Around the Town in Oakmont PA

My thoughts and musings on life, technology and living in my adopted home town.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

There is hope for politicians, I saw it today


I tend to be rather cynical when it comes to government and politicians. With the current state of affairs in the City of Pittsburgh and the nations capital I don't think you can blame me. One of the reasons that I watch C-Span is to see exactly what our representatives are saying when the cameras are on them as opposed to what they are actually doing when it comes time to cast votes and initiate laws and measures that affect the country and its citizens.

As I said I continue to be rather cynical. This is the reason that I stopped pulling the party leaver in the voting booth a long time ago and stopped looking to see if a person had an R or a D after their name. Before I go to vote I try to learns as much as I can about what each candidate has done in the past and what they say they are going to do in the future.

As I watch those who choose to enter the arena of public service I find many who do so for reasons that while they may be honorable at the outset soon find themselves drawn into the system that is modern day politics losing at minimum their principals and in the worst cases their souls. I don't think they are bad people but I do think they make bad choices.

Having said all of that I also see glimmers of hope and at times even shining stars. While watching C-Span this afternoon I saw the National Urban Fellows Conference and one of the key speakers was the Mayor of Newark New Jersey Cory Booker. As he began to speak I was dividing my time between the computer and the television and I quickly found myself removing my reading glasses and watching and listening to what he had to say. This young mayor from Newark has a no nonsense approach to governing and I believe that one day he will go far beyond the office of mayor. If you would like you listen to his keynote speech by follow this link to C-Span. I knowing everything there is to know about him there may be some things that I would not agree with him on policy wise but I'm willing to overlook that when I find someone who speaks his mind and and proves by his actions that he is indeed working to advance his community to the best of his abilities.

So I remind my fellow voters that good people are out there and that it is our job to look for them and see that they get the chance to hold office and lead our towns, cities, counties, states and country. If you would like to see more of what Cory Booker is doing check his web site.

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Friday, January 22, 2010

Supreme Court Strikes Down Key Campaign-Finance Provision


Well the voting went as I expected.

The five conservative judges:
Alito
Kennedy
Roberts
Scalia
Thomas
ruled for Citizens United.

The four liberal judges:
Breyer
Ginsburg
Sotomayor
Stevens
made up the minority voting for the Federal Election Commission.


All of this means that President Obama only needs one more appointment to swing the balance of power on the court and many of these types of decisions revert to five to four in the other direction. I don't see Justice Ginsburg remaining through Obama's entire first term let alone beyond 2012. Granted this would most likely be a neutral appointment unless the President were to nominate an individual with very far left views something that prior to last Tuesday's election was not out of the realm of possibility. Should one of the conservative justices retire or, God forbid, develop a serious health problem and the court could change dramatically.

So unless the Republicans can take back the House and the Senate in the mid term elections which could happen there could be some real long term effect from Obama's election as he will surely make at leas one more appointment to the court.

Retaking the majority in congress is not completely out of the question but certainly not a sure thing. The much bigger question will be if they, the Republicans, do regain power will they grow a back bone and learn to use it. Perhaps if the Tea Party movement can sustain its momentum holding representatives responsible to the citizens, combined with the bitter taste of the treatment received at the hands of the Democrats during Obama's first year in office the Republicans will manage to move in the direction that their constituents elected them to take when they sent them to Washington. Only time will answer this question.

The real answer of course is to elect representatives in Washington who will return to the Constitution as envisions by it's authors. The Supreme Court should interpret if laws passed by the congress do or do not fall within the restrictions set forth by the United States Constitution. When we return to the concepts of the documents by which the country was created many of these issues will be resolved. Until that time I continue to pray for the nation and it's leaders.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2010

When did it become our problem?


One of my pet peeves that has been festering like a boil is the issue of identity theft. Unless you have been on a desert island for some time now I sure you have heard of the problem. We are bombarded every day with commercials in print, on the Internet, radio and television adds for companies that will for a fee keep your identity safe or clean up the aftermath if it should be stolen.

