In case you were wondering, the alligator has been nicknamed Godzilla. Editor’s Note: Mentions of death.

Happening Around the World: The Syrian government has received international criticism after being accused of killing dozens of civilians in Douma in a recent chemical attack. (NPR) Happening in the US: A Florida woman recently claimed during her arrest for cocaine possession that it was the “wind” that “blew it in her purse” that was […]

This Monday, a panel of experts on the topic of displaced scholars gathered in Low Library to discuss how institutions of higher learning around the globe can support scholars in war torn regions whose work has been endangered. Although not quite as popular as Ralph Nader’s speech on why we need to dispose of our […]

On Wednesday, a panel of journalists and activists with expertise on Syria gathered in the International Affairs Building to unravel some of the intricacies of the crisis and discuss the future of media coverage. Bwogger Lauren Beltrone was in attendance.  In between the sound of my ears popping as I rode the elevator to the […]

Important: U.S. and Russia came to an agreement about Syria’s chemical weapons—one week for information about its weapons. (CNN) Meh: NPR is having some financial troubles. Bwog will still be here for you. (Washington Post) Of regional importance: Bloomberg will remain neutral in the upcoming mayoral elections. “I want to make sure that person is […]

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is expected to issue a statement regarding a temporary ceasefire. Friday begins the Eid al-Adha holiday, and we can’t blame anyone for wanting a four-day weekend. (CBS) Confirming our childhood fears of Jaws, an alleged great white shark killed a 39-year-old surfer yesterday. Cue John Williams. (LATimes) In the fungal meningitis […]

Bucket List represents the unbelievable intellectual privilege we enjoy as Columbia students. We do our very best to bring to your attention important guest lecturers and special events on campus. As always, feel free to mention any events we may have missed in the comments section (and/or mock our typos) and we’ll add them. Our recommendations […]

As debate continues over whether or not Sheherezade “Sherry” Jaafari,  former press aide to Bashar al-Assad, should have been granted admission to SIPA, some of our own weigh in. David Fine, CC ’13, interviewed Columbia professors, students, and alumni in a piece published on Tablet. Interviewees include Elazar Barkan, the director of Columbia’s Institute for the […]

A lot has been written about Sheherezade “Sherry” Jaafari, who’s scheduled to start classes at SIPA this fall. In an email to a J-school professor, ABC journalist Barbara Walters said she “is brilliant, beautiful, [and] speaks five languages.” On the other hand, Haya Dweidary, the only Syrian student in SIPA’s class of 2012, told the […]

Hundreds of posts appeared today on Columbia’s Facebook page an unofficial Facebook page for Columbia University unaffiliated with the university declaring support for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, the Washington Post reports. The furor is apparently a backlash against a Wall Street Journal story that ran this morning, quoting Columbia prof Hamid Dabashi: “This whole […]