Sick humor

2 Brazilian?

The Secretary of Defense briefed the president this morning. They told President Obama that 2 Brazilian soldiers were killed in Iraq. To everyone's surprise, all the color drained from Obama's face. Then he collapsed onto his desk, head in his hands, visibly shaken, almost in tears.

Finally, he composed himself and asked, 'Just how many is a brazilian?'

This is not surprising, since he obviously has no understanding of a trillion either.

Meanwhile, in other news with Brazilian dollars, on double TIFed land,
Hazelwood center part of Sunoco's sale to Brazilian firm: "Hazelwood center part of Sunoco's sale to Brazilian firm".

Fw: New Ken Arnold schools hire collection agency

From: "Bob Logue" <ucblogue@verizon.net

The Valley News Dispatch news story below is self-explanatory.  But note, there is no mention of how the collection process would change for so called 'delinquent' homeowners.  The question that needs to be asked is:  Will Public Asset Managment be free to add fees to the 'delinquent' homeowners back taxes, penaties and interest.  I don't know how that firm operates, but have read in other publications that another firm immediately adds $1,000 to any back taxes for each property.  Which of course makes it even more unlikely the homeowner can dig themselves out of the hole...which means more sheriff sales.

Also, in the past, those homes 'delinquent' the longest were the ones that would be sold at sheriff sale first.  In some areas I've read about in other newspapers, how long the home is 'delinquent' no longer determines when a property will be sold at sheriff sale.  Vultures looking to get rich off someone else's misery can approach some of these collection agencies and urge them to put a more 'desirable or marketable' property up for sale before those that have been 'delinquent' longer.  So the vulture can cherry pick properties.  That way the collection company gets their money faster, as does the school district, county and municipal government.   But is that fair to someone trying to come up with the money to dig themselves out of this alleged debt when their property is rushed ahead of other properties 'delinquent' longer, but less desirable...or in other words will bring the best returns when the vultures resell it.

    The rich get richer...and the poor get evicted.

AFTER READING THE VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH STORY, BE SURE TO READ THE NOTE BELOW FROM A TAXPAYER WHO HAS HAD TROUBLE WITH JORDAN TAX SERVICE...ANOTHER TAX COLLECTION FIRM. 

New Kensington-Arnold School District sells back tax claims to agency

By Jessica Turnbull
VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH Friday, January 29, 2010

The New Kensington-Arnold School District will get a shot in the arm with an influx of tax revenue after it agreed to sell its claims to back taxes.
The district will receive uncollected real estate taxes upfront — about $1.43 million — from nonprofit Public Asset Management.
There is no change in the process for the taxpayers as taxes will continue to be collected by the Westmoreland Tax Claim Bureau.
"This will be an upfront injection of cash that will be added to the fund balance," said Jeffrey McVey, business manager.
In exchange for the cash influx, the district sold its tax claims for all uncollected taxes, McVey said. That means uncollected taxes will be sent by the tax bureau to Public Asset Management instead of the district, he said.
The board voted, 8-0, in favor of the agreement. Board member Eric Doutt was absent.
A transactional cost of 5 percent — estimated at $88,200 — is financed through the lender, he said. Current delinquent taxes are valued at $850,000 while delinquent taxes for the previous three years are estimated at $830,000.
"We will be able to budget our revenue more closely each year because we will have a better idea of what our returns will be," McVey said.
The district will benefit from the initial influx of cash and also will not need to deplete cash reserves in the future, he said. McVey said he spoke with business managers at other districts such as Mercer, Oil City and Clairton who are using Public Asset Management in a similar agreement.
"The only negative one of those managers said was that once you start, it is something you have to continue with," McVey said.
Terminating the agreement before the loan is paid means the district would have to repurchase the uncollected tax claims and the steady cash stream would be ended, he said.

Hi Bob: 

     Here is some very important news for you and the rest of the Undercover/Spedunkie readers...

     I had owed the City of Pittsburgh some back taxes due to my surgeries and not able to return to work as I had hoped...

     I had gotten a Notice that my house was to be Sherif sale (posted) unless I had made arrangements for making payments to the City...I went to the City Tax Offices and made payment arrangements and made sure I made these payments along with the current property taxes  (2009)...At times I even made payments that exceeded the payment amounts agreed upon...Now, I had called the City Tax Office today to ask why I haven't received the January Billing Statement for the past taxes...I was told that ALL back taxes to the City and payment agreements have been turned over to JORDAN TAX SERVICE as voted upon by the City Council!!!!

