June 29, 2007

This, That, T'Other

It's About Time: We all know it. Stanley Denton, a member of the state Board of Control overseeing Duquesne School District, is finally saying it publicly.

Denton tells Mary Niederberger of the Post-Gazette that West Mifflin Area School District's day-late, dollar-short proposal to manage Duquesne High School is a con game:

"This plan feeds on the pain and agony that the [Duquesne] community is experiencing over losing their high school and it gives them a false sense of hope that maybe there is a way that they can keep their school," said Dr. Denton, an assistant professor of education at Point Park University.

"They are not interested in helping Duquesne residents to keep their school open. This plan is created to keep the Duquesne students out of West Mifflin."

Meanwhile, a new study from the University of Pittsburgh indicates that the Pittsburgh metropolitan area is one of the most segregated in the country, and that African-Americans in Western Pennsylvania get paid less and get worse job opportunities than black residents in other regions.

That's not necessarily related to the Duquesne-West Mifflin situation, right?

. . .

Alleghenee Genac Genac Genac: Speaking of Pitt, a couple of people from the Mon-Yough area will be inaugurated today into the university's prestigious "Cathedral of Learning Society," which honors philanthropists who have donated more than a million dollars:

• Dr. Thomas E. Cadman was born in Homestead and graduated from McKeesport High School. He began his medical career at McKeesport Hospital. Cadman later became a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia and a researcher and director of pediatric neurology at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. He died in March 2006.



• Thomas Usher, former president, CEO and chairman of the board of U.S. Steel, spent an early part of his 41-year career with the corporation as a management trainee at National Works in McKeesport. He and his wife, Sandra, have directed their recent efforts toward raising and donating money for cancer research.



• Gordon Vanscoy of Irwin is associate dean of Pitt's School of Pharmacy and a professor of pharmacy and therapeutics. The author of more than 200 scientific papers, Vanscoy is a highly sought-after consultant in pharmaceutical education and training; he and his wife, Bethann, have established an endowed chair and an endowment fund at the school of pharmacy.

They'll join other inductees, including Arnold Palmer, at a by-invitation-only ceremony in Oakland tonight.

. . .

A Reminder: Opinions expressed at the Almanac do not represent those of the University of Pittsburgh, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, or the members of the Coulter Uplift Society.

. . .

Holiday Ro-o-o-o-o-ad: In a lengthy profile, the Boston Globe recounts how Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential hopeful, strapped the family dog inside a car carrier on the roof of the family's Chevy station wagon during a vacation trip in the early 1980s. The dog relieved himself all over the roof.

Maybe Mitt Romney's family thought that the anecdote was endearing and sweet. To me it's just creepy, and it makes him sound like a control freak. You'd strap your dog to the roof of the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and then take off down the highway?

Besides, his father was the one-time president of AMC. What was he doing driving a Chevy in the early 1980s? He should have had a Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

Now there's a vehicle that an Irish setter would be proud to pee on.

. . .

CQ CQ K3RAP: I promised to post a couple of audio excerpts from last weekend's ARRL Field Day. First, a little explanation. After making an antenna from 100 feet of bailing wire (cost, four dollars at Able True Value Home Center in North Versailles), I took my 1967-vintage Heathkit GR-54 shortwave radio out onto the back porch and hooked it up.

I bought the old beast at a flea market about 15 years ago. I've got a new digital radio I could have used, but it was a nice, cool Saturday evening and I thought the nostalgia value of sitting with a bottle of beer and smelling the dust cooking on the vacuum tubes would be pleasant.

Well. It wasn't a high-end radio "back in the day," and it was positively lousy when literally thousands of ham radio operators were trying to contact each other on Saturday night. What you'll hear in the two excerpts are lots of people talking on top of each other (it's not a particularly sensitive or selective radio) and me trying to clarify what they're saying with the fine tuning knobs.

(Clip 1, Clip 2)

As I said earlier this week, it was like trying to catch butterflies with a bulldozer. But it was a fun experiment, and maybe I'll go out again this Saturday night if the weather is nice and see what's "on the wind."

Depending on my frustration level, it's liable to be the radio itself when I throw it across the back yard. It should make one heck of a "thud."

. . .

To Do This Weekend: The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus will perform at a free concert tonight at 1900 hours ... er, 7 p.m. ... at the bandshell in Renziehausen Park.

Posted at 08:17 am by jt3y
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June 28, 2007

Last One Out, Turn Off The Lights

New U.S. Census Bureau figures indicate that Our Fair City has lost about 1,600 residents since 2000. (Townships, Cities and Boroughs)

The latest estimates peg the city's population at 22,408, down from 24,040 at the decennial census, or 7.3 percent. The situation is the same wherever you go in the Mon-Yough area, and even tiny gains in places like Rostraver and North Huntingdon are offset by losses in the surrounding boroughs and townships:

Population Changes For Mon-Yough Communities
	2006 (est.)	2000 count	% change
City of Clairton	7,963	8,491	-6.6
City of Duquesne	6,778	7,332	-8.2
East McKeesport borough	2,171	2,343	-7.9
Glassport borough	4,612	4,993	-8.3
Homestead borough	3,486	3,569	-2.4
Liberty borough	2,473	2,670	-8.0
Munhall borough	11,358	12,264	-8.0
North Versailles township	10,414	11,125	-6.8
Swissvale borough	8,909	9,653	-8.4
West Mifflin borough	20,957	22,464	-7.2
Washington County
City of Monongahela	4,502	4,761	-5.8
Union township	5,450	5,599	-2.7
Westmoreland County
Irwin borough	4,145	4,366	-5.3
North Huntingdon township	29,432	29,123	+1.1
Rostraver township	11,735	11,634	+0.8
Trafford borough	3,077	3,236	-5.2
Tube City Almanac / Source: U.S. Census Bureau

(Editor's Note: West Mifflin's population is down 7.2 percent. No wonder those schools are so overcrowded!)

I haven't sat down and really parsed the data yet, but my gut reaction is that I don't think people are actively fleeing like they did in the 1980s.

Instead, I suspect we're losing population mainly because residents are dying and no new people are moving to the region.

Hey, if people don't want to live here, that's fine with me. That's more kielbassi and iced tea cartons for the rest of us. We're going for quality, not quantity in the Mon Valley, and if this trend continues, the Mon Valley will become an exclusive artists colony rivaling the Left Bank of Paris.

Paris Hilton, that is.

. . .

Speaking of the Unspeakable: According to a story in last night's News (no story online), a North Versailles woman wrote a fan letter to Paris Hilton and received a personal reply. She's going to auction the letter on eBay to benefit the Cathy G Charities.

The story reports that Hilton is going to try to turn her life around.

Step 1: Wear underpants.

. . .

Quality, Not Quantity: In case anyone was wondering how important the Tube City Almanac really is, yesterday The Burgh Blog linked here and my readership tripled.

Yes, I had three readers. (Rimshot.)

At least the pecking order between The Burgh Blog and the Almanac should be clear. In terms of Web popularity, this site ranks somewhere between the blogs of the Washington County Rock Salt Association and the Muslim Committee of Wilmerding.

A couple of people are accusing me of "outing" or "stalking" PittGirl. Oh, puh-leeze. I narrowed her location down to 27 square miles based on photos of obvious local landmarks. Good Lord, someone get a restraining order against me before I reveal other sensitive details, like the location of the Monroeville exit of the Turnpike.

Even if I did know her identity, I wouldn't reveal it. If she wants to remain anonymous, that's fine with me. I can respect that. But as a guy who writes about the McKeesport area, I thought it was interesting to see that another writer with such a big following is from nearby. That's all.

As for the small size of my readership, it's not the size, it's how you use it. Tube City Almanac strives for readers of quality, not quantity.

As an Almanac reader, you are in a very select group of literate, politically active, and keenly astute people who are interested in the Mon Valley, and who also are very susceptible to flattery.

