post-gazette.com

Things to Ponder!

bossman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:57:02 GMT

Since when did the Health Care Plan become "Harry Reids?" That's how it's being referred to. Some bi-partisanship, huh?

Could you imagine Harry Reid or Chuck Schumer in Speedos on the cover of Newsweek?

Even worse, Nancy Pelosi in tight shorts on the cover? Aghhh!

Did you catch Andrea Mitchell's review of Palen's book? Not one, I repeat, not one positive thing was said. Of course, this was NBC.

I would think another factor to enter the picture would be if you were married to an ugly, old man like Mitchell is, not too much would look good. Can you imagine being saddled with him? (Except for his money.)

Bossman Mike

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #47: ARE THE CHIEFS SLUMP BUSTERS?

Lance Williams — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:42:46 GMT

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #47: ARE THE CHIEFS SLUMP BUSTERS?

Click Link or Paste Link into Browser to Listen

http://media.libsyn.com/media/wtcb/SCR_47.mp3

Show Topics:

Why the Steelers must get Balanced?
Offensive Game Keys
Defensive Game Keys
Is there anyway the Steelers lose this game?
Stop Ripping Skippy
Can the Steelers Fix there Special Teams?
Can the Steelers still win the AFC North?

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Do you agree with the decision to close UPMC Braddock?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:32:25 GMT

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has announced plans to close Braddock Hospital. The decision has prompted protests from government leaders and borough residents. Do you agree with the decision to close UPMC Braddock? [Read P-G story.]

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Should Sunnyview Home be privatized in Butler County?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:39:54 GMT

If Butler County commissioners decide to sell Sunnyview Home, its only government-owned nursing home, the county could reasonably expect to garner more than $7 million and perhaps as much as $12 million from the sale. Should Sunnyview Home be privatized? [Read P-G story.]

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Homemade Recipe to Stop the Deer

Doug Oster — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:12 GMT

Mary Dutkovic's of the Pittsburgh Rose Society recipe to deter deer-

2 large HEADS of garlic halved 2 large strong onions halved Simmer in 4 quarts of water for 4 hours (outside if possible) Let cool and strain Add one half can of hot Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon of dish soap Spray on plants three times a year or when needed April, June and July ALWAYS TEST SOME SPRAY ON ONE LEAF TO SEE THE EFFECT ON THE PLANT

Wealthiest PA nonprofits

edstem — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:44:59 GMT

Top wealthiest nonprofits in PA includes several in Allegheny County

http://www.scribd.com/doc/22751044/Charities-in-Pennsylvania

UPMC Group has over $3 Billion in assets

UPMC has $5 billion in assets

Carnegie Mellon Univ. has over $2 Billion in assets

University of Pittsburgh - has $4.4 Billion in assets.

Why shouldn't they pay for the many government services they use, when they are the richest guys around? They should be paying property taxes just like the rest of us to support police, fire, roads etc.

Preparing shrubs and trees for winter

Doug Oster — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:41:39 GMT

The most important job gardeners can do when preparing trees and shrubs for winter is watering them. This is especially true of plants that have only been in the ground for a few years.

Giving them all the water they need before the ground freezes hard will help ward off any winter kill.

Keeping deer and other pests away from trees and shrubs is also important.

Make sure that mulch is never touching the bark of a tree, that's where rodents can live and feed on the tree.

Use fencing to protect shrubs and trees from deer. There are also great sprays like Deer Stopper, Repels All and Nature's Defense that will keep the deer away from the plants.

Wrapping a tree with something will stop the bucks from rubbing. You can use something from the nursery or just gutter guard will work. Something around the trunk of small trees will stop that dammage.

What library?

PG Admin24 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:54:44 GMT

The Carnegie Library board of trustees has voted to close, move or merger 8 branches. [Read story]

Can these libraries be saved? Should they be saved? What's your opinion?

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Mammograms: Hold off until age 50?

PG Admin10 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:28:48 GMT

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has concluded that routine mammograms should be given to women starting at age 50, saying that the harm outweighs the benefits when the tests are given to women in their 40s. How do you feel about that?

Should Parkway West Career & Technology School programs be opened to ninth graders?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:27:20 GMT

Parkway West Career & Technology Center in North Fayette is asking state approval to open its programs to ninth graders among its member schools. Such a move would create opportunities for students to work study at the center for all four years of high school. Should Parkway West program be opened to ninth graders? [Read P-G story.]

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A boycott is in order folks.

LJ — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:57:43 GMT

You can say all you want, but a boycott is the only reasonable response to 16 years (going on 17 years) of inept management and the fleecing of the Pittsburgh fans of baseball. Some (in fact the Pirate organization itself--just another line of BS to keep you coming back to fill their wallets) will tell you that a boycott destroys jobs at the stadium and that Nutting will only lower the payroll to reflect lesser attendance. Bull!!!!!!!! In response to the first--the workers at the stadium are in constant fear of job loss as this team makes endless empty promises--a slow bleed for those who work at the stadium. Instead, how about we get ownership in there who put a winning product on the field thereby producing jobs that are secure for years to come. Yeah, it might be a little painfull for a short run, but the end result without Nutting & Co would be worth it. The second---Nutting knows there is and end game to reducing payroll. Sooner or later either he gets embarassed enough to sell, or MLB people would eventually step in to warn current ownership that revenue sharing is not for profit purposes, but to keep teams viable and competitive ON THE FIELD!!!

Nutting's newspaper businesses are hurting I'm sure, just as they all are right now. Interesting how Seven Springs (the resort the baseball fans bought for Nutting) isn't producing quite that well in this tight economy, AND he trades McLouth to the Braves!!! Interesting timing. Of course, ol' Bob says not for cost-savings though. Right. Stop being gullable people. The man is ripping us ALL off!!! AND, in the process, is destroying baseball in our town!!! Look around, when I was a kid everyone knew the Pirates and their success and played ball. Now, no one cares and the High School programs and lower league programs are being forgotten in response to the "who cares" attitude. Everywhere else in the country baseball is booming. Yes, revenues are up, kids are playing, and high schools are competitive as well as local college programs. Here--thanks to Ol' Bob--the dream of America's Past Time is past!!!

Tell me, what have the Pirates gotten in return for Nady, Bay, McLouth, Marte, etc, etc. Here's the answer: 2 below average starters at the back of the rotation and a bunch of underperforming minor leaguers who will probably NEVER see a big league roster. In the most recent trade we gave up a gold glover, team-leading HR hitter, All Star resume (even if you weren't a fan of McLouth's future you know we could have gotten better than what we did with his credentials!!) for what--a guy who "might" be a good pitchers someday at the back of a rotation, 2 minor leaguers who probably will never see a MLB field--even if they do they probably will never be a McLouth!!! What they have gotten however, is PAYROLL SAVINGS!!!

In the draft for the Pirates, watch, to make up for this latest disaster, they will probably pay some "prospect" some nice cash to fleece us into believing it's not about money. Not as much as it would have cost to keep McLouth, mind you, but another scheme to keep you coming back and to say "see, we told you it's not about payroll." Even if the kid did make it--he'd be gone before the Pirates acutally had to pay him his all star salary. Hence, salaries are lower, and the fans are fleeced again!!! Now, it will be a while til the McLouth noise goes away, so don't look for any more BIG trades to come to get rid of favorite players for a while. But once the clouds clear from this trade---Wilson, Sanchez, others are on the block. The only other trade I see this year from the Pirates--bye, bye, Laroche. Gets rid of like 7 million and he's a nice guy but not a fan favorite. Hey, money savings move with no fan backlash!!! The perfect kind of Pirate trade. And they'll get a used jock strap and two old bats for him--but they'll dump a ton of salary!!! Perfect!!

Incidentally, at the beginning of each season guess what the cheapest way to fleece fans into believing you've made SIGNIFICANT changes and that this is really going to help the club??? Yep, give them new management!! Think about it. New management, particularly if they are new to management as the Pirates new management always is, always costs less than the established management you're getting rid of!!! The old management is up for raises. Give the new management less money, tell the fans of all the significant changes you've made to become a winner, and voila--ATTENDANCE. Til the new management sees the tight wallet and product on the field stinks and they can't win with it!! It's a heck of a lot cheaper than paying what star players are asking, be it right or wrong. Unfortunately, getting real players is the only way to compete in today's baseball world. Something Nutting & Co are fully aware of, AND, won't do.

SO STOP GOING TO THE GAMES AND EMBARASS NUTTING INTO SELLING THIS TEAM. IN A LONG RUN, IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!!!! OTHERWISE, GET USED TO AN EMBARASSING BASEBALL TEAM REPRESENTING OUR WONDERFUL COMPETITIVE CITY!!!!! As long as Nutting & Co run this ship, baseball in this town is dead. The truly sad part, if you got an owner who actually wanted to win PNC Park would be filled EVERY game and baseball would "come alive" in this City of Champions!!!! We could have another team to be proud of, instead of embarassed. Currently we are the "City of Chumpions" in baseball with Nutting fleecing all of our wonderful fans in this great city!!!

SO BOB & CO, YOU'LL NOT GET ANOTHER DIME OF MINE UNTIL YOU AND YOUR PENNY-STEALING CRONNIES ARE GONE FROM OUR BASEBALL LORE IN THIS TOWN!!! YOU HAVE EMBARASSED THE NAMES OF STARGELL, PARKER, CLEMENTE, CANDELARIA, DRABEK, TEKULVE, ETC, ETC. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN I RE-ENTER PNC PARK TO SEE OUR BASEBALL TEAM PROUD AND CONTENDING. GO AWAY AND FIND ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF ANOTHER CITY, PITTSBURGH DOESN'T DESERVE IT AND THE FANS OF 'BURG TEAMS DON'T DESERVE YOUR MISTREATMENT!!!!!

SORRY FOR RANTING, BUT IT'S DESERVED.

Should Robinson Republicans challenge the election results?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:17:25 GMT

The Republican Party committees of Robinson and Allegheny County are claiming that poll watchers in three Robinson wards on Nov. 3 were denied the opportunity to observe absentee ballots being counted. Should Robinson Republicans challenge the election results? [Read P-G story.]

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Congratulations University Of Pittsburgh!

marshal1964 — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:26:17 GMT

You have the opportunity to determine whether or not Coach Weis returns to be head football coach at the University Of Notre Dame next season (supposedly).

Perzel

PG Admin24 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:27:19 GMT

A statewide grand jury has accused former Pennsylvania Speaker of the House John Perzel and 9 others in a wide-ranging corruption probe. [Read Story]

Please tell us what your reaction is to this latest story on our state Legislature.

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STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #45: Who Dey ...... We Dey

Lance Williams — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:25:48 GMT

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #45: Who Dey ...... We Dey

Click the Link or Paste in Browser to Listen:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/wtcb/SCR_45.mp3

Show Topics:

Why Kevin Colbert’s the Best GM in Football?
Did People Forget The Steelers are the Champs?
Why the Steelers passing game will have the Advantage?
Can the Steelers Stop Cedric Benson?
Troy, Jimmy Fallon, and Soul Glow

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Is Jeannette City School District’s dress code a good idea?

PG Admin21 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:05:34 GMT

The Jeannette City School District's school uniform policy includes polo shirts, sweaters, turtlenecks or dress shirts in white or in the school colors of red and blue, dress pants and skirts in khaki or navy, socks and dress shoes, boots and sneakers. Is Jeannette City School District’s dress code a good idea? [Read P-G story.]

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Are you concerned about the power plant planned in Robinson, Washington County?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:14:27 GMT

The Beech Hollow coal-fired power plant project in Robinson, Washington County, has spurred controversy for years, with opponents citing concerns about air and water pollution and supporters touting benefits of job creation and removal of the gob pile. Are you worried about the project? [Read PG story.]

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Free mycorrhizal fungi

Doug Oster — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:21:36 GMT

I was on KD's Pittsburgh Today Live talking about mycorrhizal fungi. It's a great soil additive that forms a symbiotic relationship with the host plant.

This beneficial fungi attaches to the roots and lets the plant absorb more nutrients. You just add it to the soil when you plant. The MF occurs in nature, but often times there's not enough of it, so we have to add more. This is especially true if you live in an development where the top soil has been removed.

I use it when planting bulbs, trees and shrubs.

Hahn Nursery in the North Hills will give you a trial sized bag for free, just mention you heard about it from Doug Oster. Call 412-635-7475 for more information.

Should the West Jefferson Hills superintendent be on paid administrative leave?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:10:30 GMT

West Jefferson Hills Superintendent Dr. Terry Kinavey has been placed on paid administrative leave amid findings that she overrode the hiring process for a high school English teacher. Do you agree with the school board's decision? [Read PG story.]

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Do you agree Ross should begin steps to withdraw from Northland Library?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:51:32 GMT

Ross commissioners have approved Northland Library’s 2010 budget, but they also plan to discuss withdrawing from the regional institution. Do you agree ross should begin steps to withdraw from Northland Library? [Read P-G story.]

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What do you think about plans to build a Hilton hotel in Monroeville?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:24:29 GMT

Monroeville Council has given conditional approval to a site plan to build a four-story Hilton hotel near the intersection of Route 22 and Duff Road, What do you think about plans to build a Hilton hotel at that location? [Read P-G story.]

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Are you superstitious about Friday the 13th ?

PG Admin21 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:59:55 GMT

Dr. Paul Friday, director of clinical psychology at UPMC Shadyside, says superstitions are simplistic logic mechanisms, culturally transferred through the generations, by which we can get the a sense that we can control our world. Are you superstitious about Friday the 13th? [Read P-G story.]

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1% higher ed tax

flecktones — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:55:54 GMT

Just curious, is there anyone here who actually supports this?

monster rogers statue

isabella — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:48:32 GMT

this is to the disgustingly ugly statue of Mr. Rogers. How could an artist(?) display this GENTLEman as a monster who will scare the children who loved him. Certainly it must have been hidden until the unveiling or you would have left it covered. Shame on who decided this.

mr. rogers statue

isabella — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:44:00 GMT

We found this statue of Mr. Rogers to be frightening and ugly, What a horrid way to honor such a GENTLEman, Did the sculptor not know this man and what he stood for, 'Who ever (even Mrs. Rogers) shoul be ashamed that this represents him to small children. Shame!!!