September 25-October 1, 2003

the bell curve

City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

City will no longer allow the Cradle of Liberty Boy Scout Council free use of a downtown office. The Scouts responded by declaring the city "really gay" and building a makeshift shelter in Fairmount Park. Even

Mayor Street proposes domestic abuse task force. Their first task: Stop the Eagles from losing every damn week. Plus 2

A SEPTA trolley derails in West Philly, slamming into an apartment building. Hey, at least no one lost a foot. Minus 4

The Soul, an $15-million arena football team owned by Jon Bon Jovi, will play in Philly in February. So this is what it takes for Bon Jovi to acquire soul. Plus 1

Philadelphia Parking Authority could be put in charge of traffic concerns at busy intersections. First order of business: Boot every car in Center City, thereby eliminating gridlock. Even

Bill Cosby will appear in lighthearted campaign ads for Mayor Street. Or they might be ads for Katz, no one can tell what he's saying. Plus 1

Much-loved spider -- a large yellow-and-black Argiope aurantia -- disappears from its Pine Street web, much to the dismay of the local community. But he will live on in the nightmares of all of the neighborhood's children. Minus 1

A Canadian consulate will open in Philadelphia. See? We've only had an arena football team for five minutes and look what happened. Plus 2

Total pluses: 6

Total minuses: 5

Score for the week: 1

Last week’s score: 7

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