Our fiftieth blog, there have been many events in the world and locally since we began Rink Rats blog but one thing has remained constant, The Keep Smiling Farewell Tour is still going on as it did one year ago. The Tour reached a high point this past week with various lectures and dedications. In fact rumors abound that The Tour has signed on with The Glee Tour to continue on into 2012.
One of the highlights of this past week lectures was the wonderful and warm presentation of Warren Bennis on leadership. Dr. Bennis’s six qualities to be an effective leader were especially noted: Integrity, Dedication, Magnanimity (smiling and saying thank you to employees and all people), Humility, Openness, and Creativity. Too bad certain individuals took this time during Dr. Bennis’s lecture to take a nap.
We have learned a few lessons in these first 50 blogs; writing and editing is not easy, we have much more respect to the writers and editors who do this on a daily basis. Another lesson is that Rink Rats should not bet in Las Vegas, as you have noticed our picks are usually wrong. Finally, we appreciate all the comments and support from our readers and look forward to another year.
HERE WE GO - President Obama has announced his reelection campaign today (Monday) in an electronic message to grassroots supporters, Democratic sources tell POLITICO. Obama launches with a recovering economy and a weak, fractured Republican field, but with chaos in the Middle East that adds unpredictability to an environment that points to likely reelection. Obama's campaign, which could raise $1 billion or more, will be based in Chicago, just a few blocks from the headquarters of his historic 2008 race.
The website is ready, the donation button has been tested, and call sheets to key political supporters are set. Obama organizers have long planned to launch at the beginning of the second quarter so they can show a fundraising juggernaut in their first report to FEC. But they couldn't pull the trigger on the first day of the quarter, April Fools' Day, and then the next two days were weekend days. Obama will be raising money for the campaign in Chicago on April 14, and the campaign had to formally organize before that date.
The campaign manager, Jim Messina, who was a deputy White House chief of staff past the midterms, has been pumping up donors in meetings around the country, pressing them for major commitments. David Axelrod, who returned to Chicago after serving as a White House senior adviser for the first two year, will once again be Obama's strategic guru.
EDUCATION - WashPost A1, "Algebra II movement multiplies: More states require course, citing it as link to students' success," by Peter Whoriskey, in Conway, Ark.: "Of all of the classes offered in high school, Algebra II is the leading predictor of college and work success ... In recent years, 20 states and the District have moved to raise graduation requirements to include Algebra II ... The effort has been led by Achieve, a group organized by governors and business leaders and funded by corporations and their foundations, to improve the skills of the workforce. ... Whether learning Algebra II causes students to fare better in life, or whether it is merely correlated with them doing better - because smart, motivated kids take Algebra II - isn't clear." http://wapo.st/i0Jh0T Sample problems http://wapo.st/frhFPA
SPORTS BLINK: WHO WILL CUT THE NET? Men's college basketball National Championship, 9 p.m. ET on CBS, from Reliant Stadium in Houston (tipoff: 9:23 p.m.) -- No. 8 Butler (of Indianapolis; 4,640 total students) v. No. 3 Connecticut
Las Vegas sports books make Connecticut solid favorite in national championship: UConn favored by about four points over Butler, with an over/under of 129 points.
THE BIG IDEA -- Maureen Dowd, "Mad Men And Mad Women: Republicans talk fiscal policy but can't resist social meddling": "Republicans hate social engineering, unless they're doing it. ... [L]o and behold, social issues have roared back. Many in the Tea Party have joined that chain-smoking, cocktail-quaffing Mad Man John Boehner in the martini party to put a retro focus on wedge issues, from gays to abortion. ... Whether it's upholding the Defense of Marriage Act, trying to defund Planned Parenthood, or aiming cuts at the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, NPR and even AARP, House Republicans are in a lather that occludes their pledges to monomaniacally work on the economy."
"The snowball of social rage will speed up as we head toward 2012, given that the Iowa caucuses are dominated by social conservatives. Pawlenty, Barbour and Huckabee have already talked about vitiating the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell.' Because independent voters considered President Obama too partisan in his debut, they shifted their loyalties - and swept in one of the most ideological and partisan Republican caucuses in history. Now Obama will get back some of the independents because he seems reasonable by comparison. One thing independents like to be independent of is government meddling in their personal lives."
NEW SQUEEZE ON MIDDLE CLASS -- L.A. Times 2-col. lead, "Companies slim down on health plans: 'Narrow network' HMOs cut costs, but at the price of fewer medical options," by Duke Helfand: "Thousands of employers in California and across the country are slashing expensive doctors and hospitals from their insurance rosters in a move to hold down rising healthcare costs ... The savings on insurance premiums - nearly 25% in some cases - are gained when companies switch their health plans to 'narrow network' HMOs that offer fewer choices of medical providers. ... Healthcare experts and consumer advocates warn that eliminating doctors and hospitals from insurance lists could harm patients, particularly those who depend on specific providers to treat chronic or life-threatening conditions."
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Governor Jerry Brown (73), Francis Ford Coppola (72), Tony Dorsett (57), Vince Gill (54), Jim “Catfish” Hunter (65), John Madden (75), Rachel Meadow (38), Craig T. Nelson (67), Alden Reimonenq …who?, Omar Sharif (79).
ANNIVERSARY QUIZ – this month we will be giving a quiz every week to celebrate our First Year, the first person to pick the correct answer in our comment section will win a special Rink Rats prize:
A Russian billionaire paid $100 million this past week for a home where?
- Manhattan’s Upper East Side - California’s Silicon Valley
- Palm Beach, Fla. - Bel Air, Calif.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - From a new book, "The Ruins of Detroit,“ by French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre. They set out to "document the decline of an American city."
Added news item: Detroit's population has dropped 25% since 2000, "the country’s most startling example of modern urban collapse." NYT
Up and down Detroit’s streets, buildings stand abandoned and in ruin.
French photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre set out to document the decline of an American city. Their book “The Ruins of Detroit“, a document of decaying buildings frozen in time, was published in December 2010.
From the photographers’ website: Ruins are the visible symbols and landmarks of our societies and their changes, small pieces of history in suspension. The state of ruin is essentially a temporary situation that happens at some point, the volatile result of change of era and the fall of empires. This fragility, the time elapsed but even so running fast, lead us to watch them one very last time : being dismayed, or admire, making us wondering about the permanence of things. Photography appeared to us as a modest way to keep a little bit of this ephemeral state.
MLB 2011 -- SI's "Baseball Preview" issues picks Red Sox to win World Series: "After reloading and priming themselves to be the beasts of the AL East, the Boston Red Sox are Sports Illustrated's pick to win the 2011 World Series [going 100-62], defeating the reigning champion San Francisco Giants. DIVISION SERIES: Red Sox over A's ... Twins over Yankees ... Phillies over Rockies ... Giants over Reds ... CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: Red Sox over Twins ... Giants over Phillies."
INSIDE THE NUMBERS - The TARP (QE1) bank program will turn a profit after three financial institutions repay a total of $7.4 billion. With the expected proceeds, taxpayers will have recovered $251 billion. That exceeds the original investment Treasury made through those programs ($245 billion) by nearly $6 billion. Treasury currently estimates that bank programs within TARP will ultimately provide a lifetime profit of approximately $20 billion to taxpayers.
The Dow and the S&P 500, however, did finish with their best first quarter since 1998.
UNIONS - Membership in the United Auto Workers union grew 6 percent in 2010 — adding 20,000 workers to its ranks — breaking a string of annual declines as the auto industry rebounded. The Detroit-based union's membership climbed to 376,612 last year, up from 355,191 at the end of 2009, according to a UAW filing Thursday with the U.S. Labor Department.
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAMES OF THE WEEK – April 7: NCAA semi final – North Dakota Fighting Sioux over The University of Michigan Wolverines, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish over the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. NCAA Champ – North Dakota Fighting Sioux.
Season to date (3-8)
CONGRATULATIONS – to The Detroit Red Wings clinching their 20th straight year of playoff participation (the most of any major professional sport) and for recording 100 regular season points for the 11th consecutive year – very impressive.
Next week, our first year anniversary month continues.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
April 4, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Final Four
This is the week of four, with four more days in the month we have had a year’s worth of news peaking these last four days of the month: the Mubarak fled Egypt which is reordering Middle East power and affecting global security with subsequent events in Libya, Yemen and all through the region. It was March 11 – 17 days ago that we woke to the news of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, which this week still has ripple effects on the fragile global economy and terrible consequences for the Japanese people. Also this week the United States is in three hot conflicts at once, for the first time since World War II.
As of March 25 the U.S. federal government debt was $14.21 trillion or 97% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2010, ranked 12th in percentage among nations. There were four main creditors of this debt: (1) $9.4 trillion held by the U.S. public and the Federal Reserve 66.1%, (2) China $1.2 trillion, (3) Japan $880 billion, and (4) United Kingdom $240 billion. This is not including State and Municipal Government debt, individual and corporate debt. You think we have been living beyond our means?
Gas and food prices have never been higher, affecting all economies and especially those in poorer countries. Top four oil reserve countries: (1) Saudi Arabia 267 billion barrels, (2) Iraq 180 billion barrels, (3) Canada 179 billion barrels, and (4) Iran 138 billion barrels. Average reserves in years approximately 85 at our current usage. Where is my Hummer?
FINAL FOURS – The NCAA College Hockey Frozen Four is set for April 7-9 in St. Paul, Minnesota: East – Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Northeast – Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Midwest – North Dakota Fighting Sioux, West– Michigan Wolverines.
NCAA College Basketball Final Four is set for April 2-4 in Houston, Texas: East – Kentucky Wildcats, Southeast - Butler Bulldogs, Southwest – Virginia Commonwealth Rams, West – Connecticut Huskies.
KENTUCKY FAVORED FOR FINAL FOUR MOMENT - AP: "Las Vegas casinos have tabbed Kentucky the latest favorite in an NCAA tournament full of upsets, and are hoping that Virginia Commonwealth ends its improbable run without a title. The Glantz-Culver line made Kentucky a 2-point favorite to win its semifinal game against Connecticut on Saturday night, and Butler a 2 1/2 -point favorite over Virginia Commonwealth. ... [T]he odds were 1,371-1 against VCU reaching the Final Four, said gambling expert RJ Bell of Pregame.com."
CREDIT CARDS DEBT STILL HIGH - NYT's Stephanie Clifford on pg. B1: "American shoppers did not shed their reliance on credit cards over the year-end holidays. While the average debt on credit cards in December decreased by 4 percent ... Americans still carried an average of $4,284 on credit card statements in December 2010, according to data released this week by the credit monitoring company Experian. The data offers conflicting versions of the economy's already mixed picture. While some consumers spent more during the holidays because the economy was rebounding, others were still unable to cover expenses without leaning on their credit cards. And while holiday spending also appeared to have been more robust than in the last several years, even more recent data has shown a bit of a slowdown in consumption this year."
- The Wall Street Journal calls Aspen, Colo., "the most expensive town in America": "Defying the national sales slump, Aspen's [home] sales are up. ... [T]he glitzy ski enclave is outpricing the Hamptons, Beverly Hill and Palm Beach. ... The average home price .... Has increased ... to $6 million in 2010 from $5.4 million in 2006."
PARAGRAPH OF THE WEEK - George Will, in his Sunday column, on Andrew Ferguson's new book, "Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College": "The college admission process occasions too much angst. America is thickly planted with 1,400 four-year institutions. Motivated, selective students can get a fine education at any of them -- unmotivated, undiscerning students at none. Most students love the schools they attend. And the admissions quest can have splendid moments. Last year, Wake Forest, a wonderful university with a stimulating application form, asked applicants what they would title their autobiographies. One, obviously a golfer, answered: 'Mulligan.' Wouldn't we all?"
TAX TIME: G.E. PAYS NO TAX - In a piece that may make things a big awkward for President Obama's top outside economic advisor, G.E. CEO Jeff Immelt, NYT's David Kocieniewski reports above the fold on A1: "[G.E.] reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States. Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion. ...
