Diversity in Aquatics

Check out the Spring 09 issue of the American Red Cross’s Aqua’zine. This season's issue features DAP Co-founders Shaun Anderson and Jayson Jackson (pages 7 & 8).

http://www.diversityinaquatics.org/AquaZineSpr09.pdf

Aqua‘Zine is a publication for aquatic professionals that is written and distributed by the reparedness and Health and Safety Services Division of the American Red Cross and its publisher, StayWell. Copyright ©2009 by the American National Red Cross.

Visit Diversity in Aquatics at: http://diversityinaquatics.ning.com

An outsider, Robinson gets into the fight for mayor

Must read:

An outsider, Robinson gets into the fight for mayor 'I've come full circle,' she said. 'I've seen the system. It's not broken. It's a good system. But our focus is in the wrong area. We spend too much money and time responding to crime instead of preventing it.'

Rather than reform, more often we need to replace the people who are in there are not doing a good job. Then, we can review and perhaps re-tool.

The last thing we should strive to do is reform with the folly makers in office -- as then we'll be much worse off than when we started.

Reform can turn into deformed.

I like what Carmen Robinson is saying. I love the underdog.

Kites For Kids - Welcome

From texture - misc.

Let's go fly a kite. A perfect pre-marathon activity, if you are covered with sun screen.

Kites For Kids - Welcome Kites for Kids is Saturday, May 2, 2009
* 10 am – 5 pm
* at the Carnegie Science Center

I understand that they'll be flying -- or trying to fly -- kites on the river off of boats. I always wanted to do that from my canoe.

In Beijing, kite flying a long-standing recreational activity. The older men do it and use a bike wheel like take-up spinner for the string, often framed in hand-made wooden cases. While there in August 2008 for the Olympics, the city had put out an order that there would be no kites in the sky -- due to security concerns. The kites could have jammed the surface to air missles, I guess.

On a number of instances, we were able to see the 'kite police' come to tell people that they'd not be able to fly the their kites. Those suckers get airborne too -- very, very high.

From Beijing - sports play

We are hoping for good weather on Sunday, without any wind, so we can play with these birdies -- hardly a kite -- at Schenley Park.

Dates this week with candidates, including Dok

Harris for Pittsburgh is excited to share with you three chances to hear Franco Dok Harris speak publicly with the other candidates.

*1. Tuesday, April 28th at 7PM: Dok will join the other mayoral candidates on the topic of Community Safety. Please come out and hear Dok's position on public safety, gun violence, and how to keep our city secure. It's at the Kingsley Association, 6435 Frankstown Avenue (at East Liberty Blvd).

*2. Wednesday, April 29th at 6:30PM: PUMP is having a candidates forum and has invited Dok Harris to speak briefly - come hear what Dok has to say about entrepreneurship and retaining young professionals in Pittsburgh. It's at McConomy Auditorium, located in the University Center at Carnegie Mellon University

*3. Thursday, April 30th at 6PM:* Come watch Dok at the *Stanton Heights Community Organization's "Meet the Candidates" Night. It's at Sunnyside School, 4801 Stanton Ave.

On Friday morning, Mayor Ravenstahl will be at Phillips Elementary School on the South Side, where Grant still attends, at career day. That isn't an open event, but will give some extra time to make some points about kids and closed recreational facilities.

I like the reform packages headed to city council this week. Hope to see them passed.

This was a letter I just sent to city council at the urging of Bill Peduto's email blast:

In the past, I called for a public hearing when Bill Peduto first called for campaign finance reform. This was when Bob O'Connor was still on council.

Back then the plan from Bill seemed to fight pay-to-play by starting campaign finance reform. The real issue was no-bid contracts and it is GREAT to see that faced straight on -- with legislation about no-bid contracts. Frankly, the $30,000 limit is a lot higher than I want. NO bid contracts are not necessary, IMHO.

The database of givers and takers is a no-brainer. It should be done already. And, with the help of a couple of you we could begin TRANSPARENT PAC ACCOUNTS with a local banker. That would not require any extra work on the part of gov workers, even the controller's office personnel.

