Ouch!

Police are looking for an escaped prisoner who managed to evade a deputy. Carlos Harris, 34, was last seen running through Oakland naked after he was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital with an eye injury. He reportedly jumped a sheriff's deputy and fled.

Police are investigating two attacks by teenagers near Carrick High School. One victim told KDKA-TV that he was beaten near the Rec Center, and another group of teens beat another victim nearer to the school. Police have made one arrest, but believe that numerous teens were involved.

VISTA is looking for both organizational sites and people to volunteer.

CTC VISTA Project now accepting applications

The CTC VISTA Project is accepting applications from community technology centers and other non-profits that are using information and communications technologies to address the needs of low-income and at-risk communities.

In the coming months we will be placing OVER 50 Americorps*VISTAs with organizations across the country. While the majority of these placements will take place at the end of AUGUST, a small group will be starting mid-JUNE.

Applications for JUNE placements are due in late-APRIL. Applications for AUGUSTS are due mid-JULY.

Organizations interested in participating are encouraged to review the updated guidelines and submit an 'intent to apply' as soon as possible (because recruiting a qualified VISTA does take some time).

Paul Hansen, paul.hansen -at- umb.edu, Director, CTC VISTA Project, College of Public and Community Service, University of Massachusetts/Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125-3393, 617.287.7122 (v); 617.287.7274 (fax).

Mr. Patrick skates on out of here

Blast from the past:

http://rauterkus.blogspot.com/2006/01/mark-rauterkus-left-and-craig-patrick.html

A blogger, and perhaps a 'running mate' ??? wrote that Patrick should be fired. That was in mid-January.

USA, USA, USA --- and Hockey fame! This is a photo of the recent movie, Miracle on Ice, taken in China outside a cinema there.

Wikitravel merges with World66

No sense in spinning one's wheels.

Merger of idea depots makes sense.

Wikitravel:20 April 2006 - Wikitravel We're pretty excited to share some big news with the Wikitravel community.

Wikitravel has had immense growth in the last 12 months – both in its size and in the maturity of our guides and our community. Wiki is so strange that way: the more contributors, the better the content we make; and the better the content, the more contributors we attract. But there's still so much left to do to reach our goal: to make a free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide. We're taking big steps today to get closer to that goal.

As many of you know, a similar project to Wikitravel exists on the Web: World66. Like us, they've been working hard to create a travel guide of global scope. Like us, they use wiki to make the guides reliable and up-to-date. And like us, they use a Creative Commons license to keep their content Free.

Starting today, our two projects will be working together to achieve our common goal. We think the melding of these two sites is going to make a project that's greater that the sum of its parts. It's not going to be easy: we have technical hurdles and potential culture clashes to deal with. But this is the Next Big Step for Wikitravel and World66.

Next I've got to find a place for our travel stories and photos.
Different strokes for different folks -- but all in the land of the free. Take a guess where this photo was taken. Put your answer in the comments.

Editorial: Reform in the 21st / For a change, Democrats should pick Bennington

Editorial: Reform in the 21st / For a change, Democrats should pick Bennington Editorial: Reform in the 21st / For a change, Democrats should pick Bennington

LOIS MURPHY GUILTY OF PLAGIARISM AGAIN - THIS TIME STEALING FROM SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON - 4/20/2006

The document -- goes from here to there. This "poster" is from one of my travel photos and it looks a bit like "the document company" (Xerox) art. But it also comes to stand for how China and the US knock laws on copyright.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, locally, we have a candidate for public office that is putting out good ideas that may be very similar statements from others in different times and places.

LOIS MURPHY GUILTY OF PLAGIARISM AGAIN - THIS TIME STEALING FROM SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON - 4/20/2006 ... "various college professors and a campaign ethics expert verified Murphy's ethics plan was 'sloppy,' would receive an 'F for originality,' and would find herself in 'hot water on a college campus.'

Wow, these claims, charges and foundation to the thinking is interesting.