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Steve Ballmer (55), Warren Beatty (74), Jaime Evans …famous Redding, CA Mom, Gordie Howe (83), Elle MacPherson (47), Reba McEntire (56), Nancy Pelosi (71), Tara Pugliese ….is she 21 yet?, Gene Shalit (85), Twitter (5).
MEDIAWATCH -- COURIC DISCUSSING UNIQUE HYBRID ROLE: Katie Couric is likely to depart as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" when her contract expires on June 4. But she may continue contributing to CBS News while developing a syndicated daily show, and even after her show launches. "She potentially could remain a big part of CBS News," said an associate who described the negotiations on condition of anonymity. Her imminent departure from "Evening News" was first reported by Howard Kurtz of The Daily Beast.
Couric has "felt confined by the 22-minute box," the associate said. But she has transcended it with her @KatieCouric webcast, and by reporting pieces for "60 Minutes" and "Sunday Morning," where she might continue to appear under the new hybrid. The new deal would likely include her own production company. Couric's team is having similar negotiations with NBC - a package that would include contributions to NBC News and MSNBC while she develops - and eventually hosts -- a show through the network's syndication arm.
GREAT NEW BOOK – For Southern Californians especially interested in dry gardening; “Reimagining the California Lawn”, Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O’Brien. Thank you LP for your recommendation of the book. Mr. O’Brien nationally known for his expertise in dry gardening represents the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, California. The authors will be lecturing throughout the state in the coming weeks, here are a few of the local sites:
April 2: Native Sons Nursery, Arroyo Grande
April 9: Bellefontaine Nursery, Pasadena
April 16: Assn. of Professional Landscape Designers, West Hollywood
April 16: Descanso Gardens, La CaƱada Flintridge
April 17: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont
JACKASS OF THE MONTH – Jessica Simpson who recently signed a prenuptial agreement with her fiance, former NFL has been Erik Johnson, the agreement will pay Mr. Johnson $200,000 when the couple become married, $20,000 per month for five years should they stay married and $1,000,000 after five years or marriage. We congratulate Ms. Simpson for her Jackass award this month and congratulate Mr. Johnson for being a very lucky SOB.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN MEMORIAM - Emily Yoffe remembers the actress walking into Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica around 1990 or so. I was living in Los Angeles at the time and had lunch there with friends occasionally and it was perfectly normal for us to say, sotto voce, "Bruce Willis just sat at the table at your right." What you never did was obviously turn your head or openly look at the celebrities. Then Elizabeth Taylor came in for lunch. She was in her brief blond phase and she was escorted by her demi-celebrity hairdresser, Jose Eber. When Taylor arrived, everyone in the place dropped the pretense of being too sophisticated to stare. All conversation stopped, forks stayed poised mid-air, and everyone's eyes bore through Taylor. I was seated with an agent who said she'd never seen people act like this. Remarkably, this was long past the time Taylor was an active star or was regularly appearing in movies. But she had an enduring power to reduce everyone to a stunned fan.
Next week, our first year anniversary month begins.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
March 28, 2011
As of March 25 the U.S. federal government debt was $14.21 trillion or 97% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for 2010, ranked 12th in percentage among nations. There were four main creditors of this debt: (1) $9.4 trillion held by the U.S. public and the Federal Reserve 66.1%, (2) China $1.2 trillion, (3) Japan $880 billion, and (4) United Kingdom $240 billion. This is not including State and Municipal Government debt, individual and corporate debt. You think we have been living beyond our means?
Gas and food prices have never been higher, affecting all economies and especially those in poorer countries. Top four oil reserve countries: (1) Saudi Arabia 267 billion barrels, (2) Iraq 180 billion barrels, (3) Canada 179 billion barrels, and (4) Iran 138 billion barrels. Average reserves in years approximately 85 at our current usage. Where is my Hummer?
FINAL FOURS – The NCAA College Hockey Frozen Four is set for April 7-9 in St. Paul, Minnesota: East – Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, Northeast – Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Midwest – North Dakota Fighting Sioux, West– Michigan Wolverines.
NCAA College Basketball Final Four is set for April 2-4 in Houston, Texas: East – Kentucky Wildcats, Southeast - Butler Bulldogs, Southwest – Virginia Commonwealth Rams, West – Connecticut Huskies.
KENTUCKY FAVORED FOR FINAL FOUR MOMENT - AP: "Las Vegas casinos have tabbed Kentucky the latest favorite in an NCAA tournament full of upsets, and are hoping that Virginia Commonwealth ends its improbable run without a title. The Glantz-Culver line made Kentucky a 2-point favorite to win its semifinal game against Connecticut on Saturday night, and Butler a 2 1/2 -point favorite over Virginia Commonwealth. ... [T]he odds were 1,371-1 against VCU reaching the Final Four, said gambling expert RJ Bell of Pregame.com."
CREDIT CARDS DEBT STILL HIGH - NYT's Stephanie Clifford on pg. B1: "American shoppers did not shed their reliance on credit cards over the year-end holidays. While the average debt on credit cards in December decreased by 4 percent ... Americans still carried an average of $4,284 on credit card statements in December 2010, according to data released this week by the credit monitoring company Experian. The data offers conflicting versions of the economy's already mixed picture. While some consumers spent more during the holidays because the economy was rebounding, others were still unable to cover expenses without leaning on their credit cards. And while holiday spending also appeared to have been more robust than in the last several years, even more recent data has shown a bit of a slowdown in consumption this year."
- The Wall Street Journal calls Aspen, Colo., "the most expensive town in America": "Defying the national sales slump, Aspen's [home] sales are up. ... [T]he glitzy ski enclave is outpricing the Hamptons, Beverly Hill and Palm Beach. ... The average home price .... Has increased ... to $6 million in 2010 from $5.4 million in 2006."
PARAGRAPH OF THE WEEK - George Will, in his Sunday column, on Andrew Ferguson's new book, "Crazy U: One Dad's Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College": "The college admission process occasions too much angst. America is thickly planted with 1,400 four-year institutions. Motivated, selective students can get a fine education at any of them -- unmotivated, undiscerning students at none. Most students love the schools they attend. And the admissions quest can have splendid moments. Last year, Wake Forest, a wonderful university with a stimulating application form, asked applicants what they would title their autobiographies. One, obviously a golfer, answered: 'Mulligan.' Wouldn't we all?"
TAX TIME: G.E. PAYS NO TAX - In a piece that may make things a big awkward for President Obama's top outside economic advisor, G.E. CEO Jeff Immelt, NYT's David Kocieniewski reports above the fold on A1: "[G.E.] reported worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, and said $5.1 billion of the total came from its operations in the United States. Its American tax bill? None. In fact, G.E. claimed a tax benefit of $3.2 billion. ...
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Steve Ballmer (55), Warren Beatty (74), Jaime Evans …famous Redding, CA Mom, Gordie Howe (83), Elle MacPherson (47), Reba McEntire (56), Nancy Pelosi (71), Tara Pugliese ….is she 21 yet?, Gene Shalit (85), Twitter (5).
MEDIAWATCH -- COURIC DISCUSSING UNIQUE HYBRID ROLE: Katie Couric is likely to depart as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" when her contract expires on June 4. But she may continue contributing to CBS News while developing a syndicated daily show, and even after her show launches. "She potentially could remain a big part of CBS News," said an associate who described the negotiations on condition of anonymity. Her imminent departure from "Evening News" was first reported by Howard Kurtz of The Daily Beast.
Couric has "felt confined by the 22-minute box," the associate said. But she has transcended it with her @KatieCouric webcast, and by reporting pieces for "60 Minutes" and "Sunday Morning," where she might continue to appear under the new hybrid. The new deal would likely include her own production company. Couric's team is having similar negotiations with NBC - a package that would include contributions to NBC News and MSNBC while she develops - and eventually hosts -- a show through the network's syndication arm.
GREAT NEW BOOK – For Southern Californians especially interested in dry gardening; “Reimagining the California Lawn”, Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O’Brien. Thank you LP for your recommendation of the book. Mr. O’Brien nationally known for his expertise in dry gardening represents the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, California. The authors will be lecturing throughout the state in the coming weeks, here are a few of the local sites:
April 2: Native Sons Nursery, Arroyo Grande
April 9: Bellefontaine Nursery, Pasadena
April 16: Assn. of Professional Landscape Designers, West Hollywood
April 16: Descanso Gardens, La CaƱada Flintridge
April 17: Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont
JACKASS OF THE MONTH – Jessica Simpson who recently signed a prenuptial agreement with her fiance, former NFL has been Erik Johnson, the agreement will pay Mr. Johnson $200,000 when the couple become married, $20,000 per month for five years should they stay married and $1,000,000 after five years or marriage. We congratulate Ms. Simpson for her Jackass award this month and congratulate Mr. Johnson for being a very lucky SOB.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN MEMORIAM - Emily Yoffe remembers the actress walking into Ivy at the Shore in Santa Monica around 1990 or so. I was living in Los Angeles at the time and had lunch there with friends occasionally and it was perfectly normal for us to say, sotto voce, "Bruce Willis just sat at the table at your right." What you never did was obviously turn your head or openly look at the celebrities. Then Elizabeth Taylor came in for lunch. She was in her brief blond phase and she was escorted by her demi-celebrity hairdresser, Jose Eber. When Taylor arrived, everyone in the place dropped the pretense of being too sophisticated to stare. All conversation stopped, forks stayed poised mid-air, and everyone's eyes bore through Taylor. I was seated with an agent who said she'd never seen people act like this. Remarkably, this was long past the time Taylor was an active star or was regularly appearing in movies. But she had an enduring power to reduce everyone to a stunned fan.
Next week, our first year anniversary month begins.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Spring Time
The first weekend of spring is here and in Southern California it is raining buckets, there are wars going on in Afghanistan, Libya and Central Africa, Japan is desperately trying to recover from the earthquake and tsunami, prices for food and gasoline are going up daily, drivers continue not to use their turn signals and Tony Villaraigosa is still mayor of Los Angeles.
For the first time since World War II, Americans are in hot conflicts in three different places - and this time, all three fronts are in Muslim countries. The U.S. military is showing its amazing range: roughly 48,000 troops remain in Iraq; 100,000 are in Afghanistan; and now five U.S. ships, with a total crew of about 1,000 sailors, have fired missiles at Libya. Today, U.S. planes are expected to enter Libyan airspace, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned on ABC's "This Week" that Moammar Gadhafi "still has some surface-to-air capability, where he could attack an aircraft, including one of ours."
American consumers have long enjoyed a luxury that few others could boast: an abundance of affordable food. But with prices of wheat, corn and other staples soaring, some economists and scientists are wondering how long that can last. On Wednesday, the U.S. Labor Department reported that wholesale food prices jumped 3.9% in February ... the highest monthly increase in 37 years. Economists expect to see a similar uptick in what consumers are paying for food at retail when the Labor Department releases its consumer price index Thursday. ... Economists warn that such prices will probably remain high this year and possibly much longer, driven by a confluence of factors: the fall of the U.S. dollar, slowing growth in crop yields, political unrest in the Middle East, high crude oil prices and a revived interest in crop-based biofuels.
Despite all this bad news there are positive events to draw upon this first weekend of spring; the Los Angeles Marathon was an exciting event as always, your friends are still your friends and will always be there for you, Sarah Palin is not running for President (but beware in 2016), the NCAA basketball and hockey tournaments are in full swing, the Super Moon on Saturday night was a cool thing to see, the Southern California deserts are in full bloom and Tony Villaraigosa has only two years left in his term. So smile and think only good thoughts this first week of spring. Here are some spring pictures taken by Rink Rats this past weekend, to get you in an upbeat mood.
Spring Time in the desert. Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells.
PRESIDENT OBAMA on GUN CONTROL, in an op-ed in the (Tucson) Arizona Daily Star, "We must seek agreement on gun reforms": "Like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. ... I believe that if common sense prevails, we can get beyond wedge issues and stale political debates to find a sensible, intelligent way to make the United States of America a safer, stronger place. ... First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books. ... Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data - and therefore do the most to protect our citizens. ... Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can't escape it."
