“I don’t think we should rush to give Columbia University a Christmas present,” city councilman Charles Barron said before voting against Columbia University’s 17-acre, $7 billion dollar expansion plan. But though many council members dissented or declined to vote, the plan was approved yesterday by the city council, who voted a month earlier than expected. The stage is now set for what could be a fierce eminent domain battle between the university and some commercial......

Alycia Lane, the anchorwoman from the CBS owned station KYW in Philadelphia , who was at one time linked to WCBS anchor Chris Wragge, sent bikini photos to a married man, and is frequently mentioned in the Post’s Page Six column got into some more hot water in Chelsea around 2 a..m. Sunday morning. The Long Island native, allegedly punched a female police officer from the 10th Precinct in the face at W. 17th Street......

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke today, giving a speech and sort of answers some of questions posed by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger and School of International and Public Affairs Dean John Coatsworth. We're sure video and transcripts will come shortly, but in the meant time, The Bwog, New York, and City Room have been liveblogging the speech. Here's a sample of questions posed, via the City Room:In response to a question about the treatment......

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad headed to New York today, but not telling Iranian state-run TV, "The United States is a big and important country with a population of 300 million. Due to certain issues, the American people in the past years have been denied correct and clear information about global developments and are eager to hear different opinions." He added that the U.N. General Assembly was an "important podium" for Iran's views to be......

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to New York is sure going to be a doozey. He may have decided not to visit Ground Zero anymore, but his appearance at Columbia University, to participate in a World Leaders Forum, has many people upset. The Daily News takes on the story on the front cover again ("Access of Evil") and has an excoriating editorial: "By extending an invitation to Ahmadinejad, the leaders of Columbia's School of......

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is getting a lot of ink in our newspapers today after it was revealed that (A) he had requested a visit to Ground Zero - to lay a wreath, no less - and then shortly later that (B) the city had denied the request. Way to work fast, city agencies! Iranian mission to the United Nations says that Ahmadinejad still wants to go to Ground Zero, but the Daily News sends......

Columbia University's plan to expand its campus into Manhattanville has prompted much debate about the eminent domain, college's commitment to the neighborhood, and gentrification and its effects on the community. The NY Sun revealed last week that Columbia spent over $400,000 for lobbying between January and April of this year, a sign that the school is getting aggressive to make sure its plans come through. And yesterday, there was a NY Times Op-Ed by......

Update: WNBC reports that Cho Seung Hui sent a "box containing a manifesto of sorts, photographs and other material" (including videos) to NBC News. NBC News received it today and president Steve Capus turned the box over the FBI, but MSNBC says that the box was sent between the two shootings. The package included a long, “rambling, manifesto-like statement embedded with a series of photographs,” Capus said. The material is “hard-to-follow ... disturbing, very......

A few weeks ago, Columbia students reeled from the news that Golden Globe-nominated, Saturn Award- and SAG Award-winning actor Matthew Fox was chosen as the class day speaker. Bwog wrote about Fox's second banana performance in We Are Marshal, which starred Matthew McConaughey: "Our Class Day speaker got upstaged by the smelliest-looking man in show business." Yesterday, the NY Times had an editorial that weighs in on Columbia's controversial decision to have the Lost......

Today in Central Park a Save Darfur event will be taking place that aims to educate through speakers, music and more. The Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide rally has an impressive list of people involved, so head up there and get involved yourself: Speakers Madeleine K. Albright (former United States Secretary of State) Joey Cheek (U.S. Olympic Team speed skater, Gold & Silver medalist) Irwin Cotler (Member of Parliament, Canada, Mount Royal) Larry......

Gothamist's favorite politician-reverend with a bouffant is supporting Bruce Ratner's plan for a Nets arena in downtown Brooklyn. Sharpton emphasized the jobs and housing that would be created by the huge complex would be great for the community. Sharpton had also supported the failed West Side Stadium bid, which leads a Baruch professor at the School of Public Affairs to say, "He has blocking power, but when it comes to supporting things, it's only a......