The Daily Valet. - 7/5/22, Tuesday

✔️ Not This Again ...

Tuesday, July 5th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I didn’t have a single hot dog this weekend, which seems like a failure on my part.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

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Today’s Big Story

Is No Day Sacred?

22-year-old man in custody after deadly shooting during a Fourth of July parade

I’m sure we all have different thoughts when we hear about (another) mass shooting. But when I heard about a guy shooting at a crowd of families from the roof of a building like some deranged sniper, the first thing I thought was “Damnit, this is a whole new way for this to happen.” Should we expect more like this?

The shooting in Highland Park, Illinois left six people dead and nearly 40 others wounded or injured in serious and critical condition. As the Associated Press reports, it rattled Monday’s celebrations across the U.S. and “further rocked a country already awash in turmoil over high court rulings on abortion and guns as well as hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection.” Many nearby towns chose to cancel parades, concerts and fireworks displays.

I think the really disheartening thing is that this was a random attack on a day when the country tries to celebrate the bonds that still hold us together. President Biden, at an event celebrating America’s 246 years of independence, tried to reassure a nation both exhausted and unsettled by recent events. “In recent days, there’s been reason to think this country is moving backwards, that freedom is being reduced,” he said. “I know it can be exhausting and unsettling ... but America is and always will be a work in progress.”

After recovering a “high-powered rifle” at the scene, authorities later apprehended Robert E. Crimo III, a 22-year-old man who law enforcement says is “believed to have been responsible for what happened.” Crimo briefly tried to flee but was caught and handcuffed facedown on the pavement.

According to NBC News, officials confirmed that a YouTube page for a quasi-famous hip-hop artist Awake the Rapper, removed Monday, is associated with Crimo. They report he left a long trail of tributes to mass shootings and violence on social media platforms.

And if you, like me, were trying to figure out why Highland Park sounded so familiar, it’s because you’ve seen this town before. The homes there were filmed for Risky Business, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Sixteen Candles. As film critic Richard Roeper put it, “it’s a place of movie magic and one of the 100 wealthiest cities in America. No place is safe.”

↦ FYI: Illinois has some of the strictest gun-safety laws in the country, but neighboring states do not.

Back and Forth in Ukraine

Russia takes control of a key eastern province but many believe it won’t last

The last Ukrainian bastion in a key eastern province is now in Russian hands. Seizing full control of the Luhansk region over the weekend may represent not just a major public relations boost for Putin but also the war's next phase.

The Kremlin was already looking to advance farther in neighboring Donetsk, which with Luhansk makes up the industrial region known as the Donbas, so attention was turning toward what the capture might mean for the future of the Russian invasion.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday his armed forces were undeterred in their efforts to break Moscow's will to pursue a nearly five-month war. And while optimism sparked by the defeat of Putin's forces in the battle for Kyiv this spring has faded, many believe that Russia can be defeated if NATO keeps its resolve.

This is, perhaps, why Ukraine on Monday urged the international community to support a $750 billion plan to rebuild the country, with Zelensky calling his nation's reconstruction “the greatest contribution to the maintenance of global peace.”

↦ Dig Deeper: Foreign Affairs examines how Ukraine can stretch Putin’s troops—which are already exhausted—past the breaking point.

Partner

The future sounds tasty. We're talking about an opportunity that marries investing and pizzas made by fully-autonomous robots.

‘Minions’ Breaks Box Office Records

The Minions marketing team works hard, but Gen Z works harder

Illumination's Minions: The Rise of Gru—the latest animated film in the Despicable Me franchise—made an estimated $125 million domestically for its opening weekend. That's a new Fourth of July weekend box office record.

The opening is a huge shot in the arm for theaters. The animated tentpole has confirmed that parents and younger kids are ready to return to the multiplex in droves despite the lingering pandemic. Of course, it wasn't just families.

Young people across the world have been dressing in full suit and ties to see the movie. Some are smoking cigars as part of an ironic online love for the film. Many even go one step further, moshing and cheering loudly inside the theater. It's gotten so out of hand that theaters are banning people in suits from entering.

How did we get here? Well, the Minions marketing team has been hard at work, but Gen Z works harder. Through a series of Twitter and TikTok posts, they've boosted the visibility of the film and transformed it from a mere movie into something bigger ... a living meme.

↦ Dig Deeper: We can actually understand the entire history of the capitalist labor market through the Despicable Me franchise.

Hot Dog Champs Chow Down

But the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest wasn’t without its drama

Joey Chestnut gobbled his way to a 15th win Monday at the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, powering down 63 wieners (with buns) in just 10 minutes at the annual celebration of cylindrical meat.

Chestnut overcame a crowded field and an injured right leg to make it to the finals, but shortly after slamming his 17th dog, protestors stormed the stage. Dressed in Star Wars garb and holding signs reading “Expose Smithfield's Death Star,” an apparent protest against pork producer Smithfield Foods.

Upon seeing the protester, Chestnut put him into a brief but forcible chokehold as security apprehended the activist, then promptly got back to business of inhaling those hot dogs. I mean, don't let anyone stop you from your goals, right?

In a decisive chowdown comeback, women's record-holder Miki Sudo downed 40 dogs and buns to win the women's title after skipping last year's frank fest because she was pregnant.

↦ FYI: The first ever Nathan’s hot dog eating contest was on July 4, 1926 when three men arguing over who was the most patriotic decided to settle the argument by seeing who could down the most dogs.

In Other News

↦ NASA’s CAPSTONE Probe Is Officially en Route to the Moon

↦ Lake Bed Treasure Hunts Are a Bizarre Side Effect of Climate Change

↦ Major League Baseball Could Be Using Robo-Umpires Within the Next Few Years

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Marc Newson’s new task chair

Bold watch faces

Workout songs

Partner

Invest in the Future of Pizza

Piestro has designed robots that make artisanal pizza at a fraction of the cost

You like pizza? How about making money? Both are pretty great, right? Well Piestro is combining the two in a rather tempting investment opportunity. By utilizing a completely autonomous, labor-free approach to restaurant ownership, they’re cutting labor costs down to zero and limiting real estate to the size of two vending machines.

As you likely know, profit margins for full-service restaurants are extremely low (think 5-10%), primarily due to high real estate and labor overhead. Restaurant startup costs can be as high as $750,500 and the price of labor will continue to grow due to shortages, high turnover rates and rising wages. But Piestro can be up and running in just two weeks, dishing out piping hot pies 24/7—at just $50,000.

Right now, Piestro is in their final month of seeking investors to help bring this revolutionary technology to market. Why could this be a breadwinner? Let's put it this way, pizza is the #1 most popular food in the U.S. On any given day, 13% of Americans are enjoying a slice. And the global pizza industry is expected to be worth $233 billion by next year.

While they'll be launching their own Piestro-branded units, the company already has more than half a billion in pre-orders via commercial contracts with international brands such as 800 Degrees Pizza.

↦ Invest Now: Find out about investment opportunities with Piestro

What We’re Eyeing

These aren't just any ordinary sweats. The first drop from Teddy Santis' inaugural New Balance collection is here and these sweatpants ($164.99) are a serious standout. Available in four different colorways, they're manufactured in the U.S. from domestically sourced fabrics. Cut from a premium, heavyweight French Terry material and featuring a mid-rise cut, you've got to see them on to truly appreciate the finer details.

↦ Want More? 5 stylish items to buy this week