Thursday, January 11, 2007

Octopus card described in Wikipedia. This is EXACTLY what PAT and Pittsburgh should deploy before service cuts come

"8" and me.

If I was the Allegheny County Executive, I'd insist that PAT deploy the Octopus Card as soon as possible and before any service cuts. The data comes after the cards are deployed. Then fares can be adjusted in an easy fashion.
Octopus card - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Octopus card
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Octopus card is a rechargeable contactless stored value smart card used to transfer electronic payments in online or offline systems in Hong Kong. Originally launched in September 1997 to collect fares for the city's mass transit system, the Octopus card system has grown into a widely-used payment system not only for virtually all public transport in Hong Kong, but also for making payment at convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks and many other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and vending machines. In addition, the system is used for access control to offices, schools and apartments. Some charities even accept Octopus cards to receive donations. Making a payment involves placing the card in close proximity to an Octopus card reader and a tone from the reader will confirm the merchant has received funds. Cards can be recharged with cash at add-value machines in subway and rail stations, over-the-counter in stores such as 7-Eleven, Wellcome and Circle K, or directly through credit cards and bank accounts.



Octopus has become one of the world's most successful electronic cash systems, with approximate 14 million Octopus cards in circulation (twice Hong Kong's population), ten million transactions per day, 420 service vendors, and 50,000 processors.
These cards are slick. But the technology goes beyond the card as cards are able to be put into other products. I like this feature of additional Octopus products. You may even see people waving their cellphone, watch or even a keychain over the Octopus reader. Can't forget or miss-place your card if it is on your watch.

Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup

Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup
Town welcomes a minor league in need

Thursday, January 11, 2007
By Milan Simonich, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Small towns often court baseball's minor leagues, dipping into tax money to build stadiums for wealthy team owners.

For one season at least, Slippery Rock has bucked the trend.

The university town, with just 5,400 permanent residents, will play host this summer to an independent professional team from the Frontier League. Slippery Rock will not shell out so much as a nickel for the team or its ballpark.
PA ball yard.

Would you rather build on 50 acres or 500?

These guys are thinking again as to where in the world should the Penguins put a new venue for hockey? By the airport and highways? Or, use a shoe horn and level so as to squeeze it into the lower Hill District?

Apple Unlikely To Go To Court In iPhone Trademark Dispute, Experts Say - Hardware News by InformationWeek

Apple Unlikely To Go To Court In iPhone Trademark Dispute, Experts Say - Hardware News by InformationWeek 'I was surprised and disappointed when Apple decided to go ahead and announce their new product with our trademarked name without reaching an agreement,' Mark Chandler, Cisco general counsel, said in a company blog. 'It was essentially the equivalent of 'we're too busy.''
Perhaps Apple do a switch away from iPhone and Steve Jobs will pick another name -- list that of his new wife who hails from Pittsburgh, the iJustine.

Did you see her on MSNBC yesterday?

I think she is on a S.F. shopping spree these days.

You do the math and other tidbits from the PFT with boss of city school's counterpart

Luke Ravenstahl, Mark Roosevelt, a few students and a ton of media folks came together at 11:30 on the South Side at the offices of the Pgh Federation of Teachers to celebrate a $10,000 check for Pittsburgh's Promise from a 4,000 member organization.

After the formal presentation, in the lobby of the building, Mayor Luke stood his ground and took 15 minutes of questions from a hoard of journalist about yesterday's decision by the judge regarding the ongoing court case that pits the city against one of its top female commanders on the police force.

I learned nothing. Furthermore, I didn't hear what I wanted to hear in the post-game nor in the main event.

Luke should say, "Yesterday's decision by the judge is behind us. The Commander is back on the job today. We've settled the matter. Everyone is back to work. We are all trying to make this city a wonderful and safe city to live, work, and raise our children. The Commander is going to be compensated from the past mistakes. I'm sorry that this has been such a distraction."

As a taxpayer, I don't like seeing a police commander in a court battle with my mayor. This is a lose-lose deal. Money is going down the drain to attorneys and not headed to education or recreation or street repairs or police detectives.

Luke should make this go away right away. Say, "Sorry." Fix the problems. Be prudent. Insist upon a high threashold before court.

Luke seemed to want to hold his ground. He even said he'd welcome the deposition. He feels he is above it all. He feels that the problem was put on his desk and he walked into this as part of the transition.

This is a rookie mistake from a pinch-runner without a warm-up. Not a show-stopping big-hairy deal, if it ends now.

Unusual Buildings

Unusual Buildings - AOL Money & FinanceBuildings That Rock!

YouTube rivals look for answers | CNET News.com


This is a major breakthrough. Major. The article is important. But look at the visual map on the left side of the screen.
YouTube rivals look for answers | CNET News.com For months, analysts have predicted a shakeout in the much-hyped video-sharing sector, a business made famous by YouTube.

It increasingly looks like they were right.

Revver, a Los Angeles video-sharing company noted for being among the first to share advertising revenue with videographers, announced last month that two of the company's three co-founders and an undisclosed number of 'support staff' were no longer with the company. Among those who left were Rob Maigret, Revver's chief technology officer, and David Tenzer, the head of media partnerships.
That is a poorly designed concept map. That's the wave of the future. That's what I was working on about 8 years ago.

AntiRust hits at logic of sports venue building

AntiRust Remember a few years ago when the Pirates were demanding a new stadium? One of the reasons supporters cited in that case was that the Pirates sucked. And that the sucking was a direct result of a crappy stadium. And that the new stadium would result in less sucking. (It didn't.) Now we seem to have a complete reversal. The public has to pay for the Penguin's arena because the team doesn't suck.
Good posting.

Baseball Hall of Fame Opens to Fellow Polar Bear Swimmer

Carbolic Smoke Ball VENDOR T.C. CONGDON ELECTED TO BASEBALL HALL OF FAME
I think T.C. was swimming on New Year's Day on the Wharf.

Can someone confirm?

His autograph is more valuable now, since he is known as a polar bear swimmer.

American Swimming Association to host first-ever Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championship.

Love this news. Love Keith Bell too!
January 10, 2007 -- Austin, Texas

The American Swimming Association will host the first-ever Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championship in Austin, Texas in Lake Travis on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The ASA Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championships will include a 5k in the main basin of Lake Travis. In addition to individual men's and women's titles; Men's, Women's and Combined Open Water Team Championships will be contested. Event information and entry forms available at www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com.

The American Swimming Association offers a growing number of exciting and fun competitive swimming events for youth, masters, high school, and collegiate swimmers, including the ASA University League National Championships for collegiate club swimming teams. In April 2007 ASA U. Nationals will be held at the University of Virginia Aquatics and Fitness Center in Charlottesville, VA.

For more information contact:

Dr. Keith Bell, President, American Swimming Association, LLC, 512-327-2260
info -at- AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com - http://www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com


Celebration movie. Click to view.

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Pointer for my friends that can write. Give it a whirl.
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Arena Re-Imagined - News Feature - City Paper

Rob gets nominated for Pittsburgher of the Year.
Pittsburgh - Mellon Arena Re-Imagined - News - News Feature - Pittsburgh City Paper Rob Pfaffmann and other preservationists have resumed a four-year-old campaign to keep Mellon right where it is -- and put the structure to new uses.
We talked (Rob, Violet and I) for a moment at the holiday party hosted by Bike Pittsburgh and the Riverlife Task Force in December.
Participants proposed a "super kid center" with year-round ice and roller rinks, an "ethnic marketplace" and even a "biosphere" modeled after Montreal's re-used Olympic velodrome, which now serves as an environmental education showcase. Participants also envisioned new housing nearby, a crescent-shaped park around the arena, and an overlook on top. Drawings show a large slice of the city dramatically visible through the retracted arena roof.

Today, preservationists still believe the arena could have a new life, and that demolition shouldn't be the only option.
The only tweek to this -- is keep the velodrom! Perhaps we can get the parts from Montreal and stuff that into the arena, then it would be meaningful to say 'go down around the arena, @N.'

Sure. Save the Arena. Make this part of town way more attractive for local business location. Build something that home owners of downtown and Hill District -- as well as Polish Hill, South Side, Bluff and Strip District residents / new investors would want to be close to.

This next point is very important. Sala Udin, take note to what follows.

Many Hill District residents regard the structure as an obstacle to more beneficial development -- and a jarring reminder of redevelopment promises yet to be fulfilled.
First, get over it! This isn't the '60s, still. Seriously, keeping the existing arena is less jarring than a new one. And, a re-deployed civic arena is going to be better blended into the existing landscape once the rest of Mario's properties are purchased by Barden. The surface parking lots of today get hidden and blended. And, when we keep the arena, new buildings get built the hill, throughout the streets of the whole neighborhood. Otherwise, a churn of the same parcel occurs.

