Thursday, March 30, 2017

Fwd: What Can YOU Build With LiveCode?


---------- Forwarded


What Can YOU Build With LiveCode?

Hi Mark,

I'd like to share with you three very different examples of what our customers have achieved with LiveCode. Join us and you can start building your own great apps!
3000 Malaysian School Children Learn Programming
Fadillah Iskandar is the lead trainer and content developer for the Coding@Schools program, a government funded initiative aimed at introducing primary school children in Malaysia into the world of computing and programming, to encourage them to become contributors to and creators of the Internet rather than mere consumers.

Fadillah told us "As a trainer, I am very excited about introducing young students to computer programming. Instead of just playing with games and apps, students get to go behind the screen and create their own website and apps. I hope this will spark their interest and give them a foothold in the programming world."

She goes on to describe the National Code Challenge "25 teams with 133 students from all over the country were placed under one roof in Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). It was an overwhelming atmosphere to see young people working together to refine their projects and doing their best to make it happen. Nothing beats seeing them confidently pitch their ideas and present their prototypes built on LiveCode!"

"The event was even more special and memorable when our Prime Minister himself presented the prizes to the winners. I am sure this momentous occasion meeting the Prime Minister will be forever remembered by the participants of NCC."

Read the full interview here. LiveCode is used in schools in many countries around the world, including here in my home country of Scotland where 1/3 of the schools now teach with it and report an impressive doubling of uptake for computer science.
Halo Co-Creator Chooses LiveCode to Create Graphic Novel Experience
Bungie co-founder and former head of game development at Disney Interactive Alex Seropian has embarked on a new adventure. Industrial Toys, based in Los Angeles, is focused on creating games for core gamers on mobile. The team features Tim Harris (formerly of Seven Lights) as its president, together with talent formerly from Marvel and DC Comics.

Midnight Rises is an interactive graphic novel that allows you to explore their game world and interact deeply with the characters. It's an incredibly rich experience, featuring parallax animation, choices of paths to follow, objects to find and some fascinating background on the characters.

Tim told us that "LiveCode was really easy-to-use. It gave us the speed to market we needed. And most importantly, it let us make something really robust. This is such an incredibly rich world we're creating and we needed to be able to do a lot to get the interactivity right. We were able to do all the things we wanted to do. Signup, profiles, server calls, analytics, transferring states, in app purchases, there is so much going on inside the app."

He went on to explain that LiveCode allowed Alex to write the app. "We have a team of world class engineers across the room working on the 3D shooter and we have Alex [Seropian] making this graphic novel. He's a world class game designer. He really appreciated having such an easy-to-use tool to create the gameplay quickly and do all the things we wanted to do."

Summing up their experience with LiveCode, Tim said "Everything has turned out nice and smooth. We couldn't be happier."

Read the full interview here.
University Management System for University of Vienna
With 91,000 students and 9400 employees, Vienna University is the largest in central Europe. They required a robust and fit for purpose management system to address the day to day running of this thriving learning environment and chose LiveCode. Every single aspect of functioning for the entire university is included in the system. A few of the functions include:

- A scheduler for course timetables
- A room allocation system
- The enrollment details for every student
- Staff Payroll

We spoke to Hartmut Eich, from the software development team at the University about their choice of LiveCode.

Hartmut told us "The project originated as a system for the creation of a database-based applications. One of the key features of the system is the way that the data and the code is stored in the database itself. The database stores all of its own meta-structure – a description of the table structure, together with the relationships between the tables, along with all the code for the user interface."

"LiveCode was an ideal choice for this project for many reasons. At the heart of the system is an augmented version of SQL that ties SQL together with the LiveCode language model. This is essentially a domain-specific language, tailored to fully support the needs of this application."

"The design of the system makes it easy for a team to work on the project. Each module is completely independent and stored in the Oracle database. This makes it straightforward to work on it in parallel."

Read more here.

What will you build? Join us today.

