The Daily Valet. - 7/17/20, Friday
✔️ Breaking Serious Records
Friday, July 17th Edition
Boy, the weeks seem to be flying by faster and faster ...
Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Today’s Big Story
U.S. Shatters Record for New Infections
And the loss of 969 lives was the biggest increase since June 10
As clashes over school reopenings and face-covering mandates intensified throughout the United States this week, the country shattered its single-day record for new coronavirus cases on Thursday, reports Reuters.
More than 77,000 new positive test results (with some numbers still to be announced) were reported—breaking the previous record of 68,241 cases, announced last Friday.
Florida on Thursday surpassed its single-day death toll for the second time this week, reporting 156 new fatalities. It was one of 10 states to reach a record for lives lost to the coronavirus in a single day this week, joining Idaho, Alabama, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, Texas, Hawaii, Montana and South Carolina.
According to the Associated Press, many of the governors leading states with the highest rising numbers had refused to mandate masks in public (or worse: prevented local officials from doing so on their own).
While a number of them have reversed course—including Arkansas’ Republican governor—and at least 25 states now have mask rules, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp this week banned cities and counties from requiring face coverings and then sued Atlanta to prevent the city from defying his order.
More than 138,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 so far—a toll that experts are warning will no doubt surge following recent record spikes in case numbers and an alarming rise in hospitalizations in many states.
↦ Quoted: “When a Category 5 hits, nobody argues whether it was a Category 5. No one says, ‘No, it was a Category 2.’” - Jared Moskowitz, director of Florida’s Dept. of Emergency Management on the complications due to misinformation and politics.
Russia Is Trying to Hack COVID-19 Vaccine Development
As if fighting this thing wasn’t hard enough
The United States, United Kingdom and Canada accused Russian hackers of trying to steal valuable private information about a coronavirus vaccine, calling out the Kremlin in an unusually detailed public warning to scientists and medical companies.
APT29, a hacker group that has been linked to the Kremlin and Russian-sanctioned hacking programs, undertook a campaign to steal information and intellectual property around the development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines, reports Vice.
It was unclear whether any useful information was stolen. But British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, “It is completely unacceptable that the Russian Intelligence Services are targeting those working to combat the pandemic.”
And more broadly, Thursday's announcement speaks to the cybersecurity vulnerability created by the pandemic. The Department of Homeland Security warned in May that cybercriminals were targeting research—noting at the time that the increase in people teleworking had created potential avenues for hackers to exploit.
↦ FYI: The same group was implicated in the hacking of Democratic email accounts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
The Global Birth Rate Is Crashing
Won’t the coming quarantine baby boom help?
Fertility rates are in free fall all over the world, which points to an enormous change in societies for upcoming generations. These were the findings of a study published this week.
According to the BBC, nearly every country in the world is looking at a dwindling population and 23 nations—Japan and Spain among them—could see their populations cut in half by the end of this century.
The math is pretty simple. For any population to grow, women need to have a little over an average of two kids. In 1950, the average global birthrate per woman was 4.7. By 2017, it was 2.4. Researchers estimate that by 2100, it’ll be at 1.7.
As a result, the number of people under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to about 400 million in 2100, while the number of people over 80 will increase from 141 million to nearly 900 million.
↦ Dig Deeper: The BBC breaks down the consequences of a smaller, older population.
Retail Therapy
America went shopping as lockdowns lifted, but retail could take another hit as cases rise again
Retail sales jumped 7.5% in June, giving stores and restaurants a much needed boost. And spending on clothing doubled. But that came before these new surges in cases, prompting renewed shutdowns in several states, reports NPR.
Retail sales crashed in a historic plunge this spring as people stopped going out to eat and shop—especially for clothes—during the early panicked days of the pandemic.
Across the United States, the June sales boost was better than economists had predicted but still a long way from normal, said Camilla Yanushevsky, equity analyst at CFRA Research.
Another bright spot is e-commerce, which is up a whopping 23.5% over last year. Although the category actually ticked down in June as more brick-and-mortar stores reopened, analysts believe online buying will continue to boom as spikes lead to more stores closing. I, for one, miss shopping in person but will continue to make the majority of my purchases from behind the safety of a computer screen.
In Other News
Other Things We’re Talking About Today
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Your Weekend Pairing
Cursed + a Glass of Mead Wine
Netflix’s new medieval drama Cursed isn’t quite Game of Thrones, but it will no doubt appeal to GoT fans. Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler, Cursed stars Katherine Langford as Nimue—an updated take on the Lady of the Lake enchantress from the legend of King Arthur. She's on a mission to find Merlin and deliver the ancient sword Excalibur, so not-yet-king Arthur (played by Devon Terrell) can eventually yank it out of the stone.
Vulture says like other medieval TV shows, Cursed has “a good amount of horseback combat, forbidden romance and eldritch evil.” And while it's skewed younger than Game of Thrones, Entertainment Weekly reports there's still plenty of intrigue, violence and even some semi-nudity to keep older audiences engaged.
↦ Your Pairing:When you think about medieval drinks, my mind immediately goes to knights drinking mead. The honey wine is old school—like one of the world's first alcoholic beverages. Which may be why it fell out of favor with wine lovers; until recently when it was taken back from the Renaissance Fair nerds and brought into the fold of food and wine lovers. There's now a swarm of bottles popping up on various wine lists thanks to its rustic, regional charm. This Colorado mead is less sweet than you might think, with a complex citrus tang and a gently effervescent finish.
What We’re Buying
Most people haven't heard of the Danish sneaker brand ARKK. That's okay. But insiders know it as a minimalist shoe revered for its comfort. Our friends at Huckberry have the premium European kicks on a massive discount. These functional lifestyle sneakers are a perfect contrast to most “chunkier” American styles. They aren't flashy—but calling them understated is a bit disrespectful—they're tasteful and a perfect summer shoe. Don't let the European shoe size conversion scare you away though, they actually tend to be a bit more accurate than U.S. sizes.
↦ Get It $185 / $73.98 at Huckberry
Today’s Deals
Ongoing Sale
Expires 7/19
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↦ Want More? See all 68 sales
Morning Motto
Take some time to rest. Savor it. Don’t feel guilty.
↦ Follow: @sophia.joan.short
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