Ductus Exemplo

“Leadership by Example” is the title of our Rink Rats this week. This past week our family’s oldest grandchild (niece/nephew) began his summer Officer Candidate School at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.

All potential Marine Corps Officers must endure and successfully accomplish OCS; they must prove to the Marine Corps that they possess the necessary qualities to lead Marines. Candidates at OCS are put under conditions and in circumstances which many people would consider harsh and intolerable, and not only are they expected to carry on, but rather they are required to excel and demonstrate marked leadership abilities. The program is from June 2 – August 13.

Officer Candidate School is broken down into three principal categories: physical training worth 25%, academics also weighed 25%, and finally leadership which comprise the remaining 50%. Candidates from the moment they enter OCS until the moment they graduate are constantly “trained, screened and evaluated” in all of these areas. At a minimum candidates must receive a score of 80% to successfully complete OCS, however even if a candidate does maintain this percent he or she may still be dropped based on the recommendations of his or her evaluation staff. In essence the Marine Corps expect the best and will only accept the best.

I know GB is concerned about his ability to complete this program but he has nothing to worry about. This man represents the best of his generation and by his commitment to challenge himself in this endeavor he will succeed.

As every generation comes of age the older generations always question the new generation’s abilities and commitment to being good citizens. As far as this writer is concerned we have little to worry about. In fact every grandchild, niece, nephew I have is a credit to their generation. Be it volunteering for public service, playing sports, caring for others, loving their parents – this generation is the best. Look what our generation has given them; continued conflicts between countries, no realization of the need to be sustainable and environmentally sound, creators of the worst financial disaster in the history of man – we should be proud of this generation and support them in any way we can to deal with what we have left them.

Our prayers and love are with GB and all of his generation as they learn and begin to discover life.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Tonya Carmon ….famous advisor, Johnny Depp (48), Donald Duck (77), Michael J. Fox (50), Paul Giamatti (44), Dalai Lama (76), Mike Modano (41), Joe Montana (55), Jim Nabors (81), Jeffrey Rouss …what does he do???, Boz Scaggs (67), Nancy Sinatra (71).

TIGER FREE FALL – Tiger Woods is now ranked 15th in the latest golf rankings world wide. By far the lowest he has been since turning pro in 1997. Steve Stricker is the highest ranked American at number 7.

MORNING SHOWS - Internal e-mail from Steve Capus, president of NBC News: "For those of you watching 'Today' this morning, you've just heard Meredith Vieira announce that she will be leaving the program in June. You've also heard the news that Ann Curry will be the new co-anchor of 'Today' and Natalie Morales will be the news anchor. The team of Matt, Ann, Al and Natalie will make their debut this June. ... I am pleased to announce Savannah Guthrie as a co-host of the third hour of 'Today.' She will join Al and Natalie at 9 a.m. each morning, bringing her tremendous experience from DC up to Studio 1A in New York. 'Today' recently celebrated its 800th week in first place - an unprecedented 15-plus year run."

ECONOMIST COVER, "The new tech bubble": "The bubble is being pumped partly by wealthy 'angel' investors, some of whom made their fortunes in the late-1990s IPO boom. Their financial firepower has increased and they are battling one another for stakes in web start-ups ... It was arguably started by Russian investors. Skype was born in Estonia. ... The froth in China's web industry could also lead to unrealistic valuations elsewhere. And it may be China that causes the web bubble eventually to burst. Few of those rushing to buy Chinese shares have thought through the political risks these companies face because of the sensitivity of their content. A clampdown on a prominent web firm could startle investors and prompt a broader sell-off, as could a financial scandal."

GOP 2012: THE BIG PICTURE - First installment of POLITICO's "State of the Race" series: Elite sees Daniels as savior - Insiders watching Pawlenty-Huntsman sub-contest to see who will emerge as Romney alternative: Top Republicans are increasingly convinced that President Obama could be easily reelected if stronger GOP contenders do not emerge, and some are virtually begging Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to add some excitement to the slow-starting nomination race. "It's not that they're up in arms," said a central player in the GOP money machine. "It's just that they're depressed."

So instead of solidifying against the overwhelming force being amassed by Obama's reelection campaign, the GOP is indulging in an embarrassingly public - and probably futile - search for a more compelling standard-bearer. Charlie Black, a longtime consultant to GOP presidential races, has been talking up Daniels around Washington and said he sees a 50-50 chance the reluctant Hoosier will run. "Now is the time, and he knows that," Black said. "We have members of both the Bush and McCain teams who have been waiting to see who all's going to get in. The makings of a campaign are there if he decides to run."

RONALD REAGAN BIRTHDAY - "Four European Nations Honor President Reagan's 100th Birthday With Tributes from June 27-July 4, 2011 ... New Ronald Reagan Statues in London and Budapest ... Former Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese to Attend and Speak in Budapest": "Today, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced that as part of the year-long, historic Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration, four European nations - Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom - will honor the 100th birthday of President Reagan with a series of tributes ... Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will represent Former First Lady Nancy Reagan at certain events. 'Ronnie would have been so touched that his centennial birthday is being celebrated in London and Central Europe,' said Former First Lady of the United States Nancy Reagan. 'He felt a special bond with the people who struggled to be free, and was so very thankful that Great Britain shared our commitment to bringing down the Iron Curtain. I know he would want these events to remind us all of the power of freedom.'