Here is my question though, just when did it become my problem when some merchant accepts fraudulent information for a sale at his or her place of business? I don't care if it is my drivers license number used or my credit card number the fact of the matter is that if it is not me making the transaction it should not be my problem. Why does any business get to make sales and if the buyers information turns out to be stolen the business gets to put the ownis of the fraud on my door step?

When I was a young man and ventured out into the working world one of the first things I learned was that cashing a check could be a difficult task. You typically had to deal with a bank where you had an account and if you were lucky local merchants would accept or cash checks for you if you lived in town and were known to them. Some wanted you to have a check cashing card issued after your residence and employment had been verified. The reason for all these precautions? If that merchant accepted your check and latter found that it wasn't worth the paper that it was written on they were on the hook for the loss. To be sure there were legal recourses they could take to recoup their lost funds but in many cases these were more expensive especially if they did not bear fruit than simply taking the loss and putting your name on a black list never to have dealings with you again.

Then came the wonderful world of credit. Charge accounts at the local department stores. Then revolving charge accounts that allowed buyers to carry a balance forward to the next month and make payments on their purchases. Followed hot on the heals by the universally accepted credit cards like Visa and Master Card. Now it became practical to make purchases either in person or over the phone with only a number. Also as credit became more and more a part of the American life style agencies grew to act as clearing houses for information on individuals credit practices and history. If only we had known early on how much power these agencies would wield in the future I think the regulation of their operations might have developed in an entirely different manner.

Here is a bit of trivia for you. You probably know there are three major credit reporting agencies in the United States. Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. I don't really know anything about the first two but while reading a book I learned the origins of the third. The Union Tank Car Company made the bulk of the tanks cars used in the United States and I believe around the world. As a business move the acquired a county credit bureau and then continued to make other acquisitions either buying or establishing agreements with bureaus in major cities around the country. Thus was born Trans Union who along with the others we have all come to know and love.

Now we have the Internet out of which on line shopping has grown into a multi billion dollar business. Along with this growth has come an increased opportunity for fraud and crime the implementation of which is much easier for its perpetrators. Identity theft has become a world wide profit center for organized crime which is something that we should all be worried about.

So now we have come to a point in time when most people consider credit a necessity of life and an essential part of commerce in their day to day lives. This I don't have a problem with although I do feel that living on credit is not good for our country or the consumer. My problem is this upside down model that says if fraud is committed by someone who claims to be you that an assumption is made that you are guilty of that fraud until you prove otherwise.

Now my solution to this problem is quite simple. We change the rules and put the credit card on the same footing as the paper check. If a merchant accepts a credit card for payment and it turns out that the owner of the card is not the one that made the purchase they are on the hook for the loss. I do live in the real world and know that this would surly kill almost all Internet commerce instantly. At least if you are dealing with a merchant fact to face they can take precautions such as asking for photo identification when accepting a credit card for payment.

So what is to be done? The first thing we have to do is stand together as a group and and tell the credit industry, composed of both the credit card issuers and the credit reporting agencies, that we will no longer accept their current business practices or pay a third party to clean up the messes that they create while shielding us from the process. I feel confident that there are technological solutions to this problem that would allow secure business transactions and reduce identity theft to the level of an annoyance. The problem is that it would cost business time and money to implement these kinds of changes and they are not willing to take the necessary steps.

When the cell phone industry came on the scene all phones and the infrastructure that supported them used clear radio transmission that could be overheard with a consumer grade police scanner or even an old UHF television tuner. When the mass media started to point out to the public that their conversations were being listened in on and it started to hurt their sales their first move was to get law makers to make it illegal to listen in on cell phones. Now anyone with even a basic understanding of the laws of physics and how radio works knows this was just comfort food for the marketing people. When the subject again surfaced and it was show that just having a law that says someone can't do something means very little they came back for another round of laws that baned the sale of scanners that could receive cell phone signals. Needless to say it wasn't long before it became public knowledge that these radios could be easily modified to restore the deleted frequency ranges and that yes their customers still had a listening audience out there. At this point with the threat of a considerable loss of business they did what they should have done when the initial system was constructed. They moved from a clear analog FM signal to a digital system that could be encrypted. I am not going to tell you that cell phone conversations are completely private under this system because they are not. There are a number of people out there with the technical knowledge to listen in if they so desire. And this doesn't even take into account the government agencies with three and four letter names that are capable of listening to anything in the RF spectrum they want too. I can tell you though that at least 99.9% of the people who used to listen in on cell phones just to satisfy their salacious desires have been eliminated from the listening audience.

