I'm headed out of town for a week. Blogging will resume next Monday, 8/8.
Meanwhile, I'm hoping to see some of you, at least, at the upcoming Blogfest on August 11.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Friday, July 29, 2005
Lebo Police Taser Parking Suspect
From the Department of Nothing Ever Happens in Mt. Lebanon comes word that Lebo police tasered Frank Caruso, the 65-year-old proprietor of Caruso's Pizza on Washington Road. Mr. Caruso parked his car illegally in order to help his wife get in, was confronted by a Lebo police officer, and then (according to the department) "went crazy."
I'm sleeping more soundly out here now, knowing that the police have crazy 65-year-old pizza makers who can't park under control. And I'll be sure to park extra carefully. (Note to daughter who's learning to drive: practice, practice, practice.) Bonus: It's a good thing that our suburban, low-crime department has the non-lethal Taser. Otherwise, Mr. Caruso might be dead.
I'm sleeping more soundly out here now, knowing that the police have crazy 65-year-old pizza makers who can't park under control. And I'll be sure to park extra carefully. (Note to daughter who's learning to drive: practice, practice, practice.) Bonus: It's a good thing that our suburban, low-crime department has the non-lethal Taser. Otherwise, Mr. Caruso might be dead.
At Last, Something Interesting to Talk About in Pittsburgh
No, not the final demise of the Kaufmann's name, and not the sad and ridiculous t-ball story out of Uniontown.
Hines Ward is going to hold out!
Talk about your mixing of Pittsburgh values:
Hines is, simply put, the second-best player on the roster (Alan "he knocked his helmet off" Faneca is the best, IMO), and he's the most fun to watch. He's got the hands of a wideout and the mind of a linebacker. How many receivers run downfield looking to hit somebody -- when they aren't carrying the ball? He works his butt off day in and day out. There's no complaining, no whining, no "give me the damn ball." Whatever he makes, he's earned, and if he's being short-changed (and it looks like he is), then he deserves a better, fairer salary. There's a lot of Pittsburgh in the phrase, "fair's fair," when it comes to someone who has always been willing to put his whole body into the job.
Ah, but, Hines already has a contract. In a lot of professional sport, that doesn't mean much to teams, players, or fans; we don't object to the renegotiation itself as much as we object, sometimes, to the player's attitude (see "Owens, Terrell") or timing (see "Owens, Terrell"). But in Pittsburgh, we respect the fact that a deal's a deal. Historically, the Rooney family has been a big supporter of that principle, and the good people of Pittsburgh are big supporters of the Rooneys. In the world of contracts outside of sport, that principle is what contracts are all about: you make a deal, and you live with it. Maybe you regret having made what turns out to be a bad deal, but that's tough. When the contract ends, you negotiate a better one. Meanwhile, if you don't live up to your end of the bargain, you lose respect (very important here), you get sued, and/or your lose your job, or worse.
Here's where it gets really interesting: Hines is positioning himself as a regular Pittsburgher. Just a Pittsburgh guy, trying to get paid for his job. Here's the quote (and kudos to the Post-Gazette for playing it up): "I'm not asking to break the bank ... I just want compensated." That's brilliant -- using that syntax. "I just want compensated."
Can Hines pull it off? Can the Rooneys keep Hines happy and save Pittsburgh face? Is Big Ben's sophomore season going to be jinxed with bad karma? Can Skippy find a better nickname? Can Bill and Tunch carry on without Myron? Will the Steelers really throw to the tight end? Training camp starts next week!
Hines Ward is going to hold out!
Talk about your mixing of Pittsburgh values:
Hines is, simply put, the second-best player on the roster (Alan "he knocked his helmet off" Faneca is the best, IMO), and he's the most fun to watch. He's got the hands of a wideout and the mind of a linebacker. How many receivers run downfield looking to hit somebody -- when they aren't carrying the ball? He works his butt off day in and day out. There's no complaining, no whining, no "give me the damn ball." Whatever he makes, he's earned, and if he's being short-changed (and it looks like he is), then he deserves a better, fairer salary. There's a lot of Pittsburgh in the phrase, "fair's fair," when it comes to someone who has always been willing to put his whole body into the job.
Ah, but, Hines already has a contract. In a lot of professional sport, that doesn't mean much to teams, players, or fans; we don't object to the renegotiation itself as much as we object, sometimes, to the player's attitude (see "Owens, Terrell") or timing (see "Owens, Terrell"). But in Pittsburgh, we respect the fact that a deal's a deal. Historically, the Rooney family has been a big supporter of that principle, and the good people of Pittsburgh are big supporters of the Rooneys. In the world of contracts outside of sport, that principle is what contracts are all about: you make a deal, and you live with it. Maybe you regret having made what turns out to be a bad deal, but that's tough. When the contract ends, you negotiate a better one. Meanwhile, if you don't live up to your end of the bargain, you lose respect (very important here), you get sued, and/or your lose your job, or worse.
Here's where it gets really interesting: Hines is positioning himself as a regular Pittsburgher. Just a Pittsburgh guy, trying to get paid for his job. Here's the quote (and kudos to the Post-Gazette for playing it up): "I'm not asking to break the bank ... I just want compensated." That's brilliant -- using that syntax. "I just want compensated."
