Random News: July 24, 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 July 24, 2022, and it’s a Sunday. Whatever’s coming is coming…

• Here’s some close-to-home news: there was an active shooter in my neighborhood yesterday afternoon, and the area was on lockdown for awhile as a result.
• We got an alert through an app at about 1pm. It wasn’t very specific. Here, I’ll show you.
• "Redondo Alerts: Police Activity. Residents are advised to stay out of this area due to police activity as there is a potential for danger. There is police activity on nearby streets as well. Any residents on the 200 block of N Irena Av specifically are requested to shelter in place until further notice."
• That’s about a quarter-mile down the street from me, maybe six blocks down and three blocks over. Definitely close enough that the plethora of police agency and SWAT team sirens and hovering helicopters were part of my otherwise pleasant day for a few hours.
• Anyway, for those who are unfamiliar with Southern California, my city is comparatively a) low-crime, b) mostly-affluent middle-class, and c) suburban family-oriented.
• I can just confidently say that if it can happen in Redondo Beach, it can and will happen wherever you live, no matter how safe you think it is.
• Long story short: no one knows why the guy lost his shit. He fired a ton of shots into the neighborhood, hitting houses, cars, and more, but no people amazingly. Then he killed himself. The only thing going on was a realtor hosting an open house in the front unit of his building.
• In other California news (this time hundreds of miles north of here), the fire near Yosemite is pretty bad. They had to evacuate some 6000 people yesterday who were in harm’s way.
• In national “it’s hot” news, do NOT think you can tough out the heat wave that’s likely affecting your area. Many young and otherwise healthy people get nailed by heat stroke, exposure, and dehydration, and it’s worse for the elderly and health-compromised.
• Stay cool however you can.
• In the “this could get interesting” department, Liz Cheney (R-WY) and the January 6 committee said that they will “contemplate a subpoena” for Ginni Thomas, the wife of SCOTUS justice Clarence Thomas, for her role in the coup attempt.
• I’m hearing good things about Jordan Peele’s new film “Nope”, unsurprisingly. He’s an incredibly good filmmaker that some are calling the Hitchcock of this generation.
• From the Sports Desk… the Tour de France is ending while I’m writing these words. Congrats to first-time champion Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark.
• Also, we’re less than two weeks out from the first preseason NFL game, with the Las Vegas Raiders hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday August 4.
• QotD: “I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.” - Mahatma Gandhi.
• Today in history… Louis VII lays siege to Damascus (1148). Mary, Queen of Scots is forced to abdicate (1567). Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founds a trading post that becomes the city of Detroit (1701). Tennessee is the first state to be readmitted to the Union after the Civil War (1866). Operation Gomorrah in WWII bombs the fuck out of Hamburg (1943). Apollo 11 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean (1969). Nixon is ordered to surrender the subpoenaed While House tapes (1974). George Brett’s “pine tar incident” (1983). Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister of the UK (2019).
• July 24 is the birthday of politician Simón Bolivar (1783), novelist Alexandre Dumas (1802), pilot Amelia Earhart (1897), activist/politician Bella Abzug (1920), cartoonist Pat Oliphant (1935), comedian Ruth Buzzi (1936), comedian (I guess?) Gallagher (1946), comedian Michael Richards (1949), actress and very good person Lynda Carter (1951), director Gus Van Sant (1952), politician Charlie Crist (1956), NBA great Karl Malone (1963), MLB all-time home run leader* Barry Bonds (1964), actress Kristin Chenowith (1968), singer Jennifer Lopez, um, Affleck (1969), actress Rose Byrne (1979), actress Elizabeth Moss (1982), and conservationist Bindi Irwin (1998).

Well, I have no interesting or inspiring ending to this report. Oh! While on lockdown, I wrote the first page of a short story yesterday. Maybe it will become a book and then be a bestseller and then I’ll sell the rights to HBO and have some massive series produced and… maybe I should write the second page before all that shit. Enjoy your day.