Experts to discuss planning a traffic-free bike trip

Learn how to plan a traffic-free bike trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington, D.C. in this special presentation by Mary Shaw and Roy Weil, two award-winning experts. The program, Linking Up: Planning Your Traffic-Free Bike Trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington, D.C., will describe the trip traveling the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C & O Canal Towpath, including what there is to do along the way. Shaw and Weil will offer information and tips on planning a bike trip along the entire route or planning shorter excursions along the trails. This free program will be offered by the library on Thursday, April 8 at 7:00 p.m. Register at the library circulation desk, call 724.941.9430 or email Pier Lee.

You will learn strategies for planning your trip, how to select an itinerary, options for shorter trips, and whether to travel independently or with an organized group (Outfitter). Find out about lodging and meal alternatives and what you might expect from resources along the way. This presentation will also focus on identifying what kind of assistance you will need to determine if you would enjoy a self-contained trip, a lightly supported trip, or a fully supported trip with someone else responsible for making all the arrangements including a guide to travel with the group. Suggestions for planning your distance for each day of your trip will be offered, along with the pros and cons of choosing an eastbound or a westbound trip with the description of the trails for each direction.

This is recognized as the premier trip of its kind in the country, and draws visitors from all over the world. It is the best bicycle camping trip in the eastern United States and it is right in our backyard! Come find out what makes it great and start planning your adventure.

Mary Shaw is a Carnegie Mellon University Professor of Computer Science and Roy Weil is a Civil Engineer for Baker Corporation. They are recipients of several awards for their efforts in promoting outdoor recreation in our region. They have also been recognized for their commitment to advancing environmental stewardship through their volunteer efforts of time, energy, and skill, to ensure the outdoors are accessible by all and protected for future generations. They currently serve as donor advisors of the Trail Volunteer Fund at the Pittsburgh Foundation. Shaw and Weil are the authors of Regional Guidebooks (Western Pennsylvania) for bicycling and canoeing including Linking Up: Planning Your Traffic-Free Bike Trip between Pittsburgh PA and Washington D.C. via the Great Allegheny Passage and the C & O Canal Towpath. This book will be available for sale following the program and the proceeds will benefit the Great Allegheny Passage. Mary Shaw and Roy Weil will be introduced by Mark Imgrund, President of the Montour Trail Council.

Doug Oster discusses tomatoes, basil and garlic

Garden columnist and radio host Doug Oster will visit the Peters Township Public Library on Saturday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. He will discuss how to get started now to have your best garden ever, provide tips and tricks on getting seeds growing, and talk about his favorite varieties. His new book, Tomatoes Garlic Basil, The Simple Pleasures of Growing and Cooking Your Garden's Most Versatile Veggies was just recently released. It is filled with practical gardening advice along with wonderful stories from Doug's life in the garden. A book signing will follow Oster’s program.

Doug Oster writes a garden column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a nationally syndicated cooking and gardening column for the LA Times Syndicate, and contributes to national and regional publications. He is co-host and producer of The Organic Gardener's Radio Program, a weekly show on KDKA, and appears weekly on KDKA-TV's Pittsburgh Today Live. He received the 2009 Outstanding Documentary Emmy for Gardens of Pennsylvania, written and produced for WQED. He co-authored two other gardening books, Grow Organic and A Gardener's Journal.

Register for this free program at the library’s circulation desk, call 724.941.9430 or email Carrie Weaver.

Disunity of Effort: America’s Interagency Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation

Colonel Lew Irwin, as part of the 2010 World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh International program series, returns to Peters Township Public Library on Thursday, March 18, 2010 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

With his perspective on government strategies in Afghanistan, Lew Irwin will present Disunity of Effort: America’s Interagency Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation. He will describe the specific challenges of “Nation Building” in Afghanistan, as well as the problems that have characterized past efforts of the various United States agencies at work there. Lew Irwin will also discuss the case for and the case against Nation Building in Afghanistan as a strategy related to United States National Security Issues.

During his 23 years of service in the United States Army, Colonel Irwin has served in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia, Panama, Germany, Afghanistan, and other locations throughout the United States and the World. Colonel Irwin currently commands the 301st Regional Support Group, headquartered in Butler, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He holds masters degrees and a doctorate in political science from Yale University, and in his civilian career he is a professor of Public Policy and Government at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Lew Irwin is the author of two books on American Politics and Public Policy and is currently working on a book on Afghanistan – soon to be published.

An honorarium for these speakers was generously provided by a grant from the McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764. To register for this free program, please visit the library circulation desk or call 724-941-9430.

Visiting Israeli Scholar to speak on Arab-Israeli conflict

Avi Ben-Hur, a visiting scholar from Israel, will discuss “Where We Stand in the Arab-Israeli Conflict, and the Challenges Facing Israel in the Next 5 – 10 years” at the Peters Township Public Library on Monday, March 15 from 7:30-8:45 p.m. This free program is being offered by the Peters Township Public Library in collaboration with the Agency for Jewish Learning. Register online, at the library circulation desk, or call 724.941.9430.

A Brooklyn native, Avi Ben-Hur specializes in Land of Israel studies, the history of Jerusalem, Arab-Israeli conflict and Holocaust studies. Avi's expertise is in integrating ideas and knowledge from various disciplines into a comprehensive and coherent narrative. At present, Avi lectures abroad as a "Scholar in Residence", is on the faculty of the University of Haifa Tourism school, is an examiner for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and guides in Israel and Poland.

