Thursday, July 18, 2013

Guest Running Motivation from one of the best in the world headed to our Summer Dreamers Campers

   810 River Avenue—Suite 120—Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Ph (412) 586‐7785
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Kelsey Jackson, 417‐425‐9400
Sub-4:00 minute Miler Jordan McNamara Uses Social Media to Inspire Kids to Run GNC Live Well Liberty Mile McNamara Serves as Honorary Coach of Youth Summer Running Program
As Jordan McNamara sets new personal records and impresses fans in European races this summer, he shares his excitement through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. He will use the same social media channels to inspire young runners in Pittsburgh, Pa. who are training for the upcoming GNC Live Well Liberty Mile.  
McNamara will serve as an honorary coach for a youth summer running program that provides coaching, training plans and running gear to 180 elementary and middle school students of Pittsburgh Public Schools. As McNamara travels throughout Europe, he will send instructional and motivational videos to the students who will complete a 5-week training program, as part of the Summer Dreamers Academy.
After the kids complete their training, they will run in the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile on Friday, Aug. 9. Then the students will cheer on McNamara, a top contender in the professional heat, and other top American milers.
Last year, McNamara met the kids in the program a few days before the race to share his excitement for the event. The kids challenged him to buy them pizza if he won.  McNamara again will meet with the kids and celebrate their final training run during race week.
“I’m excited to work with the kids this summer and inspire them to get involved with the sport I love,” McNamara said. “It’s important for me to give back to the running community. The GNC Live Well Liberty Mile is an awesome event to introduce new runners to the sport. I had such a great time meeting the kids in Pittsburgh last year, and I’m excited to come back.”
Event sponsor Elite Runners and Walkers and the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc. will provide the students with new running shoes, socks and a training t-shirt.
“As a rising star in the mile distance, Jordan is a perfect ambassador for the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile,” said Patrice Matamoros, executive director of Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc., the organizers of the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile. “Jordan has a great social media presence and knows how to inspire runners and non-runners alike with his photos and videos. We hope this partnership inspires a new generation of athletes.”
In 2012, McNamara finished second at the inaugural GNC Live Well Liberty Mile with a time of 3:59.1.  McNamara has had a successful summer and has set a new personal record of the 3:34.00 in the 1500 meter in Heusden-Zolde, Belgium.
Follow Jordan’s tips at @LibertyMile and see his videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/LibertyMile.
About the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile
Organized by Pittsburgh Three Rivers Marathon, Inc., the GNC Live Well Liberty Mile is Pittsburgh’s premier street race for all ages and abilities. The 2013 event is an official stop on the inaugural
Bring Back the Mile Tour. It’s also hosting the 2013 USA Masters 1 Mile Championships.
###

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Fwd: [New post] The Education Gap Starts in the Summer



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Hive Learning Network Pittsburgh
Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Subject: [New post] The Education Gap Starts in the Summer



Sarah Jackson posted: "Summer—that idyllic time of pick-up games of baseball and ice cream cones on the front porch. Ha! Summer these days is jam-packed for most kids, with sports schedules, Maker weekends, museum visits, and constructive, guided learning. This exposure is a de"

New post on Hive Learning Network Pittsburgh

The Education Gap Starts in the Summer

by Sarah Jackson

Summer—that idyllic time of pick-up games of baseball and ice cream cones on the front porch. Ha! Summer these days is jam-packed for most kids, with sports schedules, Maker weekends, museum visits, and constructive, guided learning. This exposure is a deliberate strategy on the part of parents to keep their kids busy and stem the dreaded "summer slide"—the learning backslide that happens in the summer months.

Yet not all children are heading to museums and camp. Many families simply can't afford to send their kids to these events, or their schedules don't coincide with work, or there is no transportation to get to and fro.

In fact, the famous "summer brain drain" is not universal. Low-income and disadvantaged children are more likely to suffer from the summer slide. And it is that loss that might in fact be responsible for the growing "performance gap" among higher and lower income children.

Researchers in Baltimore found that, during the first five years of schooling, low-income children actually saw greater gains in reading than high-income children. But lower-income students fell behind each summer during the study while the more affluent children continued to gain ground in school. As a result, over time the performance gap widened.

Pittsburgh-based researcher Catherine Augustine, who works with the RAND Corporation, agrees. "The main problem," she told WESA, Pittsburgh's NPR affiliate, "is that low income students lose ground, on average, on reading and literacy-related skills over the summer whereas, on average, middle and higher income students maintain where they were in the spring or even gain ground over the summer.

University of Pittsburgh child psychologist Elizabeth Votruba-Drzal also finds that students from higher-income areas are having more enriching summer experiences than youth from lower-income areas. But there are other factors at play as well.

"High exposure to traffic, to noise, to violence, to things in their everyday environment— lead exposure—it's that stuff," said Votruba-Drzal. "But it's also access to stimulating and engaging conversations with other kids and with adults that are important, especially in the early years, for things like language skill development."

Ironically, the impulse in many school districts is to keep kids in school longer rather than focus on summer and out-of-school opportunities to bolster the learning. "Rather than increasing school time," write John Falk and Lynn Dierking in Scientific American, "perhaps we should be investing in expanding quality, out-of-school experiences for disadvantaged children."

