Unsolicited Advice Series: Pitt's Mark Nordenberg

1) Fire Michael Haywood. [UPDATE: Done, demonstrating an important distinction between the Steelers and Panthers.]

2) Fire Steve Pederson.

3) Hire Dave Wannstedt as football coach (with important adjustments to his role).

The InfiSports Desk has been directed to accelerate completion of its "why and how Pitt could have been a Top 10 team under Dave Wannstedt this season" analysis. If you desire that insight more promptly, Chancellor, simply request (by e-mail) either a private delivery or an expedited publication.

Infinonytune: Pitt Fight Song, (before Steve Pederson screwed it up)

UPDATE: The University has responded to the Infopinion by releasing a statement in which Chancellor Nordenberg expresses "full support" of Mr. Pederson. This prompts an InfiPoll:

Which Steve Pederson initiative is most responsible for Chancellor Nordenberg's "full" confidence in Pitt's athletic director?
1) Pederson's firing of Frank Solich
2) Pederson's hiring of Bill Callahan
3) Callahan's contract extension (< year before dismissal)
4) Nebraska's firing of Pederson
5) Pederson's failed attempt to banish the term "Pitt"
6) Pederson's hiring of Michael Haywood
7) Pederson's emphasis of Haywood's "character and integrity"
8) Pederson's transplantation of football games to Heinz Field
9) Pederson's apparent ignorance of Haywood's personal life
10) Wannstedt's contract extension (< year before dismissal)
11) Haywood's two-week term as Pitt football coach

UPPERDATE: A reader notes omission of Pederson's befouling of Pitt's logos (eliminating script, introducing that mutant sea otter) and colors.

Some Things We Think We Think, And Quickly

Infinonymous has been scooped a few times lately while pondering ponderously over presention, so here are a few quick hits:

• Look for the Office of Municipal Investigations report concerning the Jordan Miles beating to surface soon.

• Look for the OMI report to be incredible. Literally.

• Look for an effort to reinstitute federal oversight of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.

• Look for that effort to have a strong chance to succeed.

• Look for Mark Nordenberg to resign as chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh this year.

• Look for Nordenberg to leave with his record inexplicably intact: Not a single word of support for the Pitt students (and soon-to-be disaffected Pitt alumni) brutalized during the G20 siege of Oakland.

• Look for Pittsburgh council member Bruce Kraus' push to detoxify the South Side Intoxication District to start producing tangible results.

• Look for InsolvenCity mayor Luke Ravenstahl to continue to (try to) obstruct Kraus' efforts.

• Look for Kraus to employ some Luke-proof methods.

• Look for Paul McKrell to pass (as Lauren Byrne, who might be even closer to the mayor than McKrell is, apparently already has) on a chance to challenge Patrick Dowd.

• Look for Luke Ravenstahl's attendance record to become a point for public debate.

Weeks That Was: Functionaries Follow Form

While Infinonymous operated on autopilot (without radio contact) for a few weeks, most locals adhered to standard courses:

● The boy mayor lied about the influence of a Republican political operator/creamskimmer within his administration (despite clear signals his opponents possessed documentary evidence that would demonstrate that influence), got caught, and edged simultaneously closer to political impenetrability and eventual indictment. The Propositions Board lines on indictment remain unchanged; they already reflected the Verbanac/Grattan/Zappala angles (far right column).

● Dan Onorato demonstrated that nothing (short of Judge Wettick's posting of armed assessors in county offices) will deter him from attempting to perpetuate immoral property tax windfalls for the rich at the expense of less-affluent communities and poor taxpayers.

● Mary Beth Buchanan (whose continued presence at the Federal Courthouse remains the best thing Luke Ravenstahl has going for him, because nothing protects a compromised public official better than another compromised public official), whose office apparently failed to mention that it had received recordings of privileged communications between incarcerated defendants and lawyers, assured us that her office did nothing wrong, and asked everyone to take her word for it. Meanwhile, she managed to find a moment (amid a hectic schedule of convicting waterpipe-selling comedians and failing to convict ostensibly felonious faxers) to finally charge the central figure in what she called the largest fraud in the history of the region -- several years after the fraud was publicly revealed -- then promptly watched the suspect walk on a modest (by the standards of a case in which more than $100 million is still missing) and unsecured bond. If anyone deserves an unsecured bond, it's a guy whose office contained a secret room that contained safes said to contain wads of foreign currency, gemstones worth $20 million, watches worth $1 million and a sack of unregistered handguns -- and, perhaps more pertinent so long as Buchanan remains United States Attorney, was a major holy-roller, a big-time Republican donor, and a member of the 2003 Republican Chairman's Honor Roll.

