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PIB Summaries 25 February 2022
Home » PIB Summaries 25 February 2022
PIB Summaries - February 2022
Minister's Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DevINE)
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme
Focus: GS II- Welfare Schemes
As on February, 2022, benefits under PM Kisan scheme have been provided to about 11.78 Crore farmers and funds amounting to Rs 1.82 lakh crore in various installments have been released to the eligible beneficiaries of this scheme across India. Out of which Rs. 1.29 lakh crore has been released during the current Covid 19 pandemic period.
About PM KISAN
Nodal: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) Scheme is a Central Sector Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Scheme.
Under the scheme an income support of 6,000/- per year in three equal installments will be provided to small and marginal farmer families having combined land holding/ownership of upto 2 hectares.
The Scheme initially provided income support to all Small and Marginal Farmers' families across the country, holding cultivable land upto 2 hectares.
Its ambit was later expanded to cover all farmer families in the country irrespective of the size of their land holdings.
Definition of family for the scheme is husband, wife and minor children.
State Government and UT administration will identify the farmer families which are eligible for support as per scheme guidelines.
The fund will be directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.
There are various Exclusion Categories for the scheme.
Some of the categories of beneficiaries who are NOT eligible for benefit under this scheme are:
Any institutional land-holders.
The farmer as well as any member of the family belonging to the following categories:
Former and present holders of constitutional posts
Former and present Ministers/ State Ministers
Former or present members of LokSabha/ RajyaSabha/ State Legislative Assemblies/ State Legislative Councils
Former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations
Former and present Chairpersons of District Panchayats.
Any serving or retired officers as well as employees under the Central/ State Government Ministries /Offices/Departments.
All retired pensioners who get a monthly pension of Rs.10,000/-or more and belonging to the above category.
Any individual who paid their income tax in the last assessment year is not eligible under this scheme.
Professionals like Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with Professional bodies and carrying out profession by undertaking practices.
Focus: GS II- Governance
The Population Based Cancer Registry of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reveals that the incidence of cancer in India is highest in the North-Eastern Region.
For the year 2022-23, an initial allocation of Rs 1,500 crore was made for PM-DevINE and one of the major projects identified for starting during the year is "Establishment of Dedicated Services for the Management of Paediatric and Adult Haematolymphoid Cancers in North-East India"
This initiative is expected to give a huge boost to cancer care
About Prime Minister's Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DevINE)
PM-DevINE will be implemented through the North-Eastern Council.
An initial allocation of Rs. 1,500 crore will be made for the new scheme.
It will fund infrastructure, in the spirit of PM GatiShakti, and social development projects based on felt needs of the North-East.
However, it will not be a substitute for existing central or state Schemes.
While the central ministries may also pose their candidate projects, priority will be given to those posed by the states.
This will enable livelihood activities for youth and women
This will also fill the gaps in various sectors.
GS-II: Social Justice and Governance (Health and Poverty related issues, Government Interventions and Policies, Issues arising out of the design and implementation of Government Policies)
Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj launched Ombudsperson App for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.
Ombudsperson App:
Ombudsperson App is a step towards e-governance, this will be helpful in ensuring transparency and accountability.
Ministry of Rural Development has developed an Ombudsperson App for smooth reporting and categorization of grievances by Ombudsperson based on complaints he received from various sources viz. physical, digital and mass media, related to the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme in the States/UTs.
The app will enable easy tracking and timely passing of awards by Ombudsperson on each case as per the guidelines.
Ombudsperson can also easily upload the quarterly and annual reports on the website through the app.
The app will help the ombudsperson to a greater extent in discharging her/his duty towards transparency and accountability. Also, smooth disposal of the grievances in a time-bound manner with minimal support of further human resources will be possible through the app.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA, is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. This act was passed in September 2005.
It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
It covers all districts of India except the ones with 100% urban population.
MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayats (GPs). The involvement of contractors is banned.
Apart from providing economic security and creating rural assets, NREGA can help in protecting the environment, empowering rural women, reducing rural-urban migration and fostering social equity, among others.
How MGNREGA came to be?
In 1991, the P.V Narashima Rao government proposed a pilot scheme for generating employment in rural areas with the following goals:
Employment Generation for agricultural labour during the lean season.
Enhanced Food Security
This scheme was called the Employment Assurance Scheme which later evolved into the MGNREGA after the merger with the Food for Work Programme in the early 2000s.
Features of MGNREGA
It gives a significant amount of control to the Gram Panchayats for managing public works, strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Gram Sabhas are free to accept or reject recommendations from Intermediate and District Panchayats.
It incorporates accountability in its operational guidelines and ensures compliance and transparency at all levels.
Objectives of MGNREGA
Provide 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to rural unskilled labour
Increase economic security
Decrease migration of labour from rural to urban areas.


Arguably one of the best locations for starting a cruise along the Murray River, you have some great choices with Murray Bridge river cruising options. From short 1 and 2 hour cruises with Captain Proud, to the longer 2 – 5 day cruises with Proud Mary.
Heading up river to the spectacular cliffs is a sight to behold or enjoy the lower reaches of the Murray River surrounding Murray Bridge a relaxing time out. Either way you have the best of the Murray River at your leisure.


The Russian club "Siberia" acting in the national Football League (FNL), was having financial difficulties. Sport24 reported, citing a source.
According to the publication, the command has problems with payments of salaries to players. The players of the Novosibirsk club does not receive money from August 2018.
"Siberia" is the penultimate (19th) place in the standings after 24 rounds of the FNL, having 20 points. On 26 January, the team finished the training camp in Krymsk.
Last season "Tosno" and Perm "Amkar" has stopped the existence from-for financial problems. In the summer of 2018 became aware of the debt Makhachkala "Anji", which the club President Osman Kadiev admitted the possibility of bankruptcy of the club. In December the team received from the Russian Premier League to eight million rubles.


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The Core Collaborative November 18, 2022 1 min read
5th Grader Self-Assesses Using Sown to Grown, an Edtech Tool
By TCC Team
Lindsay, a 5th Grader at P.S. 20 in District 31 Staten Island, NY uses a theme progression and ed tech tool, Sown To Grow, to self-assess on her current level of understanding and determine what strategies help her to be successful.
The teacher of the class explains how they developed the progression for the standard and then the student explains how it works.
Watch as Lindsay shares how the peer assessment works using the progression and why she enjoys using it. She explains how she picks her own scores and then pick the strategies that supports why.
Students of all ages, can use this tool to better self-assess.
How are students self-assessing your classes? Please share.
If you want to check out more videos of students self-assessing, check out our Youtube page.
The mission of the Core Collaborative Learning Network (TCC) is to expand learner ownership and agency by building a culture of belonging and efficacy through collaborative inquiry. TCC defines "learner" as ALL the people in a system who partner with students. The Core Collaboratives strives to cultivate learners who embody empathy, open-mindedness, patience and perseverance who use their energy and expertise to make a positive impact in the world we share with others.
Branding Masterclass Recap
TCC Opportunities and Updates | COVID-19
By Paul J. Bloomberg, Ed.D. November 18, 2022
The Core Communiqué: March
By TCC Team November 18, 2022

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


'I Am on the Board' graduations celebrated at Wembley.
FOOTBALLERS FROM the third cohort of the 'On The Board' Effective Board Member programme graduated at Wembley Stadium on May 4.
The ceremony, attended by graduates and officials from the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), The Football Association (FA) and the League Managers Association (LMA) including Gordon Taylor OBE Chief Executive at the PFA.


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namespace Mopsis\Extensions\Aura\Filter\Rule\Validate;

class Optional
{
    public function __invoke($subject, $field)
    {
        return true;
    }
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga. testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, at his confirmation...
Price's private-jet travel more extensive than previously reported
We knew HHS Secretary Tom Price's private-jet travel was bad. We didn't know it was this bad.
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has taken at least 24 flights on private charter planes at taxpayers' expense since early May, according to people with knowledge of his travel plans and a review of HHS documents.
The frequency of the trips underscores how private travel has become the norm – rather than the exception – for the Georgia Republican during his tenure atop the federal health agency, which began in February. The cost of the trips identified by POLITICO exceeds $300,000, according to a review of federal contracts and similar trip itineraries.
Trump government hires based on politics, not qualifications
Rachel Maddow looks at the grifty nature of the Trump administration, from handing out government jobs to unqualified staffers as a political favor, to cabinet members using their office to increase their own wealth.
When Politico first broke this story earlier in the week, there was some question about who was picking up the tab for Price's charter flights. That question has now been answered: we're paying for it.
The far-right cabinet's secretary spokesperson told the New York Times the other day that Price's chartered flights were necessary to accommodate his "incredibly demanding schedule," but Politico's reporting suggests there were cheaper commercial flights available for many of these trips.
The new defense, offered yesterday pointed to Price's role in the federal response to the recent hurricanes, which might make more sense if most of his private-jet travel hadn't occurred long before the storms reached the U.S.
Indeed, the closer one looks at the details, the worse they appear. Politico's article added, "In June, Price spoke at a physicians association conference in San Diego, where he vowed to wring out wasteful spending in the government's health care programs. Getting 'value' for spending 'is incredibly important,' he said. Price took a private plane to get to the meeting, which was one stop on a five-state sprint of charter travel that cost $50,420."
Let's get a few things straight:
First, in a normal administration, Price's ouster would be a foregone conclusion.
Second, the broader context adds insult to injury: the far-right cabinet secretary who says we can't afford to help Medicaid beneficiaries receive medical care is the same cabinet secretary who's using taxpayer money to charter private jets for himself. It's effectively a Dickensian nightmare.
Third, I've been keeping an eye on Price's career for years, and if he were still in Congress, this is exactly the kind of controversy about which he'd be apoplectic. Indeed, exactly eight years ago this month, the Georgia Republican appeared on CNBC to rail against – you guessed it – government use of private jets.
At this point, congressional hearings would ordinarily be a no-brainer, but since Republicans aren't comfortable with overseeing the Trump administration, Democrats are pushing for the HHS inspector general to scrutinize Pence's trips. Under the circumstances, I'm hard pressed to imagine how the IG's office could refuse.
Postscript: It turns out Education Secretary Betsy DeVos also flies on private jets, but she's independently wealthy and apparently doesn't charge taxpayers for her luxurious preferences.
The MaddowBlog, HHS and Tom Price
GOP eyes special side deal to buy key...
Trump aides 'aren't sure' about real-world im
HHS and Tom Price
Price's private-jet travel more extensive than previously reported


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Q: Assign class to another class property in typescripts I need to assign some object to class property and call this object property from this assigned class.
Typescript Playground
class Animal<Creature> {

    public creature: Creature;

    constructor(creature: Creature) {
        this.creature = creature;
    }

    makeSound() {

    }

    eat(){
        // how to make this works in typescript
        this.creature.howItEat()
    }
}

class urchin {
    data: any;
    constructor(data: any) {
        this.data = data;
    }

    public scieneName: string = "Echinoidea"
    howItEat() {}
}

class seaAnimal<animal> extends Animal<animal> {
    animal: animal;

    constructor(animal: animal){
        super(animal)
        this.animal = animal
        // try assign animal to this
        // Object.assign(this, animal)

        // how to make this works in typescript
        this.animal.howItEat();
        console.log(this.animal.scieneName);
    }
}

let firstSeaAnimal = new urchin({name: 'urchin1', size: '15cm', weight: '200g'});
let animal1 = new seaAnimal<urchin>(firstSeaAnimal);

I'm new to typescript. I tried to implement the generic type but failed. I already tried Object.assign() but still can't get rid the error. Got from this question Typescript dynamically assign class properties

A: You can extend Creature and animal generic to handle it
like this:
class Animal<Creature extends {howItEat:()=>any , scieneName:string}> {
...
class seaAnimal<animal extends {howItEat:()=>any,scieneName:string}> extends Animal<animal> {

or extend urchin
class Animal<Creature extends urchin> {
...
class seaAnimal<animal extends urchin> extends Animal<animal> {

Playground
but the better structure to handle it is to use different classes for each animal and no need to use animal
use can see it here (playground)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Alliance Community Hospital's Department of the Month is the Imaging Department.
Fifty-three Colleagues work in the Imaging Department. The department specializes in CAT scan, Radiology, Mammography, Ultrasound, MRI, Nuclear Medicine and Bone Density. The services provided through this department are utilized throughout the hospital including; surgery, CCC and the Center for Pain Management.
"This is a cutting edge department committed to providing comfortable patient care to our surrounding communities," said Troy Todd, PACS administrator.
All radiology images and reports are accessible throughout the enterprise, as well as physician offices, immediately after completion. The only sub-department that isn't completely digital is Mammography.
Each day this department demonstrates the Planetree Philosophy. They make sure to greet patients in a timely, polite manner, introduce themselves to the patient, anticipate their needs and always thank the patient for allowing them to serve them. They are also sure to always ask if there is anything else they can do before sending a patient on their way.
According to Dave Shroades, Chief Technology Officer, "Finding family in an organization is important. Imaging is a true family of Colleagues, a close knit group, very supportive of each other personally and professionally."
The atmosphere that these Colleagues create is contagious. They work well as a team but find time to laugh and have fun as well.
"The Imaging Department is dedicated to education and excellence in the Imaging fields," said Todd.
The Imaging Department also hosts students from Kent State University in Radiology, Ultrasound, CAT scan, MRI and Nuclear Medicine.
Many of the Colleagues are affiliated with professional organizations in the Imaging field. Some hold leadership roles in these organizations. In the future, Imagings goal is to host continuing education seminars for area technologists.
For more information about the services provided through this department, please log on to ACH's Web site, www.achosp.org. The Web site contains detailed information about each exam so patients have a better understanding of what the exam is and what to expect during the procedure. Physician order forms can also be printed from the Web site to schedule patients.
Congratulations to the Imaging Department on this great achievement. We appreciate all of your hard work and dedication. It is because of Colleagues like you that make Alliance Community Hospital a great place to work.