I think the credit industry is in the same position. They could fix this problem but they don't want to subtract from the bottom line by making the investment in time, software and equipment that would be required. I think they are also afraid that if this became a public debate or if the did implement new safety measures that it would cause the loss of some business because of a lack of education of the subject on the part of the consumers.

All I know is that I'm getting very tired of having to worry about other people creating an environment by they way they do business making their losses my problem. If you feel the same I suggest that you talk with your friends and relatives making the case to them and asking them to let their thoughts be known to both the credit card industry and the merchants that they support. If we the people start putting pressure on them collectively that we can bring about change.

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

What will Pittsburgh be noted for in 2060?


I have been thinking a lot lately about the history of both Pittsburgh and the Western Pennsylvania area in general. You don't have to dig very deep to find any number of things that originated here and have changed the world over a period of time. Pittsburgh has had an almost unequaled effect on the nation from its beginning and latter on the entire world.

Here are a number of examples some very well known and other not so well know as originating in Pittsburgh.


First Heart, Liver, Kidney Transplant - December 3, 1989
The first simultaneous heart, liver and kidney transplant was done at Presbyterian-University Hospital.

The First Internet Emoticon - 1982
The Smiley :-) was the first Internet emoticon, created by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Scott Fahlman.

First Robotics Institute - 1979
The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University was established to conduct basic and applied research in robotics technologies relevant to industrial and societal tasks.

First Mr Yuk Sticker - 1971
Mr Yuk was created at the Poison Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh after research indicated that the skull and crossbones previously used to identify poisons had little meaning to children who equate the symbol with exciting things like pirates and adventure.

First Night World Series Game - 1971
Game 4 of the 1971 World Series was the first night game in World Series history, a series that Pittsburgh went on to win, 4 games to 3.

First Big Mac - 1967
Created by Jim Delligatti at his Uniontown McDonald's, the Big Mac debuted and was test marketed in three other Pittsburgh-area McDonald's restaurants in 1967. By 1968 it was a mainstay on McDonald's menus throughout the country.

First Pull-Tab on Cans - 1962
The pull-tab was developed by Alcoa and was first used by Iron City Brewery in 1962. For many years, pull-tabs were only used in this area.

First Retractable Dome - September 1961
Pittsburgh's Civic Arena boasts the world's first auditorium with a retractable roof.

First U.S. Public Television Station - April 1, 1954
WQED, operated by the Metropolitan Pittsburgh Educational Station, was the first community-sponsored educational television station in America.

First Polio Vaccine - March 26, 1953
The polio vaccine was developed by Dr. Jonas E. Salk, a 38-year-old University of Pittsburgh researcher and professor.

First All-Aluminum Building - ALCOA - August 1953
The first aluminum-faced skyscraper was the Alcoa Building, a 30-story, 410 foot structure with thin stamped aluminum panels forming the exterior walls.

First Zippo Lighter - 1932
George G. Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932 in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The name Zippo was chosen by Blaisdell because he liked the sound of the word "zipper" - which was patented around the same time in nearby Meadville, PA.

First Bingo Game - early 1920's
Hugh J. Ward first came up with the concept of bingo in Pittsburgh and began running the game at carnivals in the early 1920s, taking it nationwide in 1924. He secured a copyright on the game and wrote a book of Bingo rules in 1933.

