Progress Report from Julian

PROGRESS REPORT OF SEPTEMBER 24, 2012 from Julian P. Heicklen

Jury Nullification 

On October 19, 2009, I started distributing fully informed 
jury information at the U. S. District Courthouse in Manhattan, 
NY. Antonio Musumeci (Bile) photographed the event. We 
were both given citations: Bile for photographing on federal 
property in violation of U. S. Regulation 41 C.F.R. Sec. 
102-74.420, and me for distributing literature on federal 
property in violation of U. S. Regulation 41 CFR Sec. 102– 
74.415(c). 

Bile contacted the ACLU which challenged his citation in 
court, his case was dismissed, and the U. S. government paid 
expenses and a punitive reward for violating Amendment I of 
the U. S. Constitution. I ignored my citation and did not make a 
court appearance. Instead I repeated my appearance 14 more 
times at the same courthouse, piled up 11 citations, and ignored 
them all. The U. S. attorney dismissed all the charges, thus 
negating the regulation. However, he filed a forged grand jury 
indictment against me for jury tampering. See 
http://www.personal.psu.edu/jph13/Wood_4_17_12.html for evidence 
of forgery. After 17 months of pretrial correspondence 
(http://www.personal.psu.edu/jph13/US._v._JPH_in_Manhattan_NY_04_17_12.html), 
the federal court dismissed the case in April, 2012, because the prosecution 
could produce no tampered juror, even though at least twice it 
sent an undercover agent to try to entrap me. 

Meanwhile, I had been distributing fully informed jury 
literature at 39 other federal courts and was cited at 3 of them. 
The citations were dismissed or ignored. Also I distributed the 
literature at 8 county courthouses. There was considerable 
publicity, and Tyranny Fighters was organized. Many other 
individuals joined me or ran their own distributions at 
courthouses in FL, NJ, PA, TX, NH, and probably elsewhere. In 
NH every county courthouse was targeted. In FL, James Cox 
and Mark Schmidter distributed continually and often. 

Likewise regular distributions occurred in PA. Jim Babb 
and George Donnelly accompanied me on the first visit to the 
federal district courthouse in Allentown, PA. George was 
arrested for photographing and resisting arrest. His case was 
settled in a plea bargain. Then George and his family moved to 
NH, the free state. There were no arrests nor interactions with 
the guards on several subsequent distributions in Allentown. 

In Orlando, FL Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. issued court 
orders forbidding distributing literature on the Orange County 
courthouse property, except for two small free speech zones 
away from pedestrian traffic. The Fully Informed Jury 
Association (FIJA) disapproved of challenging the Orange 
County Court order by arrest, claimed it would hurt membership 
and fund raising, and asked us to obey the court order. I refused, 
so by mutual agreement I dropped my membership, and we 
discontinued our affiliation. Mark Schmidter and I continued to 
distribute FIJA literature at courthouses in FL. 

In Orlando, FL, both Mark Schmidter and I were arrested 
on separate occasions for distributing information at the Orange 
County (Orlando) Courthouse in defiance of court orders. Both 
of us were found guilty of contempt of court by Judge Belvin 
Perry, who issued the orders and was the judge and prosecutor 
for the cases where we were denied jury trials. These decisions 
now are on appeal in the Florida Fifth District Court of Appeal 
in Daytona Beach, FL. Also, we have sued the judge in a civil 
suit in federal court under “42 USC § 1983 -Civil action for 
deprivation of rights” for violation of our First Amendment right 
of free speech. 

Recently the NH legislature passed a law allowing juries to 
be notified of the right to nullify the law. During these 3 years 
at least 3 jury nullification trials have occurred. 

Missoula MT District Court: Jury pool in marijuana case 
stages ‘mutiny’ 

A funny thing happened on the way to a trial in Missoula 
County District Court last week. Jurors – well, potential jurors , 
staged a revolt. 

They took the law into their own hands, as it were, and 
made it clear they weren’t about to convict anybody for having a 
couple of buds of marijuana. Never mind that the defendant in 
question also faced a felony charge of criminal distribution of 
dangerous drugs. 

The tiny amount of marijuana police found while searching 
Touray Cornell’s home on April 23 became a huge issue for 
some members of the jury panel. 

No, they said, one after the other. No way would they 
convict somebody for having a 16th of an ounce. 

