Pittsburgh Dish

Uniformly crazy

Pittsburgh sports fans greet ESPN.com columnist, Paul Lukas

Paul Lukas is many things: A travel writer, a food writer, and a chronicler of the cut, fabric, colors, and history of athletic uniforms. In all these things, he is the Lord of Minutia.

Lukas, proprietor of the Uni Watch blog  and writer for ESPN.com's Page 2, can wax rhapsodic over piping, holds an palpable distaste for the recent trend of bib-style jerseys, and can discourse on the history of the sanitary sock in the manner of a literary theorist dissecting a text.

"I've essentially written about very picky details of consumer culture," Lukas says. "It's my schtick and as a sports fan I thought it could be applied to sports."

On Sunday, Lukas visited Max's Allegheny Tavern in Pittsburgh's Deutschtown where he greeted and conversed with a cadre of like-minded sports uniform aficionados over hot pretzels and cold Yuengling.

Of Brooklyn, the avid New York Mets fan -- "It's as close as I come to religion," he says -- was surrounded by a motley assortment of guys wearing such jerseys as vintage Pittsburgh Pirates, the Swisshelm Express, a Dan Marino Pitt throwback, an old-style Pittsburgh Penguins sweater that's an actual sweater, Yale University hockey, the Johnstown Chiefs, and the Hershey Bears.

Lukas, clad in a bicycling jersey, was greeted by adult men saying things like, "Your site is a little bit of happiness in my day." Out of context, that might seem a bit odd, but those among us who live to deconstruct, it makes perfect sense.

Lukas found himself in Pittsburgh thanks to a cheap flight and a desire to visit this sports-obsessed city. His itinerary included a few of the first-time visitor classics like the Aviary, the Warhol Museum, and the Monongahela Incline.

He remains curious as to the location of the best fish sandwich in Pittsburgh (Armand's in Bloomfield was suggested), the origins of the city's obsession with fried fish (Catholicism?), and whether it's normal to package leftover pizza with staples and wax paper as they do at Vincent's Pizza Park (it isn't).

Uni Watch started 10 years ago as a short column in the Village Voice sports section. Lukas updates his Uni Wach site daily and has had his musings on the arching of nameplate letters and other sports sartorial details published on Slate before finding his current ESPN.com home.

Lukas says he's had a fruitful relationship with the Worldwide Leader in Sports. He's allowed to maintain his personal Uni Watch blog, he has the freedom to opine on the topics of his choosing (except for one incident, which he opted not to discuss further except to say, "I think they might have been overly cautious, but that's their call. I've butted heads with other editors to a much greater degree"), he endures little editing, and he gets paid. Not a bad gig.

Lukas credits a couple of ESPN employees who read his column when it was on Slate for helping him get the attention of ESPN honchos. "I pestered them. 'This belongs on Page 2,'" Lukas recalls.

Early in Uni Watch's lifetime, Lukas had his doubts that the endeavor could last long-term. "I never would have guessed it would be so durable and I have my readers to thank for that."

Tips flow in daily on changes to fonts, colors, fabrics, styling, etc., Lukas says. "Lots of people deserve credit for this. I have two eyes and two ears and I can't do it alone. Plus, it builds community."

That last bit was pretty obvious considering the two dozen or so who crowded the bar area at Max's for a chance to chat with Lukas.

Word spreads

Local politicos pave way for street newspaper

State Sen. Jim Ferlo (D-Pittsburgh) and City Solicitor George Spector teamed up last week to help launch Word on the Street, the city's first "street newspaper" to be sold and partially written by homeless people.

After securing financing to produce an initial 300 copies to show potential advertisers, Erica Smith an outreach advocate and case worker with Operation Save-a-Life, faced the next hurdle of her project -paying the exorbitant vendor licensing fees.

Ferlo and Spector heard about Smith's plight and told her the city will waive the fees. Ferlo also donated $500 to the cause.

"We still have to apply for the licenses but it won't cost us a dime," said Smith. "I thought this was going to be a real uphill battle but they took care of it in two days -I was amazed."

"This is just more proof to me that this really is a blessed project," she added.

To help launch Word on the Street, contact Smith at 412-621-6513 or email her at ESmithchsc@yahoo.com.

Various and sundry

Dish correspondent eyes the city; haircutting invention first featured on Dish featured in local metropolitan daily newspaper

Dish neighbor and correspondent (and freakishly strong very small person) Tiffani Emig is mentioned repeatedly and with great kindness in today's Pittsburgh-Post Gazette. She's into history and stuff.  Read about Ms. Tiffani Emig's big-time history project here.

Also in the P-G, is the ShearFuzion story, which Dish broke in February. The ShearFuzion is a very nifty haircutting invention crafted by Mr. Dish's barber, Enrico. Visit his shop on Fifth Avenue in Oakland to experience the wonders of the ShearFuzion scissor-comb combo (or, Scomb as Mr. Dish would  have it) in action.

Also, the New York Times thinks Pittsburgh is nifty.  Dish agrees.

Breaking news

Western terminus of American Jewry located in Pittsburgh 

David Denby, (pictured) in his review of Adam Sandler's ex-Mossad hairdresser epic You Don't Mess With the Zohan (The New Yorker, June 23, 2008) writes, "The move propels many liquid substances (mousse, etc.) into the air; it's crude beyond belief, and it includes knowing jokes about the way Israelis speak English and make a living in America--jokes that may puzzle anyone west of the Monongahela."

So, you Jews in Cleveland, it turns out you're actually Episcopalian.

Mazel tov, Mr. Denby! Mazel tov! See you in Squirrel Hill.

Liberal media stereotype destroyed

Local radio guy armed with gun, not with brain

KDKA radio reporter Rob Milford (pictured) was arrested this morning after Allegheny County Courthouse security personnel found a .38 caliber snub-nosed revolver in his briefcase, according to the Post-Gazette.

It is illegal to carry firearms into court buildings and Milford apparently lacked a license to carry one anywhere.

Perhaps he was heading to the Sheriff’s office to apply for his carry permit? If that was the case, Mr. Milford, please be aware that the Sheriff doesn’t actually need to see the gun to issue a permit.

P-G reporters walk out

Doesn't involve picket signs

The Post-Gazette is taking steps to dispel the image of the fat, cigar-chewing slob of a reporter (which Dish is striving to uphold). In an effort to slim down the newsroom, P-G employees were asked to participate in a walking contest to beef up the health of its rank and file.

About 30 P-G employees are participating in the challenge, each using a pedometer to record their number of steps. The winner will have out-strode opponents and will earn a $500 Giant Eagle gift card.

One reporter (who asked to remain anonymous) told Dish that victory is hers. She’s unimpressed that her opponents are walking around the office instead of emailing or using the phone.

“At night I put [the pedometer] on my pajamas so if I get up it’ll record my steps to the bathroom. I’m know I’m going to win, I know it,” the reporter said.  She also pads around the house while brushing her teeth.

What will this scribe buy with the gift card?

“Doritos and cigarettes.”

First Pittsburgh street newspaper gets first boost

A dream realized thanks to North Side residents

After reading an article posted on Dish last month about a social worker's attempt to launch a street newspaper, a North Side couple contributed $1,500 to the cause.

The residents, who wish to remain anonymous, pledged the first donation to Erica Smith, an outreach advocate and case worker with Operation Save-a-Life, part of Community Human Services. Smith will launch Word on the Street, a newspaper written, in part, by homeless people who would then sell the publication and earn part of of the profits.

Smith needed to secure funding for 300 papers to present to potential advertisers and vendors. After the couple's donation, CHS matched the contribution dollar-for-dollar.

"The couple told me they were tired of conventional ideas as solutions to homelessness," said Smith.

Word on the Street will be the only street paper between New York and Ohio.

Smith is gathering content and working with a tutor on desktop publishing software. She hopes to publish the first issue to present to advertisers by the end of the summer.

"It's all because of the Dish article," said Smith. "I can't thank you enough."

To help launch Word on the Street, contact Smith at 412-621-6513 or email her at ESmithchsc@yahoo.com.

National Papist Radio

NPR gives the dope on the Pope

Of the 300 million or so Americans, about 80 million are Catholic. That's a lot.

Pope Benedict XVI, who arrived in the States this week, is making his first visit to the American faithful since succeeding Pope John Paul II. This is a big deal.

In short, the Pope's visit is news to a significant number of Americans.

However, NPR (official radio news provider to Dish, whether they like it or not) has taken it upon itself to delve a little more deeply into the visit that seems absolutely necessary.

In recent days, we have heard two seminarians discuss the dearth of priests in the American Church. Old news. We have also heard, more times than could be counted, that Pope Benedict has turned out to be, though a strict adherent to Catholic dogma, less a fascist than many Catholic liberals anticipated. That's nice. However, so what?

