Shreveport Times quotes Tom Murphy, "don't give it away." (ugh!)

Regionalism... Humm. In Pittsburgh, we've got too many cooks to spoil the soup. Yet Murphy was here!

The Shreveport Times A regional approach to economic development — rather than separate groups — can lead to greater prosperity in this region, according to the results of a study released today.

The five-day panel study was conducted recently by Urban Land Institute Advisory Services with the Northwest Louisiana Association of Realtors. The panel included experts in real estate, urban planning, economics, residential development, construction, economic development and municipal government from across the country.

The panel recommended preserving and exploiting area natural resources, beginning with Red River.

Older neighborhoods bordering Shreveport and Bossier City downtowns could then be clustered with growing art and culture offerings, as well as mixed-use zoning, to produce residential-retail-cultural urban villages, according to panelist Zane Segel, a Houston-based developer, marketing consultant and real estate broker.

“The beauty of the region is what you’re proudest of,” panelist and former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy told about 100 gathered at the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce this morning to hear the results.

“It’s a tourist attraction, a community value and a regional asset. Don’t give it away.”

Also under the prescribed master plan, as the region would grow, it should take steps to ensure educational and economic parity so all of its members could benefit together.

The final report will be completed and finished in a couple of months, said Leigh Ferguson, director of Urban Living and executive vice president of Sloss Real Estate Group in Birmingham, Ala., who guided the panelists in their charge. The next stage, he added, would be to enroll the region’s grass-roots stakeholders into forming a committee to weigh the panel’s suggestions and ultimately implement them.
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I'm scratching my head. What if you're most proud of your diversity. Then do you need to have a regional approach?

New Orleans is a city of diversity. Well, it used to be.

Then there is the 'don't give it away' quote. It was printed without attribution, but I think it might have come from Tom Murphy. ??? That's what I've been saying with this expression of 'picking our cherries.' Some in Pittsburgh are happy to give away our most valued assets in terms of tax breaks. I don't want tax breaks for downtown -- because downtown is a place where we should be proud.

Perhaps the Steelers are our proudest institution -- so we give them a stadium and this year upgrade it with more public funds to put in 700 seats. But, we are not to give it away? Say what?

Today we learn that the Library Report is out and really, it is the library that is our most valued asset for the community. But you can get books and computer time at the library for free. They give it away.

In the end, I think we need to be most proud and most protective our two very important things. On a macro level, we need to be certain to extend and defend our freedom. On a micro level, we need to be most proud of our children, our families, and perhaps our kids friends if not their peers and the next generations.

If those are what make drives us -- Freedom and Future (as in kids) -- then I think it makes sense to figure out if they are extended with 'central planning' and a 'regional approach.'

Being flexible seems to work better when it comes to families and individuals.
Give of ourselves to the young.

I like to talk about a system where there is a 'framework for freedom' -- and that generally means we don't do a regional approach.

Finally, I do agree that you need to 'give it away' -- as in our freedom. The comment about the asset, 'don't give it away' stinks when you talk about these values.

You can't put freedom in a bottle. You can't put freedom in a fence and protect it like a lump of coal. You can't guard that asset and NOT give it away and still have it. Freedom, by its very nature, needs to be given away. The more you give, the more you get. Freedom and love work that way. This is a bit of a self-less passion.

And the same holds true with our kids. We raise them, we teach them well, we are devoted to them -- but we don't own the kids. We can't control the kids. We need to set the kids free too. They grow up. They move out. They are set free to make the world theirs -- shape the world -- and with some preparation, make it FREE for their kids yet to come.

Pittsburgh is a place where we raise our kids, create community, celebrate freedom, and give of ourselves to those around us who we trust and respect. The assumption and hope is to trust and respect authority and everyone, in these parts.

Wiki Woes for U.S. Politicians

Main Page - PittsburghPlatform My Platform Wiki site, now reads, this page has been accessed 75,920 times. On the 16th of the month, it was 69,077 times. The front page of the platform wiki is getting more than 500 hits per day.

