The Daily Valet. - 5/5/21, Wednesday
✔️ It's Cinco de Mayo
Wednesday, May 5th Edition
Who’s going to help me clean up the parks?
Cory Ohlendorf, Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s edition is presented by
Today’s Big Story
It’s Cinco de Mayo
In Mexico, May 5th marks the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla (not their Independence Day)
Cinco de Mayo falls in the middle of the week in 2021, and what a difference a year will make. Last year, nearly every restaurant and bar was closed. Now, we can actually get together with fellow vaxxed friends and that alone is reason to celebrate.
But what is the holiday all about, really? Often mistaken by Americans for Mexico’s Independence Day (which is September 16), Cinco de Mayo has grown beyond its history and become something of a cultural bond between some Mexican immigrants and their roots.
The holiday commemorates an underdog victory over France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The victory was galvanizing for the Mexican forces, but it was short-lived, as France later occupied Mexico for a few years.
And while it’s not widely celebrated throughout Mexico, the day is still celebrated in Puebla every year with an impressive military parade that remembers the bravery of the Mexican troops who fought on that day. Unfortunately, this year the parade and accompanying fair had to be canceled to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
So how did it become something of an American tradition? In the early 1960s, many Mexican-American activists entrenched in the country’s growing civil rights movement used the day as a source of pride.
Of course, capitalism took hold and now the date has become synonymous with all sorts of ways to celebrate Mexican culture—often in over-the-top, inauthentic ways. Case in point: Thrillist has a round-up of all the places you can get free and discounted food and drinks to celebrate the day.
↦ Tequila: InsideHook tested entirely too much tequila to identify the ideal bottles for sipping, shots and cocktails, including a few surprises.
Biden Sets New Vaccine Goals
Aims to have 70% of adults with at least one shot by the Fourth of July
President Joe Biden set a new vaccination goal to deliver at least one shot to 70% of adult Americans by July Fourth as he tackles the problem of convincing the “doubters” and those unmotivated to get inoculated.
Demand for vaccines has dropped off recently, with some states leaving more than half their available doses unordered. According to the Wall Street Journal, drugstores like CVS are seeing demand for shots has fallen by about 30% after administering more than 17 million doses in the U.S.
The White House said Tuesday it would begin reallocating some vaccine doses to states with higher demand for shots and direct pharmacies to offer walk-in vaccinations. This is the first major shift in how vaccines are allocated since Biden took office.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that the administration is grappling with how to send Americans a complex message: A normal life is within reach if you get vaccinated—but the crisis is far from over, so don't fully relax your guard.
↦ FYI: Already more than 56% of American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 105 million are fully vaccinated.
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The Olympics Is Threatened Again
Can the Tokyo Games really go on?
The Japanese government is considering extending a coronavirus spurred state of emergency in Tokyo and other major urban areas, a move that could cast doubt on the postponed 2020 Summer Olympics.
Extending the measures, which were imposed on April 25, would likely fan persistent concerns about whether the Games, scheduled to begin in about 11 weeks, can be held as planned.
Organizers already had to reroute the torch relay away from the streets of Osaka, where one health official said the spread of new variants were stressing the medical system. And while Japan has done a good job controlling the virus overall—scroll down the list of countries by cases and deaths and it takes a while before you get to them—unfortunately, their vaccination rate is just as low.
And when you look at a current coronavirus map, it's still ablaze in reds and bright oranges. India is ravaged. Parts of Europe and much of South America are all still awash in the virus. It seems like the very thing that makes the Olympics so compelling—bringing together people from all over the world—is what makes it dangerous. And time, simply, might be running out.
↦ Dig Deeper: Qualifying for the Games can be the achievement of a lifetime. In the coronavirus era, though, one bad test and your chance ends before it begins.
Let’s Take Care of the Parks
Open spaces carried the pandemic year on their backs. Here’s how to thank them.
I can't count the number of times my partner and I ate in a park during the past year. But I do know it was basically every weekend. We'd pick up some take out and find a nice socially-distanced spot to relax and eat in the fresh air—allowing us a respite from the Groundhog Day of WFH life.
The healing power of being in nature? The fulfillment that comes from an outdoor workout? The chance to hold court on a blanket with a rotating cast of friends? Parks have served us well. According to a survey by the National Recreation and Parks Association, 83% of adults polled said their local parks were “essential” for their well-being during the pandemic.
Vice makes a very good point: These green spaces deserve a hearty “thank you for… everything!” in the form of some good old-fashioned public service.
They offer up a few easy ways to give back to our parks—and to chill—in the process. But one of the easiest and most effective ways is organizing a park clean-up. And if you need some help, there are helpful guides available from brands like REI to get you started.
↦ FYI: There are 22,764 official parks in the 100 largest U.S, cities, according to the Trust for Public Land.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Morning Motto
Confidence is always cool.
↦ Follow: @badkissings
That’s all for today...
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