Pittsburgh, PA

It’s already the second week of the festival, so I figured now is as good as time as any to talk about this great event. The festival is still being held downtown around the Gateway Plaza/PPG Plaza/Market Square area and runs until June 22nd. Here’s just some of the highlights of this weekend’s events:

Friday, June 13th
-Maceo Parker! The legendary jazz singer is presenting on the Main Stage at 7:30pm
-Take Me Out, Richard Greenberg’s Tony-winning play @ Navarra, 131 7th Street, 8pm, $10
-The Unintended, a play exposing the present situation of Afghani refugees in Pakistan @ 937 Liberty Avenue, 8pm, $5
-Omega Love is playing at Market Square @ 9:30pm

Saturday, June 14th
-Magarac Attack opening and artist party in Market Square; a folk-themed celebration with participating artists, 4-6 pm
-The Curve Ball @ Navarra, 6pm, $35; exclusive cocktail reception and admission to the 8pm performance of Take Me Out for Pittsburgh’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community
-Phoebe Snow and special guest Gemini @ the Main Stage, 6:30pm

Sunday, June 15th
-Celtic Spirit Highland Dancers of Pittsburgh @ Community Stage, 12:30pm
-Attack Theatre’s The Heist @ the Contained Exhibition (Forbes Avenue), 5:30pm
-NY Dolls! with special guest the Takeover UK @ the Main Stage, 6:30pm

I’ve been volunteering at the festival since last week and I can say that so far, there’s been a really good turnout, great artists and some amazing music, so come on out!

For more information on performances, scheduling and more, check out their website here.

And if you can’t make it out to the festival this weekend, maybe you can catch the Life on Mars exhibit I previously talked about that’s happening at the Carnegie Museum.

Pittsburgh, Three Rivers Arts Festival, downtown, art, music, Maceo Parker, NY Dolls

The STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University presents Other Options Pittsburgh, a symposium on alternative economics and value systems April 11-­13 at Goods & Services, 2628 East Carson St. The weekend-long symposium, which explores how local actions relate to global capitalism, includes an art exhibition, panel discussion, macroeconomics workshop, cottage industry expo and Sunday Soup on the South Side as well as guided tours, dinner and a dance party in Braddock.

The symposium is the collective effort of the ReTool Project at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry; Goods & Services, a project space affiliated with the Carnegie Mellon School of Art; InCubate, a group of arts administrators and arts historians from Chicago; and Braddock Active Arts, an artist collective working in Braddock, Pa.

Other Options Pittsburgh highlights a confluence of thought and activity around economics, resources, and exchange, said Carolyn Lambert, fellow in the Studio for Creative Inquiry. While interviewing people who work off-the-books as part of the informal economy, we met other artists and groups who share our interest in systems of value. The network organizing this symposium represents only a small cross-section of the many artists currently seeking alternatives to mainstream capitalism. We’re using art-based activities as a way to test out tools and strategies that could create real change.

The symposium opens Friday, April 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. with an art exhibition curated by InCubate and produced in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon students at Goods & Services. The exhibition looks at artist groups who are re-interpreting, altering and creating infrastructure that affects their everyday lives and artistic practice. Artists in the exhibition include Robin Hewlett and Carolyn Lambert (Pittsburgh), Forays (New York/Montreal), Phil Orr and Ryan Thompson (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois), Material Exchange (Chicago), and Carnegie Mellon graduate and undergraduate students. The exhibition will continue through May 2.

On Saturday April 12 at 2pm, a panel discussion, Exploring our Options, will showcase four models of community organizing and artistic practice that question dominant value systems and suggest practical alternatives. On Sunday April 13th at 12:30pm, activist Matt Meyer will lead a workshop on macroeconomics, educating participants about the global economic infrastructure and its relationship to small-scale alternative practices.

This symposium is supported in part by the Sprout Fund, the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, and the Center for Arts and Society at Carnegie Mellon. For more information, contact Carolyn Lambert at 412-398-1122 or visit the ReTool website for a complete schedule of events at http://retool.wordpress.com.

On a side note, don’t forget to check out Debris Magazine’s 4th issue that just came out. Visit my previous post for more info and to see about contributing work to the Pittsburgh based literary/art magazine.

Pittsburgh, STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon, Sprout Fund, Other Options Symposium, global, capitalism, economics

The artist Wayno is having a neat exhibit at the Gypsy Cafe featuring the Chinese Zodiac and I thought I’d spread the word. I’ve been meaning to go the Gypsy Cafe for awhile, so I definitely think this is my excuse to go. I may even write a review of the cafe; I really need to start doing those!

