Yo, Philly in the News

• Websites all over the internet have been posting the details of the deal signed Wednesday to create Philly's city-wide Wi-Fi hotspot, but we like the article by the Daily News the best because it opens this way:

  Breaking into song, Mayor Street said yesterday that a Philadelphian armed with a computer linked to the Internet will have "the whole world in his hands."

  Oh, that Street. What a fun-loving fellow. Anyways, the hard facts are as follows: low-income users will pay $9.95 a month, and regular customers will pay $20 a month. So it's not free, as had been suggested long ago, but it's better than the price you'd pay otherwise, and it'll mean that people who currently have no - or very little - access to the internet will be able to get online, and that's really cool. In fact, it's what Philadelphia and America are all about - equality, freedom, brotherly love, and the internet!
• Kids from Philadelphia area high schools have been in the news a lot lately. First we heard that students from West Philadelphia High School had built a fast, fuel-efficient car that runs on soybean bio-diesel fuel (0-60 in 4 seconds, and 50 mpg, thank you very much) and got to show it off at the Philadelphia Auto Show. (Via) Now we've heard that teams from Norristown High School and Gwynedd-Mercy Academy tied in a competition to create anti-smoking commercials for MTV, and now both of their commercials will be shown on the network later this year. Awesome.
• The Franklin Institute announced the winners of its 2006 Benjamin Franklin Awards on Wednesday. Eight scientists (including researchers in earthquakes, the brain, and cancer) will receive totally sweet Benjamin Franklin Medals (see one above) at the awards ceremony on April 27th. Also, Ted "Turner will receive the 2006 Bower Award for business leadership and philanthropic commitment." Hmm. Well, as long as he promises not to show his sex tape.
• When we read on the Daily News website this notice of correction of Tuesday's lottery numbers, it made us laugh, but in a pained, sad kind of way. Imagine being the person who had that lottery ticket, and being convinced you'd won, only to discover...argh! That's gotta hurt.
• Sources say that one of the more famous inmates at the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center - Lil' Kim, who's currently serving a year-long sentence there - is having a rather intimate health problem. Not to put too fine a point on it...her boobs are leaking and need to be serviced. And now that we've put that image in your head, we bid you adieu!

Image Credit: Franklin Institute Online