Source: http://www.politicsonline.com/

A Georgia gubernatorial candidate accepted the resignation of her campaign manager Wednesday after he was accused of changing the online Wikipedia biography of an opponent in the upcoming Democratic primary.

Secretary of State Cathy Cox's opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor, said campaign manager Morton Brilliant altered an online encyclopedia entry to include a reference to Taylor's son being arrested for DUI after an accident that killed his passenger. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales confirmed these accusations. The Taylor for Governor campaign responded by accusing Cox of exploiting a family tragedy for political purposes and calling for her resignation, although Cox denied any knowledge of the addition.

This story is only the most highly publicized of a number of recent campaign scuffles involving Wikipedia. Brilliant has also been accused of editing the Wikipedia profile of current Governor Mark Sanford. Nearly twenty more changes have since been made to Sanford’s profile, presumably by both sides of the aisle.

Wikipedia has attempted to deal with problems concerning politically motivated revisions by tightening its submission guidelines and setting up alerts so that operators know when Capitol Hill staffers edit online profiles.

Go to the source, Politics Online, to get the links to Related Articles: Cox to 'Deal With' Wiki- Attack; Campaign Manager Resigns Amid Wikipedia Flap; South Carolina Politicos Get Tangled in Web Forum.

In other online, local news, Chris L of GrassRootsPA.com, is going to be a guest on with Ron Morris, TAEradio.com, this Saturday (tomorrow).

I'll be at a swim meet this weekend.

Gas-tax-plank-Martin - PittsburghPlatform

Gas-tax-plank-Martin - PittsburghPlatform Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPA) calls for tax break at the pumps

Sandals Offers Democrats an Alternative

On the podcast interview with the One Man Think Tank, I was asked a question of "buy, hold, or sell" in terms of Rick Santorum. My advice was "hold" as I don't think Casey can deliver much to the state nor the nation.

This is from the D's race.

Casey's Hypothetical Lead on Santorum Slips;

Says May 16th is the Final Opportunity for Democrats to Avert Disaster in November Election

PITTSBURGH, PA -- A new poll released today by the Allentown Morning Call shows Bob Casey’s lead in a hypothetical matchup against Rick Santorum has slipped to single digits. This decline has occurred six months before Election Day and well before the TV ad blitz expected by Rick Santorum. Throughout the Democratic primary, Alan Sandals has said that the more voters learn about Bob Casey’s positions, the less support he will enjoy. This explains the rationale behind Casey’s attempts to limit the number of debates, keep the debate footage out of the public domain, and avoid debating in the major population centers of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
In a statement from Pittsburgh, Sandals said the following today:

“The erosion of support for Bob Casey in a hypothetical matchup against Rick Santorum is an unfortunate but predictable trend that underscores the great concern of mainstream Democrats about the vulnerability of the Casey candidacy. When he was recruited to run a year ago, the party leadership thought Democrats needed to imitate Republicans in order to win, but I have always disagreed with that strategy.

Democrats should stand for the principles we believe in, including women’s rights and the right to choose, an end to the military occupation of Iraq, support for stem cell research, and adequate controls to reduce handgun violence. Casey’s positions on these issues do not match the views of most Democrats and most moderate Republicans and Independents.

Voters in Pennsylvania need and want a U.S. Senate Candidate who will implement real change, but they won't find one in Bob Casey. May 16 is the final opportunity for Democrats to stand up and avert disaster in November.”

Not only is there Sandals, but the D's have Chuck Pennacchio as well.

Speaking up on wi-fi and technology

I just gave an interview to a media organization about the wi-fi deal and the rush to get an All-Star deal in place. They are rushing to launch a foolish plan. It seems to me that city hall wants an all-star strike out. They rush (haste makes waste) like there is no tomorrow. They want to swing three times at the same pitch.

