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April 1, 2022
On April Fool's in 2007, Google sent an email to its employees alerting them that there was a python on the loose in its New York office. Ha ha, very funny April Fool's joke. Except, it wasn't: There was actually a pet python slithering its way around Google. If only someone Googled how to catch it.
This or that: That is the theme of today's edition of 20 Questions. Please send in your answers to Max@RocaNews.com. Let's ride!
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There Will Be Oil
Overview
- President Biden announced the US' largest-ever emergency oil release
- The release will add 1M barrels of oil a day to the global market. Biden hopes that will lower energy prices, which hit 14-year highs following Russia's invasion of Ukraine
- The government will release 180M total barrels of oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The figure equates to 1% of global or 5% of US oil demand
- The emergency oil reserve exists to alleviate oil shortages. After this, it should contain 300M barrels
DIG DEEPER
The final spark for the move appears to have been a decision by OPEC, a group of the world's biggest oil-producing countries, not to increase oil output more than expected.
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Former Google CEO Calls for Cyber Academy
Overview
- Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is lobbying Congress to create a cyber West Point
- West Point is the US' most prestigious military academy
- Schmidt wants the govt. to launch an institute that trains Americans in AI, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and other strategic digital fields. He envisions 4 years of study + by 5 years of government service
- "The systems that are coming are so complicated that the government, who's well-meaning, will not be able to manage them. You're going to need better talent," Schmidt said
DIG DEEPER
While fears of cyberattacks have grown in recent years, the private sector remains a far more attractive and lucrative place for careers in tech. Schmidt hopes a free and prestigious education, like one from West Point, could change that.
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First Complete Human Genome Mapped
Overview
- A group of scientists claim to have identified the first 100%-complete human genome
- Human cells usually contain 2 genomes, 1 from each parent. A genome contains all an organism's DNA. It takes the form of a double helix made of ~3.2B DNA base-pairs split over 23 chromosones
- The genetic data encoded in the genome determines physical traits, disease risk, and more. Scientists say this opens up huge opportunities for disease treatment and research
- About 92% of the human genome was identified in 2003, and the researchers believe this breakthrough completes the missing 8%
DIG DEEPER
This project was mainly funded by the US NIH. When the 92%-complete genome was released in 2003, DNA-sequencing technology wasn't good enough for researchers to identify the full genome.
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Worst Stock Quarter in 2 Years
Overview
- The first quarter of 2022, which ended Thursday, was the worst for stocks in 2 years
- The Nasdaq, which represents tech stocks, is down about 10% from its recent high; the Dow Jones and S&P 500, which represent the broader economy, each dropped about 4%. These numbers were worse until a rebound in recent weeks
- Causes include inflation, the war in Ukraine, surging oil prices, and rising interest rates, which hurt stocks
- Big losers include Meta – which lost $232B in the biggest 1-day loss in a company's market value ever – and Netflix and Paypal, each down 37% this quarter
DIG DEEPER
A wild February gave way to an even crazier early March, as commodity prices – oil, wheat, nickel – hit crisis levels because of the war in Ukraine. Things have since calmed, though, and the quarter ended up better than many expected.
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 What do you think?
Today's Poll:
Have you sent a GIF in the last 24 hours?
Yes
No
Today's Question:
Just 20 Questions!
Reply to this email with your answers!
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See yesterday's answers below!
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 Popcorn
Culture & Sports
- Call me contributor: Caitlyn Jenner will join Fox News as a contributor. Jenner is a reality star and former Olympian
- Giannis dropped 44 to lead the Bucks to a pivotal win over the Nets in OT. The Bucks are fighting for the 1 seed in the Eastern Conference
- Since U Been Clarkson: Star singer and TV personality Kelly Clarkson has officially changed her name to Kelly Brianne
Business
- 2021 was a big year for corporate relocations to the Sun Belt. Texas' population rose by 300k in 2021, due in-part to relocations
- GameStop like it's January 2021! GameStop shares soared 17% in after-hours trading. The meme stock is up 35% this month
- Walgreens saw retail sales rise 14.7% this past quarter, its biggest quarterly jump in 20+ years. Vaccines and Covid tests helped drive it
Wildcard
- Bye bye, Betty: The National Park Service’s oldest active ranger has announced her retirement at the age of 100
- G'day judge! A Sydney bus driver has been charged for allegedly letting an unlicensed 16-year-old drive the vehicle 3 times
- Psychedelic sounds? A new study shed light on "binaural beats," which are sounds that can allegedly trigger a psychoactive effect in the brain
- Thieves stole $14M+ of syrup in the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2016. A court just fined them $7.3M
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Friday is upon us once again, and the vibes are great over here at Roca HQ. Our way of giving back is to do the crowd-favorite 20 Questions edition: "This or that." We give you 2 options, you pick the one you prefer.
