In the shadow of Independence Hall, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) sought yesterday to free himself from lingering questions over the "complexities of race" in the United States and in his presidential campaign. Obama gave a speech, entitled "A More Perfect Union," at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center on identity politics and racial divisions in America - issues he said "must be addressed.

A Dental student was held captive in his apartment by armed robbers for about 12 hours over spring break. The student was walking out of his apartment, located at 4311 Spruce St., on March 9 at about 11:30 p.m. when he was confronted by a white male and a black male.

When it comes to making plans on how to improve Philadelphia, architects and city planners from Penn say civic engagement is critical. Penn Praxis, the consulting branch of Penn's School of Design, is working in conjunction with the Penn Project for Civic Engagement to generate a series of plans to renovate the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, located on South Broad Street.

Former Marketing professor Scott Ward was indicted last Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on one count of making false statements to the State Department and two counts of transporting and shipping child pornography.

The thing that Gary Gregory will always remember about his sister's death is how close she was to leaving her husband when he killed her. Gregory was down from Massachusetts to bring his sister, Ellen Robb, and her daughter Olivia up to Boston with him for Christmas.

Flames burst from the attic of the Mask and Wig Clubhouse, located at 310 S. Quince Street, early Saturday morning - but the 2 a.m. fire was not part of the group's annual spring show. The fire, which is still being investigated by the Philadelphia Fire Marshal, was reported by an unidentified person who saw the flames and informed officials, according to Mask and Wig board members.

East Asian and Middle Eastern history may be more similar than you think. Yesterday afternoon at Logan Hall, Cemil Aydin, Princeton University post-doctoral fellow and assistant professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, gave a lecture entitled, "East Asia and the Middle East: What Can We Learn from Comparative Approaches to Global History?" His talk was based on his most recent book, "The Politics of Anti-Westernism in Asia: Visions of World Order in Pan-Islamic and Pan-Asian Thought," in which he challenges prevalent notions of anti-Westernism as a reaction to Western values or response to Western imperialism.

It's the biggest concert of the biggest party of the year at Penn - and Ludacris and Gym Class Heroes will headline it. The Social Planning and Events Committee announced yesterday that the rapper and indie hip-hop band will take the stage at this year's Spring Fling concert at 8 p.

The political circus is finally here. For the next four weeks, Pennsylvanians will find out what it's like to be at the center of the political universe as candidates prepare for the state's April 22 primary. During the week before spring break, Chelsea Clinton campaigned on campus at Wynn Commons for her mother, New York Sen.

The candidates are back for another round - on April 16, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will face off in Philadelphia during the 21st Democratic debate. The debate - hosted by ABC - will be held at the National Constitution Center in downtown Philadelphia.

The University's review of hiring practices came closer to an end last week with the Faculty Senate's decision to not include a statement disclosing criminal background as a prerequisite for faculty employment. For now, it's unclear what direction the hiring-practices review will take following the Faculty Senate's decision.

While Native Americans are a minority on Penn's campus, yesterday at Houston Hall they had a big voice. Six Directions, Penn's Native American interest organization, and Amnesty International co-presented a talk highlighting a movement to end violence against Native American women.

It may be the one class every Penn student has to take during his or her undergraduate education, but it's also the one class whose merits students can't seem to pinpoint. A foundation at many colleges across the nation, Penn's 50 to 60 writing seminars seek to transition the writing of incoming freshmen from "five-paragraph, SAT or free-form writing" to shorter essays with more peer revision, said program director Valerie Ross.

Despite weeks of research, students in one Electrical and Systems Engineering class are still pondering the best way to climb the fabled "Rocky steps" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Of course, their task is more difficult than it sounds: While climbing those stairs may be an easy trek for tourists, getting a robot to make the same jaunt isn't so simple.

Wharton received a gift from its alumni to support research in a less traditional field of business. Julie and Kenneth Moelis, both Wharton alumni, donated $5 million to the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, a program that aims to conduct research on sports business and provide education on the sports industry.

Staying at Penn over spring break? Well, if you're over 21, you can join the annual festival to celebrate Philadelphia's unique beer-drinking history. Philly Beer Week begins today with a special event on Sunday called The Brewer's Plate, which celebrates Philadelphia culture by offering a gourmet experience consisting of the city's finest food and drink.

Despite recent discussion nationwide about allowing licensed students to carry concealed weapons on campus, Penn does not plan on changing its existing policy. The University is "absolutely not" looking into revisiting its policy, which prohibits faculty, staff and students from carrying weapons or firearms on campus or in any Penn building, said Vice President of Public Safety Maureen Rush.