Kind regards,

Kevin

PS. There are just 2 days left to take advantage of your exclusive offer. Don't miss out - get it now.
Copyright © 2017 LiveCode Ltd, All rights reserved.
You joined this list upon creating an account and confirming your email address at LiveCode.com.

Our mailing address is:
LiveCode Ltd
25A Thistle St
South West Lane
Edinburgh, EH2 1EW
United Kingdom

Add us to your address book

18 month program that begins over 10 days in August in Baltimore

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Join in.... See the google calendar at CLOH.org. Let's get to the swim pool

Typical Schedule for Mark Rauterkus in spring 2017

Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 am at Sci-Tech for swim practices

Mondays, 3:30 pm at Westinghouse for after-school water polo

Tuesdays, 4 pm at Obama Academy for after-school water polo
6 to 8 pm kayak with Venture Outdoors for trip leaders

Wednesday, 4 pm at Allegheny Middle School (Northside) for water polo

Thursday, 4 pm at Obama Academy for after-school water polo
6:30-8:30 pm for community aquatics (underwater hockey, etc)

Fridays, 3: pm at Arsenal Middle School for after-school water polo

Saturdays, 9 am to 2 pm, at Oliver High School for Saturday Swim School
Kids (mostly middle-school) and mentors from 11:30 to 1 pm.

* * 
Big event, Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 6:30 pm (or later) at Oliver Bath House for SKWIM demonstration and games with the game's inventor and NDPA.org participants in Pgh for convention. Then at 9 pm at our home / office at 108 South 12th Street, South Side, Pittsburgh 15203. 





--
Ta.
 
 
Mark Rauterkus       Mark@Rauterkus.com
PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo Camp Executive Coach
Varsity Boys Swim Coach, Pittsburgh Obama Academy
Recent Head Water Polo Coach, Carnegie Mellon University Women's Club Team
Pittsburgh Combined Water Polo Team

http://CLOH.org

412 298 3432 = cell

Fwd: Should My Child Play Up Against Older Kids?

Great article about playing up in terms of age group competitions.

In competitive swimming we do not care. However, this is a factor in water polo. 

Enjoy.

---------- Forwarded
From: John O'Sullivan of changingthegameproject.com
Subject: Should My Child Play Up Against Older Kids?

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE ONLINE, AS WELL AS SEE IMAGES AND SHARE

Please join us for our Way of Champions Coaching Conference, to be held June 2-4 in Princeton, NJ! You will be joined by John O'Sullivan from Changing the Game Project, Dr. Jerry Lynch from Way of Champions, and other top coach educators.

Act now and you can save $100 on your registration fee! Click here to check out our video from last years event

Should My Child Play Up? The Do's and Don'ts of Moving Kids to Older Age Groups

by John O'Sullivan

Manchester United's Carrington Training Center is not only one of the finest youth soccer academies in the world. On every field, the future of the club is evident, as aspiring young players dodge, weave, pass and move the United way. At the same time, everywhere you turn you stare at history. Images of Ryan Giggs, George Best, Bobby Charlton, and David Beckham adorn the walls, and words of wisdom from United legends of the past are plastered on most flat surfaces. One such quote has always stood out to me and I snapped a picture of it on my last visit:

"If they're good enough, they're old enough. If you don't put them in, you can't know what you've got" proclaimed Sir Matt Busby many years ago. "The Busby Babes" as his 1955-56 team was affectionately known, won the English title that season with an 11-point cushion, and an average age of 22. He is credited with creating a tradition at Manchester United of developing and promoting youth into the first team, one famously continued by Sir Alex Ferguson and his famous Class of 1992 that included long time first team stalwarts Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, and brothers Phil and Gary Neville. Since 1937, Manchester United has had a youth academy product in every single matchday squad.

