Registration for Columbia’s annual World Leaders Forum opened this morning at 9. Attending this year are Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, and President of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Doctor Ahmed Mohamed Ali. Spots are limited, register here.

George Soros is currently the chairman of the hedge fund group Soros Fund Management, and is well known for his philanthropic support of liberal causes. Soros spoke at length about financial recovery, about what governments did right–and what they did wrong. He was introduced by Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who also quietly interpreted each question asked […]

The Committee on Global Thought, a Columbia organization, hosted a conference called “Sovereign Wealth Funds and Other Long-Term Investors: A New Form of Capitalism?” yesterday and today. If you didn’t hear about it, you just must not be cool or something. Today the University hosted talks from former Vice President Al Gore and billionaire George […]

Holy smokes! Barnard students just received an email from Dean Denburg, saying that the World Leaders Forum will host an event with Al Gore this Tuesday. The full email is below. Columbia students still haven’t gotten the email, but this email says registration is open to Columbia, Barnard and Teacher’s College. Register tomorrow at 9 AM, […]

Dane Cook was on hand to hear Abdullah Gül, the President of the Republic of Turkey, address the World Leaders Forum as the last speaker in the week-long series. Though Gül expressed sentiments of optimism and cooperation for the future, students pressed him on steps Turkey has recently made in the international scene. While introducing […]

Thursday, at the Rotunda in the Low Memorial Library, Prime Minister of Portugal José Sócrates spoke on “Energy Policy and the Portuguese New Growth Agenda.” Born in 1957,  Sócrates joined the Portuguese Socialist Party in 1981. He worked his way up governmental posts, and has been a civil engineer, a member of parliament, and a […]

Bwog’s World Leaders Forum coverage continues with a lecture by the President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta. Kinno Norojono reports. “Imagine finding yourself being the leader of a country that had been destroyed by war…” Wearing a simple black suit, the President of Timor-Leste José Ramos-Horta addressed the packed Kellogg Center at the top of IAB […]

Zenawi faced a platform through which he could answer questions on his own terms without fear of refocusing or substantive discussion and argumentation from the strong and willful minds trapped prone before him by the moderator’s lash.

Tuesday afternoon, a slew of Columbians filled Low Rotunda to learn a thing or two about the global economy from José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish Prime Minister. The flags of Spain, the U.S., and Columbia were arranged behind the podium to welcome the leader (who does kind of resemble Mr. Bean!) to speak on […]

Update, 6 PM: It’s over! Anti-Zenawi protestors are getting back on the buses. At around 5:30, the pro-Zenawi group was almost entirely gone, but the anti-Zenawi protestors filled all of 115th, blocking foot traffic, chanting, and singing. A few students, just inside the 115th gates, are holding anti-Zenawi signs. A full report from the shockingly […]

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is, you may have heard, speaking at 4 PM today in Roone. In preparation, the west side of 115th and Broadway is lined with police barricades. Get ready for Minutemen Part Deux! Barnard Public Safety is concerned that the “peaceful counter demonstration” will hinder your foot traffic plans; read their […]

The appearance of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi at the WLF today has drawn some protest online. Will we see political activism on campus? (Various) Why you skip class (kind of) and what to do about “anxiety-related school refusal”. (WSJ) Not that this affects the vast majority of you campus-loving college students, but it looks […]

One of the greatest perks of an Ivy League education is having all sorts of guest lecturers and talks hosted right on campus. Yet many of these great talks are not publicized enough. Enter Bucket List, a weekly feature that aggregates these events in a single location that will hopefully make you realize, like Bwog […]

In an occurrence that we’ve been told “happens every year,” a speaker at the World Leaders Forum has dropped out: Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will no longer be speaking next Monday. Additionally, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, President of Spain, is now “unconfirmed.” As of right now, all the other speakers will still be in […]

Last night the University played host to yet another speculative overview of our recent financial woes – bringing Joseph Stiglitz, Gary Gensler, and Arthur Levitt into the spotlight once more. As the men mused about our reactions to financial crisis and what’s to come, Bwog’s Financial Regulation Bureau Chief Grant D’Avino was there reporting. Domestically […]