Uber, Recruiting, Yemen, Infanticide, American Football
I Drive For Uber
Mr Money Mustache | 22nd November 2017
In which the author, after many happy trips as an Uber passenger, signs on as a driver, and finds the economics less attractive. You can make friends, but not money. “As with everything in life, I did my best to optimize Uber driving for both fun and money. From my experience as well as reading online forums, the best way you can do it is: Use the referral and bonus system heavily. Actual driving doesn’t pay well, but I have seen bonuses pop up on my app offering $100-$500 to refer other drivers” (3,395 words)
The Recruiters
Adam Linehan | Task And Purpose | 28th November 2017
To join the US Army you need good physical and mental health, no tattoos on face or hands, a high-school diploma and a clean police record. Only 29% of Americans in the 17-24 age group meet those criteria. It’s easiest to recruit in the south and west around military bases where the army is familiar, hardest in the north and east. Since the draft ended in 1973, recruiting has become “one of the most important jobs in the military”. Here’s how the Army goes about it (10,200 words)
The Conflict In Yemen: A Primer
Clare Duncan | Lawfare | 28th November 2017
“The war is at a stalemate. There are functionally two governments: the Houthis in Sanaa, and Hadi in Aden. Yemenis are facing famine, primarily the consequence of a blockade by the Saudi-led coalition. For decades, Yemen has relied on imports for around 90 percent of its food needs, and the Saudi blockade—meant to prevent arms shipments to the Houthis—has cut off Yemenis’ access to food, along with medicine, fuel, and other humanitarian aid” (2,235 words)
Infanticide
Sandra Newman | Aeon | 27th November 2017
“As in animals, infanticide in humans is mainly driven by survival concerns. The children who are killed share the same qualities everywhere. From ancient Greece to present-day Bolivia, a newborn is at risk if the child is deformed or premature, if the mother already has other children, if it is illegitimate, and (with some exceptions) if it’s female. These criteria remain the same whether fathers, mothers or even whole communities are responsible for deciding which children live and which die” (3,200 words)
The American Football: How It Is Played
E.J. Sampson | Guardian | 29th November 2017
From the Guardian archive, an account first published in 1929, written by an English tennis player. “The ball is placed in the centre of the ‘line-up’, then held by the centre man of the side in possession, and at the chosen moment is passed by him between his legs to the chosen back. After each ‘down’ the same preliminaries are all religiously gone through, which makes matters very tedious at times. The game is divided into four quarters, each of 15 minutes” (1,024 words)
Video of the day Loops
What to expect:
If humans were to leave the Earth, machines would carry on working (1’12”)
Thought for the day
The better we understand history, the faster history alters its course
Yuval Noah Harari
Podcast of the day A Mountain Of Whipped Cream | 99% Invisible
Clive Desmond celebrates the charm of radio advertising in the 1960s
(54'53")