Playing Ketchup*

Looks like I missed a few things while I was in the hospital for a few days recovering from my real life stint on "When Animals Attack."

Here's where I try to catch-up:

1. Damn! Jane from firedoglake visited the Burgh and hooked up with the folks from Drinking Liberally. She blogged about it here. Eli at Multi Medium and Spork Incident at A Spork in the Drawer covered the event locally. Forest Hills Council Member Marty O'Malley emailed me a heads up for the event but I was still in the hospital. Anyone who's ever attended an anti war rally in this city has seen Marty. He's the tall dashing gentleman in the Vietnam Vets cap and vest covered with anti Santorum buttons (1 for $3, 3 for $5). Thanks anyway, Marty!

2. Many blog posts from many blogs (Comments from Left Field/Fester's Place, The Conversation, The Angry Drunk Bureaucrat, Tunesmith & Anthony, and Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates and Mark Rauterkus & Running Mates) on a) my councilman's run in with the law, b) the efforts by the firefighter's union and local Republicans to cut Pittsburgh City Council down from nine members to five. I will state that I am 100% against the effort to cut the size of Council. This is just an effort by the firefighters to punish Council for Act 47 and their followup to their failed attempt to have it overturned. If it passes, it will not only decrease representation (with minimal cost savings), it will possibly pit some of the better council members against each other (Peduto vs. Shields ?) and reduce minority representative (women and African Americans). If you think your councilmember sucks, there's an easy fix -- vote them out! (Besides, if "The Honz" is for it, I'm against it.)

3. Tony Norman and Dave Copeland riffed on the new Frank Black song "I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh)." The song was co-written by "Pittsburgh punk pioneer Reid Paley." Having spent not a little time amongst the "Pittsburgh punk pioneer"s back in the day, I'm sure I could remember some funny Reid stories if I thought about it for a moment or two, but instead, I'll repeat the most retarded thing ever said in a bathroom line to me which occurred circa 1978(?) and which was voiced by Mr. Paley: "You know, you could say 'Hi' when you see me, it's not like I'm trying to get into your pants or anything." Ever the charmer... (Good CDs though.)

4. Questions about whether Tricky Ricky Santorum actually broke the law by showing classified documents on FOX News.

5. The BIG LOCAL STORY not being covered in the MSM: The reported kidnapping of Pittsburgh's beloved Judge Rufus Peckham (first reported by Ms. Adventures on the Mon -- now a suspect in the case; picked up by UnSpace; and, of course, ongoing coverage at The Carbolic Smoke Ball where posts disappear and reappear as frequently as the Judge himself.

6. Something about some game/event on Sunday. I'm not too up on the details, but I know it necessitated sweeping the homeless off the streets and will prevent me from watching any more local news until, say, Tuesday.


*This is Pittsburgh after all.