In case you weren’t reading The New York Times yesterday, Penn got a prominent shout out. A Wharton study on business trends? A new medical breakthrough? An investigation into increased on-campus exposure?

No, it was all about Kelly Writers House.

At an elite university filled with undergraduates preparing for professional and graduate schools — and on a campus in which the Wharton School can literally cast the largest shadow — the Writers House is an oasis for the arts set, for the unconventional, even the countercultural.

I thought it was a touching and meaningful story about a close-knit community on campus. Here’s that positive press we’ve been looking for.

“Ahhh!” screamed my friend as she glanced out the window of Leidy Labs.

“What,” I asked, “A security guard flashing someone?”

“No,” said the Californian, “it’s snowing!”

Yes, we got our first real snowfall today. It makes me so happy, I just wanted to share this cute, winter-y photo with you all.

But still no place to sled … Come on, Penn! You really need to get on that.

Word of the world-famous AIDS quilt quickly spread across campus in the last week. Probably because it is on campus.

Ten sections of the AIDS quilts are scattered throughout Penn, and this Saturday I joined in on a tour and vigil commemorating those afflicted with the disease. Sponsored by Penn AIDS Awareness and the LGBT Center, the hour long tour was informative and moving. Seeing the names inscribed on the quilt with such love and care really brought a human dimension to a disease so often referred to only in statistics and far away places.

If you haven’t had a chance to see any of the quilt yet, Penn AIDS Awareness will be bringing the ten pieces of the quilt together tomorrow, December 4th, at 5pm in the Hall of Flags. If this ceremony can move people like the one on Saturday, then I highly recommend attending.

Dear Penn Community,

As your Supreme Commander and new member of mayor-elect Michael Nutter’s transition team, I wanted to explain how Penn will contribute to this new administration. This list is not exhaustive. But it should give you a feel about who will be representing Penn in Nutter’s administration in the coming years.

Chairman of the ‘Philicon’ Valley Commission — Ryan Goldstein

Don’t think Philadelphia’s got the goods to be the next high-tech hot spot? Then you haven’t met Ryan Goldstein! Only a junior at Penn and already forging global computing cooperation, reaching out to the internet’s best and brightest, and still passing “Ethics and Social Responsibility for Engineers.” He will make AKILL-er appointment.

Deputy Mayor of “Safety” Initiatives — Rafael Robb

If I could describe this former economics professor in one word, it would be “honest“. With “hardly” a blemish to his name, he’s got the best plan to lead this city to “security.” Toe the line “Killadelphia,” or you might get Robb-ed!

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Finally, Penn provided answers to the question that has plagued campus this semester. Who is that kid, and why is his picture hanging above Fisher-Bennett?

According to today’s DP article, conceptual artist Braco Dimitrijevic’s “Casual Passer-By” Series attempts to exploit the “fickleness of celebrity” and pose questions about today’s society. Subject and College Sophomore Michael Howard apparently gets questions all the time about why his picture resides in such a prominent spot.

But Maureen Rush and her friends at DPS should probably take a cue from Dimitrijevic.

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It’s been a while since the UA’s first YouTube debut, when the all-powerful ninja, Jason Karsh, took center stage. Yesterday, the UA was so kind as to send a link to the newest video to each class listserv. This time Karsh (who makes sure to remind all viewers that he dressed up as a ninja) and several other UA members share the spotlight. Pay close attention now, and be sure to note the talking bus.

Forget rape, crime, and Lee Stetson, it’s time to ’superman that ho’ on YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTube.

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Remember the good ol’ days of middle school? I fondly recall spending all of lunch period telling Susie how much I hated Ms. Igivesomuchhomework or how totally awesome the next school dance was going to be. Then I’d rush home and get on AIM so I could tell Susie just how much more I actually hated Ms. Igivesomuchhomework now that I was home.

Of course, I wouldn’t just have one conversation at a time. To quote my fellow blogger, any number of AIM windows less than 5 could be considered “weaksauce.”

Thus, nostalgia swept over me as I read this article about the good old days…

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In this crazy blogosphere, we measure lives by hits and misses, page counts and views, links and Google ranks. So it’s no surprise that outright ridiculous ideas and posts can gain quite a bit of traction.

Take, for example, global warming. If one is skeptical of global warming, then the blogosphere will readily fuel that skepticism — regardless of the merits behind the post.

To his credit, a true satirical master, “Dr. Mark Cox,” “published” a scientific paper on his website (only the Google cache remains). The paper claimed,

We have no choice but to conclude that the recent increase in global temperatures, which has caused so much disquiet among policy makers, bears no relation to industrial emissions, but is in fact a natural phenomenon.

Despite the pseudoscience, pseudonyms, and a pseudo-editorial board, bloggers (and even our good friend Rush Limbaugh) snapped up the story.

Dr. Cox did more that debunk global warming.

He debunked the credibility of so many “citizen journalists” who seek information on their own terms, not relative to what is true. This should definitely serve as a wake-up call to bloggers across the political spectrum. We may be not be constrained by standard journalistic practices, but we can still look quite foolish.

Don’t know who to vote for in upcoming presidential primaries? Feeling lost and confused by the vast array of information? Perhaps a brain-scan could help.

Penn’s (or should I say Annenberg’s?) very own Kathleen Hall Jameson was one of several authors of yesterday’s New York Times editorial enticingly titled, This Is Your Brain on Politics. Basically, the team of researchers took brain scans of several independent voters as they saw images of presidential candidates or watched stump speeches.

Jameson threw voters’ deepest, darkest feelings about each candidate into the limelight.

Funny picture of Hillary after the jump!

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All this talk about eastward expansion makes me tired. Really tired.

I may be a member of the Penn Running Club, but that walk all the way from the postal lands to the high-rises will induce heavy eyelids. Chemistry is boring enough; I don’t need any extra incentive to take a nap during the day.

But unless any students plan to live in the Hill-Field-soon-to-be-a-dorm, the soft, fluffy pillows that console so many heavy heads will lie a good 15 minutes away from the new classrooms and labs. This is completely unacceptable.

Penn needs to build a nap room.

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