Turkey Trot

It is Thanksgiving Week, oh the horror: travel, cooking, cleaning, family, Detroit Lions football, Hallmark Channel Christmas movies – it can all be very unsettling.

It is not all unsettling, this past week in Southern California there have been cloudless skies and temperatures in the eighties. November weather is the best this time of year.

A few Rink Rats Thanksgiving Week tips –

AN ENLIGHTENED THANKSGIVING – The horror of a Thanksgiving dinner strategy whose planning would make a Four Star General cringe.; the unlimited shopping lists, various turkey cooking styles, the best wine and cocktails, and of course the decorations.

This year keep it simple, so turn off The Food Network. A fresh free-range bird set to high heat will cook to just 6 to 8 minutes a pound (most birds are done in two-and-half hours). Prepare one simple, original vegetable dish and then outsource the other sides, meaning have each guest bring their favorite or use the freezer. A no-fuss sausage and country bread version stuffing prepared in advance say Tuesday or Wednesday.

Now the gravy, which pulls the whole meal together, dialing up the flavor of everything on the plate: Turkey has the best sauce potential of any beast. A rich stock of necks and giblets is combined with pan juices and red wine for a great sauce- no flour-thickening necessary.

Wine: one red preferably a Pinot and a White (you make the call), we like Paso Robles, California wineries.

Dessert - simple, pumpkin pie from your favorite bakery.

See how easy that is, I wish I had an answer for the Detroit Lions football game.

THANKSGIVING MOVIES – since we are home for a few days how about our favorite Thanksgiving themed movies:

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Easily excitable Neal Page (Steve Martin) is somewhat of a control freak. Trying to get home to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his wife (Laila Robbins) and kids, his flight is rerouted to a distant city in Kansas because of a freak snowstorm, and his sanity begins to fray. Worse yet, he is forced to bunk up with talkative Del Griffith (John Candy), whom he finds extremely annoying. Together they must overcome the insanity of holiday travel to reach their intended destination.

Release date: November 25, 1987

Director: John Hughes

Screenplay: John Hughes

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is the tenth prime-time animated TV special based upon the popular comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally aired on the CBS network on November 20, 1973, and won an Emmy Award the following year.

Directors: Bill Melendez, Phil Roman

First episode date: November 20, 1973

Home for the Holidays: When her teenage daughter opts out of Thanksgiving, single mother Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) travels alone to her childhood home for an explosive holiday dinner with her dysfunctional family. Claudia quickly tires of her parents, her long-suffering sister (Cynthia Stevenson), her snobby brother-in-law (Steve Guttenberg) and her nutty aunt (Geraldine Chaplin). But the evening gets interesting when sparks fly between Claudia and her brother's handsome friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott).

Release date: November 3, 1995 

Director: Jodie Foster

Other People’s Money: "Larry the Liquidator" Garfield (Danny DeVito) is a corporate raider, deconstructing companies and selling off the parts for a profit. His new target is a small-town cable company that employs the majority of the town's residents. With everyone's livelihood depending on him, company chairman Andrew Jorgenson (Gregory Peck) hires his sexy stepdaughter, Kate (Penelope Ann Miller), to distract the ruthless raider. Larry takes the bait -- and soon finds that he must choose between Kate and money. The film is centered on Thanksgiving in Vermont.

Initial release: 1991

Director: Norman Jewison

Screenplay: Alvin Sargent

CIDER – What could pair better with Thanksgiving than the Pilgrims’ favorite beverage? Hard apple ciders are surging in popularity, but you may have to get past the top sellers to find dry, structured offerings that can stand up to the turkey feast.

Eden Sparkling Dry Cider – This Vermont product features the Kingston Black cider apple, a classic.

Downeast Cider House Original Blend – Though made from eating apples like McIntosh and Gala, this Boston cider strikes a balance between sweet and bone dry.

Famum Hill Extra Dry – This delicious, very dry cider from New Hampshire uses cider apples only.