Press Release:
Following Squaresville, last summer’s sold-out art show at Zombo Gallery in Lawrenceville, local artist Wayno returns with his latest exhibit, Animalia Astrologica: The Chinese Zodiac, opening February 5, 2008 at the Gypsy Café on the South Side.

Animalia Astrologica is a series of twelve paintings, representing the animal signs of the traditional Chinese zodiac.

Late last year, Gypsy Café owner Melanie Evankovich invited Wayno to show some of his work in her funky, Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, and the two collaborated to develop a theme appropriate to the space. “When we settled on an early February date for the opening, I immediately thought of Chinese New Year,” said the artist. “It seemed to fit with the Café’s irreverent mystical vibe.” Evankovich agreed, saying, “We have a Tarot card reader here twice a week, and the Year of the Rat begins on February 7, so when Wayno suggested a set of astrological pictures, I knew we had the perfect motif.”

The paintings, in Wayno’s distinctive cartoon pop style, use a limited palate consisting mainly of the traditional red and gold colors of the Chinese New Year. The animals depicted are anything but traditional – they’re shown behaving like Westerners at New Year’s time. We see a snake drinking champagne, pigs kissing at midnight, a dragon with a hangover, and an ox making a list of resolutions.

Wayno is a cartoonist, illustrator, and writer based in Pittsburgh. His clients include The New Yorker, Nickelodeon Magazine, Rhino Records, McGraw-Hill Books, Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Pittsburgh City Paper, Table, and The New York Times. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, and is a founding board member of the ToonSeum, Pittsburgh’s museum of the cartoon arts.

Animalia Astrologica runs from February 5 through March 30, 2008 at the Gypsy Café, located at 1330 Bingham Street on the South Side. The café is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday, and for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Complete restaurant hours are posted at www.gypsycafe.net

For additional information, call the Gypsy Café at 412-381-4977.

To get a sneak preview of Wayno’s work, visit his website here.

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Just thought I’d remind everyone that there is going to be a lunar eclipse tomorrow night!

For more information on the eclipse and where you can view it around the world, visit NASA’s website here.

Speaking of all around the world, check out the World Traveler blog here. I’m going to be creating a similar website soon, so keep an eye out!

Pittsburgh, Wayno, Chinese Zodiac, Gypsy Cafe, art, lunar eclipse, nasa, travel

It’s snowing like crazy out there, so if you’re snowed in and bored, check out the Winter issue of my literary/art magazine. It’s online only, so go here to see it.

Debris Magazine features a wide variety of talent from all over the world, as well as right here in Pittsburgh. The magazine aims to be the antithesis of stuffy lit journals and pretentious art magazines.

The magazine is quarterly, but showcases a featured artist and photographer monthly, so check back often!

And even though the featured artist and photographer are not from Pittsburgh this month, check out their work as well! Speaking of which, I know there are a ton of local artists and photographers that are good at what they do, so please contact me! Debris is not a Pittsburgh magazine, but it is based in Pittsburgh, so I’d like to showcase as much local talent as possible.

Debris is currently accepting submissions for the Spring issue, in the form of short stories, poetry/prose, reviews and travel writing. Any feedback on the Winter issue would be greatly appreciated as well.

Debris is also looking for advertisers to help pay for an eventual print edition of the magazine and advertising is in the form of banners on the front page. Please contact me at editor@debrismagazine.com for more information.

If the magazine is not enough to entertain you, check out the Rusty Bridge website here. You can find out about other Pittsburgh events I may not cover on the blog, as well as articles on art, technology and Pittsburgh culture.

Oh and here’s a quick reminder that the Chihuly exhibit at Phipps is closing February 23rd, so catch it while you can!

Pittsburgh, Debris Magazine, art, writing, culture, Rusty Bridge, technology, Chihuly

Eat ‘n Park has enacted a system-wide non-smoking policy in May 2007. Many local organizations and leaders are praising them for this action.

Kevin O’Connell, the senior VP said that he is humbled by the attention. He says the main motive of the decision was to protect the health of his workers and guests.

“We simply did what we thought was right,” says Kevin.

The chain has also won awards for having a clean air environment from The American Lung Association of Pennsylvania, American Cancer Society, Westmoreland County Tobacco Coalition, and Teens Against Tobacco Use. For more information, visit www.eatnpark.com.