PALIN WANING - Conservative intellectuals slam her -- Jonathan Martin and John F. Harris: "Sarah Palin has played the sexism card, accusing critics of chauvinism against a strong woman. She has played the class card, dismissing the Bush family as 'blue bloods,' and complaining that she is the target of snobbery by people who dislike her simply because she is 'not so hoity-toity.' Most famously, she has played the victim card ... Palin's flamboyant rhetoric always has thrilled supporters but lately it is coming at a new cost: A backlash ... from some of the country's most influential conservative commentators and intellectuals. Palin's politics of grievance and group identity, according to these critics, is a betrayal of conservative principles. For decades, it was a standard line of the right that liberals ... practiced the politics of identity-race, sex and class ... Matt Labash, a longtime writer for the Weekly Standard, said that because of Palin's frequent appeals to victimhood and group grievance, 'She's becoming Al Sharpton, Alaska edition.' ... Asked if the GOP would remain the party of ideas if Palin captures the nomination, [George] Will said: 'The answer is emphatically no.'"
Sarah Palin has shown no capacity to evolve, grow substantively, or expand her base of support. If she had spent her time studying education reform, like Jeb Bush - or developing a signature issue of any sort - a Palin candidacy would look much more promising. She resigned as governor in July, 2009 -- a year and a half that has been squandered, used only to make money rather than to reintroduce herself to the American middle.
BACHMANN HAS PATTERN OF FACT ERRORS - Jonathan Martin and Kendra Marr: "Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's suggestion Saturday that the Revolutionary War began in Concord, N.H., rather than Lexington and Concord, Mass., marks the third time in recent months that the potential GOP presidential hopeful has committed a puzzling gaffe about history and current affairs. Making her first trek to New Hampshire as a 2012 prospect, Bachmann told a GOP crowd in Manchester: 'You're the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord.' ... At a fundraiser Friday night on the New Hampshire Seacoast, Bachmann said almost the exact same thing, according to the Minnesota Post. ... Speaking in January to an Iowa anti-tax group, Bachmann claimed that the authors of the country's founding documents sought to end slavery."
The Wall Street Journal Asia editorial, "Nuclear Overreactions: Modern life requires learning from disasters, not fleeing all risk": "After a once-in-300-years earthquake, the Japanese have been keeping cool amid the chaos, organizing an enormous relief and rescue operation, and generally earning the world's admiration. We wish we could say the same for the reaction in the U.S., where the troubles at Japan's nuclear reactors have produced an overreaction about the risks of modern life and technology."
Record 5.9 Million Brackets in ESPN.com's Men's Tournament Challenge Game, surpassing last year's record 4.8 million - ESPN release: "More fans picked Kansas, Ohio State, Duke and Pittsburgh to reach the Final Four than any other teams. In those predicted games (Ohio State vs. Duke, Kansas vs. Pittsburgh): Ohio State was picked to defeat Duke 19.1 percent of the time; Kansas was picked to defeat Pittsburgh 25.3 percent of the time; 25.9 percent of participants chose Ohio State to win the national championship. An analysis of Second Round picks by the 5.9 million brackets finds: 57.2% of brackets picked #10 Michigan State to defeat #7 UCLA; 53.7% of brackets picked #9 Tennessee to defeat #8 Michigan; 46% of brackets picked #10 Florida State to defeat #7 Texas A&M; 99.5% of brackets picked #1 Ohio State over #16 University of Texas-San Antonio."
FED TO LOOSEN REINS ON BANKS - WSJ's Dan Fitzpatrick on pg. C1: "The Federal Reserve is expected Friday to free some of the nation's biggest banks from strict oversight ... The Fed will now allow financial institutions that have passed a fresh round of stress tests to run their businesses independent of crisis-era restrictions imposed in 2008. That will permit banks to raise dividends and buy back shares ... On Friday, banks that get the green light to boost dividend payouts will be able to announce those plans immediately. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is expected to receive approval for a dividend boost and share buybacks ... Analysts also expect U.S. Bancorp, American Express Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. to be among the first institutions cleared from government restrictions."
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Alex Ball …a few days late but Happy 21 years, Kenny Chesney (43), Bob Costas (59), Valtteri Filppula (27), Orrin Hatch (77), Elton John (64), Peyton Manning (35), Denny McLain (67), Danica Patrick (29), Bob Woodward (68) .
WORDS OF THE MONTH – retrograde \RE-truh-greyd\, adjective:
1. Having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating.
2. Inverse or reversed, as order.
3. Exhibiting degeneration or deterioration.
“Retrograde motion, or retrogression, within the Earth's atmosphere refers to weather systems which move from east to west through the Westerlies or from west to east through the Trade wind easterlies.”
temer, verb
to be afraid
Teme al profesor.
“He’s afraid of the teacher.”
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/25, the NCAA final sixteen begin their tournament, this West Regional Semifinal has #3 ranked and Hockey East Champion Boston College Eagles (30-7-1) vs. #13 ranked and WCHA Runner-ups Colorado College Tigers (22-11-3), 9:00 PM ET, ESPNU. Jerry York’s BC Eagles are on a roll and should have no problem against CC Tigers. Rink Rats predicts these final four participants for College Hockey supremacy: East – Yale Bulldogs, Northeast – Miami University of Ohio Red Hawks, Midwest – North Dakota Fighting Sioux, West– Boston College Eagles.
Season to date (3-8).
NFL LABOR - AP: "One week into the lockout, the NFL and the players are drifting further apart. ... [P]layers ... said they consider a letter Commissioner Roger Goodell sent them ... an attempt to divide them. ... Goodell outlined the NFL's version of last week's proposal and told players: 'I hope you will encourage your union to return to the bargaining table and conclude a new collective bargaining agreement.' Players were upset by that line, particularly the reference to 'your union' - the [NFL Players Association] renounced its status as a union and says it is now a trade association, which permits the court actions under antitrust laws."
DIET COKE RULES - U.S. sales of Diet Coke overtook those of Pepsi-Cola for the first time in 2010, making the diet soda the No. 2 carbonated soft drink in the country behind Coca-Cola, industry data are expected to confirm Thursday. Occupying the top two rankings would mark a historic win for Coca-Cola Co. in its decades-old rivalry with PepsiCo Inc.
IN MEMORIUM – “Warren Christopher, Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at 85," by N.Y. Times' Robert D. Hersey Jr.: "Warren M. Christopher, secretary of state in President Clinton's first term and the chief negotiator for the 1981 release of American hostages in Iran, died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 85 and had been ill with kidney and bladder cancer. ... Methodical and self-effacing, Mr. Christopher alternated for nearly five decades between top echelons of both the federal government and legal and political life in California. Among other things, he served as administration point man with Congress in winning ratification of Panama Canal treaties, presided over normalization of diplomatic relations with China and conducted repeated negotiations involving the Middle East and the Balkans.”
Next week, The Jackass of the Month and our month end financial updates.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
March 21, 2011
For the first time since World War II, Americans are in hot conflicts in three different places - and this time, all three fronts are in Muslim countries. The U.S. military is showing its amazing range: roughly 48,000 troops remain in Iraq; 100,000 are in Afghanistan; and now five U.S. ships, with a total crew of about 1,000 sailors, have fired missiles at Libya. Today, U.S. planes are expected to enter Libyan airspace, and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned on ABC's "This Week" that Moammar Gadhafi "still has some surface-to-air capability, where he could attack an aircraft, including one of ours."
American consumers have long enjoyed a luxury that few others could boast: an abundance of affordable food. But with prices of wheat, corn and other staples soaring, some economists and scientists are wondering how long that can last. On Wednesday, the U.S. Labor Department reported that wholesale food prices jumped 3.9% in February ... the highest monthly increase in 37 years. Economists expect to see a similar uptick in what consumers are paying for food at retail when the Labor Department releases its consumer price index Thursday. ... Economists warn that such prices will probably remain high this year and possibly much longer, driven by a confluence of factors: the fall of the U.S. dollar, slowing growth in crop yields, political unrest in the Middle East, high crude oil prices and a revived interest in crop-based biofuels.
Despite all this bad news there are positive events to draw upon this first weekend of spring; the Los Angeles Marathon was an exciting event as always, your friends are still your friends and will always be there for you, Sarah Palin is not running for President (but beware in 2016), the NCAA basketball and hockey tournaments are in full swing, the Super Moon on Saturday night was a cool thing to see, the Southern California deserts are in full bloom and Tony Villaraigosa has only two years left in his term. So smile and think only good thoughts this first week of spring. Here are some spring pictures taken by Rink Rats this past weekend, to get you in an upbeat mood.
Spring Time in the desert. Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells.
PRESIDENT OBAMA on GUN CONTROL, in an op-ed in the (Tucson) Arizona Daily Star, "We must seek agreement on gun reforms": "Like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. ... I believe that if common sense prevails, we can get beyond wedge issues and stale political debates to find a sensible, intelligent way to make the United States of America a safer, stronger place. ... First, we should begin by enforcing laws that are already on the books. ... Second, we should in fact reward the states that provide the best data - and therefore do the most to protect our citizens. ... Third, we should make the system faster and nimbler. We should provide an instant, accurate, comprehensive and consistent system for background checks to sellers who want to do the right thing, and make sure that criminals can't escape it."
PALIN WANING - Conservative intellectuals slam her -- Jonathan Martin and John F. Harris: "Sarah Palin has played the sexism card, accusing critics of chauvinism against a strong woman. She has played the class card, dismissing the Bush family as 'blue bloods,' and complaining that she is the target of snobbery by people who dislike her simply because she is 'not so hoity-toity.' Most famously, she has played the victim card ... Palin's flamboyant rhetoric always has thrilled supporters but lately it is coming at a new cost: A backlash ... from some of the country's most influential conservative commentators and intellectuals. Palin's politics of grievance and group identity, according to these critics, is a betrayal of conservative principles. For decades, it was a standard line of the right that liberals ... practiced the politics of identity-race, sex and class ... Matt Labash, a longtime writer for the Weekly Standard, said that because of Palin's frequent appeals to victimhood and group grievance, 'She's becoming Al Sharpton, Alaska edition.' ... Asked if the GOP would remain the party of ideas if Palin captures the nomination, [George] Will said: 'The answer is emphatically no.'"
Sarah Palin has shown no capacity to evolve, grow substantively, or expand her base of support. If she had spent her time studying education reform, like Jeb Bush - or developing a signature issue of any sort - a Palin candidacy would look much more promising. She resigned as governor in July, 2009 -- a year and a half that has been squandered, used only to make money rather than to reintroduce herself to the American middle.
BACHMANN HAS PATTERN OF FACT ERRORS - Jonathan Martin and Kendra Marr: "Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann's suggestion Saturday that the Revolutionary War began in Concord, N.H., rather than Lexington and Concord, Mass., marks the third time in recent months that the potential GOP presidential hopeful has committed a puzzling gaffe about history and current affairs. Making her first trek to New Hampshire as a 2012 prospect, Bachmann told a GOP crowd in Manchester: 'You're the state where the shot was heard around the world at Lexington and Concord.' ... At a fundraiser Friday night on the New Hampshire Seacoast, Bachmann said almost the exact same thing, according to the Minnesota Post. ... Speaking in January to an Iowa anti-tax group, Bachmann claimed that the authors of the country's founding documents sought to end slavery."
The Wall Street Journal Asia editorial, "Nuclear Overreactions: Modern life requires learning from disasters, not fleeing all risk": "After a once-in-300-years earthquake, the Japanese have been keeping cool amid the chaos, organizing an enormous relief and rescue operation, and generally earning the world's admiration. We wish we could say the same for the reaction in the U.S., where the troubles at Japan's nuclear reactors have produced an overreaction about the risks of modern life and technology."
Record 5.9 Million Brackets in ESPN.com's Men's Tournament Challenge Game, surpassing last year's record 4.8 million - ESPN release: "More fans picked Kansas, Ohio State, Duke and Pittsburgh to reach the Final Four than any other teams. In those predicted games (Ohio State vs. Duke, Kansas vs. Pittsburgh): Ohio State was picked to defeat Duke 19.1 percent of the time; Kansas was picked to defeat Pittsburgh 25.3 percent of the time; 25.9 percent of participants chose Ohio State to win the national championship. An analysis of Second Round picks by the 5.9 million brackets finds: 57.2% of brackets picked #10 Michigan State to defeat #7 UCLA; 53.7% of brackets picked #9 Tennessee to defeat #8 Michigan; 46% of brackets picked #10 Florida State to defeat #7 Texas A&M; 99.5% of brackets picked #1 Ohio State over #16 University of Texas-San Antonio."
