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January 5, 2022
Smells like... a closed case. The lawsuit from the "Nirvana baby" — now grown up and no longer swimming trunkless (but still chasing dollar bills) — has been dismissed. Turns out he's been profiting off his baby fame for years, including to “pick up women.” Anyone else interested in reading those DMs?
But let's change the subject to lobsters. Last month, the UK listed some sea creatures as "sentient beings." Read today's Wrap to dive into this debate.
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The Great Tattoo Ban
Overview
- New restrictions took effect in the EU on Tuesday that ban 4,000+ chemicals used in tattoo inks
- The chemicals are mainly used in coloring inks, and the EU says they can cause "skin allergies and other more serious health impacts, such as genetic mutations and cancer"
- European tattoo artists have compared the law to a ban on their work, given the prevalence of the chemicals in the inks they need. They say they need more time to prepare and that the concerns aren't merited
- The EU has said alternative substances are already available, and that the chemicals are dangerous
DIG DEEPER
EU data shows that up to 12% of Europeans have a tattoo, including up to 24% of young adults. Artists say people will just hit the black market for tats instead.
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Record Quits in November
Overview
- A record 4.5M Americans quit their jobs in November, equal to 3% of all workers
- The highest quit rates are among low-income workers, particularly at small employers who are having to compete with larger ones offering better compensation
- In total, there are 10.6M job openings and 6.9M unemployed people seeking work, meaning there are 2 possible workers for every 3 open jobs
- Despite the hot labor market, just 61.8% of working-age Americans are working or trying to, below the 63.4% level 2 years ago
DIG DEEPER
Have you quit your job in the last year? Let us know in today's poll of the day!
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Goodbye to Battery-Powered Remotes
Overview
- Samsung has created a television remote powered through radio waves
- The device charges itself by tapping into the radio waves emitted by WiFi routers up to 130 feet (40m) away. It also contains a solar panel
- Engineers have long sought to use radio energy for electronics, however the waves generate only a small amount of energy, like the amount required by a remote control
- Samsung predicts the change, when widely implemented, can save waste from 99M batteries over a 7-year period
DIG DEEPER
The remote charges by “collecting routers’ radio waves and converting them to energy," Samsung says. Those who prefer the old way can charge via a USB-C port.
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Joe Manchin Vs. Dems Again
Overview
- Senator Joe Manchin (Dem., West Virginia) indicated that he won't support Democrats' effort to change the filibuster
- The filibuster requires most legislation to have 60 votes to pass the Senate. With a current 50 Democrat (+ VP Harris tiebreaker), 50 Republican split, many Democrats want to change or eliminate the rule
- Democrats are currently trying to pass a voting bill which requires 60 votes. It's unlikely to pass with the filibuster as is
- Last month, Manchin, considered the most centrist Democrat, killed Pres. Biden's signature social spending bill, saying it contained too much spending ($1.75T+)
DIG DEEPER
Changing the filibuster requires 51 votes (In this case, 50 senators plus Democratic VP Kamala Harris), but Manchin said Democrats should do so only if Republicans support the change as well.
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 What do you think?
Today's Poll:
Have you quit a job in the last year?
Yes
No
Today's Question:
If yes to the above, did the pandemic change your perspective/play a role?
Reply to this email with your answers!
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- News engagement took a nosedive in 2021 (thankfully, yours truly thrived). Cable viewership and news app downloads dropped 33%+
- Ye, known in a past life as Kanye West, is working on his first-ever sequel album, "Donda 2." It will be Ye's 11th album
- Like a wrecking ball: ABC won New Year's Eve with a nighttime average of 6.8M viewers, beating CBS and NBC (Miley Cyrus hosted)
Business
- Warren Buffett raked in $120B from Apple's ascent to a $3T valuation. The "Oracle of Omaha" bought a 5% stake in Apple in 2018
- Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith and former BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith are joining forces to start a new global news media company
- Finger-lickin'... healthy? KFC will add Beyond Meat's plant-based chicken sandwiches to its menu for a limited time, starting Monday
Wildcard
- Snowy night from hell: Hundreds of drivers were stranded on I-95 in Virginia overnight due to heavy snow in the DC area
- A 75-yo Hawaiian man died by plunging 100 feet into Hawaii's Kilauea volcano. Rangers and firefighters rescued his body
- End of an era: Little Caesars is bumping the price of its famous Hot-N-Ready pizza from $5 to $5.55 for the first time in decades
- California twins will have different birth years after one was born on New Year's Eve and the other at midnight on New Year's Day!
