Screening of documentary: GASLAND

Upcoming Pgh Event: Screening of Josh Fox's documentary, GASLAND

June 5, 2010 — 7–10pm | Doors open at 6:15 pm Cash bar | Live music by Smokestack Lightning Byham Theater, Pittsburgh, PA Free admission

Winner of The Special Jury Prize for Documentary at 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Josh Fox's GASLAND chronicles the largest natural gas boom in history.

Join Clean Water Action, the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities (CHEC) of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, & many others as we follow Fox on his 24-state journey to uncover the deep consequences of natural gas drilling.

This free film screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Q&A. Contact CHEC for more information: chec@pitt.edu, 412-624-9379.Event flyer: http://www.chec.pitt.edu/images-t/GaslandFlyerforWeb-6-5-10.jpgBy Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH, Communications Specialist at University of Pittsburgh.

Democracy Rising Says.

he grand jury that spent the past two years investigating the legislature has reached the same conclusion as 72% of our citizens, our leading political columnists and dozens of the state's newspapers: PA must have a Constitution convention because the legislature is "utterly incapable of reforming itself."Click here  ( http://www.postgazette.com/pg/pdf/201005/20100525grandjuryreport.pdf ) to read the report and here  ( http://www.postgazette.com/pg/10145/1060594-454.stm ) for today's story by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Tracie Mauriello.Questions:• Why hasn't Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett, who presented the evidence to the grand jury, reached the same conclusion?• Will Allegheny County Executive and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato make a Constitution convention a central part of his campaign?• What do your own representative and senator think of the grand jury's report? Do they agree or disagree with the grand jury?• Will your representative and senator let the people decide by putting a referendum for a convention on the ballot in November? Click here  ( http://www.drisingpa.com/petition/petition.php ) if you haven't already signed the petition for a referendum this fall.The grand jury's recommendations are sweeping, in some cases going even beyond what integrity advocates have discussed since the Pay Raise of 2005. In addition to a Constitution convention, the grand jury recommends:• Return to a part-time legislature with lower pay.• Change the terms of representatives from two years to four years.• Eliminate partisan caucuses.• Reduce staff by eliminating incompetents and ghost employees. The grand jury found that one caucus could reduce its staff by more than 60% without affecting legitimate operations.• Prohibit comp time for legislative staffers.• Ban legislative workers from campaign offices during working hours.• Prohibit staff from splitting time between legislative work and campaign work.• Cut constituent services in district offices that duplicate services already being provided by other agencies of government.• Prohibit campaign work on legislative time.• Eliminate leadership accounts that are not for specific purposes.• Limit lawmakers to one district office with satellites in public buildings.• Stop per diem abuse. To be clear, DR supports a convention to discuss improvements to more of state government than just the legislature. In our view, the executive and judicial branches need to be examined, as do issues such as qualifications for public office, local government reforms and the rights of independent and minor-party voters and candidates."Protect the Institution"It's a phrase that newly elected lawmakers hear from the beginning of their service. No matter what else happens, they are expected to "protect the institution." The institution, they are told, has been around for hundreds of years. It is the job of lawmakers to make sure that nothing happens to change the fundamental character of the legislature.New lawmakers are susceptible to this argument because they don't know that the fundamental character of the legislature has changed many times in the past. PA spent centuries with a part-time legislature before "professionalizing" into a full-time legislature in the 1970's. Our original 1776 Constitution, on the advice of former Speaker of the House Benjamin Franklin, also did not include a Senate. That wasn't added until 1790.As the movement for a Constitution convention grows, lawmakers are hearing this phrase again and again from their leaders. Publicly, some lawmakers want citizens to fear "unintended consequences," but what they really mean is that lawmakers themselves fear the intended consequences that the grand jury proposes and that the phrase "protect the institution" intends to prevent."Protect the institution" means protecting it from citizens who want a better and different legislature. It means protecting the pay, perks and power of those who are content with one of the most expensive, secretive, staff-heavy, and criminally prosecuted legislatures in America.Questions to ask your lawmakers:• "Protect the institution" from whom? Citizens?• "Protect the institution" for what? The status quo?• How does bringing the General Assembly into the 21st Century on matters of public integrity jeopardize the institution?• Whose institution is it, anyway?

Democracy Rising Pennsylvania can be reached at: P.O. Box 618, Carlisle, PA 17013
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Pittsburgh looks at Electronic Signs

CITY OF PITTSBURGH
ZONING CODE REVISIONS
ELECTRONIC SIGNS
Wednesday, June 2, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
First Floor Conference Room
200 Ross Street
The City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning will be conducting a public meeting to discuss revisions to the Zoning Code to address the use of Electronic Signs in the City of Pittsburgh. Both off premise (advertising signs / billboards) and on premise electronic signs will be considered. Public input is very much desired.
Contact Dan Sentz (412) 255-2233

Pirates fans do not show up to PNC Park. We should bring back Three Rivers Stadium

During the 1990 through 1993 seasons at Three Rivers Stadium Pirates’ attendance averaged 1.9 million. And, during the last four years of play at Three Rivers Stadium, 1997 through 2000, attendance averaged 1.6 million. So it is safe to say that after ten years, PNC Park has not proved to be the answer to Pirates poor attendance. Maybe an apology to taxpayers who opposed using tax dollars to fund the park is in order.

United Nations World Environment Day 2010 Pittsburgh

United Nations World Environment Day 2010 Pittsburgh: "Pittsburgh has been selected as the North American host city by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to join World Environment Day 2010. Pittsburgh-area government officials, business indexes, organizations and individuals will schedule a series of World Environment Day events, as well as events taking place during the six weeks that “bridge the gap” between Earth Day on April 22 and World Environment Day on June 5. The events will highlight the theme for celebrations in Pittsburgh, “Biodiversity — Ecosystems Management and the Green Economy.”"

Man who banned himself from casino must forfeit jackpot

This is a kick in the teeth. When I say "opt out" -- they really mean it.

Man who banned himself from casino must forfeit jackpot A man who won a $2,001 slot machine jackpot at Erie's Presque Isle Downs & Casino will forfeit the winnings, and be charged with trespassing, because he had previously banned himself from the casino under a state program to help problem gamblers.
The state police have not identified the 55-year-old Waterford Township man who won the jackpot Friday, sometime between 10 a.m. and noon.

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - Mental Health Support, Education and Advocacy: "Easy-to-understand information about mental illnesses, mental health care, diagnosis, treatment and recovery."

