PhilaNet.com

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Through a brand new electronics recycling certification program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to ensure that electronics recyclers adhere to highly protective standards for workers and the environment in processing pre-owned electronics.

This new certification process also means that recycled materials will not be shipped overseas without the consent of the designated country.

Three companies nationwide have received this new designation – called Responsible Recycling Practices Certification. The first, and only certified recycler in the mid-Atlantic region is E-structors, Inc. of Elkridge, Md. TechTurn of Austin, Texas, and Waste Management of Minnesota were also certified as electronic recycling firms.

E-Structors, founded in 2003, operates primarily on a contractual basis with organizations that have significant volumes of pre-owned electronics to recycle. As a certified recycler, the company follows a business model of reuse, refurbishment and recycling of electronics.

“This new e-cycling certification program will take the guesswork out of choosing a responsible recycler,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “Recycling is an important tool in our arsenal and we need to make sure it’s done correctly to prevent environmental harm and ensure the safe re-use of materials. We strongly encourage other electronic recyclers to obtain the certification to ensure that public health and the environment receive the highest protection available.”

The protocols required of certified recyclers help to reduce energy and natural resource consumption, greenhouse gases and hazardous waste. Recyclers are not permitted to burn or landfill certain materials. If electronics are going to be sold for reuse, the recycler must show that all personal data has been cleared or destroyed, that the equipment has been tested and is in working condition, and that the equipment is packaged properly. A recycler must exercise due diligence to ensure appropriate management of the materials throughout the recycling chain, whether domestic or international.

To apply for certification, electronics recyclers should contact either SGS or Perry Johnson Registrars to receive certification, provided they meet the rigorous certification standards. Both SGS and Perry Johnson Registrars are leading inspection, verification, testing and certification companies. As accredited certifying bodies for certification, SGS and Perry Johnson Registrars are required to list companies they have certified on their respective websites.

Links:

For information on disposing of single or small numbers of units, go to:
http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/eCycling/index.htm. or Earth911.org

Daylight savings time begins on March 14 and the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management reminds the public to refresh their emergency supplies when changing their clocks with its “Get Ready: Set Your Clocks, Check Your Stocks” campaign.

“Make sure you have all of the necessary emergency supplies in your kits, and check the expiration dates on food, water as well as radio and flashlight batteries,” said Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management MaryAnn E. Tierney. “If you haven’t put together a family preparedness kit or a Go Bag of emergency supplies if you need to evacuate, do so now. The time to start planning for an emergency is not in the middle of one.”

Be sure that you have at least a three-day supply of bottled water, non-perishable foods and essential medications set aside for each member of your family. Remember your pets are part of the family too, so include some emergency supplies for them. And as always, don’t forget to check the batteries in your smoke alarms! As we prepare for the arrival of spring, make sure you and your loved ones are prepared for emergencies.

It’s also a good idea to sign up for ReadyNotifyPA, the region’s emergency text and email alert system, by logging on to www.readynotifypa.org.

For more information on emergency preparedness, ReadyNotifyPA, or for a list of emergency supplies for a family preparedness kit and Go Bag, visit www.phila.gov/ready or call 3-1-1.

When talking about emergencies, most first responders say, “It’s not if an emergency happens, but when.” Be ready in 2010.

Prints Link Philadelphia in City Hall North Portal

Wind Prints: It’s In the Air
Prints Link Philadelphia
March 8 – April 9, 2010
City Hall, North Portal
Opening Reception: March 20, 1-3 pm
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Art In City Hall is pleased to present Wind Prints: It’s in the Air, March15 – April16. The exhibition by Prints Link Philadelphia will take place in City Hall’s North Portal. A reception open to the general public will be held on March 20 from 1-3 pm.

Wind Prints: It’s in the Air consists of eight banners, each eight feet by ten feet, printed by children and teens. The banners will form a canopy over City Hall’s North Portal. Wind Prints is an exhibition of Prints Link Philadelphia (PLP), an open membership coalition of community arts organizations, art centers, museums, schools and teaching artists dedicated to promote and teach printmaking to children and teens in the Philadelphia region. Founded in May 2009, Prints Link Philadelphia is the only independent project of Philagrafika Festival 2010 dedicated to printmaking by children and teens. Visit: http://www.philagrafika2010.org/node/220.

The nine groups and their art educator representatives are: The Attic Youth Center (Beth Pulcinella), Germantown Academy (David Love), Haverford High School (Mark Wangberg). Hill-Freeman School (Valerie Van Pham), Independence Charter School (Rachel Schaffran), Nueva Esperanza Academy (Amy Diaz Newman), Norris Square Neighborhood Project Prodigies (Cathryn Carkhuff), Philadelphia Museum of Art (Carly Wiley), and Russell Byers Charter School (Amy Jared). Wendy Osterweil at Tyler School of Art/Temple University is the PLP Coordinator.

Art In City Hall hours are 8 – 5pm weekdays, closed weekends and holidays. For more information, please contact: Tu Huynh, artincityhall@phila.gov, (215) 686-9912.

Art In City Hall is a collaborative effort between the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy and Philadelphia’s arts community. It is supported by an independent Advisory Council made up of arts professionals and private citizens. Since the program began in 1984, over 2000 emerging artists have shown their talents in the hallways of City Hall through juried group exhibitions based on specific themes. In addition to these exhibitions, the program also displays artwork from Philadelphia’s schools, other city agencies, local non-profits, and community arts organizations. For more information, visit: www.phila.gov/artincityhall or join us on

City of Philadelphia,
Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
116 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-686-9912
Fax: 215-686-4520
www.phila.gov/artincityhall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CENTURY 21 Absolute Realty Wins Multiple Awards in 2009

CENTURY 21 Absolute Realty, with offices in Springfield, Ridley Park and West Chester, PA, received Top Awards from CENTURY 21 Corporation for 2009

* Top 20 In Gross Closed Commissions & Units – Springfield office
* Top 20 In Gross Closed Commissions & Units – Ridley Park office
* CENTURY 21 Gold Medallion Award, Springfield office
* CENTURY 21 Quality Service Award, Springfield office
* Ranked in the Top 10 Companies in the Pennsylvania Region in Gross Closed Commissions

The Broker Owners of CENTURY 21 Absolute Realty are Stan Lesniak, Dave Stinson, Ray McKinney & Vance Coulston.

CENTURY 21 Absolute Realty Recognized their top producing agents for 2009 at an Awards Breakfast on January 30, 2010 at the Springfield Country Club in Springfield. Congratulations to all the Award Winners!

For real estate career info, contact
Linda Johnson, H/R Director/REALTOR
CENTURY 21 Absolute Realty

The Intelligencer.com, by David W. Myers

A new law limits the amount that home buyers can be charged for the expenses involved in getting a loan, but some prospective borrowers don’t know how the complicated guidelines work.

Dear Mr. Meyers: We agreed to buy a house, and our lender provided a statement showing our loan’s estimated closing costs. The estimate for the cost of a title search and title insurance policy from a company recommended by the lender totaled $1,127, but we decided to use a differnet company because we thought it would save us money. When the deal closed last week, the final settlement statement showed that the company we chose charged us $1,640 for its services – more than 40 percent over the bank’s estimates. Isn’t the illegal, because the new law that you wrote about a few months ago says that the actual closing costs cannot be higher than 10 percent of the lender’s original estiamtes?

ANSWER: I’m afraid that you misread that earlier column.

Under a new federal law that took effect Jan. 1, all lenders are now required to provide prospective borrowers with a standardized, three-page “good faith estimate” of their closing costs. The law essentially divides these costs into three seperate categories: Those that cannot change from the bank’s estimates, those that can rise by as much as 10 percent, and those that can change without limit.

Read more…

60th YEAR REUNION OF WEST PHILLY JAN.’50 CLASS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 25th

Members of the January 1950 class of West Philadelphia High School will assemble on Saturday, September 25th, at Bala Golf Club for a luncheon reunion 60 years after graduation.

Several of the people who planned the class’ 50th year reunion in center city formed the nucleus of the Reunion Planning Committee. They have been meeting regularly since mid-January in Bala Cynwyd to decide on the arragements for the event and to set in motion a search for the whereabouts of class members. Any class member who has not yet been contacted by the committee is urged to contact committee chairman Skip Litz by email at slitz1@verizon.net or by calling 215-884-8475.

Archbishop Ryan High School is reaching out to the cause of childhood cancer. The faculty and school community are donating to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to honor the life of Jesenia Perez, the 11 year old sister of junior student, Jessica Perez. Jesenia was diagnosed with cancer at age nine and received treatment at St. Christopher’s Hospital here in Philadelphia. She passed away in November 2009.

On Friday, March 12, many of Ryan’s faculty will be shaving their heads in support of childhood cancer and the Perez family at Fadó Irish Pub located at 1500 Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. So far, the faculty, students and friends of the school community have donated over $7,900 towards their goal of $10,000. Please help team A.R. in doing their part in the fight against cancer. For more information on Ryan’s involvement with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, contact John Farington at jfarrington@archbishopryan.com. If you would like to donate this cause you can visit: www.stbaldricks.org keyword: Archbishop Ryan.

Also, in April, Ryan’s world language teacher, Mr. Joseph Muto, will be walking approximately 75 miles to Ventnor City, New Jersey from Philadelphia to raise money for this cause. To support Mr. Muto, you can visit the website and type keyword: Muto.

Written by: Danny Clifton, Ryan Review Staff Writer
Editor’s note: I had the journalism teacher run a little contest with the students who are up for editor of the school newspaper next year.  He selected the one attached.

Philadelphia, PA — The Managing Director’s Office of Emergency Management (MDO-OEM) is responsible for ensuring the readiness of the City of Philadelphia for emergencies of any kind through an integrated and collaborative program that educates the public on how to prepare for emergencies, works with organizations throughout the city to prepare emergency contingencies, mitigate the impact of emergencies and enable the city to recover from an emergency as quickly as possible.

To accomplish this mission, the MDO-OEM employs a highly dedicated and talented group of professionals, who:
* Oversee development of the City’s plans for large-scale emergencies and disasters
* Conduct training and exercises to evaluate the effectiveness of plans and policies
* Collect, analyze, and disseminate incident information
Coordinate and support responses to and recovery from emergencies
* Educate the public on preparedness, and
Obtain funding in support of preparedness for Philadelphia

Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management

Hippies 4 Haiti: a Concert Benefiting Meds and Food for Kids (http://mfkhaiti.org/)

Start Time: Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 3:00pm
End Time: Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 1:30am
Location: Third & Walnut Bar-Lounge, Lansdale, PA 19446

HIPPIES 4 HAITI will take place at the Third & Walnut Bar-Lounge in Lansdale, Pa. on Saturday February 27 about 3:00p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The space is being donated by Mike Riccardi, owner of Third & Walnut. http://www.myspace.com/michael19446 Mike will run a cash bar.

Grateful Billy Robel will cook fresh foods, offering both vegetarian and meat options. His deep dark fudgey brownies are redunculous!

Dotman Mike will MC and six bands will be donating a set:
3:30 Mike Carlton
4:00 Painted Blue
5:30 Wynrise
7:00 The Turnips
8:00 Wineskin
9:15 Basket Auction and 50/50 drawing
9:45 Pete Kranz and the WEMB
11:00 The Happy Dog and Friends