Late

Rink Rats is late this month, for many reasons, please excuse our tardiness.

The Oxford Dictionary defines pet peeve as: “something that a particular person finds especially annoying”. Well, I have four: (1) “reply all” email, really!  (2) Failure to use your turn signal when driving. (3) Individuals who think they are intelligent, but are not. (4) AND, being late.

Late: students, colleagues, strategies, decisions, laws, meals, plans, tasks, all drive me nuts!

I am driving myself nuts this month of December, late Blogs, late decisions, late to meetings, late to everything. Here is a picture of my desk this morning at 6:22 a.m. PDT. My desk is even late!

Is it too early for a vodka and tonic????

NO WHERE TO GO FOR TRUMP ON THE ECONOMY? - Goldman's Jan Hatzius on the challenges for Trump given the state of the economy and potential Republican opposition to big new spending or deficit-busting tax cuts: "Starting on January 20 ... Trump will preside over a US economy that is essentially at full employment. To be sure, there are still some indicators showing modest slack ... But there are now also several key metrics consistent with full employment or even a small amount of labor market overheating ...

"Further labor market tightening is likely in coming quarters, given the economy's solid growth momentum. ... There are some important constraints on the size of the ultimate tax cut. Unlike the last two times when a new Republican President took office with a promise to cut taxes sharply ... the official budget projections already show sizable federal deficits averaging more than 3 percent of GDP over the next decade"

STRONG DOLLAR GETS SCARY - Around the globe, the surge in the dollar is provoking financial jitters. Emerging market countries and corporations that have been binging on cheap dollar debt for more than a decade now face a spike in servicing costs and elevated debt burdens.

And the global financial giants - banks, insurance companies and mutual, pension and sovereign wealth funds - that have financed this $10 trillion borrowing bonanza must confront a period of higher interest rates and tighter financial conditions that will make them less willing to extend credit to companies and investors alike.

COLLEGE CHRONICLES – A total of 39 leaders of private colleges earned more than $1 million during the 2014 calendar year.

The number of leaders with compensation above $1 million was up from 32 the year before. The average pay of private-college leaders, including those who served partial years, was $489,927 in 2014. Among presidents who served the whole year, average pay was $512,987. Leaders who served full years in both 2013 and 2014 saw a pay increase of 8.6 percent.

The Chronicle of Higher Education analysis is based on the latest available federal tax filings, known as Form 990s, of the 500 private, nonprofit colleges with the largest endowments. The data include compensation figures for 516 presidents who served at 499 institutions for all or part of the 2014 calendar year. The year-over-year calculation includes 377 presidents. (Because this year’s analysis used averages rather than medians, 2014 figures may not be comparable with previously published figures.)

Jack P. Varsalona, president of Wilmington University, in Delaware, led the field in 2014 with a total compensation package of more than $5.4 million. Mark S. Wrighton, of Washington University in St. Louis, and R. Gerald Turner, of Southern Methodist University, were the next-highest earners.

- Moody's Investors Service said that higher education would continue to have a stable outlook in 2017, and that public and private colleges would have aggregate revenue growth at or above 3 percent.

- G. Gabrielle Starr was appointed president of Pomona College, making her its first female and first African-American leader. Ms. Starr, currently dean of the College of Arts and Science at New York University, will succeed David W. Oxtoby, who will step down in June after 14 years.

WHY 'BALLERS' IS A BIG DEAL -- Dwayne Johnson's 'Ballers' moves to California from Florida, will get $8.3 million tax credit: Dwayne Johnson's HBO series 'Ballers' is moving to California from Florida for its third season and has been conditionally approved to receive an $8.3 million tax credit from the state. 'Ballers' is scheduled to shoot its next 10 episodes in California, where it will employ 135 cast, 209 base crew, and 5,700 extras. The series will generate an estimated $33.5 million in 'qualified expenditures,' defined as wages paid to below-the-line workers and payments to in-state vendors - making it eligible for a 25% tax credit for its first season in California, followed by a 20% credit for any successive seasons. 'Ballers' is the seventh series to relocate to California under the state's expanded tax incentive program, launched last year. The 2015-16 fiscal year marked a major expansion of the seven-year-old tax credit program, aimed at halting the erosion of California-based production to states with bigger incentives such as Georgia and New York. The annual allocation rose from $100 million to $330 million, and applications are ranked on how many jobs they will produce, rather than being selected by lottery.

