Just the other day, I had an incredibly engaging discussion with friends regarding renewable resources and how our planet is slowly running out of the water. One friend, who will remain nameless for their safety, suggested that we invest billions into desalination and make the process of separating the salt contents of water with high salinity more affordable. While I, too, thought this was a great idea for improving global access to water, given that even though 70% of the Earth’s surface is water, less than 1% of that water is used for human consumption. Another friend, whose identity will also be kept a secret, took a more capitalistic approach and suggested that we start hoarding what water we have access to currently, in the event that drinkable water becomes the new oil in the future.
What are your thoughts? Let me know, and in the meantime, here’s what you missed in the news yesterday.
Where’s My Uber (IPO)?
There was a time, not too long ago where after a night of debauchery and consumption of a few too many adult-beverages, you really had only two options for getting home; call a cab, or try and keep yourself together on public transportation. Then, like an angel from above, Uber came to the world, offering convenient, inexpensive rides to and from wherever one needed to go, and ultimately, Uber’s inception catalyzed the rideshare industry. Years later, the Company is expected to raise upwards of $10 billion later this year in one of the largest initial public offerings in the history of the U.S. stock market. According to several sources, Uber’s IPO will value the company somewhere between $76 billion and $120 billion, however, in light of the recent toxic volatility occurring in the market, some analysts believe Uber’s offering will fetch less than $90 billion.
The company’s new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, has done everything in his power to bring estranged investors back into the fold, as well as create new initiatives to attract drivers and riders who might otherwise use any one of the growing ride-hailing applications. Sources indicate that the company’s IPO might be delayed due to recent negative trends in the US market.
State Of Emergency
Presently, it would seem as if President Donald Trump is trapped beneath the head of the Democratic leadership who refuses to grant him his longstanding billion dollar budget request to construct his border wall along the US-Mexico border. Initially, Trump threatened Democrats with a government shutdown if they failed to acquiesce to his demands, and, as many of you are aware, he made good on this threat. In a recent poll taken between Dec. 21 – 23, 39 percent of registered voters — including 80 percent of Republicans — approved of the president’s current performance, whereas 56 percent — including 90 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of independents — did not, according to Morning Consult. The President’s current approval ratings haven’t been this low since refused to condemn neo-Nazis who held a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, back in August 2017.
Suffice to say the odds have yet to be in Trump’s favor so, like a coyote caught in a trap, the President elected to take the most rational course of action he could contemplate; he threatened to declare a national emergency. Indeed, President Trump, undoubtedly feeling pressure from the 116th Congress, with its Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, told reporters at the White House on Sunday, that “we’re looking at a national emergency because we have a national emergency — just read the papers.”
