Safety not an issue for House Of Representatives

The cell phone ban has been defeated in the house because they’d rather put an additional $50 fine on a ticket.  Now a whopping $50 is really going to stop people from using cells while driving (especially a rebellious teen with a fake jewel encrusted cutie phone).  The $50 really helps those families of cell phone induced wrecks with the funeral arrangements and family loss after someone talking on a cell driving kills one of their family.  It makes you wonder how much the cell phone industry contributed to the future election funds of House Of Representatives members.

This is just a completely, and totally clueless action by the House Of Representatives that could have easily increases road safety by a decent percentage.  Obama may be a chance, bt obviously the House is not one.  This is a typical instance of our government selling out our safety for another industry.

Click Here for a reference article from Tom Barnes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Click Here for an older (and slightly more humorous) post about the cell phone ban.

To the 95 members of the House that voted “Nay!” … you all get a clueless award.

-SWB

PS – To those idiots with the phones stuck to the sides of their heads driving …. that {{thump}} wasn’t a speed bump.

PNC deal set for National City branches

If you are a National City customer at some of the smaller branches, you might want to read this one.  According to this article by Patricia Sabatini of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette a deal had been reached for the required sale of 61 National City branches. If you are wondering what branches those are, there is an article published by Entrepreneur.com on December 8th, 2008 that has links to the listing of branches to be sold and details about the other 11 branches listed for future sale.

FYI – you can only find out what branch your account sits at if you call National City Bank to find out from customer service or ask at an actual branch.

-SWB

Historic Tavern in West End may get demolished

This is sort of a FYI and a call out to anyone with connections. See if you can get people interested in pushing this historic status nomination through. The Old Stone Tavern (possibly dating back to the 1750s) could be demolished if John DeSantis doesn’t have any luck getting historic status for the site before the demolition date. The site has been in operation since since the 1750s up to two years ago. A tavern from the 1750s (if it could be preserved and maybe reopened) would be an interesting part of the living history of Pittsburgh. The vote on May 6 is for it’s historic nomination according to the article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Diana Nelson Jones and in this article as seen in The Tribune-Review by Tony LaRussa.

Here is also a West End Neighborhood blog entry on the nomination.

-SWB

PS – Sometimes saving a little history goes miles for giving people much hope for the future.

Drunken Woodland Hills Rat Pack

Just our luck – we were scanning the news sites for someone or something to give a “Clueless Award” to and we found five youngsters that worked so very hard to gain our attention.

The five youngsters that are all aged 13 made the grade. The brought alcohol to school, and one went as far as to get so drunk he had to be taken to the hospital. Now, kids in my day did those things around 15 or 16 … and had enough sense to avoid cameras, and not fall over drunk (it kind of gives your condition away). Don’t get any idea that SWB condones this … but that we are just pointing out that if they are starting this young, the are striving hard for get a Darwin Award each.

The “Clueless Award” goes to the teen five-some and their parents, because I’m sorry – because there is some responsibility to teach your kids a slight bit o’ common sense.

Click Here for the incident as logged by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

-SWB

PS – “Look Tommy”, the student said to another while pointing at a security camera with a bottle of booze, “I think that might be a security camera.” Looking at the camera, Tommy replied, “I think so …. oops …. Johny just passed out drunk. Do you think we’ll get in trouble?”

FYI – I see future “Yinzers” in the making.

Kids – a personal message from SWB: “You didn’t look cool, you just looked stupid – and that will stick with you for a long, long time.”

Pitt Ends March on a Cold, Sad Note ….

Along with my face looking like this for my Monday self-portrait, it also looked the same way (with a little more frown and some tears) when both Pitt men and Women mad the Sweet 16, but got knocked out shortly thereafter.

Even with ESPN, WPXI, The President, People in the NCAA having high hopes for Pitt’s men and women’s team … it didn’t happen. But they did try really, hard, made it a long way, and probably feel really sad right now … so if you see one of the team members around town, show them a little caring by patting them on the back and thanking them for trying for our city.

Click Here for an article by Ron Cook of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the Pitt Men’s Team loss, and Click Here for the article by Paul Zeise from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on the Pitt Women’s Team loss.

-SWB

PS – You can stop singing … the ball has stopped bouncing. {sniff}.

The Top Pork Man – John Murtha

Normally any spending or earmarks by a political representative can go right under “Utter Nonsense and Such” by default.  Especially when it’s a man everyone loves to hate: John Murtha.  Click Here fore the story that was in the online Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sunday March 29th.  It is an interesting article because it shows Murtha supporting and bringing in jobs to an area that was almost destroyed by unemployment due to the steel industry leaving, and by natural disasters (flooding)and such.

This is actually a good example and a good article that makes you think.  Is it right that ther are earmarks for that area ….. especially when some of it inevitably will be used to recover homes and businesses from the next flooding?  Or is it right to leave the area basically turn into a ghost town at some point and leave the work find it’s way into another part of the country that may be seen as more beneficial to our nation?

John Murtha admits to taking advantage of a system that need to be cleaned up – but the question is: should he be looked upon badly if he really is want to help others and does his helping others in one area cause grief for another?

So, it’s “Utter Nonsense and Such” that the only way people in Johnstown PA can be helped is because the system is corrupt, maybe not so much because someone is taking advantage of it in this situation.

Read the article linked above – it’s quite interesting for Sunday morning.

