So flirty

The “Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg” collection, currently on display at NYU’s Grey Art Gallery, is, to say enough, engaging. There’s certainly something subtly exciting about seeing a young William S. Burroughs with a young Jack Kerouac, but it suggests that excitement is better attributed to the subjects’ proto-celebrity rather than quality of the picture itself. On the other hand, Ginsberg (CC’48) admitted that he never intended the photos to be displayed publicly, thus it would make sense why most of the photos are a bit amateurish. Nevertheless, no one wants to see a bunch of average photos, no matter who takes them.

So why go? The most fascinating aspect of the exhibit lies in the exhibit’s texts, as opposed to its visuals. Beat artifacts are displayed in glass cases throughout the gallery space, and contain a myriad of collectors’ dream pieces: mint condition first editions of Junkie, On the Road, and Howl; letters to editors; letters from editors; notes postmarked from Europe. It is – with some irony – within these items and Ginsberg’s poetic photo captions that the viewer gets a truly personal picture of the Beat Generation.

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Congratulations!

Robert Lefkowitz, CC’62 and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons ’66, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry yesterday with Brian K. Kobilka for their hard work studying G-protein coupled receptors.

According to the Associated Press, “about half of all medications act on these receptors, including beta blockers and antihistamines, so learning about them will help scientists to come up with better drugs. The human body has about 1,000 kinds of such receptors, structures on the surface of cells, which let the body respond to a wide variety of chemical signals, like adrenaline. Some receptors are in the nose, tongue and eyes, and let us sense smells, tastes and light.”

Lefkowitz’s reaction to the news was excitement, surprise, and dismay at having to postpone a scheduled haircut. (CNN)

Our newest Nobel Laureate via Wikimedia Commons

While we’ve come to realize that Columbians may not be the most athletically inclined people, no one can deny that the Olympics are something that the whole world can come together for (mainly because they’re on TV).  This year, at least 10 former and current Columbia students and coaches will be competing.  Check out who’ll be nimble/quick, and when it will air*, so you can finally have that light-blue themed tailgate and BBQ you’ve always dreamed of. On your couch.

Women’s Fencing: Nzingha Prescod, CC ’15, and Nicole Ross, CC ’12, will be fencing in team and individual foil.
Individual: Saturday, July 28; airing 9-9:30am, 4:30-5pm (finals)
Team: Thursday, August 2

Lightweight Rowing: Nick LaCava, CC ’09, will be rowing in the lightweight men’s four without coxswain (we have no idea either). He’s also a chocolate entrepreneur.
Heats: Saturday, July 28; airing 2:30-3pm
Finals: Sunday, July 29; airing Thursday, August 2, 2:20-3pm

Men’s Fencing: James Williams, CC ’07, and Jeff Spear, CC ’10, will be fencing in team and individual sabre.
Individual Sabre: Sunday, July 29
Team Sabre: Friday, August 3
Sherif Farrag, CC’09, will be fencing foil for Egypt.
Individual Foil: Tuesday, July 31
Team Foil: Sunday, August 5

Field Hockey: Caroline Nichols, Columbia field hockey assistant coach, will be competing as a defender on the field hockey team.
USA v. Germany: Sunday, July 29; airing 4:15-6pm (live)
USA v. Argentina: Tuesday, July 31; airing 2-3:30pm (live) - Update: US won 1-0!
USA v. Australia: Thursday, August 2; airing 5:45-7:15am (live)
USA v. New Zealand: Saturday, August 4; airing 2-3:30pm (live)
USA v. South Africa: Monday, August 6; airing 5:45-7:15am (live)
Semifinal: Wednesday, August 8; airing 2:15-3pm
Bronze-medal Match: Friday, August 10; airing 2-3:30pm

Women’s Marathon: Lisa Stublic, CC ’06, will be running for Croatia.
Marathon: Sunday, August 5; airing 6-9am (live)

Men’s 400 Meters: Erison Hurtault, CC ’07, will be running for Dominica.
Round 1: Saturday, August 4; airing 11:15-11:45am
Semifinals: Sunday, August 5
Finals: Monday, August 6; airing 8pm-midnight

Men’s Modern Pentathlon: Michael Aufrichtig, Columbia head fencing coach, will be coaching the fencing portion of the pentathlon (horseback riding, fencing, swimming, rifle, and running).
Pentathlon: Saturday, August 11

P.S. Columbia Athletics is doing a cute feature on the Olympics.  Enjoy!

