Random News: March 19, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s March 19, 2025, and it’s a Wednesday. I’m having trouble shaking myself out of the land of dreams this morning, though the coffee is thankfully starting to kick in.

• It’s extremely rare that I throw out a “breaking news” social post in between my daily Random News articles I write every morning for you.
• I only do it a couple of times per year. But I did it yesterday because something absolutely extraordinary in the annals of US history happened.
• Not only did Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts reject calls for impeaching federal judges after Dictator Dump demanded the removal of a judge who ruled against his deportation plans… but he publicly rebuked the presidumb as well.
• “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a rare statement. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
• What did Dumpy do that drew the condemnation of the nation’s highest court?
• As we’ve reported recently, over the weekend, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order blocking deportation flights under wartime authorities from an 18th century law that Trump invoked to carry out his plans.
• And then yesterday morning, Dumpy freaked the fuck out.
• He posted on social media, “HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY.”
• Calm down, grandpa. Go take a nap.
• Then Dump said the magic whiny words…
• “I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!!”
• Funny side note: only one day earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I have not heard the president talk about impeaching judges.”
• Okay Karoline.
• There’s a name for a leader that demands any judge who disagrees with him be removed from office, and that name is a fascist dictator.
• And a country where this happens is under a constitutional crisis, the first serious and major step toward civil war.
• Dumpy’s call for impeachment — a rare step that is usually taken only in cases of grave ethical or criminal misconduct — represents an intensifying clash between the judicial and executive branches.
• And the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 that Dump used to justify his illegal actions has been used only three times before in U.S. history, all during congressionally declared wars.
• Last time, in the 1940s, it was used to lock up American citizens of Japanese descent in internment camps.
• So here’s how it can be done legally, and without the Supreme Court calling you a dumbfuck in public.
• The Constitution gives the House of Representatives the power to impeach a judge with a simple majority vote. But, like a presidential impeachment, any removal requires a vote from a two-thirds majority from the Senate.
• Which would never happen.
• Just 15 judges have been impeached in the nation’s history, and just eight have been removed.
• Moving on.
• Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes blocked enforcement of a new Defense Department policy barring transgender people from serving in the U.S. military.
• Fuck all the way off, Dumpy.
• Reyes granted a request for a preliminary injunction sought by transgender active-duty service members and transgender people who are in the process of enlisting. The judge's order temporarily blocks Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the military services from implementing Dump's executive order and additional guidance that prohibits transgender people from serving in the military.
• Note: she put her order on hold until March 21 to give the Justice Department time to seek emergency relief from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
• We’ll be keeping an eye on that.
• Reyes noted that, "Indeed, the cruel irony is that thousands of transgender servicemembers have sacrificed — some risking their lives —to ensure for others the very equal protection rights the Military Ban seeks to deny them. In the self-evident truth that 'all people are created equal,' all means all. Nothing more. And certainly nothing less."
• Well said.
• In related “The Courts Fuck Dump” news…
• Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang found that Dumpalumpagus likely violated the Constitution when he and Elon Musk effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development.
• In a 68-page opinion, Chuang wrote that "the Court finds that Defendants' actions taken to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID Officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways, and that these actions harmed not only Plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public's elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down an agency created by Congress."
• Thank you!
• The plaintiffs in this case are more than two dozen unnamed current or recently fired employees and contractors of USAID. The defendants are Elmo and his Department of Government Efficiency.
• USAID employees who were fired or put on administrative leave were told to show up at the now-shuttered USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C., late last month to collect their belongings. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said most foreign aid contracts will be canceled.
• Fuck all of you. At some time in the not-distant future, all of your efforts will be for nothing at all.
• Moving on to more news about the ongoing dismantling of Social Security.
• Beginning in a couple of weeks on March 31, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures.
• This will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.
• Anyone who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s “my Social Security” online service — like a huge portion of elderly people who aren’t familiar or comfortable with online technology — will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process.
• Older Americans in rural areas, including those with disabilities, mobility limitations, those who live far from SSA offices, and people with limited internet access will be completely screwed by this.
• I don’t take any solace knowing that many of those folks voted for Dumpy.
• They also didn’t vote for Elon Musk — no one did. And yet, he’s the guy running the country.
• This week, Musk’s pseudo-department DOGE took over the U.S. Institute of Peace after threatening its officials with criminal prosecution. Its president was removed from its headquarters with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the FBI, and D.C. police.
• USIP, whose mandate from Congress is to help resolve violent international conflicts and provide Congress and the administration with information and analysis, frequently hosts senior government officials for seminars and policy discussions.
• The takeover of this government agency was quite violent. Locked doors were forced open, and staff were escorted by police from the building and prevented from reentering. It was to the point that the USIP security chief called 911.
• In seizing control of the 40-year-old Washington institution, founded and funded directly by Congress and employing about 600 people here and overseas, DOGE emptied the building and installed DOGE agent Kenneth Jackson as acting USIP president.
• You see how this works, right? They start small, see if their plans work, adjust accordingly, and then expand to larger targets. Can you believe this Nazi-like shit is happening in our own country?
• It may not be long before you — yes you, reader — are forced to fight back. Are you ready?
• My guess is probably not. But we’ll likely be talking about that topic soon.
• Moving on for now.
• On Monday of this week, Justin Eichorn — a Republican Minnesota state senator — grabbed some national headlines when he and four other MN senators proposed a bill that would add “Trump derangement syndrome” to the state’s definition of mental illness.
• In other words, if you don’t like Dumpy, you’d be defined as mentally ill in Minnesota.
• So that was Monday.
• On Tuesday, Eichorn was arrested on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
• HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
• Bloomington, MN police arrested Eichorn, 40, after detectives say they communicated with him over the phone. Eichorn believed he was talking with a 16-year-old girl.
• Yesterday he arrived to the arranged location in his truck, ready to fuck a teenager. He was instead arrested without incident.
• And the Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus demanded that Eichorn resign. So much for that bill.
• In other news…
• The astronauts who got stuck up on the ISS for longer than expected are now back on Earth.
• Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth yesterday to finally close out a repeatedly extended 286-day odyssey in space.
• Their trip to the ISS was originally schedule to last eight days. Instead, it stretched to nine and a half months.
• Can you imagine planning a trip that was about a week but arriving home in time for (checks calendar) Christmas?
• On the bright side, having covering 4,576 orbits and 121 million miles since launch last June 5, their flight now ranks sixth on the list of longest single NASA missions.
• As you likely know, Wilmore and Williams had their extended stay due to issues on their trip up aboard the first test flight of the problem-plagued Boeing Starliner capsule.
• Donnie “Space Cadet” Dump claimed it was Biden’s fault, somehow. "They shamefully forgot about the astronauts, because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them,” he whined.
• What The Dumpster didn’t say: NASA had planned to bring the crew home in February. But their mission was extended to March because SpaceX ran into problems with the Crew Dragon spacecraft being processed to carry the replacement Crew 10 into space.
• Anyway, welcome back.
• And now, The Weather: “Relationships” by HAIM
• Let’s do a chart. It’s 30 years ago in March 1995. I am 25 and have been working in my industry for a couple of years.
• My job at the time? I make ads, I interview rock stars, I plan and coordinate marketing efforts. Same job as I have now.
• Here’s the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at the time.
• 1. Take A Bow (Madonna). 2. Candy Rain (Soul For Real). 3. Creep (TLC). 4. Red Light Special (TLC). 5. Strong Enough (Sheryl Crow). 6. Big Poppa/Warning (The Notorious B.I.G.). 7. You Gotta Be (Des’ree). 8. Baby (Brandy). 9. If You Love Me (Brownstone). 10. Run Away (Real McCoy). 11. I Know (Dionne Farris). 12. Another Night (Real McCoy). 13. Hold My Hand (Hootie & The Blowfish). 14. Freak Like Me (Adina Howard). 15. On Bended Knee (Boyz II Men). 16. This Is How We Do It (Montell Jordan). 17. This Lil' Game We Play (Subway Featuring 702). 18. Like The Way I Do/If I Wanted To (Melissa Etheridge). 19. Dear Mama/Old School (2Pac). 20. Always (Bon Jovi).
• From the Sports Desk… it’s looking like Aaron Rodgers may not have a job for the next NFL season. Boo hoo.
• The Minnesota Vikings are moving past their discussions with free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, leaving second-year player J.J. McCarthy atop the quarterback depth chart as offseason practices approach.
• After 2024 starter Sam Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks and free agent Daniel Jones signed with the Indianapolis Colts, the Vikings were looking like the prime landing spot for Rodgers.
• Which would have been pretty hilarious due to the fact that Rodgers would have followed the nearly identical career path as Brett Favre, who also went from the Packers to the Jets to the Vikings (Favre had started his career with the Falcons, though).
• Now, unless he wants to be a backup to some other team desperate for a QB, I’d say it’s likely he’ll retire from the NFL and go to work for Fox or for Dumpy in some way.
• The Vikings will need to continue working to find a veteran backup for McCarthy. Veteran Brett Rypien is the only other quarterback on the roster. other possibilities include veterans Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz.
• Meh.
• Today in history… The House of Commons of England passes an act abolishing the House of Lords, declaring it "useless and dangerous to the people of England” (1649). Explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle, searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River, is murdered by his own men (1687). First documented bank heist in U.S. history, when burglars stole $245,000 from the City Bank — now Citibank — on Wall Street (1831). The SS Georgiana, said to have been the most powerful Confederate cruiser, is destroyed on her maiden voyage with a cargo of munitions, medicines, and merchandise then valued at over $1,000,000 (1863). The US Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time (1918). Governor Fred B. Balzar signs a bill legalizing gambling in Nevada (1931). Adolf Hitler issues his "Nero Decree" ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities, and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed (1945). The United States House of Representatives begins broadcasting its day-to-day business via the cable television network C-SPAN (1979). Argentinian forces land on South Georgia Island, precipitating the Falklands War with the United Kingdom (1982).
• March 19 is the birthday of lawman/gambler Wyatt Earp (1848), politician William Jennings Bryan (1860), politician Edith Nourse Rogers (1881), SCOTUS chief justice Earl Warren (1891), comedian/singer Moms Mabley (1894), architect/Nazi Albert Speer (1905), actress Ursula Andress (1936), singer Ruth Pointer (1946), actress Glenn Close (1947), producer/rapist Harvey Weinstein (1952), songwriter/guitarist Ricky Wilson (1953), actor Bruce Willis (1955), NFL coach Andy Reid (1958), police officer/murderer Derek Chauvin (1976), NBA player Hedo Türkoğlu (1979), MLB player Clayton Kershaw (1988), NFL player EJ Manuel (1990), and NFL player Julian Love (1998).

