Libertarians -- and Gay Pride Week in Pittsburgh

Have a great weekend!

Libertarians say marriage equality only one step toward ending legal discrimination | Libertarian Party: "Libertarians say marriage equality only one step toward ending legal discrimination

While supporting steps taken over the past several years to end the unequal treatment of gays in the area of marriage, Libertarians say a just society is one in which no law depends on one's sexual identity.

'Permitting couples to marry when they are of the same gender is a step in the direction of equality before the law, but a truly free society would not have government in the business of defining relationships at all,' said LP Chair Mark Hinkle. 'Frankly, the idea that someone's legal rights should depend on whether they've entered a government-approved relationship ought to be repugnant to all of us.'"

Fw: DR News: Size matters, but how much?

The real solution, in my humble opinion, is to get rid of all the staffers. That is where the dead weight resides mostly. That is where bonusgate lurks and lurked. That is here folks like Jane Orie gets her muscle.

Furhermore, the staffers make the elected ones look beter than they really are. Where would we be with Rep from NY if a staffer did all his tweets?

Finally, the elected ones are the accountable ones. He or she should do the work. The work includes making laws and voting for bills. Too many other things are done by those legislatie critters because the staff allows the mission creep to unfold. A one person office won't be able to over-reach, take too much time with lobby junkets, nor dish out ribbons and trinkets at taxpayers expense.

Mark R.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

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

Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 15:10:29 -0400 (EDT)

To: <mark.rauterkus@gmail.com>

Subject: DR News: Size matters, but how much?

Democracy Rising Pennsylvania

UNSUBSCRIBE HERE Size matters, but how much? Between budget updates, one particular constitutional issue keeps surfacing: the size of PA's General Assembly. There now are eight different bills (listed with links below) that would begin the three-to-four-year process of amending the PA Constitution, which currently provides for 50 state senators and 203 state representatives. Click here  and scroll to Section 16. Among the eight bills, there are proposals to reduce the Senate to as few as 30 members and the House of Representatives to as few as 121 members. Most proposals have effective dates of 2021, following the next census in 2020, but two proposals draw out the process to 2053. Much of the interest comes from the recognition that PA has the largest full-time legislature in America with the largest complement of full-time legislative staff. This gives rise to two motives among the bills' sponsors. One is efficiency. This is the stated goal of the proposal by House Speaker Sam Smith, Jefferson, who proposes a House consisting of 153 members while leaving the Senate unchanged. Smith's stated reason for his proposals is that a smaller number of representatives would be easier for legislative leaders to manage. The other motive is saving tax dollars. Half of the proposals include mandates for cutting the budgets of the House and Senate by 20% or 40%, depending on how many seats are cut from each chamber. No proposal includes an idea that is being discussed across the Commonwealth: eliminating one chamber or the other. This is not a new idea either in the United States or in PA. In 1776, the Commonwealth's original Constitution included only one legislative chamber. Benjamin Franklin in particular believed in a unicameral legislature. The Senate was not added until years later. Nationally, Nebraska eliminated its state Senate during the Great Depression. It is the only state with a unicameral legislature. Also missing from any of the proposals is the question of how many constituents each member of the General Assembly should represent. This may be the most important, if not the easiest, question to answer. The trick is to strike the right balance between having legislators represent enough people to be efficient but not so many that citizens cannot develop a relationship with their state lawmakers. Complicating the discussion is whether the internet has made communication so easy that it can substitute for face-to-face relationships and thereby increase the number of constituents each lawmaker can serve effectively. Here's the list of bills. Unless otherwise stated, the proposals would take effect in 2021. SB 269  (Pippy). House = 161, Senate = 40. Mandatory 20% cut in House and Senate budgets. SB 457  (Vogel). House = 131, Senate = 30. Mandatory 40% cut in House and Senate budgets. SB 952  (Argall). House = 153 in 2053; Senate = 45 in 2033. Also increases the length of House terms to four years. No mandatory budget cuts. SB 1079  (Schwank). House = 121; Senate = 40. No mandatory budget cuts. HB 153  (Smith, S.). House = 153. No reduction in Senate. No mandatory budget cuts. HB 183  (Godshall). House = 121; Senate = 30. Mandatory 40% cut in House and Senate budgets. HB 876  (Kauffman). House = 153 in 2053. No reduction in Senate. No mandatory budget cuts. HB 936  (Reese). House = 151; Senate = 40. Mandatory 20% cut in House and Senate budgets. None of these proposals has received a hearing in the State Government committees of the House or Senate. Comment The variety of ideas and approaches to this subject make it ripe for debate at a Constitution convention. This is as it should be. The size of the General Assembly is a matter for the people of PA to decide, not lawmakers. A Constitution convention is the best place to debate all of the options and issues, leading to a recommendation for citizens to accept or reject after the convention. While each of the proposals above require voters to ratify them by referendum, it is not enough to give the House and Senate exclusive control over what goes on the ballot. Too many ideas will receive no hearing at all in the legislature, even if lawmakers pass one of the proposals. It's time instead to let the people decide whether to have a Constitution convention by placing a referendum on the ballot this fall. House Bill 763  by Rep. Scott Conklin, Centre, is the best approach. Now is the time to pass it. Click here  to sign the petition for a referendum.    Please support our work with a tax-deductible contribution. They hate it when you do that (some of them anyway). Click here  or send a donation to Democracy Rising PA, P.O. Box 618, Carlisle, PA 17013. Thank you! 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 2001-2011. All Rights Reserved. Powered by the Action Potential Nonprofit Web Toolkit

