Scholarly Pursuits

Darren Patrick, a 24-year-old "urbanist," told New York that he wants "blogging classes" this Christmas. (My, how the world has changed since the days of wishing for our two front teeth.)

Well, Darren, mediabistro.com has just the thing for you. A whole host of blogging classes.

He also wants "a trip to Iceland" and "a twelve-piece set of cast-aluminum pans." Those we can't help with.

The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism has long been one of the country's best j-schools. Now it's also one of the richest. Last night, Dean Nicholas Lemann announced that the program had reached its goal of raising $100 million — three years ahead of schedule. (Given the economic climate, the timing for ending a fundraiser couldn't have been better, now could it?)

John Kluge, who graduated from Columbia College in 1937 and went on to become the country's 32nd richest man, put the campaign over the top with a $20 million commitment as part of his $400 million gift to the school.

"I am deeply grateful for the generosity and commitment of the people and foundations who have invested in the school during a time when the profession of journalism is changing so radically," said Dean Lemann in a statement. "This support helps to ensure that Columbia's Journalism School will continue to set the standard in training journalists with the ethical standards, intellectual depth, innovative spirit, and exemplary reporting skills that are essential to a strong and reliable press."

Part of the campaign will go towards the creation of the Tow Center for Internet Journalism, dedicated to improving journalism in the new media world.

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New York's a big, scary place. The good news is that tons of publications need writers to chronicle their experiences. mediabistro.com wants to help you with its Writing for NYC Publications class.

Taught by Betty Ming Liu, a former Daily News columnist who has written for The New York Times, Village Voice and other city pubs, this class will help you land that first Gotham byline.

Sign up here.

There is a big brother aspect to the new Google application Mail Goggles that makes us a bit wary, and yet...wow would it ever have come in useful on more than one occasion we've since tried to forget. Per the GMail blog:

Sometimes I send messages I shouldn't send...Gmail can't always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we're launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help.

When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you're really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you're in the right state of mind?

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Former mediabistro.com intern, Wired cover girl and new puppet Julia Allison is teaming with 1938 Media's Loren Feldman and Wine Library TV's Gary Vaynerchuk to teach you the secrets of personal branding and Internet fame at mediabistro.com's one-night seminar.

Sign up here for the October 7th event (with wine tasting to follow) or check out the details after the jump.

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Our sister blog previously reported that former Los Angeles Timesman Alan Miller left the paper to launch The News Literacy Project dedicated to bringing past and current journalists into secondary schools.

The project's Web site went live today and features details about the initiative and a list of participating journos. The board includes Vivian Schiller, senior vice president and general manager of NYTimes.com, John Carroll, former editor of the Los Angeles Times and The Baltimore Sun, CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, and Chuck Lewis, founder of the Center for Public Integrity.

Some ex-LATers sue. Others try to change the world in more positive ways. We salute you, Mr. Miller.

Information about getting involved after the jump.

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We'll admit, our grammar runs the gamut from spectacular to particularly horrendous, depending upon various factors including how tired we are, whether we are paying attention and if Plinko's being played on The Price Is Right. We'll also admit that even when it's good, it could always be better. Luckily, the friendly folks in the mediabistro.com Learn department are here to help, with a course specifically for blog grammar and editing. Taught by longtime news editor Gary North, you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about making your blog error-free and the secrets of syntax. We'll see you there.

More details after the jump.

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If you're a recent college graduate or just someone hoping to break into the media business, you have two choices:

1) You could follow Gawker's advice which involves temping, connections and, quite possibly, blow jobs (giving, not receiving).

2) You could take mediabistro.com's series of five workshops about getting your first job. Media pros from Seventeen, ESPN the Magazine, ABC News and a host of other outlets will dispense wisdom, offer tips and tell you how to get ahead. We're positive there will be no blow jobs.

The choice is yours.

At left, Gawker's Manhattanhenge post from 3:01 yesterday. At right, the image on the front page of this morning's Metro.

What's the day after Manhattanhenge? Oh right, the apocalypse.

This year's new crop of McCormick Tribune Fellows has been named. The program is aimed at minority executives in the news business and is held in conjunction with Northwestern University.

2008's winners are: