Joe Magarac and the Fountain at Point State Park

Riding my bike, enjoying a magnificent morning, very pleasantly surprised to see the fountain in "Pittsburgh's front yard" on a test run. As seen from the Carnegie Science Center, And as seen from near Station Square, They've done a wonderful job restoring the fountain, and a park ranger explained there's some technology for multicolor effects at night. Also cool that there's restrooms at the Point that will be open from 0700 to 2300, will which be much appreciated by the bicyclists coming in from DC.

But it didn't have to be this way. It might have been quite different.

Later in the day, I found myself at the Rivers of Steel museum at the Bost Building in Homestead, looking at a design proposal for the fountain at the Point developed by Frank Vittor for the 1951 design competition that would produce the fountain we know today.

The placard read,

As a part of Pittsburgh's Renaissance I urban renewal project, artists were asked to submit designs for a new fountain at Point State Park.

Noted sculptor Frank Vittor created this model for a proposed 100-foot tall stainless steel statue of local folk hero Joe Magarac pouring steel from two ladles into an ingot - a symbol for the joining of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio River.

Vittor made at least two plaster models; the other known piece is in the collections of the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. The winning fountain design, which did not open at the Point until 1974, is notably subdued compared with Vittor's elaborate vision.

That would have been very different indeed.

Burgh Optics 2013: Musical Chairs and Body Language

From the Post-Gazette, another great visual on the 2013 Mayoral evolution in Pittsburgh.

In every situation, there's winners and losers, champions and goats, and my hero is the unknown worthy who arranged these chairs. Take-away for untold staffers: make sure your guy's chair is generously spaced, possibly with wooden blocks or paperbacks between them. Because the photo-ops always come down to the little things, and do you think some of these demigods would prefer to not be squished if there was a Control-Z button? (that's Undo for you Mac folks who'll be voting Peduto)

Especially compared to the optics of Wagner's previous lineup of Angry No-Neck White Men, this is just a tremendous photo and happily it looks like what a Democratic slate is supposed to look like, instead of that bunch of Romney-Zombies that Wagner lined up to hold their hands crossed over their zippers.

Also, it's an appropriate setting because this is a season of Musical Chairs and probably next time, we won't see all these folks still sitting down together; the number of chairs will dwindle.

What I find fascinating is the body language in the photo. It's subjective, I'm no expert, and I'm probably just projecting; your opinion may vary, and you're welcome to contribute in the comments. But going Right to Left, here's what I see:

• Mike Lamb will not look over at any of these other people; he will only look straight ahead and. he. is. not. amused. He looks like he's got a lemon wedge stuck in an unlikely place. He doesn't like being there, and he doesn't like this situation. (minus)
• Bill Peduto looks like a plump staff-wonk but he's managing to smile into the room and he's confident that he belongs. He's uncomfortable at his proximity to the people on either side of him and he's holding his perimeter with the hand-knee boundary. (even)
• AJ Richardson is damn happy; something might come out of this downstream. (even)
• Jack Wagner is doing his Yinzer George Hamilton imitation, showing the polish of an experienced politico with the easy smile and uncrumpled demeanor as he sits wedged between the two big men; he looks old in contrast. (even)
• Jake Wheatley looks comfortable, confident, and amused. He's not there to be mayor; he's there to advance his cause and his constituency, and he's doing well. (plus)

The Post-Gazette was right when they headlined how the unexpected Luke withdrawal throws racial factors into play, and (as always) Nullspace has the most trenchant data-based, historical analysis on that front.

Speaking of Jack Wagner, his staff put out this tweet which must mean that

• they're still not prepared for this
• they're still shooting from the hip
• nobody's vetting their messaging
• VietNam Jack is in his first SocialMedia campaign

Joint Anger Management and Cultural Diversity Training Class

Demonstrating some of his promised "out-of-the-box" thinking, Mayoral candidate Jack Wagner poses in front of a joint anger management and cultural diversity training class. A spokesman said this sort of dual training saves time and money while bringing key personnel together for isometric forearm conditioning.

Potential alternative headlines:
• Pittsburgh Film Office executive director Dawn Keezer was pleased to announce that the remake of Twelve Angry Men was filming at the City-County Building today in spite of the expiration of tax credits. Keezer credits the local foundation community with helping to bridge the funding gap.

• Making "EDs and Meds" more of an action phrase than a metaphor, key politicians and labor leaders announced they were participating in a groundbreaking study of erectile disfunction syndrome in a UPMC research study in which they will be eligible for an unlimited supply of Viagra to see if there is any decreasing benefit over time. In a separate announcement, the Ravenstahl administration has announced they are withdrawing their objection to UPMC's non-profit status.

Zeke's Coffee Bike in East Liberty

As much as I love coffee and bicycling, I never thought of a coffee-bicycle, which is what the folks at East Liberty's small-batch coffee roaster Zeke's Coffee will be rolling out on Monday, April 1, delivering hot coffee to local businesses and construction sites.

Via new Burgh blog Rise and Tide.

Drive to Work Week

One of the things I love is the way various cities celebrate springtime. For instance, there's Drive to Work Week.

From Baltimore Velo.

Saint Patrick and Rand Paul

I am happy to remember Patrick Moynihan, particularly so on this tenth anniversary of "boots on the ground" in Afghanistan and Iraq. On his deathbed at the time, when told of the rush to invade Moynihan told his daughter Maura, "It's a ten day war and a ten year occupation, and then what are you going to do with it?"

That, and he's possibly the last person who said anything about the black family that made sense.

RIP Saint Patrick. I wish that we had you on Drones, privacy, and civil liberties instead of Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell.