Carbolic Smoke Ball listens and does a feedback posting

Carbolic Smoke Ball Submit your questions

If you have a question you'd like Judge Peckham to answer on our weekly Trib p.m. page (appears every Monday) -- on any topic at all -- send it to thecarbolicsmokeball@yahoo.com

The Smoke Blog becomes more 'blog-like' with this post, as I had suggested. (or did I has have had suggest????)

Trees -- winning or not

Why is it we are so quick to tear down. They want to take down trees. They want to take down historic buildings, even grand libraries. They want to tear down older houses. They want to tear down the Civic Arena. They want to tear down schools that work.

Then they churn. What comes later is generally more expensive and often not as good. New isn't as authentic. New is often with massive debt.

UPDATE ON ARRESTS AT THE SUPREME COURT

Source: announcements@witnesstorture.org

UPDATE ON YESTERDAY'S ARRESTS AT THE SUPREME COURT

January 12, 2008 - 82 people were arrested at the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday as part of Witness Against Torture's January 11th action to Shut Down Guantánamo to mark six years of unjust imprisonment and abuse for the men held in Guantánamo. About half were arrested inside the U.S. Supreme Court; the others were arrested on the steps of the Court.

As of 8pm, Saturday, all 82 people have been released. Many of the arrestees were denied food and water for most of the 30-some hours they were detained.

46 pled not guilty are going back to trial. Some people got cited and released and have yet to receive arraignment - so even more could be going to trial.

About 70 of those arrested withheld their legal name and instead gave the name of a detainee upon arrest. Today in court they gave their legal name but stated that their arrest on behalf of a detainee. Thus one of the main goals for the action was achieved because a number the court dockets as well as individual citations now have one of the detainees' names on them.

People were charged with "unlawful free speech on supreme court grounds." People who were arrested inside the building received an additional charge of "causing a harangue within the supreme court."

Arrestees included: people from all over the country; teenagers and octogenarians; first time arrestees; members of the Witness Against Torture's original delegation that walked to Guantanámo to visit the prisoners; and Dorothy Day's granddaughter, Martha Hennesey.

The arrests followed a solemn march from the National Mall of 400 persons that included a procession of activists dressed like the Guantánamo prisoners in orange jumpsuits and black hoods. The procession, in turn, was preceded with a short rally at the Mall organized by Amnesty International, National Religious Campaign Against Torture and Witness Against Torture. The event was part of an International Day of Action that was endorsed by over 100 groups and that included 83 events around the world.

Witness Against Torture would like to thank everyone who helped make yesterday's action the success that it was. Your prayers, your participation, your endorsements, your publicity and of course your financial support are all deeply appreciated. (If you haven't yet make a donation to Witness Against Torture and would like to do so, please visit our website to donate on-line or else send a check made out to "Witness Against Torture" to Mary House Catholic Worker, 55 E. Third Street, New York, NY 10003.)

Photos, videos and press clippings will be posted to www.witnesstorture.org in the coming days, so please check our website regularly.

Witness Against Torture http://www.witnesstorture.org
info@witnesstorture.org

CBA = Community Benefit Agreement - Wear RED

Click for larger image.

special event -- to gather signatures for getting on the ballot

Special musical guests at the Signature Bomb Party on Saturday, January 26th at Scooby's in Bridgeville.

The band Poker Face will be preforming live!!

Poker Face is a group of Ron Paul supporters and Freedom Rockers from Bethlehem, PA.


The band has preformed at the Live Free or Die Festival in New Hampshire in the defense of Ed and Elaine Brown. They have also preformed at the Ron Paul rally after party in Philadelphia on November 10th, as well as for other Ron Paul meetup groups around the state such as Erie and Harrisburg.

We are certainly honored to have them in Pittsburgh!!

Check out their video on YouTube: Kontrol

Check out their website: PokerFace.com

This is the event that you do not want to miss!!! We need to get Dr. Paul and his delegates on the ballot!!

Come out and party with the Pittsburgh and Western PA Ron Paul supporters and Poker Face!!!!

