The Daily Valet. - 5/17/22, Tuesday

✔️ Well This Isn't Great

May 17, 2022

Tuesday, May 17th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

The Cannes Film Festival kicks off today … without me.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

The State of COVID Today

A grim milestone and a warning about reinfections

The CDC on Monday formally confirmed that COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have surpassed 1 million. That’s roughly the American death toll in the Civil War and World War II combined.

We now have the highest reported COVID-19 death toll of any country, though health experts have long suspected that the real number of deaths in places such as India, Brazil and Russia is higher than the official figures they’re providing.

The U.S. is currently averaging about 300 COVID-19 deaths per day (compared to a peak of about 3,400 a day in January 2021). New cases are on the rise again, climbing more than 60% in the past two weeks to an average of about 86,000 a day—still well below the all-time high of over 800,000, reached when the omicron variant was raging during the winter.

Dr. Eric Topol, founder and director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told PBS News Hour, “The problem we have is this illusion or deception that the pandemic is over, when, in fact, these variants that we’re seeing are coming at a much faster clip.”

According to the New York Times, scientists are now discovering that those infected with the first Omicron variant are reporting second infections with the newer versions of the variant. Sometimes within just months of a previous infection. Of course, this is not how it was supposed to be. Earlier in the pandemic, experts thought immunity from vaccination or previous infection would keep you from getting reinfected right away.

But the Omicron variant dashed those hopes. According to U.K governmental data, reinfections usually appear to be mild in otherwise healthy (and vaxxed) people. But some reinfections are serious, and people who had a milder first infection with a lower viral load were at higher risk of being reinfected. So live your life, but be careful out there.

↦ Meanwhile: North Korea has an “explosive” COVID outbreak and 0% vaccination rate.

This Isn’t What Putin Wanted

He wins some, but seems to lose much more

Ukrainian fighters have ended their weeks-long defense of a besieged steel plant in the strategic port city of Mariupol, as hundreds of combatants—dozens of them seriously wounded—were evacuated from the complex Monday, reports the Washington Post.

Losing Mariupol is seen as a significant setback for Kyiv. It allows Russia to establish a vital land bridge between Crimea (the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in 2014), and Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine's east. However, Putin faced a series of setbacks Monday that probably outweighed this battle's victory.

Sweden is joining neighboring Finland in formally seeking to join NATO—a move that will deal a serious diplomatic blow to Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told NBC News that the invasion is “not going as Moscow had planned” and that “Ukraine can win this war.”

Putin says Russia's “response” to them joining NATO would come if the two Nordic nations expand their “military infrastructure.” But it's clear that in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance—bolstered by timely and massive shipments of Western arms—Russia's Plan B (or is this Plan C?) isn't quite working the way Putin had hoped.

↦ Meanwhile: McDonald’s is leaving Russia for good after three decades.

NBA Predictions

We’re down to the final four in the playoffs, and the draft lottery is tonight

Here we are ... after a pair of Game 7s on Sunday, the NBA's conference final matchups are set. In the East, it's the No. 1 Miami Heat vs. the No. 2 Boston Celtics playing tonight. Tomorrow, it'll be the No. 3 Warriors against the No. 4 Dallas Mavericks for the West.

The title hasn't been this up for grabs in quite a while. It genuinely feels like any one of these four teams could end up in the Finals, but of course, everyone has opinions on who actually will make it.

Then there's the NBA draft lottery. According to Sports Illustrated, tonights drawing doesn't have quite as much overt consequence to it as we've seen in past years. No team is losing its pick as a result of the ping pong balls, and there may not be a sure-thing superstar lying in wait—but that doesn't mean there's not quite a bit on the line.

Want to dig into it? The Ringer offers up some last-minute projections on the first round before the ping-pong balls settle the final order. Who should the Rockets take at no. 1?

↦ FYI: Tiffany & Co. just redesigned the Larry O’Brien NBA Finals Championship trophy.

The Future of Music Festivals?

Stay home, save money and stream it

Is a summer music festival really a summer music festival without overpriced drinks, long lines at the porta-potties and the threat of heat stroke? Well, let's find out. Because Hulu has acquired the exclusive streaming rights to Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits.

For all three festivals, select performances will be live-streamed exclusively to Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional special footage and behind-the-scenes looks will also be available, and the specific livestream schedules will be announced in the weeks prior to each event.

“The demand for live music is at an all-time high and the live experience has never been more connected to digital,” one show producer told Deadline. “By expanding our partnership with Hulu, even more fans will be able to tune into each of these incredible festival experiences in real-time.”

Bonnaroo (June 16-19) in Manchester, Tennessee, will feature performances from Stevie Nicks, Machine Gun Kelly, The Chicks and J. Cole. Chicago's Lollapalooza (July 29-31) will be headlined by Metallica, Dua Lipa, Green Day and Doja Cat. Then in October, Austin City Limits will feature sets from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, P!NK, Kacey Musgraves and Lil Nas X.

↦ FYI: The AV Club rounds up all the outdoor music festivals “littering the country” this summer.

In Other News

↦ Kim Kardashian, 74-Year-Old Maye Musk Cover 2022 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

↦ A Guy Spotted a Delivery Robot “Lost in the Woods,” but We’d Like to Think It Was Just Trying to Find Itself

↦ The Federal Government Is Offering Another Round of Free COVID Tests

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

“Dad Cinema”

This solar-powered plane

These beverage tablets

Improve Your Posture

And be amazed by how much it helps you

If you're reading this at your desk or on your phone, chances are, you're bending toward the screen and your posture could be better. No judgement, here. I myself have terrible posture and am trying to slowly improve it.

How? Pull your head back in line with the rest of your body and then shift your shoulders back. Now breathe in ... feel that? Nice right? Experts agree: when you improve your posture, you improve your life. First, standing straight makes you taller and because your shoulders are pulled back, your waist looks slimmer. You appear more confident and powerful. But you don't just look better, you physically feel better too.

That's because when your head, neck and spine are appropriately positioned, the muscles, bones and joints that support them aren't strained. Which means it's easier to breathe and to move. You'll also notice less stiffness and fewer headaches.

We asked some ergonomic experts for some pointers. And here's the good news: all you need to do is a few quick and easy exercises throughout the day to realign your spine. Do them consistently and in no time, your body will fall in line naturally.

↦ Read: How to improve your posture to look and feel better.

The Best Basic T-Shirts at Any Price

100% organic cotton classic tee,$19.95 by Gap

In the pantheon of menswear, there’s really nothing more universal than the T-shirt. Everyone owns several in their wardrobe and it's always the trusty garment that literally goes with anything and can be worn in every season. Besides being the most democratic piece to own, tees are also the easiest to stock up on. We've picked out some tees that'll help keep you cool all season and are also available at any budget.