You know, the grass field at Heinz Field needs to stay green all season long. What if the Sports and Exibition Authority had the big idea of moving Heinz Field from its present location to a spot two blocks away, sorta where Three Rivers Stadium stood. This way the land around Heinz Field gets the long awaited development that has been promised. And, the grass might be more hardy there, on the sacred spaces once occupied by Exhibition Park.

What good does it do us to build a new arena right next the old one, implode the old one with money still owed on it, and have a net gain of one food court that sells $3 pretzels. Heck, the dipping cheese won't even be a good once they outlaw the trans-fats.

A more beneficial development can sprout out of the shell of the existing Civic Arena. We need to noodle as to what can occur there. The activities and the flow of people to and around the Hill District and Downtown could be better, way, way better than what is attracted by NHL Hockey.

The hoped for gracious near-town living won't come to the lower Hill Distict until and unless a great recreational venue is in the same neighborhood. No city rec center will seal the deal for anyone, sad to say.

The preservationists' first priority, he says, is to win broad support for saving the arena. "Getting people to believe that it is worthy of saving," he adds, "is going to save the building."
Rob and Pittsburgh -- you have broad support from me.

I pledge to save the Civic Arena with more spit and vigor than Jim Ferlo's efforts to save Oakland's Siria Mosque.

Rec Center viewed from two different locations: From the water.

From the land.

I'd love to see Mario's new venue built on the Ohio River -- downstream from Downtown. Our best highway that never needs to be re-paved is the river. And, when it is near I79, the Parkway West 376, and the river -- we'll be able to expand and attract young people as residents!

The Rec Center in the photos is much smaller than the new arena. But notice the hight and density of the near-by buildings. It would be silly to circle the new arena with townhouses. Rather, put in high-rise buildings. Make this a real Olympic Village -- our Pennsylvania Penguins Village.

The Burgh Report says investigation becomes either / or

The Burgh Report Ravenstahl's decision is either a severe lack of judgment or a cognizant willingness to sweep Regan's wrongdoing under the rug.
My hunch goes to the sweeping option.
Did you see this guy biking to Grant Street recently?
From china - bike

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

ATTENTION BUS AND TROLLEY RIDERS:

The sky is falling.
OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM IS ABOUT TO DIE!

*State politicians have done NOTHING in 6 years to properly fund public transit in PA!

*Local elected leaders are refusing to go to Harrisburg to ask for dedicated funding that would PREVENT these service cuts and fare hikes!

*The predicted 25% service cuts are INEVITABLE regardless of whether or not we get dedicated funding before June 2007!

SO JOIN OTHER BUS AND TROLLEY RIDERS FOR A MARCH AND RALLY TO DEMAND NO SERVICE CUTS AND NO FARE HIKES!

Monday, January 22, 2007 - 8:30am to 10:00am


PLACE: Mellon Square (Sixth Ave. and William Penn Place, Downtown)

**We will be gathering at 8:30 am at Mellon Square. The rally will begin at 8:45 am. The march will begin at 9:15 am; we will be ending at the Pittsburgh Hilton, where the 1st Port Authority public hearing will be held at 10 am.

SAVE OUR TRANSIT!

No more service cuts! No more fare hikes!

For more information call 412-361-3022 OR email zeidersamanda@gmail.com
I don't like these chants. Stop the tunnel would be high on my list of expressions. Perhaps I'll go to the rally and have a sign that says "I'm NOT Digging It!"

Another good message: Bike to rule in Wabash & on Busways!

Judge overturns demotion of Pa. police commander

NEPA News - Judge overturns demotion of Pa. police commander 'The law is clear. The loss of First Amendment freedoms even for the smallest amount of time constitutes irreparable harm,' Ambrose said.
Freedom wins. Not only are McNeilly and her attorneys overjoyed, but all liberty minded people can take a deep breath and smile.

Good to hear that the city will abide by the decision. Bad that they just don't stop now. I'd not want to take this any further if I was the mayor, or even if I'm a candidate. I really don't want to see the case proceed if I'm a taxpayer -- and I am that.

If it was the Murphy Administation, they would have gone all the way to they could with appeals. To be better -- end the case now.

Luke should chalk this up to a 'rookie mistake' and be done with it as soon as possible.

Still to come: Who is going to be named the public service director? Anyone? Is this an important job? (Hell yes.) Who gets the nod? (???) Does a national search begin? What are they waiting for?

Teachers join 'Pittsburgh Promise' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Way to go.
Teachers join 'Pittsburgh Promise' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and John Tarka, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, will hold a news conference at 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the union’s South Side headquarters to announce the teachers’ participation. Although Tarka would not disclose the amount before tomorrow’s meeting, Ravenstahl called it “symbolic progress.”

“We recognize The Pittsburgh Promise is a promise to continue to improve the school district, and the teachers support this kind of effort to provide help to students,” Tarka said.
How much do you think that they'll put into the kitty?

How much of a campaign donation do you think that they'll make too? The PFT gives money to candidates. The PFT gave money to Jeff Koch. Jeff is a Democrat.

I hope that the Pittsburgh Promise isn't a key to anything other than a few headlines from now and then. A broken promise is nothing to hang one's hat nor hopes upon.

New Blog: Early Returns from the P-Gers

Rich Lord called this a blog. Ha, ha, ha. This is a web site. A blog generally allows for comments. This is very 1999ish. Well, perhaps it is 2002ish.

I email Rich Lord saying that Les Ludwig started talking about "alternative funding" back in 2003. I felt that the news of Luke's deal with the California firm should have quoted Ludwig. Heck, he ran for Mayor on that as a central platform plank. Furthermore, the words, "Do More With Les" were spoken by young Mayor Luke Ravenstahl at his first budget address in recent months.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Local News - Early Returns Welcome to Early Returns, the Post-Gazette's online guide to Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania politics. Politics Editor James O'Toole can be reached at jotoole@post-gazette.com, and former Harrisburg correspondent Bill Toland can be reached at btoland@post-gazette.com. The Early Returns staff also now includes city hall reporter Rich Lord, who can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com.

Ora Lee Carol is a candidate for Pittsburgh City Council.

Newest US Citizen Formally Announces Bid To Unseat Harris Of Council Seat

Press Contact: Contact@Dave4Council.Net (412) 894-8743
New American and Returning Candidate.
Pittsburgh, PA – Responding to calls from North Side residents for a change in the way council does business, newly naturalized US Citizen, Dave Schuilenburg, affirmed today that he will seek to unseat Darlene Harris of Pittsburgh’s City Council District 1 seat. “It is with deep humility that I announce today my intention to present myself again as an alternative for voters to City Council’s & Darlene Harris’ spending ways” announced Schuilenburg, the 9-1-1 dispatcher & Summer Hill home owner who presented a respectable challenge to the unpopular former Pittsburgh Public School board member in the November 7th Special Election.

Schuilenburg’s confirmation of a re-run for the office comes amidst recent media reports which brought to light a purchase initiated by Ms Harris of a Smoke Eater for her office in the non-smoking City-County building. “Not only are tax payers forking the bill for her Ms Harris’ bad & unhealthy habit, but an illegal one at that, and that is simply unethical & unacceptable!” comments Schuilenburg.

“Not only does this show that Ms Harris has not changed her spending ways,” continued Schuilenburg, “but it also shows her blatant disrespect for the residents that elected her, and the law for that matter. Is this truly the ‘fiscal manager’, as she called herself before the Post-Gazette editors, we want to lead us out of the city’s fiscal crisis for the next 4 years? More importantly, is this the example of leadership we want to set for our children?”

In contrast, Schuilenburg plans on running a campaign focused on concrete reforms he calls ‘An Agenda Of Positive Change’, policy ideas he initially presented during last fall’s special election for the district’s council seat. The platform was overshadowed, however, by his opponent’s tactic of raising concern with his citizenship status at the time. “Though I had heard several reports of my opponents going door-to-door attempting to convince voters to hold back lending me their support due to such, their success was minimal at best. More importantly, however,” adds Schuilenburg “now that my 5+ year process to become a citizen has finally come to end last month, this time around the onus falls back on them to counter with their concrete ideas for change, something none of them, including Ms Harris, did last time around.”

Setting his sights on ‘out of favor’ Harris, Schuilenburg adds “Let’s not forget that she only won based on the electorate’s strong will to unseat Santorum & Hart, and the ‘Straight Party’ ticket wave that accomplished such, despite not having had to run in a May primary. Considering she only had 45% of the district committee members endorsement in the fall, however,” adds Schuilenburg “I can guarantee that she will not win this year without placing a 4 year plan for the North Side & the city out for debate, should she even have one!”

Ms Harris’ unpopularity originates from ill decisions made during her tenor on the PPS board, including one to open nearby schools with low attendance during a fiscal crisis, actions which subsequently cost the school district loss of significant grant money from highly respected local endowments. Temporarily withdrawing their financing of school programs, the Heinz Endowment & Pittsburgh Foundation specifically cited her lack of ‘governance, leadership & financial discipline’ as their reason, and subsequently reinstated the funding when the electorate voted her out of office the following election.

