Columbia all-star Professor Jeffrey Sachs tells us why we should make the “conscious pursuit of happiness the Ninth Millennium Goal.” The key, he argues, is equilibrium. (NYT) House votes 333-79 to censure Harlem Rep. Charles Rangel for numerous ethics violations. (HuffPo) The U.S. unemployment rate rises to 9.8%. (Bloomberg) Creepy Disney town Celebration, FL sees […]

Open (read: gender-neutral) housing at CU–it could happen! (Spec) Columbia Professor Marc Lamont Hill is suing a Philadelphia police officer in a civil rights lawsuit. Though the police have yet to comment, Bwog suspects that, like Bill O’Reilly, the police officer may have thought Professor Hill looked a bit like a cocaine dealer. (ABC News) The […]

A former Columbia biology Ph.D. candidate’s lawsuit against the city for wrongful prosecution has been thrown out. He had previously been charged with the kidnapping and rape of a Barnard student. (WSJ) Columbia’s history program ranks first in a tricky-to-follow ranking of Ph.D. programs by the National Research Council. (Inside Higher Ed) Gothamist loves Batenawi […]

In need of summer housing? Re-thinking that Schapiro walk-through? Rent Obama’s former apartment on 109th between Amsterdam and Columbus. Yessiree: Apartment 3E in 142 West 109th Street is available, and will cost you $1,900 a month, a pretty steep increase from our Commander in Chief’s 1981 rent: $360. Gentrification is a thing! As David Remnick […]

This Wednesday, SIPA and the J-school invited authors of Game Change John Heilemann and Mark Halperin to discuss their book about the 2008 presidential campaign in light of the upcoming election season. Bwog’s Political Lit Bureau Chief Rebecca Newman reports. To Heilemann and Halperin, Game Change is and always has been about the characters. The […]

The Bridge, New Yorker Editor David Remnick‘s much-anticipated, 672-page biography on our favorite reluctant alum, Barack Obama, hit stores today. Bwog chatted with Remnick this afternoon about Obama’s years in Morningside. His takeaway: “I think his Columbia years were decisive. In fact, he says so himself at one point: it is the place where he […]

While much of the hubbub in Washington in recent days has centered on the passage of the healthcare bill, students have yet another reason to celebrate: the passage of a bill set to thoroughly reform the student loan system. The Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act will, in effect, remove the middleman from the student loan […]

So this thing happened a few days ago. Hate it or love it, it’s here, and it will actually affect you. We’ve compiled some of the most immediate changes the bill creates, student-specific clauses, and a listed a few places to learn more about this extremely messy and important bill. Here are some of the […]

Obama is delaying his spring break. (NYT) New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will take himself off the Paterson case. (NYT) Conan O’Brien has planned his comedy tour after leaving NBC (NYP) A sex toy dealer’s parties have drawn the attention of the cops. (Gawker)

Even though it looks like the MTA may lose $113 million in state funds, fare increases seem to be the least likely option. (NYT) What better way for the city to spend $14 million than to have custodians open and close schoolyard gates? (NYP) Although a new private elementary school founded by “high-powered mothers” (including […]

Open the G-20 economic summit a la President Obama, denouncing Iran for harboring a secret nuclear facility and “breaking rules that all nations must follow.” (NY Daily News) Take a hint from the 1199 Service Employees International Union, and “hash out” a heated contract negotiation with Columbia University Medical Center. (Spec) Join environmental groups in […]

We return from our 4th of July break with a round-up of some other stories we received this past week. First, former SEAS dean/idiosyncratic emailer Zvi Galil has resigned as president of Tel Aviv University, after only two years in the post. Galil became president of the Israeli university in 2007, after twelve years as […]

The War on Fun is bringin’ you down. You have two options: drink 40’s somewhere else, or promise yourself that, without a doubt, you will never give a penny to this god awful place as long as you live. Senior Fund and its awkward propaganda be damned! Well, unless you’re too cool for mimicking Obama’s […]

The violence in Gaza sparks tense but ultimately peaceful peace rallies.  Everyone wants to converse, but nobody has yet. Campo is to decamp to the space between Furnald and the Journalism Building. But until then, you can decamp to our very own nearly-on-campus Greenmarket for produce.  Even though it’s winter. And, of course, everyone’s still excited […]

So while we’re on the subject of academic calendar discontent, it’s worth pointing out that the first day of classes for Spring Term falls on Inauguration Day, when approximately all of the Earth’s population will congregate in Washington for Obama’s swearing-in.  One Bwog staffer was quick to point out that “the first day of classes […]