Technology Leadership Institute: Teachers

Looks like a great program for high school kids in the city.

Technology Leadership Institute: Teachers: "TLI is an opportunity for your student to get a head start on their career in computers and technology. Is your student interested in Web design? Robotics? or Computer Programming? Then TLI is for your son or daughter!

My son has swim practice to 9:15 am. So, he has a conflict. Oh well.

Getting geared up for the weekend trip to Bloomington

Why the $15K for a review of Water Authority Bond Deals was foolish and nothing about 'knowledge is power.'

City council voted 6-3 to not spend $15,000 to hire an outside firm to conduct a review (call it audit, investigation, whatever) of the recent bond dealings of the Water Authority.

I'm fine with that vote. But, I'm not fine with some of the thinking and statements that swirled around this topic. Time to flush.

Bruce Kraus said "Knowledge is power." That's funny.

First of all, city council does have power. But, power does not come with a $15,000 audit by some dis-interested party. Power, instead, resides upon the votes that empowered the water authority to advance with such deals. Months ago, council voted to enable the authority to extend its life which empowered them the opportunity to enter into bond deals with serious questions.

The power is in the vote. The power needs to be applied at the correct time. Power does not linger in a re-do.

Council needs to deploy its power, as keepers of the purse strings, in wise measures when the votes are cast. Council fumbled its chance at power when it entertained Don Walko, D, state rep and water authority board president, as he pulled the wool over the eyes of council then.

Want to talk about power -- let's talk about J.P. Morgan and other finance types who conduct these bond deals. They are able to steal by the millions from the public treasury. They can't be taken down by a $15,000 audit from some disinterested firm. Never go big game hunting with a pea shooter. That's not smart. It isn't powerful either.

The plain English explanation of these deals might be nice. But that isn't going to trip a giant in the slightest.

If that firm wants to work again in the finance sector, it isn't going to pick a fight for $15,000 fee with J.P.Morgan.

Furthermore, if the audit did provide real investigative eureka moments, it would be called 'spin' and would be discounted.

If you want power, turn to the controllers -- for the city, county (perhaps) and state. They have audit powers. And, they are the ones that are to review the dealings of government. Council is to legislate. Controllers audit.

If more muscle and power is necessary, then investigate with the state attorney. The subpoena has power. Call for that. When people steal money from the government, they should go to jail -- or worse. In China, the bureaucrats that cheat the system are killed. France gave the world the guillotine. Those are not the tools of power for Pittsburgh's city council.

The bottom line isn't passing a bond deal. The bottom line isn't complicated bond deals with windfalls by the millions. The bottom line is going to jail. Fix expensive mistakes with jail. If you want to look out for the public interest, even after being hoodwinked, the math that aids the interest of the taxpayers money should be part of the settlement of damages. There is the real bottom line.

Bram wrote in a comment thread on this topic that he does NOT care that the Council should have caught this the first time around. Plus, he does NOT care that it would be better if our Controller to do it. Jeepers. You should care. Purpose matters. Watchdogs need to stay awake and care. I care that we don't have over-reaching members of city council who stretch so much that they remain meaningless for decades to come.

Memo to Council: Get it right the first time. Don't squander your power. I knew that this was a sour deal from the get-go.

Memo to Council: Let the controller do audits.

Memo to Controller: Get moving already.

Memo to Jack Wagner, State Auditor: Hello!

Memo to Tom Corbett, State Attorney General: Hello!

Memo to voters: Don Walko isn't to be trusted and shouldn't be a judge.

Memo to gov reformers: All authority board members should be held accountable with retention votes as a regular part of our charter's framework, until the authorities are liquidated in full. (Pun alert.)

BBC - James Reynolds' China: China's Olympic venues now

BBC - James Reynolds' China: China's Olympic venues now: "China's Olympic venues now"

When are those high school musicals? And, what is the capital of Texas?

Debate meltdown

I'm a big fan of having 'running mates.' Running mates help in many ways.

For instance, running mates can help you get to the finish line in a marathon. Hope all in a cool down stay healthy leading into the Pittsburgh Marathon. Taper time.

Running mates can also help as attack dogs so as to raise issues that are best said by those who are not the top-of-the-ticket candidate. Both Patrick Dowd and Luke Ravenstahl need running mates when jabbing about the lack of debates and the sorry efforts of rescheduled opportunities -- or not.

Humor clip from Hulu, the #2 video site on the web, behind only YouTube, shows Saturday Night Live and President Obama's return to the White House after his trip to Europe and elsewhere.

