Positively Pittsburgh Live News
8-20-12
Our World Record Submission is LIVE!
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| Group Hug! |
Great news: our submission for Largest Group Hug In A Tent has been approved. We are now World Record Holders! Check out our official world record page here.
Want to win prizes through the Record of the Month Challenge? Ask your friends and family to share your achievement on Facebook. Details here.
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NAWBO Awards - date has been changed
As the 2011-2012 NAWBO year comes to a close, it is The Pittsburgh Chapter of NAWBO tradition to recognize the women in our organization and in the Greater Pittsburgh area who have contributed their time, energy and talents to women business owners, to NAWBO and to our community. We will also recognize our new members and share news on local and national benefits of NAWBO membership..
Please join us for NAWBO's Annual /Awards Celebration. Reserve the date, Wednesday, September 19th. We invite you to join us for a special luncheon of celebration of great businesspersons and their friends. The luncheon will be held at the Grand Concourse, Station Square. Registration and networking start at 1:00 PM. The cost of the luncheon is $35.00. To register, click here.
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The Latest News from our Neighborhoods
With the tragic recent deaths of two cyclists on Penn Avenue and the injury of a Pittsburgh Police Motorcycle officer, I want to let cyclists and pedestrians know that we have safe, welcoming alternative routes already in place in the East End. During Mayor Tom Murphy's term, a bike trail called the East End Loop, part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail developed in partnership with the Friends of the Riverfront, was developed to connect Mellon Park to Frick Park and offer a safe path for those cyclists who prefer to stay off of busy, sometimes dangerous streets, such as Penn Avenue.
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Later, Bike Pittsburgh worked to expand this path all the way to Highland Park. However, this in no way negates the need to make all of our streets safe and welcoming for cyclists. Some cyclists will still choose to use Penn Avenue, but for others, especially less-experienced cyclists, "comfort-zone cycling" on safer, quieter streets is a good option. We need a vision for complete streets -- with protected bike lanes and re-timed lights to slow traffic -- that provide adequate space for cars, cyclists, and pedestrians to travel safely and easily. And, we do need to address the serious safety concerns on Penn Avenue. But until then, I simply want people to know that there are safer alternatives already available to them.
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| Mellon Park |
Mellon Park, located in the heart of the City's East End, has been a meeting place for all East End neighborhoods for decades and it will soon be getting a bit of a facelift. I held a community meeting several weeks ago to talk about what is planned for the park and I'm excited about the improvements that will be completed within the next year. First of all, the long-awaited Mellon Spray Park will finally be open to the public in the Spring of 2013. The new spray park will include seven water features and will be a huge asset to the community. In addition to the spray park, new public restrooms were just installed and will be operational very soon. We are also adding a cyclist/pedestrian crosswalk to the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Penn Avenue -- an improvement that will enhance accessibility to the park and make the area safer for cyclists and pedestrians.
Perhaps the most exciting improvements, though, are coming to us courtesy of the Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (BAMP), who will be celebrating their 75th anniversary next year. As a way of saying "thank you" to the residents of Pittsburgh, BAMP will be working with my office to construct the City's first handicapped-accessible playground in Mellon Park right next to the existing playground -- a place where children with physical disabilities can play together with their friends and siblings. BAMP is also planning to construct a concession stand and family picnic pavilions -- all free-of-charge to Pittsburgh taxpayers. As the plans move ahead, I look forward to sharing more details with you.
After working closely with my office and the surrounding community, Walnut Capital -- the developers of Bakery Square 2.0 -- will be presenting their zoning plan to the community at a meeting next Monday, August 20th at 6:30 PM at the Ellis School auditorium. After our initial community meeting in May, Walnut Capital has worked diligently with the community to change the zoning proposal and find a solution that maintains the character of the surrounding neighborhoods. Located on the site of the former Pittsburgh Reizenstein School, Bakery Square 2.0 will bring much-needed, high-quality office space to the East End to attract jobs and further investment in Shadyside, Larimer, Point Breeze, East Liberty, and Homewood. The development will be tiered, with multi-story office space along Penn Avenue, townhouses behind the office space, and single family homes near the borders of the residential heart of Shadyside. I hope you can join me at this meeting to learn more about this exciting development and lend your voice to the plans. For more information about the meeting, please see the flyer here. This meeting is public and open to everyone -- please join us!
The United States was founded on religious equity and freedom. That is why it is particularly troubling to see discrimination and hate based solely on religion and ethnicity still rear its head in our country as it did most recently with the heartbreaking murders of innocent people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. Faith in the United States is incredibly diverse and this diversity is one of our greatest strengths -- a strength that should be nurtured and protected. That's why I'm so excited about Bridging Faiths. This is a groundbreaking program of the Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee (PAJC) that immerses high school students in a program to explore other faiths, share their own faith, and become ambassadors for religious freedom and understanding across the country and the world. The program blends arts and culture, religious literacy, and service and volunteerism to create bridges between our various faith communities to dissolve the harmful stereotypes that can so often divide us. If you, your child, or your school or congregation would like to learn more about this fantastic program, please see their brochure here or visit the PAJC website.