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Home > Featured > Jacob Zuma Faces Trial For Corruption
Jacob Zuma Faces Trial For Corruption
BusinessFocus Reporter March 17, 2018 0
South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma is to face prosecution for 16 charges of corruption relating to a multi-billion-dollar arms deal, the BBC reports.
The case centres on a 30bn rand ($2.5bn; £1.7bn) deal to modernise the country's defence in the late 1990s.
The charges – which Mr Zuma denies – include counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering.
Mr Zuma, 75, was forced to resign as president last month by his party, the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
He was facing his ninth no-confidence vote in parliament before he left office.
Chief Prosecutor Shaun Abraham said he believed there were "reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution" in the case.
French arms supplier Thales will also face charges, a prosecutor said. Thales declined to comment, reports the AFP news agency.
Mr Zuma is alleged to have sought bribes from Thales to support an extravagant lifestyle. His financial adviser at the time was found guilty of soliciting those bribes in 2005 and Mr Zuma was later sacked as deputy president.
Original charges against Mr Zuma were controversially dropped shortly before he became president in 2009.
He now faces one charge of racketeering, two charges of corruption, one charge of money laundering and 12 of fraud.
Shaun Abrahams, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, said a trial court was the appropriate place for the matter to be decided.
He dismissed representations made by Mr Zuma asking that the charges be dropped.
The former ANC chief had argued that the charges against him were characterised by misconduct, "irrational behaviour" and media leaks on the part of prosecutors, Mr Abrahams said.
Mr Zuma has always denied the allegations against him.
Zuma's corruption charges: A brief history
First filed in 2005 when Mr Zuma's financial adviser, Schabir Shaik, was jailed for fraud and corruption.
Mr Zuma went on trial in 2006 but the case collapsed when the prosecution said it was not ready to proceed more than a year after he was charged.
South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) controversially dropped the charges in 2009, shortly before he won the presidency.
Political opponents campaigned tirelessly for him to face trial.
South Africa's High Court reinstated the charges in 2016 and Mr Zuma lost a Supreme Court appeal to overturn them.
The country's chief prosecutor, Shaun Abrahams, has now decided to pursue a case against the former president.
The controversial arms deal
In 1999, the South African government announced its largest-ever post-apartheid arms deal, signing contracts totalling 30bn rand ($5bn; £2.5bn) to modernise its national defence force
The deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France and South Africa
Allegations of bribery over the deal dogged the governments of both President Jacob Zuma and and one of his predecessors, Thabo Mbeki.
Schabir Shaik was found guilty in 2005 of trying to solicit a bribe from Thint, the local subsidiary of French arms firm Thales, on behalf of Mr Zuma. He was released on parole on health grounds after serving just over two years
Another official, Tony Yengeni, who was chairman of parliament's defence committee at the time of the deal and chief whip of the ANC, was convicted of fraud in 2003. He was also freed on parole after serving five months of a four-year sentence.
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Levelling up has to be government's first priority
Most of us want to believe that we live in a meritocratic country, where hard work and talent take you further than who your parents are or where you went to school. Where people want different things, in different amounts, so your life is gloriously different from mine.
When each of us gets an equal opportunity to make the most of our lives, our society is fundamentally fair, regardless of the circumstances into which we were born.
But that's miles away from where the United Kingdom is today. That's why "levelling up" is so important, and why it has to be so much more than a public works programme of better rail and road links for forgotten parts of the country.
Those are essential too, but they won't be nearly enough without equally serious social changes to go alongside them.
Because not everyone has the same opportunities, the state must take the lead in fixing deep-rooted inequalities between different parts of the country and sections of society that undermine equal opportunities by leading to unequal outcomes in cognitive development, educational attainment, social capital, health and life expectancy.
One way to achieve this would be to equalise incomes and remove all privately held wealth. But that would be levelling down, not up, and most people think it would be unfair to remove all those rewards and incentives for hard work too.
We have made respectable progress on the more obvious barriers to equal opportunities, such as overt racial and gender discrimination, but not nearly enough.
As US President Lyndon Johnson said in 1965: "It is not enough just to open the gates of opportunity. All our citizens must have the ability to walk through those gates."
That means we've got to tackle barriers to opportunity like where we are born; your ethnicity; my gender or sexuality; our family's income; whether we are disabled. All these things stand in the way of making sure that, in modern Britain, no one's birth should be their destiny any more.
Take child poverty. Growing up in poverty affects children's cognitive development. Parents might be working multiple jobs and still struggling to put food on the table or to afford adequate and stable accommodation.
Poverty constricts people's choices and shapes their thinking, making it harder to identify opportunities and to work towards realising them. Poverty constrains people's social capital and their capacity to take risks, making it harder to compete for opportunities even if they manage to get good qualifications.
And poverty can permeate entire neighbourhoods, embedding low expectations and negative social norms, and restricting the supply of opportunities at the source.
So levelling up requires us to build a society of better, stronger and more equally spread opportunities. And that means fixing the causes of poverty rather than just temporarily bandaging the symptoms.
We've got to remove the barriers and glass ceilings that limit your or my life chances, rather than compensating for them after the damage is done. That will mean big improvements in early years education and care, carrying on driving up standards in primary and secondary education everywhere, and skewering the snobbery that currently divides our higher and further education systems.
And we've got to ensure that job offers, training and promotions are handed out purely on merit, by excluding selection criteria that favour those from more privileged backgrounds, such as extra-curricular activities.
But we also need to tackle the economic causes of poverty, including the spiralling cost of living, our dysfunctional housing market, low pay, underemployment and insecure work.
Building a more meritocratic country can heal our rancorous politics, repair our fractured society and rebalance our economy. Nothing is more pressing or urgent.
John Penrose is MP for Weston, Worle and the Villages and chairman of the Conservative Policy Forum. Will Snell is chief executive of the Fairness Foundation.