RINK RATS WEATHER – Thanksgiving Forecasts:

Claremont, California: 64 degrees and clear skies

Jackson, Michigan: 54 degrees and rain

Littleton, Colorado: 30 degrees and snow

Central Park, New York: 61 degrees and clear

Tucson, Arizona: 68 degrees and clear

Orlando, Florida: 77 degrees and sunny skies

St. Paul, Minnesota: 32 degrees and snow

Hanapepe, Kauai, Hawaii: 82 degrees and rain

WHAT’S ON THE iPAD? – five songs we are listening to this week:

1). “A Buena Vista”, 2004 – Luis Frank Arias

2). “Call Me The Breeze”, 1974 – Lynyrd Skynyrd

3). “Chain of Fools”, 1968 – Aretha Franklin

4). “Why I Sing the Blues”, 1983 – B.B. King

5). “Someone to Watch Over Me”, 1950 – Ella Fitzgerald

COLLEGE CHRONICLES - Colleges update mascots, mottos, amid pressure from students: Amherst College has turned on its mascot. Georgetown University is renaming buildings. Union College has a new motto. Faced with growing pressure from students, colleges across the U.S. are updating campus fixtures that have been deemed insensitive or outdated. Inspired by racially charged protests at the University of Missouri, students have demanded tweaks of that type among broader calls for improved treatment of minority students.

TRUMP'S WEEKEND - In case you somehow missed it, Donald Trump this weekend suggested it was A-OK that attendees at one of his events in Alabama "roughed up" a Black Lives Matter protester, cleared up any controversy by saying he would absolutely consider making all Muslims in the U.S. register in a database, retweeted grossly inaccurate statistics on the racial breakdown of murders in the United States and again said (completely erroneously) that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey cheered for 9/11. Will any of these things hurt his poll numbers? Probably not.

But every time Trump strides deeper into the darker corners of the American electorate the harder it will be for him to ever galvanize the entire Republican party and actually win the nomination, not to mention the White House. Keep your eye on Ted Cruz who has surged into second place in Iowa according to the latest CBS News poll. Marco Rubio comes in third and could still eventually find himself in a one-on-one fight with Cruz if he can get his fundraising together.

MACRI WINS IN ARGENTINA – From our University friends in Buenos Aires: Mauricio Macri, the centre-right mayor of Buenos Aires who has vowed to bring change to Argentina, won presidential elections on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new political era for South America's second-largest economy. ... The 56-year-old son of an Italian construction magnate won 51.6 per cent of the vote, leaving Daniel Scioli, the government-backed governor of the province of Buenos Aires, on 48.3 per cent, with more than 97 per cent of the vote counted.

The victory for the former president of Boca Juniors, one of Argentina's most popular football clubs, brings an end to 12 years of populist rule by the outgoing leftist president, Cristina Fernández, and her late husband and predecessor, Néstor Kirchner, who took power in 2003 in the wake of a devastating economic crisis. The shift to the right in Argentina comes as many leftwing leaders in Latin America, especially in Brazil and Venezuela, are suffering plunging popularity ratings and tanking economies as the resource-rich region adjusts to the end of a decade-long economic boom spurred by high commodity prices.

HUGE SCANDAL BREWING - Inquiry Grows Into Intelligence On ISIS Surge: At the U.S. military's Central Command (Centcom), analysts say that supervisors revised conclusions to mask some of the American military's failures in training Iraqi troops and beating back the Islamic State. ... Military officials have told Congress that some ... emails and documents may have been deleted before they had to be turned over to investigators ...

Current and former officials have separately made similar claims ... to The New York Times. ... The insurrection inside Centcom is an important chapter in the story of how the United States responded to the growing threat from the Islamic State. This past summer, a group of Centcom analysts took concerns about their superiors to the inspector general, saying they had evidence that senior officials had changed intelligence assessments to overstate the progress of American airstrikes against ... ISIS. ... Centcom's official posture remained generally upbeat. ...

"Obama and senior intelligence officials have acknowledged that the Islamic State's rapid emergence caught them by surprise. At the least, the prospect that senior officials intentionally skewed intelligence conclusions has raised questions about how much Mr. Obama, Congress and the public can believe the military's assessments.”

