TAKE HEED! New CDC Virus Warning nationally and local rash warning follow-u

2 Political Junkies blog: New CDC Virus Warning. The Center for Disease Control has issued a warning about a new virulent strain of sexually transmitted disease. This disease is contracted through dangerous and high risk behavior. The disease is called Gonorrhea lecthim (pronounced 'gonna re-elect him').

Locally, we have another problem, a new rash that is sweeping Pittsburgh this winter and spring: gonna-not-elect-em-tri-fecta. Comes from hugging and a peck on the cheek from Bob O'Connor as he tries for his third run at the mayor's race.

Cure: Long, 3 to 5 minute embraces. Bear hug him like a clam and avoid the pain of hearing him speak on the issues. If he only hugged, we'd all be safe. So, don't let go.

PG coverage of O'Connor gears up for mayoral run.

Seriously, it was good to see Bob resign from the state position as there are ethical matters to deal with if he kept campaigning while on the job there. So he did do the right thing. But to have him say he is still considering the run is outlandish.

It was interesting to see Bob O'Connor outside of Heinz Field the night of the WPIAL football games. Bob was cheering for Central Catholic. Meanwhile, deals were being cut in the final hours in the legislature for Pittsburgh's bailout. Go team go.

I love Central Catholic too. Hope they win in Altoona and take states the next weekend. Central is to play a part in the position papers, Platform.For-Pgh.org. The school needs space for its own athletic complex. The city should help to make that happen. That's a priority that values the sandlots over stadiums.

Honest Wagner & being juiced on Roids puts clouds in the night sky

Honest WagnerA posting from a fellow burgh blogger covers some of the insights about the recent news of steroids in baseball.

Sports are games of time, space and relationship. Poor sports hurt one or all four of those factors. Great sports excel in them.

The relationships one has with yourself (health and wellness if not ambitions), your team, competitors, the game, its history are all to be judged, valued and managed.

We teach kids, and learn for ourselves, many lessons in these games. The big value comes in the transfers of those lessons to life beyond the game.

A star will shine less brightly if juiced on roids. And same too for the overall game. This is like clouds in the sky that are sure to darken the stars.

You gotta think again and get to the roots of what really matters. Then the decisions and judgements we make are based on principled understandings.

These are big society and culture questions. How we treat ourselves and our kids are going to matter. The hindge to prosperity and wellness is values. That talk exceeds money.

I think the talk is important. Keep it flowing. Share it, (all dimensions) with your kids too. We all have a lot to learn in these areas. And make Lyle Alzato part of the early lessons too.

Ta.
Mark Rauterkus
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com

Blog lookup story from AP

TechBits: Showtimes, blog lookup, music videos, holograms, electronic eye: "'Blog' is most-searched word in online dictionary
NEW YORK -- 'Blog' is now the most popular search word in the online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Its frequent lookup paralleled its growth on the political scene this year as keepers of Web logs aggressively chronicled campaign developments they thought were undercovered or ignored by traditional media.

Politics dominated Merriam-Webster's top-10 list, with 'incumbent,' 'electoral,' 'insurgent,' 'partisan,' 'sovereignty' and 'defenestration' among the top searches. Rounding out the list were 'hurricane,' 'cicada' and 'peloton,' the main body of riders in a bicycle race.

Last year was the first that the company kept a list of the top words looked up online. As with this year, the most popular words were frequently in the news.

Last year's winner was 'democracy.'

As for a blog, Merriam-Webster defines the noun as 'a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.'

The story above was by Ellen Simon, AP Technology Writer. My AP contact, Judy Lin, is no longer with Pittsburgh's AP office. I'm now pitching a story to M. Crissey about the 2nd Pittsburgh blog fest -- to happen Dec. 15. More news, I hope, very soon.

Dept. of Parks and Rec -- BIG LEAGUE members invited to an open discussion.

