Meet the four Dem Party candidates for nomination for Pittsburgh City Council, District 3. March Debate Videos

From my camera to your brain, thanks to the efforts of the South Side Community Council and the Brashear Assocation, from March 2011.

Each of the 12 parts has the replies from the four candidates, with one miss due to a different camera angle need. The order is mixed among the four with each question.

My opinions are being curbed in this blog post.

Hint: The Viddler video server software is especially valuable as mini-notes can be put into the video along the timeline button. But, to leave a note, you'll need to use a Viddler account and log in.

Part 1: Opening statements:



Part 2: Two problems, quality of life, and realistic solutions:



Part 3: Proposed Neighborhood Improvement District, NID:



Part 4: Saturation of bars on the South Side and the failed attempt to restrict them:



Part 5: Cooperation and relationship with the mayor's office:



Part 6: Cooperation with East Carson Street Business Owners:



Part 7: Best asset of the South Side and its protection:



Part 8: South Side Slopes and Flats distinctions:



Part 9: Parks plans:



Part 10: Bad boy city employees:



Part 11: Keeping tax incomes in the South Side:



Part 12 and conclusion:

Your comments are welcome as part of this blog posting, or at Viddler.com, or best of all, within the timeline of the videos. Click the bead that scrolls along the horizontal timeline and insert your tidbits. Then those remarks show up for others to see as they watch.

Feel free to email this URL to others to have them check out the videos on the Pittsburgh group at Viddler: http://www.viddler.com/groups/pittsburgh .

The direct link to this blog posting is: http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2011/04/meet-four-dem-party-candidates-for.html  .

Public Transit and Private Investments - Dan Sullivan's mentions

Brian O'Neil of the P-G wrote about a Libertarian friend, Dan Sullivan:

Though hard to believe, private transit was worse
Sunday, March 27, 2011
By Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If ever you get to thinking an idea is new or will solve all problems, read some history.

Take public transit. (And take it quick, before your route is axed.)

Why not privatize it? The very word evokes a cleanup, like Simonizing the car or deodorizing your armpits.

But Pittsburgh had private bus service for a very long time. Only old-timers would remember the almost annual fare hikes in the 1950s, and fewer still would know that the Pittsburgh Railways Co. spent much of the first part of the 20th century in and out of bankruptcy proceedings.

Allegheny County's Port Authority took over Pittsburgh Railways and other transit lines, each with its own fare structure and no transfer privileges, in 1964 -- when these private carriers were circling the drain.

Dan Sullivan, 61, is an Oakland resident who rode the private trolleys as a kid and has been poking the powers on Grant Street for most of his adult life. But he isn't nostalgic for private lines.

A student of local history, Mr. Sullivan reminded me that Christopher L. Magee, Pittsburgh's 19th-century political boss, became nationally famous by artfully ripping off this city through the streetcar lines he owned.

Lincoln Steffens, the great muckraker, outlined that history in 1903 in "Pittsburg: A City Ashamed.'' (So many people were stealing from the city then that someone evidently absconded with Pittsburgh's "h''.)

Pittsburgh long has been allergic to a genuine two-party system, so a Republican machine ran the city then. Mr. Magee, a charming rogue in partnership with the harder-edged William Flinn, ruled all but absolutely.

"The city has been described physically as 'hell with the lid off,' '' Mr. Steffens wrote in McClure's magazine in May 1903. "Politically it is the same with the lid on.

"Magee wanted power, Flinn wealth. Each got both those things; but Magee spent his wealth for more power, and Flinn spent his power for more wealth.''

Rail, specifically the Pennsylvania Railroad, was king then. In Pittsburgh and in Harrisburg, its lobbyists distributed railroad passes to politicians. (Until Super Bowl tickets were invented, lobbyists had to make do.)

Rail barons became so adept at seizing land through eminent domain, Mr. Sullivan says, that America gained a new verb, "to railroad,'' meaning to rush something through. But the Magee-Flinn machine was too canny to just give plums away. The bosses kept the lion's share for themselves and the two men made ridiculous money.

"Magee did not steal franchises and sell them. His councils gave them to him. He and the busy Flinn took them, built railways which Magee sold and bought and financed and conducted, like any other man whose successful career is held up as an example for young men.''