This goes to show you that you don’t always need government regulation to change things. This private business decided on its own to become smoke-free. And that’s what the free market does. If there is a market for smoke free bars and restaurants a business will fill that market. This gives people a choice and choices are what give us freedom. If you want to know more about my views on smoking bans just read this post.

In closing I will leave you with some facts about the Eat ‘n Park Restaurants. They were founded in 1949 as a family carhop. The chain now has 77 locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. They also own Park Classic Diner, a retro-eatery reminiscent of the company’s roots and Six Penn Kitchen, an upscale American Bistro. I have never been to either of the other two or knew they were owned by the same Company. You really do learn something new every day.

Eat ‘n Park, Six Penn Kitchen, Pittsburgh, Monroeville, diners, Park Classic, smoking ban

(courtesy of kdka.com)

I just want to start out by saying that I’m not even going to attempt to write this post in an objective manner; this blog is meant to contain information with a personal slant and a subjective voice, so please keep this in mind, especially after I say: HAHAHAHA!

Luke Ravenstahl (D): 43,257 votes, 63%
Mark DeSantis (R): 23,884 votes, 35%

Sure Democrats outnumber Republicans 5-1, but if people really wanted to elect DeSantis mayor, they would have. Contrary to popular belief, not all of Pittsburghers are zombies, in fact if anything, this election more than most in the past, have woken up some due to the controversial age of the current mayor, as well as the hoopla surrounding a Republican trying to gain so much popularity in such a little amount of time. Not to mention, their previous favorite just up and died, so more than usual attention was paid to the mayoral slot.

So before I get into what other people think, I’m going to say that I knew he was going to win in the beginning. No one wants a businessman to run this city, no matter what our budget problems may be; not enough people trust them. There’s a certain inhumane stigma associated with this creature, that despite not always being accurate, is there nonetheless. My opinion on DeSantis’s outcome in this race, was cinched when he showed up to my school for the debates. He looked like a scared chicken, too afraid to smile or really warm up to any of the students or faculty. Whether this was due to nerves or not, you better fake it if you want to convince people you’re the down to earth candidate they want in this city. Remember, it may be a city, but it’s a small one.

Also, despite Luke’s mistakes in the past, what better way to say to the country that young people should stay here, then to have a young mayor. It’s a great step in the right direction for the kind of image we need to portray here. I mean for gods sakes, he’s been all over national television and written about in national media. Isn’t that proof enough that Pittsburgh has really turned over a new leaf and is trying to get rid of its old ways, because of the attention being paid to us? The attention is not merely due to his age! I’m not sure how many of you know the previously negative image that Pittsburgh used to send off, but if you’ve ever lived out of state, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

I especially liked what Luke said upon winning last night, which was something to the effect that Pittsburghers need to start believing in themselves and this great city. It’s time to start acting like the city we are. Hear ye, to that one! We’re making major advances in this city and it’s time to start celebrating these achievements and striving for more. This really isn’t the Pittsburgh of the past, thank goodness.

Luke has a lot of mistakes he needs to fix, but hey he’s human and new to this position. He now has two years to redeem his past mistakes and to continue on with his current policy, so it would serve everyone better to focus on his future actions, rather than the past so we can all make this a better city.

And for all those in the camp of saying the old people ruined the election for DeSantis, especially the ones that posted on the website, Democrats for DeSantis, I want to quote Chris Potter from the City Paper:

I do have one piece of advice for disappointed DeSantis supporters in the blogosphere and elsewhere: If you want to lead a city, it might be wise not to dismiss its residents as a bunch of decrepit yinzer morons.

And lastly, WTAE just showed a clip of last night with DeSantis saying:

“The people have spoken; they want change.” Well then, Mr. DeSantis, if you were the obvious change, why didn’t you win?!

Let the excuses roll in, like I’m sure they will.

In the meantime, I hope you are all able to make it out to the South Side tonight to raise money for the lighting up of East Carson businesses, as well as helping out the South Side Food Pantry and the Salvation Army with food donations.

See Mosley’s post for more details here.

Pittsburgh, mayoral race, Luke Ravenstahl, Mark DeSantis, politics, democrat, republican

As of October 9th you can walk the streets of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas without ever leaving your home. It’s called Google Street View, and it’s a service that offers photo views of city streets that you can navigate. The interface is intuitive and if you’re familiar with the classic game Myst you should feel right at home.

An article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette explains the service well. They go in to detail about how it works and how you can handle many privacy issues that may come up. For instants if you recognize yourself in a photo you can notify them and they will remove the photo and replace it with another.

