Today is the anniversary of Chris Farley’s death. The Wisconsin native who became a fan favorite on Saturday Night Live and later on the silver screen once said of his career, “Basically I only play one character; I just play him at different volumes.” 26 years ago today, Farley died of a drug overdose in his Chicago apartment at the age of 33. We refuse to close with something cringe like “We know he’s looking down on us from his van in the clouds,” so instead here’s a clip of Chris in the splash zone to brighten your Monday morning. 

In today's edition:

• Why some pregnant women feel sick

• Detroit’s magical-sounding roads

• Roca Reports: The Big City

 🔑 Key Stories

Canal Under Attack

Several major shipping companies paused shipping through the Suez Canal

• ~12% of global shipping passes through the Suez, which connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas 

• The Houthis are an Islamist group that has controlled much of Yemen – a country near the Suez – since 2014. They have vowed to attack or seize any cargo ships that are owned by or destined for Israel

• Major shipping companies have recorded almost a dozen attacks on their ships in the past month by Houthi forces. Since Friday, several of the largest have said they will stop sending ships through the canal

Israel Mistakenly Kills Three Hostages

Israeli forces mistakenly killed three hostages on Friday

• Hamas took 240+ hostages on October 7. 110 were released during a ceasefire, and Israel has rescued one by force. ~20 are believed to have died in Gaza

• On Friday, three Israeli hostages attempted to wave down Israeli forces in Gaza City. All were shirtless, unarmed, and waving a white flag. An Israeli soldier saw them and opened fire, killing two and wounding the third, who later died as well

• Israel acknowledged its troops violated Israel’s rules governing when force can be used. The incident has escalated calls within Israel for hostage negotiations. Israel’s prime minister has vowed to fight on

Pregnancy Sickness Study

Babies produce a hormone that makes some pregnant mothers extremely sick, a study found

• Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is an extreme form of nausea and vomiting present in a small minority of pregnant women. Previous studies have suggested HG is linked to exposure to a hormone called GDF15

• Per a new study published in the journal Nature, GDF15 produced by babies in the womb can lead to HG. It also found that exposure to the hormone prior to pregnancy greatly reduces the future risk of HG

• The researchers suggested doctors could give the hormone to women with naturally lower levels of GDF15 prior to pregnancy to lower HG risk

Chile Votes No

Chileans rejected a proposed new constitution

• Since major protests in 2019, Chile has attempted to create a new constitution. Last year, voters rejected one created by left-leaning parties that would have been one of the world’s most progressive

• Chile’s new right-leaning government has since proposed a more conservative constitution. Critics called it more conservative than Chile’s current constitution, created by a military dictator in 1980; supporters claimed it satisfied both sides’ desires

• 56% of Chileans voted to reject the referendum on Sunday, raising the likelihood that Chile keeps its current constitution for the near future

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🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Jets will not soar: The New York Jets lost to the Miami Dolphins 30-0, dropping their record to 5-9 and marking their 13th consecutive year out of playoff contention

• Miracle Girl: During a Brooklyn concert, Madonna said it’s a “f*cking miracle” she’s alive after a health scare in June that led to a 48-hour coma in the ICU

• Motor City magic: Detroit has installed the country’s first wireless charging public roadways. The roads allow electric vehicles (EVs) to charge without having to stop

Wildcard

• Crimeception: Colorado police reported that as three armed, masked individuals robbed a check cashing business, someone else stole their getaway vehicle

• A true pawn star: A Virginia woman bought a glass vase for $3.99 and sold it for over $107K after identifying it as a product of a renowned Italian glass company

• No pants, no service: A Malaysian hospital refused a 72-year-old man entry to visit a relative because he wore shorts. The hospital’s dress code prohibits shorts

• End the year with reflection: Look back on your team’s wins and losses and come out of your retrospective with valuable input and ideas to improve processes and set your team up for success. Sign up for free, forever! Try Miro today*

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See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🌯 Roca Wrap

Soccer is suspended in this country. 

By far the most popular sport in Turkey – a country of 85M people on the Anatolian Peninsula – is soccer. Twenty teams compete annually in the Süper Lig, its top domestic soccer league.

Last Monday, two of the league’s teams got into a tussle.

In the 97th minute, MKA Ankaragucu was leading opponent Caykur Rizespor 1-0 when a Rizespor player scored. The equalizer came after a red card was awarded to an Ankaragucu player earlier in the match, causing him to be removed.

Immediately after the final whistle blew, Ankaragucu club president Faruk Koca stormed the pitch and punched one of the refs in the face, knocking him down. While the ref was on the ground, at least one other coach kicked him.

The ref later told media that during the altercation, Koca told him, “I will kill you.”

Turkey’s soccer federation suspended all games after the fight and police later arrested Koca and two others. Turkey’s ruling political party also began procedures to expel Koca – an aspiring politician – from the party.

Koca insisted the ref stole the match but later apologized for his actions and resigned as club president. The ref was photographed in the hospital wearing a neck brace but is expected to fully recover.

Turkey’s domestic league is set to resume this week, but do its refs need to hire extra security?

If you have thoughts, let us know at [email protected]!

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Have you finished wrapping your gifts?
Yes: 22%
No: 78%

Yesterday's Question:

Just 20 Qs!

🧠 Intermission

Hope you all had better weekends than the coach of MKA Ankaragucu. We had a classic movie-watching fest: Max F watched “The Deer Hunter” and Max T “The French Connection.” Our takeaway was that the golden age of movies passed in the 1970s and we’re now just living in past Best Picture glory.

Feel free to ignore that tangent or send us your thoughts on it. Either way, our Finland report continues below.

–Max and Max

🌎 Roca Reports

Last week our Roca Reports series moved to Finland to answer the pivotal question: Is it truly the world’s happiest country? The series continues today.

Roca Reports is part of our premium newsletter with on-the-ground investigations of stories no one else is covering. If you’re not a member, you can start your 14-day free trial here!

After a week in the Finnish hinterlands, I planned to meet a few Roca readers in Helsinki, the capital. 

The first, Shivam, was born in India. He grew up in a poorer neighborhood in Delhi, but always wanted to move abroad. At age 17, he met an education consultant who said he could get him into a German university, but Shivam first needed to pay $17,000 and do an extra year of university prep in India. Shivam said his “not rich” family put all they had into that.

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