On the First Day of Christmas we
prepared our Holiday Punch –
RINK
RATS HOLIDAY PUNCH – Prep time five minutes, serves eight.
Ingredients:
4 cups cranberry juice
1 bottle sparkling cider
1 liter ginger ale
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons
12 ounces Ketel One vodka, optional but necessary
1 orange, sliced
Directions:
In a large bowl, over ice combine all of the liquid
ingredients. Float the orange slices on top, for garnish and serve.
On the Second Day of Christmas we
selected our holiday music -
HOLIDAY
MUSIC ON THE iPAD –
1). “Ave Maria”, 1957 – Perry Como
2). “Hallelujah”, 1984 – Leonard Cohen
3). “Rockin Around the Christmas Tree”, 1958 – Brenda Lee
4). “Santa Claus in Comin to Town”, 2007 – Bruce Springsteen
& The E Street Band
5). “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” (medley), 1962 – Ran Conniff
Singers
On the Third Day of Christmas we
celebrated this week’s birthdays -
BIRTHDAYS
THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Pope Francis
(80); Al Kaline (82) Franklin, MI.; Nancy Newman ...famous photographer; David
Smith ….famous educator; Steven Speilberg (70) Aspen, CO.; Lesley Stahl (75) Manhattan,
NY.
On the Fourth Day of Christmas we
reviewed POTUS week ahead –
POTUS
WEEKS AHEAD - The President will be in Honolulu, Hawaii
through Monday, January 2, 2017. The President will receive the Presidential
Daily Briefing every day. On Tuesday, December 27, the President will meet with
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Honolulu, Hawaii. The meeting will be an
opportunity for the two leaders to review our joint efforts over the past four
years to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance, including our close cooperation on
a number of security, economic, and global challenges. The President will also
accompany Prime Minister Abe to the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor to
honor those killed. The two leaders' visit will showcase the power of
reconciliation that has turned former adversaries into the closest of allies,
united by common interests and shared values.
On the Fifth Day of Christmas we
read a Dear Rink Rats letter –
Dear
Rink Rats:
I
believe that Santa Claus is an elf. In “The Night Before Christmas,” Santa is
described as “a right jolly old elf.” He is also said to travel by “miniature
sleigh’ led by “eight tiny reindeer,” suggesting he is elf-size. My co-worker
Elena believes, as many others do, that Santa is a kind of superpowered human.
Who is right?
Signed,
Steve in Petoskey, Michigan
Dear
Steve,
Of the
many iterations of the jolly home intruder/child punisher/rider of mutant
steeds called “Santa” – from Odin, to Sinterklaas, too Joulupukki the Christian
Goat – the concept of a shrunken mini-Santa is the most terrifying. But yes,
Steve, if that old poem is to be believed, there is a Santa, and he is a tiny
elf who, I guess, has enslaved his own people to make toys. But since we are
grown-ups, I can finally tell you the truth your parents are apparently still
hiding from you: I AM SANTA CLAUS. I will see you soon! When you are sleeping!
Signed,
Rink
Rats
On the Sixth Day of Christmas we
ponder about the PEOTUS (Donald J. Trump) –
PEOTUS –
never laughs; he smiles, but never laughs. I don’t know what it is. It is
extremely rare to see or hear the president-elect himself laughing. Something
to ponder.
On the Seventh Day of Christmas the
Church of Scientology –
Welcome to Scientology's 'Graceland,' the beautiful secret
'last refuge' of the church's founder L Ron Hubbard who was hiding out from the
FBI and IRS...and maybe future home of Tom Cruise: The secret spiritual home of
the Church of Scientology..sits in Ceston, a remote area of San Luis Obispo
County, California, and has been dubbed the 'Scientology Graceland', or the
'Garden of Eden'. It is the last resting place of founder L Ron Hubbard, and
has been kept in pristine condition nearly 30 years after his death, held in
the highest regard by the church and its followers.
On the Eighth Day of Christmas the
College Chronicles –
COLLEGES
TIGHTEN THE LEASH ON STUDENT WATCHDOGS: College administrators across
the country have sought in recent years to avoid scrutiny from student journalists
by trying to control content - even going so far as to threaten to pull funding
or pressure advisers to avoid stories that may tarnish the colleges'
carefully-crafted image. That's according to a report out today by the American
Association of University Professors, the College Media Association, the
National Coalition Against Censorship, and the Student Press Law Center, which
says this rising resistance to scrutiny comes even as colleges have made at
least a surface-level push to embrace civic engagement as part of the
educational mission. "Few colleges and universities are 'walking the walk'
of civic engagement in their governance of journalism, and too many are
abandoning higher education's traditional commitment to free and independent
journalistic voices," the report says.
