Since its construction, the Cira Centre has served as the shiniest welcome sign to University City Penn has ever seen. It has simultaneously served as a building that has confounded students with an array of questions: What exactly goes on there? Is it an office building? A conference center? And how exactly do people walk inside when it's shaped so weirdly? One question (is the food there good?) was answered at Rae, the building's first floor occupant, with a resounding yes.

Step inside a small Italian villa - err, step inside Branzino restaurant. Located at 261 S. 17th St. in Center City, Branzino is a small, but cozy BYO to gather with friends for wine and good food. I especially liked the decor, which included soft green hues and murals that made it seem like one was looking out onto a countryside.

Oh, the woes of a local burger aficionado. Near Penn, choices are slim for that most quintessential of American meals: On the one hand, beefy checks and relatively long waits are the norm at the Marathon Grills or Copabananas of campus, while on the other hand - McDonalds.

Walking into the Rose Tattoo Cafe, at the corner of 19th and Callowhill, feels like entering a secret garden. This undiscovered gem nestled near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Franklin Institute boasts a romantic atmosphere and is bursting with fresh, green plants and cast-iron decor.

It's silly to cross the Schuylkill when there are great BYOs like Rx right in Penn's backyard. Rx, located at 4443 Spruce Street, is just a brisk walk from campus. It's truly a neighborhood restaurant; our waitress hugged a patron goodbye with a warm "see you next week.

The fire alarm that broke up the Zeta Beta Tau party last Saturday night may have been pulled intentionally, officials from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority affairs say. OFSA Director Scott Reikofski said he has heard "two or three" possible causes for the alarm going off but is awaiting a final report from the fire department before issuing a formal statement.

Summary of crime in the Penn area.

The departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security are all known institutions in American politics. But what about the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives? In an event sponsored by the Fox Leadership Program, Political Science professor and former director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives John DiIulio and current Office director Jay Hein discussed its purpose and its successes, failures and future.

Batman's leaving Gotham City this Wednesday and heading over to New Jersey. He'll be joined by a slew of other superheroes, princesses and monsters. What's attracting all these oddities across the Delaware River? Candy, of course.

WILMINGTON, DEL. - After three days of deliberations, jurors once again failed to deliver a verdict for accused murderer Irina Malinovskaya, leaving open the possibility of a third mistrial. Malinovskaya, a Wharton student from Russia, is being tried for bludgeoning to death her ex-lover's girlfriend in December 2004.

On the north side of campus, things continue to go south. Sunday morning's gunfight at the corner of 38th and Chestnut streets only served to emphasize a growing trend, recognized as a mounting concern by both Penn and Philadelphia police.

It isn't every day that hundreds of wrestling fans cram themselves into the upper floor of the Penn Bookstore. About a hundred World Wresting Entertainment fans gathered to see Chris Jericho - wrestler turned actor, television personality, radio host, rock star and now author - at a book-signing appearance for his first book, A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex.

Counseling and Psychological Services is getting a makeover. Since the Office of the Provost began a campaign three years ago to invest more funding and resources in CAPS, wait times for students and individual caseloads for staff members have decreased, and on-campus awareness campaigns have increased, CAPS director Ilene Rosenstein said.

At last week's debate in West Philadelphia, mayoral candidates Michael Nutter and Al Taubenberger criticized Philadelphia's city government. They criticized Philadelphia's rising crime rates. They criticized the failing public-school system. One thing they didn't criticize? Each other.

Undergraduate Assembly chairman and College senior Jason Karsh led the shortest Undergraduate Assembly meeting of the semester last Sunday night in Houston Hall. n Facilities Committee co-chairwoman and College senior Sarah Abroms announced the launch of pennrecycles@gmail.

Next time you reach for regular bottled water, think again - the man that started Ethos water is coming to Penn. Jonathan Greenblatt will give the keynote address on Nov. 14 as part of the University Honor Council's sixth-annual Integrity Week. Greenblatt launched the water brand on a mission to bring clean water to communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

For one Middle East expert, the conflict in the region could last for at least 30 to 40 more years. Addressing a conservative audience at the Union League of Philadelphia yesterday evening, Martin Kramer, a senior Middle East advisor to Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential campaign, discussed issues with current U.