One note: I’m not trying to scare you with this chatter about civil war. I’m trying to help you prepare, mentally and otherwise, for one possible future. What people like me do is look at pathways and trajectories based on events in history, and try and connect the dots and extend what’s happening now into what might happen as a result. I’m not a doom-and-gloom person at all; I feel fine. But I also don’t want you being in a much worse spot should things happen that you are utterly unprepared for. Think of it that way. Enjoy your day.

Random News: March 18, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s March 18, 2025, and it’s a Tuesday. This is one of those moments in time that — if you’re paying attention — will probably be part of an exam for which some 11th grader will have to study in a future US History class.

• I’m calling it: the cold civil war has begun. There’s no doubt in my mind anymore.
• Yesterday, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Justice Department to provide a sworn declaration by today at noon with details on how plane-loads of alleged Venezuelan gang members were deported despite his order to turn the planes around.
• The hearing yesterday centered on whether the government complied with the Judge James Boasberg's temporary restraining order -– with a debate about when exactly the order was issued, where U.S. custody over deportees ends, or whether an oral order versus a written order holds the same weight to restrain government action.
• The long story short…
• On Saturday, Boasberg issued an emergency order that told the administration to stop using wartime powers to immediately deport people, and turn around any planes already in the air. 
• But the Dump criminal gang said on Sunday that the order came too late to stop the deportations, as planes were already outside U.S. territory.
• They were full of shit. 
• Data showed two planes carrying the deportees were still in the air by the time of the judge's written order at 7:26pm — and a third plane only took off at 7:37pm, after the written order.
• And the judge had already issued an oral order at 6:45pm. That means the government violated the Court’s command, straight up.
• How did the government respond after that?
• Dump’s border czar (whatever that means) Tom Homan indicated yesterday that the fucking clown-in-chief planned to continue such deportations despite the court’s order. “We’re not stopping,” Homan said. “I don’t care what the judges think.
• And also yesterday, the DOJ filed papers saying there was no need for them to appear in court, since they did not intend to provide Judge Boasberg with any additional information.
• And then the Department of Justice asked a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., to replace Judge Boasberg.
• The request, which cited what they claim to be Boasberg’s“inappropriate exercise of jurisdiction.”
• And then, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Dump administration would “absolutely” continue to take illegal actions despite a ruling from a federal judge ordering them to pause their efforts. 
• So, this is straight-up dictator shit, and is 100% against the Constitution of the United States and our laws. That means we are now in a constitutional crisis, which is the flashpoint of any civil war.
• We will continue to keep a close eye on that situation as it continues to develop today.
• Moving on for now.
• From the “It’s About Fucking Time” Desk…
• Yesterday, leading Democrats demanded an investigation of possible criminal corruption involving Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and world’s richest man who is controlling the pseudo-president El Dumpo.
• Senators Chris Van Hollen, Richard Blumenthal, and Elizabeth Warren — three Democrats with balls — wrote to AG Pam Bondi and the transportation department that the investigation should involve “the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision to cancel a $2.4 billion contract with Verizon to upgrade air traffic control communications, and to pay Musk’s Starlink to help manage US airspace.”
• They continued that an investigation would determine whether Musk, “in his capacity as a special government employee in the White House has participated in any particular matter in which he has a financial interest, which would violate the criminal conflict-of-interest statute.”
• They also state that as a special government employee, Musk should be “subject to federal conflict-of-interest rules” and “may be using his government role to benefit his own private company.”
• It goes on to say, “Additionally, Starlink has begun shipping its hardware to the FAA, though the company has stated that it is providing satellite kits to the agency free of charge. However, sources suggest that the FAA is ordering staff to ‘begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal.’”
• Fucking piece of shit thieves. That’s our tax money, folks.
• A second letter sent by the three Senators, and joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD), to Susie Wiles, Dump’s White House chief of staff.
• They cited powers of congressional oversight in requiring her to “provide written assurances that [the administration] will immediately remediate the worst” instances of a long list of conflicts of interest and corruption arising from Dumpy’s first two months in power.
• And a third letter asked Gene Dodaro, the comptroller general, to mount a Government Accountability Office investigation into whether the appointment of former Georgia congressman Doug Collins to run both the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Government Ethics is undermining either body.
• Fuck yes. Get their asses. Let’s fucking go.
• Let’s move over the the International Desk for a moment.
• Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early today, killing hundreds of Palestinians, including women and children. The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war.
• Fucking assholes.
• At least 404 people were killed in the strikes and more than 560 were wounded. Rescuers are still searching the rubble. It is among the deadliest days of the war, which has killed over 48,000 Palestinians and displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population.
• Netanyahu said he ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in talks to extend the ceasefire. Shocking no one, Dump said we’d been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions.
• 400 people dead, hundreds more injured… for what?
• Disgusting. Let’s move on.
• France wants the Statue of Liberty back. Can you blame them?\
• The call for the return of the Statue of Liberty — a gift from France some 140 years ago — is based on the grounds that the United States no longer represents the values embodied by the monument.
• That would be correct. Don’t believe me? Read part of the inscription from poet Emma Lazarus.
• "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
• Are those tired, poor, homeless people welcome to come to America today? No? Then why is it on the statue that welcomes immigrants to our formerly fine land?
• The call to return Lady Liberty is symbolic, at least for the most part. Still, the Dump administration had to be assholes about it, saying France would be speaking German if it wasn’t for us.
• Someone remind the White House that we’d never have had a country at all without France’s help in the Revolutionary War.
• We’d be having tea and crumpets and hailing the King.
• Moving on.
• I almost didn’t bother mentioning this next story, considering how not only ridiculous it is, but also mind-bogglingly hypocritical.
• Yesterday, Dumples the Fucking Assclown claimed without evidence President Joe Biden used an autopen to sign the pardons and so he considered them "hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT."
• It reminds me of when the character Michael Scott on “The Office” screamed “I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY!"
• It doesn’t work like that.
• Dump, the only candidate in history who made retribution against his perceived political enemies a focal point of his campaign, said the preemptive pardons for members of the House Jan. 6 select committee were voided.
• So first, there is no law that allows one president to overturn the pardons of a previous one.
• And second, there’s nothing illegal about the use of an autopen.
• As recently as 2005, the Justice Department determined that autopens were constitutional and could be used for a president to sign a bill into law in a study commissioned by then-President George W. Bush.
• Many other presidents including Barack Obama (who used an autopen to extend the Patriot Act, avert a fiscal crisis and more during his administration), Lyndon B. Johnson, and John F. Kennedy, are also documented as having used the device.
• And the capper? Dump himself uses an autopen to sign documents. So either Biden’s pardons aren’t enforceable, or everything Dump ever did is null and void as well.
• Fucking dumbass piece of shit asshole laughing stock fat orange baboon.
• Whew. Alrighty. Let’s just move on.
• Some extraordinary news from the Space Desk…
• Scientists announced yesterday that the James Webb Space Telescope has directly observed the key chemical of carbon dioxide in planets outside of our solar system for the first time.\
• To be clear, these planets are gas giants — like Jupiter or Uranus — that are not capable of hosting extraterrestrial life. But they do offer clues in a lingering mystery about how distant planets form.
• The HR 8799 system, 130 light years from Earth, is only 30 million years old — just a baby compared to our solar system's 4.6 billion years. A U.S.-led team of researchers used Webb to directly detect carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of all four of the system's known planets.
• And here’s the cool thing. Up until now, the only way we’ve been able to observe exoplanets is to see them traversing across their home star. But this time, 
• But for this latest discovery, we're actually seeing the light that is emitted from the planet itself, as opposed to the fingerprint of that light from the host star. That’s fucking bonkers.
• The comparison given by astrophysicist William Balmer is like using a torch to spot fireflies next to a lighthouse.
• And that’s what allowed them to use Webb's coronagraph instruments — which block the light from bright stars to get a better view of the planets revolving around them — and discover the CO2.
• And while these gas giants may not be able to host life, it is possible that they had moons that could. Carbon dioxide is essential for life on Earth, making it a key target in the search for life elsewhere.
• I’d say the discovery of the first proof of extraterrestrial life could be imminent… but last week, Dump announced that NASA's chief scientist has been dismissed, and more cuts were to come for the U.S. space agency.
• Oh well.
• And now, The Weather: “Morning Fever” by Matt MacNeil
• From the Sports Desk… is it too early to start talking about NBA playoffs?
• No, not at all. The NBA regular season lasts 82 games, meaning there are only about 15 games left. If the playoffs started now, here would be the seeding…
• Eastern Conference: 1. Cavaliers (56-11). 2. Celtics (49-19). 3. Knicks (43-24). 4. Bucks (38-29). 5. Pacers (38-29). 6. Pistons (38-31).
• The Cavs and Celtics have already secured a playoff spot.
• Western Conference: 1. Thunder (56-12). 2. Rockets (44-25). 3. Nuggets (44-25). 4. Lakers (42-25). 5. Grizzlies (43-26). 6. Warriors (39-29).
• Only OKC has locked in a playoff spot in the west thus far.
• Today in history… Mongols overwhelm Polish armies in Kraków in the Battle of Chmielnik and plunder the city (1241). English lord John Berkeley sells his half of New Jersey to the Quakers (1673). The British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act (1766). Six farm laborers from Tolpuddle, Dorset, England are sentenced to be transported to Australia for forming a trade union (1834). The Congress of the Confederate States adjourns for the last time (1865). The Hawaiian Kingdom signs a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trade rights (1874). Mohandas Gandhi is sentenced to six years in prison for civil disobedience (1922). Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini meet at the Brenner Pass in the Alps and agree to form an alliance against France and the United Kingdom (1940). Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space (1965). The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency (1968). Israel launches widespread aerial bombardments and attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 404 people, including children (2025).
• March 18 is the birthday of US vice president John C. Calhoun (1782), US president Grover Cleveland (1837), UK prime minister Neville Chamberlain (1869), mathematician Agnes Sime Baxter (1870), mystic Edgar Cayce (1877), businessman Ernest Gallo (1909), activist Fred Shuttlesworth,  (1922), race car driver/businessman Andy Granatelli (1923), journalist/actor George Plimpton (1927), businesswoman/philanthropist Lillian Vernon (1927), novelist John Updike (1932), singer Charley Pride (1934), singer-songwriter Wilson Pickett (1941), singer-songwriter Eric Woolfson (1945), actor Brad Dourif (1950), guitarist/composer Bill Frisell (1951), singer-songwriter Irene Cara (1959), model/actress Vanessa L. Williams (1963), singer-songwriter/guitarist Jerry Cantrell (1966), rapper/actress Queen Latifah (1970), NBA player Brian Scalabrine (1978), singer-songwriter Adam Levine (1979), singer-songwriter Lykke Li (1986), and MLB player J. T. Realmuto (1991).

