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February 23, 2022
Cars burning in the ocean, Russian troops invading eastern Ukraine, Call of Duty not releasing a new game this year.... today's top stories may not give you your daily dose of serotonin. However, head to Popcorn and count your lucky stars to not have "Hank the Tank" ravaging through your trash.
Today's Wrap might make you want to skip your breakfast (or not...). The subject is "salvaging roadkill" and the legal debate surrounding it.
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Lost Cars
Overview
- An estimated $401M in Volkswagen vehicles are burning on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean
- The ship Felicity Ace was transporting $438M worth of goods, including 4,000 Volkswagen vehicles, including Lamborghinis, Bentleys, Porsches, Audis, and other high-end cars
- On Feb. 16, a fire broke out on the ship as it traveled near Portugal's Azores Islands. The crew evacuated, and tugboats have been trying to put the fire out since
- The ship was traveling from Germany to Rhode Island. The fire's cause remains unclear
DIG DEEPER
The cars are complicating efforts to end the blaze: Many have lithium-ion batteries, fires from which take vastly more water to end than normal fires.
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UK Ends Pandemic Rules
Overview
- UK PM Boris Johnson said that it is now time to live “without restricting our freedoms,” as the government said it will now treat Covid-19 “like other respiratory illnesses”
- Beginning Thursday, people are no longer required to isolate if they test positive. Before, exposed unvaxxed people had to isolate and exposed vaxxed people had to test daily
- The UK government will also stop providing tests, including to people with symptoms, and require people to buy them from pharmacies
- The UK will also drop its final recommendations for venues to screen guests for Covid-19 or vax status
DIG DEEPER
To continue monitoring surges, Johnson said the UK will conduct random tests of 180,000 people every other week. Johnson encouraged people to “exercise personal responsibility, just as we encourage people who may have flu to be considerate to others."
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No COD in 2023
Overview
- In 2023, video game company Activision will not release a Call of Duty (CoD) game for the first time since 2005
- Activision has released an annual CoD game since 2005's Call of Duty 2. Since the series launched in 2003, Call of Duty has sold 400M+ total copies
- Activision, which Microsoft recently acquired, was reportedly disappointed with the sales for Call of Duty: Vanguard, the series' 2021 entry
- The drop in sales reportedly made Activision believe it is creating too many games, cannibalizing its own audience. The 2022 entry, another “Modern Warfare” title, will release as scheduled
DIG DEEPER
In 2020, Activision released a free-to-play CoD game, which the company reportedly believes has drawn users away from its paid offerings.
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Sanctions Hit Russia
Overview
- A day after Russian troops entered eastern Ukraine, Russia faced a wave of sanctions
- The US and UK announced sanctions on Russian banks and elites. Germany paused construction of a Russian pipeline that would deliver gas to Germany. The EU sanctioned 351 Russian parliament members
- Amid criticism that the sanctions were insufficient, leaders said they are saving stronger sanctions in case Russia moves deeper into Ukraine
- Russian troops now occupy 2 separatist-controlled provinces in eastern Ukraine. Tuesday, Russian president Putin implied they will invade further into Ukraine
DIG DEEPER
The sanctions did not apply to Russia's largest banks. UK PM Boris Johnson said that is because "it is absolutely vital that we hold in reserve further powerful sanctions...in view of what President Putin may do next. Biden has said the US is preparing the "mother of all sanctions."
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 What do you think?
Today's Poll:
Do you want more Wraps on the situation in Ukraine, or do you not really care?
More Wraps
Don't really care
Today's Question:
Who is an underappreciated musician whose music you love? Why?
Reply to this email with your answers!
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See yesterday's results below the Wrap!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- Phil Mickelson issued an apology for his explosive comments on the Saudis. He said they’re "scary motherf***ers to get involved with"
- Bonjour, Netflix! The streaming giant has signed a 3-year deal to invest a minimum of $45M in European movies
- And the Oscar goes to.... off-air TV! 8 honors at the Academy Awards will be awarded in off-air segments that will be edited into the telecast
Business
- Amazon filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against 2 companies, AppSally and Rebatest, that allegedly help fill the site with fake reviews
- Cut them some slack? Popular work messaging app Slack went offline for several hours on Tuesday. Slack said the issue has been fixed
- Houston, we have a fraud problem: Consumers reported losing more than $5.8B to fraud in 2021, a 70% increase over 2020
Wildcard
- Keep Android great: An Android app with a similar name to Trump's "Truth Social" app has been downloaded more than 100k times
- What a rescue! The US coast guard airlifted a 51-yo man into a helicopter who was bitten by a shark while fishing near the Bahamas
- Bennie and the (failing) jets: Elton John’s private jet was forced to make an emergency landing after experiencing a failure at 10,000 feet
- A huge black bear named Hank the Tank is wanted by California police for breaking into dozens of homes in a Lake Tahoe neighborhood
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― Roca Wrap
A Newsletter Exclusive
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Roadkill for dinner anyone?