It takes a special kind of 16-19 year old to have the skill, game understanding, and mental strength to play in front of 80,000 fans in the English Premier league. Christian Pulisic, the rising 18-year-old star of the US Men's National team and Borussia Dortmund, is another example of a youth player who has jumped straight to the top. But what about youth players, especially very young ones? Should the most talented ones play up an age or two? Should girls train and play with boys? When does this additional challenge help a player's development, and when does it hinder? These are all questions that are well worth exploring so that parents, coaches and clubs can make the right decisions for the young athletes in their care. But let's start with this:

Any decision regarding a child playing up an age should be based on what is best for the child.

You don't coach a sport, you coach a person, and thus every decision is an individual one. It always bothers me when I see organizations with blanket policies disallowing playing up. It equally bothers me when organizations have no policies at all and athletes are scattered across multiple ages for no rhyme or reason. Every youth sports organization should have well-thought out policies in place that allow for athletes to compete not simply against players their chronological age, but their developmental age.This merits some further explanation.

Chronological age is self-explanatory. Most sports separate athletes based on their birth year, or some other arbitrary calendar cutoff such as school year. As we know from the "relative age effect," this gives a large advantage to those children born closest to that cutoff, especially at very young ages where a January birthday 8-year-old is 11% older than a December-born child. The earlier we make talent selections, the more important this calendar difference becomes. In fact, in a recent conversation with a youth coach from Barcelona's famed La Masia Academy, I was told that 92% of their Academy kids are born between January and June, with only 8% coming from the latter half of the year!

Developmental age is the age at which children function emotionally, physically, cognitively and socially. We also know that children grow at different ages. Have you ever coached a 12-year-old boys game in any sport? Did you notice that some look like 10-year-olds and others look like young men? A 12-year-old boy can have a 5 year developmental age swing, as the picture on the left from my friend Nick Levett shows. Those are two 12-year-old boys born a few weeks apart. One certainly has some physical advantages over the other, wouldn't you say?

Before we discuss playing up specifically, there is one more piece of background needed: Long Term Athletic Development. LTAD models have been developed in most every sporting nation (in the US we call them our ADM, the Athlete Development Model) and outline the various ages and stages of development Our ADM gives us a research-based approach to the physical, social and psychological development of athletes at various stages of their lives. The Canadian LTAD model is best known and is the basis for many others (click here to see it). You can see the US lacrosse ADM here.

Notice how there are age ranges for each stage? That allows for the differences in developmental age for each child. US Lacrosse's Foundations stage ends around age 12, while the Emerging Competition begins at 11. Basically, that overlap allows for children who start puberty earlier than others (for example, girls usually hit their growth spurt sooner). The importance of these models is they provide a great guide for children playing up vs. those who are held back.

In education, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development is the typical model to use regarding where a child's developmental sweet spot is. In layman's terms, some children are reading at a 5th grade level in 1st grade and others may be reading right on grade level. The educator is to place the children in these zones where they find the most chance at development - the Zone of Proximal Development. They are challenged, but not overwhelmed. They are also not bored to death. This is really what most organizations dance around but do not understand. Each child should be placed in his own ZPD.

We are often asked about children playing up in age. We have met many parents suffering from FOMO - the fear of missing out - who were worried that if their child did not play up an age, they would be overlooked for high school sports, and have no chance to play in college. They've seen other kids who did play up and think that their child should as well. They've rarely considered exactly what would make it beneficial for their child, or why it might hinder his or her development. They basically said, "others are doing it, so my kid should too."

What are some reasons that a child should play up in age? Here are a few factors a coach, a parent, and a sports club should look for in considering whether it is beneficial for a child, and some things to look out for to see if he should remain playing up:

  • A child is developmentally (physically) ahead of his or her peers, and tends to rely on physicality rather than technique or thought to have success. This player should be challenged by teammates and opponents who are physical equals. Caution: This child may be socially and cognitively behind, and thus exposed to situations that he/she should not be maturity wise. Some kids struggle with tactical development and understanding the movement and interaction of players. Some are not physically ready to perform certain tasks even though they are big.
  • A child is technically and tactically so far ahead of his or her peer group that there is no challenge. This child should be given the opportunity to play against players with the same technical ability and guile so that he/she is challenged to perform at a higher speed of thought and action. Caution: If the physical differences are such that a technically gifted child stops playing the game the right way (i.e. is afraid to dribble or shoot, stops playing confidently) the situation should be re-evaluated. Many players struggle with the physical disadvantage and can develop bad habits.
  • When a child starts playing up, they should be eased into the situation. The speed of play at an older age can significantly ramp up the training and playing load on an athlete. Even if they practice and play the same amount of minutes, overuse injuries can happen if you are not careful.

Here are a few reasons that some parents have given me over the years that ARE NOT sufficient to allow playing up to happen, especially as children advance to more competitive environments:

  • The kids on that team are part of our carpool (I get it, but hopefully you can form a new carpool. If the carpool is that important, ask permission to go to a practice once in awhile, but don't play up full time)
  • Her best friend is on the team (I am sure they will get plenty of time to play together)
  • That team is coached by his favorite coach (it is good to be exposed to many coaches)
  • He plays up in other sports (Should an advanced reader should be taking advanced math?)
  • Her older siblings were allowed to play up (every child is evaluated as an individual, and perhaps her siblings were older, bigger, stronger, or in an age group where kids were not as good).
  • He is in the same grade as those kids on the older team (great, they will get to play together in high school, and perhaps you can guest play once in awhile but in the meantime, we can give the spot to a kid who is the correct age and develop him too)
  • Our team has been together for 3 years (often heard when kids transition from recreational to travel programs. Please be patient, and it's likely that you can make some new friends, and be faced with new challenges instead of being comfortable).
  • Parents are generous financial donors (hit like if you feel like you just bit into a lemon!)

I am sure there are many more excuses to play up, but you can get the gist. When it comes to athletic development, the only sufficient reasons for allowing children to play up an age full-time are based on technical, tactical and developmental criterion, and what puts a child in his or her ZPD, not on the whims or dreams of the child's parents. Every case should be decided on an individual basis, and yes, there are exceptions to every rule (ie. the team at the younger age disbanded). In the end, though, youth sports organizations must be consistent and make these decisions for the benefit of the athlete.

One final caveat is this. If you have a talented athlete playing up a year, or a female who competes with boys, don't be afraid to slide them down once in awhile and let them remember what it is like to compete against their chronological peers. We tend to only evaluate ourselves against our current peers (i.e struggling Harvard math majors don't look at themselves as 1%'s, they see themselves as the dumbest kid in the class), so sometimes talented youngsters can lose confidence when always playing against older kids. An age-appropriate game they can dominate from time to time, or allowing talented girls to play against other girls their age, is not a bad thing at all. Again, it must be monitored on an individual basis with parents and coaches working together!

I will leave you with this story. At one of my former clubs, we had a talented, late maturing U15 boy. Not only did he not play up, but we held him back on the club B team that year so he could continue to play the game the right way. He could be a leader, he could take free-kicks, and he could play his preferred position. We let him guest play from time to time, but he was a full-time B team player. He was not happy, nor were his parents initially, but we worked hard to help everyone understand how this benefited the athlete.

One year later he grew and made the top team. Two years he started on a team that won the US Developmental Academy National Championship. Three years on he was the starting center midfielder at an ACC soccer powerhouse. Everyone has their own path. Do not panic when your child's journey is not the same as another's.

I realize that "playing up" is a touchy issue for many parents and youth sports organizations, and I hope that we have touched on a few of the issues here. I am sure we have not hit them all, so please, if you have any ideas to share please do so below. Let's get a great conversation going so when the next talented young player comes along, we can make the decision that best serves his or her needs.

