Ms. Adventures on the Mon - giggles

Ms. Adventures on the Mon NO COVERAGE WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT A NOD TO OUR FAVORITE UNDERDOG, MARK 'SPITZ' RAUTERKUS, ...

Road Trip in April 2008 to DC for techie confab

PodcampDC - April 18-20, 2008 / Registration Podcamp DC - April 18 - 20, 2008

Cost To Repair Pa. Bridges Adds Up To $11 Billion

kdka.com - Cost To Repair Pa. Bridges Adds Up To $11 Billion(KDKA) There is now a price tag for the repairs that need to be completed on the thousands of Pennsylvania's bridges in bad condition. Officials say new figures show the cost to repair our state's bridges is $11 billion.

How about if we repair and rehab what we have BEFORE building new roads, infrastructure and tunnels that all are going to require upkeep as well.

Don't build the tunnel under the river.

Don't build the Mon Valley Toll Road.

Take care of the existing bridges.

Fix McArdle Road and its bridges.

From planning-urban

Troy Hill is on the loose

Go figure. He is from Penn Hills too.

kdka.com - Police Search For Penn Hills Stabbing Suspect Police Search For Penn Hills Stabbing Suspect Police believe Troy Hill, 18, fatally stabbed his brother Tyron Hill, 11, and injured another brother. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Troy Hill is urged to call police immediately.

Penn Hills Reunion -- PHHS Class of 77

Calling all classmates:

The Penn Hills Class of 77, 30th Reunion will be held on November 23, 2007, at the Radisson Hotel at the Monroeville Expo Mart. There will be a buffet dinner and dancing and the chance to catch up with old friends!

Advance tickets are $60/person if received by October 1, 2007. After October 1, tickets are $75. Please make checks payable to PH Class of 77 Reunion and mail to PH Class of 77 Reunion, c/o Gina Calabro, 7 Joshua Valley Road, East Lyme, CT 06333

We have also setup a block of 50 rooms (to begin with) at the Radisson for $89, or $109 (suite). Please call (888) 201-1718 or (412) 373-7300 and request the "Penn Hills Class of 1977 Reunion" rate by November 1, 2007. If the block of 50 rooms goes we will have the opportunity to block more rooms if they are available so act quickly!

If you are planning to attend please mail in your check and information. Advance counts will help us in the planning.

See you at the reunion!
Gina Costa Calabro

Carnegie Library & RAD

Message from Glen Walsh:

The following are excerpts from the grant application, requesting funding from the Allegheny Regional Asset District for The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, for Fiscal Year 2008. I have divided these excerpts into two categories: "Good News" and "Bad News."

BEGINNING OF EXCERPTS

GOOD NEWS

Library Capital Improvements $5,382,000

4. ADA Compliance $850,000

Several older and non-renovated branches have ADA compliance issues specific to entrance access points, restrooms, handrails, door hardware, circulation desks, signage, etc. While there are several more branches with ADA compliance issues, Beechview, Mt. Washington, and West End are targeted here since these facilities are unlikely to be fully renovated through the capital improvements program in the near future.

4. HVAC Upgrades $1,500,000 [Note: whoever wrote this grant proposal made the mistake of using the number 4 twice; henee, there are two "number 4" items.]

Several branches are not air-conditioned and other branches have aged systems. The mechanical and electrical infrastructure supporting these upgrades would also need to be upgraded to accomodate the new systems. Work would include but not be limited to electrical service upgrade, roof support, new/existing duct considerations along with the procurement and installation of the systems. Branches considered for this project [GAW Note: Note they use the word "considered"] are Beechview, Lawrenceville, Mt. Washington, South Side, and West End. This investment is considered at this time since these facilities are unlikely to be fully renovated in the near future.

[GAW Note: Note the Carnegie Library news release of Aug. 8, temporaily closing the four historic branches due to lack of air-conditioning, during the very hot
weather:

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/about/pressroom/2007/CLP_Closing_extremeheat.pdf

5. New windows $135,000

Windows are original in several branches. To ensure energy efficiency once the HVAC upgrades are completed, new windows are a logical investment. Branches considered for this project are Beechview, Lawrenceville, Mt. Washington, South Side, and West
End.

