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Alex Ball/DP, Ted Koutsoubas/DP, Alex Remnick/DP, Shrestha Singh/DP

If your major is in the social sciences or humanities, chances are your major has no practical value. Now before you get all upset, hear me out. I'm saying your major probably has little or no value for what you're going to end up doing in life, but your classes, whatever they are, have a lot.

It's been a very busy week for Penn's medical staff. The Quakers' misfortunes last Saturday against Brown extended far beyond dropping their first Ivy League game of the season. As the fourth quarter came to a close, several important members of the team watched from the sidelines on crutches.

Over the past several weeks, both presidential candidates have deployed massive resources in Pennsylvania to keep, or pick up, the state and its 21 electoral votes. Today, they'll find out if it paid off, and polls and analysts are predicting a win for Democratic nominee Barack Obama - but say it's not a sure thing.

Judaism's got it right. As per the Fourth Commandment (of the most-famous 10), observant Jews don't work on Saturday, the Sabbath (Shabbat in Hebrew). "Work" doesn't just mean paid work; traditionally this prohibition extends to housework, driving, writing and many other things.

Political analysts widely predict major gains for the Democrats in the Senate and House of Representatives today. But few think the Democrats will win the nine extra Senate positions they need to have a filibuster-proof "supermajority" in that branch of Congress.

For many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender faculty members, being open about their sexuality doesn't always come so easily. Some simply don't feel comfortable meshing their personal and professional lives, and others report actual discrimination on the job.

"It was an eye-opening experience," said Engineering junior Young Yim of his trip to do bioengineering in southern China this summer with the Engineering school's Global BioMedical Service Program. Now in its third year, GBS takes a group of 12 students and a faculty member to work on medical problems in China each summer.

Quarterback Kyle Olson is officially done for the season. The team confirmed that Olson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the second quarter of Saturday's 34-27 loss to Brown. That game was Olson's first start of the season after battling with senior Rob Irvin for the top job since training camp.

The one bit of significant news from a conference call featuring all eight Ivy League hoops coaches was the revelation by Columbia's Joe Jones that transfer Brian Grimes had injured his knee five minutes into the team's first practice and will miss the upcoming season.

Going against the stereotype of the apathetic college kid, youth have been more involved in this election than any in recent memory - and experts think they will show up at the polls. This year, youth turnout "will probably surpass 50 percent, and it could be closer to 60 percent," said Peter Levine, research director of CIRCLE, a Tufts-based research group that studies youth political involvement.

After today, nobody will ever pester you to vote - at least for another two years. For those who are voting, consider these tips:  To find your polling location, visit dailypennsylvanian.com/wheretovote or call the Committee of Seventy's toll-free system at 1-866-268-8603.

In just a few hours, we'll finally know the name of the next president of the United States. That name's been a long time coming. The 2008 presidential election has spanned two years and $1.6 billion dollars. It's become a dominating presence in the national airwaves and everyday conversation, and its many twists and turns have resulted in some of the greatest electoral drama in American history.

Cornell quarterback Nathan Ford became the topic of conversation at the biggest watercooler in America. The senior signal caller got a shout-out on last Thursday's episode of The Office on NBC, courtesy of everyone's favorite intensely nerdy paper salesman, Dwight Schrute.

About eight hours before polls open in Pennsylvania, Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden addressed a large rally in South Philadelphia in his last stop on the campaign trail. "In less than 24 hours, we will know who the leader of the free world is," Biden said at the Marconi Plaza at South Broad and Bigler streets.