____________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Speaking Events: (email John@ChangingTheGameProject.com to learn how to host one on your community. We are now booking Summer and Fall 2017 events, so if you are interested please email us ASAP)

April 5-6: Edmonton Youth Lacrosse, AB (Glen)

April 6: Live Active Summit, Edmonton, AB (Glen)

April 8-9: Calgary Youth Lacrosse, AB (Glen)

April 11: Highland (IL) Parks and Recreation District (John)

April 20-21: City of Midland (TX) Aquatics (Reed)

May 8: Medford (OR) Chamber of Commerce (John)

May 17: Laguna Beach PTA, CA (John)


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Fwd: Millersville University Summer Swim Camps


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kyle 
Hi Coach:

I just wanted to let you know if you did not know already about the Marauder Swim Camps here at Millersville University that are being held this Summer.

The camp will feature both in the pool and class room training along with topics on, dryland, nutrition, dryland, and race training data. Focus of this camps will be working each of the 4 main strokes along with training for the IM and starts turns and relay focus as well. Each camper will also be video taped and receive a video with tips and corrections to their strokes at the conclusion of the camp.

We will also have a few guest coaches and experts dropping in daily to share their knowledge as well with each of the campers.

This camp is for competitive swimmers ages 9 and up with groups broken up based on ability and age so that each camper gets the most out of this camp. Please share this with any of your swimmers that might be looking for a swim camp that is local this summer and if you have a club team please share it with your families as well.

I have attached the brochure for the camp along with registration link that is up and running. And if you have any questions please do no hesitate to contact us. We are also beginning to send out registration for our Marauder Stroke Clinics, Sprint, and Distance clinics that will be happening this spring as well so keep an eye for that information as well.

Swim Camp Registration Link: http://www.millersvilleathletics.com/sb_output.aspx?form=56


All the best!

Coach Kyle M. Almoney
Phone: 717-871-4163
Email: 
Kalmoney@millersville.edu


Click to download these attachments:
2017 Swim Camp Packet.doc

You have received this email from Millersville University of Pennsylvania Women's Swimming & Diving.

Monday, March 27, 2017

Fwd: [wplug-announce] WPLUG seeking new leadership and model


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vance K

It's 2017, and neither GNU/Linux nor the movement it sprang from has
shown signs of slowing down. In fact, they're bigger than ever;
according to the Top500 supercomputer rankings, over 95% of the world's
most powerful supercomputers run GNU/Linux. They're also smaller than
ever; Android, the world's most popular smartphone operating system,
uses the Linux kernel.

But what's the right size for free and open source software in Western
Pennsylvania? How can we most effectively reach out to other enthusiasts
in the area? How can we encourage the next generation of community
innovators?

The Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group (WPLUG) is seeking a steward
to assume ownership over its name and assets. We recognize that our
traditional concept of a Linux user group (LUG) can no longer sustain an
active user community and that fresh ideas - and a fresh perspective -
are needed.

If chosen, you will serve as WPLUG's "benevolent dictator," to borrow a
phrase from Linus Torvalds, and have the sole authority to ensure its
continued existence. It is expected that you will maintain the present
organization with an eye toward developing a new structure for it. Of
course, one person alone cannot do everything; you will also need to be
able to collaborate with others.

Contact us at <info@wplug.org> if you're interested in taking WPLUG to
the next level.

Requirements:
* Knowledge of and passion for the free and open source software
  community.
* Ability to respond to inquiries that come in to WPLUG - particularly
  any communications relating to re-activating the organization - in a
  timely manner.
* Knowledge of online hosting sufficient to keep the WPLUG domain name,
  web site, and mailing lists active. Up to 24 months of hosting
  expenses can be funded, but after that you will be responsible.
  Currently this totals about $150 per year. Note that deep technical
  knowledge may not be required; you can (and are encouraged to!)
  recruit others to assist with maintenance tasks.
* Solid commitment to sustaining the present organization.
* Management skills sufficient to delegate tasks and effectively oversee
  those who have been assigned the work. ("Benevolent dictator" stuff
  aside, seriously, don't be a jerk.)

