Can You Trust This Vaccine’s Claims?

They’d like another shot. Share prices in Astra Zeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine dropped after experts questioned the company’s reports and researchers scheduled a whole new global trial. Turns out that the original claim to be 70 percent effective meant 62 percent in major trials and 90 percent in a small test in the U.K. where everyone was given a lower dose — initially by accident. Also not helping: North Korea, which Seoul says it caught trying to hack companies developing vaccines in South Korea. (Sources: Guardian, Al Jazeera)

2. Concession Stand

President Donald Trump confirmed to reporters yesterday that he’ll leave office after the electoral college certifies President-elect Joe Biden’s win — but he repeatedly denied Biden’s victory, questioning his vote total and alleging massive fraud. To a reporter who pushed back, he said, “Don’t talk to me that way. You’re just a lightweight.” (Source: NPR)

3. Legend Gone

Not a lightweight: Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer legend who died of a heart attack Wednesday at age 60. Though the funeral was small, massive crowds lined the streets of Buenos Aires to say goodbye. Would you risk a crowd to bid farewell to your favorite sports star? Vote on Twitter. (Source: BBC)

4. Glug Glug

This won’t go over well Down Under. In a move that’s likely more about an ongoing diplomatic spat than about tannins, China has levied tariffs of up to 212 percent on Australian wine. Almost 40 percent of Australia’s wine market is sold to China, and importers are expected to turn elsewhere rather than pay the import fees. (Source: Reuters)

It’s fine to change your colors. The Fritillaria delavayi, historically a green flower that grows on the rocky Hengduan mountains in southwestern China, is increasingly being plucked for traditional medicine. So it has developed a stunning defense through rapid evolution: turning gray to camouflage itself in the mountain rocks. 

Empathy isn’t a word you normally associate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.Yume, his Akita, brings it out. One bark and she has Putin smiling and pulling treats out of his pocket. Just ask the Japanese journalists who received an earful from Yume in 2016, before Putin calmed her down. “You were right to take caution,” he later told them. “Yume is a no-nonsense dog.” Like her master, who was once accused of using hisblack Labrador Koni to scare German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

2. Dylan

The rough collie was a star campaigner for his master, Argentine President Alberto Fernández, when he was seeking the nation’s top office in 2019. With Dylan by his side, it was clear who was winning — the answer was blowin’ in the wind. Named after singer Bob Dylan, the wildly popular Argentine first dog has 288,000 Instagram followers. He’s a poser— that regal mane sure helps.

3. Lennu

Finland’s first pup, the Boston terrier’s wide smile has won him fans across the world. And while Lennu can be quite naughty — like when heplayfully interrupted a Christmas ceremony — he’s such a celebrity that he does interviews with President Sauli Niinistö and his wife, Jenni Haukio. There’s even agame based on Lennu.

4. Nemo

When matters of state are at stake, you need someone who can put out fires.Emmanuel Macron’s Labrador was captured peeing in an Élysée Palace fireplace while the French president was meeting junior staffers in 2017. Like the Bidens’ Major, he’s a rescue dog. And he’s well versed with diplomacy: He stood at attention with Macronwhen they hosted Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou.

While we’re on world leaders and pets, here’s a teaser. Which former African leader owned hundreds of ostriches?

They can wipe out your privacy too. Scientists at the University of Maryland showed this month that modern robotic vacuum cleaners that use the popular lidar — light detection and ranging — technology can store private conversations they overhear. Lidar uses lasers to measure distances and is gaining traction in augmented reality apps and driverless cars. What you say in the car might not stay in the car.

2. Stingrays

These devices can sting just as viciously as the fish — except you won’t know it until it’s too late. They dupe your phone into thinking they’re cell phone towers, establish a connection, and scan all your data. Stingrays are widely believed to have been used by law enforcement officials to spy on Black Lives Matter activists.

3. Phone Storage

It seemed like an innocuous service, offering to help create more space on your phone for you to store photos and videos. But it was a disguised Egyptian surveillance app — uncovered last year — that was used by the country’s authoritarian regime to spy on political opponents and journalists.

In the West, rising stocks are represented by the color green and red is used to symbolize a fall. Cross over to China, the world’s second-largest economy, and the color coding flips. There, red is auspiciousand is used to denote rising stocks, with green the color of decline.

2. Get Noticed

It sits in the middle of the visible spectrum of light, making it the easiest color to see. The human eye can also distinguish most easily between different shades of green — a part of the reason night vision goggles are tinted with that color.

3. No Hanky Panky

Green handkerchiefs stand in the way. They’ve emerged as the symbol of the women’s resistance movement in Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years, from Peru to Argentina and beyond. The color symbolizes health. And now, protest.  

Amid a pandemic, you’re safest out in the wild. Why not book a dream safari to Kenya or Namibia for next year? Firms like South African tour giant safari dot com are offering major Black Friday deals. Overall, travel costs are 40 percent down at the moment. So if you’re planning a future vacation, now’s the time to get started.

2. Show OZY Love

This Black Friday, we're offering our fans a 20 percent discount across all items — from OZY mugs to The Carlos Watson Show tote bags — in theOZY Store until midnight ET on Sunday, Nov. 29.Shop now.

3. Buy Yourself Time

Well, sort of. It’s gimmicky but the idea of “owning” or “gifting” a day to someone sounds just perfect, and a Canary Islands firm is making money off it. “Get Your Time” lets you register a 24-hour period as yours, complete with a certificate, to mark special days. 

4. Tongue Trick

This one’s for cat people — just in case my fascination with Dylan and Lennu made you believe I have a pet prejudice. It’s a tongue extension with bristles that lets you lick your cat. What a purrfect experience, right?

On Tuesday we asked you to match poems to lesser-known verse styles. Here’s the answer!

“Sometimes, I’d rather start …” — Luc Bat

“Sweetest sun so soon is setting …” — Daina

Eunice, Kelly P. and Patricia P., you got it right!