Blue ribbon! update from our swimming summer

Erik swam in finals in tonight's BB Championships in 2 events. He won, 1st place, in the 50 breast, time 42.80. He also made a new J.O. cut in that event. Now Erik has two events in the JO meet, 50 free and 50 breast.

Erik also got 6th in the 50 fly.

Grant swam in finals in the 100 back. He improved his time from prelims by .5.

Our summer league championship swim meet is Tuesday night at the indoor Carlynton High School pool. Each boy will be in three events. Throughout the summer meets, they both have had a few tight races, but have only got blue ribbons.

State subsidy revives Downtown convention hotel plans

This is why we will never get ahead, big-ticket boneheaded spending.

State subsidy revives Downtown convention hotel plans Downtown Pittsburgh can finally move ahead with plans for a headquarters hotel, with 400 to 500 rooms, adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

That's because the state Legislature this week included a $34 million subsidy for the $103 million project when it approved projects paid for from the slots development fund. The fund, based on 5 percent of taxes paid by slots casinos, also is helping to pay for a replacement for Mellon Arena.

City's surveillance system to get $3.4M upgrade - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

If I'm elected, I'll work hard to point the cameras at public officials who should be guarding our money and liberties -- not at citizens. They want to reduce the privacy of our daily lives. I want to reduce the privacy of our public spending, closed room deal making, and corruption opportunities.

Only after all the public officials and public meetings are fully accessible and open and transparent and streamed and archived and searchable and documented and easily navigated should be bother pointing the cameras at people on the streets.

The bigger crimes are happening on the golf courses and bond-refinance meetings among high-spending public servants, not along the streets of a downtown intersection.

Putting better cameras along our streets in the city is just another reason to give people to avoid the city.

City's surveillance system to get $3.4M upgrade - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Pittsburgh's version of Big Brother has poor vision, but he's about to go 20/20.

A $3.4 million police and emergency services surveillance upgrade could begin in October. It would add 83 cameras capable of streaming live video to -- and being controlled by -- any networked city computer, including those in police cruisers equipped with laptops."

So quiet on the digital front. Are you all reading your new Harry Potter books?

Don't mention two words as to what you think of the new book. Neither say nor post anyting beyond the page number you've hit -- and NOTHING else.

I notice very little on the net today. Everyone might be hung over from the midnight Harry Potter parties.

Erik and Grant were in a the BB Championships today. They were reading between events. Erik made finals in 3 events. Grant in none. Our boys are not tapered and not rested. It showed. More events and reading come tomorrow.

Midnight magic in the air - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Midnight magic in the air, front page photo : Staffers at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at the SouthSide Works were expecting a large crowd for the book's midnight release. Marketing manager Jeffrey Inscho said the store had pre-sold 400 books.

Erik, my son, and his friends had their photo on the front page of the Saturday Tribune Review newspaper.

From family - travels

Travel photos with the anticipation party for the new Harry Potter book

From family - travels

We enjoyed the party hosted by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Oakland in advance of the new book's release. Erik and Grant dressed up.

At midnight tonight, the book is available. I'll be in line at Joseph Beths Booksellers at the South Side Works to pick up our copies. Two books: one for us and one for grandma.

Then in the morning, we are up at 6 am for a swim meet, BB Champs. The books might get a little wet.

The meet is a pre-lims and finals meet. The kids won't be shaved, but, I wondered if it would be good to do that for the first time in their lives. Our taper has not really happened, yet. Erik is in J.O.'s (next weekend). Plus, we'll have a meet following that for city championships. And, then we expect to go to the West Virginia state meet to be held this year at Kenyon. So, our fully-rested meet / taper / shave is later in the summer.

Libertarian Party horrified at Pennsylvania spending surge

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania - For Immediate Release - July 20, 2007

For more information contact: Doug Leard (Media Relations) or
Michael Robertson (Chair) at 1-800-R-RIGHTS / chair@lppa.org

Harrisburg - Pennsylvania legislators have approved a budget that will hold the line on taxes but pushes the general budget to $59.1 billion and the general fund to $27.3 billion.

Despite a $650 million surplus, Governor Rendell pushed hard for a wide array of new and increased taxes including an "energy" tax and an increased sales tax. The legislature held firm to the desires of Pennsylvanians and the budget will include no tax increases.

However, the legislature was more accommodating to increased spending. According to the Commonwealth Foundation, spending will increase 4.5% versus an inflation rate of 3.15%. Spending includes an additional $750 million in transportation spending primarily to bail out the already bloated mass transit systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. $800 million will go towards funding of a convention center in Philadelphia while over $200 million will be dedicated to help fund a new hockey arena in Pittsburgh.

Michael Robertson, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) Chair, observed that, "While the budget does not contain a direct tax increase, because of shuffled appropriations there are hidden tax increases associated with the additional spending. As with the transportation funding bill, which reduces the already low share of liquid fuels funds to municipalities, local governments will have to rely on other sources of revenue to maintain current capabilities such as road maintenance. This will likely result in increased local property taxes to cover the increased state expenditures in other areas."

Robertson continued, "Robbing Peter to pay Paul is no way to run a government. Unless the legislature can reduce spending, the climate for free enterprise in Pennsylvania will continue to deteriorate, and our liberty will continue to be eroded."

Doug Leard, LPPa Media Chair, observed that, "Even after the overwhelming rejection of the May ballot referendum to have a revenue-neutral tax shift, they propose more spending. Taxpayers want smaller state government. The legislature and the governor continue to ignore that fact."

"Total squander for 2007-2008 will likely top $60,000,000,000 in taxpayer's earnings that would otherwise be used for productive purposes. Considering the all the ethical problems in the legislature, they shouldn't be trusted with a dime of other people's money." said Libertarian Candidate James Babb. "Last year's surplus should be returned at once to the people that earned it."

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in both Pennsylvania and the United States. Nationwide there are over 200,000 registered Libertarians with organizations in all 50 states. Libertarians serve in hundreds of elected offices throughout the nation. Please visit www.LP.org or www.LPPA.org for more information.

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, 3915 Union Deposit Road #223, Harrisburg, PA 17109 www.lppa.org, 1-800-R-RIGHTS, info@lppa.org

New Arena: Master Plan Process has meetings and tour slated for early August

FocusGpFlier3.pdf (application/pdf Object)

See this PDF.

Make free wi-fi truly free

Make free wi-fi truly free

Pittsburgh has two-hours of free wi-fi. Giggle.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Intel and $100 laptop join forces

Penn State - Careers: Job Opportunities

Penn State - Careers: Job Opportunities

SI.com - More Sports - Cal swim coach gets $3.5M in�gender bias case - Friday July 20, 2007 11:04AM

SI.com - More Sports - Cal swim coach gets $3.5M in�gender bias case - Friday July 20, 2007 11:04AM An Olympic gold medal swimmer who became a coach and administrator will receive more than $3.5 million in the settlement of a gender discrimination lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley.

Karen Moe Humphreys worked at Berkeley from 1978 until being laid off in 2004. She sued, saying she lost her job in retaliation for complaining about the treatment of women by the university's athletic department.

pnc = pick pocket corporation

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review PNC Financial Services Group says it had a net profit of $423 million for the second quarter of 2007. PNC has net profits of $882 million for the first half of 2007. It had a profit of $2.6 billion for all of 2006. Oh, and PNC also says its multibillion-dollar acquisitions spree continues -- it's buying Sterling Financial Corp. for $565 million. So, any day now we expect Pickpocket National Corp. to reimburse the public for the $48 million in public subsides for its new Downtown skyscraper, right?

Null Space: to borrow a phrase.....

Null Space: to borrow a phrase.....: "to borrow a phrase....."

My reply:

The candidates come and go. However, the city, county, and region is not as it was in the past.

Lots of people have moved out. That is more of a factor than who is on the ballot.

Some too have moved into the city as well.

Lots of debt has been built. That is not measured with these flash backs.

The city is on the brink. This can't be given a discount.

Lynn Swann was running for PA -- where the worst was a pay raise. And, Swann didn't even speak out against the pay raise much.

Roddey has done lots to prevent a R from running in the city as Roddey could not do it.

Roddey did a lot to piss off the city residents -- in both of his races and throughout his public career.

City residents don't give a woop about do-whop at QED. We were pissed at the loss of WQEX 16 and the debt that they created there -- despite having Mr. Rodgers to pimp. Then there is PAT -- and that leadership speaks for itself. Roddey supported the work of Sabre Systems too.

DeSantis has none of that first hand damage and baggage that Roddey has created for himself and our region.

long research

Municipal Bankruptcy: Why Creditors Need Greater

Access to Tax Revenues in Chapter 9 Proceedings.

