WVU Panel Reports Poor Judgment in Awarding MBA to Heather Bresch

Today, a WVU Investigative Panel released a 95 page report to the public detailing its decision that Mylan Inc Executive Heather Bresch, the daughter of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, did not earn an M.B.A degree from West Virginia University.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette highlighted key findings from the 95 page report. Phrases like “poor judgment”, “failures of processes”, and “failures of leadership” are included in the report. The 95 page (4.4 MB) report can be downloaded from the Post Gazette here. Course titles, grades, and credits have been un-highlighted with black marker.

When I first heard about this story, I thought there would be a cover up. I am glad that the investigative panel did not try to cover this up. I am disappointed that a major university gave in to political pressure. I, like most people, am very proud to say that I worked very hard to earn my college degree.

Heather Bresch’s WVU MBA Was BS

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting from a source that a five member panel has unanimously concluded that Mylan Inc chief operating officer Heather Bresch, daughter of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, did not earn an M.B.A degree from West Virginia University and that administrators acted improperly in granting her the degree retroactively in October. Ms. Bresch is a family friend and former business associate of WVU President Michael Garrison.

The panel was formed after a Dec. 21 Post Gazette article that questioned how university officials granted the degree in October, almost 10 years after Ms. Bresch left the program, even though official records showed she was 22 credits short. University records show that 22 credits were added to Ms. Bresch’s transcript, almost half of the 48 credits required for the degree. Changes including adding six courses with grades that previously were not on her record and changing two incomplete courses to letter grades.

Ms. Bresch stated to several media outlets that she made arrangements in September 1998 with WVU finance professor Paul Speaker, the head of the M.B.A program at the time, to substitute work experience for 10 credits she needed to graduate.

I do not know Ms. Bresch or have a grudge against Mylan Inc or WVU. I am a proud Pitt M.B.A. graduate who earned my degree the honest way, with hard work. I grew up in a two bedroom apartment with my two brothers and my parents. My parents combined income was so low in high school that I qualified for free school lunches. I lived off campus at home to save money when I attended Pitt for my B.S. degree. I went back to Pitt for my M.B.A. degree because I could not find a job after earning my B.S. degree. My family did not have any business or political connections to help me. I worked hard to earn both of my degrees. Shame on Ms. Bresch and WVU.

Penguins Sweep Senators, Move to Round 2 of NHL Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins completed their first postseason sweep since 1992 by defeating the Ottawa Senators 3-1 tonight. The Penguins Round 2 opponent has not been determined yet. Since the Penguins were able to sweep the Senators in 4 games, they will get a well deserved rest before Round 2 begins. Let Go Pens!

Terrible Two

My blog is officially 2 years old today, Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary! So, how do I feel? I am proud that I have been able to keep this blog going. My goal was not to gain a large number of readers. I simply just wanted to express myself and let others know me a little better. I have also improved my writing skills. Blogging has helped me become more of a local Pittsburgh news junkie. I am more in touch with what is happening in Pittsburgh. Blogging has been a very good growth experience for me.

Penguins Clinch Atlantic Division Title

The Pittsburgh Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division title by beating the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2, tonight. It is their first division title since 1997-98. Sidney Crosby scored two goals. Whoo Hoo !!!

On the Shelf

I am still recovering from the cold I picked up from my younger brother over Easter weekend. This is probably the worst cold I have had in the last 6 years. Worse meaning duration and intensity. I have been so healthy the last 6 years, I have not had to use my prescription drug plan health benefits. I could not even find my prescription drug plan ID card. I was able to log on to my prescription drug plan website and asked them to send me a new ID card. Time for another shot of Nyquil before I go to bed.

RIP my CRT

The CRT monitor attached to my second PC died this weekend. It lived for 7 years, so I am pleased with how long it lasted. I do not use my second PC that much. I use it primarily as a file server to backup my data on my primary PC. I took a quick peek at websites like BestBuy, NewEgg, Staples, and Sam's Club, and it is hard to find a CRT monitor. Most monitors sold these days are LCD monitors. How technology has changed and improved for the better! I have a keyboard-video-mouse (KVM) switch somewhere in my basement pile of old PC parts, so I will hold off on purchasing a new LCD monitor until after I get my tax refund.

Brotherly Love

My younger brother brought his cold from Ohio with him this weekend to my mother's house for Easter. A great example of brotherly love. I woke up with a sore throat this morning. As the day progressed, sinus pressure increased in my head, I had the chills, I felt a little disoriented, and I just felt run down. I started talking Cold-EEZE zinc lozenges at work. I still feel crappy, but I mustered up the energy to listen to the Penguins game and watch CSI Miami. I actually plan on going to bed early this evening. Lights out.

