Vote on November 7, 2006: My Assigments

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Vote on November 7, 2006: My Assigments: "My Assigments
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DemocracyFest, Education by Day. Celebration by Night

DemocracyFest, Education by Day. Celebration by Night

Silver Eye's South Side Hike -- tonight

Silver Eye, Center for Photography, 412 431 1810 ext. 11 is holding a City of Bridges: Book Signing and Urban Hike, Wednesday, June 21, 7:00 p.m.

Bob Regan and Tim Fabian talk about their most recently published book: Bridges of Pittsburgh. An urban hike follows to nearby bridges. Members and Students: $10.00; Non-members, $15.00. Silver Eye Center for Photography, 1015 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203. 412.431.1810, www.silvereye.org

Silver Eye's South Side Hike -- tonight

Silver Eye, Center for Photography, 412 431 1810 ext. 11 is holding a City of Bridges: Book Signing and Urban Hike, Wednesday, June 21, 7:00 p.m.

Bob Regan and Tim Fabian talk about their most recently published book: Bridges of Pittsburgh. An urban hike follows to nearby bridges. Members and Students: $10.00; Non-members, $15.00. Silver Eye Center for Photography, 1015 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15203. 412.431.1810, www.silvereye.org

The Sweatshop Stops Here

Are you aware of this??? You need to be. The All Star Game comes to Pittsburgh -- and we're going to send a statement to the world that Pittsburgh is a place were all workers are respected.

AlterNet: WireTap: The Sweatshop Stops Here

In the past decade, over 200 universities have adopted antisweatshop codes of conduct in response to student protest.

Student activists at the University of California have achieved a significant victory in restraining the forces of unregulated globalization. UC president Robert Dynes announced in May that the ten-campus system had pledged its 'full and enthusiastic engagement' with an antisweatshop policy advocated for the past year by United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS), a national coalition.

Swim practices have been going well. Our hip position is getting better on backstroke too.

Inside Mac and Mac Minute to Deliver "Inside Mac Minute" Radio Program

Are there any Mac users out there in Pittsburgh? Of course. I'm still without OS X. Oh well. This looks like a nice production.

CARSON CITY, NV. June 19, 2006 - Inside Media Networks (http://www.insidemedianetworks.com) a new media broadcast, consulting, and digital production company serving entrepreneurial content producers, today launches a daily Macintosh technology radio news program and Podcast in partnership with Stan Flack's http://www.macminute.com website. Inside Mac Minute will be hosted by industry veteran producer, Dina Orlando. Dina joins the Inside Media Networks team as Executive Producer of Inside Mac Radio & TV. She will also join Scott Sheppard, CEO and Executive Producer of all Inside Media Networks original content programs, as news anchor for the Inside Mac Weekly Radio program heard live on San Francisco Bay Area's 1220-KNTS station each Saturday and Sunday from 1-3PM Pacific Standard Time.

According to Scott Sheppard, "Mac Minute is the definitive source of Apple Mac Technology news on the web today, we are thrilled to provide a lively audio version that will keep our audience of over 250,000 up to date on the latest in Mac news, and product highlights. Dina Orlando brings a fresh approach and has a history of producing top-notch radio talk shows throughout the San Francisco Bay area including; sports-anchor Gary Radnich (680am - KNBR), Sports-Talk with ESPN and KGO-TV personality Carolyn Burns (1220am - KNTS), and was a principal creative director for (102.9fm - KBLX) and (810am - KGO) Radio."

"I'm excited about the opportunity to bring a new level of interactivity and new media to Mac Minute", says Stan Flack, the legend behind the #1 Mac news source online today. "I could not have chosen a more professional team or larger distribution base than Inside Mac Radio and TV, and look forward to the launch of the new program."

Inside Mac Minute daily news will begin broadcasting exclusively via Apple iTunes this week. Listeners can subscribe to the radio program via iTunes, to automatically receive your daily dose of the best in Macintosh technology radio news programming at ...

https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/subscribePodcast?id=73329937

For more information about the Inside Mac programs, visit
http://www.insidemacradio.com or http://www.insidemactv.com

Report: Legal fees in pay-raise lawsuits top $1 million

The Associated Press has some expensive news for PA citizens. Not only did the pay raise cost a ton, as did its pensions. But now the total is in as to the amount it cost to defend that madness of the legislature that was signed by Gov Rendell -- as the legal bills are more than $1-million.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-06192006-672499.html

PHILADELPHIA - Defending state lawmakers, judges and Gov. Ed Rendell in lawsuits spawned by last year's short-lived, unpopular legislative pay raise has cost taxpayers more than $1 million so far, a newspaper reported.