THE BIGGEST PILL - Pfizer and Allergan have agreed on a historic merger deal worth more than $150 billion. The tie-up would create the world’s biggest drug maker and accelerate the rapid pace of health-care consolidation. It would also move one of the top names in corporate America to a foreign country, in the largest so-called inversion ever. Such deals enable a U.S. company to move abroad and take advantage of a lower corporate tax rate elsewhere. The news comes days after the Treasury Department released new rules aiming to curb such deals. Analysts said the rules didn’t appear to be able to thwart a combination of Pfizer and Allergan, though the risk of government action remains.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Traci Attman a belated birthday wish, Vice President Joe Biden (73) Washington D.C., Bo Derek (59) Montecito, CA, Danny DeVito (71) Malibu, CA, Goldie Hawn (70) Beverly Hills, CA, Megyn Kelly (45) New York, NY, Gordon Lightfoot (77) Toronto, Canada, Martin Scorsese (73) Miami, FL.

A GOOD READ – Maureen Dowd’s ‘Just Get Us in the Room’: Our Favorite Quotations From the Women of Hollywood http://nyti.ms/1NgE9jg

SPOTTED - St. Lawrence University President Bill Fox (75’) and his wife Lynn, along with VP of Advancement Tom Pynchon at Tuscany iI Ristorante in Westlake Village, CA updating friends and alumni on events at THE St. Lawrence University.

NFL PICK OF THE WEEK – Thursday 11/26, 4:30 PM ET CBS; Carolina Panthers (10-0) at Dallas Cowboys (3-7), its’ Thanksgiving Day and Tony Romo is back, The Boys end Carolina’s win streak 21 – 17. Season to date (6-5)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/28, 12:00 PM ET ABC; #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1) at #12 University of Michigan Wolverines (9-2).

Q: A Michigan kid and an Ohio kid are in the third grade. Who is bigger?

A: The Ohio kid of course. He's 16.

Q: What do OSU and U of M students have in common?

A: They both got in to Ohio State!

Michigan wins 24 – 20.

 Season to date (8-4)

SMALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/28, 6:00 PM ET HGTV; #25 Cortland State Red Dragons (9-2) at #2 Linfield Widcats (10-0), Cortland must travel cross country to Oregon, enjoy the rain: Linfield wins 32 – 20. Season to date (11-1)

COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/28, 7:00 PM ET OSN; #11 Yale University Bulldogs (5-1-2) at #1 Providence College Friars (8-0-3), Yale upsets the Friars 5 – 4. Season to date (0-1).

THE SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

(NCAA, Nov. 28) UCLA Bruins (8-3) at #25 USC Trojans (7-4); the Bruins are too inconsistent; SC wins the rivalry game 38 – 31.

(NFL, Nov. 29) New England Patriots (9-0) at Denver Broncos (9-2); the annual carnage for Denver against Tom Brady: Pats win big 35 – 21.

(NHL, Nov.29) Dallas Stars (17-4-0) at Minnesota Wild (11-5-3); two of the NHL’s best thus far this season, we like Dallas 3 – 2.

Season to date (91-58)

MARKET WEEK - Wall Street posted its best week of the year last week. That upswing could continue into this shortened Thanksgiving week, usually a good one for the market.

The S&P 500 is coming off its best week since October 2014, with a gain of 3.3 percent. The Dow rose 3.4 percent in its best week in six weeks. The Nasdaq was up nearly 3.6 percent for its best week in four months.

U.S. oil prices were volatile this morning, off more than 3 percent before recovering. Continuing worries over a global supply surplus and the stronger dollar were adding to the uncertainty.

DRIVING THE WEEK – This is family week and Michigan vs. Ohio State week. Not much else matters.  J

Next week: On Demand Economy, Career Services and Words of the Month

Until Next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA

November 23, 2015

#VI-20-282

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – Doonesbury, Garry Trudeau

Bosses & Employees

Dear Rink Rats:

Can bosses be friends with their employees? When I started my business at 22, I didn’t think about it. Since then, my opinion has been shaped and battered through 36 years of torture, disappointment, disbelief, inspiration, support and appreciation.

I now have 110 employees, many of whom have been with me for more than 15 years — with an average tenure of nine years. But do I consider them my friends? Sure, some. I would certainly say I am on friendly terms with all of them. Some owners call their employees their family. Is that better or worse than calling them friends? I guess it depends on how you feel about your family!

Signed,

Small Businessman in Glendora

Dear Small Businessman in Glendora:

Over the course of my career I had come to the conclusion that you can be friends with some of your employees — but not at the expense of being the boss. It has to be boss first, friend second. It is just like being a parent. Parent first, friend second.

