You should also be aware that major controversy has developed at the convention over proposed rule changes which would take control over much of the nomination process away from the state and local parties and put it in the hands of the national leadership. These changes are a direct assault on the traditions of the party and would silence the voice of the grassroots in much of the decision making process. Many grassroots activist groups and prominent leaders have come on board opposing the changes. The Republican Liberty Caucus was one of the first, but we've been joined by Eagle Forum, FreedomWorks and many Tea Party Groups. These are goups we're often at odds with ideologically, but we all agree that the integrity of he party and standing by republican principles is of the highest importance.Here are some resources to help bring you up to speed:Proposed Rule Changes from CommitteeMinority Rules Committee ReportRLC of Maine Statement on Rules ControversyMorton Blackwell (Virginia Delegate) Letter to DelegatesRLC Chairman's Letter to Delegates and ActivistsEagle Forum Statement on RulesFreedomWorkds Press ReleaseThis issue will be voted on again in committee Tuesday afternoon and go to the floor of the convention sometime later Tuesday. We urge you to contact your state delegates today if you can and encourage them to support the Minority Report against the report of the Rules Committee.
Monday, August 27, 2012
CONTROVERSY IN TAMPA
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Hear my commercial on talk radio! Bok, Atlas Snubbed
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ken Krawchuk via LinkedIn
Date: Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Subject: Hear my commercial on talk radio!
| Ken Krawchuk has sent you a message. Date: 8/22/2012 Subject: Hear my commercial on talk radio! Folks: Don't want to receive e-mail notifications? Adjust your message settings.
|
--
--
Ta.
Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Be Libertarian with me for one election, he asks
Interesting ad. Lots of faces from the actor at the outset.
Greg's documentary is on its last day at Kickstarter
True story. Greg dove in Pittsburgh in August 1982 at Settlers Cabin when the USA Diving Nationals came to town. I was a journalist at that event on assignment for Swimming World magazine.
Greg won both the 3-meter and 10-meter events, of course. He was excellent.
A Pittsburgh Press sports reporter was at the press interview and asked Greg, "What is the difference between the 10-meter platform and the 3-meter springboard."
It was a serious question and I almost died myself -- embarrassed for that guy. Say what???
Greg said, "Well, the platform is 10-meters high and very hard. The springboard is with a bounce and just 3-meters high."
Next question.
My opinion of Pittsburgh's sports journalists has never been lower. And, I had just graduated from J-School at Ohio University some months prior.
I hope the film comes out and is a smashing success. I am sure it will be.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Winds of change email
Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward
this email to a minimum of twenty people on their
address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United
States of America will have the message.
This is one idea that really should be
passed around.
_*Congressional Reform Act of 2012*_
1. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.
2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.
3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.
4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/31/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.
Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in
Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive
the message. Don't you think it's time?
THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!
If you agree with the above, pass it on. If not, just delete.
You are one of my 20+ - Please keep it going, and thanks.
After the race, some got Jordan's autograph
How is this for a running mate photo?
That is Jordan McNamara, sub 4-minute miler, after the Liberty Mile with a few of our PPS Summer Dreamers we had in the race.
That is Jordan McNamara, sub 4-minute miler, after the Liberty Mile with a few of our PPS Summer Dreamers we had in the race.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Press event on Monday to push back on Voter ID
B-PEP, Alleghenians, NAACP Pgh Chapter and the Western Pennsylvania Black Political Assembly
Joint News Conference
Monday, August 20th, 2012
6:00 p.m.
St. James A.M.E. Church
Sumpter Hall
444 Lincoln Avenue
Pittsburgh, Pa 15206
Response to the recent Commonwealth Court decision to up hold the new Voter ID Law.
