Central Catholic football player dies

Chills.

Central Catholic football player dies: "Central Catholic football player dies

Prayers too.

My call from Beijing is still getting some attention -- internet, wikis, China's Great Wall

We went to China for the Olympics. I did a lot of blogging and data collection there -- but could not put pages onto our wikis. The wikia.com domain was blocked.

Back then I posted a simple message and it is still getting kicked around a bit in high-tech circles.

But the upside of this was that our blogs were visible in China for the first-time ever in August. When we departed the US, I had heard that the blogs were not visible in China. But, by the time we got to China, they were visible. The Olympic hosts had opened up a good bit of the net to those in China.

Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:38:28 +1100
From: Victor ... @gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Wikia-l] We are now in Beijng -- and Olympics about to unfold -- without wikia
To: "Central Wikia Mailing List"

For the Benefit of Anupam.

This is the issue that was raised previously.

On Fri, Aug 8, 2008 at 2:13 AM, Angela ... @gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Aug 8, 2008 at 12:52 AM, Mark Rauterkus
> wrote:
> > Hi All,
> >
> > We can NOT see my wiki from Beijing.
>
> Unfortunately Wikia.com and other Wikia-owned domains have been
> blocked in mainland China for some time. Wikipedia was similarly
> blocked for many years, but recently unblocked for the Olympics along
> with many other sites, though certainly not all. It's something that
> KJ (Wikia's Chinese-language community manager) and Jimmy Wales have
> worked on reversing, though it's really not something we can control.
> We continue to look for solutions for this, but until then, you might
> want to read Wikipedia's advice on this at http://tinyurl.com/675onp
>
> Angela
> _______________________________________________
> Wikia-l mailing list
> Wikia-l@wikia.com
> http://lists.wikia.com/mailman/listinfo/wikia-l

Hart-Altmire debate canceled

Hart-Altmire debate canceled: "Hart-Altmire debate canceled"

Song: They Lost My Vote!

Thanks to Ellen Bukstel!



Tune comes out of Florida, of course.

Ellen Bukstel, singer, songwritter, will be one of our Concert Hour acts this summer at SUUSI. Please watch her in this non-partisan break from the grueling campaign watch.

CHANNEL 11 IN-DEPTH - VIOLENCE AMONG US

Imagine a community without violence; a community where business leaders and educators work with neighborhood residents to help families feel safe and secure. Statistics show a direct link between high school dropout rates and violent crimes in Pittsburgh and across the state. Research also indicates that simply increasing graduation rates by 10 percent will prevent 150 murders and almost 6,000 assaults in Pennsylvania every year. Channel 11 searches for more solutions in a one-hour primetime special, "11 In-Depth - Violence Among Us." The 60-minute special will be hosted by Channel 11 News anchors David Johnson and Darieth Chisolm and will air Saturday, October 25th at 9:00 pm.

The program will bring together concerned citizens, experts and elected officials to look at the problem of violence, its causes and possible solutions. Among the guests scheduled to appear are Pittsburgh Chief of Police Nate Harper, William Strickland, the President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, Director of the Black Political Empowerment Project, Tim Stevens and many others who are concerned about the rising tide of violence in Pittsburgh. Channel 11 News Reporter Vince Sims will file reports from the field and bring the street perspective to the discussion.

In the week leading up to broadcast, viewers will be able to take a "Channel 11 In-Depth" poll on wpxi.com. The results of this poll will be used to guide the discussion as the causes of our current violence problem are debated. Viewers will also be able to submit questions to the panel of guests which will be answered during the program.

"11 In-Depth - Violence Among Us" is the latest in a series of WPXI "In-Depth" specials, a series of one-hour prime-time programs, each addressing an issue of vital community importance. Channel 11 Vice President and General Manager, Ray Carter, says the program is vitally important no matter where you live. "Unless we begin together, to solve the problem; violence and fear will only become more deeply ingrained into the fabric of life here in Pittsburgh. And that bleak view of our future is something we simply cannot accept."

"11 In-Depth - Violence Among Us," a one-hour prime-time Channel 11 News special, will also air Sunday, October 26th at 8:00pm and Friday, October 31stat 8:00pm on PCNC.

CHANNEL 11 IN-DEPTH - VIOLENCE AMONG US

Imagine a community without violence; a community where business leaders and educators work with neighborhood residents to help families feel safe and secure. Statistics show a direct link between high school dropout rates and violent crimes in Pittsburgh and across the state. Research also indicates that simply increasing graduation rates by 10 percent will prevent 150 murders and almost 6,000 assaults in Pennsylvania every year. Channel 11 searches for more solutions in a one-hour primetime special, "11 In-Depth - Violence Among Us." The 60-minute special will be hosted by Channel 11 News anchors David Johnson and Darieth Chisolm and will air Saturday, October 25th at 9:00 pm.

