City schools official makes pitch for single-gender academies

My question at last night's community meeting was hit upon in the discussion and then found its way into the Post-Gazette article today. I posted the question in the past at my blog and elsewhere (see comments).

City schools official makes pitch for single-gender academies: "Their inquiries about the plan were wide-ranging, addressing everything from the safety of the neighborhoods of the school campuses to how the Westinghouse campus would accommodate all of the boys' and girls' basketball teams with only one gym.
'This is not rocket science,' Mr. Lopez said, addressing the latter concern. 'This is about adults talking about a schedule.'"

Okay, let's take a deep breath and look at what was said in this answer.

First of all, my real question that I sent into the PPS site and also at A+ Schools was not asked. Only part of it was asked. And, my follow up question was a question -- based upon what Mr. Lopez said.

Mr. Lopez did do his homework. He knew what was coming, of course. His answer was blended to cover some of the un-asked parts of the question even.

A strange element of the answer he gave was to imply that things would work at Westinghouse with its six basketball teams because the adults involved at Westinghouse would communicate with each other and that those positive results have not unfolded at the other 6-12 school known as Schenley and Obama (both at Reizenstein) because that doesn't happen there.

My jaw dropped.

He also said that when he was in Michigan at a high school with one gym and six basetball teams, he could make the space work. There, at Berkley High School, they had varsity, JV and 9th grade teams for both boys and girls. Well, in Pittsburgh Westinghouse, as well as in Pittsburgh Obama/Schenley (also 6-12), we'll have varsity, JV and MIDDLE-SCHOOL teams. If a middle school program was put into Berkley, that should couldn't work. And, PPS does not do much with 9th grade teams -- and it should. Plus, you don't want to put middle school kids onto the court nor into the locker rooms with the high school kids. A 9th grade team and a JV team are very similar. Not so with a JV team and a MIDDLE-SCHOOL team.

Let's do the math. Even if the boys and girls teams can practice at the same time, with a big gym, then we'd have Varsity at 3 pm to 5 pm, JV at 5 pm to 7 pm and Middle School at 7 pm to 9 pm. Furthermore, I think Westinghouse might be an extended day school. The school day might end at 4:15 or 4:30 pm for others as the students are going to have work placements and job training and internships. So, the practice time of 7 to 9 pm might be welcomed as that might be when they are off of work, have eaten and back to the gym.

Even with 90 minutes per practice on the court, the schedule would be 3 to 4:30 pm, 4:30 to 6 pm and 6 to 7:30 pm. Then there are out of season conditioning times and open gym and such after 7:30 pm.

Then there are games, wrestling matches in the gym, baseball's pitches and catchers, volleyball's pre-season, cheerleader tryouts, etc.

And, this is to be a 'single-gender landscape.' So putting both the boys and girls into the same, but big, divided gym is happening too. Oh well.

Stay tuned for video, later this week, I hope.

Water polo play on August 10, 2010 at Peabody High School

Great day. We had three swimmers join us from Shaler as well as their coach. She had played water polo at Penn State University and has been coaching the kids in long-course swimming.

Max was there too -- as he is trying to stay in shape so he can swim and play polo in college in CT.

Jan had to get out early -- with a leg cramp.

A new swimmer came to practice straight from the Highland Park Pool and the Kingsley Stingrays practice. He is a swimmer, I think, with Allderdice.

We need to get the girls of Schenley to get into the groove.

Our goalies are playing very well. We can't get many balls past them. Keep it up S and C.

We'll play the rest of the week from 10:30 to noon. I have a few other bits of info to gather before we announce when play is going to happen next week. We might be able to play at North Park some time soon as well.

Tomorrow I expect to see Marshall and Grant as well as some others from Shaler.

Some of the footage above is from the ball-handling and shooting drills we did first, before splitting into two teams and playing a game. So that's why the caps are not on all the players in the early photos.

The Information War by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com

The Information War by Justin Raimondo -- Antiwar.com: "The Information War
We're winning – and the War Party is losing…"

'Dogs coach Hill agrees to pay cut, new contract - Fresno State Football - fresnobee.com

'Dogs coach Hill agrees to pay cut, new contract - Fresno State Football - fresnobee.com: "'Dogs coach Hill agrees to pay cut, new contract
Says he's trying to help the athletic department, community."

Go Fresno State!

Fw: games of Mt. Lebo

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: leifevans@comcast.net

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:13:25 +0000 (UTC)

To: <mark.rauterkus@gmail.com>

Subject: games

Pittsburgh Friends and Neighbors:

We have around 200 folks for the games so far but we need to fill 300 t-shirts so sign up now or condemn a very nifty t-shirt to the unspeakable limbo of having no-one to get sweaty on...

