June 20, 2024

The Appetizer

“There’s the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!”

• Former Apollo 8 astronaut Major General William Anders, who took the first color photo of Earth in 1968. He recently passed away at the age of 90.

Now, on to the numbers. Drum roll, please …

• 17.4% to 38.1%: The extra tariffs the European Union is imposing on Chinese electric vehicles, on top of an existing 10% duty.
• 74,000+: The square footage of the world’s largest convenience store, a new Buc–ee’s that recently opened in Texas. It has over 120 gas pumps!
• 25 feet, 5 inches: The height of the world’s tallest rideable bicycle, breaking the Guinness World Record by 14 inches.
• 26%: The increase in homeownership costs in the U.S. since 2020.
• 10.5 million: The number of flights scheduled in the third quarter globally, according to industry data compiled by BloombergNEF.
• $19.9 trillion: The amount of wealth forecasted to be passed on by 2033 by about 155,000 individuals with a net worth of $30 million or more, according to London-based data firm Altrata.

Dig In
Summer of Sports

Welcome to the first day of summer, where the heat isn’t just in the air but on the sports fields. “Football” or soccer to some, remains the world’s favorite pastime, and this summer features two major tournaments taking place simultaneously: UEFA Euro 2024 and Copa America.

The Euros kicked off in in Germany last Friday. A total of 218 clubs sent their best to represent their countries, from Spain to Italy, to Ukraine, to … Georgia? Yup, they made it for the first time! Right now, England is supposedly the team to beat, with a 19.9% chance of clinching the title, with France right behind with 19.1%.

Meanwhile, the Copa America starts today and is taking place right here in the U.S.! Sixteen teams from North and South America will battle it out on the pitch. Argentina, the reigning World Cup champion, is favored to win, but Brazil is always a contender. The U.S. team starts its campaign on Sunday, facing Bolivia. Hopes are high that captain Christian Pulisic and the rest of the team can turn some heads at this year’s tournament.

Make note, someone thought it was a good idea to have both Copa America and the Euro finals on the same day – July 14. Just in time for the Paris Olympics.

Weekly Specials

Joey Chestnut got the boot from the annual July 4 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest because of his sponsorship deal with Impossible Foods. Apparently, the contest’s sponsor, Nathan’s Famous, isn’t a huge fan of the vegan dogs Impossible just launched. This comes after Joey turned down a $1.2 million, four-year contract from Nathan’s.

There has been a TikTok takeover in the European Parliament! The new representative of Cyprus has no political experience, no high-profile endorsements, and no party affiliation. Instead, he has 2.6 million followers on YouTube and even more on TikTok.

Here’s more proof that elephants are one of the smartest animals in the world: Every elephant has its own name and can respond to it. According to a research study, they communicate through low rumbles that can be heard over long distances. This is pretty rare for animals, but very heartwarming.

Corporate Lunch

Tesla is facing false-marketing claims concerning its “self-driving” feature. In their defense, the cars are trying their best.

Boeing is training thousands of rookies to safely build airplanes as quickly as possible. Remember, righty tighty, lefty loosey.

Apple is launching a new generative AI platform on Mac, iPad, and iPhone. I wonder how Siri feels about this.

Elliott Management revealed itself as one of Southwest Airlines’ largest shareholders with $1.9 billion invested. Then they roasted management on their “stubborn unwillingness” to overhaul “antiquated operations.”

French app publisher Voodoo announced it has acquired BeReal for €500 million. I know I’m getting old now that I am missing entire social media platforms.

The Ozempic and Wegovy weight loss wave has people buying up protein powder and meal replacement products to keep their gains. Grind don’t stop, 1 gram per pound of bodyweight.

Samyang instant ramen “fire noodles” are too spicy for Denmark and have been recalled. Now I really want to try them.

Goldman Sachs, Google, and BlackRock are squaring up on the chess board to determine who’s the “smartest company in the world.”

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