Strongly Desired:
* Demonstrated personal interest in keeping up with developments in the
  free and open source community. Did you make a Raspberry Pi-powered
  pineapple corer in your spare time? Try out a new distribution you saw
  on Distrowatch?
* Experience working in collaborative teams, especially in non-profit or
  other civic organizations.
* Innovative ideas for how to adapt a Linux user group to today's
  environment.
* Connections in/involvement with the information technology sector in
  Western Pennsylvania.
* Physical presence in Western Pennsylvania.

Nice-To-Have:
* Personal experience with open source projects. Show us your Github
  profile, Wikipedia or OpenStreetMap history, etc.!
* Willingness to plan and hold WPLUG events during the transition to the
  new organizational structure.
* Outgoing nature and ability to connect with locals interested in free
  and open source software who can contribute their efforts to
  revitalize the organization.
* Sufficient physical space to store items that may be useful for future
  events (10 to 50 cubic feet).

Disqualifications:
* Intent to retain stewardship when the King of Gondor returns.

Vance Kochenderfer
Chair, Western Pennsylvania Linux Users Group
_______________________________________________
wplug-announce mailing list
wplug-announce@wplug.org
http://www.wplug.org/mailman/listinfo/wplug-announce

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Fwd: Chris Hedges video


---------- Forwarded message
From: "John H

This video linked below is a must watch chronicle of the impact of neoliberalism on the United States and the world.  It is well worth your time to watch!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1655&v=xLaoJrg80JQ

 

John


Thursday, March 23, 2017

Doctor Walters departs

This was good news because Dr. Wayne Walters was no friend of swimming. He didn't allow us to swim on Saturdays. He didn't allow the coaches to lock up the facilities or unlock the facilities before and after practices. 
But, what went from bad went to worse with the arrival of the new principal, Ms. Colbert. She would not allow for AM swim practices nor for fall water polo. She wouldn't sign the permit for months, until the issue was forced. And, she wouldn't even meet with me -- again for months. 


Notes on life lessons

http://ignorelimits.com/tai-lopez-67-steps-summary/


Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Fwd: Hamilton, the musical


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "John H


It was just announced this week that the Broadway musical, Hamilton, the Musical, will be coming to Pittsburgh soon – and I assume to much of the rest of the nation.  This musical has become perhaps the most popular musical ever to play on Broadway and is a must see for everyone who is anyone in politics and business.  However, as the attached article states, it is also a powerful piece of propaganda which substantially misrepresents both Hamilton himself, his policies and his impact upon the nascent nation.  The musical has been adopted by the Democratic Party elite as their defining and confirming ideal – and this is not without merit as the article demonstrates.  But it is important that people who are about to attend this show understand what Alexander Hamilton actually stood for and just how this relates very closely to what is transpiring in the country and the world today.  Much of it represents the very heart and soul of neoliberalism and financialization now impoverishing people around the world, while making the financial wizards of Wall Street modern day kings and queens.  I have added the bold emphasis in the article.


John

Link

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Public Statements: March 20, 2017 to PPS Board and Administration:

Mark Rauterkus, Varsity Swim Coach, Obama Academy.

I lead Swim & Water Polo after-school programs at Westinghouse (Mondays), Obama (Tuesdays & Thursdays), Allegheny (starting on Wednesdays), Arsenal (starting Fridays). Our Saturday Swim School (Oliver HS pool on the Northside) continues from 9 am to 1 pm (most weeks). At 6 am I'm at Sci-Tech three days a week. I coached Manchester Academic Charter School at the Sarah Heinz House and help with Pittsburgh Masters Water Polo and, of course, PPS Summer Dreamers. This year PPS Summer Dreamers' Swim & Water Polo is at King and U-Prep.

These activities are open to new participants, especially the Saturday Swim School. See my web sites at CLOH.org for details. CLOH = Creating Literate Olympians Here.

As we look to the summer, I'm going to be creating a new swimming, water polo and TRIATHLON team, on the Northside on Charles Street with The Pittsburgh Project.

