The family that plays together stays together. Senior Joey Raho's loved ones are no different. "[My parents'] first date was a squash match," said Raho, whose older brother Nick also played for Cornell. Penn coach Craig Thorpe-Clark agreed. "Unlike maybe football, where only Dad and the boys could play, you know, squash is a whole family game," he said.

As 2008 slowly winds to a close, few Americans are optimistic about their year-end bonuses. But if you're a teacher in a Washington, D.C. public school, there may be good news. In the policy recently proposed by school district Chancellor Michelle Rhee, teachers could earn raises of up to $40,000 - in exchange for giving up tenure for a year.

According to a recently published book, Philadelphia has a glorious past and an uncertain future. However, there is potential for the city to reclaim its former glory. College and Design School alumnus Nathaniel Popkin examined both historic and present-day Philadelphia during the reading of his new book The Possible City: Exercises in Dreaming Philadelphia at the Penn Bookstore last night.

City Hall is throwing the book at Philadelphia's libraries. In order to bridge the city's gaping budget shortfall, Mayor Michael Nutter recently announced plans to close 11 public libraries across Philadelphia - including the historic Kingsessing Library on 51st Street.

The women's squash team has it all. After winning their first Ivy League title since 2000 and finishing second in the nation, the Quakers return with three All-Americans and plenty of confidence. "We are good, not to sound cocky," senior co-captain Emily Goodwin said.

Two Penn grads have been tapped to lead the biggest financial bailout plan in history. Assistant U.S. attorney and 1992 Penn alumnus Neil Barofsky appeared before the Senate last night after President George Bush nominated him as the special inspector general of the Treasury's Troubled Assets Relief Program.

When the South Street Bridge closes for reconstruction in December, traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway will worsen and fewer taxicabs will prowl the streets of University City. But on the bright side, results from an ongoing traffic study indicate that the bridge is mainly used for short trips between University City and Center City - so most of its traffic can be diverted to the Walnut or Chestnut Street bridges.

Penn President Amy Gutmann and her husband, Columbia law professor Michael Doyle, have made a $100,000 contribution toward undergraduate resources at Penn. The donation will be split between the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and the senior-class gift program.

Last season the women's basketball team only mustered 26 points in a 40 point rout by Villanova. In their home opener this year, the Quakers bounced back to nearly pull off a stunning upset. Instead, Sioban O'Connor hit a huge three-pointer with 36 seconds left to propel Villanova to a 45-43 victory.

This time next week, I'll unfortunately still be here at school. Don't get me wrong - I love being here. It's just that the next day is Thanksgiving, one of the few times during the year my family gets together anymore. But I have classes the day before Thanksgiving, thanks to the structure of our current fall semester calendar.

Janice Dow is a College sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Who knows what Bruiser Flint's politics are, but on matters of college basketball he is a registered progressive, and a loud one at that. Damn the torpedoes and the status quo, he says what he thinks and treats reporters not as annoyances but as sparring partners and useful tools in getting his point across.

Despite its earlier efforts, putting syllabi online continues to be a pipe dream for the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education. In a meeting last week, the Provost's Council of Undergraduate Deans announced that the Online Syllabi Initiative SCUE has been pushing for the past three years will not be feasible until at least 2010.

"Work hard, play hard," may be many students' motto, but deciding where to draw that line can be difficult. Balancing more enjoyable extracurricular activities with schoolwork can jeopardize academic performance, but some students say it's worth the consequences.

Christina Matthias and Brittany Hebden have only gotten closer as the years have gone by - literally. From growing up a block apart in Philadelphia to attending Penn Charter School together for 12 years to sharing an off-campus house with seven other people, the two Penn squash players are "almost like sisters.

Bruiser Flint got his wish. With it came pressure. "My boss told me, 'Now look, man, we got this game here, so you better win,'" the Drexel coach said. "So I said, 'OK. All right. Appreciate it.'" The Dragons pleased their head honchos with a 66-64 win over Penn in its first-ever visit to the Daskalakis Center early yesterday morning.