Posted at 08:07 am by jt3y
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June 27, 2007

Lights, Camera, Answers

We interrupt the normal blather that passes for "insightful" "commentary" at Tube City Almanac to reach into the email bag, where we've got a nice message from Mike Wilson, director of the upcoming documentary about Our Fair City:

I saw your post today about the flick and I just wanted to send you a note. I was happy that you took note of my comments to Eric Slagle. The truth is, I spent a month in McKeesport, and I (and my crew) fell in love with the city, the people and the idea that a city could be given a second chance, in the same way that a person could. It's powerful and profound, and it makes me proud to be an American.

Is this an anti-union, anti-democratic-party piece? Of course not. If you saw "Michael Moore Hates America" you know that the title emerges from a scene where I criticize David Horowitz (who, to this day, has not forgiven me), and that the film itself is pretty apolitical. The title incites the left to riotous thoughts, but when they see the film, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I will talk about several sides of what resulted in the collapse of the city, but I'll be fair. There were the unions, the management, the global changes going on, even the malls ... all had a hand in the trouble the city saw and is recovering from. But I promise to be fair... that's kind of why I make docs...

Anyhoo, I just wanted to shoot you a note to let you know that your site was one of the places we went to find info, and where we discovered some of the love we found for the city. I give you my word that I'm not out to point blame, but to make a film that tells the story of an American city that went through a boom, a bust, and is now trying desperately to save itself. And I'm happy that you're talking about it. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have questions.

I won't print my complete reply to Mike, but I want to make sure no one thinks I was pouring cold water on this project. I am actually very excited about Wilson's film; if I'm hyper-sensitive, it's because I've lived here for 30-plus years and watched the media, particularly the Pittsburgh TV stations and newspapers, kick around McKeesport and the rest of the Mon Valley for a long time.

I don't think that the political viewpoint that Mike Wilson or any other journalist might bring is necessarily a bad thing. Potentially, it's a good thing. I'm more worried that there will be a knee-jerk reaction that might prevent this film from getting the exposure it deserves. That's not Wilson's fault, but it is a possible hurdle.

Frankly, one big problem in this country is that the left is getting its news from leftist sources, and the right is getting its news from rightist sources. We'd be in better shape if more liberals would read National Review or Reason, and conservatives would watch "Countdown With Keith Olbermann" or read Mother Jones, instead of us picking news sources that reinforce our own prejudices.

Mike has offered to address any questions. If you have any, email me and I'll be more than happy to pass them along.

. . .

What, No Fava Beans?: Also in the mailbag, Chris Potter of City Paper writes to say that he's best served "with a nice Riesling." He's also issued a warning to his staff "to keep an eye out for a tiger wielding cutlery."

All I'm saying, Chris, is that if you hear growling and feel hot breath on the back of your neck, it might not be Colin McNickle from the Tribune-Review.

. . .

In Other Business: Former Cornell Elementary School security guard Thomas Hose goes directly to jail, without passing "Go" or collecting $200, after pleading guilty to holding Tanya Kach captive in his house for 10 years.

Allegheny County Judge John Zottola sentenced Hose to 15 years in state prison. Let's see how Hose likes being cooped up.

According to published reports (Post-Gazette, Trib), Hose actually interrupted Kach's statement to the judge to argue that by keeping her prisoner, he was protecting her.

Hose hereby wins a Tube City Almanac Lifetime Achievement Award for Pure, Unmitigated Gall.

Meanwhile, former city funeral director Robert Winston has pleaded guilty to theft and abuse of a corpse. You'll recall that the former owner of Newman-Winston Funeral Chapel on Jenny Lind Street was supposed to cremate the remains of more than 19 babies and 300 stillborn fetuses from Magee-Womens Hospital; instead he stored them in his garage.

Winston says he ran into financial difficulty before he could fulfill the contract. It's nothing like the financial difficulty he's about to face --- at least six families are suing him.

. . .

Despite Popular Demand: I promised yesterday to post some audio from Field Day. I've got it, but I'm going to hold it for tomorrow. Try to curb your enthusiasm.

Posted at 07:42 am by jt3y
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June 26, 2007

Adventures in Hackitude

Now, in a special investigative report you'll see only at Tube City Almanac (mainly because it's not all that investigative or special), our crack research team has determined that PittGirl, author of the popular Burgh Blog, is from the Mon-Yough area ... in fact, PittGirl is actually "NorwinGirl"!