Please RSVP 'YES' at our meetup site.

To RSVP and for more details go to Pittsburgh and Western PA Ron Paul 2008 Meetup Group and click on the calender of events.

21 and over only please

Any questions please email ronpaulpgh@gmail.com

See you there!!!

Double-amputee's Olympic bid stirs debate - Saturday January 12, 2008 7:50PM

SI.com - Olympics - Double-amputee's Olympic bid stirs debate - Saturday January 12, 2008 7:50PM The double-amputee sprinter from South Africa longs to run on his artificial Cheetah blades in Beijing. At the heart of the complex case is a straightforward question: To what extent can a disabled athlete enhance his ability with mechanical aids?

The Busman's Holiday: Oh, The Things You Can Count: My Ethics Board Request

The Busman's Holiday: Oh, The Things You Can Count: My Ethics Board Request My fourth request was answered within two hours on Friday--not by the Ethics Board itself--but by City Solicitor George Specter.

Why in the world is the city's top attorney (joke) doing the work of the Pittsburgh Ethics Hearing Board?

This is bad. Sister Patrice wants to make Pittsburgh ethical. But, she has this to deal with the Law Department!

Good Day Sunshine!

FreeAtLast2008.com - Ron Paul For President

FreeAtLast2008.com - Ron Paul For President: "Please join us this January 21st as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King, by acting together to support Dr. Ron Paul, a new hero who fights for the same American principles of liberty and justice for all.

Presidential race insights

You know that there is going to be a recount in NH, right?

Furthermore, John McCain might not be on the ballot in Ohio.

More on schools in advance of a double-bill meeting on Sunday

After we scheduled our Sunday, 2 pm at Blvd of the Allies Panera meeting, we learned that there is a board meeting on Sunday as well scheduled from 2-7 pm. We will still meet at Panera --it won't be a 5 hour meeting, so you can always go to the other one as well.

The meeting at the board is open to the public for viewing (not for speaking). Our understanding is that the administration will lay out in greater detail (at the board's request) their plans and overall goals for reforming the district. They will also provide the names of people on various task forces that have been formed. The format for the meeting is that the administration will present for 15 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of questions or discussions from board members.

If you have friends that feel that decisions being made now don't affect them because their kids don't go to Schenley or are in different programs, let them know that this meeting will begin to outline some of the changes coming for everyone else, as well. Now is the time to be informed if you want to have a say!

It's an incredibly long meeting (and I believe there are more to follow), but if you can go even just for an hour, please report back -- the more info we can get the better. Some of the administration's ideas are really exciting; getting support for them now seems like the best way to help the good ideas succeed (and to nip the bad ideas before money is spent on them).

Public Hearing at the board meeting is this MONDAY, JANUARY 14th, 7 PM Board of Ed building. Sign-up through noon, written testimony taken until 5 pm. If you hear anything you really liked or didn't like at the big meeting Sunday, talk about it on Monday -- or just thank the board for requesting more information about the coming changes.

Jen Lakin

Q from FC

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Introducing: “The Daily Dose” Campaign HQ Blog

The Busman's Holiday: Ethics Board, The Lost Letter

This is great watchdog efforts by Bob Mayo of TV 4, WTAE. He is doing his job. But, perhaps Bob didn't get the memo: The Pgh Ethics Hearing Board moves slower than some galciers.

The Busman's Holiday: Ethics Board, The Lost Letter Ethics Board, The Lost Letter

Great stuff. Give it a read.

Bob's post today (Friday the 11th) is a cliff hanger. He'll post his letter from the Ethics Hearing Board on Saturday. Can't wait.

Well, yes I can wait. I don't have my expectations high. But, this is starting to 'snowball.'

School District spin about the strike

I take this with a grain of salt. A strike would be a pain. But, the strike would be short term when contrasted to the major projects and problems that now swirl around the district and the city. We need a Vo Tech High School -- and there is no plan, yet, to get one.

Schenley High School opened 90 years ago. Now it is on the copping block because of some plaster problems due to water damage in the past. Those are big problems -- not a teacher strike of a few weeks.

PITTSBURGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING 341 S. BELLEFIELD AVE. PGH., PA 15213

For Immediate Release Contacts: Lisa Fischetti (412) 622-3603

District Responds to Public Requests for More Disclosure on Contract Talks

Next Bargaining Session Set for Monday, January 14

PITTSBURGH, JANUARY 11, 2008 – In response to numerous public inquiries for disclosing more information about the status of teacher contract talks, Pittsburgh Public Schools is providing comment on the status of contract talks and facts around the key issues being discussed in negotiations with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (PFT).

A day-long bargaining session between the School District and the PFT was conducted today through state mediators. The negotiations process began more than one year ago in accordance with bargaining law.

The next bargaining session is scheduled to take place on Monday, January 14. Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and the District's Board members will be available to attend bargaining sessions next week, as appropriate.

"We are doing all we can to not interrupt the school year and the process of improving academic achievement for our children," said Superintendent Mark Roosevelt. "We fully recognize that our teachers and staff are the key to student success and a better school system. It has been and continues to be our goal to reach a contract agreement as soon as possible. We are working very hard to balance the academic and financial challenges of our system throughout the bargaining process so that a strike can be averted," added Roosevelt.

"In my view, a teacher strike would damage the hard work that teachers, administrators and staff have already undertaken in our quest to advance public school education in Pittsburgh. This is a pivotal time for our school system and City as we must make decisions that will have long-term economic and social impacts for our region. The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program, for example, is a tremendous step in the right direction. There's heightened accountability for performance by principals, who now are all on performance-based contracts. These are important examples of the many things we are doing to set the District on a course for success. We value our teachers and support their right to be fairly compensated. But as I have stated previously, we will not support a contract settlement that would require a tax increase," Roosevelt added.

The key issues or topics being discussed in these contract talks include: (note: these facts do not include any positions on current bargaining discussions)

1. Wages – From 2001 to 2006, there were three contracts reached with annualized wage increases that averaged approximately 3.7%, inclusive of 'step' wage increases. According to Public School Teacher Settlement Data provided by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, average annual salary increases for teachers in the current 2007-08 school year is 3.73% (including step wages) at Pennsylvania school districts with approved contract settlements.

2. Post-retirement healthcare cost – The cost of retiree health care has increased by more than 100%, from $5.3 million in 2004 to a projected $11.8 million in 2007.

3. Length of work day - Teachers in the Pittsburgh Public Schools have one of the shortest work days among all school districts in Pennsylvania. The current work day is 7 hours and 6 minutes.

4. Severance – Severance pay for unused sick leave.

5. Term of contract - The previous three contract settlements were 2.5 years, 2 years and 2 years, respectively.

"We are doing everything we can to help resolve these issues remaining on the table," said Mark Roosevelt. "We're attempting to balance the interests of the District, its teachers, students, parents and taxpayers. I have heard from many parents who are concerned about the prospect of a strike and the safety of their children, particularly in single-parent families where the parent works during school hours," concluded Roosevelt.

Theresa Colaizzi, Chair of the Board's Negotiating Committee, stated, "We must remember the world is very different today compared to 30 years ago when there was a strike in Pittsburgh. Then, many people may have been inconvenienced. In today's world, families will literally be incapacitated if there is a walkout. We recognize the need to settle the contract with the common goal of balancing the community's interest and the District's financial and academic goals," added Colaizzi.

This information and perspective is being shared publicly today as a result of growing public interest in the status and issues surrounding on-going contract talks. For more information and updates about PFT Contract Talks, please visit the District's home page at www.pps.k12.pa.us.

eVote Blog has been perking along

eVote Blog: "Let the recounting begin"

I run a number of blogs. This one is the main blog. But when it comes to the act of voting and more technical democratic process elements -- that goes to the eVote.blogspot.com.

They are going to do a recount in NH.

Pittsburgh Ethics board member Zacharias resigns - PittsburghLIVE.com

Pittsburgh Ethics board member Zacharias resigns - PittsburghLIVE.comA member of Pittsburgh's Ethics Hearing Board resigned today, citing personal reasons.

