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February 25, 2022
Wow. Happy Friday. Most of us didn't start the week with "military invasion in Europe" on our Bingo card, but here we are... we made it. Thank you, everyone, for all of your support and engagement this week. No news company in the world has a community of readers like the Roca Riders.
Major announcement: Our very own Max Frost is traveling to Poland this weekend to see how the war is playing out there, on the border, and in other nearby countries. There's no better place to cover a story than the ground, so we look forward to bringing you his reporting. Stay tuned, and let's ride.
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Russia-Ukraine: The War
Overview
- Russia continued its full-scale invasion of Ukraine
- Russia's rocket attacks hit dozens of Ukrainian cities, while its tanks and assault vehicles progressed deeper into Ukrainian territory
- A battle raged at an airbase near Kyiv, the capital, where Russia was trying to establish a foothold to import troops and war materials. Russia also seized the Chernobyl nuclear plant
- Russian troops now occupy parts of northern, eastern, and southern Ukraine. Ukraine reported 137 deaths and 316 injuries; dozens of Russian troops were also reported killed
DIG DEEPER
Russia encroached on Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on day 2 of the invasion. Ukraine’s president Zelensky said his intelligence services informed him Russia marked him as “target No. 1” in Kyiv, and his family “target No. 2”, but that he will remain in the city’s government quarters.
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Russia-Ukraine: The Response
Overview
- Ukraine enacted a curfew and forbade many adult men from leaving the country. The government also issued thousands of rifles to civilians. Pres. Zelensky said Ukraine is fighting to stop “a new iron curtain”
- In Russia, police broke up anti-war protests in various cities
- Pres. Biden promised new sanctions, including on Russia's 2 largest banks, as did the EU and UK. The US said Russia intends to encircle Kyiv, “decapitate the government,” and repress the population
- Thousands of Ukrainians began fleeing west; Poland and other neighboring nations prepared for refugees
DIG DEEPER
On Friday, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he is willing to consider “non-aligned” status for Ukraine, which would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. Russia agreed to talks, and is sending a delegation to meet with Ukrainian officials in Belarus.
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US Truck Convoys Begin
Overview
- A convoy of truckers set off from California on a 2,500-mile drive to Washington, DC
- They call their group the “people's convoy,” and want to end restrictions and “jumpstart the economy.” It's one of several convoys set to arrive in DC next month
- The convoy follows the Canadian truckers' “Freedom Convoy,” whose protest occupied part of Ottawa, Canada's capital, for 3 weeks until the Canadian government shut it down
- The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 National Guard troops to DC to “address… possible disruptions at key traffic arteries”
DIG DEEPER
The convoy set off from a town northeast of LA with 24 18-wheelers and some 50 pickups. They're traveling to the Beltway – Interstate 495 – which surrounds Washington, DC
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New Oxygen Treatment Fights PTSD
Overview
- A group of Israeli researchers believes they have found a way to use oxygen to treat PTSD
- The treatment involves placing PTSD patients in a pressurized chamber containing 100% oxygen to stimulate the flow of oxygen to the brain, repairing brain damage
- The treatment revolves around the premise that PTSD is not a purely psychological condition, but rather one that physically impacts the brain as a poisoning or illness might
- The researchers said the treatment appears more effective than traditional PTSD treatments
DIG DEEPER
“For the first time in years the study’s participants, most of whom had suffered from severe PTSD, were able to leave the horrors behind and look forward to a better future,” one of the lead researchers said, adding that she expects the improvement to be long-lasting
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 What do you think?
Today's Poll:
Do you believe the US should forcefully intervene in Ukraine?
Yes
No
Today's Question:
Just 20 Qs!
Reply to this email with your answers!
