The Daily Valet. - 10/7/22, Friday
✔️ I Beg Your Pardon
Friday, October 7th Edition
We made it through the week. Let’s just enjoy that fact for a moment.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Biden Pardons Weed Convictions
The move represents a fundamental change in America’s response to the drug ... and kicked off some wild memes
With the news that President Biden has pledged to end the United States’ “failed approach” on cannabis, thousands of people who were incarcerated for possession of the drug are poised to receive pardons.
“Sending people to jail for possessing marijuana has upended too many lives—for conduct that is legal in many states,” he declared in a series of tweets outlining the new policy, including a promise to reevaluate how cannabis is classified on the federal level. At present, it’s a Schedule I substance, like heroin.
Despite its growing acceptance in society, weed possession is illegal under federal law, with the first offense punishable by up to one year in prison. Nineteen states and Washington D.C. have legalized adult recreational use of the drug. It is still fully illegal in four states. A presidential pardon would not expunge an offender’s federal record, since that can only be done within the courts, according to the Department of Justice.
Still, the president’s actions—which come about a month before the midterm elections and could help energize Democratic supporters—is a step toward making good on his campaign commitment to decriminalize marijuana. But, CNN says, it also risks playing into searing Republican attacks branding Democrats as soft on crime, which are rocking multiple key contests ahead of elections that could hand control of the Senate and the House of Representatives to the GOP.
The announcement represents a fundamental change in America’s response to a drug that has been at the center of a clash between culture and policing for more than a half-century. However, Vice points out that the majority of possession prosecutions have come at the state level. Biden can only recommend that governors apply more leniency, which he did on Thursday.
Not surprisingly, social media lit up yesterday—no pun intended. And “Dank Brandon” is getting lots of love. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, it’s the latest evolution of a meme that has taken several twists and turns in the course of this administration, reports Rolling Stone. What started as a right-wing slogan has slowly been co-opted by leftists and is now showing all the ways the commander-in-chief could get high ... on his accomplishments.
↦ Meanwhile: Adolescent e-cigarette use in the U.S. remains at concerning levels. More than 2.5 million youth used e-cigarettes in 2022, according to a recent study.
I.M.F. Will Lower Global Outlook
The group’s chief warns that the world is heading towards age of greater instability
Well, this isn't great news to wrap up the week, but the head of the International Monetary Fund said that the group plans to lower its 2023 global growth forecast yet again because “the risks of recession are rising.”
Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF's managing director, said a succession of economic shocks had unleashed persistently high inflation, prompting a cost of living crisis in countries around the world. She described the current macro outlook as “a period of historic fragility” due to rising interest rates and a commodities crisis triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to the New York Times, the IMF has been steadily downgrading its forecasts in recent months and currently projects global output to grow by 2.9% next year. That projection will be lowered when the fund releases its closely watched World Economic Outlook report on Tuesday as the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank begin in Washington.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary and former Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen is painting a somewhat rosier picture of the global growth outlook, reports Reuters. While acknowledging that macroeconomic tightening in advanced countries can have international spillovers, Yellen said that “for major economies facing high inflation, the immediate task is to return to an environment of stable prices.”
Google Unveils New Pixel Lineup
Here’s what got announced at their fall event
Google first revealed the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro as well as the Pixel Watch at its annual developer conference in May, so details have been trickling out ever since. But Thursday's Pixel event in Brooklyn was the first time we've gotten a detailed picture of the new devices, which are now available for pre-order and will ship next week.
According to The Verge, the phones offer a couple of notable improvements, including the jump to the Tensor G2 processor, a refined (but less jubilant) set of colors, up to three days of battery life in Extreme Battery Saver mode, and a better 10.8-megapixel selfie cam.
And while there's very little that hasn't been leaked or rumored about Google's Pixel Watch—it's been talked about since before the pandemic—it's finally here. It draws on the company's acquisition of Fitbit (with many of the same health-tracking capabilities, with similar accuracy) in a sleek, premium design—round with convex Gorilla Glass 5 and a stainless steel housing. The water-resistant smartwatch has an always-on display and will have multiple band options.
Other items announced include a streamlined Nest doorbell and the Nest Wifi Pro, which was designed to have a porcelain-like glaze covering it. Gizmodo dubbed it, “the shiniest router we’ve ever seen.” But it seems many outlets were a little disappointed that the Pixel Tablet won't be released until next year.
The McBoo Buckets Are Back
McDonald’s brings back a childhood favorite
McDonald's is on a roll. After a successful collaboration with Cactus Plant Flea Market, the fast food giant is bringing back a beloved icon for anyone who grew up in the late ’80s and ’90s.
The McBoo, McPunk'n and McGoblin, its famous Halloween pails are coming back for the first time in nearly a decade. The plastic containers, which double as trick-or-treat buckets, debuted 36 years ago in 1986. I can distinctly remember using one for multiple Halloweens, until I got old enough to realize I needed a bigger treat bag.
There had been rumors floating around that the buckets might return, kickstarting a wave of nostalgia. McDonald's said it noticed the clever ways fans kept their Halloween pails over the years, from making fan art to using them as flower pots year-round, to making purses and other accessories.
The pails will officially go on sale on October 18. And in honor of their return, the restaurant is spotlighting five different fan-inspired ways to reuse a Halloween pail after your kids—or, let's be honest, you—have devoured whatever contents your bucket held.
↦ FYI: The Cactus Plant Flea Market promo is apparently getting out of hand, according to staff on social media. They’re begging people to stop ordering them.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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A Weekend Pairing
‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’ + a 2007 red wine
Based on a Stephen King story first published in the 2020 anthology If It Bleeds, the film Mr. Harrigan’s Phone—streaming today on Netflix—may disappoint fans of King’s more traditional horror oeuvre. Mostly because it isn’t exactly a horror film. It’s more of a coming-of-age drama with some creepy, supernatural twists.
The film stars Jaeden Martell as Craig, a tormented young man who has been hired to read aloud to the wealthy old man of the title (Donald Sutherland), a recluse in failing health who over the years becomes the boy’s mentor—so much so that Craig buys Harrigan an iPhone in gratitude. (The film is set in the mid-aughts). When Craig explains all the info this newfangled smartphone can deliver, Harrigan says, prophetically, “All of us ought to be very frightened by this gizmo.” When he dies, Craig tucks the phone into the casket. Soon, there is some communication from beyond the grave, along with a few suspicious deaths and Craig is haunted by the fact that he might be texting with what one reviewer called “a proxy in hell.” The response to the film seems positive, though some want more scares. Others say it’s a savvy look at social media, ethics and the dangers of getting what you ask for.
↦ Your Pairing:The film’s phone in question is an original iPhone from 2007—which just happened to be a great year for European red wine. The Remelluri winery in Spain’s Rioja region made a nice Tempranillo blend that’s deep purple in color, rich in spiced fruit compote flavors and shockingly affordable for a respected 15-year-old bottle.
What We’re Buying
This puffer vest is built to endure all fall weather conditions. Sustainably made with a recycled-nylon shell, it’s filled with a lightweight insulation made entirely from plastic bottles.
↦ Get It: $198 / $118.80 (w/code SHOPFALL) by J.Crew
Today’s Deals
Expires 10/9
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Expires 10/18
↦ Want More? See all 44 sales
Morning Motto
Control what you can ... and let the rest go.
↦ Follow: @successfulmaster
That’s all for today...
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