A respected member of various upper North Side community & action committees, including the North Side Weed & Seed and the North Side Public Safety Council, Schuilenburg presented himself last November as the most non-partisan choice to Harris, and was quoted as being ‘the most knowledgeable candidate on the issues’ by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Likewise, Schuilenburg ran a campaign on proposed concrete ideas as opposed to name recognition as attempted to do other candidates, and garnered almost half the votes the candidates with recognizable name did.

Schuilenburg’s documented platform of council reforms includes allowing the electorate the opportunity to vote on downsizing council from 9 to at least 7 members; improvements to public safety, including a reorganization resources so as to free up officers for true police work; pro-merger of city-county administrative & bureaucratic duplicate services; and refocusing capital investments into neighborhoods, a position current Mayor Ravenstahl has taken in his first budget. Schuilenburg even proposes holding a public ‘Socio-Economic Summit’ with North Side neighborhood groups & elected officials of all levels so as to set forth strategies & priorities for kick-starting improvements to the quality of life on the North Side as a whole. “When East Allegheny, Troy Hill & Manchester suffer, we all suffer; and it is time for leaders with ideas from across the North Side to come forth and present those ideas for consideration”.

Councilman Wants Stricter Nuisance Law Enforced - News

Councilman Wants Stricter Nuisance Law Enforced - News One local councilman is arguing that Pittsburgh's nuisance law is not being enforced, as it should be.
Motznik wants to see stricter enforcement. How about any enforcement. It isn't being enforced at all.

"This is something that has been holding my community hostage," said council member Twanda Carlisle.
The overlords in this town are also holding the city hostage. We don't self govern. We don't have self reliance. What then do you expect? Yes, Pittsburgh is held hostage.

Accountability is absent.

Transit riders are held hostage to PAT, an authority with an appointed board. The Pens fans felt jolted by the I.O.C. plan for a new arena by the appointed PA Gaming Board. The history lovers are held hostage to the Allegh. Conference folks who want to bulldoze over the significance of Point State Park.

We're in an era of authority madness.

Even the schools are pulled in certain directions by the foundations and their hired bosses, such as Mark Roosevelt.

"Right now, every one of our neighborhoods are being taken over by people who just don't care," said councilman Bill Peduto.
Until there was a fire, folks within the city didn't care. And, now, only the folks on council seem to raise a voice. The city administration does not care. That's the worse.
Motznik said he is going to get a full public airing of this issue with city officials invited to council table in the weeks ahead.
Wrong again. If Motznik wants a full public airing of this issue, then he needs to call for a combined post-agenda and public hearing. The public won't be able to speak at the public meeting Motznik is calling. Motznik doesn't really care to hear the public on this topic. This is not a full public hearing unless the public can speak and be heard.

Duhh.... Actions speak too.

By the way, the house that is next to mine, and the house that is next to that house -- sit vacant. They have been empty for months. They have suburban owners.

By the way 2, there are a number of houses for sale on my street. A house on my street was torn down two months ago as well. It was torn down by private funds, not a city crew.

The economic worry of this original bill could depress the property values of all of us who own in the city. And, it could increase the number of tax leins that the city dishes out. That's been a huge problem for years. Finally, empty lots where good houses used to stand causes blight and a loss of density. With current zoning laws, many of those structures can't be re-built.

The great fix for all of this -- a return to the land value tax.

Another fix -- give 12 year old kids something meaningful to do so that they are net setting fires to empty buildings, like what was done in Hazelwood. There is an empty school building, the former Gladstone Middle School, in Hazlewood, with an empty swim pool and two un-used gyms.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Ghost burgh -- part 2 on why the civic arena's venue should not be a tombstone marker

We all know and hear it often: downtown is ghost town after dark.

If you take the Penguins out of downtown, or really out of the lower Hill District, and that's right next to downtown. Then downtown is going to be a ghost town.

Humm. Downtown is a ghost town now -- with the Pens.

Perhaps the Pens help to insure that downtown continues as a ghost town.

If you take the Pens out of the lower Hill District location, then we'll have great opportunities to make the Civic Arena venue a real vibrant place for hundreds of people every day, every time slot.

When 15,000 people drop in for 3 periods -- they leave their mark. These people don't take mass transit to and from the hockey games. These people generally drive in and drive home.

The big venue in town would become the new hockey venue. If Mick and the Rolling Stones come to town -- they go to Mario's new place. Great. That's just what we want. We want the flexibility of big events in a big indoor venue that can cater to those mega crowds. Perhaps that isn't the Civic Arena.

But the Civic Arena is a great smaller venue. The facility can be re-tooled to suit the neighborhood and handle a constant flow of hundreds of people each hour, thousands a day. Ten thousands each week.

That's not scary. That's how to avoid the traps of being a ghost town.

Plan D objections: See the light -- part 1

Bill Peduto's Plan C was a topic of a brief discussion in council chambers today. I told Bill and a few others, get the talk of building a new hockey venue to another place besides the lower Hill District.

Bill's first quick objection was to the point of the hockey lockout. When the Pens didn't play a season of hockey recently, some in downtown, like Joyce at the Carlynton, nearly went out of business. The hockey fans helped keep him alive by eating meals there, even when the eatery is downtown.

No problem.

When the Penguins move to another venue in Allegheny County, perhaps there will be an opportunity to establish a new resturant within the complex of the new hockey arena, say out near the airport.

More to the point however, when the Pens move to another venue outside of Allegheny County -- the Civic Arena is still going to be there where it sits now. The Pens might play hockey elsewhere -- and in turn -- there will be more and different events slated at the existing Civic Arena.

Perhaps civic events hosted at the Civic Arena after hockey leaves the venue will be able to generate more customers for downtown eating establishments than what was done with Penguins fans.

If the lower Hill District, and the rest of the Hill District swells with new business and new home/condo owners, then the resturant will have tons of additional traffic on a day in and day out basis. Let's beef up the hill with new housing and in-fill developments and make that area attractive. Then there will be lots of new customers who are not there now.

Furthermore, the new customers I'm speaking about would never choose to live in the shaddow of a mega hockey venue. They won't want to live next door to Mario's new ice palace.

The entire east end of Pittsburgh's central core can flourish after the Pens depart. A hockey night in Pittsburgh is an exciting time. But, if you have to go home after work to give relief to the baby sitter, or go to a school event, or dash out for grocery and what-not, it sucks to be stuck in hockey game traffic for 30 minutes.

Case in point: I go every month to our Libertarian Party meeting at Ritters Diner on Baum Blvd. I drive from my home on the South Side. On a hockey night this trip can take me 40-50 minutes. The game traffic brings a good section of the city to gridlock. That isn't fun for everyday headaches. People will choose to live elsewhere.

People won't want to develop the Hill District and beyond if the Pens build a new arena there. Those neighborhoods will continue to slide.

People won't want to invest in a new business and put it so close to the new hockey venue so as to prevent delivery trucks, have sky-high parking rates, contend with fans who fill every available parking spot for miles, and so on.

Council eyes nuisance properties. Eye em all they want. Head scratching next?

Council eyes nuisance properties - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Pittsburgh City Council this morning said it wants to resurrect a 2-year-old 'nuisance property' ordinance that hasn't been enforced since it was created.
Let's NOT make laws (or in this case, ordinances) that are not enforced. Serious enforcement problems exist. But, the enforcement comes because of a hyper-active legislative body that can't come to grips with its own mission.

Blogger is back

Blogger has been out for a good portion of today. It seems to be back. Yesterday Picassa was not working. It too is back.

Supreme Court refuses to hear Nader's appeal of Pa. ruling

AP Wire | 01/08/2007 | Supreme Court refuses to hear Nader's appeal of Pa. ruling HARRISBURG, Pa. - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let stand a Pennsylvania court ruling that requires former independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader and his running mate to pay more than $80,000 for costs incurred by a group who challenged their nominating papers in the 2004 general election.

Arena 'Plan C' offers Penguins profits.

This is bad, and its outcome goes the wrong way in the end.

Once again part of what Bill Peduto says makes sense and is worthy of support. Then the other part of what he says is hated. A little bit of good and a ton of bad.

If this was football, Bill Peduto played the game like Ohio State played last night. Opening kickoff goes for a TD and the rest is ugly.

Or if it is one play, Bill Peduto takes the conversation, the ball, downfield on a sweep to the sidelines. His student body left or right advances more than 10 yards giving a first down -- if only he did a Franco and ducked out of bounds then and there. But no. Peduto doesn't allow himself to stop where he should (IMNSHO). Peduto keeps on his feet. He reverses field. He goes back the other way and ends up seeing daylight. He runs backwards for 30 yards. He runs in the opposite direction ending up with a net loss of three times what he could have gained. Ouch.

Cheering for Peduto feels a lot like cheering for Ohio State in last nights big BCS Championship Game. The opening kickoff is a great run and touch down. Excitement swells! Then comes the rest of the game and a total disappointment follows. Florida blew the doors off of Ohio State after the first play.