    I have recently filed a law suit against Jordan Tax Services for not give me accurate credit for a back tax year (surgery)...I had paid the tax of to Jordan in 3 checks totalling 285.00..The tax bill was for 284.00...I sent in checks for 100.00, 100.00 and 85.00...Jordan credited the checks as follows 100.00, 74.00, and 84.00...I sent a letter showing the check copies and Jordan never corrected the problem...Next Jordan said they were going to Lien the property...I went to the local Magistrates office and filed suit + an amount to pay off the back taxes to the city...

   If you know of people that are having any problems with Jordan Tax Service and have kept records of their payments and still have problems, people need to take Jordan Tax Services to court..Small Claims or their local Magistrates Office and ask for damages, pain, suffering and any type of legal expenses they have acrued...Otherwise I recommend a Class Action Law Suit....

   One other note is to File a Complaint with the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office, in so doing one must send to them copies of all payments (canceled checks (front and back)) along with the form back to the Attorney Generals Office...Their is a local office here in Pittsburgh..   Bert

Fw: Our Pittsburgh House will be open for Rent, March 1

From: Wilburn Hayden  haydenmsw@alumni.unc.edu&gt;

Our Pittsburgh House will be open for Rent, March 1

It looks like you all have had more snow and colder temperatures than we have had this winter. I am not complaining, even at 18F last night.

Please get the word out about our house being available to rent. Thanks.
91 S 24th STREET, South Side Flats Pittsburgh, PA 15203-2233
Levels: Basement, First Floor, Second Floor, & Loft; Bedrooms: 3 with Loft (29X13); Baths Full: 2; Lot: 20.17X40.25; Inclusions: Dishwasher, Electric Stove, Microwave/Convection Oven Combo, and Refrigerator; General Information: BRICK HISTORIC HOME, Built in 1880; First & Second Floors and Basement CENTRAL GAS HEAT & AIR; Loft: Gas Heat and Large Window AC; Fireplace/Wood Stove: Living Room which can heat all of the 1st floor; SKYLIGHT; CIELING FANS; Floors: Hard Wood except Kitchen - Tile and 1 Bedroom - Carpet Parking: On-Street Parking; Directions: CARSON TO 24TH STREET
http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=115825717624075350241.00047e3b3a02163898ea6&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=40.430469,-79.970276&spn=0.009865,0.022681&z=16

Rent: $1400.00 per month, plus utilities.
Contact: Wilburn Hayden, 647-344-0373 or whaydensw@hotmail.com   Available March 1, 2010

Underwater Hockey at swim practice was a blast

They need a Fix PA Wiki

Fw: PA Walks And Bikes PARTY!

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: Pro Bikes <todds@probikesllc.com>

Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:40:36 -0500 (EST)

To: <mark@rauterkus.com>

Subject: PA Walks And Bikes PARTY!

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Pro Bikes NEW PARTNERSHIP!! Join Our List Dear Mark, Hello All, Join us Tuesday evening, Feb. 2nd, from 7 to 9pm at the Pro Bikes Squirrel Hill location for the Pittsburgh Launch Party of PA Walks and Bikes!!! We at Pro Bikes are pleased to announce a partnership with a NEW Pennsylvania cycling and advocacy group, PA Walks and Bikes!!  This advocacy group will be fighting for safer and more convenient bicycling and walking in the state of Pennsylvania and is working to create more sustainable transportation and livable communities.  Pro Bikes is proud to support this group and unveil them to the Pittsburgh Community!  Join us for an informative party/get-together at our Squirrel Hill location where you'll be able to find out exactly what this group is doing and how to support them!  Drinks and snacks will be served and staff will be on hand to answer any and all questions you might have.  For details, please  go to: http://www.pawalksandbikes.org/ -or-  go to: http://www.logodesignteam.com/projects/design-concepts/PAWalksC34aA03aT00a-A.jpg for the complete detailed invitation! Hope to see you all there! Pro Bikes 5876 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, Pa. 15217 412-586-5497 http:/www.probikesllc.com

Forward email This email was sent to mark@rauterkus.com by todds@probikesllc.com. Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Email Marketing by Pro Bikes | 5876 Forbes Ave | Pittsburgh | PA | 15217

S6 idea

Basketball star to speak about Mormon faith
Saturday, January 30, 2010

Former Utah Jazz star Thurl Bailey will speak about his Mormon faith Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Oakland Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The free talk is open to the public, and geared toward youth. Mr. Bailey, who was raised Baptist, spent eight years among Mormons in Utah before converting to the faith while playing basketball in Italy.

