The Daily Valet. - 5/24/21, Monday

✔️ Some Sweet Trouble

Monday, May 24th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I went to bed early last night, so maybe that is “geriatric.”

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Cannabis Copycats

Big Candy is suing over look-alike THC treats

Starbursts does not, in fact, make a line of chewy gummies infused with THC. But if you do a search for, say, the phrase “weed Starbursts,” you’ll likely find something that looks to be exactly that: A colorful package with a similar logo and the promise of 500 mg of the psychoactive compound in cannabis.

As InsideHook puts it, you might not think that this is an officially licensed product, but you also might wonder if the makers of actual Starbursts take umbrage to the riff on their packaging. (The answer is a big “yes.”)

Earlier this month, Wrigley filed lawsuits in Chicago and California accusing multiple companies of trademark infringement. They’re now seeking a permanent injunction on the sale of the lookalike products.

America is at an interesting crossroads: one where Big Candy, vilified in the wellness era as a primary source of refined sugar, has become an unlikely sheriff in the Wild West of recreational marijuana consumption, reports the New York Times.

And Wrigley is far from the only company to file such a lawsuit—the Times points out that marijuana-themed riffs on the likes of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Sour Patch Kids have also prompted lawsuits.

Many public health officials worry that without proper regulation, accidental ingestion cases will continue to rise among children as the availability of edibles grows. Some poison control centers have already observed this trend in their data.

↦ FYI: Pandemic anxiety and mounting concerns about vaping have helped shift sales of cannabis products and edibles are now the most popular form of partaking.

In Moon News ...

A total lunar eclipse will bring a “super flower blood moon” this week

On Wednesday, the only total lunar eclipse of 2021 will be visible from some parts of the world, weather permitting. And this particular eclipse happens to have an awesome name: The super flower blood moon.

The name comes from the color, size and month of the eclipse. Since the moon will be at the closest point to the Earth in its oval-shaped orbit, it will appear to be a “super” or larger moon. “Flower” comes from the Farmer's Almanac classification for a full moon that occurs in the month of May. As for “blood," the atmosphere of the earth might be dusty enough to give the moon a reddish tint when the eclipse occurs.

An online viewing guide lets you dial in the time for your location and will tell you how much of the eclipse you'll be able to see. For example, the total eclipse will be at its maximum for me in Los Angeles at 4:18 a.m. local time on the morning of Wednesday, May 26. You can just go outside and look, but it's fun to use a telescope or binoculars for a closer look.

Unfortunately, those who live in the eastern third of the United States will see little or nothing of this event, because when the visual show begins to get underway, the moon will either be approaching its setting or will have already set.

↦ Can't Wait? Check out NASA's Dial-A-Moon visualization that shows what the eclipse will look like from start to finish.

No Bridge In Sight

Infrastructure compromise appears elusive amid fundamental disagreements

For all the ambition of President Biden’s infrastructure proposal—massive spending boosts on trains and buses and a push to get Americans into electric cars—its priority for the nation's road network is more basic: Fix them.

The Federal Highway Administration estimates a $435 billion backlog of rehabilitation needs, while an analysis of agency data by the Washington Post shows a fifth of the nation’s major roads, stretching almost 164,000 miles, were rated in poor condition in 2019. And that figure has stayed mostly unchanged for a decade.

On Friday, the Biden administration offered Republicans a $1.7 trillion infrastructure proposal, down from $2.3 trillion. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the plan reduces the funding for broadband to match the GOP offer and reduces the money proposed for roads, bridges and major projects to “come closer” to the Republican plan.

But the Wall Street Journal says prospects look dim for bipartisan agreement as lawmakers argue over the basic questions of what should be included, how large it should be and how to pay for it. The discussions have had a soft Memorial Day deadline, perhaps leading to another week of back-and-forth before Democrats start trying to assemble votes on their own.

The Popemobile Is Going Electric

The new holy ride will be a Fisker Ocean SUV

EV startup Fisker has just announced it will develop the first all-electric vehicle for the Holy See after meeting with Pope Francis last week.

Of course, this makes sense. Isn't everyone leaning towards electric vehicles these days? Plus, the more progressive Pope has long spoken out about the dangers of climate change.

According to Robb Report, the new Popemobile will be based on Fisker's upcoming Ocean electric SUV. The design is pretty much the same save for the papal-signature glass cupola popping from the roof. In case the Pope's presence wasn't clear enough, the Vatican's insignia is also emblazoned on the D-pillar.

Fisker is aiming to start production of its Ocean SUV, which will have a base price of $37,499, on November 17, 2022. The Popemobile version is expected around the same time, although a specific date was not shared.

↦ Higher Horsepower: The Washington Post has an illustrated 215-year history of the popemobile, in all its many forms.

In Other News

↦ George Floyd’s Family Holds Rally, March In Brother’s Memory

↦ Italian Cable Car Plunges to the Ground, Killing at Least 14

↦ Did Belarus ‘Hhijack’ a Civilian Airliner to Detain an Activist?

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The Billboard Awards

These stylish film posters

New York City’s Little Island Park

Geriatric Millennials

The lost generation has a new, less-than-flattering term attached to them

If you were born between the years 1980 and 1985 (like me) you might be feeling a bit left out of the generation loop. Too young for Gen X, a little too old to truly be called a millennial.

So what are we? Xennials? The Oregon Trail Generation? No-one was ever sure, especially now that we're firmly approaching middle-age. Well, this weekend I was accosted with the latest term being tossed at us: “geriatric millennials.”

The term gained popularity online from a Medium piece by author and teamwork expert Erica Dhawan. Here, she argued that geriatric millennials are the best to lead hybrid workforces, thanks to their expertise in both digital and analog communication.

And while this may be true, it has to be one of the rudest ways to be told you're good at something, right? Can't we just go back to making fun of us for being bad at saving money because we buy too many avocados and lattes?

Stuff We Want

Todd Snyder + Champion Reverse French Terry Sweatshirt

Todd Snyder is a sweatshirt master. We don't think he's made one for his collaboration with Champion that we didn't like. It's only been two weeks since we mentioned a short sleeve sweatshirt, but this one ($128) deserves recognition. Perhaps these will be a bigger summer trend than we'd originally thought. This new take has the same signature cut that you know, but this one is made from a midweight French terry with reversed raglan sleeves for an added cool, textured inside/out effect.

↦ See More: the five stylish items to buy this week