Dawn came at 7:12 this morning, and the sun will shine for a little over 11 hours until dusk arrives at 6:20 this evening. The precise number of daylight hours may have no bearing on the typical Penn student's sleep schedule or mealtimes. But for the University's Muslim student population during the holy month of Ramadan, the sun governs when to eat, when to sleep and when to pray.

At age 13, author Daphne Oz saw her father perform heart surgery on a patient in the hospital. As her father cut open the patient's chest and squeezed the built-up fat out of an artery, he explained to her what had led to the man's feeble condition. "He said it was a direct result of the man's unhealthy eating habits throughout his entire life," Oz said.

Dan Spitzer, a mild-mannered second-year Law student, takes time to contemplate every word before he speaks. He is soft-spoken and polite.

The rules for Friday's televised debate between Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and his challenger in November's midterm election, Bob Casey, were very clear. The two candidates, however, were bent on breaking them. Ignoring moderator Ken Rice's pleas to conform to the allocated response times, Santorum and Casey repeatedly talked over one another, pointing their fingers in each other's faces as they sparred in Pittsburgh.

The steel structure on 40th Street called "Plateau" may have garnered some vocal student criticism, but school officials promise they will ask for student perspectives the next time they embark on a public art project. "Plateau" - a 150-foot-long series of seats and tables with built-in night-time lighting - was dedicated Saturday by its New York-based artist, Andrea Blum.

It was mid-summer, the church looked gorgeous, and family and friends dotted the premises. But as Shannon Barbour stood at the altar next to her husband-to-be, she started "zoning out." While the priest spoke, Barbour turned her attention to the pretty murals adorning the church walls.

Two Penn students charged with assaulting a University senior with a beer bottle could face years in jail and hefty fines if convicted, according to state sentencing guidelines. College senior Bryce LeFort and Wharton senior Stephen Lande are facing charges of aggravated assault over an incident in which LeFort allegedly broke a glass beer bottle over the head of College senior Andrew Scharf, ripping off a portion of his ear.

Ex-Wharton professor Scott Ward still has no trial date, according to the Clerk's Office at the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. Ward, who was arrested in August for importing child pornography, has remained in custody in Virginia while awaiting a formal indictment.

With over a dozen signs hanging from trees on College Green and a six-foot cardboard ear of corn, 20/20 Vision's first event as a Penn organization was hard to miss. The College Green Energy Fair, sponsored by 20/20 Vision, was held to mark Earth Day's half-birthday, which falls on a week from today, on Friday.

Newer ways of rating professors and classes are infiltrating the Ivy League, but Penn has no plans to join the world of online academic evaluation, officials say. Brown University registered earlier this month for Pickaprof.

Iran's greatest threat to the world may be an attack straight out of a James Bond movie - electromagnetic pulses. "EMP is the threat of the future," Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said in a campus appearance yesterday. Before a crowd of roughly 20 in Huntsman Hall, Weldon presented his thoughts on the security of Israel in a talk jointly sponsored by the Penn Israel Coalition and the College Republicans.

High on stress but low on cash? No problem. Next week is Philadelphia spa week - but you'd better book your reservations this weekend. Starting Monday, spas and salons across Philadelphia are offering $50 deals for the week on everything from hour-long Swedish massages to seasonal apple-and-spice facials.

A new way to tour Philadelphia involves more than just stops at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. SoundAboutPhilly.com, a site launched last month, allows users to listen to short segments that discuss the lesser-known and more unusual aspects of the city.

The Penn football team shut out Columbia on Saturday to cruise to a 16-0 win. It was their first shutout since 2004 against Dartmouth. Penn picked up a field goal in the first quarter and a touchdown each in the second and third quarters. Four points were lost on the kicking game, however, with a missed extra point and a later missed touchdown.

A former U.S. ambassador said yesterday that Iraq's constitution is a plan for splitting the country up - and that might not be the worst thing. Speaking at a special event at the Law School yesterday, former ambassador to Croatia Peter Galbraith said the constitution was a "roadmap for partition" of the country into more autonomous regions.

Social Security debates, aging baby boomers and potential health care crises have raised the question: Can the United States afford to grow old? According to Bill Novelli, CEO of the AARP, yes, it can. "We have a great need for change and that coincides with our power to create change," he said yesterday at the Penn Bookstore in a presentation of his new book, 50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America.