Random News: June 21, 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 21, 2022, and it’s a Tuesday. Various thoughts coming right up…

• Happy Summer! The season started at exactly 2:13AM this morning Pacific Time, which was the moment of the solstice.
• What is a solstice? It’s the moment when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun and starts heading the other direction. In the Northern Hemisphere where most of us live, the summer solstice is in reference to the north pole.
• Before any Australians or Brazilians get upset… it’s true. Almost 90% of humans live in the Northern Hemisphere of this little planet. Weird, huh?
• Here’s a thought: every day of summer, the days get shorter. Today is the longest day of the year.
• That being said, all days are the same length, just about exactly 24 hours, so that’s bullshit. Time is bullshit.
• A more accurate statement: today has the most sunlight of any day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
• If you live on the equator, none of this has any meaning to you.
• The fourth session of the January 6 Committee hearings are today at 10AM PT/1PM ET.
• Some of the people scheduled to testify about former President Trump’s continuing attempts to overturn a legal election include Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (a Republican), Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (also a Republican), and others.
• Attorney General Merrick Garland went to Ukraine to help them out with apprehending and prosecuting Russians who’ve committed war crimes in the invasion of their country.
• I applaud this, but I’d also say that AG Garland might have some folks here in this country that really need to be prosecuted. Know what I mean? Maybe get on that when you get back? Mmmmkay?
• Roe might be struck down today. No one knows for sure when the decision will be announced. I’m sure they’ll take care of putting up extra-big fences around themselves before telling the country that their rights are being removed.
• GOP candidate and former Missouri governor Eric Greitens — one of the worst human beings you can imagine, who resigned in disgrace after having an affair and forcing his girlfriend to take nude pics while bound that he threatened to release publicly — just put out an ad that was so vile, it was taken down by Facebook. In the ads, he’s hunting other Republicans with a shotgun. This guy is not good enough to be called a piece of shit.
• Japan, which you think of as a nice and modern country, decided Monday that their ban on same-sex marriages does not violate their constitution. Japan also offers no legal protections for LGBTQ people, who often face harassment and discrimination. I have hope that Japan continues to grow and evolve as younger, more open-minded people get into leadership roles.
• Side note: only Taiwan has legal same-sex marriage in all of Asia.
• In asshole billionaire news, Elon Musk’s daughter, who is transgender. has filed paperwork to change her first and last name. The reason she gave on the form was, “Gender identity and the fact that I no longer live with or wish to be related to my biological father in any way, shape, or form."
• Ouch. Way to go, dad.
• We tend to look at the scary dystopian aspects of artificial intelligence (because we’re not stupid and don’t want computer overlords), but some aspects of machine learning are pretty amazing. A study by Northwestern University successfully used AI to identify speech patterns in children with autism which may lead to better and earlier diagnosis. Plus, it works across multiple languages. Pretty cool.
• From the sports desk… The Tampa Bay Lightning, not wanting to be swept in the NHL Finals, beat the Avs 6-2 last night. In MLB, the Yankees have the best record in baseball, currently at 50-17.
• Quote of the Day: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” - Hellen Keller
• Today in history… Halifax, Nova Scotia is founded (1749). The USA takes Guam from Spain (1898). China declares war on the USA, Britain, Germany, France, and Japan in the Boxer Rebellion (1900). A Japanese sub surfaces from the Columbia River in Oregon and fires 17 shells at Fort Stevens… betcha didn’t know that (1942). Three civil rights workers are murdered by the KKK in Mississippi, later documented in the film ‘Mississippi Burning’ (1964). the Supreme Court decides that flag burning is protected by the First Amendment (1989). Pluto’s newly discovered moons are named Nix and Hydra (2006).
• June 21 is the birthday of composer Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732), caricaturist Al Hirschfeld (1903), philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905), actress Maureen Stapleton (1925), composer Lalo Schifrin (1932), amazing rock god Ray Davies (1944), actress Meredith Baxter (1947), actor Michael Gross (1947) - and yes, the Keatons were born on the same day, drummer Joey Kramer (1950), guitarist Nils Lofgren (1951), cartoonist Berkeley Breathed (1957), metal dude with nice hair Kip Winger (1961), kinda strange person Juliette Lewis (1973), guitarist Mike Einziger (1976), actor Chris Pratt (1979), and singer Lana Del Rey (1985).

My only task I leave you with is to defend people who are less capable of defending themselves. Do it with your words, your votes, and your actions. Look for opportunities to be a good person… they’re out there every single day. Enjoy your Tuesday.