Where's the news in the Pope being a more friendly dogmatic that expected? He's still, and should be, a proponent of traditional Catholic teachings as he is the freaking Pope.

(It'd be pretty stunning, however, if Benedict permitted the ordination of women, beatified Liberace, and donated the Sistine Chapel to Planned Parenthood.)

NPR has seen fit to inundate its listeners with other exciting tidbits, such as:

* Catholics are eager to see the Pope.

* Tom Cat bakery is making tasty treats for the Pope.

* The Pope has a Popemobile.

* The Pope may or may not impact the 2008 Presidential election.

* The Pope wants Catholics to follow Catholic teaching.

* There is a bit of a problem with pedophiles in the Priesthood and some people think the Pope has handled it well, while others disagree.

Dish has also heard the answer to the longstanding question, "Is the Pope Catholic?"

The answer is, "Yes."

To many, this Papal visit is a big deal. That's no surprise. And it's news. However, NPR, it's ultimately a pretty routine story. Be there if Benedict announces that the Four Horsemen are on their way, but leave the saturation
coverage for stores that are a bit more unusual or immediate.

What you've chosen to inundate your listeners with, NPR, is blanket coverage of the expected and attendant minutia. There are better uses for airtime.

Dish sold!

Now part of Tribune-Review family

Update: Owner Richard Mellon Scaife comments on the takeover

After a series of lengthy and intense negotiations, a deal has been reached between the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Pittsburgh Dish, giving the former unfettered control of the city’s premier online newspaper.

Tribune-Review Executive Editor Frank Craig called the acquisition a high water mark in the history of Pittsburgh’s second-fiddle daily: “In the face of the growing popularity of electronic media as the delivery method of choice for those seeking news, entertainment, and information of all stripes, the Tribune-Review sought a well-established inroad into said medium.  Dish is what we have ended up with."

Richard Mellon Scaife, the Trib’s owner and notable contributor to the Republican Party and its candidates said, “I think that revenues generated by Dish will enable us to resume our efforts to prove that Hillary Clinton, who I am now pretending to like, killed Vince Foster with a candlestick in the Lincoln Bedroom in order to ensure his silence regarding secrets only I know.”

Dish Co-publishers Colleen Van Tassell and Joe Miksch will remain on board at Dish, though they will no longer exert editorial control over the publication. Craig said he thought the pair more suited for coverage of the city’s western suburbs. Van Tassell and Miksch seem unfazed by the change in their duties. “We’re mostly OK with things,” Miksch said. “I mean, local government coverage is what I did when I got started in this business. I can only hope my contacts in Moon Township remember and trust me.”

Van Tassell, not a native of the Pittsburgh area, said simply, “The western suburbs? That’s around the airport, right?” Neither party would discuss the sale price.

Words on the street

Advocate hopes to give homeless people voice, jobs

Erica Smith, an outreach advocate and case worker with Operation Save-a-Life, would like to launch the first "street paper" in Pittsburgh. Called Word on the Street, it would be the only street newspaper between New York and Ohio.

But in order to do so, she needs to secure funding for 300 papers to present to potential advertisers and vendors.

According to he North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA), street papers provide information on job training, housing opportunities as well as original reporting written by homeless people, formerly homeless people, advocates and professional journalists. Vendors sell the newspaper for a set price, usually $1, and have to pay the organization a fraction of the price (20% to 40%) for each paper up front. The self-employed vendor sells the papers on the street and keeps the money he or she makes. Vendors must wear identification badges and agree to a code of conduct that includes sobriety and staying off private property.

Funding comes from vendor sales, advertising, grants, and donations.

Though street papers date back to the 1910s and 20s with Cincinnati-based Hobo News, Street News, founded in 1989 in New York City is cited as the first modern street paper.

Editorially, street papers cover homeless issues often ignored by mainstream and alternative media. They offer first-hand accounts of life on the streets, profiles, news, features and reprints from street papers around the country. Some publish poetry, short stories and photography.

Since 2004, Street Sense, a Washington, D.C.-based bi-weekly, is responsible for at least 16 vendors finding housing and more than 30 starting part-time or full-time jobs, many of which were offered to them while selling the paper.

Smith's already lined up several writers from various human service fields not only to address homeless issues but cover general interest topics including travel and museum exhibits.

"It's not just going to be sad sack stories," said Smith.  "I want readers of all kinds to get something out of it and maybe educate them to issues they never thought about."

To help launch a Pittsburgh street paper, contact Smith at 412-621-6513 or email her at ESmithchsc@yahoo.com.