Meet this guy on Friday in Pittsburgh at a free and open event at CMU

Planetarium on defense after McCain criticism - Chicago Breaking News

What does our Running Mate, Glenn W, say about this?

Planetarium on defense after McCain criticism - Chicago Breaking News: "Planetarium on defense after McCain criticism

Dr. Paul Knappenberger, president of the Adler Planetarium, talks about the Zeiss Planetarium Instrument today. Sen. John McCain referred to the instrument as an 'overhead projector' in last night's presidential debate.

Aides to Barack Obama and officials at Adler Planetarium moved today to explain a pair of earmarks Obama has sought for the museum since 2006, at a time when the planetarium's chairman was raising money for the U.S. senator's presidential campaign."

2008 Presidential Candidate Spending Analyses

National Taxpayers Union studies three presidential candidates on spending positions.

2008 Presidential Candidate Spending Analyses: "2008 Presidential Candidate Spending Analyses"

Standard of clarity - from McCain. My Friends -- err -- fellow prisoners

Say what?

Facebook | Patriot Nation

Facebook | Patriot Nation: "'Bob Barr has been on the barricades defending Americans' privacy and liberty against Big Government ever since 1995. He is one of the modern heroes of the Fourth Amendment, standing up for privacy against the FBI, the National Security Agency, and Homeland Security. He is also one of the most savvy and hard-hitting heroes of the Second Amendment, fighting to expose government abuses around the nation.' - Jim Bovard, Author of Lost Rights and Attention Deficit Democracy"

Reminder, Tonight is trash night

From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events

To my "friends" on the South Side, here is a little clean and green reminder. Tonight is trash night. Put your trash onto the curb for Thursday's early morning pick up.

Life Hint: your landlord may or may not have told you this information about trash collection in the city you now reside. So, figure it out yourself.

Life Hint 2: You don't need to, but it might help matters, if you always took the time to make your bed every morning. You never know when an over-reaching member of council may start to craft legislation about that.

On housing, McCain now likes big government - Oct. 8, 2008

This will be bailout 3.0 -- err -- the Third Bailout.

On housing, McCain now likes big government - Oct. 8, 2008: "WASHINGTON (Fortune) -- Minutes into last night's presidential debate, the already listing ship of free-market Republicanism groaned, keeled over and began a long journey to the bottom of the political seas.

John McCain told us he wants the federal government to nationalize much of the home mortgage industry, buying up loans from strained homeowners and renegotiating new, more affordable terms.

The first one's won't work.

Open Debates is a good place to start

Face it, last night's 90 minute debate between McCain and Obama sucked. It was a waste.

Open Debates 'The Commission on Presidential Debates is a corrupt stranglehold on our democracy.'

I blame the Ds and the Rs. I blame the media too.

Debates' Commission Masterminds Most Somnolent Event: Last night's presidential "town hall" in Nashville hosted by Tom Brokaw was a bust, suggests Micah Sifry. First things first: the word on the street yesterday was that six million votes had poured in through MyDebates.org, the love child of MySpace and the Commission on Presidential Debates. You might remember that we expressed a bit of skepticism about that rather enormous rate of public participation yesterday, and yes, we're bragging, because last night Brokaw pegged the number at a far more plausible "tens of thousands." No matter how many there were, only four "from the Internet" questions were actually asked during the debate. (Answered is a different story -- both candidates made Laila Ali proud with their ability to bob and weave.) So, Micah, how do we fix it? Luckily, he's got ideas, and they center around finally grasping that we have the tools to handle living in a world of abundance. (By the way, we'd love to ask the CPD how many questions actual came in online, but their website lists no contact information -- or even a debate schedule. Democracy!) If you're newly interested in the idea of debate reform, Open Debates is a good place to start.

So as to not just be negative, while offering the solution of Open Debates -- I've got another.

Tune into the first episode of a new TV show: "Worst Week." Watch them in order from 1 to 3. They are on Comcast On Demand, without an extra charge. Funny stuff, like the Keystone Cops of modern time. Way better than the debates with only the D and R.

Pop City - Wiki-ing our Way to a Better Pittsburgh

The best way to wiki our way to a better Pittsburgh is NOT to fork. Rather to join.

The help at FixPA.wikia.com is welcomed from anyone, any time, on any topic. The original framework allows ALL POINTS OF VIEW -- by design.

Pop City - Wiki-ing our Way to a Better Pittsburgh: "It's called Pittsburgh Wiki - a 21st century, web-enabled variation on the kind of pure democracy practiced in Athens 2500 years ago where citizens publicly thrashed out issues until they came to a common resolution, and then worked to translate their thinking into sensible action. The goal is to harness the considerable intellectual firepower of the Pittsburgh region's thoughtful citizenry to help transform it into a world-class city, a leader in the best kind of urban living.

Stay tuned.

Live Blogging Debate at Election.Twitter.com

Catch my tweets at Twitter. They are listed on the side of this blog too.

http://Election.twitter.com

Raise awareness, and take action to end violence in our community

YWCA invites you to attend these activities.

Sunday, October 19: Day of Remembrance

All city faith-based outreach initiative—remembrance of victims of violent crimes.

Monday, October 20: Protecting Our Children

Children in early learning programs will work together to create murals expressing “What a Safe Place Means to Me?” Three of the posters will be displayed in the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh downtown lobby.

Tuesday, October 21: Making Our Schools Safer

12:00 – 2:00 p.m. YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, 305 Wood Street, downtown, Resource Room, 1st floor

The Chief of Police for Pittsburgh Public Schools, Bob Fadzen, and safety dogs, Max and Quincy, will do a presentation. A light lunch will be served.

Wednesday, October 22: Eliminating Racism and Hate Crime

George Simmons, of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, will speak about bullying, harassment, discrimination and hate crimes in Pennsylvania. Check out: www.ywcapgh.org for location details.

Thursday, October 23: Facing Violence Among Men

12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Robert Morris University, 600 Fifth Avenue, downtown, Art Gallery, 1st floor

Paul Spradley, Assistant Director of Student Life for Multicultural Affairs, will speak about the impact of violence on young men and your role in prevention. A light lunch will be served.

Friday, October 24: Confronting Violence Against Women

10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Carlow University, 3333 Fifth Avenue, Kresge Theatre, Grace Library Hall

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Point Park University, 201 Wood Street, JVHAuditorium, 2nd floor

Elizabeth Kirschner explores the trauma of domestic violence, reading from her book of poems, My Life as a Doll. (Autumn House Press, 2008)

Complimentary copies of the book will be available in limited numbers.

Saturday, October 25: Alternatives to Violence

11:00 – 2:30 p.m. Pittsburgh Peabody High School, 515 Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh

Violence awareness event presentation by RaShall M. Brackney, Commander, City of Pittsburgh, Bureau of Police, Zone 1 Station…Lunch will be served.

October 19 – 25, 2008

The Week Without Violence is an annual event sponsored by the YWCAduring the week of October 19 – 25, 2008. YWCAGreater Pittsburgh’s 13th annual campaign is entitled “Creating Peace in Our Community.” The objective of the Week Without Violence is to focus attention on practical, sustainable non-violent alternatives. Each day of the week focuses on an aspect of this community‑wide problem.

All presentations are free and open to the public.

To register for an activity, please call 412–255–1258.

Sponsored by

The YWCA Greater Pittsburgh thanks the following Week Without Violence collaborative organizations:

Alle Kiski Area Hope Center

Carlow University

CASA (Court Appointed Service Advocates)

Center for Victims of Violence and Crime

Crisis Center North

District Attorney Stephen Zappala’s office

Family Resources of Western Pennsylvania

GLSEN: Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network

Kidsvoice

Partners of Murdered Children of Western PA

Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR)

Pittsburgh Public Schools

Point Park University

Robert Morris University

Safety Kids

The Honorable Bill Peduto’s office

United Way of Allegheny County

Women Against Abusive Relationships (WAAR)

Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh

Womansplace

Bill requires landlords to tell tenants about trash collection

Fruitless looks like this:

Bill requires landlords to tell tenants about trash collection Bill requires landlords to tell tenants about trash collection

Sigh.

You can't legislate good behaviors.

