The Daily Valet. - 1/19/23, Thursday
✔️ Where'd It Go?
Thursday, January 19th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I love a good airport lounge. If you need me, I’ll be in the Admiral’s Club.
Today’s Big Story
Dwindling Snow
ski resorts Tackle ways to keep powder on the slopes in the face of a warming world
Instead of icicle-clad chalets and glistening hills, skiers in recent weeks have encountered muddy paths and halted lifts. For dozens of Alpine ski resorts, this past Christmas and New Year's season has been a literal washout. Very little snow fell in December. Then rain arrived, wiping many slopes back to green and brown turf. Frustrated skiers Googled the forecasts, glimpsed snowless mountainsides on live videofeeds, and canceled their bookings. Dozens of pistes, and even some entire resorts, remained closed into 2023.Much of Europe is currently experiencing unseasonably warm weather conditions, with several countries in the continent recording their warmest January day ever on New Year's Day. Of course, snow machines are vital at almost every resort these days, but even the fake stuff can still melt—especially if the weather is bridging 59° F. It's also costly, with a significant environmental impact as it relies on large amounts of energy and water.Plus, there's a big question over whether it's viable to rely on snow machines in the long term—especially since rising global temperatures are expected to threaten more ski resorts in years to come.For Switzerland, whose glaciers and snowpack form a crucial storehouse for European water supplies, the effect of climate change has been especially alarming. The country is warming at more than double the rate of the global mean and its glaciers lost 6% of their total volume in the last year alone. It poses a serious risk to some parts of a Swiss ski industry that by some estimates generates around $5.5 billion a year.In other parts of the world, they're trying new approaches to get as much snow on the slopes. At one Canadian ski resort, they've pioneered a technique called “snow farming,” which involves setting up miles of fencing to capture large amounts of wind-blown, natural snow. Once the massive snow reservoirs have accumulated, resort staffers spread the white stuff over the slopes for skiers and snowboarders to enjoy.
FYI:
Researchers say that within the next seven to 17 years, skiing will become impossible in medium-altitude mountains.
The HIV Vaccine Just Failed Its Trial
The Only Vaccine in Advanced Trials was deemed INEFFECTIVE. So What Now?
The only HIV vaccine in a late-stage trial has failed, researchers announced Wednesday, dealing a significant blow to the effort to control the global HIV epidemic and adding to a decadeslong roster of failed attempts to prevent the virus from spreading.The trial was the product of a public-private partnership including the American government and the pharmaceutical giant Janssen. It was run out of eight nations in Europe and the Americas—including the U.S., starting in 2019. Researchers enrolled nearly 4,000 men who have sex with men and transgender people, all deemed at substantial risk of HIV. But they decided to discontinue after a review saw no evidence the vaccine lowered participants’ rate of HIV acquisition.The news is “disappointing, but it isn't the end of the effort toward developing a vaccine,” Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases until December, told the New York Times. “There are other strategic approaches.” Scientists have made headway in developing powerful antibodies that can neutralize the virus. And they are testing new vaccine technologies, including mRNA, against HIV.
Meanwhile:
HIV PrEP is supposed to be covered entirely by insurance or free to those who don't have it, but it often isn't.
For the first time, a lot of people suddenly realized, these rankings are just based on ... unaudited, unverified data that the schools themselves submit.”
- Axios on the downfall of higher education rankings
Stamp Prices Are Going Up Again
Here's How to Avoid Paying More
This weekend, the Postal Service plans to increase prices of some postage by 4.2%, which generally amounts to a few cents per stamp. But if you need to mail small packages, there might be a break.The rate hike is due partly to the Post Office's massive debt: They currently have an annual budget deficit of $1 billion. But the postmaster general said in August that inflation is why the increases are necessary.It was just last July that we saw a hike in the price of the “Forever” stamp to 60 cents. But now on Sunday, Jan. 22, the price will go up another three cents, to 63 cents. So here's your heads up to stock up on the non-expiring stamps at its current price before this weekend. Interestingly, the cost of some Priority Mail shipping materials, including flat-rate envelopes and boxes, will actually go down.
FYI:
Did you know that you can buy stamps directly from Amazon Prime?
Lounges Are Becoming an Airport Must
They're not just for business travelers anymore
Airports are not always the best places to hang out. There's always a long line for coffee, the snacks at Hudson News are limited and places open and close at strange times. Perhaps this is why luxe lounges are becoming more and more of a hot commodity among travelers.According to InsideHook, a good lounge is now the most coveted of all airport amenities—even in spite of the high cost of entry. Nearly 60% of frequent fliers reported having spent some time in an airport lounge during their air travel journey. And demand is only growing.What's more, these lounges are no longer dominated by business travelers. The data, as originally reported by Travel Pulse, shows that more and more leisure travelers are seeking refuge in lounges, but exclusively for entertainment. While some reported utilizing them for their “business facilities,” a whopping 78% claimed they like them for the food and leisure options.
Meanwhile:
Capital One Lounges are trying to overtake Amex's Centurion Lounges, which have set the standard for American airport lounges for more than a decade.
In Other News
Will you mask up on board again?
Have you heard about ...
Slow Down at Work
Slow living is a noble goal. And it starts at the desk.
Want to concentrate a little better and enjoy your workday a little more? Our writer, Brett F. Braley-Palko, shares his plan for slowing down and getting more from his day while sharing a few essential desk items that help him do it: I believe heartily in the philosophy of slowing down. I cook most of my dinners from scratch and take an hour to appreciate the process. I live on a farm and it seems that every day I take more moments to look out the window than I do at the ever-growing inbox on my phone. But somehow this same idea never quite translated to work. I spent the majority of my time working against a deadline instead of working towards a goal.But now, in my new work space, I can chew on the end of a pencil while I am deep in thought. I can scribble any passing idea into a nearby journal and hope it makes sense when I type it out properly. More often than not, I am playing basketball with the wastepaper bin. But it has all been a meditation in slowing down, allowing myself to get lost in thought, and surrounding myself in an environment designed for one thing and one thing only: to really get some work done.
Read:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A Leather Workwear Jacket
Do you own a chore coat? How about a leather jacket? What if the two morphed together, to form the ultimate outerwear for right now? The founder of A Kind of Guise puts together a few seasonal looks and shows us three ways to wear the brand's leather work jacket.
Get It:
Yukon jacket, $1,300 by A Kind of Guise
Morning Motto
Whatever you’ve been putting off … start it now.
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