Protesters Will Be Just A Small Part Of The Pittsburgh G20 Story

It seems all I’ve read or seen in the local news lately regarding the G20 has centered on the potential protesters, and accompanying threat of clashes and violence; but what about the benefits for Pittsburgh and the surrounding region? I hope our local media is ready to welcome their peers with open arms and plenty of helpful tips and information on the positive stories that our region has to offer while they’re here.

We’re going to be center-stage on the global news circuit for several days, and those of us who live here know how much our city and region have to offer, and I hope the visiting (and resident) journalists and reporters will take the time to explore some of that in their coverage too.

From our historic places and significance to our cultural diversities and offerings. There’s an endless supply of positive, interesting stories to tell about this region and the people who live here. Or perhaps the tale of how the region spawned the modern Oil Industry, or sparked and fueled the Industrial Revolution that brought America into the modern times.

Then there’s the story of how the region fell so hard in the 1970’s and 1980’s, like many manufacturing based regions, only to stand back up, dust off the bruises and reinvent ourselves into global leaders in areas like robotics, computer sciences, biotechnology, Green construction, fiber optics and electronic commerce.

Yes, we have plenty of stories to share with the world, if the news representatives who come to visit are interested in hearing them.

I’ve seen the previous G20 protests, I know it’s news and worth covering–but lets remember that it’s usually a very small number of radicals creating all the fuss and noise. Are they really deserving of more coverage and attention than your friendly and polite hosts? I don’t think so, and I’m optimistically confident that the world’s media will agree by covering the more interesting and deserving stories through this conference.

Technorati Tags: g20, pittsburgh

Image from Wikipedia

You’ve probably heard this story on the evening news, or read about it in the Post-Gazette. Paul McCarthy, 62, of Greenfield, grew tired of his neighborhood, an area known as The Run, being cluttered with litter and trash along Saline Street and Second Avenue, so he contacted the city’s 311 help line.

McCarthy then waited for something to be done about the problem, continued treatments for his cancer, and waited some more. And when nothing had been done by June, he took it upon himself to go out in the cooler hours of morning and spend a little time each day gathering litter and even cutting weeds and vines that were intruding onto the sidewalks.

He would collect everything, the litter and clippings, into piles and then call the city to just come and remove them. But that’s where things became a little crazy, and ultimately seem to have spun out of control on all sides.

Because the city’s Public Works Department, like all public departments, needs to operate on a tightly set schedule for maximum efficiency under a restrained budget. To dispatch crews every time a resident calls and says there’s a pile of garbage on the sidewalk just isn’t feasible. And so began a war of wills between a civic minded resident who was sick of inaction with the litter, and city workers who likely grew increasingly frustrated with McCarthy, who despite his good intentions, his actions were far from optimal for the PWD’s operations.

The PWD did send a crew out at one point to collect the piles McCarthy had gathered, but it seems as though there was a sadly missed opportunity at this point. The boss of that crew reportedly informed McCarthy that he needed to bag up any future piles of litter he gathered.

Of course, McCarthy, 62, retired and fighting cancer, felt he was providing enough in free labor for the city with the hours he spent gathering the garbage, and he was understandably upset at being told he had to do more, or do nothing. So, adding defiance to his civic involvement, he continued to do just as he had been. No more or less.

And that ultimately got him a visit from a Public Works Inspector, who wrote him 2 citations. Apparently, if you move trash from one spot to another, you’re littering. These citations also came after news of McCarthy’s efforts and battle with the PWD had reached high levels of the city government, at which point Public Works Director Guy Costa, and his boss, Operations Director Art Victor were alerted to the brewing situation, and somewhere the decision was made to cite McCarthy.

Unfortunately, once the story had grown to the point where Costa and Victor were brought into it, whomever made the decision to cite McCarthy was possibly giving as much thought to the political PR of the story as they were to resolving it in a practical or constructive manner.

This is why I say there was probably a sadly missed opportunity much earlier in the tale; when that first crew arrived to clear away the piles that McCarthy had gathered. Upon seeing that they were dealing with an older man in failing health, if someone had just said “let’s try to get one or two more members of the community to help McCarthy in his efforts”, rather than telling him he would have to do more on his own or quit trying to improve his neighborhood completely, this whole story might have had a very different, and even inspirational outcome.

