Fwd: The civilization wreckers' next target

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tom Woods

May 8, 2018 View this email in your browser Connecticut just became the tenth blue state to pledge to cast its electoral votes for whichever presidential candidate wins the popular vote nationally. Why? Because according to the measure's proponents, the electoral college -- along with everything else that's more than 10 minutes old -- is backward and stupid. Here's one more step toward making the United States into a giant, undifferentiated blob, as opposed to the collection of distinct societies it was originally intended to be. The Constitution refers to the United States in the plural every time, and the way the Constitution and the Union were originally understood, the "popular vote" was an irrelevancy. During the World Series, for example, we don't add up the total number of runs scored by each team over the course of the series, and decide who won on that basis. We count up how many games each team won. Thus: Game 1: Red Sox 10, Mets 0 Game 2: Red Sox 15, Mets 1 Game 3: Red Sox 5, Mets 2 Game 4: Red Sox 1, Mets 2 Game 5: Red Sox 0, Mets 1 Game 6: Red Sox 2, Mets 3 Game 7: Red Sox 3, Mets 4 In this imaginary series the Red Sox scored 36 runs while the Mets scored only 13, yet everyone would acknowledge that the Mets won the series. Not a single sports fan would be running around demanding that we count the total number of runs instead, or insisting that the way we determine the World Series winner is sinister. But I think this is the correct analogy with the electoral college. How many games — e.g., how many political societies, albeit weighted to some degree by population — did you win? Also, the electoral college puts an upper bound on how much support you can earn from any one state. Even if your whole campaign is geared toward taxing the rest of the country and handing the money to California, you still can't get more than 55 electoral votes from that state. So to some extent, the electoral college forces the candidate to run a national race more than would be necessary otherwise. A group called National Popular Vote, which seeks to abolish the electoral college, claims that "presidential candidates have no reason to pay attention to the issues of concern to voters in states where the statewide outcome is a foregone conclusion." But this problem becomes much worse without the electoral college. If there is no limit to the support I can get from California and New York, then I'll campaign in those states like a madman. At least the electoral college puts something of a brake on this kind of strategy. A brief note about Trump's defeat in the popular vote: had the election been decided on the basis of the popular vote, Trump would have campaigned differently in the first place. Also, more people in, say, California would have bothered to vote for him. So we can't know that he would have lost the popular vote had those been the rules. What we do know is that every step toward making the U.S. into a giant blob instead of a decentralized collection of societies is a step toward more centralized, bureaucratic management of society, and away from liberty. We're not taught to think this way in school, of course. You know where you do learn this stuff?   http://www.LibertyClassroom.com Tom Woods Share Tweet Forward to Friend Copyright © 2018 Tom Woods, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at yourfriendsarewrong.com, tomwoods.com, bernieiswrong.com, contrakrugman.com, or nostateeducation.com, or you received a free eBook by texting various words to 33444. Our mailing address is: Tom Woods PO Box 701447 Saint Cloud, FL 34770 Add us to your address book

