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January 28, 2022
Happy Friday, Roca Riders. Cue your tiny violins because it is dipping into the 30s this weekend in Miami. For all of the Floridians wondering if humans can survive in such cold temperatures, the answer is yes. Meanwhile, blizzards are heading to the Northeast so load up on the Dunkin' munchkins now.
But seriously bundle up. And there's no better cold-weather activity than sending your 20 Questions answers to Max@RocaNews.com. Let's ride.
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Burn the Phones
Overview
- Countries are telling their Olympic athletes to bring only disposable "burner" phones to the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics
- The US, UK, Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and others have warned athletes that they may be targets of surveillance and their phones vulnerable to hacking
- The US advisory told athletes to "assume that every device and every communication, transaction, and online activity will be monitored"
- China called the warnings "misinformation" and said that all athletes' privacy will be protected. The games begin next Friday, February 4
DIG DEEPER
Some countries are just warning their athletes; others are distributing temporary phones and ordering them to dispose of them before returning home. Some countries are also providing their athletes with isolated WiFi networks.
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HIV Vax Hits Trials
Overview
- Trials have begun for an mRNA vaccine that would prevent HIV/AIDS
- Moderna, the company behind one of the major C-19 vaccines, has developed it
- The company believes mRNA technology will allow the vaccine to work against a range of HIV variants. Largely because of HIV's high mutation rate, decades of research have not produced a vaccine for it
- An estimated 38M people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, including 1.2M in the US. In some countries in southern Africa, where the disease is most prevalent, more than 1 in 5 adults have the disease
DIG DEEPER
This initial trial is small, looking at only 56 HIV-negative Americans. The goal is to prove the vaccine's safety and the validity of the idea behind it. Initial results are expected next year.
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Spotify Drops Neil Young
Overview
- Days after singer/songwriter Neil Young demanded that Spotify drop either him or Joe Rogan, Spotify has dropped all of Neil Young's songs
- Young accused Spotify of spreading misinformation by hosting Rogan's podcast. Rogan has interviewed vax-skeptical scientists
- Rogan has Spotify's most-popular podcast, with some 11M listeners per episode. In 2020, Spotify agreed to pay Rogan $100M+ for a multi-year exclusive contract
- Young has called other musicians to follow him off the platform. Spotify said, “We regret Neil’s decision" but want to protect "freedom for creators"
DIG DEEPER
For the many of you who belong to Gen Z or the lower reaches of the Millennials and are asking, "Who is Neil Young?" here is a link to arguably his most famous song, Heart of Gold. It's a YouTube link (we couldn't find it on Spotify).
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Amy Schneider's Jeopardy! Streak Ends
Overview
- Wednesday night, Amy Schneider lost on "Jeopardy!" 2 days after becoming the show's second-most winningest contestant
- "Jeopardy!," a trivia competition, is the US' most-watched television show. Schneider won 40 games in a row, winning $1.4M
- Schneider went into Wednesday's final round up $10,000, but missed the "Final Jeopardy!" and ended up losing by $10,000
- The question (answer) was “The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an H, it’s also one of the 10 most populous.” (What is Bangladesh?) Her response was "What is ?"
DIG DEEPER
Her 40 wins put her #2 all-time, between Matt Amodio's 38 and Ken Jennings' 74. Schneider called the run "the most fun I’ve ever had" and said she "didn’t want it to end.”
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's answers below 20Q!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- "Big Ben" Roethlisberger officially announced his retirement from the NFL. Tom Brady hilariously paid his respect to Big Ben on Twitter
- Encanto and Don't Look Up dominated streaming movie charts from the Dec. 27- Jan. 2 week, amassing 2B+ minutes of viewership apiece
- "Yo, it's Elon": Elon Musk reportedly messaged the owner of a Twitter account that tracks his private jet with an offer of $5k to take it down
Business
- How 'bout them apples! Apple's quarterly revenue jumped 11% to $123.9B for its largest quarterly revenue haul ever
- Amazon is lobbying hard for weed legalization in Washington, DC. Their apparent motive is to remove hiring hurdles (not to sell it)
- Recall chainsaw massacre: DeWalt is recalling thousands of chainsaws after learning they can remain running while "turned off"
Wildcard
- Not in Kansas anymore: Over 2 feet of snow fell on a narrow swath of Kansas on Tuesday, nearly breaking the state's all-time record
- A letter written to a 12-yo girl in Lithuania from a Polish pen pal was delivered 51 years late. It fell out of a ventilation hole last summer
- Tick tick to vroom vroom: A Swiss watchmaker created a $1.5M Bugatti watch that has a tiny 16-cylinder engine inside
- Adult film star Stormy Daniels accused her ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti of stealing from her and lying about her $300k book advance
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Roca Riders, it is THAT time of the week! We can't wait to see your responses to our first-ever "THIS OR THAT" 20 Questions.
