This week, it's all about the magic that happens at CUMC. And some other things.

Harry Potter would've turned out quite differently: a simple injection of testosterone cures "werewolf syndrome."

Brilliantly, we connected an inability to concentrate to an inability to concentrate.

When it comes to detecting rather than curing, all Columbia can do is weigh in on the subject. But, at least CU scientists agree that new technology is super-cool.

He mostly gave money to the Met Opera and such, but we were expecting money from him too. And he wasn't even hit by the financial crisis.

Personal empowerment meets Web 2.0. CU's going to help bring a bunch of moderately famous people together to discuss such delightful topics as "How To Build Transnational Social Movements Using New Technology."

Bwog has just received word that President-elect Barack Obama has tapped a former Columbian Eric Holder, CC '73 and J.D. '76, to fill the shoes of yet another illustrious Columbia alum Michael Mukasey, CC '63, as the next Attorney General of the United States.

You might remember Holder for his brief stint as acting Attorney General between January 20, 2001 and February 2, 2001 while the Senate delayed its confirmation of the controversial John Ashcroft, or perhaps even better for his more famous position as Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration from 1997 to early 2001 where he was at the center of the firestorm surrounding the controversial pardon of financier Mark Rich. You may even have noticed he's a University Trustee.

While Holder remains to be vetted by the Obama administration and confirmed by the Senate, he looks to be the first African-American head of the Justice Department. Bwog sends Mr. Holder its congratulations, and hopes for several more Columbians in the cabinet!

The New York Times is reporting some big news for Marcus Brauchli, the positively dapper gentleman pictured to your right. Brauchli, CC '83 and Spec alum, is on the brink of being named the executive editor of the Washington Post. He was formerly the managing editor of the Wall Street Journal but resigned in April.

In other masthead turnover news, fellow Spec alum Andrew Martin, CC '08, and some other kid from Brown are the next up in IvyGate's roster of rotating summer editors. Martin and Kid From Brown are replacing Nina Shield and Kid From Harvard.

Hey jobless alumni, why so glum? With your Columbia degree, the world is at your fingertips: first phone sex operating ("executive stress relief"), and now digital entrepreneurship. Bwog caught up with Kareem Shaya, former Fed editor-in-chief and inventor of famous website Send Barack Your Baby, which lately has gotten all sorts of attention from the rest of the internet, namely Gawker and CNN.

The website provides an opportunity for parents to ship their children in boxes to Illinois so that they might be kissed by a certain other Columbia grad. Except it doesn't actually, which is why the slideshow of Obama-supporting babies features no baby-in-box pictures, to remind us it's only a joke and that babies can't even vote.

One newsanchor in the CNN video also cautions us not to send an actual infant but "if you do, be sure to use bubble wrap." At which point she suffocates a doll with bubble wrap and sticks it in a carboard box. Mazel Tov Kareem!

The New York Times is reporting that the J-School received a 5 million-dollar gift today from one Mr. Leonard Tow, a Columbia grad whom the Times identifies as "a former chief executive of Citizens Communications, and Century Communications" as well as a philanthropist -- and how!

Tow is hoping that his $5 million will aid J-Schoolers in figuring out how to save the dying newspaper business by attaining Internet-savvy. (Hint: stop printing newspapers on paper.) Tow also explains that he was annoyed at Harvard and its fancy "Internet institute" because it was much better than Columbia at teaching grad students how to publish things online.

Tow also donated $3 million to the CUNY J-School to create the Tow Center for Journalistic Innovation, which will focus on research and development. Funds at Columbia will be centered around training J-Schoolers in "digital media." What exactly can 5 million buy these days? Accoring to J-School dean Nicholas B. Lemann: "two professors in new media" and "a curriculum that may include data-driven reporting and software design for news organizations."

According to Editor & Publisher, CUNY will have to match the donation through fund raising in order to receive it. Columbia will have to do the same, but it will have to double Tow's donation and fund raise $10 million.

If you've been a little sour on dear Alma Mater lately, an anonymous Bwog informant has just stumbled upon something to restore your faith in your degree and your Columbia.

This gal's a CU grad -- just like many of you! (Go Lions!) She majored in Anthropology. And also like many of you, she loves to just gab away on the telephone, except her telephone conversations are infinitely more lucrative and sexy (?) than yours:

"Men call me for an infinity of reasons. Of course, they call to masturbate. I call it 'Executive Stress Relief.' It's not sex; it's a cocktail of testosterone, fueled by addiction to pornography, loneliness, and the need to hear a woman's voice."

See? Plus, there's hope for those of you questioning the worth of your English/Anthro/Philosophy/Comp. Lit. degree:

"I make twice the money I made in the corporate world. I work from home, the money transfers into my bank account daily. I'm Scheherezade: If I don't tell stories that fascinate the Pasha, he will kill me in the morning."

Ha! Hear that econ. majors? Twice the money and 100% more phone sex.

One astute, politically-inclined tipster sent Bwog a list of all the candidates for New York's City Council, pointing out that one of which is former University Senator Marcus Johnson, CC '07 and table-dancer extraordinaire. Johnson is running for a City Council seat in District 12, which is located in the North Bronx. The seat's open, as current City Councilman Larry Seabrook is on his second term and ineligible for re-election.

Johnson is up against Andy King, the developer of Uptown Developer's Corporation and Cheryl Simmons Oliver, the District Director for Jose Serrano, a council member congressman from the Bronx's 16th district.

Best of luck Marcus! (We love you, but you might want to update your website).

Stephen Colbert's guest on his WGA strike-breaking show tonight is none other than Chris Beam--former B&W senior editor, V112 writer, co-founder of Ivygate and writer for Slate's political blog Trailhead (see iconic depiction at right).

Watch it at 11:30 p.m. He's blonde and articulate.

Update: an interview with Beam, who's in Manchester, NH in a noisy cafeteria. After the jump.