Make Pittsburgh Beautiful.

Bittercress (Credit: Doug Oster/Post-Gazette)

It has officially been spring for nearly one month and it’s finally starting to feel like it. Now that the gloom of winter is over, it’s time to get busy beautifying our city again. Spring is a time for renewal. Flowers are blooming. Trees are being planted. Litter is being removed. And, yes, you can help!

Last week, volunteers from the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh scaled Mt. Washington to clean up the mountainside! They removed 60 bags of trash, 25 bags of recyclables, a shopping cart, and even a baby stroller! Amazing!

Mt. Washington Clean Up (Credit: KDKA)

There are so many volunteer opportunities celebrating Earth Day on and Arbor Day over the next few weeks. The Great PA Cleanup is a good place to start. There are still a few community cleanup’s scheduled all over Pittsburgh – Hazelwood (4/20), Homewood (5/2), Highland Park 5/11).

Tree Pittsburgh is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the City’s vitality by restoring and protecting City trees. There are opportunities to help at tree planting events and learn to prune the urban forest. Check out Tree Pittsburgh’s calendar.

At CLP-Hazelwood we will be celebrating Arbor Day with the finale of Teen Reading Lounge. Stop by to help clean up around the library, pull weeds, spread mulch, and hang colorful birdhouses on trees along Second Avenue! Thursday, April 25th at 5:00pm.

Sneak Preview: Birdhouses @ CLP-Hazelwood!

Can’t make it to a clean-up event? No Problem! Start small. Clean up litter around your house, street, or school! Water dry flowers, grass, and trees. Keeping and making Pittsburgh beautiful is something everyone can do!

(Michael @ CLP-Hazelwood)

Empathy Through Books: Reading Fiction in the Wake of Steubenville

It’s hard to read the continuing coverage of the Steubenville sexual assaults without seeing a gross empathy problem plaguing our culture. How else could these sorts of things happen? How could two teens feel that what they did was okay? How could their peers sit idly by as it happened or casually retweet the videos in its wake? Why would adults choose to enable such behavior through attempts to cover-up the attack?

It’s left me thinking hard about my role as a librarian–what I can do ensure that the young people who I am committed to serve can live in a world that allows them to build friendships and relationships with each other and their community at large based on love, trust, and mutual respect.

In turn, I’ve become even more concerned about the many dehumanizing words and messages that powerful people send through the media. These people hope to take away your ability to form the person you want to be, and the beliefs you choose to grow up with. They wish to take away your empathy–your ability to imagine the thoughts, feelings, and struggles of people in the world–and to work toward the sort of world you may wish along with it. And in doing so, they give you an easy out to dismiss these things, to do nothing as people benefit from the suffering of others–or perhaps give you enough of a benefit that you can rationalize such struggles away.

Exploring my role within our culture, I found a number of studies that combine my love of recommending literature with my hope for your future and that of Pittsburgh’s teenagers. These studies give credence to the idea that reading novels and other fictional stories can help us make ourselves more empathetic to the world around us.

This one showed that reading a fiction book increased a reader’s empathetic skills over two weeks. This one showed that readers who showed more engagement in their reading were more likely to help someone pick up some dropped pens. Finally, this one noticed decreased readers’ egos after having them read passages from Twilight and Harry Potter.

Perhaps you’re struggling to understand what happened. Perhaps you suffer no such crisis. No matter who you are, I recommend the following books. Perhaps soon we can share a world full of literature, love, and respect!

~Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main

National Read Across America Day

Dr. Seuss from quickmeme.com

Tomorrow is National Read Across America Day!  This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Dr. Seuss (pictured in the meme above).   The whole point of this day is to promote reading (derh!).

Seeing as how my coworkers are avid readers (working in a library and such), I figured I would ask them what they plan to be reading on Read Across American Day.  Below are recommended reading by CLP-Lawrenceville staff:

**Karen’s a cheater because she’s reading an ARC of The moon and more!**

I hope to catch you all reading on Saturday, March 2!  Leave us a comment about what you plan to read on National Read Across America Day!

 

Happy reading!

-Amy, CLP-Lawrenceville

When a government can shut off the internet…

At the very end of November, as part of its ongoing bloody and brutal civil war, Syria’s government shut down the internet for the entire country.  According to the Christian Science Monitor, this was an “unprecedented” event.  The move led to more riots against the regime, not less, and the government blamed unidentified “terrorists”.