The five-member board accepted the resignation of Penny E. Zacharias, 33, of the North Side. Zacharias is a lawyer in the Downtown branch of law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney.

She wasn't even attending meetings. Good to have her resign.

I wonder how long it will take the mayor to nominate another person as a replacement. It has taken mayors decades to finally appoint people to that board. Tom Murphy never appointed anyone to the board.

Other board members are appointed by city council. And, city council has also failed at its job in the past, with this board as well as with others.

The starved to death treatment has been a mode of operation, in the past, with the Citizens Police Review Board as well.

If the other four people want to resign, that would be fine too. That board is not willing to be proactive and aggressive enough to make a difference in the realm of ethics in the city.

They admit that they need training. The employees need training too. Then the citizens need training as well. This board needs to get in the game and then get fit as issues play out. Training should not take the place of real action. Seems like they are happy ponder training as an excuse for real action. Training sustains the inaction yet kicks up some smoke and dust.

I don't want the Ethics Hearing Board spending money. Nor do I want them to be making money. They should not dish out fines, offer punishments nor think about incomes.

Finally, I don't want the Ethics Hearing Board to subcontract its duties to others. A recent aim was to form a committee and have them come up with a new policy or else a policy review for accepting golf outings. Tee it up as a board. Carry your own clubs. I don't want the Ethics Hearing Board to appoint others to do the heavy lifting (caddy) on policies of the city.

Does anyone know Penny's golf handicap?

PNC, Coro, Maxwell King, Tom Murphy

PNC, Maxwell King Coro honorees ... former Mayor Tom Murphy delivering the keynote address...

Barf.

SGB unleashes panther statues - News

Roar!

SGB unleashes panther statues - News After months of anticipation, outgoing Student Government Board president Shady Henien led a ceremony last night unveiling the 10 panther statues decorated by various student organizations.

Will these scare away the rats? What about pigeons?

Do they interact well with dinosaurs?

more school meetings

Hello Kathy and all,

I will not be able to attend the meeting this afternoon with Lopez due to another meeting commitment for my job that got scheduled yesterday. The good news is that meeting is about connecting racial justice issues such as Education and Employment discrimination to the Supreme Court advocacy work that I currently do in PA.

Below are a couple of questions I have that may or may not fit in today but thought I would share them with the group anyway just in case. I am also including background info I had sent to a smaller email lists that gives some background on why I am asking these questions and their relevance to our cause.

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision(more info below) that race could not be used as a factor in assigning students to school to achieve diversity, will the PPS consider using income status (free lunch) as a way to achieve diversity in our PPS?

Ability Tracking and selection into different academic programs? What role does it play in providing or not providing opportunities to all students?

What would happen if All students were tested to see if they were gifted but call it something else? Is this being done? If it is, what aren't there more students being placed and what is the connection between the Gifted Program, IB and AP?

What efforts have been made to ensure that the IS (International Studies / Frick Middle School) students who are now IB have been provided the necessary support in order for them to be successful? What will this look like in the future? Many of these IS students are African American which would help boost the number of students currently in the IB program and taking AP courses but what is the likelihood that these students will be able to achieve the college credits and pass the necessary test? What is being done to help these students be successful?

I will be at the Panera meeting on Sunday at 2pm and am speaker number 10 at the Public Hearing on Monday.

Here are a couple of links to good education articles and letters in the PG today.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08011/848438-298.stm
Principals in city return to instruction

http://www.post-gazette.com/forum/letters/
Postcards from the edge of a strike

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08011/848350-298.stm
Expulsions of preschoolers preventable, study finds

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08011/848422-298.stm
Magazine ranks Pennsylvania 10th for schools, with B- grade

All the best at the meeting this afternoon.

Celeste

Hotel, offices, condos planned for Pittsburgh auto dealer site - Examiner.com

How much is this going to cost the taxpayers?

Hotel, offices, condos planned for Pittsburgh auto dealer site - Examiner.com DOC-Economou representatives said they plan to secure an unspecified amount of public financing for the project.