Is This COVID’s Deadliest Strain?

Read OnlineOZY Tuesday, January 05, 2021 Bold start. Smooth finish. The newsletter that interesting people love. Sponsored by Good morning! I usually need a drink or two before I can pick up the mic at a karaoke bar. But perhaps all I need is a drive. Hitch a ride with a unique karaoke taxi today, as you meet South America's next soccer star, check out a gun that heals and sculptures that provoke, and figure out why you don't want to flush the toilet in Cape Town. Charu Sudan Kasturi, Senior Editor News in a Minute 1. Washington on the Boil Enrique Tarrio, the leader of far right group Proud Boys, was arrested Monday on charges of destroying a Black Lives Matter banner at an African American church in Washington, D.C., last month. The city is tense ahead of a Wednesday rally by supporters of President Donald Trump seeking to overturn election results where the president lost. Top CEOs have urged Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden's win. (Sources: WaPo, Al Jazeera, WSJ) 2. Tougher Than the Rest Health officials are warning that the new COVID-19 strain found in South Africa might be more resilient to vaccines than the U.K. variant that yesterday sent Britain back into lockdown. Meanwhile, Germany and Denmark might delay the administration of second shots of the vaccine because of a shortage of doses. (Sources: CBS, BBC, Guardian) 3. Give Peace a Chance Saudi Arabiaand Qatar appear to have decided to reopen their borders in a bid to resolve a bitter three-year dispute that saw Riyadh break ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism. (Source: FT) 4. Dangerous Asylum Mexico, among the world's deadliest nations for journalists, might grant asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. A British court Monday ruled against extraditing Assange to the U.S., where he is wanted on espionage charges. Should Assange face U.S. courts? Vote on Twitter. (Sources: BuzzFeed, Reuters, Deutsche Welle) Car-aoke In central Taiwan, you can buy a taxi ride for a song — literally. Hop into Tu Ching Liang's yellow taxi, and belt out a karaoke performance. If Tu likes it, you get a discount. He has become a social media celebrity, videos of passengers singing in his car watched millions of times.  The Best Of Military History Dive into the wild world of spies, warriors and heroes with CuriosityStream'sMilitary History Collection. The coolest new streaming service brings you the best of nonfiction. Interested in something else? They have thousands of documentaries on topics ranging from food to space exploration to animals. Best of all, for a limited time OZY readers can spark their curiosity and get a full year of access for only $1.25/month with an annual plan using the code OZY. SIGN UP NOW South America's Breakout Stars It's always good to know your neighbors — pandemic lockdowns have driven that truism home for me. Meet some of the rising stars of America's extended neighborhood.    1. Martín Guzmán TheArgentine economist scored goals on the soccer field while pursuing his PhD at Brown University. Now the 38-year-old is scripting a bold success story as his country's finance minister. He took over an economy in tatters — and that was before the pandemic hit — but sealed a deal with global creditors that had seemed impossible, ending a debt default. Mentored by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, Guzmán is today among the world's most watched economy ministers. 2.  Betsayda Machado She's been called the voice of Venezuela. She's also a voice of protest that's gaining global attention amid her country's devastating economic crisis and political divisions. Machado's Afro-Venezuelan music includes songs about hunger, shortages of medicines and riots. They're powerful and popular, giving her a shield against a regime known to target opponents. 3. Gabriel Martinelli It takes unnatural maturity at the age of 14 to leave a big Brazilian soccer club and head to a fourth-tier team to refine your game away from the limelight. And it takes stunning skills to leave such a mark that European teams hunt for you in the sport's lower divisions to pick you as their future. That's what the Sao Paulo-born striker — now 19 — has accomplished after his first season with top English club Arsenal. He's already being compared to Ronaldo, the Brazilian legend of the 1990s and 2000s. Lionel Messi, watch out. Today on 'The Carlos Watson Show' Michael Barbaro, the host of The New York Times' The Daily podcast, shares the lessons he has learned from audio journalism and takes us behind the scenes into the racial reckoning happening in The Times' offices. Watch later today. Under-the-Radar Medical Marvels What happens when we finally bring the pandemic under control? Here's a snapshot of new medical finds and innovations unrelated to COVID-19, which could ensure a healthier tomorrow. 