But many employees don’t really need a boss. Yes, they may still need mentoring, and they may still make mistakes (just like the boss). But they take responsibility and try to do the right thing. They can be trusted. They look out for the best interest of the company. They work with you, not for you. They don’t need a boss in the worst sense of the word. But then there are always the “Facebook Employees” who have no common sense and require the supervision of a pre-schooler.

I am sure there are many business owners who would say that some of their employees are their best friends, and I am equally sure that many business owners would say you cannot be friends with your employees. So what is the right answer?

The answer depends largely on what your definition of a friend is. Sure, there might be a difference between a business friend and a lifelong friend. But in my case, I have numerous people who fit into both categories. And that makes me very happy and fortunate. Personally, I cannot imagine spending 50 some hours a week, dealing with the joys of victory and the agony of defeat, by myself.

Sincerely,

Rink Rats

JACK ASS OF THE MONTH - GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson argued on Sunday that anyone with “big frontal lobes” could see that the U.S. must not accept refugees from Syria.

Following recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Carson vowed to reverse President Barack Obama’s policy of accepting up to 10,000 Syrian refugees.

“Bringing people into this country from that area of the world, I think, is a huge mistake,” Carson opined to Fox News host Chris Wallace. “Because why wouldn’t [ISIS] infiltrate [the refugees] with people who are ideologically opposed to us? It would be foolish for them not to do that.”

“We should use our expertise and resources to help get them resettled — over there — and to support them over there,” he said. “But to bring them here under these circumstances is a suspension of intellect.”

“You know that the human brain has these big frontal lobes, as opposed to other animals, because we can engage in rational thought processing.”

The former neurosurgeon noted that his advanced brain gave him the ability to “extract information from the past [and] present, process it, and project it into a plan.”

“Animals, on the other hand, have big brain stems and rudimentary things because they react,” Carson explained. “We don’t have to just react, we can think.”

For these insightful comments Mr. Carson is our Jack Ass of the Month.

OPEN SEASON - Moving toward its third year of full implementation, the Affordable Care Act’s strains are showing as the law starts to transform the insurance industry. This enrollment season will be a challenge: The Obama administration and insurers are trying to lure holdouts who haven’t previously signed up for ACA coverage, even as premiums for many products appear set to rise sharply. Behind those increases is a tough business reality: While the industry’s total U.S. revenue has expanded, much of that growth has been unprofitable. The health law remade the individual market and insurers struggled to predict their costs. Now, insurers are recalibrating their approach for 2016, with changes visible at all levels of the industry.

COLLEGE CHRONICLES – Racism Issue Continues: Dean of students at Claremont McKenna College steps down in response to protests over treatment of students of color. New York Times: http://nyti.ms/1ksTxMT

JAPAN RETURNS TO RECESSION - Japan is back in recession after its economy shrank at a worse-than-expected annualised rate of 0.8 percent in the third quarter. The figure, which came in well below expectations of a 0.3 percent fall, is a fresh blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to end deflation and revitalise economic growth. .. Although there is little sign of the economy falling into a downward spiral, sluggish demand makes it harder to persuade companies to raise wages and investment next year. The Bank of Japan regards wage rises as essential for progress towards its goal of 2 percent inflation. ...

However, the breakdown of gross domestic product suggests there is still some momentum in the economy. Almost all of the decline was due to businesses running down inventory, which knocked 2.1 percentage points off annualised growth. By their nature, inventories can only fall so far. Meanwhile consumption contributed an annualised 1.2 percentage points to growth and net exports an annualised gain of 0.4 percentage point.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Boutros Boutros-Ghali (93) Cairo, Egypt; Sam Waterson (75), Huntington, N.Y.; Neil Young (70), Toronto, Canada.

TEN QUESTIONS – Rink Rats continuing series asking ten questions to a Rink Rats follower, this week Ms. Jessica Naccache.

1). Jessica tells us about yourself; where did you grow up, go to high school, college?

I grew up in Covina, CA. I went to Sacred Heart for Elementary, St. Lucy’s Priory for High School, La Sierra University for undergraduate and University of La Verne for graduate.

2). What was your major in undergraduate and graduate study, and why did you select your majors?

I received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting. I wanted to become a doctor and go to Loma Linda University. That is why I received my BS in Biochemistry. After completing a semester of medical school; I decided being a doctor was not for me. Even though I had been exposed to several medical conditions/procedures/treatments/etc. due to my family; it was completely different when my family wasn’t the patient. That is why I decided to go into healthcare administration. It would combine my passion of healthcare and my business intellect. I chose Accounting as my emphasis because I love numbers.

