The Daily Valet. - 11/12/19, Tuesday

✔️ How Safe Are the Planes We Board?

Tuesday, November 12th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I never really liked flying Southwest. Now I’ve got a legitimate reason to avoid it.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Is Southwest Flying Unsafe Planes?

The FAA considers grounding three dozen jets over safety concerns

Southwest Airlines currently lacks the proper paperwork to confirm that three dozen of its jets meet all federal safety standards as regulators consider grounding the planes, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Without clear-cut documentation, neither Southwest nor regulators can definitively verify that all safety requirements have been met.

According to documents released Monday by a Senate committee, Southwest acquired 88 used jets from foreign airlines starting in 2013, and the FAA permitted Southwest to fly the planes. American carriers typically ship used planes overseas, but in some circumstances they acquire foreign aircraft to fill gaps in their US fleets.

But in May 2018 an FAA official discovered paperwork abnormalities. And Southwest’s difficulty documenting the maintenance history of the used planes came into question.

The FAA threatened in late October to ground 38 of Southwest’s Boeing 737 jets still waiting for comprehensive inspections, citing potential risks “posed by undocumented or nonconforming repairs,” according to a letter to Southwest from the agency that was reviewed by the Journal.

The Federal Aviation Administration must agree that a plane is safe to fly in the United States, and maintenance records are used in making that determination. Yet this isn't the first time Southwest has faced questions on its fleet. Last November, the FAA briefly grounded 32 of Southwest’s planes until certain inspections were carried out, the Washington Post reports. Honestly, it does make you wonder what those low cost tickets might end up costing you, right?

🤔 Safe or not, Southwest’s line-up alternative to assigned seats is no way to board a plane. Change my mind ...

Missing WWII Submarine Found

Private explorers found the U.S.S. Grayback beneath 1,400 feet of water

It was a 75-year-old military mystery, solved just in time for Veterans Day. And the families of 80 American sailors lost at sea will now have closure: the U.S.S. Grayback has finally been found, reports Time.

The mystery began on Jan. 28, 1944, when the Grayback, one of the most successful American submarines of World War II, sailed out of Pearl Harbor for its 10th combat patrol. By late March it was more than three weeks overdue to return, and the Navy listed the submarine as missing and presumed lost.

The discovery is part of Tim Taylor and his wife Christine Dennison’s Lost 52 Project, which aims to find the 52 missing US submarines. The explorers used an undersea drone to find the sub, which is located 50 nautical miles south of Okinawa at a depth of 1,427 feet.

“Yo guys! I am loving the f@#k out of these daily newsletters …” - Avi* We’ve got some spirited subscribers, which is why we want you spreading the word. Stay tuned for details.

$38 Billion Spent During Singles Day

China’s 24 hour shopping extravaganza is bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined

The world's biggest shopping event occurs every year on November 11, and most Americans are only beginning to be made aware of it. Known locally as Guanggun Jie, it's a holiday popular among young Chinese people that celebrates their pride in being single. An anti-Valentine's Day, if you will.

Alibaba, China's answer to Amazon, turned the informal holiday into a shopping event in 2009 and built it into the world's biggest online sales fest. No one to buy for? Get something for yourself.

According to the company, they sold $1.43 billion worth of goods in the first 96 seconds of the sale. They then went on to sell $38.4 billion over the entire day, reports Tech Crunch. To put that in context, last year's five-day Black Friday/Cyber Monday long weekend clocked less than $25 billion in total sales.

Disney+ Launches Today With a Last-Minute Update

The service will have most Marvel movies now

Disney knows the power of a good story. And any good story needs a twist and, hopefully, a happy ending. The company started teasing the launch of their streaming service last month with what is the longest Twitter thread I’ve ever seen, highlighting much of the nostalgic content from our collective childhoods launching on day one on Disney+.

And yesterday, the day before launch, they did it again. A new thread lists a number of new Marvel titles that will be available to stream today. It explains why there are now several more Marvel titles available on Disney+ than what was announced less than one month ago. Short answer: rights issues are complicated.

When you add the majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the entire Disney vault and then add in a few clever original series, it's clear that Disney+ at least has more going for it than any other new streaming service (sorry Apple + and HBO Max).

And while you might be eagerly awaiting the Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian or The World According to Jeff Goldblum, according to GQ, the best show is Forky Asks A Question, a series of three-minute shorts which features the strangely endearing breakout star of Toy Story 4.

↦ FYI: A recent study indicated that most consumers who already subscribe to a streaming service (74% of the US online population) will likely subscribe to two additional services.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Who makes the best winter beanie?

Google will shame slow websites with a special badge

Sending good vibes to former President Jimmy Carter

HBO Lost Over $200K Defending John Oliver

And he’s ready for round two with a deep pocketed coal company CEO

If you're a regular viewer of Last Week Tonight on HBO, you probably recall when John Oliver did a segment in 2017 about coal company CEO and “geriatric Dr. Evil” Bob Murray. And then, as predicted, Oliver was sued by Murray the next week. The case was dismissed but Murray appealed, so Oliver couldn’t discuss the lawsuit until it was dropped recently.

Now Oliver is switching his focus to the real issue that was highlighted during the long battle against Murray, reports Vulture. He's taking on SLAPP suits, an acronym that stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. "These are frivolous suits with no legal merit specifically designed to stifle public debate or dissent," said Oliver. "And these happen all the time." As Oliver notes, Murray never wanted to win a bunch of lawsuits, he simply wanted a reputation for being litigious so that people would think twice about coming after him.

But here's the really crazy thing about this story ... HBO never backed down. They spent over $200,000 on legal fees and their libel insurance premiums tripled ... and they're ready for round two.

That's commendable. Especially in times like this, when the president has said he's sued a journalist just to “make his life miserable” and Netflix pulls an episode of Patriot Act from Saudi Arabia because they essentially told them to and the company is "not in the truth to power business."

Sales We’re Eyeing

Canvas trucker jacket$98 / $68.60

You have 24 hours to score what is essentially an employee discount at Levi's. Take 30% off nearly anything sitewide with code TAKE30. It's a great time to grab another pair of your favorite jeans (for us, that's the 502 Taper Fit) or try a piece you've been eyeing for a while (like a canvas version of the classic trucker jacket).

↦ Shop the Sale at Levi's

Card Wallet with RFID protection by Harber London

Special Promotion

This simple looking wallet houses some impressive security features. The full grain leather card case is slim, but fits up to 12 cards with a handy pull tab for easy access. And a magnetic closure keeps your cash and cards inside, while RFID protection prevents identity theft.

↦ Get It $101.83 by Harber London