PNC subsidy OK'd

PNC subsidy OK'd: "Proposed subsidies for a new PNC Financial Services Group tower on Fifth Avenue won Pittsburgh City Council's initial OK yesterday.

The vote was 7-1 to join with Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Public Schools in using future tax dollars to finance $18 million in aid. Councilman William Peduto voted no.

In addition, $30 million in state aid is going to the $169.5 million office, hotel and condominium development.

Mr. Peduto argued that PNC, which made $1.3 billion in profits last year, did not need the help. Other council members countered that the project would add $1.1 million a year in new city, school and county property taxes, even after $1.7 million a year is diverted to pay off the subsidy.

Council's final vote is set for Tuesday. Construction would be done in late 2008."

Froth Slosh B'Gosh calls for a picnic for Chuck for Senate

Sunday!

Froth Slosh B'Gosh Let's have a picnic! Chuck will be there, we'll have live music, food, good friends. Bring everyone you know to meet the next Senator from Pennsylvania. Bring the kids and let's have some fun!

Mike Stout will play and sing for us. We'll have food - hoagies and soft drinks are covered - everyone else please something picnicky - chips, juice, cookies, whatever. I don't know if there are grilling facilities there.

We'll have a 50/50 raffle! 50 cents of every dollar goes to Chuck's campaign. The lucky winner walks home with half the loot!

The yard signs are here! Come to the picnic to get some to take home!

RIVERVIEW PARK - VALLEY REFUGE SHELTER - SUNDAY, MAY 7th 2 - 6 PM

I might try to attend.

Newest member of our family: Sarah. Stay tuned for "Revenge of the Cat Blogging!

Kitten....

Grant, my second son, got a kitten! He picked it up with my wife from the new and beautiful Animal Shelter. She is named Sarah and is doing very well. Very social. Bunking down with Grant, 8.

So far so good.

Our other cat, Cigi, almost 19 (human years), is still doing her hissing. But by the second day they have turned more to walk-by hisses.

Dad and boys.

Last Summer, Erik and I did the 140 mile round trip, two day event called, "That Dam Ride." This summer, I've got to get back in shape. The ride is in September. Running mates, care to join us?

Last summer's memory.

Frankel and Frankel

STAND UP and STAND OUT! (Or, how to make your elected representatives actually LISTEN to you)

Monday, May 8, 2006, at 7 pm at Squirrel Hill Library

Representative Dan Frankel, PA House of Representatives - Allegheny County, and Larry Frankel, Legislative Director, ACLU of Pennsylvania.

* Find out how to make your letter/email/phone call Stand Out and Really Matter to your elected officials

* Learn more about current legislative issues: the PA Marriage Protection Amendment, the PA CARE Act Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies), NSA Spying, Immigration, and what your representatives Need To Hear

* Find out what you can do to Make a Difference, even if you live in an area where your elected official already supports your position

* Discover effective tips for writing Letters To The Editor that will increase the chances of getting them published

This event is free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit www.aclupa.org.

Property Tax Relief -- another joker in the cards

Property tax relief bill stalls - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review However, Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry, termed the legislation 'an illusion of property tax reform.' And Rep. Michael Diven, R-Brookline, called the bill 'three-card monte.'

Diven is using those academic terms again. What the heck is 'Three Card Monte?'

List: of 1,000 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com

The Complete List: 1,000 Top U.S. Schools - Newsweek America's Best High Schools - MSNBC.com 968 Fox Chapel Pittsburgh Pa. 1.175 10.0 23.1

So, Pennyslvania gets 1 in the top 396. Two in the top 400.

The Foxes, USC, and Mt. Lebo all squeek into the top 1,000 on the last page.

What do you make of this?

USOC makes domestic travel plans for bid coordination for 2016

SI.com - Olympics - USOC makes travel plans to potential Olympic cities - Wednesday May 3, 2006 2:19PM U.S. Olympic Committee representatives will visit Houston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco over the next two weeks to begin scouting out cities for a possible bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

Chicago skyline -- from a Navy Pier perspective. (Click image for larger view. My photos are all put into the public domain.)

Windy City -- one of my former hometowns.

My wife is on TV tonight - PCNC's Night Talk

Ann Devlin and Catherine Palmer, Ph.D., to talk about hearing health -- TONIGHT!
From a past show.

