From Wikipedia (in case you seriously have been living in a cave for the last 150 years):

Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist who realised and demonstrated that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection. The fact that evolution occurs became accepted by the scientific community and much of the general public in his lifetime, while his theory of natural selection came to be widely seen as the primary explanation of the process of evolution in the 1930s, and now forms the basis of modern evolutionary theory. In modified form, Darwin’s scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, providing logical explanation for the diversity of life.

At Edinburgh University Darwin neglected medical studies to investigate marine invertebrates, then the University of Cambridge encouraged a passion for natural science. His five-year voyage on HMS Beagle established him as an eminent geologist whose observations and theories supported Charles Lyell’s uniformitarian ideas, and publication of his journal of the voyage made him famous as a popular author. Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and conceived his theory of natural selection in 1838. Although he discussed his ideas with several naturalists, he needed time for extensive research and his geological work had priority. He was writing up his theory in 1858 when Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay which described the same idea, prompting immediate joint publication of both of their theories.

His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolutionary descent with modification as the dominant scientific explanation of diversification in nature. He examined human evolution and sexual selection in The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, followed by The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. His research on plants was published in a series of books, and in his final book, he examined earthworms and their effect on soil.

In recognition of Darwin’s pre-eminence, he was one of only five 19th-century UK non-royal personages to be honoured by a state funeral, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Herschel and Isaac Newton.

Related: YouTube video of a British man explaining how old the earth is and making fun of creationists. It is related because the man is British.

Related: Following is the video from Janette Jackson and Justin Timberlack’s waldrobe malfunction:

Theodore Roosevelt (March 4, 1905)
Woodrow Wilson’s Second (March 4, 1917)
Warren G. Harding (March 4, 1921)
Calvin Coolidge (March 4, 1925)
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First (March 4, 1933)
Frank lin D. Roosevelt’s Fourth (January 20, 1945)
Harry S. Truman (January 20, 1949)
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s First (January 20, 1953)
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Second (January 20, 1957)
John F. Kennedy – (part 2) (January 20, 1961)
Lyndon B. Johnson (January 20, 1965)
Richard M. Nixon’s First (January 20, 1969)
Richard M. Nixon’s Second (January 20, 1973)
Jimmy Carter (January 20, 1977)
Ronald Reagan’s First (January 20, 1981)
Ronald Reagan’s Second (January 20, 1985)
George H. W. Bush (January 20, 1989)
Bill Clinton’s First (January 20, 1993)
Bill Clinton’s Second (January 20, 1997)
George W. Bush’s First (January 20, 2001)
George W. Bush’s Second (January 20, 2005)
Barack Obama’s First (January 20, 2009): Part 1, Part 2

You can catch many of these videos on Hulu.com in case any of the above stop working. Also, all the speeches since George Washington are located on Bartleby in text form.

[Source: MetaFilter]

What did you think of the inauguration speech?

EDIT: Here are direct video links to the speech from YouTube:

Consumerist released a list of the top 25 universities in the U.S. And I thought I went to an expensive school…

1. Sarah Lawrence | $53,166
2. George Washington | $50,312
3. NYU | $50,182
4. Georgetown | $49,689
5. Connecticut College | $49,385

Check out Consumerist.com for the remaining 20.

Source: College Candy | Image by austins_irish_pirate

In an attempted to outwit the media, we at College Being are announcing at 12:34am on November 4, 2008, that Barack Obama has won the 2008 U.S. presidential elections. The pundits thought it would come out a closer match between Obama and McCain, but they were wrong. In the end Obama won the popular vote and beat McCain’s electoral college vote by more than double. Congratulations to the new president of the United States. Let’s HOPE he lives up to his promises.

Official Barack Obama campaign photo | Source: our imagination

Edit: It seems our prediction was ahead of CNN by over 22 hours.

Basically, what they’re training to do is disperse, incapacitate, and arrest protesters.

Thoughts after the jump.

The reason this concerns me is because normally, such jobs fall to the police and in extreme cases the National Guard. Instead, we’re going to have soldiers who have trained and taken part in urban warfare, ready to be deployed on American streets in the event that protesters become too unruly for the liking of the federal government. This is not policing; this is not crowd control; this is the beginnings of martial law. This is the beginning of a coup. This is the beginning of fascism.

I realize that this more than likely sounds paranoid to some. But the fact is, no government lasts forever. To say that a military coup, or a fascist regime, can’t happen here because we’re a democracy is to invite those who would infringe upon our freedom for their personal gain. As Americans, it is our duty to vigilantly protect our Constitutional freedoms from all enemies–foreign and domestic.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in the coming months. But there’s a very real possibility that this will not end well, that the rights we hold as entitlements will be threatened. I suggest all who are concerned take steps to prepare themselves. Buy guns, buy ammunition, buy canned food and bottled water. The worst thing that will happen is you’ll be prepared for a natural disaster. But we may need to be prepared for something far more insidious, and I’d rather be called paranoid for worrying about a totalitarianism that never comes, than be unprepared for one that does.

Yesterday, due to the U.S. House of Representatives not passing the bailout bill, the stock market dropped over 700 points–the worst fall I have seen in all my life! What does this mean for you?

For most college students, it will not mean much. You should not be involved in personal investing in the stock market unless you have some serious knowledge. Most of us use the stock market to gamble instead of investing.

All (up to $100,000) of your money that is in savings accounts is safely secured by the federal government, even if the bank closes. Do not worry about all the dramatic stock fluctuation as it will only give you stress. Instead focus on putting your money into high-interest savings accounts to invest in your future.

Lastly, do not listen to what news people on TV are saying about the financial crisis (for the most part). They get more ratings by scaring you and will constantly contradict themselves every single day. Instead, just turn off the TV and go outside.

To recap: Do not worry, save, turn off TV.