Mr. Magee's Consolidated Traction Company was capitalized at $30 million at a time when the city's public debt was $18 million, Mr. Steffens wrote. Yet Pittsburghers not only tolerated this legal graft for a quarter century, they revered Mr. Magee. When he died in 1901, they began pitching in for his monument.

His memorial stands near the Carnegie Library in Oakland. Dedicated in 1908, when it attracted a crowd of 2,000 people, this bronze-and-granite tribute to Christopher Lyman Magee was one of the final works of the great sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Magee-Womens, the hospital Mr. Magee founded in honor of his mother, stands at the site of one of his old railway administration buildings.

There is a Citiparks swim pool also called Magee.

Mr. Sullivan's website, http://www.savingcommunities.org, has a long section under the heading "Private Railroads and Plunder.'' He believes "forward-thinking plunderers are recognizing that the era of the automobile is coming to an end, and want to get their transit back.''

I don't buy predictions of the car's demise, nor of any wholesale switch from public to private transit. But it's clear the Port Authority can't continue as a vital way to get around without a massive overhaul.

On Friday, the head of the transit union offered the equivalent of 13 percent in wage givebacks (with some of that diverted to the pension fund). The Port Authority board rejected that offer and decided Saturday to move ahead with the route cutbacks that take effect today.

And there's no talk of building any monuments to anyone.

He refers to Dan's website. The pertinent link is:

http://www.savingcommunities.org/issues/transportation/railroadplunder.html

This is what I will touch on at the conference in Minnesota, where several transit experts will speak on funding transit through land value capture.

http://www.cgocouncil.org/conf11.htm

Dan's Note: Our objection to privatized transit is that it consists of licensed monopolies. Truly private enterprise is either unlicensed or based on open licenses to all who can meet safety standards.


Harold wrote: I wish Brian had explained the basis of Magee's "legal graft" - one assumes it was through city and borough councils giving him bankrupted trolley and bus lines for free, rather than making him and Flinn pay the market price through a public auction, but it'd be nice to know for sure.

Navigate to this link: http://www.savingcommunities.org/issues/transportation/railroadplunder.html

The end point from Dan on the page above says: If public transportation is to function properly, it must be placed completely under public control and funded from the land values it creates. 

I support the "Land Value Tax."

But to the point of public transit, I also think that the PAT, an AUTHORITY, is wrong on a number of critical matters. First off, I don't think any authority is really under public control. The board members are appointed and are not accountable to the voters. I would love to see authority board members face 'retention votes' so that they must pass a layer of public review at the ballot box to retain their appointed positions. Last week I squeaked about this to Chelsa Wagner.

Furthermore, the public authority is too big and itself a monopoly. If we must have public transportation, allow for a bit of competition among the public entities. For example, PAT should be split into a bus company, a rail / light rail company, and then a tunnel and bridge and busway company. The third would be a physical asset company, more like a PAT Pike.

If PAT's busway, or PAT Pike, was a stand alone company, then I am sure that we'd have bikes on the East Busway and through the tunnel under Mt. Washington. I'm sure that we'd have the Presidential motorcade hit the busway for mid-day trips into and out of the city without jamming the Parkway West for a full day. And, I'm sure that the operation and maintenance of the tunnel under the river would not be seen as a wise investment as each rider would have to pay far more than $20 a trip. Plus, we'd get real transit hubs with small business development that made sense -- far beyond a few park and ride stations.

In the army now?

I saw this on Facebook and it makes sense to repeat:

1. We will NOT obey any order to disarm the American people.

2. We will NOT obey any order to conduct warrantless searches of the American people, their homes, vehicles, papers, or effects -- such as warrantless house-to house searches for weapons or persons.

3. We will NOT obey any order to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to trial by military tribunal.

4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state, or to enter with force into a state, without the express consent and invitation of that state’s legislature and governor.

5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty and declares the national government to be in violation of the compact by which that state entered the Union.

6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.

7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.

8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control” during any emergency, or under any other pretext. We will consider such use of foreign troops against our people to be an invasion and an act of war.

9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies, under any emergency pretext whatsoever.

10. We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.

Sunshine Week

http://www.sunshineweek.org

Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know.

Sunshine Week as a national effort is spearheaded by the American Society of News Editors. The key funder has been the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with significant support from ASNE Foundation. In 2011, The Gridiron Club and Foundation contributed $10,000.

Though created by journalists, Sunshine Week is about the public's right to know what its government is doing, and why.

Sunshine Week seeks to enlighten and empower people to play an active role in their government at all levels, and to give them access to information that makes their lives better and their communities stronger.

Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan, non-profit initiative.

Do not punish. Rather, encourage. Rand Paul tells Bureaucrat to keep her hands off of everyone's toilets and light bulbs

News.

This is how it is done in New Zealand.

From Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates ponder current events

The toilet has two buttons. One for lighter flushes and the other for larger. That's real choice.

Pittsburgh school election needs higher voter turnout, group says

I don't think so.

Pittsburgh school election needs higher voter turnout, group says

Pittsburgh school election needs higher voter turnout, group says
Monday, March 07, 2011
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A+ Schools, a public education advocacy group, today launched a campaign aimed at increasing voter turnout in the upcoming school board primary election in Pittsburgh.

Four seats are up for election this year: District 2, held by Dara Ware Allen; District 4, held by Bill Isler; District 6, held by school board president Sherry Huzuda; and District 8, held by Mark Brentley Sr.

According to A+ Schools, voter turnout in those districts ranged from 14 percent to 26 percent in 2007. The organization has set a goal of increasing voter turnout by 26 percent or 6,000 voters.

"Our community consistently lists education as a top concern, but each year the turnout rates remain pitifully low. If we expect the Pittsburgh Public Schools to improve performance, we -- the voters -- must show the board we are paying attention and hold them accountable by voting," said Carey Harris, A+ Schools' executive director, in a news release.

In the campaign, volunteers and partner organizations will help get voting pledges. A+ Schools also will conduct a candidate forum and publish a voter guide.

The primary is scheduled for May 17. Candidates must file their petitions by March 8.
Education writer Eleanor Chute: echute@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1955.

Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/11066/1130341-100.stm#ixzz1FwjYad8k

If you don't know who to vote for, don't vote. It isn't bad to skip questions on a ballot.

What is needed are public discussion and public candidate debates. We should zap ignorance. Vote totals that are elevated only to increase ignorance is -- well -- just more harm than good. It is far worse to ask for uninformed voters to vote than almost anything else.

China: Tibet won't fall apart if Dalai Lama dies | Stuff.co.nz

China: Tibet won't fall apart if Dalai Lama dies | Stuff.co.nz
the order was conveyed verbally, as is often the case with official directives that the government does not wish to defend or explain.

Any insights into the class action suit with Jordan Tax Service? One blog reader wants to know.

This was posted in another thread:

I am eager to find some information on a class action lawsuit against Jordan Tax Services.

They contacted me with a 30 day notice that I did not pay a bill 4 years ago. They never cached the check I sent and never informed me of missing any payments until 4 years later. I disputed the charges which they ignored, instead they filed a court case and communicated to me months later that they are taking me to court, with an entirely different face value they stated in the first letter. They are demanding extra fees that I know they never spent on my case.

Two more people I know are dealing with very costly demands from the same company which details are even more horrifying than mine. How many more there is? How long do we have to put up with the unprofessional business practices of this company?

435 volunteers

Steve's idea makes sense:

With redistricting we will have 435 new US congressional districts by 2012.

How about creating a loose network of 435 non-partisan, non-aligned Facebook
Pages for each district?

Each page would be designed for people who live in the new district to
exchange views across the political spectrum.

My experience is that participation in each page will need to be built and
someone(s) needs to tend the garden so to speak to remove spam and really
abusive stuff IF you want sustained quality participation. (If you prefer
pitched battles among the most partisan 1% then run it on auto-pilot.)

So, why not have each page built as a student project with students from
different ideological perspectives working together to make it work and
learn how to facilitate and recruit online. Key is seeding discussions with
news and links of direct relevance to the district and local implications of
national policy.

Anyone want to take this idea and run with it? Contact us:
http://e-democracy.org/contact team@e-democracy.org

(P.S. There is actually an example of a virtual parlimentary constituency
discussion in Kenya like this. Why not in the U.S.?)

