Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - A local satirical news Web site is slowly being assimilated by mainstream media outlets - Main Feature - Main Feature Extra

Nice ink about media ink for a local blog via the City Paper.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - A local satirical news Web site is slowly being assimilated by mainstream media outlets - Main Feature - Main Feature Extra - Pittsburgh City Paper - PittsburghA local satirical news Web site is slowly being assimilated by mainstream media outlets

I only wish that the CSB was able to take comments within its blog postings. Perhaps they can run an 'open thread' once a week within the blog.

If comments were permitted, that would could prove to increase the humor ten-fold.

UPMC drops tax credit bid - Let the games of the Pgh Promise begin

UPMC drops tax credit bid UPMC drops tax credit bid
Goes forward with pledge of $100 million to Promise
Thursday, December 27, 2007
By Matthew P. Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Citing the controversy that has embroiled its $100 million pledge for a city high school scholarship program, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center yesterday said it was dropping its request for a possible tax credit in exchange for its commitment to the Pittsburgh Promise.

This is what victory looks like.

Now we can get rockin on the challenge grant. Now we can rev up the potential boom for the city.

Now, we can begin to look for the arrival of the three wise men. Faith has been restored, partially.

But, Post-Gazette reporters, understand that the balking that happened within council chambers did NOT come from the majority of city council. Two on council put up some objections. That's Doug and Bill. A third, Darleen, asked some deer in the headlights questions.

Then there was Len who was okay with the deal as long as it stroked his special interest too -- and was able to be go to students at Catholic schools. Len is a dead duck in the same flight path as Barbara Burns, hopefully.

The balking of the Pgh Promise was citizen centric.

Yesterday, I was invited to call into the KDKA Radio Show hosted by Marty Griffin. We talked on the air about the deal for more than 20 seconds! (giggle)

He claimed to have 'insider knowledge' that the Pgh Promise was a 'done deal.' I told blew back his 'honestey, openness and integrity' mantra to me -- asking if he talked to the three new members of city council, yet. He was off base in many ways. The Pgh deal is unlike that from Kalamazoo. And families don't want to move to a city where there are backroom deals, special interest calling the shots and more. The college scholarship won't overcome the corruption in a day-in-day-out setting.

Later that day, I posted over at the Burgh Report. In that post I was asked if I would reject the deal. I predicted that the deal would get major changes.

This is what I posted there:

---

There should be NO business of government within the transaction of one nonprofit giving money to another nonprofit.

It is fine (if not noble) for UPMC to gift money to the Pgh Promise. Wonderful.

However, the city of Pgh has no role in that transaction.

The city of Pgh does have its own budget and its own incomes and expenses. Within the city's 2008 budget, $1.5 (or so) is expected from UPMC as part of the Pgh Service Fund. That is cloaked -- which I hate.

If the city's budget changes, with a loss of $1.5 M, then a new budget must be associated with any new terms.

Finally, if the UPMC deal goes as it was introduced before council -- it is sure to KILL the Pgh Promise. The challenge grant will flop. And, the boom to Pgh among the students, families and potential new residents will never occur.

The side-deal (as structured) makes the Pgh Promise dead in the water.

Changes will need to occur. Mark Roosevelt and UPMC need to think again. And, they will, I expect.

Better to put $8.5 into the Pgh Promise and $1.5 into the Pgh Service Fund -- and do that without any additional strings. Then we can get to work to make the challenge grants come true.

Philly Amber Alert -- seeking 2 young children

AMBER ALERT 12/26/2007 7:00 PM CHLDRN: 3 YR OLD W/F, PINK COAT, FLOWER PANTS; 6YOA W/M, NAVY BLUE COAT, BLUE JEANS. VEH: SILVER 2005 BMW SUV, PA TAG GDF-1692, VEH STOLEN FROM BARING ST, PHILA. PA. UNKNOWN SUSPECT. IF SEEN CALL 911

The Pennsylvania State Police has issued an Amber Child Abduction Alert on behalf of the Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia Police Department is searching for two children: Kaliopi Hionas, a 3 year old white female child wearing a pink coat and flowered pants, and George Hionas, a 6 year old white male child wearing a navy blue coat and blue jeans. The children were in a vehicle when it was stolen from Baring Street in Philadelphia. The vehicle description is a 2005 silver BMW X5 sport utility vehicle with Pennsylvania registration GDF-1692. The vehicle was last seen traveling northbound on 31st Street from Baring Street in the city of Philadelphia.