The Platform.For-Pgh.org is a wiki that is geared to these types of postings and issues. Attribution is often given, but it is not an 'academic' mission. Rather, ours is a struggle of idea crafting and talk of solutions and problems.

Most voters are not looking for candidates who get "As" in originality.

In the last special election I was involved -- March 14, 2006 -- it was said to me from another participant, "The two candidates who had the least to say got the most votes."

If a candidate is real original -- like Bill Peduto is -- then we get laws such as the "bubble bill" that protects people going into and out of health clinics. But, the law also gets taken to court and, IMHO, will be found illegal.

Mayor Tom Murphy was a champion of being creative. Corporate welfare flew from the poor to the rich like never before with his thinking and skills of changing everyone's (almost everyone's) understanding. TIFs (tax breaks to the super rich) are something Pittsburgh developed and they are being copied in other parts of the county and country. But, that original style does not work in the long-run. It costs money from the public treasury. It gets a handful of cronies rich.

So, the blade cuts both ways as to being 'creative.' And, I'd say there is a lot of value to being only as good as Jefferson and Franklin when it comes to one's thinking in modern econmic and liberty discussions.

And, I have no problem with other candidates for public office taking other comments from others and re-using them in their talks, press releases, web sites and beyond.

Have you heard of the Creative Commons? Those levels of 'protection' are nice. But, are we going to see a license that says others can use these words only if they are running a race for a certain brand?

You can't copyright ideas! You can't slap a trademark on things that are in the public domain.

Well, you can. But, this shouldn't be the way things work.

I'm all in favor of more open-source approaches.

The messenger is less important than the message.

And finally, screw the academics and the ivory tower they rode in on. Who are they to say this or that won't work on a college campus? You know, there was a debate on a college campus and the college prof was so weak and ignorant -- and he's an expert -- that the people in the audience could not run a video camera of the discussions. Screw that.

You know what wouldn't work on a college campus -- a professor saying we're going to have some outside guests and we're not going to allow it to be put on tape.

If the plans from the candidate make sense -- talk sense. If the plans are full of holes -- point them out. If you don't have anything better to suggest -- the one who needs to return to college seems evident to me.

One final story. On the campaign trails we went to one event and were hit with a one page quiz from one well meaning community group. The questions were short -- but there were more than five. But the right answer wasn't true-nor-false. I didn't fill out the form there, as asked. I said I'd take it home. They wanted them there and then. I told the others, I'm not doing their test. It didn't get done.

Most of life, including politics and government, is an OPEN BOOK TEST.

Louis Murphy -- public plagiarism could be something to be proud of. Sadly, there seems to be lies and distances made to the claim of plagiarism at the outset -- rather than an embrace of what it means to be a well researched student of public discourse and open source ways.

Peduto proposes aid, as in 'Rich Get Richer and Poor Get Poorer'

Toss in a red carpet for good an added touch, like a cherry on top.

Peduto proposes aid Pittsburgh Councilman William Peduto has proposed an alternative approach to aiding Downtown development.

Mr. Peduto wants the city to waive property taxes on new Downtown housing for 10 years, and on new Downtown offices and hotels for five years.

His nonbinding resolution submitted to council calls on Mayor Bob O'Connor and the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority to create a group to study the idea, which he dubbed the Shared Tax Abatement for Neighborhood Development.

It also calls for tax credits for redevelopment of historic property, for construction of environmentally friendly buildings and for funding public art.

It could come up for an initial council vote April 26. Council is considering city participation in an $18 million tax subsidy for PNC Financial Services Group's proposed new Downtown office tower.

Look at all the people, living tax free for the next decade.

Click the image to see a larger version of the photo so details become clear.

Here is where you might go to get a no-bid deal. This is NOT Pittsburgh.

My notion of too many cooks is more as to getting our goose cooked too much.

Too many cooks?

Mike M at Pittsblog is on a kick about too many cooks messing up our economic development efforts in Pittsburgh. I've got a different take on that issue. See the comments over there for my one RMB (i.e., slang for two-cents).

