Neighborhood Walk: Butler’s Institute Hill and Main Street

For background on the Neighborhood Walk, check out the Rust Belt Bloggers site. Find a list of others’ walks there too. I took a walk through my neighborhood today. I timed it to coincide with the Veteran’s Day parade on Main Street, but I ended up taking photos of buildings and bridges instead of the …

Blogging on the edge

I’m honored to be guest-blogging at Keystone Edge for a week. My first post is online: "It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood." You’ve not heard of Keystone Edge? Well, it’s time you did hear. Keystone Edge tells the story of the new economy in Pennsylvania–a narrative of creative people and businesses, new development, cool …

Thinking Pennsylvanians, unite!

Regular readers of this site know I hold no love for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and this state’s monopoly on wine and liquor sales. I’ve thought about starting a movement to get these things thrown out. It turns out I don’t need to, because someone else already has. As part of this, he’s compiling …

Defining irony

From Monday’s Post-Gazette: Meanwhile, Sen. Vincent Fumo, D-Philadelphia, said this morning that there’s a “confidential draft” of a statewide bill that would throw out Philadelphia’s smoking ban. Mr. Fumo said Philadelphia and any other town or county in Pennsylvania should be allowed to enact their own laws, a process called “local option.” He said he …

Important for one day

Pennsylvania Welcome Sign, originally uploaded by WestendRaider. Today I had this email exchange with a friend who lives in San Francisco: San Fran Friend: So how does it feel to be the center of the country’s attention? MBM: I love it. I’m going to be so bummed Thursday when everyone starts ignoring us again. I …

All of this took less time than it took me to explain to a clerk at a PLCB “Premium Spirits” store what Armagnac was.

Peterb of Tea Leaves finds the mecca of quality liquor. It’s in Kansas City. Actually, I’m confident that it’s just anywhere outside of the borders of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. To catch you up on the latest developments in my on-going saga to purchase creme de violette: I sent an email to the special order …

AlphaLab launches in Pittsburgh

seedlings, originally uploaded by paul goyette. A new and interesting product development accelerator has been launched in Pittsburgh: Innovation Works announces the launch of AlphaLab, a catalyst for the next generation of software, interactive game design and Internet-related companies.  Innovation Works created AlphaLab to help companies rapidly develop their technology, gain user feedback from early …

Violets for your furs

Violets, originally uploaded by Il conte di Luna. There’s an interesting discussion going on in the comments from my post on Monday about the question of privatizing the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Do take a look and chime in with your views. In the meantime, I want to add an example of what frustrates me …

Privatize the PLCB

Sad looking liquor store, originally uploaded by camera_obscura. Two weeks ago, Steve Twedt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette authored a series of articles on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board: what it is, why this state says it needs to hold a monopoly on wine and liquor sales (but not beer sales), alternative reasons why it does …

Comeback Season

Consider this excerpt: With a heavy heart I watch that Sunday’s game between the Colts and the Jets. With 2:24 remaining in the game, Peyton Manning completes a 2-yard pass to tight end Bryan Fletcher, ending a 68-yard Colts drive. Colts 24, Jets 21. The Colts offense retreats to the bench, but before they can …