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đ DeSantis Gets Leaked
âShow emotionâ: DeSantisâ debate prep, Spam to the rescue in Hawaii, and 20 Questions
Reddit has many strange forums: r/WolvesWithWatermelons, r/BreadStapledtoTrees, r/IsTodayFridaytheThirteenth, etc.. Thereâs even one called r/Alzheimers in which a user makes the same post every day under a different title. One that has skyrocketed in popularity over the last year is called r/AmIUgly. Itâs a forum in which users post pictures of themselves and get feedback on whether theyâre ugly. July activity is up ~1300% from last July. We would share screenshots but we got banned after submitting Fox and CNN logos.
In today's edition:
âShow emotionâ: DeSantisâ debate prep
Spam to the rescue in Hawaii
đ Key Stories
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DeSantis Debate Memo
A memo posted online by Ron DeSantisâ Super PAC revealed its recommended strategy for him at the first Republican debate, scheduled for next week
Super PACs can raise money for candidates but canât directly work for them. As a work around, they sometimes post advice to public websites without making the link public
That means the content is not âofficiallyâ for the candidate, but risks someone finding it. Someone found one such doc meant for DeSantis. Soon after news of the memo spread, it was taken down
The memo outlines âfour basic must-dosâ:
âAttack Joe Biden and the media 3-5 timesâ
âState GRDâs positive vision 2-3 timesâ
âHammer Vivek Ramaswamy in a responseâ
âDefend Donald TrumpâŠin response to [an] attackâ
Dig Deeper
The memo advises DeSantis to avoid talking about policy and instead focus on dramatic, headline-grabbing statements. Another was to defend Trump against an anticipated attack: âTrump isn't here so let's just leave him alone. He's too weak to defend himself here,â the memo advises he say. It also suggests he focus on his âfamily, kids,â and wife, all while âshowing emotionâ
DeSantisâ campaign hasnât commented on it. On X (formerly Twitter), Ramaswamy said: âAnother boring, establishment attack from Super PAC-creation âRobot Ronâ who is literally taking lame, pre-programmed attack lines against meâ
Chess Trans Ban
Chessâs global governing body banned trans women from competing in womenâs competitions
Per data provided to Roca by Chess.com, the worldâs largest chess site, 66.3% of the platformâs players are men. As of 2020, just 37 of 1,600+ international grandmasters â chessâ top rank â were women. Many attribute that to boysâ greater access to chess at a young age
On Monday, chessâs governing body banned trans women from competing in womenâs chess competitions. It said it will strip trans men of any womenâs trophies they won before their transition
The decision provoked a fierce response from the LGBT community. Others supported the decision, though, saying it protects competitiveness in womenâs chess
Dig Deeper
The National Center for Transgender Equality said the ban ârelies on ignorant anti-trans ideasâ; a trans chess Master said trans players are not âthe biggest threatâ to women in chess
Lahaina Fallout
The wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, has left locals bringing lawsuits while fearing outsiders will buy the land
Last week, a wildfire burned down much of Lahaina. 111 are dead, and 1,000+ still missing
Several lawsuits have been filed against Hawaii Electric, alleging it failed to prepare for the known risk of a wildfire. Scrutiny is also mounting into why government officials didnât ring Mauiâs 80 alarm sirens
There are concerns that investors will buy up land at cut rates. In June, the median Lahaina house sold for $990,000; Oprah and Jeff Bezos own land nearby. Hawaiiâs governor has warned against a âland grabâ
Dig Deeper
On Wednesday, Hawaiiâs governor told investors to stay away: âPeople are right now traumatized,â he said. âPlease donât approach them with an offer to buy land. Please donât approach their families to tell them that they are going to be better off if they make a deal, because weâre not going to allow it.â He added, âMy intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grabâ
Superconductor Debunked
Mounting evidence suggests South Korean researchers did not create a superconductor that works at room temperature and pressure
Superconductors are types of conductors that do not waste any electricity through âresistance.â They only work at extremely low temps or high pressure
In July, a team of South Korean researchers claimed to have created a superconductor that works at room temperature and pressure â a breakthrough
Numerous investigations have since debunked core aspects of that claim, with one study showing the material actually has very high levels of resistance
Dig Deeper
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Korea University is investigating one of the paperâs authors for allegedly posting it without the permission of the other authors. That research team has not released all data related to their initial purported breakthrough
đż Popcorn
ICYMI
The authorâs side: The Blind Side author Michael Lewis defended the Tuohy family, saying they offered him royalties for the movie but that he refused them
Ratings in defeat: Australiaâs semifinal loss to England on Wednesday became Australiaâs most-watched TV program since the audience measurement system began in 2001
Spam to the rescue: Spam donated 264K cans of meat products worth ~$1M to Maui wildfire victims. Hawaii consumes 7M cans of spam annually, more than any other state
Wildcard
If you canât beat âem, join âem: Police arrested a wanted Georgia man who applied online for a job at an Arkansas police department while in hiding in South Carolina
Ur-inder arrest, son: Police jailed a 10-year-old Mississippi boy for public urination after they caught him peeing while his mother was inside an office
Poor manâs cocaine: Europe is preparing for a potential influx of captagon, a drug dubbed the âpoor manâs cocaine.â It is primarily produced and trafficked by Syrian groups
đđ» What do you think?
