Steelers Nation: Ft. Lauderdale

This season, something special may be brewing. Steelers Nation receives attention every year, but awareness seems prematurely heightened. A new head coach and a 3-0 start don't hurt, but if the Steelers go into the bye week undefeated then I would expect the coverage to go to another level. I hope you don't mind, but that will mean more of this type of blog post.

For example, a journalist (Heather McCalla) working for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel was working the local Steelers bar beat:

I have to admit, there is a contagious energy at the place, which has come full circle. After more than a decade as a stomping ground for Pittsburgh transplants, East Side Pub was sold and transformed into a gay nightclub that floundered. Last November, it was resurrected as home to the Steeler Nation.

"We're glad to be back! This is home for us," says Sue Johnson, who frequented the original East Side Pub with friends. "And we got our table back! We always have this table ... I call every Sunday at 11 and tell them how many chairs to have for us."

Steeler fans here are not shy about how they feel. Many flaunt the team's symbol tattooed on various spots on their body. Samantha Franconeri, a teacher from Wilton Manors, shows her team spirit with sandals she made from a Steeler blanket. Fort Lauderdale resident Karen Wichman says her family portrait shows everyone in Steeler outfits.

"The minute I found out about the bar, I walked in and knew I was home," Wichman says. "In Pittsburgh, you grow up on football. It's in your blood; no matter where you move to you can't get away from it."

If the Steelers keep winning, I'll find more and more stories just like Ms. McCalla's. I'll be able to add greater detail to my map of the Burgh Diaspora. For me, the stories never get old. If you are not a fan of the Steelers, this obsession must be annoying. You should try watching a game at a Steelers bar. I think you would understand why I think that the Burgh Diaspora is such a powerful force.

Ode to Steelers Nation

Boomerang migrant Holly Brubach wrote a guest op-ed piece about Steelers Nation for the New York Times. Over the next week, that newspaper will gain a good idea of the size of the Burgh Diaspora. If you are reading this blog post, I'd bet that Ms. Brubach's story will end up in your inbox a number of times from a variety of contacts. So, I needn't make you aware of a diaspora tale that you might have missed. What I would like to highlight is, in my estimation, a significant observation:

It occurs to me now that the experience of hunkering down with fellow Steeler fans in Manhattan or Rochester or Toronto or San Francisco is a lot like celebrating Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July with other American expatriates during the years when I lived abroad. They were, for the most part, people I never would have met back home. We shared few, if any, interests; we worked in fields that were unrelated. The bonds we formed were based on solidarity — not a flag-waving patriotism but an awareness of our similarities, inherent and deep, which in the moment outweighed our differences. Those were among the best holidays I ever spent, still vivid in memory.

It’s not that you can’t go home again, but that once you get there, chances are you’ll wish you were somewhere else when football season rolls around. Maybe it takes someone whose sense of home has been intensified by distance to understand the logic in leaving Pittsburgh to watch a Steeler game. I’ve already booked my flights.

If you've read any postcolonial literature from authors such as Salman Rushdie or Jhumpa Lahiri, you should recognize the theme. The diaspora experience engenders a dual or divided sense of place. Pittsburgh no longer feels quite like home. Instead, your neighborhood and family are located at the various Steelers bars scattered around the world. Steelers Nation is Pittsburgh's alter ego.

Ironically, Ms. Brubach has to leave Pittsburgh to go home. Yet, once at the neighborhood bar, she will share a longing for the Burgh with the other fans there watching the game. To be a member of the Burgh Diaspora is to live in a kind of limbo. More importantly, Pittsburghers are coming together in a way that would never happen back in the place where they were born. And that's why I think that the Burgh Diaspora will be the group to build New Pittsburgh, ushering in another golden era.

Erie's Talent Crunch

Outside Erie cites an article in the Erie Times-News about a local labor shortage. I'm struggling to understand why regions are framing this problem as both a lack of local talent and non-competitive wages. I did discover another piece to this labor mobility puzzle:

When GE Transportation advertised for manufacturing jobs early this year, about 5,000 applications were filed for 100 jobs.

The story was different when the company went looking for engineers, GE Transportation Chief Executive John Dineen said earlier this year.

"I needed 100 engineers, and I could only find 10 in Erie," he said. "We have to find them elsewhere."

First, there is evidence of an over-supply of manufacturing labor. But where are the engineers? The problem is that local talent isn't in step with local demand. As a result, Erie-based business must import expertise. Waiting for the retraining of locals is inefficient.

