Pittverse Magazine - Winter 2015

Issue 4, Volume 1

Winter 2015

In this issue:

Animal Rescue League Phipps Conservatory Paint Monkey

Reflecting on a wonderful year...

Prepare to expand your experience!

Pittverse Magazine is a quarterly

Pittverse is produced by Youth

Adults

publication that proudly repre-

Advocate Programs ( YAP ) ,

founded Pittverse in 2013. It began

sents the introspection and crea-

a national non-profit agency

as a newsletter written by four of

tivity of adults on the autism

that comprises a multitude of

the adults in the YAP program.

spectrum. Its goal is to provide

services for families with not

This year, with generous funding

thoughtful opinion and enhanced

only individuals on the autism

from

knowledge of wide-ranging top-

spectrum but also other at-risk

Pittverse is growing from a news-

ics to the public while providing

youth

letter into a magazine that commis-

its writers, who are all adults on

Kluchurosky, the director of

sions up to twenty autistic adults.

the autism spectrum, with skills

YAP ’ s PA Allegheny County

Welcome to The Pittverse...

and

applicable to future employment.

adults.

Brian

with

Edith

Autism

Trees

Program,

Foundation,

Cover photo: “Holiday Lights—Time to Reflect” by .redchillies via flickr creative commons

Contents 3...Police Chief Kenneth Cole 5… Christmas Traditions 7...Hanukkah 8...Psychologist Dr. Thuppal 9...The Misnomer of One-Hit Wonders 10...The Real Truth of Human Potential with the Belief of True Love

20...Lark’s Bio 21...Phipps Conservatory 24...The Animal Rescue League 25...Bidwell Training Center 26...Pittsburgh’s Blockhouse 27...Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

28...Reading Books Can Help Children Socially 29...Moondrive: The Grand Journey

12...Paint Monkey

31...Fugitor: The Time Escapee

13...Table Talk

33...Science Fiction Spotlight: E.E. “Doc” Smith

14...Meals on Wheels 15...Making Miniatures with Max 16...Starting a Fitness Routine 17...The Smithsonian 18...Avengers Mansion 2000

34...Depression: The Dark Spectre 35...Joe Hill Was Probably on the Spectrum Too 36…Pittverse Top Tens

Letter from the editor This issue marks the completion of one volume and one entire year of the Pittverse Magazine!

We are all incredibly proud of what the Pittverse writers accomplished in 2015. They executed interviews with public figures from Pittsburgh to the UK; they crafted thought-provoking, compelling, and entertaining articles; and they met tight deadlines while juggling jobs, hobbies, and their personal lives.

Their hard work inspired the Pittsburgh community, the autism community, and beyond.

There’s proof too – from the beginning of 2015 to now, Pittverse’s team of writers nearly doubled, and the hard copies of our latest issues sold out as fast as they were printed.

There’s a lot to celebrate from 2015, but that doesn’t mean our job is done. We have quite a few resolutions for the new year, and we need everyone’s help to accomplish them.

In 2016, we want Pittverse to be in the hands of everyone in the city. The more people who are reading Pittverse, the better understanding they will have about autism. Besides, our writers put a lot of time into highlighting about the best of Pittsburgh and beyond, and we think everyone should be able to enjoy their work.

In 2016, we want public figures lining up to be interviewed by our writers. We are so thankful for everyone who participated in the magazine this year, and we want to keep it going. Our hope is to get Pittsburgh’s pro

Happy New Year!

sports players, CEOs, and celebrities all on board with Pittverse.

In 2016, we want each of our writers who want a paid job to have one. If local business owners are reading us, they know the skills that our writers can bring to the table. Beyond our own Pittverse community, we want to see everyone on the spectrum to have the opportunity for employment.

In 2016, we want autism awareness, and more importantly autism acceptance, to spread through Pittsburgh and beyond.

In today’s society where peoples’ differences are more and more celebrated instead of suppressed, we want autism to be just one more characteristic that makes a person who they are.

Enjoy our winter issue, and get ready for another year to come!

Renee Fisher, Pittverse Editor

Pittverse 2

Monroeville Police Chief Kenneth Cole Coping with Feelings On and Off the Job

by Kevin Hart

H

i, my name is Kevin Hart.

I'm writing about everyday feelings we have about things in life.

I interviewed Kenneth Cole at the Monroeville Police Department. I got a lot of insight and information. He's been a police chief for 30 years. His saying is, “See the glass half filled.” He does a lot of seminars around the country. He enjoys it when everyone helps him out. He enjoys to travel and go on vacation when he can.

Ken also enjoys to volunteer for organizations to help out people in need. He feels overwhelmed

when he does a lot at once and on his own. He agrees he needs to ask for help more often so it's not too overwhelming for him.

Ken talks in front of a lot of groups of people (ex. Homeland security, goes to schools to talk about what he does). When he gets questions he doesn't know, he says, “I'll look into it and get back to you.”

He usually doesn't get discriminated against. However, he did get picked on and teased when he was younger, like did when I was younger.

Ken enjoys to be with his family and spend time with them.

He would like to go on vacation with his family. His preference is to be with them whenever possible. He's thankful for them helping out and tries to do the same for them. Ken describes himself as a family person, a good helper, and someone with a positive attitude. He says the five feelings that describe his friends and family are: outgoing, positive, helpful, energetic, and respectful. At some points in his life he has felt sorrow, like when he’s lost a member of his team or a pet.

In general, he feels good inside.

He looks at the positives all the

time and it helps him out. It depends on the day how he feels that day.

When I'm upset, I try to take the perspective of other person if possible. Ex: when you and I get taken advantage of, corporate management violates employees’ rights. I'm angry when I get discriminated against at work and it continues and when I get threatened by others. When I’m satisfied and happy is when we work as a team and we all get along with each other. When I'm surprised is when the unexpected happens in general and something good happens to me. I'm sometimes confused about what others say or do to me. It might be because of my disability I have.

Instead of reacting when angry or upset I usually look and stare at who or what made me feel that way. I personally don't like it when others discriminate against me. I know they enjoy doing this to me. That's another reason why I look and stare at them. Other people make fun of because of the way I am but they don't realize it happens to them.

This is the third reason I look and stare at them. Most of the time, nobody takes my perspective of anything. It's a shame this happens to me most of the time.

Ken shared a lot of good ideas about how to keep a positive outlook even when things go wrong.

Pittverse 4

Christmas Traditions

by Sara Brooks

T

here are a lot of different Christmas traditions around the world. I’m writing about the traditions that my family keeps for every Christmas.

A lot of my family and familyfriends get together on this special day. These people include my Aunt Marie, Uncle Jim, and my cousins Leah, Seth, Ramie, Matt, David, Jovie, Vanessa, Rachel, Steve, Eliza, Devon, Luke, Angela, Danielle, Ajlijan, Rosalie, and Claire. I have a lot of cousins and come from a very big family. Other than my cousins, my Grandma, Aunt Chrissie and Uncle Joe also gather with us for this special day.

On Christmas we also have many traditions we do together.

We all gather together to watch Christmas movies, while decorating the tree with my sister Maggie, brother Ben and my father Curt for Christmas.

Before bed on Christmas Eve, Ben, Maggie, my dad and I put

Jesus out in the stable with the other decorations. We also put stockings by the fireplace and leave cookies, milk and carrots out for Santa and his reindeer.

Then we all go to bed early so Santa doesn’t skip our house.

When we wake up, we see that Santa ate all the cookies, milk and carrots. I always think to myself, “He must have been hungry!” That makes me happy to know he ate our food we left out for him. He leaves our house with a full belly every year!

Afterwards, we open our presents and look inside our stockings. We take turns opening gifts so that we can see what each of us got. Every year my dad video records us so that we have memories to watch in the future. It’s always nice to look back on memories. After opening the gifts that Santa brought, we all open and give each other presents from one another. After opening all the presents, we all sit down together and eat breakfast. We pray before we eat and

then enjoy our breakfast together.

Later in the day, we have Christmas dinner. Many people eat different things for Christmas. My family eats a lot of different things also. Some things we eat are crab and shrimp with cocktail sauce, steak with A1 steak sauce, pasta with meatballs, some type of vegetable, and then for dessert cookies and jello. The whole family gets together at the dinner table and we say a prayer before eating. After the prayer we all eat and talk about how each other have been. It’s nice to see everyone come together for the holidays. It makes me smile.

Christmas makes me very happy.

I like seeing everyone together on the holidays. Everyone always dresses up really nice. I also like Christmas because of all the lights. The lights make everything so pretty. Christmas is a very special day to me and my family. I hope our traditions never change.

Sara; her brother, Ben; and his girlfriend, Jamie

My Family’s Christmas

by Mike Perret

C

hristmas is the best time of the year. Christmas is important to my parents because it means “the birth of Jesus.” Near Christmas, my parents and I spend time with friends and extended family. My parents enjoy receiving gifts from my sister, Melissa, and me at Christmas time.

My parents and I love to listen to Christmas music on the radio on Christmas Day. My parents enjoy decorating their Christmas tree with the lights on. My parents enjoy having me spend Christmas Eve night with them.

On Christmas Day, my sister and I enjoy having a traditional Christmas dinner (ham, pineapple, bread, etc) with my mom and my dad. When my parents and I were kids, we enjoyed leaving cookies and milk for

Santa on Christmas Eve before we went to bed.

parents also enjoy singing their favorite Christmas carols.

I was excited to be the first one up and to wake everyone else up on Christmas morning. I’m also excited to open up my present on Christmas Day that came from Santa. When my parents were kids, they were excited to get toys from Santa as well.

When I was a kid, I enjoyed going to church with my family and my sister. My parents enjoyed going to church with my sister and me on Christmas Eve.