6. New Overhead Lighting $225,000

New energy efficient lighting is needed to replace 50 year old ceiling mount strip fixtures. Electrical service would need to be upgraded also to accomodate lighting. Branches considered for this project are Beechview, Knoxville, Lawrenceville, and South Side.

7. New Roofs $50,000

Roofs at the Knoxville and Lawrenceville branches are in need of replacement as they are at least 40 years old. Roof replacement will eliminate leaks and related damage.

8. Exterior Repair $90,000

The exterior of the Mt. Washington facility has age-related missing mortar joints and repointing issues which result in water seepage into the building. Power washing and repainting of the library's exterior are needed.

9. Interior Painting $85,000

Interior painting of several branches is overdue. Project anticipates patching, prep work and painting of Beechview, Knoxville, Mt. Washington, South Side, and West End.

10. Restore Ceiling $32,000

Remove dropped acoustical ceiling and restore the West End branch's original ceiling, which has historical and aesthetic value.

BAD NEWS

Service Points/Facilities

Initiative 2.1
Conduct rightsizing plan to evaluate number and location of library, administrative, shipping and storage facilities.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will launch a Commission on Libraries in 2008 that will explore the factors that influence the success of libraries in urban regions which will be critical to understanding various future scenarios for CLP in the Pittsburgh region. The outcomes from the Commission will assist the Library in evaluating dedicated funding strategies and best practices for libraries and how they might impact the future structure of our Library system.

Initiative 2.2
Complete neighborhood revitalization program to renovate/relocate all eligible CLP facilities, based on rightsizing plan.

Neighborhood Libraries Revitalization

The next renovation project of CLP's capital improvement program is the Hill District Library. Carnegie Library consolidated the two locations in the Hill District (MLK and Dinwiddie Street) and will build its first new Library since the early 1980s at the corner of Centre and Kirkpatrick Street. The official groundbreaking occurred on April 19, 2007 and is likely to reopen late Spring 2008. Another new library on Pittsburgh's North Side will begin construction in early 2008 to replace the Allegheny Regional branch which was permanently closed due to a lightning strike in 2006. Renovations also will begin in late 2008 to CLP's East Liberty branch. As was done with all recent library renovations, a community process is part of the planning. Several public meetings are held to help determine the elements and configuration of each library. The process in the Hill District is complete. The process for both the North Side and East Liberty is underway.

>>>>>>>END OF EXCERPTS

The Good News seems good for some of the historic branches Carnegie Library still operates. However, the word "considered" in several of the proposals is a definite concern. This means that they may or may not institute the proposed improvement for the specified library branches.

Concerns are further amplified by the beginning of some type of Commission on Libraries process that will result in a rightsizing plan, and improvements may then only be "considered" for "eligible" library branches.

Originally, Carnegie Library had planned on a groundbreaking for a new North Side library building [to replace the very historic Allegheny Regional Branch--first *publicly-funded* Carnegie Library in the country, in the neighborhood where Andrew Carnegie grew-up] this Autumn. Now, they say that construction of a new North Side library will begin next Spring.

From everything I have heard [including the Library Director's public comments before City Council in December and the RAD Board last March], Carnegie Library STILL does not have enough private funds to match the State funds they have, in order to build a new library on the North Side. Carnegie Library received a "cardboard check" from the Governor last year, during his re-election campaign, for $7.5 million for the Library system. However, Carnegie Library has to match every penny of that State grant, dollar-for-dollar, to be able to use the State money. As of July, a Carnegie Library staff person told me that the Library has still not raised enough private money to build the new library building.

In the meantime, I have heard that planning meetings "with the community" are ongoing for this new North Side library. However, it seems that these planning meetings, if they exist, are "invitation-only" possibly coordinated by the North Side Leadership
Conference. The general public is not invited to these meetings as several people [including me] might complain that they should reopen the original Allegheny Regional Branch Library--as I and several others did complain at the one public meeting they did have several months ago.