The program will bring together concerned citizens, experts and elected officials to look at the problem of violence, its causes and possible solutions. Among the guests scheduled to appear are Pittsburgh Chief of Police Nate Harper, William Strickland, the President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, Director of the Black Political Empowerment Project, Tim Stevens and many others who are concerned about the rising tide of violence in Pittsburgh. Channel 11 News Reporter Vince Sims will file reports from the field and bring the street perspective to the discussion.

In the week leading up to broadcast, viewers will be able to take a "Channel 11 In-Depth" poll on wpxi.com. The results of this poll will be used to guide the discussion as the causes of our current violence problem are debated. Viewers will also be able to submit questions to the panel of guests which will be answered during the program.

"11 In-Depth - Violence Among Us" is the latest in a series of WPXI "In-Depth" specials, a series of one-hour prime-time programs, each addressing an issue of vital community importance. Channel 11 Vice President and General Manager, Ray Carter, says the program is vitally important no matter where you live. "Unless we begin together, to solve the problem; violence and fear will only become more deeply ingrained into the fabric of life here in Pittsburgh. And that bleak view of our future is something we simply cannot accept."

"11 In-Depth - Violence Among Us," a one-hour prime-time Channel 11 News special, will also air Sunday, October 26th at 8:00pm and Friday, October 31stat 8:00pm on PCNC.

Watch this!

http://www.speakmiracles.org/media/centad_students.wmv

There is a splendid video that was shown for the first time last night that needs to be put on YouTube. But, this is just a slice of it.

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents :: Am I naive about the Wagner/Peduto pairing?

Good question. What charity?

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents :: Am I naive about the Wagner/Peduto pairing?: "I wasn't even going to blog about this until it became apparent that I could not get a straightforward answer."

Business teachers in universities using hard economic times as real lessons - al.com

Business teachers in Alabama universities using hard economic times as real lessons - al.com Stephanie Rauterkus, a finance professor at UAB, has begun modifying her freshman introduction-to-business course, along with graduate classes in investments and derivatives, to reflect daily events.

Q&A about PodCamp Pittsburgh

1. What was one thing you learned at PCPGH3 that you didn’t expect to learn before the conference?

I got to meet the founder and two other workers from Blip.TV. I discovered that they have less than a dozen employees. The founder leans to the libertarian side, as do I. We'll be voting for Bob Barr and I was happy to tell him Blip.TV is the best for things like this.

2. Podcamps are notorious for inspiring creativity and generating ideas. Did a potential project spring up for you as a result of PCPGH3?


You betcha. I'm going to file for a grant at Alphalabs. But, the idea had been brewing for some time.

3. Who is one person you met (out of the many, surely) that has moved into your Reader/RSS feed, and why?

I'm going to watch Jim at Rustbelt because he is a stay-at-home dad. We rule!

4. What didn’t you get out of PCPGH3 that you wish you would have? (Session, info, topic, etc.)

I knew that very few people would be interested in a session on politics from me. Same too with sports. This crowd is too Pittgirl in their content hungers. However, SNL and other trends point to a big spike in attention to politics. So, there seems to be some gulf that needs to be bridged yet. Our political blogging landscape has seen many die out in recent seasons. That's a shame. I had a wish that a new age could take root with PodCamp Pittsburgh 3.

5. What social media goals have you set for yourself to achieve before PCPGH4? To not burn out.

I'll do the tour of my neighborhood(s) for the 11-11 RW project. I'll give $.02 as I can. I'll be happy to lead another session next time and perhaps do more to invite and include another population of possible participants, such as coaches, school teachers, church webmasters, folk singers or open water swimmers.

Candidate debate, today, 1 pm at Allderdice High School

Details in the public calendar called Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates.

Titus North, Mike Doyle. Plus others.

Pittsburgh's DePaul School - Sounds of Success - P-G article and 100th Anniversary!

Way to go DePaul, the Sisters of Charity, and all the others involved in a fantastic Pittsburgh institution.

Pittsburgh's DePaul School celebrates a century of helping hearing-impaired children: "Pittsburgh's DePaul School celebrates a century of helping hearing-impaired children"

This school and the various programs have made dramatic changes in recent times. That's progress. And, it is success.

We'll be at the gala tonight. My wife is on the board.

Catherine and I headed to a past DePaul gala.
Doing a dance for DePaul's 100th Celebration!
DSC08578
Originally uploaded by rauterkus

Council wants say on Allentown police station

We should save the Hostel. Screw the police station. Put the police station in the basement of South Side Vo Tech.

