Daily News Headline About Atlantic City Murders: Too Much? “Yo, Philly. Stick It.” That’s in short what the Atlantic City Press wrote in response to a Philadelphia Daily News front page calling Atlantic City a “Tourist Death Trap” after a double-murder Monday outside of the Bally’s casino. The stabbing victims were identified on Wednesday as Po Lin Wan, 80, and Alice Mei See Leung, 47, and their families notified. Antoinette Pelzer, 44, is charged with the crime. She appeared in court on Tuesday and bail was set at $1.5 million.

But the Atlantic City Press fired back at the Daily News with a column Wednesday:

“A “Tourist Death Trap”? 

Please.

In words our fellow journalists who designed Tuesday’s front page at the Philadelphia Daily News might use: Yo, Philly. Stick it.

Newspapers, of course, have an obligation to report the news, even and especially when the news is painful and distressing. And The Press of Atlantic City did not shy away from reporting this story in the newspaper and online. But our brethren at the Daily News were over the top – and irresponsible.”

The AC Press column goes on further describe how tourists are rarely a victim of crime in Atlantic City, and then takes on the Daily News further and asks readers to email Daily News editor Larry Platt with further complaints.

The Daily News, of course, is the Daily News - a tabloid known for splashy and even trashy front pages. But calling Atlantic City a “Tourist Death Trap” just as the summer tourist season is about to kick off is not only inaccurate - it’s downright mean-spirited.

Larry Platt is editor of The Daily News. People who care about Atlantic City and know the truth about the city might want to let him know how they feel. His email address is plattl@phillynews.com.

Interestingly, Daily News casino columnist Chuck Darrow seems to agree with the Press of Atlantic City. On Tuesday, he called out his own employer in a column about the cover and headline:

“Monday’s brutal and random stabbing deaths of two Canadian women in the heart of midtown are being played nationwide (if not worldwide) as just another day in Hell East. A perfect example is the Daily News’ Tuesday front page, which is dominated by the headline, “TOURIST DEATH TRAP.”

This is simply unfair. There is absolutely nothing in this tragedy that identifies it as an only-an-AyCee event. The perpetrator of the heinous crimes, a 44-year-old Philadelphia woman who reportedly suffers from mental illness, could have committed them anywhere—from New York’s Times Square, to the Las Vegas Strip to our own City Hall courtyard. That she did so at Michigan and Pacific avenues in Atlantic City was simply a function of coincidence, random chance, or, if you are so inclined to believe, the fates.”

What do you think? Was the Daily News cover and headline unfair on this story? 

-LD

[Philadelphia Daily News, Press of Atlantic City, NBC10, h/t @Romenesko]

Remembering Maurice Sendak With His Quotes. Maurice Sendak, the children’s book author and illustrator who saw the sometimes-dark side of childhood in books like “Where Wild Things Are” and “In the Night Kitchen,” died early Tuesday. He was 83. Sendak has received an outpouring of support around the web and on social media channels. The folks at Buzzfeed pulled together “The 20 Greatest Maurice Sendak Quotes,” and there are some very good ones. A few of our favorites:

“I think it is unnatural to think that there is such a thing as a blue-sky, white-clouded happy childhood for anybody. Childhood is a very, very tricky business of surviving it. Because if one thing goes wrong or anything goes wrong, and usually something goes wrong, then you are compromised as a human being. You’re going to trip over that for a good part of your life.”

“Live your Life. Live your Life. Live your Life.”

“It is a blessing to get old. It is a blessing to find the time to do the things, to read the books, to listen to the music. … I have nothing now but praise for my life.”

“There must be more to life than having everything.”

“Kids don’t know about best sellers. They go for what they enjoy. They aren’t star chasers and they don’t suck up. It’s why I like them.”

And one from The20’s @dhm on Twitter:

@dhm: Maurice Sendak: “Grown-ups are afraid for children. It’s not children who are afraid.” RIP. bit.ly/Jcg3Sk

Did you read “Where Wild Things Are” when you were younger? How will you remember Maurice Sendak?

-LD

NBC10, BuzzFeed, @dhm

Photo: Getty Images

How Will You Remember Brian Dawkins? One of the most-loved Eagles of all-time officially announced his retirement Monday, though it appears he’s coming back to Philly for one last hurrah. Brian Dawkins, who played 16 seasons in the NFL (13 with the Eagles and the final three in Denver), is officially hanging it up. It took more than the standard 140 characters, but Dawkins announced it on Twitter:

“@BrianDawkins: The Lord has blessed me to play in the NFL for 16 years. I would like to thank the Eagles & the Broncos 4 believing In me. I would like 2 thank all my teammates & Coaches that I have been blessed 2 go to battle with. Along with u, the fans 4 helping make my career 1 that i have enjoyed tremendously. In other words. I am announcing my retirement from the NFL. #BBTB”

Members of The20 began weighing in with their favorite Dawkins moments.

@GeoffMosher: Dawk vs. Vikes in ‘08 Wild Card game: 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 passed knocked down, 5 tackles. Vintage.

@GeoffMosher: Who can forget the INT of Brett Favre in the 2003 NFC divisional win over Green Bay?

@meechone: Retire #20 like tomorrow http://broncotalk.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/brian-dawkins.jpg 

So what are your fondest memories of Dawkins? How will you remember him?

-LD

NBC10, @GeoffMosher, @meechone

Photo: Getty Images

A Complete Breakdown of Phillies Walk-Up Music. We’ve talked about the Phillies and their walk-up music in the past (particularly when Hunter Pence was in need of a new tune for the 2012 season…it seems he went with Breakin’ a Sweat by Skrillex & The Doors).).

