Ignored.... as another rain cloud and class 4 hurrican brews.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Onorato's property assessment plan isn't about stability at all -- not like assessment buffering
The change allows county officials to put off a future reassessment until they decide one is necessary.
Freeze! This is what got us in trouble in the past decades.
"The base year plan will provide stability for homeowners by preventing wild swings in property assessments and taxes. It will also put Allegheny County on equal footing with neighboring counties and make this a viable place to own a home or business."
Stability for homeowners comes with assessment buffering. Get a tax bill and then have it buffered over a three year period.
Rea said, "They just don't like the uncertainty of their tax bill changing every year," she said. "Many people in my area have moved to Butler County." Jeepers. The concept of assessment buffering never had better words of support. The concept of calming the uncertainty of tax bills is what assessment buffering provides. Sadly, Rea isn't seeing the big picture.
Think again Onorato -- as I don't think we in Allegheny County should be put on equal footing with Butler and Beaver and other counties. How low have we gone in Allegheny County that we call it a victory to be even with them? I think we need to soar -- and Dan wants us to be equal. We should be better. We should be much better.
This plan is still not the elegant solution that I desire. Plain old survival is killing us.
I'm being ignored again, but I'm in good company as illustrated in the article. Councilman Ron Francis, R-Ben Avon, said, "Whenever a professional tells us something that's not what we want to hear, we ignore the results," he said. "Because we don't have the political will to carry through and try to get the assessments correct."
Freeze! This is what got us in trouble in the past decades.
Onorato's property assessment plan prevails Allegheny County Council last night approved an assessment plan that won't change values for any of the county's 550,000 properties next year and, possibly, for years to come.The best stability for homeowners would come with an assessment buffering plan that has been part of my platform. I still think assessment buffering would save the day for families in Allegheny County.
One dissenting Republican, Doug Price of Carnegie, predicted a quick legal challenge.
"The base year plan will provide stability for homeowners by preventing wild swings in property assessments and taxes. It will also put Allegheny County on equal footing with neighboring counties and make this a viable place to own a home or business."
Stability for homeowners comes with assessment buffering. Get a tax bill and then have it buffered over a three year period.
Rea said, "They just don't like the uncertainty of their tax bill changing every year," she said. "Many people in my area have moved to Butler County." Jeepers. The concept of assessment buffering never had better words of support. The concept of calming the uncertainty of tax bills is what assessment buffering provides. Sadly, Rea isn't seeing the big picture.
Think again Onorato -- as I don't think we in Allegheny County should be put on equal footing with Butler and Beaver and other counties. How low have we gone in Allegheny County that we call it a victory to be even with them? I think we need to soar -- and Dan wants us to be equal. We should be better. We should be much better.
This plan is still not the elegant solution that I desire. Plain old survival is killing us.
I'm being ignored again, but I'm in good company as illustrated in the article. Councilman Ron Francis, R-Ben Avon, said, "Whenever a professional tells us something that's not what we want to hear, we ignore the results," he said. "Because we don't have the political will to carry through and try to get the assessments correct."
FOAC = Firearms Owners Against Crime - banquet on Saturday evening
FOAC
Firearm Owners Against Crime is holding our 8th Annual Fall Banquet on October 22nd at 6pm at Jamies Restaurant & Lounge in Dormont (just outside of Pittsburgh) and we would like to invite you to attend. There will be good food, prize giveaways and the opportunity to discuss the issues with many of the candidates running for office and elected officials. A flyer for this event is attached along with a FOAC membership application and we hope to see you there. (IF you cannot make the Banquet please try and send a donation or Chinese Auction gift as we are gearingup for next years election and it would help FOAC greatly-Thank you!). The cost is 30 per peson for members and 75 for non members. If you have any questions please call me at 412 759 0682.
Please pass this along to anyone you fell would be interested.