That’s plenty to ingest for now. And I’d like to welcome all of you to the cold civil war. There will be a cocktail reception this evening. Later, we’ll get to topics like the best weaponry to defend against MAGA insurgents, and information on how to build a gallows. Enjoy your day.

Lutz City of Templemore (03.16.25)

Forcing people to hear lesser-known songs in the Old Library at Lutz City of Templemore. Photo by Kat.

Hi again. Good to see you. It's me, Zak Claxton, the news aggregator, slacker activist, raconteur, musical maestro, aging cute guy, and man about town, here to tell you about the show I did on Sunday afternoon at the always-amazing Lutz City of Templemore in Second Life.

Didn't You Just Have a Show?

What do you mean by "just?" No, I did my monthly show at a different venue the week before last. I shouldn't need to remind you that in the time frame of the late 2000s/early 2010s, I typically did a few shows per week -- on a multitude of platforms -- every damn week of the year. So no, doing a few shows in a month isn't a lot at all. I really should do even more frequent shows, if I had more of that precious commodity called time.

One cool thing about shows at Templemore... they're always good at helping to promote it to the world at large.

Ah, Okay

But it's funny; I am so used to playing less frequently now that two gigs in two weeks does feel like a lot. That's pretty interesting, how we become acclimated to certain aspects of life, and then that becomes our norm. It's only in the midst of big and fast changes that we notice the drastic difference, which is why I complain so bitterly about both the "spring forward" and "fall back" aspects of Daylight Saving Time.

I'm sure you've heard the term "a frog in boiling water," which, like many aphorisms and proverbs and idioms, is a horrifying concept. But the concept is simple: it describes a frog being slowly boiled alive, with the premise being that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death.

No frogs were harmed in the making of this analogy.

That's Horrible! Why Are You Telling Us This?

Because it's not meant to be interpreted as a literal tale. The frog isn't a frog. It's you. And the water isn't water. It's the socioeconomic and cultural environment around you that's being altered one small step at a time, each step being small and incremental and nearly unnoticeable, and almost always to your disadvantage and to a more powerful person's benefit.

What I'm saying is that you'd better wake the fuck up and get out of the water before it boils and it's too late. Leap, frog! Leap!

Okay, What Else You Got?

Um... look, nearly every other page of this blog is my "Zak's Random News" daily information updates in bullet-point format. So, I don't feel compelled to comment on what's going on in the world; you can hit up any other post for that.

But me? I'm doing fine. I'm white and male and middle-aged and not gay for the most part. Few people who share that description have a lot to complain about in their personal lives. It doesn't stop them from complaining anyway, but that's how people are. But any situation where I'm healthy and making income, and my family is doing well, and my rights aren't being brutally repressed (yet), is good enough for me. I am fine.

Though if you force me to complain about something, this was the knuckle of my left index finger after the show. Yes, it hurt, though it was fine a short while later. I suspect it's probably some kind of minor arthritis on my guitar fretting hand. No, it's not the end of the world, as long as I can keep my guitar skills at the level I expect.

How About That Show?

Ah yes, the show. I decided to do a themed show called "Songs You Don't Know by Bands You Don't Know," and that turned out to be super fun. As it implies, my entire set was filled with indie music. While I nearly always play some stuff in this particular style of music, it's usually in between other older and more well-known songs.

But this time I decided to be somewhat relentless toward my audience... not in a bad way, but in a "you're going to listen to stuff you don't know whether you like it or not" way. While some of the bands/artists I covered are extremely well known and respected in the indie music and singer-songwriter world -- think Wilco or Nick Drake -- others were truly outliers. A few of them, like Cory Hanson, Martin Courtney, and Charlie Martin, are better known for the respective bands they're in than the stuff I covered from their solo outings.

How cool is this fucking stage? Nowhere in Second life will find any live music spot as detailed in decor as Templemore. Photo by Kat.

This place is so cool that I actually get inspired to play better while I'm onstage there. Photo by Kat.

People are moving and grooving as I do the rocking. Photo by Kat.

I also added two new songs released in 2024 that I hadn't ever done before... both outstanding tracks that made my special year-end best-of list last year. One of the bands -- Knitting out of Montreal -- just released their first full-length albun last September. I love cool music by young artists.

One note I'd like to mention: as always, Templemore is an absolutely delightful place to play live music in Second Life, and this particular venue -- the Old Library -- has long been one of my absolute favorites. It's extraordinarily designed, and it's a smaller room that's perfect for more intimate performance styles. I was completely stoked to be back. Last time I was scheduled to play the Old Library in September 2024, my broadcast stream took a shit and after trying for 15 excruciating minutes, I had to give up and cancel. I was so angry and annoyed that I immediately jumped on live cam and did a Zak Claxton Happy Fun show on video instead.

