Never Trust a Squirrel

The last month or so I have had a visitor every morning to my garden/patio. This creature (The Squirrel) is looking for his or her daily meal of bird seed that I place out for the birds in our neighborhood. I give him/her the benefit of the doubt and let The Squirrel have its meal but I inform him/her that they must share with their fellow neighborhood inhabitants. The Squirrel agrees and spends the balance of the day sunning and relaxing in the garden.

But when the new day comes Mr./Ms. Squirrel is back eating all the bird seed and keeping the birds at a distance. After repeated attempts of therapy, water spraying, playing Wayne Newton CDs (I know Squirrels hate Wayne Newton) and reading out loud Sarah Palin speeches. The same routine repeats every morning; The Squirrel is becoming a menace.

I have begun to correlate the Squirrel to other things or people who bother me these days: Consultants who say one thing to a client and then change their tune when they feel the client does not agree or firms that hire Consultants, when all they need to do is take advantage of the qualified people who work for them, or finally, firms who do not like what one Consultant advises them so they hire another one to tell them what they want to hear; Politicians (national, state, and local) who continue to show a total lack of leadership and intelligence when it comes to making the tough decisions of the day; Commercials during the network evening news – what is with our American society? Is everyone depressed, have allergies, have erectile dysfunction, can’t sleep, or have gout?

It all goes back to The Squirrel, if you can’t trust them, who can you trust?

CALIF., TEXAS ARE NATION'S TOP TWO ECONOMIES -- USA Today lead story, "Texas' economy takes a big leap: Industrial states were biggest losers," by Dennis Cauchon: "Texas became the USA's second-largest economy during the past decade - displacing New York and perhaps heading one day toward challenging California - in one of the biggest economic shifts in the past half-century. The dramatic realignment of the nation's economy was illustrated by North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia all overtaking one-time industrial powerhouse Michigan in economic size from 2000 to 2010. The economic winners of the last decade are states that focus on raw materials, government and senior citizens. The big losers are places that make things - industrial states and even California. USA TODAY examined each state's gross domestic product to determine how the country's economic output has shifted within its borders. ... Florida's share of the national economy grew more than any state except Texas as seniors took their wealth south."
--The top 10: Calif., Texas, N.Y., Fla., Ill., Pa., N.J., Ohio, N.C., Va. (Vt. is 50!)

THIS IS DODGER BASEBALL - Over the next two weeks, Bud Selig will face the defining moment of his career as Commissioner of Major League Baseball.... Commissioner Selig has rejected the Dodgers-Fox television contract, seized control of the Dodgers, and will sell the team to a responsible owner who will (with the grateful help of millions of my fellow left coasters) restore the team to its former greatness. Selig must act to prevent Frank McCourt from continuing to plunder the team. Selig must act before the team is saddled with even greater debt, while the team’s reputation can still be salvaged and the team is still marketable to a worthy owner....

How much have the McCourt’s managed to extract from the Dodgers? Well, if we ignore the debt the Dodgers took on so that the McCourt’s could buy the Dodgers but include the McCourt salaries, the McCourt’s have withdrawn from the Dodgers anywhere from $109 million (Frank McCourt’s estimate) to $141 million (Jamie McCourt’s estimate). The truth is, the real amount the McCourt’s plundered from the Dodgers may be more than $141 million – at the moment, all we have to go on is what each McCourt has been willing to admit to.

(In case you were wondering, during their ownership of the Dodgers the McCourt’s have paid not one penny in income tax.)

MOST POPULAR L.A. SPORTS TEAMS – Per Chris Dufresne’s Sunday L.A. Times article:

1. Lakers
2. Angels
3. Dodgers
4. USC Football
5. Chivas Guadalajara – yes you read this right

Oakland Raiders (9), Kings (10), Ducks (11), Mater Dei High School (17).

A sad state of affairs.

TOP STORY - "Historic N.Y. vote is a win for Cuomo, gay rights activists," by Reid J. Epstein: "New York on Friday approved same-sex marriage, making the Empire State the sixth and largest state to allow gays and lesbians to marry The 33-29 state senate vote is an enormous victory for first-year Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who pledged during last fall's campaign to push for gay marriage. It comes after an intense public and private lobbying campaign from a wide cast of politicians, celebrities and athletes, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former President Bill Clinton. Cuomo, whose two daughters attended the vote in the senate gallery, signed the bill five minutes before midnight after a victory lap press conference.

"It will go into effect July 24, and when it does, the population of Americans for whom same-sex marriage is legal will double. ... Of the 33 senators to vote for the bill, 29 are Democrats and four are Republicans. Of the 29 who voted against it, all but one are Republicans. ... Gay marriage is already legal in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C. It was briefly legal in California until voters passed Proposition 8, which is being challenged in federal court, and in Maine, where voters in 2009 overturned legislation signed six months earlier by then-Gov. John Baldacci."

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Dan Aykroyd (59) Canada (144), Larry David (64), Richard Petty (74), Kellie Pickler (25).

OCS UPDATE – Email from GB reports all is well, picture included shows Heartbreak Ridge style of haircut. Seven more weeks to go, we are all pulling for you.

NEW ERA BEGINS – July 1 Dr. Devorah Lieberman begins her job as the 18th President of The University of La Verne. The University of La Verne is a private research university located in La Verne, California (about 35 miles (56 km) east of Los Angeles). Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, College of Education and Organizational Leadership, College of Law, and a Regional Campus Administration that oversees nine regional campuses. It awards both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Many of their classes are taught at smaller campuses throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

The University of La Verne was founded in 1891 as Lordsburg College by members of the Church of the Brethren, a German Christian sect originating from the Schwarzenau Brethren. Historically, the Brethren are considered one of the "peace churches", like the Quakers and the Mennonites.

Both the surrounding agricultural community and the College were renamed La Verne in 1917. The College reorganized in 1977 as the University of La Verne. The school conferred its first master's degree in 1965 and began an adult education program in 1969. ULV awarded its first doctorate in 1979. In 1981, the University founded a campus in Orange County and has since opened campuses throughout southern California, including on some military bases.

ULV has (FY 2010) an Endowment of $62 million, an Operating Budget of $103 million, $97 million of debt and a credit rating of BBB+ by Fitch Ratings. The investment grades include bonds ordinarily bought by individuals and institutional investors seeking stable income and safety. BBB/Baa is the lowest rating that qualifies for commercial bank investments. It's a borderline group for which, in Standard & Poor's words, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay interest and repay principal than for bonds in higher-rated categories. Student generated revenues account for 92% of the operating budget of the institution.

Fall 2011 Undergraduate tuition is $31,300, Room and board is $11,280. The average financial aid package is $27,624, average undergraduate student debt at completion is $31,112. ULV has a freshmen undergraduate class of 538, total undergraduate enrollment of 1,896 students, and graduate enrollment of 2,572 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 11:1. La Verne has 19 intercollegiate athletic teams participating in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

RR wishes Dr. Lieberman much success and watch out for those Squirrels.

Next week, we celebrate July 4.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
June 27, 2011
#II-9

Opening the Door

It is interesting to watch and observe family members, colleagues, associates, and students begin their journey into the world of the internet. Today with cloud computing, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (overrated), YouTube, Smartphones, Tablets, many people who thought they would never spend time on the internet are beginning their travels into the social networking world.

What they are soon learning is that it becomes quite time consuming and mundane. The daily tasks of updating followers, cleaning up messages, keeping weird stalkers out, reading ridiculous postings, and reading interesting postings becomes one big hassle.

So beware present and future social networkers, when you open that door to the internet it is not all that it seems.

WELCOME TO CLAREMONT – with summer approaching we begin to have new neighbors arriving in Claremont, California. For our new residents of this fair city we welcome you and pass along some key points of interest.

Best Cosmo – Tutti Mangia, 102 Harvard

Best Pizza – Pizza N’ Such, 202 Yale

Best Place To Get a Traffic Ticket – Towne Avenue just south of the 210 Freeway

Best Breakfast – Roady’s, 160 West Bonita, San Dimas

Best Road To Avoid – Arrow Highway, yuk

Best Club – Claremont Tennis Club, great pool and spa

Best Sports Bar – Heroes, 131 Yale, used to be much better but still a good place to have a good beer and watch a game

Best Bartender – Phil, Tutti Mangia

Best Park - Johnson's Pasture

Best Restaurant – Sorry Claremont, you have to go to Pasadena where it is a tie between Parkway Grill (510 S. Arroyo) and Smitty’s (110 S. Lake)

QUESTION OF THE WEEK - Comes from The Atlantic's Derek Thompson: "When your household gets a credit card bill, do you: (a) Convene the entire family to vote on paying it off (b) Threaten not to pay unless you get special remote control privileges for the week (c) Pay the damn bill. If you answered something other than (c), you should probably explore your financial and familial relationships with a professional ... But think about how the federal government deals with debt. Our legislators pass laws. They incur debt. They get the bill. And then, against all reason, they vote on it."

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Billy Casper (80), Beth Elmore …famous #3, Mick Fleetwood (69), John Goodman (59), Pete Hamill (76), Don Henley (64), Juli Inkster (51), Derek Jeter (37), Nicole Kidman (44), Mike Myers (48), Carly Simon (66).

U.S. OPEN GOLF PICKS – we liked Steve Stricker (T19), Phil Mickelson (T54) and Lee Westwood (T3) this year at Congressional. Rory McIlroy wins the $1.2 million first prize in record fashion.

GDP PREGAME: HOW LOW WILL IT GO? - The Fed statement and presser went pretty much as expected (no new bond buying; continued zero rates; no balance sheet shrinkage; inflation a concern but not a mortal threat). Today's initial read on first quarter GDP is a bit more of a wild card. Most expect a winter-weather driven slowdown to sub-two percent growth. But the question is how low it will go. Some at the highest levels of government expect the number could be as low as 1.2 percent or so, which might come as an unwelcome surprise to increasingly anxious consumers.

Of course these officials could also be trying to push down expectations and set up a solid beat that helps reverse the darkening mood. Whatever the case, a 1.2 percent or 1.3 percent GDP growth figure would not mean much on its own. But if it causes consumers to get even more worried it could help knock back what is expected to be 3 percent-plus growth the rest of the year. The GDP number this morning comes alongside initial jobless claims. If that figure is above 400,000 and GDP is around 1 percent that would be ... not so good.

THE ROYALS : "William and Kate to live in Diana palace" - AFP/London: "Prince William and new bride Catherine will within the coming months move into Kensington Palace, the London residence once shared by the prince and his late mother Diana, St James's Palace said Sunday. The newly-titled Duke of Cambridge and his brother Prince Harry lived in the palace after Diana and Prince Charles divorced in 1996, but the newlywed couple will move into a different property within the grounds. A spokesman from St James's Palace said: ... 'A number of options for longer term solutions are still being considered. The couple's main home will continue to be their house on Anglesey, and their Household Office will continue to be based at St James's Palace' ... The duke and duchess currently live on the north Wales island of Anglesey, where the prince works as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot."

UNDERWATER - Almost 40% of homeowners who took out second mortgages—extracting cash from their residences to cover everything from vacations to medical bills—are underwater on their loans, more than twice the rate of owners who didn't take out such loans.

The finding, in a report released by real-estate data firm CoreLogic Inc., illustrates the consequences of easy borrowing amid the housing boom's inflated prices. The report says 38% of borrowers who took cash out of their residences using home-equity loans are underwater, or owe more than their home is worth. By contrast, 18% of borrowers who don't have these loans were underwater.

It's not clear how much cash withdrawn from homes during the boom was used to acquire luxuries such as expensive automobiles, and how much went to basic necessities, including tuition expenses, or renovations intended to raise a property's value.

LIVING HISTORY : Six months ago, Dec. 17, a frustrated Tunisian fruit vendor torched himself in an act of protest that's credited with igniting the Arab Spring. So in six months, we have lived through Mubarak's abdication (Feb. 11), uprisings in Syria and Yemen, the Japanese earthquake (March 11), allies striking Libya (March 19), and the death of bin Laden (May 1). Plus the shooting of Rep. Giffords (Jan. 8); the royal wedding (April 29); repeal of "don't ask, don't tell"; a threatened government shutdown; Alabama and Missouri tornado tragedies; Moody's downgrading U.S. credit (June 2); a new tech bubble; a sharp hiring slowdown (announced June 3); and the resignation of Anthony Weiner.

