The Daily Valet. - 4/19/21, Monday

✔️ Which Half Are You?

Monday, April 19th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I will try to pick up at least one discarded mask today.

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Half of U.S. Adults Have Been Jabbed

A milestone in the nation’s largest-ever vaccination campaign

Over the weekend, I got a shot of Moderna in my left arm and as the soreness subsides, I’m left with nothing but gratitude. And I’m not alone. Over half of all adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, the government announced Sunday.

The official tally is just over 50.4% of American adults. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 84 million adults, or about 32.5% of the population, have been fully vaccinated.

The news comes two days after the reported global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million, according to totals compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 566,000 of those deaths have happened in the United States, which is the highest death toll for any individual country.

Back in January, when the world passed the bleak threshold of 2 million deaths, immunization drives had just started in the U.S. and Europe. Today, they’re underway in more than 190 countries (though progress in bringing the virus under control varies widely).

President Joe Biden announced earlier in the month that by today, all American adults would be eligible for a vaccine. And the U.S. currently has enough doses available for every American, according to the White House. The country is averaging 3.3 million doses administered a day—even with the pausing of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

But that may increase even more as Dr. Anthony Fauci said Sunday he believes the U.S. will likely resume use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine later this week, albeit with a warning or restriction attached.

↦ Meanwhile: Vaccinated travelers should still avoid eating and drinking on planes, experts say.

Changing the Supreme Court?

But not necessarily the changes you expect

Last week, a group of House and Senate Democrats introduced legislation to expand the Supreme Court to 13 members from nine. The bill is unlikely to move forward even with Democrats in control of Congress—at least not before a new commission named last week by President Biden completes a study exploring the subject.

But that commission is already facing political headwinds before it convenes its first meeting. Dismissed by some on the right as an effort to “pack the court” with additional justices, the 36-member group also drew fire from some quarters on the left for its composition of academics, limited mandate and six-month timeline to finish its work.

Liberal activists and some judiciary scholars have been pushing for reforms as Republican leaders in Congress built a 6-to-3 conservative Supreme Court majority over the past several years.

As for the will of the people, a majority of Americans (over 63%) want to end lifetime appointments for justices, according to an Ipsos poll for Reuters, though only 38% are in favor of other efforts to reform the Supreme Court, like expanding the size of the court by adding four more justices.

↦ FYI: While the number of justices has changed in the past, the court's size has been set for more than 150 years.

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Face Masks Are a Pollution Problem

The numbers will shock you ...

As we slowly return to some semblance of normalcy, one joke you continually hear is that “nature is healing.” But anyone who's walked outside and seen grimy masks littering the ground knows that nature ... could be better.

I'll be the first to admit: I'm not eager to touch what has shielded a person's potentially virus-laden breath. So it stays there until it blows away—from grocery store parking lots to beaches on uninhabited islands. And that elemental problem is rapidly changing the landscape around the world, reports National Geographic.

Of course, a year ago, the idea that disposable face masks, gloves and wipes could become environmental hazards wasn't as pressing as keeping everyone safe. But now, animals are being harmed and the number of masks out there is staggering.

Globally, 129 billion face masks are used every month—that translates into 3 million per minute. They may be called disposable, because they're cheap enough to be used once and then thrown away. But here's the hitch: They don't actually go away.

↦ Remember: Cut the straps on your masks before disposing of them. Especially if you're throwing them away in an outdoor trashcan.

Mushroom Sneakers

adidas introduces the first shoe made from Mylo, a leather-like mushroom material

You've got to applaud this kind of innovation. In an effort to weed out plastic waste and evolve its leather use, adidas just unveiled the brand's first shoe made with Mylo's “Unleather,” a material crafted from the root structure of mushrooms.

The material required for this shoe takes less than two weeks to grow and uses a high-tech vertical agriculture process that allows for the mycelium to grow in a space-efficient system.

The new shoe is part of the company's push to only use natural materials in their shoes, like the natural rubber midsole, to reduce adidas' environmental impact. This version of their legendary Stan Smith retains the white upper (with a cream, rather than green heel pad) and a sole colored in the light brown we tend to associate with “natural” rubber color.

Currently only a concept, the company expects to launch a “commercially available proof of concept” in the near future.

↦ FYI: Fashion designer (and lifelong vegetarian) Stella McCartney was one of the first to experiment with Mylo, crafting a bag from the material in 2018.

In Other News

↦ Closing Arguments in Derek Chauvin Trial Set to Begin Monday

↦ The Moments and Details You Might Have Missed at Prince Funeral

↦ Here’s Who Took Home Trophies at the ACM Awards

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The stuff we’re buying now

“Gucciaga”

These songs

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The Meadow,$45

The Luna,$68

The Lemon Drop potted orchid, $85

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What We’re Buying

As someone who upgraded to the Pro version the last time they were marked down, I can attest that they're worth every penny. They have excellent active noise cancellation and no earbud pairs faster with an iPhone. Active guys will appreciate the IPIX 4 water/sweat resistance rating and Siri functionality. And everyone loves the wireless charging case. Now, they're less than $200 and shipping for free with a Prime membership.

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