Get to high ground!

Tsunami warnings issued for Fiji and New Zealand after earthquake measuring a magnitude of about 8.0 shakes southern Pacific Ocean.

Good HEALTH to another blogger.

Don't eat too much fiber.

Chloe Rules! - Zap! Thud! � Nuclear Stress Test Results: Good News, More or Less Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I have to go grocery shopping at Office Max for some cardboard for dinner….

Dr. R got a new gig in the school system

Dr. R, the Phillips Principal, talks to a parent and student (Catherine and Erik) outside of school one day in a past year.

It is being reported in the P-G that our favorite school principal, the one who is the principal where my sons attend public school, Dr. Barbara Rudiak, is getting a new job within the PPS system. Seems she is 'moving up' with her new position.

Barbara Rudiak -- from principal, Phillips Elementary, to executive director of school management, elementary schools.

This is a good-news and bad-news thing for us as we've been so spoiled with her devotion to the students and operational skills at Phillips.

By the way, Phillips Elementary School is on the South Side. We walk to school each day. Half of the school is a "Spanish magnet" and the other half is a "Neighborhood" school. There are two classes of each grade, K to 5.

I call this year our last as a "gravy year" in that both boys are attending the same school. Next year our oldest goes to 6th grade and will be in a different building (Frick Middle School).

By the way, welcome Rodney Necciai -- from principal, Knoxville Elementary, to principal, Phillips Elementary.

---

My kids are on track to attend Schenley High School. That school is getting a new pricipal too. Plus, Tonight OnQ: it's the end of an era at Schenley High School in Oakland. Roger Babusci - the school's popular english teacher and director of school musicals -- is retiring. We'll look back on his impressive tenure ... and talk with the students he inspired.

Lincoln Blog by Lowman Henry, CEO of Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion

Lincoln Blog by Lowman Henry, CEO of Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion If you were walking down the street and someone came up behind you, stuck a gun in your back and demanded all you money - but then turned around and gave you a couple of your own dollars back while keeping the rest for himself - you would still consider yourself to have been mugged. The fact the criminal gave you some of your own money back doesn't change the fact that you were robbed.

And so it is with the 'tax reform' bill currently on the fast track through the Pennsylvania legislature on its way to a political commercial near you. Pennsylvania's system of real property taxation has been viewed as draconian and inequitable for decades. Now, with voters hopping mad over last year's legislative pay jacking, 'tax reform' is suddenly about to happen.

I'm not too fond of the robbing saga, but whatever works.

Magic tricks.

I'm more in tune to level headed reason. These folks in Harrisburg are do-nothing types. They don't have the determination nor the moxie nor creativity to do much. But, they do want to make themselves look good as voters are headed to the polls. They save what they can muster so as to pull a rabbit out of a hat in the final push of an election cycle.

Drowning continues to be a significant health concern within this country.

Please share this information, especially parents of young children. It came from the Lifesaving Resources' E=Blast. Pool fun

NATIONAL SAFE KIDS WEEK KICKS OFF MAY 2, 2006

When it comes to safety, most parents do not know that drowning is one of the top two causes of accidental death among children. National Safe Kids Week activities and communications will educate parents and children about the steps they can take to help prevent pool and spa injuries and deaths and highlight new proposed legislation in this area.

There will be a special focus about preventing entrapment, which is a little known risk that has killed at least 33 children and injured almost 100 children between 1985 and 2004.

National Safe Kids Week, May 6-13, will highlight the importance of pool and spa safety through the theme “Safe Pools for Safe Kids.” A national press conference involving Safe Kids Worldwide, Founding Sponsor Johnson & Johnson, James A. Baker, III, Secretary of State under former President George Bush, daughter-in-law Nancy Baker and U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) will kick off the week on May 2 in Washington.

In addition, local Safe Kids coalitions around the country will host interactive events to teach parents and children about safe behavior around pools and spas such as actively supervising children around water and installing safety devices in and around pools and spas.

Safe Kids has also created checklists (in PDF) about how to practice safe behaviors around the water and teach your kids to do the same.

Get legal - Get OpenOffice.Org

As part of my past (and future) campaigns, I have given out hundreds of CDs with music, message and OPEN SOURCE software. Of course these political CDs include an installer for OpenOffice.org 2.0.