The 250 isn't over yet -- not until we says its over.

Washington County woman drowns in Fla.

Washington County woman drowns in Fla. Authorities say a tourist from Washington County, Pa., has died while scuba diving with her husband off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.

The Broward Sheriff's Office says 58-year-old Mary Darnley, of Eighty Four, was diving with her husband Saturday morning when the pair began to swim to shore. She never made it. Other nearby divers found her body floating in the water. She was pronounced dead a short time later at a hospital.

Debate details

The League of Women Voters is partnering with the PA League of Young Voters and KDKA-TV to present a televised mayoral debate on April 15th at 7:00 PM. The public is invited to submit questions in a video or a written formatin advance of the debate.

To do so go to the KDKA web site below:

http://kdka.com/formsection?fid=969642

Steel-City Stonewall Democrats is having a Debate Party in conjunction with the above debate at 6:30 PM at There Video Lounge, 931 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

Come Watch the debate.
Free Pizza http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=91091553447&ref=mf

Baseball. He's back!

How many games out of first are the Pirates now?

Remember how we were told that PNC Park would turn around the losing ways of the Pirates?

Remember how we were told that it would be impossible to buy single game tickets to PNC Park -- and that every game for years would be sold out?

Those were the days.

Going to a college or high school or sandlot game is still a much better proposition for my sporting interests. There, a local team almost always wins.

Trivia question: The photo of the field show in the posting is where? Bonus Q: What's its significance?

Verona man drowns in athletic club pool

Verona man drowns in athletic club pool The Allegheny County medical examiner's office will perform an autopsy on a Verona man who drowned in a swimming pool at the Downtown Athletic Club of Pittsburgh yesterday evening.

The office identified the man as Lorenzo Williams, 38, of Verona.

Paramedics were called to the athletic club at 1 Bigelow Square near Mellon Arena about 7:30 p.m. on reports of a man drowning in a pool. Homicide detectives were also notified.

Kiva.org co-founder visits CMU on Monday

I'm going to pull my 8th grade son out of school to hear this lecture at CMU.

The Heinz College's Institute for Social Innovation is pleased to welcome Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva.org, the world's first peer-to-peer online microlending website, to Carnegie Mellon's campus on Monday, April 13 for a public lecture. Jessica will be speaking on microfinance and microlending, and her experiences with Kiva.org. If you have an interest in microfinance, international development or social innovation, this opportunity is not to be missed.

Monday, April 13, 2009
12 to 1:30 p.m.
Hamburg Hall room 1000
4800 Forbes Avenue, Carnegie Mellon's campus
Lunch will be served.

Please RSVP to social-innovation@andrew.cmu.edu

Jessica Jackley is a co-founder of Kiva.org, the world's first peer-to-peer online microlending website. Kiva lets internet users lend as little as $25 to specific developing world entrepreneurs, providing affordable capital to help them start or expand a small business. Kiva has been one of the fastest-growing social benefit websites in history, connecting hundreds of thousands of people through lending across over 150 countries.

Jessica first saw the power, beauty and dignity of microfinance while working in rural East Africa with microenterprise development nonprofit Village Enterprise Fund on impact evaluation and program development. Sector-agnostic about social change, Jessica has worked for public, nonprofit, and private organizations including the Stanford Center for Social Innovation, Amazon.com, Potentia Media, the International Foundation, World Vision and others.

Jessica's work with Kiva has been featured in a wide array of media and press including Oprah, the Today Show, CNN, BBC, NBC, ABC, PBS, NPR, the WSJ, NYTimes, the Economist and more. Jessica speaks widely on microfinance and social entrepreneurship, and serves as a director on several boards related to microenterprise development, including Opportunity International.

Jessica holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business with Certificates in Global Management and Public Management, and a BA in Philosophy and Political Science from Bucknell University.

Jessica is a trained yoga instructor, avid surfer and poet.

Erik's service project at our church, Sunnyhill.org, with his classmates in this year's "Coming of Age" program was a fundraiser for a Kiva.org account. They raised than $1,000 from our church with the help of a designated offering.

Erik also works with his middle school student government and they devoted some efforts to Kiva.org as well. The 'profits' from a dance went to Kiva.org.

The beauty of the Kiva.org efforts is that the funds are invested into various small business ventures (entrepreneurship) in the present. However, the funds are returned so that in the future, additional investments can be made by those to follow. So, other 8th graders at our church will be able to monitor what has happened and re-invest, if not re-double the efforts, in years to come. Same too with the International Studies students.

