Don’t miss the excitement of girl-on-girl roller derby action, as Pittsburgh joins over 100 other cities in this new version of an old favorite.
DON'T MISS THE STEEL CITY DERBY DEMONS EXHIBITION BOUT! Doors open at 5:30 and game starts at 6 pm on Saturday, January 27, 2007, at Bladerunners in Harmarville. The venue is less than 30 minutes from downtown off of Route 28.
Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Kids 10 and under get in FREE!
Purchase tickets at www.steelcityderbydemons.com/events.htm and click the “Buy Now” button.
1st Half: The Wrecking Dolls vs. The Hot Metal Hellions
2nd Half: The Bitch Doctors vs. The Slumber Party Slashers
More.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Steel City Derby Demons, female roller derby debut
Running Mates!
The fight for speaker - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
I posted to this blog, a day before the vote in the PA HOUSE, Neither Perzel nor DeWeese.
O'Brien has no credentials as a government reformer, just like Ravenstahl, our mayor. And O'Brien got to his present position, just like Ravenstahl, as a compromise candidate. O'Brien is Harrisburg's version of Luke Ravenstahl.
I don't want Dennis O'Brien leading the charge to reshape the way they conduct our government. The steps I seek are first, replace, -- then reform.
The fight for speaker - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review many reformers said the fact that neither Perzel nor his Democrat foe, Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, was able to win the speakership was a signal that internal House reform is on the way.Told ya.
Crazy as it sounds, they're right.
O'Brien has no credentials as a government reformer, just like Ravenstahl, our mayor. And O'Brien got to his present position, just like Ravenstahl, as a compromise candidate. O'Brien is Harrisburg's version of Luke Ravenstahl.
I don't want Dennis O'Brien leading the charge to reshape the way they conduct our government. The steps I seek are first, replace, -- then reform.
Dem leader wants to reduce size of Pa. legislature
Reform is getting more talk.
Dem leader wants to reduce size of Pa. legislature A Democratic senator from Berks County is joining the call for a smaller Legislature and for making two other changes he says will improve state government.
Sen. Michael A. O'Pake, the Senate's No. 2 ranking Democrat, wants to reduce the Senate to 40 members (from the current 50) and reduce the House to 121 members (from the current 203).
The reductions are similar to those proposed last year by Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon. They didn't go anywhere but calls for reform have increased in the wake of the repealed 2005 pay raise and defeats of three dozen incumbent legislators last year.
Reducing the size of the Legislature would need a constitutional amendment which could take two years or more.
Mr. O'Pake also wants a nonpartisan panel to redraw the state's congressional district boundaries after the 2010 census.
He also wants residents to be able to put political 'robo-calls'' on their list of Do Not Call numbers, an idea suggested last fall by Rep. Michael McGeehan, D-Philadelphia.
Security bug found in PDF reader
BBC NEWS | Technology | Security bug found in PDF reader Upgrading to version 8 of the Adobe Reader software removes the risk of falling victim to the flaw.
Folic acid may slow age-related hearing loss�|�Health�|�Reuters.com
Folic acid may slow age-related hearing loss�|�Health�|�Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Folic acid supplementation appears to slow the decline in hearing that commonly occurs with age, at least in people with high levels of the amino acid homocysteine, according to a study conducted in the Netherlands.Perhaps one could sell this stuff to those who have played in rock and roll bands, drive motorcycles, work on road crews and at the airport, and are pregnant.
Pennsylvania Leadership Conference
Pennsylvania Leadership Conference Newt Gingrich to speak April 21st
Count me OUT. Newt's statements against freedom in recent months have been a great turn off, not that I was turned on to him before.
Petition text for ballot question called, "Pittsburgh Mirrors Population"
Here is the text of the petition now hitting the streets seeking to put a ballot question before the voters in May 2007. This is FYI and a starting point for discussions, perhaps. My position on the ballot question is pending.
All petitions must be filed by 5 pm on February 13, 2007.
The introduction letter says that the Republican Committee of Pittsburgh (PGHGOP.org) will be conducting the petition drive. "No petitions will be controlled by any other entity, besides our committee. There is no way that these petitions will not be filed if we get enough signatures..."
In the summer, petitions were gathered by the firefighters and the GOPers. But they were NOT put into the election department. The papers might have been used as a bargain point and leverage for some other matter and just left to gather dust. Or, there might not have been enough signatures. Who knows?
"Any registered voter in the city can sign and/or circulate our petition.
"This City is in trouble. We need to make this change within City Government. The iron is hot NOW. This is when we have to act. People all across this City want this. Lets get out there and show Grant Street that they have lost their power."
Pittsburgh Mirrors Population Question
Shall Article 3 Section 302 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of Pittsburgh be amended to read as follows:
302. COMPOSITION
Council shall consist of seven Members, two of whom shall be elected at-large, and five of whom shall be elected by district.
Each of the five districts shall be represented by one Member that shall reside in that district.
Any political party or body shall be entitled to nominate one candidate for the office of At-Large City Council Member. In the Municipal Election, each voter may vote for no more than one candidate for the office of At-Large City Council Member, and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be electe as the At-Large City Council Members.
All petitions must be filed by 5 pm on February 13, 2007.
The introduction letter says that the Republican Committee of Pittsburgh (PGHGOP.org) will be conducting the petition drive. "No petitions will be controlled by any other entity, besides our committee. There is no way that these petitions will not be filed if we get enough signatures..."
In the summer, petitions were gathered by the firefighters and the GOPers. But they were NOT put into the election department. The papers might have been used as a bargain point and leverage for some other matter and just left to gather dust. Or, there might not have been enough signatures. Who knows?
"Any registered voter in the city can sign and/or circulate our petition.
"This City is in trouble. We need to make this change within City Government. The iron is hot NOW. This is when we have to act. People all across this City want this. Lets get out there and show Grant Street that they have lost their power."
Bikes work in Chicago too
Illinois has many miles of bikeways. Here is a bad photo of a pedestrian / bikers bridge built along the side of a roadway. The HOT MEDAL Bridge needs to be completed. The West End Pedestrian Bridge needs to be completed. Roads need some treatments so cars and bikes can co-exist.
Bike road along greenway stretch from suburban reaches to the lakeshore to the city.
Ideas from the bit bucket called Chicago, Illinois. Mayor Luke visits my former home town.
Worry alert: Luke might come back from Chicago with a new bag of tricks for Pittsburgh. This could be scary.
Perhaps he'll want to dedicate a "Pirate Ship" for a slip at the Allegheny River.
Perhaps he'll want to install Pedestrian Statues to fill Market Square.
Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Is Point State Park getting one next?More to the point of speculation. Perhaps Luke is there to hold a secret meeting with possible head coaches for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Singletary has Chicago roots.
Prayer station in Chicago park.
River shuttles between Sandcastle, Station Square, Point Park, Mon Wharf, Convention Center, Science Center, Slots Parlor, New Arena at Neville Island.
Multi-use buildings
Lived, worked and parked in this building on Davis Street in Evanston. Four stories of apartments. First level retail and dining. Basement is multiple floors of parking for residents. Private ownership. Density. Ongoing fix-ups. Evanston's percent of property held by nonprofits is five times greater than Pittsburgh's.
Front side of the apartments. U shaped courtyard. Notice the high rise buildings in the background. Lots of density is necessary for the urban lifestyle to flourish.
Construction. The buildings are pre-sold.
Whole Foods in Downtown Evanston
This is a "Whole Foods" in Evanston. Notice the high rise building attached to the retail space. Build with density. Build with two or MORE uses per building. Downtown needs a grocery store. A grocery can co-exist in a high rise apartment building.
Parking lot to the parking garage at whole foods. You don't need a massive surface parking lot to make a grocery store. The South Side Giant Eagle is a better place for a high rise apartment building, internal parking spaces and a grocery -- rather than downtown.
Mayor Ravenstahl Checks Out Chicago - News
Mayor Ravenstahl Checks Out Chicago - NewsWonderful. I get to post some of my Chicago experiences and images. Stay tuned.
Pittsburgh Splits With West Virginia in the swim pool. New Polish student sets record in breast
Fast foreign recruit makes a splash in Pitt's pool. CollegeSwimming.com::Pittsburgh Splits With West Virginia With the meet tied at 94 points and swimming in his first-competition meet of the season, Plutecki (Zielan Gora, Poland/High School #VII) recorded a pool and school record in the 200 breast with a time of 1:58.98. Plutecki's time eclipsed the four-year 1:59.42 record held by Randy Gertenbach.
Plutecki's time was also a NCAA B cut time and missed the NCAA A cut time by just a second.
Plutecki's time was also a NCAA B cut time and missed the NCAA A cut time by just a second.
Mark Roosevelt of Pittsburgh Public Schools and High School Reform: long rant on news article. Wrong way, wrong talk.
Let's sort through another pile of B.S. about our schools from the light of the Post Gazette. It becomes another great example of exactly how we should NOT operate in this city.
From the get-go, the high school task force efforts are suspect.
