Obtaining the PPS pools, again

Fwd: 2014 Spring Open Clinic Registration

 

The snow is receding, the days are longer and the Masters Tournament heralds the start of the 2014 golf season.  To celebrate The First Tee of Pittsburgh will offer expanded programs in new locations to serve our participants and their families.  Please see the new menu below to select the location that is most convenient for you.  (And please tell your family and friends!)

 

The Bob – Clinics at our home base, The Bob O’Connor Golf Course in Schenley Park, will begin on April 5 and Spring League begins on April 3 For more information and registration for The Bob please click here l

 

Pleasant Ridge – Our McKees Rocks location, The First Tee of Pittsburgh at Pleasant Ridge starts their programs on April 23.   For more information and registration for Pleasant Ridge please click here l

 

7 Springs – We will continue our program in Elizabeth, PA at 7 Springs Golf Course on April 9.   For more information and registration for 7 Springs please click here l

 

Norvelt Golf Club – A brand new location in Mt. Pleasant, PA will offer Monday clinics for ages 5 – 9 starting April 21.  For more information and registration for Norvelt Golf Club please click here l

 

North Park or South Park Golf Courses – We are excited to partner with Allegheny County Parks with clinics at South Park (Tuesdays starting April 22) and North Park (Fridays starting April 25).  For more information and registration for North Park or South Park please click here l

 

Murrysville Golf Club – This new location in the east suburbs will offer clinics on Monday evenings starting April 21.  For more information and registration for Murrysville Golf Club please click here l

 

 

  Please read this

1. You may register online or print out a registration form and mail it to our office.

2. All clinics are capped and admission is first come, first serve.

3. Scholarships are available for all locations.

4. You will not receive any additional confirmation after registration – please come to the first session.

5. A parent orientation will be held at the start of the first session with information about participant benefits.

6. The First Tee of Pittsburgh provides all equipment that is needed.

7. Please do NOT call the golf courses.  Call 412-622-0108 for more information or visit www.thefirstteepittsburgh.org

8. We will post weather cancellation one hour before clinic start time on our website and Facebook page

--
--
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

Fwd: [DW] Call for Speakers - National Association of Government Web Professionals - Due March 18

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Steven Clift" <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Mar 13, 2014 2:22 PM
Subject: [DW] Call for Speakers - National Association of Government Web Professionals - Due March 18
To: <newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Cc:

See:
http://beta.nagw.org/conference/2014/call-for-speakers

Interested in speaking at NAGW 2014?

September 9-12, St Paul, MN

NAGW is seeking presenters who are willing to share knowledge and
ideas and present on new technologies and trends.

The deadline for submitting proposals is Tuesday, March 18, 2014.

The focus of the NAGW National Conference is to bring together local
government webmasters who share similar goals and issues. The
conference is open to any web professional looking to enhance their
skills. We welcome speakers from both the public and private sector.

How long are presentations?

Pre-conference (hands-on) workshops, held on September 9, will be four
(4) hours long with both morning and afternoon slots available.
Regular conference and Friday Focus sessions are 75 minutes which
includes a 15-minute question-and-answer period.

What topics are you looking for in 2014?

Based on attendee evaluations and other industry data, we have decided
to focus on a few core topics. While your proposed session can fall
outside these core topics for 2014, priority will be given to those
that fall within the following topic areas:

Content strategy

Creating compelling content
Content migration
Social media
Multi-channel content repurposing
Document and form management
Video and photo content
Plain language

Modernizing the web

Javascript libraries
Sass, Compass and responsive grid systems
Git, version control and deployment, command line
HTML5, CSS3
Key programming concepts, such as OOP and MVC

User experience

Usability and user interface design
Accessibility
Information architecture

Open

Open data
Getting involved with open source
Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress

Tools and technology

Website security
Maps and GIS
Upgrading to the newest version of Sharepoint

Soft skills

Personal development: Our changing roles as web professionals in government
Working with cross-functional teams
Care and feeding of content contributors and editors
Project management

This year's Friday Focus will be content strategy. Friday's schedule
is a single track of sessions, so we are particularly interesting in
compelling presentations on various aspects of content strategy that
will appeal to the wide variety of attendees at our conference.

