tonight's practice and activites from our day

We'll play a bit of catch-up.

Yesterday the boys had a violin lesson. The teacher came to the house. She was good and teaches for many home schooled children. The boys have a new song to learn -- a tune from the N.Z. tradition.

Today we went to the bike shop and got a new bike for Grant. His was giving some troubles in the shifting of gears and a rattle on the chain often between gears. So, a new (to us) yellow bike is his ride.

On the way, we hit a big rain and wind storm. They said that the rain comes and goes if the wind is with it. Without the wind, it will rain for a long time. We had wind today. Sure enough, the rain stopped about an hour later. With the dark sky and wind and rain -- we used the time to play in the gym at Wharenui. The boys and I played basketball for 90 minutes or so.

After Grant's swim practice he got to go with a swim buddie to the mall and KFC.

I coached the 'development group' and then hung around with the national group too. They had a spring workout.

The group I'm coaching has done a great job with a few of the challenges I've given them so far. Yesterday we devoted some time to dive 25s with fins -- kicking fly underwater in a streamline -- trying to get to the other end of the pool without a breath in as few kicks as possible.

At the start, some of the kids were hitting 15 to 20 kicks. After a few, they were 12 and 10. Then a few more and some were at 5, 6, 7 kicks to get the length of the swim pool.

Today we reviewed a bit. Then the swimmers were asked to go as far as possible after a dive with fins and only TWO kicks. One swimmer was able to get nearly to the flags at the other end. All of the swimmers were past half-way.

In the national group, I helped with some starts. On the last start the swimmers went underwater, streamlined, kicking breastroke, counting the kicks for a length. They were asked to get as few kicks as possible. Some kickers were at 7 and 8. Most were around 10.

The head coach, Martin, is going to swim in the AM practice and I'll lead the session. We train from 7 to 9 am on Saturday mornings. We'll have a combined group with National and Developmental kids in the water.

I got a good bit of video and some photos tonight of the swimmers so as to pull together a technique presentation. But, I'm not going to post that to the web. And, I'm going to avoid speaking about any one swimmer.

We're going to Willowbank tomorrow. I went there with Erik and Grant the other day on bikes. But we'll go in the evening and see a Maori Cultural Show with a Haka, I expect. Then a tour. The kiwi (a bird) is nocturnal. They run around in the day as they have a darkened room. So we saw them the other day -- but it was way to dark for cameras and there were lots of signs about no cameras too.

California Republican debate transcript - The Debates - MSNBC.com

California Republican debate transcript - The Debates - MSNBC.com: "California Republican debate transcript"

So, National City's credit card doesn't work any longer -- and we're in New Zealand

Sux to have a snafu with a credit card while on a trip to New Zealand. Way to go National City. Putting a new credit card in our mail box at home isn't going to help us while we're in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Jeepers.

Councilman puts roadblock on potential Onorato gubernatorial bid - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Councilman puts roadblock on potential Onorato gubernatorial bid - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato could be forced to leave office to seek the governor's mansion if a potential referendum being advocated by County Councilman Matt Drozd gets support at the polls this November.

Drozd said he plans to introduce an ordinance calling for the reform at a County Council committee meeting tonight. The measure, if passed, would require a chief executive to resign if he or she sought any other public office.

'I can't accept these people that are governor and want to be president ... and they're still being paid to be governor,' said Drozd, R-Ross. 'I don't want to be paying (a campaigning politician) on taxpayer dollars.'

Onorato, a Democrat running for reelection this year, has not announced plans to succeed Gov. Ed Rendell, though many speculate he will enter the 2010 gubernatorial race.

Go Mr. Drozd. Great idea. Onorato should run for governor as a private citizen.

Koch's campaign for council faces new questions

Humm...

Koch's campaign for council faces new questions Mr. Phillips said Ms. Conroy 'basically told me she was calling me to ask if the councilman could use my name on a mailer that his campaign was producing. Apparently the campaign is attempting to put together a piece that shows all of the former candidates in the March special election support Jeff.'

My phone number is 64-03-364-2715. You'll need to call New Zealand to speak with me.

