The Daily Valet. - 11/17/23, Friday
✔️ Americans Are Walking Less
Friday, November 17th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I'm definitely walking to lunch today.
Today’s Big Story
Americans Are Walking Less
It’s not entirely shocking, but walking has plummeted across America. What gives?
How much do you walk each week? Are you walking more or less than you did in the past? Because there's been a staggering decline in the number of trips Americans take by putting one foot in front of the other, according to a new scientific report. The number of annual average daily walking trips dropped a whopping 36% in the contiguous U.S. between 2019 and 2022. Even in cities—America's 100 most populated metro areas saw a decline in walking of at least 20%.The report, by StreetLight Data, measures travel behavior based on anonymized data from mobile devices, vehicle GPS systems and more. For this analysis, one “walking trip” is any trip taken by foot that is more than 250 meters — about 820 feet — from start to finish. “Active transportation”, that is, walking—or even biking—accounted for just 10% of overall trips in 2022, down from 14% in 2019.That's not great, considering how good walking is for us. On an individual level, just 30 minutes of daily walking has many different benefits for our bodies. It improves heart function, reduces the risk of chronic diseases, helps prevent back pain, strengthens leg muscles, helps manage stress, reduces fatigue, boosts creativity, and improves general physical fitness. And for society as a whole, such zero-emission trips that require no machinery are the key to making small yet significant dents in our goals for fighting climate change.New York City ranks highest among the top 50 U.S. metro areas sorted by annual average daily walking trips per capita. No surprise there. Orlando, Las Vegas and San Diego follow. While Portland and Boise are tied at dead last. What was surprising is that Los Angeles—an infamous driving town, despite the great weather—actually saw an increase of 19% in annual average daily walking trips in 2022 compared to the previous year.Like with so many changes in society, the researchers point to the pandemic. It's clear that changes in routines and remote work had an “obvious impact,” StreetLight says. It's true that not having to get out for work can make it all too easy to become overly sedentary. But others point to the dangers of being exposed on a sidewalk or crosswalk. Pedestrian deaths have skyrocketed to the highest they've been in over 40 years. “Cars are driving faster, their drivers are driving more recklessly, and enforcement has been down,” said Linda Poon of Bloomberg CityLab. “So there's less of an incentive to walk.”
Step Out:
Your number of daily steps matter—but so does your speed. Walking at this pace may help you live longer, new research reveals.
Israeli Forces Comb Gaza Hospital for 2nd Day
A communications blackout in Gaza is slowing aid as officials press for hostage deal
The Israeli raid of the Gaza Strip's largest hospital stretched into its second day as troops searched for evidence of the extensive Hamas infrastructure that Israeli and U.S. officials have said lies beneath the facility. The Israel Defense Forces said Thursday that searches had uncovered the body of a captive Israeli woman in a house near the hospital, along with weapons, reports the Washington Post.Meanwhile, the entire population of Gaza—2.2 million, with about half of them being children—is in need of food assistance and at risk of starvation because of a collapsed of the food supply chain and insufficient aid delivery, the United Nations World Food Program said Thursday. Food stocks are rapidly running out, markets and bakeries have closed, and fresh food is not available because of a lack of refrigeration and a halt to farming and fishing, a situation that the W.F.P. called “catastrophic.”Israel's military signaled an intention to expand its military campaign southward in Gaza on Thursday, and another telecommunications blackout disrupted the flow of badly needed aid, all while negotiations continued over the release of dozens of hostages. But U.S. officials continue working on a deal, with Qatar acting as an intermediary. Israeli officials have refused to comment on any potential deal. But Hamas officials have apparently signaled an openness to a deal to release hostages.
Apple’s latest Apple Watch is a substantial jump forward. And it’s even better when you can get it for free.
