Higher education is taking a hit. According to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center , first-year enrollment dropped by more than 5% this year, with enrollment by recent high school graduates dropping by more than 6%. While overall enrollment still grew, this was largely inflated by a sizable pandemic dip — many fewer students enrolled in 2020, and that class just graduated. Experts have been quick to blame the decline in freshmen on the dysfunctional rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) last year. “This really reconfirms the strong connection between FAFSA completion and enrollment,” said Bill De Baun, senior director of the National College Attainment Network. As risible as the FAFSA delays were — with the Department of Education bureaucrats keeping millions of families waiting months for an application that would help them determine if and where their kids might be able to go to college — the recent enrollment results also suggest deeper problems. According to a poll released by Gallup and the Lumina Foundation over the summer, only 36% of adults say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education. That’s a decline of 57% in less than a decade. A closer look at the enrollment figures suggests that not all groups are losing confidence at the same rate. For one thing, the decline in first-year enrollment by men was steeper than the decline for women. Not by a lot — 6.4 compared to 6.0 — but, given that women already outnumber men in college by a 3 to 2 ratio, it means that the male revolt against higher education is accelerating. Moreover, there’s no reason why the FAFSA bungle would affect men more than women. But there is an obvious explanation: The messages coming from colleges and universities about “toxic masculinity,” and left-wing politics in general, have turned off young men — who tend to lean more to the right — more than women. Secondly, the decline in first-year enrollments also varies by race. While some doomsayers predicted that the Supreme Court’s recent affirmative action decision would have a devastating impact on the access to higher education by racial minorities, the truth is that white students appear to be deciding against college. First-year white enrollment declined by 11.6% from last year, compared to a decline of just 6.1% among blacks. Hispanic and Asian enrollment declined by about 1% each. Once again, problems with FAFSA cannot explain these differential declines. The diversity, equity, and inclusion regime instituted over the past decade has not welcomed white males, with predictable results. The protests against US policies in the Middle East since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, have only exacerbated those problems. It is difficult for many to take higher education seriously when they see protestors taking over academic buildings, chanting slogans about genocide, and demanding that colleges and universities should be “decolonized.” They are also aware that, despite rhetoric about academic freedom and the free exchange of ideas, the climate of opinion on the campus is overtly hostile toward conservative students, especially so to those who might support President-Elect Donald Trump. So where are these first-year students going instead? The decline seems to have been significantly smaller for associate degree programs than for bachelor’s degrees. And shorter-term credential programs are also popular. Another way to read this: Students coming out of high school are not sure about the utility of college when it comes to getting a job. And once they are off the college track, it’s not clear when or whether they will get back on. Schools certainly realize there is an issue. There is a significant dip in the college-going population expected in the next couple of years. And with demand softening, universities have started to lower their prices. As an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education noted recently: “While sticker prices have continued to balloon to as large as $100,000 at some private, nonprofit universities, the average net price — the remaining cost of tuition after institutional and grant aid is deducted — for undergraduate students entering their freshman year at these institutions clocked in at $16,510 for the 2024-25 academic year, down from $19,330 in 2006-07 (adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars).” A similar trend occurred at public institutions. Lowering the cost of higher education will certainly encourage some students to attend who otherwise wouldn’t. But, as the recent enrollment declines show, the issues are not all financial. Higher education leaders have turned off entire demographic groups of younger Americans with identity politics — and politics more generally. If they want to get them back, then they will have to make changes that go far beyond offering more financial aid. James Piereson is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Naomi Schaefer Riley is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
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MUPPETS’ Christmas Carol fans are only just realising one Inbetweeners star appeared in the classic movie. Robin Weaver, 43, best known for her role as Simon’s mum, Pamela Cooper, in the Channel 4 comedy , played Clara, Fred’s wife, in the 1992 festive film . For years, the playful retelling of Charles Dickens’ timeless tale has been a staple of the holiday season. Featuring the Muppets cast and Michael Caine ’s performance as Scrooge, the new discovery has given fans a whole new reason to rewatch the movie this Christmas . The revelation gained traction after a Reddit user posted in a forum titled, "Approaching my 35th Christmas, and I've only just realised that Clara (Fred's wife) in Muppet Christmas Carol is Simon's mum in the Inbetweeners ." The post quickly drew reactions from fans thrilled to connect the dots between the two roles. more on the Inbetweeners One user exclaimed, “I live for these facts,” while another added, “Thank you! I watched it this week and was desperately trying to work out what I knew her from!” A third joked, “Bloody hell, Simon’s older than he looks,” adding some Inbetweeners humor into the conversation. But Robin isn’t the only cast member in The Muppets’ Christmas Carol with ties to other iconic works. Steven Mackintosh, who plays Fred (Scrooge’s jovial nephew and Clara’s husband), is known for his role in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Most read in Film Someone pointed this out on the site, writing: "And Fred is that bloke from Lock Stock!" When it was first released in 1992, many thought the Disney film was going to be a huge flop. Pairing a much-loved Charles Dickens novel with a load of puppets and actor Sir Michael didn’t seem like a recipe for success. On top of that, The Muppets had lost two of its most prominent figureheads - Muppets creator Jim Henson, who died suddenly in May 1990, followed by puppeteer Richard Hunt in January 1992. But 32 years later, it’s become a festive classic, watched by kids over and over every year.
