Good morning and happy (early) Veterans Day. A special shoutout to those of you who served our country and those of you with loved ones who gave their lives doing so. If you’re not an American reader, then we would like to wish you a very happy Friday. Fun fact about today: It is the 49th anniversary of the discovery of the “charmed quark” subatomic particle by MIT and Berkeley scientists. We have no clue what that is or what’s so charming about a quark, but you can flex on your friends with that one.

In today's edition:

• RIP, Omegle

• Actor climbs Empire State Building

• 20 Questions!

 🔑 Key Stories

Omegle Shutting Down

Omegle is shutting down, its founder announced

• Founded in 2009, Omegle was a video chat app that paired users with anonymous strangers. Originally popular a decade ago, social media trends led the app to experience a resurgence in recent years

• But Omegle came under criticism for allegedly giving sex predators a platform to harass users, including children. In February, the BBC reported that there had been 50 lawsuits related to Omegle since 2021

• On Thursday, its founder announced Omegle would shut down. He said running it had become too much “financially [and] psychologically”

Dig Deeper

• The decision came roughly a week after the site settled a lawsuit filed in Oregon accusing it of pairing an 11-year-old girl with a sexual abuser. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, although a lawyer for the girl told Wired that the “permanent shutdown of Omegle was a term negotiated between Omegle and our client” in the settlement

Amnesty for Catalonia

Spain’s Socialist Party offered amnesty to Catalan separatists in exchange for political support

• Catalonia is a region of northeastern Spain with Barcelona as its capital. A secessionist movement gained traction there in the early 2010s, and in 2017, the region held a referendum to secede from Spain. Spain called that illegal and arrested many of its leaders

• On Thursday, Spain’s Socialist-led government offered amnesty to Catalan separatists. In exchange, a Catalonian political party will support Socialists in government, allowing the party to remain in power

• Opposition groups called the deal a “coup” and vowed to challenge it

Dig Deeper

• Thousands of protesters gathered outside the offices of the Socialist Party headquarters, with many chanting “end the treason.” A leader of Spain’s major center-right party called the deal the “beginning of the end of the rule of law”

• Socialist politicians defended the move as a good-faith effort to restore ties with Catalonia and move past the 2017 secession crisis

• On Thursday, the former head of a center-right party in Catalonia was shot in the face in Madrid. A motive has not been established, and a manhunt is underway for the shooter. The official strongly opposed the amnesty deal, writing on X shortly before the shooting that it would “crush the rule of law” in Spain. His life is reportedly not in danger

Actors Strike To End

Hollywood actors struck a deal with film studios to end a four-month strike

• In July, SAG-AFTRA – a union representing 160,000+ actors – called a strike to demand higher wages, benefits, and protections against AI. AMPTP, which represents studios, said its members could not afford those terms

• The strike coincided with a screenwriters strike, which ended in September with a new labor deal

• On Wednesday, SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP struck a deal that both sides called favorable for actors. The deal means Hollywood can resume work

Dig Deeper

• The terms of the deal haven’t been released, but SAG-AFTRA said it is valued at $1B+, increases actors’ minimum salaries, includes a new “streaming participation” bonus, and implements more safeguards against studios using AI to replicate images and voices

• AMPTP said it “looks forward to the industry resuming the work of telling great stories” and added that the deal gave SAG-AFTRA “the biggest…gains in the history of the union”

Luis Díaz’s Father Released

The father of Liverpool soccer player Luis Díaz was released on Thursday weeks after being kidnapped by a Colombian guerilla group

• Díaz, 26, plays for Premier League club Liverpool and Colombia’s national team. On October 28, his parents were kidnapped by the ELN, a guerilla group. His mother was rescued but his father remained missing

• On Sunday, after scoring a late equalizing goal for Liverpool, Díaz revealed a shirt that read, “Libertad Para Papa” (“Freedom for Papa”)

• The ELN called Díaz a “symbol of Colombia” and the abduction of his father an “error.” On Thursday, it released his father. He is reportedly in good health

Humanitarian Pauses in Gaza

Israel will hold daily four-hour humanitarian pauses to enable civilians to flee heavy fighting

• Israel has repeatedly denied calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. For weeks, though, the Biden administration has pressured Israel to enact “humanitarian pauses,” or brief pauses in fighting to allow civilians to flee and to potentially allow Hamas to release more hostages

• On Thursday, Israel began implementing daily 4-hour pauses with 3-hour advance warnings. It also opened a second evacuation route for civilians to flee south

• “It’s taken a little longer than I hoped,” President Biden said of Israel’s implementation of the pauses

Dig Deeper

• In related news, several news outlets cited anonymous sources as claiming that Netanyahu had rejected Hamas’s offer to release hostages in exchange for a ceasefire. One of Hamas’s offers reportedly included the release of children, women, the elderly, and the sick in exchange for a five-day ceasefire. Those claims could not be verified

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🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Where streams come true: Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a beta app merging Disney+ and Hulu for dual bundle subscribers next month

• Dallas Climbers Club: Actor Jared Leto became the first person to legally climb to the top of the Empire State Building, announcing his band Thirty Seconds to Mars’ upcoming world tour

