Halloween

The Raven

BY EDGAR ALLAN POE

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—

    While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—

            Only this and nothing more.”

    Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

    Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow

    From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

            Nameless here for evermore.

    And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

    So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

    “’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—

            This it is and nothing more.”

    Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;

    But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,

    And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—

            Darkness there and nothing more.

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

    But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,

    And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—

            Merely this and nothing more.

    Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,

Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.

    “Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;

      Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—

Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—

            ’Tis the wind and nothing more!”

    Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;

    Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

    But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—

Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—

            Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,

Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

    Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,

Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;

    For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being

    Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—

Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,

            With such name as “Nevermore.”

    But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only

That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

    Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—

    Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—

On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”

            Then the bird said “Nevermore.”

    Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,

“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store

    Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster

    Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—

Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore

            Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”

    But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,

Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;

    Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking

    Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—

What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore

            Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”

    This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;

    This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining

    On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,

But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,

            She shall press, ah, nevermore!

    Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer

Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.

    “Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee

    Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;

Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

    “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—

Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,

    Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—

    On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—

Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

    “Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—

    Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,

    It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

    “Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting—

“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!

    Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

    Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”

            Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

    And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

    And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,

    And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

            Shall be lifted—nevermore!

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Deidre Hall (70) Beverly Hills, CA.; Jane Pauley (67) New York, NY; Christopher Russo (58) New Canaan, CT.

POTUS ON THE ROAD - President Trump leaves Friday for the most consequential foreign trip of his presidency — a five country, 12 day tour of Asia. It's the longest visit to Asia by an American president in a quarter of a century.

The stakes couldn't be higher: North Korea races towards a miniaturized nuke that can hit American cities; China keeps propping up North Korea, stealing U.S. intellectual property, and forcing American investors to hand over their technology to Chinese state entities; and American businesses watch with horror as Trump flirts with blowing up the landmark U.S. trade deal with South Korea.

In the midst of all this, Trump will try to reassure America's treaty allies in the region that even as he's throwing trade relationships into flux he won't be the U.S. president that abandons the Asia Pacific and leaves American allies there vulnerable to Chinese domination. Trump wants to dramatically show his commitment to the region and to the post-WWII order that the U.S. built up in Asia. He'll visit several military bases and will flex America's military power.

The first two legs, Japan and South Korea, Trump will mostly address physical security, including a major speech at the National Assembly in Seoul. South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has invited Trump to visit the military base, Camp Humphreys. Administration officials expect the visit to the military base will highlight two things: that South Korea is sharing the financial burden of its defense and that President Moon, who campaigned as a liberal dove, is now fully committed to defending his country against an emboldened Kim Jong-un.

The final two legs, Trump visits Vietnam for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a free trade forum for 21 Pacific Rim economies. Finally, Trump attends the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines.

CHINA LEADERSHIP - China's ruling Communist Party has voted to enshrine Xi Jinping's name and ideology in its constitution, elevating him to the level of founder Mao Zedong. Previous Chinese Communist Party leaders have had their ideologies incorporated into the party's constitution or thinking, but none, besides founder Mao Zedong, have had their philosophy described as 'thought,' which is at the top of the ideological hierarchy.

China revealed its Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful body, breaking with tradition by not including a clear successor to President Xi Jinping.

All members are ages 60 to 67.

MAGIC NUMBER - America’s retailers have a new target customer: the 26-year-old millennial. That age bracket, bigger than any other—numbering 4.8 million—is part of a generation radically different from its predecessors that is pushing brands to develop new products and overhaul marketing. Many millennials are on the verge of life-defining moments such as buying a house and having children. But companies looking to be part of that have run into a problem. “They’re much more of a ‘do-it-for-me’ type of customer than a ‘do-it-yourself’ customer,” says Joe McFarland, executive vice president of J.C. Penney stores. In response, companies including Home Depot and Sherwin-Williams are hosting classes and online tutorials to teach such basic skills as operating a lawn mower, tape measure, mop and hammer.

FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS - When weighing a big decision, is it safe to just go with your gut? Scientists, authors and motivational speakers (plus plenty of moms) have long touted the power of intuition—and many studies show that decisions made unconsciously, before the rational mind can get involved, are often better. But not always, says John Bargh, a psychology professor at Yale and director of the ACME (Automaticity in Cognition, Motivation, and Evaluation) Laboratory. The gut is good, for example, with complex decisions when the amount of information is overwhelming, but it can also push us to be impulsive. How to best use your intuition? We offer pointers—including to remember that it can be influenced by strong emotions.

HOLLYWOODLAND -- House of Cards' Ending With Sixth and Final Season at Netflix: Netflix is currently in production on a sixth and final season of House of Cards, the landmark drama that signaled its aggressive push into original programming. The final run of House of Cards, which stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as ruthless and ambitious beltway couple, will debut its last 13 episodes in 2018. ... Official word on its conclusion, which has been in the works since the summer, comes at a problematic time for Spacey. The star and executive producer is embroiled in sexual assault scandal, with an actor alleging that Spacey made aggressive advances towards him when he was just 14.

MARKET WEEK – Investors are buying the U.S. dollar again, expecting a lift from an increasingly aggressive Fed and tumult in European politics, while those betting against the dollar have cut back their positions. After its longest slide in a decade, the dollar has bounced roughly 2.9% from its September lows against a 16-currency basket, powered by gains against the euro, yen and emerging-market currencies. The recovery is yet another in a series of financial-market surprises this year, and while few investors believe the woes are over for the dollar—still down 6.4% against the basket in 2017—even a temporary reversal could have widespread implications for asset markets.

DRIVING THE WEEK - Fed chair pick expected on Thursday ... House Ways and Means slated to release first draft of their tax cut bill on Wednesday ... Trump leaves for a 12-day Asia trip on Friday ... FOMC on Wednesday not expected to make any change to rates or outlook.

Senate Banking on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. has a nomination for Scott Garrett to lead the Export-Import Bank. This one isn't a slam-dunk because corporate America and some more moderate GOP senators despise this pick of an Ex-Im opponent to lead the bank ... House Financial Services at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday has a hearing on data security.

SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

NFL Football Pick of the Week – Sunday 11/5, 4:25 PM ET, CBS: Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) vs. Dallas Cowboys (4-3). KC on a roll they win in Dallas, 40 – 30.(Season to date 4-4).

College Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 11/4, 1:00 PM ET, FSI: #8 Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) vs. #11 Oklahoma State T. Boone Pickens (7-1). State wins 35 – 32.   (Season to date 5-4)

D-III Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 11/5, 12:00 PM PT: #25 Salisbury Sea Gulls (7-1) vs. #14 Wesley Wolverines (7-1), a huge New Jersey Athletic Conference game. Wesley wins a tight one, 21 – 20.  (Season to date 6-3)

SCIAC Game of the Week (Women Volleyball) – Thursday 11/2, 7:00 PM PT:   SCIAC Women Volleyball Semi-Finals, California Lutheran SATS (15-11) vs. University of La Verne Leopards (18-8), Leos in a tight one, 3 – 2. (Season to date 6-3)

College Hockey Pick of the Week – Saturday 11/5, 7:00 PM CT (FSW): #4 North Dakota Black Hawks (5-2-1) vs. #7 University of Wisconsin Badgers (6-3), defense is the word in this game, Badgers win 3 – 2.   Season to date (2-2)

NHL Pick of the Week – Saturday 11/5, 7:00 PM ET (SUN): Columbus Blue Jackets (8-4-0) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-2-1), two first place clubs, Tampa in this one 4 – 2. Season to date (2-1).

Season to Date (76 - 52)

Next Blog: The questions students ask, Dear Rink Rats and Jack Ass of the Month

Until next time, Adios

Claremont, California

October 31, 2017

#VIII-17-359

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – Walsh, The New Yorker

Out and About

We have been busy the last two weeks, traveling, visiting, eating, drinking, you know, Out and About.

