Off the hook. Re casting the call for "NO" votes on Judge Orie Melvin

Orie Melvin Removed from 'Vote No' List

PACleanSweep today removed Superior Court Judge Joan Orie Melvin from its list of judges for Pennsylvanians to reject for retention at the November 6 election.

The move was in response to documentation the organization received yesterday from Judge Orie Melvin showing she has returned $14,402.55 to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The figure represents the after-tax amount Orie Melvin received under the Act 44 pay raise during the years 2005, 2006 and through the end of 2007.

"We believe Judge Orie Melvin has done everything in her power to personally reject the judicial swindle," said PACleanSweep chair Russ Diamond. "We cannot hold her responsible for taxes deducted by government entities and we're inclined to believe she did her best in determining the net payback figure. We've been provided a worksheet which calculates the taxes withheld from a gross amount of $24,502.47.

"We challenge every other judge in the Commonwealth to follow suit and make good on their oaths of office. Only then should Pennsylvanians engage in debate regarding their rulings, opinions and decisions."

Orie Melvin sent a check and a letter of explanation to state Treasurer Robin Weissmann on August 2, 2007. The hand-written letter stated the amount returned was "reimbursement for Act 44 judicial pay raise which includes 2005 (July 8, 2005 - November 16, 2005), 2006, and 2007 (through December 31)."

The Treasury Department confirmed receipt of the amount and noted it would be deposited in the Commonwealth's General Fund in a letter to Orie Melvin dated August 15, 2007.

"We're glad to see at least one member of the judicial branch willing to take personal action in an effort to support, obey and defend the Constitution. PACleanSweep sincerely thanks Judge Orie Melvin for making a stand for the ultimate will of the people," Diamond added. "We look forward to the discussion of her record on the bench."

2007 Retention Candidate List

What YOU Need to Do on November 6th

Top Ten Reasons to Vote 'No'

PACleanSweep Judicial Retention Poll Results

Pennsylvania's Judicial Retention System

About PACleanSweep

PACleanSweep is a non-partisan effort dedicated to reforming state government in Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit www.PACleanSweep.com.

Council OKs surveillance cameras around city

Council OKs surveillance cameras around city

This will be the subject of my 3-minutes of public comment on Tuesday.

I've talked in the past about cameras.

I'm in favor of all the cameras being pointed at the public officials, the public treasury and the authorities. Why can't we listen in or watch the meetings of the PAT Board? Why are the Ethics Hearing Board meetings no put on the internet or cable TV?

Until we have complete access to open records and open meetings with cameras and technology -- we should not talk about pointing cameras anywhere else.

Beaver Ave Doll House on thin ice

Looks bleek for the Doll House that was slated for Beaver Ave. Seems there wasn't the necessary buy in from other tenants in the warehouse building. So, the owner is going to withhold the lease.

Design critique of the Chicago 2016 Olympics logo

Design critique of the Chicago 2016 Olympics logo Don't get too attached to this one (above)



Chicago, the city that works.

Ethics Hearing Board meets at 10 am on 2nd Friday of month and in the Google Calendar now

I keep a public Google Calendar called Pittsburgh City Hall. I've asked others in the mayor's office and in city council and in the city clerk's office to help keep it up to date, to no avail.

Anyhoo....

The Ethics Hearing Board meetings, held at 10 am in the Council Chambers in the City County Building on Grant Street are now listed in this calendar. Those meetings are open to the public. They are not on cable tv. They should be on TV, or just recorded via TalkShoe.com.

Now those meetings are part of the Google Calendar. Or, better yet, subscribe to my public calendar and get a mash up of all Public events for Running Mates.

Hotline On Call: Paul Gets in CA $wing of Things

Hotline On Call: Paul Gets in CA $wing of Things HOT DIGGITY! GO RON PAUL!!!!

Ethics Complaint Form as a Google Document

Ethics Complaint Form as a Google Document.

Printing the form from my blog, in the following posting, might not be best. Here it is in a format that does not include the sidebar, headers and such.

Now use it, if you care.

Ethics Hearing Board Complaint Form

_________________________

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

ETHICS HEARING BOARD- CITY OF PITTSBURGH

COMPLAINT FORM

1. Identify the person you are complaining about:

Name:_______________________________________________

Office Address: _______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

_______________________________________

Position or Title: ______________________________________

Phone: Work: ______________________________________

2. Explain in detail why you believe that the individual named above may have violated the City provisions. Attach additional sheets of paper if necessary.

3. Attach or make reference to any documents, materials, minutes, resolutions or other evidence which support your allegations.

4. Sworn to and subscribed before me this I swear or affirm, under penalty

____ day of _____________________, or perjury that the facts set

forth in this complaint are

_______________________________ true and correct to the best of

(Notary Public) my knowledge, information and

My Commission expires: belief.

____________________________

Send completed form to: Signature

Ethics Hearing Board Print Name:

City of Pittsburgh Department of Law ____________________________

313 City-County Building Home Address:

414 Grant Street ____________________________

Pittsburgh, PA 15219 ____________________________

(412) 255-2015 ____________________________

Phone Work:__________________

Phone Home:__________________

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Complete all sections of the Complaint Form. Incomplete forms will not be processed.

2. Give the specific name and office address of the person about whom you are complaining. If you are complaining about more than one person, use a separate complaint form for each person. You may photocopy or reproduce this form if you need more forms.

3. Provide a detailed account of the activity that is said to be violative of the “City provisions: of the Code of Conduct. The Ethics Hearing Board’s jurisdiction extends solely to the complaints alleging violations of the City Provisions. All complaints with respect to violations of any terms of the state statute (Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Law, Act 170 of 1978 as amended by Act 9, 1989), shall be within the sole jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission. If you have a question about whether the Board has jurisdiction over the conduct or individual in question, refer to the Code of Conduct, the Ethics Handbook, or contact the City Solicitor (Ethics Hearing Board).

4. Enclose records, documents, minutes, etc. that support your allegations.

5. Sign the form and have a notary sign, date and affix seal and note the date his/her Commission expires.

Important

Any person filing a complaint with the City of Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board should be

aware of the following provisions of the Code of Conduct.

Section 197.12

(i) No public official or public employee shall discharge any official or employee or change his official rank, grade or compensation or deny him a promotion, or threaten to do so or take any other retaliatory measures, for filing a complaint with or providing information in connection herewith, testifying in any Board proceeding or being the subject of a complaint or investigation hereunder except as provided in Section 197.16.

(j) As a general rule, no person shall disclose or acknowledge, to any other person, any information relating to a complaint, preliminary inquiry, investigation, hearing or petition for reconsideration which is before the Board. However, a person may disclose or acknowledge to another person matters held confidential in accordance with this subsection when the matters pertain to any of the following:

(1) Final orders of the Board as provided in subsection (g) hereof;

(2) Hearings conducted in public pursuant to subsection (f) hereof:

(3) For the purpose of seeking advice of legal counsel;

(4) Filing an appeal form a Board Order;

(5) Communicating with the Board or its staff, in the course of preliminary inquiry, investigation, hearing or petition for reconsideration by the Board;

(6) Consulting with a law enforcement official or agency for the purpose in initiating, participating in or responding to an investigation or prosecution by the law enforcement official or agency;

(7) Testifying under oath before a governmental body or a similar body of the United States of America;

(8) Any information, records or proceedings relating to a complaint, preliminary inquiry, investigation, hearing or petition for reconsideration which the person is the subject of; or

(9) Such other exceptions as the Board, by regulation, may direct.

Section 197.14

(a) A person who signs or causes or precipitates the signing of a complaint alleging a violation of the city provisions against another is subject to liability for wrongful use of this chapter if:

(1) The Complaint was frivolous, as defined thereby, or without probable cause and made primarily for a purpose other than that of reporting a violation of the City provisions; or

(2) The person publicly disclosed or caused to be disclosed that a complaint against a person had been filed with the Board.

Check out this new tool: Blogrush

Check out Blogrush. It is a new widget I've put on the sidebar of this blog.

Click the link below and it will help!

http://www.blogrush.com/r62881507

Mayor talked last night at Pitt to College Dems and says the strip club is good for economic development

The conversation in the Q&A period last night in a room at the William Pitt Student Union at the University of Pittsburgh with the College Democrats when something like this. (Disclaimer: I wasn't there. This is second hand info. However, I this recap comes on good authority.)

Question to mayor: Will there be other economic development opportunities on the North Shore around the new casino?

Answer from mayor: Sure. There is going to be a big strip club opening in the vicinity.

No way. Really?

Is this moving our city forward?

Is this how Pittsburgh is to 'stand tall' for the future?

By the way, this is NOT a joke.

Does anyone out there have either the audio or video of this 'presentation?'

This is exactly what I am so hacked off about. The Pitt Dems should have been one of the sponsors of a debate last night. The other sponsors could have been the College Republicans and the College Libertarians, to mention just two. A full-blown debate could and should have been staged. They could have had cameras on the participants. YouTube works! Rather, they held a small meeting where goofy things can get said and hardly disputed. The mayor is ducking his duty in a prime political season. And, the others throughout the community are gracious hosts to provide cover.

Pittsburgh is a smokey city -- still -- in this realm.

Agent Ska, where were you and your camera on the night that a potential strip club was revealed as a good economic development tool by Luke Ravenstahl?

---

Ravenstahl courts young voters - News Ravenstahl courts young voters

By George, we got a Director who ain't acting any more

After an exhaustive national search, and after months and months of acting, dress rehearsals, script reviews and a little bit of lawyering while on tv -- the city has a DIRECTOR for its LAW DEPARTMENT.

Congrats to George Specter. You're hired.

Months ago I suggested that George be fired.

I didn't like some of the early advice he gave us. George Specter said upon the passing of Mayor Bob O'Connor that city council president would be able to serve out the remainder of Bob O'Connor's term without an election. More than three years!

George Specter wasn't acting director for three years, but he had been one for a long, long time. Where is the historian when you need one.

At the interview process with city council today we learned from Doug Shields, city council president that George has a good demeanor. That makes him a plum for the job. Thanks for that endorsement Mr. Shields.

At least Twanda didn't pry into Mr. Specter's availability and married life as was the buzz when a handsome gentleman seeking advance promotion in the fire bureau came to the table next. He was cute. Wonder what Pitt Girl thinks?

The Law Department's budget allows for 15.5 FTEs (full time employees). Presently the staffing level is at 13.5.

I think one of the new hires for the Law Department should be Michael Lamb. He is an attorney. He is a city resident. He knows his way around town and city hall.

Hire Mike Lamb. He'd be a great attorney in the City's Law Department.

I called the City Law Department today to ask how I could and should file a complaint with the city's Ethics Hearing Board. I was sent into the voice mail of Kate DeSimone, 412-255-2010.

The first job for the new director of the Law Department should be the publishing of clear instructions on how to file a complaint with the ethics hearing board. Can an email address be established, such as "Ethics-Board@city.*" Or, "Legal-grip@city.*" or how about, "Ethical.Nebsters@city.*"

When Doug Shields asked about how the director of the law department would shape the city within a three part question of keen insight, we learned about how Specter would bridge the gap. He quibbled about how much work was forthcoming from the 13.5 and making it all the way to 15.5. The "deputy director" of the law department, Mr. Specter's former position, wasn't filled for all those months when he was the acting director.

Yep, the city is going to run much more smoothly now.

Kayak Pittsburgh - great offer for university week. F-R-E-E! Don't be up river without a paddle.

From Paddle-kayak

Kayak Pittsburgh

Contact: Rebecca Malena - 412.255.0564 ext. 29 - rmalena -at- ventureoutdoors.org

FREE KAYAKING FOR UNIVERSITY WEEK
Students offered free kayaking from Sept. 24 through the end of October

(Pittsburgh, PA – September 19, 2007, 2007) College students will be able to kayak for free at both locations of Kayak Pittsburgh from September 24 through the end of October during regular hours. University week is offered as part of Pittsburgh Connections, a project sponsored by Venture Outdoors and Richard King Mellon Foundation .

Additionally, to celebrate University Week, students will receive a free T-shirt with valid student ID when arriving at either Kayak Pittsburgh location. T-shirts will be handed out to students, regardless of whether or not they partake in kayaking.

Students must be 18 or over to kayak without a guardian signature.

Pittsburgh Connections is a project of Venture Outdoors with funding from Richard King Mellon Foundation. The project takes students from participating universities on outdoor excursions so that they may experience the region and hopefully gain an appreciation for the area in an effort to keep those students here after graduation.

Kayak Pittsburgh Downtown is located under the Roberto Clemente (6th St. Bridge) and is in easy walking distance of all Downtown and North Side locations. Cross the bridge, take the staircase nearest PNC Park down to the waterfront walkway.

Buses to Downtown from Oakland include the 71C, 71D, 500, 51B, 61B, 71A, 67F. Buses to Downtown from Squirrel Hill include the 61A, 61B and 61C. Buses from Shadyside to Downtown include the 77A, 77B and 81B.

Kayak Pittsburgh North can be found at the North Park Boathouse along North Park Lake, approximately 14 miles from Pittsburgh. Head up Route 19 from Pittsburgh, turn right/East onto Ingomar Road/Yellow Belt, left at Babcock Boulevard, and left at Pierce Mill Road.

Venture Outdoors, a non-profit organization, seeks to transform the Pittsburgh region into a place where the outdoors is an integral part of our culture, our identity and our lifestyle. Venture Outdoors does this by increasing participation in outdoor recreational activity. This in turn creates a sense of community among participants, an increased awareness of the region's excellent quality of life, and a better understanding of and deeper appreciation for the environment and wilderness among the residents of and visitors to western Pennsylvania.

For more information, visit www.ventureoutdoors.org or call 412.255.0564.

Open Thead: A+ Schools hosts meeting on proposed, new high school for science and technology concentration

 

Went to the meeting. Have plenty to say. But first, time to listen. Anyone else go and have something to post. Feel free.

Mark Brently in hot water for taking on the radio?

What's up with that? Marty Griffin of KDKA Radio says that Mark Brently is in hot water today for being on the radio yesterday.

That stink. What's up?

Houston, we have a problem. The microphone has been ripped from the wall by indifference and comfortable cronies

I sent this email to a few in the media.

We have a few problems brewing...

There are no debates -- zippo -- for these races:

Pgh Controller
Pgh City Council district 3
Pgh City Council district 1
Pgh City Council district 9

There are trends that need to be understood and reported upon.

The mayor's candidates should be together 30 times -- not 3.

It is great that the P-G is going to host a debate.

May I suggest that the P-G hold debates for the other offices, perhaps all in the same night?

And, may I also suggest that the P-G invite the candidates of the races in the above to go to the mayor debate and ask a question to the mayor candidates. That's right, a candidate asking another candidate a question. We are watching the issues. We would then have a 15 second time to be introduced to the audience as well.

Project Polling Place

The best way to get our 'No, No, 67 Times No!' message out to the public is to post volunteers at polling places across Pennsylvania on November 6 to help educate voters before they go into the polls.

PACleanSweep's plan of action to facilitate this effort is to compile a list of all polling places in the Commonwealth so we can assign volunteers to high-traffic polls. Our plan has run into a bit of a bureaucratic snafu and as a result we're going to need YOUR help.

The information required to compile such a list used to be available from the Department of State. This year, however, the state has decided not to provide this information. In a phone conversation with Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation Commissioner Harry Van Sickle and attorney Al Masland, PACleanSweep was told that a statewide list of polling places is not available due to Homeland Security concerns.

We were informed the decision to make such information unavailable came from the Governor's office in response to terrorism incidents in Spain in 2005. We have attempted to confirm this policy in writing with Mr. Masland and Governor Rendell's spokesman Chuck Ardo without success as of yet.

Although we certainly understand security concerns and the possibility of polling place information falling into the "wrong hands," we question whether such a policy should be extended to a statewide political organization that is fully registered with the Department of State and files regular timely reports regarding every single penny it receives and spends.

Have the terrorists won? Should the fear of terrorism be allowed to interfere with the democratic process of voting, free speech and the freedom of information? We'll leave those questions for the philosopher kings to answer. Meanwhile, we have work to do to prepare for the November 6 election.

The Department of State informed PACleanSweep that we'll need to obtain this information from the 67 different county Boards of Elections rather than from one unified source. In response, we're launching Project Polling Place.

To make this project a success, we need a volunteer from every county in Pennsylvania to interface with their local Board of Elections. The volunteer will need to obtain a complete list of his or her county's polling places. Once the volunteer has obtained the list, PACleanSweep will figure out the best way to get the information into a format that best helps us assign volunteers to specific polling places on Election Day.

If you'd like to help with Project Polling Place, here is what you need to do:

1. Call your county Board of Elections. Click the link at the bottom of this message for the contact info for all 67 contacts in Pennsylvania.

2. Ask if they will provide you with a list of polling places in your county that includes the name of the building where the polling place is located, its street address and any unique identifying numbers assigned to that polling place (precinct, ward, etc.)

3. Ask if you can get the list in electronic or printed form and how soon they can have it ready for you. (Electronic form is preferable to ease our workload, but a printed list is fine, too.)

4. Go to the county elections office in person to pick up the list. You'll need to show ID and sign a form stating that you will not publish the list on the internet. If the form asks which organization you are affiliated with, write PACleanSweep PAC.

5. Once you have the list in hand, email us a reply this message and we'll move forward from there. Please include a phone number where someone can reach you.

Please be polite, courteous and professional when dealing with your county elections staff!

We asked for a list of Lebanon County polling places just today and obtained it without any hassles. We thank the Lebanon County office for their excellent and helpful response to our request. However, we still need the information for 66 other counties - and that's why we need YOUR help - and AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!

We need a few other volunteers for Project Polling Place as well. These volunteers need to be able to transfer information into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet from the lists we obtain. Having a fax number will also help speed things along, but is not required. Please reply to this email if you can help with this part of Project Polling Place.

In the PACleanSweep Judicial Retention Poll, less than 13 percent of respondents said they worked a poll during our campaign against Nigro and Newman in 2005, but over 42 percent said they would do so in 2007 if we launched a similar campaign.