The Club For Growth hates Edwards plan for schools

The Club For Growth - http://www.clubforgrowth.org Club for Growth Gives Edwards’ School Plan Grade of F

No shock that the Club for Growth hates the plan from a Dem.

Edwards wants urban magnet schools. Those are NOT charter schools. And, Edwards wants to give money to suburban districts that take city kids in their classrooms.

The Club for Growth wants to fund private school options.

These folks are talking past each other, sadly.

Pittsburgh Hoagie gets nod for Propel Pittsburgh update

Pittsburgh Hoagie: All meat no filler: Propel Pittsburgh update

My reactions:

Get on the URA Board, then I'll be impressed.

Propel Pgh is a joke.

I would NUKE that organization. It has no function in city government. It is a way to make government bigger. I want to make government smaller. It is a way to put more layers of b-mumbo-jumbo between our city's leaders and the voters.

It is an accountability cope out too. He can say he'll do nothing but wait for the report from the 'commission' or 'booster group.'

We already have plenty of groups of professional young people in this town. Interact with them in the private sector. Don't duplicate them with taxpayer money.

It is plans like these that cost the city money -- and do little or nothing. And, this is why the Ds made the city bankrupt. It is a perk for you. It is a headache for the future.

Feds try to shut Brazilian airport after deadly crash - CNN.com

I've been sitting on this blog posting for a while. It isn't good news. In the USA, and in Pittsburgh, we are generally clueless about what is going on in the rest of the world. More research and pointers are needed.

The news hits close to home for me and our family. Our next trip abroad is slated for Brazil. Ordering the tickets have been on our 'to do list' in recent days.

A couple of days ago, a big commercial airline crash happened in Brazil -- on the same route that we're expected to take this fall, in October.

Feds try to shut Brazilian airport after deadly crash - CNN.com Feds try to shut Brazilian airport after deadly crash

Stay tuned.

Just a week prior to the fatal crash, the city council made a motion to prevent the large planes from using the airport. That measure was VETOED.

The pilots have been making a fuss about these conditions for some time.

TalkShoe - Talkcast - The American Entrepreneur show today with Mark Rauterkus call

I was an invited caller to Ron's show today as he was a guest host for Uncle Dougie, 3 to 6 pm, 1360 AM. My segment / call was at the very end of the show.

TalkShoe - Talkcast - The American Entrepreneur 07/19/07 03:00 PM EDT 2:56:55 in length

TAE SPECIAL EDITION - Ron Morris fills in for Doug Hoerth

Here is a pointer to the podcast. Listen if you wish.

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles

Wonderful parenting article from JB Inc.

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles Before our daughter entered our lives, I couldn’t herd a rabbit to a head of lettuce; because I lacked the patience and foresight needed to manage others.

The Darn News: Ravenstahl Detail: Code Bullshit

Don't you love a good string of insults with a glaring typo.

The Darn News: Ravenstahl Detail: Code Bullshit Your a ribbon-cutting patsy with no gravitas, and little more to your name than the promotion of a few wife-bruising cops and a morally repugnant round of golf. Drop the detail.

Luke might want to drop the detail. But, do insert type, "You're a ..." (not, Your a ...)

Boy, 12, went missing, now found; Last Seen At School - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

Boy was hooked up at the McKeesport Police Station on Thursday morning with his God Parents.

Upsetting news: Help find this kid.

Boy, 12, Missing; Last Seen At School - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh: "Pittsburgh police are asking for help to find a boy who has been missing since Wednesday.

Eddie Yancey, 12, was last seen at Frick International Studies Academy on Thackeray Street in Oakland, police said.

Yancey's mother, Marcia, said the boy got in trouble because he brought a PlayStation to summer school.

She said she told the principal to send her son home, and the principal gave the child money for a bus ride, but nobody knows what happened after that.

Yancey is described as black, 5 feet 10 inches tall, 130 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes and a light complexion

Anyone who has seen the child is asked to call the missing person unit of Pittsburgh police at 412-323-7800, or contact your local police department.

McKeesport history in focus, Libertarian film producer in town

McKeesport history in focus The film should offer more than just accounts of personal tragedy and triumph; Mr. Wilson said political and economic forces will also be examined.

A self-described libertarian, Mr. Wilson said his experience in McKeesport has made him question his own political views.

'One of the things that concerned me about the town was that the government is stepping in and doing this top-down development and that, to me, seems wrong. I believe the government should be involved in as little as possible.

'But I think there is a point that you get to in a city like McKeesport, where, if that doesn't happen, the city is doomed,'' he said.

'They're kind of doing it the right way,' he added. 'They're building infrastructure here ... but they're also giving business big tax breaks,' he said.

Mr. Wilson said his goal in McKeesport is to create a film that is apolitical ...

Whole Foods CEO turns blog into weapon in battle with FTC

Whole Foods CEO turns blog into weapon in battle with FTC In a blog posting on the Whole Foods Web site, the full force of Mackey's personality was laid bare as he attacked the Federal Trade Commission for trying to stop his company from buying rival Wild Oats Markets Inc.

For openers, Mackey accused the FTC of acting in 'a biased, adversarial and arrogant manner' and of using 'bullying' and 'unethical' tactics.

Got ink: Libertarian leaders eye Pittsburgh for convention

The Tribune Review printed an article about the National Libertarian Meeting that is to take place this weekend at the Hilton and quoted me.

Libertarian leaders eye Pittsburgh for convention - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Mark Rauterkus, of the South Side, who plans a race for City Council in the fall as a Libertarian candidate, said the party 'has a growing base in Western Pennsylvania.' New members include some people 'turned off' by the war in Iraq and others disillusioned with the city's 'Democratic model of giving away things that's failed.'

'We're bankrupt and still losing people,' he said.

---

Here is the full story:

By David M. Brown - TRIBUNE-REVIEW - Thursday, July 19, 2007

Leaders of the Libertarian Party plan to size up Pittsburgh this weekend as a potential site for a future national convention.

While it wouldn't draw the crowds that typically attend the Republican and Democratic national conventions, the organization that bills itself as the nation's third-largest political party could bring as many as 1,000 delegates, family and guests here, Libertarian National Chairman William Redpath said Wednesday.

"We are different from Republicans and Democrats," Redpath said. "Republicans and Democrats try to control people's lives in various ways."

Redpath maintains Libertarians represent "the only party that is consistently in favor of individual freedom and individual responsibility."

The Libertarian National Committee will conduct its quarterly board meeting Saturday and Sunday at the Hilton Pittsburgh, Downtown. Redpath will discuss the possibility of a national convention in 2010 or 2012 during a news conference at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at the hotel.

The party, founded in 1971 as an alternative to the two major parties, holds national conventions every two years.

Mark Rauterkus, of the South Side, who plans a race for City Council in the fall as a Libertarian candidate, said the party "has a growing base in Western Pennsylvania." New members include some people "turned off" by the war in Iraq and others disillusioned with the city's "Democratic model of giving away things that's failed."

"We're bankrupt and still losing people," he said.

Rauterkus twice ran unsuccessful campaigns as a Libertarian for council and the state Senate. He said he believes the campaigns helped promote important issues, including consolidation of functions in city and county government.

The 3,269 voters registered as Libertarians in Allegheny County rank as the largest third party, but equate to a fraction of 1 percent of the county's 893,606 registered voters. There about 36,000 registered Libertarians statewide. There are 29 Libertarian officeholders in the state, all of them at the local level.

Nationally, the party is in a rebuilding phase, Redpath said. Its membership of active donors -- contributors of $25 or more a year -- has slipped to about 11,000 from a peak of 34,000 in 1999, he said.

More than 200,000 Americans are registered as Libertarians, according to the party's Web site. In 2006, about 13.4 million votes were cast for Libertarian candidates around the nation, according to information on the site.

"In a nutshell, we are advocates for a smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom," it says.

The party has recorded an 18 percent increase in membership since January, said Shane Cory, the party's executive director.

Seventeen national committee members and alternates are expected to participate in the board meeting in Pittsburgh. The group will discuss the party's progress and future goals and assess the city as a convention site.

Suitable hotel accommodations is part of the formula. The group also will get "general impressions of the city," Redpath said. "Is it clean, comfortable and fun, and will it provide a positive experience for our members."

"I've been to Pittsburgh often enough to know that it would," he said.

David M. Brown can be reached at dbrown@tribweb.com or (412) 380-5614.

Edwards lifts poverty as his platform - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Edwards lifts poverty as his platform - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 'We've got two public school systems in America. We've got one for those who live in wealthy suburban areas and one for everybody else,' Edwards said at the Hill House Association in the Hill District.

