Welcome Home Dave!

Hi Coach! Welcome home.

We'll have to get you and your wife new voter's registration forms soon. If you are going to return to Baldwin, you'll be able to vote for me in the special election for State Senate.

Merry Christmas

Hope you and yours have had been having a wonderful time at Christmas. Things are great in our home, but a bit slow on the blog. That's good news.

At our Christmas service lots of folks were asking me what I was going to do with myself now that Tom Murphy has said he wasn't going to run.

The short answer is to make sure that the next mayor isn't worse than the one we've had. And, frankly, that is a real concern. Twice in the past the Pittsburgh voters picked Tom Murphy over Bob O'Connor. Ever consider the option that Bob could have been worse?

Oh well, there will be plenty to do in 2005. And, it can wait for a few days.

Peace. Hope. Charity. And, stay warm.

Cleveland.com is kicking our high tech tails

cleveland.com: Weblogs
1. Taipei, Tawain
2. Spokane, Washington, USA
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
5. Mitaka, Japan
6. Pirai, Brazil
7. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
8. Tianjin, China
9. Singapore (1999 Intelligent Community of the Year)
10. Sunderland, U.K.
11. Long Island (Nassau & Suffolk Counties), NY, USA
12. Province of Ontario, Canada
13. Greater Cleveland and NE Ohio, USA
14. Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2002 Co-Recipient of the Intelligent Community of the Year)
15. Dublin, Ireland
16. Spanish Fork, Utah, USA
17. London, England, U.K.
18. Issy-les-Molineaux, France

Brief - Ink in the Trib about candidate for 42nd

PittsburghLIVE.com: South Side

Rauterkus seeking Wagner's empty post

Mark Rauterkus, 45, of the South Side, will run as a Libertarian Party candidate for the state Senate seat being vacated by Jack Wagner.

Rauterkus, a swimming coach, was nominated last week by the Allegheny County Libertarian Party as its candidate in the race to complete Wagner's term in the 42nd Senate District. Rauterkus ran unsuccessfully for Pittsburgh mayor as a Republican in 2001.

Wagner, a Democrat from Beechview, was elected state auditor general on Nov. 2 and is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 18. A successor will be chosen in a special election to fill the nearly two years remaining on Wagner's term, which expires at the end of 2006. The date of the special election will be set after Wagner resigns from the Senate post.

What's Tom Cox saying here?

Can someone please translate this for me?

Murphy's out - PittsburghLIVE.com: "'Over time, people will come to understand what happened here,' said Tom Cox, Murphy's top lieutenant. 'There is brick and mortar, if anybody will see it. The objective legacy is palpable.'"

Editorial: Board and coverage was hitched to Murphy

Editorial: Murphy's limit / Pittsburgh's mayor decides to call it a career: "In the city's hour of desperation, it was hard to find any good will toward Tom Murphy from suburban lawmakers, some Democrats included.

That, if nothing else, was a sign that Pittsburgh needed a new mayor.

Two weeks ago, this editorial board said as much and we also said that candidates with fresh perspective, even from the Republican Party in a city dominated by Democrats, should step forward with their plans for the future. Now that the incumbent has decided not to run, those ideas will get a more thorough airing."

My expression, said thousands of times has been: "Pittsburgh needs a new mayor more than I need to be mayor." Finally, the sign of needing a new mayor get home to those at the PG.

We'll see how the treatment goes to candidates with fresh perspectives. The double talk is obvious in the mention above. Why not just say that the editorial board will be open minded to candidates and don't rub the readers in the nose with the city dominated by Rebublicans swipe?

Thomas Baker for School Board

Tom is a candidate for school board. Site just launched. Go get em!

Thomas Baker for School Board: "I will provide parents and students within District 5 with electronic newsletters monthly so that they can remain in touch with what is taking place in the school district and provide direct feedback to their school board representative"

The Middlebury Declaration

Middlebury is very near and dear to our family. Our Cameron is there as a sophomore. And, the Palmer family has many ties to the school and community.
http://www.vermontrepublic.org/writings/middleburydeclaration.html

The Second Republic, Journal of Vermont Independence

Naylor on Vermont, George Bush and Secession, from the Vermont Cynic.

Vermont Independence Day Petition.

New Hampshire Free State Project

South Side Summer Street Spectacular STOPS

Local news is reporting the death of the SSSSS.

I thought we all knew that this event was toast.

Last year the event organizers were tickled because their event rose in the standings. The event became the third largest annual gathering in the city, up from forth. I think. The pulling the plug on the Regatta lifted the ranking. Big deal.