Time and again, I speak up. I'm free to speak up. Others don't. Here is why....

This was snipped from comments at Pittsblog.

Regarding media coverage - I get the sense that they go as far as the community will allow. Most of these tech-focused organizations are all in the same game: self-protection. There seems to be an unspoken agreement to keep the bar low, disburse sizable grants to the same organizations again and again despite lackluster results, and not press for accountability of the millions of dollars spent annually on technology/R&D economic development initiatives in this region.

You'll hear people complain in private or off the record, but I think there's definitely a code of silence. Once you're in--on either the funder side or the recipient side, you keep your mouth shut, or your career options in this city are toast.

---

4/25/2006 9:13 PM

Anonymous said...

I agree the Pittsburgh Technology Council has become like the Allegheny Conference involved in tons of activities that no one really needs. Mike you should do an op-ed on them like you did on the Allegheny Conference.

Regarding the media - I agree no one speaks openly about these organizations and most of the boards are rubber stamps.

With this wi-fi deal before city council, the same truth holds. Those in the biz and on the various boards of other organizations don't want to rock the boat. Earthlink can't tell the city that the PDP plan is JUNK -- as if it goes into being, Earthlink will need to have a relationship with their customers over some of those poles (hot spots).

Same too with the Wireless Neighborhoods.

Deceased voter gets card from Diven - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Woops.

Deceased voter gets card from Diven - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review For a dead man, James J. Bradley Jr. has a lot of political pull.

First, his name appeared in March on a nominating petition for the re-election of state Rep. Michael Diven, R-Beechview -- more than three years after Bradley, of Baldwin Township, died of a heart attack.

Now Diven has sent Bradley a birthday card, wishing him good health.

The sending of cards is a political trick. The four-color card of the photo of the state capital is nice -- and we all pay for it. Newsletters are often an expression of PR for the candidate up for re-election and less to do about real 'news.' Those behaviors stink and people have had enough.

Keith is pushing Big Charlie K as an All-Star. Voting starts soon.

All this jazz about getting wi-fi in time for the All-Star game takes an interesting spin if this "player" gets elected to the team.


There is some questions out there about 'write-in votes' with the new voting machines. How do you write in a person to the All Star squad? See the comments for a report that came in via email.

One-Man Think Tank: INTERVIEW: Pittsburgh political blogger Mark Rauterkus

One-Man Think Tank: INTERVIEW: Pittsburgh political blogger Mark Rauterkus INTERVIEW: Pittsburgh political blogger Mark Rauterkus

Get to know Steel City political blogger and state Senate candidate Mark Rauterkus on this edition of One-Man Think Tank, the state's top alternative newscast.

Downtown housing in need of boost, but how?

City Councilmembers say, "Pick our cherries."

It is bad economic policy, and bad progressive policy, to discount to our most valued assets so the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

City Councilman Bill Peduto has never seen a tax break that was big enough. Bill Peduto wants to take our most valued assets and diminish that tax burden so as to put a heavy tax on the neighborhoods. Bill Peduto is okay with policies that make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

Downtown housing in need of boost, but how?A debate on how to spur the emerging Downtown housing market is set to start today in Pittsburgh City Council.

On one side is Councilman William Peduto, who wants to replace the project-by-project tax breaks with a blanket abatement for most new construction. He's won some backing from Downtown advocates and developers.

Of course Peduto has won agreement with the downtown developers. They are the rich. They are the ones who pay into campaign fundraisers and go to $1,000 a plate events at The Rivers Club.

They drive the Pgh Downtown Partnerships so that they can get wi-fi on the sidewalk cafe meanwhile the kids in the neighborhoods who could USE wi-fi for homework, at home, can't.

They want to pick our cherries. They want to put in wi-fi coverage only in downtown hot spots. They want to ignore the neighborhoods. They want to give bigger tax breaks to the super rich. They want to subsidize the areas that don't need tax breaks. They want to put new tax breaks on places when the old tax breaks expire.