Rs in PA have it wrong. Prevention is too costly this time. Rather, make some efforts to punish the cheaters.

Sadly, the Republicans in Pennsylvania are pushing for this as a position plank:

Protect Voter Rights – Photo ID and Election Day Operations
We have taken active steps to restore integrity in the election process and prevent voter fraud by creating a dynamic rapid-repsonse team that can be dispatched to solve legal issues on Election Day and ensure that every vote counts, but only once. We also support "Photo ID" legislation which requires all voters to present government-issued photo identification at the polling place.

Here is a case where it is a ton of work for the prevention and only ounces for the cure. The age old twist in logic happens.

Catch a few of the cheaters and toss them in jail for 10 years.

There is next to nothing done when folks scam the system of democracy. If you get caught voting twice, go to jail for 10 years. If you put names onto an absentee ballot that isn't yours, go to jail. If you get dead people to sign nomination papers for candidates to get onto the ballot, go to jail.

Fraud in the voting realm is never punished and seldom caught.

Start with this simple measure: Point those red-light cameras and security cameras that are watching bridges and airport travelers and have them view the voters enter and exit the polling places. A simple security camera that they use at 7-11 or in a school can be obtained for election days. All that video can be put into the public domain. Then people will think twice about going into multiple places to vote.

99% Satisfaction

Pennsylvania's education secretary says there's something wrong with a system of rating teachers and principals that gives 99 percent of them "satisfactory" scores.

Secretary Ron Tomalis said Wednesday the results from the 2009-10 school year have him concerned the ratings may have little relevance to what happens in the classroom.

He says the current system makes it very difficult to rank an educator as unsatisfactory, and he's calling for an overhaul.

A spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, says many teachers who get a second unsatisfactory evaluation resign rather than go through dismissal procedures.

Black & White Reunion Cookout

The Black & White Reunion Cookout/Fundraiser
Date: Saturday July 9, 2011
Time: 11 am -7 pm
Location: Schenley Park – Overlook Shelter
Food - Family Fun – Games

Join The Black & White Reunion for this cookout fundraiser in support of the Alliance for Police Accountability and the Johnny Gammage Scholarship. We ask each person to bring a donation of $5 or $15/family to help support the fight against racism and police brutality.

For more information on this event and how you can get involved please visit
http://www.TheBlackandWhitereunion.org Or http://www.JusticeforJordan.com

Twitter in the classroom in East LA

CNN did a nice bit with a teacher who asks students to bring in their own technology for everyday classroom work.

The final statement of the segment talks of Twitter teaching the students at 140 chars at a time. Frankly, that seems wrong. Twitter is not so much the teacher but rather a new communication avenue to and from the teachers, students and community. Twitter isn't teaching just as WWI isn't teaching. It is a subject area but as far as housekeeping, i.e., remember to put in the hash-tags. The teaching comes from the teacher, mostly. The teaching comes from the students themselves, as always. That's self discovery, self expression, self growth.

I think we need to get rid of the hard, fast rules of NO CELL PHONES ALWAYS. There is a time and a place for everything, generally.

Now, we need to go back to CNN and tweet that the broadcast news folks are making a huge mistake by taking away the voice of Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico. CNN isn't letting him onto the debate stage in New Hampshire even when he is a candidate.