Athletes not sure how to train for Olympic sized pollution problem - Tuesday August 28, 2007 5:39PM

SI.com - Athletes not sure how to train for Olympic sized pollution problem ...Others are concerned the dirty air might cost them a legitimate shot at a medal.

The dirty air will not cost anyone a medal. All the medals will be given at every event. Some are going to medal. Some -- and most -- won't.

And the air is the same for everyone.

At the start of the race, everyone will (or should) have an even start.

The one's who go the fastest, highest and score more points are going to win.

My $.02, if anyone cares to listen. Don't stay far away when staying away. Get into China. Get close enough so the jump to Beijing is a two hour drive. Visit the city for a day. See the venue. Set up camp. Depart. Train for another week elsewhere. Adjust to the food and heat. Get cozy with the team. Then waltz into Beijing and perform the next day.

So, anyone know of a nice bed and breakfast about 2 hours on the upwind side of Beijing?

If Pittsburgh was Beijing, I'd take the team to Seven Springs. If Chicago was Beijing, go to Rockford. If using L.A. for the example, go to Big Sur.

Pack a lot of peanut butter. Bring a bread maker and flour. Well, the white powder stuff might not work through customs. Nix that. Ship in Ritz crackers.

Frankly, the air won't be nearly as big of a problem and worry as the food.

Food issues with the IOC drug testing are also of high concern.

Bring camel backs so you can easily lug your own water throughout the day and evenings. If you have a camel back and the presence of mind to make good choices, the water is a snap to deal with.

School Days Arrive -- as does new heights for spending. Mostly on buildings. Bad for brains and budgets.

Public schools are important to me and my family. My dad is a retired teacher with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Likewise plenty of others in my family. I come from a teaching family, to say the least.

Everyone is in the back to school swing. Our kids resume school on Thursday. Other districts have already begun.

Where has all the money gone?

Libertarian Party of PA responds to Policy Report on Education

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

Harrisburg, PA – A recent policy report by the Commonwealth Foundation has provided additional support to the Libertarian Party’s spring analysis of government school spending.

In an April media release, the LPPa reported that “According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Report Card on the Schools, school districts in the five-county southeast Pennsylvania region increased spending per student by an average of 32%, or $3372 from 2003 to 2007. During the same period, average SAT scores dropped 32 points.”

According to the Commonwealth report, over the past two decades, per student spending for public education has increased 72% after adjusting for inflation while student SAT scores have declined. The report attributed some of this increase to an increased percentage of school budgets being diverted from instruction to construction of facilities.

Michael Robertson, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) Chair, commented "While Governor Rendell may believe more money is the answer to solve the problems of the current system of public education, the evidence is clearly to the contrary."

While Pennsylvanians seek tax relief and particularly property tax relief (the primary funding mechanism for our schools), Rendell has just signed a budget that increases education spending by $760 million, over half of the $1.4 billion increase in general fund expenditures.

Concludes Doug Leard, LPPa Media Relations Chair, “government run education is crumbling before our eyes. While costs spiral out of control, quality remains stagnant. The only way to improve quality and reduce costs is to provide parents with more educational options. Government has failed. It’s time to dis-empower politicians and empower parents with responsibility for their children’s education.”

kdka.com - Millvale Flood Victims Voice Frustrations In Ross

kdka.com - Millvale Flood Victims Voice Frustrations In Ross: Millvale Flood Victims Voice Frustrations In Ross (KDKA) ROSS TOWNSHIP Flood victims from Millvale gave officials in Ross Township an earful Monday. They believe development in communities upstream of Girty�s Run is responsible for causing the devastion to their homes and businesses. According to residents, more development means more trees are cut down, which in turn causes more runoff. Therefore, when it rains, towns downstream, such as Millvale, become flooded.

Yep. Sprawl in suburban areas hurts the urban areas in many ways.

Solid Letters to the Editor about Ron Paul

The GOP, McNickle & Paul get two letters in today's Trib:

Dan Sullivan wrote one:
The GOP, McNickle & Paul II - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Colin McNickle called Congressman Ron Paul "a flop on defense, hardly a niggling thing if you swear fealty to the Constitution." Did McNickle "read" the Constitution?

