The Daily Valet. - 3/3/22, Thursday

✔️ Getting Canceled

March 03, 2022

Thursday, March 3rd Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Do you even want to know how much you spend on Amazon each year?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Russia Gets Canceled

Putin is causing his country to get deplatformed from the world, and the citizens are suffering

Russia is currently facing a flood of boycotts and divestment in the U.S. and around the world, demonstrating how the market can punish powerful and dangerous states for unjustified behavior.

In a flurry of moves, multiple states have banned the sale of Russian vodka, companies including Nike, Apple and Harley-Davidson have halted all sales in Russia, car brands have cut off exports of their vehicles and Hollywood film studios have suspended the Russian release of major movies.

According to Bloomberg, when the Cold War ended, businesses poured into Russia to take advantage of a freshly open market with millions of customers and the country’s vast natural resources. The past few days have been a stunning reversal of that same rush, with major companies announcing plans to stop operations in Russia or exit the country entirely.

“Companies are basically saying, ‘We don’t want to be part of this,’” Nick Tsafos, an expert on energy and geopolitics, tells the Washington Post. And it’s not just commerce. Russia’s World Cup hopes were dashed and they country has been banned from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest as well.

On Wednesday, Live Nation Entertainment—the concert powerhouse—announced that it will cease all business activity with Russia. The news comes as a number of musicians have already canceled their appearances in the country.

It’s a tricky balance to strike. The backlash, while aimed at Putin, will unfortunately hit ordinary Russians hard as well. Already, they cannot fly to most places because of bans on Russian flights. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that “it’s becoming clearer by the day” that the Russian people and even members of the Russian military oppose Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but that they will now “suffer the consequences of their leader’s choices.”

↦ Dig Deeper: From soaring food prices to empty ATMs and credit cards that no longer work, the Associated Press spoke with Russians about life under the sanctions.

A New COVID Strategy for the U.S.

The initiative will pair coronavirus tests with treatment

The White House has officially introduced a new plan for managing the COVID-19 pandemic in a 96-page report that focuses on prevention, treatment and preparation for new variants.

The biggest update is the start of a “test to treat” system, which consists of testing people for the virus at pharmacies, and then immediately providing antiviral treatment with Pfizer's drug to anyone who tests positive. To put the plan into action, Congress will need to increase funding to ensure adequate supply of antivirals and tests.

Quartz calls it a very American way of tackling disease. The approach is one “that has long characterized the country's overall approach to medicine: treatment, rather than prevention, and individual responsibility over collective action.”

With caseloads declining across the country, this is ushering in the “new normal.” There are those who have gotten the shots and those who won't. And both could still test positive, but for the unvaxxed, these readily-available meds will hopefully ensure they stay out of the hospital.

↦ Dig Depper: Is the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us? Vox asked eight experts for their thoughts.

Partner

Is it too late to get into Bitcoin? Maybe. Maybe not. But it isn't the crypto play you should be watching right now.

The Short-Lived Leading Man Body

Why so many movie stars give up their fitness and diet routines once filming is over

Hollywood is bullshit. It’s fantasy. As in, not real at all. We know this deep down, of course, but still what we see on screen effects us in a myriad of ways. One of the most prevalent (and perhaps dangerous) is body image.

Even the leading men are prone to suffering. Just ask Robert Pattison, who opened up about the rigors of training for The Batman. He also mentioned he “never wants to see a piece of white fish with just lemon on it ever again.”

Pattison is the most recent actor to come out and tell the truth about how grueling it is to get into superhuman shape for a role. Chris Pratt shared his monastic diet on set, Channing Tatum almost turned down Magic Mike 3 because he didn't want to starve himself for a six-pack. And Zac Efron said getting shredded for Bay Watch convinced him that he'll never do it again.

As InsideHook points out, the system won't be changing anytime soon. “These are coveted jobs, and there will always be a long line of Hollywood neophytes eager to train six hours a day and never eat a donut again if it means having a shot at playing Batman. But it's important that guys have started to level with us and communicate that there is nothing natural, realistic or healthy about their bodies, no matter how much others may covet them.”

Amazon Launches a Sustainable Line

Does this mean we can feel less guilty about shopping at Amazon?

I'm embarrassed to admit how many Amazon packages arrive at my place each month. I honestly don't think I've ever taken out my recycling without one of those boxes in it.

From an excess of packaging to selling products of unknown origin, Amazon has long battled their image when it comes to sustainability. In fact, Amazon disclosed in 2020 that its carbon footprint went up 19%, year over year.

According to Gear Patrol, the mega-retailer has since committed to change through its operations, hoping to hit net-zero carbon by 2040. So its latest house brand makes sense: Amazon Aware, sustainable, eco-friendly everyday essentials including home goods, clothing and grooming.

I've got to say, I'm liking what I see so far. The collection only features products that are part of the Climate Pledge Friendly program, which means they've all received third-party certifications that verify that they meet sustainable standards. These organic tees, for example, meet the conditions of the Global Recycled Standard, and the carbon footprint of these towels gets calculated by an external certifier before Amazon offsets emissions with high-quality carbon credits.

↦ Buy: Shop the whole Aware line.

In Other News

↦ Space Junk on 5,800-mph Collision Course With Moon

↦ Jan. 6 Committee Lays Out Potential Criminal Charges Against Trump

↦ Don’t Be the Co-Worker With the Terrible Farewell Email

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Pouring wine

Unstreamable movies

The watches on ‘Severance'

Partner

Make Smart Crypto Moves

The Motley Fool’s top crypto play isn’t a token

Most people, by now, have probably heard of Bitcoin and Ethereum (which have been chugging along for years). And if you're wondering if it's too late to get into Bitcoin or even Dogecoin, the analysts at The Motley Fool say you're thinking about it the wrong way.

The way many crypto tokens can hit new heights is by attracting more and more attention, bringing in more and more buyers. And let's face it ... as interest grows, newer waves of buyers tend to be less interested in jumping through hoops to buy a small slice of a single Bitcoin.

If you want to do well with crypto investments, you should be positioned to make money regardless of which direction any particular token is moving on any particular day. And The Motley Fool Stock Advisor has found one company that's positioned to do just that. But you'll likely want to get in on it before everyone else finds out about it.

↦ Get In: Learn more about this company, and its upside as a long-term investment, in our exclusive report from The Motley Fool

What We’re Buying

A good belt is the secret sauce to a killer outfit. And this one, from Noah, deftly toes the line between classic and flashy. It's not too thin, and is cut from a soft nubuck suede, but tipped with a metal accent. It's got some vintage '90s energy, for sure, but also looks cool with anything you're wearing right now.

↦ Get It: $148 by Noah