Random News: June 7, 2022

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 June 7, 2022, and it’s a Tuesday. Assorted tidbits heading your way…

• Two pieces of good personal news… first, I’m already feeling much better after a solid night of sleep after my trade show, and second, my COVID test was negative as of last night.
• That being said, I’m already hearing about a bunch of people who got COVID at NAMM, which is 100% unsurprising, given that so few people were masked. Hopefully all of them are vaccinated and boosted and will recover quickly.
• And no, I haven’t ruled out that I still may get it. I’ll keep an eye on how I’m feeling and test again if necessary sometime toward the weekend.
• Speaking of a weekend, as usual after a trade show, I am just yearning for a real complete day off, something I haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying since maybe mid-April. Saturday will be magnificent. I’m not going to do shit.
• Yesterday, several members of those human bags of shit who call themselves the Proud Boys — including the chief asshole Enrique Tarrio — were charged with seditious conspiracy from the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. These are the most aggressive charges brought so far for these right-wing douchebags who tried (and miserably failed) to overthrow the government of the USA.
• Seditious conspiracy charges have also been levied against leaders of the Oath Keepers.
• Why do these guys always choose such cringy, pansy-ass names for their little clubs?
• In case you were wondering (I was), a person found guilty of seditious conspiracy or advocating the overthrow of the government may be fined and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. It is a serious felony.
• Today is the primary election for a bunch of states: California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota.
• Please vote.
• Zak’s important California endorsements here in my area of LA County include Senator Alex Padilla, Representative Ted Lieu, Governor Gavin Newsom, and Sheriff Britta S. Steinbrenner.
• I know this is going to sound like Lucy taking away the football and letting Charlie Brown fly helplessly in the air while screaming, but there is some actual momentum for a bipartisan deal on gun control measures that would include a reform on background checks, encourage state red flag laws, enhance school safety, and provide new mental health programs.
• Any step in the right direction is better than what we have now.
• A Federal court blocked Louisiana’s racist congressional map, and ordered the state to draw a new map by June 20 that has an additional Black majority district. It would likely add one more Democrat seat in the House. Good news.
• If you feel like a slacker, here’s something to make you feel worse. An 83-year-old Japanese dude named Kenichi Horie sailed solo across the Pacific, leaving from San Francisco on March 27 and arriving in Japan on June 4.
• That dude was 30 when I was born. I gotta stop complaining about being old.
• Today in history… 1099: The Siege of Jerusalem begins during the Crusades. 1654: Louis XIV is crowned King of France. 1892: Homer Plessy is arrested for refusing to leave the “Whites Only” area of a train, leading to the landmark SCOTUS blunder in Plessy v. Ferguson. 1942: The Battle of Midway is won by the USA at a huge turning point in WWII. 1975: Sony launches the Betamax, the first videocassette recorder format. 
• June 7 is the birthday of painter Paul Gauguin (1848), actress Jessica Tandy (1909), singer Dean Martin (1917), singer Tom Jones (1940), godlike being Prince (1958), guitarist Dave Navarro (1967), NBA great Allen Iverson (1975), comedian Bill Hader (1978), tennis player Anna Kournikova (1981), and rapper Fetty Wap (1991).

That’s all for the time being. You know, there’s actually 50 times the number of important things to be aware of every day than I include intros little list. Being aware and informed makes you a better person, more capable of coming up with solutions to problems, and happier overall. Enjoy your day.