OZY Daily Dose

In recent years, officials in Moscow have gone to great lengths to recast their once-dreary city as an unmistakably European metropolis. Pedestrian zones, green spaces and bike lanes have sprouted throughout the Russian capital, eagerly embraced by a comfortable new middle class.But one European staple has always peppered its street corners and walkways: the harshly lit kebab, or shawarma, joints that satisfy throngs of partyers, lunch breakers and other unassuming locals seeking a fast-food fix.

When you think of Florida, what's likely to come to mind are shiny beachfront high-rises, poured concrete and strip mall-meets-strip bar sprawl. And for that you'd be forgiven. But what many people don't know is that Florida's backroads hide some historical gems, where the state's past is preserved on the walls - and sometimes even in the food.From a hotel made from driftwood to a frog-leg eatery nestled in taxidermy to a rustic old gun club frequented by U.S.

In 2016, five years into the Syrian war - when more than a quarter of a million people had already died and more than 11 million were displaced - Harriet Lamb, CEO of peace and conflict charity International Alert, visited a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In spite of the bloodshed and upheaval, she quickly learned these Syrians hadn't lost hope.

As he metaphorically brushed his shoulders off while working the press circuit during NFL Hall of Fame induction festivities in August — shoulders that would soon don a signature gold jacket — former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said something that turned a few heads. That’s not unusual for the outspoken former player turned broadcaster, but this time Lewis was singing a current Raven’s praises.

California has a whale festival and Alaska an annual bald eagle fete. But is it any surprise that Florida takes the cake as the wackiest in the union, bypassing its omnipresent alligators to spotlight less captivating critters like earthworms and swamp frogs? On the east coast, near Vero Beach in the tiny town of Fellsmere (pop. roughly 5,500), the tradition of frog gigging in local marshes is the inspiration for the Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival that takes place every January.

Crown Heights has always been kind of a weird neighborhood in Brooklyn. Haitian and other Caribbean transplants living uncomfortable shoulder to uncomfortable shoulder with Hasidic Jews. It wasn't always as uncomfortable as when the 1991 riots - sparked by an accident involving Rebbe Schneerson's motorcade and two Guyanese children - erupted, but ill-at-ease just the same.In the early 1970s, though, it was a different place with a different vibe, and it's where I lived.

Jacob "Stitch" DuranLas VegasIt was a blessing made in heaven to be in Creed. I got a call that they wanted me to be in the film, and I didn't have to audition. I was the cutman for Michael B. Jordan, and what a great time I had. I spent six weeks wrapping his hands and talking to him one-on-one. I told the director, Ryan Coogler, "If I see things that don't make sense, I'm going to bring them up to you," which he appreciated.When I got the script, I saw that my character's name was Marcel.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck threw a football during position drills in June 2018 - the first time he had done so in front of reporters since the team shut him down in October 2017 as he tried to work his way back from a 2015 shoulder injury. But during his summer practice, Luck was chucking a college football - not an NFL one.That's because college footballs are typically smaller than NFL ones, so it put less stress on Luck's surgically repaired shoulder.

Erik Jensen was doing time at Clinton Correctional Facility, a high-security prison in Upstate New York, for a parole violation on an armed robbery conviction in 2011 when a riot popped off in the yard. Jensen's time was almost up and he didn't want any problems, but the guards couldn't care less. Anybody on the yard was fair game. The hacks beat up inmates randomly, in Jensen's telling, and he got it bad.

Your bloody mary just got a whole lot more interesting. Surprising Spirits: OZY says 'Cheers' to cool new tipples and boozy treats from around the globe. Surprising Spirits: This OZY original series says 'Cheers' to the curious new ways alcohol is being made and experienced worldwide. Surprising Spirits: This OZY original series says 'Cheers' to the curious new ways alcohol is being made and experienced worldwide.