The Daily Valet. - 2/21/20, Friday
✔️ Crowd Funding and Hostile Architecture
Friday, February 21st Edition
Skip to the end of this newsletter for a throwback cocktail recipe.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
Russia Is Meddling Again
An intelligence briefing warned lawmakers, angered the president and cost one official his job
On Thursday, news broke that a senior US intelligence official told lawmakers last week that Russia wants to see President Trump re-elected, viewing his administration as more favorable to the Kremlin’s interests, reports Reuters.
According to the Washington Post, Trump erupted at his acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, in the Oval Office after the briefing to the House Intelligence Committee—perceiving him and his staff as disloyal for speaking to bipartisan members of Congress about Russia’s perceived preference.
Trump announced on Wednesday that he was replacing Maguire with a vocal loyalist, Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, who has no official intelligence experience.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, tweeted Thursday that it appeared the president was "again jeopardizing our efforts to stop foreign meddling" by objecting to Congress being informed of interference attempts.
Under Vladimir Putin, Russian intelligence has long sought to stir trouble among adversaries around the world. Just yesterday, the US and key allies accused Russia of a broad cyberattack against the republic of Georgia, which took out websites and interrupted TV broadcasts. But, according to news reports, it wasn't immediately clear what specific steps Russia may have taken to help Trump so far.
↦ Meanwhile: Roger Stone, Trump's political adviser, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for witness tampering, lying under oath and obstructing a congressional inquiry.
50 Million of Us Have Helped Crowdfund Medical Bills
The numbers illustrate a huge flaw in our healthcare system
I'm sure you've seen those heartwarming stories passed around on social media. Maybe you were forwarded something from a friend. Perhaps you were moved to give a little to help someone in need.
According to a new survey from NORC at the University of Chicago, one in five Americans have donated to these campaigns at least once—a third of the time to complete strangers.
The data shows that more than eight million Americans have tried to crowdfund their own medical expenses, while 12 million have started a campaign for someone else. Unfortunately, Gizmodo reports, 90% of health-related campaigns on GoFundMe fail to meet their goal.
According to Fast Company, it highlights a larger problem where even people with employer-sponsored health insurance can't afford medical care and doctor bills are the number-one trigger for personal bankruptcy.
↦ FYI: 60% of survey respondents said that the government should be responsible for paying for the healthcare of those who can’t afford it.
Should You Worry About iPhone Radiation?
The short answer: Probably not
Apple’s 2020 iPhone plans continue to leak, but a shocking new report says millions of iPhone owners should beware of the models already in their pocket.
RF Exposure Lab, an independent laboratory in San Marcos, California, tested the iPhone 11 Pro for radiofrequency radiation (RF) and found the levels were twice as high as federal safety limits, reports Popular Mechanics.
It certainly seems like cause for concern, considering that the World Health Organization (PDF) has classified RF radiation as a possible carcinogenic to humans. But Forbes' tech writer Gordon Kelly says "beware of the warning."
He believes the report is misleading and alarmist—the key is to look at who commissioned the testing: Penumbra Brands. The company sells (link deliberately excluded) phone cases offering radiation protection. So despite the attention, it seems like a classic case of "check the source." We'll probably have to worry more about stock levels of any new iPhone before radiation levels.
Have You Heard of Hostile Architecture?
The debate over “defensive design” is heating up around the US and abroad
I, myself, wasn't familiar with this term, but after you start looking, you realize what critics call "hostile architecture"—design features used to force or prevent certain behavior—is everywhere.
Sometimes, the end result isn't exactly a tragedy. Pegs on handrails or the corners of cement benches mean skaters might have to go somewhere else, for instance.
But Vice's Rick Paulas rounded up a handful of the most shocking examples and put it this way: At its core, this defensive architecture amounts to a campaign to deter homeless people from resting. And it's become a visceral extension of society's collective disregard for their fate.
According to Architectural Digest, several cities have removed public benches to prevent loitering or placed bike racks and sprinklers in odd places for the presumed purpose of displacing transients.
↦ See More: There's a collection (along with more information) at HostileDesign.org.
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Weekend Pairing
Hunters + an Amaretto Sour Cocktail
Hunters is a new series that starts streaming on Amazon Prime today. The anticipated show, produced by Jordan Peele, is about renegade Nazi hunters in the 1970s. And while it's loosely inspired by actual events, it has more in common with comic books and old school action flicks of the time.
In his first starring role in a TV series, Al Pacino plays Meyer Offerman, a mysterious concentration-camp survivor, his secret fraternity of Nazi-hunting vigilantes, exacting revenge on those conspiring to bring about a new Reich. It's a pulpy, fantastical story, but much of it is grounded in historical fact. There's a stylized throwback feel, and while at its core, the show is intensely serious, the well-deployed humor and comic book-ish violence keep it light enough to enjoy.
↦ Your Pairing:As you binge this at home, whip up a cocktail from the same era as the show. The Amaretto Sour is usually characterized by a cloyingly sweet profile that eventually went out of fashion. But Portland bartender Jeffrey Morganthaler's version—offered up by Punch—balances the sweetness with cask-proof bourbon. The strong shot of whiskey rounds out the amaretto, a liqueur made from almonds and apricot pits, and allows it to shine without overpowering your palate.
What We’re Buying
Nomad is an American brand that utilizes leather from Chicago's renowned Horween—one of the countries' oldest tanneries—to craft fine yet hardwearing accessories for amazingly reasonable prices. If you've been searching for a new wallet, you've likely noticed the triple-digit price tags. This minimalist, slim wallet was engineered to be as small as possible and to fit in either your front or back pocket, all for an equally minimal price. Its capacity is ridiculous. It has four card slots and two cash slots, along with one quick-access pocket. Which holds roughly ... (doing mental math) ... about twelve cards. That's a lot of cards.
↦ Get It $59.95 at Nomad
Today’s Deals
Expires 2/27
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↦ Want More? See all 47 sales
Morning Motto
Don’t worry about the future. Don’t get hung up on the past.
↦ Follow: @steeleism
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