A form letter arrived to invite participants to an open discussion regarding the 2005 BIG League sports season. They are looking to create an advisory board and want input from the community. Citiparks Director asks that one person represent each athletic association at the meeting. Participation is voluntary. A volunteer committee will be set up to give athletic associations the opporutnity to have a positive impact on the future of youth sports in the City.

The meeting will be held at 7 pm on Thursday, December 16, 2004 at the South Side Market House.

www.leaguelineup.com/pghbig

412-488-8585 or
412-488-8580

From Joseph Defeo and Michelle Aul

The BIG League program has been axed. Gone. There was a day when a handful of full time employees and a number of part time staffers helped organize the sports leagues in the city. Kiss em good bye.

I was involved in the Aquatics Task Force in past years. Such a joke. We used to have 32 outdoor swim pools. Now we'll be looking at 12. But, there is $0 in the capital budget. So, if one pool needs a pump or a new fence -- I doubt it will happen. These places have been held together by band-aids for years. Neglect has been the rule. What do they say about making chicken soup without a chicken?

We need a new Pittsburgh Park District. We need some leadership coordination and training. We need some peer review. Time will tell.

Put one of these under your kid's Christmas tree, a domain name.

Resign Tom Murphy

A guy I know wrote to me (and I think a similar email went to Doug Shields as well):

Resign Tom Murphy

Step down. Your time ruining this City is over. I hope they stick to their votes. I would rather pay the $200 more per year so we can insure that our mayor leaves a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

Start-up dot com movie tonight with mixer and Ron Morris

Good event slated tonight at DU:
http://americanentrepreneur.net/sub_index22.asp

Changes at RCAC.net and their holiday party

See the comments for a message from the County GOP chair. Mike and Mike are moving on and women county executive director returns to take over. Their party is at Sports Rock too.

Chess invites for kids. Its often all about playing well with others. Great lessons must be taught.

Source: Jerry Meyers, Chessmaster, Western PA Youth Chess / Pittsburgh Chess Club

Your children are invited to participate in the Tri-State Junior Chess Championship, which will be held on Saturday, December 18 at Carnegie Mellon
University. This event is intended as the championship for PA, Ohio, and West Virginia. Usually attendance runs between 250 to 400 kids.

Many newcomers ask if their child is ready and why they should encourage their child to play chess.

If your child can play a full game without help and carry out simple checkmates, they can play in a tournament. I firmly believe chess is good for kids. It focuses them, helps with their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and even helps teach some lessons about being better winners and more gracious losers. If your child has never tried a tournament before, why not discuss it with them. Chess will give them a chance to exercise their brain, and our tournament will provide a positive atmosphere. Our message to your kids will be "Win or lose, if you do your best, You are a Winner!"

Children of different ages and ability levels are placed in different sections. For instance, there is a Grade K to 2 Beginner section, Grade 3 & 4 Beginner section, etc, as well as numerous sections divided by ratings. Different sections allow them to play others of similar ability and still have a chance to win some games or even a ribbon or trophy.

Full details, and a registration form.

You can also look up your child's current rating on the website and look at the "Honor Roll," which shows the top 15 rated kids in each grade.

Entries are accepted until the day before the tournament. However, if you mail your entry by next Saturday, December 4, you will save $5 by avoiding the late fee.

For those who are interested, there is also information on the website about our next set of Sunday chess classes at the Pittsburgh Chess Club. Those classes will begin on Jan 9. Beginners and Advanced Beginners meet from 2:30-3:30 and Intermediate players meet from 1-2pm. Cost is $35 for 6 weeks. There is also a class for Advanced students on Monday nights, starting January 10. Details.

Lastly, I would like to mention that there are 3 spots remaining for my Chess Camp from Dec 27 to 31 for players rated roughly 700 to 1000. Details on the website.

Thank you for your consideration. I hope your children are enjoying chess.

Closed for good

The Station Square nightclub, Chancey's, is closed for good now. The one attorney said that the sting and shut down was like shooting a wounded animal. The owners had a plan and it was due to close in early January.