Share the road

I would like to thank the local media for the immediate and continued coverage with respect to the two cyclists who were hit by a coward driving recklessly on Memorial Day. This driver's lack of action is reprehensible: Rather than be a responsible citizen, the driver chose to leave the scene of an accident without learning if the cyclists were injured or dead. Seemingly, the driver did not much care.

Motorists have a "privilege" to be on the road and are "required" to share the road with cyclists. Before yelling obscenities or writing letters to the editor, please familiarize yourself with the PennDOT Drivers Manual. Chapter III, Page 46 confirms that a "bicyclist has the same rights, privileges and responsibilities as you."

I understand there are plenty of bike riders who are not obeying the rules of the road and they give a bad rap to cyclists who do obey the law, just as a driver who mows down two cyclists with no apparent regard for their lives gives a bad rap to motorists.

Cyclists, please respect drivers and ride safely; use appropriate hand signals, be courteous and visible.

Drivers, please remember that cyclists have the same rights as other motorists and the obligation to follow the same rules of the road. Also, it is "illegal" to force cyclists off the road. I know some people like to see how close they can come to hitting a cyclist, but remember, that person also has family and friends, and I am fairly confident you do not want to kill someone because you think he or she is in your way.

Let's all remember that cyclists are not going anywhere and are increasing in numbers. Both camps need to understand and respect the rights of each other. We need to ride in harmony.

FRED KLEHM
President
Western Pennsylvania Wheelmen
Ross

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11157/1151623-110-0.stm#ixzz1OiciOunw

Critics in Education for Broad, and PPS has em too

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/06/08/33broad_ep.h30.html?tkn=VZXFVcxO70QSMSI%2F%2FP2EYDT3bndZTg1xTBRj&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1

Bills to End Teacher Strikes Introduced in Harrisburg, AI Policy Brief

Policy Brief

An electronic publication of

The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy

June 8, 2011 Volume 11, Number 33

“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more:” A Shakespearian cry from Henry the Fifth urging soldiers to take advantage of an important military opportunity that could soon be lost. And so it is that Representatives Metcalfe and Rock are proposing a package of bills that would outlaw teacher strikes and impose sizable monetary penalties for teachers who violate the no-strike statute.

Such bills have been proposed before and have yet to come close to becoming law. But now the Republicans have a significant majority in the House and Pennsylvanians have grown weary of the spectacle of teacher strikes, the disruption they create and the imbalance of negotiating leverage strikes and threats of strikes give to the unions. This is perhaps the most favorable opportunity to pass such legislation that has been seen in Pennsylvania and it is an opportunity that could slip away in a short period of time.

As we have reported on several occasions, Pennsylvania led the nation in teacher strikes for the decade ending in 2010. Indeed, during much of that period Pennsylvania accounted for half of all teacher strikes in the country. Only 13 states allow strikes and only three—Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois—have had substantial numbers of strikes. From 2000 to 2007, Pennsylvania recorded 82 strikes. Ohio was a distant second with 23. There were only 137 strikes across the nation.

Meanwhile, 37 states plus the District of Columbia do not allow strikes although there are rare occasions when illegal strikes have occurred in a handful on no-strike states; Indiana and Massachusetts for instance each had one. Counted among the states with no-strike laws are all but one of Pennsylvania’s closest neighbors; Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia. Ohio alone has permitted strikes, but in legislation signed by the Governor in March the right to strike has been eliminated. Undoubtedly, legal challenges to the legislation will be forthcoming.

In New England only Vermont permits teacher strikes. Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut prohibit teacher strikes. In short, Pennsylvania’s opponents of no-strike laws cannot appeal to the actions of its neighboring states or the generally liberal northeastern states to make a case that strikes are necessary to protect teachers and their compensation.

In declaring their strong opposition to the strike banning legislation, the PSEA (the state’s largest teachers union) is quoted as arguing the legislation will; single out teachers, tip the balance in favor of school boards, increase the pay gap between educators and other professionals, and be punitive. And then in the piece de resistance, the PSEA spokesperson said, apparently with a straight face, “Teachers don’t like strikes any more than the rest of the community.”

Consider these extraordinarily weak arguments in turn.

1) The law singles out teachers. Correct. That’s because it aims to stop teacher strikes. Schools cannot or have not been able to operate when teachers are on the picket line. A walkout by lunch room staff can be dealt with. But, if the teachers are saying “broaden the bill to include all school employees and we can support it”, then by all means the language should be extended to cover all school employees. That should not take very long.

