On This Day in Philadelphia Criminal History...

Philly.com has this really great slide show up right now of a history of Philly crime. There is over 100 photos and some pretty colorful characters.

Flipping through the photos I stumbled upon one man who's crimes were so gruesome I found it hard to believe I had not heard of him before. Gary Heidnik probably won't ring a bell for most people, but Silence of the Lambs probably does. Heidnik was the inspiration for Thomas Harris's fictional "Buffalo Bill".

At 4:30 am on March 25, 1987, Heidnik's home in North Philadelphia was searched and a world of unimaginable horrors were unearthed. There's a great article on Gary Heidnik at the New Criminologist website and check back here for future posts about those featured in the History of Philly Crime.

Pay Up

Mayor Nutter can't be getting much love these days. If you're not upset about the libraries closing, you are upset about the pools. If you don't care much for the pools than you certainly must care about the fire houses. The fact of the matter is that like so many cities out there, Philadelphia is broke. Just like the rest of the American public, we spent more than we had and our line of credit ran out. The city is spending less and tightening it's belt just like everyone else. It's also coming after everyone that owes it money. I'm sure in these times you've been thinking about that guy who borrowed $20 from you last month and how you'd really like it back. Well, the mayor is thinking that too.

The mayor held a press conference outside of a lawyers' office on South Broad Street demanding that they pay up. Amongst the three of them they owe about $300,000. Instead of hanging his head in shame, this angered one of the men inside enough for him to come all the way downstairs and yell at the Mayor for using his name. He demanded to know if he was the only person in the city owing back taxes. (For your information, he's not the only one, but you can find out who else made the list here. He could spend the next year doing press conferences and still not get through the list. This guy just happened to be a block away from city hall.)

The mayor replied: "I'm not going to argue with you on the sidewalk - you owe the city money, pay your taxes," The guy then asked why Nutter was getting "upset," and Nutter took it all in stride. "Oh, you've never seen me upset," Nutter said. "So I'm not upset. Just pay your taxes and everything will be fine." Love it! The best part--after the press conference wrapped up, sheriff's deputies went in to serve the three lawyers with notices that if they didn't pay up their property would be sold at auction on April 2.

It is in moments like these that Mayor Nutter goes from being a political figure to a father figure. He gets picked on for wearing nerdy sweaters. He cuts back when times are tough. And, most importantly, he goes after the bullies who aren't pulling their weight. This is a man who took over the job from the incredibly corrupt Mayor Street (brother of Milton on page one of the back taxes list) and if that wasn't bad enough, the economy went into a tail spin. I like my library as much as the next guy, but lets all cut the mayor a little slack.

If you ever want a little insight into exactly what the mayor is going through right now, read the book "A Prayer for the City" by Buzz Bissinger (who also wrote "Friday Night Lights"). In this book, Bissinger follows around then Mayor Rendell as he deals with unions, crime, economy and everything else that goes into running a city. I always figured running a city would be complicated, but until I read this book I really had no idea. With every criticism should come a bit of understanding. And this understanding and sympathy is a little easier to stomach when you see the mayor yelling at rich guys on your behalf.

Why I should have stayed a Lions Fan...

I grew up in Michigan during the era of Barry Sanders. Being a Lions fan at that time was a lot like being an Eagles Fan for the past 5 years. They were good, but not good enough. The team went downhill and I eventually moved to Philadelphia. The Eagles hadn't won anything, but there was a definate feeling of hope and excitment that is slowly slipping through our figertips.

This became most evident while witnessing fan reaction to the Eagles just letting Brian Dawkins walk away. There was a flurry of text messages with my football loving friend. I even posted my frustration on Facebook the next day. Good thing I don't work for the Eagles or I'd be blogging for a living right now.

Dan Leone, a six year employee of the Eagles also posted his frustration on Facebook and his outburst got him terminated. Now, I probably wouldn't badmouth my employer on Facebook. I am one of a staff of four and I don't really have anything to say. Although it was bad form (and bad grammar), Dan was in the privacy of his own home. He was posting as a citizen of Philadelphia and an Eagles fan. He wasn't posting on the teams blog or website. I'm not going to get into the culture of over-share. I'll leave that post to Phillyist.com. I will only say shame on you, Philadelphia Eagles. You're hemorrhaging players, firing staff and frustrating fans. I've never been this annoyed in the off season. Keep this up and you won't have anyone left come fall.

How much farther are the Eagles going to fall? At least if I'd stayed a Lion's fan I would know rock bottom and there would be nowhere left to go but up.

Dinner and a ???

PhilaCulturati is a website that started about a month ago. I have to admit that I didn't give it much of a second glance when it originally was launched. I recently gave it a second look. I must admit that it's a pretty cool idea. The site pairs cultural and arts events with dining establishments in the area. Sometimes there are deals or coupons. If going to a new neighborhood, it saves you from having to ask where to eat (if you hate talking to people as much as I do, this is a great feature). Even for those familiar with the neighborhood, it offers some nice ideas so you're not always eating at the same spot. Visually it leaves a bit to be desired, but don't let that deter you. It's really worth exploring.