Instead, you need to tax the land. That's the policy of our great history that has given us affordable housing and downtown density. That's the policy that would make for a new revival in the city, the county and the region -- with Pittsburgh being a home to new development and new economic prosperity -- for everyone.

Equity matters. So, you don't allow a downtown deals to take root. You insist upon everyone being equal. You insist that wi-fi goes everywhere, or not at all.

You don't widen the digital divide as Peduto is trying to do.

You don't sit there at the table with a grin and say, 'community has been at the table' yet community is getting the shaft. Being at the table is one thing. Getting served is another. And getting the bill is yet another. They'll put the citizens at the table, not serve them, and have them pay because we've been at the table.

They get to pick the cherries -- they get the sweetheart deal -- they get to live off of foundation money -- they get to make tax breaks, again, for downtown deals that didn't work the last time -- and WE, the taxpayers and neighborhood workers get to pay the deal.

Here is the table.....

See that foot in the upper left part of the photo. That's how people vote, with their feet. Have a seat at this table. Pick up the bill, taxpayers. Service not required nor expected.

Suggested fixes: I'm not in favor of subsidized housing for rich people downtown with subsidized parking for their rich cars.

I'm not in favor of new planning groups to gather at the table set by city hall but leave out citizens, schools, taxpayers and people like me who represent the opposition. They can hatch up spledid plans -- but they need to be part of the city.

I'm not in favor of doing downtown plans when the city can't get flood control in other sections of the city, such as Hays. City needs to do the hard work that needs to be done to fix things that need to be fixed -- first.

I'm not in favor of doing TIF deals -- ever. So, let's agree to not do any TIF deals first and then let's do our best to figure out how we can set the TIF ceiling to ZERO. These new efforts from Petudo are needed now and are being put forth because the city is at its TIF limit. The tool box is spent and new tools and new city spending is needed by big spending.

Libertarian Reform Caucus site

Mind food> I really like the article, 'What is a Platform from the Liberty Reform Party.

Yahoo Photo Album -- of raw food

Help...

I just set up a photo album on Yahoo Photo, a new service. Can you give this a peek to see what you think, please.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mark_rauterkus/my_photos

Did the link work? What do you think of the images? Can you navigate? Did you watch with a slide show?

Thanks for the feedback.

All of these photos, and a ton of others, are being put into the public domain.

After more thought, yep, I'm still certain that the Wi-Fi plan for downtown is a bad deal for Pittsburgh.

Free Software for Schools by Open Source Victoria (Book) in Books > Computer Science & Technology > Applications & Software > Educational Software

This is an 81 page book. You can download it for free as a PDF. Teachers and school folks, as well as parents and college education majors, looking for new tools should give this a peek, at least.

Free Software for Schools by Open Source Victoria (Book) in Books > Computer Science & Technology > Applications & Software > Educational Software Free Software for Schools

by Open Source Victoria
This item rated Everyone by its creator.

Price: select the products you want to purchase

* FREE Download

What do you think, running mates? Should I give these guys a call?

Raj Bhakta from the "Apprentice" now to become Representative

Reply to: manjari@rajforcongress.com
Date: 2006-04-24, 11:42AM EDT

Become Part of Political and Television Documentary History

By winning his party’s nomination against all odds, he stunned the political establishment once, now he’s doing it again: Raj Peter Bhakta, the bow-tied star of Donald Trump’s “the Apprentice” is letting cameras where they’ve never been allowed before- on a political campaign!

Raj accepted the Philadelphia Republican nomination in a nationally publicized press conference last month that appeared in USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Post, Forbes, CNN and MSNBC.

Now, Raj is seeking a stellar team of the nation’s best and brightest to become part of a made for television documentary about what a smart, young, dedicated and aggressive campaign team can do.