When Christmas morning came, my mom made me a very special Christmas breakfast of bacon, ham, and scrambled eggs. I was very happy and very thankful that my mom made me that special breakfast. After we all opened up our presents, we all got to open up our stockings to see what else Santa brought for us during Christmas morning.

My sister and I enjoy singing our favorite Christmas carols. My

via torange.us

Pittverse 6

Hanukkah

by Kyle Walter

H

anukkah is known as the Festival of Lights. The reason it is called the Festival of Lights is as follows. When the Jews escaped from Egypt, they lit a candle holder. The Jewish people only had enough oil to last one night. However, it miraculously lasted for eight whole nights. That is why Jewish people believe in the miracle of Hanukkah.

I was little, I would also watch The Rugrats Hanukkah special.

Every year I get the same gift for my mother, but she doesn't mind. I also pick out the same cards and mail them to my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Texas. I do

My favorite game to play is the dreidel. The dreidel is a four sided top used to play a type of gambling game. Yes, it is, and you don't have to be 21 to play.

This is how you play the dreidel game: The first step is get the dreidel. Then, the second step is to gather family and friends. The third is you put a coin in the middle. Then, the fourth step is to you spin it.

The fifth is to pass it to the next player. The sixth and final step is to keep playing until someone collects all the tokens.

The menorah is the candle holder and there are nine candles on the menorah. The middle one is called the helper candle. The food we eat are called latkes, which are a type of potato pancakes. They are really good with applesauce. You can spell the holiday two ways; they are Hanukkah or Chanukah.

I can only think of one Hanukkah movie, Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights. It’s about a man who hates Hanukkah and all the rest of the holidays because his parents died when he was nine. He grew up hating people celebrating Hanukkah and the rest of the holidays.

My favorite Hanukkah song is also in this movie, where he describes how there are no Hanukkah songs other than the dreidel, so Adam Sandler made a funny song that could be played with all of the Christmas songs. When

right. Some people might think that the menorah and the Kwanzaa candle holder are the same thing. They look similar, but the difference is that the Kwanzaa candles have special colors, and Hanukkah candles don’t.

via flickr

the same for my parents. I also mail Hanukkah cards to my grandparents in West Palm Beach in Florida. The best part about Hanukkah is spending time with my family, but the eight days of presents are also pretty nice.

Their are two kinds of menorahs, the candle version and the electric version. We light the Menorah left to right because Jews read Hebrew from left to

One of my favorite Hanukkah memories was after me and my mother got back from West Palm Beach. She put up the new ceramic menorah she bought in West Palm on the counter, and then she left for work. While I was home alone, I bumped it with my elbow and then it fell off the counter and broke. When I told her what happened, she then bought a Kyleproof menorah which was made out of metal. I had to pay my mother for it.

Psychiatrist Dr. Madhavan Thuppal

by Richard Campbell

I

first met Dr. Madhavan Thuppal in 2000 or late 1999 when I was in Man-Yough, and it was Dr. Chackvorty who introduced Dr. Thuppal to me. I found out Dr. Thuppal was a very good doctor. Dr. Thuppal has been an expert in autism for over 30 years.

He’s been a great help to me when I feel under pressure and uptight. I’m happy to be at Southwestern Outpatient with Dr. Thuppal, and he’s been an inspiration.

I talked to Dr. Thuppal about his background and his work for this issue.

Where are you from?

I am from a town in South India called Tirupati in the state of Andhra Pradesh. I was born and brought up in this city. I went to high school as well as medical school at Tirupati. I attended Kendriya Vidyalaya, Tirupati for my high school education and S.V. Medical College, S.V. University, Tirupati for my medical school. I graduated high school in the year 1971 and medical school in 1978. I got trained as a psychiatrist at Madurai Medical College, Madurai and at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. I also did a Masters in Educational Psychology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton in Canada.

What is your family like?

My father was an attorney. I came from a well-respected family in my town.

Where did you start working?

I started working with autistic disorder and intellectual disability in the year 1985 at the National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Secunderabad, India, a premier institute for persons with autism and developmental disabilities.

When did you learn about Dr. Minshew (the doctor who diagnosed me with autism)?

Dr. Nancy Minshew is a great researcher in the area of autism.

I never met her personally. I heard about her when I first came to Pittsburgh in the year 2000. I joined as the Medical Directory of John Merck Inpatient Program at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.

tantrums, and other behavior problems.

When do you plan to retire?

I do not know when I will retire. I think I will be working in this field as long as I am physically fit.

What is it like working with me?

I like interacting with you and your vocabulary and I am fascinated with your memory and details to events. You stay calm all the way through the waiting area, you do not lose your patience, and you are very verbal and make everyone comfortable.

Do you get satisfaction from your job?

I get a lot of satisfaction as a psychiatrist working with autistic disorder as I am able to help and counsel a number of patients. I also help with medication management of persons with Autistic Disorder.

What is the best part of your job?

The best thing is when I see patients at follow up appointments with improvement of their symptoms especially anxiety, temper Pittverse 8

The Misnomer of One-Hit Wonders

by David O’Rorey

U

sually a “one-hit wonder” means a particular artist who will only have one big hit song in a particular country. That doesn't mean that they don't have other hits in other countries.

An example of one one-hit wonder would be the 70s classic "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas. Being labeled a one-hit wonder also doesn't mean they weren't successful overall.

but they weren't in the Top 40.

They also had big Top 10 hits in other countries such as France, Yugoslavia, Australia, and England.

Gary Numan is also considered a USA one-hit wonder for his big worldwide hit "Cars," but in England and Ireland he had a ton of Top 10 and 20 hits.

This label is one of my biggest pet peeves because a lot of these artists have other good songs. I refuse to believe in the term onehit wonder. When I do my research and check into their other material, I often find they have hits in other countries.

There is a website called listverse.com that has a Top 10 List of popular bands who only had one Top 40 hit. On that list are artists such as Jimmy Hendrix, one of the greatest guitar players of all time. He only had one Top 40 hit in the USA, but he isn't considered a one-hit wonder, and I don't understand why.

One of the biggest examples for me is Devo's "Whip It" in the USA. Devo had other U.S. hits,

Also The Grateful Dead is another good example, not to mention the band Rush. Also, one of the

biggest one-hit wonders of the 80s in the USA, besides Devo and Gary Numan, is A Flock of Seagulls (AFOS), one of my favorite 80s bands. They are called a one-hit wonder for their one Top 10 Hit Smash "I Ran (So Far Away)." They had a bunch of other Top 40 U.S. hits and some just outside the top 40.

In England they are also considered a one-hit wonder for their 1983 #10 hit "Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)." This band had other Top 40 and higher hits in the UK during the 80s.

via Wikipedia Commons

The Real Truth of the Human Potential with the Belief of True Love

by Nature F.F. Aura

T

here are five elements of a pure soul that is in every human being, Belief - hope - faith - destiny and the always pure belief of love. True Love. These things are what binds us into humanity of this beautiful Mother Earth.

It shows us that we are created to make the decision that no one else can make. That is what we are truly afraid of now because there are people that call themselves the authority, saying that we are not these things, that we are not in charge of what we can do in our own lives.

They say that we don't know what we want in our lives.

You know what I say to that.

I say it's a huge load of crap.

We should never be afraid of who we are. They have no right to tell us when to rise or fall or when to eat or what to believe. They say that they have the authority over our lives, stating that without them we are nothing. Well I do not believe that.

the most ignorant thing in the world. I do not know what is.

But let me tell u what that hard work did for us.

You know what, I'll let those 100 year old buildings that still stand out there in the city do the talking for that fact for those buildings can speak for them-

But if you do not then you are a disgrace to this earth. And I pity you for not doing so. I've got to tell you that if we do this hard work and start believing again then we will have something to live for again that we can work as hard and together and be as strong as the people like in the days of old. And if we do this we can have a future we can survive with these five elements that are in us.

And I'll tell you that we can do anything we put our minds to. All it takes is to get off your butt and do the same hard work that they did in the days of old. Now who's with me. Who is ready to believe in themselves. Who is ready to work hard to make the world a better place. Who is ready to say yes I can. Are you with me, are you with me? Let’s do it. I say you can do it.

P.S. God bless the world and all living things who inhabit it. No more lies war via Wikipedia Commons or violence. We need freeThe Byrnes & Kiefer Building on Penn Ave, dom to choose for our built in 1892.

Back in the day when we didselves. We need to start to selves. You know what I hear n't have computers, we worked believe in ourselves again, so from those beautiful pieces that with our two hands and we built let's do it no if ands or butts still stand. I survived because of a culture better and stronger than about it. Like the Nike commerthe hands of the good men and what is standing before us now. cial says just do it and I say we women who showed dedication And guess what this authority can. Peace and love forever and to me. In their memory I'll stay did to those hard working people rock on forever man for all we here still standing to remind othback then. They laid them off. need is love. ers to start believing and do this They said thanks now get out of hard work again.

I love you all! here. Wow. Now if that is not Pittverse 10

Paint Monkey

by Delaine Swearman

W

alking past 4020 Butler Street in Lawrenceville, I couldn’t help but be attracted to the display of various colorful paintings and the prominent “paint monkey" holding a brush and palette on the left side window. To the right of the entrance, the large window sign says, “Paint Monkey” and “Create Your Own Masterpiece.” As I looked in the window, I saw long tables covered in paper and even more paintings lining the walls. I could imagine the empty art studio filled with students and the excitement of the window view beckoned me to come back and find out what happens inside.

I soon returned to meet with the owners, Joe Groom and Mary Lou Bradley, and learned much more about Paint Monkey, a BYOB painting studio that hosts painting classes and parties. At

Paint Monkey, the classes are booked online and cost between $35 and $45. Everyone comes at the same time for the scheduled class and is provided with a presketched canvas and all the painting supplies they will need. People are welcome to bring their own snacks, wine, and beer. Paint Monkey provides water and a bottle opener. Then they are instructed during a two or three hour class. At the end of the session, everyone takes home their finished painting.

