The fire that gutted a house located at 210 S. 41st St. on Jan. 27 was deliberately set, Philadelphia Fire Department Executive Chief Daniel Williams said yesterday.

Looking for a way to build momentum heading into the postseason? Try winning the biggest meet of the season, blowing out a conference rival and breaking a historic school record - in one weekend. The No. 20 Penn wrestling team may have waited until the last meet of the season to finally notch a win against a ranked opponent.

Professor Dan Ben-Amos says he lives a "common" life. But common by whose standards? He's conducted field studies of folklore in Africa and has served in the Israeli army as a bodyguard for David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister. And, recently, a book he edited won the 2006 National Jewish Book Award Sephardic Culture Category - a nationally-acclaimed award administered by The Jewish Book Council that recognizes achievements in Jewish literature.

With its terra-cotta towers and poetry-laced windows, Fisher Fine Arts Library has always stood out from the rest of College Green. In the past, its Victorian architecture was considered a monstrosity - as recently as the 1960s, some University officials were calling for the building's demolition.

At 8:30 yesterday morning, Wharton junior Arthur Hayes woke up to the piercing sound of a rolling pin banging on a cooking pan. A booming British accent followed. "Wakey-wakey! Rise and shine - get up!" No, Hayes, a member of Psi Upsilon, wasn't dreaming.

At the City Council's Committee on Streets and Services public hearing this Wednesday, council members and attendees heard from project leaders behind the South Street bridge renovation.

The disappointment of not making the bus for the championships did not get members of the men's and women's swimming teams down. Instead of traveling to Princeton for the Ivy League championships or EISL championships, those swimmers will compete in the ECAC Championships in Massachusetts this weekend.

Remember those "I Love This Game" NBA commercials? They were talking about people like Columbia freshman point guard Patrick Foley. Foley's love-affair with the game began as a little kid. "My father played in college at Seton Hall and . I've just been around him my whole life," Foley said.

For three area universities, a joint effort is what it might take to stop youth violence in the area. Representatives from Penn, Drexel University and Temple University have joined forces, along with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and various community-based organizations, to make up the Philadelphia Collaborative for Violence Prevention Center - a collaborative project with an aim to make violence among 10 to 14 year olds a thing of the past.

It's about time the Penn community recognized that there is a former president in the ranks of its many celebrated alumni.

The gifts for Barbaro just keep on coming. The Penn School of Veterinary Medicine announced yesterday that Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, donated a $3 million gift to Penn Vet to fund research on laminitis and other equine diseases. The money will supplement gifts from the Fund to Fight Laminitis that have been donated to sponsor this future research.

In the world of prestigious scholarships, Penn is back in the game. As of last Sunday, Alix Rogers is representing Penn as the University's only winner of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which grants recipients one year of study and research at the University of Cambridge in England.

Criticism for politically incorrect comments deflects attention away from the real issues they address.

Community activists are convinced that, if the city has its way, $50 million of their hard earned tax money will go to one ugly bridge. But at a public hearing yesterday, they learned that if construction doesn't start soon, it may never happen. The City Council's Committee on Streets and Services convened the hearing to debate a proposal to widen South Street.

Since its season began, the team has focused on one meet. And the time has come for the Penn women's swim team. From today until Saturday, the Ivy League Championship Meet will be held at Princeton's Denunzio Pool. Unlike most Ancient Eight sports, the swimming champion is not determined by the regular season.

Prize-winning poet Susan Howe appeared at the Kelly Writer's house yesterday for an exclusive poetry reading of her own works. An author of several poetry publications, Howe opened the night with one of her most recent prose poems, "What is this Crackling of Voices in the Mind," in a style she described as "a Jonathan Edwards personal, conversion narrative.

Cornell center Andrew Naeve knows his role. Bully your way to the hoop and score. Get back on defense. Repeat. It shows up on his stat sheet: In 651 minutes this season, he has taken only one three-point shot. According to Naeve, "I don't even remember taking that three.