You’ve probably heard about Occupy Wall Street by now unless you live under a rock. But you’ve probably only seen things about the 1% versus the 99% and jokes on TFM. Kanye West even showed up. This has spiraled into something that I don’t even think the protestors knew it would. Occupy Wall Street is now on college campuses across the country, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going away any time soon. For the past month countless protesters have been well, occupying Wall Street, without any specific demands. Right now, it’s unclear really what the goal of the group is.

Here’s what you should know:

1. In July, Adbusters, a Canadian-based media group proposed the movement to peacefully occupy Wall Street to protest corporate 1% (being the wealthiest in the country) on the government. On September 17th, the movement started and protesters set up camp all over New York City. They’ve been protesting corporate greed and involvement and social and economic inequality.

2. The New York City General Assembly (NYCGA) is now basically the official title for groups occupying Wall Street. Since there were so many groups protesting, they formed one huge group that assembles peacefully in places like Liberty Plaza, right under Wall Street’s nose. Mayor Bloomberg said in a press conference in response to the movement that “People have a right to protest, and if they want to protest, we’ll be happy to make sure they have locations to do it.”

3. People are calling Occupy Wall Street the Tahrir Square of America. During the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, hundreds of thousands of Egyptian protestors occupied Tahrir Square to remove  Hosni Mubarak from office. On February 11, 2011 he was removed by the Egyptian Armed Forces, a move made possible in part by the occupation of the square. Let’s hope Occupy Wall Street doesn’t turn anymore violent than it already has with the use of pepper spray.

4. Occupy Wall Street is a horizontal democracy. What does that mean? It means they are a leaderless movement that makes decisions on consensus, which is why the process takes so long. You have hundreds of thousands of people trying to agree on something together.

5. There are a ton of different groups within the movement for protesters to choose from. People can get involved with the demands group, finance group, PR group, and more.

6. It has become a global movement. Occupy Wall Street has spread to other countries like England, Italy, France, and Greece. These protests have a similar idea to end corporate corruption, but have tailored it to their own country’s needs.

7. The group itself is split on its demands. The NYCGA met in Zuccotti Park Tuesday night to discuss their demands however, they can’t agree on how to reach those demands. Half of the group wants a consensus and other half wants majority rule by 2/3 vote. At their meetings, anyone can show up an add a demand to their list to be discussed.

8. While hundreds have been arrested, no one has been charged so far with committing a violent act.

9. Occupy Wall Street has a good neighbor policy to keep things as peaceful as possible during their occupation, especially due to their location at Liberty Plaza which is near Ground Zero. They have a zero tolerance policy on drugs, violence, and abuse toward anyone.

10. It doesn’t look like it’s ending any time soon. The NYCGA says Occupy Wall Street will continue “Until change happens!”

initiating the gallery...

I guess Sex and the City big shots didn’t learn their lesson with the second Sex and the City movie. Sure, the series was really awesome and basically biblical for sassy young professional ladies living in a big city. But it had its run, and the first film proved that there’s not much more to say about Carrie and Big. However, it appears that SATC 3 is possibly in the works, according to SJP.

I don’t know about you, but there are a million more trequels I’d like to see before having to sit through the saga of Carrie’s indecisiveness, Samantha’s sexcapades (best part), Charlotte’s boring life and Miranda’s cynicism. To name a few…

initiating the gallery...

We live in a social media obsessed world. There’s Facebook, Myspace, (although I wonder if anyone actually still uses it), Twitter, and many blogging platforms such as Tumblr, WordPress, and Blogger. Although we upload our pictures to Flickr and Facebook all the time or write about our weekend experiences in personal blogs, there could be a possible downside to all of this internet exposure: According to the Wall Street Journal, 85% of hiring managers Google a candidate before or after an interview. This fact, which is becoming more and more well-known, brings up the question: To blog or not to blog?

While I’m not saying that anyone who publicly posts pictures of themselves puking into a fraternity bathroom shouldn’t be a cause for concern, I am posing the question of boundaries and what and when a company should base their decision on hiring someone because of what comes up when they use Google. For example, take all the CollegeCandy contributors. Should our future bosses decline an interview with us, even though our resumes may be well qualified, simply because we once wrote an article that mentions sex or highlights the importance of birth control?

