The Daily Valet. - 8/4/23, Friday
✔️ Mass Exodus
Friday, August 4th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
It's hot, and there are a lot of good TV shows dropping, so I'll be staying in this weekend and watching with plenty of snacks.
Today’s Big Story
Mass Exodus
More and more American adults aren't going to church anymore ... for a myriad of reasons
When was the last time you went to church? It's been a little while for me, too. And we're not alone in our religious truancy. According to the latest Gallup polling, Amerian church attendance is at an all-time low. In the four years before the pandemic, 2016 through 2019, an average of 34% of U.S. adults said they had attended church, synagogue, mosque or temple in the past seven days. From 2020 to the present, the average has been hovering around 30%.This isn't exactly news. Churches have been seeing less and less people for decades now. As Jake Meador of Mere Orthodoxy notes in a recent essay, about 40 million Americans have stopped going to church in the past 25 years. But why? Two political scientists, who analyzed surveys of more than 7,000 Americans for a forthcoming book, The Great Dechurching, found that religious abuse and corruption do play roles in pushing attendees away, but that a much larger share of the people surveyed indicated that they left the church “for more banal reasons.”It has more to do with how we live (and work) today. With so many of us driven by success and financial achievements, the community and solace provided by church services simply doesn't pay off. The Atlantic writer Derek Thompson coined the term workism in 2019—and diagnosed himself as a worker under its thrall. He says that work has evolved “from a means of material production to a means of identity production,” adding, “For the poor and middle class, work could remain a necessity; but for the college-educated elite, it's morphed into a kind of religion, promising identity, transcendence, and community.”According to the Wall Street Journal, this is why church attendance for Gen Xers has dropped off more dramatically than other age groups. Americans in their 40s and 50s often still identify with some form of religion, but “they're also in the thick of raising kids, caring for aging parents and juggling demanding jobs that spill into the weekend.” Some people who study religion are comparing the drop-off in attendance and involvement to the quiet quitting phenomenon in the workplace.People remain on membership rolls, but stop volunteering, says Josh Packard, a 45-year-old sociologist of religion. In many cases, they continue making donations until their credit card expires. If asked, they continue to describe themselves as Protestant, Jewish or another denomination. “It's not like they are walking away, saying, ‘I'm now an atheist,’” he says. “They still believe and live life with purpose but are done with the institutional church.”
Silver Lining:
Could secularization be good for American democracy? Religion News Service says belief has benefits for society. But American religion’s decline may nonetheless save the country.
COVID’s Summer Wave Is Rising. Again.
Cases are slowly increasing across the U.S. for the fourth summer in a row
While I'm sure we'd all like to think about COVID-19 as something in the rearview mirror, the virus hasn't forgotten about us. The CDC is reporting that there is an uptick in the number of cases across America. The timing of this uptick translates well with what we know about surges: in late summer, there seems to be a rise in COVID cases.Call it the summer tradition no one wants to partake in. Hospitalizations from the virus ticked up in mid-July, increasing by 12% to just over 8,000 across the U.S. for the week ending July 22. That's nowhere near the pandemic peaks that overwhelmed health workers, but July brought the first weekly increase in hospitalizations since America ended the federal public health emergency in May.Medical experts, however, told NBC News that while cases are going up, they are not currently expecting a huge spike in COVID and wouldn't advise people to change their behavior for now. As for the fall, updated boosters that target the XBB.1.5 subvariant strain are expected to be available soon. The FDA asked drugmakers to update the boosters to target that strain in June, and on Tuesday, Pfizer said its booster could be authorized by the end of this month.
FYI:
Nose picking has been linked to a higher risk of COVID, a new study shows.
Would You Use a Travel Agent?
Armed with insider intel and advanced technology, the age-old industry is learning to court the Gen Z crowd
We've been dealing with “Travel Hell” headlines for the past few years, so it's not all that surprising that those looking to book trips are seeking some semblance of support. But where they're looking is a bit shocking: Travel agents. Then again, with the desire to explore the world surging post-pandemic, it's understandable that there's a mindset of, If we’re gonna do it, we're gonna do it right.Let the professionals help. According to Forbes, we need travel agents now more than ever. They get better rooms and deals at hotels that the average internet booker cannot. They offer insider advice and local connections, not to mention they can help you rebook without stress should anything happen.And these aren't your parents' travel agents. Modern travel agencies are shifting their focus to help personalize experiences and employing the tech necessary for more custom, human-to-human consultations. As Thrillist points out, today's travel advisor looks a lot more like a vacation planning buddy texting you insider recommendations.
Beware:
Here are the weirdly common, very expensive travel scams you should avoid when booking trips yourself.
You Can Now Buy LG’s Wild Wireless TV
The cool, cordless 97-inch TV is coming to the U.S., but it's going to cost you about the same as a sedan
There's something so annoying about a TV cord hanging down the wall, right? Well, fellow cable management obsessives rejoice with me: LG's whopping 97-inch “wireless” OLED TV is finally on sale. The company first revealed the 97M3 at CES earlier this year—showing off its technology that uses a Zero Connect Box to transmit audio and video to its massive wireless display.And now it finally has a price and release date outside of South Korea. The company said on Thursday that it will be rolling out the massive set to markets, including North America and Europe, later this year. CNET reports that the 97-inch Signature OLED M will retail for around $35,600. But if that's too much, it will be accompanied by 83- and 77-inch OLED evo M models that share its Zero Connect technology and ring in at $10,200 and $7,600, respectively.As The Verge points out, it's not entirely wireless, since the screen is still connected to a single power cord. But that doesn't mean it isn't a cool piece of kit, since you're able to plug all your devices into the Zero Connect Box—so theoretically, you can store all your equipment as far as 30 feet away from the TV itself without the need for a cabinet placed directly beneath the screen.
Meanwhile:
The Displace TV is a completely wireless screen that vacuum suctions onto any surface, but relies on batteries for power.
In Other News
For the first time, the U.S. formally charged a president with trying to subvert its political system.
An Appeals Court Says Biden Administration’s New Asylum Restrictions at the Border Can Stay in Place for Now
Have you heard about ...
A Weekend Pairing
‘Reservation Dogs’ + a Honey Bear Cocktail
Have you watched Reservation Dogs? Now in its third (and final) season, Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi's FX series about a group of Indigenous teens on a reservation in Oklahoma is one of the best television series out there. A tad gritty, full of heart and humor, it's not simply a coming-of-age dramedy about loss and healing as a group of young people cope with a friend's suicide. It's also cleverly populated with richly drawn three-dimensional characters and prone to digressive and illuminating side stories.The last we saw of the Rez Dogs, the friends were letting go of their grief thousands of miles from home, on a Los Angeles beach. And it picks up right where it left off: with Bear (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elora (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) and Cheese (Lane Factor) stranded in Santa Monica without a car or a plan. And critics seem to love the new season, highlighting it as a portrait of Indigenous life, but Variety points out that it's not some grim PSA. Instead, the droll sense of humor “adds to the feeling that we're listening in on a conversation, not sitting down for a lesson.”
Pair It With
I don't know if Bear would drink this Honey Bear cocktail, but it sure sounds tasty. Bourbon is mixed with apple cider and citrus-sage syrup for a drink that's nuanced and refreshing yet with an herbal deepness thanks to the sage-infused honey.
Also Worth a Watch:
‘Heartstopper’ season 2, on Netflix; ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,’ season 2 on Max
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A duvet cover
Cozy Earth's viscose and bamboo linen blend make for a breathable, moisture-wicking duvet cover. It'll keep you dry and cool in the summer and cozy and warm in the winter.
Get It:
Linen duvet cover, $319 / $143.55 by Cozy Earth
Morning Motto
Embrace your alone time this weekend.
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