PNUT GALLERY
“Making it rain – in strip club parlance.” Read the FT’s interview with instagram celebrity, the Fat Jewish. British etiquette and outlandish New York humor… its so awkward we love it. Perfect way to start your week.
IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
Turkey Bombs Everyone In Syria
Turkey acted with determination (and confusion) in Syria over the weekend in retaliation to an ISIS attack on a community centre in the town of Suruc on the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkey responded by bombing ISIS positions but also by bombing Kurdish PKK positions. The PKK, a Kurdish-Marxist separatist movement is a long time enemy of Turkey. The PKK is also an enemy of ISIS. Turkey, which is now bombing ISIS, allegedly colluded with ISIS in the past… PKK, which had a truce with the Turkish state since 2012, responded by attacking the Turkish military in Diyarbakir province. Turkey now seeks to up the ante by getting NATO involved by invoking Article 4, which member states can invoke when they feel under threat. This is the fifth time Article 4 is invoked in NATO history… If you were confused about the Syrian crisis before, it’s going to get a whole lot worse.
Obama Visits Kenya… Not As Smooth As Kenya Hoped
President Obama visited Kenya today, the country where he was not born in (we know what some of you are thinking). Expectations were high for his visit, with women dancing in the streets, Obama ringtones and companies taking out billboards to welcome him. However, the mood turned sour towards the end of his stay when he delivered a speech criticizing Kenya’s record on corruption, ethnic tension and human rights, particularly same-sex marriage. Kenyan President Kenyatta did not share his views (especially on gay rights), stating that “there are some things, we must admit, we do not share.” Obama is now continuing his tour of Africa in Ethiopia this week.
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
Hundreds Attend Sandra Bland’s Funeral
Hundreds of mourners attended Sandra Bland’s funeral in Illinois over the weekend after the 28-year-old black female was found dead in her jail cell two weeks ago in an apparent suicide. Bland had been arrested for refusing to put out her cigarette while being stopped for a minor traffic violation. Three days later she was found hung in her jail cell. An autopsy report on the body said that her injuries were “consistent with suicide.” While the report might rule out homicide the case still does not resolve the reason for her arrest or her mistreatment at the hands of the police.
Liberté, Égalité Et Doping-é
The 102nd Tour de France (the annual bike race across France and lycra fashion show) finished yesterday as Chris Froome became the first Brit to win the race twice. The 3,000 km race was dogged by accusations that Froome had used performance enhancing drugs, a claim he strongly denied. Froome claimed that crowds had become so hostile that some cretin even threw urine over him (as if spending 12 hours a day on a bike wasn’t bad enough). The ride is such a test of physical endurance that riders, until the 1960;s, used to drink alcohol during the race to numb the pain.
Pnut4Prez: Trump Surges In The Polls
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump surged in the polls in New Hampshire and Iowa, the first two states for the presidential primaries. Trump, who recently called Mexican immigrants racists, derided John McCain for getting captured in Vietnam and gave out Lindsey Graham’s phone number to the public (for kicks) is going from high to high in this campaign. He is currently the front-runner in New Hampshire and second to Scott Walker in Iowa. We can’t tell how to react to this news considering Trump’s comments often straddle a thin line between reality and The Onion…
LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
Sun, Sea and Saudi Kings
What do you do when you go on a beach holiday? Pack towels, suncream and…oh yes bring a 1,000 person entourage, 10 cars and shut down the entire beach. King Salman of Saudi Arabia has done precisely that for his 3 week trip to the French Riviera, with a public (and part-time nudist) beach being closed for ‘ security and privacy’ reasons. Locals are unsurprisingly furious with 100,000 people signing a petition against the closure of the beach. You can join the legion of angry nudists and sign the petition ici.
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