Finally, the Ethics Hearing Board is broken -- because of the people on the ETHICS HEARING BOARD. They won't do anything and considered cutting meetings by half and closing them to the public. If I was on the Ethics Hearing Board -- or if there were others there -- such as a Libertarian or two -- then that reform would get done (to use a campaign slogan).

Bill Peduto wrote to me after he got his copy of the note above saying:

You were instrumental in getting us to this point in ending no bid
contracts for all not just contributors and you said it from the beginning. The $30,000 limit is the same as the rules governing council approval. If Duane Ashley needs to hire a clown for a rec center anniversary, we shouldn't require an rfp and council approval. However, we will need to work on the rules for pre-selected contractors under $30,000 - more work is always needed.

Chatham Univ Athlete Awards and Water Polo Coach

Banquet talks about the Chatham University sports teams and the specifics from the water polo and swimming coach, Mike Meyers:

I made this video and injected a few film snips. Enjoy.



Same clip from Viddler.

Sad passing

Collegiate Water Polo Association: "Ian Johnson peacefully passed away at his home in Naperville, ILlinois in the early morning of Sunday April 26, 2009 after a long hard fought battle with cancer. Ian would be 22 in June."

Thread for Swine Flu and other vaccination articles:

From running mate, Dave Powell:

Hi all - I'm posing this to the message board, there have been some email requests re: swine flu, and I think that it's best to carry this on the Message Board instead of filling up mailboxes.

I don't like to spread some of the rumors around the Internet, and will try to provide mostly source material and allow you all to make up your own minds.

One issue is that logic dictates that this sort of combo-virus really shouldn't occur in nature...that doesn't mean that it *was* engineered of course, but the issue warrants investigation. I haven't seen any definitive articles on this yet (too early probably), but will post when available.

One of the other big issues I've seen is that vaccine maker Baxter erroneously allowed/"was caught" live Avian flu H5N1 virus in with human H3N2 strains. Their manufacturing plant in Czech Rep. caught the error. Apparently some middle-range nobody worker saved us all from a possible real-time mixing (called re-assortment) of the two viruses in a public host, which apparently is one of two ways pandemics result.

No real US MSM coverage that I've seen...

All I've seen so far is links about when Bayer sent HIV-tainted medicine overseas when found to be defective:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/22/health/main555154.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg-52mHIjhs

any other links are welcome!

Of course, Baxter isn't really talking because of "trade secrets":

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/02/27/8560781.html

The lack of investigation says a lot...oh but hey, who better to give the contract for the vaccine for the current swine fly vaccine? You get three guesses, but you know you'll only need one:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-baxter-swine-flu-27-apr27,0,3579388.story

I'll post one of the comments from the TorontoSun article that says it all about the MSM reporting:
"And recently Baxter released a flu vaccine that contained live avain flu. But thats probably not worth mentioning." Diko - Australia

Even liberal bloggers are freaking out (also contains links to more conspiracy-oriented articles for those interested):
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Still-Think-They-re-Not-Tr-by-Mr-M-090305-202.html

I don't exactly see evidence of foul play, but nor do I see any enthusiasm to get to the bottom of things.

Again, my aim here is not to alarm, but to seek facts which nobody in the MSM seems interested in.

-DaveP

PS: for the truly geeky, an .html version of a .pdf fas.gov report on the 1976-77 doubling of swine flu immunizations, that had the side effect of 500 debilitating nerve disease Guilian-Barr Syndrome:

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:o5sU9IJIWOIJ:www.fas.org/ota/reports/8112.pdf+1978+swine+flu+Guilian-Barr&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Sharene Shealey for Pittsburgh School Board District 1

Tell me more!

Sharene Shealey for Pittsburgh School Board District 1: "Who is Sharene Shealey?

A successful environmental engineer who attended Pittsburgh Public Schools (“PPS”) before studying at Howard and Carnegie Mellon Universities on full scholarship, a mom of two PPS elementary school students, and an active participant in the school’s Parent Student Community Council."

Former Schenley star signs with Marshall - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Way to go DeAndre Kane!

Former Schenley star signs with Marshall - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The up-and-down recruiting saga of former Schenley basketball star DeAndre Kane is over.