For details, call 412-831-7557.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10030/1032319-53.stm?cmpid=localstate.xml#ixzz0e75UYQSy

Trails in city parks to receive $3 million in improvements

Trails in city parks to receive $3 million in improvements The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the city's Department of Public Works has embarked on a $3.02 million improvement of trails in Schenley, Frick, Riverview and Highland parks.
Work has begun in Schenley Park and should be completed by mid-summer.

Wow. A park upgrade.

Newspapers that charge for content. How is the P-G+ going?

The New York Times decision started to build a wall in front of its content last week. Meanwhile, Newsday of Long Island did the same not long ago, as did the Post-Gazette. With Newsday, the subscriber-based content had a relaunch that reportedly cost $4 million. However, just 35 paying subscribers signed up, each paying $260 per year. Go figure: $9,000 in annualized revenue for $4 million.

The ones that live upon putting ink on dead trees seem hell-bent on killing their watchdog stature as well as their businesses.

So, how many subscribers have come into the fold with the Post Gazette Plus endeavor. Would love to know.

Fw: Help SLB Win National Competition, Facebook Fun, This week's guests (1/30)...

SLB (Saturday Light Brigade) has entered the 2010 HASTAC/MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning Competition with a request for funding that would allow us to serve more youth in their own neighborhoods via SLB Express: Digital Mobile Media Lab, a green-energy-powered van that would contain work stations and field equipment allowing hands-on instruction in digital storytelling, audio production, photography and videography. In addition to exposing youth to technology firsthand, instruction would emphasize scientific and engineering principals underlying media creation and provide career exploration. Project partners include the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and PCTV21.

An important aspect of the competition is pujblic feedback and we have been encouraged to ask you to post your support and ideas.. Please visit http://dmlcompetition.net/pligg/story.php?title=582 to read and comment on The SLB Express. Working together, we can bring a great new resource to youth in our region! Comments are due 2/13. Thanks.

Facebook for SLB

More and more people are playing our on-air puzzles and games on Facebook. You can join in on the fun at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Saturday-Light-Brigade/173278000099 as you listen live via one of our 7 affiliates or at http://www.slbradio.org.

This week's Saturday Light Brigade will feature great acoustic music and plenty of puzzles for your on-air participation. Special guests include:

-- 7:20 am: Sarah DiLeo previews Unblurred, the monthly arts event put on by the Penn Avenue Arts Initiative. We'll also be joined by Flora Shepherd, a puppeteer who will be holding a walk-in shadow puppet-making workshop as well as a musical, country-western puppet show with local musician Missy Raterman at Voluto Coffee, 5467 Penn Avenue, 2/5, 6 to 9 pm.

-- 8:20 am: National touring children's musician and longtime SLB friend Justin Roberts previews his 1/31 (3 pm) show at the Rex Theater..

-- 10:05 am: Pianist Billy Robertson, a fourth grade student at Donaldson Elementary School, West Allegheny School District, plays live as part of our Youth Expression Showcase.

-- 10:35 am: Our Big Brother Big Sister of the Month feature welcomes Jinny Morgan and little sister Emily to our studios. They'll be joined by Sandra Eritano, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh.

-- 11:05 am: The Beagle Brothers perform live in our studios with their mix of country, old-time and honky-tonk music.

As always, you're welcome to be part of our live broadcast. Simply stop by our studios when the Children's Museum opens at 10 am. For directions, see http://www.slbradio.com/directions/shtml. Admission to our studios is free. Afterward, consider touring all of the museum (admission applies).

Thanks for being part of The Saturday Light Brigade!

SLB Radio Productions is a non-profit that has produced public radio from Pittsburgh since 1978. We produce a program of live music and talk ("The Saturday Light Brigade", Saturdays, 6 to noon), weekday workshops and related activities for children and adults from our studios in the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.