I don't think that Jason, as the article said, will put his name on the list.

I don't think Mike Walagorski will put his name on a list for Jeff Koch either.

I won't put my name on a list as well -- but -- I'd be willing to take a phone call at a decent hour to talk about the matter. I'm going to run against either Jeff or Bruce -- depending upon who wins the D party primary. Or, I'll get another to do so under the Libertarian banner.

I do have the strong impression that in 2006, headed into the March 14 special election with nine candidates, that Bruce Kraus was the lone man out. Had any of the other eight had broken with Kraus -- he could have won the race. But, Kraus had been double-talking throughtout the campaign and wasn't getting any love from any of the other candidates.

I was very happy that Jeff Koch beat Bruce Kraus. Kraus is much like Tom Murphy -- a double talker who offered too much to everyone -- and it was always a different offer. And, those offers were only empty promises that would have never been kept.

Kraus has no sense of what government is about and what it should be doing.

Kraus is not worthy to serve in public office in my humble opinion. IMHO, Kraus would be a wedge and source of underhandedness on council.

Even the quote in the P-G from Kraus is a load of crap. Mr. Kraus yesterday said there is "a pattern of behavior" of using city resources for his opponent's campaign. "People under his authority are using city time and resources for his campaign," he said, adding that he thought the involved workers were not at fault and were "caught in the middle here." So, Kraus doesn't want to peg the employees. What's up with that. Kraus is the one who is always caught in the middle.

Meanwhile, I am not impressed with the folks on city council nor with the leadership from the mayor's administration. They are driven by spite and envy. The sense of purpose is absent. Principles are down the drain.

Mode of transportation

 

We've been doing most of our travels on bikes. We wear these bright vests. Erik has leg straps to help keep his pants out of the chain. Grant's vest was purchased at a recent trip so we could get one that wasn't so large (adult sized). Generally I go first. Grant is in the middle. Erik brings up the rear.

People on bikes MUST wear helmets in New Zealand. It is a law.

I packed our bike gloves from home.

My bike has two saddle bags on a rack off the back. That's where the swim bag, camera and spare tire goes.

Getting into the game at Wharenui

Tonight, I coached.

In the photo, Martin is coaching the national group on the left. I'm starting our practice with the development group on the right.  

PDF 2007 UnConference

PDF 2007 UnConference* Got an idea for a hands-on workshop?
* Eager to hash over your latest project?
* Dying to dig deep into the latest technology tool or trend?

At the PDF unConference, there is no audience, only participants. There are no 'official' sessions; you drive the agenda. We'll provide the space, the food, the caffeine and the wifi; you do the rest.

Come Saturday and be part of the solution.

Sounds a lot like PodCamp.
alt="PDF Conference/UnConference" width="183" height="187">
Too bad there does NOT seem to be a wiki to organize the event before it begins -- until after you pay the $35. What's up with that. Why not open the wiki for all before they sign up?

To provide the space, wi-fi, lunch and engine from the day before is nice. To help with the PR is great too. But, I would hope that this would be a real grass-roots tool with the ability to make for associations in advance of the meeting. But, nice try and effort. Hope it becomes fruitful.

Koch gets full time campaign workers now

We've been watching public works crews here in Chirstchurch -- thinking about you all in Pittsburgh. It is fall, so there is a lot of leaf collecting. The gardens are everywhere and are still blooming with plenty of different flowers. Plus, it is rugby season and there are fields everywhere. All are in great condition too.

Now I notice that Jeff Koch has picked up some fulltime campaign workers now that a few from the public works crew have been given a five day suspension. When they were on the job -- they needed to work.

If I was Bruce Kraus -- I'd be careful for what to wish for. Kraus should ask that the suspensions begin on May 16.

Watching the money

Watching the money The mayor's five-figure fans

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl finished out April with $695,906 in the bank, and nobody to spend it against, since his Democratic rival Councilman William Peduto dropped his mayoral bid in March.

Ron Paul's debate performance is setting the net ablaze

Great news starts to fill the sails of the campaign for the guy who should be the next US President.

ARLINGTON, VA – Congressman Ron Paul's support has soared since the first Republican presidential debate. Conservative commentator John McLaughlin, host of "The McLaughlin Group," cited Ron Paul as having given "the best performance of the debate." In fact, the Paul campaign's apparent strength has many other pundits scrambling to explain it. Paul campaign officials offer the following examples of the candidate's rising success.

Since the debate on May 3, Ron Paul:

1. Handily won two post-debate polls posted by event sponsor MSNBC.

2. Placed a close third (18%) in a post-debate poll on the conservative Drudge Report.

3. Won an ABCNews.com online debate poll with 84%.

4. Won a C-SPAN online GOP candidate poll with 69%.

5. Became the third most-mentioned person in the blogosphere, beating out Paris Hilton, according to the reputable Technorati.com.

6. Produced a YouTube.com video that was ranked the 8th most popular overall video, and the most-viewed political video.

7. Was featured, by popular demand, on the front of Digg.com.

8. Generated so many bulletin posts on MySpace.com that the site owner News Corp. blocked all additional posts about Dr. Paul.

9. Became a "most searched" term on Google and Yahoo!.

10. Saw a quadrupling of daily visitors to RonPaul2008.com.

"These figures speak for themselves," said campaign chairman Kent Snyder. "Ron Paul has quickly become a strong contender for the GOP nomination because of his powerful message of freedom and limited government."

Mayor, Police Chief Address String Of Violence - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh

Mayor, Police Chief Address String Of Violence - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh Added Chief Harper, 'In addition, we will beef up our police presence in high crime areas and saturate the neighborhoods with bike patrol. In order to stop the cycle of violence, we must eliminate the target.'

The campus police in Cantebury use segways. The segway is a two-wheeled scooter that has computer chips to balance, big left and right wheels and an electric engine -- so speed is very good.

Police on bikes is a good thing for many reasons. However, the police on bikes need to stay off of the sidewalks while on their bikes. All zipping bikes need to be off the sidewalks.

Weekly swim plans for the national squad

By Martin, the head coach.

How sad is it to have a ribbon cutting for this

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Marmaduke Park is slated for Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 2:00 pm for the new concession stand and bathroom facilities.

Great news. A place to get hot dogs and take a whiz opens. Let's cut a ribbon and have a ceremony. Wonder if the ribbon looks like a roll of toilet paper.

About the Southern Trust

At our swim pool in Christchurch, there are two major sponsors. One is McDonalds. The other is the Southern Trust. I looked at the logo and name and thought it must be a bank or a credit union or some sort of financial organization for consumers. Well, it is -- kinda. And, it plays a role that Pittsburgh is trying to get a handle upon too -- with hockey arena funding and Hill District residents.

About the Southern Trust About the Southern Trust
Funding the Community

The Southern Trust works on behalf of the community in two important ways. We play an administrative role both in the generation of revenue from gaming machines and the returning of these revenues to local communities in meaningful ways.

Community Grants ...

Read more at the site.

Staff schedule for coaching

Hungary for hockey coverage and international sports

Posted by Steve Klein

NHL Capitals to Make News by Reporting It

It's no longer news to anyone that the Internet makes everyone a publisher. But does mainstream media fully understand the implications, and that alternative sources are becoming the news provider of choice -- especially when there is no choice?

The Washington Capitals (http://www.washingtoncaps.com/index2.html) plan to send four reporters to Moscow to offer hockey fans unprecedented coverage of the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship (http://live82.ihwc.net/english/) now underway through May 13. The Capitals will partner with Clearspring Technologies (http://www.clearspring.com) to deliver audio, video and text content to their site for Caps fans, as well as to local, national and international media outlets via a specialized widget.

The Capitals have five players and two prospects participating in the tournament -- including their leading scorer and star, Alex Ovechkin (http://www.washingtoncaps.com/team/player.asp?player_id=17) , who will play for Russia. Although coverage will focus on the Capitals players and prospects, the reporters will provide coverage that will appeal to a world-wide audience.