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World Gratitude Day Pittsburgh - sponsored by PPL
Celebration of Appreciation: A World Gratitude Day Event
September 22, 2012, 1 pm, Undercroft Art Gallery, First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Ave.
Cultivate happiness through gratitude! Be uplifted through a program of music, poetry, reflection and sharing. The event will feature Life in Balance, a nationally touring Pittsburgh group that creates a unique, musical experience combining Chakra tuned quartz crystal bowls, synthesizers and World flutes. A reception and activity tables, including gratitude journals and a thank-you-note-athon, will follow the formal program. Free will offering to benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. Hosted by Karen Litzinger of Litzinger Career Consulting. Read the entire release here.
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Laugh and Learn: Laugh Often, Live Well – Free Laughter Workshop
Squirrel Hill Library, Wednesday, August 29th at 10:15 am, 5801 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh
Want to relieve stress, power up your immune system and have fun too? Join Julie Ann Sullivan, Certified Laughter Leader, for a laughter workshop that will transform your perspective. Included is the guide to a joyful life, Good Hearted Living. Bring a friend and go away with a smile. Call for information 412.422.9650 or email squirrelhill@carnegielibrary.org.
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The Queen of Marketing Expands Her Territory
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| Becky Auer |
Becky Auer, the Queen of Marketing, has expanded her territory into the world of networking/educational meetings and events by acquiring the business calendar website, www.BusinessCalendar.org this past week.
"Our goal is simple: to provide Pittsburgh entrepreneurs and business owners a place to find (and post) business meetings and events that would benefit them and their business," Auer says.
Auer continues, "Networking is a critical component to every business owner's overall marketing plan." BusinessCalendar.org was one of the first online business calendars in Pittsburgh, starting 15 years ago. It has helped thousands of people find the meetings and events they want to attend. Read the entire release here.
"Our goal is simple: to provide Pittsburgh entrepreneurs and business owners a place to find (and post) business meetings and events that would benefit them and their business," Auer says.
Auer continues, "Networking is a critical component to every business owner's overall marketing plan." BusinessCalendar.org was one of the first online business calendars in Pittsburgh, starting 15 years ago. It has helped thousands of people find the meetings and events they want to attend. Read the entire release here.
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The Roving Pittsburgher Report
Dark Shadows, Maxi Saver Cinema
This is when the dollar movie at Maxi Saver Cinema is really a plus in Pittsburgh. Sometimes the staff at PPL gets so busy reviewing cultural events that we don’t get to see the first run movies. So off to the Maxi Saver Cinema in Century Square Plaza we go, yes I said, $1.00, maybe it’s $.99, nevertheless it’s a bargain especially if you are not sure you will like the movie. So we figured a Johnny Depp movie could not be bad. Ah well, it wasn't, it was campy and entertaining but no Pirates of the Caribbean and definitely worth a $1.00.
Beto’s Pizza
On the other hand, before Dark Shadows we went to Beto’s Pizza on Banksville Road. We never get tired of talking about this place. Most people like their pizza just with the sauce and the cheese thrown on top. But us Italians call that raw, so we wait to get it baked which can be a challenge as it is not really in their repertoire. But still it’s worth the wait and a meal for two is usually under $10.00 with a salad. Also just in time for fall, they have a homemade soup of the day which is only $3.69 for a bowl. We talked to a woman from Carrick who says she comes there at least once a week and has been coming since she was a kid. Not telling any tales but she was almost as old as the TechnoGranny and the Nanno Granny and we remember when Beto’s used to hand your pizza to you out of the back window.
On the other hand, before Dark Shadows we went to Beto’s Pizza on Banksville Road. We never get tired of talking about this place. Most people like their pizza just with the sauce and the cheese thrown on top. But us Italians call that raw, so we wait to get it baked which can be a challenge as it is not really in their repertoire. But still it’s worth the wait and a meal for two is usually under $10.00 with a salad. Also just in time for fall, they have a homemade soup of the day which is only $3.69 for a bowl. We talked to a woman from Carrick who says she comes there at least once a week and has been coming since she was a kid. Not telling any tales but she was almost as old as the TechnoGranny and the Nanno Granny and we remember when Beto’s used to hand your pizza to you out of the back window.
Entrepreneurial Thursdays
Last week was huge and packed out because Global Pittsburgh had its First Thursday there which added to the normal networking crowd that follows ET and Jessica Lee and friends.
Last week was huge and packed out because Global Pittsburgh had its First Thursday there which added to the normal networking crowd that follows ET and Jessica Lee and friends.
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This was reported as a reproduction of PositvelyPittsburghLive news done by Joanne Quinn-Smith. (c) Joanne Quinn-Smith and PositivelyPittsburghLive(TM) 2012 All rights reserved.
Tara Darazio is a Positively Pittsburgh Live reporter, an independent copywriter, blogger, article writer, and social media strategist. If you are in need of writing assistance, or need help with your social media efforts connect with Tara on LinkedIn here.
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