What do you get in return?

The majority of our speakers register to attend our conference, and we
provide a discount on the registration cost as compensation for
speaking.

Selected regular session and Friday Focus speakers will receive up to
a 50% discount on general conference registration fees.*
Selected pre-conference workshop speakers will receive up to a 100%
discount on general conference registration fees.*
All speakers will receive a NAGW speaker shirt.

Join government web professionals from around the nation and
participate in the only national conference for government web
professionals by government web professionals.

...

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/37RaaNLv0adHT8Q2xt5juf

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.

Fwd: The Eagle and Battle of the Books

The Eagle

---

Battle of the Books Posted: 11 Mar 2014 06:02 PM PDT I hope you all remember Elizabeth Uptegraff, the first school librarian of Obama Academy integrated into Peabody’s building. Without her, it’s likely that our two Battle of the Books groups would never have happened. Last May, Ms. Uptegraff gave me a flier advertising the Battle of the Books. Each school in the Pittsburgh area could submit several groups of four of five members to enter this “reading based” book competition. The book list would be released in November. What a long wait it had been. I was excited, as thrilled as a nerdy bookworm could be. I just needed to find the other four members, something that took longer than expected. I ran through a number of people, some said they’d stay but left due to time restraints. Our very own Sarah Parker, Executive Editor for the Eagle, opted to join. She dropped out because newspaper is life (winks). That left us with five members: Zackry Harrison, Hailey Treloar, Jahlia Finney, Krista Caraway, and myself, Tayde McDonald. Amazingly, Krista joined in the last month and was more prepared than the rest of us. We were effectively known as The League of Literary Legends. The eight books to be studied were as follows: I Am J by Cris Beam Everyday by David Levithan Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell Out of Nowhere by Maria Padain Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer This was only for high school. Middle school’s was: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman How they Croaked by Georgia Bragg One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead Inside Out & Back Again by Thanha Lai Sillhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones Poseidon: Earth Shaker by George O’Connor Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein The sixth graders straight up crammed, but they had an amazing time at the event. “They were ecstatic in competing, fist-pumping every time they got something right,” Ms. Sirio says. Their names were: Dominic Victoria, Jaiman White, Jonathon Freeman, and Nathaniel Shuty. Our studying process consisted of reading the books, rereading them, and then asking each other random, obscure questions worthy of a place in Ms. McKrell’s test booklet. At first I thought we’d be getting thematic questions like in a sort of debate club, but our chosen captain, Ms. Sirio, confirmed we’d be facing trivia (the middle school competition was a week before our’s). So we quizzed ourselves: “What kind of paint did Blue say was safe to eat?” “How did Marcus pass through security detectors?” “What was Ben’s last name?” Questions like these were spewed back and forth each lunch period and during after school. Each of us was committed to heavily studying two books, so they’d be easy to rely on. The most impressive trivia wiz by far was Hailey, who was able to write down the full name of Julia in Code Name Verity – all five of her names in correct order. In fact, the success of our group is largely due to Hailey’s impressive feat in sparring with a Shadyside student on Code Name Verity. She had a problem with one of the prompts, saying it was actually a trick question. When another student challenged her on the matter, she responded in a way that silenced the judges. They gave everyone a free point on that one, solely for being impressed by a good debate. Anyone who knows Hailey well will know she’s the queen of debate. That move put us back in the game after worrying about the first round, where we lost 12 points. At the end, it was announced that a tie breaker would be needed, and we held our breaths. “The teams currently tied for first place are, The Fizzing Whizbees, Gone with the Winchester… and… the League of Literary Legends!” At the end of the round, we earned second place out of the six teams present. All hail the Mighty Book Lord, this is how we role! It took months of hard work and passion to earn our certificates, and we made it. I guarantee that we were more than proud to represent Obama Academy in this competition, we were honored. Our feelings? Pride, joy, and relief. At first I thought how relaxing it would be to no longer have ties to these books, but now I’m sad to let them go. It was a wonderful experience to fight in this competition, but looking at the questions that I couldn’t answer made me realize that I have to improve on character and setting comprehension, my memory falters in that department (wow Tayde that’s like an entire book). Above everything is the determination we feel. This is now an annual event. First place for next year is definitely brewing in our minds.

Fwd: You Owe It to Yourself to Learn How to Win

---------- Forwarded message ----------

I know you understand the power of ideas. But good ideas are not worth anything if they are not put into action. I know you believe this, or you would not be a member of Campaign for Liberty. In order to help their members put their ideas into action, Campaign for Liberty supports training activists to be effective spokespeople and leaders. A political insider observed that, “Political success is determined by the number and effectiveness of the political activists on either side.” Therefore, you really do owe it to your ideas and principles to learn how to become the most effective activist you can be. To help you become more effective, I want to let you know there will be a One-Day Political Leadership School held in your area soon. (The details are listed below.) I hope you will sacrifice a little of your weekend to be part of this exciting class. I understand it is intense and even fun. I know that if you put just a few of the ideas you will learn into practice, you will help advance the cause of liberty. I sincerely hope you can attend. In Liberty, Rand Paul U.S. Senator, Kentucky P.S. I know you care about principles, limiting the scope and power of government, and the power of liberty. Here is your chance to convert our shared passion into action. I hope you will attend the upcoming Political Leadership School in Maryland. Dear Mark, Do you know how to work the legislature, or are you going to be worked over by the legislature... again? I am confident you understand the power of ideas. But good ideas are not worth anything if they are not put into action. If you and I are going to spend our time and treasure trying to reclaim the Republic, then let’s do it to win. The Maryland Campaign for Liberty is hosting a One-Day Political Leadership School on Saturday, April 5, 2014. Over the last 3 years, this school has trained over 4,000 activists in more than 35 states. Every one of our instructors have years of experience running and winning campaigns and legislative projects in multiple state legislatures. They will share their stories of what works (and what doesn’t) during this information-packed school. Click here to purchase your ticket. At this school, you will learn how to create meaningful change and what you must do to be respected and feared by politicians. You must be at this school! This intense one-day training covers: • The Real Nature of Politics – why just “educating” people alone won’t result in change • The Biggest Lie in Politics – and how the political class uses your convictions against you • How to Work effectively at the Capitol – getting a bill sponsor and a roll call vote despite the leadership • How to Build a Group – putting pressure on legislators All this and much more! This class will teach you how to turn your passion into action. I sincerely hope you can attend. One-Day Political Leadership School Details: Saturday, April 5, 2014 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Country Inn & Suites 17612 Valley Mall Road Hagerstown, MD 21740 *Registration begins at 8:15 AM Click here to purchase your ticket today. You owe it to your ideas and principles to learn how to become the most effective activist you can be. In Liberty, Theodore Patterson Maryland Campaign for Liberty P.S. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the solution! Click here to get your ticket today! P.P.S. Check out what others have said about this class: "I really enjoyed the school.  I found it simultaneously informative, exciting and revolting." Luke Priest, Iowa "The best activist training I have taken so far.  Political reality is laid out in an easy to comprehend manner.  They don’t just tell you what the problem is; they give you a road map to strike back.  Absolutely a must-do training event."  Talbert Black, South Carolina Campaign for Liberty "The slides and training were extremely informative and educational - your real-world experience and anecdotes really hit home and were relevant to the materials.  It was a pretty intense class - lots of information in a single day, but we got through it!"  Jeremy T. Goemaat, President, LogicBox, Inc.  "Your training is OUTSTANDING.  I'm not one to be able to sit for more than 1 hour at a lecture style presentation, but honest to God, that's the best political training I've ever seen." Jeff Greenspan, Arizona Campaign for Liberty         Because of Campaign For Liberty's tax-exempt status under IRC Sec. 501(C)(4) and its state and federal legislative activities, contributions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions (IRC § 170) or as business deductions (IRC § 162(e)(1)). www.CampaignForLiberty.org

Fwd: The Eagle covers the SAT changes

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "The Eagle" <schoolnewspapersonline@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 10, 2014 4:21 AM
Subject: The Eagle
To: <mark@rauterkus.com>
Cc:

The Eagle

---

College Board changes the SAT for 2016 causing controversy Posted: 09 Mar 2014 12:08 PM PDT College Board, the corporation in charge of several standardized tests including the SAT, recently announced that the SAT will be changed dramatically for the 2016 testing year. Changes to the SAT will include the following: The essay will be optional, and vocabulary will be more relevant to students’ futures. Reading questions will be short answer instead of multiple choice. Math will cover fewer topics, but in more depth, and some of the math will be no-calculator. A quarter-point will no longer be deducted for incorrect answers, scores will be out of 1600 again instead of 2400, and there will be digital as well as paper versions of the test available. Further, the College Board will partner with Khan Academy to provide test prep to all students for free. In explaining the reasoning behind the changes, David Coleman, president of the College Board, admits that standardized testing as it is currently formatted creates “unnecessary anxiety” for students. “It is time to admit that the SAT and ACT have become disconnected from the work of our high schools,” he says. “We do not want to slow students down. We want to propel them forward.” Relevance is one important theme to the changes. “No longer will the SAT only have disconnected problems or tricky situations students won’t likely see again,” claims Mr. Coleman. The new test will “focus on words students will use over and over again, that open up worlds to them.” Mr. Coleman recognizes that “a single brief timed essay has not historically proved predictive of college success.” He admits that it is may not be helpful to students that “Today, when we say that someone has used an SAT word, it often means a word you have not heard before and are not likely to soon hear again.” Mr. Coleman’s impressive rhetoric may be obscuring the real reason for the changes, however. Standardized testing is a multi-billion dollar industry. The SAT and ACT are widely recognized by colleges and students as the two most important tests for determining college acceptance. While colleges have historically preferred the SAT, the ACT’s market share has been increasing recently. This trend likely contributed to the College Board’s decision to remake their test. Whatever the motivation, College Board seems to have it right that changes are needed. According to an article in Time, “The blunt fact is that the SAT has never been a good predictor of academic achievement in college.” Further, students and teachers alike are frustrated by the stressful testing culture of high schools today. “I’ve actually taught SAT prep courses in the past. And it’s like they’re intentionally trying to trick you,” says Obama’s eleventh grade English teacher, Ms. Papale. “They should at least be giving people a shot.” “There are different types of genius,” says Olivia Perfetti of Obama Academy. She is referring to the theory of multiple intelligences, developed by a psychologist named Howard Gardner. “There’s artistic intelligence, and interpersonal, and other types. The SAT makes it seem like verbal and mathematical intelligence are the only kinds that are important. Life isn’t just math, reading, and writing, so students should have an opportunity to show talent in other areas.” Ms. Papale agrees. She says that the current SAT is “…way too limiting. They placed way too much importance on vocabulary and certain mathematical knowledge.” Sidony Ridge, also in eleventh grade, points out that the current American education system emphasizes standardized testing far more than that of Finland, which has the best education system in the world. Finland has very few standardized tests. The Finnish system gives freedom to the teachers to assess their students in a way that is relevant to the material being taught. Yet Finland has consistently been ranked first in the world for various international education evaluations. Students also need to keep in mind what is not changing. First, the SAT will still be standardized. As long as it is equally more or less difficult for all students, the relative scores will stay the same. Don’t expect your scores to be radically different on the new test. Second, the amount that colleges count the SAT for will not be changed by this announcement. While Mr. Coleman’s statement that high schooler students face too much stress is helpful, any change in the testing culture has to come from colleges and universities, teachers and school administrations, and the students themselves. Some colleges are starting to count SATs for less, but they are still crucial for getting into most colleges. Third, standardized testing has an inherent bias that is impossible to remove, despite the partnership with Khan Academy. “How can you give the same test to urban, suburban, and rural students?” asks Ms. Papale. “They speak differently, have different backgrounds, and experience life differently.” Grammar may be one of the more biased components of the SAT. Ms. Papale explains that one of her students, who is a hard worker and excels with comprehension and insight into literature, struggles with grammar. This student, who is African American, lives in an environment where the English spoken has different grammar rules than those used by the SAT, yet is being graded against other students whose parents and peers always speak so-called “proper” English. This student’s situation is not, of course, unique. Because the problem is, the tests are trying to use three hours of filling in bubbles to line up every eleventh grader in America in order of how well they will do in college. And that is impossible to do accurately. On the other hand, the changes that College Board is making seem like a step in the right direction. Ninth grader Lainey Newman likes the idea of free test prep on Khan Academy. “I think that will be a valuable tool because all students, regardless of external factors, will be able to have support and preparation for the exams,” she says. The first class to be affected by the changes is the class of 2017, or the current ninth graders. A short-term problem caused by these changes could be the transition from the old format to the new one. Olivia, now in eleventh grade, explains that she was glad to have had help from her older sister in studying for the SATs. “I’m glad that at least we knew what to do and weren’t the first class to have to deal with a new test format,” she says. However, many Obama students are optimistic that the new system will be an improvement. Many like that the essay will be optional. Mr. Kocur, the tenth grade English teacher at Obama, feels that this change makes sense considering that few colleges currently consider the writing section anyways. Ninth graders are relieved that they will not have to spend hours memorizing esoteric vocabulary words. The changes to the SAT may mark the beginning of an important shift in the nature of testing in America. There is enough evidence against the current format of standardized tests that the top testing corporation is responding. We will have to wait until the College Board’s changes are implemented to see whether it is simply a marketing maneuver, or whether the change is really a radical break from the past that will lead to further changes in testing and education.

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Fwd: New flash... Swimming coverage in the Obama Eagle

From: Lucy Newman
Subject: New flash...

 Team and coach after WPIAL meet, 2014.

Last Thursday and Friday, Yoka Rooney competed in the PIAA state qualifying meet for swimming, qualifying in both the 50 free and the 100 breast.

This year he set two school records in individual races, and was in a relay that set another. He beat the previous best time for a 50 free with a 22.49. Also, he beat his own school record in the 100 breast with a 1:02.

“I feel really good,” he says. “I was surprised, actually. I feel really happy that I’ll get to go at least once in my high school career. And I’m really excited to see the competition that I get to meet at states.”

Yoka’s coach, Mr. Rauterkus, was proud of him, too. “Yoka has always been a valuable team contributor,” says Coach Rauterkus, “but this year, with the extra year of maturity, we got to see what I call, ‘senior speed.’ He is fast, strong and a gifted athlete. Besides swimming he was a starting defensive player on the soccer team, a lifeguard and ran the Great Race.”

Yoka's appearance at Bucknell University's pool marks the fifth consecutive appearance of an Obama or Schenley swimmer at the PIAA CHampionships, says swim coach Mark Rauterkus.

Describing his experience, Yoka says that “The first one, I knew I was going to destroy because the other swimmers in my heat had lower qualifying times than I did. So I just went all out and didn’t breathe the whole time. That was a 50 free. On the 100 breast, I was aiming for 1:03. I beat that, beating my best time by almost two seconds. I was really happy to place.”

Yoka competed in four events, getting ninth place in all four of them. He was somewhat disappointed not to get any medals, which are awarded to the top eight swimmers in each event, so goal is to get a medal at States.

Yoka says that he has not decided yet whether or not he’ll swim in college. Coach Rauterkus says that “Yoka went fast enough at the WPIAL meet to be strongly considered for college swim scholarships. College coaches are approaching me wanting Yoka to visit their schools.” Yoka sees swimming scholarships as a big draw. But he is also a talented and successful soccer player, so he’s trying to leave his options open at this point.