Specify plans of action to counter act the Voter ID Law will be announced.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Permission Slip - not blog worthy, but FYI
Permission
Slip for: ________________________________________ (students full
name)
for
ALTERNATIVE DISMISSAL on the last day of Summer Dreamers, Friday,
August 17, 2012, for Swim and Water Polo's participation in the
PIZZA PICNIC, BUS, and LIBERTY MILE running race is either:
Part
1:
APPROVED
___ <---- circle and initial
….
or ….
NOT
ALLOWED ___ <----- circle and initial
Part
2:
After
the race, getting home is:
with
pickup expected ___ <---- circle
….
or ….
on
team's bus <----- circle
says
the parent / guardian:
NAME:
(please print) ____________________________________
SIGNATURE:
_________________________________ Date: ________________
Cell
PHONE: ______________________________ Home PHONE:
_______________________
(optional)
WORK Phone: ______________________________
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Camp and School Use) - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Coaches
INITIAL: _____________ (& date) ________
School
/ Summer Dreamers INITIAL: _______________ (& date) ________
Permission
Note and Details for Last Day
of Summer Dreamers
The final day of PPS Summer Dreamers is
Friday, August 17, 2012. This letter is for parents and guardians for
swimmers and water polo players. Your urgent reply is desired so we
can do a special events with your student that day – if you all
agree and choose to participate.
SUMMARY:
Please fill out the permission slip and
return it to the school or coaches.
This is NOT a mandatory activity. This
is optional. Those that can not or wish not to participate can have a
regular day at Summer Dreamers and go home on the regular school bus
at 4 pm. Either circle and initial APPROVED or NOT ALLOWED so we know
what to do with your child on Friday and to curtail any confusion.
Parents and guardians are encouraged
to attend these functions. Join the students at the school at 1
pm for the camp assembly. Or, join the students at the afternoon swim
starting about 3:30 pm at Ammon on Bedford Avenue and Memory Lane.
Or, join the students at 4:45 for the pizza picnic at Ammon. Or, join
the students at the race site on Liberty Avenue downtown, near the
Convention Center, as the squad arrives at 6:15 pm. Or, come to the
race on Liberty Avenue and cheer, but be there by the start at 7 pm
sharp. Tip: Aim for Liberty Avenue near the Convention Center as it
is in the middle of the 1-mile course. Or, join us as we cheer for
the other runners at 8 pm. Finally, come to pick up your child and
sign him out with the coach at the team bus along the course before
8:15 pm.
We expect to have nearly every student
get home after the race with a pick-up by his or her parents or
guardians after the race which will end for our students around 7:15
pm. So, a pick-up and sign-out between 7:15 pm and 8:15 pm is ideal.
Those that need a ride home on the bus can get a ride HOME on the bus
starting at 8:30 pm. However, we would much rather have your presence
at the events and race so you can then travel home together.
Friday schedule:
- regular arrival to Uprep.
- Bring swim suits. Bring running gear. (shorts, socks, hat?, snack)
- Students with MORNING swim and water polo have a regular swim and water polo practice. Time is 9am to noon for students who have finished grades 5 and 7.
- Regular lunch from 12:30 to 1pm.
- Students in AFTERNOON swim and water polo go to the U-PREP auditorium at 1 pm for camp assembly with a “show and tell.”
- Students in MORNING swim and water polo go to auditorium at 1 pm for same camp assembly and “show and tell.”
- At 2pm, after the camp assembly:
- Afternoon swimmers who are going to the special event "pizza picnic" and the Liberty Mile running race jog to Ammon swim pool. Put on your shirts. Put on your shoes. These students depart U-PREP and will not return to the school. (PERMISSION SLIP NEEDED to be completed earlier.)
- Afternoon swimmers who are NOT going to participate in the special event stay at U-PREP and watch a sports movie about Olympics and go home regular ways at 4 pm as camp ends.
- MORNING swimmers go back to academic classes as time permits.
At 3:30 pm, after the school day
ends, the MORNING SWIMMERS:
- MORNING swimmers who NOT going to the special event stay at U-PREP go home regular ways by 4 pm as camp ends.
- MORNING swimmers who are going to participate in the special event "pizza picnic" and the Liberty Mile running race meet in the swimmers classroom space with Coach Mark at dismissal. Put on your shirts. Put on your shoes. These students get on a BUS (special team bus provided) and travel to Ammon swim pool at 4 pm. These students depart U-PREP and will not return to the school.
- Students attending the Pizza PICNIC and LIBERTY MILE running race:
- 4 pm gathering and swimming at AMMON Swim Pool. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend.)
- 5 pm, GatorAid and Pizza meal. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend.)
- 5:45 pm, end swimming and head to the team bus at Ammon and go to the Liberty Mile Running Race. Swimmers will not return to the swim pool or the bus. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend.)
- 6:00 pm, arrival at Liberty Avenue, near Convention Center. Students can keep their gear on the team bus for the duration of the race events.
- Students and coaches walk around the running course and check into event. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend.)
- Runners get race numbers and “race provided timing chip” for their shoe laces.
- 6:30 pm, students put their gear into “team spot” for safe keeping for the race. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend.)
- 6:40 pm, runners head to the starting line. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend.)
- 7 pm. The race begins for our students. Race ends in 5 to 15 minutes. (Parents and Guardians are welcome to cheer.)
- Students return race timing chip off of shoe sneakers to race officials at finish line.
- Check outs with coach for parents/guardians can begin after the race ends about 7:20 at the “team spot” near the team's bus.
- 8 pm. The race begins for the professional runners. We watch and cheer.
- 8:15 pm. Gathering at the “team spot” by the team bus. Final remarks and recap. Pick up all gear. Check out with coach.
- Go home with parents / guardians desired after checking out between 7:15 and 8:15 pm.
- Award presentation and results may happen for some???
- Lone bus departs for transportation home for students without a pick-up, 8:30 pm, expected.
Do encourage your students to perform
with their best behaviors and represent themselves proudly. This is a
team and athletic event. Coaches always have the right to bench
players.
This optional opportunity for swim and
water polo campers is available due to sponsorships obtained by the
camp coaches from the race officials (Liberty Mile / Pittsburgh
Marathon) who provided gratis entry, goodie bags, the bus
transportation, and the pizza picnic plus their supporters, Elite
Runners and Walkers, provided the running shoes.
Mark Rauterkus
Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
412
298 3432 = cell
Monday, August 13, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Civil Rights and Swimming
The start of the modern Civil Rights Movement can be traced to the demand by Black veterans for equal access to beaches and swimming pools after World War II. A photo of a motel manager pouring muriatic acid on the heads of swimmers made front page news across the country and is widely credited with influencing the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the very next day. With few exceptions, virtually every attempt to integrate swimming pools and beaches resulted in violence, even after the Supreme Court overruled segregation. Most municipal pools chose to close rather than to integrate. Today most public swimming pools are as segregated as they were in 1964, including Minneapolis.
And,
The link between academic success and exercise, specifically cardio-vascular exercise, is clearly demonstrated. The more physically fit a child is, the better they perform academically. Swimming has the added benefits of teaching strategies to overcome fear and build self-confidence. Swimmers have the highest GPAs and graduation rates.
Thursday, August 02, 2012
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Bike Pittsburgh tells story of death to a cyclist in East End of Pgh
Police on the look out for a white car with front-end damage
Another hit-and-run took place in Pittsburgh, this time on Penn Ave in Point Breeze.
We have very little information at this point, but we are saddened to report that at 5am, 46-year old Homewood resident, James Price, was struck from behind and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Penn Ave at Penfield Ct in Point Breeze.
Witnesses say that the driver was in a white car, which sped off toward East Liberty at about 60 mph and now has front end damage. So far, a description of the driver has not been released.
