Port Authority hopes to bring rapid bus transit to East End

Rapid Bus could be supported only if it is a non-exclusive route in that bikes are also permitted and encouraged to ride along all the bus ways.

Port Authority hopes to bring rapid bus transit to East End: "Panelists at the forum cited obstacles, including narrow rights of way and the need to preserve on-street parking for retail businesses, that could restrict the development of bus-only lanes."

We need to begin not with Rapid Bus. But with PAT's full support of bikes along existing bus routes. We should allow bikes along the bus lane through Oakland. We should allow bikes to travel through the Wabash Tunnel, the Light Rail Tunnel to the South Hills and along the East Busway.

Then, once bikes have been managed to co-exist with the buses, then we can talk about Rapid Bus support.

A bike can get out of the way of the bus. A toot of the horn and pull over.

We can set up special classes and a special culture for bike travel along the bus routes. No headphones perhaps. Certain speeds perhaps. We can make it work.

A sham process to destroy the Civic Arena

A sham process to destroy the Civic Arena: "The board's vote came despite a Sept. 3 letter from the National Trust for Historic Preservation 'strongly' urging the SEA 'not to take any action leading to the demolition' and warning that 'anticipatory demolition' -- one undertaken before a required federal review process has even been initiated -- 'would severely jeopardize future federal funding for any element of the proposed redevelopment plan.'"

Saving Communities Fundraiser vs the Allegheny County Drink

Sunday, September 26, 2010 7:00 PM

Where: Molly Brannigans (Mt. Lebanon)
660 Washington Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15228
412 341-7827

Saving Communities Presents Drink against the Drink Tax!

Featuring Live Music, including:
Irish balladeer Terry Griffith, Composer of “The Drink Tax Song.”
Celebrity Bar Tenders who will donate their tips to the cause.
“Easy Lou,” Pittsburgh’s premier DJ.

“Chinese Raffle” (Choose which prizes you want to try to win.)

$5 Door Charge is donated to fighting the drink tax.
RSVP in advance and get a flyer from Molly’s worth 15% off your food charges at the event. Also, if you use that flyer, an additional 15% of the revenues from your meal purchase will be donated to our fight against the drink tax

For more info and to RSVP to this Meetup:
http://www.meetup.com/ronpaul-1834/calendar/14827855/  

South Side Meeting on Monday the 27th from 6 to 8 pm about Armstrong Park

From Aaron Sukenik Business Development Manager
Amstrong Park/Esser Plaza Public Meeting - Monday, September 27 @ 6-8 PM

South Side Community Leaders,

I would really appreciate any circulating and forwarding of this Public Meeting Announcement that you are willing to give.

Armstrong Park and Esser Plaza (between 12th & 13th Streets, and Sarah & E. Carson Streets) are great assets to our neighborhood. However….. Do you think that these open spaces are being put to the best and highest uses?

Are there certain elements of these open spaces that you particularly enjoy or dislike?

Would you prefer other uses and amenities at this site?

Please join us for the first community meeting on Monday, September 27 @ 6 PM, at the South Side Market House (1200 Bingham St., at Bedford Square) to discuss Armstrong Park and Esser Plaza as it is, and what it can be. This will be the first community meeting that will seek to guide designs and plans for future capital improvements to the site. The meeting will include discussion of:

Overall Project Purpose
General Neighborhood Demographics
Armstrong Park
Esser Plaza and E. Carson St. Alley Existing Conditions
Initial Opportunities and Challenges
Vision (Playground versus Park versus Commons)
Park Amenity
Brain Storming Session.

What could be in the Park.

What should not be in the Park

This is your public space – Your input will help craft the roadmap that will seek to guide future investments in Armstrong Park and Esser Plaza.

Hi,

We live at 12th Street and use this park on most days. The Park is way better without the dogs there. The dogs had gotten out of hand in the past years, but in recent months, this has changed for the better.

Pigeons. We want pigeon feeding more than dogs. Like kids, they fly away in time. (I'm joking.)

The new dog park, at a hefty price, is being built at river Park. That will be a great use of space there. That will be a fantastic opportunity for the dog owners. That uses some space that was nearly a Hoover-ville just last year.

Perhaps we'll see you at the meeting.