Creating richer out-of-school experiences was one of the goals for Pittsburgh's Summer Dreamers Academy, a no-cost summer learning camp and one of five school district-run programs in the US that was selected for an ambitious RAND study. The program combines elements of traditional classroom instruction with outdoor activities and other opportunities for "relatively unstructured engagement" with teachers and peers. They're building social and emotional skills through team work, options to choose activities and set personal goals—skills that are important to a strong foundation for learning.

Votruba-Drzal said that programs like Pittsburgh's are ideal because they limit the risk of burnout.

"If you just continue through the summer [in school], …you end up killing engagement and motivation," said Votruba-Drzal. "So you may be improving test scores, but down the road you may be really shooting yourself in the foot with respect to keeping kids loving school and loving learning."

She also explained that the media hype around the "brain drain" concept has been blown a bit out of proportion. Ironically, the parents who tend to be most distressed about, say, enforcing daily flash card drills, are likely to have the least to worry about. "From that standpoint, the extent to which it engenders anxiety in these parents is kind of ridiculous," Votruba-Drzal said.

While, hopefully more programs like Pittsburgh's Summer Dreamers Academy will soon pop up in other cities across the country, Votruba-Drzal said parents and educators should keep the bigger picture in mind. "I think it's important with summer setback to have the broader context of what's happening in our country right now with respect to socioeconomic disparities and kids' development and their long term life chances," she said. "It really should be alarming to people."


Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser:
http://remakelearning.org/blog/2013/07/17/the-education-gap-starts-in-the-summer/





--
--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com    
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

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

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Fwd: CALL THE CITY-CLERK at 412-255-2142 TO REGISTER TO SPEAK


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Black Political Empowerment Project(B-PEP) <mstanyalong@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jul 16, 2013 at 4:50 PM
Subject: CALL THE CITY-CLERK at 412-255-2142 TO REGISTER TO SPEAK


SHOULD PITTSBURGH POLICE BE ALLOWED TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF PITTSBURGH?


SHOULD CITY OF PITTSBURGH EMPLOYEES BE ALLOWED TO
MOVE OUTSIDE OF THE CITY?

Councilman Rev. Ricky Burgess' proposed legislation would place the question before
The qualified voters of the City of Pittsburgh a referendum question at the 2013
November General Election.


VOICE YOUR CONCERNS DURING THE PUBLIC HEARING
POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COULD BE IN THE BALANCE!!
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013 at 1:00 PM
501 CITY-COUNTY BUILDING
414 GRANT STREET PITTSBURGH, PA 15219
******VERY IMPORTANT******
CALL THE CITY-CLERK 
 TO REGISTER TO SPEAK
CALL TODAY
THE COMMUNITY'S VOICE MUST BE HEARD!

click on link for full flyer


The Black Political Empowerment Project(B-PEP) | C/O The Hill House Center | 1835 Centre Avenue | Pittsburgh | PA | 15219

Monday, July 15, 2013

Thunderbirds hosted Swim & Water Polo at Cupples Stadium

Save the date. Saturday evening. Our athletes are getting to take the field at 5:30 pm with the professional team, the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds. Show up after 5 pm and before 5:30 to visit with the coach and volunteers.


Handout to Campers:

Our swimmers, water polo players, SKWIM athletes, staff and lifeguards -- plus family and friends -- are invited to join together for a special event this Saturday evening, tomorrow, July 15, 2017, at South Side's PPS Cupples Stadium for interactions on the field with Pittsburgh Thunderbirds, a city's professional ULTIMATE team.

Arrive after 5 pm to check in with Coach Mark, and be ready to hit the field from 5:30 to 6 pm with the players. Then we'll stay to watch and cheer for the team at its 7 pm game.

Meet up at the gates of the stadium AFTER 5pm and before 5:30 pm. Youngsters should be accompanied by an adult. This is an optional event. Everyone has to get there on their own.

Tickets (generally $10 each) to the game between the Pittsburgh Thunderbirds vs. Detroit have be obtained by Coach Mark for our group. Everyone who can attend the game needs to reserve their family's tickets by doing ONE of the following:
  • EMAIL Mark@Rauterkus.com with the names of the people who are attending.
  • TEXT Coach Mark at (412) 298-3432 with the names of the people attending. OR,
  • Go to the site, https://Read.SwimISCA.org/ (you are here) and do "web join" and then leave a comment with the names and number of tickets of those who are attending.
At the game, Coach Mark hopes to visit with guardians and players and share some other insights into additional activities to come in our normal sessions slated for this summer -- plus some other optional activities too.

Thank you Pittsburgh Thunderbirds. The game of ULTIMATE is a disk-game much like our aquatic game of SKWIM. Seeing these players and their teamwork, passing, defense, hustle and sportsmanship can inspire our play and help us become better athletes.
In other news:
We're going to be playing SKWIM and water polo from 6 to 7:45 pm every TUESDAY and THURSDAY evenings for the weeks to come at the outdoor Citiparks AMMON Swim Pool, Bedford Ave & Memory Lane, Hill District. -- Weather permitting.
Mark Rauterkus     Mark@Rauterkus.com
 PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach
 Swimming Coach with The Pittsburgh Project
 Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy
 Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team
 https://SwimISCA.org
 (412) 298-3432 = cell
https://youtu.be/Uc9RkIP06hU

 

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Fwd: Wikispaces - Announcing Wikispaces Campus

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Wikispaces" <help@wikispaces.com>
Date: Jul 12, 2013 8:43 PM
Subject: Wikispaces - Announcing Wikispaces Campus
To: <Mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

You're receiving this email as a member of Wikispaces.com. Having trouble reading this email?
View it in your browser. Don't want to receive this newsletter anymore? Unsubscribe instantly.

Wikispaces

JUNE 2013

Announcing Wikispaces Campus

Wikispaces Campus is now available for your school, district, or university. Wikispaces Campus combines all the benefits of Wikispaces Classroom - collaboration, group work, classroom management, and formative assessment - with our enterprise-level services. Check it out.

Take a look

Still getting started? Take one of our video tours and get to know Wikispaces.

Wikispaces Campus and Private Label

An integrated collaborative wiki environment for your school, district, or organization. Give Wikispaces Campus or Wikispaces Private Label a try.

What's happening?

Get all the latest news on features, events, and more on our blog, or follow us on Twitter.

Stay in touch

Have any questions? Drop us a line at help@wikispaces.com.

Martin Burnett and His Wiki Journey

Martin Burnett, a Year 5/6 teacher in the UK, has been using Wikispaces for many years now and has done some wonderful things with his wiki. This month, Martin shared his wiki journey with us on our blog. If you're just getting started with wikis and are looking for some direction, or are a long-time user that loves to reminisce about the good ol' days, we encourage you to check out his adventure on our blog.

Join us for Upcoming Webinars

This month, we're running several webinars on our two new education services. Join us for a Wikispaces Classroom webinar and see how to make the most of your classroom's News Feed, Formative Assessment, and Projects. Or attend an upcoming Wikispaces Campus webinar and learn about our powerful collaboration platform for your school, district, or university. Register today.

Featured Wiki: Ramsay's Class Innovation Day

Julie Ramsay started the Ramsay's Class Innovation Day wiki in January of 2012.

1. Briefly describe your group, your wiki, and what you use it to do:

This Wikispace was created by my class of fifth grade students at Fultondale Elementary School in Fultondale, Alabama. My students celebrate an Innovation Day each year. This is a day where students are 100% in control of their learning. Each student gets to pick a topic of interest to explore on this designated day. When that day arrives, they explore the topic in the manner that they learn best, become an expert, and then synthesize their newfound knowledge into a project that they use to teach their peers about their topic. This day is completely in their control. On the photos page of the Wikispaces, you can see their progress throughout the day. You can also find all their digital projects on our wiki.

2. Besides the Edit button, which wiki feature is your favorite?

In addition to the easily used "edit" button, my students and I really like the ability to embed projects from other sites such a Voki, Prezi, ProProfs, and Animoto. In addition to embedding their projects, we also enjoy being able to easily upload audio, video, URLs, images, and PowerPoints. The flexibility that Wikispaces offers makes it one of our favorite tools to communicate and collaborate with the students' global audience.

Keep reading.

A message from James

A study from the NSSEA says that public school teachers pay an average of $485 per year out of their own pocket for school materials. Setting aside the question of how we as a society are failing teachers such that they are in this position, what does this tell us as educational technology vendors?

For us, it's very simple. We don't rely on charging teachers for our revenue. Our paid services are designed for schools, districts, and universities. The more we learn about educators the better we feel about giving them services for free, and helping the institutions they work for pay for services that make teachers more productive.

What will you do with your next wiki?

Good Idea: Write a choose your own adventure story with a few of your friends.

Bad Idea: Write a choose your own adventure story with a few of your cats.

Sent by Wikispaces.com - 165 10th St. Suite 50, San Francisco CA 94103
help@wikispaces.com

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Friday, July 12, 2013

Your are INVITED: 2 pm swim and fun at Ammon Rec Center Pool on Saturday and Sunday

Meet Coach Mark at the pool this weekend!

Come out for a show-off swim and water-disk games at 2 pm, this Saturday and Sunday at Ammon Rec Center Pool, Bedford Ave, Hill District.


We are looking for more game time. 
We are looking for more skill development.
We are looking for more engagement with the parents, guardians, siblings and community.
We are looking for some cross-over visits so those at the various camps sites can interact with each other.
We are looking to get cool in the summer heat.
We are looking to get stronger in the water.
We are looking for more photos, more field trips, more fun. 
We are looking to use the great, outdoor, Citiparks swim pool at Ammon and help to increase its attendance.

After Summer Dreamers ends, we'll have a giant game day at Ammon on Thursday, August 8. Then on August 9 we'll run the Liberty Mile after another all camp swim at Sue Murray. So, we're looking to have some extra events, such as this weekend. If you can come to the pool, we'll see you there. Bring your pool tag or else a few bucks for entry. 

This is "on your own. " Weather permitting, of course. Dont' go if it is raining or storming. 

Mark@Bloomfield-Garfield.org, 412-298-3432. 

Monday, July 08, 2013

Civic Data Challenge 2013



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Steven Clift
Date: Monday, July 8, 2013
Subject: [DW] Civic Data Challenge 2013



I asked Alice to send along some info I could share on the Newswire about:
http://civicdatachallenge.org

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: *Alice Murphy*
Date: Wednesday, July 3, 2013

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE:
The Civic Data Challenge ( www.CivicDataChallenge.org) turns the raw data
of civic health into useful applications and visualizations that have
direct impact on public decision-making.

Through the Challenge, participants will bring new minds and skill sets to
the field of civic health, with the purpose of making data-driven community
insights more valuable and accessible. All entries must be thoughtfully
informed by Civic Health data (
http://www.civicdatachallenge.com/data/civic-health-data).

In order to achieve an exceptional level of real-world usefulness,
designers, data scientists, researchers, and application developers will
collaborate with local leaders and respond to the needs of specific
communities or social issues.

Entries are due *July 28, 2013*. Participants are competing for exciting
prizes including speaking engagements, conference passes, gadgets, and
cash. You can read the latest prize announcement here:
http://www.civicdatachallenge.com/blog/post/one-month-left-to-join-the-civic-data-challenge

Visit www.CivicDataChallenge.org to join the Challenge!

PROMOTIONAL LANGUAGE:
*Tweet:*
Submit your entry to @CivicData Challenge by 7/28: win cool prizes and have
an impact in your #community http://ow.ly/mnEYh
*
*
*Facebook Post:*
You have until July 28 to submit your Civic Data Challenge entry and
compete for  exciting prizes including: speaking engagements, promotion,
gadgets, cash and more! http://www.**civicdatachallenge.com/blog/**
post/one-month-left-to-join-**the-civic-data-challenge
<http://www.civicdatachallenge.com/blog/post/one-month-left-to-join-the-civic-data-challenge>



On Wed, Jun 26, 2013 at 1:21 PM, Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org> wrote:

If you recall last year I shared it widely when I found out about it. But
that was late and contributed to you extending the deadline.

I'd be glad to give it some attention, but I need a simple text only
description with some "what's it about" bullets to share with exposed links.
On Jun 26, 2013 12:11 PM, "Alice Murphy" <amurphy@ncoc.net> wrote:

Hi Steven,

The Civic Data Challenge has three phases:
-Ideation (a collective brainstorm)
-Creation (time for participants to get to work creating their entries.
Submissions are due July 28 and will be judged. Finalists move on to our
next phase and final phase, Implementation)
-Implementation (finalists pilot their products in communities. A second
round of judging determines grand prize winners)

For more information on the Challenge, including the scoring rubric, please
visit the Rules and Criteria page:
http://www.civicdatachallenge.org/rules-and-criteria

Thanks!

Best,
Alice


On Tue, Jun 25, 2013 at 10:27 PM, Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>wrote:

Is there another round?
On Jun 25, 2013 9:43 PM, "Alice Murphy" <amurphy@ncoc.net> wrote:

Hi Steven,

I'm just checking in to see if you could use any help as you develop your
entry for the Civic Data Challenge.

If you're looking for additional team members, we have a Team Builder
Survey that will help us match you with other participants. You can
complete it here:
http://www.civicdatachallenge.**org/team-builder-survey<http://www.civicdatachallenge.org/team-builder-survey>
.

I also wanted to make sure you know of our new lifeline opportunity to
receive feedback on your entry from our team of advisors. I encourage you
to take advantage of this great resource here:
http://www.civicdatachallenge.**com/lifeline<http://www.civicdatachallenge.com/lifeline>
.

You can also find other tools, tips, and free service credits on our
Resources page:
http://www.civicdatachallenge.**org/resources<http://www.civicdatachallenge.org/resources>.
Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

Best,
Alice & the Civic Data Challenge Team

P.S. Keep an eye out for a Civic Data Challenge prize announcement later
this week!
--
*Alice Murphy**
*Program Manager, Civic Health Initiatives | NCoC
*We've Moved*: 1201 15th St. NW, Suite 420 | Washington, DC 20005
*New Phone*: 202.303.2435 | **




--
Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
  Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.org
  Twitter: http://twitter.com/democracy
  Tel/Text: +1.612.234.7072

-----------------------------------------
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/4t3KAlHjLCOaWoAyFHb43d

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.



--
--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com    
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim and Water Polo Camp Head Coach
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

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

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Swim & Water Polo Camp Squad Name Choices

Our Swim & Water Polo Camp with Summer Dreamers and PPS is going to start. One of the first tasks is to get into 'squads.' Then each squad gets to pick its own squad name. This year, squad names are from the list of national parks, plus a few extra parks beyond the United States.

The campers vote. Use elimination voting at the outset.

If your top pick is already selected from another camp site, you'll have to go to the 2nd choice. So, pick early to get what you wish.

Acadia
American Samoa
Arches
Badlands
Big Bend
Biscayne
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Bryce Canyon
Canyonlands
Capitol Reef
Carlsbad Caverns
Channel Islands
Congaree
Crater Lake
Cuyahoga Valley
Death Valley
Denali
Dry Tortugas
Everglades
Gates of the Arctic
Glacier
Glacier Bay
Grand Canyon
Grand Teton
Great Basin
Great Sand Dunes
Great Smoky Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains
Haleakalā
Hawaii Volcanoes
Hot Springs
Isle Royale
Joshua Tree
Katmai
Kenai Fjords
Kings Canyon
Kobuk Valley
Lake Clark
Lassen Volcanic
Mammoth Cave
Mount Rainier
North Cascades
Olympic
Petrified Forest
Pinnacles
Rocky Mountain
Saguaro
Sequoia
Shenandoah
Theodore Roosevelt
Virgin Islands
Voyageurs
Wind Cave
Wrangell - St. Elias
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion

International parks okay to pick:

Kakadu, in Northern Australia. Largest National Park in Australia (also known as AUS) and a World Heritage Site. Billabong
http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/kakadu-national-park-outdoor-pp2-guide-cid361775.html

Fiordland, home to Millford's Tramp, in New Zealand (also known as NZL) . http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/milford-track-outdoor-pp2-guide-cid350488.html

Kruger National Park in South Africa (also known as RSA) . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kruger_National_Park

Banff in Canada north of Calgary. http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/banff-national-park-outdoor-pp2-guide-cid361921.html

Galapagos Archipelago http://www.gorp.com/weekend-guide/travel-ta-galapagos-birdwatching-ecotourism-sidwcmdev_054328.html

See the one page ballot that can be used with the campers.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

In education: It is one thing to cut budgets. It is another to cut opportunities.

The good news about this 2014 PA budget that is nearing passage is that the cutting of funding for education and education-related items has stopped. Lawmakers are getting the message that Pennsylvania voters are very dissatisfied with the way state lawmakers have treated education funding in recent years. But actions by the Governor and state legislators to date do not begin to restore the massive cuts made during the past several years, and the subsequent harm to learning opportunities for students of all ages in the Commonwealth.
School cuts are a top concern for Pennsylvania voters, especially women voters. The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC) and Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) released on June 24 the results of a poll of Pennsylvania voters conducted mid-June. Of those polled, 28 percent ranked education funding for public schools as their top priority for the Governor and Legislature to take action on. Economic development and jobs ranked second with 27 percent, and other issues such as healthcare, taxes, and roads and bridges were identified as priorities by 15 percent or less of voters. There are more voters who favor restoring funding to public education than voters who favor maintaining no tax increase. Fifty-five percent of voters would support a proposal that would include a small sales tax increase of .25 percent and delay a planned corporate tax cut; voters are more supportive of increasing their own taxes to restore public school funding when corporations share in the investment.
To see the PBPC and PCCY's joint press release, click here.
 
What worries me is that we can still swim, even with the tiny bit of funding that remains, or without funding in some areas, but we are not allowed to swim because administrators don't get it done.

In Pittsburgh it is way too hard to get the signed pool permit for a facility that is already built, already functional, already staffed, already filled with water, already with its pumps running and filtration in progress. The costs are next to nothing. The upside is amazing.

We need to do more with less. When we do, we want everyone locally to be pulling for the kids. We want wellness to win. We want action for the sake of our kids. We want them to have fun and thrive on learning. We want hands on activities. In the summer, we want to go swimming as the weather permits. Red tape that gets in the way of those that want to dream big needs to be evaluated.

Most of all, I knew it. I told folks months ago and weeks ago that their system had some flaws. This is why we built http:Guard.CLOH.org.

Are you ready for the 100th annual Tour de France? See a Slightly Different Style of Tour Preview

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Chris Carmichael <chris.carmichael@trainright.com>
Date: Sat, Jun 29, 2013 at 4:35 AM
Subject: Weekend Reading, Tour de France Edition: A Slightly Different Style of Tour Preview


Having trouble viewing this email?
Click here
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=bajbj5bab&v=001dSc8ZL6S2HFFclX47MgYiscM30Bl1Xwicw52Vzluj6kSNoeHp8wsezmdC6XMr4-RwerqhA3E_q82bMPkCCtLRMI7SWpKgIt6uZ-vWBozttobaVkOiXWfeyjF4XfO2iQa0ciAi-YmqWy2T3EmDR8ATeyBcwrIG7_SuOULdXtW89PwCMDpo_AZY0y59_tzOrW-K1_AEbL5Q9mPuGs-7gINbE6R5TrR5L8yKk2BkrwsMmoZ6IEmFNbcv2kahl9QCNp3
As the Centennial Tour de France gets underway this week, I'm happy to say that I'll be contributing weekly articles to http://www.roadbikeaction.com. To give you a sense for what you can expect, I'm not going to be regurgitating news and stage results. There are plenty of places to get that. What's more interesting to me these days is providing insights into how or why those results turned out the way they did. Sometimes it'll be about tactics and strategy, other times about nutrition or hydration, and certainly I'll be relating what you're seeing to training and recovery. Whenever possible, I'll also try to relate what's going on at the Tour to usable and actionable ways you can improve your performance. Because one of the most powerful aspects of the Tour de France is its ability to inspire us to get out there and stomp on the pedals!

To kick off things off, Zapata Espinoza sent me a few questions. So let's get to it:

RBA: If there are upwards of 600 World Tour team riders and 198 in the Tour, why is it that each year the discussion on potential winners always comes down to just 5-6 guys? What is it that makes so few guys potential contenders?

Let's back up and first realize why there are 600 World Tour team riders. There's a huge variety of races in pro cycling, and a range of roles that riders play on those teams. It's only through building the best team that you give a Grand Tour contender the support necessary to actually win one. But getting back to your original question, the reason the discussion on potential winners always comes down to a handful of guys is because the combination of skill, intelligence, leadership, and versatility required to win the Tour de France is pretty rare. Making it onto a World Tour team doesn't mean you have all of those qualities, nor does making it onto your team's Tour de France squad.