Kane, the leading scorer in Western Pennsylvania as a high school senior, signed a national letter of intent to attend Marshall.

Kane went to 13th grade, a prep school in North Carolina. Why in the world can't we have a prep year option, a 13th grade, in our city -- as part of the new Pittsburgh International School, the IB School?

We could. We should.

Principal of Milliones resigns for family reasons

There is more to this from my point of view:

Principal of Milliones resigns for family reasons: "The principal of the Pittsburgh Public Schools' university-partnership school is resigning.

Sito Narcisse, who joined the district about a year ago and oversaw the opening in August of Pittsburgh Milliones in the Hill District, will leave at the end of the school year for family reasons, district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh said yesterday.

Dr. Narcisse said he's leaving because his wife, Dr. Zania Narcisse, has accepted a residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12, a highly touted part of the district's high-school improvement campaign, operates under a partnership with the University of Pittsburgh. It opened with about 130 ninth-graders with plans to evolve into a school for grades six through 12.

'We've made a lot of progress,' Dr. Narcisse said.

I understand that the principal got in some trouble for giving us a tour and having me along with the video camera. Unreal.

So, a month later when a tour of Pittsburgh Peabody was held -- no video cameras were permitted. Homeland security was the excuse.

Pittsburgh Public Schools lost a good principal who had done the right things by me in terms of being open.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for another example with a email that came to me from a top administrator. I don't blog about it yet as it resides in a cooling off period.

Meet Mark Brentley, candidate for Pittsburgh City Council

Clips of only Mark Brentley, Sr, from the Uptown Partnership community meeting on April 22, 2009.

NRA files suit to overturn Pittsburgh's stolen gun law

Told ya.

NRA files suit to overturn Pittsburgh's stolen gun law: The National Rifle Association and four individuals filedsuit today against the city of Pittsburgh, its city council and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to overturn legislation passed in December that compels gun owners to report the loss or theft of their firearms to law enforcement within 24 hours of becoming aware that the weapon is missing.

Ignorance is bliss.

Fly a flag and do it with purpose

PRESS RELEASE For immediate release

For more information, contact: Dr. Al Graham (412) 460-1166

Mike Ference, The Brand Shop, Inc. (412) 233-5491 FAX: (412) 233-4765, E-mail: Ference@icubed.com Web-site: TheBrandShopInc.com

Fifth annual flag party, plants the seed for patriotism

West Mifflin, PA – April 24, 2009 – Plans for the fifth annual red, white and blue flag celebration – honoring our country’s birth – is being finalized by Dr. Albert Graham, West Mifflin Chiropractor, school board member and neighborhood flag raiser. What has come to be known as their family red, white and blue trademark – the American flag – is the result of the Graham’s annual July 4th celebration.”

Graham and his cohorts hope to take the promotion to the national level. “Every local television station has covered the event. Local radio and TV celebrity, Marty Griffin, from KDKA twice invited me on as a guest on his morning radio talk show, I told his listeners how we honor or soldiers and how we celebrate the fourth of July in West Mifflin. The event made the front pages of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Trib Media daily newspapers and several weekly and monthly publications did feature stories,” Dr. Graham proudly states.

“This is our five-year anniversary and we want to make it bigger and better than the last four years combined,” Dr. Graham predicted. With the help of local leaders, almost one-thousand flags were planted on West Mifflin lawns last year. “This year we hope to double that amount and expand into other Mon Valley towns,” says Dr. Graham.

Contributions to purchase flags came from State Senator Jay Costa, State Representative Bill Kortz Allegheny County Councilman Bob Macey and West Mifflin Mayor John Andzelik. Dr. Graham looks forward to their continued support and hopes to secure corporate sponsors, media sponsors and more volunteers to spread his rendition of a star-spangled-bannered-community throughout the Mon Valley.

“As a veteran of the armed services, my family appreciates what our men and women have done in Iraq and all over the world. We hope when West Mifflin residents awake on July 4th and see the American flags waving in their yards, they will feel the same way,” Graham proudly points out.