Fwd: Exclusive Training Camp in the sunny Algarve, Portugal - 21 to 26 May

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From: Mikael Eriksson

Hi Mark, It's my great pleasure to invite you to an exclusive training camp in Quarteira, Portugal. You'll find more details further down, but here's a quick summary (if images don't display, click "Display images" in your email client): Training Camp Algarve (20-26 May 2018) Summary Dates: Check-in Sunday 20 May with introductions and optional training. Official training days are Monday 21 to Saturday 26 May, with check-out Sunday 27 May. Duration: 6 to 6.5 days (depending on when you check in), 7 nights Location: Quarteira, Algarve on the southern coast of Portugal. Quarteira is the triathlon capital of the region and has hosted European Cup races for years.   How to get there: Fly to Faro and get a transfer to Quarteira (cost ~25 euro) OR fly to Lisbon and join me in my (rental) car down to Quarteira on Sunday morning/noon (if you rent a bike in Quarteira).  Direct flights from London to Faro are available for ~130-140£ at the moment, round-trip. Participants: Only 4 athletes can attend this camp, in order to make it very much driven by the individual needs. AKA exclusive!   Accommodation: Private apartment 50 meters from the beach with 2 bedrooms, 4 beds, fully equipped kitchen, Wifi, etc. Cost: 580 euros for registrations by Saturday 12 May, 690 euros after What's included: Accommodation (7 nights) Complete coached training week with constant feedback as one of only four athletes on the camp Access to 50 m pool and 400 m track Swim and run video analysis After the camp, you get a personal Athlete Report which explains in detail what areas you need to work on, a reminder of specific drills, exercises or type of training to achieve this and your video analysis files You can also get a Virtual Wind Tunnel analysis done to assess your aerodynamics at a 50% discount (64.50€ rather than 129 euros) Preliminary Training Schedule: Mo: Bike (long ride), open water swim Tue: Run (track + video analysis), Swim (pool, technical + video analysis) We: Bike + run brick session Thu: Open water swim (race-specific), Bike (hills/cadence) Fri: Run (long), swim (pool, endurance + open water skills) Sat: Bike (long ride) Other information: Food and restaurants: Quarteira is full of good restaurants with very affordable prices. For many of our meals we will, therefore, eat out, but we also have a fully equipped kitchen to cook ourselves, depending on the participants preferences. Triathlon education: I will prepare and conduct workshops/seminars on specific topics (I'll ask for your preferred topics when you register). These will be informal (but well-prepared), interactive "classes" designed to empower you to become a better triathlete on your own when you resume training at home. Examples of topics are: planning and analysing training, planning and executing in races, nutrition, strength training, technique, equipment, etc. REGISTRATION Reply to this email now to secure 1 of 4 available slots for this exclusive camp. If you have any questions, email me and ask! When you confirm your registration by Saturday, you secure the best price for this camp. I look forward to welcoming you to amazing weather, amazing cycling and open water swimming opportunities, and just a really good fun week together in triathlon company! Cheers, Mikael

Kylatie, 10 A 1, 00320 Helsinki, Finland

Fwd: Thrival 2018 Presents "Life.Code" — Dates, Locations, & First Ticket Release

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From: Thrival Festival <marketing@ascenderpgh.com>

Pittsburgh explores the intersection of humans and technology.

Roboburgh View this email in your browser SAVE-THE-DATE! THRIVAL PRESENTS LIFE.CODE HUMANS X TECH September 19-20 Carnegie Museum of Art     Kelly Strayhorn Theater  Phipps Conservatory and Botantical Gardens   BUY TICKETS MUSIC X ARTS September 21 Highmark Stadium *EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE SOON*   ABOUT THRIVAL FESTIVAL 2018 "What makes us human?" "How does technology humanize or dehumanize us?" "What can we do as individuals and communities to better prepare for the future?"   Join us in Pittsburgh on September 19-21, 2018 for the sixth annual Thrival Festival, where we explore these questions — and the evolving relationship between humans and technology. This unique conference experience leverages the city's strengths in automated systems, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and life sciences. Thrival convenes cross-sector dialogue around the impact that these fast developing technologies will have on society, business, and culture. For more information on the festival, visit thrivalfestival.com, and follow Thrival on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Thrival Humans X Tech tickets available at thrival2018.eventbrite.com. Thrival Music X Arts "early bird" tickets will be on sale this week through Ticketmaster. AN ASCENDER EVENT SPONSORED BY Copyright © 2018 Ascender, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website. Our mailing address is: Ascender 6401 Penn Avenue Suite 300 Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Add us to your address book

Fwd: Fast and furious

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From: John H

The media is having a field day with all of the rumors and disinformation flowing out of the administration, the special prosecutor, the pundits and then regurgitated and dissected endlessly on cable news.  However, no matter how much we may despise Trump and everything he stands for, we should be very cautious about what we wish for – particularly when it comes to the potential for prosecutorial misadventures and support from 'deep state' intelligence sources.  This article from naked capitalism discusses some of these problems and concerns.  As I sometimes do with naked capitalism, I have included some of the comments to the piece.

