Al sits on a wooden park bench outside City Hall every evening when the weather's warm. He's been a regular here for a lot longer than I've been passing by. Ask him and he'll tell you about being homeless in Philadelphia.

"How many of you read newspapers?" I asked Tenaya Darlington's column writing class at St. Joseph's University. Almost every hand shot up. "You're forced to read papers for this class, aren't you?" But there were a few looks of confusion. No, they weren't.

Picture an urban neighborhood blighted by abandonment. A row of homes that looks like it's missing some teeth. Vacant lots that breed weeds. Now picture that same neighborhood with a small waterfall washing over a bed of stones. That's how Billy Penn would have seen it.

Kim Johnson and Virginia Smith are as guilty as the poachers who kill these endangered animals, maybe even guiltier…

In 2005, 21-year-old Danny Rumph died of a heart attack during a pickup basketball game at the Mallery Playground in Mt. Airy.

Today, everybody from auto-plant workers to — yes — journalists faces the same challenges that forced Clarke to decide whether to dramatically change his ways and stay in the game or step aside for the next generation and find a new path.

With less than two weeks to go until the general election, Philly Democrats are focused on motivating foot soldiers to help drive turnout.

Hot young American baritone Troy Cook has come a long way from band trumpet and school chorus in Eminence, Ky. (pop. 2,000).

David Snyder, Rich Hillen Jr., Sean Adamz, John Emory

Broadway Across America makes a tidy profit recycling Broadway productions and showcasing TV actors in the hinterlands.

The idea behind the Center for Literacy's upcoming fundraiser is "to intersect worlds," according to director Tom Teti.

The dance company Sankai Juku plays the Annenberg Center on Halloween, and boy will they be dressed for the occasion.

At an age when he reasonably could be expected to sit around being wise, 76-year-old modern dance great Paul Taylor is, instead, choreographing new work.

When the Arden presents an 80-minute, three-actor play crafted from Dostoyevsky's epic Crime and Punishment,  you'd be well-served to forget the novel, and consider the show on its own merits

Three of the four plays on Luna Theater's bill are nearly the same flavor (ironic horror, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone), but if that's what fills you up, it's entertaining.

Seeing a Broadway-bound production like McCarter and Manhattan Theatre Club's powerful revival of Brian Friel's Translations in Princeton just makes good sense.

Scream-out-loud scares and explicitly gory violence has replaced the good old-fashioned ghost story, such as Henry James' venerable The Turn of the Screw.

The George Street Playhouse's premiere of Joan Vail Thorne's The Things You Least Expect is as unwieldy as its title.

Viva la revolucion! The gorgeous prints on display at the Art Museum embody the political spirit of post-revolutionary Mexico.

If you're in the market for a book explaining exactly what's wrong with the Bush administration, you've got a lot of options.

The denizens of Tuva are far too proud to accept a blatant handout from the U.S. of A., but after repeated listens to AK and Yat-Kha's cover of Motorhead's "Orgasmatron," it becomes perfectly clear…

Lull 'em into bliss, then shock 'em with the rock. That's the strategy on Let's Build a Fire.

Mariss Jansons is not unknown to Philadelphia audiences. He has appeared at the Kimmel at the head of both the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh bands.

Philadelphia baroque orchestra Tempesta di Mare has often invited guests of international stature, like sopranos Christine Goerke and Julianne Baird. This week's concerts feature a soprano with a twist — he's a man.

In a cheesesteak and hoagie town, the burger can be a second-class citizen.

1 Spanakopita, The Greek Lady. 2 Transylvanian Casserole, Warsaw Cafe 3 Spinach Salad, Farmicia 4 Knishes, Rachael's Nosheri 5 Spinach Mashed Potatoes Jovan's Place

Fresh Produce, Taste of Black Forest, Secrets of the Harvet, Single Malt and Scotch Whisky Extravaganza

With its religious-themed name and an antique church pew greeting guests as they enter, savvy drinkers might worry that the Bishop's Collar would be more likely to host a prayer meeting than a pub crawl.

If blowing half a paycheck on a ridiculous dominatrix/sugar plum fairy costume isn't your idea of a wonderfully wicked All Hallow's Day, try filling up your pumpkin pail with these frighteningly frugal alternatives.

The Real Men of Comedy Tour, Fri., Oct. 27, 8 p.m., $25-$47, Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow sts., 610-352-2887 You've probably caught Joe Rogan hamming

MANNA's Pie in the Sky; 5K Dash for Democracy; Trading Graces; Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild; Camden City Family Day.

Halloweeny ParTEA; The Art of Skateboarding; Girls Night Out Hike and Campfire; Treasured Spaces; Halloween Scary Strories.

Nerd alert! America's Video Game Expo is a three-day event designed to celebrate just how much the blips-and-bleeps industry has deluged our culture.

"Hello, 1-900-Sex-Line." This is how my father picks up the phone these days — at least when he knows it's me.