Camden on Wheels

Camden is the home of the Millenium Skate World, which hosts birthday parties, offers girl Scout badge programs, and is the usual locale for Philly Roller Girls tryouts. You haven't lived until you've done the Hokey Pokey on wheels.

Meredith Gourdine, New Jersey Inventor

Thomas Edison is well known as a New Jersey inventor, sometimes called the "Wizard of Menlo Park" referring to the town he lived in. Lesser known is another Newark-based inventor, Meredith Gourdine, born in Newark and raised across the state line in Brooklyn. He returned home to Livington, NJ to set up his own company, Gourdine Systems. He was awarded 70 patents, most in the area of thermal management and electrogasdynamics.

According to his obituary in the New York Times (11/24/1998), "The companies he founded worked on purifying the air and converting low-grade coal into inexpensive, transportable and high-voltage electrical energy. They produced a commercial air-pollution deterrent, a high powered industrial paint spray and a device to eliminate fog above airports."

In his college years at Cornell he won a number of championships in track and was on the 1952 US Olympic team in Helsinki. He won the silver medal in the long jump; the gold medalist's jump was only an inch and half longer than Gourdine's.

He also served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. This was at a time when African Americans were not necessarily welcomed or well-represented in either the Olympics or as officers in the military.

As one bit of trivia, Groudine's one time track coach also coached actor Roscoe Lee Browne who was known as a half mile runner before is success in films. (NYT 7/16/1978, p. S9)

Restaurant Review: Palace of Asia

Just off Route 70 in Cherry Hill you can find wonderful Indian cuisine at Palace of Asia. The lunch group today included a vegan, a vegetarian, and two omnivores. We all found something to like. The menu offers a number of choices but we decided on the buffet which includes a salad, a variety of meat dishes (I had chicken), several vegetable dishes, rice, and a few desserts. I had fresh fruit. Everyone enjoyed their meal and it came to about $13.00 per person including tip.

You can also find the Palace of Asia in Lawrenceville, Philadelphia, and Wilmington, Del.

Start Shopping, She's A Big Girl

Weekends between March 1 and March 16 the Adventure Aquarium will be celebrating the birthday of Button the Hippo. She is coy about her age but does like a reason to party and eat cake:

On weekends from March 1st through March 16th, join us as we sing “Happy Birthday” to Button, and watch in amazement as she feasts on her very own birthday cake, a special vegetarian creation that includes carefully chosen ingredients like yams, kale, lettuce, carrots, celery, fruits and vegetables - a definite hippo treat!

Other Buttons Birthday Bash activities include: appearances by our hippo mascots, Bert & Belle; children’s arts & crafts activities and games like “Pin the Tail on the Hippo;” live shows like “Venture to Africa" and "Wild About Hippos;" photo opportunities with a Button look-alike; and children’s give-aways. Special Buttons Birthday Bash appearances currently include the Philadelphia Soul Dancers along with Soul mascot “Soulman,” Miss Teen International 2007 and Miss Teen New Jersey, and much more!

Full details and information on hippo experts. wine and cheese parties, and other related events are on the aquarium's website.

Librarian of the Year is a Jersey Girl

Normal Blake of Moorestown, New Jersey state librarian, has been named Library Journal's Librarian of the Year. One of Blake's initiatives is the New Jersey Knowledge Initiative, currently in limbo due to proposed state funding cuts.

Another is Super Librarian, pictured at the left.



For more on Norma, read "Award speaks volumes about her innovations," by Erin Duffy in today's Inquirer.

PATCO Cats

The PATCO station just across the river in Philadelphia, the one that connects to 8th & Market and the Gallery, has no doubt seen its share of wildlife. If people watching weren't enough entertainment, the occasional mouse skittering across the tracks, or a lost bird or two provide alternatives.

This winter a new species has become more visible. One or more gray tabby cats can sometimes be seen wandering around the tracks. Once the cat jumped up on the station platform but jumped back down again quickly. Perhaps the trains seem less dangerous than the passengers. There are enough places to hide when the trains come through and the vibration and sounds provide enough notice that the cat or cats can avoid harm. The cat (or cats) I've seen appear healthy and fit; chasing mice and birds is exercise, catching them is dinner.

The only concern is that parents of toddler have to keep closer watch on their children as they sometimes rush to the edge of the platform for a better view of the cat.