The Daily Valet. - 5/21/21, Friday
✔️ Truce?
Friday, May 21st Edition
Can you drive a stick shift? It’s clearly a lost art ...
Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
Israel and Hamas Begin Cease-Fire
The truce comes after significant international diplomatic efforts
Israel’s government and Hamas agreed to a bilateral cease-fire Thursday to halt nearly two weeks of fighting that has left hundreds dead and parts of the impoverished Gaza Strip reduced to rubble.
The truce, mediated by Egypt, began at 2 a.m. Friday in Israel as people on either side of the divide watched nervously to see whether it would hold.
In remarks from the White House less than two hours before the cease-fire was set to take effect, President Joe Biden said he had been in close contact with Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the hours leading up to the deal.
The president added that he sees a “genuine opportunity” to move toward a situation where Israelis and Palestinians can “live safely and securely, and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy.”
In the hours leading up to the start of the cease-fire, the two sides continued to trade barrages, and air raid sirens repeatedly sounded in Israeli communities. But as the clock struck 2 a.m., Gaza residents cheered from their terraces. Celebrations also broke out in the West Bank and fireworks were set off in East Jerusalem.
But, of course, the deal remains fragile. A member of Hamas’s political bureau, Ezzat al-Reshiq, issued a warning to Israel via Reuters: “It’s true that the battle ends today but Netanyahu and the whole world should know that our hands are on the trigger and we will continue to ramp up the capabilities of this resistance.”
↦ Dig Deeper: This multimedia map from the New York Times shows the extent of the fighting and destruction throughout Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Keep Your Shoes On
The future of airport security is hopefully a little less ... gross
Even before the pandemic, being in an airport was never particularly relaxing. I, for one, never liked getting shoved in the security line, emptying my pocketsand removing my shoes (which is why Global Entry was some of the best money I ever spent).
Shoe removal is one of the most disgusting parts of one's airport experience and, thankfully, that might be a thing of the past. The U.S. government is currently developing a new foot scanner that will be able to detect concealed objects through a shoe.
The project is being researched by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—the same people who brought you the holographic millimeter wave scanners at TSA checkpoints today. This new scanner would consist of a low profile platform the traveler would step on, while electromagnetic waves create an image of what's on and in a person's shoes.
And while estimates say removing shoes accounts for 15% – 20% of the time it takes for airport security, walking through the shoe scanner, will take just two seconds per person. According to View From the Wing, the technology is being tested by TSA and they already have an exclusive commercial partner.
↦ Skip the Line: The three major options to choose from are TSA PreCheck, Global Entry and Clear. But which one's right for you? We did the homework to find out.
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Aston Martin Drops the Stick Shift
Backtracking on a promise to keep the manual transmission alive
There was a time, believe it or not, when any sports car worth its salt was sold exclusively with a manual transmission, or in some rare cases, with a crappy automatic for profiling purposes. Unfortunately, those days—aka any time before 2000—are long gone. Even stalwart supporters of three-pedal driving are giving it up.
The latest of these is Aston Martin, according to Road & Track, which is funny (and sad) because it wasn't all that long ago that it proudly proclaimed that it would be the last sports car company on Earth to still offer a manual transmission.
“We did a few assessments about [the manual car]—you don't need it anymore,” newly appointed CEO Tobias Moers told the Australian press. “And you have to maintain it with the new regulations, year-by-year with the emissions because it's a bespoke powertrain. It makes no sense.”
The final new model to feature the three-pedal setup will reportedly be the Aston Martin Vantage. InsideHook tested that car back in 2019 and called it “the most entertaining machine in the automaker's line for one simple feature: that stick shift on the floor.”
↦ Facts: While automatics and dual-clutch transmissions offer performance benefits, there's a lot to be said for the fun a manual transmission and clutch pedal offers.
Pizza Hut Reboots the “Book It!” Club
Part of its new nostalgia-themed campaign
If you were a kid in the ‘80s or ‘90s, you might have fond memories of reading books for pizza. Pizza Hut launched the Book It! program 36 years ago as a way to get kids reading more (and eating their pizza).
By the ‘90s, the program had become a national phenomenon and was a regular part of classroom curriculums where kids could earn pizza (or even a pizza party) if they hit certain goals. I liked reading as a kid. But I liked those little personal pan pizzas more. I took those goals seriously and don't think I ever missed one of those stars on my Book It! button.
Now they're bringing it back as a free, virtual camp, which will run from June through August. Parents can enroll their kids and log their reading progress throughout the summer via a digital dashboard.
The revival of the program is part of Pizza Hut's “Newstalgia” marketing campaign, which is focused on reviving popular programs and products in order to get customers excited about revisiting the chain pizza restaurant. I gotta say, it's kind of working. A personal pan pizza sounds pretty good for lunch, am I right?
↦ FYI: The classic Book It! program is still active and while it may not be as prominent as it used to be, teachers can still sign up to participate through the Book It! website.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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A Weekend Pairing
Army of the Dead + a Zombie Cocktail
The elevator pitch for Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead would read something like this: Think 28 Days Later ... meets Oceans 11. But the Las Vegas zombie heist thriller actually offers up layers of subtext reflecting current social issues.
After being released in theaters last week, the film will be available on Netflix today. It follows a group of mercenaries venturing into the quarantine zone in the middle of a zombie apocalypse to rob a vault containing $200 million. The New York Times calls it “an inspired collision of comedy, camp, carnage.” There's gore, there's action and plenty of comedy—thanks to the last-minute addition of Tig Notaro (who shot her entire role nearly a year after filming wrapped in order to replace Chris D'Elia).
↦ Your Pairing:This pairing is a no-brainer, literally. The aptly named Zombie cocktail is actually an old school tiki classic. It was invented in 1934 at the Hollywood restaurant, Don the Beachcomber. This take, from A Couple Cooks, mixes fresh fruit juice with three kinds of rum. So be careful ... they pack a punch.
What We’re Wearing
After a year of being cooped up and sheltered away, we're itching to get out and about. Vaccinations are on the rise and restaurants are filling up, but for those still wary of indoor dining or not quite ready yet to give up their newfound connection to nature, a picnic is the perfect outing. And a great outfit only adds to the experience, and with everything from a breezy linen top to handsome slip-op shoes, this picnic fit will have you setting up to lounge the day away in true “look good, feel good” fashion.
↦ Get It: Our summer picnic kit
Morning Motto
Get outside this weekend.
↦ Follow: @coachjoshevans
That’s all for today...
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