leverage learning

in order to be able to claim pittsburgh more as our own, the PULSErs were given a task the other day: we each had a topic to pursue... here are the highlights

History

1754 first british outpost here

1761 coal mining starts

Jonny appleseed moved here

1820 PA turnpike

1825 fire destroys most of city

1933 pitt stealers form

1936 big flood

Demographics

2006 -312,819

25% of pop below 18

16.4% of pop over 65

Government

Luke R. – youngest mayor- became major at 26: improved city out of bankruptcy to blooming

District 7

311 response line- ask questions for non-emergency

Economics

Unemployment Rate – 8% (national = 10%)

Countries’ largest inland port (50 million tons of cargo per year)

½ of city disappeared with steel industry depleting but University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Carnegie Mellon helped Pitt stay alive

Education

81% over age 25 have high school education

Number of college students is above state average

11 colleges in city including one for mortuary science

Public teachers well paid- rank 17^th for cities

Great library system, nationally noted

Pittsburgh promise – anyone who graduates high school and meet some criteria, will be given $5000 grant for a PA college

Arts/Culture

Large history of Jazz/Bluegrass music

Strong history of African-Am in all forms of arts/culture

Radical Days – free days to attend places like museums

"The terrible towel"

No professional basketball team though it had one when NBA started

Baseball use to be big, main attraction

more great info on wiki

Spirituality

Catholics

Presbyterians

Lutheran

Methodist

1 Mennonite church

Several young adult ministries

Safety/Transportation (site i found them)

Bureau of Building Inspection (BBI)
Pittsburgh EMS -recognized across the world as a leader in prehospital emergency care. Including::
*two Pierce Arrow XT Heavy-duty Rescue Trucks (wide variety of technical rescue equipment)
*MCU-1, a Mass Casualty Response Truck
*SCUBA/River Rescue Truck
*Structural Collapse – Confined Space Rescue Truck
*Haz-Mat-1, a Hazardous Material Response Truck
*Multiple River Rescue Craft for both surface and dive rescue operations
*motorcycle response unit
*bicycle medic unit

Fire -4 districts, 29 stations

Police -one of the safest cities in America, 900 sworn law enforcement

Crossing Guard -Residents can request a school crossing guard at any neighborhood intersection

Informational

Transportation -(website) for current traffic conditions

Obviously my task was the safety/transportation section. ironically i failed miserably transporting myself today. I went for a "test run" on my bus route to where i will be starting my job tomorrow... and 2 1/2 hrs later i finally figured it out... lets just say a combo of miscommunication, labor day holiday hours, labor day parade, and "smart thinking" on my end created a recipe for failure. but in the end, i did (i think!) figure out my stop and will be trying it out tomorrow... pray for me! well for that and for the fact that i have almost NO IDEA what to expect! i hate first days of work! and so it begins...