Article 1, section 8, allows only Congress to declare war and limits appropriations for an army to two years, because Americans rightly feared standing armies.

Jefferson wrote, "I am ... not for a standing army in time of peace, which may overawe the public sentiment; nor for a navy, which, by its own expenses and the eternal wars in which it will implicate us, will grind us with public burthens, & sink us under them. I am for free commerce with all nations; political connection with none; & little or no diplomatic establishment. And I am not for linking ourselves by new treaties with the quarrels of Europe."

Mark Twain predicted that militarism would destroy us:

"Lust of conquest had long ago done its work; trampling upon the helpless abroad had taught her, by a natural process, to endure with apathy the like at home; multitudes who had applauded the crushing of other people's liberties, lived to suffer for their mistake in their own persons."

And now, here we are.

---

The second letter:

Colin McNickle stated in his column "Speaking truth to mockery" (Aug. 26 and PghTrib.com) that it is not yet time to stick the fork in the Republican Party.

Mr. McNickle, read my lips: "The fork is in!"

Conservative Republicans are a fiscal disaster. These conservatives are for big-government solutions just like the liberals.

The Republicans borrow and the Democrats tax. Democrats want costly wars on poverty just like the Republicans with their stupid war on drugs along with the billions of dollars they burn in the Middle East.

From the average citizen's viewpoint, we pay for this folly. Thus, the majority of eligible voters refuse to vote. Those who do show up in 2008 will take the Republicans down because they had complete control of the government and failed.

The only hope for the Republicans would be to nominate Dr. Ron Paul, the Texas congressman, because he always opposed the occupation of Iraq and all this global police work so popular with the neocons. He would end our interventionist foreign policy and save the taxpayer a lot of money.

Paul is not "a flop on defense," As McNickle said. He wants to defend America, not a global empire. I ask Mr. McNickle -- before he takes any more potshots at Ron Paul -- to read the U.S. Constitution and please explain to his readers how it guarantees defending a global empire.

Ron Rosenberger, Shaler

Metroblogging Pittsburgh: DeSantis "Policy Team"

Metroblogging Pittsburgh: DeSantis "Policy Team" DeSantis 'Policy Team'

Deadline doesn't bother Ravenstahl

He is at odds with the truth. The resignations are at his desk but not formally accepted. Jeepers.

Deadline doesn't bother Ravenstahl - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Ravenstahl said he hasn't 'formally accepted' the directors' resignation letters, but he has kept them in his desk. He said he expects to accept some of the letters after his staff completes a national search for potential replacements.

Rights are rights -- always on -- never off. Any shutdown of rights is wrong. Your rights and mine are linked and the same.

The issue of gun rights are such that, as a topic, it does NOT really knock my socks off with excitement. But, as a principle, it is something to pay close attention to. Rights are rights and can't be messed with. It is wrong to start short-changing rights.

I hate the direction that the state is taking with this move. Now the state wants to suspend rights for four days. Later it could be for four months or four years.

Pennsylvania Bureaucrats to Suspend Gun Purchases

Individual rights downgraded by computer database upgrade

Press Release from the Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania on August 27, 2007.

Harrisburg, PA - The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (LPPa) strongly objects to a state plan to suspend self-defense rights for gun purchasers over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. The Pennsylvania State Police will be upgrading their computer database used for criminal background checks. During that time, estimated to be four days, they will not be able to perform criminal background checks, so gun purchases and gun changes of ownership will be suspended.

Michael Robertson, LPPa Chair, observed, "Inherent and indefeasible rights are not subject to suspension. The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State needs to be upgraded. The utter disregard of the Pennsylvania constitution should concern all Pennsylvanians, gun owners and non gun owners alike."

Official state bureaucrats have taken the defensive position that this outage is nothing to be concerned about and that only a few gun dealers and state lawmakers have complained. The reality is that this is a precedent where individual freedom has been sacrificed for the mere administrative convenience of state bureaucrats. The primary function of government is to protect our rights - not to disregard them at a whim so bureaucrats can function easier.

