Loss of HQs pondered in Arizona

Smug. What's up with that statement? It comes at the end of the article from Jon Talton.

Valley again risks loss of HQs - 4 this time The truth is that Phoenix is the last big factory town in America. The product is building houses, along with all the services that are needed by a rapidly growing population. It's a move that has 'worked' for the past half-century, and right now we're as smug as Pittsburgh steelworkers in, say, 1979.

Lien sale looked good then - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

See, I'm not the only one who is still knocking the ugly deals that former mayor, Tom Murphy, stuck to the citizens of the region. He was bad news and still has a bad approach in North Carolina with the Land Institute.

Lien sale looked good then - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review With Pittsburgh short on cash but flush with unpaid tax bills in the mid-1990s, then-Mayor Tom Murphy received an offer that must have seemed too good to be true.

Capital Asset Research, a private company later taken over by MBIA, a New York-based bond insurer, wanted to pay Pittsburgh more than $32 million for liens against property owners who hadn't paid their taxes.

More than a decade later, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's administration is negotiating to undo the agreement with MBIA by purchasing the tax liens for pennies on the dollar.

'Everybody realizes it was a bad deal on all ends,' said Adriane Aul, vacant property program manager for the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. 'It was a short-term solution that created a very long-term problem for everybody.'

I'm waiting for Tom Murphy to come back into the state-wide news by organizing a new deal so as to sell off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Perhaps I should send him an invite to hatch a deal for the Wabash Tunnel. He could unload that for PAT's sake as they don't want to operate it any longer. Funny how I want to turn one lane of the Wabash Tunnel into a bikeway while cars and buses can still travel on the other lane. That is something that Murphy should support as he is so pro trails. Such a joke too.

Back to the article. "Did anybody expect this nightmare? No, no, no. Nobody did it intentionally. It's a real process we've gone through." Well, I expected the nightmare.

People will wake up to the evil that lurks behind the increases (recent and more are proposed) in the deed transfer tax too, some day.

Put off the 'day of reckoning' -- or -- as it should be stated, 'era of wreckoning.'

Blind spots are killers. Too often people choose to accept blind spots. Think again!

We're hosting an invitational swim meet on Saturday.

We don't get to swim outdoors in our December swim meet like we did in August.
Swimming through the lilly pads.

Bad technique in the pads, with Grants head high. Grant says he is standing on the murky bottom in this photo.

I'm going to bring my voice recorder and try to get swimmer interviews and make up a podcast for the kids. More news later. Swimming has "pads." The touch pads are at the end of the lane(s) for the electronic timing in a swim pool. They are often called, "touch pads." Swimming in a lake brings a different set of 'pad' to the swimmer, 'lilly pads.' When they rub against your skin, they can evoke a shout, as the video reveals.



There were videos of the swim in Canada through the pads.

The Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh Meetup Group (Pittsburgh, PA) - Meetup.com

The Libertarian Party of Pittsburgh Meetup Group (Pittsburgh, PA) - Meetup.com Our next Meetup: Holiday Party at John Harvard's in Monroeville

Join us for the Libertarian annual Holiday Party! All are welcome!

Hope to see some Running Mates there.

Music and Drama tidbit

Anne Feeney wrote in her newsletter, in part:

On Monday night, Dec 4th, my friend Jerry Starr debuts his new play, BURIED: the story of the Sago Mine Disaster in a standing-room-only reading at Pittsburgh Playwrights. Directed by the amazing Marci Wood, the play features an all-star cast and music by me and Sue Powers. The reading will be filmed in the hope of finding funding for full-scale productions in 2007.

Break a leg!

College Football Poll Bowl Games

Pitt is not slated to attend a Football Bowl Game at the end of this season, so says this site.

College Football Poll Bowl Games International Bowl, Toronto, Canada $750,000 1/6/07 Noon
ESPN-2, TSN MAC #2 or #3 vs. Big East #4 or #5 Western Michigan vs. Rutgers

This is the first year of the International Bowl, to be played in Canada on January 6 at noon. Pitt had hopes to get an invite there. But, it looks like a long shot now.

Ohio University football and OU Alumni Tailgate

The Ohio Univeristy Bobcats are playing for the MAC Championship on ESPN tonight at 7:30 pm.

