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The best bad news? August 5, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Philadelphia.
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I remember vividly the day before Thanksgiving in 2003. A surgeon diagnosed me with Hodgkin’s lymphoma but said since it was caught in its early stages, this was the “best bad news” I could have gotten.

This memory came back to me after I read a headline from the Inquirer on Monday:

Man, 19, shot; 1st Phila. homicide in nearly a week.

And then I began thinking to myself — In all of my scouring of Philly.com in the past week, I didn’t read one “shooting” article. Amazing how it got by me — I would’ve assumed it’d be out of the ordinary had I not seen one.

But the headline also implies that something better is happening, I suppose. This death of William Wilson is the city’s 188th homicide this year. One year ago at this time, there were 248.

That drop of 24 percent should mean something, I guess. But it still comes with 188 prices to pay.

Take a hike. No, really. July 21, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Out & About, Philadelphia, Random Rubbish.
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Philly has been named as the fifth most walkable city in the United States.

It’s so exciting that they made up the word “walkable” (at least, according to Microsoft Word). Nice, isn’t it? At least it gives us something good to brag about.

At one point, we were fat. And apparently still, we’re ugly, as The Temple News reported. And now, we can walk places.

Check out this link to see where your Philadelphia neighborhood ranks. Or, go here for the overall rankings, and see how San Francisco, New York, Boston and Chicago beat us.

Could you be a Philly tour guide? July 9, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Clips & Videos, Random Rubbish.
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Philly.com showers us with gifts every day. And today is no different.

The Philly tour guides are suing the city because city officials believe they should be certified in order to spout out random trivia about the nation’s first capital (see, I could be a tour guide).  Obviously, the tour guides are not happy.

I side with the city on this one, for reasons the Inquirer sums up, but that’s neither here nor there.

But, the quiz is here. Try it out. See if you could be a Philadelphia tour guide. It may not be as easy as you think.

PHOTO: Attorney, Robert McNamara, talks to members of the media, as tour guides Ann Boulais, far left, Michael Tait, far right, and Josh Silver, second right, watch on, during a news conference at the Independence Visitor Center’s lawn in Philadelphia, Wednesday, July 2, 2008. The three tour guides filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging a city law that will require them to pass a history test and get a license before speaking to groups about the history of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and other landmarks. (AP Photo/Justin Maxon)

All I ever ‘Wanted’ June 27, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Cut to the Chase, Philadelphia.
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Two movies are coming out this weekend of interest to me.  The first is WALL-E.  I hear the first 30 minutes or so have absolutely no dialogue.  That’s my kind of movie.

The second, as depicted above, is Wanted.  I’d compare it to a father-son version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  Angelina Jolie is in it, after all.  So is Morgan Freeman.  And if Morgan Freeman’s in it, you know you’ll at least smile when you see him.

Inquirer movie critic Steven Rea brought up a good point in his review today.  He said the movie is like “gun porn” because of its violent nature — lots of assassinations, lots of gunfire, lots of overall violence.  His thoughts:

The film’s fetishization of firearms should win it the NRA’s seal of approval. Maybe if the murder rate in Philadelphia wasn’t so sickeningly high, Wanted’s senseless adoration of assault weapons wouldn’t be so off-putting.

This is an extremely valid point.  I never thought that living in a city with such a situation would have an effect on how I watch and enjoy a movie.

Perhaps that’s why I wasn’t to keen on M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening.  The gratuitous violence — especially the scenes from Rittenhouse Square, just blocks from my apartment — didn’t make the movie for me.  Shyamalan topped this off by a random newspaper with a headline that read, “Killadelphia.”  He likely intended to have a double meaning, but as Philadelphians look at it in context, the double meaning isn’t necessarily understood immediately.

But something to think about.  Does your living situation have an effect on how you watch movies?  I was always interested in seeing Wanted based on the previews, and then I read Rea’s thoughts.  Now I’m a bit skeptical.

Then again, there’s always WALL-E.

Crime on rise in Center City, Philadelphia May 29, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Out & About, Philadelphia.
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The Philadelphia Police are reporting an increase in robberies in Center City, Philadelphia.

In areas typically considered “safe” and “busy,” like Society Hill, Old City and even City Hall, robberies are on the rise. More than 300 have been reported in the past month. One suspect allegedly said to his victim, “I’ll blow your brains out” at Sixth and Spruce streets.

To keep citizens in the know, the Philadelphia Police have created a Web site that allows you to enter an address or intersection and see a list of crimes committed in that area within a certain time frame.

Click here to check out crime stats for your neighborhood, Center City or otherwise.

BREAKING NEWS: Shots fired at 15th and Norris May 14, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Clips & Videos, Philadelphia, The Temple News.
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Read original post from The Temple News.

shooting2-051408.jpg

LEANNE MATLACH
CHRIS STOVER
The Temple News

Philadelphia Police have confirmed shots fired at the intersection of 15th and Norris streets early Wednesday morning.

Lt. Quaiser of the Philadelphia Police Department confirmed at the scene that an 18-year-old female, a non-Temple student, was shot in the chest and taken to Temple Hospital. There is no word on the victim’s identity or condition.0514080209.jpg

Witnesses said as many as five shots were fired outside of a security kiosk by the turf field shortly before midnight Tuesday. The kiosk has bullet holes in it, and the security guard who was in the booth at the time is fine.

Temple Police said the victim was shot while standing in front of the security kiosk and talking to the guard on duty.

After the shots were fired, people in the area began screaming and huddling, witnesses said. Police closed access to Norris Street from Broad Street after the incident. The scene was mostly cleared by 2:10 a.m.

Police took about nine witnesses, including some Temple students, to Police Headquarters for statements. No suspects have been named at this time.

“My friends were walking home from 7-Eleven and the streets were blocked off. I came outside and the cops were everywhere,” junior journalism major Audra Neff-Williams said.

0514080150.jpg“I called Temple Police, trying to find out what happened, and they said they could not provide any information,” senior business major Mike Sweet said. “I think we have a right to know what’s going on. No TU-Alert was sent out.”

As of 2:10 a.m., no TU-Alert was sent by the university. Temple tested the system last Friday.

“I understand that cops won’t say anything at crime scenes, but Temple’s whole thing is the TU-Alert,” Sweet said. “I mean, they just tested it [a few] days ago.”

Facilities Management planned to board up the kiosk in the early morning. Temple Police said another security guard will be on duty at that location later today.

Stay with temple-news.com for continuing updates on this developing story.

Chris Stover and LeAnne Matlach can be reached at templenews@gmail.com.

If only fire escapes were this much fun April 28, 2008

Posted by Chris Stover in Philadelphia, Random Rubbish.
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My mom clogged my e-mail account a few months ago with some old photos of Philadelphia, mostly from the Northeast.  Instead of writing one of my two papers due this week, I figured I’d share one with you.

I didn’t pay much attention to them when I received the e-mail, and I would’ve felt guilty had I deleted the e-mail, so I saved them to my computer.  As I was browsing one of them, I came across this:

I wish fire escapes looked like they belonged in RollerCoaster Tycoon.  I can tell you - riding eight floors down a spiral slide through my apartment window would be much more fun than the drab fire escape I have at the moment.

I guess people just knew how to have more fun back in 1927.