Good luck to all, continue to make our community proud!

*all times based on NBC New York

Glorious rings via Wikimedia Commons

James Williams

As you may have heard, the Columbia fencing team is pretty freaking baller.  This summer, four of our own fencers will be going to London to compete in the 2012 Olympics. James Williams, CC ’07, was an alternate in Beijing in 2008, where he was called in to help the US win silver.  He is part of the US team this year. Jeff Spear, CC ’10, will be an alternate. Bwog giddily talked to these two sabre fencers about their journey, America, and James Bond.

Bwog: How long have you been fencing? When did the dream of going to the Olympics start to become a realistic possibility?
James: 17 years!  My junior year (2005) at Columbia, I made it onto the U.S. National team and realized that if I could do that again in 3 years time, I could go to the Olympics.
Jeff: I have been fencing for 11 years.  The best answer to when the dream became a realistic possibility is probably when I decided to ‘go for it’ in 2008.  At the time the goal was still unreachable—I had recently dropped off the national senior rankings—but it really was a conscious decision to try to go that made all the difference in the world.

B: James, how does it feel to be the “first Ivy League male to win an Olympics fencing medal in 60 years and the first to finish as high as second since 1904″?
JW: It feels fine. If you use that many qualifiers, you can be first or second in almost anything!

B: Has being involved in the Olympics made you more patriotic?
JW: Yes! Wow. It made me really proud to be an American.
JS: Yes and no. I am very proud to represent my country, but I think an even more important lesson I have learned is how similar people are all across the world. Every tournament there are 200 of us from 30 countries united by a common dream. I spend weeks at training camps with people from different teams, and we tell stories, share experiences, and talk about life.  The Olympics unites countries but I think, even more importantly, it unites the world.

B: Do people make a lot of obnoxious pirate jokes re: swords? Is that annoying?
JW:  Much more so before I made it to the Beijing Games. I mostly hear fencing related puns now. The humor has been exhausted, but I admit that were it someone else, I would be making the jokes, so I take it in stride.
JS: Mostly people make comments about my name, which I guess is tangentially related to fencing.

Emotional Olympics commercials, I Love You Man, and LitHum analyses after the jump

Zero Fucks Given

Bloomberg Businessweek profiles PrezBo in a new light. (Bloomberg)

A blind Chinese blind rights activist escapes “extralegal” house arrest in his rural village; American embassy may or may not be harboring him. (NYT)

Ronald Breslow, author of space dinosaurs, is  being accused of self-plagiarism; he denies everything. (Nature)

Some rich alumnus who credits Columbia with his transformation from poor Bronx kid to Wall Street elite donates $25 million for the B-School’s Manhattanville Expansion. (CBS Newsroom)

Not Hawkma via Wikimedia Commons

Eli

Eli Sanders, CC ’99, just won a Pulitzer for his harrowing feature, “The Bravest Woman in Seattle,” in the Seattle weekly, The Stranger. Bwog called him to figure out how journalism works.

Bwog: So what was your major?

Eli: Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures, I don’t know if they have that anymore. MEALAC?

Bwog: Yeah, they changed it to MESAAS just a little bit ago. What did you think of the Core?

Eli: I really liked it, I enjoyed it. I went to public schools in Seattle, and a lot of other students from prep schools and private schools had read these books. I hadn’t, so I really appreciated it.

Bwog: And has it been useful?

Eli: I appreciate it even more now. A lot of what you’re reading is really great stories, and if your job is to write good stories, at least, it’s really helpful. Spec, Jew-fros, and advice, after the jump

Endeavour's launch today

Space. The final frontier. That’s true today more than ever, as the space shuttle Endeavour soars into the heavens for the final time (after multiple expensive delays)! Now that Endeavour has launched, after a final flight from the Space Shuttle Atlantis next month, manned space flight in the United States will be grounded for quite some time, with NASA focusing its limited budget on unmanned missions. Partially as a result of the 2003 explosion of Space Shuttle Columbia, NASA moved to quickly end the Space Shuttle program. They planned to develop a successor, but Obama nixed that plan in favor of giving almost $270 million to private companies to build new spacecraft. Obama would like to see humans on Mars by 2030, but the government has no concrete plan to make this happen.

