The Daily Valet. - 10/20/23, Friday
✔️ Consider This A Warning
Friday, October 20th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I'll be spending the next few months in Chicago, so a warmer winter sounds just fine with me.
Today’s Big Story
Winter Weather Warning
Prepare for a turbulent El Niño winter ... with a major wild card
Ready or not, winter is coming. But just how bad is it going to be? Federal forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center gave us their answer Thursday in an annual winter outlook. Everyone from ski area operators to water managers, public works departments and insurance companies—plus ordinary winter storm lovers (and snow-haters)—heed the outlook for planning guidance.This is the first time in four years that El Niño has been active as winter begins, according to the team at NOAA. The weather pattern, which is currently rated as strong and forecasted to intensify further, typically has its greatest effects on weather patterns across North America during the winter months.That means the northern and far west portions of the U.S. will have a warmer-than-usual winter. Much of the West, the Gulf Coast, the Southern Plains region, the lower mid-Atlantic and the South will likely see a wetter-than-usual winter, while parts of the northern Rockies and Midwest (specifically Michigan, northern Ohio and Indiana), are forecast to have drier-than-normal conditions. No parts of the nation are forecast to be colder than average, according to the forecast.Of course, when forecasters predict above-average temperatures for an entire season it doesn't mean there won't be any cold, just that cold bouts may be less frequent and last for shorter periods of time. And if you're a snow lover, the NOAA says that El Niño could also mean higher snow chances in some atypical spots and fuel more potent Northeast snowstorms.It's not yet clear how record-warm global average air and sea temperatures will tip the scales in terms of air temperatures and precipitation trends this winter, though forecasts did take it into account. According to Axios, 2023 is on track to become the hottest on record globally, with every month since April setting a record for the warmest ocean temperatures yet recorded. Such warmth has ramifications, such as increasing the odds of warmer-than-average conditions through the winter months.
Meanwhile:
Hurricanes are now twice as likely as they were 30 years ago to rapidly intensify into major storms packing deadly and devastating damage, according to a new study.
Biden Makes His Case
He said that if terrorists and dictators weren’t stopped, “the cost and the threats to America” would keep rising
President Biden delivered an Oval Office speech urging Americans to stand by Israel and Ukraine as he made the case for billions in aid to both countries and warned that the world was at an “inflection point in history.” He said he would send an urgent budget request to Congress today—$14 billion in emergency assistance for Israel and $60 billion for Ukraine's war with Russia. The Pentagon already plans to send Israel tens of thousands of 155mm artillery shells that had been destined for Ukraine from U.S. emergency stocks several months ago“History has taught us that when terrorists don't pay a price for their terror, when dictators don't pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos and death and more destruction,” Biden said. “They keep going. And the cost and the threats to America and the world keep rising.” The address came amid heightened hope that some humanitarian aid would soon enter Gaza, where basic human necessities are nearly depleted. However, the first trucks from Egypt are now unlikely to move until Saturday.The president also addressed the anger and division that has inflamed American communities in recent days, denouncing antisemitism as well as Islamophobia. “I see you. You belong—you're all Americans.” The Department of Homeland Security is currently monitoring a “heightened threat environment” in the U.S. as tensions have led to demonstrations across the country—particularly on college campuses.
FYI:
The State of Israel confirmed that Taylor Swift's bodyguard has arrived in the country to fight in the Hamas war.
Cybertruck Is Coming. For Real This Time.
It's been a long wait, but Tesla is finally about to deliver
Tesla is about to start delivering Cybertrucks to customers. We've heard this before—after years of delays, CEO Elon Musk said the company would have a delivery event in the third quarter of 2023. But that obviously didn't happen. Now, the company has officially announced the date when this will happen.On an investor call this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that a Cybertruck delivery event will be held on Nov. 30th, at Tesla's Gigafactory in Austin, Texas. For those keeping count, it's a little over four years after the pickup was revealed.And still, it's not exactly great news. During the call, Musk said that ramping up the production for Cybertruck presents “enormous challenges.” Apparently, the angular design presented the company with countless problems when it came to scaling up to mass production. “We dug our own grave with the Cybertruck,” he added. Musk said that Tesla has over a million reservations for the steel-plated electric SUV and only the capacity to build 125,000 in 2024, with the possibility to double that in 2025. Whether those reservations turn into demand remains to be seen.
FYI:
At the Cybertruck's 2019 reveal, Musk promised a base price of around $40,000. But that was before the pandemic caused materials and parts shortages, driving up car prices.
Magnets Won’t Stick to New Refrigerators
And actually, that’s by design
There are two types of people in the world: Those who stick magnets on their fridge and those who don't. I'm in the latter group and, sorry to tell you magnet lovers out there, but we appear to be winning out. The Wall Street Journal reports that fewer manufacturers than ever before are producing kitchen appliances with “ferromagnetic surfaces,” those to which magnets stick.And interestingly, it's more about form than function: Higher-end refrigerator manufacturers say that many customers now prefer finishes that don’t support magnets, in part because they don’t like the look of a refrigerator door crammed with magnets. Or as one GE executive bluntly put it, “it's a little lowbrow.”I don't know about that. It all depends on the style of your kitchen. And if I had kids, I'm sure I'd have schedules and artwork needing to be displayed and the fridge is the heart of any home. The Takeout thinks that if we're all “trying to prove that our homes are streamlined and Marie Kondo'd,” not only will some homes be devoid of personality, but that it will only give rise to kitchen corkboards.
Stick 'em While You Got 'em:
Epicurious says that these magnetic hooks are powerful enough to hold a cast-iron skillet.
In Other News
He said he’d step aside, but then announced he’ll seek a third ballot.
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Goosebumps’ + a Cider Whiskey Smash Cocktail
Do you remember the Goosebumps books when were kids? I loved them, but I was surprised to find out that R.L. Stine's original spate of books—which amassed 62 titles published from 1992 through 1997—has since sold more than 400 million copies globally, becoming the second-bestselling book series of all time behind Harry Potter. Naturally, the admiration for this trove of children's horror has resulted in plenty of adaptations over the years, including a successful '90s anthology series, a film franchise starring Jack Black in the early aughts, along with a handful of video games. But now, the stories are being revived again on Disney+.There will be some differences though: Unlike in the novels, in which almost every single essential character is white, our gang is now multicultural and a bit more grownup. The series feels a little darker and more mature, too. As one fellow horror-lover told me, it feels like it's made for both today's young people and those of us who grew up with the original. The first five episodes are now live and have just enough eeriness to make them ideal for some spooky season streaming over the weekend.
Pair It With
I'm going for something sweet, but something that's not for kids. This autumnal take on a whiskey smash blends apple cider with your whiskey or bourbon of choice and some citrus and spice for a tangy cocktail with just the right amount of bite.
Also Worth a Watch:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
Affordable boots
Boots with this many bells and whistles shouldn't be under $200, but thankfully they are. Rhodes crafts rugged footwear from quality leather and finishes them Goodyear welted Vibram soles.
Get It:
Portland boot, $250 / $187 by Rhodes Footwear
Morning Motto
Embrace the fear.
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