The sun always rises, but today is a new day…with renewed hope. Godspeed to our new President Joseph Biden & new Madame VP Kamala Harris.
Americans did it, we all came together to ensure this vital change happened on this day. A rejection of the turmoil, hatred, divisiveness, and incompetence of the last four years. A show of triumph and a return to normalcy after the repulsive and shocking attack on the Capitol just 2 weeks ago. A violent attack by an extremist mob ordered by outgoing “President” Donald Trump in an effort to overthrow our democracy. The many months of false claims about election fraud, and the incitive and provocative words that came out of his mouth to a crowd full of people during his own rally outside of the White House on the morning of January 6th are what led to that attack. Five people were killed, including a police officer, and the blood is on his hands. His rally, and the subsequent mob attack at the Capitol, were efforts to stop Congress from confirming Joe Biden as the next president. Today’s inauguration and peaceful transfer of power proves that those efforts failed, that our democracy prevailed, and that our country moves forward.
As far as that previous occupant of the White House goes, history will not be kind to treasonous Trump. The worst president in our nation’s history. He must be held accountable for the crimes he committed while in office as President. He is about to face his historic 2nd impeachment trial in the Senate and, with any luck, 1st of many convictions. I sincerely hope our nation has learned from its mistakes, and will no longer allow a disaster like what we’ve witnessed the past 4 years to happen again going forward. No more mentally ill, narcissistic, delusional demagogue megalomaniac pathological liars who happen to be white supremacists should be allowed any path to become the most powerful person on earth. It’s abundantly clear to me that he buddied up to foreign murderous dictators like Kim Jung Un and Vladimir Putin because he envies their power, and tried his best to turn our wonderful democracy into an autocracy so he could be more like them. As much as he would have loved to be crowned King Trump, unfortunately for him as of today, January 20th, 2021, his reign is over. What is scary is that for the delusional maniacs that still avidly support him, the con continues. Let’s just hope that if this con continues, which is very likely, it does not lead to any further crimes or violence.
With Election Day now officially upon us here in the U.S., people are more divided than ever. When we watch the news, browse social media, even walking in the streets, the ongoing tension between avid supporters of the incumbent president and his detractors is palpable.
Let’s restore integrity, accountability, honesty, and just plain old sanity back into the White House. It has been nothing short of a dumpster fire inside of a shit show since this clown has taken office. From his first day in office, Donald Trump has not taken the job of being President even remotely seriously. I recently saw a license plate and some memes online that say “Elect a clown, expect a circus”, and this has certainly been the case. And calling him a clown is an insult to all the honest and hard working clowns out there. Close to 101 Million people have already voted early before Election Day today, which is a record.^^ Early voting and mail-in ballots were made more widely available nationwide due to concerns and restictions around the Covid-19 pandemic. Let’s hope that this early fervor to make our voices and choices heard when it comes to electing our leaders is a strong signal that most people are unhappy with what is going on, and are in dire need for a change.
I am not a Democrat. I am not a Republican. I am an American. And the state that this nation is in right now is repugnant and unbearable. His continued refusal to take this virus seriously, and his refusal to promote unity in times of increased racial bias and divide has brought us into this moment in time. Instead of unifying people, he fuels the flames of division. We are the United States of America, but the Trump circus has made us into the Divided States of America.
The Hatemonger In Chief
At the first presidential debate he was given the opportunity by the debate moderator to denounce white supremacists and hate groups. Instead of denouncing them, he calls out a violent hate group called the “Proud Boys” and says “Stand back and Stand by”, almost as if he was giving them commands as one of their leaders.^^^^
Just recently it was reported that the federal government has yet to find the parents of at least 545 children that were separated from their families because of the “zero tolerance” immigration policy at the southern border that was implemented by the Trump admininistration in 2018.*** He has had a long history of derogatory comments against minorities, many of them well documented. Saying things like they are criminals, drug dealers, rapists when referring to Mexicans crossing the southern border.^ And more recently referring to Covid-19 as the “China Virus” and “Kung Flu” in his speeches, wrongfully inciting discrimination against the Asian American community. And let us not forget that time, years ago, when he kept insisting that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States and that we needed to see his birth certificate as proof.^^^ In the second Presidential debate, Trump exclaimed “I have done more for the Black community than anyone, except for maybe Abraham Lincoln.” and also this great gem: “I am the least racist person in this room”.