Reported on December 19, 2010 5:20 pm by GWEN 
FLORIO of the Missoulian. Read more at:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/missouladistrict-court-jury-pool-in-marijuana-case-stages-mutiny/article_d6b1aaca-edfc-527f-ad11f1691fdc6e3b.html#ixzz27HukgVVC 

New Hampshire Jury Acquits Pot-Growing Rastafarian

A jury unanimously acquitted Doug Darrell, a 59-year-old 
Rastafarian charged with marijuana cultivation, after his lawyer, 
Mark Sisti, argued that a conviction would be unjust in light of 
the fact that Darrell was growing cannabis for his own religiousand medicinal use. More remarkably, Judge James O'Neill 
instructed the jury that "even if you find that the State hasproven each and every element of the offense charged beyond areasonable doubt, you may still find the defendant not guilty if 
you have a conscientious feeling that a not guilty verdict would 
be a fair result in this case." 

Full story reported by Jacob Sullum Sep. 14, 2012 1:00 pm 
at: http://reason.com/blog/2012/09/14/new-hampshire-juryacquits-pot-growing-r 

Minnesota farmer cleared in milk case 

A soft-spoken Minnesota farmer was cleared of violating 
state laws for distributing raw milk Thursday, a verdict 
advocates for such foods called their first major legal victory. 

After a three-day trial and more than four hours of 
deliberation, a Hennepin County jury found Alvin Schlangen not 
guilty of three misdemeanor counts of selling unpasteurized 
milk, operating without a food license and handling adulterated 
or misbranded food. 

The trial highlighted a deep national divide between raw 
milk advocates who contend unpasteurized dairy products can 
relieve allergies and prevent illness and public health officials 
who warn that raw milk can cause serious and sometimes fatal 
diseases, such as E. coli, salmonella and listeria. 

"It's a big step in the right direction," Schlangen, 54, said 
Thursday, flanked by celebrating supporters. "I have a hard time 
understanding how this basic freedom has been so hard to 
maintain." 

The raw milk debate emerged in Minnesota two years ago, 
when eight people were sickened by E. coli bacteria in raw milk 
that was linked to Minnesota producer Mike Hartmann. 
Hartmann faces similar charges as Schlangen did and is 
expected to be tried this fall. He also faces a lawsuit filed by the 
father of a boy who got sick from drinking raw milk. 

Schlangen, an organic egg farmer from Freeport, Minn., 
doesn't produce milk himself but operates Freedom Farms Coop, 
a private club with roughly 130 members who buy various 
farm products, including raw milk. Schlangen picks up the milk 
products from an Amish farm and delivers them to members. 

He was charged in 2010 after Minnesota Department of 
Agriculture (MDA) inspectors discovered his products at 

Traditional Foods, a south Minneapolis natural foods outlet. 
Under Minnesota law, milk that hasn't been pasteurized (heattreated 
to kill harmful bacteria) can be sold only in limited 
amounts on the farm where it's produced. Schlangen, who 
testified on his own behalf, maintained that he was operating a 
private cooperative and not a business. He also noted that no one 
got sick from the milk he distributed. 

Assistant Minneapolis City Attorney Michelle Doffing 
Baynes argued at trial that food safety laws are in place to 
protect consumers, but declined to comment after the verdict.

 Reportred by Abby Simons, Star Tribune. Updated: 
September 20, 2012 -11:27 PM at:
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/170521646.html?refer=y 

How all of this happened 

All of this did not happen overnight. It took 3 years of 
constant agitation to accomplish this. Plus I organized Tyranny 
Fighters to participate in the program and spread the word. I 
enlisted a legal advisory panel of over 30 attorneys and court 
buffs. 

I did everything I could to get as much publicity as 
possible, both on the internet and in the conventional press. I 
gave many speeches. Bile and I ran an internet radio program 
on LWRN for a year. I was the host. He was the producer and 
webmaster for the Tyranny Fighters web page and maintained it 
during and after we discontinued the broadcasts. 

Ultimately the NY Times ran an editorial and three full 
column stories on the first page of the second section about my 
jury tampering case. It listed this case as one of the 10 most 
important cases to watch in 2012. 

In just 3 years, we got hundreds of people distributing fully 
informed jury literature at courthouses, enormous publicity, the 
NH legislature to pass a law permitting the courts to notify the 
jury of its right to nullification, at least 3 jury nullifications in 
state courts, 2 federal regulations declared unconstitutional, a 
federal court to declare it legal and permissible to distribute jury 
information on federal property, especially at courthouses. And 
we still have 2 court cases pending in Florida regarding court 
orders infringing free speech rights. 

Occupy Wall Street 

It was not easy nor all fun. It required persistence, 
publicity, patience, and support from many other Tyranny 
Fighters. Which brings me to Occupy Wall Street. It has a 
much larger following, more demonstrations over about the 
same time period, much more publicity, and many more police 
abuses than we had. Yet it has not been successful in 
accomplishing much of anything except exposing police 
malpractice. 