I'm glad to see Bill Peduto do something to address the Pens situation. He finally went onto the field.

Last week I asked City Council to call a combined post agenda and public hearing concerning the Penguins and Civic Arena situation. They didn't. They had little to loose. They should have gotten some discussion moving on this hot topic.

On the kick off, Bill takes the ball and scores big points with me by saying tht the Penguins should share in the profits of activities that go beyond the game day transactions. The Pens greed makes it so that they'll need to have a better upside in the dealings so as to have long-term mega profits. The luxery and corporate boxes, naming rights, concessions and broadcasting elements are just not enough. Poor, poor, Pens.

I like the idea that Bill Peduto is thinking out of the box. He understands that there are creative ways to put the Pens operations into the bedrock of Western Pennsylvania. This makes it so the team won't threaten moves again in the next 5, 10 or 20 years.

I like the move too so as to link Don Barden's offers to the Pens and a proposal to invest in the Hill District.

Then everything else just sucks.

The Pens should NOT build its new venue on the lower Hill District. But, the Pens could sell its existing land interests in the lower Hill District to Don Barden.

Barden's money can provide an exit plan for the past investments of The Pens so as to not tie up that property for entertainment.

The lower Hill District and the upper Hill District need some serious attention. We need to make sustainable development work with the fabric of the community. We can't wedge a new venue in there that doesn't fit to the scale and desires of what we really needs -- affordable housing, mixed use properties, density of development, home owners, small businesses. The whole Hill District should start to thrive again by getting back to the basics. From Oak Hill to the edge of the Civic Arena property, there is a lot of potential.

I predict that the population throughout the Hill District to Oakland could increase by 20-times in 10 years if the right leadership emerged.

Presently, there is a lot of vacant land there. That land should be taxed heavily. Then the fix ups to the properties should be without new taxes. As we shift back to a land value tax, the Hill District would boom., as would other places in the inner core of the city.

One of the keys to getting The Hill District to flourish again is develop without the mess and snarls of a new hockey venue. Putting in a new palace, right in your face, isn't going to offer the stability and investment understanding that people want as a close neighbor.

If a public owned, public financed hockey venue goes into the lower Hill District, as proposed by Plan C, then tens of thousands of other home owners won't show up as residents and small business owners in those nearby neighborhoods.

I feel that you could put a ton of public housing around a new hockey arena and force people to live there. But we've tried that. It failed. We took down the projects -- for good reason. Or, you could put the new arena somewhere else in Allegheny County and thousands of people will move back into the Hill District in an organic way.

Calm the Hill District with peace keeping and by supporting basic needs -- and then we'd see those neighborhoods flourish again. Sensible development would work. New investments from a slew of owners would welcome a new day for the torn corners of The Hill.

A new hockey venue isn't a way to calm that part of the city.

I do love the concept of having local and state officials working with the Penguins to partner in development efforts so as to share in the profits. That concept would be key to negotiations to keep the team from moving out of state.

But don't give away a great part of the city to The Penguins. The greatness of The Hill District won't re-emerge under the guidance and ownership of The Penguins.

Get the Penguins 300, 400, or 500 acres of land out by the airport. We have the land there. We have the highways. We want a new palace for the Penguins. It could fit next to a new, urban, Olympic Village where The Penguins could sell high rise condos for people of all ages.

Remember Washington's Landing? That whole development sprung up around a rowing center. But this Olympic Village, the Penguins Village, should be with high rise buildings, not golf course town houses. We have Neville wood already. This would be a short van ride to the golf courses and the botanical gardens at Settler's Cabin. But, this vision is for new urban living, mixed use, long-term investment, home owners, condo living, vertical office park, recreation, and day cares for both babies and seniors.

If the Pens had a big chunk of that in the negotiations and 5,000 of its fan base was within walking distance on game night -- we'd be onto something new for exansion that the world would value and celebrate.

Arena 'Plan C' offers Penguins profits Peduto proposal would allow team to share in Mellon Arena site, Lower Hill development

Tuesday, January 09, 2007
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

State and local politicians should go beyond Plan B to offer the Penguins something other cities can't -- a share of the profits in the redevelopment of the Mellon Arena site, city Councilman Bill Peduto says.

City: Row house should have been sealed - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Fix the problem, not the blame.

Some would blame ex-mayor Tom Murphy. He's been out of office for more than a year.

I'm fine at blaming Tom Murphy for plenty of our ills. But I can't pin all the blame on him for a fire that happened one week ago. But, it was started by a 12 year old kid who isn't on a water polo team, isn't able to play ball at the sports complex on the flat land next to the river at the bend in Hazlewood.
City: Row house should have been sealed - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review City Council President Doug Shields, whose district includes Hazelwood, said about 25 percent of the neighborhood's housing stock should be demolished.
What we should have done is build new housing down Panther Hollow and have a graduate student housing there, next to the Peterson Event Center.

Hazelwood matters. The nonprofits are doing nothing with this asset. We can blame Murphy and Doug Shield for this lack of action.

Don't point many fingers Doug Shields. You've been working on Grant Street for how long?

Honz Man and Tunnel Call

I got to speak with Fred, the Honz Man, as a call in on his afternoon KDKA Radio show yesterday. I wasn't clicked off the air too quickly. This is worth a re-cap as there was a funny moment, just after our conversation ended.

I hate the tunnel (Honz likes it) and the same for the "fair tax." We never got to talking about the fair tax however. Plus, I don't like the re-do of Point State Park either -- and Fred agrees with me on that waste.

The tunnel is a bad idea because it has a poor return on investment. R.O.I.

Honz's point of 'where was I' in offering opposition to the tunnel years ago does not wash with me. I hated the tunnel for a long time and I spoke out against it on many instances over the years. Too many to count. http://Ratsburgh.blogspot.com.

We naysayers did score a victory when they decided to nix the change in the light rail stop for the back of the Convention Center.

Honz wonders what we gain if the tunnel under the river for expansion of light rail is stopped.

I point to the Wabash Tunnel as a real example that has direct connections. The Wabash Tunnel was built with federal money. The capital construction cost for the Wabsh Tunnel was significant and today it is fair to say that the tunnel, owned by PAT, was a poor investment. The R.O.I. for the Wabash Tunnel is very, very bad.

The project was missguided and the spending was a huge waste. Furthermore the operation of the tunnel is so expensive that PAT wants to jetison the tunnel. Only 400 autos use the silly tunnel each day. It isn't worth the upkeep. PAT wants to get rid of the tunnel or close it.

PAT built a downtown t-stop that is seldom used. PAT owns a HOV car tunnel that is seldom used. Light rail to the North Side Stadiums is sure to be a seldom used extension. It won't help our quality of life in the region. People can walk over or back. Each ride to the North Shore would cost about $40 -- for every passenger. That is a low side estimate. It could climb to $80 or $100 to cover the capital costs and on-going upkeep of that tunnel. It isn't worth it.

Honz Man didn't see the obvious links between the Wabash Tunnel, after it was built, and how it is still a weight around the necks of this year's operational budget. Some projects are a drain to keep, year in and year out, beyond the one-time capital cost. The $1-Million per year for the Wabash Tunnel upkeep could go a long way in keeping other bus routes alive in this pending service cuts.

Honz pressed and asked again, "what does it gain by killing the tunnel?"

I said "trust."

Fred said, "You make some good points. But, trust doesn't buy you anything." He must think trust and rightous acts are worthless. I think that they are valued for our times and for that of our kids in the years to come.

Click. Call ends.

Then comes the clincher! Going into the 4:00 news, right after Honz finished our conversation by implying trust among citizens, government and budgets is to be blown-off, KDKA's producer airs a news promo -- "NEWS YOU CAN TRUST, KDKA-Radio." My sons and I were were in the car heading to swim practice and we laughed and laughed.

I love a good turn-about when words and concepts spin. The big-mouth (Honz Man) makes a senseless claims ("Trust buys you nothing.") and then his own forces (KDKA-radio promo) goes directly counter to what he just said. There is VALUE in NEWS YOU CAN TRUST. Bang, bang. It was like Honz got hit in the face by a pie -- thrown at him by his own station.

Too bad I was driving and wasn't able to run a tape to capture those 15 seconds.

More background: PAT wanted to build a new stop behind the Convention Center. Citizen outrage and a pinched budget deleted from the plans of that new stop on the line, thankfully. An existing t-stop on downtown's light rail system is already near the Pennsylvanian and just 2 short blocks from the Convention Center. It is there now. It is only used once a day to keep the rails from getting rusty. PAT wanted to move the stop a half block! How dumb. Moreover, how expensive. Put up a walkway from where it is to where people need to flow to. Install signs. Run the trains where you've got the stops and move the people from point to point in a light, safe, flowing way. But don't move train stops underground for no real gains.