I've done other shows at other Templemore venues since then, but it was a really good feeling to get back there and have a successful show. We had a reasonably nice crowd throughout the event, and I was followed by my friend Raspbury Rearwin, whose set I got to check out once mine was done. I will also say that despite giving people clear warning that I was about to do a bunch of music they likely didn't know, most folks hung out and seem to really enjoy themselves.

My final note on the show, as usual, is just my endless admiration for the venue itself and the Templemore sim as a whole. Everything there is so well thought out and executed. I said it out loud during my set there on Sunday, and I'll say it again here: I'm a professional designer. I art direct photo shoots and do graphic design work for a living, and I create global advertising campaigns (among my many work-related responsibilities). What Luis Lockjaw has done in the creation and near-constant modification of Templemore is beyond anything imaginable by me. My mind is blown each time I visit or perform there. Hats off to not only Luis but everyone involved in the Templemore community for it remaining beautiful and superbly well run.

Right after my show, I snapped this rather low-res shot (I keep my graphics dialed down during my sets so it doesn't interfere with my streaming abilities) because the entire Templemore gang was huddled in one nook together and I thought it was cute. Left to right: Rhia, Luis, Stevie, Jayda, and Levi.

Templemore set list...

Don’t Let It Pass (Junip)

Either Way (Wilco)

Things Under Trees (They Stole My Crayon) 

Bird of Paradise (Cory Hanson)

*Sleeper (Knitting)

Among the Leaves (Sun Kil Moon)

Airport Bar (Martin Courtney) 

Things Behind the Sun (Nick Drake)

Something Else (Zak Claxton)

*On Fire (Idaho)

Swirl (Charlie Martin)

Low Key (Tweedy)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.

Thanks to every single person who took some time out of their day and enjoyed some live music with me at Templremore, with super special thanks to the following who helped support my show!

Triana Caldera, Rhia Janick, Stevie Basevi, Micheal Pixelbottom, Gina Stella, Jaydai Resident, not4gods Resident, Kat Claxton, Trouble Streeter, and Templemore's outstanding staff led by their amazing lead designer Luis Lockjaw!

Random News: March 17, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s March 17, 2025, and it’s a Monday. In the interest of fairness to the universe, I will mention that there was already a noticeable difference in the time the sun began to rise this morning, and by the time I poured coffee and sat down to write this shit, it was nearly light outside. So this is the official end to my complaining about Daylight Savings for a good while.

• A thought to kick things off today.
• The finding out portion for the MAGA folks who helped get Donnie Dump into office is growing more widespread and public.
• Most of us have seen the social posts by now… upset that they’ve lost their federal government jobs, or storming Republican congressional town halls to blast their representatives for allowing the president and his henchmen to cut programs and funding that red states rely upon.
• But I’d say the worst is definitely yet to come. Unless Dump folds in his trade wars, his tariffs will have a boomerang effect as other countries retaliate, hitting Dump voters the hardest.
• Think about it.
• China has targeted corn farmers and carmakers. Canada has put tariffs on poultry plants and air-conditioning manufacturers, while Europe will hit American steel mills and slaughter houses.
• All of those retaliatory tariffs have been carefully designed to hit about eight million Americans who work in industries targeted by the levies and the majority are Dump voters.
• Let’s look at some news.
• Starting with the big question: is Dumpy and his gang of evil going to respect the rule of law with court decisions that oppose his scheme to become a dictator for life?
• Based on their statements, I’m not confident that they will.
• Dump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, posted last week: “Judges have no authority to administer the executive branch. Or to nullify the results of a national election.”
• And Dump’s supporters in Congress have raised the specter of impeaching judges who have ruled against the administration. Elon Musk, the man who actually controls Dump, has regularly called for removing judges on his social media.
• And yesterday, Republican Chuck Grassley — the 137-year-old chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee — reacted furiously to a Washington judge’s order briefly halting Dump’s illegal deportations under an 18th century wartime law.
• He wrote, “If the Supreme Court or Congress doesn’t fix, we’re headed towards a constitutional crisis.”
• Well yes Chuck, you old fucking bag of shit, but the crisis is a dictator who is acting against the law of the land. That’s the fucking crisis.
• Up until yesterday, the Dump administration had not directly or openly defied a court order, and the dozens of cases filed against its actions have followed a regular legal course.
• And it’s a matter of uncertainty as to whether the court order stopping the deportation of a bunch of Venezuelans to El Salvador over the weekend was a bit too late.
• But as of yet — and I say this while firmly knocking on wood — Dump’s administration has made no moves to seek removal of justices or push judicial reforms through the Republican-controlled Congress.
• What they’re weighing is how hard the people are going to fight back against heavy-handed authoritarianism. A lot of other countries would already have guillotines set up and ready.
• I guess what’s between the current point and that point is how the Supreme Court will either reign him in, or let him loose despite the Constitution clearly guiding the limits of the executive branch.
• Moving on.
• Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a doctor and professor at Brown Medicine, was deported after she returned from a trip to Lebanon despite having a valid U.S. visa.
• Dr. Alawieh held an H-1B visa when she traveled to her home country to visit her family.
• Upon returning to the United States at the end of last week, she was held at Boston Logan International Airport for 36 hours before she was sent back to Lebanon this weekend in violation of a federal judge’s order to halt her deportation.
• She was not accused of any crime, was detained without any justification, and was unable to access legal counsel.
• You’ve been told (and expected to believe) that people being deported are hardened violent criminals.
• Dr. Alawieh obtained her medical degree from the American University of Beirut in 2015 and completed her residency in 2018 at the American University of Beirut Medical Center.
• She went on to complete programs at Ohio State University, the University of Washington, and the Yale Waterbury Internal Medicine Program before she started her assistant professorship at Brown.
