The Daily Valet. - 10/20/22, Thursday

✔️ The Diploma Divide

Thursday, October 20th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

How many hours of sleep do you think you got last night?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The Diploma Divide

Is education really at the heart of this country’s many divisions?

We’ve heard it over and over again for the past few years. And certainly, we’ll be hearing it even more as we approach the midterm elections next month. “Americans are more divided than ever,” gridlocked over social issues, race, gender and the economy.

College graduates are now a firmly Democratic bloc—blue America, it seems, is an increasingly wealthy and well-educated place. And those without degrees, by contrast, have gravitated towards Republicans. But how’d this happen?

According to The Intelligencer, throughout the second half of the 20th century, Americans without college degrees were more likely than university graduates to vote Democratic. But that gap began narrowing in the late 1960s before finally flipping in 2004.

Bloomberg calls it “the Big Sort,” a self-segregating process whereby young liberals end up in yuppified big cities and wizened conservatives book it out to more rural locations. In my case, the magic wand used to effect this sorting process was a bachelor’s degree in Journalism (and, I assume, a love for third-wave coffee).

The latest New York Times/Siena poll of the 2022 midterms showed this pattern holding firm, with Democrats winning 55% of voters with bachelor’s degrees but only 39% of those without. A more educated Democratic coalition is, of course, a more affluent one. But interestingly, in every presidential election from 1948 to 2012, white voters in the top 5% of America’s income distribution were more Republican than those in the bottom 95%. Now, the opposite is true: The rich voted to the left of the middle class and the poor in 2016 and 2020, while the poor voted to the right of the middle class and the rich.

But is it really as simple as those who went to college are clustered together in blue dots, drinking green juice, and those who didn’t are out in the boonies watching Fox News? Of course not. According to The New Republic, the “college problem” is not a problem with the U.S. higher education system, but a problem with the economy today. The explosive growth of modern finance and the erosion of union power have combined “to create an economy with well-paying white-collar jobs concentrated in a few places and low-paying blue-collar jobs dispersed everywhere else.” They say we need to level the economic playing field. And that fight begins not in the lecture hall but at the bargaining table.

↦ Meanwhile: Democrats are growing more concerned about their soft support from Black and Latino men, fearing that any move by voters of color toward the GOP will be decisive in the midterms.

Putin Declares Martial Law

In four Ukrainian regions the Kremlin claims to have annexed, in violation of international law

On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin declared martial law in four Ukrainian regions that he had claimed to have annexed, in violation of international law. He also imposed restrictions on movement in and out of eight Russian regions adjoining Ukraine.

The wartime measures could keep a lid on dissent in Russia and allow the pro-Moscow authorities to impose curfews, seize property and forcibly resettle residents in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

The order also contradicts the Kremlin's attempts to portray life in the annexed regions as returning to normal. The reality is that a military administration has replaced civilian leaders in the southern city of Kherson and a mass evacuation from the city is underway as a Ukrainian counteroffensive grinds on.

Some analysts said the Russian leader is being forced to signal to his nation that there may be more pain to come. Incapable of holding all the territory it has seized and struggling with manpower and equipment losses, Russia has stepped up air bombardments, with a scorched-earth campaign targeting Ukrainian power plants and other key infrastructure. Russia has also increased its use of weaponized Iranian drones to hit apartment buildings and other civilian targets.

↦ Meanwhile: The E.U. agreed to new sanctions on Iran for providing Russia with drones.

Another Reminder That Sleep Is Key

People who sleep 5 hours or less a night face higher risk of health problems as they age

Well, add this to the news you probably knew but need to hear: Getting less than five hours of sleep not only makes you groggy and grumpy, but it could be linked to an increased risk of developing at least two chronic diseases as you age.

European researchers analyzed almost 8,000 British civil service workers over an average 25-year period. They looked at the relationship between how long each participant slept for, mortality and whether they had been diagnosed with two or more chronic diseases—such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes—over the course of 25 years.

According to the peer-reviewed study, which was published Tuesday in the journal PLOS Medicine, at age 50, people who slept five hours or less a night faced a 30% higher risk that they would develop multiple chronic diseases over time than those who slept at least seven hours a night. At 60, it was a 32% increased risk, and at 70, it was a 40% greater risk.

This does track with other research from the CDC that has shown that adults who do not get enough sleep—around seven to nine hours a night—have a greater chance of developing chronic diseases that also include obesity and high blood pressure. But, there is “no magic one size fits all number of hours sleep,” Neil Stanley, sleep consultant and author of “How to Sleep Well,” told the Washington Post. He says we should all be looking for the right numbers of hours for ourselves. I'm not sure how much I need, but I know it's more than I'm getting.

↦ Dig Deeper: Prioritizing personal leisure time over sleep after a long day is becoming more common. Here’s how to fight “revenge bedtime procrastination.”

Will Luxe Buses Become a Thing?

They’re popular in Asia and Latin America, but will they catch on in the U.S.?

Buses don't exactly have the best reputation in America. Service in most cities is too infrequent to be convenient, and a lack of dedicated bus lanes means they're often no faster than simply driving. And while services such as Greyhound and Megabus offer relatively affordable trips between cities, they're not the most comfortable way to travel.

But what if buses got a rebrand (and a refurbished interior)? According to the New York Times, several new companies, including Red Coach, Vonlane and the Jet, believe they can convince Americans to take a bus by offering business class level service and convenience.

Giant sleeper buses have been a staple of travel in parts of Latin America and Asia for decades. But in the United States, the concept has never taken hold, despite our vast highway system. (I once had a harrowing experience on a Megabus from DC to NYC, so I get it). But it certainly didn't have reliable WiFi, an ultra-smooth ride and fully lie-flat seats like Napaway, a “premium sleeper coach” that reminds potential riders of the benefits over flying.

Jalopnik agrees. “Let's not pretend like flying only includes the time spent on the plane,” writes Collin Woodard. He points out that flying comes with getting to the airport early, maybe a layover, “and let's not forget the cramped seats, turbulence and limited bathroom access.” When you put it that way, a classy bus doesn't sound all that bad.

In Other News

↦ U.K. Prime Minister Truss Vows to Stay, But Is on Brink As She Faces Fury From Her Own Conservative Party

↦ Veja Built a Booming Sneaker Brand by Breaking Every Rule

↦ Why Restaurants Aren’t Printing Checks Anymore

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Drake’s Fall lookbook

Spiked ice cream

Sleeping in the ‘Ghostbusters’ firehouse

Three Essential Back Exercises

Effective ways to build a bigger, stronger frame

I don't know when I noticed it, but my back wasn’t doing much for me. Look, I cycle for my cardio. I lift some weights at the gym (mainly chest and arms, of course) but my frame was not what you'd describe as wide or strong. It certainly wasn't the V-shape I'd like it to be.

So I started researching back exercises and found that you can't think of your back as one big slab of muscle that's just hanging behind you. While often overlooked, your back is actually a complex system of muscles, each with their own functions.

I realized I needed to play catch-up and I began adding back exercises into my fitness routine. Quickly, there was a noticeable difference. First, my posture improved. Then there was a slight broadening out. I could see definition in my back, and my shoulders started looking a bit wider which made my waist appear a bit slimmer.

Want to give it a try? There's also a lot of territory to cover—the lats, mid-back, lower back—so selecting the right moves to efficiently cover this entire posterior region becomes the greatest challenge. Here are three essential back exercises to widen your frame.

↦ Read: How to master these three essential back exercises.

What We’re Eyeing

Say it with me ... it's finally sweater weather. This shaker-stitch crewneck from J.Crew is reminiscent of the sweaters that were ubiquitous in the '80s and '90s, which means they're suddenly very stylish again. Knit in a dense cotton that's simultaneously sturdy and breathable, it's got a relaxed, slinky vibe thanks to the traditional raglan-style sleeves. It comes in five colors, but we're suckers for the classic navy.

↦ Get It: $98 / $23.40 (w/code SALELOVE) at J.Crew