I understand that PWD employees aren’t exactly community organizers, but when your department resources and manpower are limited and you see that members of the community are willing to pitch in, is it really so hard to reach out while you are on the scene, or at least return to the office and tell your boss, “hey, we’ve got an opportunity here if we could just get one or two more people in that community to step up and help McCarthy out by bagging the piles he gathers.”

Again, I know that PWD employees aren’t community organizers, but I bet it would have taken less time to make a few calls and reach out to the community to find McCarthy some help than has been wasted on this whole mess already to get it to this point. It’s heartbreaking to think that a “that’s not my job” attitude could be helping us down a path towards rivaling Filthadelphia for dirtiest city in Pennsylvania. It’s more run down than I can remember in my lifetime right now, so I would hope that any help the city can get from residents would be embraced and encouraged.

If McCarthy, or anyone in any neighborhood, is willing to gather the litter up, reach out and help find them one or two others to bag it. Then everything is neat and packaged properly for the city to collect on the regular weekly trash pick-up days.

Nobody needs to be embarrassed in the press. Nobody needs to be hauled before a judge and fined for civic participation–and a community looks a lot better from it all without adding to the burden of already limited city departments.

It just seems that would be a far more productive approach, and who knows, if residents began feeling like the city wanted to work with them in this way then the idea might just catch on in other neighborhoods as well.

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Technorati Tags: citation, paul mccarthy, pittsburgh public works department

Right now–aboard a plane destined for Orlando, FL–Mr. Smith is attempting to dodge the angry and frustrated glares of fellow passengers as his fidgety children have become bored, and then loud; annoying everyone in the cabin around them. Mrs. Smith is listening to her iPod and pretending to be asleep.

The Smiths have saved up all year for this family vacation. Between airfares, hotel accommodations, five 2-day passes for SeaWorld and 8 days of kennel fees for boarding the family dog, this family get-away has become a major investment.

Certain that SeaWorld can keep his children entertained for two full days, Mr. Smith is hopeful that the beach and swimming in the ocean will amuse them for the remaining five days of their stay; but his practical brain tells him that the beach and ocean will only be good for two or three days at best, and that he’ll be spending a lot more money on as yet unknown activities for them at some point before they return home.

At the same time the Jones family are traveling east on Interstate 80 in the family minivan, and thanks to Mrs. Jones finding that Drop Down DVD Player on ebay for $50 the kids are sitting calmly in the back seat with the family dog lying across their laps as Shrek and Donkey scheme to rescue Princess Fiona from the tower.

Soon they’ll exit on to Route 66 for the final leg of their trip north into the Allegheny National Forest, and along the road then they’ll see lots of cows, pigs, chickens and even horses roaming around fenced-in fields which will leave Shrek and Donkey playing to an inattentive crowd.

The Jones family began planning their summer vacation just last month when Mr. Jones learned that his vacation request had been approved at work.

Photo by Nicholas_T

He and Mrs. Jones discussed several options for how and where to spend their free week, and ultimately decided on a camping trip that would hold plenty of activities and adventures to keep their children from growing bored, and lots of opportunities for creating quality bonding time as a family. The added promise to take the children horseback riding on their last day if they were behaved all week would also help to make this an enjoyable trip for all.

Mr. Jones spent a couple of hours, and about $200 at Wal-Mart and Big Lots purchasing the essential supplies they would need: a two room tent that could sleep 8 comfortably, two Queen sized air mattresses, a blow-up row boat for 6, a hand powered air pump (for the mattresses and boat), oil lanterns and some additional small items, including a long “Runner” cable so that they can take the family dog camping with them and be able to secure him at their campsite.

Mrs. Jones prepared a pack with food, cooking and eating utensils; and made sure the children packed enough clothes, extra shoes and jackets for the week. Mr. and Mrs. Jones also spent a little time on the Allegheny National Forest website to spot and plan interesting activities for their stay; most of which would be completely free or at the most, very affordable.

Living in Pennsylvania, we are lucky in a lot of ways, and just one of them is having some of the most beautiful forests in the country where any family on a budget can spend a weekend, a week or longer vacationing without spending much money at all, and without having to sacrifice fun and adventure.

Photo by brandi666

And a camping vacation isn’t just a way to save money. It’s a way to create quality time with your spouse and children, explore historic attractions, learn about and experience nature, and avoid the crowds and chaos usually found in more typical tourist destinations.

