Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Fwd: Don't miss the Charter School Fair on 11/14!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Catie Stephenson" <catie.stephenson@penncan.org>
Date: Oct 28, 2015 9:24 AM
Subject: Don't miss the Charter School Fair on 11/14!
To: <Mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

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Thursday, October 22, 2015

Fwd: Register for the Clean Air Dash today!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Jessica Tedrow" <jessica@gasp-pgh.org>
Date: Oct 22, 2015 12:08 PM
Subject: Register for the Clean Air Dash today!
To:
Cc:







Run for your life this Halloween!


Support the Group Against Smog and Pollution and register today for the Clean Air Dash 5k Saturday, October 31, 2015 at 9:30am. This flat, fast, 5k in the South Side Works is perfect for all runners and skill levels.

There will be gift certificates from New Balance awarded to our top athletes, free massages provided by South Hills Physical Medicine , and Halloween goodies after the race!


R
un in your costume too! (Optional)


Thanks to a generous donation by Levin Furniture, there is free youth registration (with coupon code). Strollers and families are welcome! Please respond to this e-mail if you'd like the code.


Don't forget to get $5 off with coupon code: DASHPROMO when registering at: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Pittsburgh/CleanAirDash







There is no race day registration–registration ends October 28, 2015 at 11:59 p.m.


Race details available at: http://gasp-pgh.org/clean-air-dash-2015/


Hope to see you there,

Jessica Tedrow

Education and Events Coordinator     
Group Against Smog and Pollution
5135 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224                     
(412) 924-0604
gasp-pgh.org
Twitter/Facebook: @GASPPgh

Don't forget to register for the Clean Air Dash!





Sunday, October 18, 2015

Two things to think about with Pittsburgh's next Superintendent of Schools

The first thing we need from a new superintendent is an approach that supports school and community sports. I'll devote a different post to that topic. Here is another set of insights that we should put high on the list.

I think that the new superintendent needs to understand buildings, building schools, and building school culture as applied to the buildings that they reside within.

I hate to write this as I am generally a "software" kind-a guy who stresses the PROGRAMS and not worried about the the "hardware" and the bricks and mortar. The buildings take a back seat to the teachers, the school culture, the education and the dynamic learning that can and should happen. But golly, in Pittsburgh, we got issues with old buildings and bad decisions within the buildings and huge capital overhead that is not helping to retain our sense of pride and scholarship that should be happening.

I get to go to a lot of school buildings as we travel around with sports programs. Our city facilities are weak. Sure, CAPA is sweet. But, as I see CAPA, I hate that it is grades 6-12 rather than just 9-12.

Westinghouse & Carrick got nice upgrades not too long ago, but have you seen what has been done at many suburban districts? BP, Lebo, Penn Hills, Baldwin, West Allegheny, USC, etc. And the schools we have visited elsewhere beyond W.Pa are sensational.

In terms of taxpayer interest, the school and capital questions should loom large for a superintendent search process. Managing a building project and construction teams is way beyond the comfort zone of what's in place now. And, PPS can't even get a penny on the dollar for its existing and non-utilized facilities.

PPS made some serious, generational mistakes with Schenley, with South Vo Tech and many other building and grounds assets.

I think the new superintendent should be able to point to their professional history and say that these X-Y-Z schools were rehabed, re-build, opened, and construction was managed flawlessly for the course of these multi-year efforts. And, I want to get construction firm testimonials with lots of documentation and critical review on those mega projects.

Above rant began at the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1684791538424529/

Friday, October 16, 2015

Fwd: Soothing words . . .



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington <jehemington@verizon.net>
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015
Subject: Soothing words . . .
To: John Hemington <jehemington@verizon.net>


For quite some time now we have been barraged with soothing words about the wonderful recovery from the Great Financial Crash of 2008.  I'm sure that this must have made everyone feel comfortable about just how well things were going.  Except, perhaps, for those of you who have somehow missed out on the benefits showered on Wall Street and the corporate managers and equity investors thanks to QE 1,2, 3 . . . etc. as well as the market boosts from insanely massive debt-fueled  corporate stock buy-backs.  If you were one of the vast majority who happened to miss out on these Fed subsidized bonanzas, well, too bad; your political leaders could care less.  What should worry them, however, (. . . and the rest of us too, since we always manage to muck around in the fallout from these messes and are generally considered to be disposable by our leaders) is what happens when all the QE bullets are spent, the debt accrued and the whole Ponzi apparatus collapses in on itself. 

 

Tonight's attachment contains some articles examining the difficulties presented by the failure of the federal government (as well most of the world's developed nations) to take reasonable and necessary steps toward economic recovery (i.e., fiscal stimulus and holding those responsible accountable) following the GFC.  It's been seven years since the bottom fell out of the financial system and the only ones who have been made healthy are those who brought the problems on in the first place.  When there is no justice – and there has not been – there is no hope unless those scorned and wronged are willing to rise up against those who have inflicted the pain and sold out the nation and the world for their own personal gain.  Those responsible are now trying to figure out how to squirm out of the mess they have made.  It is up to us to insure that they do not inflict the same measures of self-help that marked the 2008 bailout and left the rest of us up the proverbial creek without a paddle.  If there is no rebellion we have only ourselves to blame.  It is long past time to unmask the neoliberal traitors for what they are and what they do to the rest of us.

 

 

John

 

 




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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

Thursday, October 15, 2015

New movie: Poverty, Inc.

Reading up on Bernie

Interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Sanders

In the first D-candidate debate, the introduction time for each candidate was 2-minutes long. Senator Sanders spent his time talking about issues and gave little, if not nothing, about himself.

I do enjoy seeing a guy who bucked the two-party system get some traction in political circles. Props too for University of Chicago grad. Our swim team captain from last year's squad at Obama Academy is a freshman there now.

Another good article about Socialism and Bernie's stances with those political terms:

http://www.vox.com/2015/10/14/9530787/socialism-history-explained

A good runner in high school too.

http://magazine.good.is/articles/feel-the-bern-bernie-sanders-facts?utm_source=thedailygood&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dailygood