2) The law would tip the balance in favor of the school board. That raises an important question: Who should the balance of power favor? The school board represents the interests of students, taxpayers and employees. Since the taxpayers are paying for the schools should they not have an equal or greater voice and influence in the financial decisions of the schools? Boards must also consider the welfare and educational progress of students. That means they must have ultimate control of curriculum and significant management authority regarding work rules, etc. How is it possible that so many states seem to get along just fine with no threat of strikes hanging over school boards?

3) The pay gap between teachers and other professionals will increase. That is an assertion and not an established fact. Besides, on an hourly rate basis, Pennsylvania teachers already make more than many white-collar employees. And in any case, professionals who make more than teachers in a market driven economy are the beneficiaries of their own productivity and value as determined by what employers can afford and are willing to pay. Supply and demand in a free competitive market works. On the other hand, in a public school monopoly setting with a union on one side and a school board on the other, compensation is not determined by competitive forces. The union has enormous non-market power because the schools are required by law to provide 180 days of education per school year and school age children are required by statute to attend, with punishments for parents if they do not. With teachers having the legal authority to strike, these statutory education requirements create an intolerable imbalance of negotiating power in favor of the unions.

4) The law is punitive to teachers. Any law that proscribes an activity and carries penalties for violations of that law by definition has a punitive component. But arguing that the law is punitive in the sense that outlawing strikes will impose a punishment on teachers is fatuous. No-striking would be a condition of employment. Only in a world where one believes the right to strike any employer, public or private, is a basic right that supersedes all other economic rights of all other citizens is it possible to argue that taking a way the right to strike is punitive. Sadly, there are many who live in that world. But it is not a sustainable world—at least not for long periods.

5) Teachers don’t like strikes any more than the rest of the community. This is a prima facie case of self-delusion, assuming the spokesperson actually believes the statement. If teachers disliked strikes as much as the taxpayers who must cough up the money for their pay and benefits or the parents and students who are greatly inconvenienced by the strikes, strikes would never happen, period. Teachers don’t dislike strikes. They relish them. It is their way of exercising the power they feel they so richly deserve. Besides, what’s not to like from their viewpoint? There is no loss of pay in a strike as is the case in private sector work stoppages. The 180 days have to be made up somehow through cancelling holidays and days off for students or prolonging the school year—so teachers who strike will get paid in full for the school year’s contract amount. No down side for them. Little wonder the Commonwealth is the perennial national teacher strike leader. Moreover, just the threat of a strike can do marvelous things to get school board members in an obsequious state of mind come bargaining time.

All things considered, the new legislation from Metcalfe and Rock is thoroughly justified and certainly long overdue for adoption into law by the General Assembly. The legislation’s opponents have no credible arguments. They are best described as self-serving and not convincing. To be sure however, the union’s political clout in the past has been the determining factor in Pennsylvania’s failure to join the overwhelming majority of states in banning teacher strikes. Perhaps a new day is dawning.

Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President

For updates and commentary on daily issues please visit our blog at www.alleghenyinstitute.org/blog.html If you have enjoyed reading this Policy Brief and would like to send it to a friend, please feel free to forward it to them. For more information on this and other topics, please visit our web site: www.alleghenyinstitute.org If you wish to support our efforts please consider becoming a donor to the Allegheny Institute. The Allegheny Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Please mail your contribution to:

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Thank you for your support.
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Crime

Any solution will have to address the illegal gun flow that puts powerful weapons in the hands of dangerous people. Unfortunately, state and federal lawmakers don't have the backbone these days to tighten state or federal laws and curb even illicit firearms. Education programs, job training and the hope of opportunity for black youths also must be part of the mix, but those elements are beyond the power or control of a city police chief.

Nate Harper's biggest contribution toward putting a brake on the tragic monotony of black-on-black homicide could be his willingness to shine a light on the problem and his openness to try things that could work in Pittsburgh.

Fwd: RenewPittsburgh: Deloitte Impact Day in Sheraden and Esplen, Friday June 10th!

http://www.renewpittsburgh.com/

Dear friends:

We are very pleased to announce that RenewPittsburgh is joining
forces with Deloitte in managing their annual IMPACT Day this Friday,
June 10th.  We have been working over the past few months with
residents and community leaders in Sheraden and Esplen, and have
organized a dozen
exciting projects for 350 Deloitte volunteers to make a lasting impact
in these great Pittsburgh neighborhoods.


