training.
http://www.businessofgovernment.org/blog/federal-agency-social-media-hubs

DOT launches IdeaHub (08/03/2010) Transportation launched an online
community where its employees can share and collaborate on new ideas
with their 55,000 colleagues across the country. The online community
will allow the department to post challenges to employees as a way of
getting people to think about specific questions or problems.
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/08/ideahub-to-engage-dotemployees-tap-their-expertise.html

--
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Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire now contains the following file

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You can view all the file that have been added to Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire at
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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.

So sad. Really sad.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

We must teach our kids to swim.

The other day it was 102-degrees, after the sun went down, in Nashville, TN. It wasn't that hot here, but we've got three rivers.

Finally, splash parks don't cut it in my opinion. You can't learn to swim n a splash park.

On a much more positive and happy note, we had a great water polo practice today, Thursday, at Peabody High School, from 10:30 am to noon.

All of our players are swimmers and the game was well matched. We need more players too. Visit us on Friday or all next week, Monday to Friday, 10:30 am to noon at Peabody High School.

NCAA probe into WVU football - so let's get this straight

The P-G has an article about the NCAA looking into rule problems with WVU's football program.

NCAA probe into WVU football alleges improprieties
• Exceeding the permissible number of coaches from 2005-09, when non-coaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities.
• Graduate assistants, a student assistant, student managers and non-coaching staff members, in the summers between 2005-09, monitored voluntary summer workouts.
• Rodriguez 'failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.'
• Stewart 'failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.'
• The first two violations indicate the West Virginia athletic department failed to sufficiently monitor the football program to assure full compliance.

So, let me get this straight. The players had optional practices in the summers and supervisors were present because the coaches are not permitted. These voluntary practices had supervisors who were a student assistant, grad students, student managers and non-coaches. So, the problem is that the Athletic Department failed to sufficiently monitor the football program. Yet the rules do NOT allow the real experts, the coaches, to be there to help with the students athletes. So, the kids practice on their own. But, getting some helpers for the players from the ranks of the students is not permitted.

How many water boys are they allowed?

The NCAA is punishing WVU for failure to monitor because WVU had too many peers monitoring.

Think again.

Pittsburgh Public Schools settle suit over girl's anorexia, taunting

The P-G reports on some school news.

Pittsburgh Public Schools settle suit over girl's anorexia, taunting: "Pittsburgh Public Schools settle suit over girl's anorexia, taunting"

Humm.

Big day in the summer!

AM swim practice: 7 to 9. Erik does workout and I float for 1 hour in outside lane.

AM water polo practice: 10:30 to noon. I coach and we play a cool 3 on 3 game, widths, shooting only after a dry pass.

I teach PPS Summer Dreamers, 12:30 to 3 pm. Kickball until it rains. Then water polo passing in gym.

Erik and running mate, Tobias, bike to Sq. Hill and then to Washington Road's bike oval for some practice.

Eat and rest to 6 pm.

Back to the oval for evening races: Erik's third of the summer and Tobias in his rookie ride. About 22 riders in the junior and women's race. Erik gets 11th and does NOT get dropped by the pack. He wins a lap and is in the hunt pulling the pack up to two break-away riders after 10 laps.

Newsletter text for pre-baseball for the PPS Summer Dreamers field trip to PNC Park for game tomorrow, vs. Reds.

Erik is sleeping on floor -- zonked out -- by 10:15 pm.

Meanwhile Grant played about 5 hours of golf at Schenley with his clinic / tournament play with First Tee. He is hitting par on many holes now.

Donovan is in town and paid us a visit. Sleepover isn't possible as we've got cats.

Summer!

Fw: 6 teens drown in Louisiana river; 7th rescued

------Original Message------
From: Swimmer Erik Rauterkus
To: Mark Rauterkus
ReplyTo: Swimmer Erik Rauterkus
Subject: 6 teens drown in Louisiana river; 7th rescued
Sent: Aug 3, 2010 10:22 AM

6 drown story

http://m.usatoday.com/1927979/news/;jsessionid=C95711B12AF68E890B022BA76A3B328F.wap2
Erik
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Pittsburgh day camp mixes learning, dreaming

Pittsburgh day camp mixes learning, dreaming: "In Pittsburgh, Superintendent Mark Roosevelt said the summer camp was specifically designed for middle school students because district academic achievement data shows they tend to do well on proficiency tests, but their performance generally tapers off as they advance into higher grades."

MGR Foundation Youth Peace Rally

We invite you to the 2010 MGR Foundation Youth Peace Rally on August 12, 2010. The event will take place at Market Square, Downtown Pittsburgh from 12:30 PM-2:30 PM.

The Summer Dreamer's Academy

Hundreds of people will come together to support and witness Pittsburgh youth express themselves and speak out against violence. In partnership with the Pittsburgh Public School's Summer Dreamers Academy and other community groups, our students will share live performances that promote peace. You will be inspired by their visual art work and creativity. Come and see how our youth are using music, art, drama, and dance to promote peace in our communities!  Support Pittsburgh Youth and come see what they have to say at this year's rally. 

Peace,

Phil Koch, Executive Director, MGR Foundation
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