Jamies Restaurant & Lounge
3220 West Liberty Avenue
Dormont, PA 15216
6 PM Saturday October 22, 2005
Respectfully,
Herb Ohliger
Vice President Firearm Owners Against Crime
950 Lindsay Road
Carnegie, PA 15106
412.279.1222
412.759.0682
herb138@fyi.net
Dear Candidates and Elected Officials:
Once again it is time for Firearm Owners Against Crime’s Sixth Annual Fall Banquet. The festivities will be held at Jamies Restaurant and Lounge in Dormont on Saturday, October 22, 2005, beginning at 6:00 P.M. We will have a sit down dinner and a cash bar. The cost of this entertaining night is $75.00 per person. If you are able to attend, please respond by Wednesday, October 19th. If you cannot attend, any donation you make will be used in the production and distribution cost of our Fall Voter’s Guide.
We will be having another Chinese Auction this year. Anyone can donate items to be auctioned off. If you are going to donate an item, please call Herb at 412-279-1222 prior to Wednesday, October 19th, so that we can make labels for the items with the donator’s name and item description. The auction is our primary source of revenue for this event and will be used in the production and distribution cost of our Fall Voter’s Guide. We would like to thank all our past donors for their continued support over the last five years. Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing you at Jamies Restaurant and Lounge in Dormont on Saturday, October 22, 2005, beginning at 6:00 P.M.
Respectfully,
Herb Ohliger
Vice President
412.759.0682 Cell
412.279.1222 Home
Herb138@fyi.net
Dissent growing over doping proposal for Turin Games. Now the War On Drugs goes to Italy
SI.com - Olympics - Dissent growing over doping proposal for Turin Games - Tuesday October 18, 2005 2:19PM ROME (AP) -- Italy's drug laws are so tough that two of the world's most powerful anti-doping officials are calling for a moratorium during the Turin Winter Games.
Libertarians are generally against the 'war on drugs.'
Libertarians are generally against the 'war on drugs.'
Philly area backs Olympics bid while under Act 47 and Pgh Council wants what Phili has
Philly, the city of brotherly and sisterly love, has been the topic of many discussions in Pittsburgh recently. Both cities are under financial stress and Act 47. We're sorta new to this while they've been with that "burden" for many more years.
The Act 47 burden in Philly seems rather light to those presently on Pittsburgh's City Council. Philly's city council members have cars, (one has two assigned to him), much larger pay checks and the president there has his own slush fund for spending that exceeds $300,000. Meanwhile, Sala is still hounded by the Trib for a trip he took in a car to an unknown destination a few years ago. Gene R has been badgered for getting photos framed. Life isn't fair!
Some on Grant Street are fed up with the benchmarks being put in their faces. It seems that the Philly Controller's office gets more done per penny than what happens in Pittsburgh. Passionate replies are being waged in counter-statements now.
Personally, I don't think we in Pittsburgh can nor should worry too much about what happens in Philly. At least that worry should not be front and center. It is not a prime motivator for me, unless there is talk of hosting an Olympic Games. Now, let's talk.
SI.com - Olympics - Poll shows Philly area backs Olympics bid - Wednesday October 19, 2005 2:08AM
Poll shows Philly area backs Olympics bid
Sports Illustrated and AP report:
Meanwhile, the London bid to host the 2012 Olympics has a bid budget of more than $50.8 million. London secured the games in July, defeating Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow.
Former UK Track-star and London Bid front-official, S. Coe, expects the London games to break even, but noted that the government has promised to underwrite any losses.
The Act 47 burden in Philly seems rather light to those presently on Pittsburgh's City Council. Philly's city council members have cars, (one has two assigned to him), much larger pay checks and the president there has his own slush fund for spending that exceeds $300,000. Meanwhile, Sala is still hounded by the Trib for a trip he took in a car to an unknown destination a few years ago. Gene R has been badgered for getting photos framed. Life isn't fair!
Some on Grant Street are fed up with the benchmarks being put in their faces. It seems that the Philly Controller's office gets more done per penny than what happens in Pittsburgh. Passionate replies are being waged in counter-statements now.
