For the last two years, Camden, N.J., has been ranked the most dangerous city in America - but not anymore. This year, Camden is ranked fifth in the annual study by the Morgan Quitno Press, while Philadelphia came in at 29th. The 78,000-person city of Brick Township, N.

West Philadelphia resident Solange Chadda wants her name on the Pennsylvania ballot for the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania - even if it means pushing back this Tuesday's election. Chadda filed a complaint in the Philadelphia District Court against Bob Casey, the Democratic candidate for Senate, and the Board of Elections on Tuesday.

For College senior Ezra Billinkoff, May 16, 2006, was a day of waiting. And waiting. And more waiting. It was the day of Pennsylvania's primary election, and during Billinkoff's 13 hours serving as an election judge, exactly seven voters came in to Steinberg-Dietrich Hall and gave him a reason to get off his chair and help them vote.

When bottles of Jose Cuervo tequila, corn husks and edible candy skulls adorned with the names of the deceased cover an altar on College Green, it must be the Day of the Dead. Dia de los Muertos, the "Day of the Dead," is typically celebrated on Nov. 2 and is an Aztec-Mexican tradition honoring relatives and mocking death itself.

Author Joyce Carol Oates says she is always thinking about writing, even when she goes running. "Running is much easier than life," she said. Oates, a National Book Award winner, gave a book reading at the Penn Bookstore yesterday evening. Oates presented her two new books, After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away and Black Girl/White Girl, to a fairly large audience made up of students, aspiring writers and admirers.

For those looking to celebrate diversity or champion a cause, Penn's calendar offers no shortage of opportunities: This week is Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, two weeks ago was Breast Cancer Awareness Week and next week marks both Unity Week and Muslim Awareness Week - and many more are coming.

Two prominent Democrats came to campus to spread their message yesterday, but a major focus of the event was why not to vote Republican.

Four of the most powerful women in Penn's administration have had to face the difficulties of being among the first minority women in their positions. Yesterday afternoon, those women spoke about their success in the professional world as part of the 20th annual celebration of the Women of Color organization at Penn.

Philadelphia is undertaking a citywide initiative to get greener - and officials are looking for college students' input. Fourteen city agencies have come together to form Green Plan Philadelphia, which aims to ensure that residents have access to open space in their neighborhoods.

Politicians, take note: Incumbents need not apply. PA Clean Sweep boldly proclaims this message on its Web site, and means it. No exceptions.

Splurging on a $26.50 cab ride to catch a plane for Thanksgiving is now a thing of the past. At least, that's the Undergraduate Assembly's plan. On the heels of its successful shuttle bus program last year - pioneered by Wharton senior Brett Thalmann, now the UA chairman - the UA is rolling out a revamped program for the holiday breaks.

Wharton's No. 1 again. But the publication that named it as such isn't too happy with Penn's business school. Last week, national magazine Business Week ranked Wharton as the top business school for undergraduates. Getting enough information to rank Wharton, however, was a bit of a struggle for the magazine.

When University President Amy Gutmann throws a party, she draws a crowd. Gutmann's house at 3812 Walnut St. was open to students last night for a Halloween party with a theme inspired by the Broadway musical "Wicked." A pavilion was set up in her backyard, and after walking through the house to reach it, students could get their picture taken with Gutmann.

The new year will bring a new version of Windows, and Penn officials promise any students with the new software continued compatibility with campus technology. Microsoft is expected to release Windows Vista, the newest Windows operating system, in January.

If you run into trouble on Election Day, Penn's school of government wants to know about it. The Fels Institute of Government is once again helping to sponsor the national voter hotline, which got about 208,000 calls during the 2004 presidential race. Anyone can call the hotline to leave a voicemail reporting a problem encountered while trying to vote.

Nili Gold's class on Hebrew literature always appealed to a niche audience. The students - typically 12 to 15 each semester - had to have determination to enroll in a course taught entirely in Hebrew. But the class fulfilled a distributional requirement, which Gold said made it easier for them to justify taking such a specialized class.

Professors will try almost anything to get you to sign up for their classes.