Another issue is the cost of labor. The story lurking below the surface is the ceiling on wages for businesses that compete in a global marketplace. They cannot afford to offer more money in order to attract the talent they need. One solution is business assuming the task of training, hiring under-qualified workers who fit better into the wage structure. This approach highlights the indirect subsidy that labor and the community typically shoulder, education.

I would guess that the cheapest solution for Erie is to subsidize the importing of needed talent.

ROI Pittsburgh

Bill Toland's latest Diaspora Report is up in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I hope the newspaper will offer a fixed url for Mr. Toland's column. The interviewee is Matthew Kleinrock, a boomerang migrant who attended Pitt before transferring to the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA. After graduating, Mr. Kleinrock stayed in the DC area given the ample job opportunities in that region. He would later return to Pittsburgh searching for something he found lacking in Washington, DC:

If you've never been here, and you hear "Pittsburgh," you might think that it's not the best place. It was a challenge to get me to come visit Pitt when I was looking at colleges. But once I came here, I found the city to be full of good, accessible people.

Here, you can be part of a community and make a difference. In D.C., there really wasn't a sense of community because everyone is so transient. Here, you have the power to make things happen. People actually live here -- they don't just reside here -- and overwhelmingly, Pittsburghers are the best people I've met.

I want to emphasize that the Pittsburgh-DC connection is a two-way street and that Mr. Kleinrock's migration back to the Burgh is not uncommon. However, is his reason for returning representative of the talent flow? He suggests that the quality of life is the main attraction, but that this asset is relatively unknown.

Pittsburgh does a great job of attracting student who graduated from a high school outside of Pennsylvania. Attending university in the city is likely the out-of-state student's first significant exposure to Pittsburgh. We should surrender to their inevitable out-migration, but then help them get the word out about the advantages of Burgh living. Mr. Kleinrock is a good example of chain migration working for Pittsburgh.

Steelers Road Nation: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Jim Wexell is in Phoenix for the game against the Arizona Cardinals. Mr. Wexell has a full slate today after sailing across America's flat, big empty:

West Texas is hard scrabble, boy, but the roads are well kept and the speed limit is 80, so we were able to knock off the toughest part of the journey in one day.

That didn't help me get any quality work done, though, so today's the day I get back to my interviews. I'm heading out to Arizona State to talk to Marvel Smith's college position coach and will also talk with a scout about the guy who's anchoring the Steelers' line. Then it's off to talk to a Phoenix resident who's had Steelers season tickets since 1970, and then a hard-core Cowboys fan, a hard-core Raiders fan, a bar owner who has the audacity to drape his place in a "You're in Steelers Country" banner, and then I'll place a few out-of-town calls, including one to the "gatekeeper" in Chapel Hill. As Dale Lolley wrote, Willie Parker has to be considered among the elite NFL running backs these days, so he should be honored in Chapel Hill. I'll find out if that's been changed since I've been there.

The Phoenix area is one of the strongholds for the Burgh Diaspora. The new stadium and some emerging stars have enticed many more residents to take an interest in the Cardinals, but I expect an impressive showing of Steelers Nation at the game.

Boomerang Buffalo

What is Buffalo doing to entice expatriates to move back? Turns out, the city is doing quite a bit. But the successes are much more about the quality of boomerang migrants, than the quantity:

“It was my will that led me to bring the operation to Buffalo,” said Tim Godzich, a founder of Definity Health. The company was renamed United Healthcare after he and others sold it about three years ago for $305 million. “If I wasn’t from Buffalo . . . I probably would have brought the service center to North Dakota,” he said.

Together such former expatriates add up to a clutch of Western New Yorkers who overcame obstacles to return. They persuaded colleagues and bosses that Western New York is as smart a move as Boston. Though the corporate tax rate is a high 7.5 percent, office space averages $20 a square foot, which is a deal compared to respective rates of $26 and $63 for Philadelphia and Boston.

Concerning Pittsburgh, job creation is a big problem. I'd like to dig a grave and bury all the brain drain drama. Once I do that, the clamor to bring back the people who left the region should make less din. The same goes for the constant shrill about the people who leave. If they weren't going to increase employment opportunities, buy them a plane ticket to wherever they can find the best job.