If we don't know where to assign these volunteers, however, we risk having some polls unnecessarily double-covered on Election Day while other heavy- traffic polling places might remain totally uncovered. This would not be an efficient use of volunteers or other resources. PACleanSweep wants to be as effective as possible on Election Day and that's why we need YOUR help in this matter!

We'd like to get these lists together ASAP, so the quicker you get moving the better we'll be prepared for Election Day! Let's make Project Polling Place a mere speedbump on the road to reform!

Contact Your County Board of Elections

PACleanSweep Judicial Retention Poll Results

About PACleanSweep

PACleanSweep is a non-partisan effort dedicated to reforming state government in Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit www.PACleanSweep.com.

School news: I.B. Program back in spotlight at USC (Upper St. Clair)

Edited slightly by blogmaster.

Call to Action!

Important meeting of the full School Board (at Upper St. Clair) to be held on Monday, September 24, 2007, 7PM, High School LGI

All residents should be concerned about the actions to be taken at this meeting. One agenda item is of particular concern to parents with children in the IB program, but should interest all residents, too. A vote will be held to decide whether to advance the recommendations of the districts teachers and Administrators, regarding the IB curriculum. Such recommendations (about various aspects of district curriculum) are proffered each year and voted upon in June. This year, however, the School Board majority moved forward with all recommendations EXCEPT the one concerning IB. In fact, this issue has been sidelined for three months, but will finally be discussed and voted upon on September 24th.

How do we know? As always, items which are to come before the entire School Board for a vote, must be discussed in the prior Committee meetings. On Monday, September 10th, the monthly meetings of both the Academic, Arts and Activities Committee and the Finance, Facilities and Operations Committee were held.

You can read the WAVES summary of these meetings by clicking here:

Or, if you prefer, you can watch the entire meeting at your leisure by clicking here:

What follows is commentary regarding the highlights of those meetings, which can best be summarized: Déjà vu?

These meetings, together, last almost four hours, and were fraught with School Board member making comments that attack the skill and professionalism of our teachers and administrators.

IB Discussions: Meeting attendees were stunned by the viciousness of attacks by Drs. Trombetta and Iracki during discussions about the district's curriculum recommendation to preserve IB at all grade levels.

Dr. Iracki implied that our elementary school teachers are encouraging their students to be rebellious and disrespectful, which drew a sharp rebuke from both Bolas and Dr. Bulazo, the district's Director of Elementary Education, who offered a courageous and articulate rebuttal.

Iracki stated that our teachers and administrators use aggressive marketing tactics to sell IB to USC families, which is insulting both to the district's employees and to USC families, who are certainly not intimidated by the annual and very low-key "Get to Know IB" meetings for interested parents of prospective students.

Trombetta implied that IB has been mismanaged by our district. A resident pointed out that our Diploma Program students have the highest pass rate in the country, clearly NOT a sign of mismanagement. Administrators appeared to be stunned and disappointed by Trombetta's obvious antipathy toward them.

Trombetta continues to insist on more data to evaluate IB and continues to imply that information is being knowingly and willfully withheld from him. He is politely reminded that statistically significant data take many years to collect and analyze but that the Diploma Program is only in its fourth year of graduates...

Dr. Iracki continues to oppose IB on religious and nationalistic grounds, and he asked several "values" questions (none of which received proper attribution) that match those raised by organizations like Ed Watch and Responsible Ed, both of which are hostile to public education. These groups do NOT reflect the moderate mainstream values of USC. Iracki tries to divert attention from his real motivations by manufacturing other criticisms of IB that have been widely refuted by many prominent researchers, educators, and corporate executives (e.g., IB is elitist, IB is expensive, not enough data to evaluate academic performance of IB students vs. non-IB students even though no similar evaluations have ever been required for AP or honors students).

Hall of Fame (HOF) Policy: It is unclear why Trombetta and the rest of the Board majority were so eager to adopt this policy, which would allow the Board President to appoint HOF committee chairs. Joyce and Petersen, who have served on these committees, called the policy a slap in the face of the current committee members, who are doing a very effective job and have a lot of experience in their respective fields.

USC Awarded $500,000 "Classrooms for the Future" Grant. The grant comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and will enhance classroom technology in the high-school math and English department.

Middle School Renovation Options. Public meetings to discuss the renovation options are scheduled for September 25 (Ft. Couch) and 26 (Boyce). Several minority Board members expressed concern that the community will be short-changed by the presentations, which will focus on costs and ignore an important discussion about future instructional needs that are dictating the renovation options in the first place. For the Board majority, it appears that project costs trump the quality of education that our children and grandchildren should be receiving. Concerned parents should attend these meetings, because there are fears that the Board majority may be "staging" these public meetings to manufacture support for a renovation option that cuts educational spending to the bone.

Powers of the President: Trombetta has written a new school policy - entitled "Powers of the Board President" - that will allow him, under certain circumstances, to act as a Board of One instead of consulting the other eight Board members who were elected in free and fair elections. Among other things, he is seeking the power to conduct investigations on anyone affiliated with the school district without prior Board approval, even if against the advice of the Superintendent. Trombetta also hoped to allow a provision enabling the President (himself) to call Emergency School Board meetings as long as three other School Board members have been contacted. Trombetta created the new Board policy propositions in collaboration with two of his like-minded Board members (Iracki and Coliane) and with the full expectation that his 5-4 voting bloc would easily pass the new policy. Fortunately, at Mrs. Petersen's questioning, Brooks expressed some legal concerns with the new policy. He will be taking a good, hard look at the new policy to see if it conforms to the Pennsylvania School Code.

Coliane and the Consent Calendars. Last month, we reported that Coliane never approves the consent calendar and has never provided a reason why. This month, she said it's because she objects to bundling all the names together in a single vote. When reminded that she can pull out any names for separate votes, and simply vote on the others in a bundle, she smiled and refused to that, too. Residents were left to question why vendetta and contempt had to get in the way of getting the job done.

WAVES urges you to take the time to watch the videos or read the summaries, so that you can stay informed! Thank you for your sustained interest in good education and transparent governance in USC!

Sincerely,

WAVES Executive Committee
Maureen McCullum, Tammy Murray, Katie Lynch, Deb Moretti and Mike Grape

Pittsburgh needs an independent, watchdog organization like USC Waves. Oh wait, I have a better idea. Let's just elect a controller that isn't in the pocket of the establishment. Then the Controller's office can do its job and be a watchdog of the highest magnitude.