A few years ago, TalkShoe.com folks put together a 24-hour telethon of sorts to benefit Kiva.org. Erik and I co-hosted an hour of that show.

Our biggest introduction to micro-credits came with a former minister at our church, David Parke.

Schenley's Spring Musical for 2009 is Return to The Forbidden Planet

Show dates are April 23-25 and Apr 30-May 1 and 2! The show will be held at Peabody High School in the auditorium. Tickets are $7. See Ya There!

Last year, we went to the musical at Schenley and it rocked.

We also went to the CAPA musical. Details about that are welcomed too.

Tweet your postal code - E-Democracy.Org

Great, great, great idea.

Tweet your postal code - E-Democracy.Org: "Take the #LocalDay Pledge Now to Spread the Word, by Tweeting:

* On May 1 join me on #LocalDay and tweet your neighbors using your Postal/Zip Code - http://e-democracy.org/tweetlocal

Then follow 'localday' via Twitter for updates."

Some comments at Pittsburgh Comet to Anonymous. Hoppy Easter

The Pittsburgh Comet: Last Week's Financial Fireworks, Part II

I said 'pussyfooting,' in part because Councilwoman Darlene Harris bemoaned Lamb's delay of an Animal Rescue audit.

'Conspiracy' confirmed with Dowd's desire for an outside agency audit via an RFP, NOT by Controller Lamb himself -- so it would not delay OTHER PENDING AUDITS.

BTW, I'm not trying to get elected. Ds Walko, Dowd, Motznik and Ravenstahl plus Peduto (unopposed) are seeking election wins. Smith and Payne seek votes too, FWIW.

Hoppy Easter, Anonymous.

---

I don't argue with the math.

To use your example, would you get in a position to owe $400,000 on a house that still needs like $4 TRILLION to fix (ever hear of the rain water run-off problem that hasn't been addressed) and is worth about $40,000?

I argue with the value delivered in light of the price paid in the past considering the costs yet to occur.

I also argue about the delivery of good governance by those in office today as well as in the past.

You should win the argument about the math. Must suck being a bean counter in a time without any beans yet great hunger.

The greater goal is for good government with purpose, not good math by those who deliver folly.

---

Even More in the thread:

Bram Reichbaum might have posted in part:

People seem to be missing that this is not a resolution tearing up and burning the bond deal, nor is it a resolution declaring Patrick Dowd a hero and a genius. It's an audit to explain to us the risks and the likely outcomes of that bond deal.

Mark - This is the first time I've heard it alleged that Michael Lamb is lazy and incompetent. I shouldn't dismiss it out of hand, because I'm not a financial whiz and maybe Mr. Lamb is simply charming as he gives off an air of credibility.

(Also ... the 3rd party isn't being asked to "govern", it's being asked to perform a financial analysis. I don't see how this is philosophically abhorrent.)

However, I don't see that these are important differences. If we could get a full accounting of the bond deal tomorrow by kidnapping executives at JPMorgan and tickling them, I would be in favor of that. I don't care that the Council should have caught this the first time around, I don't care that it would be better if our Controller to do it. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, and knowledge of that bond deal -- if it can be discovered that our vendors misrepresented its terms or otherwise failed to maintain minimum standards of due diligence -- gives us the power to rescue ourselves from that deal.

That's the bottom line. Figure out how to get out of the bad deal, if we need to. That's why I want the audit on my desk tomorrow, when it might be used in concert with those efforts presently coming out of Erie, Butler and elsewhere. It's worth a measly $15K to potentially save the City tens or hundreds of millions. That's a lot of swimming pools. Why not let the City find a way to go back and fix its expensive mistake? It starts with an audit.

Jeepers. This is so far off the mark I should devote a whole new post to it. But, it is Easter and I'm on the bunny trail.

I second the motion that Bram should find the bond deal executives and tickle them. This would be productive even if one blogger gets some giggles.

The bottom line is not for legislative branches to figure out how to get out of bad deals. The bottom line for those who would manage and conduct bad deals with government funds is jail time. In China, it is worse. In historic France it is the guillotine.

Bad finance deals with public money need to be investigated by State Attorneys, DAs, prosecutors, high ranking public officials with investigative powers, controllers even. Then, as findings reveal goofy deals, political hay can be harvested and champions for taxpayers can be made.

A hero's birth would not hatch from $15k third party audits of disinterested contractors hired by a legislative branch.

First, the audit is going to be suspect. It will have its spin. It will be discounted.

