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I’m obsessed with surprises — maybe even unhealthily so. So you can only imagine my thrill at introducing you to the Afghan woman who should have won Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize, sharks that love Americans far too much, a sweet bread that reveals your fate and a surprise at the end of the email that’s seed-y, not seedy. Keep reading to get ready for a great weekend. |
| | Joshua Eferighe, Reporter |  |
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|  | | 1. Abducting DemocracyThe FBI has arrested 13 people — some associated with the far right-wing militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen — for a plot to abduct Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a fervent critic of President Trump. Meanwhile former WNBA star Cappie Pondexter, who was missing since her release from Los Angeles police custody over battery charges Thursday, has been found. |
| 2. Coup CriesRepublican leaders are accusing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of plotting a coup after she suggested introducing a bill that would allow a congressional oversight commission to implement the 25th Amendment to take away President Trump’s powers as he recovers from COVID-19. Trump insists he’s fine and ready to campaign again from Saturday. So fine, that he laid into his own Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accusing them of not doing enough to go after his political rivals. Should the 25th Amendment be considered? Vote on Twitter. |
| 3. Corona’s Other CrimesThe inability of countries in West and Central Africa to reopen schools closed during the pandemic lockdown is leading to a surge in child marriages, teenage pregnancies and the recruitment of children by militias, UNICEF has warned. Meanwhile China has joined COVAX, the global effort to supply affordable COVID-19 vaccines to poorer nations, leaving America and Russia as the only major powers still outside the coalition. |
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|  | | The coolest new streaming platform is finally here. With CuriosityStream you can dive into history and explore nonfiction films and series. 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 code OZY. Sign up now. |
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| On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the U.N.’s World Food Programmeas the winner of the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. Iranian singing maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian, who passed away yesterday, could have been a candidate to consider. He supported the Islamic Revolution in 1979 but in recent years became a critic of the regime. Perhaps the selection teams for the different Nobel Prizes need a rethink too? Meet some heroes who we believe should have won the Nobel — but never did. |
|  | | 1. Sima SamarRemember the heat President Obama took after winning the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize just 11 months into his first term? Geir Lundestad, the non-voting director of the Nobel Institute until 2014, later admitted to regretting the decision. There would have been no such mea culpa had Samar, who was nominated that year, won. The Afghan doctor and human rights activist — one of the war-torn country’s most powerful voices for women’s empowerment — was one of the favorites that year. |
| 2. Mahatma GandhiNo one received theNobel Peace Prize in 1948 — the committee declared that there was “no suitable living candidate.” To many across the world, the man who should have won the award had died earlier that year: Gandhi was assassinated in January 1948. But the Nobel Committee has repeatedly struggled to justify its failure to award Gandhi, who led India’s non-violent struggle for independence from the British and inspired Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. He was nominated on four previous occasions — 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1947 — and the Nobel Committee could have awarded him posthumously in 1948. |
| 3. Chien-Shiung WuThe China-born American physicist is widely considered the “First Lady of Physics” for her pioneering work in disproving what was until 1956 an accepted law of nature: The “Parity Law” asserted that things that were mirror images of each other should behave identically. Wu, who had also worked on the Manhattan Project, proved that wasn’t the case — but two other scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957. |
| 4. Raoni Metuktire:Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro named this 90-year-old as a threat from the world’s biggest stage — the U.N. General Assembly — last year. Metuktire’s offense? He is the indigenous Brazilian chief of the Kayapo tribe and has spent his life fighting to save the Amazon rainforest that under Bolsonaro has been damaged for commercial purposes and ravaged by fires. Metuktire was nominated last year but didn’t win. Who else do you think deserved a Nobel Prize but didn’t get awarded? | While Metuktire is defending the Amazon, Americans had better be defending themselves … against sharks. Even more so than usual. |
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|  | | 1. Appetite for AmericansGlobally sharks seem to have gotten bored of the taste of humans, with the number of unprovoked attacks dropping. But there’s an exception: They still love Americans, it seems — attacks in the U.S. went up nearly 30 percent last year! |
| 2. Strategic SharksAtrade war, tensions over Taiwan and the pandemic aren’t enough to satiate the U.S.-China rivalry. Growing concerns over Chinese vessels believed to be hunting sharks off Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands have emerged as the latest flashpoint between Beijing and Washington. Maybe the sharks can mediate peace between the bickering powers? |
| 3. Treacherous TerrainThat’s what the Mediterranean Sea is — for sharks. It’s where they’re most vulnerable to being hunted, with Libya and Tunisia the biggest culprits followed by Italy and Egypt. | Of course, sharks are hardly the only things Americans need to watch out for. From questions over a peaceful post-election transfer of power to race tensions tearing at the nation, the list of challenges is endless. At OZY, we’re also hoping to bring you some answers. |
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|  | | The BBC’s Katty Kay and OZY’s Carlos Watson are two people uniquely positioned to give listeners across the world unique and fresh insight into these 50 states. They dissect American identity, racial bias, politics, recession and public health in a groundbreaking new podcast from OZY and the BBC: When Katty Met Carlos. Episode three is being released today — subscribe now onApple Podcasts,Stitcher, theiHeart Radio app orwherever else you get your podcasts. | Whatever America’s crises, it is the weekend after all. Check out these delicious treats that come with a surprise stuffed inside. |
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| | | 2. QumbeA popular Ramadan dish in Somalia, this sweet looks like it’s coated in coconut shavings on the outside. It is. But wait until you take a bite to find that the stuffing inside is also made from a mixture of grated coconut and coconut milk. The best part? The most inexperienced cook can make it. All you need is a stovetop, patience and a willingness to OD on coconut. |
| 3. GataThis Armenian sweet bread often has a coin baked into it. The bread is great — the significance of the coin even more special. Whoever finds it in their portion is considered to be blessed with good luck. | Seeds are hidden treasures in their own right. The then-and-now-reveal is a natural wonder that will never fail to excite me. Can you guess which seeds belong to what? |
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|  | | Match the seed to the produce. a) Nutmeg b) Pumpkin c) Chinese Lantern d) Castor Oil Share your answers below. |
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