At 11.30a today a fire broke out at a University of the Arts metal foundry studio at the northeast corner of 15th and Pine Sts. According to UArts Chief Communications Officer, Paul Healy, artists in the studio use wax to create bronze sculptures. The casts are placed in a kiln where the wax melts off (lost wax casting). Normally, the wax is burned in the fire of the kiln, but in this case, wax accumulated underneath the kiln, overheated, and caught fire. One person was in the studio at the time of the fire, but got out safely. Onlookers said he ran back inside, twice, after realizing there were several liters of highly flammable liquids still in the studio as the fire department had not made it to the scene at the time.

Approximately 4 ladder companies, 1 snorkel company, 1 SQRT company and loads of EMS crews were on hand to put out the blaze and help anyone in need. Above are firefighters opening up the roof of the building.

By 12.10p, most of the blaze was out after the roof was opened up, but additional water was poured in to cool everything off.

By 12.30p, the fire crews were packing up while the last of the water was poured onto the roof.

There was no word as to how much of the foundry was burned or if it would be reopened anytime soon.

Uneven ground, originally uploaded by Solacetech.

At first sight, the green field above looks pretty flat, but upon a further look, you'll see the dip. Now if you have been here before, you'll know that there's a HUGE valley in front of the trees... So too today in Philadelphia it appears the "Digital Divide" has closed between The Suburbs and the urban areas. I don't believe it. Our High Speed internet prices will continue to rise because of the current wifi situation. Yes it still functions, but the service has NOT reached it's full potential and Earthlink customer service is abysmal...The latest news is that Earthlink will eventually leave with "Wireless Philadelphia" left to fend for itself. WIMAX in Philly is being flirted with but until these other services establish themselves, and cause competitive pricing, the technology gap will continue. What do you think? Please subscribe...

Hey all

Media Mobilizing Project, Temple School of Communications and Theatre and a bunch of co-sponsors are hosting a public forum on the future of Philly WiFi on June 3rd at Temple. The forum will host a diverse panel of speakers, while including an open space for participants to speak about the future of the wireless Internet initiative

Under Earthlink's management, Philadelphia's wireless network has faced both technical and customer service challenges, weakening public engagement. Now is a vital time to reignite the discussion about the wireless network as Earthlink officials have announced their intention to sell or transfer the 135-square mile network. With new ownership on the horizon, a renewed opportunity exists for Philadelphia's WiFi initiative to serve as a national model for community media. The promise of a city where everyone has the potential to be connected, opens new doors for economic, social and political participation.

I hope folks as part of this online community can begin to see the possibility of a well functioning wireless network and consider engaging the process. Who knows it may even broaden the number of users on Philly Future.

Above is a shot of several of the volunteers hard at work at a POP planting at 8/Poplar on the 19th. It was a gorgeous day and a ton of volunteers showed up from POP, Teens 4 Good and Greater Philadelphia Federation of Settlements. Young and old alike picked up wheel barrows, shovels, rakes and loads of dirt to plant a multitude of trees, berries and vines. I had my cousin in town for a last minute visit so I couldn't stick around for too long, but I was there for an hour documenting part of the process of planting a small orchard.

Learn more about the project here. You can donate, via PayPal or check, via the website as well. It's a very cool project and I was there for the initial meeting. My job at PhillyCarShare didn't allow me to do much last year, but now that I'm free of that place, I can take photos and get my hands into the dirt with the rest of the gang.

A flickr set up starting here of the afternoon's planting.

Building Bridges: Linking Lives and Communities
May 1 – December 31, 2008

Philadelphia, PA – Cliveden of the National Trust presents Building Bridges: Linking Lives and Communities, an exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of the construction the Walnut Lane Bridge. The exhibition, open from May 1st to December 31, 2008, will present monthly programming documenting the arduous effort to construct and preserve the bridge.

Finished in 1908, the Walnut Lane Bridge was the longest concrete arch bridge in the world at the time. Connecting the Roxborough and Germantown communities in Northwest Philadelphia, many drivers pass across the bridge too quickly too even notice its beauty. The view from underneath the bridge, however, has inspired many artists and writers, such as Christopher Morley and Troy Sayers.

Building Bridges: Linking Lives and Communities will feature highlights from a newly discovered collection of lantern slides which document the construction of the bridge from 1906 -1908. Designed by area artist Keith Ragone, the exhibit will feature drawings from the City of Philadelphia Department of Bridges, contemporary newspaper accounts, and rare photographs from descendants of bridge construction workers. In addition, modern photographs and works of art will be on display, including original work by Sayers which highlights the bridge’s enduring beauty.

The exhibition is free to the general public. Visitors are encouraged to join the Walnut Lane Bridge Club, which will allow them to get into all of the year’s bridge programs at a single, one-time $10 fee. Bridge Club funds will be used to support ongoing efforts to clean up around the bridge and preserve its history

An exclusive exhibition preview and reception event will take place at Cliveden on Sunday, April 27th at 3:00PM. The preview event is available to the general public as a cost of $25, RSVP only.

For further exhibition information, visit the Walnut Lane Bridge Blog at www.waluntlanebridge.org or call Cliveden at 215-848-1777.

