We love a good entrepreneurial story, and we read one this week that made us smile. A man named Josh Opperman came home one day to discover that his fiancée of 3 years had suddenly left. She took all her things except one: Her engagement ring. Opperman was crushed but had to resell the $10,000 ring and soon learned that the jewelry resale market was terrible. The best offer he got was $3,500. The experience inspired him to start a company called "I Do Now I Don’t," which became a hit has made Opperman millions.

In today's edition:

• US readies to build a moon base

• Shohei continues to amaze

• 20 Questions

 🔑 Key Stories

Permanent Moon Base

NASA will give 11 US companies $150M to help develop a permanent facility on the moon

• NASA’s Artemis program seeks to land astronauts on the moon by 2025. Unlike prior moon landings, the mission seeks to establish a permanent moon base

• Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin received the largest amount – $34.7M – to create a system that would allow astronauts to extract valuable materials from lunar dirt. That will supply astronauts with building materials and a permanent supply of breathable air

• Other companies hope to build roads, landing pads, power lines, nuclear power plants, and more

Dig Deeper

• “Our partnerships with [private companies] could be a cornerstone of humanity's return to the Moon under Artemis,” a NASA official said of the awards. The companies are expected to fund 10-25% of the projects’ total costs themselves

US Economic Growth

The US economy grew 2.4% between April and June, exceeding economists’ expectations

• The US has been raising interest rates since 2022, which slows inflation but hurts economic growth. After growing 2% from January-March 2023, analysts expected the economy to grow 1.8% from April-June

• Per data released on Thursday, the US economy grew 2.4% over that period

• Economists attributed that to strong consumer spending and a strong labor market. The news increased hopes that the US can bring down inflation without triggering a recession

Dig Deeper

• On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve increased interest rates to the highest level in 22 years and said it may raise them again later this year. That could tip the US into recession, however the strong growth data suggests the US economy may be strong enough to avoid one

Bill to Ban Solitary Confinement

House Democrats introduced a bill to ban the use of solitary confinement in federal prisons, NBC reports

• Solitary confinement practices differ by state, but per nonprofit Solitary Watch, ~122k inmates in US prisons were in solitary on any given day in 2019

• Before becoming president, Joe Biden pledged to “[end] the practice of solitary confinement, with very limited exceptions”

• On Thursday, a group of House Democrats introduced a bill to ban solitary in federal prisons except to de-escalate emergencies. The bill wouldn’t apply to non-federal prisons, but has incentives for them to follow suit. It’s unclear whether the bill will advance

Dig Deeper

• The bill would limit those solitary stretches to no more than four hours and require that prison staff meet with those people at least once an hour. It would also mandate that inmates be allowed at least 14 hours of daily time out of their cells

• 150+ faith-based groups and nonprofits have backed the bill, although President Biden hasn’t yet endorsed it

Superconductors — or Not?

South Korean researchers claimed to have achieved a major superconductor breakthrough

• A “conductor” is any material that allows an electrical current to flow through it. “Superconductors” are conductors that allow electricity to flow through them without any wasted energy. They are only feasible at very low temperatures or high pressures

• A team of South Korean researchers said they had created a superconductor that works at normal temps and pressures – if true, a major achievement

• The report isn’t published in an accredited journal or reviewed by other scientists, though, and many scientists casted doubt on the report’s validity

Dig Deeper

• “We believe that our new development will be a brand-new historical event that opens a new era for humankind,” the report’s authors said

🍿 Popcorn

ICYMI

• Shohei GOATani? Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani pitched a complete-game shutout and hit 2 home runs on the same day. The dual pitcher-hitter leads the league with 38 home runs

• Proud of you, Son(y): Despite supply chain challenges, Sony announced it has sold over 40M PlayStation 5 (PS5) consoles worldwide. It expects to sell a PlayStation-record 25M units this year

• Zucks to zuck: Meta’s metaverse division reported a larger-than-expected Q2 loss of $3.68B and is warning investors of a prolonged downturn

Wildcard

• Watery grave: A defunct European weather-monitoring satellite, Aeolus, will deliberately crash into the Atlantic Ocean in the first re-entry attempt of its kind

• Can you take me higher? A Norwegian mountaineer and her Nepali sherpa guide set a new record as the fastest climbers to summit all 14 of the world’s highest mountains, taking just 3 months and 1 day

• That’s bologna: One of the world’s largest bologna sandwiches was unveiled at a Pennsylvania fair. The 150-foot-long sandwich used 1,200 slices of bologna and 600 slices of provolone

👇🏻 What do you think?

Today's Question:

Just 20 Questions!

See yesterday's results below the Wrap! 

🗣 20 Questions

Every Friday, we ask the Roca readers 20 questions, then feature our favorite answers the following week.

As we look to market our app we've been taking note of all the mascots around us. Some inspire us; others scare us. Other way, that inspired this week's edition of 20 Questions: Mascot Edition.