The supplies and equipment necessary for a fun and safe camping trip aren’t much and will cost less than a single plane ticket to most places. You’ll obviously need a tent if you don’t plan to rent a cabin for your stay, and that will be your biggest expense. Fortunately, you can find family size tents at discount retail stores for well under $100, and if you shop for one in the fall or winter you can usually find deals of up to 50% off regular pricing too.

Your next major purchase will be either sleeping bags or air mattresses, both of which can be found for just a few dollars. After that you’ll need some light sources, either flashlights or lanterns, water canteens, and a fully stocked medical kit.

Some additional items you will probably want to take with you–most of which you will likely already have around your home–are:

• A plastic ground tarp for placing under your tent
• Fishing Rod and Tackle (if you’re interested in fishing)
• Trash bags (always clean up after yourself and preserve the beauty of our forests)
• Some rope (for clothes line and a million other uses)
• A small shovel (for digging a fire pit and toilet)
• A good knife
• A hammer
• A saw or hand-ax for sizing firewood
• Waterproof matches (bring plenty)
• Toiletries (TP, toothpaste, soap and etc.)
• Cooking and eating utensils
• Powdered and canned foods and drinks (Pancake batter, coffee, tea and so on)
• Plenty of clothes and jackets (it can get cool in the evenings)
• Extra shoes
• A small battery powered radio in the event of bad weather
• Binoculars
• Camera
• Cards and games/toys (frisbees, volleyball and etc.)

Photo by jasonb42882

You’ll also want to spend a little time before leaving on your trip to plan some activities for your time. If you’re planning to stay in the Allegheny National Forest then you could visit the ANF website for tons of ideas, as well as printable maps and information about having fun and staying safe in the wild.

There are also Ranger Stations in the forest where you can stop and ask about everything from suggestions on where to camp, where to hike and explore, and where (or what) to avoid at the current time. Remember, there are wild animals in the forest and at times it may be best to avoid certain areas, the Rangers are happy and eager to let you know about such things.

Here are just a few exciting adventures available to you for little or no money around the Allegheny National Forest:

• Fishing
• Hiking
• Bird watching (you may see some Bald Eagles in the sky)
• Boating and canoeing
• Swimming
• Horseback riding
• Elk viewing (herds of beautiful and majestic elk)
• Wine tasting at multiple vineyards
• Visit the Eldred WWII Museum
• and lots more…

The bottom line is you don’t have to spend a lot of money, or even leave Pennsylvania to have a fantastic family vacation that will generate memories and bonds for years to come.

So, what of the Smith and Jones families we met earlier? The Smith family is sardined in a small jet about to make its final decent into Pittsburgh. The children are sunburned from the beach, so have been less fidgety than they were on the flight out a week ago, though more grumpy and lippy as a result. Mrs. Smith lost her iPod at some point, so has spent the entire flight bantering bitterly with the children, and Mr. Smith is just happy this family vacation is almost over and hopeful that his wife won’t object too loudly to his plans to wait until tomorrow to pick up the family dog from the kennel.

And the Jones? After a week of fun and excitement the Jones family has just finished an afternoon of horseback riding and are getting ready to drive home, sad to see their vacation come to an end, but looking forward to a long game of “I Spy” on the highway.

NOTE: The Smith and Jones families in this article are “collective interpretations” of my own family from my childhood. We took many family vacations in those days, most were happy camping trips but a few were more stressful visits to tourist traps. They all gave me wonderful life-long memories, but some of those memories are sweeter than others.

Technorati Tags: adventure vacation, allegheny national forest, camping trips, camping vacations

Can this family survive against the Big Bad Bear?

Shame on Bank of America, this is not the sort of behavior I want to continue supporting with my tax-dollars through bailouts.

The facts: (Press Release available here as Adobe PDF or Text Document)

Heather Yanosko is a mother of seven children who has done nothing wrong. Her husband, the father of their seven children, walked away from his family but promised as part of their separation agreement to continue paying for the family home.

He did not keep that promise.

Heather learned that the payments on the home weren’t being made when she was blindsided by a foreclosure notice. The loan was already severely behind. Unfortunately, despite it being the family home of the Yanoskos, the bank would only discuss the matter with Mr. Yanosko and not Heather who wanted to try and make good on the loan and keep her family home.

Heather sought legal assistance from Neighborhood Legal Services and the Woman’s Shelter of Pittsburgh, and was awarded power of attorney over all things related to the house by the courts.

At this point the bank agreed to work with Heather and sent her a package of information in which they offered to change the terms of the original loan if she could get her name added to the property deed.