Pittsblog: Too Many Chefs? Too Many Chefs?

And there is another blog mention about two or three below that one.

Downtown -- as in the rich getting richer -- in an exclusive kinda way.

Downtown living?

Piatt grows vision for Downtown - PittsburghLIVE.com Millcraft wants exclusive rights to develop each of the 19 Downtown properties owned by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority.

What about a bid process. Is O'Connor just going to give away these exclusive rights?

Some payoff if that is true.

Where is the RFP (request for proposals)????

I do like the plan, as a concept. I like that thought has gone into it. I like that there are affordable units. I like that there is student housing in the mix too. But, I can't stand it that this is an exclusive deal at the request of the mayor for his cronies. No-bid contracts should be in the domain of the church, the bishop, and perhaps a temple with the monks. But for a commercial space in an urban center with government owned land -- give us a competitive bid process.

$269 million Downtown redevelopment plan unveiled Given the city's OK, Millcraft could start building apartments 'right away,' he said.

Millcraft isn't asking the city for a subsidy, nor for free property, but it does want exclusive options on 19 properties owned by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority, he said. Given that, its marketers would take their plan to the International Council of Shopping Centers convention, which starts May 21 in Las Vegas.

Millcraft isn't asking for a subsidy -- but the assumption is that this is an exclusive. This is a hand-picked contract. This is a favorite friend deal. This is a cronie thing. This is a "screw the rest of the world deal where they say 'hell to the marketplace' and 'hell to those who are not buddies.'

I say that this deal, as a process question, needs to review and evaluation.

I say that Bob O'Connor was NOT elected CZAR of the city.

I say that there should be some 'stewardship' in terms of hard questions asked from the public officials for the benefit of the public interest.

I say that a deal like this could land Bob O'Connor in jail. The Feds will be on this in a New York minute.

This might be a splendid plan. It now needs to be put out to bid. You don't want to build the apartments right away.

Is it taps for Point State Park's Music Bastion?

A park with purpose is needed.

Is it taps for Point State Park's Music Bastion? Reconfiguring the park for more active use could bury its historical significance

This park story is another that screams of the need for a real park district for the greater pittsburgh area. This plan sucks. Sucks bad.
Point Park could have a ferris wheel and fine gardens.... or not.

More ideas on Point Park later.

Row your boat gently down the stream.

Bloggers on PCN

I'll be holding my breath.

Dear Bloggers,

We are planning an upcoming Call-in program featuring political bloggers and will let you know when it happens.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Brian Lockman
President and CEO

Pennsylvania Cable Network
401 Fallowfield Road
Camp Hill, PA 17011

phone: (717) 730-6000
fax: (717) 730-6009
e-mail: brianlockman - at - pcntv.com

Not your typical slow-poke turtle. Click to view larger image.

Casey, opponents will debate tonight

Good news: The debates is being hosted by an educational institution. Bad news: The debate host seems to have an ego that is going to block the public event from being taped. What's next, pay-per-view books in the library?

Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/19/2006 | Casey, opponents will debate tonight Debate coordinator G. Terry Madonna of Franklin & Marshall College, which is hosting the debate, said he supported the rule restricting the use of debate footage. Madonna said the college proposed a list of rules for the debate and agreed to the Casey campaign's suggestion to restrict use of debate footage.

'We didn't want this forum in an academic environment to be used by the campaigns,' Madonna said. 'We are not in the business of helping people win or lose elections.'

The 90-minute debate at Franklin & Marshall College will be shown live on PCN at 7 p.m. Madonna said C-Span might run it tomorrow.

Pens closer to new arena - PittsburghLIVE.com

Victory. Then one paragraph later -- uncertainty.

Pens closer to new arena - PittsburghLIVE.com That was good enough for Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato to “declare victory” on the arena issue, which he said is now “off the table.”

“I think it’s a done deal,” Onorato said. “No matter who wins this you have the arrangement now to build an arena with gaming money. And that’s where you want to be.”

Mayor Bob O’Connor said, “We have solved the Penguins issue.”

Still, the team has not committed to staying in Pittsburgh under the backup plan. It does not know enough about the proposal, said President Ken Sawyer.

Let it be known, we have a done deal. We have a new arena. Dan Onorato said so. Bob O'Connor said so. And, this confidence comes from the clear words of Ed Rendell.

I was there too, to listen. A mini-press event was there at the Wm. Penn by the elevators. A half-dozen or more reporters recorded the promise.

Seat licenses should start to go on sale next month.

AP Wire | 04/18/2006 | Casino groups pitch plans for Pittsburgh

Here is a mixed message:

AP Wire | 04/18/2006 | Casino groups pitch plans for Pittsburgh 'We now have the opportunity to demolish an arena and rebuild a community,' said The Rev. James Simms, chairman of the board of advisers for Pittsburgh First, a coalition formed in large part by the Penguins, Isle of Capri and Hill District community groups.

If you want to build, you build. If you want to tear down, you tear down.

To rebuild community -- with gambling -- is a joke.

The community building within the Isle of Capri plans are "if marketplace conditions prevail." The community is a wish -- a hope -- a promise -- and the groundwork for a l-i-e. If the community was real, then we'd have another story. But, the community plans with the Simms associated plan is but a pipe dream.

Likewise, the community with the Station Square plan is not a sure thing either.

Both of these plans are built on, in part, false hope.

This quote by Ken Sawyer of the Penguins, was a whopper. "I guess unfortunately for you people, you may be deciding the fate of the Penguins," Sawyer told the board. The fate of the Penguins is put on the backs of the gambling board -- by the owners of the Penguins.

The Penguins owners can't even pull their own weight nor make their own decision. They willingly want to pass the buck. No wonder they are in last place.

Leadership that is with such a defeated attitude is sure to guide the competitive team right into last place.

A man, a plan, the Web: Bartering for a house

Good advice and words to live by.

A man, a plan, the Web: Bartering for a house 'If you say you're going to do something and you start to do it, and people enjoy it or respect it or are entertained by it, people will step up and help you.'

Okay Froth Slosh... Back at ya...

How much would you pay for this cup?

Froth Slosh B'Gosh Now how much will you pay?

My cup has .... care to guess?

War: Joe Sobran, the Reactionary Utopian

Source, with hat tip to H.H.

Joe Sobran, the Reactionary Utopian

Bush's Latest Idea

In the 1979 movie 'The In-Laws', Peter Falk plays a dotty former CIA man who awes his sidekick, Alan Arkin, a timid dentist whose daughter is married to Falk's son. "Were you involved in the Bay of Pigs operation?"? asks the fascinated Arkin. Falk replies
proudly, "Involved in it? It was my idea."?

"Success has a hundred fathers,"? John Kennedy quipped; "failure is an orphan."? True, as a rule; but the Iraq war has a hundred fathers who still think
it's a success, President Bush chief among them. It was his idea!

Now, heaven help us, he has another idea: Let's extend the war to Iran. No, he doesn't want to send U.S. troops into Iran; even he isn't quite that goofy.

But Bush and his sidekicks keep talking about the threat from Iran the way they used to talk about the threat from Iraq. Something's up. I look for air strikes on Iran soon, maybe just a good night's bombing, as proposed by Edward G. Luttwak in the Wall
Street Journal recently. You know, another preemptive strike. Unannounced, but not unexpected. A predictable sneak attack.

History repeats itself as farce, Karl Marx observed. That would be a good epitaph for this administration. As a connoisseur of political farce, I'm anticipating an inept sneak attack, a combination of Pearl Harbor and the Bay of Pigs.

Then what? As the Iranian people rally behind their government, the whole Muslim world and everyone else rally against the United States, the world oil market goes berserk, and Americans start riding horses to work, Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld will claim another success, complaining that the media are showing only the downside of the operation.