One week after "World Intellectual Property Day", the OpenOffice.org Marketing Project announces a new campaign: "Get legal - Get OpenOffice.org". A new website - http://why.openoffice.org - explains how to escape from Microsoft Office licence costs and compliance worries - for good. Webmasters and bloggers worldwide are encouraged to display the campaign banner to help promote the campaign.

2006 has seen proprietary software companies and their agencies increase their efforts to stamp out illegal copies of their software. Last week, the Business Software Alliance used "World Intellectual Property Day" to announce a record reward for anyone informing against illegal software in UK organisations. Microsoft acquired a company specialising in detecting software installed on PCs. Microsoft also announced its intention to extend its use of the internet to put piracy detection software into copies of MS-Office on people's PCs.

For many users, this is a worrying development. Microsoft licences are often complex, and it is easy to become non-compliant, especially as the number of PCs in an organisation increases. Illegal copying has proliferated in many developing countries, where foreign currency is scarce and proprietary licence fees are simply unaffordable.

OpenOffice.org 2 offers a simple way out of the licence trap. OpenOffice.org 2 is a free alternative to Microsoft Office products such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Powerpoint. OpenOffice.org 2 is released under an open-source licence: anyone may use the software for any purpose (including commercial). Users are encouraged to pass on copies to friends, family, students, employees, citizens - anyone.

OpenOffice.org 2 uses files created by Microsoft Office equivalents. Users need little or no retraining. Studies have shown that the costs of migrating to OpenOffice.org 2 are minimal - a tenth of the cost of migrating to the new Microsoft Office 2007.

No wonder a poll has shown 86% of users would prefer to try OpenOffice.org 2 rather than buy Microsoft Office 2007.

Get freedom from licence worries - Get Legal - Get OpenOffice.org.

About the OpenOffice.org Community

The OpenOffice.org Community is an international team of volunteer and sponsored contributors who develop, support, and promote the leading open-source office productivity suite, OpenOffice.org 2. OpenOffice.org 2 is released under the GNU Lesser General Public Licence (LGPL).

The OpenOffice.org Community acknowledges generous sponsorship from a number of companies, including Sun Microsystems (founding sponsor and primary contributor), Novell, Red Hat, Intel, and Google.

Links

The campaign website http://why.openoffice.org contains links to the studies referenced in this press release. The OpenOffice.org Community can be found at http://www.openoffice.org. OpenOffice.org 2 may be downloaded free of charge from http://download.openoffice.org. Further information about the suite may be found at
http://www.openoffice.org/product

Press Contacts

John McCreesh (UTC +01h00)
OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Co-Lead
jpmcc@openoffice.org
+44 (0)7 810 278 540

Cristian Driga (UTC +0200)
OpenOffice.org Marketing Project Co-Lead
cdriga@openoffice.org
+40 7887 000 60

Louis Suarez-Potts (UTC -04h00)
OpenOffice.org Community Manager
louis@openoffice.org
+1 (416) 625 3843

Worldwide Marketing Contacts:
http://marketing.openoffice.org/contacts.html

Attribution

Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Famed swim coach George Haines dies at 82 - Tuesday May 2, 2006 2:48PM

SI.com - Olympics - Famed swim coach George Haines dies at 82 - Tuesday May 2, 2006 2:48PMGeorge Haines, who coached three U.S. Olympic swim teams and guided such 1960s and '70s stars as Mark Spitz, Don Schollander and Donna de Varona, died at 82.

George was quite a coach. He was very productive, to say the least. (Free read, FYI.)

In Western PA, we don't have anything like Santa Clara.

Pittsburgh used to have a team that dominated like Santa Clara did.

Swimmers ready to take to the water at one of the oldest indoor swim pools in North America. There were swimmers in the same spot back in time. This pool was the home to Olympians who competed in the Olympic Games of 1928 and 1932.

The swimmers from Homestead won a number of national relay titles, back in the day. That was a wave or two before Haines.

Council OK's free Downtown Wi-Fi - and I have a problem with 'cutting edge' hype

Council OK's free Downtown Wi-Fi Council President Luke Ravenstahl said the deal makes Pittsburgh 'a cutting-edge city.'

Luke, don't say such foolishness. Cutting-edge in terms of being hoodwinked.