I really don’t know how useful this service is or when I would use it. It may be helpful when you are going to a new place and you can at least know what the front of it looks like. Other then that I don’t think I will get much use out of it.

Maybe after reading this review of the Iguana Grill you can use it to check out what the outside of the place looks like before you go.

Dan Onorato is trying to introduce a 10% Drink Tax for Allegheny County. This 10% drink tax will be on all poured Alcoholic Beverages. This includes beer, wine and cocktails you order at your favorite establishments in Allegheny County.

I am not a fan of more taxes. I understand that the money would go to Public Transportation, there has to be a better way to fund it. I don’t think it a good idea to through more money in to a system that can’t seem handle the money they have now. I would rather see Pittsburgh and Allegheny County try to cut back on spending before taxing us more.

If you would like to learn more about this tax and how to fight it go to www.stopdrinktax.com!

Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, drink tax, public transportation

My literary/art magazine is out with its second issue. Yay!

The magazine features talent from all over the world, but this issue has two very talented Pittsburgh people in it, namely John E. Bodnar and Rachel Arnold Sager, so please check it out here.

John’s photography skills are showcased and Rachel reviews a graphic novel. Rachel is also busy working on a continuing online novel, which can be viewed here.

The magazine is always looking for local talent, so check out the submissions page if you are interested. And that goes for poets, writers, essayists, artists, photographers and more!

I am always looking for submissions that fit outside the box, so don’t hesitate if your work doesn’t fit into a certain category. I think that’s especially true when it comes to art, since there are so many different kinds of art and I’m not one to judge what is and what isn’t.

I’ve had a couple of local artists already, such as Matt Gondek and Alanna Jackson and it really makes me happy to be able to showcase their talent. There’s so much of it here in Pittsburgh, but it just seems as if people are scared of showing it or something.

So be brave Pittsburgh! This magazine is seen by people all over the world and I would love for them to go away thinking that Pittsburgh is really developing as a literary and artistic mecca as it is slowly starting to be.

I posted a more detailed description of the magazine back in July here. You can view previously featured artists on the website, as well as last issue’s literary content and more!

www.debrismagazine.com

Pittsburgh, Debris Magazine, literary, art, John Bodnar, Rachel Arnold Sager, Stephen Clark, Bonni Reid, Matt Gondek, Alanna Jackson, poetry, short stories, magazine

I am sure if you have driven through Oakland lately you have seen a group of Anti-War protesters. They usually hold up signs that say ‘honk for peace.’ The few times I have driven past them I have seen Army Recruiters giving them a hard time. I guess they are not alone; the police seem to be causing them trouble too.

“A war protest group has filed a lawsuit against the city of Pittsburgh, claiming police officers are violating its First Amendment rights to free speech.” - PPG

I give these kids credit, because they’re standing up for what they feel is right.

“As part of the vigil, up to 30 protesters stand, walk, sit or lie down near the recruiting station to protest United States’ military involvement in Iraq.” – Read more @ Post-Gazette.com

I wish I was in a situation where I could do something like this one day. But sadly I have a job that would not like it if I took off a month. I would also probably get fired for being in a political movement. You might not know this but a lot of places have it in their policy that they can fire you if you bring unwanted attention to them with your personal life.

Thankfully that’s where college-age kids come to the rescue. They have the time and the resources to stand up for us all. Look that the war protests of the past. They have all started with young people.

I am glad to see protesters in Pittsburgh; it makes me feel good to know that people are not afraid to stand up and be counted. To stand up and say, “Hey I don’t agree with the status quo.”

I may not 100% agree with the protesters, but I do have the highest respect for them. Also if you don’t like the Anti-War protesters on Forbes, then you should start a Pro-War rally on 5th Ave. It’s called freedom of speech; don’t be afraid to use it.

After recent news of bridges collapsing, I think we are all a little iffy about driving across some of the bridges we’d like to think as safe. According to PennDot’s website, Pennsylvania has over 6,000 structurally deficient bridges, which is the largest in the nation. This statistic can be due in part that we have the third largest number of bridges in the country, but the amount of structurally deficient bridges is still high. Now when the state declares a bridge “structurally deficient” this does not mean it is unusable. This merely means that the bridge needs a lot of work and is still fit for driving across, but that costly repairs are necessary to bring it up to more acceptable standards.