What kind of person says these types of deplorable things? A hateful, racist white supremacist, that’s who.
Trump’s reckless language when talking about people and subjects that don’t align with his personal views and preferences is frightening and dangerous. His call for citizens to “Liberate Michigan!” when criticizing Michigan’s lockdown measures to deal with the Coronavirus led to a group of radical extremists to devise a plot to kidnap the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer.***** Luckily, the extremist militia group was intercepted by law enforcement officials before they were able to carry out their plans.
It is Trump’s hateful and incendiary rhetoric and his behavior that fuels the bias, prejudice, and divide that is at the heart of the racial tensions and widespread animosity that pervades our society at this time. It emboldens people to hurl racist slurs in the streets at people who look different from them (I have personally seen this with my own eyes), or even commit acts of violence against them (just look at the numerous news stories in recent months. It encourages an environment that leads to police brutality against minorities, and the subsequent protests and riots that come about because of it. And speaking of protests and police brutality – in June, Trump gets the police and National Guard troops to shoot teargas into a group of people peacefully protesting police brutality nearby the White House. The reason? So that they would clear the area and allow for a photo/ video opportunity for Trump to be filmed walking from the White House, through Lafayette Park, to stand in front of a church to hold up the Bible.^^^^^ And this wasteful and idiotic display of stupidity is what our tax dollars are paying for.
Throughout his current tenure as president, he has shown time and time again that he is not so subtly aligned with the white supremacist agenda. And there is plenty of evidence to support this.****
The Trump Virus
As of 11/3/2020* Total U.S. Covid-19 cases: 9.37 Million Total U.S. Covid-19 Deaths: 231K+
The way Donald Trump has handled this pandemic from the outset has been nothing short of atrocious. From the very beginning, Trump has downplayed the virus and denied how serious it was. Saying things like “it’s a hoax”, “it will go away like a miracle”, “it will disappear by Easter”, etc. In the week ending 10/27/20, over 500,000 new cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed, a new record. Yet the Trump administration announces in a press release that they’ve “ended the Covid-19 pandemic” in bold capital letters, completely contradicting the actual facts.** In the final days leading up to the election, we get a stark reminder of how he’s been deceiving, and continues to deceive, the American people.
Since learning about the virus from the very beginning, he has been lying to the public about its severity and intentionally hiding the truth. In an interview with renowned journalist Bob Woodward back in February of this year, Trump is on record stating that he knew about the deadliness of the airborne virus since January. He also stated that he knew it’s more deadly than the strenous flu, “This is Deadly Stuff” he said on record. However, three weeks after that interview he addressed the public about the virus and said “It’s a little like the regular flu that we have flu shots for. And we’ll essentially have a flu shot for this in a fairly quick manner.”(1) A leader of a nation should be open and honest with the citizens that he governs, especially when it can save lives – not create lies to serve his own needs at the expense of American lives. His excuse for this was that he did not want to create panic, and perhaps negatively affect the stock market and economy.
Trump has continually deflected when asked about his handling of the pandemic, pointing his finger to China and calling it the “China virus”, “Kung-flu” among other xenophobic, offensive and provocative names. The virus may have allegedly been first discovered in China, but make no mistake. The reason America has over 9 million confirmed infections and 231k+ deaths and rising daily is because of Trump’s incompetence, ineptitude and selfishness. His refusal to take responsibility and come up with a unified national plan to curb the virus spread has led to the tragic magnitude of the pandemic in the country today. As we’ve all seen, Trump has held large rallies nationwide with people not socially distanced and not wearing masks. He’s held large gatherings at the White House, including the “superspreader” event where he, his wife and 30+ other attendees contracted the virus. Within days of being infected, he returned back to the White House and walked around, unmasked, all for photo ops. He even implied that the virus is not a big deal and to not be worried about it, but did not mention that he was in a better position to recover from the virus than the general public because of his exclusive access to world class medical care and treatments as the POTUS. (2)(3} That is the only area where Trump has made the U.S. number one, we’re the world leader in Covid-19 cases and deaths. And this could have been prevented and greatly mitigated if we had better leadership that believed in science instead of manufacturing fiction. Trump has called his own infectious disease expert – and member of the White House Coronavirus task force – Dr. Anthony Fauci, “a disaster”, and medical experts like him “idiots”. [10]
Don the Con
If I were to list all of the egregious and despicable things this man has done in his 4 years in office and in his decades prior that show his lack of ethics and his poor character, I would be able to publish a book. And there is no shortage of books out there already that do just that. But here’s just a few more examples of his corrupt moral character:
1. He was impeached last year for his Quid Pro Quo collusion with a foreign country. His asking of the Ukraine president to investigate and provide details into Joe Biden’s son’s involvement with a Ukrainian energy company in exchange for US military aid is one for the record books. The 2 articles of impeachment are Abuse of Power, and Obstruction of Justice. Trump is only the 3rd president in history to have been impeached. [9] Of course, his complicit Republican cohorts, led by Mitch McConnell, in the Senate bailed him out from being removed from office.
