The Daily Valet. - 7/19/23, Wednesday
✔️ A Male Fertility Crisis?
Wednesday, July 19th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I sure would like the government to pay me everytime I went to my local tailor.
Today’s Big Story
Male Fertility Crisis?
Global Sperm Count is down, new businesses are being born in hope of bringing the world babies
Here's a slightly concerning fact: Most men today could have half the sperm their grandfather had at their age. The largest-ever study of sperm counts—analyzing 185 previous studies of 42,935 men from 1973 to 2011—found that overall counts have declined by 59% and that average concentration has fallen by half, from around 99 million sperm per milliliter to 47 million.Anything below 15 million is regarded as an impediment to reproduction, so if this trend continues for another 50 years or so, well ... yeah, you get the drift. Which is why “Spermpocalypse” headlines have been proliferating for the past few years. And the World Health Organization has confirmed that while women take the brunt of the blame for infertility, men contribute an equal 50% of total cases. The Conversation points to studies that show environmental contaminants playing a large part in declining fertility worldwide.But whatever the reason, the start-ups are here to help. Intelligencer points to a slew of at-home sperm-testing kits that have hit the market recently. From Legacy and Fellow, to Path Fertility and Dadi, which was just acquired by men's-wellness unicorn Roman (now called Ro). They aim to make it easier (and less embarrassing) to get your little soldiers counted and even stored for future family planning.And they're not the only ones. An even more ambitious start-up in California called Conception is working on lab-grown human eggs from a certain type of stem cell. The experimental technology could help women who aren't able to produce healthy eggs (due to factors like cancer or age) and allow same-sex couples to have biological children since eggs could be made from any human stem cell. All for a price, of course.Then there's the team of researchers who said last month that they created the world's first synthetic human embryo-like structures (again from stem cells), bypassing the need for eggs and sperm all together. So far, the work is aimed at helping researchers study the causes of early miscarriages and understand how organs develop, but surely some company will want to capitalize on a literal baby-making machine, right?
Manage Your Stress:
Want to keep your count number up? Stress has been shown to interfere with the hormones needed to produce sperm.
Trump Says He Expects Indictment
The former president received another target letter from the special counsel
Former President Donald Trump joked about his legal challenges while campaigning in Eastern Iowa on Tuesday night. Earlier on Tuesday, he said on Truth Social that he received a letter from special counsel Jack Smith informing him that he is a target of the grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Trump attacked investigators while trying to make light of what could be his third criminal indictment since March. The target letter cited three statutes that could be applied, a person briefed on the matter told the New York Times. They include a potential charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States and a broad charge related to a violation of rights. Whether prosecutors will choose to charge Trump on any or all of those statutes remained unclear.According to Politico, the news of a third indictment is forcing GOP candidates to contend with a fundamental question of the 2024 presidential primary: Is the former president fit to reoccupy the office? The early responses suggest the field remains uncomfortable going after Trump directly. And even his biggest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he does not think Trump should be charged over Jan. 6, adding that it would not “be good for the country.”
Meanwhile:
In Michigan, 16 false Trump electors face multiple felony charges, including conspiracy to commit election law forgery.
Extreme Heat Is Affecting Flights
It's hot as hell out and the heat is snarling flight plans without even a cloud in the sky
You don't need me to tell you it's hot out. The UN's World Meteorological Organization says it's examining potential new temperature records from “intense heatwaves” that are sweeping the U.S., parts of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. And while it makes getting around on foot a sweaty, sticky mess, it makes getting around in a plane surprisingly difficult too.There are actually maximum temperatures at which aircraft can perform. “The weight at which you can operate (max gross takeoff weight) decreases as the temperature goes up,” former airline pilot and spokesperson for FlightAware, Kathleen Bangs, explained to USA Today. “The hotter and more humid the surrounding air is, the more aircraft components and airfoil performance degrade.”But it doesn't even have to get that hot for flights to be canceled or delayed. It really depends on the type of aircraft, the distance it's set to travel and the elevation. As one airline insider put it: The higher the temps, the less power the engines produce, while “wings produce less lift and the combination results in the reduced ability to carry revenue payload.” That means more flights get delayed or canceled, passengers get bumped and vacations get ruined.
FYI:
Can you get compensation for flight delays? Not always.
Get Paid to Mend Your Clothes
France Is paying citizens to repair their clothes in hope of reducing waste
Here's some good news: France is launching a program to persuade consumers to repair their clothes and worn-out shoes rather than throwing them away and buying new ones. Starting this fall, the government will pay a “repair bonus” to have items mended or resoled.Under the scheme, which was announced by secretary of state for ecology Bérangère Couillard on Tuesday, discounts varying from €6 ($7) to €25 ($28) and will be available depending on the complexity of the repair. Many of the country's tailor shops, cobblers and even some clothing shops have signed on, as well—making it easy to find the service.An estimated 700,000 metric tons of clothing is thrown away in France every year, with more than two-thirds of it ending up in landfills. The government has said it was committed to tackling “fast fashion” and sought to encourage consumers to buy more “virtuous” products and repair them, rather than buying new items.
Essay:
Allow me to explain why any well-heeled gentleman should get into the practice of repairing his clothes.
In Other News
He was already facing disciplinary action and was about to be sent back to America.
Have you heard about ...
Be a Better Host
invite some friends over and cook them a meal
To be a gentleman is to be a consummate host. You don't have to call it a “dinner party.” But that's what we're talking about here. According to Brendan Francis Newnam and Rico Gagliano, the authors of Brunch Is Hell (and hosts of the hit podcast The Dinner Party Download), dinner parties can serve as the very cornerstone of a healthy modern society.“It's where friends new and old share food, debate ideas, and boldly build hangovers together,” they say. “If we revive the fading art of throwing dinner parties the world will be better off, and our country might heal its wounds of endless division.” Or at the very least, we'll all have a nice time and thoughtful conversation. And if you're worried about how you'll pull off the perfect spread of beautiful food on a well-designed table, don't be. This doesn't have to be a fancy affair you stress over.
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Morning Motto
Forge that path forward.
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