Boosterism and looking up to see the curb

The email today from the Allegheny Conference, a bumbling group that causes harm to the region, had an interesting quote:

"Things don't go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and
give up. They happen to break you down and build you up, so you can be all you were intended to be." (Charles Jones)

Is that the new slogan for the region? No, it's just a simple quote in an email. However, I wonder if that is that how they explain the circle in East Liberty or any of a number of other flops here?

We can't give politicians free passes. Nor should we give the free pass to various organizations that have been the cause of big fumbles.

Audio of Jim Carmine

Index of Jim's clips

In 2000 and 2001, I ran for Mayor, City of Pittsburgh. In that effort, I came to meet James Carmine, Ph.D., a loyal opponent. I lost the GOP primary to Carmine and then worked as his 'webmaster' for the general election. Without saying too much about those times here, let me re-introduce some audio snips from that period. I recorded these clips.

Let me know if they play for you. Leave comments below.

Crashing the Parties, 10 pm Wed. QED

WQED, a public tv station that has been the subject of some criticism, is slated to air an interesting PBS primetime special Crashing The Parties 2004 from 10 to 11 pm this Wednesday.

The program challenges the conventional notion that third parties are "spoilers" with no constructive role in the process. It is to showcase the candidates and their political platforms.

Who wants to host a documentary screening house party?

This special gives voters a behind-the-scenes look at third party campaigns and conventions in the 2004 presidential race, showcasing the serious political alternatives to the Democrats and Republicans. The one-hour program focuses on four major third party/independent bids:

Libertarian Party (Michael Badnarik),

Green Party (David Cobb),

Constitution Party (Michael Peroutka).

Ralph Nader, and in addition,

other candidates' bids for their party's nomination are featured, such as Libertarians Gary Nolan and Aaron Russo.

My advance hunch is that the coverage of others who are NOT on the ballot is just to discredit the entire show. Why cover the others? Edit!

In most markets, "Crashing" debuts the evening before the first Bush-Kerry debate - showing PBS viewers the candidates who were shut out of the presidential debates. In a few cities such as Boston, the third party documentary is the lead-in program for the Bush-Kerry showdown on Sept. 30.

WASHINGTON POST LIVE WEBCHAT ON 3rd PARTIES & INDEPENDENTS!

On Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 1 p.m., PBS filmmakers Peter Koziell and Darren Garnick will be participating in a live Web chat about the making of "Crashing The Parties 2004" sponsored by The Washington Post. Join in the conversation during your lunchbreak! For more information, visit: www.washingtonpost.com and scroll to the bottom of the page for the "Live On-Line" links. Questions can be submitted earlier that day.

SEND "CRASHING" FEEDBACK TO PBS!

If you find the themes, scenes or commentary from "Crashing The Parties 2004" to be compelling, please consider sharing your thoughts with both your local PBS station and the PBS national network. The stations are always eager to hear from "viewers like you."

Sandy Heberer
PBS Programming
1320 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA 22314

And, contact QED directly.

The filmakers also appreciate feedback, crashingpbs@awardprod.com

Parenting woes or infrastructure issues

Its fixed! A new sewer cover and sidewalk has arrived. The city did its job, and cut down the three trees. The building owner did the sidewalk with cement contractors on Sept. 25. The saga started in early August. Not many drunks fell into the open hole.


Conventional wisdom says "bad parenting." However, I'm wondering if it is bad city infrastructure? Our children are falling between the cracks here. And, it takes little effort to get the right type of street treatments to prevent these types of accidents.

Notice that the storm gutter's slots are not the full length, but they do go in the direction of traffic. Bike riders have trouble with street coverings that have larger spaces as wheels get caught, flipping the rider. Inline skaters are sure to have issues. Many street treatments in Pittsburgh are bad for all sorts of reason.

Pittsburgh makes continual, classic mistakes and frustrates up the opportunities care for our kids. Pittsburgh makes parenting much more of a chore.