Cliveden is located at 6401 Germantown Avenue and is open for tours April to December, Thursday – Sunday, 12PM – 4PM. Regular tour admission rates apply for Cliveden house tours.

Hi folks,

I haven't been around all that much since I've needed to concentrate on a number of personal concerns. Normally, I would be posting about the talk occurring from Philadelphians online. I'm not going to get the chance to do that today. But that doesn't mean that Philly Future can't help you explore and take part. Here's how:

Keep an eye on the Philly Wire. Philly Future surfaces conversations and headlines from across the region. Click and take part.

Search the Philly Wire for endorsements of fellow online travelers and local mass media.

Post here or on your favorite blogs your thoughts, your feelings, your concerns. Talk. Speak out.

And more than anything else - get out and vote.

Have a great day everyone,

Karl

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women will be held on October 2, 2008 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Now in its fifth year, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women is a non-profit, non-partisan, one-day annual conference that features more than 75 renowned speakers sharing inspirational stories and leading seminars on the issues that matter most to women, including health, personal finance, business and entrepreneurship, career resources, work-life balance, media, and more. The Conference offers incredible opportunities for business networking, professional development, and personal growth. Learn more and register at http://www.pagovernorsconferenceforwomen.org

Last night at the Compassion Forum, Barack sought to put an end to the recent flap over his "bitter" comments. He explained that he felt that industrial voters have a right to be bitter and in times of ecomomic distress, people "cling" to what they feel they can count on (ie religion, culture, family traditions) which is what he says he does in times of trial. It seems quite desperate on Clinton's part to try and make a mountian out of those statments. McCain.... well that is what should be expected. It seems like Clinton's response has Mark Penn written all over it. She has once again opened herself to questions she doesn't want to answer (when was the last time you were in church?) and makes her seem like she is pandering (to her own base? but I digress) with stories of how she is protecting sportsman and her daddy taught her to shoot. Next she will say she has a skeet shooting range in Chappequa (sp?). We will see if this is it or if the story lives on. One thing I can say though is "The lesson of Kerry" is understood by all Dems now, when hit, you must hit back immediately. Well by most Dems.... Hillary ducked (pun intended) the sniper fire story to long in my opinion.. but again I digress.

www.thefutureisus.com

The story about drugs in our water supply is still in the news.
Philadelphia is at the top of the 24 cities reported.
The trace amounts, however, are being measured in 'parts per billion'.

The Philly Water Department has tried to put it in perspective by stating -
A resident would have to drink 8 glasses of water every day for 40,000 years
to equal the dosage in 1 over the counter pain pill.

Good news for some, maybe not for others...

Story Link: Drugs in the water

Cartoon from Sid in the City

Calling it cross-dressing might be stretching it a bit, though technically the term is correct.
The kids were taking part in a school function called Wacky Week.
The week before Wacky Week, the kids voted on how they should dress up each day.

The last day of Wacky Week, the vote was to dress as either Senior Citizens,
or have the boys dress as girls, and girls dress as boys.

It was Wacky Week, get it? A time for the kids to have fun.
It brought the whackos out instead.

Story Link: Playing dress-up

Cartoon from Sid in the City

Last Tuesday, I went to the Trolley Car Diner (7619 Germantown Ave) in Mt. Airy for a local beer tasting course taught (in conjunction with the Mt. Airy Learning Tree) by none other than Joe Sixpack himself, Don Russell (pictured above). I attended the event with my good friend Pat who, along with his wife, bought me a ticket to the event as a Christmas present. After reading Tony's account of the February class, I was quite excited for the event.

About 30 attendees sat in booths and shared each bottle/can beer between them. Our table only had 3 so we had slightly larger portions per person than the rest of the class! Each student received a packet for the night complete with a list of all the beers we'd be sampling that night (I had had 5 out of the 11); a list of some of Don's favorite bars and a list, with examples, of various styles of beers. The first thing I learned was that all beers fall into one of two categories: Ales or Lagers. I never knew that. According to the handout, an Ale is "Brewed quickly with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperature." A Lager is "Brewed slowly with bottom-fermenting yeast at cool temperature." Who knew Beamish and Yards Philly Pale Ale were in the same family!

The first "beer" sampled was the most popular beer sold in Philadelphia. The watered down beauty taking this crown is Miller Lite. I thought, for sure, that Yuengling Lager would take #1, but nope. Don served this one first for the class to have an understanding of the baseline of beers in the town was. Moving on to the first real beer... a can of Phoenixville, PA's Sly Fox Pikeland Pils (German Pilsner, 4.9% ABV). The label on the can had a set of hops right on it so I knew I'd most likely not be a fan (not into hoppy beers yet at my young age). It was hoppy, but not overpowering. Don took a sec to explain the aluminum can phenomenon in craft beers these days. Apparently, a Canadian company has found a way to produce small quantities of aluminum cans (relative to the output of the Coors/Busch guys I suppose) at an affordable price. More durable than glass bottles, they end up being easier to transport. He said to be on the lookout for more and more small breweries to produce aluminum can versions of their beers. He added that the cans had a special coating to protect the beer from getting a tinny taste to them, but the psychological tie to drinking straight from the can still remains; he advised us to pour it into a glass instead.