Round up: Strippers on Ice on the South Side

In the North Side, they are stopping development of a property -- what about property rights -- for an establishment that was predicted. We knew slots would attract sluts.

Meanwhile, in the South Side, they are stopping development of a property that is owned by the city and could/should/would be used for POSITIVE activities. There is a closed indoor ice rink, a recreational facility. It has been closed for YEARS. The city rejected the proposals for re-opening the facilities in the park.

Go figure.

How about we get the best of both worlds, ... Strippers on ice for the south side. Then, you never know, a hockey game might break out.

Or, how about if we ask that we put a YMCA within the massive parking garage -- either in the North Side -- or at the uptown site.

By my most pressing question: Are they going to change the bus routes for the Ship of Zion to swing by the new joint on the North Side?

Opposition research

Google finds lots of hits, generally. Except, it has been bringing bad news for opposition research of late: This headline was a hit upon Kraus: 2 SOS candidates win primary

2 SOS candidates win primary For receiver of taxes, Kathleen Kraus won the Republican line.

Little or nothing else from Pittsburgh comes up when looking for firstname + lastname in the search field.

It is worse for my other opponent, Michael + Lamb.

Dave Schuilenburg For Council - New Leadership For True Change!

Dave Schuilenburg For Council - New Leadership For True Change!: "How low will she go to avoid talking about the issues?!?!?!?"

Let the good times roll.

Darlene Harris -- devoid of any fresh ideas. She is on the record as saying she has 'no plan.'

We can't argue either.

Unethical behavior, blah, blah, blah. Go read it yourself. Or, read it and weep.

Job Fair, C3, at Convention Center. World of contrasts

Went into the Convention Center today to scout around and network with people at a big, one day job fair. Nice event. It was hosted by both the city and county. This is a great use of the Convention Center.


This booth: The Welcome Center for Immigrants and Internationals.

Nobody was there. Might as well had been the South Pole.

There were many booths where there were constant conversations and a fine flow of people interacting, looking for jobs, looking to network. However, this was the one booth that buzzed the most in terms of people. It was for the new slots parlor on the North Shore, The Majestic Star.

There was no booth devoted to hiring people to work at the pending gentleman's club also expected to open on the North Shore.

Speaking of jobs, click the comments of this post to see interesting leads for various jobs with a firm that hopes to provide one laptop for every child on the earth.

public statement to city council about Ron Paul and the dangers of the war on drugs

The timeless Madeleine L'Engle

My wife has always adored Madeleine L'Engle and loves her books. Family trivia: The name, Madeleine, was on our short list for the naming of our children -- had we been blessed with a girl. Our babies were both boys.

The timeless Madeleine L'Engle The timeless Madeleine L'Engle

If you have kids, this is a great time to go the the library to get one of her books. Read it with or to your kid(s).

Man dies after 3-day gaming binge

Man dies after 3-day gaming binge - CNN.com BEIJING, China (AP) -- A man in southern China appears to have died of exhaustion after a three-day Internet gaming binge, state media said Monday.

The 30-year-old man fainted at a cyber cafe in the city of Guangzhou Saturday afternoon after he had been playing games online for three days, the Beijing News reported.

Pittsburgh and China are exactly 12 hours apart. All of China is in the same time zone. So, when gaming, there is a warning, do not press the hyper-space button more than 13 times an hour in any six hour period.

=;/

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear =:) , HBD2U.

:-) propelled smiles across the miles - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

From Logos

Mike Tomlin Announces Candidacy for Mayor

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Mike Tomlin Announces Candidacy for Mayor Steelers Fans outnumber Democrats almost 3:1.

Tonight's presidential debate in Florida to have a new participant, Alan Keyes

Tonight, Monday, at 7:30 pm is another debate among presidential candidates. Of interest, you might want to tune in before 7:30 -- as actions are to start at 6 pm. It might not be on network tv, and it might not be on local radio -- but -- it will be streamed on the net. And, I expect the content from the debate will be made available after via a few different outlets.

New to the debate stage, joining my favorite, Ron Paul, is Alan Keyes. Keyes is building a run for president as an independent. Keyes is no lightweight. He'll be hard to deal with on the debate stage. News of his invite to this debate was made today, I think.

Meanwhile, the big shot Republican candidates are not playing along tonight. Mitt, Rudy, the actor/lobbyist, and ex-POW / Senator are skipping this event.

The Values Voter Presidential Debate is scheduled for Monday, September 17, in Fort Lauderdale. WorldNetDaily's Joseph Farah is to be the moderator. The debate participants are Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo, Sam Brownback, Ron Paul, John Cox, and the recently declared Alan Keyes.

ValuesVoter.org was organized by over 40 leaders of values voters to serve as a meeting place and action center for voters that believe in American values. American values are the values that existed before time and were articulated in America's founding document on her birthday, the 4th of July, 1776. The group "values the right of a free people to govern themselves according to their constitutional form of government and to not be subject to tyrannical judges that legislate from the bench and subvert our constitution and the will of the American people."

WHAT: The Debate will:

Ask the questions that matter most to the "Values Voters" — the most influential constituency in America.

Conduct a Straw Poll to find out who the Values Voters support.

Create a Video Voter Guide/DVD to equip the Values Voter to make an informed choice.

WHEN & WHERE: The Values Voter Debate will be held September 17, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. ET at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

WHO: Questions will come from 40 individuals including: Paul Weyrich, founder and President of the Free Congress Foundation, Phyllis Schlafly, founder and President of Eagle Forum, Don Wildmon, founder and Chairman of the American Family Association, Judge Roy Moore, with the Foundation for Moral Law, Rick Scarborough, Vision America, and Mat Staver of Liberty Council.

The debate will be broadcast live on television, satellite, radio and streamed on the internet (also recorded & rebroadcast later).

Streamed live on AFA online
http://www.afa.net

For Ron Paul to win the R primary, watch for the a rolling snowball effect. Some of the minor candidates can pull out of the race. This will give Ron Paul a bounce. Meanwhile, the big-time war Republicans are going to stay alive -- but divided. That helps Ron Paul a great deal.