● Clownish court candidate Michele Zappala Peck burnished her credentials for local political ascendancy by being revealed as a down-low mouthpiece (not even a legal mouthpiece, just a mouthpiece) at the low-down intersection of politics and the gambling industry.

● The Post-Gazette news columns advanced the public interest by revealing the newest Zappala-casino connections (and associated recordkeeping and disclosure issues), overshadowing the P-G's failure to connect the dots concerning Verbanac and the mayor's office years earlier.

● The Post-Gazette editorial page crapped its pants by arguing that Joan Orie Melvin's appointment as a magistrate in her fifth year of lawyering was an accomplishment and mark of quality (rather than the sure sign of political hackery) in a state Supreme Court endorsement that ignored the paramount issue of redistricting, then crapped the entire fourth floor's pants by issuing a fawning pass to Ravenstahl on the still-unraveling Verbanac revelations. (Hint to P-G: More revelations are on the way, so someone could save the newspaper further embarrassment by telling the editorial page writers to take a couple of months off.)

● The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police (led by Chief Nathan Harper, right) has apparently decided to address documented police mistreatment of a Pittsburgh resident on a Pittsburgh street by letting the Chicago Police Department's Internal Affairs Division handle it (much as Pittsburgh's professional journalists appear to be leaving G-20 aftermath coverage to collegiate reporters).

● Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg continued to refrain from uttering a syllable in defense of Pitt students abused during the police-state seige of Oakland. Perhaps Pitt students could satisfy their arrest-related community service requirements by conducting a comprehensive search for Nordenberg's manhood and conscience?

● UPMC demonstrated a search would be pointless with respect to any shred of a conscience (which, we now learn, is not a requirement for nonprofit or charity status). At UPMC, the profit-bone is connected to the influence-bone, the influence-bone is connected to the nontaxpaying-bone, the nontaxpaying-bone is connected to the profit-bone . . . and that's the entire anatomy.

● Jeff Reed was arrested again but his 'next Steeler arrested' tickets lost (see Propositions Board, far right column) because Matt Spaeth beat him to the handcuffs by a minute or two, generating an upset victory for holders of 'field' tickets.

The Tale Of Two UPMCs (And A Plea To Mark Nordenberg On Behalf Of Standard English)

The Post-Gazette's Sally Kalson reminds Pittsburgh that, behind the unattractive face of UPMC, thousands of employees work to heal their neighbors. Those rank-and-file employees did not create the anticompetitive health care system, have not manipulated that system to crush competition and communities, and do not spend their working days compromising and overrunning elected officials and regulators. Most of them help patients without million-dollar compensation and often with distinction and even sacrifice.

The ugly aspects of UPMC sometimes occlude these points, making Sally Kalson's reminder useful.

On the other hand, could someone ask Mark Nordenberg to require -- if UPMC desires to continue to derive the benefits of using "University of Pittsburgh" in its name -- that UPMC engage the English Department to proofread billboards, print advertisements and broadcasting scripts? UPMC's abuse of standard English in commercials should embarrass the university at least as much as the fabricated figures flexible mathematics used by the Department of Athletics when counting football crowds during the early years at Heinz Field.

Great News For Pitt From Alabama? (Oh, And The Panthers Whipped Kentucky In The Horri-Bowl, Too)

Reports circulating among high-level officials (and influential alumni) at the University of Pittsburgh (at Birmingham, Alabama, more geographically) indicate that Steve Pederson, the director of athletics whose most recent judgments have humiliated the University and wrecked its football program, is likely to be replaced. A source cautions that, although Pederson's departure seems likely, an additional formal "sign-off" from the University's highest authority would be required before the Pederson II era could be declared over.

We will know more, apparently, after Mark Nordenberg formally decides Pederson's fate reaches Jeff Romoff.

(Noted football experts Jerry Cochran, Donna Sanft and Mark Nordenberg, meanwhile, continue their attempts to revive the football program by interviewing prospective coaches.)

Infinonytune: Just What I Needed, The Cars

Pitt Football Interviews Pulling Double Duty As Research On The Definition Of Insanity?

A bizarre report concerning the Pitt football coaching search from today's Post-Gazette:

A third candidate, Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, who was made interim coach after the forced resignation of former coach Jim Tressel, interviewed for the job but Chryst made a good impression with a strong interview.