Personally, I don't think we in Pittsburgh can nor should worry too much about what happens in Philly. At least that worry should not be front and center. It is not a prime motivator for me, unless there is talk of hosting an Olympic Games. Now, let's talk.
SI.com - Olympics - Poll shows Philly area backs Olympics bid - Wednesday October 19, 2005 2:08AM
Poll shows Philly area backs Olympics bid
Sports Illustrated and AP report:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- More than 80 percent of area residents would favor a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics, though nearly half doubt the city would be chosen, a new poll showed.
A telephone survey of 1,000 households in 10 counties in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware was taken on behalf of a volunteer panel looking into the feasibility of bidding for the games.
About half those who supported making a bid said they thought the event would be good for the economy or create jobs, while opponents worried about the cost to the city, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday. The newspaper said it obtained a copy of the results.
These results are unusually positive, compared to the tone we've seen in other cities in other years, said Joe Goldblatt, a Temple University professor of tourism and hospitality management who has done research for the International Olympic Committee.
Joseph M. Torsella, chairman of the Philadelphia 2016 Working Group, declined to comment, citing a gag order imposed on local committees by U.S. Olympic Committee Chairman Peter Ueberroth.
Officials from the U.S. committee are expected to meet with potential bidders in the coming weeks.
The U.S. organization is expected to determine an American candidate, if there is one, by mid-2007. The International Olympic Committee won't select the 2016 host city for nearly four years.
Meanwhile, the London bid to host the 2012 Olympics has a bid budget of more than $50.8 million. London secured the games in July, defeating Paris, Madrid, New York and Moscow.
Former UK Track-star and London Bid front-official, S. Coe, expects the London games to break even, but noted that the government has promised to underwrite any losses.
Britain hopes to field a team of 720 athletes at the London Olympics -- more than twice the number from the 2004 Athens Games -- in a bid to finish fourth in the medal table behind the United States, China and Russia.
"We want to be the top nation in Europe and I think the challenge is also to beat the Australians because they have invested heavily in sport," said Craig Reedie, outgoing chairman of the British Olympic Association.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
COMMUNITY FORUMS featuring Mark Roosevelt, Superintendent of Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools Parents, Community Members and Employees are invited to attend.
October 20, 2005 – 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Allegheny Traditional Academy
810 Arch Street (North Side)
Hosted by North Parent Educational Resource Center
October 24, 2005 – 7:30–9 p.m.
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
933 Brookline Boulevard (Brookline)
Hosted by Brookline Area Community Council
October 25, 2005 – 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Frick International Studies Academy
107 Thackeray Street (Oakland)
Hosted by Central Parent Educational Resource Center
October 27, 2005 – 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Greenway Middle School
1400 Crucible Street (Sheraden)
Hosted by Southwest Community Coalition
October 29, 2005 – 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Reizenstein Middle School
129 Denniston Avenue (East Liberty)
Hosted by East Parent Education Resource Center
October 29, 2005 – 12:30–1:30 p.m.
Weil Technology Institute
2250 Centre Avenue (Hill District)
Hosted by Central Parent Educational Resource Center
November 7, 2005 – 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Henry Kaufmann Neighborhood House
2201 Salisbury Street (Arlington)
Hosted by Arlington Civic Council
November 9, 2005 – 6:30–8 p.m.
Minadeo Elementary School
6502 Lilac Street (Squirrel Hill)
Hosted by 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club
Superintendent Roosevelt has pledged to put student needs above all other interests and to realign District resources to most effectively prepare young people for the future.
His number one priority is to improve student achievement. The forums will include opening remarks by Mr. Roosevelt, followed by a question and answer session.
For ADA accommodations, call 412-622-3619.
October 20, 2005 – 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Allegheny Traditional Academy
810 Arch Street (North Side)
Hosted by North Parent Educational Resource Center
October 24, 2005 – 7:30–9 p.m.