The Agency for Jewish Learning (AJL) is a beneficiary agency of the United Jewish Federation. It is committed to enhancing the quality of Jewish learning across the Pittsburgh community. AJL provides training, consultation, resources and networking for educators, and offers a menu of classes for adults, teens, and families.

For additional information, please email Pier Lee, Director, Peters Township Public Library or email Dr. Zipora Gur, AJL Director of Advanced Education or call 412-521-1101 Ext. 3104.

The Gallery Opens Tonight!

The Peters Township High School Photography Classes will exhibit their work in the main lobby of the Peters Township Public Library from February 25 - March 10, 2010 during library hours. "The Gallery" is a display of hundreds of student photographs from the classes and club at the high school.

An opening reception will be held on February 25 from 6:30-8 p.m. All are welcome to attend.Over 80 students contributed work for this exciting event. The Photography Club officers are Amber Doerr, Samantha Norris, Kaitlin Richert, Britany Grezjka, Shannon Gallaway and Jessica Kleja. For more information about “The Gallery,” contact the club sponsor, Erin Boni, or the Library at 724-941-9430.

Energy Cost-Cutting Strategies for Residential Homes

The need to cut energy consumption is upon us!! Energy and home heating fuels will continue to escalate in the next few years and will greatly impact the home owner’s total operating costs. Learn about the latest legislation by the government to reduce consumption and what you can do within your home to offset the increasing costs.

The Peters Township Public Library will host “Energy Cost-Cutting Strategies for Residential Homes” with guest speaker Mike Davic on Thursday, March 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the library’s Meeting Room on the first floor. To register for this program, visit the library’s circulation desk, call 724.941.9430, or email Carrie Weaver. This event is being offered in conjunction with the Peters Township Public Library GO Green Club.

Mike Davic, an Agent for Keller Williams Realty, was part of the first group of Agents in the Pittsburgh area to receive the new GREEN Designation from the National Association of Realtors. The purpose of the designation is to provide real estate professionals with knowledge and awareness of green building principles applied to residences, commercial buildings, developments and communities to help consumers in the purchase, retrofit and operation of energy efficient properties. Mr. Davic has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering plus a strong business background as well.

Image: Danilo Rizzuti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Security in a Changing World

As the global economy appears to be moving towards recovery, and the world’s rising economic powers look to shape their influence in the 21st Century - what do these changes mean for the men and women who serve in our nation’s military?

These issues will be discussed as part of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh’s International series at the Peters Township Public Library on Tuesday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m. Panelists from the United States Army War College, Eisenhower Series will lead the discussion, Security in a Changing World, focusing on America’s security concerns in this atmosphere of change.

The Eisenhower Series College Program consists of a team of Army War College students selected for their experience, education, and interest in national security issues. Panelists participating in the program include Colonel Jeffrey P. Marlette, U.S. Army National Guard; Lieutenant Colonel Alan F. Rebholz, U.S. Air Force; and Colonel Steven R. Watt, U.S. Army.

To register for this free program, please visit the library circulation desk, call 724.941-9430, or email Carrie Weaver. An honorarium for these speakers was generously provided by a grant from the McMurray Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 764.

Further details about the Army War College students serving as panelists in this program:

COLONEL JEFFREY P. MARLETTE, U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD.
Born in Redfield, South Dakota, COL Jeffrey P. Marlette enlisted in the South Dakota Army National Guard in 1980, and received his commission through the South Dakota Military Academy in 1982. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Northern State University. He also holds an Educational Specialist Degree from the University of Sioux Falls. COL Marlette was deployed to Iraq, where he spent fifteen months in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. When he is not on active duty, COL Marquette serves the Superintendent of Schools for the Gettysburg, South Dakota School District. He is currently a student at the U.S. Army War College.

LIEUTENANT COLONEL ALAN F. REBHOLZ, U.S. AIR FORCE.
Lt Col Alan F. Rebholz began his active duty in the U.S. Air Force in 1989, after graduating from the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He served in satellite operations, space surveillance and as a Weapons School instructor, deploying to the Joint Task Force in Southwest Asia, where he provided missile warning during Operation Desert Fox. Lt Col Rebholz served as a staff officer at the Pentagon where he served as an Executive Officer for two Air Staff Directorates. He was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as the first Electronic Warfare Officer for a Counter-Improvised Electronic Device Task Force. Lt Col Rebholz received his B.S. in Mathematics from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, his M.B.A. from Webster University, a M.S. in Management from Troy State University; and Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College.

COLONEL STEVEN R. WATT, U.S. ARMY.
Col Steven R. Watt is a 28-year veteran of the U.S. Army and the Utah Army National Guard. Enlisting in 1981, he served in the enlisted ranks and non-commissioned officer corps for 8 years. In 1989 he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant after attending Officer Candidate School. Since commissioning, he has attended the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms Service Support Course, the Special Forces Officer Qualification Course, the Long-Range Surveillance Leaders Course and the Command and General Staff Officer’s Course. COL Watt’s combat tours include Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In his civilian career, COL Watts is an Assistant Chief of Police with the Ogden, Utah Police Department, where he has served for 30 years. He is currently a student at the U.S. Army War College.