The Daily Valet. - 12/3/19, Tuesday
✔️ Let's Try to Breathe Easier
Tuesday, December 3rd Edition
What a week, huh?
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
How Clean Is Your Air?
When it comes to pollution, think small ...
Are you in the right headspace to receive information that could possibly ... make you nervous about going outside?
Because, air pollution is worse than we thought. I figured smog was like breathing in some secondhand smoke. But it's worse. Way worse. Air pollution is now being associated with a number of conditions, from strokes to brain cancer, pneumonia and heart attacks to premature death (88,000 in America in 2015 alone). And because you can't really escape it, the air and the pollution work their way into your body—there's not a lot you can do to fight it.
And those tiny air pollutants may actually cause changes in brain structure that resemble those of Alzheimer’s disease.
It's a serious issue ... and something that's being addressed from India to South Korea to here in the States.
Wondering how your city stacks up? The New York Times put together an interesting, if not, slightly disturbing multimedia package to help you. They visualized the damaging, tiny particles that wreak havoc on human health. From the Bay Area to New Delhi, you can see how the world’s worst pollution compares with your local air.
↦ SeriouslY? According to the World Health Organization, more than 80% of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed guideline limits.
Can We Harvest Solar Power From Space?
A decades old idea is getting revived
Solar power isn't a new concept. It's been around for decades. And ever since we started capturing it, the idea has been floated about collecting solar energy in space. Well, it may soon be a reality, reports Wired.
The sun never sets in space, so a space solar power system could supply renewable energy to anywhere on the planet, day or night, rain or shine. It's a simple concept, but like fusion energy, space-based solar power seemed doomed to become a technology that was always a generation away. Technical problems kept cropping up and cost estimates remained stratospheric, but NASA's scientists didn't give up.
In October, the Air Force Research Lab announced it's committing $100 million to develop hardware for a solar power satellite. So this could actually happen. But the US isn't the only nation jumping on the opportunity to grab those space rays; both China and Japan have plans to develop solar power space stations. So it seems there may be a new race emerging.
↦ FYI: Currently the United States has enough solar panels working to power 12.3 million American homes.
The Word of the Year ...
A tumultuous 2019 inspired Dictionary.com’s famed “word of the year”
Every year, Dictionary.com has selected a word of the year. For 2019, they chose "existential." Climate change, gun violence, the very nature of democracy and a small, but angsty breakout star called Forky helped propel the word to the top spot, reports ABC News.
The site's senior research editor, John Kelly, said the word speaks to a sense that humanity is "grappling with our survival, both literally and figuratively."
Dictionary.com crunches search and other data to decide which word to anoint each year. Somewhat related, Oxford Dictionaries picked “climate emergency” as its word of the year, noting usage evidence that reflects the “ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year,” the company said in a statement.
A Tight Shipping Season Tests Retailers
Two billion packages must all find their way with fewer days to move them around the country
Due to a shorter holiday season, delivery companies like Amazon, UPS and FedEx are facing pressure to get packages to customers in a shorter time frame, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Because Thanksgiving fell on the latest date it possibly could this year, there's one less week of holiday shopping and prepping. (Feeling the crunch? Yeah, me too.)
The last time the industry dealt with such a narrow window between the holidays was 2013, when online spending wasn't nearly as common as it is today. In fact, it's nearly doubled, according to Commerce Department data.
FedEx and UPS are working double time to combat the onslaught of nearly two billion packages. As is the Postal Service, which still delivers more packages to homes than the private delivery companies. And Amazon, which is now shipping many of its own packages these days, plans to drop off 275 million packages during the peak shopping season—double last season’s volume.
↦ Eco Concerns? Here are seven ways to cut the carbon footprint on your online deliveries.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Portugal Is Making Some Mean Menswear
The small European country is the best-kept secret in men’s style
"There's a place in Western Europe where the sun shines, the surf pumps and there's creativity in the air." So writes our own Ben Mercer, who recently traveled to Portugal and discovered a hotbed of great menswear brands, many of which are available stateside.
It's clear that something is happening in the small Western European country. Where adventurers once set off westwards in search of foreign lands, now entrepreneurs and brands are coming here to tap into the spirit of creativity and the abundance of traditional craftsmanship.
Ben introduces us to seven labels worth knowing, all offering wares that are made with integrity but sold for incredibly reasonable prices.
↦ Check Out Ben's chosen brands for yourself and maybe pick up a pair of boots or a cozy flannel shirt.
Today’s Deals
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↦ Want More? See all 49 sales
Morning Motto
Know when to hold your tongue.
↦ Follow: @thegoodquote
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