The Daily Valet. - 8/28/23, Monday
✔️ Remembering a Very Important Dream
Monday, August 28th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
If we’re going to start using LinkedIn more, do you think I need a new profile pic?
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Today’s Big Story
Honoring MLK’s Dream
Thousands march to mark the 60th anniversary of the legendary Civil Rights speech
Sixty years ago today, more than 250,000 assembled in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. for what is still considered one of the greatest and most consequential racial justice demonstrations in U.S. history—Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech, which helped till the ground for passage of federal civil rights and voting rights legislation in the next few years.Under a nearly cloudless sky, the crowd—a fifth of them white—gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to rally for “jobs and freedom.” The roster included speakers from nearly every segment of society—labor leaders like Walter Reuther, clergy, film stars such as Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando and folksingers such as Joan Baez. Each of the speakers was allotted fifteen minutes, but the day belonged to the young and charismatic leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.King's speech galvanized the civil rights movement. Interestingly, his friend and fellow speech writer, Clarence Jones, was with him on that fateful day and noticed that the copies being handed out to the press and others didn't contain a notice of copyright protection. He hand-wrote a copyright on each page, which would ultimately pay off, quite literally. “Little did I realize the value of that copyright would amount to millions of dollars over the years for the King estate and his foundation,” he told USA Today.However, a recent study by the Pew Research Center suggests that the content of that seismic speech is fading in Americans' collective memory. So perhaps this anniversary is coming at just the right time. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people gathered in D.C. to declare MLK's dream was in jeopardy—that America had slid backwards in its fight against hatred and bigotry. According to NPR, the five-hour program featured dozens of high-profile speakers who noted the prevalence of civil rights abuses, such as systemic racism, hate speech, hate crimes, police brutality, gun violence, poverty, the loss of voting rights and the collapse of reproductive rights, to name just a few topics that surfaced.Organizers wanted to remind the nation that the original march wasn't just about dreaming of a country that lived up to its promises of equality and liberty to pursue happiness. They wanted legislative action then, and they want the same now.
DIg Deeper:
Before Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, a group of civil rights activists spent a summer planning an event many didn’t want to happen.
Everyone Seemingly Moves to LinkedIn
It appears that the professional Social Media site is cool now
If you haven't refreshed your LinkedIn profile in a little while, you'd better get on it. Not because your job is in danger, but because it's where everyone's hanging out these days. Yes, the 20-year-old job networking site known for professional, often cringy, self-promotion, is cool now, reports Bloomberg.If you were looking for a sign that the social media age is well past its prime (or, at least, having a serious identity crisis), here it is. People are now strewn from Threads to BlueSky, others have already tried and abandoned Mastadon and still more are deciding if they're too old to be messing with TikTok. But it's a fairly safe bet that most people you know are on LinkedIn, right?Bloomberg's Sarah Frier reports that LinkedIn users shared 41% more content on the network this spring than they did in the same period in 2021. According to Wired, LinkedIn users are increasingly sharing baby pics, wedding photos, and other kinds of posts you wouldn't have necessarily found there years ago. But not everyone's sold. On her Substack Embedded, Kate Lindsay says “I cannot think of a more inauthentic place for [social connection] than the platform where everyone posts their resume.” Social media is supposed to be “candid and messy,” she says, but LinkedIn is about being professional and brand-safe. She's got a point, right?
Partner
Over time, men naturally produce less testosterone. But there's something you can do to change that.
Could Mask Mandates Actually Return?
Hello darkness, my old friend ...
Are mask mandates making a comeback? A “growing number of experts” say it's time to pull those leftover N95 masks out of the junk drawer to protect against a rising tide of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. In fact, on Sunday, several U.S. hospital systems have reinstated mask-wearing requirements for patients and staff.Cities and states have widely dropped mask mandates as Covid rates have dropped, but they're now returning in a few private settings. Deadline reported that movie studios are bringing them back. According to Yahoo News, officials are keeping their eyes on schools as classes get underway across the country, especially with the Eris variant becoming more widespread.The U.S. is still weeks away from getting new booster shots, but more and more people are not only getting infected with COVID, but getting sick enough to be hospitalized. The most recent week-to-week data from the CDC show a 21.6% increase in hospital stays related to COVID. Vaccines that have been tweaked to teach the body how to fend off the current crop of circulating variants are now expected to land in drugstores and clinics in mid-September, CDC and FDA officials said.
Meanwhile:
A new study shows that ‘long COVID’ is likely to cause mass misery if treatments can’t be developed.
Lego Releases Braille Bricks
Bricks with studs corresponding to braille numbers and letters will be available to buy
Here's some sweet news to start the week. After the initial announcement of its Braille Bricks in 2019, LEGO has announced that the accessible kit will be available for purchase for the first time. The announcement has come after an overwhelming and positive response from around the world, just ahead of World Blind Awareness Month this October. Up until now, the LEGO Foundation had distributed the kits free of charge, as part of a pilot program, to organizations specializing in the education of children with vision impairment.How exactly do they work? Well, instead of having eight studs like standard Lego, the studs are arranged into the Braille alphabet, with space below for a visual indicator of the letter, symbol or number. According to the Guardian, Lego hopes the initiative will help parents and siblings share in learning braille, and the packs will include ideas for a range of educational games that families can play together.Creative Bloq says the set includes two baseplates and 287 bricks in five colors – yellow, blue, red, green and white, and the box comes with braille embossing. There are also some suggested games, called Play Starters, included, to help people get into using the bricks, as well as a supporting blog, which contains activities with braille.
Get It:
Want to pre-order a set? Lego now has them available for purchase on the brand's site.
In Other News
Sheriff says the shooter targeted Black shoppers in hate-motivated killings.
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Partner
You’re Getting Older, But You Don’t Have to Feel Old
Optimizing this essential hormone is the key to better health
Here's an unfortunate truth: Our bodies create less testosterone as we age. But it's not just that your testosterone levels decline as you age, it's that they decline dramatically. In fact, testosterone in men has been declining by as much as 1% a year since 1987. And that decrease impacts everything from your strength and mood to your stamina and motivation. Optimizing your hormones with Wellcore Hormone Replacement Therapy can change your life, returning you to the state of vitality that you never knew was gone.Their customized program can be tailored for both men and women. That's because it's built around your body's data and personal health goals—complete with regular consultations to stay on track. Wellcore's modern and convenient blood collection device ensures accurate results (while also eliminating any needle fears). In a secure videochat, a licensed clinician will review your lab work with you, and then you'll receive a kit containing three months of hormone treatment that you administer from the comfort of home. Throughout the process, the clinical team will monitor your body's response to hormone optimization to ensure you're getting the most from the treatment. It's as close to supercharging your body as you can come. And Wellcore now also offers a hormone optimization program for women, too.
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Shopping
What We’re Buying
A rugged chore jacket
Have we entered chore jacket season yet? If not, it's just around th corner. And we've found the perfect one to start with. This classic jacket ($275) is made in France by a company that's been crafting them for over a century. Built from a 100% cotton moleskin fabric, it's incredibly durable and yet gets softer with each wear and wash. It's available in half a dozen different colors, but you can't go wrong with the classic shade of navy. It has three generous patch pockets and is finished with natural Corozo buttons along with the brand's historic label of authenticity that's not only hand-numbered, but also has a space for your name.
Want More?
The five stylish items you should be buying this week.
Morning Motto
Embrace the stuff you love most.
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