The Daily Valet. - 12/14/21, Tuesday
✔️ A Coffee Crisis Is Brewing
Tuesday, December 14th Edition
Hold that cup of coffee tight!
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
A Coffee Crisis Is Brewing
Experts believe the Joe we know and love is in danger
We rely on our beloved coffee to give us the strength and stamina to get through the roughest of times. But not even coffee is immune to the powerful forces of extreme weather and inflation.
Coffee futures have climbed over the past month to the highest levels in over a decade. It's just the latest spike for a commodity that has seen its value surge more than 90% so far this year, reports Reuters.
Unfortunately, this means coffee drinkers will be paying higher prices at grocery stores and coffee shops in the coming months. And as CNN puts it, “That will only add to the inflationary pressures currently causing anxiety for millions of Americans.”
What’s more, your morning cappuccino or latte might start leaving a bitter taste for other reasons too. The world is facing a desperate shortfall of arabica coffee—the variety that gives the smoothest flavor and makes up about 60% of world production. Supplies were decimated after extreme weather destroyed crops, and with a La Niña pattern forecast through early 2022 expected to further hurt yields, it could take years for the market to recover.
A big part of the problem, according to Vox, is that the coffee we cultivate and drink today, which sustains an industry valued at over $100 billion, comes from just two species—and rising global temperatures are exacerbating threats to production. That’s because the plants need such specific conditions to grow. More than half of the suitable areas for coffee growing could be lost due to the climate crisis by 2050, according to a study published in the journal Climatic Change.
Demand, however, has remained robust despite rising costs and the changes set off by the pandemic. The National Coffee Association also said demand didn’t get dented by COVID. In a statement to CNN, the trade group blamed rising coffee prices on shifts in supply. “For many years, the world grew more coffee than we drank, but this year we’ll consume more coffee than farmers grow,” they said. “We don’t expect current conditions to change coffee’s status as America’s favorite beverage.”
↦ FYI: 62% of American adults currently consume coffee every single day. And the average coffee drinker drinks just over three cups per day.
COVID Milestones
Three big, unavoidable events converge
I get it ... like it or not, the numbers don't shock us the way they used to. These days, pandemic milestones come and go, but there is a convergence of three in the U.S. right now that are worth noting.
The first: We've now reached the one year anniversary of the COVID vaccine's arrival. And 60% of all Americans are now vaccinated. An untold number of lives, perhaps tens of thousands, have been saved by vaccination. But what might have been a time to celebrate a scientific achievement is fraught with discord and mourning.
The second: While it's appropriate to acknowledge the achievement in vaccine delivery, it's also impossible to wrap one's head around the fact that America will mark 800,000 recorded coronavirus deaths in the coming days. And at the same time, the country must try to grapple with its 50 millionth infection.
The third: One in every 100 seniors in the United States has died of COVID-19, according to federal data. They are among the most vaccinated groups, but people 65 and older make up about three-quarters of the coronavirus death toll. And the ramifications have only amplified an existing divide between older and younger Americans.
↦ Dig Deeper: Across the world, COVID anxiety and depression have added to an epidemic of loneliness.
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Was This Elon Musk’s Year?
TIME said he is reshaping life on Earth and possibly life off Earth, as well
'Tis the season for TIME to choose its Person of the Year for 2021—someone who has “shaped the previous 12 months, for better or for worse.” Someone who encapsulates the Zeitgeist, whose persona spans all the highs and lows that defined the past year.
When it's put that way, is it any surprise that the person is Elon Musk? The magazine announced Monday that the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, not to mention the world's richest person, received their top honor.
It was certainly a banner year for Musk. His net worth soared and he launched the first-ever tourist mission to Earth's orbit. The entrepreneur has also been very vocal on Twitter. In October, Musk took a jab at Jeff Bezos for his second-place spot among the world's richest people. In a separate tweet, he also said he worries the falling birthrate worldwide could threaten human civilization.
This tradition from TIME began in 1927 as “Man of the Year” and has since changed to not only recognize an individual, but also to consider the impact of a group, movement or idea that had the most influence in the past year. In 2020, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were picked together as of Person of the Year. The annual choice is not necessarily considered an honor, since the selection could have wielded negative influence. For example, Adolf Hitler was named Man of the Year in 1938.
↦ FYI: The latest revelation concerning Tesla's lax approach to safety? Drivers can now play video games in moving cars.
Automakers Get in on Subscription Services
Toyota owners have to pay $8 a month to keep using their key fob for remote start
Remember when BMW wanted to charge drivers to use Apple CarPlay or heated seats? How about the subscription required for the Mercedes EQS's rear-wheel steering functionality? It turns out that luxury marques aren't the only ones looking to cash in on that sweet, subscription business model.
Nearly every car company offers some sort of subscription package, reports ArsTechnica and Toyota has one called Remote Connect. The service offers the usual fare, letting owners use an app to remotely lock their doors, for example, or if they own a plug-in vehicle, to precondition the interior.
But as some complimentary subscriptions for Remote Connect come to an end, Toyota owners are getting an unexpected surprise—they can no longer use their key fob to remote-start their vehicles.
According to The Drive, it's become more common in recent years for automakers to charge for apps that allow drivers to monitor, lock, or start their cars with their smartphones (even though consumers pretty much reject them). But as far as we can tell, Toyota is the first to charge for full use of your physical key fob—either $8 a month or $80 a year.
↦ Meanwhile: These stylish retro EV designs look cool, but will they ever get made?
In Other News
↦ Larry Nassar Abuse Survivors Reach $380 Million Deal With USA Gymnastics and U.S. Olympic Committee
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Morning Motto
Take a deep breath ...
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That’s all for today...
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