We'll have a whale of a tale to tell you tonight

We're about to depart to catch a cab to a train to a bus to a boat to see some whales that live along the north coast of the south island of New Zealand.

We're not even going to bring our swim suits.

Stay tuned. Video at 11, our time. That's about 15 hours from now.

Catherine is still raving about yesterday's swim meet. She had lots of fun visiting with the other parents in the stands.

I understand it was 40-degrees there. It is 33 degrees in CT. Go Sox. Here it has been 24 degrees.

The conversion, so goes conventional wisdom, is 2x the C temp plus 30.

Losing casino bidder renews option on arena site

Who is going to hold on longer, Len B. or IOC?

Losing casino bidder renews option on arena siteA losing casino bidder has renewed its option to purchase the Beth Hamedrash Hagodol-Beth Jacob synagogue in the Hill District, complicating an authority's plans to buy the property as part of arena construction.

Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. recently extended the option for a year, as insurance in the event the state Supreme Court overturns the December award of the city's lone casino license to PITG Gaming LLC.

Quiz: New Zealand wildlife includes

True or False. And, for bonus points, name it, if it exists.

Lives to 300 years of age. Can get into a relaxed state so as to lower its heart rate to one beat per minute and one breath per hour.

Could it be true?

If so, what is it?

Uptown landowner accused of opening illegal lots - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Uptown landowner accused of opening illegal lots - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 'What you're basically doing is gutting the neighborhood,' said Michael D. Eversmeyer, a Highland Park architect and former chairman of the city's Historic Review Commission. 'It's a purely individual economic decision made by a property owner with no concern for the community around him. You'll (eventually) get this scorched earth situation around Mercy Hospital and Duquesne University.'

This guy has the right to do whatever he wants with the property he owns. Well, he should have those rights. But, we've put a bunch of zoning and red tape matters onto property owners.

Not fair -- crys one parking lot owner.

Well, the city has rewarded these types of behaviors with its regressive property tax policies.

The land-value tax would help to fix this poor use of urban properties.

Furthermore, this goes into the relm of proving that people just don't want to live right next door to a hockey venue -- if it is located in The Hill District.

There is a lot to talk about on this type of story.

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Lance: To the Democratic and Republican parties. Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl was alone on the ballot and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato had only token opposition. As for Republicans, there were no ballot candidates for these offices; none to try to get some new ideas on the table. Now, if things were going swimmingly, maybe that would make some sense. But Pittsburgh is in state receivership and the Port Authority of Allegheny County is a mess. This was pathetic.

Love the way the Trib editors drop the "swim" description. They'll spalsh about, lampoon both the old parties, but not give a mention to specific instances on the positive side. Dive in! Drop the "L" word. And, I don't mean "lycra."

State selling its 50-year-old Downtown office building

State selling its 50-year-old Downtown office building For sale: 16-story office building in great Downtown location. Needs some TLC.

The State Office Building, overlooking Point State Park, is going on the market, the state Department of General Services confirmed yesterday.

This was a Michael Diven idea. Diven wanted to turn all of the government building in the downtown area into loft / condo / apartments. Then he would have re-built the Fifth and Forbes area as a RIDC-like office park for all the government workers.

Diven's idea was an eye opener -- but it would have killed the city. I didn't want any part of it.

Generally, it is always a good thing to sell off governmental buildings and assets. But, is there a greater plan?

I'd hate to see a move take place that unfolds much like the move of the PAT offices.

Jack Wagner -- please look into what's what with these buildings and assets.

Swim meets, swim practice, naps and a whale watching tour slated for tomorrow

We've been swimming. Last night we had swim practice and then there was a warrior meet. I took the kids home on the bike and then went back to the pool to be a part of the meet -- held on Friday night.

Saturday AM, I led the practice session. The national group did 20 x 200s. It was a 'world class set' and we took it into a world-class practice as well. Many of the kids here are real aerobic animals.

Saturday afternoon there was a "Canterbury Junior Meet." Grant and Erik participated. Both did very well.

I'll post the practices and the order of events for these meets soon. The concepts are mostly what we are used to. But, there are a few nice twists.

For instance, with today's junior meet, the people show up and have their entry form (1/2 page) filled out. They are collected at the door by meet officials. Then the meet's heat sheet is made while warm-ups occur (45 minutes). Then the meet happens.

No advance sign up. None. Show up. Fill out the form. Pay $1.50 per event. Swim the meet. Finish ribbons were given right at the lane by the timers with a time on it.

Time standards exist and if you are too fast -- you can't enter that event. It is a developmental meet.

Started with arrival at 3:45. Warm ups from 3:45 to 4:30. Meet ended by 6:30 pm.

No relays. About 10 teams were there.

