Full video of cityLIVE! event on 1 November 2007
New Hazlett Theater
North Side, Pittsburgh PA
[flashvideo file=/wp-content/video/02_jumpstarting_jmmigration_full.m4v width=540 height=360 /]
a do tank, not a think tank
Full video of cityLIVE! event on 1 November 2007
New Hazlett Theater
North Side, Pittsburgh PA
[flashvideo file=/wp-content/video/02_jumpstarting_jmmigration_full.m4v width=540 height=360 /]
01 November 2007 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.
Immigration brings the kind of energy, diversity, entrepreneurship, creativity and of course, great food that make any highly diverse city an enviable place to live. More than that, in an increasingly global economy, international talent plays an especially important role.
Historically, Pittsburgh’s wealth and economy, like most other U.S. cities, was built with the help of a vast pool of immigrant workers. Now we rank 49 out of the top 50 metro areas in the U.S., in percentage of the population who are foreign born and have completed a college degree. Will we be left behind if we don’t? How do we jump-start it? Bring your ideas and join the discussion!
Our panel of both national and local experts includes Sunil Wadhwani, CEO and Co-Founder of iGATE Corporation (formerly Mastech) ; James P. Smith, who holds the chair in labor markets and demographic studies at Rand Corp; Philadelphia’s Councilman-at-large, Jim Kenney who has championed numerous issues affecting the entire city of Philadelphia; and the Pittsburgh Refugee Center’s Executive Director, Khadra Mohammed, a native of Somalia with over twenty years of experience working with refugee populations, both in the US and abroad.
Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.
10 September 2007 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.
On July 18, 2007, Pop City published this response to a survey in our June 27th issue. Readers overwhelmingly judged their city as special in five ways:
• Loyal and proud – “Pittsburgh built America with steel and is leading America in the high tech age.”
• Great value and quality of life – “Pittsburgh has a low cost of living which means artists can buy homes and still have money left over.”
• Accessible and friendly – “Pittsburghers wave you to turn left in front of them in traffic.”
• Leading edge – “Pittsburgh has the first ever Ph.D in robotics.”
• Unique – “Pittsburgh is the first city to put French fries on a sandwich.”
Readers had much more to say, of course, and their comments provide an inside look at our city’s strengths. One respondent summed up one aspect of Pittsburgh that some faster growing cities find hard to duplicate: “The city is at once old world and modern. We allow the future to grow on top of the past.”
So for this, our inaugural event, we invited a panel of people, whose lives and work revolves around the vitality of our region, to get their view of the city, and what they would do if they were in charge. Come and join the discussion, and be sure to bring your own ideas.
Our moderator Carol Coletta, is a passionate advocate for cities, and has devoted her life to answering the question: What makes cities succeed? Our panelists will include Lenore Blum, a Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon; Dr. Eric Beckman, on leave from his academic post at the University of Pittsburgh and founder of Cohera Medical Inc.; Mike Edwards, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership; and Grant Oliphant, Vice President of programs and planning at The Heinz Endowments.
Cocktails and conversation to follow.
1. First things first: If you can’t be polite, don’t say it. Of course, we don’t want to stifle discussion of controversial issues. Some topics require blunt talk, and we’re not always going to agree with each other. Nonetheless, please try to disagree without being disagreeable. Focus your remarks on positions, not personalities. No name-calling, slander, comments about someone’s mother, comparisons to notorious dictators — you get the idea. And under no circumstances should you say anything that could be taken as threatening, harassing, sexist or racist.
2. Don’t use obscenities — even if the word in question is often used in conversation. We’re not going to list the words we object to; you know what they are. Remember, this is a public forum and we want everyone to feel comfortable participating.
3. Please stay on topic. Think of it this way — if you hosted a book club meeting at your house, you wouldn’t want someone to show up and insist on discussing reality TV shows.
4. Rambling is the kiss of death. The 90 seconds you have better be very, very interesting to the larger community.