Late May might be the time for students to rest and relax at an exotic vacation spot before they start their summer jobs or internships. For the field hockey team, late May was the time to go away as well. But its trip was anything but R&R.; The Quakers traveled to Argentina to train with the country's national team and to play club teams.

Whether you own your own or are just renting one for the day, hybrid cars are all the rage this summer. Ever-rising gas prices mean that more people are choosing to rent rather than maintain vehicles of their own. To keep up with this increase in membership, car-sharing companies are looking to add extra vehicles to their systems - particularly those that are environmentally friendly.

Filming of the movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen took place on campus last weekend, drawing large crowds of passersby struck by the Hollywood scene and hoping to catch a glimpse of the film's director Michael Bay and star actor Shia LeBeouf. "This is the first big studio motion picture that's been filmed on campus proper," said University spokeswoman Phyllis Holtzman.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em, because in three months you'll be out of luck. Last Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell signed into law the Clean Indoor Air Act, which will prohibit smoking in most public places, such as restaurants, workplaces and certain parts of casino floors.

Eric Furda, Penn's incoming Dean of Admissions, recently made two senior appointments to the admissions office. Furda appointed Quenby Jackson Mott the vice dean and director of Undergraduate admissions and David Phillips the vice dean of admissions and director of information and management systems.

As go the Philadelphia suburbs, so goes Pennsylvania - or at least, that's what presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama seems to believe. With a town hall meeting held at Radnor Middle School in Wayne last Saturday, Obama signaled his dedication to winning not only the heavily-Democratic city of Philadelphia over presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, but the surrounding counties as well.

It's about that time of year when the eight public faces of the Ivy League universities - no, not their basketball or football coaches, but their presidents - get together for their annual sit-down. That means that for everyone outside those doors, it's about time to start the annual guessing game.

Contacting low-income students can help them learn of Penn's opportunities.

Former Quaker Mark DeRosa sits in second-place among second baseman in all-star balloting for the Major League Baseball All-Star Game as of Tuesday. DeRosa, whose Chicago Cubs currently are in possession of the best record in baseball, has put together one of the best seasons of his career.

Daniel Schwartz is a College sophomore from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is schwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Penn President Amy Gutmann received a 41-percent pay increase last year - a jump in compensation that makes her one of only a handful of college presidents who take in more than $1 million annually. Gutmann earned a total of $1,155,634 in the 2006-07 fiscal year, the latest year for which compensation figures are available.

It's a Monday afternoon in June, and the question at the Graduate Student Center is: "Are you ready for some football?" The answer is a resounding yes, given that here, "football" means soccer, and the match underway isn't a step towards the Super Bowl's Lombardi trophy - it's part of the quest for the title as champion of Euro Cup 2008.

Theft June 12 - A female unaffiliated with the University, 49, reported that an unknown suspect broke into her vehicle and removed a GPS device that was left in plain view in a parking lot located at 3900 Filbert St. at about 2 p.m. June 11 - A male unaffiliated with the University, 20, reported that an unknown suspect removed his temporary registration sticker from his vehicle on the 4200 block of Chestnut St.

Cornell triple-jumper Muhammad Halim won the NCAA Championships this weekend at Drake University. It is the second victory in as many years in the triple jump for a Big Red athlete, as '07 graduate Rayon Taylor won the title last year. Taylor competed as a graduate student for Florida State this year, but he lost to Halim's 54.

According to women's basketball coach Pat Knapp, the two key ingredients to having a successful season are pride in the program and a desire to win. It should be no surprise, then, that when a position opened up on his staff, he chose former Penn player and two-year American University assistant coach Amanda Kammes to fill it.

On the Philadelphia Police Department's Web site, a colored banner boasts the murder statistics for this calendar year: 145 murders in 2008 compared to 182 by the same time in 2007. Crime on Penn's campus reflected the same general trend. Violent crime decreased significantly - 41 percent - since last year, according to the Division of Public Safety.

Clark Park was one of six green spaces in Philadelphia to receive part of a $2 million grant, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced Saturday. The grant - half from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and half from the city of Philadelphia - was a result of requests from "very, very supportive neighborhood groups that are willing to make things happen," DCNR deputy press secretary Terry Brady said.