Anyone with information about this incident should immediately contact the police by calling 911.

This has been an Amber Child Abduction Alert for the Philadelphia Police Department, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

Affected Counties: Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks

This email is not intended to and does not empower members of the public to act as police officers or to take police action. Additional information regarding this activation may be available through the investigating agency. General information about Pennsylvania's Amber Alert Plan is available at www.amber.state.pa.us.

It's a dream undeterred for Browns sub Dinkins - cleveland.com

Feature article on an ex-city kid, (Schenley HS), Pitt-player, and Pgh Colt too!

It's a dream undeterred for Browns sub Dinkins - cleveland.com Darnell Dinkins, a reserve tight end for the Browns, has grown accustomed to overcoming obstacles during his improbable journey to the NFL.

A star quarterback at Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, he was buried deep on the depth chart at that position after arriving at Pitt and ended up playing safety after spending some time at wide receiver and linebacker.

Dinkins was a starter for two seasons at Pitt, but no NFL teams came calling after his college career ended.

Schenley eases into new era - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

This team has its backs against the wall. Defending state champions -- and asbestos (so they claim) as well!

Schenley eases into new era - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The Spartans (8-1, 5-0) lost to graduation two players who are starting in the Big East. Longtime coach Fred Skrocki resigned after Schenley won the City League and PIAA Class AAAA championship last year. With talk of the school closing at the end of the year, this could be the last season for Spartans basketball.

The team's game in Greensburg on the 28th of December will be on the radio.

More than 2 political junkies hang here, making a ruckas

Ruckus on Newsweek.com

There's a new group blog on Newsweek.com: The Ruckus (http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/theruckus/default.aspx) , focused on the 2008 presidential race and authored by nine members of the Media Bloggers Association (http://www.mediabloggers.org) .

The initial lineup features several well-known, outspoken, and even frankly partisan bloggers: John Amato , Crooks and Liars (http://crooksandliars.com) ; Faye Anderson , Anderson at Large (http://andersonatlarge.typepad.com) ; Dean Barker , Blue Hampshire (http://bluehampshire.com) ; Adam Fogle , Palmetto Scoop (http://palmettoscoop.com) ; Joe Gandelman , The Moderate Voice (http://themoderatevoice.com) ; James Joyner , Outside the Beltway (http://outsidethebeltway.com) ; Ed Morrissey , Captain's Quarter (http://captainsquartersblog.com) ; Oliver Willis (http://oliverwillis.com) ; and Chris Woods , Bleeding Heartland (http://bleedingheartland.com) .

...Sounds like fun. I just wonder how well Newsweek.com's editors have thought through the ethical and practical differences of bloggers and journalists. I'd hate to see another ugly implosion of a group political weblog due to miscommunications, culture clash, and political pressure -- like what happened recently at Cleveland.com (http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=132398) .

Making the world a much more literate place. What are YOU waiting for?

Some great things are happening, again and again, with open source ways, more freedom and hard work in the community to help everyone, rich and otherwise.

People of Pittsburgh, it is time to get on this bandwagon. You need to be running open source software -- this year, this month, this week! We can't be left in the dust. The rest of the world is work and understanding technology. They are blowing past us. We need to take the plunge and get serious about OpenOffice.org, about open-ways and open-source.

The article link goes to three predictions for the future. One of them details the embrace to all things open.

Article in The Economist.

Surfing—and everything else computer-related—will open

Rejoice: the embrace of “openness” by firms that have grown fat on closed, proprietary technology is something we’ll see more of in 2008. Verizon is not the only one to cry uncle and reluctantly accept the inevitable.

Even Apple, long a bastion of closed systems, is coming round to the open idea. Its heavily protected iPhone was hacked within days of being launched by owners determined to run third-party software like Skype on it.

Apple’s initial response was to attempt a heavy-handed crackdown. But then a court decision in Germany forced its local carrier to unlock all iPhones sold there. Good news for iPhone owners everywhere: a flood of third-party applications is now underway.

