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.

Former Marketing professor Scott Ward was fired from Penn immediately following his arrest for importing child pornography in August - but if he had been teaching at another university, he might still be on the faculty. Penn made the decision to terminate Ward's employment immediately after his most recent arrest.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said that a bill passed by Congress denies terror detainees their rights in an appearance on campus yesterday. The act, backed by President Bush, goes too far in depriving detainees habeas corpus, which is enshrined in 800 years of legal history, he said.