Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup

Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup Slippery Rock in baseball's lineup
Town welcomes a minor league in need

Thursday, January 11, 2007
By Milan Simonich, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Small towns often court baseball's minor leagues, dipping into tax money to build stadiums for wealthy team owners.

For one season at least, Slippery Rock has bucked the trend.

The university town, with just 5,400 permanent residents, will play host this summer to an independent professional team from the Frontier League. Slippery Rock will not shell out so much as a nickel for the team or its ballpark.

PA ball yard.

Would you rather build on 50 acres or 500?

These guys are thinking again as to where in the world should the Penguins put a new venue for hockey? By the airport and highways? Or, use a shoe horn and level so as to squeeze it into the lower Hill District?

Apple Unlikely To Go To Court In iPhone Trademark Dispute, Experts Say - Hardware News by InformationWeek

Apple Unlikely To Go To Court In iPhone Trademark Dispute, Experts Say - Hardware News by InformationWeek 'I was surprised and disappointed when Apple decided to go ahead and announce their new product with our trademarked name without reaching an agreement,' Mark Chandler, Cisco general counsel, said in a company blog. 'It was essentially the equivalent of 'we're too busy.''

Perhaps Apple do a switch away from iPhone and Steve Jobs will pick another name -- list that of his new wife who hails from Pittsburgh, the iJustine.

Did you see her on MSNBC yesterday?

I think she is on a S.F. shopping spree these days.

You do the math and other tidbits from the PFT with boss of city school's counterpart

Luke Ravenstahl, Mark Roosevelt, a few students and a ton of media folks came together at 11:30 on the South Side at the offices of the Pgh Federation of Teachers to celebrate a $10,000 check for Pittsburgh's Promise from a 4,000 member organization.

After the formal presentation, in the lobby of the building, Mayor Luke stood his ground and took 15 minutes of questions from a hoard of journalist about yesterday's decision by the judge regarding the ongoing court case that pits the city against one of its top female commanders on the police force.

I learned nothing. Furthermore, I didn't hear what I wanted to hear in the post-game nor in the main event.

Luke should say, "Yesterday's decision by the judge is behind us. The Commander is back on the job today. We've settled the matter. Everyone is back to work. We are all trying to make this city a wonderful and safe city to live, work, and raise our children. The Commander is going to be compensated from the past mistakes. I'm sorry that this has been such a distraction."

As a taxpayer, I don't like seeing a police commander in a court battle with my mayor. This is a lose-lose deal. Money is going down the drain to attorneys and not headed to education or recreation or street repairs or police detectives.

Luke should make this go away right away. Say, "Sorry." Fix the problems. Be prudent. Insist upon a high threashold before court.

Luke seemed to want to hold his ground. He even said he'd welcome the deposition. He feels he is above it all. He feels that the problem was put on his desk and he walked into this as part of the transition.

This is a rookie mistake from a pinch-runner without a warm-up. Not a show-stopping big-hairy deal, if it ends now.

Unusual Buildings

Unusual Buildings - AOL Money & FinanceBuildings That Rock!

YouTube rivals look for answers | CNET News.com

This is a major breakthrough. Major. The article is important. But look at the visual map on the left side of the screen.

YouTube rivals look for answers | CNET News.com For months, analysts have predicted a shakeout in the much-hyped video-sharing sector, a business made famous by YouTube.

It increasingly looks like they were right.

Revver, a Los Angeles video-sharing company noted for being among the first to share advertising revenue with videographers, announced last month that two of the company's three co-founders and an undisclosed number of 'support staff' were no longer with the company. Among those who left were Rob Maigret, Revver's chief technology officer, and David Tenzer, the head of media partnerships.

That is a poorly designed concept map. That's the wave of the future. That's what I was working on about 8 years ago.

AntiRust hits at logic of sports venue building

AntiRust Remember a few years ago when the Pirates were demanding a new stadium? One of the reasons supporters cited in that case was that the Pirates sucked. And that the sucking was a direct result of a crappy stadium. And that the new stadium would result in less sucking. (It didn't.) Now we seem to have a complete reversal. The public has to pay for the Penguin's arena because the team doesn't suck.

Good posting.

Baseball Hall of Fame Opens to Fellow Polar Bear Swimmer

Carbolic Smoke Ball VENDOR T.C. CONGDON ELECTED TO BASEBALL HALL OF FAME

I think T.C. was swimming on New Year's Day on the Wharf.

