I’ve actually probably been out of the city long enough now, that I’m going to have a whole plethora of information to talk about when I get back!  So that’s something we all can look forward to!

What happened to the Onorato Tax money that they are still collecting?  It’s time to actually be honest about what’s going on with this.  It’s continually losing money, continually cutting routes, and continually raising fees.  Something just doesn’t add up, and sooner or later, they have to be breaking even.

I forgot though, it’s government run, silly me.  One of the most corrupt business there is.  Apparently some people are angry about this, Shocked?  I know, it’s surprising.  What does WPXI.com have to report about it?  Let’s see:

Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland said the agency faces a $51 million budget deficit despite service cuts and other reforms in the past three years that have saved $52 million annually. The company also blames the deficit on $27 million it would have received if the federal government approved tolling on Interstate 80, but that was rejected.

“I had dozens of CEOs tell me their employees use the system,” said Bland. “It impacts business, caretakers. My fear, we won’t realize until it’s lost and then it’s hard to get that back.”

“Every year, the Port Authority comes up with something,” said Bloomfield resident Tyrone Campbell. “They crying that they are broke. Now they’re talking $4. They need to quit.”

“I, personally, get to and from work through buses now,” said Corey Watkins. “Now, I have to hike two to three miles just to get to my bus station.”

Watkins said he uses services along Steubenville Pike and Campbell’s Run Road, a place where transit officials said services could be greatly reduced or discontinued.

Struggling college student Alyssa Moore said she will probably have to quit her weekend job on the South Side.“I’m not really happy, I already leave an hour early to get to work. If they cut any more, I have to leave earlier,” said Moore.

Spokesman Jim Ritchie said the authority has “no other options” without more state funding.Fare increases could take effect on Jan. 1 with the cuts coming Jan. 9.

Over the next 30 days, riders who will be affected by the changes can voice their concerns. On Aug. 19, the Port Authority is planning an all-day public hearing at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The Port Authority’s Board of Directors will then vote on the plan in September. But riders are already upset about the future cuts.

Even though the county said the changes are necessary to avert a $50 million deficit, some people aren’t buying it.“I don’t know why they need more money,” said Moore. “I pay $85 a month, that’s already too much.”

I’m just as much amazed as these people are.  For this situation to continually lose that much money, because last year they cut 50 million, and this year they want to cut another 50.  You’re telling me they’ve lost 100+ million in two years?  What kind of joke spending are they doing?  It’s absurd, and the Pittsburgh Council needs to do something about this.

All in all, it’s a crappy day to be a commuter in some areas of Pennsylvania.  It just so happens, that the toll road increases will be the costliest in the nation.  Didn’t we lease the naming rights to the Pennsylvania Turnpike to reduce this cost?  This is just unbelievable.  Other states have cheaper tolls and can keep their roads in much better condition than ours.

It’s embarrassing, and it’s caused me to write a letter to our government.  Not like any of that matters, but I’m upset, and I just don’t want to take it anymore.

Anyways, here’s the news on the situation that has me fuming:

The turnpike commission on Wednesday approved a 3 percent increase for users of E-ZPass electronic fare collection and 10 percent for cash customers, effective Jan. 2.

That will raise the cash cost of driving the turnpike to 8.5 cents per mile, highest of the 11 U.S. toll roads of 100 miles or longer. Currently, the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes are tied at 7.7 cents per mile.

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Get E-ZPass

E-ZPass is available online at www.paturnpike.com or by calling 1-877-Penn-Pass (1-877-736-6727). Some Pennsylvania retailers offer E-ZPass sign-ups at their customer service desks, including Giant Eagle and GetGo. Many of the state’s AAA offices offer transponder sales, and there are E-ZPass vending machines called Tag Tellers at select turnpike travel plazas.

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Shorter toll facilities, including highway spurs and bridges, typically have higher per-mile costs. A March survey by the Pennsylvania Turnpike found 10 facilities with per-mile rates of 27.8 cents or more, including a 6-mile highway in California whose users pay 45.8 cents per mile.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike has ascended to the top among longer toll roads largely because of a 2007 state law requiring it to help fund non-turnpike transportation programs. Since then, the turnpike has given the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation $2.5 billion to pay for highway and bridge work and mass transit.

That amount is the equivalent of more than three years’ worth of turnpike toll income. The turnpike took in $700 million last year.

The Jan. 2 toll increase will mean that travel from Pittsburgh to Breezewood will cost $9.25 in cash or $8.65 with E-ZPass, up from the current $8.40. Travel from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia will rise from the current $23.20 to $25.55 in cash or $23.90 with E-ZPass.

The increase also will affect tolls on other turnpike-owned highways, including Toll 66, the Mon-Fayette Expressway and a section of the Beaver Valley Expressway. Tolls will not increase on the Findlay Connector near Pittsburgh International Airport.

Turnpike spokesman Carl DeFebo said that aside from the commission’s obligations to PennDOT, factors fueling the rising tolls are the highway’s age and an extensive capital improvement program that by next year will have widened and resurfaced or rebuilt the turnpike from the Ohio line to the Allegheny Tunnels.

The state’s “challenging geography” and weather also contribute to higher construction and maintenance costs, he said.

That last statement is absolutely garbage. So what about West Virginia and it’s “challenging geography?” It has just as many hills as we do and it’s not twice as bad. It’s all a cop out, and it’s frustrating as all hell.

It’s just weird I suppose.  I have two weeks left until I’m in North Carolina, and all I’m trying to do at this moment is just work it out, get done as quietly and painless as possible at work, and head home and go to bed.  I mean, it’s not necessarily a great thing to try and sleep through this next two weeks, but I just get too excited and anxious for what’s about to come.

I guess the sad realization that as quickly as the vacation comes, it’s going to be over even faster.  It’s a catch 22 that I’m not a fan of.  That being said, it’s nice to take a break from the city of Pittsburgh as well.  I love this town with all my heart, but sometimes you just need a break.  I’m tired of the construction on Route 28, I’m tired of the endless traffic that really isn’t even that bad compared to most cities, and I’m just overall tired.  I just need to get away, re-charge, and come back ready to kick butts and take names.

Another great thing is that the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is a few weeks away as well.  It’s always an awesome time of the year when football begins to pick up.  The city comes alive and the hope is refreshed.  The only thing I’m concerned about is how well the Yinzers at heart out there handle when/if the Steelers get off to a slow start.  I myself am prepared for it as best as I can.  It’s frustrating, but hopefully Big Ben has his suspension reduced to 4 games and the ship gets righted back into a winner.  I don’t know, we’ll see once the season starts!

The Pittsburgh Pirates still suck.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have their developmental camps starting and they are back on their way to try and work their rookies into shape.  It’s great news, and I’m really excited for the Pens to meet back up and start working as a team.

Outside of that I don’t have much to go on.  Aside from telling you about the image that was used for the header.  It comes from OnlyInPgh.com and it was submitted by Sean Mckeag(flickr account).  Overall the image is awesome, and it’s a great contrast to the actual future of today.

You can click here for the full size image of the Pittsburgh Panoramic.

This one comes from RustWire.com:

PNC Park? Pittsburgh, PA

Totally awesome night picture from Pitt.edu:

Pittsburgh at night

Image of Point Park from TripAdvisor:

Point Park, Pittsburgh PA

One of my Favorite things in Kennywood, The Racers:

The Racers, Pittsburgh PA

Pittsburgh Waterfront:

Pittsburgh Waterfront

Finally, I’m really going to miss this place:

Mellon Arena

I personally don’t know how I feel about this.  On one hand, it’s a great boom in revenue, on the other hand, it could likely cause a whole new slew of problems in the area.  While I’m still relatively young(24 years old), I have learned that spending an enormous amount of time in a casino is bad news.  Especially if you have any type of addiction problem related to gambling.  However, when done right, a casino can be a hell of an experience.  I guess it’s just more about learning the limits rather than breaking the bank.  Anyways, let’s see what the news sites have to say about this Pittsburgh event:

ABCNews.com says:

Pennsylvanians who want to play poker, craps and other table games at the state’s slots casinos now have their chance.