No iPad will ever belong to its owner

Today, Apple launched a computer that will never belong to its owner. Apple will use Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) to gain total veto power over the applications you use and the media you can view.

We've launched a petition calling out Apple's new product for what it is: a frightening step backward for computing and for media distribution. Can you read it, sign it, and share with friends?

http://defectivebydesign.org/ipad

Also, when you've signed, please take the time to share the petition on sites like Identi.ca and Reddit:

http://www.defectivebydesign.org/shareipad

Defective by Design's John Sullivan is on the ground at the Apple event with a group of protesters, letting the public and journalists know about the "Restriction Zone" Apple is constructing around their products. We'll be posting images from the event throughout the day, so sign the petition and please check back frequently and help us circulate these images.

http://defectivebydesign.org/ipad

This summer we saw the dangers of DRM on ebook readers, when Amazon deleted hundreds of copies of George Orwell's 1984 from readers' computers while they slept. Applying this control to a general purpose computer marketed especially for media distribution is a huge step backward for computing, and a blow to the media revolution that happened when the web let bloggers reach millions without asking for permission.

DRM and forced updates will give Apple and their corporate partners the power to disable features, restrict competition, censor news, and even delete books, videos, or news stories from users' computers while they sleep-- using the device's "always on" network connection.

Apple can say they will not abuse this power, but their record of App Store rejections gives us no reason to trust them. The Apple Tablet's unprecedented use of DRM to control all capabilities of a general purpose computer is a dangerous step backward for computing and for media distribution; we demand that Apple remove DRM from the device.

http://defectivebydesign.org/ipad

Thank you for your support!

The Vancouver Olympic Blues

by Dave Zirin

When I arrived in Vancouver, the first thing I noticed was the frowns.

The International Olympic Committee has leased every sign and billboard in town to broadcast Olympic joy, but they can't purchase people's faces. It's clear that the 2010 Winter Games has made the mood in the bucolic coastal city decidedly overcast. Even the customs police officer checking my passport started grumbling about "$5,000 hockey tickets." Polls released on my first day in Vancouver back up this initial impression. Only 50 percent of residents in British Columbia think the Olympics will be positive and 69 percent said too much money is being spent on the Games.

"The most striking thing in the poll is that as the Olympics get closer, British Columbians are less likely to see the Games as having a positive impact," said Hamish Marshall, research director for the pollster, Angus Reid. "Conventional wisdom was that as we got closer to the Olympics, people here would get more excited and more supportive." If the global recession hadn't smacked into the planning last year, with corporate sponsors fleeing for the hills, maybe the Vancouver Olympic Committee would be on more solid ground with residents. But public bailouts of Olympic projects have decisively altered the local mood.

I spoke to Charles, a bus driver, whose good cheer diminished when I asked him about the games. "I just can't believe I wanted this a year ago," he said. "I voted for it in the plebiscite. But now, yes. I'm disillusioned." This disillusion is developing as the financial burden of the Games becomes public. The original cost estimate was $660 million in public money. It's now at an admitted $6 billion and steadily climbing. An early economic impact statement was that the games could bring in $10 billion. Price Waterhouse Coopers just released their own study showing that the total economic impact will be more like $1 billion. In addition, the Olympic Village came in $100 million over budget and had to be bailed out by the city.

Security was estimated at $175 million and the final cost will exceed $1 billion. These budget overruns are coinciding with drastic cuts to city services. On my first day in town, the cover of the local paper blared cheery news about the Games on the top flap, while a headline announcing the imminent layoff off 800 teachers was much further down the page.

As a staunch Olympic supporter, a sports reporter from the Globe and Mail said to me, "The optics of cuts in city services alongside Olympic cost overruns are to put it mildly, not good."

But these aren't just p.r. gaffs to Vancouver residents, particularly on the eastside of the city where homelessness has spiked. Carol Martin who works in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, the most economically impoverished area in all of Canada, made this clear: "The Bid Committee promised that not a single person would be displaced due to the Games, but there are now 3,000 homeless people sleeping on Vancouver's streets and these people are facing increased police harassment as they try to clean the streets in the lead up to the Games."

