The fifth edition of Columbia Model United Nations in New York or CMUNNY V, for those in the know, is taking place this weekend. For those not in the know, CMUNNY is a series of crisis-driven simulations of past, present, and future political interactions between nations.

Check out photos of our nation’s budding diplomats in action!

All uncredited photos by Prof. Pamela S. Falk, CU LAW ’92

As seniors pack their bags, one Nobel-ballin’ senior citizen is unpacking his. Yes, that’s right, Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the U.N., is coming to Columbia. This spring!

Bwog thought spring was already over, but then again, Bwog has never been an expert on the equinoxes.

In an email sent to the Columbia community this afternoon, President Bollinger outlined the Global Fellows program Annan will be joining, and hinted at all the hijinks he’ll soon be up to with fellow, um, “global practitioners.” A penny for whomever knows what those are.

PrezBo’s full email is after the jump.

Read more…

Classes “begin” in a few days, figuratively because a few of Bwog’s have already been canceled for CC’83 Awesomeness Festivities.  But your fair university didn’t get nearly as much sleep as you did over break.  Here’s what Alma Mater’s been up to.

People of Old

Alumni provide proof that we’ll all find jobs, eventually.  In the meantime, buff your resume with good deeds for the UN, or fulfill your second grade dream and work for the circus (Bwog is jealous of the latter grads).  If the arts are your thing, you could end up guiding an opera company or debuting at Sundance.

People of New

The good times might be few years away, but you can still relish your present hell situation in this (frigid) town.  Alex Gross, CC’11, came here for football and was profiled by his local paper.  The Dayton Daily News mentions “learning how to get around the city by subway” as one of the things he has managed to pick up.  And how to stand on line, instead of in line.  Four other Columbians were recently profiled in The New York Times.  A few years ago, they formed the Columbia Ballet Collaborative after, you know, “juggling calculus, molecular biology and Hindi-Urdu” and the other cool things college kids do.  Representing straight-laced, conscientious Butler residents everywhere, one student assured the reporter “I never take drugs.” Read more…

The denizens of Low Library have just released the calendar for Columbia’s 2008 edition of the World Leaders Forum, fresh with a snazzy new website chronicling the  Columbia tradition’s past, present and future.  Have a look at their new multimedia section, and you’ll see that this site is no laughing matter.

But the speakers this year?  Bwog is still scratching its head on that one.  While last year’s version sparked considerable hooplah with the invitation of a certain Iranian politician, it seems that this year’s lineup may lack a bit of the sparkle that a certain petty and cruel dictator’s speech last year may have offered. 

That is of course not the case, if you find a spiel by Olafur Ragnar Grimson, President of the world’s oldest democracy (Iceland) scintillating.  If the leader of a small, island nation speaking is not your cup of tea, perhaps you might be interested in a scheduled speech by Primer Minister Anders Fogh Rasumussen of Denmark or President Danilo Türk of Slovenia.  While this year’s World Leaders’ Forum may not dazzle as much as last year’s, there is always the Obamacain spectacle to look forward to this time around.

Apparently overjoyed with his previous New York sojourn, our overseas pal Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (we even remember how to spell that from the last go-around!) is returning to our fair city to attend the U.N.’s General Assembly in September.

According to Mahmoud himself, he’s coming around to “defend Iran’s rights” and remedy the “unjust” Western way of administrating international organizations.