The coverage team includes Mike Vogel and Sean Parker from the Capitals along with John Keeley and Mike Rucki of On Frozen Blog (http://www.onfrozenblog.com/) . Vogel and Parker produce the majority of the editorial content on the Capitals' site (http://www.washingtoncaps.com/index2.html) , named the NHL's best team site last year by Forbes.com. Vogel also writes the blog Dump 'n Chase (http://www.dumpnchase.blogspot.com) .

Keeley and Rucki are part of a four-person group that launched "On Frozen Blog" in October 2006 as "a haven for the hockey malnourished." And that's what this initiative by Caps majority owner and chairman Ted Leonsis is all about: Providing content and coverage in under-covered niches that mainstream media ignore for a variety of reasons.

"Our local media -- either because of lack of interest or lack of budget due to declines in circulation, ad revenue decreases and newsroom layoffs -- are not covering the World Championships of Hockey in Moscow," Leonsis wrote May 3 on his blog, Ted's Take (http://ted.aol.com/index.php?ID=873) . "The tournament is big news around the world so we have decided to invest and send four people to cover the event and then put all coverage on the Web for free. We will share the news with new and traditional media outlets and syndicate it far and wide.

"Web 2.0 makes it possible for us to get our coverage out to millions and millions of people, promoting our sport, our team and our players. Our coverage on the Web and in the blogosphere is starting to look like a well heeled major media enterprise compared to many traditional media outlets that must curtail their coverage due to lack of budget based on the fragile state of their old business model."

The Capitals have not made the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs for several years and often are treated like an afterthought in the NFL-Washington-Redskins-crazed D.C. metro area media. Leonsis is probably best known for his longtime significant relationship with AOL. But the Capitals are no plaything as far as Leonsis is concerned. He's obviously tired of waiting for the media to come to him and the Caps.

The coverage will include stories, audio and video interviews, photos and podcasts. The Capitals, through their relationship with Clearspring Technologies, will deliver the content directly to interested media and online outlets via a specialized Web-based widget. Media outlets and individuals with blogs or social networking pages can post the widget directly to their sites, where others can access the information.

I love the fact that there will be expanded coverage of international sports in the US. Generally, the US is way behind the rest of the world in all understandings of global discussions -- including sports.

Furthermore, I ask about the weirdness of the journalists that hail from the Washington Capitals. This crew to cover the games is not from the Washington Post. They are working for the NHL team.

Wonder what Mark Madden has to say about this?

The hotel rooms in Olympic Villages have never been the same since the hockey teams have come, crashed and departed. Now, perhaps, the apartment managers are going to need to watch out for the journalists too.

Newcomer challenges Onorato for Allegheny County post - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Newcomer challenges Onorato for Allegheny County post - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review And when a friend complained to him that Onorato was getting a free ride because no one -- Republican or Democrat -- wanted to take him on, Swartz, a Democrat, started his first political campaign.

No one. Well, there are some.

It is bad when the MSM (mainstream media) can't do math. And, when the math is only on one hand -- it is even worse.

One is bigger than none. Two is more than one.

Mayor's tax plan leaves out some city locations

The Luke plan is a bad plan. Luke's plan is a plan that plays favorites. Luke's plan is typical Pittsburgh. Luke's plan was hatched because Bill's plan was seeded. Both are bad.

Mayor's tax plan leaves out some city locations At a recent City Council hearing, Brightwood advocate Ed Brandt, fired by frustration, called the applications 'capricious and arbitrary. I have spent 15 years working on the North Side, and nothing tells me the logic of why Spring Garden and not Troy Hill, why Fineview and not Perry Hilltop [Perry South], why Manchester and not Brightwood?'

The way to fix this unfair plan, the Luke lie, is to give everyone a tax break.

A sift back to the land-value tax is a move in the right direction. It is fair. It is universal. It promotes freedom. It respects the marketplace. It works to insure a dense, urban landscape.

Move afoot to return marathon

Move afoot to return marathon In some incarnation, the Pittsburgh Marathon might be coming back next year.

Christchuch has a marathon. It will be held soon.