Most Americans will take some solace in the fact that the commander of this final launch is Mike Kelly, husband to Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman attacked by a gunman earlier this year. Columbians have another reason to feel proud—the pilot on this final spaceflight is none other than Columbia alum Greg Johnson, MS ’85, whom the Blue and White interviewed last year. We also have the advantage of living in New York and partying on the Intrepid, which will soon be home to Enterprise. And of course, Columbia contains the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and we can keep debating what they should be doing—without worrying about what’s actually possible in (or just above) the real world.

It may be a long time before we boldly go where no one has gone before, or even just where no one has gone since 1972. But one thing’s for sure: whenever the US restarts its manned spaceflight program, Columbia will play an integral role. Live long and prosper.

Update: A Bwogger happened to be on the scene and set us this home video of the launch. Cool stuff:

Photo via NASA

He’s an important guy. Here are some things you should know about him: he founded the New York Post; he went to college here, but did not graduate; he is Michael Cera. If you want to learn even more, a biopic on Alexander Hamilton airs tonight at 10 pm on Channel 13. According to the blurb, the documentary is about “money, rights, news, battle, sex and honor,” so basically all the things Bwog stands for. Therefore, if you’re reading this post, you should watch this program:

Watch the full episode. See more Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton.

Nhon Ma CC ’04 has a startup, Tenka! Basically, it’s an app (that’s not really an app) for your phone which lets you get free stuff and sweet deals. Tenka and Korilla—also alumna-owned—have teamed up to give us three free tacos! This deal (steal?) lasts ten days, and is limited. Just as on previous days, Korilla is here now! So shun Ferris Booth for a day, and eat for free!

Image via Tenka

Last week, we saved potentially spilled salsa with the guys from Salsabol, and sang soulfully with Tara Priya. This week, Colin Drummond, CC’09, buys a house…on TV. We’ll be posting a few stories about enterprising alums this week and next. If you know an alum doing something worth writing about, tell us at tips@bwog.com.

Colin Drummond, CC’09, was once known around Columbia for his position as V-Show’s Cupcake Czar and membership in the EC “Mansuite.” Now, you can see this former B&W Campus Character on your TV Screen! Colin Drummond has hit it big: he landed a role in an adorable Lowe’s commercial.

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Enjoy salsa responsibly!

After college, we all want to change the world, in some small way. Has your life ever been ruined by spilled salsa? Yeah, ours too. Luckily, CC ‘09ers Michael Charley and Tom Stewart have come to the rescue with the Salsabol. A bowl with an elongated lip to push salsa back onto a chip as you scoop upwards, the Salsabol promises the perfect proportion of dip to chip every time, without breakage or spillage. The men behind the madness sat down with Bwog to discuss the trials and triumphs of leading a Rebolution.

Bwog: So, Bwog is walking down the street, minding its own business, when you guys jump out at it, with Salsabol in hand. Can you sell Bwog a Salsabol in thirty seconds?

Michael Charley: The first thing is that you’re gonna need a new shirt, because it’s covered in red splotches and stains from the salsa that spilled on it. The next question is, how have you been living your life without one? And finally, you really can’t afford not to have one, because when everybody else has one, you’re going to be the laughingstock of the party.

Bwog: I’m sold. Tell me about the design and production process. How does something like this go from an idea to a mass-produced product from a factory?

MC: We had to do that with quite a bit of trial and error. They don’t really teach you about overseas manufacturing in Columbia.

Tom Stewart: It started last summer. I had had the idea of the Salsabol a couple of years ago, and it continued as a running joke. I offered it to Michael, and he was excited. Some guys from my architecture internship were teaching me some of the software I used to make the first 3D model of it. Then, Michael started getting involved in understanding how we might go about getting a producer, samples, testing.

Bwog: How does one do that?