'We have got to build one public school system' to give all students equal opportunity for education, Edwards said to applause from a crowd of about 250.

Donna Vlassich, Assistant Director of Public Engagement is slated to retire

She has been the Assistant Director of Public Engagement for the Pittsburgh Public Schools. We'll miss her.

This is sad news to all the parents who have worked hard in the district in the past years.

Ron Paul is headed to Pittsburgh for August 3 - North Hills

Ron Paul in Pittsburgh!
Ron Paul will be in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Friday August 3rd and will hold a rally for supporters.

Please come and hear Dr. Paul talk about freedom, peace and prosperity in the city that helped shape him in his youth and taught him the importance of family and work ethic.

The event will be held from 7 to 10 pm at the Four Points Sheraton North. The address of the hotel is: 910 Sheraton Drive, Mars, PA 16646. The phone number is 724-776-6900.

The event will be free of charge, contributions are welcome. To RSVP, please click here.

Getting him home

Honesty matters to me. With public issues, like treatment at the parks, honesty's value is double.

Birds of a feather, Luke and Dan.

Federal agents euthanize 272 Canada geese in Allegheny County - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Lies suck. Luke and Dan have not learned that lesson.

Geese mate for life. Likewise, a stigma of telling lies is sure to stick for life as well.

They said that they would NOT kill the Canadian Geese in North Park. They did kill. Onorato not only lied, but he was too chicken to have County workers thin the flock. The feds did the dirty work in the early hours on a weekend, so it is reported. Pass the buck, err, duck, to the feds.

The crap in the park is one thing. Crap behaviors that allows lies from our politicians to fly is something that can't be tolerated.

Animal-rights groups quickly attacked the move, which they called a violation of earlier pledges to avoid euthanasia.

"Extermination was not the answer, and it is not going to be the answer," said Peter McKosky, 26, of the North Side, a wildlife coordinator with Voices for Animals of Western Pennsylvania. "They lied about what they were going to do. And now they're going to have to deal with a lot of ongoing controversy from people who appreciated the geese being there.

Pole vaulter banned for diary. Drug war gone wild.

This is over the top, pun intended.

SI.com - More Sports - Pole vaulter banned for role in doping scandal - Wednesday July 18, 2007 11:15AM Gibilisco is mainly being punished for his association with Santuccione. He's among a growing list of Italian athletes suspended for doping without testing positive.

These officials are over the line. Are they high? (more bad puns)

AVOID ROCK SLIDES - swim to work

Carbolic Smoke Ball: TO AVOID ROCK SLIDES AND ROAD CLOSURES, MORE AND MORE COMMUTERS ARE SWIMMING TO WORK DOWNTOWN Swimmers say they're getting to work faster, despite backups at PennDOT's orange buoys

John Edwards hits the trail at the Hill House to talk about poverty. "We" were there!

The big buzz at our seats in the balcony at The Hill House before the start of the John Edwards event was about the use of the "Royal WE." Well, we were there. Erik and I attended.

Jon Delano says he 'never uses it.' Other bloggers were in the house! We get to clap when we hear something we like. The slaves in the MSM don't.

A number of big points were made on stage that are worthy of blogging.

John Edwards is in favor of "Magnet Schools." We I shook his hand as he was about to depart, I said, "Keep up the strong messages about magnet schools." He said he will. Erik attends a middle school magnet, Pittsburgh Frick. And, our elementary school is also a magnet, Pittsburgh Phillips. Grant goes there and Erik did as well.

John Edwards thinks, as do I, that we need great urban schools. They need to be so good that our suburban parenting peers are willing to send their children to our magnet schools too. Not all of them, of course. But, this is one technique to bridge the concept that we don't live in ONE AMERICA. Rather, we have the wealthy suburban communities and the poverty heavy city schools.

The urban magnets are important stepping stones to more equity throughout our region. John Edwards understands this. For that, I can clap and cheer.

More to come later.

Campaign promise that goes beyond the campaign

Preamble: Why is the DeSantis website without the pledge points? I want to quote the source.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Local News - Early Returns Mr. DeSantis also said he will release a plan to keep the city out of bankruptcy, and asked the mayor to do the same.

I would NEVER agree to that pledge. That is a bogus pledge request among a list of campaign offers. However, the reporting of the request is also in doubt.

This "REQUESTED PROMISE POINT" -- goes out of the realm of a campaign challenge. DeSantis might as well offer to stay sterile for the time that he is in office, and force Luke to do the same. Neither of the guys have children. And, no recent mayor was in office while a baby was delivered. It would be a huge competitive advantage for Luke to become a father while in the mayor's office in a race against DeSantis. Even the news of a baby shower would send Luke's approval ratings through the roof. DeSantis won't want to compete against baby photos N@, even in 2009. Talk about being a vedor for the city will be put on its head after mom and dad depart UPMC McGee.

Point being, pledge challenges about campaigns should focus on behaviors of the campaign. Don't make a framework challenge that talks about city outcomes for years to come. Rather, raise those issues in another set of leadership and policy points.

I think it is important to know that DeSantis is going to do everything in his power to insure that the city NEVER go bankrupt. That is a prime motivation for the DeSantis campaign. Something is in the air with that.

Leading the city to bankrupt status is something that was celebrated by Tom Murphy. He was so happy to get the distressed label. Getting there and pinning blame is a big snowball -- on a hot summer day. But what is harder to figure is the future.

If the city goes bankrupt -- then what?

The city has been on the brink. The city is very heavy with debt. The city might want to go bankrupt. I'm not sure. But, I'm sure I want to keep that open as an option.

The sky is falling. And, the sky will continue to fall for the next generation or two. We need to know how bad it is. How bad it will get given various options. And, how in the world it is going to be put onto a normal status again.

Will my child, now age 9, ever have any hope of living in Pittsburgh when he is an adult? Has the overspending of the past decades been so great that the one's that stay will never be able to catch up?

Opportunities can't come to Pittsburgh when the public debt is such that it crushes the people, the taxpayers, the economy, and many other sectors. So, if Luke or Mark has a child while in office in the next two year term, and either one of them become a dad, like me, will they be able to look the child in the eye and say that Pittsburgh is a place where anything is possible.

Pittsburgh has been driven to ruin. Turning to bankrupt status might not be such a bad option.

---

2PJ has the point in question:

#3: The candidates put forth a plan to prevent the City of Pittsburgh from entering bankruptcy. The plan will be submitted by both candidates on or before October 1, 2007;

That point does NOT wash as a viable point in the document. DeSantis should re-do the contract and take that framework plank out of the campaign behavior agreement.

Of interest to me, the last point calls for 8 (eight) debates to happen AFTER August 1. That's the date of of deadline for putting in as a 3rd party candidate.

Edwards to push plan for 'economic integration' of schools - On Politics - USATODAY.com

Edwards to push plan for 'economic integration' of schools - On Politics - USATODAY.com His campaign staff is saying he'll make news by talking about the need for 'economic integration' of the nation's schools, which he has been saying throughout the campaign are still 'separate and unequal.'

So, John Edwards is worried about the economic integration of the nation's schools.

Well, first of all, we don't have many 'national schools.'

But secondly, I am worried about the economic integration of our local schools and the various situations regionally.

More than a year ago I spoke in public about about the situations with a Pittsburgh neighborhood district in distress, Duquesne schools. Duquesne will not have a high school this year, because it was so bad.

When the Pittsburgh Public Schools issued its "Rightsize" plan, it was 'blind' to Duquesne. I thought that shortcoming was wrong. We needed to plan for Duquesne.

Pittsburgh should have administrators and plans that have the vision to adjust in the future based upon the needs of those here and near.

Schools that are on the side of the city that are closest to Duquesne should not have been closed.

Children that live in Duquesne should not need to be put on a buses to ride 45 minutes to schools, one way, even if that bus is subsidized by federal funds.

In AP-Ipsos Poll, 'none of the above' now leads GOP side; Gallup disagrees - On Politics - USATODAY.com

None of the above is winning the poll because the poll is without the option of Ron Paul. Ron Paul needs to be an option in the poll. He is not. How silly.

In AP-Ipsos Poll, 'none of the above' now leads GOP side; Gallup disagrees - On Politics - USATODAY.comAccording to the latest AP-Ipsos national poll:

• Among Republicans surveyed, 23% 'can't or won't say which candidate they would back,' from their party's contenders, 'a jump from the 14% who took a pass in June.' Rudy Giuliani leads the list of those who are chosen, with 21% support. Fred Thompson is second, at 19%. Sen. John McCain's support stands at 15% and Mitt Romney's is 11%.

Getting into the golf bogies now for the sake of public trust about nonprofits

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Local News - Early Returns 'We're not commenting on anything,' an employee told us. 'It's a private golf event.'

Shame on you. What employee said that?

The public figure attended a private event. The public wins out on disclosure.

The private event is for a nonprofit. The nonprofit has a duty to be open and transparent so it keeps its nonprofit status. It the Mario events aim to be private -- then the organization has squandered its duty as a nonprofit. It has lost the trust of the people. It should depart with the nonprofit status.

A private organizaiton can make a donation to a nonprofit. However, the private organization does NOT get nonprofit status. The money that the nonprofit collects is NOT tax exempt.

With answers like the one's above, Mario's nonprofit, good-will, and charity centered activities and organization is doomed. That is NOT service to the community.

The Mario organization needs to come clean with the press and the public on its affairs. Those matters are PUBLIC affairs. Don't continue to hide information.

Jazzed about open water swimming's re-birth.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — July 16, 2007, Austin, Texas

The Highland Lakes Challenge: An Open Water Stage Race

The American Swimming Association, L.L.C. (ASA) announces the first-ever open water swimming stage race: The Highland Lakes Challenge, to be held Wednesday, October 24 – Sunday, October 28, 2007. The Highland Lakes Challenge will consist of races in 5 consecutive days in 5 lakes: Buchanan, Inks, LBJ, Marble Falls, and Travis, all lakes formed by dams in the Colorado River.

Swimmers will opt to compete in one of four stage races:

1. The Highland Lakes Monster Challenge — a 5-day race of distances ranging between 2.6 and 4.0 miles per day.

2. The Highland Lakes Mini Challenge — a 5-day race of distances of either a half mile or a mile per day

3. The Weekend Warrior Monster Challenge — a 3-day race of distances ranging between 2.6 and 3.5 miles per day

4. The Weekend Warrior Mini Challenge — a 3-day race of distances of either a half-mile or a mile per day

Places in each stage race will be determined by swimmers’ aggregate times.

Swimmers may also participate in single day stages of either Monster Challenge or Mini Challenge distances. Entry information and applications may be accessed at: http://www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com

In 2007, The American Swimming Association hosted the first-ever open water swimming high school state championship and what may be the first-ever open water race on New Year’s day in the continental U.S. On November 3, 2007, ASA will host the first-ever open water swimming national collegiate championships.

For more information contact:

Dr. Keith Bell, Race Director, 512-327-2260
Email: info@AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com

Transit vote looming from Chelsa Wagner

An email arrived:

I'm a big advocate of transit, as I know you are. I just heard that Rep. Chelsa Wagner - whose remarks about how to save transit are on You Tube. She is not only going to vote against the transit bill, but is also advocating for other members to oppose it as well.

As you can imagine, an Allegheny County member lobbying against legislation to aid the Port Authority is raising a lot of red flags. Wonder why she's suddenly changed her position?

Beats me about the change of position.

Reason Magazine - The Ron Paul Movement

Reason Magazine - The Ron Paul Movement It's transpartisan.

Paul's fan base stretches all the way from Howard Phillips to Alexander Cockburn. His libertarian message has resonance, as you'd expect, among free-marketeers dismayed by the GOP's love affair with federal spending. It is also attractive, as you'd expect, to lefties who like his opposition to the Iraq war and the post-9/11 incursions on our civil liberties. But the race has no shortage of anti-spending conservatives and antiwar liberals. Paul is especially appealing to people who don't fit the narrow stereotypes of Blue and Red: to decentralist Democrats, anti-imperialist Republicans, and a rainbow of independents.

Google HQ visits with candidate Ron Paul

This video is 65 minutes in length. It is excellent. This is MUST SEE material. If you have never watched Ron Paul -- you gotta watch this.

DeSantis staff and PR

Kerry may have to ketchup - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review DeSANTIS SHORES UP STAFF. Republican Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis has tapped a former WTAE-TV newscaster to be his press secretary.

DeSantis announced last week that Meghan Jones has joined his campaign.

Jones resigned from WTAE in January 2006 after five years with the station to pursue a full-time legal career. She is an attorney and adjunct professor of media law and regulation at Duquesne University.

DeSantis will take on Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in November in the special election to fill the remaining two years of the late Bob O'Connor's term.

When I first heard the news, former WTAE person, I thought of Lynn Cullen. Then I wondered, did Johnny Mac work at TAE too?

I hope Megan can blog! We'll find out shortly.

Kerry may have to play ball with the guy with red on his white sox under his red one

Kerry may have to ketchup - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review One possible Republican challenger to Kerry is Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, who suggested on a radio show several months ago that he might be interested in running.

Schilling hasn't completely ruled out the idea, but since has said his current plans are to return to baseball in 2008, which obviously would kill any Senate bid.

Play ball.

And one more 'thing' about debates that needs to be aired. This is OUR city.

Good for them.

Coalition to hold forum for mayoral candidates and will not be open to the general public.

Bad for us.

This is a public election with a public process and public candidates and some in Pittsburgh figure that they should hold meetings to talk in very broad ways without the public. Go figure.

I don't think it is wise to hold closed-door debates.

Sure, hold meetings and limit the number of people who can attend. Have a lottery and allow a limited number of people, even if it is a dozen. Or, allow each member of the association be able to bring one or two friends.

I don't want a bunch of folks to go into the HYP Club, the PAA nor the Duquesne Club and have a meeting that excludes others and have a debate.

Even when the P-G has its "endorsement meeting" and the results are put into the newspaper, I like to -- from time to time -- drop in and witness the conversations. The P-G doesn't have room to accept even five extra visitors. But, the P-G does grant access if possible.

So, my advice to the Pgh Civic Design Coalition, a good group, is to make that invite to the architects, planners, civic leaders and a limited number of city voters on a RSVP basis.

Furthermore, it is great that WDUQ is going to air the debate. Well done on that front too.

Another weird thing that occurs from time to time at debates is the exclusion of the candidates who are speaking. I always rant about debates that exclude candidates that are on the ballot as I feel that should never occur. However, some event organizers will have a debate of sorts (more like a forum) and insist that the candidates go into what amounts to a 'sound proof room' while the other candidate(s) speak.

This has happened to me twice -- against my strong objections. PUMP and some others did it ONCE way back in 2001 in an event hosted at the downtown library auditorium. In 2006 the same type of goofy format was used in an event held at Club Cafe hosted by some 'friends of Bill' (i.e., Peduto-heads).

The floor is given to "candidate A" while "candidate B" is not allowed to be present nor listen.

Being mayor and being an elected member of city council is not about being 'secret.' It is a public job and, like most of life, it is an 'open book test.'

Furthermore, if you want honest answers from the candidates, make certain that the opposition candidate is present. It helps if video cameras and audio are recording too.

It was in this closed, private setting that Bruce Kraus opened up his heart and told the progressive audience that he is gay -- so we came to understand. In turn, Bruce got the 'endorsement' from that group. That 'news' leaked beyond the walls of that meeting over the weeks to follow but didn't really hit the spotlight until his next election, a year later.

I'm not interested is events where being hoodwinked is more possible -- yet alone probable. When candidates say one thing to one group and then another thing along an opposite theme to another group -- I worry. That's double talk. It happens with neighborhood groups. Say something to folks on the South Side Flats and say something else to folks in Allentown. Say something to a veterans group and something else to peace protesters. Say something to union workers and something else to business groups.

Of course this happens all the time. But it will happen less and less as meetings with public candidates are open to the public. And, turn on those cameras too.

The final ironic spike in the news of this debate is that the gathering is going to be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center -- a public building of grand scale, costs and debt. The debt is resting on the backs of the public. However, the public isn't able to attend. I think a couple extra rows of seats can be made available for those Jane and John Q. Public.

---

Update on July 18, 2007:

Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette: Get Them While They're Hot: Judith said attendance is by “invitation only” because the coalition wants to make sure they do not exceed room capacity and have adequate refreshments for the crowd, etc. She did add, however, that anyone interested in the issues of civic design can request an invitation by forwarding her their mailing address. Judith can be contacted at:

Judith A. Kelly, Judith Kelly Associates, LLC, Chamber of Commerce Building
jak@judith-kelly.com

Ron Paul songs / video

Heavy Rocker version:


Calmer music:

Put the Ethics Hearing Board meetings on TV

The ethics hearing board has meetings. That's news.

I want those meetings on TV. I'm greedy.

Not commercial TV. Put them onto the city's cable station -- that is to cover government meetings.
If I was on city council or mayor, I'd be certain to have those meetings put on the cable and the internet.

Center For Progressive Leadership - Leadership Programs

Center For Progressive Leadership - Leadership ProgramsHelp us identify and recruit the next generation of progressive leaders by nominating an exciting potential leader for one of CPL's leadership programs.