By Ronald Eikelenboom (Flickr: (no) internet) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Shutting down a nation’s internet service is unprecedented because goes against the history of how the internet was developed.  Although the internet predecessors ARPANET and DARPA were government projects, the theory of the internet, grown in the 60s (a fuller, more specific history can be read here) was based on the idea that it would be a network of “multiple independent networks of rather arbitrary design” with one of its groud rules being that “there would be no global control at the operations level.” (Quotes from The Internet Society, “Brief History of the Internet”)  This was practical – if another country attacked the U.S., it could not take out its networked communications all at once.

And yet, now Syria just did the same thing to itself!

Ideas of how networked technology can be manipulated– and the power it gives people and governments– have been popping up in excellent books for a long time.  Here are some good ones that are recently published.

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

a story of an elite hacker living in an unnamed Middle Eastern state in the throes of political upheaval. He gets involved with the wrong girl, who sends him a very old book to keep safe, and he learns the hard way about worlds beyond this one, jinn, and if he really wants to figure out what he believes in.

Zahra’s Paradise by Amir & Khalil

“Zahra’s Paradise is the fictional story of the search for Mehdi, a young protestor who has disappeared in the Islamic Republic’s gulags. Mehdi has vanished in an extrajudicial twilight zone where habeas corpus is suspended. What stops his memory from being obliterated is not the law. It is the grit and guts of a mother who refuses to surrender her son to fate and the tenacity of a brother—a blogger—who fuses culture and technology to explore and explode absence: the void in which Mehdi has vanished.” – from the book’s website

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

Brain Jack by Brian Falkner

Las Vegas is gone—destroyed in a terrorist attack. Black Hawk helicopters patrol the skies over New York City. And immersive online gaming is the most dangerous street drug around. In this dystopic near-future, technology has leapt forward once again, and neuro-headsets have replaced computer keyboards. Just slip on a headset, and it’s the Internet at the speed of thought. For teen hacker Sam Wilson, a headset is a must. But as he becomes familiar with the new technology, he has a terrifying realization. If anything on his computer is vulnerable to a hack, what happens when his mind is linked to the system? – from Google Books synopsis

- Tessa, CLP – East Liberty

Party at the End of the World!

Will December 21st, 2012 be the end of the world as we know it?  Some say all those 2012 apocolyptic predictions about the the Mayan calendar, blackouts, and planetary collisions are hooey.  But can we really trust those “experts” at NASA?!?  Didn’t they fake the moon landing? *

If you’re not quite sure how to prepare for “the end”, the Teen Department at  CLP-Main is just the place to get ready.  On December 21st, we’ll be hosting a Party at the End of the World from 3 pm to 5 pm.  We’ll be creating tin foil deflector hats, sharing apocalyptic survival tips, enjoying a cringe-worthy depiction of the end of times on film, and indulging in the earth’s most durable food source.  The bottom line is: you definitely won’t want to miss this event.  I mean, who knows- it may be our last!

*Disclaimer: I know it might seem obvious, but it would be irresponsible of me if I didn’t point out that a few of the things written in this blog post were intended as jokes.  If you actually believe that the moon landing was faked, may I suggest that you take a moment to consider the source of your information.

- Abby, Main- Teen

World Kindness Day

I bet you didn’t know that today is World Kindness Day.  I didn’t know it either until a few days ago, but I think it’s a great idea.  The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a great website with ideas about how you can help and get involved in your community, cards and bookmarks, and resources about how kindness can make you a happier and healthier person.  And the best part is that it is FREE and EASY to practice kindness.  It can be as simple as smiling or saying hello to someone.

The Library is also a great place to turn for ideas about kindness.  You can volunteer at one of your local branches,  find a great book about kindness, or even go shopping to help the Library and the community!  Here are some great examples of items we have that can help you on your journey to be a kinder person:

 Do One Nice Thing:Little Things You Can Do To Make the World a Lot Nicer by Debbie Tenzer.  Debbie Tenzer is the founder of a website (DoOneNiceThing.com) that focuses on how making small improvements can make a big difference to the world around you.  Her website has a bunch of great ideas and stories, including ways to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  In her book, she offers a bunch of easy ideas that people can do to help that won’t take much time or money.  This is a great resource for anyone who is looking for simple ways to practice kindness.

The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference by Linda Kaplan Thayer and Robin Koval.  The authors are  advertising executives who offer a number of stories how the smallest acts can influence the biggest decisions.

Jim-CLP Sheraden

Come Out… and Come to the Alternative Homecoming!

Today is National Coming Out Day, a day designed to encourage and support lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, trans*, intersex, queer, questioning, and people from other identities all over the spectrum in their journey to be open about their sexuality or gender.

When it comes to the subject, I’ve always thought, “Comin’ out ain’t easy, but somebody’s gotta do it.”

According to the National Coming Out Day Youth Report, the numbers of LGBTQQIA* teens out in their schools has risen to nearly 2/3rds! At the same time, statistics from GLSEN‘s annual School Climate Survey have shown that schools are becoming increasingly better environments to be out, open, and getting on with the business of everyday life.

While it’s impossible to come up with the exact relationship between those two statistics, a lot of students have reported that social change in their schools was never going to happen until someone, anyone–the more, the merrier–came out.

It’s a lot of pressure to be that first person–and feel like you’re shouldering the burden for all the potential LGBTQQIA* teens past, present, and future in your community–which is why the Human Resources Campaign has put together a number of coming out guides for all kinds of different situations to address questions, concerns, and many other factors leading to you deciding whether you want to take that step.

It’s probably also why Ally Week comes just four days after, though it should probably come before. Oh, well.

Regardless of whether you come out and who you decide to come out to, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh can be a place and resource for you.

And now that you’re out, or even if you’re not–and even if you’re straight but managed to see the word Alternative Homecoming and scrolled this far–you can celebrate with this cool dance!

Maybe your school has no football team. Or maybe you’re not allowed to bring your date. Or maybe you don’t have a school you call home but have a home you call school. Or maybe you just want to go to a really awesome party? The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the City of Pittsburgh Mayor’s Youth Council are teaming up to offer the coolest teen dance of the fall!

On Saturday, November 10th, 2012, Pittsburgh teens of all kinds will invade the Hall of North American Wildlife and Botany Hall of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (4400 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15213). In addition to bears and ferns, here are all the different wild things you’ll find:

• food and drink
• sweet jams provided by your favorite librarian deejay (me)
• a silent screening of Perks of Being a Wallflower, to celebrate the hidden wallflower in us all
• a free raffle for signed Perks of Being a Wallflower movie posters, provided by the Pittsburgh Film Office
• lots of cool arts activities, provided by the Carnegie Museum of Art
• a literary live green screen “Homecoming Portrait,” provided by The Labs @ CLP

You MUST have a ticket to enter! Tickets can be bought in advance at the TEEN desk at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main (in Oakland), located at 4400 Forbes Ave. Tickets are $3 in advance and $5 the day of the dance (provided they don’t sell out).

Go stag! Bring one, two, three, four, or more dates! Dress as formal and fabulous as you want! Feel free to come in casual wear or your favorite cosplay! We will be handing out superlatives based on your unique style.

***Wallflowers & Wildflowers is strictly for teens in grades 9-12 or ages 14-17.***

For more information, give us a call at 412-622-5526. Hope to see you there!

~Joseph
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main

RADical Days

You may have heard about RAD.  RAD is the Allegheny Regional Asset District, which helps to support regional assets like sports facilities, parks, libraries, and cultural institutions, among other things.  RAD money is collected as part of the Allegheny County sales tax.  Every time you buy something, you are supporting these institutions!

Enter RADical Days.  Every fall, as a thank you to Allegheny County residents, RAD hosts RADical Days to celebrate these institutions.  In the words of the Allegheny Regional Asset District, “RADical Days is an annual event celebrating the assets with free admission, musical and dance performances and family activities offered by arts and culture organizations, parks and recreation, and sports and regional attractions that are funded by RAD”.

So, go out and enjoy them during RADical Days!  All events can be found here.  RADical Days is ongoing through October 13.  Here’s a list of my personal favorites, which descriptions from the website:

Saturday, September 29
Allegheny County Parks: Hartwood Acres Hay Day
Free admission 11am-4pm
Kids of all ages will enjoy Fall fun activities: hay rides, pony rides, petting zoo, music, arts and crafts, “I made it!” Market, “Books are Fun” Book fair, and food vendors.

Sunday, September 30
National Aviary
Free admission 10am-5pm
Get nose to beak with flamingoes, penguins, macaws, owls and more. Watch as birds eat, bathe, and play in free-flight exhibits. Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of a real penguin colony at Penguin Point.

Saturday, October 6
Pittsburgh Filmmakers: Ann Arbor Film Festival
Free admission: 7:30pm and 9:15pm.

Sunday, October 7
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Free admission 9am-5pm (gates close at 4pm)
Enjoy some of the most amazing animals from around the world, including sea lion and sea otter pups, tigers, elephants, polar bears, giraffes, pufferfish, and much more.