Send answers to Max@RocaNews.com. Responses included next week. Let's ride!
1. Soccer: Is it soccer or football?
2. General Tso's Chicken or Sesame Chicken?
3. Tacos or Nachos?
4. Jack Black or Nic Cage?
5. Will Smith or Chris Rock?
6. Vodka soda or Coke & Rum?
7. Green Day or Blink 182?
8. Squidward or Patrick?
9. At a wedding: DJ or live band?
10. Ice cream cone or milkshake?
11. Eggs & bacon or bagel with cream cheese?
12. Great movie or 3 episodes of a bingeworthy show?
13. Vacuuming or sweeping?
14. Capri Sun or Kool-Aid?
15. Moon landing: Staged or real?
16. McDonald's happy meal toy or a Chinese fortune cookie?
17. Ping pong or pool?
18. Having 0 unread emails or more than 100?
19. Atlantic or Pacific Ocean?
20. UFO stories or true crime stories?
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 Games
Part 2: Which came first? Today's game asks which of the two options came first. To spare you the mental pain, we will not do a chicken vs egg showdown.
- iPhone vs Facebook
- Starbucks vs Jennifer Lawrence
- Barbie vs Bernie Sanders
- Moon Landing vs The Godfather
Find out the answer(s) at the bottom of Roca Clubhouse.
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 Roca Clubhouse
Yesterday's Poll:
Should companies drug test?
Yes: 46.9%
No: 53.1%
Yesterday's Question:
Why do you believe young people aren't engaged with the news?
Logan from Wyoming: "As a young person (17), I love the news. It's nice to be informed on what's happening in the country as well as the rest of the world. I believe the reason most teenagers don't enjoy the news, however, is the fact that it's too adult. You guys do an amazing job giving the news in a way that is easily understandable to all audiences. I have a couple of friends that read your newsletter as well and as far as I know they didn't pay much attention to the news before. So basically, if all news was given in simple ways then young people would be more engaged in it."
Jake from San Francisco: "Young people aren't engaged in the news because they see that it's become more about being a business, and narrative manipulation, than conveying information. That's why you guys are so refreshing."
Shay from NYC: "Young people today are more aware of their mental health and how the news impacts this. The most popular news stations choose to show you content that induces fear so they can achieve higher ratings. They don't actually care about giving you the news but how long they can keep you watching while you bite your nails. It's hard to be engaged in something that causes feelings of anxiety, distress and fearful thoughts. No thanks!!"
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General Feedback:
Julia from London: "Great piece on male birth control! I've long assumed it was just cultural reasons - side effects deemed acceptable for women are deemed unacceptable for men - but thanks to your wrap I understand there are scientific reasons too. Once again your commitment to facts and both sides comes through. Thank you!"
Marcela from New Jersey: "It’s a very interesting topic. I was amused at this gaffe though “ Male treatments also appear less effective. One reason is because men produce sperm at irregular frequencies while women do so regularly.” Last I checked, women don’t produce sperm! I really enjoy your newsletter!"
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Games Answer(s):
1. Facebook (2004 vs 2007) 2. Starbucks (1971 vs 1990) 3. Bernie Sanders (1941 vs 1959) 4. Moon (1969 vs 1972)
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― Final Thoughts
We hope you had a great week. On our end, it appears that spring has finally sprung: After below-freezing temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, there's nothing of the sort in the extended forecast. It may finally be time to have that winter-is-finally-over celebratory pina colada.
Hope you can enjoy one too!
Have a wavy weekend.
-Max and Max
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the weekend!
As always, send thoughts and feedback to Max@Rocanews.com |
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