The Daily Valet. - 2/7/23, Tuesday
✔️ You Can’t Make an Omelet …
Tuesday, February 7th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I don't know about you, but I love eggs in all forms: Boiled, scrambled, poached, fried, or mixed into a cake.
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Today’s Big Story
Let’s Talk About Eggs
They’re currently expensive and difficult to find, while myths about them abound on social media
Have you heard all this chatter about eggs? Maybe you've seen the funny memes and satirical McSweeney's stories about the high cost of eggs. Prices at the grocery store have risen for many foods, but the cost of eggs climbed the most in the last year. And many consumers have scrambled to even find them in their local store.But just when we thought we'd be paying high prices for eggs forever, there's some good news: NPR reports that wholesale egg prices are finally starting to come back down. Citing data from the USDA, the wholesale price for a dozen eggs dropped $0.58 to a total of $3.29 per dozen at the end of January. (Note that these are wholesale prices, which means you might not have seen much improvement in your grocery bill just yet.)The initial cause of the jump in egg prices was due to a 2022 avian flu outbreak, which ripped through domestic egg-laying bird populations. In many cases, entire flocks were culled, causing supplies to drop drastically—which, in turn, caused the price of the remaining eggs to spike. Unfortunately, the outbreak is still in progress, with no clear end in sight.Perhaps the fear around that outbreak is what's causing the frenetic flurry of misinformation being volleyed between pro- and anti-egg camps on social media. To Joe Rogan, eggs cause blood clots. To some on Twitter sharing screenshots of the abstract of a scholarly paper, yolks can ward off COVID. Another theory is that chicken feed has been doctored to stop backyard egg production, forcing people to buy eggs at inflated prices. Of course, is not the first egg war. For the last 60 years or so, scientists have sparred over whether eggs are bad for the heart, reports the New York Times. In 1968, the American Heart Association recommended that Americans consume no more than three eggs per week; by 2015, though, that thinking had largely shifted. The current U.S. dietary guidelines no longer use that weekly limit, and instead promote eggs as a “nutrient-dense” food. They contain vitamins B, E and D, and they're low in saturated fat yet high in protein. That is, if you can find them
FYI:
There's no nutritional difference between brown and white eggs. The color of the shell is strictly a function of the breed of the bird.
Spy Balloon Still Raises Questions
The shot-down balloon bursts hopes for end to spiraling tensions between U.S. and China
Monday was supposed to be a day of modest hope in the U.S.-China relationship. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was going to be in Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping in a high-stakes bid to ease ever-rising tensions between the world's two largest economies. Instead, he spent the day in Washington after abruptly cancelling his visit as the U.S. and China exchanged angry words about a suspected Chinese spy balloon we shot down over the weekend.The balloon was as tall as a 20-story building, officials said Monday—or roughly four times the size of the Snoopy balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Pentagon officials said last week they didn't want to shoot the balloon down over the continental U.S. for fear the debris could cause civilian injuries or death and property damage. The balloon had been flying at about 60,000 feet—close to 12 miles high.And we now know that this balloon wasn't the first. A military intelligence report from last year that focused on China's use of high-altitude balloons mentioned sightings in Hawaii and Florida during the Trump presidency, according to an excerpt of the report reviewed by CNN. The only difference was that they weren't detected in real time, and the Pentagon learned of them only later.
FYI:
Some of the lines that refer to China in President Biden’s State of the Union address tonight have been edited after the ordeal.
Partner
When dressing for the ultimate date night, you want to step up your game.
2022 Was a Big Year for Lightning
Scientists Say the increase in lightning strikes is due to global warming
Florida took the top prize for the most lightning flashes in America last year. And the Southwest experienced significantly more lightning than usual—this is according to data from Vaisala, which operates a national lightning detection network. Did you know there was such a thing?According to a study published by Science, the total amount of lightning is expected to increase in our warming world. Shifts in lightning hot spots can provide clues to major storm events and how storm corridors are changing over time.For instance, last year saw an uptick in lightning compared to the average across the Southwest, which reflects an active monsoon season. And the low lightning activity in the Midwest signaled a drought. But overall, we should expect more static in the skies. Research shows that for each degree Celsius increase, the number of lightning strikes in the United States is projected to increase by about 12%.
FYI:
Scientists in France have created a way to divert lightning strikes using a weather-controlling super laser.
A.I. War Heats up
Google unveils Bard, its answer to ChatGPT
Nothing has made the tech industry cower quite the way ChatGPT has. It's the fastest-growing consumer application in the history of the internet. And while some have tried to hop on board, others—like Google—are attempting to compete.The tech giant announced on Monday that its long-rumored chatbot AI project is in fact real and very much on the way. It's called Bard and we expect to hear a lot more about it during Wednesday's Google Presents event from Paris.The new experimental service generates textual responses to questions posed by users, based on information drawn from the web and built with the company's Language Model for Dialogue Applications (or LaMDA for short). LaMDA, you may remember, is the same AI engine that one ex-Google engineer warned us was sentient.
Meanwhile:
In Europe, policy makers are considering a new AI law that could require companies to conduct risk assessments before launching new tools.
In Other News
The aftershocks will make a humanitarian disaster even more devastating.
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Partner
Look Your Best for Valentine’s Day
When dressing for the ultimate date night, you want to step up your game
Valentine's Day is a high stakes, high pressure kind of holiday. Maybe you think the decorations are silly and there's too much public displays of affection. Or maybe you rise to the occasion and go all out to impress your significant other. But regardless of how you feel about the day, you need to look the part. And that's where MR PORTER comes in. They've got not only the best brands and styles, but the ideal finishing touches—from luxury watches and well-crafted shoes. You know, those pieces that your date will notice even before you say a thing. Here's what we'll be sporting.
Clockwise, from top left:
Unstructured K-jacket, $1,360 by Boglioli Reverse classic stainless steal and leather watch, $9,050 by JAEGER LeCOULTRE Slim-fit merino-wool rollneck sweater, $205 by MR P. Opera penny loafer, $615 by Officine Creative Slim-fit cotton-moleskin trouser, $620 by Boglioli
Want More Options?
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A Camo Tote
The perfect do-it-all tote bag comes in a rugged duck camo print. It's as handsome as it is functional—a flat-bottom design, an interior sleeve for your laptop, and four exterior pockets for your EDC, not to mention the interior is all water-resistant.
Get It:
Printed tote, $168 / $100 by Flint and Tinder
Morning Motto
Don’t put it off. Start now.
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