Kids, adults, teachers, … we're hiring. Some of the varsity swimmers help, but we need about 35 as swim instructors, junior captains, guards, and coaches. Much of this work happens with the help of the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation, and I'm activity recruiting employees.

Applyat the link at CLOH.org.

News flash:

Earlier this month, an Obama Swimmer, Sead Niksic, junior, set a new WPIAL Record in the class AA 100-yard backstroke. This is the first time a PPS student in any sport broke a WPIAL record. That news got a mentioned on the PPS home page.

All-in-all, our swimmers performed in brilliant fashion at the WPIAL and PIAA meets. After the snow storm, I took three of the Obama students to the PIAA meet. The Obama boys team finished in the top 20 in the state. All of the swimmers set personal and school records.
This was the 9th consecutive season our PPS kids from Schenley / Obama went to states.
Sead was second in the back and third in the fly. Noah scored 13th in the 500 free in his first trip to states as a sophomore. Amila, a freshman, dropped an additional 1-second in her backstroke, after getting 2nd at the WPIAL championships, having been seeded 10th.

Next news flash:

You, your spouse, coaches, swimmers, lifeguards, PE teachers, and all community members are invited to join in at a seminar and demonstration as well as post-game social to be held in Pittsburgh's South Side starting at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, at the historic, Citiparks' Oliver Bath House. Out of town guest include aquatic experts with the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA.org) and Kevin McCarthy of Washington state, inventor of the aquatic game, SKWIM. Bring your swim suit and towel as we will put our PA friends into SKWIM games with opponents from around the nation. We'll learn about this terrific game, talk swimming, and find out what you might want to do to help get our kids swimming, more fit and safer in the water. We need to better utilize our facilities too.

After our time at the Oliver Bath House, all are invited to walk to a post game social starting at 9 pm at our home / office at 108 S. 12th Street, South Side, Pgh 15203.


October Reminder
In October 2016, I came to speak. My specific ask was for PPS support for WATER POLO instead of GOLF. The Obama golf team had one kid this year and none have made it to the final city-league match in the past two years. We have dozens of water polo players, and we own the pool. This would be a tremendous help for the students, programs and district in many ways. And, as a switch, it can be “budget neutral.”
I made that request to the board and the top administrators because you are the ones that will have to make it happen.
I find it sad that I have heard nothing about this issue from any of you since then.
Let's fix this for fall 2017.

New & Old Issues:
Furthermore, other matters, not well suited for public comment, need some attention. As we talk about district supported water polo, (we mainly need money for officials, some bus transit to matches and practice times at the school pool), we can share that list. This focused list of suggestions has many repeated requests from the past.  

Fwd: The inner sanctum

---------- Forwarded message
From: John H

This is a bit long, but anyone wanting a glimpse into Trump's inner sanctum will find it to be of interest.  Enjoy!

John

 Link

Monday, March 20, 2017

Fwd: There may be hope, with youth


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John H

For those of us who are prone to giving up hope in this era of despicable political creatures running roughshod over the American landscape, there is a small bit of hope in the recognition that most Americans recognize the corrupt political landscape for what it is.  More importantly, the youth of the nation seem to be motivated for the first time in decades to join in the battle for a better life for all.  The Bernie Sanders Town Hall in West Virginia is but one telling example, but a great one, indicating that given the right direction the American people will rise up to change the system.  Unfortunately this direction will not be found within the leadership of either major political party.  Read the attached articles and see what is happening.


John

Links

Becoming a Libertarian

Nice read.

Welcome to Pittsburgh, Heather Lyke

http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/12094743-74/report-pitt-to-hire-lyke-as-athletic-director

New Pitt AD.