FED TO LOOSEN REINS ON BANKS - WSJ's Dan Fitzpatrick on pg. C1: "The Federal Reserve is expected Friday to free some of the nation's biggest banks from strict oversight ... The Fed will now allow financial institutions that have passed a fresh round of stress tests to run their businesses independent of crisis-era restrictions imposed in 2008. That will permit banks to raise dividends and buy back shares ... On Friday, banks that get the green light to boost dividend payouts will be able to announce those plans immediately. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is expected to receive approval for a dividend boost and share buybacks ... Analysts also expect U.S. Bancorp, American Express Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. to be among the first institutions cleared from government restrictions."
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Alex Ball …a few days late but Happy 21 years, Kenny Chesney (43), Bob Costas (59), Valtteri Filppula (27), Orrin Hatch (77), Elton John (64), Peyton Manning (35), Denny McLain (67), Danica Patrick (29), Bob Woodward (68) .
WORDS OF THE MONTH – retrograde \RE-truh-greyd\, adjective:
1. Having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating.
2. Inverse or reversed, as order.
3. Exhibiting degeneration or deterioration.
“Retrograde motion, or retrogression, within the Earth's atmosphere refers to weather systems which move from east to west through the Westerlies or from west to east through the Trade wind easterlies.”
temer, verb
to be afraid
Teme al profesor.
“He’s afraid of the teacher.”
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/25, the NCAA final sixteen begin their tournament, this West Regional Semifinal has #3 ranked and Hockey East Champion Boston College Eagles (30-7-1) vs. #13 ranked and WCHA Runner-ups Colorado College Tigers (22-11-3), 9:00 PM ET, ESPNU. Jerry York’s BC Eagles are on a roll and should have no problem against CC Tigers. Rink Rats predicts these final four participants for College Hockey supremacy: East – Yale Bulldogs, Northeast – Miami University of Ohio Red Hawks, Midwest – North Dakota Fighting Sioux, West– Boston College Eagles.
Season to date (3-8).
NFL LABOR - AP: "One week into the lockout, the NFL and the players are drifting further apart. ... [P]layers ... said they consider a letter Commissioner Roger Goodell sent them ... an attempt to divide them. ... Goodell outlined the NFL's version of last week's proposal and told players: 'I hope you will encourage your union to return to the bargaining table and conclude a new collective bargaining agreement.' Players were upset by that line, particularly the reference to 'your union' - the [NFL Players Association] renounced its status as a union and says it is now a trade association, which permits the court actions under antitrust laws."
DIET COKE RULES - U.S. sales of Diet Coke overtook those of Pepsi-Cola for the first time in 2010, making the diet soda the No. 2 carbonated soft drink in the country behind Coca-Cola, industry data are expected to confirm Thursday. Occupying the top two rankings would mark a historic win for Coca-Cola Co. in its decades-old rivalry with PepsiCo Inc.
IN MEMORIUM – “Warren Christopher, Ex-Secretary of State, Dies at 85," by N.Y. Times' Robert D. Hersey Jr.: "Warren M. Christopher, secretary of state in President Clinton's first term and the chief negotiator for the 1981 release of American hostages in Iran, died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 85 and had been ill with kidney and bladder cancer. ... Methodical and self-effacing, Mr. Christopher alternated for nearly five decades between top echelons of both the federal government and legal and political life in California. Among other things, he served as administration point man with Congress in winning ratification of Panama Canal treaties, presided over normalization of diplomatic relations with China and conducted repeated negotiations involving the Middle East and the Balkans.”
Next week, The Jackass of the Month and our month end financial updates.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
March 21, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Spring Break Madness
$110 BILLION JOKE - When one looks across the Arab world today at the stunning spontaneous democracy uprisings, it is impossible to not ask: What are we doing spending $110 billion this year supporting corrupt and unpopular regimes in Afghanistan and Pakistan that are almost identical to the governments we’re applauding the Arab people for overthrowing?
Now the people themselves have taken down those regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and they’re rattling the ones in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and Iran. They are not doing it for us, or to answer bin Laden. They are doing it by themselves for themselves — because they want their freedom and to control their own destinies. But in doing so they have created a hugely powerful, modernizing challenge to bin Ladenism, which is why Al Qaeda today is tongue-tied. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
BULL RUN - Investors mark the second anniversary of the current bull market on March 9: it was March 9, 2009 that the Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq finished at their economic crisis lows. Now, with Mideast unrest and resulting oil price increases, many are questioning how much longer the bull run can continue.
Over that two-year span, the Dow is up 86.6%, the S&P 500 95.4%, and the Nasdaq 118%. The rich are getting richer and the middle class is fading away.
HUGE: BILL GROSS DUMPS U.S. DEBT - Bloomberg's Susanne Walker: "Bill Gross, who runs the world's biggest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., eliminated government-related debt from his flagship fund last month as the U.S. projected record budget deficits. Pimco's $237 billion Total Return Fund last held zero government-related debt in January 2009. Gross had cut the holdings to 12 percent of assets in January. PIMCO is making a big bet that when QE2 ends on June 30, the bottom is going to fall out of the Treasury market. Should that happen, it is also a reasonable bet that everything will get hammered except for cash. So PIMCO's strategy for the first half of this year is 'go to cash and await developments”.
HOUSEHOLD DEBT CUT - WSJ's Justin Lahart and Mark Whitehouse on pg. A1: "U.S. families-by defaulting on their loans and scrimping on expenses-shouldered a smaller debt burden in 2010 than at any point in the previous six years, putting them in position to start spending more. Total U.S. household debt, including mortgages and credit cards, fell for the second straight year in 2010 to $13.4 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported ... That came to 116% of disposable income, down from a peak debt burden of 130% in 2007, and the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2004. I thought the Orange County Housewives were the only ones who managed money poorly.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Ursula Andress (75), Jerry Lewis (85), Mike Love (70), Bobby Orr (63), Kurt Russell (60), Homa Shabahang …famous educator, Vanessa Williams (48), Bruce Willis (56).
STATE RUNNERUPS – Congratulations to the Anaheim Wildcats Pee Wee AA hockey team for their second place finish in the California State Finals. The California Heat beat the Wildcats 2-1 in an exciting final. Patrick Pugliese, goalie for the Wildcats, had a strong tournament. Joe Marsh keep this kid in mind for the Freshman Class of 2017.
MARCH MADNESS - Expanded NCAA bracket disturbs a perfect arrangement, the tournament bracket - a study in right angles and symmetry - has appealed to casual and hard-core fans alike because of its simplicity: 64 teams playing down to two over the course of three weeks. ... Over the summer, in an effort to generate more money in the form of additional television inventory, the NCAA decided to add three teams to what had been since 2001 a 65-team field. At first glance, the result means three additional games, to be played Tuesday and Wednesday nights. ... Should the extra results count in the pools? Do players have to complete their prognostications by Tuesday evening, rather than Thursday at noon? Should those four results be ignored altogether? ... Most are thankful that the NCAA did not expand the tournament to 96 teams.
BRACKET BREAKDOWN - The unveiling of the NCAA tournament bracket on Sunday included an unprecedented 11 teams from a single conference - the Big East - and the usual number of snubs and disappointments despite the increase from 65 to 68 teams. ... Before the start of the season, TBS, TNT and truTV joined CBS in signing a new, 14-year TV contract worth $10.8 billion. The games used to all be shown on CBS, with the network deciding which part of the country got which games. Now, the viewers can pick and choose from all of them. ... There were teams that surprised some people by getting in: VCU, UAB and Clemson. There were teams that surprised some people by getting passed over: Colorado, Virginia Tech, Harvard, Alabama and St. Mary's ... The Big Ten placed seven teams ... The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference got five teams each while the Pac-10 and Atlantic Coast only got four. The ACC list included the usuals, Duke and North Carolina, along with Florida State and Clemson, but not Boston College, which finished 20-12.
Our Picks – Final Four: East – Ohio State University, Southwest – Kansas, Southeast – Florida, West – Duke. NCAA Champ – Kansas Jayhawks.
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/18, the CCHA final four head to The Joe this weekend with a great opening matchup; #7 ranked Miami University Red Hawks (21-9-6) vs. #8 ranked University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-11-5), 4:35 PM ET, FSN Detroit Plus. Though we at Rink Rats get a bit queasy when we pick The Irish, we have to in this game. Season to date (3-7).
THE SAINTS MARCH OUT – They gave their all but the St. Lawrence University Saints lost to the #3 ranked Yale Bulldogs in three games this past weekend. Joe Marsh’s team won game #1 on Friday night, 4-3, but lost the next two, 2-5 and 0-4. Yale now heads to an ECAC final four tilt with the Red Raiders of Colgate Friday March 18.
EAT FRESH – Subway is now the world’s largest restaurant chain, by number of outlets – passing McDonalds.
TOP FIVE – Wealthiest individuals in the world 2010:
1. Carlos Slim, $74 billion – Universidad Nacional AutĆ³noma de MĆ©xico
2. Bill Gates, $56 billion – Harvard University (dropped out 1975)
3. Warren Buffett, $50 billion – University of Pennsylvania
4. Bernard Arnault, $41 billion – Ćcole Polytechnique
5. Larry Ellison, $39.5 billion – University of Chicago (drop out)
DEAR RINK RATS:
I have never written to you before, but I really need your advice. I have suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs; phone rings but if I answer, the caller hangs up. My wife has been going out with 'the girls' a lot recently although when I ask their names she always says, just some friends from work, you don't know them. I try to stay awake and watch for her when she comes home, but I usually fall asleep. Anyway, I have never broached the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just did not want to know the truth, but last night she went out again and I decided to finally check on her around midnight, I hid in the garage behind my golf clubs so I could get a good view of the whole street when she arrived home from a night out with "the girls." When she got out of the car she was buttoning up her blouse, which was open, and she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on. It was at that moment, crouching behind my golf clubs, that I noticed a hairline crack where the grip meets the graphite shaft on my TaylorMade R11 driver. Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the PGA Superstore?
--Concerned Golfer
Dear Concerned Golfer –
Good catch, this could lead to more severe problems with your golf game. We suggest you seek therapy with your local PGA Professional. Perhaps a new shaft or grip is needed, but your PGA Professional is the one to count on. As far as the other problem you mentioned, it will work itself out. No worries.
--Rink Rats
TO EASE YOUR IRISH SOULS - Irish Coffee with Bailey's and Kahlua
Ingredients:
• 3/4 ounce bailey irish cream
• 3/4 ounce Kahlua
• 4 ounces hot coffee
• whipped cream
Directions:
• Pour Baileys and Kahlua into Irish coffee glass.
• 2 Fill glass with hot coffee.
• 3 Top with whipped cream and serve.
PART IV: GRANADA REPORT – Niece Alex B. is still feeling a bit under the weather so no Granada report again for this week, hopefully she will return next week, if not Rink Rats has a relative living in Redding, CA. who is willing to send reports from there.
Next week, the words of the month and political updates.
Until next Monday, SlĆ”n go fĆ³ill.
Claremont, CA
March 14, 2011
Now the people themselves have taken down those regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and they’re rattling the ones in Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Oman and Iran. They are not doing it for us, or to answer bin Laden. They are doing it by themselves for themselves — because they want their freedom and to control their own destinies. But in doing so they have created a hugely powerful, modernizing challenge to bin Ladenism, which is why Al Qaeda today is tongue-tied. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
BULL RUN - Investors mark the second anniversary of the current bull market on March 9: it was March 9, 2009 that the Dow, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq finished at their economic crisis lows. Now, with Mideast unrest and resulting oil price increases, many are questioning how much longer the bull run can continue.
Over that two-year span, the Dow is up 86.6%, the S&P 500 95.4%, and the Nasdaq 118%. The rich are getting richer and the middle class is fading away.