Mark Roosevelt dispatched a tiny, select (elitist) group of administrators and boosters. The process was designed to shut out throngs of others as volunteers. Citizens and parents were shut out of the process. This public school district acted as if it was a foundation board operation. Homework wasn't done with any peer review.
The success stories from around the country always point to one main theme. No matter what -- communities with high performing schools have high performing students and tons of parent engagement. It takes a village. Everyone gets involved in every capacity in many dimensions. Then the students, staff, teachers, administrators and board performs.
If you want to sustain the failures -- lock out the parents in talks of reform. Mark Roosevelt fumbled as did this high school reform weenie group.
There is nothing more critical than parent engagement. Nothing.
Furthermore, that's the one element that is the weakest in our public school landscape.
We do have poor test scores. Pittsburgh does have high dropout rates. Dropouts and failed tests take a back-seat to how the school district slams the door in the face of its parents, customers, neighbors, ministers, coaches, advocates, voters, citizens, business owners, unions, employees.
Let's check out success stories of schools around the country, and the world. Let's look at how parents and families can soar in their educational lives -- by working together.
The Pittsburgh Public School district is academically troubled. It isn't financially troubled. But its biggest sticking point is its trouble when dealing well with its populations and especially parents.
There is a brain-packed trend to mull upon. Let's take our big, mostly empty, poor performing schools and say we're going to make them into smaller schools and call this a success. Our schools are shrinking because the people who can depart. The grass is greener in other school districts for many people, so they leave. They vote with their feet. They get feed up with the helpless feelings and blocks put up from the school landscape.
So, the pathway to victory is to have smaller schools! What????
We've got smaller schools!
Don't shoot for the size of the school. That was the same line of poor logic that was pushed down upon the citizens in the rightsizing plans of last year with the K-8 reform.
Parents don't give a rat's ass about the size of the school. Nor do voters and taxpayers.
We want schools where people learn great lessons! We want educational institutions that teach our kids how to become productive citizens in today's marketplace.
We want the school district to bring value to our communities. That means a district with a mandate to educate students ages K to 12th grade should focus on K-12 education and do a good job there. That means that the Pittsburgh Promise is out of bounds and not a high priority, when a majority of our kids can't pass 9th grade algebra.
Algebra is A + B = C. Pittsburgh Promise is Z. It doesn't matter. Smaller Schools is Y. Y and Z don't matter.
What is this 'capping of school size' trend? Elitist! Why cap and make haves and have nots?
I don't want caps. I don't want glass ceilings. I don't want to keep kids down. I don't want to prohibit excellence.
I want gangplanks to greatness. I want a rush to results. I want satisfaction to skyrocket.
He wants speed limits. I want hyperdrive.
Mr. Roosevelt wants to propose "breaking schools." News flash: The schools are already broken. How about if we "heal schools." The thing to do is "heal students." Fix the educational landscape of families in this region.
Let's think about "semi-autonomous 'learning communities'" for a few moments. I think that the best semi-autonomous learning community is a family. Furthermore, a thriving learning community isn't semi-autonomous. It is engagement and embrace of all assets and resources. To be semi-autonomous means you have to exclude and build walls.
Think of the internet. I want it everywhere. IP everwhere. I want learning everywhere. I want all resources at the ready and at our disposal when it comes to real learning enviroments.
The learning community here -- is called ... earth, if not universe. Pittsburgh Public Schools needs to play a dynamic role within our global marketplace of thinking, ideas and lessons. I think a call to 'semi-autonomous learning community' is really not about being in a modern urban community. The "semi" part must be the code word for thinking with only half your brain.
Enrollment at small high schools often is capped at 300 to 500 students.
We had a small high school -- South Vo Tech. It was closed. They called it too expensive. It was too expensive because it was too small. We turned our backs on those students in recent times and now we're saying what they had was just what we want. Unreal double-talk from a clueless district.
This is all wrong.
You need to put the right number of kids into the right sized buildings. Furthermore, the buildings are already built. The buildings are there. So, the factors are numbers of students.
In very recent times the bone headed school leadership has been saying that this school should have 500 students -- but the building is only able to contain 400 or 350. So, there are a number of building expansion plans to make these buildings fit the number that some rightsizing plan wrongly requires.
The concept that Pitsburgh's old school leadership needs to consider in every discussion is capacity. If a school or even a bus functions with X amount of bodies -- then that's where we start.
Schools that are filled to capacity should not be closed.
For PAT, bus routes that are filled to capacity should continue to operate.
Meanwhile, Pgh Public School District spent a lot of money to rehab the once great Westinghouse High School. The building is majestic. It is modern and bright and jewel for any student, staff, teacher and community group. But in the real world of today's educational landscape, Westinghouse High School functions at a fraction of its ideal capacity -- based upon its building size.
Let's cap these learning communities based upon the existing building capacity. This is a functional measurement that goes into the forumula right from the beginning.
You don't try to cram 10-tons of students into an 8-ton container.
We've got schools that have been rightsized and they are jammed.
An honest approach to space would be welcomed. The A+ Schools report should contain a much better inventory of the phsysical assets, for school buildings, open and closed.
As South Vo Tech shrunk in its number of students, the thrid floor was closed. Students didn't attend classes in those classrooms. Easy adjustments need to be a priority.
The luckiest districts have financed restructuring with millions of dollars committed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
I'm not looking to live in a lucky district. I don't want to live in a 'lucky town.' I want to live in a place where we value and teach how to be self reliant. I want our schools to be valued for doing an excellent job in teaching our kids -- and luck has little to do with that mission. It is hard work dealing with everyone. It is hard work to put all the facts on the table and really get to understand a topic area -- and not have a blind spot. I want to say that Pgh Public Schools can thumb its nose to soft money of the Gates Foundation. That money can go to hopeless places -- like Philly -- where they have two stand alone slots parlors and are really lucky.
Listen to this double talk. First, "The traditional American high school is really an anachronism.
Second, we are told this task force ran around the nation looking at schools throughout the country.
Don't paint with a broad brush. Some schools work. Some don't. And more to the point. Some schools are going to work for some kids while they fail other students. I'm a Libertarian swim coach so I understand the theme, "Different strokes for different folks."
The failure that makes the continual theme of hopelessness stems from the lack of choice.
Of course the trickle-up campaign didn't work. That's more smoke and double-talk.
I've been a stay-at-home dad who has objected to advanced pre-school efforts in the educational community. Head start is nice for some. But, head-start programs should NOT be mandatory. Head start programs might make great head-start programs, but they are NOT the key for making great elementary schools. We could use some head start efforts in the community. But, I don't want to see the school district spend a lot of effort in that domain. A K-12 district needs to cooperate with head start educators and parents. But, a K-12 district, needs to focus on K-12 students.
Mr. Roosevelt has called high school improvement the year's top priority -- and I think his stance is nothing but a joke. If Roosevelt wanted to tackle high school education he'd be doing a dance with the public. He hides behind a task force of hand-picked cronies.
There are many things that can be done to improve our high schools, and I'll cover them in depth. They have not been done for years. The ideas I want to advance are cheap. They'd make a huge improvement. They would have happened already if Mr. Roosevelt and the board really cared. I think these folks are motivated by CYA tactics. They want to talk the talk, yet cover they're backsides. Few are really interested in making system wide changes and making those changes stick in the greater community.
Voting with one's feet looks like this:
Here is another task that a real task force might do. Examine the data collection and data reporting to the public. Examine the formulas for operations in Pgh Public Schools and beyond. Make accountability evident in both school performance and finances. I want to know teacher, building, classroom, grade and subject perfomances -- in real time. This would be a fine task for a task force. Then we'd have transparent models and knowledge for making better choices.
This next statement give a serious worry for two reasons. First, evolution occurs in many tiny steps. Organic changes are healthy. Give us piecemeal. Don't give radical shifts that ignore the results of the past. The results of the students at the schools that were re-tooled were thrown out the window and not even published in the A+ Schools report. They want to churn and not keep a record of where we've been.
There are pockets of excellence within the PPS, but they have never been noticed nor rewarded. Often, they are discounted. Furthermore, the pockets of excellence within the elementary schools, the magnet schools where foreign languages are taught from K and up, has been discounted. The right-sizing plans didn't center upon the pockets of excellence.
The gifted education plan is a pocket of excellence and it is under a cloud of cuts too.
Another worry: Let's not design a school improvement plan and lean upon marketing savvy. Put lipstick on a pig and claim victory.
Other than CAPA, a theme-based school, the next best theme was Vo Tech. And, South Vo Tech closed. If you liked theme-based schools, Janis Ripper, where you fighting for the continual operation of South??? I did.
There is an educational trend -- new is better. New is better when asking to spend more money. New is better when you don't know where you are going. New is better when you didn't do a good job with the not-so-new.
The dual enrollment part is nice as it comes closer to what I'd like to see. Rather than dual enrollment, give enrollment freedom. Get rid of the confinements of high school choice. Allow any kid in the city to go to any school. It can't be quite that simple, but it should be.
