Love in the Time of Corona: a love letter to NYC and the rest of the world

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Nearly deserted Times Square
A woman walks through a lightly trafficked Times Square in New York, March 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

The city that never sleeps no longer is taking a pause in an unprecedented effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, better known as coronavirus.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order that all non-essential workers are required to stay home starting at 8pm on Sunday, March 21 until further notice. For the complete list of essential/non-essential businesses, click here.

Here’s a snapshot of what’s considered essential:

  • grocer, restaurants, convenience stores (bodegas), liquor stores, hardware stores, warehouse and distributors
  • health care providers and pharmacies
  • news media
  • gas stations, banks, laundromats and dry cleaners
  • child care providers
  • animal shelters and veterinary services
  • utilities, telecommunications and transportation providers
  • auto repair, plumbers and other skilled contractors, construction companies and many kinds of manufacturers
  • funeral homes, crematories and cemeteries

For new Yorkers economically impacted by the contagion, the NYT has a great list to help navigate unemployment claims, negotiating with the utility company to keep the lights on, respite for renters/homeowners and preventing defaults on student loans. Unfortunately, this is also prime time for scammers who exploit fear and confusion ranging from price-gouging to fake coronavirus tests.

Regardless of where you live, I have a favo(u)r to ask all of you: barring essential travel for food, medication. solitary exercise, and of course, liquor — stay the f#ck home.

There’s a balance between abject fear and giving this virus the respect it deserves. We’re all gonna teeter between the two. Use common sense, don’t forget to exhale, find humor in the absurd, and please stop buying all the toilet paper.

There is a lot of dis/misinformation out there. Get the facts from a credible and trusted source and pace yourself as this is gonna be the new normal for several months.

A tip o’ the hat to Ginger Otis, Metro editor, New York Daily News for the “Love in the Time of Cholera Corona” headline.

This is 20/20

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[Me watching the first few days of the new year]

This year is already proving to be quite the adventure for a host of reasons: the seemingly unstoppable wildfires in Australia as well as the U.S airstrike in Baghdad that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s most prominent military commander but let’s kick off the year with a look at events in January and February — something shiny and sparking and acerbic: the Golden Globe Awards.

January 5th: British comic, actor, and equal opportunity offender, Ricky Gervais hosts the raucous Hollywood Foreign Press Association annual award & the official meal will be 100% plant-based. Tom Hanks and Ellen DeGeneres to receive lifetime achievement awards. 

January 6th: NYC – The criminal trial of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is scheduled to begin in downtown Manhattan. He’s pleaded not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault of two women.

January 7th: Washington, DC – The U.S House of Representatives and U.S. Senate both resume for the second session of the 116th session of Congress.

January 13th: Hollywood – Oscar nominations are announced. Sadly @CatsTheMovie was quietly pulled as a contender for “your consideration”

January 14th: Des Moines, Iowa – The first Democratic presidential candidates debate of 2020 (and the 7th one to date) on the campus of Drake University. So far, only five candidates have qualified: Biden, Warren, Sander, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar

January 15th: Washington, DC – President Trump said that he will sign a phase-one trade deal with China on Jan. 15 and that he will go to China later on for talks on phase two.

January 18th: Wahington, DC and around the word – Women’s March. What started as a protest against President Trump’s comments about women and just about everything else, has turned into a global May Day of sorts by marching for civil rights, reproductive rights, and LGBTQ+ rights.

January 20th: US holiday – MLK Jr. Day and on the other side of the world, championship tennis kicks off at the Australian Open

January 21st: Davos, Switzerland – It’s like a G-20 except they allow business leaders and other global elite to join the wildly expensive summit. Unlike last year, President Trump is expected to attend.

January 25th: Chinese Lunar New Year (Year of the Rat) and designer Stuart Weitzman has some expensive shoes just for the occasion.

January 26th: The 62nd annual Grammy Awards. Lizzo, Billie Eilish, and Lil Nas X lead the major categories.

January 31st: UK – Brexit. For realz, this time. You know what else is real? The tanking of the British pound.

February 1: USA – Black History Month. This year’s theme is “African Americans and the Vote.” 2020, an important general election year, is also a landmark year for voting rights. 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Fifteenth Amendment (1870) which gave the right of black men to vote following the Civil War.