The reason is that we had a one-issue project that we can 
sell. Occupy is a hodge-podge of many different complaints, but 
no reasonable solutions. What it really needs are jobs. 
Demanding more taxes from the rich is not a solution. If it
could be effected, it should be used to reduce the national debt, 
not feed the unemployed. Meanwhile it just aggravates the rich. 
Blaming people for what went wrong will not lead to a solution. 

Occupy Wall Street can be very successful, if it sticks to its 
one main objective—jobs. In my opinion, there should be two 
goals: 

1. Legalize drugs and release the 40% of prisoners with drug-
related crimes. They will start legitimate businesses growing 
and selling drugs and pay taxes on their sales and income. 
Prison expenses will be reduced. Furthermore drug gangs 
will vanish and violent crime will be reduced. 
2. Demand that the federal and state governments invest heavily 
in infrastructure repair, which is needed. This will put lots of 
people to work, remove them from government subsidies, and 
provide taxable income. 
A $100 billion yearly additional investment in 
infrastructure will produce about 1 million new jobs directly, 
plus many more as result of the additional 1 million employed 
and spending. This would reduce the unemployed from 12.5 
million in August, 2012 to under 11 million. Recreational drug 
users could add several hundred thousand additional legitimate 
jobs, since there are an estimated 96 million people over the age 
of 18 in the United States who have smoked marijuana 
(http://www.cannabisculture.com/content/who-are-you-us-governmentstatistics-adult-marijuana-users). 

All the other issues such as the wars, foreign policy, police 
crime, trampling on the Constitution, abortion, gay rights, 
women’s rights, illegal immigration, the death penalty, ersatz 
money, irresponsible financial institutions, veteran benefits, etc 
are important, but, except for ersatz money, they are not going to 
destroy America immediately. The economy and the prison state 
will. 

Upcoming November election 

The two major political parties are completely out of touch 
with reality. Both of them support the war on drugs, the foreign 
wars, and increases in the national debt (the Democrats by 
increased spending, and the Republicans by reduced taxes). 
Vote against them in the upcoming election by voting for a third 
party or none of the above. Burning your ballot sends the 
message that you are inconsequential and can be ignored. If 
10% of the vote goes to not Republocrat candidates, the major 
political parties will have to absorb your demands or lose in 
future elections. 

THE PRICE OF FREEDOM IS ETERNAL VIGILANCE 

THE PRICE OF JUSTICE IS ETERNAL PUBLICITY 

Teachers do, a nice story in the P-G.

P-G article with a nice story

But it is built on a falsehood that the school yards empty now that school has begun.

My $.02 posted via FB:

Great story and article. Many in my family have been teachers and I get those questions on a regular basis about my dad, uncle, cousins, grandparents. Fun and rewarding.

One quibble, the start of school does not and should not mean and end to school yard times. School sports and recreation at school facilities after and before the bells ring are IMPORTANT. We as parents and community must coach our kids below their heads. Fitness, metalwork, and the heart are too often discounted in non academic times, and we all are less because of that evil practice.

Now that school has started, get fit, let's use the schoolyards, let's coach play and sporting opportunities.

Obama Golf Team after our first match.

Fwd: Swimming to remember

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Simon Griffiths" <editor@h2openmagazine.com>
Date: Sep 19, 2012 9:11 AM
Subject: Swimming to remember
To: "Mark Rauterkus" <mark@rauterkus.com>

