The United States Minute
Click here to listen to the United States minute.
Country Stats
Population:
307,212,123
(July 2009 est.)
Year of independence:
July 4, 1776
(from Great Britain)
Head of government:
President Barack H. Obama
Language most commonly spoken:
English
Famous Faces
Famous People from Pittsburgh:
- Dan Marino (quarterback 1983-1999, Hall of Fame, Super Bowl)
- Henry J. Heinz (founder of H. J. Heinz Company)
- Andy Warhol (artist and filmmaker)
- Christina Aguilera (singer and songwriter)
- Charles Martin Hall (aluminum producer and founder of Alcoa)
What's for Dinner
Although other G-20 nations have culinary heritages that include many regional variations and different ethnic influences, this may seem more prevalent in the United States to readers because of personal experience. Many staples –hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza, for instance, and even General Tso’s chicken, knishes or fettuccini alfredo – are American adaptations of foreign foods brought over by immigrants. The size of the country and diversity of climates and environments has produced some sharp distinctions in culinary styles, though processed foods and chain restaurants have softened that contrast recently.
International Student Summit - Cyber Security and Civil Liberties
September 17, 2010
The Student Summit will connect students in the Pittsburgh region to students in countries around the world through video conference and webcast, engaging them in a dialogue exploring the tensions between cyber security and civil liberties issues.
40th World Affairs Institute for Student Leaders
Forecasting Global Trends: Your World in 2020 and Beyond
November 17, 2010
The World Affairs Institute is an annual daylong conference sponsored by Rotary International and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.
United States of America
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The United States controls the largest and most technologically savvy economy in the world. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility in expanding capital plants, laying off surplus workers and developing new products, while facing higher barriers to enter foreign markets.
The US market economy has caused the emergence of a two-tiered labor market—those who are technologically educated and those who are not. Since 1975, nearly all gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups.Tourist Attraction: Statue of Liberty, New York
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The Statue of Liberty (French: Statue de la Liberté), or, more formally, Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), was presented to the United States by the people of France in 1886. Standing on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, it welcomes visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans traveling by ship. The copper-clad statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and was given to the United States to represent the friendship established during the American Revolution.Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue and obtained a U.S. patent for its structure.Maurice Koechlin - chief engineer of Gustave Eiffel's engineering company and designer of the Eiffel Tower - engineered the internal structure. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc was responsible for the choice of copper in the statue's construction and adoption of the repoussé technique, where a malleable metal is hammered on the reverse side.Get to Know the
G-20 Countries
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