John

Article, setting a perjury trap for Trump

Citiparks to honor Chuck Senft on Saturday at the Brooline Rec Center

Saturday at noon. 

Bravo! 

Fwd: Neoliberal Healthcare . . . an oxymoron

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From: John H

In case you were wondering why neoliberal healthcare schemes (the one we now struggle under) have never worked and never will work the attached article should give you a basic understanding of some of the issues by looking at some of the ways the neoliberals are attempting to fix it – at, I might add, enormous cost to the government will little or nothing to show for the efforts.  There is no earthly reason that a nation with the maldistributed wealth of the United States should be forced to endure such bolloxed up mess as we have in our so-called healthcare system.  Everyone on all sides of the political spectrum knows this, including a great majority of the voting public, and yet those running the system have no concerns whatsoever about what the neutered American public might think.  Their focus is on how much government money can be diverted to corporate and financial interests.  This is textbook neoliberalism.  If you still don't understand, read the Philip Mirowski article linked in the article.

 John 

Article

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Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark@Rauterkus.com 

Executive Director of SKWIM USA, a 501(c)(3)
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach

Middle School Swim Coach at The Ellis School

Former Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy

Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell

Fwd: Russia as pawn in the game of world power

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From: John H

Attached is an excellent must-read article offering some deep background on the current effort to demonize Russia and just how the neocons accomplished much of this.  What is missing is any companion discussion of how the neoliberal coterie utilized this movement to really jump-start their efforts to gain control of the world for corporate and financial interests.  And, while that would have made for a really interesting and comprehensive explanation of the situation in which we find ourselves today, it would have made for a very long book-length feature.  Do read this it is worth your time.

John

Article

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByN94c3Pp4BpSFBQUldRbFZPOTNmZ2hYNFF2MTdPSVMtZmtV

Hey Sister! Invites to engage from China to Seattle to Pittsburgh -- by way of a WATER Safety, SKWIM and Study Trips

Hi All,

Lots to do and talk about from China to Seattle to Pittsburgh -- by way of a WATER Safety Outreach effort.

1)

From 3-4 pm on Saturday, May 5, at the meeting room in the Squirrel Hill Branch of the Carnegie Library, corner of Murray Ave and Forbes, we're calling a BRAINSTORMING Meeting in advance of a pending 2-3 week trip to Pittsburgh this summer for up to 25 youngsters from Pittsburgh Sister City in China.

Got ideas? Input welcomed. Kids are expected to be ages 10 to 16. Many will travel with an adult guardian. 

There is a new push in China's educational efforts for "study trips" for kids. Learn about this and our connections at this open community meeting while Li, the CEO of the education company in China is in Pittsburgh.

https://help.cloh.org/archives/551

2) 

From 8:30 to 11:30 for adults and from 11:30 to 1 pm on Saturday, May 5, and the other Saturdays in May except on Memorial Day Weekend, all are invited to the Saturday Swim School at northside's Oliver High School. https://Swim.CLOH.org/saturdays/ 

We had a great time this past weekend with members of the Pittsburgh Triathlon Club. Plenty of room for training or to sharpen your water skills in advance of summer. 

3)

Lifeguards are in high demand. Citiparks needs to hire 50+. The Pittsburgh Project needs to hire 7. Another local university needs to hire more than 5. We've been training guards at the Saturday Swim School and Citiparks beings a new class on May 8, Tue & Thurs. 

I also need junior guards and swim instructors. Volunteer, apply, help:

https://guard.cloh.org/need-a-lifeguard-or-two-and-some-swim-instructors-for-swim-water-polo-at-u-prep/

4)

We get to make a presentation on Tuesday in Seattle to Washington Recreation and Parks Association Conference, on water safety, SKWIM is the name of the game. 

Tuesday evening we do a demonstration game with staff and swim team / swim lesson participants at the JCC in Seattle. 