I'll use Iowa as an example in order to clarify my point. Iowa Governor Chet Culver has convened the Generation Iowa Commission and they determined that student loan debt was pushing recent graduates out of the region. Once again, the looming shortage of skilled workers is cited as the main reason for action. Once again, I wonder why local businesses won't offer more money to fill open positions. When these jobs start opening up, more graduates will start staying in Iowa. Student loans aren't forcing graduates to leave.

Distance Decay and Steelers Nation

Buffalo is a shrinking city and the Bills, the local football team, are looking to Toronto for an increase in the fan base. The Steelers don't have a problem with their market because on-the-field success, not proximity, is what brings new fans into the fold:

As a 6-year-old franchise seeking its first winning season, Houston faces obstacles in building popularity in Mexico despite its proximity. Longtime success, more than geography, has dictated which franchises have the most fans there.

Of the two top teams in Mexico, one would be expected based on location, but the other wouldn't. The Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers enjoy the largest followings, said Geraldina Gonzalez-Soberanes, NFL Mexico's senior manager for sponsorships and public relations. The passion for the clubs is often passed from one generation to the next.

On one hand, this anecdote about which NFL teams command the Mexican market share makes plain that Steelers Nation is bigger than the Burgh Diaspora. However, the other lesson is that proximity is not always the most important variable for predicting which team a fan follows. The Steelers are a global brand, while the City of Pittsburgh is more or less a local brand. One entity transcends geography, while the other is its prisoner.

Reconciling that disparity would be a good project for regional stakeholders.

Pirohi Diaspora

At university, I minored in Russian/East European studies. Despite my enhanced cultural awareness of that region of the world, a story about "pirohi" sent me on a Google search in order to pin down the exact meaning of the word that described what I understand to be "pierogies." If you don't already know, the term indicates Ukrainian heritage ("h" sound) as opposed to Russian influence ("g" sound). That bit of trivia out of the way, I introduce a most pressing issue:

"The food's my favorite part, and the fellowship's a close second," said Dave Gdovin, the president of the St. Michael's Church Council. "It waffles back and forth, depending on if I'm full or not."

While this columnist fell in love with the kobasy -- a synonym of kielbasa, a zesty Polish sausage -- the freshly made pirohi were undoubtedly the day's main attraction. Over 900 dozen pirohi were packed for the one-day festival, and Gdovin said he anticipated a sellout.

In the early evening, as hundreds of those pirohi were being devoured, Binghamton Mayor Matthew T. Ryan made a proclamation, officially declaring Msgr. Stephan Dutko the town's new Pirohi King.

While such a decree might seem frivolous, the pirohi business is a big deal in town. A promotion being run by prime pirohi producer Mrs. T's will soon declare the "Pirohi Capital of the World," and Binghamton will compete with cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh and New York City, said Gdovin.

If you have ever attended a tailgate party at a Pittsburgh Steelers away game, you've seen kielbasa and pierogies. You wash all that down with Iron City, or some other representative lager. While Pittsburgh is known for putting fries in sandwiches and on salads, the local flavor is decidedly Eastern European. Not to ignore the other ethnic influences on the Burgh identity, but I doubt Pittsburgh would compete with other cities as the capital of the world for any kind of food other than "pirohi."

For me, no trip back to the Burgh is complete without a visit to Pierogies Plus in McKees Rocks. As for kielbasa, I love Parma's "kolbassi," which I assume is a type of kielbasa. But Parma is all about Italian food, so I might be wrong. I've read that "kolbassi is a Western PA thing" (according to beer aficionado Lew Bryson), but I'd appreciate if a reader of this blog would educate me as to the possible distinctions.

Steelers Nation: Indianapolis

A somewhat different interpretation of chronicling Steelers Nation, Michael Casker is crossing the country taking photographs of the Black and Gold faithful. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is publishing the updates of his journey with writer Sean Barrett. The September 19th entry hails from Central Indiana:

Each week, Steelers fans gather at the Nickel Plate Bar and Grill, just outside Indianapolis in Fishers, Ind. Among these are Amy Burchfield, a 35-year-old native of Toronto, Ohio, and Jason Zanjeski, 33, originally from Weirton, W.Va. They now live in nearby Noblesville, Ind. The two met at Amy's cousin's wedding several years back and plan to marry Nov. 10 in Weirton. Each has a personalized Steeler jersey with his and her future last name on the back. Jason wears No. 11 and Amy No. 10 to acknowledge their upcoming wedding date.