(SFX: Needle scrapes across record in jukebox.)

The signs have been there all along. Her fascination with Westmoreland County police blotters. Her trips to the Giant Eagle on Route 30. Her references to living "16 miles from downtown."

Lately there have also been several mentions of the Homestead High-Level (OK, the "Homestead Grays") Bridge. Your Honor, we all know that no one who's a native of the Mon-Yough area uses the Parkway East if they don't have to. I'd like to introduce as Exhibit A this report from Google Maps which indicates the distance from Pittsburgh's City-County Building to the North Huntingdon Town House.

Note that "16 miles" from the City-County Building puts us in the vicinity of Penn-Lincoln Memorial Park, across from the former Hi-Way Tux Shop.

(SFX: Gasps of amazement. A woman in the gallery screams.)

Now, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit Exhibit B --- last week's photo of the sign outside Berks ("Berks! Berks!") Mens' Wear in Norwin Shopping Center.

I say that PittGirl is a Trib-subscribin', Kerber-Dairy-ice-cream-eatin' kind of lady who knows how to get from Markvue Manor to Harrison City without using Route 30.

I suppose there's a chance she's also Penn-Trafford Girl or even Hempfield Girl ... maybe Murrysville Girl ... but Dr. Pica Pole, director of the Tube City Online Research Laboratory, says there's a "74 percent probability" that PittGirl is from North Huntingdon or Irwin. (There's a "100 percent probability" that I just made that up.)

Join us, PittGirl. You know that underneath your worldly and street-smart exterior, there's a big-haired girl who wants to drink iced tea from the carton and walk around the Mon Valley wearing stone-washed jeans with high heels.

Off-stage, I can hear the other freaks shouting "One! Of! Us! One! Of! Us!"

. . .

P.S.: Did anyone else notice that thing started out as an "investigative report," segued into a courtroom scene, and wound up as a bad horror movie? Talk about your hack writing.

. . .

Dot's Not All: At the invitation of Alert Reader Bill, on Saturday afternoon I visited White Oak Park, which is along the border with (crashing piano chord) North Huntingdon! That's where McKeesport-based Two Rivers Amateur Radio Club was holding its Field Day festivities.

Sponsored each year by the American Radio Relay League and other amateur radio groups from around the world, Field Day is a test to see whether local clubs and other "hams" are capable of getting on the air and staying in communication in the event of a major catastrophic emergency.

Along with a portable power plant loaned by AT&T (Cingular Wireless) and members' tents, camping equipment, and portable antennas the club had established a successful base within a few hours Saturday morning near the water tower on Carpenter Lane and was operating on four different radio wavelengths. One member was making better than one contact per minute with operators in the U.S. and Canada.

There's a perception that hams are all laboriously clicking out messages in Morse code on telegraph keys with antique radios. Several Two Rivers operators were using Morse on Saturday, but mainly to conserve bandwidth and to punch through atmospheric noise --- code has a way of cutting through the static.

Otherwise, the Field Day set-ups were modern, using computer-controlled receivers and loggers and digital signal processing.

Special thanks to Vickie Petrulis, N3XBX, and Chuck Gessner, KC3ET, for their hospitality; if you're interested in amateur radio, the club meets the third Tuesday of each month, except August and December, at McKeesport Area High School on Eden Park Boulevard.

. . .

Stay Tuned: I should have said "most hams" are using modern equipment. I'm using junk. I was talking to someone from the club using the rig in my car when the microphone crapped out in mid-sentence. That's embarrassing, to say the least.

When I got home, I got about 100 feet of steel bailing wire and strung a simple antenna from the back porch to the end of my property line. Then I connected a couple of old 1970s-vintage shortwave receivers and listened into Field Day activities for a while. Total cost of the receiving set-up: About $10.

Well, it was like trying to catch butterflies with a bulldozer. I'll post a few audio excerpts for you tomorrow and you can see what I mean.

Posted at 07:35 am by jt3y
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