No matter their neighborhoods, Mr. Vallas said, Philadelphia students have a choice of at least three high schools. BINGO. But our choice in Pittsburgh can be for eight or ten schools.
North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District offers signing bonuses of as much as $15,000 to build elite teacher corps at four low-performing high schools. ... Humm... Did you hear swim coach David Marsh is going to MAC and starting a program of excellence. His job brings a $1-million pay check. Interesting. Now we're talking "sizable."
Thanks for the article Joe.
Summary: A year long effort to reform our high schools is a wonderful idea. Too bad the process and efforts so far just compound the problems. I want to get to the roots of the problems, as do plenty of others. This article proves, again, to me, that Roosevelt's leadership is without a firm grasp of the keys to our situations.
Furthermore, I've got different ideas. Others have solid ideas as well.
City plan for high schools may mean big change City plan for high schools may mean big changeThe task force was a closed door process. The task force didn't keep minutes. The task force didn't hold open meetings. The task force was full of hand-picked "yes" people. The task force for right-sizing for K-8 from a year ago had NO people from the ranks of the teachers. Meanwhile this task force is way to heavy from the ranks of the teachers and administrators. The task force is built to curb dissent.
Study will be unveiled this week
From the get-go, the high school task force efforts are suspect.
Mark Roosevelt dispatched a tiny, select (elitist) group of administrators and boosters. The process was designed to shut out throngs of others as volunteers. Citizens and parents were shut out of the process. This public school district acted as if it was a foundation board operation. Homework wasn't done with any peer review.
The success stories from around the country always point to one main theme. No matter what -- communities with high performing schools have high performing students and tons of parent engagement. It takes a village. Everyone gets involved in every capacity in many dimensions. Then the students, staff, teachers, administrators and board performs.
If you want to sustain the failures -- lock out the parents in talks of reform. Mark Roosevelt fumbled as did this high school reform weenie group.
There is nothing more critical than parent engagement. Nothing.
Furthermore, that's the one element that is the weakest in our public school landscape.
We do have poor test scores. Pittsburgh does have high dropout rates. Dropouts and failed tests take a back-seat to how the school district slams the door in the face of its parents, customers, neighbors, ministers, coaches, advocates, voters, citizens, business owners, unions, employees.
Let's check out success stories of schools around the country, and the world. Let's look at how parents and families can soar in their educational lives -- by working together.
The Pittsburgh Public School district is academically troubled. It isn't financially troubled. But its biggest sticking point is its trouble when dealing well with its populations and especially parents.
There is a brain-packed trend to mull upon. Let's take our big, mostly empty, poor performing schools and say we're going to make them into smaller schools and call this a success. Our schools are shrinking because the people who can depart. The grass is greener in other school districts for many people, so they leave. They vote with their feet. They get feed up with the helpless feelings and blocks put up from the school landscape.
So, the pathway to victory is to have smaller schools! What????
We've got smaller schools!
Don't shoot for the size of the school. That was the same line of poor logic that was pushed down upon the citizens in the rightsizing plans of last year with the K-8 reform.
Parents don't give a rat's ass about the size of the school. Nor do voters and taxpayers.
We want schools where people learn great lessons! We want educational institutions that teach our kids how to become productive citizens in today's marketplace.
We want the school district to bring value to our communities. That means a district with a mandate to educate students ages K to 12th grade should focus on K-12 education and do a good job there. That means that the Pittsburgh Promise is out of bounds and not a high priority, when a majority of our kids can't pass 9th grade algebra.
Algebra is A + B = C. Pittsburgh Promise is Z. It doesn't matter. Smaller Schools is Y. Y and Z don't matter.
What is this 'capping of school size' trend? Elitist! Why cap and make haves and have nots?
I don't want caps. I don't want glass ceilings. I don't want to keep kids down. I don't want to prohibit excellence.
I want gangplanks to greatness. I want a rush to results. I want satisfaction to skyrocket.
He wants speed limits. I want hyperdrive.
Mr. Roosevelt wants to propose "breaking schools." News flash: The schools are already broken. How about if we "heal schools." The thing to do is "heal students." Fix the educational landscape of families in this region.
Let's think about "semi-autonomous 'learning communities'" for a few moments. I think that the best semi-autonomous learning community is a family. Furthermore, a thriving learning community isn't semi-autonomous. It is engagement and embrace of all assets and resources. To be semi-autonomous means you have to exclude and build walls.
Think of the internet. I want it everywhere. IP everwhere. I want learning everywhere. I want all resources at the ready and at our disposal when it comes to real learning enviroments.
The learning community here -- is called ... earth, if not universe. Pittsburgh Public Schools needs to play a dynamic role within our global marketplace of thinking, ideas and lessons. I think a call to 'semi-autonomous learning community' is really not about being in a modern urban community. The "semi" part must be the code word for thinking with only half your brain.
Enrollment at small high schools often is capped at 300 to 500 students.
We had a small high school -- South Vo Tech. It was closed. They called it too expensive. It was too expensive because it was too small. We turned our backs on those students in recent times and now we're saying what they had was just what we want. Unreal double-talk from a clueless district.
So, if we really want 'small communities of learning' -- then I look forward to the re-opening of South Vo Tech. The truth hurts. Their statements are lies, but they can be put to the test.We've had small schools in K-5 settings that were 'capped.' They too were closed because the size of the school was not fitting into the cookie cutter model that the school district wanted in its rightsizing agenda. The schools were filled. The schools were closed anyway.
This is all wrong.
You need to put the right number of kids into the right sized buildings. Furthermore, the buildings are already built. The buildings are there. So, the factors are numbers of students.
In very recent times the bone headed school leadership has been saying that this school should have 500 students -- but the building is only able to contain 400 or 350. So, there are a number of building expansion plans to make these buildings fit the number that some rightsizing plan wrongly requires.
The concept that Pitsburgh's old school leadership needs to consider in every discussion is capacity. If a school or even a bus functions with X amount of bodies -- then that's where we start.
Schools that are filled to capacity should not be closed.
For PAT, bus routes that are filled to capacity should continue to operate.
Meanwhile, Pgh Public School District spent a lot of money to rehab the once great Westinghouse High School. The building is majestic. It is modern and bright and jewel for any student, staff, teacher and community group. But in the real world of today's educational landscape, Westinghouse High School functions at a fraction of its ideal capacity -- based upon its building size.
Let's cap these learning communities based upon the existing building capacity. This is a functional measurement that goes into the forumula right from the beginning.
You don't try to cram 10-tons of students into an 8-ton container.
We've got schools that have been rightsized and they are jammed.
An honest approach to space would be welcomed. The A+ Schools report should contain a much better inventory of the phsysical assets, for school buildings, open and closed.
As South Vo Tech shrunk in its number of students, the thrid floor was closed. Students didn't attend classes in those classrooms. Easy adjustments need to be a priority.
The luckiest districts have financed restructuring with millions of dollars committed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
I'm not looking to live in a lucky district. I don't want to live in a 'lucky town.' I want to live in a place where we value and teach how to be self reliant. I want our schools to be valued for doing an excellent job in teaching our kids -- and luck has little to do with that mission. It is hard work dealing with everyone. It is hard work to put all the facts on the table and really get to understand a topic area -- and not have a blind spot. I want to say that Pgh Public Schools can thumb its nose to soft money of the Gates Foundation. That money can go to hopeless places -- like Philly -- where they have two stand alone slots parlors and are really lucky.
Listen to this double talk. First, "The traditional American high school is really an anachronism.
It was designed 100 years ago and really hasn't changed much since," said Naomi Housman, director of the National High School Alliance. As a result, she said, many schools aren't preparing students for today's world or holding students' interest on a daily basis. "They want to be engaged," Ms. Housman said. "They're just not finding it in the traditional high school.
Second, we are told this task force ran around the nation looking at schools throughout the country.
Don't paint with a broad brush. Some schools work. Some don't. And more to the point. Some schools are going to work for some kids while they fail other students. I'm a Libertarian swim coach so I understand the theme, "Different strokes for different folks."
The failure that makes the continual theme of hopelessness stems from the lack of choice.
Of course the trickle-up campaign didn't work. That's more smoke and double-talk.
Kati Haycock, director of The Education Trust, said high school improvements for years took a backseat to elementary school restructuring. But the desired "trickle-up" effect -- the idea that good habits established in primary years would pay dividends in high school -- didn't materialize.You want a good high school, work on high school education. You want good pre-school -- focus on pre-school education. You want a good high school, don't focus on college education when the kids are in the K-12 setting. Stick to the focus area. The Pittsburgh Promise is a trickle-up idea that is going to flop.
I've been a stay-at-home dad who has objected to advanced pre-school efforts in the educational community. Head start is nice for some. But, head-start programs should NOT be mandatory. Head start programs might make great head-start programs, but they are NOT the key for making great elementary schools. We could use some head start efforts in the community. But, I don't want to see the school district spend a lot of effort in that domain. A K-12 district needs to cooperate with head start educators and parents. But, a K-12 district, needs to focus on K-12 students.
