Turkey Mourns Another Attack While The Blame Game Restarts In Syria

PNUT GALLERY

The Guardian dug up Myspace profiles of celebrities before they were famous and it’s a cringeworthy reminder that the internet never forgets.

 IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

 Turkey Mourns Yet Another Deadly Attack

At least four people are dead and more are critically wounded after an attack was made on a courthouse in Izmir, using a terrifying assortment of car bombs, Kalashnikov rifles and grenades. Two of the attackers died in the bombing but one is reportedly still at large. It’s anybody’s guess as to which party is behind this round of violence, but Turkish officials are blaming Kurdish militants for this event. Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak is warning citizens that a much larger attack might be part of the plan, judging by the advanced weapons that were used in the raid. Turkey is still mourning the loss of 39 people in a nightclub attack last week, and this violence is sure to only deepen the sense of uncertainty and lack of safety that has stricken the country.

 NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

 US Intelligence Will Make A Huge Announcement… Next Week

Director of National Intelligence General James Clapper told Congress they he will reveal Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motive behind the alleged Russian hacking scandal but we’ll have to wait until next week. Giving testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the top US intelligence official said the Kremlin ordered the hack of Democratic emails and interfered to help President-elect Donald Trump win against Democrat Hillary Clinton. President Barack Obama was given the the full report yesterday and Trump is scheduled to be briefed in the matter today. The unclassified version, complete with motives, will be made public next week and promises to be the most anticipated album drop of 2017. The suspense is already killing us.

Syria: Let The Blame Games Begin

The Syrian War is far from over for the 5.5 million people who have minimal access to water supplies, according to the latest statement from the United Nations. Jan Egeland, UN humanitarian adviser to Syria, said his team was blocked from entering the north of Damascus and therefore it’s unclear whether the disruption of water flow was caused by Syrian government destruction or rebel sabotage. Either way, most Damascus residents no longer have water flowing in their homes and the UN believes that is the result of a war crime. They just aren’t sure the culprit.

Meanwhile, a new Blame Game kicked off yesterday when US Secretary of State John Kerry blamed the UK for derailing President Obama’s plan for intervention in Syria. For those who need a refresher, Obama once said he would only bomb the Syrian regime if they began using chemical weapons, known as his “red line.” But after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used sarin gas on a suburb in August 2013, the United States failed to act. Kerry deflected the blame for America’s lack of participation by citing the UK’s vote against airstrikes. Kerry’s exhaustion with his own job is becoming obvious in his blunt rhetoric. His response to the “red line” question began: “Now, we were marching towards that time when, lo and behold … Prime Minister David Cameron went to the parliament…and he sought a vote for approval for him to join in the action that we were going to engage in. And guess what? The parliament voted no, they shot him down.”

 KEEPING OUR EYE ON

Om Puri: The veteran Indian actor died at age 66. Not only was he a regular in mainstream Bollywood films, but he was the star of the UK hit East is East and other British films.

Venezuela: The country reports that they have found survivors of the military helicopter that crashed in the Amazon six days ago. The helicopter was carrying 13 people when it disappeared last Thursday.

  LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

 WaPo’s New Symbol For Feminism Is The Symbol For Men

Sometimes, when a publication is rushing to make a deadline, items slip past the copyeditors. But you would think that someone – anyone – employed at Washington Post Express would see the astrological glyph for Mars/Men and think that it didn’t look right representing a women’s march. The typo would have looked odd enough hiding somewhere inside the print edition, but this was the focal point of the front cover. The world’s largest typo was immediately chastised by the public, given the symbols of ♀ for female and ♂ for male are widely recognized but everyone expect for their graphic designer. Washington Post has since issued a correction and apology.