We're a nation of borrowers. According to Wednesday's USA Today (or does that make it the "USA Two days ago?") the average borrower's credit-card debt now stands at $1,717. The government borrowed billions from China to finance its no-tax and spend policies and doubled the national debt to $10 trillion over the past eight years (though, to be fair, I got this figure from the most recent Presidential debate, so there's no guarantee).

The men's soccer team returned to early-season form Saturday night with a 1-0 victory over host Dartmouth. Goalkeeper Drew Healy notched nine saves en route to his eighth shutout of the season, bringing the Quakers' to 8-2-3 overall. The lone goal came off the foot of senior midfielder Alex Grendi in the 33rd minute.

From financial crises to city-flattening natural disasters, the United States is a nation at risk. It is the management of that risk that is important, argues Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who spoke at Penn yesterday about these issues at the federal level.

After a healthy helping of hearing John McCain boast about "Joe the plumber" in Wednesday's presidential debate, journalist Katha Pollitt helped to ease the tension of the political race while discussing her views at Houston Hall last night. Tackling issues such as abortion, poverty, human rights and foreign policy in her writing, Pollitt considers herself a feminist columnist.

By ANDY KUHN Contributing Writer dpsports@dailypennsylvanian.com The seven-hour ride to New Hampshire will be almost as challenging for the men's soccer team as the actual game with Dartmouth. That's because of what the ride home might mean. The fear of departing with an "L" to an Ivy League opponent is motivation enough for the Quakers to play at the top of their game.

A vacant West Philadelphia lot is being prepared for the relocation of the city's only secure youth detention facility - but the elementary school across the street is so unhappy about the move that it also intends to relocate, according to the school's chief administrative officer.

Alex Jacobson is a College junior from Los Angeles. His e-mail address is jacobson@dailypennsylvanian.com.

There's bad luck - and then there's Columbia luck. The Lions' football program is certainly no stranger to losing streaks. Its 44-game skid in the 1980s is the second-longest in Division I history. But now, trying to ride out a 12-game tumble - the second-longest active rut in the Football Championship Subdivision - Columbia(0-4, 0-1 Ivy) seems to be getting the short end of every stick and the raw end of every deal.

Six Penn faculty members - the most from any institution nationwide - have been inducted into the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences. The group, a non-governmental organization that advises the nation on health- and science-related matters, announced its 65 newest members earlier this week.

klitzman@dailypennsylvanian.com Brown and Princeton might have only been picked to finish third and fifth, respectively, in the Ivy League preseason media poll, but when the Bears (2-2, 1-0 Ivy) visit the Tigers (2-2, 1-0) tomorrow at 1 p.m., at least a share of first place will be on the line.

An effective and valuable program To the Editor: On September 22, The Daily Pennsylvanian published an article on the University City District's Main Street program. The article contained several misunderstandings about the program: First, Main Street was originated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980.

When the Penn field hockey team last faced Columbia, the Quakers were done in by a controversial call and an Ariel Leon goal eight minutes into overtime. At Franklin Field on Sunday, they'll be looking to avenge that 1-0 loss on Oct. 14 of last year and rebound from blowout losses to No.

Last year during Philadelphia's mayoral race, the city's crime rate was a major talking point for Michael Nutter and perhaps contributed to his landslide victory. But while crime is a prominent issue in Philadelphia politics, it has been largely ignored on the presidential campaign trail this fall.

During the final presidential debate on Wednesday night, fewer than a dozen students crowded around a living room TV, tuned in to Fox News and cheered on their candidate: Sen. John McCain, the Republican nominee. On a largely liberal campus, the College Republicans are ready to share their message with whomever is willing to listen.

By ELI COHEN Contributing Writer dpsports@dailypennsylvanian.com The athletes and coaches of the Penn volleyball team know exactly what head coach Kerry Carr, who had a mastectomy on Tuesday, needs right now. Wins. And lots of 'em. The Quakers (5-10, 1-2 Ivy) will be looking to add two more when they travel to New England to face off against Brown (9-7, 1-3) and Yale (10-3, 4-0) this weekend.

Which of the following situations do you consider more probable after graduation: facing a challenging ethical dilemma or being forced to identify, say, the different types of igneous rock on Earth? Well, Penn thinks it's the latter. As students in the School of Arts and Sciences, we're required to take a Physical Science course but don't necessarily need to take any courses on morality or ethics.

On a day dominated by defense on both sides, Penn capitalized on five turnovers by Columbia to take an early lead and ride out a 15-10 win at Franklin Field. Defensive back Britton Ertman intercepted Columbia's Shane Kelly twice, and a Kelly fumble gave Penn the ball at the 2-yard line, setting up its only touchdown.