We will give you two choices and you have to pick your favorite one. Relax. This is not a graded exercise, although we will average the results and share throughout next week.
Send your answers to Max@RocaNews.com! Have a great weekend and thank you for riding the wave.
1. Dax Shepherd or Joe Rogan?
2. Marshmallows for hot chocolate or s'mores?
3. A foot of snow on a Saturday or NOT a foot of snow on a Saturday?
4. Light beer or hard seltzer?
5. Roaches or mice in your apartment?
6. Sleeping on the couch or on an air mattress?
7. British accents or Australian accents?
8. Tater tots or onion rings?
9. Instagram or TikTok?
10. General Tso's chicken or anything else from a cheap Chinese restaurant?
11. Taylor Swift or Katy Perry?
12. Rihanna or the Beyoncé?
13. All-you-can-eat buffet or hibachi night?
14. Subscribing to RocaNews or stepping on Legos?
15. New York or Los Angeles?
16. Living in the cowboy era or pirate era?
17. Geometry or algebra?
18. Old Spice or Axe deodorant?
19. Spilling coffee on a white shirt or walking with wet socks?
20. Being trapped in a rom-com with enemies or a horror movie with friends?
Can't wait to read your answers! Send them to Max@RocaNews.com.
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 Games
Finish the corporate slogan! Each answer will include the company's name.
- I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I ____ ___ _____
- America runs on ______
- Like a ____ neighbor, ____ ____ is there
- ____ ____ gives you wings
Find out the answer(s) at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Do you believe that Barry Bonds should be in the Hall of Fame?
Yes: 63.1%
No: 39.9%
Yesterday's Question:
What's an underappreciated profession? Why?
Kismet from Portland: "9*1*1 Dispatchers. They talk to people on the worst day of their lives and absorb the pain. They hear officers and firefighters yelling for them to send help. They coordinate the chaos of riots and mayhem. Then they move on to the next emergency."
Jenney from Kentucky: "Sanitation workers. I thank the trash guys every time I see them in my neighborhood. What would we do without them???"
Julia from London: "Kindergarten teachers. Seriously. So many problems in the world because kids grew up in dysfunctional settings. We can't fix all parents, but we can at least try to ensure kids have great adults around them at kindergarten/pre school for those first crucial years of their lives."
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General Feedback:
Micah from Massachusetts: "Love the newsletter! Always some super interesting content you don't see elsewhere"
On yesterday's Wrap, Elisha from West Chester: "This is both interesting and terrifying. What a dilemma. I think one could get a tranquilizer gun or gas the area (non lethal) and move them away. This is one of my favorite stories. Pure gold. I mean this could be a movie (scary one). Monkey business for real. :-) "
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Games Answer(s):
1. prefer Dos Equis 2. Dunkin 3. good, State Farm 4. Red Bull
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― Final Thoughts
Happy Friday, Riders! If you're in the eastern US, stay warm and load up on marshmallows. Whether it's for chilly weather in Miami or a foot of snow in Boston, you'll need it.
If you're in London, where it's looking like 56ºF (13ºC) and sun, soak up the vitamin D (hoping it seeps through clouds...) while you have the chance.
And for the Riders in Australia, where Sydney is expecting a Saturday of 73º (23º) sun, do something for those of us who will be snowed in: Hit the beach, take a jog, eat dinner outside, throw some shrimp on the barbie. We just ask that you keep your northern hemisphere Riders in mind.
Have great weekends, all. See you on Monday.
-Max and Max
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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