The Daily Valet. - 10/21/19, Monday
✔️ Did You Hear About the New Apple?
Monday, October 21st Edition
Two weeks from Halloween means it’s time to eat some mellowcreme pumpkins.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today's edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
There’s a New Apple Coming
Something sweet to start the week
The latest apple ... it's launching just in time for Christmas with a carefully choreographed marketing blitz and a $10.5 million advertising campaign. There’s an astronaut endorsing it. But this isn't an Apple product. It's an actual apple.
And honestly, I'm pretty excited about it. Because I really like apples. They're my go-to afternoon snack—especially this time of year when you can get delicious ripe ones from your local farmer's market. And this new apple, dubbed the Cosmic Crisp, is being touted as a game changer and Honeycrisp killer.
Having seen the big business that premium apples like the Honeycrisp has done in a short amount of time, growers are betting big on this new variety and have already planted more than 12 million Cosmic Crisp apple trees. While only 450,000 40-pound boxes will be available for sale this year, the Associated Press reports that number will jump to more than 2 million boxes in 2020 and 21+ million by 2026.
Due to land in grocery stores come early December, it's the first apple ever developed in Washington state, which grows the majority of the United States’ apples. The name came from the bright yellowish dots on its skin, which look like distant stars.
Developed by traditional breeding practices at Washington State University, meaning this new apple came about via cross-pollination rather than genetic modification, the Cosmic Crisp is a cross between the heartier, disease-resistant Enterprise and the popular, crunchy Honeycrisp varieties. And the result? An easy eating apple that's ultra-crisp, very juicy and has a good balance of sweetness and tartness. It doesn't brown easily and stays fresh for longer. In short: the perfect apple?
↦ What it Takes: California Sunday magazine has a wild long read on the two decade quest to bring this apple to the market.
Brexit Delayed. Again.
British Prime Minister to seek a new vote today
On Saturday, Members of Parliament in the UK were to cast a “meaningful vote” on the surprise deal Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought back from European Union headquarters in Brussels last week. Proponents of Brexit sensed closure, while opponents took to the streets outside Westminster by the hundreds of thousands to demand a new referendum.
But after a few hours of raucous debate, the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, announced that the votes were in—for another delay. And while Johnson said he'd never ask the European Union to push the deadline, at the very last minute on Saturday night Johnson asked the Europeans for a Brexit delay until the end of January 2020.
The prime minister will try again today to get his draft deal through Parliament. And it's predicted to pass. Finally. According to The New York Times, the odds are better than ever because three years of Brexit chaos has left the nation angry, frustrated and tired. You might recall, Brexit was originally due to happen on March 29, 2019. That was two years after then Prime Minister Theresa May initiated the formal process to leave.
The situation is fluid and the math is tight, but the opposition is divided. Which means the votes expected this week could go either way.
↦ Brexit Refresher: The BBC has all you need to know about the UK leaving the EU.
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A Good Guy With a Hug
A shotgun-wielding student is peacefully disarmed by a high school football coach
Talk about crisis averted. Surveillance video released over the weekend shows the exact moment an Oregon high school coach disarmed a shotgun-wielding student. He grabs him, takes the gun and hugs the kid in a long embrace.
The boy, who was grappling with suicidal thoughts, can be seen on the video walking into Parkrose High School in Portland with a shotgun hidden under his jacket on May 17, 2019. Seconds later, he can be seen entering a different doorway with the gun in hand and terrified students are seen fleeing away.
Keanon Lowe (a former star wide receiver for the University of Oregon Ducks) who works as a security guard and football / track-and-field coach, said he saw something in the distraught boy's face, "the look in his eyes. I looked at the gun and I realized it was a real gun and then my instincts just took over."
And while the student is alive and getting mental health counseling, he is facing charges of attempting to discharge a firearm at a school, reckless endangerment and possession of a loaded firearm in a public place, according to Portland police.
↦ Tragic Stat: According to the National Center for Education Studies, nearly 95% of US school districts offer a variation of shooter training.
Designer Mosquitos Raise Questions
What could go wrong?
An international team of scientists in Italy are currently designing genetically modified mosquitoes to combat malaria. The mutation is designed to sterilize populations of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in the wild, causing them to crash, according to NPR. And that would, hopefully, help stop the spread of the malaria parasite.
But critics say releasing these mosquitoes into the wild could have unintended consequences and that there are alternatives to this course of action, including cleaning water and sewage systems to stop the spread of the disease.
It's all very sci-fi, but we don't know yet if it's the good, futuristic sci-fi or the scary, dystopian kind. Science Magazine reports that British scientists working on genetically modifying non-biting male mosquitoes has had a bit of a surprise outcome: the bugs didn't die off when they were supposed to. And, in science, when you’re altering the genes of insects that carry deadly viruses, you don't really want any surprises.
Pappy Van Winkle needs no introduction. You might remember me talking about it in this very newsletter. It’s known as "the world’s most coveted bourbon" and we recently got our hands on a bottle. So we partnered with a few of our favorite brands to offer one lucky reader the chance to crack open the 15-year-old whiskey worth $1,300.
↦ Enter Now for a chance to win.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Feeling Generous?
Because these gifts are no joke
Every year, Neiman Marcus separates their holiday catalog from every other department store with a range of wildly extravagant "fantasy gifts." They're luxury gifts that border on lunacy. Like what, you ask? Well, this year's list includes a private jet flight around the world, a Tokyo shopping trip with designer and streetwear icon Jeff Staple and a $70,000 bespoke dog house.
But, by far, the coolest item on the list is a line-up of 007 Aston Martin DBS Superleggeras. Only seven are available, each designed with input from Daniel Craig. Each limited-edition car comes in a beautiful inky blue and features a powerful twin-turbo 5.2-liter V12 engine. And if that weren't enough, you'll also get an all-platinum Omega Seamaster watch and an invite to the world premiere of the new Bond movie, No Time to Die (airfare and lodging included). A pretty sweet present, indeed ... and it'll only cost you $700,007.
↦ FYI: No Time to Die, the 25th installment in the James Bond series, will hit theaters on April 8, 2020.
What We’re Buying
Huckberry's clearance section is a treasure trove of deals you might not normally consider. Case in point: this collection of laundry detergents, dryer sheets and clothing care products from Frey. This eco-friendly brand gently cleans and refreshes your clothes, leaving behind a subtle sophisticated scent (think cedarwood, oakmoss and amber) instead of the cloying sweet smell of standard detergent. A little goes a long way and these definitely make laundry day something to look forward to.
↦ Get It $50.00 / $32.98 at Huckberry
Morning Motto
Some Mondays are better than others. But you’ll get through it.
↦ Follow: @terrapinstationers
That’s all for today...
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