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Thursday, November 22, 2018
Fwd: CC Summit registration is now open!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Harrisburg & Pittsburgh Crashes with Youth Elections in Pennsylvania
(Sunday, April 22, 2012)
Twenty five high school students from Obama Academy of International Studies, an I.B. school within Pittsburgh Public Schools, were in a charter bus that was hit on the PA Turnpike while on travels home from Harrisburg after the conclusion of the YMCA Youth and Government model convention in the state capital today. None of the students nor the teacher nor two other adult volunteers were injured in the Sunday evening accident, westbound around Murrysville, mile marker 65. The bus driver as well as the driver of the semi-truck were both unhurt.
The bus and the semi truck carrying new Mercedes sedans bumped sides and scraped together while heading in the same direction. All of the exterior windows along the right side of the bus were broken and shattered, but the glass never reached the interior by the passengers.
“Wind seemed to push the truck into the bus through a turn and the driver did a great job to avert a more catastrophic accident,” said Tobias Rather, a junior within the school club. “State police were called and no arrest nor citations were made to our knowledge.”
Traveling on the bus were the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the Editor in Chief of Pennsylvania's Youth Government. All had been just been voted upon and sworn into office just hours prior in the PA State House Chambers. The student delegation had been to a four-day, model-government convention directed by the Pennsylvania YMCA (YAG). YAG brought together more than 400 students from across the state to participate in government events.
Students at YAG run their own government, electing a student Governor, presently Erik Rauterkus (junior from Pittsburgh's South Side); Lieutenant Governor, Ben Junker (junior from Bloomfield); and Editor in Chief, Anna Vitti (junior from Highland Park). Two other elected officials come from elsewhere in the state: The Speaker of the House is from Hershey and the Chief Justice is from East Shore Y in Harrisburg.
These leaders facilitate YAG members in a year-long quest to write, debate, amend and vote for bills with committee and floor sessions. Bills are signed or vetoed by the Governor. Others win or lose court cases, report on top stories, and lobby for new PA laws. Some YAG legislation has been introduced and passed into real law within Pennsylvania.
“YAG has been a well-respected state program for many decades,” said Erik Rauterkus, now the 66th Youth Governor in PA.
“The YAG program clearly demonstrated various perceptions among citizens from suburban and rural delegations who have notoriously dominated the events in Harrisburg,” said Matt Lampl, Obama junior, Squirrel Hill.
“Only two out of 24 delegations come from within Philadelphia or Pittsburgh city limits. Naturally, the leadership tended to sway toward delegates from rural, rather than urban, areas, as they represented the majority. But the Obama delegation of 2012 made unprecedented impact this year.”
“Ours was an amazing feat, sweeping three out of the five main leadership positions,” said Annie Widom, junor, Squirrel Hill. Widom held a lobby position this week at YAG.
Rauterkus claimed the top spot in the election for Governor by besting a veteran YAG member, Erin Agnew, from Springfield, which is also the largest delegation.
The bus crash was the second major crash for Rauterkus this week. Just two days prior to the trip to Harrisburg, Rauterkus, one of the areas top junior competitive cyclists and captain of the school's swim team, was rushed to Presbyterian Hospital after experiencing a major tumble within a sprint in a race at the Bud Harris Cycling Oval. Suffering from plenty of road rash and soreness, he persevered and still attended the youth leadership event.
Ben Junker, a swimming and waterpolo teammate of Rauterkus, pulled off a similar victory, narrowly beating five other peer members for the role of Lieutenant Governor. One of his duties is to preside over the Senate. Junker also was awarded the Outstanding Senate Committee Chair in the final joint session.
The new Editor-in-chief for YAG, Anna Vitti, was elected to that position by her peers and moved from her role as reporter.
Obama freshman, Rohun Joseph, was the fourth member of the squad who got put onto the YMCA invite list to attend CONA, the USA version for Youth Government. Adult advisers evaluate the students throughout the year and select an all-star cadre of youth leaders to meet for a week in North Carolina in July. Only 26 students in Pennsylvania get that opportunity.
This was the first year of the Obama delegation, as it replaced the recently closed Schenley High School. “The students made a great impression with their skills and leadership abilities, said YMCA Program Director, Adoree DeLuca-Johnson. “They brought the Obama Academy and Pittsburgh names to the state.”
The YAG members were reminded in an opening speech by Governor Tom Corbett, “Youth are the future of this world.” In the closing session, the Lieutenant Governor, Jim Cawley spoke about voting and duties as citizens.
“The key role we play in the YAG program may indicate the beginning of better relationship among the urban, suburban and rural areas of our Commonwealth in both policy and politics” said Demetri Lardas, Obama junior, from the Oakland area of Pittsburgh.
James Hill, 2011 Schenley graduate, from Stanton Heights and a former YAG participant said, “I'm thankful that no one was hurt in the bus crash. It must have been in exciting end to an exciting weekend. I'm immensely proud of Erik, Ben, and Anna for making a smash this year. Working with them in the past, I know that they are great kids and that they are going to work hard to make YAG even better next year. I'm very proud that they're making there own legacy and proving inner city schools have what it takes."