February 2nd: USA: Groundhog Day, the 54th annual Super Bowl, and the BAFTAs a/k/a British version of the Oscars.

February 3rd: Iowa: The first caucus in the U.S. presidential race as delegates from Democratic and Republican parties vote on their respective nominees. Trump will win the GOP vote but all eyes will be on who wins the Democratic vote.

February 4th: Washington, DC – State of the Union address to U.S. Congress. 

February 5th: Rod Stewart, 75 and son, Sean, 39 scheduled to appear in Palm Beach, FL after punching a children’s party staffer on New Year’s Eve according to a police report.

February 6th: NYC – New York Fashion Week. It’s freezing, icy, and snowy but models will be wearing Spring/Summer 2020 collections.

February 7th: Manchester, NH – The 8th debate for the Democratic presidential candidates. Co-hosted by ABC, WMUR, and Apple News at St. Anselm College.

February 9th: Hollywood – The 92nd annual Academy Awards. Meh.

February 11th: New Hampshire holds its primary election. Expect to see lots of live shots as reporters stand in a snowbank to report the first votes of the election season.

February 14th: USA- Valentine’s Day. Buy the flowers and candy the day after – much less expensive.

February 18th: NASA announces name of Mars 2020 rover @NASAJPL 

February 19th: Las Vegas, Nevada – Hosted by NBC News and MSNBC, the 9th debate of Democratic presidential candidates.

February 22nd: Nevada State Democratic Party kicks off their caucus and interesting trivia: if there’s a tie, “a game of chance will decide” who gets the precinct delegate. Not to be outdone, Iowa delegates use a coin toss to break a tie!

February 25th: Charleston, South Carolina – The 10th Democratic presidential candidates debate and oh yes, Mardi Gras.

February 29th: Leap Day. According to Irish tradition, also known as Bachelor’s Day, once every four years, women are allowed to propose marriage. If refused, the man was expected to buy the woman a silk gown or, by the mid-20th century, a fur coat. The tradition is supposed to originate from a deal that Saint Bridget struck with Saint Patrick.

And welcome to November

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Just another day in social media

Congress is technically in session for sixteen (16) more days in 2019 and here’s a look at the calendar between now and end of the year.

November 11: Veterans Day (U.S.) and Armistice Day (Europe). President Trump will be in Manhattan for the 100th annual New York City Veterans Day Parade at Madison Square Park – the first president to participate in the parade.

Public impeachment hearings scheduled to begin: US diplomat Bill Taylor and State Department official George Kent will appear Wednesday, Nov. 13, and former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch is testifying Friday, Nov. 15

November 14: 20th annual Latin Grammys in Las Vegas.

November 20: Grammy nominations are announced, the 6th Democratic presidential debate takes the stage in Atlanta, Georgia, and Mercury is no longer in retrograde

November 21: U.S. government runs out of money. Maybe.

November 24: 47th annual American Music Awards in Los Angeles. Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Lizzo to perform.

November 28: Thanksgiving Day (US) and Macy’s 95th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. In addition to the usual balloon classics, look for Snoopy wearing a spacesuit in honor of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and Smokey the Bear celebrating his 75th birthday.

November 29: Black Friday (US) a/k/a biggest retail day of the year in the U.S.

November 30: The Atlantic Hurricane season is officially over. Get ready for blizzards, Nor’easters, and polar vortexes.

December 1: World AIDS Day Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day.

December 3-4: NATO Summit. The Summit of Allied leaders to meet in London to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary and just days from UK’s general election.

December 9: Golden Globe nominations.

December 10: TIME Person of the Year announced.

December 12: British citizens return to the polls for a general election and essentially, a referendum on Brexit. Again.

December 13: Harry Styles releases his second solo album, Fine Line and the deadline for 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to qualify for December debate

December 15: Kennedy Center Honors: Earth, Wind & Fire, Sally Field, and “Sesame Street” are some of the award recipients and the first time a TV show is getting honored. Can’t wait to see Big Bird in a tux.

December 19: 7th Democratic presidential debate in Los Angeles, California.

December 20: “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker” in theaters.

December 21: First day of Winter.

December 22: Hanukkah starts.

December 25: In a tradition that began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by UK’s King George V, Queen Elizabeth II delivers her 67th annual Christmas Message.

December 26: Boxing Day (UK and Canada)/Kwanzaa begins (US).

