Jenny Zhan

Penn's eastward expansion over the blighted postal lands has been greeted with mostly nods and applause. But what if the renewal project built casino resorts instead of nanotechnology centers or dorms? Whether you like it or not, two casinos are going to break grounds along the Delaware River waterfront in a few weeks.

Here in Philly, VIP treatment isn't just limited to the hottest nightclubs in town. At the highly anticipated Republican Senator John McCain /Utah Governor Jon Huntsman event last Monday, while hundreds of students patiently waited outside Zellerbach Theater, my Huntsman colleagues and I effortlessly skipped the queues despite our late arrival.

By now, students have probably heard of the infamous Jena Six case that triggered national outrage. While the gross injustice in this display of modern-day Jim Crow certainly should be redressed, I'd like to shift the attention to the less-obvious ethnic tensions that silently permeate our campus.

It's not easy being green. But in this day and age, what with Al Gore winning a Nobel Peace Prize for his inconvenient truth about global climate change and Brad Pitt zooming around Hollywood in his hybrid car, you almost feel pressured to turn off the tap water while brushing your teeth to save that extra three kilograms of CO2 per year.

The time was Oct. 20, 2007 and the place was College Green. Attendees of the campus-wide fiesta queued up for some promising opening remarks from President Amy Gutmann, an array of scrumptious food, gratis booze and ear-splitting hip-hop beats. Just like that, Penn's much-anticipated capital campaign was officially set into motion.

When taking a brisk stroll down Locust Walk, you can't miss being inundated with flyers advertising "The Real World: Wall Street" or "Finance 101 Information Session" - Penn students troubled by such mind-boggling questions as "what private equity really is" can often find their peace of mind at these Huntsman Hall specialties.

With the '08 Election fast approaching, presidential hopefuls are busy rolling out their grand plans for our country. John Edwards recently turned his attention to American public schools and the educational disparities that still exist today. "No longer legally separated by race, our children are sorted by economics, often with a racial or ethnic dimension," Edwards said.

Sure, the Quakers may no longer bask in the past glory of winning Ivy League football championships, but it's never difficult to uphold our "Social Ivy" title. All that entails is copious amounts of alcohol. Disclaimer: I am neither condemning nor condoning the use of alcoholic beverages, especially among the underaged.

On Wednesday, July 11, 2007, thousands across the United Kingdom celebrated a very special occasion in a rather unconventional way. They dozed off at work for 20 minutes right underneath their bosses' scrutinizing eyes. Yes, it was National Siesta Day. Talk about getting creative with holidays in Europe.

Parents: Beware. Another tuition hike strikes colleges across the nation this academic year and our beloved Penn is no exception. While many of us who disregard e-mail reminders from Penn.Pay may not be aware, Penn parents are surely not oblivious to the change - in my case, the parentals obsessive-compulsively refreshed my "Statement of Account" page, hoping the system had experienced an error.