Larry Evans     c 412-445-2951

 Mt. Lebanon Village Intergenerational Games

Saturday, August 14, 2010

9am-2pm at Mt. Lebanon Park and Tennis Center

Mt. Lebanon Village (MLV) is a community oriented, non-profit organization established in 2009 to give residents of Mt. Lebanon, age 50 and older, the practical means, confidence and peace of mind to enjoy life while residing in their own place of residence in the environment they value as they grow older, and to serve as a model and mentor to other such villages.

The Mt. Lebanon Village Games present a way to get to know our neighbors, to enjoy a day of playing together and to celebrate our common bonds. The Village Games are designed to bring together old friends and new acquaintances, pairing people of different ages and generations.  The idea is to partner adults over 50 with someone under 50.  The pairings could be with a son, daughter, grandchild, friend or neighbor – or maybe even some husband and wife teams!  You can also come on your own and enjoy the festivities.  Partners will spend the day participating together in the activities of their choice.  It will be a fun-packed day of gently competitive team sports, individual pursuits and group games, followed by a picnic and prizes.  Participants will be given a chance to win prizes for every event in which they partake.

START THE DAY WITH A FUN RUN OR WALK! At 9 a.m. the Village Games will open with a "Chase Your Elders" one mile fun run/walk in Mt. Lebanon Park where older folks start first, followed by a staggered progression by their younger partners so that all may finish at about the same time.  A pre-race warm-up, led by fitness instructor Gurney Bolster, will begin at 8:45 a.m. at the Mt. Lebanon School District Entrance on Horsman Drive.

THEN PLAY BALL AND OTHER FUN STUFF! From 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Mt. Lebanon Park, choose from a wide variety of friendly coed, intergenerational team sports including volleyball, softball, soccer, basketball, tennis and bocce.  Then measure your athletic skills in a 50 yard dash, punt, pass and kick, free throw, target toss, and radar gun stations.  There will be old fashioned games like a treasure hunt, relay races, water balloon toss, horseshoes, shuffleboard, hula hoops, scrabble, checkers, and chess.  You can also engage in creative activities such as an inter-active story-telling session led by the Wing & a Prayer Pittsburgh Players.

Throughout the day, be prepared to share your favorite Mt. Lebanon memories with a roving MLV volunteer camera crew.

DON'T MISS THE PICNIC! Beginning at noon, enjoy a delicious picnic provided by Pittsburgh Barbecue Company.  Come to the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center Founder's Room and Deck to share great food and listen to live banjo music provided by "The Entertainers".  Ted Sohier of WQED will be our MC and prizes will be drawn.  (Participants must be present at the picnic to receive prizes.)

BOWLING BONUS! Wear your Games T-shirt and enjoy two free games of bowling (shoes included) at Mount Lebanon Lanes (AMF) on Washington Road between 2-4pm Sunday, August 15^th!

REGISTER TO PLAY on line or by mail by August 12^th  to receive a nifty Mt. Lebanon Village Games T-shirt!

REGISTRATION FEES: Individual (over 50)  $15.     With Partner (under 50)  $25.     Family (up to 6 members)  $40.

 

Or Volunteer  – students can earn community service hours! – plus get a t-shirt & free lunch!

info@mtlebanonvillage.org or (412) 343-4054 | 710 Washington Rd, Pgh., PA 15228.  www.mtlebanonvillage.org

 

The Mt. Lebanon Village Games Registration Form

 

Individual (over 50) __________________________________________________________________

Age (as of August 14)_________________Gender_______________ T‐shirt size_________

Address___________________________________________________________Zip_________________

E‐Mail_________________________________________Phone__________________________________

 

Partner (under 50)____________________________________________________________________

Age (as of August 14)_________________Gender_______________ T‐shirt size_________

Address___________________________________________________________Zip_________________

E‐Mail_________________________________________Phone__________________________________

 

Additional Immediate or Extended Family Members (indicate pairing, any age mixture is ok)

3.________________________________________________Age______Gender______T‐shirt size_____

4.________________________________________________Age______Gender______T‐shirt size_____

 

5.________________________________________________Age______Gender______T‐shirt size_____

6.________________________________________________Age______Gender______T‐shirt size_____

 

 

Please check below the events in which you & your partner/family wish to participate

 

