To enter any one of Philadelphia's theaters is to be immersed in tradition. Yet right now there are few opportunities to do that. Most of them are vacant more often than they're open. So why can't our successful local companies simply use our wonderful existing theaters? Because what they need today is out of sync with yesterday's grand playhouses.

Exploring is something akin to civic duty when you live in a large metropolitan area like ours.

So they need more than the gambler who rides in on a bus and expects a free room and buffet coupon. They're reaching out to single twenty-, thirty- and fortysomethings with money to burn (and no families to support).

Here is my school cheer for an odd alma mater, through whose doors have passed some of the city's toughest kids. Angry, hurt and almost always abused — together in class they learn about justice, respect and civility.

"It's pretty *!^&#* obvious what's going on when someone comes in with a truckload of grave markers."

Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton breezed into town Tuesday to thank supporters and talk about her future plans.

For last month's picture swap, more than a dozen local Flickr folks of all ages came prepared with lighting, latest prints and, not surprisingly, their digital cameras. (For most hardcore Flickrdelphians, leaving the house without a camera is akin to walking out the door without pants.)

Bush may be nearly out the door, but Byron Coley can't resist a final kick. He's throwing a touring showcase, "No More Bush," with musician Thurston Moore, painter Gary Panter and ranter Damon Krukowski (each in different towns).

U.S. Routes 13 and 30 are the inspiration behind "13 and 30," a collection of nearly 30 original watercolors by local artists Rich Harrington and Gail Bracegirdle that capture the many "relics of the past" found on the highways.

The Shape of Things is a love story between Evelyn, a beautiful, ballsy art student, and Adam, the geeky boyfriend whose life she transforms for better or worse.

To an outsider, the term "the Badlands" conjures images of rundown row homes, rampant poverty, a street-corner drug industry and the violence that goes with it. But if Nexus' upcoming "Neighborhood Hearts and Hands" exhibit is any indication, the children of the area see things a little differently.

Tommy Chong started his writing career while in prison. "Timothy Leary got me writing because that's what he said he did in prison. He was a friend, one of many famous friends I like to name-drop," says Chong, with that great laugh that peppers his speech.

There are a multitude of obvious reasons why Nas would choose to christen a record about race relations in America with an unprintable epithet, but there are subtler implications, as well.

"Falcon Jab" deserves its own nod, and not just because it conjures the miraculous image of a really muscular bird breaking the jaw of a hapless NYU freshman in tapered black jeans.

Cantrell is dreaming of the open road on a new download-only EP of travel-themed covers called Trains and Boats and Planes.

While Simone's earlier work presupposed her as an heiress to PJ Harvey's raw and unrefined rock throne, this collection, sung entirely in Russian, is even more naked.

1. Pancakes | 2. Ceviche | 3. Pie | 4. Three-Course Meal | 5. Cookies

"Harvey Poopandcorn — have you ever seen butt sex?"

Brilliant bronzes, greens, pinks and silvers make these puppies pop — as do oh-so-sweet multicolor gingham and plaid linings.

Sponsored by North City Arts, this mouthful of an event aims to kick-start creativity while educating kids about multicultural traditions and identities.

"I will say that it does involve cows, and it does involve bowling."

PAWS Foster Care | Ten Thousand Villages Opening | Acting Without Boundaries | ActionAIDS Buddies | Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe