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š Ukraine Funds Penta-Gone?
Trump off the ballot in another state, university chancellor fired forā¦what? š³ and 20 Questions!
2023 has been nothing short of a spectacular year for Roca. Thank you to all of you who took a chance on us this year and have made Roca a part of your day. This year, we went to Ethiopia, Germany, the US-Mexico border, Finland, Punxsutawney, East Palestine, Amish country, the Balkans, and Venezuela to show a fresh side of the most interesting topics and places in the world.
Next year, we want to take you to more interesting places and tell fascinating stories amid what will almost certainly be a chaotic and disturbing election backdrop. Our mission to deliver nonpartisan news is more important than ever. We are grateful for your support and happy New Yearās!
In today's edition:
Trump off the ballot in another state
University chancellor fired forā¦what? š³
š Key Stories
Ukraine Funds Penta-gone?
The US announced what it warned may be the final batch of military aid to Ukraine
Since Russiaās invasion, the US Congress has approved $113B in aid to Ukraine, $44.2B of which has gone toward military assistance
The Pentagon has repeatedly warned that unless Congress approves more aid to Ukraine, it will no longer be able to give Ukraine more military supplies without compromising the USā combat readiness
On Thursday, the US announced $250M in military aid to Ukraine. Pentagon officials warned that this may be the final batch of aid
Investors Pull Out of China
87% of foreign money invested in Chinese stocks this year has already been withdrawn, the Financial Times (FT) reported
This year, a series of political and economic factors caused Chinaās worst economic slowdown in decades
Per the FT, since a major property developer failed to make a bond payment in August, triggering fears of a real estate crisis, 87% of foreign money invested in Chinese stocks has been withdrawn
Chinaās benchmark stock index is down 14.18% year to date while the USā S&P 500 is up 25.2%, the Nasdaq 45.6%, and the Dow 13.79%
15% of Gen Z LGBT
A study conducted by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that 15.2% of Gen Z identifies as LGBT
Per the study, 5.5% of US adults ā 13.9M people ā self-identify as LGBT. Of all states and territories, Washington, DC had the highest LGBT share at 14.3%, followed by Oregon (7.8%). Mississippi and West Virginia had the lowest share, both at 4.1%
When broken down by age, Gen Z adults ā those aged 18 to 24 ā had the highest prevalence at 15.2%
A Gallup poll released earlier this year claimed that 7.2% of Americans self-identify as LGBTQ+
Maine Disqualifies Trump
Maineās secretary of state ruled Donald Trump ineligible for the stateās 2024 primary ballot
Unlike other states, in Maine, the secretary of state must first determine election disqualification before courts may consider it
On Thursday, Maineās secretary of state made such a determination, claiming that Trump incited an insurrection, violating the 14th Amendment. Maineās top court will likely rule on the issue next
Maine and Colorado have now both disqualified Trump from the 2024 primary election
You Wonāt Believe Your Ears
hear.com created the world's first dual-processing hearing aids to give you two times the power and crystal clear hearing
How? The secret is cutting-edge German technology, engineered to separate noise and speech to produce unheard-of levels of clarity
Experts say it's the biggest upgrade in sound the industry has ever seen. And the best part is these medical-grade devices are nearly invisible, so your friends and family will barely notice
Join over 385,000 satisfied customers enjoying features like Bluetooth connectivity, smartphone compatibility, and exceptional, award-winning customer support
Hear.com honors all major insurance plans, making accessibility our priority. Discover why Hear.com is the global leader in online hearing solutions. Try the Horizon AX for 45 days, completely risk-free, and step into a world where clarity meets innovation
šæ Popcorn
ICYMI
Oh no, Detroitā¦: The Detroit Pistons blew a 21-point lead over the Boston Celtics to extend their record-setting losing streak to 28 games
Naughty chancellor: The Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents fired UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow for filming online porn videos with his wife, some featuring industry porn stars
Partyās over: Seaside Heights, New Jersey demolished Karma nightclub, a popular hangout spot for MTVās āJersey Shoreā cast. In 2020, the cast considered buying it
Wildcard
Menu madness: Ayat, a new Palestinian restaurant in Brooklyn, has faced backlash over its menu which labels its seafood section, āFrom the river to the seaā
400-lb student sues: A former Wayne State University (Michigan) student and aspiring gym teacher is suing the university for $1M. The man ā who weighed 400+ lbs and had diabetes, hypertension, and asthma ā had applied to complete his student teaching virtually but the university rejected his request
Thank you for your service, McLegend: A 75-year-old woman nicknamed āMcLegendā recently celebrated her 53rd year working for McDonaldās in Fort Pierce, Florida
šš» What do you think?
Today's Poll:Will you stay up past midnight on New Year's Eve? |
Today's Question:
See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
š£ 20 Questions
What a year it's been. Reflecting on the year, it's hard to believe that the Titanic submersible implosion, East Palestine train derailment, Hollywood strikes, Twitter becoming X, Barbenheimer, and Damar Hamlin collapsing all happened this year.
So today's edition ā the final 20 Questions of 2023 ā will be a "This or That" edition of 2023's biggest topics and debates. Hereās a link!
.... see you next year.
If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!
š Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Have you ever ridden an e-scooter?
Yes: 28%
No: 72%
Yesterday's Question:
Yesterdayās questions were related to our Roca Votes Wrap on inclusive language. Do people make too big of a deal out of these issues? Have you encountered inclusive language suggestions? Do they annoy you? Whatās a bigger problem, censorship or non-inclusive language?
Emma a āSouth African living in Londonā: "I don't use inclusivity language suggestions (didn't actually know they existed) but I think that having them as a manually-selected option is a good way to keep everyone happy. Want to use them, then switch it on. Don't want to use them, then don't and it won't change your words automatically."
Baruch: āPeople can complain all they want. 0 problem with that. But itās one of the most 1st world boomer problems I can imagine. Just turn it off if you donāt like it, or use a different. Elon might have a reason to hate it though, Iāve read his tweets he definitely doesnāt proof read or spell check. He is certainly being blocked by woke spell check.ā
Bridgett from Boulder, Colorado: "By far censorship is a much motored heinous crime than political correct language which can change with the wind, and never once be a ā1 size fits allā solution. So, will authors not have freedom of speech to express the historically accurate terminology without being reprimanded by Microsoft, or to exercise their creative license as they see fit? Heaven forbid there are independent thinkers amongst us! Let's just cater to the mindless 'sheeple'."
Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:
Who should've been Person of the Year?
Taylor SwiftElon Musk
Donald Trump
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
What should've been the word of the year?
Inflation
Rizz
AI
How was your 2023 in one word?
Good
Meh
Great
Fast
Sad
How would you describe your outlook for 2024?
Hopeful
Positive
Optimistic
Great
Do you enjoy election years? Why?
No, too many lies; from candidates and main stream media
Yes, to look forward to change, but No because I hate all the commertials on TV
Yes - Less crappy legislation happens
Not really, it gets too polarized. People get triggered really easily on both sides
Favorite news story of the year?
UFOs are real
The Vegas Sphere may pay for itself in 30 years
Taylor swift and travis kelsey
Roca app Season 3!
Least favorite story of the year?
Hamas/Isreal
Anything hollywood/politics related
Anything involving Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, or Pete Davidson
What was the best new restaurant you tried this year?
The Mona Lisa in Huntington Beach, CA
Noodle Blvd in Cary, NC
TJ's catfish & Wings in Arlington TX
Favorite movie you watched this year?
Barbie
Oppenheimer
Elf
Favorite TV show you watched this year?
Ted Lasso
The Crown
The Bear
Your biggest accomplishment this year?
Moved
Surviving
Passed my engineering classes
Quitting a job that caused me extreme stress
Most days I managed to smile about something
Give your review of the year 2023
Missed her ..all movement
5/10 could be better
A political disaster
I'm just happy to be here and loved
Best year in recent history?
2019
2023
2021
2016
How has your view on AI changed this year?
Just watch the new Mission Impossible movie - Yikes!
scary
More concerned about unplanned consequences
As an IT professional, it still scares me. I donāt trust it
Never thought it was a good idea and still donāt
Positive
What's the best dish you made in 2023?
Lasagna
I don't cook.
Paella
If you could enact one law what would it be?
Term limits
Mandatory weekly reading time
Politicians cant lie to the American people
Banned Forever: Low wearing pants, No music heard outside of your vehicle
New habit/diet/hobby you tried this year?
Yoga
Swing dancing!
Still waiting husband...
Carnivore diet
What's the best decision you made this year?
To buy my car
Vacation with my son
Getting ROCA Epic
To spend more time with my family and not at work
Live my truth and let go of the rest
What's the worst decision you made this year?
To join a track class
...can't think of one
Waiting too long for ROCA Epic
Going to a quack doctor
Any fun Christmas plans?
Hanging with friends.
LOTS of family time!
Quiet football watching
Doing nothing
š§ Final Thoughts
That is our final newsletter of 2023. Thank you all for riding with Roca for another year. Your support of our mission means so much to us, and we take our responsibility to provide unbiased news seriously.
We hope you all have wonderful New Year celebrations. See you in 2024!
āMax and Max