The Daily Valet. - 10/7/19, Monday
✔️ Jell-O Shots, but Make It Classy
Monday, October 7th Edition
I’ll say this about “Joker” ... the costume design was spectacular.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Here’s Why This Isn’t Going Away
Buckle up: There’s a second whistle-blower and growing support for impeachment
An attorney for the whistle-blower who sounded the alarm about President Trump’s call with Ukraine said Sunday that “multiple whistle-blowers” have come forward, deepening a political fiasco that has engulfed the president as well as several of his Cabinet members, reports the Washington Post.
The attorneys told ABC News yesterday that the second whistle-blower is also an intelligence official and is said to have firsthand knowledge of President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. The “firsthand” is important here, as it will likely bolster the impeachment case against Trump and further undermine his main defense: that the accusations against him are based on inaccurate, secondhand information. Sunday night, his defense switched to partisanship concerns: “Democrat lawyer is same for both Whistleblowers? All support Obama and Crooked Hillary. Witch Hunt!” he tweeted.
The announcement came just as House Democrats are accelerating their impeachment inquiry, subpoenaing documents and scheduling hearings for this week related to Trump’s efforts to push foreign countries to investigate one of his political opponents. At the same time, public support for the president’s impeachment is higher now at this point than it was for Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton when Congress also launched impeachment inquiries against them.
Of course, even if the House does impeach Trump, his trial would be in the Senate, where the Republican majority would decide his fate. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed yesterday that the Republican-controlled Senate with him in charge will be a firewall against efforts to remove Trump from office.So, is this thing wrapping up anytime soon? Nope. This is a political quagmire that's getting more serious by the day. I honestly hope it doesn't suck us all into a vortex of negativity, but the reality is that both Watergate and Whitewater stretched on for about two years.
Catholic Priests Might Be Getting Married
The idea was the most controversial proposal at a meeting on the church’s challenges
Pope Francis formally opened a meeting of bishops that will debate whether the Catholic Church should loosen its 1,000-year-old requirement of celibacy for priests, reports the Wall Street Journal. While some say ordaining married men could relieve the church’s clergy shortage, others fear that doing so would undermine the distinctive character of the priesthood.
The meeting—which is focusing on environmental and religious issues in the Amazon region—will take up the question of whether some respected married elder men could be ordained to help overcome a shortage of priests in remote areas in the region.
So, yes, while it's a new thought, this wouldn't be a huge shift. They're not considering allowing any priest the opportunity to get hitched or opening up the priesthood to all married men. This would be a solution to a specific problem in a remote part of the world. Even still, small changes for an organization as old and strict as the Catholic Church can cause big worries. According to CNN, just the possibility has caused outrage among Conservative groups who have been protesting with prayer vigils after American Cardinal Raymond Burke called for "a crusade of prayer and fasting" for 40 days throughout the meeting.
The Fitbit Everyone’s Talking About
The new Versa 2: Ultimate fitness tracker or mediocre smart watch?
Fitbit's latest fitness smartwatch is an update on their popular Versa from last year. The just-dropped second generation takes everything that made the original a compelling budget smartwatch, improves on those features, adds an Alexa voice assistant, and according to TechRadar, "spits out a near-perfect fitness tracker that comes with some smartwatch perks."
The Verge tested it and was impressed, especially with the lightweight design and battery life. "It's easily hitting the five-day mark for me," says reviewer Dan Seifert. "If you use the always-on display feature, you can expect that figure to roughly drop by half but two to three days between charges is still more than I’ve gotten from any other smartwatch I’ve worn."
And Gear Patrol put it through the paces, praising its "superior sleep tracking feature, called Sleep Score, which gives you a nice little rating out of 100—the higher the number, the better your sleep. If you’re fine wearing a smartwatch to bed and you want to track your sleep, the Versa 2 is exactly what you want."
In the end though, the consensus seems to be that it's a damn fine fitness tracker that also tells the time. With a buggy voice assistant and no GPS, it's no Apple Watch. But for a sub-$200 smartwatch, there's a lot to like.
↦ Buy It: $199.09 at Amazon
Jell-O Shots, but Make It Classy
Is Glenlivet crazy? Or crazy genius?
Absolutely no one: ...
Glenlivet: "We're redefining how whisky can be enjoyed. No ice. No stirrer. No glass."
Launched during London Cocktail Week, in partnership with award-winning bartender Alex Kratena, Glenlive's limited-edition Capsule Collection is a range of "glassless" whisky cocktails served in an edible casing meant to be popped in your mouth and swallowed. It's the first time a spirits brand has teamed up with capsule designers Notpla, the sustainable packaging start-up, to make alcohol holding capsules from a seaweed extract.
The little boozy Tide Pods are being offered this week at Kratena’s London bar, Tayēr + Elementary, but it could be that Glenlivet did this purely as a stunt to get people to demand their Scotch the old fashioned way. After an announcement on Twitter, there was a hearty debate stirring. "These capsule are very bad for the image of Scotch," wrote one follower. "Scotch is meant to be sipped, it’s complex flavors enjoyed in micro sips ... as soon as you start treating it like cheap hooch, your brand is dead." Or as one gent succinctly put it: "Thanks, but … it wasn’t hard to drink Scotch." Is this a good idea? No. A nice glass, clinking cubes of ice and a comfy chair are a part of cocktail culture. But would I try one if it showed up in front of me at a bar? Of course.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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It’s Time to Get Your Flu Shot
“Do I really need one?”: Yeah, you do.
I hate to sound like that annoying person in your life, asking if you've gotten your flu shot yet ... but, yeah, it's time to get your flu shot guys. We've gone over the benefits and where to get them before, while debunking the myth that some people get sick from the shot. But it bears repeating: You won't get sick from the shot, but it does take two weeks for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the influenza virus. Which is why it's better to get vaccinated in the fall, before the flu season really gets under way.
According to the CDC's FluView, Australia had “an unusually early and fairly severe flu season” this past year, which has public-health experts concerned that the US may suffer the same fate. And while the season fluctuates every year, October is typically when people start getting sick. And you may remember, last year's flu season was pretty brutal and was actually the longest it had been in a decade.Do it, not just for you, but for the senior citizens, children and others who can't get the vaccine. There's actually a term called “herd immunity,” which means the majority of a population is vaccinated against a specific illness (say, the flu), thereby reducing the whole community’s risk—particularly vulnerable populations. Think of it this way ... it's the quickest and easiest way to be a hero.
↦ By the numbers: The CDC estimates that between 37.4 million and 42.9 million people in the US were sidelined with the flu last year.
What We’re Buying
A coat is usually the most subtle piece in your outfit. It's not meant to interfere with the rest of your look. But this one from H&M's new fall collection is meant to stand out, in a good way. The brown, yellow and tan checkered pattern is a great way to step up a simple white T-shirt or henley. Plus, the layer is light enough to not have you overheat in this slow-to-develop fall weather. And at this price, you'll have no problem raising your outerwear game.
↦ Get It $49.99 at H&M
Morning Motto
The upside of a Monday? It’s a fresh start.
↦ Follow: @daniel_ernst
That’s all for today...
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