1. World Series
In what’s being called the most dramatic World Series ever with blown leads and late rallies, the Houston Astros beat the Los Angeles Dodgers last night 5-1 in Game 7. This is the first time in Astros history that they have won the World Series, so this was nothing short of a major celebration. After the Dodgers win in Game 6, the Astros had to pull out all the stops to take this one home – the five runs in the first two innings definitely helped the team’s morale and pushed them to the end. The small fan group behind home plate chanted Houston, Houston as the team streamed from the bullpen and dugout to celebrate on the pitch. The Dodgers fans weren’t quite as animated as they filed out of the stadium. There’s always next year, boys.
2. New York City
On Tuesday afternoon, a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan drove through a group of pedestrians and cyclists in lower Manhattan, killing 8 people and injuring 12 more. The suspect was shot by police and brought into custody. He appeared in court this week and will face terrorism charges. He said he “felt good” about what he did and was inspired by ISIS propaganda videos. Trump is on it, calling for an end to the Diversity Visa Program that brought this guy into the U.S. The President is also highly suggesting the court go with the death penalty when they choose their charges.
3. Lion King Remake
It has just been announced that Beyonce will be joining the cast of Disney’s live production remake of The Lion King. Queen Bey will play Nala, the love interest of Simba. She joins the cast of famous and talented people including Donald Glover as Simba and James Earl Jones as Mufasa (he played the role in the 1994 animated version). Jon Favreau will be directing the film as his follow-up to his successful Jungle Book remake. We saw a sneak peek of the film when Jon Favreau showed off the unbelievable amazing first footage for the film over the summer at D23 – and that was even before we knew Beyonce was going to be in it. The new Lion King is set to open July 19, 2019.
4. Canadian Immigration
The Canadian Government has announced they will be increasing annual immigration intake by 13% by 2020 bringing the number to 340,000. The increase is the answer to meet the need for “ever-growing demand for skilled labour.” The multi-year plan announced by Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen on Wednesday will bring the country’s yearly immigration level to 0.9% of the population. The plan will be executed over three years, increasing the number of immigrants each year and hitting the targeted total by 2020. The 340,000 is actually still short of the recommended number by the federal government who suggested increasing the number to 450,000. The growing Canadian economy and need for skilled labour should help absorb the extra immigrants and continue to help the economy grow.
5. Starbucks Holiday Cups
Christmas season has begun and as always, Starbucks is right there to kick things off. The anticipated release of their 2017 holiday cups was released with the classic holiday drinks, including the Chestnut Praline Latte, Caramel Brulée Latte, Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, and of course, the Peppermint Mocha. The cups look similar to the regular Starbucks cup with the white space and green logo – but the fun, whimsical drawings of Christmas fun make this cup perfect for the holiday season. Just like the Spring and Fall cups, the drawings have been left white to encourage baristas and customers to colour in the doves, Christmas trees, ornaments, wrapped gifts, Christmas cards, snowflakes, and mugs of hot cocoa.
