Expensive divorces that shocked the world

In the past two to three years, some of the richest people have decided to end their marriages. Our first example is Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott. Both of them were married for twenty five years, and January 2019's announcement of their divorce shook the world. Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, as he is the Executive Chairman of Amazon. He owns Blue Origin; Bezos Expeditions; Nash Holdings; and the Washington Post newspaper. Bezos Expeditions is his venture capital firm. In this paragraph, let's delve into Mackenzie Scott's life as a novelist. Her debut novel in 2005 was The Testing of Luther Albright. Since the divorce, she is the third wealthiest woman in the world. Her second novel, Traps, was published in 2013. Scott is a signatory to the Giving Pledge. She met Bezos in 1992, while they worked at D.E. Shaw. Now, let's discuss another high profile divorce that happened in May 2021. Bill Gates and Melinda French started the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation in 2000, as a married couple. In May 2021, Melinda and Bill Gates announced that they were divorcing after twenty seven years. Melinda French could have gone the route of divorce, back in 2019. Yet, the couple decided to continue together until a few months ago. Gates and French have decided to divide their $130 billion fortune, through a separation contract. In contrast, Mackenzie Scott's net worth comes from her 4% stake in Amazon. $60 billion is close to the exact value, of that stake due to Amazon's rising stock price. Mackenzie Scott married Dan Jewett in March 2021. He is a high school chemistry teacher at a private school in Seattle. Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott have four children together. She was with him, when he decided to start Amazon in Seattle in 1994. In this penultimate paragraph, let's go back to Bill and Melinda Gates. Bill and Melinda are going to try to work together at their respected philanthropic foundation, until 2023. Bill Gates made a costly mistake by asking Jeffrey Epstein to donate some of his money, to their foundation. Also, Gates tried to cheat on Melinda Gates by dating other women while they worked together at Microsoft. Infidelity and fights over couples finances are two major reasons for divorce, in the past two decades. Bill and Melinda Gates had three children together. Finally, married couples do not reap many rewards from getting divorced. About 43-46% of marriages end in divorce, according to the National Survey of Family Growth. The image above is a dollar bill broken into a heart, with a man and a women. This image shows that money can break the hearts of a married man and woman. When a person decides that marriage is the best option, remember that it is recommended that counseling be an option for a couple to get involved in. This option can help a marriage be healthy, and it can lead to a happier path than divorce. Good day!

Delta variant, B.1.617.2; could be dominant COVID-19 strain in USA

As the pandemic is more than 18 months old, the latest threat is the Delta variant. The Delta variant of COVID-19 was first identified in India, in late 2020. It is known as B.167.2. The dangerous variant is causing a spike in COVID-19 infections among unvaccinated people in England, where it has become the dominant variant of the new coronavirus. Currently, the UK is in lockdown until July 15, 2021. Modifications in the Delta variant make it easy to replicate faster, and evade the body's immunity mechanism. In addition, the World Health Organization has declared B.167.2 to be the 'fastest and fittest' variant yet. The Delta variant is 50-60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant. The Alpha variant was 50-60% more transmissable, than the original strain of COVID-19. The top five countries that have the most cases for covid-19 are USA; India; Brazil; France; and Russia. In the USA, the top eleven states have more than one million cases. California; Texas; and Florida are the top three states, with the most covid-19 cases. Next, those people that are fully vaccinated are immune against the covid-19 delta variant. Yet, citizens of the USA should be cautious and wear masks; socially distance; etc. throughout the final five months of 2021. In the fall 2021, there could be another spike in covid-19 cases nationwide. The virus peaked in many states in Fall 2020. If you reside in CA; MO; AR; or WY states; the recommendation of CDC is to be extra cautious of your surroundings so as to not catch COVID-19. The Delta variant comprises 95% of all new cases in the UK. Furthermore, the delta variant of COVID-19 has prompted new lockdowns in Australia and Asia. The Delta variant is in all 50 states, in the USA. LA county is urging its residents to wear masks indoors, and New York City is urging its residents to be extra cautious of the delta variant also. Models for Delta variant's spread show the fall 2021 could see a peak of around 20% of the infections the US recorded in January 2021. Mississippi and Alabama show very substantial surges of the infection as well. In this penultimate paragraph, there is not a definite timetable for the pandemic to end. President Joe Biden's goal for the US was to have 70% of the country get one vaccine at least, against covid-19 by July 4, 2021. This goal was close to being met, as 55% of the population have received at least one dose. Moreover, about 47% of the USA population is fully vaccinated. A couple of days ago, first lady Jill Biden visited Phoenix, AZ to address that getting fully vaccinated is the best option. She and Doug Emhoff, second gentleman; were pushing covid-19 vaccines in AZ as part of a special visit. In closing, the citizens of the USA should concentrate on spreading the word that 'getting 100% fully vaccinated' is the best option for all parts of this country. During the summer, stores and restaurants may relax mask wearing in most parts of the USA. Yet, everyone has to do their part to protect themselves against the delta variant. As this post ends, see the picture above of grocery shoppers in LA county that continue to mask up. Good day!

