Loading...Exposing the Occupiers’ Own Greed
We are the 99%! The 1% is oppressing us! The rich need to pay their fair share! Greed is ruining our country!
It should be obvious that these are the slogans of the Occupy Wall Street movement: the angry words bouncing around within the stinking and disease-ridden tent-towns (in between all of the drug use and violence, of course). Why are they so angry? Why are all these people, supposedly representing the vast majority of America, so adamantly against such a small minority? Their response would be a collection of incoherent babbling about greed, Wall Street, and banks, perhaps with a sprinkling of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. My response is that each and every person in the Occupy movement is just as greedy, except with a different method of chasing their desires than the capitalists they loathe. Continue…
How to Take Down Goldman Sachs
How do you take down Goldman Sachs with $2.2 billion? Well, it is surprisingly simple: first you buy $200 million in credit default swaps for Goldman, then you start aggressively shorting their stock to collapse the price. Finally, you let financial markets finish the job; stockholders and bondholders start selling, causing prices to drop, which leads to credit downgrades that collapse the stock price further. Then, as the price sinks, major institutions start unloading their holdings in the company. From there, the value of Goldman Sachs stock enters a free fall. At this point, you cash out on all your short positions and make a hefty profit. If the plan works and Goldman collapses, all those credit default swaps you bought earlier become quite valuable as well; if not, you still make a gigantic pile of money and can get revenge on Goldman Sachs, so things could be worse. Continue…
Grade Inflation
With finals just around the corner, grades seem to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. As Boilermakers, we already know that getting that A is not a walk in the park; however, a recent study by former Duke professor Stuart Rojstaczer validates these claims.
The study focuses on the grades of over 2,000,000 students from more than 160 colleges and universities across the United States. In the study, Rojstaczer argues that the variability in grading from one school to another has been steadily increasing since the 1960’s. He blames this on the lack of transparency of grading practices.
Furthermore, Rojstaczer rejects claims that the rise in grades is due to an increase in student achievement. According to College Board, students’ entrance test scores have not increased. In fact, literacy has actually declined.
Why the trend began is still anyone’s guess. However, Rojstaczer points to new practices such as students evaluating their professors at the end of each semester. Whatever the reason, it is clear that while some schools are handing out A’s left and right; others –specifically engineering schools and public schools- simply are not. Below you will find a list of the toughest graders – Purdue included.
Toughest Graders:
East
Boston University
MIT
Princeton University
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Midwest/South
Auburn University
Florida International University
Hampden-Sydney College
Purdue University*
Roanoke College
Southern Polytechnic State
University of Houston
Virginia Commonwealth University
West
Cal State University-Fullerton
Harvey Mudd College
Reed College
Simon Fraser University (Canada)
Finals Week for Dummies
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Right after the all-nighters to finish up the loads of papers and projects that teachers all graciously assign at once, it is time to recharge and begin studying for the most beloved 6 days of the year… finals week. With these tests contributing as much as 40% to one’s final grade, it is no wonder that students’ stress levels are at their peak. Everyone handles stress in different ways, but at such a critical time it is important to keep your anxiety channeled towards productive types of stress relief. You may be tempted to overindulge in activities as a way of escaping the stress of studying for exams, but in reality doing this may cause more harm than good. Anything done in an extreme way, such as binging on energy drinks, pulling all-nighters and partying, will just add to your stress in the long run. It is imperative to keep your stress level under control if you want to ace your exams. So here are a few tips to help you do just that: Continue…
Who’s Who in the Penn State Scandal
As someone who follows politics regularly, sex scandals are a common occurrence. However, in the world of college sports, they’re a bit less of a commotion. The Penn State scandal has become rather old news, but since it is a Big Ten school, I believe it takes a simple run-down as to who is who. Multiple names have popped up since the story broke last month, and such horrendous allegations regarding young boys should be kept in the public’s eye. This is a simple breakdown of the names continuously being brought up by the media. This will certainly arise again when the trial against Sandusky begins. So, this should help in breaking down who these individuals are, and why they hold any significance within the case. Continue…
Supreme Court to Hear Heath Law
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed today to hear arguments concerning the recent health care law. The main concern regarding the individual mandate. It would require citizens to purchase health insurance or face fines. The court did give itself an out if necessary. They may not make a decision until 2014 when the mandate is slated to go into effect. Continue…
Legendary Penn State Coach Joe Paterno Announces Retirement
Longtime Penn State Football Coach Joe “Joe Pa” Paterno announced today that he wishes to retire at the end of this season. Anyone in the Big 10 has been well aware of the presence Joe Pa’s had. He started out as an assistant coach in 1950. He then took over the head coaching position in 1966.
During his now 46 year tenure he led his school to 409 wins thus far! He also has 24 bowl game wins, 3 Big Ten titles, and 2 national championships. Among the bowl wins, he is the only coach to have a win in each of the modern, major bowls. Joe Pa is the first and only member of the FBS community to have have broken the 400 win barrier.
Coach Joe Parterno’s career is unlike anything we have ever seen before. His absence will be felt, not only in the Big 10, but across college football.