A trip via Delta Airlines to the Ann Arbor / Jackson Michigan area to visit family prompted added visits to the Big House to witness Michigan State Spartans whack the University of Michigan, a visit to Dexter, Michigan and the boys who press the apples for wonderful apple cider, and a memorable Michigan fall sunset.

Prior to our trip a wonderful day of friends and terrible golf at the University of La Verne annual golf tournament for student programs at the University. Of course Rink Rats was there in spirit.

Finally, and certainly not least a lovely afternoon at The Raymond 1886 in Pasadena, California with two very famous alumni of St. Lawrence University. These women have won more alumni citations from St. Lawrence than you can count: Pris Schroeder ’56 and Lennie McKinnon ’58. We exchanged hockey and soccer stories, and more importantly caught up with our families and all the news from Canton, N.Y. Simply the best.

SUDDENLY SUSAN – Another discussion item regarding St. Lawrence is the announcement this week of Republican Senator Susan Collins (64) (St. Lawrence ’75) choosing not to run for Governor in her home state of Maine. She has decided to finish her Senate term to 2020.

Though Collins holds sway as one of the chamber's few swing votes, she also faces the frustration of watching her party constantly doing the opposite of what she'd like. ... In the latest Obamacare repeal effort, even after party leaders had written her off as an automatic 'no,' she came under unyielding pressure from the White House.

The discussion at our table at The Raymond was the timing fits perfectly into President Bill Fox’s contract at St. Lawrence ending in the 2020 time frame. Bill Fox has been a great leader, but we could see a possible Susan Collins presidency at St. Lawrence. Stay tuned.

COLLEGE CHRONICLES – On the outskirts of the University of Michigan campus, there's a sight that gives an instantaneous snapshot of how much the area has changed — a sensor-connected car steered by an Xbox controller roams the streets of "M-City" to test self-driving and other connected-car technologies.

Michigan is known for its auto industry expertise but experienced a steep decline a decade ago when Detroit — its biggest city — lost half its population as manufacturing jobs left in droves. Detroit is fighting its way back to build a burgeoning tech scene. Ann Arbor, only 40 minutes away, is taking a complementary path: It's harnessing the university's high-tech talent factory and the state's auto factory history to be at the forefront of next-generation vehicle development.

Self-driving car city: M-City is a public-private partnership in Ann Arbor funded by 70 members including major car manufacturers, chip makers, wireless and insurance companies. Every year, it receives about $1.2 million to research things like how humans will interact with self-driving cars and how cities will need to be designed for them.

Ann Arbor is also wirelessly connected using vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology called DSRC so that intersections and vehicle can communicate with each other.

2,000 privately owned vehicles are "driving" around Ann Arbor broadcasting messages back and forth 10 times a second.

McGuire said a few cars will be deployed on campus next month to research how students, bicycles and other cars interact with them.

TOMMY TROJAN - David Carrera, the University of Southern California's vice president for fund raising, left his position after an internal investigation raised questions about alleged sexual misconduct. This is the latest USC departure related to possible sexual harassment. Last week the medical-school dean, Rohit Varma, was removed over alleged harassment. And in July, Carmen A. Puliafito, Dr. Varma's predecessor as dean, was fired as a faculty member after the Los Angeles Times revealed details of his drug-fueled partying habits. But years before Dr. Puliafito became a dean, warning signs of his behavior and violent episodes were ignored. Read our Jack Stripling's report on what happens when those signs are missed.

I bet it has been fun times in the Human Resources office at USC.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Eminem (45) Detroit, MI.; Mike Keenan (68) St. Lawrence ’72; Lindsay Vonn (33), Vail, CO.;  Michelle Wie (28) Orlando, FL.

SHARK TANK - At a few minutes after 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1, 12-year-old Carson Kropfl logged onto his website, lockerboard.net.