Can someone confirm?

His autograph is more valuable now, since he is known as a polar bear swimmer.

American Swimming Association to host first-ever Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championship.

Love this news. Love Keith Bell too!

January 10, 2007 -- Austin, Texas

The American Swimming Association will host the first-ever Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championship in Austin, Texas in Lake Travis on Saturday, November 3, 2007. The ASA Open Water Swimming National Collegiate Championships will include a 5k in the main basin of Lake Travis. In addition to individual men's and women's titles; Men's, Women's and Combined Open Water Team Championships will be contested. Event information and entry forms available at www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com.

The American Swimming Association offers a growing number of exciting and fun competitive swimming events for youth, masters, high school, and collegiate swimmers, including the ASA University League National Championships for collegiate club swimming teams. In April 2007 ASA U. Nationals will be held at the University of Virginia Aquatics and Fitness Center in Charlottesville, VA.

For more information contact:

Dr. Keith Bell, President, American Swimming Association, LLC, 512-327-2260
info -at- AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com - http://www.AmericanSwimmingAssociation.com

Celebration movie. Click to view.

Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition Group Home Page | Gather

Pointer for my friends that can write. Give it a whirl.

Writing Competition Page | Gather Enter The Gather.com First Chapters Writing Competition

Are you an unpublished author looking to get your fabulous work of fiction in bookstores near you? Well, put away your query letters and fear of rejection and enter The Gather.com First Chapters Writing ...

Arena Re-Imagined - News Feature - City Paper

Rob gets nominated for Pittsburgher of the Year.

Pittsburgh - Mellon Arena Re-Imagined - News - News Feature - Pittsburgh City Paper Rob Pfaffmann and other preservationists have resumed a four-year-old campaign to keep Mellon right where it is -- and put the structure to new uses.

We talked (Rob, Violet and I) for a moment at the holiday party hosted by Bike Pittsburgh and the Riverlife Task Force in December.

Participants proposed a "super kid center" with year-round ice and roller rinks, an "ethnic marketplace" and even a "biosphere" modeled after Montreal's re-used Olympic velodrome, which now serves as an environmental education showcase. Participants also envisioned new housing nearby, a crescent-shaped park around the arena, and an overlook on top. Drawings show a large slice of the city dramatically visible through the retracted arena roof.

Today, preservationists still believe the arena could have a new life, and that demolition shouldn't be the only option.

The only tweek to this -- is keep the velodrom! Perhaps we can get the parts from Montreal and stuff that into the arena, then it would be meaningful to say 'go down around the arena, @N.'

Sure. Save the Arena. Make this part of town way more attractive for local business location. Build something that home owners of downtown and Hill District -- as well as Polish Hill, South Side, Bluff and Strip District residents / new investors would want to be close to.

This next point is very important. Sala Udin, take note to what follows.

Many Hill District residents regard the structure as an obstacle to more beneficial development -- and a jarring reminder of redevelopment promises yet to be fulfilled.

First, get over it! This isn't the '60s, still. Seriously, keeping the existing arena is less jarring than a new one. And, a re-deployed civic arena is going to be better blended into the existing landscape once the rest of Mario's properties are purchased by Barden. The surface parking lots of today get hidden and blended. And, when we keep the arena, new buildings get built the hill, throughout the streets of the whole neighborhood. Otherwise, a churn of the same parcel occurs.

You know, the grass field at Heinz Field needs to stay green all season long. What if the Sports and Exibition Authority had the big idea of moving Heinz Field from its present location to a spot two blocks away, sorta where Three Rivers Stadium stood. This way the land around Heinz Field gets the long awaited development that has been promised. And, the grass might be more hardy there, on the sacred spaces once occupied by Exhibition Park.

What good does it do us to build a new arena right next the old one, implode the old one with money still owed on it, and have a net gain of one food court that sells $3 pretzels. Heck, the dipping cheese won't even be a good once they outlaw the trans-fats.

A more beneficial development can sprout out of the shell of the existing Civic Arena. We need to noodle as to what can occur there. The activities and the flow of people to and around the Hill District and Downtown could be better, way, way better than what is attracted by NHL Hockey.

The hoped for gracious near-town living won't come to the lower Hill Distict until and unless a great recreational venue is in the same neighborhood. No city rec center will seal the deal for anyone, sad to say.