Perhaps we should hold the 2nd blog fest there? (joking)

Cascade of closings:
1. The curfew center.
2. Chauncey's.
3. The roller rink in Forest Hills.

Some in the community might be itching for a good fight -- or a hockey game.

Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Stanford

Three great educational institutions gave football coaches the pink slips. Notre Dame's student athletes are to vote about NOT going to the Insight.com bowl game. That's interesting too.

Row office reform and Dan O on Bowyer

Our Chief Executive, Dan Onorato, was on the Jerry Bowyer show and spoke about his bill on row office reform. The bill is presently in committee and should surface to a vote soon. Until the vote on council, we're not sure where the people stand. This vote, by the way, only gets the question to change the row office onto the ballot.

Dan's is a 10-to-2 plan. We end up with two row offices. This is the next logical discussion. The second step in home rule is here. Home rule -- there is an interesting point that gets kicked around in the city. We don't have home rule when we have two oversight boards. So, we've swapped out row offices for oversight boards and Over Lords.

The so-called machine, so says Dan, is something that makes him chuckle. He said, "I don't know how much machine is left." We'll find out.

"A lot of those things are from a prior era. It really does not exist. Most of these jobs are civil service jobs. You can't bring in your friends. Merit hiring is in place."

Today's machine is around, but not in the employee ranks. However, the machine is in the funding, campaign ranks in terms of donations to campaigns. The machine is in place in terms of the media coverage too, I expect.

Running from duties! Wear these 'sneakers' -- sneakers.

If you are going to recess and run from duties, might as well be prepared with nice shoes. Sneakers are also good to play upon the lack of soul.

Throwing an anvil to a sinking swimmer

Recess!

Oh my gosh. I was always good at recess. Gym class and firedrills were other favorite classes of mine. Plus music too.

The city council at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004, pulled out a rule to recess its meeting. Only the chair can end the recess. Now we wait. Closed door meetings are to happen again, perhaps?

If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about -- join the rank-and-file club. We all don't know for sure, sadly.

The Act 47 vote to switch out the ordinances was about to go down. The 5-4 vote from the summer was about to be a 4-5 vote.

I went to speak before city council today and I asked for "self-reliance." Rather, when the going go tough, they ran and hid. Gene Ricciardi asked for the recess. He holds the gavel. So now, the citizens wait. The workers wait. The tax hikes are looming larger.

Carpenters rally on Friday with Anne Feeney

Invite from a friend:

Rally at the Carpenters' Hall this Friday evening, 12/03/04. All are welcome.

CARPENTERS AND FRIENDS,
Please join us for a show of SOLIDARITY with ANNE FEENEY, INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED UNION LABOR SONGWRITER AND PERFORMER.

At 7 to 9:00 pm, Friday December 3, 2004 at the Carpenters' Hall, 3rd floor, 495 Mansfield Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15205

Nationality rooms at the Cathedral host holiday open house, Dec 5

I'll be at a birthday party for a special 6-year old, but you might check it out. We could put some holly on the sign, Fire Mayor Murphy.

The University of Pittsburgh's Nationality Rooms are traditional classrooms created from 1938 to 2000. Rooms, including Irish, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, and 22 more, are decorated in holiday style traditional to each culture, and truly are magical for the young and old alike. The Holiday Open House is Sunday, December 5, from noon to 4; food, crafts, and tours will be offered by guides in ethnic dress.

Transportation blog needs a dozen worthy volunteers and contributors

This current events blog outsources chatter on transportation to a sister blog, http://Ratsburgh.blogspot.com. The issue of transportation stretches from roads, potholes, river-traffic, light-rail extension, PAT's doomsday budgets, Mon Valley Toll Road and bikeways, to name a few.

We need a number of others willing to chime in on these matters, posting pointers and insights, at that blog. Interested? Willing?

Seems as if the special session to the legislature called for by both Jake Wheatly and Don Walko isn't happening in 2004. Snip from the New Pgh Courier:

Steve Mishkin, spokesman for House leader Sam Smith, R-Punxutawney, said the session is over and the governor is to blame.

“The administration would not do a supplemental, they wanted permanent taxes and fees as a temporary fix,” he said. “The governor can use surplus Intergovernmental Transfer Funds to tide PAT and SEPTA over. There’s $250 million right there and he doesn’t need legislative approval.”

In a letter sent to Rendell Nov. 12, Smith noted the legislature held off on discussing transit funding at Rendell’s request until an audit of SEPTA and PAT was completed. “Having just indicated (Nov. 22) that you received the final audit report Nov. 12, I am concerned that it has not been shared with either the House or Senate Transportation committees, or leadership as far as I know,” said Smith. “This information may have been helpful as we sought to reach an agreement on temporary funding for public transportation.”

Smith said he remains committed to working on further dedicated funding for mass transit early in the next session and urged Rendell to use the funds at his disposal, which he would have to do anyway since his proposed taxes would not yet be available.

“If using any of these funds truly creates a secondary problem, I propose we consider any transfer as a loan, which can be subsequently addressed during the general budget process,” he said.

PAT spokesperson Judy McNeil said the staff is assembling its public comment report for the board of directors and has put the process in motion to increase fares, cut service and layoff 500 employees by March.

“With nothing happening in Harrisburg, there is not enough we can do administratively to close a $30 million budget deficit,” she said. “On (Nov. 21) SEPTA sent out 1,400 pink slips. So it’s pretty gloomy around here.”

Too many secrets, closed door meetings and double-dealings

Rendell's double-dealing by the Trib's Brad Bumsted: It was one more public relations nightmare for Gov. Ed Rendell. ... Rendell had a secret plan for a commuter income tax.

Only with the legislature's blessing could a commuter income tax be pursued. But the legislature won't bless anything Tom Murphy champions. This plan wasn't solid for the city nor the region. But even if Murphy had figured out how to cure cancer, The Murphy/Rendell/O'Connor plan would not get a reception in Harrisburg.

It's obvious that Rendell and/or the Murphy administration were angling for a loophole in the law. These guys try to wiggle past the letter of the law. And, at the other end of the spectrum are others who would rather value the spirit of the law and do the best things on the basis of a higher calling.

House members insisted on the provision because they don't trust Rendell. (And Tom Murphy too.)

A disaster for Rendell is that his credibility - and his top staff's - was already damaged in negotiations with legislative leaders during the final weekend of the session. Senate Republicans aren't sure how they can deal with Rendell in the future based on how he botched things with what they say was a disorganized agenda with shifting priorities.

Rendell and Tom Murphy are good together. They broke campaign laws together. They spin each other's lies together. A special on the city cable tv shows Rendell giving a big check to the city and Rendell says how he is unaware of anyone in the city raising the white flag and leaving. None. I don't know how he can say that with a straight face.
Stephen MacNett, counsel for Senate Republicans, said he hadn't seen such a poor effort since the tail end of Democrat Gov. Milton Shapp's administration (1971-79.) He called it "a shameful performance by the front office."

Speaking of Comcast, Rendell was demanding a huge annual tax break for cable giant Comcast in Philadelphia.

The flap over the conference call was an example of "what we've been dealing with. He (Rendell) says one thing, then he's running around doing something else.

Does this slogan work for you?

Could it be more clear? Comments welcomed.

Senior Showcase Night -- a western PA tradition

Seniors talk here is not about blue-hair bingo players. Rather high school seniors who want to scramble for a football scholarship for college.

This outfit, www.akrecruiting.com, of which I know nothing, is holding a Senior Showcase Night on December 7 at the Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena (up Rt. 28). More info contact AK at 724-826+1331 or email - akrect at salsgiver dot com.

Swimming is so simple next to football.

Saw DU's head football coach at the All-Star game at Cupples today. By the way, the city kids scored 44 points and the north team (mostly from the burbs but also included North Catholic) had zero. I don't think that the scoreboard was broken, but it is very old. (Snicker as to the scoreboard's age.)