I strolled the backstreets of the downtown eastside and police congregate on every corner, trying to hem in a palpable frustration and anger. Anti-Olympic posters wallpaper the neighborhood, creating an alternative universe to the cheery 2010 Games displays by the airport. The Vancouver Olympic Committee has tried to quell the crackling vibe by dispersing tickets to second-tier Olympic events like the luge. It hasn't worked.

The people of the downtown eastside and beyond are developing a different outlet for their Olympic angst. For the first time in the history of the games, a full-scale protest is being planned to welcome the athletes, tourists, and foreign dignitaries.

Bringing together a myriad of issues, Vancouver residents have put out an open call for a week of anti-game actions. Different demonstrations on issues ranging from homelessness to indigenous rights have been called. Protesters from London and Russia, site of the next two Olympics will be there. Expect a tent city, expect picket signs, expect aggressive direct actions. Tellingly, according to the latest polls, 40 percent of British Columbia residents support the aims of the protesters, compared to just 13 percent across the rest of Canada. Harsha Walia of the Olympic Resistance Network said, "We are seeing increasing resistance across the country as it becomes more visible how these Games are a big fraud."

The Games will also coincide with the largest and longest-standing annual march in Vancouver, the Feb. 14 Memorial Women's March meant to call attention to the hundreds of missing and murdered women -- particularly indigenous women -- in British Columbia. The Vancouver Olympic Committee asked the Memorial March organizing if they would change the route of the march for the Olympic Games. As Stella August, one of the organizers with the downtown eastside Power of Women Group, said to me, "We are warriors. We have been doing this for 19 years and we aren't going to bow down to the Olympics."

One thing is certain: if you are in Vancouver, and competitive curling doesn't get your blood pumping, there will be quite the spectacle outside the arena.

[Dave Zirin is the author of the forthcoming “Bad Sports: How Owners are Ruining the Games we Love” (Scribner) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

Education Week: Scholars Identify 5 Keys to Urban School Success

Education Week: Scholars Identify 5 Keys to Urban School Success Scholars Identify 5 Keys to Urban School Success

Heinz Endowments: Special Initiatives

Heinz Endowments: Special Initiatives The Heinz Endowments is seeking proposals for programs in targeted priority areas that will improve and increase life opportunities for African American boys and young men.

Reboot FCC dot gov

Home

Tempers flare during wage debate

Tempers flare during wage debate: "Tempers flare during wage debate
City Council members squabble over competing bills"

Bruce Kraus ruins South Side a little more...tries to BAN NEW RESTAURANTS - Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania (PA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Bruce Kraus ruins South Side a little more...tries to BAN NEW RESTAURANTS - Pittsburgh - Pennsylvania (PA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum: "Bruce Kraus ruins South Side a little more...tries to BAN NEW RESTAURANTS"

Symposium on corruption = fit for Pittsburgh

If you don't understand history, it is easy to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Saving Communities is planning a symposium on corruption, in March 2010.

This March 21 marks the 100th anniversary of the day when 41 indictments were handed down against Pittsburgh city councilmen, industrialists and banking executives for graft, bribery and corruption. Even more council members avoided indictment by rushing to turn themselves in on the promise of reduced sentences for big offenses and clemency for smaller ones, provided that incumbent grafters resigned from office. One council member, thinking he had missed the deadline, even interrupted court proceedings by rushing into the courtroom, falling on his knees before the judge and tearfully begging to be included in the clemency deal for those who "came clean."

It was (and probably still is) the greatest municipal scandal in US history, and it resulted in a complete restructuring of Pittsburgh's city government. That is, the existing city charter was dissolved and all the council members were fired. A new charter was created by the state legislature, and new city council members were appointed by the
governor to serve until elections could be held.

The strong-mayor "boss" system common to machines in the late 1900s was replaces with a strong-council, weak-mayor system. The new council proceeded to replace contract patronage with civil service, to substitute the more progressive land value tax for property tax, and to enact other measures that were favored by progressive-era reformers.

Over the years, organizations representing the same interests that had corrupted the old government have slowly modified the structure in the direction of resembling the original corrupt structure, and have added new incentives for corruption, including, but not limited to, corporate-welfare subsidies. Central to these undemocratic modifications has been the return of the strong-mayor system. The new structure of county government, with a very strong executive and a very weak, underpaid and understaffed council, is even worse.

