PNUT GALLERY In honor of $45 Billion worth of goodwill (see below), we’d like to give 50 cents to charity for every referred subscriber between now and Friday, December 11.
IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ
Mark Zuckerberg Pulls A Warren Buffet 50 Years Ahead Of Schedule
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan announced the birth of their daughter, Max (better than the growing trend of naming your baby after Instagram filters), and marked the occasion by promising to give 99% of their Facebook stock (~$45 billion) to charity. The couple who brought us the Facebook poke (and a $300 billion company) set up the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to focus on “personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.” The moves come only two days after they announced a $2 billion fund in collaboration with Bill Gates to fight climate change. Wow… just wow.
A Police Cover Up In Chicago? No One Saw That One Coming
The city that brought us Al Capone and the state that had four governors indicted for corruption in the last 50 years is caught in the middle of a crisis as protesters allege that the police tried to cover up the killing of a black teenager over a year ago. A white police officer shot 17-year-old Laqan McDonald 18 times according to video footage released last week. The problem (aside from the obvious) is that it took a year to release the footage, and the officer was only arrested after it was released.
Protesters accuse the city of being involved in a cover up (which is a fair accusation, really), prompting Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to fire Chicago police superintendent Gary McCarthy. Is it over? Probably not as protesters are now calling for Emanuel himself to resign.
NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ
France: These Aren’t Police, Just ‘Volunteers’
The French town of Beziers might experiment with new “volunteer patrols” to boost security following last month’s Paris attack. The mayor who hails from the far-right (fascist) National Front party calls them friends of the police, except, the police aren’t comfortable with what will essentially be a militia patrolling in uniform without accountability. The mayor is known for leading a previous fight against kebab shops.
US To Turkey And Russia: ‘Now Children, Stop Fighting’
Barack Obama appeared exasperated by the duo of Vladimir Putin and Tayyip Erodgan (big strong men) who have been squabbling ever since Turkey shot down a Russian jet for a 17-second airspace violation (amazing what you can do in 17 seconds). The President asked the two sides to work it out and “de-escalate” the situation. Meanwhile, a bombing in Istanbul only served to remind everyone how dangerous the stakes were. Thailand: Where’s My Front Page Gone?
Readers of the International New York Times in Thailand were greeted by the odd sight of a partially blank front page after censors decided to remove an article which discussed the country’s ailing economy and royal succession (Thailand has the longest serving monarch in the world, criticize him and you’ll go to jail). That’s one way to deal with it. The country has been under military rule since 2014 but at least this hasn’t stopped Thailand hosting its annual Thanksgiving for monkeys.
#pnut4prez: Too Little Too Late For Bush In NH?
With all eyes on the first in the nation primary in only 10 weeks, Bush seems to be ramping up in the Granite State (using his beloved technology no doubt). But even with nearly double the campaign staff and increased airtime, he might not have a fighting chance to come in the top three on February 9. Christie already snagged the top endorsement from the state’s largest newspaper and other key political figures, and Rubio and Cruz will be stiff competition (not to mention Trump). Someone has got to feel sorry for the guy…the internet doesn’t.
Keeping Our Eye On…
- Puerto Rico: The island territory narrowly missed defaulting for a second time this year but continues to be on thin ice. This would be a lot less painful if PR was just a regular state.
- Airplanes: Turns out a “faulty part” brought down the AirAsia flight over Indonesia last year killing all 162 people on board… that is reassuring.
- Cyber Monday: Sales topped $3 billion on Cyber Monday, making it the biggest e-commerce day in history… in the US. China’s Single’s Day last month brought in $14.3 billion.Take that America!
LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT
They Spent My Tax Money On Llamas? Senator James Lankford (R-OK) has published a list of a the 100 slightly odd things that have been funded by the government. In a highly entertaining review, taxpayer money has been used for “Silent Shakespeare” performances (you can probably understand Romeo and Juliet without words), truth-telling consultants to help officials testify in Congress and… something to do with llamas. |
|