The amount represents the total cost for outside lawyers working on five lawsuits stemming from the pay raise, one of which was thrown out by a federal judge last week, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday.

State officials said they were obligated to defend themselves, even though they consider the lawsuits frivolous since the law raising the salaries of lawmakers, judges and executive-branch officials was repealed in November.

"Do I like hiring lawyers to defend these kinds of suits? No, I hate to do this," said House Majority Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson. "I understand why people think it is a waste of money, but if we think we are right about the process, we have to defend it."

Six staff lawyers on the state payroll have been involved in the cases, plus at least 16 private lawyers from five law firms, including one who charges $625 an hour, the newspaper reported.

"They have robbed the bank," said Gene Stilp, a Harrisburg activist who filed three of the lawsuits, "and then used the people's money to defend themselves."

Stilp estimated that he spent $10,000 of his money on the lawsuits, mostly for copying fees and court costs.

The pay-raise law was passed without public notice or debate in the early-morning hours of July 7 before lawmakers recesses for the summer. The ensuing furor over the raises led to the repeal and has been widely cited as the reason for the ouster of a Supreme Court justice in the November election and of 17 sitting lawmakers - mostly Republicans - in last month's primary.

Three of the five lawsuits directly challenged the pay raise. The other legal challenges sought a state audit of legislative spending and asked the court to declare unconstitutional certain legislative benefits such as leased cars and per diems.

U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane on June 12 threw out a federal lawsuit that challenged the manner in which the pay-raise law was passed, saying the ispute belongs to the "political and electoral process." The other suits were filed in state courts.

Barry Kauffman, executive director of Common Cause of Pennsylvania, a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit, questioned why the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government did not rely solely on their own staff lawyers to defend them.

Stephen MacNett, chief counsel to Senate Republicans, said the staff attorneys "are not litigators" and added that outside lawyers are constitutional-law experts. He said most of the legal costs were incurred after the pay-raise repeal as the lawsuits continued.

The repeal "should have been the end of it," MacNett said, but the plaintiffs "are attempting to make a point - an expensive point."

"And unfortunately, it's not done yet," he said.

All-star baseball update

Just got this email about the All Star Game in Pittsburgh with Major League Baseball in a few weeks.

I just found your Pittsburgh Pirates blog entry at http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2006/05/may-1-day-of-celebration-or-week-if.html, and I think you may be of some help to me. I'm reaching out to you on behalf of Monster, Major League Baseball, and M80 regarding a chance to blog the MLB All-Star Game. From looking at your Pittsburgh Pirates blog entry, I think that you or your audience might really find the Monster MLB All-Star Game opportunity interesting. Monster and MLB are offering a trip for two to the All-Star game and all events, on-field press credentials, an all-star player interview, an official blog on MLB.com and $2,000.

You can enter, http://monstermlbgame.fanitorium.com/?L2854

Anyhow, if you'd like to pass on the information via a post or banner on your blog, I can offer you a baseball cap for the team of your choice. Please let me know if you're interested and I'll get you more information. Thank you for your time!
Lauren, M80 Lauren - at- m80im.com
www.m80im.com / www.m80teams.com

Santonio

Does this guy know how to catch the headlines or what? I hope he doesn't mind being in the limelight when there is a football game too.

Here is a blog mention and 'toast' to 'smartness and wide eyes.' Be like an owl to better see trouble before it happens -- and even at night -- all in black and gold.

The image is a papercut.

Gather dot com home page hits two HOME RUNS on first blush

Welcome | GatherPeople share perspectives on everything from politics to parenting.

Would you look at that --- Parenting and POLITICS, both, right on the top of the home page. Was that a "fathers day fluke" or "for real?"

Big 33 Classic: Pa.-Ohio matchup needs a new contract

Wow #1: Big 33 Classic: This may be last Pa.-Ohio matchup History lesson: There has never been a Super Bowl without a former Big 33 player.

