Grand Slam

PNUT GALLERY

We hope your week is a grand slam, even if you aren’t Novak Djokovic. 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Swiss Give Basic Income Plan A Resounding ‘Meh’

A whopping 77% of voters in Switzerland chose not to give every Swiss adult a basic income of ~$2,500 a month ($625 per child) just for being alive. The universal basic income scheme has long been floated by both progressives and libertarians as a way to streamline social welfare and prepare for a future for when “robots take over the world.” No, really, that was part of the argument. 

Why do all Swiss people vote on stuff like this?

Switzerland’s system of direct democracy means that citizens can recommend changes to the constitution. Any – and we mean any – initiative that gets 100,000 signatures can be put up to a referendum. You would think that this lends itself to all sorts of abuse, but as exemplified by this vote, the Swiss are the only people who reject free money. They’ve also previously rejected more vacation days and higher minimum wages. 

Good Read: How Switzerland’s Direct Democracy Functions

Muhammad Ali, The Greatest Of All Time, Dies At 74

He floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. When he knocked out Sonny Liston at age 22, he yelled out that he was “the greatest” and the nickname stuck with him. He was a champion boxer, a civil-rights activist who was stripped of his title, a source of emotional strength for the likes of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. and a hero to kids around the world. Muhammed Ali died this weekend after a decades long battle with Parkinson’s. He will be sorely missed.

Obituaries: Some of the best writing on Ali that looks at his life, his “radicalism“ and how you should remember him.

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Slow And Steady Wins The Iraqi City, Apparently

Just two weeks after Iraqi forces launched an operation to take Fallujah back from ISIS, the US-backed army succeeded in acquiring the tiniest sliver of land. Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab al-Saadi said his forces secured Naymiya, a neighborhood in the southern edge of Fallujah. Take that, ISIS! The largely agricultural neighborhood is a start, but this army moves the way George R.R. Martin writes. An Iraqi parliamentary organization said that they’ll send in their own Tehran-backed units into the operation if it continues to drag this slowly. 

Pnut Read: The Origins Of ISIS 

Peru Tries To Decide Between A Rock And A Hard Place

It was still too close to call after the polls closed on Peru’s presidential race on Sunday. Peru’s options were the conservative Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a former World Bank executive, and the also-conservative Keiko Fujimori, daughter of Alberto Fujimori, the former president who is now in jail for crimes against humanity. While Fujimori had an initial lead in the race, two of the first three exit polls released suggest Kuczynski had won. 

Erdogan Encourages Large Families In Worst Possible Way

Turkish President Erdogan really has a way with the ladies. While addressing Turkey’s Women and Democracy Association in Istanbul, he told the crowd that a woman who rejects motherhood is “deficient” and “incomplete.” The room full of career women didn’t exactly swoon over the leader’s charisma, but weren’t surprised either. This is just the latest in a recent campaign to encourage larger Turkish families. Erdogan also received criticism last month when he said “no Muslim family” would consider birth control or family planning.

KEEPING OUR EYE ON…

Taliban:Three gunman attacked an Afghan court on Sunday,
killing seven people. Prosecutors and judges were also among the wounded after the attack started a 90-minute shootout between the Taliban and Afghan security.

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

UAE Business Man Pays £3.4 Million For Vanity Plates

There can only be one #1, which is why Emirati businessman Arif Ahmed al-Zarouni dropped an easy £3.4 million to have “1” as his license plate. Al-Zarouni won the lucky one in an auction, where he was wise enough to bid 18 times the reserve price. “My ambition is always to be number one,” he said on his win, now making him number one at something.