Seniors and children, yet alone drunks and little ducklings could get lost, hurt and perhaps wealthy by visiting our streets in Pittsburgh.

See the comment to learn more of a road study by the city. Sadly, these roads get attention every four years. An election is due next spring, so the Grant Street gang is making a list and will check it twice this fall so as to get the most votes.

$38 million in grants from Fast Eddie

City Life, a show of the Pgh Cable Television Breau, getting its plug pulled, perhaps, is due for a hand-slap if not a good freeze out.

On a show, Gov Rendell said, "Not one person, not one business, not one organization, has run up the white flag and said that they've had it with Pittsburgh."

He means to point out that those that are here are not giving up. In a way, he is good to say that there are lots of people who still care. Some of us are "fighters" and we'll be in the good fight for the long haul.

However, our Gov is just flat out wrong. Many have quit on Pittsburgh. Many have left. Many more are leaving in the future.

More people departed Pittsburgh since Tom Murphy has been mayor than voted for him to continue being our mayor in 2001.

The outward migration is massive. Those people are voting with their feet. Those people want to be more free. Those people have been frustrated with the city.

Today I talked to a guy working on a new sidewalk next door. He won't live not only in the city -- hell no -- but not even in the county. He'd rather live in Armstrong County. He gave up. He waved the white flag. He isn't going to post on this blog. He isn't going to write a letter to the Governor. He is going to go about his work and life -- and make it elsewhere as much as possible.

The other kick in the teeth from the city cable television department is the fact that these boosterism shows run on our cable. This isn't about public service -- but it is about being elected again and pushing PR.

Erik's homework with photos of landforms

I've set up my sons with their own blogs. See gRauterkus or eRauterkus for Grant and Erik. In due time, home pages. For now, I'll just pepper this space with some of their works.

Homework: Make a dictionary of various landforms. So, with my wife's help, my photos and uploads, Erik made a booklet that shows the various landforms, all from our travels in the past months.

See the presentation of 11 slides on the web with html pages:
http://65.254.51.42/~player/content/academics/erik/landforms/web/img0.html

Same presentation in a single PDF file (189 k):
http://65.254.51.42/~player/content/academics/erik/landforms/dictionary.pdf

What is a "Paladin?"

Pitt played the Furman Paladins at Heinz Field. After smacking Pitt around the field for three quarters, it is safe to assume this Division I-AA school won't be a guest again. Great game! Pitt did win in overtime.

Library -- still searching for TRFN and Wirless

PG: Main library articleAnne Candreva, director of information technology at the Carnegie Library, unveils the marquee near the library's entrance, ...

Animated messages are fine, but I'm still looking for TRFN and Wireless

The Oakland branch should be wireless. The Beehive, a South Side coffee shop, is now with free wireless. So, the library spend a hefty sum to modernize -- and we get signs that blink.

The real potential isn't in the bricks and mortar. Sure, some people don't leave the first floor. But many more don't even make it to the doors. The services of the Three Rivers Free Net made for great outreach. Those services are missed. Those services stopped just as the planning for the new expresso bar began.

If you are lost, there is nothing like Google or Ask Jeeves.

A Zillion .... excuses

By next year, Candreva said, the library may be wireless, but that is a major task because the building is chock full of steel, necessitating the placement of 'just a zillion' hidden antennas.

We don't need every inch of the library to be wireless. How about five antennas. Put one right on top of the pastry display.

Can't wait to go to the quiet reading room that features no computers. Perhaps a page was taken from the Parks Conservancy. Let's advance with a Highland Park rebuild a fountain and entry way that was just like it was in 1900. Same too with the library. Get rid of those nasty computers here. Too much noise.

No doubt that the library re-make was a lot of work and effort from all involved. However, here we go again with a "massive" remake instead of an evolution. Do something every year or two. In terms of overall facilities, little or nothing has been done since a few wheelchair ramps were installed -- other than the start-up of the internet and the killing of a wildly popular and necessary TRFN.

When the first planning meeting was held on the South Side to talk about its library face lift someone asked, "What about the books. Are we getting new books?" Sadly, this whole exercise is about bricks and mortar -- and there won't be an impact with the books. Without new parking, without new books -- some dare to ask, "why?"

South Pittsburgh Reporter - Carnegie begins planning stages for South Side Library

Summary:

The overall theme for finding the solutions for Pittsburgh is much more about software and programming and much less about hardware and buildings. The process and the software outcomes are where we need to put our creativity, energy and investments. Think again. The "build-it and they will come" mentality isn't the desired pathway for me in our quest for vibrant community.

Mergers talk spreads to school districts

PG (cont): "Murphy lamented that the idea of merging some or all of the county's 43 school districts rarely comes up for discussion.

I've talked about mergers of school districts, plenty. Wilkinsburg, Sto Rox, and even Woodland Hills' history is on my radar.

However, the A+ Schools group, and the Mayor's Commission on Public Education -- group that Tom Murphy had a had in forming -- FUMBLE constantly. They are absent. They don't have open meetings. They don't publish minutes. They don't invite outside voices who have knocked repeatedly at their doors. They blacklist. They operate just as Tom Murphy does.

Furthermore, until 2000, schools were a topic that was without even a breath of Tom Murphy's concern. He avoided all interactions and comments about schools at every turn. The people at Pittsburgh Public Schools knew Tom Murphy and Tom Cox only when they would rush to them for a TIF (tax favor for some hair-brained corporate welfare scheme).

Then in 2000 and 2001, my campaign for Mayor and that of James Carmine, Ph.D., professor who teaches many teachers, talked long and hard about schools. That can of worms got plenty of shaking from us then and it was an area that was totally foreign to Tom Murphy and Grant Street.

We need to put schools and districts and mergers and re-organizations into the discussions. Bring it on. Start by insisting that A+ Schools (an on-going front organization) meet with me and begin to address my long-list of serious concerns.

Ex-Gov. Thornburgh assails 'dysfunctional' system

Ex-Gov. Thornburgh calls for mergers of towns: " tackle the region's problem of municipal-government fragmentation."

I assail dysfunctional leaders. The system isn't broken. The ones with the controls are dysfunctional.

Let's attack solution fragmentation from dysfunctional thought and leadership.

Thornburgh is giving a free pass to the elected leaders. Thornburgh is clueless as to what happens in Pittsburgh. If Thornburgh had the same view as city residents, he'd change his tune. That's my 'free pass' to him.

Dear ex-Gov: The ways of Pittsburgh and the characters involved here in these times are unlike the public servents in other parts of this great land. Selfishness, corruption and lack of cooperation is pervasive. You can't force these leaders to cooperate, This crew in Pittsburgh can't even agree among departments to hold meetings. We must first force them out of office. Then new people can begin to correct the situations. We must get our own house in order first. Then new deals of cooperation could be struck with a keen sense of democracy throughout. But, first things first. The worst of all outcomes would occur if we began to merge towns to enable the bumbling, bankrupt, and hopeless leaders with more power and influence.

The oversight board came to Pittsburgh, with another group (Act 47) no less, to take away power from the mayor and city council. Now if I read between the lines of your statements -- or perhaps the coverage of those statements -- one could ponder your intent to mean you'd like OVERSIGHT BOARDS and AUTHORITIES to come into power by merging towns. That possibility is Un-American and not to be tolerated.

City Cable TV bureau may be saved

Headline should be: TV bureau still slated for closing.

PittsburghLIVE.com: "County Council President Rich Fitzgerald said council has just begun looking into the feasibility of getting council meetings on the air....

County Councilman Vince Gastgeb, who also has been working on the broadcast project, believes the county is 'behind the times' because it does not broadcast its meetings. "

Jeepers guys, let's get with it. Here we go again as the leaders are not leading. They do too little too late. This rumor of a cut in the city cable bureau has been around since it was part of a mid-summer play by the mayor.