Can Hines pull it off? Can the Rooneys keep Hines happy and save Pittsburgh face? Is Big Ben's sophomore season going to be jinxed with bad karma? Can Skippy find a better nickname? Can Bill and Tunch carry on without Myron? Will the Steelers really throw to the tight end? Training camp starts next week!
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Economic Development Blog
The Allegheny Conference and the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance have a new economic development blog. Snarkiness is tempting (a la the Die Hard line, "the police have themselves an RV"), but this is a good thing. And it's syndicated, which is excellent. I've added it to the list at right. Welcome to the blogosphere!
Amok
Linguists that they are, Pittsburghers probably knew this, but "amok" is a Malay word that means "out of control." The writers of the original Star Trek series borrowed it for the title of an episode involving Vulcan sex.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
High School Football
"Everything Bad is Good For You" author Steven Johnson has this op-ed in the L.A. Times, an open letter to Sen. Hillary Clinton in defense of videogames in particular and the ordinary games that kids play in general:
With lines like that, Steve should have lots of friends in Pittsburgh -- seriously.
Dear Senator Clinton:
I'm writing to commend you for calling for a $90-million study on the effects of video games on children, and in particular the courageous stand you have taken in recent weeks against the notorious "Grand Theft Auto" series.
I'd like to draw your attention to another game whose nonstop violence and hostility has captured the attention of millions of kids — a game that instills aggressive thoughts in the minds of its players, some of whom have gone on to commit real-world acts of violence and sexual assault after playing.
I'm talking, of course, about high school football.
With lines like that, Steve should have lots of friends in Pittsburgh -- seriously.
Clairton
I'm a little late with this, but: don't miss peterb's utterly depressing account of his visit to Clairton.
Payola?
Jonathan Potts can't get worked up over the payola "scandal", even though it even touches the local radio market.
For anyone who agrees that record companies should be able to bribe radio stations, I offer the following proposition: Let's create a genuinely open market for music. Record companies can pay radio stations what that market will bear. Consumers who don't like what they hear via broadcast can rip, mix, burn, and share (via P2P) whatever they can get their hands on. Let Beck soar and let Celine crash and burn. Deal?
For anyone who agrees that record companies should be able to bribe radio stations, I offer the following proposition: Let's create a genuinely open market for music. Record companies can pay radio stations what that market will bear. Consumers who don't like what they hear via broadcast can rip, mix, burn, and share (via P2P) whatever they can get their hands on. Let Beck soar and let Celine crash and burn. Deal?
School superintendents
In my little "Welcome to Pittsburgh" series, I deliberately avoided writing about race relations in Pittsburgh, chiefly because they're so poor. The city is racially divided to an appalling degree. I'd like to write about how this is getting better, incrementally, but then this story pops up, about how black members of the City's School Board object to the appointment of a white superintendent to succeed a (controversial) black superintendent. (Note to City residents from a Lebonian: congrats on having the guts actually to conduct a search!)
Here's what I'd like to see reported: What's going on in the classrooms of City schools? How much does the identity of the Superintendent affect who teaches, what and (more important) how they teach, and who is being taught? (A college professor of mine taught me, years ago, that what matters to kids is giving the teacher the power to decide what happens in the classroom, not getting the right person to run the district Boardroom.) IF the Superintendent makes such a big difference at that level, then I'm all for ensuring that the Board gets the right person. Note, again, for and on behalf of Lebonians: this sort of thing was and is at issue with the termination of the last superintendent and the hiring of the new one. But IF not, then the actions of the City's African-American Board members strike me as old-style racial politics run amok.
Here's what I'd like to see reported: What's going on in the classrooms of City schools? How much does the identity of the Superintendent affect who teaches, what and (more important) how they teach, and who is being taught? (A college professor of mine taught me, years ago, that what matters to kids is giving the teacher the power to decide what happens in the classroom, not getting the right person to run the district Boardroom.) IF the Superintendent makes such a big difference at that level, then I'm all for ensuring that the Board gets the right person. Note, again, for and on behalf of Lebonians: this sort of thing was and is at issue with the termination of the last superintendent and the hiring of the new one. But IF not, then the actions of the City's African-American Board members strike me as old-style racial politics run amok.
Pittsburgh is not cool
But you knew that, right? So this report, which faults Pittsburgh (again) as a lousy city for singles largely -- but not entirely -- because it is number 39 out of 40 cities for "coolness" (pause here for more shout-outs to Richard Florida from all of his fans in the 'Burgh), is just silly. Ignore it. It means nothing. New York is only the seventh coolest city in the country, according to Forbes!
Pittsburgh isn't cool. Doesn't want to be cool. Was never cool. Will never be cool. Doesn't matter how you count it. And that's just fine.
Pittsburgh isn't cool. Doesn't want to be cool. Was never cool. Will never be cool. Doesn't matter how you count it. And that's just fine.
Monday, July 25, 2005
PirateBall
Baseball season in Pittsburgh is officially over: The media has turned its attention to the Steelers training camp.
And I understand that there's a hockey franchise in these parts.
And I understand that there's a hockey franchise in these parts.
Precious
Thanks to Steve for the pointer to this piece in the Pittsburgh Business Times (free registration required), which concludes that Mt. Lebanon is the best overall public school district in the region.
We're talking test scores here, not district management, so the results are meaningless on two levels.
They're meaningless in the sense that test scores don't tell you anything about the effectiveness of the education. Given parents' educational achievement and involvement, scores at a certain level should not be surprising. The question is whether the district manages to exceed what otherwise would be expected. (And that assumes that standardized scores measure quality of education. Which they don't.)
They're meaningless, too, in the sense that test scores don't account for district finances and management. What's the bang for the buck, so to speak? Is the District raising taxes and treading water, or is it buying something for that extra money?
Of course, my Lebo neighbors are all riled up over the School Board's recent decision to hand the Superintendent's reins to the Acting Superintendent, without a search. Here we go again, it's being said: An arrogant and/or frightened Board has put a costly administrative decision over on an inattentive public. It's not quite Sablegate, but that's not the sweet smell of success coming from the Board chambers, either. Private recriminations are flying via email; supporters of the dormant impeachment suit against the Board are gearing up. The critics cry foul over what they perceive as yet another inside job (no doubt, some allege, covering for the fact that the circumstances of the Board's termination of the last Superintendent clouded the district's ability to hire a new one). The Board argues that it found the right man for the job -- right under its nose. It wants to stay the course.
Me? Well, right now, I just wish that we didn't have to wait 55 more days for International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrrrr!
We're talking test scores here, not district management, so the results are meaningless on two levels.
They're meaningless in the sense that test scores don't tell you anything about the effectiveness of the education. Given parents' educational achievement and involvement, scores at a certain level should not be surprising. The question is whether the district manages to exceed what otherwise would be expected. (And that assumes that standardized scores measure quality of education. Which they don't.)
They're meaningless, too, in the sense that test scores don't account for district finances and management. What's the bang for the buck, so to speak? Is the District raising taxes and treading water, or is it buying something for that extra money?
Of course, my Lebo neighbors are all riled up over the School Board's recent decision to hand the Superintendent's reins to the Acting Superintendent, without a search. Here we go again, it's being said: An arrogant and/or frightened Board has put a costly administrative decision over on an inattentive public. It's not quite Sablegate, but that's not the sweet smell of success coming from the Board chambers, either. Private recriminations are flying via email; supporters of the dormant impeachment suit against the Board are gearing up. The critics cry foul over what they perceive as yet another inside job (no doubt, some allege, covering for the fact that the circumstances of the Board's termination of the last Superintendent clouded the district's ability to hire a new one). The Board argues that it found the right man for the job -- right under its nose. It wants to stay the course.
Me? Well, right now, I just wish that we didn't have to wait 55 more days for International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrrrr!
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Mexicans in Pittsburgh
The Post-Gazette discovers a small Mexican enclave in Pittsburgh . . . in Beechview.
Of course, not everyone is excited about this:
That's right. There are too many new people moving to Pittsburgh. (Unconfirmed rumor: The Beechview Merchants Association may have been studying the tactics of local marina owners confronted with visitors who wanted to fish the rivers.) Who took down those "go away" signs, anyway?
I say: Ignore the xenophobes. Go have a meal at a Mexican restaurant in Beechview, and welcome these folks to town. And can we get Telemundo now? Please?
Of course, not everyone is excited about this:
Don Bell, president of the Beechview Merchants Association, said residents at a recent Weed and Seed meeting "expressed concern about the rapid influx of Mexicans, of the illegals who have no rights and can be easily exploited, and issues such as over-occupancy and health code violations."
"Someone asked, 'How do we know there aren't ads in grocery stores in Mexico that say 'Move to Beechview,' " he said.
Concerns rise more easily when you have a commercial street that is "moribund," he said. When for food you have two Mexican grocery stores, a Mexican restaurant and a Foodland, he said, "it's like, 'Whoa, what's happening? It's rapidly going in one direction.' "
That's right. There are too many new people moving to Pittsburgh. (Unconfirmed rumor: The Beechview Merchants Association may have been studying the tactics of local marina owners confronted with visitors who wanted to fish the rivers.) Who took down those "go away" signs, anyway?
I say: Ignore the xenophobes. Go have a meal at a Mexican restaurant in Beechview, and welcome these folks to town. And can we get Telemundo now? Please?
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
NYT on Pgh Real Estate
The New York Times weighs in today with this generally upbeat look at Pittsburgh's commercial real estate market.
Set aside the fact that the story contains its (usual) share of historical errors and misleading facts. Why the recent interest in this topic from the national media? Do they know something that local cynics don't?
Set aside the fact that the story contains its (usual) share of historical errors and misleading facts. Why the recent interest in this topic from the national media? Do they know something that local cynics don't?
Monday, July 18, 2005
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VIII)
A collection of thoughts and suggestions; this will be the last in the series, at least for a little while:
-- Pittsburgh's public transportation system , like the city as a whole, lacks a clear vision of what it is trying to be. (It also has one of the worst public agency websites in the region.) For example, if you're lucky enough to live near one of the T lines to the South Hills, service to Downtown is reasonably convenient (and you have the benefit of a huge new parking garage in Bethel Park!). If you're looking forward to expansion of the T to places where it might usefully go, however, you'll have a long, long wait.
-- Public recreation opportunities in the region are extraordinary: Hiking, boating, fishing, camping, even biking are out there, close by and cheap. If I go backpacking or canoeing, it's a lot easier for me to get to the trail or the river in Western PA than it ever was when I lived near San Francisco. Closer in, Pittsburgh is ringed by large public parks with lots to do. In the city, Schenley Park is a great resource, but some "ordinary" public amenities, like public pools, have suffered in the last few years because of the city's budget problems.
