Drake Actuarial Science Song

This is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!

Actuarial science is the EXTREMELY quantitative assessment of risk. Actuaries often work for insurance companies in order to take all of the qualitative factors of a person's life and then quantitate it into calculating the necessary premium on a policy to cover the companies risk and, unfortunately, actuarial students have a reputation for being very quiet and intraverted, so this is quite a phenomenal surprise. I mean this is really, really good!

Good job everyone! Clearly not only are you brilliant mathematicians, but this is remarkably creative. Great stuff!

Movie:The Tree of Life

I've saw this trailer a while back but didn't know what much to say about it, as much of the story's detail were kept rather secret, but recently it premiered in the Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the festival's highest honor, the Palme d'Or. The film actually evoked starchly varying response at the festival premiere receiving both boos and applause. However for the most part critical response has been overwhelmingly positive.

An official synopsis of the film's plot was released late last year at the American Film Market that puts it far better than anything I could:

We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, Jack, one of three brothers. At first all seems marvelous to the child. He sees as his mother does with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father tries to teach his son the world’s way of putting oneself first. Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth.

Framing this story is that of adult Jack, a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part. When he sees all that has gone into our world’s preparation, each thing appears a miracle—precious, incomparable. Jack, with his new understanding, is able to forgive his father and take his first steps on the path of life.

The story ends in hope, acknowledging the beauty and joy in all things, in the everyday and above all in the family—our first school—the only place that most of us learn the truth about the world and ourselves, or discover life’s single most important lesson, of unselfish love

End of the World!!!

It's the last day of the world! Or at least so says the self-proclaimed prophet pastor Harold Camping of Family Radio Worldwide out of Oakland, CA. Based on mathematical calculations derived from his interpretations of the bible, the rapture is to occur today May 21, 2011. Although being 89 years old, Camping may have simply confused the end of the with the end of his world.

However Pastor Camping is certainly an opinion with some credibility. Afterall he has experience in the predicting the end of the world business. Initially Camping had set the end of the world for September 6, 1994. Now that may not have worked out entirely as planned, but according to Camping he conceeded he may have made a slight mathematical error. And who amongst us hasn't forgotten to carry the 2. Clearly second times a charm.

On an NPR broadcast one woman went so far as to drop out of medical school upon learning of Campings prediction, move with her husband to Florida to live with their small child, and budget all of their money so they would completely run out of money today. There's putting all of your chips on a table.

So should you start wondering where everyone has run off to or why no one is answering your calls. Have no worries. They've just been raptured off to pillowy heaven, while you've been left with the rest of us to a 100 years of torment and nashing of teeth. Well at least you'll have plenty of company.

Top Republican's Drop Out

The other day we saw the drop out of two of the top Republican prospects for 2012 candidacy. Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas announced at the very end of his Fox News show after jamming with Ted Nugent on bass for "Cat Scratch Fever" and an interview with America's Best Dance Crew host, Mario Lopez (very national-leadership-type-stuff) that he would not in fact be running for president.

Then Donald Trump, apparently after having his feelings hurt too badly at the White House Correspondence Dinner this year, announced at the NBC Upfronts fall 2011 launch at a New York hotel, "I will not be running for president as much as I'd like to." The Donald, always one to maintain his ego, was sure to add, "I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and ultimately, the general election," expressing the equivalent of that childhood classic: 'I could do that, I just don't want too.'

This is actually extremely unusual. The nomination of the Republican candidate has always been somewhat of a coronation; there was always a clear heir-to-be. John McCain had earned it after so many attemps. George W. Bush was son to a President. Bob Dole had it on the same merits as McCain. George H. W. Bush was VP to Reagan. Ronald Reagan had run up second behind Ford. Ford was Nixon's VP. Nixon was Eisenhower's VP, and Eisenhower won us WWII.

But this year it is very much up in the air especially with the fact that so few of those capable of stirring up a popularity have actually declared. The only individual topping the polls who has declared canidacy is Mitt Romney and he has the stigma of having enacted a government health-care program in Massachusetts that served as the inspiration for Obama-care, the GOP's main attacking point.

Newt Gringrich has declared he will be running but short people never do well in election (i.e. Lincoln vs. Douglas primary). The man is so lacking in physical charisma that it is remarkable that he has been able to obtain so many wives and mistresses over the years, which is going to be a difficult issue for him to handle with the GOP's growing social-conservative base.

President Maxwell Goes to Africa

As you may or may not have heard, the 65 of Drake's football team will be heading to Tanzania, Africa, here on May 21 to participate in the Kilimanjaro Bowl, the first ever sanctioned game of American football to be played in Africa.

As part of the trip, our fine president, President David Maxwell, will be joining the men on their trip. He will be providing a first hand capturing of the events via his blog: DU Peak Performance.

Be sure to check it out!

Art by WalMart

Here's something you didn't think you would see. Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart Founder Sam Walton, and head of the family's philanthropic arm, Walton Family Foundation, has donate $800 million to the construction and founding of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

The 217,000 square foot, glass and wood structure seen above was designed by Moshe Safdie. The museum will host a permanent collection of American work ranging from colonial to contemporary era. As of August 2008, the collection was said to $488 million in acquired assets. Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, the collection will include works by Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, along with Charles Wilson Peale's famous portrait of George Washington. The Crystal Bridges will also be home to a very famous naturalist work, Kindered Spirits, by Asher Durand, which Ms. Walton reported purchased from the Amon Carter Museum of American Art for some $35 million.

They Got Him!

I woke up this morning to my radio alarm. A little groggy, half asleep/half awake. I thought I heard them say that Osama bin Ladan had been killed. Now I have some pretty bizarre and believable dreams, so I was initially unsure. Then they kept saying it and it was TRUE!!! This is so amazing! It has been almost 10 years since that bastard's devastating attack on 9/11. His horror and inhumanity is over!

According to reports, Navy Seals stormed a compound he was hiding out in with his family, a currier and his brother and family. The Seals fired upon and killed bin Ladan after he initiated the shooting. Just on a side, isn't it kind of bitch to find out this guy has been hiding out the whole time in the suburbs. We've been spending all this time searching for him in caves and hillsides, and he's been posting up on a couch with air conditioning watching Real Housewives of Organge County.

The body was reported as being buried at sea earlier this afternoon. The idea was to avoid creating some pilgrimage site for terrorists and lunatics to congregate to.

BOOM! AMURCIA!

Top Linkedin Names of Success

The professional networking site, Linkedin, has released a review of members on the top names most correlated with success.

For men the names most likely correlated with being a CEO of a company are: Peter, Bob, Jack, Bruce, Fred. For women the top CEO names are: Deborah, Sally, Debra, Cynthia, Carolyn.

According to a doctor Dr. Frank Nuessel, men rely on short, easily pronounced, nickname names because it conveys a friendliness. For women the reliance on longer names is meant to convey a professionalism.

Now of course correlation is not the same as prediction. For the men, those are just really popular names. They just make up a large proportion of the population. It's not like one of them is really unique and 'oh, isn't it bizzare that this name that comes up so rarely so often happens to be the name of a CEO.'

The other thing for all those parents out there thinking about naming a newborn, as I'm sure there are so many that look to a college kid for parental advice, picking a successful name is not unlike picking a successful stock. If you pick what's popular and high on demand now, it may very well not be that way 30 years from now. I would think the best approach would be to just keep the general guidelines of Dr. Nuessel: short and friendly for boys and elegant and professional for girls.