In a previous basketball life, the scene might have made sense. With Penn down almost 30 late in the second half against a Big 5 rival, Fran Dunphy, red in the face, smacks the scorer's table after one of his players is whistled for traveling. The crowd is so dead that it's impossible to miss the coach's corresponding obscenity.

The crimes have been counted and the verdict is in: Penn and its surroundings are getting safer. Both violent crime and overall crime decreased in the Penn Patrol Zone in 2008, according to the Division of Public Safety. Particularly striking is the drop in violent crime, which is down 38 percent since 2007.

Today, Bike Share Philadelphia will give students one less reason to go to the gym. The organization is hosting a demonstration station of public-use bicycle models from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in front of the Penn Bookstore. Whether you're a fitness buff, an environmentalist or just sick of sitting in traffic, public-use bicycles offer a viable alternative to driving, according to Russell Meddin of Bike Share Philadelphia.

Basketball has taken Ira Bowman places he never thought he'd be. The Palestra was his first unexpected destination, but after transferring from Providence College he found himself as one of the Ivy League's all-time greats and the 1995-96 Player of the Year.

John Mayer thinks "your body is a wonderland," and the Office of Health Education wants you to tell them why. For "The Body Project," a collaboration between the OHE and Guidance for Understanding Image, Dieting and Eating, students, faculty and staff will be invited to submit video testimonials about body image.

Many people at Penn worked hard to get Barack Obama elected in November - and now they're preparing to see him sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. Students are getting ready for next Tuesday's inauguration by traveling to Washington D.C. or taking time off from classes to watch the ceremony on campus.

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering senior from Houston. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

There is a such thing as a free lunch today - and burritos are on the menu. From 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Chipotle Mexican Grill will serve its 20-ounce award-winning burritos and a soft drink at no charge to celebrate its grand opening tomorrow. "We understand what's happening in the economy, so we're telling students 'c'mon, lunch is on us,'" said Chipotle spokeswoman Katherine Smith.

Many athletes are unable to overcome the extreme emotional and physical roller coaster that results from a major injury. Everyone has the option of quitting - an easy escape route that appears to the frustrated and discouraged - but Steve Martucci isn't one to take shortcuts.

As the U.S. economy continues to spiral downwards, it's become more and more clear that even our impenetrable "Penn bubble" can't keep out a national recession. In December, President Gutmann issued an update on the university's plans for coping with the financial crisis, assuring that Penn will not be "implementing broad-scale layoffs, hiring freezes or across-the-board budget reductions.

Penn senior Carrie Biemer's career-high 32 points were still not enough to carry the women's basketball team in a 76-63 loss to Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J. on Tuesday. Biemer was 11-for-27 from the field - including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc - but no other Quakers scored in double figures or even attempted more than five shots.

Although many people look forward to a clean slate at the start of the new year, the Undergraduate Assembly hopes to continue efforts on past projects in the coming semester. UA Chairman and Wharton and College senior Wilson Tong outlined the goals of the UA for the upcoming semester, explaining that much of last fall's planning and project proposals will ultimately come into fruition this spring.

Remember the game? Jan. 24, 2007. Fran Dunphy returns to the Palestra, for the first time wearing Temple cherry. Tipoff. Penn looks good. So do the Owls. Quakers go down 19, then fight back to even. Mark Zoller at the line. First is good. Second is good! Penn wins! Penn wins! It was the greatest game I've seen in my four years watching Penn play, and probably the greatest for many fans who have been watching ten times that long.

Although Mehdi Zakerian, human rights professor at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, Iran, was invited to teach at the Penn Law School last year, he was unable to come when Iranian authorities detained him on suspicions of espionage around Aug. 15, according to Amnesty International.

In light of the recent crossfire in the Gaza Strip, the University cancelled several study-abroad programs in Jersusalem - a relatively peaceful city miles from Gaza. But while the fighting seems far removed from Jerusalem, it's impossible to know that it will stay that way.

For Penn Dining, going green involves more than just removing trays. The next green initiative: local food marketing interns. This semester, Penn Dining is seeking students to continue the work of previous interns, with sustainability in mind. The job involves a variety of tasks, ranging from promoting special events to updating the Penn Dining Web site.

When women's basketball senior captain Carrie Biemer sees her team show flashes of exceptional play to stake an early lead, she senses that they are on the verge of turning the corner. But suddenly - and without explanation - the Quakers revert to their wildly inconsistent ways.