First U.S. Commercial Radio Station - November 2, 1920
Dr. Frank Conrad, assistant chief engineer of Westinghouse Electric, first constructed a transmitter and installed it in a garage near his home in Wilkinsburg in 1916. The station was licensed as 8XK. At 6 p.m. on Nov. 2, 1920, 8KX became KDKA Radio and began broadcasting at 100 watts from a make-shift shack atop one of the Westinghouse manufacturing buildings in East Pittsburgh.

Daylight Savings Time - March 18, 1919
A Pittsburgh city councilman during the first World War, Robert Garland devised the nation's first daylight savings plan, instituted in 1918.

The First Gas Station - December, 1913
In 1913 the first automobile service station, built by Gulf Refining Company, opened in Pittsburgh at Baum Boulevard and St. Clair Street in East Liberty. Designed by J. H. Giesey.

The First Baseball Stadium in the U.S. - 1909
In 1909 the first baseball stadium, Forbes Field, was built in Pittsburgh, followed soon by similar stadiums in Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, and New York.

First Motion Picture Theatre - 1905
The first theater in the world devoted to the exhibition of motion pictures was the "Nickelodeon," opened by Harry Davis on Smithfield Street in Pittsburgh.

First Banana Split - 1904
Invented by Dr. David Strickler, a pharmacist, at Strickler's Drug Store in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The First World Series - 1903
The Boston Pilgrims defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three in baseball's first modern World Series in 1903

First Air Brake - 1869
The first practical air brake for railroads was invented by George Westinghouse in the 1860s and patented in 1869.

Long-Distance Electricity - 1885
Westinghouse Electric developed alternating current, allowing long-distance transmission of electricity for the first time.

First Ferris Wheel - 1892/1893
Invented by Pittsburgh native and civil engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-1896), the first Ferris Wheel was in operation at the World's Fair in Chicago. It was over 264 feet high and was capable of carrying more than 2,000 passengers at a time.


As you can see they range from the lowly of the banana split to the conquering of a deadly disease like polio. And there are many more that are not on this list. All of this from the minds of people some of whom were born here and others who were drawn to the Pittsburgh area because of its industry. Pittsburgh was truly an example of the American "melting pot" where faith and a strong work ethic all came together to produce a strong and productive culture.

At one time Pittsburgh was the third largest city in the country in terms of being the home of corporate headquarters. We were the largest steel producer in the world making more steel just in Pittsburgh during World War II than all of our enemies combined.

Then Pittsburgh fell on hard times. Starting with the collapse of the steel industry in the mid 1970's and continuing with a major loss of population to the south and south west as business left and people followed. Pittsburgh and surrounding Allegheny County have lost population to the point that the city had to be declared as a distressed area under state law in order to keep from filing bankruptcy. Despite optimistic predictions from local politicians and claims of budget balancing success by what could at best be called dubious means the city is still in danger of collapse from the legacy costs of employee pensions and existing union contracts. When someone finally has the back bone to stand up and tell the people and the city employees how the real world works it is not going to be pretty.

All of this leads me to wonder what Pittsburgh's place in history will be fifty years from now. Will my grand children be bragging to their kids about the innovative things that originated in their home town? Will Pittsburgh even be their home town or like so many others will they say yes I once lived in Pittsburgh?

All of these thing I ponder probably because I am one of those died in the wool Pittsburgh natives. I considered leaving during the lean times and I have never been a fan of Pittsburgh winters. I may yet in my latter years decide to find another abode in a warmer climate if not full time at least half the year. One of Pittsburgh shining qualities however is its people and for reasons I can't quite explain a lot of us born here call it home and despite all its disadvantages just can't seem to be separated from it. A lot will have to change in order to resolve some of the bigger problems of western Pennsylvania, beginning with the political culture, before Pittsburgh can rise to its one time place of prominence in the nation and the world.

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Monday, January 18, 2010

The IV is plugged in and I've had my first fix


Regular readers will know that I am not much of a television watcher. Most of my viewing consists of the Fox News channel and C-Span on the weekends. Having been off work for a while now with some health problems I have watched more television than usual but the three major networks don't have a hook set in me just yet.