The sum of the second tier will, in the end, double the best of what today's top tier can muster.

PoliticsOnline: vote for the top 10 who are changing the world of internet and politics

PoliticsOnline - News, Tools & Strategies The Top 10 Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics

I voted. You can too. My vote went to Dr. Ron Paul.

Mark DeSantis: Infantilizing city government

Speaking of 'blogged to death' -- KDKA Radio is reporting that a guy in China died after a three day gaming saga. He's 'gamed to death.' Strangled by the net.

An older article in the P-G:

Mark DeSantis: Infantilizing city government They want to 'professionalize' by limiting employees' Internet access to 30 minutes a day? Wednesday, February 15, 2006 'Well, I never heard it before, but it sounds like uncommon nonsense.' -- The Mock Turtle, 'Alice in Wonderland'

Freedom isn't free. Happy Constitution Day

This looks like a nice event, a celebration of the US Constitution at IUP.

IUP Constitution Celebration, Indiana University Of Pennsylvania, today at 11 am. This celebration of the U.S Constitution features student groups playing a game of "Constitutional Jeopardy" and members of the IUP faculty reading of various passages from the Constitution. Guests will receive pocket-sized copies of the Constitution and refreshments. This is part of the university's week-long celebration of Constitution Day.

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh the same day brings little or nothing on the Constitution, (sorta like Free Software Day). However, tours are being offered today.

Old Allegheny County Jail Tours are slated at the Allegheny County Jail/Family Court on September 17 at 11:30 am. Explore the former jail with this free self-guided tour. A docent from Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation will be on hand to provide information. Reservations are appreciated by calling (412) 471-5808, ext. 527.

Notice the contrast. The rest of the nation is doing an embrace of freedom, rights, liberties while Pittsburgh is about jails, bars, punishment and stone buildings with walls of a fortress.

History is important. I love to know about the past. The 'throw-back threads' of the Steelers are nice -- for a game. But the Steelers stunk back in the day. Likewise, the struggle for justice and individual liberties throughout history has been stormy.

Constitution Day and Jury Rights Day 2007 from the Libertarian Party

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

Harrisburg - Today marks the 220th anniversary of the signing of our United States Constitution. To celebrate and show support for the principles contained in this historic document, LPPa members will participate in a Constitution Day Rally at 6 p.m. today on the State Capitol Steps.

Sponsored by S.T.O.M.P. (Stop Taking our Money and Property), the event features a variety of speakers addressing the essential duty of defending our Constitution and the principles within it.

LPPa Cumberland County representative, Barry Dively, remarked "Constitution Day is celebrated by all US citizens to recognize a document and contract with our government that we have inalienable rights - rights granted to us as our birthright, of life, liberty and property."

Constitution Day comes after recognition of another fundamental freedom celebrated on September 8th, Jury Rights Day. On this day, we acknowledged the largely ignored power of jurors to protect citizens from over-reaching government through jury nullification.

A Pittsburgh-based LPPa spokesman, Tim Crowley, explained that "Juries are empowered to consider matters of fact as they pertain to guilt or innocence, but they also are empowered to consider the morality of the law in question. That's the purpose of jury nullification."

It's not surprising that these two days of commemoration are related by more than a common month. As Thomas Jefferson said, "I consider trial by jury as the only anchor ever imagined by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution."

Constitution Day Rally info: stoptakingourmoneyproperty@yahoo.com.
Jury nullification info: www.fija.org (Fully Informed Jury Association).

News of the "state of the art" YMCA within the new Civic Arena is in demand

Yes.

From swim-WV-Kenyon

Ons day, construction at the edge of downtown might look like this.

Millions up for grabs in Scaife divorce fight

Woops.

Millions up for grabs in Scaife divorce fight The case file, though ostensibly sealed by the court, was readily available online from the Web site housing Allegheny County court records over a period of several days at the end of last month.

Thanks Judge Alan Hertzberg.

This is funny reading in the Sunday P-G.

How come none of the bloggers got this link and posted about it -- or -- did I miss it?

Perhaps everyone was too busy tailing Rev. Johnny Monroe's bus around town, to the tune of more than $500,000 per year. Wonder how many bus routes -- err -- bus companies the divorce is going to net?

Pitt's Levance Fields tasered outside of nightclub

Pitt's Levance Fields tasered outside of nightclub tasered outside of nightclub

In basketball, players get five fouls. In life, there are times when you don't get five. Sounds like a time out was needed to reverse momentum.

In cases like this, as in the other incident a couple of weeks ago with the basketball player from Duquesne who was sent packing for home, I really want to have great confidence in the Citizens Police Review Board.

I have confidence in the Board -- but -- not so much in that what the board uncovers and suggests is implemented.

Free Food. Who doesn't love that.

THE PHANTOM FRIGHT NIGHT FREE FOOD FRENZY RETURNS WITH A VENGEANCE ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2007

Greetings, Ghoul Seekers. The Phantom has lost his freakishly fool head again this year!

The Phantom's Free Food Frenzy creeps up on Saturday, September 22, 2007, from 7-11 p.m.

Pay regular admission or use a Phantom Fright Nights ticket from Giant Eagle and enjoy FREE FOOD including Potato Patch Fries, burgers, funnel cakes, Pepsi soft drink products, and MORE- all FREE!

We also invite our Free Food Frenzy guests to bring a canned food donation for the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank, who will be collecting donations at our front gate that evening.

Sorry, tickets marked TRADE are not valid on September 22, 2007. Kennywood regular season tickets are also not valid. Some other restrictions apply. Not recommended for children under 13.

More details at kennywood.com.

From Grant

Snapshots from Camp Wellstone, a 3-day experience for candidates and organizers

wellstone

From 8:30 am to 4:30 Sept. 20 at D.U. - Freedom from (or for) Religion

Send an email to:

FaithAndPolitics@duq.edu

Understanding the Separation of Church and State Symposium.

http://www.FaithAndPolitics.duq.edu

Click for a larger view.

Exotic hires need time to get bearings - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Eric puts a good twist on the hires of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl after an exhaustive national -- if not global -- job search for key positions to move our city forward.

Exotic hires need time to get bearings - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review He promised a nationwide search, and he hasn't disappointed.