U.S. Undocumented Population Grows More Diverse
It’s Becoming less Mexican, with a rise in Indian immigrants
The population of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is becoming more diverse, and Mexicans now have the smallest share they've ever had, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. The latest available data was compiled at the end of 2021, and Pew estimates the undocumented population was about 10.5 million.According to Axios, “geopolitical conflicts, climate change and more sophisticated smuggling networks are driving more migrants” from Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Europe and sub-Saharan Africa to “make dangerous journeys to the U.S. without permission, absent many legal options for entry.”However, these new estimates do not reflect the past two years of historically large numbers of illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. An unprecedented number of undocumented Indian immigrants are crossing U.S. borders on foot, according to new data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. NBC News reports that what has been a years-long increase in migration has now developed into a dramatic spike. Experts point to an overall growth in global migration since the pandemic, oppression of minority communities in India, smugglers' use of increasingly sophisticated and in-demand methods of getting people to America, and extreme visa backlogs.
FYI:
Immigration is expected to be a crucial issue in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Cars Are Becoming More Recycled
Even luxury automakers are making use of materials like old denim, bio-plastic and flax fiber
Historically, the automotive industry has not focused on sustainable practices. The manufacturing processes traditionally use huge amounts of energy, metals, plastics, toxins and manpower—all leaving behind a massive carbon footprint. But those days are changing. Not only is the building of cars becoming more streamlined and energy-efficient, but automakers are thinking about their raw materials in new and sustainable ways.They're also hoping that sparse, eco-friendly cabins will redefine luxury for a new generation of buyers. New designs include everything from recycled denim and fishing nets to plastic bottles and even mushroom roots and flax fiber—all in an effort to reduce that carbon footprint. Plus, it's what today's premium customers prefer in place of plush leather or polished wood, according to the research and design departments of several luxury car brands.Volvo's newest electric vehicle, the compact EX30 SUV, will test that theory. The Swedish luxury brand is known for its clean and simple Scandinavian design, but this new car had to meet a major objective: achieve the lowest carbon footprint of any Volvo model to date. To achieve this, they took into account the manufacturing processes, worked to simplify its design, and reduced the materials it needs. Even the exterior colors like Moss Yellow and Cloud Blue superficially reflect Volvo's Earth-friendly goals. Similarly, Kia just unveiled new concepts that utilize similar sustainable materials like bio-plastic and leather substitutes, recycled fabrics and BTX-free paint. These will certainly help as automakers face looming targets to be “carbon neutral” by 2050 ... or sooner.
But Is It Prime?
Starting next year, you’ll be able to buy a new Hyundai car on Amazon. That's a first for the auto industry.
In Other News
An uncomfortable look at the assault rifle’s role in American life.
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘A Murder at the End of the World’ + a Silver Fizz Cocktail
What do you get when you smash together Nordic noir, the work of Agatha Christie, and Glass Onion? A Murder at the End of the World, the new show from The OA creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, streaming now on Hulu. The seven-episode series is a chilly, melancholic spin on the old detective genre with a modern, techno flair.Clive Owen plays Andy Ronson, a mash-up of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk who is plagued with an unspecified illness. It's at his behest—or rather, at the behest of his artificial intelligence creation—that our sleuth, a reclusive young hacker named Darby Hart (played by Emma Corrin), travels to the high-tech compound he's been building in Iceland. Mashable calls her a “Gen Z Sherlock Holmes.” And other critics have called the show smarter than your average whodunnit, which are “pleasurable because they mend a rip in the social fabric by restoring the world to order through logic.” This series shreds that idea as bodies pile up and the apocalypse they've been discussing in mostly abstract terms starts to creep closer.
Pair It With
Borrowing from the silver jewelry that plays a key role in this story, a Silver Fizz seems appropriate to pair with this. This old school art-deco cocktail mixes dry gin with fresh lemon juice and egg whites for extra froth.
Also Worth a Watch:
Partner
Give This to a Whiskey Lover
The ideal drink for the season
The whiskey drinker in your life will certainly appreciate this bottle. Keeper's Heart combined the best of both worlds—blending Irish grain and pot still whiskeys with American Rye for a particularly easy drinking spirit. Irish whiskey notes of baking spices blend beautifully with American whiskey's sweetness and oak to create a libation with notes of candied ginger, lemon zest, sweet biscuits and rich, stewed fruit. The ideal drink for the season, it's smooth yet spicy in just the right way. And there's no wrong way to enjoy it--equally excellent neat, on the rocks or within a cocktail.
Get It:
Irish + Bourbon whiskey, $39.99 by Keeper's Heart
Morning Motto
People remember how you made them feel.
▾
Follow:
Share today’s motto:
