Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 26

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE THURSDAY, JULY 24, 1997 C-2 1 1 Key rides for finding true love: get out of the house; go where the ducks are; 'i' initiate contact. And, of course, don 't forget to look good, smell good, dress good. This is for singles who want to play doubles ill I fjK If r-V i 1 i -MiiatMUMiMLt, i iTh'-r H'' I By Bill Steigerwald I Post-Gazette Slall Writer American Singles is not a cheesy product manufactured by Kraft I Foods. In fact, it is at least according to gan Rafael, company's own press release the world's largest non-profit singles v--JhaCs singles as in "romantic i eligibles," the preferred euphe-; misrh of the singles industry for I men and women who are spouse-C less, nftteless or otherwise without a permanent partner of the opposite or, "nowadays, the same sex. Being a romantic eligible is the tax status in which about 40 percent I of adult Americans are living.

But based on the proliferation of per-j "sQnal ads for singles in newspapers 5 like this one, dating services for (' singles, web sites for singles and like Greater Pittsburgh's first-ever Singles Convention on Saturday, many singles want to paired doubles. I -This, of course, is where the Convention can be a big I 4ielp. The convention begins at 1 p.m. i-Saturday at the Marriott City Center, across from the Civic Arena, Uptown. Before a dance party that tracks.

until 1 a.m., it will offer "yqmjintic eligibles a series of afternoon seminars by experts in dating, jTHrtlng and seeking out your dream- feverfeoulmate. i' ZFK instance, at 3 p.m. Susan the director of one of most prestigious places jiflf higher learning, Loving Universi-ifc-yill- discuss her latest book, I'THow-To Be Irresistible to the Dennis Pennell and Laura Smiley star in "The Broken Heart," Uns'eam'd Shakespeare's new production. I Local group taking play to Edinburgh your own kitchen "are even lower than at Loser's Singles Bar. Go where the ducks are.

In other words, if you're a guy, go where the girl ducks are shopping (mall perfume counters, supermarkets). Or aerobics classes, if you can take the punishment. If you're a girl, go where the guy ducks are (participate in Softball or volleyball games or spectate at sports events, the bloodier the better, like prize fights). Initiate contact. Finding your true love is purely a numbers game the more people you talk to, the better your chances.

You can't afford to be picky or to not make the first move. Put your own ego at risk by blurting out the first lame pickup line. However, Woody Allen's "How long have you been a cheap broad" is no longer suitable for the post-feminist age. These tips may sound obvious even to veteran marrieds (aka, romantic ineligibles). But don't be fooled.

Gosse knows all kinds of other advice active romantic eligibles of both sexes should know. Look good, smell good, dress good are three things you might already have thought of. Likewise, maintaining eye contact, being a good listener and being a good talker. Gosse has lots of other tips to divulge, too, but it'll cost at least $15 to hear them and then put them into practice at the dance that follows. The whole 12-hour convention, which is tri-sponsored by American Singles, Great Expectations and the newspaper you're holding in your hands, costs $25, dinner not included.

Call American Singles at (415) 459-3817. Plenty of tickets are left. Forget the singles bars. Aerobics classes, like the one Marilu Henner attends in the movie "Perfect," are considered better places for men to meet women. himself at age 48, Gosse has turned his personal state of perpetual singularity and his matchmaking ability into a lucrative living.

After 20 years, his career stats include eight books, including, "How To Find a Lasting Relationship," and big-time media appearances on CNN and "Oprah!" In his keynote address, titled "Looking for Love in All the Right Places," Gosse will share three key rules for finding true love. Get out of the house. Your chances of meeting Ms. Right in Opposite Sex." At 5 p.m., Delia Passi, a syndicated radio personality and the publisher of Single Living magazine, will discuss "The Real Rules of the Dating Game." The main event, scheduled at 7:30 p.m., is keynote speaker Rich Gosse. He is not only the chairman and founder of American Singles, he is at least according to his own company's press release "America's foremost authority on finding a romantic partner." Ironically, still a romantic eligible Fossil hunters can strike it rich in region's terrain By Christopher Rawson Post-Gazette Drama Critic Folding a stimulating, cranky fledgling theater company to our collective breasts is one thing.

Their pratfalls can be as much fun as their giant steps. But knowing we're about to share them with a larger world ups the ante. Unseam'd Shakespeare is now in its fourth year of staging the Bard and other classical authors pared down, juiced up, sometimes freaky, sometimes flat, but always spikey and usually fun. Now they're taking their staging of John Ford's "The Broken Heart" (1629) to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. I'm not sure whether that's the hurly-burly crush of small theaters that the famed festival has long attracted or a more formal Fringe Festival.

No matter Unseam'd is going international (as did Kuntu Repertory when it went to Edinburgh three years ago), and the ante is duly upped. What will my critical colleagues think, I found myself wondering. The Pittsburgh audience, too, may have its expectations raised. Unseam'd has already shown a taste for Ford, having two years ago staged his best known work, Pity She's a Whore." And why wouldn't they enjoy Ford, one of the best of those Jacobean successors of Shakespeare who specialized in emotional anguish and lurid psychology? Unseam'd Jacobeans they could be called, if Shakespeare weren't the better brand name. Remarkably, though, director David Pellegrini a pretty bold hand with vivid gore, himself has taken Ford's perfervid tale of intertwining lust and vengeance and cooled it out into something sculptural and nearly elegant.

He emphasizes the formal rhetoric, places it with dancelike care on Diane Melchitzky's spare, pretty, Japanesey set and Fossil programs at museum The Carnegie Museum of Natural History periodically offers fossil-hunting programs for the public. The next one, for adults, runs Oct. 1 5 in a Carnegie classroom and Oct. 18 at Caesar Creek State Park near Cincinnati. Cost is $88 for nonmembers, $75 for members.

For information: 622-3288. Meanwhile, Pittsburghers can get a taste of paleontological field work without going far at "The Age of Dinosaurs Lives On," the museum's special exhibition that runs through Jan. 4. On weekends, an actor portraying turn-of-the-century bone-hunter Earl Douglass holds forth in a diorama of his quarry in Utah that is now Dinosaur National Monument. And young fossil fiends up to about age 6 can hunt for their own finds in Bone Hunters' Camp.

The exhibition, which contains real fossils and more, is free with admission to the museum, which contains famous Dinosaur Hall. A lecture series, which is part of the exhibition, will continue at 7 p.m. Aug. 1, when museum vertebrate paleontologist Chris Beard discusses "Save the Whales, Save T. rex "the connection between studying past extinctions and preventing future ones.

Cost is $10 for non-members ($7 for members); to register, call 622-3288. BobBatzJr. FROM PAGE C-1 Route 28. 1, The site is a deep roadcut about a quarter-mile south of the Creighton interchange, on both sides of the road. It's a little dicey because of the traffic.

But (Harper says the shoulders are wide to permit parking well away the highway. The site can even accommodate small groups, although he cautions that groups should first obtain permission and a waiver of liability form from Penn- DOT's District 11 headquarters in Bridgeville. Under no circumstances should i'anyone try to cross the highway, and drivers should exercise ex-fctreme caution when pulling off to park or re-entering the road. And vPennDOT officials tend to discourage all groups except those led by professional geologists. The Cheswick-Creighton site, as i it is called, is "one of the best fossil 'collecting localities in Western Pennsylvania," Harper says.

There are, several layers exposed at the 5 cut'f representing different eras of the late Pennsylvanian Period. Dur-ing part of this time, dense primeval forests covered the region. Their remains formed the abundant coal I deposits that have been mined in this area for more than a century and fueled Pittsburgh's steel indus-5 try. But Harper says the prime spot for fossils is in the Ames Limestone layer, which lies below the coal 5 zone. It is about 3 feet thick and runs from ground level to about 25 I feet up the hillside, depending on where along the roadside it is ap-t proached.

The layer is the remnant of an ancient seabed. So numerous are the imbedded shells of extinct creatures that sometimes they are mistaken for small pebbles. The limestone layer is dense, however, I so fosSil hounds should bring along a-small-hammer and chisel to ex-j tract 'iind or two. Another prime local site for fossil hunting lies at the southern end -of the Sewickley Bridge on I 51 in Moon. There, the I roadcut exposes both a limestone 5 layer and a soft, jet-black shale.

The layers 'are part of the Brush Creek formation. They are the remains of another ancient seabed that existed abouf 305 million years ago, a few 5 million years before the Ames Queensryche still riding crest of Silent Lucidity' STAGE REVIEW 'The Broken Heart' Where: Unseam'd Shakespeare Company at Stephen Foster.Me- morial, Oakland. When: 8 p.m. through Saturday. Tickets: $6 and $12; 661-0244.

coats it with a touch of that modish anomie you see in Calvin Kliiie'ads. The result is a ritual of lust and grief rather than emotion itself. At times the visual-rhetorical blend is perfect, as when red petals; 'sTghify the drip of blood. But sometimes the effect misfires, as when accompa nying music pours out a coating of bland, New Agey onvel. The convolutions of plot will give you pause.

Don't despair: Relax and savor the style and expression. There's tough going early, on, the 105 move firmly toward an assured, dirge-like ending. Unseam'd's A-team actors.are on hand, and some handle the verse very well. Doug Mertz is vigorous and clear, while Laura Smiley: reveals quiet strengths I have not seen before. Richard Dennis Pennell speak well.

Some others verge on garble. Though vocally erratic, Tim Dawson and John Koch are strong stage' presences, and Christine a beautiful center. So how will Unseam'dJare abroad? On the one hand, this "is a case of carrying haggis Edinburgh Ford is the sort of thing small British companies lunch. Unseam'd won't get; any points for daring, and on the International stage, their histrionic abilities may look thin. But their concept and design are strong.

I've small companies in London do similar material far less So hoist that Pittsburgh flag high, and bring those laurels hornet MUSIC REVIEW, projected behind the band. Some clips were simply scenes. from the given song's promotional video, but others were less linear depictions of the themes being considered. pictures for "Jet City Woman" were most effective, as women selling items in 1950s television commercials appeared in rapid succession. That the images were appearing inside a giant, inflated likeness of a human ear only made the scene more David Lynchian.

The Youngstown band Grey Larry, winners of an opening slot at the concert through a radio contest, didn't have the benefit of such elaborate technical trappings. They looked almost charmingly uncomfortable on the wide, undecorated Star Lake stage and played aij'rAlice in Pearl Bush amalgam of alterna-grunge. They need to develop some stage presence and write: more singular-sounding songiCbut the quartet drew plenty tjf, polite cheers from the audience. It was Queensryche that dre4 the more fevered response. Though their songs are often and reference-dated 1980s rock from the likes of Def Lepperd, SagSfahfl Jjnk Floyd, the Washington state five-piece still boasts a dedicated, if relatively small, following.

Though there doesn't appear to be another "Silent Lucidity" on the band's horizon, the faithfulness of their core fans should extend Queensryche's ride on the prog-rock gravy train. affiliation in January when WPTT-TV switches to WB from affiliation with the UPNnetwork. Venture Technologies i Group, which holds the license forWTWB, also operates WBPA, a station in Pittsburgh thatcajTjes WB programs on Channel 29, which formation, including some 30 identifiable species of shells. 4. Brush Creek fossils also can be found at a site in Youngwood, about five miles south of Greensburg.

Unlike the other three sites, this one offers no worries about vehicular traffic or rock slides, so it's best-suited for expeditions involving youngsters. It's located at the Con-' rail Industrial Park, just east of the Youngwood town center. Several vacant lots surround the park, containing the remnants of excava- tl0The Brush Creek formation at Youngwood is highly unusual Harper says. It seems to be the site of a local mass extinction. Something killed thousands of creatures one day some 300 million years ago.

Many are preserved "in life positions," as though they were suffocated by a noxious gas, perhaps ejected from an extinct volcano. No climbing is necessary here. Just a stroll through the vacant lots is usually enough to yield a prize find or two. Thousands of ancient shells can be found lying on the ground. Calling these nuggeta prize finds is not an exaggeration, at Youngwood or the other sites mentioned.

True, the bones of a T-Rex or Velociraptor are not likely at these sites. But there are plenty of specimens of mollusks, clams, snails and corals to be treasured. There's even a stray tooth or two from sharks, animals that haven't changed very much over 300 million years. What makes them so valuable is their age. The fossils in these geologic layers are far older than any dinosaur.

In fact, they are older than any existing mountain range on Earth. Just touching them makes a connection that instantly transcends a great chunk of the planet's history. That's plenty of cause for excitement. Excitement seems to be what keeps Harper going. That and a willingness to share nis enthusiasm for discovery, something that is often the fitting byproduct of an afternoon among the fossils.

Harper says he's happy to talk with anyone interested in visiting the sites. He can be reached at the survey's Pittsburgh office by calling 442-4235. Phil BerardeUi, a former Pitts-burgher, is a free-lance writer who wrUes regularly about science. in FCC filing trouble of locating public, documents at the FCC. "These frivolous, trumped-up and reckless charges should be dismissed," WQED states.

The petition opposing the WQEX plan questioned if Cornerstone was qualified to operate under a noncommercial license, claiming that WPCB is religious, not educational as required. WQED responded that other relieious broadcasters nro- 0 vide educational services on noncommercial channels and that Cornerstone is "fully qualified" to do so. Lawyers for Cornerstone also filed a response, but station personnel said they had not received a copy of it yesterday. By John Young Some bands spend years crawling out from the shadows of their One Big Hit. Others embrace their single commercial breakthrough andf ride it for as long as they can.

The 1991 chart ascendancy of the art rock ballad "Silent Lucidity" thrust Queensryche into just such a quandary. Last night at Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre, the group revealed which tack they've taken as their greatest success threatens to fade from our cultural memory. "We've been a band for a long time," explained singer Geoff Tate, introducing "Lucidity" for the 3,403 in attendance. "People say we've achieved our dreams. Well, we couldn't have done that without you." That might sound like hyperbole, but the group's performance made Tate's words believable.

Graciously and repeatedly acknowledging their fans' enthusiasm, Queensryche's members are clearly thankful for the extended artistic life their moment in the Top 40 brought them. The group's latest recording, "Hear In The Now Frontier," abandons the "concept album" approach of some past releases. Not surprisingly, Queensryche's live set ran scattershot over a number of oft-explored topics. "Spreading The Disease" decried media manipulation, "Bridge" considered unforgot-ten childhood traumas and "Empire" kicked at the edges of American mythology. The messages of the songs were further explored in video montages Fossils, felonies Hunting fossils isn't always fun and games.

Consider the discovery by commercial fossil hunters, sometime back, of the most complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex ever found in America. The specimen, since nicknamed "Sue" by its discoverers although its sex is undetermined was found in the Badlands region of South Dakota. The hunters paid $5,000 for the skeleton to the landowner, a Native American fanner, and Limestone. The shale layer is especially attractive for. fossil hounds because its softness makes specimens easy to extract.

There is a problem with the site, however. The steepness of the slope creates a slight danger of periodic rock slides. But because the Brush Creek layer lies only a few feet above ground level, no climbing is required to reach it. The formation is loaded with well-preserved fossils. It also features an unusual limestone mound, about 8 feet high, which was formed by the busy activities of burrowing creatures, ancestors of modern shrimp and crabs, but the remains were not commercial license for WQEX, citing the plan as "an alternative remedy" to which it would give expedited consideration.

As a result, WQED argues that the commission must, in fairness, Not your Ordinary i. Pet Store and the FBI began shopping it to museums. Authorities were alerted, however, and issued an arrest warrant for Sue's new owners. It seems they violated federal law by removing fossils from government land without a permit. The farm was on an Indian reservation.

FBI agents raided the warehouse where the fossil was stored. They arrested the owners and seized Sue. One of the men spent two years in jail. The skeleton will be auctioned by Sotheby's this fall. preserved.

A recent rock slide split the mound open, so its interior structure can be studied. Just like Route 28, Route 51 is a heavily traveled highway. Even though the fossil site is protected by a guardrail, caution and common sense need to be exercised concerning parking and approaching the site. 3. Ames Limestone appears again at a cut along the northbound lane of Route 60, the Beaver Valley Expressway yet another busy highway about a quarter-mile south of the Aliquippa exit ramp.

The site contains the most diverse collection of fossils within the Ames its station swap "approve the Cornerstone exchange now." In regard to the loss of local programming on WQEX, the response says that "without the badly needed financial infusion that grant of these applications will create, there may well be no local programming on either WQEX or WQED." And WQED says the argument that it misrepresented itself before the FCC is based on "untrue allegations of misstatements to other bodies, specious conclusions and the fanciful hypothesis that WQED should have saved petitioners the TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 1-800-228-NEWS VQED responds to critics of WQED FROM PAGE C-1 'a argues in its response that the Cornerstone swap agree-Xment was the major reason the FCC turned down its attempt to secure a JUMP IN ANYTIME! We'll be Hoppy to see you. WB affiliate moving to Jeannette Ml SUPPIIGS "PLUS" MCKrflght Rd. 369-7530 Greensburg 38-8188 South Hill 831-8986 Heldelburg 279-41 1 9 Monroevflle Cranberry The WB television network affiliate in Johnstown has received Federal Communications Commission approval to move its license to Jeannette, citing the inability of the Johnstown-Altoona market to support five television stations. WTWB-TV, which broadcasts on Channel 19. will lose its netwolk 374-1455 778-4822 will lose the athliation.