The Daily Valet. - 4/19/22, Tuesday

✔️ Flying the Maskless Skies

April 19, 2022

Tuesday, April 19th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Frankly, I enjoyed how masks kept small talk to a minimum on planes.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

You Can Fly Mask-Free Now

The nation’s largest airlines dropped the requirement within hours of a federal judge’s ruling

Monday’s court ruling striking down the federal traveler mask mandate was met with mixed reactions as companies, airports and cities scrambled to respond.

The ruling came less than a week after the CDC had extended it through May 3. But the CDC does not have the authority to introduce a mask mandate and did not follow the proper rules to implement it, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle wrote in the ruling (PDF).

Several airlines—including the four largest in the U.S.—dropped their masking requirements within hours of the TSA’s announcement that it will no longer enforce a mandate.

A White House official told the New York Times that the administration was still reviewing the decision and assessing whether to appeal it, and that the CDC still recommends that people wear masks in enclosed public transportation settings.

Airlines have been asking the Biden administration to the drop mask mandate (which could have something to do with all the disruptive and unruly passengers). Under the CDC’s current guidance, most Americans live in areas where they no longer need to wear masks in restaurants, bars, stores and other public places indoors.

Still, COVID-19 cases are ticking u p as highly contagious versions of the Omicron variant take over as the predominant form of the virus in circulation. Which is why several airports, along with the Transit Authorities in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, announced they are retaining their own mask mandates for the time being. And remember, just because you don’t have to wear one, doesn’t mean you can’t wear one if you want to.

↦ FYI: Here is an updated list of the airlines making masks optional.

Cheap Airfare Is a Thing of the Past

Speaking of flying, it’s now gonna cost you

If you were waiting to fly until you could do it maskless, you might be paying a hefty price to do so—literally.

Flying will be expensive this summer. Passenger numbers are rapidly approaching pre-pandemic levels but airlines, for a variety of reasons, cannot keep pace adding back flights.

On Monday, 462 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were cancelled and 6,623 were delayed, according to FlightAware. A CBS News travel editor says this is because there are “not enough pilots, not enough cabin crew. And they literally cannot staff the schedule that they have.”

The average U.S. domestic airfare on the three largest carriers was $384 during the week of April 11, according to a new analyst survey. That was up nearly 57% compared to the same period last year when fares were still depressed by the pandemic, and up 3% compared to 2019. While the data doesn't measure summer airfares, the week covers peak spring break travel, so many see it as a sign of what to expect this summer.

↦ Intel: With demand skyrocketing, these are the cheapest days to fly this summer, according to experts.

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Lots of Nuclear Weapons Talk

Here’s what’s happening in Russia, North Korea and the States

As Russia's war against Ukraine continues to stretch on longer than the Kremlin expected, various experts and officials have expressed concern that Putin could eventually resort to using nuclear weapons out of desperation.

Of course, if Putin used a nuclear device (even a small tactical weapon) he'd be igniting a full-on war. Last month, Polish President Andrzej Duda told the BBC that Russia using any weapon of mass destruction could result in a response from NATO.

According to CNBC, North Korea currently has a small number of nuclear weapons it can use against the United States. But it wants to have more to use against the U.S. troops in South Korea and Japan in the event of an invasion.

Here in the U.S., there are about 400 Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles ready to launch at a few seconds notice from Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado and Nebraska. According to a fascinating piece from the Washington Post (about what it's like living next to a missile silo), each one is 60 feet long, weighs 79,432 pounds and has an explosive power at least 20 times greater than the atomic bomb that killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima.

↦ Meanwhile: Cybersecurity experts representing 30 NATO members are playing a digital war game to prep for a real Russian attack.

Drones Will Plant Our Future Forrests

Wildfire-scarred land is easily accessed from above

Wildfires just seem like part of our modern lives these days and they're only getting more intense. That's a problem because trees can normally regenerate due to the scatterings of pine cones by the wind or animals. But when a fire burns too hot, there's no way for seeds to survive and trees to grow back naturally.

Even more troubling? Traditional reforesting methods are slow and costly because disaster zones are often inaccessible to necessary machinery. But drones can do it in a fraction of the time (and cost).

A Toronto-based startup called Flash Forest is employing aerial drones to plant trees 10 times quicker than a single worker planting with shovels, with a goal of planting a full 1 billion trees by 2028. In Australia, Dendra Systems is using aerial seeding techniques to restore koala forests.

According to The Verge, they're not just dropping seeds and hoping they grow. The seeds are housed in a puck-shaped vessel which contains a mix of soil and nutrients to give the seeds the best chance at germination. Once the seeds grow into seedlings, photosynthesis kicks in and nature takes over.

↦ FYI: There are other drone seeding projects underway in Washington state, along with other areas of the Pacific Northwest.

In Other News

↦ A Charity Kitchen in Ukraine Linked to Chef José Andrés Was Destroyed by a Missile

↦ The ‘Playdate’ Proves What Video Games Have Been Missing Are More Cranks

↦ Go Ahead, Throw Your Martini. The Technique Is Experiencing a Revival.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Who’s on global currency?

Simple spring kicks

This haunting Chuck E. Cheese relic

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Spring’s Most Valuable Garment

Avalon knit polo, $95 by Buck Mason

There are two great style staples that should be in everyone's closets—a sweater and a polo. What if they combined forces? Match made in heaven, right? The knit polo looks good on just about everyone, much like the oxford. As we start enjoying more al fresco gatherings, you need something that can breathe throughout the day and keep you cozy at night.