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February 2, 2022
Happy Groundhog Day, Roca Riders! Today is the day when we place all of our meteorological faith in a groundhog named Phil. Will he see his shadow and await 6 more weeks of winter? Or will we have an early spring? Either way, here's an idea: Replace the NFL overtime coin toss with Punxsutawney Phil.
Speaking of which, who is Puxsutawney Phil? And are his predictions accurate? Find out in today's Wrap!
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Big Lightning
Overview
- A 2020 lightning bolt across the southern US set the record for the longest lightning bolt ever detected. The World Meteorological Organization confirmed the bolt’s record-breaking status Monday
- The bolt stretched 477 miles (768 km) over Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. It was between clouds and did not strike the ground
- The prior record had been set by a 440-mi (708-km) bolt over Brazil. Most bolts stretch for <10 mi (16 km)
- Lightning is caused by an electrical imbalance between 2 areas, either within the clouds, or between the clouds and the ground
DIG DEEPER
Meteorologists want to conduct further research on the "megaflash." The bolt was the distance between New York City and Raleigh, North Carolina.
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Brady is Officially Out
Overview
- Tom Brady announced his retirement from the NFL
- Brady posted on IG that football requires a "100% competitive commitment" and "I am not going to make that competitive commitment anymore"
- The post extensively thanked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with whom he signed in 2020 and won last year's Super Bowl. There was no mention of the Patriots, who drafted him in 2000 and with whom he won 6 Super Bowls
- Brady led the NFL in completions, yards, TDs, and attempts this year. He retires as the all-time leader in completions, yards, TDs, wins, and Super Bowls
DIG DEEPER
"There is a physical, mental, and emotional challenge EVERY single day that has allowed me to maximize my highest potential," Brady wrote. "I have tried my very best these past 22 years. There are no shortcuts to success on the field or in life."
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Thin Jung-Un
Overview
- A new North Korean film aired on state TV describes Kim Jong-un as having "withered away"
- The 38-yo Kim, North Korea’s leader since 2012, has lost significant weight, leading to questions of his health
- The movie — 2021, A Great Victorious Year — said that Kim slimmed because of hard work over the last year: “His body completely withered away, and he showed his motherly side by greatly suffering and worrying to realize the dreams of the people"
- Kim's father and grandfather — both North Korean dictators — died of heart attacks. His weight rose from 196 lbs (89 kg) in 2012 to 308 lbs (140 kg) in 2020
DIG DEEPER
The film also showed Kim galloping on horseback up a mountain. Last month, Kim announced plans to build hypersonic missiles and North Korea conducted 7 missile tests.
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Tesla's "Rolling Stop" Recall
Overview
DIG DEEPER
"The car simply slowed to ~2 mph & continued forward if clear view with no cars or pedestrians," Musk said on twitter. Traffic safety organizations disagreed.
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 What do you think?
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- NFLitigation: Ex-Dolphins head coach Brian Flores has filed a class-action lawsuit against the NFL and 3 teams for alleged "racism in hiring"
- But it's not all bad news for the NFL! The NFC Championship game between the 49ers and Rams drew an average 50M viewers
- Fox News' The Five was the most watched cable news program in January. The Rachel Maddow Show was the only non-Fox show in the top 10
- The Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust graphic novel Maus soared to the top of Amazon's best-sellers list after a Tennessee school district banned it
Business
- Big Tech earnings blowout szn continues: Google shares popped 9% in after-hours trading after reporting $75B in quarterly revenue
- Debt milestone: The US national debt surpassed $30T for the first time according to the latest numbers from the Treasury Department
- "What's up, dock?" Superyacht sales surged 77% in 2021 as the ultrarich scooped up 887 new ones. Jeff Bezos was among the buyers
Wildcard
- A massive brawl broke out at a Golden Corral buffet in Pennsylvania after the restaurant ran out of steak. The video has since gone viral
- Everything's colder in Texas! Texas is bracing for freezing rains and potential disruptions to the power grid, 1 year after its deadly storm
- A football holiday: Cincinnati Public Schools are giving students and staff the day off after the Bengals and Rams play in Super Bowl LVI
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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Every year on February 2 – Groundhog Day – a question looms: Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?