>> Take a fresh look at swimming H2Open Newsletter no.24 In 1947, members of Farleigh & District swimming club built a set of diving boards on the banks of the River Frome and dedicated them to 12 of their colleagues who had lost their lives during the Second World War. Farleigh & District is one of the few remaining river swimming clubs in the UK. Once a competitive club with a strong water polo team, it has now evolved into a family friendly leisure swimming club, with an idyllic setting to while-away a sunny afternoon. The 1947 diving boards sadly fell into disrepair and modern health and safety regulations determined they couldn't be replaced due to insufficient water depth. Back then, after sending millions of young men to their deaths in war, the risk of injury from leaping into a river probably seemed immaterial. Alongside the diving boards the club put up a memorial plaque listing the names of 12 club members killed in fighting. At some point, date unknown, the plaque vanished and was assumed lost, until around five years ago when a diver found a blackened piece of metal in the river. It scrubbed up nicely, but with the diving boards now out of commission the question of where to put the Club War Memorial arose. Rob Fryer, chair of Farleigh & District club, eventually found a spot in an alcove at Stowford Manor Farm, which owns the land where the club now meets. Fryer also felt the memorial, and the memory of the men who'd died, deserved a ceremony so he organised a re-dedication service last weekend (16 September 2012), which included hymns, a reading and a roll-call of the 12 by current club members, including a nephew of one of the soldiers. As well as swimmers (some of which had just taken a dip in the 13 degree river), a number of ex- and current service men and women attended, along with the Mayor of Trowbridge. Standing on the banks of the Frome today in the peaceful Wiltshire countryside it's easy to imagine the young men leaping, carefree, from the boards, a brief moment of flight before plunging into the cool green water. It's much harder to imagine those men as fighter pilots going down in flames, as sailors lost at sea or infantry men under enemy fire, but that's how they died. Their sacrifice means we're still free to enjoy the simple pleasure of swimming outside, and share the same feelings of exhilaration when leaping in, the same tingle as the water chills our skin and the same glow as the body rewarms in the sun. Next time you swim, spare these men a thought. Happy Swimming Simon Griffiths Editor, H2Open Magazine p.s. if you know any other swimmers that would enjoy H2Open Magazine please share this newsletter with them. Free app Download Visit our iPad app sponsors Swim for Good  Join one of their 2013 Channel Swim relay teams. Offers Need some new kit? We've got discount codes from Swim Supplies and Fit4Swimming. See our offers page for details. Partners Check out Zogg's range of open water specific goggles. *Please note, this is an affiliate marketing link A wetsuit for £99 It's not too late to take advantage of Zone 3's wetsuit for £99 offer. Click here for details Picture of the week Mark Bayliss on his way to breaking the Arch to Arc record on 8 September 2012, swimming through the night. Mark is also the first person to complete the challenge (running from London to Dover, swimming the English Channel and then cycling to Paris) without using a wetsuit. Photo (C) Ryan Bowd. On our website Dave Cornthwaite is undertaking a 1000 mile swim down the Missouri River because his mother bought him a pair of swimming goggles! Martin Strel swims from the Statue of Liberty to Freedom Tower Swim in Ireland's only Fjord   New record for the oldest relay team to swim the English Channel Crossing the Firth of Forth Coming up in our October issue We're working hard on the October issue of H2Open Magazine at the moment. If you're not already a subscriber, sign up now to ensure delivery. Look out for: Avoiding event day mishaps Cassie Patten's analysis of the Olympic marathon swim Eva Risztov, women's 10k winner Trent Grimsey on breaking the English Channel record Open water swimming in New Zealand and Greece Surf Lifesaving Make your own energy bars For a faster, more enjoyable open water swim Subscribe to H2Open Magazine - Seven issues each year from just £22.95, delivered to your door. Buy a single issue of the magazine from Mailsports (£3.99 with next day delivery in the UK) Download our app for iPad or Android devices. The app is FREE and comes with a free sample issue. Digital copies of the magazine cost just £2.99. Take a fresh look at swimming is a regular newsletter from H2Open, the world's only dedicated open water swimming magazine. H2Open is published 7 times a year in the UK and is available on subscription world wide. H2Open is for all open water swimmers, whether you're a wild swimmer, competitor or long-distance challenger. To find out more see www.h2openmagazine.com. ZG Publishing Ltd, 20 Burnell Avenue, Ham, Richmond, United Kingdom TW10 7YE, UNITED KINGDOM

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Fwd: Public Hearing on Zoning Change for Strip District on Sept. 25th at 1 pm

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Melissa McSwigan
Date: Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Subject: Public Hearing on Zoning Change for Strip District on Sept. 25th at 1 pm
To: Melissa McSwigan <melissamiller28@yahoo.com>

Public Hearing on Zoning Change for Strip District as it Relates to City and Buncher Company Development: Tuesday, September 25 at 1 P.M. in City Council Chambers

 

Councilman Daniel Lavelle has proposed legislation to introduce a new Specially Planned (SP) District at the site to be identified as "SP-8/Riverfront Landing" (Bill No. 2012-0606). The legislation will be discussed by City Council at a Post Agenda Meeting on Monday, September 24 at 1:00 P.M in Council Chambers.  The public is welcome to attend, but cannot speak at this meeting.  The next day there will be a public hearing on Tuesday, September 25 at 1:00 P.M in Council Chambers (5^th floor of City-County building). Councilman Patrick Dowd will be continuing to hold the TIFF legislation until after the SP District is sorted out.

 

The City and Buncher's plans for the Strip District have been in the news a lot over the summer. Many different groups, individuals, and members of City Council have taken issue with various aspects of the development (environmental, economic, historic preservation, how it will affect existing business owners and the spirit of the Strip District).  Preservation Pittsburgh has been following the project especially as it relates to the historic Produce Terminal Building and new building design. We have met with representatives from Buncher and the project architects and have expressed our concerns. We are hoping for a good turn out on the 25^th – please attend if you can!  Council may take a vote on this zoning change as soon as the day after the public hearing. This hearing may be the only chance to help shape the project or voice any concerns. It may also set a precedent for future development.

