No wonder New Zealand has a serious brain drain

See recent photos of our trip to Auckland. They say it a lot like we say "Oakland."

One island in Auckland's bay (harbor) is 600 years old.

They city is dotted with 48 volcanos. Some of the craters have been 're-developed.' But this is a famous one, called Mt. Eden.

The other in the distance is called "One Tree Hill." But, the tree is gone now. Grant stood on the stump.

More insights to come later. Running out to the pool for a trip on a bus to Dunedin for a weekend swim meet.

We got up at 5 am in Auckland. Grant called his classmates. Then today we travel to Christchurch and again farther south on a bus. So, we are going from North to South nearly the length of the country.

New Zealand Notes

We left Pittsburgh for Chirstchurch. Pittsburgh is again called one of America's most livable cities -- and I contend that Christchurch is one of the most livable in the world.

Well, news here is buzzing about the whales. New Zealand kids and others are putting heat on those from Japan to stop taking the humpback whales. Plus, I see a calf and mother whale have been swimming around the bay in S.F.

New Zealand has a political party that wants to have the nation go 'smoke free.' They said they want to ban tobacco from the entire nation.

Should the law hatch and get passed, and there is some opposition to this idea, New Zealand would be the SECOND NATION to ban tobacco and smoking. Quiz: Anyone know the first?

New Zealand was rated #2 nation in the world for PEACE. This is a new ranking. Australia got 25th. Quiz: Who got #1?

Meanwhile, nationally, and now with the BBC evening news, there is a bad story with a sub-contractor working for the electric company who went to a home and turned off the power. Some $168 was past due. The mom, 40-ish, was on a ventilator and died a few hours later. Not good. That happened in Auckland.

We're now in Auckland and had a wonderful time out with local guests an exclusive micro hotel -- one of the very best in the world. Molly's. Top shelf. Opera singing. We are not staying there, but had a wonderful evening there.

Today, the boys and I explored Parnell and the Auckland Museum while Catherine presented at Auckland University.

David C. Adams says the race for the 9th City Council District is FAR from over

Can you tell me why the media seems to think this race is over before it has begun?

It is far from it.

Mr. Burgess is not the only candidate for the 9th district. He did get 50% of the vote in the district, but 50% of what?

Don't be proud to throw those numbers around since only 23% bothered to vote at all. Wow! A whopping 11.5%. What's that? Laziness or apathy or stupidity. Doesn't sound like apathy.

You have to pay attention to the issues so you can say whether or not you are fed up. no one is interested in this boring race. Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that 11.5% voted for Mr. Burgess and the other 88.5% of the voters were conscientious objectors who chose to stay home.

City Paper was aware that a Republican, David Adams, was in the race as a "R" -- and he was in attendence at the last debate. But just after the debate, David changed parties and is still in this race as an Independent.

Plenty of people, from the district and throughout the city would like to see Mr. Adams be afforded the opportunity to discuss his plans for the 9th district. Let this be a fair and interesting fight.

The campaign manager for David Adams Sherbi Davis 412.242.8752/412.478.1526

DeSantis on Ballot: The Next Jason Altmire?

It was reported today that Mark DeSantis, a last-minute write-in Republican candidate for Mayor, received far more votes than needed for the November ballot.

DeSantis reminds me of another little-known candidate who was tapped for potential greatness: freshman Congressman Jason Altmire (D-North Hills).

Altmire was swept into office over one-time political juggernaut Melissa Hart. Hart was seemingly tapped by the GOP kingmakers a few years ago. Instead, she was derailed by a candidate few people knew of months before the General Election.

Could the same happen for DeSantis, if there's a definitive "Anti-Luke" sentiment that comes about sometime in this summer? The position of "Independent Candidate who could draw Money" was originally earmarked for Bill Peduto; however, he apparently decided that sitting on the sideline for the next decade with Ravenstahl won't be that bad. Peduto would only be 52 when Ravenstahl moves onto a bigger statewide or Congressional post, and that's plenty of time to run the city his way.

There might be "niche" candidates like our dear friend Mark Rauterkus, but only DeSantis will be in a position to raise funds. Don't go crazy now, I don't expect it.

That being noted, DeSantis has been described in some circles as "left of Ravenstahl." With incredibly strong ties to the unions, Luke is a typical city of Pittsburgh politician. That's not to be confused with Dan Onorato, who beat Jim Roddey by truly being fiscally more conservative than the first ACE. Surely, Onorato is tied into the unions as well, but he doesn't HAVE to be as tied to the hip to the region's most influential Special Interest Group. He can cater to the North Hills conservatives and the few that still remain in Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon.

