Bright And Pearly

Coronavirus Updates

Global confirmed cases rose above 5.9 million yesterday, with more than 361,800 deaths. The number of confirmed U.S. cases rose to nearly 1.77 million, with 103,319 deaths.

• Several new studies analyzing data from major world cities show that the world is still far from herd immunity. Check out the antibody statistics.
• France will lift most virus-related restrictions on June 2 with the exception of the Paris region, which must wait until June 22 to reopen.
• Illinois - the only state to meet all of the White House’s criteria for reopening - will move into Phase 3 on Friday. See where your state stands on loosening restrictions here.
• Cyprus’s government pledged to cover the holiday costs of any tourists that test positive for COVID-19 after visiting. The country plans to reopen its airports on June 9 to several low-risk countries.
• The Boston Marathon was canceled for the first time in its 124-year history.

George Floyd Protests Continue

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz declared a state of emergency in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area on Thursday. Violent protests continued in the region for the third straight day over the death of George Floyd - an unarmed man who died in police custody earlier this week. Other protests broke out Thursday in Los Angeles and New York City.

More: George Floyd was detained by Minneapolis police Monday evening and died shortly after. The four officers involved were fired the next day after a bystander video was released showing an officer pinning Floyd to the ground with his knee as he struggled to breathe.

DOJ Unseals Indictment Against North Koreans

The DOJ unsealed an indictment against a network of 30 North Korean and Chinese nationals yesterday. The individuals are charged with helping North Korea dodge U.S. sanctions by laundering more than $2.5 billion to fund its nuclear weapons program. The information comes from charges filed in February that were made public yesterday.

The Coronavirus Effect

• Another 2.1 million Americans filed for unemployment in the week ending May 23. About 40.7 million U.S. workers have filed jobless claims over the past 10 weeks.
• American Airlines said it will cut 30% of management and administrative staff (more than 5,000 workers), starting with voluntary employee buyouts.
• Several major airlines announced new COVID-19 policies over the past few days as demand begins to return to the industry.
• Amazon announced plans to permanently hire 125,000 temporary warehouse workers it brought on board over the past months to meet increased demand (~70%).

Earn Baby Earn

Tesla confirmed that CEO Elon Musk earned the first of twelve incentive-based stock options, made up of about 1.7 million shares. Musk was awarded the first portion of his stock options - valued at ~$775 million at Thursday's close - for keeping Tesla’s market capitalization above $100 billion on a 30-day and six-month trailing average.

More: Musk’s compensation agreement with Tesla - signed in 2018 - is structured around 12 equal “tranches” of stock options that are unlocked based on certain operating milestones (pictured here).

Just What The Doctor Ordered

CVS Pharmacy announced a partnership with tech startup Nuro to begin a pilot prescription delivery program next month in Houston. Nuro’s fleet of driverless vehicles is expected to offer delivery within three hours or less to CVS customers, who will receive the free service when ordering online.

Save The Date

When his wife Shonna was admitted to the hospital 23 weeks into her pregnancy, professional relationship coach Robert Conlin was devastated. According to the hospital’s coronavirus restrictions, Robert would not be allowed to visit his expectant wife for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Determined to show Shonna his enduring support, Robert has held weekly date nights from the sidewalk four stories below her hospital room window. Sitting at a table - complete with tablecloth and food - Robert displays handwritten signs expressing his love for his wife and unborn child.

March of the Penguins

Humans are not the only ones struggling with boredom during the coronavirus shutdown. With no visitors to occupy their attention, some of the Humboldt penguins at the Kansas City Zoo in Missouri have grown restless.

Looking for a way to capture the critters’ curiosity, the zoo staff arranged for a special penguin tour of a local art museum. Three penguins - Bubbles, Maggie, and Berkley - spent a recent morning waddling through the museum, enjoying their own private art history experience.

An Instrumental Part of Graduation

With high schools across the country transitioning to online graduation ceremonies due to COVID-19, parents and teachers have jumped into action to give their students as much pomp as possible, given the circumstances.

A music teacher in Minnesota spent hours ensuring his graduating seniors received a traditional sendoff to the popular graduation anthem, “Pomp and Circumstances.” The talented educator filmed himself playing - and conducting - a total of 22 instruments to complete a recording of the piece for his school’s virtual commencement ceremony.

What is art?

Per Wikipedia, art is “the expression of imaginative, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.”

And that describes Steve Tate’s work perfectly
Twenty years of experience with paints and applications gives his work a sophistication and elegance that is unparalleled. The end result? A relationship of thoughts, feelings, and emotion on canvas.

Pure and dynamic. Raw and from the heart.
An accidental experiment, tinged with a dash of inspiration, magic, humility, and romance - see what happens when it all comes together.