Pitt seeks trust from community

Pitt seeks trust from community - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'One of the biggest problems we had was that rumors guided what kind of reactions we got to our projects in the community,' said Wilds, who came to Pitt in 1985 as its director of human resources and serves as associate vice chancellor of community and governmental relations. 'People thought we wanted to purchase Oakland when that was not the case.'

Pitt never wanted to purchase Oakland. Rather, Pitt just wanted to own Oakland.

If you think that local groups are virtually unanimous in praise -- then you can be certain that the local newspapers are still not able to report on all sides of the story.

Channel swim sunk by storms

Ouch.

Channel swim sunk by storms Horrific weather and crashing 5-foot waves combined yesterday to thwart Brent McAuliffe's attempt to become the first Pennsylvanian to swim the English Channel.

Mr. McAuliffe, of Canonsburg, attempted to swim the 21 miles from Dover, England, to Calais, France, to raise funds and awareness for childhood friend Marissa Boyan, of Bethel Park, who has been battling a brain tumor.

It ain't about the geese.

Onorato lied.

The Canadians were gathered in the hush of dawn and killed -- after Onorato said that a slaughter would NOT happen.

Trust from Onorato's camp has migrated.

Still one of the most influential political blogs in Pennyslvania

This week's rankings are posted. This blog is still in the top 20!

Blue ribbon! update from our swimming summer

Erik swam in finals in tonight's BB Championships in 2 events. He won, 1st place, in the 50 breast, time 42.80. He also made a new J.O. cut in that event. Now Erik has two events in the JO meet, 50 free and 50 breast.

Erik also got 6th in the 50 fly.

Grant swam in finals in the 100 back. He improved his time from prelims by .5.

Our summer league championship swim meet is Tuesday night at the indoor Carlynton High School pool. Each boy will be in three events. Throughout the summer meets, they both have had a few tight races, but have only got blue ribbons.

State subsidy revives Downtown convention hotel plans

This is why we will never get ahead, big-ticket boneheaded spending.

State subsidy revives Downtown convention hotel plans Downtown Pittsburgh can finally move ahead with plans for a headquarters hotel, with 400 to 500 rooms, adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

That's because the state Legislature this week included a $34 million subsidy for the $103 million project when it approved projects paid for from the slots development fund. The fund, based on 5 percent of taxes paid by slots casinos, also is helping to pay for a replacement for Mellon Arena.

City's surveillance system to get $3.4M upgrade - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

If I'm elected, I'll work hard to point the cameras at public officials who should be guarding our money and liberties -- not at citizens. They want to reduce the privacy of our daily lives. I want to reduce the privacy of our public spending, closed room deal making, and corruption opportunities.

Only after all the public officials and public meetings are fully accessible and open and transparent and streamed and archived and searchable and documented and easily navigated should be bother pointing the cameras at people on the streets.

The bigger crimes are happening on the golf courses and bond-refinance meetings among high-spending public servants, not along the streets of a downtown intersection.

Putting better cameras along our streets in the city is just another reason to give people to avoid the city.

City's surveillance system to get $3.4M upgrade - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Pittsburgh's version of Big Brother has poor vision, but he's about to go 20/20.

A $3.4 million police and emergency services surveillance upgrade could begin in October. It would add 83 cameras capable of streaming live video to -- and being controlled by -- any networked city computer, including those in police cruisers equipped with laptops."

So quiet on the digital front. Are you all reading your new Harry Potter books?

Don't mention two words as to what you think of the new book. Neither say nor post anyting beyond the page number you've hit -- and NOTHING else.

I notice very little on the net today. Everyone might be hung over from the midnight Harry Potter parties.

Erik and Grant were in a the BB Championships today. They were reading between events. Erik made finals in 3 events. Grant in none. Our boys are not tapered and not rested. It showed. More events and reading come tomorrow.

Midnight magic in the air - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Midnight magic in the air, front page photo : Staffers at Joseph-Beth Booksellers at the SouthSide Works were expecting a large crowd for the book's midnight release. Marketing manager Jeffrey Inscho said the store had pre-sold 400 books.

Erik, my son, and his friends had their photo on the front page of the Saturday Tribune Review newspaper.

From family - travels

Travel photos with the anticipation party for the new Harry Potter book

From family - travels

We enjoyed the party hosted by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Oakland in advance of the new book's release. Erik and Grant dressed up.

At midnight tonight, the book is available. I'll be in line at Joseph Beths Booksellers at the South Side Works to pick up our copies. Two books: one for us and one for grandma.

Then in the morning, we are up at 6 am for a swim meet, BB Champs. The books might get a little wet.

The meet is a pre-lims and finals meet. The kids won't be shaved, but, I wondered if it would be good to do that for the first time in their lives. Our taper has not really happened, yet. Erik is in J.O.'s (next weekend). Plus, we'll have a meet following that for city championships. And, then we expect to go to the West Virginia state meet to be held this year at Kenyon. So, our fully-rested meet / taper / shave is later in the summer.

Libertarian Party horrified at Pennsylvania spending surge

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania - For Immediate Release - July 20, 2007

For more information contact: Doug Leard (Media Relations) or
Michael Robertson (Chair) at 1-800-R-RIGHTS / chair@lppa.org

Harrisburg - Pennsylvania legislators have approved a budget that will hold the line on taxes but pushes the general budget to $59.1 billion and the general fund to $27.3 billion.

Despite a $650 million surplus, Governor Rendell pushed hard for a wide array of new and increased taxes including an "energy" tax and an increased sales tax. The legislature held firm to the desires of Pennsylvanians and the budget will include no tax increases.

However, the legislature was more accommodating to increased spending. According to the Commonwealth Foundation, spending will increase 4.5% versus an inflation rate of 3.15%. Spending includes an additional $750 million in transportation spending primarily to bail out the already bloated mass transit systems in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. $800 million will go towards funding of a convention center in Philadelphia while over $200 million will be dedicated to help fund a new hockey arena in Pittsburgh.

Michael Robertson, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) Chair, observed that, "While the budget does not contain a direct tax increase, because of shuffled appropriations there are hidden tax increases associated with the additional spending. As with the transportation funding bill, which reduces the already low share of liquid fuels funds to municipalities, local governments will have to rely on other sources of revenue to maintain current capabilities such as road maintenance. This will likely result in increased local property taxes to cover the increased state expenditures in other areas."

Robertson continued, "Robbing Peter to pay Paul is no way to run a government. Unless the legislature can reduce spending, the climate for free enterprise in Pennsylvania will continue to deteriorate, and our liberty will continue to be eroded."

Doug Leard, LPPa Media Chair, observed that, "Even after the overwhelming rejection of the May ballot referendum to have a revenue-neutral tax shift, they propose more spending. Taxpayers want smaller state government. The legislature and the governor continue to ignore that fact."

"Total squander for 2007-2008 will likely top $60,000,000,000 in taxpayer's earnings that would otherwise be used for productive purposes. Considering the all the ethical problems in the legislature, they shouldn't be trusted with a dime of other people's money." said Libertarian Candidate James Babb. "Last year's surplus should be returned at once to the people that earned it."

The Libertarian Party is the third largest political party in both Pennsylvania and the United States. Nationwide there are over 200,000 registered Libertarians with organizations in all 50 states. Libertarians serve in hundreds of elected offices throughout the nation. Please visit www.LP.org or www.LPPA.org for more information.

Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania, 3915 Union Deposit Road #223, Harrisburg, PA 17109 www.lppa.org, 1-800-R-RIGHTS, info@lppa.org

New Arena: Master Plan Process has meetings and tour slated for early August

FocusGpFlier3.pdf (application/pdf Object)

See this PDF.

Make free wi-fi truly free

Make free wi-fi truly free

Pittsburgh has two-hours of free wi-fi. Giggle.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Intel and $100 laptop join forces

Penn State - Careers: Job Opportunities

Penn State - Careers: Job Opportunities

SI.com - More Sports - Cal swim coach gets $3.5M in�gender bias case - Friday July 20, 2007 11:04AM

SI.com - More Sports - Cal swim coach gets $3.5M in�gender bias case - Friday July 20, 2007 11:04AM An Olympic gold medal swimmer who became a coach and administrator will receive more than $3.5 million in the settlement of a gender discrimination lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley.

Karen Moe Humphreys worked at Berkeley from 1978 until being laid off in 2004. She sued, saying she lost her job in retaliation for complaining about the treatment of women by the university's athletic department.

pnc = pick pocket corporation

Pittsburgh Laurels & Lances - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review PNC Financial Services Group says it had a net profit of $423 million for the second quarter of 2007. PNC has net profits of $882 million for the first half of 2007. It had a profit of $2.6 billion for all of 2006. Oh, and PNC also says its multibillion-dollar acquisitions spree continues -- it's buying Sterling Financial Corp. for $565 million. So, any day now we expect Pickpocket National Corp. to reimburse the public for the $48 million in public subsides for its new Downtown skyscraper, right?

Null Space: to borrow a phrase.....

Null Space: to borrow a phrase.....: "to borrow a phrase....."

My reply:

The candidates come and go. However, the city, county, and region is not as it was in the past.

Lots of people have moved out. That is more of a factor than who is on the ballot.

Some too have moved into the city as well.

Lots of debt has been built. That is not measured with these flash backs.

The city is on the brink. This can't be given a discount.

Lynn Swann was running for PA -- where the worst was a pay raise. And, Swann didn't even speak out against the pay raise much.

Roddey has done lots to prevent a R from running in the city as Roddey could not do it.

Roddey did a lot to piss off the city residents -- in both of his races and throughout his public career.

City residents don't give a woop about do-whop at QED. We were pissed at the loss of WQEX 16 and the debt that they created there -- despite having Mr. Rodgers to pimp. Then there is PAT -- and that leadership speaks for itself. Roddey supported the work of Sabre Systems too.

DeSantis has none of that first hand damage and baggage that Roddey has created for himself and our region.

long research

Municipal Bankruptcy: Why Creditors Need Greater

Access to Tax Revenues in Chapter 9 Proceedings.

The Club For Growth hates Edwards plan for schools

The Club For Growth - http://www.clubforgrowth.org Club for Growth Gives Edwards’ School Plan Grade of F

No shock that the Club for Growth hates the plan from a Dem.

Edwards wants urban magnet schools. Those are NOT charter schools. And, Edwards wants to give money to suburban districts that take city kids in their classrooms.

The Club for Growth wants to fund private school options.

These folks are talking past each other, sadly.

Pittsburgh Hoagie gets nod for Propel Pittsburgh update

Pittsburgh Hoagie: All meat no filler: Propel Pittsburgh update

My reactions:

Get on the URA Board, then I'll be impressed.

Propel Pgh is a joke.

I would NUKE that organization. It has no function in city government. It is a way to make government bigger. I want to make government smaller. It is a way to put more layers of b-mumbo-jumbo between our city's leaders and the voters.

It is an accountability cope out too. He can say he'll do nothing but wait for the report from the 'commission' or 'booster group.'

We already have plenty of groups of professional young people in this town. Interact with them in the private sector. Don't duplicate them with taxpayer money.

It is plans like these that cost the city money -- and do little or nothing. And, this is why the Ds made the city bankrupt. It is a perk for you. It is a headache for the future.