In April 1865 while serving as lieutenant colonel of the Confederate Army's 12th Cavalry Regiment, Georgia State Guard, John Pemberton was wounded in the Battle of Columbus, Georgia. He was slashed across the chest by a saber, and like many wounded veterans, he became addicted to the morphine used to ease the pain.
With public concern about the drug addiction, depression and alcoholism among war veterans, and "neurasthenia", as well as among "highly-strung" Southern women, Pemberton's medicine was advertised as particularly beneficial for "ladies, and all those whose sedentary employment causes nervous prostration".
In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County enacted temperance legislation, Pemberton found himself forced to produce a non-alcoholic alternative to his French Wine Coca. Pemberton relied on Atlanta druggist Willis Venable to test and help him perfect the recipe for the beverage, which he formulated by trial and error. With Venable's assistance, Pemberton worked out a set of directions for its preparation that eventually included blending the base syrup with carbonated water by accident when trying to make another glass. Pemberton decided then to sell it as a fountain drink rather than a medicine. Frank Mason Robinson came up with the name "Coca-Cola" for the alliterative sound, which was popular among other wine medicines of the time. This new beverage first went on sale to the public on May 8th, 1886.


Amqui Station will host four screenings of Crystal Z Campbells's film, Go-Rilla Means War, in conjunction with the Amqui Station Farmers Market on July 15 & 29 and August 12 & 19. Step inside the museum to cool down and view the approximately 20-minute film, which, like Amqui Station, is a relic of the past imbued with stories of abandonment, acquisition, exchange, community development, and revitalization.
Amqui Station is a former train depot that was famously saved from demolition by the country music singer Johnny Cash. Now a museum and educational center, Amqui Station hosts educational programs, tours, and special events year-round. Now in its fifth season, the Amqui Station Farmers Market sells fresh local produce, baked goods, and handcrafted objects. The market matches SNAP (EBT) tokens up to $20 per person every week for fruits and vegetables. Learn more about Amqui Station at www.amquistation.org.


As our readers already know, our family has switched our focus towards diligently building our Dividend Stocks Portfolio and to some extent P2P Lending Accounts in an effort to build additional income streams for retirement so we don't have to solely rely on the typical retirement vehicles.
We will still continue to track are retirement accounts (pension, 457K, Roth IRAs) as they are still part of our retirement plan. Plus, although they are mainly invested in mutual funds, we still need to keep an eye on them and re-balance them periodically.
Since we see such little change in these accounts, we decided last summer to stop providing monthly reports of our retirement accounts. We've only posted 3 updates since. So earlier this year, we've decided to do quarterly updates.
Below is a quick update to show the current values of our retirement accounts at the end of the 3rd Quarter of 2016 as well as the monthly growth (although we do not post the results). Please visit the RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS page on our blog to see our retirement savings journey!
This past quarter was a nice quarter as our retirements accounts saw pretty nice gains. Overall, our three retirement accounts saw an increase of 3.5%. This was a $15,070 gain from our June total of $427,177.
WHOA! This is sick. Nice job and getting so so so close to the $500K Mark! That will be an awesome day! Congrats!
Thanks Lanny. We are just glad the market has performed well since the Great Recession. Hope to see you there at $500K!


One of the goals of Live Well Allegheny is to involve partners from all sectors—nonprofit, public, and private – in our campaign to make Allegheny County the healthiest county. Through our extensive community partner network, we aim to promote health and wellness in a variety of organizations. We also encourage our partners to work together to expand their work on health and to reach different communities. Two of our Live Well Allegheny partners, the Red Lantern Bike Shop and the Braddock Carnegie Library, provide an example of the power of connections with their recent collaboration on an outdoor bike repair stand.
The Red Lantern Bike Shop partnered with the Braddock Carnegie Library to install an outdoor bike repair stand at the library located in Braddock. The outdoor bike repair stand allows community members to put air in their tires for free and perform as-needed repairs to their bicycles. The free resource is a powerful tool for community members who use bicycles for transportation and recreation. Funding for the project was provided by PeopleForBikes.
The Red Lantern, which operates with a team of volunteers, provides free bicycle repairs and free bikes to children in the community. Currently run out of a repurposed shipping container, the bike shop provides free repairs, charging only for parts that need to be ordered. Additionally, part of the mission of the shop is to provide free bikes to kids whose families may not be able to afford a new bike. Volunteers collect used bicycles, fix them, and distribute them to families with children. Due to limited space and capacity, the Red Lantern is currently only open on Saturday mornings.
To expand the free resources provided by the bike shop, the Red Lantern partnered with the Braddock Carnegie Library to provide a space that is open 24/7 for bike repairs. The outdoor space provides access to an air pump and other tools that are required for bike repairs. By partnering with a popular community resource like Braddock Carnegie Library, the Red Lantern can serve more people in the community.
Do you know of an organization that would make a good Live Well Allegheny community partner? Spread the word! Organizations can find more information and apply here.
PITTSBURGH – Our most recent Live Well Allegheny story comes from a county department that has made the commitment to supporting the health of their employees. The Department of Human Services (DHS) is taking steps to create a culture of workplace wellness. Most recently, DHS employees have been participating in a 12-week Biggest Loser competition! Twenty-nine employees participated in Season 1 of DHS Biggest Loser, which took place between January 3rd and March 24th. The participants collectively lost over 450 pounds (an average of sixteen pounds per participant), with four participants losing over thirty pounds each.
In addition to being leaner, the participant also acknowledged being able to sleep better at night.
The program emphasizes the importance of healthy food choices and increased exercise. All participants are part of a private Office 365 group, where they can voluntarily share tips, recipes, and other resources and encouragement. In addition, the program seeks to foster a culture of wellness by sponsoring informational talks, tours of local gyms, and lunchtime walks. The opportunity to be part of this supportive community is one incentive to participate.
DHS Biggest Loser Season 2 began on April 18th. Over 40 employees are now participating and looking to build upon the success of Season 1!
If you'd like more information about the Biggest Loser competition at DHS, please contact Eddy Jones at edward.jones@alleghenycounty.us.
Wouldn't it be great if there were one thing that could improve academic performance, decrease childhood obesity, spur creativity and innovation, invigorate local economies with investment, all while reducing stress and anxiety? Would it surprise you to know that "play" has been linked to these benefits? While play alone may not be a silver bullet to addressing these concerns, it is certainly a vital component to healthy and engaged communities.
The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative is a group of committed individuals and organizations dedicated to advancing the importance of play in the lives of children, families and communities in the Pittsburgh region.
Beginning in 2013 through informal conversations about the value of play between leaders from Pittsburgh Association for The Education of Young Children (PAEYC), Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Kids Plus Pediatrics, the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative has grown from four founding members to include 22 member organizations in the Pittsburgh region.
Members of the collaborative work to advocate for play in each of our diverse fields. We come together to host play conversation events, present our city's case for play at national conferences, raise awareness about play through community events, and demonstrate how play can be used as a catalyst for community development through projects like our work on the Greater Hazelwood Play Trail and Braddock's Recycle Park.
Through a multi-year process of community engagement and planning what Hazelwood may look like if it were the "neighborhood of play," the Greater Hazelwood Play Trail is beginning to take shape. Linking together different playful areas in the neighborhood, the trail will serve as a reminder that play can happen anywhere.
In September 2016, a vacant lot turned playground at 5113 Lytle Street was the first in a series of sites along the greater Hazelwood Play Trail to receive an injection of creativity and play. With generous support from the Heinz Endowments, the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, PAEYC, and the Hazelwood Initiative partnered with KaBOOM! to bring together a group of over 160 volunteers to build a playground in a single day.
In coming months, the former site of the Elizabeth Street Playground, now a paved lot, will begin its transformation into a playful parklet featuring new gardens, public art, and space for community programing.
This year, the 5th Annual Ultimate Play Day will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2017 from 1-4 pm in Allegheny Commons East Park in the Northside. Members from the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative will bring a variety of activities that highlight the value and importance of play as an essential part of living well.
Attendees of all ages can begin to experience firsthand the benefits of play and will leave with ideas to encourage play in their own lives. The event is free and open to the public.