BREAKING: EUROPE DELAYS GREEK DECISION - Reuters: Luxembourg/Athens: "Euro zone finance ministers postponed a final decision on extending 12 billion euros ($17 billion) in emergency loans to Greece, saying Athens would first have to introduce harsh austerity measures. The ministers said they expected the money, the next tranche in a 110 billion euro bailout of Greece by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, to be paid by mid-July. Greece has said it needs the loans by then to avoid defaulting on its debt. ... "In a statement issued after a seven-hour meeting in Luxembourg that ended in the early hours of Monday morning, the ministers also announced they would put together a second bailout of Greece, which missed debt targets in the first rescue plan by big margins. The new plan, to be outlined by early July, will include more official loans and, for the first time, a contribution by private investors"

Note: this will happen in Ireland, Portugal and California.

WORDS OF THE MONTH –

sojourn \SOH-juhrn; so-JURN\, intransitive verb:
1. To stay as a temporary resident; to dwell for a time.

noun:
1. A temporary stay.

“Yet he is now an accomplished student and speaker of English, a literary editor and television producer, someone who has sojourned in Paris and in his spare time is an Associate Vice President of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations.”

pareja, noun
partner; couple

Pareja is a word that people commonly use to talk about a person who is in a relationship, particularly if they don’t want to specify whether they’re married or not.

“Nos presentó a su pareja”.
She introduced us to her partner.

Next week, our monthly finance/economy snapshot.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA

June 20, 2011
#II-8

Guard That Password

New York Times Sunday Business Section, page 3: “For a pretty strong password, think 10. If your password contains 10 characters, you should be able to sleep well at night – perhaps for 19.24 years.”

“That is how long it would take hackers to try every combination of 10 characters, assuming that the password is encrypted and that the hackers have enough computing power to mount a 100-billion-guesses-a-second effort to break the encryption. But if your user names and passwords are sitting unencrypted on a server, you may not be able to sleep at all if you start contemplating the potential havoc ahead.”

“The most important password factor is length and that Web sites store your passwords in encrypted form, always, always, always.” Though a hassle Rink Rats change our passwords every quarter and select gibberish characters adding up to at least 10 characters. Have you changed your password lately?
SUMMER READING: Here is Rink Rats summer reading recommendations, we hope you find time to enjoy many summer novels, the best time to relax and read.

The summer’s single most suspenseful plot belongs to Before I Go to Sleep, by another debut author, S. J. Watson. Its heroine, the middle-aged Christine, is the spookiest amnesiac in a season that’s full of them. As the book begins, she wakes up to meet Ben, the man to whom she has been married for decades, and Dr. Nash, who is treating her but for some reason doesn’t want Ben to know. Goosebumps rise as snippets of Christine’s memory come back (she was once a person called Chrissy who was much more fun), and as details Ben mentions about her past start sounding fishy. Mr. Watson has written this as pure page-turner — though stories as high-concept as this tend to begin more excitingly than they end.

The American Heiress is also far from fluff. Its author, Daisy Goodwin, has written a Gilded Age period piece (published in England as “My Last Duchess”) about an American girl from a Vanderbilt-like family who snags a British title, sort of the way Consuelo Vanderbilt did. According to Ms. Goodwin, about a quarter of the members of the House of Lords in 1910 had American wives. Ms. Goodwin is equally indebted to the great works of Edith Wharton and the high-end soap operas of Penny Vincenzi as she sends Cora Cash from Newport to England.

Good Stuff, Jennifer Grant’s memoir about her father, Cary, is more emotional. Abundantly illustrated, it invokes a man who adored his only child and loved creating memorabilia. Sample artifact: Mr. Grant’s hand-drawn alphabet book for Jennifer, with a picture of him on the F page (for “Father”).

Readers of the 763-page Those Guys Have All the Fun, an oral history of ESPN by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, have their own battle cries. This treat for sports fans has a cast of characters that is huge and varied. How varied? Keith Olbermann, Rush Limbaugh and President Obama have common ground.

A word about heavy hitters: three big ones leap out of this summer’s book lineup. Daniel H. Wilson’s Robopocalypse is a Steven Spielberg movie in the larval stage, an ingenious, instantly visual story of war between humans and robots. “Hopefully it’s not prophetic,” one Amazon.com reader has said.

The Cut is George Pelecanos’s chance expertly to introduce Spero Lucas, an irresistible 29-year-old Marine turned private investigator, at the start of a hot new series. It arrives in August.

And John Grisham’s 13-year-old star of a series supposedly aimed at young readers makes his second appearance in Theodore Boone: The Abduction. It’s another swift Grisham thrillerette about this “kid lawyer.” And you don’t have to be a kid anything to enjoy it. Not one person in “The Abduction” winds up (as does a little boy in “The Hypnotist”) punctured by hundreds of knife wounds. Zero mayhem: that’s another new idea this summer.

SUMMER GARDENING - Here is a list of some easy things to do to help keep your garden under control and looking good throughout the summer season.

1. Beware of insects such as aphids or white flies that become rampant as our plants grow larger and have less circulation between them. Remember to spray both upper and lower leaves with neem or pyola oil on a seven to 10 day cycle to keep these critters from destroying your plants. Also, order some beneficial insects such as ladybugs to help keep these insects under control. (Try Gardeners.com or GardensAlive.com.)
2. Prune back your rose bushes after the first bloom. You can either dead head the spent blooms or do a major cutting back to keep them tame and under control. I tend to do the latter. Cut back all weak and dead wood as well. Lastly, clean up all spent leaves—especially if they suffered from black spot. Plus, if black spot is a problem, use this homemade formula: Mix one tablespoon of baking soda and a 1/4 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent in one gallon of water.
3. Continue to pinch back all late summer and fall perennials to keep them bushy and healthy and to stagger blooming times.
4. Finish pruning all spring blooming bushes such as azaleas, rhododendrons, lilacs by mid-summer so that they can begin their new growth for next spring.
5. It is still not too late to plant summer blooming bulbs like dahlias or cannas. It's also not too late to plant quick-blooming summer seeds such as sunflowers, nasturtiums and cosmos.

Enjoy and have patience during the ensuing hot summer months!

FATHERS DAY TREAT – Italian Chicken Sliders, add a couple of cold ones and watch the U.S. Open Golf Championship with Dad this coming weekend.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/italian-chicken-sliders-with-tomato-jam/video/index.html


DEAR RINK RATS:

I need to kick start my finances, can you recommend any stocks to purchase?