Ohio U plays Central Michigan. And, OU footballers accepted an invitation to play in the GMAC Bowl on January 7th. This is the first bowl game for the Bobcats since 1968.

On December 7th, the OU alumni are holding a tailgate before the Steelers Browns game from 5 - 8 pm. At the tailgate we will have various types of food, drinks, and giveaways. The tailgate will be held in Red Lot Clark East, beside the Clark Building. Look for the Ohio Bobcats flag to find the tailgate. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP by November 30th and send a check for $15.00 to:

Colleen Doughty
c/o OUAA Pittsburgh Chapter
5605 Pavillion Court
Wexford, PA 15090

Please make checks out to OUAA Pittsburgh Chapter. In addition, please bring your ID so that I can give wristband to individuals that are over 21. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at colleenedoughty@aol.com. Please join us and invite your friends!

Need 10 (or more) folks to email me to assist with a new e-forum hosted by international / national expert

Steven Clift, founder of E-Democracy.Org, is a net advocate that I've followed for years. He does fantastic work. Steve has been around the block and around the net on issues and with plenty of tech-based tools and thoughts.

We now need a dozen or so from Pittsburgh -- and from Allegheny County too -- to email me, Mark -at- Rauterkus -dot- com, so we can make a steering group and form a new online community forum. Steven Cliff's associates provide the infrastructure and leadership.

They've got a nice tech partner in New Zealand and a forum there. They've done great things in Minnesota, and I've lurked and participated there too.

Now, they are trying to roll this out in various markets in the country. Others have wanted to lift-off in various cities and Pittsburgh should ride this wave with our own community forum too.

Excellent. Any more takers?

The first step is to create a steering committee with at five members. The more diverse politically, gender-wise, etc. the better. If you can get some representation from community institutions even better, particularly on larger steering groups.

Once you have a small steering team, then we'll set you up with a place-team@ group so you can work on your charter - forum purpose statement and any special rules above our common rules framework. Circulating a draft around the community helps build buy in and interest.

As Carol said, then you need to select a volunteer forum manager.

Then the forum is created and together we put lots of energy into recruitment before the forum opens for posting. Our built-to-last model, requires 100 member to launch. That might seem like a lot or to some too little. The key benefit is it creates a sense of community - I was there from the beginning - ownership. It also forces you to be strategic in your outreach!

So one step at time, create a short e-mail letting people know that you plan to start a local Issues Forum if other join you in the effort. Ask them to e-mail you if they are interested in the idea or might participate. Perhaps what they might want to see discussed. Then in your reply ask them if they have any objection to being part of the steering committee. Feel free to share a draft if you like - make it short and
snappy.

When you think you have enough interest, come back and we can discuss steering committee first steps (like a meeting) and charters. Let's plan to reconnect in two weeks when you have the base of your steering committee recruited. Sound good?

Cheers, Steven Clift. E-Democracy.Org

So, I need to email Steven and provide him with a list of names and email contacts from folks who want to be on this new venture's steering committee.

Please consider this request, if you can use email. And, most of all, we need to get folks from all parts of the political landscape. We can only take three more white guy Libertarians who live on the South Side Flats who have two kids.

First come first served. I'll submit a list at 20. If you don't want to email me, leave a comment in the blog.

FWIW, this won't be a Rauterkus.com effort. It won't be a specific campaign tool. This is a community forum and all are welcome.

UPDATE: I've got three takers within the first day. We still need more. And, I don't yet need to cast a wide net.

Luke on KDKA-Radio with Marty G

Luke says, "I'm here for the long haul."

Luke, you are really here for as long as the people of Pittsburgh decide if you should be retained or not. The voters may elect you to continue the job. You're here until December, 2007. You are here to serve the will of the people. The voters get to decide what happens next. Not Luke.

Nice interview otherwise, except for Janis' call and questions. Come on! Marty shut down part of the question with silence and then just said, "wow." She clearly had an agenda, said the show host.

Many of the top citizen speakers called: Ora Lee, Ms. E.F. Brown, and a zinger at the end about some guy from Public Works who had issue with some dead wood going out of parkland.

Stay tuned until Friday to get the news about those who are still being paid and are on leave: Dennis Regan and a Police Commander, K.McN.