He could hardly believe his eyes. “The website started blowing up,” he said. “It was super cool.”

The reason his website, his Facebook and his Instagram were lighting:  the season premier of ABC-TV’s Shark Tank was under way on the East Coast.

Carson and his mother, Carrie Kropfl, were the first guests on the two-hour show that would air in California three hours later.

Within minutes after 5 p.m., international magnate Richard Branson made Carson an investment offer he couldn’t refuse: $65,000 for 20 percent of Carson’s skateboard company.

“I see a young Richard Branson in you,” Branson said. “You’ve got a wonderful story. You are very articulate. Your product itself is great. We’d love you to give it a shot with us.”

Carson and his mother told prospective investors about the Locker Board, a mini skateboard that Carson designed a year ago. On his first day of middle school, entering the sixth grade, he had learned he had a school locker for the first time but his skateboard wouldn’t fit in it.

By trial and error in his back yard, he shaved down a succession of used skateboard decks until he settled on a design he could slip easily into his backpack and locker. The trick was finding just the right shape to make the mini board capable of kick flips and solid performance.

On Shark Tank, Carson rode up on a Locker Board with his skater friend Sierra Downer to make his pitch to celebrity investors. Branson outbid sports magnate Mark Cuban for a deal with the Shorecliffs Middle School student from San Clemente.

U.S. STILL SHORT ON TEACHERS - America is still short hundreds of thousands of teachers years after the Great Recession created a gap that has only widened since, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute. Per the report, the number of teachers and education staff has failed to get anywhere near its pre-recession level and isn't keeping pace with a growing student population. Public education jobs are down by 128,000 compared to nine years ago, and with growing enrollment added on, the report estimates the country is short some 327,000 teachers.

JAPAN STOCKS HIT 21-YEAR HIGH - Japan still faces deep structural problems. Its population is aging and dwindling. China has stepped up its manufacturing game. Corporate stalwarts like Toshiba and Kobe Steel have stumbled. Investors appear to be looking at the bright side.

Japan's main stock index rose to its highest level in almost 21 years on Wednesday, buoyed by a broad rally in global markets as well as growing optimism about the Japanese economy. The surge came despite the continuing problems at Kobe Steel, a Japanese stock market stalwart. Its shares sank sharply for a second day after revelations that it had falsified data about the quality of aluminum and copper.

MARKET WEEK – The bond market is still playing a central role in the stock market's rise.

Corporate credit downgrades have dropped 42% so far this year, according to S&P Global Ratings. Meantime, the ratings firm says upgrades have climbed 10% versus last year.

This year’s decline is a sign that credit conditions are improving in corporate America even as the Federal Reserve lifts rates. If financial markets continue to be this tame in the face of steadily rising interest rates, cheap borrowing costs could add further fuel to the stock market.

Easy credit has defined the post-crisis recovery. The S&P 500 is up 14% this year, continuing to notch fresh record highs at a rapid clip.

Part of that support for the bull market comes from continued low rates in the Treasury market. Despite repeated calls for the yield on the benchmark 10-year note to rise, it's fallen 0.08 percentage points this year to 2.370% on Friday. The yield premium that investors demand to own corporate bonds over Treasurys has increased a bit in recent weeks but has remained historically low.

Some investors have worried that weakness in the oil and gas sector, which stalled the stock rally in 2015 and early 2016, could continue to impede the market's run if it further eroded those companies' credit. Instead, energy prices have largely stabilized this year, alleviating the stress in many parts of the oil and gas industry. That's helped lower the default rate among companies with speculative grades, many of which are energy firms. That rate dropped to 3.3% in August from 3.5% in July, S&P said in its report.

The environment has remained hospitable to issuers of junk bonds, which have sold 19% more debt this year than last year. Many companies have used the loose conditions to extend out the maturities of their bonds. The amount of debt maturing by the end of 2020 is down by more than a third, while debt maturing in 2021 and 2022 is up 10%, helping companies maintain strong balance sheets.

The lack of market volatility this year could all change, of course. Investors have taken in stride the Fed's plans to trim the size of its balance sheet and keep raising rates, but the market could turn more volatile at any moment. In 2013, for example, yields jumped sharply after the Fed signaled that it planned to curb its bond-buying program. The S&P analysts cited the Fed as one of the "risks on the horizon."

Plus, the political situation in Washington could upend markets as politicians seek to deal with geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, as well as an ambitious plan to overhaul the tax code.

But investors and analysts have called for rising rates and tighter financial conditions for years, only to watch them continue to ease. Equity investors hoping for further gains should savor this hallmark of the post-crisis recovery for as long as it lasts.

DRIVING THE WEEK - The House is out. The Senate needs to pass a budget to set the parameters for tax reform. Gonna be close ... President Trump holds a Cabinet meeting on Monday and will lunch with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and VP Pence ... On Tuesday, Trump meets with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of Greece and speaks on taxes at the Heritage Foundation's President's Club meeting .. Senate Finance members visit the White House on Wednesday ...

Senate Banking has a consumer data security and credit bureau hearing at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday ... Industrial Production Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. expected to rise 0.3 percent ... Index of Leading Indicators at 10:00 a.m. Thursday expected to rise 0.1 percent.

SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

NFL Football Pick of the Week – Sunday 10/22, 5:25 PM PT, NBC: Atlanta Falcons (3-2) visit New England Patriots (4-2), Falcons will cover the spread but Pats still win, 30 – 28. (Season to date 3-3).

College Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/21, 7:30 PM ET, ABC: #11 University of Southern California Trojans (6-1) visit #13 University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1). Huge game for The Irish, they win a close one, 32 – 30.   (Season to date 4-3)

D-III Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/21, 1:30 PM PT: The game of the year at Maxwell Field, #21 George Fox (5-1) vs. #7 Linfield Wildcats (4-1), Linfield has too much fire power on offense, 40 – 28.   (Season to date 5-2)

SCIAC Game of the Week (Women Soccer) – Saturday 10/21, 7:00 PM PT: First place is on the line in this one, California Lutheran SATs (10-2-2) vs. University of La Verne Leopards (9-2-3). The Leos are for real this year, 2 – 1.   (Season to date 6-1)

College Hockey Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/21, 7:30 PM ET: #9 Providence College Friars (2-1-0) vs. #15 Clarkson University Golden Knights (3-0-1). They will be 3,000 strong at Cheel Arena for this inter-conference puck drop, though I hate to say it, Golden Knights win 4 – 3.  Season to date (0-2)

NHL Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/21, 7:00 PM ET: Pittsburgh Penguins (3-2-1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (4-1-0), Lightning playing good hockey in the early going, 4 – 3. Season to date (1-0).

Season to Date (71 - 44)

ON THIS DATE – September 28, 1972, THE GOAL. What more can be said about Paul Henderson's heroics that has not been said time and time again? In the Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

He scored the game winning goals in game 6, game 7 and of course game 8. And he will be forever immortalized in hockey history as he scored on what is arguably the greatest hockey moment ever.

Next Blog: What student’s ask. Reminder Finder.

Until next time, Adios

Claremont, California

October 16, 2017

#VIII-16-358

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – Trevor Spaulding, The New Yorker

Fall Equinox

We are back, this early school year pace has my Blog writing a bit behind, no worries, and we begin the autumn season.

In Southern California the fall season means it is fire season, the freeways are more compacted with school back in session, the Dodger baseball bandwagons are hoping for a World Series title, we all wish the Chargers were still in San Diego, and it seems almost daily we are reading and viewing the growing violence and divisions around the world.

As we move forward to the end of the year, I find the fall season a good time to check in with friends and family I have been neglect in keeping up with and in these chaotic times make sure all is well and at peace.

Plenty of sports in this Fall Equinox Blog, all the other news is too depressing. But more important, hockey season is beginning this week: NHL and College seasons are starting up. Major League Baseball begins their tournament. See our Swami picks below.

WORLD SERIES OR BUST – Way back in April The Swami picked four of the six division winners, the problem is he picked the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series over The Cubbies. Ouch!

Let’s try this again: LA LA Land Dodgers vs. Cleveland Indians in the World Series, Cleveland wins their first World Series since 1948. Laing Kennedy rejoice.

COLLEGE CHRONICLES – University of Southern California assistant basketball coach Tony Bland faces serious federal criminal charges for alleged corruption, bribery, and more.

On the bright side, he’s now a leading candidate to become dean of USC’s medical school.

Annual college rankings: U.S. News & World Report released its annual list of "Best Colleges" rankings on last week, and Princeton University topped the list. College rankings can fuel further economic inequality in higher ed, since the top-ranked colleges are often pricey Ivy League institutions. Bob Morse at U.S. News responded to this observation, saying that rankings aren't the problem: Colleges that burden students with debt and don't support them academically are. Meanwhile, the Chronicle of Higher Education’s were flooded with different colleges' statements about their place in the rankings. But why don't families stop looking at commercial rankings and instead go by standards academe sets for itself?

Academic Leadership Awards: The Carnegie Corporation of New York announced on in September that seven college presidents were each the recipient of a $500,000 Academic Leadership Award to support academic initiatives on their campuses.

Carnegie recognized the presidents for their “excellence in undergraduate education, the liberal arts, equal opportunity, the development of major interdisciplinary programs, international engagement, and the promotion of strong ties between their institutions and their local communities,” according to a news release from the corporation.

The presidents and their institutions are as follows:

Joseph E. Aoun: Northeastern University

Mark P. Becker: Georgia State University

John J. DeGioia: Georgetown University

Nariman Farvardin: Stevens Institute of Technology

Maria Klawe: Harvey Mudd College

DeRionne Pollard: Montgomery College

Barbara R. Snyder: Case Western Reserve University

EQUAL PAY? - The female to male earnings ratio reached 80.5%, the highest ever. However, the gap was closed both by women earning more and men earning less. In dollar terms, the typical man earned $51,640 last year; the average woman received $41,554.

MEDIAN INCOME RISES - U.S. median household income rose in 2016 to $59,039, a 3.2 percent increase over 2015, the Census Bureau reported. But median earnings for men and women who worked full-time over the entire year were essentially unchanged after inflation, with men earning $51,640 and women earning $44,544.

The nation's poverty rate fell to 12.7 percent, returning nearly to what it was in 2007.

But, but, but ... The census report also points to the sources of deeper anxieties among American workers.

Inequality remains high, with the top fifth of earners taking home more than half of all overall income, a record.

The median African American household [earns] only $39,490, compared with more than $65,000 for whites and over $81,000 for Asians.

OUR CONTINUED OBSESSION WITH APPLE - Why iPhones cost so much ... The iPhone X (pronounced "10") will sell for $999 beginning Nov. 3.

That's double what the first iPhone cost a decade ago, and more than any other competing device — as Apple positions itself as "a purveyor of pricey, aspirational gadgets,"

Apple is ... continuing to push its prices higher, even though improvements it's bringing to its products are often incremental or derivative. ... That runs contrary to decades in which high-tech device prices have fallen over time, often dramatically, even as the gadgets themselves acquired new features and powers.

Rival phones — many of them from Samsung — already offer similar displays, facial recognition, augmented reality and wireless charging, if often in cruder forms.

Apple also introduced a TV streaming box that will sell for $179, far more than similar devices, and a smartwatch with its own cellular connection that will cost almost $400. In December, Apple will start selling an internet-connected speaker, the HomePod, priced at $349, nearly twice as much as Amazon's ... Echo.

