Us or Fox News? That is the question.

Also remember this?

At this very moment, Fox News is chillin’ outside the 116th and Broadway gates, reportedly asking questions about ROTC.

According to a Bwogger on the scene, a student shaking hands with the reporter said something to the effect of “I’m a conservative,” to which the reporter replied, “That’s great, I didn’t expect to find any of you here.”

Photo by Conor Skelding

Fox News is buzzing about the edge of campus asking students if they’re voting, why they’re voting, and whether the youth are going to take a stand like they did in 2008. You know, since Columbia is representative of all youth.

No word yet as to which clichés will be used to skewer us on tonight’s segment.

- An eager crowd awaits the band’s entrance

If you missed Orgo Night, fret not – the show was recorded and will be available tomorrow on CUMB’s blog. Now, the Bwog review:

After entering to the usual “Roar Lion Roar,” the Columbia University Marching Band noted that, due to the recession, this year’s show would be sponsored by the Columbia University Show. “We also thank the Varsity Show,” a band member opined, “for lowering expectations for the past 35 years.” As the Hillel-distributed stress balls flew in the air over the spectators (one eventually landing in a tuba sousaphone), many were still looking for seats, but the band told them not to worry: “if you can’t hear the jokes, there’ll be plenty seats open by intermission.”

Thus began one of the best Orgo Nights in recent memory, though, in typical marching band fashion, some of the jokes skirted the edge of tastefulness. Surprisingly, the end of the election and the departure did not dampen the band’s taste for political humor- the first two segments focused on Ann Coulter (simply described as “fucking crazy” and Fox News respectively (with “Beat It” and “More Than A Feeling” mixed in), and mostly had fun at “Coultergeist’s” expense, including asking “If she thinks kindergartners are being taught fisting in kindergarten, what are they being taught in high school? Read more…

Normally when someone passes out on Glenn Beck’s show, it’s just some kicky metaphoric role-play commenting on the day’s news. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case yesterday, when Teachers College professor David Buckner fainted on air while discussing the economy on Beck’s Fox News show.

In the middle of recounting America’s economic “path to destruction,” Buckner began swaying, then staggering out of frame. His first warning of “I’m passing out,” delivered in a polite whisper, couldn’t distract Beck from his lecture on our grim, grim future, so Buckner was forced to casually introduce it as a topic of conversation. Beck tried to catch his fall when he went down a minute later. Despite the fact that there are a ton of people on any given television set, Beck had to ask, “Somebody help him, please?” pretty plaintively before anyone with a headset would hesitantly approach.

Beck came back on after a commercial break and explained that Buckner had been feeling lightheaded earlier that morning, but was awake and alert backstage. Beck has a reputation for, shall we say, tending towards intensity, but he doesn’t seem to be the cause of this particular mini-tempest. Bwog wishes a speedy recovery to Professor Buckner, and recommends that everybody try to spend at least one hour a day not thinking about the recession.

Photo via inquisitr.com

Super hero/History prof/Provost Alan Brinkley was walking to work one chilly day, and noticed someone following him. Because he didn’t think to look for one of those little red “Lion’s Watching” Lions to protect him against evil spirits, the stalker eventually caught up to him and introduced himself – Griff Jenkins of Fox News.

Jenkins was there to heckle Brinkley about his American history textbook, Unfinished Nation. In the clip aired on Fox Nation this morning, Jenkins follows Brinkley for several blocks while criticizing the book’s treatment of the War on Terror. Apparently Brinkley wrote that only one terror suspect detained at Gitmo was ever charged, while Fox claims that the number today is over one hundred.

Too bad Fox didn’t have data for 2006, when the book was published. It’s also too bad for Fox that Jenkins’ suit (no coat, of course) was so damn spiffy and the Fox logo was so damn bright. All that plus Jenkins’ youthful enthusiasm and thick-rimmed glasses made our wool-clad provost look positively evil.

Jenkins even followed Brinkley for two blocks, up 116th and into campus, until the silent, speed-walking prey finally reached the sanctity of Low and unceremoniously shut the door in the camera’s face. Perhaps Jenkins’ called the book “Unfinished Business” rather than “Unfinished Nation” on purpose this morning – Bwog sees an old-fashioned smackdown in the works.

Butler corresponent Sara Vogel breathlessly reports the following: Around 11 PM, in 209 Butler, the following Dramatic And Exciting Events Occurred: A book fell to the ground. A bunch of students stood up and pointed finger guns at each other, as if holding everyone hostage. They all pointed their fingers and then said “bang” and shot each other. And then everyone clapped.

According to Bwog Media Analyst Jon Hill, we can expect the following coverage from Fox News:

“Where does the final casualty count stand today after a surprise hostage stand-off at a Columbia University library last night? We’ll have the details of the shocking incident and the crazed students that sparked it at the top of our 9 o’clock hour…”

Anyway, Bwog has been promised video of this Dramatic And Exciting Non-Standoff soon. 

UPDATE 1:49 PM: Dramatic Video can be found here.  Be patient, it takes a few tens of seconds for the action to start.

Ooh, what’s going on over at Fox News? Much the same thing that’s happening here, in fact! It’s a debate about ROTC at Columbia, with a special Fox twist. And by “twist”, we mean that they chose a photo of a 1972 student riot to accompany the article.

But no matter, let’s see what the Good Ship Fox has to add to the matter. Well, for one, they talked to Avi Edelman, he of the Dems and EAAH. “I think we need to say, ‘No, we’re not gonna bring it back right now because of discrimination. Let’s work to end “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” on a federal level. Let’s make sure people know what our objection is and then let’s fix it,’” Edelman said.

Read more…

Oh dear, it seems our friends at Fox News have gotten their hands on an issue of C-Spot. And wonder upon wonders, the literotica has offended their delicate sensibilities!

In between abusing uncomfortable phrases like “naughty bits” (shudder) and “steamy enough to wilt Ivy,” Fox managed to track down two students to see what they thought about the mag. One such opinion-haver is David Billingsley, CC 09, who said that he hopes C-Spot “doesn’t add to our reputation as a sex-crazed campus. Because we’re not.”

Fox News begs to differ.

Hey look at that, a human being has emerged from the Fox News van, which stood silently in waiting all through the night. This fellow here is Major Garrett, but stay tuned for more Media Portraiture of all his friends.

Photo by Jon Hill

Oh look, the fleet of roving news vans has already arrived on campus, a full half a day before the Obamacain Spectacular. That is CBS in the front, and our friends Fox News in the back. 

Geraldo Rivera, his mustache, Chris Kulawik, and serious-guy-with-beard (who is apparently Kulawik’s shadow), all made an appearance on Fox News.

- JNW

Geraldo Rivera was in front of the Broadway Gates tonight. So was Armin Rosen. 

 


When I saw a Fox News producer scouring College Walk for students willing to stand behind Geraldo Rivera during a live episode of Geraldo at Large, my thoughts instantly turned to the mustache. Specifically, I wondered whether and how such an aerodynamic and totally inexplicable article of facial hair actually exist on this earth. After spending the past hour a mere few feet away from one of the titans of sensationalist pseudo-journalism, I can say that yes, the stories are true. Hard as this may be to believe, the Geraldo mustache is no urban legend.

The Columbia journalism grad held court with a group of about 50 or 60 students and rubberneckers, shell shocked by the pairing of Geraldo frickin’ Rivera with a murderous president of Iran. So the mood was light, even if the topic and the passions involved were not.

“Nobody wave. You gotta swear to God nobody’ll wave” the mustachioed anchor instructed the rotating gaggle of students. “Don’t be dumb,” he added. “This isn’t NYU,” one girl retorted, although the most insulting line was Geraldo’s: “Don’t be nervous,” he instructed participants. “We’re not on 145th St.” Would that we were, Geraldo, so that we could postgame this over some hot jazz at St. Nick’s, rather than having to go straight from here to the dreary confines of the Butler reading room. Read more…

After e-mailing most every organization and calling every student leader they could get phone numbers for, Fox has its Columbia pundits set for the next few days. Here’s the list, possibly incomplete and subject to change:

TONIGHT at 8:00 PM on the O’Reilly Factor:

Columbia College sophomore Alejandra Aponte, arguing in favor of Columbia’s decision to host Ahmadinejad

Business School student Reed Werner, arguing against

Saturday at 2:48 PM with host Jamie Colby:

Journalism School student Bess Kargman, arguing in favor 

CC senior and College Republicans president Chris Kulawik, arguing against

Saturday at 5:30 PM with host Julie Banderas:

CC senior and Spectator Editor-in-Chief John Davisson (after Bwog turned the job down), arguing in favor

Monday, after the speech:

CC senior and College Democrats president Josh Lipsky, arguing we’re not sure what (although the Democrats endorsed the decision earlier this afternoon).

The 2006-07 school year has contained multitudes. In fact, it may just be the most eventful year Columbia’s had since… well, the year before. Remember Matthew Fox? The Chung-Diamond “scandal”? “Don’t Be a Pussy”? “Epilogue to Our Crime & Punishment: A Petition“? Bwog certainly does, so step into the Wayback machine – you’re about to relive nine months of Columbia in a single post.

August

First-years move in. Orientation yields a legendary (to Bwog’s mind, at least) week-long burst of posting. Addison Anderson went to a bunch of bars in the name of “journalism.” Most literary post: “And now for some disorientation,” which reads like early Bret Easton Ellis, if he knew about Koronet’s. Orientation week was the best.

 

September

Facebook went literally insane. Then calmed down somewhat. Harvard abandoned ED; Columbia did not. Columbia Football had as-yet uncrushed high hopes, later crushed. Seth Flaxman declared victory. Best villains: Zuckerberg! Murphy! Ahmadinejad! You know, one of those.

October

Everything was coming up roses for Mark Modesitt. 1968 spirit was invoked by Jim Gilchrist. The fallout was immense – shady disciplinary letters, “news” coverage of all sorts (Jon Stewart, Fox News). Even Bwog had an opinion. But October wasn’t all about relevant television coverage of Columbia issues with high production values – we also had “The Gates”!

Best correspondence to Bwog: “Subject: terrorists. your worse then the mooselums who flew the planes into the buildings” Read more…