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Your Daily BriefFebruary 14th, 2022 |
Good morning, and happy Tuesday! Today is supposedly the most romantic day of the year…but did you know the origins of Valentine’s Day may have a dark side? Some scholars believe it stems from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a festival held in mid-February that included animal sacrifices, fertility rites, and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. We don’t know about you, but we’re content with just a nice dinner!
In Today’s Brief
- Russia: Higher risk for dual nationals
- Biden: Fires Architect of the Capitol
- Tina Fey: Touring with Amy Poehler
- Mattel: Relaunching Barney
...and more
Top Tips
Cyclone in New Zealand
New Zealand declared a national state of emergency due to rising waters, flooding, and landslides caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
The declaration marks the third-ever national state of emergency in New Zealand’s history and will enable the government to send resources across the country to bolster recovery efforts. Cyclone Gabrielle is hitting the northern part of New Zealand and brought sustained winds in excess of 74 mph. The country’s meteorological agency, Metservice, said that up to 10 inches of rain had fallen in Hawke’s Bay region over a 24-hour period. At least 38K homes were without power on Tuesday morning (New Zealand time) due to the cyclone.
In addition to the national state of emergency, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced an aid package of NZ $11.5M to support community groups such as food banks and groups impacted by floods.
More Twilio layoffs
Cloud communications software company Twilio announced yesterday that it is cutting about 17% of its workforce around the globe.
In a memo sent to employees, CEO Jeff Lawson said that it has “become apparent we need significant structural changes to better execute our strategy” and that the company needs “to spend less, streamline, and become more efficient.” Lawson’s announcement comes months after Twilio previously laid off 11% of its total staff in September of last year. In addition to the layoffs, the company said that it will restructure its internal organization and create two separate operating units: Twilio Communications and Twilio Data & Application.
Twilio’s second round of job cuts in six months comes amid broader layoffs in the tech industry, with companies such as Meta, Google, Spotify, and, most recently, Zoom citing overhiring practices during the pandemic as the reason for recent staff cuts.
MLB institutes new rules
Major League Baseball yesterday instituted a rule to place a runner on second base to begin the 10th inning in all regular-season extra-inning games, along with each inning thereafter until the game is decided.
The league’s joint competition committee voted unanimously to permanently adopt the rule, which the MLB first instituted in the 2020 season. The league’s goal with the new rule was that the presence of a “ghost runner” would decrease the likelihood of longer-running games and lower the chances of players sustaining injuries due to increased time on the field.
Historically, approximately 10% of regular season games go to extra innings. Last year, 223 regular season games went to extra innings. With the ghost runner rule in place over the last three seasons, seven games have gone as long as 13 innings. In 2019–the last year with “normal” extra-inning rules–there were 37 games that lasted 13 innings or more.
Unlock the power of Vitamin C
You already know that Vitamin C is vital to the human body and plays a key role in supporting a healthy immune system.
Supplementing Vit C daily is a common routine for optimal health.
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Purality Health uses something called “Micelle Liposomal” technology to deliver nutrients directly into your bloodstream without dramatically losing bio-availability, like what happens with most vitamins.
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Quick Tips
Around the Globe
- U.S. State Department warns U.S. citizens to leave Russia immediately; per a travel advisory, dual nationals remaining in Russia may risk wrongful detention and/or conscription to fight in Ukraine, and U.S. citizens “may become victims of harassment, mistreatment, and extortion” (More)
- China claimed that over 10 U.S. high-altitude balloons have flown in its airspace without its permission since the beginning of 2022; the U.S. denied that it operates any surveillance balloons over the country (More)
- North Korea issued a ban on women and girls having the name “Ju Ae,” the same as Kim Jong Un's daughter; anyone with the name “Ju Ae” reportedly must change their birth certificate with the country's Ministry of Safety (More)
On the Homefront
- President Biden fired Architect of the Capitol Brett Blanton after an inspector general report found Blanton misused a government vehicle and allegedly impersonated a law enforcement officer, among other issues (More)
- A man driving a U-Haul truck in Brooklyn, NY, was detained after he drove onto sidewalks, leaving eight pedestrians injured with two in critical condition (More)
- An on-campus shooting at Michigan State University left at least five individuals hospitalized and three confirmed dead; MSU canceled all campus activities for 48 hours and officials say the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound (More)
Glitz & Games
- Comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler announced their first joint stand-up tour this spring, titled the “Restless Leg Tour” (More)
- Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner passed away at 97 due to complications from pneumonia, according to an announcement from the team (More)
- Netflix is removing all episodes of ‘Arrested Development’ on March 15th, including Seasons 4 and 5, which Netflix produced itself (More)
Business & Markets
- Major indexes moved higher during yesterday’s trading session, bolstered by gains in growth stocks (Dow +1.11%, Nasdaq +1.48%, S&P 500 +1.14%)
- Ford said it will collaborate with a Chinese supplier on a new $3.5B electric battery plant in Marshall, Michigan; the plant is expected to open in 2026 and create 2.5K jobs (More)
- Mattel is relaunching the Barney franchise, according to a statement from the toy company; per Mattel, the relaunch will include a preschool animated series set to debut in 2024 and a range of consumer products (More)
Tips & Tricks
- Feel Good: Read about how a novel written by a full-time attorney and father of three that hardly saw any sales for more than a decade became a bestseller in just days after the author’s daughter posted about it on TikTok
- Sneak Peek: In case you missed it, check out the new trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, due out in theaters May 5th
- Bump This: Linkin Park dropped a previously unreleased track called “Lost” from the band’s Meteora sessions, featuring its late singer Chester Bennington - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube
- Belly Laugh: Watch the hilarious outtakes of Ben Affleck’s Dunkin’ Donuts Super Bowl commercial that prove the actor/writer/director isn’t exactly a natural manning the to-go window
- Go Deep: Learn about the background behind Spotify’s big push into podcasting and how the company’s bet started going wrong in 2022
- Hot Goss: Super Bowl LVII made history for another non-football-related reason on Sunday night–Justina Miles became the first deaf performer to ever provide the American Sign Language (ASL) rendition of the Super Bowl halftime show
- Life Hack: While the mental and physical benefits of yoga are countless, certain positions are better than others for promoting a calm mental state - here are six yoga poses that help relieve anxiety and allow you to find your center
Tip-Offs
Student takes home a car for sinking a 94-foot putt.
Artifacts discovered beneath train tunnels in Amsterdam.
Breaking down the ‘60s Italian film that defined cool.
Turning a retired Boeing 737 into a private villa.
A mystical portrait of spring in southern Germany.
…and shadows of trees on snow in Aspen.
Analyzing the increased popularity of the antihero.
The science behind why we get hangry.
Looking Back…
On February 14th: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issues a fatwa and offers a bounty for the assassination of author Salman Rushdie (1989); Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim register YouTube (2005); the original Dracula film starring Bela Lugosi as the titular vampire is released (1931); American businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg is born (1942).
Who says getting a C is average?
To support healthy aging, skin elasticity, and hair & nail appearance, we need to maintain adequate nutrition.
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Supplementing Vit C is great, but most common store-bought forms are not properly utilized by the body, and they pass right through our systems.
If you want superb bioavailability, Purality Health uses “liposomal” technology – which is a fancy way of saying your Vit C will actually be delivered to your bloodstream, and won't be a waste of money.
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Question of the Day
Which is the better show for young kids?
Barney & Friends
Yesterday's Results
In a perfect world, would you rather visit Mars or Saturn?
Saturn (51%)
Mars (49%)
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