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MBA Finance lesson

 This is a strategy/knowledge base lesson I use in my MBA class for new students, especially those going for the Finance diploma. With that said, these are my notes to my students:

Finance majors: STOP here and watch. HR majors, you, too.

If you're a finance MBA major, you'd better stop here--and see the real world that waits ahead.

Stop right here--ESPECIALLY if you are a finance major. If you're a human resources major, then watch and make notes that this kind of person exists in the executive offices above you. 

This is a real-life event: it came from the Mortgage Collapse of 2008, and Shearson-Lehman Brothers brokerage was the role model for this kind of casualty that cost jobs and a BOATLOAD of money. But NOT for this CEO--because in estimation, he was making $70 million a year and wasn't about to give that up. And he KNOWS what the problem is because he's signed off on it months ago. And he KNOWS what should be done--he just wants to hear that his team is in synch. 

So this is what I call a verbal business brief: "Explain what's the problem, why is it a problem, how did it happen, what should be done, and how fast." The capacity that you answer may be either the exit door or a promotion.

(PS: listen to him rattle off those years of economic crashes--and his view of the results. "It's only pieces of paper with numbers on it so that we don't have to kill each other to get something to eat.") And you want something MORE keen that this? Look at the comments posted by others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fij_ixfjiZE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D7KVozqRvk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAqAl292ozs

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APA formats (videos)

 (This reminds me why I still have nightmares five years into retirement):

(Administration: "Mr. Lopate! Why are the students unruly?")

(Me: I don't know!)

(Administration: "Mr. Lopate!! Where are your lesson plans?!?")

(Me: I don't know!!)

(Administration: "Mr. Lopate!!! Why ARE the students misbehaving? The adult ones?!)

(Me: I DON'T KNOW!!! Maybe...it's because of citation formats?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEqRqSsNDjc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKu2-tjNMok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWVOU9VZqyI&t=29s

UPDATE! Stranger than Oumuamua!

A carpet shark

 

The tasselled wobbegong is a species of carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae and the only member of its genus. It inhabits shallow coral reefs off northern Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands. Reaching 1.8 m in length, this species has a broad and flattened body and head.

Flight school = jobs & $$

 

(When I taught 6th grade in Las Vegas, middle school was the next option--or already a part of student coursework at other schools. This was one program I shared.) PS: Two high school classmates of mine became pilots and worked for airlines. 

https://www.slingpilotacademy.com

https://epicflightacademy.com/how-much-does-flight-school-cost

Flight School options

The largest Sequoia tree

 The General Sherman Tree stands in quiet majesty within California’s Sequoia National Forest, the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth.

Towering at over 275 feet tall and over 36 feet in diameter at the base, it’s not the tallest or the widest—but by sheer volume, it reigns supreme. Estimated to be over 2,200 years old, this giant has witnessed millennia of change, standing sentinel over the Sierra Nevada. Its reddish-brown bark is thick and deeply grooved, resistant to fire and insects, a testament to its survival. Visitors approach with awe, hushed beneath its towering limbs that stretch toward the sky like ancient arms.

The air around it feels sacred—heavy with stillness, history, and wonder. Here, you’re reminded how small we are, how ancient and enduring nature can be. The General Sherman Tree is more than wood and bark—it’s a living monument, rooted in the heart of time.

The botanist who saved 1,400 samples from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake

 (From a history (herstory) web page):

As flames engulfed San Francisco in 1906, one woman risked her life to save a treasure trove of botanical specimens.

That woman was Alice Eastwood, the self-taught curator of botany for the California Academy of Sciences.

On April 18, 1906, a massive earthquake followed by devastating fires threatened to destroy the entire city, including the Academy's priceless collection.

With the building in ruins and fires closing in, Eastwood knew what was at stake. She entered the unstable structure to rescue the most valuable items.

The main staircase had collapsed. Eastwood and her colleagues had to climb the ruined marble steps by clinging to the thin iron railing that remained.

From an upper floor, they managed to lower over 1,400 of the most important plant specimens, including many that were the very first of their kind ever discovered. They used whatever cords and ropes they could find to lower the collection to safety.

Among the rescued items was the definitive sample of the Franciscan manzanita, a species that would have been lost to science.

Alice Eastwood lost her home and all her personal belongings in the disaster, saving only a small lens and the clothes she was wearing. But she had saved the work of a lifetime.

She would go on to rebuild the herbarium and continued her work at the Academy until she retired at the age of 90, leaving an incredible legacy of dedication and courage.

Sources: Science, San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Nature #WomenInScience #AliceEastwood #CaliforniaHistory #fblifestyle

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College isn't 13th grade: Prepare for the Differences!

