Asides for Sunday, June 27, 2010

IS THIS A GREAT COUNTRY or what? In fact, is this a great city or what? For only in Pittsburgh, Pa., USA, could a man get himself fired from his job of dressing up as a pierogi because he went on Facebook and criticized the management decisions of his employer, the Pittsburgh Pirates. That is what happened to Andrew Kurtz, 24, and it was interesting news all over the country to people who were desperate to think about something other than the Gulf oil spill or a commanding general in Afghanistan who had not packed discretion in his old kit bag. But good stories need a happy ending and that came when the Pirates reconsidered because Mr. Kurtz had not been terminated in accordance with the organization's human resources procedures. Now he's back on the roster of the team's racing mascots. The Pirates bobbled the ball on this one, but management finally made the right play. The highly intelligent Oliver Onion could have told them that in America even pierogies have their rights.

IT IS A GREAT CITY when the largest newspaper in the region (not to boast) has a regular feature called "Random Acts of Kindness" and no shortage of material for it. In fact, one of the more rapturous acts made it onto the front page last week. A couple of newlyweds, David and Ashley Marasco of Bridgeville, lost an envelope containing $3,600 given by family and friends. After their reception in North Strabane, they had stuck the money into a photo album but left that on the trunk of the car. A kind motorist pointed out their mistake at a traffic light but the envelope had gone. It was lying in the middle of the road on Washington Pike, where another kind motorist saw it and stopped his car to retrieve it. Instead of playing finders keepers, Brennan Breene of Bridgeville looked out for news reports of lost money and when he found one he took the money to Bridgeville police. As much as he would have liked to have kept the cash, he told a reporter, "My better conscience said it wasn't mine."

MUCH KINDNESS, not enough people. The U.S. Census Bureau reported last week that the city of Pittsburgh lost an estimated 472 residents between July 2008 and July 2009 (according to figures released three months ago, Allegheny County grew by 267 residents in the same period.) Joanna Doven, spokeswoman for Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, found consolation in the slight decline, compared to when thousands of people were leaving. "We're slowing it down to a trickle now, and soon we'll reverse that trend of losing population, but it's not going to happen overnight," Ms. Doven said. The city's population now stands at 311,647. The more reliable 2010 Census figures won't be in for months, so we will have to wait to see if the great people in the city and region have become more numerous.