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RISE Awards 2013: A global effort

Posted: 14 Feb 2013 01:48 AM PST

“I am standing in a partial enclosure made of sticks and plant fronds. This is the school for roughly 35 students, ranging in age from three to about 20 years old. There are no desks. There is only a single shared chalkboard, and it has gaping holes.” — David Rathmann-Bloch from the 21st Century Chalkboard Project, writing from rural Haiti.

These are just some of the many challenges faced by education organizations who applied for this year’s Google RISE Awards. The RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards program funds and supports organizations around the world that provide science and technology education at a grassroots level.

This year we’re delighted to give awards to 30 new organizations from 18 different countries. Combined they will reach more than 90,000 children in 2013, helping inspire and teach the scientists and engineers of the future.

  • Some, such as Haiti’s 21st Century Chalkboard Project and the Uniristii Association (site in Romanian) in Romania, help those from underserved communities gain access to computing resources.
  • Others, like the U.K.’s Code Club and the U.S.’s CodeNow, offer extracurricular activities that help interested children, especially those from underrepresented minority backgrounds, to learn programming.
  • A few, such as the Middle East’s MEET and iLab Liberia, seek to use technology education as a platform to bridge wider social and cultural divides.
  • Some, like Girlstart in the U.S. and New Zealand’s Programming Challenge 4 Girls, aim to empower girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In addition to receiving funding and support to continue their outreach, RISE Award recipients will be brought together for a global summit this June in London.

To paraphrase an old saying, from small seeds, great things can grow. The recipients of the 2013 RISE Awards have already made a difference. Connecting with other like-minded organizations will help spread valuable and practical expertise, and spark opportunities for global collaboration and expansion.

Posted by Roxana Shirkhoda, Education Outreach Specialist

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Click here to tell Congress to protect Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and Social Security!Tell Congress to protect Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and Social Security!

Conservative lawmakers are trying to put Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block instead of making the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes.

This week Health Care for America Now (HCAN) and its partners are planning a massive push to let the deficit fearmongers know where the American people stand: Cuts to these vital programs are unacceptable, and we cannot continue to let wealthy corporations get away with paying less than their fair share of taxes.

To break through the clutter, HCAN is using the social media tool Thunderclap to ensure that our message is heard. Thunderclap allows Twitter and Facebook users to send the same message at the same time, amplifying their words for maximum impact.

Choose “Support with Twitter” or “Support with Facebook” – or both! With your help, thousands of people across the country will demand that big corporations pay their fair share and that Washington not cut important programs like health care and Social Security.

Thanks,

Will O’Neill
Health Care for America Now
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repost: Carbon Monoxide Detectors, Minimum Wage and Other New Laws for 2013 P repost


HappyNewYear

Here’s a sampling of new laws, rules and other government changes that kick in with the new year.

As 2013 begins, so do some new laws, regulations and fee increases. Here’s a sampling of what to watch for.

If you’re a renter, homeowner or landlord: Carbon monoxide alarms are now required in existing apartments, condominiums, hotels, motels and single-family homes, with some exceptions. Owner-occupied single-family homes, legally occupied before July 26, 2009, are not required to have the alarms until they are sold. (The law was passed in 2009, and portions of it have phased in over time.)

If you’re a Kirkland property owner: You will get a sense of the impact on your property taxes of the Nov. 6 voter approval of Propositions 1 and 2, the city streets and parks levies,  when King County mails 2013 bills on February 14. More details here.

If you’re a worker: The state minimum wage increases to $9.19 an hour, up from $9.04 an hour. (State law doesn’t let employers take a tip credit against the minimum wage.)

If you’re a garbage customer in King County: The basic fee for bringing solid waste to a transfer station or drop box will increase to $129.40 per ton, up from $117.42, including tax and a moderate risk waste fee. The minimum fee will increase from $20 to $22, including tax and the moderate risk waste fee.  An average residential customer who puts out one can of garbage per week for curbside collection is likely to see an increase of about 57 cents per month in the garbage bill.

If you’re a Pierce County Ferry System rider: A variety of service changes start Jan. 1. The system provides service between the town of Steilacoom, Anderson Island and Ketron Island.

If you’re unemployed: The federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation program ends Dec. 29. EUC is a federal extension that provides additional weeks of unemployment benefits after you have run out of “regular unemployment benefits.”

If you’re a fish (or care about them, or drive a vehicle): In 2010 Washington state passed a law reducing the use of toxic material in automotive brake pads and shoes. This law restricts the use of several heavy metals and asbestos, and provides for a phase-out of copper over the next 15-20 years. Starting Jan. 1, manufacturers have to report the concentrations of copper, nickel, zinc and antimony in brake friction materials.

If you’re a fish, part 2 (or an angler): Barbless hooks will be required to fish for salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout in the mainstem Columbia River, including the north jetty, from Buoy 10 upstream to the Washington/Oregon border above McNary Dam

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Humanitarian Assistance for the Syrian People


 

 
 
 
President Obama announces an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for those affected by the violence of the Assad regime. This aid from the American people is providing food, clean water, medicine, medical treatment, immunizations for children, clothing, and winter supplies for millions of people in need inside Syria and in neighboring countries.