The Daily Valet. - 2/19/20, Wednesday
✔️ White-Collar Crimes and High-Priced Cocktails
Wednesday, February 19th Edition
Let’s just drink at my place ... it’s cheaper that way.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Trump’s White-Collar Pardons
The president granted full pardons to seven people and commutations to four others
President Trump on Tuesday used his sweeping presidential pardon powers to forgive the crimes of a list of boldface names, including convicted "junk bond king" Michael Milken, former New York police commissioner Bernard Kerik and disgraced politician Rod Blagojevich, reports the Washington Post.
In total, the president pardoned or commuted the sentences of seven convicted white-collar criminals at the center of federal anti-corruption and tax fraud cases spanning decades, alongside four women whose cases were not as well known.
According to the Post, the executive actions fit a pattern of highly personal presidential justice that largely bypasses the traditional pardon process. They focus on the type of corruption and lying charges his associates were convicted of as part of the Russia investigation.
Blagojevich of Illinois was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2011 for trying to sell the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated after he was elected president. Edward DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, pleaded guilty in '98 to concealing an extortion plot by a former governor of Louisiana. And Kerik was convicted of making false statements about a bribe he took while working in Iraq.
The president portrayed the clemency actions as an effort to address what he views as miscarriages of justice, but also said he has relied heavily on recommendations from friends and associates of those seeking clemency, reports the Wall Street Journal.
The unexpected pardons drew Democratic and some Republican criticism. Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted: "Today, Trump granted clemency to tax cheats, Wall Street crooks, billionaires, and corrupt government officials. Meanwhile thousands of poor and working-class kids sit in jail for nonviolent drug convictions."
Warming Winters Are Affecting Everything
The dire consequences of having fewer days below freezing
Winters are warming faster than other seasons across much of the United States. And while that may sound like a welcome change for those bundled in coats and hats, it's causing a cascade of unpredictable impacts in communities across the country, reports NPR.
Winter warming is part of a broader pattern around the globe, according to Climate.gov. "The colder times of day are warming faster than warmer times of day," says Deke Arndt, chief of climate monitoring at NOAA. "And the colder places are warming faster than the warmer places."
Vox recently examined how average winter low temperatures are projected to shift in the 1,000 largest US cities by 2050 if we do nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They found that in 67 cities, the average winter low temperature could cross a critical threshold by 2050: the freezing point of water.
Around the US, warmer winters could mean more pollen and more ticks carrying Lyme disease, since temperatures won’t be dropping below freezing as often to kill them off. Critical water resources out west that depend on snow will also suffer large declines.
↦ FYI: January 2020 was the Earth's hottest recorded January on average, compared with 141 years of temperature records.
A Real Buzz Kill
Going out for a drink has never been more expensive
The cost of having a cocktail or any alcoholic drink at a bar or restaurant has gone up a whopping 57% in less than two decades, according to federal data. To find out why, "CBS This Morning" co-host Tony Dokoupil tracked a drink's journey from the barley fields to the bars.
At a North Dakota barley farm that has been operating for a century, he learned that the farmer makes about a penny a beer—about the same as what his grandfather made during his time running the farm.
US breweries and distilleries have seen similar stagnation, while the price of the same drink at a bar or restaurant has gone up 63%. So it’s not just our imagination: bar drinks really are more expensive than ever.
So Dokoupil confronts bar owners with their own former menus and asks why prices have doubled or more. Some owners blamed credit cards and their fees, which now account for about 90% of transactions. Others pointed to industry shifts such as minimum wage rising in many states. It's a tough call, right? I'm happy to pay extra for the "experience" of sipping an expertly crafted cocktail. The tricky part is determining just how much extra it should be.
↦ On the Other Hand: The price of American wine is expected to drop to its lowest levels in five years thanks, in part, to a surplus of California grapes.
SpaceX Is Launching Tourists Into Orbit
Four civilians could fly higher than any space tourists in history by next year
SpaceX has penned a deal with the space tourism outfit Space Adventures to launch private citizens to orbit aboard the company's Crew Dragon capsule, reports CNBC.
"This historic mission will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, and we are pleased to work with the Space Adventures' team on the mission," SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell said in a statement Tuesday.
SpaceX is building and testing the Crew Dragon capsule to fly astronauts to the International Space Station, but this announcement shows they're thinking about orbital space tourism as a possible driver of revenue for them in the future.
SpaceX or Space Adventures did not announce exact pricing for the Crew Dragon tourist flight, but the cost per seat is expected to be tens of millions of dollars, according to Space.com.
↦ FYI: Virgin Galactic became the first human spaceflight-focused company to go public, and the company says they'll fly founder Richard Branson to suborbital space sometime in 2020.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
+
Want to Be Taller?
Some men are getting surgery to lengthen their limbs and “grow” up to six inches
Would you resort to surgery to be taller? As in saw through your bone legs and have them reset in order to gain a few inches? I'm a little woozy just thinking about what that recovery is like.
But in the last year, over two dozen men have made an appointment with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kevin Debiparshad at the LimbplastX Institute in Las Vegas for this radical option, reports Futurism.
According to Insider, the two-hour, $76,000 procedure involves minor breaks in the leg bones, a few nails and screws, and a lot of physical therapy—it takes a full year to see the end results.
And while you'll get a boost to your dating profile (apparently those over six feet get the most swipe rights), you'll lose some of your athletic ability due to the change in stature. I guess you have to weigh just how much that confidence boost is worth to you—besides the nearly $80K starting price.
↦ FYI: The average adult American male is 5 feet 9.1 inches tall, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What We’re Buying
A pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers are the kind of never-fail classic shades that look good on all types of guys and will always be in style. Originally released in 1956, the design has evolved only slightly in the six decades since. Right now, Nordstrom Rack has pairs in both the Havana tortoise shell or simple black Italian acetate for 55% off. The lenses are polarized as well for optimal UV and glare protection. Buy them at this price, because they rarely (if ever) are offered any lower.
↦ Get It $178 / $79.97 at Nordstrom Rack
Today’s Deals
Expires 2/29
Expires 2/19
Expires 2/19
↦ Want More? See all 48 sales
Morning Motto
Tackle the first two and the third is guaranteed.
↦ Follow: @positivevibesquotes
That’s all for today...
...but we could use your help.
The more people who know about The Daily Valet., the stronger it can become. So grab your unique referral code below and start sharing with your friends, family and coworkers to earn some exclusive discounts to our favorite brands and cool stuff you'll actually want (not just throw-away “swag”).
Your Unique Referral Code:
↦ Want to Learn More? Check out your personal Valet. Ambassor page for program details and get a closer look at the available rewards (and how many referrals are needed to score them).
Valet Media LLC350 Lincoln Road, 2nd FloorMiami Beach, FL 33139[email protected]