3). Tells us about your career thus far.

It was hard to start my career in healthcare administration. I started as an executive assistant and contract administrator for a community hospital. After that, I tried to focus on my love for number and went into a finance position. I left there after a year and returned to healthcare administration. I needed both, numbers and healthcare. Less than a year ago, Alta Hospitals System, LLC; a parent company of Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc.; gave me an opportunity to grow in my career as Manager of Finance Operations. I was very excited for the chance to grow and be exposed to several hospitals. At the end of August 2015; my boss, Corporate/Regional Director of Finance Operations, gave her resignation. In September 2015; I was promoted as the interim Corporate Director of Finance Operations. I oversee 7 hospitals currently and am building my team. Once I accomplish 2 major corporate projects and build my team successfully; I will be able to become a permanent (not interim) director.

4). What have been the most positive and negative aspects of your professional career thus far?

A positive aspect is that healthcare is a small community. I have met several people in my current role from my previous companies. They know my potential and strengths; so they support my growth. Another positive aspect is that healthcare is growing; there are so many opportunities to grow and learn. A negative aspect is that healthcare is a hard community. You have to prove yourself often to even have the opportunity to grow. Another negative aspect is that it is hard to jump into management in healthcare. You must show your potential. But once you do show your potential, there are tons of opportunities.

5). How do you see your career progressing?

I would like to run a hospital or a group of hospitals as an administrator initially and eventually as a CEO. It will take me time but that is how I see my career progressing.

6). How has education added to your life and career as of today?

Education has given me the tools to be able to do my job well. In my MBA curriculum, I was exposed to a lot of things. This helped me see the big picture and helped me know what it takes to run a company.

7). What is your perfect summer vacation?

A nice beach so I can swim, tan, and enjoy. Of course, some cocktails are necessary.

8). If you had some "mad money" what would you purchase and why?

I would invest it and spend the interest. I would do that so I could have the tax write off and still enjoy the money. With the interest, I would travel, buy a nice home, buy a nice car, and just enjoy life.

9). What are you currently reading?

Patients Come Second: Leading Change by Changing the Way You Lead by Paul Spiegelman

10). Define happiness.

Happiness is being able to wake up in the morning and thank God for everything He has given you in spite of all the negativity that may cloud the positivity.

LIKELY HEIR? - Vin Scully is (likely) heading into his final season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and on Wednesday, the team just might have hired his successor.

Joe Davis, currently with FOX Sports, where he calls Major League Baseball, college football and basketball games, will assume play-by-play duties alongside Orel Hershiser and Nomar Garciaparra. The 27-year-old will work 50 road games, with Charley Steiner handling the rest.

NFL PICK OF THE WEEK – Sunday 11/22, 5:30 PM NBC; Cincinnati Bengals (8-0) at Arizona Cardinals (6-2), Bengals will drop their first game; Cardinals 24 – 21. Season to date (5-5)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/21, 12:30 PM ET ABC; #13 Michigan State Spartans (9-1) at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0), the winner moves on to more big games, the loser on to a minor bowl game. Sparty in an upset, 30 – 28. Season to date (7-4)

SMALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/21, 1:00 PM ET HGTV; #1 Mount Union Purple Raiders (10-0) vs. St. Lawrence University Saints (8-2). The first round of the NCAA D-III playoffs, congrats to the Saints for their NCAA appearance but it will be a long Saturday afternoon in Alliance, Ohio: Mt. Union moves on 48 – 14. Season to date (10-1)

COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/21. 7:00 PM ET HGTV; #15 St. Lawrence University Saints (7-3-1) at #4 Quinnipiac University Bobcats (10-0-0), The Saints are off to a good start but a crucial four game road trip will test them, Bobcats take this one 4 – 2. Season to date (0-0).

THE SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

(D-III playoffs, Nov. 21) University of La Verne Leopards (8-1) vs. #4 St. Thomas Tommies (10-0), congrats to ULV for their first SCIAC title since 1994, but don’t look for a warm climate or warm welcome in St. Paul, Minnesota: Tommies are too much 50 – 21.