Why build into a building that isn't accessible?

Council wants say on Allentown police station Council wants say on Allentown police station
Friday, October 24, 2008
By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A proposed police station move in Pittsburgh's southern neighborhoods faces delays and procedural questions as some on City Council demand a vote on the $1.7 million project.

Announced by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in July, the shift of the Zone 3 station from South Side Flats to Allentown was to occur by Jan. 1 but now seems unlikely to happen before late March, because of the need to get waivers on accessibility rules.

The administration's decision to run the transformation of a former youth hostel into a police station through the Urban Redevelopment Authority, rather than city government, also may complicate matters.

Councilman Patrick Dowd wrote to Mr. Ravenstahl saying the project 'clearly falls well outside of the scope of the URA's mission' and demanding that he 'immediately bring this question before City Council.'

Dowd is right. Ravenstahl is wrong, again.

Promises were made that can't be kept, as usual.

Sarah Palin Should Give Her Jacket To A Little Girl

I had to laugh today when I saw yet another smear attack on Sarah Palin. This time the "critics" took her to task for an expensive wardrobe.

Granted, the money spent on the clothes are astronomical. Everyone who donated to campaigns knows that's why they donating...incidentals, advertising, clothing.
Rush Limbaugh made a good point today (most of his points are correct, btw), in that most of the time, glamour girls are given the fanciest of duds.

Before Sarah Palin was ever on the national landscape, I was offended to see Michelle Obama's sense of style compared to Jackie Kennedy's. Normally, I couldn't give a cat's fur ball about style, but the comparison simply seemed to be a shallow attempt to but Michelle My Belle on a pedestal before she ever made it to Pennsylvania Avenue.

Michelle's $148 off-the-rack dress while appearing on The View was the only mention comparing the two (Obama and Palin) in the story featured in today's Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

What Sarah Palin needs to do is this...it should have started at today's event in Beaver County, PA...about an hour north of Pittsburgh...at the end of her speech, Palin takes off the jacket. She walks over to a young girl in the audience...hands her the coat...and says, "Keep it and wear it. Sell it. Whatever. It's yours." Palin then waves to the crowd which would be ruckus at this point...then walk away. End of discussion.

The whole wardrobe thing is bullcrap. Cindy McCain, who because of her father's wealth is probably the richest of all the players in this campaign, wore a staggeringly-expensive dress with matching jewelry. It wasn't taxpayer money that paid for the threads, so what.

Sarah Palin is the real rock star, the real cultural icon out of this campaign. Saturday Night Live won't touch Obama now. Don't think they ever did touch Michelle
Obama. Omarosa needs to join the cast just to play Michelle.

Anyhoo, the wardrobe "crisis" is anything but that. It's laughable.

Just do the right thing and vote McCain. I don't want the greatest country in the world to become just like Europe. Europeans still want to come here.

A+ Schools does good job with a paper evaluation of the PPS Plans

There is a public review and evalution of a planning document with a bunch of weenie talk from the PPS educators concerning our schools. One group already did a fine job of laying out dozens and dozens of comments with plenty of open-ended questions and calls for more clarity, understanding, justifications and objective measures.

Another group, A+ Schools, released a paper that takes aim at the same planning document. The A+ Schools evaluation is very good.

A couple of the final points in the document get reprinted here:

Strategy 5.6: The Pittsburgh Public Schools needs a transparent, deliberate, and
accessible format for engaging the community. There should be protocols for
community processes that include criteria for decision making and other
accountability measures so that the public knows what to expect from the District
and knows where they can provide valuable information.

(Add) There was a community engagement plan for high school reform
announced recently and it does not appear in this plan. Stating it as a specific
strategy that PPS intends to use would reinforce the sincerity of the plan that has
already been presented and invoke more likely public support.

Sure, PPS needs lots of transparent elements throughout the entire system. Tons and tons would be a good start.

The problem with the high school reform task force that had meetings for more than a year are many. The group was hand picked. The group huddled without notes ever being released. Votes were not taken. And, the outcome of all of those meetings amounted to zip. Mr. Roosevelt said that all the planning was tossed out the window because of the Schenley excuse.

The members of the task force that asked hard questions were not invited back for additional meetings once the plans changed.

The high school reform task force was a joke. Its outcomes if not its total being presented opportunities to blow smoke and fiddle time and divert attention.

The high school reform task force can't be mentioned in the current draft of the plans as the work product would have to also be referenced. That work product and advice is nothing like what is being orchestrated at present.