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SUNRISE, Fla. — Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe had power-play goals, Sam Reinhart had a short-handed score and the Florida Panthers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Wednesday night for only their second win in eight games. Mackie Samoskevich also scored for Florida, Sam Bennett got an empty-net goal and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 24 shots for the Panthers. Verhaeghe also had two assists. Mitch Marner scored for the Maple Leads, who lost for the second time in the last nine games and saw their lead in the Atlantic Division over Florida cut to one point. Anthony Stolarz stopped 19 shots for Toronto. The Maple Leafs lost forward Bobby McMann in the second period with a lower body injury. Takeaways Maple Leafs: Stolarz, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and forward Steven Lorentz — all Panthers last season — got their Stanley Cup championship rings in a Wedneday morning ceremony. Panthers coach Paul Maurice, general manager Bill Zito and a number of Panthers players also were present to celebrate with their former teammates. “Worth the wait,” Lorentz said. Panthers: Florida was without Anton Lundell, who left Monday's game after a puck was deflected into his face. He took part in the morning skate Wednesday but wasn't in the game lineup. Key moment Samoskevich's goal put Florida up 2-0 — it came 50 seconds after Barkov opened the scoring — and was a very good sign for the Panthers. They're now 4-0-0 when the former Michigan star gets a goal. Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart, center, celebrates with center Aleksander Barkov (16) and defenseman Gustav Forsling, right, after scoring a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. Credit: AP/Lynne Sladky Key stat Reinhart has four short-handed goals this season. The only team — besides Florida — with four short-handed goals this season is Columbus, and 20 NHL clubs entered Wednesday with no more than one such goal this season. Up next The Maple Leafs visit Tampa Bay on Saturday, while the Panthers visit Carolina on Friday to start a home-and-home, with the return Saturday in Sunrise.Percentages: FG .422, FT .621. 3-Point Goals: 9-27, .333 (Grady 3-5, Kopp 3-7, Petty 2-8, Faas 1-4, Hall 0-1, Nyeri 0-2). Team Rebounds: 0. Team Turnovers: 3. Blocked Shots: 3 (Ebonkoli 2, Ijeh). Turnovers: 14 (Ebonkoli 3, Grady 3, Hall 2, Kopp 2, Petty 2, Diallo, Faas). Steals: 3 (Diallo, Ebonkoli, Petty). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .479, FT .696. 3-Point Goals: 5-19, .263 (Klaczek 2-4, Marshall 2-8, Reddish 1-3, Briggs 0-2, Joshua 0-2). Team Rebounds: 0. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: None. Turnovers: 8 (Joshua 3, Langford 2, Adewale, Marshall, Reddish). Steals: 9 (Marshall 5, Joshua 3, Briggs). Technical Fouls: None. A_100 (12,000).Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins viewing figures speak volumes after big TV bet
New Year spending is projected to generate 109 billion baht of economic circulation, but people are spending cautiously as the economy has not fully bounced back, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC). A UTCC survey for the upcoming New Year season suggested a period of vibrant consumer spending. A total of 109 billion baht is expected to circulate, representing a 3.2% increase, which reflects signs of an ongoing economic recovery in Thailand. The survey was conducted between Dec 16-21, including 1,300 respondents nationwide. Despite the upbeat forecast, Thanavath Phonvichai, president of the UTCC, said most consumers are still hesitant to spend freely as they perceive only a slight improvement in the economy. This cautious approach is evident in the stable volume of goods purchased compared to last year. Sauwanee Thairungroj, advisor to the UTCC Council, said Thais are planning to spend on personal activities such as parties, religious donations, the purchase of clothes or shoes and buying gifts for others. During this season, consumer spending is divided into two categories: travel and other activities. Total travel spending is expected to reach 51.4 billion baht, including 5.47 billion baht for overseas trips and 45.9 billion baht for domestic trips. Meanwhile, spending on other activities is expected to hit 57.8 billion baht, covering durable goods, consumer goods, parties and merit-making. Popular items include gift basket purchases (26.5%), followed by expenditure on hosting parties, cash gifts, and purchases of alcoholic beverages. In terms of sources of funds, the survey found 47% of respondents plan to use their salaries or regular income, followed by savings. Notably, the proportion of people using savings has risen from 37.4% to 45.6%, indicating that many individuals find their salaries insufficient to cover their expenses. "We expect the economic recovery in the first and second quarters of 2025," Mr Thanavath said. However, he highlighted concerns about potential political uncertainties in the second quarter. If parliament is dissolved, it could hinder the approval of the 2026 fiscal year budget, potentially affecting the economy. He added that if a stable recovery is seen in the second quarter, Thailand may need to gradually raise VAT to 8% as part of a broader tax restructuring to support the country's transition into an ageing society.
Making a clean sweep in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Saturday won all six Assembly seats in the by-elections. With this victory, the Mamata Banerjee-led party has further consolidated its position in the State Assembly. The bypolls were held in six constituencies — Sitai, Madarihat, Naihati, Haroa, Medinipur and Taldangra — on November 13 after the respective sitting MLAs, who had won the seats in the Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, resigned. In Sitai (north Bengal) and Haroa (south Bengal), TMC candidates clocked a victory margin of over one lakh votes. Continuing its winning streak of Lok Sabha poll victory, the TMC retained five Assembly seats and wrested Madarihat seat from the BJP, which had cemented its control in the constituency in the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections. This time, the electoral contest was viewed as a litmus test for the TMC, which is facing protests over the rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata’s State-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The body of the on-duty doctor was found inside the seminar room of the emergency building of the hospital on August 9. With the TMC cementing its dominance in West Bengal politics, Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister and party supremo, thanked voters on social media. “I would like to thank ‘Maa, Mati, Manush’. Your blessings will help us continue working for the people,” Banerjee posted. “We are custodians of the people, not zamindars ,” she said. Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s second-in-command, also took to social media to congratulate all six TMC candidates – Sangita Roy, Jayprakash Toppo, Sanat Dey, Rabiul Islam, Sujoy Hazra and Falguni Singhababu – for their victories against BJP candidates. “A special thanks to the people of Madarihat for giving us the opportunity to serve you for the first time. I bow before the people of West Bengal for democratically dismantling the Bangla Birodhis , their fake narratives and reaffirming their trust in us,” Abhishek said in a post on ‘X’. BJP State President Sukanta Majumdar downplayed the significance of the by-election results. “Bypoll results cannot serve as a reliable indicator. Whether the people are with the Trinamool Congress or not will be reflected in the upcoming Assembly elections,” said Majumdar, adding that his party is hopeful of winning the 2026 Assembly polls. Comments
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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing Thursday after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 was pulling 0.7% higher, as of 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 532 points, or 1.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.2%. Nvidia's rise of 1.4% was the strongest force pushing the S&P 500 upward after yet again beating analysts’ estimates for profit and revenue. It also gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that topped most analysts’ expectations thanks to voracious demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Its stock initially sank in afterhours trading Wednesday following the release of the results. Some investors said the market might have been looking for Nvidia's revenue forecast to surpass expectations by even more. But its stock recovered in premarket trading Thursday, and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said it was another “flawless” profit report provided by Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang, whom Ives calls “the Godfather of AI.” How Nvidia’s stock performs has tremendous impact because it’s quickly grown into Wall Street’s most valuable company at roughly $3.6 trillion. Its meandering up and down through the day dragged the S&P 500 and other indexes back and forth. The frenzy around AI is sweeping up other stocks, and Snowflake jumped 32.3% after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, whose platform helps customers get a better view of all their silos of data and use AI, also reported stronger revenue growth than expected. BJ’S Wholesale Club rose 9.1% after likewise delivering a bigger profit than expected. That may help calm worries about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain, given high prices across the economy and still-high interest rates. A day earlier, Target tumbled after reporting sluggish sales in the latest quarter and giving a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. It followed Walmart , which gave a much more encouraging outlook. Nearly 90% of the stocks in the S&P 500 were also rising, and the gains were even bigger among smaller companies. The Russell 2000 index of smaller stocks jumped a market-leading 1.9%. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, helped keep indexes in check. It fell 5.5% after U.S. regulators asked a judge to break up the tech giant by forcing it to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser. In a 23-page document filed late Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice called for sweeping punishments that would include restrictions preventing Android from favoring its own search engine. Regulators stopped short of demanding Google sell Android but left the door open to it if the company’s oversight committee continues to see evidence of misconduct. Drops for other Big Tech stocks also weighed on the market, including a 2.4% slide for Amazon. In stock markets abroad, shares of India’s Adani Enterprises plunged 22.6% Thursday after the U.S. charged founder Gautam Adani, 62, in a federal indictment with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud. The businessman and one of the world’s richest people is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company’s huge solar energy project on the subcontinent was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme. Indexes elsewhere in Asia and Europe were mixed. In the crypto market, bitcoin eclipsed $99,000 for the first time before easing back to roughly $98,250, according to CoinDesk. It’s more than doubled so far this year, and its climb has accelerated since Election Day. President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to make the country “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. Bitcoin also got a boost after Gary Gensler, the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission who has pushed for more protection for crypto investors, said he would step down in January . Bitcoin and related investments, of course, have a notorious history of big price swings in both directions. MicroStrategy, a company that's been raising cash expressly to buy bitcoin, saw an early gain of 14.6% for its stock on Thursday quickly disappear. It was most recently down 10.7%. In the oil market, a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2% to bring its gain for the week to 4.8%. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 1.8%. Oil has been rising amid escalations in the Russia-Ukraine war. In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.43% from 4.41% late Wednesday. One report said fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week in the latest signal that the job market remains solid. Another report, though, said manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region unexpectedly shrank. Sales of previously occupied homes, meanwhile, strengthened last month by more than expected. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Yuri Kageyama contributed.
I hope everyone who celebrates today is having a wonderful, festive start to their day. Did you receive a pair of socks today? What about a pair of stocks? Receiving (ASX: XJO) shares as a gift is probably not the most popular present, but I'd love it. Wouldn't it be great to receive a present that gives you cash year after year, and the gift (hopefully) becomes more and more valuable as time goes on? If I could choose what ASX 200 shares I receive as a present, that'd mean I don't have to pay for them myself or worry about their valuation. It could be fun to receive some of the most exciting ASX 200 shares as a present, which have exceptionally high . I'd happily receive some shares of the below two businesses. Pro Medicus Ltd ( ) Pro Medicus may well be the best ASX 200 share out there. Not only does it have enormous profit margins, but its revenue and profit growth outlook is very impressive. This company describes itself as a leading healthcare informatics business, providing a full range of medical imaging software and services to hospitals, imaging centres, and healthcare groups worldwide. It claims to offer one of the most comprehensive end-to-end offerings in healthcare imaging. Pro . It's regularly winning new contracts with Duly Health and Care, the largest independent, multi-specialty physician-directed medical group in the Midwest USA. If it continues winning contracts, then the outlook will keep improving. Why do I want it as a present rather than buying it myself? According to the forecast on Commsec, the ASX 200 share is valued at close to 235x FY25's estimated earnings. That's an astonishingly high . But, if there were one business on the ASX to say it's justified, I'd say it's this one. TechnologyOne Ltd ( ) In my books, TechnologyOne is another of the most impressive companies on the ASX. It claims to be Australia's largest enterprise software company, with locations across six countries. Its main offering is a global software as a service (SaaS) enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution that transforms business. Its customer base includes more than 1,300 leading corporations, government agencies, local councils, and universities. When I ' operations/profit become in five or ten years? The more a business can grow, the more likely it is to deliver pleasing shareholder returns. The thanks to a combination of a high loyalty rate and strong growth. When the company reported its , it said its total ARR was $470.2 million. It's aiming to achieve revenue growth of at least 15% from its existing customer base each year as customers take up more of the ASX 200 share's products and modules. The average ARR from customers has grown from $100,000 in FY12 to almost $400,000 in FY24. The company is aiming to reach a profit before tax (PBT) margin of 35% in the coming years, up from 30% in FY24. Overall, I think this business has a lot of growth potential, and I'd love to be gifted some of its shares and financially contribute to its success. According to the forecasts on Commsec, the TechnologyOne share price is valued at 75x FY25's estimated earnings.
MADRID (AP) — Spanish King Felipe VI used his traditional Christmas Eve speech to remember the victims of the catastrophic Valencia flash floods , and urged the country to remain calm despite public debates around hot-button issues such as immigration and housing affordability. In a pre-recorded speech that usually reviews the year's most relevant issues, Felipe said Spain “must never forget the pain and sadness" the flood have caused. The Oct. 29 floods killed more than 225 people in eastern Spain, damaging countless homes and leaving graveyards of cars piled on top of each other. In some towns, the heavy downpours that caused the floods dropped as much as a year's worth of rain in just eight hours. In early November, as Spaniards' shock at the wreckage turned into frustration, a political blame game began, directed especially at regional authorities who failed to send timely emergency alerts to cell phones on the day of the floods. The frustration of residents in hard-hit Paiporta near Valencia was on display when people tossed mud and shouted insults at the king and government officials in early November when they made their first visit to the town. “We have seen — and understood — the frustration, the pain, the impatience, the demands for greater and more effective coordination," Felipe said about how the disaster was managed, adding that he had asked that aid be sent to everyone who needed it. He also addressed the country's housing crunch and high rents, which have become a leading concern in this European Union country that is the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. Fast-rising rents are especially acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid, where incomes have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Felipe urged that “all the actors involved reflect” and "listen to each other” so that they facilitate bringing access to housing under “affordable conditions.” Spain's immigration debate should keep in mind the country's European partners and immigrants' countries of origin, Felipe said, warning that “the way in which we are able to address immigration ... will say a lot in the future about our principles and the quality of our democracy.” Felipe said Spain need to remain calm in the public sphere, even in the face of a “sometimes thunderous” contest in its politics.The Commissioners of Women Affairs from the seven states of the northwest zone have demanded for gender inclusion in peace and security policy framework in the region. The commissioners made the demand in Kaduna during their roundtable meeting organised by Northwest Governors’ Coordination Desk supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the theme, “Harnessing Women’s Voices for Lasting Peace.” The commissioners acknowledged the disproportionate impact of insecurity on women and recognised their active participation in peacebuilding efforts. In a communique issued at the end of the meeting signed by the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Kaduna State, Hajia Rabi Salisu Ibrahim, they demanded the inclusion of Women Affairs Commissioners in security councils. They noted that allowing them to take part in security, peace process and decision making would ensure that women’s voices are effectively represented. “We are committed to collaborating across various sectors to promote sustainable development and empowerment as a resilience-mechanism to strengthen peace and security,” they stated. They called for the full implementation of existing legal frameworks related to gender as well as the establishment of legal frameworks in areas where they do not yet exist to protect women, children and other vulnerable groups. They also called for the need to integrate gender considerations across all facets of policies and processes related to peace, security and development and ensure that women’s perspectives are included in all planning and decision-making processes. The commissioners pledged to support the Northwest Governors’ Coordination Desk in designing, developing and implementing a regional strategic framework on peace, security and development. Earlier in his speech, the coordinator, Northwest Governors’ Coordination Desk, Jibril Hamza, explained that women were not only victims of conflict but also agents of change uniquely positioned to bridge divides, rebuild communities and drive sustainable development. He said, “Today, we gather with the shared vision of amplifying women’s voices and leveraging their participation to address the pressing challenges of insecurity, social cohesion and development in the Northwest region.” The meeting had in attendance the Women Affairs commissioners from Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states.