The Daily Valet. - 4/14/21, Wednesday

✔️ Trading Jabs

Wednesday, April 14th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

White Claw is fine, but I’m really more of a Topo Chico kind of guy …

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

A Lot of Vax Talk

U.S. recommends ‘pause’ for Johnson & Johnson shots

The U.S. on Tuesday recommended a “pause” in use of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to investigate reports of extremely rare but potentially dangerous blood clots. We’re talking about 1 out of every million shots given.

According to the Associated Press, the pause is only expected to last a matter of days. But the decision triggered swift action in Europe and elsewhere as the drugmaker, regulators and providers moved to halt the use of the J&J vaccine—at least for now. The delay, while prudent, could ultimately sicken—and even kill—more people than it saves, reports the New York Times.

And it will not help the already shaky trust certain groups have in vaccines, as polls suggest potentially tens of millions of Americans are hesitant to get the jabs. In reality, the pause actually should have the opposite effect—boosting confidence that the government is putting safety first. This is a “testimony to how seriously we take safety,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Tuesday.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was just about to break through, too. The one-shot vaccine promised to do what the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines couldn’t. It could reach the homeless and even be distributed door-to-door.

The White House maintained that the pause won’t derail the administration’s vaccination goals. And Pfizer announced Tuesday afternoon that it would boost production to deliver 10% more doses than it had previously promised.

And for those wondering about post-vaccine infections, the CDC is too. Vaccine researchers at Yale University told NPR that it is possible, while extremely slim. The three vaccines are about 94% effective at preventing severe disease and death (starting about two weeks after a person is fully vaccinated), and about 80% effective at preventing infection. That’s not 100%, but the researcher notes: “The bottom line is: It’s expected. No need to freak out.” It does serve as a reminder why masks will still be required in public post-vax ... for now.

↦ First Person: “I got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Now what?”

Hank Azaria’s Apu Apology

The actor apologizes to ‘every single Indian person’ for voicing the character for 30 years

Hank Azaria said says it took him years to fully understand the issue with Apu, the Indian-born convenience store clerk he voiced for three decades on The Simpsons. Now, he feels like he should apologize to “every single Indian person in this country.”

Azaria, who began voicing the convenience store owner in 1990, spoke about the controversies surrounding his character on Dax Shepherd's “Armchair Expert” podcast .

The Simpsons was somewhat slow to embrace the trend of animated shows moving away from having white actors voice non-white characters, to the point that the show actively pushed back against the shift initially, but Azaria said last year that he would no longer voice the character. Meanwhile, Apu has never been recast.

Azaria mentioned a conversation that took place at his son's school, where he spoke with a group of Indian students. One approached the actor with tears in his eyes. “He's never even seen The Simpsons … but knows what Apu means,” Azaria explained. “It's practically a slur at this point.”

↦ Dig Deeper: The documentary, The Problem With Apu, wades into a bigger issue ... the evolution of comedy.

Partner

Feeling sluggish? Make sure you're feeding your brain to boost your focus.

Cars Have Never Been Safer

Tiger Woods’ crash illustrates just how far car safety has come

Every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety puts their stamp of approval on a list of cars they deem the safest on the road. For 2021, the nonprofit research organization doled out accolades to 90 vehicles, up from 64 the year before—automakers really “stepped up to meet the challenge.”

Interestingly, the same month that IIHS gave its highest honor, known as the Top Safety Pick+ award, to the Genesis GV80, many of us had just been made aware of how protective the SUV really was. That's because Tiger Woods was driving one when he crashed and miraculously survived.

“People are surviving crashes in modern cars that they would not have survived ... 20 or 30 years ago,” IIHS's David Zuby tells InsideHook. “It's hard to say whether or not those improvements contributed directly to Tiger surviving, but the crash is definitely representative of how vehicles have improved.”

There is a school of thought, however, that all the safety features and driver assistance functions are breeding a generation of bad drivers. But it might also not be too long until fully-autonomous vehicles take over. And they continually keep getting safer too.

↦ History: Watch these 12 vehicles score some of the lowest ratings during IIHS crash testing.

Another White Claw Summer?

The hard seltzer is giving us new flavors and a higher-ABV version

White Claw is going to be sinking its talons even deeper into your summer fun: the brand has announced a new line of hard seltzers called White Claw Surge, which clock in at a whopping 8.0% alcohol by volume.

Gear Patrol calls it the double IPA of hard seltzers. And it's not only stronger, it's bigger too. The Surge foregoes the slim 12-ounce white can for a beefy blue 16-ounce tallboy.

It's not quite FourLoko's seltzer, which comes in at a whopping 14% ABV and immediately hisses, “Please keep the fire extinguisher on standby,” but The Takeout says a couple of these could really change the dynamic of a backyard barbecue pretty quickly.

While White Claw has continued to dominate the ever-growing hard seltzer market, many other brands and celebrities are getting in on the action. Most recently, Travis Scott launched his new CACTI Agave Spiked Seltzer in three flavors, and Sonic announced versions inspired by their signature slushes.

↦ Meanwhile: If alcoholic water isn't your go-to summertime beverage, perhaps we can make the case for rethinking frozen drinks?

In Other News

↦ Biden Administration Says It Will Withdraw U.S. Troops From Afghanistan By Sept. 11

↦ Prince Philip’s Funeral Car Will Be a Land Rover

↦ Couple Who Defaced $400,000 Painting Thought It Was a Public Art Project

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The “new” middle age

Smarter spring cleaning

Naomi Campbell’s Kenyan villa

Partner

Need Some Brain Food?

These focus-enhancing protein bars have become my go-to snack

It's a bit of a double-edged sword: when we're working as hard as we can to stay on top of work deadlines and the countless other things that demand our time and attention, often the area we most neglect is proper nutrition. When that slips, you not only feel more sluggish and soft, your brain doesn’t fire quite the same way either.

Hunger dulls your focus. You've no doubt noticed that before lunch or when that late-afternoon slump hits. We were introduced to IQBAR a few months ago and have quickly come to rely on them. From late night work sessions, before a big meeting or after a workout, I don't know when exactly they get to work, but I know I feel much better after eating one.

Unlike most packaged foods that sneak in a lot of unnecessary fillers and sugars, IQBARs are packed with plant-based protein and formulated with clean ingredients that are rich in compounds shown to benefit the brain and body. What's more, they're vegan and keto-friendly, too. Personally, I appreciate the flavor combinations, from Lemon Blueberry and Banana Nut to Peanut Butter Chip. Try all seven delicious IQBAR flavors with their Sampler Pack for $14.99.

↦ Explore: IQBAR protein bars

Sales We’re Eyeing

District Vision Thero Quarter-Zip Jacket

Thero quarter-zip jacket, $225 by District Vision

Right now, through April 16th, East Dane is hosting a Style Event sale, where the more you spend, the more money you save. Purchase $200 worth of goods and you save 15%, you get 20% off if you spend $500 and orders of $800+ receive 25% off. Just use the code STYLE. Here's what's in our cart so far.