Sheraden Community Coffee Shop (future site), 1009 Adon Street
Sheraden Skate Park, Tuxedo Street
Sheraden Swimming Pool (reopens June 16th), Adon Street
McGonagle Field, end of Allendale St.
Sheraden Senior Center, 720 Sherwood Ave.
Schaeffer Intermediate School, 3128 Allendale Street
Re-Paint Boarded-Up Buildings, Sheraden
Real Estate Appraisal, Sheraden
Esplen Vacant Lot Conversions, Esplen
Goodwill Plaza, 612 Hillsboro Street
West End Library, 47 Wabash Avenue
Sheraden Library, 720 Sherwood Avenue


If you would like to volunteer this Friday, please contact
RenewPittsburgh at 412-404-6630 or email me at
Kevin@RenewPittsburgh.com.

Best regards,

Kevin Acklin
Executive Director

350 Deloitte Volunteers to Converge on Sheraden and Esplen June 10

June 10, 2011 – Big 4 accounting and consulting firm Deloitte LLP
will help give Sheraden and Esplen an extreme makeover on June 10 by
spearheading 12 community service projects for the west-end
neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh.

About 350 Deloitte volunteers will help create an upscale
community-based coffee house in the heart of Sheraden, help usher the
re-opening of the Sheraden swimming pool, refurbish a neighborhood
little league park, convert vacant lots and re-paint vacant
properties, and provide  consultation and recreational activities to
senior citizens, among many other efforts.

It's all part of IMPACT Day, Deloitte's national day of community
service.  Across the country on June 10 about 35,000 Deloitte
employees will support more than 800 non-profit service projects in 70
cities.

"Instead of holding different projects across the entire city, we
chose to focus our efforts into one community, which will have greater
impact," said Bob Denove, managing partner of Deloitte's Pittsburgh
office, who noted that last year the office focused on the South Side.
"We feel our efforts can start the process of creating long-lasting
change to Sheraden and Esplen, communities
that are rich in culture and history to Pittsburgh."

In planning its IMPACT Day approach for Pittsburgh, Deloitte
teamed up with RenewPittsburgh, Inc., a non-profit organization
working to revitalize the city's neighborhoods.

Executive Director Kevin Acklin and his team worked for several
months to engage the community and help Deloitte plan a series of
projects that could produce the most benefit to Sheraden and Esplen.

"We appreciate that Deloitte is being strategic with its
community service efforts, wanting to contribute to projects that can
increase the quality of life for residents in the Sheraden and Esplen
neighborhoods," said Acklin.  "At a time when we are focused on
improving volunteerism in our city, it's also revealing that Deloitte
is donating both manual labor and their skills as
business consultants and advisors – it underscores that companies have
a variety of ways to give back to our city."

All projects are being guided by the leadership of City
Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, the Sheraden Community Council and
the Sheraden Kiwanis Community Foundation.

With the Sheraden Community Coffee Shop project, about 40
Deloitte volunteers will refurbish the exterior of a run-down
structure as part of a broader effort to transform the building into a
community-based coffee shop.  The effort will be in conjunction with
Project Coffeehouse, a non-profit agency working to enliven
neighborhoods by launching coffee shops as a place to foster
collaboration
and business development.

At Sheraden Swimming Pool, 25 Deloitte employees will repaint and
provide landscaping to the parking lot, in anticipation for a June
16threopening after being closed for several years.

At McGonagle Field, volunteers will paint the dugouts and
bleachers and repair the fencing in getting the facility ready for
Sheraden's little league baseball team.

And in demonstrating the range of Deloitte's approach to
volunteerism (brawn and brains), about 25 Deloitte business advisors
will provide free financial consultation to residents of Sheraden
Senior Center, including advice related to taxes and estate planning.

Another 40 Deloitte professionals will also conduct a detailed
assessment of houses and real estate properties in Sheraden, ranking
each property according to its condition.  The information will help
real estate agents in promoting home and business ownership in
Sheraden while giving the City of Pittsburgh a list of unsalvageable
properties to be demolished.

