The Daily Valet. - 1/31/20, Friday
✔️ Just How Effective Are We Talking?
Friday, January 31st Edition
So much for wearing a mask to the airport ...
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
How Effective Are Those Masks?
The World Health Organization declares the coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency
With over 10,000 confirmed cases, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a public-health emergency of international concern Thursday as the first person-to-person transmission of the virus was reported in the US, reports CBS News.
While the bulk of new infections are in mainland China, the sixth American tested positive for the infection in the first case of human-to-human transmission. The patient is the husband of a Chicago woman infected with the virus whose case was reported last week.
Meanwhile, the Americans evacuated from the Chinese city at the center of the outbreak, Wuhan, are likely facing at least a couple more days of isolation at a military base in Southern California. And the State Department has issued a "do not travel" advisory late last night covering all of China.
As fear about the deadly virus spreads in China, face masks are everywhere. At least two Chinese provinces now require them to be worn in public. Masks are selling out in stores and online, while factories that make them are operating 24 hours a day to meet the overwhelming demand, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But medical experts say the effectiveness of those masks at preventing the spread of coronavirus is limited, at best. Many of the masks people are wearing do little to protect them, and even the most effective have to be fitted and worn properly to have any benefit.
They can even be harmful if the discomfort of wearing them leads people to touch their faces or a potentially contaminated mask more frequently. In fact, one expert went so far as to say, "Wearing these things can in some ways be worse than not wearing one."
↦ Meanwhile: The coronavirus vaccine research is moving at record speed.
Senators Question Trump’s Laywers Before Vote
Republicans are optimistic they will be able to wrap up without hearing from additional witnesses
Senators reconvened Thursday for a second day of questions to House impeachment managers and President Trump’s lawyers ahead of a crucial vote expected today on whether to call witnesses to testify about the president’s conduct toward Ukraine, reports the Washington Post.
Democrats are pressing to call witnesses, including former national security adviser John Bolton, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other leading Republicans do not want to extend the proceedings into unpredictable territory and are angling for a swift acquittal of the president.
According to the New York Times, Senator Lisa Murkowski, who is being closely watched as one of the most potentially pivotal GOP senators on the question of witnesses, asked Trump’s defense point-blank Thursday night: "Why should this body not call in Ambassador Bolton?"
Trump's defense attorney gave a procedural answer, arguing that the Senate shouldn’t set a precedent that the House can deliver a "half-baked, not finished" impeachment case to the Senate and expect it to fill in the holes.
Movie Studios Keep Celluloid Film Alive
Kodak just struck new deals with the five major studios
In an increasingly digital age, many top movie directors still prefer to shoot on old school celluloid film.
Oscar nominees Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Marriage Story, and Little Women were all shot on physical film, as was the upcoming James Bond picture, No Time to Die.
And now the five major studios—Disney, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros.—have all inked new deals with Kodak, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
They've committed to buying undisclosed amounts of motion picture celluloid, which guarantees its continued use for the foreseeable future. And gives film geeks like myself something to talk about while standing in line at the theater, I imagine.
Why You Should Sharpen Your Knives
Insert “Knives Out” reference here
If you cook at home—and you should—then you use knives regularly. And if you use knives regularly, then you know that trying to cut with a dull blade is a real drag. Literally.
A dull knife slows you down, while a sharp knife makes food prep fast and easy. A sharper blade requires less brute force to cut.
And while it may seem counterintuitive, the sharper the blade, the safer the knife. Why? A sharp blade goes where you want it to—when it's drawn across the food's surface, it won't slip. Because you're pressing harder with a dull blade, it's harder to control and often slips, leading to cuts on your finger or other mistakes.
Convinced? Good. Now the real question is if you want to do it yourself or have them professionally serviced. Each method has its benefits. So for our final installment of our month-long "31 Days" series, we've got three options, each more easier than the next.
↦ Read: Why you should sharpen your knives and the three best ways to achieve a razor-sharp edge.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Weekend Pairing
BoJack Horseman + a Horse’s Neck Cocktail
BoJack Horseman, the brilliant Netflix series, is wrapping up the series in season six, streaming today. As we reconnect with BoJack—the former star of the '90s sitcom Horsin' Around, voiced with coarse sarcasm and melancholy by Will Arnett—he seems to be in a good place. He's now out of rehab and embracing clean living.
With his thick brown mane now dusted a more realistic grey, he's settled into teaching drama at Wesleyan University and connecting with the students. But, it seems, his past catches up with him and he's forced to face some of the terrible things he's done in the past. And it's all handled with the show's signature mix of clever snark, earnest thoughtfulness and, at times, mildly inappropriate over-the-top hilarity.
↦ Your Pairing:For this pairing, I thought about what BoJack drinks himself. Anyone who's paid attention to all the screen-time “Guten Bourbon” has received will tell you that he's a definite whiskey lover. So what's more fitting than a Horse's Neck? The strangely named tipple is actually an easy-to-make and easy-to-drink cocktail with just two ingredients: ginger ale and bourbon. Of course, InShaker steps it up a bit, swapping in a spicy ginger beer and a few dashes of Angostura bitters, which I'm all for. I'll be sipping on this in between laughs (and maybe a few tears).
What We’re Buying
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Morning Motto
Remember to keep that ego in check.
↦ Follow: @steeleism
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