In March of 2009, Mrs. Yanosko’s name was legally added to the deed, as the bank required.

Heather then borrowed several thousand dollars from family and friends so that she could bring the loan up to date under the new agreement, only to be refused co-operation by the bank when she attempted to pay them.

The bank did not keep their promise.

The bank has now decided not to honor the new agreement they offered to Heather, claiming the reason to be because the home is not the primary residence of Mr. Yanosko. A fact that they have known from the start as the cause for this whole situation, and regardless of the fact that the home is the primary (and only) residence of Mrs. Yansoko and her seven children.

Heather and her children are our community...

Mrs. Yanosko isn’t asking for anything more than the bank to honor what they agreed to now that she has done everything they requested of her through the courts.

In her own words, “I don’t expect Bank of America to let us live here for free, but I have asked them for some understanding and compassion, and their answer is a notice that our home will be sold at auction on June 1. How can it be that this huge, great American company had no problem taking billions of dollars in a taxpayer-funded bailout when it was in need and now has no shame as it prepares to put my children and I out on the street when we’re just asking for help to make this right?”

“I’m not looking for a bailout or a handout, just some help making this right,” said Mrs. Yanosko. “Politicians stepped in to spend billions of dollars saving companies like Bank of America because they deemed them too big to fail. I’ve got seven children, and we’re about to lose our home; I’d hope our elected leaders would look at my family and decide it’s too big to fail, too. We’re running out of time and hope.”

Heather is one of us, she and her family live in our community, and she has done nothing wrong. We at PittZine.com urge everyone to stand up and say that this sort of treatment is unacceptable.

There’s so much of Bank of America’s behavior to be offended by in this situation that it’s hard to know where to start a list.

- Accepted taxpayer bailouts but refuse to show compassion for a mother of seven who wants to do the right thing with them.

- Back-stepping on their own proposed new agreement.

- How about refusing to honor the agreements they’ve promised after their stated requirements were met, because “the man of the house” isn’t living there any longer.

Personally, I expect bankers to act like bankers, but with a modest degree of professionalism. But in this case they appear to be acting more like a sexist “Lenny the Loanshark”.

We urge everyone to contact their federal, state and local politician’s offices and ask them if they have the courage to stand up for this family in the same manner they’ve been willing to stand up for Bank of America in recent months.

PA Senators

Senator Casey

Senator Spector

PA Members of The House of Representatives

Altmire, Jason, Pennsylvania, 4th

Brady, Robert, Pennsylvania, 1st

Carney, Christopher P., Pennsylvania, 10th

Dahlkemper, Kathy, Pennsylvania, 3rd

Dent, Charles W., Pennsylvania, 15th

Doyle, Mike, Pennsylvania, 14th

Fattah, Chaka, Pennsylvania, 2nd

Gerlach, Jim, Pennsylvania, 6th

Kanjorski, Paul E., Pennsylvania, 11th

Holden, Tim, Pennsylvania, 17th

Murphy, Patrick J., Pennsylvania, 8th

Murphy, Tim, Pennsylvania, 18th (Represents Heather Yanosko’s district)

Murtha, John, Pennsylvania, 12th

Pitts, Joseph R., Pennsylvania, 16th

Platts, Todd, Pennsylvania, 19th

Schwartz, Allyson Y., Pennsylvania, 13th

Sestak, Joe, Pennsylvania, 7th

Shuster, Bill, Pennsylvania, 9th

Thompson, Glen W., Pennsylvania, 5th

Find your PA state legislators by zip code.

We also urge you to contact Bank of America and let them know how you feel about their actions and style of doing business in our community.

If you would like to contact Heather Yanosko with any advice that might be helpful, to schedule an interview or to just offer a few words of encouragement she may be reached at momwithseven@hotmail.com

UPDATE: At the time of this posting I’m told that the property sale date has been changed from June 1st, to July 6th. It’s not much, but does give Heather and her children a few more weeks to try to convince Bank of America to honor their deal. Perhaps if enough people make their opinions known that will happen.

Technorati Tags: bank of america, mother of seven

Google CEO Eric Schmidt

Chairman of the board and CEO of Google Inc., Eric Schmidt, provided the keynote address at Carnegie Mellon University this weekend, in which he expectedly stressed the importance of technological innovation–but also spoke on the generational differences between himself and today’s graduates, along with the values of family and friends in life.