News Archives

The Tempest

Shakespeare in Clark Park returns for an eighth summer with “The Tempest.” Believed to be the last play that William Shakespeare wrote by himself, at its heart, it is the story of a father’s undying love for his daughter. Prospero, a powerful magician, and his daughter, Miranda, are stranded on an island with only the supernatural beings Ariel—Prospero’s spirit servant—and Caliban—his villainous slave—for company, until a powerful storm washes a shipwrecked crew onto the island’s shores.

Natural Beauty

College admissions 101 for Penn families

Dear Benny, I remember hearing somewhere that employees of Penn can get advice for their college-bound high school-age children from the University’s undergraduate admissions office. Is this true? And if so, is this program still around?—Concerned about college Dear College,Yes, you and your college-bound child are in luck: Penn Admissions is offering a college search seminar for Penn faculty and staff and their families on Monday, June 17. There will be a supplemental program in August.

Here comes the bride

On Saturday, June 22, International House Philadelphia and Exhumed Films present an exclusive 35mm screening of “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.” This unique print combines “Kill Bill: Volume 1” and “Kill Bill: Volume 2” with new footage, and is on loan from director Quentin Tarantino himself. Academy Award-nominated actress Uma Thurman stars as bride Beatrix Kiddo. The three-hour-and-35-minute film screens at 1 p.m. in International House, 3701 Chestnut St., Ibrahim Theater.

Penn economist pens report on Philly’s 10-year tax abatement

The City of Philadelphia’s 10-year tax abatement program—among the most generous of its kind in the country—has been highly praised by proponents for creating the building boom in Center City over the last decade. At the same time, the abatement is vilified by its critics who call it a tax giveaway to developers and wealthy condo owners who don’t do enough to promote the development of affordable housing in low-income neighborhoods. 

French wine born in ancient Italy

Though France has long been hailed as one of the world’s leading fine wine producers, the iconic grape beverage originated elsewhere. Archaeologists believe the first vintners worked 9,000 years ago, in present-day Turkey or the Zagros Mountains of Iran. The major French contributions to viniculture, as epitomized by the 12th century Cistercian monks, who literally tasted the soil of Burgundy and determined where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grow best, comes much later.

Nursing study finds that breakfast, indeed, is the most important meal

There’s an old saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Parents routinely implore their children to eat something in the morning so that they are energized, focused, and alert for school. Increasing evidence suggests that breakfast does have many health benefits for growing children, including an improved overall dietary quality, and better concentration, attention, and memory.

Student Spotlight with Robert Hsu

Making new cartilage from stem cells

Cartilage injuries have ended many athletes’ careers—including that of former two-sport star Bo Jackson—and the general wear-and-tear of the joint-cushioning tissue is something that almost everyone will endure as they age. Unfortunately, repairing cartilage remains difficult: Without blood flowing through it, cartilage has a hard time healing on its own and no chance of regenerating once it's gone.

Penn Research Identifies Bone Tumor in 120,000-Year-Old Neandertal Rib

The first-known definitive case of a benign bone tumor has been discovered in the rib of a young Neandertal who lived about 120,000 years ago in what is now present-day Croatia. The bone fragment, which comes from the famous archaeological cave site of Krapina, contains by far the earliest bone tumor ever identified in the archaeological record.