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February 11, 2022
Happy Super Bowl weekend. Here is this year's game in numbers: 30-second ad spots are selling for up to $7M, parking spots cost as much as $6,200, 31M Americans are expected to bet on the game, and, somewhat disturbingly, Americans will consume an estimated 1.4B chicken wings.
But does the Super Bowl even matter compared to Roca Friday 20 Questions? Sorry, Joe Burrow, it doesn't. Please send answers to Max@RocaNews.com.
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Olympics Ratings Plummet
Overview
- The Winter Olympics are on pace to have their lowest viewership in history
- 12.3M viewers have been watching the Olympics on NBC daily, down nearly 50% from the 23M daily viewers for the 2018 Olympic Games. NBC owns the Games’ US broadcast rights
- The viewership for last summer's Olympics was also down substantially, so much so that it fell below the minimum that NBC had guaranteed advertisers
- The Olympics run for 1 more week. Austria, Norway, and Canada currently have the most medals
DIG DEEPER
Theories vary about why viewership is down. Ideas include the controversy surrounding the games' location in China, the 13-hour time difference, a general decline in TV viewership, fatigue from last summer's Olympics, and people spending more time on social media.
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US Passes #MeToo Law
Overview
- US Congress passed a bipartisan “#MeToo” bill targeting workplace sexual harassment
- The law blocks companies from forcing sexual assault and harassment claims into arbitration
- Arbitration acts like a private courtroom where firms can keep sexual harassment and other cases hidden from the public. It’s generally seen as favorable to the company for a case to enter arbitration
- Some say arbitration is an effective and efficient way to resolve disputes; critics say it disenfranchises victims. Now, accusers can't be forced to enter arbitration
DIG DEEPER
It's the first major bill to stem from the #MeToo movement. One of its primary backers was former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson, who tried to sue the network and its president for sexual harassment in 2016.
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Inflation Speeds Up
Overview
- US inflation hit 7.5% last month, its highest rate in 40 years
- In monthly terms, January prices were 0.6% higher than those in December
- The rate of increase was higher than expected by many economists, some of whom thought inflation was on the verge of slowing. The higher rate makes the Fed (US central bank) more likely to raise interest rates
- The last time inflation was this high, “I Love Rock 'N Roll” was a top-20 hit and The Police, Abba, and Journey had top-40 tracks
DIG DEEPER
President Biden said it means “Americans’ budgets are being stretched in ways that create real stress at the kitchen table," and that his administration is doing all it can to fight it.
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Canada Truck Protests Intensify
Overview
- For ~2 weeks, truck drivers and their supporters have been protesting Canada's Covid-19 policies, shutting down portions of Canada's capital, Ottawa
- Protesters have also blockaded border crossings with the US, blocking trade. A Canadian minister said the border protest “can’t be allowed to persist” and is seeking to break it up
- PM Justin Trudeau has said the protest “has to stop”; GoFundMe has blocked donations to them
- The protesters say they won't stop until all pandemic restrictions are dropped
DIG DEEPER
The movement began as opposition to vax mandates for international truck drivers but has turned into a bigger anti-restriction movement. There are reports of a similar truck convoy driving from California to DC in the coming weeks.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's answers below 20Q!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- City of beard-erly love: James Harden is heading to Philadelphia and Ben Simmons is going to Brooklyn in a blockbuster NBA trade
- Better Binge AMC: AMC announced the premiere date for the final season of Better Call Saul. Slippin' Jimmy returns April 18
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Disney's latest Star Wars spinoff series, also received a season premiere date: May 25
Business
- Tesla is recalling 579k vehicles with a "Boombox" feature that allowed drivers to blast loud noises, including "passing gas" sounds
- ForbesCoin? Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, is buying a $200M stake in Forbes
- Calling Zuck's bluff: Several top European officials shrugged off Meta's threat to pull out of the continent, saying they would be fine
Wildcard
- On his first day working at a Russian gallery, a security guard ruined a $1M painting by drawing eyes on its faceless figures. Tough start....
- Kanye West called out Billie Eilish for her perceived Travis Scott diss at a recent concert and threatened to drop his Coachella headline act
- Popular video game Sims 4 will not be fully available in Russia because of the country's laws against “gay propaganda”
- French President Emanuel Macron refused a Covid test on his trip to meet Vladimir Putin because he thought Russia may steal his DNA
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Happy Friday, Riders. We are BACK, back again... with 20 more questions for you. This week's theme is "Cinderblocks and Sunsets," which means we are asking questions about cities, beaches, and anything else we feel like.
So send your answers to Max@RocaNews.com, and have a great weekend. Let's RIDE the wave into this Super Bowl weekend!
1. City with the nicest downtown?
2. City with best public transport?
3. City where you thought, "Wow I'd love to live here"?
4. What's your favorite city neighborhood? (I.e. "Beverly Hills" or "Downtown Brooklyn")
5. Which city has given rise to the best musicians?
6. Which city has the most devoted sports fans?
7. Which has the least?
8. Best city for a 12-hour layover?
9. Best city for a weekend with friends?
10. Which city most surprised you? Why?
11. City that feels like a small town?
12. Favorite beach?
13. Have you ever gone ocean skinny dipping?
14. Best beach music genre?
15. Best beach drink?
16. Does Lake Michigan count as the beach?
17. Favorite ocean animal?
18. Would you ever do a polar plunge?
19. Better beach movie: Pirates of the Caribbean or Jaws?
20. Do you know Larry the Lobster?
Can't wait to read your answers! Send them to Max@RocaNews.com.
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 Games
Finish the famous song lyrics! Each answer is from a song in the top 50 of Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 songs list.
- "I've never seen a diamond in ___ _____"
- "'Cause tramps like us, baby, we were ____ __ ___"
- "Here we are now, entertain us. I feel _____ ___ _________"
- "Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' __ _______"
Find out the answer(s) at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
What's a better Super Bowl snack?
Buffalo chicken dip: 62.3%
Pigs in a blanket: 37.7%
Yesterday's Question:
Who was your favorite teacher in high school? Why?
Shelbie from Oregon: "My high school chemistry teacher. She had so much passion and excitement it was contagious and labs made it much more exciting than simple bookwork. She's the reason I became a chemical engineer! Thank you Ms. Barron."
Ben from Tennessee: "Mrs. Brown, she was my 9th grade Literature teacher and had us write a report on a book of our choosing. She came to me after class and handed me Fight Club and told me that she thought I might like it but to not tell anyone she recommended it to me. It's probably in my top 5 favorite books."
Heather from Maine: "Shoutout to Zach Arnold! The only teacher who could actually make BritLit an interesting class…"
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General Feedback:
A number of you pointed out that for yesterday's "Discovery + Warner Merger" story, our header showed "Disney + Warner Merger." Our apologies for this mistake (although we hope it inspires Discovery to start theme parks).
Steve from Nebraska: "WHAT?! Keanu over Chuck Norris? Ain't no way. I love me some Keanu Reeves action movies but, come on. Does Keanu have an entire genre of jokes? I didn't think so. Has Keanu counted to infinity? Because Chuck has...twice."
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Games Answer(s):
1. "the flesh" (Royals) 2. "born to run" (Born to Run) 3. "stupid and contagious" (Smells like Teen Spirit) 4. "be alright" (Alright)
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― Final Thoughts
Have a great weekend, riders. On the East Coast, we're looking at unseasonably warm weather. We'll be soaking in every minute of it and sending our ~good vibes~ to riders around the world. If you're betting on the Super Bowl – don't bother. Save your money for the Bills next season.
Ride on!
-Max and Max
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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