130 comments later, "No Matter What" -- a campaign for the status quo

I posted on another blog something that needs to be repeated:

---

The best reason was JUST IDENTIFIED by Char. I think it could be deployed by Luke as a campaign message:

Luke Ravenstahl: "No Matter What."

Others want to deploy fear, uncertainty, doubt, taxes, and failed logic --- not me.

Envy is an emotion that occurs when a the city's politicians lack another’s superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it... Look up the wikipedia definition and wear ENVY, if you wish.

The way to straighten a world that is upside-down is to do what I am saying. Stop the spreading of what is upside down. Do not tax UPMC, (nor oil companies). Rather, prevent future net land expansion by all non-profits here. Then as conditions (inventory) are understood, begin to contract the holdings of nonprofit land with a reduction of city-owned property.

The city is in a very bad state because it has NOT been honest with itself. The "no matter what attitudes" have prevailed.

Let's work to end the upside-down folly with logic on our side.

McCain's "Straight Talk Express" Hits the Ditch

Sounds like a local story of a city council aid who calls locals from a city phone.

McCain's "Straight Talk Express" Hits the Ditch ... John McCain, in the Senate Republican cloakroom, making a conference call to 'his top fund-raisers to urge them to keep up the fight.

'The call, however, may only have exacerbated an already tough week for Mr. McCain. Senate ethics rules expressly forbid lawmakers to engage in campaign activities inside Senate facilities. If Mr. McCain solicited campaign contributions on a call from government property, that would be a violation of federal criminal law as well.'

...

We have long regarded Senator McCain as a hypocritical opportunist, lacking both the political integrity and emotional temperament to be President.

This is piling on as another bites the dust.

Free the iPhone : Support wireless freedom!

Free the iPhone : Support wireless freedom! Apple touts the iPhone as the “Internet in your pocket” — but it’s not.

Weed Killers thoughtout town by private contractors

Carl S called me after I put my cell phone number within a blog posting elsewhere to raise concerns about some actions he has witnessed within the community. The 3-1-1 number may work, as it should, for some instances, but calling me (412 298 3432) gets you a blog posting too.

A private contractor working for who-knows who is spraying some wicked weed killer all around town. This goes under billboards, next to roads, along sidewalks, so he says.

The root chemical is much like "agent orange." It is toxic as can be with 98 percent as an inert agent, i.e., kerosene. Look up 'herbicides' on Google, or at Wikipedia.org/Herbicide. Skin rashes and other side effects are unleashed with the spread of these poisons.

Is this just happening in the western parts of the city and county? It occurs in Crafton too.

Furthermore, plenty of folks are up in arms at a recent meeting or two in the west neighborhoods. A bunch of folks clashed against the Housing Authority. If police had not been at the meeting, Carl could have seen someone
getting hung -- literally.

The city got a grant of some sort from HUD and is in the process of buying 30 houses in certain neighborhoods in that part of town. (Sheraden, I think.) These are then going to be 'given' to folks who had been flooded out ofBroadhead Manor a few years ago.

Some lawyer (it seemed) young woman from the Housing Authority started the meeting at the podium and got blasted by follow-up questions from those in the audience. It got nasty from there. Others had to step in to field a long list of concerns.

Carl stresses that this isn't an issue of race at all. Folks in the audience are both black and white.

Stay tuned. There will be a Zone 3 public safety meeting, again, on Wednesday night. I'd love to get his reactions on a podcast in the future.

Raising Money Online and quote: They seem to be the laggards.

Democrats Lead in Raising Money Online - New York Times: "One surprising development has been the online strength of a Republican long shot, Representative Ron Paul of Texas, who has garnered fierce devotion online and been able to sustain his campaign in large part from Internet donations.

Potentially troublesome for Republicans, however, Mr. Giuliani, the current party front-runner in national polls, has done the least of all of the major candidates online, raising an anemic $1.3 million.

“The Giuliani campaign to me is the mystery,” said Michael Cornfield, adjunct professor of political management at George Washington University, who specializes in online political campaigning. “They seem to be the laggards.”

Rudy, pull the plug.

Reverse 9-1-1 makes the news today after being blogged about yesterday

At another blog, in the comments area, we talked a bit about 3-1-1 and REVERSE 9-1-1 yesterday. Today, the Trib has an article about Reverse 9-1-1.


The new blog: and its 3-1-1 post.

The comments.

Trib coverage of Reverse 9-1-1 headed to I.U.P.

Trib and 3-1-1. A quick call to Pittsburgh city hall can solve nagging issues - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Platform.For-Pgh.org and 9-1-1.

passopenrecords.org

passopenrecords.org: "passopenrecords.org"

Build up -- not out. To UPMC and my blogging comments

I've been on the various blogs today spreading some love. You can use the COComment feature of this blog to view some rather long back and forth comments from other blogs. Go to the left of this page and scroll down to the blue box to explore.

Ron Paul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm loving this guy more and more each day. He was a swimmer in college.

Ron Paul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Paul paid for his first year at Gettysburg College with saved newspaper-delivery and lawn-mowing money. Paul delivered mail and laundry on the side while in Gettysburg; for one year, he managed the college coffee shop. He gave up track after a knee injury, but joined the college swimming team instead after taking it up as therapy. He had been offered a full scholarship to run for the track team but declined it, worried that he wouldn't regain his previous speed. Paul was inducted into Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity,[5] and he served as steward and house manager of the fraternity. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1957.

Give it a read.

Duck, duck, goose. Dan is on the job now.

The parks are always an after thought with Dan Onorato and the rest of the crew on Grant Street. That's a shame.

http://kdka.com/video/?id=29783@kdka.dayport.com

This makes another reason why the region needs a Pittsburgh Park District. Folks who care about the parks should be in charge of the parks -- in democratic, open, honest ways.

Perhaps we can host a dragon boat race there and take care of some of the problems the way they do it in China.

From china - foods

From NZ birds

Budget Impasse Wreaks Havoc In Pa. - Politics News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

I was on WTAE TV 4 News the other day. It was just before the state had its mini-shut down. I gave a few comments to the TV Reporter about the state plan that shut the state parks.

I can't find it online. But it aired as a couple have told me they saw the news.

Budget Impasse Wreaks Havoc In Pa. - Politics News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh Budget Impasse Wreaks Havoc In Pa.

Pointers welcomed.

NCAA Penalizes 75 Schools - meanwhile the swimmers got crushed at Ohio Univ.

Talking NCAA sports and academic progress.

TEXAS SWIMMING: NCAA Penalizes 75 Schools 112 teams at 75 colleges failed to meet the Academic Progress Rate requirements.

81 of those 112 teams face scholarship cuts.

49 teams have received warning letters for failure to meet academic standards for three (3) consecutive years.

44% of men's basketball teams face sanctions next year.

40% of football teams face sanctions next year.

35% of baseball teams face sanctions next year.

67% of the teams facing penalties are men's basketball, football, or baseball teams.

Ready for the swimming numbers? Only one school in the country (Florida A&M) was cited for poor academic performance in swimming.

So here it is in a nutshell:

We pump all kinds of money into football, basketball, and baseball only to see these sports at the top of the 'Dumbass' category.

We cut sports like swimming that rarely get into academic trouble. We are near the top in academics but are told we shouldn't exist.

What a screwed up world it's become....

The Ohio University Men's Swim Team was cut. They swam this year. The team won't be around next year. This is still a bad decision and makes me sad.

But there is more. The guys on the squad were able to transfer to other NCAA schools. However, the NCAA rules of making annual academic progress were hard, if not impossible, for some of the student athletes because Ohio University is on an academic calendar that has QUARTERS and most other universities have SEMESTERS. The quarter hours don't always transfer into another system so as to meet the 'academic benchmarks' that the NCAA rules require. More dumb rules.

So, lots of the swimmers lost their team to no fault of their own. And, when forced to transfer to another school to continue to study and swim -- they lost a year of eligibility and opportunity.

Any athlete that is in a program that gets cut (because of Title IX) should be able to be eligible for a transfer for the next season without hardship on the athlete. The athlete should be given a free pass to play anywhere that will have him or her -- for the next year -- without worry about grades and academic progress.

Everyone out of the pool -- and unplug that iPod

Our swim practice yesterday had a thundering exit. We hear thunder, the kids get out of the pool. One of our meets was knocked off its schedule too -- to re-play on Monday. Expect another storm Monday night as Crafton visits Green Tree then.

From signs

Experts warn of lightning-strike injuries with iPods

Lightning traveled through a man's iPod causing burns on his chest and neck

Colorado teen struck while listening to a music player

Eardrum ruptures are the most common ear injury in lightning-strike victims

(AP) -- Listen to an iPod during a storm and you may get more than electrifying tunes.