Who was impressed? The three administrators who signed Dave Wannstedt to an extension, then fired him less than a year later? The proven losers who arranged the Michael Haywood era? The Three Stooges who were impressed by Todd Graham's interview? The guys who chose Keith "This Infytune's For You" Patterson as interim coach?

If Steve Pederson does not depart before another football coach is introduced (or before Khem Birch returns to campus, whichever occurs first), Pitt's trustees should stop indulging Mark Nordenberg's desire to limp to the capstone of the current capital campaign.

Instead, however, those trustees will enable Steve Pederson, Jerry Cochran, and Mark Nordenberg to treat Pitt fans to a double feature: "Back To The Future" -- Parts I and II. (Perhaps the Pitt band could develop a special musical presentation for intermission.)

Infytune: By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Glen Campbell
Infytune: Galveston, Glen Campbell
Infytune: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry/Southern Nights, Glen Campbell

Nittany Lions Reportedly Played In Catholic League With Respect To Criminal Sexual Abuse Of Children

One of the essential foundations of Penn State's football program has been careful management of information and image. Assisted by small-town circumstances and horribly misplaced loyalties, university officials and compliant (perhaps cowed) locals -- including law enforcement personnel -- controlled investigations and imposed secrecy with respect to unflattering events for decades.

Recent revelations indicate that Penn State has been no better than the Catholic Church with respect to concealment and facilitation of sexual abuse of children, relying -- as has the church -- on undeserved pedestal and privilege to promote and protect self-interest at shocking cost to victims and morality.

Why did Penn State officials refrain, for more than a decade, from alerting officials to evidence that defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky had been observed molesting children on university premises? Why did they enable Sandusky to continue to operate a program for at-risk children, and to use his affiliation with Penn State to arrange access to children?

Long-overdue criminal charges will provide an opportunity for Penn State's athletic director and a Penn State business executive to answer those questions, but it seems probable that the circumstances and motivations resemble those associated with campus police officers who extended unwarranted courtesies to Penn State footballers over the years, or midstate journalists who pulled punches (what are the career prospects of a Centre County sports writer who publishes information damaging to Joe Paterno?) with respect to Penn State. Cowardice, poor judgment, flawed character, and a warped environment appear to have enabled pressures to build, and wrongdoing to compound, until an explosion occurred.

For too long, protecting the football program at whatever cost has been the Penn State Way.

Penn State President Graham Spanier (who, like Mark Nordenberg, appears to have outlasted his institutional usefulness some time ago) has promptly gone all-in with respect to defense of his administrators. Unless those Spanier has vigorously defended -- perhaps from self-interest -- are exonerated without qualification, Spanier will deserve to be fired, scorned and ruined.

(Important point: The worst to be said about Nordenberg is that his period of effective leadership ended some time ago, and that Pitt's performance and mission have deteriorated in recent years.)

We applaud the law enforcement personnel who have disregarded decades of small-time, small-town protocol by filing criminal charges against Penn State royalty. We hope any victims of Penn State-promoted predations will advance civil claims against every person and institution that engaged in, concealed, and/or facilitated selfish destruction of children's lives; the facts, long submerged, should be illuminated.

This episode could provide a few pointers with respect to Pittsburgh's relationship with sporting royalty.

Remarkably, Jerry Sandusky's autobiography (right) was entitled "Touched."

Infytune: Universal Child, Annie Lennox
Infytune: Covered In Cowardice, Billy Talent
Infytune: Like A Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones

Pitt Learns The Hard Way That Todd Graham's 'High Octane' Was Fueled Mainly By Methane

Todd Graham left Pitt the carpetbagger's way: After a short spell of bragging, empty promises and failure -- and with bags of flim-flam cash. Graham demonstrated his character by informing players with a notification big on personal touches -- God and family -- that was delivered by text message and indirectly, through the e-mail account of a mid-level functionary employed by Pitt's foundering football program.

Graham's slinking departure was not -- or at least should not have been -- unexpected among the men (Steve Pederson, Mark Nordenberg, Jerry Cochran) ultimately responsible for mismanaging Pitt's football program and leaving the Big East in much the manner Graham ditched them. Todd Graham's disenchantment had been reflected by short-termer behavior and increasing insubordination for some time.

One example: Graham (or, more accurate, Graham's wife, Penni) wanted to indulge one of Graham's children by enabling the child to dance in a Panther costume along the Heinz Field sideline during home games. The idea met resistance among several elements of Pitt's athletics department, for several reasons. Penni Graham persisted, until the mini-mascot issue reached the athletics director, Steve Pederson, who ruled the child off the field.

