Transition

Our last Rink Rats of 2020, whew, glad this is over!

There are many words that sum up 2020, some of them I cannot print here.

But one word that stays with me is “transition”.

A year of transition in my health, my attitude toward leadership and transparency. Transition in our country, our attitudes toward fellow citizens, colleagues, and our institutions.

My year has been a breeze, thanks to my family, friends, and neighbors: compared to so many who have been ill, who have been misguided, who have failed to see what is right and wrong.

A year of transition for business: technology, personnel, marketing, supply chains – all have changed dramatically.

Education perhaps has had the greatest transition: students at all levels turning off their cameras, management turning off their common sense, parents dealing with the changes at home.

Social media has transitioned to even a greater influence on society. From communication to shaping public opinion, and entertainment. Every day I say what next in this social media world.

Above all the stress and uncertainty of the past year, this writer remains positive about the future. I am surrounded by caring people who think of others before they think of themselves. Can I stay positive? This is my transition into 2021.

2020 MARKET - In March, the U.S. economy was chugging along with historically low unemployment, then it turned left at a sign marked “coronavirus” and chugged off a cliff. Congress quickly passed a rescue package of unprecedented scale: $2.2 trillion.

In 2019, you would have been shocked to learn that a few months into 2020 you would pine for that overcrowded, overpriced bar where it takes an hour to get a drink. You’d be even more shocked to learn that $2 trillion in government spending would be criticized as insufficient. But it was. The social distancing mandates necessary to getting the virus under control put businesses and the labor market in existentially dire straits.

That’s initial jobless claims for the week before March 26, the Labor Department’s biggest spike on record. Many economists agree the magnitude of the stimulus was beyond warranted, and for many critics, it wasn’t anywhere near enough.

One University of California Berkeley economist argued that to support testing early on, the government should have inserted itself even more into the private sector by guaranteeing test makers a return on their investments. 

NYT economics reporter Noam Scheiber wrote, “Employers are generally willing to make investments when they believe that these investments will benefit their business. But they are reluctant to take on costs when it is primarily the public that benefits, in which case it falls to the government to step in.” In 2020, the government stepped in to a degree not seen before in our lifetimes. Now, even after a second $900 billion stimulus package was passed, lawmakers are in a heated debate over whether to send additional $2,000 checks to Americans.

President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20, and he’s likely to take a more hands-on approach with the private sector than President Trump. He’s promised to wield the DPA (Defense Protection Act) to support healthcare efforts and called for even more stimulus. 

 

WHAT’S ON MY iPHONE PLAYLIST? - five songs we are listening to this New Year’s 2021:

1). “Auld Lang Syne”, 1947: Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians

2). “Rum and Coca-Cola”, 1944: Andrew Sisters

3). “Midnight Rider”, 1970: Allman Brothers Band

4). “1999”, 1982: Prince

5). “Don’t Stop Believin”, 1981: Journey

 

COLLEGE CHRONICLES TRANSITION - Faced with a rapid deterioration in their finances in 2020, America’s colleges and universities issued a record amount of bonds this year.

It is a stressful time for higher education. The coronavirus pandemic worsened existing pressures on tuition and auxiliary revenue, with international students opting to study outside the U.S. and money from room and board drying up as schools keep classes online. At the same time, demand for financial aid and costs related to providing protective gear and Covid-19 testing have jumped.

Hoping to address possible shortfalls and take advantage of ultralow rates, universities have flooded the market with debt. With few places to get a return in the bond market, investors have scooped up the issues, which in some cases offer yields of 2% or 3% for debt that matures in 15 to 30 years.

For the year through November, colleges and universities issued more than $41.3 billion in taxable and tax-exempt fixed-rate debt, including refinancings, a record since Barclays began tracking the data. The data included issuance from schools with top-notch credit ratings, including Brown University and the University of Michigan, as well as lower-rated schools like Linfield University in McMinnville, Ore., and Alvernia University in Reading, Pa.

Moody’s Investors Service MCO 0.99% in March lowered its outlook on the entire sector to negative from stable, citing uncertainties and financial challenges brought on by the pandemic. S&P Global Ratings lowered its outlook on a raft of schools in May and no longer maintains a positive outlook on a single one of the schools it rates. Attempting to help alleviate some of the pressure, more than $20 billion was allotted to public and private higher education in the latest Covid-19 relief bill passed by Congress.

CHINA 2020 TRANSITION - China will end 2020 as the only major country to see its economy grow, not shrink.