HUGE: BILL GROSS DUMPS U.S. DEBT - Bloomberg's Susanne Walker: "Bill Gross, who runs the world's biggest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., eliminated government-related debt from his flagship fund last month as the U.S. projected record budget deficits. Pimco's $237 billion Total Return Fund last held zero government-related debt in January 2009. Gross had cut the holdings to 12 percent of assets in January. PIMCO is making a big bet that when QE2 ends on June 30, the bottom is going to fall out of the Treasury market. Should that happen, it is also a reasonable bet that everything will get hammered except for cash. So PIMCO's strategy for the first half of this year is 'go to cash and await developments”.
HOUSEHOLD DEBT CUT - WSJ's Justin Lahart and Mark Whitehouse on pg. A1: "U.S. families-by defaulting on their loans and scrimping on expenses-shouldered a smaller debt burden in 2010 than at any point in the previous six years, putting them in position to start spending more. Total U.S. household debt, including mortgages and credit cards, fell for the second straight year in 2010 to $13.4 trillion, the Federal Reserve reported ... That came to 116% of disposable income, down from a peak debt burden of 130% in 2007, and the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2004. I thought the Orange County Housewives were the only ones who managed money poorly.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Ursula Andress (75), Jerry Lewis (85), Mike Love (70), Bobby Orr (63), Kurt Russell (60), Homa Shabahang …famous educator, Vanessa Williams (48), Bruce Willis (56).
STATE RUNNERUPS – Congratulations to the Anaheim Wildcats Pee Wee AA hockey team for their second place finish in the California State Finals. The California Heat beat the Wildcats 2-1 in an exciting final. Patrick Pugliese, goalie for the Wildcats, had a strong tournament. Joe Marsh keep this kid in mind for the Freshman Class of 2017.
MARCH MADNESS - Expanded NCAA bracket disturbs a perfect arrangement, the tournament bracket - a study in right angles and symmetry - has appealed to casual and hard-core fans alike because of its simplicity: 64 teams playing down to two over the course of three weeks. ... Over the summer, in an effort to generate more money in the form of additional television inventory, the NCAA decided to add three teams to what had been since 2001 a 65-team field. At first glance, the result means three additional games, to be played Tuesday and Wednesday nights. ... Should the extra results count in the pools? Do players have to complete their prognostications by Tuesday evening, rather than Thursday at noon? Should those four results be ignored altogether? ... Most are thankful that the NCAA did not expand the tournament to 96 teams.
BRACKET BREAKDOWN - The unveiling of the NCAA tournament bracket on Sunday included an unprecedented 11 teams from a single conference - the Big East - and the usual number of snubs and disappointments despite the increase from 65 to 68 teams. ... Before the start of the season, TBS, TNT and truTV joined CBS in signing a new, 14-year TV contract worth $10.8 billion. The games used to all be shown on CBS, with the network deciding which part of the country got which games. Now, the viewers can pick and choose from all of them. ... There were teams that surprised some people by getting in: VCU, UAB and Clemson. There were teams that surprised some people by getting passed over: Colorado, Virginia Tech, Harvard, Alabama and St. Mary's ... The Big Ten placed seven teams ... The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference got five teams each while the Pac-10 and Atlantic Coast only got four. The ACC list included the usuals, Duke and North Carolina, along with Florida State and Clemson, but not Boston College, which finished 20-12.
Our Picks – Final Four: East – Ohio State University, Southwest – Kansas, Southeast – Florida, West – Duke. NCAA Champ – Kansas Jayhawks.
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/18, the CCHA final four head to The Joe this weekend with a great opening matchup; #7 ranked Miami University Red Hawks (21-9-6) vs. #8 ranked University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (23-11-5), 4:35 PM ET, FSN Detroit Plus. Though we at Rink Rats get a bit queasy when we pick The Irish, we have to in this game. Season to date (3-7).
THE SAINTS MARCH OUT – They gave their all but the St. Lawrence University Saints lost to the #3 ranked Yale Bulldogs in three games this past weekend. Joe Marsh’s team won game #1 on Friday night, 4-3, but lost the next two, 2-5 and 0-4. Yale now heads to an ECAC final four tilt with the Red Raiders of Colgate Friday March 18.
EAT FRESH – Subway is now the world’s largest restaurant chain, by number of outlets – passing McDonalds.
TOP FIVE – Wealthiest individuals in the world 2010:
1. Carlos Slim, $74 billion – Universidad Nacional AutĆ³noma de MĆ©xico
2. Bill Gates, $56 billion – Harvard University (dropped out 1975)
3. Warren Buffett, $50 billion – University of Pennsylvania
4. Bernard Arnault, $41 billion – Ćcole Polytechnique
5. Larry Ellison, $39.5 billion – University of Chicago (drop out)
DEAR RINK RATS:
I have never written to you before, but I really need your advice. I have suspected for some time now that my wife has been cheating on me. The usual signs; phone rings but if I answer, the caller hangs up. My wife has been going out with 'the girls' a lot recently although when I ask their names she always says, just some friends from work, you don't know them. I try to stay awake and watch for her when she comes home, but I usually fall asleep. Anyway, I have never broached the subject with my wife. I think deep down I just did not want to know the truth, but last night she went out again and I decided to finally check on her around midnight, I hid in the garage behind my golf clubs so I could get a good view of the whole street when she arrived home from a night out with "the girls." When she got out of the car she was buttoning up her blouse, which was open, and she took her panties out of her purse and slipped them on. It was at that moment, crouching behind my golf clubs, that I noticed a hairline crack where the grip meets the graphite shaft on my TaylorMade R11 driver. Is this something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the PGA Superstore?
--Concerned Golfer
Dear Concerned Golfer –
Good catch, this could lead to more severe problems with your golf game. We suggest you seek therapy with your local PGA Professional. Perhaps a new shaft or grip is needed, but your PGA Professional is the one to count on. As far as the other problem you mentioned, it will work itself out. No worries.
--Rink Rats
TO EASE YOUR IRISH SOULS - Irish Coffee with Bailey's and Kahlua
Ingredients:
• 3/4 ounce bailey irish cream
• 3/4 ounce Kahlua
• 4 ounces hot coffee
• whipped cream
Directions:
• Pour Baileys and Kahlua into Irish coffee glass.
• 2 Fill glass with hot coffee.
• 3 Top with whipped cream and serve.
PART IV: GRANADA REPORT – Niece Alex B. is still feeling a bit under the weather so no Granada report again for this week, hopefully she will return next week, if not Rink Rats has a relative living in Redding, CA. who is willing to send reports from there.
Next week, the words of the month and political updates.
Until next Monday, SlĆ”n go fĆ³ill.
Claremont, CA
March 14, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Spring Break
The holiday bills are all paid off (we hope), the cold winter rain and snow have long ago worn out there novelty, the couch is not as comfortable as it was in January, March Madness, April 15, the Stanley Cup playoffs and the baseball season are right around the corner, the “Keep Smiling” farewell tour is about half way through (I think there is a concert tonight), though it is rumored that the farewell tour may go on until 2015 and finally, the chia seeds are not quite ready to plant – what does all this mean, time for Spring Break! The college crowd heads to the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Daytona or San Diego; the OGs head to Boca, Phoenix or our choice Palm Springs.
So after lecturing for ten weeks the advantages of discounted cash flow and cost of capital it is time to head for the desert. Here are a few places in the desert Rink Rats recommends:
The Beer Hunter – 78-483 Highway 111, La Quinta: our theme here is “Old School” and there is not a better old school sports bar than The Beer Hunter. The golfer’s version of Gilley’s, The Beer Hunter has good food, numerous beers from around the world and plenty of HD televisions, a great place to watch March Madness or check out the local golfer studs after a round of golf.
Arnold Palmer’s – 78164 52nd Avenue, La Quinta: talk about old school, this is the place. Palmer’s is like having a drink in the clubhouse at Augusta or Oakland Hills. The food is what Arnie likes; mac and cheese, ribs, meat loaf and cobb salad. You could spend all your time looking at the pictures on the walls, also a great place for celebrity sightings.
Melvyn’s Casablanca Lounge – 200 W. Ramon Road, Palm Springs: now this IS Old School. To walk into the Casablanca Lounge is like being on stage with the Rat Pack. A Palm Springs institution you have to visit this place for a martini and take in the atmosphere. The piano bar begins at 8:00 every evening; you never know who you will run into at The Casablanca Lounge.
SPRING BREAK TREAT – Spring Break also means it is Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day. Here is an Irish recipe that is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack.
Sweet Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup currants
• 2 tablespoons toasted caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sanding sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Cut the butter and shortening into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg, the buttermilk, the currants and the caraway seeds and mix into the flour mixture until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly greased loaf pan. Score the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Patricia Bigglestone… famous Tucson, AZ teacher, Alan Greenspan (85), Kathy Ireland (48), Larry Murphy (50), Chuck Norris (71), Mitt Romney (64), Keely Smith (79), Sharon Stone (53), James Taylor (63), Courtney Vance (51).
ECONOMY – The good, the bad, and the ugly:
Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Falls to 8.9% [the lowest rate since April 2009, also 8.9%] ... The rate was 7.8 percent when Obama took office in January 2009. ... The so-called underemployment rate -- which includes part- time workers who'd prefer a full-time position and people who want work but have given up looking -- decreased to 15.9 percent, [also] the lowest since April 2009.
GOODBYE 30 YEAR MORTGAGE? - NYT's Binyamin Applebaum on pg. A1: "How might home buying change if the federal government shuts down the housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan, the steady favorite of American borrowers since the 1950s, could become a luxury product ... Interest rates would rise for most borrowers, but urban and rural residents could see sharper increases than the coveted customers in the suburbs. Lenders could charge fees for popular features now taken for granted, like the ability to 'lock in' an interest rate weeks or months before taking out a loan. Life without Fannie and Freddie is the rare goal shared by the Obama administration and House Republicans, although it will not happen soon."
BREAKING: OIL HITS TWO-YEAR HIGH - Reuters/Hong Kong: "U.S. crude prices rose nearly 2 percent to 2-year highs last week as worries about supply disruption increased due to deepening unrest in Libya, while Asian stocks declined as concerns about the Middle East also weighed. ... U.S. crude rose 1.8 percent to a 2-1/2-year high above $106 a barrel as civil war brewed in Libya, while investors kept a close eye on top exporter Saudi Arabia, home to most of OPEC's spare capacity, where clerics forbid protests at the weekend.
DOW DOUBTS - WSJ's Matt Phillips on pg. C1: "It has been two years and one epic rally since the market bottomed in March 2009. ... The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12169.88, up 86% from its low of 6547.05. The difference between now and then is stark. ... Yet many investors remain skeptical about the market's strength. They worry that the economy isn't strong enough to stand on its own once the Federal Reserve ends its latest round of support in June, and they fear that high oil prices and inflation from other commodities may quash the nascent recovery and weigh on the market. And after such a blockbuster rally, a correction must be around the corner, the reasoning goes."
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/11, we are now in the heart of the NCAA DI hockey playoffs. This week we are in North Andover Mass. for the Big East quarterfinal between #14 Maine Black Bears (17-10-7) and the #9 ranked Merrimack Warriors (22-8-4), 7:30 PM ET, NESN. Merrimack is favored but we like the Black Bears to pull the upset in North Andover.
Season to date (3-6).
UPSET WINNER – A rookie trio came through again for St. Lawrence University's men's hockey team in game three of the Saints' ECAC playoff series at Princeton on Sunday afternoon and as a result the Saints will continue the 2011 season after a 2-1 win at Hobey Baker Rink. Greg Carey and Kyle Essery, the goal scorers in Saturday's series tying 3-2 win, scored first period goals and rookie goaltender Matt Weninger made a collegiate career high 48 saves, 24 of them in a hectic third period to protect the lead as the Saints won a game three elimination game on the road for the first time in program history. St. Lawrence improves to 12-20-5 overall while Princeton's season ends at 17-13-2.
Joe Marsh’s Saints will now travel to #3 ranked Yale Bulldogs this weekend for the ECAC quarterfinals.
CLASS ACT – Rick Comley ended his 38 year NCAA hockey college coaching career this weekend with the Michigan State Spartans loss to Alaska in the CCHA first round playoffs. Mr. Comley coached two NCAA championship teams; NMU (’91) and Michigan State (’07), a class act and a great coach, happy retirement.