Fw: sweet little project in Mt. Lebo for August for Athletes of different ages

From: Larry Evans

Here's the skinny on a unique Mount Lebanon Village Intergenerational Games set for Saturday, August 14 at Mount Lebanon Park and the Cedar Blvd fields. The softball games will be using the 16" leather Chicago Softball!    Should be a gas!               

412-445-2951

Mount Lebanon Village Intergenerational Games

This summer, there is a new game in Lebo town -the Mount Lebanon Village Intergenerational Games being held on Saturday, August 14, 2010, 9am-2pm in Mount Lebanon Park.  Mount Lebanon Village (MLV) is a community oriented, non-profit organization established in 2009 to give residents of Mount Lebanon 50 years and older the practical means, confidence and peace of mind to enjoy life in their own place of residence and in an environment they value as they grow older.

The MLV Games present a way to get to know our neighbors, to enjoy a day of playing together and to celebrate our common bonds. The Village Games are designed to bring together old friends and new acquaintances, pairing people of different ages and generations.  The idea is to partner adults over 50 with someone under 50.  The pairings could be with a son, daughter, grandchild, friend or neighbor – or maybe even some husband and wife teams!  Partners will spend the day participating together in the activities of their choice.  It will be a fun packed day of gently competitive team sports, individual pursuits and group games, followed by a picnic and prizes. Participants will be given a chance to win prizes for every event in which they partake.

The Village Games will open with a 9am "Chase Your Elders" one mile fun run/walk in Mount Lebanon Park where older folks start first, followed by a staggered progression by their younger partners so that all may finish at about the same time. 

From 10am-1pm in Mount Lebanon Park, choose from a wide variety of friendly co-ed, intergenerational team sports including volleyball, softball, soccer, basketball, tennis & bocce as well as measure your athletic skills in a 50 yard dash, punt, pass and kick, free throws, target toss & radar gun stations, plus enjoy old fashioned games  like a treasure hunt, relay races, water balloon toss, horseshoes, shuffleboard, hula hoops , scrabble, checkers & chess.  You can also engage in creative activities such as an inter-active story-telling session led by the Pittsburgh Wing and a Prayer Interplay Troupe.

Beginning at noon, enjoy an old fashioned picnic provided by Pittsburgh Barbeque at the Mount Lebanon Tennis Center Founder's Room and Deck. Enjoy delicious food to live music. Ted Sohier of WQED will be picnic MC and prizes will be drawn throughout.

REGISTER at http://mtlebanonvillage.org/. by JULY 31^st to receive a nifty Mount Lebanon Village Games T-shirt!       http://www.mtlebanonvillage.org Further Information: 412-343-4054

Larry Evans
417 Kurt Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15243
c412-445-2951
h412-341-1486
f412-571-1647
leifevans@comcast.net

Mellon Arena roof may open one last time

This is bullshit.

Mellon Arena roof may open one last time: "Officials are exploring the idea as part of a grand finale for the 48-year-old building, which will close this summer and give way to the Consol Energy Center, which is opening across Centre Avenue. Mr. Roberts said SMG is pursuing a 'couple of options' for a final act."

No, they want to close the Civic Arena. But, it won't give way to the new Consol Energy Center. When a mother gives birth to a new child -- the parents do not commit suiside. These are not cars where you buy a new one and trade in the old one with the dealer. These are places -- and the new building can sit next to the other one. They are not in the same place.

They did not need to tear down Pitt Stadium to build a new basketball venue. Pitt could have built the new basketball venue along the river in Hazelwood, by the Parkway East. Pitt did build a new baseball field and is going to use the old field for a track. Jeepers, there was a fine track within Pitt Stadium.

The Pirates could have built PNC Park -- woops -- the Pirates didn't build PNC Park. PNC Park could have been build without the need to tear down Three Rivers Stadium.

Dubai drops out as host of 2013 swimming worlds - USATODAY.com

Dubai drops out as host of 2013 swimming worlds - USATODAY.com: "Swimming's world governing body is looking for a new venue for the 2013 world championships after Dubai dropped out as host.
FINA said it had agreed with officials in Dubai on Saturday not to proceed with the bid, which Dubai won last year ahead Moscow and Hamburg.
FINA said Dubai wanted to focus on developing swimming at grass-roots level rather than stage a second world event inside three years.
Dubai will remain as host of the short-course world championships scheduled for December.
Shanghai is hosting the biennial world championships in 2011."

Ten Minutes, Ten Calls: Help Stop State Budget Cuts

From: "Ron Cowell"

We are happy to share this Action Alert from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center. The increased funding for school districts proposed by Governor Rendell and included in the budget approved by the House of Representatives, and many other education and human services funding items, will be in serious jeopardy if the Legislature balances the 2010-2011 budget by cuts alone. Please call your legislator today! Please forward this Action Alert to your friends and colleagues.

http://www.eplc.org/

ACTION ALERT @ Pennsylvania State Budget
Tell Harrisburg: No More Cuts! End Special Interest Tax Breaks to Preserve Jobs and Services

This week, the state House will vote on a bill that will reform the tax system, raise needed revenue, and preserve health care, education and human services.

Today, take ten minutes to make ten calls to ten legislators who will be critical votes on HB 2435:

Rep. Harry Readshaw 717-783-0411
Rep. Jarret Gibbons 717-705-2060
Rep. Deb Kula 717-772-1858
Rep. Frank Burns 717-772-8056
Rep. Rob Matzie 717-787-4444
Rep. John Evans 717-772-9940
Rep. John Hornaman 717-772-2297
Rep. Mike Hanna 717-772-2283
Rep. Frank Farry 717-260-6140
Rep. Kate Harper 717-787-2801

Then forward this alert (today) to ten people -- staff, clients, friends, neighbors -- and ask them to make ten calls!

Don't Forget to Call Your Own Lawmakers

If you haven't done so already, call your own lawmaker to ask for their support of HB 2435 and then follow up with an email to your legislator.

Need your rep's phone number?

Find your House member by county or zip code

Access an alphabetical list of House members

Access a list of House members by county

Here's What to Say

I am a constituent and I want you to support HB 2435.

Before making additional service cuts that will hurt Pennsylvania families and our fragile economic recovery, please raise new revenue.

Solving the budget crisis with cuts alone will leave thousands more Pennsylvanians vulnerable and will cost jobs.