December 31: New Year’s Eve in NYC’s Times Square.

October surprise 2.0

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What a difference a month makes as a delayed whistle-blower report effectively launches an official impeachment inquiry again U.S. President Trump by U.S. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

The quick version: a whistleblower complaint focuses on a July phone call between Trump and president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump urged the newly elected leader to look into allegations of misconduct against Biden, brings Rudy Giuliani into the mix to collect any info, and WH lawyers place the notes of the conversation into a computer system reserved for code-word-level intelligence information according to a call summary released by the White House.

Given that this story is moving faster than a wildfire, let’s move on to October calendar highlights:

October 15th: Deadline for Trump’s personal attorney and former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani to turn over Ukrainian documents to House committees.

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October 15th: A dozen Democratic candidates for the WH take to the stage and debate yet again, this time at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.

Also on October 15th: Bloomberg News reports that the U.S. Federal Reserve will begin to buy $60 billion of U.S. Treasury bills a month into at least the second quarter. Why is this important? The Feds are insisting that this buying spree is not a resumption of quantitative easing — better known as the 2008 crisis-era stimulus programs used to boost the economy — but rather “to improve its control over the benchmark interest rate it uses to guide monetary policy.” If it walks, talks, and sounds like a duck…

October 22nd: Major League Baseball World Series kicks off.

October 26th: FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 (through November 17).

October 27th: Diwali – the biggest and brightest holiday in India a/k/a festival of lights.

October 31st: UK leaves the EU without a deal and Brits are already hoarding Nutella. For the nitty-gritty of Brexit, the BBC breaks it down.

And you thought Halloween was scary…

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Tariffs, the economy, and Brexit, oh my.

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And welcome to September – let’s get down to it, shall we?

“It’s the economy, stupid.” – James Carville’s quote as a campaign strategist of Bill Clinton’s successful campaign against sitting president George H. W. Bush.

Due to the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, as of September 1st, there’s a 15% tariff on the majority of consumer goods with a focus including flat-panel television sets, printers, flash memory devices, power tools, cotton sweaters, bed linens, toys, and many types of footwear.

Chinese and American officials plan to hold trade talks in Washington in early October, in another attempt to stave off the short and long term uncertainty about the global economy.

If the trade war is not resolved, starting October 1, the tariff rate will increase to 30% on furniture, vacuum cleaners, lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, handbags, and luggage. Forget that trip to Ikea or your basic Michael Kors purse until this is resolved.

In short, this could potentially upend the holiday retail season. Who is gonna eat the tariffs? Certainly not Walmart, Target, or Macy’s.

While everyone has a different opinion as to whether or not a recession is pending, one thing that everyone will be watching is the U.S. consumer confidence index (CCI), defined as the degree of optimism about the U.S. economy that consumers express through their spending and savings.

If Americans don’t feel secure in the economy and spending shrinks, that’s when the volatility index (VIX) spikes & everything just goes to hell in a hand basket.

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And now for something completely different: Brexit

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According to the Guardian, Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s top adviser or evil Brexit mastermind, depending on your perspective, told friends that it’s going to be “fucking weird” this autumn. That’s an understatement.

Hoping to divert attention from the most recent constitutional crisis since the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 and the proposal for Irish Home Rule in 1885, the prime minister adopted a rescue dog and named the pup, Dilyn. Suffice to say, the Official Mouser of Number Ten a/k/a Larry the Cat was not impressed.

As it stands, on October 31, the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Full disclosure: I’m a Brit as well as an American and less than impressed with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s bout of procedural treachery by suspending Parliament until October 14th.

Johnson referred to as “BoJo” by the British media, is scheduled to meet the Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, in Dublin and upon his return to London, the beleaguered prime minister is expected to try again for a general election on October 15th – almost guaranteed to fail a second time.

Why should you care? Throw in hard borders between Northern Ireland vs the Republic of Ireland, diplomacy, security, and destabilizing tensions which could jeopardize the Good Friday Accord and you have concerns that violent sectarianism is on the rise again.

While U.S. President Trump has signaled that the US will work with the UK to create a new trade deal following Brexit, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will not consider a new trade deal until the situation in Ireland is resolved.

Then there’s the British pound, sterling, quid – whatever you want to call it, it’s fallen more than 20% in value against the US dollars since UK voters backed Brexit in June 2016. The once-coveted currency is now lower than the euro – speaking of which…

If the UK leaves the EU, there’s a good chance that Italy follows and then you’re looking at the end of the euro. All of this adds up to increased volatility which is fun on carnival rides, not so much for the global economy and stability.

Other dates of note between now and October 31:

September 9: U.S. Congress returns to work.

September 10 – October 14: British Parliament is suspended a/k/a prorogated.

September 10: Apple unveils camera-focused iPhones, iPads & MacBook Pro.

September 11: 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

September 12: Trump goes to the “rat and rodent-infested mess” a/ka/ Baltimore for GOP retreat.

September 12. Ten candidates take the stage for the 3rd DNC presidential candidates debate in Houston, TX.

September 13: London Fashion Week Spring/Sumer 2020.

September 17: United Nations General Assembly, a/k/a UNGA (through September 30).

September 17: Federal Reserve expected to lower rates.

September 19: International Talk Like a Pirate Day. Arrr.

September 22: Primetime Emmy Awards.

September 23: Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020.

September 27: IAAF World Athletics Championships begin in Doha (through October 6).

September 30: U.S. government runs out of funding. Leaders from both sides will probably agree to a short-term extension to buy more time to negotiate.

October 1: Deadline for 4th DNC presidential debate requirements.

October 3: NHL season and New York Comic Con kick-off.

October 11: Nobel Peace Prize winner announced.

October 15-16: DNC presidential candidates debate in Ohio.

October 17: British PM Johnson scheduled to go to Brussels for an EU summit.

October 17: 30th anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco.

October 23: MLB World Series – and by the world, I mean US and Canada.

October 26: FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 (through November 17).

October 27: Diwali – the biggest and brightest holiday in India a/k/a festival of lights.

October 31: Brexit deadline, Halloween, and Mercury goes into retrograde – don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Politics of Playlists

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FILE PHOTO: The line up of U.S. Democratic presidential candidates who will participate in the party’s first of two nights of debate in Miami on June 26, 2019, in a combination file photos (L-R top row): U.S. Senators Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Former U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke, and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. (L-R bottom row): Former U.S. Representative John Delaney, U.S. Representatives Tim Ryan, Tulsi Gabbard, former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, and Gov. Jay Inslee. REUTERS/Files/File Photo

A mere 496 days until the U.S. presidential election in 2020, the first debate for the top 20 Democratic candidates kicks off in Miami over two days: June 26th and 27th.

Political zingers and gaffes aside, we — meaning all potential voters — want to be able to relate to a candidate, whether it’s about domestic policy including immigration, the local economy, gun control, international trade, or following the national party line, voter identification is uniquely personal.

Now if you’re of a certain age, you’ll vaguely recall the 1983 one-hit wonder, The Politics of Dancing by the British band, Re-Flex with the prescient lyrics:

“We got the message

I heard it on the airwaves

The politicians

Are now DJs

The broadcast was spreading

Station to station

Like an infection

Across the nation

Though you know you can’t stop it

When they start to play

You’re gonna get out the way”

Ever since U.S. President Obama put out a Spotify playlist in 2012 with songs you can play at a bbq or in the bedroom, music is now an intrinsic part of any U.S. presidential campaign strategy.

For more about how music impacts the voter psyche, here’s my latest story for Billboard.

Are you going to vote for someone just because they put together an amazing playlist? No. Might you be persuaded to give them a second look? Maybe.

While most people dismiss the idea that music creates a nuanced bias when selecting a presidential candidate, Mike Wolf, a registered voter in New York, acknowledges the connection.

“We would all love to believe that we base our voting decisions purely based on policies, qualifications and logic,” Wolf says. “But we all know that personality and individual charisma has a huge effect on elections, and music is hugely visceral. Am I going to change my vote to Trump just because he busts out a Jonathan Richman record? Of course not. But when I’m choosing among primary candidates, I’d be lying to myself if I thought that music played at rallies didn’t have a subconscious effect.”

Written while listening to my playlist.

Summer, summer, had me a blast.

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Summer’s here but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two about world events and pop culture (as well as fodder for casual banter at a cocktail party or dive bar.)

Drop me a line and let me know what I should include in the next edition.

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June 1: Atlantic Hurricane season officially begins.

