pittsburgh bloggers - All Blog Headlines

Studio Work Begins

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:33:32 -0400

Well, today I officially began new studio work. All my music and studio gear is in place and ready, so today I began creating click tracks for a couple of songs. Boring, but necessary. All studio blog enties will be made under this new topic.

College players making a splash in ‘09 Draft

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:31:38 -0400

62 US College players were taken in this year’s NHL Draft. It’s been said that US players haven’t been able to make a substantial impact in the NHL as much as players coming out of the Canadian Junior Leagues, such as the OHL or QMJHL, where for example this year’s No. 1 pick, Johnathan [...]

A Farewell To Rob Scuderi

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:01:26 -0400

In a few short years, Scuderi has gone from being a fish out of water to a big fish in a small sea.

Rain and blown leads [Mets 9 Pirates 8]

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:52:42 -0400

I was hoping for a quick, relatively ordinary game today. It was a 12:35 scheduled start and I had work at 5:00 (and it would take 45 minutes to get from place to place). This game was far from ordinary. Or quick.As soon as we had bought tickets (college student discount FTW–good seats for 10 [...]

Opposition wants climate change action from Ottawa (AFP)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:40:24 -0400

AFP - The Liberal Party, Canada's main opposition group, warned the government Thursday against blocking an international deal to combat climate change, due to be negotiated in Copenhagen this December.

North to Alaska (yes, the rush is on)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:37:12 -0400

We’re heading off on an Alaskan cruise tomorrow! And it’s 6:00 p.m. and I’m not packed! I do, however, have the laundry done, and dog Lucy bathed one last time for her skin condition, and the ointment swabbed on her crusty back, and notes all over the kitchen instructing the dogs-and-cat sitter, and the 4 [...]

Getting It In

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:31:20 -0400

So as not to end up in the same predicament as yesterday I made sure to get out on the road before our daily dose of rain showers occurred. Mission Accomplished.

Nothing spectacular today. Just my normal 30 mile loop. Oddly my "30 mile loop" could describe about 3 or 4 routes I have. As hard as I try, they ALL seem to end up at 30 to 32 mile. WTF? No worries though, since that's about what my morning ride time allows.

Since I was doing a loop I thought I'd lay down
some extra loops in the form of some sweet skids...

I found it hard to believe it was the second of July. The skies were as gray as cougar's bacon strip and the temps were only in the mid 60s. It's JULY!! It felt like early April. But hey, I ain't bitchin' I'm EMBRACING the W.S.E. baby!

Fifth blast hits Canada gas pipeline: police (AFP)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:56:19 -0400

AFP - A gas leak at a pipeline owned by EnCana in Canada's western British Columbia province was caused by a blast that police said Thursday is the fifth act of sabotage in the region since October 2008.

State Representative Dan Frankel on the Allegheny County Non-Dscrimination ordinance

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:53:23 -0400

Rep. Dan B. Frankel, State Representative, 23^rd Legislative District

I’m sorry I can’t be here today in person to commend Allegheny County for addressing this critical issue of fairness under the law; but I wanted to put it on record that I very much hope you’ll see fit to create a Human Relations Commission for Allegheny County.
Pennsylvanians have already decided that discrimination is wrong.
We’ve decided that it’s wrong when people discriminate based on the color of someone’s skin; whether they get around with the assistance of a wheelchair or a seeing eye dog; or whether they pray in a church, a synagogue, or a mosque.
It’s time to recognize, as a community, that it’s also wrong to discriminate based on who somebody falls in love with, or how they express their gender.
As the prime sponsor of House Bill 300, which would extend protection from discrimination to the LGBT community for all Pennsylvanians, I often get asked whether or not the problem of discrimination is real.

Pgh Councilman Bruce Kraus on the Allegheny County Non-Discrimination ordinance

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:52:18 -0400

Public comment of Pittsburgh City Councilor Bruce Kraus at the July 1, 2009 Allegheny County Council meeting.
Years have passed since the Stonewall Riots gave birth to the fight to achieve social equality for GLBT people everywhere, and yet today, still the struggle continues. We struggle against the modern day Anita Bryant’s of the world, against the stereotypes and myths, against the lies and distortions, against governments determined to deny us our rightful place in society. Somehow government hasn’t gotten the message that GLBT people will not sit quietly by while being viewed as the last socially acceptable, some even argue justifiable, targets of discrimination with our society.

