And what a week it was…

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Even I was in sensory overload with current events this week and that’s saying a lot.

Starting with the Golden Globe Awards, the death of David Bowie, the engagement of Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall, ten (10) U.S. sailors detained (and released) by the Iranian military, Obama’s final State of the Union address, the Academy Award nominations, the death of Alan Rickman, the first GOP presidential debate of 2016, Al Jazeera America pulls the plug on the network, three (3) people win the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot, terror attacks in Jakarta and Burkina Faso, and global stock markets plunge into correctional territory re: volatility in China and emerging economies.

On an amusing note, the fashion-forward blue-and-grey striped paisley shirt worn by El Chapo during his interview with Sean Penn is selling out due to the high demand for kitsch and irony.

EOD: January 13, 2016

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Coming up: January 14, 2016

Hollywood, California: Oscar noms
North Charleston, South Carolina: GOP debate
Geneva, Switzerland: The World Health Organization declares Liberia clear of Ebola

End of Day wrap:

Geopolitical news: Iran released ten (10) U.S. sailors aboard two U.S. Navy patrol boats after both sides acknowledged the Americans had strayed into territorial waters by mistake due to a broken navigational system. Oops.

Turkey arrests three (3) Russian nationals in connection to the Istanbul bombings that killed ten (10) tourists.

The Carillon cafe in Paris reopens for the first time since the terror attacks on November 13, 2015 that killed 130 people.

Media news: Al Jazeera America is done and dusted as of March 31, 2016. CNN reporting that approx. 700 staffers will lose their jobs. Lackluster viewership, plummeting oil prices, and internal strife are being blamed for the shuttering of the Qatar-backed network which began in 2013.

Election news: NYT discovers that GOP candidate Ted Cruz did not report a loan from Goldman Sachs for his first U.S. Senate campaign. Side note: Mrs. Cruz, an executive for Goldman Sachs, is currently on unpaid leave.

Fresh fodder for Thursday’s GOP debate – the first of 2016 – in North Charleston, South Carolina. Hosted by Fox Business News, there will be yet again, two rounds:

Undercard edition will include U.S. Senator Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. Paul is boycotting the forum as he wants to be part of the second debate featuring Donald Trump, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, Dr. Ben Carson, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Ohio Governor John Kasich.

Entertainment news: still fresh from the Golden Globe Awards and the death of David Bowie, the Oscar nominations will be announced by John Krasinski and Guillermo del Toro on Thursday, January 14th. Aaaaaand, Bill Cosby won’t have to participate in a recorded deposition pertaining to a Massachusetts lawsuit as he’s facing criminal charges in Pennsylvania but his wife, Camille will face the cameras on February 22nd.

Side-eye news: two Waffle House employees in Forrest City, Arkansas were fired for washing their hair in a pot of hot water. No one would’ve believed it except the customer who complained about finding hair in his food documented the incident via cell phone.