China is operating from a position of great strength, with an economy expected to grow by 8.4% in 2021. The competition with the U.S. is likely to be fiercer during Joe Biden's presidency than at any point in history.

Columbia University historian Adam Tooze said: "However many times you hear the China growth story, it continues to have the capacity to shock and amaze. ... In scale and speed, it is unlike any previous experience."

China's economy is projected to grow by 2% in 2020 and by 8.4% in 2021. By the end of next year, its economy is expected to be 10.6% larger than it was at the beginning of this year.

By contrast, after shrinking by 3.6% this year and growing by a projected 4% next year, the U.S. economy is going to end 2021 just 0.25% larger than it was at the beginning of 2020.

ANNUAL AIRING OF GRIEVANCES –

It is time to air some things that bugged this writer, in some cases, again in 2020:

·         Top of the list, the Detroit Lions – must they always stink!

·         Reply all emails, really, the tenth straight year on my grievances list.

·         Leaders who constantly say they are being transparent but are not even close…I know who you are.

·         Why cannot golfers replace their divots in the fairway and ball marks on the greens?

·         No one likes a narcissist.

·         The “WF” course grade; hey, either you failed or you didn’t. What’s up!

 

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Dr. Anthony Fauci (80) LeBron James (35), Gayle King (66), Sandy Koufax (85), Maggie Smith (86).

 

BY THE NUMBERS - 10% — The recommended limit for added sugars as a proportion of daily calories in the dietary guidelines the U.S. government issued Tuesday. The new guidelines left the allowance for sugar unchanged, against the advice of a scientific advisory committee to cut the limit to 6%. The new guidelines do include the committee’s recommendation that children under age 2 consume no added sugars at all.

140 — The estimated number of graduate programs across dozens of schools that won’t admit new doctoral students for fall 2021. Ph.D. programs in seven of eight Ivy League schools are pressing pause on admissions, and so are others at the University of Chicago, the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington. Instead of taking on a new class of aspiring Ph.D.s, scores of programs are extending funding to current students whose studies or job searches the pandemic disrupted.

$300 — The daily maximum fine hospitals will face if they don’t disclose the rates they negotiate with individual insurers for services including drugs, supplies and facility fees, under a federal rule set to take effect Friday. The American Hospital Association had sued to block the new Trump administration policy, but a federal appeals court in Washington affirmed the change on Tuesday.

 

RINK RATS 2020 QUIZ –

1). Which of the following films won the 2020 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and International Feature Film in February?

A. Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma

B. Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite

C. Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit

D. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water

2). SpaceX accomplished which historic achievement this year?

A. A successful crewed mission

B. Elon Musk took a selfie in zero-gravity

C. Starlink satellites took a photo of Saturn’s rings

D. A probe collected a moon rock

 

3). Which was the most-viewed TikTok video of 2020?

A. 420Doggface208 drinking cranberry juice

B. Bella Poarch lip syncing “M to the B”

C. Eliza Petersen asking “meteor or meatier?”

D. Will Smith wiping it down

 

4). Fill in the blank: A 2019 study released this August found that the number of U.S. workers ________ rose 11% from 2018, and 29% from 2015.

A. Actively saving for retirement

B. Testing positive for marijuana

C. Working from home

D. Freelancing

 

5). Finally, this year, everything was…

A. Dalgona coffee

B. A newsletter

C. Sourdough bread

D. Cake

Answers at the end of the blog.

 

2020 WASN’T ALL THAT BAD –

Below are six of our favorite pieces of advice, knowledge and wisdom we picked up this year.

Complaining is sometimes good for you

The trick to doing it right starts with understanding how the word “complaining” is often misused to describe a variety of behaviors, with some being more harmful or helpful than others. Teasing apart these distinctions requires vocabulary that varies between experts, but there are roughly three categories: venting, problem solving and ruminating, otherwise known as dwelling. Knowing which behavior you’re engaging in, and with what purpose, can help you establish habits that will not only make your complaining much more strategic, but also help improve your emotional health and build stronger relationships with the people around you.

You should stop saving your money

OK, to be a little clearer: Stop actively saving your money. Automate it so you just don’t have to think about it. This is what I mean by mindless saving. Your paycheck should be making pit stops before it hits your account, getting a little smaller with each stop. The priority of these stops, and the amounts saved, will vary based on your current financial life, but the general idea is the same: Automate your savings so you never even have to think about saving anything. Take yourself completely out of the equation — you can’t miss (or spend) what was never there.

It’s fine to leave your phone plugged in all day

Some people just plug their phones into a charger (or toss them onto a wireless charging pad) whenever power is available. Others fastidiously keep their batteries between 40 percent and 80 percent, never allowing a full charge, guided by the belief that a battery will last longer as a result.

After speaking with battery researchers and the experts at iFixit, reviewing studies on phone replacement trends, and analyzing some user data from Wirecutter staffers, we’ve found that although micromanaging your phone’s battery is likely to extend its life to a small degree, the results might not be worth the inconvenience in the long run.

Being a good person is simpler than you think

According to Cheryl Strayed, author and former “Dear Sugars” host and columnist: Cultivate a sense of optimism. Remember to be grateful. Be happy for others when good things happen to them. Stop complaining about the people, jobs or situations that make you miserable, and find a way to change it or end it instead. Go for a walk every day. Goodness is action. It’s being kind, honest, considerate, respectful and generous. It’s holding love in your heart.

To have a better night’s sleep, slow down in the evenings

Excitement makes it harder to sleep. “Smartphones and laptops are just too exciting,” one sleep expert told us. “So many people find it easier to go to sleep after reading a book than after trawling the internet. Do more quiet, relaxing activities in the hour or two before you plan to sleep.” Books, audiobooks, just listening to music or even meditating are all perfect — though make sure you don’t mess around with your phone too much.

Similarly, exercise, big meals and bright lights — especially sources of blue light like screens — should be avoided an hour or two before bedtime. Not only do blue lights suppress melatonin, which makes it harder to fall asleep, but they also diminish the quality of sleep you get through the night.

Self-awareness is key to emotional intelligence

This simply means being able to identify your own emotions and how they work. Are you anxious in loud environments? Do you get angry when people talk over you? If you know these things about yourself, then you’re practicing self-awareness. This can be more difficult than it sounds, but simply being aware of yourself is all it takes for this step.

 

2020 JACK ASSES –

•          President Donald Trump: he called COVID a hoax, mocked anyone who wore a mask, insisted we’d turned a corner and refuses to assist the economy he destroyed. Wants credit for the vaccines, is a bully, cheats at golf, has fake hair. Enough said.

·         Sean Hannity: The real-world consequences of Hannity’s scandal-mongering require little in the way of guesswork. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that 52 percent of Fox News viewers see voter fraud as a “major problem when it comes to voting by mail in U.S. presidential elections.” That scary number isn’t surprising, considering that Fox News repeats the bogus claims of President Trump — and the alleged pitfalls of mail-in voting is a big one — with minimal interference. People believe Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham — and possibly even the “Fox & Friends” crew. As this episode suggests, the Fox Newsers have little worry that their audience will find, and trust, contradictory reports from other outlets. So why not just ignore them?

•          Kellyanne Conway has admitted Biden/Harris won. This means:

1) Hell has frozen over and Kellyanne has been offered a job as a Zamboni driver

2) Kellyanne wants her husband and daughter to talk to her again

3) Kellyanne will start claiming she's never met Trump

•          Gavin Newsom: A pompous non-transparent leader.

•          Don Cherry: Don, time to retire and fade away.

 

BASEBALL FINANCE 2020 - MLB teams paid out $1.7 billion in prorated salaries during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

That figure is nearly $2.5 billion less than the full 2019 season.

Top 2020 Payrolls –

Los Angeles Dodgers: $98.6 million

New York Yankees: $83.6 million

New York Mets: $83.4 million

Houston Astros: $81.4 million

Chicago Cubs: $80.6 million

The Dodgers topped the league in spending for the fourth-straight year, but 2020’s payroll was the lowest by a league-leader since the 2000 Yankees spent $95.3 million.

When adjusted for a full season, all but nine teams actually increased their payroll.

The 2021 season start date and length is still up in the air — a 135-game season starting in May has been floated — but there’s growing mistrust between teams and players.

MLB claimed teams would lose up to $4 billion last season without fans in attendance if players made their full prorated salaries.

Last week, super agent Scott Boras pushed back on the league’s claims: “There’s no team in baseball that lost money last year.”

 

CFP / BCS BOWLS - When the College Football Playoff announced the Rose Bowl Game was moving from Pasadena, California, to Arlington, Texas, the COVID-19 positivity rate in Arlington’s county was higher than that of Pasadena.

Despite this, CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement the move was due to the “growing number of COVID-19 cases in Southern California,” and emphasized excitement that Arlington’s local guidelines would allow families into the stadium.