--Warren Buffett Wannabe

Dear Warren Buffett Wannabe –

Despite the recent negative market reaction to the ever-changing possibility of a QE3 (third round of Fed easing), we are still bullish on the market unless we break below the 1250 level in the S&P 500. Friday’s June 10 S&P 500 close was 1270.98. The markets are approaching 2011 bottom, stocks will be higher than these levels by the end of the year for the S&P 500. Only a foolish government strategy could derail this prediction.

Buy: Linn Energy (LINE, $37.80) – This oil and gas pipeline company has a decent dividend yield, management is excellent, they are growing 30% per year.

Buy: IberiaBank (IBKC, $5.45) – a well-run bank and they are cheap.

Good luck!

--Rink Rats

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Joan Ahrens ...39 and not counting, Tim Allen (58), James Belushi (57), President George H.W. “41” Bush (87), Sir Paul McCartney (69), Phil Mickelson (41), Prince Phillip (90), Donald Trump (65).

U.S. OPEN GOLF PICKS – we like Steve Stricker, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood this year at Congressional.

UPDATE OCS – GB writes he is alive and strong. “Rocked my initial physical fitness test and spirits are high.” He is now in Phase II, a 3 week transition period that is considered the most difficult in terms of emotional and physical stress.

COMPANIES NOT SPENDING ON NEW HIRES -NYT's Catherine Rampell on pg. A1: "Companies that are looking for a good deal aren't seeing one in new workers. Workers are getting more expensive while equipment is getting cheaper, and the combination is encouraging companies to spend on machines rather than people. ... Two years into the recovery, hiring is still painfully slow. The economy is producing as much as it was before the downturn, but with seven million fewer jobs. Since the recovery began, businesses' spending on employees has grown 2 percent as equipment and software spending has swelled 26 percent, according to the Commerce Department. A capital rebound that sharp and a labor rebound that slow have been recorded only once before - after the 1982 recession. With equipment prices dropping, and tax incentives to subsidize capital investments, these trends seem likely to continue."

FREAKY FRIDAY: DOUBLE-DIP? - Reuters' Leah Schnurr: "Recent housing and employment data suggests the U.S. economy is at a tipping point where a double-dip recession is possible and home prices could have much further to fall ... veteran economist Robert Shiller said ... 'Whether we call it a double-dip or not, I think there is a risk,' Shiller told Reuters Insider television in an interview. Likewise, data showing U.S. home prices fell into a double dip in March could prove to be either a seasonal effect over the winter months or part of a downward trend. ... He added that a 10 percent to 25 percent slump in real home prices 'wouldn't surprise me at all,' though he cautioned that was not a forecast." Still want to buy that home?

CONAN O’BRIEN – “Hey, it’s been reported that the Chinese economy has showed signs of slowing down. Yeah. Experts say that is what happens when your work force starts to enter its teens.”
Next week, words of the month and our monthly politics update.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
June 13, 2011

#II-7

Ductus Exemplo

“Leadership by Example” is the title of our Rink Rats this week. This past week our family’s oldest grandchild (niece/nephew) began his summer Officer Candidate School at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia.

All potential Marine Corps Officers must endure and successfully accomplish OCS; they must prove to the Marine Corps that they possess the necessary qualities to lead Marines. Candidates at OCS are put under conditions and in circumstances which many people would consider harsh and intolerable, and not only are they expected to carry on, but rather they are required to excel and demonstrate marked leadership abilities. The program is from June 2 – August 13.

Officer Candidate School is broken down into three principal categories: physical training worth 25%, academics also weighed 25%, and finally leadership which comprise the remaining 50%. Candidates from the moment they enter OCS until the moment they graduate are constantly “trained, screened and evaluated” in all of these areas. At a minimum candidates must receive a score of 80% to successfully complete OCS, however even if a candidate does maintain this percent he or she may still be dropped based on the recommendations of his or her evaluation staff. In essence the Marine Corps expect the best and will only accept the best.

I know GB is concerned about his ability to complete this program but he has nothing to worry about. This man represents the best of his generation and by his commitment to challenge himself in this endeavor he will succeed.

As every generation comes of age the older generations always question the new generation’s abilities and commitment to being good citizens. As far as this writer is concerned we have little to worry about. In fact every grandchild, niece, nephew I have is a credit to their generation. Be it volunteering for public service, playing sports, caring for others, loving their parents – this generation is the best. Look what our generation has given them; continued conflicts between countries, no realization of the need to be sustainable and environmentally sound, creators of the worst financial disaster in the history of man – we should be proud of this generation and support them in any way we can to deal with what we have left them.

Our prayers and love are with GB and all of his generation as they learn and begin to discover life.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Tonya Carmon ….famous advisor, Johnny Depp (48), Donald Duck (77), Michael J. Fox (50), Paul Giamatti (44), Dalai Lama (76), Mike Modano (41), Joe Montana (55), Jim Nabors (81), Jeffrey Rouss …what does he do???, Boz Scaggs (67), Nancy Sinatra (71).

TIGER FREE FALL – Tiger Woods is now ranked 15th in the latest golf rankings world wide. By far the lowest he has been since turning pro in 1997. Steve Stricker is the highest ranked American at number 7.

MORNING SHOWS - Internal e-mail from Steve Capus, president of NBC News: "For those of you watching 'Today' this morning, you've just heard Meredith Vieira announce that she will be leaving the program in June. You've also heard the news that Ann Curry will be the new co-anchor of 'Today' and Natalie Morales will be the news anchor. The team of Matt, Ann, Al and Natalie will make their debut this June. ... I am pleased to announce Savannah Guthrie as a co-host of the third hour of 'Today.' She will join Al and Natalie at 9 a.m. each morning, bringing her tremendous experience from DC up to Studio 1A in New York. 'Today' recently celebrated its 800th week in first place - an unprecedented 15-plus year run."

ECONOMIST COVER, "The new tech bubble": "The bubble is being pumped partly by wealthy 'angel' investors, some of whom made their fortunes in the late-1990s IPO boom. Their financial firepower has increased and they are battling one another for stakes in web start-ups ... It was arguably started by Russian investors. Skype was born in Estonia. ... The froth in China's web industry could also lead to unrealistic valuations elsewhere. And it may be China that causes the web bubble eventually to burst. Few of those rushing to buy Chinese shares have thought through the political risks these companies face because of the sensitivity of their content. A clampdown on a prominent web firm could startle investors and prompt a broader sell-off, as could a financial scandal."