Personally, I think keeping a blog of any kind is a worthwhile venture. As a writer, I like to post things I’m interested in, things that drive me crazy, and of course, continuously write about things that matter to me (this includes everything from literary theory criticisms to the correct usage of the Real Housewives of New Jersey’s infamous phrase “prostitution whore”). However, I often worry that if I post liberal-sided articles or a picture of me enjoying a glass of wine that someone may use those things against me and blow them out of proportion one day. Despite more and more social media outlets being introduced to society on a regular basis, it seems like the idea of censorship or hiding oneself (at least the internet brand of oneself) is becoming a constant battle.

But get this – the Wall Street Journal also reports that “Recruiters and employers…routinely do online background searches on their candidates to learn more about them, as well as to filter out candidates with little or negative information about them.” So basically, it seems like our generation is damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

Imagine if you have nothing come up when your future employer Googles you. Instead of them rewarding you for that (something more and more colleges and media-outlets tell us to strive for), they pass on you because you aren’t relevant or important enough. But then, if you have an author’s page or Twitter account, something could be taken out of context or perceived as negative. What about people that disagree with this article? Could my future employer one day decline to hire me because some random commenter disagreed with me – putting me in a negative position?

It sounds crazy, I know, but it’s something that constantly comes up in the world of online writing and social media. While I understand why businesses want to search their job candidates, I think some kind of line in the sand needs to be drawn before too many well-deserving candidates are overlooked simply because they blog about Christian Louboutin’s, OPI nail polish, and Rachel Zoe instead of Wall Street, international trade, and compounding interest.

The issue of ‘to blog or not’ seems to constantly rely on personal judgment. However, personal judgment works both ways. For example, if someone is irresponsible enough to post a picture of themselves humping (see – because I used the word humping in this post, I may possibly never get a real job) a stop sign, they acted in poor judgment. Although they may personally have found it funny and did not make the picture private, their actions overwhelmingly were not in the best of judgment.

But think of it this way – what if your potential employer’s personal judgment doesn’t like your Tweet about his/her favorite restaurant, and decides that you come across as too opinionated because you simply wrote “Will not be eating at Restaurant A again.” Their personal judgment could cost you a good opportunity. The bottom line is that not everyone uses the best personal judgment from time to time (including those in hiring positions), and what one person finds offensive may not be a big deal to someone else. Should our generation have to walk on eggshells so we don’t piss anyone off with our opinions and views on the internet? Is this what it’s coming down to?

Blogger Emily Rose, a recent college graduate wrote a ballsy open post to a potential future employer on her Tumblr, after accidentally sending her blog link in her e-mail signature. Instead of cowering in fear over whether or not her employer would show no interest in her because of her personal interests explored on her blog (such as hung-over day after snap shots and mojito cupcakes), Emily wrote: “You’ll probably learn more about me from this blog than you did from my CV, which is fine. You’ve probably figured out some stuff already: like that I love animals and Africa and my family. But also, you know, sometimes I drink. And I spend a lot of time online….the result of those factors is now what’s on your monitor, and I don’t feel compelled to apologize for any of it.”

While some people may be completely appalled that she would be so open about herself like that, I think Emily is onto something. If we can’t be our true selves or represent things about ourselves in a personal manner, even in a public way such as the internet, then what does that say about society today? In conclusion of her post, Emily hits the nail on the head by writing, “I think I’m a good hire. I think I’m a good person, too. And I don’t think typing bad words or posting a picture of myself with friends at a bar blowing off some steam should affect my chances just because I’m a young person, and the lives of young people are more public and accessible than those of our parents.”

All in all, interviews, resumes, recommendations, and qualifications should remain as the most important factors in getting hired or rejected. But instead of using personal media against this generation, maybe it should be looked at a different way. With our generation riding the first wave of this Google exposure (or shall we call it overexposure?) phenomenon, it will be interesting to see what pans out. Ultimately though, I hope for the sake of our generation – we’re not looked at like this forever. Employers, writers, job applicants, and social media users of all kinds should embrace the more public and accessible use of information today, or at least set some boundaries for the years and technological advancements to come.

Your cell phone alarm is going off in your ear to the tune off She Bangs by Ricky Martin, inducing the hangover you worked so hard for last night (note to self: change to something MJ immediately). Your body pillow is the most obliging (and loyal) bed partner you’ve had in months, and the monsoon outside is actually starting to lull you back to sleep. So what’s going to keep you from repeatedly hitting the snooze button and subsequently infuriating your roommates and failing out of school?

The oh so delicious piece of man meat awaiting you at that 9 am roll call.

Now, there’s not going to be a prince charming lurking behind every door, but we came up with a class schedule that is sure to make the grade.