Season to date (87-57)

DRIVING THE WEEK – Global markets today will continue to react to the events in Paris but large sustained falls seem unlikely ... President Obama is at the G20 meeting in Turkey and will attend a meeting on "enhancing resilience through financial regulation, international tax, anti-corruption and IMF reform" before multiple bilateral meetings and a press conference ... 

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew is also in Turkey for the G20 ... The American Bankers Association and the American Bar Association conference hold the 27th annual Money Laundering Enforcement Conference through Tuesday 17 ... House Financial Services has a hearing Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. on the SEC ... Consumer Prices at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday expected to rise 0.2 percent headline and core ... Industrial Production at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday expected to rise 0.1 percent ... FOMC Minutes out at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday ... Index of Leading Indicators at 10:00 a.m. Thursday expected to rise 0.5 percent.

Next week: What is on the iPad? Holiday Movies.

Until Next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA

November 16, 2015

#VI-19-281

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – 

Financial Aid 101

So let’s start here: The awarding of financial aid is a mix of science and art. For many Colleges and Universities financial aid is one of the key components in the annual bidding war for high school students.

The process begins with filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as Fafsa. Once you do, the federal government determines your Expected Family Contribution, or E.F.C. The government gives away money in the form of Pell and other grants, but most people who have the ability to save a decent amount for college probably earn too much to qualify for those.

So that means you will be seeking grant money from the college itself, which may have its own additional forms for you to fill out and numbers it will run. It uses its own discretion in awarding its money. The E.F.C. formula is intricate and requires 35 pages for the federal government to explain, but the things it emphasizes are clear. Your income matters much more than your savings. The E.F.C. will suggest that you should devote a sliding amount up to 47 percent of your income to college expenses in any given year (birth control anyone), though it will count only up to 5.64 percent of your parent’s assets, like those in a 529 college savings plan.

According to 2013-14 estimates from the College Board, students and their families borrowed $106 billion during that period, compared with the $48 billion that schools gave away in grant money. (Lower-income students, veterans and others got another $49 billion in grants from the federal government.)

Your child will then need to win admission to the college even to have a shot at getting grants, and this is where things start to get more interesting, and also more unpredictable. Many colleges award something called “merit aid,” which has nothing to do with a family’s financial need. Instead, they hand out discounts to students who raise the profile of the entering class – the better to improve the college rankings that determine where so many people apply in the first place.

Finally, here is another factor: The private colleges (and public universities seeking out-of-state students) hope to sway families that wouldn’t pay $30,000 or $40,000 more each year than what their flagship state university costs but might pay $10,000 or $20,000 more, especially if the college identifies the student as especially meritorious.

The College Board affirmed today what college students are already feeling. College tuition prices went up again this school year. Tuition and fee prices rose roughly 3 percent across the higher education sectors this fall compared to last year, keeping pace at about the same rate as it has the last two years, the College Board said in its annual pricing trends report. These increases may seem modest, but do add up. It costs 40 percent more this year to attend a public four-year institution than 10 years ago; nearly 30 percent more to attend a two-year public school; and 26 percent more to go to a private nonprofit.

So what does it cost? On average, tuition and fees to attend a two-year public school for an in-district student are $3,435. For public, four-year schools, the average in-state student faces a $9,410 sticker price and an out-of-state student faces a $23,893 price tag. The average price tag is $32,405 to attend a private college and $15,610 to go to a for-profit one. Of course, posted prices are different than net prices that students pay after grant aid is considered. When grants are taken into account, typical prices went down from the 2005-2006 school year to the 2010-2011 one as federal aid expanded, but since then have been rising.

Also notable was a decline in student borrowing, the College Board says in a separate report focused on financial aid trends. It says that total education loan volume declined by 6 percent in 2014-2015 and was 14 percent lower than in 2010-2011. Average federal loan per undergraduate also declined by 6 percent. It's the fourth consecutive year that borrowing by student declined.

What does this all mean, have your son or daughter be the absolute best at hitting, catching, shooting, or running after a ball, puck, or the clock. OR, get all A’s and manage the local chapter of any charity organization.