-SWB

Cell phone ban in cars for PA drivers

Voters in PA are going to support banning the use of cell phones. Click Here for the reference article from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

SWB sees some major problems coming with this. I don’t think the people of PA really thought this out before supporting it. Here are the reasons why:

• What excuse are you going to have when you hit that little old lady crossing the street with your car?
• How bad are you going to feel when you realize your driving REALLY is bad enough that you hit parked cars while paying attention to the road?
• Keeping up with tweets on twitter is going to be a major problem.
• How are you going to keep up with your friends on Gossip Girl before work?
• Do you realize how much it costs to “detox” from cell phone use and texting?
• What are you going to do with all of the hats you had custom made to hide the tumor that formed on the side of your head you use the cell phone on when it goes away from lack of cell radiation?
• What excuse are you going to have when you really don’t see that cop in your rear view mirror when you were going 90 mph on I79?

-SWB

PS – People of PA, please think this out before you actually do it …… geez

BTW ….. what SWB really wants to say is “It took PA this long to ban cell phone use in cars?? Even the cell users are amazed.”

A way to keep people in Pittsburgh

Quick FYI post here:

Employers … help your employees buy homes. Mayor Luke is copying off an idea used in Chicago where employers helped their employees buy homes. It could be for any reason from just needing housing or needing to be close to the workplace. The main method used is for employers to offer $2500 to $10000 to cover closing costs, etc and then waive the loans if the employee stays on for five more years. Housing counseling is also included.

Click Here for the reference article by Rich Lord of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

-SWB

PS – hmmm … big business helping employees so they want to stay …. hmmm … now there’s a new concept.

John Stallworth approved to buy into the Steelers

Two time Steelers MVP John Stallworth has been approved to buy into the team that made him famous (or that he helped make famous, which ever way you look at it). SWB was wondering who the “nationally known” person was going to be that would be one of the possible three additional investors into the team – and Mr. Stallworth would definitely be a welcomed addition to the owners list of the six time Superbowl Champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Click Here to check out the article by Ed Bouchette and Sadie Gurman of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

-SWB

PS – He’s been as successful in business as he was in football. I’d pick him.

New info on con artists from CII and Post-Gazette

Just a quick FYI posting here – since con artists are out in droves, click here for a good posting from Corporate Investigations Inc on how they are hitting hard in our current bad economic times. It also features an interesting reference article from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

-SWB

PS – Keep a watch out for Aunt Josie and Grandma Beaker … they may not be selling cookies 😉

State Transit Crisis – even with US infused money

We always hope for the best, then the typical happens. This time, even with U.S. help the Pennsylvania roads are again in a crisis situation. There isn’t enough money again, decisions can’t be made at both the federal and state levels, etc,etc. Oh – and the Turnpike Commission Chairman Mitchell Rubin stepped down after his wife was busted with Vincent J Fumo. Hmmmm ….. I wonder if you are going to see more of Mitchell in the news?

Here are two of the current articles from the PG:

The Transit Crisis and Turnpike Chairman

SWB says we just make all of the people in control of making decisions for PA’s road work go out and hand pave the roads for all of the money they wasted.

-SWB

PS – The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s motto – “Shovel Leaning and Money Wasting even better than PennDOT”.

AIG bonuses will be taxed!! House Approves 90 percent!

I’m sure this whip-crack was heard loud and clear by the AIG bonus recipients that haven’t returned their bonuses.  This is a very nice acknowledgement from the House on how angry the public is about the total waste of public money by AIG.

Anyway …. here is the breaking article from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

-SWB

PS – It’s nice when the public becomes the actual ring-master.

The Pittsburgh Promise – good news for students

Starting with the class of 2009, scholarships awarded from The Pittsburgh Promise will be usable at over 100 more schools statewide. This is a major change from Promise money only being available to students attending within Allegheny county.

SWB has always supported the idea of The Pittsburgh Promise because it gives a better educational opportunities to students who maybe would not have attended college or even trade schools due to cost. This is one of the more positive ways the city is supporting it’s families.

Check out the reference article from The Post-Gazette.

-SWB

PS – It’s amazing what a student can do hen you give them a chance …. if you are a business, SWB kindly asks you to donate to The Pittsburgh Promise.

Regional population dropping at a slower rate

According to this article in the Post-Gazette, the population in The Pittsburgh Metro area is still dropping, but at a slower rate. This may possibly signal a turn around in the yearly mass exodus for our region. Keep in mind this is happening during one of the worst economic downturns in out history – so, maybe people are looking toward Pittsburgh again as their home.

Personally, SWB thinks it’s just because the pierogies have gotten better.

Update: Here is an article from USA Today that details a little about the trends affecting cities like Pittsburgh.

-SWB

PS – OK, maybe people just miss Parma Sausage too.

Rooneys In The White House

On the more positive note, it’s looking more and more like Mr. Rooney (Steelers owner – just in case you are reading this blog from a cave in some far removed mountains and don’t know who Dan Rooney is) will become envoy to Ireland.

Personally I think he deserves it, as he has already worked hard via the American Ireland Fund in a way to promote peace in Ireland.

Click Here for a good reference article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Dan.

*UPDATE* – Confirmation about Dan Rooney’s nomination here in this KDKA article.

-SWB

PS – Go Dan Go! We can’t even make fun of Mr. Rooney … he’s too good of a guy.