🎨 Color Us Excited

🇲🇲 Myanmar Update

At least 114 anticoup protestors in Myanmar were killed by government soldiers and local police, according to the Associated Press, marking the deadliest day of protests since Myanmar’s military seized power in a February 1 coup.

• On Sunday, Myanmar security forces reportedly opened fire on a crowd attending a funeral for a student killed the previous day. There were no immediate reports of casualties, though at least nine deaths were reported elsewhere that day.

More: Saturday’s death toll reportedly included at least six children between the ages of 10 and 16. Protesters have started referring to the dead as “Fallen Stars.”

🗽 NY Vaccine Passport

New York became the first state to launch a digital COVID-19 vaccination and testing passport app on Friday.

• Called the Excelsior Pass, the blockchain-powered app allows New Yorkers to download or print a code proving they’ve been vaccinated or recently tested negative for the virus.

More: Residents need to download the app and answer a series of personal questions to confirm their identity before receiving a QR code, if eligible. The data comes from the state vaccination registry along with a number of pre-approved testing companies. Participation is voluntary.

🇪🇸 Spain’s Non-Distanced Concert

Some 5,000 Spaniards attended an indoor concert with no social distancing Saturday night after taking a rapid COVID-19 test to gain entry, though masks were required throughout the event.

• The government-approved concert served as a test for whether similar events will be able to start up again in Spain.
• Similar trial concert or festival events have also been held in Germany and the Netherlands.

More: The British government will run a series of test events next month with no mandatory social distancing, including one at a nightclub in Liverpool.

🧠 In the Know…

📚 Children’s author Beverly Cleary, who chronicled the adventures of Ramona and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins, and more, passed away at 104. | Larry McMurty, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and screenwriter who depicted the American West, died at 84.

🌧️ Nashville, TN, experienced its second-highest two-day rain total in history over the weekend, leaving at least four people dead due to flooding.

💰 WeWork It Out

WeWork announced a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) BowX Acquisition valuing the office-sharing startup at $9B including debt. As part of the deal, WeWork plans to raise $1.3B.

• The agreement comes two years after WeWork’s first attempt at an IPO – valuing the company at $47B – fell apart, leading to the ouster of founder and then-CEO Adam Neumann.

🚢 Suez Canal Update

The 220k-ton container ship leased by Taiwan’s Evergreen Corp. – which has been wedged across the Suez Canal since Wednesday – was partially freed earlier this morning.

• At least twelve tugboats were deployed to assist efforts to unstick the ship, while excavators dug at the wall of the canal.

More: Roughly 10% of all world trade flows through Egypt’s Suez Canal. The blockage holds up an estimated $400M an hour in trade ($9B+ per day), according to shipping data and news company Lloyd’s List. 

Even More: The head of the Suez Canal Authority said Saturday that weather conditions were “not the main reasons” for the ship’s grounding, per the BBC, adding “there may have been technical or human errors” and that an investigation is ongoing.

🖊️ And Now His Watch Begins…

A Song of Ice & Fire author George R. R. Martin signed a new five-year deal with HBO to make content for the network and HBO Max.

• According to the Hollywood Reporter, the deal is “worth mid-eight figures.”

More: Five projects based on the Game of Thrones universe are reportedly already in development, in addition to one greenlit series premiering in 2022 (House of the Dragon).

🧠 In the Know…

🏀 The Men’s & Women’s Sweet Sixteen concluded yesterday (Live bracket: Men’s | Women’s). The Elite Eight tips off later today and finishes up on Tuesday, setting the stage for the Final Four this weekend.

📝 Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6B defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, accusing the network of spreading false claims that the company was involved in voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. (From the Left | From the Right)

❄️⛸🏒A Very Nice Deed

In the small town of Seaforth, Ontario, Graham Nesbitt is a local legend and role model. Former manager of the town’s popular ice-rink, Graham spent years becoming “a good guy to call” whenever someone needed time on the ice.

• Graham often opened the rink early and stayed late, sometimes even going to work on heavy snow days so kids could get extra time to practice what they loved.

“He just wanted kids to be active and busy, not getting into trouble. It was his outlet as a kid and he wanted to pass it on.“

Images: Twitter

When news spread that Graham would need a kidney replacement due to complications with Bergers Disease, people from around town lined up to see if they were a match.

• Earlier this month, Bonnie O’Reilly – the mom of two hockey players that used to skate at Graham’s rink, gave her kidney to save his life.
• Thanks to Graham always opening the rink for her sons to get extra practice time, both men are now professional hockey players in the NHL.

“What you’ve done for my boys, helping them achieve their goal of playing professional hockey, it’s the least we can do.”