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February 3, 2022
Today is the birthday of Sean Kingston. Ahh, nostalgia. Life was much simpler when we were dancing to "Fire Burning" at a middle school mixer, Axe body spray dripping off our Hollister polos. We wish Sean Kingston, an inspirational artist and fire safety advocate, a very happy birthday.
Vaping mogul Chu Lam Yiu is one of China’s richest self-made women. But now she's in hot water (not peach flavored). Found out why in today's Wrap.
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All of Me Loves All of NFTs
Overview
- John Legend is launching an NFT platform to help entertainers take part in the digital craze
- Legend is launching the service with various tech investors and entrepreneurs, including the co-founder of Twitch
- The platform, “OurSong,” will let musicians create and sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which prove the authenticity of digital goods
- Many celebrities have made and sold NFTs, and some are getting more involved in the business. Tom Brady has also co-founded an NFT platform, “Autograph,” that lets athletes sell virtual sports collectibles
DIG DEEPER
Legend, who has won 12 Grammys, will be the company's "chief impact officer." He said his goal is to make the NFT process less intimidating for artists.
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NFL Sued for Discrimination
Overview
- Former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued 3 teams and the NFL for discrimination
- An accidental text from Patriots coach Bill Belichick indicated to Flores that the New York Giants had already selected a head coach days before Flores was scheduled to interview for the role
- The NFL’s “Rooney Rule” requires teams to consider at least 1 ethnic-minority candidate for head coaching positions
- Flores says he was manipulated to satisfy the mandate and likened the NFL to a "plantation"
DIG DEEPER
“In certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation. Its 32 owners — none of whom are black — profit substantially from the labour of NFL players, 70 percent of whom are black,” Flores' lawsuit said. The teams and NFL deny all charges.
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CNN Prez Resigns
Overview
- Jeff Zucker, the president of CNN, resigned
- Zucker said that he failed to disclose a romantic relationship he had with CNN’s chief marketing officer
- Zucker arrived at CNN in 2013 and played an instrumental role in crafting the network's business and content. He recruited its primetime stars, including Jake Tapper, Chris Cuomo, and Brian Stelter
- CNN's viewership surged during the Trump years but has fallen since. Zucker's departure comes shortly before CNN is scheduled to launch its CNN+ streaming service
DIG DEEPER
Zucker disclosed the relationship during CNN's investigation of former anchor Chris Cuomo, who violated policy to advise his brother, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, during a sex scandal. CNN fired Chris Cuomo in December.
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Denmark Lifts Covid Restrictions
Overview
- Denmark became the first EU country to lift all Covid-19 restrictions
- The government is no longer considering the disease a “socially critical sickness”
- The country will no longer require masks, vax passports, or mandatory self-isolation in the event of a positive test. The government said Covid-19 was no longer causing notable levels of ICU hospitalizations
- “We promised the citizens of Denmark that we will only have restrictions if they are truly necessary and we'll lift them as soon as we can,” the Danish health minister said. "That's what's happening right now"
DIG DEEPER
The only remaining pandemic requirement is testing on entry and potential quarantine for visitors from high-risk countries who are unvaccinated or have not been previously infected. Denmark does not have a vaccine mandate, but 81% of its people are vaccinated.
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 What do you think?
Today's Poll:
Would you prefer to be (if you're not already) vegan or gluten-free?
Vegan
Gluten-Free
Today's Question:
What's the dumbest autocorrect mistake your phone makes?
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
- Spike Lee will direct a Colin Kaepernick docuseries for ESPN. The ex-QB and activist Kaepernick will co-produce the series
- A farewell to Whoopi: ABC suspended Whoopi Goldberg from The View after she said (and repeated) that the Holocaust "isn't about race"
- Jim Harbaugh remains a Michigan man! The coach told his team he's staying in Ann Arbor despite interviewing for the Vikings HC job
Business
- Stock market unfriends Meta: Facebook shares plunged more than 20% in extended trading after missing on revenue and user numbers
- Raining cash on Wall Street! Bonuses for Wall Street bankers jumped by their largest margin in a decade, most notably for dealmakers
- Gray Lady turning green: The New York Times hit 10M paid subscribers and raked in $2B+ in 2021 for the first time in a decade
Wildcard
- Rudy Giuliani's surprise unmasking on an upcoming episode of "The Masked Singer" prompted 2 of the show's judges to walk off set
- An 8-year-old in Idaho wrote "The Adventures of Dillon Helbig's Crismis" for his school library. The book now has a 55-person waitlist
- Queen Elizabeth II will become the first British monarch to reign for 70 years on Sunday. God save the Queen until AT LEAST Sunday!
