🐤 If the shoe fits

Markets: It was a mixed start to the week on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticking down by about 0.2% but both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite gained a fraction of a percent. A strong performance from Tesla helped buoy the tech-heavy Nasdaq.

In the crypto market, Bitcoin enjoyed a sharp uptick on Monday to trade at above $91,000.

Hitting the bench: Daniel Jones won’t be the starting quarterback in the New York Giants’ upcoming game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tommy DeVito will be replacing Jones, who has put up some disappointing numbers thus far this season. He’s at the bottom of the league for his position across several statistics, including passer rating and QBR. His eight touchdowns contrasted by seven interceptions over the course of 10 games leave his future with the Giants in jeopardy — particularly since he’s not guaranteed anything after this year.

Carrot recall: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a batch of whole and baby carrots produced by Grimmway Farms could be contaminated with E. coli. An outbreak across several states — including New York, Minnesota, and California — has caused dozens of illnesses and at least one death. Stores including Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s sold the recalled packages, which contain best-by dates of between September 11 and November 12. E. coli can be especially serious among children and the elderly.

Christmas Bey: Netflix will be streaming an NFL game on December 25, but some fans will be more interested in the halftime show than the on-field action between the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. Beyonce will be performing songs from her “Cowboy Carter” album and is expected to present a few special guests during the concert. Netflix has its own incentives for putting on a flawless show. Not only is this an introduction to the platform’s three-year deal with the NFL, but Netflix also needs to make up for glitches in the recent Tyson-Paul fight.

That’s the spirit: Despite filing for bankruptcy, Spirit Airlines says it plans to remain in operation. The Chapter 11 protection filing came after a possible merger with JetBlue fell apart. Although Spirit did develop a debt restructuring plan that would allow it to make good on customer obligations, the airline hasn’t been profitable in five years and is clearly in need of a serious overhaul. As it stands, the company indicates its debts will be restructured by the end of next year’s first quarter, asserting that it plans to come out of bankruptcy even stronger.

Technology continues to advance by leaps and bounds across various industries, including the rise of 3D printing within the clothing market. Nike became the latest major brand to announce a product made primarily through that high-tech process rather than the more familiar method of sewing pieces together.

Coming soon?

At a recent event in Las Vegas, Nike presented a glimpse of its Air Max 1000, which it designed as a tribute to the nearly iconic (and 40-year-old) Air Max 1. Elements such as the original design’s visible air cushion carry through to the new version, but the manufacturing processes are miles apart.

Nike teamed up with a company called Zellerfeld to print the Air Max 1000 out a single piece of material, achieving several unique features:

• A range of textures and densities
• A firm, supportive outsole
• A slip-on design without laces

While a few lucky fans got their hands on a pair at ComplexCon where the shoe made its debut, only 1,000 pairs were made available for preorder and it’s not clear when — or even if — they’ll receive a widespread release.

Hints and rumors

Just because we can’t answer some of the big questions doesn’t mean we can’t speculate on other factors based on what information we do have.

For example, other shoes offered by Zellerfeld cost anywhere from $159 to about $400, so Nike’s 3D-printed shoes would likely fall somewhere within that range. And the launch color was red, as seen at the Las Vegas event, but several other colors are available.

So why 3D printing? A look at the Air Max 1000’s intricate design and complex contours reveals how much more this process can achieve in terms of design than the traditional way of doing things.

Adidas reportedly has a 3D-printed shoe project of its own underway.

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OK, maybe “hassle-free” is a little too ambitious. But hospitality experts agree there are a few things any holiday host can do to reduce the stress that can accompany such a thankless task.

Building on the basics

Megan Fitzgerald is one event planner who realizes that it’s not realistic to expect an ordinary person with a regular job to lay out a perfect feast. Instead of picturing perfection, she recommends focusing first on the essentials of hosting, which include:

• Plenty of seating
• Clean, stocked restrooms
• A supply of fresh water

Fitzgerald also stressed the importance of not offering too much food or too little wine. As for the latter, she recommends providing one bottle per drinking guest.

“I know that sounds crazy, but if you’re there for four hours, that’s a glass of wine an hour,” she explained.

Once you are sure these basics are covered, it’s time to start tackling some of the other aspects of the event.

Putting it all together

Even if you’ve never hosted a holiday gathering before, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience. As Fitzgerald advised, much of the decor — from centerpieces to serving platters — can often be found at thrift shops, making that a much better option than spending roughly the same amount on cheap, disposable items.

Feel free to ask people to bring specific items you’ll need to host a successful meal.

“Then the people you can’t rely on, just tell them to bring wine,” Fitzgerald advised.

The host should always at least supply the main course, though — and for that Thanksgiving turkey, remember to buy at least 1.5 pounds for each guest.

If all else fails, Fitzgerald said: “I actually think some forms of takeout are secretly less expensive than cooking.”

Concerns about the environment and renewable energy are common across the automotive industry — and that includes those cars that go particularly fast. But one method several auto racing organizations have pursued in order to address those concerns doesn’t seem to be panning out, leaving many to explore other options.

Hybrid isn’t for everybody

The Toyota Prius has been a big hit for decades and almost every major auto brand has popular hybrid models in its lineup, but that doesn’t mean what’s good for ordinary consumers will meet the considerably higher demands of racing.

Nevertheless, Formula 1 and World Endurance Championship are among the organizations that began introducing hybrid engines in hopes of reducing emissions.

But a number of factors — most notably, the exorbitant cost of maintaining hybrid powertrains in race cars — have convinced several motorsports series to abandon hybrid tech altogether or at least flirt with the notion.

• British Touring Car Championship is expected to ditch hybrid powertrains completely
• World Rally Championship blames costs and weight for dropping hybrid technology
• Even F1, which introduced hybrid systems in 2009, is scaling back its involvement

Finding a replacement

Abandoning hybrid powertrains might be inevitable, but that doesn’t mean the underlying concerns will simply go away. That’s why organizations are busy pursuing or developing alternatives that will meet the needs of racing teams while adhering to environmental standards.

The BTCC says it plans to start using turbochargers to get more power out of internal combustion engines, which will run on a special type of “fossil-free” fuel. Chief Executive Alan Gow said the “hybrid era was a great one for the BTCC,” but that it is time to move on.

“We’ve successfully completed that program — and really have no more to prove in that respect — whilst others have yet to catch up,” he said.

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