The Daily Valet. - 1/14/22, Friday
✔️ The Challenge Rages On
Friday, January 14th Edition
Was this as long a week for you as it was for me? I hope not.
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
↦ We’ll be off on Monday, observing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and will return to our regularly scheduled programming on Tuesday.
Today’s edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
The Filibuster Battle Rages On
The voting rights bill appears all but doomed ...
Democrats’ hopes of finally pushing through voting rights legislation after months of Republican opposition seemed to be “fatally wounded” Thursday as two Democratic senators announced they would not support changing Senate rules that have long allowed a minority of senators to block legislation.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, stunned her colleagues by saying such a move would worsen the “disease of division” in the U.S. and called changing the rules “a perilous course of action.”
If Democrats can’t successfully eliminate the filibuster, the package will obviously fail. The New York Times called it an embarrassing setback for President Biden, who traveled to Capitol Hill to deliver a final, forceful appeal for action. Shortly after Biden left, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia issued a written statement outlining his opposition.
“I hope we can get this done. The honest-to-God answer is, I don’t know if we can get this done,” Biden told the Washington Post. “But like every other major civil rights bill that came along, if we miss the first time, we can come back and try a second time.”
However, he might not have been finished. The Hill reports that that Biden met with both Manchin and Sinema at the White House Thursday night to discuss voting rights further. The conversation lasted for over an hour but the White House did not offer any details on what transpired.
A last-ditch effort to strengthen elections could come in a bipartisan update to the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which could clarify the role of the vice president in overseeing the counting of electoral votes, while making objections to the certification of those votes more difficult.
↦ Dig Deeper: Thursday’s developments highlight that presidents, for all they can do on their own, are hemmed in on the big stuff by the other branches of government.
A National Digital Vaxx Card Is Here
About 80% of vaccinated people in the U.S. most likely have access to it
While the CDC's COVID-19 vaccination cards are simple to read, their four-by-three inch size makes them awkward to carry around because standard wallet slots are 2.5-by-3.5 inches. A more convenient and safe way to carry around your vaccine card is to go digital.
In some states, you can access digital cards through your health care provider's app or digital portal. In others, like California (where I live), you have to navigate to the state health department website to send a digital card directly to your phone.
But whether they realize it or not, more than 200 million people in the United States now have access to a digital vaccine card. The digital pass known as the SMART Health Card is voluntary and minimal by design to protect personal information. It has your name, date of birth and the dates and brands of vaccination doses—all contained within a single QR code.
And after a relatively quiet start, NBC News reports that it has built momentum in recent months as more states and companies have signed on, making it something of a de facto national digital vaccine card.
Vaccine QR codes are also spreading internationally. Japan launched a similar system last month, and Ontario, Canada, is requiring people to have scannable proof of vaccination to eat inside restaurants or go inside certain other businesses. QR codes are increasingly required as part of international airline travel.
↦ FYI: The QR codes work on paper, too, if a person would rather print them out than keep them on a phone.
Partner
Tired of reading about other people getting rich in the stock market? This service lets you in on the fun.
The Betty White Challenge
Let’s all be a little more like Betty
On what would have been her 100th birthday, people are coming together to honor the late, great Betty White—by donating to an animal shelter or rescue in her name.
Dubbed the #BettyWhiteChallenge on social media, the movement calls on animal lovers and Betty White fans to donate $5 (or any amount, really) to a shelter or rescue before or on her birthday, January 17th in order to give White “the movement she deserves.”⠀
The legendary actress was a lifelong animal advocate and according to People, she used 100% of the dues from her fan club, Bet's Pets, to support animal rescue charities. During her lifetime, White rescued several shelter pets, and even hosted a 1970s TV show featuring celebrities with their pets along with discussions about pet care and animal welfare.
Already, local animal welfare organizations across the country are reporting an influx of donations and volunteering in her honor. We love to see it. The world needs more people like Betty White, don't you think?
↦ Meanwhile: The Los Angeles Zoo has paid tribute to their longtime supporter with a white rose memorial garden named in her honor.
A Weekend Pairing
Scream + a Proteau Rivington Spritz
The Scream franchise injected new life into slasher films in 1996 by observing the rules of the genre while simultaneously subverting them. Its meta mischief and high body count spawned a voracious new generation of horror nerds (myself included) and raked in more than half a billion dollars in global box office. And like all things '90s, Scream is back.
Made with original writer Kevin Williamson's blessing and dedicated to the late Wes Craven, the “requel” goes back to the original for inspiration and brings back all your favorite characters (well, the ones who survived all the previous films). Of course, the game has been updated for 2022. Smart home devices, location tracking apps, and phone cloning software are all tools in the Ghostface Killer's murder kit. It looks promising but reviews are mixed: AV Club says “in its strained effort to combine established players with new ones, Scream's structure nearly collapses on itself.” But the Hollywood Reporter says that while it's not perfect, it's a pleasure to watch these beloved old “characters taking care of unfinished business.”
↦ Your Pairing:Maybe you're doing Dry January. Maybe you're just trying to be healthier. Either way, this non-alcoholic wine from Proteau is delicious and their blood red Rivington Spritz is refreshing and bright, with hibiscus and chamomile flowers (plus a touch of champagne vinegar for a tangy bite).
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Build Wealth Reliably
No matter what stage in life you find yourself in
Wealth. Just the word has a certain gravitas and power, doesn't it? We all want to build wealth, regardless of our age. No matter what stage in life we find ourselves in, prosperity is a worthy goal.
Of course, what it means to live a wealthy life is different for everyone. From a purely financial perspective, there are some general guidelines for building wealth over time.
Basically, to accumulate wealth over time, you need to do three things: after earning and saving, investing is key to long-term success and financial freedom. But while the basic steps to building wealth are simple to understand, they're much more difficult to follow. We consulted the experts to break it down into a three-step plan.
↦ Read: How to build wealth reliably
What We’re Buying
We're big fans of Corridor's clothing. It's cool, it's comfortable and it always makes us look good. And, really, you could say the same thing about the brand's new fragrance. The scent itself is made from layers of wood and evergreens mixed with spices and even a hint of fresh coffee beans. Dubbed “Static,” it's meant to evoke “the first moments of unspoken attraction between two people” and is the culmination of a solid year of work between Corridor and 150-year-old French perfume house Mane.
↦ Get It: $185 by Corridor
Today’s Deals
Ongoing Sale
Expires 1/17
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↦ Want More? See all 50 sales
Morning Motto
Speak up, be heard and stand behind what you said.
↦ Follow: @keylight.life
That’s all for today...
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