Second, the audit firm, with its $15k pay day, is not going to tool the bond finance folks who steal by the millions. That firm will want future jobs, I imagine.

How about we agree to settle on the subpoena process?

More to come about knowlege and power.

Six day school week suggested

The US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, called for a six-day school week. He also wants year-round classes, higher pay for teachers, better paid for better teachers and more choices for parents to send their kids to any school so long as the parents are handing their kids over to the schools.

There are many days when I do a better job teaching my kids and their friends than the schools. Those days are often on the weekends and summers.

I understand that I'm not a typical parent. But come on. What do you think the education secretary is going to say.

He wants more, more, more.

I want better, better, better.

We need responsible, motivated, engaged, and thoughtful.

The quote in the paper, Page A3, Trib, April 8, says, "I will do absolutely everything to get myself in the middle of that conversation."

Bingo. That is the key. The education secretary, Duncan, should get in the middle of the conversation rather than getting onto one side of it so as to tug the kids out of extra experiences and into more school time.

Meanwhile, we've got for the first time (perhaps ever) in Pittsburgh Public Schools a week-long spring break. No school this week. None.

I wonder when my wife, kids and a couple of their buddies are going to be back from the Science Center? We've got to go to the gym and pool this afternoon.

Common Sense for Mayoral Candidates: Education Policy

Policy Brief
An electronic publication of
The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy

April 8, 2009 Volume 9, Number 20

A good public school system can be, and often is, an important factor in the overall economic success of a city. At the same time, one thing is certain; bad school systems chase people with school age children away. If Pittsburgh is to reverse the decades’ long trend of population loss, the City’s poorly performing grotesquely expensive school district must stop being a deterrent to the City’s prosperity. However, unlike other City issues, education does not fall under the Mayor’s purview and there is little the Mayor can do directly to control or affect the schools since the District is a creature of the Commonwealth and has an elected Board to govern it. Nonetheless, the Mayor can use the “bully pulpit” powers of his office to lead the charge for changes that can redound positively to the education of Pittsburgh’s children.

We have described and analyzed the Pittsburgh Public School District and its problems on numerous occasions. The District is plagued by rising expenses, poor performance, and declining enrollment. On a per pupil basis the District’s general fund expenditures are currently above $20,000 a year, among the very highest levels in the state. Philadelphia spends less than Pittsburgh at $15,000 per pupil while the state average is just over $13,400. Pittsburgh’s per pupil expenditures are even further out of line when compared to other cities around the country such as Charlotte ($9,000), Houston ($8,000), and Omaha ($9,000).

Latest scores on the state achievement test (PSSA) revealed that only 53 percent of 11th grade students scored at the proficient level on state reading levels and only 44 percent scored at grade level in math. At several of the District’s high schools the fraction of 11th grade students reaching proficiency falls below 20 percent. With scores this low, very few families with school-aged children will consider moving into the City unless they can afford private school tuition.

In an attempt to combat the problem of declining enrollment and to raise the academic achievement of students, the current administration in 2006 unveiled the Pittsburgh Promise, a college scholarship program for graduates of Pittsburgh Public Schools. Again, as we have documented, the Promise has not lived up to expectations for stopping the decline in enrollment or boosting lackluster academic performance.

In a situation this dire with all the negative effects the schools are having on the City, it is incumbent on Pittsburgh’s Mayor to offer a dramatic departure for improving education opportunities for the City’s children. And make no mistake, that should be the priority—not the teachers’ union, not the school board and not the superintendent.

Common Sense Recommendation for Mayoral Candidates:

Work to bring choice to Pittsburgh’s education system.

The mayor could push the Board to adopt the No Excuses approach to education and push for more charter schools. No Excuses programs emphasize decision making latitude for principals in personnel decisions and accountability for performance; a belief that all students can and will learn; and an academic program that is constantly evaluated and rigorously tested. This approach has been successful in other urban school districts around the country.

The mayor can also learn from the Milwaukee model and begin a program to provide scholarships for students to attend private or parochial schools of their choice such as the Extra Mile schools run by the Catholic Diocese and the Extra Mile Foundation. The Mayor should go to the business and foundation community and raise financial and moral support for such a program. The Mayor should also invite other education organizations such as Knowledge is Power to bring their highly successful programs to Pittsburgh. The introduction of meaningful competition could be the step needed to spur significant and positive changes to public education in Pittsburgh.

All the spending, all the programs, all the efforts of many years have been unable to turn the Pittsburgh schools around. And, there is little indication that a major turn for the better is waiting around the corner. Action is needed now. The Mayor can lead the charge to bring real change to education in Pittsburgh. The parents who truly want their kids to have a shot at a good education deserve better than the current system can offer. The moral and the wise thing to do is to break the stranglehold of the public education establishment and focus on true educational reforms by providing real choices.

After all, the primary obligation of the Mayor is to the welfare of the citizens of the City, including its children. Kowtowing to the powerful special interests that waste money and cheat kids out of a chance to learn must end. The taxpayers will be grateful as will thousands of parents who currently have no choice but to put up with the status quo or move out of the City.

Jake Haulk, Ph.D., President Frank Gamrat, Ph.D., Sr. Research Assoc.

Please visit our blog at alleghenyinstitute.org/blog.

If you have enjoyed reading this Policy Brief and would like to send it to a friend, please feel free to forward it to them.

For more information on this and other topics, please visit our web site: alleghenyinstitute.org

If you wish to support our efforts please consider becoming a donor to the Allegheny Institute. The Allegheny Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all contributions are tax deductible. Please mail your contribution to:

The Allegheny Institute
305 Mt. Lebanon Boulevard
Suite 208
Pittsburgh, PA 15234

Thank you for your support.

---

I do not think that all charter schools are evil. That has been the feeling with many in the school district and the teachers union.

But, there are more items to mention in the content above and to explain my feelings -- often a bit different than what is promoted by the Allegheny Institute. Even along the lines of 'choice' -- there are things that the mayor and school district can do not mentioned above.

Reactions welcomed, as always, in the comments.

Details

Fifth Ave:

* Will be used as the staging area for all marked police and public safety vehicles.
* The staging area on Fifth will be starting at Bellefield Ave and proceeding west until at least Craft Ave if not further.
* Fifth Ave will be closed starting at 10:00AM till 12:30 PM at which time the west bound curb lane will be open for traffic until 15:00 hours, at which time the funeral processions will begin.
* Allegheny County Port Authority will close outbound bus traffic on Fifth Avenue and move bus operations to Forbes Avenue outbound at 09:30 AM.
* Inbound bus traffic will turn right on Bellefield, then left on Bayard, then left onto Bigelow, crossing Fifth and Forbes and accessing The Boulevard of the Allies through Schenley Park.
* Cross over streets for Fifth Avenue are: Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard; Fifth and Meyran Avenues; and Fifth Avenue and McKee Place.

Funeral Procession Route

• Leave City-County Building on Grant Street
• Take Grant to Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway
• Exit busway at Neville Street ramp
• Neville Street to Fifth Avenue
• Right onto Fifth Avenue
• Right onto DeSoto Street
• Left onto Terrace Street
• Right onto Sutherland Drive, to the Petersen Center

* All three processions will stage on Sutherland Drive

Petersen Event Center

* The Honor Guard will bear the fallen Officers across the patio to Concourse A entrance.
* All uniformed officers attending the funeral will stage on the patio of the Petersen Event Center on Allequippa from Sutherland Drive to the driveway of Sutherland Hall and also in F Lot.
* City of Pittsburgh Police Mobile Command Post will be staged in the loading dock area.

Allequippa Street

* Closed from entrance of OC Lot, east to University Drive at 08:00 AM.

Robinson Street

* From Wadsworth to Center Avenue, both sides of the street will be used as the staging area for buses that will bring Pipe Bands, Color Guards, and transportation for out of town Officers.

Pitt Police Traffic Posts

* Darragh at Victoria
* Darragh at Terrace
* Darragh at Allequippa
* Entrance to OC Lot at Allequippa
* Top of OC Lot driveway (Officer will stage family vehicles)
* Allequippa and University Drive
* Terrace and Sutherland
* Allequippa and Center
* O'Hara and Desoto
* Six Motor Cycles for escorts

It is a great idea to use the busway in moving from Downtown to Oakland.

I expect that the events at the Pete will be carried on local TV or cable, right?

Allegheny presses to restrict where people live

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to court we go.

The lawyers win. The taxpayers loose. And, in the end, the lawyers win as enforcement won't happen anyway.

Allegheny presses to restrict where sex offenders live - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review State laws limiting where sex offenders can live have withstood legal challenges, but Allegheny County's law is unlikely to survive legal scrutiny, several experts say.

The county plans to appeal a federal judge's March ruling striking down the law that prohibited sex offenders from living near schools and other places children gather. But the District Attorney's Office, Sen. Jane C. Orie and the State Association of Township Supervisors have advised county officials that the chances of a reversal are slim.