The trend toward openness has been given added impetus by the recent collapse of the legal battles brought by SCO, a software developer. Formerly known as Santa Cruz Operations, the firm bought the Unix operating system and core technology in 1995 from Novell (which, in turn, had bought it from its original developer, AT&T).

Short of cash, SCO initiated a series of lawsuits against companies developing Linux software, claiming it contained chunks of copyrighted Unix code. Pressured by worried customers fearing prosecution, a handful of Linux distributors settled with SCO just to stay in business.

But IBM, which uses Linux, was having none of it, and fought the firm through the courts until it won. SCO is now operating under Chapter 11 of the American bankruptcy code.

The verdict removed, once and for all, the burden that had been inhibiting Linux’s broader acceptance. Linux is now accepted as being Unix-like, but not a Unix-derivative.

Bulletproof distributions of Linux from Red Hat and Novell have long been used on back-office servers. Since the verdict against SCO, Linux has swiftly become popular in small businesses and the home.

That’s largely the doing of Gutsy Gibbon, the code-name for the Ubuntu 7.10 from Canonical. Along with distributions such as Linspire, Mint, Xandros, OpenSUSE and gOS, Ubuntu (and its siblings Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu) has smoothed most of Linux’s geeky edges while polishing it for the desktop.

No question, Gutsy Gibbon is the sleekest, best integrated and most user-friendly Linux distribution yet. It’s now simpler to set up and configure than Windows. A great deal of work has gone into making the graphics, and especially the fonts, as intuitive and attractive as the Mac’s.

Like other Linux desktop editions, Ubuntu works perfectly well on lowly machines that couldn’t hope to run Windows XP, let alone Vista Home Edition or Apple’s OS-X.

Your correspondent has been happily using Gutsy Gibbon on a ten-year-old desktop with only 128 megabytes of RAM and a tiny 10 gigabyte hard-drive. When Michael Dell, the boss of Dell Computers, runs Ubuntu on one of his home systems, Linux is clearly doing many things right.

And because it is free, Linux become the operating system of choice for low-end PCs. It started with Nicholas Negroponte, the brains behind the One Laptop Per Child project that aims to deliver computerised education to children in the developing world. His clever XO laptop, costing less than $200, would never have seen the light of day without its clever Linux operating system.

But Mr Negroponte has done more than create one of the world’s most ingenious computers. With a potential market measured in the hundreds of millions, he has frightened a lot of big-time computer makers into seeing how good a laptop they can build for less than $500.

All start with a desktop version of Linux. Recent arrivals include the Asus Eee from Taiwan, which lists for $400. The company expects to sell close on four million Eees this financial year. Another Taiwanese maker, Everex, is selling its gPC desktop through Walmart for $199.

When firms are used to buying $1,000 office PCs running Vista Business Edition and loading each with a $200 copy of Microsoft Office, the attractions of a sub-$500 computer using a free operating system like Linux and a free productivity suite like OpenOffice suddenly become very compelling.

And that’s not counting the $20,000 or more needed for Microsoft’s Exchange and SharePoint server software. Again, Linux provides such server software for free.

Pundits agree: neither Microsoft nor Apple can compete at the new price points being plumbed by companies looking to cut costs. With open-source software maturing fast, Linux, OpenOffice, Firefox, MySQL, Evolution, Pidgin and some 23,000 other Linux applications available for free seem more than ready to fill that gap. By some reckonings, Linux fans will soon outnumber Macintosh addicts. Linus Torvalds should be rightly proud.

Recent Services: Poet

Get about 30% into the service to hear the main speaker.

Presented by Lynn Chandhok

Lynn is the daughter of Vijay and Shelly Chandhok and was a part of Sunnyhill from age 3. She reads from her first book of poems, which won the 2006 Philip Levine Prize, and talks about writing, religion, motherhood, memory, politics and history.

Listen to this service:

Romney Attacks McCain Tax Votes

Newsmax.com - Romney Attacks McCain Tax Votes: "Romney largely ignored Giuliani, telling reporters he was focusing on McCain rather than the former New York mayor because Giuliani had curtailed his campaigning here and polls showed his support flagging.

