Direct Action @ Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

Civil disobedience by Philadelphia residents in protest of the Gaming Control Board's not responding to their demands for good information on the casinos proposed for their neighborhoods. keywords: PGCB, Casino-free Philadelphia, slots, casino, gambling, Pennsylvania, hallwatch

Notice that a member of the media got arrested. When was the last time a member of the Pittsburgh media got arrested for justice? Well, at least we have some who are blogging now, if that is any peace of mind.

The Busman's Holiday

The Busman's Holiday I have great respect for those bloggers who are so prolific and creative that they’re posting through the day with charm and passion.

Thanks Bob. Back at you. But, I name names. =;0

Perhaps you could take your workshop to this page and do a bit of an update on the Platform.For-Pgh.org wiki page. Think of it as a workshop assignment.

URA to Crush Longtime Pittsburgh Landlords

The Three Rivers Post & Standard � URA to Crush Longtime Pittsburgh Landlords You gotta love government meddlers when it comes to development. Their supporters always crow, crow, crow about what they build — even when it fails, as have many of their initiatives in the downtown Pittsburgh area . We are always reminded that nothing would have happened if the meddlers didn’t do their deals.

City Hall intrigue does not take a holiday during the holiday season - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

City Hall intrigue does not take a holiday during the holiday season - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Talk in certain Grant Street hallways has Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl considering offering Allegheny County Prothonotary Michael Lamb a high-level position in his administration.

But would Lamb accept?
I hope so. He should. He needs a job. He would be a good addition to the administration as he'll continue to offer the city fine public service.

Downtown efforts leave empty feeling - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Here is the rub. Chamber of Commerce folks and the PDP (Pgh Downtown Partnership) want big programs, big taxes, big organizations and big lies. Meanwhile, real people vote with their feet. The marketplace is too fluid and too much of a force for the big central planning types who are big, slow and stupid.

At this point in time, the volume of merchants who know best are long gone. There are not enough of the sensible around to counter act the big-time jokers who aim to soil our landscape by grabbing what they can for themselves with the next massive programming ploy.

Downtown efforts leave empty feeling - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Taxes are a problem, said Gerald Schiller, part-owner of several family-owned properties along Forbes Avenue and a frequent critic of government-driven rehabilitation efforts. 'Retailers are deserting Downtown, because they are being phased out of business by the city's tax policy.'

Schiller is particularly disturbed by a Business Improvement District tax increase on retailers. The 3.92-mill assessment, which provides money for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, will increase by 5 percent annually for the next five years. The tax is levied against property owners in a 90-block area.

Barbara McNees, president of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, supports the tax increase.

'We must keep Downtown safe and clean, not only for its current retailers and residents, but for visitors, new residents and others in the Downtown area,' she said.

We need real benchmarks too. Let's say things are going well, when they are not. Let's look at office vacancy rates -- but exclude the Lazarus Building. What's up with that? We have way to many blind spots, by design.

Those who make the rules, rule.

I have no hope that the new investment of $35-million for Point State Park will save downtown.

I have no hope that the new T-stop at Gateway Center is really needed to revitalize Fifth & Forbes.

I have no hope that the half-billion dollar tunnels under the Allegheny River will turn things around either. What's the attraction of the underground T? Were people afraid to swim across the river for shopping and cheering for the Pirates?

The surge in residential units is because the value of commercial spaces is at such an all time low.

We have more people willing to move downtown because less are willing to live in our neighborhoods.

They are thinning. They are taking away high-rise buildings and replacing them with green spaces. They are getting rid of density. They are putting capacity out by the airport and other green fields while they are doing demolitions on density and urban spaces.

Our economic engine is not on a rebound. We've choked the hope. We have places to sleep, but few place to earn a pay check are willing to locate here.

We're turning into a slumbering little town. Everyone that says we are building momentum are sleeping. Wake up soon, before the marketplace leaves the state.

Jumpcut - Group Game called, "Where am I?"

Have you seen Jump Cut yet? Check out this new group there to play a game called, "Where am I?" I've uploaded three mini videos there. You watch and comment. Jumpcut - Group Where am I?

Here's the game: Shoot a short video from wherever you find yourself - with enough scenery so that someone could guess where you are, but not too much - and post it here. The first person to guess the location in a comment wins.
tags: travel game
Upload

Sarah Heinz House, hard hat tour photos

Sarah Heinz House - hard hat tour

See dozens of images from a major expansion of a boys and girls club being built by Dick Corporation. It isn't as nice nor expensive as the Polar Bear exhibit at the zoo, but hey -- its for our kids! They are still looking for a couple million to close out the building campaign.

Ex-member of the US Congress, from Georgia, quits the Republican Party and joins the Libertarians.

