CLAS NEWSLETTER--Online events and Important updates!

After the signature of the peace agreement between the Colombian Government and the FARC-EP guerrilla in 2016, different Colombian institutions have promoted avitourism, a form of eco-tourism based on birdwatching, as an economic activity that can revitalize local economies after decades of conflict. International institutions and NGOs have pointed out that avitourism simultaneously generates income, empowers local communities, and encourages the conservation of fragile ecosystems. However, avitourism also relies on an epistemology of sound imbricated in notions of difference that separates nature and culture, a binary that allows the commodification of biological diversity to fuel neo-extractivist “green industries.” This presentation introduces an analysis of Ana Maria Romano’s “El Suelo Desde el Viento” and Edson Velandia’s “El Cli-Cli-Clí de Paro” to explore an alternative epistemology of sound connecting culture and nature, human and nonhuman, who coexist in a way that one becomes a part of the other. Such study presents the Colombian case to explore the limits and biases of the uses of notions such as biodiversity within neo-extractivist economies in the Global South, while points to the necessity of understanding and respecting the meaningful ways how different peoples interact with the nonhuman beings around them.
 

• Disaster Loan Assistance Information (U.S. Small Business Administration)
  • Disaster Loan Assistance Online Application (U.S. SBA)
    • NOTE: The SBA directs the use of Internet Explorer (or Microsoft Edge) to complete the online application
  • Disaster Loan Assistance Application (U.S. SBA)
    • NOTE: SBA Disaster Declaration has been approved for PA. Businesses in PA can now apply for the federal assistance.
• Disaster Assistance in Response to Coronavirus (U.S. SBA)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19): Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources (U.S. SBA)
• COVID-19 Working Capital Access Program (PA Dept. of Community & Economic Development)
• Cardin, Bipartisan Senate Task Force Secure $377 Billion for Small Businesses (U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship)
• URA Announces Additional Steps to Help Mitigate Potential Ramifications of COVID-19 to Small Business Community [PDF] (Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh)
• Coronavirus Bridge Loan program (Hebrew Free Loan Association Pittsburgh)
• Facebook Small Business Grants Program
• Coronavirus Financial Bridge Loans (DVI Funding)
• Honeycomb Crowdfunded Small Business Loan Relief (Honeycomb Credit)
• General Assembly Agrees to Transfer $61 Million From CFA To Small Business Loan Program (Commonwealth of PA)
• URA Loans (Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh)
• Economic Development (Allegheny County Economic Development)
• Regional Development Funding Corporation
• Bridgeway Capital
• Progress Fund
• Fay-Penn Loan Programs (Fay-Pen Economic Development Council)
• Northside Community Development Fund
• Washington County Council on Economic Development
• Greene County Economic Development
• Lawrence County Economic Development
• Butler County Economic Development
• SPC Financing Programs (Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission)
• Financial Programs (Catalyst Connection)

Business Links

• UPDATED Industry Operation Guidance 3.21.2020 (Office of the Governor)
• Governor Wolf Closure Order 3.19.2020 (Office of the Governor)
• Secretary Levine Closure Order 3.19.2020 (Department of Health)
• Detailed List of Life-sustaining and Non-life-sustaining businesses
  • Exemption Request: RA-dcexemption@pa.gov
  • Questions regarding mandatory closure: RA-dcedcs@pa.gov
• Closure Press Release
• Disruption Recovery Resources (PA Small Business Development Centers)
• COVID-19 Business Resources (PA Dept. of Community & Economic Development)
• Business Resources for Coronavirus (PA Chamber)
• Quick Guide: Small Business Disaster Recovery [PDF] (U.S. Chamber of Commerce)
• UPDATED Information for PA Employees Impacted by COVID-19 (PA Dept. of Labor & Industry)
• COVID-19 and Employer Unemployment Compensation FAQs (PA Dept. of Labor & Industry)
• How to file for unemployment (Office of Unemployment Compensation)
• COVID-19 Security Resource Library (National Cyber Security Alliance)
• Business Continuity Planner (DisasterSafety.org)
• COVID-19 Guidance (Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA))

We invite submissions to the conference “Contemporary Developments on Media, Culture and Society: Argentina and Latin America.” The conference, organized by The Center for the Study of Media and Society in Argentina (MESO), will take place on August 27 and 28 2020, at Universidad de San Andrés in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This will be the sixth annual conference organized by MESO on the interactions between media, culture and society. For more information about previous events, please visit our website. This sixth annual conference is sponsored by the Center for Global Culture and Communication at Northwestern University.

Submissions should contribute to ongoing conversations about media, culture, and society in empirical, theoretical or methodological ways. They might also broaden our knowledge about the relationship between media, culture, and society at the national and regional level. Articles may refer to different aspects of communication, media, and cultural goods and services in the areas of journalism, entertainment -cinema, theater, television, music, etc. - advertising and marketing, public relations, social media, and video games, among others.

