Subversions are what you call it when somebody takes somebody else's thing and, like, makes it "edgy" or "disturbing" or "self-aware."

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.

The rise in metal theft can be explained very simply: Due to increasing demand from overseas factories, metal has doubled in value just in the last year. In response, Philadelphia police have amped up surveillance, politicians are drafting new laws and the scrap industry is scrambling to defend itself. But in all the commotion, another story has been overlooked — it's tipped the scales in favor of legitimate scrappers, as well.

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.

This year has been a particularly bloody one for Camden. If the current homicide rate holds, Camden could surpass its 1995 homicide record of 58, and once again be pegged America's most dangerous city.

"It's been a tough year," says police officer Bill Wiley, "and the summer's just getting started."

Samuel Delany says he's slept with 50,000 men, all while managing to churn out a mind-boggling number of award-winning novels. Now that's a face and name to remember.

"People don't know what to call black singers with an independent streak. They know we're not Usher — all due respect, but we're clearly not him. I was never trying to fit a definition."