Every year at this time I travel down to the Coachella
Valley for a Thanksgiving break. A few observations and insights to this annual
event:
Two major observations this year: (1). Many more families
travelled with dogs this year, and (2). The number of blonde haired women was
dramatically high compared to past years. What does this mean? People are
lonely and picky.
As you can see the vistas are fantastic, the light shining
on the mountains is spectacular this time of year and the warm days, cool
nights provide a relaxing environment to play tennis, golf, swim, and even
shop.
The highlights –
Day 1 – The decompression day, after many weeks of playing
Michael Clayton and Lawrence Summers, it takes a day to get into the desert
mode. After some wine and a spa we are there.
Day 2 – Two words: “over eat”. Enough said.
Day 3 – I enjoy the game of golf, today is my day to
humiliate myself in public at a golf course I do not deserve to play but I can
afford to play. I don’t deserve to play because I STINK! Golf is an odd game,
you think it would be simple, not like baseball, football or soccer, the ball
is stationary. What could be so hard to hit a stationary object? Let’s just say
I need at least four weeks’ worth of confessions to Holy Family Parish to make
up for the language used on this day.
Day 4 – Pay Back day; since I got to play golf yesterday
today is pay back day, the obligatory browsing through quaint shops where the
only clothes I could fit into are handkerchiefs. To lie around the pool and
watch all those dogs and blonde women. It is also picture day, family photos,
group photos, landscape photos, fountain photos, dog photos, and yes blonde
women photos.
All in all a very nice four days, I accomplished very
little, but to me that is what some time off is all about. Michael Clayton here
I come.
SNEAK
PEEK
– “The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2014” lists these as the "Top 10
News Topics of 2013 ": "1. Budget Disputes Force a U.S. Government
Shutdown ... 2. Syria's Civil War Intensifies; Chemical Weapons Are Used ... 3.
U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Voting Rights, Same-Sex Marriage ... 4. Leaked
Documents Reveal Widespread U.S. Surveillance Program ... 5. Military Removes
Egypt's President ... 6. Bombs Explode at the Boston Marathon ... 7. As Gun
Violence Continues, Gun Control Legislation Falls ... 8. New Leader of the
Roman Catholic Church Is Elected ... 9. Athletes Make News Off the Field
[baseball PEDs, Lance Armstrong, Oscar Pistorius, Aaron Hernandez, NFL head
injuries] ... 10. Heir to the British Throne Is Born."
COLLEGE
CHRONICLES -- L.A. Times col. 1, "Entry to college may get
easier: A smaller pool of high school seniors could mean more admission offers
for applicants," by Larry Gordon : "After a long stretch of rising
competition in college admissions, the numbers this year may be on the side of
students ... the smallest group in years applying to college. The population
dip won't bust open the doors to Stanford, Harvard, UCLA and other highly
selective campuses. But many experts predict it will be somewhat easier to
obtain admission offers from many good, even competitive, schools. And
colleges, particularly private ones that are not the top brand names, are
working harder to court applicants, recruiting farther from their campuses and
sweetening financial aid offers. To students, the demographic dip offers a bit
of hope after months of writing essays, taking entrance exams and gathering
recommendation letters. This is crunch time ... Students typically don't find
out where they've been accepted until the spring.
"The numbers of high school graduates across the
country rose from 2.6 million in 1996-97 to a peak of 3.4 million in 2010-11,
as the children of later baby boomers matured into 12th-graders. Then a decline
began and the low point will be this year's 3.2 million nationally, according
to a report by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The
incoming college freshman pool may shrink further since Latinos comprise a
rising portion of high school graduates but enroll in college at relatively low
rates."
SPEAKING
OF THE L.A. TIMES – Have you visited their digital web site
recently. What a waste of space. Somebody at The L.A. Times needs to figure
this one out. Also, did you see the “sell out” front page edition on November 27?
Where the front page content was reduced in half by an advertisement for a
Disney movie: the end is near.