St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
933 Brookline Boulevard (Brookline)
Hosted by Brookline Area Community Council
October 25, 2005 – 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Frick International Studies Academy
107 Thackeray Street (Oakland)
Hosted by Central Parent Educational Resource Center
October 27, 2005 – 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Greenway Middle School
1400 Crucible Street (Sheraden)
Hosted by Southwest Community Coalition
October 29, 2005 – 10:30–11:30 a.m.
Reizenstein Middle School
129 Denniston Avenue (East Liberty)
Hosted by East Parent Education Resource Center
October 29, 2005 – 12:30–1:30 p.m.
Weil Technology Institute
2250 Centre Avenue (Hill District)
Hosted by Central Parent Educational Resource Center
November 7, 2005 – 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Henry Kaufmann Neighborhood House
2201 Salisbury Street (Arlington)
Hosted by Arlington Civic Council
November 9, 2005 – 6:30–8 p.m.
Minadeo Elementary School
6502 Lilac Street (Squirrel Hill)
Hosted by 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club
Superintendent Roosevelt has pledged to put student needs above all other interests and to realign District resources to most effectively prepare young people for the future.
His number one priority is to improve student achievement. The forums will include opening remarks by Mr. Roosevelt, followed by a question and answer session.
For ADA accommodations, call 412-622-3619.
Monday, October 17, 2005
speaking of polling data -- how is Bob O'Connor's polling numbers? -- anywhere?
Has anyone seen any polling data on the November 2005 mayor's race? Five candidates are on the ballot. Some 50,000 votes may be cast. However, I don't think any poll has surfaced -- yet.
The next clipping comes from a wire source and has a twist. The professor sent out a letter to the media that asked them not to report on the polling data. Humm...
The next clipping comes from a wire source and has a twist. The professor sent out a letter to the media that asked them not to report on the polling data. Humm...
Pay grab: It gets better and better But Madonna advised reporters not to report on this.
Why?
'Because the survey release has some serious defects that make it impossible to draw any sensible conclusions about the findings.'
According to Madonna, the defects involved not listing the exact wording of the questions or saying who paid for the survey.
But when a Pittsburgh reporter, Dimitri Vassilaros, checked the polling company's Web site, all that information was there. All of it. You can see it at www.pollingcompany.com.
Why not report it? Are the powerful so powerful that even honest brokers are drawn into their web?
PAT CARROLL: 255-8149 or pcarroll@patriot-news.com
RCAC gives some recycled electrons in support of Weinroth
This is not an endorsement, but a pointer to a bio that is not well known.
RCAC 26 Days until the General Election!
Candidate's Corner
Meet Joe Weinroth - GOP Candidate for Mayor, City of Pittsburgh
Joseph Weinroth is a first generation American and the only member of his immediate family born in the United States. He is the son of Holocaust survivors who came to this country to live the American Dream.
Joe was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. He attended the University of Pittsburgh and received his undergraduate dual degree in Economics and Political Science, summa cum laude, in 1980. He received the Asher Isaacs Prize in Economics as the graduate with the highest grade point average in the field of Economics. He is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. Joe attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and received his JD degree in 1983. He has been a practicing attorney since his admittance to the bar in 1983.
Joe is an elected member of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania; he is the elected Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Pittsburgh; an elected member of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County and a member of the County Leadership Committee; He is the founder
and Director of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition, a national grassroots organization; Joe was proud to be elected a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2004 and was proud to be on the
floor of Madison Square Garden when Pennsylvania had the honor of putting our President over the top in the nomination process.
Joe has been a registered Republican since he turned 18.
To learn more about Joe's candidacy, please visit his website at www.joeweinrothformayor.com
Joe's Lever Number is 11B.
Sign Ordinance
Sign Ordinance CHAPTER 423: UNAUTHORIZED ROADSIDE AND UTILITY POLE SIGNS PROHIBITED
There is a right way and a wrong way to do campaign signs. Nice to see the Pittsburgh GOP reprinting the city of Pgh municipal code that covers signs.