The one thing Pittsburgh does NOT need is more "done deal thinking" and "less light."

We need to watch these meetings and the actions of the elected with more awareness. Turn the lights on, more brightly. Meanwhile, some like to scury in the cover of darkness. Mayor Murphy does NOT want to be accountable and visible. Mayor Murphy does not want to be blasted for not meeting with City Council Members for months at a time. Mayor Murphy does not want to hear about the rats the size of lapdogs after he fired the rodent control crew.

Ripple from the blast about the new "PHONY" ink

As I reach out via email, (often called an email blast) a number of interesting ripples appear. See the comments.

Phony Budgets and Current Events - archived of my blast email, 412-public-remarks, to more than 8,000 contacts on Wed. Sept. 22, 2004.

No We-Hav

We have no We-Have!

Finally, the fight ends with victory! City Council voted to NUKE the bogus We-Hav in September. I guess the mayor didn't veto it. A notice arrived from the city clerk.

Citizens of Pittsburgh's West End areas made a great showing at a public hearing on July 7, 2004. Sadly, a cable broadcasting and rebroadcasting of the hearing was not ordered by city council in July.

Shamefully, the We-Hav organizers had a provision in their by-laws that their board meetings are NOT OPEN to visitors and the public. Unreal.

The termination of the We-Have program, called by a petition of more than 4,000 home owners, is slated NOW for September 1. It was pushed off the agenda in mid-July by Council President.

Those on city council SHOULD vote to terminate the undemocratic (small "d") program.

The City Clerk said she understood this to be so that the Councilmembers (4) who were not at the Hearing, the Solicitor and the Administration study the transcripts.

The first vote was delayed for the weeks of the summer recess by City Council. Action is expected to occur at the Sept. 1, 2004 meeting.

www.pauljsentner.com/no_wehav/

Bluff Overflows with Vikings and Indians

Good "Quad A' football was played at D.U.'s stadium on the bluff as Central Catholic hosted Penn Hills Friday night. Nice game, nice venue -- but a bad fit.

The game should have been played at Heinz Field. There were too many fans in a space much too tight.

Central Catholic should have its own stadium / field. Same too for North Catholic. When I'm mayor, we'll talk. But, this is not to ignore Schenley, Peabody, Perry, The Dice, Carrick, Langley and Westinghose. I don't see why we don't play some high school football at PNC Park in October and November. They used to play Steelers and Pitt football games in Forbes Field.

A band festival, hosted by Central Catholic, is slated for the morning of Saturday, Sept. 25 at South High School (South Side at 9th Street and East Carson). Go bands!

Transit Rally and Protest in Harrisburg, Oct 5, 2004

Here is another nail in the coffin of Pittsburgh, the Port Authority's proposed, massive, service cuts on nights and weekends. More public hearings and committee meetings are slated. But come to Harrisburg on Oct 5.

Public transit is a youth issue. More transit talk at http://Ratsburgh.blogspot.com

Bus trip had some room for more. Cost is $15 per seat or what ever you can give. If you are in a tight spot right now don't let that stop you from going on this trip. Three Rivers Community Foundation is helping. Call Steve D. at 412-361-3022 to get on the bus and then all you got to do is SHOW UP.

DEPART: 7am from 4th Avenue and Ross Street downtown

ARRIVE: State Capitol around 11am

STUFF: Rally with folks from PA from 11 to noon in the rotunda.

DEPART: 4 pm, and exit Capitol by 3:30.

ARRIVE: 8 pm.

Next meeting

Wed, Oct 6 @ 6:30 PM. UCP Association, Neville Street at Centre Avenue. Time is running out for these bills. There is no guarantee that they will pass before the session ends. If they don't we
(those of us who ride on weekends or at night) are in deep trouble.

Celebrating a Near Giant

The last black tie event I attended was, humm. I shouldn't even say that. The last time I wore a tux was at my wedding.