The boys and girls and all the age groups swim in one event. There was one guy who was 42 in the meet.

On Sunday, we'll get up early and catch a cab to the train station. It is just too far to walk. We could bike -- by Catherine doesn't have a bike. Then we'll take a train north, along the coast. I missed the last train ride as they went to the Southern Alps two weeks ago. We'll go see whales. After the train ride we're booked on a boat to see the whales. I understand that a colony of whales live there year-round. There, we only watch and take photos, no swimming.

Upper St. Clair attorney McCullough will accept GOP nomination - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Upper St. Clair attorney McCullough will accept GOP nomination - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Charles P. McCullough, the Upper St. Clair attorney at the center of a criminal investigation over management of an elderly widow's trust fund, said today he will accept the Republican Party nomination for its Allegheny County Council at-large seat.

McCullough, 52, won Tuesday what analysts called a surprise victory over political newcomer Kevin Acklin, 30, of Squirrel Hill.

McCullough said last month he was dropping out of the race. But his name appeared on ballots because he missed a deadline to withdraw. Yesterday he won 57 percent of the vote, election results showed. Acklin, who received roughly 43 percent, conceded to McCullough about 10:30 p.m.

'Obviously, it was by the hand of God...

Oh my gosh. Err, ... Oh My God.

Another write-in joke seems to be hatching in the pages of the Trib.

County Council does NOT need to have a D and a R in those seats. A Libertarian can fill that seat.

Drunk Bureaucrat: Election DysFUNction

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: Election DysFUNction Jeff Koch introduced a resolution in council temporarily renaming the City to 'VoteforKoch-burgh,' which was probably a violation of some campaign rule somewhere, ...

Specialized swim meet format unlike what I ever saw before

For the record. I've been invited to coffee by Mark D

I can't go to coffee at Starbucks on East Carson -- until June 10 or 11. But, it will be a priority of mine until then.

I've been trying to meet with this other Mark for months. So, hey. Stay tuned.

Carbolic Smoke Ball: CHUCK McCULLOUGH, ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH MISHANDLING TRUST, WINS NOMINATION FOR COUNTY COUNCIL -- EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED TO WITHDRAW

Carbolic Smoke Ball: CHUCK McCULLOUGH, ATTORNEY CHARGED WITH MISHANDLING TRUST, WINS NOMINATION FOR COUNTY COUNCIL -- EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED TO WITHDRAW FROM RACE: "'I am humbled and honored by the voters' confidence -- not to mention their stupidity,' said the Upper St. Clair attorney."

Sang song. Lost her cat. Next, counting chickens before eggs hatch.

Didn't the fat lady just sing a song to Len? Hello. Testing one, two, three. Testing.
Posting a lost puppy -- err -- cat sign.

Lou's List: Primary roundup, part 1: A New Day for Pittsburgh

Lou's List: Primary roundup, part 1: A New Day for PittsburghNone of these candidates seem likely to face any threat in November.

This could not be further from the truth.

All of these candidates are sure to face opposition in the fall.

Michigan GOP leader wants Paul barred from future debates - NewsFlash - mlive.com

Sure signs of sinking ships -- block access to debats. Or, don't hold debates. Or, hold debates and limit the participation. These are all red flag events that should NEVER be considered.

Michigan GOP leader wants Paul barred from future debates - NewsFlash - mlive.com: "The chairman of the Michigan Republican Party said Wednesday that he will try to bar Ron Paul from future GOP presidential debates because of remarks the Texas congressman made"

In the first debate at the Ronald R Library in Calif, Dr. Ron Paul won. He won the MSNBC Poll and a bunch of others.

Dr. Paul's remarks and statements in the debate were on the mark -- and showed how the big-time, big-government, big-war Republicrats have failed the United States with their policies.

If Paul's message gets out there -- and if voters come to understand his thinking -- he wins. That scares the status quo politicians. That scares those who don't want to change. That scares those who have pay-checks to protect.

So, a Republican wants a debate ban against a Republican in the US Congress, Ron Paul, a guy who voted for peace his entire time in office.

Meanwhile, we've got Allegheny County Republicans that want to field no candidate for the position of Allegheny County Chief Executive. And, that wing of the Allegheny County Party does active campaign work for Dan Onorato as a write in.

How many TV debates did Dan Onorato hold with Rich Swartz? Were there any Onorato vs. Swartz debates by the MSM that were held -- say by by KQV Radio, On-Q, WDUQ, WTAE, WPXI, PCNC, KDKA Radio, KDKA TV, Pgh Business Times?

What about PA's Cable Access station -- PCN? Did they care to show up or host a debate when what some call the third most powerful position in PA's political landscape is due to have an election?

What about the major institutions in town? Did Pitt, CMU, Duquesne Univ., RMU, Point Park Univ., Carlow, Chattam, UPMC, AGH, Tech Council, or a single school district -- each with their own cable tv access -- host televised debates with real gravity and seriousness?

Street lockdowns proposed for Baltimore - Yahoo! News

Street lockdowns proposed for Baltimore - Yahoo! News A city council leader, alarmed by Baltimore's rising homicide rate, wants to give the mayor the power to put troubled neighborhoods under virtual lockdown.

Lockdown. Might as well say ghost town.

I've ranted about this approach in the past.

When things are wild, I'd not want to close the bars. Rather, keep them open but shut off the serving of alchohol, turn up the lights, turn down the music. Open, dry, bright, and soft would give people places to meet their friends, sober up, go the bathroom, drink coffee, and hang for a spell. Otherwise, drunks are on the road, looting streets and being vandals to neighborhoods.

The bars have security. When the bars close, the security goes away. So, there is less security in the overall area.

Furthermore, the mayor and the zone police commander, and some neighborhood leaders should be able to call for a "voluntary peace period" -- not be forced with a mandatory lock down -- by orders of the state.

The jails are not big enough, nor should they be.

Liberties are not to be ignored enough, nor should they be.

Police are not funded enough, nor should they be.

Citizens should not be slaves.

Laws like this mentioned generally compound problems. Doctors can't get to work. Individual protection can't be assured. The crisis grows worse.

Some of the same type of thinking and reactions were displayed in legislation in Pittsburgh. Jim Motznik led efforts with some "knee jerk legislation" in the wake of the tragic series of events at a nightclub in Rhode Island where a number of people were killed. There -- a band with flames shooting in the background caught a curtin on fire and people swarmed to locked exit doors. That was bad and unfortunate. And, local laws were examined to prevent such measures.

When an overcrowding situation exists -- don't close the bar and send in the storm troopers and kick everyone out. Then the bar becomes the safest place around while the rest of the neighborhood becomes a war zone.

Take action. But, make it prudent.

Tell the bar owners that they have to stay open until dawn -- without serving booze. Don't tell the bar owners and workers that just created a crisis to go home now.

Curran said he modeled his plan after an approach advocated by Philadelphia mayoral candidate Michael Nutter, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday. Nutter has called for declarations of a "state of emergency" in high-crime neighborhoods, where police would conduct aggressive stop-and-frisk searches and impose curfews.

Curran, who also sponsored Baltimore's recently passed smoking ban, said he expects opposition.

"Some of the critics of the smoking ban were telling me, 'If you want to save lives in Baltimore, do something about the murder rate, do something about the gun violence,'" he said. "I'm trying to stop the murders, to reduce the mortality rate from gun violence in this town."

Fresh Faces To Fill City Council Seats - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

Fresh Faces To Fill City Council Seats - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh Now, Bruce Kraus has unseated him with a double-digit margin of victory. But like Dowd and Burgess, he credits a grassroots campaign with connecting with the people.

'A lot of us are going to focus back in on the neighborhoods,' said Kraus. 'And focus on quality of life issues, public safety, abandoned houses, those kinds of things.'

When Kraus joins City Council, he will become the first openly gay elected official in western Pennsylvania.

'You know, it's just such a natural part of my life,' said Kraus. 'I really don't think of it in terms of being a gay candidate or a straight candidate. It's just very much who I am as a person. So, it just sort of comes with me.'

Happy Birthday To Mark!!!

I just noticed on the left hand side of the blog that today is Mark's birthday.

Congratulations to the world traveler and world-class thinker!

Enjoy some cake for me.

T

What of "Republican" Mark Brentley???

I’ve been frantically looking to see results for Mark Brentley, the sometimes-quirky School Board Director from District 8 who ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election.
He didn’t get much ink, as would normally be the case in these kinds of elections. That being said, a frustrated Brentley switched his party registration from ubiquitous Democrat to Republican a year or so ago.
In the Post-Gazette’s Voter’s Guide, Brentley is officially listed as an (I) for Independent, but as is the case for School Board Director, he can run as a Republican AND Democrat simultaneously.
Does this mean that the bow-tie-wearing African-American Brentley, who (I found some results) received more than 1,000 Democrat votes and more than 100 Republican votes in a predominately-D district, has left the Republican Party as well?
The co-creator of the “Take Your Dad To School” festivities (along with one-time Republican Mayoral candidate Jim Carmine) in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, Brentley sometimes champions fairly Republican measures, but he is also known to throw the race-card around in truly non-conservative fashion. That being said, I’ve considered Mark to be great addition to the Republican movement in the city.
I’m disappointed if he’s changed his registration again, perhaps in a pre-cursor to a quiet return to Pittsburgh’s Democratic party that has often shunned him.
Sure, the Republican Party within the city of Pittsburgh has stumbled in the past year, to the point in which we didn’t even officially field a candidate for Mayor—I did write in Mark DeSantis only after giving much consideration to touch-padding my own name—but having Brentley win as a Republican would have meant a lot to the Republican Party and to him. If he’s resorted to scrambling back to the Democrats, he goes back into a crowded field.
If he stays Republican, he immediately becomes a leader.

