Guides

MANY PHILADELPHIA art galleries stay open later on the first Friday of the month. Some schedule special events on other days. Here's what's happening tomorrow night and throughout the month. Artists' House Gallery. 57 N. 2nd St., 215-923-8440, artistshouse.com. Rita Klinger, Joseph Lozano, Patrick Crofton, Robert Sampson, Sydney McGinley. Through June 2. Receptions 5-8:30 tonight, 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Asian Arts Initiative. 1219 Vine St., 215-557-0455, asianartsinitiative.org. "WE ARE ALL," youth artists partner with the Mural Arts Program.

MOTHER'S DAY is nigh. Whatcha getting yours? The gift of a gizmo lasts much longer than flowers or candy and reminds her of your love for months and years to come. Gadgets such as these: CASING THE JOINT: Nothing adds personality to a boring, black-toned tablet computer or smartphone like a designer case. Take, please, the smile-inducing polka-dot covers Kate Spade New York has newly summoned up for the smaller, 7-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet. Nab one on Amazon for $69.99; for a mere $159, you can fill the case with the sharp-screened and reasonably well-featured tablet itself.

We're less than one week out from the Broad Street Run , which is not only the largest race in Philadelphia but the largest 10-mile road race in the country. It is an event like no other. I've run it twice. Here are some things to keep in mind. Don't park at the starting line. Your two best bets: Have someone drop you off, or take the Broad Street Line to the Olney Transportation Center. It's a 35-minute ride from the station at Pattison Avenue. Parking in the stadium complex lot is free to runners, as is the Broad Street Line if you show your race bib. Get there early.

ELEVEN YEARS ago, the Eagles hit the trifecta in the second and third rounds of the 2002 draft, selecting Colorado safety Michael Lewis, cornerback Sheldon Brown and a Division 1-AA running back by the name of Brian Westbrook. Lewis spent five seasons with the Eagles, three as a starter. Went to a Super Bowl and Pro Bowl with the Birds. Brown was a rock at right corner for the franchise, starting 98 games in eight seasons and helping the Eagles advance to five NFC Championship Games.

The state's best pitching staff has lots of live arms. There are a senior and a freshman. There are sophomores and juniors. There are lefties and righties. There are introverts and extroverts. There are crazed competitors and guys who are a little more laid-back. "They're all different," said Gloucester Catholic senior catcher Jon Theckston, the rock on which the Rams' remarkable pitching staff rests. Theckston said he always has been a catcher. He's a tough Gloucester kid whose defensive prowess and ability to work with a variety of pitchers have been a key to the Rams' success over the last two seasons.

This month, the federal government announced it would not give grants to repair homes badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy unless the owners agreed to ensure they complied with new advisory flood maps. In New Jersey, the policy will not change much because the state government already has said it would not approve rebuilding the most damaged homes unless they comply with the maps. Following is a look at what the flood maps mean to homeowners in coastal areas. Question. What are the maps?

The champions gathered in the basement, their haunt, huddled over vinyl chess mats, plastic pieces, and rickety clocks. On a spring day, the place was a sweaty, smelly, noisy, airless, sunless cell. Winter, too. In June? Worse. And, yet, joy. The Julia R. Masterman Middle School won the kindergarten-through-eighth-grade U.S. Chess Federation's quadrennial SuperNationals V at Nashville's Opryland last weekend - 5,335 students in attendance - after a substantial drought of 11 years.

LIKE A LOT of folks, I almost never buy art. Yeah, I'm cheap. I also find the process totally intimidating. There have been times when I've spotted something I like, but when I take a glance at the price tag I immediately go into a Michael Jackson-style moonwalk, backing right out of the gallery. Yet there comes a time in your life when your tastes evolve past generic, mass-produced stuff that you could pick up at Target. You hunger for one-of-a-kind pieces that would make your chest puff up with pride - even if they didn't match your sofa.

SPRING IS IN the air, and so are the dust bunnies, cat fur, crumbs and crud Gizmo Guy's been hoarding all winter. That's why I've been so pleased to test a dandy new canister vacuum cleaner from Samsung. Talk about having my cake and eating it too - off a newly cleaned floor. South Korean gizmo colossus Samsung currently rules the world in flat-panel TVs and smartphones, and has been grabbing a decent market share in "white goods" (washers, dryers, refrigerators and other appliances)

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved the first international treaty regulating the multibillion-dollar global arms trade Tuesday. The action capped a more than decadelong campaign to keep weapons from falling into the hands of terrorists, insurgents, organized-crime figures, and human-rights violators. The resolution was approved by a vote of 154-3 with 23 abstentions. As the numbers appeared on the electronic board, loud cheers filled the assembly chamber.