Make a Ferris Wheel Your Office

China’s economy grew 4.9 percent in the year’s third quarter compared to the same months last year, after weak gains in the previous quarter and a sharp contraction between January and March. Its rebound underscores how a rapid recovery is possible once the coronavirus pandemic — which originated in that country — is brought firmly under control. Need more proof? Just ask Europe, where a record rise in fresh infections is sparking fears of a double-dip recession. Should the West take tips from China? Vote on Twitter.

2. Now or Never

HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi has set a Tuesday deadline for a preelection stimulus package deal with the Trump administration, even as the U.S. recorded 70,000 cases in a day for the first time in three months. Top infectious-disease expert Michael Osterholm has warned that the pandemic’s “darkest” phase is yet to come.

3. Talkin’ Bout a Revolution

If it’s any consolation, the U.S. isn’t the only nation in political churn. Thai protesters are adopting the guerilla tactics of their Hong Kong forerunners to try and outsmart police officers as they persevere with large demonstrations banned by a nervous government. Meanwhile in Guinea, President Alpha Condé, seeking a third term, might be in trouble based on initial estimates of Sunday’s votes, while in Bolivia, socialists are expected to return to power a year after left-wing President Evo Morales was ousted. And in France, thousands gathered to pay tribute to a teacher beheaded by a Russian immigrant for using Charlie Hebdo caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in class.  

4. Don’t Bank on Bonuses

Three of America’s biggest banks — Bank of America, Citibank and JPMorgan Chase — have told their employees not to expect bonuses in line with rapid profits they’ve earned in some financial sectors in recent months. Food stamps, thankfully, aren’t going anywhere yet, with a federal judge striking down a Trump administration move to cut nearly 700,000 jobless people from the program.

Sometimes, it’s good to go around in circles. A Tokyo amusement park has turned its ferris wheel into a remote working station where teleworkers can use portable Wi-Fi to answer office emails and fill out spreadsheets while taking a socially distant ride. You can also choose a haunted house as your office — though that’s probably not advisable if you get dinosaur nightmares like I do.

It was an election in which Brazil elected a homophobic president in Jair Bolsonaro. But the October 2018 vote also elevated his polar opposite: Malunguinho became Brazil’s first trans woman elected to a state congress, just months after fellow Afro Brazilian and LGBTQ activist Marielle Franco was murdered. Raised by her mother, she grew up battling racism and questions over her gender. Now she’s helping Black Brazil rediscover itself through Aparelha Luzia, a unique community space that she’s created in São Paulo where art, music, dance and politics come together to celebrate a long-ignored culture.

2. ChocQuibTown

Their Latin Grammy-winning song De Donde Vengo Yospeaks of their homeland — filled with gold and platinum riches but tainted by racism. And Goyo, Tostao and Slow — the three Afro Colombian members of this stunning group — bring that same wealth of influences to their music. You’ll hear the strains of traditional African sounds, but also those of Jamaican reggae and hip-hop. Get ready to dance to their rhythm.

3. Jefferson Farfán

It was his goal that took Peru to the 2018 World Cup after 36 years. So when a television channel mocked him with a blackface depiction, the incident sparked national protests. Now the 35-year-old Peruvian soccer star is poised to become the next big name in Major League Soccer, with multiple American teams eyeing him.

If you've wondered whether there's more than coincidence to the similar jaw structure shared by supermodel Gisele Bündchen and husband and football superstar Tom Brady, we now have an answer. Couples don’t start looking more like each other over the years — they often unknowingly pick someone who looks like them to start with. Sophie Hunter, remember everything Benedict Cumberbatch told you about why he loves you? Nonsense. As a certain Sherlock would have said: "You see, but you do not observe."

2. Same-Sex Success

Couples of the same sex have higher-quality social lives and interactions with others than heterosexual couples, scientists have found. But because of prejudices, man-man couples have the smallest social networks. Well, it's not the same-sex couples that are losing out. It's the rest of society.

3. Share Your Dreams

Sharing details of your dreams with your partner helps you develop greater empathy for each other, science shows. Yet only 15 percent of couples share their dreams. If you're not in that group, it might be time for a change. At the least, it’ll bring humor into your partner’s life — as my wife will testify.

More than 44 percent of eligible Americans did not vote in the 2016 presidential election. VoteAsIf.org aims to change that. Check out VoteAsIf.org’s tools to learn how you can register in any state, the requirements for voting and even whether you’re registered properly. The organization is also taking donations. Be sure to vote as if …

When Bollywood’s biggest movie stars serve food at a wedding, you know it’s grand even by Indian standards. Costing an estimated $100 million, the week-long wedding of Isha Ambani, the daughter of Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, counted Beyoncé and Hillary Clinton among celebrity guests.

2. China’s Kim and Kanye

The real Kanye West and Kim Kardashian supposedly spent $12 million on their 2014 wedding. The Chinese couple often compared to them — actress, singer and model Angela Yeung and actor Huang Xiaoming — spent $31 million on their opulent Shanghai event. Yeung wore a Dior gown that took nearly five months to make. Her wedding band alone cost over $1.5 million.

3. On a Different Plane

The Gupta family were among former South African President Jacob Zuma’s biggest financiers. So when it was time for a niece to get married in 2013, they used a military air base to fly in guests, sparking controversy and forcing the suspension of multiple South African officials.  

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a. Morocco     b. Turkmenistan    c. Scandinavia   d. China