- Phil has spoken: Punxsutawney Phil, the star of Groundhog Day, saw his shadow Wednesday morning. Prepare for 6 more weeks of winter!
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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Is China’s Vaping Queen going to lose her throne?
Chu Lam Yiu is one of China’s richest self-made women. As co-chair and CEO of Huabao International Holdings, a leading e-cigarette flavor maker in China, she’s made billions off China’s vaping boom.
In 1996, age 26, Chu founded Huabao’s predecessor company, which produced flavors and fragrances for tobacco manufacturers. Eventually, it moved into the e-cigarette business, creating flavors for that booming market. In China, with some 250M smokers, Chu raked it in.
Between 2020 and 2021, Huabao shares increased 7x. For Chu, who owned 71% of the company’s stock, that translated to a multi-billion dollar gain that made her one of China’s richest people. In November, Forbes reported her net worth at $5.8B.
Then, suddenly, her fortunes fell.
On Friday, Chinese authorities announced an investigation into Chu for “unspecified suspected disciplinary violations,” a phrase that typically relates to corruption. No more details were released. News of the probe sent Huabao’s shares tumbling by 67% and Chu’s fortune to $2.6B.
The change of fortunes wasn’t all that unpredictable. Numerous business leaders have found themselves at the tip of a campaign by Chinese leader Xi Jinping to remake Chinese society as he prepares for his third term in office.
The campaign began as an “anti-corruption” movement to clean up the relationship between Chinese government and business. Since then, it has expanded into a program to modify Chinese culture. New government policies seek to define how pop culture characters should behave, how much kids should study, and the hours during which they can play video games.
Meanwhile, Xi has called for an economic shift toward “common prosperity,” via the regulation of “excessively high incomes.” Policy should “encourage high-income groups and enterprises to return more to society,” he has said.
Crackdowns have led some top entrepreneurs to retire and wiped billions off the market values of major Chinese companies. The government has scuttled the plans of some of the country’s most well-known businesspeople, prompting many foreign investors to flee the market.
All this bodes poorly for Chu, a billionaire purveyor of e-cigarettes, which officials have said need to be regulated to protect the youth. Whether she actually violated a law or is just at the wrong place at the wrong time, her vaping empire may go up in smoke.
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
Big Tech word scramble. Unscramble each of the Big Tech-related words. Zuck paid us to pick this theme.
- ATME
- OZNAAM RMEPI
- OLEGOG
- CIONILS LEVALY
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Which actor do you like better: Leonardo DiCaprio or Christian Bale?
Leonardo DiCaprio: 61.3%
Christian Bale: 38.7%
Yesterday's Question:
What is the dumbest road rule? Feel free to really vent.
Jessica from San Diego: "Not sure the dumbest rule but I feel driving the speed limit in the fast lane should be a ticketable offense. Thank you."
Mark from Singapore: "Speed limit on highways. Before you ask, the Autobahn in Germany has ¼ of the road deaths of the USA."
Truett from Maryland: "You can’t challenge the other person to hand-to-hand combat"
General Feedback:
Liz from New York: "How fortunate you got to spend time in Ukraine and keep in touch with the folks you met. It makes things real hearing from ordinary, everyday citizens. I hope they are right."
Kim from Portland: "'What’s up, Dock?' Cute! Made me chuckle."
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20 Questions: 16-20
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers. Last Friday, however, we did our first-ever "This or That" 20 Questions. Here is the breakdown of your preferences....
16. Living in the cowboy era or pirate era?
Cowboy: 61%
Pirate: 39%
17. Geometry or algebra?
Geometry: 18%
Algebra: 82%
18. Old Spice or Axe deodorant?
Old Spice: 91%
Axe: 9%
19. Spilling coffee on a white shirt or walking with wet socks?
Spilling coffee: 55%
Wet socks: 45%
20. Being trapped in a rom-com with enemies or a horror movie with friends?
Rom-com with enemies: 63%
Horror movie with friends: 37%
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Games Answer(s):
1. Meta 2. Amazon Prime 3. Google 4. Silicon Valley
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― Final Thoughts
Happy Thursday, riders. The wait is almost up: Just 24 more hours, and Roca 20 questions will finally be upon us.
In the meantime, do something crazy today: Use conditioner before shampoo, unsubscribe from your other newsletters, apply for a job at Roca. Live it up!
-Max and Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is about Sawney Bean, a legendary and historically disputed Scottish cannibal.
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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