Wow #2: Way to go Pine Richland High School Baseball Team!

Wow #3: PIAA Class AA champions: Riverside Panthers win title, 7-4 The win pushed Riverside into an elite class. The Panthers are only the fourth team in PIAA history to win back-to-back titles, and only the second from the WPIAL to do the double take.

Open Thread: Happy Fathers Day -- and lessons from Dads

One life lesson from my Dad was, "Would-a, should-a, and could-a don't mean shit. It is the "do-a-s" that count."

Tell us something that you'd like to share about your dad or parenting in the comments section, or email Mark at Rauterkus.com and I'll repost.

Join Us at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for Fathers' Day

My family and I will be greeting dads and others at the zoo on Sunday, Fathers' Day. Dads get in for free when they are with a child.

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium: "Sunday, June 18, 2006
Verizon Yellow Pages Fathers Day
Celebrate Fathers Day at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Dads receive free admission all day when accompanied by a child.

In addition to free admission dads can check out cars from the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix and win a Golden Dad reward kit as the National Fatherhood Initiative spots 'Golden Dads' in action.

Editorial: All-star effort / The Pirates should speak up about sweatshops

From Saturday, June 17, 2006, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Would you mind if that Pittsburgh Pirates shirt you bought last week was sewn by a 14-year-old girl in Bangladesh during her 12th hour of labor in a factory that pays her in pocket change and certainly no overtime?

Polls have shown that most Americans do mind. And certainly Pittsburghers, with their long tradition of improving labor conditions through collective bargaining, are even more likely to balk at their hometown team's shirts being manufactured in sweatshops.
Major League Baseball, not the Pirates, signs the contracts with the companies that sell the stuff bearing team logos and arranges for its manufacture. The Pittsburgh Anti-Sweatshop Community Alliance has asked the Pirates to ask Major League Baseball to take the same measures that hundreds of universities across the country have to ensure that merchandise sporting their names isn't made by people trapped in grotesque working conditions.

The Pirates have responded by asking Major League Baseball to take a look at the issue of sweatshops -- not to resolve it, just mull it. Major League Baseball has assured the alliance that the players' uniforms and caps are made in the United States and that it requires companies contracting for manufacture of fan merchandise, almost always overseas, to "comply with all applicable labor laws."

Is it fine, then, if the local labor laws in Bangladesh allow 14-year-olds to work 12 hours for pennies without overtime?

Nearly 160 universities, including Duquesne, Penn State and Carnegie Mellon, deal with this by including a code of conduct for labor conditions in their contracts with these companies and by joining an organization that investigates workers' complaints.
It's not perfect. The group checks only a few of the thousands of factories around the world. Still, it's some policing.

The alliance plans to conduct a sweatshop information "carnival" on July 11, the day of the All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. The Pirates should head it off by asking Major League Baseball to make a real attempt at enforcement. It's not too much to ask.

CMU walks off tee of city golf course

We don't golf. But, that does NOT mean I do not care about this deal and this asset. I don't play hockey either -- but I also care about the closed, indoor ice rink -- another closed asset of the city's. We all need to care a bit about the assets of the city -- as these are owned by the PEOPLE -- and they can make our shared spaces vibrant, and in turn, a safer city.

CMU walks off tee of city golf course - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Carnegie Mellon University is quitting as the caretaker of Pittsburgh's only golf course.

The university has operated Schenley Park Golf Course since May 1993, but will allow its contract with the city to expire by May 2007 -- possibly sooner.

That means Mayor Bob O'Connor must find a new course manager or risk saddling the city with operating costs it would be hard-pressed to afford."

What is needed, above all else -- when this type of discussion begins -- is a PITTSBURGH PARK DISTRICT. We need park people, coaches, and users of all these assets to look at the landscape on more global ways.

Illinois has a different wrinkle in its style and method of government that is lacking in Pennsylvania. We can fix that.

The Whacky Business of Pittsburgh Politics

By Mike Ference, a.k.a. The Mon Dawn

I think Pittsburgh City Council should hold off trying to appoint an ethics committee. I’m afraid that too many elected officials in the commonwealth of PA can not accurately select such a person. One must only glance at recent headlines of former PA Gaming Commission officers, employees and thugs who have severely stained the agency’s reputation for many years to come with their alleged criminal behavior.

Similar headlines have also tarnished (albeit an already tarnished image of law enforcement and politics) Mon Valley Municipal Government’s ability to select Police Chiefs in at least two municipalities where they have been investigated and determined to be criminals (how many more Mon Valley police chiefs are under investigation or need to be investigated still remains to be determined).

Let’s not leave out the County Sheriff’s office that recently said farewell to two long-time, top-level police officers so they could learn the skill of crafting license plates. Not to mention Sheriff DeFazio’s refusal to answer questions in front of a federal grand jury, claiming the fifth amendment as a legitimate reason to do so. Last time I tried that fifth amendment stuff to protect an associate in the 12th grade I got whacked with a paddle. Perhaps, Sheriff DeFazio fears the same recourse.

So you see, maybe, just maybe Pittsburgh Council should adopt and wait and see attitude before launching into a search for an ethics committee. Sad to say, politicians just don’t seem to have a large enough network when it comes to finding decent human beings to help with the day-to-day business of keeping crime out of our government.

Ethics panel -- not shakey start -- way worse!

Ethics panel off to a shaky start - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review According to the City Code, board members may not hold a public office, be part of a political committee or work for the city or state.

But that didn't stop Councilman Daniel Deasy from nominating Sheraden District Judge Randy C. Martini, or Councilman Jim Motznik from tapping Carrick District Judge Richard G. King. Both Martini and King are public office holders and state employees.


Councilman Jeffrey Koch nominated a member of his own office staff, former District Judge Eileen Conroy.

'How can you have someone who works for you sit in judgement of you? It's ridiculous,' said Joe Weinroth, vice chairman of the Pittsburgh Republican Committee. 'You're supposed to get unconnected, unaffiliated people that won't be under political pressure.'

Duhhh.....

Conservatism vs. Libertarianism

by Jacob G. Hornberger

Jacob Hornberger is founder and president of The Future of Freedom Foundation.

The Conservative:

I'm a conservative. I believe in individual liberty, free markets, private property, and limited government, except for:

1. Social Security;

2. Medicare;

3. Medicaid;

4. Welfare;

5. Drug laws;

6. Public schooling;

7. Federal grants;

8. Economic regulations;

9. Minimum-wage laws and price controls;

10. Federal Reserve System;

11. Paper money;

12. Income taxation and the IRS;

13. Trade restrictions;

14. Immigration controls;

15. The postal monopoly;

16. Foreign aid;

17. Foreign wars of aggression;

18. Foreign occupations;

19. An overseas military empire;

20. A standing army and a military-industrial complex;

21. Infringements on civil liberties;

22. Military detentions and denial of due process and jury trials for citizens and non-citizens accused of crimes;

23. Torture and sex abuse of prisoners;

24. Secret kidnappings and "renditions" to brutal foreign regimes for purposes of torture;

25. Secret torture centers around the world;

26. Secret courts and secret judicial proceedings;

27. Warrantless wiretapping of citizens and non-citizens;

28. Violations of the Constitution and Bill of Rights for purposes of "national security"; and

29. Out-of-control federal spending to pay for all this.

The Libertarian:

I'm a libertarian. I believe in individual liberty, free markets, private property, and limited government. Period. No exceptions.

Riverlife Competition dot org

The winning California design team should have made a trip to Pittsburgh in the winter. The sort of curved ramp swinging way out from the bridge will be unwalkable in windy and cold weather and will also as positioned as a block the view to the Point for much of the drive over the bridge.

The rendering makes it look exciting but the reality in the cold dark of winter is much different. For women walking the bridge they would be feel unsafe and trapped by having them so far away from the the flow of traffic.

I'm confused about the walkway being on both sides of the bridge, upstream on the city side and downstream. Getting double the walkway woul drequire a considerably greater budget.

It would be much better to make one bridge span and then make another bridge span elsewhere. How about a bridge span under the Liberty Bridge? Or, perhaps we need better bikeways from Stuben Street through the West End Circle so one can get on a bike path at the foot of the West End Bridge. How can one get down from Mt. Washington or around on Rt. 51 from Brookline and zip onto that bikeway on the bridge. So, lets not cross the river twice where one functional bridge passing is necessary and the second is just silly.