Notice I didn't mention power output, drag coefficient, or power-to-weight ratio. A huge engine and a slippery aero position are certainly necessary, but based on physical characteristics there are more athletes who would qualify as Tour contenders than there are athletes who actually have a realistic chance of wearing the yellow jersey in Paris. The 5-6 guys who earn that "contender" role do so by proving the ability to win big races, over and over again. It's a progression that starts with short stage races featuring both climbs and time trials. Some athletes can win those but falter when facing the duration or pressure of longer and higher-pressure races. The great ones have the physical tools to win the Tour, the intelligence and champion's instinct to know when to take the race into their own hands and go for the kill, and the resilience to shoulder the pressure of leading a team and enduring the attention of fans and the media. And there aren't very many of those guys.

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>> USA Pro Challenge Race Experience: If you're not going to the TDF, come and ride the USAPCC with me! http://trainright.com/usapcc

RBA: What sort of calories do the riders burn in a day on the bike and can they get them all back with their small portions of food? By race end have they been running a deficit in caloric intake?

In short, on the bike Tour riders virtually always burn more calories per hour than they ingest (and so do most amateur riders). During the stage riders typically burn between 4000-6000 calories. At some points in the stage riders are working harder than at others, meaning there are hours where their caloric burn might be 750 and other hours where they burn well over 1000 calories. And keep in mind that the stage is usually only 4-7 hours of the day, and that they still have their normal metabolism to account for during the rest of the day. To put the numbers in perspective, a moderately fit amateur cyclist riding at an endurance pace will typically burn about 500-600 calories per hour, and a hard interval workout will get that cyclist to 750-800 calories in one hour. But a Tour rider might burn 750-800 calories per hour for another three hours, with a 1000+ calorie hour thrown in there somewhere.

RBA: How would you describe your first TdF - as much as you knew about, did any of it still come as a shock?

We might have thought we knew about the Tour, but we didn't. The intensity and the attention and the energy at the Tour de France were what shocked us. We'd been in a lot of big races in Europe prior to the Tour, and people kept saying, "The Tour is different." They were right. It's the sport's biggest stage and the spotlight is never brighter than it is at the Tour de France.

RBA: How do you rate the Americans?

There are some very talented young American riders at the Tour this year. Tejay Van Garderen is obviously a huge talent and he's been making good and consistent progress in terms of the races he's won and leadership roles he's taken. Andrew Talansky is another young guy with a lot of talent and some impressive results going into the Tour. Brent Bookwalter showed great form at US National Championships not long ago and he's proven the ability to be a key player for his teammates as well as in time trials. And it's great to see Ted King riding his first Tour de France for Cannondale. Of the Americans, I'd say Van Garderen will likely be the top GC finisher. Talansky might do reasonably well in the GC, but it's also a big learning experience for him and there's no reason to put any pressure on him for a big result. Bookwalter could make a difference in the race, in that his performance could impact the GC standings for Cadel Evans or Van Garderen. Everyone on a team contributes, but it's important to have guys who can make a big impact, too. Tom Danielson and Christian Vande Velde are also in the race for Garmin and they've both finished top 10 at the Tour before. Garmin's always been a team that seizes opportunities, so I think Danielson and Vande Velde will be active players in the hunt for stage wins and throw their support to the team's best GC hope.

RBA: Who do you see atop the podium in Paris and why?

It seems most people have Chris Froome picked as the most likely winner, and his recent performances certainly seem to back that up, but I don't think he's unbeatable. I think the race for yellow is pretty open. Both Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador have won before; they know how to get the job done. Evans won by being methodical and taking small bits of time whenever possible. Contador won with bigger, riskier moves in the mountains. Neither have looked as dominating as Froome this year, but you can't underestimate the danger they pose. Ryder Hesjdahl won the Giro last year, and we didn't see his best at the Giro this year because he got sick. He's another guy that is willing to take big risks if it means an opportunity to win. Joaquim Rodriguez is maybe the biggest wildcard. This is his first year targeting the Tour de France, he's finished third at the Vuelta and finished second at the Giro. And he loves to attack. I think it's going to be a difficult race for Froome and Sky to control, and I think the other teams have to leverage that as much as possible in order to beat him.

Have a Great Weekend!
Chris Carmichael
CEO/Head Coach
Carmichael Training Systems



This email was sent by chris.carmichael@trainright.com.

Carmichael Training Systems | 600 South 21st Street | Suite 100 | Colorado Springs | CO | 80904










Friday, June 28, 2013

Fwd: [wplug] Soggy Saturday fun

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Dave Sevick" <sevick@computereach.com>
Date: Jun 28, 2013 7:08 PM
Subject: [wplug] Soggy Saturday fun
To: "General user list" <wplug@wplug.org>
Cc:

Dear computer folks,

http://bit.ly/129rAJO

Pittsburgh weather forecast:  rain all weekend.

Why not join us at ITT Tech in Tarentum to work on over 100 Intel computers.  We start at 8AM - finish at 4PM.  All work will be indoors with air conditioning.

We will be :

Adding RAM
Adding Hard Drives
Imaging software using Clonezilla in a PXE Server environment
Entering data into a Salesforce.com database.
Cleaning and packing the computers for humanitarian outreach somewhere in Pittsburgh or around the world.

