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! Twelve months and ten epochal collapses later, we're nearing 2008 and a fresh calendar year for career (or structural) decimation. Let's count 'em down from 10: 10. Pete Doherty (again) 2007 hasn’t been......

Philadelphia mail carriers took part in an all-day drill yesterday wherein they were timed while delivering empty cardboard boxes to 52,000 homes in three neighborhoods, simulating the delivery of packages of medicine that would take place in the event of an attack involving biological or chemical agents. Rachel Marie Brooks, a U Penn graduate from Broomall, became 2007's Miss Pennsylvania Saturday night, which means she'll represent our fair state in the Miss America competition......

How about a couple of heartwarming holiday stories, huh? The Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Red Cross is throwing its eighth annual Children's Holiday Party at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel tonight. About 500 children who have lost their homes in various disasters will get to have fun and act like kids, and their parents will get to relax and enjoy it. Also, recently the students from Central Bucks West High School organized their Washington Project......

A Philly area horse has won the Kentucky Derby again! This time it was Barbaro, beating the closest horse by almost seven lengths. Barbaro is owned by a couple from West Grove, Chester County, and trained by Michael Matz from Collegeville. Matz survived the crash of United Flight 232 in 1989, saving the lives of three children, who were in the stands to see his horse's victory on Saturday. To quote About.com, "The Philadelphia......

...Mischief: Utah Jazz player Carlos Boozer (we're refraining from making a joke about his name) has filed a complaint against Prince, who is currently renting Boozer's Southern California home. The Artist, or somebody employed by him, made "unauthorized home improvements" in the form of purple stripes and other decorations (including Prince's symbol and "3121," the name of his new album.) Oh, Dave Chappelle, where are you and why aren't you making fun of this? (Via......

Exciting changes are coming to our fair town, friends, in the form of department stores, restaurants/concert halls, and maybe even a casino: The Lord and Taylor across from City Hall, as well as the Strawbridge's at 8th and Market, will close around June 1st. The Strawbridge's will then be gone for good, but the L&T will reopen as a Macy's in August. We could have two new House of Blues restaurants soon, one in the......

Haven't we had enough of Donald Trump's crazy combover and cheesy gold-bedecked everything? Do we really need the Trump Tower Philadelphia? Depending on how far into South Philly the "high-rise luxury condominium" on the Delaware is built, we forsee sparkly textured ceilings and lots of black lacquer furniture and marbled glass. That's real class.Did Pennsylvania's Junior Senator actually say that putting a Rick Santorum sticker on your car is akin to serving your country in......