• If they can deport her, they’ll deport anyone.
• Let’s move on.
• Many people saw the “60 Minutes” story that aired last night about the United States Marine Band, but I felt it was worthy of a brief recap here.
• Last year, the Marines judged a contest for teenage musicians. The winners — among the best of the best in our country — would perform with the band. Thirty students were chosen. The concert was scheduled. But, last month, it was cancelled.
• Because the students weren’t white.
• Dumpy’s executive order against diversity programs wouldn’t allow the Marines to showcase the talents of these young musicians, who were Black, Hispanic, Indian, and Asian.
• It’s just a horrifying story and one that will be held up as an example as the USA sinks deeper and deeper into a white nationalist state.
• There is some happiness at the end of this tragedy. A week ago, 22 of the students who’d lost their chance to play were flown in and joined a band made up of other military veterans who were all professional-caliber players.
• And instead of the gig being heard by a couple hundred people in a hall somewhere, those kids were seen and heard by millions and millions of TV viewers.
• As the “60 Minutes” story stated plainly, “But that executive order is just the beginning. All across the government, President Trump is rolling back 60 years of discrimination protections for women, older Americans, the disabled and people of color.”
• And by rescinding President Johnson's 1965 ban on employment bias, closing the Social Security Office of Civil Rights, and firing leaders of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC — which investigates bias in the workplace — Dump is setting up a return to a country where open discrimination is 100% legal.
• We are going to fight this piece of shit and EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO SUPPORTS HIS ACTIONS all the way. And I mean all the way, by whatever means necessary.
• This will not stand.
• Moving on to another story that I only mention because it involves a piece of shit MAGA getting screwed over.
• Over the weekend, Dumpy essentially dismantled Voice of America. Are you familiar with it?
• VOA is an international broadcasting state media network funded by the federal government of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest of the U.S. international broadcasters, producing digital, TV, and radio content in 63 languages for affiliate stations around the world.
• And its audience is non-Americans outside the US borders, especially those living in countries without press freedom or independent journalism. Its reporting reaches over 400 million people per week across all platforms.
• Wait, didn’t Dump tap someone to lead VOA recently? Oh yeah.
• It was perennial loser Kari Lake, the onetime candidate for Arizona governor (who lost) and U.S. Senate (who lost).
• Now VOA is toast due to Dump’s campaign to dismantle the federal bureaucracy and control U.S.-backed news content across the globe. It’s gone dark for the first time since it launched during World War II.
• So now Kari Lake again has no job, left flapping in the wind by her savior Donnie Doo Doo.
• Moving on.
• Tell me what this sounds like to you…
• Negotiators working to end the Russia-Ukraine war have already discussed “dividing up certain assets,” Dictator Dump said yesterday as he announced he planned to speak to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
• What’s he going to talk to that other asshole about?
• “We’ll be talking about land. A lot of land is a lot different than it was before the war, as you know. We’ll be talking about land, we’ll be talking about power plants, that’s a big question. But I think we have a lot of it already discussed, very much, by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We’re already talking about that – dividing up certain assets.”
• Fucking pricks. Slava Ukraini, bitches.
• Today is St. Patrick’s Day.
• Remember when you were a kid and were told that St. Patrick’s Day was to celebrate when some guy “drove the snakes out of Ireland?”
• There have never been snakes in Ireland.
• Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary, and the “snakes” were an allegory for pagans and their practices. There were no actual fucking snakes. Just people who didn’t want to be Christians and got driven from their homes as a result.
• Why do people drink on this somber and religious holiday? Historically, the Lenten restrictions on eating and drinking alcohol were lifted for the day, and let’s face it, a lot of people will use any excuse to get drunk.
• Fun Fact: Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. Shrug. You’re probably still hungover from that disgusting cheap-ass green beer you had yesterday.
• Fun Fact 2: I don’t drink alcohol, so I feel as bright and cheery as I do on any given Monday.
• And now, The Weather: “Skullcrusher” by yeule
• It’s never a good thing when I have to mention actual weather news. It’s never about being sunny and nice.
• At least 40 people were killed amid more than 970 severe storm reports across more than two dozen states over the weekend. A 3-day tornado outbreak tore through at least nine states. Twelve people were killed in tornadoes in Missouri alone.
• Stay safe, my friends.
• From the Sports Desk… ant to know the 1-seeds in the Men’s NCAA basketball tournament? Sure, here you go.
• South: Auburn.
• East: Duke.
• West: Florida.
• Midwest: Houston.
• Today in history… Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius (180). The British Army evacuates Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city (1776). The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed (1861). Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO (1948). The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite, which is also the first satellite to achieve a long-term orbit (1958). Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel (1969). A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2% (1992). 
• March 17 is the birthday of Scotland king James IV (1473), SCOTUS chief justice Roger B. Taney (1777), engineer/businessman Gottlieb Daimler (1834), social reformer Martha P. Falconer (1862), composer Alfred Newman (1900), NFL player Sammy Baugh (1914), singer Nat King Cole (1919), singer-songwriter/guitarist Paul Kantner (1941), serial killer John Wayne Gacy (1942), singer-songwriter John Sebastian (1944), author William Gibson (1948), actor Kurt Russell (1951), actor Gary Sinise (1955), politician/activist Cynthia McKinney (1955), NBA/MLB player Danny Ainge (1959), actor Rob Lowe (1964), singer-songwriter Billy Corgan (1967), fashion designer Alexander McQueen (1969), bass player Melissa Auf der Maur (1972), soccer player Mia Hamm (1972), singer-songwriter Justin Hawkins (1975), porn actress Stormy Daniels (1979), singer-songwriter Grimes (1988), singer-songwriter Hozier (1990), actor John Boyega (1992), swimmer Katie Ledecky (1997), and NFL player Brandon Aiyuk (1998).