Winter Weather Forecast Pet Peeves

I am getting annoyed with the Pittsburgh media hyping up the Winter Weather forecasts. Here are my pet peeves (or conversely the media's sly techniques) for overblowing the winter weather forecasts:

• Teaser Trailers - these are short teasers less than 5 seconds in length telling you of impending doom, but you will have to watch 15 minutes of the newscast before the forecast is revealed.


• Live Reports - TV stations feel there is a need to have a reporter on the spot showing and telling you the current conditions. A few Saturdays ago, KDKA TV had Ivy league educated cutie Alison Morris reporting live from a Giant Eagle parking lot in Beaver County. It was ridiculous. There was no precipitation at all, so the camera panned to a snowpile that was created from a snowplow plowing the parking lot.


• Snowfall totals spanning 2 or more days. If the amount of predicted snowfall for one day is not newsworthy, the snowfall totals are predicted over a span of 2 or more days. This makes the total snowfall amount more dramatic.


• If the snowfall totals in the Pittsburgh area are not going to be significant, the Teaser Trailers hint at more significant snowfall totals. However, when you see the forecast, the significant snowfall total was for a "surrounding area" like Altoona or Erie. There are TV stations in Altoona snd Erie.

I am hoping Spring arrives soon.

Vernal Equinox

From http://www.weather.com/, here is today's weather forecast for the first day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox: High 36 degrees. Intermittent snow showers and windy this morning. Peeks of sunshine later. Temps nearly steady in the mid 30s. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of snow 40%. Snow accumulations less than one inch. Lovely, do I really enjoy the joys of all four seasons?

Widget1000 Spam

Here is the text from a comment left on one of my blog posts:

anthony bremond has left a new comment on your post "Pittsburgh Penguins Season Opener - 10/5/2007":

Dear Mr,
I'm an intern with startup widget 1000 and I created a news widget for Pittsburgh Penguins News.It's updated every hour with Pittsburgh Penguins headlines from several different sports websites like ESPN, FOX Yahoo,etc. (Take a look: www dot widget1000 dot com). Can we add Pittsburgh Penguins blog to the widget,too? That means that every time you post to your blog the headline of the post will show up on the widget and link directly to your post. Anyone who puts this widget on their start page or on their website will see your Pittsburgh Penguins posts too. It's a powerful and free way to publicize your site. Finally, would you add your Pittsburgh Penguins News Widget to your site so that others can see it? Everyone who grabs the widget will automatically link to you so it's great for your search engine rankings. Plus, it shows a lot of stories about Pittsburgh Penguins and since it's updated every hour it is fresh and will make your site even more appealing than it already is.
What do you think?
Go Pittsburgh Penguins
Anthony Bremond

I am all for free enterprise, but I did a search on Google for "widget1000" and found the above text on a bunch of other blogs. The only thing that was different was that the name of the sports team had been changed. Google also found advertisements for widget1000's paid services. Obviously, I rejected this comment on my blog. You are not going to make a buck off of my blog.

Sunglasses of Justice

CSI: Miami has become my favorite of the 3 CSI franchise television shows. I used to really like the original, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, but have lost interest recently. The original CSI always had interesting, odd, puzzles to solve, which was the main appeal to me. David Caruso's portrayal of Horatio Caine is the reason why I like CSI: Miami so much. At times, his acting can be a little over the top. Horatio always gets the bad guy, and he does it while being as cool as a cucumber with a heart for the victim. Horatio Caine is infamous for his one-liners at the beginning of each show. The content and delivery of the one-liners make them unique. Here is a YouTube link to a whole 7 minutes of Horatio Caine one-liners, www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcD0Mmyp3f4. Enjoy!

Driver Pet Peeves

Here is a my list of pet peeves about drivers:

1. Talking on a cell phone while driving - this is my absolute #1 pet peeve about drivers. I have tried to drive and talk on a cell phone at the same time, but I only have two hands, not three. If you are going to use your cell phone while driving, please use a handsfree headset.


2. Driving slow in the passing lane - Why is it that slow drivers in the passing lane are totally clueless that they are causing a huge backup of vehicles? Cars do come with something called mirrors.


3. Non use of turn signals - cars have turn signals for a reason, to let other drivers know you are changing directions.


4. Leaving you turn signal on - this is almost as bad as not using your turn signal. Are you turning or not? It only takes on quick flick of the wrist to turn off a turn signal.
   

I will stop complaining now.

I Scream for Ice Cream

National Blog Posting Month has a theme for March, LISTS. The goal is to post every day for a month. Obviously, I am already ten days late, but LISTS are an idea that I have overlooked to add variety to my posts. Even though I watch my diet very carefully, I do have some "cheat" foods, and Ice Cream is my favorite cheat food. Ice Cream has changed - you can buy sugar free and double/slow churned versions with less fat. Another thing that has changed is the container size - no more half gallons. Anyway, here are my top 5 favorite flavors, starting with my most favorite:

1. Cookies N Cream - brings me back to the days as a young kid eating cookies and milk before going to bed.


2. Mint Chocolate Chip - the chocolate chips and the mint ice cream are a great pairing.


3. Vanilla - a classic, sounds basic, but you can add almost any topping to Vanilla ice cream and it still tastes great. I particularly prefer brands where you can see the vanilla bean specks.


4. Moosetracks - the perfect combination of everything that is bad but tastes so good.


5. Chocolate - double, triple, with fudge, chocolate chips, or anything with chocolate ice cream as the base is just outstanding.

Yes, I still eat ice cream in the winter, even if my body temporarily gets the chills after eating a few scoops.

Workout Rewind – February 2008

In February, I decided I needed to get back in shape after my layoff from tennis elbow. I managed to fit in at least one, sometimes two, and one week actually three weightlifting sessions. I aggravated my tennis elbow a few times due to removing snow and/or ice from my car. For my upper body, I have limited my range of motion to only partial repetitions. The elbow still bothers me, so I am reluctant to complete full range of motion repetitions. Maybe I am being too cautious, but I do not want to re injure myself.

The Power of The Pensblog

My favorite Pittsburgh Penguins blog, The Pensblog, is known for it's creative photoshops. Another blogger recently "stole" some photoshops from The Pensblog. Not a smart move. The Pensblog and its readers basically flooded the photoshop thief with comments and the thief had no choice but to take down the stolen photoshops. Readers of The Pensblog are numerous, united in their love of the Pens, and united when it comes to a cause. Do not underestimate the power of bloggers, in particular, the Power of the Pensblog.

Myron Cope Passes Away at 79

Mryon Cope, writer, legendary broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the inventor of the Terrible Towel, and a pioneer in sports talk radio, died today at the age of 79. My prayers go out to the Cope family.

Pittsburgh Penguins Blogs

With the Pittsburgh Penguins having another great season and the blockbuster Marian Hossa trade, I thought I would list my favorite Pittsburgh Penguins Blogs. So here goes:

• Pittsburgh Penguins, The Official Web Site - No explanation needed here. Go here for the official schedule, stats, etc.
• THE PENSBLOG - This is a great website run by a group of die hard Pens fans. The guys here make liberal use of reader submitted Photoshop pics, which at times have made me fall off of my chair laughing. Warning, do not visit this blog if you are easily offended my male, testosterone driven humor.
• Faceoff-Factor - a little bit more cerebral than THE PENSBLOG.
• Pittsburgh Sports Insider - these guys usually have the latest breaking news. Not just the Penguins, but all Pittsburgh Sports teams.
• 105.9 the X - the official radio broadcast station for the Penguins games. You can listen to the games live on 105.9 FM, or listen live on the internet.

The Symphony Over Lunch?

I brought my vehicle to the Sears at Ross Park Mall to get my tires rotated. I was pleasantly surprised that the Three Rivers Symphonette was performing at the mall. The Symphonette is comprised of 35 students, aged 10-15, strings only. Classical music usually is not my thing, I am more of an alternative rock kind of guy. These kids were very good, their parents should be proud of their hard work and dedication. Hats off to the Ross Park Mall for bringing these kids in to perform.

Winter Driving Tips

The last two days have been an adventure driving to and from work. I feel fortunate that I do not have to drive on any of the Parkways to go to work. I live in Northern Allegheny County and drive up Route 8 to Butler. Even though I avoid the traffic jams of the Parkways, I have to deal with Penndot's less than desirable snow and ice removal on Route 8. You know immediately when you have crossed the Allegheny/Butler County line. I am not an expert on winter driving, but I wanted to share information on how to drive in the winter. Rather than me writing my personal observations, I used Google, and found what I believe to be, one website with very good overall winter driving tips. I could have provided links to several sites, but I found that AAA has a downloadable publication which seems to cover just about everything. It is called "How To Go On Ice And Snow". Please take the time to read it and be safe out there.