I'm glad to see some changes. But, we're not cutting-edge. We're not even close. The deal from the PDP is going to insure Pittsburgh remains behind the times. The deal expands the digital divide and offers little of value.

Cutting edge is wi-fi on mass transit -- as they do in Japan on high-speed trains that travel 13-floors below sea level.

Cutting edge is wi-fi for free that covers the other 22 hours of a day. Not just for 120 minutes.

Cutting edge is a wi-fi digital media campus that goes to under served areas, not for the elite.

Cutting edge is wi-fi, computers and hives of information for every resident in the city who is in school. The students are cutting-edge, not office workers who won't want to log on anyway.

Wi-fi but not so high.

Cutting edge isn't a network that isn't 'secure.' I'd never log onto that network to check my email as the security is absent.

Cutting edge was 2003 when the airport had wi-fi in the food court, or 2004 when the wings of the airport went wi-fi. We've got 200 plus wi-fi hot spots for surfers to hit downtown already.

Cutting edge for Pittsburgh is what Spokane had a year or two ago. Where's the edge or the cut?

Cutting edge would be wi-fi rivers, wi-fi T-line to Overbrook and South Hills Village, and wi-fi East Busway, West Busway and swim pools.

Cutting edge would be wi-fi at higher speeds, such as what Earthlink offered. This speed is not that fast, because is 500 people push a key at the same time, we'll see a slight delay.

Cutting edge would come to the city without the foundations needing to kick in $.5 million.

Cutting edge would go higher than 2 stories. We've got downtown buildings that are higher than that. But in neighborhoods, all the buildings would be covered with the wi-fi network -- as homes are generally 2 stories high.

Cutting edge would not see prices go from $40 per month per pole to $20 per month per pole -- it would be $0 per pole per month. I don't think that the city owns most of the poles anyway. And the PDP (Pgh Downtown Partnership) could do cutting-edge by working with building owners and putting the antennae on the buildings directly.

Cutting edge is a wi-fi deal that covers the entire region if not the county. We can't even cover the entire city. This wi-fi deal is more like a pimple of coverage for wi-fi areas that exist already.

Cutting edge is what we had in the city's cable franchise agreement, years and years ago. But, we let that deal slide without oversight. We let the fruit die on the vine. Where are the broadband computers and uses at the rec centers now? FUMBLE.

Cutting edge needs to come from people who know how to spell email. I'm not sure Mayor O'Connor can send and receive email. The drivers of cutting-edge technology need to be more than "at the table" someone at the table needs to pick up the bill. Waitstaff, fetch another round of bottled waters, be happy to be at the table for scraps, and then, pay the tab as well.

In China, everyone in the city gets free internet. Just as we all can dial 411 or 911 -- that's the level of dial up that is nearly NATION WIDE in China. That's not cutting edge. Here, you still have to pay up to $20 a month to get dial up.

Cutting edge is Internet 2.

Cutting edge would be video on demand to see the proceedings from today's city council meeting, even if you didn't catch it on your cable.

Nor is cutting edge a slots parlor, nor an all-star game for a game with steroid abusers, nor a skateboard park, nor a tunnel that is closed for 2 hours a day just to change directions of its traffic for the 600 cars that drive through it.

Let's think, we'll get wi-fi for downtown for 2 hours each day -- and that amount of time equals the time that the Wabash Tunnel is closed each day.

Council OKs Downtown Wi-Fi plan - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "'This is the starting point,' said Councilwoman Tonya Payne, who praised the plan.

Really, this isn't a starting point. Rather, it is the ONLY POINT. There isn't any 'phase 2' nor 'phase 3.' This is it. They came. They picked our cherries. They couldn't put Humpty together again.

In a few months, I'll be able to ask, "Where is free wi-fi in Knoxville?" And I'll be able to say, "I told you so."

Now I'm able to ask, "What about the computer labs in the Rec Centers?" We have computer rooms in Orbsby and Warrington. But there are no computer labs there. And, we offered to build them three years ago at no charge to the city. Now I'm able to say, "I told you."

I'm sick of always being right and having my city perform so poorly.

May Day -- from 2004

Tourist on a May Day visit.

In the Forbidden City.

Details

Power, but under the foot of the lion is a cub at play.