Wednesday evening we take SKWIM to the North Shore Lagoon Swimming Pool at Anderson School in Bothell, Washington. 

https://www.mcmenamins.com/anderson-school/north-shore-lagoon-swimming-pool

5) 

A splendid Water Safety Outreach program for the region is being crafted for this summer. We're looking for a title sponsor and teams, swim pools, camps, scout groups and other individuals to participate. Send me an email or text message now if you want to get involved on the ground floor, or come to any of the next two Saturday Swim School for more insights in person. 

Lifeguard shortage and more

Citiparks needs 50 additional lifeguards and the summer season is here.

Guards needed at The Pittsburgh Project and elsewhere too. 

This lifeguard shortage stinks. I want to step up and help to shift the tide. 

#1. I can help as a catalyst so we can have LIFEGUARDS (and junior lifeguards / friends) march in the Pittsburgh LABOR DAY PARADE. This should be a joint effort. It can be an event we promote all summer and be a capstone celebration for the end of a SAFE SUMMER and a reminder for the kids to get certified in the winter for working in future summers. 

Our presence in the parade should be early in the lineup so that our people can depart downtown in time to get back to their work sites at the region's various swim pools. Monday of Labor Day weekend is a workday for most who work at outdoor pools. 

How do we get onto the agenda for the parade marshalls? 

Can Citiparks be the "sponsor?" 

#2. I am doing other PR efforts on my end too. Email blast. Website. Social networking. They are also behind the curve for hiring at The Pittsburgh Project. But there, with the guest house, we can supply room and board for those interested in working here. We may need to import some workers for TPP, local pools and Citiparks. With our opportunities to play in a college water polo match and coach kids water polo in the summer, we can make efforts to recruit potential employees to college swim and water polo teams. 

#3. A digital badge to bestow to kids (and adults) who pass the Pre Lifeguard Swim Test is also available and being made ready for much wider deployments. Mindshare. Planting the seed of the idea to do the Nobel work as a guard in due time. 

#4. More can happen in 2019 as I get a focus upon a bigger role at The Pittsburgh Project. How about a Nipper Camp and Lifeguard Games? 

#5. I am going to Seattle to speak on Tuesday with Kevin at the Washington Recreation and Parks Association conference. Title of talk: For Water Safety, the name of the game is SKWIM. 

#6. Let's also make a local water safety booster group, among friends. A few have been BCCed. Perhaps I can host a monthly conference call that turns into a podcast resource. 

Thanks for all you do. 

Fwd: How the Democrats overthrow democracy

--- Forwarded message ----------

From: John H

Below is a link to a recording of Stenny Hoyer acknowledging how it is that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) works to actively subvert the democratic process in Congressional primary campaigns.  This has been going on all across the nation in a concentrated effort to prevent progressive candidates from running in and winning primary elections.  The Democratic Party establishment has morphed into a Republican Tea Party light movement and no longer even pretends to represent most of the Party's long-time supporters.  This has resulted in the loss of hundreds of elections around the country to Republicans.  But the Party is adamant in refusing to cut its ties to the corporate and financial elites no matter what the consequences for the democratic process or the control of Congress.

 

https://theintercept.com/2018/04/26/steny-hoyer-audio-levi-tillemann/?link_id=0&can_id=0f0f4163d7b2915b06b59829c22f3cbd&source=email-secret-audio-of-steny-hoyer&email_referrer=email_343049&email_subject=secret-audio-of-steny-hoyer

 

John

Vote for Catherine for AAA President

 https://rauterkus.com/election-for-ame…iology-president/

Voting has started.

Fwd: Climate Denial by a Different Name

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From: John H. 

As another Earth Day fades into the sunset I offer an excellent article from The Intercept by Kate Aronoff on the topic of climate change focusing on a different aspect of climate denial than we usually hear.  I urge you to read this piece and to pay particular attention to Philip Mirowski's comments.  It addresses a truly critical aspect of climate policy which the left has essentially missed completely by buying into the general consensus.

John

Catherine quote

Advice: 

Ph.D. students are incredibly fortunate to work with a group of people during their programs. This includes other students and faculty. My advice is to continue to find communities who will enrich your work and push you to think i new ways. 