There is one show however that I have been following since it first aired seven years ago on the Fox Network and that is 24. For those of you not familiar with the show it centers around a federal counter terrorists unit called CTU. The lead character is one of their field agents named Jack Bauer played by Kiefer Sutherland.

I really enjoy reading novels of the "techno thriller" genre such as those by Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn. The protagonist in 24 reminds me very much of Jack Ryan in Clancy's novels only with a darker edge to him. Jack Ryan is the epitome of the straight shooter. Always does the right thing and by the book. If he does stray over the line into a grey area it usually involves bypassing the bureaucracy bending or breaking their rules. Jack Bauer on the other hand has all of these qualities but if he thinks innocent lives are at stake he will do whatever is required to protect them inside or outside the confines of the law. One season knowing that there was a weapon of mass destruction on American soil Bauer tied a man with knowledge of its location to a chair and wired him to wall socket until he got the information he needed. He is also willing to accept the consequence's of those actions whatever that might be. In the end Jack Bauer always saves the day sometimes at great personal sacrifice to not only himself but his family.

One of the things that fascinates me about this show is that out in the real post 9-11 world it has sparked a public debate as to how we should deal with some of these issues portrayed in the plot of the show. Author and former CBS news reporter Bernard Goldberg while taking questions at a speech he gave at the National Press Club asked the audience where the most honest and frank discussion was going on about how to deal with terrorists and several people in the room answered "On the television show 24". Mr. Goldberg agreed completely and commented that he felt that journalists were not doing their job by presenting both sides of this issue and opening a national dialog on the subject.

I think all of this is quite ironic considering the mass media and communications available in America today. That however, is a conversation for another time. I still consider 24 what it was intended to be entertainment. I do know how to differentiate the difference between a television show and the real world. I feel much the same about the movies. So if your tastes in reading cross paths with mine you might want to consider checking the show out. I know I will be watching.

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Monday, January 11, 2010

You are invited!


I attended a meeting at my church this evening where we discussed strategic planning to improve our congregation and thus the work that we can do for the Lord.

I found myself on the communications committee since that seems to be where my talents are so here I am blogging about it.

Now one of the reasons that I'm blogging about it is that Redeemer has become a part of the Oakmont community through both the church and the school.

If you are in Oakmont or the surrounding area we would really like to have you as a member of our church family. So I am extending a personal invitation to you, one of the readers of my blog, to come and join us in worship and fellowship.

Here is a link to our church web site where you can learn more about our beliefs, directions to our house of worship and contact information if you would like to talk with someone or get additional information.

Redeemer Lutheran Church & School

Here is a VIDEO about our school.


God bless and we hope to see you soon!

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Friday, January 08, 2010

What did you think of Brit Hume's statement?


Being of a conservative bent I get my dose of television news from the Fox News Channel. I still occasionally get my news on dead trees but the bulk of it comes from the web and pod casts. I even occasionally still watch one of the three major broadcast networks news shows although not very often.


I was a little surprised when on the weekly Fox News Sunday program hosted by Chris Wallace Brit Hume made the comment that he though Tiger Woods should convert to Christianity which could offer him forgiveness if he repents from his sins and has faith in Jesus Christ. It is very unusual almost unheard of for on screen television talent to mention their religious beliefs let along mention the name of Jesus Christ. Yet this is just what Brit Hume did on Fox News Sunday and it drew both plaudits and criticism.

I also am an avid listener to Issues Etc radio show on the Internet. So I was not surprised when Pastor Todd Wilken brought the subject up on the show and ask his listening audience what they though of the remarks made by Mr. Hume. I think you will find the discussion that follows interesting. I am supplying a link so that you can listen to this portion of the show aired on January 5th of this year.

Brit Hume Suggests Tiger Woods Become a Christian

Friday, January 01, 2010

A little humor to start the new year

One sure way to know that something in current events has been brought to the front burner is when the comics start taking up the mantra. With that in mind I invite you to listen to the latest ditty arrianged and performed by Ray Stevens.


WE THE PEOPLE
Click to play

I couldn't have said it better myself.