Libertarian Party of Allegheny County -- board members for 2008

The installation of a new Board of directors for 2008 has happened. There being no objection, the 2008 Board will consist of the following:

Chairman - Dave Powell
Vice-Chairman - Mark Rauterkus
Treasurer - Richard Loether
Secretary - Henry Haller
At-large members include:
David Eckhardt
Jerry Gloekler
Tom Kawcznski
Harold Kyriazi
David Weiser

Chairman Dave Powell asked for unanimous consent to install a new Board to consist of the people that served on the 2007 Board with the exception of Tom Kawcznski in place of Rob Willis.

$4.5 million spent on keeping the city in line

$4.5 million spent on keeping the city in line But critics ask: Are the state's oversight costs really worth it?

The worth of the OVERLORDS is much less than it should be because they don't meet as they should. I'd have less of a problem with the OVERLORDS if they really worked.

Pittsburgh has had a huge problem over the past decades because too many fell down on the job. The slumber has killed this city.

The watchdogs don't guard as they should. Here, I pin a lot of the blame on the Post-Gazette and the Tribune Review. They both miss too many important stories. Recently, they've been better. But back in the day of Tom Murphy, Tom Barnes and others were absent -- and in a deep sleep fueled by too many bologna sandwiches.

The checks within government also have to bear a lot of the blame. The city's controller and the county's controller stink. Tom Flaherty was barking at the wrong things, if he barked at all. Michael Lamb won't be too different. He is a bureaucrat. We need more.

The academics have been in a deep slumber too. From time to time, great work comes from them. But, it is rare. They should have lots of projects in the air at the same time. And, every college and university should have a dozen or more who are 'go-to people' on various issues. Most of the time, we are fighting against the higher educational leadership. They should be on the side of the people, the students, and generally helping with the stuggles concerning quality of life issues for the region.

Then the last group to fumble time and time again are the neighborhood groups. They need to be holding debates, forums, issue discussions and sending their open-minded people to events. But they all worry and try to NOT bite the hand that feeds them. Trouble is, the feed is not energy of empowerment.

So, we needed OVERLORDS. But, the overlords are lazy.

Dr. Wrestling:Armageddon Live at Civic Arena from Dallas

Recap from another blog about a trip to the Civic Arena for Rasslin.

Dr. Wrestling:Armageddon Live When we arrived at the show we noticed a ridiculously long line that stretched from the building down to the side walk and very similar to when we attended Smackdown, there was only one gate open to enter the building. Now for those that haven't been to the Mellon Arena let's do some simple math here, the Mellon Arena has ten gates to enter the building and no that's not a typing mistake. There's ten possible gates to enter the building and there was only one gate open when we arrived at the Mellon Arena. As a result, even when people started entering the building there was still a wait to get inside and out of the cold weather. Despite the ice and the snow mostly everyone was very understand and there wasn't any type of traffic jam to enter the building.

Lumps of Coal go to Roosevelt, Ravenstahl, PPS Board and Fischetti

The Pgh Tribune Review had nothing good to say about the Pittsburgh Promise side-deal disclosure and quickie approval by the school district.

Lance: To Luke Ravenstahl and Mark Roosevelt. Can these two "leaders" prove any more convincingly that they are unfit to serve? Mr. Ravenstahl, Pittsburgh's mayor, talks of UPMC's feelings being hurt because the public has the audacity to question a secret tax-credit deal. How warped. Mr. Roosevelt, the Pittsburgh school superintendent, calls those raising questions "demagogues" and disseminators of "misinformation." How dare he. These are unacceptable statements by two people who suddenly have forgotten who their bosses are.

Lance: To the Pittsburgh school board. In full "Ramming speed, Mr. Sulu" mode, the board adopted a resolution Wednesday approving potential dollar-for-dollar tax credits for UPMC's pledge of up to $100 million for a college scholarship program. Board members received the resolution all of 35 minutes before voting on it. There was no public hearing. But given the public outrage, this is despicable -- a "public-purpose" perversion. The tax break was not disclosed on Dec. 5 when UPMC announced its pledge.

Lance: To Lisa Fischetti. The chief of staff of Pittsburgh Public Schools seems to think it's much ado about nothing that it was not initially disclosed that UPMC demanded, and public officials are attempting to give it, tax credits for its up-to-$100 million pledge to The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program. The "focus" was the "scholarship component." Oh, so it was the sizzle, not the steak, eh?

