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February 9, 2022
If you still don't think there are too many holidays, today is "Read in the Bathtub Day." Call us crazy, but this one seems a bit outdated (sorry to all those mid-bubble bath). Maybe it's time we rename it something more relatable like "Secretly Scroll through TikTok on Zoom Day." Bonus points for concision.
Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgo wants Paris to become a "15-minute city." What is that? Find out in today's Wrap.
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Peloton Makes Cuts
Overview
- Peloton fired its founder & CEO and announced 2,800 layoffs (20% of its global workforce)
- Since November, Peloton has been one of the worst-performing large US stocks. Last week, its price bottomed out at $25, down from a peak of $150+ a year ago
- The company announced it would be giving laid-off employees a free year-long Peloton membership, in addition to extended health care and cash severance
- The news comes amid reports that Amazon and Nike are considering placing acquisition bids for Peloton. A former Spotify executive will take over as CEO
DIG DEEPER
At its peak, Peloton was worth $50B. Last week, it was worth $8B. Its investors weren't pleased.
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Record Crypto Bust
Overview
- The US justice department conducted its largest-ever financial seizure. It confiscated $3.6B+ in cryptocurrency from a New York couple
- The government said the couple stole the funds during a 2016 crypto exchange hack
- The couple allegedly stole $71M in crypto; then its value ballooned into the billions. The government said the wallet still contained 94,000+ bitcoins
- While criminals increasingly use cryptocurrency to transfer funds, blockchain technology records all transactions. A booming “blockchain forensics” field is dedicated to tracking crypto assets
DIG DEEPER
The justice department said the seizures prove "we will not allow cryptocurrency to be a safe haven for money laundering or a zone of lawlessness within our financial system.”
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UK Porn Crackdown
Overview
- The UK govt. is planning a law that will require adult sites to verify their users’ ages
- The UK parliament will consider the bill next month. It may be enacted in 2023
- The law would require companies to verify users' identities through various mechanisms, including a government database. Firms that don't comply would face fines of up to 10% of revenue
- The law would be similar to ones in Germany and France, which require adult video sites to verify that all users are adults. The countries say adult videos are damaging to children
DIG DEEPER
The UK is debating a broader Online Safety Bill. The government's goal is to make the "internet a safer place for children.”
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iTapped That
Overview
- Apple announced a new iPhone feature that lets people tap their phones together to make payments
- The move will turn iPhones into point-of-sale terminals, so that businesses won't need to use other hardware, such as Square terminals
- iPhones will also be able to receive touchless credit card payments
- Apple has been moving into financial services over recent years. It currently operates Apple Pay, which allows mobile card payments; Apple Pay Cash, which lets people transfer funds; and Apple Card, a credit card
DIG DEEPER
The pandemic accelerated the growth in popularity of contactless payments. Apple says that 90% of US retailers already accept Apple Pay, and this will push that number even higher.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- The Power of the Dog and Dune led the pack in Oscar nominations with 12 and 10, respectively. Lady Gaga was among the notable snubs
- Cash Now Network: Chris Cuomo is demanding up to $60M from CNN as a settlement for his recent firing from the network
- Dodgin' charges: LA Dodgers star pitcher Trevor Bauer will not be criminally charged after a lengthy review of sexual assault allegations agains thim
Business
- Pfizer's Covid vaccine brought in $36B last year, making it the top-selling pharmaceutical product in a year ever
- Meta closed with a market cap below $600B for the first time since May 2020. Falling below $600B could help Meta avoid an antitrust crackdown
- Elon Musk vs Twitter teen saga continues: Jack Sweeney was offered a free Tesla for a 3-year term to take down the private jet tracker and said no
Wildcard
- Ain't nun' but a convent thing: A California nun will serve a year in prison for stealing $835k from an elementary school to fund her gambling
- No more baggy clothing in Beijing: 5 female Olympic skiers were disqualified from a competition for wearing loose-fitting suits
- NYC mayor Eric Adams raised eyebrows comparing cheese to heroin during his "food is like a drug" monologue on Monday
- Steven Spielberg thought legendary composer John Williams was joking when he first heard the theme to Jaws
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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If Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist mayor of Paris, has her way, Parisians will have almost everything they need within a 15-minute walk or bike of home.
Since taking office in 2014, Hidalgo has sought to make Paris a “15-minute city.” That concept was pioneered by Carlos Moreno, a professor, who found that efficient urban design can markedly improve city life. The professor’s idea was for spaces to serve as many uses as possible, reducing unnecessary journeys and travel.
