Inflation, Hot Air & Wind

Hype and ballooning both rely on hot air and some wind at your back. But in the case of ballooning, not too much wind. In each issue of Luckbox, the editors and contributors bring an array of perspectives to a single theme. This time, the focus on hype got us thinking about hot air, and … Continued

America’s Top Bottles

A whiskey and a tequila that will raise your spirits Spirits sales in the United States rose 1.3% in 2020 despite pandemic-induced lockdowns, according to the Distilled Spirits Council, an industry trade group.  While the sale of $10-and-below bottles declined, sales in the $115-$170 range grew by 7.3%, and high-end bottles (priced $170 and above) … Continued

Market Intelligence

Bloomberg’s Larry Tabb on the recent surge in retail investing activity, speculative trading and the one thing most misunderstood about the markets You’ve said the pandemic revolutionized the public markets by “turning everyone’s kitchen table into a trading desk.” What other catalysts have increased trading activity?  The big ones are zero commissions and people being … Continued

SPACs’ Bad Rap

If you in the SPAC game you know what I’m talking aboutWe sick of IPOs day one lockin’ us outMy man Randy first told me DraftKings would go publicIt’s mergin’ wit’ a SPAC and the market gonna love itI’m like a SPAC, what’s the hell’s that?You get in on the ground floorIt paid big, so … Continued

Outer Spirits

A stellar space race for potables is underway While the billionaire bosses of Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX battle for space tourism bragging rights, other astral entrepreneurs are exploring marketing and maturation opportunities by marrying the moon with moonshine. In 2015, Japanese distiller Suntory sent whisky to mature in the International Space Station to … Continued

Third-Party Challenge to the Two-Party Schism

In the 2020 election, the Libertarian Party will once again appear on the ballot in all 50 states. With that in mind, Joe Bishop-Henchman, the party’s national chairman, sat down with Luckbox to describe the party’s path forward. How would you summarize libertarian principals? Joe Bishop-Henchman: One single sentence: “Don’t hurt people and don’t take … Continued

Lady Liberty

In the 2016 presidential election, the Libertarian ticket of former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson for president and former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld for vice president pulled off the party’s best performance in its half-century history, tallying nearly 4.5 million popular votes. This November, Libertarians hope Jo Jorgensen, their first female presidential candidate, will build … Continued

One Network Under Norm

Norm Pattiz built Westwood One, the nation’s largest radio network, before turning podcasting power player at PodcastOne  In 1976, National Radio Hall of Famer Norm Pattiz founded a radio syndication company that grew to become Westwood One, the nation’s largest radio network. He started Launchpad in 2012, which a year later became PodcastOne. His podcast … Continued

The Cult of Celebrity Spirits

We value our liquid assets and the master distillers who make them special, so we’re not the least bit impressed when a celebrity attaches his name to a brand—as should be evident from our (May 2019) review of Metallica’s Blackened Whiskey. We were similarly unmoved by Justin Timberlake’s Sauza 901, George Clooney’s Casamigos, Michael Jordan’s … Continued

ATLAS OBSCURA

Pandemics and travel bans are no match for Atlas Obscura: The Second Edition by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton. But that’s no surprise. The first edition, published in 2016, became an instant phenomenon, and the second edition continues the trend. Both books offer versions of the ultimate traveler’s bucket list, laced with photos, … Continued