"I let her wear the 10. It reminds me too much of the Kordell days," Jason says with a smile. Their dog Bobo wears a baby onesy Hines Ward jersey. Part of their wedding celebration includes tickets to the Browns game at Heinz Field in November.

Among the friends they've made at the Nickel Plate are Kurt Emmert, his wife and two children. In fact, Kurt, 35, of Anderson, Ind., may be one of the most passionate Steelers fans anywhere. Every day for the past 14 months he's worn some sort of Steelers apparel, and he also runs a Web site, www.indysteelers.com, established to help fans in the area stay connected.

What interested me about this particular report from the field is how the Pittsburgh Steelers help connect non-natives to the city. Mr. Emmert's experience is somewhat like my own. He's not a fan because he's from Pittsburgh. The great teams of the 1970s stretched the following well beyond the region, swelling the ranks of the Burgh Diaspora with people who did not claim Pittsburgh as their hometown.

Startup Diaspora

HELP (Helping Entrepreneurs Learn from Peers) Pittsburgh's Gary Rosensteel is attempting to make the opaque startup process a bit more transparent through a new website titled Help Startups. I would describe Help Startups as a catalogue of information about becoming an entrepreneur. Mr. Rosensteel, perhaps with some assistance from others in the know, has created a one-stop shop for business creation in Pittsburgh and nearby West Virginia. (Edit: Mr. Rosensteel informs me that West Virginia is not in the fold as of right now)

Help Startups has a Colleague Forum, which should be the most vital component of the website. I registered (username: globalburgh) and I hope to see a lot of activity there soon. Pittsburgh needs a stronger entrepreneurial community and culture. Providing links to all the necessary startup information won't accomplish that. If Mr. Rosensteel can cultivate some virtual social capital, he will have done Pittsburgh a great service.

Iron Chef Diaspora?

ART OLYMPIC THEATRE KICKS OFF OCTOBER 6th

Three teams of artists face off in sculpture challenge at New Hazlett Theater

PITTSBURGH, PA (September 25, 2007) – Look out Steelers, Pittsburgh's newest art event, Art Olympic Theatre, threatens to lure away some of your die hard fans with the action and excitement of competitive art making, arena style! On October 6th at 7:30pm, the New Hazlett Theater will host three teams of artists who will compete to build winning sculptures out of secret materials (read: junk to be unveiled at the event). The only supplies that the teams may bring with them to the challenge are the contents of one suitcase. Adding to the suspense of the evening is the arrival of Team West Virginia, led by WVU sculpture professor and artist Douglas Loewen. Tickets are $10.00 and will be available at the door.

Conceived by Tom Sarver of The Tom Museum, winner of the Mayor’s Award for Public Art, Art Olympic Theatre brings the drama and spontaneity of reality TV and sports straight to the public in the form of an arts event. Tom was particularly inspired by the Food Network cooking show Iron Chef while developing the idea. The October 6th event launches a series of Art Olympic Theatre events sponsored in part by a Seed Award from the Sprout Fund. Future events are planned for March and July of 2008.

Tom Sarver, Mike Cuccaro, Liz Hammond and Buddy Nutt will host the event, and conduct official Art Olympic Theatre opening and closing ceremonies. Music will be provided by DJ Mary Mack and Mr. & Mrs. Funky of Unfinished Symphonies. Judges for the event will include Heather Pesanti, Assistant Curator at The Carnegie Museum of Art; Mickey McManus, CEO of MAYA Design; Artist Thommy Conroy; and Karen Hartman from the Brew House Association. A pre-event fundraiser for The Tom Museum with special guest Mayor Luke Ravenstahl will take place from 6 – 7 PM in the lobby of the New Hazlett Theater. Admission to the fundraiser is $65.00. More information about Art Olympic Theatre can be found at www.tommuseum.com.

MEET THE TEAMS:

TEAM 1 (Pittsburgh)

Team Leader: Christopher Kardambikis

Team Members: Nicholas Hohman, John Brodski, Jairan Sadeghi

Chris Kardambikis is the co-director of Encyclopedia Destructica, a self-published and hand made book operation that presents sketchbook and journal work from artists and writers. Over a two year period he has overseen the creation of 13 books and helped to produce over 2000 individual copies. He was awarded Full Fellowship to the Vermont Studio Center and was a recipient of the Sprout Seed Award. Kardambikis has studied at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in Cortona, Italy, the CMU Inquiry and Vision Program in Sparta, Greece and holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. Chris is best known in Pittsburgh for the development of Encyclopedia Destructica, a popular local zine that features the illustrations of local artists. Chris is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University.