 

Note: If you would like to speak at the public hearing on Tuesday, September 25^th, please call the City Clerk at 412.255.2138. You will be provided three minutes to speak. If you don't register in advance and decide that you want to speak while at the meeting, you are only allowed one minute to speak.

For a succinct opinion piece from the Post-Gazette:

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/editorials/public-interest-bunchers-strip-district-plan-rates-special-attention-645591/

 

--
--
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

National policies that twist free speech with the Internet cords.

Fwd: Preservation Pittsburgh's Annual Meeting on October 25 - save the date!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Melissa McSwigan" <melissamiller28@yahoo.com>
Date: Sep 14, 2012 4:47 PM
Subject: Preservation Pittsburgh's Annual Meeting on October 25 - save the date!
To: "Melissa McSwigan" <melissamiller28@yahoo.com>

Please save the date!

Preservation Pittsburgh's Annual Meeting will take place the evening of Thursday, October 25 at Google's Pittsburgh office in Bakery Square.   Project architects Thomas Price and John Martine of Strada will speak about the office design.  Refreshments will be provided.

Preservation Pittsburgh's Annual Meeting takes place in changing locations each year and provides access to our region's historical and cultural gems.  It also provides a chance to learn more about Preservation Pittsburgh and to socialize with others who are interested in architecture, historic preservation, and our quality of life!

For a tour and some press on Google's office:

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-pittsburgh-office-2011-2?op=1

http://m.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/#/premium/view/page_4221711

Fwd: President Chopp and Centennial Conference Presidents Council Respond to The Chronicle of Higher Education - Division III Athletics Aren't Part of the Commercial-Athletics Enterprise

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Swarthmore Athletics" <manskis1@swarthmore.edu>
Date: Sep 14, 2012 3:25 PM
Subject: President Chopp and Centennial Conference Presidents Council Respond to The Chronicle of Higher Education - Division III Athletics Aren't Part of the Commercial-Athletics Enterprise
To: "mark@rauterkus.com" <mark@rauterkus.com>

September 14, 2012   President Rebecca Chopp, chair of the the Centennial Conference Presidents Council, responded to a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education "Who's In Charge of Sports? Maybe Not the President." Her response, on behalf of the Council, is that the member institutions of the Centennial Conference have been true to their mission statement, which says: "The supervision and oversight of the athletics programs is vested in the president of each institution. Intercollegiate athletic programs are an integral part of the life of the member institutions and complement their educational objectives." Read President Chopp's complete statement below: ---------------------------------------------------------- To the Editor: For 20 years, the member institutions of the Centennial Conference—Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Haverford, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, and Washington Colleges, along with the Johns Hopkins University—have been true to their mission statement, which says: "The supervision and oversight of the athletics programs is vested in the president of each institution. Intercollegiate athletic programs are an integral part of the life of the member institutions and complement their educational objectives." We may not oversee one of the 25 biggest athletic departments in the country ("Who's in Charge of Sports? Maybe Not the President," The Chronicle, September 3), but we do offer well-rounded offerings for a large proportion of our students. In fact, the percentage of students involved in intercollegiate athletics is larger in the Centennial Conference than the Big Ten or Southeastern Conference. According to Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act data available online, Big Ten schools in 2010 had 7,368 students on team rosters out of a combined enrollment of 308,346—2.39 percent of the undergraduate population. The SEC had 5,633 participants in a combined enrollment of 224,533—2.51 percent. Compare that with the Centennial Conference. For the 2010 reporting year, 5,572 out of 22,535 students participated in intercollegiate athletics, or 24.73 percent—nearly a quarter of the conference's undergraduate population. The Centennial Presidents Council meets annually to set major policies, act upon recommendations of policy matters from athletics directors, approve the conference budget, and approve personnel recommendations. Individually, the presidents also have the ultimate responsibility for the conduct of the intercollegiate athletics programs at their own institutions. Together, we have championed NCAA legislation eliminating redshirting and controlling the length and scope of the nontraditional or off-season. We take our oversight role very seriously. We are disheartened when the public confuses Division III athletics with the Division I commercial-athletics enterprise. In Division III we do not offer athletics scholarships. Our athletes are students first. And we are proud of the fact that all Centennial Conference members have four-year graduation rates of over 67 percent and nine of 11 members have rates above 75 percent. We take great pride in our involvement with our intercollegiate athletics programs, and we cheer for and have great respect for our students who participate in sports. We recognize that our students learn much on the playing field. However, our students understand that our highest priority is to provide them with an excellent academic experience. Rebecca Chopp Chair Centennial Conference Presidents Council   The Chronicle of Higher Education Letter to the Editor

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I am Obama's new Golf Coach

Here we are on the first day of our season, at a clinic at Scally's. Eight players and gentlemen.