MC: So, China’s an interesting place. You show up, and you realize that no one speaks the language you’re trying to speak, and the people who think that they speak the language you speak, don’t at all. You’ll ask for a bowl, and they’re gonna try to sell you dog food or something. But in about six months of sampling and production we finally got a first shipment.

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Photo via Tara Priya's Facebook

For those seeking a soulful September jam, Columbia’s latest singing sensation, Tara Priya, CC ’08, offers a nostalgic escape from the autotune avalanche. Her sound is a throwback to the likes of Billie Holiday and Etta James, but never anachronistic. With influences ranging from Tupac to opera, Tara has developed a powerful voice of her own. We’ll be posting a few stories about enterprising alums this week and next. If you know an alum doing something worth writing about, tell us at tips@bwog.com. Carolyn Ruvkun writes.

“I struggle a lot with the genre question,” Priya said, “it’s tough to characterize my style, because I don’t fit into the musical categories of my influences. My contemporary inspirations are retrosoul artists—Amy Winehouse [though Bwog hopes Tara doesn’t share all of Amy’s influences …], Duffy, Nicole Willis—as well as bluesy pop artists, like Gavin Degraw, John Legend, and Adele. I grew up listening to Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Etta James, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding—so folk, pop, jazz, blues, funk.”

Priya is remarkably thoughtful about each of her musical inspirations, acknowledging that some influences aren’t necessarily heard directly in her music. “ I often wish I could write songs that adhered to the styles of any of these artists, but instead, I borrowed certain aspects of each. Dylan made me value lyrics, The Beatles made me value a clean and simple song structure, jazz teaches you melodic richness and diversity, the blues teach you the importance of emotion, and funk taught me to have fun with/in a song. I grew up listening to lots of rap, thanks to my older brother, and I always want to sing slightly percussively.” She lands on the genre of “lyrical retropop” but claims the classification still “may be incorrect.” (more…)

Columbians snagged some Oscars last night! Adjunct film professor Geoffrey Fletcher won Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on “Precious,” and Kathryn Bigelow, SOA ’81, became the first female to ever win an Academy Award for Best Director, and her movie “The Hurt Locker” took home 6 awards in total, including Best Picture. (NBCNY & NYP)

Governor Paterson pledges to keep governing until the end of the year. (NYT)

This time, Ahmadenijad is calling 9/11 a a “big fabrication.” (Gothamist)

The MTA is trying out experimental clocks that will say when the next subway train is due. (NYT)

Obama inspired first-time voters, but not enough. (NYDaily)

Also, please be aware that Bwog has recently updated its comment policy and encourages everyone to familiarize themselves with it.

Last night’s season premiere of Saturday Night Live marked the debut of new cast member and Columbia grad Jenny Slate. Instead of creating a memorable character or nailing an impression, though, Slate set the Internet aflame with news and video of her unscripted “f-bomb.”

Performing as a biker chick with a talk show in a sketch rife with “friggin’ this and “freakin’ that,” Slate suddenly said, “I fuckin’ love you for that,” setting off alarms with the fellas at the freakin’ FCC.

Fortunately for Slate, not only has Internet reaction been sympathetic (both because of the number of “friggin”s to slip up on and because it was one of the few funny moments in the episode), but there’s also a decent chance the network won’t be fined: NBC got off when Bono (who coincidentally, was last night’s music guest) used similar language at the 2003 Golden Globes.

Here’s hoping notoriously grumpy creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels feels similarly forgiving.

 
Bwog extends its heartfelt congratulations to Dr. John D. Clarke, MD, FAAFP, and (evidently) badass MC, whose anti-H1N1 rap beat out over 200 competitors to win Flu.gov’s 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest.

Looks like Clarke, who graduated from Columbia’s very own medical school, returned to Alma Mater to earn his MC as well: his swine-bashing video is filmed on the overpass between EC and the rest of the world, with the law school, Amsterdam Avenue, and assorted academic buildings in the background.

In the minute-long PSA, a lab-coat clad Clarke spits lyrics such as “Hand sanitizer I advise ya get it, why?/it makes germs die when you rub and let it dry” over an impressively catchy beat. Check it out- this just may be the best informational music video since back in ’86, when another doctor taught us all to stroke.

Image via Daily Intel