Moving the stop would have also taken the course of the tracks off of the right of way for the busway that flows to the east. That would have been a fatal killer. One day, and the sooner the better, the east bus way should be re-tooled as a light-rail line. Then there is a straight shot out of downtown, past the block behind the Convention Center, to the east. That's where the next logical expansion should occur.

They wanted to move the stop to the Convention Center to insure that the east would not get the expansion.

I think it is better to put a t-stop in areas that need a pick-up so as to make an investment where it is needed. You don't run the t-stop to the Convention Center because we've already made a huge investment there. You want to spread out the opportunities. You want to get the entire area buzzing.

The area around the Convention Center would pick up if you put the t-stop slightly away from the Convention Center. The area around the Convention Center would decline if you put the t-stop right at the Convention Center.

Same too for the North Side. I think it is wrong to put a t-stop at PNC Park and Heinz Field. Put the t-stop at CCAC, at Allegheny General Hospital, in the North Side Business District. Presently, one can get off at the t-stop in Gateway Center and walk over Clemente Bridge to PNC Park. That walking from stop to destination is great for pedestrian traffic. It is great for the hundred of other locations that can spring up from here to there. We want street merchants. We want sidewalk cafes. We want a flow of walkers with a wide choice of destinations.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Steel City Derby Demons, female roller derby debut

Running Mates!
Don’t miss the excitement of girl-on-girl roller derby action, as Pittsburgh joins over 100 other cities in this new version of an old favorite.

DON'T MISS THE STEEL CITY DERBY DEMONS EXHIBITION BOUT! Doors open at 5:30 and game starts at 6 pm on Saturday, January 27, 2007, at Bladerunners in Harmarville. The venue is less than 30 minutes from downtown off of Route 28.

Tickets cost $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Kids 10 and under get in FREE!

Purchase tickets at www.steelcityderbydemons.com/events.htm and click the “Buy Now” button.

1st Half: The Wrecking Dolls vs. The Hot Metal Hellions

2nd Half: The Bitch Doctors vs. The Slumber Party Slashers

More.

The fight for speaker - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

I posted to this blog, a day before the vote in the PA HOUSE, Neither Perzel nor DeWeese.
The fight for speaker - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review many reformers said the fact that neither Perzel nor his Democrat foe, Rep. Bill DeWeese, D-Greene, was able to win the speakership was a signal that internal House reform is on the way.

Crazy as it sounds, they're right.
Told ya.

O'Brien has no credentials as a government reformer, just like Ravenstahl, our mayor. And O'Brien got to his present position, just like Ravenstahl, as a compromise candidate. O'Brien is Harrisburg's version of Luke Ravenstahl.

I don't want Dennis O'Brien leading the charge to reshape the way they conduct our government. The steps I seek are first, replace, -- then reform.

Dem leader wants to reduce size of Pa. legislature

Reform is getting more talk.
Dem leader wants to reduce size of Pa. legislature A Democratic senator from Berks County is joining the call for a smaller Legislature and for making two other changes he says will improve state government.

Sen. Michael A. O'Pake, the Senate's No. 2 ranking Democrat, wants to reduce the Senate to 40 members (from the current 50) and reduce the House to 121 members (from the current 203).

The reductions are similar to those proposed last year by Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon. They didn't go anywhere but calls for reform have increased in the wake of the repealed 2005 pay raise and defeats of three dozen incumbent legislators last year.

Reducing the size of the Legislature would need a constitutional amendment which could take two years or more.

Mr. O'Pake also wants a nonpartisan panel to redraw the state's congressional district boundaries after the 2010 census.

He also wants residents to be able to put political 'robo-calls'' on their list of Do Not Call numbers, an idea suggested last fall by Rep. Michael McGeehan, D-Philadelphia.

Security bug found in PDF reader

BBC NEWS | Technology | Security bug found in PDF reader Upgrading to version 8 of the Adobe Reader software removes the risk of falling victim to the flaw.

Folic acid may slow age-related hearing loss�|�Health�|�Reuters.com

Folic acid may slow age-related hearing loss�|�Health�|�Reuters.com: "NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Folic acid supplementation appears to slow the decline in hearing that commonly occurs with age, at least in people with high levels of the amino acid homocysteine, according to a study conducted in the Netherlands.
Perhaps one could sell this stuff to those who have played in rock and roll bands, drive motorcycles, work on road crews and at the airport, and are pregnant.

Pennsylvania Leadership Conference

Pennsylvania Leadership Conference Newt Gingrich to speak April 21st


Count me OUT. Newt's statements against freedom in recent months have been a great turn off, not that I was turned on to him before.

Petition text for ballot question called, "Pittsburgh Mirrors Population"

Here is the text of the petition now hitting the streets seeking to put a ballot question before the voters in May 2007. This is FYI and a starting point for discussions, perhaps. My position on the ballot question is pending.
Pittsburgh Mirrors Population Question

Shall Article 3 Section 302 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of Pittsburgh be amended to read as follows:

302. COMPOSITION

Council shall consist of seven Members, two of whom shall be elected at-large, and five of whom shall be elected by district.

Each of the five districts shall be represented by one Member that shall reside in that district.

Any political party or body shall be entitled to nominate one candidate for the office of At-Large City Council Member. In the Municipal Election, each voter may vote for no more than one candidate for the office of At-Large City Council Member, and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be electe as the At-Large City Council Members.



All petitions must be filed by 5 pm on February 13, 2007.

The introduction letter says that the Republican Committee of Pittsburgh (PGHGOP.org) will be conducting the petition drive. "No petitions will be controlled by any other entity, besides our committee. There is no way that these petitions will not be filed if we get enough signatures..."

In the summer, petitions were gathered by the firefighters and the GOPers. But they were NOT put into the election department. The papers might have been used as a bargain point and leverage for some other matter and just left to gather dust. Or, there might not have been enough signatures. Who knows?

"Any registered voter in the city can sign and/or circulate our petition.

"This City is in trouble. We need to make this change within City Government. The iron is hot NOW. This is when we have to act. People all across this City want this. Lets get out there and show Grant Street that they have lost their power."

Bikes work in Chicago too


Illinois has many miles of bikeways. Here is a bad photo of a pedestrian / bikers bridge built along the side of a roadway. The HOT MEDAL Bridge needs to be completed. The West End Pedestrian Bridge needs to be completed. Roads need some treatments so cars and bikes can co-exist.


Bike road along greenway stretch from suburban reaches to the lakeshore to the city.

Ideas from the bit bucket called Chicago, Illinois. Mayor Luke visits my former home town.


Worry alert: Luke might come back from Chicago with a new bag of tricks for Pittsburgh. This could be scary.

Perhaps he'll want to dedicate a "Pirate Ship" for a slip at the Allegheny River.

Perhaps he'll want to install Pedestrian Statues to fill Market Square.

Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. Is Point State Park getting one next?

More to the point of speculation. Perhaps Luke is there to hold a secret meeting with possible head coaches for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Singletary has Chicago roots.

Prayer station in Chicago park.

River shuttles between Sandcastle, Station Square, Point Park, Mon Wharf, Convention Center, Science Center, Slots Parlor, New Arena at Neville Island.

Multi-use buildings


Lived, worked and parked in this building on Davis Street in Evanston. Four stories of apartments. First level retail and dining. Basement is multiple floors of parking for residents. Private ownership. Density. Ongoing fix-ups. Evanston's percent of property held by nonprofits is five times greater than Pittsburgh's.


Front side of the apartments. U shaped courtyard. Notice the high rise buildings in the background. Lots of density is necessary for the urban lifestyle to flourish.


Construction. The buildings are pre-sold.

Whole Foods in Downtown Evanston


This is a "Whole Foods" in Evanston. Notice the high rise building attached to the retail space. Build with density. Build with two or MORE uses per building. Downtown needs a grocery store. A grocery can co-exist in a high rise apartment building.


Parking lot to the parking garage at whole foods. You don't need a massive surface parking lot to make a grocery store. The South Side Giant Eagle is a better place for a high rise apartment building, internal parking spaces and a grocery -- rather than downtown.

Mayor Ravenstahl Checks Out Chicago - News

Mayor Ravenstahl Checks Out Chicago - News
Wonderful. I get to post some of my Chicago experiences and images. Stay tuned.

Pittsburgh Splits With West Virginia in the swim pool. New Polish student sets record in breast

Fast foreign recruit makes a splash in Pitt's pool. CollegeSwimming.com::Pittsburgh Splits With West Virginia With the meet tied at 94 points and swimming in his first-competition meet of the season, Plutecki (Zielan Gora, Poland/High School #VII) recorded a pool and school record in the 200 breast with a time of 1:58.98. Plutecki's time eclipsed the four-year 1:59.42 record held by Randy Gertenbach.

Plutecki's time was also a NCAA B cut time and missed the NCAA A cut time by just a second.

Mark Roosevelt of Pittsburgh Public Schools and High School Reform: long rant on news article. Wrong way, wrong talk.