Onorato has done a pretty fair job; Roddey speaks highly of him and the Allegheny County Republican Committee, rudderless for what appears to be an eternity now (Rich Stampahar was the last who initiated any kind of forward movement whatsoever), failed to provide even a viable write-in candidate. With Roddey now well into his 70's and a suburbanite, the city wasn't going to post a worthy candidate. I didn't even want to try it for kicks and giggles.

Ravenstahl is not without his political skeletons. He just hasn't made enough powerful enemies to derail his ambitions. A friend told me Luke's approval rating rivaled that of Reagan in the salad days.

However, Luke might be getting a little too cocky. He's started to snipe with City Council President Doug Shields over silly stuff. And City Councilwoman Twanda Carlisle's investigation/court case may still make an occasional headline this summer. IF I have my time line right, Ravenstahl was city council president when Carlisle was bankrolling her mother's boyfriend for plagiarised white papers.

What if something else embarrassing happens this summer. Power brokers won't nudge Ravenstahl aside and hand over the reigns to Shields, who was former Mayor Bob O'Connor's right hand man forever. The two apparently don't always get along.

Ravenstahl is a young man with a pretty wife and no children. What if he gets out of hand again like he did at the Steelers game a few years ago? There is the Casino flap looming like a dark cloud over the hillside (something tells me that Smokey Robinson might want to hold off putting a down payment on a downtown condo, he may not be Don Barden's headliner as soon as expected). What if Luke falls into the Mon after a night of checking out the South Side nightlife (on official business mind you)? WPXI's fabulous Katrina Owens might be able to narrate as Jeff Koch's buddies pulls Luke from the muck.

DeSantis could be the next Jason Altmire: a decent guy with no real credentials for the position. But the voters became sick of Melissa Hart's imposing height and linebacker shoulders and kicked her to the curb. If Ravenstahl stumbles, the same could conceivably happen.

If DeSantis starts to show up in the newspapers and on television, watch his donations. Do I expect him to be a player? No, not really. The classy Joe Weinroth was superior in the debates last time around and very few people gave him the time of day or dollars from their wallet.

Luke Ravenstahl won't be as dangerous to our fair city as Tom Murphy was for three terms. Murphy almost single handily destroyed Pittsburgh's 90 communities by looking only at the bells and whistles of Fifth and Forbes.

But if something unforeseen happens this summer, Mark DeSantis may just be the next Jason Altimire. But don't bet on it.

Opposition to Ravenstahl and More

Feel free to forward to others

In news coverage of write-in results of both the mayor's race and county executive race -- it is good jouralistic practices to be objective and tell the entire story. So, do make mention that the Libertarians have every intention of getting candidates onto the November 6, 2007, general election ballot.

Mark Rauterkus, presently in New Zealand, is an announced candidate for both Mayor and County Executive. His February 2007 announcement has since generated nomination papers in April at Elect.Rauterkus.com. A dozen candidate slots are being contested by Libertarians. The deadline for paperwork for ballot access for Libertarians is August 1, 2007.

My quote:

"If Mark DeSantis is interested in a serious campaign with talk about solutions and issues, then I welcome him to the ballot and into the communities for a race. I'll be happy to debate both Mr. DeSantis and/or Luke Ravenstahl. Now is the time for various local institutions, organizations and media outlets to make moves for hosting debates throughout August to October."

See comments for a re-print of a snip I put onto another blog.

Carey Harris gets a promotion to lead A+ Schools

Way to go Carrey.

Hillary -- hands off -- until November 2007

I don't need help picking my campaign theme song. But, my only wish is that she not use the song(s) that I have picked -- until after the November 6, 2007, general election. But, that would be okay if she did pick the same song, musician and singers. What the hell, thse folks I choose are my friends and I'd love for them to strike it big again.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking advice on "one of the most important issues" of her presidential campaign: picking a campaign theme song.

So far, more than 100,000 Americans have responded to her lighthearted call for help. Some have been inspired to compose original tunes. It's not exactly "American Idol," but the reaction is another example of the Internet's growing role in politics.

You'll need to get a copy of my latest CD, or dozens of them, to hear the tunes yourself. They are not out yet -- but wait a few more weeks.

Letter home

We've been away more than a month. Home in two weeks.

We fly today from Queenstown, the adventure capital of the world, to Christchurch, our home away from home, this afternoon. 4 pm flight. Only 30-minutes in the air. One runway airport here.

Then we leave for Auckland tomorrow. Spend a day or two there.

Catherine's talk was well received.

We really hit the tour bookings just right. So much to do -- but we did it perfectly.