Paint Monkey started in December 2011, when artist Joe Groom and native Pittsburgher Mary Lou Bradley opened an art studio, just down the street in an old ice house at 100 43rd Street. They introduced Pittsburgh to the idea of a nonpainter successfully creating a work of art during a one-time group painting class. They called their operation "Paint Monkey"

and for the first two years they worked on a shoestring budget. In 2013, they were finally able to hire another artist, and now they have three full time artists, as well as additional freelance employees. They've expanded beyond the original ice house location to their second location in Lawrenceville as well as a studio in Cranberry. They also hint at the possibility of expanding into the South Hills.

What makes Paint Monkey unique from all its competitors is that the paintings are presketched by one of the artists before class.

Other BYOB painting studios give you a blank canvas. When I asked how long it takes to pre-sketch all the images, Joe estimated that the artists spend between 5 to 30 minutes per canvas, depending on the complexity of the drawing. And considering that the average class size is 35 and 40

people, and they have between 7 and 15 classes or events per week, that is a whole lot of time spent sketching before class even starts! But Joe says, "It's worth it. It takes away anxiety and that creates a better product, and a better product will have someone coming back."

Actually, Joe says that the best painters are little girls between the ages of 8 and 12 and anyone over age 80, because they aren't anxious about painting. And that makes sense. With less anxiety, it is easier to just go with the flow and have a lot of fun and get really creative.

Children aren't the usual clients, however. The average age of their students is between 25 and 45 years old, and it’s required to be at least 15 years old to take an evening class. But for private events, like children's birthday parties of course, there are no

specific age requirements.

I was curious how the paintings were chosen for the sessions and Joe and Mary told me that they now have a collection of over 100 different paintings. They rotate the more popular ones every four to six weeks and then add in the seasonal paintings. They are always doing new paintings, though. They are open to suggestions and admit that they rarely say no to ideas.

In addition to studio classes, Paint Monkey offers private events, with a recent trend in bachelorette parties and corporate team building.

They've even led painting classes at PNC Park in conjunction with Pittsburgh Pirates games. Their largest event ever was at Rivers Casino in which 235 people participated.

Mary Lou have had over 8,000 people come through their studios. They’ve hosted all kinds of groups within their regular classes and have heard just about everything. On one occasion, they had a wedding proposal within their class, with the future husband switching out his girlfriend’s painting with one that said “Will you marry me?” when she stepped out of the room. Another person came back repeatedly to paint pictures of several identical dogs. Joe and Mary Lou even had the privilege of teaching a 97-yearold who had never previously painted.

Paint Monkey is clearly an exciting place. The stories on the inside are even better than the views from the outside. Book a class at beapaintmonkey.com and see for yourself!

Over the past four years, Joe and Pittverse 12

Table Talk

by Russell Beatrous

T

abletop role-playing games are a pastime that has been around in its current form since the mid-19th century, with roots that stretch back to a “simulated warfare” program developed in 1811 by the Prussian military as a means of bloodlessly training young officers in their duties.

Explaining the driving concept behind them is simple: take an RPG like Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate, or Jade Empire, and then give the job of describing your surroundings, determining whether you (or your enemies) actions succeed or fail, and figuring out what happens as a result of those actions to a chosen referee (often called a GM or Game Master), some rulebooks, and a handful of dice.

Like many hobbies, a great deal of interesting ideas and events can be found in the phenomenon of tabletop gaming, from the ways that a game system's rules can subtly flavor and shape its players' experiences to stories of gaming sessions past. However, you may have noticed that it doesn't have any direct bearing on this magazine's mission statement. To see the connection, I'll have to briefly dive into my personal experiences.

Speaking from my own experiences as a person on the autistic spectrum, perhaps the greatest challenge people like myself can encounter as part of our personal development is learning how to

interact with other people. Communication is much more than just “how to talk to others” when you don't have any instinctual grasp of how to do it. How you stand, how you sit, what you do with your hands, eyes, and feet: a hundred tiny details that have to be picked through, not just to figure out how to manage them correctly, but to determine whether they even matter at all.

This causes any social contact to provoke a sense of imminent failure, an unshakable fear that you're about to (or already have) done something terribly wrong and offended those you are trying to befriend. Every gesture, every word, every momentary pause becomes a source of anxiety – anxiety which only makes it harder to avoid making a mistake.

In a normal social group, this uncertainty is exacerbated by the lack of a clear foundation.

There's no obvious uniting thread to guide conversation beyond “everyone here is willing to interact”. Anything and everything (within the limits of decorum) is available to be talked about, and that lack of limitation breeds hesitation and indecision.

When presented with a plethora of options to choose from, the human mind finds it difficult to sort through and decide on just one.

Tabletop gaming groups, on the other hand, already have a central conceptual pillar to guide

their conversations: the game they've come together to play.

The rules, the setting, the characters each member is playing, and the group's prior exploits all organically present themselves as things to talk about, providing a more limited – and thus digestible – spread of topics to discuss.

Participating in a game also offers certain options that aren't commonly available in more standard social situations. The first, and in some ways the most liberating, is the option to just play the game. In my own experience, it's perfectly alright if one of the other players chooses to simply focus on how to handle the goings-on of the game itself instead of trying to actively engage with the other people playing it (i.e., only talking to point out a possible plan of action, ask a game-related question, or describe what their character tries to do). If you don't make small talk between rolls, nobody's going to force you to.

The other option is to play your character – instead of focusing on the numbers (“My character is a 3rd-level dwarf rogue; I maxed out his trap making and stealth skills so he'll be good at setting up ambushes”), you focus on acting the part (“My character is Urist the Sly, a dwarven engineer who lost his family when goblins took over his clan's ancestral hall; desperate for revenge, he's agreed to help the other characters with their misContinued on page 32

St. Mark's Meals on Wheels

by M.J. Devine

F

or the past 12 years I have been attending church services at Saint Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church. It means a lot to me and my family and it's a big part of our Sunday routine. Saint Mark's is located in Brookline within the city of Pittsburgh. My church provides a number of activities which serve the greater community. One service that is very important to me is Meals on Wheels. It's a delivery service which prepares food for the elderly and handicap; I have been helping meals on wheels since I was in 7th grade. Recently, I have interviewed one of my church members Carol Ingold who is the coordinator of Meals On Wheels at Saint Mark's:

meals Monday through Friday to the elderly and handicap in our community.

Carol: Usually it's 14 people everyday for the kitchen, drivers, and packaging meals.

MJ: What community or neighborhood does St. Mark's serve?

MJ: How long has meals on wheels served the community at St. Mark's?

Carol: We serve Brookline, parts of Overbrook. We also have a couple of people in Beechview, one in Dormont, and one in Baldwin Twp. MJ: What do you like the most about meals on wheels?

Carol:I like interacting with the volunteers and the satisfaction of knowing the people we serve get a nutritious meal daily.

MJ: What Dietary food do you prepare for people who suffer from specific health concern?

MJ: Describe the process of Meals on Wheels and what does it involve?

Carol: We offer diabetic and low sodium options along with the regular diet.

Carol: Meals on wheels is a program that prepares and delivers two

MJ: How many volunteers do you get for meals on wheels?

Carol: We have served here at St. Mark's for 53 years starting on September 11, 1972.

Volunteering at my church is very important to me. Here at Saint Mark's we hope to make sure Meals on Wheels is always available to the public. If you know someone who would benefit from this service and lives within the Brookline Community please contact Saint Mark's: 412-343-8144

Pittverse 14

Making Miniatures with Max

by Max Chaney

I

n this article I will show you how to make 1:160th scale houses out of affordable recycled materials. This project is something that is jolly and fun.

I will be showing you how to build a model workshop—not just any workshop— but Santa’s workshop. I will be showing you how to build it in “n” scale.

For this project you will need: A

hot glue gun and glue sticks Strong corrugated cardboard Brown, holiday red, holiday green, gold, and white acrylic paint (I recommend this because it’s non-toxic) Model trees Decorations (optional) Step One: Cut three pieces 1”x2” wide and long of the corrugated cardboard. These three pieces will support the structure and will be used for the walls and floor. When you have cut the pieces to specification, use the hot glue gun and glue them together as seen in the top photo.

Step Two: Cut three pieces 1”x1” out of the corrugated cardboard. These pieces will be used for the walls and part of the roof.

Using two pieces, glue one to each side.

Step Three: Trim the edges so they are level.

Step Four: Cut two 1”x1/2” triangles out of the corrugated

cardboard. Glue them as pictured in the third photo down.

Step Five: Glue the last 1”x1: cardboard piece to the roof.

Step Six: For the last step in construction, cut out two 1”x 1/2” rectangles and glue them to make a pointed roof.

Step Seven: To make a hillside for the model, you can cut out two pieces of cardboard sloping down. I used two pieces that were 2”x5”. You will want to cut them together so they match.

Step Eight: Take a third piece of cardboard (also 2”x5”) to connect the two sloping pieces. You can then put the model on the hillside you have made. You will need toothpicks as support beams for the building. Glue these in place. When you are done, it will look something like the final photo.

Now you can paint Santa’s Workshop. I would recommend it! Be creative and have fun creating a North Pole winter scene!

To paint the windows, I would recommend using a toothpick to make the fine lines. You can decorate the trees using small beads. Glue the beads to the tree using the glue gun. Gold pipe cleaners, wrapped around the tree, will look like garland. Use your imagination for a decoration to represent the Christmas star. The picture shows how I made it look. This would make a great Christmas gift.

Starting a Fitness Routine

by Dmitry Harmon

A

s we know, fitness is an important choice and a lifestyle.

One accomplishes this by doing activities such as being a member at a public gym or working out from home. If you choose a public gym there are many to choose from: Planet Fitness, LA Fitness, Golds Gym, Anytime Fitness, and then there is Crunch, which so happens to be my favorite gym to go to. I chose Crunch because it is close to where I live, the environment is welcoming, the staff and other members are nice, the machines are up to date and maintained regularly, and the gym has a ton of windows so you don't feel like you’re caved inside.

the gym when you have already set a rest day, because you need to let your muscles heal. Also you do not want to change the days when you work on certain parts of the body because you don't want to accidently overwork or hurt your muscles. Most importantly, prior and following exercise, monitor the kind of food you eat and liquids you drink. Such foods include going to McDonalds or any other fast food joints. That defeats the purpose of working out and you will destroy the workout you just did.

However, if monitored correctly, Chipotle is a great post workout meal. But I will get into post workout routines later.

When starting out at a gym, the first thing you need to do is know what your goals are both short term and long term. Then figure out where you currently stand in a linear and realistic timetable to achieve your goals.

Two years ago I knew when walking into the first gym I chose I wanted to lift heavy as an ending goal. From there I had to establish guidelines I would follow to eventually reach that goal.

In order to accomplish my goals, I set smaller goals that were easier to accomplish.

I know that I have to be consistent when going to the gym.

Consistency to me is setting up a gym schedule that one can follow regularly. When one tries to make a set schedule you should avoid a few things. Don’t go to

When working out, one should also think about the steps in order to have a good workout and enjoy themselves during the process. Not all exercise routines are boring, and a gym is not supposed to be looked upon as a type of boot camp. Enjoy your journey and its process. The first step I do when starting some-

thing new or different is figuring out how many sets of a particular exercise I want/need to do to gain ground.

A set is a specific amount of reps of a particular exercise and a rep is doing the exercise one time. So if I were to say I am going to do four sets of twelve reps of one particular exercise I would do a total of 48 reps.

Finally, after you have finished a solid workout, there are things you should do following the workout. The first thing you want to do is drink some type of protein shake that is really high in protein. They make numerous flavors nowadays. Also avoid things like Monster energy drinks or Red Bull, due to fatigue or exhaustion. In addition, within an hour after finishing your workout, you should eat something that has lean protein in it like chicken or fish. As stated before, this does not mean a trip to Wendy’s or McDonalds.

In fact, you should stay away from restaurants in general with the exception of some.

With that being said after I complete a workout session I usually feel really good about myself and accomplished. There are times where I feel tired but that comes with workouts, and your body will get used to it over a period of time. I know I have made a healthier lifestyle and that helps me have a positive perspective throughout my day. Health is important in my life.

Pittverse 16

The Smithsonian: Preserving America’s Past Interview with Veteran Volunteer Anita S. Kurland

by Michael Kurland

W

hen did working Smithsonian?

you start with the

Thirty-eight years ago in 1977.

What attracted you to preserving America’s past?

I was looking for a position to fill up my time, and the Smithsonian was a great institution.

What’s your exact job position, and what are your responsibilities?

A volunteer at the visitor’s center. People tend to depend on you.

What are your favorite branches of the Smithsonian?

American History and Air and Space.

What sorts of artifacts do you recommend for our readers?

U.S. flag from the War of 1812.

What kinds of visitors do these museums usually get?

First time visitors from far away.

Ruby slippers from The Wizard of Ox (1939).

Who was the most interesting person you met?

The original Muppets from Same and Friends (1955-1961).

Phyllis Diller (1917—2012).

The 11 foot filming model of the Starship Enterprise (1966).

Has technology changed visitors’ experiences? In what ways?

Space Shuttle Discovery (1984).

Reflection of the times.

Kermit the Frog, past and present.

What is the most popular artifact in the collection?

What artifacts do you find interesting yourself?

The Ft. McHenry U.S. Flag which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words to our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” in 1814.

Enola Gay bomber (1945).

Spirit of St. Louis (1927).

via Wikipedia Commons

Avengers Mansion 2000

by Michelle Middlemiss Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. I do not get paid for my story. The character Lark is my own creation.

L

ark sighed as she threw a basketball through the hoop. She was bored, something that now happened very easily. She had been really sick with the Legacy Virus. Tony Stark, who was Lark’s adopted father, had told most people that Lark had cancer and that’s why the medicine she was now taking was so strong.

Not many friends were coming over, even those who didn’t know that she had the Legacy Virus. Lark blamed Cassie Long for trying to do everything she could to make Lark’s life hell.

Even though you would think they could have bonded over both having life threatening heart problems.

Of course Lark could beat up Cassie if need be. Unfortunately this illness had made her terribly weak; right now just bouncing a ball took so much out of her. Her left eye was starting to fail her and that was the hardest part of it all. She wanted to have some control of her body even if her powers were going insane.

Even with all the visits the tenyear-old had gotten from her Uncle Nick Fury and Cable, it

seemed like a very long uphill battle. One that at times Lark had thought was a losing battle.

What she really wanted was to have a friend who wasn’t afraid of her illness or awestruck that she lived with the Avengers.

“Hi, I didn’t think the Avengers gave tours when they’re away,” the boy asked, looking at Lark.

Lark almost wished that she was back in her home dimension.

She threw the basketball again but this time felt someone else’s mind. As Lark walked over to the fence she saw a ten-year-old boy on the bench right outside.

She didn’t need her powers to see that the boy had been crying.

There was also a black and blue mark around his left eye. Lark could tell that it was puffy; after all she had seen many of them in her ten years. Mostly there were the black eyes she gave Cassie and her friends who made fun of Lark’s friends; the few that she still had.

The boy’s eyes got very big and he wiped them off. “You really can invite people in?”

Because she knew how it felt to be alone Lark felt drawn to go over and talk to the boy. He looked like Wanda’s son who Kang had taken for safety reasons. Lark knew that Kang had put the boys in two different families, so maybe it was just wishful thinking that he could be one of the twins. Lark coughed and the boy looked up although she hadn’t been ready to draw attention to herself.

“They don’t; I live here. Iron Man has custody of me. Do you want to go in and play? It will help you feel better.”

Yeah, when the Avengers are away Jarvis runs this place. He’ll make sure you don’t take anything. Anyways I’m bored.

You’ll just have to promise that you don’t give up their identity.”

The boy was awed when he came into the famous mansion.

After pulling the two kids in Jarvis saw that Lark was getting tired. He led them into a huge family room that had a Playstation hooked up to a tv, with DVD’s on the other wall.

The couch was big enough for five people and was red and brown in color. There was also a leather chair that had the words “Cap’s Chair” written on it.

Lark felt the boy’s excitement and laughed a little at this. Jarvis smiled at Lark when he heard her laugh.

“What’s your name, young master? I haven’t heard Lark laugh like that in years. Or be as happy as she was today,” Jarvis asked Pittverse 18

the boy. Growing up with people talking around her, Lark didn’t protest at being overlooked.

“My name is Billy Kaplan, why did you call me mister?”

“Because he’s the butler and they always say things like that,” said Lark. “Want to play a video game or watch a movie?”

“A movie is fine.”

“Good, young Billy. If you give me your phone number I’ll call your parents then take you home once the others get back.”

Jarvis put on “Star Wars, Episode One” and left the room. He was glad that Lark had some-

Lark (original drawing)

thing to do for the rest of the night. And someone to talk to who weren’t her two five year old brothers over the phone.

Lark was known to get in trouble when boredom overcame her.

For instance, just last year, a week after Nick Fury brought Lark home…

Lark’s Bio Lark Strange: Character created by Michelle Middlemiss Name: Lark Strange Age: 15 Height: 5’01” Code Name: Triggerlet Pet Name: Trouble (Given to her by Tony Stark) Place of Birth: New York City in House of M after the Warp back to the real world; presumed to have been born in the Dark Dimension of the city.

Known Relatives Father: Dr. Strange Mother: Clea Siblings: 4 total. Twin brother Levi and twin sister Lavi. Younger brothers Vincent and Victor.

Grandmothers: Umar on mother’s side (alive). Beverly on father’s side (dead).

Grandfathers: Ori on mother’s side (alive). Eugene on father’s side (dead).

Step-grandfather: Baron Mordo (was dead, now alive).

Uncle: Victor Strange (dead).

Grand Uncle: Dormammu (alive, but de-powered).

Aunt: Donna (dead).

Step Aunt: Astrid Mordo (Lark doesn’t know her).

Affiliations Occupation: Spy Education: 9th grade and a lot of magic training in the Dark Dimension.

Affiliations to Groups: Defenders, New Avengers, Young Avengers, Secret Avengers.

Identity: Known to authorities and well known in the Dark Dimension.

Personal Information Personality: Lark is normally pretty bottled up and doesn’t talk about what she’s feeling. This is partly due to her Faltine heritage from her mother’s side who never encouraged strong emotions. She also saw what happened to Wanda when she couldn’t control her powers and this made Lark emotionless in order to not cause such destruction around those she loves.

Origins of Power: Lark is part Faltine and human. Like all Faltines she was born into magic. But like her Grandmother she is also mutated from others of her kind. Instead of being born of fire she was born of electricity. This is because of her human side, and the human’s brain’s connection to it.

Mutant Powers: Telepathic/empathic powers. She can read minds and feelings and send mental messages, like most of her kind. Unlike other Faltines, she can’t control other people’s minds. The constant “noise” from those two powers keep her from focusing on her other abilities. She can overload the circuitry or wiring of electrical devices, causing them to explode. This is why Iron Man put a chip in her head. Her mental powers also form a barrier in her subconscious that prohibits her from affecting the electrical current in other living things. Thus, she can affect non-living electrical currents, but doesn’t have the ability to affect other people with electricity.

Weakness: She has only limited control of her powers.