Do you think you have what it takes to win elections on the ground? Are you tired of politics as usual? Can you hold up under the spotlight of the camera? Can you deal with the media; design and implement a winning web strategy; work extreme grassroots; set up rallies with hundreds of voters and inspire volunteers?

Participants will be selected primarily from top colleges and universities on the basis of previous achievement, personal dynamism, energy and zeal for reform. Participants must be willing to dedicate themselves to the campaign on a full time basis over the summer. They will be paid a weekly stipend and be provided housing.

The top three performing volunteers will go to Washington with Raj. To join the team please call Raj at 215-628-4001 or email Manjari@rajforcongress.com

Paid for by Raj for Congress

Compensation: To be determined
no - Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
yes - Phone calls about this job are ok.
no - Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
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Let's face it, I'm a "little fish," Yet, I swim upstream often. And, I do like to reside in a clean, clear, setting where I'm willing and able to accept scrutiny -- yet alone the lights of the network TVs.

Blooming flowers. For the past two years, around this time of year, our family has been packing for a trip to China. We went May 1 in 2004 and May 16 in 2005. Now in 2006, we're saying home. Just last month my wife went to the American Academy of Audiology in MN and was able to visit with one of her associates from Chengdu. She now works in LA. In the months to come, a new Ph.D. student is going to enter the program at Pitt -- a student Catherine taught in Chengdu on those trips. For me, I've still got these photos to organize.

Speaking of rivers, wireless, and interesting photos of food, this woman is bringing home dinner. Guess where she was?

Pittsburgh's Wi-Fi plan fails to cover the rivers and bridges

Wi-Fi on the water and with the rivers and even Voyager!

Today in city council chambers, the good people with The Pittsburgh Voyager were given special notice. Presently, a new vessile, a floating classroom and lab is being built. It will take 150 passengers and join the fleet on the North Side. A few other boats are working on the rivers now, taking school kids on field trips daily.

The rivers are NOT in the plan for wi-fi. It would be simple to put the wi-fi connections along the bridges and cover the water spaces. That is an attraction. These kids, their teachers and adults on their trips would be able to check email from a lap-top if the rivers were wi-fi ready.

One of our bridges was named for Rachel C. We could have a festival on the bridge and have vendors show their wares via the web and wi-fi -- if that was made into the plans.

Genetically Modified Food Conundrum - Yahoo! News

The Genetically Modified Conundrum - Yahoo! News
By Alyce Lomax

The U.S. is sometimes described as the bastion of biotech crops, the great hope for the sparkling future of genetically modified (GM) foods. That's seen as a boon to some of the companies that have been spearheading efforts to develop such crops and distribute them throughout the food supply. Likewise for the biggest food providers, who hope to market and sell these wares throughout the world. Yet there's still the fact that GM foods remain controversial, to say the least.

Feeling hungry? The images below were taken at markets in China and Thailand. Can you identify the items? Click on the photo get get a larger (expanded) view. I'm putting images and many others are put into the public domain.

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(To be honest, the worms are not to be eaten so much by people. This photo was taken on a street devoted to pets, aquariums and such. But, the butchers row is very near.)

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People flee! People vote with their feet! And the solutions are silly ones that don't work!

Another great report from the Allegheny Insitutue is out. This one concerns that magical topic -- population loss.

The city is shrinking. The county is shrinking. And, I don't see it getting any better.

All the redding up that Bob O'Connor is trying to do isn't going to help much. Redding up is a valued activity -- but -- the undertaker does a good job too when a dead body arrives and a new haircut, suit and layer of make-up is applied -- to redd up the corpse for its final viewing and eventual trip to the worms.

Redding up could mean a new coat of red lipstick for the funeral home as another flock bites the dust and departs.

Real solutions go way beyond 'redding up.' To reverse the flow is going to take serious efforts and those are the things that people want to see and get behind.

According to recently released estimates from the Census Bureau (census.gov/popest/eval-estimates/county/c8/county-2000c8.html), Allegheny County suffered a net loss of around 43,000 citizens to other counties and states between April 2000 and July 2005. During the same period, the surrounding counties of Butler, Washington and Westmoreland together added about 12,500 net domestic migrants. All other Southwest Pennsylvania counties showed net outflows of domestic migrants. Thus, even if all the net migration increases in Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties came from Allegheny County, it would mean that approximately 30,000 of Allegheny County’s net domestic outmigration left the region.

For example, putting wi-fi downtown in time for the All-Star Game is another example of fresh lipstick for all things that are 'deads-ville' here. The plan won't help. And, I contend that this is just another solution that HURTS the city in its hope of making a rebound.

The wi-fi plan for downtown is a crock of crap. The redd up efforts are ways to better sort the crap and put it into various crocks.

Another vivid example, the HOV Wabash Tunnel. This construction project was built with taxpayer money (mostly federal funds) and only 300 cars a day use it. The Wabash Tunnel is a crock-of-crap addition to our landscape that isn't helping one bit. We spent all the money -- and it didn't change the flow.

However, if the Wabash Tunnel was kept as a HOV lane -- and a bike/blade and pedestrian lane was put next to the HOV lane -- then we'd have something to brag about and use. More bikes would use the HOV lane than cars on any given day.

But, did City Council's Jim Motznik request that a bike lane be inserted within the Wabash Tunnel -- as I suggested at public comment weeks ago? I don't know, but I doubt it.

Do little leaders are going to lead Pittsburgh down the pathway we've been on --- outward migration.

North Catholic is leaving. Our Catholic Elem School, Bishop Leonard, is going to close and be merged into St. Mary's of The Mount. We already lost the Waldorf School from our neighborhood. Sure, it moved within the city, but why didn't a new school open there to join this school here? South Vo Tech is closed. Langley HS is at half of its capacity. CAPA, downtown's new high school for creative and performing arts, was built to serve the city and accept up to half of its students from the WPIAL schools, (i.e., beyond the city's borders). CAPA is lucky to get a dozen students from beyond the city -- as folks don't want to go to school here, don't want to live here and care less to be in a city that is full of so many miss-givings.

We've got problems. And, we've got people in leadership who are happy to let the problems linger while they hold onto their seats of power.

The King's Men are not up to the job at hand when it comes to this population decline. And the solutions we've come to expect from the King's Men don't help.

Court defeats audit - PittsburghLIVE.com

Jack Wagner, our state's Auditor General, gets put into the realm of "meaningless" when it comes to his power to do an audit on public money in the hands of public officials.

Go figure.

This is just another vivid example of why our state is shrinking. People vote with their feet. People are leaving Pennsylvania.

Corruption! Tradition! Smoke! Not only is there a legacy of a 'smokey city' but in these instances it is also a 'smokey state.' Things are not transparent. Things are not open.

As a state senator, I would change the law so as to guarantee that the auditor general and any voter in the state has the right to audit any source of funds from politicians and governmental assets.

Court defeats audit - PittsburghLIVE.com Court defeats audit

By Brad Bumsted, STATE CAPITOL REPORTER

HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania's fiscal watchdog, the state auditor general, has no authority to audit the Legislature's $135 million slush fund or its other expenses, Commonwealth Court ruled Monday.

Short of a reversal on appeal, the ruling means that more than $400 million in annual legislative spending won't be audited independently, said citizens' activist Gene Stilp, of Dauphin County, who filed a lawsuit last year claiming the Legislature's internal audit is a 'sham.'

The court dismissed Stilp's lawsuit in a 5-1 ruling.

Stilp, now an independent candidate for lieutenant governor, filed his lawsuit based on stories the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review published last year that reported legislators tapped the so-called 'surplus' money to collect unvouchered expenses authorized by a July pay raise. They repealed the 16 to 54 percent raises in November after outraged constituents complained."