Hit and Runs Abound in Pittsburgh

That’s it. I’ve had it. Some jerk Pittsburgher hit the mirror of my brand-new (to me) Honda Pilot last night, scratching it and cracking a large triangle piece out of the mirror. And, of course, they drove right away. Real nice … Jerk.

When I lived in Oakland, my Subaru’s mirror was hit NO LESS THAN 5 times, 2 of which I had to pay (at inspection) hundreds of dollars to have the entire mirror replaced (not just the glass). And, surprise surprise, it’s not freaking cheap.

Or, how about that one Halloween night in Oakland when I came out in the morning to find that my Subaru along with EVERY other car for 2 blocks distance had been KICKED. I was lucky enough to get the worst of it - and my poor Subaru still has 3 HUGE dents on each passenger side door or panel. Lovely. How courteous. The great part about that story is that my drunken neighbors were up, saw it happen to one of their cars, tackled the idiot, and then LET HIM GO after getting his name and number - a FAKE! Idiots.

What makes people so completely awful and rude? How do you justify doing something like that? Isn’t it the freaking holiday season? Aren’t people supposed to be NICE? What’s happening here?! There is NO courtesy left in this world. To prove my point… Full Story »

A good reason for Pittsburghers to buy Tide…

Jesus at a Steelers Game?!?!?

By: Kristy Sorcan

 Just in case you ever thought “Jesus must be rooting for the Patriots this decade for them to win so many SuperBowls”…guess what. You’re wrong and I can prove it! The camera does not lie and it’s not Photo-shopped – my friend Steve took this still from his TV during the game. When the ESPN camera man was panning the crowd before the game started, he caught Jesus in the stands waving a Terrible Towel. Looks like Jesus has some really great seats, too. Must be nice to be the son of God…I can’t get seats that good and I live in Pittsburgh.

From Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

English Translation

“It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour.”

Pittsburghese Translation

“It is a fair, even-haned, noble adjustment of tings, that while dere is infection in disease and sorrow, dere is nothing in da world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humor.”

The first Robotics Institute opened at Carnegie Mellon University in 1979 to “conduct basic and applied research in robotics technologies and transfer them to industry to enhance productivity and product quality.” [RI press release]

“I have really never considered myself a TV star. I always thought I was a neighbor who just came in for a visit.”

~Every Burgher’s Neighbor: Mr. Rogers!

Oakland: The Loss of a Community, Part 2

This is Part 2 of the Oakland Series. There’s so much to say about the Oakland community that you will see a number of posts devoted to Oakland, The University of Pittsburgh, and especially, bad housing conditions in Pittsburgh - one of my personal crusades for change. This entry is dedicated to the history of housing law and the older residents who have lived in Oakland for a long, long time (and who many simply have forgotten).

I would like to note that the University of Pittsburgh has done an excellent job to rebuild the bridges they broke in the late 60s and early 70s with Oakland’s long-term residents (as explained in this posting), but there is still more work to do when it comes to improving housing conditions for both the students renters and the long-term residents of Oakland.

Oakland in the 1950s: The Cathedral of Learning Mobbed by Many as the University Grows in Popularity!

Law and Housing Conditions

“Miserable and disreputable housing conditions…may indeed make living an almost insufferable burden. They may also be an ugly sore, a blight on the community which robs it of its charm; which makes it a place from which men may turn. The misery of housing may despoil a community as an open sewer may ruin a river”
~ Supreme Court Justice William O.Douglas, in Berman v.Parker. Full Story »

(2) Comments

Should Dave Wannstedt Stay or Go?

By: Jared, aka: the guy who doesn’t really live here

Ed Note: For you out-of-towners, Dave Wannstedt is the head football coach for the University of Pittsburgh’s football team: The Pitt Panthers

What is there to be said about Dave Wannstedt? He’s a helluva Pittsburgher and he loves the Pittsburgh area. He was born in here and attended Baldwin High School. Dude probably would get out and kiss the sidewalk in the South Side if you asked him to prove how much he loves Pittsburgh. We give him some major raves for that. But, he’s not much of an NFL head coach (Neither was Pete Carroll or the ‘ole BallCoach Steve Spurrier) and, so far, not much of a College Head Coach. Besides several top 10 recruiting classes (number 11 in 2006 and #8 in 2007) in a row, Pitt still has not done much on the football field. However, with the exception of West Virginia, no one has really blown out the Panthers since he joined the school. I think Pittsburgh is fully underrated and the aforementioned WVU will get a big surprise when it visits Pitt later this year. Let’s discuss this a little people. Please tell us whether you think Dave Wannstedt is a Pittsburgh Rant or a Pittsburgh Rave!

“Pittsburgh isn’t fancy, but it is real. It’s a working town and money doesn’t come easy. I feel as much a part of this city as the cobblestone streets and the steel mills, people in this town expect an honest day’s work, and I’ve given it to them for a long, long time.”

~Anonymous

GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION PITTSBURGH!

I truly don’t understand what is so hard to understand about this rule of the road:

“Do not go into the intersection if there is a possibility you will remain stuck there when the light turns red, thus gridlocking the intersection and prohibiting traffic flow.” [my words, but a law nonetheless]

It’s really not that complicated, people. Let’s take this morning for example. Driving into work, we were parked at the intersection of Potomac and Banksville (on Potomac, facing down the hill).

We were lucky enough to watch the idiot drivers that gridlock this intersection every morning block the intersection (again) by trying to get through the Banksville light when there is no room to do so. As we attempted to maneuver around the gridlockers (you know who you are - damn fools), the people who would be turning left decided that the gridlockers gave THEM the opportunity to cut off those of us coming down the hill (who had the right of way). So, that further gridlocked the intersection and RAISED my blood pressure!

Where did you people learn to drive? Full Story »