Term to define: Legacy Virus: A virus made to kill all mutants. Lark was lucky because Faltines are a race of energy beings so the x-gene is not of the Earth mutant kind. Even though, the virus destroyed most of her human side and kept her left eye from growing back. Because it had no cure up until the year 2002 it caused problems that Lark will never recover from. Mutants that were affected by this virus were locked away. To keep Lark from that fate, Tony Stark paid off the doctor to say that Lark had cancer. Very few people knew the truth of Lark’s illness. Every time Lark got close to death her Faltine side would kick in and heal her to a point. But Lark still has the brain damage from the frequent fevers, scarring in her lungs and she’s blind in her left eye from the fevers and has overall weakness.

Pittverse 20

Phipps Conservatory

by Joe Williams

P

hipps Conservatory is an ever changing landscape built on sustainability. It gets its name from Henry Phipps who donated the conservatory to the city of Pittsburgh over 120 years ago.

Their mission is to show how beautiful nature can be and how important it is to get people out in the community thinking about nature. The Conservatory has many different buildings, and they all serve a different purpose.

Each one of them is just as interesting as the last, and they are all important to the mission of the conservatory, to showcase and protect the beauty and importance of all plants and creating an inner connection between people and nature.

This winter, I talked to Dr. Emily Kalnicky, Phipps’ director of science education, to learn more about the conservatory.

What is the goal of Phipps Conservatory?

For that I always like to refer-

ence our mission of Phipps Conservatory and of botanical gardens to educate our visitors with the beauty and importance of plants. We also like to work on advancing sustainability through action and research in celebrating our historic glass house. We really like to establish an inner connection with nature, people, plants, health, planet, and beauty.

The idea behind buildings at Phipps connects back to sustainability of the environment.

What does Phipps do to help the environment?

Phipps has been open for over 120 years and has excelled in not only showcasing the beauties in all plants but is also there to protect and display the plants for the general public. They also like to demonstrate the inner connectedness between humans and environmental health. They serve as a model and a showcase for other community members for what sustainability looks like and how that can be really beautiful and healthy for us and the environ-

ment as well.

What can people do in their everyday routine to help the environment?

There's a lot of things a person can do. You can volunteer at an organization, turn off your lights at home, turning off the faucet when you're brushing your teeth, using public transit, car pulling, spending time in nature because when you spend time in nature you are more likely to form a strong connection to the environment and just by having that sense of a connection to a space you are more likely to think about things you can do to protect it and volunteer at an organization and recycling. Going to a local farm and purchasing local food is also a good way to help the environment.

How was Phipps Conservatory formed, and what's the history behind it?

We are called Phipps Conservatory because Henry Phipps who was a philanthropist gifted the

conservatory to the city of Pittsburgh in 1893. They didn't become privatized and turned into a nonprofit organization until 1990. Some of the original plants come from the worlds Colombian expedition in Chicago in 1893, and Henry Phipps continued to serve as our benefactor until his death in 1930, when he was 91.

I saw you have a lot of activities on your website. How important is the community to everything you do?

We have a very talented crew of staff that are doing a lot of different activities everyday so we have a lot going on and that showcases that we are one hundred percent connected with the community. Everything we do with the community as a cultural organization is an opportunity for the community to engage with us. They can come here but we are also going out with the community. There are a couple programs in particular that get out in the community.

Our homegrown program has raised garden beds in the backyards and front yards of community members so they have access to fresh produce, they do hands on classes, they talk about

cooking, and this past year alone they have created 64 garden beds during the summer. Another program they do is Let's Move Pittsburgh which is a collaborative of organizations all focused on human health and building off of Michelle Obama's idea of getting kids moving and trying to reduce diabetes and obesity by reducing unhealthy foods, increasing activity time and getting off of technology which we are all so connected to. We have public programs here every weekend, we have a lot of group activities going on daily so pretty much everything we do is impacted and affected and interconnected with our relationship to the community. We feel a strong tie and connection with everything we do.

How many different kinds of plants does the conservatory have, and which are your most popular?

We actually get that question a lot and we actually don't have a specific number of plants there are because we change. We actually have seasonal flower shows. The number we can say is we have thousands of plants species including bonsai, desert plants, ferns, fruits, native trees,

and flowers, orchids and palms but it changes because each season changes. For our fall show for instance there's a lot of chrysanthemums which is one type of plant. The winter show has a lot of poinsettias but there's a lot of other plants mixed in as well so it changes show by show but there are thousands across the conservatory and as far as some of the permanent collections are the orchids, ferns, palms, and cacti.

Part of our mission is to preserve and introduce people to the beauty of plants so we capture that by having lots of different specimens.

Is there anything special you want me to put in the article to help spread the word about Phipps and what they do to the rest of Pittsburgh?

Something that would be nice to touch on is the long history, so some of the things that came up in the other questions. We feel a really strong connection to the city of Pittsburgh and the people in Pittsburgh and everything that we do is to showcase and try to protect the environment and the people in the reContinued on page 32

Pittverse 22

The Animal Rescue League

by Mark Sulkin

I

spoke to Janice Barnard, the director of programs at the Animal Rescue League. She told me a lot of things they do at the Animal Rescue League.

I asked Janice how long she's been working at the Animal Rescue League. Janice has been working there for eight and a half years. I also asked her why she wanted to be an animal rescuer. She wanted to be a veterinarian. She took Calculus, but she realized that wouldn't happen. She looked for other opportunities to work with animals and volunteered at an animal shelter.

Then, she worked at a different animal shelter and she really liked the way they operated.

That's how she ended up the Animal Rescue League.

Then, I asked her what the staff and the league do. Some of the staff sweep, and other staff clean the cages and the animals.

There's marketing involved, and people have to organize events.

They also have to get people to come to the shelter. The staff has to clean the animals and walk them.

One animal they have is a tarantula, a type of spider. They also take care of horses. There's a vet tech staff and they have to know how to do all the medical side of the Animal Rescue League. The adoption staff needs to know how to speak to people. There's the administration staff, and they have to do all the other stuff like asking other foundations for money and filing lots of reports

and tracking statistics.

I also asked Janice what the best animal to work with is. She told me that it could be any animal she works with at any given time. But one of her favorites is probably pigs. They’re very, very smart, and they’re probably smarter than dogs. Sometime it’s hard if you’re working with animals that are very smart, or if you’re not smarter than they are, it can be really challenging. On the other hand, if you’re not challenging them, they can get into trouble.

The next question I asked was the most difficult animal to work with. Janice told me it would be one that’s really scared. Whether it’s a dog, cat, or a pig, if it’s really scared, it wants you to go away. What happens with a lot of the staff and a lot of volunteers in the shelter is when they see a scared animal they want to help it. If you’re scared of something, what do you want the thing you’re scared of to do?

You’d want it to go away. So, when you’re dealing with animals that are scared, sometimes they can get aggressive. That’s when it becomes difficult because you can get hurt.

In particular, cats sometimes can be difficult because they don’t like change and they don’t like being in places like shelters where there’s a lot of stuff going on.

I also asked what kind of food they feed the animals. Janice said it depends on what they have. Generally speaking, they

feed them Purina One, dog chow, and cat food and then depending on what else they need to eat. If they have turtles, they give them turtle food. If they have snakes, they feed them mice. If they have mice, they feed them pellets. It just depends on what they have. The pig they have eats plantain chips.

A plantain is like a banana only it tastes like zucchini.

Then, I asked Janice what the animals do all day. She said it depends on what animals you’re talking about, but generally speaking, first thing in the morning, they get fed. The staff comes in between 6:30 and 7:00 in the morning to feed all the animals. They do their deep cleaning first thing in the morning.

They do all of that before they open to the public at 11:00. All the dogs get walked during that time. From 11:00 to 12:00, Monday through Friday, the dogs have naptime. They turn off the lights so they can fall asleep easier.

Once the adoption is opened, a lot of people start coming in. At the end of the day, they feed the animals again at 4:00 and dogs go out for walks in the evening.

At the end of the day, the last animal care staff person leaves about 11:00. And then from 11:00 to 7:00, the animals fall asleep.

The cats throughout the day have

volunteers that come in and take care of them.

After that, I asked Janice what happens if an animal gets sick.

She said, they have a system in place where you put in a vet check to let the veterinarian know to check on the animal.

Then, they’ll examine the animal to see what’s wrong. Then, they’ll determine what they need to do. The most common thing that happens is that they’ll get a cold. Then, they put the animals on antibiotics for about ten days. After they give the animals their antibiotics, they check to see if anything else needs to be done.

mals get adopted each year. In 2007, they hit 5,000 adoptions.

They’ve been increasing adoption numbers since then. They average between 5,000 and 6,000 each year.

Then, I asked if they’ve ever gotten in a big mess with one of the animals. Janice has been in a lot of big messes. About a year ago, she had a dog called a Vizsla. His name was Rusty and he was adopted. But he was

Then, I asked if the animals ever get exercise of special training. Janice said yes. She told me that three times a week they have a shelter dog only obedience class for an hour. Every day, twice a day, they have volunteers come in to walk the dogs, and they also have a group of volunteers that comes in and does shelter enrichment. And they do different things with the dogs so they have something to do with their mind while they’re in their care.

I asked if the Animal Rescue League has any special events throughout the year. Janice says they have lots of special events.

They have events almost every weekend. They have street fairs, they go to celebrations where they go to the Galleria and also at Pittsburgh Mills almost every day between now and Christmas.

They do giftwrapping for people to help raise money for the animals.

I also asked her how many ani-

in one of the rooms and they asked Janice to go in and take a look at him to see what she thought of him. She looked in the window and he was lying on the floor sleeping and she thought it was a cute dog. She went in and he was just almost 90 pounds of insane. He was an undisciplined dog jumping all over the place. Janice had a hard time getting out of the room because Rusty was jumping all over her with messy

paws. She had to throw food across the room to get back out.

Now, Rusty is living in Buffalo, New York with kids and having a grand old time.

I asked Janice what kind of animal she’d like to be and why.