NOAA 2019 hurricane names

June 3: U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive to UK for state visit.

June 4: Eid al-Fitr which translates to “festival of breaking the fast” and the end of Ramadan.

June 7: British Prime Minister Theresa May steps down as party leader; elections triggered.

June 9: New York — 73rd annual Tony Awards

June 20: Paris — Invite-only tribute for Chanel designer and fashion icon, Karl Lagerfeld to be held at the Grand Palais during Men’s Fashion Week.

June 26-27: Miami — The first DNC debate kicks off with NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo set to partner.

June 28: Honolulu — U.S. Conference of Mayors Annual Meeting – expect to see Mayor Pete and de Blasio.

June 28: Osaka — G20. Leaders from 19 countries + the EU meet to discuss global issues e.g. climate change and food security.

July 2: Total lunar eclipse which can be seen in New Zealand while parts of Chile and Argentina will be in the path of totality.

July 4: Independence Day or as the Brits call it, Thursday. In D.C. the fireworks show will be called “A Salute to America” & held at the Lincoln Memorial (vs Capitol Hill).

July 6: Brussels — The start of Tour de France.

July 7: Mercury in retrograde through August 2. Oh, it’s a thing.

July 30-31. Detroit — Second Democratic debate – CNN to host.

August 3: DC — Congress goes into summer recess until September 9.

September 2019: Location TBA: Third Democratic debate

September 17-30: New York — United Nations General Assembly, lovingly referred to as UNGA.

October: Location TBA: Fourth Democratic debate

October 31: UK and EU deadline for Brexit.

November: Location TBA: Fifth Democratic debate

November 28: New York — Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

December 2019: Location TBA: Sixth Democratic debate

December 20: The Rise of Skywalker, Episode IX. It’s gonna break global/intergalactic box office records.

The Hunger Games, DNC edition

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Updated May 23, 2019

I work off the premise that everything usually works out in the end – except of course, when it doesn’t.

And that’s the wildly simplistic segue I’m using for the 2020 political landscape and how Tom Perez, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, is working to ensure the debates don’t turn into The Hunger Games.

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As of this writing, there are 23 Democrats running for president and to paraphrase former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, “There are known knowns and there are known unknowns.”

But there’s always a surprise and it’s not always in October.

Time is running out for those waiting in the wings as each day means hard-fought contributions and high-profile support is being sought and acquired by declared candidates. 

Case in point: former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg — both are self-effacing and intellectual powerhouses that come from humble backgrounds. Name recognition and poll numbers show these two contenders as the forerunners and while early days, this quote from Peter Kiefer’s piece in The Hollywood Reporter is the current reality: “Biden is a bona fide celebrity. Mayor Pete doesn’t have that sort of recognition,” said one political consultant.

That’s not to say Buttigieg can’t turn it around but if he’s having issues, what about the other candidates?

According to the DNC, there will be a dozen debates between now and November 2020 election. But how do you have a debate with 23 people on stage? You don’t and the DNC has promised to winnow the field to a mere 20 candidates using the following parameters: you either must have 65,000 people donate to you from across 20 states OR you receive 1 percent of support in three polls the DNC deems as qualified.

To date, that limits the field only marginally with 19 candidates assured a spot on the dais with 4 more on the verge.

The first debate will be held over two nights in Miami on June 26th and 27th with NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo set to partner.

The second debate will be in Detroit on July 30th and 31st and hosted by CNN.

Let’s see what September brings…

UNGA, intergalactic freak show, and El Chapo

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A few events caught my attention between now and the end of the year and yes, the bunny picture is pure click bait. Sorry, not sorry.

September 18: United Nations — 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, better known as UNGA. Midtown Manhattan will be gridlocked with black sedans bearing diplomatic license plates and tinted windows as world leaders from 193 countries descend upon NYC. The high-level meetings kick off between September 25th – 30th and unlike past years, Russian President Putin is expected to attend.

September 20: Washington, DC — The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote to advance the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court despite new allegations of sexual misconduct against the judge. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) called the contentious hearings an “intergalactic freak show” while Sen. John Flake (R-AZ) wants to delay the confirmation process until the woman who made the allegations, Christine Blasey Ford, is heard.

September 21: Dallas, Texas — First of three debates between U.S. Senate candidates ex Texas: @TedCruz and @BetoORourke

September 24,: Norristown, Pennsylvania — The sentencing of Bill Cosby following his conviction three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University employee at his home in January 2004. Cosby’s legal team has requested the judge recuse himself due to a political conflict of interest.

September 25: Washington, DC — The House of Representatives is back in session leaving only four (4) days to fund the U.S. government before possible shutdown. No pressure.

October 02: Stormy Daniels to release tell-all book “Full Disclosure” which is described as a memoir about her life and past relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.

October 07: Brazil presidential elections.To date, 13 candidates, including the currently jailed former President ‘Lula’ and ‘Brazil’s Trump’ Bolsonaro are up for election. A second runoff between the top two candidates is scheduled for October 28.

October 17: Canada legalizes weed – second only to Uruguay

October 18: Brussels, Belgium — EU Summit. The UK and EU are expected to put the finishing touches on the terms of the Brexit “divorce” and like any celebrity couple, they’re expected to announce a “conscious uncoupling” in the form of a political declaration on their future relationship.

November 4: Brooklyn — Trial date for Mexican kingpin Joaquín Guzmán Loera a/k/a ‘El Chapo’ in U.S. Federal District Court. Given his propensity for escaping, the U.S. Marshalls and NYPD aren’t providing details as to how they’re going to transport the defendant between Manhattan and Brooklyn on a daily basis. And yes, it sounds like the plot for an action thriller starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

November 6: Midterm elections across hundreds of local, state and federal primaries in the U.S. Historically, midterm elections don’t get a lot of attention but between election security issues meddling and a possible shift in power within Congress, Get Out The Vote is the rallying cry for both Democrats and Republicans. For a macro/micro look at the elections, check out NYT’s guide.

November 17: Mercury in retrograde until December 6th. Yeah, this is a thing.

November 30: North America — Official end of the hurricane season.

November 30: Buenos Aires, Argentina — G20 Summit consisting of 19 countries and the EU. Trade and investment ministers are “stepping up the dialogue” as new Trump tariffs loom.

Celebrities and cryptocurrencies

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What do Paris Hilton, Floyd Mayweather, DJ Khaled, Donald Glover, Snoop Dogg, Drew Carey, Mel B, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, and Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah have in common?

Cryptocurrencies, of course.

Celebrities are lining up to add their name and support to initial coin offerings (ICOs) — similar to IPOs except the risk is decidedly greater as it’s based on unregulated bitcoin-like technology but the potential payout is sizable.

What is bitcoin? It’s complicated but essentially, it’s virtual money that’s not backed by any government meaning it’s anonymous, untraceable, and almost un-hackable thanks to blockchain technology.

The Guardian’s Alex Hern and The Merkle’s JP Buntinx provide insight into celebrity cryptocurrency endorsement deals and the legal/proverbial slippery slope.

And by slippery slope, I mean the warning issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC):

“Any celebrity or other individual who promotes a virtual token or coin that is a security must disclose the nature, scope, and amount of compensation received in exchange for the promotion. We encourage investors to research potential investments rather than rely on paid endorsements from artists, sports figures, or other icons.”

Rather than put his name on someone else’s product, Dennis Coles, a/k/a Ghostface Killah became the co-founder and CBO of Cream Capital with the intent of building the world’s largest cryptocurrency ATM network and the first Ethereum-based dual token system.

Meaning? Cream Capital wants to be the middle-man between the various digital currencies and collect a fee accordingly. That’s a lot of coin.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Wu-Tang Clan, in 1993, they released the hip hop single, C.R.E.A.M. — Cash Rules Everything Around Me. Switch out “cash” with “crypto” and voilà.

The millionbillion dollar question: is digital currency shady AF or the future?

Interactive map by BitLegal shows where cryptocurrency is currently legal, contentious, or denied – a moveable feast.

As per CNBC, the price of the cryptocurrency hit a high of $6,600.84 on November 1, 2017, meaning its market capitalization, or the total value of bitcoin in circulation, hit $110 billion USD.

This isn’t to say that digital currencies don’t have distractors — JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has threatened to fire anyone in his company that trades bitcoin and Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, has all but called cryptocurrency illegal by referring to it as an “index of money laundering.”

While the global markets decide how/if to regulate, the genie is out of the bottle.

Written while listening to Wu-Tang Clan’s “Gravel Pit”