2. He (still) has not released any of his taxes. He continuously says he will release them since before he was elected in 2016, yet he never has. All prior presidents for the past 40 years have made their taxes public. However, the NY Times was able to obtain unreleased copies of his taxes, which revealed he has been evading and underpaying his taxes over many years, including 2016 – the year he was elected president.[4] They show billions in business losses and at least $1 billion in debt [5], although it is mostly a mystery to whom.
3. He had his personal lawyer, MIchael Cohen, pay off $130K in hush money to pornstar Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair they had while his wife Melania was pregnant with their son. Cohen also paid off $150k to Playboy model Karen McDougal for a similar affair. [6]
4. At least 26 women have accused Trump of sexual assault, including ex-wife Ivana Trump. Has has denied the allegations and has threatened to sue all of his accusers, but no lawsuits have been filed by him yet. Two of his accusers, however, have filed lawsuits against Trump. [7]
The Trump Train
I want a country that values Honesty, Integrity, Decency, Unity, Empathy, Humanity. Things that the American people should aspire to. Not the hate, division, chaos, dishonesty, corruption, and collusion that this Trump administration has thrived on these past 4 years. It’s like a bad TV movie that keeps airing, about the evil cult leader and his brainwashed group of followers that do his bidding and defend him to no end. We keep trying to change the channel, but the same damn horrible movie is on every single channel. Hopefully after tonight, or whenever the final votes are counted, they will pull this horrible movie off the air.
Trump’s avid followers have some sort of blind loyalty to him that has them convinced he can say or do no wrong, and that his word is gospel. It is quite disconcerting and worrisome, to say the least.
To me, there are only a few reasons I can think of as to why a person would be a Trump supporter. And none of them are good. They are as follows:
1. They believe that Trump as president means a stronger economy, better performing stock market, etc. And also, for those that are wealthy, that he will preserve their wealth and provide tax relief for them. There is some evidence that his tax plan would benefit the uber-wealthy.[8] But even if this were true, is it worth sacrificing the welfare of the rest of America, of minorities and the underprivileged? Do you overlook his constant divisive speeches, the lies and deceptions when addressing the American public? Are you willing to sacrifice more American lives during a pandemic in order to re-open the economy at any cost? To some, it is worth selling their soul to the devil.
2. When Trump uses derogatory, hurtful, and offensive language to describe a group of people, some do not find it off-putting or offensive at all. In fact, these people agree with the terminology Trump uses and can relate to the way he marginalizes that group. These people also align with hateful white supremacist idealogy, and pose a serious threat to the moral fabric of America. As Hillary Clinton once put it, they are the “basket of deplorables”.
3. Some of the Trump faithful that are in his core base identify with Trump’s bombastic personality and his condescending and cavalier attitude stemming from his “white privilege”. These people feel that they can relate to him, are easily influenced by what he says, and tend to be less than educated. With no actual proof or basis in fact, they defend whatever he says that is called into question. Or they make excuses as to why he said those things. In other words, unfortunately, they are gullible and feebleminded.
USA! USA!
Is Biden the perfect candidate for president? No. Does he make perfect, mistake-free public speeches? No (neither does Trump). But Biden does know the difference between right and wrong. He knows that love, kindness, compassion, honesty and sympathy is better than the hate, division, lies and corruption that plagues the Trump administration. When given the opportunity to denounce white supremacists and hate groups of that nature, Biden does it without hesitation. Trump not only hesitates, he barks out orders at them as if he was their leader (which isn’t too far off). What happened to human decency? Under the Trump presidency that concept is quickly disappearing, and being replaced by levels of bias, bigotry and cruelty that this nation has not seen in a very long time.