The proposed symposium is NOT about pointing fingers at this or that elected official. Rather, it is about how some structures of government are inherently more corruptible than others. We do not want to distract from the question of structure by focusing on personality.

Some opening topics will be,

1.) A description of Pittsburgh's most corrupt era, and the scandal that
finally toppled it.
1.a.) The notorious Magee-Flinn machine.
1.b.) The failure of earlier reforms that merely cast new players into old
roles.
1.c) The final scandal
1.d) The "ripper" bill that abolished Pittsburgh's government.
1.e.) Sources
1.e.1.) Lincoln Steffens, "Pittsburg, A City Ashamed"
1.e.2.) George Swetnam, Pittsburgh's bicentennial historian
1.e.3.) Contemporary newspaper articles, etc.

3). The original, corrupt structure
3.a.) Strong mayor
3.b.) Bi-cameral council

4.) The central reforms of the Progressive Era, how some reforms were
incorporated into the new government, and how others were prevented.

5.) The gradual restructuring of government once these reforms were in
place, to resemble the original, corrupt structure.

5.a.) Home rule charter
5.a.1.) Expanded mayoral powers, weakened council
5.a.2.) Line item veto
5.a.2.a) Stronger than Presidential veto that was struck down
5.a.2.b.) Results in new bill passed without a majority on council
5.b.) Council by district
5.b.1.) Increases the mayor's leverage
5.b.1.a.) Mayor's can punish a council member's entire district.
5.b.1.b.) District interests vs. city interests
5.b.1.c.) Can play one district off against another
5.b.2.) Only a problem within a strong-mayor system

The following are some contemporary issues to address: The key is that we tie these issues to the theme of the symposium - how they accommodate
corruption.

1.) The curse of the strong executive: Why systems dominated by the
legislative branch are inherently more democratic and less corruptible.

1.a.) Councils inherently more democratic
1.a.1.) More accessible to ordinary people
1.a.2.) Deliberates in public

1.b.) Roots of the strong-executive model
1.b.1.) Monarchy
1.b.2.) Appointed colonial governors
1.b.3.) Alexander Hamilton and the "Federalists"
1.b.4.) Continued support from special interests

2.) "Privatization," particularly in the form of contract-patronage and
monopoly franchises. Possible sub-topics include:

2.a.) Contract patronage

2.a.1.) HIring Sabre Systems as an excuse to get one whistleblowing
assessor with a seniority of 83 by laying off 85 assessors, and the
botched assessments that resulted.

2.a.2.) Private tax collectors, etc.

2.b.) Franchise patronage - government-licensed monopolies

2.b.1.) A comparison of Duquesne Light to Cleveland's "Muni Electric."
(This could be a simple price and value comparison, but we might also
find interesting histories.)

2.b.2.) Proposals to turn public utilities over to private firms on long-
term leases.

3.) The domination of banking interests on public policy.
3.a.) Banking corruption in the early 1900s
3.b.) The influence of bond-selling on public policy today.

3.) The proliferation of authorities
3.a.) Neither political nor economic accountability
3.b.) Their role in strengthening the strong-mayor system
3.c.) Off-loading debt onto authorities to evade constitutional debt
limits.

4.) Tax Increment Financing and other corporate-welfare subsidies.

5.) The impact of complexity on accountability.

6.) Things we could afford to do if we weren't doing things we shouldn't

7.) What can we do about it?

If you have an interest in this symposium, or have ideas on speakers,
topics, etc., please contact Dan Sullivan, as he wants to involve people from across the political spectrum.

Sincerely,
Dan Sullivan, director
Saving Communities
631 Melwood Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (USA)
412-OUR-LAND
412-687-5263

Fw: [DW] New Service - World Government Data from the Guardian (UK) also includes US, Australia, New Zealand, more coming #gov20

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:17:21
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Subject: [DW] New Service - World Government Data from the Guardian (UK) also includes US, Australia, New Zealand, more coming #gov20

See:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world-government-data

From:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/jan/07/government-data-world

Data, data, data. There's loads of it out there and more coming your
way as governments open their statistics vaults around the world.

First the US with data.gov, then Australia and New Zealand followed
suit. Now it's the UK's turn with data.gov.uk.