Looking back on his high school career, Yoka has positive memories of the swim team. Last year he was a part of two relays that set all-time PPS records, going faster than the old city league records and faster than any Pittsburgh team in any championship relays in any year ever. “It was a really fun team,” he says. ‘It wasn’t super competitive at first, but in the past two years it has become more competitive, and I really enjoyed that. It’s also just a really healthy sport to be able to do, and it teaches you important leadership skills. I definitely feel like I benefitted from these past four years.”

The PIAA state competition will take place on Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15. Best of wishes to Yoka.

More notes:

-- Given his performances, I think Yoka is the best athlete in the school.

-- Yoka beat Tait Williams time in the 50 free from STATES a few years ago when Obama was in the City League. 

-- Our boys 200 medley relay, 1:47.49, school record, had Yoka doing the Breastroke. It had three seniors and a sophomore: Ben Friedman, back; Yoka, breast; Grant Rauterkus, fly; and Tommy Brewton, free. We will miss those three gentlemen for next year's team.

-- Going to the state meet in two events is a huge accomplishment especially with the huge struggles we must navigate with aquatics in the school, with his other sports, activities and jobs. Yoka's appearance at Bucknell University's pool marks the fifth consecutive appearance of an Obama or Schenley swimmer at the PIAA Championships. 

Tommy, Ben, Grant, Yoka.

Fwd: Baran James Special Update: Russia and the Ukraine

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: The Baran James Company
Date: Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Subject: Baran James Special Update: Russia and the Ukraine