We can no longer afford tax loopholes and special tax preferences.What Does HB 2435 Do? HB 2435 will end Pennsylvania's last-in-the-nation status on taxing smokeless tobacco and bring us in line with other energy-producing states by enacting a gas extraction tax. HB 2435 will close corporate tax loopholes and end a special tax break -- the vendor discount -- that gives $9 a year to small businesses but $12 million to 10 lucky billion dollar companies. Read more about HB 2435. Learn more about the Better Choices for Pennsylvania coalition The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center is a non-partisan policy research project that provides independent, credible analysis on state tax, budget and related policy matters, with attention to the impact of current or proposed policies on working families. Learn more: http://www.pennbpc.org/ .

Fw: Help from the South Side Community Council

From: Andrew Lang of Oxforddevelopment.com

Subject: FW: Help from the South Side Community Council

South Side Residents and Others...  Below in red and attached were forwarded to me from Bryan Woll who works in the office of Councilman Bruce Kraus.  This event Tuesday June 8^th starts at 9:45am at Station Square could be worth attending if you are interested in what can be done to improve our neighborhood.  Online registration is at www.RHIevents.org/Forum/PA or call Alexis Hahalis at 831-469-3396 ext. 2.

As you may know, the Councilman is hosting a Responsible Hospitality Institute Regional Forum in Pittsburgh on Tuesday June 8th at Station Square. This one day event will give stakeholders on the South Side and throughout the city and region an opportunity to learn about managing mixed-use neighborhoods with daytime and nighttime economies, as well as residential areas nearby.

Thanks,

Bryan Woll, Office of Councilman Bruce Kraus
Pittsburgh City Council, District 3
City-County Building, Suite 510
414 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Phone: 412-255-2130
Fax: 412-255-8950

Oxford Development, a firm that wants to tear down the Civic Arena, is working with this HOSPITALITY Zone thingie. Great. And, an intern runs it all.

PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM, Free, Breakfast, this week

If you have not already sent your RSVP, there is still time!

You Are Cordially Invited to Attend

PENNSYLVANIA EDUCATION POLICY FORUM

“Western Pennsylvania Regional Breakfast Series”
Sponsored by The Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC)

Thursday, May 27, 2010 - 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Holiday Inn Select - University Center - Oakland

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is no fee for the forum, but please RSVP as soon as possible since seating is limited.
You may RSVP for the May 27 Forum by using our easy on-line reservation system which is available by clicking on http://www.eplc.org/forum_westernpa.html  or faxing the attached form..
Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues, but everyone must RSVP to attend.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. Current and Hot State Education Policy Issues Update and Discussion led by EPLC Staff and Guests
§ The 2010-2011 State Budget Debate
§ School Employee Pension System Proposals
§ PA Fiscal Challenges and Proposed Tax Changes
§ State Board Proposed Regulations Concerning Nutrition
§ State Board and Common Core Standards
§ Special Education Funding Reform Proposal
§ Charter School Legislation
§ Empowerment Act Legislation
§ PA’s “Race-to-the Top” Re-application

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Join us for an informative and robust discussion about current education policy issues that are being actively considered by state officials now and will be addressed during coming weeks before the Legislature adjourns for the summer!

Be ready to add your voices to those who will demand a responsible state budget for the 2010--2011 fiscal year that begins on July 1.

Learn how you can become active with the Pennsylvania School Funding Campaign that urges the Governor and General Assembly honor the six-year K-12 education funding reform plan begun in 2008.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thanks to our Sponsors!

The School Finance Project of The Education Policy and Leadership Center is currently supported by generous grants from The Maurice Falk Foundation, Fulfilling the Dream Fund, and the William Penn Foundation.

The Western Pennsylvania Breakfast Series of the Pennsylvania Education Policy Forum is also supported by additional financial support from the following organizations:



A+ Schools
Association of Pennsylvania State College and
University Faculties
AFT Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators
Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units
Pennsylvania Association of Pupil Services
Administrators
Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools
Pennsylvania Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development
Pennsylvania School Boards Association
Pennsylvania State Education Association
Center for Educational Leadership - University of
Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Educational Testing Service (ETS)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There is no fee for the forum, but please RSVP as soon as possible since seating is limited.
You may RSVP for the May 27 Forum by using our easy on-line reservation system which is available by clicking on http://www.eplc.org/forum_westernpa.html or faxing the attached form..
Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues, but everyone must RSVP to attend.

Swim clinic (week long practice opportunity) for Pittsburgh Public School kids

PPS Swimmers Offered Opportunity to Practice with Stingrays Week of 6/21

The Kingsley Stingrays swim team would like to congratulate elementary, middle-school, and high-school swimmers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools on their accomplishments over the past school year and to offer them a way to continue developing their swim ability this summer.

During the week of June 21st, 2010, selected swimmers from the PPS will have the opportunity to practice with the Stingrays and to receive additional targeted coaching from Coach Hosea Holder in order to improve their swim technique. The program will run from 8:30-11:00 on Monday-Friday at Highland Park Pool.

Interested swimmers should e-mail kingsley_stingrays@yahoo.com or call 412/687-3494.

Coach Holder was recently profiled by WQED-TV for his teaching and technical expertise, which routinely help swimmers become stronger, more fit, and more focused. (The show can be viewed online at http://wqed.org/ondemand/onq.php )

Kindly forward this information to all PPS swim coaches and athletic directors so that they can share it with interested swimmers and parents.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Kingsley Stingrays Swim Team
kingsley_stingrays@yahoo.com

Nanny State goes global | The Barr Code

Considering the OUTLAW of HAPPY MEALS?

Nanny State goes global | The Barr Code: "Santa Clara County recently voted to outlaw the sale of McDonald’s “Happy Meal” toys and a host of other novelties (including coupons from which a patron might download a song) provided by restaurants as a bonus for customers who purchase certain drinks or food items."

Mark Brentley's barbs strike Pittsburgh school board

P-G has an article on Mark Brently, Pittsburgh Dad and elected member of the Pgh Public Schools Board of Directors.

Brentley's barbs strike Pittsburgh school board A board member since 2000, Mr. Brentley, 53, who represents North Side and Hill District residents, is known in city politics and education circles for his consistent and searing commentary on how the inequities of race and class affect the quality of public education and life in Pittsburgh.

