12.29.2017

California Legalizes Pot on Monday.
Full marijuana legalization is coming to California on January 1st. The number of retail vendors will initially be low - the state has issued only 42 licenses, with 150 pending applications - but is expected to cut deep into the state's $2B medical marijuana market. The change is expected to clash with federal law at border control checkpoints. 

Judge Certifies Alabama Senate Election.
Alabama certified the state's special Senate election, naming Doug Jones (D) the winner after an appeals court dismissed a lawsuit by Roy Moore (R) claiming widespread voter fraud and calling for a new election. Moore, who was heavily favored in the run-up to the December 12th election, lost to Jones by 1.7 points after being persistently dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct with underage girls as a young attorney in Alabama (among other issues). Jones will be the first Democratic Senator from the deep red state in 25 years. 
 
Uber Sells Major Stake to Private Investor Group.
Uber's shareholders agreed yesterday to sell a 17.5% stake to an investor group led by Japan's SoftBank, whose $98B Vision fund is the largest VC fund in the world and focuses on gamechanging technologies (see fund's investments). The deal valued Uber at $48B, giving the investor group a steep 30% discount compared to the company's last valuation at $70B. In addition to the replacement of former CEO Travis Kalanick with Dara Khosrowshahi, the deal puts a positive ending on a year that saw a flood of negative press.
 

> Former NFL QB and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel to continue career with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats (More)
> Former guests on Dr. Phil accuse staff of facilitating drug and alcohol use (More)
> Rose Marie, star of the Dick Van Dyke Show, Broadway, films, dies at 94 (More)
 

> Programmable, foldable tissue developed with potential use in replacing lost tissue due to accidents and old age (More)
> KPMG releases annual innovative cities report, tech hubs in US and China show most promise for disruptive breakthroughs (More)
> New patch may help burn fat by delivering drugs that turn energy-storing white fat to energy-burning brown fat (More)
 

> Cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, etc) prices slide as South Korea adds new regulations (More) | View prices and market caps of the $550B+ cryptocurrency market, which has increased ~30x YTD in 2017 (More)
> U.S. housing market up 6.5% in 2017, all US homes worth $31.8T (More) | US renters paid a record $485B in 2017 (More)
> Sources: Amazon & Apple in discussions to set up operations in Saudi Arabia (More)
 

> Saudi-led airstrike in Yemen kills 68 civilians in one day (More)
> Bronx apartment fire kills at least 12, worst NYC fire in 25 years (More)
> Report says China is violating UN sanctions by secretly selling oil to North Korea (More)

(8/23) The top 25 most beautiful college campuses in the US. 

(12/1) An extremely cool visualization of the American workday, by occupation.

(12/18) Ugh Millennials: People are making fun of their New Year's resolutions.

(11/15) The 100 best cities in the US to raise kids. 

(11/13) Sober is the new drunk. 

(11/1)  Drinking IPAs may give you “Brewer’s Droop”.

(11/30) All the world's money in one fascinating chart. 

(11/8) What happens every time you hit 'play' on Netflix. 

(9/5) Read the letter Obama left Trump on Inauguration Day.

(12/18) The most hilarious wildlife photos of 2017. 

(9/12) If it doesn't suck, it's not worth doing (the 40% rule). 

(9/21) The story behind the greatest reader comment in New York Times history.

Editor's Picks
(11/14) What the one county that voted in a landslide for both Obama and Trump can tell us about America.

(12/6) One of the greatest diving fails of all time generates 100,000 retweets - and support.

(10/17) Amazing shots of visitors to haunted houses caught at peak fright.

(10/20) Photoshop troll fixes people's pictures by taking requests way too literally. 

Historybook: HBD Andrew Johnson (1808); U.S. annexes the Republic of Texas making it the 28th state (1845); Wounded Knee Massacre (1890); HBD Mary Tyler Moore (1936).

"TAKE CHANCES, MAKE MISTAKES. THAT'S HOW YOU GROW."
-Mary Tyler Moore
 

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