That’s all I’ve got for now. I know a lot of the news is shitty. Do not get discouraged. Use your power and punch back against bully pieces of shit. I know you can do it. Enjoy your day.

Random News: March 16, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s March 16, 2025, and it’s a Sunday. Here I am, your dude in a bathrobe, slurping down coffee like it’s going out of style, and taking a look at the news so you can have some idea of what’s happening around you.

• I also have a live music show today at 2pm, which is always the top thing on my mind any day I wake up and know there’s a performance on my schedule.
• It means that I’ll be running through the new songs in my set, warming up my voice, tuning my guitar, and all the things one does to not be shitty.
• I care a lot. Okay, let’s do the news.
• I want to talk about a story I saw shared widely yesterday about Fabian Schmidt, a legal US resident who was detained by immigration officers at Logan Airport in Boston and is now being held by ICE at a detention facility in Rhode Island.
• Schmidt, who moved to the U.S. in 2007 and received a green card in 2008 that was recently renewed has no active issues in court. He’d been visiting Luxembourg and flew back to the U.S. on Friday.
• He was violently interrogated at the airport for hours, was stripped naked, and put in a cold shower by two officials.
• The immigration agents also pressured him to give up his green card. He also was given little food or water, suffered sleep deprivation, and was denied access to his medication for anxiety and depression.
• His family have acquired attorneys and been working with the German consulate in hopes to have him released on bail.
• This is America.
• And I’d say you can count on a lot more of this happening. Legal residents being shipped off to foreign lands for no reason at all.
• Or at least with no legal justification.
• Example: the Dump administration deported more than 200 people who it claims are members of a Venezuelan prison gang to El Salvador this weekend.
• Dumpy cited the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a seldom-used law that gives the president authority to detain or deport nationals of an enemy nation during wartime.
• Wartime? With Venezuela?
• Problem: yesterday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued an emergency order that stopped the administration from using that act to deport anyone, adding that the administration should turn planes already in the air around.
• And earlier in the day, in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and others had blocked the administration from deporting five Venezuelan men for 14 days.
• Did Dump respect the law and obey the order? No, Dump has never felt that laws apply to himself… just to everyone else. So despite the court order, he sent them anyway.
• Am I saying these Venezuelans are wonderful, kind people and not violent gang members? No, I have no idea. But once you start allowing stuff like this to happen, with rogue agencies ignoring courts, it’s one of the sure signs of the end of a democracy.
• Side note: the last time a president invoked the Alien Enemies Act was WWII, during which 31,000 suspected enemy aliens of mostly Japanese, Italian and German descent were placed in internment camps and military facilities.
• And the law requires war to be formally declared — which only Congress has the authority to do.
• So here we are in a dictatorship. It’s not coming; it’s here.
• Moving on.
• Remember during the campaign last year when Dump accused Democrats of keeping us constantly involved in military actions?
• This morning, the Dumpster ordered airstrikes against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen, and issued a warning to Tehran. Iran is the backer of the Houthis.
• Is this merited in some way? Perhaps it is. The Houthis represent a threat to global shipping and world economies. They attack both military and commercial ships on one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.
• But that’s not my point here. It’s that everything Dumpy claimed to be able to easily fix, from the Russia/Ukraine conflict to inflation to US military involvement, was all 100% bullshit.
• Let’s move on.
• We usually save our weather news for further down this list, but I’m compelled to mention it in a position of higher prominence.
• At least 35 people have been killed in a recent bout of unusually vicious weather. I’d call it “formerly unusual,” because global man-assisted climate change will cause unexpected and harsh weather events for the remainder of our species’ existence on this plant.
• Violent tornadoes, high winds, and blinding dust storms decimated homes and other structures across a wide swatch of the U.S. from Alabama to Missouri to Texas and all points between.
• I hope you’re all okay out there.
• In other news…
• Greenland usually seems like a very peaceful place, but even remote northern islands aren’t immune from the chaos of Lord Dumplepants.
• Hundreds of Greenlanders took to the streets yesterday to protest against Dump's stated goal of taking control of their island.
• Video footage showed crowds gathered in the capital, Nuuk, waving Greenland's flag and holding signs with messages such as "Respect Greenland's sovereignty," "We are not for sale" and "Make America Go Away" — which is actually a pretty funny take on “MAGA.”
• Rallies were also taking place in other towns on the island. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the center-right Demokraatit party that won this week's parliamentary election, was joined by outgoing Prime Minister Mute B. Egede to lead protesters toward the US consulate on Nuuk's outskirts.
• Good for them. They’re not going to lie down and accept this shit.
• Moving on.
• You might not be aware how important international travel is to the USA. Let me tell you… it’s worth billions and billions of dollars to US businesses at a time when the economy has started to appear wobbly.
• So under this environment where hate is being fomented toward anyone who’s not American — and definitely people who aren’t white — why in the world would anyone want to come to the US on their holiday?
• Same goes for business travel. Why take a chance of being attacked for your accent or your facial features or the color of your skin? Why book the flights and hotels and restaurants?
• International travel to the United States is expected to slide by 5 percent this year, contributing to a $64 billion shortfall for the travel industry.
• So now Canadians are skipping trips to Disney World and music festivals. Europeans are eschewing U.S. national parks, and Chinese travelers are vacationing in Australia instead.
• Notably, the hospitality and leisure industry has posted two months of job losses at a time when the broader labor market is growing.
• Can’t they just make up for the loss of international income with domestic travelers?
• Not even close, and now with the economy volatile and people’s retirement funds being decimated, Americans are even more likely to lessen or cancel vacation plans altogether.
• Thanks Dump (slow clap).
• Let’s move on.
• Since St. Patrick’s Day is on a Monday this year, many places are celebrating the holiday today.
• Places with big Irish populations, like Boston, MA, consider this a big day for celebrating their heritage and the contributions of all those who hail from the Emerald Isle.
• And of course, Chicago dyes a whole-ass river bright green just for fun.
• I’m pretty sure it — like a number of US holidays — is an excuse for people to drink a lot of alcohol and do shitty things.
• But whatever. Enjoy. I’m not here to crumple your four-leaf clover. We’ll talk more about the holiday on the actual holiday, which is tomorrow.
• And now for some morbid news… literally.
• 3.2 million people die every year in America. At the turn of the 21st century, less than 30 percent of them wanted their bodies to be cremated.
• Now? It’s more than double that, at 62%. I, too, want to be cremated. Having a body laying around and decomposing in a box underground sounds… horrifying and gross.
• So let me ask you: what do you do with the remains? And I ask this from a personal standpoint; my dad’s ashes have been sitting on the top shelf in the closet where I keep my towels since 2017. I genuinely do not know what to do with them.
• Well, about half of the people surveyed said they would prefer to have their remains scattered in a “sentimental place.”
• But that means that now, nearly a million incinerated Americans are annually coating the sequoias at Yosemite, and choking the loons on Golden Pond, and sprinkling the churros on the Santa Monica pier.
• My favorite cremation moment in the history of cinema was the scene near the end of “The Big Lebowski” where the Dude and Walter take Donnie’s ashes in a Folgers can to a Southern California cliffside, and they end up blowing straight back into Jeff’s face.
• Goodnight, sweet prince.
• I almost died laughing, thereby requiring more ashes to need places for disposal.
• But seriously, maybe give your family and friends some ideas on a responsible way to disperse what’s left of you after you shake your mortal coil.
• And now, The Weather: “amanhecer” by terraplana
• Let’s do a chart. We’re getting in the wayback machine today, 60 years ago this week to March 1965.
• I am negative 4.25 years old. Where am I?
• 1. My Girl (The Temptations). 2. This Diamond Ring (Gary Lewis And The Playboys). 3. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (The Righteous Brothers). 4. The Jolly Green Giant )The Kingsmen). 5. Eight Days A Week (The Beatles). 6. Tell Her No (The Zombies). 7. King Of The Road (Roger Miller). 8. The Birds And The Bees (Jewel Akens). 9. Ferry Cross The Mersey (Gerry And The Pacemakers). 10. Downtown (Petula Clark). 11. The Boy From New York City (The Ad Libs). 12. Hurt So Bad (Little Anthony And The Imperials). 13. Stop! In The Name Of Love (The Supremes). 14. I Go To Pieces (Peter And Gordon). 15. Red Roses For A Blue Lady (Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra). 16. Goldfinger (Shirley Bassey). 17. Laugh, Laugh (The Beau Brummels). 18. The Name Game (Shirley Ellis). 19. Can't You Hear My Heartbeat (Herman's Hermits). 20. Twine Time (Alvin Cash & The Crawlers).
• From the Sports Desk… March madness is for women too.
• The official bracket for the NCAA Women’s basketball will be released today. South Carolina, UCLA, USC, and Texas should be the headliners when the bracket is announced, with UConn right behind the No. 1 seeds.
• I’m sure some of you care about college sports a lot. I don’t, but don’t let that stop you from being excited about it.
• Today in history… Samoset, a Mohegan, visits the settlers of Plymouth Colony and greets them in English, "Welcome, Englishmen! My name is Samoset.” (1621). The Army Corps of Engineers is established to found and operate the United States Military Academy at West Point (1802). Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket, at Auburn, MA (1926). Ninety percent of Würzburg, Germany is destroyed in only 20 minutes by British bombers, resulting in at least 4,000 deaths (1945). Launch of Gemini 8 with astronauts Neil Armstrong and David Scott performing the first docking of two spacecraft in orbit (1966). Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North and Vice Admiral John Poindexter are indicted on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States (1988). Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery (1995). The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 2,997.10, the single largest point drop in history and the second-largest percentage drop ever at 12.93%, an even greater crash than Black Monday (2020).
• March 16 is the birthday of astronomer Caroline Herschel (1750), US president James Madison (1751), physicist Georg Ohm (1789), comedian Henny Youngman (1906), mass murderer Josef Mengele (1911), US first lady Pat Nixon (1912), politician Charles Goodell (1926), actor Jerry Lewis (1926), opera singer Christa Ludwig (1928), film director Bernardo Bertolucci (1941), TV host Chuck Woolery (1941), singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker (1942), actor Erik Estrada (1949), singer-songwriter Ray Benson (1951), singer-songwriter/guitarist Nancy Wilson (1954), NFL player Ozzie Newsome (1956), rapper Flavor Flav (1959), singer-songwriter Patty Griffin (1964), NBA player Blake Griffin (1989), musician Wolfgang Van Halen (1991), NBA player Joel Embiid (1994), and MLB player Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1999).

So… yes, I have a show at 2pm today, at Templemore in Second Life. Come if you can. Otherwise, do whatever you’re doing that makes the world a better place in which to live. Or clean your room, or something. That’s a start. Enjoy your day.

Random News: March 15, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s March 15, 2025, and it’s a Saturday. I’m in my bathrobe and I have my coffee. The sun is shining, the cats are meowing, and I’m ready to saddle up, lock and load, and fight like hell for democracy. Let’s ride, motherfuckers.

• Today is the Ides of March.
• See, the Romans did not number each day of a month from the first to the last day.
• Instead, they counted back from three fixed points of the month: the Nones (the 5th or 7th, eight days before the Ides), the Ides (the 13th for most months, but the 15th in March, May, July, and October), and the Kalends (1st of the following month).
• Um, that seems so needlessly complicated, but it was originally based on the moon cycle, and obviously that got fucked up quickly, so they migrated to this system instead.
• Anyway, the Ides of March is now notoriously known as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. He was stabbed to death — by as many as 60 conspirators — at a meeting of the Senate.
• Old Julius had tried to grab too much power and act as a dictator, and… you know, never mind.
• Because Caesar was alleged to have been warned about the Ides of March by a seer, the date remains known as one of caution for superstitious people.
• Ask me if I got laid off a job after more than seven years on March 15, 2000. Or don’t because I just told you.
• Let’s do some news.
• Yesterday, the Senate passed a six-month spending bill hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure and sending it to Dumpy to be signed into law.
• Backing up a moment, earlier in the day, it took a group of 10 Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to join Republicans in a procedural vote and advance their bill to fund the government through September 30.
• That infuriated many within their party, including me.
• In addition to Schumer, the Democrats who voted to advance the measure also included Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Fetterman (D-PA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-DH), and Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with Democrats. 
• Both sides tried to wedge in some amendments, as is typical. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sponsored legislation that would reinstate veterans who were fired from their federal jobs under Dump. Another, sponsored by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), would eliminate the Department of Government Efficiency. A third, sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), would codify the cuts to foreign assistance recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency. 
• All of the amendments failed. 
• Why did Schumer lead the pussy-ass side of the Senate Dems to pass the bill? There is at least one reasonable answer.
• A shutdown would give President Musk and Li’l Dump tremendous leverage to keep federal employees out of work and to keep federal agencies shuttered for weeks or even months.
• And if that were to happen, it would be spun as being completely the fault of the Democrats. That would give Dump and Elon and all of them a scapegoat for their own actions.
• I’m not saying it’s a good reason. It’s just one way of understanding why they’re such pansy-ass bitches.
• When it was time for the actual vote, though, only two members of the Democratic caucus voted for the bill. It was Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who is retiring at the end of her current term, and independent Angus King of Maine.
• The six-month spending bill passed 54-46. Wait, the math doesn’t add up.
• Ah, I see. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) also voted no because the bill wasn’t as shitty as he’d have preferred.
• Anyway, now that it’s passed, the Republican-controlled Congress — both chambers — will focus purely on enacting Dump’s agenda of tax cuts for the extremely wealthy people, deporting legal citizens, and eventually getting around to removing rights for women, gays, and all non-white people
• So that’s that. Let’s move on.
• Yesterday, the Veterans Affairs Department reversed a policy that had protected gender-affirming healthcare provided to transgender veterans, causing confusion and fear in the community.
• The VA says it's rescinding Directive 1341, which contains detailed guidance on the kinds of care transgender veterans can receive at VA facilities. The policy had also directed healthcare providers to use pronouns veterans preferred, directed facilities to allow veterans to use bathrooms, and be assigned rooms in accordance with their self-identified gender.
• Important note: while transgender people make up a very small percentage of the population, research suggest that they are far more likely to serve our country in its military forces.
• And at the same time, VA's research shows that veterans who are sexual minorities — including LGBTQIA, non-binary, intersex, and other veterans — are more likely than average veterans to take their own lives.
• And overall, veterans have a higher average suicide rate than the general population.
• So now those services are gone, and you can count on the sadly expected results.
• Let’s move on.
• Looks like the Dumpy/Elon romance may have hit a rough spot.
• Electric vehicle maker Tesla is warning that the Dump administration's trade policies could be detrimental to U.S.-based EV companies. 
• Snort.
• In an unsigned March 11 letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the company — owned by Weird Elmo, who has become a “close adviser” to Dumplestiltskin — encouraged the administration to consider how its trade policy could harm domestic automakers like Tesla. 
• ”As a U.S. manufacturer and exporter, Tesla encourages USTR to consider the downstream impacts of certain proposed actions taken to address unfair trade practices," Tesla wrote. 
• Specifically, the company raises concerns over retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. that would make their vehicles more expensive, and could dent overseas demand. As you know, Dump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% this week, promising they would help create U.S. factory jobs. 
• On a related note… the quote of the day is from Senator and former test pilot and astronaut Mark Kelly (D-AZ), who is getting rid of his Tesla…
• “Elon Musk kind of turned out to be an asshole, and I don’t want to be driving a car built and designed by an asshole. So, looking forward to my new ride.”
• Moving on.
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday declared Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, persona non grata, saying “he is no longer welcome in our great country.”
• Rasool was given 72 hours to leave the country. Why?
• He gave a speech to a Johannesburg think tank Friday in which he said Dump was mobilizing white supremacy in the United States and abroad as well.
• Ah, so he told the truth.
• What’s this really all about? Elon Musk, who was born and raised in South Africa, is upset about new legislation in his home country that prevents white land owners from refusing to sell to Black purchasers.
• It’s just the continuation of apartheid. The white supremacists are still mad they can’t treat Black people as second-class citizens or slaves.
• And if they could, they’d have those policies enacted here in the USA. And they may still try.
• From the International Desk… hey how’s it going in Ukraine?
• Yesterday, Dumpy was asked about he claim he made as a candidate that he would have the Russia-Ukraine war solved within 24 hours — and even before he even took office.
• He’d stated, in May 2023, “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.”
• And now that he’s president again?
• “Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that. What I really mean is I’d like to get it settled and, I’ll, I think, I think I’ll be successful.”
• Okay Donnie. By the way, Putin’s terms for stopping his invasion of Ukraine is for Ukraine to surrender entirely. Maybe that’s what Dumpy meant.
• In other news, let’s see how Jedediah Deliverance Vance is doing.
• The vice president received a roaring chorus of boos and jeers while attending a National Symphony Orchestra performance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
• Loud boos broke out in the audience as Vance took his seat in the box tier next to his wife, Usha Vance, for the symphony's performance of Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Stravinsky’s "Petrushka."
• The massively unpopular couch-fucking veep could be seen in videos smiling and waving amid the noise. Shouts of “you ruined this place!” could also be heard among the boos.
• Fuck that guy. Let’s move on.
• And now, The Weather: “This Is Real” by feeble little horse
• Again, a real weather note… Missouri authorities reported at least 10 storm-related deaths this morning after tornadoes ripped through the lower half of the state.
• The tornado outbreak is expected to continue throughout this afternoon and evening, with the highest risk across several states in the Deep South as extreme weather conditions reach a peak.
• Since last night, 25 tornadoes had been reported across the central United States, some of which were severe, damaging and deadly. A rare high risk (Level 5 out of 5) for severe thunderstorms covers Mississippi and Alabama into early Sunday.
• Stay safe, peoples.
• From the Sports Desk… there were so many quarterback team changes during free agency over the past couple of weeks that ESPN’s NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky did a top-ten ranking of the moves.
• 10. Jacoby Brissett to the Arizona Cardinals: gives Arizona stability behind Kyler Murray.
• 9. Joshua Dobbs to the New England Patriots: helps develop second-year starter Drake Maye.
• 8. Mac Jones to the San Francisco 49ers: Jones fits style-wise with how the Niners play.
• 7. Jimmy Garoppolo to the Los Angeles Rams: experienced backup to Matthew Stafford.
• 6. Kenny Pickett to the Cleveland Browns: possible opening day starter with Deshaun Watson out because of a retorn Achilles.
• 5. Zach Wilson to the Miami Dolphins: capable for when Tua inevitably gets hurt again.
• 4. Daniel Jones to the Indianapolis Colts: it will be a competition to start between him and Anthony Richardson.
• 3. Justin Fields to the New York Jets: mobile QB who is just hitting his stride, though they still might draft another quarterback.
• 2. Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders: a veteran who can help them win right away.
• 1. Sam Darnold to the Seattle Seahawks: he was great in MN last year with 35 touchdown passes, but Seattle still needs more help for people to catch those passes.
• Speaking of Minnesota, the Vikings are at the top of the list of landing spots for Aaron Rodgers, which if it happens hilariously means he’s repeating Brett Favre’s career path team-for-team.
• Oh, and I definitely should mention that the Seattle Seahawks woes from their personnel shakeup got a little brighter yesterday when they signed wide receiver Cooper Kupp, a tenacious player and the MVP of Super Bowl LVI.
• Today in history… The assassination of Julius Caesar takes place (44 BC). King Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence, granting limited religious freedom to all Christians (1672). Maine is admitted as the twenty-third U.S. state (1820). Tsar Nicholas II of Russia abdicates the Russian throne, ending the 304-year Romanov dynasty (1917). Germany occupies Czechoslovakia (1939). President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to the Selma crisis, tells U.S. Congress "We shall overcome" while advocating the Voting Rights Act (1965). Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first President of the Soviet Union (1990). Approximately 1.4 million young people in 123 countries go on strike to protest climate change (2019).
• March 15 is the birthday of US president Andrew Jackson (1767), physician/epidemiologist John Snow (1813), educator/activist Hallie Quinn Brown (1845), physician Emil von Behring (1854), mathematician Grace Chisholm Young (1868), singer-songwriter Lightnin' Hopkins (1912), actor Lawrence Tierney (1919), NFL player Norm Van Brocklin (1926), music producer Arif Mardin (1932), SCOTUS justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933), actor Judd Hirsch (1935), songwriter/bass player Phil Lesh (1940), director David Cronenberg (1943), singer-songwriter Sly Stone (1943), guitarist Ry Cooder (1947), singer-songwriter Dee Snider (1955), singer-songwriter Terence Trent D’Arby (1962), singer Bret Michaels (1963), singer Mark McGrath (1968), NFL coach Mike Tomlin (1972), actress Eva Longoria (1975), rapper will.i.am (1975), MLB player Kevin Youkilis (1979), and NFL player Taylor Heinicke (1993).

I don’t have any big plans today, beyond some shitty and boring but necessary housework and the like. Always remember… we’re going to keep fighting the fascist takeover of our country and make life really difficult for anyone who feels otherwise. Enjoy your day.

Random News: March 14, 2025

DISCLAIMER: Zak's Random News is very random and doesn't cover many things, and not everything may be accurate, because I'm just some guy. Go find a real news source.

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Good morning. It’s March 14, 2025, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! The sun is just starting to show its first rays of light right now. I’ve pretty much gone through the five stages of grief in regard to the start of Daylight Saving Time, which included Monday’s denial, Tuesday’s anger, Wednesday’s bargaining, yesterday’s depression, and today’s acceptance.