LIBERTARIAN Len Young enter PA 45TH SENATORIAL RACE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Len Young
652 Cooper Rd
Monroeville, PA 15146
412-372-5215
Young4pasenate@verizon.net
http://www.young4pasenate.com/


Special Election gets 3rd party candidate

9/20/10 Monroeville, PA-

Len Young is ready to challenge the status quo. “It is time for government to again
be accountable to the people,” said Len Young, Libertarian backed candidate for the 45th District Senatorial special election. “The voters deserve a representative who is not tied to special interest or partisan politics”.

Young, a long time Monroeville resident, will expose waste and redundancy in Harrisburg, battling to balance the budget with a common sense approach. This will be only the first step to tackle the growing tax burden on hard working citizens and small business.

Young is the owner/operator of Len’s Landscaping, and has had 12 successful years as a small business owner. “To be a success in business, you must balance costs, the customers wants and his budget”, says Young, “This simple principal has been forgotten by the politicians in Harrisburg”.

Young will drive to reduce government interference with the free market. By simplifying and correcting onerous regulations consumers will benefit from lower prices and jobs created by expanding businesses.

Young also serves on the Monroeville Board of Parks and Recreation. He will take this experience with him to work on balancing the needs of business and protecting the environment.

Young is no stranger to fighting for personal liberties and rights. As a member of ABATE and the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, he has spent many days in Harrisburg and Washington. His meeting with representatives led to freedom of choice for all riders. Young has served as President of his ABATE chapter and now is treasurer.


It’s time for common sense and accountability in the 45th District. It’s Time for Len Young.

Fw: [DW] Fwd: [COG] $1 Million earmark for CrimeReports.com = less real public data access

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Steven Clift <clift@e-democracy.org>
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:54:30
To: newswire<newswire@groups.dowire.org>
Reply-To: clift@publicus.net
Cc: <open-government@lists.okfn.org>; citycamp<citycamp@forums.e-democracy.org>; <munigov@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [DW] Fwd: [COG] $1 Million earmark for CrimeReports.com = less real public data access

This is BAD news for opening up broad access to crime data - the
number one everyday citizen demanded government information based my
direct experience with online community forums. Note some useful
links: http://pages.e-democracy.org/Minneapolis_and_St._Paul_crime_data

"CrimeReports is contending in a current federal case that public crime
data becomes CrimeReports' own proprietary product in the form
provided on CrimeReports.com."

The bill should be amended to fund an effort modeled on the
standardization of transit scheduling/routing data -
http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com - so that all police departments can
put out real-time feeds of various crime data (heck, Seattle even does
911 calls now - http://schrier.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/citywatch/ )
for broad reuse.

Like weather data provided by the federal government, it gets to the
people through many, often competing providers.

Read on below.

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


From: Dan Knauss <dan@newlocalmedia.com>
Date: Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 3:35 PM
Subject: [COG] $1 Million earmark for CrimeReports.com = less real
public data access
To: Citizens For OpenGov <citizens-for-opengov@googlegroups.com>


In the FY 2011 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies
Appropriations Requests, there is a $1 Million request for the Major
Cities Chiefs of Police Association which would be used to purchase
services from CrimeReports.com.
http://bennett.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=CommerceRequests

CrimeReports.com is a private company that makes contracts with
municipal police forces to provide their crime data to the public on
the CrimeReports.com website--but according to the PDs' specifiations.
In the process, the public information that the source crime data is
may seem to become more accessible, but this is not the case.

CrimeReports is contending in a current federal case that public crime
data becomes CrimeReports' own proprietary product in the form
provided on CrimeReports.com. (See links below and The Citizen Media
Law Project's article, "Public Engines to World: Look, But Don't Touch
the Crime Data"
http://www.citmedialaw.org/blog/2010/public-engines-world-look-dont-touch-crime-data)

In this view it would be technically illegal for someone to duplicate
or republish material from CrimeReports.com by other means, which many
PDs may use as their sole or primary means of providing public access
to crime data. (It is not access to data, it is access to a limited
representation of some data.) This is not only bad for public and
media oversight, it is bad for technologists who wish to tap public
data for research and applications.