IMPACT Day Fact Sheet


IMPACT Day is an annual celebration of Deloitte's year-round
commitment to volunteerism.
This year marks Deloitte's 12thAnnual IMPACT Day.
On IMPACT Day, all of Deloitte's 50,000+ personnel are
encouraged to participate in about 800community service projects in
more than 70 communities. Each volunteer project is organized by local
Deloitte personnel to meet the needs of the nonprofit it supports.
IMPACT Day is unique among corporate volunteer days in that, in
addition to doing lots of traditional volunteerism, we also offer the
skills and innovative thinking of our people to help nonprofits deal
with their strategic, operational and financial challenges.
Approximately one-third of Deloitte's IMPACT Day volunteer
projects are skills-based and require business knowledge. We also
participate in traditional, hands-on volunteer activities such as
painting and beatification projects.

About Deloitte
As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and
Deloitte Services LP.  Please see www.deloitte.com/aboutfor a detailed
description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP.

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Ta.

Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

2 minute film festival without any entry fee

Filmmakers: submit your finest—and shortest—video to Carnegie Museum
of Art and your work could be featured in "The Labor Party: A
Two-Minute Film Festival," held on July 21, as part of the Pittsburgh
Biennial.
To get started, use "The Labor Party" as a prompt to create a video
short using media of your choice (camera, camcorder, cell phone,
animation program, etc.). Whether live-action or animated,
documentary, mockumentary, fictional, or non-narrative, your video
should be two minutes or less in length.

There is no fee to enter, and anyone over 18 is welcome to submit. The
deadline for submission is June 20. The Two-Minute Film Festival
audience will be encouraged to vote for their favorite film, and the
Viewer's Choice award winner will be announced at the end of the
evening, with the winner receiving a free one-year individual
membership to Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Be sure to attend the
screening event in case your work is the Viewer's Choice!

Promotional support provided by Pop City Media.

How to Submit

Questions?
Email 2minutefilms@carnegiemuseums.org

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Ta.

Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

[DW] Summer of neighborly online love - Major Neighbors Forums presentation, webinar, links

---------- Forwarded message
From: Steven Clift

We have exciting news to share about our recent neighborhood Issues
Forums momentum:

     http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/1215

Our "Neighbors Forum" model combines civic engagement from our
city-wide "online townhalls" (started in 1998) with very local
neighborhood "community life" online communities. The hybrid is pretty
magic.

We embrace openness, civility and inclusive outreach with our
neighborhood public spaces that cover areas with 5 to 20K in
population. We don't ban local "politics" or virtually close the gate
behind a password. This maximizes engagement with elected officials
and the community institutions we support with our tax dollars or as
customers.

In my own neighborhood - http://e-democracy.org/se , we have just over
~17% of households participating - over 700 members. Take a look and
ask what you can do to build something similar for your own
neighborhood.  You may have to believe it to see it.

* Neighbors Forums Presentation

Here is a brand spanking new presentation with slides, extended audio,
flyers, links, etc. to go in-depth:

    http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/1215

* Effective Outreach to Diverse Communities

Crucially we've launched the third generation of our diverse community
outreach positions (as we experiment with methods to build inclusive
participation in lower income, highly diverse/high immigrant areas) as
we seek to find ways to leverage minimal resources for maximum impact:

     http://blog.e-democracy.org/posts/1197

This all feeds into our summer campaign for online neighborhood
participation focused on the Minneapolis and St. Paul:

    http://tcneighbors.org (Twin Cities)

With support through the end of the year from the Ford Foundation, the
Knight Foundation's donor-advised fund at the St. Paul Foundation, the
Digital Inclusion Fund at the Minneapolis Foundation, and the Blandin
Foundation (for coming second generation outreach with our rural
Native American majority community forum) we've just launched a major
outreach campaign to recruit many more participants (Goal: 1000 total)
as well as launch over 10 new all volunteer-led forums.

(This is on top of our local volunteer-led, unfunded effort in
Christchurch New Zealand to open 25 forums for post-quake community
recovery - http://neighbours.cc .)

* Lesson Sharing

With the Ford support we will be packaging up our lessons and sharing
them later in the year and in 2012 we seek opportunities to take our
Inclusive Social Media - http://e-democracy.org/inclusion - training
and outreach to far more communities. We'd rather not be lonely. The
lack of activity at the intersection of raising diverse community
voices online - particularly those that build bridges among
communities locally - and digital inclusion must be addressed.

To learn about future webinars and other involvement opportunities,
here are some places to tune-in:

1. E-Democracy Blog - http://blog.e-democracy.org - E-mail option on left

2. Projects Volunteer Group - http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/projects

3. Locals Online - A peer to peer online community of practice -
http://e-democracy.org/locals

Steven Clift
E-Democracy.org

P.S. I've left out my this is soooo much more than simply slapping up
a new Facebook Page for a neighborhood commentary. Creating quality
community public space more effort and better design than essentially
opening a virtual strip mall location off in the far corner of the
parking lot and expecting it to attract real community engagement.

Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
  Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org

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--
Ta.

Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com
http://FixPA.wikia.com
http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

Early debates that exclude are poison to our political process. CNN can fix it's evil ways.

If concerned Americans don’t protest the exclusion of Governor Johnson from the debate, he will surely not be included. However, if we let folks know what our opinion on the matter is, they are more likely to give him consideration.
Please request to hear Governor Gary Johnson in the debate!
• There is now a grassroots petition being signed up online Change.org which will be sent to media and GOP leaders.
• Call WMUR at (603) 669-9999 and fill out their contact form.
• Call the NH Union-Leader newspaper at (603) 668-4321 or fill out their news tip suggestion box. You can also e-mail them.
• Call CNN at (404) 827-1500 or (202) 898-7900 or text CNN (space) and your news tip to 772937. You can also submit your comment online.
• Post your comments at CNN’s article about the debate.
Another option is to contact the Advertising Departments for each of these outlets and inform them that you will not be purchasing anything they sell until Gary Johnson is included in the debate. If the Advertising Department believes they will lose customers, they will pressure other departments to change their strategy.
If prospective GOP voters do not get to hear from Gary Johnson, it’s one less liberty advocate providing the solutions our country needs.

Wave At The Bus: Day 150 - Graduation Season

Wave At The Bus: Day 150 - Graduation Season: "' A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps ..."

The noctilucent clouds

ELECTRIC-BLUE CLOUDS: The 2011 noctilucent cloud (NLC) season has begun. For the past few nights, observers in northern parts of Europe have spotted velvety, electric-blue tendrils rippling across the sunset sky. NLCs are a summertime phenomenon first reported by polar observers in the 19th century.  In recent decades, for reasons no one fully understands, the clouds have intensified and spread  as far south as Utah and Colorado.  Visit today's edition of http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

CHANCE OF MAGNETIC ACTIVITY:  NOAA forecasters estimate a 45% chance of geomagnetic activity on June 4th when an incoming solar wind stream and a CME might deliver a double blow to Earth's magnetic field. High-latitude sky watchers in both hemispheres should be alert for auroras.  Aurora alerts: http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice) or http://spaceweathertext.com (text).

Division III Schools Flex Their Sports Muscles - WSJ.com

Division III Schools Flex Their Sports Muscles - WSJ.com: "The NCAA's Division I has seen a net loss of 106 wrestling teams, 72 men's tennis teams and 18 men's swim teams over the past 20 years. On many teams that remain, scholarships are becoming scarce. As schools rush to comply with Title IX, men's D-I tennis teams usually only have about four scholarships per team (or fewer) while women's teams generally have twice as many."

House Leaders Kill Libya Withdrawal Resolution - Blogcritics Politics

Look again as to who your peace loving friends are again.

House Leaders Kill Libya Withdrawal Resolution - Blogcritics Politics: "This afternoon as the House was getting ready to vote on a resolution demanding that President Obama pull US troops out of Libya when the Republican House leadership had the bill pulled fromt he docket. The apparent reason for this action was that it looked like the bill was getting too much support and might actually pass, while GOP leaders just wanted it to come close to passing to put pressure on the administration.

The reasoning behind this action seems to be pretty convoluted and perhaps somewhat despicable. They apparently want President Obama to take the blame for the war in Libya while not actually going so far as to actually stand clearly against his actions and perhaps even end the war. They had assumed that the resolution would only be backed by Democrats, but to their surprise many Republicans who don't like the idea of an unconstitutional war, were going to vote for the resolution.

This is a perfect example of the effects of the change in the Republican majority coming out of last election. There is now a core group of Republicans who aren't willing to play games and who are serious about issues like making war without even following the guidelines of the War Powers Act, much less the Constitution."

You go long.

Registration opens for Tomlin's Father and Kids Experience: "'All of us at Family First and All Pro Dad are excited that this event continues to be an annual outing for dads and kids,' said Mark Merrill, founder and president of Family First. 'Just as in years past, again this year we are bringing new themes and insights into the program, so the format remains familiar, but the concepts are fresh for returning dads and kids.'"

Wondering if Mr. Lopez still stands by these concepts?

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