Donuts, coffee, and water, iced tea in the morning.  Lunch served to all volunteers.

Plenty of work for everyone !

Click here for more info:

http://
bit.ly/129rAJO

Dave

--------------------------------------------
Dave  Sevick
Executive Director
Computer Reach
Humanitarian Computer Outreach
Mobile:  724-779-0099
Email:  sevick@computereach.com
--------------------------------------------




_______________________________________________
wplug mailing list
wplug@wplug.org
http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Guard.CLOH.org is updated

http://Guard.CLOH.org

Code named, Guard_Input, this service helps Lifeguards, swim coaches, camp coordinators and others involved with the Swim & Water Polo activities to communicate about health insights of students in our programs.

This process puts information to the coaches within the programs and not in a file box deep within the school's office behind the nurse's desk.

This is not a secure process, but rather a practical one. Communicate only the information that you feel is important to the coaches and lifeguards, not pharmacy specifics, please.

Links:

Monday, June 24, 2013

Fwd: Re: [DW] Live Stream Monday - MIT-Knight Civic Media Conference - June 24-25 - #opengov News Challenge Winners Announcement

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Steven Clift" <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Jun 24, 2013 7:53 AM
Subject: Re: [DW] Live Stream Monday - MIT-Knight Civic Media Conference - June 24-25 - #opengov News Challenge Winners Announcement
To: <newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Cc:

Starts at 9am Eastern today!

http://www.knightfoundation.org/live/

Tweets:
https://mobile.twitter.com/search?q=%23civicmedia&s=typd

The agenda:
http://civic.mit.edu/conference2013

Here is their meaty framing text - what do you think???

(I plan to tweet from the audience @democracy that we need to focus on
raising new and less represented voices as a civic tech movement. New
insiders can't just be new squeaky wheels with more in common with existing
insiders than our diverse community reality today. The Pew study suggest we
have a looong way to go http://bit.ly/pewcivic http://bit.ly/digicivic )

Civic engagement is changing shape.

When paths to change run through YouTube and Facebook as well as through
state legislatures and Congress, outsiders find themselves insiders, and
vice versa.

Over the past few years the ways weve traditionally engaged in government
 following the news, attending community meetings, writing to legislators,
voting for political candidates  are being complemented by a new set of
tactics and practices such as online petitions, viral videos, civic
crowdfunding, and collective brainstorming.

If traditional forms of engagement focused on helping citizens understand
their (often narrow) role in governance, the new civics promises an active
role in raising attention, building communities, and proposing solutions.

This year's Civic Media Conference, featuring Open Government Foundation
co-founder Rep. Darrell Issa and more than 250 others will explore civic
participation through the lens of Insiders and Outsiders.

We're seeing governments and institutions open themselves to inputs from
people who see themselves as outside of political processes. And we're
watching individuals and activists increasingly use "insider" tactics to
build constituencies and wield influence.

What will civic participation look like when we're all insiders of some
communities and outsiders of others?

How do we work to address social problems and make governments more
responsive offline and online, from both inside and out?

Whether the promise of this new civics is real or mostly imagined, it's
sparking a debate about what public participation could be: rich and
engaging, creative and participatory, civil and constructive, and open to
all.

We look forward to hearing your voice in that debate.


>
> FYI, they have a full-up affiliated pre-hackathon:
> https://wiki.mozilla.org/OpenNews/hackdays/insideroutsider
>
> And if you want to join me AND you are in Boston on Sunday, I have a
> conference room at the MIT Media Lab to chat with folks about
> inclusive civic tech, neighbors online, etc. from 2-4 pm:
> http://bit.ly/bostoncivictech
>
>
> ... From Knight ...
>
> Join us virtually next week for the livestream of the 2013 MIT-Knight
> Civic Media Conference. Themed Insiders and Outsiders, the gathering
> will explore the changing nature of civic participation through the
> work of advocates both inside and outside government institutions.
>
> There, at 10:45 a.m. ET Monday morning, Knight Foundation will
> announce the winners of the Knight News Challenge: Open Gov, who will
> receive funding for their ideas to improve the way citizens and
> governments interact.
>
> The livestream, taking place Monday and Tuesday, will be available at
> knightfoundation.org/live, where you can also find a full schedule.
>
> Follow along on Twitter too via @knightfdn, #newschallenge and
#civicmedia.
>
>
>
>
> Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
>   Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.org
>   Twitter: http://twitter.com/democracy
>   Tel/Text: +1.612.234.7072

-----------------------------------------
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/7uJMDJyCPzQKORYaCJZ5Oo

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.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Fwd: [ACA Google Group] 10mTT results

Fast cycling for a 10 mile time trial at the oval tonight.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <swan@pitt.edu>
Date: Jun 21, 2013 8:44 PM
Subject: [ACA Google Group] 10mTT results
To: "Allegheny Cycling Association" <acaracing@googlegroups.com>
Cc:

RESULTS OF 10 MILE TT, June 21, 2013. Nice weather, fast times, everything
went smoothly. Andrew Seitz set a new 10m record, at 20.21, smashing the
old record of 20.46 by Joe Valese. Thanks to Stephanie Swan for
registering and officiating.

