September 28, 2015

Interview with Ben Carson, UN General Assembly week, John Boehner resigns and Catalonian independence

 
 

PNUT GALLERY

The Daily Show is back and new host Trevor Noah’s got big shoes to fill… In the meantime watch yesterday’s 60 minutes interviews with Putin and The Donald

 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

 

UN General Assembly Week Begins

 
The UN General Assembly week, a time when the world’s leaders come together to listen to four-hour long speeches by the world’s dictators and dodgy justifications for war. This week’s gathering is expected to be full of drama, uncomfortable speeches and awkward moments. Here is what to watch for:
  • US – Russia: Putin and Obama are going to meet for the first time since the Ukraine war two years ago. They’ve got a lot to discuss including Ukraine, Syria and ISIS.
  • US – Cuba: Putin and Raul Castro will meet in the highest level meeting between the two countries since Fidel took power in 1959.
  • ISIS: Obama will host some world leaders in a discussion on how to destroy ISIS. Expect lofty statements.

GOOD READ: Craziest moments in UN General Assembly history

 

John Boehner Resigns, Asks To Be Left Alone

John Boehner finally got fed up of dealing with the Tea Party last week and announced that he will be resigning from his role as Speaker of the House. Boehner stepped down to avoid a protracted leadership struggle that would do “irreparable harm to the institution.” It isn’t over for him just yet, as he battles a looming government shutdown this week over Planned Parenthood. Boehner went on the offensive, promising that the government wouldn’t shut down and derided the Tea Party as “false prophets.” Will Congress be better off with or without him?

#PNUT4PREZ: SPECIAL CANDIDATE EDITION

Pnut Shoots The Breeze With Dr. Carson


It’s hard to find out what presidential candidates stand for when they are too busy dealing with The Donald’s insults about their looks. So we felt it was the Pnut’s civic duty to ask them why they are fit to be President of the United States. Below are some highlights from our interview with Dr. Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon from humble beginnings who is now a just 1% behind The Donald in the polls. You can the read full interview here You recently made a comment about Islam being inconsistent with the Constitution. What about Islam makes you say that? Primarily, Sharia, […] because it doesn’t respect the rights of women or of gays, and it places other religions in an inferior position. It is also a method of living that encompasses your whole life. You can’t embrace Islam and say I’m for separation of church and state. The only way that a person brought up that way could lead our country would be to reject those components of Islam. Are other religions inconsistent with the Constitution? Any religion would be inconsistent with the Constitution if the person refused to subject their religious beliefs to our beliefs and our Constitution. How do your personal religious beliefs and your training as a renowned physician, surgeon and scientist support you to uphold the Constitution? Because I believe in the Constitution. I believe in the values that made America into a great nation. I believe the same thing that I think the vast majority of Americans believe. And I think that’s probably the reason the support has been so strong for what I said.What you find is a large group of people who are only trying to be politically correct without really thinking about what they’re saying. The very same people who say, “Don’t worry about Sharia, we could put them in as President of the United States, it’s not a problem†– they’re not thinking. They haven’t engaged their brain. They don’t know what they’re saying. And all they have to do is go and live in a country where it’s practiced, and they will find out pretty quickly. Quick-fire: Iran Deal I would notify the Iranians that I am quite willing to negotiate, but that the other treaty is null and void. By the way, because it was done as an Executive Order, the minute Obama leaves office, it becomes null and void if the next President doesn’t embrace it. Quick-fire: Congressional performance in Washington Congressional performance has been horrible because of the polarization, which leads to gridlock. One of the things you’ll notice before people get divorced is that they stop communicating. What advice would you give to someone just starting out in his or her career? Learn how you learn. Learn what your strengths and weaknesses are. Try to improve the weaknesses, but play to your strengths. And also, make sure that you are well versed in lots of different areas. Don’t allow yourself to be pigeonholed. One weird fact about yourself you’ve never shared before… There aren’t too many weird facts about me, but probably that I love lemonade mixed with grape soda. **The Daily Pnut also got some secret intel that he’s one of the best pool players out there.

 Pnut’s Interview with Dr. Ben Carson

 

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Catalonia Votes For Independence… Spain Not Thrilled

Catalonia, the home of Lionel Messi’s soccer (football) team, voted for pro-independence candidates yesterday, putting the province on a collision course with Spain. Catalonia (capital Barcelona aka BarTHelona) has been trying to vote on independence for a while but has been routinely blocked or ignored by the central government. We expect them to continue ignoring requests for independence. Pope’s Unprecedented Meeting With Victims Of Child Sex Abuse Pope Francis met with individuals who had been sexually abused by clergy during his visit to Philadelphia this weekend. The Pope said that “God weeps” for the victims of child sex abuse and promised to do more to help those recovering. Activists argued that more still needs to be done to deal with the issue. Your move, Pope.

Keeping Our Eye On…

  • NASA: Big announcement about Mars expected today from NASA. We think it will be aliens or water… hopefully aliens.
    • Armstrong: It took about 10 years but Lance armstrong finally settled a $10 million lawsuit over Tour De France payments that he got while he was doping.
 
  • Indian Internet: Indian PM Modi dazzled Silicon Valley over the weekend, visiting Facebook, Google and Apple and pledging to connect all Indians to the internet.   

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

FIFA: An Organisation So Corrupt Even The Mafia Disapproves 

Switzerland announced that it would be launching a criminal investigation into Sepp Blatter’s dealings as the head of FIFA, the organization in charge of international soccer (football). Not only that, the man slated to be his successor, Michael Platini, is also under investigation! So many people within FIFA are under investigation we’ve actually given up trying to find out what is going on… In fact, if you think you understand what is going on we invite you to write a guest Pnut on the FIFA investigation! Just shoot us an email.
 
The US criminal justice system is broken, is there a way to fix it? Vice explores the issue in their new documentary “Fixing the System.” 
Today’s Pnut is sponsored by Hello Alfred! Hello Alfred is changing the way that people live their lives. Alfred members get a dedicated personal butler who visits their home every week to take care of all their errands and get their to do list done. Put your home on autopilot so that you can do what you do best: rock your career, build a business, play with your kids, or pick up a new hobby, but always Come Home Happy. 
  IVY is a collaborative community of 15,000+ next generation innovators who are redefining entrepreneurship, arts, policy and philanthropy. Our mission is to spark great new ideas, advance important causes, and provide unparalleled opportunities for learning and growth.
H/T to Antoine for one of today’s Weekend Reads Receive this email from a friend? Get The Daily Pnut every day – subscribe here
Got Feedback? Drop a line to Tewfik at tewfik@opedspace.com Keep in touch with us outside of your inbox:
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Copyright © , All rights reserved. Mailing address: 950 Mass Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
 

Yes, I want to sound marginally more intelligent: