Author Archives: admin

Online College Humor: FAIL x 13

Collected by AcademicInfo

Sometimes college life just… well, fails. Evidence below.

13. Drunk in President’s Office

12. Students (XKCD.com)

Students (XKCD.com)

11. Failing a Test (CollegeHumor.com)

10. We Are All Doomed (PHDComics.com)

09. Exam: Hard Water (FunnyExam.com)

08. Scandron (XKCD.com)

07. Average Time Spent on Writing E-mail (PHDComics.com)

06. Honest College Ad (CollegeHumor.com)

05. Exam: Wrong Beer Law (FunnyExam.com)

04. POV: Guy Stuck in Class (CollegeHumor.com)

03. Priorities (XKCD.com)

02. Your Life Ambition (PHDComics.com)

01. I Finished College Last Semester… (Failblog.org)

Bonus: The College Graduate. Finished, Proud…Appreciated (not)?

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20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protest

Collected by latimes

May 17, 1989

Beijing’s Tiananmen Square is filled with thousands during a pro-democracy rally,

(Sadayuki Mikami / Associated Press)

May 19, 1989

Beijing police parade through Tiananmen Square carrying banners in support of striking university students. The students were in the sixth day of a hunger strike for political reform.

(Sadayuki Mikami / Associated Press)

May 19, 1989

Chinese Communist Party Secretary-General Zhao Ziyang addresses the student hunger strikers through a megaphone at dawn in one of the buses at Tiananmen Square where pro-democracy hunger strikers had been sheltered.

(AFP/Getty Images)

May 21, 1989

An unidentified student demonstrator offers food to People’s Liberation Army troops in Feng Tai near Beijing. The troops’ convoy had been stopped by roadblocks as they were enroute to the Chinese capital.

(Mark Avery / Associated Press)

May 21, 1989

Pro-democracy students lie in front of a tank to prevent troops from entering central Beijing at night. The first full day of martial law closed the Chinese capital, but major clashes between security forces and protesters were reported.

(Associated Press)

May 25, 1989

Student demonstrators, foreground, picket Zhongnanhai, the residence of Communist Party leaders in Beijing as troops guard the entrance. The party compound is near Tiananmen Square.

(Mark Avery / Associated Press)

May 27, 1989

In Tiananmen Square, student leader Wang Dan calls for a citywide march. Wang, a spokesman for the pro-democracy demonstrators in 1989, now lives in the U.S.. “I’m a history student,” he says. “I know democratic movements come in waves.”

(Mark Avery / Associated Press)

May 28, 1989

Students rest in the litter of Tiananmen Square as their strike for government reform enters its third week.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

May 30, 1989

Students in Tiananmen Square work to finish a styrofoam “Goddess of Democracy” modeled on the Statue of Liberty. The statue was nearly 30 feet tall.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

May 31, 1989

People reach for copies of a student newsletter printed in Tiananmen Square.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 2, 1989

A woman soldier sings among pro-democracy protesters occupying Tiananmen Square. Police officers and troops would occasionally mix with protesters in an effort to keep the demonstration peaceful. In the early morning hours of June 4, 1989, soldiers overran the square, leaving hundreds dead.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 3, 1989

A young woman is caught between civilians and Chinese soldiers, who were trying to remove her from an assembly near the Great Hall of the People. Pro-democracy protesters had been occupying Tiananmen Square for weeks.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 3, 1989

An anti-government protester in Beijing holds a rifle in a bus window. Pro-democracy protesters had been occupying Tiananmen Square for weeks; hundreds would die that night and the following morning in clashes with Chinese troops.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 3, 1989

A man tries to pull a Chinese soldier away from his fellow troops as thousands of Beijing citizens turn out to block thousands of troops on their way toward Tiananmen Square.

(Mark Avery / Associated Press)

June 4, 1989

A student protester puts barricades in the path of an already burning armored personnel carrier that rammed through student lines during an early morning army attack on anti-government demonstrators in Tiananmen Square.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 4, 1989

The driver of an armored personnel carrier that rammed through student lines, injuring many, lies dead after being beaten by students who set his vehicle on fire during the army attack on Tiananmen Square protesters.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 4, 1989

Civilians hold rocks as they stand on a government armored vehicle near Changan Boulevard in Beijing. Violence escalated between pro-democracy protesters and Chinese troops, leaving hundreds dead overnight.

June 5, 1989

Chinese troops march down Changan Boulevard, firing indiscriminately to clear the street of citizens as the army faction occupying the center of Beijing prepares for the rumored arrival of opposition troops converging on the capital.

(Associated Press)

June 4, 1989

The bodies of dead civilians lie among mangled bicycles near Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Tanks and soldiers stormed the area overnight, bringing a violent end to student demonstrations for democratic reform in China.

(Associated Press)

June 5, 1989

An anti-government protester stands in front of tanks in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in the wake of the crackdown. Chinese supreme leader Deng Xiaoping is believed to have given the final orders for the military suppression of the pro-democracy protests, which claimed hundreds of lives.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 5, 1989

A truck drives Chinese soldiers down Changan Boulevard one day after violence between government troops and pro-democracy protesters left hundreds dead.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

June 6, 1989

Soldiers guarding Tiananmen Square hunker down behind barricades while heavy artillery looms in the background under the portrait of Chairman Mao Tse-tung.

(Terril Jones / Associated Press)

June 12, 1989

Street sweepers clean around a burned-out city bus on Changan Boulevard. The bus was burned in the anti-government melee when it was placed by demonstrators as a barricade against advancing troops a week earlier.

(Jeff Widener / Associated Press)

15 Essential Moments To (Re)Visit if You Had a Time Machine

Written by Akela Talamasca

Let’s say you get your hands on a brand new Time Machine. Whether it’s the old-school H.G. Wells chair model, or a tricked-out DeLorean, you’ve now got to decide what you’re going to do with your new toy. But before you run off and start messing up your life, sleeping with your grandmother, and investing in Google stock before the Internet was invented, we’ve got a few ideas for you. Here are 15 moments in time, both past and future, that you may want to just witness before you go and do what you’re inevitably going to do, and ruin everyone’s universe.

The Trinity Test (Past)

trinblast
Source

If you want to see one of the most awe-inspiring events in human history, then you need to set your time machine for 5:29 AM, July 16th 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico. The Trinity test was the very first successful detonation of a nuclear bomb, with a blast the size of 20,000 tons of TNT. Make sure you pack some Ray-Bans, and apply plenty of sunscreen for this one.

The Roswell Crash (Past)

roswell
Source

Whether it was a UFO or a weather balloon, it’s time we found out just what went down around Roswell, New Mexico on the night of July 2nd, 1947. Just to be sure, camp out for a couple of days before hand, and try to find a spot somewhere on Foster Ranch, outside a little town called Corona, near Roswell. Remember your cameras and flashlights, and a first-aid kit may not be a terrible idea either.

Birth of the First True Artificial Intelligence (Future)

hal9k
Source

In the movies the first A.I. always turns out to be a total asshole. It nearly always either tries to murder someone, or take over the world, or cause general mayhem while it plots to take over the world or murder someone. This is all Hollywood, so you’ll have to check out just how it pans out when the very first true artificial intelligence wakes up and says hello. Remember, there is still the chance that Hollywood was right all along, so take a really big electromagnet with you just in case.

The First Modern Olympic Games (Past)

1896 OPENING CEREMONY
Source

In 1896 Athens, Greece hosted the world’s first international Olympic Games. This was a huge event, with crazy steam-powered boats and new-fangled “locomotives” moving people around. It must have been a sight to see this collection of athletes from around the world all in one place, you know that had to be one hell of a party.

Signing of the Declaration of Independence (Past)

decldep
Source

Even non-Americans want to witness this event in human history. The sheer immense gravity of the situation makes it stand out amongst anything else that any other group of men ever did with pen and parchment.

Mankind Attains Faster Than Light Travel (Future)

light_speed
Source

Let’s face it, ever since you were a kid and you saw Star Wars for the first time, you wanted to fly through space at light speed. You especially wanted to do it with Chewbacca at your side but we’re trying to be realistic here. Now if the whole “breaking the laws of physics” thing bothers you, well, you’re in a freaking time machine.

The Fall of Rome (Past)

rome
Source

Granted, it may be a good idea to show up a few years early on this one so you can enjoy Rome while it’s not burning, but we’re going for the excitement here, right? You’ve got all the time in the world (literally) to hang out and live the good life with girls feeding you grapes while you bathe in wine; we want to see the barbarian hordes!

Battle of Thermopylae (Past)

-
Source

You should note before going to see this horrifyingly spectacular display of bad-assery that, historically speaking, it was nothing like the movie 300. In fact, it may have been slightly more awesome, even though King Leonidas may not have had such a massively out-of-place (but still cool) accent. Xerxes was probably taller and the elephants were probably twice as big.

First Contact With an Alien Species (Future)

aliens
Source

Yes, this could easily go badly for us humans, but it’s something you simply cannot miss. You have a time machine, and that means you have a duty to witness certain things that just too far beyond you for there to be any objection. Do humanity a favor though; if you’re going to watch this one happen, take a flame-thrower with you, and if things get out of hand, just ask yourself “what would Ripley do?”

Helen of Troy (Past)

helens
Source 1, Source 2

This is one of those things that simply demands explanation. Was she hot…and by that, I mean was she “sending a country to war hot”? Unfortunately, there is just unbiased record of what this woman looked like. For all intents and purposes, the guy who wrote that story could have had a thing for women like Renee Zellweger… So this is definitely should be on self-respecting male’s pretend, time machine to-do list. Bonus: you also get to see for yourself just how many heroes, gods, and demigods showed up for the fight. Take lots of film.

The Discovery of Beer (Past)

beer
Source

Anthropologists suggest that without the advent of beer, man may never have banded together and settled down on farms like we did. That means we owe a great deal, pretty much everything, to beer. In honor of this, you should make it a point to go back and see the first pint, bow down to it, salute it, do what you will to it. And if you can, drink some of it. Beer is good, remember.

Mankind’s First Interstellar War (Future)

halo
Source

Nobody wants a war, we all want peace, violence is horrible. That being said, since we can’t really deny the inevitability of mankind having a first interstellar war, we may as well own up to the fact that we all want to see how it starts. More than likely, it will just be man vs. man, with colonies in space fighting each other. That’s still loads of awesome, so make sure you stash your time machine some place safe and settle in for the show. And by safe, I mean one of the Dakotas (there’s nothing there, anyways).

Man’s Discovery of Fire (Past)

fire
Source

This is arguably the single greatest turning point in the advancement of humanity. Before this point, we were apes. Afterwards, we were apes who could barbeque, things such as animals and other apes. Going back to this time would probably lead to some pretty crazy parties, and even though the language barrier may get in the way (unless you speak ‘grunt’), you’ll be the most handsome guy there. Steve Buscemi doppelgangers excluded.

The Comet that Killed the Dinosaurs (Past)

comet
Source

Alright, now this one’s tricky. We’re talking about an explosive impact so ridiculously huge, that it killed nearly everything on Earth. You’re going to have to camp out a bit, and keep the binoculars handy to watch for the comet; when this goes down, you had better get some really good pictures, hopefully video, and then hop back in your time machine and out of there as quickly as possible. None of this adventuring means anything if you’re wiped out with the dinos.

Cubs Win the World Series (Future)

cubs
Source

We can at least be hopeful, can’t we?

Don’t Forget This

hangthis
Source

This handy guide will keep you taken-care of in the unfortunate event that you get stranded in time, assuming it’s the past. If you get stranded in the future, then just make a fortune going on talk shows and starring in movies. Since you’ll be so out-dated, you can pull of vintage-chic pretty well, and if that fails there’s always politics.

After 101 years, why GM failed

Written by Peter Cohan

General Motors (GM) was founded in September of 1908. On June 1, 2009, at 8 a.m. — almost 101 years later — it ceased to exist, and control was handed over to turnaround executive Al Koch. Thanks to $19.4 billion in loans and $30.1 billion more in debtor-in-possession financing, a huge amount of effort by the U.S. government and GM’s management, unions, dealers, suppliers and bondholders, the effects of that failure will be terrible, but not catastrophic.

The U.S. will own 60 percent of the new GM, which will include Chevy, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. Canada will take 12 percent after lending GM $9.5 billion, the UAW 17.5 percent (as payment for $9.4 billion of its $20 billion in health care obligations) with warrants to buy 2.5 percent more, the bondholders 10 percent to as high as 25 percent through warrants, and old GM common shareholders roughly zero. Twelve to 20 more GM factories will close, 21,000 union workers will be fired, and 2,400 GM dealers will shut down.

To help other companies avoid GM’s fate, it’s worth exploring the five reasons that GM failed:

1. Bad financial policies. You might be surprised to learn that GM has been bankrupt since 2006 and has avoided a filing for years thanks to the graces of the banks and bondholders. But for years it has used cars as razors to sell consumers a monthly package of razor blades — in the form of highly profitable car loans.

And the two Harvard MBAs who drove GM to bankruptcy — Rick Wagoner and Fritz Henderson — both rose up from GM’s finance division, rather than its vehicle design operation. (Read more about GM’s bad financial policies here.)

2. Uncompetitive vehicles. Compared to its toughest competitors — like Toyota Motor Co. (TM) — GM’s cars were poorly designed and built, took too long to manufacture at costs that were too high, and as a result, fewer people bought them, leaving GM with excess production capacity. (Read more about GM’s uncompetitive vehicles here.)

3. Ignoring competition. GM has been ignoring competition — with a brief interruption (Saturn in the 1980s) — for about 50 years. At its peak, in 1954, GM controlled 54 percent of the North American vehicle market. Last year, that figure had tumbled to 19 percent. Toyota and its peers took over that market share. (Read more about GM ignoring the competition here.)

4. Failure to innovate. Since GM was focused on profiting from finance, it did not really care that much about building better vehicles. GM’s management failed to adapt GM to changes in customer needs, upstart competitors, and new technologies. (Read more about GM’s failure to innovate here.)

5. Managing in the bubble. GM managers got promoted by toeing the CEO’s line and ignoring external changes. What looked stupid from the perspective of customer and competitors was smart for those bucking for promotions. (Read more about GM’s managing in the bubble here.)

GM’s failure after 101 years is an indictment of American management in general. It highlights the damage to our economy that results when finance becomes the tail that wags the economic dog. And it shows what happens to any company that rests on its laurels and fails to adapt to change.

Peter Cohan is president of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College. His eighth book is You Can’t Order Change: Lessons from Jim McNerney’s Turnaround at Boeing. He has no financial interest in the securities mentioned.

Hollywood 911: Learning from Celebrity Money Mistakes

Written by Carrie Addington

As turbulent economic times continue to influence our financial strategies, you can turn to financial experts such as CNN’s Clark Howard or Suze Orman, or you can do what I do and take a lesson from celebrities!

Madonna

Anirudh Koul

For a material girl, she sure did make a silly financial blunder. She’s been coined as a marketing genius, keeping her career and her image alive for more than twenty years. Madonna faulted, however, by entering into her marriage with Guy Ritchie without signing a prenuptial agreement. Putting her $500 million dollar fortune at risk, Madonna’s divorce cost her a reported $75 million.

Lesson Learned: Keep your financial assets your own. If you have something you wouldn’t want to give away, sign a prenup’.

Nicholas Cage

totsie14

Nick Cage has never played the victim in his film career, but in real life, he seems pretty good at it. Especially, when the tax man cometh. In February of 2008, it was widely reported that the actor used his production company, Saturn Productions, to hide some personal extravagance – $3.3 million, in fact.

Lesson Learned: Personal expenses are personal expenses. Keep your taxes on the straight and narrow. Need help? Invest in a personal accountant. It’s worth the time and your fee for services can be deducted off your next year’s tax return.

Michael Jordan

simplistic.designs

There’s a competitive desire to win, and then there’s a desire to lose all your money to a friendly game of golf. In 1993, Jordan lost $57,000 to his gambling frenzies, and claims exist from Jordan’s colleagues and friends that he lost more than $1.25 million in one golf game alone.

Lesson Learned: Gambling should be a delightful misadventure of sorts, not an “I need money and have to win” sort of obsession. Keep it fun.

Heath Ledger

Howie Berlin

Rest his soul – his death was untimely and unexpected, which is exactly why he should have had an updated will! The Oscar-nominated star of Brokeback Mountain wrote his will leaving everything to his family in 2003. With the birth of his daughter in 2005 he neglected to make an update. When you’re worth an estimated $20 million, it’s advisable to keep your will updated and signed.

Lesson Learned: As lifestyle changes occur and relationships evolve, it’s important to update your will regularly. Set a time once a year to review and update if necessary.

Ed McMahon

Alan Light

“Heeeeere’s Trouble!” Housing foreclosure is becoming all too common of a term these days and celebrities are no exception to it. There’s an irony that exists in Ed McMahon – the man who delivered oversized checks to lucky winners of the sweepstakes – facing foreclosure. After falling $664,000 in the hole on mortgage payments, McMahon found himself in a mountain of debt.

Lessons Learned: In the words of Ed McMahon himself, “Well, if you spend more money than you make, you know what happens…” Don’t buy a house you can’t afford.

MC Hammer

superseven

We know he’s Too Legit to Quit, but he should’ve quit spending a while ago. MC Hammer is infamous for his overspending which led him to file for bankruptcy in 1996, with $13 million in debt. With a net worth of $30 million dollars, Hammer spent a majority of his funds paying over 300 people to work for him, to the tune of $500,000 in monthly wages.

Lesson Learned: No matter how popular, how successful, or how business savvy you may find yourself, a lavish lifestyle can only last so long.

Britney Spears

Cesar Pics

You’re young, you’re rich, and you’re spending it all. Britney Spears entered the entertainment world at the ripe age of eight and has been a force to be reckoned with ever since. When you earn $737,000 per month and don’t allocate a penny toward savings or investing, you are not planning for the future particularly well.

Lesson Learned: Plan now for the long-term. Living in the moment is a dangerous trend.

Examples of financial missteps are everywhere, and the celebrities have done a good job of showing us what not to do. From foreclosure and bankruptcy to investments and tax evasion, the examples are endless. Follow these lessons learned to keep your finances from putting you at risk.