The premium pricing strategy reflects Apple's long-held belief that consumers will pay more for products that are so well designed that they can't fathom living without them."

More than 1,000 people attended the first public event at Apple's "spaceship" campus on Tuesday September 12, the $5 billion (not a typo) Apple Park.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to President Jimmy Carter (93); Bill Murray (67); Ava Suffredini …famous niece; belated birthdays to our fond readers – Steve Lesniak, Julius Walecki, and Matthew Witt.

MARKET WEEK – I keep telling my students every term that the bull stock market is coming to end soon, NOT.

It is getting tougher to argue that the bull market is near its end.

In September, U.S. stock benchmarks faced numerous rally-threatening obstacles, from the Federal Reserve’s decision to reduce its balance sheet to escalating rhetoric between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S.

Even so, unruffled investors pushed the S&P 500 to its 39th record of the year Friday. For 2017, the index is up 12.5% after rallying 4% in the third quarter.

Resilient as stocks have been, markets hardly look toppy. A strengthening global economy has bolstered corporate earnings. Rather than dump money heedlessly into stock funds, investors are buying investments such as high-grade corporate bonds. Some $23 billion moved out of U.S. equity funds in the third quarter, while $68 billion went into investment-grade corporate bond funds, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

“I find a surprising lack of optimism about the outlook for equities,” wrote Byron Wien, vice chairman at Blackstone Advisory Partners, a subsidiary of the Blackstone Group. “The usual factors that warn of a bear market or recession are not evident.”

Sure, there are a number of nagging concerns, but few obvious catalysts to derail the bull market in the coming months. Topping the list of worries for most investors is how central banks will normalize monetary policy after years of extraordinary measures.

But even that is unlikely to upend the bull market soon. Central bankers have mostly telegraphed their next moves. Financial conditions have been easing and economic growth in developed economies looks sturdy. That suggests any market impact may not materialize for months. And it will likely take a few more interest rate increases in the U.S. before costlier borrowing affects the economy or challenges the notion that, for investors, there are few alternatives to owning stocks.

Another threat is that inflation perks up and triggers hawkish central bank policy, roiling bond markets. This too seems distant, as the Fed’s preferred consumer price gauge Friday clocked in well below the 2% target.

While the S&P 500’s price-to-earnings ratio has been elevated for years, using valuations to time the market is notoriously fraught.

Michael Hartnett, chief investment strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, has for months called for a final melt-up rally in risky securities before the market rolls over in spectacular fashion. While he still thinks this scenario will play out, he summed up the current state of markets concisely last week, stating that most investors probably want to stand pat until the path becomes more clear:

“The best reason to be bearish is there is no reason to be bearish.”

DRIVING THE WEEK - Hill Republicans will push forward on a budget with tax reform reconciliation instructions. The House seems solid but the Senate, as ever, could be tougher ... President Trump on Monday hosts a "deregulation summit" and heads to Puerto Rico on Tuesday ...

Former Equifax CEO Rick Smith testifies before before House Energy and Commerce on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and Senate Banking Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. ... Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan testifies before Senate Banking on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. ... FHFA Director Mel Watt testifies Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. before House Financial Services ...

Equifax's Smith is before House Financial Services Thursday at 9:15 a.m. ... SEC Chairman Jay Clayton testifies before House Financial Services at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday ... September jobs report at 8:30 a.m. Friday expected to rise just 75K in the wake of the hurricanes with unemployment at 4.4 percent and earnings up 0.3 percent.

THE NEW REALITY – of old age in America:

People are living longer, more expensive lives, often without much of a safety net. As a result, record numbers of Americans older than 65 are working — now nearly 1 in 5.

Today, 9 million senior citizens work, compared with 4 million in 2000.

Why it matters: Polls show that most older people are more worried about running out of money than dying.

TIRED OF BAD NEWS – here is some good news:

We're wealthier than ever before. Despite growing income inequality and the persistent gender and race gaps in our society, Americans overall are wealthier than they ever have been, including African Americans and Hispanics. There are more rich people and fewer poor people.