Fw: [ooo-announce] The OpenOffice.org Community Announces the Release of OpenOffice.org3.3

*OpenOffice.org 3.3 Ready for Download*

--Free Productivity Suite Used by More than 100 Million Now Includes
Enterprise Features--

Hamburg, Germany, 26 January 2011--- The OpenOffice.org Project today
announces the release of OpenOffice.org 3.3, which includes features and
improvements addressing current and future user requirements, regardless
of scale. Stepping into a new arena, OpenOffice.org 3.3 brings to
enterprise users, both in public and private sectors, improved
compatibility with Microsoft Office, spreadsheet and presentation
enhancements, and superior security and collaboration options. A full
list of what the Project's Community have accomplished can be found at
<http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/3.3/>.

OpenOffice.org 3.3 marks a milestone in the suite's maturation. Ten
years after the Project was initiated, the suite has grown from being
the "free alternative" to the default and even preferred choice for the
more than one hundred million who have come to value the quality,
reliability, and extensibility of the application, as well as the
flexibility given by the the suite's file format, the OpenDocument
Format (ODF), the leading open standard for office documents.

To download OpenOffice.org 3.3 for free: <http://download.openoffice.org/>

There is a lot that is new and enhanced in OpenOffice.org 3.3. But not
least, it is also simply faster, both in startup time and in overall
operation. Some of the of new elements include:
* embedded standard PDF fonts
* new document security and collaboration options
* provisions for one million rows in a spreadsheet
* new options for CSV (Comma Separated Value) import in Calc
* ability to insert drawing objects in Charts
* improved slide layout handling in Impress
* a common search toolbar

Andrew Southworth, Network Coordinator, Canadian Labour Congress, wrote,
"It's never been just about the savings. The Canadian Labour Congress
selected OpenOffice.org in support of what it does and how it goes about
doing it. It's the full support of the ODF that frees us from committing
to any one vendor. And it's the extensions, the enterprise elements and
the open-source code that gives all those we represent and work with in
Canada, from schools to hospitals to libraries to private sector
corporations the freedom of real productivity — without being locked
into a particular company's vision of how you should work. Saving money
on software is great. But OpenOffice.org, with its support of the ODF,
is more than about the bottom line. It's about the freedom to choose the
best."

A full guide to new features is available at
<http://www.openoffice.org/dev_docs/features/3.3/>. The security
bulletin with full details of the potential vulnerabilities fixed is at
<http://www.openoffice.org/security/bulletin.html>.

OpenOffice.org is fully supported by the worldwide Community and by
professional companies, both large and small. Oracle proudly continues
the sponsorship of the Project building the application and welcomes
contributions from all.

* Press Kit: OpenOffice.org <http://marketing.openoffice.org/press_kit.html>

* The Case for OpenOffice.org: <http://why.openoffice.org/>

** Contact
Peter Junge (UTC +08h00), Beijing, China
OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Lead
pj @ openoffice.org

- International Marketing Contacts:
<http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html>

**About OpenOffice.org**
The OpenOffice.org Project is composed of an international team of
volunteer and sponsored contributors who develop, translate, document,
support, and promote the leading open-source office productivity suite,
OpenOffice.org®. The Project, sponsored by Oracle, spans the globe, and
its community includes members from all sectors. Thanks to the efforts
of the Community, OpenOffice.org software may be downloaded and used
entirely free of charge for any purpose, private or commercial. All are
encouraged to join the Community and participate in the making and
promotion of the suite and file format.

OpenOffice.org software uses the OpenDocument Format OASIS Standard
(ISO/IEC 26300), as well as supporting file formats used by such as
Microsoft Office, and is available on major computing platforms in over
100 languages. OpenOffice.org software is provided under the GNU Lesser
General Public License version 3 (LGPL v.3). It offers all users the
license of using what works and working with what's there, all for free.

Ravenstahl lures high-tech businesses

Ravenstahl lures high-tech businesses

... what's working and what's not....

Wonder if the results will reveal that the mayor's not work well? Then what?

If the mayor wanted to do something productive, and I think I'll write him a letter about this suggestion, he'd make a YOUTH Technology Summit.

Could wrong BCS data go unchecked?

Could wrong BCS data go unchecked?

With the accuracy of BCS rankings data so critical to so many millions of people, it goes without saying that the complex computations should be part of an open, accountable and verifiable system that can be checked by virtually anyone.

The BCS formula should be open source.

GSPIA does good. Nice job Pitt

We are happy to offer those who were not able to attend last week’s fascinating lecture by Leslie Crutchfield an opportunity to watch the video of the event.

We will look forward to seeing you on January 27 at 3:00 p.m. for Margaret McKenna of the Walmart Foundation’s lecture at the University Club.

http://mediasite.cidde.pitt.edu/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=78f4bed2851d4d5d905d7c309cdf9fab

Linux Install Fest Invite

Western PA Linux User Group will hold an installfest this weekend.

WHEN:Saturday November 20 from 1:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
WHERE: Wilkins School Community Center, 7604 Charleston Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218

Official Website/Wiki: http://wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20101120

Eventbrite Invitation: http://nov2010wplug.eventbrite.com/

At an installfest, you bring in your computer from home and we install Linux together. You do not need any experience with Linux to install Linux at the installfest. All you need is a computer, keyboard, mouse, display and an open mind. Watch this video to see how really easy it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owdEDcmF1SI

Say you've got a problem with your Linux system? Bring it on down to the Installfest and we will take a look together. Some people feel more comfortable just showing someone what's going on instead of posting to wplug at http://wplug.org.

I got started with Linux by attending WPLUG installfests in 1999. The environment is helpful and supportive. A successful installfest doesn't just happen. It takes people, like you, to sign up to help.

We especially need volunteers who will be available experts to answer questions. You don't need to be an expert at everything. Nobody is. What we need is good neighbours who can share their experiences with installing Linux. Join the technical support staff of the meeting.

Want to help but don't have technical background yet? We always need
people to help us setup, clean up, and give us yummy snacks.

Sign up to be a part of the technical support staff, setup crew, cleanup crew, or refreshment provider on the wiki. http://wplug.org/wiki/Meeting-20101120

Hope to see you there!

Beth Lynn Eicher

Happy Birthday OpenOffice.org

Ten years ago, on 13 October 2000, Sun released the source code to StarOffice under open-source licenses. Formidable in size and complexity and positioned against a seemingly overwhelmingly dominant competitor, OpenOffice.org was seen as at best, foolish, at worse, boring, fit only for office drones. Browsers, it was said, have more fun.

But we, the OpenOffice.org project community, showed these skeptics to be wrong. We showed the world that a free office productivity suite using open standards, especially what later came to be known as the OpenDocument Format (ODF), is more desirable, more powerful, and more transformative than any browser could be. We, the OpenOffice.org project community, gave the world a set of tools that allows all to participate as equals in the fields of commerce, science, education, government, to name but a few.

We have given the world the tools to do things and to work together. With OpenOffice.org, people produce - and their productions are theirs to keep and do with as they will. That is real freedom.

It is a freedom that today perhaps 100 million people enjoy. In some regions, our product's usage is greater than 20 percent of the office suite userbase. How have we done this? And without spending the expected billions on advertising and other marketing efforts? To a great extent, OpenOffice.org, the application made by us, the community, sells itself, and its good news is spread through word of mouth, not via billboards and the like. Its professional quality and performance is tremendously persuasive. OpenOffice.org works on all platforms and in over a hundred languages, and perhaps most important, it also works well with other suites: our code and our use of the ODF means there is no vendor lock-in. Users, from those in government offices to individuals at home, are free to choose what is best for them without the anxiety they'll be stuck with something they do not much like but costs a lot.

They have chosen OpenOffice.org, and we are sure they will continue to do so in even greater numbers over the next ten years. They choose it today it not simply because it costs them nothing to download from our site, but because of its professional quality and flexibility - as well as its reassuring consistency. Over the last ten years, we have regularly released small and large versions incorporating new features, functionality, and design, all tested and qualified for any user environment. This fall, we are releasing OpenOffice.org 3.3, and the beta is available for community testing. Expect more releases-and also a lot more extensions.

With extensions, there is virtually no limit to what the application can do, and every day the community makes more available under a variety of licenses. These address individual, as well as enterprise, needs. Support, services, and training, offered by Oracle and other large and small companies, is globally available in a host of languages; these all complement the free community support and constitute a portion of the large and growing OpenOffice.org ecosystem.

And our momentum is building, as the size and complexity of the community contributing to the project grows and as more see in OpenOffice.org a future they want to be part of. It's a future of freedom that we commit to, as a community that includes Oracle as well other enterprises, and countless thousands of independent contributors.

