OZY - Daily Dose

10 MUST READS TODAY

Monday
December 17, 2018

1	Fast Forward

Fast Forward

South Sudan's Universities Beat Odds of War to Build Nation's Future

This war-torn country’s universities are growing thanks to innovation and a rising demand for higher education.

When civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013, students at Upper Nile University (UNU) were taking their exams. It took a week for the fighting to reach Malakal, then the country’s second-largest city and home to the university’s main campus. Everyone grabbed what they could and fled, some across the nearby border to Sudan, most to a camp protected by U.N. peacekeepers.

In January 2018, the government sent planes to evacuate UNU staff and students to South Sudan’s capital, Juba. Even though books, computers and laboratory equipment were all left behind, the university restarted the interrupted exams by June. Most students took their tests in Juba, but papers were also flown to Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, and Wau, another southern city. Around 80 percent of students managed to finish the tests, says Malony Keer, the dean of UNU. But it was the university that had passed the toughest test, one of many it has since cleared.

Opinion

Does the Century Have to Belong to China?

Yes, Beijing is becoming a global economic powerhouse, but the U.S. can share that stage.

There is no way to prevent China from becoming the world’s largest economy. This is not my conclusion. It belongs to one of America’s most respected economists, former Clinton administration Treasury Secretary and Harvard President Lawrence Summers, and I have no reason to doubt it. But hearing it got me thinking again about our strategy toward China — and mainly, whether we are preparing our foreign policy toolkit for the special challenges of operating in the world Summers predicts.

It’s no secret that China is a rising power. But there is a reassuring school of thought that the U.S. retains certain advantages likely to continue giving us an edge in global competition. We are blessed with abundant natural resources, a strong education system, an attractive culture, innovative entrepreneurs and favorable demographics (unlike China’s aging population). Moreover, China is struggling to free its economy from dependence on cheap exports, and it angers most of its trading partners with intellectual property theft, hacking episodes, limiting the rights of foreign investors and subsidizing its large state industries to the disadvantage of competitors.

3	True Story

True Story

A Date With Gunplay

You’ve probably had a first date go from bad to worse, but probably not from worse to gunplay.

There are no isolated incidents. Incidents are linked, even though the threads seem tenuous. Bullied as a boy in riot-torn Harlem, I held on to my rage until I exploded. I transformed myself from a shy, bookish boy to an out-of-control beast for short periods of time. I’d smash you with half a brick, kick you, whatever it took to protect myself.

“Any man whose errors take 10 years to correct is quite a man,” American physicist Robert Oppenheimer once said. True enough, especially in light of my home life being horrific too. My father was old-school West Indian. His father drowned his son in an inch of water. His words. He beat me rain, shine, spring, summer, fall. He told me on more than one occasion, “I’ll beat you until you cry.”

4	The Huddle

How the Orange Bowl Gave Miami Its Groove Back

This festival helped improve Magic City’s economy and became one of college football’s greatest traditions.

Good Sh*t

A Madcap Detective Podcast With a Yeti

This fast-paced audio comedy revives old-school British comedy, bringing it to a fresh new audience.

6	True Story

I Didn't Know I Had Autism Until I Was 24. It Changed My Life for the Better

For individuals on the autism spectrum, finding a supportive community at work can make all the difference.

7	Rising Stars

You've Never Heard of One of Hollywood's Most Prolific Screenwriters

Mike Vukadinovich, 36, has sold his films to major studios, but you probably don’t know him.

8	Fast Forward


On the Streets of India, Mythology Is Real Life

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