Let's sort through another pile of B.S. about our schools from the light of the Post Gazette. It becomes another great example of exactly how we should NOT operate in this city.
City plan for high schools may mean big change City plan for high schools may mean big change
Study will be unveiled this week
The task force was a closed door process. The task force didn't keep minutes. The task force didn't hold open meetings. The task force was full of hand-picked "yes" people. The task force for right-sizing for K-8 from a year ago had NO people from the ranks of the teachers. Meanwhile this task force is way to heavy from the ranks of the teachers and administrators. The task force is built to curb dissent.

From the get-go, the high school task force efforts are suspect.

Mark Roosevelt dispatched a tiny, select (elitist) group of administrators and boosters. The process was designed to shut out throngs of others as volunteers. Citizens and parents were shut out of the process. This public school district acted as if it was a foundation board operation. Homework wasn't done with any peer review.

The success stories from around the country always point to one main theme. No matter what -- communities with high performing schools have high performing students and tons of parent engagement. It takes a village. Everyone gets involved in every capacity in many dimensions. Then the students, staff, teachers, administrators and board performs.

If you want to sustain the failures -- lock out the parents in talks of reform. Mark Roosevelt fumbled as did this high school reform weenie group.

There is nothing more critical than parent engagement. Nothing.

Furthermore, that's the one element that is the weakest in our public school landscape.

We do have poor test scores. Pittsburgh does have high dropout rates. Dropouts and failed tests take a back-seat to how the school district slams the door in the face of its parents, customers, neighbors, ministers, coaches, advocates, voters, citizens, business owners, unions, employees.

Let's check out success stories of schools around the country, and the world. Let's look at how parents and families can soar in their educational lives -- by working together.

The Pittsburgh Public School district is academically troubled. It isn't financially troubled. But its biggest sticking point is its trouble when dealing well with its populations and especially parents.

There is a brain-packed trend to mull upon. Let's take our big, mostly empty, poor performing schools and say we're going to make them into smaller schools and call this a success. Our schools are shrinking because the people who can depart. The grass is greener in other school districts for many people, so they leave. They vote with their feet. They get feed up with the helpless feelings and blocks put up from the school landscape.

So, the pathway to victory is to have smaller schools! What????

We've got smaller schools!

Don't shoot for the size of the school. That was the same line of poor logic that was pushed down upon the citizens in the rightsizing plans of last year with the K-8 reform.

Parents don't give a rat's ass about the size of the school. Nor do voters and taxpayers.

We want schools where people learn great lessons! We want educational institutions that teach our kids how to become productive citizens in today's marketplace.

We want the school district to bring value to our communities. That means a district with a mandate to educate students ages K to 12th grade should focus on K-12 education and do a good job there. That means that the Pittsburgh Promise is out of bounds and not a high priority, when a majority of our kids can't pass 9th grade algebra.

Algebra is A + B = C. Pittsburgh Promise is Z. It doesn't matter. Smaller Schools is Y. Y and Z don't matter.

What is this 'capping of school size' trend? Elitist! Why cap and make haves and have nots?

I don't want caps. I don't want glass ceilings. I don't want to keep kids down. I don't want to prohibit excellence.

I want gangplanks to greatness. I want a rush to results. I want satisfaction to skyrocket.

He wants speed limits. I want hyperdrive.

Mr. Roosevelt wants to propose "breaking schools." News flash: The schools are already broken. How about if we "heal schools." The thing to do is "heal students." Fix the educational landscape of families in this region.

Let's think about "semi-autonomous 'learning communities'" for a few moments. I think that the best semi-autonomous learning community is a family. Furthermore, a thriving learning community isn't semi-autonomous. It is engagement and embrace of all assets and resources. To be semi-autonomous means you have to exclude and build walls.

Think of the internet. I want it everywhere. IP everwhere. I want learning everywhere. I want all resources at the ready and at our disposal when it comes to real learning enviroments.

The learning community here -- is called ... earth, if not universe. Pittsburgh Public Schools needs to play a dynamic role within our global marketplace of thinking, ideas and lessons. I think a call to 'semi-autonomous learning community' is really not about being in a modern urban community. The "semi" part must be the code word for thinking with only half your brain.

Enrollment at small high schools often is capped at 300 to 500 students.

We had a small high school -- South Vo Tech. It was closed. They called it too expensive. It was too expensive because it was too small. We turned our backs on those students in recent times and now we're saying what they had was just what we want. Unreal double-talk from a clueless district.
So, if we really want 'small communities of learning' -- then I look forward to the re-opening of South Vo Tech. The truth hurts. Their statements are lies, but they can be put to the test.
We've had small schools in K-5 settings that were 'capped.' They too were closed because the size of the school was not fitting into the cookie cutter model that the school district wanted in its rightsizing agenda. The schools were filled. The schools were closed anyway.

This is all wrong.

You need to put the right number of kids into the right sized buildings. Furthermore, the buildings are already built. The buildings are there. So, the factors are numbers of students.

In very recent times the bone headed school leadership has been saying that this school should have 500 students -- but the building is only able to contain 400 or 350. So, there are a number of building expansion plans to make these buildings fit the number that some rightsizing plan wrongly requires.

The concept that Pitsburgh's old school leadership needs to consider in every discussion is capacity. If a school or even a bus functions with X amount of bodies -- then that's where we start.

Schools that are filled to capacity should not be closed.

For PAT, bus routes that are filled to capacity should continue to operate.

Meanwhile, Pgh Public School District spent a lot of money to rehab the once great Westinghouse High School. The building is majestic. It is modern and bright and jewel for any student, staff, teacher and community group. But in the real world of today's educational landscape, Westinghouse High School functions at a fraction of its ideal capacity -- based upon its building size.

Let's cap these learning communities based upon the existing building capacity. This is a functional measurement that goes into the forumula right from the beginning.

You don't try to cram 10-tons of students into an 8-ton container.

We've got schools that have been rightsized and they are jammed.

An honest approach to space would be welcomed. The A+ Schools report should contain a much better inventory of the phsysical assets, for school buildings, open and closed.

As South Vo Tech shrunk in its number of students, the thrid floor was closed. Students didn't attend classes in those classrooms. Easy adjustments need to be a priority.

The luckiest districts have financed restructuring with millions of dollars committed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

I'm not looking to live in a lucky district. I don't want to live in a 'lucky town.' I want to live in a place where we value and teach how to be self reliant. I want our schools to be valued for doing an excellent job in teaching our kids -- and luck has little to do with that mission. It is hard work dealing with everyone. It is hard work to put all the facts on the table and really get to understand a topic area -- and not have a blind spot. I want to say that Pgh Public Schools can thumb its nose to soft money of the Gates Foundation. That money can go to hopeless places -- like Philly -- where they have two stand alone slots parlors and are really lucky.

Listen to this double talk. First, "The traditional American high school is really an anachronism.
It was designed 100 years ago and really hasn't changed much since," said Naomi Housman, director of the National High School Alliance. As a result, she said, many schools aren't preparing students for today's world or holding students' interest on a daily basis. "They want to be engaged," Ms. Housman said. "They're just not finding it in the traditional high school.

Second, we are told this task force ran around the nation looking at schools throughout the country.

Don't paint with a broad brush. Some schools work. Some don't. And more to the point. Some schools are going to work for some kids while they fail other students. I'm a Libertarian swim coach so I understand the theme, "Different strokes for different folks."

The failure that makes the continual theme of hopelessness stems from the lack of choice.

Of course the trickle-up campaign didn't work. That's more smoke and double-talk.
Kati Haycock, director of The Education Trust, said high school improvements for years took a backseat to elementary school restructuring. But the desired "trickle-up" effect -- the idea that good habits established in primary years would pay dividends in high school -- didn't materialize.
You want a good high school, work on high school education. You want good pre-school -- focus on pre-school education. You want a good high school, don't focus on college education when the kids are in the K-12 setting. Stick to the focus area. The Pittsburgh Promise is a trickle-up idea that is going to flop.

I've been a stay-at-home dad who has objected to advanced pre-school efforts in the educational community. Head start is nice for some. But, head-start programs should NOT be mandatory. Head start programs might make great head-start programs, but they are NOT the key for making great elementary schools. We could use some head start efforts in the community. But, I don't want to see the school district spend a lot of effort in that domain. A K-12 district needs to cooperate with head start educators and parents. But, a K-12 district, needs to focus on K-12 students.

Mr. Roosevelt has called high school improvement the year's top priority -- and I think his stance is nothing but a joke. If Roosevelt wanted to tackle high school education he'd be doing a dance with the public. He hides behind a task force of hand-picked cronies.

There are many things that can be done to improve our high schools, and I'll cover them in depth. They have not been done for years. The ideas I want to advance are cheap. They'd make a huge improvement. They would have happened already if Mr. Roosevelt and the board really cared. I think these folks are motivated by CYA tactics. They want to talk the talk, yet cover they're backsides. Few are really interested in making system wide changes and making those changes stick in the greater community.

Voting with one's feet looks like this:
35 percent of city students, including nearly half of all black males, drop out of high school. Other students, dissatisfied with academics and environment, opt for charter or suburban schools.
I don't want a task force to shape a plan. I want a school board and superintendent to shape a plan. I want to engage the public in efforts of peer review so as to shape a future.
District Chief of Staff Lisa Fischetti said board members tomorrow will hear about lessons the task force has learned and how that information will shape a plan, to be unveiled in the spring, for improving city schools.
Information that should shape a plan is called 'data.' The data should be online for all to see.

Here is another task that a real task force might do. Examine the data collection and data reporting to the public. Examine the formulas for operations in Pgh Public Schools and beyond. Make accountability evident in both school performance and finances. I want to know teacher, building, classroom, grade and subject perfomances -- in real time. This would be a fine task for a task force. Then we'd have transparent models and knowledge for making better choices.

This next statement give a serious worry for two reasons. First, evolution occurs in many tiny steps. Organic changes are healthy. Give us piecemeal. Don't give radical shifts that ignore the results of the past. The results of the students at the schools that were re-tooled were thrown out the window and not even published in the A+ Schools report. They want to churn and not keep a record of where we've been.

While some districts have remade high schools on a piecemeal basis, she said, Pittsburgh's effort will be system-wide change that builds on current "pockets of excellence."


There are pockets of excellence within the PPS, but they have never been noticed nor rewarded. Often, they are discounted. Furthermore, the pockets of excellence within the elementary schools, the magnet schools where foreign languages are taught from K and up, has been discounted. The right-sizing plans didn't center upon the pockets of excellence.

The gifted education plan is a pocket of excellence and it is under a cloud of cuts too.

Another worry: Let's not design a school improvement plan and lean upon marketing savvy. Put lipstick on a pig and claim victory.

Other than CAPA, a theme-based school, the next best theme was Vo Tech. And, South Vo Tech closed. If you liked theme-based schools, Janis Ripper, where you fighting for the continual operation of South??? I did.
"We liked the theme-based schools," said Janis Ripper, the principal assigned to coordinate the task force.
The buzz word, academies, seems more like a CYA task, given the recent rightsizing.
Ms. Ripper said team members observed enthusiastic instruction and innovative ideas, such as "academies" -- one example of a small learning community -- to isolate ninth-graders from upperclassmen in a building. But cold data on achievement gains were elusive.
Cold data was elusive. That's what I mean. We need a task force to uncover and insure cold data.

There is an educational trend -- new is better. New is better when asking to spend more money. New is better when you don't know where you are going. New is better when you didn't do a good job with the not-so-new.
"Some of the schools had some data," she said. "But one thing to keep in mind with high school reform: Because it is so new, a lot of schools were in the process of a two- or three-year plan. Data wasn't as available as we'd like."
Likewise, I'm certain that the data isn't going to be available to defend a massive change to the landscape of our high schools in Pittsburgh.
Paul Vallas, chief executive officer of the School District of Philadelphia, said he's pleased with a continuing overhaul there that's increased the number of high schools from about 50 to 80.
Exactly. "continual overhaul."
He said the district with 180,000 students, more than six times Pittsburgh's enrollment, has moved toward smaller schools with college preparatory curriculums, signature programs and dual enrollment arrangements that allow students to take college classes. Nineteen of the high schools are charter schools. In all, 30 district and charter high schools met federal performance standards last year.
Again, the good is the fact that there are some charter schools. But, the problem is that the Pgh Public School board and administrators have always been fighting the charter schools. They've put up many roadblocks to specialized private and charter schools.

The dual enrollment part is nice as it comes closer to what I'd like to see. Rather than dual enrollment, give enrollment freedom. Get rid of the confinements of high school choice. Allow any kid in the city to go to any school. It can't be quite that simple, but it should be.

"I like to say we've gone from failure to adequacy. Now, the key is to get to excellence," said Mr. Vallas, who's faced some of the same academic and financial problems as Mr. Roosevelt.
Could someone please explain the financial problems of Pgh Public Schools. Just saying that they are there is not a real way to lead. That's call crying. Poor, poor us doesn't wash from my perspective. Why, exactly, does the district think it is with financial problems? -- Perhaps because of the charter schools???

No matter their neighborhoods, Mr. Vallas said, Philadelphia students have a choice of at least three high schools. BINGO. But our choice in Pittsburgh can be for eight or ten schools.

North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District offers signing bonuses of as much as $15,000 to build elite teacher corps at four low-performing high schools. ... Humm... Did you hear swim coach David Marsh is going to MAC and starting a program of excellence. His job brings a $1-million pay check. Interesting. Now we're talking "sizable."

Thanks for the article Joe.

Summary: A year long effort to reform our high schools is a wonderful idea. Too bad the process and efforts so far just compound the problems. I want to get to the roots of the problems, as do plenty of others. This article proves, again, to me, that Roosevelt's leadership is without a firm grasp of the keys to our situations.

Furthermore, I've got different ideas. Others have solid ideas as well.

Forum: Ban trans fats. Don't be silly. Ban the bans!

Forum: Ban trans fats Pittsburgh should step up to the plate and ban trans fats in restaurants, argues diet and wellness author WILL CLOWER
It is silly to promote a ban on trans fats in Pittsburgh or elesewhere in the US. The nanny state arguments are the same old intrusionist nonsense.

His writing seemed critical of one of our favorite words by associating it with childish tendencies rather than with enlightened self-interest:
"The real problem is more fundamental. It comes from that kernel, lodged deep within each of our foot-stomping, you're-not-the-boss-of-me Libertarian hearts, that screams that no one can tell us what to do."

And if you feel inclined to write a LTE in response, here's the PG LTE email address: letters@post-gazette.com

The use of a capital "L" instead of small "l" in that sentence is wrong. Don't write "civil Libertarian hearts."

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Riddle: What's round on the outside and "high" in the middle?

Riddle two: Erik, shown in two photos from yesterday's meet at Deer Lakes (we won) is wearing a special swim cap. Can you tell what it is and why he'd wear it?
On the blocks about to help win the free relay. Erik swam 3rd. In our league, the age group relays are co-ed. That is a nice feature. Our 11-12 "A" medley relay got second (D.P.,E.Mc.,E.R.,D.M.) but they won the free relay (E.Mc.,D.M.,E.R., D.P.). Both were exciting races.

After swimming his leg -- he cheered for his mates.

Saturday, January 06, 2007

New arena stupidity from SEA. Haste makes waste -- fools!

This shows exactly how stupid the Stadium and Exibition Authority is. Unreal. Haste makes waste.

I'm calling for a new, different, better location for the new hockey venue. Meanwhile, these bone heads are pressing ahead on site prep for the wrong location.
New arena hopes advance on 2 fronts New arena hopes advance on 2 fronts
Site preparation work to begin while Penguins haggle with local officials

Saturday, January 06, 2007
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority is pressing ahead with preparations for a new arena even as state and local officials get down to the nitty-gritty of trying to cobble together a deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh.
Think again.

Some would ask, "Do they think at all????"

The removal of asbestos from buildings is fine. But who is paying for it?

Two enter races for City Council

Who on the Pgh school board isn't running for another office? Four of the members were rumored to be in races. Others have run or tried to mount campaigns for other offices in the past.

I like Patrick. He is a good guy. He beat D. Harris in the past -- and that was a great change for the school board. Now, if he wins a seat on city council, he'll be with her on council, if she is lucky enough to win a full term too.

My favorite to replace Patrick Dowd on the Pgh Public School Board is Stephanie Tecza. She would be a splendid addition to the school board.
Two enter races for City Council Patrick Dowd is among the Pittsburgh school board members hoping Superintendent Mark Roosevelt will agree to a contract extension.

Perhaps Mr. Roosevelt should have asked Mr. Dowd for a similar commitment.

Mr. Dowd, 38, of Highland Park, one of Mr. Roosevelt's most ardent supporters, has decided to run for City Council this year instead of seeking a second term as District 2 school board representative.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Coaching takes a back seat to Parenting. Daddy Cower Power

I've blogged about this recently in another posting. Scroll down. But, it would be good to salute the parenting perspectives in the conversations and community buzz.

I've resigned coaching positions to re-set priorities to parenting.

Now that the Steelers get to hire the next coach, I'm pulling for Mike Singletary. We both have a connection to Chicago and Baylor University.

Clarke Thomas: Some big bills are coming due

Clarke Thomas: Some big bills are coming due Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. wrote in a 1904 case: 'Taxes are what we pay for civilized society.'
Is hockey civilized?

Are the owners of the Civic Arena slum landlords? Isn't that close to being uncivilized? Don't they already get a lot of taxpayer money from the RAD tax?

This would make an interesting concept map.

Sunnyhill-Dot-Org has video snip of Joe Jencks from 2006 concert we hosted

Sunnyhill-Dot-Org Special musical guest for Sunday, Jan 7 -- Joe Jencks

On Sunday morning, Joe Jencks is playing for our Chapel and for the opening music of the main service (led by Sue Richmond).