PennDot recently released a press release detailing their determinants for bridge safety and listed all the ones in Pennsylvania and their ratings on their website. You can check out your favorite bridges’ ratings here. Just click on the bridge information link on their homepage and from there you can download a pdf of all the PA bridges.

All I can say is good thing I don’t travel out to Deer Lakes like I used to…they have a ton of horrible bridges according to the report, which comes as no surprise to me. It seems most of the other bridges I drive across, especially going to work aren’t too good either…great.

Pennsylvania, bridge, safety, structurally deficient, PennDot

Being that it’s Labor Day, we already know there will be DUI checkpoints everywhere and that it’s a stupid idea to drink and drive and almost as stupid just to be on the roads. When I used to deliver newspapers at night, it was like playing Russian roulette driving on Labor Day.
But hey, there are places we gotta go before summer is over and all I can say is thank goodness I’ll be doing all my partying within walking distance of my house.

Well wait, I take that back. I will be at Doughnuts and Art on Saturday, but I’m not planning on staying long enough to have a problem driving through a checkpoint. However, I urge everyone to go to this $2, free doughnut, music and art extravaganza in Bellevue this Saturday. It’ll be a lot of fun I promise and I’ll be there, so obviously, already a good time.

But back to the DUI thing…here’s the article the Post-Gazette posted about it:

A full-scale, first-of-its-kind DUI check point will be held this weekend in Pittsburgh, but the location has not been disclosed.

It will take place between 10 p.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Saturday and involve two drug recognition experts to look for drivers impaired by drugs.

Participating together for the first time will be representatives of Pittsburgh, North Hills and West Hills DUI task forces along with troopers from the State Police Findlay Barracks.

Other checkpoints are likely in other parts of the region as Pennsylvania participates in a “National Impaired Driving Enforcement Crackdown” taking place through the Labor Day weekend.

Lesson Learned: Don’t drink and drive or at least wait it out at a friend’s house or diner before going home. It’s not worth endangering others lives and your own. Not to mention I almost got a DUI before and it is not fun!

DUI, checkpoint, Pittsburgh, bars, Doughnuts and Art, music, art, Bellevue, drinking, Labor Day

Doughnuts and Art is this weekend! It’s going to be the biggest art event of the year. Here is a short list of some of the buzz that going around Pittsburgh about the event.

Matt from Echoflip.com says:
MORE Artists, MORE Bands, MORE Dancing, MORE doughnuts than the original. All cram-packed into one monumental event with the low low price of $2.

Bethany of the McKnight Journal says:
Doughnuts and Art 2.0, or DNA 2.0, is the encore performance of a successful art and music show held in April. The event attracted 300 people to the Creative Treehouse in Bellevue, and Gondek says it was “beyond our expectations.”

MrBaconpants.com says:
The part of the show that I am most excited about is Ape Fight and Pfunkt. These two bands are so much fun to watch.

I hope to see a lot of people at this event. As you can see form that talk about it, its going to be something you’re not going to want to miss.

I know I hate to get surprised about this, so I am trying to tell as many people as I can.

“The outbound lanes of the Parkway East and four ramps are to be closed from 8 p.m. Friday until no later than 6 a.m. Monday between Bates Street and the Swissvale-Edgewood interchanges.” – Post Gazette

It never fails when you’re in a hurry andthen all of a sudden you see red brake lights. You quickly realize you forgot about the construction this weekend.

If you get stuck here are five tips to help you get though it:

1. Turn up your jams and start singing to every 90’s song.
2. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while.
3. Find two pencils or pens and use your cars dashboard and steering wheel as a drum kit.
4. Scan the radio dial for new stations to listen to (give 88.3 a try).
5. Try to figure out what fast food restaurant the french-fry from under your seat came from.

Well I hope my tips help you pass the time as you sit and wait in traffic. If you have your own tips please share them.

Parkway East, traffic, Construction, Pittsburgh, 90’s music, drum kit, french-fry, fast food

Saturday night around 10pm there was a three alarm fire in Pittsburgh and it took out one of my all-time favorite places, The Harris Grill in Shadyside. You can read a story I wrote about the place a year ago at MrBaconpants.com.

Click here to watch the KDKA News story.

This is a said day for bacon lovers everywhere, where Harris Grill used to have a free bacon night every Tuesday night.

I am glad to know that no one got hurt in the fire and I am even happier to know that the owner of the building is going to rebuild. So maybe the Harris Grill and Bacon night will be back sometime next year.

Bacon Night, Harris Grill, Pittsburgh, Shadyside, fire, bacon lovers, 3 alarm fire, kdka