NHL STARS FOR FEBRUARY - Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi and New Jersey Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg have been named the NHL 'Three Stars' for the month of February.
PART IV: GRANADA REPORT – Niece Alex B. is feeling a bit under the weather so no Granada report for this week, hopefully she will return next week.
DISCOVERY’S LAST FLIGHT – If you can try to follow Discovery’s last shuttle mission concluding this week. As a long term space nut I will miss these shuttle flights and the wild pictures from space.
Next week, the $110 billion joke and Dear Rink Rats.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
March 7, 2011
So after lecturing for ten weeks the advantages of discounted cash flow and cost of capital it is time to head for the desert. Here are a few places in the desert Rink Rats recommends:
The Beer Hunter – 78-483 Highway 111, La Quinta: our theme here is “Old School” and there is not a better old school sports bar than The Beer Hunter. The golfer’s version of Gilley’s, The Beer Hunter has good food, numerous beers from around the world and plenty of HD televisions, a great place to watch March Madness or check out the local golfer studs after a round of golf.
Arnold Palmer’s – 78164 52nd Avenue, La Quinta: talk about old school, this is the place. Palmer’s is like having a drink in the clubhouse at Augusta or Oakland Hills. The food is what Arnie likes; mac and cheese, ribs, meat loaf and cobb salad. You could spend all your time looking at the pictures on the walls, also a great place for celebrity sightings.
Melvyn’s Casablanca Lounge – 200 W. Ramon Road, Palm Springs: now this IS Old School. To walk into the Casablanca Lounge is like being on stage with the Rat Pack. A Palm Springs institution you have to visit this place for a martini and take in the atmosphere. The piano bar begins at 8:00 every evening; you never know who you will run into at The Casablanca Lounge.
SPRING BREAK TREAT – Spring Break also means it is Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day. Here is an Irish recipe that is good for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack.
Sweet Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup currants
• 2 tablespoons toasted caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon sanding sugar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Cut the butter and shortening into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg, the buttermilk, the currants and the caraway seeds and mix into the flour mixture until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly greased loaf pan. Score the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Patricia Bigglestone… famous Tucson, AZ teacher, Alan Greenspan (85), Kathy Ireland (48), Larry Murphy (50), Chuck Norris (71), Mitt Romney (64), Keely Smith (79), Sharon Stone (53), James Taylor (63), Courtney Vance (51).
ECONOMY – The good, the bad, and the ugly:
Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Falls to 8.9% [the lowest rate since April 2009, also 8.9%] ... The rate was 7.8 percent when Obama took office in January 2009. ... The so-called underemployment rate -- which includes part- time workers who'd prefer a full-time position and people who want work but have given up looking -- decreased to 15.9 percent, [also] the lowest since April 2009.
GOODBYE 30 YEAR MORTGAGE? - NYT's Binyamin Applebaum on pg. A1: "How might home buying change if the federal government shuts down the housing finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan, the steady favorite of American borrowers since the 1950s, could become a luxury product ... Interest rates would rise for most borrowers, but urban and rural residents could see sharper increases than the coveted customers in the suburbs. Lenders could charge fees for popular features now taken for granted, like the ability to 'lock in' an interest rate weeks or months before taking out a loan. Life without Fannie and Freddie is the rare goal shared by the Obama administration and House Republicans, although it will not happen soon."
BREAKING: OIL HITS TWO-YEAR HIGH - Reuters/Hong Kong: "U.S. crude prices rose nearly 2 percent to 2-year highs last week as worries about supply disruption increased due to deepening unrest in Libya, while Asian stocks declined as concerns about the Middle East also weighed. ... U.S. crude rose 1.8 percent to a 2-1/2-year high above $106 a barrel as civil war brewed in Libya, while investors kept a close eye on top exporter Saudi Arabia, home to most of OPEC's spare capacity, where clerics forbid protests at the weekend.
DOW DOUBTS - WSJ's Matt Phillips on pg. C1: "It has been two years and one epic rally since the market bottomed in March 2009. ... The Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12169.88, up 86% from its low of 6547.05. The difference between now and then is stark. ... Yet many investors remain skeptical about the market's strength. They worry that the economy isn't strong enough to stand on its own once the Federal Reserve ends its latest round of support in June, and they fear that high oil prices and inflation from other commodities may quash the nascent recovery and weigh on the market. And after such a blockbuster rally, a correction must be around the corner, the reasoning goes."
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/11, we are now in the heart of the NCAA DI hockey playoffs. This week we are in North Andover Mass. for the Big East quarterfinal between #14 Maine Black Bears (17-10-7) and the #9 ranked Merrimack Warriors (22-8-4), 7:30 PM ET, NESN. Merrimack is favored but we like the Black Bears to pull the upset in North Andover.
Season to date (3-6).
UPSET WINNER – A rookie trio came through again for St. Lawrence University's men's hockey team in game three of the Saints' ECAC playoff series at Princeton on Sunday afternoon and as a result the Saints will continue the 2011 season after a 2-1 win at Hobey Baker Rink. Greg Carey and Kyle Essery, the goal scorers in Saturday's series tying 3-2 win, scored first period goals and rookie goaltender Matt Weninger made a collegiate career high 48 saves, 24 of them in a hectic third period to protect the lead as the Saints won a game three elimination game on the road for the first time in program history. St. Lawrence improves to 12-20-5 overall while Princeton's season ends at 17-13-2.
Joe Marsh’s Saints will now travel to #3 ranked Yale Bulldogs this weekend for the ECAC quarterfinals.
CLASS ACT – Rick Comley ended his 38 year NCAA hockey college coaching career this weekend with the Michigan State Spartans loss to Alaska in the CCHA first round playoffs. Mr. Comley coached two NCAA championship teams; NMU (’91) and Michigan State (’07), a class act and a great coach, happy retirement.
NHL STARS FOR FEBRUARY - Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, San Jose Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi and New Jersey Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg have been named the NHL 'Three Stars' for the month of February.
PART IV: GRANADA REPORT – Niece Alex B. is feeling a bit under the weather so no Granada report for this week, hopefully she will return next week.
DISCOVERY’S LAST FLIGHT – If you can try to follow Discovery’s last shuttle mission concluding this week. As a long term space nut I will miss these shuttle flights and the wild pictures from space.
Next week, the $110 billion joke and Dear Rink Rats.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
March 7, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
How Do You Spell Relief?
JACKASS OF THE MONTH – Our Jackass this month is Moammar El-Gadhafi, like all hair coloring, money stealing dictators he continues to hang on while his country suffers. You may have noticed reading the news recently, that there is no agreed upon way to spell the name of the current Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi. The controversy is well illustrated by a May 1986 letter to Minnesota second graders; the leader signed his name in English "Moammar El-Gadhafi." The AP reported the event, "Second-Graders Get Letter From Khadafy." In 2009, ABC News listed 112 different ways to spell Gaddafi, which have appeared in various news outlets. The leader's name was even the topic of a 1981 Saturday Night Live sketch, offering the most creative spelling a one-way ticket to Tripoli.
The explanation, you may have read, is due to discrepancies transliterating Arabic. While true, this is not the whole story. Gaddafi (Google's most frequent spelling) is spelled Ų§ŁŁŲ°Ų§ŁŁ in Arabic. The first letter "Ł," qoph, is pronounced as a "k" sound and usually transliterated as a "q." Likewise, the second letter of his name, thal, "Ų°," is pronounced as a deep "d" or "th" ("the" not "with") and transliterated "dh." Given these standardized spellings, the Libyan leader's name should be spelled "Qadhafi."
The reason the most common spelling of Gaddafi begins with a "g" is due to the Libyan dialect, which pronounces qoph like a "g" sound. English translations of Arabic leaders names generally are consistent with their local dialects, rather than standard translation. The best example of this would be late Egyptian leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. His first name beginning with a jim "Ų¬" would be traditionally transliterated Jamal. Instead, the Egyptian pronunciation of his name is the norm for English transliteration.
But please just get out.
HOW TO AVOID A REVOLT: COLD HARD CASH - "King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced financial support measures, worth an estimated SR135bn ($36bn), in a bid to avert the kind of popular unrest that has toppled leaders across the region. ... The measures include a 15 per cent salary rise for public employees to offset inflation, reprieves for imprisoned debtors, and financial aid for students and the unemployed."
ANOTHER WAY TO SPELL RELIEF (FUNDRAISING) – Certain 3 ½ day work week administrators should take note of this instead of borrowing money to keep up with the times: $172.1 million raised in St. Lawrence University’s seven year Momentum Campaign.
Over seven years, gifts to Momentum St. Lawrence made possible:
- Creation of 45 new endowed scholarships for students
- Funding for 28 University Fellows, students selected to pursue independent research with faculty mentors
- Six new endowed professorships
- Additions and enhancements to facilities, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Johnson Hall of Science; the Sullivan Student Center; the Diana B. Torrey '82 Health and Counseling Center; Steiner Senior Townhouse residences for students; Pub 56, a social gathering space; new space for student radio station KSLU and performance venue Java; arts facilities throughout the Noble University Center, Peterson-Kermani Performance Hall most notably; athletic facilities, such as North Country Field, Leet-Hall Stadium and locker/meeting rooms for football.
A new program still being developed is the New York City Semester, designed to allow students interested in finance or arts management to study and live in New York. Fund-raising is still in progress for the program, with an anticipated start date in the spring 2012 semester.
Specifically, Momentum St. Lawrence raised:
- $51.5 million for the University's endowment; $41.1 million for facilities; $20.9 million for program enhancements; $37.2 in support of the St. Lawrence Fund; and $21.4 million in undesignated bequests or trusts; unrestricted gifts; gifts-in-kind; and miscellaneous gifts.
Congratulations, all higher education institutions should take note, this was accomplished during a recession.
OSCAR REPORT: List of 83rd annual Oscar winners - AP: 1. Best Picture: 'The King's Speech.' 2. Actor: Colin Firth, 'The King's Speech.' 3. Actress: Natalie Portman, 'Black Swan.' 4. Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, 'The Fighter.' 5. Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, 'The Fighter.' 6. Directing: Tom Hooper, 'The King's Speech.' 7. Foreign Language Film: 'In a Better World,' Denmark. 8. Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, 'The Social Network.' 9. Original Screenplay: David Seidler, 'The King's Speech.' 10. Animated Feature Film: 'Toy Story 3.' 11. Art Direction: 'Alice in Wonderland.' 12. Cinematography: 'Inception.' 13. Sound Mixing: 'Inception.' 14. Sound Editing: 'Inception.'
15. Original Score: 'The Social Network,' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. 16. Original Song: 'We Belong Together' from 'Toy Story 3,' Randy Newman. 17. Costume Design: 'Alice in Wonderland.' 18. Documentary Feature: 'Inside Job.' 19. Documentary (short subject): 'Strangers No More.' 20. Film Editing: 'The Social Network.' 21. Makeup: 'The Wolfman.' 22. Animated Short Film: 'The Lost Thing.' 23. Live Action Short Film: 'God of Love.' 24. Visual Effects: 'Inception.' Previously presented honorary Oscars: film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director-producer Francis Ford Coppola, director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach.
SHOW STEALER – Oscar presenter/show stealer Kirk Douglas, St. Lawrence Class of ’39, was one of the few fun moments to Sunday’s Oscar telecast.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Mario Andretti (71), Harry Belafonte (84), Mikhail Gorbachev (80), Peter Jacobsen (57), Madonna (47), Retired Cardinal Roger Mahoney (75).
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/4, #9 New Hampshire Wildcats (19-7-6) at #2 Boston College Eagles (24-7-1), 7:30 ET, NESN. The playoffs are beginning in the CCHA and ECAC, but in the Big East the regular season continues. Jerry York’s Boston College team, fresh off a Beanpot Tourney victory host the visitors from Durham. We pick the Eagles to win at Chestnut Hill.
Season to date (2-6).
NHL SEASON THREE QUARTERS REPORT: Top five teams at this point in the season: 1). Vancouver Canucks, 2). Detroit Red Wings, 3). Philadelphia Flyers, 4). Tampa Bay Lightning, 5). San Jose Sharks. Top five worst teams at this point: 5). Florida Panthers, 4). Colorado Avalanche, 3). New York Islanders, 2). Ottawa Senators, 1). Edmonton Oilers.
THE LAST ONE - Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. He was 110. Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died peacefully of natural causes early Sunday at his home in Charles Town, WV. Buckles lied about his age to join the army at age 16. The Missouri native was among nearly 5 million Americans who served in World War I in 1917 and 1918.
PART III: GRANADA REPORT – Niece Alex B. writes about her studies this term in Granada Spain. Now into her second month we continue her saga.
Another topic of Alex’s is the Alhambra. “It is an old Moorish fortress that we toured. In Arabic it is translated to “the red one” and was used as a small city when the Moors were in power and then later added on to by the Catholics in 1492 when they took over. It was unofficially named the 8th wonder of the world and definitely Granada’s biggest claim to fame (other than being the only Spanish city that still gives free tapas). It is absolutely gigantic and takes about 4 hours to tour completely. Part of it is a palace for the sultan, fortress for the royal family, and living quarters for the public, political, and private sectors. Also there is a summer home for the royal family and gorgeous gardens all around it. The Alhambra was also made very famous from all the literature written about it. Washington Irving wrote a very popular book called “Tales from the Alhambra” and Hemingway has written a ton about it too. Both authors lived in the Alhambra at some point and we actually saw Irving’s room on the tour.”
Alex and her fellow students are now traveling to Barcelona, Madrid and to Carnival in Cadiz. We hope to get further reports of her experiences.
Next week, dining in the desert.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
February 28, 2011
The explanation, you may have read, is due to discrepancies transliterating Arabic. While true, this is not the whole story. Gaddafi (Google's most frequent spelling) is spelled Ų§ŁŁŲ°Ų§ŁŁ in Arabic. The first letter "Ł," qoph, is pronounced as a "k" sound and usually transliterated as a "q." Likewise, the second letter of his name, thal, "Ų°," is pronounced as a deep "d" or "th" ("the" not "with") and transliterated "dh." Given these standardized spellings, the Libyan leader's name should be spelled "Qadhafi."
The reason the most common spelling of Gaddafi begins with a "g" is due to the Libyan dialect, which pronounces qoph like a "g" sound. English translations of Arabic leaders names generally are consistent with their local dialects, rather than standard translation. The best example of this would be late Egyptian leader, Gamal Abdel Nasser. His first name beginning with a jim "Ų¬" would be traditionally transliterated Jamal. Instead, the Egyptian pronunciation of his name is the norm for English transliteration.
But please just get out.
HOW TO AVOID A REVOLT: COLD HARD CASH - "King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced financial support measures, worth an estimated SR135bn ($36bn), in a bid to avert the kind of popular unrest that has toppled leaders across the region. ... The measures include a 15 per cent salary rise for public employees to offset inflation, reprieves for imprisoned debtors, and financial aid for students and the unemployed."
ANOTHER WAY TO SPELL RELIEF (FUNDRAISING) – Certain 3 ½ day work week administrators should take note of this instead of borrowing money to keep up with the times: $172.1 million raised in St. Lawrence University’s seven year Momentum Campaign.
Over seven years, gifts to Momentum St. Lawrence made possible:
- Creation of 45 new endowed scholarships for students
- Funding for 28 University Fellows, students selected to pursue independent research with faculty mentors
- Six new endowed professorships
- Additions and enhancements to facilities, including the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Johnson Hall of Science; the Sullivan Student Center; the Diana B. Torrey '82 Health and Counseling Center; Steiner Senior Townhouse residences for students; Pub 56, a social gathering space; new space for student radio station KSLU and performance venue Java; arts facilities throughout the Noble University Center, Peterson-Kermani Performance Hall most notably; athletic facilities, such as North Country Field, Leet-Hall Stadium and locker/meeting rooms for football.
A new program still being developed is the New York City Semester, designed to allow students interested in finance or arts management to study and live in New York. Fund-raising is still in progress for the program, with an anticipated start date in the spring 2012 semester.
Specifically, Momentum St. Lawrence raised:
- $51.5 million for the University's endowment; $41.1 million for facilities; $20.9 million for program enhancements; $37.2 in support of the St. Lawrence Fund; and $21.4 million in undesignated bequests or trusts; unrestricted gifts; gifts-in-kind; and miscellaneous gifts.
Congratulations, all higher education institutions should take note, this was accomplished during a recession.
OSCAR REPORT: List of 83rd annual Oscar winners - AP: 1. Best Picture: 'The King's Speech.' 2. Actor: Colin Firth, 'The King's Speech.' 3. Actress: Natalie Portman, 'Black Swan.' 4. Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, 'The Fighter.' 5. Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, 'The Fighter.' 6. Directing: Tom Hooper, 'The King's Speech.' 7. Foreign Language Film: 'In a Better World,' Denmark. 8. Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, 'The Social Network.' 9. Original Screenplay: David Seidler, 'The King's Speech.' 10. Animated Feature Film: 'Toy Story 3.' 11. Art Direction: 'Alice in Wonderland.' 12. Cinematography: 'Inception.' 13. Sound Mixing: 'Inception.' 14. Sound Editing: 'Inception.'
15. Original Score: 'The Social Network,' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. 16. Original Song: 'We Belong Together' from 'Toy Story 3,' Randy Newman. 17. Costume Design: 'Alice in Wonderland.' 18. Documentary Feature: 'Inside Job.' 19. Documentary (short subject): 'Strangers No More.' 20. Film Editing: 'The Social Network.' 21. Makeup: 'The Wolfman.' 22. Animated Short Film: 'The Lost Thing.' 23. Live Action Short Film: 'God of Love.' 24. Visual Effects: 'Inception.' Previously presented honorary Oscars: film historian and preservationist Kevin Brownlow, director-producer Francis Ford Coppola, director Jean-Luc Godard and actor Eli Wallach.
SHOW STEALER – Oscar presenter/show stealer Kirk Douglas, St. Lawrence Class of ’39, was one of the few fun moments to Sunday’s Oscar telecast.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Mario Andretti (71), Harry Belafonte (84), Mikhail Gorbachev (80), Peter Jacobsen (57), Madonna (47), Retired Cardinal Roger Mahoney (75).
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Friday 3/4, #9 New Hampshire Wildcats (19-7-6) at #2 Boston College Eagles (24-7-1), 7:30 ET, NESN. The playoffs are beginning in the CCHA and ECAC, but in the Big East the regular season continues. Jerry York’s Boston College team, fresh off a Beanpot Tourney victory host the visitors from Durham. We pick the Eagles to win at Chestnut Hill.
Season to date (2-6).
NHL SEASON THREE QUARTERS REPORT: Top five teams at this point in the season: 1). Vancouver Canucks, 2). Detroit Red Wings, 3). Philadelphia Flyers, 4). Tampa Bay Lightning, 5). San Jose Sharks. Top five worst teams at this point: 5). Florida Panthers, 4). Colorado Avalanche, 3). New York Islanders, 2). Ottawa Senators, 1). Edmonton Oilers.
THE LAST ONE - Frank Buckles, the last surviving U.S. veteran of World War I, has died. He was 110. Buckles, who also survived being a civilian POW in the Philippines in World War II, died peacefully of natural causes early Sunday at his home in Charles Town, WV. Buckles lied about his age to join the army at age 16. The Missouri native was among nearly 5 million Americans who served in World War I in 1917 and 1918.
PART III: GRANADA REPORT – Niece Alex B. writes about her studies this term in Granada Spain. Now into her second month we continue her saga.
Another topic of Alex’s is the Alhambra. “It is an old Moorish fortress that we toured. In Arabic it is translated to “the red one” and was used as a small city when the Moors were in power and then later added on to by the Catholics in 1492 when they took over. It was unofficially named the 8th wonder of the world and definitely Granada’s biggest claim to fame (other than being the only Spanish city that still gives free tapas). It is absolutely gigantic and takes about 4 hours to tour completely. Part of it is a palace for the sultan, fortress for the royal family, and living quarters for the public, political, and private sectors. Also there is a summer home for the royal family and gorgeous gardens all around it. The Alhambra was also made very famous from all the literature written about it. Washington Irving wrote a very popular book called “Tales from the Alhambra” and Hemingway has written a ton about it too. Both authors lived in the Alhambra at some point and we actually saw Irving’s room on the tour.”
Alex and her fellow students are now traveling to Barcelona, Madrid and to Carnival in Cadiz. We hope to get further reports of her experiences.
Next week, dining in the desert.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Budget Gaps
Among all the bad news about state budgets, there are four bright spots: North Dakota, Alaska, Arkansas, and Wyoming. Those are the only states that say they can balance their budgets for 2012 fiscal year without slashing spending, raising revenues or changing the collective bargaining rules. Total estimated fiscal year 2012 shortfalls for all states: $124.7 billion. Most states fiscal years begin July 1.
Top five states shortfall as a percent of FY 2011 Budget:
1). Nevada – 45.2% shortfall = $1.5 billion
2). Illinois – 44.9% shortfall = $15.0 billion
3). New Jersey – 37.4% shortfall = $10.5 billion
4). Texas – 31.5% shortfall = $13.4 billion
5). California – 29.3% shortfall = $25.4 billion
11.9% - The percentage of American workers in unions last year, the lowest proportion in more than 70 years, according to the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
It began over a year ago in Greece, then Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Britian, now the United States. Is everyone giving up their fair share in these budget battles? Are the rich getting richer at the expense of the shrinking middle class? Gasoline, food, clothing prices are all going up every month and corporations are making profits while cutting benefits and pay for their workers. Private Universities claim increased freshman classes while public universities decrease services and debt loads for financing education for families increase to record numbers. The political and social implications of this “post-recession” world are endless.
WHERE IT GOES - Wall Street Journal's calculations of proposed funds by Federal department, compared with 2010: "Education, +21% ... Energy, +18% ... Veterans Affairs, +11% ... State and other international programs, +8% ... Treasury, +4% ... Interior, no change ... Defense, -3% ... Health and Human Services, -3% ... Housing and Urban Development, -3% ... Homeland Security, -4% ... Labor, -5% ... Transportation, -9% ... Agriculture, -14% ... .Justice, -25% ... Commerce, -34% [census has passed]."
CONGRATULTIONS - To Scottish deerhound Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, best in show at Westminster and winner of Rink Rats award for most insufferable dog name of all time.
AMERICANS SLASH DEBT - The recession that just rocked the U.S. economy happened in part because Americans were borrowing and spending more than they could afford. Now, three years after the downturn began, families are moving faster than many analysts had expected to put their finances in order by paying down debt and boosting their savings. ... Compared with the summer of 2008, when consumer debt peaked, Americans now have 7 percent less mortgage debt, 12 percent less in auto loans and 15 percent less credit card debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Loan payments last year were at their lowest level in a decade. Meanwhile, Americans are saving at nearly triple the rate they did between 2007 and 2009, setting aside 5.3 percent of their disposable income in December.
HOCKEY UNIFORMS – Did any one see the Heritage Game on Sunday, February 20 between Montreal and Calgary? Did you notice the uniforms on the Calgary Flames? They looked like they should be in a Harry Potter film. There was an expression used when growing up in Suburban Detroit – “He dressed like a Canadian.” No better example on Sunday.
ROYAL WEDDING – To those who think they might be on the invitation list, invitations went out this past week for the Royal Wedding on April 29 between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
SIGN OF THE TIMES? - An L.A. County employee apparently died while working in her cubicle on Friday, but no one noticed for quite some time. 51-year-old Rebecca Wells was found by a security guard on Saturday afternoon. She was slumped over on her desk in the L.A. County Department of Internal Services. "I came in Saturday to do a little work, and I saw them when they were taking her out," co-worker Hattie Robertson told KTLA. The exact time of death is not clear, but detectives say that, at worst, she had been dead for a day before her body was discovered. The last time a co-worker saw her alive was Friday morning around 9:00 a.m., according to Downey, CA police detectives.
