When I walked into “Gender Stitchery: Artists Sew/Knit Art,” Carleton’s new art gallery exhibit, I was expecting something a bit more conventional. After all, sewing and knitting are practices that have long been more closely tied with traditionalism than with experimentation. But the exhibits on display are avant-garde, even bizarre. There is an 11-foot-long knitted jumpsuit, made to fit an impossibly tall human being, dangling from the ceiling like a limp windsock. In another work, a print of two Victorian ladies walking has been embroidered over to replace their faces with tribal masks. Then there is the quilt-like patchwork of two squirrels with the head of boys shooting each other with orange fuzz.

Toff, Carleton's campus cat, turned ten on Monday. His birthday was celebrated by birthday cake in the dining halls and a special display in the bookstore of "Toff's List," recommended reading for anybody who is a fan of Toff. They included such titles as Life is Meals by James & Kay Salter, and Dump Him, Marry the Cat, by Andrea Donner. Postcards of him reclining next to Schiller were also available for 60 cents.

From the staff of Shout, we all wish you a happy birthday, Toff!

Carls took a much-needed break from studying Saturday night and participated in Late Night Trivia mayhem.

Michael Draper ushered in the spring by playing one last game of croquet on the ice rink.

Taking advantage of the recent couple of snowstorms, the Alpine Ski Club held a relay open to the public last week – in costume.

Over winter break, nineteen Carleton students returned to the Gulf Coast area to assist in the region's second winter since Hurricane Katrina struck. They worked for an organization called Common Ground, that helped strip houses of debris for residents who were too poor to afford it. In this interview, Lily Thiboutot '08, one of the volunteers, describes her experience.

Watch the video.

Though they may be melted now, you can relive the glory of the ice carving contest put on by the Social Programming Board by watching this video. See the competitors at work and check out the final products. Get a load of the incredibly cold temperatures, chainsaws, and Totoro.

Watch the video.

Ninth week got you down? Campus Activities's solution to late-term student stress was a relaxation event in the Great Hall last Wednesday, including aromatherapy, massage, and coloring books.

Don't miss the DVD Fest Premiere Night this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in Skinner Memorial Chapel! Dozens of student-made films produced in only four weeks will compete for top honors in the sixth annual competition.

See the DVD Fest web site for details and clips from past winners.

As part of their comps project, four Carleton computer science majors are building a 3D, interactive computer model of campus.

Yes, winter term... 'tis the season to moan and groan about comps projects. Jaime Olson '07, as a double major in cognitive science and computer science, has two comps to contend with this term! The first, his cognitive science project, involves a modified version of the Prisoner's Dilemma...

Today The Lens, Carleton’s student magazine of politics and culture will release its Winter 2007 issue, entitled “Behind Closed Doors." The issue marks the fourth installment of this student publication, which debuted last academic year.

Click for highlights of this issue. >>