TEAM 2, "Self-es-Team" (Pittsburgh)

Team Leader: Morgan Cahn

Team Members: Caldwell Linkerbelle, Ange Gagnon, Teresa Martuccio

Multimedia artist Morgan Cahn skyrocketed into the Pittsburgh art scene in the past two years with shows at Brew House Space 101, the Mattress Factory (Gestures) and Future Tennant. Morgan completed the Brew House Distillery Program in the spring of 2007. Her colorful works include painting, drawing, sewing, sculpture, performance and video.

TEAM 3 (Morgantown, West Virginia)

Team Leader: Douglas Loewen

Team Members: Emily Walley, David Hale, Evan Thomas

Nationally exhibited artist Doug Loewen is best known for his kinetic installations and sculpture. He is currently teaching sculpture at West Virginia University.

# # #

EDITOR’S NOTES: The Tom Museum is an independent project of Tom Sarver in partnership with The Mattress Factory.

Sponsors for the event include Whole Foods, Pittsburgh City Paper, Penn Brewery, Big Burrito, Breadworks, The Gypsy Café, MyGoodies Bakery, The New Hazlett Theater and The Mattress Factory. The Tom Museum is supported by The Heinz Endowments and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Art Olympic Theatre is sponsored in part by a Seed Award from The Sprout Fund.

The Sprout Fund is nonprofit organization supporting innovative ideas and grassroots community projects that are catalyzing change in Pittsburgh. Each of The Sprout Fund's programs, Seed Award and Public Art, is designed to advance a community initiative from idea through dialogue to implementation, creating a critical mass of activity for positive regional change. Sprout believes a vital component to building healthy and vibrant communities is civic engagement; serving those who demonstrate the drive and the capacity to think creatively about their communities.

The New Hazlett Theater is a non-profit organization, founded in 2004 with a mission to cultivate the arts and provide a venue for world class and neighborhood cultural events.

Creative Co-Location Pittsburgh

John Morris of Digging Pitt Gallery is putting on The Blogger Show:

In November, Digging Pitt will assemble work from artists whose common interest is in clarifying artistic discourse through their blogs. The Blogger Show will utilize several spaces in Pittsburgh and New York for the exhibits. All of the exhibits will take place between November 10, 2007 and January 12, 2008. Free and open to the public.

Mr. Morris appreciates the expanded concept of community that I preach about here at the Burgh Diaspora blog. He is an active facilitator of artist networks and I think he provides a good example of the importance of connectivity between Pittsburgh and New York City.

Steelers Road Nation: Roll on, Southern Pacific

On his way to watch the Steelers game at Casey Hampton's family home in Galveston, Texas, Jim Wexell found a little bit of Pittsburgh in Baton Rouge:

On Saturday morning I met with Uniontown native Jack Marucci. He’s the trainer at LSU and was on a tight schedule because the team hosted South Carolina that afternoon. Baton Rouge was hopping early but the insightful interview made the fight through traffic worthwhile. Marucci is a Steelers fan and he talked about how so many of the NFL scouts that pass through LSU have Western Pa. roots. He talked about Alan Faneca and Ryan Clark and also showed me the greatest collection of sports memorabilia I’ve seen. Jack has a Steelers helmet signed by the original Steel Curtain, among many of his other artifacts. He also makes bats for every Major League team, except the Pirates. Well, that used to be true until he recently sent a shipment to Freddy Sanchez. I’ll explain more in the book and talk about the “professional whiffle ball field” he has in his backyard. Jack also noted that LSU’s offensive coordinator and equipment manager are Steelers fans, mainly because of the way the team plays the game so remember that as you watch LSU’s offense. That makes the Tigers a team to root for in the national title hunt this season.

Those of you who subscribe to Steelers Digest, look for Mr. Wexell's story on his gameday experience in Galveston.