As government pushes with legislation -- then people depart. The trash won't go away. Rather, the value in the neighborhood departs.

Mr. Kraus is doing a knee jerk reaction to complaints rather than fixing the problem. Bruce is a great clean-up guy. Mean and green and clean he is. Too bad he doesn't work for Public Works. That's where is talents reside.

Fruitless example 2:

Council today gave final approval to legislation giving the city until Dec. 1 to put in place a system by which landlords can register their units, and then until April 1 for owners of an estimated 62,000 rental units to register and pay. The city missed an earlier set of deadlines to implement a licensing and registration ordinance passed by council in December.

At this time, the city is not ready to receive landlord registrations.

The South Side isn't ready to live under the rule of Martha Stewart either.

Sarah Palin's Extreme Sports

Sarah Palin's Extreme Sports By Dave Zirin

Ever since Andrew Johnson welcomed the New York Mutuals to the White House in 1867, presidential politics has exploited professional sports. It's a foolproof way for politicians to show voters they enjoy competition, fair play and are salt-of-the-turf Americans.

I love sports. And, I love politics. Plus, I greatly enjoy the work of journalist, David Zirin.

If you don't count Jim Ryun, miler, former US Congressmen seeking to win back his seat in 2008. Or, if you don't count Bill Bradley, Paul Allen and Luke Ravenstahl's place-kicking in DIII schools.

Palin has the most extensive sports resumé for a politician since former Representative Steve Largent. But unlike Largent, an NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver, Palin's sporting bona fides are more style than substance.

His closing remarks, swings for the fences:

It's about the right-wing edge of the fundamentalist movement that uses sports to mask a political agenda of creationism, bigotry, environmental catastrophe and deregulation. And if that leads to the "end-times," then so it was written. If sports teaches us anything, it's that you can disguise a lousy competitor for one round, one quarter or one inning, but the truth has a way of making itself known. There is a reason Sarah Palin hasn't done a press conference. In every conceivable way, she belongs in the minors: strictly Bush league.

LTE: Gambling and Children

Letter to editor for your consideration

By Mike Ference
Clairton, PA 15025

Illegal Gaming exposed for Chuck E Cheese Tokens
By Mike Ference

Who would have thunk it. Casino operators are able to do what DAs and
keystone cops have not been able to do since illegal gambling began to
flourish at the end of prohibition – shut down government protected gaming
operations that allowed certain groups and individuals to rake in tax-free
money in mob-controlled towns scattered across the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.

To boost revenues in seven existing casinos, the Pennsylvania Gaming
Control Board is passing out grant money to assist police departments in
finding and prosecuting businesses that house illegal gambling operations.

My gut says there’s got to be a lawsuit with a 50/50 chance of exposing
just how corrupt Pennsylvania government really is and maybe a story or
two on how certain crimes committed by the right ethnic group seem to get
a pass.

Mob lawyers – with extensive background in union affairs – could easily
argue past practice should prevail. In other words, Pennsylvania gambling
devices have a god-given right to stay plugged in because for decades the
gambling joints have been pilfering the hard-earned money of loyal patrons
for decades with no interference from the law.

I’ve also done the research by quizzing an expert on organized crime (who
has written extensively on the mob, he even had a grandfather whacked)
about the, who, what and where of illegal gaming operations. According to
this seasoned law enforcement officer only two scenarios are possible in a
town playing host to illegal gaming operations. One, government and law
enforcement officials are collecting bribes or protection money to assure
the gambling biz is never interrupted. Two, if there are no bribes, money
is being left on the table. Either way, it seems taxpayers could benefit
from a class-action suit and finally get their share of gambling funds
based on government incompetence or good old-fashioned corruption.

As for as the grant money being shelled out by the Pennsylvania Gaming
Control Board; my seven grandkids and I would be willing to guide local
police to all the gambling operations in the Mob Valley section of
Allegheny County (sorry I mean Mon Valley) just for fun or a few Chuck E
Cheese tokens.

Sadly, the folks who are paid to do the same appear to be clueless.

Strategic Plan is out and comments are to bounce back by the 13th

Pittsburgh Public Schools | Strategic Plan:

Download the Final Draft Stategic Plan here [PDF, 69p.]
Read the Press Release regarding Public Commentary here [PDF, 1p., 08/02/08]

I'm signed up to speak at 7 pm on October 13, 2008.

Kathy wrote in an email:

Lots of ongoing issues at the PPS and many reasons for all of us to stay engaged:

1) Declining enrollment in the PPS. We are trying to evaluate the numbers.

2) IB facility location. IB committee is looking at tentative sites and will release recommendations this month. However the general public has no idea what sites are being considered and what will happen to the students that are enrolled at whichever site is selected.

3) Mark Roosevelt recently released his draft of the district’s strategic plan that addresses the direction of the PPS over the next 6 years. We are all supposed to read this 65 page document and come up with comprehensive questions and concerns for the October 13 public hearing (no worries, your kids don’t need to eat or bath over the next 2 weeks while you dive into this dense and confusing document!). Call the Board of Education to sign up to speak at this meeting (412-622-3600)

We at PURE Reform will try to decipher and distill this document and have the results on the website (www.purereform.com) ASAP.

Please go to http://purereform.blogspot.com/ to register your thoughts/comments.

Anyone willing to help with compiling the information that we need for informed decision making, please contact Kathy Fine at finekj - @ - hotmail - .- com.

Do you have enough to drink? I'm going to sip milk.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/fixpa/images//d/d0/Debate3Game.pdf

Conference Call Tonight at 6 pm to prep for Pittsburgh visit of US Presidential candidate

Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 3177


Can you join us at 6 pm tonight -- to huddle about the pending visit to Pittsburgh by Bob Barr, Libertarian, candidate for US President.

We'll learn the details and make some other outreach plans.

Thanks for your help and consideration.

Phone Number: (724) 444-7444
Call ID: 3177

You can also take part in the conference call by using your computer.

After the call, you'll be able to listen to the conversation as well.

---

Unfortunately the Barr campaign had to cancel the planned appearance and events in Harrisburg on Wednesday, October 8. There will be no event at the Penn State Harrisburg campus nor will Bob appear on PCN. The Meet and Greet event at the Harrisburg Hilton is also cancelled.

We regret that Bob Barr will not be in Harrisburg, however Libertarian Auditor General Candidate Betsy Summers will still be appearing on PCN at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, October 8, so be sure to tune in then.

It appears the visit to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area on Friday October 10 has been changed to a visit to Pittsburgh, with an event at Carnegie Mellon University. We will pass along more information as it becomes available.

We regret any inconvenience caused by the last-minute changes, and hope we can get the visit re-scheduled in the near future.

Sincerely,
Michael J. "Mik" Robertson
Chair, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania

DebateDrink.com | Presidential Debate Drinking Game

Funny. We played in the past. What about you tonight? See me on Twitter!

DebateDrink.com | Presidential Debate Drinking Game Presidential Debate #2 (The YouTube Debate) Rules coming soon!

Bob Barr, candidate for US PRESIDENT, libertarian, will be in Pittsburgh on 10-10

Bob Barr will be in Pittsburgh on Friday, October 10, speaking at Carnegie Mellon University.

That is Erik's birthday!

My most recent happy birthday song was delivered to me by more than 600 people from all parts of the world while at a massive banquet in Amsterdam. Perhaps Erik can have a presidential candidate sing to him.

City school enrollment falling fast

The web headline says city enrollment is 'diving.' Ha, ha, ha. Diving, as in the sport of diving, isn't a part of the school district's offerings. If you want to be a 'diver' in the city, you can NOT do it in the schools. You can dive at Pitt, for a great club team. Or, you can dive in many suburban districts and still dive at Pitt's club team.

City school enrollment falling fast City school enrollment falling fast
Superintendent says it's because of demographic shift, but critics say it's because of unpopular changes
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
By Joe Smydo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Enrollment in the Pittsburgh Public Schools fell just over 5.7 percent in the past year, one of the largest increases in a decade. Superintendent Mark Roosevelt blamed demographic trends, but critics fear it is partly attributable to unpopular changes he has made.

