OZY - Daily Dose

10 MUST READS TODAY

Sunday
12 August, 2018

1	Fast Forward

Fast Forward

Doctors Deploy a Surprisingly Low-Tech Tool Kit Against Opioids

Strategies originally used to fight addictions like alcoholism are being used to wage war against America’s opioid epidemic.

Oregon-based physician Alan Schwartzstein knows urine tests aren’t very popular in America at the moment, thanks in part to reports about hospitals using them to rack up medical bills. But he figures it’s a worthwhile cost to protect his patients from opioid addiction.

It couldn’t be less sexy as a tool in the fight against America’s opioid crisis, which killed 64,000 people in 2016 and was described by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in 2015 as having reached “epidemic levels.” While debates rage over new opioid substitutes and technology-driven solutions, a parallel and low-tech war on the crisis is growing across America. More and more doctors are educating and arming themselves to better deal with opioid addiction. Researchers are tailoring questionnaires and screenings originally meant to trace other addictions such as alcoholism to help detect opioid abuse early. Health policy experts are recommending tweaking coercive “pain contracts” between doctors and patients — in which a patient accepts that they will lose medication under certain circumstances. And physicians are recommending urine tests at the risk of patients’ wrath.

2	Rising Stars

Rising Stars

Meet the Undiplomatic Prosecutor Turning Her Hand to Politics

Forced out of South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority after 26 years, Glynnis Breytenbach vows to fix the organization from the outside.

Shortly after two attempted hits on her life in 2012, Glynnis Breytenbach was suspended from her job as a senior prosecutor at the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), allegedly for meddling in a high-profile case and deleting sensitive documents from her work laptop. A marathon disciplinary hearing followed, and she was cleared of all 16 counts. Undaunted, the NPA filed criminal charges against her. The trial took even longer than the hearing, but in February of this year, Breytenbach was acquitted of all remaining charges.

Now trying to change the NPA from the outside as shadow justice minister for the Democratic Alliance (DA), she's focused on 2019 elections and hopes that by 2024 she'll realize her dream of becoming justice minister in a coalition government.

Good Sh*t

Shakespeare Would Have Loved This Italian Horse Race

There’s pageantry and trickery, poetry and drama in the Palio di Siena, Italy’s most famous horse race. Here’s how you can enjoy the chaos.

Historic celebration or collective madness? That is the question. Twice a year in Siena, Italy, families and friendships are consumed by love, hate and rivalries. Pranks and fights divide the historic city quarters. The sacred coexists with the profane, the comedic with the tragic. The town is abuzz with fervency and trickery. All over a horse race. But the Palio di Siena isn’t just any horse race; it’s an all-consuming passion for Siena and its citizens.

It’s a script that William Shakespeare would have loved, but he died 16 years before the first edition in 1632.

Flashback

The Metrosexual Knights Who Defended Medieval Korea

These androgynous young dudes were deadly warriors and skillful leaders who brought security and stability.

Good Sh*t

The Biggest, Most Chaotic Used Bookstore in the Southern Hemisphere

This eclectic 45-year-old Johannesburg shop is awash with books, and it has found the secret to used-bookshop success.

Opinion

Space Force: Trump's Grand Idea Struggles for Liftoff

The White House’s push for a sixth military branch is not a bad idea, but it faces harsh political realities.

7	Rising Stars

When Personality Traits Don't Fit the Narrative, These Filmmakers Start Rolling

For these artists, quirky and eccentric moments are where the magic happens.

8	Provocateurs

Will Congo's Outgoing President Still Pull the Strings?

Joseph Kabila has chosen Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a close ally who lacks his own political base, as his successor.

9	True Story

The Day I Got Bombed at a Dead Kennedys Show

It’s one thing to dig on a band’s explosive stage antics. It’s another thing entirely to actually explode while trying to hear some music.

Acumen

World's Biggest Corporate Tax Haven? It's No Paradise Island

Ireland’s boom years are long gone, but the Celtic Tiger’s tax breaks for foreigners are gifts that keep on giving.

You Should Know This


The Dirty Secret Behind Norway's 'Green' Economy

Strategies originally used to fight addictions like alcoholism are being used to wage war against America’s opioid epidemic.

Forced out of South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority after 26 years, Glynnis Breytenbach vows to fix the organization from the outside.

There’s pageantry and trickery, poetry and drama in the Palio di Siena, Italy’s most famous horse race. Here’s how you can enjoy the chaos.

The Dirty Secret Behind Norway's 'Green' Economy