The Dude: Frat Boy
The Class: Bio 150 – Introduction To Geology, aka “Rocks for Jocks”

An introduction to the physical processes operating on the earth and the history of the earth.  This course will introduce topics including the formation and physical properties of rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, geologic time, weathering and erosion, and global climate change.

Now, if you’re looking for some denser material (other than the barrel chested buffoons surrounding you, oh and the, um, rocks) this is not where you want to start your hoghunt. However, if you’re just looking for a good time (think Animal House meets Van Wilder) and a tenacious, albeit, physically destructive flip cup partner, this is where you will find your Manweiser. King of Beers anyone?

The Dude: Wallstreet
The Class: Fnce 911 – Financial Economics

The objective of this course is to undertake a rigorous study of the theoretical foundations of modern financial economics. The course will cover the central themes of modern finance including individual investment decisions under uncertainty, mean variance theory, capital market equilibrium, arbitrage pricing theory, option pricing, and the potential application of these themes.

For all of you gold-diggers who get off on a stiff one in a power suit (and by gold-diggers I mean savvy bitches, and by savvy bitches I mean f**king geniuses), strut your assets into an upper-level business class and invest in a certified money market badass. (Ya, ya, we’re in a recession… so was John Rockefeller at one point.) Just take a seat next to most dapper dude you can find, stroke his flaccid ego, and ask him if he still has the balls to pop your…collar. Yeah, I said it.

The Dude: The Cultured Connoisseur
The Class: Intl 160 – Comparative Development

An exploration of the economic, political, and social changes that constitute development. Both the historical experience of Europe and the contemporary Third World are considered.

Attention sophistikids: Thirsty Thursday rolls around, and you would rather indulge in a full-bodied red (or blonde or brunette) than sling back buttery nipple shots with marginally articulate acquaintances. Well bring your passport and permission slip to class, young lady, because there awaits your cosmopolitan travel mate. He will woo you with stories of international adventure and serenade you under the stars in three romance languages all while planning what culinary delicacy to tantalize your senses with next. Welcome to School Year Abroad – Paradise, my friend. Pack your sunglasses, ‘cause the future’s bright.

The Dude: The Not So Struggling Artist
The Class: Art 203 Figure Drawing

Figure Drawing focuses on drawing issues related to working from the nude model while emphasizing proportion, foreshortening, and planar structures of the figure. Students will work from very short poses to extended poses. Students aim to develop sensitivity to the structure, anatomy and expressive qualities of the human form.

Calling all exhibitionists, Kama Sutra goddesses, ­­Venus de Milo look-alikes and/or any single chick with an hour of down time and healthy dose of self possession: Pose Nude And Get the Dude! Get Naked And Bring Home the Bacon!  Ok, so maybe this is a little forward/overzealous, some might even say tacky (if not for art’s sake), but I dare you to think of a sexier “how we met” story. “Well your father truly had an artist’s vision, and I used to take my clothes off for beer money.”

Scratch that. What you could do, however, is take the more subtle (and sanitary) approach and join him in the observation wing. Indulge in discourse about the beauty of the female form (finally, a guy who knows that real boobs shouldn’t double as a chin rest), marvel at his attention to detail down to the very last freckle, and slowly but surely secure yourself as this Boticelli’s next muse. (For those of you with less time and a shorter attention span, partner up for that full frontal homework assignment and find out just how deeply this guy’s creative juices run.)

The Dude: The Social Martyr
The Class: Soc 150 – Economic Development and Social Change

Emphasis on understanding the interrelations among economic, political, and cultural aspects of change in developing countries. The experience of currently developing nations is contrasted to that of nations which industrialized in the 19th century. Compares the different development strategies which have been adopted by currently developing nations and their consequences for social change.

You know your classmate in middle school who used to personally escort insects outside to spare them the judgment of your sneaker? Who befriended the new kid in town when no one else would? And who brought in his family’s entire pantry stock for the canned food drive? Well if his charitable ways made you blush back then, this is where you can find him now, and this time he’s the one who will be red in the face (over the injustices of the American education system, that is). He will melt your heart with his crusade to empower the impoverished, and bring tears to your eyes with his commitment to the Clean Water Act. But make sure you come to class prepared to discuss your most impassioned causes, missy, because he will ask, and he will care. Oh, and you might want to make a list of the preferred locations for your first Peace Corps assignment, keeping in mind that these should not overlap with your spring break destinations. Remember, the dirtier, the better. Wink.

[This post was originally posted by Lexi C. - Brown]

Want some options? Try an engineering class. Lots. of. men.

Your cell phone alarm is going off in your ear to the tune off She Bangs by Ricky Martin, inducing the hangover you worked so hard for last night (note to self: change to something MJ immediately). Your body pillow is the most obliging (and loyal) bed partner you’ve had in months, and the monsoon outside is actually starting to lull you back to sleep. So what’s going to keep you from repeatedly hitting the snooze button and subsequently infuriating your roommates and failing out of school?

The oh so delicious piece of man meat awaiting you at that 9 am roll call.

Now, there’s not going to be a prince charming lurking behind every door, but we came up with a class schedule that is sure to make the grade.

The Dude: Frat Boy
The Class: Bio 150 – Introduction To Geology, aka “Rocks for Jocks”:

An introduction to the physical processes operating on the earth and the history of the earth.  This course will introduce topics including the formation and physical properties of rocks and minerals, plate tectonics, geologic time, weathering and erosion, and global climate change.

Now, if you’re looking for some denser material (other than the barrel chested buffoons surrounding you, oh and the, um, rocks) this is not where you want to start your hoghunt. However, if you’re just looking for a good time (think Animal House meets Van Wilder) and a tenacious, albeit, physically destructive flip cup partner, this is where you will find your Manweiser. King of Beers anyone?

The Dude: Wallstreet
The Class: Fnce 911 – Financial Economics

The objective of this course is to undertake a rigorous study of the theoretical foundations of modern financial economics. The course will cover the central themes of modern finance including individual investment decisions under uncertainty, mean variance theory, capital market equilibrium, arbitrage pricing theory, option pricing, and the potential application of these themes.

For all of you gold-diggers who get off on a stiff one in a power suit (and by gold-diggers I mean savvy bitches, and by savvy bitches I mean f**king geniuses), strut your assets into an upper-level business class and invest in a certified money market badass. (Ya, ya, we’re in a recession… so was John Rockefeller at one point.) Just take a seat next to most dapper dude you can find, stroke his flaccid ego, and ask him if he still has the balls to pop your…collar. Yeah, I said it.

The Dude: The Cultured Connoisseur
The Class: Intl 160 – Comparative Development

An exploration of the economic, political, and social changes that constitute development. Both the historical experience of Europe and the contemporary Third World are considered.

Attention sophistikids: Thirsty Thursday rolls around, and you would rather indulge in a full-bodied red (or blonde or brunette) than sling back buttery nipple shots with marginally articulate acquaintances. Well bring your passport and permission slip to class, young lady, because there awaits your cosmopolitan travel mate. He will woo you with stories of international adventure and serenade you under the stars in three romance languages all while planning what culinary delicacy to tantalize your senses with next. Welcome to School Year Abroad – Paradise, my friend. Pack your sunglasses, ‘cause the future’s bright.

The Dude: The Not So Struggling Artist
The Class: Art 203 Figure Drawing

Figure Drawing focuses on drawing issues related to working from the nude model while emphasizing proportion, foreshortening, and planar structures of the figure. Students will work from very short poses to extended poses. Students aim to develop sensitivity to the structure, anatomy and expressive qualities of the human form.

Calling all exhibitionists, Kama Sutra goddesses, ­­Venus de Milo look-alikes and/or any single chick with an hour of down time and healthy dose of self possession: Pose Nude And Get the Dude! Get Naked And Bring Home the Bacon!  Ok, so maybe this is a little forward/overzealous, some might even say tacky (if not for art’s sake), but I dare you to think of a sexier “how we met” story. “Well your father truly had an artist’s vision, and I used to take my clothes off for beer money.”

Scratch that. What you could do, however, is take the more subtle (and sanitary) approach and join him in the observation wing. Indulge in discourse about the beauty of the female form (finally, a guy who knows that real boobs shouldn’t double as a chin rest), marvel at his attention to detail down to the very last freckle, and slowly but surely secure yourself as this Boticelli’s next muse. (For those of you with less time and a shorter attention span, partner up for that full frontal homework assignment and find out just how deeply this guy’s creative juices run.)

The Dude: The Social Martyr
The Class: Soc 150 – Economic Development and Social Change

Emphasis on understanding the interrelations among economic, political, and cultural aspects of change in developing countries. The experience of currently developing nations is contrasted to that of nations which industrialized in the 19th century. Compares the different development strategies which have been adopted by currently developing nations and their consequences for social change.

You know your classmate in middle school who used to personally escort insects outside to spare them the judgment of your sneaker? Who befriended the new kid in town when no one else would? And who brought in his family’s entire pantry stock for the canned food drive? Well if his charitable ways made you blush back then, this is where you can find him now, and this time he’s the one who will be red in the face (over the injustices of the American education system, that is). He will melt your heart with his crusade to empower the impoverished, and bring tears to your eyes with his commitment to the Clean Water Act. But make sure you come to class prepared to discuss your most impassioned causes, missy, because he will ask, and he will care. Oh, and you might want to make a list of the preferred locations for your first Peace Corps assignment, keeping in mind that these should not overlap with your spring break destinations. Remember, the dirtier, the better. Wink.

The word just rolls of your tongue ever so smoothly. What does the combination of the two words, women and economics, get you? Well, a working economy for one.

According to at least half a dozen studies, including those from Columbia University, Goldman Sachs, and Ernst & Young, “women can make the difference between economic success and failure in the developing world, between good and bad decision-making in the industrialized world, and between profit and loss in the corporate world.”

WHAT NOW, boys of AskMen.com? You want to go up against some of the biggest firms in the world on this one? Want to argue with the handy charts and graphs Ernst & Young whipped up proving that “companies with more women in senior management roles make more money”?

Not that anyone (well, anyone who really knows women) was surprised by these results. Diversity of any kind strengthens society and business. Obviously men and women think differently, so it’s important that there are always a variety of viewpoints to achieve a successful outcome. A business meeting with 100 % testosterone isn’t going to achieve the same effect as one with the voice of females present. (And will also probably involve some sort of push up contest…)  We’re not saying a whole table of women is the greatest idea either, but the female presence clearly does make a difference. In fact, McKinsey & Co’s study produced results that found that “great diversity in management led to higher-than-average stock performance.”

So to all those people who think women can’t be leaders, take THAT. It looks like it’s the boys who got us into the giant pickle we’re in now. A pickle that we’d never be chewing if, according to economists, women had a bit more control of the financial world: “The presence of more women on Wall Street might have averted the downturn.”

Looks like the boys need us a bit more than they’d like to admit.

Maybe it’s time we got some more estrogen in the office; it may be our only chance at economic recovery.  We’re here to clean up this mess – and, no, we’re not referring to the dirty sloppy mess you left in the sink over the weekend -  we’re talkin’ business now.

Ladies, let’s get to work.

Obama pushes for stimulus support.

Porn star for senator?

Chocolate dipped bacon? It does exist!

How are Wall Street guys supposed to live on $500K in NYC!?

Brad and Angie hit the town in London.

Ideas for losing that unhealthy belly fat.

Ellen and John Mayer perform a duet.

Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson back together?

Drunk vision. What do you see?

Impulse buys are bad news for students.

Things were busy over here, too. We discovered the guys not worth holding onto, and the perfect vibrator that is. We began to understand why crazy sex positions are totally worth it, and why sex on the beach is a must-do for 2009.

We found a totally hot new band that will change the way you think about music, learned the 14 truths about men, and laughed with the funniest ladies out there.

We found out that guys get Brazilians (?), argued the merit of leggings, and filled our entire closet with new clothes….for free!

We took our first trip to the gyno, learned a ton of new euphemisms for sex, and sought out some not-so-obvious places to meet a man. We looked back at our favorite things from middle school.

We hated/loved Facebook.

And we dipped our toes in the Cougar pool.

2008 was a good year. Here’s hoping 2009 can be as much fun (both in the bedroom and out of it).

What up, ladies? It’s Tuesday, which means 2 things:

1. You got a lot to do before the weekend.

2. It’s College Blogger Shout Out day!

Yay! Just what you need to get you through those long days at the library. You can’t write 3 papers back to back with no breaks, can you? These sites are perfect for the time between the papers when you have to stop or your brain is going to melt/you are going to go crazy.

We found some great ones for you this week, so check em out and enjoy. Just don’t enjoy them too much; you still have a class or two to pass before break.

That’s So Fetch: Addicting, hilarious and the best way to avoid the stacks of notes on your desk.

Driving on the Sidewalk: A pop culture blog written by a hilarious and fabulous college coed. If we knew who she was, we’d make her be our friend on Facebook (and in real life).

Where Is Wall Street: Finance is boring, but not on this site. Money and all that jazz is all broken down for you in an interesting, entertaining and relateable way. Who knew economics would be so fun?

Can we even make fun of this sh*t anymore?

If you’ve got a good joke, we’re all ears…