Youngstown Diaspora

One of my daily search queries is "Pittsburgh Diaspora." Today's results yield a blog post about Dr. Sherry Linkon's interview with Hunter Morrison, Youngstown's shrinking cities champion. Dr. Linkon comments on Morrison's ideas about Youngstown and a pan-regional economy:

Hunter predicts that the Cleveland/Youngstown/Pittsburgh corridor will become one large economic region, and because Youngstown is geographically central, we will play an important role as these cities learn to work together to promote development and do economic planning as a region. While I agree that the region is becoming a sort of megalopolis, and that does bring new money into the Mahoning Valley, I have doubts about whether it’s entirely a good thing. Do we want to be a bedroom community for people working in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Akron? How will that affect local workers and the local economy? If we become the meeting place for leaders from the big cities, will our needs and issues be heard? Hunter is enthusiastic that regionalism can help this area, and while I hope that’s true, I also have some doubts. Regional growth may be inevitable, but I think we need to be strategic about our role and our interests.

Seems to me the question isn't whether or not the developing megalopolis is a good thing for Youngstown. The question is what should be done about it. Dr. Linkon's perspective reminds me of the debate about globalization. Is globalization good or bad? Whatever your opinion on the matter, your region must still deal with economic integration.

One person's problem is another person's opportunity. I think that's the driving force behind the embrace of a shrinking city.

Steelers Road Nation: Born on the Bayou

Jim Wexell checks in from Steelers CB Ike Taylor's home. Searching the post for an interesting tease, I appreciate what Taylor's Uncle Herm had to say about Mr. Wexell's journey:

Then Herm got on a roll. He began talking about the media and how my trip around the Nation is special on more than one level. “You’ve been to the Ninth Ward. You’ve seen where Ike Taylor grew up. You’ve seen what those winds did to his high school. It don’t even have a football team anymore. You know how he bounces back. You know how Willie Parker bounces back. You’ve walked in their shoes. You know the people you’re writing about. You won’t be guessing when you get home, Mr. Jim. You won’t be writing about shadows. You know them. No, Mr. Jim, you’ve been called to do this work. It’s important work, and may God bless you.”

I expect Mr. Wexell's book will improve the sense of community for the Burgh Diaspora. Matters beyond the Pale of Pittsburgh become the concern of everyone in Steelers Nation.

Labor Market Geography

By way of an update to my "Captive Labor Pittsburgh" post, Utah's talent shortage is worse (and more complicated) than I previously realized:

Utah’s economy may be hot, but the job market is as tight as ever. Recruiters are doing all they can to woo top talent, but below-average wages, the lowest unemployment rate in the nation (2.6 percent) and unqualified workers are making it difficult to find the right fit.

What I'm struggling to understand is the "below-average" pay. I would figure that one way to attract talent is to offer more money than your competitor. Instead, the solution is to cultivate more talent in-state while promoting the high quality of life and low cost of living to outsiders. Will geographically mobile businesses leave Utah if salaries must rise in order to secure the necessary employees?

I realize that importing labor is expensive. Talent-in-demand can command more money and insist on the company picking up the tab for relocation. And as my previous post indicates, moving to a new place may be daunting. That said, young professionals across the country are making long distance journeys to find employment. The barriers to intellectual capital must be comparable in almost every region except...

With all of that in mind, why isn't Pittsburgh more competitive in luring talent-starved businesses?

"I'm Not From Here" Diaspora

The Wall Street Journal is running a series of articles on the American geography of young professionals. The most recent story is about the rise of Minneapolis/St. Paul as a hot destination for college graduates seeking jobs AND a high quality of living. However, not all residents welcome the recent influx of outsiders:

Newcomers also must confront the social hurdles of being a "transplant" -- a term widely used in Minnesota to describe outsiders. Adrienne LaPointe, a 29-year-old originally from Michigan, says she was warned that many Minnesotans spend their entire lives in the state, gleaning their social circles from as early as middle and high school.

"There are two separate social societies here: people who grew up in Minnesota and everybody else," she says. Undeterred, Ms. LaPointe joined more than 500 people who are part of a social-networking group started in the 1990s for non-natives called I'm Not From Here.

This social network has expanded to include organizations in Richmond (VA), Milwaukee (WI), Wichita (KS), New York City (NY), and St. Cloud (MN). If there is a city that epitomizes the need for such a group, it is Pittsburgh. And yes, I'm suggesting that some non-native Pittsburgher now living there should start one. If the new CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council (Audrey Russo) is looking for a few useful projects, creating an "I'm Not From Here" chapter in the city would be a great initiative that would help to re-orient the Council towards the outside.