COLLEGE CHRONICLES – RACISM AND FOOTBALL IN MISSOURI : A boycott by 32 black football players at the University of Missouri - calling for the resignation or dismissal of the university's president - captivated national attention over the weekend and pushed a long-simmering campus debate into a full-blown crisis. Students have been campaigning against President Tim Wolfe for weeks, accusing him of failing to respond to a climate of racism. The athletic department is backing the football players, and on Sunday canceled practices until a student protester ends his hunger strike. Bowing out of next Saturday's game would cost the university more than $1 million. Sen. Claire McCaskill called for officials to make "an unqualified commitment to address racism on campus." Wolfe wasn't giving in Sunday to the calls for resignation, promising to "create the safe space for a meaningful conversation that promotes change."

The threat of a boycott by the Missouri football team dealt the highest-profile blow to the president, Timothy M. Wolfe, and the chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, but anger at the administration had been growing since August, when the university said it would stop paying for health insurance for graduate teaching and research assistants.

It reversed course, but not before the graduate assistants held demonstrations, threatened a walkout, took the first steps toward forming a union and joined forces with students demonstrating against racism. But it was charges of persistent racism, particularly complaints of racial epithets hurled at the student body president, who is black, that sparked the strongest reactions, along with complaints that the administration did not take the problem seriously enough.

Mr. Wolfe, 57, was hired in 2012 from the corporate world, an outsider brought in to cut costs in the four-campus system. That was no recipe for popularity, but the last three months left him particularly isolated. He announced his resignation just before a meeting of the university’s governing body, the Board of Curators, amid speculation that it might try to oust him.

Mr. Wolfe said he took responsibility for the anger and frustration on campus, asserting that conversations with community leaders, students, faculty, donors and others led him to his decision, more than just the football players’ threatened boycott.

MAKE THE GRADE - Colleges and universities have become one of the most effective lobbying forces in Washington, beating back dozens of government proposals to measure their successes and failures, including a federal ratings system. The higher-education industry employed more lobbyists last year than any other industries except drug manufacturing and technology. The political pressure is rooted in a simple but vexing question: Is the government getting a good return on the money it is pouring into the U.S. college system? There are few clear metrics to determine if schools are succeeding or failing, but colleges and their lobbyists say many of the proposed requirements they opposed would have made it more difficult for colleges to serve students of all different abilities and economic means.

POLITICS 101 - THE ROAD AHEAD: What's ahead in long grind: Nov. 14: The next Democratic debate, a Saturday night in Iowa ... Dec. 15: Republicans ... debate in Nevada ... Dec. 19: Another Saturday debate for the Democrats, in New Hampshire ... Jan. 17: The Democratic debaters, ... with the Congressional Black Caucus as one of the sponsors, in South Carolina. Two more Democratic matchups are expected in February and March. ...

Feb. 1: ... Iowa caucuses ... Feb. 9: ... New Hampshire primary ... Feb. 20: The Republican South Carolina primary ... and the Nevada Democratic caucuses. ... Feb. 23: Nevada Republican caucuses. ... Feb. 26: A planned Republican primary debate in Texas ... Feb. 27: Democratic South Carolina primary.

March 1: ... Super Tuesday [SEC Primary] ... contests ... in 13 states ... March 15: ... primaries in Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri and Florida. ... July 18-21: Republican National Convention, Cleveland ...July 25-28: ... Democrats, in Philadelphia ... Sept. 26: The first of three [nominee debates], in Ohio ... Oct. 4:The running mates debate, [at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., 3 hours from D.C.] ... Oct. 9: The second presidential debate, St. Louis. ... Oct. 19: The last presidential debate, Las Vegas. ... Nov. 8: Election Day.

TWO IN CHINA - China has said it would formally end its notorious one-child policy, which was intended to curb a surging population but has since been blamed for looming demographic problems. In a brief statement, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said all Chinese would be allowed to have two children. It didn’t provide a time frame or any other details.

FIRST DAY OF BUSINESS FOR HP SPINOFFS - After more than a year orchestrating a split, the two companies spun out from the old Hewlett-Packard begin their separate operations today. Former HP CEO Meg Whitman, now head of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, will kick off the occasion by ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange this past Monday morning (the new company will trade as HPE). That company will focus on tech for the business sector, offering IT services, cloud computing, data analytics and more. The other company, HP Inc., will be run by CEO Dion Weisler and contains the old company's printer and PC business. The old HP had a tough run on the stock market in recent years, but Whitman said in a statement that HPE "has the vision, financial resources and flexibility to help customers win while generating growth and long-term value for our shareholders."

