Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know! You guys picked the items in this list - which made this post a lot easier to write! And we thank you for that, because we're really kind of burning out on this......

Late last night Governor Rendell made a deal with top lawmakers that ended the budget standoff and the partial shutdown of state government. The Daily News has a run-down of some of the crime that occurred in the city this past weekend, and it includes a story about a potential burglar getting his head caught in a trapdoor and suffocating to death while trying to rob a bar. In other crime news, a man......

This Spring is the third anniversary of Lifeknot, online meeting place for people of all ages, based solely on interests and hobbies. The CEO and founder, Matt Muro, began Lifeknot after using online dating services that seemed to force an instant romantic relationship. “I felt that online dating sites rushed people into the relationship stage of a friendship and social networking sites linked you to so many people that the intimacy of establishing a......

Please welcome new Phillyist author Joe Ross who, in his following inaugural post, is giving our manners maven a run for her money. Joe likes pirate mini golf and The Princess Bride, and has plans to ultimately rid the planet of zombies once and for all. The old-fashioned, slow-moving zombies, that is. This morning I walked to work in the rain, sans umbrella (it was broken). I pressed the "10" and watched the door close,......