Food for Thought:

• NYTimes – As Graduation Rates Rise, Experts Fear Diplomas Come Up Short.  Berea High School in South Carolina sports a graduation rate of greater than 80%, yet last spring only 1 in 10 were college-ready in reading and 1 in 14 college-ready in math.  State-wide, from the ACT college admissions tests, only about a quarter of students statewide were ready for either college-level math or reading. Just 6 percent of black students and 15 percent of Hispanic students scored ready for college in math, with only slightly higher rates for reading.

  In one poor rural district where most of the students are African-American, graduation rates have risen to more than 85 percent, yet not one student scored high enough on the ACT to be deemed ready for college in reading or math

• NYTimes – It’s Amazon and Also-Rans in Retailers’ Race for Online Sales. Of every additional $1 Americans spent for items online this year, Amazon captured 51 cents.
• NYTimes – ‘Design Thinking’ for a Better You.  A strategy called “design thinking” has helped numerous entrepreneurs and engineers develop successful new products and businesses. But can design thinking help you create healthful habits?
• BBC – TV reporter spends retirement investigating brutal murder
• MPC – It takes an entire year for Chicago to grow as much as Nashville does in one day

Business/Economics:

• Fortune – Silicon Valley and Wall Street Are Falling out of Love With Each Other
• WSJ – Holiday Sales Rise, but Not All Retailers Are Cheery.  Foot traffic in stores declined, but money flowed online amid late surge.
• WSJ – What Top U.S. Investors Are Saying About China.  Many say the U.S. will handle the market turmoil due to its steadily expanding economy, but others aren’t so sure.
• WSJ – U.S. Apartment Rents Leap at Fastest Pace Since Crisis.  Average rose 4.6% to nearly $1,180, Reis reports
• WSJ – The Year the Hedge-Fund Model Stalled on Main Street.  Enthusiasm is fading for what had become one of the hottest products in asset management – liquid alts
• WSJ – This Simple Way Is the Best Way to Predict the Market. What if simplicity beats complexity?

Culture/Tech/Science:

• ACL – Unsolicited Thoughts for the Young Men of New York – pretty much true everywhere
• NYTimes – Shinola Takes Its ‘Detroit Cool’ Message on the Road
• WSJ – Browns Hire Mets’ ‘Moneyball’ Executive.  Cleveland hires Paul DePodesta to be the team’s chief strategy officer.
• WSJ – Why the Redskins’ Players Are So Frugal – Credit TP – The surprise team of the NFL playoffs is comprised of highly compensated pros who drive beat-up cars and share apartments.