From the appropriations document:

Project: The National Crime Map Expansion
Amount: $1,000,000
Purpose: The National Crime Map currently includes more than 800 law
enforcement agencies across the country; its aim to make incident
level crime data available to the general public at the neighborhood
level within 24 hours of occurrence.
Location: Draper, Utah
Recipient of Funds: Major Cities Chiefs of Police Association
Explanation/Justification: Very few members of the public have ready
access to street level crime information on a timely basis. This
funding will allow any law enforcement agency in the United States to
connect to the existing National Crime Map, CrimeReports.com.
Currently, more than 800 agencies have already joined at an average
total cost of $110 per month. Through this funding, CrimeReports.com
will be able to expand the map and drop the cost of integrating and
deploying the system to roughly $20/month per agency, regardless of
size, population served, or members of the community served. In
contrast, cities that build their own portals spend $50,000 - $100,000
per agency to implement local crime maps.


Further reading:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100614/0208019805.shtml
http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/public-engines-inc-v-reportsee-inc

-----------------------------------------
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http://groups.dowire.org/groups/newswire

Replies go to members of Newswire - Steven Clift's Democracies Online Newswire with all posts on this topic here:
http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/78LSbyxxnHIBFG4HUJtLrF

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Event with a CD for Just Harvest anf music

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

---

From: Pittsburgh Live Music <dont-reply@grou.ps>

Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:34:39 -0500

To: <Mark@Rauterkus.com>

Subject: New Event

RadioFreeTunes has added a new event, details are below:

Come out for an evening of Americana Folk Music on Saturday Oct 2 and get free copy of the Americana Dreams CD
 
"Americana Dreams" CD Release Party
 with
Mike Stout and the NewLanders
October 2, 2010 at 7:30 PM
Youth Preservationists
110 East 8th Avenue
Homestead, Pa. 15210

Tickets are $20 and include a Free copy of the CD.
Call Mike at 412-461-5650 or email him at mikestout619@comcast.net for Tickets

Proceeds will benefit Just Harvest   www.justharvest.org

Enjoy an evening of delicious Americana Folk music with sound of the fiddle, dulcimer, mandolin, guitar and warm harmonies in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger

Enjoy an evening of delicious Americana Folk music with sound of the fiddle, dulcimer, mandolin, guitar and warm harmonies in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger

Just Harvest is a membership organization that mobilizes the citizens of our community to work for the elimination of hunger and poverty. In partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Just Harvest helps its low-income clients obtain food stamps. Each applicant is assisted in overcoming common hurdles in the application process.  Just Harvest is boosting the paychecks of low-income workers by providing free tax preparation assistance. In 2010, Just Harvest's tax assistance volunteers helped over 2,200 people file their taxes, getting them almost $4.5 million in refunds. Working with local officials, farmers, and neighborhood groups Just Harvest has expanded the reach of farmers' markets into low-income neighborhoods and worked to allow produce to be purchased through government benefits such as WIC. Just Harvest advocates for better more compassionate administration of welfare programs and legislative action to aid the poor.

Mike Stout  http://www.mikestoutmusic.com
Mike Stout is a socially conscious singer song-writer and community leader. He leads crusades against local and global economic injustice, rallying people with his music to take action. His sound and lyrics are influenced by his musical heroes Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Jackson Browne and Bruce Cockburn.  John Hayes of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote of Mike "In the Woody Guthrie tradition, his songs reflect contemporary issues without resorting to journalism. They're more like partisan op-ed columns that grab political opponents by the throat and don't let go." Mike tells his stories from the heart about people who are affected by unemployment, social injustice, environmental hazard, or war.
 
The NewLanders   http://www.newlanders.com
The NewLanders have researched and rediscovered songs that capture the American experience.  By interweaving traditional instruments, including the Appalachian lap dulcimer, fiddle, and mandolin, with richly layered harmonies and electric guitar and bass, the NewLanders have created a contemporary sound, while honoring and preserving the inspiring stories of the past.  A NewLanders' performance includes engaging narrations and real-life accounts from the mills, mines, rivers, and fields of their home region, western Pennsylvania, as well as haunting songs and poignant stories that celebrate the enduring spirit that built our nation. "Your songs provide powerful images of our nation's heritage and raise the spirit of Pennsylvania's rich past." Mr. John M. Perzel, The Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Starts: 10/02/2010/19:30
Finishes: 10/02/2010/23:00

» To RSVP or discuss, go to http://grou.ps/pghlivemusic/calendar/event/303571

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Podcamp Pittsburgh today

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Penn State gets $88 million gift, will build ice arena

The Civic Arena is going to go to Happy Valley! Get a few of the cargo blimps and air-freight the dome there.