Meet The Press with Tim Russert - Video, Podcasts, News and Politics, Transcripts- msnbc.com

Lots of quotes from Tim Russert, host of the show, from the 1970s and 1980s. Jeepers. Time to think about 2007, 2008 and the next five years! Wish MSNBC would come into modern times.

Meet The Press with Tim Russert - Video, Podcasts, News and Politics, Transcripts- msnbc.com Texas Rep. Ron Paul (R) joined us for an exclusive interview. Watch our netcast or read the transcript to find out where the congressman -- who has raised more money this quarter than any other Republican candidate for president -- stands on the major issues facing our nation.

Happy 90th Birthday, mayor

She's 90.

Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette

The Pittsburgh Promise has more required reading than the application to the Naval Academy.

Char hits with her blog.

Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette My bottom-line conclusion is that if The Promise does not deliver on its promise, it will be because of the program’s complexity. Because with complexity comes a certain level of uncertainty.

The Trib did an article that looked at the West Virginia Promise.

Drink tax revenue more than needed, restaurateurs complain

Drink tax revenue more than needed, restaurateurs complain The 10 percent drink tax in Allegheny County could raise a lot more than the $30 million the county needs for its Port Authority subsidy next year and beyond, say restaurateurs who contend the county didn't do its homework in estimating revenue from the tax.

The same concepts were spoken at the public hearing on this topic. The speaker right before me said so. Her name is Chelsa Wagner.

Chelsa hit it out of the park. She explained how getting this tax was like getting a $1-million line of credit for home improvement (new bathroom) when the worth of the house is $50,000.

Sunday, 10:30 am, Meet the Press visits with Ron Paul, WPXI, TV 11

Tune in to TV 11, WPXI TV, Sunday at 10:30 am for Meet the Press and an interview with Presidential candidate, Ron Paul, R, born in Pittsburgh!

Pittsburgh Council balks at Promise qualifier - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Not only are the P-G editorial folks wrong with what happened -- so is the news reporter who works with the Tribune Review, J.B.

City Council had no choice. City Council did not "refuse" anything. City Council had to do what it did. City Council needed to call for a public hearing -- and that is what happened.

It was the citizens who refused to let the side-line deal with the city and UPMC pass concerning the Pittsburgh Promise. The refusal was our, the citizens. Refusal was NOT a good description of what council wanted to do.

Had city council had its way, the deal for tax credits would have passed. Folks on council are still trying to rush the public hearing. They'd love to play the refusal role -- by refusing to allow the citizens to exercise rights to demand public hearings.

The desire to study the resolution is not that of council. Rather it is of the citizens.

A women, citizen, parent, spoke to council on Tuesday. She demanded a full discussion and public hearing. And, she has a child in the 12th grade of Pgh Public Schools. She has the most at risk. The first tuition payment for he soon to be college freshmen would be expected in a few months. However, she wants accountability. She wants to have an open process. She wants to live in an honest city. She wants what is best for the region -- greater than her own self interest of getting a $5,000 check in eight months.

Pittsburgh Council balks at Promise qualifier - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Pittsburgh City Council refused to be rushed into granting UPMC potential tax credits Tuesday despite political pressure from Mayor Luke Ravenstahl to reward the hospital giant for jump-starting a scholarship program for city school graduates.

No, no, no -- the P-G editors got it wrong about Pgh Promise

No, no, no. The P-G did NOT get it right in their editorial.

Hasty promise: Council must do right by UPMC's pledge Time out, everyone. That was the welcome call Tuesday from City Council to stop the runaway train that followed UPMC's pledge of up to $100 million to the Pittsburgh Promise, a scholarship program for city high school graduates.

The call for a "time out" came from the citizens. We shouted it in council chambers. The council would have been quick to rush to action had the citizens not called for the public hearing. The majority of the members of council, were willing to jump onto that runaway train.

They all botched the communication on this. It started in early 2007 when the first hint of the promise came with a $10,000 check from the PFT (Teachers Union). That was scripted by Mark Roosevelt. The thing died then and there.