Topics to be addressed include the following, among others:

• Transformations in content production.
• Change in the use of media.
• Innovation and technological change.
• Media sustainability and funding.
• Gender, race, ethnicity, and identity.
• State, government and civil society.
• Regulation and public policies.
• Political communication and electoral campaigns.
• Production, distribution and consumption of information on social media.

To make a submission:

• Submit an extended abstract of the article, with a maximum length of 500 words (excluding title and references).
• Detail contact information, a brief (no more than 75 words) biography of each author and provide institutional affiliation and position.
• The deadline for submission is April 30, 2020. Scholars should provide the extended abstract via submission form: https://forms.gle/mRa6SygdtaFLZF2E9

A selection committee will evaluate the abstracts and the results will be notified to the authors on May 31, 2020.

Please write to mediosysociedad@udesa.edu.ar if you have any questions and/or need any further information.

Court interpreters are a vital tool in fulfilling the Judiciary's obligation to guarantee the rights of persons with limited English proficiency and those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

"Due process is a core value of the American judicial system, ensuring that every litigant and criminal defendant receives a fair hearing that is based on the merits of his or her case and presided over by an impartial judge. No one should be put at a disadvantage in court by reason of race, ethnicity, or gender. The basic fairness of the Pennsylvania court system is jeopardized if litigants with limited English proficiency (LEP) are unable to have access to competent interpreters and other language assistance."

- Final Report of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System, March 2003

Become an Interpreter

The Interpreter Certification Program was established to provide trained and qualified interpreters for the courts of Pennsylvania. A statewide roster of qualified and certified interpreters helps each judicial district implement effective interpreter services. The program works with judges, administrators and the legal community to promote awareness of interpreter issues including training, testing, skills and the role of interpreters. For an overview of the need, requirements and qualifications, download the Become an Interpreter brochure. To learn more about the necessary qualifications to become a court interpreter, take the Self-Assessment Quiz, and read about the required Knowledge and Skills court interpreters must have. If you would like to become an interpreter, register for the Interpreter Certification Program.

Orientation Workshops

All candidates are required to attend a two-day orientation workshop sponsored by the Interpreter Certification Program. 

The interpreter program will be holding their next orientation workshop in Pittsburgh on May 2-3.

Workshops are offered in locations throughout the state. Dates and locations are posted on the interpreter program calendar as they are scheduled. 

Topics covered in the workshop include interpreting as a profession, the state's judicial system, ethics and professional development, interpreting skills and modes of interpretation. Candidates receive training materials, information about resources, legal glossaries and study tips for the written and oral examinations.

Workshops are taught by federal and RID certified interpreters who have legal interpreting experience. Candidates must attend both sessions to meet certification requirements. Sessions start at 8 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. each day and are limited to a maximum of 50 attendees.

Registration

To register for the orientation workshop, print, complete and mail the orientation registration form to the address at the bottom of the form. Since places are limited, it is important for candidates to submit registration forms as early as possible. The Interpreter Certification Program tries to accommodate candidates' date preference in the order forms are received. 

The cost of the workshop is $150 for state residents and $175 for non-residents. Registrations must be accompanied by full payment. Payment can be made by money order or personal check written to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Registration and payment must be received by 5 p.m. on the registration deadline listed as the first choice. A $25 fee is assessed for all returned checks. Registrations canceled before the confirmation letter is mailed are entitled to receive a full refund. Candidates who fail to attend the workshop will not receive a refund.

Download the orientation registration form.

Attendance

Once forms and payments are received, candidates are sent a confirmation email. Once registration closes, candidates receive a confirmation letter with the location of their orientation site, directions and any other relevant information. All arrangements are made at the candidate's expense. You must bring your confirmation letter and a valid government issued photo ID on the first day of the workshop.

The Institute of Reading Development offers summer reading skills programs in partnership with the continuing education departments of more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide. Since 1970, the Institute’s teachers have helped over 3 million students master valuable reading skills and develop a lifelong love of reading.  Programs designed by the Institute give students the right skills, books, and experiences that result in greater success in school and beyond.

We are currently hiring hard-working, encouraging people with a passion for reading to teach our summer programs. As an Institute teacher you will:

• Earn up to $8,000 in one summer. Our full-time teachers typically earn $550-$700 per week.
• Improve your teaching skills and confidence during our comprehensive, paid training program.
• Gain over 400 hours of classroom teaching experience with a variety of age groups from 4-year-olds to adults.
• Help your students become successful readers with a love of great books.

Successful Institute Teachers:

• Have strong reading skills and read for pleasure
• Are responsible and hard-working, with good communication and organizational skills
• Will be patient and supportive with students

Learn more about teaching for us and apply today: Summer Teaching Jobs