During Pitt's final home game, however, Graham's child -- wearing a tiny panther costume apparently purchased independently by the Grahams, and a Pitt jersey labeled "GRAHAM" -- nevertheless appeared along the Pitt sideline, dancing near the student section. One person familiar with the associated events pointed at the dancing child and said, "See that kid in the costume? That kid on the field today means Graham knows either he is gone or Pederson is gone. Not sure which, but it's one or the other."

Pitt fans should hope that this observer was wrong, and that Pitt will soon be rid of Pederson, too.

UPDATE: It is becoming common currency among substantial Pitt boosters that Graham was pursuing several prospective employers for weeks if not months. Many influential Pitt supporters -- and a number of trustees -- are focusing on dumping Pederson, and some are expressing an inclination to reconsider Nordenberg's fitness if the chancellor attempts to protect the athletics director.

Infytune: Stray Cat Strut, The Stray Cats
Infytune: Midnight Special, Creedence Clearwater Revival
Infytune: Flim Flam Man, Laura Nyro

Panther Footballers Learning Hard Way That Mouthy + Stubborn = A Giant Sack Of Pitt

As Pitt and West Virginia abandon regional rivalries for far-flung, far-from-green conferences -- Pitt, State Penn Penn State, and West Virginia wind up in three conferences, spanning from Boston to Lubbock and Miami to Nebraska? -- it seemed fitting that the game that might have concluded a century of Backyard Brawl football turned out to be a sack of coal.

West Virginia produces coal. Pitt's offense mass-produces sacks.

(Or, as Todd Graham might boast, "We're number one!")

Pitt's mediocre performance this season was predictable, yet apparently blindsided Todd Graham, whose devotions to system and to bragging overrode reason synergistically. Graham inexplicably stuck with a complicated offensive system long after experience confirmed the smart-money predictions that Pitt's personnel could not succeed with it.

No later than September -- when Pitt proved proficient at being sacked even in maximum-protection formation -- it was obvious that a pass-happy offense would be pass-sad for this year's Panthers. Fortunately for Pitt in these circumstances, the Panthers had one of the top runners in college football, Ray Graham. The only things that stopped Ray this season were Todd's play-calling and a knee injury.

Graham instead stuck with an intricate, fast-paced offensive strategy that relied on the quarterback's arm and head. What Tino Sunseri lacks in instinct and judgment, he makes up for with being short, slow, and flutter-armed. (Has Pitt ever won a game in which it trailed in the second half and had Sunseri at quarterback?) During yesterday's second half, Sunseri played like a young man whose mother was being held hostage by Mountaineers and whose father had bet the family's souls on West Virginia.

Graham's self-promoting mouth compounded his operational failures. He promised a "high octane" team. His image, more than Ray Graham's, was placed on tickets, programs, promotional materials, and the like. He predicted strong performance. Worst -- because it exposed a lack of honesty or competence -- Graham repeatedly endorsed Sunseri:

"I have full confidence in him as a quarterback."

That's millions of dollars in football insight talking, at least as measured by Steve Pederson and Mark Nordenberg. Those tempted to discount Graham's words as puffery should recall that Graham moved his most experienced backup quarterback to another position.

As Pitt limps home to play Syracuse and pursue a 6-6 record (and invitation to the Beef O'Brady Bowl), Steve Pederson and Mark Nordenberg should recognize that they will have competition new and old as the Graham Era unfolds. The new competition will come from Atlantic Coast Conference programs. The old competition will come from Ed Bozik.

There are increasingly strong signals that Jamie Dixon may be considering an expansion of his employment horizons. If Dixon leaves Pitt, he may take Ed Bozik's aging crown of thorns with him.

Infytune: Run Like Hell, Pink Floyd

Protesters Finally Put The "UP" In UPMC

Citizens protesting UPMC's heartless (but profitable and competitively ingenious) decision to destroy Braddock close Braddock hospital began to attempt to put the "UP" in "UPMC" today by visiting Pitt's campus and delivering a letter to the University-owned home of Pitt's chancellor, Mark Nordenberg.

A UPMC spokesman The Post-Gazette stated that "UPMC and the university are legally separate entities" but otherwise ignored (as has become local newspapers' custom) the long-puzzling issue of Pitt's relationship with UPMC.

UPMC gets commercially invaluable prestige, and a thin but effective ethical cloak for its rapacious, obscenely profitable business operations, from the use of the university's name. What is Pitt's end of the bargain? The short end, if UPMC's relationship with the entire region is a useful barometer, but Braddock and the region deserve an answer to the question.

