July 16, 2018: France Celebrates World Cup Win, Why Law Firms Are Opting for Alcohol-Free Teambuilding Events, London Protest Organizers to Take 'Trump Baby' Blimp on Tour

1. FRANCE CELEBRATES WORLD CUP WIN: France defeated Croatia 4-2 to win the World Cup on Sunday, with a massive party taking place at Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris. Associated Press: "France’s 4-2 win over Croatia in the World Cup final in Moscow on Sunday marked the second time in 20 years that France has won the World Cup, and came at a time when the people feel needy. Troublemakers marred some of the festivities at the top of the Champs-Elysees, breaking the window of a major store, throwing bottles, temporary barriers, and even a bicycle at riot police as the celebrations wound down close to midnight. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas. BFM-TV reported that the store was pillaged. Earlier, people wrapped in flags and dressed in crazy hats, and one man spotted totally nude except for the Tricolor, marched down the avenue where France displayed its military might a day earlier for Bastille Day. Revelers set off smoke bombs in the national colors—blue, white and red—obscuring Napoleon’s triumphal arch. People climbed atop every newspaper kiosk and bus stop in the area to wave flags and lead the crowds below in cheers. The national anthem, the Marseillaise, rang out, cars honked horns and cherry bombs cracks. A young man sprayed a fire extinguisher on the crowd on a late hot afternoon. Hundreds of police in riot gear were discretely lined up on side streets to monitor revelers. Typically, celebrations in France end up with some broken shop windows and other destruction, and Sunday was no exception. Tear gas was lobbed at one point on the Champs-Elysees. About 4,000 police watched over the fan zone—packed to its 90,000 capacity—during the match, then moved to the Champs-Elysees and neighboring streets." https://bit.ly/2zKr9Cg

2. WHY LAW FIRMS ARE OPTING FOR ALCOHOL-FREE TEAMBUILDING EVENTS: Law firms across the U.S. are opting for alcohol-free company outings such as escape rooms, cooking classes, and virtual reality gaming. Firms are choosing booze-less events because of the #MeToo movement. New York Post: "This year’s crop of summer associates—more than a thousand of the nation’s brightest legal minds getting paid as much as $15,000 a month—are the first since the hyper-vigilant and stepped-up awareness of workplace sexual harassment metastasized itself in the public consciousness last fall. For the law firms, removing alcohol-focused outings is smart business as it lowers the odds that something will go wrong, experts said. 'In light of the #MeToo movement, an open bar at a summer associate event is potentially a tinderbox of liability,' Patrick Krill, a legal industry behavioral health consultant, told Law.com. At Milbank, Tweed, that meant hosting an evening out recently at a Brooklyn ax-throwing bar instead of, say, a cocktail party at a swanky watering hole. For many senior lawyers across the country, the turn of events could be enough to make their heads explode. That the world of corporate law has come to this: an evening of 20-somethings throwing axes in a bar being considered less risky than gathering the troops for a few gin and tonics on a rooftop and watching the sun set. 'At every social event, we were getting hammered,' one 64-year-old lawyer who has been a partner in New York and Los Angeles firms told The Post when asked if he had any memories of his months as a summer associate. 'No question about it, a large amount of funds were used to wine and dine prospective associates.'" https://nyp.st/2usqCj8

3. LONDON PROTEST ORGANIZERS TO TAKE 'TRUMP BABY' BLIMP ON TOUR: Organizers of the protest against Donald Trump on Friday plan to take their key centerpiece—a giant blimp of a baby resembling the 45th U.S. president—on the road. The Hollywood Reporter: "In the weeks since the six-meter (roughly 20 feet) tall inflatable, depicting Donald Trump as an angry, orange, diaper-wearing baby, entered the public arena, it has faced the wrath of Rudy Giuliani, come under attack from Fox News, sparked a rival imitation, had a world tour planned, and become the headline act of the numerous protests erupting across the U.K. to mark the president’s first official visit. On Tuesday, when the Trump Baby had its first test inflation, ABC News covered the event live. 'It was the most bizarre thing,' said Matthew Butcher, one of the organizers of the blimp, adding that the press interest has been 'somewhat surprising and overwhelming and amazing in equal measure.' Originally launched as an online crowdfunding campaign to fund the manufacture of a giant balloon so that Trump, who Butcher calls 'a big, angry baby with a fragile ego and tiny hands,' knows that 'all of Britain is looking down on him and laughing at him' when he visits London. Butcher says the initial £10,000 ($13,200) target was smashed in less than a week. Once enough money was in the bank, the next step was getting the necessary permission to fly over London, something that mayor Sadiq Khan, a man who Trump has personally attacked via Twitter, granted after a petition was signed by more than 10,000 people. ... With money still pouring into the campaign (mainly via 'lots and lots of very small donations,' according to Butcher), the total amassed has passed £30,000 ($40,000), with organizers stating they intend to use the excess on a 'Trump Baby World Tour' that will see it deflated and re-inflated wherever the president travels in order to 'troll Donald from the skies.'" https://bit.ly/2NNZDa1

* LOCAL NEWS *

CHICAGO:  The 17th annual Taste of River North will take place July 20-22. Participating restaurants include Bar Cargo, Pink Taco, and True Food Kitchen. 

The inaugural Debbie Medlin Memorial Golf Outing, benefiting the Lupus Society of Illinois, will take place August 27 at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park. 

LOS ANGELES:  The Anaheim Home & Garden Show will take place August 17-19 at the Anaheim Convention Center. 

For information on upcoming events in Los Angeles, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/losangeles

NEW YORK:  City Winery has announced it will move to a new location in 2020. 

The inaugural New York Beer Fest will take place July 21 at Citi Field. The event will have tastings from more than 80 craft breweries. 

Global Woman Club, a networking community for women in business in Europe, held its Global Woman Summit July 14-15 at the Sheraton Hotel, Times Square. Speakers included Les Brown and Barbara Marx Hubbard. 

For information on upcoming events in New York, visit Masterplanner: http://www.masterplanneronline.com/newyork

TORONTO:  The Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers (CAPS) Pinot Party fund-raiser takes place today at Lifford Wine & Spirits. 

YOUR NEWS: What are you doing? Tell us: [email protected]. 

JOB BOARD: Post a job or find a job: http://jobs.bizbash.com

With contributions from Claire Hoffman in Los Angeles and Beth Kormanik, Michele Laufik, Ian Zelaya, and Kristine Liao in New York.

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