Donald Trump is the worst president we have seen in our lifetime. That is why this is the most important election in our lifetime. It’s no coincidence that people have turned up in record numbers to vote early, either by absentee ballot or at the early voting locations.
To me, it’s as simple as this: it’s like Satan (Trump) is on the ballot, and someone other than Satan. Satan and his cult of complicit evil wrongdoers, worshippers, sycophants and conspirers want to take this country to hell. I do not want this country, my country, to go deeper into that fiery pit of damnation these next 4 years. The evil must be removed from the White House so that the country can begin to heal from the debacle of the last 4 years. The choice, and what we do with that choice, cannot be more clear. May God bless the United States of America. May God Bless Us All. 🙏🙏🙏
*Source: The New York Times **https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/27/us/us-reports-more-than-500000-cases-in-a-week-a-record-as-the-trump-administration-says-it-ended-the-pandemic.html ***https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/lawyers-say-they-can-t-find-parents-545-migrant-children-n1244066 ****https://www.vox.com/21313021/trump-white-nationalism-supremacy-miller-bannon-immigration *****https://thehill.com/homenews/523922-members-of-michigan-militia-charged-with-plot-to-kidnap-whitmer-spotted-at-anti
Hello stranger! What better time to post an update to this blog than when we are all stuck at home in quarantine? These are unprecedented times we are living in, my friends. We are quickly approaching the 3rd month of society’s shutdown and stay-at-home orders from our local and federal government. These orders, along with social distancing guidelines, are the best measures to mitigate the spread of the novel Coronavirus pandemic that has taken over the world since the beginning of the year. By many indications, the first cases of the virus originated overseas late last year in the Far East. Unfortunately, since the virus’ arrival here in the U.S., we were slow to react and have been playing catch-up from the beginning. This was due to a combination of factors, including possible inaccurate data and a delay in communications from international sources. But more importantly, and disconcertingly, our federal government’s incompetence in dealing with the severity of this pandemic is largely to blame. The Trump administration scoffed at the seriousness of Covid-19 in the beginning and likened it to the common flu, saying that it will more than likely go away on its own. On February 27th, Trump exclaims in a White House briefing “It’s going to disappear,” “One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear.”*^ His administration’s refusal to acknowledge the virus as an imminent pandemic continued into late February and early March, even after numerous warnings from international and federal health officials since the beginning of January**^. It was not until the World Health Organization officially declared it as a global pandemic on March 11th that President Trump subsequently declared a national emergency on March 13th.*^ This excerpt from Marketwatch.com aptly describes the response: “For weeks after the first U.S. case of the coronavirus was confirmed in January, government missteps caused a shortage of reliable laboratory tests for the coronavirus, leading to delays in diagnoses.”**^^
Based on the data and science gathered, the people most vulnerable to this virus are the elderly and immunocompromised. But the truth is, it can cause harm and even be fatal to anyone at any age or condition. We can have the virus, have mild or no symptoms whatsoever, and be a silent carrier unknowingly infecting others. We just don’t know how it will affect any one individual. For the majority of people that require hospitalization from this illness, it infects the respiratory system and causes fever, severe coughing and swelling in the lungs. It can cause pneumonia and severely inhibit the victim’s ability to breathe, to the point where they need to be put on a ventilator. And in the very worst cases, they never come off that ventilator and succumb to the disease.
It has been a struggle for society as a whole to have enough testing and treatments to keep up with the rampant spread of this illness. It is now a race against time to come up with a viable treatment to slow the effects of this virus, let alone a vaccine to prevent and cure it. And there is a glimmer of hope in regards to possible treatments, as they announced today that the antiviral medication “Remdesivir” has shown some promise in clinical trials. It has just been granted Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) by the FDA as an emergency treatment that can possibly quicken the recovery times of those infected by Covid-19. Remdesivir was previously tested as a possible treatment for the Ebola outbreak back in 2014 ^. There is also a possible vaccine coming to the forefront that is currently being researched by Oxford University in England. The university is partnering with pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to develop the drug in large scale, should it prove to be effective against Covid-19 in humans. Results of the drug’s effects on several hundred people that were vaccinated should be complete by mid-June 2020 ^^.