Catherine quotes

A favorite part and how and why the role of advising students is so special:

It is a privilege to be a part of a student's discovery of the scientific method and to watch the student start to develop his or her own independent program of research, knowledge and skill set. 

Grow something, but don't leave!

Join Tree Pittsburgh to celebrate Arbor Day with a free tree seedling for your home. The seedlings were grown in Tree Pittsburgh's Heritage Nursery, and the giveaway is made possible by the Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission. And if you're looking for ways to celebrate Arbor Day all year, we've got some ideas.

Market Square at 210 Forbes Ave. (Downtown)

April 27, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Free

Fwd: And the beat goes on as Israel kills more defenseless Palestinians

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From: John H

The criminal cabal that is the Israeli government continues its massacre of defenseless Palestinians who are peacefully protesting their continued confinement is the world's largest outdoor concentration camp known as Gaza, while the criminal cabal that is the United States continues to act as an aider and abettor of these continuing crimes against international law and human rights.  It is an ongoing outrage which we, the American people, are complicit.  It is a time to cry out in shame and anger until these criminals are brought to justice.   

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=21627

As an aside, Donald Trump appears tonight to have accomplished something that no other American president has ever managed to do.  Kim Jong Un has agreed to end his missile testing and nuclear testing program and close his nuclear test site in exchange for a meeting with Trump and a commitment from South Korea to have two separate nations on the Korean Peninsula.  All this because an American president agreed to sit down and talk with him – something no other U.S. president has been willing to do.  It seems that all the North Koreans wanted all along was to be recognized as a nation and not to be threatened with destruction and extinction.  Much remains to be accomplished and it could all still blow up with Trump at the negotiation table, but it's a better start than we have ever had before.

John

Article

Fwd: There was no gas attack in Douma, Syria

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From: John H

Robert Fisk is perhaps the best and most knowledgeable journalist operating in the Middle East in this or any other time.  His incredible coverage of the Iran-Iraq War, documented in his masterpiece of on-the-scene journalism, The Great War for Civilization:  The Conquest of the Middle East, 2005, Alfred A. Knopf, stands alone in the annals of wartime journalism.  He lives in Lebanon and speaks fluent Arabic and Hebrew.  Fisk was one of the few Western journalists to have travelled to Douma following the alleged gas attack where he interviewed a doctor who was there at the time and numerous residents who were also there all of whom said that there was no gas attack as reported by the New York Ad agency funded 'White Helmets' which is a group notorious for spreading anti-Assad propaganda in league with the U.S. and Britain.

Attached are two articles, the first by Robert Fisk and the second concerning his article, please read them both, they are not long.  It is high time that Americans recognize that it has been our government, in league with the government of Britain, which has been fomenting and expanding efforts to spread anti-Assad propaganda as part of our demonization of Russia project.  There is little doubt that Assad is not a particularly nice guy, but his government has been fighting a civil war against terrorists, most of whom are not Syrian nationals, who have been funded and directly supported by the U.S., Britain and France at the behest of Israel.  We in the West are the ones consistently violating international laws and norms far more grievously than Assad and the Russians have ever done in Syria.  Under longstanding international law, Syria, Russia and Iran are acting lawfully in Syria.  We are the ones spreading terror, horror and devastation across the Syrian nation – and the time has come for the American people to stand up and reject what is and has been done in our names in that devastated nation.

John 

Articles in one PDF

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByN94c3Pp4BpMkx5N29UM28zaGtrSm5nMThxaTdZSnh1TTd3

Act 47 recommends -- Throwback to June 30, 2004 and the Trib

Pittsburgh has a new acting director of Citiparks in early 2018, and I'm excited to meet with him about some fun summer plans.

This is a snip from the Tribune, June 30, 2004 when a divided council passes the Act 47 plan. The headline in this part read: Key recommendations of the Act 47 recovery plan:

Playing well with others, in the city, took a beating in those times and never fully recovered.