A Canadian jogger suffered wishbone-shaped chest and neck burns, ruptured eardrums and a broken jaw when lightning traveled through his music player's wires.

Last summer, a Colorado teen ended up with similar injuries when lightning struck nearby as he was listening to his iPod while mowing the lawn.

Emergency physicians report treating other patients with burns from freak accidents while using personal electronic devices such as beepers, Walkman players and laptop computers outdoors during storms.

Michael Utley, a former stockbroker from West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, who survived being struck by lightning while golfing, has tracked 13 cases since 2004 of people hit while talking on cell phones. They are described on his Web site, www.struckbylightning.org.

Contrary to some urban legends and media reports, electronic devices don't attract lightning the way a tall tree or a lightning rod does.

"It's going to hit where it's going to hit, but once it contacts metal, the metal conducts the electricity," said Dr. Mary Ann Cooper of the American College of Emergency Physicians and an ER doctor at University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago.

When lightning jumps from a nearby object to a person, it often flashes over the skin. But metal in electronic devices -- or metal jewelry or coins in a pocket -- can cause contact burns and exacerbate the damage.

A spokeswoman for Apple Inc., the maker of iPods, declined to comment. Packaging for iPods and some other music players do include warnings against using them in the rain.

Lightning strikes can occur even if a storm is many miles away, so lightning safety experts have been pushing the slogan "When thunder roars, go indoors," said Cooper.

Jason Bunch, 18, says it wasn't even raining last July, but there was a storm off in the distance. Lightning struck a nearby tree, shot off and hit him.

Bunch, who was listening to Metallica while mowing the grass at his home in Castle Rock, Colorado, still has mild hearing damage in both ears, despite two reconstructive surgeries to repair ruptured eardrums. He had burns from the earphone wires on the sides of his face, a nasty burn on his hip where the iPod had been in a pocket and "a bad line up the side of my body," even though the iPod cord was outside his shirt.

"It was a real miracle" he survived, said his mother, Kelly Risheill.
The Canadian jogger suffered worse injuries, according to a report in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

The man, a 39-year-old dentist from the Vancouver area, was listening to an iPod while jogging in a thunderstorm when, according to witnesses, lightning hit a tree a couple of feet away and jumped to his body. The strike threw the man about eight feet and caused second-degree burns on his chest and left leg.

The electric current left red burn lines running from where the iPod had been strapped to his chest up the sides of his neck. It ruptured both ear drums, dislocated tiny ear bones that transmit sound waves, and broke the man's jaw in four places, said Dr. Eric Heffernan, an imaging specialist at Vancouver General Hospital.

The injury happened two summers ago and despite treatment, the man still has less than 50 percent of normal hearing on each side, must wear hearing aids and can't hear high-pitched sounds.

"He's a part-time musician, so that's kind of messed up his hobby as well," Heffernan said. Like the Colorado teen, the Canadian patient, who declined to be interviewed or identified, has no memory of the lightning strike.

In another case a few years ago, electric current from a lightning strike ran through a man's pager, burning both him and his girlfriend who was leaning against him, said Dr. Vince Mosesso, an emergency doctor at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Eardrum ruptures are considered the most common ear injury in lightning-strike victims, occurring in 5 percent to 50 percent of patients, according to various estimates -- whether or not an electronic device is involved. A broken jaw is rare, doctors say.

Ron Morris' newsletter covers Russ Diamond on the need for constituional convention

Ron Morris' - The American Entrepreneur FREE Newsletter: "WHY WE NEED A CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION"

I'm not sure we need a constitutional convention. But, since Russ is talking, I'll tune in.

Should a convention occur -- count me in. I'd love to be a player at those meetings.

Watchdog's remark sends Rendell on a tear

pacleansweep : Message: Watchdog�s remark sends Rendell on a tear
'Eric Epstein,' boiled Rendell, 'is about as mentally stable as that guy who ate all those people.'

Speaking of good food and bad, taste this blowback.

Chinese food 'made from cardboard'

Chinese food 'made from cardboard' - CNN.com BEIJING, China (AP) -- Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and flavored with fatty pork and powdered seasoning, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighborhood, state television said.

Are we going to pick on China for the next year until the 2008 Olympics? Or, will the picking go on for the next decade?

I've got a bunch of nice food photos from China. I didn't ever have any cardboard. But, don't drink the water.

china - foods

Minority Report - Pittsburgh ignores the plight of black citizens at its own peril - Views - Revelations - Pittsburgh City Paper

Woops. Pittsburgh's Nasty Little Secret gets some play at the City Paper, again.

Pittsburgh - Minority Report - Pittsburgh ignores the plight of black citizens at its own peril - Views - Revelations - Pittsburgh City Paper Ralph Ellison wrote about the 'Invisible Man'; I am going to talk about Invisible Leadership. I find it disgraceful that so many black and white elected officials (with the exception of Hill District state Rep. Jake Wheatley Jr.) could remain silent or neutral on these issues.

How do you remain silent or neutral about us losing our very lives? What does it matter if you have a good job or a nice car if you can get shot on your way to work or carjacked at every turn? If your kids can't go to school with other children because so many of their peers are ill-prepared and, therefore, poor role models? I saw a billboard for a K-12 'cyber school' the other day and it sickened me: Are we that removed from each other's essential humanity?

A question was asked -- and the answer is "sorta."

Some are, some are not.

Of course you can't 'privatize' a soul. But, you can mostly keep families gated.

To be honest, we do NOT need to 'interact' for any of us to survive. One can't 'have to' care. That graph is just a bit over the top to be taken without a blink. Think again.

We cannot privatize our souls. We can't keep our families gated. We are going to have to interact. And talk. And care about one another. Unless we do, none of us will survive.

But, right on about the rest. Indifference sucks.

Complaint Department rumbles with City Paper and Police Promotions --- sustain

Pittsburgh - Complaint Department - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper The whole issue of promotion shows there are real problems with the police force.

Tax UPMC and then what

Over at another blog I posted a reply to the notion that a tax on UPMC is what is needed.

---

Folks, think again.

If Pittsburgh's Politicians should move to tax UPMC, Pgh would be a REAL Ghost Town. Then we'd really be able to watch another chapter of the cancer spread.

It is the same type of observation of when talking about the downtown if you are the Pgh Downtown Partnership. The bums, hobos, street people are messing up the downtown streets. -- WRONG -- Fact is, the streets are so empty that the only ones you see are the more seedy folks. The problem is that they are the only ones you notice when nobody else is around.

UPMC isn't the problem. The problem is that everyone else has already departed.

Taxing UPMC won't bring everyone else back.

Envy can't drive the region and city into the future. That's not a formula for success. That's not how I want to raise my children. And, when they get mature enough to see it for themselves, they'll not want to stick around and be a part of it either.

Likewise, clearing the bums off of the downtown streets won't allow downtown to thrive again.

Think again if you think that the root of the problem is to 'tax UPMC.'

I can not tell a lie

Wizards are wonderful.

International Solidarity Commssion (ISC) of the IWW - All Star 2007, Community Collective Bargaining with the Home Team

July 11, 2007 marks one year since the Pirates Baseball Club hosted the All Star Game and promised the people of Pittsburgh that they would investigate working conditions in the factories sewing Pirates’ apparel. As the Pittsburgh General Membership Branch of the IWW reminds the Pirates at their July 8 game at PNC Park against the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh has high standards for workers’ rights. The City’s Sports and Exhibition Authority has recommended the investigatory protocols of the Workers Rights Consortium (WRC), disclosure of wages and factory locations, truly independent investigations, and a commitment to the factories where investigations take place.

The International Solidarity Commission of the Industrial Workers of the World stands alongside the Pittsburgh Anti Sweatshop Community Alliance and SweatFree Communities in requesting that all unions and solidarity organizations support workers sewing their Major League Baseball (MLB) teams’ apparel by holding their Home Teams – rather than MLB -- accountable for workers’ rights. MLB is amongst the largest licensers of copyrighted logos in the world. If MLB had any sincere concern workers rights, it would already be following WRC protocols, and previous investigations would have been more substantial than the public-relations-white-washes workers have experienced thus far. The Home Teams represent the people in their respective cities, and it is the Home Teams that will be held accountable for the working conditions in factories sewing team apparel.

It is up to each community to hold its Home Team accountable for sweatshop conditions in factories sewing team apparel. The ISC extends greetings of solidarity to all workers sewing baseball merchandise. The ISC will receive testimony from workers sewing apparel with any of the team logos and distribute that testimony to unions and solidarity organizations for presentation to their respective baseball teams. To that end, the ISC wants to familiarize workers with the MLB logo that appears on all licensed merchandise.

