- Avoid the guy who calls you 'Chief'. He doesn't remember your name.
- Avoid the guy who went to Hotchkiss and Yale and wears Nantucket reds during the summer. He doesn't think you belong.
- Avoid the dim-witted back-slapping managing director. He's not as smart as you are—but he's been throwing guys like you under the bus since you were in grade school.
- Avoid the consultant hired by the dumb managing director to do his math for him. Not only will he throw you under the bus, he's smarter than you are.
- Avoid the guy who always wants you to be his alibi when he cheats on his wife. ("Hey man, is it cool if I tell Kathy that we're going fly fishing in Canada this weekend?"). No, dude: It's not cool.
- Avoid the guy who keeps failing the CFA Level 1. He's looking for someone to blame.
- Avoid the girl who cries at her desk. (You can ignore my advice on this one—but either way, you won't make that mistake twice.)
- Avoid the guy who offers his clients 'a very special opportunity' to invest in anything. He has a problem with cocaine.
- Avoid any man who has floppy hair after age 30—he's a complete toolbox.
- Avoid the guy who throws his phone across the trading floor whenever his positions go south. He's an angry dude, and the more time you spend with him the more reasons he'll find to dislike you.
- ...
Sunday, February 27, 2011
25 Guys to Avoid on Wall Street
Haha, for all my ibankers:
Find the Taxes That Do Double Duty
Robert Frank writes in the NYT Economic View about taxes and cuts that make the most sense and the highly-controversial ones that have almost no impact to changing our deficit.
(Thanks Julia and Eugene)
(Thanks Julia and Eugene)
The Wal-Mart You Don't Know
Check out this FastCompany piece on Wal-Mart's business practices. Incredible insights about its scale:
- 12% of the economy's productivity gains in the second half of the 1990s could be traced to Wal-Mart alone
- Last year, 7.5 cents of every dollar spent in any store in the United States (other than auto-parts stores) went to the retailer
- It does more business than Target, Sears, Kmart, J.C. Penney, Safeway, and Kroger combined
Bull City Start-Up Stampede: Run With It
Great entrepreneurial things are happening in Durham, NC:From April 1 to May 31, area entrepreneurs will have a chance to launch their company from downtown Durham for free alongside some of the 50 other startups already in downtown Durham.
The event, called the Bull City Startup Stampede, will provide startups access to 3,500 square feet of office space at 201 W. Main Street in downtown Durham for 60 days. During the Stampede, entrepreneurs will have time to focus on launching their business, receive free technical assistance from attorneys, accountants, and other service providers and meet with several successful entrepreneurs located in downtown Durham. Entrepreneurs will also get to use the state’s fastest Wi-Fi connection and have free parking during the 60 days.
The Stampede will offer participants access to a myriad entrepreneurial support organizations in Durham including the Durham Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Durham, Inc, CED, Bull City Forward, LaunchBox Digital, and Joystick Labs. Entrepreneurs will also have the opportunity to experience Durham’s quality of life first-hand.
Startup America: Reducing Barriers Roundtables
Senior Obama administration officials will visit 8 cities as part of the administration’s Startup America initiative, to meet with entrepreneurs to discussion opportunities for a more supportive entrepreneurial environment and innovation:Durham, NC, March 3Austin, TX, March 12
Boston, MA, date TBD
Silicon Valley, CA, date TBD
Atlanta, GA, date TBD
Pittsburgh, PA, date TBD
Minneapolis, MN, date TBD
Boulder, CO, date TBD
Will anyone be in town for one of the Roundtables? (Thanks, Fred)
New Website Guides You Through the Homeless Experience
"Advertising agency McKinney has teamed up with Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD), a non-profit based in North Carolina, to create SPENT, an online game that guides users through what it feels like to be homeless." It is a powerful (somewhat addicting) and insightful game, and it was also featured on CNN. Where you able to make it through the month?