This photo is from Sept. 23, 2004 at Dr. Bluestone's celebration. I'm not calling it a retirement. Here I am with another guest (not Dr. Bluestone). More on our interactions later. His statements are most interesting, and I hope to cover them in great detail beyond the blog.

But for now, who does he look like to you? Can you tell where he is from?

Cheers to Dr. Bluestone and all the amazing people he has helped as both patients and professionals!

Candidate Under Fire

A women in the south, a Pitt Law School grad, and a candidate for judge might need some "home-town cooking."

Rachel Lea Hunter, Go,Go, Go!

The University of Pittsburgh has come front and center recently. Rachel's opponents are considering Pitt to be a subpar school by saying that her graduating in the top third of her class in law school meant that she probably couldn't get into a 'prestigous' institution such as Duke.

Opposition Says

"Her web site says that she graduated in the top third of her class at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. That's respectable, but hardly impressive for a Supreme Court justice. The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is ranked about 50th among law schools. Duke is ranked about 10th. She probably would not have been in the top half of her class if she had been at Duke (if she were even admitted)."

Rachel's web site www.rachelforcourt.com has more. It's getting interesting in NC. More on the attack from NC Rumors.com

Statement supporting college students and professors - http://www.rachelforcourt.com/

In the past, Rachel's campaign manager, Cameron DeJong, wrote (in part):

Anything that you can do to promote Rachel's campaign on the web is greatly appreciated. We need all the help we can get as we are not depending on the 'establishment' to get us through this one.

I think it is time for Pittsburgh folks and Pitt folks to get moving. Send notes to your friends in NC. Send letters to the editor there. Put up links to her site on our sites.

Black Tie

Catherine and I on our deck before a "black-tie function." I had not worn a "black tie" for more than a decade.


Mingle with guests from Australia. This researcher uses sports and communications in interesting ways down-under.

Pittsburgh Commuter Tax: Bad Idea

http://www.alleghenyinstitute.org/briefs/vol4no36.pdf

One one hand, the Mayor puts forth a "phony" budget. One the other, City Council President, Gene Ricciardi, has asked the Mayor to cut to the chase and push now for the "commuter tax."

The commuter earned income tax is a wrongheaded strategy that is unlikely to bring about the desired results. First, this is a tax paid mostly by city residents. Next, the tax can't fetch money for the city from those who live elsewhere if they have to pay elsewhere. In all, 28,609 commuters from twelve communities would pay no commuter tax.

Moreover, a many home rule communities (with 19,231 commuters) can raise their home rates and lower property taxes so as to nullify any gains to Pittsburgh.

See the report has the details. Thanks Jake.

Rally for those who need MENTAL RETARDATION SERVICES

Call Kathy at ACHIEVA: 412 995-5000 X 509.

PA Self Advocates & Families United to End the Wait are to rally to demand that the Rendell Administration END THE WAIT FOR THOSE WHO NEED at 1:30 on October 19, 2004 at the Capitol Rotunda, in Harrisburg.

Hundreds of individuals waiting for services and their families will descend on the State Capitol to inform Governor Rendell that new funds are needed in the community MR system and that the Governor's budget proposal due in February 2005 MUST include the following:

Sufficient funds to end the "Emergency" Waiting List

sustain the community services already in place

The 2,102 on the "Emergency" Waiting List are desperately counting on our success. More than 20,230 people are waiting overall. The Mental Retardation community system received one 2% increase in three years. Community-based services are being starved.

Contact your Legislator and set up a meeting with them prior to the Rally. Thank them for passing the last budget which included funds to support 475 people on the Waiting List and for passing the 2% Cost of Living Adjustment. Ask them for their continued support to seek adequate funding and ask them also to encourage the Rendell Administration to fund this need.

Buses and vans will be available for the rally. General Information on the PA Waiting List Campaign 1-877-372-WAIT. Southwest Region, Barb Telhorster (The Arc of Indiana County) 1-724-349-8230. Thanks to the PA Self Advocates & Families United to End the Wait!