As reported by WPXI, a witness said that "on the side of the road was a bicycler. He had his headlight on and everything. Then two cars ahead of us, going 50 or 60 mph just blew him off his bike." Further reports detail that the victim was wearing a helmet and had a rear light and reflector as well.
According to the Post-Gazette, Mr. Price was the father of an 11-year-old daughter, and that he had gotten in shape over the last two years by riding several times a day, helping to alleviate his diabetes.
"He was going on a positive path," said his niece, Briana Jackson, whom he was encouraging to ride.
Mr. Price was the first person killed within Pittsburgh city limits while riding a bike since June 2010, when 6-year old Tyrique Snowden Hill was killed in the Knoxville neighborhood. Previous to that, Timothy Kish struck and killed Rui Hui Lin in Oakland in 2009. That crash was also a hit-and-run, but Kish turned himself in after several days. We can only hope the driver of today's crash does the same.
Please be alert: If you see a white car with front end damage or have information on the suspect, please call Pittsburgh homicide detectives at 412-323-7800.
Putting an End to Hit and Runs
Earlier this month, Governor Corbett signed "Sean's Law," closing the loophole for fatal hit-and-runs. Spearheaded by Rep. Dave Reed (R-Indiana), the law Sean's Law is named after the Indiana County cyclist, Sean Pearce, who was killed by a hit and run driver in Burrell Township.
The bill closed a loophole, that unintentionally gave a hit-and-run driver an incentive to flee especially if the driver is intoxicated. It increased the penalty for a fatal hit-and-run accident from a third-degree to a second-degree felony.
A fatal hit-and-run carries a mandatory prison term of at least one year, with a maximum sentence of seven years. By comparison, a fatal crash that involves a drunk driver is a second-degree felony with a much stiffer penalty range of three to 10 years.
Because of this difference, drunk drivers involved in a deadly crash would face less punishment if they leave the scene and turn themselves in later (when they are sober).
The bill signed by the Governor on July 5, unfortunately won't be in effect until September.
We'll keep our readers updated as details of this tragedy unfold.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Comments about Schenley High School to PPS Board from a citizen
Annette Werner
July 23, 2012
PPS Public Hearing
Last month I spoke about the implications of reports that Schenley's plaster is not actually Asbestos Containing Material ("ACM").
At the time, I assumed that recent testing had been done in connection with proposals for the sale of the building.
Since that time, I have learned that the testing showing only trace levels of asbestos was actually done by Kimball in May 2009.
Although there were many news releases about how asbestos plaster was thought to be a problem at Schenley, there were apparently no news releases with corrected information when the May 2009 results were received. This failure to inform the public of corrected information is especially disturbing in light of two documents that I am including with my testimony:
1) A copy of a February 2009 petition, presented at the February 2009 public hearing and signed by 200 Pittsburgh residents, requesting an inspection of the Schenley plaster and,
2) A Right to Know Law request I submitted in April 2009 requesting a copy of "All reports prepared as part of the current facilities study regarding the condition of buildings and work needed for the Schenley, McKelvy/Miller, Vann, Woolslair and Connelly facilities (once these reports have been received by PPS)." (The deJong/Kimball team conducted the facilities study).
Also enclosed is an example of a document showing that at least since 1998 it has been industry practice to retest suspected ACM using the point count method when initial tests showed asbestos less than 10%, due to findings that labs were greatly overstating asbestos levels on initial tests. http://www.fiberquant.com/ic7pcnt.pdf For some reason retesting was not done until AFTER the vote to close the building.
Can you understand how something like this affects public trust and confidence in the school district?
If PPS continues on a path toward disposing of this public treasure, I think it is very important to have a full investigation and accountability by those responsible for the failure to conduct adequate tests prior to the vote to close, the failure to disclose results when new tests were finally done, and the resulting waste of public funds and loss of this building.
City Paper Article: http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/asbestos-at-schenley-high-may-have-been-less-prevalent-than-believed/Content?oid=1546892
Friday, July 20, 2012
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