Each day in the United States, about 1M animals are struck by vehicles and become roadkill. And in most states – 30 of 50 – salvaging those animals for food is legal. As of January, Wyoming is the latest state to join that list.
States differ on the rules for salvaging roadkill: Several require permits or limit collection to certain seasons, and not all animals are fair game. Wyoming, for example, outlawed the eating of roadkill grizzly bears, some gray wolves, and endangered species.
Some states mandate residents report the location of their find. They say the data is helpful to better understand how wildlife crashes happen, and where additional safety measures, such as highway overpasses or “wildlife crossing” warning signs, could be built to reduce wildlife collisions.
Advocates of salvaging roadkill say the practice lessens the time dead animals are left on roads before transport workers collect them. Roadkill can also supply food for those in need. Organizations in Alaska, for example, distribute roadkill (often moose) to charities.
PETA, an animal-rights group, argues that roadkill is more ethical to eat than animals raised for murder. And it's healthier, they say: Roadkill is free of antibiotics, hormones, and growth stimulants used in factory-farmed meat. “If people must eat animal carcasses, roadkill is a superior option to the neatly shrink-wrapped plastic packages of meat in the supermarket,” the PETA website reads.
Yet not all are in favor. There are concerns that some hunters abuse roadkill laws as cover for killing animals illegally. Others worry about the risk of motorists stopping to gather carcasses on highways. And there’s always the chance of eating diseased or rancid meat.
If you’re game to try roadkill, there’s plenty of online recipes for inspiration. Or you can visit West Virginia’s annual Roadkill Cook-off and Festival, where past award winners have included “Porcupine Stew” and “Fender Fried Fawn Smothered in Vulture Vomit.”
Bon Appetit!
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If you have thoughts, let us know at Max@RocaNews.com!
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 Games
In what year were these the top 5 Google searches? "Olympics" and "Kate Middleton" were also popular searches this year.
- Whitney Houston
- Gangnam Style
- Hurricane Sandy
- iPad 3
- Diablo 3
Find out the answer at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Are you generally pro- or anti-dating apps?
Pro-dating apps: 45.0%
Anti-dating apps: 55.0%
Yesterday's Question:
Who's the most terrifying criminal from the last 100 years? Why?
Lindsay from Tennessee: "Richard Ramirez (The Night Stalker). I couldn’t even watch that whole Netflix documentary about him. The little bit I did watch gave me nightmares."
Brandon from Chicago: "I think this title still goes to John Wayne Gacy. He had the police, his community, and even the president fooled into thinking he was a good person. All that time under the model citizen facia was a child killer who hid the bodies under his house. Makes my skin crawl."
General Feedback:
Rebecca: "I loved the Game this morning - it was fun to guess the year based on Google searches! Also, it takes me back to my sophomore year of college. EVERYONE was watching the world cup!"
Logan from Wyoming: "I'm rather disappointed that you guys failed to mention that today is Twosday, 2/22/22 on a Tuesday"
Greg from San Diego: "Loved your series on Ukraine last summer; it was fascinating view into a nation that I knew little about. Hoping that cooler heads prevail, and no one makes a miscalculation that leads to a much broader conflict. I’ll be praying for your friends, and for the Ukrainian people as a whole, but things seem bleak with Putin wanting to reconstitute the old Soviet Union. Get ready for a bumpy ride."
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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 week's theme was "Pick your Favorite" in each category.
11. Rappers
"Eminem"
"Notorious BIG"
"Young Thug"
12. Soda brands
"Coke Zero"
"A&W"
"Orangina"
13. Actors under 30
"Tom Holland"
"Timothée Chalamet"
"John Boyega"
14. Actresses under 30
"Zendaya"
"Anya Taylor-Joy"
"Millie Bobby Brown"
15. Punctuation marks
";"
"!"
"—"
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― Final Thoughts
Yesterday was one of those days when we are glad to work at a surf-themed news company. Outside, it was a gray, rainy, February day. In our heads, it was 78, sunny, and a perfect day to ride some waves. So thanks, all, for giving us an excuse to daydream about chilling on the Australian coast.
-Max and Max
Today's Instagram Wrap is part 1 of a 3-part series on Vladimir Putin. Check it out!
Thanks for reading! See you again tomorrow!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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