A $100 Billion Crisis, Mass Evacuations & Wildfires 🔥
This Week in Review☕️: The Costliest Natural Disaster in History | JP Morgan comes under fire for RTO mandate | Sugar-free as bad as eating sugar | Robots save workers 10,000 hours a day | Fast food
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Quick Bites:
News 🌎 : Death Toll from LA wildfires rises to 24 people as firefighters battle four active fires.
The Pacific Palisades Fire- the largest of the blazes has burned more than 40,000 acres.. i.e 2.5 TIMES the size of Manhattan.
Estimated damages have now surpassed $150 billion in the costliest wildfire in US history.
2020: Trump warned Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, about the lack of wildfire management in the state
2021: It turned out Newsom lied about wildfire management
2024: Newsom cuts California fire budgets by $100 million
2025: UNIMAGINABLE preventable destruction
FYI💡: Just learning that Los Angeles diverted water, intended for fire hydrants, to the Pacific Ocean to protect the fish, leaving firefighters with insufficient resources during the wildfires
Wait.. to protect SALMON ????? 🤯🤯
Key Highlights, reported by BBC:
💡23 deaths so far and tens of others reported to be missing
💡More than 12,000 homes and other buildings destroyed
💡More than 150,000 people have now been evacuated
💡Strict curfews overnight are in place in fire-hit areas
💡Experts have warned it could be several weeks before the giant infernos are fully contained
💡A new fire is spreading eastwards- triggering new evacuation orders towards the wealthy Brentwood neighbourhood
💡Firefighters in Los Angeles face the return of "gusty Santa Ana winds", and potential for "explosive fire growth" through this week, a National Weather Service Official said
💡A major public health emergency has been declared, with water in some areas contaminated and people warned not to swim in the ocean due to contamination from ash
💡Mexico has sent firefighters to aid the response
💡An intensive investigation to uncover the cause of the fires is under way, including into the possibility that arson was involved
💡Police have made arrest amid concerns about looting as thieves are using the distraction to rob homes
💡The Governor has said the fires could be the country's costliest natural disaster and signed an executive order lifting requirements for rebuilding
News outlets are reporting on all the celebrities who lost their homes in the wildfires, from Paris Hilton to Mandy Moore.
The latest from Hollywood is the $125 million 'Succession' mansion that has been destroyed.
The 'Most expensive' home in Palisades which was being rented for $450,000 a month served as a luxury pad for the Roy siblings while filming Season 4 of 'Succession'. Those who have watched the hit HBO show would recognize it in a minute.
Our Thoughts💡: Umm imagine owning a home like that and now it's charred wood 🫢
PS. We can't help but wonder- On top of a ridge in America's most notorious firebelt and they didn't have a sprinkler system? tf???? 🤯
Work 💻 : JP Morgan mandates full time return-to-office.
JPMorgan Chase announced that all employees will be required to return to the office full time from March.
JP Morgan claims: “We think it is the best way to run the company.”
Umm we photoshopped our bank statements to get a 1-bedroom flat in NYC. You no longer need to work FIVE days a week at JP or any crappy bank to finally stop living with your hellish roommate, guys
The real secret to get your own place? Get Adobe 🧠
Key Highlights, reported by Reuters:
💡Employees have filed complaints and expressed concerns over this bold move of a mandatory RTO
💡Complaints include commuting costs, mental health, and stress
💡CEO Jamie Dimon advocates office work for better learning and culture
💡Employees will receive 30 days' notice before they are expected to return
"We know that some of you prefer a hybrid schedule and respectfully understand that not everyone will agree with this decision [..] However, being together greatly enhances brainstorming and getting things done"
-JP Morgan
Some employees pushed back against the return-to-office order by posting comments on the company's website.
After more than 300 comments were posted within the 1st hour, the page was locked.
Our Thoughts💡: Hmm not sure how we feel about a Monday-Friday schedule.
We need 3 day weekends every week because we need:
-1 day of complete and utter rotting
-1 day of cleaning and
-1 day of activities
Food & Drink 🍋 : Chick-fil-A is using robots to make their popular lemonade.
The robots are squeezing upto 2,000 lemons a day for the chain’s famous drink, saving workers 10,000 hours a day, Bloomberg reports.
