I am not sure that any of us need any more news or to know about any more risks. I, for one, could use a break to just color-code my turnip collection and maybe enjoy the sound of very soft hand towels.
Therefore, this issue of The Risk Report will focus on topics that may have slipped your newsfeed.
Ever have that feeling that someone or something is so cute you just want to squeeze them? Well, there is a word for that, and it is gigil (pronounced ghee-gill). It is defined as:
A feeling so intense that it gives us the irresistible urge to tightly clench our hands, grit our teeth, and pinch or squeeze whomever or whatever it is we find adorable.
The word stems from the Philippine Tagalog language and has now been included in the renowned Oxford English Dictionary.
However, the itty-bitty bear cub made me do it, is still not a valid excuse for nipping anybody anywhere. No victim shaming, please!
Staying with the meet cute; it is spring, and love (and pollen) is in the air. That means that zoos around the globe are setting up awkward first (or sixth) dates for their giant pandas.
Pandas keep to themselves for about 361 days of the year and are therefore not skilled at understanding social cues, even with tons of helpful smells, sounds, and infographics. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the zookeepers are ready to open the gate between the two enclosures at the opportune moment in the next week.
Nature has been at play in other places, too. Iceland had to evacuate residents and tourists from the town of Grindavik and the famous Blue Lagoon because of a nearby volcano erupting and spewing smoke and lava. The Icelandic Meteorological Office reports that the eruption has ended, but seismicity continues. (Great word, seismicity.)
And on a much more serious note, last week, Myanmar was hit by an earthquake so powerful (7.7 on the Richter scale) it was felt in neighboring countries as well. At least 3000 people are dead and more than 4700 injured, and those numbers are bound to grow because not all affected areas have been reached yet.
Myanmar is already reeling from an ongoing civil war. The economy is crippled, inflation is raging, and the country suffers from a deep humanitarian crisis. Please consider helping.
Yes, nature is grand and fierce whether we pay attention to it or not.
Regitze Ladekarl, FRM, is FRG’s Director of Company Intelligence. She has 25-plus years of experience where finance meets technology.
This article is part of the FRG Risk Report, published weekly on the FRG blog. To read other entries of the Risk Report, visit frgrisk.com/category/risk-report/.