Win a Chance for Tickets to "Burn the Floor" Ballroom Dance Performance by Joining GlobalPittsburgh or Signing Up New Members

GlobalPittsburgh is raffling off two pairs of tickets for "Burn the Floor," the international ballroom dance extravaganza, to new GlobalPittsburgh members or current paid members who sign up at least two new members before December 27.

The tickets will be good for performances at Heinz Hall on either December 28th at 7:30PM or December 31st at 8:00PM. Each pair of tickets(two tickets) is worth $110.

Winners will be selected at random from new members and current paid members who are able to sign up two new paid members before December 27. Members will get one extra entry for each new paid member they refer after signing up two.

An annual membership is only $40 and provides a year of opportunities to meet Internationals and Americans for group activities, holiday dinners, cultural events, more free & discounted tickets, and more. It will be a gift to help them learn more about other cultures and customs while helping connect them to Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh to the rest of the world.


If you have an American friend who you think is interested in international connections, open his/her eyes with a gift of membership. If they know everything about other countries and cultures, sign them up to help GlobalPittsburgh welcome international leaders to Pittsburgh.

Here's how the BURN THE FLOOR raffle works:

Current Paid GlobalPittsburgh Members:
- One entry for the raffle : Sign up two new paid members (The people you refer must pay for membership for you to be entered to win the tickets)

- One more entry for raffle: Each time you refer a person who then pays to join after the first two paid memberships.

Example: If you sign up four new paid members, this is worth three entries to win the pair of tickets.

Note: Referrals must pay before December 27th for them to qualify toward your raffle entries.

New Members:
- New members will receive one entry each for paid membership.

They’ll then have the opportunity to refer more members to receive more entries to win the tickets.

Information and a video on the performance can be found at:

http://www.pgharts.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=25652

Years before Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance turned ballroom dancing into must-see TV, one sizzling show was setting stages ablaze around the globe. BURN THE FLOOR, the electrifying Latin and Ballroom dance spectacular that has thrilled audiences in more than 30 countries, brings the fire and passion of their live performance to Heinz Hall for one week only! Now featuring Dancing with the Stars champion Mark Ballas.

Please consider giving a GlobalPittsburgh membership as a gift this holiday season. A GlobalPittsburgh membership is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year and a way to create lifelong friendships.

CLICK HERE for a registration form. For more information, or to make a credit card payment, please contact Tim Allen at 412-392-4513 or by email at tallen@pciv.org.
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GlobalPittsburgh Honoring Urban Youth Action for International Program Taking Inner City Youth to China, Building Global Awareness

Urban Youth Action, Inc., the Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that has taken groups of African-American teens to China for the past two years, will be honored by GlobalPittsburgh and its parent organization, the National Council for International Visitors, for building bridges of understanding and communication between the Pittsburgh Region and other parts of the world.

Representatives from Urban Youth Action, including Executive Director Ruthie D. King, will receive the NCIV's coveted Gold Star Award for excellence in citizen diplomacy at the GlobalPittsburgh Annual Dinner on Monday, December 20, 2010 at LeMont Restaurant.

GlobalPittsburgh President Roger Cranville said Urban Youth Action’s program exemplifies the type of grass roots citizen diplomacy that helps strengthen international relations at the personal level.

“Global awareness has become an essential part of any young person’s education, and Urban Youth Action is creating opportunities for international travel that might not otherwise exist,” Cranville said. “We want to honor Urban Youth Action and Ruthie King for their admirable efforts in expanding the horizons of the next generation of the world’s leaders.”

While in China, the group of 10 teenagers participated in service learning projects and culture immersion programs, including harvesting apricots and garlic, converting used cooking oil into body soap, and attending a calligraphy arts, jade, silk and tea exhibition.

Urban Youth Action is a youth education and development program founded in 1966 to emphasize the importance of education, employment readiness, and community service. Its programs are designed to encourage minority business ownership, supply life-skills information, provide work experience and career exposure through internship placements, build mentor relationships for students with specific career goals with professionals working in those career fields, provide information regarding post-high school education, and provide academic enrichment services such as tutoring and homework help.

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 also will present an International Bridge Award to Center Rock, Inc., the Somerset County drilling company that helped rescue the trapped Chilean miners in October.

In addition to honoring Urban Youth Action and Center Rock, the GlobalPittsburgh Annual Dinner will focus on the theme “Celebrating Chile – Connecting Countries, Cultures and Citizen Diplomats.” The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at LeMont Restaurant, 1114 Grandview Avenue on Mt. Washington.

Since 1993, the International Bridge Awards have been a unique recognition of the region’s global connections by GlobalPittsburgh, which 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.