SIGNED, SEALED, DELAYED - UPS and FedEx are straining to keep up with holiday shipping volumes that have blown past expectations, delaying the delivery of some of the millions of online orders shoppers have placed since Thanksgiving. In advance of the busy holiday season, both UPS and FedEx had extended delivery windows on some routes, suspended delivery guarantees and refunds for certain weeks and stopped promising to deliver certain express packages by a set time. Despite these measures, analysts say on-time delivery rates for both companies were down slightly during the weeks following Thanksgiving. UPS has relocated hundreds of staff from its headquarters and other corporate offices to help at struggling shipping hubs. Both companies handle millions of packages on their busiest days, so even a small drop can mean tens or hundreds of thousands of customers receive their shipments late.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Beau Bridges (75) Lake Forest, CA.; Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) (64) St. Lawrence University ’74; Gov. Andrew Cuomo (NY) (59) Albany, NY.;  Dame Judi Dench (82) London, England; Kirk Douglas (100) St. Lawrence University ’39; Secretary of State John Forbes Kerry (73); Edwin Meese III (85) Carmel, CA.;  Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) (80).

HISTORY 101 - Back in 1824, this week the House of Representatives met to decide who'd become the next president, eventually choosing John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson and William Crawford. (And be honest: Some of you out there wanted an 1824 sequel this year.)

CLIMATE WOES -  Sierra snowpack could drop 50% by the end of the century due to climate change: Researcher Alex Hall used a complex computer model to look at what would happen to the Sierra Nevada mountains if these pollutants kept entering our atmosphere at the current rate. He found that by the end of the century, average temperatures could climb by 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit and average snowpack levels could fall by 50 percent. Even worse, this reduction in snow would likely fuel more warmth, since as snow melts it exposes land.

INSOMNIA CURE - There are simple, and in some cases surprising, ways to beat that awful feeling of waking up at 4 in the morning and not being able to fall back to sleep. Everyone experiences it occasionally, but for some it occurs so often that it becomes an insomnia disorder. Rising too early can be caused by an out-of-whack circadian rhythm, the internal clock that dictates the body’s sleep/wake cycle. The key is to reset the body clock later. This can be done by exposing patients to bright light in the evening via a light therapy box or goggles that beam light to the eyes. Other techniques include standing up to watch TV or scheduling phone calls in the evening to stay awake until bedtime.

GOOD VIEW – “The Heroes of San Bernardino: 1 Year After the Attacks" - ABC News: "One year after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, the ABC News Investigative Unit and 'Nightline' are looking back, revealing never-before-seen photos and videos and hearing from the first responders, the victims and the everyday people who prevented a terrifying day from getting any worse." http://abcn.ws/2gjREiW

WOMEN ON THE RISE - At the start of a new legislative season, the number of female elected officials in the California State Capitol has dropped to 27 of a total of 120, down from a peak of 37 in 2006. That is a sharp contrast to Los Angeles County, where the Board of Supervisors, representing the nation's most populous county, recently installed its first female "supermajority" in history. And just days after four women took their place on the five-member board, the body began tackling a number of key women's issues.

OUT AND ABOUT – The Los Angeles Athletic Club is hosting the annual Log Cabin Republicans Christmas Party this evening (December 16). Early indications a 50/50 split in support of PEOTUS.

TOP THREE – World Professional Golfers

            1). Jason Day, Australia

            2). Rory McIlroy, N. Ireland

            3). Dustin Johnson, USA

NFL GAME OF THE WEEK – Sunday 12/18, 1:05 PM ET, Fox: Detroit Lions (9-4) vs. New York Football Giants (9-4). The Lions begin their end of the season swoon, Giants win 24 – 21.    Season to date (10-3)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/17, 3:30 PM PT, ABC; Las Vegas Bowl: Houston Cougars (9-3) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (10-3), Houston is favored by four points, we like San Diego in an upset; 42 – 35.    Season to date (10-4)

SMALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Friday 12/16, 7:00 PM ET, ESPNU: Stagg Bowl, D-III Championship: #1 Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders (14-0) vs. #4 UW-Oshkosh Titans (13-1), perennial D-III winners, we like Mary Hardin-Baylor for two reasons, (1). name sounds like a Homecoming Court finalist, (2).  A better defense. 24 - 17   Season to date (8-6)

COLLEGE HOCKEY PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/17, 7:07 PM CT, LPTV: An inter-conference match-up; #1 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (11-3-2) at #15 Bemidji State Beavers (13-5-2).  Bulldogs win in OT 5 – 3.  Season to date (3-6)

THE SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

 (NFL, Dec, 18) New England Patriots (11-2) at Denver Broncos (8-5), so long playoffs for Denver, Brady Bunch wins 28 – 20.

 (NBA, Dec, 16) Charlotte Hornets (14-12) at Boston Celtics (13-12), time for the Celtics to start playing basketball, Boston wins 102 - 94

(NHL, Dec. 17) Montreal Canadiens (19-6-4) at Washington Capitals (18-7-3), Caps win this one 3 – 2.

Season to date (116 - 97)

MARKET WEEK -  Five U.S. stock indexes finished at records on Thursday — something that hasn't happened on the same day in 18 years. Small-cap stocks are far in the lead during the month following Donald Trump's surprise victory, with the S&P Small Cap 600 Index (SML) returning 18% from Nov. 8 (Election Day) through Dec. 8, while the S&P 400 Mid Cap Index (MID) was up 12.3% and the large-cap S&P 500 index (SPX) was up 5.2%.

Here are the 24 stocks in the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index with majority ‘buy’ ratings (among at least three analysts) that are expected to rise the most over the next 12 months:

Company	Ticker	Industry	Closing price - Dec. 6	Consensus price target	Implied 12-month upside potential
Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc.	SPPI, +5.53%	Biotechnology	$4.14	$10.00	142%
Acorda Therapeutics Inc.	ACOR, +0.94%	Biotechnology	$20.50	$35.25	72%
Nektar Therapeutics	NKTR, +1.39%	Biotechnology	$12.33	$20.33	65%
First NBC Bank Holding Co.	FNBC, +5.92%	Regional Banks	$8.05	$12.90	60%
Flotek Industries Inc.	FTK, -3.89%	Oilfield Services/ Equipment	$11.10	$17.33	56%
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.	RRD, +0.70%	Commercial Printing/ Forms	$16.68	$26.00	56%
Medicines Co.	MDCO, +5.61%	Pharmaceuticals	$33.37	$51.45	54%
Vasco Data Security International Inc.	VDSI, +7.09%	Information Technology Services	$14.05	$21.00	49%
Emergent BioSolutions Inc.	EBS, +22.63%	Biotechnology	$26.52	$39.60	49%
Omnicell Inc.	OMCL, +3.29%	Health Industry Services	$32.40	$46.00	42%
Cynosure Inc. Class A	CYNO, +5.46%	Medical Specialties	$44.55	$61.63	38%
LSB Industries Inc.	LXU, -0.75%	Misc. Manufacturing	$8.47	$11.50	36%
Stamps.com Inc.	STMP, +0.75%	Internet Software/ Services	$110.20	$149.33	36%
TiVo Corp.	TIVO, +0.00%	Software	$21.00	$28.40	35%
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc.	LGND, +1.26%	Biotechnology	$102.59	$138.17	35%
Almost Family Inc.	AFAM, +0.13%	Medical/ Nursing Services	$39.85	$53.00	33%
Tetra Technologies Inc.	TTI, -7.88%	Oilfield Services/ Equipment	$5.65	$7.51	33%
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.	CMTL, +1.52%	Telecommunications Equipment	$12.75	$16.79	32%
Contango Oil & Gas Co.	MCF, +1.84%	Oil and Gas Production	$9.34	$12.30	32%
Motorcar Parts of America Inc.	MPAA, +0.95%	Automotive Aftermarket	$27.62	$36.25	31%
Cray Inc.	CRAY, +1.76%	Computer Processing Hardware	$19.70	$25.80	31%
Nautilus Inc.	NLS, +4.85%	Recreational Products	$17.95	$23.50	31%
Lannett Co.	LCI, +0.31%	Pharmaceuticals	$23.25	$30.40	31%
Natus Medical Inc.	BABY, +1.56%	Medical Specialties	$38.05	$49.67	31%
Source: RinkRats

JOHN GLENN – I asked this week my Business class of twenty one, nineteen and twenty year olds if they knew who John Glenn is? Not one student knew who he is. I weep for our educational system.

John Glenn, a freckle-faced son of Ohio who was hailed as a national hero and a symbol of the space age as the first American to orbit Earth, then became a national political figure for 24 years in the Senate, died on Thursday in Columbus, Ohio. ... In just five hours on Feb. 20, 1962, Mr. Glenn joined a select roster of Americans whose feats have seized the country's imagination and come to embody a moment in its history, figures like Lewis and Clark, the Wright brothers and Charles Lindbergh. To the America of the 1960s, Mr. Glenn was a clean-cut, good-natured, well-grounded Midwesterner, raised in Presbyterian rectitude, nurtured in patriotism and tested in war, who stepped forward to risk the unknown and succeeded spectacularly, lifting his country's morale and restoring its self-confidence.

Next week: Chestnuts roasting on a fire….

Until Next Time, Adios.

Claremont, CA

December 16, 2016

#VII-27-329

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – The New Yorker