March 11, 2022

Happy Friday, Roca Riders. Yesterday we posed the question: "What's a quirky food combination that you love that many would find gross?" It turns out we opened Pandora's pantry and might have to call the food police. Nutella and raw pasta? Dill pickles and chocolate ice cream? Bologna and peanut butter?!

We are having too much fun with the Rider-sourced content. So we mix it up again this week with this: Tell us your funniest/worst date story! More below...

― Key Stories

Nuke Pills Sell Out 
Overview

• Pills that protect against nuclear radiation have sold out across much of the US
• Per the Wall Street Journal, sales of potassium-iodide pills have surged since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. One of the pill’s major producers, Anbex Inc., sold out after receiving orders for 13M+ pills; another producer also confirmed supply shortages
• Iodine pills prevent radiation by filling the thyroid glands that typically absorb radioactive iodine
• Russia has put its nuclear forces on high alert, and President Putin has threatened a nuclear response to countries that interfere in Ukraine

Inflation Hits Another 40-Year High

• In February, US inflation rose 0.4% to another 40-year high. In January, prices rose 7.4% year-over-year. In February, prices were up 7.9% over the last year
• The rate doesn't reflect spikes in oil, grain, and other prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine
• Higher energy, food, and shelter costs were the  main drivers of the surge. The inflation rate is nearly 5x what it was last February (1.6%)
• The last time inflation was this high was in January 1982, following 3 years in which inflation averaged well over 10%. The Federal Reserve (Fed) is expected to raise interest rates soon to combat rising prices

Pig Heart Transplantee Dies
Overview

• The 57-year-old who became the first person to survive a pig-to-human heart transplant died 2 months after the surgery
• Health officials could not yet confirm whether the death was caused by rejection of the foreign organ
• The procedure, called xenotransplantation, was initially deemed successful. The pig heart was genetically modified so that a human body would accept it
• The doctor who performed the procedure said it proved a “modified pig heart can function well within the human body”

Executive Order to Research Crypto
Overview

• President Biden asked the Fed to explore whether the US should create its own digital currency
• Digital currencies act like traditional money but are issued, managed, and stored digitally, not physically
• At least 87 countries are studying digital currencies. 2 major economies — China and South Korea — have government-backed cryptocurrencies in a pilot phase; 9 countries have already launched them
• The same executive order told the Treasury Department to investigate cryptos’ impact on financial stability and national security, and propose policies to regulate them

See yesterday's answers below!

  Popcorn

Culture & Sports 

• Beware of Rainbow Road: Super Nintendo World will open at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023, the first in the US
• Play ball! Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new labor deal on Thursday. Opening Day is April 7
• The sixth and final season of Peaky Blinders will hit Netflix on June 10. A movie is already in the works for the British gangster epic

• New kind of paid leave: Tesla says it will keep paying Ukrainian employees asked to return home and join the fight against Russia
• DraftKings' CEO tweeted to all those who sold DraftKings shares he wants it to be a decision to regret "more than any you've ever made"
• Kim Kardashian... the new Jeff Bezos? Kim K's clothing brand Skims will deliver products to Los Angeles customers in less than 2 hours

• World's wealthiest homeless man: Elon Musk has sold his 7 homes for $130M, 2 years after tweeting that he "will own no house"
• Actor Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 150 days in jail for the hate crime he staged in Chicago in 2019. He also owes the city $120k
• NASA released an incredible satellite image from 2020 of Portugal’s coastline showing 7-story-high waves crashing on the shore
• April showers bring May masks? The US extended the airplane mask mandate through at least April 18, past the March 19 expiration date

― Roca Rider Storytime

 Games

1. "You would not believe your eyes if ten million ________"
2. "She take my money when I'm in need. Yeah, she's a triflin' friend indeed. Oh, she's a ____ ______"
3. "I kissed a girl and I liked it. The taste of her cherry ____ _____"
4. "His palms are sweaty, knees weak, ____ ___ _____"

 Roca Clubhouse

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― Final Thoughts