Yesterday in the Arts Cafe of the Kelly Writers House, Judah Halevi's thousand-year-old poetry was brought to life through the passionate, musical voice of Ray Scheindlin. Last night, Scheindlin, a 1961 Penn alumnus, discussed and signed copies of his new book, The Song of the Distant Dove: Judah Halevi's Pilgrimage.

Midterms and papers are coming up, and students will be heading to Starbucks more than ever. But according to a new study, that extra latte may actually be beneficial to your health. According to research published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease last month, a group of Danish and Swedish researchers found mid-year consumption of coffee diminishes the risks of dementia and Alzheimer's disease later in life.

Despite the shaky economy, the University of Pennsylvania Press has had a successful year so far. While other university presses have faced declining sales in recent years, book sales are up 8 percent this year at Penn Press. In fact, says Director Eric Halpern, sales have actually increased by 20 percent over the last three years.

The White Dog Cafe has changed hands, but don't expect much else to change about the 26-year-old restaurant on Sansom Street. A contract between founder Judy Wicks and new majority owner Martin Grims will ensure the restaurant will continue its "socially-responsible business practices," Wicks said.

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Forgive Cameron Lewis. He hardly seems like the type to hold a grudge. In fact, draped in a cotton T-shirt and baggy practice shorts before an afternoon shootaround, the Quakers' six-foot-eight, 225-pound big man looks about as innocuous as anyone with the job description "lane-clogger" possibly can.

Few movements have seen more recent success than our country's march toward greater diversity representation. The past two decades have borne witness to a flood of historic "firsts," culminating in last month's inauguration of President Barack Obama. These landmark achievements have boosted the diversity crusade to new heights, with no sign of stopping soon.

Everyone knew Cornell was the favorite to win the Ivy League title this year. But who knew they could be this good? At least that's the question after this past weekend, when Cornell (14-6, 4-0 Ivy) followed up its sweep of Columbia by smoking Brown and then Yale at home by a combined margin of 60 points.

According to Khaled Toameh, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been "going in the wrong direction ever since the peace process started." Toameh, an award-winning Israeli-Arab journalist, spoke on Monday in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags about the situation in the Middle East.

Photographer Alvin Loke's observations on the homeless in Philadelphia. Read the related article here. Related StoriesPerspective | Structuring the problem: from streets to shelters - News

Compared with freshmen in the United States as a whole, Penn's class of 2012 is more ethnically and geographically diverse, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions' Web site. The Chronicle of Higher Education's recent poll, which surveyed first-year full-time students at four-year universities, depicted predominantly white, middle-class freshmen studying within roughly 100 miles of their hometowns.

The seniors have found a way to make the most out of the shortest month of the year: Feb Club. The month-long celebration is a seniors-only series of social activities, which occur at least daily - and sometimes twice-daily - throughout February. Events take place everywhere from bars to sporting arenas to campus productions like the Mask and Wig show.

John Lennon sang "Imagine" with the hopes of delivering a positive message of peace throughout the world. And in his new book, Defending Identity, Natan Sharansky seeks to deliver that same message - but instead by emphasizing the indispensable role of identity in protecting democracy.

Since 2006, Wharton vice president of corporate diversity Mori Taheripour has encouraged women and minorities to apply for an Executive MBA in an effort to increase diversity in the program. In the last two years - since Taheripour began her effort - the enrollment of women in Wharton's EMBA program has increased to 25 percent, an increase of more than 10 percent, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In Philadelphia, poverty often means death. At last count, more than 90 homeless men and women - a group that represents some of Philadelphia's most marginalized citizens - died on the streets in 2008. They died of exposure. disease and a lack of both service and support.

We look forward to several traditions when February rolls around: the symmetrical nature of the month's four weeks*, the repeated airing of Groundhog Day, the repeated airing of Groundhog Day and for seniors, the start of Feb Club, a chance to socialize with the people whose phone numbers you have from NSO, but whom you never got around to calling (Sylvia, we sat on the bus together to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

This year, the Interfraternity Council's new-member education program will feature a workshop hosted by the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center as part of a larger program to incorporate more sensitivity training into fraternity life. Each fraternity chapter must send new members to one of four workshops, which include sessions with One in Four, an all-male group dedicated to combating sexual violence, asession with the Drug and Alcohol Resource Team or a seminar on race and culture hosted by Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Scott Reikofski.