The first casinos featuring tables games opened early Thursday morning. Gamblers at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and The Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County crowded in when the doors opened at 6 a.m. Also opening table games Thursday was Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie.

Pennsylvania first opened slots casinos in 2006. Last year, Gov. Ed Rendell and top legislators included the legalization of table games as part of a handshake deal to raise more revenue for the recession-battered state treasury. Lawmakers passed the bill in January.

Ok so that wasn’t so much an opinion rather than a statement of information regarding whats’ actually happening in the state of Pennsylvania.  Heading on over to the Post-Gazette where it actually has information on what’s happening at The Rivers is kind of awesome:

Eighty people stood in line for the official opening of table games at Rivers Casino at 6 a.m. today, and another 200 playing slot machines pounced once the new section opened.

“Six tables in the poker room were full and people were screaming at the craps table — you couldn’t have written a better script,” said the casino’s general manager, Todd Moyer.

The new offerings at the North Shore casino include 86 table games, including a poker room with 24 tables, blackjack, craps and roulette.

Table games were also being launched this morning at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County and at Presque Isle Downs and Casino in Erie.

“I was talking to people, and they were wearing it as a badge of honor to be the first to ever play the tables,” Mr. Moyer said.

Now that’s where I actually have a problem with society.  People were lined up and taking it as a badge of honor to lose money?  I don’t get that, I suppose I never will really.  Here’s where you come in though:

What do you think about table games being at the Rivers Casino?  Do you think it will be a good thing for the state?  Or do you think it’s a terrible idea.  Why do you feel this way?  Let me know in the comments and the best comments will be highlighted in a new article tomorrow!

So we’ll start with this hot topic, that’s not even dealing with Pittsburgh.  Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia has died.  He was 92 years old.   Here’s a little love from the AP article describing his life:

Robert C. Byrd, the longest serving member of the U.S. Senate, a fiery orator and hard-charging power broker who steered billions of federal dollars to his beloved West Virginia, died Monday. He was 92.

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You guys remember Pittsburgh’s famous “tagger” Daniel Montano?  You know, the kid who made the phrase, “MFONE” famous around the city?  That same kid, who caused over $700,000 dollars worth of estimated damage, and racked up over 18 felony’s for spray painting, has turned his jail sentence into a blessing, by doing art.  It just so happens to be that he will be doing an art show, “Invisible Walls, Invisible Children,” which opens July 9 at Gallery 4, 206 S. Highland Ave., Shadyside.

Here’s a little excerpt from the Post-Gazette’s article about the young man:

The most prolific tagger in the city’s history — police estimated he caused more than $700,000 in damage to 125 property owners over several years — has been on pre-release from a 21/2-to-5 year sentence since last August.

He spends his three free nights with his sister in Highland Park. He has been working as a dishwasher, doing scenic paintings for movies and preparing works for an art show, “Invisible Walls, Invisible Children,” which opens July 9 at Gallery 4, 206 S. Highland Ave., Shadyside.

Now 25, Mr. Montano says being incarcerated “turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“After my sentence, I went to my cell and cried. My bunkie said, ‘You feel like there’s nothing that you can change right now but it’s not true. You can change what’s inside you.’”

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Finally, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the rest of the NHL had their draft over the weekend.  All in all, it was a very meh draft as hardly any players were traded, along with nobody really even being re-signed. About the only good thing that can come from all of that, is that July 1, is absolutely going to be a mad house, and a lot of the teams in the league are going to change a lot of personnel.

Here’s what the Gazette had to say about the draft and the Pens “trendy” choices:

The NHL draft came to California, and the league’s teams, including the Penguins, left with a lot of American players.”I think it’s great,” said Penguins general manager Ray Shero, who also is involved in USA Hockey.

“Especially to see the kids from California taken in the first round, it’s come a long way. It just goes to show you, it’s great for U.S. hockey.”

In the first round Friday, the Penguins took a native Californian, forward Beau Bennett, one of two Californians selected in that round.

A record 11 Americans were selected in the first round, and a record-tying 21 were selected in the first two rounds. Of the 210 prospects picked, 59 are Americans. Four of the Penguins’ six draft picks are from the United States.

The three who were selected Saturday on the second day of the draft at Staples Center were right winger Bryan Rust, of suburban Detroit, who plays for the United States Development Program’s under-18 team and was selected in the third round, 80th overall; left winger Kenneth Agostino, a New Jersey high school player headed to Yale who was taken in the fifth round, 140th overall; and defenseman Joe Rogalski, of Buffalo, who plays for Sarnia of the Ontario Junior Hockey League.

All in all, a pretty un-spectacular weekend.  We’re fast approaching the 4th of July, so what are your plans Pittsburgh?

Not only did they bring in a consultant, but this consultant is a magician, a magician that was the hand double for George Burns in the movie, “Oh, God!”  Entertaining right?  Could this possibly be a joke?  Not in the slightest.  George Joseph, a magician turned consultant who can change a blackjack hand of 14 into a winning 21 without taking a hit and who can switch a pair of dice with the innocent wave of an arm.  Is on the job and he’s ready to talk about how cheaters are finding out advanced ways to beat the dealer at table games.

“It’s sort of always a cat and mouse game. The bad guys come up with some way to steal or cheat and we find out about it. We prosecute it and then we change our policy, procedure or equipment to accommodate the scam,” he said.

“I’m the first to admit that the bad guys are many times — not always, but many times — ahead of the casinos.”

Mr. Joseph, a former surveillance director for major Las Vegas gambling venues, is working with the state Gaming Control Board to try to make sure that doesn’t happen in Pennsylvania. He runs George Joseph’s Worldwide Casino Consulting.

He is conducting five week-long sessions throughout the state to help train casino workers, state police officers and gaming board employees on ways to watch for cheating when table games make their debut July 8 at the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County, where he was Thursday.

The Rivers Casino

This is something that I’m highly intrigued in. If you’ve ever seen the movie “21,” you get an inside look at the fast track to success(even if itis magnified to movie form).  Cheaters in Pittsburgh though?  You bet, and George had this to say about the influx of new people checking out the Casino.

“No doubt, no doubt, only because every other jurisdiction who’s ever opened … has had attempted cheating, has had the same bad guys make the rounds and show up in their casinos,” he said. “So we can expect to see it here.”

Mr. Joseph said casino scams can range from the simple to sophisticated. Some people simply will try to illegally add to their bet if they have a winning hand or try to remove part of their bet if it’s a poor one. At the craps table, some cheaters will try to put their bet down after the roll of the dice or try to confuse the dealer in the amount they have bet.

Card counting has become more popular, particularly with the explosion of Internet sites dedicated to the technique, he said.

It’s just amazing what people will do to try and swindle a little extra cash out of something. I couldn’t imagine even thinking about doing something like this. It’s just crazy that a ton of people have tried to do it, and people could be so good at it that they haven’t even been caught yet. All I know, is that when the table games at the Casino do arrive, I will be highly skeptical of the cost to even play.

Information used from: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10169/1066446-28.stm

The CMDragons are actually going to be joining the ranks of competing teams from all across the world in an upcoming soccer tournament.  However these guy’s are quite different, with all of them ranging from 6 inches in height and all of them have very slow and robotic movement!

The CMDragons, a team of five wheeled robots standing less than 6 inches tall in the shape of cylinders, will look to claim its third championship in five years competing against opponents from such countries as Brazil, Iran and Thailand at the world’s largest robotics and artificial intelligence event.

“I expect to finish first,” team leader and Carnegie Mellon computer science professor Manuela Veloso said. “I don’t see any reason why we won’t win.”

Dr. Veloso and the rest of the Carnegie Mellon team are expecting an algorithm developed for computer science student Stefan Zickler’s Ph.D. thesis to give the CMDragons the edge at RoboCup.

