Florence Cohen will not be taking her late husband's spot in city government. Cohen, 88, said that she will not run as an independent for City Council, after ward leaders did not select her as the official Democratic at-large candidate for the Nov. 7 special election.

Election officials will record more than just your vote this week. Votes in the upcoming student government elections will be tallied by race and gender, among other criteria. This is part of a program thought up by the Nominations and Elections Committee - which runs student elections - and the Undergraduate Assembly designed to give minority groups more representation in student government.

When I read and think about some of the primary elections that have come and gone this year, I am immediately reminded of everything that's right and everything that's wrong with American politics today.

A chain-link fence surrounds Cedar Park at 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, enclosing landscaping machinery and old playground equipment. For the time being, it is abandoned, and does not appear impressive. But by Thanksgiving, the fences will be down and the machinery will be replaced with new landscaping, benches and improved lighting - worth a combined $200,000.

Not a setback, coach Rudy Fuller said. Just a wake-up call. Terminology aside, the men's soccer team pulled defeat from the clutches of victory last night. After going ahead 2-0 in the opening 25 minutes, Penn conceded three straight goals to La Salle and lost at McCarthy Stadium, 3-2.

At first glance, nothing about Wharton MBA student Neal Mueller seems out of the ordinary.

New Orleans seems like three different cities. First, there is the eerily empty Ninth Ward. Across the canal, the French Quarter is astir with nightlife and recovering businesses.

Avery Lawrence is a College junior from Charlottesville, Va.

WILMINGTON, Del. - State prosecutors presented the available forensic and DNA evidence in the trial of Wharton undergraduate Irina Malinovskaya yesterday -- but there was not much to show. Yet prosecutors say there has been more emphasis on verbal testimony than on DNA because Malinovskaya, who is charged with first-degree murder, tried to leave the scene without a trace.

The voting booths have opened. For the next week, the Class of 2010 will have the chance to pick their representatives to Penn's student government, the Undergraduate Assembly. From some of the campaign slogans and Facebook.com ads, the whole process may not appear serious at first.

On Oct. 6, 1965, one of the most famous events in Jewish sports history occurred, and nothing happened. Sandy Koufax chose not to pitch Game 1 of the World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Minnesota Twins because it fell on Yom Kippur. This coming weekend, Jews will be celebrating their new year, Rosh Hashanah.

Students see a useful tool, administrators see a potential problem, and some entrepreneurs think they've found a very profitable idea.

Weekday afternoons, you'll find the Magic Carpet food truck perched on the corner of 36th and Spruce streets. The magic lamp emblazoned on its green awning tempts students with promises of cheap culinary delights and meatless Mediterranean marvels. Try the magic tofu meatballs, and you'll understand why the Magic Carpet has become the alternative street food option for Penn's vegetarian population.

The Jewish high holidays are a major fund-raising event for most synagogues and Jewish organizations. And now, Penn's Hillel is no different. Under a new policy enacted this year, Hillel will charge non-student members of the region's Jewish community $180 to attend services.

And you thought baking Pillsbury brownies was a piece of cake. According to the rabbinic definition of baking, you don't even need the mix. Last night, David Freidenreich, a fellow at Penn's Center for Advanced Jewish Studies, discussed a taboo against eating foods prepared by people who are not Jewish and how definitions have been changed over time, sometimes in counter-intuitive ways, to get around the custom.

Last night the field hockey team made it more clear than ever that Penn is indeed not Penn State. And the No. 8 Nittany Lions certainly had reason to be proud that they are not Penn. They pounded the Quakers 3-0 for Penn's second consecutive loss and its fifth defeat on the season as Penn State garnered its seventh consecutive win.

Amira Fawcett is a College sophomore from Houston.