LPPa spokesman, Mark Crowley, added, "Ignore for the moment, the outrageous premise of suspending a constitutional right to simplify a bureaucratic chore. Credit cards issued from hundreds of banks will perform millions of transactions each and every day. But Pennsylvania will not be able to process about 4,000 gun purchases over four days? And this same government wants a greater role in dictating our health care, educating our children and spending our taxes."

The debasement of any individual right because of an administrative chore is a dangerous power to give any government because government incompetence becomes a justification for expanding that power. The LPPa urges Pennsylvanians to contact their state representatives and to strongly object that an individual right has been downgraded below the status of a computer database upgrade.

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. Call 1-800-R-RIGHTS. Email: info@lppa.org.

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

Swimming Programs suffer with reduced staffing

Swimming Programs The following six Citiparks pools will remain open through Labor Day (Monday, September 3, 2007)

Today, the swim pool at Highland Park isn't going to open until 3:30 pm.

Sandcastle is closed today too.

5 local swimmers qualify for Olympic trials

5 local swimmers qualify for Olympic trials 5 local swimmers qualify for Olympic trials Two Dietrichs among those with Beijing in their sights for 2008

Swimming is different from most of the ball sports, of course. However, people are smart. Many people know enough about swimming to respect it. It isn't right to say, "People don't know anything behind the scenes or how it goes."

Certain people might not -- like athletic directors and school superintendents -- should there be an axe to grind. But even those people are able to be educated.

The priorities of a swimmer are different. They take years to be established. But still -- people and the community can have a sense of wisdom that can't be denied.

Great article otherwise. Great swimmers. Great sport. It is wonderful to see the kids and teams reach for the stars.

kdka.com - Search Underway For Mt. Oliver Shooting Suspect

Not good. Very bad.

kdka.com - Search Underway For Mt. Oliver Shooting Suspect A search is underway for the gunman who killed a deli clerk during an attempted robbery in Mt. Oliver. Police say around 9 a.m., a customer walked into the A & E Deli Food Mart on Brownsville Road and found 28-year-old Jamal Muzaffar on the floor.

Bloggers target public officials in Philly - Tango goes beyond two

Some mainstream media (MSM) coverage about the mixing of bloggers and politics in the other half of PA.

metro You don’t have to travel too far across the Internet to find politicians being criticized, but Pennsylvania state Rep. Mark B. Cohen says a local blogger has gone too far.

Cohen — a regular on local messageboard Phillyblog.com — has been a topic of recent posts on Philadelphia Will Do, a blog hosted by local newspaper Philadelphia Weekly. The blog’s editor, Dan McQuade, has written several humorous articles about Cohen’s posts to Phillyblog.com.

Cohen, however, isn’t laughing. He’s posted comments in response to McQuade’s writings on Will Do, claiming to be the victim of malice and libel, legal terms for the willful destruction of an individual’s reputation often accompanied by a lawsuit. Other users of the site have responded to Cohen’s allegations with lewd, political and downright bizarre comments of their own.

iPhone bill is as thick as a novel - Telegraph

Justine is getting coverage from the UK now.

iPhone bill is as thick as a novel - Telegraph

As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes - New York Times

As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes - New York Times Public health is reeling. Pollution has made cancer China’s leading cause of death, the Ministry of Health says. Ambient air pollution alone is blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Nearly 500 million people lack access to safe drinking water.

An interesting article.

However, this line is total hogwash: This scarcity has not yet created a culture of conservation. Hogwash.

The China culture, through and through, is all about conservation. They waste nothing. They conserve in almost every manner.

This is a big concept quagmire that needs to unravel to be understood. Conservation to the citizen in the US is unlike that of conservation to the billions in China.

Another statement in the article that is a huge assumption that does NOT fit with reality: China cannot go green ... without political change. That's crap NY Times reporting.

What is 'political change?' Is that like switching the house from R to D? Is it a change in the five year plan where natural resources and environment are mentioned 200 times rather than 80, in a 'state of the union?'

Furthermore, lots of China had alredy gone green. Much of China was always 'green.'

For example, billions buy fresh fruits and vegies, locally. That's all they do. That's green as it gets. Americans don't do that. They do.