June 9, 2022

"America is staring down a summer of disasters." "Space debris could threaten human life." "A deadly heat wave is on the way." Yesterday was just another day of fear-mongering headlines from Big News. Roca's promise to you is to stay sane, friendly, and can someone check on that space debris?

In today's edition:

• Giant FBI lawsuit
• Lunch on Roca
• Very stair-y situation

 Lunch on Roca

 Key Stories

FBI Investigates Retired General

The FBI is investigating the influential retired general John Allen over illegal lobbying

• Allen formerly oversaw all NATO forces in Afghanistan. Since 2017, he’s been the president of Brookings, one of the US’ most influential think tanks (political research institutions)
• Brookings placed Allen on leave. His spokesman said his actions “were to protect the interests of the [US]”
• The FBI is investigating whether Allen lobbied on behalf of Qatar, a Persian Gulf country. In the US, it’s illegal to lobby on behalf of a foreign government without first notifying the Justice Department

California Voters: Get Tough on Crime

Primary results from California indicate that relatively high crime rates are at the top of voters’ minds

• In San Francisco, one of the nation’s most progressive cities, voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Boudin had pursued lighter sentencing and less incarceration
• In Los Angeles, another liberal city, former Republican and billionaire Rick Caruso placed first in the mayoral primary. Caruso recently became a Democrat, and pledged to tackle crime in the city
• Since Caruso didn’t earn 50% of votes, he’ll face Dem. Rep. Karen Bass in a runoff election in November

• Both LA and San Fran have seen crime rates surge since 2020. In LA last year, murders hit a 15-year high; this year is on pace to be worse. In San Francisco, there were 39% more murders last year than in 2019.

Gymnasts Sue FBI for $1B

90+ gymnasts are seeking $1B from the FBI for its failure to investigate Larry Nassar

• Nassar is a former USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty in 2017 to molesting hundreds of underage gymnasts. He faces 175 years in prison
• The suit claims that the FBI failed to act on credible information it received in 2015 about Nassar's behavior. Nassar was arrested in December 2016 by Michigan police after abusing 300+ gymnasts
• “If the FBI had simply done its job, Nassar would have been stopped before he ever had the chance to abuse hundreds of girls, including me,” a victim said

• Nassar’s victims included Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney, among hundreds of others. Nassar’s abuses took place over 20+ years

Banksy Theft Trial Starts in Paris

The trial of 8 men accused of stealing a Banksy mural started Wednesday in Paris

• The stolen art, titled “The Sad Young Girl,” was painted on the door of the Bataclan — the Paris theater where a 2015 ISIS attack killed 90 people
• The defendants are accused of removing the mural — valued at $540M — with an angle grinder and a crowbar. The mural was stolen in 2019 and found at an Italian farmhouse in 2020, after police identified the defendants using camera footage & phone data
• One of the defendants’ attorneys claims that the defendants didn't realize what they were stealing

• 7 of the defendants are French and 1 is Italian. The Franch ambassador in Rome said, “Many people in the [Bataclan] audience escaped through this emergency door. It lived, heard and saw the whole massacre”

• Who's laughing now? A sequel to Joker is in the works after director Todd Phillips teased the script on IG. Joaquin Phoenix is reading it now
• Mile-high price tag: The Denver Broncos sold to a Walmart heir for $4.7B, a record sale for a North American sports franchise
• U-Haul paradise: More people are moving to Manhattan than before the pandemic, though New York City's overall population has declined

 What do you think?

See yesterday's results below the Wrap!

 Roca Wrap

In 1959, Guinness celebrated its 200th anniversary. From its humble roots as a small-town brewery near Dublin, Ireland, it had grown to become the world’s biggest brewer with a scientific brewing process that produced one of the world’s most popular beers.

It was on that 200th anniversary, though, that Guinness may have had its biggest breakthrough: Mixed gas. 

***

Michael Ash was an English math teacher who had turned to brewing. In 1951, he joined Guinness, which gave him a crucial task: Develop a way to pour a Guinness that exemplified the beer. In 1959, he debuted his answer: The mixed pour. 

The mixed pour revolutionized Guinness. 

Until then, it had been poured using carbon dioxide, which forced the beer through the tap but led to excess froth. The mixed pour combined carbon dioxide and nitrogen, resulting in a pour that was less carbonated, and therefore smoother with a duller taste and creamy foam head. The result was Draught Guinness that the company is most famous for today. 

Another breakthrough for Guinness came with the Guinness World Records, the first book of which debuted in 1955. The records were the product of an argument between Guinness executives about which game bird was Europe’s fastest. To settle the argument they decided to create a book – Guinness World Records – which has sold 100M+ copies and been published in 37 languages. 

Yet despite the publishing success and the new pour, Guinness would soon be ailing. In 1962, the 25-yo Benjamin Guinness became the fifth consecutive generation of Guinness to serve as the company’s chairman. Under his tenure, the company became a sprawling conglomerate, engaged in a range of activities far from its core business of brewing and selling beer. 

In the 1970s, sales of bottled Guinness were dropping by 4-5 points annually, and its share of the bottled beer market was plummeting. At the same time, anti-UK terrorism by the pro-Ireland Irish Republican Army damaged Guinness’ Irish brand. In 1986, Benjamin Guinness resigned. For the first time, Guinness’ chairman was not a Guinness family member. 

Later that year, Guinness acquired the Distillers Company, whose brands included scotches Johnnie Walker and Dewar's. Guinness was found to have artificially inflated its share price during the acquisition, though, and criminal charges were brought against the company. 

Guinness redeemed itself in the next decade, though: First, Guinness figured out how to get its most popular drink – Draught Guinness – into a can that maintained its nitrogen-influenced taste and texture. In 1988, Guinness debuted a small plastic ball containing nitrogen, which it named the “widget.” When someone cracked a can of Guinness, the ball filled with bubbles that gave the beer its nitrogen texture and taste. For the first time, Guinness had reached the living room.

Then, Guinness revived its brand, repositioning it from a beer for older blue collar workers to one for young professionals. Between 1987 and 1992, Guinness Stout sales grew by up to 6% annually. It also went on a buying spree, spending a collective $8B on acquisitions, particularly of liquor companies. By 1992, up to 75% of Guinness profits were coming from spirits. 

In total, between 1987 and 1992, Guinness revenue more than quadrupled, from $1.8B to $7.6B.

***

In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan, an English conglomerate whose brands included Baileys Irish Cream and Smirnoff Vodka. The merged company named itself Diageo, and became one of the world’s biggest beverage conglomerates. Today, it’s the owner of Ciroc, Captain Morgan, Casamigos, Smirnoff, Tanqueray, and 200 other brands. 

Guinness, once the independent pride of Ireland, is now one of the crowd.  

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