Mr. Roosevelt has called high school improvement the year's top priority -- and I think his stance is nothing but a joke. If Roosevelt wanted to tackle high school education he'd be doing a dance with the public. He hides behind a task force of hand-picked cronies.
There are many things that can be done to improve our high schools, and I'll cover them in depth. They have not been done for years. The ideas I want to advance are cheap. They'd make a huge improvement. They would have happened already if Mr. Roosevelt and the board really cared. I think these folks are motivated by CYA tactics. They want to talk the talk, yet cover they're backsides. Few are really interested in making system wide changes and making those changes stick in the greater community.
Voting with one's feet looks like this:
35 percent of city students, including nearly half of all black males, drop out of high school. Other students, dissatisfied with academics and environment, opt for charter or suburban schools.I don't want a task force to shape a plan. I want a school board and superintendent to shape a plan. I want to engage the public in efforts of peer review so as to shape a future.
District Chief of Staff Lisa Fischetti said board members tomorrow will hear about lessons the task force has learned and how that information will shape a plan, to be unveiled in the spring, for improving city schools.Information that should shape a plan is called 'data.' The data should be online for all to see.
Here is another task that a real task force might do. Examine the data collection and data reporting to the public. Examine the formulas for operations in Pgh Public Schools and beyond. Make accountability evident in both school performance and finances. I want to know teacher, building, classroom, grade and subject perfomances -- in real time. This would be a fine task for a task force. Then we'd have transparent models and knowledge for making better choices.
This next statement give a serious worry for two reasons. First, evolution occurs in many tiny steps. Organic changes are healthy. Give us piecemeal. Don't give radical shifts that ignore the results of the past. The results of the students at the schools that were re-tooled were thrown out the window and not even published in the A+ Schools report. They want to churn and not keep a record of where we've been.
While some districts have remade high schools on a piecemeal basis, she said, Pittsburgh's effort will be system-wide change that builds on current "pockets of excellence."
There are pockets of excellence within the PPS, but they have never been noticed nor rewarded. Often, they are discounted. Furthermore, the pockets of excellence within the elementary schools, the magnet schools where foreign languages are taught from K and up, has been discounted. The right-sizing plans didn't center upon the pockets of excellence.
The gifted education plan is a pocket of excellence and it is under a cloud of cuts too.
Another worry: Let's not design a school improvement plan and lean upon marketing savvy. Put lipstick on a pig and claim victory.
Other than CAPA, a theme-based school, the next best theme was Vo Tech. And, South Vo Tech closed. If you liked theme-based schools, Janis Ripper, where you fighting for the continual operation of South??? I did.
"We liked the theme-based schools," said Janis Ripper, the principal assigned to coordinate the task force.The buzz word, academies, seems more like a CYA task, given the recent rightsizing.
Ms. Ripper said team members observed enthusiastic instruction and innovative ideas, such as "academies" -- one example of a small learning community -- to isolate ninth-graders from upperclassmen in a building. But cold data on achievement gains were elusive.Cold data was elusive. That's what I mean. We need a task force to uncover and insure cold data.
There is an educational trend -- new is better. New is better when asking to spend more money. New is better when you don't know where you are going. New is better when you didn't do a good job with the not-so-new.
"Some of the schools had some data," she said. "But one thing to keep in mind with high school reform: Because it is so new, a lot of schools were in the process of a two- or three-year plan. Data wasn't as available as we'd like."Likewise, I'm certain that the data isn't going to be available to defend a massive change to the landscape of our high schools in Pittsburgh.
Paul Vallas, chief executive officer of the School District of Philadelphia, said he's pleased with a continuing overhaul there that's increased the number of high schools from about 50 to 80.Exactly. "continual overhaul."
He said the district with 180,000 students, more than six times Pittsburgh's enrollment, has moved toward smaller schools with college preparatory curriculums, signature programs and dual enrollment arrangements that allow students to take college classes. Nineteen of the high schools are charter schools. In all, 30 district and charter high schools met federal performance standards last year.Again, the good is the fact that there are some charter schools. But, the problem is that the Pgh Public School board and administrators have always been fighting the charter schools. They've put up many roadblocks to specialized private and charter schools.
The dual enrollment part is nice as it comes closer to what I'd like to see. Rather than dual enrollment, give enrollment freedom. Get rid of the confinements of high school choice. Allow any kid in the city to go to any school. It can't be quite that simple, but it should be.
"I like to say we've gone from failure to adequacy. Now, the key is to get to excellence," said Mr. Vallas, who's faced some of the same academic and financial problems as Mr. Roosevelt.Could someone please explain the financial problems of Pgh Public Schools. Just saying that they are there is not a real way to lead. That's call crying. Poor, poor us doesn't wash from my perspective. Why, exactly, does the district think it is with financial problems? -- Perhaps because of the charter schools???
No matter their neighborhoods, Mr. Vallas said, Philadelphia students have a choice of at least three high schools. BINGO. But our choice in Pittsburgh can be for eight or ten schools.
North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District offers signing bonuses of as much as $15,000 to build elite teacher corps at four low-performing high schools. ... Humm... Did you hear swim coach David Marsh is going to MAC and starting a program of excellence. His job brings a $1-million pay check. Interesting. Now we're talking "sizable."
Thanks for the article Joe.
Summary: A year long effort to reform our high schools is a wonderful idea. Too bad the process and efforts so far just compound the problems. I want to get to the roots of the problems, as do plenty of others. This article proves, again, to me, that Roosevelt's leadership is without a firm grasp of the keys to our situations.
Furthermore, I've got different ideas. Others have solid ideas as well.
Forum: Ban trans fats. Don't be silly. Ban the bans!
Forum: Ban trans fats Pittsburgh should step up to the plate and ban trans fats in restaurants, argues diet and wellness author WILL CLOWERIt is silly to promote a ban on trans fats in Pittsburgh or elesewhere in the US. The nanny state arguments are the same old intrusionist nonsense.
His writing seemed critical of one of our favorite words by associating it with childish tendencies rather than with enlightened self-interest:
"The real problem is more fundamental. It comes from that kernel, lodged deep within each of our foot-stomping, you're-not-the-boss-of-me Libertarian hearts, that screams that no one can tell us what to do."
And if you feel inclined to write a LTE in response, here's the PG LTE email address: letters@post-gazette.com
The use of a capital "L" instead of small "l" in that sentence is wrong. Don't write "civil Libertarian hearts."
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Riddle: What's round on the outside and "high" in the middle?
Riddle two: Erik, shown in two photos from yesterday's meet at Deer Lakes (we won) is wearing a special swim cap. Can you tell what it is and why he'd wear it?
On the blocks about to help win the free relay. Erik swam 3rd. In our league, the age group relays are co-ed. That is a nice feature. Our 11-12 "A" medley relay got second (D.P.,E.Mc.,E.R.,D.M.) but they won the free relay (E.Mc.,D.M.,E.R., D.P.). Both were exciting races.
After swimming his leg -- he cheered for his mates.
On the blocks about to help win the free relay. Erik swam 3rd. In our league, the age group relays are co-ed. That is a nice feature. Our 11-12 "A" medley relay got second (D.P.,E.Mc.,E.R.,D.M.) but they won the free relay (E.Mc.,D.M.,E.R., D.P.). Both were exciting races.
After swimming his leg -- he cheered for his mates.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
New arena stupidity from SEA. Haste makes waste -- fools!
This shows exactly how stupid the Stadium and Exibition Authority is. Unreal. Haste makes waste.
I'm calling for a new, different, better location for the new hockey venue. Meanwhile, these bone heads are pressing ahead on site prep for the wrong location.
Some would ask, "Do they think at all????"
The removal of asbestos from buildings is fine. But who is paying for it?
I'm calling for a new, different, better location for the new hockey venue. Meanwhile, these bone heads are pressing ahead on site prep for the wrong location.
New arena hopes advance on 2 fronts New arena hopes advance on 2 frontsThink again.
Site preparation work to begin while Penguins haggle with local officials
Saturday, January 06, 2007
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority is pressing ahead with preparations for a new arena even as state and local officials get down to the nitty-gritty of trying to cobble together a deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
Some would ask, "Do they think at all????"
The removal of asbestos from buildings is fine. But who is paying for it?
Two enter races for City Council
Who on the Pgh school board isn't running for another office? Four of the members were rumored to be in races. Others have run or tried to mount campaigns for other offices in the past.
I like Patrick. He is a good guy. He beat D. Harris in the past -- and that was a great change for the school board. Now, if he wins a seat on city council, he'll be with her on council, if she is lucky enough to win a full term too.
My favorite to replace Patrick Dowd on the Pgh Public School Board is Stephanie Tecza. She would be a splendid addition to the school board.
I like Patrick. He is a good guy. He beat D. Harris in the past -- and that was a great change for the school board. Now, if he wins a seat on city council, he'll be with her on council, if she is lucky enough to win a full term too.