According to Bush's interpretation of the Constitution, the president, in time of war, is empowered to do whatever he's in the mood to do. And Bush is now in the mood to teach the Iranians a lesson they won't forget, no matter what the cost.

A quick air strike wouldn't require a congressional resolution and wouldn't give the opposition time to organize. At this point, Bush must turn every faux pas into a fait accompli, as our French friends --? well, former friends --? might say.

Meanwhile, Bush's hairy-chested neocon friends are coping with cowardice on the home front. They question the manliness of liberals and Democrats, except for Hillary Clinton, and I myself have felt the sting of their lash.

Here I must mention the most familiar, yet most baffling, argument for war. It runs roughly like this: "Our brave men and women are dying in [fill in name of relevant country] to protect the very freedoms you yellow-bellied peaceniks abuse."

On this view, we owe all our freedoms to wars, and all our wars are wars for freedom. Is that so? Well, which wars gave us freedom of speech, trial by jury, property rights, the right to remain silent, and the right to abortion? Are these the rights our enemies were trying to take away? And just how did, say, Kaiser Wilhelm II or Manuel Noriega plan to achieve that?

Obviously, as many libertarians have pointed out, it's precisely during wartime that government grows and our rights shrink. Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George W. Bush should have taught us this by now.

This isn't the only country that believes freedom depends on war. Unless Brittania rules the waves, says the old anthem, Britons may all wind up as slaves. Well, Brittania no longer rules the waves, and Britons, happily, aren't slaves, but they're still singing that anthem.

Faith in war is the closest thing America has to a national religion. It is closely allied to our faith in Great Presidents. As for those who didn't trust our Great Presidents, such as copperheads and isolationists, their name is mud.

So trying to talk Americans out of going to war is a fool's errand, like trying to persuade Yosemite Sam to hold his fire for just a minute. If you get any reply at all, it will be a truism: "The only thing these varmints understand is hot lead."?

As the old rabbis used to ask, "Have your ears heard what your lips have just uttered?"? It's no use trying to make people listen to you when they won't even listen to themselves.

Joe Sobran

Mike Ference, a.k.a. The Mon Dawn gives golden insights on gambling windfall hyper-drive

It may be a while before Pennsylvania residents see any of the alleged tax savings that will come, theoretically, from the revenue generated by slot machines. During the interim (which may last a few decades) I have an idea that our government leaders should consider.

It seems like one obstacle to the more-gambling-less-taxes payoff is that we can’t fill all the openings on the PA Gaming Commission and Gaming Control Board because it’s virtually impossible to find anyone in the state who favors gaming but isn’t somehow connected to the mob. And even after someone is appointed it seems that they either decide to retire after a month or two or they have to go to court for a murder rap.

I suggest we sidestep this obstacle by threatening to offer PA Gaming positions to legitimate business people who would probably pay good money not to be considered. For example, suppose it was leaked to the media that Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was being considered for a position on the PA Gaming Control Board. I’d bet good money that Mr. Gates would pay good money just to have his name taken off the list. Maybe he’d even pay a little extra to have the board send out a press release stating that Gates had never been a contender, that the media was simply wrong. That might be good for a couple million bucks — and it’d probably arrive a lot faster than the jackpot the pro-gaming utopians keep telling us about.

Using the same ruse, we could probably get big money from the Vatican by offering gaming positions to high-profile church leaders. What the heck, maybe we even float the possibility of a powerful role in PA Gaming for the Pope — that should pull in some wealth for the Commonwealth, and perhaps even some nice artwork, which can be hung in our casinos. If they ever get built.

Then we can move on to international leaders. I’m sure Saddam Hussein wouldn’t want his name tarnished any further by being appointed to the PA Gaming Control Board — he’s probably got some cash hidden somewhere that he’d send to Pennsylvania to prevent us sullying his reputation.

I believe there’s an almost endless list of folks who would pay big bucks to avoid being associated with PA Gaming. I feel this has at least as good a chance to lead to lower taxes as legalized gambling. I hope our leaders give it a try.

Click the comments to get contact info.