This should be a fun movie,

http://www.facebook.com/boom

Fwd: Back to School Quiz: How Long Does It Take to Teach PA's Kids CPR?

From: Melissa Brown, American Heart Association <paadv@heart.org>
Date: Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Subject: Back to School Quiz: How Long Does It Take to Teach PA's Kids CPR?
To: mark@rauterkus.com

In Just One Class Period, We Can Teach PA's Students to Be the Next Generation of Life Savers!  It's back to school time and that means…Pop Quiz! True or False: Sudden cardiac arrest usually occurs in a hospital setting. Answer: False. Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death and, unfortunately, about 88% of sudden cardiac arrests occur at home. This makes it likely that a loved one who has been trained in CPR will mean the difference between life and death. Learn more! Question: For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation, chances of survival decrease by ____ percent. Answer: Chances of survival decrease by 7-10%. That's why it's important that we all learn how easy---and critical---it is to take action. As our kids settle into the new school year, let's ensure they also learn the skills necessary to become the next generation of life savers--in just one class period! Your homework assignment? Take a moment now to let our decision makers know you support CPR training for Pennsylvania's students! Thank you!  Jennifer Ebersole, PA Government Relations Director American Heart Association Melissa Brown, Grassroots Director American Heart Association  P.S. Want to do even more to ensure our students are equipped to administer lifesaving CPR in an emergency? Take action and then forward to your contact list and urge them to take action as well!

Head over heals for red, white and blue so as to make a splash N@!

Missing summer. But, we have a toad trip to Ohio this weekend for an outdoor water polo tournament..

Fwd: [New post] Dear Mr. Rodriguez … Education Reform and not a dime's difference in the Ds and Rs.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Yinzercation
Date: Thursday, September 6, 2012
Subject: [New post] Dear Mr. Rodriguez …
To: mark@rauterkus.com

