Asides for Sunday, June 20, 2010

FATHER'S DAY is today and what's a father to do? Dad might relax with the family by going on a bike ride. This is easier and more pleasurable than it once was. Just 20 years ago, the League of American Bicyclists named Pittsburgh as one of the worst bicycling cities in the world. But on Wednesday Mayor Luke Ravenstahl accepted an award from the same organization for being bike-friendly. It was a bronze award, not the highest the group gives out, but a sign of progress. The city now has new bike lanes and has purchased 200 bike racks, but Mr. Ravenstahl said this was "just a beginning," mentioning plans for 25 more miles of lanes and shared land markings that would be connected to the riverfront trail system. To commemorate the award, a purple street sign was unveiled at the corner of First Avenue and Grant Street, Downtown. Dad could pedal by to check it out.

DADS TYPICALLY like sports and rejoicing in their children's sporting achievements, so we figure that a bunch of happy fathers of daughters must be proud in the Mt. Lebanon School District. On Friday, the Blue Devils won their first PIAA softball championship by beating Central Bucks South 1-0 in the Class AAAA final at Shippensburg University. The victory was all the more remarkable because senior Geena Badolato pitched a perfect game, throwing 11 strikeouts and taking only three batters to three-ball counts. Geena, who has been recruited by Robert Morris University, had a two-hitter in the semi-final, which Mt. Lebanon won 2-1 against Hatboro-Horsham. Recalling these mothers of all battles can't help but brighten up Father's Day barbecues in Mt. Lebanon today.

A LOT OF FAMILIES in Haiti have been made healthier and happier by Daniel Lattanzi, an obstetrician/gynecologist who last week was named the 2010 recipient of the Pennsylvania Medical Society's Physician Award for International Voluntary Service. Dr. Lazzani, of Upper St. Clair, is the founder and president of Mission for Haiti's Children, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care, education and economic development in Haiti. In 1996, he founded a health clinic in Lacroix, which treats 25,000 patients a year. A birthing center and a community nursing program have also been set up. He built a school in the village of Paul, where 600 children receive education and meals. He will receive the award at the Pennsylvania Medical Society's annual meeting in Hershey on Oct. 23.