Everyone can benefit from dedicating a small part of each day to play! Visit the website to learn more and stay connected through the e-newsletter at www.playfulpgh.org.
For more information about the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, contact Teresa Pizzella at tpizzella@paeyc.org.
PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), Tobacco Free Allegheny (TFA) and supporting partners are joining together, for the second year, to celebrate Allegheny Quits for Life in Allegheny County, November 13-19. The week is dedicated to promoting tobacco cessation and healthy activities. The kick off will take place on Monday in the Allegheny County Courthouse Courtyard located at 436 Grant Street, downtown Pittsburgh at noon.
Allegheny Quits for Life week includes numerous events, hosted by Tobacco Free Allegheny and participating partner organizations such as Pittsburgh Mercy Health System who will bring Dancing Classrooms Pittsburgh to the kickoff for "Merengue Monday," linking quitting smoking with making fun healthy choices in support of Live Well Allegheny's #HowDoYouLiveWell campaign. All of the events are aimed at helping individuals stop tobacco use and learn to live healthier. Visit http://bit.ly/AQFL16week for the dates, times and locations.
Allegheny Quits for Life also coincides with the American Cancer Society's Great American Smokeout, being held on Thursday, November 17, when smokers are encouraged to quit for the day. By quitting, even for just one day, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life and reducing their cancer risk.
Those thinking about quitting smoking are encouraged to call 1 800 QUIT NOW (784-8669). The PA Free Quitline offers personalized counseling sessions and free nicotine replacement therapy (patches, gum or lozenges) is available. Online cessation services are available at https://paquitlogix.org.
Throughout the week, the Health Department is asking people to share images using the hashtags #AlleghenyQuitsforLife2016 and #HowDoYouLiveWell on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Many have already been posted with answers to the question: What are you quitting for?
PITTSBURGH – Live Well Allegheny, Allegheny County's wellness campaign led by the Board of Health and Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Director Dr. Karen Hacker, continued its efforts to enhance food access by eliminating food deserts at an event yesterday that celebrated both the Fresh Corners Program and the Green Grocer Program. Both programs were represented at a kick-off event at 5GB's Fresh Foods Market in McKees Rocks.
The Fresh Corners Program was launched by Just Harvest as a healthy corner store initiative to improve access to healthy food in underserved neighborhoods in Allegheny County. The Green Grocer Program, managed by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB), is a mobile farmers market designed to travel into food desert communities to provide the fresh food options that are currently missing from the landscape. Both programs are funded, in part, by a two-year grant received from the Richard King Mellon Foundation awarded to ACHD in June 2016 to continue its Live Well Allegheny efforts to enhance food access.
Yesterday's event was a health benefit kick-off event at 5GB's Fresh Foods Market which is part of the Fresh Corners Program, and beginning yesterday, became a site of the Green Grocer mobile farmers market. The mobile food market will stop at 5GB's Fresh Food Market each Tuesday from 12 -1:00 p.m. Just Harvest, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB), Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program, and Community Kitchen Pittsburgh all participated in yesterday's event which also provided health and wellness information and cooking demonstrations.
5GB's Fresh Food Market recently received authorization to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in the store. Farmers Market Nutrition Program benefits are accepted at the Green Grocer.
Live Well Allegheny was launched in January 2014 as a comprehensive, innovative strategy on wellness that embraces a broad concept of living well to include physical health, mental wellness, personal and community safety, prevention and preparedness, and much more.
In joining forces for the greater good and collectively creating the healthiest county in the country.
Which is why we provide financial assistance and never turn anyone away.
What types of activities/resources are available through your organization?
From our family and adult YMCA memberships that include group exercise classes, gymnasiums, swimming pools and access to personal trainers and registered dietitians to our childcare, parent/child programs, youth sports, traditional and overnight camps, we truly have something for everyone.
Are the activities "good for the whole family?" or for "children ages — to —", seniors? etc.
Everyone is welcome at the YMCA. We offer everything from infant swim lessons to senior group fitness classes. We have an evidence-based diabetes prevention program for adults and specialty camps for people with disabilities and illnesses.
What makes your organization unique? Do you offer a unique service or resource for county residents?
We offer a variety of social services including: residential housing, congregate meals, food pantries, urban gardens, tax preparation, healthcare enrollment support, job placement, family support, etc. Allegheny County residents receive a free 1-week trial pass. Go to www.ymcapgh.org and search Live Well Allegheny.
Do you have any words of wisdom to help others Live Well?
To live well, think of how you can strengthen the pillars of your healthy home. These pillars are: Eat Well, Sleep Well, Get Together, Go Outside and Play Everyday. A balanced lifestyle will honor each of these priorities without feeling like it's too much work.
… Our goals, mission and core values align with LWA in efforts to educate and improve the health and well-being of the young girls in our area.
12 week wellness program which combines training for a 5K with lessons on making healthy choices.
Girls on the Run program is for 3rd-8th grade girls.
Fee associated with activity is $20-$160 depending on family income. Scholarships are available upon application.
Girls on the Run is the only program that exists of its kind as a non-competitive running program which also focuses on empowering girls with greater confidence and enhancing their physical, emotional, social and mental well-being.


