We’ve learnt a few things this week. 7 things, actually. You should learn them too.
How organized crime rigs soccer
Soccer’s New Price-Fixing Scandal – via Grantland
“Operation Veto found suspect World Cup qualifiers, suspect European Championship qualifiers, suspect Champions League games.It found 150 suspect matches at the international level, on multiple continents. It found 380 suspect matches in Europe overall. It found a suspect match involving Liverpool that was played at Anfield, arguably the most celebrated club and stadium in England.”
The guy who killed Osama bin Laden is struggling
The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden… is Screwed – via Esquire
“For the first time, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden tells his story — speaking not just about the raid and the three shots that changed history, but about the personal aftermath for himself and his family. And the startling failure of the United States government to help its most experienced and skilled warriors carry on with their lives.”
Someone old and losing independence seeks her right to die
Vancouver Senior Commits Suicide, Seeks Right to Die Debate – via The Province
“Ruth Goodman wanted to spur debate by taking her own life. At 91 years old, living alone in her Vancouver home, she was not terminally ill. Although she suffered from Crohn’s disease, by most standards, for someone just nine years short of a century in age, she was healthy and happy.”
Pressure affects our ability to perform
Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart? – via The New York Times
“Never before has the pressure to perform on high-stakes tests been so intense or meant so much for a child’s academic future. As more school districts strive for accountability, standardized tests have proliferated. The pressure to do well on achievement tests for college is filtering its way down to lower grades, so that even third graders feel as if they are on trial. Students get the message that class work isn’t what counts, and that the standardized exam is the truer measure. Sure, you did your homework and wrote a great history report — but this test is going to find out how smart you really are. Critics argue that all this test-taking is churning out sleep-deprived, overworked, miserable children.”
Cats are an ecological disaster
Adorable Killers: The Shocking Truth About Cats – via Spiegel Online
“This carnivore doesn’t look nearly as deadly as the white shark, as brawny as the grizzly bear or as menacing as the Tyrannosaurus rex. But it shouldn’t be underestimated. Felis catus — the Latin name for the domestic cat — is a stone-cold killer, and it numbers in the hundreds of millions.”
Giving a TED talk can be emotionally crippling
The Shame and Mortification of Giving a TED Talk – via Hazlitt
“The wildly popular TEDTalk symposia have, for better or worse, given public intellectuals, thinkers, and writers a global platform like none they’ve enjoyed before. But what happens when you’re actually invited to give what organizers call “the speech of a lifetime”?”
Men and women have trouble with friendship because we’re always evaluating each other’s suitability to bang. Actually, we’ve always suspected this one.
Men and Women Can’t Be “Just Friends” – via Scientific American
“The possibility remains that this apparently platonic coexistence is merely a façade, an elaborate dance covering up countless sexual impulses bubbling just beneath the surface.”