1. 20.21 Andrew Seitz (new record, 29.48 mph)
2. 21.22 John Heffner
3. 21.47 Stephen Marlette
4. 21.53* Dan Wilson (pro-rated; rode extra lap)
5. 21.54 Skip Rogers (1st 50+)
6. 22.15 Birk McGilvrey
7. 22.22 Jimmy Feudale (2nd 50+)
8. 22.25 Chris McElhinney (3rd 50+)
9. 22.35 Mark Briercheck
10. 22.45 Al Meder (4th 50+)
11. 22.46 Clifton Kimbrough (5th 50+)
12. 22.50 Paul Lieber (6th 50+)
13. 23.11 Mark Bedel (7th 50+)
14. 23.28 Jakob Yundt
15. 23.39 Bill Kanarek (8th 50+)
16. 24.06 Greg Ellis (9th 50+)
17. 24.25 Marko Milojevic
18. 24.55 Chris Mayhew
19. 24.59 Ray Sielski (10th 50+)
20. 25.06 Paul Upson (11th 50+)
21. 25.13 Ester Erbe (1st woman)
22. 25.43 Alan Lucas
23. 26.10 Michael Wagner


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Monday, June 17, 2013

Turkey update

i won't / can' t write long.

*last night, they emptied gezi park following erdogan's direct orders.

*the attack was brutal as always.
find the statements of claudia roth (german green party), google it, youtube it. she was there with us.

*after emptying the park, police pursued us with gas and water. they confessed that they added tear gas solution to the water they cannoned to us. it burns like hell.

* police shot gas inside the infirmaries. { geneva convention? yeah, baby, our police, our humanist heroes ;-) } they entered into the "german hospital" to arrest the wounded people. they succeeded.

* this morning, police arrested many doctors who worked voluntarily in the infirmaries and hospitals. in tv channels, they referred them as 'marginal resistors wearing white, long shirts'. THEY ARE DOCTORS, it's their uniform all over the world :))

* there are at least 150 confirmed arrests. BUT, we can't find them. you heard right. volunteered lawyers of bar search them to defend, however, all the precincts and police stations reply that they don't have anyone. WHERE ARE THEY???

the dumbness of the majority who sit at home and still believe erdogan, the $#!#$$@* - ness  of turkish media, the lies of governor and parliament and erdogan doesn't drive me crazy anymore. no, sir. i got used to :) even the pepper gas doesn't effect me, we're evolving :))

we're on the streets, still.
we're resisting peacefully, still.
we'll protect the weak, now and forever.

with my warmest regards from istanbul,
ender nafi

one more thing: the chief editor of tv channel Kanal24, Yigit Bulut, claimed that some evil international organizations are trying to kill erdogan using TELEKINESIS :)))) no, it's not a joke. *chief editor, mainstream tv, official statement* erdogan's defenders and voters are these ;-)

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Fwd: Reminder: Call for entries -- 2 Minute Film Festival

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Carnegie Museum of Art" <membership@carnegiemuseums.org>
Date: Jun 16, 2013 8:31 AM
Subject: Reminder: Call for entries -- 2 Minute Film Festival
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:



Carnegie Museum of Art
View in Browser.
 
We're screening YOUR short films at Carnegie Museum of Art!
2 Minute Film Festival

There's still time to submit your 2-minute films!

It's your turn to play the filmmaker! The third installment of the 2-Minute Film Festival is back at Carnegie Museum of Art. This year's theme, "At Play," challenges you to test your boundaries and take imaginative risks with your own two-minute video.

Submit your most creative, most innovative, briefest video engaging in some way with the notion of play. Films selected will be screened in Carnegie Museum of Art's courtyard at Culture Club on Thursday, July 18, at 9 p.m. Each selected entry will be eligible for People's Choice and Juror's Choice prizes. For the first time this year, films chosen for the festival screening will also be made available on the 2MFF website, where visitors will be able to vote for their favorite prior to the event.

The submission deadline is Friday, June 21, 2013.

Please see the entry form to send your video now!

Click here to see the #2MFF Vines!

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Fwd: ACTION NEEDED: Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor Clean Indoor Air Legislation!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Melissa Brown, American Heart Association" <paadv@heart.org>
Date: Jun 13, 2013 9:35 AM
Subject: ACTION NEEDED: Urge Your Representative to Co-Sponsor Clean Indoor Air Legislation!
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

Help Us Significantly Strengthen PA's Clean Indoor Air Law!
 

Dear Mark: 

The current clean indoor air law in PA has dozens of exemptions, which leaves many individuals unprotected from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke! With your help we're working to change that.  If you haven't already, Send a message to your Representative today and ask them to co-sponsor House Bill 1485, which would eliminate exemptions to the law, so that ALL Pennsylvanians are protected from secondhand smoke.

Long-term exposure to second hand smoke, such as that occurring in a home or workplace, is associated with a 25%–30% increased risk for coronary heart disease in adult nonsmokers. A recent study published in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation, found that smoke free laws were associated with substantially fewer hospitalizations and deaths from heart and respiratory diseases.

Pennsylvania needs a truly comprehensive clean indoor air law -- with no exemptions -- to protect the health of its citizens. Don't delay - send a message to your legislator about this vitally important issue today!

Jennifer Ebersole, PA Government Relations Director
American Heart Association

Melissa Brown, Grassroots Director
American Heart Association

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