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For more information:
Angela Perfetti, Senior, Pgh Obama, Reporter at YAG
Mark Rauterkus, PA YAG volunteer, Mark@Rauterkus.com, 412-298-3432
Photos available.
Also see:
The PA YMCA site: http://www.ymcapa.org/index.html
PA YAG blog: http://payagpress.tumblr.com/
PA YAG YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PaYouthandGov
Monday, March 03, 2008
Members of the OpenOffice.org Community have selected Beijing, China as host
Members of the OpenOffice.org Community have selected Beijing, China as the venue for their 2008 Annual Conference (OOoC0n), which will be held between October 15th and 17th (provisional dates). The result of the on-line ballot of Community members was as follows:
Beijing (China) 597
Orvieto (Italy) 126
Amsterdam (The Netherlands) 62
Bratislava (Slovakia) 56
Budapest (Hungary) 50
Dundalk (Ireland) 22
This marks a milestone in the development of the OpenOffice.org Community, as it will be the first time that OOoCon will be held outside Europe. The voting also shows the continuing growth of the Community, with the number of votes cast over 50% up on last year.
Peter Junge, joint leader of the successful bid, was delighted with the result: "The Beijing OOoCon team is really honoured to be the Community's choice to organize and host this years OpenOffice.org Conference. We are looking forward to welcome a large number of OpenOffice.org contributors from all over the world. Let's celebrate the globally grown community for the first time outside of Europe. Now, it's our job to face the big challenge, to land OpenOffice.org at a new shore."
Every year, a completely new team stages OOoCon. The result is a conference which has a lot of fresh energy every year, guarantees surprises, but which is also reliably interesting. Many attendees consider it to be one of the most informative and friendliest open-source events to be found anywhere in the world.
The Conference website is here:
http://marketing.openoffice.org/conference
People interested in attending are invited to subscribe to the Conference mailing list by sending a blank email to mailto:ooocon2008_discuss-subscribe@marketing.openoffice.org
The OpenOffice.org Conference Team
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Robotics Institute: Teaching technical creativity through Robotics: A case study in Ghana
I wonder what these kids in Africa have next to what we do with our own kids?
Robotics Institute: Teaching technical creativity through Robotics: A case study in Ghana Creating technology that is relevant and accessible to developing communities is an emerging area of scholarly and practical importance. Diversity in both the creators and conshttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifumers of advanced technology is required to develop sustained and useful applications of robotics, AI, and other technical fields in developing regions. Increased diversity will result in a wider array of technological innovations that are of benefit to both developed and developing regions. However, due to restricted access to technical resources, infrastructure, and expertise, technology education in developing communities is non-trivial. Thus, international partnerships and creative course designs are required. In response to this need, we developed a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, USA and Ashesi University in Accra, Ghana to design and implement an undergraduate introductory Robotics course targeted towards the Ghanaian context.Check out this example of what's going on with high-tech in developing countries:http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
http://www.techbridgeworld.org
Of particular interest (from Joel) is one article linked to from the "Publications" section of the site:
http://www.ri.cmu.edu/pubs/pub_5743.html
Click on the "pdf" link to get the whole essay.
One has to respect these people -- both the folks from Carnegie Mellon and the natives of Ghana-- who are willing to take on subjects like AI (Artificial Intelligence) and robotics under the conditions they faced.
Near the end of the article, the authors describe themselves as being "in the preliminary development stages of a robotics kit modeled on the Open Source Software approach." I wonder how much progress has been made in this area? Is anyone up for contacting the article's authors and pursuing this?
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
polishlinux.org -- Free software in Polish schools
polishlinux.org - Free software in Polish schools Thousands of Polish high school students now have a chance to learn about GNU/Linux and the benefits of using free software as Polish FLOSS foundation together with school headmasters, supported by local authorities organize a series of lectures on free software in education. PolishLinux.org has a report — summary of the first 3 months of the campaign.We are going to get pounded by the rest of the world. Our schools are not using open source software as they should.
The proposed Science and Technology school slated for Pittsburgh, in the future, perhaps, should have everything centered upon open source software. Everything. All the majors would have to have to have understandings into this type of technology.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Science and Technology School should ONLY include open source software
The Open Minds Conference is the first national K-12 gathering for teachers, technicians and educational leaders to share and explore the benefits of open source in education. Virtual Learning Environments that provide 24X7 access to teaching and learning resources, cutting-edge and easy-to-use desktop applications, coupled with powerful management tools and low-cost computer strategies make the classroom of tomorrow available today!If I was controller, or if I was on city council, Pittsburgh would be hosting events and conferences like this throughout the year.
http://www.centerdigitaled.com/conference.php?confid=378
Monday, April 16, 2007
This is how a revolution in local politics happens
Watch the Video. We want technology.
In the video, presenting with Kelly Ware and David Dunn at a public event hosted by the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network. David was in Boston today, running the marathon. I hope he survived.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
BootCamp - Pittsburgh - a rich, but no charge, event of community and technology. Be there!