Sports Mgt Camp for big boys

If you know any current or former athletes interested in sports as a career, there's a great opportunity this summer in New York you may want to pass along to them.The Diamond Sports Big Apple Career Camp will be offered from July 25th to 30th, providing student-athletes a rare opportunity to gain a competitive edge in the field, and meet executives from ESPN, HBO Sports, the NY Mets and more, at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Red Bull Arena, and Madison Square Garden.A career in sports is the "next best thing" for millions of student athletes looking to make their mark off the field.  If you know any students who may be interested, here's a great way to support them.Make sure they mention they heard about this from the National Coach Survey, and they will receive a Special Offer: 25% discount off the registration fee. Deadline: June 14th.Seating is limited, for more information www.NYSportsCareers.com or 914 872-4036.John KellyPublisherNationalCoachSurvey.org57 Todd Hill CircleGoldens Bridge, NY 10526www.NationalCoachSurvey.orgJKelly@NationalCoachSurvey.org
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Fw: Instructions to Jurors

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Fw: [DW] New publications on open government data in Canada and around the world

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Sun, 23 May 2010 16:33:09
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Subject: [DW] New publications on open government data in Canada and around the world

From: Jonathan Gray <jonathan.gray@okfn.org>
Date: Sun, May 23, 2010 at 4:17 PM
Subject: [open-government] New publications on open government data in
Canada and around the world


These links to two recent documents on open data from the Canadian
government might be of interest to folks here!

 http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-14-e.htm
 http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Content/LOP/ResearchPublications/2010-15-e.htm

....

Jonathan Gray

Community Coordinator
The Open Knowledge Foundation
http://blog.okfn.org

http://twitter.com/jwyg
http://identi.ca/jwyg

_______________________________________________
open-government mailing list
open-government@lists.okfn.org
http://lists.okfn.org/mailman/listinfo/open-government

-----------------------------------------
Group home for Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire:
http://groups.dowire.org/groups/newswire

Replies go to members of Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire with all posts on this topic here:
http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/7kMp2WacOIBMKzDE1ebbob

For digest version or to leave Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire,
email newswire@groups.dowire.org
with "digest on" or "unsubscribe" in the *subject*.

Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire is hosted by Democracies Online - http://dowire.org.

Stupid on the left and on the right.

Dan Sullivan may have wrote and posted on the public Libertarian list:

I love it when the Libertarian Party gets stupid right-wing and left-wing posts on the same day, and we get to address them both at once. Then people can see that responding to right-wing stupidity does not make us left-wing and vice versa.

Yes, Rand Paul was naive for getting sucked in to this argument. So did Ron Paul get sucked into such arguments when he was young. The conclusions that Rand will go down in flames for this beg the question of why Ron didn't go down in flames for similar statements when he was inexperienced.

Yes, Regan Straley is right that Maddow is "a clearly insincere partisan masquerading as a journalist," but so is Regan Straley for preaching such hackneyed superficial analysis. His analysis breaks down, first because he does not deal with the underlying question of privileges enjoyed by businesses, money lenders, landlords and employers, and then because he fails to see that the anti-discrimination laws are "compensatory" privileges to tenants, borrowers, customers and employees who happen to enjoy "protected minority status."

Never has there been a case of a tenant sued for refusing to rent from a protected minority landlord, a customer for refusing to patronize a protected minority business, a borrower for refusing to borrow from a minority lender or an employee for refusing to work for a protected minority boss. The implicit, never-stated assumption is that landlords, bankers, sellers and bosses have an artificial advantage over tenants,
borrowers, buyers and employees. There is some vague truth behind that assumption, but before we get into what that truth is, let us examine where Regan's failure to consider that advantage causes his analysis to break down. Here is his key piece of illogic:

> At some point in the distant past, our society came to a general
> agreement that it was unacceptable for the proprietor of a restaurant
> to bludgeon his customers with a steak mallet, drag them into the
> kitchen, force their bodies through the meat grinder, and turn the
> results into the nightly special. While I'm not comparing the severity
> of the offenses, our society has reached a similar conclusion with
> regard to our restaurateur discriminating against customers or
> employees on any basis other than their public behavior.

What Regan misses is that it is illegal for the proprietor of a restaurant
to bludgeon *any* person with a steak mallet. However, it is not illegal
for him to refuse service to anyone other than a protected minority. That
is, he can refuse service to me for any reason whatsoever, but he
cannot refuse service to a person with protected status unless he can
prove that his motive was not discriminatory on some protected basis. I
I have seen this double standard abused myself, as when a black
employee accused me of calling him a nigger in order to get leverage
with our employer. (Actually, I had called him an asshole.) My wife
worked alongside a black woman who sued her way through college
and got a "Ph'D," because she never figured out that there is no
apostrophe in that title, and who was the worst employee in her
department, who was never fired for fear that she would sue the
college. The other employees, both black and white, were glad that she
missed so much work, because she was such an incompetent teacher
that she did more harm than good.

A few years back, some of us helped expose the hypocritical lawsuit
against Pizza Hut by the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission
because Pizza Hut did not deliver into black neighborhoods on Rodney
King Riot Night. Earlier that day, black leaders from church, community,
civil rights and social organizations marched down the streets, not so
much to protest the acquittal of the police who beat Rodney King, but to
plead with people not to engage in violence against whites that day.

Pizza Hut's national office, wanting to avoid putting their drivers in
danger, decided not to deliver in black neighborhoods that night, and
that night only. For that they were sued, and had to spend tens of
thousands of dollars defending themselves for taking the black leaders
seriously.

Now, the right seizes on examples like this, which are all too plentiful,
to rail against anti-discrimination laws, and the left either pretends such
examples do not exist or insists that the harm of discrimination by the
presumedly privileged class is a greater harm than the damage done by
false accusations. Nobody, on the left or the right, look at the deeper
questions. Just what are the privileges enjoyed by money lenders,
landlords, businesses and bosses at the expense of everyone else?

Let us first look at the money lenders, the only people against whom
Jesus engaged in violence. The value of money comes from
production. Indeed, inflation is often described as "too much money
chasing too few goods." Clearly, it is those who produce goods and put
them on the market who give value to money. Yet we turn the money
over to banks to lend to the producers of wealth who created the value
behind that money, even as we tax those producers, This clearly
transfers wealth from the producers to the money lenders, creating a
privileged class.

Then we have the landlords. It is a confusing term, because we tend to
think of the owner of an apartment building as a landlord, even though
his building is capital, and the land under the building might only be
10% of the total value of his property. Then we tend to think of US Steel
as a capitalist, when the overwhelming majority of their asset value is in
land, including but not limited to vast tracts of coal, iron ore and natural
gas. US Steel "owns" that land, coal, etc., not because they produced it
or got it from someone who produced it, but because the state issued
titles declaring that land to belong to them. In so doing, they declared
that nobody else shall have access to any of that except by the consent
of US Steel.

