The Bell Curve

City Paper's Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

Union members participating in the annual Labor Day parade overwhelmingly wear gear supporting Barack Obama. That's a key constituency. Just ask state Sen. John Dougherty (D-Imaginationland). Plus 2

PECO donates 1,300 compact fluorescent light bulbs to the city. All you gotta do, Philadelphia, is climb up there and get 'em. Plus 4

Twenty-year-old Erica Martin pleads guilty to using an air gun to rob seven people in Northeast Philly. "I handed over all my Arctic Splash," says one victim. "I was terrified she was going to shoot the air and I would suffocate." Minus 2

Marine police save four people whose boat was taking on water in the Delaware River. Finally some real content on mostlywejustsitarounddoingnothing.blogspot.com. Plus 4

Three men claiming to be cops invade a Northeast Philadelphia home. "They didn't have uniforms or badges," explains homeowner. "But I figured in this neighborhood, chances were like 80 percent. I'm a cop myself." Minus 5

Amtrak refers to Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden as an "enthusiastic supporter of Amtrak and a regular passenger." Says Amtrak spokesperson: "I mean, you got the first mainstream Amtrak passenger who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that's a storybook, man." Even

The Army Experience — a recruitment center that uses video games and simulators — opens at the Franklin Mills Mall. Significantly shortens the median length of the Northeast Experience. Even

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Total Pluses: 10

Total Minuses: 7

Total for the Week: 3

Last Week's Total: 2