SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:31 P.M. ET: 

THE PURITY OF SPORT – From The New York Times:  When they checked into their rooms at the Grand Hyatt in São Paulo, Brazil, just before last year’s World Cup, global soccer officials were greeted with leather gift bags from the country’s soccer federation. Each bag contained tourism books, a key ring, a Brazil jersey — and, in a small velvet pouch, a wristwatch worth $26,000.  Some realized that the watch, by the Swiss brand Parmigiani, was more than a trinket and turned it in to FIFA, the sport’s global governing body. But many officials accepted the watch, establishing it as a symbol of the largess enjoyed by soccer’s leaders.  Less than a year later, FIFA was brought to its knees when United States prosecutors unsealed corruption and bribery charges against 10 soccer officials from nine countries. Among them was the president of the Brazilian federation that gave out the watches last year, José Maria Marin.  Do sports have anything to do with athletes anymore?  I'll bet the officials who turned in their watches are considered the pariahs, not the officials who accepted theirs.

TIME TO GROW UP, CHILD – From the Independent:  Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister broke down into tears as she announced the Government’s U-turn over the refugee crisis to reduce the number of people fleeing war and persecution from seeking asylum in Sweden.  More than 190,000 refugees were expected to enter Sweden this year after the Government announced its open door policy in response to the refugee crisis earlier this year.  On Tuesday, Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said this policy would be reduced to bring it in line with the EU minimum, meaning many would only be granted temporary residence permits. Mr Löfven said the country needed “respite” from accepting such a large intake of refugees. “It pains me that Sweden is no longer capable of receiving asylum seekers at the high level we do today,” he told the conference. “We simply cannot do any more.”  Åsa Romson became visibly emotional as she announced the U-turn on asylum policy at the conference.   Sweden is a classic example of what happens when you run out of other people's money, and other people's space.  Leftism is a religion in Sweden, and the governments love to lavish affection on immigrant groups.  But there's a price, and Swedes increasingly are resisting the price, including the loss of their culture, their right to walk the streets safely, and their economy.  Maybe the "generous" governments should lavish some affection on Swedes.

A FUTURE FOR THE SHACK? – From the New York Post:   After a brush with near-death this year, RadioShack has some ideas for surviving the holidays.  The 94-year-old retailer — once the go-to for staples like batteries, gaming accessories and cable connectors — hopes to compete with heavyweights like Amazon and Best Buy by selling offbeat tech gadgets and by teaming up exclusively with wireless provider Sprint.  Looking for a 3D pen, a drone the size of a silver dollar or a wearable speaker? RadioShack has it.  “You’ll see us take a stand on technology,” said Michael Tatelman, chief marketing officer of the retailer.  Owned by General Wireless, which bought the Radio­Shack trademark and 1,733 stores out of more than 4,000 at a bankruptcy auction in April, the scrappy retailer is emerging from a lean period in which it didn’t have the cash to buy inventory.  I love tech stuff, but Radio Shack fell way behind other retailers.  It had no identity, no flair, no identification with a breakthrough technology.  There are only so many batteries and cans of electronic cleaner that you can sell.  Let's see what the new boys do.  This is an adventure in capitalism.

November 26,  2015