-- One of the first things that I wanted to do when I moved to Pittsburgh was tell other people to come, too. We have visitors, and when they come, one of the first things we show them is the view from Mt. Washington, which is spectacular, and best when it follows a ride up one of the inclines.
-- Unfortunately, one of the things that is all too clear from Mt. Washington is that Pittsburgh's air quality remains really low.
-- There are an awful lot of seniors in Pittsburgh. But the local senior population is not growing as fast as it is elsewhere.
-- Local politics and local economic development are obsessed with the next big thing, almost as much as they are obsessed with the last big thing. One result is the fiscal sinkhole that the city currently finds itself in. Instead of the year-to-year fiscal prudence appropriate to a small city that should have modest aspirations (call it "urban Moneyball"), we've borrowed from Peter to pay Paul, all the while chasing a variety of home run records. MagLev will save us! The Mon-Fayette Expressway will save us! A casino will save us! And coming soon: the major league All-Star game will save us! Right now, this house of metaphors is falling down around us, while the city's political and economic elite gather from time to time -- note: outdated-stereotype-with-a-ring-of-truth-ahead -- at the Duquesne Club.
-- Pittsburgh is proud of its homies! The local media will find a way to put a local spin, no matter how irrelevant, on any news story that comes over the wire. Pittsburghers do good all over the world. It's quaint at first, then amusing, and finally irritating. Here's one that the Post-Gazette missed: Pittsburgh produced Bill Lerach, the king of the class action securities fraud lawsuit, scourge of corporate malfeasors, protector of the little guy (or, depending on your perspective, the single greatest threat to free enterprise this side of the Democratic Party), who is now being investigated by the feds.
-- Western PA likes to look down on West Virginians (even when we shouldn't), and Clevelanders (resentment tinged with a touch of envy -- Cleveland is a bigger city). It likes to look up to religious authority (ditto).
-- It's usually warm in the summer (high 80s, with at least moderate humidity) and cool in the winter (mid-20s, with moderate but rarely heavy snow and ice). Nothing more than what I'd call "weather." If it stops raining in the Fall and Spring, then we get seasons that we call "Fall" and "Spring" and which are, at the appropriate moments, just beautiful.
Previous installments:
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VII)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VI)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part V)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part IV)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part III)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part II)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part I)
-- Pittsburgh's public transportation system , like the city as a whole, lacks a clear vision of what it is trying to be. (It also has one of the worst public agency websites in the region.) For example, if you're lucky enough to live near one of the T lines to the South Hills, service to Downtown is reasonably convenient (and you have the benefit of a huge new parking garage in Bethel Park!). If you're looking forward to expansion of the T to places where it might usefully go, however, you'll have a long, long wait.
-- Public recreation opportunities in the region are extraordinary: Hiking, boating, fishing, camping, even biking are out there, close by and cheap. If I go backpacking or canoeing, it's a lot easier for me to get to the trail or the river in Western PA than it ever was when I lived near San Francisco. Closer in, Pittsburgh is ringed by large public parks with lots to do. In the city, Schenley Park is a great resource, but some "ordinary" public amenities, like public pools, have suffered in the last few years because of the city's budget problems.
-- One of the first things that I wanted to do when I moved to Pittsburgh was tell other people to come, too. We have visitors, and when they come, one of the first things we show them is the view from Mt. Washington, which is spectacular, and best when it follows a ride up one of the inclines.
-- Unfortunately, one of the things that is all too clear from Mt. Washington is that Pittsburgh's air quality remains really low.
-- There are an awful lot of seniors in Pittsburgh. But the local senior population is not growing as fast as it is elsewhere.
-- Local politics and local economic development are obsessed with the next big thing, almost as much as they are obsessed with the last big thing. One result is the fiscal sinkhole that the city currently finds itself in. Instead of the year-to-year fiscal prudence appropriate to a small city that should have modest aspirations (call it "urban Moneyball"), we've borrowed from Peter to pay Paul, all the while chasing a variety of home run records. MagLev will save us! The Mon-Fayette Expressway will save us! A casino will save us! And coming soon: the major league All-Star game will save us! Right now, this house of metaphors is falling down around us, while the city's political and economic elite gather from time to time -- note: outdated-stereotype-with-a-ring-of-truth-ahead -- at the Duquesne Club.
-- Pittsburgh is proud of its homies! The local media will find a way to put a local spin, no matter how irrelevant, on any news story that comes over the wire. Pittsburghers do good all over the world. It's quaint at first, then amusing, and finally irritating. Here's one that the Post-Gazette missed: Pittsburgh produced Bill Lerach, the king of the class action securities fraud lawsuit, scourge of corporate malfeasors, protector of the little guy (or, depending on your perspective, the single greatest threat to free enterprise this side of the Democratic Party), who is now being investigated by the feds.
-- Western PA likes to look down on West Virginians (even when we shouldn't), and Clevelanders (resentment tinged with a touch of envy -- Cleveland is a bigger city). It likes to look up to religious authority (ditto).
-- It's usually warm in the summer (high 80s, with at least moderate humidity) and cool in the winter (mid-20s, with moderate but rarely heavy snow and ice). Nothing more than what I'd call "weather." If it stops raining in the Fall and Spring, then we get seasons that we call "Fall" and "Spring" and which are, at the appropriate moments, just beautiful.