There is a right way and a wrong way to do campaign signs. Nice to see the Pittsburgh GOP reprinting the city of Pgh municipal code that covers signs.
KDKA - House Speaker Mum On Pay Raise Debate
Great video, thanks to KDKA TV News.
A clean sweep is needed. Thank goodness we have Operation Clean Sweep in PA, at PACleanSweep.com.
KDKA - Pittsburgh's Source for Breaking News, Weather and Sports: PA House Speaker Mum On Pay Raise Debate PA House Speaker Mum On Pay Raise Debate
Oct 12, 2005 8:02 pm US/Eastern
Beechview (KDKA) The uproar over big pay raises for state lawmakers can still be heard.
The man who spearheaded the pay raise was in Pittsburgh...
A clean sweep is needed. Thank goodness we have Operation Clean Sweep in PA, at PACleanSweep.com.
Bill Scranton, former Lieutenant Governor is to announce his bid for PA Governor's office this week
Scranton is going to make the official announcement this week, finally. He is a Republican and is a potential 2006 gubernatorial candidate against Ed Rendell, Dem.
He'll be at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, 107 Sixth St., in downtown Pittsburgh for a 4 pm event on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. Door open at 3:30 pm.
I don't know if it is "free" to attend, but I would expect so. The fundraisers are generally before or after those public announcments. He'll be in other parts of the state in the days ahead and after.
Personally, it is hard to think about 2006 until after the vote in 2005. I think responsible media needs to feed voters more info on the next vote -- and not news of 2006.
He'll be at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel, 107 Sixth St., in downtown Pittsburgh for a 4 pm event on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. Door open at 3:30 pm.
I don't know if it is "free" to attend, but I would expect so. The fundraisers are generally before or after those public announcments. He'll be in other parts of the state in the days ahead and after.
Personally, it is hard to think about 2006 until after the vote in 2005. I think responsible media needs to feed voters more info on the next vote -- and not news of 2006.
SI.com - Summer Olympics - Sculpture commemorates 1968 Olympic protest
SI.com - Summer Olympics - Sculpture commemorates 1968 Olympic protest - Sunday October 16, 2005 11:32PM Paying tribute
Sculpture commemorates 1968 black power salute
Posted: Sunday October 16, 2005 11:32PM; Updated: Sunday October 16, 2005 11:32PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- A near 23-foot sculpture commemorating the 1968 Mexico City Olympics black power protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos will be unveiled in San Jose State College on Monday.
Smith, who had won the 200 meters gold medal in world record time, and third-placed Carlos bowed their heads and raised one black-gloved hand each in the black power salute on the victory podium while The Star-Spangled Banner was played.
The pair, who had been team mates at the college, will be present at Monday's ceremony along with second-placed Australian Peter Norman.
Smith and Carlos say they were influenced in 1968 by a young sociologist friend Harry Edwards who asked them and other black American athletes to boycott the Games.
Edwards said the civil rights movement had not gone far enough to eliminate the injustices faced by blacks in the United States.
Sculpture commemorates 1968 black power salute
Posted: Sunday October 16, 2005 11:32PM; Updated: Sunday October 16, 2005 11:32PM
LONDON (Reuters) -- A near 23-foot sculpture commemorating the 1968 Mexico City Olympics black power protest by Tommie Smith and John Carlos will be unveiled in San Jose State College on Monday.
Smith, who had won the 200 meters gold medal in world record time, and third-placed Carlos bowed their heads and raised one black-gloved hand each in the black power salute on the victory podium while The Star-Spangled Banner was played.
The pair, who had been team mates at the college, will be present at Monday's ceremony along with second-placed Australian Peter Norman.
Smith and Carlos say they were influenced in 1968 by a young sociologist friend Harry Edwards who asked them and other black American athletes to boycott the Games.
Edwards said the civil rights movement had not gone far enough to eliminate the injustices faced by blacks in the United States.
Xinhua - English - and I fuss about a bit of jet lag
China's space program made a major milestone with the successful flight and return of two into space.
