Our Point Of View

A Message from Hilda Pang Fu, Luminari President and Founder

Photo by Dr. Freddie Fu

Sometimes, when words fail us, we are lucky enough to find an image that captures our feelings. This is such an image.

Most of us here in the Pittsburgh area are familiar with the sculpture “Point of View.” It is the work of James A. West, commissioned by the city in 1990. It stands in a small park on Mt. Washington, overlooking the Golden Triangle.

The piece depicts George Washington and Seneca leader Guyasuta in a face-to-face meeting in October 1770. The two men met while General Washington was in the area touring land for a future settlement along the Ohio River.

I am showing you this image because I have become increasingly concerned that the values of civility and common respect are disappearing from our world. Recent political events—and the brash discourse surrounding them—appear to be injecting a poisonous rancor into the common ground we share. One needs only glance at social media screens to recognize that the skills of thoughtful conversation and consideration have been forgotten.

But I, for one, am not losing hope. When I look at this image, I see two men whose life experiences and goals could not have been more divergent. And yet…

And yet, they came together in mutual respect to find the goals they shared. Notice they have put down their weapons. And despite what was almost certainly a language barrier, they are listening.

Of course, If this photograph were historically accurate, there would be no grand city over their shoulders. All would be green and wild and raw.

But I like this image better, because it shows all the dazzling progress that was sparked by that face-to-face meeting. We see skyscrapers, green space, a fountain, stadiums—all of them monuments to the spirit of cooperation that built this city.

And in the distance I see bridges, themselves carrying the message that progress and peace lie only in the spaces between us. It is the work of civility and diplomacy that reaches across that space.

If you haven’t seen the sculpture, the next time you’re on Mt. Washington, drive west on Grandview Avenue and see the General and the Chief, two very different individuals who met on common ground. And then look across the water and see all that their meeting started.

It is my sincere hope that, more than 3 centuries later, we may return to that same spirit of kindness and cooperation. We need it now more than ever. 

What's That Sound: Yaybahar

by Beth Dolinar, Luminari Coordinator

In each issue of LUMOS!, we offer a regular series about the unique and unusual (and sometimes downright strange) instruments we’ve never heard. And since we can’t really understand an instrument until we’ve heard it being played, we’ll offer links to sites where you can hear and see a performance.

And so we offer our sixth in a series of unusual instruments: YAYBAHAR

***

As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of the universe, they are learning some strange and wonderful things about what it’s like “out there.” For example, they have begun to record some of the sounds of outer space.

Have you heard them, these sounds that bounce off and between planets and their moons? They sound much like what we’ve been told in all those space-alien movies: eerie, otherworldly, warped.

Those adjectives can be used to describe the “music” produced by the yaybahar, and I used the quotes because even the inventor of the instrument isn’t quite sure it’s really music.

The yaybahar was invented in 2009 by Gorkem Sen, who is based in Istanbul. His instrument uses drums, coiled springs and only two strings to create the otherworldly sound.

Two framed drums are connected to a long spring, which in turn is connected to a tall neck with two strings. As the strings are plucked or bowed, the vibrations travel along the coil to the drums. The sound is produced as the vibrations move back and forth along the coiled spring.

Mr. Sen has said he would like the yaybahar to be as common as the violin or the cello. But considering the instrument takes up all the space in a room, it’s unlikely we will see a yaybahar section on the symphony stage anytime soon.

And that’s a shame. This is one weird and beautiful instrument. Listen for yourself. 

http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-19/its-not-space-odyssey-its-yaybahar

Your GPS to Health: Greens, Dried Plums and Squash

by Lisa Silberg, Personal Chef and Co-Director of Camp Delicious!

The holidays are here and for many of us that means finding the willpower to avoid all those delicious temptations – like when a co-worker brings in a plate of home-made cookies, or when your Aunt Rita bakes her scrumptious pecan pie for the family gathering. Let’s face it, this season is all about family and food! So how do you enjoy without overindulging? The key is eating healthy before, during and after holiday festivities and portion control.

And to help you stay on track, Lisa Silberg, Camp Delicious! Co-director and chef, offers her mouthwatering and healthy Greens, Dried Plums and Squash recipe. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cups mixed greens: kale, Swiss chard, spinach, collards, chopped and stems removed
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• Freshly grated turmeric - 1 teaspoon or ground turmeric- ½ teaspoon
• 1/3 cup leeks, chopped
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped dried plums
• Juice of ½ orange
• Sea salt to taste

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a pan and add ½ teaspoon fresh or ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric, half of the leeks , ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and a few dashes of sea salt.  Add the squash and cook for several minutes until tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add 1 TBSP olive oil to the pan, the remainder of the leeks, turmeric, red pepper flakes and add the greens and dried plums. Saute for 3-4 minutes and add a few dashes of sea salt. Add the squash, toss together and finish with the juice of ½ orange.

Servings: 4- serving is ½ cup

Per serving: 198 calories

Total Fat: 11 grams

Total Carbohydrate: 26.1 grams

Fiber: 3.95 grams

Sugar: 7.8 grams

Protein: 3.35 grams

***

Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts and Apple Recipe
Recipe Courtesy Leslie Bonci

• 1 pound butternut squash, cubed with skin on
• 1 pound brussel sprouts, halved
• 1 medium apple, cut into a ½ inch dice
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 ½  cup onion, diced
• 1 ½  cup celery, diced

10 slices bread of choice: crusty sourdough, dry cornbread, whole grain, or gluten free.Prior to preparing the recipe, leave bread out for a day to become slightly dry, and then cut into cubes.

• 1 ½  cups vegetable broth (plus extra as needed)
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• ⅓  cup dried cranberries
• ⅓ cup pecans or walnuts
• Sea salt/pepper to taste

Serves 5-6

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the squash, brussel sprouts, apples, and shallots in 2 tbsp. oil and season well with salt/pepper. Roast till vegetables are very tender (I actually like my sprouts a bit singed) and remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 350. Heat other 1 tbsp. oil in a large pot. Sautee the onion and celery till translucent (about 5-8 min). Add the bread cubes and allow them to get golden brown with the veggies in the oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Add the roasted vegetables, vegetable broth, cranberries, pecans, and seasonings. Stir the mix till the broth has almost entirely absorbed in the toasted bread. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

***

Lisa Silberg is a dedicated health coach and talented personal chef offering specialized food services in the Greater Pittsburgh area. She is passionate about cooking and sharing her knowledge to help others develop lifelong, healthy habits. Lisa recently launched her own consultation and catering business, Intellectual Nutrition.

Lisa holds a Health Coaching Certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a culinary degree from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where she received the President’s Award for excellence. She is also a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Her consultation services and classes can be arranged by contacting her through www.IntellectualNutrition.net or via her email at Intellectualnutrition@comcast.net.

Speak Up: Lessons from Public Speaking Camp

by Judi Rosen, Parent of 2016 Speak & Tell! camper

How often do any of us get to learn a life skill?

How many times have you had an idea, but not the tools to express it?

For as much as we all try to slow down the spinning wheels in our kids’ lives, their schedules are often demanding, and the opportunities to gain real tools can be hard to find. They are asked to write in a variety of styles, and to speak in front of their peers in school throughout the year.

Eventually this will translate to their adult lives, when the honing of communication skills becomes especially more valuable to both their personal and professional lives.

Our son, Max Rosen is a Sophomore at Taylor Allderdice. This past summer, he took the opportunity to slow down his wheels and without question, he gained the benefit of picking up on some extremely valuable life skills.

For four well-staffed, entertaining and amusingly hardworking days, high school students from the Pittsburgh area were brought together to focus on telling stories. We enrolled Max in Luminari’s “Speak & Tell!” camp.

The campers went from concept to paper, and from paper to speech. Camp Director Beth Dolinar led them through the process from start to finish with great skill, compassion and wit!

She enlisted the assistance of other local professionals—including a broadcaster, a storyteller, a corporate communications trainer and a relaxation teacher-- to illuminate concepts that were valuable to their learning.

By Friday, each of the students was able to stand in front of a crowd to communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas not once, but twice.

Max’s first speech was about the cooler aspects of boredom, which he read from notes while trying to look up and connect with the listeners when possible.

For him, boredom can lead to discovery, it lets his mind open, and encourages him to wonder. In that process, he finds ideas that lead to his passions which engage him in his life and cause him to think about the future.

Speech number two was given without notes to read from. Max recalled the thrill of a very close crew race that he rowed in at Allderdice last spring.

You could feel his excitement, and the energy was palpable because he was recounting something that was meaningful to him.

For the campers, the differences in their two speeches were lessons in themselves to gain awareness of how to move through the written word and how to think on your feet, both skills that they will call upon frequently.

It was a wonderful example for them to have both the experience of speaking with and without notes, and all of the kids were able to do that remarkably well by the end of the week.

Perhaps the most memorable moments for me as a parent were watching Max practice these new skills with confidence, while sharing his thoughts with humor and craft.

Equally as meaningful was the reception that the teens gave to each other.

All week long they explored ideas in an encouraging environment.

And by that Friday, it was nothing short of heartwarming to watch as they cheered one another on!

A Tale of Self-Driving Cars and Horse-Drawn Buggies

by Beth Dolinar, Luminari Coordinator

We Pittsburghers are getting a glimpse of the future not yet available to those in other places. Google’s self-driving cars are out and about every day, mapping our streets and working out the bugs so the rest of us eventually may be driven around.

You’ll recognize the special cars by the boxes of GPS gear on the roofs. I pass them all the time in the city’s Strip District, a route they favor for both the ease of navigation but also for the proximity to Enrico Biscotti.

It’s exciting to see in real life the embodiment of the most futuristic ideas of my childhood.  Imagine the possibilities: self-driving cars will bring freedom to people with vision or physical impairment, and to the elderly.  The cars will “think” for themselves, making their way around our cities and towns, launching us into the future.

The newfangled cars remind me of an experience I had this autumn. I was on a cycling trip through Amish country in Holmes County, Ohio, a place where signs of the eschewing of technology are everywhere.

While on the trail, I happened along a man who had stopped to show some people his recumbent bike. Interested, I pulled over to join the conversation.

As often happen among cyclists, we struck up a conversation. The man asked if I’d like to ride along with him to the next town. It was five miles, long enough for me to learn some things about his life.

He was raised in a large Amish family. The life, he said, was idyllic, a wonderful way to grow up.

His father was a farmer who died a number of years ago, suddenly, in his 60s. He suffered a heart attack one night while riding his horse and buggy through a nearby town.

“My dad was alone in the buggy,” my friend said. “Dropped dead right there on the seat. The horse turned around and took him home.”

I doubt I will see that man again, but his story was a gift, a gem offered during a short interlude between two strangers.  Since that day I’ve thought of that story a lot, how animals have an intelligence that we don’t always acknowledge; how that Amish farmer and his horse were friends in the truest sense of the word.

And I’m reminded that autonomy and superhuman intelligence are not the purview of modern technology. The roots of our greatest ideas can be found in the simplest places.