Located in Historic Vernonburg, this distinguished waterfront estate is situated on magnificent grounds surrounded by lush landscaping & the beautiful Vernon River. Sitting on 35 ft of water at low tide, this property is a boater's delight & allows for large boats to access the Intracoastal Waterway in just minutes. Originally built in 1870, this home has only been owned by 4 families & has been lovingly restored to pristine condition with all the modern conveniences. The master suite is located on the main level & features double closets, dressing room & sitting room with stunning river views. The gourmet kitchen is the center of the home boasting a gas cooktop, double ovens, & 2 dishwashers. The home's iconic porches provide added living space & are the ideal setting to entertain or simply relax & enjoy the unparalleled views! Additional Features: exercise room, study with built-ins, generator, well & separate guest cottage with bedroom, bath, living room, fireplace & kitchen.


text:
Confusion as Corbyn says he won't block Brexit
The apparent U-turn has caused confusion among Labour MPs and comes after Mr Corbyn outlined his "Brexit bottom lines".
By Tamara Cohen, Political Correspondent
Sunday 6 November 2016 13:59, UK
Image: Mr Corbyn had earlier set out a number of 'Brexit bottom lines'
Jeremy Corbyn will vote to lead Britain out of the EU, despite setting out a series of Brexit red lines for Theresa May.
The Labour leader told a newspaper that he would join forces with Conservative Remain supporters and other parties to block the process for leaving the European Union if the Prime Minister does not guarantee access to the single market and other conditions.
But this morning a source close to Mr Corbyn told Sky News Labour's support for triggering Article 50 - the starting gun for leaving the EU - was "unconditional".
The apparent U-turn has caused confusion among Labour MPs.
Corbyn: Set out Brexit plans 'without delay'
A source in Mr Corbyn's team said: "We won't be blocking Article 50. Our support for invoking Article 50 is unconditional."
Instead his party "would seek to amend or influence the government's negotiating terms" after voting for the move.
The prospect of a vote in Parliament was raised this week by a bombshell High Court ruling that only Parliament can trigger Britain's exit. Downing Street is seeking to overturn it at the Supreme Court next month.
Brexit: Boris Johnson promises compensation to firms experiencing issues exporting to EU
Brexit: Seafood lorries park near Downing Street in protest over new rules causing severe delays at EU border
European Parliament debates are more dull without British humour, says German MEP David McAllister
Brexit: Seafood firms 'only have weeks to survive' - as environment secretary admits 'teething problems'
Brexit: Boris Johnson acknowledges 'teething problems' with new GB-NI trade rules
Brexit: Driver's 'illegal' ham sandwiches seized at Dutch border under EU rules
Mr Corbyn used an interview with the Sunday Mirror to set out a series of "Brexit bottom lines" for supporting Mrs May, including no watering down of workers' rights or environmental protections, and for the Government to match any EU funding Britain would lose by leaving.
Truss fails to condemn Brexit ruling backlash
Labour MPs were concerned by the prospect of voting against Article 50, with one saying it was "unthinkable" for most of the party's MPs as it would defy the result of the referendum.
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson confirmed that Labour were not seeking to do this. He said: "We're certainly not going to hold up Article 50 if we don't get the deal (we want)".
Former shadow minister Hilary Benn, who now chairs a powerful parliamentary committee on Brexit, also confirmed Labour would not vote down the Article 50 process.
But Mr Benn said he expected the Government would reveal more details about the deal it is seeking before the end of March next year.
The Labour leader has suggested Mrs May, who has a small majority in the Commons, would be forced into calling an early election if she failed to meet Labour's demands.
Tory MP quits over Brexit
He said: "The court has thrown a big spanner in the works by saying Parliament must be consulted.
"We accept the result of the referendum. We are not challenging the referendum. We are not calling for a second referendum. We're calling for market access for British industry to Europe."
This would involve Labour clubbing together with the Scottish nationalists, the Liberal Democrats and rebel Tories to block the Prime Minister in the Commons.
Mr Corbyn had earlier dodged calls over whether he would be happy if there was a snap election, but he told the Sunday Mirror the party was "ready for it".
"If the Government calls an election, we're ready for it," he said.
Part three of Sky's Brexit Tapestry
"We have the members, the organisation and the enthusiasm. We welcome the challenge. It would give us the chance to put before the British people an alternative economic strategy for this country."
Gina Miller, the woman who brought the High Court case, has criticised Labour's approach to Brexit.
She told Sky News she has had to "spend my money to do their job", adding: "They should have brought this, they are the ones who should've aruged that the Government doesn't have royal prerogative."
Mrs May, meanwhile, has issued a stern warning to MPs and peers who "regret the referendum result" that they "need to accept what the people decided" in June's vote.
In the aftermath of Thursday's High Court ruling the Prime Minister has been urged to calm a backlash sparked by the verdict.
The judges in the case were labelled "enemies of the people" by the Daily Mail, while the Daily Express claimed the ruling was a marker of the "day democracy died".