CLOSE UP by Brian Rudnick

Bocce Club's July 4th at the Water Tower

 

At the Philadelphia Water Tower Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill, a magician named John brought Anna and "Jimmy the Paleontologist" up on the stage as audience volunteers. July 4th Independence Day celebration produced by the Bocce Club.

Live brine shrimp, Chuck Connelly and friends at Chestnut Hill Gallery

Artist Chuck Connelly curates the [stunning] Chestnut Hill Gallery show that just opened featuring his oil paintings, the projected light work of Ted Victoria, the lamps and gears of Harry Anderson and the salt print nudes of Hal Hirshorn. Featured in the video collage [CLICK HERE] of the artists' reception are Connelly, Victoria, Anderson and Owner-Gallery Director Joseph Borelli.

Tasting like a lion

Guests sample six different concoctions to understand how animals taste. Cats don't taste sweet so a sweet substance was tasted followed by a sweet blocker followed by another draft of the same sweet substance- which tasted like not worth eating or drinking! At the Philadelphia Science Festival event at Rembrandt's Restaurant produced by the Philadelphia Zoo and Monell Center where they study the sense of taste. Watch video here.

Body odors signal threat?

Amy Gordon,left, a first year grad student who works at the Monell Center, welcomed guests to a Philadelphia Science Festival program on how animals, smell and taste at Rembrandt's Restaurant and Bar. Gordon studies how humans communicate with body odor, especially how a stranger's body odor may influence threatening visual stimuli from the stranger. Fairmount neighborhood, Philadelphia.Watch video here.

Speed dating model also matches investors and caregivers with nannies

Founder John Samson, left, and his partner Dan Gill run SpeedDateUSA.com, a company with national reach, that hosts events for people with similar interests, from romantic to social and business as well. Samson says speed dating was popular in New York City and Europe when he moved to Philadephia a few years ago and saw an opportunity to start a business here. The ten to fifteen guests who sign up for an event meet one on one with each other for 6 minutes before rotating to another guest. What started as a service for lonely hearts now uses a similar concept, speed networking, to bring together investors looking to network with one another and even caregivers looking for nannies. Interviewed near Dan's office outside the old Solaris on Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill.  Watch video here.

Soil Kitchen tilts at windmills

Dan and his father, Chilean born Francisco Allende, read alternatingly in English and Spanish from Miguel Cervantes' "Don Quixote" in front of the legendary knight errant's statute at 2nd and Girard. Quixote was the inspiration for the "Soilkitchen" public art project coinciding with the Environmental Protection Agency's national brownfields conference in Philadelphia in April. At the street level gathering and exhibition space on the south side of Girard, Soil Kitchen lab assistants test samples of soil collected from around the city to assess the health of the soil for farming while volunteers dish out free soup. In the photo foreground, project artist Amy Franceschini takes a pause from taking photos to listen to the reading. Watch video here and visit http://soilkitchen.org

Philly 8th District Council Candidates, in their own words, what they would do in office

Five of the seven candidates in the Democratic primary for Philadephia's 8th district City Council seat milled around 3 groups of about 12 particpants each and a swarm of reporters at a WHYY voter forum. Here are their responses to "What are 3 concrete steps you will take when you become councilperson?" In order of appearance: Robin Tasco, Greg Paulmier, Bill Durham, Howard Treatman and Andrew Lofton. Candidates Cindy Bass and Verna Tyner were not in attendance and there did not appear to be representatives from their campaigns. Watch video interviews here.

 

Philly Roller Girls Jam at 23rd Street Armory

Competing in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association, the Philly Roller Girls jammed their way around the track before an enthusiastic multi-generational crowd at the 23rd Street Armory Saturday Night.

Philly's Independence Dolls took on and over the Wilmington, North Carolina Cape Fear Roller Girls. In the second match, two Philly teams faced off: The Heavy Metal Hookers and the Broad Street Butchers, attired, respectively,with tiger striped shorts and blood-red stained butcher aprons.

Vanessa Jackson, a bartender, aka "Euro Thrasher" of the Hookers doubles as co-head of public relations. Five years ago, a girl working at the bar behind hers invited Jackson to a game; it "blew her mind" - she knew she had to do derby and now "Thrasher" cannot imagine life without it.

"Mercedes Bends" of West Philly and Germany, a student teacher of the German language,  was selling roller derby paraphanalia at the event because her teams, the Britches and nationally 4th ranked travel team Bells weren't on the bill. "Bends" progressed into the sport through a combination roller skate dancing, soccer and karate!  Skater "Gingervitis" introduced her to roller derby and in 2009 she earned best team Jammer and MVP awards.  Her profile quote is "German engineering meets American crash standards."

Watch video here.

Local Actress Pierlisa Chiodo-Steo on her last role and the Oscars

Local actress Pierlisa Chiodo-Steo, who just completed a run at Stagecrafters Theater as Amanda in Noel Coward's "Private Lives" is taking a break before doing some readings in March. Her motivation for acting is to move audiences, make them laugh or cry. She can next be not seen watching the Academy Awards in front of her TV. Watch video here.

Jason Chuong leads Jenks Bucket Drumming Ensemble

  

"So please give a hand for the Jenks Bucket Drumming ensemble!...During the school year I start the kids with learning technique, with learning how to read music, music literacy and at the end of every period I have an enrichment section, lesson. They learn bucket drumming or they learn drum set, improvisation, composition. And basically the kids do bucket drumming. We compose pieces together, we improvise ….. I got an idea from the University of the Arts. I attended the University of the Arts. We started an experimental bucket drumming ensemble there that kind of took off. And now it’s developing all over the city. I have seven ensembles in the city that I started and it’s just taking off! That’s what we do here at Jenks. Each bucket is about two dollars and thirty seven cents. And it’s immediate gratification for the kids. So instead of spending months learning fingering and armature and technique for a saxophone or clarinet, you pick up a pair of sticks and immediately play and you sound OKAY." Philadelhia School District Music teacher with the J.S. Jenks Middle School bucket drumming ensemble at the winter concert.

Watch video here.