20 things you probably don't know about the Russian incursion into the Ukraine   Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Ukraine, as they undergo both an internal political crisis and what appears to be military intervention from Russia. For people of a certain age, the current events, with tanks rolling across the Russian border into a neighboring nation that wants to exercise its freedom, it feels a bit like the Cold War days all over again.  Whenever we see troop movements and fires raging in the streets of a capitol city the size of Chicago, we tend to get concerned. How will it play out and will it affect our economy and investments here in the United States? We will watch and monitor the situation closely. After yesterday's volatility, the markets rebounded today with strong returns.  Here are some facts that you might not know about what has, hitherto, been a relatively quiet new member of the world economic community.   1) The word "Ukraine" means "borderland" in proto-Slavic. It appears to have acquired this name simultaneously from Poland, Austria and Russia, referring to the territory that sits across the border of so many European nations and Russia. In fact, the Polish referred to their troops stationed in this area as Ukranians--that is, borderlanders. Since the country became independent from the Soviet Union, it is no longer referred to internationally as "The Ukraine."  2) Ukraine's currency is the hryvnia, adopted in 1996 after the country suffered the greatest one-year bout of hyperinflation in global economic history. (Zimbabwe has since broken the record.) Today, one dollar will buy 9.6 hryvnias. A euro will buy 13.3 of them.  3) After Russia, Ukraine has the largest military presence in Europe. Ukrainian troops have been deployed as part of international peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Kosovo, Lebanon and Sierra Leone, and has engaged in multinational military exercises with U.S. military forces. NATO has accepted Ukraine as a member pending a national referendum on the matter--which will obviously be delayed until the conflict with Russia has played itself out.  4) Ukraine has one of the world's most active space programs. The National Space Agency of Ukraine has launched six self-made satellites and a total of 101 launch vehicles. The country also manufactures the An-225 aircraft, the largest aircraft ever built. 5) Due to low birth rates, Ukraine's population is declining at the sixth fastest rate in the world, behind the Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Niue (an island nation in the South Pacific) and the Eastern European nation of Moldavia, which borders Ukraine.  6) Nevertheless, Ukraine's largest city, Kiev, has a higher population (2.8 million) than Chicago, America's third-largest city. The population of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city (1.4 million), is greater than San Antonio, San Diego and Dallas, America's seventh, eighth and ninth most populous cities.  7) According to the World Bank, Ukraine's economy is the 51st largest in the world, ranking just behind Peru and the Czech Republic,a nd just ahead of Romania and New Zealand. But its $7,295 (US) per-capita income (a rough measure of a nation's wealth) ranks 106th in the world, behind Namibia and El Salvador and ahead of Algeria, Micronesia and Iraq.  8) Ukraine co-hosted the Euro 2012 football (soccer) tournament (with Poland), which is one of the major sporting events in Europe.  9) Even though the Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in Kiev, Ukraine operates the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.  10) Despite comments that Ukraine is divided between ethnic Ukrainians and Russia, 77.8% of the population is ethnic Ukraine, and only 17.3% is Russian.  11) Ukraine is known as the "breadbasket of Europe" for good reason. The country is the world's fourth largest producer of barley, 5th largest producer of rye, 11th largest producer of wheat, the 6th largest producer of oats and the 9th largest producer of soybeans. 12) Russia sells approximately 80% of its oil and gas exports to the European Union through pipelines that pass directly through Ukraine. The European Union receives 25% of its oil and gas from Russian sources through these conduits.  13) Ukraine also happens to be Russia's second-largest customer of petro-fuels.  14) Russia is drilling for oil in the shallow waters of the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula, which shows promise of having significant reserves.  15) Among others drilling in the same area: Chevron and Shell Oil. If they begin production under the Ukrainian flag, it would significantly undercut Russia's oil and gas market share and prices, simultaneously boosting Ukraine's economy.  16) When the Russians (as the Soviet Union) invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the U.S. and many Western nations boycotted the 1980 Olympic games, which were hosted in Russia. Is it interesting that Russia decided to move forces into Ukraine immediately AFTER the Sochi Olympics were finished?  17) Among the most likely responses to the Russian/Ukrainian crisis is the cancellation of the upcoming G8 summit in Sochi. Another possible response might remove Russia from the G8 club. This would embarrass Russian strongman Vladimir Putin at home and isolate him (and Russia's economy) abroad.  18) Russia's economy could be the big loser in the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis. Share prices for companies based in Russia declined by 10 percent the day after mysterious soldiers took over the Crimean peninsula, also triggering an outflow of domestic currency that Russia desperately needs to invest in modernizing an economy largely (today) based on selling abroad what is pumped or mined out of the ground.  19) The threat of disruption of trade between Western nations and Russia (either due to sanctions or reluctance to deal with a country that doesn't seem to be focused on following international law) cost the Russian economy $60 billion in a matter of days--more than the total cost to stage the Sochi Olympics.  20) Let's assume that we are not headed toward a world war. Several commentators have unhelpfully pointed out that the Crimea became the flashpoint for World War I, but the world is somewhat different today. There could be some impact from higher energy prices in Europe if the Ukraine pipelines are disrupted temporarily, but Russia needs to sell its oil and gas as much as Europe needs to buy it. Unless someone is heavily invested in Russian stocks, the crisis will likely be seen as a portfolio non-event. Sources: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101458530  http://redmoneyupdate.com/tag/ukranian-crisis-and-how-it-may-impact-investments/ http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/12/10/growing-uncertaintly-in-the-ukraine-could-impact-l.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_producing_countries_of_agricultural_commodities  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine This e-mail is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute a complete description of our investment services or performance. Once again, this e-mail is in no way a solicitation or offer to sell securities or investment advisory services except, where applicable, in states where we are registered or where an exemption or exclusion from such registration exists. 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FisicaLab's funding campaign

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Germán Arias <germanandre@gmx.es>
Date: Monday, March 3, 2014
Subject: [school-discuss] FisicaLab's funding campaign
To: SchoolForge <schoolforge-discuss@seul.org>


Hi everyone. I started a campaign to support GNU FisicaLab, the educational
free software for physics. GNU FisicaLab is an educational application for
solving physics problems. This allows students focus in physics concepts when
solving problems, leaving aside the mathematical details. FisicaLab has an
extensive documentation, with a lot of examples, to help the student to
familiarize quickly with the application. See:

http://www.gnu.org/software/fisicalab/campaign.html

Free software is important for education, to not enchain the students in
using privative software packages. Using free software, schools and
universities save money. But, most important, free software gives users the
freedom to control their own computers. And encourages students to learn and
share. They can make copies of the software to take home and to share with
his friends. Read "Why Schools Should Exclusively Use Free Software":

http://www.gnu.org/education/edu-schools.en.html

With your support, you will help to expand the range of problems to solve in
FisicaLab, in adding new features, in the availability in other languages and
in many other things. So help FisicaLab to reach 7k at March 31, to give
students a chance of get an ethical education with free software.

Spread the word of FisicaLab’s campaign with your friends, blogs or social
networks. Lets education become free (as in freedom).

Regards.
Germán.

###
From the schoolforge-discuss mailing list.

Post WPIAL Meet

Summer Dreamers 2014, here we come!

Camp Site	Grade Level(s)	Number of Kids Served
Carmalt	4th Grade	30	Hope to go to Carrick, Brashear or PCA
	5th Grade	30
	6th Grade	5
	7th Grade	5
Faison	5th Grade	20	Team 1 - Hope to go to Westinghouse
	6th Grade	20	Team 2 - Hope to go to Highland Park Pool
	7th Grade	20	Team 3 - Hope to go to Obama
Langley	3rd Grade	40	Two teams of 20 each. All can swim in Langley's pool.
Total:		170

This is my puzzle and it is what I'm good at dealing with and love to do.

The best case is we get to use more PPS pools. Want to go to Carrick, Brashear and/or PCA, plus Westinghouse, Obama in addition to Langley. Kids would move to different sites with their coaches as per a schedule.

Fwd: The Eagle reports with Ivy and Lunch Issues

Swimmer takes on an issue and heads to DC. School lunches. Way to go Ivy.

The Eagle

---

Ivy Ryan fights for better school lunches in DC Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:25 PM PST Ivy Ryan, a junior at our school had the amazing opportunity to go to Washington D.C where she met several different political figures and gave a presentation on the issue of school lunches and how they need to be improved. This all started this summer when Ivy, with about ten other students who participated in the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild art programs, were chosen to go on a trip to Yellow Stone with an organization called Park Journeys. “During the trip we talked about having a voice because as teenagers we’re usually disregarded in the world,” says Ivy. At the end of her trip they each chose an issue that they felt was prominent in their community and presented it to the group. Ivy chose the issue of school lunches saying, “Providing students with healthier meal choices will result in them being physically and mentally healthier.” After the presentations, the trip leaders, Joanna and Michelle, chose three students to present their issue in front of representatives so that actions could be taken to resolve them. Ivy was one of the three chosen. “During the next few months we met up with Michelle multiple times to talk about our issue, gather evidence, and create a proposal,” Ivy says. Due to the weather we had however the trip was delayed and when rescheduled the other two girls were not able to attend. Ivy and her trip leaders Joanna and Michelle headed up to D.C. on February 12th. The day started off with breakfast with Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz’s Chief of Staff and those invested in her campaign. The chief of staff talked about her campaign and the prominent issues she was planning on tackling. “It was fascinating hearing about what she wanted to get done as governor and how she was going to try and get support from her constituents,” Ivy said. Later that day Ivy had meetings with Senator Casey’s staffer, Senator Toomey’s Staffer, and Congressman Doyle’s Staffer. In the meetings Michelle introduced Ivy, Parks Journeys, and the project; then Ivy would explain the issue of school lunches and make an appeal to them on how they needed to be changed at the federal level. “Every staffer was extremely polite to me, they understood where I was coming from and agreed that it was an important issue to fix, and that it affected education and America as a whole. It was amazing to be a part of the actual government for a day and to see how everything works. These people had to take time out of their extremely busy day to talk to me, and it makes you realize that they really do care about your opinions.”

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