Visionary Pittsburgh leader, Mayor David Lawrence, fully understanding the value of ensuring a “seat at table” for all people, was instrumental in the establishment of the Mayor’s Commission on Human Relations as far back as 1954; some fifty five years ago.
In 1976, via the City Charter, the Commission was established as an independent agency of City government, renamed the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission and charged with protecting the rights of every Pittsburgher to equal treatment under the law in issues of employment, housing and public accommodations.
Nineteen Ninety saw the first City Council election by district, assembling for the first time in our history, a governing body truly representative of Pittsburgh, in all its complexity and diversity.

North Korea. Show of bravado?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:47:14 -0400

Given their recent and continuing missile tests, might be of interest to re visit this Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report of 10 October, 2006
here, where you'll also find the image source.

TSX slides on weak oil, U.S. jobs data (Reuters)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:29:14 -0400

Reuters - Toronto's main stock index finished lower on Thursday as oil prices slid and a gloomy U.S. jobs report dimmed hopes for a quick economic recovery.

Pivotal Civil Rights Victory in Western Pennsylvania

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:24:13 -0400

With the passage of the Allegheny County Human Relations Commission ordinance, Allegheny County has taken a step forward with regard to statewide equality for the LGBTQ community. I was privileged to be in attendance at last night's meeting and witness this little bit of history. I want to share with you the reflections of various community leaders before posting my own thoughts.
"While it still stuns me that people actually were against this bill – that they wanted permission to discriminate and didn’t see any problem with that – I am grateful today for Councilwoman Greene and the council members who voted yes. They brought the county up to speed with what the city did 2 decades ago, and they fulfilled their responsibility to make Allegheny County a safe place to live and work. I wish Persad Founder, Randy Forrester, was alive today to see this, since he was so active in the earlier city ordinance. I hope that the religious exemption is not used to continue discrimination – especially in social service agencies that receive public dollars to help people. Most people outside of the LGBT community that I talked to didn’t realize that before this bill passed yesterday, that it was perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay – most of the Joe Publics of the world realized that this was just not fair." Betty Hill, Executive Director of Persad Center
"I am very happy about this and now the battle becomes statewide.We have funded the Women's Law Project who have been working for statewide LGBT rights for years." August "Buzz" Pusateri, Board Member, Lambda Foundation of Pittsburgh
http://viscog.beckman.illinois.edu/flashmovie/15.php

One picture from the Seton Hill Residency Workshop. Ah, look, I am laughing. I didn't really talk to Betsy Mitchell or Uwe Stender, but I crawled through the cockroach-infested sub-sub- basements with the two NY agents, Diana Fox and Joanna Stampfel-Volpe. They talk faster than people 'round these parts. Good thing I was born in NY. Big Catherine Asaro fans. I just got Diamond Star, but I have to hold off reading it.

TPI wasn't crazy about my "Dancing in the Light" story (1999). Huh. Nice reviews that just went up for an old issue of the magazine.
http://tpi-reads.blogspot.com/2009/06/analog-science-fiction-and-fact_22.html
"Contains also very tacked on saccharine romance subplot."

A guy came up to me after my "Pseudoscience" talk today and said he remembered and liked my "Hullabaloo" story in Analog (2001). Huh.

Loved seeing Ian Randal Strock today. I have to make his talk tomorrow, "Stupid Author Tricks: How to Keep Yourself from Getting Published."

Sheila Williams sent us Asimov's T-shirts for the faculty and staff of Alpha. We just added a new Alpha staff member, Amy Treadwell, newly moved to Pittsburgh. This makes me very happy.

Settlers of Catan, anyone?

Any teachers out there use WebAssign?
http://www.webassign.net/

I promised myself I could go swimming as soon as I have tomorrow's talk outline done. I have exo-planets and flying cars done and 100 more science topics to go . . . polywell fusion? (boron a