Way Upstream on the Mon

Years ago, before I took to fishin' like it was my job, I used to work in McKeesport. The commute from Pittsburgh that defied traffic at rush hour gave me the chance to listen to some news on the radio and take in the scenery. Most of that scenery was depressing to me only because the Mon Valley has struggled to renew itself after the fleeing steel mills. The great views of the hills in N.Versailles and the pocket below the Westinghouse bridge which was the thriving community of Turtle Creek lie to you from afar. Up close they serve as reminders of the downsides of globablization.

Well, wasn't much fishin' on the Mon with all the rain 'n sleet n'at, so I stopped in town for a cup of coffee to find a little gem of a blog, The Tube City Almanac. It's main author, Jason Togyer, can be applauded for creating the cartoon above. I just thought it really captures a dimension of the greasiness of the Ravenstahl campaign. While it's hard to qualify this one, breaking campaign financing laws by trying to blur the line between public office and private campaigning is not, but it's greasy business I tell ya.