"Program highlights will include: in Krakow, Poland, June 27, a Mass of Thanksgiving and symposia on the relationship between President Reagan and Pope John Paul II; in Budapest, Hungary, June 28 and 29, the unveiling of a statue of President Reagan in Freedom Square and a Commemorative Gala dinner in Hunter's Hall located in Parliament attended by the Prime Minister; in Prague, Czech Republic, June 30 and July 1, a gala dinner and a conference examining how President Reagan might approach current Central European issues hosted by the Foreign Ministry; and in London, England, July 4, the unveiling of a statue of President Reagan in Grosvenor Square and a black-tie gala at The Guildhall where Prime Minister Thatcher hosted President Reagan on his return from a summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in June 1988."

FIRST LOOK: MOST THINK ECONOMY STILL IN RECESSION - Latest Hamilton Place Strategies consumer sentiment survey has a stunning finding: Two years after the official end of the recession, 66 percent of Americans still believe the U.S. is in a recession and another 29 percent say the recession ended but that it still feels like a recession. This should help explain why consumer spending/confidence are still so tenuous.

MEDIAWATCH - N.Y. Times A1, "Abramson to Succeed Keller as Executive Editor of The Times," by Jeremy W. Peters: "Jill Abramson, a former investigative reporter who rose to prominence as a Washington correspondent and editor, will become the next executive editor of The New York Times, succeeding Bill Keller, who is stepping down to become a full-time writer for the paper. Ms. Abramson has been one of Mr. Keller's two top deputies since 2003, serving at his side as he steered The Times through a period of journalistic distinction and economic distress. Mr. Keller said that with the paper's finances now on surer footing, he felt at ease handing the reins to Ms. Abramson. The move was accompanied by another shift in senior management. Dean Baquet, the Washington bureau chief and former editor of The Los Angeles Times, will become the managing editor for news. ...

"Ms. Abramson ... will become the first woman to be editor of the paper in its 160-year history ... The appointments are effective Sept. 6. ... Over the course of Mr. Keller's tenure, the paper won 18 Pulitzer Prizes ... Mr. Keller will continue to write for The Times Magazine and as a columnist for the new Sunday opinion section, which will make its debut this month. ... Mr. Keller, 62, is still a few years shy of the paper's mandatory retirement age for senior executives, but he held the top job for roughly the same period of time as Max Frankel and Joseph Lelyveld, two of the editors who preceded him. Mr. Frankel and Mr. Lelyveld returned to the newsroom for the announcement. ... Abramson, 57, said being named executive editor was 'the honor of my life' and like 'ascending to Valhalla' ... Mr. Baquet, 54, ... said he had a collaborative relationship with the new editor ... Keller ... did rule out one project. 'I won't be writing a book about The New York Times.”

SCOTT PELLEY debuts today as anchor and managing editor of the 'CBS Evening News.'

OLYMPICS BIDDING - "Stage set for high-stakes US TV rights bidding," by AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson, in Lausanne, Switzerland: "With Dick Ebersol out of the picture, NBC's multi-billion-dollar grip on the most valuable property in sports faces a serious challenge this week when U.S. networks bid on the next set of Olympic television rights. NBC, the Olympic network in the United States for much of the past two decades, goes up against ESPN/ABC and Fox in a high-stakes auction that could potentially command fees of more than $2 billion for two games and more than $4 billion for four. Network executives will make closed-door presentations and sealed bids to the International Olympic Committee on Monday and Tuesday, the first U.S. broadcast rights contest in eight years. ... Up for grabs are the exclusive rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a new twist, the networks are also free to bid on a four-games package including the 2018 and 2020 Games, whose sites have not yet been selected."

COMING ATTRACTIONS, SUMMER MOVIES – The big blockbuster summer movies are upon us, here is a quick review of what is to come:

X-Men: First Class (June): Every good superhero story needs an origin myth, so here is one for the X-Men, a merry band of mutants who hang around a giant mansion in tight latex suits and, presumably, have mutant power-fueled orgies.
Rink Rats prediction: weak at best.

Bad Teacher (June): Cameron Diaz dirties it up as a foul-mouthed, drug using teacher who is… uh, bad at her job. Then she meets a substitute teacher played by Diaz’s real-life ex Justin Timberlake. He’s rich so she decides to snag him and figures the best way to do so is get a boob job.
Rink Rats prediction: are you kidding, don’t waste your time.

Larry Crowne (July): Tom Hanks stars in and directs this romantic comedy about a lovable schlub who goes back to school and finds a new lease on life. He also finds a lady love in Julia Robert’s grumpy and dissatisfied professor.
Rink Rats prediction: are the Orange County Housewives still on this summer?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (July): The end. After all the books were done, we could at least still look forward to the movies, but now even that is over. Harry finally faces down Voldemort, there’s a giant battle at Hogwarts, and many beloved characters die.
Rink Rats prediction: for the cultists a must see, everyone else back to Orange County Housewives.

Cowboys & Aliens (July): Hm, is that title not self-explanatory enough for you? Daniel Craig plays a mysterious loner with no memory and a strange metallic something attached to his wrist, while Harrison Ford is the dictatorial ruler of a small Western town who has it out for Craig.
Rink Rats prediction: is there a Woody Allen film this summer, please?

Our Idiot Brother (August): A Sundance hit that seems to have been repackaged as a bigger, broader comedy, Paul Rudd who annoyingly interferes with the lives of his sisters.
Rink Rats prediction: sounds too close to home, back to The Golf Channel.

We better hope next week we find some good summer reading, because our summer movie choices are few and far between.

Next week, gardening, cooking, Dear Rink Rats and summer reading.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
June 6, 2011

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