West Philadelphia : In The News

Wildly successful entrepreneur Jassi Chadha has brought his expertise to TiE-NJ/Philadelphia, a newer chapter of the global entrepreneurship organization, reports SiliconIndia.

TiE NJ-Philly is an offshoot of TiE Tristate. New Jersey and Philadephia had quite a lot of entrepreneurs who would often find it difficult to make it to New York for various events of the Tristate. Hence the need for a chapter in this geographic area became a necessity. Today under the leadership of Chadha, the TiE-NJ-Philly Chapter is helping the budding entrepreneurs in this geography to realize their goals and dreams by conducting various events, providing mentoring, and networking opportunities.

"There are aspects of entrepreneurship like optimism, excitement, energy, and a sense of adventure that is inspiring to read and get excited. It also drives people to do more and pursue big dreams. However, the path of entrepreneurship is often lonely, hard, and the journey hectic with challenges of different sorts. That's why entrepreneurs need to be supported and find the right support in programs that TiE offers," says Chadha.

Original source: SiliconIndia.
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Members of the Norfolk Arts Commission visited Philadelphia last week to get a close-up look at some of the thousands of works of the Philadelphia Mural Arts Programs, reports The Hour.

"I was blown away by how these community murals in Philadelphia brightened the neighborhoods. It's inspiring to hear the stories of how these murals got made, and how it brought the community together," Becker said. "This is how to revitalize neighborhoods and instill a sense of pride, something I see Norwalk needs help with."

Launched in 1984 to combat graffiti, the city of Philadelphia Mural Arts Programs now bills itself as the largest public art program in the United States.

Original source: The Hour
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Technically Philly's profile of Human Network Labs takes us inside the startup developing technology that merges information about the physical world, users and their surroundings.

The company was established in 2007 in response to the huge growth in social networking. However, CEO Carlos Garcia wanted consumers to have the ability to use social networking in the real world, instead of just on the Internet.

The technology allows users to localize persons or objects indoors or outdoors without the use of the Internet on their cell phones.

"Having Internet should not be a prerequisite of social networking," said Garcia. Based in a city that faces the inequalities of a digital divide, Human Network Labs aims to produce a technology that would be available to everyone.

Original source: Technically Philly
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The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on two online news publications that have launched recently, including yours truly.

As the market for news fragments, new models for journalism are emerging. Two of those experiments, Flying Kite and Patch, launched in Philadelphia last month.

"This is a fresh way to get fresh content about all the innovative things happening in our city," said Danielle Cohn, (Philadelphia Convention and Visitors) bureau spokeswoman.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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Noah Snyder-Mackler, a doctoral candidate in the psychology department at the University of Pennsylvania, is blogging for the New York Times' Scientist at Work feature while he studies the socio-genetic structure of gelada monkeys.

My research focuses on the evolution of social behavior in a gregarious primate, the gelada. Geladas, endemic to Ethiopia, are not only the only grazing primate, but they are also found in some of the largest social groups of any nonhuman primate (on occasion we have seen more than 1,000 individuals at the same site). Our field site is situated in the extremely remote, stunningly beautiful Simien Mountains National Park (a series of cliffs, plateaus and mountains situated in the highlands of northern Ethiopia). The park is a 15-hour drive north of Addis Ababa and nowhere near electricity, cellphone or the Internet.

Original source: New York Times
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Environmental publication Grist takes a look at Philly's urban farming scene, including the historic Manatawna Farm and Glenwood Green Acres.

The city is also host to two multi-acre farms, one at the Schuylkill Center, a nature preserve that operates a farm stand and a CSA in a surprisingly verdant area in the northwest part of the city. The other is managed by the member-owned Weavers Way Co-op grocery stores (more on that below, and full disclosure -- I'm a Weavers Way member, and the co-op hosts my Beyond Green blog).

Mayor Michael Nutter has issued a series of food-focused proposals and initiatives, including creating a food policy council and releasing the Philadelphia Food Charter, which puts ag front and center. Even the city's "Greenworks" initiative, designed to turn Philly into "the greenest city in America," sets the goal of increasing commercial agriculture within city limits.

Original source: Grist
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Led by Drexel University students and faculty advisors, the Drexel Smart House is pushing the envelope when it comes to sustainably improving the quality of life in urban residences, reports Forbes.

The group has received several EPA grants in support of its work (an impressive feat for a student organization) as well as other funding from the university and community groups. Seven of the students have already received LEED AP certification through their work in the student group.

Other similar projects exist in a handful of schools across the country; however, this project is unique in that it is a rebuild of a house in an urban environment.

Source: Forbes
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