And that's in addition to the cities and US states that have made
government data available too: London launched very recently - you can
get the full set of links for government data sites around the world
here.

Ever since the government appointed Sir Tim Berners-Lee as its open
data Czar (working with Prof Nigel Shadbolt from Southampton
University) it was obvious the issue was going to be big for the
government, but what does it mean for you?

You now have tens of sites around the world providing you access, but
how do you find them?

Well, this is now the place. To coincide with the launch of
data.gov.uk, we have created the ultimate gateway to world government
data.

At World Government Data you can:

• Search government data sites from the UK, USA, Australia, New
Zealand and London (this comes under United Kingdom, if you want to
browse) in one place and download the data (more sites to come)
• Help us find the best dataset by ranking them
• Collect similar datasets together from around the world
• Browse all datasets by each country

It's all been put together with the help of developer Ben Firshman and
is the culmination of our year-long project to make data widely
available to everyone.

And, even better, we have an API available. Even though all of these
government data sites have enormous quantities of data, they are not
in the same formats. What we have done is put them into a unified
form, meaning developers have the opportunity to write applications
that compare data between different countries. If you want the data in
Atom or JSON just change the "/search" to "/search.atom" or
"/search.json" in the url. There will be full documentation on this
soon. Watch this space.

The whole project is only going to increase in size and scope. As Ben
Fry has said: "This is only going one way: there is no trend towards
less data"


Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com
Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org
Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy
New Tel: +1.612.234.7072

-----------------------------------------
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Silver Lining for Vikings Fans (Politically)

by Dave Zirin

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/notion/521374/silver_lining_for_vikings_fans_politically

This is a day to empathize with the agony amongst the long-suffering fans of the Minnesota Vikings. With a trip to the Super Bowl in their buttery grasp, they fumbled it all away. In a game they largely dominated from start-to-finish, the Vikes lost in overtime to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game, 31-28. Miscues, interceptions, and some questionable calls will have Vikings Nation asking "what if" for the next nine months.

Yes, there is misery in Minnesota. But there is also a silver lining, and I'm not talking about the joy in Green Bay at the spectacular fall of Minnesota QB Brett Favre. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf was locked and loaded to arrive at the Minnesota State Legislature on February 4 - three days before the Super Bowl - to press for a new $1 billion stadium with $700 million to be paid by the taxpayers. The Vikings, like many teams, is holding up the specter of moving the franchise to Los Angeles if they don't get a nine-figure welfare check. With the state's phony populist absentee governor Tim "Glass Jaw" Pawlenty saying little more than, "We have to keep the Vikings no matter what," Wilf was ready to roll the state's taxpayers. But now that the team has failed to reach the Big Game, the wind is out of Wilf's sails and Zygi is no longer coated with stardust. This isn't to say that Wilf won't emerge triumphant, but without the team in the Super Bowl, it's much more apparent that he will have a fight on his hands.

As Minnesota resident and dogged stadium opponent Willard Shapira wrote, "Most communities around the U.S. have caved in to such outrageous demands but socially concerned Minnesotans are fighting the Vikings tooth and nail. Others around the U.S. battling big-money and establishment power politics would take heart from a public victory over the Vikings and their gang of arrogant, plutocratic conspirators in business, politics and the media."

Remember that Minnesotans repeatedly rejected the Twins billionaire owner Carl Pohlad's efforts to get a new baseball stadium on the public dime. Despite their votes, Pawlenty rammed the $500 million facility through the legislature and it opens for business this spring. Now the owner called "the Big Bad Wilf" wants his piece of the public pie, recession be damned. The Vikings failure to make the Super Bowl makes his effort far more perilous.

On the flip side, and ever so ironically, New Orleans first trip to the Super Bowl makes it a near impossibility for the Saints owners, the Benson family, to fulfill their pre-Katrina dreams of moving their franchise to the City of Angels. If they made that move, I'm convinced that the Crescent City would implode with grief. Now, as a Super Bowl team, that move becomes a political impossibility.

Therefore in one tense contest to see who would ascend to the Super Bowl, two sets of owners saw their most treasured dreams to burn tax payers and break hearts go up in smoke. That's something all fans should cheer. Even in Minnesota.


[Dave Zirin is the author of the forthcoming “Bad Sports: How Owners are Ruining the Games we Love” (Scribner) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.]

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