Today Erik, Grant and Catherine went on a horseback trip. Erik's horse was in the Lord of the Rings movies! So cool. Crossed six or so rivers on horseback -- Catherine getting her feet wet -- while on the horse. Very wild and beautiful mountains and landscape.

I'm at an internet cafe -- but the only sign of a 'cafe' is the coke filled refrigerator behind the desk. Cost is $3 per hour to surf.

M got the right answer to a quiz about the swim pool, lane 9

New blog noticed. I'll need to read and study it later.

Pittsburgh Transit = http://pittsburgh-transit.blogspot.com/

Its author, Mathew, got a quiz question 'spot on.' (scroll down)

Quiz: When is the one day that you are SURE that you don't want to go "wire less" ???

We've been enjoying some magical times. Photos and movies to come. Presently I'm in a cyber cafe.

Early signs of winter have arrived where we are. Snow is covering many of the near peaks.

I ask this question, not for myself, but for the grad students in our party.

When is the one time that you are sure you do NOT want to 'go wireless?'

We'll have a first-hand report shortly.

Tonight we are going for an easy night -- to see the new Pirates of the C movie. In the AM, my wife and boys are going to ride horses.

Today it was a LOR tour. That can be the second quiz question. It was wonderful.

Yesterday -- stay tuned.

Ron Paul was right on Iraq - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Ron Paul was right on Iraq - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Hearing Rep. Ron Paul recite the reasons for Arab and Islamic resentment of the United States, including 10 years of bombing and sanctions that brought death to thousands of Iraqis after the Gulf War, Rudy Giuliani broke format and exploded:

'That's really an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of 9/11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I have ever heard that before, and I have heard some pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11.'

Meanwhile, what is this I hear about the USA and its small band of war hungry Rs in the White House doing with Iran? They (with CIA help) are going to mess with their currency. Say what!

Vicious Cycle - Recent incidents involving bicyclists are, sadly, nothing new - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper

Pittsburgh - Vicious Cycle - Recent incidents involving bicyclists are, sadly, nothing new - News - News - Pittsburgh City Paper Although bicyclists say they are no strangers to passersby who taunt them or motorists forcing them off the streets, some cycling advocates are particularly disturbed by the latest string of incidents, which include at least two beatings, as posted on the electronic bulletin board of Bike Pittsburgh, a local advocacy group.

Bike Pittsburgh's membership and project director Erok Boerer says he was alarmed by the bikers' beatings, as well as two other accidents -- a hit-and-run and another car-bike accident -- that all took place within the last three weeks.

Lots of comments on this posting / article.

Antarctic Centre: Been there, done that

The Little Blue Penguins (also know as 'fairy penguins' in Australia) are the sweetest things. They are delightful says Catherine. The Antarctic Centre has 21 of them. They are all rescued animals. One is blind.

The ferret is not their friend.

http://www.iceberg.co.nz

There even was a ride in a Hagglund."

Before 1920, all exploration in Antarctic was done on foot. Later, helicopters and tractors were used. In 1985 the Hagglund all-terrain vehicle came onto the scent to improve the transporting of staff and materials on the ice. It is amphibious and does donuts on an outdoor adventure course. The retired guys who are the drivers have a kick out of leading the tours. It has caterpillar tracks but is designed to exert only half the ground pressure of a human footprint so as to leave almost no impression on the ground or snow, so it's very environmentally friendly.

Quiz: What is the one place in the world where an American can travel to without a passport?

Busy, busy, busy

There is a bunch of things to see and do in the days ahead. Three trips within the trip are brewing. So, the blogging is going to be a wee-bit behind.

Running mates -- come alive.

Speaking of running, Christchurch is home to a marathon. Pittsburgh doesn't have a marathon, but we'll be able to experience on in June, just before our departure. There is a 10K, half-marathon and fun run for the kids too.

If you'd like to come over to run the marathon, or just soak up some of New Zealand's winter days with us, feel free to drop in. We've got plenty of room, including an empty two car garage.

Home Page Sunday June 3 - 2007

Mayor Wants Crime-Watch Cameras On Street Corners - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

Mayor Wants Crime-Watch Cameras On Street Corners - News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh 'Have one centralized system that private business owners or businesses that have cameras, the city of Pittsburgh that has cameras, the Port of Pittsburgh that has cameras, all are integrated into one system,' said Ravenstahl.

No thanks.

We need cameras -- and the cameras I dream about are going to be pointed to the government officials. I want all the authority board meetings to be on camera, on the internet, on cable tv, as podcasts, with real minutes and agendas that have details.

We need an overhaul of communications within the halls of government so that they can be watched. They (government officials) are robbing us most of all.

