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Sweet, sweet love was in the air last week as many a Carl honored Saint Valentine by juggling daggers, throwing flaming torches, and chucking beer at the meek souls who slipped on the February ice.

Click here to read more and see photos of Valentine's Day festivities.

Join us for a sneak peak into the Carleton of yester-year. In our latest "Now and Then" section, we'll take a look at decades of the faces and places on our favorite campus. This week's pair of images are of Cinema and Media Studies students from 1983 and 2006.

The Minneapolis-based Tibetan performance group KIPO (pronounced kee-po) recently shared traditional song, dance, and folktales with the Carleton community. Each segment was laced with key themes such as raising crops for sustenance, preserving culture for the younger generations, and keeping hope in times of despair. Traditional costumes and props were also exhibited at the performance.

Click here to view photos from the performance event.

Dacie Moses is home to the Carleton Singing Knights and fresh baked cookies. Located near Reynolds House and Asia House, this home stands out from the bunch as being the oldest on the block. For years, Dacie Moses, a longtime Carleton staff member, opened her home (and her kitchen) to Carleton students. Upon her death, she gave her home to the College to be used as a respite for students. There are numerous activities hosted by Dacie Moses ranging from philosophical discussion nights to Sunday morning brunches. Dacie Moses House is popularly known for all the cookie baking that occurs under its roof. The kitchen is 24/7 for students to bake as many cookies as they please. The only requirement is that you leave the extra cookies for the next visitors!

Click here for photos of Dacie Moses House.

The kantele hath come to Carleton.

Hoorah!

But what ever is a kantele, you might say! Why, it looks like harp, distressed and fallen on its side, you may jest!

In truth, it’s a traditional Finnish musical instrument, related to the zither.

Callooh Callay!

Click here to view photos read more about the kantele performance.

Last Saturday the Chapel lawn was transformed into a sculpture garden. Its eclectic pieces ranged from gargantuan silverware, to the Eiffel Tower, and even a DNA model (specifically, a model of the gene DAX 1, which suppresses male development and allows a fetus to develop as a female — see the delightful sculpture above?).

Click here to view more photos from the event and find out which team won.

Despite their laborious efforts in stringing Christmas lights and iridescent balloons, the Campus Activities Office hit a pretty drab note with this year’s Midwinter Ball theme: “Carleton Through the Ages.” The hall leading from Sayles to the Great Hall was plastered with excerpts from student handbooks of years gone by. That’s right, not streamers or crepe paper, but handbooks were used for decorations. A few of my favorites:

You should plan to spend from $15 to $45 per term on books, depending on which courses you’re taking. 1964-65

Freshmen are expected to keep off the grass. 1936

Luckily, the inclusion of the Pink Party Raffle at this year’s dance put a rosy spin (with plenty of pink stars and balloons) on an annual event. In the week prior to the ball, 40 dashing Carleton men volunteered themselves as raffle-dates for the upcoming performance of “The Vagina Monologues”. At a blindingly pink Sayles table, their fellow Carls could peruse each potential date’s profile (with photo, astrological sign, and fun fact), then purchase raffle tickets for $1 each. The lucky winners of the strapping lads (for a night) were announced during Midwinter Ball.

Click here to read more about the Pink Party.

Benton House is at it again. Known for bringing a daily dose of fantasy and sci-fi nerdiness onto campus, the Bentonites recently held a competitive reading of “The Eye of Argon” — possibly the worst science-fiction story ever written. But a competitive reading, you might ask. Indeed, the writing really is that bad and the goal was to read a full page out loud without cracking up.

Click here to read more about the stellar competition.

On January 28, Carleton’s Web Services Group unveiled a brand new design for the college homepage. It’s radically different from the old website, featuring new colors, rearranged buttons, and … pictures of important sites on campus with animated word balloons coming out of them. Always on the ball, the Carleton CLAP had it lampooned by the following Friday.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of mockery...er, flattery," Jaye Lawrence of Web Services Group says of the parody. "We are delighted and consider it suitable for framing."

Click here to see the parody for yourself.

To all those seniors right now who are working on their comps projects, here is an inspirational quote to help you persevere in the weeks to come:

When you look forwards, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all."

-Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"

(This piece was originally printed in the CLAP)

5. How do the goals of the Career Center relate to Carleton as a whole?

I think of the word, “engagement.” I’ve had conversations with not enough, but a number of recent graduates. What I’ve gleaned from what they’ve shared with me is that after Carleton, not for everybody, but maybe too many, they feel like they’re waiting in line for a chance to engage at the same level they engaged here. That makes me think of all the opportunities that are possible, and maybe all the opportunities that we’ve lost along the way. What I hope to help with is to create more possibilities so that there are just different ways to engage, and that people won’t be waiting in line for it.

Click here to read more of the interview with new Career Center director Richard Berman.

Spirit House is Carleton's gender-neutral Cheer Boys. You can catch them cheering and riling up the Carleton crowds at Knights' games year-round. This year the Cheer Boys were given their own interest house as means of fostering a residential community rife with school spirit and high energy. Spirit House serves as a sub-free community in which residents can meet up before sporting events, change into their blue and maize garb, and get pumped up for Knights games.

"We're here to spread spirit to the whole campus!" said Cheer Boy David Cole '10. He and his cohorts have big plans for the Cheer Boys this year, so keep an eye out for our armored mascot and a crew of rowdy Carls.

Click here to enjoy a Cheer Boy mini-documentary created by William O'Brien '10.