Down South Jukein from R to L. Do you know the song?

BREITBART.COM - Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians Ex-Rep. Barr Quits GOP for Libertarians

By BEN EVANS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

A former Georgia congressman who helped spark President Clinton's impeachment has quit the Republican Party to become a Libertarian, saying he is disillusioned with the GOP on issues such as spending and privacy.

Bob Barr, who served eight years as a Republican congressman before losing his seat in 2002, announced Friday that he is now a 'proud, card-carrying Libertarian.' And he encouraged others to join him.

Click the comments for the entire article. Or, see the link above.

This fall, there has been a lot of talk about 'turn overs.' Pittsburgh needs a push to juke from various parties to the Libertarian team.

The Lynyrd Skynyrd song came to mind -- Down South Jukin'. Search Google on "Down South Jukeing" and notice the 5th hit is this blog. I'm high on the list for a miss-spelled rockin tune titles.

I post one happy holiday message with the song, "Oh Abraham" -- and then get this call

Hi. My name is Eugene Gershin. Perhaps we have met online, but more probably you don't know me from Adam. I monitor blogs for SamsonBlinded, and came across your post.

I'd like to welcome you to look at Obadiah Shoher's blog. Obadiah - an anonymous Israeli politician - writes extremely controversial articles about Israel, the Middle East politics, and terrorism.

Shoher is equally critical of Jewish and Muslim myths, and advocates political rationalism instead of moralizing.

Google banned our site from the AdWords, Yahoo blocked most pages, and Amazon deleted all reviews of Obadiah's book, Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict.

Nevertheless, 170,000 people from 78 countries read the book.

Various Internet providers ban us periodically, but you can look up the site on search engines. The mirror www.terrorism-in-israel.org/blog currently works.

Please help us spread Obadiah's message, and mention the blog in one of your posts, or link to us from rauterkus.blogspot.com. I would greatly appreciate your comments.

Best wishes,
Eugene Gershin

The things we see on the net are wild, from time to time. Last week when there was a missing young adult, sadly, the thread got attention from his friends. Life.

Told ya. Poppa Penguin says, 'hold the phone" on the adoption. Certainty chatter is a sure stinker.

So, one thing is for certain. My rant about "being certain" as a top priority (Dec. 13, 2006) rings like a bell.

Photos of bells I've used and seen are below. Play the video of the one on the bike -- for effect.

Watch the Video


Historic bells of an emperor (above) and a religious bell tower from a structure in a temple is below.

Oh, Abraham. A song from the past. Chanukah -- a stretch. But worth a listen.

New video for these times.

Chanukah began tonight.

From a new photo album that features Amy Carol Webb.

Amy Carol Webb

---

Amy Carol Webb MP3 Downloads - Amy Carol Webb Music Downloads - Amy Carol Webb Music Videos: "Faith Fortitude Friends

Citizenship Celebration today for David

See my Google Calendar for the details.

David S, a 911 operator, North Sider, who recently ran for Pittsburgh City Council in the special election for Luke's former seat, is getting to take his oath of citizenship today. Way to go.

I hope he runs for public office again. He was talking about issues, more than personality.

More photos. Picasa only takes 500 per album

Buy some corn on the cob from a vendor selling from a hot pot built into the back of his bike.

From china - bike ...

Going to a bike party -- and uploaded more than 500 photos

From china - bike

Enjoy.

Another album is of my bike.

The org, Downsize DC is up in arms about this bill

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress) H.R.4682
Title: To provide more rigorous requirements with respect to disclosure and enforcement of ethics and lobbying laws and regulations, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rep Pelosi, Nancy [CA-8] (introduced 2/1/2006) Cosponsors (162)

Multimedia bits and pointers

Heavy Or Not brews here:


• JumpCut.com/rauterkus



• Rauterkus.blip.tv



• Picasa Web Albums from Mark Rauterkus

Red Light Camera - insights about a new law for Pgh

I've crafted a 98 second movie about the pending bill that would bring 'red light cameras' to Pittsburgh's busy streets and intersections.

The devil is in the details. Here what they've found in New Mexico. I'd be okay with this as part of the deal in Pittsburgh too.

Do you think that those in Pittsburgh would insist that the same treatments be put into effect here?

Hope you watch the segment and agree. The photos are from my collection from our visits to China. Check out the crossing guards too.

The audio is from a podcast I'm enjoying, FreeTalkLive.com.

Examining the Libertarian Vote in Depth

This is a great article. Give it a read.