Contact:
Justin Kownacki
Kownacki Productions, LLC
412-628-4231
FREE Internet BootCamp Announces Schedule
Pittsburgh, PA, April 12, 2007 – The organizers of last year’s wildly successful PodCamp Pittsburgh are pleased to announce the schedule for BootCamp PGH, a FREE one-day introductory event for internet users on April 21. The 25 sessions will cover the basics of blogging, podcasting, and “social networking” (i.e. making social and business contacts using websites like MySpace). Presenters include a wide range of experts, including popular podcasting musician Matthew Ebel, online entertainment guru and PodCamp co-founder Chris Brogan of Network2, the creator and cast of local web series “Something To Be Desired”, and Pittsburgh-based internet personality iJustine, runner-up in Yahoo’s recent national Talent Search. The event will be held at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, 420 Boulevard of the Allies, on Saturday April 21, from 9am-5pm. For more information and to register for FREE, go to www.bootcamppgh.org.
The 25 scheduled sessions include an introduction to blogging including a hands-on workshop where participants will create blogs of their own, a step-by-step guide to creating a podcast along with discussions of what to talk about and how to talk about it more effectively, an exploration of using the internet to expand small businesses, and a beginner’s guide to creating an online identity and posting photos using sites like MySpace, Flickr, and Twitter. Many sessions will be held in computer labs with high-speed internet access, so having a laptop is not necessary to attend, although they are welcome. Additional individual help will be offered throughout the day in the “Mentoring Lounge”. By the end of the day, participants will be able to start their own blogs and podcasts and will be fully prepared for the more in-depth topics that will be covered at PodCamp Pittsburgh 2, another FREE weekend event in August that’s expected to draw some of the biggest names on the internet. For more information and a complete list of the sessions and their times, go to www.bootcamppgh.org.
Matthew Ebel is a singer-songwriter whose last album was recorded using Garage Band, a standard piece of software that usually comes pre-installed on Macintosh computers. He is also the host of the High Orbit Podcast, which features “podsafe music” which can be used for free on any podcast. Mr. Ebel will lead the introduction to audio recording.
Chris Brogan is the community developer for Network2, the online guide to internet TV. He is also the co-founder of PodCamp, a worldwide movement bringing together the most influential names in “new media”. Mr. Brogan will be discussing the value of building an online community and will also help present the introduction to podcasting.
“Something To Be Desired”, the only ongoing web series set and shot in Pittsburgh and one of the longest-running shows on the internet, has been online since 2003 and has developed a devoted worldwide following. The cast, along with creator Justin Kownacki, who is also a co-organizer of BootCamp PGH and the upcoming PodCamp Pittsburgh 2, will offer performance tips and discuss finding your unique voice in order to create compelling content.
Justine Ezarik, known to much of the world as iJustine, came in second in the recent Yahoo! Talent Search, a national competition to find the next internet superstar, and is Pittsburgh’s top videoblogger. Her video shorts can be seen at www.MommyPackMyLunch.com, and her official blog is www.TastyBlogSnack.com. Ms. Ezarik will present numerous sessions throughout the day, including hands-on demonstrations of social media tools like MySpace and Twitter.
Other presenters include the co-founders of Pittsburgh Bloggers: Cynthia Closkey, Mike Woycheck, and Christina Schulman; Alex Landefeld of Silurian-Devonian Films and the Minute Lit podcast; Mike Sorg and the Wrestling Mayhem crew; Guru.com’s Jia Ji; Shawn Smith of weekly podcast Geek Riot; Jim Shireman of Pittsburgh sports blog and podcast Sportsocracy; Allegheny County Executive candidate Mark Rauterkus; Mark Juliano, VP of podcast hosting site TalkShoe; and more.
BootCamp PGH is seeking additional sponsors and is open to adding presenters. Interested parties should contact Justin Kownacki at jkownacki@gmail.com.
For additional information, Contact:
Justin Kownacki
Kownacki Productions, LLC
412-628-4231
jkownacki@gmail.com
Matthew Ebel
The Cast of “Something To Be Desired”
iJustine
Sunday, April 01, 2007
New Pittsburgh: High-tech growth starts at home, group says
From texture - misc. |
CMU is going to host a high tech conference in November 2007 that is meant to be a way to get the word out about technology education as a great opportunity for girl students. Today, guys still have a large percentage of seats in high tech academic programs.
Blast from the past news article from May 1, 2003 and the P-G:
New Pittsburgh: High-tech growth starts at home, group says Pittsburgh's efforts to attract more young high technology professionals are well known and documented.One of the ways to use the now closed indoor ice rink owned by the city is to turn part of it into the year-round home for the Youth Technology Summit. The entire building and park would not need to be devoted to technology. However, it would be great to have a youth-driven space where open-source tools are always "on."
Jeannette Blosel/Post-Gazette
Photo of Mark Rauterkus and Diane Durand at Alphachimp Studios in Oakland.
But some local high tech enthusiasts believe that if the region really wants to build its reservoir of high tech talent, the best place to start is with children who already live here.
From family - travels |