"Glass & Steel" exhibition explores Pittsburgh's industrial history through art
To help commemorate Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary, the Pittsburgh Glass Center has a new exhibition on display called "Glass & Steel: Art Transcends Industry."
The exhibition showcases work from over 30 artists from Southwestern Pennsylvania, with the main theme being the city's industrial history. Another main theme, according to reviews, is the emptiness the city experienced when the industrial activity left.
Most pieces on display feature a unique fusion of glass and steel, two of the region's main industry's during industrial heyday. Some of the pieces include Brian Engel's "Escape Mechanism #2", which art reviewer Mattie Schloetzer describes as a "technically challenging fusion of a vintage bicycle and glass elements"; Chris Clark's "Leptotes" and "Tenuifolia", which explore the themes of color and shape with twisted steel rods protruding from shellacked tree trunks, interspersed with pieces of colored glass.
"Glass and Steel" will run through September 5, at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.pittsburghglasscenter.org.
9/11 steel poured for USS Somerset in symbolic tribute
Twenty-two tons of steel were melted and poured Wednesday from the stemhold of the Navy vessel USS Somerset. But this was not just any steel, nor was it just any ship.
The USS Somerset is a vessel being constructed in honor of Flight 93, which crashed at the hands of terrorists on September 11, 2001. The steel used in this ship was from the former World Trade Center.
The ship's stemhold, the leading edge of the ship, will be sent to Mississippi, where the amphibious landing vessel will be built.
The USS Somerset, USS Arlington and USS New York are among three ships that will honor the tragic events of 9/11. Steel from the former World Trade Center was also used in the construction of the USS New York.
Officials say the USS Somerset is expected to be completed by 2012.
High scrap prices resulting in more steel thefts
Three men in Danbury, Connecticut have been arrested for getting caught in a truck with a load of 2,600 pounds of stolen steel plates.
Local police Chief Gerald Schramek said that the steel tie plates, weighting 15 lbs apiece, were taken from a Housatonic Railroad supply depot.
"Absolutely, they were stolen to get the money for scrap," Housatonic general manager Robert Bass said.
The truck's three occupants were all charged with petit larceny and possession of stolen property, though because of the low value of the scrap -- only about $286 according to a local metals recycling facility -- the charges are misdemeanors.
Danbury police Capt. Michael Mrazik told press that these kinds of theft are becoming increasingly more common as due to high scrap prices. "Even some of the utility companies say they are losing spools of wire," he said.
"I don't think good, honest people are turning to it because of the economy," Mrazik said. "But for thieves who are thieves, it's more money in their pockets."
Steel fence construction along US/Mexico border is half-way done
Construction crews just west of El Paso have just completed a steel fence along the US-Mexico border intended to serve as a barrier against illegal immigration and drug smuggling from Mexico.
The fence, located at New Mexico's Santa Teresa Port of Entry, stands five meters (18 feet) high, made of tightly woven mesh, with steel pylons set close enough to stop a truck and two meters of reinforced concrete underground to deter tunneling.
This six kilometer (four mile) long segment of fence is part of a US Department of Homeland Security project which will result in a total of 670 miles of steel fences and vehicle barriers along the 3,200 kilometer (2,000 mile) long southern border. The deadline for the project's completion is December 31, and about half of it has been completed so far.
However, the DHS faces many lawsuits against border communities and environmentalists who say the fence is unconstitutional, including one from El Paso County Attorney Jose Rodriguez. Time will tell if these lawsuits end up halting the border fence project in its tracks before the deadline is reached.