TCS Daily - Examining the Libertarian Vote in Depth By David Kirby & David Boaz

Libertarian Party candidates may have cost Sens. Jim Talent and Conrad Burns their seats, tipping the Senate to Democratic control. In Montana, the Libertarian candidate got more than 10,000 votes, or 3 percent, while Democrat Jon Tester edged Burns by fewer than 3,000 votes. In Missouri, Claire McCaskill defeated Talent by 41,000 votes, a bit less than the 47,000 Libertarian votes.

This isn't the first time Republicans have had to worry about losing votes to Libertarian Party candidates. Sens. Harry Reid, Maria Cantwell, and Tim Johnson all won races in which Libertarian candidates got more votes than their winning margin.

But a narrow focus on the Libertarian Party significantly underestimates the role libertarian voters played in 2006. Most voters who hold libertarian views don't vote for the Libertarian Party. Libertarian voters likely cost Republicans the House and the Senate—also dealing blows to Republican candidates in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida.

Another telling quote:

President Bush and the congressional Republicans left no libertarian button unpushed in the past six years: soaring spending, expansion of entitlements, federalization of education, cracking down on state medical marijuana initiatives, Sarbanes-Oxley, gay marriage bans, stem cell research restrictions, wiretapping, incarcerating U.S. citizens without a lawyer, unprecedented executive powers, and of course an unnecessary and apparently futile war. The striking thing may be that after all that, Democrats still looked worse to a majority of libertarians.

re-public: re.imagining democracy - Richard Stallman - The free software movement

re-public: re.imagining democracy - Richard Stallman - The free software movement Could you explain free software activism?

Richard Stallman: First I’d better explain what free software means. Free software means software that respects the user’s freedom. There are four essential freedoms that the user of any software ought to have:

Freedom 0: the freedom to run the program, as you wish.

Freedom 1: the freedom to study the program’s source code and then change it so that it does what you wish.

Freedom 2: the freedom to distribute copies of the program when you wish.

Freedom 3: the freedom to distribute copies of our modified versions, when you wish.

Freedom 2 is the freedom to help your neighbor; freedom 3 is the freedom to contribute to your community. Both of them include both private distribution and publication–whichever you wish. Both include gratis distribution as well as sale of copies, whichever you wish

So what is free software activism? It is the struggle to establish and maintain these freedoms. This is a struggle because most computer users do not have these freedoms. They were taken away back in the 1970s, when a tiny fraction of society used computers; when use of computers spread widely in the 90s, what spread was the use of user-subjugating proprietary software.

Pens open to Plan B concept - Certain is as certain does

First published on Dec 13, 2006

I'm certain that being certain should not be the top priority, for sure.

The guy who has Blackberry -- the company that took a gamble on patents and nearly went dark and off the air a year ago -- is full of talk to the gambling control board.

How can you have a slots parlor and have certain results? To gamble is to take risks. There is mystery and uncertainty when you drop the money and panic and are left with the cold-hard-results.

The value of being certain falls to an owner of a sports team with a deal on the table who doesn't even own the team yet. Everyone thinks he'll own the team. But, it didn't close yet.

Pens open to Plan B concept - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 'Our plan is the only plan that brings certainty to this entire process,' McMackin said. 'There's clear-cut certainty the Penguins will stay in Pittsburgh. Under the concept of the other plan there is nothing but uncertainty.'

Under the backup plan, Forest City or Majestic Star would pay $7.5 million a year for 30 years, while the state would pay $7 million a year. The Pens would have to pay $8.5 million up front and $2.9 million a year, while forgoing $1.1 million a year in naming rights.

Balsillie said Isle of Capri's proposal is the best plan because it removes any doubt about the team's future and doesn't use 'taxpayers' money.'

'I see a three-for-one here,' Balsillie said, adding that Isle of Capri's proposal provides a sports and entertainment destination, economic revitalization in the neighborhood and a gambling facility.

'The promise of being a good neighbor isn't just a promise,' Balsillie said. 'It has to be fulfilled.'

Balsillie said he hopes to conclude his purchase of the Penguins by the end of the week.

Sports is about living in the present and not knowing what's going to happen, especially when played on ice with a little rubber puck at the center of attention.

I'm certain that taxpayer money is going to go into this new arena. For starters, the new arena is going to be built and then given to the public to operate. If they want to build a new arena -- do so and keep it.

I'm certain that the public will pay dearly for the new arena as their plans call for the take down of the old arena. When 1 + 1 = 2 we'll have a net gain. But, we're getting 1 - 1 = 0. We own the civic arena. We have it paid for now. We don't need luxery boxes for Disney on Ice nor a high school graduation.

I'm certain that we'll not have a civic venue with the new arena with low-rental costs, like we can manage wit the existing facility that will be torn down, according to their plan. We've got a historic structure that is authentic -- for sure -- for certain.

So much for a sure bet. The guarantee seems to be a broken heart and upside down priorities.