The preservationists' first priority, he says, is to win broad support for saving the arena. "Getting people to believe that it is worthy of saving," he adds, "is going to save the building."

Rob and Pittsburgh -- you have broad support from me.

I pledge to save the Civic Arena with more spit and vigor than Jim Ferlo's efforts to save Oakland's Siria Mosque.

Rec Center viewed from two different locations: From the water.

From the land.

I'd love to see Mario's new venue built on the Ohio River -- downstream from Downtown. Our best highway that never needs to be re-paved is the river. And, when it is near I79, the Parkway West 376, and the river -- we'll be able to expand and attract young people as residents!

The Rec Center in the photos is much smaller than the new arena. But notice the hight and density of the near-by buildings. It would be silly to circle the new arena with townhouses. Rather, put in high-rise buildings. Make this a real Olympic Village -- our Pennsylvania Penguins Village.

The Burgh Report says investigation becomes either / or

The Burgh Report Ravenstahl's decision is either a severe lack of judgment or a cognizant willingness to sweep Regan's wrongdoing under the rug.

My hunch goes to the sweeping option.

Did you see this guy biking to Grant Street recently?

From china - bike

ATTENTION BUS AND TROLLEY RIDERS:

The sky is falling.

OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM IS ABOUT TO DIE!

*State politicians have done NOTHING in 6 years to properly fund public transit in PA!

*Local elected leaders are refusing to go to Harrisburg to ask for dedicated funding that would PREVENT these service cuts and fare hikes!

*The predicted 25% service cuts are INEVITABLE regardless of whether or not we get dedicated funding before June 2007!

SO JOIN OTHER BUS AND TROLLEY RIDERS FOR A MARCH AND RALLY TO DEMAND NO SERVICE CUTS AND NO FARE HIKES!

Monday, January 22, 2007 - 8:30am to 10:00am


PLACE: Mellon Square (Sixth Ave. and William Penn Place, Downtown)

**We will be gathering at 8:30 am at Mellon Square. The rally will begin at 8:45 am. The march will begin at 9:15 am; we will be ending at the Pittsburgh Hilton, where the 1st Port Authority public hearing will be held at 10 am.

SAVE OUR TRANSIT!

No more service cuts! No more fare hikes!

For more information call 412-361-3022 OR email zeidersamanda@gmail.com

I don't like these chants. Stop the tunnel would be high on my list of expressions. Perhaps I'll go to the rally and have a sign that says "I'm NOT Digging It!"

Another good message: Bike to rule in Wabash & on Busways!

Judge overturns demotion of Pa. police commander

NEPA News - Judge overturns demotion of Pa. police commander 'The law is clear. The loss of First Amendment freedoms even for the smallest amount of time constitutes irreparable harm,' Ambrose said.

Freedom wins. Not only are McNeilly and her attorneys overjoyed, but all liberty minded people can take a deep breath and smile.

Good to hear that the city will abide by the decision. Bad that they just don't stop now. I'd not want to take this any further if I was the mayor, or even if I'm a candidate. I really don't want to see the case proceed if I'm a taxpayer -- and I am that.

If it was the Murphy Administation, they would have gone all the way to they could with appeals. To be better -- end the case now.

Luke should chalk this up to a 'rookie mistake' and be done with it as soon as possible.

Still to come: Who is going to be named the public service director? Anyone? Is this an important job? (Hell yes.) Who gets the nod? (???) Does a national search begin? What are they waiting for?

Teachers join 'Pittsburgh Promise' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Way to go.

Teachers join 'Pittsburgh Promise' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and John Tarka, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, will hold a news conference at 11:30 p.m. Thursday at the union’s South Side headquarters to announce the teachers’ participation. Although Tarka would not disclose the amount before tomorrow’s meeting, Ravenstahl called it “symbolic progress.”

“We recognize The Pittsburgh Promise is a promise to continue to improve the school district, and the teachers support this kind of effort to provide help to students,” Tarka said.

How much do you think that they'll put into the kitty?

How much of a campaign donation do you think that they'll make too? The PFT gives money to candidates. The PFT gave money to Jeff Koch. Jeff is a Democrat.

I hope that the Pittsburgh Promise isn't a key to anything other than a few headlines from now and then. A broken promise is nothing to hang one's hat nor hopes upon.

New Blog: Early Returns from the P-Gers

Rich Lord called this a blog. Ha, ha, ha. This is a web site. A blog generally allows for comments. This is very 1999ish. Well, perhaps it is 2002ish.

I email Rich Lord saying that Les Ludwig started talking about "alternative funding" back in 2003. I felt that the news of Luke's deal with the California firm should have quoted Ludwig. Heck, he ran for Mayor on that as a central platform plank. Furthermore, the words, "Do More With Les" were spoken by young Mayor Luke Ravenstahl at his first budget address in recent months.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Local News - Early Returns Welcome to Early Returns, the Post-Gazette's online guide to Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania politics. Politics Editor James O'Toole can be reached at jotoole@post-gazette.com, and former Harrisburg correspondent Bill Toland can be reached at btoland@post-gazette.com. The Early Returns staff also now includes city hall reporter Rich Lord, who can be reached at rlord@post-gazette.com.

Ora Lee Carol is a candidate for Pittsburgh City Council.

Newest US Citizen Formally Announces Bid To Unseat Harris Of Council Seat

Press Contact: Contact@Dave4Council.Net (412) 894-8743
New American and Returning Candidate.

Pittsburgh, PA – Responding to calls from North Side residents for a change in the way council does business, newly naturalized US Citizen, Dave Schuilenburg, affirmed today that he will seek to unseat Darlene Harris of Pittsburgh’s City Council District 1 seat. “It is with deep humility that I announce today my intention to present myself again as an alternative for voters to City Council’s & Darlene Harris’ spending ways” announced Schuilenburg, the 9-1-1 dispatcher & Summer Hill home owner who presented a respectable challenge to the unpopular former Pittsburgh Public School board member in the November 7th Special Election.

Schuilenburg’s confirmation of a re-run for the office comes amidst recent media reports which brought to light a purchase initiated by Ms Harris of a Smoke Eater for her office in the non-smoking City-County building. “Not only are tax payers forking the bill for her Ms Harris’ bad & unhealthy habit, but an illegal one at that, and that is simply unethical & unacceptable!” comments Schuilenburg.

“Not only does this show that Ms Harris has not changed her spending ways,” continued Schuilenburg, “but it also shows her blatant disrespect for the residents that elected her, and the law for that matter. Is this truly the ‘fiscal manager’, as she called herself before the Post-Gazette editors, we want to lead us out of the city’s fiscal crisis for the next 4 years? More importantly, is this the example of leadership we want to set for our children?”

In contrast, Schuilenburg plans on running a campaign focused on concrete reforms he calls ‘An Agenda Of Positive Change’, policy ideas he initially presented during last fall’s special election for the district’s council seat. The platform was overshadowed, however, by his opponent’s tactic of raising concern with his citizenship status at the time. “Though I had heard several reports of my opponents going door-to-door attempting to convince voters to hold back lending me their support due to such, their success was minimal at best. More importantly, however,” adds Schuilenburg “now that my 5+ year process to become a citizen has finally come to end last month, this time around the onus falls back on them to counter with their concrete ideas for change, something none of them, including Ms Harris, did last time around.”

Setting his sights on ‘out of favor’ Harris, Schuilenburg adds “Let’s not forget that she only won based on the electorate’s strong will to unseat Santorum & Hart, and the ‘Straight Party’ ticket wave that accomplished such, despite not having had to run in a May primary. Considering she only had 45% of the district committee members endorsement in the fall, however,” adds Schuilenburg “I can guarantee that she will not win this year without placing a 4 year plan for the North Side & the city out for debate, should she even have one!”

Ms Harris’ unpopularity originates from ill decisions made during her tenor on the PPS board, including one to open nearby schools with low attendance during a fiscal crisis, actions which subsequently cost the school district loss of significant grant money from highly respected local endowments. Temporarily withdrawing their financing of school programs, the Heinz Endowment & Pittsburgh Foundation specifically cited her lack of ‘governance, leadership & financial discipline’ as their reason, and subsequently reinstated the funding when the electorate voted her out of office the following election.

A respected member of various upper North Side community & action committees, including the North Side Weed & Seed and the North Side Public Safety Council, Schuilenburg presented himself last November as the most non-partisan choice to Harris, and was quoted as being ‘the most knowledgeable candidate on the issues’ by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Likewise, Schuilenburg ran a campaign on proposed concrete ideas as opposed to name recognition as attempted to do other candidates, and garnered almost half the votes the candidates with recognizable name did.

