It's been a rough year. Butter was Scotch's partner. They came up together, rapped together, and though Butter had stayed closer to the street, no distance came between them. After Butter fell, Scotch spent a lot of time in his basement listening to music, shaking his head. He tried to get inside Butter's mind: What happened that day? But the excavations never turned up anything.

Last year, the phrase '85 Shots' hung in the thick summer air.

by Brian Howard

America needs to do a better job selling itself.

by David Faris

Why can't Rendell sell a rich, bored, captive audience to the casinos?

by Bruce Schimmel

What You Say

The first oil successfully drilled in the United States was roughly eight miles north of what is today Oil City. This fact is unknown to most Pennsylvanians.

"What do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians? The drummer! I have a newfound respect for all the other players in the band."

Participants should park in the "J" lot at the end of 11th Street and enter the stadium through the South Gate, where they should also be prepared to exit in shame. Much like a normal home game.

Could Obama have done better here? And what does he need to do to ensure victory in November?

When news breaks in Philadelphia, we make jokes.

Dean of La Salle University's School of Business, on shaming companies into paying their taxes

by Tom Namako

by Mary F. Patel

Jonathan Mandell takes a painterly approach to his please-touch mosaics.

by Deni Kasrel

Robin Rice on Visual Art

by Robin Rice

June 28-Sept. 21, Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, Del., 302-571-9590, delart.org.

by Alicia Puglionesi

Opening reception Fri., July 25, 6-10 p.m., free; exhibit runs through Aug. 23; Little Berlin, 119 W. Montgomery St., 610-308-0579, myspace.com/berlinlittle, berlin.little@gmail.com.

by Jakob Dorof

Shining City by Seth Greenland

by Char Vandermeer

Beijing Coma by Ma Jian

by John Vettese

BITMAP: As Good as New | Style of Consequence | Walt Whitman: Camden's Good Grey Poet

You Are a Master of Disguise

by Molly Eichel

To the Wall Productions' One-Year Birthday Bash

by Julia Terruso

Galleries are usually open Tuesdays through Saturdays; please call the gallery for exact days and hours. Receptions are denoted.

Museums and exhibits have varying schedules; please call for exact days, hours and prices.

Guido Santi and Tina Mascara's documentary is the story of two men and their lives together, a daring, powerful romance that bucked social convention and the disapproval of their friends, gay and straight.

While it's easy to feel superior to the bird-flipping Southerners stomping away spouting "love it or leave it" sentiments, it's harder to blame frustrated ticket buyers who came for the hits but ended up with inferior, rushed new tunes.

Send repertory film listings to tami.fertig@citypaper.net.

Often more threadbare than previous Spiritualized records, A&E feels like a slightly lusher brand of forlorn English folk, the Fairport Convention coming down from a meth jag.

The city sizes up Gary Steuer.

by Peter Burwasser

Friendly Fires | Interplay | Michael Jackson Tribute Night | The Ruby Suns | Arrive

Fri., July 25, 8 p.m., $19, with Freakwater, The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 215-922-LIVE, thetroc.com.

by Kevin Pearson

Wed., July 30, 8 p.m., $10, with Buffalo Stance and Make a Rising, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, johnnybrendas.com.

by Shaun Brady

Music Picks

by A.D. Amorosi

Kanella is a fresh, fantastic addition to the local BYO lineup. For one thing, there's no other kitchen serving this food — the cuisine of Cyprus is an unmistakable amalgam of Greek and Turkish influences augmented by notes from France, Italy, Lebanon and elsewhere — in the region.

Distrito | Prohibition Taproom | Pumpkin Market | Bierista

It could have used a garnish, but the meat itself was moist, done exactly as I requested it, and the tasty filling somehow didn't ooze all over the place, a hazard I've come to expect from the $10 jobs at Good Dog.

There is something old-school about the place, and it's not just the jazzy backdrop, the resistance of strict systems set in business stone. Blue in Green is the name of a Miles Davis song. But it's also the name of a java joint with swing.

Get Out!

by Claire Bullen

Burnt Lumpia | Fruit and Vegetable Papyrus | Aguas Fresca at Xochitl | Brie, Cranberry and Apple Sandwich at Café Ole

Things aren't what they seem at Abakus Takeout

by Annamarya Scaccia

bS Shirts | Ladies Night at Sazz Vintage | Arcadia Boutique Cleanup Sale

The Evolution of University City

by Jakob Dorof

Duross & Langel In-Store Demos

by Char Vandermeer

Keith King Jewelry

by Rebecca Grites