US Steel then employs landless and nearly landless people to work for
them. Although US Steel also rents out real estate, mostly in old
"company towns," the notable thing is that all tenants are dependent on
landlords, who literally own the earth. Now it happens that landlords
tend to be white and tenants tend to be black. (In Pittsburgh in 1990,
white households were 2/3 owner-occupied and 1/3 renter-occupied.
Black households were exactly the reverse.) If landlords, through social
compact, decide not to rent to blacks, then blacks have no permission
to be on the planet. Or, if they decide to only rent the worst land at
inflated prices, as was the case before the anti-discrimination laws,
then blacks are held down.

The purpose of the civil rights laws was not to bring about justice by
abolishing privilege, but by artificially equalizing conditions among the
"underprivileged." That is, it was to guarantee that underprivileged
blacks got to pay tribute to the landed aristocracy on the same terms as
underprivileged whites.

Of course, because they could not confront the privilege itself, they had
to create various artificial devices that worked rather clumsily. And, of
course (always of course), privilege milked these artificial devices to get
more privilege. Thus we see that, before anti-discrimination laws, small,
competitive businesses were far more likely to hire blacks and other
minorities than were big businesses that enjoyed monopoly privileges.
Yet, after the laws went into effect, the big businesses got most of the
"affirmative action" grants and subsidies, and small businesses got
most of the anti-discrimination lawsuits.

So, what would libertarians do? Some still pretend that no privileges
exist, or refuse to make the connection between these privileges and
the host of compensatory regulations that they spawned. However,
many libertarians, including LP founder David Nolan, would abolish
some privileges and tax others, removing taxes from productivity.

If land were taxed heavily on its value, and other taxes phased out, the
landlord without a tenant would be no better off than a tenant without a
landlord. This would not only make it easier for people to find housing,
but to start their own businesses and create more jobs.

As to banking privilege, it could be abolished outright. Money could be
directly issued into circulation, not through expanded government, but
by simply removing the payroll tax and possibly all of the income tax.
Any inflationary effects could be offset by phasing out Fractional
Reserve Banking, the privilege of lending money the banks don't
actually have.

Right-of-way monopolies (streets, road, sewer, electricity, railroad lines,
etc.) could be government run, and government could do a good job
with them if they weren't distracted doing all manner of things they
shouldn't be doing at all.

This was, in fact, the core economic agenda of the Progressives,
before progressivism was hijacked by socialists. Progressivism began
with the abolitionist movement and the Free Soil Party, whose slogan
was "Free Land, Free Trade, Free Men." They never got along with
socialists, because they wanted to abolish privileged and make the
state weaker, while the socialists wanted to make the state stronger by
introducing all sorts of compensatory privileges.

The same was true of the liberals before progressivism, and the same
is true of the greens today. Privilege loves socialism, because socialism
derails attempts to confront privilege head on. As a result, everyone
has an equal right to be a borrower, a tenant, an employee or a
customer, but an ever-shrinking privileged elite gets to do all the
lending, landlording, employing and selling.

Reagan later wrote in a reply to Dan, in part:

I'm certain that you would regard much of my philosophy as "leftist equalization of conditions among the underprivileged," even though in reality it seeks to dissolve the very same unnatural influences of privilege and coercion as your philosophy does. And while my philosophy also includes much of what would make up a "moderate" Libertarian platform, we could still never work together toward shared goals because you already have me pegged as "left," and therefore unworthy of consideration.

He would be wrong. Dan may have pegged one as "left" -- but that would NEVER curb Dan's (nor mine) as unworthy for future work partnerships. All are worthy for consideration in my (and I dare say, our) lives.

Jessica Hardy, USC swimmer, get the call she wanted, sorta. They left some issues unresolved for 2012, dangit.

------Original Message------
From: SI com Alerts
To: Mark Rauterkus
ReplyTo: cnnalerts@cnn.com
Subject: 2004 Athens Summer Games News
Sent: May 21, 2010 11:04 PM



Alert Name: 2004 Athens Summer Games News

Court rules for swimmer Hardy, rejects WADA appeal
05/21/10 07:45 PM, EDT
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jessica Hardy was expecting an important call, so she had the coach hold her cell phone alongside the pool while she went through her normal morning workout at USC.
Read the full story at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/more/05/21/swim.hardy.ap/index.html

______________________________________________________________________

Receiving too many alerts?
Visit manage your alerts to narrow your topic further. Add words or
phrases in your alert criteria and refine your alert. You can also change
your delivery frequency to "daily" or "weekly" to receive your alerts to fit
your busy schedule. To edit your alerts, visit the manage alerts page:
http://audience.cnn.com/services/si/alerts/manageAlerts.jsp?source=si

______________________________________________________________________

2010 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company.
All Rights Reserved.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Fw: [school-discuss] UNESCO Conference on ICT in education extends discussion to general public

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Guido Arnold <watsolldat@googlemail.com>
Date: Sat, 22 May 2010 01:11:00
To: <schoolforge-discuss@schoolforge.net>
Subject: [school-discuss] UNESCO Conference on ICT in education extends discussion to general
public

Hello,
I just found this and thought it might be of interest:

http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=30484&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

I think the UNESCO is already pretty much in favor for Free Software,
but a few more advocats on that platform can't hurt ;)

Greetings,

Guido

Up the creek without a paddle?

Come June 5, who's going?

Venture Outdoors - Home: "Today Mayor Luke Ravenstahl challenged area canoe and kayak enthusiasts to join Paddle at the Point and break a world record for the largest raft of canoes and kayaks.

The Mayor himself plans to be on the water in a boat on Saturday, June 5th celebrating World Environment Day in Pittsburgh!"

Corbett withdraws subpoena of Twitter identities

Corbett withdraws subpoena of Twitter identities: "Attorney General Tom Corbett's office has withdrawn the subpoena it filed with Twitter, seeking to find the identities of two users who have been critical of Mr. Corbett on the social networking site.
Prosecutors said they do not need to know the identities, now that former Democratic aide Brett Cott has been sentenced to up to five years in jail for his role in the Bonusgate probe. They claimed Mr. Cott was the anonymous blogger CasablancaPa, whose identity they were seeking from Twitter, along with user 'bfbarbie.'"

Fw: Tom Corbett: Trying to kill the first Amendment!

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: "Chris Benson, PA Young Dems" <Chris.Benson@payd.org>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 16:31:42
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: Tom Corbett: Trying to kill the first Amendment!