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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Consol Energy President to Address "Global Energy Demand: Feeding a Growing Appetite" in Dec. 9 Lunch Program - Free Webcast Available

Global Business Dialogue and Webcast - Global Energy Demand: Feeding a Growing Appetite

J. Brett Harvey, President, Chairman and CEO, CONSOL Energy

December 9, 2010

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Duquesne Club, 325 Sixth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Registration for this event has closed. For information about this event, please call the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh at 412-281-7970.

The developing world comprises three-fourths of the world’s population, but consumes less than one-quarter of the world’s commercial energy. As these countries continue to develop, how will their increasing demand for commercial energy impact world fuel supplies and production?

J. Brett Harvey will discuss worldwide demand for energy in developing nations, traditional energy markets, the role of renewables, the enduring importance of fossil fuels, and the impact of environmental restrictions on the U.S. economy and energy production.

Harvey is President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CONSOL Energy and Chief Executive Officer of CNX Gas.

Harvey has held a number of senior positions within the energy sector throughout his career. Prior to joining CONSOL, he was president and chief executive officer of PacifiCorp Energy Inc., a subsidiary of PacifiCorp, one of the country’s largest electric utility companies. He also served as vice president of PacifiCorp Fuels Department and president and chief executive officer of Interwest Mining Company.

Harvey is a member of the International Energy Agency and Leadership Council of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. Locally, he is a member of the Executive Committee of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America and a director of the Greater Pittsburgh Council of the Boy Scouts. Harvey also serves on the Board of Directors for Allegheny Technologies Incorporated and the Barrick Gold Corporation.

Live Webcast Link
CLICK HERE to watch the live webcast. Online viewers will be able to submit questions during the Q & A period.

Webcast Ready?
For more information about preparing for viewing the webcast, click here.

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Zipcar Waives $75 Sign-Up Fee for GlobalPittsburgh Members and Offers Discounts on Hourly Rates. Another Reason to Join Today!

Zipcar is waiving its $75 sign-up fee for GlobalPittsburgh members and offering discounted hourly rates for Zipcar's shared vehicle service. Use a Zipcar for offsite business trips or personal errands anytime you like. Zipcar operates in Pittsburgh and dozens of cities across North America.

GlobalPittsburgh Discounted Weekday Rates for Pittsburgh:

Discounted Hourly Rate: $8.25 (That's $1.00 off the standard hourly rate for most vehicles)
Business Day Rate (7am-7pm): $51
24-Hour Day Rate: $62
Annual Membership Fee: $25

All rates include gas, insurance, and 180 miles/day ($0.45/mile thereafter) for a $25 annual membership fee. These special rates cover all vehicles except BMWs and convertibles. Weekend rates vary depending on metro and length of reservation.

This offer is available to paid members of the GlobalPittsburgh Network, including hosts, supporters and members of the GlobalPittsburgh Connect program. If you're already a member of the GlobalPittsburgh Network, or have any questions, please contact Tim Allen of GlobalPittsburgh at 412-392-4513 or at tallen@globalpittsburgh.org.

If you're not a GlobalPittsburgh member, you can also call Tim at the number above to register by phone, and he can give you details of how to get the Zipcar membership and discounts. Individual memberships in the GlobalPittsburgh Network cost $40 per year and $50 per household. CLICK HERE to register online.

If you're already a Zipcar member, you're still eligible for the GlobalPittsburgh discount. Just contact Tim at the number above and he'll help you make the switch. Sign up takes about 5 minutes. You’ll need your driver’s license and credit card. After you’re approved, your Zipcard will arrive at your billing address in 5-7 days. 

How it Works:

Once you’ve received your Zipcard in the mail, simply make a reservation online and use your Zipcard to access the reserved vehicle. Invoices are online and updated after each reservation (click on “my stuff” then “my bill” to view your invoice). Your credit card will be charged after the end of each reservation.

Learn more about Zipcar at www.zipcar.com.
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Act Aware: World AIDS Day 2010 in Pittsburgh

Today (Dec. 1) marks the observance of World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness, educating, and honoring those who have died in the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The city of Pittsburgh will do its part to Act Aware, the theme for this year’s World AIDS Day, and the public is encouraged to participate and spread awareness. Here is a list of events going on around the city, as compiled by Global Solutions Education Fund Pittsburgh:

Wednesday, December 1st - World AIDS Day

Sembene - The Film & Arts Festival joins forces with New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive Justice, Global Solutions Education Fund Pittsburgh and the Partnership for Minority HIV/AIDS Prevention to host the Pittsburgh premiere of the South African film, ‘TAPOLOGO’ in observance of World AIDS Day, December 1st at 6:00 PM, at the Shadow Lounge. Shadow Lounge is located at 5972 Baum Boulevard, in Pittsburgh’s East Side. Doors open at 5:30. This film is free and the public is welcome to attend. Please go to www.sembenefilmfestival.org for more information, or contact Sabira Bushra by phone at 412-657-6916 or by email at info.sembenefilmfestival@gmail.com

Also going on around Pittsburgh on Wednesday, December 1st for World Aids Day

• Highmark Spire Turns Red: Fifth Avenue Place
• Red Ribbon Cookies & Coffee: 10 AM outside City-County Building
• Press Conference with Mayor Luke Ravenstahl: 10:30 AM, City-County Building
• McKeesport Collaborative HIV/AIDS Working Group: Free HIV Testing & Hot Dog Social, 11 AM to 2 PM
• Free HIV Testing: GLCC, 210 Grant Street, 11 AM to 3 PM
• Pittsburgh Aids Task Force 25th Anniversary Luncheon: Rivers Club, One Oxford Center
• Sixth Annual Red Ribbon Gala: 6 PM, Twentieth Century Club
• Candlelight Vigil: 5:30 PM; Starts at CMU, proceeds down Forbes Avenue, ends at Heinz Chapel
• 23rd Annual World AIDS Day Memorial Service: 7 PM, Heinz Chapel
• La Gourmadine Bakery, Lawrenceville, will donate a portion of proceeds from raspberry chocolate dessert sales on Dec. 1st
• J’eet, Garfield, will donate 20% of proceeds from various specials
• Remedy Restaurant, Lawrenceville, will donate a portion of their proceeds from a World AIDS Day dish
• Round Corner Cantina, Lawrenceville, will donate 50% of proceeds from Red Sangria sales on Dec. 1st
• Spin, Shadyside, will offer drink specials, donating a portion of their proceeds
• Square Café, Regent Square, will donate 50 % of all their proceeds on Dec. 1st
• Union Grill, Oakland, will donate a portion of proceeds from an eggplant parmesan special on World AIDS Day
• Sweetest Dessert Studio and Bakery, Pitcairn, will feature a new dessert -- “With Love - Aids Prevention Cupcakes" (in southern style red velvet) -- with a portion of the proceeds being donated to aids awareness and prevention during the month of December
• Vanilla Pastry, East Liberty, will donate 25% of proceeds from a World AIDS Day-themed dessert, during the week of World AIDS Day
• Willow Restaurant, North Hills, will donate portions of proceeds from drink and dessert specials during the week of World AIDS Day

Thursday, December 2nd

• PA/Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education & Training Center Act Aware Conference: 1-6 PM, University Club
• Know Your Status/Free Testing: 7 AM to 6 PM, University of Pittsburgh Early Prevention Project

Friday, December 3rd

• AIDS Quilt Reception: 6-7 PM, First United Methodist Church
• Sunday, December 5th
• World AIDS Day Wrap-Up Social: 6-9 PM, Andy Warhol Museum

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information on World AIDS Day events and HIV/AIDS information:

Pittsburgh Red Campaign: www.pittsburghred.org

Official World AIDS Day website: http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/

Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force: http://www.patf.org

Student Global AIDS Project University of Pittsburgh: http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/sgap/

Stop HIV (Pennsylvania’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Planning and Services): http://www.stophiv.com/

The Body (The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource): http://www.thebody.com/

About World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1st each year around the world. It has become one of the most recognized international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

UNAIDS took the lead on World AIDS Day campaigning from its creation in 1988 until 2004. From 2004 onwards the World AIDS Campaign's Global Steering Committee began selecting a theme for World AIDS Day in consultation with civil society, organizations and government agencies involved in the AIDS response.Themes run for one or two years and are not just specific to World AIDS Day. Campaigning slogans, such as "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise," have been used year round to hold governments accountable for their HIV and AIDS related commitments.

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GlobalPittsburgh Honoring Somerset County Drilling Company For Efforts to Help Save Trapped Chilean Miners

Center Rock, Inc., the Somerset County, Pa.-based company that provided advanced drilling technology to help rescue the 33 trapped Chilean miners in October, will be honored by GlobalPittsburgh with its International Bridge Award for building bridges of understanding and communication between the Pittsburgh Region and other parts of the world.

Officials from Center Rock, whose technology was a key part in the rescue of the miners who were trapped 2,000 feet underground for two months, will receive the award at the GlobalPittsburgh Annual Dinner on Monday, December 20, 2010 at LeMont Restaurant.

GlobalPittsburgh President Roger Cranville said Center Rock’s actions to help with the Chilean mine rescue, which captured the attention of the world, exemplify the type of grass roots citizen diplomacy that helps strengthen international relations at the personal level.