• Glovetime: Superstar MLB free agent Shohei Ohtani announced he’s donating ~60K youth baseball gloves to ~20K elementary schools in Japan

• The Daily Upside: Join over 900k+ powerhouse individuals who have discovered that The Daily Upside isn't just a newsletter—it's an essential habit of successful people. Subscribe right now

Wildcard

• Museum of Intolerance: Los Angeles police intervened at the Museum of Tolerance, where fights erupted during a film screening about the Hamas attack on Israel

• Eye-opening advancement: NYU Langone Health surgeons successfully performed the first-ever full eye transplant, a feat many considered impossible

• Take My Badge Away: A Sydney police officer pointed his gun at a younger colleague over a “Top Gun: Maverick” spoiler joke, prompting the junior officer to quit the force and lose faith in it

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

Every Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions, then feature our favorite answers the following week.

"Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight. That's what you've earned here, tonight. One game. 20 Questions." - Miracle, 2004

We're coming up on the biggest travel weekend of the year, Thanksgiving weekend. In honor of the weekend, let's do an incredibly exciting edition of 20 Questions, "Travel: This or That." Let's talk traveling pet peeves, preferences, hopes, frustrations, and more.

Thank you, as always, for choosing Roca. Have an amazing weekend!

Here's the link. Have an AMAZING WEEKEND!

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Do you use public internet networks like airport Wi-Fi frequently?

Yes: 28%
No: 72%

Yesterday's Question:

Have you watched the TV show “Friends”?

Susan: “Yes, we have a watch Friends many times. We are so sorry about Matthew Perry’s death.”

Claudia from Santa Rosa, California: "Yes, I have watched Friends.  I own the entire series and watch it quite a lot.  I'm an oldster, so I watched it when it first came out and all through the length of the series.  Loved it.  Funny most of the time, but timely and sad and on point some of the time as well.  And yes, Chandler was my favorite because of his vulnerability, wit, and sarcasm."

Sarah from Peneng, Malaysia: "Friends was airing when I was in high school and my mother wouldn't let me watch it. I wanted to so bad because all my friends were and everyone loved it. So one of the first things that I did when I got to college was binge all 10 seasons!! Since then, for more years than I would like to admit, I have watched Friends almost every day! I was devastated when they took Friends off of Netflix, but have since moved to a country where Netflix still has it :). I cannot fall asleep at night without Friends playing. I even have a tattoo honoring the show and what it has meant to me over the years. "

Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:

"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit answering 20 Questions" - Airplane!, 1980

The news cycle over the last month has been absolutely brutal. So last week, we gave you a comedy-themed 20 Questions. We are excited to read your answers!

Thank you, as always, for choosing Roca. Have an amazing weekend! 

1. Your favorite Rom Com?

   When Harry met Sally

   Pretty Woman

   You've Got Mail

2. Your favorite late-night comedy?

   SNL
   Jimmy Fallon

3. The funniest animated movie?

   Shrek

   Toy Story

   Emperor's New Groove

4. Do you have a go-to joke? If so, what is it?

   “I only seem to get sick on weekdays. I must have a weekend immune system”
   “When does a regular joke become a dad joke? When it becomes aparent”
   “What is the last thing a redneck says before he dies? "Hey Ya'll watch me do this"

5. Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, or Adam Sandler?

   Equal love for all!

6. Pitch Perfect or Mean Girls?

   Mean Girls, clear winner

7. Favorite old-school comedy?
   Animal House

   Blazing Saddles

   I Love Lucy

   Airplane

8. Favorite animated comedy TV show?

   Simpsons

   South Park

   Family Guy

9. Favorite non-animated comedy TV show?

   The Office

   Friends

   Seinfeld

10. A dramatic movie that also has some very funny moments?

    Good Will Hunting

    Steel Magnolias

    Pulp Fiction

11. A comedy that also has some very dramatic moments?

    Love Actually

    Four Weddings and a Funeral

    Big Daddy

    Shrek

12. Who's your favorite standup comedian?

    Nate Bargatze

    George Carlin

    Robin Williams

    John Mulaney

13. Who's your favorite talk-show host?

    Jimmy Fallon

    Johnny Carson

    Kelly Clarkson

    Stephen Colbert

14. What's the funniest podcast?

    Joe Rogan

    Not Another D&D Podcast

    Conan O'Brian Needs a Friend

15. Name a funny TV character

    Chandler Bing

    Kramer

    Homer Simpson

16. Do comedians deserve bonus points for being clean?

    Winning anwser: NO

17. Would you want to be roasted at a live stand-up show?

    Winning answer: YES

18. The brand with the funniest commercials?

    Old Spice

    Allstate

    State Farm

    Budweiser

19. A book that you find hilarious?

    Catcher in the Rye

    Confederacy of Dunces

    The Rosie Project

20. Most overrated comedy TV show of all time?

    Friends

    The Office

    Seinfeld

🧠 Final Thoughts

That's all we've got for this week. Have awesome weekends, do the 20 Questions, and see you on Monday!

—Max and Max