 

There is a huge difference between a high school environment and college. One of the first things I always said to my students was about the end of high school and the beginning of college life.  It went something like this:

  "THERE'S NO LOCKERS, NO HALL MONITORS, NO SCHOOL BUSES, NO GYM CLASS, NO DETENTIONS, NO SUSPENSIONS, NO LUNCHROOM, NO MORNING ANNOUNCEMENTS, NO HAND-OUTS FOR PARENTS, NO LATE SLIPS, NO LATE BELLS, NO JANITORS, AND NO EXCUSES. NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE LABELS OR FASHIONS YOU'RE WEARING, AND THERE'S NO CLIQUES EITHER. NOR DOES THE FOOTBALL TEAM WEAR THEIR JERSEY TO SHOW TEAM PRIDE. YOU PAY FOR YOUR BOOKS, AND I EXPECT YOU TO GET THE ONES I WANT. YOUR PAPERS WILL BE DONE THE WAY I WANT, AND IF YOU'RE GRADE-PHOBIC, A 'D' IS A REAL THING. I CAN AND WILL CALL YOUR PARENTS IF I THINK YOU'RE WASTING THEIR MONEY OR WHEREVER YOU GOT YOUR TUITION.  AND YES: YOUR WORK IS DUE WHEN I SAY SO, AND I CAN AND WILL THROW YOU OUT OF MY CLASS. And welcome to college."

(Some students later confessed that they were terrified, especially the freshmen, and that they wanted to go as a group to the registrar to sign out immediately when I signaled for a break during the first day.)

But seriously:  college is not a privilege, nor is it to be taken for granted.  Now...I KNOW I could tell stories about the things I did...such as cutting a final exam...but that's not for this blog.  Instead, try this, which is the topic I have students do on their first assignment:  The Difference Between Ending High School Life and Beginning it at College.

Changes that make the difference in college

    The requirements and life changes that make for a successful transition from high school to college are extensive.  Students are often overwhelmed by challenges to class schedules, independent time management between academics and work obligations, instructors’ styles, financial limitations, and peer support.  Managing these factors must become part of the lifestyle for today’s young men and women and returning (older) students.

(Okay. What I just said there):

"Everyone in college today must learn various life management skills in order to be successful—and they are valuable growth opportunities. Each one must be resolved.  Too often, students enter the college environment totally unprepared for them. They include (a) freedom of choice for time management to handle obligations for work and study, (b) a much quicker turnaround response on assignments with much stronger rules and enforcement for grades, (c) tuition and scholarship decisions, and (d) hello-goodbye encounters with friends and classmates. They can lead to the building of a stronger person or the downfall of a weak one depending on personal choice.  And they are necessary steps to be taken if one is to be a successful college student."

(Now then.
There’s your first and last paragraphs. Let’s see you use the ideas you have heard me use and shown you in the syllabus—and build your paper.  And what I said was this):

"Wow. I have to handle a totally different way of living and learning. I’m responsible for the results—and not much room for slack. I have to juggle my job and class, get my assignments in on time (and they’re tough!), deal with much more serious teachers, and not have anyone to hang out with after class. Bummer! 

"Am I ready for this? How are they making a difference for me?  And what do I have to do to make it work? Why do these things matter?" (Answer: It’s your degree and your life skills for handling challenges and developing strength of character that you’re building by learning these lessons.)

Remember the “list” in the thesis sentence. Pull down each one (a-d), rephrase “how and what” it is that's important--the specific "I've got to do 'this' thing well," then take the “why and how it matters to {you}” apart in each. You’ve already got your opening and ending.  

And don’t you “you” me to death. I already know these things! Go find “people” and “students” so that “they” can learn from YOU. Or “someone” so that “he or she” understands. "Future students should learn these things so that they graduate."

(By the way, yes, that IS "Hahvahd" University.)

Scientists Observed Oumuamua... And It Did the Unexpected

George Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (concert from movie); 1945

You should see this at least once in your life because it's so magnificent. Gershwin's brilliance as a composer was matched here by the skills of the musicians themselves. Credits to the cameramen: they really caught the best part of the performance along with the audience.

On the road again....

 JUST so you know:  the toughest test you ever had to take is NOT in college. No, you most likely already passed it (although you probably would fail it again if you were an older person).

IT WAS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE.

No matter how you worry about that upcoming exam, NO ONE is going to have the traumas that afflict someone who fails his/her driver's license. Think about it:  NO one will stop you on the street and harass you for your G.P.A. or make faces over your transcripts...but they WILL give you a fine (or a reprimand) if you can't drive well. (Or maybe you SHOULDN'T be driving if you're that bad!)

I promise: for all the licenses I have earned for all the business endeavors I have been employed in, NONE have had the impact on my life as having the privilege of being authorized to operate a motor vehicle.  Nor have my entrance tests, final exams, mid-terms, or other assignments had as much significance as my license to drive. So don't worry about that test coming up, or that paper due: put your energy into PASSING it instead of worrying!
It's guaranteed to be a lot easier than getting licensed to drive a car!!

Conjunctions (FANBOYs) and Semi-Colons

 Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?

F.A.N.B.O.Y.S.

    ,For

    ,And

    ,Nor

    ,But

    ,Or

    ,Yet

    ,So

And they’re preceded by a comma when they make up a complete thought in a sentence!

Conjunctions and comma splices

Normally, a complete sentence with two separate thoughts gets a conjunction.

•   Jack went to the movies, and Jane went to the skating rink.

(Each portion is complete by itself; they can form two separate sentences.)

   

If the conjunction is dropped along with the comma, a SEMI-COLON replaces it (see above).

   

FANBOY fakers! (boo! hiss!!)

•     However; moreover; therefore (when used in the middle of a sentence).

    (A complete thought/idea is needed before-and-after in the sentence.)

•     “Basketball is my favorite sport; however, I am also a track star.”
•     “I aced every paper; therefore, you could raise my grade accordingly.”