Random News: September 29, 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 September 29, 2022, and it’s a Thursday for some reason. Here are some forthcoming snippets of info, delivered bullet-style…

• Obviously, our top concern remains on Hurricane Ian. The news coverage from across Florida was terrifying. Most of my friends seem to be okay so far, though many have mentioned at least some damage that will need to dealt with after the storm passes.
• Many lost power. Over 2,000,000 people as of today.
• I saw a video of a shark swimming down a street in Fort Myers. I’m serious.
• As is often the case, flooding has been a big issue with Ian. The hurricane has eased back to tropical storm status as of this morning, still with sustained winds of over 65 mph as it slowly makes its way northeast across the state and heading into South Carolina tomorrow.
• Hoping the best for all of you.
• And now, The Weather: “Under the Water” by Hand Habits.
• Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene had divorce papers filed against her by her husband of 27 years, Perry Greene, who cited the marriage as “irretrievably broken”.
• I’m not going to ridicule her for this. Scorning someone for a relationship ending isn’t my style. It’s MTG’s style, and I don’t want to be like her.
• There are always shootings. Always. Last day or so… one shot dead in an Arkansas hospital, six shot at a school in Oakland, one dead and four more shot at a school in Philadelphia.
• The victims of the Highland Park, IL shootings on July 4 that left seven dead and over 40 wounded are suing Smith & Wesson, the accused gunman, his father, and the gun store that sold the weapon to the killer.
• Of note in the suit is that a central claim is that Smith & Wesson illegally targeted young men at risk of violence with advertisements for firearms. 
• The former president, who demanded that a special master be assigned to his criminal investigation for espionage and obstruction, and then chose the person who got the special master role, is now objecting to the special master.
• Judge Dearie is requiring Trump to declare in court whether the Justice Department’s inventory from the search is accurate. This would force POTUS to go on the record in court about his suggestion that the FBI may have planted evidence during the search on August 8.
• In the objection, Trump’s lawyers state that he can’t go through the documents, which they’re now saying are comprised of 200,000 pages of materials.
• Suck it up, buttercup.
• Some polls. Polls don’t mean shit; votes do. I’m showing you some close ones because…
• Oregon Governor: Drazan (R) 32% (+1), Kotek (D) 31%, Johnson (I) 18% (DHM)
• Texas Governor: Greg Abbott (R-Inc) 53% (+7), Beto O'Rourke (D) 46% (Quinnipiac)
• Wisconsin Senate: Mandela Barnes (D) 47%, Ron Johnson (R-inc) 47% (Public Policy Polling)
• Wisconsin Governor: Tony Evers (D-inc) 48% (+2), Tim Michels (R) 46% (Public Policy Polling)
• Arizona Governor: Kari Lake (R) 46% (+1), Katie Hobbs (D) 45% (Marist)
• Ohio Senate: Ryan (D) 46% (+3), Vance (R) 43% (Siena Research)
• Washington Senate: Patty Murray (D-Inc) 49% (+2), Tiffany Smiley (R) 47% (Trafalgar)
• EVERY VOTE MATTERS. You matter. Your voice matters. You can and will make a difference when you vote. The election is Tuesday November 8. VOTE.
• Another little poll note…
• Joe Biden Job Approval among likely voters: Approve 47%, Disapprove 52% (YouGov)
• That’s good.
• From the Sports Desk… huge congrats to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Last night he hit his 61st home run of the season, tying the AL record by Roger Maris from 1961. Note that every person who has eclipsed that record… Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds… has been convicted of using steroids. Judge and Maris hold the real record, in my book. 
• The Sports Desk also keeps forgetting about Thursday Night Football, and then remembers and tunes in about halfway through the fourth quarter and then loses interest. Anyway, tonight the Miami Dolphins (3-0) head to Cincinnati to face the Bengals (1-2). 
• I’ve been ignoring important world news lately. I apologize for that. Putin is annexing (aka stealing) four areas of Ukraine. The Nord Stream pipeline has major gas leaks that many are claiming is a deliberate act of sabotage by Russia. England’s finances are in the toilet. Italy and Sweden are turning into fascist hellholes, modeled after the former president’s bullshit. I guess that’s it for now.
• Today in history… Danes capture Canterbury after a siege, taking Ælfheah, archbishop of Canterbury, as a prisoner (1011). Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, is excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX for his failure to participate in the Crusades (1227). Protestant coup officials in Nîmes massacre Catholic priests in an event now known as the Michelade (1567). The United States Department of War first establishes a regular army with a strength of several hundred men (1789). Germany's Supreme Army Command tells Kaiser Wilhelm II and Imperial Chancellor Georg Michaelis to open negotiations for an armistice in WWI (1918). The First American Track and Field championships for women are held (1923). The Kyshtym disaster is the third-worst nuclear accident ever recorded (1957). NASA launches STS-26, the first Space Shuttle mission since the Challenger disaster (1988). John Roberts is confirmed as Chief Justice of the United States (2005). The stock market crashes after the first United States House of Representatives vote on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act fails (2008). Over 42 people are killed by members of Boko Haram at the College of Agriculture in Nigeria (2013). 
• September 29 is the birthday of Roman general/politician Pompey (106 BC), polymath Michael Servetus (1511), novelist Miguel de Cervantes (1547), English admiral Horatio Nelson (1758), physicist Enrico Fermi (1901), fashion journalist Diana Vreeland (1903), singer/actor Gene Autry (1907), director Stanley Kramer (1913), football coach Bum Phillips (1923), model/actress Anita Ekberg (1931), musician Jerry Lee Lewis (1935), actor Larry Linville (1939), actress Madeline Khan (1942), violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (1942), composer Mike Post (1944), musician Mark Farner (1948), TV host Bryant Gumbel (1948), animator Gábor Csupó (1952), journalist Gwen Ifill (1955), musician Les Claypool (1963), actor Mackenzie Crook (1971), NFL player Calvin Johnson (1985), NBA player Kevin Durant (1988), and singer Halsey (1994). 

I have lots to do today. I always do. I just also do today. When you do lots of things every day, that becomes your baseline norm, and you just do it and it doesn’t really bother you. I have meetings, things to write, things to draw, things to turn into other things, things to promote, things to decide. Normal day in every way. I’ll try and find some fun in it. Enjoy your day.