As of 3:50pm on 5/1/2020, there are 3,321,402 confirmed Covid-19 infections worldwide, with 237,180 total deaths in 187 countries*. Unfortunately, America has the most cases of, and most deaths from, this virus in the world. In the United States, the national deathtoll due to this pandemic is now a very sobering 64,203 out of a total of 1,091,038 positive U.S. cases*. The country with the 2nd most confirmed novel coronavirus infections is Spain with 213,435 people infected, less than 20% of what the U.S. has.* What makes America beautiful is that it’s the land of freedom, dreams and opportunity. But what makes our country such an attractive destination, and such a melting pot for humans worldwide, also makes us the most vulnerable during global pandemics. And nowhere is this more evident than where we are in New York City, the epicenter of this crisis. In NYC alone there have been a total of 174,921 cases thus far and 18,399 deaths**. For perspective, there were 2,977 casualties from the 9/11 attacks in 2001 – an event many of us thought would be the worst disaster we would ever see on US soil during our lifetimes. The Vietnam War had 58,220 American deaths* over a span of 11 years. The current Coronavirus deathtoll has eclipsed them both, as the number of deaths continue to climb daily. Since 2010, the average total deaths from the common flu (influenza) in America is between 12,000 to 61,000***. It is now painfully clear that this is not like the common flu, not even close.
Personally, I am on Day 51 of self-imposed lockdown and have barely been outside, aside from a handful of grocery runs and short walks for fresh air. And of course, no excursion to the warzone outside that is the streets of NYC can be taken without the combat gear of facemask and gloves. And currently in NY State, by law, you must wear some sort of mask or face covering when out in public through May 15th. There’s only so many newscasts one can stand, and a finite number of shows and movies we can binge on Netflix before starting to go stir crazy. Cabin fever is a real phenomenon, as I’m sure the majority of people can relate to at this point. But I’d rather deal with cabin fever at home than a 105 degree fever while on a ventilator in a hospital with Covid-19. Or worse than that, unwittingly infect an elderly family member and send them to the hospital.
The news right now is not all bad though, because there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. Many areas are showing signs that the rate of infection is slowing and the number of new infections and deaths are on the decline. As a result, many states are looking into plans to re-open the economy and allow non-essential businesses to resume operations. In NYC, the U.S. Naval hospital ship “Comfort” has left the shores of New York because we no longer need it for an overflow of Covid-19 patients since cases are on the decline. After treating close to 1100 patients, the last remaining patient infected with the Coronavirus located at the Jacob Javits Center was discharged today, and the temporary US Army hospital at the event center is now closed. This is all a direct result of most of the country’s shut-down of non-essential businesses, and restrictions put in place by public health and government officials to encourage all citizens to stay home to stop the spread of this disease. We are, however, not clear of danger yet and we must not be complacent. If we don’t collectively continue to follow public health and social distancing guidelines, things can become worse again before they get better.
There are obvious heroes that have emerged from this global crisis, and they are the brave doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and first responders who are risking their own lives to care for the victims of this pandemic. They are the true definition of selflessness, compassion and humanity. Bravo. All the other essential workers, grocery store and pharmacy employees, train and bus drivers, etc. deserve praise as well. Thank you for sacrificing your well-being to keep us functioning as a society during these crazy times. Thinking of them makes it all the more infuriating when you see the imbeciles in some areas forming large mobs of people in the streets, protesting their town’s lockdown and screaming through megaphones for their town to re-open. And of course, many of them are not wearing masks to prevent the spread of any virus – and most, if not all, are standing within inches of each other. Even if they do not care about endangering their own health, it is this type of irresponsible, selfish and ignorant behavior that can prolong this crisis and make things worse for everyone else.
So Stay Home, Stay Safe. If you must go out, cover your face! Wear your gloves! Stay 6 feet apart! And wash those hands!
This too shall pass…We will get through this, but we must do it as a team…from home.
* COVID-19 global stats & data from Johns Hopkins University** Covid-19 U.S. and NYC data from John’s Hopkins University & The New York Times *** data from CDC.gov ^ info from CNBC.com ^^ info from CNN.com
It’s been 18 years since the most tragic and horrific day in the history of the United States of America, September 11th 2001. A few days ago, as I drove by the 9/11 ‘Tribute in Lights’ I had to take a picture as I marveled at its majesty while lamenting what it symbolizes. On this day that altered American history 18 years ago, I remember being on the subway on my way to work. People that came into the train were talking about how a plane had just ‘accidentally’ flown into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. We would later find out that it was no accident.
