OZY - Daily Dose

10 MUST READS TODAY

Thursday
December 20, 2018

1	Politics & Power

Politics & Power

How a New Prison Reform Law Can Be Traced to This Conservative Ex-Con

The formerly incarcerated David Safavian helped usher the passage of the First Step Act.

It was early 2017, and David Safavian was just a few months into his new role as a criminal justice crusader for the American Conservative Union (ACU). As unlikely a path as any — one that included his own incarceration — had brought Safavian to this White House meeting with Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to the newly inaugurated most powerful man in the world. Safavian outlined the inefficiencies of the prison system, pointing out that reforms could save taxpayer dollars. Kushner politely stopped him. “No, no, we’re not doing this because we want to save money. We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do,” Kushner said. As Safavian recalls now: “It was such a starkly meaningful moment. Everything crystallized.”

Nearly two years later, President Donald Trump is poised to sign those reforms into law after they clear Congress this week. It’s a remarkable turnabout personally for Trump, who ran as a tough-on-crime candidate and installed reform skeptic Jeff Sessions as attorney general, and stands in contrast to the Obama administration’s inability to push a similar effort through in 2016. The First Step Act’s success has a lot to do with Kushner, but also the tireless work from conservatives like Safavian. The law will ease punishments for well-behaved prisoners, curb some mandatory minimums for nonviolent offenses and help reverse excessive sentences for mostly Black users of crack cocaine from past decades.

2	Rising Stars

Rising Stars

Can She Make Her $79 Home STD Test as Common as a Flu Shot?

Lora Ivanova is the co-founder and CEO of myLAB Box, the first nationwide at-home STD testing kit.

Four years ago, Lora Ivanova was catching up with her friend Ursula Hessenflow at a Los Angeles cafe. Both women were single at the time, and the conversation quickly turned to dating in L.A. One of the biggest frustrations, the two agreed, was talking about safe sex with someone you’re just getting to know. How do you get past the awkwardness of asking a new partner whether they’ve been tested?

“And if you’re not getting tested, there’s no way to make the conversation easier,” Ivanova, 39, says with a slight Bulgarian accent. She and Hessenflow realized that a huge barrier to getting screened for sexually transmitted diseases is the stigma that comes with it. This is especially true for women, many of whom grow up believing that having multiple sexual partners is shameful. But what if you could test yourself at home? “We figured we were just out of the loop — something like that must already exist,” Ivanova says, her bright yellow earrings bouncing as she talks animatedly about the inception of her company.

Acumen

Why Americans Are Hungry for Cookbooks

Sales of these books are on the rise in the U.S., influenced by celebrity authors, trendy diets and a little nostalgia.

YouTube creator Allisen Byrd sits in front of the camera in her bedroom with a large package on her lap. “I just got the Magnolia Table cookbook,” she says excitedly. “I’m gonna show you what it feels like to open it!” She tears open the box and does a close-up on HGTV star Joanna Gaines’ brand-new cookbook, lovingly running her fingers along the thickly bound spine. Byrd, 29, flips through the pages, ogling over the weight of the book, the beautiful food photography and personal notes from Gaines throughout. “I never buy cookbooks,” Byrd says. “This is something I wanted for myself because all her recipes have been so comfortable.”

Byrd’s fondness for Magnolia Table isn’t exclusive to YouTube stars or even millennials. Despite the popularity of food blogs, cooking videos and meal-kit delivery services, Americans are increasingly buying good old-fashioned cookbooks. Five years ago, managing editor at Digg, L.V. Anderson, predicted the death of cookbooks. "Print cookbooks offer nothing that apps, e-books, and websites can’t,” Anderson wrote in a feature for Slate. But Anderson was wrong.

Opinion

We Should Certify Journalists Amid Cyberwar With Russia

The government has to step up, and not defer to social media companies.

5	Fast Forward

Multinationals Brave Boko Haram to Find Growth in Nigeria's Northeast

One of the world’s most dangerous areas is also one of the fastest-growing markets.

6	Need to Know

How the Special One Got Sacked

The summary dismissal of Manchester United manager José Mourinho came as he wore out his welcome … again.

7	Fast Forward

Could Your Next Holiday Home Be 3D Printed?

Companies, nonprofits and governments are increasingly turning to 3D-printing to tackle the global housing crisis.

Flashback

Hollywood’s First Big Silence Breaker: Marilyn Monroe

One of Hollywood’s biggest legends was also one of the first to call out the industry’s culture of sexual harassment.

9	Rising Stars

Her Film Won Over the Sundance Jury in 13 Minutes

Garrett Bradley’s latest film won honors at Sundance and is short-listed for an Academy Award nomination.

Good Sh*t

These Spoons Lick the Plate for You. Seriously

These self-saucing and licking spoons are designed to make you rethink the way you bring food to your mouth.

You Should Know This


Why We Need to Encourage Neurodiversity and Different Ways of Thinking

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