Saturday, October 13
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: Sketch Crawl
Free admission 10am-4pm
Start at the Trust’s Education Building and join us on a drawing journey through Downtown scenic plazas. Bring your own preferred art supplies and come for as long as you’d like. Artist-illustrator Rick Antolic will be on hand at each location. For artists of all levels. Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

See you there!

National Day of Service and Remembrance

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist attacks against the United States.  2,977 people were killed that day in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville, PA.  There have been some great books written about that day and the events that led to it.  Among the best of these are:

 The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright- A sweeping narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, a groundbreaking
look at the people and ideas, the terrorist plans and the Western intelligence failures that culminated in the assault on             America.  The Looming Tower achieves an unprecedented level of intimacy and insight by telling the story through the  interweaving lives of four men: the two leaders of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri; the FBI’s counterterrorism chief, John O’Neill; and the former head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al-Faisal.
The Looming Tower draws all elements of the story into a galvanizing narrative that adds immeasurably to our understanding of how we arrived at September 11, 2001.

 

   102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn- Drawing on hundreds of interviews with rescuers and survivors, thousands of pages of oral histories, and countless phone, e-mail, and emergency radio transcripts, New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn tell the story of September 11 from the inside looking out, weaving together the stories of ordinary men and women into an epic account of struggle, determination, and grace.  Dwyer and Flynn reveal the decisions, both good and bad, that proved to be the difference between life and death on a day that changed America forever.

 

   Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll- From the managing editor of the Washington Post , a news-breaking account of the CIA’s involvement in the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and gave rise to bin Laden’s al Qaeda.  Comprehensively and for the first time, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll tells the secret history of the CIA’s role in Afghanistan, from its covert program against Soviet troops from 1979 to 1989, to the rise of the Taliban and the emergence of bin Laden, to the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.   Ghost Wars answers the questions so many have asked since the horrors of September 11: To what extent did America’s best intelligence analysts grasp the rising threat of Islamist radicalism? Who tried to stop bin Laden and why did they fail?

Today has also been declared a National Day of Service and Remembrance.  You can find some great opportunities for volunteer service here.  You can also volunteer your time at your local CLP branch library.  If you are up for a drive, you can visit the Flight 93 National Memorial, which is about an hour away from Pittsburgh.

Oh, BTW, Ned – Here’s Your Skull Back

Legendary Australian outlaw, folk hero, and out-and-out OG, Ned Kelly, might soon be getting his long-lost noggin back!  Last week, a notable New Zealand witch went public with a claim that the infamous bushranger’s absentee skull was amongst the 20 or so craniums in her personal collection.  She added, “I have treated it with respect; I haven’t lit candles in it or drunk red wine out of it or anything bohemian like that.” Really?  Red wine?  No sacrificial blood offering?  Lame.

Anna Hoffman, the witch in question, unfolded a pretty shady story about some uniformed security guard randomly giving her old Ned’s skull at a family gathering 30 years ago in Melbourne.  She was prompted to pull the skeleton (err… skull) out of the closet only now because of a recent appeal from Ned Kelly’s descendants for the safe return of the distinguished brainpan.  Last month, said descendants won legal custody of Kelly’s bones, which are about 95 percent complete in spite of the aforementioned crown jewel.

Handsome Devil

In trouble with the law from his early teens, Ned Kelly became an outlaw after killing three police officers who were pursuing him as a result of an incident involving his sister, Kate.  On the lam, Kelly led a gang that roamed the frontier territory of Victoria robbing banks and the rich.  At one point, Kelly had a reward of 8,000 pounds on his head which, for its time, was the largest sum issued throughout the entire British Empire.  Similar to Jesse James, his American contemporary, Kelly is seen by some as a Robin Hood-esque hero, a challenger of the uneven distribution of wealth and unscrupulous banking industry of his day.  Eventually, the Man caught up with Ned Kelly in a classic hotel gunfight in which the fugitive wore a DIY suit of armor (!) fashioned from scrap metal of old farming equipment.  In the aftermath, Kelly, then just 25 years old, was taken into custody, hanged and buried in a mass grave that was only accidentally discovered in 2009.  His head, however, was AWOL.

Ned Kelly’s armor

Unfortunately, false alarms are persistent.  Shortly after Kelly’s skeleton was unearthed, an Australian farmer professed that a skull he had kept in a rotted tree stump for three decades was that of Ned Kelly; DNA soon said otherwise.  The forensic jury is still out on this new claim, but let us all hold fast hope that poor old Ned may soon be able to partake in such good-natured graveyard tomfoolery as this.

Movies! Books! Madness:

      

Jon : Carrick