Friends --

As a freedom-loving Democrat, I was appalled and disgusted with Attorney General Tom Corbett -- the GOP nominee for governor -- over his most recent abuse of the Attorney General's office.

To quote the Philadelphia Inquirer: "Corbett has stepped into a political minefield by using grand-jury subpoenas to try to unmask two of his harshest critics on the Internet.... But news of the subpoena unleashed a cascade of criticism from First Amendment and electronic-privacy advocates, who contend that Corbett is engaging in a Big Brotherlike attempt to silence and intimidate people who don't agree with him."

For those of us that follow Pennsylvania politics, this is just one of the abuses of power that Tom Corbett has exhibited since he took office. The betrayal of his voter-given public trust is enough to warrant his resignation as Attorney General alone.

Can you help us stick-it to Tom Corbett and tell him that he's NOT the right man to lead Pennsylvania for the next four years? Here's how, and it's easy:

Log on to your Facebook and/or Twitter account and put this in your status:

"Want to stop Tom Corbett and protect our First Amendment? Visit www.VoteOnorato.com and contribute today."

To stop our power-abusing Attorney General, we need to make sure that Dan Onorato is elected the next Governor of Pennsylvania this November.

Thank you all so much for your help, and thank you for all that you do for the Democratic Party!

For the cause,

Chris Benson, Corresponding Secretary
Pennsylvania Young Democrats





This email was sent via YDA's DEMopolis to: mark@rauterkus.com.
To unsubscribe from this list: http://action.yda.org/unsubscribe.jsp

Fw: The American Entrepreneur - Insider's Report

Check this out.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: "The American Entrepreneur" <brittany@taeradio.com>
Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 08:01:39
To: Mark<mark@rauterkus.com>
Subject: The American Entrepreneur - Insider's Report

Read Ron's Weekly Article: To My Start-up CEO Friends
_________________________________________________________________
Links:
1. http://www.taeradio.com/articles/981/to-my-start-up-ceo-friends

Today on The American Entrepreneur

A Profile of the Female Entrepreneurship Experience in Western Pennsylvania

"The American Entrepreneur" Ron Morris spends some time with two of the
leading women in the region's business scene, Yvonne Campos of Campos
Market Research and Marilyn Landis of Basic Business Concepts . They
discuss their respective business experiences in the City of Pittsburgh, and
how their roles as leading female entrepreneurs have brought together other
women business leaders to collectively make an impact on Pittsburgh's
business climate. Plus, Alan Laick of Laick Design stops by to discuss
the things that your company is NOT doing with its website (….only you
don't know it yet!)

Listen Live Online - Paste the following link into your browser
Links: http://gateway.andohs.net/player/default_noax.aspx?nid=6938&sid=8316&customlogo=&shownav=&showfav=&showtuner=&nometa=
_________________________________________________________________

Saturday on The American Entrepreneur

American Entrepreneur Radio hits the road, as "The American Entrepreneur"
Ron Morris broadcasts live from Cefalo's Restaurant and Nightclub on
Washington Avenue in Carnegie. Ron talks with the father-and-son principals
of Cefalo's, Lenny and Dean Cefalo, about their story, and their experiences
in running a multi-purpose facility, specializing in fine dining, live music
and entertainment, and event management. Plus, many of TAE's regular guests
and friends will be on hand to discuss the latest business news and
information for entrepreneurs in the region, including more information on
the upcoming Entrepreneurs Growth Conference networking and business
building event at Duquesne University.

Dr. Will Clower - Plus, don't forget to stay tuned at noon, as American
Entrepreneur Radio presents Dr. Will Clower's "Business and Health", as
Dr. Clower looks at the issues that affect your personal health, and the
resulting impact on your company's bottom line.
_________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Highlights

Friday, May 28th: Robert Kiyosaki - Author of "Rich Dad/Poor Dad"

Tuesday, June 15th: Steve Wozniak - Co-founder of Apple
_________________________________________________________________

Listen Live Monday - Friday from 3p.m. to 6p.m. on 1360 A.M.

Listen Live Online - Paste the following link into your browser
Links: http://gateway.andohs.net/player/default_noax.aspx?nid=6938&sid=8316&customlogo=&shownav=&showfav=&showtuner=&nometa=

Interact Live on TalkShoe - Paste the following link into your browser
Links: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=139&cmd=tc

Listen to TAE from your phone at (724) 898-9669

Call the show live at (412) 333-1360

Interested in reaching the regions top entrepreneurs and business owners?

Contact Andrew Rossi at (412) 249-8644 or andrew@taeradio.com
==============================================

Unsubscribe mark@rauterkus.com from this list:
http://taeradio.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=59bfabe8de8afa6a938032373&id=8e09a2b809&e=f2bb744581&c=c01820f3d1

2 swimming officials file complaint with USOC - More Sports - SI.com

2 swimming officials file complaint with USOC - More Sports - SI.com: "Two longtime swimming officials claim they lost prestigious positions for speaking out against the way the sport's governing body handled sexual abuse cases, and they've gone to the U.S. Olympic Committee seeking to be reinstated."

Fw: [Locals] On-Demand Webinar - Using Technology for Community Building

From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org


I had the privilege of introducing the use of technology for community building (with a focus on neighborhoods) to a number of funders and others convened by Grassroots Grantmakers this week.

The 90 minute webinar with Q ans A is available on-demand - slides with audio, slides-only, or audio in MP3 here:

http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/845

The session description:

High Tech Meets High Touch: Using New Technology for Community Building (Webinar)

Grassroots grantmaking is high-touch work in an increasing high-tech  world. We have seen what happens when citizen leaders get together in the same room for peer learning or dialogue on issues. What new possibilities are opening up to further connect residents within and across neighborhoods using new technology? What is happening under the radar today and how can we make it more inclusive and benefit all
communities?

Join us to talk with Steven Clift, Executive Director of E-Democracy.org, the cutting-edge national organization working on this question. For some background now, see:
http://e-democracy.org/inclusion and http://stevenclift.com/.

Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com/
Executive Director - http://e-democracy.org/
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy

Fw: DR News: 2010 Primary - Incumbency, Majority, Wings Without Prayers

From: Tim Potts Democracy Rising PA <tim@democracyrisingpa.com>

Democracy Rising Pennsylvania

The Power of Incumbency Yesterday's election demonstrated once again the effect of incumbency on the choices voters have in elections. All results are from the state's Bureau of Commissions, Elections & Legislation with 99% of the vote counted. Click here. PA House:There are 203 seats up for election this year, 17 open seats and 186 seats where incumbents are seeking re-election. Percent of open seats with contests in at least one party: 94% (16 of 17) Percent of incumbents with primary opponents: 10.7% (20 of 186) Percent of incumbents re-elected: 99.5% (185 of 186) PA Senate:There are 25 seats up for election this year, three open seats and 22 seats where incumbents are seeking re-election. Percent of open seats with contests in at least one party: 67% (2 of 3) Percent of incumbents with primary opponents: 9% (2 of 22) Percent of incumbents re-elected: 100% (2 of 2) Apart from the famous defeat of Democratic U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, the only other incumbent to lose was Rep. Karen Beyer, R-Northampton, who was upset by Justin Simmons. Simmons, running on an integrity agenda, signed DR's petition for a referendum on a Constitution convention. Incumbency suppresses competition and the debate of ideas that elections are supposed to be. That's by design. Incumbents decide how the system works, and they can't resist stacking the deck in their own favor. They use the authority of their (really our) offices to raise intimidating amounts of campaign money. When the legislature is in session, the $500-per-person breakfast fundraiser is routine. And those are the cheap ones. It's the rare challenger from back home who can hope to compete. Under PA law, there is no limit to the size of campaign contributions and few restrictions on how that money can be used. Incumbents who term-limit themselves and have huge stashes of cash can perpetuate political monopolies by funding their successors' campaigns. Gerrymandering, legal obstacles to third-party and independent candidates, a public platform provided by taxpayers, and legal obstacles to easy and secure voter participation all favor incumbents, deprive citizens of choices and weaken representative democracy. Where's the Majority? Normally we think of election winners as getting 50% plus one of the votes. Then there are these winners and the percentage of votes they received because there were more than two candidates in the race: Governor, D - 45.1%, Dan Onorato Lt. Governor, D - Too close to call, but the winner will have less than 40% of the vote. The leader is Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Centre, who also signed DR's petition. Lt. Governor, R - 26.3%, Jim Cawley Senate Districts:22nd - 22.0%, John Blake (D) House Districts:20th - 40.5%, Adam Ravenstahl (D) 85th - 44.9%, Fred Keller (R) 103rd - 46.9%, Ron Buxton (D)* 107th - 37.4%, George Zalar (D) 108th - 47.3%, Lynda Schlegel-Culver (R) 112th - 39.4%, Ken Smith (D)* 122nd - 33%, Justin Laich (D) 141st - 46.8%, Kevin Glasson (R) 190th - 47.2% Vanessa Brown (D)* 194th - 32.7%, Pamela Delissio (D) 199th - 29.2%, Stephen Bloom (R) * Incumbent In some other states, such results would bring about a run-off election, but not here. In PA, the ability of candidates to win without a majority has allowed incumbents to divide the opposition when two or more other candidates oppose them in the primary. Percent of incumbents with multiple opponents who won: 100% (8 of 8) A Wing But Not a Prayer Both major parties had contests that pitted candidates who were on the wings of the political spectrum. Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, campaigned for lieutenant governor from the right wing against a crowded field of eight other Republicans. Joe Hoeffel, a Montgomery County commissioner, campaigned for governor from the left wing against a field of four. Both will put a good face on their defeats, but few gave them a prayer of winning, and they didn't. Ironically, both got the same percentage of their party's votes: 12.7%. Perhaps voters have defined the strength of the wings in both parties. In both cases, yesterday was the wings' best chance to fly because they provided real choices of political philosophy. In the general election, the contest will focus once again on the 75% of voters who aren't buying either extreme. Questions: Can PA's political center keep politics palatable for the wings? How? Can such small wings ever lift their parties? Please support Democracy Rising PA with a contribution today. Click here.Thanks! Democracy Rising Pennsylvania abides by strict NO-SPAM rules. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details. We can be reached at: P.O. Box 618, Carlisle, PA 17013  © Democracy Rising Pennsylvania 2001-2010. All Rights Reserved.

Another day of Schenley Spartan Sports to dominate the City League

Christopher Thyberg (one of the championions and stars in soccer, swimming and volleyball).

Just as the Spartans of Sparta in ancient times, so goes the PPS Spartans today. They won, and won some more. But the end looms larger with each passing victory as new recruits and refreshed armies are not to be found.

Today it is boys volleyball. The City Championships are slated for 3 pm at Brashear High School. Schenley is the #1 seed. The championship format is a double elimination tournament so a couple of matches are necessary. Action will still be on the ourt at 6 pm, we expect.



Schenley's boy spikers have won the title the last 4 years. In the fall, the girls volleyball team from Schenley also won.

Today a few of the players are going to -- if the do win the title -- grab their 3rd crown of the year. Some played as 3 sport lettermen this school year and won all three City Championships: Soccer, Swimming, Volleyball.

This is the next to last year for the Spartans. Glory awaits. The last Spartan victory may yet be in the future -- or not?

I think this squad could knock off a couple of teams in the PIAA play, if they hit their groove.

Jan Raether, superstar in three sports: goalie in soccer, breastroke, IM and freestyle relay swimmer, and volleyball back-row specialist.

Video clip (below) shows Jan (pronounced "Yawn") and Martin in the 100 free at Schenley's first home swim meet this winter season.

Rand is the man!

Is there a Doctor in the house, err, Senate?

Let's cheer for Rand!

Fw: [ooo-announce] OpenOffice.org announces Summer Internship Programme

This is a serious challenge with splendid pay off in terms of technology insights as well as cash.


Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Florian Effenberger <floeff@openoffice.org>
Date: Tue, 18 May 2010 21:33:17
To: <announce@openoffice.org>
Subject: [ooo-announce] OpenOffice.org announces Summer Internship Programme

OpenOffice.org announces Summer Internship Programme

Mentors will guide students through OpenOffice.org development
Bounties up to 3.500 EUR per enhancement and bug fix

The OpenOffice.org Community today announced the launch of its Summer
Internship Programme. Students from all over the world are invited to
take their first steps in OpenOffice.org development. A cash bounty up
to 3.500 EUR per enhancement or bug fix is available. Participants will
benefit by learning from experienced mentors from the worldwide
community, gaining valueable skills -- not to mention the opportunity of
coding for millions of users worldwide.

Mathias Bauer, a lead developer of OpenOffice.org, says, "We think that
working on OpenOffice.org is real fun. On the other hand, we kow that
it's also a challenge for new developers. But skilled students who have
mastered the first steps together with their mentor, will have a great
opportunity to work on interesting features in one of the biggest and
most important open source projects."

Cor Nouws, member of the OpenOffice.org Community Council, adds:
"OpenOffice.org is an exciting and challenging project. From our
experience, we know that interested students can learn lots of cool
stuff. Implementing a feature for millions of users worldwide is a
perfect reference for your resume -- and something you can be really
proud of!"

The Summer Internship Programme follows the community's previous
bug-bounty programmes that have been successfully organized in the past.
It runs from May 31st to October 31st and accepted students are required
to work full-time for a period of about three months on their project.

Space is limited, so students are encouraged to apply for the programme now!


Contacts

Florian Effenberger (UTC +01h00)
OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Lead
Email: floeff@openoffice.org
Phone: +49 8341 99660880
Mobile: +49 151 14424108
Skype: floeff | Twitter: @floeff

Louis Suárez-Potts (UTC -04h00)
OpenOffice.org Community Manager
Email: louis@openoffice.org
Phone: +1 (416) 625-3843

International contacts are available at
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html


Links

OpenOffice.org Summer Internship Programme:
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org_Internship
Project Proposals:
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/OpenOffice.org_Internship/ProjectProposals

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: announce-unsubscribe@openoffice.org
For additional commands, e-mail: announce-help@openoffice.org

Carnegie Library sides with Ravenstahl on budget contribution

This is the face of "nevermind."

Carnegie Library sides with Ravenstahl on budget contribution The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's board chair has signed on to Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's interpretation of a funding disagreement, confirming in a letter dated yesterday that a $1 million pledge in the city budget was contingent on a shelved tuition tax.

The letter by library system Chair Jacqui Fiske Lazo to the mayor, released by Mr. Ravenstahl's office today, has prompted Councilman Bruce Kraus to postpone introduction of legislation that would have granted a second $600,000 payment toward keeping threatened branches open.

Well, well, well.

Is Bruce Kraus that worthless and without merit. Or, did the mayor get the the boss of the Library System?

Did you know that in New Zealand, at their libraries, patrons pay a small fee for checking out books. Furthermore, to surf the internet at sites within New Zealand is without a charge. But, there are nominal charges for use of computers and the internet in the library when surfing to sites that are beyond New Zealand.

Swimming Slide Show

Third slide is a movie of the winning 400 yard free relay by the boys of Schenley.

Email Blast on Election Eve

Hi All,

Tomorrow, Tuesday, election day. That means we vote. Well, to be more exact, a few will vote. I can't vote on May 18, 2010, here in Pennsylvania. It is forbidden for me, as I'm a member of the Libertarian Party. I'm among the nonvoters and generally in the majority on these primary Tuesdays.

Any 'reform' of state government needs a focus on election laws and practices. Some of the ridiculous rules are not real laws but are just the way the judges and election departments have made their interpretations.

Since I can't vote, here are some thoughts from me to you. Perhaps you are a primary voter, as I love discussion, debate and a democratic process driving public policy decisions. This concept of elections with decisions made at the ballot box MUST THRIVE so decisions are not made in the streets with bullets. Yesterday I returned from Dubai, UAE -- a place where voting is absent. But, they've got no taxes and a "Pittsburgh Promise" that gives free education and college tuition to all the locals, for studies anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, if in Thailand, (translation = Free Land), I might find myself perched with my video camera within the fray among the "Red Shirts," demanding elections. Thankfully, I just get to make an email blast.

So, do vote, if you can, but don't vote in a clueless ways. It is okay to skip parts of the ballot. And, by all means, never vote for anyone who is running without any opposition. That's the worst. We have far to many elections where there is really no choice at all. And, voting for someone over nobody sends the wrong message as I'd much rather have "NONE OF THE ABOVE" inserted onto all ballot questions.

As for voting in Allegheny County, Dan Onorato was at the helm when new electronic voting machines were purchased. He made a very bad choice. I have no trust in that decision -- and that alone should disqualify him from being governor. But there is more. Dan Onorato also was at the helm of the county and had wonderful opportunities to do something about PARKS. He did next to nothing on the overall issue of PARKS, an issue I care greatly about. With Mr. Onorato, the bulk of the talk of parks was about minerals and the unannounced killing of geese, not about care for our kids, coaching and programs that build community. His "nonprofit parks foundation" is a complete failure and huge fumble by Mr. Onorato. It Onorato wins, I guess I won't get appointed to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness. Vote, if you can, for Jack Wagner, in that race.

Other great voting advice:
+ PA Republicans, please vote for Russ Diamond for Lt. Governor. He is 3rd on the ballot.

+ A couple of "Libertarians" are in two special elections in PA. One is for PA House and Don Walko's former seat and the other if for US House and John Murtha's former seat.
- Demo Agoris is the L candidate as Representative in US Congress, District 12.
- Daryl Putman, L, is the candidate and Representative in the PA General Assembly, District 20.
Both are worthy of your vote if you reside in those districts.

+ Kentucky Rs, please vote for Rand Paul for US Senate.

+ Change is good with politicians, IMHO. I hope the D party sees fit to vote out the snarlin, err, Senator Arlen Specter.


Change is bad when it comes to authentic physical assets. Really, I balk about CHURN that wants to cloak itself as progress. So, tonight, Monday, May 17, some will meet to talk about the Civic Arena after the Penguins move out. A free event called CITY LIVE! REUSE THE IGLOO?. This lecture is from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at North Side's HAZLETTE THEATER on May 17, 2010. We should keep the Civic Arena for reuse. That would be prudent public policy.

I love to keep in touch. Send me changes to your email address. I'm at Mark@Rauterkus.com .

Plus, let's be Facebook Friends: http://www.facebook.com/rauterkus
FB Group: Pittsburgh Schenley Swimming = http://www.facebook.com/rauterkus#!/group.php?gid=194350183762
FB Group: Pittsburgh Schenley Waterpolo = http://www.facebook.com/rauterkus#!/group.php?gid=128799118436

Twitter: http://Twitter.com/rauterkus

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rauterkus

Reactions welcome on the Running Mates blog: http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/

--
Ta.


Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
Swimming and Water Polo Coach, Schenley High School, Pittsburgh, PA
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

Grant, in a 'red shirt' when we visited Bangkok. Grant, Erik, Catherine and Mark.

Wishing for peace for the "Red Shirts" in Thailand.

Let's vote our way out of this, rather than shoot civilians.