The Daily Valet. - 8/25/23, Friday
✔️ The Mugshot Has Landed
Friday, August 25th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
Apologies if this newsletter is a little late, but it's being written aboard an international flight with spotty wifi.
Today’s Big Story
Trump’s Mugshot
A low-quality image and an opportunity to capitalize on one of the most bizarre moments in American history
Well, it finally happened. The official mug shot of former President Donald Trump was made public Thursday evening after Trump was booked and released at the Fulton County Jail. It was at once, completely what we expected and yet still thoroughly bizarre.Trump was scowling like we seen him do countless times on TV. His infamous hairdo is shiny and coiffed. And the image ricocheted around the internet in no time. In fact, the image essentially overshadowed the fact that Trump is back on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, after two years.But he's under arrest. This image documented a tiny inflection point in American life. Captured for posterity, there was a former president of the United States, for the first time in history, under arrest and captured in the sort of frame more commonly associated with drug dealers or drunken drivers. The trappings of power gone, at least for that split second.But Trump is nothing if not a savvy marketer. And if you thought he'd be embarrassed by this jail booking photo, think again. Many were already concerned that he'd capitalize on the image. Some worried that he'd portray himself as a political prisoner, proudly disseminate his mug shot and try to make hay of it. Others wondered, is it ethical to humiliate someone by releasing a photo of them suggesting criminality before they have ever been convicted? Trump wasted no time. And by Thursday evening, Trump's campaign was already selling T-shirts on his official website for $34, with the words "Never Surrender" written below the mugshot. Of course, it's his image, his reputation ... a candidate's gotta do what a candidate's gotta do. But my question is this: Isn't a mugshot, by definition, proof of your surrender?
Dig Deeper:
Donald Trump apparently replaced his top Georgia lawyer ahead of his surrender Thursday evening, sources tell CNN.
Ohtani’s Magic Season Cut Short
Set to become a free agent, Shohei Ohtani has just torn a ligament in his pitching elbow
Talk about really bad timing ... Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani just suffered an elbow injury, dealing a blow to the baseball world and, potentially, the career prospects of a player regarded in the MLB as a once-in-a-century talent. But as ESPN's Jeff Passon put it, “ligaments do not care about legend.”Of course, Ohtani being Ohtani, he reacted to the news that he had suffered a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow in Game 1 of a doubleheader Wednesday by batting second for his Los Angeles Angels in Game 2. But he will not pitch again this season. And baseball insiders assume he will likely need another Tommy John surgery. Which means his already-complicated free agency, just two months away, is now even more confusing.Now, with his future as a pitcher somewhat up in the air, Ohtani, who is leading the league in home runs and has a 10-5 record on the mound, may not be able to sell himself as an ace as well as a slugger. That distinction could potentially cost him “hundreds of millions of dollars,” according to USA Today. That's no exaggeration either—Ohtani was widely believed to be in position to command the largest contract in MLB history this offseason.
FYI:
Ohtani and Reds phenom Elly De La Cruz just gave us a textbook example of “game recognizing game”.
Will Expiration Date Confusion End?
New technology could tell us when food has gone bad
As you've likely heard (from us and others) before, expiration dates are often confusing, and worse, actually deceiving. They are a big part of the reason why 40% of food in America goes to waste—since people are throwing out food that's still completely edible and safe.But such problems could soon be in the past. Food Dive reports that a number of researchers and various companies are working on developing new technology that could soon bring that confusion about “Use by”, “Sell by”, “Good by” and “For best flavor, use by” to an end.Researchers from the biosensors lab at Clarkson University have developed a sensor that changes color when food starts to degrade. The label is paper and placed inside packaging so it doesn't actually touch the food item. However, foods like meat and fish naturally produce higher levels of a chemical compound called hypoxanthine as they begin to spoil. Those increased levels trigger the paper label to change color and indicate that the food is going bad. Pretty clever, huh?
FYI:
The U.S. actually produces more food waste than the U.K., Germany, France, Italy and Sweden combined.
Elder Millennials Now Have a New Distinction
We may be the last generation drinking away our pain
I don't really like those terms, like “geriatric Millennial”, just to explain us people who were born a little earlier than our full Millennial brothers and sisters. In fact, that middle-child feeling is probably why a stiff drink helps dull the pain. But that, too, makes us somewhat of an outlier.A new Gallup poll on Americans' drinking habits found that adults aged 18-34 have reported drinking steadily less every year since 2001. And for our parents generation ... well, they're steadily drinking more. Apparently our mental image of a wild kegger might need to be adjusted to include a much more gray-haired crowd.According to The Takeout, the number of young adults who say they “never have an occasion to use alcoholic beverages” has fallen from 72% to 62% of respondents since 2001. Meanwhile, those between the ages of 35 and 54 (ahem, like myself) had the highest contingent of self-reported drinkers, at 69%, which hasn't changed much since 2001, when 67% reported drinking alcohol. When the youngest group does drink these days, they tend to drink less often. Those who reported they'd consumed an alcoholic beverage within the past seven days is down to 61%, from nearly 70% in the 2001-2003 time period. This might seem like an insignificant shift, but it changes who booze is marketed to and what trends we might see in the drinks space.
In Other News
Algorithms have made our collective tastes more homogeneous and limited.
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Challenge
Boost your bravery and see how it improves your life
Strength is a universally admired quality. But more than brute force, courage is often seen as a true marker of strength. Bravery comes in many forms. And while many of us will likely never need to use it to rush into a burning building, we will rely on our courage to push us out of our comfort zones.You need a certain amount of fearlessness to stand up for your beliefs, to spark up a conversation with someone new, to move to a new town or change careers. Or to simply speak up at work or ask for a raise. Bravery isn't something you're born with. Chögyam Trungpa, the meditation master and author of the popular book Smile at Fear, wrote that fear can either hold you back or motivate you to awaken your bravery. Here, he and few other experts share a game plan to boost your courage.
Get Started:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A mesh polo
This cotton-nylon blend polo is made from soft Italian yarn and is inspired by vintage tennis polo shirts. The mesh weave is airy enough to wear with trunks by the pool or throw on underneath a khaki-colored linen suit.
Get It:
Cotton-nylon mesh polo, $278 / $219 by Todd Snyder
Morning Motto
Give yourself some “me” time this weekend.
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