But another appeal of Arlington hosting quickly emerged: In addition to families,16,000 fans can attend.

Ticket revenue represents “arguably” one of bowl games’ largest revenue streams and as ticket prices sour and begin to sell, young fans appear willing to attend despite the risks.

 

THE BOYS ARE BACK - The NHL is a bit closer to actually getting on the ice.

The NHL Board of Governors approved the proposed agreement between the league and the NHL Players' Association.

So, the path is basically cleared for a 56-game regular season to begin on Jan. 13. But there is one more obstacle.

The NHL’s seven Canadian teams, in what will be an all-Canadian division under the proposed one-year realignment, are still to get clearance from the five provinces to go ahead and play in their own buildings.

If they cannot, the NHL will either go to a hub-city format, with those seven teams staying and playing likely in Edmonton, or possibly disperse the seven teams to cities in the United States (which would require further realignment).

What does all this mean from Rink Rats favorite team the Detroit Red Wings’ perspective?

As one of the seven teams that didn’t quality for the Return To Play last summer, they’d get a few extra days of training camp beginning on Dec. 31 with the other non-playoff teams (the other 24 teams would begin Jan. 3).

The Red Wings will be housed in the Central Division along with Columbus, Carolina, Chicago, Nashville, Tampa, Florida and Dallas.

All 56 games will be played within the division, and the top four teams in the division advance to the playoffs, again all within the division, with the regular season scheduled to end May 8.

The Stanley Cup is expected to be awarded in mid-July, with a return to a “normal” hockey calendar for the 2021-22 season beginning in early October.

 

SWAMI’S WEEK TOP PICKS –

NFL Football Pick of the Week – Sunday 1/3, 1:25 PM (PDT), CBS: Arizona Cardinals (8-7) at Los Angeles Rams (9-6). LA QB Goff is out, winner makes the playoffs. LA prevails 24 – 21. (Season to date 10-3)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BCS – Friday 1/1, 1:00 pm (PDT), ESPN: Citrus Bowl - #4 University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) vs #1 University of Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0). Roll Tide 45 – 28.

Friday 1/1, 5:00 pm (PDT), ESPN: Texas Rose Bowl - #3 Ohio State University Buckeyes (6-0) vs. #2 Clemson University Tigers (10-1). Big Ten humiliated again, Tigers win 38 – 20.

(Season to Date 8-5)

NBA Pick of the Week – Friday 1/1. 5:00 pm (PDT), NBA TV: Los Angeles Lakers (2-2) at San Antonio Spurs (2-1). It’s early, but Lakers are sluggish, Spurs win 94 – 85.

EPL Pick of the Week – Friday 1/1, 12:00 pm (PDT), NBCSN: Manchester United (8-3-3) at Aston Villa (8-2-4). Good New Years Day football, too bad it will be a tie, 2 – 2.

NCAA College Hockey Pick of the Week – Thursday 12/31, 4:00 pm (EDT), ESPN+: #11 Quinnipiac Bobcats (6-2) vs. St. Lawrence Saints (0-0). First game for the Saints after some COVID cancellations, Bobcats will be a test in Appleton, can we get an extra credit? Quinn wins 5 – 2.

2020 Season to Date (37 – 21)

 

REMEMBERING – Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Campbell, Kirk Douglas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Lewis, Little Richard, Pris Schroeder, Jerry Stiller

 

Have a safe and heathy 2021

A special thanks to all my readers, for your feedback, your support, your complaining, keep it up in 2021!

 

Next Blog: The Swami picks for 2021

 

Until Monday January 4, 2021 Adios.

Claremont, California

December 30, 2020

#XI-20-426

3,425 words, nine-minute read

 

CARTOON OF THE WEEK – The New Yorker, Emily Flake

 

 

 

RINK RATS NEW YEARS POLL – My New Year resolution -

____ Health

____ Peace

____ Honesty

____ Calm

____ All of the above

____ The perfect martini

____ Other

 

RINK RATS 2020 QUIZ ANSWRS –

1). B   2). A   3). B   4). B   5). A

 

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: “It is essential to woman’s equality with man that she be the decisionmaker, that her choice be controlling. If you impose restraints that impede her choice, you are disadvantaging her because of her sex...” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 

 

 

Rink Rats is a blog of weekly observations, predictions and commentary. We welcome your comments and questions. Also participate in our monthly poll. Rink Rats is now viewed in Europe, Canada, South America and the United States.

Posted at Rink Rats The Blog: First Published – May 3, 2010

Our Eleventh Year.

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