Told ya!

Today's "told ya" goes to Mr. Jeff Koch.

I told ya Jeff. I knew you'd have a very short honeymoon.

As soon as Jeff won the special election on March 14, 2006, I knew that he'd need to make instant progress. He'd need to show results. He'd need to do something big. He'd need to be credited with doing a number of big somethings so as to hold onto that position.

I felt that Mr. Koch won last time, in the special election, because Bob O'Connor made it so. Bob, in 2006, had weight. It was Bob's time. To make Bob's time smoother, it was time to put in Bob's people on council. That was logical. It played well to most voters' sensibilities.

Times change. Bob's gone. Luke in 2007 isn't the heavyweight that Bob was in 2006. Jeff Koch's top supporter with political sway was gone.

The other thing that slowed Jeff Koch was that he was alone on the campaign trails. Jeff Koch in a nine person race, as a newbie, isn't the same as him in a two-person race as the incumbent.

Jeff Koch said some things in last year's special election that were silly. They were nearly -- well -- now sense in hitting a man when he is down. But, I'll give examples that come to mind.

Flashback to early 2006: At a candidate's forum, Jeff was asked about the number one thing he'd do once he was on council. The question was directed to his HIGHEST priority. Jeff said he'd want to be certain that Arlington Avenue was re-paved. There were a lot of pot holes on Arlington Ave. The T goes up Arlington Ave, as do cars. The street isn't a typical asphalt road. It is cement, mostly. PAT owns it and PAT needed to maintain the road too.

Another flashback illustration from the first time that most of the candidates got together, at UPMC South Side Hospital. The question of gambling came. Jeff thought it was good to have the new casino in town as people on the South Side couldn't gamble now. Lots of people from Pittsburgh drive to West Virginia to play the slots there. So, a casino would keep the locals here, not needing to travel. That was his general statement.

I pointed out to Jeff and the rest of the audience, when it was my turn to speak, that there were a dozen places (or so) on East Carson Street where one could go that very moment, before the casino opens, to gamble. We already had gambling on the South Side and throughout Pittsburgh.

People expect more from a guy who is in office. People can sigh and take a statement or two with a grain of salt from a newbie politician. Jeff was given a chance. Jeff was Bob's guy. Jeff would, we all hoped, turn out okay. And, most of all, with the nine way race, there was a circus of excitement with plenty of other statements that pinged the senses.

Jeff's folly wasn't much to note or dwell upon then.

Plus, with nine in the race, others could come down on the double-speak. Jeff could say nothing in combat mode and still score points as others were talking.

In a two person race that only covers one party -- the dynamics of the discussion and the demographics changed.

Face it, the Dems want things given to them. The Dems say 'we, ours, mine.' The Dems are old-school types who take. Envy drives much of their discussions when it comes to city hall. Most of these voters want sheet cake with ice cream served to them at their weekly bingos.

In the one-on-one race, Jeff Koch got out-flanked by both the double-talk and the willingness to make sure that everyone who wanted seconds on desert had it.

Jeff had a year to deliver big time results and he didn't.

Jeff sits on council and says little in meetings. Jeff pulled together a request for proposals for the still closed indoor ice rink. That's a yawn. If I had been on council -- it would be opened by now. The RFP was progress -- but nothing to hang a career upon. The Bar Bill had some buzz and energy about it associated to Koch -- but the bar bill morphed into a do-over. And, the bar bill wasn't sold well by the bill's prime sponsor. Red tape got the best of situation so far.

Jeff needed to fix the South Side parking problems -- and he didn't. If he only fixed South Side parking issues, and nothing else, Jeff would have won the nomination with the votes. But, he didn't.

But, most of all, "I told ya" back in March 2006. I told Jeff that things could easily shift and break another way in May of 2007. Jeff needed to produce on council. Jeff needed to produce in the neighborhoods. Jeff needed to produce like a rock star in presentations. Jeff needed to bring his "A game" every day, every evening, every event -- because he was a 'rookie' in a time of crisis.

Finally, I told Jeff that he needed to have a back-up as well. He heard me because I told him -- told ya -- and he didn't have a chance to ignore me. But, now what?

I ask as I'm not too sure what's going to happen with him and the district in the months to come. I'll talk to Jeff in June. Until then, I'll ponder upon what words should be said after 'told ya.'