OPENING EVENT 9AM

___ Chase Your Elders One Mile Fun Run/Walk  (8:45 a.m. group aerobic warm‐up at start line)

Onsite registration and Village Games packet pick‐up begins at 8AM at the Tennis Center Founder's Room off of Cedar Blvd

 

TEAM SPORTS     10AM – 1PM  (select no more than 3 since games are scheduled on hourly intervals)

___ Soccer___ Softball___ Doubles Tennis___ Basketball___ Volleyball___ Doubles Bocce

 

___ ATHLETIC SKILLS     10AM – 1PM  (come when you want)

Includes Free Throws (Basketball), Radar Gun (Softball & Soccer & Football), Target (Softball & Soccer & Football), Punt, Pass and Kick (Football & Soccer) and a 50 Yard Dash

 

___ OLD FASHIONED GAMES     10AM ‐ 1PM  (come when you want)

Includes Relay Races, Treasure Hunt, Horseshoes, Shuffleboard, Water Balloon Toss, Chess, Checkers, Scrabble, Hula Hoops

 

___ INTERACTIVE STORY TELLING    11AM to Noon  (with the Wing and a Prayer Pittsburgh Players)

 

Upon arrival at the Tennis Center's registration headquarters participants will receive a program mapping out the event locations and an individualized schedule of activities. (The schedule is a guideline (not etched in stone) so you can freely move among the games.)

 

REGISTRATION FEES: Individual (over 50)  $15.     With Partner (under 50)  $25.     Family (up to 6 members)  $40.

 

Send the Registration Form with a check payable to:

Mt. Lebanon Village, 710 Washington Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15228   info: 412‐343‐4054

 

www.mtlebanonvillage.org

Larry Evans
417 Kurt Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15243
c412-445-2951
h412-341-1486
f412-571-1647
leifevans@comcast.net

NCAA Market - Job Search - Duquesne University

NCAA Market - Job Search

D.U. has a job opening for an Assistant Athletic Director. Go figure. Last year the Dukes cut men's swimming, men's baseball, men's golf and men's wrestling. Here is a tip. Hire someone who will promise to bring back all the men's teams recently cut.

Fw: New version 5.04 of CmapServer / Nueva versión 5.04 del CmapServer

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: "Cmap Support" <cmapsupport@ihmc.us>

Date: Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:32:58 -0500

To: <cmapsupport@ihmc.us>

Subject: New version 5.04 of CmapServer / Nueva versión 5.04 del CmapServer

(Español al final)

Hi,

You are receiving this message because at some point you downloaded or showed interest in the CmapServer program.

We are pleased to inform you that a new version (5.04) of the CmapServer has been released and is available for download.
This new version includes substantial improvements over previous versions.

If you are running an old version of the CmapServer (e.g. v4.18) you are not taking advantages of many of the recent additions to the
program, including thumbnails for Cmaps and resources in the Views window, incremental index submission to the
IndexServer and automatic classification of Cmaps based on the topological taxonomy for better retrieval by the Cmap search at the
Cmappers.net site, and a significant number of bug fixes and performance improvements.

CmapServer v5.04 is available for download at http://cmap.ihmc.us or through the "Check for Updates" program installed with the
CmapServer you are running. V5.04 of the CmapTools client has also been released.

If you have any questions or doubts please go to the CmapForum at http://cmapforum.ihmc.us.

 

Sincerely,

 

CmapSupport

Institute for Human & Machine Cognition

www.ihmc.us

-------

Hola,

Está recibiendo este mensaje porque en algún momento descargó o mostró interés en el programa CmapServer.

Nos complace en informarle que una nueva versión (5.04) del CmapServer has sido liberada y está disponible para ser
descargada. La nueva versión incluye mejoras substanciales sobre las versiones anteriores.

Si está corriendo una versión vieja del CmapServer (e.g. v5.04) no está tomando ventaja de muchas de las mejoras recientes al
programa, incluyendo "thumbnails" para Cmaps y recursos en la ventana de Vistas, envío incremental del índice al IndexServer y
clasificación automática de Cmaps basada en la taxonomía topológica para mejor recuperación en el buscador de Cmaps en el
sitio Cmappers.net, y un número significativo de correcciones y mejoras en el programa.

El CmapServer v5.04 está disponible para descargarse en http://cmap.ihmc.us o a través del programa "Check for Updates" que se
instaló con el CmapServer que está corriendo. La v5.04 del cliente CmapTools también está disponible.

Si tiene preguntas o dudas vaya al foro CmapForum en http://cmapforum.ihmc.us.

Cordialmente,

 

 

CmapSupport

Institute for Human & Machine Cognition

www.ihmc.us

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

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----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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