“Closing time, one last call for alcohol so finish your whiskey or beer…closing time, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.” For the longest time, I imagined a ragtag group of misfits enjoying some drinks in their favorite neighborhood spot, a la “Cheers,” and they stay all night until last-call, hence closing time. I recently found out that I couldn’t have been further from the meaning behind the lyrics. The song is about getting married, having children, and making lifestyle changes that don’t include drinking and partying.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end, I know what you missed in the news yesterday.
Mr. Gorbachev, How Have You Been?
Millennials may have no idea who Mikhail Gorbachev is, but he was the eight and last leader of the Soviet Union until the fall of communism in Russia, and he’s come out of retirement to tell President Trump that he’s making a very big mistake.
On December 8, 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev signed into life the Intermediate-Rang Nuclear Forces treaty, a pact which eliminated the use and storing of all short-and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles. President Trump announced on Friday, that the U.S. plans to abandon this treaty, citing Russia’s alleged violations of the treaty over the last few years. Moscow denies this charge, but the Trump administration insists on pressing forward.
Gorbachev, in a column for the New York Times, explained his thoughts on the matter at hand:
“I am being asked whether I feel bitter watching the demise of what I worked so hard to achieve. But this is not a personal matter. Much more is at stake. A new arms race has been announced.”
–Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union
While Gorbachev admits that the American and Russian arsenals are “a fraction of what they were during the Cold War,” he is distraught at the fact that Trump plans to undo the work done by himself in partnership with former President Reagan.
Pipe Bomb Suspect Caught, Registered Republican With Criminal Record
On Friday, 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc from Florida was charged with sending over a dozen bomb-filled packages to prominent political figures across the U.S. According to NBC News, Sayoc has a rap sheet replete with criminal charges, including an arrest for making a bomb threat.
If he is found to be guilty, Sayoc will be charged with “threats against former presidents,” on top of the charges associated with the pipe bombs he sent around the country that may lead to him facing up to 48 years in federal prison. After examining each bomb, the FBI discovered that all devices were fully functional and most certainly “not hoax devices.”
Snapchat, You Good, Bud?
Either people are finally listening to me about throwing their smartphones off a bridge or people are fed up with Snapchat, and parent company Snap. Snap (SNAP) went public in March 2017, much to the dismay of consumers who predicted a loss of quality following this decision, and they were 100% spot on. Snap’s 2Q report this year showed that their app lost 3 million daily users, largely because of CEO Evan Spiegel’s poorly received redesign of the app.
In addition to the negative feedback from Snapchat’s (SNAP) ill-fated facelift, Instagram has been killing the app game. The Facebook-owned (FB) photo sharing app released its own app redesign, copying many of the original popular features from Snapchat, including disappearing photos and videos, as well as the ability to post and create “stories.”
“Snapchat’s biggest issue is it lacks appeal beyond its core user base and has an unclear vision on how to break out beyond the under 30 demographic in a very crowded social media landscape.”
–Jessica Liu, senior analyst Forrester
All we can do is wait and see how Snap (SNAP), and its struggling Snapchat, will fair as time goes on.
Have A Nice Weekend!