While elements of the 15-minute city have existed for decades, Hidalgo is driving one of its most ambitious realizations yet. Advised by Moreno, she wants to create “hyper proximite” neighborhoods that provide for all living, working, commerce, healthcare, education, and entertainment needs. The vision was at the center of her successful 2020 mayoral campaign.
So far she has turned highways bordering the Seine river into urban parks, eliminating an estimated 73,000 daily car trips, and added 50km+ of bike lanes across the city. She wants a bike lane in every street by 2024. She’s pledged €30M ($33.5M) to redesign 7 major squares, and a further €1B ($1.1B) per year to redesign gardens, squares, and streets, including the famous Champs-Élysées which is slated to become “an extraordinary garden.”
She plans to give public spaces multiple uses, such as daytime schools and nighttime sports facilities. A network of “citizen kiosks” – booths staffed by city employees – would serve as a type of local front desk, where people can ask information, join a club, or drop off keys, for example.
The plan, though, is polarizing.
Hidalgo calls it a “reconquest” of the city, and she successfully ran on it in the city’s 2020 elections. Many who don’t agree, though, are furious.
Some dismiss the 15-minute term as “sloganeering.” They claim that Paris has always been a compact city where residents live within 15 minutes of what they need. Others accuse her of vandalizing the city by altering Paris’ 19th-century design style. The hashtag #saccageparis (#vandalizedparis) has racked up millions of tweets since first appearing last February.
Hidalgo says she’s not obliging people to keep to a 15-minute city, but rather reorganizing urban design to improve social and environmental conditions. And if she has her way, she’ll bring the idea well beyond Paris: She is running for president of France in April elections.
So far, her victory looks unlikely. She’s currently polling at 3% in national polls, and opposition candidates say it’s partially because she is making drivers feel unwelcome.
Yet the critics aren’t stopping Hidalgo: “Paris is a city unlike any other … it is independent, lively, vibrant,” she said. “It is capable of inventing a new history without forgetting its past.”
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
Name the stage name: Actor edition. We have given you the birth names of famous actors. Let's see if you know which celebrities they really are.
- Maurice Joseph Micklewhite
- Olivia Jane Cockburn
- Natalie Hershlag
- Eric Marlon Bishop
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
When is the better time to eat cereal?
Morning: 62.9%
Evening: 37.1%
Yesterday's Question:
What is one part of your daily routine that you would recommend to fellow Roca Riders?
Paige from Chicago: "A solid morning cry"
Remi from Montreal: "Meditation, really helps to clear the mind and bring back the focus on the present moment"
Michele from Phoenix: "Read Roca News. Duh."
Julia from London: "Vitamin D supplements during winter. Cheap, and removes 80% of the winter fatigue. You don't have to spend 5 months of the year feeling tired all the time!"
General Feedback:
Chris from Florida: "I know you guys did this last year as an end-of-the-year wrap on your followers but I think it would be cool to see more submitted photos from Roca readers. I really enjoyed seeing where everyone else is from and what kind of fun things they do. Thanks for all that you do!"
Hayley from Texas: "Love love love Roca, but I noticed something last night on IG and today in The Current. I’m not sure if you just used the word “monkey” for alliteration purposes…but chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys :D This is a weird pet peeve of mine and surprisingly, a lot of people do not know this. An easy way to tell the difference: all but a couple of monkey species have tails and all apes do not."
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20 Questions: 11-15
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers. Last Friday, we did our second-ever "This or That" 20 Questions. Here is the breakdown of your preferences....
11. EDM or country music?
EDM: 45%
Country: 55%
12. Starbucks or Dunkin?
Starbucks: 71%
Dunkin: 29%
13. Basketball or soccer?
Basketball: 68%
Soccer: 32%
14. Aisle or window seat?
Aisle: 29%
Window: 71%
15. Scottish accent or Russian accent?
Scottish: 62%
Russian: 38%
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Games Answer(s):
1.Michael Caine 2. Olivia Wilde 3. Natalie Portman 4. Jamie Foxx
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― Final Thoughts
Have a rockin' Wednesday, riders! We have no further thoughts for today.
-Max and Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is part 2 of a 3-part series on Joe Rogan. Today's wrap traces the origins of his wildly popular and controversial podcast.
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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