NASDAQ
POPS BACK OVER 4000 - The Nasdaq ... closed above 4000 for the
first time in 13 years, the latest milestone in a 2013 stock rally fueled by
easy money from the Fed and robust investor demand for a broader swath of
fast-expanding companies. A rise of 23.18 points Tuesday to 4017.75 put the
index up 33% for the year. It remains more than 1000 points below its record
close of 5048.62 on March 10, 2000. Both the S&P 500 ... and the Dow ...
have surpassed records with regularity this year. The Dow has set 43 all-time
closing highs in 2013. The last Nasdaq close above 4000 came at the end of the
dot-com boom, on Sept. 7, 2000. The S&P 500 has climbed 26% this year,
while the Dow has gained 23%.
THE BIG
PICTURE -- Democrats Run Biggest Cities as U.S. Residents Cluster
by Party: Twenty years ago, half the 12 largest U.S. municipalities had a
Republican mayor. When Bill de Blasio takes office in New York on Jan. 1, none
will. As middle-class residents moved out of cities and immigrants and young
people replaced them, the party lost its grip on population centers even as it
increased control of governor's offices and legislatures. The polarization has
pitted urban interests against rural areas and suburbs, denying Republicans a
power base. “The New York election hopefully is somewhat of a wake-up call”,
said Scott Smith, the Republican mayor of Mesa, Ariz., and president of the
U.S. Conference of Mayors. “If that doesn't get Republicans on the national
level more interested, then it should”.
WHAT
WOULD WALTER CRONKITE SAY? - CBS: Lara Logan, producer ordered to
take leave: CBS ordered '60 Minutes' correspondent Lara Logan and her producer
to take a leave of absence Tuesday following a critical internal review of
their handling of the show's October story on the Benghazi raid, based on a
report on a supposed witness whose story can't be verified. The review, by CBS
News executive Al Ortiz, ... said the '60 Minutes' team should have done a
better job vetting the story that featured a security contractor who said he
was at the U.S. mission in Libya the night it was attacked last year. ... The
report also said Logan should not have done the story in the first place after
making a speech in Chicago a year ago claiming that it was a lie that America's
military had tamed al-Qaida.
CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager, ... also the '60 Minutes'
executive producer, said he had asked Logan and her producer, Max McClellan, to
take a leave ... of an undetermined length. ... Ortiz said CBS also erred in
not acknowledging that [the source's] book telling his Benghazi story, which
has been pulled from the shelves, was published by a fellow CBS Corp. company.
BIRTHDAYS
THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Tyra Banks
(40), Kim Basinger (60), Teri Hatcher (49), Edwin Meese III (82), Ozzy Osbourne
(65), Aaron Rodgers (30), Monica Seles (30).
HOLIDAY
DINING – We begin our holiday dining series this week, our first stop
is to a very familiar place: The Parkway Grill, 510 South Arroyo Parkway in
Pasadena, California (626) 795-1001. The Parkway Grill continues to be one of
the best dining experiences in Southern California, especially this time of
year. Have a martini at the bar served by one of the best bartenders in the
business, Mark Brown, even though he is a Notre Dame fan, this hardship does
not defer from his expertise as a mixologist.
The Smith Brothers’ trend-setter in regional American
cuisine, since 1984 continues to define dining in the city and beyond. Parkway
Grill specializes in a seasonal, market-driven approach to cooking that
incorporates diverse influences and classic French technique showcasing an
intriguing array of dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Demonstrating the
ultimate commitment to fresh produce, Parkway Grill planted its own organic
vegetable and herb garden behind the restaurant, which continues to thrive on a
piece of prime real estate in the heart of Pasadena.
We recommend reservations well in advance or just sit in the
bar for a wonderful holiday treat.
BLACK
FRIDAY IS OFFICIALLY OUT OF HAND: We predict stores will make
huge changes next year to lower the temperature reflected in NYDailyNews.com
headline, "Several injured as retailers open doors earlier than ever on
Thanksgiving, sparking brawls between bargain hunters nationwide." ...
#WalmartFights trending on Twitter. ... San Bernardino (Calif.) Sun:
"Rialto Walmart Thanksgiving brawl sends one police officer to
hospital" ...
--HuffPost retail reporter Kim Bhasin was inside the story,
ahead of the 8 p.m. opening of the Macy's flagship in Manhattan's Herald Square
: "Lines snake out from each of the store's many entrances, hugging its
exterior walls and curling around the block. ... A New York Police Department
van sits nearby, a half-dozen officers watching over the scene with
semi-automatic rifles in hand. The largest crowd lingers outside the main
entrance on Broadway, corralled in barricades so they don't spill out too far
into the square. TV crews scamper around ... I stand alongside a throng of
photographers, cameramen and reporters who have stationed themselves around
what will become the point of peak hysteria. ...
[Store employees] count down from 10 ... 'WOOOOOOOOOOOO!'
come the screams as shoppers jockey for positions. First they must make it
through the heavy outer doors, as security personnel loom over the scene, and
then through a second logjam at the inner doors. Finally, they enter the media
funnel, and brave photographers step into the flow of traffic, cameras flashing
like strobes. Phones thrust in the air record the scene and the shoppers take
in the attention, waving to reporters and howling all the way. .. The
once-gleaming displays of handbags are already in shambles -- $300 purses with
their zippers open, strewn across tables.
MEGATRENDS
-
"Global economic outlook: Consumer of Last Resort Missing as U.S. Leaves
the World Behind," by Bloomberg's Simon Kennedy: "Not long ago,
before the financial crisis and the global recession it triggered, economists
referred to Americans as the consumers of last resort. When the U.S. grew at a
healthy pace, its citizens were buyers, fueling demand for the goods China and
other nations produced. They kept the world economy humming. It may not work
that way anymore, Bloomberg Markets magazine will report in its January issue.
A rebounding U.S. is giving less support to global growth than in the past.
Homegrown demand and production are more important drivers of the world's
biggest economy than they were a decade ago. ... Oil and Gas exploration and
production are adding to growth, and the country is spending less on imported
energy. Cheaper fuel and raw materials are boosting manufacturing as well,
making the U.S. more of a competitor to emerging-markets nations and less a
reliable consumer of their goods. ...
"The U.S. is likely to grow 2.6 percent in 2014 and 3
percent in 2015, according to the median forecast of economists surveyed by
Bloomberg News, up from an estimated 1.7 percent in 2013. ... Strengthening in
the U.S. economy and weakening in China, India, Brazil and elsewhere reverses
the trend that had shaped global growth since 2008. Emerging markets fared
better than the U.S. and Europe during the global recession that followed the
credit market freeze and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Now,
their luster is dimming. ... The recovery in U.S. manufacturing is being driven
not only by cheaper energy but also by lower labor costs. Citigroup predicts a
reversal of the 50-year decline in manufacturing's share of GDP, helped by
more-competitive worker wages. Companies are even pulling back production from
China and other emerging markets."
TOUGH
DECEMBER AHEAD FOR CONGRESS - From the confirmation of a new Fed
chairman to the expiration of dairy pricing rules, House and Senate leaders
head into the final month of 2013 with a checklist that is short but critical..
... Rather than syncing up those final two weeks, the House comes in Monday and
expects to adjourn for the year by Dec. 13, while the Senate does not return
from the Thanksgiving break until Dec. 9 and has Dec. 20 at its tentative
departure date.
That leaves only a few mid-December days for in-person
negotiations among top congressional leaders. ... [Budget] talks now focus on
just a few possible trade-offs that give agencies some relief from the
sequestration caps set in the 2011 [BCA] ... in exchange for some savings drawn
from entitlement programs. Still, many insiders are betting that even a small
bargain is beyond reach and that, instead, congressional leaders will have to
figure out early next year how to keep the government running when funding
authority expires Jan. 15.