Today's Question:
Today's Poll:Travis King is a US soldier who ran into North Korea last month. Should the US try to negotiate his return? |
Thanks to Roca Reader Jenny, who suggested this poll after we wrote about Travis King in yesterdayâs newsletter. She said, âCan you pose a reader question about Travis King in North Korea? Personally, I think we should leave him there. He went willingly, and I do not feel that we should enter into negotiations with North Korea to get him back.â
See yesterday's results below!
đŁ 20 Questions
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Today we are bringing back an old tradition, something we used to do every Friday but have since strayed away from: 20 Questions, open-ended edition.
Rather than do 20 polls or 20 ratings, these are 20 open response questions. You don't need to respond to all of them, but you are certainly encouraged to. We want to hear what you all think on these hot-button issues.
We hope you have great weekends, and look forward to reading over these!
If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!
đ Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Which spelling is correct?
Laser: 93%
Lazer: 7%
Yesterday's Question:
Is it ethical to conduct experiments on brain-dead patients?
Rojer from Detroit, Michigan: "The term "brain dead" like everything else in America, seems to be subject to change to fit someone else's narrative. The idea that,anything can change meaning at anytime, without reason is unethical, imo. Opinion subject to change without notice, haha.â
Anonymous: "With the next-of-kin's written permission. It really isn't much different from organ donation.â
Courtney: âHeck NO!!! Both science and accounts from people who have been revived shows that what we consider âbrain deadâ may not be actually dead. To me, itâs tantamount to torture.â
Ben from Brisbane, Australia: âSpeaking as a biomedical scientist, no. The right to autonomy is a big thing, and should not be superseded by things like injury. Imagine if it wasnât a brain injury but instead tetraplegia? What about a terminally degenerative disorder? No matter the medical issue, patient interest is key. Here in Australia, you cannot be compelled to give something as minor as blood against your will, even if doing so would save a life right then and there. Long story short? Autonomy and respect for personhood mean no, you canât.â
Yesterday's Wrap Replies:
Ann from Stamford, Vermont: âNo, there was no law in place at that time so no legal action should be allowed.â
Mio: âNo. The cells were taken to be used as was the norm at the time. We canât be constantly applying todays standards to historical events.â
Rudy from Franklin, Texas: âOf course they do, the real question is how much. The idea that consent was not possible during those days is strictly a legal, not a ethical argument. How unfortunate these too are seldomly on the same page. There are many types of compensation that are supplied when people donate any part of their chemistry to science. Most of which do not hurt the overall profits of the cooperation using these cells. After all, there is never a guarantee that a breakthrough will happen from their particular cells.â
Jerry from Nebraska: âNo. It was common practice at the time. Do we sue the car companies for deaths that occurred before seat belts were required in motor vehicles?â
Ruth from Ottowa, Canada: âYES the family deserves compensation for the BILLIONS of dollars that have been made thanks to Henrietta's cells that were taken from her with no consent. And everyone should read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Great reporting!â
Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:
Live concerts are better than live sporting events
True: 59%False: 41%
Mustard is better than ketchup
True: 44%
False: 56%
History is the most interesting school subject
True: 49%
False: 51%
Mozzarella sticks were the best school lunch
True: 74%
False: 26%
Never eat the fish at McDonald's
True: 64%
False: 36%
CNN and Fox News want you to be happy
True: 5%
False: 95%
Just "Max" is a better name than Maximilian
True: 73%
False: 27%
We should not use shampoo every day
True: 73%
False: 27%
We should not use deodorant every day
True: 82%
False: 18%
Patrick Star is the best SpongeBob character
True: 60%
False: 40%
Squidward would be a great desk mate at work
True: 70%
False: 30%
Books are generally better than their movie adaptations
True: 95%
False: 5%
The Star Wars prequels were great movies
True: 60%
False: 40%
Nails on a chalkboard are a worse sound than loud chewing
True: 70%
False: 30%
Paper straws are over-hated
True: 45%
False: 55%
You prefer chess to checkers
True: 60%
False: 40%
Alt milks (oat, almond, etc.) are better than regular milk
True: 23%
False: 77%
Honey mustard is the best chicken nugget dipping sauce
True: 59%
False: 41%
AI will be writing most movies in 20 years
True: 52%
False: 48%
Dolly Parton is more iconic than Bruce Springsteen
True: 81%
False: 19%
đ§ Final Thoughts
We hope you all have wonderful weekends. One of the Maxes is moving across New York City; the other is cooking in 113Âș Phoenix heat. While neither of us will have the most comfortable weekends, we certainly won't be boredâŠ.after all, weâll have your 20 questions to read.
See you Monday.
âMax and Max