Bwog correspondent Christopher Morris-Lent attends a Friendly Fire-Columbia Political Union-sponsored event and encounters a man who savors the taste of defeat .

On Friday afternoon, a ragtag group of people streamed into the hallowed space at the top of Earl Hall to see Mike Gravel, once a senator from Alaska and now running a quixotic campaign for president, speak on a variety of issues ranging from why he dislikes all politicians to what you can do about it. The audience, which ultimately numbered about 70 people and consisted of about ninety percent males and at least fifty percent policy wonks, grew steadily in size until Gravel arrived, accompanied by his speechwriter and History department lecturer, Dave Eisenbach.

Eisenbach is perhaps best known around campus as the founder of Friendly Fire, ostensibly a series of discussions targeted at deconstructing what he sees as Columbia's "problem" with free speech and featuring vocal critics of the University (Jim Gilchrist, Karina Garcia, Bob Podhoretz) squaring off against one another in a debate-style format. Yesterday, however, he eschewed his typical role as the impartial moderator and assumed that of a salesman, delivering a rousing introduction on behalf of the man whom he once called "an American hero."

Vampire Weekend not worth the $10 you didn't pay for their CD on iTunes

Breaking: Super Bowl more popular, lucrative than environmentalism

No asterisk for the vowel?

It's a walk-off!

CC's got Obama, GS has about what you'd expect

The cookbook that Americans...er, New Yorkers...er, diet-conscious
East Harlemites can't get enough of!

Just thought we'd bring to your attention two of the latest places Columbia has made the news:

A new film waxing indignant about censorship and anti-semitism, conveniently collapsing all of Columbia into the MEALAC department...

And former Sen. Mike Gravel's excellent adventure, via cab, to his former stomping grounts.

Thank you, Google alerts.