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See yesterday's answers below 20Q!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson, a federal judge in Washington, to the Supreme Court. She's the first black woman nominee
- A comedian walks into a warzone.... Louis CK appears to be sticking with his shows scheduled in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 2/25 and 2/26
- Ozark dominated Nielsen's latest weekly streaming list, with 4B+ minutes for the 2nd time in its history (only Tiger King has achieved the same feat)
Business
- (Not) In Da Club: The $200B club is empty for the first time in months as Elon Musk's net worth dipped beneath the $200B mark on Wednesday
- From Fortnite to forearm curls: Gen Z is the fastest-growing membership group at Planet Fitness, according to Planet Fitness' CEO
- Applebee's is pulling its ads from CNN after the network aired one of its commercials in the middle of a breaking story on a Kyiv air raid
Wildcard
- More than 200 items worth a total of $200k were reportedly stolen from the set of The Crown during the filming of Season 5
- For that reason, I'm out: Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) is expected to announce his resignation on Friday. He's served in the Senate since 1994
- Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn sat in the front row of a Ukrainian government press briefing as he films a Russia-Ukraine documentary
- A farewell to Skete: Just a week after making a return to Instagram, Pete Davidson has deleted his account (perhaps due to Skete trolling)
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Based on the number of responses, it seems that the inaugural "Pick your Favorite" edition of 20 Questions was a hit. Being the shameless people pleasers that we are, we're running it back! List your favorite thing from each of the below categories.
Send your answers to Max@RocaNews.com, and have a great weekend (the last one in February)!
1. Messaging apps
2. DJs
3. Bottled water brands
4. "Never have I ever" prompts
5. Cream cheese flavors
6. Light beers
7. Obscure facts
8. Drinking games
9. Futuristic names
10. Old-person names
11. Deodorant brands
12. Condiments
13. Corporate slogans
14. Late-night comedies
15. Rom coms
16. Gas station snacks
17. Bed time
18. Dog names
19. iPhone apps
20. Memes
Can't wait to read your answers! Send them to Max@RocaNews.com.
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 Games
Pt. 3: Finish the famous song lyrics! Each answer is from a song in the top 50 of Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 songs list.
- "Blue-jean baby... L.A. lady... Seamstress ___ ___ ____."
- "And I'm giving it my all but I'm not the guy you're taking home, ooh! I keep ______ __ __ ___."
- How does it feel, how does it feel? To be without a home? Like a complete unknown, like a ______ _____?"
- "It was all a dream, I used to read ____ __ magazine. Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine"
Find out the answer(s) at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Do you think Alec Baldwin is guilty for the killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins?
Yes: 48.8%
No: 51.2%
Yesterday's Question:
What is one feature you'd like to see in the forthcoming Roca app?
Elisha from Pennsylvania: "I'm just stoked you will have an App! Maybe a place where people can give you story ideas? Straight up, because of your emails, I was able to inform people at work what was happening with Ukraine because most of my co-workers had no idea. NONE. "
Olivia from Boise: "Puzzles"
Chris from Florida: "Featured photos from users! I like seeing our fellow Roca Riders and where they are from."
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General Feedback:
Wasay: "You know how the news is almost always filled with doom and gloom? It would be pretty cool to have a section near the clubhouse with some happy or positive news. I guess it would sort of balance out all the "real" news happening in Russia and elsewhere."
Grant: "Yalls updates on Ukraine are top notch, real, and raw. Thank you for keeping us all informed and aware. Keep up the good fight!!"
Alan from California: "YAY AN APP IS COMING!!!! Love y’all first and foremost for your non-bias news reporting. Really is breathe of fresh air to read news that doesn’t ramp up your anxiety and condemn you for who you might be. Thank you! "
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Games Answer(s):
1. "for the band" (Tiny Dancer) 2. "dancing on my own" (Dancing on my Own) 3. "rolling stone" (Like a Rolling Stone) 4. "Word Up!" (Juicy)
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― Final Thoughts
As they say in Ottawa, this was quite a week, eh?
If you are in Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Ukraine, or other places nearby – get in touch with us. Max F will be looking to make friends over there.
And thank you all for riding the choppy waters with us. Hopefully next week brings less war and more good news. In the meantime, send us your 20 questions, and have a rocking weekend.
-Max and Max
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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