A possible replacement is the South Side Spring Sports Saturday! Pitt's spring football game could be played on a Saturday at South Vo Tech with a parade from the UPMC Sports Complex to the staduim, tailgates, and a big blending of campus and community.

Murphy won't run

Our marathon running mayor won't run in either the Pittsburgh Marathon -- cancelled due to a lack of funds -- nor the 2005 mayor's race. He said today, as he signed the 2005 budget, that he won't be running for mayor. Tom Murphy is finishing his third term.

I was wondering about the turnout to his Christmas Party this year. Generally it is a big festive afair on the North Side. Didn't hear a peep about it this season. But, I never get an invite so I might have missed it. Anyone know?

An upsdide to not holding a 2005 marathon is the embarasment avoidance. Lots of injuries, blown knees and ankles sprains are sure to be avoided along the course. The sum of the city's road re-paving budget enables a scant 4-miles of pavement coverage for the duration of 2005. That sad fact is part of the budget the mayor signed today as well.

The city is about to crumble. The capital budget for 2005 stands at $0. Most of the rec centers and swim pools are staying closed.

More people left Pittsburgh while Tom Murphy was mayor than voted for him to continue being our mayor.

Voice of the Region uses "Think Again"

A quarter page ad in today's trib, page A4, uses the expression, "Think Again."

Headline: Think Your Opinion Doesn't Matter? Think Again.
Help Chage our Region by Givein Us A Piece of Your Mind.

The campaign and web site is by Mampos Inc. in partnership with the Pgh Tribune Review.

http://www.voiceoftheregion.com.

These folks also did a lame undecided voters market research thing after one of the presidential debates. Only "undecided voters" were invited. Then they ran the discussion on the radio. I called it lame because all the candidates on the ballot were not in the debates. To build a case after only some of the evidence is presented is faulty. And, to build a decision with a flock of those who are wishy-washy by choice is sure to a cheap investment of one's time.

Gratis read on Linux from IBM about desktop migration

IBM released a new Redbook: Linux Client Migration Cookbook -- A Practical Planning and Implementation Guide for Migrating to Desktop Linux.
Among the most interesting topics which are focused on the desktop deployment and technology are the chapters about "Migration best practices" and "Desktop automation and scripting".

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg246380.html

Libertarian Party: Home Page

Libertarian Party: Home Page Libertarian to run for Pennsylvania Senate in special election.

http://lp.org/lpnews/0502/rauterkus.html

Phili wine friends: What are you doing New Year's Eve?

See the comments to learn what's up with singer, songwritter friend, Dave Nachmanoff.

DC's convention center lasted 22 years

Boom! Poof! Another churn and burn in 22-seconds. Film at 11.

DC got good ink and props for not blinking to the pressure from Major League Baseball. But, it gets a new parking lot on the site of its old as dirt convention center. Yep, the new one is already built. At least they didn't take down the one before the other was built.

Interesting sprawl fact: 20-new miles of roads for mall

Montour Record Robinson Planning Director Rick Urbano said the township will have to take over responsibility for 20 miles of new public roads connected to the Mall at Robinson.

Meanwhile, in the city, in 2005, we expect to be able to repave a total of four miles of roads. That's the extent of the paving budget.

West Allegheny Record reports on new park next to a school

West Allegheny Record One of the main focal points of the site will be the 1,000-seat amphitheater.

Parks such as this add value to the community and to the home owners. This seems to be a place for interactions, coaching, gatherings.

Meanwhile, some would like to remove the bandstand and stage from Point State Park.

River boss and overlord to vacate

Another one bites the dust.

River boss - PittsburghLIVE.com: "John G. Craig Jr., who stepped down as co-chair of the Riverlife Task Force, epitomizes the 'fatal conceit' of self-appointed leaders who presume to know what's best for everyone.

Some of the region's best and brightest citizens serve on the task force, formed in 1999 by the Murphy administration to create a 'grand, urban-scale park along the three rivers in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh.'

Craig, appointed by his good friend Mayor Murphy, gave voice to that fatal conceit when he told a reporter the task force was a sort of 'moral authority' over developers of projects along the rivers.

However, this former newspaper editor did not cite a source indicating who gave the organization that so-called moral authority, or how Craig even was qualified to determine or guide the proper use of anything. "

Murphy's mess

Murphy's mess by the biased Joseph Mistick

Should have blogged about this a week ago. We do need more perspective in these matters. But, Mistick's folly is part of the mess too. Murphy has put the pedal to the medal and drove the city over the brink. But, the funding for the corporate land speculation had already started. Oh well. Now we're all on the same side, I assume. But, I'm not going to assert much more than an assumption, yet.

Gambling & greed: Joined at the hip

Editorial from PittsburghLIVE.com