(Thanks, Gloria)
For Pepsi, a Business Decision With Social Benefit
In parts of Mexico, Pepsi Co no longer deals with middlemen and instead goes directly to the farmers:...But more recently, many have managed to avoid the trips, staying home as the result of a new venture with PepsiCo, which buys their crops.
“Some of us used to go north to work to make money to pay off debts, but no longer,” said MartÃn Ramos Torres, a farmer, adding that at least two members of the cooperative he leads had been caught by United States border patrol agents and deported. “In just three years, everything has changed.”
Mr. Ramos and some 300 small farmers here no longer sell their corn to middlemen but directly to PepsiCo, which guarantees the price it will pay for their crops upfront. The deal enables the small farmers to secure credit to buy seeds and fertilizers, crop insurance and equipment...
The deal also has many added benefits for Pepsi. Find out the benefits in the full NYT article.
Regulation Lax as Gas Wells’ Tainted Water Hits Rivers
Natural gas can be a massive source of energy for our world. The NYT published today a series of articles about this quickly growing industry, in particular asking for some more refied regulation as this industry continues to grow. The main article is definitely worth reading. You can also check out infographics about Extracting Natural Gas From Rock and Toxic Contamination From Natural Gas Wells. (Thanks, Claire)
Another W. Main St. building returns to life as non-profit MDC relocates HQ to Durham
The Bull City Rising blog just posted a great commentary on the advancement of downtown Durham, and how the Self-Help CDFI has been a major part of that change.
For any Dukies out there, this post made me smile. Durham is such a great place filled with people who are making a big social impact. (Thanks, Kindman)
Sunday, February 20, 2011
198 Methods of Nonviolent Action
In light of the social unrest in the Middle East (and Wisconsin), check out these 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action. They were compiled by compiled by Dr. Gene Sharp for his book. Here are a couple of them:
Formal StatementsIt's a phenomenal (and MECE -- that's for you Jamie) list for inspiration! (Thanks, JC)
1. Public Speeches
2. Letters of opposition or support
3. Declarations by organizations and institutions
...
Communications with a Wider Audience
7. Slogans, caricatures, and symbols
8. Banners, posters, and displayed communications
9. Leaflets, pamphlets, and books
...
Group Representations
13. Deputations
14. Mock awards
15. Group lobbying
...
Symbolic Public Acts
18. Displays of flags and symbolic colors
19. Wearing of symbol
...
Best Blogs of 2010
"From the savvy to the satirical, the eye-opening to the jaw-dropping, TIME makes its annual picks of the blogs we can't live without."
Focus on workplace flexibility
Workplace flexibility is a big topic right now (especially for those of you working all through the weekend!). Check out the academic papers from the Workplace Flexibility conference in Washington DC.
OkCupid: Best questions to ask on a first date
"OkCupid continues their analysis on the mysteries of the dating world, this time on the best questions to ask on a first date, or rather, the best questions to ask when you actually want to find out something else: Will your date hook up with you on the first date?"
Read the FlowingData post to find out the best question.
Read the FlowingData post to find out the best question.
Which Cities Are The Most Generous?
Read Dan Ariely's post on generosity. Sad that Houston is near the bottom!!
Phys Ed: Does Loneliness Reduce the Benefits of Exercise?
Do social relationships affect the outcomes of exercise routines? Find out the answer in the NYT. (Thanks, Claire)
Q&A With Plum District’s Megan Gardner: Making The Most Of Moms
Check out the Forbes article about PlumDistrict CEO, Megan Gardner. PlumDistrict is a Groupon-competitor for moms. (Congrats, Megan!)
Amazing Photo: Egyptians Turn Out to Support Wisconsin Counterparts
Check out this Good post:Few things help unite disparate peoples and disparate struggles like hard times. The Egyptians recently conquered one major hurdle and are now moving onto the next challenge. Wisconsin's unionized laborers, however, who are currently fighting state Republicans to keep their collective bargaining rights, have just begun their fight.Read the Good Magazine article.
Here, a young man in Egypt today shows his solidarity with his Wisconsin comrades, reminding us all that our problems, like our supporters, are often universal. "One world, one pain."