Xinhua - EnglishShenzhou-6 lands safely, astronauts in good shape
The re-entry capsule of the Shenzhou-6 spacecraft, carrying taikonauts Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, landed on earth safely at 4:33 a.m. Monday, marking a 'complete success' of China's second manned space mission after it put the first Chinese national in space two years ago. Both taikonauts are 'in fine conditions,' doctors said after giving them a checkup upon landing.
Pitt squares off with private developer in a battle of Oak Hill
This is one of the ways to make residents and voters meaningless in the real power plays of life in Pittsburgh: Divide and Conquer.
Another frequently repeated trend is Pitt's willingness to fight with others. It ran to the courts when the Big East broke up and tried to force a judge to make Miami Univ stay Pitt's friend.
Furthermore, Pitt's institutional worries have spilled over to all sorts of other distractions beyond its borders. Pitt would do better to worry about its core mission and not get wrapped up in follies with other assorted sideline efforts. Pitt's students and its educational mission take a back seat to merry-go-rounds, fighting food cart vendors and housing development squabbles.
Perhaps Oak Court is going to take over the title for the "backyard brawl."
Pitt, developer battle splits Oak Hill 'They intentionally wanted to divide us,' said Ms. Foster, who blames the developer. Some others blame Pitt."
It is great to see great articles such as this from the pages of the Post-Gazette. Thank goodness Pittsburgh now has Rich Lord as a reporter at the PG.
Another frequently repeated trend is Pitt's willingness to fight with others. It ran to the courts when the Big East broke up and tried to force a judge to make Miami Univ stay Pitt's friend.
Furthermore, Pitt's institutional worries have spilled over to all sorts of other distractions beyond its borders. Pitt would do better to worry about its core mission and not get wrapped up in follies with other assorted sideline efforts. Pitt's students and its educational mission take a back seat to merry-go-rounds, fighting food cart vendors and housing development squabbles.
Perhaps Oak Court is going to take over the title for the "backyard brawl."
Pitt, developer battle splits Oak Hill 'They intentionally wanted to divide us,' said Ms. Foster, who blames the developer. Some others blame Pitt."
It is great to see great articles such as this from the pages of the Post-Gazette. Thank goodness Pittsburgh now has Rich Lord as a reporter at the PG.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Pittsburgh trends the wrong way in its failed planning
Urban density looks like this.
Too often, the trend among Pittsburgh's planning efforts is to take the urban elements out of the city. Those in charge are trying to turn Pittsburgh into a suburban landscape, not an urban one. They have been trying to make Pittsburgh something that it isn't. And, they have been failing.
The URA was fine with the building of the research park on Second Avenue. But, it was a research park that could have been in any rural or beltway city. It was not built with any density in mind. It was not built with a face to the river. It was built with a need for parking garages and without any mixed uses.
We need to do much better.
Downtown has seen many of its buildings torn down. We have 'green space' where there used to be high-rises. If you thin downtown enough, we'll all be able to park on the streets -- as there won't be anyone here.
Save Gas - Grow Some of Your Own Food
by Jim McCue , composter and biotech researcher
People all over the world are discovering that large-scale corporate factory agriculture, the kind that continues to cause the bankrupty of smaller, more diversified, often family-owned farming, does not always have in mind the health and happiness of those who increasingly have no choice but to buy their food from the factory-farm system.
As in other sectors of the economy, production, processing, and distribution of food has come to be increasingly concentrated in fewer hands. Because making money in the business world so often seems to necessitate closing one's heart as to destructive effects of one's business decisions, the most "successful" (that is, the ones who have accumulated the most money) are often the most hard-hearted.