1. Wonder Web If you do it smartly, you could fool people into thinking you're Spider-Man, unleashing a web from your wrist. In fact, what you have is a new medical gun designed by Israeli scientists that shoots out web-like, breathable covering for burnt skin that can eliminate the need to change bandages. British doctors are now using the technology. 2. Protein Puzzle We eat it and our body is made up of it, but what does protein actually look like? Until now, scientists didn't really know. Now, Google's artificial intelligence program DeepMind has solved one of biology's most lingering puzzles, decoding the structure of proteins and thrilling scientists who believe they now have a better shot at developing life-saving drugs. 3. Treating Trauma It's all about memory. Scientists have found that only those who remember childhood trauma vividly are likelier to suffer from depression, anxiety, PTSD and substance abuse than those who were victims of abuse but no longer recall it. The dramatic findings offer the clearest medical evidence yet to show that adverse experiences need not shape our lives. Inquiry-Driven Leadership Sponsored by the MIT Sloan School of Management, Delivered in Collaboration With GetSmarter Asking the right questions has the power to dissolve the barriers to creative thinking and channel the pursuit of solutions into new, accelerated pathways. A great question can ignite innovative thinking that is essential in our globalized, digitized and disruptive world. The six-week Inquiry-Driven Leadership online short course from the MIT Sloan School of Management teaches you to adopt a questioning approach to effectively identify and solve organizational problems. Are you ready to unlock the power of catalytic questioning? Find out more about the program here. Sculpting Provocation Great art is beautiful. It's also powerful. These sculptures have sparked heated debates challenging everything from what art means to who owns it.   1. Vulva on the Hill Visual artist Juliana Notari's new 33-meter installation on the slope of an art park in northwestern Brazil is meant to depict a giant vulva and question the "problematization of gender." The bright red artwork has drawn instant vitriol from advisers of President Jair Bolsonaro and compliments from supporters. 2. Stolen Statues It's not the statues, but those who have them that are at the center of this controversy. Auction house Christie's sold a pair of Igbo statues last year even though art historians have insisted they were stolen from Nigeria during the country's Biafra civil war. 3. Manga Magic Can the statue of a French maid in a mini skirt co-exist with the old-world opulence of the Chateau of Versailles? Yes, believes iconic Japanese sculptor Takashi Murakami. His 2010 exhibition of manga characters in Versailles drew criticism from French monarchists. But he's used to it, as he explains on The Carlos Watson Show. Watch the episode here. New Taboos We usually offer recommendations of things to do. How about a twist? Here are things you absolutely should not do any more — unless you want to be stared at or shamed.   1. Cough Without a Mask It should have always been a no-no. And it has been in Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and China, since the SARS epidemic two decades ago. Even once the pandemic passes, if you have a cough, wear a mask while heading out. It's not ok to cough on someone. And like those countries, you would help keep the next pandemic under control. Read more on OZY. 2. Look for Knockoffs For decades, China has been almost synonymous with knockoffs and contaminated food that has even led to public health crises. Now, high-income Chinese are shunning counterfeit and tainted goods, willing to pay more for technology that allows them to track the origin or everything they buy. Read more on OZY. 3. Flush Toilets In Cape Town (and no, it's not carte blanche to keep your bathrooms filthy). The South African city has faced major water shortages in recent years. Now it's shaming homes that consume too much water, marking them out on public maps. Read more on OZY. Answer I asked you yesterday to identify the community where the father of a bride spits on his daughter. The answer? The Maasai in Kenya (the Greeks have a similar but different tradition). Jacqueline H., Lorenzo H., Smita, Jacklyn G., Jon T., John G., Gaston G. and Jonathan M. — congratulations!!! TV  |   Podcasts  |  News   |  FESTIVALS Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to darwinalvarado.entradas@blogger.com Manage Subscriptions | Privacy Policy  | Read Online