In the News

Exploring the geography of class in Philadelphia

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, March 28, 2013

The Atlantic Cities uses U.S. Census data to explore the geography of class in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia's class divide is pronounced. Its neighborhoods run the gamut from leafy townhouse enclaves to some of the country's most disadvantaged communities.

There are two major creative class clusters (purple areas on the map) in the city proper. The first is in and around the urban core in the Center City; the second is to the west in Chestnut Hill and Manayunk-Roxborough.

Original source: The Atlantic Cites

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Philly's Mario Lanza Institute among thriving shrines for local heroes

The New York Times Thursday, March 28, 2013

The New York Times explores Philadelphia's Mario Lanza Institute, an oft-overlooked Philadelphia-bred singer, and other small shrines to hometown heroes.

Bill Ronayne, president of the Mario Lanza Institute in Philadelphia, summed up the reason for such hometown tributes:

“It may seem odd to some people to have a museum to someone like Lanza, but I think we are obligated to remember those with talent. They may not be Lincoln, but they affected us, so whatever I can do to keep Mario’s memory alive, I am happy to be associated with it.”

Original source: The New York Times

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Radiate Athletics: West Chester company makes workout shirt that doubles as personal trainer

Headline News Thursday, March 21, 2013

Headline News TV checks in on West Chester-based Radiate Athletics, which already has surpassed its Kickstarter goal for developing a thermochromatic workout shirt that can actually display the effectiveness of a user's workout.

According to the Radiate's Kickstarter page, the shirt employs "re-engineered NASA technology" that "changes the way electrons reflect light in the presence of body warmth." In other words, as your body heats up, the shirt changes color. Think hypercolor circa 1991, just with a more revolutionized design, and specifically for the fitness realm.

Original source: Headline News TV

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Philadelphia International Airport lures New York-based travelers

The New York Times Thursday, March 21, 2013

PHL has become an attractive departure point for New Yorkers, drawn by the low prices and the presence of Southwest Airlines.

Airfares have been dropping faster in Philadelphia than in any other big city, fueling a boom in traffic at the congested airport there. Despite its reputation for delays and baggage difficulties, Philadelphia International is now attracting more passengers for domestic flights than any of New York's three major airports - La Guardia, Kennedy International or Newark Liberty International.

Transportation officials say they do not know how many of those travelers are being lured away by lower fares, but they concede that New Yorkers are not immune to what is known in the travel industry as the Southwest effect. When Southwest Airlines, the king of the low-fare carriers, arrives in a new city, it drives down airfares and adds traffic.

Original source: The New York Times
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Taking a deep dive into Pittsburgh's sewers

The Atlantic Cities Thursday, March 21, 2013

The Atlantic Citie writes about a University of Pittsburgh Ph.D. candidate who co-authored research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology that aims to determine how much sewers leak.

They studied water samples from Pittsburgh’s Nine Mile Run, one of two urban streams that still exist within the city limits (before we used such streams to dump our refuse, then piped them up and built over them, most cities were covered in small streams: "If you look at any maps with all the buildings and political boundaries taken off," Divers says, "you can see where the streams should be").

The researchers were particularly looking for a kind of nitrogen that can come from sewer systems, industrial sources, lawn fertilizer or any fossil fuels burned into the atmosphere eventually creating deposits on the landscape (fascinating side note: scientists can estimate runoff from lawn fertilizers by looking at the housing stock and financial stability of neighborhoods).

Original source: Atlantic Cities

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Time to make another national list for Philadelphia's Federal Donuts

Saveur Thursday, March 21, 2013

These days, if there's a donut list, local favorite Federal Donuts will earn a spot. This Saveur run-down of the country's 50 Best Donuts is no exception.

The donuts at this ambitious newcomer include the Appollonia, served hot and rolled in cocoa and orange blossom powder. The other specialty? Fried chicken.

Original source: Saveur
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Ivy League picks Pittsburgh as Rust Belt's valedictorian

Politic Thursday, March 14, 2013

Politic, the Yale Undergraduate Journal of Politics, tackles Rust Belt revivalism and picks Pittsburgh as its favorite son.

The city’s revival has been part organic and part good long-term planning. With regards to the latter, Clifford Levine, an attorney who specializes in governmental law and chairs the Public Affairs Group of Cohen & Grigsby, gives credit to public-private partnerships. “There is a long tradition of political and corporate collaboration, going back to 1945 when David Lawrence was elected mayor,” he told The Politic. At the time, Pittsburgh was considered one of the most polluted cities in America. A Catholic Democrat, Lawrence forged the now famous bipartisan alliance with Richard Mellon, a member of the WASP establishment and staunch Republican chairman of one of the largest banks in the country. Despite their political and religious differences, the partnership drove a postwar urban renewal.

Original source: Politic

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Going Gettysburg: Traveling historic roads in Pennsylvania and Virginia

The New York Times Thursday, March 14, 2013

The New York Times Travel section rediscovers the shaping of our nation through the Civil War and the 150-year anniversaries of Civil War battles in Gettysburg and elsewhere.