My favorite to replace Patrick Dowd on the Pgh Public School Board is Stephanie Tecza. She would be a splendid addition to the school board.
Two enter races for City Council Patrick Dowd is among the Pittsburgh school board members hoping Superintendent Mark Roosevelt will agree to a contract extension.
Perhaps Mr. Roosevelt should have asked Mr. Dowd for a similar commitment.
Mr. Dowd, 38, of Highland Park, one of Mr. Roosevelt's most ardent supporters, has decided to run for City Council this year instead of seeking a second term as District 2 school board representative.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Coaching takes a back seat to Parenting. Daddy Cower Power
I've blogged about this recently in another posting. Scroll down. But, it would be good to salute the parenting perspectives in the conversations and community buzz.
I've resigned coaching positions to re-set priorities to parenting.
Now that the Steelers get to hire the next coach, I'm pulling for Mike Singletary. We both have a connection to Chicago and Baylor University.
I've resigned coaching positions to re-set priorities to parenting.
Now that the Steelers get to hire the next coach, I'm pulling for Mike Singletary. We both have a connection to Chicago and Baylor University.
Clarke Thomas: Some big bills are coming due
Clarke Thomas: Some big bills are coming due Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote in a 1904 case: 'Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.'Is hockey civilized?
Are the owners of the Civic Arena slum landlords? Isn't that close to being uncivilized? Don't they already get a lot of taxpayer money from the RAD tax?
This would make an interesting concept map.
Sunnyhill-Dot-Org has video snip of Joe Jencks from 2006 concert we hosted
Sunnyhill-Dot-Org Special musical guest for Sunday, Jan 7 -- Joe Jencks
On Sunday morning, Joe Jencks is playing for our Chapel and for the opening music of the main service (led by Sue Richmond).
Mini championship meet in central PA
community.centredaily.com The most competitive regular season high school swim meet in all of Pennsylvania will take place at 10:00 am this Saturday at the Kinney Natatorium of Bucknell University.Western PA's high school swim landcape needs more big-time meets, beyond WPIAL and STATES.
[412] Ho, ho, yo to Running Mates and beyond. Post Festivus. Yet no Octopus
Finally. I sent out an email blast to my 412-list.
I had gone about six months without using the blast list. That was a long time.
I had gone about six months without using the blast list. That was a long time.
[412] Ho, ho, yo to Running Mates and beyond. Post Festivus. Yet no Octopus [412] Ho, ho, yo to Running Mates and beyond. Post Festivus. Yet no OctopusThe message twists and turns -- as does life. Oh well. Still waters run deep, from time to time.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
R.I.P: You don't get to choose when you die, generally.
Catherine went to Maine this afternoon. She flew into Boston and her brother picked her up at the airport. They drove together to Maine. Twenty minutes after they arrived, Mr. Palmer passed.
We remember Bob Palmer, Catherine's father.
My father-in-law, but much more importantly, my wife's dad and my kids' grandpa, was 73. He had some hard weeks, physically. Word from New Years' Weekend was that he had take a turn for the worst. He was in the care of hospice and at home. His two children are at his side along with his friends in Maine.
The plans were to have Catherine return to Pittsburgh on Saturday night. A memorial will be held in the weeks to come. Details unknown now.
This is the first grandparent to pass for my kids. They've been blessed to know them all.
One classic line from Mr. Palmer -- "Fix the problem, not the blame."
Peace.
The "Pride" Mentor Sweepstakes
Can't wait until March, 2007.
Modern PRIDE guy(s).
Photo was taken of Pitt's recent co-captians in Irvine, California, in August 2005 at Nationals. D (left) is a swimmer from Philly. J (right) is now doing his student teaching at CV and made his cuts to the Olympic Trials. He's been the summer coach at Green Tree.
Movie Trailer. The story of PDR (Philadelphia Department of Recreation), which created a number of top 16 swimmers, National and NCAA finalists, and Senior/Junior National qualifiers. One year the team won Junior Nationals. Brielle White, Michael Norment, Atiba Wade, Valerie Patterson, are all products of PDR and the program led by Coach Ellis. There was a really good article on this team in The New York Times Magazine back in the mid 1990s.
Hosea, Pittsburgh's version of Philly's PRIDE story. Coach H.H. coaches at the Kingsley Center and Carrick H.S. Here he is coaching in the summer at Highland Park Pool.
Pride - The "Pride" Mentor Sweepstakes The “Pride” Mentor Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) is intended for viewing and participation only in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia (“U.S.”)
Modern PRIDE guy(s).Photo was taken of Pitt's recent co-captians in Irvine, California, in August 2005 at Nationals. D (left) is a swimmer from Philly. J (right) is now doing his student teaching at CV and made his cuts to the Olympic Trials. He's been the summer coach at Green Tree.
Movie Trailer. The story of PDR (Philadelphia Department of Recreation), which created a number of top 16 swimmers, National and NCAA finalists, and Senior/Junior National qualifiers. One year the team won Junior Nationals. Brielle White, Michael Norment, Atiba Wade, Valerie Patterson, are all products of PDR and the program led by Coach Ellis. There was a really good article on this team in The New York Times Magazine back in the mid 1990s.
Hosea, Pittsburgh's version of Philly's PRIDE story. Coach H.H. coaches at the Kingsley Center and Carrick H.S. Here he is coaching in the summer at Highland Park Pool.
Take the LCB and pull the plug on the entire agency
Pennsylvania does not need the LCB. (Liquor Control Board)
Thanks for your courage, outgoing chairman.
Fire the new CEO. Close the entire organization. Ed Rendell messed up again to benefit his cronies.
Thanks for your courage, outgoing chairman.
Fire the new CEO. Close the entire organization. Ed Rendell messed up again to benefit his cronies.
To spend more time with his family. Parenting becomes a priority for coach!
Is his wife going to have another baby?
No, he's a dad to a high school sophomore. His baby is a sophomore.
Good for you Coach. Too bad you can't retire in Carnegie or Crafton.
We need more 'full-time dads.'
But this line, to spend more time with the family, gets abused. Michael Jordan used it, poorly. Be like Mike was the marketing slogan. We stay-at-home dads were excited when M.J. said he was going to join our ranks. Then a few weeks later, he moved into team ownership roles and beyond in D.C. He pimped himself into the parenting parade for cover for a career venue switch.
Time will tell.
Parenting is a tough job. It is tough when the kids are babies. It gets tougher as they grow. Often parenting is toughest as the kids enter high school.
No, he's a dad to a high school sophomore. His baby is a sophomore.
Good for you Coach. Too bad you can't retire in Carnegie or Crafton.
We need more 'full-time dads.'
But this line, to spend more time with the family, gets abused. Michael Jordan used it, poorly. Be like Mike was the marketing slogan. We stay-at-home dads were excited when M.J. said he was going to join our ranks. Then a few weeks later, he moved into team ownership roles and beyond in D.C. He pimped himself into the parenting parade for cover for a career venue switch.
Time will tell.
Parenting is a tough job. It is tough when the kids are babies. It gets tougher as they grow. Often parenting is toughest as the kids enter high school.
Pittsburgh Jack's Place -- Zooming into the bloggers' domain with facts and insights
He's back. Not Jason. But Jack!
The blog, Pittsburgh Jack's Place, saw a posting that looked very much like a comment on my blog about the ex-pol Dwadida. I too was about to blog about the cover story in the present Pgh City Paper -- but it was lurking in the drafts folder.
Well, his rant as an unsigned comment must have tickled his calling back into the blogger life.
Good to have you back, Jack. He posted today, Jan 4, 2007. His last posting was October 25, 2004.
So, what did you do on your summer vacation?
My comments on the sperm to cronie cover story -- beaten to the punch -- will come later.
The blog, Pittsburgh Jack's Place, saw a posting that looked very much like a comment on my blog about the ex-pol Dwadida. I too was about to blog about the cover story in the present Pgh City Paper -- but it was lurking in the drafts folder.
Well, his rant as an unsigned comment must have tickled his calling back into the blogger life.
Good to have you back, Jack. He posted today, Jan 4, 2007. His last posting was October 25, 2004.
So, what did you do on your summer vacation?
PittsburghJack's Place Out with the OldI sense that Pgh Jack, like me, would be happy if Mike Dawida, stayed only as a fleeting memory in our shared political history -- and didn't freshen his resume with a run for office again in 2007.
Regarding the cover story in the current issue of the Pittsburgh City Paper about the generational shift in Pittsburgh party politics, there is at least one glaring issue that requires clarification.
My comments on the sperm to cronie cover story -- beaten to the punch -- will come later.
WP: New Orleans repeats mistakes - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com
WP: New Orleans repeats mistakes - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com 'There are areas where it doesn't make any sense to rebuild -- they got 20 feet of water in Katrina,' said Tom Murphy, a former Pittsburgh mayor who served on an Urban Land Institute panel for post-Katrina planning. 'In those places, nature is talking to us, and we ought to be listening. I don't think we are.'
Logic Trip concerning a caller about the Civic Arena
He said he worked for 31 years at the Civic Arena. He said he loves hockey.