College administrators have shown a growing tendency to meet
behind closed doors and "thwart access" to critical information and
documents , according to the report. When students do get their hands on juicy
information, college leaders have gone to great lengths to keep them from
publishing it. Nearly two dozen college media advisers surveyed this spring
said they have faced some form of administrative pressure to control content,
according to the report. Meanwhile, many colleges have cut journalism programs
or funding for student-run publications - sometimes as a form of retaliation
for coverage they didn't like. The report cites a number of such cases,
including a February lawsuit at the University of Kansas, where a 50 percent
cut to student activity-fees that fund the student paper was motivated at least
in part by a desire to punish unfavorable editorial commentary.
Colleges are more obsessed with promoting a favorable public
image than ever before, but a college that retaliates against students and
faculty for unflattering journalism doesn't just look bad - it is bad,"
said Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center.
"We need a top-level commitment from the presidents of America's colleges and
universities to support editorially independent student-run news coverage,
including secure funding and retaliation protection for students and their
advisers."
On the Ninth Day of Christmas Hockey
101 –
HOCKEY
101 - Are you a new fan to hockey and don’t know anything at all
about the sport yet? Is hockey to you only fights? Does the movie Slap Shot
represent to you the best in hockey? Are you an avid fan who wants to brush up
on hockey know-how? You’ve come to the right place! Hockey 101 gets you updated
on all the referee calls and what they mean.
On the Tenth Day of Christmas we
select our Top Three Christmas movies –
TOP
THREE CHRISTMAS MOVIES (WITH THEIR TRAILERS):
1). “Fences”,
Paramount Pictures, Budget: $24,000,000
2). “La La Land”, Summit Entertainment, Budget:
$30,000,000
3). “Sing”, Universal, Budget: $75,000,000
On the Eleventh Day of Christmas The
Swami makes his picks –
NFL
GAME OF THE WEEK – Monday 12/26, 5:30 PM ET, ESPN: Detroit Lions
(9-5) vs. Dallas Cowboys (12-2), the Lions do it to us every year, blow it!
Cowboys win big 35 – 20. Season to date (11-3)
COLLEGE
FOOTBALL BOWL PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 12/24, 8:00 PM ET,
ESPN; Hawaii Bowl: Middle Tennessee
State Blue Raiders (8-4) vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (6-7), a blowout Blue
Raiders win 45 – 17. Season to date (11-4)
SMALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICK OF THE WEEK – Congratulations to the Mary
Hardin-Baylor Crusaders (15-0) Division III Champions, until next season. Season
to date (9-6)
COLLEGE
HOCKEY PICK OF THE WEEK – Wednesday 12/28, 4:00 PM ET, HGTV: The Florida
College Classic in Southwest Florida, Northern Michigan Wildcats (4-14-2) vs.
Cornell University Big Red (7-3-1), college hockey in the sunshine state, Big
Red wins 6 – 2. Season to date (4-6)
THE
SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –
(NFL, Dec, 25)
Baltimore Ravens (8-6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (9-5). AFC North title up for
grabs, Steel Curtain prevail 24 – 17.
(NBA, Dec, 23) San Antonio Spurs (22-5) at Portland Trail
Blazers (13-16), Spurs 96 – 90.
(NHL, Dec. 23) Minnesota Wild (18-8-4) at New York Rangers
(23-10-1), Rangers win 4 – 3.
Season
to date (122 - 98)
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas we
look at the Market Week –
MARKET
WEEK
- "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" topped the weekend box office ,
scoring the second-best December opening ever with $155 million in North
America, and $290.5 million worldwide, despite the spin-off not opening in
China until the new year.
The dollar is cementing its domination of the currency
market, trading near an almost 14-year high versus the euro as the Federal
Reserve's more hawkish outlook invigorates its post-election rally. ...
The greenback headed for its best week in a month against
major peers after surging to its strongest point since 2003 versus the euro and
to a 10-month high against the yen. ... The Fed's pivot toward hawkishness
marks a shift away from central-bank policy dominating market sentiment, with
the potential for an increase in fiscal stimulus now in focus. ... [T]he Fed
stands largely alone in actively tightening policy ... The Bank of England kept
its key rate at a record low Thursday, a week after the European Central Bank
extended quantitative easing.
Next
week: 2016 Year in review.
Until Next Time, Merry
Christmas.
Claremont, CA
December 20, 2016
#VII-28-330
CARTOON
OF THE WEEK – Saturday
Night Live
SNL crushed it with its take off of the Christmas
Hit “Love Actually”, "Hillary Actually," skit in which Hillary
Clinton (Kate McKinnon) went to an elector's house and tried to persuade her to
not vote for Trump. http://bit.ly/2hx2Htk
No comments:
Post a Comment