So I set off with my family, using Gettysburg Battlefield as an entry point. We made our way to stations numbered to correspond with an auto tour along a network of roads that wrap around the 6,000-acre preserve in south-central Pennsylvania. Despite its name, it is actually a vast series of battlefields across a landscape that is backstopped by the Appalachian Mountains to the west, and ripples eastward in a series of ridges, hillocks, forests and creeks, with expansive fields and meadows between them.

Original source: The New York Times

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Nanotech cluster: Pennsylvania is home to 58 nanotech companies and 40 nanotech research and communi

Nanowerk News Thursday, March 14, 2013

Nanowerk News rounds up all the nanotechnology activity in Pennsylvania, including 58 companies, 40 research and community organizations and eight degree programs.

Pennsylvania has a burgeoning research and commercial nanotechnology environment. The University of Pennsylvania, Penn State and Drexel University have large and well-respected nanotechnology research programs.

Original source: Nanowerk News

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Philadelphia Flower Show's attendance continues to soar

Washington Post Thursday, March 14, 2013

The Washington Post's Adrian Higgins visited the Flower Show, PHS's big annual event, and came away impressed. (Check out sister publication Flying Kite's pics from the shindig here.)

Historically, big-city flower shows are like big cities themselves: They either change or decline but cannot stay the same. By all appearances, the Philadelphia show is in the midst of healthy change: Attendance climbed from 235,000 in 2010 to 270,000 last year and is on track to exceed 300,000 this year. The number of competitive entries in a feature called the horticultural court — the horticourt — is about 11,000, and the entrants’ enthusiasm has been rewarded with a new $1 million setting for the competitions that includes a fabric roof and new show benches and display backdrops.

Original source: The Washington Post
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Historic farm in Susquehanna County set to be fracked by Cabot Oil and Gas

The New York Times Thursday, March 07, 2013

After initially rejecting advances, the owner of a historic 153-acre farm in Susquehanna County has agreed to sign a lease to allow Cabot Oil and Gas to drill for natural gas below her land.

Its 19th-century farmhouse, of major cultural and historical importance, needs repairs that can now be financed with the money from the lease and from royalties that are expected to flow from deposits of gas within the Marcellus Shale, about a mile below the surface.

“I made the best decision I could for my property,” said Ms. Dennis, who has also set up a charitable land trust to restore the farm. “We couldn’t move forward without the money.” She spoke after making a presentation earlier this week about the farm’s history at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Original source: The New York Times

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Ardmore alt-craft brewer Tired Hands among most promising in U.S., says Food Republic

Food Republic Thursday, March 07, 2013

Tired Hands Brewing Company, which opened in 2012 in Ardmore, Montgomery County, continues to get attention, this time ranking No. 4 on Food Republic's 10 breweries to look out for in 2012.

It’s already been a big year for Ardmore, PA–based Tired Hands Brewing Company, named one of the top five best new brewers in 2012 by Rate Beer. The limited output makes this a worthy destination for their famed beer dinners, but look no further than their beer for innovative food use. Next on tap: Ancient Knovvledge, an Asian-inspired saison brewed with hemp seeds, nori, black and white sesame seeds, tangerine juice, Schezuan peppercorns and long red hot peppers.

Original source: Food Republic

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Pittsburgh's perfect mix of university and industry pushes energy independence leadership

Energy Biz Thursday, March 07, 2013

Energy Biz digs into Pittsburgh's leadership role in driving the country's push for energy independence.

Today the region boasts a diverse population of energy-related companies with national headquarters and major operations located here, including ABB, ANSYS, CONSOL Energy, Dominion, Eaton, FirstEnergy, General Electric, Mitsubishi Electric, Range Resources, Siemens, Westinghouse and many others. The region is also home to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Lab (NETL), which has provided the nation with important breakthroughs in energy technologies and research for over 100 years and is currently expanding its capabilities through a regional university alliance. Supporting this tremendous corporate growth is the presence of world-class universities and research facilities at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and other regional institutions.

Original source: Energy Biz

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Philadelphia and Pittsburgh among top cities for VC in tech startups

Mashable Thursday, February 28, 2013

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh rank ninth and 13th, respectively, in the National Venture Capital Association's list of top cities for venture capital investments in tech startups, reports Mashable.

"Venture capitalists will go to where the entrepreneurs are — and there is a great deal of startup activity outside of Silicon Valley," a NVCA spokesperson told Mashable. "Those regions with thriving VC ecosystems tend to have strong universities where technology is developed and research is completed and commercialized."

Original source: Mashable
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Zagat: Philly Fair Trade top local coffee roaster in Philadelphia

Zagat Thursday, February 28, 2013

Zagat ranks the top 11 local coffee roasters in Philadelphia.

Philly Fair Trade Roasters

Joe Cesa has been small-batch roasting in Philadelphia since before you were even drinking coffee. Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but it was way back in 2002 that he launched fair trade cafe Joe’s Coffee Bar on the corner of 11th and Walnut. A few years ago, he gave up the cafe location and went into roasting full time.

His Feltonville facility produces beans served at over a dozen cafes and restaurants, and are available to purchase in another dozen retail locations, including a prime spot at the Headhouse farmers’ market. Order your own online - you can choose from more than 20 different regions and roasts.

Original source: Zagat

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