The National Garment Workers Federation of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity have already provided specific testimony about the factories in which their members work sewing Pirates/Major League Baseball apparel. One year after the Pittsburgh Pirates promised to investigate working conditions, the team has dropped the ball, which makes the occasion of the 2007 All Star Game a sad day for the people of Pittsburgh.

At the pinnacle of the baseball season, when all eyes are focused on San Francisco, the ISC urges baseball fans, unions and solidarity organizations to leverage each team’s efforts to represent them and hit a home run for workers rights. By community collective bargaining with the Home Teams, we can set a new standard for accountability in the global apparel industry.

The ISC invites unions and solidarity organizations to join us in Chicago on Labor Day weekend for a SweatFree Baseball strategy session. We invite union activists to draw on the ISC as a resource when preparing apparel industry solidarity trips to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Contact: solidarity@iww.org
IWW SweatFree Baseball link (for information on New Era and Majestic) www.SweatFree.org/Baseball

Realbeer.com says put a buzz on PA -- in creation of a political buzz

Talk about seeing -- or saying -- double.

Realbeer.com Beer Therapy -- Blog Archive -- Beer Activist help needed in Pennsylvania Beer Activist help needed in Pennsylvania

Beer ActivistsSupport Your Local Brewery has issued an ...

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Freedom and Benevolence Go Together

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Freedom and Benevolence Go Together: "Doesn't it stand to reason that someone who wants everyone to be free of tyranny does so partly because he cares about others? Wishing freedom to one's fellow human beings strikes me as a sign of benevolence. But Moore and the left don't see it that way."

The Demise of Rachel Ray?

This morning on the radio I heard that Rachel Ray, the spunky little chef, is moving out of the digs she shares with her husband of two years and perhaps moving to an apartment.

What's Rachel cooking up? Adultry.

Will the rumored affair with Colby Donaldson of "Survivor" and razor blade commercials fame tarnish Ray's "Girl Next Door" appeal?

Will the housewives and female general populous continue to adore the plucky Rachel, as she whips up delicious recipes with a boy toy in the wings? I haven't seen Rachel's syndicated TV show in a while, I understand that Colby is a part of it now.

Don't get me wrong, even a straight-as-straight can be Republican like me can see why Rachel will throw her up-until-now blemish-free public image into the kitchen garbage can for a handsome cowboy like Colby. And we don't know anything about Mr. Rachel Ray; perhaps he's a cad.

Don't know.

It's just a question: will these shenanigans do anything to the empire that IS Rachel Ray? Perhaps she will be on Dr. Phil before we know it.

Boogie Man Thinking

This is an absurd statement in a posting on another blog: "Conservative thinking is what got us here."

The conservative tag, as well as liberal, and progressive is only a tag. None of them fit me well.

What got Pittsburgh into its mega mess is one-party rule by Democrats. We've had nothing but Dems. That's for sure. That's been constant. That's been a source of the problem. That is the first and NEXT log jam to fix.

The one tag that works throughout for all of us is ''screwed up city.''

Pittsburgh got in trouble because it was in a habit of giving too much away. Too much went to corporations. Too much went to the unions. Too much went to the developers. Too much went to the workers. Too much went to the sports teams. Too much went to the bankers for bond re-finance deals. Too much went where it should not have gone. Too much went to brownfields without any return.

We need government to focus on liberty, freedom and not the world of other things that are constant give-a-ways that are unfair to some and benefit others.

China executes ex-drug chief for graft - CNN.com

China executes ex-drug chief for graft - CNN.com BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China executed a former drug and food safety chief on Tuesday for corruption in an unusually swift sentence which will serve as a warning amid a series of health scandals that have stained the 'made in China' brand.
art.

The Supreme People's Court approved the death sentence against Zheng Xiaoyu, 62, who was convicted of taking bribes worth some 6.5 million yuan ($850,000) from eight companies and dereliction of duty, Xinhua news agency said.

They don't fool around.

In the US, Libby gets a pardon. In China, he'd be dead.

Today's front page photo of Fast Eddie with a big smile with a solution to the budget -- days late -- might have a different outcome if we were in China. If they are known to be corrupt, and say, can't pass a budget. They would not lay off thousands of employees and close the parks, owned by the people. Heads would roll, literally. They are there to do a job. Otherwise, they leave.

Drink this and choke on Onorato's brew

Tuesday takes - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Onorato's stealth tax: Governor-in-training Dan Onorato, Allegheny County's chief executive, lost an incredible amount of goodwill by secretly lobbying state legislators for a 10 percent tax on all alcoholic drinks to help fund mass transit. It's one thing (bad) to publicly propose new taxation; it's quite another thing (one might say chicken-livered) to do so on the sly.

Another MSM interview -- or two -- about Ron Paul

Wars Costing USA $12 Billion a Month

This must be what a surge looks like.

My Way News - Report: Wars Costing $12 Billion a Month WASHINGTON (AP) - The boost in troop levels in Iraq has increased the cost of war in Iraq and in Afghanistan to $12 billion a month, and the total for Iraq alone is nearing a half-trillion dollars, congressional analysts say.

All told, Congress has appropriated $610 billion in war-related money since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror assaults, roughly the same as the war in Vietnam. Iraq alone has cost $450 billion.

The figures come from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, which provides research and analysis to lawmakers.

PA House Bill about School Funding and Pittsburgh specific elements

(see comments for an update)


www.legis.state.pa.us/CFDOCS/Legis/PN/Public/btCheck.cfm

Check out House Bill (HB) 842 which is the state's bill to enact all education funding --including everything else they put in here. Take a look at the parts about Pittsburgh. Lots of Duquesne School District things there.

For Pittsburgh Public Schools specifically:

P. 12, Lines 1-15 Pittsburgh is the only district in the state classified as a Commonwealth Partnership School district. This new language gives the board the right to negate contracts -- but not teacher contracts.

P. 12-13 Gives Pittsburgh Supt. Power to dismiss employees. Can you say Lynn S.?

Insights and reactions welcomed.

Thanks for the pointer to Theresa Smith.

Costa To Run For Mayor? Why?

Guy Costa, the city's current Public Works chief, had to submit his letter of resignation to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl just like most of the others in charge of our underwhelming public servies.

Now the Tribune Review reports that he is contemplating a run for Ravenstahl's seat the next time up.

The T-R says that friends are urging him to run because of a perceived disrespect. Remember, Pittsburgh's side streets are totally and completely untouched with salt or snow plows during the winter months. In fact, I have no idea how my neighbors who live on a steep incline, get to work or anywhere else for that matter when it snows.

We're on our own out there folks, and Mr. Coast-a sometimes gets standing ovations from him friends on City Council.

There isn't a Costa in the entire city who isn't on the taxpayer's dime. Paul is a quiet state Representative, brother Jay is even more quiet in the state Senate. I think former city police chief Dom is a brother. Dom even had a few feelers out for Mayor this past time around.

They are all entitled to huge pensions. Don't get me wrong, all of these guys appear to be nice people. None are evil, and in Guy's case, he's in a no-win situation. If Public Works were excellent, it would be expensive. If it were deplorable...which at times it had been during the Mayor Murphy administration...suburbanites wouldn't be able to make it downtown. Don't think for a second that's NOT who most on Grant Street worry about. That's where the real money lies.

Why wouldn't Mr. Costa just get a private-industry gig. He undoubtedly would have friends that could help him land a job perhaps as cushy as the one he currently maintains.

Here's an interesting idea: could the Costa clan empower the Special Interest sector to vote for Republican Mark DeSantis? This is a union town, so they say. Hence the massive exodus to the suburbs and neighboring counties. Could the Special Interests vote in DeSantis, thus setting up a Costa-to-the-rescue union-estatic revolt in a few years?

With news that Costa is thinking of a run makes a Bill Peduto return unlikely. Peduto doesn't pander to the Special Interests that have a bloated influence on this town. That's why Peduto bailed this election cycle: reform is a dirty word to those pining for budget-breaking pension packages.

Ravenstahl played the game, but we are now been innundated with stories that showcase the Mayor's youth, inexperience, and some-say lack of decorum. He too is not a bad guy, but he was also a compromise city council president who was never expected to raise to the top of the city's food chain.

Pittsburgh is still desperate for a great new leader. That sound you hear is not the cavalry. They aren't on their way.

There are SEVEN notes in a musical scale. Seven, Seven, ohh Seven.

Chandler style poetry for 7-7-7 from Kansas City:

Hey everybody – it is that time of the year again.

Happy Seven-Seven-Seven!

Sorry to break my pledge of only bothering you once a month.

But since 01-01-01 I have written something for the date and this year should be no exception –

I warn you that on the 8th of August I will do it again.