The $50-million price tag for the casino license only included SLOTS. Table games comes for a 10-fold increase in the cost of doing business here.

The jerks in Harrisburg sold slots parlor licenses for $50-million each. The price was too low. There should have been an auction so that the price of entry would have been much greater.

The taxpayers got ripped off with the sale of the $50-million licenses.

Now, there is no way that we'll get a good deal by extending the license holder's rights to host table games, in addition to slots, without a serious auction and about $500-million.

Ed Rendell is quoted on the radio saying he will not support table games at casinos, just yet.

If we get table games, we better get another pay day, ten times as much as before, from the casino license holders.

Difference between slots and table games: Demographics

The difference is that PA has a bunch of seniors that go to Atlantic City and West Virginia to gamble. We send our tour buses out of state and the state of PA does not get that revenue.

The difference is that PA doesn't have an viable outflow of money being spent on table games that could be retained in-state so as to make a tax-windfall to the PA treasury.

PA was getting taken to the cleaners by other states because a chunk of income went elsewhere to play the slots.

PA is not able to justify the expansion of its pending casinos to include table games because a chunk of income from PA is not going elsewhere.

PA has a lot of seniors. Seniors like to play the slots. PA was sold the slots deal so as to capitalize upon the lost incomes.

PA seniors may stay home to spend some of their money in the PA slots parlors. That's it. Done.

PA's seniors won't go out of state to play table games.

Bill at the end of the session!

Frank Dermody was caught by another caller about how there was an amendment and it was voted on in a matter of hours.

Where is the reform group on this?

Frank Dermody said," I would have said that they should have voted the next day."

The next day is bunk.

People had a chance to make public comment on the bill. But the amendment had no chance to make public comment.

Falling Down Stupid Drunk in a casino (call recap with Marty Griffin's show)

I've never said that the casino's should NOT provide free drinks because the free drinks can lead to falling down, drunk casino customers. Ed Rendell has no clue as to my objections.

Others point out that drinking and free drinks can lead to drunk driving, bankruptcy and other dangers.

People can get drunk on both free drinks and drinks that are purchased.

Frank Dermody said that the casio has to comply with the PA LCB laws. The laws are strict. WRONG!

The Governor just signed a bill that makes an exception to the LCB laws. Casinos don't have to follow LCB laws as they legislature and the governor just change the LCB laws. They'll change them again too.

Double-talking jackass.

Frank Dermody also said that there won't be any local taverns that will go out of business.

WRONG!

We'll see 20 or 30 bars, restaurants and taverns go out of business after the casino opens. There will be some marketplace adjustments. Payrolls will not be able to be met. A job shift will occur and perhaps the small businesses, locally owned business will see a serious decline.

Sure, we have too many bars on the South Side, but that will change after the casino opens. That's why I think it is fruitless to fight with the bar limiting legislation, but that is a point for another rant.

We are going to loose jobs on East Carson Street after the casino comes. We might see a job surge in the net output. But, we'll see places close. Bars open and close all the time. To think otherwise is hype that I'm not buying.

Finally, and this was my first point in the phone call, we should put table games to a voter referendum. Frank Dermody should write the ballot questions.

Mayor and others, (read Onorato) to do pole dance on New Years Eve

So, they are going to drop the ball(s) at midnight on a pole on a stage in downtown at the corner of the Horne's Christmas tree.

It's a new feature for first night.

City will have a ball on New Year's City will have a ball on New Year's
Midnight countdown will culminate with raising of 1,000-pound sphere

E. Hills residents seek to turn closed school into community hub

East Hills residents seek to turn closed school into community hub An East Hills group yesterday sought the city's help in turning a shuttered school building into a community center that would offer sports, education and social programs...

Konota Gaskins, a Democratic committeeman and president of East Hills Community Youth Adult Council, pitched the idea to Neil D. Parham, the city's youth policy manager, in a meeting at the City-County Building. Also present was Arlinder Lang, a former East Hills resident helping Mr. Gaskins.

Mr. Gaskins said he has been trying for three years to establish a community center in what he described as a dying neighborhood. He said the East Hills International Studies Academy building, which the Pittsburgh Public Schools closed in June, would be an ideal site.