“This is the type of goodwill effort to bring the people of the world together that no government entity could accomplish,” Cranville said. “We want to honor the people of Center Rock for their amazing success in this heroic rescue, and raise them up as an example of what citizen diplomacy can achieve.”

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.

Center Rock’s involvement in the Chilean mine rescue began in mid-August, after news that 33 men working underground at the time of a major mine collapse at the San Jose Mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapo, Chile, were still alive after 17 days. The bad news was that it could take until Christmas to free them.

At Center Rock, a small company in Berlin, Pa., President and CEO Brandon Fisher, and Richard Soppe, Manager of DHD Sales & Product Development, knew that Center Rock’s technology could help aid in the rescue of the 33 miners. They launched a plan that ultimately led to the men’s release two months ahead of schedule.

Working through a network of its distributors and fellow drilling experts with contacts in Chile, Center Rock was able to provide the special equipment that created a shaft wide enough to accommodate the rescue capsule in what came to be known as “Plan B.”

On September 4, Fisher and Soppe arrived at the site of the rescue to join several other members of the drilling team who had traveled from other parts of the world. Rescuers would use increasingly larger versions of Center Rock’s DTH (down-the-hole) drilling technology to create a shaft large enough to permit use of the 22-inch-wide, 13-foot-tall rescue capsule, dubbed the “Phoenix,” which pulled the miners to safety starting on October 12.

In addition to honoring Center Rock with the International Bridge Award, the GlobalPittsburgh Annual Dinner will focus on the theme “Celebrating Chile – Connecting Countries, Cultures and Citizen Diplomats,” and feature fine food, a wine tasting, music and entertainment. The event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at LeMont Restaurant, 1114 Grandview Avenue on Mt. Washington.

Since 1993, the International Bridge Awards have been a unique recognition of the region’s global connections by GlobalPittsburgh, which 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.

Tickets to the GlobalPittsburgh Annual Dinner at LeMont are available by calling 412-392-4513 or sending email to Gail Shrott at gshrott@pciv.org. Tickets are $50 each for GlobalPittsburgh members, $60 for non-members, or $450 for a table of eight. Advance reservations are required and must be paid by December 13, 2010.

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. READ FULL ARTICLE

Delta Air Lines Expanding Service Between Pittsburgh and Paris Starting in Summer 2011

Delta Air Lines announced that it will expand its nonstop service between Pittsburgh International Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, a move that Allegheny County officials called a vote of confidence for the international air travel market in the Pittsburgh region.

Delta said today that it will begin operating the service daily, an increase of two flights each week, beginning June 1, 2011 for the summer travel season. Flights are available at Delta.com and other ticketing outlets.

"Increasing the weekly departures and extending the schedule for this flight affirms what has been a top priority for me: This region needs and can support nonstop air travel to Europe," said Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. "Today's announcement opens the door to exciting opportunities that could lead to more jobs, commerce and other development."

Beginning June 1, Delta Flight 38 departs daily from Pittsburgh (PIT) at 6:35 pm and arrives at Paris (CDG) at 8:20 am the next day. Delta Flight 39 departs daily from Paris (CDG) at 11:10 am and arrives in Pittsburgh (PIT) at 2:05 pm.

The Pittsburgh to Paris flight via Delta Air Lines was launched on June 3, 2009, with the help of the Regional Air Service Partnership – a partnership of the Allegheny Conference, Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Airport Authority – which made direct, non-stop service to Europe a top priority.

Delta's Pittsburgh-Paris flight increases access to many destinations our travelers need to reach and it saves them time and money in the process," said Glenn R. Mahone, Chairman of the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

Dennis Yablonsky, CEO, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, said Delta’s announcement "reaffirms the global strength of our regional economy."

"Interest in Pittsburgh among global business decision-makers has never been higher," he said. "Non-stop transatlantic service that bypasses crowded East Coast hubs provides a real competitive advantage for hundreds of foreign-owned firms in our region as well as U.S.-based businesses that are expanding internationally."

Expanding the Pittsburgh-Paris service is “part of our ongoing commitment to the city, which includes Delta’s 31 daily nonstop flights to seven cities from Pittsburgh International Airport,” said Wayne Aaron, Delta’s vice president – Marketing Programs and Distribution Strategy.

The flight has performed significantly better in its second year of service beginning in June 2010, said Ken Zapinski, Allegheny Conference senior vice president for transportation and infrastructure. The ultimate fate of the flight will depend in large part on the level of support for the flight in the upcoming winter and spring travel seasons, he said. “We need to keep up the performance to ensure this service continues,” Zapinski said.

The Pittsburgh to Paris-Charles De Gaulle flight offers travelers connections to more than 100 destinations in Europe and beyond. The flight is currently offered four days each week, with Pittsburgh departures on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; and Paris departures on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.
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