We all have a greater purpose than just playing Pass the Dutchie with strands of deoxyribonucleic acid. And there are more important things to pass along to subsequent generations. And far more meaningful ways to do it.

I've been a resident of the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia for more than 20 years. The neighborhood has gone from an entirely white community of Catholics and Jews to a more diverse population of Asians, Hispanics and African-Americans. I welcome the change. But someone here doesn't.

For the next hour, it would be Elizabeth'stask to gently probe some of more delicate lobes of my psyche. Todetermine if I, at the age of 55, was ready to take on another LittleBrother.

I'm ready to make the pedestrians' life easier. I don't understand why the city cannot make this a priority. | The violation has to do with protecting patient's privacy. If they had gotten permission beforehand, there would have not been any violation. | That is certainly an original view, and one that does not find corroboration in any sources I have read about the massacre.

Despite the Pennsylvania moniker, the Society, which was founded by a consortium of journalists, politicians, businessmen and wealthy magnates, met in New York City because founding member Andrew Carnegie built the Waldorf.

Artistic director Roy Kaiser said the show was "long overdue" for this year's extreme makeover, which added new costumes and sets to spruce up the beloved holiday classic.

It's about an Irish street musician and a Czech woman who meet, make music together and fall in love, but it's not all that easy. | Driving, unorthodox rhythms; pulsing, machinelike bass; droning, fractured loops and warm yet dissonant melodies. | I've been making pies from sweet potatoes that are larger than a small dog. | Every citizen should have access to the waterfront.

An exhibition by Pheoris West and James Dupree at Dupree Gallery juxtaposes bodies of works that are undeniably compatible and life-affirming.

This year's This Is the Week That Is: More Political Humor for the Holidays features more current events satire (the news, a la The Daily Show and SNL's Weekend Update, is most of Act II) with a quick protest song retrospective (an uneasy mix of satire and homage).

West Philly's little-theater-that-could celebrates its final show in the Calvary Center's small, round chapel (February's The Odyssey christens the larger sanctuary space) with considerable onstage magic.

On my personal theatrical honor roll, I reserve a special place for directors who rescue the plays of Tennessee Williams. Not Streetcar or Glass Menagerie, those masterpieces don't want for a champion. But the messy, fragmentary late works require a leap of faith. Are they worth it? I think so.

Much of the time, that's a good thing — though, especially in the first act, I had moments where the cast's unrelenting high spirits and overdrive paradoxically tuckered me out.

George Krause, William Larson, Ray Metzker and Ruth Thorne-Thomsen have paved the way for other Philadelphia photographers by doing little things like founding the Tyler School of Art's photography program; teaching at the erstwhile Philadelphia College of Art; and being awarded a slew of grants.

Looking at the photography of Sharon Harper, your suspicions that Mother Nature is no amateur artist are forever confirmed.

dance (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION) When commissioning Xmas Philes back in 2000, Joan Myers Brown hoped that her company, Philadanco, was creating something that would last. The gambit paid off big-time.

In an effort to document the ever-changing American West, photographer Greg MacGregor spent six years, starting in 1993, retracing the famed explorers' footsteps and taking pictures along the way. Bonus Audio Content

Mike Geno is fascinated by the polarizing talent of the humble sock monkey: He finds them funny; others find them fearsome; and middle ground is scant.

Thu., Dec. 13, 7 p.m., free, Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut St., upenn.edu/bookstore.

Aid or Invade would like to take a moment to congratulate the Saudi Arabian legal system (the Greatest Legal System Ever) for its recent "get tough" policy on rape. Well, not rape, exactly, more like rape victims.

The kickoff for the three-concert Ars Nova/I-House series "Out There: Radical Musical Cultures," this double bill features a pair of Norwegian trios.

Antonio Pappano makes two debuts of a sort, this week with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It will be his first time conducting them, and this event also marks his entry into the new music director sweepstakes.

They're louder than American Analog Set and not quite as hyper as Grandaddy, but Brooklyn trio Mobius Band nonetheless share a blissed-out aesthetic with their space-groove brethren.

1 Morimoto | 2 1080 Recipes | 3 I Like Food, Food Tastes Good | 4 Gastroanomalies | 5 My Last Supper

Jazz Brunch at World Café Live | Green Meadow Farm Wine Dinner at Bar Ferdinand | Holiday Food and Wine Pairing Class | IPA Women's Beer Club Holiday Throwdown | Elkins Park Food Co-op Meeting

Ian Hunter is more than Mott the Hoople and more than the man behind "Cleveland Rocks." And while he's grateful for Bowie's support, he's much more than one of the "Young Dudes."

West Philly wouldn't be West Philly without squatters. The neighborhood's stray and feral felines aren't living on the streets to make a fashion statement or ruin their parents' run for Senate.

Thu., Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m., $10, Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St., 215-898-3000, pennpresents.org

Laughter Yoga: at., Dec. 15, 5-5:30 p.m., free, Wake Up Yoga, 4916 Baltimore Ave., 215-235-1228, wakeupyoga.com

Handmade Holiday Shopping Party: Fri., Dec. 14, 6-10 p.m., VIX Emporium, 5009 Baltimore Ave., 215-471-7700, vixemporium.com

Sun., Dec. 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., $3, Starlight Ballroom, 460 N. Ninth St., 267-765-5210, r5productions.com

$40, available at Traveling Wares shows (travelingwares.com) and at kjbuck.etsy.com