Can I get drunk on this?

Ahhh… nothing says fresh air and unspoiled nature like a congressional hearing.  That's just what a pandemic boom in the great outdoors has come to. Amid increased traffic, crowds, and waiting time, lawmakers are seeking solutions to preserve the visitor experience at America's national parks. Tourists crowd Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic Spring on July 14. Photographer: Natalie Behring/Getty Images North America "Yosemite is one of the most spectacular places in the world, but I can guarantee the people in that traffic jam weren't enjoying it," said Maine's Independent Senator, Angus King, while presenting a photo of a mountain road backup to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks. National park tourism has grown steadily for decades, particularly accelerating in the 2010s. After a brief pandemic lull, visitors have returned, smashing monthly attendance records at parks such as Yellowstone and Zion. In June alone, over 31 million people visited a National Park Service site. The crowding has led to multihour waits for popular trails, increased litter, wildlife disruption, and defacement of American Indian artifacts, Kristen Brengel, senior vice president at the National Parks Conservation Association, told the subcommittee. "The growth in visitation is posing one of the greatest challenges NPS has ever faced," she said. Solutions presented? Ticketed entry reservations to equalize demand as at Glacier National Park in Montana and restricted vehicle traffic except for shuttle service like Acadia in Maine implemented. "Often, we talk about too many people—but actually, we're talking about too many cars," said King. Infrastructure and surface transportation bills are currently being negotiated in Congress.   Tokyo Olympics Track which countries win the most gold. Keep tabs on the latest results and medals won by each country or delegation through the end of the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8. We've removed this one from behind the paywall so you can revisit it whenever you'd like.

Why Olympic Beach Volleyball Players Wear Bikinis Fact check: they're not required. Simone Biles Withdrawal Puts Athletes' Mental Health in Spotlight The ways in which the pandemic has exacerbated mental health issues facing the world's top athletes. Fukushima Laments a Recovery Without Olympic Witnesses It was supposed to be a celebration for those who survived the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophe. Doping Talk Rears Its Head After Russian Swimmers Win American backstroke star Ryan Murphy wonders if all his competitors are clean. Philippines' First-Ever Gold Medalist Wins $660,000 and a House Hidilyn Diaz lifted an Olympic record 278 pounds in the clean and jerk event, which sealed her victory.

Brain Freeze No more sober sundaes! Thriving startups across the country are finding ways to get the bite of alcohol into the most innocent of desserts. Tipsy Scoop is one such addition to the international ice cream market, valued at $65.8 billion in 2020. Revenue for the segment of the market dedicated to alcohol-infused ice cream, which was estimated at more than $335 million in 2019, is expected to exceed $450 million by 2025. Boozy scoops (from top): Proof bourbon-caramel; Scoops on Tap cookies & cream and blackberry; Salt & Straw mango; Oddfellows gimlet and La Finca; Tipsy Spoon banana; and Proof strawberry. Photographer: Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh for Bloomberg Businessweek "'Can I get drunk on this?' That's the No. 1 question I get," says Tipsy Scoop Founder Melissa Tavss. Specialty flavors include whiskey-infused dark chocolate with salted caramel and a mango-margarita sorbet, punched up with tequila and orange liqueur. They can reach 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Adding booze is "not supposed to knock you off your feet. It's to enhance the flavor," says Tavss. Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey chocolate swirl from Tipsy Scoop. Source: Tipsy Scoop Not all manufacturers agree. At Clementine's Naughty & Nice Creamery in St. Louis, Tamara Keefe concocts flavors such as Manhattan, with bourbon and sweet vermouth, that can hit 18% alcohol by weight. "Too little alcohol—what's the point?" she asks. Keefe calls Clementine's the "first microcreamery in the country—think microbrewery for beer but for ice cream." Since then it's racked up almost $5 million in sales. What's better than plain boozy ice cream? A spiked affogato.  Illustration: Tom Hovey Part of the appeal of boozy ice cream is that businesses can work with other small operators to create unique offerings. This year, Brooklyn's OddFellows Ice Cream Co. and six high-end bars created cocktail-infused flavors it dubbed the Boozy Capsule. At Proof Alcohol Ice Cream in Columbia, South Carolina, Jenn Randall-Collins embraces local hooch for strawberry-moonshine and mocha-chocolate-moonshine flavors. Salt & Straw Cold Ones pack offers pints flavored with Oregon craft beer such as Great Notion's  strawberry-and-guava smoothie sour and Breakside Brewery's half-and-half crunch. Source: Salt & Straw Sam Howland of Scoops on Tap in Montclair, California, adds craft beer to the ice cream base, as does Tyler Malek, co-founder of Salt & Straw out of Portland, Oregon, which has 26 locations nationally. "The variety of liquors coming out in cities is mind-blowing," says Malek. "For ice cream makers, ice cream is a platform and a way to partner with microdistilleries to tell stories."   Sponsored Content Pavilion A at the Woolworth Tower Residences offers the perfect blend of Tribeca loft and historic Penthouse. This sprawling 6,711 sqft residence offers 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, 2,770 sqft of outdoor space and a 52 ft. long great room. With 6 skylights, 22 ft. ceilings and a duplex terrace, there is no shortage of natural light throughout this one of a kind home. Offered at $25.95M The Woolworth Tower Residences More From Bloomberg Businessweek

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Wu-Tang Forever The U.S. government has sold the only copy of the Wu-Tang Clan's "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," an album that had been owned by "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli. For now, the buyer remains a mystery. "The buyer's identity will become known in the near future," said Peter Scoolidge, a New York-based attorney representing the anonymous album owner. A one-of-a-kind collectors item. Source: United States Marshals Service Proceeds from the sale will go toward a $7.4 million forfeiture judgment that Shkreli faces after being convicted of securities fraud for his actions at two hedge funds he ran and as the chief executive officer of pharmaceutical company Shkreli is currently serving a 7-year prison sentence. The government seized the album after the Supreme Court denied a request to review his conviction and sentence. Shkreli paid $2 million for the album in 2015, and the government noted that the album came with a handmade nickel-silver box and a leather-bound book with lyrics and a certificate of authenticity. It remains subject to restrictions, including duplication. Although perhaps it could be made into an NFT. "This was the most interesting deal I have ever worked on," Scoolidge said in a statement.

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A Cross-Continental Recognition for the Spa Towns of Europe Unesco designated 11 picturesque towns built around natural mineral springs as a single World Heritage site. Their influence on architecture and landscape design continues to this day.

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