The Daily Valet. - 3/19/21, Friday

✔️ Vaccine Milestones

Friday, March 19th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Anyone headed to the movies this weekend?

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Vaccine Milestones

Biden says the U.S. will hit 100 million vaccine goal today

President Joe Biden announced that today, his administration will deliver on his promise to get 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of Americans in his first 100 days in office. “That’s weeks ahead of schedule,” he said Thursday from the White House.

According to data collected by the CDC, approximately 115 million total vaccine doses have been administered since the first shots were authorized by the FDA in December 2020. (About 16.5 million of those 115 million doses were administered under the Trump administration.)

Now the U.S. is injecting an average of about 2.2 million doses each day—and the pace is likely to dramatically rise later this month in conjunction with an expected surge in supply of the vaccines.

Ahead of Biden’s remarks, the White House said it was finalizing plans to send 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada in its first export of shots, reports the New York Times. It’s essentially a “loan” since the government has stockpiled tens of millions of doses, but the vaccine has not yet been authorized for use in the U.S. but has been by the World Health Organization.

According to the Associated Press, Biden has set clear—and achievable—metrics for success, be it vaccinations or school reopenings, as part of a strategy of underpromising, then overdelivering. Aides believe that exceeding his goals “breeds trust in government after the Trump administration’s sometimes-fanciful rhetoric on the virus.”

And while this is definitely encouraging, it’s important to remember that we still need to be responsible. As our national daily case average continues to fall, nearly a third of all states have seen their average number of cases rise at least 10% over the last month. And I’m not going to be the last guy to catch COVID while my friends are sharing first-shot selfies.

↦ Ethical Question: If you’re not currently eligible for the vaccine, can/should you hunt for a surplus dose?

Amazon Prime Video to Stream NFL Games

And they’re paying about $1 billion per year to do it

On Thursday, the NFL inked new broadcast, cable and streaming contracts that will run until 2033. And the big news was that Amazon Prime Video will now be the exclusive home of the NFL’s Thursday night games, Deadline reports.

This marks the first time a streamer has gotten exclusive access to a package of NFL games (earlier this year, Amazon became the first streamer to exclusively air an NFL-playoff game). Of course, the privilege doesn't come cheap: Amazon is paying about $1 billion per year, according to CNBC, and the 10-year deal officially begins in 2023.

The NFL also made deals with other channels, collectively worth more than $100 billion. Fox and CBS will keep their Sunday afternoon games, and NBC will keep "Sunday Night Football," ESPN will keep "Monday Night Football," and ABC will be added to the Super Bowl rotation.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell called the deal a “seminal moment” in how the league distributes content. “We will also enjoy the flexibility to adapt to new technology, new innovations, new viewing habits over the time where we have a media landscape that’s rapidly changing,” he told Reuters.

↦ FYI: NFL games are the most watched live programming in the United States.

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A Controversial Start to March Madness

Prominent NCAA tournament players launch ‘#NotNCAAProperty’ protest

Speaking of sports, the first round of the NCAA tournament will tip off at 12:15pm Eastern. And a group of players are using March Madness' bright spotlight to push for changes in NCAA rules and federal laws that will provide more protections and opportunities to make money for college athletes.

On the eve of the tournament, a coalition of 15 tournament teams led by Rutgers' Geo Baker, Michigan's Isaiah Livers and Iowa's Jordan Bohannon began posting on social media under the hashtag #NotNCAAProperty.

“The NCAA OWNS my name image and likeness,” tweeted Baker. “Someone on music scholarship can profit from an album. Someone on academic scholarship can have a tutor service. For ppl who say 'an athletic scholarship is enough.' Anything less than equal rights is never enough.”

The statement called for athletes to obtain representation and receive compensation by July 1; meetings with NCAA President Mark Emmert and with members of Biden's administration to encourage legislation to give college athletes “physical, academic, and financial protections”; and urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of the plaintiff in an upcoming case regarding athlete compensation.

A Reminder to Go After What You Want ...

Man with autism’s heartfelt, handwritten LinkedIn cover letter earns thousands of connections

Some say that cover letters aren't as important these days as they once were. Other have said that LinkedIn isn't all that great at getting people jobs. This end-of-the-week good news proves both theories wrong.

After deciding he'd like to pursue a career in animation or technology, 20-year-old Ryan Lowry posted a heartfelt letter on LinkedIn that described his talents and passions, while also noting that he has autism and asking his “future employer” to take a chance on him.

Ryan's post quickly went viral on the social platform, receiving more than 176,000 reactions and nearly 6,000 comments, with many people offering career advice or mentorship opportunities.

According to CNN, one particular opportunity that stood out is Exceptional Minds, a three-year program designed to teach people with autism about animation. What I really love about this is how universal that feeling is—I remember starting out and simply wanting someone to give me an opportunity to follow my passion. And this young man reminds us that if you want something, you've got to brave enough to ask for it.

↦ FYI: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in 54 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Streaming Oscar nominees

Rushing the season

This TikTok about aging

Special Promotion

Boost Your Activity

Home workouts don’t require a lot of space, just dedication

Anyone trying to balance it all—work, relationships, nutrition and fitness—will tell you that it can be a challenge to get it all in during the day. We don't even stand up enough to satisfy our fitness tracker on most days because we're often glued to our screens. But it's clear that the more active you are, the happier and healthier you'll be.

Getting off our glutes is vital for our minds as well as our bodies, especially when working from home. Exercise improves cognitive function, making your work day feel a whole lot easier. And it can be as powerful a mental pick-me-up as antidepressants or psychotherapy. According to MR PORTER's research, our bodies are powerful mood-altering tools if used the right way. The Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health found that running for just 15 minutes a day or walking for an hour reduces the chance of a low mood by 26%—the equivalent of taking a low-to-moderate dose of an anti-depressant pill.

We've found that new workout gear always motivates us to get moving. Pull on some fresh sneakers and a pair of shorts built for movement. And why not skip the fully PVC foam yoga mat and try one backed with natural igusa, or Japanese rush, instead?

Tatami yoga mat, $125 by By Japan

2-in-1 shorts, $60 by Salomon

Air-Wear stretch tank, $75 by District Vision

Zoom Fly 3 sneakers, $160 by Nike

At Ease sweatshirt, $130 by Lululemon

Mini massager, $200 by Therabody

↦ Want More? Shop workout gear at MR PORTER

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