A real life gnome! In an attempt to encourage his students to take part in the Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project’s fast today, Davenport Dean Ryan Brasseaux GRD ’08 pledged to dress up like a gnome, the college’s mascot, if 50 percent of his college donated their meal swipes to the Fast. As of press time, 49 percent of Davenport students had signed up.

Coming soon. A student was spotted chalking “Sex Week is Coming” on Old Campus and the pathway between Branford and Jonathan Edwards late Thursday night. Sex Week 2012 also launched a website on Thursday announcing that the bi-yearly event will be held Feb. 4-14

Let there be light … eventually. Six days after the snowflakes started falling, nearly 350,000 Connecticut residents are still without power. Gov. Dannel Malloy is currently petitioning the federal government for funding to ensure municipalities statewide are able to pay for the recovery.

Now on sale. The Freshman Class Council on Thursday released the design of its T-shirt for The Game. The blue shirt features luxuriant script font detailing to students how to be successful at Harvard. “Step 1: Drop Out,” the shirt reads in the style of a Facebook comment or status update — and Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Matt Damon and 69 others like it.

Sir yes sir. Vice admiral John Richardson, the commander of the entire United States submarine fleet, met with students at Warner House today to talk about the Navy and ROTC at Yale.

Dolla’ bills, y’all. A Powerball ticket worth $254 million was sold in Fairfield County on Wednesday. It is the biggest jackpot in the history of the Connecticut Lottery, and the 12th largest in Powerball history. If the winner decides to take a lump sum instead of annual payments, he or she will receive a check for $103,581,274 after taxes.

Racoons everywhere! An informant spotted two of the “MOST OBESE” raccoons outside the President’s House early Thursday morning. “One tried to climb a tree. FAIL. Too fat. Way too fat,” our source writes.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1962 Prof. Harry S.N. Greene, the Chairman of the Department of Pathology at the School of Medicine, speaks out against the supposed link between smoking and lung cancer while testifying on behalf of the Liggett & Meyers Tobacco Co. in Pittsburgh. He asserts that a connection is “not even possible” and that lung cancer’s cause is “undoubtedly something else.”