Of course, I'd rather see Pittsburgh-centric social network develop. But I think the focus of such an organization should be to help young professionals relocate. I know this is blasphemy, but the Minneapolis experience details the need for such a geographic mobility service and I can't think of a better way to get the word out about the opportunities in Pittsburgh.

Steelers Road Nation: Georgia Satellites

Jim Wexell's latest entry includes comments about his interview with a good friend of WR Hines Ward, and a conversation with former Steelers LB Greg Lloyd. However, the Burgh Diaspora angle concerns a Steelers bar in Alabama:

As I’m typing this morning, we’re idling the RV at a rest stop just south of Montgomery, Alabama. We’re shooting for lunch at a Steelers bar in Mobile called Hero’s and hopefully I can talk to some fans. In Alabama, the football fans know passion, and I’m interested in finding one who understands that passion in both college and pro football today before we head to New Orleans.

I believe Mr. Wexell is referring to "Heroes" Sports Bar & Grill.

Captive Labor Pittsburgh

As we get closer to election time, politicians beat the brain drain drum more frequently. Ironically, at least from the Pittsburgh perspective, the resulting crisis is a tight labor market in states such as New Hampshire:

Michael Power of the state Workforce Opportunity Council, said the state does not have an unemployment problem, but rather a labor shortage. Employers are looking for educated and skilled workers. On its website, www.nhworks.org, the state provides a job match program, a list of training centers and educational facilities.

If Pittsburgh is experiencing brain drain, where is the local coverage detailing a similar problem with unfilled positions? On the contrary, the story is about people leaving the region because they can't find good employment. Pittsburgh is struggling to create enough jobs in order to meet the demand to live there.

The New Hampshire case makes plain the trouble with retaining talent that graduates locally. What the policymakers in that state should do is target places such as Pittsburgh (like what Utah is doing) where there is a glut of labor. Actually, I don't know if there are any other Pittsburghs out there in terms of an over-supply of workers that results in depressed wages.

Pittsburgh Green Drinks Does The Boomerang

Pittsburgh Green Drinks Event Announcement

TOMORROW: Friday, September 21st at Bossa Nova from 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Join us in the REMIX of Green Drinks Summer Edition at our new home in Downtown Pittsburgh with complimentary tapas sampling from 5:00 to 8:00!

Mary W. Wilson is a classic example of a boomerang Pittsburgher. She gladly left the declining milltown atmosphere in the 70's to pursue two degrees in biology with her eye on field work in much greener pastures. During return visits to family while studying or working in northern New York, southern Illinois, "deep south" Alabama and later in Florida, Wilson decided the hills and streams of western PA are the best place to hang your hat, so she's settled in the North Hills, vowing to never move again. Wilson works on environmental efforts as vocation ( Executive Director of Allegheny CleanWays) and avocation (Pine Creek Watershed Coalition, Pine Creek Land Conservation Trust and North Area Environmental Council) and is pleased to see a growing appreciation of the environment in the region.

Allegheny CleanWays is an independent 501(c)(3) affiliate of PA CleanWays, Inc. Allegheny CleanWays has worked for seven years to engage and empower people to eliminate illegal dumping and litter in the county. It works with several partnering organizations to operate the "Tireless Project" in which volunteers help remove debris from Pittsburgh's river banks, as well as conducting illegal dump cleanups and supporting litter cleanups throughout the county. With approximately 300 illegal dumps logged in the county, there is a lot of work to be done, and a continuous need for enthusiastic volunteers. This photo of a "Tireless Project" cleanup along the Allegheny River in Lawrenceville last Saturday demonstrates the power of amazing potential of volunteer power. To learn more, come to Green Drinks! If you can't make it, but still want to learn more, contact Mary W. Wilson at 412.381.1301.

Be sure to bring your friends and colleagues to have a couple of drinks with green folks like you - environmentalists, journalists, academics, elected officials, green builders, green business folks, health care professionals, doctors, chemists, developers, artists, students and just about anyone else who is interested a better Pittsburgh environment. Green Drinks is a social activity, so come enjoy an end-of-the-week drink with some really caring and talented people at Pittsburgh's green drink event.

Featuring GREEN spirits such as Rain Vodka, Bluecoat Gin, Bonterra Chardonnay Bonterra Cabernet, Peaks Organic Pale Ale Beer and/or Peaks Organic Nut Brown Beer AND the Treehugger-tini made with Rain Vodka.