1 Comments
Columbia needs to unclench and let go of its control freak tendencies
Dear Alma,
And just when you thought Columbia could not get any whiter, Winter Storm Niko loomed its vanilla head. Seriously, Columbia students probably have not been shooken up by this much white nonsense since the Civil War.
Tomorrow is but a small sacrifice for our safety and well being. While other New York institutions of higher learning like CUNY, St. John’s, and Fordham put a halt to classes, Columbia remains wide open. NYU even shut down a day of drum circling, interpretive dance, and Instagram tutorials for the severe weather. Bill De Blasio, infamous Snow Day Denier, shut down New York public schools as well. Even Teacher’s College and JTS closed their doors. Alma, I guess the question is: Why us? Isn’t it bad enough that our main dining hall is a literal ‘Shit Show’? Undergraduates could use a break and perhaps enjoy the frivolities of what it is to be a college student.
At approximately 8:18 P.M., Columbia undergraduates received a rather aggressive email wiping away any hope of respite. Lines like “Campus snow removal crews are mobilized and prepared to begin snow removal as soon as the snowfall begins during the overnight” may as well have been written by our current executive branch. I mean, am I to believe that a fleet of polished snow plows are poised to melt every last flake that dares land on Columbia’s finely groomed campus at 2 A.M. If so, one would hope the endowment was put to better use. Regardless, these militaristic snow plowers stand in direct opposition to what is clearly fated.
Que sera sera, Alma, Que sera sera.
Whiningly,
Leo Bevilacqua
Photo courtesy of this guy
Loading …
1 Comment
@Chuck Anziulewicz The only “meterologists” who are calling this snow “Niko” are the giggly personalities at The Weather Channel. Since when have snow events EVER had names? Hurricanes and typhoons have names, given to them by the appropriate government agency. Snow storms do NOT have names. The National Weather Service (NWS) hasn’t named the snow, nor has the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Neither the NWS, NOAA, nor anyone I know is referring to this weather system as “Niko.”
I used to watch The Weather Channel. A LOT. But after they were purchased by NBC/Universal, they went into a nosedive, focusing more on giggly morning talk shows, “personalities” rather than meteorologists, and cheesy reality shows. The last straw was when they started naming the snow.
One Facebook user posted THIS criticism: “Naming winter storms is the dumbest idea ever. Why hasn’t NWS or any other reputable weather reporting source joined in the naming? Oh, maybe they still feel their role is serious reporting – instead of sensationalizing, dramatizing and commercializing.” It’s pretty much how I have always felt.
TWC’s Tom Niziol attempted to deflect the criticism: “One reason we’re doing this, simply put, is we can. We cover weather on a national scale. By ascribing a name to a weather system that’s gonna create those types of impacts, we can follow it right across the country.”
THAT’S their answer? “We do it because we CAN”?? And the only way the personalities at TWC can keep their eye on a weather system is to give it some kind of cute name? That’s the silliest thing I’ve ever heard.