text: Not your average Commons lunch. Yale’s Athletics Department held a small festival in Commons yesterday afternoon to kick off the winter sports season. Students enjoyed popcorn, cotton candy, giant inflatables and music provided by student-run One Step Ahead Entertainment. “It was good to be able to promote Yale athletics, but it was kind of strange to be DJing for people who were sitting down eating lunch instead of dancing,” noted DJ Avinash Gandhi ’10.
  The election may be over, but debates go on forever. Yesterday, the Conservative Party debated the topic, “Resolved: The people know what is best,” while the Party of the Right discussed whether history is myth. The Independent Party, however, took a break from debates this week to organize its biannual New York trip.
  While Yale and Peru dispute over Incan artifacts, a Peruvian hopes to be among the new residents of the White House. The Friends of the Peruvian Hairless Dog Association sent a letter to the U.S. Embassy in Peru, suggesting that the Obama family adopt a four-month-old Peruvian puppy. The association claims the hairless and hypoallergic dog makes a perfect candidate for White House pet, as it would not trigger Malia Obama’s allergies.
  No more lock-ins on Old Campus. The new gate at the Elm Street side of Old Campus lets student swipe in at all hours, as opposed to the old one that stayed locked at night.
  After Saybrugians, it is now Branfordians’ turn to see “Harry Potter” naked. Last night’s lottery at the Branford dining hall selected the winners of tickets to the Broadway production of Equus, starring Daniel Radcliffe in the role of Alan Strang.
  Food from the Earth last night organized a screening of “King Corn,” a documentary about Ian Cheney ’02 and Curt Ellis ’02 and the subsidized crop that sustains America as a fast-food nation. The documentary screening was perfectly complemented by fresh apple crisp.
  Seniors practice sophistication. Last night’s Senior Masquerade Ball featured three dance floors, five bars and free drinks at Alchemy Nightclub. To be admitted, seniors had to sport semiformal attire and bring their own masks.
  This day in Yale history
  1961 The Russian Club sponsored a debate hosted by six panel members to address “How to Stop the Advances in World Communism.” In the midst of the Cold War, Alexander Garvin noted, “Our problems cannot be solved only militarily any longer because of the vast destructive powers of modern weapons.”
  Submit ideas to Cross Campus