It’s just completely awesome, that we have that kind of knowledge to be able to do this in the first place.  So not only are these group of robots storied champions, they are one step closer to adapting and finishing real live situations for themselves.

nstead of the team’s old strategy of planning a set of plays for the robots to execute — like American football — Mr. Zickler created an algorithm based on the principles of physics that allows the robots to analyze situations, evaluate the different options available to them and pick the best one. The robot’s decision-making process happens at a speed of 60Hz — or 60 times a second. The result is a considerable amount of ingenuity on the robots’ part.”The robot, in its mind, essentially, during the game, is predicting ‘What would happen if I were to do this?’ ‘What would happen if I were to do that?’ and then comes up with new strategies on the spot,” he said. “We’re not writing [code telling the robot what to do] anymore."

Dr. Veloso did not think any other teams will be using a similar algorithm since she has yet to see papers published on the topic.

Not that all of this high tech sporting didn't come without any issues.  Had they team not suffered a fatal glitch last year, they would have won.  However it didn't work that way:

The CMDragons used a preliminary version of the algorithm during last year's competition and easily defeated most teams before a meltdown in the tournament quarterfinals.

"We had a pretty horrible glitch last year where our robots became blind," Mr. Zickler said. "We would crash into [our opponents] a lot because we didn't see them, and the referee gave out yellow cards until we only had the goalie left on the field. A minute before the end of the game, the other team finally eventually scored on us. And that was just with us having a single goalie."

All in all, they will also be fielding a team of 22inch tall robots, who move a little bit slower but fundamentally play the same.  To read more on this awesome story head over to here:  http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10165/1065452-298.stm

Check out this sweet video too!

I’m pretty sure it’s why I love this city so much.  I mean, I come from Greensburg, Pennsylvania.  It’s a smallish town about 45 minutes southeast of the city, and it’s pretty much the same thing day after day.  When I got my new job in Pittsburgh, I noticed incredible changes and have been able to experience the city life and all of it’s pleasures on a daily basis.  Sure, it has it’s moments with traffic and never ending construction(looking at you Route 28), but there is just more to it than that.  I don’t know, I guess it’s just what gets people to come back and work here.  They’ve made it a pretty nice place to work and do your daily thing, and at this moment in time, I wouldn’t want to be elsewhere.

Moving on to an interesting story, because it’s time for summer.  The Pittsburgh Post Gazette wrote an article about the cost and maintenance of a public pool.  The pools often require a ton of fixes, and really just lose money year after year, but politicians and officials recognize that they are a necessity of this area.

In the article it talks about a few pools around the area and what it costs to run/save them.  Let’s take a look at what the Dormont Community Pool has to offer:

One day earlier this month when it was too cold for T-shirts, let alone a bathing suit, workers completed repairs on the mammoth Dormont Pool, preparing to open it this weekend.

Four years ago, when members of the community had to decide whether the pool was worth saving, they decided it was.

“It’s a jewel, and to have to let it go, that would have been a tragedy,” said Mr. Herrman, board vice president of a group that calls itself Friends of Dormont Pool. Through fundraisers, the group has generated about $85,000, helping to offset the costs of keeping the pool open.

In 2009, a tough financial year for most pools, the net cost, factoring in revenues and expenditures, of running the Dormont facility was $82,175, and in 2008, the net cost of running the pool was $52,698. The 2010 budget calls for a net cost of $64,200.

For repair work such as sandblasting, the pool has received grants totaling $650,000 over the past few years from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Officials from a few towns, such as Crafton and Mt. Lebanon, said they are looking for grants to help pay for pool repair costs in the coming years. Mt. Lebanon Commissioner Raja said the town is studying options for the future, such as sharing pool finances with a neighboring community or with the school district.

In preparation for this year’s opening, Dormont installed a new sound system and wireless Internet. As Friends of Dormont Pool contemplates the future, they hope it includes teaming with a corporate partner to support a “green” pool.

Mr. Herrman is helping to get the pool ready for opening day Saturday.

“There’s nothing better than a dip in the pool on a hot day,” he said

Wonderful, you know what’s crazy? A picture of a pool with no water in it. Check it out!  Image and Excerpt can be found here:  Staying afloat: Public pools can be a big drain on town coffers

Dormont Community Pool