With this type of thinking taking root, I wonder if the Pittsburgh Steelers would risk going all the way to Penn State to seek new talent on NFL draft day.

Pennsylvania Ron Paul Meetup Alliance (Carlisle, PA) - Meetup.com

Pennsylvania Ron Paul Meetup Alliance (Carlisle, PA) - Meetup.com: "Pennsylvania Ron Paul Meetup Alliance"

Feel free to sign up.

Funds will help with Dormont pool maintenance - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

This is why we need to take apart the RAD Tax. A more regional approach to recreation is needed. Dormont needs a swim pool. Mt. Lebo needs a swim pool. Carnegie needs a swim pool. But never, in today's landscape, is the total view considered nor understood. People from the Mt. Lebo and Carneigie use the Dormont Pool.

Funds will help with Dormont pool maintenance - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Dormont officials will use $75,000 from Allegheny County to help with needed repairs at the borough's swimming pool.

Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato presented the borough with a check Saturday during the Potomac Avenue Street Fair & Blues Festival.

The latest funding brings the total in state and county grants and donations to help maintain the 87-year-old landmark to $650,000, said John Maggio, president of Friends of the Dormont Pool. The group has raised $60,000.

Officials hope to raise $1 million to sustain operations at the 60,000-square-foot pool.

This check giving opportunity is nothing but PORK from Onorato. He uses the money as if it is 'walking around money' -- WAM. Same too with the money from the state.

I want parks people to have a better say as to where good investments should be made.

The concept of a the regional Pittsburgh Park District, an effort I championed years ago, is still practical and visionary.

MN on my mind. I would NEVER want to get Steven Clift mad. He's a fountain says this fixture

Post: The Anti-Democratic Debate - Yahoo and partners run 17th online candidate debate

OK, I'm ticked.

Back in 1994 Scott Aikens and I put together the world's first online candidate debate as part of Minnesota E-Democracy. It was a state level debate. Today, E-Democracy.Org has a resource center on e-debates here: http://pages.e-democracy.org/E-Debates

In 2000, I worked on the general election Web White & Blue Presidential Rolling Cyber Debate in which Yahoo! was a partner. The Democracy Network of the Center for Governmental Studies in 1996 something they called a digital debate as well.

Then today, a reputable source like the BBC says the Yahoo Democratic Candidate Mashup - http://debates.news.yahoo.com - is the "first online-only debate." And Google news is compiling similar stories filled with this misinformation.

This may be the first online-only Presidential primary debate with video.

Politics Online keeps a nice list of online political firsts. If you search Yahoo for the phrase "first online debate" leading off their debate site, you get a link to our 1996 e-debate in the top ten.

The other day I blogged my detailed proposal for all to steal on how a good online debate should be designed. It builds off the Minnesota Gubernatorial E-Debate in 2006.

I do hope this Yahoo!/Huffington Post/Slate online debate goes well. We need more online efforts which force substantive interchange among candidates that also bring out the voices of citizens. If this was really a "debate" I would expect to see round one video responses followed by a second round where candidates choose who to respond to in detail (video, text, etc.). The Internet is the perfect medium for in-depth rebuttals with supporting links. That is why the E-Democracy.Org format requires rebuttals from candidates on a select number of major themes.

Online news expert Jeff Jarvis has blogged a couple zingers titled Poor Yahoo and The Yahoo Presidential Mushup. Other bloggers are weighing in as well.

What I like about this candidate "conversation" - the viewer can decide which candidates to view on specific issues and on the Yahoo site they are encouraging people to discuss the debate on their message boards.

What I don't like - questions don't appear to come from Internet users, the official discussion is in a walled garden that prohibits outside linking rather than encouraging, then aggregating a web 2.0 style voter conversation across the web (see my detailed proposal - PDF).

In the general election, there can be no exclusive online presidential debate BUT if we all work together we can create a web 2.0-savvy/fully syndicated/creative commons/open source style e-debate that is fundamentally interactive and inspirational to voters and unavoidable by the major candidates.

Steven Clift, DoWire.Org

P.S. I should note that when this press release came out last winter I blogged about this and I sent an e-mail to the contacts on the press release correcting the record and offering to share advice. I also e-mailed Charlie Rose who repeats the false "we're first" claim in their introduction video. Overstating their originality once, no big deal. But again and again. Come on folks - you all look smart enough to check your facts.

*** Democracies Online Newswire - http://DoWire.Org ***

Housing Authority gets tough

Housing Authority gets tough Housing Authority gets tough Says eviction after rent is month late is bid to oust troublemakers Saturday, September 15, 2007 By Rich Lord, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Felicia Frazier said she paid her rent. Frank O'Leary, the manager of the St. Clair Village public housing community where she lives, said she may have paid, but a month late.

District Judge Gene Ricciardi sat in his courtroom Wednesday, listening to their dueling accounts, and concluded that Ms. Frazier overpaid by $9 -- but since it came in 32 days late, she owed court costs of $119.

Zero tolerance policy BS surfaces again.

Life isn't binary.

People are not, sorry for the pun, "Black -- or -- White." Most people are some shade between.

What happens when you have round pegs and square holes? The zero tolerance policy is for brain dead leadership.

However, when looking at the numbers in the article, this might be more sizzle than steak. Evictions have declined.

This story seems to be about Goldilocks. It was too cold. Then it was too hot. Can the pressure be 'just right?' And, getting it right is going to be hard, day-in-day-out work. It is about meetings, follow-up, and community understandings.

Reactions welcomed.

What's going on Matt?

Pittsburgh has been called a breeding ground for trouble. Ouch.

Off The Record VII: Blogged to Death :: Byham Theater, Pittsburgh

What are the chances that this blog, Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates, is mentioned within the dialog this night?

Off The Record VII: Blogged to Death :: Byham Theater, Pittsburgh Presented by: Trust Guest Attraction Venue: Byham Theater Thursday, September 27, 2007, 8:00 PM Tickets: $60, $40, $20.

Journalists and performers satirize Pittsburgh news and newsmakers in comedy and song, with rebuttals from some satirized, to raise funds for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food bank.

I'm looking for some volunteers to do a literature drop at this event this night -- on the sidewalks. If you are going to go and can spare a few minutes, let me know. If you don't want to go, but can spare some time there, let me know.

Happy Software Freedom Day Today

Hope you have enjoyed a GREAT day as it is Software Freedom Day.

We need more open source models within our governmental solutions. If elected, we'll celebrate this day to a higher degree. Plus, I'll do everything possible to leverage open source and free software in all public and governmental efforts. For example, the security cameras that the mayor wants to put all around town should be 'open sourced.' Furthermore, the voting machines should be open source.

To celebrate the day, or the week, or the new era, go get and install and use OpenOffice.org, a replacement to Microsoft Office.



Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) can run on top of Windows providing extra user choice. The Firefox web browser and Open Office suite are popular examples. Firefox has over a quarter of the desktop browser market alone, to which other browsers such as Apple's add to make big competition for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. But the playing field is not level, hence the need for Software Freedom Day, user support, and publicity.

"The main issue is standards," says Richard Tindall, Software Freedom Day's Christchurch team leader. "Monopoly tactics in the PC software market undermine user choice by breaking standards," he says. "The end result is information blockage through proprietary formats and vendor lock-in." Working around these obstacles requires assistance, for less technical users. That kind of work is done on Software Freedom Day.

"But the situation is improving," says Tindall. He cites the New Zealand Government Web Standards and Recommendations of March 2007. These require crown and public agency adherence to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiatives, from 1 January 2008. "The FOSS user community is eager for inclusion via information presentation standards and browser compatibility," Tindall says.

A good example of the service neglect FOSS users suffer is to be found locally, at Environment Canterbury (Ecan). Ecan's online Metro Real Time Bus Info is not readable without MS Explorer. This means bus stop numbers cannot be extracted and therefore the bus locations can remain hidden to FOSS users, without their going to view the stops.

From signs

"Shutting out such a big proportion of potential bus use is no help to the environment," says Tindall. "The problem is sourced to Adobe not sticking to its own standard, for Scalable Vector Graphics" (SVG). "Adobe is discontinuing SVG support from 1 January 2008 too, coincidentally. So Ecan has a major upgrade of its web service ahead. We do recommend Ecan explore standards compliant software, and they could start by accepting this invitation to visit Software Freedom Day this weekend," Tindall concludes.

October 14th is World Standards Day, and New Zealand participation in that too is expected. Pittsburgh should be a leader in hosting efforts that call attention to World Standards Day too!

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles - AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL PEDUTO

My rant, blog posting and open letter to Bill Peduto that sprouted from last Saturday's AM radio talk show with Ron Morris was re-published within the TAE newsletter.

The American Entrepreneur - Newsletter Articles - AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL PEDUTO: "AN OPEN LETTER TO BILL PEDUTO When I was on the September 8 edition of TAE, Ron asked me, on the air, if I knew who was behind (supporting) Mark DeSantis? I said, 'Mr. Roddey.' He said, 'Bill Peduto.' Humm... 'If Bill Peduto is behind or supporting Mark DeSantis in the race for mayor in November 6, 2007, then it must be below the radar.'"

You can also read it on my blog:

http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2007/09/open-letter-to-bill-peduto-as-result-of.html

Camp Wellstone -- high quality campaign info

A three day camp for candidates and workers in the realm of politics kicked off this afternoon and evening at the D.U. campus. Folks from all around the nation are in Pittsburgh to learn about the Wellstone way of political action and organization.

I'm loving it.

Local participants include: Pat Clark, Tonya Payne, Tonya's sister, some Payne office and campaign crew, some Acorn folks, and David Tessitor. Others are from throughout the state: Erie, Harrisburg, Scranton and Philly.

People are here from Texas, Virginia, Maine, West Virginia, DC, Ohio, New Mexico, Minnestota (of course) and Indiana. I'm just going off the top of my head based on some of the people I've been able to chat with.

Stump speeches come into focus in the morning sessions.

This is a 'progressive' school and 'progressive approach.' I'll blog more with details and highlights as time allows -- and I don't expect it to be so generous.

Last night: ACLU docket review. Today starts the 3 day campaign course

Last night I attended a wonderful small group meeting in Shandyside to get an update from local ACLU leaders. The docket there has many interesting cases. Plus, I was able to stretch the conversation to cover the new push for cameras. Cameras to fight crime is sure to be a hot issue in Pittsburgh.

The same event happens next week at my church, Sunnyhill.org, in Mt. Lebo. See the Google calendar.

I encourage the ACLU to host more town-hall meetings. And, I'd love those meetings to happen on TalkShoe.com.

Today starts a three day campaign course at Duquesne University. This should be fun. Thanks Paul Wellstone. I'll blog about this experience as I'm able.

Dave Schuilenburg For Council - New Blog opened today for Leadership and True Change

New blog opens today: Dave 4 Council -- Dave Schuilenburg -- candidate for city council district 1.

Dave Schuilenburg For Council - New Leadership For True Change! Your tax dollars hard at work! Friday, September 14th, 2007.

It just opened. Help him whip it into shape fellow bloggers and political thinkers!

Pick one for a road trip

Baku, Azerbaijan;
Chicago, US;
Doha, Qatar;
Madrid, Spain;
Prague, Czech Republic;
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
Tokyo, Japan

Those are the cities that have put into the IOC to host the Olympic Games in 2016.

I've been to Japan, for a few hours. Nagano was more than okay as a host city, but recent. We nixed a trip to Brazil for next month. The airport scene there isn't good. But, there is some hope that the runways will be in order in a couple of years. We went to Prague -- a city that should be spelled Praha, as it is really called. Praha has a wonderful velvet revolution story to tell the world. And, for many periods it was a battle ground of civilizations. Qatar is not with much interest to me, except I think CMU has a branch campus there, right? Chicago is always a great place for a road trip. I met my wife when we both lived there. But the debt with the Olympics is too much for any American city to bear, sadly. So, I'm torn about that vote. Baku?

Where would your vote go for an Olympic road trip, and why?

I'm still on the fence, (photo above).

Special Headstone Placed On Late Mayor's Grave

kdka.com - Special Headstone Placed On Late Mayor's Grave: While their grief is private, the O'Connors say the gravesite has now become a public memorial.