The Daily Valet. - 9/18/20, Friday

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September 18, 2020

Friday, September 18th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Oh my shades? They're by Facebook.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Judge Blocks Postal Service Changes

Calling the changes “politically motivated” ahead of the election

A federal judge on Thursday blocked controversial changes to the United States postal service, saying they were “a politically motivated attack” that had slowed the nation’s mail and likely would slow the delivery of ballots in the upcoming presidential election, reports Reuters.

Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service.

According to the Associated Press, the states challenged the Postal Service’s so-called “leave behind” policy, where trucks have been leaving postal facilities on time regardless of whether there is more mail to load. They also sought to force the Postal Service to treat election mail as first class mail.

USPS spokesman Dave Partenheimer said in a statement that “while we are exploring our legal options, there should be no doubt that the Postal Service is ready and committed to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives. Our number one priority is to deliver election mail on-time.”

Of course, the Washington Post points out that some policies blamed for delivery delays have long been in place. For example, the Postal Service routinely mothballs sorting machines to cut excess capacity, USPS officials have said.

In a call that included a number of “tense moments,” Postmaster General Louis DeJoy tried to reassure a group of election officials Thursday that election mail will be his agency’s highest priority this fall. He also talked more in depth about training Postal employees about how to handle election mail, including postmarking, which usually needs to happen for a mail ballot to count.

↦ Meanwhile: The White House axed an early USPS plan to mail five masks to every American household.

Lawmakers Close In on Spending Deal

But bipartisan progress doesn’t extend to coronavirus-aid talks

Congress is aiming to unveil a bipartisan spending bill today, averting a government shutdown next month, reports the Wall Street Journal. But Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse over another round of coronavirus relief despite President Trump’s renewed interest in a deal.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin agreed earlier this month to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government running when its funding expires on October 1.

Lawmakers and administration officials agreed to keep the spending bill “clean”—meaning no controversial or partisan measures. Unfortunately, that meant that there was no talk of another package of coronavirus aid.

As economist Jay Shambaugh said on Thursday, emergency unemployment benefits have expired for tens of millions of Americans. State and local governments are facing extreme budget distress and food insecurity is at its highest level in decades. “We’ve regained only about half the jobs lost in the spring. More money from Congress is both fiscally affordable and deeply needed.”

↦ FYI: The bill will only keep the government funded likely into mid-December.

Special Promotion

Send some virgo energy. Someone got a birthday coming up? You need to give them one of these.

Facebook and Ray-Ban Launch Smart Glasses

But who will wear them?

Facebook says its first pair of consumer “smart glasses” will be released next year as a branded Ray-Ban product, reports Hypebeast.

It's not clear what features the device will have, but Facebook has confirmed to The Verge that the glasses will not be classified as an augmented reality device, and it will not have an integrated display of any kind. That suggests they may be closer to something like Snap Spectacles or perhaps Amazon's Echo Frames.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg also announced Project Aria, a research device that the company will use to learn as it develops consumer eyewear. These research glasses will be worn by Facebook employees and contractors publicly beginning this month.

Unfortunately, there aren't any details on what Facebook's eventual AR glasses will be called, what they look like beyond the Aria prototype, or how much they might cost.

↦ FYI: Facebook also announced their new Infinite Office feature, a virtual office space for the WFH crowd.

Those Patagonia Tags Are Actually Real

A cleverly concealed note to politicians on the wrong side of history

Patagonia has never been shy about sharing its opinions. The socially conscious company has always made environmental sustainability a cornerstone of its brand.

And this week, you might've seen a photo circulating around social media of a Patagonia tag flipped up to reveal a harshly-worded reminder to vote. Well, a company spokesperson has confirmed that the not-so-subtle tag is, in fact, real.

According to GQ, the tag appears on their Regenerative Organic Stand-Up Shorts, which they started making in 1973. “We have been standing up to climate deniers for almost as long as we've been making those shorts,” a spokesperson told CNN.

The spokesperson added that the brand's CEO, Yvon Chouinard, has been saying the phrase for years in reference “to politicians from any party who deny or disregard the climate crisis and ignore science.”

↦ BUY It: Get the shorts for yourself. They're currently available at Patagonia for $79.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The MICK Show podcast

This stylist’s morning routine

Stepping into a Bob Ross painting

Special Promotion

Make Someone’s Day

When you can’t be there in person, send flowers

There’s something very gentlemanly about showing up on someone’s doorstep with a bouquet of flowers in hand. But when birthdays, anniversaries or other such occasions come around, gifting in real life is not always practical or possible. That's when you need to call on UrbanStems, which offers quick delivery of premium fresh flowers, sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.

The Virgo(with vase andKendra Scott necklace),$135

For the throes of Virgo season, they've got a special bouquet of fiery, earthy blooms arranged in a metallic vase. The flowers come with a special Kendra Scott necklace that features a double-sided Virgo coin. Two gifts in one, when the flowers are gone, the necklace remains—a practical bonus any Virgo will no doubt appreciate. But that's not the only option to give this season. Here are a few others that caught our eye.

The Buttercream, $65

Double The Carnivale, $104

The Charleston (with basket), $80

Blushing Bride, $50

The Lemon Drop, $80

↦ Shop: The full birthday collection

Your Weekend Pairing

Ratched + a Kombucha-Vodka Highball Cocktail

I'll be honest, I'm not sure if Ratched, Netflix's prequel to the classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest will be great—or even all that good. The reviews of the showe have been a bit spotty. Entertainment Weekly says the series, set in postwar California, is definitely good looking (nurses wear bright turquoise and a dangerous inmate gets stashed in a converted wine cellar), but it ultimately goes off the deep end.

Fans of Ryan Murphy productions will no doubt recognize the familiar, all-star cast headlined by Sarah Paulson playing the sadistic nurse and femme fatale. According to Rolling Stone, there are some good Hitchcockian vibes but overall, “the show is a bunch of disparate influences thrown together.” But I'm a sucker for old cars and good costumes. Plus, it will no doubt offer a wild escape from our current reality, so I'll definitely give it a try this weekend.

↦ Your Pairing:What do you pair with a psychological series that takes place in a mental institution? Something medicinal, right? Well, this cocktail does your body good because it's made with kombucha. The fermented tea beverage is a beloved elixir that helps maintain a healthy digestive tract and liver. So Bon Appétit suggests adding some booze to it and whipping up a potent vodka highball. You can use any ginger-flavored kombucha, but they recommend G.T.'s, which happens to be one of my personal favorites.

What We’re Buying

A really good water filter pitcher is tough to find, but even the best have one glaring issue. It takes roughly six to eight minutes to completely filter an entire pitcher. But the Hydros pitcher fills and filters great-tasting fresh water in just one minute. The pitcher has a sleek design and the filter is made from 100% coconut shell carbon in a BPA free casing, which means it's safer water for you and the environment. Win, win!

↦ Get It $31.49 / $29.98 at Amazon