Juneteenth 2021: a new major holiday in the USA

Less than two days ago, the US government approved a new federal holiday for the USA. It is called Juneteenth, or June 19. The annual tradition falls on Saturday this year. The tradition commemorates the day in 1865 when former American slaves in Galveston, TX; were finally informed of President Abraham Lincoln's January 1, 1863, Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War. President Joe Biden signed legislation on June 17 for the Juneteenth National Independence day holiday. Biden believes that this action will go down as "one of the greatest honors"; of his presidency. In addition, the holiday is the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. day in 1983. June 19 becomes the eleventh federal holiday recognized by the US federal government. Since Juneteenth falls on a Saturday this year, most federal employees will observe the holiday on June 18. Opal Lee is the activist who campaigned to establish Juneteenth as a federal holiday. She was in East Room, for the ceremony with members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Currently, there are only a handful of states that observe Juneteenth as a paid holiday. Furthermore, The legislation for this new federal holiday gained momentum following Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd last year. It was also spurred after Democrats won the White House and control of the House of Representatives, and the US Senate. The bill passed the House on June 16, with a 415-14 vote. African Americans have been celebrating Juneteenth as their own Independence Day since the late 19th century, according to the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. President Biden wants Americans to use the Juneteenth holiday, as a day of reflection and action. Biden lauded members of Congress for the bipartisan effort, which is a big change from the recent fighting between Republicans and Democrats on the infrastructure bill. Also, the term Juneteenth is a blend of the words June and nineteenth. Juneteenth holiday's origin came from Union Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and his troops arriving at Galveston on June 19, 1865, with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. Many Fortune 500 companies will add Juneteenth to their calendars for the first time, while also committing billions of dollars to initiatives designed to combat institutional racism. Amazon is sponsoring several Juneteenth events this weekend, including the inaugural Juneteenth Unityfest; a series of musical performances; speeches and other live shows that will be livestreamed nationwide on Saturday. Apple is giving US corporate employees a day off on June 18. The company's retail stores and support centers will maintain regular operating hours over the weekend. In this penultimate paragraph, more companies are celebrating the holiday in different ways. Chipotle is giving customers an opportunity to help close the racial wealth gap by donating to Project 10X, an initiative for racial equity created by the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Google is eliminating meetings on Friday to honor Juneteenth. Instacart is observing Juneteenth as a company holiday; and a "day of reflection" on June 18. General Motors is celebrating Juneteenth as a day of service for its workers. Facebook employees will have the option to take a paid day off of work, on June 18. In closing, it is good to see companies are celebrating the new holiday in different ways. Microsoft is honoring Juneteenth on Monday, June 21 by inviting all its global employees to join in a day of "exploration, learning, and engagement." Lyft is honoring Juneteenth as a paid day off for the second consecutive year. Enjoy the picture above of the Juneteenth flag. Good night!