In the meantime, the Grahams continue to solicit family and friends for additional help. Besides his wife Cathy and three sons Matthew, Joshua and Ryan, plenty of friends and relatives from the West Mifflin area participate in the flag-brigade every year. “There’s not a better way to teach patriotism, than to live it,” says Cathy Graham, a teacher in the West Mifflin Area School District.

The flags used in the promotion are all USA-made. Anyone who would like to follow Dr. Graham’s lead and display 8 x 12 American flags may contact Dr. Graham at his office in the West Mifflin Borough building near the county airport at 412-460-1166.

Robinson, Dowd take on Ravenstahl, gun legislation

There is nothing unpopular about this message

Robinson, Dowd take on Ravenstahl, gun legislation “I feel we spend way too much time on legislation banning guns and not enough time putting money into the community,” Robinson said. “We are misplaced in our thinking of where we should be putting our money.”

Pittsburgh Controller Lamb considers run for U.S. Senate

Pittsburgh Controller Lamb considers run for U.S. Senate: "City Controller Michael Lamb is weighing a bid for the Democratic nomination in next year's U.S. Senate race."

Run Michael Run, because we need a controller to get a grip on the city. So far, I'm less than impressed. Perhaps you could take Wayne Fontana, D, PA Senator, with you as your chief of staff.

April 28 from 7 to 8:30 pm

All pro dad so hills flyer

Pittsburgh Public Schools

South Hills Chapter

Male/Father Involvement Program

Be in the picture

My wife recently told me about a boy who drew a family picture with himself, his mother and brothers and sisters, but his father was not in the drawing. When asked, the boy responded, "My dad's at work where he always is." That describes too many of us. Do you struggle with work/family life tension? You're not alone.

About Us

All Pro Dad is A Family First's innovative program helping men to become better fathers. All Pro Dad has 54 NFL spokesmen, including our own Mike Tomlin, multiple events with NFL teams, over 1,000 All Pro Dad's Day chapters, and Play of the Day daily emails that reach 40,000 fathers each day.

You Don’t Have To Be a Dad

You can be a grandfather, uncle or a big brother. What’s important
is male involvement. All children need a strong male role model in
their life, We want to know If you have any questions or would like
to get involved but can’t attend this meeting contact Chris
Waraks/Team Captain at PPSProDad@msn.com or 412-720-2051 or Mark Conner at mconner1@pghboe.net or call 412-622-3941.

Join us Thursday May 7^th at Pittsburgh Brookline k-5 from 6:30 to 8:00

Refreshments
will be served so please RSVP to Wanda Spencer at
wspencer1@pghboe.net
or call at 412-622-3617.

Tonya Payne should have been in this chair.

Updated. If the video does not show yet, it is still in process mode at Youtube. Check back soon.

Part 1:



She was a 'no show.'

People at the neighborhood group were disappointed. People in the audience were let down too.

Tonya Payne, we missed you.

Video from the other candidates with the courage and courtesy to appear is going to be uploaded shortly.

The Uptown Partners quarterly community meeting candidate forum, hosted on April 22, 2009, at 6 pm at Miryams Place, 1410 Fifth Ave. The open was with Renee P. Aldrich, Co-President of Uptown Partners. Reports from Jean McNutt, Chair of the Economic and Development Committee of Uptown Partners. Leadership Pittsburgh was there to talk about Pop Up Pittsburgh, slated for May, 30, 2009 around Gist Street.

Moderated by Evan Stoddard, Acting Dead, McNaulty College of Grad Studies at Duquesne.

Candidates Mark Brentley, Sr. and Daniel Lavelle were there.

Reposted (same as above) of opening statements, but via Rauterkus.blip.tv.



More to come, still.

Part 2: The pressing need for localized leadership:



Same on Blip.TV (part 2 of 3)




Final segment and highlight from Mark Brentley about crime, via YouTube.com.



Final from Blip.TV:

DetentionSlip.org: Ohio school bans teacher-student texting

Interesting.

DetentionSlip.org: Ohio school bans teacher-student texting: "The fact that these issues have to be addressed is troubling enough. There should not be a fine line between professionalism and non-professionalism. These are your students. You should not have to consider them when you are choosing monthly cell phone plans.