September 11, 2015

US to take refugees, Iran Deal approved, new humans and weekend reads

PNUT GALLERY


Today marks the 14th anniversary of 9/11. Please take a moment of silence to remember all of those we lost. A series of White House e-mails released this week show President Bush’s reaction to the event that ushered in a new “era of war.”
 


IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

 

America Shows Up To Refugee Crisis


As Europe tries to figure out if it should take 180,000 refugees or 800,000 refugees, Obama has weighed in with the incredibly helpful offer to take in 10,000 refugees. That is roughly 1.3% of how many Europe plans to take. 

Planes, trains and xenophobes:
Getting through Europe remains quite a challenge for refugees who land on Greece’s shores. The Hungarian military began conducting exercises on the border with Serbia (because refugees are so dangerous) and train services between Hungary and Austria were suspended due to overcrowding (because when you get a spike in demand, the best thing to do is stop working).  
 

GOOD READ: Why the refugee problem isn’t a European problem

   


US Senate De-Facto Passes Iran Deal 


Senate Democrats blocked the vote on the Iran Deal yesterday by using a procedural trick known as a “filibuster.” Republicans were furious that they couldn’t vote on the deal, despite the fact that any attempt to block it would have been vetoed by Obama (which makes you wonder why even bother filibustering it).

Meanwhile, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameni kept adding fuel to the fire by saying there won’t be anymore negotiations about other topics (Syria, Yemen, Iraq) and that Israel would be destroyed within 25 years… really makes everyone feel warm and fuzzy about the deal.
 

FUN READ: Great quotes from the Anti-Iran Deal rally



NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ


Erdogan: If You Can’t Beat Them In The Polls, Fight A Civil War  


Turkey inched closer to a civil war today when at least 30 people were killed in the southeastern city of Cizre. The Turkish government claims that they are fighting the PKK, a Kurdish-Marxist group, in Cizre and that most of the dead are militants. Kurdish MPs, who were blocked as they tried to march to Cizre, claim that the dead are civilians. All of this is happening as Turkey heads to new elections in November because the last round of elections were inconclusive (or the ruling party didn’t like the conclusion). 
 


Luck O’ The (Northern) Irish… Sort Of


Northern Ireland has always seen conflict between the Unionists (those who like the UK) and the Nationalists/Republicans (those who don’t). Yesterday, the First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson resigned, jeopardizing its fragile governance. The dispute revolves around the alleged involvement of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the killing of Kevin McGuigan, a former member of the group. The problem? The IRA should have been disbanded over a decade ago… 



Do You Know What Makes Us Human?


Apparently scientists aren’t so sure of it either anymore after the recent discovery of a new species of a human ancestor, Homo naledi, in South Africa. Humans were previously thought to have been the only species to bury their dead. But it looks like Homo naledi may have predated them in this behavior. Better yet, naledi was built not so dissimilar to me and you — standing at five feet tall with human-like feet and hands yet an orange-sized brain. Welcome to the family, naledi!  
 

GOOD READ: Inside the search for a new human


#pnut4prez: GOP Debate Round II Prep Time


Get the popcorn and Buncha Crunch ready for next Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate. A lot has happened over the past month since the last viewing — insults hurled, gaffes galore and poll numbers rising and dropping as quickly as the temperatures on the east coast. What to expect: Carly Fiorina and Jeb Bush will attempt to get even with The Donald (sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me… sorta). Rubio will hit on foreign policy, Christie will seek Tea Party support, and Trump… well Trump doesn’t like to “second-guess” his performances (self-proclaimed)… so expect, um, status quo? 



Keeping Our Eye On…

  • Jeremy Corbyn: A man who once called Hamas “friends” and has been likened to Britain’s Syriza is set to be elected as Britain’s opposition leader on Saturday. Here’s a bonkers video explaining what’s going on.
     
  • Srebrenica: It only took a decade, but Serbia finally got around to prosecuting people for the Srebrenica massacre, charging eight people yesterday.
     
  • Japan Rain: Crazy scenes of flooding in Japan as heavy rains have caused levees to break, mudslides and at least eight people to go missing. 


LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
 

Harry Potter Fans Angry At Voldemort


Muggles aren’t always the cleverest especially when it comes to pronouncing He Who Cannot Be Named. J.K. Rowling (K stands for Kathleen by the way) confirmed that Voldemort was actually pronounced with a silent “T.” This makes the general confusion of just how to pronounce Hermione relatively small. You only tell us after 18 years Kathleen?  



Weekend Reads:


Weatherman nails longest Welsh place name in TV report
This weatherman shows the world how to pronounce a 58-letter Welsh town. What a hero.
Today’s Pnut is sponsored by Wild Guanabana!

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