We're beating cancer. Researchers have reported a continued decline in overall cancer death rates due to screening, prevention and new treatments.

Teen pregnancies are down 51% from 10 years ago, an extraordinarily fast social change compared to adult smoking, which took 40 years to cut by half. Experts attribute the phenomenon to better use of birth control.

Oil independence: U.S. dependence on foreign oil continues to decrease, with 2016 setting a 30-year low.

The hole in the earth's ozone layer is on the mend with the help of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which helped phase out ozone-destroying chemicals.

In galaxies far, far away, astronomers say we are entering a new era where we can both see with optical telescopes and hear events occurring deep in space.

Women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to drive cars for the first time, in June 2018.

In Houston, we witnessed citizens taking boats and jet skis to rescue those stuck in floods after Hurricane Harvey.

The five living presidents, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter banded together to raise money to aid Hurricane relief efforts in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

RINK RATS PRESEASON Ligue Nationale de Hockey PICKS –

WEST-            Pacific: 1. San Jose, 2. Edmonton, 3). Anaheim

                        Central: 1. Chicago, 2. Nashville, 3. Winnipeg

                        Wild Card: 1. Los Angeles, 2. Dallas

                        Conference Champs: San Jose Sharks

EAST -             Atlantic: 1. Tampa Bay, 2. CBOT Ottawa, 3. Montreal

                        Metropolitan: 1. Pittsburgh, 2. Washington, 3. Philadelphia

                        Wild Card: 1. New York Rangers, 2. New York Islanders

                        Conference Champs: Tampa Bay Lightning

                        Stanley Cup Champs: Tampa Bay Lightning

Note: Detroit Red Wings will miss the playoffs for the second straight year, sorry Little Caesars.

SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

NFL Football Pick of the Week – Sunday 10/8, 1:05 PM PT, CBS: Seattle Seahawks (2-2) vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-1). The early season battle to see if the LA Rams are for real, they are: Rams 24 – 21 over the Seahawks . (Season to date 3-1).

College Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/7, 7:30 PM ET, ABC: Not too many quality college games this weekend, we like (because we will be there) Michigan State Spartans (3-1) vs. #7 University of Michigan Wolverines (4-0). Wolverines have more depth than Sparty, 30 – 20.   (Season to date 3-2)

D-III Football Pick of the Week – Saturday 10/7, 2:00 PM MT: #1 Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders (4-0) vs. #6 Hardin-Simmons Cowboys (4-0). The American Southwest Conference, the best D-III football conference in the country has a beauty this Saturday. The Cowboys in an upset 35 – 31.   (Season to date 4-1)

SCIAC Game of the Week (Men’s Football) – Saturday 10/7, 7:00 PM PT: University of La Verne Leopards (2-1) vs. University of Redlands Bulldogs (2-1). Two seasons ago the Leos upset Redlands at Ted Runner Stadium on their way to a SCIAC Championship. Can they do it again, no, Redlands 38 – 28.  (Season to date 5-0)

MLB Game of the Week (10/7) – Game 2 of the National League Divisional Series, Chicago Cubs (92-70) vs. Washington Nationals (97-63). Cubs win, Cubs Win, 5 – 3.

COLLEGE HOCKEY PICK OF THE WEEK – Saturday 10/7, 7:00 PM ET: University of Michigan Wolverines (0-0) vs. St. Lawrence University Saints (0-0). A huge non-conference match up at Appleton Arena, the live stream better be working. Saints win 4-3.  Season to date (0-0)

Season to Date (67 - 37)

ON THIS DATE - in 1938, the iconic Michigan winged helmet saw the gridiron for the first time - (Michigan 14, Michigan State College 0).

Next Blog: What student’s ask.

Until next time, Adios

Claremont, California

October 3, 2017

#VIII-15-357

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – Robert Leighton, The New Yorker