GOP 2012: THE BIG PICTURE - First installment of POLITICO's "State of the Race" series: Elite sees Daniels as savior - Insiders watching Pawlenty-Huntsman sub-contest to see who will emerge as Romney alternative: Top Republicans are increasingly convinced that President Obama could be easily reelected if stronger GOP contenders do not emerge, and some are virtually begging Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels to add some excitement to the slow-starting nomination race. "It's not that they're up in arms," said a central player in the GOP money machine. "It's just that they're depressed."

So instead of solidifying against the overwhelming force being amassed by Obama's reelection campaign, the GOP is indulging in an embarrassingly public - and probably futile - search for a more compelling standard-bearer. Charlie Black, a longtime consultant to GOP presidential races, has been talking up Daniels around Washington and said he sees a 50-50 chance the reluctant Hoosier will run. "Now is the time, and he knows that," Black said. "We have members of both the Bush and McCain teams who have been waiting to see who all's going to get in. The makings of a campaign are there if he decides to run."

RONALD REAGAN BIRTHDAY - "Four European Nations Honor President Reagan's 100th Birthday With Tributes from June 27-July 4, 2011 ... New Ronald Reagan Statues in London and Budapest ... Former Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese to Attend and Speak in Budapest": "Today, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation announced that as part of the year-long, historic Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration, four European nations - Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom - will honor the 100th birthday of President Reagan with a series of tributes ... Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will represent Former First Lady Nancy Reagan at certain events. 'Ronnie would have been so touched that his centennial birthday is being celebrated in London and Central Europe,' said Former First Lady of the United States Nancy Reagan. 'He felt a special bond with the people who struggled to be free, and was so very thankful that Great Britain shared our commitment to bringing down the Iron Curtain. I know he would want these events to remind us all of the power of freedom.'

"Program highlights will include: in Krakow, Poland, June 27, a Mass of Thanksgiving and symposia on the relationship between President Reagan and Pope John Paul II; in Budapest, Hungary, June 28 and 29, the unveiling of a statue of President Reagan in Freedom Square and a Commemorative Gala dinner in Hunter's Hall located in Parliament attended by the Prime Minister; in Prague, Czech Republic, June 30 and July 1, a gala dinner and a conference examining how President Reagan might approach current Central European issues hosted by the Foreign Ministry; and in London, England, July 4, the unveiling of a statue of President Reagan in Grosvenor Square and a black-tie gala at The Guildhall where Prime Minister Thatcher hosted President Reagan on his return from a summit with Mikhail Gorbachev in June 1988."

FIRST LOOK: MOST THINK ECONOMY STILL IN RECESSION - Latest Hamilton Place Strategies consumer sentiment survey has a stunning finding: Two years after the official end of the recession, 66 percent of Americans still believe the U.S. is in a recession and another 29 percent say the recession ended but that it still feels like a recession. This should help explain why consumer spending/confidence are still so tenuous.

MEDIAWATCH - N.Y. Times A1, "Abramson to Succeed Keller as Executive Editor of The Times," by Jeremy W. Peters: "Jill Abramson, a former investigative reporter who rose to prominence as a Washington correspondent and editor, will become the next executive editor of The New York Times, succeeding Bill Keller, who is stepping down to become a full-time writer for the paper. Ms. Abramson has been one of Mr. Keller's two top deputies since 2003, serving at his side as he steered The Times through a period of journalistic distinction and economic distress. Mr. Keller said that with the paper's finances now on surer footing, he felt at ease handing the reins to Ms. Abramson. The move was accompanied by another shift in senior management. Dean Baquet, the Washington bureau chief and former editor of The Los Angeles Times, will become the managing editor for news. ...

"Ms. Abramson ... will become the first woman to be editor of the paper in its 160-year history ... The appointments are effective Sept. 6. ... Over the course of Mr. Keller's tenure, the paper won 18 Pulitzer Prizes ... Mr. Keller will continue to write for The Times Magazine and as a columnist for the new Sunday opinion section, which will make its debut this month. ... Mr. Keller, 62, is still a few years shy of the paper's mandatory retirement age for senior executives, but he held the top job for roughly the same period of time as Max Frankel and Joseph Lelyveld, two of the editors who preceded him. Mr. Frankel and Mr. Lelyveld returned to the newsroom for the announcement. ... Abramson, 57, said being named executive editor was 'the honor of my life' and like 'ascending to Valhalla' ... Mr. Baquet, 54, ... said he had a collaborative relationship with the new editor ... Keller ... did rule out one project. 'I won't be writing a book about The New York Times.”

SCOTT PELLEY debuts today as anchor and managing editor of the 'CBS Evening News.'

OLYMPICS BIDDING - "Stage set for high-stakes US TV rights bidding," by AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson, in Lausanne, Switzerland: "With Dick Ebersol out of the picture, NBC's multi-billion-dollar grip on the most valuable property in sports faces a serious challenge this week when U.S. networks bid on the next set of Olympic television rights. NBC, the Olympic network in the United States for much of the past two decades, goes up against ESPN/ABC and Fox in a high-stakes auction that could potentially command fees of more than $2 billion for two games and more than $4 billion for four. Network executives will make closed-door presentations and sealed bids to the International Olympic Committee on Monday and Tuesday, the first U.S. broadcast rights contest in eight years. ... Up for grabs are the exclusive rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a new twist, the networks are also free to bid on a four-games package including the 2018 and 2020 Games, whose sites have not yet been selected."

COMING ATTRACTIONS, SUMMER MOVIES – The big blockbuster summer movies are upon us, here is a quick review of what is to come:

X-Men: First Class (June): Every good superhero story needs an origin myth, so here is one for the X-Men, a merry band of mutants who hang around a giant mansion in tight latex suits and, presumably, have mutant power-fueled orgies.
Rink Rats prediction: weak at best.

Bad Teacher (June): Cameron Diaz dirties it up as a foul-mouthed, drug using teacher who is… uh, bad at her job. Then she meets a substitute teacher played by Diaz’s real-life ex Justin Timberlake. He’s rich so she decides to snag him and figures the best way to do so is get a boob job.
Rink Rats prediction: are you kidding, don’t waste your time.

Larry Crowne (July): Tom Hanks stars in and directs this romantic comedy about a lovable schlub who goes back to school and finds a new lease on life. He also finds a lady love in Julia Robert’s grumpy and dissatisfied professor.
Rink Rats prediction: are the Orange County Housewives still on this summer?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (July): The end. After all the books were done, we could at least still look forward to the movies, but now even that is over. Harry finally faces down Voldemort, there’s a giant battle at Hogwarts, and many beloved characters die.
Rink Rats prediction: for the cultists a must see, everyone else back to Orange County Housewives.

Cowboys & Aliens (July): Hm, is that title not self-explanatory enough for you? Daniel Craig plays a mysterious loner with no memory and a strange metallic something attached to his wrist, while Harrison Ford is the dictatorial ruler of a small Western town who has it out for Craig.
Rink Rats prediction: is there a Woody Allen film this summer, please?

Our Idiot Brother (August): A Sundance hit that seems to have been repackaged as a bigger, broader comedy, Paul Rudd who annoyingly interferes with the lives of his sisters.
Rink Rats prediction: sounds too close to home, back to The Golf Channel.

We better hope next week we find some good summer reading, because our summer movie choices are few and far between.

Next week, gardening, cooking, Dear Rink Rats and summer reading.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
June 6, 2011

#II-6

Debt: Friend or Foe

The Obama Administration and leading economists hope to revive the economy through low interest rates and corporate capital spending. My belief is that our huge record debts at all levels of the economy coupled with people not saving enough will continue to stall our economic growth through 2015.

The American public does not save enough anymore. Why is this important? Because savings in bank accounts, money market funds, mutual funds, retirement accounts are the real fuel for economic expansion, not government spending. Why don’t we save? One reason is consumerism; the desire to always purchase and not to save. Many consumers would rather have the newest car, boat, computer, television, shoes, whatever, than deposit cash in savings. Another reason for lack of saving; the emergence of the 401(k) funds with matching employer money began the switch to defined contribution plans where the employees were expected to save for retirement. This replaced a pension in the private sector with the employer determining the saving contribution and management of the fund. Now people are expected to save for their own retirement instead of an employer contributing to a pension trust.

In the 1990’s single family homes now have four/five bathrooms, high school students had to have cars, education costs outpaced personal income growth, vacations more expensive, thus no saving and increased use of credit. Corporations and the public use debt to provide for income generating assets and better quality of life. In turn income generating assets create more profits and higher personal income can pay back this debt. But with the market and real estate crash of 2008 the ability to pay back this debt has shrunk.

Debt is now a foe, sapping government funds, draining retirement savings, and pushing corporations to cut costs to payback this debt. A growing generation of Americans will come in to retirement with very little money to live on. This will increase more government spending for Social Security and Medicare to support more and more elderly Americans.

Americans must begin to think less, our quality of life can still grow but we need to spend less and save more. Downsize our life style, the American dream of home ownership will never happen for some of us, do we really need a television and computer in every room? In doing this future generations will have more resources and more equity. Corporations can make their profits, pay their dividends and as our quote of the month from Henry Ford says: “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.”

JAKE ASS OF THE MONTH – Tough choice this month, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mr. Schwarzenegger, hasn’t the histories of Richard Nixon, Tiger Woods, Bernard Madoff and John Pomierski tells you that “one way or another, they always find out.”

Men and women in power, with social responsibilities continue to think they can get away with being sleazebags. One good thing about all this, Arnold does not have to worry about dyeing his hair that awful red/brown tint anymore; his youthful looks have nothing to do with his public image anymore. Mr. Schwarzenegger might be qualified now to run the IMF but his movie career could be over.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Kris Draper (40), Bob Dylan (70), Clint Eastwood (81), Heidi Klum (38), Brent Musberger (72), Joe Namath (68), Larry Robinson (60), Charlie Watts (70).

BUSTING THE CAP - Dow Jones: "The Treasury Department auctioned $56 billion in new debt Tuesday and Wednesday, enough to take the U.S. over its federal debt ceiling when the three- and 10-year notes settle on Monday. Treasury officials last month flagged May 16 as the day the government would hit the $14.294 trillion debt limit. ... As of Tuesday, total debt subject to the limit was $14.274 trillion ... The federal budget deficit widened in April, with the government spending $ 40.49 billion more than it collected last month, a Treasury Department report said Wednesday."

WHAT WILL HAPPEN? NOTHING GOOD - Princeton professor and former Fed Vice Chair Alan S. Blinder in a WSJ op-ed: "What happens if we crash into the debt ceiling? Nobody really knows, but it's not likely to be pretty. .... If we hit the borrowing wall traveling at full speed, the U.S. government's total outlays ... will have to drop by about 40 percent immediately. How in the world do you do that? No one really knows. ... At some point, Mr. Geithner could wind up brooding over horrible questions like these: Do we stop issuing checks for Social Security benefits, or for soldiers' pay, or for interest payments to the Chinese government? Such agonizing choices are what make default imaginable."

INDY 500 – Dan Wheldon wins the Indianapolis 500 mile race on the last lap over rookie J.R. Hildebrand, Graham Rahal third, Tony Kahaan fourth and Scott Dixon fifth. Danica Patrick over rated again. You sure you want her NASCAR?

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL – Barcelona 3 – Manchester United 1, Lionel Messi is the best soccer (football) player on the planet. The difference between this soccer and MSL (American) soccer, night and day.

BUCKEYE NATION - Embattled coach Jim Tressel, two months after apologizing for fallout that resulted in suspensions for him and several of his players, has resigned from Ohio State. "After meeting with university officials, we agreed that it is in the best interest of Ohio State that I resign as head football coach," Tressel said in a statement Monday morning. "The appreciation that Ellen and I have for the Buckeye Nation is immeasurable."

We feel deeply for Ohio State this morning, NOT!

COMMENCEMENT 2011 – Congratulations to B.E. for her doctorate degree, time to relax and smell the roses. Congratulations to R.H. 48 students who graduated with M.B.A. degrees, remember this, “take your careers and work seriously, but never take yourself seriously.”

RIP MARK HAINES – R.R. and the rest of the financial world was devastated to learn this past week of the death of CNBC's Mark Haines at age 65. Haines, the tough but warm founding anchor of "Squawk Box" and long-time face of the network, was a television genius capable of making even the most arcane financial discussions lively and engaging. And he was pretty much immune to spin, often trading tough words with top CEOs. Every morning we watched Mr. Haines on Squawk Box and Squawk on the Street he did something to make us seem smarter than we actually are. He was a giant and will be deeply missed. CNBC story: http://bit.ly/jZcBY3 NYT story: http://nyti.ms/mBAe3g

MEMORIAL DAY – two words, “Thank You.”

