2022 remembered in headlines. I prioritized the headlines by impact…
Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages near Kyiv after Russia invasion (2/24/22)
Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows (5/2/22)
At least 19 children and two adults were fatally shot at an elementary school (Uvalde, Tx.), the worst school shooting since Sandy Hook nearly 10 years ago. (5/25/22)
Cassidy Hutchinson provides explosive testimony during the Jan. 6 hearing (6/29/22)
Election takeaways: No sweep for the Republicans after all (11/9/22)
Jan. 6 committee condemns Trump as ‘central cause’ of insurrection in sweeping report (12/19/22)
FBI Raided Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Resort, Former President Says (8/6/22)
Academy Condemns Will Smith for Slap at Oscars and Opens Inquiry (4/28/22)
Social Security benefits to jump by 8.7% next year (10/13/22)
2022 World Cup: USA’s win over Iran caps tense, emotional build-up that had turned bizarre (11/29/22)
This is the second book that I have read by an ex Goldman Sachs employee. The first book was Why I Left Goldman Sachs: A Wall Street Story by Greg Smith. I am more sympathetic to Mrs. Higgins as she did endure bullying, sexual harassment, juvenile behavior, unprofessionalism and was totally unsupported by management, human resources and fellow employees.
The author exposed the corrupt culture at Goldman Sachs. She could not beat the old boys network and despite an exemplary work record and performance, was never really taken seriously. I am happy to see that she finally resigned from Goldman Sachs but I think it was something that she should’ve done many years before. I think what confuses me is that this talented woman thought that the only place that she could work was Goldman Sachs. She never got any other offers from any other investment firms or companies? If she did, I missed it from the book.
She was extremely fortunate that she had a supporting husband, particularly after her brief affair with another Managing Director. To a significant degree she placed her marriage, her children’s upbringing and her health at extreme peril.
There were so many parts in the book that were cringing to me. Mrs. Higgins was treated so poorly that just about any other woman (or man) would have walked away from the job. The author did not disclose her financial status other than her significant bonuses that she received yearly. I would’ve thought that she had earned enough “fuck you” money to walk away much earlier than she did.
I am very sympathetic for those employees who have been treated harshly and unfairly by their managers and the company that they worked for. There are a significant number of assholes that work in senior management for many companies. And I understand that there may be very little recourse other than to leave when you are in a situation where you are being treated unfairly.
Kudos to Mrs. Higgins for her candor and her bravery. She truly exposed herself professionally and personally in this book. I read this book in less than two days. It is very compelling reading.
One of the best business books that I have read in 2022…
A rivalry in decline: Does anyone still care about the Big 5?
The Temple News 12/20/22
The Big 5 is as passé as DVDs, Blockbuster’s and 8 tracks. Its heyday was back in the 1960s and 1970s where Palestra Big Five games were sellouts complete with noisy student sections, raunchy rollouts and streamers after the first basket. The building rocked back then.
Today’s Big 5 games are played with the passion of a CYO game.
The Big 5 has become the Big 1. At a recent Big 5 doubleheader featuring LaSalle vs Temple and St Joe’s vs Penn, only 3300 people showed up. Watching the games on TV, I noticed that as the camera panned the crowd, that many in attendance were alumni of decades past, a lot of gray hairs. The squeaks of sneakers on the gym floor were louder than the desultory cheers of a largely disinterested crowd.
It’s been a long time since a Big 5 school other than Villanova could attract or recruit a five star prospect. Past coaches were colorful and respected recruiters and strategicians. They could take unheralded players, many who were local stars, and create disciplined and competitive teams. It’s hard to know or remember the names of the current Big 5 coaches especially since Jay Wright has retired.
Fran Dunphy is the current dean of Big 5 coaches with his current stint at LaSalle and past head coaching jobs at Temple and Penn. If he can hold out a few more years, he could land a potential future job at St Joe’s. (St Joe’s has not had a winning season since 2015-16 season.)
Pro teams, in the distant past, would scout for NBA eligible players in Philly but there is only one potential draft prospect and he predictably plays for Villanova (Cam Whitmore).
One does not see much hope for the NCAA tournament with the exception of Villanova but they need quite an improvement to achieve the Sweet 16 if they get in. Shown below are current records:
Villanova 7-5
Temple 6-7
Penn 6-7
St Joe’s 5-6
LaSalle 5-7
The Athletic has reported that representatives from the Big 5 schools plus Drexel have been meeting on plans to revive the Big 5 spirit and rivalries.
I wish them luck and offer this piece of advice:
To generate fan interest, you need exciting and competitive teams. To field competitive teams, you need outstanding players. To attract outstanding players, you need outstanding coaches and facilities. To interest and hire outstanding coaches, you need $$$, plenty of $$$.
Here are just a few of the longstanding problems plaguing American education: a generalized decline in literacy; the faltering international performance of American students; an inability to recruit enough qualified college graduates into the teaching profession; a lack of trained and able substitutes to fill teacher shortages; unequal access to educational resources; inadequate funding for schools; stagnant compensation for teachers; heavier workloads; declining prestige; and deteriorating faculty morale.
There’s a Reason There Aren’t Enough Teachers in America. Many Reasons, Actually. Thomas B. Edsall NYT 12/14/22
I‘m hardly surprised to read about the many failures of the American education system. We need to prioritize education as much as we prioritize health care and defense spending. I had not factored the effects of the “culture wars” but I can imagine the toll it has created among many teachers. The job is hard enough now without adding politics and wacky prohibitions about what is taught and what books pass a purity test.
Education and teaching was much better when I attended school between 1958 to 1974. Teachers were generally respected. There were very few incidents of parental interventions. There was bullying but not to the degree seen today. There were no worries of a crazed gunman running into a class and shooting students. There was interest in pursuing teaching as a career. How that has diminished since I attended school!
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of students graduating from college with bachelor’s degrees in education fell from 176,307 in 1970-71 to 104,008 in 2010-11 to 85,058 in 2019-20.
Edsall NYT 12/14/22
The failure to provide or receive a good education is a bane for the rest of one’s life. We know what the problems are. How to fix all the holes in our education system is another matter.
I read over 60 books this year. There were very few that I rated five stars books which meant they were an exceptional read. There were too many books about Trump, many or most of which I read or skimmed. It’s hard to find a great book that will absorb your attention. I enjoyed the books shown below…
Below are 10 books that I would recommend for anyone seeking solace, inspiration and useful perspectives of how we should live.All the books are well written and full of useful insights.
Esot-eric 