The Daily Valet. - 4/28/23, Friday
✔️ Up In Smoke
Friday, April 28th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Was just informed that this is my 1,012th edition of this newsletter. And my mind is blown.
Today’s Big Story
Up in Smoke
U.S. adult cigarette smoking rate hits new all-time low
Here's some good news to wrap up the week. The percentage of adults who smoked cigarettes in the United States fell to a historic low last year, the CDC found. Just 1 in 9 adults say they are current smokers, according to the latest preliminary data from the National Health Interview Survey—a biannual survey that provides general information about health-related topics.Cigarette smoking (as you know) is a huge risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. And it's still the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the U.S. In the mid-1960s, 42% of American adults were smokers. The rate has been gradually dropping for decades, due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans and changes in the social acceptability of lighting up in public.However, CNN reports that recent studies have shown some groups are still at higher risk. While the latest CDC survey doesn't capture this level of detail, cigarette smoking rates among some communities—including Native Americans, Alaska Natives and members of the LGBTQ community—remain “alarmingly high” according to the latest data from the American Lung Association.Meanwhile e-cigarette use, especially among adolescents, has been on the rise. The CDC reported last year that 2.55 million U.S. middle and high school students said they were currently regular e-cigarette users. That's equivalent to about 14.1% of high school students and nearly 3.5% of middle school students.And as The Conversation reminds, no ... vapes aren't 95% less harmful than cigarettes. They trace the origins of that often-quoted stat and, it turns out, it's from an early “guesstimate” from researchers looking into the new trend of electronic cigarettes back in 2014. Sadly, it's gone on to become “the most cited piece of vaping misinformation globally.”
Meanwhile:
The upside to less people smoking? You can find deals on vintage ashtrays, if you know what you’re searching for.
Pence Appears Before Grand Jury
The former vice president is a key witness to Trump’s attempts to block the Vote certification
Former Vice President Mike Pence testified on Thursday before a grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the alleged actions of people including (and especially) former President Trump. Pence spent more than five hours behind closed doors at the Federal District Court in Washington.The testimony marks a momentous juncture in the criminal investigation and the first time in modern history a vice president has been compelled to testify about the president he served beside. And according to MSNBC, the testimony is seen by the Trump team as a sign of the end of the investigation.Pence, of course, is considered a key witness in the case due to his insights into events leading up to the U.S. Capitol riot and because of pressure he faced to stop the certification of President Biden's legitimate win. And it comes as he's exploring a possible challenge to Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, with his testimony likely to elicit a strong negative reaction from his former boss.
FYI:
An appeals court rejected Trump’s emergency effort to block Pence from testifying. Trump can still appeal to the Supreme Court, but has not indicated whether he will.
Cities Are Banking on Tourism
Thankfully, Travel numbers are closing in on pre-pandemic levels As office workers stay home
Do you have any trips planned this summer? Major cities sure hope you do. Because as people continue to work from home and office towers remain underutilized, worker spending has dwindled. For instance, New York City is losing over $12 billion in worker spending annually, reports Bloomberg News.But while all that 9-5 money has dried up, tourist spending is alive and well, according to a new report from Skift. In fact, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, New York's tourism sector is projected to rise in value from $12.4 billion to a whopping $21.73 billion over the next 10 years.Put another way, go ahead and embrace that hybrid work style. In fact, work from another city for a week or two and explore. According to InsideHook, the tourism industry is 95% recovered from the pandemic and is set to generate $9.5 trillion in 2023—just 5% less than 2019's pre-pandemic levels, which, as Travel Pulse notes, is when travel was at its highest ever. Further, about 34 countries have already exceeded 2019 levels.
FYI:
Digg ranks the cities that have gained the most millionaires in the last decade.
It’s Tubi’s Time
Is the weird, free TV service the real winner of the streaming wars?
Have been hearing more about Tubi lately? It appears that Netflix's geekier, freakier, and totally free rival is definitely enjoying some time in the spotlight. Its newfound mainstream brand awareness mirrors the broader rise of free ad-supported streaming TV, which has been steadily building over the past ten years and started to skyrocket around 2020, when pandemic lockdowns sent audiences looking for more entertainment to watch.What's Tubi doing right? According to Vulture, instead of sinking billions into blockbuster projects boasting instantly recognizable faces, Tubi has spent the past decade quietly assembling a massive collection of movies and TV shows, sourced from virtually every major (and minor) studio out there and covering almost every conceivable genre. In total, Tubi has more than 50,000 titles — nearly eight times the estimated number in Netflix's American catalog.Americans have never had more entertainment options, given the ease of playing seemingly any show or movie on demand. That abundance—and the indecision it causes—is prompting some of them to rediscover the joys of revisiting old favorites on Tubi (along with reviving the old past-time of channel surfing programming that's already in progress).
FYI:
‘Drops of God’, a new Apple TV+ show, brings family dysfunction and high stakes into the world of wine.
In Other News
And they need to be eradicated before they can reproduce.
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Citadel’ + a Tawny Little blood Cocktail
Amazon is going worldwide this month with Citadel, streaming today. The big budget action thriller is from Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo. And apparently, the show is one of the biggest rollouts for Amazon—the company is already working to make spinoffs in other countries that connect back to the main series. The show follows two spies who were part of a top agency called Citadel who've now had their memories wiped away.According to Esquire, you jump right into the action and the show has a pretty complicated story on its hands, including multiple timelines, twists and double-crosses. “Even the cast, led by Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Stanley Tucci, seem a bit confused by their characters.” Reviews have been a bit mixed. It's been called a “symphony of a spy thriller” because there's so much happening at once. But it's also been called “a $300 million disaster” for biting off a little more than the debut series can chew. You be the judge.
Pair It With
New Orleans bartender Kirk Estopinal riffs on the spicy, citrusy Mexican drink called sangrita using rich, nutty tawny port and a good smoky mezcal. “The smoke and brine in mezcal love port,” he says.
Also Worth a Watch:
‘Aka’ on Netflix and ‘Warner Bros. 100 Years’ documentary on HBO Max
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A lightweight cotton camp collar shirt
A lightweight cotton camp collar shirt that's cozy enough to sleep in, yet chic enough to wear out of the house should you hit snooze a few too many times.
Get It:
Martin camp shirt, $98 / $49 by Sleepy Jones
Morning Motto
Let go of expectations.
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