ON MEMORIAL DAY, we're humbly grateful for those who sacrifice. Pentagon casualty figures: Operation Iraqi Freedom - total deaths, 4,421; wounded in hostile action: 31,931. Afghanistan - total deaths, 1,475; wounded in hostile action: 11,541.

Next week, here come the summer movies.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
May 30, 2011

#II-5

Is It Worth $205,280?

Is college necessary seems to be the question of the moment. What is the lifetime payoff of a college degree? In April the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 4.5%, among high-school graduates, it was 9.7%. I do not argue against a college degree, but question its price is worth what you get. Student debt now is higher than credit card debt in America.

People with more education do have greater job satisfaction and the networking developed through ones college can last a lifetime. We believe the major issue facing higher education is not only the rising costs of attending, but just as important the lowering of standards and academic rigor of attending. Is that B.A., B.S., M.B.A., M.S., PhD, EdD really worth it?

Not only are our college graduates available to shoot a beer, text 100 words in a minute, search for a paper topic on Google – but can they write a professional letter, deliver a speech for ten minutes in front of a group of strangers, research a problem, lead people? These are the issues facing higher education – the jury is still out.

COMMENCEMENT 2011 – TOM BROKAW commencement address Saturday at St. Lawrence University, in Canton, N.Y., "Live Modestly":

“In the past four years you have been witness to and in too many case, felt the pain of, the most devastating economic recession since the Great Depression. Some of you may have parents who lost jobs or homes. While you were here, preparing to take your place in a society that values and rewards higher education, others your age were in uniform and in harms way in the two longest wars in our history, wars that are not yet over and every week bring painful news of loss of life or limbs to too many American families. We owe them more than a yellow ribbon on our cars or trucks, more than a singing of God Bless America.

You are leaving this sanctuary of learning and innocence in a season of uncertainty and anxiety. Daily there are painful reminders that the economic model that has defined your lives was a house of cards. Indeed, it is a shambles that will not be easily repaired, and even then, it will have a far different shape and evoke far different expectations.

We lost our way and allowed greed and excess to become the twin pillars of too much of the financial culture. We became a society utterly absorbed in consumption and dismissive of moderation. A friend, a very successful businessman who nonetheless lives a temperate life, says appropriately we have to replace want with need. It’s not what we want that should rule our lives but what we need. And, it goes without saying, what we can afford.

You’ll not solve global warming by hitting the delete button; you’ll not eliminate reckless avarice by hitting backspace; you’ll not make society more just by cutting and pasting.
And do not surrender the essence of the human experience to 146 characters on a Twitter or a Facebook, however seductive the temptation. You’ll not get a Google alert when you fall in love. You may be guided by the unending effort of poets and artists, biologists and psychiatrists to describe that irreplaceable and still mysterious emotion so essential to the human condition but all the search engines in the universe cannot compete with the first kiss. It will do us little good to wire the world if we short circuit our souls. Remember, too, that somehow before BlackBerries and I-phones, lap tops and video games, great and welcome change was achieved.

You’ve been told recently you’re about to enter the real world. That’s misleading. Your parents and I do not represent the real world. Neither does this institution, for all of its obvious qualities. The real world was junior high. You’ll be astonished by how much of the rest of your life will be consumed by the same petty jealousies you encountered in adolescence, the same irrational juvenile behavior, the cliques, the dumb jokes and hurt feelings.

Most of all, remember – you cannot get through this world alone. You need each other – and we need you to celebrate one another in a common cause of restoring economic justice and true value, advancing racial and religious tolerance, creating a healthier planet.

We do that by listening and reasoning not by shouting and fighting. Beware of ideological tyranny and uncompromising certainty. Do not become hostage to the orthodoxy of others.

This country was built on big, bold ideas that served the common welfare. We’re a democratic republic, not a collection of fiefdoms changing the fundamental rules of governance with every election cycle.

No remarks of mine or parental advice will be adequate substitute for your own determination and commitment to excellence. We’re not your GPS system; at best, as commentators and parents, we’re road signs. You must find your own way and I have little doubt you will.

On these occasions in the past I’ve said, It’s easy to make a buck; it’s tough to make difference. Then a parent suggested a re-wording: It’s tough to make a buck but if you make a lot of bucks, you can make a big difference. So for a time I offered both observations as a final word.

This year and these times required still another revision: It’s a lot tougher to make a make a buck but making a difference has its own rich reward.

Go forth and make a difference. God knows, we need your help.”

A total of 548 degrees will be awarded at St. Lawrence's ceremony. There are 527 candidates for bachelor's degrees and 21 candidates for master's degrees.
* The five most popular majors this year are, in descending order:
- Psychology
- Economics
- English
- Government
- Biology

In 2010, the top five in descending order were psychology, english, economics, history and government.

The total four year cost for the average student to attend St. Lawrence University was $205,820.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Greg Ball …famous father of Geoff & Alex, John Fogerty (66), Kirk Gibson (54), Rudy Giuliani (67), Lenny Kravitz (47), Mark Howe (56), Jim Lehrer (77), Hank Williams Jr. (62).

COMMENCEMENT SEASON - RR always enjoys a good graduation speech. Here is Willis Group CEO Joe Plumeri from May 15 at the College of William & Mary discussing his rise from humble beginnings in Trenton, N.J. and career encounters with Sandy Weill in 1968 and Henry Kravis in 2000. Video: http://bit.ly/lTEpyh

DICK CHENEY's book - "In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir," by Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney - will be out Aug. 30, the Tuesday before Labor Day, and people who have read it say that it peels back some skin: unquestionably the most unvarnished of the Bush administration memoirs. Cover image, showing a pensive Cheney, hands in pockets, alone in the White House Cross Hall.

LINKEDIN: ARE YOU KIDDING? - The enormous day-one IPO pop for shares in business networking site LinkedIn (which RR still can't really figure out how to use and which Alec Baldwin recently mocked on "30 Rock") had everyone talking about a return to the go-go 1990's when any dot-com could double or more on its first day. LinkedIn closed at $94.25, more than double its offering price of $45 but off the day's high of $122.70. The closing price represents a multiple of nearly 600 times the site's trialing earnings of $15.4 million, a completely insane number. The shares are likely to come back to earth. But the underwriters, including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JPMorganChase, have some explaining to do after leaving so much money on the table for LinkedIn executives and shareholders who sold into the IPO. One banker at a firm not on the deal told M.M.: "If I were an existing LinkedIn shareholder I would not be very happy right now."

BE WELL - Ron Harris and Nancy Scali, having a tough fight with cancer. We all support you and you are in our prayers.

Next week, our Jack Ass of the month.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
May 23, 2011
#II-4

I Don't Get It

Have you ever watched a play and did not have a clue what the play was about? Have you ever read a book and when finished with it did not understand what the book was about? Have you ever sat in a meeting or had a conversation and knew nothing about what was discussed? Have you ever been in a classroom and the lecture the instructor was giving the class was going completely over your head? If someone tells you they can explain cloud computing, adaptive-learning software and smartphone apps they think they get it but they do not.

I have found that the older you get it becomes less and less important to get it. When you are a teenager or a young adult, if you don’t get it you just act like you do. In your twenties and thirties and you don’t get it, you not only act like you get it but also explain what it is all about.

But now as one grows older, who cares. I don’t get it and I even admit that I don’t get it. Too bad other aspects of life are not as easy to ignore or deal with.

DEAR RINK RATS:

The other day I wanted to get in contact with a friend, I telephoned his home, he was not there so I left a message on his answering machine. The next day he left me a text message on my cellular telephone. I returned the call to his cellular telephone, he was not there so I left a message on his cellular answering system. He sent me an email the next day to my gmail account and asked that I send him an email to his Hotmail account, for which I proceeded to do. He then posted a message to me on his Facebook page and asked that I respond via his Twitter account. Weeks have gone by, through various platforms and I have not been in contact with him yet. How do I speak to my friend?

--Frustrated With Technology

Dear Frustrated With Technology –

I don’t get it!

--Rink Rats

DRIVING THE WEEK - Strauss-Kahn to enter a not-guilty plea this morning and will probably make bail ... The federal government is likely to hit the $14.294 trillion debt ceiling today leading to a series of moves by Treasury including tapping federal retire programs to temporarily fund operations. But a debt limit deal appears no closer with House Speaker John Boehner saying yesterday he has seen "no real action" from the VP Biden-led talks ... Per Mike "Playbook" Allen, House Budget Chair Paul Ryan will push back hard today on Medicare, the social safety net, taxes and more at the Economic Club of Chicago ... Fed Chair Ben Bernanke speaks at conference in Washington today on the government's role in innovation ...

SUMMER TRAVEL TIPS – The cheapest plane tickets are on the following days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Best day and time to purchase a plane ticket is Tuesday at Noon, this is when airlines post and free up seats.

APPLE IS WORLD'S TOP BRAND - Apple has overtaken Google to become the world's most valuable brand with an estimated brand value of more than $153bn ... For the last four years, Google has dominated the BrandZ Top100 ranking of the most valuable global brands, compiled by Millward Brown, a subsidiary of advertising company WPP. ... Thanks to the success of the iPad tablet and iPhone mobile - among both consumers and corporations - Apple's brand value has surged in the last year to overtake that of the search engine company.

WHAT HAPPENED? - L.A. Times A1, "A bond torn over time: From friends and others come differing narratives of how the Schwarzenegger-Shriver marriage eroded," by Robin Abcarian and Mark Z. Barabak: "Some close to Schwarzenegger spoke of a loving marriage that slowly broke apart over time. Friends of Shriver portrayed her as trapped for years in an unhappy relationship that reached a breaking point after the deaths of her parents and a difficult transition back to private life."

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN - Queen becomes Britain's second-longest reigning monarch - Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday became the second-longest reigning monarch in British history, clocking up a total of 21,645 days on the throne. Only Queen Victoria, the current monarch's great-great-grandmother, has reigned for longer. Elizabeth, 85, acceded to the throne on the death of her father on February 6, 1952, and has reigned for 59 years and 95 days plus 15 extra leap-year days, totalling 21,645 days. ... Victoria ... reigned for almost 64 years before her death in 1901. Queen Elizabeth II will surpass her record in September 2015.

WORDS OF THE MONTH –

quaff \KWOFF; KWAFF\, intransitive verb:
To drink a beverage, esp. an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment.

transitive verb:
1. To drink (a beverage) copiously and heartily

noun:
1. An act or instance of quaffing.
2. A beverage quaffed.

siempre, adverb
always

Lo de siempre, por favor.
My usual, please.

BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to Yogi Berra (86), Bill Dillhoefer ...best practice swing in golf, Barbara Colley …famous entrepreneur, Reggie Jackson (66), Shelly Lamotte …famous consultant and Cornell grad., Stan Mikita (71), George Strait (59), Mike Wallace (93), Stevie Wonder (61).

COMMENCEMENT 2011 - HOWARD FINEMAN ('70) commencement address Saturday at Colgate University, in Hamilton, N.Y., "Carrying the Torch in a Digital Age": "Being informed is no longer a passive process, if it ever was. You have to be an active participant in becoming and staying connected to the world. Here is my brief guide about how to do so. It's journalism 101 for civilians ... The best antidote to propaganda is skepticism. Never rely on one source, be it a person, a newspaper, website, tweet, or a government official. ... Leave your comfort zone; read the 'other' side(s). If you watch MSNBC watch Fox, too. And vice versa. It won't kill you. Scan websites as far away from your own thinking as you can stand ... As Nietzche said, whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger. OK, maybe you should avoid Glenn Beck. ...Talking to people face-to-face -iris-to-iris - is indispensible because, sadly, it is increasingly rare; traveling to distant countries and cultures ... is crucial because doing it virtually is way too easy now."

HOCKEYTOWN MOURNS – Both of Rink Rats picks to play in the Stanley Cup Finals have been eliminated in Round two of the playoffs, Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings. Detroit’s season is over but so many things to be hopeful about came out of this series even with the disappointing end: Jimmy Howard, Pavel Datsyuk, Nik Kronwall, Henrik Zetterberg. There’s plenty of reason to look forward to next season already.

We were impressed by the class showed by the Red Wings in their defeat and play in the seven game series with San Jose. This cannot be said for the Los Angeles Lakers classless exit from their playoff series with Dallas. Why is the NBA so popular? I don’t get it!

Next week, our monthly review of economics and finance.

Until next Monday, Adios.

Claremont, CA
May 16, 2011
#II-3