Sunday, February 13, 2011
The Dirty Little Secrets of Search
JC Penny gamed Google to be the #1 search listing for obscure things like "table clothes," "dresses" and even "Samsonite carry-on luggage." Google took a hard stance and updated is algorithm and lowered JCPs results. But how did JCP do it? Find out in the NYT.As you may have heard, Bing was caught stealing Google's search terms and results. (The legality of this is still pending). Nevertheless, apparently Bing hasn't read the NYT article, because if you search for "Samsonite carry-on luggage" on Bing.com, JCPenny still comes up first! Hahaha, karma.
(Thanks, Uncle Mike)
DEAR SUGAR, The Rumpus Advice Column #64: Tiny Beautiful Things
Read this deeply-honest letter written by a 40-year old writer to her 20-year old self. (Thanks, Lucy)
Goodbye office space? The shrinking American cubicle
Offic cubes across the country are getting smaller -- with one exception. Read the CNN article for full details. (Thanks, Becca)
Sunday, February 6, 2011
When Microcredit Won’t Do: How to Grow a Social Business
Soluciones Comunitarias and microconsignment in general is getting a lot of press recently! Greg Van Kirk's article was recently published in innovations. A critique by Brett R. Smith was also included in the Invention-Led Development issue. Tina Rosenberg just pushed a piece in the NYT's Opinionator, called "When Microcredit Won't Do" and it had so many comments on the site and on Facebook that they had a follow-up article yesterday.
One of my fellow SEC '08-ers got a shout-out in it. Congrats SolCom and SEC! (Thanks, Greg, Bucky, and Melanie for pointing all these out)
Gas Drilling Technique Is Labeled Violation
Maybe the Gasland documentary is making an impact:Oil and gas service companies injected tens of millions of gallons of diesel fuel into onshore wells in more than a dozen states from 2005 to 2009, Congressional investigators have charged. Those injections appear to have violated the Safe Water Drinking Act, the investigators said in a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency on Monday...Read the entire NYT article.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Pollution Is Bad for Stocks, Says UC Davis Study
Is it possible that the Invisible Hand has a green thumb? Quite likely, says a new study.
...“Greenhouse gas emissions are important to investors in assessing companies,” said Griffin in a statement released Monday. “It really does appear to be a valuation factor.”
Read the entire article in Forbes. (Thanks, Claire)
Born Gay, Born This Way: A Photo Blog
"A recently launched blog called "Born This Way!" does something very simple: It pairs a snapshot of a gay person as a kid with a personal essay about what he or she sees when looking at the photo." So cute!Read the NRP post. (Thanks, Claire)
This Old Thing? Actually, It’s New
Vintage Styles are reborn! There is a movement to get away move away from "trendy" and unisex hoodies and Uggs to more feminine clothing. Read the NYT article. (Thanks, Claire)
Women Help Each Other Start Businesses in Afghanistan
Great story of different entrepreneurs in Afghanistan and the fair trade organizations that support them. (Also a couple of pics of cool jewelry!) Read the entire post in the NYT. (Thanks, Claire)
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Germany Recycles 70% of Its Waste; US Only Gets 33%
Find out why Germany is doing so much better here.
Test: Can You Locate Every North African and Middle Eastern Nation?
"As you may have heard, big things are afoot in Egypt and Tunisia and Sudan. But do you even know where those countries are?" Take the test here.
What's Life Like After Harvard?
I think a lot of recent college grads are wrestling with getting acquainted with the "working world." Check out Alexandra Petri's post in the Harvard Crimson.
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Why Women Aren’t C.E.O.s, According to Women Who Almost Were
"It’s not a pipeline problem. It’s about loneliness, competition and deeply rooted barriers." Read more in the NYT .
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Even women who earn overwhelmingly positive performance reviews are told that they have ‘personality flaws,’ a new study finds. The double...
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Many talented rural students don't go to elite schools, because they are unaware of the options. Read more in the NYT . Thanks, +Ju...