So this little missive is brought to you by the number Seven.

For the past Seven hours I have been on I-70 doing 70 miles an hour.

Why was 6 afraid?

Because Seven ate 9

God created the world in 6 days and on the Seventh he rested.

Seven is the 4th prime number – and the first number to have two syllables – unless you count zero – and well… you don’t count with zero – which makes zero – if you believe in a circular universe - the highest number doesn’t’ it?

But I digress. There are Seven days in a week

The seven seas and the Seven Continents

The seven wonders of the world

There are seven holes in you face - and seven deadly sins.

Chastity, Moderation, Liberality, Charity, Meekness, Zeal, and Humility, and the seven virtues: sloth, letchery, gluttony, pride, envy, wrath and

In Proverbs 6:16 – 19, it is stated that "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:"

There was The Seven Year Itch, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, “Seven Plus Seven Is,” SeSevenen, seven swans a-swimming, 00Seven, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Seven come eleven.

Seven Eleven, A touchdown and an extra point, Lucky seven, Michael Vick, The atomic number of nitrogen – which I think Michel Vick inhales a little too much of lately.

The Seven ages of man

The Seven colors in the rainbow

The Seven cities of Gold

Seven UP

Diet Seven-UP

Seven hills of Rome

Seven Liberal Arts

Seven Sages

Seven emperors Julius Caesar, Augustus, Galba, Hadrian, Nerva, Sallust, Vespasian

A Sabbatical comes every Seven years - A jubilee Seven xSeven years – 49.

David is The Seventh son of Jessie

And Jesus in SevenSeventh in a direct line to David.

Seven blessings made beneath chuppah

The Seven cul-de-sacs of hell, or The Seven terraces of mt purgatory – depending on which book you read.

The Seven heavans of Islam – Seventh heavan

Jesus says to Peter to forgive seventy times seven times.

The Seven joys of the blessed Mother Mary

And of course, The Seven sorrows of the blessed Mother Mary

There are Seven palms in a cubit

The Buddah took Seven steps at birth

The Seven Hindu Sages

The Seven islands of Atlantis

The Seven notes in a scale

The Seventh Seal

The Seventh Samuri

The Magnificant Seven

The Seventh Son

The Seventh Inning Stretch

Flight SevenSeven was used to attack the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001 – which ummm – has 5 sides, a top and a bottom – OH My GOD! That’s Seven that proves it – there is a conspiracy.

I am sure at least seven of you will writ me back and tell me much better ones than those.

Seven more of you will unsubscribe to this news letter – because # Seven is so lame.

I have Seven dollars in my pocket.

Drop by my website and review the archives if ya wanna read 01-01-01 thru 06-06-06

See ya later,

chandler

So much for brevity and the soul of wit.

Ron Paul in Iowa - video

Crap politics, as usual, "Mayor’s neighborhood forums" see on other site

- � mayor’s neighborhood forums Join Mayor Luke Ravenstahl for a Mayor’s Neighborhood Forum - the first in a series of ten community conversations throughout Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The Mayor will report back to the North Side Community on initiatives such as his Neighborhoods First Agenda and solicit input on the state and future of the community.

Thursday, July 19th
6:30 -7:30 pm
Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at The Priory

This is junk. This should not happen in an election season.

The Burgh Report: Excellent Post by Mark Rauterkus

The Burgh Report: Excellent Post by Mark Rauterkus ... I really couldn't understand precisely what he was trying to do ...

Motivations are hard to understand. The easy questions in life are "who" and "when" and perhaps, "what."

The questions and insights of "how" and "why" are for the most advanced.

From time to time, I understand that I'm guilty of speaking over the heads of most of the folks in the audience. I aim to deliver content that goes beyond the basics.

I really confound my out of region friends and family. They don't know what's what in Pittsburgh. They don't live our Pittsburgh life. Our shared experiences of being in the Burgh -- is understood by a vast majority of my neighbors. So, lots of readers here, and lots of people who know me, my family, my passions, my work in other sectors are just "deer in the headlights" when it comes to a topical shift about Pittsburgh's political landscape. They zone out because they don't live in our 'twilight zone.'

Case in point, lots of the folks in suburban Pittsburgh felt good about Tom Murphy. Murphy gave them the Convention Center, PNC Park, Heinz Field, Lord & Taylor and an evacuation plan from the tallest downtown buildings in the wake of 9-11 fire-drills. My disdain for Tom Murphy and the logic of my objections to his leadership was lost on everyone 30-miles away from The Point -- and nearly everyone within 10-miles of The Point.

Case in point 2, few in the local media have a handle about what I'm about. Nearly none in the media have ever generate professional expressions that bolster and inter-twine with my positions and issues. There has always been a 'missing link' of sorts between myself and the MSM (mainstream media).

I've never been in the 40-under-40 crowd. I'm not going to show up on the Sunday Business Page shows. These are givens that are fine with me. But the point to make is that my mo-jo isn't defined by others. There isn't a focused, feature piece that connects the dots for John-Q-Public.

Complicated. Self-made. Multi-media, multi-dimensional, blah-blah-blah.

I'm a Libertarian too! I'm free. I'm stressing liberties. A framework for freedom isn't something that can fit in a downtown retail outlet with a tax-break. Home Depot, on the other hand, is something that you can drive to in East Liberty under a big orange logo that employs guys in bibs, each with a W2 on file, selling bricks and mortar. Go figure.

Finally, for now, I'm a coach. I love to push, pull, drag, trick, and cheer so that others get out of their "comfort zones." Education, like democracy, is messy. Community conversations are wild.

That's why. To kick up some dust.

I understand that my city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2007, is still not a place where my children and their peers will want to reside. I understand that what we got here today is lacking. The opportunities are better elsewhere. There are too many hurdles to both prosperity and freedom in our region. I want my kids and their friends and classmates to thrive. I want what is best for future generations.

Politically, Pittsburgh is nearly a wasteland. The weirdness that resonates from within our public sector crumbles all sorta of other aspects of our lives. Our community lives are with big weaknesses. We are all poorer and less able to live up to our potential because of those nagging problems.

I'm fed up and I'm NOT going to flee. I'll stay put and fight with issues, ideas, concepts and votes -- from time to time. With us thinking again, perhaps some physical violence will be kept at bay.

I understand that I'm fortunate in this period in my life. The flexibility that I have isn't by chance. But, it does summon a sense of duty and purpose to what I do. I do what I do in large part because I am able and others are not.

Thanks for asking. Hope to see you around town soon. I'm sorry if we haven't met yet. Cheers.

Transforming Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania

More reading from Mark F. -- from the past.

Transforming Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania: "Hold That Thought - Pittsburgh Quarterly Magazine"

Trivia time: My middle initial is "F" too.

Trivia time quiz: What's Mark F. DeSantis birthday?

Local scholarship fund with swimming, cancer, travel, and hope all mixed together

Home The Marissa Boyan Scholarship Fund is a 501 (c)3, non-profit corporation.

Here is where the Pittsburgh Bloggers should lend some attention, good will, and financial assistance.

Scholars: Divide Iraq Into 3 Regions

Scholars: Divide Iraq Into 3 Regions: With President Bush's war strategy clouded by limited results and mounting casualties, two scholars are proposing a partition plan that would divide Iraq into three main regions.

The authors, Edward P. Joseph of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, are hoping to draw the attention of Bush administration policymakers.

They are circulating their suggestions within the Bush administration.

I always felt that this was a good idea and the way to go. But, it isn't my business to tell them how to behave and how to manage their own affairs. The trend is to break up big countries. Look at the USSR and Texas. Plus, there is a move to more regional unions too, i.e., E.U. The nation-state of Iraq isn't worth saving when there is so much bad blood. And, we've been in their civil war, anyway. They can decide.

I got upset when I heard US brass saying that we must keep Iraq as one nation, years ago. Think again.

IOC approves Youth Olympics; first set for 2010 - Thursday July 5, 2007 4:52PM

SI.com - More Sports - IOC approves Youth Olympics; first set for 2010 - Olympic leaders voted Thursday to create a Youth Olympics meant to drag kids from computer screens and onto the playing fields. The first is planned for 2010 for 3,500 athletes, ages 14-18.

It would be the first major international sports festival created by the International Olympic Committee since the advent of the Winter Games in 1924. The program was approved unanimously by a show of hands.

Democracy Now! | We Shall Overcome: An Hour With Legendary Folk Singer & Activist Pete Seeger

Democracy Now! | We Shall Overcome: An Hour With Legendary Folk Singer & Activist Pete Seeger: "We Shall Overcome: An Hour With Legendary Folk Singer & Activist Pete Seeger"