I'll get it out there: I'm a hypocrite. I'm against income taxes but pay them. I'm in favor of the death penalty but wouldn't want to get it myself. I'm a proponent of freedom of speech but occasionally censor my Facebook wall. And I'm pro-guns despite never firing or even holding one.

Tonight is the first of Mayor Michael Nutter's budget workshops, run in collaboration with Penn Project for Civic Engagement to help get public input on budget decisions. All Philadelphia residents are invited to attend. Nutter announced the Workshops Jan.

In an address to students yesterday, Chunmiao Zheng posed China's milion-dollar question - how do you supply 20 percent of the world's population with only 7 percent of the Earth's water resources? Yesterday afternoon at the Carolyn Hoff Lynch Auditorium, Zheng, professor of hydrogeology at the University of Alabama, explored the issue of China's mounting water scarcity in a talk entitled, "Will China Run Out of Water?" His final answer: Not likely for the country as a whole, he said, although he added that certain regions were more vulnerable to distress than others.

Educational institutions may not receive as much aid as they originally thought, due to a revised version of the economic-stimulus bill passed by the U.S. Senate yesterday. The Senate's bill allocates $83 billion for public schools and higher education, only about half as much as the original $150 billion approved by the House of Representatives in late January.

It's the time of year when Penn students, decked out in their best professional wear, race across campus to catch OCR presentations. But this year is a little different because many of the fixtures of recruiting have scaled back their hiring or disappeared altogether.

Anyone with a Brown graduation ring is a step behind Adrian Williams. The sophomore guard on the men's basketball team already has a championship ring from Super Bowl XXII - actually, his dad does. "He kind of keeps it stashed away," Williams said. "I think he brings it out for special occasions.

President Barack Obama announced last Wednesday that the government will cap annual salaries at $500,000 for top administrators at companies that receive large amounts of federal stimulus money. The new policy, however, will not affect the annual salaries of college presidents - including that of President Amy Gutmann - whose universities are among the possible recipients of federal funds.

Rich Ross, president of Disney Channels worldwide and 1983 Penn alumnus, will visit Huntsman Hall at 4:30 today to guide students to and discuss future prospects in the entertainment industry. Ross has been coming back to Penn for the last 15 years to share his knowledge with students.

Tonight is the first of Mayor Michael Nutter's budget workshops, run in collaboration with Penn Project for Civic Engagement to help get public input on budget decisions. All Philadelphia residents are invited to attend. Nutter announced the Workshops Jan.

College senior Alexander Jacobs has been awarded a 2009 Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The History major from New York City will begin a master's program in history, philosophy and sociology of science, technology and medicine at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom this October.

Despite concerns that the economic downturn would impede the number of free 10-day excursions Taglit-Birthright Israel could offer students this year, program directors say Penn-based trips will continue as usual. For the past decade, groups like Penn Hillel and Jewish Heritage Project have run the trips, which are sponsored by Birthright.

"What is the difference between a rock concert and a poetry reading?" Mark Halliday asked the crowd at his poetry reading last night at Kelly Writers House. "At a rock concert, you beg the performers to do more." Last night, Kelly Writers House hosted a poetry reading by former Penn professor and acclaimed poet Mark Halliday.

Theft Feb. 3 - A female student, 22, reported at about 8 p.m. that an unknown suspect removed the tire from her bicycle, which was secured outside Harnwell College House. Feb. 3 - A male student, 18, reported at about 7:15 p.m. that someone removed his unsecured bicycle from outside Gregory College House, located at 3909 Spruce St.

When telling the President wasn't enough, the sponsors of a petition on the economy sent a message to the future leaders of the country instead. Yesterday, The Cato Institute, a Washington-based think tank, placed ads in 15 student newspapers across the United States, including The Daily Pennsylvanian.

This time last year, Sarah Waxman was prepping for her senior season as goalie for the Penn women's lacrosse team - one that would culminate with a trip to the national championship game. Now, she finds herself 2,000 miles from Franklin Field, in Oaxaca, Mexico, teaching English and history to Mexican high-schoolers.

A degree from the University of Pennsylvania may be a meal ticket after all. Last night in the Fisher Fine Arts Library, Joel Berg, author of All You Can Eat, addressed the nature and history of "food insecurity" in America to a large and enthusiastic audience.