Take fossil fuels such as oil, the gasoline that's made from it, and natural gas. It's now commonly understood that these things are: in limited supply; subject to increasing demand; and have numerous environmental side effects. The agricultural system - as presently structured - needs huge amounts of water, land, and fossil fuels to make fertilizer and provide transportation. Small organic food gardens and farms need less water and space to grow a certain amount of food. But large agribusinesses have used their increased lobbying power to structure our laws so that the taxpayer subsidizes cheaper (and lower quality) food. This is why "organic" has become associated with "high-muckety-muck"; people think only elites can afford the better quality. But the fact is, we're all paying for the mass-produced food that is lower quality - through our taxes.
Now that the price of gas has hit the fan, and as the predicted drastic increase in natural gas price also looms, it's time to start taking seriously those enviro "Chicken Littles" who knew these problems were coming and who know that the price of food - being connected to the price of fossil fuels - is also going to go through the roof. There is no sane reason to ship such a large part of our food such great distances. There is a place for food transportation, but not where we can more easily grow higher -quality food right here in the Pittsburgh region. We need much more locally grown food, much more organic food, and changes in our laws that have queered the situation so dangerously that large numbers of Americans are coming to find themselves short of money for necessities - food or rent, for instance.
The belief in chemical fertilizers and pesticides has come from overly focused points-of-view which externalize the side effects. Profit at the expense of your own health or you neighbors' is not a very good long-term investment. Sure, you might get a better yield on that particular crop this year if you sock the soil with nitrogen made from natural gas and pesticides synthesized from oil. But what about next year, when your garden's predator/prey balance is weakened and you, your family, and your neighbors' health is compromised by those toxins and your food's nutrient ratios are lower. And do you really want to escalate
our increasingly violent competition with other countries for the fossil resources to grow food that way?
The soil is not a machine. It is a vast living community which is harmed when we humans go to pot-shotting at the bugs while overdosing the soil with the major nutrients - nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous - ignoring all those micro-nutrients and enzymes and tiny living things - molds, bacteria, bugs, worms, etc. - that are vital to soil fertility. And the larger life forms - frogs, toads, "weeds", "groundhogs" (formerly called woodchucks in a less competitive time), minks, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, deer, bears, cougars, snakes, newts, salamanders - are also part of the soil (and which used to be abundant in what is now the Pittsburgh region).
A food security project is gearing up in the Garfield area. Effort is being made to secure land from the increasingly predatory real estate situation which is being exacerbated by the city's budget problems. What the Healcrest Urban Community Farm is starting should be a template for what happens county-wide.
The choice will be made whether to demonize the poor - and so rationalize their abandonment and allow the system failures to treat them more and more badly - or to recognize ourselves, our own family in those without the power to avoid direct consequences of the increasingly brutal business climate that is developing. Please look into what food security advocates such as these people are doing, and see that - just as we need the lowly earthworm and so-called "ugly" bugs and critters too small to see without a microscope - we also need those who we who may be a little better off have found it easier to marginalize.
The Healcrest Urban Community Farm is devoted to sustainable urban farming, is organizing gardens and gardeners to supply farmstands, and owns 1.7 acres near Penn Ave. at the corner of Shamrock Way, Hillcrest Street, and Pacific Ave. Their events are available via 412/362-1982, mothermoonbeam@aol.com, or http://www.thomasmertoncenter.org/calendar. The next is October 20th - an exploration of types of composting around the world - 6 to 8 p.m. at the Farm. Some of their other meeting are at the most interesting used-book shop I've ever seen, owned by one of the Farm's founders - Ricardo Robinson.
He had the unique idea to either sell or lend (for free) books, and specializes in what he judges to be "good" literature. The place has the nice laid-back come-on-in-and-talk atmosphere that could do something economic-development-wise for Hazelwood. It's called Yard Sale Books, and is at 5165 Penn (near Pacific.)
Special Events at Roberta Weissburg Leathers
Roberta Weissburg Leathers is thrilled to invite you to a Grand Open House Party celebrating our newest store in the South Side Works.
Friday, October 21 thru Sunday, October 23
527 S. 27th Street ~ South Side
412.488.8008
Friday, October 21 thru Sunday, October 23
527 S. 27th Street ~ South Side
412.488.8008
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