Previous installments:
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VII)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VI)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part V)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part IV)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part III)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part II)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part I)
Blog Update
The disappearance of the comments appears to have been temporary. They seem to be back.
I changed the sub-head of the blog, taking out the reference to "optimism" about Pittsburgh. I'm still upbeat about the city and the region, but my occasional rants (see "More Lebo Follies" below) may strike some of you as inconsistent with the theme.
I've been mulling over a blog-merger, porting Pittsblog content to my other blog. I'm holding off right now, because that blog is under Trackback attack from my "friends" in the online poker industry, and real commenters are getting buried. If I can solve the Trackback problem, a merger remains a possibility -- unless there's strong sentiment here to keep this blog separate.
It's been awfully warm; maybe not unseasonably so, but after last year's wet and cool summer, someone has some 'splainin' to do.
I changed the sub-head of the blog, taking out the reference to "optimism" about Pittsburgh. I'm still upbeat about the city and the region, but my occasional rants (see "More Lebo Follies" below) may strike some of you as inconsistent with the theme.
I've been mulling over a blog-merger, porting Pittsblog content to my other blog. I'm holding off right now, because that blog is under Trackback attack from my "friends" in the online poker industry, and real commenters are getting buried. If I can solve the Trackback problem, a merger remains a possibility -- unless there's strong sentiment here to keep this blog separate.
It's been awfully warm; maybe not unseasonably so, but after last year's wet and cool summer, someone has some 'splainin' to do.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Stupid T-Ball Tricks
Putting out a contract for a hit on a disabled kid so that your own kid's t-ball team can win? Pathetic. If the story is true, this guy is pond scum. Now check the dateline. This happened in Dunbar, PA (Fayette County), between Connellsville and Uniontown. But the AP wire says: Pittsburgh. Great.
Comments?
Mysteriously, all of the existing comments appear to have gone missing (at least as I look at the blog), even though Haloscan, which hosts them, seems to be running fine and even shows the AWOL comments via its own site. Will see what happens over the weekend.
Fifth and Forbes
Jonathan Potts has a thought-provoking piece in today's Trib. His basic point: Local government should get out of the downtown real estate business and see what happens when the market takes over.
Change? In Pittsburgh?
Change? In Pittsburgh?
The 'Burgh This Weekend
Not one but two great events in Pittsburgh this weekend:
The Pittsburgh Blues Festival at Hartwood Acres,
and
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in and around Schenley Park.
What a country!
The Pittsburgh Blues Festival at Hartwood Acres,
and
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in and around Schenley Park.
What a country!
The View From Germany
Pittsburgh's 20th century history and its 21st century future look relatively bright -- if you're German. (If, like me, you don't speak German, cut and paste this URL into Google's translator.)
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
WSJ on Pgh Real Estate
From today's Wall Street Journal, this story about Pittsburgh's flat commercial real estate market. An excerpt:
The dollar volume of office sales in Pittsburgh has lagged behind nearby cities like Baltimore and Philadelphia and prices have stayed low, according to Real Capital Analytics, a New York research firm. The region's office space sold at an average price of $71 a square foot in 2004 compared with the national average of $165 a square foot.
Some investors are betting Pittsburgh's fortunes will improve. Earlier this year the New York-based Blackstone Group bought the 32-story Dominion Tower in downtown Pittsburgh for $73 a square foot at a sheriff's sale. "There was an opportunity to acquire a trophy asset at a substantial discount to replacement cost in a market showing signs of a modest recovery," Blackstone managing director Frank Cohen wrote in an email.
More Lebo Follies
I've been laying off the Mt. Lebanon posts for a while, trying to give my neighbors a break. But today I can't resist: Mt. Lebanon publishes a glossy magazine about itself (it's not the only township . . . er, municipality to do that), and the most recent issue has a story called "What's So Special About Mt. Lebanon?" (Here's a big pdf copy, if you really want to read it) that features tidbits about local stores and restaurants and parks and things to do.
I'm tempted to answer the magazine's question ("Nothing"), but I'm tempted even more to assemble a list that answers a different question: "What Drives Me Crazy About Mt. Lebanon?"
In a later post, I'll put up the same questions for Pittsburgh as a whole. Today, though, I'm just going to rant a little -- recognizing, as I've written before, that I like where I live. There's a lot to like: I love the passion of the folks who put on Martha's Run each year as part of efforts to memorialize Martha Dixon. I love how the sidewalks make it safe and easy to walk around town, and to meet and know your neighbors. Mt. Lebanon is a nice town with nice people, not all that different from a lot of similar nice towns near other nice cities. If you move to Mt. Lebanon today, what are the odds that you'll look around and say, it can't get any better than this? Pretty low. It could get better.
What Drives Me Crazy About Mt. Lebanon?
6. It's so f****** precious. The insistence by some people that Mt. Lebanon and people who live here are special or unique just drives me nuts. The powers-that-be like to promote the image of Mt. Lebanon as a wealthy, highly educated, "quality" community where people will do and spend whatever it takes to be the best -- public safety, schools, recreation, municipal government, snow removal, etc. etc. The website says that Mt. Lebanon has a "national reputation for excellence." The insecurity that drives that attitude is painful to listen to.