Mini championship meet in central PA

community.centredaily.com The most competitive regular season high school swim meet in all of Pennsylvania will take place at 10:00 am this Saturday at the Kinney Natatorium of Bucknell University.
Western PA's high school swim landcape needs more big-time meets, beyond WPIAL and STATES.

[412] Ho, ho, yo to Running Mates and beyond. Post Festivus. Yet no Octopus

Finally. I sent out an email blast to my 412-list.

I had gone about six months without using the blast list. That was a long time.
[412] Ho, ho, yo to Running Mates and beyond. Post Festivus. Yet no Octopus [412] Ho, ho, yo to Running Mates and beyond. Post Festivus. Yet no Octopus
The message twists and turns -- as does life. Oh well. Still waters run deep, from time to time.

Thursday, January 04, 2007

R.I.P: You don't get to choose when you die, generally.


We remember Bob Palmer, Catherine's father.
Catherine went to Maine this afternoon. She flew into Boston and her brother picked her up at the airport. They drove together to Maine. Twenty minutes after they arrived, Mr. Palmer passed.

My father-in-law, but much more importantly, my wife's dad and my kids' grandpa, was 73. He had some hard weeks, physically. Word from New Years' Weekend was that he had take a turn for the worst. He was in the care of hospice and at home. His two children are at his side along with his friends in Maine.

The plans were to have Catherine return to Pittsburgh on Saturday night. A memorial will be held in the weeks to come. Details unknown now.

This is the first grandparent to pass for my kids. They've been blessed to know them all.

One classic line from Mr. Palmer -- "Fix the problem, not the blame."

Peace.

The "Pride" Mentor Sweepstakes

Can't wait until March, 2007.
Pride - The "Pride" Mentor Sweepstakes The “Pride” Mentor Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”) is intended for viewing and participation only in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia (“U.S.”)

Modern PRIDE guy(s).

Photo was taken of Pitt's recent co-captians in Irvine, California, in August 2005 at Nationals. D (left) is a swimmer from Philly. J (right) is now doing his student teaching at CV and made his cuts to the Olympic Trials. He's been the summer coach at Green Tree.

Movie Trailer. The story of PDR (Philadelphia Department of Recreation), which created a number of top 16 swimmers, National and NCAA finalists, and Senior/Junior National qualifiers. One year the team won Junior Nationals. Brielle White, Michael Norment, Atiba Wade, Valerie Patterson, are all products of PDR and the program led by Coach Ellis. There was a really good article on this team in The New York Times Magazine back in the mid 1990s.


Hosea, Pittsburgh's version of Philly's PRIDE story. Coach H.H. coaches at the Kingsley Center and Carrick H.S. Here he is coaching in the summer at Highland Park Pool.

Take the LCB and pull the plug on the entire agency

Pennsylvania does not need the LCB. (Liquor Control Board)

Thanks for your courage, outgoing chairman.

Fire the new CEO. Close the entire organization. Ed Rendell messed up again to benefit his cronies.

To spend more time with his family. Parenting becomes a priority for coach!

Is his wife going to have another baby?

No, he's a dad to a high school sophomore. His baby is a sophomore.

Good for you Coach. Too bad you can't retire in Carnegie or Crafton.

We need more 'full-time dads.'

But this line, to spend more time with the family, gets abused. Michael Jordan used it, poorly. Be like Mike was the marketing slogan. We stay-at-home dads were excited when M.J. said he was going to join our ranks. Then a few weeks later, he moved into team ownership roles and beyond in D.C. He pimped himself into the parenting parade for cover for a career venue switch.

Time will tell.

Parenting is a tough job. It is tough when the kids are babies. It gets tougher as they grow. Often parenting is toughest as the kids enter high school.

Pittsburgh Jack's Place -- Zooming into the bloggers' domain with facts and insights

He's back. Not Jason. But Jack!

The blog, Pittsburgh Jack's Place, saw a posting that looked very much like a comment on my blog about the ex-pol Dwadida. I too was about to blog about the cover story in the present Pgh City Paper -- but it was lurking in the drafts folder.

Well, his rant as an unsigned comment must have tickled his calling back into the blogger life.

Good to have you back, Jack. He posted today, Jan 4, 2007. His last posting was October 25, 2004.

So, what did you do on your summer vacation?
PittsburghJack's Place Out with the Old
Regarding the cover story in the current issue of the Pittsburgh City Paper about the generational shift in Pittsburgh party politics, there is at least one glaring issue that requires clarification.
I sense that Pgh Jack, like me, would be happy if Mike Dawida, stayed only as a fleeting memory in our shared political history -- and didn't freshen his resume with a run for office again in 2007.

My comments on the sperm to cronie cover story -- beaten to the punch -- will come later.

WP: New Orleans repeats mistakes - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

WP: New Orleans repeats mistakes - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com 'There are areas where it doesn't make any sense to rebuild -- they got 20 feet of water in Katrina,' said Tom Murphy, a former Pittsburgh mayor who served on an Urban Land Institute panel for post-Katrina planning. 'In those places, nature is talking to us, and we ought to be listening. I don't think we are.'

Logic Trip concerning a caller about the Civic Arena

He said he worked for 31 years at the Civic Arena. He said he loves hockey.
The City and County has been acting like a slum landlord in its handling of the Arena in recent years.
So, he feels it makes sense to tear down the arena and build a new one.

Hold the phone, pal.

If the arena has not been managed well, who is to blame? Is that the Stadium and Exibition Authority? Is that the city and county? Is that the managers of the civic arena? Who manages the arena now?

If the arena was run down -- do you think the poor treatment should be rewarded? Run things down and trash things -- then it gets an upgrade??? That's churn. That's not healthy.

The city starved many things in the past. They city starved Fifth & Forbes district without washing the streets, without fixing sidewalks, without allowing for facade fix-up funds to building owners -- as provided to all the other sections of the city.

And if the city and county is a slum landlord, whey not fix this concept. Let's make sure that the new arena is owned and operated by another entity other than the public. The public agency has proven to be a slum landlord then we don't want to allow that to continue. Don't build a new arena and put it into the hands of these slum landlords. Put the new venue into the hands of those who are going to care. Put the team in an ownership role, not the city.

A big downfall of the IOC plan was the building of the facility with the windfall of the cheap slots license and then the giving of the facility to the public agency.

Billionaire Mark Cuban asks President Bush to cancel inauguration parties - Wikinews

Blast from the past:
Billionaire Mark Cuban asks President Bush to cancel inauguration parties - Wikinews January 4, 2005

United States – Mark Cuban, the billionaire owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, has asked U.S. President George W. Bush to cancel the inauguration parties that are planned in his honor and redirect the cost to aid for Tsunami victims.

'It’s up to President Bush to set an example,' Cuban said in his web blog. 'Could there be anything more confusing and shocking than to read that our country was offering $35mm in aid to the areas affected by the tsunamis, but that the cost of inauguration parties would be about $40mm?'

Elevator Points for Dan Onorato, now on KDKA radio with Marty Griffin

Encourage the Pens to play 10 games a year in other cities until the new arena is built in Allegheny County.
Take the Pens off their game.
Build good-will.
Drive new fans to the Pens & Pgh elsewhere.

We (Pens, public, local goverment officials) must find a better location for the new hockey venue: Building off the lower hill delivers more profits and customer satisfaction.
Airport corridor, Neville Island, North Shore, next to the Convention Center, Parkway Center Mall, Settlers Cabin vicinity are possibilities.

PAT needs to quickly deploy E-Z Pass technology -- electronic, debit-card bus passes -- for all ridership. Data on efficiency and capacity is absent. Route cut factors are on a whim. PAT needs real-time and accurate data on the system. An electronic bus pass overhaul, first, ends fare jumpers, fraud, theft, and subsidizations can occur to those who need transit allowances (needy, seniors, students, special populations).

Wednesday, January 03, 2007


Road trip..... Bye, bye, birdie?

Poll: Who should be the Miami Dolphins next coach? | naplesnews.com | Naples Daily News

The NFL's Miami Dolphins are in the hunt for a new head coach now that the ex-LSU coach is headed to 'Bama -- Roll Tide Roll!

Talk goes to assistants with the Steelers as well as a throw back contender: "Bring Don Shula back." Is that the same Don Shula, and NOT his son who was coaching elsewhere recently???

Poll: Who should be the Miami Dolphins next coach? | naplesnews.com | Naples Daily News Possible candidates to replace Saban include Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, former Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman, San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, Indianapolis assistant Jim Caldwell, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow and Pittsburgh Steelers assistants Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhut.
Perhaps they could get Jim Leyland to coach the Dolphins too as he won them (Marlins) a World Series once.

Then there is Chuck Noll, former Steeler coach, who picked up a vote or two as a write-in at the November 2006 general elections.

Young Stanley, the Penguin, checking the shoe leather of the fan base. (That's Grant in front row on the right.)