• Something I hate to consider but have to in this topsy-turvy world.
• What if Dumpy’s move to tank the US stock marketing and deplete the entire savings accounts of many Americans is being done on purpose?
• I mean, no one could be so incredibly dense to believe that these tariffs are designed to help Americans at nearly any income level.
• So, what if instead the goal is to tank the stock market so hard that only the top 1% of Americans will eventually be able to own most of the stocks, and that citizens with their retirement savings depleted and no means of new income will have no choice other than to cooperate with Dump’s plans of lifetime dictatorship?
• Yesterday the S&P 500 dropped into correction territory, sinking more than the landmark 10% amid investor anxiety over Dumpy’s trade policy and inflation.
• It closed at 5,521.52. A correction is defined as a fall of at least 10 percent from a peak.
• The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 1 percent yesterday alone, down 537 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index ended the trading session more than 2 percent lower, down 345 points.
• The tanking stock market is 100% the fault of Dumpy, who on threatened to slap a 200% tariff on European Union exports of wine, champagne, and other alcoholic beverages in retaliation for the trading bloc's hiking of duties on American whiskey to 50%.
• But the EU had announced the measures only in response to U.S. tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum taking effect on Wednesday. 
• Let’s do some promising news…
• U.S. District Judge William Alsup in California ordered six federal agencies to offer to reinstate probationary employees who were fired last month, finding that their terminations by the Office of Personnel Management — as directed by President Musk’s pseudo-agency DOGE — were unlawful.
• Alsup handed down his order in a challenge brought by a group of unions against the Dump administration from the bench. He said that neither OPM nor its Acting Director Charles Ezell had the authority to direct the terminations across agencies.
• Correct.
• The order extends relief to fired workers at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury.
• Alsop said, ”It is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that's a lie. That should not have been done in our country. It was a sham in order to avoid statutory requirements."
• Also correct.
• And then, a second federal judge ruled that thousands of probationary employees laid off en masse by President Musk and Li’l Donnie must be temporarily reinstated to their jobs.
• Ha ha, you pieces of shit.
• The new temporary restraining order from Senior Judge James Bredar covers 18 agencies and will last two weeks. Bredar’s legal reasoning for reinstating the employees differs from that of Judge Alsup.
• In this case, Dump had violated a 6-day notice requirement for so-called reductions in force — or RIFS — as well as other procedural steps for such mass terminations.
• Let’s move on to some angry people… on our side.
• Scores of people poured into the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City yesterday to protest the arrest and detention of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, whom Dumpy aims to deport over his pro-Palestinian activism.
• The arrest of Khalil, who is in immigration custody in Louisiana after his arrest in New York on Saturday, has sparked an outcry by Democratic lawmakers, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian territories, and civil liberty advocates, among others.
• The protest, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, began shortly after noon when demonstrators dressed in red shirts that read “Not in our Name” and “Jews Say Stop Arming Israel,” flooded the Tower’s iconic golden lobby.
• They chanted “Free Mahmoud Khalil” and unfurled banners that read “Never Again for Anyone” and “Jews Say Do Not Comply.”
• Yes! My fellow Jews are here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and they’re all out of bubblegum. LET’S GO!
• The NYPD said 98 arrests were made. Booooo!
• Let’s talk some more about the growing group of people who are pissed off and ready to fight back against President Musk and his employee Dumpy, and their attempt to destroy the USA.
• Last night, Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC) was confronted by angry constituents during a town hall meeting about Dumpy and Elon’s sweeping cuts across the government.
• “How do you justify cuts to staff of the VA helping veterans, especially those with long term care needs,” asked one constituent who was met with a standing ovation from the raucous crowd in Asheville, NC.
• Edwards tried to claim there had been no cuts at the VA. But just last week, a VA memo indicated that the agency was preparing to lay off 80,000 from its workforce.
• The interaction turned so contentious and hostile that Edwards had to be escorted out of the building. “You don’t get to do this to us,” yelled another constituent.
• Fuck that guy and EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN AT EVERY LEVEL who enabled Dump and Musk to do what they’ve done.
• The time of reckoning is nigh, motherfuckers.
• Let’s keep on keeping on.
• Dumples the Asshole is begging the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out.
• In emergency applications filed at the high court yesterday, Dump asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington that blocked the order Dumpy signed shortly after beginning his second term.
• The order currently is blocked nationwide. Three federal appeals courts have rejected the administration’s pleas, including one in Massachusetts on Tuesday.
• Two dozen states, as well as several individuals and groups, have sued over the executive order, which they say violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment promise of citizenship to anyone born inside the United States.
• The Justice Department argues that individual judges lack the power to give nationwide effect to their rulings. Hmm, my answer to that is as follows: fuck you.
• Moving on.
• Dumpy the Dictator Clown is now turning to a 227-year-old law that gives presidents the extraordinary power to order the arrest, detention, and deportation of noncitizens who are 14 years or older and come from countries staging an "invasion or predatory incursion" of the U.S. 
• He’s planning to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as soon as Friday to authorize the summary deportation of some migrants, including to Guantanamo Bay.
• Dumpy is going to cite the 18th-century statute — made when John Adams was president right after George Washington — to order the swift detention and deportation of suspected members of a Venezuelan gang with prison origins. 
• But we all know about the slippery slope where, once something is put into place, it gets used for reasons beyond its original intent.
• Those subject to the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 would not be allowed to have a court hearing or an asylum interview since they would be processed under an emergency, wartime authority — not immigration law.
• Those people will be detained and deported, with little to no due process, under Title 50, the section of the U.S. code housing America's war and defense laws.
• Unless we fight. And we are, and will keep doing so.
• Moving on to a bigger picture topic.
• One thing that’s always been in the playback of dictators and other people in power: keeping the population ignorant.
• So taking steps — like dismantling the Deportment of Education — is a purposeful effort to that end.
• More than one in five Americans (21%, or about 52 million adults) can’t read these news bullets — or anything else — because they’re illiterate.
• 54% of Americans can't read beyond the level of an 11-year-old. 57% of them have no education past high school.
• America ranks 36th in the world for literacy levels, and white US-born adults are the largest group with low literacy.
• Educated people don’t allow dictators to rule them, nor are they forced to do the bidding of billionaires (including giving them tax breaks while you pay out your ass).
• Which brings us to…
• More than 50 universities are being investigated by Dumpy for alleged racial discrimination against white people as part of Dump’s campaign to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
• Yes, we white people have it rough. Jesus fucking Christ.
• The Education Department announced the new investigations today, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships, or any aspect of student life.
• And now, The Weather: “ALICE” by sleepazoid
• In actual weather news, about 100 million people in the USA live in areas under threat from straight-line wind damage, hail, and tornadoes today and through the weekend.
• The greatest threat for storms today centers on the Midwest, where a squall line containing straight-line winds and embedded tornadoes is forecast to congeal later in the day and sweep across parts of Missouri east to Indiana.
• Stay safe, my peoples.
• Let’s do a chart. It’s 50 years ago today in March 1975. I am going on six years old.
• And a lot of the popular music was pretty damn great. Here’s the top of the Billboard 200 albums list.
• 1. Physical Graffiti (Led Zeppelin). 2. Have You Never Been Mellow (Olivia Newton-John). 3. Blood On The Tracks (Bob Dylan). 4. What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (The Doobie Brothers). 5. Perfect Angel (Minnie Riperton). 6. Phoebe Snow (Phoebe Snow). 7. Nightbirds (Patti LaBelle). 8. For Earth Below (Robin Trower). 9. An Evening With John Denver (John Denver). 10. Heart Like A Wheel (Linda Ronstadt). 11. So What (Joe Walsh). 12. Rock 'N' Roll (John Lennon). 13. AWB (Average White Band). 14. Rufusized (Rufus And Chaka Khan). 15. Sun Goddess (Ramsey Lewis). 16. Do It 'til You're Satisfied (B.T. Express). 17. Autobahn (Kraftwerk). 18. Explores Your Mind (Al Green). 19. Eldorado: A Symphony By The Electroic Light Orchestra (Electric Light Orchestra). 20. Empty Sky (Elton John).
• From the Sports Desk… you can argue all day about the GOAT — greatest of all time — of NBA basketball. Michael Jordan? Kobe Bryant? LeBron James? All worthy contenders.
• But the greatest pure shooter of all time is pretty clear. It’s Steph Curry. Last night, the Warriors’ guard drilled a 28-foot 3-pointer from the right wing, becoming the first player in NBA history to reach 4,000 3-pointers.
• How far ahead is Curry from everyone else? The second place is James Harden with 3,127.
• Today in history… Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin (1794). ‘The Mikado’, a light opera by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, receives its first public performance at the Savoy Theatre in London (1885). Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, the first national wildlife refuge in the US, is established by President Theodore Roosevelt (1903). Anne Miller becomes the first American patient to be treated with penicillin (1942). A USAF B-52 bomber carrying nuclear weapons crashes near Yuba City, CA (1961).
• March 14 is the birthday of composer Johann Strauss I (1804), SCOTUS justice Joseph P. Bradley (1813), dentist Lucy Hobbs Taylor (1833), astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli (1835), US vice president Thomas R. Marshall (1854), railroad engineer Casey Jones (1863), physicist Albert Einstein (1879), race car driver Lee Petty (1914), librarian Zoia Horn (1918), photographer Diane Arbus (1923), actor Michael Caine (1933), songwriter/music producer Quincy Jones (1933), NBA player Wes Unseld (1946), actor Billy Crystal (1948), radio host Rick Dees (1950), MLB player Kirby Puckett (1960), musician Billy Sherwood (1965), NBA player Stephen Curry (1988), and gymnast Simone Biles (1998).

Alrighty. Look, there’s good news that happens all the time, every day. Don’t just focus on the bad shit. Look around at the people fighting the bad shit in their own way. That’s what I’m doing here. I’m anti-bad shit. Enjoy your day.