5. Not everyone out in Mt. Lebanon can afford to spend what it takes. We all love our kids as much as the next town, but not everyone out here is a banker, lawyer, or investment professional. We've got stay-at-home dads, gay couples, a South Asian community (not a lot of diversity, but some of us are working at it), people who clean houses for a living, working artists, and couples who just bought their first home. Mt. Lebanon has its share of the wealthy, but it has a big middle income population, and a significant fixed income population.
4. Spending what it takes isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I hear the argument made, from time to time, that we have to spend what it takes in order to preserve the quality of the school system and other public services -- which keeps real estate values high. Spending isn't helping: There is a lot of discontent in town over the school system. Wasted spending, misplaced priorities, failure to maximize value for the money that is spent. Long-time residents can see that the schools aren't delivering what they used to, and the growing number of new families moving to town can see that they aren't getting the bang for the buck that they were promised. With the 2006 Allegheny County real estate assessments on the horizon, people are nervous that the school district won't adjust the millage rate downward, even though it should. The town has more police officers than it needs, IMO, and it recently approved installation of "traffic calming" speed bumps on a local street even though a regular diet of speeding tickets -- there and elsewhere (I'd be happy to suggest intersections) -- would be just as effective.
3. Lack of meaningful racial and ethnic diversity. Mt. Lebanon isn't atypical on this score, but there is a corresponding lack of public concern and public effort to address the problem. Just take a look at the photos that illustrate the Mt. Lebanon website. A year ago an African-American family that had rented a house in our neighborhood for several years decided to buy a house in Sewickley rather than stay here.
2. Needs more locally-based retail. Mt. Lebanon's streetside commercial businesses are a mixed bag. For every winner of a locally-owned business like Aldo Coffee (on Washington Road; hands-down the most interesting coffee house in town), there's a chain outlet nearby. The best thing about what Mt. Lebanon calls "Uptown" (the retail stretch along Washington Road) is that it includes a half-dozen restaurants, plus two coffee houses, an old-fashioned little bakery, two pizza counters, a breakfast counter, a sandwich store, and a candy shop. How many of those are Mt. Lebanon-only locations, locally-owned? Not enough.
1. Absence of meaningful, constructive public criticism of Mt. Lebanon. Mt. Lebanon magazine costs the municipality about $40,000 per year, net of advertising revenue. That's not a lot. Is it too much to ask that the magazine do a little less cheerleading and a little more description of how and what people are really doing here? (Maybe so, if the magazine is primarily a marketing tool for the real estate community.) The scandal over the departure of the Superintendent of Schools continues to reverberate, not only through the recent school board elections but in the recent announcement by the school board that it intends to elevate the current acting superintendent to the permanent superintendent's position. Without a search. This is the best we can do? The magazine's staff has the best tools and contacts in town. Maybe it could write a bit about the district's struggles, and its plans (does it have them?) to get back on track.
I'm tempted to answer the magazine's question ("Nothing"), but I'm tempted even more to assemble a list that answers a different question: "What Drives Me Crazy About Mt. Lebanon?"
In a later post, I'll put up the same questions for Pittsburgh as a whole. Today, though, I'm just going to rant a little -- recognizing, as I've written before, that I like where I live. There's a lot to like: I love the passion of the folks who put on Martha's Run each year as part of efforts to memorialize Martha Dixon. I love how the sidewalks make it safe and easy to walk around town, and to meet and know your neighbors. Mt. Lebanon is a nice town with nice people, not all that different from a lot of similar nice towns near other nice cities. If you move to Mt. Lebanon today, what are the odds that you'll look around and say, it can't get any better than this? Pretty low. It could get better.
What Drives Me Crazy About Mt. Lebanon?
6. It's so f****** precious. The insistence by some people that Mt. Lebanon and people who live here are special or unique just drives me nuts. The powers-that-be like to promote the image of Mt. Lebanon as a wealthy, highly educated, "quality" community where people will do and spend whatever it takes to be the best -- public safety, schools, recreation, municipal government, snow removal, etc. etc. The website says that Mt. Lebanon has a "national reputation for excellence." The insecurity that drives that attitude is painful to listen to.
5. Not everyone out in Mt. Lebanon can afford to spend what it takes. We all love our kids as much as the next town, but not everyone out here is a banker, lawyer, or investment professional. We've got stay-at-home dads, gay couples, a South Asian community (not a lot of diversity, but some of us are working at it), people who clean houses for a living, working artists, and couples who just bought their first home. Mt. Lebanon has its share of the wealthy, but it has a big middle income population, and a significant fixed income population.
4. Spending what it takes isn't all that it's cracked up to be. I hear the argument made, from time to time, that we have to spend what it takes in order to preserve the quality of the school system and other public services -- which keeps real estate values high. Spending isn't helping: There is a lot of discontent in town over the school system. Wasted spending, misplaced priorities, failure to maximize value for the money that is spent. Long-time residents can see that the schools aren't delivering what they used to, and the growing number of new families moving to town can see that they aren't getting the bang for the buck that they were promised. With the 2006 Allegheny County real estate assessments on the horizon, people are nervous that the school district won't adjust the millage rate downward, even though it should. The town has more police officers than it needs, IMO, and it recently approved installation of "traffic calming" speed bumps on a local street even though a regular diet of speeding tickets -- there and elsewhere (I'd be happy to suggest intersections) -- would be just as effective.