Hold the phone, pal.
If the arena has not been managed well, who is to blame? Is that the Stadium and Exibition Authority? Is that the city and county? Is that the managers of the civic arena? Who manages the arena now?
If the arena was run down -- do you think the poor treatment should be rewarded? Run things down and trash things -- then it gets an upgrade??? That's churn. That's not healthy.
The city starved many things in the past. They city starved Fifth & Forbes district without washing the streets, without fixing sidewalks, without allowing for facade fix-up funds to building owners -- as provided to all the other sections of the city.
And if the city and county is a slum landlord, whey not fix this concept. Let's make sure that the new arena is owned and operated by another entity other than the public. The public agency has proven to be a slum landlord then we don't want to allow that to continue. Don't build a new arena and put it into the hands of these slum landlords. Put the new venue into the hands of those who are going to care. Put the team in an ownership role, not the city.
A big downfall of the IOC plan was the building of the facility with the windfall of the cheap slots license and then the giving of the facility to the public agency.
The City and County has been acting like a slum landlord in its handling of the Arena in recent years.So, he feels it makes sense to tear down the arena and build a new one.
Hold the phone, pal.
If the arena has not been managed well, who is to blame? Is that the Stadium and Exibition Authority? Is that the city and county? Is that the managers of the civic arena? Who manages the arena now?
If the arena was run down -- do you think the poor treatment should be rewarded? Run things down and trash things -- then it gets an upgrade??? That's churn. That's not healthy.
The city starved many things in the past. They city starved Fifth & Forbes district without washing the streets, without fixing sidewalks, without allowing for facade fix-up funds to building owners -- as provided to all the other sections of the city.
And if the city and county is a slum landlord, whey not fix this concept. Let's make sure that the new arena is owned and operated by another entity other than the public. The public agency has proven to be a slum landlord then we don't want to allow that to continue. Don't build a new arena and put it into the hands of these slum landlords. Put the new venue into the hands of those who are going to care. Put the team in an ownership role, not the city.
A big downfall of the IOC plan was the building of the facility with the windfall of the cheap slots license and then the giving of the facility to the public agency.
Billionaire Mark Cuban asks President Bush to cancel inauguration parties - Wikinews
Blast from the past:
Billionaire Mark Cuban asks President Bush to cancel inauguration parties - Wikinews January 4, 2005
United States – Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, has asked U.S. President George W. Bush to cancel the inauguration parties that are planned in his honor and redirect the cost to aid for Tsunami victims.
'It’s up to President Bush to set an example,' Cuban said in his web blog. 'Could there be anything more confusing and shocking than to read that our country was offering $35mm in aid to the areas affected by the tsunamis, but that the cost of inauguration parties would be about $40mm?'
Elevator Points for Dan Onorato, now on KDKA radio with Marty Griffin
Encourage the Pens to play 10 games a year in other cities until the new arena is built in Allegheny County.
We (Pens, public, local goverment officials) must find a better location for the new hockey venue: Building off the lower hill delivers more profits and customer satisfaction.
PAT needs to quickly deploy E-Z Pass technology -- electronic, debit-card bus passes -- for all ridership. Data on efficiency and capacity is absent. Route cut factors are on a whim. PAT needs real-time and accurate data on the system. An electronic bus pass overhaul, first, ends fare jumpers, fraud, theft, and subsidizations can occur to those who need transit allowances (needy, seniors, students, special populations).
Take the Pens off their game.
Build good-will.
Drive new fans to the Pens & Pgh elsewhere.
We (Pens, public, local goverment officials) must find a better location for the new hockey venue: Building off the lower hill delivers more profits and customer satisfaction.
Airport corridor, Neville Island, North Shore, next to the Convention Center, Parkway Center Mall, Settlers Cabin vicinity are possibilities.
PAT needs to quickly deploy E-Z Pass technology -- electronic, debit-card bus passes -- for all ridership. Data on efficiency and capacity is absent. Route cut factors are on a whim. PAT needs real-time and accurate data on the system. An electronic bus pass overhaul, first, ends fare jumpers, fraud, theft, and subsidizations can occur to those who need transit allowances (needy, seniors, students, special populations).
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Poll: Who should be the Miami Dolphins next coach? | naplesnews.com | Naples Daily News
The NFL's Miami Dolphins are in the hunt for a new head coach now that the ex-LSU coach is headed to 'Bama -- Roll Tide Roll!
Talk goes to assistants with the Steelers as well as a throw back contender: "Bring Don Shula back." Is that the same Don Shula, and NOT his son who was coaching elsewhere recently???
Then there is Chuck Noll, former Steeler coach, who picked up a vote or two as a write-in at the November 2006 general elections.
Talk goes to assistants with the Steelers as well as a throw back contender: "Bring Don Shula back." Is that the same Don Shula, and NOT his son who was coaching elsewhere recently???
Poll: Who should be the Miami Dolphins next coach? | naplesnews.com | Naples Daily News Possible candidates to replace Saban include Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, former Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman, San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Indianapolis assistant Jim Caldwell, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow and Pittsburgh Steelers assistants Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhut.Perhaps they could get Jim Leyland to coach the Dolphins too as he won them (Marlins) a World Series once.
Then there is Chuck Noll, former Steeler coach, who picked up a vote or two as a write-in at the November 2006 general elections.
Pittsburgh Penguins STATEMENT from Mario
Penguins and "We, The People."Official Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins: STATEMENT FROM PENGUINS OWNERS MARIO LEMIEUX AND RON BURKLE best ensure the economic health and long-term future of the Penguins franchiseDear Luke, Dan and Ed,
The line above, from the Pen's web site, is your hook. That's your focus. Mario wants economic health. Mario wants long-term prosperity.
Staying in Pittsburgh is going to deliver more prosperity for the Pens and its owners.
Mario wants an "upside." He wants ROI (a Return on Investment). Mario has a business.
Furthermore, Mario doesn't trust you. Nor should he. Backslapping isn't going to work here as the opportunities have soured.
Tell Mario he can own and operate the Convention Center and we'll do a deal to get a new venue next to the Convention Center in The Strip District.
Tell Mario we'll fit a new venue on the North Shore. Fans in the region, Mario's customers, are familiar with the North Side venue for sporting facilities. Put the hockey arena on the footprint of the proposed, state subsidized outdoor concert venue that the Steelers wanted. The Pens and Steelers can cooperate. Besides, the Steelers don't like the new slots parlor. They'll like the Pens.
Tell Mario we'll give him plenty of land out by the airport and the new highways there. He can build a Penguins Village, like an Olympic Village.
Tell Mario he can build out on Neville Island, near another highway, near customers.
Mario's land purchase of recent years in the Civic Arena's neighborhood can be leveraged into the package as Don Barden said he'd devote money to The Hill.
When we talk about the big picture -- getting long term economic health for the franchise -- there are plenty of great options that offer a much better situation than re-building in the same area of the city.
My other post from earlier today offering him games elsewhere and cooperation with the civic arena can be like the cherry of your discussions.
Preview of a welcome from Luke to Mario:
Hi Mario. Hope Kansas City's trip went well. How about if the Pens play 10 games a year in KC until you get to move into your own brand-new venue in Allegheny County. Let's draw up a more flexible lease for Mellon Arena for next year so you can play some of the home games in other cities in 2007-2008 season.
Take them off their game, but don't stray from their goal, profits.
Honz Man won't run for ACE -- asked by GOP to run against Dan Onorato
Honz Man like Dan Onorato. Honz Man won't run for the Chief Executive slot. And, he says, he was asked by the Allgheny County GOP to run for the office.
Honz Man is injured. He has a bad leg or foot. He is doing his show form him home in recent weeks.
I'd say it would be hard for Honz to run when we can't even walk.
This isn't the year for a Honz Man Campaign. Get well first. Furthermore, don't pull a Lynn Swann. Honz should run for PA Senate. Honz might do well to run for PA House. Or, run for both in the same year, 2008.
I was at the Allegheny County Election Department today doing some research on the write in votes. I know that the Honz Man got some votes. Same too for Marty Griffin. Also, Rob Louge got a good number of votes. Some for Governor, some for US Senator.
Honz should get into politics. We need to keep putting attention into the local races.
My prediction is that the Honz Man might do as well as Bill Green did in his recent election for D.M.
Honz Man is injured. He has a bad leg or foot. He is doing his show form him home in recent weeks.
I'd say it would be hard for Honz to run when we can't even walk.
This isn't the year for a Honz Man Campaign. Get well first. Furthermore, don't pull a Lynn Swann. Honz should run for PA Senate. Honz might do well to run for PA House. Or, run for both in the same year, 2008.
I was at the Allegheny County Election Department today doing some research on the write in votes. I know that the Honz Man got some votes. Same too for Marty Griffin. Also, Rob Louge got a good number of votes. Some for Governor, some for US Senator.
Honz should get into politics. We need to keep putting attention into the local races.
My prediction is that the Honz Man might do as well as Bill Green did in his recent election for D.M.
stay at home, lockstepping local leadership
Rep. Dennis O'Brien became speaker of the PA General Assembly by defeating former speaker Rep. John Perzel in a 105-97 vote.
O'Brien, R, got nominated by the D. And, O'Brien got six Republicans to break ranks with the R leadership. These voted for O'Brien: Reps. Kerry Benninghoff (R., Center), Jim Cox (R., Berks), Brad Roae (R., Crawford), Sam Rohrer (R., Berks), Curt Schroder (R., Chester) and David Steil (R., Bucks).
Meanwhile, three Democrats in the House split from D leadership and voted for Perzel: Reps. Thomas Caltagirone (D., Berks), Angel Cruz (D., Phila.) and Rosita Youngblood (D., Phila.).
Summary: All the locals went with leadership -- lockstepping into the future without breaking ranks. None of them were original.
Furthermore, should a Libertarian, or a Green, or an Indie be in the PA House in Harrisburg, then more interesting deals would get made with these 'lone wolf reps.' Kings would be made by these lone voices, as I'd expect.
It only took a few to topple the log jam. I'd rather see the few be real thinkers and real reformers -- other than the backstabbing among cronies.
SOS & Save Our Transit with Silly Old Slogans
Protesters marched downtown today and had a few fleeting moments before tv news cameras today outside of the city-county building on Grant Street. I counted no more than ten protesters. And, they are the regulars, as pointed out by a security guard inside the building working at the medal detector.
My message to them: Change the message and you'd have 100 others standing with you. For years, you've been barking and taking a beating. For years, the strategy has been failing.
They say:
Save Our Transit
No Service Cuts
No Fare Hikes
Dumb, dumb, dumb. They've been there with the same messages and it isn't working.
I don't even want to march with them these days.
They should be saying:
Stop the Tunnel!
But no. They defend the tunnel. They don't want to be real advocates for real reform.
He wasn't at the rally.
The screen on the top of this green box is what we need. The Octopus system in Hong Kong is wonderful. Think of E-Z Pass as used on the Turnpike but for all transit riders.
My message to them: Change the message and you'd have 100 others standing with you. For years, you've been barking and taking a beating. For years, the strategy has been failing.
They say:
Dumb, dumb, dumb. They've been there with the same messages and it isn't working.
I don't even want to march with them these days.
They should be saying:
Stop the Tunnel!
But no. They defend the tunnel. They don't want to be real advocates for real reform.
He wasn't at the rally.
The screen on the top of this green box is what we need. The Octopus system in Hong Kong is wonderful. Think of E-Z Pass as used on the Turnpike but for all transit riders.
Dealing with the Pens and Politicians in Pittsburgh
The arena in Kansas City is not done. The building is not yet finished. So, no building sits waiting for the Penguins or any other NHL team, yet. The waiting might begin in the fall.
The lease for Mellon Arena for the Penguins expires at the end of this season.
Advice for Dan Ororato, Luke Ravenstahl and Jeff Koch, of Pittsburgh's City Council and a member of the Sports & Exhibition Authority, PA Senator, Wayne Fontana, also a joker on the SEA:
+ Invite the Penguins to sign a one year lease for Mellon Arena. Make the lease extension offer.
+ Invite the Penguins to play up to ten games per year at other venues until a new venue is built in Pittsburgh. And, the Penguins want to play 10 games in K.C. and 10 in Houston each year, let them do it.
The Penguins should be free to move. The Penguins should be free to stay and scout around a bit.
Should the Penguins build a fan base in Houston and Kansas City, they'll be building bridges back to the city of Pittsburgh too. Hell, let the team play games in Hamilton too. Play 4 in each town. Play in 4 different towns. That might get people in those towns hooked on the Pens and get them to future games in Pittsburgh. I think it would be cool to have the Pens play some home games in other cities while we work through this venue crisis.
That's cooperation.
That's a community solution.
That's a win-win solution.
That buys good will. And, the politicians deserve nothing from the Pens in the category of 'good will.' The politicans have done nothing.
Yesterday a member of city council, Tonya Payne, told me that she does not want to see the Penguins move off the the hill. Well, Tonya's wants and the reality of the situation are not the same. She is out of touch and too selfish. If anyone insists that the Pens stay in The Hill -- the Pens will depart. The grass is greener elsewhere when staying put means the upper downtown area and lower hill.
I want to be sure that the Pens have a long-term home in Pennsylvania. I want to have a solution that won't be back in the faces of the city and its fans again in 10-20 years.
A new public financed arena owned by the public authority with a 10, 20 or 30 year lease is going to mean we repeat the same old story again in 10 or 20 years. The Pens should have the juice to design, build, upkeep and own its own facility forever. And, the deal for the Pens needs to be one that makes that organization healthy too, without tax subsidization.
The leaders are going to need some creativity. And, this is what I fear most.
Dan Onorato and Luke Ravenstahl and even Governor can not begin the conversation with a re-hash of "Plan B finances." That isn't what any sales person would do. That isn't what Mario really wants to hear.
The sales process begins with questions to qualify the buyer. Overcome objections. Don't jump to finance matters.
Furthermore, it is the public officials job to tell the Pens that when they leave the Civic Arena, it is NOT their building. They'll leave their lease and the building will remain. So, if the Penguins want to come back and play 10 games a year as turn-back-the-clock games at our Civic Arena -- fine. We might be able to work out that deal.
Then the Pens could build a new arena out by the airport and make lots of money in multiple deals. Plus, a few times a year the Pens could have a golden opportunity to hold a special game in the city at the Civic Arena.
The Civic Arena isn't the best venue for the mega rock shows. Fine. But, there is a future for that building beyond the Penguins. And, if the Pens are willing to craft a deal and venue in the area, the Civic Arena might be a perfect venue for supporting other activities associated with the team and its fans -- beyond game-day hockey nights.
The lease for Mellon Arena for the Penguins expires at the end of this season.
Advice for Dan Ororato, Luke Ravenstahl and Jeff Koch, of Pittsburgh's City Council and a member of the Sports & Exhibition Authority, PA Senator, Wayne Fontana, also a joker on the SEA:
+ Invite the Penguins to sign a one year lease for Mellon Arena. Make the lease extension offer.
+ Invite the Penguins to play up to ten games per year at other venues until a new venue is built in Pittsburgh. And, the Penguins want to play 10 games in K.C. and 10 in Houston each year, let them do it.
The Penguins should be free to move. The Penguins should be free to stay and scout around a bit.
Should the Penguins build a fan base in Houston and Kansas City, they'll be building bridges back to the city of Pittsburgh too. Hell, let the team play games in Hamilton too. Play 4 in each town. Play in 4 different towns. That might get people in those towns hooked on the Pens and get them to future games in Pittsburgh. I think it would be cool to have the Pens play some home games in other cities while we work through this venue crisis.
That's cooperation.
That's a community solution.
That's a win-win solution.
That buys good will. And, the politicians deserve nothing from the Pens in the category of 'good will.' The politicans have done nothing.
Yesterday a member of city council, Tonya Payne, told me that she does not want to see the Penguins move off the the hill. Well, Tonya's wants and the reality of the situation are not the same. She is out of touch and too selfish. If anyone insists that the Pens stay in The Hill -- the Pens will depart. The grass is greener elsewhere when staying put means the upper downtown area and lower hill.
I want to be sure that the Pens have a long-term home in Pennsylvania. I want to have a solution that won't be back in the faces of the city and its fans again in 10-20 years.
A new public financed arena owned by the public authority with a 10, 20 or 30 year lease is going to mean we repeat the same old story again in 10 or 20 years. The Pens should have the juice to design, build, upkeep and own its own facility forever. And, the deal for the Pens needs to be one that makes that organization healthy too, without tax subsidization.
The leaders are going to need some creativity. And, this is what I fear most.
Dan Onorato and Luke Ravenstahl and even Governor can not begin the conversation with a re-hash of "Plan B finances." That isn't what any sales person would do. That isn't what Mario really wants to hear.
The sales process begins with questions to qualify the buyer. Overcome objections. Don't jump to finance matters.
Furthermore, it is the public officials job to tell the Pens that when they leave the Civic Arena, it is NOT their building. They'll leave their lease and the building will remain. So, if the Penguins want to come back and play 10 games a year as turn-back-the-clock games at our Civic Arena -- fine. We might be able to work out that deal.
Then the Pens could build a new arena out by the airport and make lots of money in multiple deals. Plus, a few times a year the Pens could have a golden opportunity to hold a special game in the city at the Civic Arena.
The Civic Arena isn't the best venue for the mega rock shows. Fine. But, there is a future for that building beyond the Penguins. And, if the Pens are willing to craft a deal and venue in the area, the Civic Arena might be a perfect venue for supporting other activities associated with the team and its fans -- beyond game-day hockey nights.
Ballot Access News � Blog Archive � Pennsylvania Releases Official Returns
Get this! We hold an election but don't count the vote?
Write in candidates score as 'write in' and not as they should?