As is Roca Friday tradition, we ask 20 questions and will feature the answer's next Friday. The answers to last week's questions (about movies) are below.We hope you have some fun, and have a great weekend!

Here’s the link and have fun. See you on Monday!

 🌊 Roca Clubhouse

Yesterday's Poll:

Would you watch a new show or movie that stars Kevin Spacey?

Yes: 56%
No: 44%

Yesterday's Question:

Have you ever seen a UFO? Tell us your story!

Anonymous for obvious reasons: "YES, that is how the Sasquatch, Big Foot, Abominable Snowman and other relatives get here.”

Glen from Tampa, Florida: “As an avid stargazer, I have seen four UAP's so far. None of them were similar to each other”

Syd from Pennsylvania: “I was in Copenhagen on business and found myself in the middle of a park in the dark walking to dinner. I love the stars and was looking up at the perfect night when I noticed a star that started flying slow in one direction and then turning another direction while changing speed. It made no sense. If flew this way and that way for a few minutes at various speeds and then flew away at astonishing speed out into space. This was prior to cell phones or I would have been able to film it. Nothing man made that I know of could do what it did”

April: “My parents, as a young couple, viewed 3 flying in formation at the corner of the outdoor movie theater they were attending (1950’s). My husband, had one cruise near him while in his car on Coffee Road in New Berlin, WI (1970’s)”

Liz from Arkansas: “Yes, twice, years apart, but only as an object as small as a star in the sky. They were glowing green, and moved at incredible speed, like a comet, but then took a hard right-angle turn. It was an impossible maneuver at that speed, going across the sky. One event happened in Upstate NY, the other years later was in NW Arkansas.”

Anonymous: “Have never seen a UFO, however I did see Rudolph the red nosed reindeer when I was five years old flying across the sky”

Last Week's 20 Qs Responses:

Last week, in preparation for the most highly anticipated summer blockbuster weekend we can remember, we did an ultimate movie tournament. Below is the breakdown:

1. Wizard of Oz or The Sound of Music

   Wizard of Oz: 50%
   The Sound of Music: 46%
   Seen neither: 4%

2. Lord of the Rings or Star Wars?
   Lord of the Rings: 33%
   Star Wars: 56%
   Never been to Middle Earth or the galaxy far, far away: 11%

3. Mean Girls or Pitch Perfect?

   Mean Girls: 38%

   Pitch Perfect: 34%

   Seen neither: 28%

4. The Godfather or Goodfellas?

   The Godfather: 51%

   Goodfellas: 21%

   Seen neither: 28%

5. Forrest Gump or Pulp Fiction?

   Forrest Gump: 70%

   Pulp Fiction: 27%

   Seen neither: 3%

6. Titanic or Avatar?

   Titanic: 57%

   Avatar: 35%

   Seen neither: 8%

7. Shawshank Redemption or Jurassic Park?

   Shawshank Redemption: 59%

   Jurassic Park: 35%

   Seen neither: 6%

8. Caddyshack or Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

   Caddyshack: 35%

   Ferris Bueller's Day Off: 54%

   Seen neither: 11%

9. Lion King or Toy Story?

   Lion King: 48%

   Toy Story: 52%

10. The Avengers or The Dark Knight?

    The Avengers: 37%

    The Dark Knight: 40%

    Seen neither: 23%

11. The Bourne Trilogy or James Bond series?

    Bourne: 34%

    Bond: 54%

    Seen neither: 12%

12. Shrek or The Matrix?

    Shrek: 56%

    The Matrix: 38%

    Seen neither: 6%

13. Wedding Crashers or American Pie?

    Wedding Crashers: 44%

    American Pie: 29%

    Seen neither: 27%

14. The Hangover or Scarface?

    The Hangover: 49%

    Scarface: 24%

    Seen neither: 27%

15. A Bug's Life or The Departed?

    A Bug's Life: 49%

    The Departed: 29%

    Seen neither: 22%

16. Apocalypse Now or Black Hawk Down?

    Apocalypse Now: 29%

    Black Hawk Down: 37%

    Seen neither: 34%

17. Saving Private Ryan or Frozen?

    Saving Private Ryan: 65%

    Frozen: 26%

    Seen neither: 9%

18. Parasite or There Will Be Blood?

    Parasite: 16%

    There Will Be Blood: 18%

    Seen neither: 66%

19. Miracle or Rocky?

    Miracle: 21%

    Rocky: 60%

    Seen neither: 19%

20. Casablanca or Shrek 2?

    Casablanca: 51%

    Shrek 2: 35%

    Seen neither: 14%
    

🧠 Final Thoughts

While we do not consider ourselves movie experts by any means, we were quite disappointed by one result above: 66% of Roca Nation has never seen Parasite or There Will be Blood!

Both are phenomenal movies that we fully recommend. Although be warned: They aren't light. Barbie is not the Parasite.

—Max and Max