Don't hold your breath. We've got a closed indoor ice rink on the South Side that has not been opened for years. There is no hope of doing any expansion in the city because those on Grant Street now are only worried about their own needs (selfish) and they're too busy trying to manage the downward spiral of decline.

Independent Weekly: News: Features: Imagine Dix

Pittsburgh's former mayor, Tom Murphy, working with the Urban Land Institute, showed up in another town, Raleigh, North Carolina, to trumpet pin-headed development on a green field space that goes against the will of the locals who have visions and desires for high quality community spaces.

Independent Weekly: News: Features: Imagine Dix: "And to steal a phrase from former Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy, another member of the ULI team, talking about how Raleigh's approached other big land-use decisions 'for a while here'—'It'll do.'"

Tom Murphy says, "It will do."

Tom Murphy might as well said, "Aim low. Don't miss."

Tom Murphy might as well said, "Talk is cheap, poor citizens. Control of the land can be leveraged into influence with speculators and developers."

The problem is, Tom Murphy's price tag is too low. Way too low.

Furthermore, when the hint of new money comes onto the scene, Tom Murphy can't close the deal without another endless string of compromises that all break in the favor of the the private interest, new money developer and against the public's benefit.

He'll undercut the financial advantages by being cheap on one hand. And on the other hand he'll devalue what could be grand and cheapen the outcome.

Finally, layers of FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt), plus complexity and secret negotiations (smoke) that spin into leases the size of phone books make deals that take generations to unravel.

Dorethea Dix, back in 1848 founded a great institution for some needy people. Those folks then -- and to this time -- are not a high priority for Tom Murphy. No way. Don't be fooled. And, he used to be in the Peace Corps. Go figure how much he's changed.

Healthcare, wellness and service to the mentally ill won't have a snow-ball's chance of making it into his priority list. Blades of grass will have much greater weight, only behind retail and upscale, lower-density housing that's easy to build and sell.

Here comes more trouble.

The heart of the ULI scheme, though, is its development plan, which calls for a Dix Campus Development Corp.—members appointed by the state, the city and NCSU—to develop 1.2 million square feet of office and retail space (including 800,000 square feet for DHHS) and 1,400 single- and multi-family housing units.

A development corporation is an authority. It amounts to overlords without any accountability. It turns citizens into serfs. Its formation puts the mayor, governor and future political leaders into a zone of fruitlessness. The authority will take on a life of its own and never sunset and always strive to grow itself.

First off, demand referendums. Put these big questions to the people to vote. Should the Dix property be sold or retained by the state? -- Yes -- or -- No --.

Second, demand that the property be made available for sale, if it is to be sold, by bids and at auctions. Sell five lots, for example, in year 1, then five more in year 5, and the last five in year 10. Each goes to an open bid or auction.

If you want to make this a private development -- put it into a real private corporation, not some developement company formed for this sake. The private corporations should have stock owners and grow private equity and be a real marketplace player.

Third, don't settle for some appointements to a board for cronies for a development corporation. That doesn't work and should not be part of a democratic, free, open society.

If you have to have a goofy development corporation / authority, then you need to insist that people be elected to those seats. And, they need to be retained in those seats with retention votes. Look into some new-age campaign finance reform election process, perhaps as if you elect school board members or student government at NC State. Insist on five public forums on public TV -- and a limit of $500 in campaign finances -- or else the candidate is knocked off the ballot.

The Urban Land Institute is a cancer to democracy and that's why Tom Murphy fits in so well with those scemes.

The $40-million price tag is a red flag. That amount will decline even lower. The land will sell on the cheap. This is why a bid and auction is necessary.

Pennsylvania rushed to sell casino licenses for $50-million. But, they could have sold for more than $400-million each. But, that bid / auction would have cut out the middle-man politicians eager to cut the deals and gain in power / popularity.

The other red flag is the hype where "IF Raleigh can raise $10 million of that from private contributors, ..." You don't want good foundation money -- from private contributors -- to go into land deals. The $10-million he seeks to grab comes from out of your churches, from out of your libraries, from out of your scholarship funds, from out of your soup kitchens, from out of your angle investors.

Do deals that pull their own weight on their own merits without other layers of subsidizations. Don't allow for other vested interests to muddy the waters nor hi-jack valued funds for other viable community efforts, say the next park over.