And today, The20’s Todd Zolecki obtained the latest list of the walk-up tunes (and warm-up jams for pitchers) from Phillies music director Mark Wyatt. Here’s the full list:

WALK-UP

• Ryan Howard: I’m On One (DJ Khaled), Otis (Jay–Z & Kanye West) and She Will (Drake).
• Laynce Nix: Levels (Avicii) and Paradise (Coldplay).
• Hunter Pence:  Breakin’ a Sweat (Skrillex & The Doors).
• Juan Pierre: No Walls (Thi’sl).
• Placido Polanco: I Know You Want Me (Pitbull).
• Jimmy Rollins: The Motto (Drake) and Uptown Anthem (Naughty by Nature).
• Carlos Ruiz: In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins).
• Brian Schneider: In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins) and Use Somebody (Kings of Leon).
• Chase Utley: Kashmir (Led Zeppelin).
• Shane Victorino: Buffalo Soldier (Bob Marley) and Keep Ya Head Up (Andy Grammer).
• Vance Worley: It’s Goin’ Down Tonight (Celly Cell).

WARM UPS

• Joe Blanton: Hillbilly Deluxe (Brooks & Dunn).
• Jose Contreras: Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Jay–Z).
• Cole Hamels: Sail (Awolnation).
• Roy Halladay: Moby Dick/Good Times Bad Times (Led Zeppelin).
• Kyle Kendrick: Dragula (Rob Zombie).
• Cliff Lee: Stranglehold (Ted Nugent).
• Jonathan Papelbon: Man In The Box (Alice In Chains).
• Vance Worley: I Wear My Stunna Glasses at Night (Federation).

What are your favorite and least favorite walk-up songs?

-LD

[Zo Zone, @ToddZolecki]

Photo: Getty Images

Facebook Buys Instagram for $1B, Twitter Freaks Out. In case you missed it earlier Monday, Facebook has agreed to terms to buy popular photo filtering and sharing site Instagram for $1 billion. Yes, a billion. To read the full story, click here.

Not familiar with Instagram? As the aforementioned story states, “Instagram lets people apply filters to photos they snap with their mobile devices and share them with friends and strangers. Some of the filters make the photos look as if they’ve been taken in the 1970s or on Polaroid cameras.”

But it is more than that. Instagram has 30 million users (including NBC10). This deal took place roughly 551 days after Instagram’s launch, meaning that they made $1B in value in less than 2 years. The company also employs only 13 people! And with a valuation of $1 billion, that means each Instagram user is worth approximately $33 a piece.

The web justifiably freaked after the announcement (this is a big deal in the social media and technology space), and as people often do to share instantaneous reactions to big events, they turned to Twitter to tell others about it. It was no different for members of The20.

@christopherwink: Wait, is that $33 per user? $1 billion for Instagram’s 30 million users?

@mikeyil: u mad? re: FB & Instagram instagr.am/p/JNQiW2mbzN/

@mikeyil: So what you’re saying is that @Instagram just acquired nearly a billion “photographers?”

If you’re an Instagram user, how does this acquisition make you feel? Oh, and perhaps overshadowed on Monday, we’ve launched the #PhillyGram project with Instagram here at NBC10 (so if you’re on the service, be sure to tag your photos)!

-LD

[Facebook, NBC10, @christopherwink, @mikeyil]

Photo: Getty Images

So How Do You Spell Khaddafy? The Internet has been abuzz all day since the announcement that Libyan strongman Moammar Khaddafy was first pronounced dead. For many on the web, there was also a bit of controversy on the proper spelling of the colonel’s name, and with good reason. A quick look at headlines around the web today shows you that there is no agreed upon way to spell it.

From CNN: Gadhafi Dies: NATO Mission to End

From the Washington Post: Moammar Gaddafi through the years

From CBS News: Don’t Shoot: Qaddafi’s Last Moments

From NBC10 (and NBC News standards): Obama: Khaddafy Is No More

And from The20’s @PhillyGG: Why in the hell can’t they reach a consensus on the spelling of Gadhafi/Ghadaffi/Kaddafy?

Why all the confusion, you ask? A 2009 ABC News blog (that prefers Gaddafi) listed all 112 different spellings of the name, noting that ‘because of the difficulty translating Arabic to English, there are several different translations.’

Time.com (who also goes with Gaddafi) explains even further:

“Gaddafi (Google’s most frequent spelling) is spelled القذافي in Arabic. The first letter “ق,” qoph, is pronounced as a “k” sound and usually transliterated as a “q.” Likewise, the second letter of his name, thal, “ذ,” is pronounced as a deep “d” or “th” (“the” not “with”) and transliterated “dh.” Given these standardized spellings, the Libyan leader’s name should be spelled “Qadhafi.”

The reason the most common spelling of Gaddafi begins with a “g” is due to the Libyan dialect, which pronounces qoph like a “g” sound. English translations of Arabic leaders names generally are consistent with their local dialects, rather than standard translation. The best example of this would be late Egyptian leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. His first name beginning with a jim “‫ج‬” would be traditionally transliterated Jamal. Instead, the Egyptian pronunciation of his name is the norm for English transliteration.”

So use whatever spelling you like. Or let us know which one you think is right.

-LD

[CNN, Washington Post, CBS News, NBC Philadelphia, @PhillyGG, ABC News, Time.com]