March 24, 2022

The tech whiz who invented the GIF, Steve Wilhite, died last week at 74. When Steve created the first GIF in 1987, he probably didn't realize that he lit the fuse to a debate that would divide the nation 3 decades later: Is it "gif" or "jiff"? Of course, we all know it's gif. And there go half of our subscribers...

In Uganda, May is a time to celebrate the arrival of a tasty new treat: Long-horned grasshoppers. Today's Wrap explains the business of catching them. 

― Key Stories

Students Struggle Post Remote School
Overview

• Students’ test scores indicate that most haven't overcome learning losses from remote schooling during the pandemic
• According to Renaissance Learning Inc., whose analyses are used across the US, students are performing worse this school year than last
• The “pandemic continues to have a compounding effect on student achievement,” the organization said
• The biggest losses are among pre- and early-literate students, from K – 2nd grade. While there are some promising trends, “there are not signs of a recovery”

Epstein's Islands Go on Sale
Overview

• 2 private islands belonging to the late Jeffrey Epstein are going on sale for $125M
• The islands – Great St. James and Little St. James – are among the US Virgin Islands. The former is largely natural and untouched; the latter has a helipad, a gas station, a living compound, a gym, 4 guest houses, 3 private beaches, 2 pools, and more
• Virgin Islands prosecutors have accused Epstein of bringing girls as young as 11 to the islands and sexually assaulting them
• The sale proceeds will go to paying off lawsuits and fines, and general upkeep of the Epstein estate

Taliban Calls Off School for Girls

• A night before Afghan schools for girls in 7th grade and higher were to reopen, the Taliban announced they would remain closed “until further notice”
• Most Afghan girls 13 and up haven't attended school since the Taliban, an Islamist fundamentalist group, took control of the country in August
• The Taliban says women will be allowed to receive an education “within the framework of Islamic law”
• The group claims to be more open to women and girls working and studying than it was in the past. Insiders say the group remains deeply divided, though, between its reformed and radical wings

NATO Shares War Estimates
Overview

• NATO believes that up to 40,000 Russian soldiers in Ukraine have been killed, wounded, or taken prisoner since the war started 1 month ago
• 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have likely been killed, with triple that number wounded
• The numbers put the conflict on pace to be Russia's deadliest since WW2. In the Soviet-Afghan war, there were 68,000 Soviet casualties (14,000 deaths and 54,000 injuries) between 1979 and 1988
• Ukraine has inflicted heavier-than-expected losses on Russia, and some indicators suggest Russia has softened its goal of seizing the entire country

See yesterday's results below the Wrap!

 Popcorn

Culture & Sports 

• Hope it doesn't land on Young Sheldon! HBO Max has added a shuffle button that allows random plays of episodes on 45 shows
• #FreeKyrie over? NYC is expected to get rid of its private employer vax mandate on Thursday, allowing Kyrie Irving to play home games
• Nicolas Cage says he resorted to starring in VOD (video-on-demand) movies, sometimes 4x a year, to pay off his debts 

• Game of KitKat and mouse: Nestle is pulling popular brands, including Nesquik and KitKat, out of Russia
• Cloudy with a chance of fat bonuses: Wall Street bonuses climbed 20% to a record $257,500 per worker last year
• Ford is recalling 200,000 pickups (including some F-150s) and SUVs that may leak brake fluid. Owners will be notified of the issue on April 25

• Madeleine Albright, the first female Secretary of State, died at the age of 84. She was appointed by President Clinton in 1997
• March Madness Cinderella star Doug Edert of 15-seed St. Peter's just signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Buffalo Wild Wings
• The CEO of Goldman Sachs, who is a part-time DJ, will perform at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago this July
• The Betrayal of Anne Frank, a book which claims to have solved the mystery of who betrayed Anne Frank, is being pulled by its publisher

― Roca Wrap

A Newsletter Exclusive

April showers bring May… long-horned grasshoppers.
 
If you live in Uganda, that’s something to celebrate. The country’s rainy seasons in May and November attract hoardes of grasshoppers - or nsenene, as the locals call them - who descend upon the country to feed and mate.
 
Nsenene are one of 2100 insect species considered edible, per the United Nations. In Uganda, they’re a seasonal delicacy and sought-after snack, especially when deep fried or boiled. “You see how you enjoy having a movie with popcorn? Me, it’s a movie with nsenene,” one Ugandan told National Geographic.
 
But in order to eat them, people need to catch them. Each spring and fall, hundreds of people skip school and jobs to do so. Using iron sheets, metal drums, and high-wattage electric bulbs, they set up makeshift “nets” and wait until night.
 
When the sun sets, the nocturnal nsenene come out. Attracted to the light, they swarm the bulbs. People burn fresh grass to make the nsenene dizzy from rising smoke. The insects smash against the iron sheets and fall into the waiting drums. It sounds like a heavy rain pour.
 
Many Ugandans grew up catching nsenene with their families. But over the years, the practice has become increasingly commercialized; homemade traps are giving way to giant hill and rooftop ones. Ugandans regularly lose power during the rainy seasons because the traps use so much electricity.
 
Part of the reason for growing demand is the potential for big money: One tablespoonful sells for about 1,000 Ugandan shillings ($0.28). That adds up if you’re a good trapper. “I recorded my first single – and made my first million – with grasshopper money,” said Bobi Wine, a popular Ugandan musician and politician. 

Last November, one man even sold the treat in the sky. A video of a passenger selling nsenene to fellow passengers on an Ugandan Airlines flight went viral. The video caused backlash on social media, with many criticizing the airline for lowering standards.

In response, the airline said they “picked lessons from the incident.” The lesson? “Some of our customers enjoy Nsenene,” an official statement read. The airline is now planning to add the seasonal delicacy to its menu in the future.

As popularity has surged, so have some challenges. Competition between trappers can get violent. Some burn their skin and eyes after breaking light bulbs to intensify the UV lights. And some indicators suggest the nsenene population has declined in recent years.
 
A group of Ugandan scientists believe the extreme hunting is responsible for the decline because it distorts the insects’ natural lifecycle. To fix that, they are trying to create sustainable nsenene farms. If they succeed: Ugandans won’t have to wait until rainy season to enjoy a tasty nsenene.

 Games

1. Lille-Roubaix, Bordeaux, Nice, Nantes
2. Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Surat
3. Adelaide, Gold Coast, Canberra, Newcastle
4. Puebla, Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Zapopan

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