Local officials are brushing up on what it takes to handle a terrorist attack. More than 20 law-enforcement and public-safety officials, including Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and Mayor Michael Nutter, participated in a security forum aimed at improving communication yesterday.

Girls who missed out on rush, don't lose hope: formal recruitment is not the only time of year that offers the opportunity for sorority membership. During Continuous Open Bidding, the informal process that sororities use to acquire new members during the fall and spring semesters after rush, houses may offer bids to girls that either did not participate in rush at all or dropped out early.

Last week, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter released his first budget for the city, which began to address his ambitious inaugural goals - including a reduction in crime and improvement in the city's education system.

Recent cell phone registration numbers for the UPennAlert notification system show an approximately 10 percent increase from the beginning of October. Sixty-one percent of students and 31 percent of faculty and staff have registered their cell-phone numbers, compared to about 50 percent of students who had done so in the beginning of October, according to Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush.

If a recession is on the horizon for the economy, Penn officials and finance experts say the University should not be too worried. In the last quarter of 2007, the U.S. economy saw a staggeringly low growth rate of 0.6 percent. While growth was not negative, as it would be during a recession, it might be a signal that the nation is headed there in the coming years.

How do you find a compromise between preserving free speech and protecting students from becoming victims of libelous and defamatory comments? That is the question raised by Juicycampus.com-, a Web site launched last October on seven college campuses that serves as a forum for students to post campus gossip anonymously.

The flat-screen television flashing with vivid images of superheroes and Charlie Brown seemed out of place at the time-worn Kelly Writers House last night as Pulitzer Prize-winning artist and author of Maus Art Spiegelman presented "Comix 101." The presentation was a condensed history of comic-book evolution intertwined with his personal experience writing graphic novels.

Several Nursing students may be traveling to rural areas in Honduras - but that won't stop them from blogging about it. As part of the Nursing course, Infant and Maternal Care in the Americas, nine Nursing undergraduate and graduate students will help out in underserved communities in Honduras to improve health care, particularly in midwifery, for two weeks this May.

With the addition of the Radian to residential options, sororities are having an unusually difficult time filling their houses for next year. Because rush occurs during the spring, many girls have already signed contracts for housing next semester. Most off-campus leases are signed during the fall, as are contracts for in-house room change.

Achieving an atmosphere that is both cozy and sleek can be a difficult task. But for Twenty Manning, a neighborhood bistro whose menu combines traditional American cuisine with Asian-inspired dishes, doing two things at once seems to be no problem. Tucked into 20th Street between Spruce and Locust streets, the restaurant maintains the elegance of the surrounding Rittenhouse Square.

Who knew SEPTA went to Turkey? While I've never actually been to the land of hummus and ottomans, Konak restaurant certainly met my expectations. Owners Melek Basaran and her daughter Aysa Atay have transformed one of Old City's many cramped buildings into a palace.

Several Web sites that require users to log in with their PennKeys for access - including PennPortal and Blackboard - were unavailable for several hours on Sunday afternoon due to problems with the server that allows for PennKey authentication, according to Robin Beck, vice president for information systems and computing.

It is no wonder the restaurant named for the landmark city of Morocco is also a landmark of fine cuisine in Philadelphia. Located off of Fourth and South streets, an auspicious alley conceals this gem of high-dining. Immediately after being greeted at the door by a fez-wearing host, you will notice how the traditional Moroccan decor reflects the authenticity of the cuisine.

If you believe in saving the best for last, a trip to Sazon Restaurant and Cafe is definitely in order. Sazon, a Venezuelan BYO located at 10th and Spring Garden streets, offers a delicious assortment of appetizers and entrees, but the highlight of any trip there is the chocolate caliente that follows the meal.

Beyond the pizza joints whose main draw is their cold beer, Italian dining near Penn's campus is hard to find. Little do most students know that across the Walnut Street Bridge, exists an option for finer Italian cuisine. Salento, located just before 22nd Street, offers students willing to spend a few extra dollars the chance to experience the tastes that made Italian food ubiquitous in American culture.

My tongue walked into a creamy winter wonderland with a 1908 soda shop feel. Franklin Fountain, a small "ice cream saloon" on the corner of Letitia and Market streets in Old City, flings you into a timeless vortex of sundaes, phosphates and ice cream sodas The shop was opened a few years ago by Ryan and Eric Berley, two brothers who traveled across the country every year and compiled their ideas, along with those of the rest of their staff, to create the old-fashioned candies and goods supplied at the store.

As you enter the dimly lit Tinto Wine Bar on 20th and Sansom, it feels as if you really did take that holiday to Spain. Nestled in Center City, Tinto's black bent wooden chairs and visible tapas preparation offers a romantic, rustic atmosphere for any couples looking for an escape from Penn's campus.