Random News: October 1, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s October 1, 2022, and it’s a Saturday. I’m in a robe, and here’s what I think…

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• On a general basis, I like October better than September. Better weather. Less frantic vibe. In fact, at this moment,  it is 67 degrees and fully overcast here in lovely Redondo Beach, CA. That’s kinda my groove.
• Hurricane Ian has moved from Florida to South Carolina to North Carolina. Floods and structural damage continue. I have plenty of friends in the Southeast and coastal Atlantic areas. I wish you all well. Let me know how I can help if you need it.
• Still many people without power or running water down there, including hospitals. Fucking awful.
• "I hate all of y'all right now. Y’all knew this hurricane was coming and you still order shit. I gotta go to 172 of y'all today. I hate y'all. Everything is wet.” - Amazon delivery worker in Florida yesterday.
• The Supreme Court of the US starts its new term on Monday. Get ready for a big right-wing tilt that’s already been in place since the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and resulted in the removal of women’s rights for bodily autonomy with the overturn of Roe. 
• Likely upcoming SCOTUS decisions… first, they’re going to eliminate Affirmative Action, removing any race consciousness in college admissions and making it less likely that minorities will have the opportunity to compete via higher education. Second, they’re going to retool states’ election law powers so that future elections could be more easily overturned. Third, they’re going to allow new gerrymandered congressional district maps that remove power from Black and poor voters.
• There’s more. But expect all that. A bunch of 6-3 decisions that all make America worse.
• A more liberal President would have already been taking steps to expand the court, but we’ve got Moderate Joe, so that’s not gonna happen.
• Please vote. Thank you.
• Speaking of Presidents, a very happy 98th birthday to Jimmy Carter. That man has led a legendary life and has been perhaps one of the most exemplary Americans in our country’s history.
• And now, The Weather: “Sand Duney” by The Julia Loop.
• I never, ever quote the insane ramblings of the FPOTUS here, and I’m not about to start today. But yesterday he said something so incredibly outrageous about Mitch McConnell, and included a subtle death treat and an openly racist remark about McConnell’s wife, that I had to just note that for posterity.
• He’s losing it. Not that he ever had it. But he’s getting worse as the multiple criminal and civil investigations accumulate. I predict an official announcement for his 2024 candidacy to happen very soon, perhaps before the Midterms in some hope it will affect the DoJ’s ability to indict him.
• Narrator’s Voice: It won’t.
• Russian forces in Ukraine had to retreat from their strategic position in Donetsk a day after Moscow announced their annexation of the region.
• Ha ha. Suck my dick, Putin.
• From the Sports Desk… sigh. Most of you remember Antonio Brown, the talented NFL wide receiver who became more and more diva-like as his career progressed until last year when he stripped off his uniform in the middle of a game for the Bucs and was released. Video just came out of AB being naked in a hotel pool, shoving his ass into a woman’s face, grabbing her and dunking her and throwing her, and then waving his dick around for everyone.
• Probably was a bad idea.
• Also, fuck Brett Favre for stealing millions from one of the poorest state’s welfare fund. 
• In cooler Sports Desk news, congrats to the Seattle Mariners, who sealed a wild card berth in the MLB playoffs last night. It's their first playoff appearance in 21 years, since 2001. 
• Today in history… Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC). Edgar the Peaceful becomes king of all England (959). Coronation of Queen Mary I of England (1553). Opening of the Congress of Vienna, intended to redraw Europe's political map after the defeat of Napoleon the previous spring (1814). Yosemite National Park is established by the U.S. Congress (1890). Stanford University opens its doors (1891). The Boston Americans play the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first game of the modern World Series (1903). Newark Liberty International Airport opens up being the first airport in the New York City metro area (1928). The George Washington Bridge, linking New Jersey and New York, is opened (1931). The Pennsylvania Turnpike, often considered the first superhighway in the United States, opens to traffic (1940). Nazi leaders are sentenced at the Nuremberg trials (1946). The People's Republic of China is established (1949). First appearance of In God we trust on U.S. paper currency (1957). James Meredith enters the University of Mississippi, defying racial segregation rules (1962). Concorde breaks the sound barrier for the first time (1969). Walt Disney World opens near Orlando, Florida (1971). Muhammad Ali defeats Joe Frazier in a boxing match in Manila, Philippines (1975). Sony and Phillips launch the compact disc in Japan (1982). Denmark introduces the world's first legal same-sex registered partnerships (1989). Fifty-eight people are killed and 869 others injured in a mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas, NV (2017).
• October 1 is the birthday of Roman emperor Alexander Severus (208), painter Giulia Lama (1681), physician/politician William Shippen (1712), First Lady Caroline Harrison (1832), engineer/businessman William Boeing (1881), pianist/songwriter Cliff Friend (1893), martial artist Ip Man (1893), actor Walter Matthau (1920), President Jimmy Carter (1924), Chief Justice William Rehnquist (1924), actor Tom Bosley (1927), actor George Peppard (1928), actor Richard Harris (1930), blues musician Albert Collins (1932), actress/singer Julie Andrews (1935), baseball player Rod Carew (1945), completely insane person Randy Quaid (1950), UK Prime Minister Theresa May (1956), baseball player/steroid user Mark McGwire (1963), actor Zach Galifianakis (1969), and actress Brie Larson (1989). 

I should probably shower and dress myself. Seems like the right thing to do. Enjoy your day.