Soon the new meaning of real, organic food is having your food cooked and served by real humans
From flipping cheeseburgers to whipping cream to squeezing lemons- robots can do it cheaper, better & faster. As labor wages rise, it had already been increasingly tricky for businesses to justify humans with their 1st-world issues & whatnot.
Robots work 24/7 🤖
They don't need a toilet break, don't throw tantrums, can't catch the flu, don't need maternity leave & def don't need vacation time to go skiing in the Swiss Alps or sunbathing in Capri.. 👙
They really are coming for us.. Prepare to ADAPT
Key Highlights, reported by Bloomberg:
💡The robots in Chic-fil-A have also helped reduce injuries and speed up service
💡Whereas human squeezers were only able to use about 40% of the fruit, the robots manage to use nearly the whole thing
💡These robots have massive mechanic lemon-grabbing arms, automated rollers, and even features that deliver, drop, clean, and squeeze the fruits
💡The “very cutting edge” process, only takes 45 minutes, and is part of the chain’s efforts to improve efficiency and support its expansion
According to an employee, the labor-intensive nature of the hand-job will not be missed
"Squeezing lemons was not a fun job," Kurt Cahill, a senior leader at the company who helped develop the lemonade plant, told Bloomberg.
"Nobody liked doing it."
Our Thoughts💡: Nothing new here folks. Fast food has been stepping up its AI game big time- especially since Covid.
Scared to catch the virus while getting take out from your favourite restaurant? Enter Robot.
As restaurants doubled down in the pandemic to assure customers they're using all social distancing measures possible, some began deploying robots early on to avoid becoming a long-lost memory:
-Like Chick-fil-A using AI to make fresh lemonade
-Or Sweetgreen launching salad-making robots in Illinois
-A Wendy’s in Florida is now testing AI drive-thru orders
Health: Stevia, Monkfruit, Honey, Agave.. and we finally have a winner- Erythritol. Or atleast we thought we did.
"Erythritol", the sugar-substitute found in Splenda, diet drinks and low-calorie snacks, has been linked to heart attack and stroke risks.
And real sugar has been linked to... ? 🤔
Tbh, it's time we question these "safe" sugar-free products we're often advised to consume by nutritionists and health magazines.
We're told to use Ozempic, Wegovy, fat-shredding apps, supplements, magic pills, zero-calorie snacks.. Long story short- yes, y'all got fat and yes, we're here to make BIG bucks off your lazy ass
According to a recent study published in Nature Medicine, Erythritol is made from fermented corn and is mostly absorbed into the bloodstream upon consumption.
Data showed that people with high blood levels of the sweetener had increased risk of heart attacks, blood clotting and strokes.
We mean, what doesn't give you a stroke these days?! Caffeine is bad for you, meat is bad, bread is bad, milk is bad, sugar is bad.. but please don't worry guys because worrying is bad for you too ✋
Our Thoughts💡: Our motto is simple: Do everything in moderation including moderation.
Having said that, we just hope there's a vial of insulin in the next Coke Zero you guzzle down
Culture 🌎 : Global Population tops 8 billion.
Just incase your boyfriend feels irreplaceable ladies..
We have entered 2025 with 200 million more people than two years ago, the UN reports..
Key Highlights, reported by the United Nations:
💡As of January 2025, the global population is projected to be approximately 8.2 billion people
💡This figure is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050
💡It's important to note that population growth rates vary by region. For example, sub-Saharan Africa is expected to experience a significant increase, with its population projected to double by 2050.
💡In contrast, some regions, such as Europe, may see a decline in population due to lower fertility rates and aging populations.
💡These demographic shifts have profound implications for global development, resource allocation, and policy planning in the coming decades for governments
Quicker Bites:
Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex's new Netflix show has been postponed until March due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
Fire threat in LA county reamins “very high”.
Donald Trump sentenced without penalty in his New York criminal hush money case, 10 days before his inauguration for a 2nd White House term.
Carrie Underwood slated to perform at Trump’s inaugaration.
Ukraine losing ground on the battlefield as Trump team pushes ceasefire.
Hamas expected to release 33 hostages in first phase of emerging deal.
Protests turn violent in China after student falls to his death.