Roughly 50 protesters assembled near the chancellor's house, watched by University police officers. Those officers confirmed that neither Luke Ravenstahl nor Dan Onorato was involved in the situation by refraining from using tear gas launchers, rubber bullets, military-grade acoustic cannons and other weapons against the peaceful protesters, by declining to arrest and smack around peaceably assembled citizens, and by not declaring Devonshire Street a martial law zone (final selection on Infinonyvision, center column).

The Kid Candidate's Campaign Shifts Gears: Scenes From A Fancy French Restaurant

The Post-Gazette notes that Adam Ravenstahl has made some adjustments to his campaign's Intertubes machine, but does not mention the recent delivery -- to those desiring to continue to do business with the City of Pittsburgh who might wish to support the even younger Ravenstahl's campaign -- of invitations for a fundraising reception at one of the many hospitality venues located in the 20th District Mt. Washington's elegant LeMont.

It is unlikely reporters will be permitted on the premises as Yarone checks names off the city's vendor list the endorsed Democratic candidate expounds on his philosophy of governance over hors d'oeuvres and Iron City Grey Goose, so the riff-raff must settle for an educated guess concerning the evening's highlights:

3:10 p.m.: LeMont owner Ed Dunlap calls the mayor's office to assure that everything is in place for a successful event, closing with "and you can tell the mayor I selected the waitresses personally."

4:58 p.m.: The Ravenstahls arrive at LeMont, whose parking valet immediately points to a discreet sign and tells them, "sorry, guys, we only take applications between 2 and 4 . . . here, you can fill these out, bring them back tomorrow -- after 2."

5:04 p.m.: "Hello, Mr. Mayor," says general manager Alex Colaizzi, walking briskly past as the Ravenstahls climb the stairs to the dining room. Colaizai discreetly stops Adam and advises him, in a low voice: "Shift starts at 5, not 5 after. And you wear our jacket, not that crappy suit, to bus tables here. I won't tell you again."

5:15 p.m.: A man standing at the sign-in table tells John Verbanac's secretary: "It's B-u-r-g-e-s-s, but even if my name is not on any of those lists, it's OK. I'm a friend of the mayor."

5:32 p.m.: "Yes, I know I told you no press," Yarone Zober explains to the volunteers at the sign-in desk, "but these two are from the Post-Gazette editorial board. That's different. They're OK."

6:08 p.m.: Adam Ravenstahl, seeing Dave Malone enter the reception, stops mid-word in the high school football story he is telling a red-headed waitress and approaches Malone. As Adam extends his hand with a smile, Malone throws his coat over Adam's arm and says "great, kid, thanks . . . now how about scaring me up a Three Olives and grapefruit . . . just a little ice, OK?" Malone nods to Kevin Kinross: "Love this place. Best service in town."

6:09 p.m.: Zober, seeing Malone slip a fiver to Adam, abandons Ed Grattan and rushes toward them, waving his arms: "No cash, no cash! Personal checks only! C'mon, guys."

6:10 p.m.: Luke Ravenstahl hears the commotion and emerges from a linen closet, a half-step ahead of a different red-headed waitress.

6:11 p.m.: The leader of the UPMC contingent immediately heads off Luke and is overheard: "Look, Luke, it's just that some people in your office seem to be forgetting something . . . for chrissakes, we hired the kid, didn't we?"

6:23 p.m.: Kevin Kinross addresses the crowd: "Dan couldn't be here tonight, but he asked me to tell all of you that he knows Alan Ravenstahl will give the people of the North Side every bit the level of public service that the entire city has come to expect from Luke, and as governor, Dan will be counting on Alan to help us move forward . . . except on assessments, of course. They will never change as long as Dan is there to protect the taxpayers."

6:26 p.m.: Adam Ravenstahl, standing next to Greg Zappala, tells Mark Nordenberg: "So, like, chancellor is, like, it's like president or something? So you're, like, in charge? That is so cool, 'cause I been, like, thinking about going to legal school, you know, in case I want to be, like, district attorney or something."

6:41 p.m.: "It's, like, so cool," one redhead tells the other. "They're, like, brothers, and we're, like, sisters. How old do you think they are?"

6:43 p.m.: Zober asks the Post-Gazetteers: "InsolvenCity? What the hell does that even mean?"

6:54 p.m.: Adam is back with his redhead: "So, it's like, if you graduate in June, and I'll be in Harrisburg as, like, a senator or something, so maybe you could come up and, like, visit this summer . . . "

6;55 p.m.: Zober tries to calm down the UPMCers: "Look, I wasn't there and so I don't know what he said. But of course, if he's elected, no one expects you to keep paying him. If he misunderstands, I'll take care of it."

6:59 p.m.: Heard from inside the linen closet: "Does it really matter how old I am? Ever been to Seven Springs?"

Doctoring For Dollars: West Penn Health Aims Blockbuster Claims At UPMC, Highmark

Among the quirks of the Pittsburgh region are the lack of taxis, the belief that a hamburger can properly be labeled a cheesesteak, and the strange domination of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center over the region's health care industry, the local economy and even the university from which it took (literally) its name.

While the national chatter addresses the issue of "too big to fail," in Pittsburgh the issue has been settled for several years: UPMC is Too Big To Criticize. Politicians fear, serve and are funded by UPMC. Publishers and broadcasters are far too busy cashing checks for UPMC "image" advertisements (left) to spend any time questioning anything about UPMC's rise and reign. The University of Pittsburgh has been UPMC's plaything for many years. Large employers might chafe against UPMC's charges but enthusastically refrain from offending the only entity that rivals the Rooneys among Pittsburgh's royalty. (In legal and medical circles, some mumble about the openness of UPMC's conduct, and the legal issues associated with it, but only after checking the room to ensure that no one who might call Mr. Romoff is able to hear.) Highmark, ostensibly a competitor, has been UPMC's bitch for years.

Which makes the West Penn Allegheny Health System's recent filing of a major-league antitrust complaint against UPMC and Highmark fascinating. The details -- a claim that Highmark's chair acknowledged that UPMC-Highmark collaboration has been "probably illegal," a depiction of UPMC declaring an intent to turn Allegheny General Hospital (right) into a "parking lot," an allegation that an internal UPMC analysis showed that some of UPMC's conduct made no business sense outside the context of eliminating competition -- can be viewed as scattered points over a number of years, but most of them strike me as amply believable, and they might provide enough radioactive material for a legal detonation.

Perhaps there are explanations (other than a UPMC-Highmark conspiracy plausibly pinpointed in 2002) for Highmark's treatment of West Penn, for the inability of other health insurers to find traction in Western Pennsylvania, for the seemingly inexplicable attempt to raid every anaesthesiologist employed by West Penn.

This complaint might make Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg uncomfortable, however, and perhaps even cause him to rethink the Pitt-UPMC relationship (which appears decidedly slanted toward UPMC's favor). This complaint should cause the region's decision-makers to wonder whether UPMC is good or bad for the region. Those responsible for monitoring qualification for tax-exempt status could reasonably wonder whether UPMC operates "for the public good."

Nothing has been proven. So far, we have a one-sided argument (that seems congruent with years of whispering about town) that is entirely untested. But people should watch this one develop, and many familiar with the underlying circumstances will need no encouragement to do so.

Might Pitt's Pleas Fall On LRAD-Deafened Ears?

Within hours of Gov. Corbett's Spare-The-Shale, Rod-The-Children budget proposal, the University of Pittsburgh circulated a plea for support, begging alumni and friends to pester legislators. Since the University abandoned its students during and after the G20-related siege of Oakland (left), however, some recipients might have a hard time hearing Pitt's request for help -- even if the University used a military-grade sonic cannon (like the one used on Pitt students without objection from Mark Nordenberg).

Aside: Is there no one left in the English Department who could have proofread a message circulated among alumni, some of whom learned the language before Pitt abridged its writing program?

Infinonytune: Help!, The Beatles

Prevaricators-In-Chief, Beware

Before Chief Tim Delaney and Chief Nate Harper get too attached to their lies stories about how the 'innocents' had been permitted to and had dispersed, and that all of the Pitt students rounded up by police had been 'there for a [culpable] reason,' they should consider this:

Reliable reports -- which, I am told, university employees can corroborate -- are emerging that a number of students studying in a library were aggressively rousted by police, forced outside (where they were promptly gassed), and physically assaulted with nightsticks and shields.

Oh, and one such student's parent is a trial lawyer.

And he's pissed.

Any chance that guy's name might be on a pink message slip on Nordenberg's desk first thing Monday morning?

It will be interesting to compare Pitt's treatment of students involved in Friday's festivities with Pitt's traditional treatment of varsity athletes who kick the hell out of other students, 12-year-old paperboys, or police officers. So far, it doesn't look good.