The rail road worker from the eastern side of Pennsylvania who wanted to run for US Senate had the pleasure of being knocked off the ballot and getting more than $900,000 in bills -- thanks to undemocratic democrats. Then to add more insult, the write in vote count is unknown.
We demand, as the PA Constitution says, "free and equal elections." That should be everyone gets equal status. A person who is less isn't equal. Count them all. Tell the results. Do your jobs!
Write in candidates score as 'write in' and not as they should?
Ballot Access News � Blog Archive � Pennsylvania Releases Official Returns Pennsylvania Releases Official ReturnsI looked hard for the write in results from Allegheny County and can't find them on the web. Where are they?
December 22nd, 2006
On December 22, Pennsylvania released its official returns. Carl Romanelli was credited with 645 write-ins. He was the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate who fought to be on the ballot. His true write-in total will never be known, since 23 of Pennsylvania’s counties didn’t canvass write-ins. These 23 counties include some of the most populous counties in the state. They include Centre (the county that includes State College), Erie, and Philadelphia Counties.
The rail road worker from the eastern side of Pennsylvania who wanted to run for US Senate had the pleasure of being knocked off the ballot and getting more than $900,000 in bills -- thanks to undemocratic democrats. Then to add more insult, the write in vote count is unknown.
We demand, as the PA Constitution says, "free and equal elections." That should be everyone gets equal status. A person who is less isn't equal. Count them all. Tell the results. Do your jobs!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Sports Business News: Two Steps Back and maybe one big step forward for the NHL
Sports Business News: Two Steps Back and maybe one big step forward for the NHL: "Councilman William Peduto, expected to be the next Pittsburgh Mayor, was also an Isle of Capri supporter, and questioned whether Plan B could win legislative approval, if that is needed. 'My bottom line on Plan B is, show me the money,' he said."
Predictions for the year to come
Cute.
Predictions for the year to come Feb. 13
Ending speculation about his future career, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum enters race for Republican nomination for mayor of Pittsburgh. He calls questions about his lack of a Pittsburgh address 'an irrelevant topic created by the media.'
Feb. 22
Scurrying to prevent the Penguins' threatened departure for Omaha, local politicians unveil Plan J, which would use state funds to cover the Dormont pool with an ice rink and roof and install 17,200 portable seats.
Swimming sisters help each other overcome adversity
Swimmers shine!
Swimming sisters help each other overcome adversity Swimming sisters help each other overcome adversity
Pooling their strength
Monday, January 01, 2007
Treason! To say that a state rep's vote for speaker is "treason" should that choice go to one outside his party is just the talk of a jackass!
Treason????
More of them need to be swept out of office. But talk of treason --- think again!
More of them need to be swept out of office. But talk of treason --- think again!
Going to City Council Chambers to speak about the new arena on Jan 2 at 10 am
I'm going to attend and speak for 3-minutes before the Pittsburgh's City Council meeting and share a few pointers about the Penguins and the hope of a new arena.
The new arena could have glass pedestrian walkways.
Ballot Access -- one of the many top priorities
Pennsylvania's Constitution guarantees "fair and equal elections." However, nominees for statewide office from the two major parties need merely 2,000 primary election ballot access signatures to qualify for the November general election. Others need more than 67,000.
That doesn't sound fair and equal to me. How about you?
I urge you to bring fairness to statewide elections by passing the Voters' Choice Act.
Find out more at PaBallotAccess.org and please let me know where you stand.
Taking a dip with the Polar Bear Club: Air = 49 degrees F; Water = 47
It was fun.
The water felt much like the day at the beach in Maine when there was a heat wave and a stiff wind from land to ocean. The pins in my forearms ached quickly.
Otherwise, my swim was about 30-40 yards. Jumped in at the "go" signal and slugged upstream for about 15-20 yards with most of the others in and out in that time. Not bad. But upon turning around, the dry land called and welcomed with a longing passion.
There must have been 350 people at the Mon Wharf this morning at 9 am. More were flowing in as I was leaving. None were as prepared as me in certain categorys. In other regards, such as tobacco and booze, I was not in their league at all. I was wearing my yellow latex swim cap, pulled over the years to keep out the water. Tip one, keep the ears dry and warm.
I also had my open water swim goggles with the reflective lense. We really needed it today as the sun was bright. Most near me were finding it hard to get good photos because of the bright sun. A few others were noticed with plain old swim goggles. The ones I use offer a great field of vision and are so large that most of my face stays warm as well.
On my feet, the surf booties that tighten above the ankles. They can be made so tight as to keep out all water. My toes were happy feet. The rubber bottoms don't grip worth a darn on the slime covered steep edge of concrete leading from the parking spot and guard rail to the edge of the water, at a 45-degree angle. Thanks to the guy who offered me a hand in pulling me out to the bank. Perhaps I should have jumped at that location and climbed out at the more gradual ramp so as to keep my footing. Otherwise, I'm crawling on my bellie.
Plus, I kept my pull-bouey! That way I could offer it to anyone who might be in need -- or just keep myself on top of the water and swim with the head out in an effortless way.
My outfit was complete with the body glove surf suit that goes to elbows and knees. All in all -- I cheated on the wardrobe. No t-shirt nor trunks for me.
After the exit, it took about 2 minutes and I was warm again. The recovery was quick, but I didn't feel the temptation to re-enter, as many others did.
I had to rush home for some clean up duties around the home/office for a party today. We're going to fire up the Chocolate Fountain, a gift from last year. A few of the guys are going to visit for a play day.
Very little on the web was available about the polar bear club in Pittsburgh. The zoo's new exhibit was easily found. But after today, with all the 'fair weather friends' taking the plunge, I bet we'll see lots of digital pictures at Flicker and Picassa. I hope so as I didn't take a single photo. KDKA and other tv stations were there, of course.
My boys didn't join me. Grant was playing computer games and passed. He pondered the activity long and hard but whimped out. Erik is still sleeping. He's turning more into a teenager with his sleep patterns. He wasn't going to go anyway. No way. He's even worried about sharks with our pending swims in New Zealand with dolphins.
E. and J. and their dad, swimmers on the Carlynton Swim Team, were there and swimming. Good for them. They'll have more stories to tell. I bet I saw 30 or 40 kids under the age of 14.
Another swim group exists. I wish I had pointers to them.
The water felt much like the day at the beach in Maine when there was a heat wave and a stiff wind from land to ocean. The pins in my forearms ached quickly.
Otherwise, my swim was about 30-40 yards. Jumped in at the "go" signal and slugged upstream for about 15-20 yards with most of the others in and out in that time. Not bad. But upon turning around, the dry land called and welcomed with a longing passion.
There must have been 350 people at the Mon Wharf this morning at 9 am. More were flowing in as I was leaving. None were as prepared as me in certain categorys. In other regards, such as tobacco and booze, I was not in their league at all. I was wearing my yellow latex swim cap, pulled over the years to keep out the water. Tip one, keep the ears dry and warm.
I also had my open water swim goggles with the reflective lense. We really needed it today as the sun was bright. Most near me were finding it hard to get good photos because of the bright sun. A few others were noticed with plain old swim goggles. The ones I use offer a great field of vision and are so large that most of my face stays warm as well.
On my feet, the surf booties that tighten above the ankles. They can be made so tight as to keep out all water. My toes were happy feet. The rubber bottoms don't grip worth a darn on the slime covered steep edge of concrete leading from the parking spot and guard rail to the edge of the water, at a 45-degree angle. Thanks to the guy who offered me a hand in pulling me out to the bank. Perhaps I should have jumped at that location and climbed out at the more gradual ramp so as to keep my footing. Otherwise, I'm crawling on my bellie.
Plus, I kept my pull-bouey! That way I could offer it to anyone who might be in need -- or just keep myself on top of the water and swim with the head out in an effortless way.
My outfit was complete with the body glove surf suit that goes to elbows and knees. All in all -- I cheated on the wardrobe. No t-shirt nor trunks for me.
After the exit, it took about 2 minutes and I was warm again. The recovery was quick, but I didn't feel the temptation to re-enter, as many others did.
I had to rush home for some clean up duties around the home/office for a party today. We're going to fire up the Chocolate Fountain, a gift from last year. A few of the guys are going to visit for a play day.
Very little on the web was available about the polar bear club in Pittsburgh. The zoo's new exhibit was easily found. But after today, with all the 'fair weather friends' taking the plunge, I bet we'll see lots of digital pictures at Flicker and Picassa. I hope so as I didn't take a single photo. KDKA and other tv stations were there, of course.
My boys didn't join me. Grant was playing computer games and passed. He pondered the activity long and hard but whimped out. Erik is still sleeping. He's turning more into a teenager with his sleep patterns. He wasn't going to go anyway. No way. He's even worried about sharks with our pending swims in New Zealand with dolphins.
E. and J. and their dad, swimmers on the Carlynton Swim Team, were there and swimming. Good for them. They'll have more stories to tell. I bet I saw 30 or 40 kids under the age of 14.
Another swim group exists. I wish I had pointers to them.
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