Bloomberg Enters the Race

Billionaire and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced on Sunday that he will officially join the 2020 presidential race, making him the 18th Democratic candidate still in the field.

Hong Kong Elections

Amid 6 months of escalating violence and clashes between pro-democracy protesters and police, nearly 3 million Hong Kong residents voted in district council elections on Sunday, marking the greatest turnout in the city’s history. Pro-democracy candidates won more than half of the 452 district council seats for the first time ever.

Navy Secretary Fired

Navy Secretary Richard Spencer was fired yesterday by Defense Secretary Mark Esper over an issue arising from embattled Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher’s request to retire as a Navy SEAL. The White House said the U.S. Ambassador to Norway Ken Braithwaite will be nominated as Spencer’s replacement.

Put a ring on it

Moët Hennessy Louis Vitton (LVMH) will purchase luxury jewelry company Tiffany & Co. at a price of $16.3 billion. The acquisition is the largest in LVMH CEO and controlling shareholder Bernard Arnault’s three-decade tenure, topping the company’s $13 billion buyout of luxury fashion house Dior in 2017.

JEDI Mind Tricks

Amazon filed a lawsuit on Friday with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims challenging the Pentagon’s October decision to award the $10 billion Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI) contract to Microsoft’s cloud services, citing “unmistakable bias” in the government’s selection process.

Got to Give It Up

Forbes has released its annual list of America’s Top 50 Givers, partnering with a Florida research company to document the most generous philanthropists of 2018. Warren Buffet tops the list for the fifth year in a row, followed by Bill and Melinda Gates - altogether 39 of the top 50 are members of the Forbes 400.

Keep trucking on

In a Tweet Sunday night, Elon Musk confirmed Tesla has received 200,000 preorders (as of this e-print) for the electric Cybertruck pickup, which debuted amid technical difficulties at the Los Angeles Auto Show Thursday night. Potential customers can preorder Cybertruck for a fully refundable $100 deposit, which is distinct from a final commitment to purchase the vehicle.

Lightning in a Bottle

Sometimes, the best ideas ideas are born in times of necessity. Ismaël Essome Ebone is living proof of this concept. As a young man in Cameroon in 2011, he was taking shelter from a treacherous storm when he observed a large number of plastic bottles floating in the flood waters. This gave him the idea to create “EcoBoats” - fishing canoes created out of used plastic bottles. Often discarded and filling landfill as waste, plastic bottles are buoyant and turned out to be the perfect material for a modest canoe.

Ismaël tested his idea by waiting for a storm to come in, and to the surprise of fisherman watching, his boat actually worked! Since then, he’s been raising money through his non-profit organization, Madiba & Nature to build more EcoBoats to be used by fishermen and tourists for fishing and recreational activities. The company is also responsible for installing the country’s first EcoBin for sorting waste materials. Although Ismaël is only a young man, his impact is resonating throughout his community, showing everyone that you don’t need a lot of money and resources to make positive change. All it takes is a good idea, patience, and the will to try.

Like father, like son

For 42 years, some of the most deserving children of Harlan County, Kentucky could count on Mike Howard to deliver them toys each holiday season. He collected and gave the gift of joy to families who weren’t able to afford Christmas. When Mike died in 2018, he left two giant shoes and a Santa hat to fill. His son, Jordan, stepped up to continue his legacy.

Although Jordan lost both of his parents within a year of one another, he continues to collect, wrap, and distribute toys out of the building his dad used as a “workshop” every year. Other family members contribute by wrapping and sorting gifts. He says that by the end of this holiday season, they will have more than 3,000 presents to distribute.

As the new “Mountain Santa”, Jordan spends his time after work getting ready for the Christmas season starting in late fall. He says it’s an amazing feeling being able to continue the path of giving that his father set before him. “I’m excited for Christmas,” Jordan says with a smile beaming across his face. This Santa knows that the true meaning of happiness can be found in giving others joy. Mike Howard would surely be proud of his son, who continues on the family “business” of kindness.