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Jane Alexander (76) New Rochelle, NY; Kate Capshaw (62) Montecito, CA; Michael Collins (85) Houston, TX; Tim Cook (55) Palo Alto, CA; Charlie Daniels (79) Irving, TX; Bill Gates (60) Redmond, WA; Bob Gibson (80) St. Louis, MO; Mary Hart (65) Malibu, CA; Carrie Lewis …famous philanthropist; Dennis Miller (62) New York, NY; Brian Doyle-Murray (70) Scarsdale, NY; Markie Post (65) Glendora, CA; Morley Safer (84) Huntington, NY.

CONGRATS TO UNIVERSITY OF LA VERNE - Cool small school story about California’s University of La Verne winning its first league championship in 20 years and only its second playoff appearance in a century. The D3 program is one of the sweeter stories in college football this season and has received a boost from new Defensive Coordinator Oscar Rodriguez, who has beaten cancer twice in his life.

NFL PICK OF THE WEEK – Sunday 11/15, 5:30 PM NBC; Cincinnati Bengals (8-0) at Arizona Cardinals (6-2), Bengals will drop their first game; Cardinals 24 – 21. Season to date (4-5)

NFL HALF WAY POWER RANKINGS –

1). Patriots (8-0), 2). Bengals (8-0), 3). Panthers (8-0), 4). Broncos (7-1), 5). Packers (6-2),

6). Cardinals (6-2), 7). Seahawks (4-4), 8). Vikings (6-2), 9). Steelers (5-4), 10). Rams (4-4)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/14. 4:30 PM Fox; Oregon Ducks (6-3) at #7 Stanford Cardinal (8-1), Cardinal over the Ducks 38 – 30. Season to date (7-3)

SMALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 11/14, 12:00 PM HGTV; Cortland State Red Dragons (7-2) at Ithaca College Bombers (4-5), always a big game in the Southern Tier no matter the records. Red Dragons win 38 – 20. Season to date (9-1)

THE SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

(SCIAC, Nov. 14) California Lutheran Kingsmen (4-4) at University of La Verne Leopards (7-1), onward to the playoffs for Coach Krich’s team: La Verne 38 Cal Lutheran 28.

Season to date (84-56)

MARKET WEEK – The bond market is booming again, a sign of investors' faith in the resilience of the U.S. economy. U.S. bond sales by companies with good credit ratings hit $103 billion in October, a record for the month, according to deal tracker Dealogic. Corporate-bond sales in the U.S. are on track for their fourth straight annual record, according to data from the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. ... Many analysts say they expect bond sales to continue at a vigorous pace through the end of the year, reflecting steady economic growth ...

Microsoft Corp. sold $13 billion in new bonds on Thursday, a day after the Fed said it might raise rates this year for the first time since 2006. Earlier in the week, insurer ACE Ltd. sold $5.3 billion and NikeInc. sold $1 billion, its first debt sale in more than two years. Oil-field services giant Halliburton Co. is planning a large bond sale that could hit the market as early as this week.

On Wall Street, the blockbuster October jobs reporting showing a gain of 271,000 jobs means the Federal Reserve is almost certain to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade next month, potentially transforming the political landscape heading into the 2016 election in highly unpredictable ways. 'The votes are now there for Janet Yellen to raise interest rates whenever she is ready to pull the trigger," said David Kotok, chief investment officer at Cumberland Advisors.

"Markets could take the first hike - likely to be just a quarter of a percentage point - as a vote of confidence in the American economy and react positively. That would benefit Democrats, especially presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton ... But the first rate hike since George W. Bush was in the White House and Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" was the top song in America could still cause chaos in markets accustomed - if not deeply addicted - to rock bottom rates and vast piles of cheap money.

REMEMBERING FRED THOMPSON - Thompson, a former U.S. senator from Tennessee, GOP presidential candidate, Watergate attorney and actor who starred on the television drama 'Law and Order,' died on Sunday in Nashville. He was 73. Mr. Thompson died after a recurrence of lymphoma ... Standing at least 6 feet, 5 inches with a booming voice, Mr. Thompson ... as an attorney ... helped lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Next week: Dear Rink Rats and Jack Ass of the Month.

Until Next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA

November 10, 2015

#VI-18-280

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – “High card gets to tell the students…”