3. Lack of meaningful racial and ethnic diversity. Mt. Lebanon isn't atypical on this score, but there is a corresponding lack of public concern and public effort to address the problem. Just take a look at the photos that illustrate the Mt. Lebanon website. A year ago an African-American family that had rented a house in our neighborhood for several years decided to buy a house in Sewickley rather than stay here.
2. Needs more locally-based retail. Mt. Lebanon's streetside commercial businesses are a mixed bag. For every winner of a locally-owned business like Aldo Coffee (on Washington Road; hands-down the most interesting coffee house in town), there's a chain outlet nearby. The best thing about what Mt. Lebanon calls "Uptown" (the retail stretch along Washington Road) is that it includes a half-dozen restaurants, plus two coffee houses, an old-fashioned little bakery, two pizza counters, a breakfast counter, a sandwich store, and a candy shop. How many of those are Mt. Lebanon-only locations, locally-owned? Not enough.
1. Absence of meaningful, constructive public criticism of Mt. Lebanon. Mt. Lebanon magazine costs the municipality about $40,000 per year, net of advertising revenue. That's not a lot. Is it too much to ask that the magazine do a little less cheerleading and a little more description of how and what people are really doing here? (Maybe so, if the magazine is primarily a marketing tool for the real estate community.) The scandal over the departure of the Superintendent of Schools continues to reverberate, not only through the recent school board elections but in the recent announcement by the school board that it intends to elevate the current acting superintendent to the permanent superintendent's position. Without a search. This is the best we can do? The magazine's staff has the best tools and contacts in town. Maybe it could write a bit about the district's struggles, and its plans (does it have them?) to get back on track.
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VII)
Today's topic: Regional geography.
After seven years in Pittsburgh, I am just starting to get the hang of local geography, which means that when the local news mentions an event somewhere, I actually have some sense of where that is. Pittsburgh (the City) has lots and lots of neighborhoods (I'd quote a number, but someone would correct me -- so I'll just wait for this particular debate to break out (again) in the Comments), many of which were once independent towns. Beyond the city limits, Allegheny County has lots and lots of governments, which would be difficult enough to keep track of if names and boundaries followed a sensible system -- but names of boroughs and townships and municipalities may or may not overlap with names of school districts, or of Postal Service zip codes, or even with common sense. (Perhaps in the Comments someone with a good, concise knowledge of local government can explain the differences among a borough, and a township, and a municipality. Where I come from (California), everyone just lived in towns.)
But the important point for newscomers is this: People who live here tend to assume that everyone already knows where everything is. Traffic lights on Fifth Avenue, as it passes through Shadyside, now include street signs to mark the major cross-streets. My understanding is that putting up signs to tell people the names of the streets was controversial when it was done -- and that this was sometime during the last decade. Is that right? I lived in Iowa for a while, a state that has its own share of little towns. When the Des Moines Register -- then a statewide newspaper -- published a story about news in some little town, it included a helpful little map that located the town on a graphic of the state. Don't expect the Post-Gazette to do anything similar, for Allegheny County or any of its neighbors.
Our multiplicity of place has more important implications than knowing where everyone is. My friend Chris Briem has assembled this useful primer on regional government, which makes the case that the Pittsburgh region has nearly 1000 local governments. Pittsburgh City and Allegheny County governments are only the tips of a very large iceberg. That's a lot, and it supports the argument (by some) that the Pittsburgh economy could move ahead more effectively if we had fewer.
UPDATE: Susanna's pointer to "Wexford does not exist" (does too!) deserves a place in this post.
Previous installments:
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VI)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part V)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part IV)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part III)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part II)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part I)
After seven years in Pittsburgh, I am just starting to get the hang of local geography, which means that when the local news mentions an event somewhere, I actually have some sense of where that is. Pittsburgh (the City) has lots and lots of neighborhoods (I'd quote a number, but someone would correct me -- so I'll just wait for this particular debate to break out (again) in the Comments), many of which were once independent towns. Beyond the city limits, Allegheny County has lots and lots of governments, which would be difficult enough to keep track of if names and boundaries followed a sensible system -- but names of boroughs and townships and municipalities may or may not overlap with names of school districts, or of Postal Service zip codes, or even with common sense. (Perhaps in the Comments someone with a good, concise knowledge of local government can explain the differences among a borough, and a township, and a municipality. Where I come from (California), everyone just lived in towns.)
But the important point for newscomers is this: People who live here tend to assume that everyone already knows where everything is. Traffic lights on Fifth Avenue, as it passes through Shadyside, now include street signs to mark the major cross-streets. My understanding is that putting up signs to tell people the names of the streets was controversial when it was done -- and that this was sometime during the last decade. Is that right? I lived in Iowa for a while, a state that has its own share of little towns. When the Des Moines Register -- then a statewide newspaper -- published a story about news in some little town, it included a helpful little map that located the town on a graphic of the state. Don't expect the Post-Gazette to do anything similar, for Allegheny County or any of its neighbors.
Our multiplicity of place has more important implications than knowing where everyone is. My friend Chris Briem has assembled this useful primer on regional government, which makes the case that the Pittsburgh region has nearly 1000 local governments. Pittsburgh City and Allegheny County governments are only the tips of a very large iceberg. That's a lot, and it supports the argument (by some) that the Pittsburgh economy could move ahead more effectively if we had fewer.
UPDATE: Susanna's pointer to "Wexford does not exist" (does too!) deserves a place in this post.