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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Do octopuses and crabs have feelings? Is it unethical to boil them alive?
The United Kingdom says yes: Last month, the UK gov listed sea creatures such as lobsters, octopuses, and crabs as “sentient beings,” or animals that can experience feelings such as pain.
The UK already considered all animals with backbones as sentient, but the addition of sea creatures comes after a report by the London School of Economics confirmed these sea animals can experience pain.
The ability to feel pain matters for animal welfare laws, which require that sentient animals’ suffering be limited. After the decision, it's unlawful for UK citizens to boil a live, un-stunned lobster or to declaw live crabs.
The law follows an international trend toward stronger animal rights. To date, 32 countries have declared animals as sentient. Even in the US, where traditionally the only way to legally protect an animal from abuse was to portray it as harm to “property,” things are changing.
In October, a US court recognized animals as legal persons for the first time. The decision regarded the offspring of hippos once owned by Pablo Escobar. Escobar imported hippos to Colombia in the 1980s, and they’ve since gone wild and multiplied. The US ruling sought to protect the hippos from death or sterilization by the Colombian government.
Other advocates want animal rights to include the human right of a court hearing to decide if a detainment is legal. If the activists are successful, they may set a precedent to end zoos.
In 2022, New York’s highest court will hear a major case on the matter: Lawyers filed a petition for Happy, an elephant in the Bronx Zoo, to be moved to a sanctuary. They say Happy, the first elephant to pass a mirror self-recognition test, is self-aware and deserves personhood status.
If the activists succeed, Happy may earn the right to be free. Given the other trends in animal rights, her case may not be the last.
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com and don't forget to share this Wrap with family and friends by using this link here!
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 Games
Spot the grammar mistake! Find the grammar mistake in each of these sentences.
- Can you believe that some people think Friends is a worse TV show then Trailer Park Boys?
- My doctor told me that I must limit my daily Red Bull consumption to three cans or less.
- When you finish crying about Taylor Swift's breakup with John Mayer, could you let Tommy and I know?
- For the seventh time, whose the CEO of Little Caesars?
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Would you rather go to space or deep-water diving?
Space: 64.4%
Deep-sea diving: 35.6%
Yesterday's Question:
What criminal trial have you followed most closely in your life? Why?
Emma from Massachusetts: "Hands down the Whitey Bulger case. I grew up on the north shore of MA and my entire life Whitey Bulger was a household name. A lot of his associates had homes in and around my town as well. It was just normal. So when the trial began I was wildly locked in. And then I found out my roommate’s father was one of the lead investigators, so obviously that just drew me in more."
Stu from Pennsylvania: "My dad is a prosecutor and one of his biggest cases happened when I was a freshman in high school. A man murdered his partner, hid her body in the basement, and then went and murdered her parents as well. He fled the state with their bodies and it took a week for them to find him down in a southern state. It was a huge and scary triple murder, and my dad was with the detectives when they found the first hidden body. It was a huge case that took a heavy toll on him and the small town community. Second to that is just the Maxwell trial that just concluded."
Ashleigh from Wichita: "The USA gymnastics sexual abuse cover up with Larry Nassar. "
General Feedback:
Matt from Michigan: "Congrats to the Roca team on setting up your first HQ!! How exciting for you all. Loved the book suggestions. I certainly agree with Jenni on her recommendation of Endurance. Hopefully, you can find some time to check that one out. The other two books sound very intriguing as well."
Ethan from Ohio: "I noticed some feedback from "Brigid" who wanted to see some Y2K stuff and I wanted to reach out and let you know that many people including myself would love reading and learning about Y2K and as someone who wasn't alive when Y2K happened I think the way you guys do your info cards would be a great way to learn about it. (Just a suggestion). p.s.- I love the work you guys at Roca do keep up the good work and thanks for the good news."
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20 Questions
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers. This past week, however, we did not do a 20 Questions.
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Games Answer(s):
1. "than" instead of "then"; 2. "fewer" instead of "less"; 3. "me" instead of "I"; 4. "who's" instead of "whose"
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― Final Thoughts
Many of you congratulated us on getting an office, which we deeply appreciate. The detail we left out, though, is that it's 3 feet by 6 feet, meaning it's not large enough for us to have desks or computers, but it is large enough for all of us to stand in a line and do the conga. We're using it for that purpose – hopefully we can afford a proper one in the future.
Just kidding, it's got enough space for us to do the limbo. We are living large!
-Max & Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is on NFL legend John Madden. The Hall of Fame coach, broadcasting giant, and video game namesake did it all.
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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