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/7, 8:17 PM ET, Fox;
The Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis pits #2 Ohio State Buckeyes
(12-0) vs. #10 Michigan State Spartans (11-1). Guess what an upset looms,
Sparty 24 Buckeyes 17. Season to date (9-5)
SMALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/7, 1:00 PM ET,
ESPNU: the D-III quarter-finals in Whitewater Wisconsin. #2 Linfield Wildcats
(11-0) visit #5 University of Wisconsin Whitewater Warhawks (12-0). We like the
Wildcats to pull an upset and win one for the west coast, Linfield 28
Whitewater 24. Season to date (9-3)
NFL
PICK OF THE WEEK – Sunday 12/8, 4:25 PM ET, Fox: Seattle Seahawks
(10-1) at San Francisco 49ers (8-4). A must game for the 49ers and coming off a
tough Monday night game the Seahawks will be prime for a loss – 49ers 32
Seattle 21. Season
to date (10-2)
THE
SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –
(NCAA, Dec. 7) #7 Stanford
Cardinal (10-2) 28 at #11 Arizona
State Sun Devils (10-2) 21
(NCAA Hockey, Dec. 7) Clarkson Golden Knights (10-3-1) 4
at St. Lawrence Saints (8-6-2) 5
(NHL, Dec. 7) Pittsburgh Penguins (18-9-1) 4 at Boston Bruins (18-7-2) 2
(NFL Upset of the Week, Dec. 8) Oakland Raiders (4-8)
24 at New York Jets (5-7) 21
Season
to date (46-39)
DOME
ANNIVERSARY – on December 2, 1863 (150 years ago) the Capital in Washington D.C. was
completed. The Capital Dome is set for a two year $100 million renovation
beginning next month.
MARKET
WEEK
- Amid growing concerns about a stock bubble, Wall Street's major averages come
off a third straight month of gains, with the S&P 500 on track for its best
yearly gain since 1998. Possible stumbling blocks include the November jobs
report due this Friday, and the Fed policy meeting set for December 17-18.
DRIVING
THE WEEK – Success or failure
of re-launched HealthCare.gov will be the dominant political story ... Senate
is not back until next week so talks toward a fiscal deal will remain slow (or
mostly nonexistent). Huge week for economic data beginning with ISM
manufacturing this morning at 10:00 a.m. expected to dip to 55.1 from 56.4 ...
Treasury Secretary Lew meets today with Italian Minister of Economy and Finance
Fabrizio Saccomanni. ... Auto sales Tuesday afternoon expected to rise to 15.8M
from 15.2M ... ADP employment at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday expected to rise to 180K
from 130K ...
ISM non-manufacturing on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. expected to
slip to 55.0 from 55.4 ... New homes sales on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. expected
to rise to 430K from 421K ... Second estimate of Q3 GDP on Thursday at 8:30
a.m. expected to rise to 3.0% from 2.8% ... BLS employment report for November
at 8:30 a.m. expected to show gain of 183K with unemployment dipping to 7.2%
from 7.3% ... Personal income at 8:30 a.m. Friday expected to rise 0.3% with
nominal spending up 0.2% ... Univ. of Michigan consumer sentiment at 9:55 a.m.
expected to rise to 76.0 from 75.1
QUOTE
OF THE MONTH – “Failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change
might be.” – John Wooden
THIS
WEEK’S POLL – How many
newspapers do you read daily??
Answer:
-
Zero
-
One
-
Two
-
Three
-
Four
-
More than four
Next
week: holiday movies, Dear Rink Rats, and my workspace.
Until Next Monday, 假期愉快(jia
chi yu kwai) “Happy Festival (Holidays)”.
La Quinta, CA
December 2, 2013
#IV-33, 190
No comments:
Post a Comment