Columbia College '07 alumna Courtney Banks was lucky enough to get tickets to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Youth Rally at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. Bwog was lucky enough that Banks volunteered to write about the experience.

Yesterday, I joined some 25,000 seminarians, priests, nuns, elementary and high-school students, and volunteers at the Youth Rally for Pope Benedict XVI. My official capacity was chaperone for two elementary school students from my parish (Notre Dame Church here in Morningside Heights).

A complicated choreography of buses departing from Yonkers Raceway to St. Joseph's seminary transported all 25,000 participants to the festival grounds. We got there early, but it took two hours before we were through the gates, past the metal detectors and ticket takers, and loosed on the seminary grounds.

At 12:30 PM, the Pope's arrival was some four hours away, so my co-chaperone and the eighth-grader decided to scope out food options. I wouldn't see them again for three and half hours; they ended up trapped in "an angry mass of humanity," as thousands tried to get their allotment of hamburgers and chicken fingers from, apparently, two concessions-workers.

Mariela Quintana reflects on a day of reflection and offers suggestions to make this year's Lent the most productive (and honest) one yet.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40 day period of prayer, penitence and self-denial before Easter. Lent is a theologically complex and profoundly spiritual time for Christians and requires a much more thorough explanation than I am capable of giving or than you, most likely, are interested in hearing.

I am sure, however, that many of you are familiar with Lent's most prominent tradition: the 40 day period of abstinence. For both Christians and heathens alike, Ash Wednesday raises numerous questions, Why does everyone seeming to have schmutz on their faces? How long do I have to wait to wipe the ash off? Can I celebrate Mardi Gras on Ash Wednesday if I campaigned for McCain last night? And the most common question of all is, of course: what should I give up?

Since when has Columbia been politically active anyway?

Kanye now collaborates with... stuffed dinosaurs?

Apparently Communism is one of the faiths espoused by Columbia students.

Now we finally know for sure: "every Muslim isn't a terrorist, or white person a racist, or black person with a hoodie a gangster."

Is it at all telling about our athletic conference that we are proud of a near victory in the NCAA tourney over 20 years ago?

Near fisticuffs! Veritas vs. Tarantino

Double Backwards Meta: Bwog links to a Blue and White article about a blog devoted to the The New Yorker.

The 20th Century: A Blue and White Retrospective of...

The 1920s and today: Drinking liberally

The 1950s and today: Worshipping liberally

The 1950s: Still drinking liberally

Finally! Joseph Ratzinger, better known as Pope Benedict XVI, made the announcement today: Archbishop John P. Foley, Journalism '66, will be one of 23 new cardinals in November. According to the International Herald Tribune, Foley had "long been considered a candidate" for the job. At the fresh young age of 72, he's eligible to vote for pope for the next eight years.

Foley had been known for his work in Pope John Paul II's Communications Department (well, technically it's a pontifical council), and is currently serving as Grand Master of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Not the most progressive bishop, Foley has run into trouble for his comments on the ordination of women (against) and AIDS (a "natural sanction for certain types of activities.") On the other hand, he did make technological progress: Alvin Snyder called him "The Roone Arledge of the Vatican" for his work getting the Pope on TV.

But enough about Foley as a pilate. What manner of man is he? Contrary to Columbia tradition, Foley says he's a teetotaler, but makes up for his avoidance of alcohol with his love of chocohol. As he told Nestle executives, he's an avid fan of advertisement, saying that good advertisement is "among the best communication being done in the world today." As a youth, he was inspired by the book You Can Change the World, and as a teenager, enjoyed writing radio plays. Today, he has more of a senior pastime: getting up at 6:00 in the morning to watch CNN (so that he can "know what to pray about.")

- DHI

If you stopped out to pick up some apples at the farmer's market (which, by the way, have raised from $1.00 last year to $1.25 per pound this fall at the stand closer to the bookstore) you won't be able to avoid the sounds of fervent Christian music across the street, where a full-on revival is going down. Stop for the spiritual sustenance, or more earthly fuel: they're handing out free cupcakes and cookies to passersby.

Actress to speak at Barnard commencement, nobody goes apeshit

Barnard accepts 28% of applicants, nobody goes apeshit

"you don't need a contested class council election to get a good turnout"

Athletes react to being told they shouldn't be here (their reaction is that they disagree)

Religion: not for show || Jesus eating matzah

Staff Editorial: JTS should do what it is by all indications doing

PLUS: Nice, we're in the New York Post AGAIN

"Modern Physics and Ancient Faith": The 2006 Thomas Merton Lecture, delivered by Professor Stephen Barr in St. Paul's Chapel, October 30^th.

"Science and Religion," "Faith and Reason" — buzzword dichotomies for the sound-bite arguments of our polarized political discourse. Given this, the absence of publicity surrounding Stephen Barr's lecture "Modern Physics and Ancient Faith" — a few green paper posters with a blurry photo of the theoretical physicist showed up in Hamilton on Monday — was astonishing. Perhaps the breadth of appeal of Barr's Merton Lecture, which is possibly the most prestigious religious lecture given annually at Columbia (though it is a specifically Catholic event) was not appreciated. Or, perhaps our appetites for anything remotely resembling the stale debate over intelligent design are simply satiated. Regardless, when St. Paul's Chapel filled Monday night, the white robes of Dominicans, and white hair in general, dominated.

Stephen Barr, a professor at the Bartol Research Institute and frequent contributor to the theoconservative journal First Things, has given this speech before. In fact, he published it in a more extensive form as the book Modern Physics and Ancient Faith in 2003. But, despite, or perhaps because of the speech's age, Barr provided something provocative: an impeccably organized account of science's development that challenged many common conceptions about our current understanding of the universe.

Barr began his speech with a familiar invective against materialism; materialism, he argued, is not science but a philosophical view about the nature of ultimate reality on equal standing with religious belief. There are, however, good reasons to think that, in accepting the findings of modern science, one ought to find oneself inevitably viewing the religious outlook as hopelessly anachronistic. Barr disagrees and centered his remarks on two fairly widespread claims with which he takes issue.

Econ prof Jagdish Bhagwati on the Fall of Man:

"If there had been trade in the Garden of Eden, Adam would have traded the apple for a kiwi fruit, and the entire history of humanity would be much more benign."

-Ana Ortiz

Jews have Matzo, Catholics have peeps. For those people unfamiliar with the blue-and-yellow sugar coated marshmalllow goodness, NPR offers a brief history. Here's an excerpt:

"Why Peeps for Easter? The tradition dates back further than company history -- way back. Ancient pagans in Europe used eggs, chicks and rabbits as symbols of renewal in their spring rituals. Over time, European Christians incorporated the pagan symbols into their Easter traditions, and brought them to America."

These delicious pagan idols will be sold for just a few more days, but don't worry, they won't expire for another eight years.

Jim Williams reports:

A recent event in Noha Radwan's Contemporary Islamic Civilization lecture causes this Blue and White correspondent to wonder whether certain students are making a feeble attempt to revive Prangstgrüp or whether said students are merely assholes. About 20 minutes into class, a college-aged male who may or may not attend Columbia University entered the lecture, interrupted the professor and announced to the class that he had a pizza to deliver. The following dialogue ensued:

Radwan: Nobody here ordered a pizza.

Pizza Guy: 501 Schermerhorn?

Radwan: It's not ours.

Pizza Guy: It says here it's for Contemporary Islamic Civilizations.

Radwan: No.

Pizza Guy: Rachel T.? Is there a Rachel T. here? I have your pizza.

He's the most envied and hated man on campus---yes, Steven Rubel, who snagged housing lottery number 21. So what's going on in that lucky head of his? Via e-mail, he responds to Bwog's queries:

How does it feel to be the shit? What's your secret?

It's just further proof that God likes me a lot more than he likes you. I'm pretty used to it by this point in my life.

What housing are you going for?

Murder, espionage, and over-hyped literary movements are all going to play a hand in my decision for housing. People with purely good intentions (what else can I call them?) all tell me to shoot for one of those gigantic rooms at Watt, and well, Hell- I might just do that; but if time permits, I will certainly opt for something with a bit more color... I'm considering to hunt for the room of former-Soviet spy, Morris Cohen or Beat Generation luminary-Lucien Carr (who else?). Of course, there's the whole Roskot/Nelford - murder/suicide incident from 2000 which involves Ruggles Hall. I don't know. I'm sure all the interesting rooms that I want are going to be small, cramped, and sweltering but I'm more than willing to put up with that as long as it's in a single. I'm not sharing a room with anyone- unless it's a ghost.

What's your favorite word and why?

'Fluoxetine,' it just rolls off your tongue...

At about 12:45, all 70+ students lunching in a packed Cafe 212 were treated to a soaring gospel rendition over the loudspeakers of "Jesus Loves the Little Children," a favorite with Sunday Schools the world over. Basically, the only words are a repeated loop of "yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so."

Probably not the same Muzak they play in Cafe Nana.

Bwog is proud to bring the third installment of "Lecture Hopping," in which correspondents go to speeches, lectures, and public displays of erudition so you don't have to.

ID: The Politics of Intelligent Design
February 27
Roone Arledge Cinema, Lerner Hall

Few titles herald a more dismal evening than "The Politics of Intelligent Design," a panel hosted by the Columbia Political Union on Monday night in Roone Arledge Cinema. Fortunately, CPU had the good sense to invite a crazy person.

But first, a brochure, handed out the door, called "A Non-Partisan Guide to I.D." Its 'he said, she said' summary of the topic highlighted the problem with hosting such a panel in the first place: CPU had apparently given "intelligent design theory" credit for being intellectually legitimate just because it exists. It isn't, and in the absence of substantive controversy, I couldn't see what there was to talk about. I prepared for two tedious hours of ideological shadowboxing.

Eight years after Katie Holmes decides to permanently defer enrollment at Columbia, Daddy Holmes decides he wants his $500 deposit back. Is the Scientology wedding really turning out to be that expensive?