Tokyo Olympics could happen in July 2021, amid major protests

In early March 2020, the WHO (world health organization) declared covid-19 a pandemic. Since the pandemic started fifteen months ago, there are three countries that have experienced the most cases. The three countries are the United States, India, and Brazil. Japan stands at #34 in the number of covid-19 cases, according to worldometers.info website. The Tokyo Olympics are scheduled from July 23, 2021 to 8-8-2021. The Olympics were canceled in 2020, due to the coronavirus disease outbreak. Even though Japan stands at #34, protests were held in Tokyo to cancel the summer Olympics last month. The Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to worsen in Japan. Shockingly, the country has fully vaccinated about 2-3% of its population. The final decision about the Olympic Games is a high-stakes game of chicken, between Japan and the International Olympic Committee. The Japanese government has the upper hand, above the IOC (International Olympic Committee). IOC member Dick Pound told a magazine that the event would take place, even if Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga asked that it be canceled. In contrast, Suga retorted that the Olympics would not take place if 80% of the Japanese population wanted the games to be canceled. Four new sports will be making their Olympic debut: Karate, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing. Baseball and softball are returning to the Olympic program, after previously being cut. The city of Tokyo is thirteen hours ahead of New York City, and 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles. This time difference means that the games will not happen live in the US, unless it is at 1 am in USA. NBCUniversal will air close to 7,000 hours of Olympic coverage on TV, and streaming video. Furthermore, NBC will use two broadcast networks; six cable networks; and multiple streaming platforms to show the global games in Tokyo. The Olympic games will have 41 sporting events. NBC will show popular competitions, including the USA men’s basketball team’s chase for a 16th gold medal, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, swimming and gymnastics. More than 5,000 hours will stream on NBColympics.com. The cable sports network, NBCSN; will broadcast more than 440 hours and USA Network will broadcast more than 380 hours. Frankly, it will be super hard to watch all that olympic coverage. In this penultimate paragraph, the protests will be discussed further. The IOC has determined that athletes cannot protest inside stadiums, during ceremonies or at podiums during the Olympic Games. The protest ban will be in place when athletes are inside stadiums, at ceremonies, and on podiums. At least 10,000 volunteers dropped out of participating in the Olympics, which is likely due to fears of contracting COVID-19. IOC experts believe that at least 80 percent of athletes and resident of Olympic Village will be fully vaccinated, by 7-23-2021. Also, the Olmpic games may take place without Japanese fans. In closing, the fans from other countries have been barred from attending the Olympic games. Without the fans from any country, the games will be less exciting to watch. Viewership may be quite lower than usual, in TV ratings for NBC and other worldwide networks. A recent Associated Press poll claimed that 60-80% of Japanese respondents want the games called off. More than 15,000 athletes from 200 countries are slated to travel to Japan for the games. Lets hope for better health conditions in Japan with Covid-19, if the games are to happen.

Internet Explorer is retiring in June 2022

Recently, Microsoft announced the end of life for Internet Explorer as June 2022. Microsoft wants users to shift to Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer had a lifecycle over 25 years, and Internet Explorer 11 was its latest version. Internet Explorer is an important part of history of the Internet. All web browsers are a free download, and Internet Explorer accounted for over 90% of the market share in 2004. In contrast, Internet Explorer has less than 1% market share in today's browser wars. Google Chrome was launched in December 2008, by Google. By May 2012, Chrome surpassed the popularity of Internet Explorer. It became the most widely used web browser. In 2018, Google Chrome had more than 66% of the global market share. The development of the browser began in 2006, headed by Sundar Pichai. Furthermore, the market leader for the web browser is Chrome. Internet Explorer was started in 1995, as it was bundled with Windows 95 operating system. The Edge web browser was launched in 2015, to compete with Google Chrome. As of April 2021, Safari has an 19% market share. Microsoft Edge has a 3% market share, and Google Chrome has a 64% market share. These statistics are compiled by web analytics firm, Statcounter. In December 2020, Microsoft Teams application stopped supporting Internet Explorer 11. In August 2021, Microsoft Office 365 will stop supporting Internet Explorer 11. Mozilla Firefox has a market share of 4%, in the browser wars. Brave web browser is another web browser, that is created by Brave Software Inc. It is based on the Chromium web browser. Brave's market share is less than .1%. In this penultimate paragraph, there are two more web browsers to discuss. Samsung Internet browser has 3.3% market share. Opera internet browser has 2.22% market share. Samsung Internet browser is a mobile web browser, for smartphones and tablets. Opera web browser and Samsung internet browser are based, on the Chromium web browser. Like Internet Explorer, Opera was released in 1995. In closing, Microsoft is ending Internet Explorer to continue its fight against Google Chrome. If you have Safari web browser, then you must own an Apple device. Safari is developed to run on Apple devices specifically. Enjoy the picture above. It shows the end of life for Microsoft Internet Explorer. Good day!