Previous installments:
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VI)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part V)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part IV)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part III)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part II)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part I)
Isaly's Mapping
Thanks to Mark Stroup of Small Streams for getting started on the Isaly's Map Challenge.
The first version of Mark's map is here. Post area Isaly's addresses/locations in the Comments, or send them to Mark.
The first version of Mark's map is here. Post area Isaly's addresses/locations in the Comments, or send them to Mark.
Friday, July 08, 2005
UPMC and the Stentor Deal
So UPMC walks away with $36 million after selling its stake in Stentor, which is just fine for UPMC. But it's positively bizarre for anyone to accept the claim that UPMC's increasing its commercialization of medical technologies helps job growth in Pittsburgh. (I understand why UPMC would make the claim; I just don't understand why anyone would buy it.) This is biotech and biomed, and more robust high tech markets than Pittsburgh have learned, over the last 25 years, that both biotech and biomed means lots of capital, lots of little companies, and if all goes really, really well, a handful of big winners a long ways down the road. Maybe biotech will bring lots of jobs to Pittsburgh someday, but in the short term -- that is, over the next few years -- it will bring them by the thimble-ful.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Play Pittsburgh?
Via the Conglomerate (a blog by a group of law professors, with various non-law tastes) comes word of Play in the City, a blog that does Pittsblog many times better by promoting the good times to be had in Milwaukee. Play in the City is subsidized by the Milwaukee tourism folks, but it reads "authentic," and (unlike the PA Tourism travel blogs) it has an RSS feed.
Are there other city-promo blogs out there?
Are there other city-promo blogs out there?
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Isaly's Map Challenge
A friend mentioned the other day that it would be a cool thing to have a map of all present and former Isaly's locations.
If you're motivated to do this, we have the technology. Can someone supply a list of addresses?
If you're motivated to do this, we have the technology. Can someone supply a list of addresses?
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part VI)
Today's topic: Language
Special bonus: Cleveland
A lot of regions in this country have dialects that are sources of special pride (and occasionally sources of special embarrassment). Speech patterns are more than just ways of talking. They are ways of thinking and living. Pittsburgh, home of the Yinzer, is no exception. Study your Pittsburghese if you want to understand the local conversation. If you're not a newcomer, and if that site is missing your favorite word or phrase, send it in or put it in the Comments. Personally, I'm always on the lookout for "Caketown" (a slightly dated term for Mt. Lebanon), and for the syntax that constructs phrases like "the lawn needs mowed."
Bear in mind that Pittsburghese is not necessarily a class thing, much as our enemies to the northwest might have it. It's more important than that.
UPDATE (11:25 a.m. Tuesday 7/5): Pittsburgh is unabashedly a "pop" town, not a "soda" city. Those of us who grew up in certain nether parts of the country know this stuff as "soft drinks," a phrase that we know better than to use publicly in these parts. "Coke" means Coca-Cola; it's not generic for pop. Milk without fat is "skim," not "non-fat" (as it is in some places); this may make a difference if you brave your local Starbucks. And to many Pittsburghers, "beer" is pronounced "ahrn." Though maybe not for too much longer.
Previous installments:
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part V)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part IV)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part III)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part II)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part I)
Special bonus: Cleveland
A lot of regions in this country have dialects that are sources of special pride (and occasionally sources of special embarrassment). Speech patterns are more than just ways of talking. They are ways of thinking and living. Pittsburgh, home of the Yinzer, is no exception. Study your Pittsburghese if you want to understand the local conversation. If you're not a newcomer, and if that site is missing your favorite word or phrase, send it in or put it in the Comments. Personally, I'm always on the lookout for "Caketown" (a slightly dated term for Mt. Lebanon), and for the syntax that constructs phrases like "the lawn needs mowed."
Bear in mind that Pittsburghese is not necessarily a class thing, much as our enemies to the northwest might have it. It's more important than that.
UPDATE (11:25 a.m. Tuesday 7/5): Pittsburgh is unabashedly a "pop" town, not a "soda" city. Those of us who grew up in certain nether parts of the country know this stuff as "soft drinks," a phrase that we know better than to use publicly in these parts. "Coke" means Coca-Cola; it's not generic for pop. Milk without fat is "skim," not "non-fat" (as it is in some places); this may make a difference if you brave your local Starbucks. And to many Pittsburghers, "beer" is pronounced "ahrn." Though maybe not for too much longer.
Previous installments:
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part V)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part IV)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part III)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part II)
Welcome to Pittsburgh (Part I)
Friday, July 01, 2005
Greek Festival Guide
I asked earlier about a guide to Greek festivals in Pittsburgh this summer.
The guide is online here (pdf file; pdf reader required).
Next up: Greek Day at Kennywood, July 26. Followed by Greek festivals at Ypapanti (East Pittsburgh) (August 18-21), Annunciation (New Kensington) (August 21), Holy Trinity (Ambridge) (August25-27), and Holy Trinity (North Side) (August 31-September 4). Addresses, directions, and times are linked above.
The guide is online here (pdf file; pdf reader required).
Next up: Greek Day at Kennywood, July 26. Followed by Greek festivals at Ypapanti (East Pittsburgh) (August 18-21), Annunciation (New Kensington) (August 21), Holy Trinity (Ambridge) (August25-27), and Holy Trinity (North Side) (August 31-September 4). Addresses, directions, and times are linked above.
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