Fwd: All too common practice


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John H
The article below recounts a sad but all too common story these days – a story tied to desperation and despair in many, particularly rural and depressed urban, areas of the nation.  If anyone saw the Bernie Sanders' Town Hall in West Virginia on March 5th, you will recall the attorney talking about the three drug companies listed in the article distributing  4,194,000 opiate pills to Kermit, WV, a town of only 400 people.  This overreach of corporate greed and moral depravity is beyond unconscionable – it is, or should be, criminal.

  
naked capitalism
March 19, 2017 | By Sarah Anderson, who directs the Global Economy project at the Institute for Policy Studies and is the author of the new report Off the Deep End: The Wall Street Bonus Pool and Low-Wage WorkersOriginally published at Alternet.
Lambert here:  I have no quarrel with going after Big Pharma CEOs (sadly, well after the fact).  I do quarrel with medicalizing "deaths from despair," which the focus on treatment does, and erasing workplace and community issues (which the story hook of "sport-related injuries" does).  I mean, this is a story about the Teamsters, and are there no truckers in pain, at home if not on the road?  That said, it's good to see some action from a union, since either news of the problem hasn't reached the Acela Corridor (Amtrak's New York to Washington service), or they don't want to hear about it.
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Travis Bornstein never told his friends about his son Tyler's drug problem.  He was too embarrassed.
Then, on September 28, 2014, Tyler's body was found in a vacant lot in Akron, Ohio.  The 23-year-old had become addicted to opioid pain killers after several sports-related injuries and surgeries.  Unable to afford long-term treatment, he ultimately turned to a cheaper drug — the heroin that killed him.
"Now I have no choice but to speak out," the elder Bornstein, president of Teamsters Local 24 in Akron, told a crowd of thousands at the union's convention in 2016.  As he shared the unvarnished tale of how a middle-class, star athlete wound up in that vacant lot, Bornstein lit a fire under the 1.4-million-member organization.
The Teamsters pledged $1.4 million for a nonprofit organization the Bornstein family set up to expand treatment for addicts in Ohio.  They're also going after the drug industry CEOs who've been profiting off a national opioid problem of epidemic proportions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription drugs and heroin) has quadrupled since 1999.  In 2015, opioid deaths in the United States hit a record-breaking 33,000.
The labor union is targeting the three largest U.S. prescription drug wholesalers — McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen — for flooding hard-hit areas with the highly addictive pills.
Between 2008 and 2012, for example, these companies shipped 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone opioid doses to West Virginia — 433 for every man, woman, and child in the state.  During that time period, 1,728 people in the state overdosed on the painkillers.
The companies deny any wrongdoing, pointing the finger instead at corrupt doctors and pharmacists who sell pills directly to addicts and dealers.  But as West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin recently told the Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Obviously, they had to know, with a state this size, and that many pills coming in, that something wasn't right."
The Teamsters are using their clout as pension fund investors to demand that drug wholesalers take responsibility for their role in the epidemic, conduct full investigations of their distribution practices, and hold CEOs accountable.
At AmerisourceBergen, for example, CEO Steven Collis hasn't coughed up a penny of the tens of millions of dollars he pocketed as the firm was reaping opioid windfalls — even though the company has paid $16 million to settle a West Virginia case over their negligence.
The Teamsters are demanding that some of the CEO's pay be "clawed back," in the same way that Wells Fargo executives involved in last year's bogus account scandal had to forfeit some of their compensation.
They've made similar demands on McKesson, where CEO John Hammergren's compensation has amounted to an astounding $368 million over the past five years.
Part of the problem with accountability at McKesson, according to the Teamsters, is the fact that Hammergren serves as both CEO and chairman of the company.  The union is filing a shareholder resolution urging the board to appoint an independent chair.
Meanwhile, Travis Bornstein is continuing to speak out, telling his son Tyler's tragic story to students, policymakers, and others as he works to expand the availability of drug treatment for communities ravaged by the opioid crisis.
Since Tyler's death, he's learned that opioid addiction isn't a moral failure, but rather a disease, like cancer or diabetes.  "Now my son is my hero for everything he was able to accomplish with such a gut-wrenching disease," Bornstein said.  "I was the fool."



John