School student numbers are up in one category -- schools with children with discipline issues. Oh my.

To be fair, perhaps, that is one way to make sure that the schools do not die, overall. The trend and practice has been to take the kids causing trouble and just leave them where they are -- in a troubled state causing trouble. Or, move the students to different schools to cause trouble there. That's a game of musical chairs for the non-musical but very obvious.

The higher numbers in those programs with gains are due to other reasons -- such as a privatized 'light-jail' school that had been opened.

The district on Sept. 28, 2008 counted 26,649 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, down 1,616 from a year ago.

While some individual schools saw gains, overall enrollment fell in accelerated learning academies, K-8 schools, K-5 schools, middle schools and high schools -- every category except schools for children with disciplinary problems.

Pittsburgh's problems are NOT like those of other urban school districts. This is not okay for a justification. This excuse was used when Gov. Rendell won his election to become governor as he failed in Philly as head of that district. So, Pittsburgh had to show it was on the brink as well. That's when the foundation money was pulled.

Around the globe, urban areas are increasing population. With the higher price of gas, people want to live closer to work, play, worship and cultural opportunities. The city can and should be growing. The city has plenty of great values, in various segments.

Many urban districts are experiencing enrollment declines because of the attractiveness of suburban and charter schools, among other reasons. Mr. Roosevelt yesterday blamed the Pittsburgh district's losses on "city flight," an aging population and other demographic issues.

The city flight that I'm seeing is due to Mr. Roosevelt's policies. When you have a hand-picked committee work for a few years on high school reform and then chuck all of those efforts out the window -- that stinks. That's what they did. The high school reform task force efforts were turned into nothing but a joke.

For example, he said the demolition of public housing in Garfield may be responsible for the loss of students at Fort Pitt PreK-5, an accelerated learning academy. The school has 292 students, down 93 from a year ago.

"There's a lot happening here," Mr. Roosevelt said, adding that the district hopes to begin a project to find families that have left the district and ask them why they relocated.

The district had 39,603 students in fall 1998. It has lost students in each of the past 10 school years, including a drop of about 6.6 percent from 2001-02 to 2002-03 and a drop of about 5.7 percent from 2003-04 to 2004-05.

Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers President John Tarka said his members are working with the district to improve the district's academic reputation and reverse the enrollment decline.

The Pittsburgh Promise is to PPS just as PNC Park is to the winning ways of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When PNC Park was being built, everyone was told that there would be years of 'sold out' baseball games. The first year there were about ten games that were sold out. That's it. They lied. They were hyper inflated projections.

"We also know the Pittsburgh Promise is an important ingredient," Mr. Tarka said, referring to the college scholarship program for city high school graduates that's intended to lure families to the city and help retain those already here.

During the past three years, Mr. Roosevelt has closed and consolidated schools, introduced new curricula and made other changes, hoping to right academics and finances. Critics displeased with Mr. Roosevelt's changes, including the closing of the Pittsburgh Schenley High School building in June, have suggested that he's driving some families from the district.

Mr. Roosevelt yesterday disputed that idea, saying enrollment numbers conform to state projections that are based on demographics.

He added that ninth-grade enrollment at Pittsburgh Frick 6-9 in Oakland and the new university-prep school in the Hill District show that the Schenley decision hasn't caused parents to pull students from the district.

Frick and the university school together have about 270 ninth-graders, most of whom would have gone to the Schenley building had it remained open. Mr. Roosevelt said enrollment at the Reizenstein building in Shadyside -- new home to Schenley's 10th, 11th and 12th graders -- is a healthy 694.

Enrollment over the past year fell by about 9.5 percent, or 334 students, at the accelerated learning academies; by about 6.3 percent, or 382 students, at K-8 schools; by about 8 percent, or 285 students, at middle schools; and by about 8.8 percent, or 739 students, at high schools. Enrollment at K-5 schools was down 15 students, about 0.2 percent, and enrollment at schools serving children with disabilities was down seven students, or about 2 percent.

Enrollment in schools serving children with discipline problems was up about 46 percent, or 146 students. Most of the increase came from the referral of additional students to the North Side alternative school that Community Education Partners operates for the district.

More to come.