The US Is In A Forgiving Mood, While Saudi Arabia Wonders If Women Could Drive

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Is the work wearing you out? Pnut reader Khemaridh Hy talks about his transition from the Wall Street hustle to Wholeness in this great Ted Talk.

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 The Reports Of OPEC’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

After years of bickering, failed summits and pundits proclaiming its death OPEC, the organization/cartel of oil producing nations, finally pulled it together and made a deal to cut oil production in order to raise oil prices. Markets responded positively to the news with oil prices jumping 10% after the deal was announced. Previous deals had fallen apart due to a lack of trust between Saudi Arabia, which would have shouldered most of the cut in production, and Iraq/Iran who didn’t want limits to their production. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been engaged in a bitter proxy war across the Middle East. The deal is also unique because it includes Russia, a non-OPEC country that is also fighting its own proxy war against Saudi Arabia over Syria, forcing them to cut production as well. Over the past few years the price of oil had collapsed due to a glut from new suppliers, most notably US shale oil. Shale producers are exempt from the deal and will reap any windfall from a rising price.

Trumpdate: Trump Decides He Wants To Be President After All

With 50 days left until inauguration Donald Trump tweeted that he would be leaving behind his businesses, allowing him to focus on being President. Apparently, being President is a “far more important task” than putting your name on buildings. Who would have thought?! The problem is that he might be giving the business to his children, which isn’t really leaving it behind. The Wall Street Journal called on Trump to just sell off his businesses. Meanwhile, outgoing CIA director John Brennan warned Trump that scrapping the Iran Deal would be the “height of folly.” The complicated deal between Iran and the five UN Security Council members plus Germany promises a gradual lifting of sanctions in return for Iran scrapping its nuclear ambitions for a decade amidst an intrusive and complex oversight regime. During the campaign trail Trump warned that he would scrap the deal and Mark Pompeo, Trump’s pick to replace Brennan, has also promised to roll back the deal. There are a few problems, however, with revoking the deal. For starters the deal seems to be working so far. Also, the deal involves five other countries and if the US decides to “cancel” the deal the other countries might not be so keen to bring back sanctions, which would allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon while also avoid sanctions. The worst of both worlds.

 NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

 No Charges Against Officer Who Killed Keith Lamont Scott

The Mecklenburg County District Attorney said that the officer who fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott will not face charges, ending a two month investigation that catalyzed intense protests in Charlotte, North Carolina. A total of 15 prosector unanimously agreed that Officer Brentley Vinson was justified in shooting Scott in an apartment complex parking lot on September 20. This particular case was packed with many rumors and even some erroneous claims, and everything from the presence of weapons to the race of Officer Vinson was challenged by protestors. After widespread demands, video footage was released to the public in October, but it was still unclear whether Scott was holding a gun and parts of the story were still missing.

Princely Pondering: Maybe Women Can Drive After All

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, resident cool guy of the Saudi royal family, is calling for an “urgent” end to his country’s ban on women driving. Al-Waleed holds no political posts but chairs Kingdom Holding Co., and he’s considered a wildly outspoken relative and philanthropist for women’s rights. Saudi Arabia is the only country that still won’t let women drive, which undermines a lot of freedoms and access to the workforce. Still, not everyone likes the idea of Al-Waleed behind the wheel. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman worries that lifting the ban still wouldn’t convince Saudi women to drive. “So far the society is not persuaded … but we stress that it is up to Saudi society.” We’re sure if the royal family offers up their fleet of gold super cars, people can be convinced.

Forget Cyber Monday Savings, The U.S. Will Forgive $108 Billion In Student Debt

Finally, some good news. The Government Accountability Office reported on Wednesday that over the next 10-20 years, the federal government will forgive an estimated $108 billion in student loans. That’s roughly a third of student debt built up between 1997 and 2017. The savings come through a combination of lowered payments and loan forgiveness. The catch is that the incoming Trump Administration could dismantle the programs. The federal government also wouldn’t have to do this if, you know, higher education didn’t cost so much in the first place…

 KEEPING OUR EYE ON

Colombia: Leaked audio reveals that the pilot of the chartered plane carrying Chapecoense, the Brazilian soccer team, told traffic controllers he had run out of fuel and pleaded for permission to land. The plane crashed into the Andes minutes later. Further investigations are still underway.

Hungary: As part of the country’s recent crackdown on refugees, a Syrian man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in clashes between refugees and police. Amnesty International is calling the charge an “affront to justice,” as the judge refused to hear the testimonies of more than 20 defense witnesses. Not only that, but the prosecution’s main witness, a police officer, could not be certain of the suspect’s identity.

 PNUTTY VIDEO

Donald Trump claims he’ll remove himself from his personal business, but The Daily Show took a look at Trump’s conflicts of interest.

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 Into Bondage? It Might Be Your Cat’s Fault

Turns out, the felines in your life might be why you’re so frisky. The Journal of Evolutionary Psychology published a study that argues cat ownership directly impacts sexual behavioral patterns and can make human brains more aroused by sadomasochism. Here’s the science behind it: Taxoplasma gondii, the common brain parasite which causes toxoplasmosis, is often transmitted to humans from handling cat feces. It’s not that big of a deal, or so we thought, since over a third of the population has the parasite. But a study of 36,564 people in Slovakia and the Czech Republic found that subject infected with toxoplasmosis “are more often aroused by their own fear, danger, and sexual submission.” Ted Nugent may have written a song about this phenomenon.