The Daily Valet. - 5/18/22, Wednesday

✔️ Did You See That?!

Wednesday, May 18th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

The truth is out there ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

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Today’s Big Story

A Rise In UFOs

The military’s UFO database now has info from about 400 reported incidents

Top defense intelligence officials laid out the federal government’s efforts to collect data about “unidentified aerial phenomena” on Tuesday. It was the first public hearing Congress has held on UFOs in more than 50 years (and a chance for lawmakers to prod the Pentagon for more information).

The deputy director of naval intelligence, Scott W. Bray, told lawmakers that a database of UFO reports now includes about 400 incidents—up from 143 assessed in a report released about a year ago. But he also said that they still haven’t uncovered any materials from any alien landing on Earth, even though there are incidents they can’t explain.

According to the New York Times, the highlight of the hearing was a split-second image, shot last year through the window of an FA-18 fighter jet, of a spherical object floating in the distance. “The pilot also reported observing an object. It remains unexplained and is an example of how difficult it is to determine what a short video clip may show.”

Several declassified videos were shown—released at the urging of lawmakers who pledged to bring transparency to an investigation of mysterious reports by military pilots and others that have long been shrouded in stigma, confusion and secrecy.

NPR reports that Bray confirmed that none of the documented objects had attempted to communicate with U.S. aviators, and no attempt had been made to communicate with them, he said, as they all appeared to be unmanned. But because these UAPs (the official name for UFOs) typically involve a flying object that maneuvers in ways that seemingly defy the laws of physics, they invite wonder and, at times, conspiracy theories.

The bipartisan leadership of the panel and the Pentagon witnesses did their best to keep things rational. But columnist Dana Milbank wonders how much that matters. “At a time when a large chunk of the population won’t believe easily proved things—election fraud is rare, vaccines are safe—doubters aren’t about to believe U.S. government claims about UFOs.”

↦ Watch: The full hearing was broadcast live on the House Intelligence committee’s YouTube channel.

Will Elon Musk Really Buy Twitter?

Twitter board says it will ‘enforce the merger agreement’ despite Musk’s latest move

Some people are saying Elon Musk is causing chaos to extract a lower price from the Twitter board, but others say he should (and might) walk away altogether and create a Twitter clone. There is a “60%+ chance from our view Musk ultimately walks from the deal and pays the breakup fee,” analyst Dan Ives told CNN Tuesday.

But for now the board is trying to hold him to his word. “The board and Mr. Musk agreed to a transaction at $54.20 per share,” Twitter's board said in a statement. “We believe this agreement is in the best interest of all shareholders. We intend to close the transaction and enforce the merger agreement.”

“My offer was based on Twitter's SEC filings being accurate,” the world's richest man tweeted. “Yesterday, Twitter's CEO publicly refused to show proof of <5%. This deal cannot move forward until he does.”

And while such hardball tactics aren't uncommon in corporate mergers, the way this is playing out—in a highly public, seemingly erratic conversation on the very platform Musk wants to buy—has little precedent. Which means that Musk is negotiating the future of Twitter ... on Twitter.

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Drug Smuggling Tunnel Discovered

Authorities just unearthed an epic tunnel, six stories deep, linking Tijuana to San Diego

U.S. authorities announced the discovery of a major drug smuggling tunnel—it apparently runs about the length of a six football fields—from Mexico to a warehouse in an industrial area around San Diego.

The secret passage had a working rail track and electricity throughout, along with a ventilation system and reinforced walls. The tunnel's small entrance was discovered after staking out a suspected warehouse, but it descended more than six stories below ground.

The tunnel is in one of the most fortified stretches of the border, illustrating the limitations of border walls, reports USA Today. “While considered effective against small, crudely built tunnels called ‘gopher holes,’ walls are no match for more sophisticated passages that run deeper underground.”

According to the Associated Press, hard drugs, such as heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, are typically smuggled through official border crossings from Mexico because their small size and lack of odor make them difficult to detect. But tunnels like these give smugglers an advantage of being able to carry huge loads at lightning speed. The U.S. attorney's office said over 1,700lb of cocaine, 164lb of meth and several pounds of heroin had been seized in the raid.

↦ FYI: Since 1993, around 90 of these types of smuggling tunnels have been discovered by U.S. authorities.

Dining Dress Codes Are Back

Sure, dressing up is fun. But are restaurant rules more trouble than they’re worth?

During a pandemic in which many Americans have traded their tailored, office-appropriate clothing for relaxed leisure wear, restaurant dress codes are making an unexpected return to the dining room.

Over the last two years, several new restaurants around the country have opened with policies on expected attire, some is strict (“upscale fashionable dress code strongly enforced,” warns a text from Olivetta in Los Angeles) while others are more vague (“smart casual or better,” advises Catbird in Dallas) or aspirational (“We expect our guests to bring their best,” says Kitchen + Kocktails in Chicago).

Is it really necessary? I'm not sure. I think if you're the type that's happy to pay $18 for a little gem salad or $14 for a side of herb-dusted fries, than you're probably the type that changes into dinner attire before leaving for the restaurant, right?

Besides, dress codes have been criticized over the past few years—for being out of touch, for being too exclusive and for enforcing prejudices and discrimination. After all, did these eateries not learn anything from all the recent trouble on planes? You don't want to have to constantly enforce what people wear.

↦ Dig Deeper: “Dress signifies a lot of highly contested issues: gender identity and gender roles, race, class, status,” says Richard Thompson Ford, a Stanford professor who literally wrote the book on dress codes.

In Other News

↦ Grubhub’s ‘Free Lunch’ Promo Went Predictably Haywire

↦ Apple May Put an E-Ink Display on Its Rumored Foldable Phone

↦ See the Island in Maldives Made Entirely of Trash

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The dangers of manifesting

Burger candles?

This dental assistant dog

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