Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Support GlobalPittsburgh With Your Holiday Purchases - Percentage of What You Spend will be Returned as Donation to GlobalPittsburgh – At No Cost to You!

With the holiday season approaching, we have a tremendous opportunity to raise additional funds for GlobalPittsburgh — but it requires your help. It won’t cost you a penny.

We've partnered with We-Care.com to offer the We-Care Reminder. It allows us to receive a donation whenever you shop online at hundreds of participating merchants — at no extra cost to you.

The Reminder is a browser extension for Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Internet Explorer. It takes less than a minute to install on your computer. It's a breeze to download, and it works great!

There are three things you can do to help:

It’s this easy:

  1. Go to http://globalpittsburgh.We-Care.com/Start and download the We-Care Reminder. (Then forget about it. It works automatically.)
  2. When you visit a participating merchant, you’ll see a message thanking you for supporting GlobalPittsburgh.
  3. Just shop as you normally do, and a donation will be made — without taking a penny from your wallet. 
  4. Ask your friends and family to do the same, even if it's only forwarding this email.
  5. If you blog, tweet, use Facebook, or are involved in any form of social media, use it to spread the word!
Together, we can turn money already being spent on gifts into support for our work.

It only takes a few clicks, so please do it before you close this blog post. To get started, just visit http://globalpittsburgh.We-Care.com/Start.

P.S. If you’re reading this at work, please forward it to your personal email account to make sure you install the Reminder at home.


For access to more merchants; exclusive, money-saving offers; and the ability to track your donations, you can visit our Online Mall at http://globalpittsburgh.we-care.com.

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Monday, October 25, 2010

Study in Pittsburgh! More than 25 Highly-Ranked Colleges and Universities in Region Offer Powerful Educational Opportunities

The Greater Pittsburgh Region features more than 25 institutions of higher learning – many among the top-ranked in the country – providing one of the most powerful educational opportunities in the world today.

Leading Colleges & Universities in Key Fields – Computer Science / Medical Technology / Life Sciences / Business / Advanced Manufacturing / Engineering / Energy / Robotics

Cooperative Agreements among many institutions in the region permit study at more than one institution to ensure a first-rate academic experience.

Numerous English as a Second Language Programs permit students to improve their speaking and writing skills while studying or before enrolling.

Special GlobalPittsburgh CONNECT Service providing year-round activities and programs to help international students feel more comfortable in their new community.

Desirable Location Connecting Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio
High Quality of Life - Pittsburgh Voted Most Livable City in the U.S.
Low Cost of Living – Among Most Affordable in U.S.
Central Location – Within a day’s drive of New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago and Toronto
Safe – Low crime rate
Accessible – Direct flights to Europe avoid busier airports
Global – 50 international communities and 300 foreign-owned companies
Job Opportunities Upon Graduation – Westinghouse, Consol Energy, PNC Corp., Google, Microsoft, Intel and more!
Strong Entrepreneurial Spirit – Numerous Programs Supporting Startup Companies

World Leaders in Education – Major Research Institutions in the Region

Carnegie Mellon University / University of Pittsburgh / Pennsylvania State University / West Virginia University
Other leaders in the region’s academic community (click to go to school website):
Carlow University / Chatham University / Community College of Allegheny County / Duquesne University / English Language Institute at the University of Pittsburgh / Indiana University of Pennsylvania / Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh / LaRoche College / Point Park University / Pennsylvania State University - Beaver / Pennsylvania State University - Greater Allegheny / Pennsylvania State University - New Kensington / Robert Morris University / Washington & Jefferson College / West Liberty University

GlobalPittsburgh Education Partnership
Central point of contact for information about educational assets in the Greater Pittsburgh Region.
650 Smithfield Street, Suite 1180
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
412-392-4513
www.globalpittsburgh.org
info@pciv.org
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

Pub Trivia Nights at Mullaney's Harp & Fiddle to Raise Money for Youth Gaelic Football Starting October 21

Pub Trivia Nights to raise money for local youth Gaelic Football programs return to Mullaney's Harp & Fiddle on Thursday Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and will continue on the third Thursday of the month into the spring.

Openings are still available for teams of up to eight people. Each player is asked to contribute $5 per game. Games consist of seven categories with 10 questions each. Monthly prizes will be awarded, and a Grand Prize will be presented to the team with the highest cumulative score at the end of the season. For more information, contact Johnny Connolly at jconnolly71@comcast.net.

Gaelic Football can be described as a mixture of soccer and rugby, although it predates both of those games. It’s a little like Australian Rules (which evolved from it). Gaelic Football is played on a pitch about the same size as a rugby field with similar goalposts. The ball used in Gaelic Football is round, slightly smaller than a soccer ball. It can be carried in the hand for a distance of four steps and can be kicked or hand-passed, a striking motion with the hand or fist. For more information about the Pittsburgh Gaelic Athletic Association, go to www.pittsburghgaa.com.

Mullaney's Harp & Fiddle is located at 24th & Penn Avenue in the Strip District. For more information go to www.harpandfiddle.com.
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Monday, October 11, 2010

Public Invited to Community Conversation about Pittsburgh Region's Global Future; GlobalPittsburgh Hosting Session Oct. 26 with Power of 32 Visioning Project


Globally-minded residents of the Greater Pittsburgh Region are invited to share their opinions and ideas about the region’s future as a hub of international connections and cultural diversity on Tuesday October 26, 2010 in the University Club Gold Room near the University of Pittsburgh from 6-8 p.m.

GlobalPittsburgh, which attracts and engages internationals in the region, has partnered with Power of 32, a regional visioning project, to host a Community Conversation about the region’s global future. The University Club is located at 123 University Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Power of 32 is a regional initiative that provides an opportunity for all of the 4.2 million residents of the region, which encompasses 32 counties and crosses four states, to actively participate in creating a shared vision for the region's best future.

This is a free event, but pre-registration is requested by calling 412-392-4513 or emailing tcbuell@gmail.com.

In announcing the hosting of this Community Conversation, GlobalPittsburgh also committed to including the counties in the Power of 32 region in its programs and services.

“We strongly agree that the Pittsburgh region extends beyond county and state borders,” said GlobalPittsburgh President Roger O. Cranville. “In fact, we have already made several positive connections in West Virginia in our efforts to connect the region with the world, and will continue to expand our scope throughout the Power of 32 footprint.”

The Power of 32 is the largest visioning effort ever undertaken and differs from other planning efforts that have occurred in our area in that it recognizes the region has common challenges and opportunities in the global economy, but is larger than the scope of any one political entity, authority, or organization.

“We are extremely pleased that GlobalPittsburgh has become a region-wide partner, “ said Selena Schmidt, Executive Director of Power of 32. “Our initiative is modeled on other successful efforts in Torino, Italy and Essen, Germany. GlobalPittsburgh, which is connecting and developing our international community to the world, is a great partner in our efforts to show what can be done through the power of collaboration.”

The 32 counties included in the visioning effort – 15 in southwestern Pennsylvania, five in eastern Ohio, 10 in north central West Virginia, and two in western Maryland – represent the cultural, geographic and economic region with metropolitan Pittsburgh at its hub.

The Power of 32 project does not have a pre-determined set of issues, and aims to include the broadest possible public participation from both people within the region and former residents around the globe. For more information, go to www.powerof32.org.

For more than 50 years, GlobalPittsburgh, formerly known as the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors, has forged relationships between the Greater Pittsburgh Region and the global community through citizen diplomacy – connecting people and institutions in the region with audiences around the world through a wide range of hosting, training, networking, educational and outreach programs and services.

GlobalPittsburgh engages international delegations, groups and individuals by creating itineraries and facilitating introductions through the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and other international programming agencies in many fields, including energy and environment, life sciences and medicine, education, business and technology, clean/green design, advanced manufacturing, arts and culture, government and finance, social services and law, and other areas.

GlobalPittsburgh welcomes individuals and families to engage in citizen diplomacy as dinner and home stay hosts, tour guides, office and event volunteers, and greeters for visiting delegations and individuals, and also provides activities for internationals and globally-minded residents through the GlobalPittsburgh Connect program.
 

For more information about GlobalPittsburgh, go to www.globalpittsburgh.org or contact Thomas Buell, Jr., GlobalPittsburgh VP-Communications, at 412-392-4513 or 412-720-2218, or by email at tcbuell@gmail.com.

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Monday, October 4, 2010

Learn About Hosting International Students at Free Program - October 13 at Avonworth High School

Avonworth High School Presents “Hosting Opportunities in Our Global Community” Wednesday, October 13, 2010 in the Avonworth High School Library at 7:00 P.M.

Evening presenters:
*American Field Service (AFS)
*Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE)
*GlobalPittsburgh
*Host Families of Avonworth Exchange Students
*World Heritage Student Exchange Program

Join our global community and get involved with the world!

R.S.V.P. by October 6th: 412 366-6360, ext. 1609
Light refreshments will be served.

Avonworth High School
258 Josephs Lane
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
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Friday, October 1, 2010

City of Asylum/Pittsburgh Program for Exiled Writers and Artists Featured on PBS "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer"

The City of Asylum/Pittsburgh program, which provides safe haven to exiled writers and artists on the city's North Side, was featured on the PBS "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on Sept. 30.
CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO
JEFFREY BROWN: And finally tonight: a safe haven for writers in danger.
You don't hear Burmese too much in Pittsburgh, and certainly not Burmese poetry. But, on a recent night, the writer Khet Mar read a poem about seeking shelter in this city, after being persecuted in her native country.
KHET MAR, poet (through translator): Life takes place amid blooming flowers. Thank you very much.
(APPLAUSE)
JEFFREY BROWN: Khet Mar was one of several writers who performed at an annual jazz and poetry celebration for an organization known as City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, which provides writers two years of free living here and a chance at a new life.
KHET MAR: I wrote some political poems with my friends, and we distributed those poems in the crowd. That made me in the jail.
(LAUGHTER)
JEFFREY BROWN: In jail.
KHET MAR: Yes.
JEFFREY BROWN: Khet Mar was a writer, teacher and social worker in Burma in the late 1980s and '90s, when university students, workers and monks first took to the streets to protest the country's repressive military regime.
KHET MAR: Generals in my country don't want people know the real situation. For example, they don't want people know we are -- Burmese people are poor and very, very bad conditions.
JEFFREY BROWN: Much of her writing told of the plight of poor villagers. In one instance, she wrote of an uncle who was forced to work in a labor camp because he couldn't pay a government tax.
KHET MAR: He couldn't pay money. So, he went there and working in the very hot weather, and he died.
JEFFREY BROWN: So, you wrote a story about this?
KHET MAR: Yes.
JEFFREY BROWN: And, of course, that becomes a political...
KHET MAR: Yes. Yes. I think I'm writing social issues, but, in Burma, social issues are political issues as well.
JEFFREY BROWN: Because of her work and writing, Khet Mar spent a year in prison and faced regular censorship.
When fellow writers were jailed during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, she sought help from human rights organizations which work with the Pittsburgh asylum program. She moved here with her family 18 months ago. In addition to rent-free housing, she's provided with a $30,000 annual stipend and health insurance.
It's not amnesty in the legal sense, but, for Khet Mar, it's given her safety and freedom she didn't have in Burma. Her artist husband, Than Htay Maung, captured that in a mural he painted on their home, life in Burma on one side, in Pittsburgh on the other.
HENRY REESE, city of Asylum/Pittsburgh: I feel we offer them to a safe place to do what they need to do unencumbered.
JEFFREY BROWN: Next door to Khet Mar is the home of businessman Henry Reese. Thirteen years ago, he heard about the European-based City of Asylum program and decided to start a Pittsburgh branch. He used townhouses he already owned on his block and raised money from foundations and local donors.
HENRY REESE: This was a way that a small community could actually stand up and protect something that we all feel is important, bring that person into our community, and maintain that dialogue within our community in both directions.
We learn from the writers and benefit from it every bit as much as, I would say, initially they benefit from us just by being protected.

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