savageinfidel

On Wednesday 4/27, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made a public statement that effectively said the following: we're done buying bonds, but we don't expect interest rates to drastically change. With low interest rates comes the possibility/probability of inflation -- with this inflationary expectation, it's no surprise that commodities prices ascended. AGQ, an ETF with a bullish stance on the value of silver, saw a single day gain of over 13.5% on 4/27. GLD, a similar ETF linked positively to the value of gold, saw a more tempered (but still positive) gain of ~2% on Wednesday the 27th. The value of these instruments (and their underlying commodities) should be interesting to follow in the coming months, especially as QE2 comes to a close at the end of the second quarter.

A colleague just pointed out a great article in the New York Times, titled " The Default Major ". Here's a few choice pieces: Business majors spend less time preparing for class than do students in any other broad field, according to the most recent National Survey of Student Engagement: nearly half of seniors majoring in business say they spend fewer than 11 hours a week studying outside class. In their new book “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses,” the sociologists Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa report that business majors had the weakest gains during the first two years of college on a national test of writing and reasoning skills. And when business students take the GMAT, the entry examination for M.B.A. programs, they score lower than students in every other major. ... Donald R. Bacon, a business professor at the University of Denver, studied group projects at his institution and found a perverse dynamic: the groups that funct...

It was another nice day today (but windy as all get out). So, I did another 17 1/2 mile ride. Yesterday, my feet were freezing (it was about 50 degrees). Today, it was warmer (no need for a jacket), but the wind was brutal - over 20 mph at times. Still, it was good, and about 5 minutes faster than yesterday for the same course. I was pretty tired after yesterday's ride, but the forecast says rain for the next few days, so I figured I'd take the ride when I could get it. I must have gone harder than I thought, because about three hours later, I got a hamstring cramp of truly biblical proportions. Luckily, the Unknown Family was out of town, because I actually yelled (and loudly) But given the chance, I'd take the ride again if I could. It's biking season!

In writing this blog, I have occasionally shared one of my favorite quotes about teaching: "Teaching does not come from years of doing it. It actually comes from thinking about it.“ I bring up this quote whenever I lead any discussion of teaching. Almost inevitably, someone in the audience asks how a teacher goes about thinking about teaching. It is easy to make a joke about sitting in a dark room in focused contemplation but most of us would just fall asleep. I believe one of the best ways to think about teaching occurs when you write an examination for your students. Since I have spent most of my current weekend writing a test, the process certainly has been on my mind. Writing a test brings up so many questions having to do with your class. --What level of understanding is a student supposed to have developed based on how you structured the coverage? --What are you trying to test? What are your priorities? --How do you write questions that differentiate between...

Hey Guys, Check out the first two volumes of our newsletter! See links below: Newsletter Volume 1 Newsletter Volume 2

Think paying for tuition and rooms and board is good enough? Think again! When it comes to paying for college, tuition and housing are just the beginning. The real catch is the supposedly trivial miscellaneous costs. These costs include cab fare, parking permits, concert tickets, eating out, shopping spree, and much more. School meals plans cannot cover all the midnight food deliveries and caffeinated beverages, just like free university shuttles cannot guarantee low transportation costs. And students often find themselves packing new clothes into their wardrobes. Now, as we approach the end of our school year, what happens to all those things that we stuffed into our wardrobes and dorm rooms? Last things on the budget, storage payments and extra shipping costs. Read personal accounts from parents at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704487904576267393582628666.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_PF4#articleTabs%3Darticle

Up until the last two weeks or so, I've been getting up at least 5 days a week at 4:30 and working out at the local YMCA from 5-6 (mostly spinning on the stationary bike). As a result of this and watching my diet, I've dropped about 15 pounds since the beginning of the year. So, I'm about the same weight at the beginning of biking season that I usually am around mid-Jul. I was wondering how this would translate to actually being on the road. Today I found out - I took my first ride of the season, and went about 17 1/2 miles (about twice what I usually do at the beginning of the season). Despite the relative cold (about 52 and windy as all get out), it was pretty easy - I was able to keep my heart rate under 150 pretty much the whole way (except for the last 50 yards of a steep half-mile long hill at the 8 mile mark). So, it looks like it'll be a good riding season. I'll be riding in the Angel Ride , a 50 mile fund-raiser for the Hole In The Wall Camp over Memorial ...