YinzerThing posted: "An Open Letter to Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy Dear Mr. Rodriguez: As you will no doubt recall, last week when I was invited to the White House as one of 40 education leaders from Pennsylvania I stood be" Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Yinzercation Dear Mr. Rodriguez … by YinzerThing An Open Letter to Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy Dear Mr. Rodriguez: As you will no doubt recall, last week when I was invited to the White House as one of 40 education leaders from Pennsylvania I stood before you and pleaded for an end to the national narrative of "failing public schools." I am writing to let you know about the national conversation that that meeting has sparked – and the overwhelming sense of disappointment, despair and frustration it has evoked. You asked for a dialogue and feedback, so please allow me to tell you what people are saying. First, many people want to know how it is that the White House, the Department of Education, Democratic leaders, and many on the political left have bought hook, line and sinker into this rhetoric about public education – once a pillar of our democracy – overlooking the actual experience of education professionals and despite mountains of educational research. (This is exactly what "At the Chalkface," a national talk radio program, spoke with me about this past weekend.) The toxic failing-public-schools narrative is not only based on a false notion that American students are falling farther and farther behind our international peers, but it blames supposedly overpaid, uncaring teachers and bureaucratic school administrators for the very real problems that do exist in our country. Yet we know that middle class students from well-funded schools perform at the top on international tests. We know that student achievement has actually gone up, not down over the past thirty-five years. And we know that the trenchant problem of racial disparity in our schools has far more to do with poverty and inequitable funding at the local and state level than with bad teaching or unions. People want to know why, then, this administration seems blind to the consequences of adopting President Bush's signature No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy, which set schools up to fail, stigmatized them, and then undermined public confidence in public education. They ask why our national leaders ignore the clear evidence that NCLB has wrecked havoc on our schools, creating a culture of high-stakes testing, teaching to the test, cheating scandals, drastically narrowed focus to just reading and math, all the while preventing desperately needed debate about real issues such as meaningful curriculum reform. The piece I wrote about our conversation last week, "The Elephant at the White House," was picked up and re-published nationally by AlterNet.org, the Horace Mann League, and Diane Ravitch, among others. Ravitch wrote a response piece, "About that Meeting at the White House," in which she asked pointedly, "will they do anything differently? What signal, if any, will the White House give to show that they understand that Race to the Top is an extension of NCLB? It is NCLB on steroids." Here are some comments from people across the country: "Empty chair for PRESIDENT! Because no other choice measures up" "…the Dems [are] hellbent on pushing [Race to the Top] during Obama's re-election. From a purely political perspective, it has got to be the worst strategy the Dems have ever had. The race is very close and it is possible Obama will lose. I wonder why he has abandoned teachers and parents." "I guess [the election] wouldn't be so close right now if he hadn't forgotten all of us. I am disgusted, completely and totally disgusted with Obama, Duncan and the whole lot of them. Obama should spend a morning at Sidwell Friends and then follow up with an unannounced visit to a test prep charter. Then he should hang his head in shame." "…[throw] the profiteers and consultants out of the meeting; [abandon] Race to the Top; [say] that Mr. Duncan would not be part of the next administration; [promise] to phase out testing and to remove test scores from teachers evaluations. When they do the above, I will trust them." "USDoE spokespeople seemed to be brave in this meeting — and then what? And now how is the Obama administration going to respond to the brave teacher/parent/community alliance in Chicago, where teachers are being forced to strike…to defend and protect their students and schools?" "Alas, the [NCLB] waiver is not a waiver, just a commitment to do other harmful things!" "…of the 40+ educators who attended, only 2 were teachers. Teachers have professional expertise that needs to be acknowledged, cultivated, and sustained." "Race to the Top is more of the same un-researched, unreliable, and feckless education policy that further demeans the profession and those of us who are steeped in the research of effective practice." Last week we talked about the new Hollywood movie, "Won't Back Down," which blames coldhearted teachers, unions, and school districts and was made by the same people who released "Waiting for Superman" two years ago. I practically begged you not to use the movie as a promotion for market-based corporate "reformers" and their agenda of school privatization. This piece of fiction claims to be "inspired by real events" and is set right here in Pittsburgh, though there is absolutely no evidence that anything like it ever happened here. What is clear, however, is that the film was bankrolled by the ultra-right and attempts to introduce the notion of parent-trigger laws, another policy darling of those supposed reformers. I was appalled to learn that the Democratic National Convention chose to show the movie this week (following in the footsteps of the Republicans who showed it at their convention last week). I've been invited by President Obama's campaign here in Pittsburgh to speak tonight at a party celebrating his acceptance speech. I've been asked to speak about my trip to the White House. What am I supposed to tell them? On this issue, Mr. Rodriguez – your issue of education – President Obama is no different from his opposition. To say we are disappointed is an understatement. I hope you and all of the President's advisors will give serious attention to Diane Ravitch's most excellent advice in, "How President Obama Could Win the Election." She has proposed an amazing, short speech that could win back educators, parents, and public school advocates. I plead with you once again from here on the ground in the grassroots of a key state in this election: let's talk equity, let's talk about poverty, let's talk about real education reform, and let's talk about public education as a public good. Respectfully yours, Jessie Ramey ------------------ Jessie B. Ramey, Ph.D. ACLS New Faculty Fellow, Women's Studies and History University of Pittsburgh Yinzer Nation + Education = Yinzercation YinzerThing | September 6, 2012 at 6:15 pm | Categories: corporate reformers, high stakes testing, Koch brothers, privatization, Public Education, public good, rhetoric of failure, White House | URL: http://wp.me/p288Ox-io Comment    See all comments Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser:  http://yinzercation.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/dear-mr-rodriguez/

Informika 6.0 School is released

State Institute of Information Technologies and Telecommunications
(Informika) and JSC ALT Linux have developed and released a
set of distributions Informika 6.0 School that includes:

* Informika 6.0 School Server
* Informika 6.0 School Teacher
* Informika 6.0 School Junior
* Informika 6.0 School Master

Features:
* Zero-cost end-user license fee;
* Сentralized administration of pupil computers;
* Deep customization;
* Сentralized authentication via directory service;
* Network boot of diskless nodes that store personal data on server;
* High security and virus protection;
* Graphical interface on server (disabled by default).
* Special School Server images are ready to install to Hyper-V

Distribution images are available at:
* http://torrent.altlinux.org
* http://ftp.altlinux.org/pub/distributions/ALTLinux/p6/iso/school/

Happy using!

Fedena 2.3 released

On Wednesday, September 5, 2012, Unni Koroth wrote:

Dear All,

Today is the Teachers day in India and the latest version of Fedena - the opensource school management system is now available to public for free download.

Official Blog post - http://projectfedena.org/blog/17-fedena-2-3-released

Github - https://github.com/projectfedena/fedena

Download instructions - http://projectfedena.org/download

Fedena is a free and opensource school management software that has more features than a student information system. Thousands of institutions around the globe use fedena to efficiently manage students, teachers, employees, courses & all the system & process related to their institution. 

Fedena now powers more than 40,000 institutions around the world. It includes the most notable implementation in 15,000 Schools of Kerala - India, which is now a case study for successful implementation of big data e-gov projects across the world. http://projectfedena.org/pages/sampoorna .  The same project is acclaimed by ruby on rails community and David Heinemeier Hansson - creator of Ruby on Rails.

Highlighted Features of Fedena 2.3

Support for CCE(CBSE), CWA & GPA grading standards

Supports 4 new languages - Japanese, Portuguese, German & Marathi. (Already supports Spanish, Arabic, Hindi & English)

Enhanced report centre for examination

Seperate dashboard for Parent (Previously parent & student view were same)

Enhanced timetable & attendance

Introduction of plugin marketplace

Now any company can develop plugins for fedena using the documentation and support available in projectfedena website. The developers can list their plugins in the marketplace for free or for a price. This is the first step towards building an ecosystem around Fedena. http://www.projectfedena.org/plugins 

Big Blue Button Integration is now free

The Big Blue Button plugin of Fedena is available for free download from plugin marketplace. BigBlueButton is an open source web conferencing system for distance education. The goal of the project is to enable universities, colleges, and K12 to delivery a high-quality learning experience to remote students. BigBlueButton supports real-time sharing of slides (including whiteboard), audio, video, chat, and desktops. It also record lectures for later playback. More info: http://www.bigbluebutton.org/

Interesting articles about Fedena

1. A Tunisian professor writes how fedena is helping them reorganize and innovate after the Arab Spring revolution - http://opensource.com/education/12/6/learning-fedena
2. Foradian CEO interviewed in opensource.com, sharing the importance of opensource in education - http://opensource.com/education/12/8/foradian-ceo-explains-benefits-open-source-school-management-software
3. What problem does Fedena solve? http://www.quora.com/What-Problem-Does-X-Solve/What-problem-does-Fedena-solve

Ride of Silence - Update

1) We are riding in the morning rain or shine.

2) Sunrise is at 6:48 AM. So everyone is street legal when we
start at 7 AM. Front and back lights are always sensible, especially
if it is overcast.

3) Fyi, after consultation with the national Ride of Silence
organizers, what we are doing tomorrow is a "Ride of Silence style
Tribute Ride for c James Price, Anthony Green, (and other bicyclists
killed or injured). They want to reserve the name "Ride of Silence"
for the world-wide coordinated May event. We will get the title right
next time.

4) Remember, we are aiming to ride legal and sensible tomorrow.
All, please help marshal to that effect.

5) As to speed, let's consider the ride from Oakland to Penn
Avenue as a "transit" at a controlled but comfortable speed. When we
turn onto Penn Avenue, we'll follow Ride of Silence rules there and
back (slow, quiet, and respectful). Once we pass Penn Circle, let's
go in to controlled "transit mode" again to get people back.

6) I'll be looking for 4-8 riders to help control the front.
We'll also need some to sweep, and guide middle groups too.

7) I don't have a camera right now. Several people, please take
some pictures or videos to share.

8) Crossing the Bloomfield Bridge to return to Oakland, we can
stay in the right lane to turn left.



Jim Logan

SPIRE in Cleveland will NOT be hosting Division II Swimming & Diving Championships this year

The NCAA touts that it is an organization led and run by its membership. Today it proved that it does indeed listen to membership by announcing a change of venue for the 2013 NCAA Division II Championships.

Originally slated for the Spire Institute in Ohio, the 2013 Championships will now take place in Birmingham, Alabama with swimming taking place at the CrossPlex aquatic center. The original site was attacked for its inaccessibility of nearby lodging. The change is a win for swimmers and teams which were facing upwards of three hours of travel time with prelims and finals.

Fwd: Forum on the National Debt

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Suzanne Broughton <sbroughton@macconnect.com>


Friends,

I am sending this message to tell you about a forum for which I have
been very involved in the planning. I believe this is an important
topic for all of us: The National Debt. The League of Women Voters of
Greater Pittsburgh has been very fortunate to engage two experts to
help us understand this topic. I hope that you will considering
attending: September 20, 5:30 p.m., Rivers Club.

The forum is free. There is an optional dinner with the speakers
afterward at a cost of $75. Registration for the forum and/or the
dinner is necessary. The attached flyer contains a link to register.

Most Pittsburghers are familiar with Paul O'Neill's accomplishments.
Besides Alice Rivlin's positions listed on the flyer, she served on
the Simpson-Bowles Commission on the federal budget. She also
co-chaired, with former Senator Pete Domenici, the Bipartisan Policy
Center's Debt Reduction Task Force.

Even though the forum is free, it is the League's main fund-raiser,
through sponsorships and ads in the program book. It replaces our
Good Government Award dinner program, which had been our fund-raiser
for the last 15 years. If you know of a business or institution that
would like to be a sponsor of the forum or place an ad, please let me
know immediately so I can send the proper information. Time is short;
we need sponsors and ads by September 7 to print the program. Short
notice, I know.

Please feel free to forward this flyer as widely as you can.

I'm looking forward to this forum and hope to see you there.

Sue

Watch for bikers on the road

The cars always win.