Flicks present and delayed for rest of 2021

In May, the summer movie season starts. With the Coronavirus Pandemic causing chaos in the film industry, some flicks will happen in May while blockbusters will happen later this year. At the end of this month, 'A Quiet Place Part II' is scheduled for May 28 release date. This movie is directed by John Krasinski, and the main character is played by Emily Blunt. Blunt and Krasinski team up again for the sequel, to the 2018 box office hit. The talented married couple could score another big hit, if people pack the theaters. In addition, 'Cruella' will be released on May 28. This movie is a prequel, which has Emma Stone playing the title character. The movie is a live action film, which follows a young Cruella De Vil. The trailer looks thrilling, and Emma will have an english accent. The movie takes place in London. This movie is distributed by Disney, and it should be a hit for kids and adults. Unfortunately, there will be a tenth installment of the 'Fast and Furious' movies on 6-25-2021. This one is titled 'F9'; and it's the ninth movie of the Fast and Furious series. John Cena and Charlize Theron are the main villains in the movie. Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez will share the screen, for the first time in the same scenes. 'Fast and Furious' movies are not my thing, and these wacky movies continue to be released. The first movie was released in 2001, and it was a hit. In other movie related news, 'Top Gun 2: Maverick' was scheduled for a 7-2-2021 release date. But, the movie will be released in November 2021 as coronavirus pandemic is shifting this flick to another date. 'Top Gun: Maverick' is the sequel to the original Tom Cruise hit from 1986. In the 2021 version, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer will be back as 'Goose' and 'Iceman.' Jon Hamm; Jennifer Connelly; and Miles Teller are part of the supporting cast. In July, 'Black Widow' will be released on July 9 with Scarlett Johansson as the lead role. This Marvel and Walt Disney Studios movie is the 24th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow is played by Johansson, and this movie will be the eighth one for the Black Widow character. David Harbour; Florence Pugh; and Rachel Weisz play family members of Black Widow. This Marvel flick could be the big hit of the summer. With many people getting the vaccines on a global scale, the theaters could have a huge amount of people for seeing this action-packed movie. Lastly, June 2021 brings 'In the Heights' movie to big screens on June 11. This movie centers on the Washington Heights neighborhood, of New York City. The music is created by Lin Manuel Miranda, and Jon Chu directed the movie. Jon found success in directing 'Crazy Rich Asians' movie. Jimmy Smits; Corey Hawkins; and Anthony Ramos play supporting characters in this Warner Bros. musical drama film. G. Ripley is looking forward to catching that movie, in the theaters next month. Goodbye from Hollywood!

California reopening on June 15, 2021; and Silicon Valley office vacancy rate

About 15 days ago, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the California economy will reopen fully on 6-15-2021. The mask mandate for the state will continue. At this point, there is not a date that the statewide mask mandate will be lifted. California will lift most covid-19 restrictions by June 15, 2021. The economy of California is the largest in the United States, boasting a $3.2 trillion gross state product as of 2019. California would rank as the world's fifth largest economy, if it were a sovereign nation. In commercial real estate news, the high-tech region of Silicon Valley has reached its highest office vacancy rate since 2014. Office vacancies in Silicon Valley have increased for six straight quarters. Office vacancies hit double digit levels in Palo Alto and Santa Clara. Palo Alto is home to Stanford University, HP (Hewlett Packard), VMware, etc. Santa Clara is home to Intel, Applied Materials, Nvidia, ServiceNow, etc. There are many other IT companies located in Santa Clara, and Palo Alto. In April 2021, Google is allowing a small amount of US employees to return to the office voluntarily. All Google employees aren't required to return to the office, until at least September 2021. Salesforce will reopen its Salesforce tower in May 2021, while employees can continue to work from home through 2021. Salesforce Tower is located in San Francisco, and it is 61 stories high. Salesforce is projecting a small group of fully vaccinated employees can volunteer to work, in the Salesforce Tower. Salesforce Tower has over 1.4 million square feet of office space. Furthermore, Salesforce has reopened 22 offices across the country. The company said it will reopen Palo Alto and Irvine, California offices in April through June timeframe. The company has also been busy remodeling its offices, by adding Plexiglas; air purifiers; and handles that people can use without touching. In contrast, Atlassian and Zillow are two companies that have given the option to its employees to work from home permanently. Salesforce and Google want their employees to return to an office once to three times a week. This model is essentially a hybrid model, to fit the needs of most employees. In addition, Facebook says it is bringing back about 10% of its workers to its Menlo Park headquarters. The #1 social network is doing this massive step on May 10. Facebook's Fremont offices would reopen May 17. Its Sunnyvale offices would reopen on May 24. The company's downtown San Francisco offices plan on reopening on June 7, with similar capacity limits. With 17,000 employees, Facebook was Menlo Park’s largest employer in 2020. In closing, Apple and other companies are implementing a "hybrid environment" to return to in-person work. Apple is wanting some of its employees to return to the office, in June 2021. The companies are coming back to the office in phases. This process is including a phase 1, and a phase 2 approach. Companies return to office will be a huge shot in the arm, and continued good news for the US economy.