Penn State gets $88 million gift, will build ice arena: "Penn State today received the largest private gift in its history -- $88 million.
Penn State alumnus Terry Pegula and his wife Kim donated the funds to build a new multi-purpose hockey arena near the Bryce Jordan Center and to help establish Division I men's and women's hockey programs."

Olympic legacy company getting interest in stadium - SI.com - More Sports

Olympic
legacy company getting interest in stadium - SI.com - More Sports:
"'We're very hopeful that we're going to have a good use for the stadium,' said
Altman, a leading American urban planner and former deputy mayor of
Philadelphia."

Motocross champion is an inspiration to deaf people

Motocross champion is an inspiration to deaf people: "Motocross champion is an inspiration to deaf people"

Cheers!

A friend takes her last breath. Others cry out in vain

Morners lower their heads.

The Civic Arena is headed for demolition.
The city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority voted unanimously this morning to proceed with steps necessary to raze the 49-year-old landmark to make way for a Penguins-led redevelopment.

The decision came despite last-ditch pleas by preservationists, led by the group Reuse the Igloo, to save the old building.

The vote occurred without any discussion from board members, prompting shouts of "Gestapo" from one member of the audience.

Mary Conturo, SEA executive director, said the agency now will start removing asbestos from the building and prepare bids for demolition, which could be ready by February.

Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/10259/1088024-100.stm#ixzz0zhlul9WW

Wayne Fontana gets a new nick-name, Gestapo.

Perhaps he thought that it was time for lunch and instead of saying, "It's soup" -- they meant to say, "Gazpacho soup." That's why they were in such a rush to vote and get out of the meeting.

Of a side interest, putting a quote in the paper without attribution is hardly what I'd call good journalism. By the way, I wasn't there.

One Day on Earth -- 10-10-10 = Erik's Birthday

One Day On Earth
If you haven't heard of the One Day on Earth project, it's time you did. On October 10th (10.10.10), people in every nation of the world will be documenting a topic that matters most to them over a 1 day period to contribute to a unique film and archive. Participants that contribute 1 minute or more will receive the film for free and access to the non-commercial downloadable archive. If you're game for a cool, easy and history-making project to participate in, this is the one for you.
Join the United Nations, over 40 non-profits and many award winning cinematographers. Subscribe to the Vimeo channel and sign up to participate.

GOP may win big despite itself

By Bob Barr

Two months before the November 1994 off-year elections, I and several dozen other Republican candidates were scrambling to raise funds necessary to have a chance of unseating our Democratic incumbent opponents. Although we hoped to prevail, few if any of us really grasped what was about to happen. The gathering tsunami that would sweep the GOP to a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in four decades on November 8th of that year, was a secret known only by then-Minority Leader Newt Gingrich and a tight-knit fraternity of associates and consultants.

President Clinton’s unpopularity in the fall of 1994 was palpable; but few prognosticators or media pundits understood the depth of the disdain with which large segments of the voting population viewed the chief executive. The economy was in far better shape than now, and although Clinton’s embrace of gun control that year, and of a large tax increase the year before, clearly had sapped his popularity, neither he nor most analysts expected he would wake up on November 9th facing a hostile House and Senate.

It was, more than anything, a tribute to the hard work and vision of Newt Gingrich that caused a seismic shift in American politics 16 years ago. It was not simply that he worked his fingers to the bone in the months leading to the election; but his untiring efforts over the decade before, that provided the horsepower that undercut 40 years of Democratic control.

In 1994, the Republican Party nationally had vision, an articulated agenda, and well-known leadership. The Democratic Party had control of a Congress that was a mile wide and an inch deep; led by a president blinded by his own hubris. It turned out to be a toxic recipe for the incumbent party.

Here we are, eight election cycles later, and the respected Cook Political Report is predicting another major political shift similar to that of ‘94. In his latest crystal ball gaze, Charlie Cook foresees a 40-seat shift in the House (enough for a GOP majority) and a possible nine-seat dislocation in the Senate (which would change the majority there, too). Yet, few politically-knowledgeable Americans could articulate anything resembling a Republican agenda, vision or leadership; they couldn’t, because there simply is no national GOP vision, agenda or leadership.

This time, it is the party in power that is doing it all on its own; the master of its own looming demise. Fair or not, the Democratic Party nationally is being tarred with the broad brush that is the continuing bad economy. The sour mood infecting the electorate is made bitterer still by the health care legislation championed by a hubris-infected president pushing against a citizenry clearly not on the same page.

And while the Tea Party movement has failed thus far to realize the potential attributed to it a year ago, it clearly reflects very broad-based voter dissatisfaction. Already, several Republican candidates who would not likely on their own be poised to win against Democratic incumbents, have successfully tapped into that sense of general unease to boost their poll numbers. Just ask Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Unlike 1994, when the Democrats were caught napping, this time they see it coming already. Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly is strong-arming her colleagues in safe districts to dig deep into their war chests to help more vulnerable members. Attack ads are appearing early and often. In another obvious effort to stanch the growing hemorrhage, the weakest and most vulnerable Democratic incumbents already are being cut loose.

Whether all this will enable Pelosi and Reid to cling to small majorities in their respective bodies remains an open question; there are, after all, eight weeks remaining before Election Day. But right now, despite themselves, the Republicans may reap what the Democrats have sown; and with very little effort.

South Side Pops to meet tonight

I don't have the lawn mower, nor the attraction to splash parks, nor the office cubical, nor.....

Thanks Mike for sending this pointer:

Yes, it's been one year since our first gathering in September of 2009 at The Intermission Lounge. Hope to see all of you there to kick off our second year, tonight, Wed, Sept 15. Welcome to all the new dads -- hope that you'll join us.

Civic Arena's future could be known by Thursday

Civic Arena's future could be known by Thursday: "Civic Arena's future"

Bike Polo.

RenewPittsburgh - Support Youth Football in Homewood!

RenewPittsburgh is sponsoring an on-line fundraiser during September to support the Homewood Community Sports Youth Football program!  You may have heard that there was a tragic triple shooting outside of the team's home opener last month. 

Please consider sponsoring a player for $25 each, and 100% of the proceeds of the fundraiser will help take care of the equipment needs, purchase gift cards for players, and support additional security at future games. Please consider helping us reach our goal of raising $2,500 for the team, and we would greatly appreciate your support.

You can donate to support the team by clicking on the donation button below.

We also have featured a donation thermometer on the RenewPittsburgh homepage, to track the progress toward our goal.  

We think it is critical that we show these kids and coaches that there is City-wide support for what they are trying to accomplish. Many of us have witnessed firsthand the great work that these players and coaches are doing in the Homewood community. For many of these kids, the football team provides a unique outlet for learning the virtues of teamwork and discipline.

Thanks very much for your invaluable support and for believing in Pittsburgh.  Please see below for additional upcoming volunteer opportunities in September and October in a local neighborhood. 
 
Best regards,

Kevin Acklin
Executive Director

Duquesne president outlines university's commitments

Duquesne president outlines university's commitments: "He talked about striving for programmatic excellence. He made reference to his decision to discontinue men's swimming, golf, wrestling and baseball programs.
'Sometimes when excellence is genuinely impossible, ending a program is the honest answer,' he said. 'We faced this directly last year in athletics.'"

I would love to hear a tape of this interview, in full. Anyone got that? Can it be made into a P-G blog posting (full transcript) or else even a P-G podcast?

Amen to this: Complaints spur change in Brookline bus route

Wow. Real listening and adjustments. Imagine that. Amen!

Complaints spur change in Brookline bus route: "Complaints spur change in Brookline bus route"

Now on to those other bottlenecks.

Penguins open training camp to public

This article was from years ago. The Pens wanted a practice ice and it was NOT yet built. But, we already have the Civic Arena. And, we used to have the indoor rink on the South Side that crashed due to lack of proper management.

Penguins open training camp to public: "The Penguins are opening their first two days of training camp practices, Sept. 18 and 19, to the public as the team skates together at Consol Energy Center for the first time.
There will be open seating and no charge for admission. Vendors and features will be available at the new arena.
The three main gates will open at 8:45 each morning, with practice beginning at 9 and running until 1:30 p.m. There will be a scrimmage each day at 10 a.m."