Schuilenburg’s documented platform of council reforms includes allowing the electorate the opportunity to vote on downsizing council from 9 to at least 7 members; improvements to public safety, including a reorganization resources so as to free up officers for true police work; pro-merger of city-county administrative & bureaucratic duplicate services; and refocusing capital investments into neighborhoods, a position current Mayor Ravenstahl has taken in his first budget. Schuilenburg even proposes holding a public ‘Socio-Economic Summit’ with North Side neighborhood groups & elected officials of all levels so as to set forth strategies & priorities for kick-starting improvements to the quality of life on the North Side as a whole. “When East Allegheny, Troy Hill & Manchester suffer, we all suffer; and it is time for leaders with ideas from across the North Side to come forth and present those ideas for consideration”.

Councilman Wants Stricter Nuisance Law Enforced - News

Councilman Wants Stricter Nuisance Law Enforced - News One local councilman is arguing that Pittsburgh's nuisance law is not being enforced, as it should be.

Motznik wants to see stricter enforcement. How about any enforcement. It isn't being enforced at all.

"This is something that has been holding my community hostage," said council member Twanda Carlisle.

The overlords in this town are also holding the city hostage. We don't self govern. We don't have self reliance. What then do you expect? Yes, Pittsburgh is held hostage.

Accountability is absent.

Transit riders are held hostage to PAT, an authority with an appointed board. The Pens fans felt jolted by the I.O.C. plan for a new arena by the appointed PA Gaming Board. The history lovers are held hostage to the Allegh. Conference folks who want to bulldoze over the significance of Point State Park.

We're in an era of authority madness.

Even the schools are pulled in certain directions by the foundations and their hired bosses, such as Mark Roosevelt.

"Right now, every one of our neighborhoods are being taken over by people who just don't care," said councilman Bill Peduto.

Until there was a fire, folks within the city didn't care. And, now, only the folks on council seem to raise a voice. The city administration does not care. That's the worse.

Motznik said he is going to get a full public airing of this issue with city officials invited to council table in the weeks ahead.

Wrong again. If Motznik wants a full public airing of this issue, then he needs to call for a combined post-agenda and public hearing. The public won't be able to speak at the public meeting Motznik is calling. Motznik doesn't really care to hear the public on this topic. This is not a full public hearing unless the public can speak and be heard.

Duhh.... Actions speak too.

By the way, the house that is next to mine, and the house that is next to that house -- sit vacant. They have been empty for months. They have suburban owners.

By the way 2, there are a number of houses for sale on my street. A house on my street was torn down two months ago as well. It was torn down by private funds, not a city crew.

The economic worry of this original bill could depress the property values of all of us who own in the city. And, it could increase the number of tax leins that the city dishes out. That's been a huge problem for years. Finally, empty lots where good houses used to stand causes blight and a loss of density. With current zoning laws, many of those structures can't be re-built.

The great fix for all of this -- a return to the land value tax.

Another fix -- give 12 year old kids something meaningful to do so that they are net setting fires to empty buildings, like what was done in Hazelwood. There is an empty school building, the former Gladstone Middle School, in Hazlewood, with an empty swim pool and two un-used gyms.

Ghost burgh -- part 2 on why the civic arena's venue should not be a tombstone marker

We all know and hear it often: downtown is ghost town after dark.

If you take the Penguins out of downtown, or really out of the lower Hill District, and that's right next to downtown. Then downtown is going to be a ghost town.

Humm. Downtown is a ghost town now -- with the Pens.

Perhaps the Pens help to insure that downtown continues as a ghost town.

If you take the Pens out of the lower Hill District location, then we'll have great opportunities to make the Civic Arena venue a real vibrant place for hundreds of people every day, every time slot.

When 15,000 people drop in for 3 periods -- they leave their mark. These people don't take mass transit to and from the hockey games. These people generally drive in and drive home.

The big venue in town would become the new hockey venue. If Mick and the Rolling Stones come to town -- they go to Mario's new place. Great. That's just what we want. We want the flexibility of big events in a big indoor venue that can cater to those mega crowds. Perhaps that isn't the Civic Arena.

But the Civic Arena is a great smaller venue. The facility can be re-tooled to suit the neighborhood and handle a constant flow of hundreds of people each hour, thousands a day. Ten thousands each week.

That's not scary. That's how to avoid the traps of being a ghost town.