2 pm with the LCB to block a South Side bar

A meeting is slated for 2 pm on Thursday, Nov 30, 2006 -- with the LCB (Liquor Control Board).

Gather at 875 Green Tree Road, 2 Parkway Center, Suite G-8.

This is to fight the arrival of a new license on East Carson Street on the South Side. They want to put in a bar in a place that has always been an outlet for 'dry goods.'

Go Ted!

kdka.com - South Side Hit & Run Suspect Surrenders

kdka.com - South Side Hit & Run Suspect Surrenders Police say the driver hit three members of Duquesne University's hockey team

(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh Police say the driver involved in a hit and run accident last week that injured members of the Duquesne University hockey team has surrendered.

Nick Demine, 25, of Monroeville allegedly hit two players and a coach last week on the South Side after a bar fight.

Is it three members of the team or two members of the team and a coach?

Are DU athletes now only allowed out at night with chaparones?

This happened just a couple of blocks from our house. I'm glad it is settled and hate that it happened.

Public Invited to Submit Nominations: PPS Alumni Hall of Fame & CORO People

Hall-of-fame outreach.

The Pittsburgh Public Schools wants nominations for the Alumni Hall of Fame through January 31, 2007.

Nominees must have attended the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Those who nominate successful alumni will be asked to describe briefly how the nominee has distinguished himself or herself, the years of attendance in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, and the individual’s contributions to the community after leaving the District. Nominations will be accepted from School District employees, community members, former students, family members and other alumni.

The winners will be selected by a community-based judging panel and will be recognized at the March, 2007 Legislative Meeting of the Board of Education.
Past winners include:

• Dr. Robbie Ali, Director Center for Healthy Environments and Communities, University of Pittsburgh
• Mr. Louis Astorino, Architect of distinction
• LCpl. Aric J. Barr, U.S. Marine Corps, killed in Fallujah Iraq, April 3, 2004
• Dr. Edward T. Bullister, President of Cambridge Technology Development, Inc.
• Ms. Esther Bush, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Chapter of the Urban League
• Dr. Helen Faison, Retired Acting Superintendent, Pittsburgh Public Schools
• Mr. Thomas Fitzgerald, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Pennsylvania
• Mr. Sy Holzer, President, PNC Bank
• Mr. William S. Lerach, Partner in Milberg Weiss Bershad Hynes & Lerach LLP
• Mr. Harold Marks, teacher at Knoxville Middle School
• Mr. Richard W. Nicklos, Retired Principal of East Hills International Studies Academy
• Mr. Ralph Papa, CEO, Citizens Bank, Pittsburgh
• Mr. Timothy Smoot, Co- founder of Meridian Management Group, Inc.
• Mr. William Strickland, President and CEO, Manchester Craftsman’s Guild and the Bidwell Center
• Dr. Cyril Wecht, elected Coroner for Allegheny County

For a nomination form, contact the Pittsburgh Public Schools Division of Communications and Marketing at 412-622-3615 or access the District website.

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The People Do Matter (PDM) Awards

It's Time to Brag! The region's leading business, education and workforce development organizations are soliciting nominations for the 2007 People Do Matter Awards. Nominations for this regional human resource recognition program will be accepted until January 19, 2007. Download a nomination form at: www.peopledomatter.com.

The People Do Matter initiative recognizes southwestern Pennsylvania employers whose human resource practices best demonstrate the importance of providing workers a positive return on their contributions of time, attention, ideas, knowledge, passion, energy, and social networks to ensure productivity, efficiency, and business results.

The initiative will recognize employers that have adopted creative strategies in three areas:

* People: Strategies to attract and retain a diverse, high caliber workforce. The focus here is on approaches to recruitment, compensation, recognition, or work-life balance.

* Learning and Development: Strategies to enhance knowledge creation and knowledge transfer. The focus here is on approaches to link learning with business strategy, measure and value the firm's investments in learning, leverage intellectual capital, or implement new approaches to training and learning.

* Work Structures and Processes: Strategies to facilitate change, improve productivity, and create value in the marketplace. The focus here is on approaches to communicate vision and strategy throughout the organization, align processes and systems with business strategy, adapt to technological change, of harness high involvement to drive change.

Descriptions of previous winners and finalists are available at www.peopledomatter.com. (View the 2006 program book.)