Few people would guess that a Harvard professor and renowned physician would have much of a sense-of-humor - that is, until they meet Paul Farmer. From lightly asking permission from SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell and College Dean Dennis DeTurck to telling anecdotes to remarking on a patient recovering from malnutrition having to do sit-ups after gaining back a lot of weight, Farmer infused his informative lecture with humour before a packed Irvine Auditorium yesterday afternoon.

Amid multiple eruptions of applause, criminal lawyer Alan Dershowitz kept hundreds of audience members on the edge of their seats last evening during his lecture, "Global Terrorism: The New World War." Dershowitz, also a Harvard law professor, spoke last night in the Zellerbach Theater for the fourth-annual Israel Awareness event.

The University's decision to bring James Baker to speak at this year's Commencement may be raising concerns among pro-Israel and Jewish students, but experts say that Baker's political and personal viewpoints should not have kept the University from inviting him.

For elderly West Philadelphia residents, two may not necessarily be better than one. In April, Living Independently For Elders, an all-inclusive health care program owned and operated by the School of Nursing, will move from their current two centers to a single new center that's double the size.

Total crime in the Penn patrol zone was 4 percent higher in February as compared with that month last year, Division of Public Safety officials said. Fifty-seven crimes occurred in February 2007, up from 54 in 2006. The year-to-date crime total for 2007 stands at 116; in January and February of 2006, 112 crimes were committed.

If all goes as planned, today's City Council hearing may be the next step in community leaders' fight to stop the construction of Philadelphia's casinos. Councilman Frank DiCicco, whose district encompasses the locations of two casinos that are scheduled to open next year, has sponsored a bill that would place a referendum on the May 15 primary ballot asking voters to ban casinos within 1,500 feet of any home, school or house of worship.

When a university's energy efficiency is directly related to tuition increases, it's time to start paying attention to the environment. At Penn, this was one of a multitude of factors that led to the Penn Sustainability Plan, a study spearheaded by Architecture Professor Bill Braham in which every building on campus will eventually be evaluated for energy efficiency and consumption.

Once a scarcely noticed minority, more women are plowing through engineering programs - and their moves are turning heads nationwide. The number of females majoring in sciences and engineering is going up, according to statistics released last week by the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that promotes the study of science.

Commencement speakers rarely win unanimous praise, but, this year, University officials worked extra hard to please the majority of the senior class. Penn announced earlier this week that former Secretary of State and co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group James Baker will address this year's senior class at graduation on May 14.

The prospect of green energy may just be dust in the wind. Swarthmore College announced last month that it will purchase 35 percent of its energy from wind power, joining the ranks of Penn as one of the largest purchasers of wind energy in Pennsylvania. Swarthmore's move also signifies a growing trend of universities looking to boost their wind energy programs in an attempt to cut emissions from fossil fuels.

Students punching teachers in the face, setting lockers on fire, trespassing - turmoil has reached a boiling point at West Philadelphia High School. West Philadelphia High, which had been experiencing major discipline problems over the past month, saw former Principal Clifton James fired by the Philadelphia School District last week, but the move has only prompted more violence on several of the school's teachers and students.

Wharton professor Kenneth Shropshire was just a teenaged boy selling hot dogs in a park in California when he first saw Sugar Ray Robinson. Though at the time he wasn't familiar with Robinson's achievements, almost 38 years later, Shropshire has come to believe that Robinson is one of the greatest boxers of all time, and he recently wrote a book describing the life of this extraordinary athlete.

A male complainant unaffiliated with the University was robbed at gunpoint near 41st and Chestnut streets Friday, Philadelphia and Penn Police officials said. The complainant, 28, reported that, as he waited for his car to dry at the High Tech Car Wash at 4131 Chestnut St.

Some students are singing his praises, some have no idea who he is and others are "appalled" by the University's decision to bring in James Baker to speak at graduation. Yesterday's announcement of Baker as this year's commencement speaker has raised controversy among Jewish and pro-Israel campus groups about whether Bakeris an appropriate choice for graduation.

A message board for law students has recently been gathering attention from a variety of sources for its creators' decision to keep sexist, racist and homophobic messages posted on the Web site. And Penn Law student Anthony Ciolli, one of the directors of that Web site, AutoAdmit.

Theft Mar. 8 - A male complainant, 35 and unaffiliated with the University, reported that, upon returning to his parked vehicle at Penn Tower Parking, located at 399 S. 34th St., at about noon, the driver's side door had been pried open and the GPS system, value undetermined, had been removed.

Three-time presidential cabinet member and co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group James Baker will address Penn's 251st graduating class, University officials announced yesterday.