I want figurative cameras in the form of TRANSPARENT PAC ACCOUNTS. As deposits are made, they should be visible to anyone, anywhere. Same too for spending of PAC funds.

Once we have our eyes on those that control our money in the form of public treasury -- then we can begin to turn our attention elsewhere, perhaps.

Donation to Ravenstahl's campaign sparks self-exam by panel - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Penny for your thoughts.

Donation to Ravenstahl's campaign sparks self-exam by panel - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The husband of city Ethics Hearing Board member Penny Zacharias gave $1,200 to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's election campaign before the mayor nominated her for the post.

The donation doesn't violate Pittsburgh's ethical code of conduct, but it has prompted members of the newly seated board to examine prohibiting such gifts to protect their credibility.

As I campaign, I don't want $1,200 donations. I don't want $1,200 headaches showing up on my door, unless the donor is Ben Franklin or Tom Paine or someone of similar values and principles.

Rather than have Luke give back the $1,200, I have another suggestion. One can level the playing field and be "fair" a few different ways. One way is to use subtraction. So, Luke could give the money back. Or, another way to level the playing field -- and one I prefer -- is to use addition, not subtraction.

Why not ask the firm and Penny's pals for an extra $2,400 so as to make an investment into both the Republican and Libertarian opposition. Level the playing field by by addition.

This way the $1,200 that went to Luke's campaign will be 'de-valued' because the same amount goes to the opposition.

Sure, if the Greens and Socialists Parties get their act together and get into the mayor's race, they can seek $1,200 each as well.

Or, another way to make matters 'fair' is for Luke to give back the money but not to Penny and her lawyer buddies. Luke could take the $1,200 and send $500 to the city Republicans, $500 to the Libertarians, and $100 each to the Greens and Socialists.

To be 'fair' it is worthy to note that the city's Republicans had been hammering on the re-creation of the ethics hearing board for many months. They got Bob O'Connor to think again about its operation. For years, and even since I was in that party to lend more opposition to Tom Murphy's ways, Bob Hillen has been talking about the ethics hearing board. It isn't hard to be reminded of it as it is part of the city's charter.

The Foreign Policy of Ron Paul by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

The Foreign Policy of Ron Paul by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr. It doesn't take a game-theory genius to predict how this conflict works itself out in the long run. The left and the right agree to disagree on intellectual grounds but otherwise engage in a dangerous quid pro quo. They turn a blind eye to the government they don't like so long as they get the government they do like.

PPS and Kaplan talk about next year's learning

Pittsburgh Public Schools with Kaplan K12 Learning Services present. . .
A Sneak Preview of New Curriculum Beginning the Fall of 2007 for Parents of Students Grades 6-12.

What will be taught next year in:
* Middle School Science – Grades 6, 7, 8
* High School Science – Biology, Chemistry and Physics
* High School English – English 3 & English 4
* High School Math – Algebra II (including revisions to the current Algebra I and Geometry curriculum)
* High School History – African American, Civics, U. S. History, World History

Two opportunities to hear this information:

Thursday, June 7, 2007 OR Monday, June 11, 2007 at Reizenstein Professional Development Center from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. For more information, contact Dr. Richard Gutkind at 412-622-3955.

kdka.com - Audit Reveals Flaw In Allegheny County 911 System

kdka.com - Audit Reveals Flaw In Allegheny County 911 System.

Humm....

So there was a meltdown of 911 telephone service in October, 2007. An audit is due in at the end of May 2007. This, in turn will set the wheels of motion moving forward for the County Executive, Dan Onorato. So, he'll take it as positive and do something.

The quote goes as far as to say that Onorato will implement them as quickly as possible.

Humm...

We could put a note in a bottle and toss it off of the pier in New Brighton, Christchurch, New Zealand -- and have it wash up onto the North Shore of Pittsburgh faster.

From NZ dump

Quiz: In New Zealand you don't dial 911 in case of emergency. Who knows what number is to be dialed?

Hint, it isn't 3-1-1 either.

I don't think it would take anyone in the world (other than Pittsburgh's political leaders) eight months to issue a report to say 're-boot the system' when 9-1-1 phones stop ringing for an extended period of time.

The A.D. Bureaucrat has leaked a tank tip

One who knows you can only rent beer made us giggle on this posting at his blog.

The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat Pittsburgh, PA (Reuters) - Fresh on the heels of an agreement with ALCOSAN, the US Environmental Protection Agency has reached a historic accord with Pittsburgh City Council to stem the flow of human excrement coming out of 414 Grant Street. The agreement will result in the largest containment of fecal material in a incorporated municipality in the history of the Country.