VOICE OF REASON - Alan Simpson, the former Republican senator, says the real fiscal threats to the U.S. are entitlements and defense spending, which should be cut, not programs for low-income Americans. He singled out a Defense Department health insurance program that costs taxpayers $53 billion annually.
Dear Rink Rats:
“My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning, and, when I confront him, he denies everything. What’s worse, everyone knows that he cheats on me. It is so humiliating. Also, since he lost his job ten years ago, he hasn’t even looked for a new one. All he does is smoke cigars, play golf, cruise and pal around with his buddies while I have to work to pay the bills.”
“Since our daughter got married he doesn’t even pretend to like me and hints that I may be a Republican. What should I do?”
--Clueless
Dear Clueless:
Grow up and dump this loser. Good grief, woman! You don’t need him anymore. You’re Secretary of State. Act like one.
WORDS OF THE MONTH –
fain \FEYN\, adverb:
1. Gladly; willingly. adjective:
1. Content; willing.
2. Archaic: Constrained; obliged.
3. Archaic: Desirous; eager.
The professor would fain have lectured all night, and grudged every halt for refreshment, so as almost to run the risk of making the students mutinous.
embutidos, noun
cold cuts
No comemos muchos embutidos.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Drew Barrymore (36), Tricia Nixon Cox (65), Julius Erving (61), Steve Jobs (56), Ralph Nader (77).
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Saturday 2/26, 17th ranked Western Michigan Broncos (15-9-10) at 9th ranked University of Notre Dame (20-9-5), 7:05 ET, HGTV. With only two weeks remaining in the regular season every game is crucial. This CCHA contest at South Bend will be a test. Western Michigan is led by Rancho Santa Margarita, CA native Chase Bailey who leads the team in scoring as a freshman. The “Domers” will prevail in this one, ND to win.
Season to date (2-5)
GOOD BYE – Len Lesser, 88, passed away this past week. “Jerry! Hello!” Mr. Lesser, as Uncle Leo, would cry whenever he’d encounter his nephew in a social situation on “Seinfeld.” His greeting was usually accompanied by an elaborate palms-up gesture of welcome, and followed by a meandering digression of increasingly unbearable inconsequentiality, often involving his son, Jeffrey, who worked for the New York City Parks Department.
PART II: GRANADA, SPAIN REPORT – Niece Alex B. continues her reports on her studies in Spain with the University of Colorado.
“The geography of Granada is beautiful and pretty eclectic. Being that the Moors (or Moops according to George Costanzia) were the first to rule, there is a very strong Arab influence especially in the older part of the city called the Albaycin. It is on the side of a hill and is full of Middle Eastern shops, tea restaurants, flamenco shows and gypsy people. There is even a section of caves where some of the gypsies live which we have yet to go to but is supposed to be beautiful but not the place you want to go alone at night. The city center, where I live, is more modern with a Catholic influence amazingly beautiful and vibrant. All of the streets are made of stunning cobblestone and there are countless alleyways filled of tiny tapas bars and shops. Also, Granada has 4 main areas that are different plazas that are filled with outdoor cafes and beautiful architecture. There is no better hang over cure than 30 minutes on our balcony and then a cafĆ© con leche at a cafĆ© in one of the plazas that is filled with families and couples out with their dogs enjoying the day.”
“However, before you can get to the afternoon you have to make it through Granada’s nightlife. Though not as crazy as my friends’ evenings in Barcelona, Granada has a very big “fiesta” scene. The average Thursday-Saturday starts at about 10 o’clock. You go out for drinks and tapas with friends for dinner and then around midnight you go to something called the Botillion which is essentially the largest display of public drunkenness you’ve ever scene. The word itself basically means “to drink from the bottle” and is a huge open street filled with about 1000 locals passing bottles around to save money on alcohol and meet up for the night. It is pretty ridiculous to see but very fun and a great way to meet Spaniards (not that I can talk to them but whatever.) Then, at about 2 or 3am, you go to the clubs and don’t leave till sunrise. We left a club at 5am the other night and there were people just getting there--pretty crazy. Finally, at about 7 or 8am you go for churros con chocolate which are not anything like Mexican churros. They are just long sticks of batter basically; kind of like a long, skinny funnel cake with a cup of thick, thick hot chocolate that you dip them in. Not really my thing but they are very popular. From there you head home around early morning and sleep till 3 pm…rough life, right? I am still getting used to the schedule but I am learning to tough it out.”
Thank you Alex B. next week another story from her adventure.
Next week, Jack Ass of the Month and our monthly finance commentary.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
February 21, 2011
Top five states shortfall as a percent of FY 2011 Budget:
1). Nevada – 45.2% shortfall = $1.5 billion
2). Illinois – 44.9% shortfall = $15.0 billion
3). New Jersey – 37.4% shortfall = $10.5 billion
4). Texas – 31.5% shortfall = $13.4 billion
5). California – 29.3% shortfall = $25.4 billion
11.9% - The percentage of American workers in unions last year, the lowest proportion in more than 70 years, according to the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
It began over a year ago in Greece, then Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Britian, now the United States. Is everyone giving up their fair share in these budget battles? Are the rich getting richer at the expense of the shrinking middle class? Gasoline, food, clothing prices are all going up every month and corporations are making profits while cutting benefits and pay for their workers. Private Universities claim increased freshman classes while public universities decrease services and debt loads for financing education for families increase to record numbers. The political and social implications of this “post-recession” world are endless.
WHERE IT GOES - Wall Street Journal's calculations of proposed funds by Federal department, compared with 2010: "Education, +21% ... Energy, +18% ... Veterans Affairs, +11% ... State and other international programs, +8% ... Treasury, +4% ... Interior, no change ... Defense, -3% ... Health and Human Services, -3% ... Housing and Urban Development, -3% ... Homeland Security, -4% ... Labor, -5% ... Transportation, -9% ... Agriculture, -14% ... .Justice, -25% ... Commerce, -34% [census has passed]."
CONGRATULTIONS - To Scottish deerhound Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, best in show at Westminster and winner of Rink Rats award for most insufferable dog name of all time.
AMERICANS SLASH DEBT - The recession that just rocked the U.S. economy happened in part because Americans were borrowing and spending more than they could afford. Now, three years after the downturn began, families are moving faster than many analysts had expected to put their finances in order by paying down debt and boosting their savings. ... Compared with the summer of 2008, when consumer debt peaked, Americans now have 7 percent less mortgage debt, 12 percent less in auto loans and 15 percent less credit card debt, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Loan payments last year were at their lowest level in a decade. Meanwhile, Americans are saving at nearly triple the rate they did between 2007 and 2009, setting aside 5.3 percent of their disposable income in December.
HOCKEY UNIFORMS – Did any one see the Heritage Game on Sunday, February 20 between Montreal and Calgary? Did you notice the uniforms on the Calgary Flames? They looked like they should be in a Harry Potter film. There was an expression used when growing up in Suburban Detroit – “He dressed like a Canadian.” No better example on Sunday.
ROYAL WEDDING – To those who think they might be on the invitation list, invitations went out this past week for the Royal Wedding on April 29 between Prince William and Kate Middleton.
SIGN OF THE TIMES? - An L.A. County employee apparently died while working in her cubicle on Friday, but no one noticed for quite some time. 51-year-old Rebecca Wells was found by a security guard on Saturday afternoon. She was slumped over on her desk in the L.A. County Department of Internal Services. "I came in Saturday to do a little work, and I saw them when they were taking her out," co-worker Hattie Robertson told KTLA. The exact time of death is not clear, but detectives say that, at worst, she had been dead for a day before her body was discovered. The last time a co-worker saw her alive was Friday morning around 9:00 a.m., according to Downey, CA police detectives.
VOICE OF REASON - Alan Simpson, the former Republican senator, says the real fiscal threats to the U.S. are entitlements and defense spending, which should be cut, not programs for low-income Americans. He singled out a Defense Department health insurance program that costs taxpayers $53 billion annually.
Dear Rink Rats:
“My husband is a liar and a cheat. He has cheated on me from the beginning, and, when I confront him, he denies everything. What’s worse, everyone knows that he cheats on me. It is so humiliating. Also, since he lost his job ten years ago, he hasn’t even looked for a new one. All he does is smoke cigars, play golf, cruise and pal around with his buddies while I have to work to pay the bills.”
“Since our daughter got married he doesn’t even pretend to like me and hints that I may be a Republican. What should I do?”
--Clueless
Dear Clueless:
Grow up and dump this loser. Good grief, woman! You don’t need him anymore. You’re Secretary of State. Act like one.
WORDS OF THE MONTH –
fain \FEYN\, adverb:
1. Gladly; willingly. adjective:
1. Content; willing.
2. Archaic: Constrained; obliged.
3. Archaic: Desirous; eager.
The professor would fain have lectured all night, and grudged every halt for refreshment, so as almost to run the risk of making the students mutinous.
embutidos, noun
cold cuts
No comemos muchos embutidos.
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Drew Barrymore (36), Tricia Nixon Cox (65), Julius Erving (61), Steve Jobs (56), Ralph Nader (77).
COLLEGE HOCKEY GAME OF THE WEEK – Saturday 2/26, 17th ranked Western Michigan Broncos (15-9-10) at 9th ranked University of Notre Dame (20-9-5), 7:05 ET, HGTV. With only two weeks remaining in the regular season every game is crucial. This CCHA contest at South Bend will be a test. Western Michigan is led by Rancho Santa Margarita, CA native Chase Bailey who leads the team in scoring as a freshman. The “Domers” will prevail in this one, ND to win.
Season to date (2-5)
GOOD BYE – Len Lesser, 88, passed away this past week. “Jerry! Hello!” Mr. Lesser, as Uncle Leo, would cry whenever he’d encounter his nephew in a social situation on “Seinfeld.” His greeting was usually accompanied by an elaborate palms-up gesture of welcome, and followed by a meandering digression of increasingly unbearable inconsequentiality, often involving his son, Jeffrey, who worked for the New York City Parks Department.
PART II: GRANADA, SPAIN REPORT – Niece Alex B. continues her reports on her studies in Spain with the University of Colorado.
“The geography of Granada is beautiful and pretty eclectic. Being that the Moors (or Moops according to George Costanzia) were the first to rule, there is a very strong Arab influence especially in the older part of the city called the Albaycin. It is on the side of a hill and is full of Middle Eastern shops, tea restaurants, flamenco shows and gypsy people. There is even a section of caves where some of the gypsies live which we have yet to go to but is supposed to be beautiful but not the place you want to go alone at night. The city center, where I live, is more modern with a Catholic influence amazingly beautiful and vibrant. All of the streets are made of stunning cobblestone and there are countless alleyways filled of tiny tapas bars and shops. Also, Granada has 4 main areas that are different plazas that are filled with outdoor cafes and beautiful architecture. There is no better hang over cure than 30 minutes on our balcony and then a cafĆ© con leche at a cafĆ© in one of the plazas that is filled with families and couples out with their dogs enjoying the day.”
“However, before you can get to the afternoon you have to make it through Granada’s nightlife. Though not as crazy as my friends’ evenings in Barcelona, Granada has a very big “fiesta” scene. The average Thursday-Saturday starts at about 10 o’clock. You go out for drinks and tapas with friends for dinner and then around midnight you go to something called the Botillion which is essentially the largest display of public drunkenness you’ve ever scene. The word itself basically means “to drink from the bottle” and is a huge open street filled with about 1000 locals passing bottles around to save money on alcohol and meet up for the night. It is pretty ridiculous to see but very fun and a great way to meet Spaniards (not that I can talk to them but whatever.) Then, at about 2 or 3am, you go to the clubs and don’t leave till sunrise. We left a club at 5am the other night and there were people just getting there--pretty crazy. Finally, at about 7 or 8am you go for churros con chocolate which are not anything like Mexican churros. They are just long sticks of batter basically; kind of like a long, skinny funnel cake with a cup of thick, thick hot chocolate that you dip them in. Not really my thing but they are very popular. From there you head home around early morning and sleep till 3 pm…rough life, right? I am still getting used to the schedule but I am learning to tough it out.”
Thank you Alex B. next week another story from her adventure.
Next week, Jack Ass of the Month and our monthly finance commentary.
Until next Monday, Adios.
Claremont, CA
February 21, 2011
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