Our first ten years have proven the strength of our vision and technology against every imaginable challenge; the next - well, who can say? Only this: we commit to making the tools of productivity, growing the community, and improving the product - open to all to inspect, use, improve, distribute, and we invite the world to join us in our commitment.

Happy Birthday, OpenOffice.org!

On behalf of the OpenOffice.org Project,

Louis Suarez-Potts
Community Development Manager
OpenOffice.org

Amen to this: Complaints spur change in Brookline bus route

Wow. Real listening and adjustments. Imagine that. Amen!

Complaints spur change in Brookline bus route: "Complaints spur change in Brookline bus route"

Now on to those other bottlenecks.

Help with the wiki to give pointers to congressional races

Josh Shpayher launched a wiki that tracks governmental use of social media - http://www.govsm.com/

He is seeking volunteers to help collect data with links to congressional campaign facebook pages, twitter pages, etc. The page for the US House campaigns has more than 800 entries. http://www.govsm.com/w/House_Campaigns

Never enough hours in the class day

Never enough hours in the class day: "What are schools doing to make the best use of the time they have now?"

I am all in favor of a longer school day if it begins at 6 am with a dip into the swimming pool. And, I want to see the students after the final bell rings for another swim in the pool, say from 4 pm to 5:30 pm.

Make use of the Saturday time too.

So, in my book, schools are NOT making the best use of time from my vantage point. And, I'm not happy about it and I'm trying to get this fixed as soon as possible.

Go get OpenOffice, recently upgraded to 3.2.1

The OpenOffice.org Community today announces the availability of OpenOffice.org 3.2.1, the newest version of the world's major free and open productivity suite.

OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 is a so-called micro release that comes with bugfixes and improvements, with no new features being introduced. This release also fixes security issues, so we recommend everyone to upgrade to the new version as soon as possible.

This version is also the first one to be released with the project's new main sponsor, Oracle, and comes with a refreshed logo and splash screen.

"The OpenOffice.org Community is in the year of its 10th anniversary. We look forward to working together with joint efforts of a worldwide community, on one of the world's largest open source projects, delivering free software based on true open standards", says Florian Effenberger, Marketing Project Lead of OpenOffice.org. He adds: "With the start of the Branding Initiative [2], the ongoing Project Renaissance [3] and with the recently-announced Summer Internship Programme [4], the OpenOffice.org community invites everyone to contribute to our efforts of improving the digital future."

According to OpenOffice.org's usual release cycle, the next feature release of OpenOffice.org will be version 3.3, and is expected for autumn 2010.

The Community celebrates its 10th anniversary this year at the annual OOoCon [5], to be held in Budapest, Hungary, from August 31 to September 3. The Community invites all to join us in this lovely and dynamic capital city, which was chosen by the popular vote among many global contenders.

OpenOffice.org 3.2.1 is available in many languages for all major platforms at http://download.openoffice.org/

OpenOffice.org is one of the most popular products of the FOSS, Free/Open Source Software

OpenOffice.org is one of the most popular products of the FOSS (Free/Open Source) community, and for many millions of people it is their first experience of FOSS. Key to OpenOffice.org's success has been its ability to compete openly and freely with competitors on any platform, and demonstrate that FOSS is a better choice.

Uniquely among leading office suites, OpenOffice.org provides a mechanism
for developers to build and release "extensions" to provide additional
features. Extensions can be added and removed at will by users, giving
them the freedom to tailor their own copy of OpenOffice.org to do what
they need to do. The OpenOffice.org Community has created a common
repository where users can select and download extensions.

The OpenOffice.org Community Council has been asked by the FSF to give the
FSF an effective veto over which extensions should be permitted to appear
in this repository. The Community Council has felt unable to do this. We
believe passionately that FOSS delivers better software - including
extensions, but that users must be free to make the comparison and reach
their own conclusion.

It is a fact that the vast majority of our users currently run OpenOffice.org on a proprietary operating system, alongside other proprietary software. We respect their choice, and believe the best way to influence them to change is by delivering high quality FOSS software that meets their needs.

The OpenOffice.org Community Council regrets that the FSF was unable to accept our compromise proposals for a more clearly signposted extensions repository. We believe the creation of an alternative repository will cause confusion and will lead to a poorer experience for users. However, we are more than happy to work with the FSF to encourage FOSS developers to address areas where proprietary only solutions exist.

The OpenOffice.org Community Council
http://council.openoffice.org/