Nigeria Defeats a Police Pandemic. Can America?

Jaime Harrison, the Democratic South Carolina challenger to Republican heavyweight Sen. Lindsey Graham, has drawn $57 million in funding over the last quarter, a new congressional fundraising record that comfortably tops Beto O’Rourke’s $38 million from 2018. Can Harrison go one better than O’Rourke — who narrowly lost in Texas — and defeat Graham? Vote on Twitter. Meanwhile the Senate begins confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination today. Expect fireworks.

2. Magical Metals

Hong Kong scientists have shown that drugs containing metal compounds can help treat COVID-19. Not that recently infected President Donald Trump needs any treatment — he insists he is now “immune” from the virus, as he plans rallies in swing states in a bid to revive his sagging reelection campaign.

3. Hard to Say I’m Sorry

Nigeria has disbanded a controversial armed police unit — the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) — accused of brutal crimes against innocent civilians (read more later). Meanwhile Mexico is demanding an apology from the pope for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Spain’s atrocities during its colonial conquest 500 years ago.

4. Profit and Loss

Working remotely from Wyoming? Get ready for a pay cut. Silicon Valley tech giants are cutting pay for employees who have relocated to less-costly places amid the pandemic. All while corporate profits are expected to do better than expected in the year’s third quarter.

Scientists have found that male songbirds in the San Francisco Bay Area used the coronavirus lockdown to make their singing sexier. Without human noise to compete against, these birds switched to lower pitch songs that are more attractive to female birds. 

1. What is It?

It’s as deadly as the type of virus that shares its name. Founded in 1992 as a special plainclothes police unit to tackle armed robbery, SARS has a reputation of being more lawless than those they’re supposed to stop.

2. Worst Crimes

From summary executions to torture, Amnesty International recorded at least 82 instances of excesses since January 2017. And those are just the worst cases. OZY’s Africa Editor Eromo Egbejule was once stopped by the armed unit and told he was under suspicion because his car wheels had black rims, which of course are perfectly legal! A citizen’s movement has exploded in recent years, the hashtag #EndSARS going viral.

3. The Final Straw

A video of a SARS officer recently killing a man in southern Nigeria sparked protests that weren’t calmed by minor concessions from President Muhammadu Buhari. Musicians Burna Boy and WizKid and British-Nigerian actor John Boyega supported the protests. Finally, the Nigerian government buckled Sunday.

When Saudi Aramco, one of the world's largest oil companies, suffered a major cyberattack in 2012, it dialed Kubecka to fix their systems. She did, using skills she's been honing since the age of 10 when she stumbled upon vulnerable systems within the U.S. Department of Justice while war dialing numbers. The half-Puerto Rican, half-Dutch Kubecka — who previously worked with the U.S. Air Force — has also helped NATO, the European Union and South Korea in beating back hackers. Should the U.S. government be employing her?Read more.

2. Shivam Vashist

The 24-year-old Indian chose ethical hacking over college and now, as part of San Francisco-based HackerOne, counts Goldman Sachs, Starbucks, Twitter and Instagram as clients relying on his mercenary skills to defend their systems. Vashisht earns over $125,000 a year and is among a growing pack of Indian freelance, do-gooder hackers. The amount of money they make is second only to their American peers.

3. Eva Galperin

If she's not tracking down dangerous malware, the blue-haired Galperin is studying new languages or attempting acrobatic circus stunts. Born in Latvia to Jewish parents who escaped the Soviet Union, she's now on the front lines of the fight to counter so-called stalkerware — malware used by stalkers to track and follow their victims, survivors of domestic abuse. She also works to protect activists and journalists from targeted hacking. "I just really, really hate bullies," she says. Online, they're no match for her.

That’s what OZY strives to get to you every single day. Don’t take it from us. Check out Variety magazine’s new profile of OZY and its co-founders Carlos Watson and Samir Rao.

1. Mexico’s Diplomatic Elixir

This steamy cacao broth is no ordinary hot chocolate. It’s infused with chili powder, which is appropriate since it burned the bridges Aztec leaders were trying to build with Spaniards in 1519, after the leader of the European invaders nearly spat out the drink in revulsion. Read more.

2. South Africa’s ‘Two-Faced’ Cookies

In the 1930s, South African Prime Minister J.B.M. Hertzog went back on his promise of equal rights for South Africans of color. So Cape Malay women came up with this half-pink, half-brown tweegevrietjie, which means “two-faced cake” in Afrikaans. Read more.

3. Knotty Knafeh Kerfuffle

Is the knafeh Palestinian or Israeli, Turkish or Lebanese? The sweet-as-sugar dessert topped with nuts and cheese is claimed by all of the Middle East. The only way to settle this debate is to taste all the versions. I don’t mind. Read more.

How did a polite folk singer turn into an angry man ready to change the world with his words? This brilliant film on Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England captures that transition and brings you rare snippets of the legend performing backstage.

2. Buena Vista Social Club

To many, they were the sound of the 1990s.This 1999 classic is the story of a joyous but forgotten generation of Cuban maestros that finally found its moment.

3. Searching for Sugar Man

A Mexican-American musician fails in the U.S., but finds ridiculous success in apartheid-era South Africa — and doesn’t realize it. This Oscar-winning film is a stunning tribute to just how global the power of music is.

What’s your favorite music documentary?

From left to right, the seeds we asked you to identify were pumpkin, castor oil, nutmeg and Chinese lantern. Karla S., Don D., Tad S., Jon S., Luz O., Bruce V., David C., Gary L., Gerald M., Terri C., Janine L., D. Bradbury, Cole C., Jack L., Kathy T., Barbara C., Louanne V., Laura L., Cindy, Richard H., Jimmy W., Darcy M., Anne B., Hank Eng., Sharon, Alexis D., William P., Carol B., Vicky S., Raymond D., V.P. O’Connor, Hazel S. and Paulette W. — you all got it right!!!!