When I got to my office, through the big south-facing windows from the 17th floor of my SoHo office building, I saw the second plane fly smack into the middle of the second tower. Shortly after, I witnessed the two mighty towers that were engulfed in flames completely crumble to the ground. What I saw through the windows with my own two eyes that morning still haunt me to this day, and will remain in my mind until my very last day. The landscape and skyline that we took for granted for so long was now forever transformed, as were our lives from that day forward. The pungent stench and clouds of debris from all the fallen metal, concrete, glass and other materials would remain in the NYC air for many many months to follow. The thousands of lives lost and the families and friends they’ve impacted affect us all.
I personally have friends and family that narrowly escaped peril on that day, and I lost a former colleague. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but I think a little bit of each of us died on that solemn day. All we can do is keep fighting, no matter what struggles and hardships we face. Not just for ourselves, but for the ones that matter to us. Never give up. Never give in. But never forget.
Big Tech = Big Biz for commercial real estate in New York City. Apple is looking for hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space in Manhattan. Both Apple and Facebook are eyeing the new development at 50 Hudson Yards for expansion, with Google and Amazon also looking to further invest big within NYC. And that’s great news for New York. There’s no question that NYC is the world’s business and financial mecca.
Baseball is finally back folks! 🙌 Today is Opening Day of the regular season for Major League Baseball. Being a native New Yorker, I will be biased and mainly following the progress of my local teams for the next 162 games, and hopefully beyond. There are many storylines to follow as the season begins as both New York clubs have made changes to bolster their respective teams in the off-season. Will the high-powered Yankees improve on last season’s playoff letdown with the addition of oft-injured all-star hitter Troy Tulowitski, among others, to supplement their power duo behemoths Giancarlo Stanton & Aaron Judge? Will the Mets be able to make it back to the playoffs with the addition of veteran hitter (and former Yankee star) Robinson Cano and 24 yr old star closer (with an MLB-best 57 saves in 2018) Edwin Diaz?
The Yankees will be at home in the Bronx to host the lowly Baltimore Orioles, with their 2nd best pitcher Masahiro Tanaka on the mound (#1 Yankee starter Luis Severino starts the season on the disabled list until May with a rotator cuff injury). And my boys in Orange & Blue, the NY Mets will start the season in Washington DC to play a 3 game series against the Nationals. This game in particular should be one to watch as it features 2 of the best pitchers in baseball (and winners of the last 3 NL Cy Youngs): 2018 National League Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom of the Mets vs. Max Scherzer (’16 & ’17 NL Cy Young winner) for the Nationals. This has only happened twice before in the history of Major League Baseball where the top 2 Cy Young award vote-getters match up on opening day of the following season. And it is happening twice again today with deGrom vs. Scherzer in the National League and Blake Snell (2018 AL Cy Young winner) of the Tampa Bay Rays vs. runner-up Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros in the American League. The last time this happened was 40 years ago on opening day of the 1979 baseball season. The Cy Young award is baseball’s highest honor for pitchers, given out after the end of each season to give recognition to the best in the game. deGrom easily won the award in 2018 with an MLB-best 1.70 earned run average, while Scherzer was no slouch as runner up with a record of 18-7 with a 2.53 era. Of course, being the Met fan that I am, I’m hoping that Scherzer has an uncharacteristic off-day and the Mets crush every ball that he hurls at them. The more likely scenario for this game is that scoring will be at a premium and this will be one of those proverbial “pitchers’ duels” with these 2 superstars toeing the rubber today. And deGrom should be able to focus a bit better coming into opening day, fresh off his brand new five-year, $137.5 million extension with the Mets. This new deal makes him the highest paid athlete in New York based on average annual salary. deGrom had publicly stated that he wanted to complete contract talks before the start of the season to eliminate that distraction, so kudos to the Mets and new GM Brodie Van Wagenen for making that happen. Prediction: Mets win 3-1. Let’s play ball! 🥎🥎🥎
**Stats & info from MLB.com and the MLB At Bat mobile app
Love ’em or hate ’em, the New England Patriots have done it again. They have won their 6th Superbowl, beating the LA Rams 13-3, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers for most championships of all time. This also gives Tom Brady his 6th Superbowl win as Quarterback (most all-time), adding to his legacy as the winningest QB ever. It was not exactly an action packed game, as defense ruled the majority of the night. It was tied 3-3 until Brady and the boys finally scored a touchdown halfway through the 4th quarter. In fact, this was the lowest scoring Superbowl in NFL history. I don’t think that matters much to the Patriots right now, just look at how they’re celebrating in the video above. 🤪🤣
And what was up with the halftime show? It looked like Adam Levine was fighting his bandmates, fellow artists Travis Scott & Big Boi, and the camera itself for TV time. And he could not wait to tear off his shirt to expose his fully tattooed torso and prance around. Can someone say Narcissist? 🙄
I’m just hoping my NY Giants can make it back to the Superbowl next year, they seem to be the only team to be able to consistently stop Brady and Co. (Giants beat the Patriots in the Superbowl in 2008 & 2012). Congrats to the New England Patriots, 2019 Superbowl 53 champions!
Superbowl 53 is officially upon us, folks. The biggest sports event of the year (and most expensive, with 30 second ad spots during this year’s telecast costing an average of $5.25 Million, the most expensive it’s ever been*) is happening this Sunday February 3rd at 6:30pm EST in Atlanta, GA. It is estimated that well over 100 million people will be tuning in here in the U.S.* Superbowl 2019 will feature the LA Rams, going for their 2nd superbowl win in their history, and the perennial Superbowl contenders the New England Patriots, going for their 6th Superbowl victory. The Patriots have been the AFC champions three years in a row, and consequently are making their 3rd consecutive Superbowl appearance. If the Patriots pull off another championship win this Sunday, it will tie them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most superbowl championships in NFL history (6).
And all 5 of the Patriots’ championships so far have been with Tom Brady at the helm as their starting Quarterback. If they achieve a 6th Superbowl win this Sunday, it will only solidify Brady’s status as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Brady’s 5 championships are the most for any quarterback in history, with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw tied for second best with 4 Lombardi trophies each. Love him or hate him, there is no denying his achievements and his status as a living legend. What Michael Jordan is to basketball, Brady is to football. If he wins his 6th Superbowl on Sunday, he will have even more in common with Michael Jordan with 6 world championships each. And although the Brady-era Patriots have had its share of controversies over the years (e.g. spygate, deflategate), they are mere minor blemishes on an otherwise stellar and storied career. At 41 years old, he is showing no signs of slowing down and had publicly stated that he plans on playing until he turns 45. Although nothing is guaranteed and anything can certainly happen, I know I wouldn’t bet against the best QB of all time. Have a happy Superbowl Sunday folks!
2019 is definitely off to a great and groundbreaking start for Hollywood with the Golden Globe awards telecast this past weekend. Not only did she co-host the show, but Sandra Oh became the first Asian actress in over three decades to win best actress honors for her role in the BBC America original series “Killing Eve”. Oh made history in 2018 as the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for an Emmy award for lead actress in a drama for the same role. The 2018 smash hit rom-com Crazy Rich Asians also deserves an honorable mention for being nominated for 2 awards, namely: Best Picture, Musical or Comedy and its female lead Constance Wu for Best Actress, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film grossed over $238 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing romantic comedy in a decade. A sequel is currently in the works with a planned release date of June 26, 2020. Let’s hope this is a sign of more positive change and representation to come. Not just in Hollywood, but in our society as a whole, in 2019 and beyond!
The 2018 iteration of the Consumer Electronics Show has now come and gone. The one recurring theme throughout most of the companies that were showcasing at the expo was that Artificial Intelligence, and voice assistants, were rampantly being implemented into the tech of most smart products. Based on how the landscape is trending, It would not be a stretch to say that we can expect to see many more fully automated homes in the near future. A few of the standouts from this year’s showcase:
1. Samsung’s “The Wall” – a 146 inch behemoth modular MicroLED TV with a stunning visual display that may very well be a glimpse into how we watch TV in the future.
2. LG’s rollable 4K OLED 65″ TV that can ‘fold’ into its base for easy hiding when not in use.
3. SONY’s Aibo is a robotic dog that features some of the most advanced AI and robotic parts to date. It simulates the experience of training and raising a puppy, and will supply its owners with countless hours of entertainment and enjoyment.
4. HTC unveiled it’s new HTC Vive Pro virtual reality headset that offers 78% increased resolution over the current generation headset and features improved audio quality as well.
5. The world’s first solar-powered smartwatch was unveiled. What the new Casio G-Shock Rangeman smartwatch lacks in looks and sophistication it makes up for in durability, ruggedness, solar-powered charging, and great GPS navigation. At $800 USD, it also makes it one of the more expensive smartwatch options in the market.
