High school graduation rates are a joke. Their numbers are often inflated by school systems that push students through.  It looks bad on the administration if the rate isn't high. It doesn't matter if they are not proficient in subject matter. 

It gets worse in some urban areas. One school in the Bronx blows their horn about a 76% rate. They never talk about the 96% who fail to meet the readiness standards for community college.

It becomes someone else's problem. 

There comes a point with any business where they can no longer sustain losing money. Sears is reaching that point.

They were once the iconic retailer in America, but are on life support right now. They burnt through $1.6 billion last year and will lose another $1.8 billion in 2017. These losses are not sustainable. 

They sold their Craftsman label and need to do something with their ownership of Kmart. They keep losing money no matter what they do. It's only a matter of time before the company dies. 

Politicians always know when to grandstand. One local state representative voted against a pay raise for themselves. They claimed that calls from constituents helped to make their decision.

They got some positive coverage in the newspaper and looked good in the eyes of the voters.

This was just a charade. The pay raise has enough votes to override a veto by the Governor. They will all get their money. It was an easy way for this rep to look good. 

I'm a big believer in federally funded infrastructure projects as a way to create jobs and rebuild America. It doesn't matter who is in office. 

Two big projects could get those federal dollars. They are certainly both needed in the region.

Maybe the eternal job of expanding Rt 93 from the Massachusetts border to Manchester could finally get completed. This has taken forever because it's being built in segments due to funding. 

The MBTA Green Line expansion into Medford is ready to go. This is the perfect job to draw billions of dollars into the regional economy. The projected cost will never be realized. 

There is no disagreement that the MBTA provides poor subway and bus service in the greater Boston area. The agency is drowning in financial debt and criticism from its riders.

Public transportation advocates unveiled a plan to make buses more attractive to riders.

This idea is silly. If they want to do anything, the buses should arrive on schedule 100% of the time, instead of the current 10%.

Buses are often seen as the only means of transportation for some. They don't need to look better. They just need to arrive timely for their passengers. 

I have a goal with Blue Cross to lose ten pounds by June 1st. This is proving to be difficult. Weight goes on very easily, but comes off much slower. 

In the end, it's all about eating properly. I feel I do a good job at that. With me, it's more about portion size.

I'm going out tonight to a dinner party. I will try to have self-control over how much I eat. 

After watching the Presidential Inauguration, it reminded that that I have not been to Washington DC since 1998. Prior to that, it was for a few days in 1988.

Much has changed in the city. There are many new monuments and museums. It's a great place to visit. I should get back there at some point. I just don't know when. 

Some people will do anything to get on the news. We live in a world where everyone has an opportunity for their fifteen minutes of fame.  

The Guinness Book of World Records is filled with people who went to extremes to get their name included. Some of it is rather strange.

It probably won't qualify as a record, but one guy recently ran a marathon in England with a life-sized teddy bear strapped to his back. 

He accomplished his goal because I read about it in the New York Post. 

Life is like a train that rumbles down the tracks. It stops for nobody. Time passes too quickly. We measure time by events in our life.

Today, I entered the 2017 New York City Marathon on November 5th. A lot will happen between now and then. Winter, spring and summer will pass halfway into autumn.

I have been fortunate to finish the race every year since 1978. It was cancelled in 2012 because of Hurricane Sandy.

You never know what might happen. 

I think it's good that kids get involved in sports. However, some parents carry it to a great extreme. They think their kid will either be in the Olympics or make it to the pros. They live their life through them, but they are only kidding themselves.

A friend on Facebook posted pictures of her son at a hockey clinic for skating lessons. He is two years and nine months old. Many thought it was so cute. 

I personally believe that this is much too young for anyone to start a sport. He will have no memory of doing this. I remember my fourth birthday, but only a few things prior to that. The kid can't even tell his parents  whether or not he wants to do this. 

My apartment building has two washers and dryers in the basement. They get a lot of business from the tenants.

There is nothing worse than having to take someone's clothes out of the washer because they left them there too long. I've seen people leave them overnight. 

I hate touching wet laundry belonging to someone else. I'm very careful  about monitoring my load because I don't want anyone removing my stuff. 

Periodically, we hear stories about the possible demise of the penny. They cost two cents to make. People hoard them, rather than cash them in at a bank. We all have them.

I don't think it will happen if it ever does. Pennies are made from zinc. There is a very heavy lobbying effort in Congress by the zinc industry. 

Pennies will be around for the foreseeable future. 

Predicting weather can be very uncertain. On the news tonight, it was obvious that the Midwest will get hit by a monster ice storm. It's a question of when.

The NFL has gone out on the limb and changed the time of the playoff game in Kansas City from 1pm to 8:15pm. They are gambling that the storm will strike much earlier and allow time for the proper treatment of the roads.

It's all being done for the reason of public safety. It makes a lot of sense. NBC will be broadcasting the game. They are probably happy because it will dominate the evening programs. 

Over 500 Staples retail stores will no longer be providing shipping services for the US Postal Service. I think it's a good move for the USPS and their employees. 

The postal labor union fought this from the start. They felt it was taking work and jobs away from the agency. Staples finally realized that it wasn't worth the hassle.

The USPS loses at least $5 billion annually. That's a whole other issue. We need a strong postal service in America. Outsourcing services is not the best way to do ensure that.  

Only 4% of the cab drivers in New York City were born in the USA. The others come from 167 different countries.

Mayor Bill DeBlasio recently signed a bill eliminating any type of test for English proficiency.

Is this a good idea? Cab drivers make a big impression on visitors to the city. I have taken numerous rides in cabs. I engaged them in conversation. The drivers I encountered always knew enough to get by. 

I'm not sure if this is an issue. 

It's the same story every winter. Foolish people walk onto the ice and fall through. Rescuers respond and save them from drowning.  

It ends up the news. Things never change. You can't convince people to stay off the ice. The season for solid ice around here is very short. 

They built a beautiful boardwalk along the Merrimack River in Haverhill. It should draw a lot of people. The city installed a solar bench, funded by a $3,800 grant. 

The bench will allow people to recharge their phones and tablets. Hopefully, it doesn't become a victim to vandals. The place will be under camera surveillance, but that won't stop some people. 

I like to read health and nutritional tips on Facebook and other websites. There is a lot of useful information.

One thing that made me laugh was the one that said to never use a Q-tip to clean your ears. 

I can testify that it's the worst thing you can ever do. When I was 19 at UMass, I had a problem with ear wax. I used one to clean my ears. It ended up compacting the wax and made it bad enough that I had to visit the infirmary. 

The nurse cleaned my ears out. The amount of wax was incredible. It was hard to believe I could have that much.

That was the last time I ever put anything in my ear. 

It didn't surprise me to see so many cars in the parking lot at my gym today. Many are trying to follow their New Year's resolution to get into shape and lose weight.

I hope they are still going there three months from now. The place is like this every year. People have the best intentions, but motivation is difficult for some. It needs to be important to them for it to work. 

Amtrak has a very ambitious plan to upgrade the Northeast Corridor. Many improvements are expected. We will finally have high-speed trains between Boston, NYC and Washington DC. 

One problem is the cost, pegged at $120 billion. It will never come in at that price. The biggest issue is that it will take place over 30 years. That is too long and doesn't make any sense. 

It remains to be seen if this ever gets off the ground. 

I'm glad to see the Second Avenue Subway finally open in New York City after almost 100 years of planning and procrastination.  The final price may never be determined although they say it's $4.5 billion.

It was long overdue. The three stations at 96th, 72nd, and 62nd will drive up the prices of real estate in the neighborhood.

It's a very exciting time. 

It really looks like my Samsung Notebook 10.1 is so outdated after buying it three years ago. That's a lifetime in the world of computer devices. 

This Notebook was so awesome when I bought it. I'm beginning to think it's behind my problems with the Boston Globe epaper.