Punxsutawney Phil is a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and the focus of Groundhog Day lore. If Phil sees his shadow upon waking up and returns to his hole, he has predicted 6 more weeks of winter weather; if he doesn’t see his shadow, he predicts an early spring.
The tradition began as Candlemas Day, a Christian holiday when worshippers would bring their candles to church to have them blessed. A poem accompanied the day:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
The Candelmas Tradition mixed with a tradition in Germany that said if a hedgehog (or a badger by some accounts) saw its shadow upon leaving hibernation, there would be a long winter; if it didn’t, winter would be short.
German immigrants brought the tradition to the US, although there were no hedgehogs so they substituted a groundhog. In Punxsutawney, PA in 1886, Groundhog Day appeared in a local newspaper for the first time.
In 1887, Punxsutawney locals established the Groundhog Club to run the annual Groundhog Day ceremony. Within the club is an “inner circle” that manages Phil, the mystical groundhog, and interprets his forecast
The club acts as a cult of Punxsutawney Phil, whom they say has been forecasting since 1887, even though a groundhog’s lifespan is ~6 years. They attribute Phil's longevity to an "elixir of life" he receives each fall. The club says that Phil communicates in Groundhogese, a language that only the club’s president can understand.
At daybreak on February 2, the inner circle helps Phil out of his den. He then conveys his message to the Club’s president, who unveils a scroll and reads a forecast to those at the ceremony. Some 2,000 people used to attend the occasion annually. Since the 1993 film Groundhog Day, though, that number has risen to 20,000.
The Club claims that Phil has a 100% accuracy rating when forecasting. But does he really? No, According to the US weather service. They’ve calculated that the groundhog accurately predicts about 40% of winters.
This year, Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter. Good thing the odds aren't in his favor.
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
Name the TV character's name based on the actor/actress and TV show. Difficulty: Medium.
- Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Veep
- Bradley Whitford in West Wing
- Jon Hamm in Mad Men
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Have you played Wordle?
Yes, I'm addicted: 42.4%
Heck no: 57.6%
Yesterday's Question:
What is the best board game? Explain yourself.
Brandon from Chicago: "Gotta go with Monopoly here, nothing like ruining a few friendships and reaping the rewards of capitalism at the same time!"
Dylan from Georgia: "Settlers of Catan. It has the most clear and concise rule set of any game. It’s a great strategy game that requires deep though, but is still easy to play. And there are countless ways to win!"
General Feedback:
Cat from New York: "Just wanted to share appreciation for the Ukrainian post. I loved hearing real people’s stories and takes on what’s going on in their country. I would love to hear more reporting like that!"
Melanie from California: "Appreciate so much the fact you actually talked to people in the Ukraine that you had relationships with about the war. They give a completely different vibe than our main stream media. Roca News is the only news I take seriously anymore."
Julia from London: "I loved your wrap about the people you met in Ukraine. Honestly, they sound a lot like the Ukrainians I know and their responses (smileys and tone and all) felt very real to a fellow millennial. Wouldn't have read about this perspective in another newspaper. Thank you!"
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20 Questions: 11-15
Every Friday, we ask the Roca Riders 20 questions and feature a few of our favorite answers. Last Friday, however, we did our first-ever "This or That" 20 Questions. Here is the breakdown of your preferences....
11. Taylor Swift or Katy Perry?
Taylor Swift: 63%
Katy Perry: 37%
12. Rihanna or Beyoncé?
Rihanna: 60%
Beyoncé: 40%
13. All-you-can-eat buffet or hibachi night?
All-you-can-eat buffet: 29%
Hibachi night: 71%
14. Subscribing to RocaNews or stepping on Legos?
Subscribing to Roca: 94%
Stepping on Legos: 6%
15. New York or Los Angeles?
New York: 76%
Los Angeles: 24%
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Games Answer(s):
1. Jesse Pinkman 2. Selina Meyer 3. Josh Lyman 4. Don Draper
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― Final Thoughts
Thank you all for the tremendous feedback we received on yesterday's Wrap which sought to give a more human look at the prospect of war in Ukraine. We deeply appreciate your support! Hopefully we'll get another Roca Roadtrip on the books soon...
Happy hump day, and see you tomorrow.
-Max and Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is about Groundhog Day. Similar to the one above, but with 9 pictures of groundhogs. It's worth reading.
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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