🌎 America's gas-tinted glasses

Plus: Time for Europe to turn off the lights. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? [Sign up here]( [Quartz]( September 12, 2022 [View in browser]( Sponsored By Good morning, Quartz readers! Here’s what you need to know Americans are feeling more optimistic about the economy. Lower gas prices [boosted morale](, even though food prices are [expected to soar]( in the coming months. Credit card companies will start tracking gun purchases. Firearm retailers will be given a [separate merchant code](. New York declared a state of emergency over the polio outbreak. Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision will [help boost vaccination rates]( against the disease to 90%. Antigua and Barbuda will vote on whether to remove King Charles III as head of state. The referendum could come [in the next three years](. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin arrived in Edinburgh, [one of several stops]( ahead of the funeral scheduled for Sept. 19. Colombia and Venezuela agreed to reopen their borders. Commercial flights and cargo transportation will resume [on Sept. 26]( as the two countries re-establish trade relations. Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest-ever world’s number one male tennis player. The [19-year-old]( Spanish athlete just won the US Open, which boasted [record attendance](. Sponsor content by Apple Card Apply now for Apple Card. Reboot your credit card. [Apply now]( with no impact to your credit score. Terms apply.[Advertisement] [Apply now]( What to watch for President Xi Jinping has not left China since the outbreak of covid in 2020, [barring a visit]( to the semi-autonomous Hong Kong earlier this year. Foreign policy buffs and journalists alike have made several guesses as to where he will head first, but none have hit the mark. In August, it was reported that Xi would [visit Saudi Arabia](, but the trip [never materialized](. There [were also reports]( that he would travel to Southeast Asia in November to meet with US president Joe Biden. But now Xi will reportedly meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin [this week]( in Uzbekistan. Should the trip materialize, it would mark a [strengthening of relations]( between the two countries as their ties with the US remain strained. Xi is undoubtedly seeking to be prudent about the timing and optics of this much-anticipated trip overseas, as it will broadcast his diplomatic priorities. Time for Europe to turn off the lights In preparation for a winter without Russian gas, European countries are looking to stock up as much fuel as possible. Some companies and governments are also enforcing a step that should have long been a no-brainer: [turning off lights when they’re not in use.]( That habit is ingrained in poorer countries, where people and companies keep close tabs on their electricity bills. But it is long overdue for wealthy countries that have been accustomed to keeping office and street lights on all night, no matter the financial or environmental costs. [A chart showing the energy used for lighting in an average European city. Offices, shops, and other buildings account for the most, followed by residential, industrial, and urban/street lighting. ]( Graphic: (Quartz) In a typical European city, office and commercial buildings use about half of lighting-related energy. A simple cost- (and carbon-) saving solution would be switching to smart lighting systems that automatically turn on and off when needed. Until then, staying warm in the winter will mean letting the nights grow darker. Is “quiet quitting” actually a problem? “Quiet quitting,” or doing the [bare minimum]( that’s in your job duties without going above and beyond, is causing a lot of hand-wringing and hot takes among employers. Companies and managers are rightfully worried about keeping worker engagement high, as it’s linked to greater productivity. But for workers, quiet quitting doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re spending eight hours a day feeling miserable or checked out. Rather, they’re not subscribing to the mentality that work has to [rule one’s life](. ✦ Love keeping up with trends affecting the workplace? Quartz stories like these are free and accessible to all thanks to our members. Sign up for a membership today and [get 40% off](. Quartz announcement Looking for a flexible job with better work-life balance? Our rankings are in. Discover the best places to work remotely on Quartz’s 2022 Best Companies for Remote Workers list. [Read the list]( Quartz’s most popular 💵 [The US dollar is decimating world currencies]( 🚨 [The head of the SEC says most cryptocurrencies are operating illegally]( 🚃 [New York City transportation data shows the return-to-office struggle is real]( 🎬 [Netflix will pause filming of The Crown]( 👑 [A royal historian explains the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II]( 🐟 [An obscure UN agency okayed the first industrial sea floor mining project]( Sponsor content by Apple Card Apply now for Apple Card. Reboot your credit card. [Apply now]( with no impact to your credit score. Terms apply.[Advertisement] [Apply now]( Surprising discoveries Archeologists found the oldest evidence of amputation. It was a [31,000-year-old body]( of a young person whose leg had been surgically removed. The Eiffel Tower may go dark. Well, [just an hour]( earlier than usual, in an effort to conserve energy. There’s one molecule in the brain that categorizes memories as positive or negative. Understanding neurotensin could [help us decode]( anxiety and addiction. Hendrick’s Gin rescued a cucumber from extinction. It’s all in the [name of capitalism](, not conservation. Pumpkin spice made it into the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Other [new additions]( this month include shrinkflation, subvariant, and ICYMI. Our best wishes for a productive day. Send any news, comments, rare cucumbers, and new words to hi@qz.com. Reader support makes Quartz available to all—[become a member](. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Sofia Lotto Persio, Julia Malleck, and Morgan Haefner. [🌐 View or share this email online.]( [📬 Check out our emails]( [👀 Read Quartz’s latest stories]( [📈 See what stories are trending]( 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 © 2022 G/O Media Inc. [Unsubscribe](