Break out the beads. It doesn’t quite look like the French Quarter up here, what with all the snow on the ground, but today is Mardi Gras. Still, the dining halls don’t seem to have gotten the hint, so head up Whalley Avenue for Popeye’s to get your Cajun culture fix today.

Do it for the tenders. Assuming you don’t get tired of it after going to Popeye’s, more fried chicken is on the line in this year’s Final Cut competition. Announced in an email from Yale Dining yesterday, next Tuesday’s event will pit student cooks against each other in a battle of beans and broccoleaf. The residential college with the most attendees will win itself a chicken tender dinner.

Let’s be real. But as much as everyone loves chicken tenders, pizza will always reign supreme in New Haven. A feature in Connecticut Magazine’s next issue breaks down the state’s best spots, naming all the usual suspects — Pepe’s, Sally’s, etc. — among a few dark horses like Tarry Lodge and Nica’s Market.

Give us a Chance. Despite stringing us along by withholding the names of this year’s Spring Fling performers, the YCC did announce a new event by campus-wide email last night. “A Night at the Planetarium,” a semi-formal event at the Leitner Family Observatory & Planetarium is set for Friday night. This sounds interesting — you’ve bought yourself a little time to drop the headliner, YCC.

He’s back. Headlining the YPU’s event today is former Mayor John DeStefano Jr., who will be reflecting on his term in office and the role of broken-windows policing in crime reduction efforts.

Familiar face. The trip to Princeton trip last weekend was a kind-of homecoming for hoops star Justin Sears ’16, so myCentralJersey.com took the chance to profile the forward yesterday, noting how far he has come since his days at Plainfield High School.

Dynamic duo. Two of Yale’s heavyweight professors — Akhil Ahmar ’80 LAW ’84 and Bob Woodward ’65 — collaborated in a crowd-pleasing PLSC 233 lecture on Monday.     

Good luck. Yesterday, Mohegan Sun reported that its monthly revenue from slot machines was up last month, bringing in $44 million. Before you head out there for the senior trip, 2015, remember: The casino always wins.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY 1983 Plans for a $4 million office building in Science Park are announced, generating momentum for the University’s high-tech real estate project.

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