No, not the rock band.

Happening in the World: Nicaragua’s general elections will be held today, with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega largely expected to win a fourth consecutive term. After a series of unnerving and deadly political demonstrations in 2018, the current president has decided to take no chances and, consequently, arrested around half a dozen potential political rivals. As a result, the election is widely being labeled a “sham” or “parody election” (CNN).

Happening in the US: Tesla billionaire Elon Musk launched a Twitter poll of his 62.6 million followers, asking if he should sell 10% of his shares, promising to abide by the results of the poll. This comes after the Democratic Party in the Senate proposed billionaires should be taxed on “unrealized gains” when the price of their stock goes up—even if they do not sell any stock. Notably, Musk does not earn a cash salary nor take a bonus “from anywhere,” meaning “the only way for [him] to pay taxes personally is to sell stock,” according to the billionaire himself. With four hours left of the poll, 57% of voters have voted “yes” (BBC).

Happening in NYC: The annual Pumpkin Smash is happening today! Come down to Hudson River Park at Pier 84 near West 44th Street and 12th Avenue and, according to a press release from the NYC Parks Department, receive “15 minutes of smashing” with either a bat or hammer. Attendees are meant to bring their own carved pumpkin to smash into compost at the park. The event runs from 11 am to 2 pm, and pre-registration is required with one ticket representing up to five people (Gothamist).

Happening in Our Community: While no events are happening today, tomorrow the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program is hosting a panel of alumni who served in the military to mark the beginning of Veterans Day week in the US. The event will be online, from 9 to 10 am tomorrow morning. More information can be found here.

smashed pumpkin via Flickr