The high school reform task force is like a bad rash that Mr. Roosevelt wants to forget as quickly as possible and never hint of prior connections. So, the high school reform task force of the not too distance past is like the re-write of the curriculum by the private firm (Kaplan) with accelerated payments at inflated costs that was later dismissed only to be re-written by in-house people in recent times.

Churn baby churn -- disco inferno!

Well done A+ Schools. Well done Pure Reform. Nice try PPS, but your homework isn't complete and it needs a do-over. Perhaps its grade is 50% -- as it is unfashionable to give any lower score.

Right now I'm probably going to vote for...

As for me, I'm sorta waiting to see the 3rd party debate. The tide to Bob Barr can switch for me if Barr does not get on the stage with the other candidates tonight.

Nitpicking

Pittsburgh Council favors bill to garbage counseling for tenants

Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh,PA,USA

The vote was 5-1 with Mr. Kraus joined by Ricky Burgess, Dan Deasy, Darlene Harris and William Peduto. Tonya Payne voted against it, and Patrick Dowd ...

Changing diapers by flipping the radio dial

Just sent this as an instant message to KDKA Radio's Marty Griffin:

Crap or no crap?

Marty, you don't say it at home and would not accept it from your 1 and 3 year old children. Exactly.

However, your radio show plays in my home. I listen and my kids play here with me.

So, if you want an invite into more homes and have more parents tuned into the community news you discuss -- it needs to come without the "crap language." Cut the toilet talk, Not for your benefit, -- but for the kids ages 1, 2, 3, and older.

As a stay at home dad with the pleasure of parenting duties -- I hated the times when I needed to dive for the radio's station dial or radio's "off switch."

Parenting and citizenship is tough enough. Be a help -- not a hindrance.

Hart vs. Altmyer Debate switched to next week

Penn State Beaver Student Union Building Auditorium event is on my Google Calendar. Click to the left.

The event was to be tomorrow, Thursday. Due to Pailin's visit to the area, the date of the debate has switched.

Greg Palast & RFK Jnr. - Rolling Stone Investigation: It's Already Stolen

>October 18, 2008
Investigation by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast released today

Don't worry about Mickey Mouse or ACORN stealing the election. According to an investigative report out today in Rolling Stone magazine, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Greg Palast, after a year-long investigation, reveal a systematic program of "GOP vote tampering" on a massive scale.

- Republican Secretaries of State of swing-state Colorado have quietly purged one in six names from their voter rolls.

Over several months, the GOP politicos in Colorado stonewalled every attempt by Rolling Stone to get an answer to the massive purge - ten times the average state's rate of removal.

- While Obama dreams of riding to the White House on a wave of new voters, more then 2.7 million have had their registrations REJECTED under new procedures signed into law by George Bush.

Kennedy, a voting rights lawyer, charges this is a resurgence of 'Jim Crow' tactics to wrongly block Black and Hispanic voters.

- A fired US prosecutor levels new charges - accusing leaders of his own party, Republicans, with criminal acts in an attempt to block legal voters as "fraudulent."

- Digging through government records, the Kennedy-Palast team discovered that, in 2004, a GOP scheme called "caging" ultimately took away the rights of 1.1 million voters. The Rolling Stone duo predict that, this November 4, it will be far worse.

There's more:

- Since the last presidential race, "States used dubious 'list management' rules to scrub at least 10 million voters from their rolls."

Among those was Paul Maez of Las Vegas, New Mexico - a victim of an unreported but devastating purge of voters in that state that left as many as one in nine Democrats without a vote. For Maez, the state's purging his registration was particularly shocking - he's the county elections supervisor.

The Kennedy-Palast revelations go far beyond the sum of questionably purged voters recently reported by the New York Times.

"Republican operatives - the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics," report Kennedy and Palast, under the cover of fighting fraudulent voting, are "systematically disenfranchis[ing] Democrats."

The investigators level a deadly serious charge:

"If Democrats are to win the 2008 election, they must not simply beat McCain at the polls - they must beat him by a margin that exceeds the level of GOP vote tampering."

Block the Vote by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. & Greg Palast in the current issue (#1064) of Rolling Stone. [Media enquiries - Dave Falkenstein, Sunshine Sachs & Assoc, via interviews@gregpalast.com.]

Note - Kennedy and Palast are releasing, simultaneously with the Rolling Stone investigative report what they call, the vote-theft 'antidote': a 24-page full-color comic book, Steal Back Your Vote, which can be downloaded or obtained in print from their non-partisan website, StealBackYourVote.org

For updates and video reports, go to RollingStone.com, www.GregPalast.com and StealBackYourVote.org.