Janice said she would be a bat because she loves bats. She thinks bats are neat. She started liking bats when she was a little girl. She doesn’t like mosquitoes, but when she found that bats like to eat them, she thought they were cute.

She said they do a lot of good things. Some people think they’re bad, but Janice said they’re not.

My last question was why people should adopt from the shelter. Janice said it’s a great place to get a dog unless you’re looking for a specific breed type of animal they don’t have. Most of the dogs they get are what you see is what you get.

Their behavior is sound. They’ve already been spayed or neutered.

They have their vaccination. They have a microchip. They’re in reasonably good health.

And they’ve been reasonably well cared for. And it’s good place to get a dog.

I’ve learned so much about what the staff do at the Animal Rescue League. If anyone wants to adopt a pet, they should go there. You can adopt a dog, a cat, or any animal they have.

The Animal Rescue League is a fun place to visit.

Pittverse 24

Bidwell Training Center: A Great Way to Educate

by Bryan Lippert

B

idwell is a career training center in Pittsburgh and is a great way to educate yourself for the future. It costs nothing, and it’s worth checking out.

The staff and teachers at Bidwell are very caring and helpful. I interviewed Bridgett Kennedy who is one of the supervisors at Bidwell. To apply to Bidwell, you need a high school diploma and must be a resident of PA.

chemical medical assistant, medical claims processor, medical coder, and pharmacist technician.

What makes Bidwell different than other schools?

All students get a full scholarship, short term training programs, lots of hands on experience and Bidwell really cares about their students.

Can

anyone

join

Bidwell?

How much does Bidwell cost if anything?

How many classes does Bidwell offer?

The seven career training majors are culinary arts, horticulture technology, chemical laboratory,

What does a typical day look like at Bidwell?

A student would arrive for class either at 8:00am, 8:30am, or 9:00am for classes in the morning. Then they go to lunch.

Some students get done around 3:00pm or 3:30pm.

Does Bidwell help out with job placement assistance after graduation?

We have two career placement officers. They work with students for the first week, and continue to work with students until graduation.

The students have an 81 percent success rate of obtaining a job.

It doesn't cost anything How do you get into Bidwell?

You must be a resident of Pennsylvania and have a high school diploma or G.E.D. There's three steps to get in: the emission process information session, the assessment test, and the interview. The assessment test has three sections: vocabulary, reading, and math. The reading and vocabulary are each 20 minutes long, and math is an hour long. Most students don't pass the first time. They must get tutored and can retake each test three times. If they fail on the third time, then they have to wait an entire year before they try again.

for both students and teachers to purchase food which the culinary students make each day.

What type of dress code does Bidwell have?

As long as they live in Pennsylvania, and the person has to be able to go to work or continue with school.

How long does it take to graduate Bidwell?

The shortest majors are eight months the longest majors are 13 months.

What amenities does Bidwell offer?

Library, bathrooms, classrooms with computers, and a cafeteria

Every major is different.

The horticulture students are not allowed to wear jeans. Clothing has to be appropriate - no ripped jeans, no bandannas etc.

Pittsburgh’s Blockhouse

by Sean Gannon

F

or three decades, ghosts have haunted Pittsburgh’s past.

Fort Pitt was built in 1758 during the French and Indian War. There is a large wooden house called “The Fort Pitt Blockhouse”. The term “Blockhouse” comes the German word “blochaus” which means “a house which blocks a pass.”

The blockhouse was constructed in 1764. It was built to reinforce the defense of Fort Pitt. It was made of sod brick. Sod is the soil beneath it held together by its roots, or a piece of material.

The house is five-sided and pentagon in shape. Each sidewall measures 16 feet. The building is 23 feet wide. The back walls measure 15 feet. The footprint of the building is 483 sq. feet. The house had been used as military fort. Several people have lived in the blockhouse including my great-great-great grandmother

Sarah Costello from 1892-1894, the year in which the blockhouse was turned over to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). The DAR was formed on October 11, 1890.

The DAR wanted to restore the Blockhouse to it's original 1764 appearance but city officials wanted to transform it in the Point District into an industrialized rail yard. But the DAR fought city officials and successfully kept the blockhouse.

Now people can go into The Blockhouse and go to the Fort Pitt Museum, which has been open to the public since 1969.

People wanted to tear down the blockhouse on several occasions and wanted to build things over it. I don't like people messing with history. I believe it should still be around for future generations to view. I would invent SAR (The Sons of the American Revolutions). Ryan Lowery, my CI (Community Inclusion Staff)

would be Vice-President. It must've been hard living in a little space. It was cool to learn that the army used the blockhouse during the Revolutionary War. They used the gun loops, little holes that they shot guns through, as a defense maneuver.

There is also a The Fort Pitt museum that was established by Michael DeBerardinis, Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, who announced a $25 million plan to renovate Point State Park and Parts of the Museum on October 11, 2006.

In closing, I would like to say the Blockhouse has a lot of history and is an important part of the Revolutionary War. People shouldn't deface pieces of history. It's just not cool.

via Wikipedia Commons

Pittverse 26

TV

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Flashback:

W

here in the World is Carmen Sandiego? is a gameshow that teaches children all about geography. Each episode has three contestants who are referred to as gumshoes, or detectives in training. There are five seasons of the show. Lynne Thigpen plays the chief who helps the gumshoes by giving clues to where the crook has gone with the loot. Greg Lee is the host of the show.

Each gumshoe starts off with 50 crime bucks. Any time a gumshoe gets an answer correct, they get 10 more crime bucks. The two gumshoes with the most crime bucks at the end of the first round go on to the second round.

The gumshoe who catches Carmen Sandiego will win a free trip to anywhere in North America. If I was a gumshoe and I won a trip to anywhere in North America, I'd go to New York City.

For the last clue in the first round, the gumshoes need to decide how much they want to risk, between 0 and 50 crime bucks. If they're right, they add that amount to their score. If they're wrong, they subtract it. Greg Lee shows them a portion of the world where they think the crooks have gone. If they think they know a lot about this part of the world, they may want to risk

by Mark Sulkin

a lot. If they don't know very much about it, they may not want to risk quite so much.

phone call from the crook. The crook tells the gumshoe where Carmen is.

After they hear the clues, Greg will give the choices to where the crook went. Before the gumshoes show their answers, they show how much they risked.

When the first round is over, it's time for the two gumshoes with the highest scores to go on to the second round.

Carmen could be in North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, or the U.S.A. The chief gives the gumshoe a list of places Carmen might have traveled to. Greg and the gumshoe run to the map of that continent. The gumshoe has to track Carmen through eight different places on that map identifying each one with a special marker. If a gumshoe is wrong twice, they must leave the marker where it is, go back, and continue from there. If gumshoe is right eight times, they win that trip to anywhere in North America. They only get one chance of catching Carmen.

The chief gives a briefing of the place where the crook took the loot., and then they go to that place. When they get to the place where the crook took the loot, Greg shows them a board of 15 places where the gumshoes might find the loot, the warrant, and the crook. A warrant is a piece of paper for the crook's arrest. First they find the loot.

The loot is the evidence they need to get the warrant. Once they get the warrant, they can arrest the crook.

Whoever connects all three items in that order gets a chance to catch Carmen Sandiego. The gumshoes can pick any location they want to, but if they happen to come upon the loot, the warrant, or the crook, then they get a free turn. When a gumshoe finds the loot, the warrant, and the crook in the right order, they pull a chain to put the crook in jail.

Then they write down where they wants to go if they catch Carmen. The gumshoe gets a

If a gumshoe wins, a newspaper will appear and it'll say, "The gumshoe captures Carmen." If a gumshoe fails, the newspaper will say, "Carmen escapes again." When a gumshoe catches Carmen, Greg shows the audience where they decided to go for their prize.

Also, Greg might tell the gumshoe they are now sleuth and give them a sleuth jacket.

When it's time to end, Greg and the gumshoe shout, "DO IT ROCKAPELLA!" Then, Rokcapella sings the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? theme song.

Reading Books Can Help Children Socially

by Michelle Middlemiss

I

have a Teacher’s Assistant Degree and have done a lot of reasoning about how kids can learn.

Childhood for some children is not easy because they don’t fit into a mold. They may have a few friends in class, but because they’re not the “right friends,” they still get bullied at school.

But if the child likes to read not only is she/he able to escape from their troubles, but with the right books they also learn social problem-solving skills.

The first book in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is a perfect example of this. In reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the reader meets a boy who is just about to turn eleven years old. The character Harry Potter is not only small for his

age, but is wearing his cousin’s clothes. Harry’s aunt and uncle make him do all their housework and he is taken nowhere by them. The reader can see that Harry is very much a self-care child. But through all of this, the reader can also see that Harry has developed good self esteem; even with living through all the neglect it hasn’t beaten him down.

Harry Potter is a role model for bullied children and because of this, he shows that that you can still have a good and loving personality even if you don’t feel loved yourself.

J.K. Rowling doesn’t end it there, although later on in the book Harry finds out that he is famous. But unlike so many famous people in real life, the fame doesn’t go to his head. In

fact, through all seven books, Harry fights his frustration, and reacts to it by yelling at his friends often. Because of his dysfunctional family, school is Harry Potter’s home.

So the social problem Harry has had while living with his aunt and uncle is out of the way. But like so many times in real life the problem comes back. At the end of the book, Harry is sent back to his aunt and uncle’s house.

If the book is being read in a classroom setting, the teacher could ask students to think of ways that Harry could bring home what he learned at school.

Or if at home, the parent could ask their child. In this way, the child would have to go through problem-solving.

Photos via Wikipedia

Pittverse 28

Moondrive: The Grand Journey Taking a Novel from Conception to Publication

by Thomas R. Skidmore

T

wo years ago, I started writing down the first lines of a new science fiction adventure titled Moondrive, having been inspired by the stories of E.E. “Doc” Smith and Edmond Hamilton, and the Green Lantern comics of which I’m so fond. Also a big influence on the novel was the idea of having two different rock bands, Styx and The Moody Blues, on opposite sides of the universal notion of good vs. evil, thus giving me an excuse to actually put these and many other elements together to create a unique, cohesive unit.

Plus there’s the added bonus of pulling out all the stops for pulp space opera a la Star Wars.

Over long months (in between writing a more personal fantasy novel), I drove myself to arrange and unify the words and ideas. In the interim, a publisher was sought out and by the divine guidance of my eternal angel (whom you might already know), one was actually found in the form of Pro Se Productions, run by my good friend and editor-in-chief Tommy Hancock.

It was he who asked for submission ideas, and lo and behold, I sent him a sample of one of the chapters, and to my utter amazement Hancock thoroughly enjoyed it. So

much so that in fact, in March 2014 he sent me a contract to publish Moondrive. Happily and with great delight, I did so.

During the next few months I wrote, and edited, and polished the manuscript, while keeping my desires alive. In March 2015, nine months after I sent the completed draft into my publisher, I helped conceive the cover idea. The first concept was rejected for being too “crowded,” which I thoroughly understood, but once I conjured up the second idea, Mr. Hancock went with it.

Then for four long months, I played the waiting game. During those said months, Tommy experienced some major issues in his life, most notably having open heart surgery and having a special electrical implant called the “Stark” monitor and regulate his heart rate (he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure), as well as having his father pass away. Through it all, his enthusiasm and desire to publish never wavered. As a reward for supporting him, he sent me a copy of the cover without the title and author info, and let me tell you, I was ecstatic!

After that came four hours of editing and further polishing on the manuscript, followed by a bit more waiting. Then on Monday, October 26, 2015, I got the

big news: Moondrive had been just published! Right away, the race was on! Already I’ve had people buy the novel, and while I haven’t seen any reviews as yet, I’m trying to hold hope that finally, I can really take off (so to speak) as a novelist.

I tell people this all the time, and some might even disagree with me, but I would never have made it to this point in my life without the divine light of Jennifer Lawrence to inspire me, as well as Styx and The Moody Blues for planting this idea in my head some thirty-five years ago. Of course, I’m working on giving myself the proper dues; after all, I’m the guy who put it all together in the first place. Finally, there’s you, the reader, who kept me driving onward.

(Not that I’m leaving anyone else out, namely Brian K. and the gang at The Pittverse.)

For information on where Moondrive can be purchased, go to: www.prose-press.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/ product/1518643698 http://www.smashwords.com/ books/view/586901

Moondrive author and Pittverse writer Thomas R. Skidmore Pittverse 30

Fugitor: The Time Escapee

by Thomas R. Skidmore Ninth Installment

F

or one moment after another, our journey through the Myriad Worlds carried on, with nary a surprise or shock from the outside forces of Utter Chaos. All in all, it was enjoyable if somewhat a little on the dull, routine side of it all. In fact, it grew a tad bit boring, and Marlena made that point perfectly known.

“How much longer is this going to last?” she moaned.

I didn’t have a ready-made answer for her. I knew as much as she did by this stage, which is to say not very much. And let me be the first to say that it began to worry the hell out of us by this stage, so as a result I didn’t dare bring the subject up any further . . . at least, until we know more at any rate.

Soon afterwards, her boredom was replaced by a new surge of delighted curiosity.

tem. In addition, it was dividing itself, as if the planet was a giant amoeba. More to the point, it looked rather hungry though we really couldn’t confirm that for certain. We turned to one another, our jaws dropping!!

“What do we do now?” asked Marlena.

I shook my head, once more not having a ready-made reply to her question.Then inexplicably, Marlena’s face brightened, her eyes popping in delight.

“I’ve got it!! Tony, can you try to do one those ‘mind-melds’?”

A look of bafflement crossed my slightly-aged face.

“A mind-meld?! Who do I look like, Leonard Nimoy?”

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt now, would it?” she asked unperturbedly.

“Tony, look over there!!” she said loudly.

Not wanting to hurt her feelings, like an idiot I stretched out my arms in the direction of the “creature” where frighteningly, I got an actual response!

“Where?” I asked, looking about in confusion.

“Hello there,” it “said” in a husky, almost nasal voice.

In a rather forceful manner, Marlena grabbed my head, and swiveled it to an even stranger sight than the gigantic fortressship we’d barely avoided. For just to our right, we caught a glimpse of a monolithic planet, eight times the size of Jupiter in our own mundane Solar Sys-

“Hello there, yourself,” I responded back, trying to remain somewhat civil in spite of my own incredulous reaction to these weird events.

Marlena just couldn’t what she was now witnessing.

“I don’t believe it! It really worked!!” she gasped.

Not heeding her any mind, I did my best to resume my conversation with our contact.

“What are you called?” I asked the “creature”.

“Well, I’m not really sure about my name. See, uh, I don’t get around very much. In fact, you’re the very first -- what are you called? -- humans I’ve met.”

“Well, for the sake of good manners, allow me to introduce myself. I am called Fugitor, though my actual name is Tony. And this,” I said, now turning to my traveling companion, “is my friend Marlena.”

The “creature” throbbed about, as though it was excited to see a female human; in fact, any human, as it -- oh, let’s call it “he” -- just said scant moments ago.

“Hi, there. Say, is there a reason why you sound like Leslie Nielsen?” uttered Marlena.

My eyeballs rolled up in disgust at that one, believe me. Then incredibly enough, the “creature” actually took delighted joy, though with his gelatinous form I couldn’t ascertain.

“Leslie Nielsen . . . hmm, that’s a good one, miss!” he said.

“Well, you just gave me my new name. Leslie it is. Thanks, uh, Marlena, was it?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” said Marlena, in smug satisfaction.

I didn’t quite believe what I actually saw occur. I mean, how often do you encounter a gigantic amoebic creature, discover that his voice resembles a oldtime comedic actor of the cinema, and get thanked for giving such a creature the name of said comedic actor? The answer: rarely to never, at least not in the usual circumstances.

But in a very strange manner, I had to hand it to Marlena. She knew how to make friends rather easily if somewhat illogically.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you . . .

To Be Continued.

Table Talk: Continued from page 13

Phipps: Continued from page 22

sion because he thinks it's a good way for him to gather funds for the eventual re-taking of his clan's old holdings. Urist isn't exactly a hero, but he's willing to stick his neck out to keep others from losing their families or homes like he did.”)

gion. Everything from this building being built and designed by Pittsburghers, so kind of showcasing the town that we have in the region and giving back to the region in a way to try to protect the beauty of the environment and human health, and directing people who are interested and curious in all the things we have going on, if they haven't been here in a while to come visit and check us out. It changes so people can come back and they say “oh, I've been there” but it changes seasonally here by the shows and the new buildings.

There's lot of things that are constantly changing to experience the beauty and sustainability here at Phipps.

By immersing yourself in the world of the game, you can create a comforting mental distance between yourself and the other players, letting you get some social experience under your belt in a way that doesn't trigger the usual sense of anxiety. Playing your character also adds to the element of escapism, the ability of games (and books, and films) to show you strange and fascinating places that you could never experience in real life.

Side Notes The Sustainable building opened in December 2012 and it is one of the greenest buildings in the world. The lagoon next to it captures rainwater and the rainwater is then reused for facilitative uses. Phipps captures and reuses all of its water. The plants surrounding the building are all native plants that have adapted to the space provided to them. The greenroom doesn't use any lights and instead captures sunlight for energy efficiency, so they capture and reuse energy as well.

via pixabay

Pittverse 32

Science Fiction Spotlight: E.E. “Doc” Smith: Space Opera Maestro

by Thomas R. Skidmore

E

dward Elmer Smith, better known as E.E. “Doc” Smith (May 2, 1890--August 31, 1965) was best known as the pioneer of the genre of science fiction called “space opera.” His stories proved popular with readers of science fiction before and after the arrival of the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Amazing Stories, for the August 1928 issue. It was a success, and the editors clamored for more stories.

In 1930, Smith drafted the first of a new series of adventures, initially called Galactic Patrol and then a tale titled Interplane-

Among his greatest contributions to the field are the tales of the Skylark saga, and the outer-space adventures of his favorite characters, the Lensmen (who influenced many other, more well-known heroes such as the modern Green Lantern).

Prior to his work as a science fiction author, Smith worked as a chemist specializing in food engineering (he designed the formula for most modern cake mixes), yet found himself unsatisfied with this endeavour.

After a dinner party with via wikipedia friends, Smith’s wife suggested that he take up writing down tary. These launched the heroes his ideas of space travel. Though known as the Lensmen, and he was initially uncomfortable Smith’s writing as well, into with the more romantic elements stardom. The Lensmen saga was of writing, nonetheless Smith published in both Amazing Stobegan writing his first SF story, ries and Astounding Stories/ The Skylark of Space.

Astounding Science Fiction. The Over a ten-year period (and eninfluence of the Lensmen during a fair amount of rejecstretched into the realm of comic tions), Smith refined the story books, as evidenced by the creauntil he finally submitted it to

tion of the Green Lantern Corps

by DC Comics.

Smith had a habit of revising his earlier novels to fit them in with the growing, changing times.

The Skylark of Space, for example, was edited and reformatted up till the final revision in 1958.

It was the final version that Smith personally preferred.

Through it all, Smith’s skill as a storyteller of grand cosmic wonder only improved, and in 1966 the Lensman saga was nominated for a Hugo award for Best AllTime Science Fiction Series (which he didn’t win).

He utilized the concept of creating fictional technologies that would not be strictly impossible to achieve, but the likelihood of said technologies proved fruitless at best. Still and all, he knew how to have fun, inviting the readers to join in. Thirtynine years after his death on August 31, 1965, Smith was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2004.

Though he’s somewhat neglected by today’s SF readers and fans, it’s time to re-read the innovative and fun-filled works of E.E. “Doc” Smith, without which there would be no Star Wars, Green Lantern, or any of the modern science fiction space novels out there today.

Depression: The Dark Spectre

by Thomas R. Skidmore

O

ver the long course of my life, I’ve had to combat the effects of a dark, sinister omnipresence that seems to haunt my waking days and sleeping nights.

And it’s a foe that’s not always easy to detect, much less understand on any given day.

That foe is depression.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve suffered and continue to suffer the effects of this often-

feelings of failure, or unrequited love, or extreme loneliness.

I sometimes wonder if my depression is self-inflicted, or if I was literally born with it. It’s hard to say, and I’m not going to try to say it here.

Since I don’t take antidepressants, I have to find other means of offsetting the lingering effects depression can leave. For instance, I usually like to draw things that give me

even contacting support staff should the bouts of depression grow intense. I have, however, noticed that whenever I do post my thoughts on Facebook, the concern and worry from my peers gets to be overwhelming, which can in fact add on to the depression bouts.

I know I’ve given out more than I should have, but in all honesty this is a struggle I’ve faced, and will continue to face each day of my life. My intent

Methods of Combatting Depression ·Writing poetry

·Exercising

·Drawing or painting

·Volunteering

·Talking to friends

·Seeking help from a professional

debilitating condition.

Its symptoms include extreme sadness, feelings of despair, loss of appetite, disinterest in everyday activities, and even suicidal thoughts and ideations. Just how depression entered my life is anybody’s guess, but I suspect it runs in my family.

The depression I have is triggered by any number of external circumstances, including unsettling news stories about world events, or internet gossip about someone I deeply admire, namely Jennifer Lawrence. It’s also brought on by

some small dose of relief, such as portraits of lovely ladies or superheroes.

More often, though, I find poetry is a fitting outlet. Of course, it depends on who I’m reading; my tastes in poetry are a little on the dark side, notably the works of Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. My own poems are twinged with some of the lonely feelings I experience every night.

is sincere, and I mean no offense in making anyone uncomfortable. If you also struggle with depression, like I have, know in your heart that you’re never alone.

But perhaps the best thing for me is the seeking of wise counsel, be it on social media like Facebook, or calling a friend, or Pittverse 34

Joe Hill Was Probably On the Spectrum Too

By Kenneth Miller

N

ovember 19, 2015 was the 100 year anniversary of the execution of Joe Hill. Hill was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, a songwriter, and one of my favorite poets. He was executed by firing squad in Utah on November 19, 1915.

Hill was framed for murder by the capitalist class because he was building a revolutionary labor union, the IWW. I want to commemorate him today because I care about the workers’ rights of everyone on the spectrum and the workers that support us. There have to be many more people receiving services and the relationship between autistic people and our health care workers has to be smothered in workers rights for all of us. We have to advocate for one another.

I like the New People Newspa-

per* because many people with disabilities write for it, so do many courageous health care providers and people with important ideas about inclusion. We can attend meetings and take photos and notes and share them with one another. Everyone can participate in creating newspapers.

as we expect people with autism to be treated.

*The New People Newspaper can be read online at thenewpeople.com. It highlights national news, world news, sports, and entertainment.

There are many people in prison with autism spectrum disorders. Many. We know why they are there and we can imagine what it is like for them in prison. They are just as entitled to diagnosis and services like the PA Autism Waiver as we are. I would like to use the 18th Annual Summit Against Racism as platform to make sure the PA Autism Waiver is being made available to prisoners and that prisoners on the autism spectrum are being diagnosed and treated

Kenneth Miller (far right) at the Black and White Reunion

Pittverse Top Tens Top 10 Superman Portrayals

By Michael Kurland 1. Christopher Reeve (1978-1987) 2. George Newbern (2001—Present) 3. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, 2006) 4. Tom Welling (2001-2011) 5. George Reeves (1951—1958) 6. Henry Cavill (2013—Present) 7. Tim Daly (1996—Present) 8. Kirk Alyn (1948—1950) 9. Bud Collyer (1940—1969)

via flickr

10. Dean Cain (1993—1997)

Top 10 Places to Walk in Pittsburgh

By Randy Mullner

Top 10 Restaurants

By Randy Mullner

1. Monroeville Mall

1. Dairy Queen

2. Ross Park Mall

2. Eat and Park

3. Duff Park

3. Arby's

4. Schenley Park

4. Burger King

5. The Waterfront

5. Wendy's

6. South Side

6. The Ground Round

7. Downtown by PNC Park and Heinz Field

7. Long John Silvers

8. North Park

8. Pizza Hut

9. Gateway Walking Track

9. Bob Evans

10. Station Square

10. Baskin Robbins

Pittverse 36

Top 10 Episodes of:

By Michael Kurland

Logo via Wikipedia

1. “The Best of Both Worlds” written by Michael Piller Captain Picard is abducted and assimilated by Starfleet’s deadliest foe, the Borg. (two-part episode) 2. “Yesterday’s Enterprise” written by Ronald D. Moore, Hans Beimler, Richard Manning, and Ira Steven Behr The Enterprise-D encounters its predecessor, and history is altered unless the predecessor returns.

3. “The Measure of a Man” written by Melinda Snodgrass, inspired by I-Robot by Isaac Asimov Does Data have rights, or is he just property? That question is put to the ultimate test. (Extended in length by 13 minutes for 2013 Blu-ray release) 4.“Unification” written by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor Spock returns in an attempt to reunite the Vulcan and Romulan peoples. Guest starring Leonard Nimoy.

5. “The Inner Light” written by Morgan Gendel and Peter Allan Fields Picard is living through another person’s entire life. (Hugo and Emmy Award Winner) 6. “Sins of the Father” written by Drew Deighan, W. Reed Moran, and Ronald D. Moore Work faces dishonor from the Klingon Empire, and Picard offers to help. Repercussions would occur through the rest of the season.

7. “Encounter at Farpoint” written by Gene Roddenberry and D.C. Fontana The pilot episode that started it all. Guest starring John DeLancie and DeForest Kelley as “McCoy.” 8. “All Good Things…” written by Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore The fate of all humanity rests in Picard’s hands. (series final) 9. “Dark Page” written by Hilary J. Bader A traumatic incident from the past is killing Counselor Trai’s mother, and only she can help. Guest starring Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and Kirsten Dunst.

10. “Relics” written by Ronald D. Moore The Enterprise encounters a Dyson Sphere, a crashed vessel, and in its transporter buffer, Montgomery “Scotty” Scott (James Doohan).

Star Trek is TM and © CBS Studios and Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Top 10 Pizza Places in Pittsburgh

By Bryan Lippert 1. Sienna Mercato (downtown)- Tartufo pizza: house ricotta, fontina, roasted mushrooms, Parmesan, farm egg & chives- $18.00 2. Proper Oven Tap Room (downtown)- Margherita: San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, house mozzarella, & extra virgin olive oil- $15.00 3. Slice on Broadway-(Carnegie & Beach view) Own creation: chicken, onions, black olives, green peppers, red sauce, & mozzarella cheese- $16.00 4. V3-(downtown) Own creation: spicy red sauce, multi grain, cherry tomatoes, baby leaf spinach, banana peppers, jalape単o peppers, red onions, eggs, organic cayenne pepper, arugula cheese & red chili oil-free otherwise $8.00 5. Nikki's Pizza-(west end) Spinach pizza: white sauce, green peppers, & onions-$14.95 6. La Capella-(Fox Chapel) Own creation: roasted pepper, cheese & onions-$10.15

Top 10 Holiday Movies

By Sara Brooks 1. The Santa Clause 2. Elf 3. A Charlie Brown Movie 4. Santa Baby 5. Santa Baby 2 6. Miracle on 34th Street 7. Frosty the Snowman 8. The Holiday 9. Santa Clause is Coming to Town 10. Disney The Muppets Christmas Carol

7. Dominos-BBQ chicken- cheese chicken & BBQ sauce-$5.50 8. Pizza Hut-Veggie lover: tomatoes, green peppers, cheese, black olives & onions $10.00 9. Jets Pizza (green tree)- Veggie: green peppers, black olives, mushrooms, & tomatoes-$14.00

via Wikipedia Commons

Pittverse 38

Youth Advocate Programs (YAP) currently has programs in 17 states and serves 25 major US cities as well as dozens of other urban, suburban, and rural communities. By tapping into the strengths and capabilities of the 10,000 families we serve each year, our 2,000+ YAP staff members, and the capacity of communities, YAP affects positive change.

YAP has developed unique service delivery principles that guide our work with youth and families involved in the Juvenile Justice, Child Welfare, Behavioral Health, and Education systems. Our staff, who reside in or near the neighborhoods they serve, work non-traditional, flexible hours and are accessible 24/7. Our demonstrated ability to recruit and energize indigenous resident leaders within neighborhoods is another unique element of our success.

External evaluations of YAP confirm the validity of our approach. Our model has also been cited by several external bodies, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as a “promising practice” in providing effective alternatives to institutional care.

Since our agency opened, YAP has experienced rapid growth. We have broadened our scope of services and increased our capacity to service more children, youth, families, and adults—including those who have not succeeded with traditional services. We continue to explore new opportunities to demonstrate our unique and effective community-based alternatives to out-of-home placements.

PITTVERSE WRITERS

Mark Sulkin

Kevin Hart

David O’Rorey

Max Chaney

Bryan Lippert

Sara Brooks

Nature F.F. Aura

Dmitry Harmon

Sean Gannon

Mike Perret

Delaine Swearman

Michael Kurland

Thomas R. Skidmore

Kyle Walter

Russell Beatrous

Michelle Middlemiss

Randy Mullner

Richard Campbell

M.J. Devine

Joe Williams

Kenneth Miller

The Pittverse Magazine is made possible in part through the generous support of the Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust.

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