Random News: October 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 October 29, 2022, and it’s a Saturday. I’m a random guy in a blue bathrobe, so let’s talk newsy things…

• Republicans were sharing laughs and jokes yesterday about Paul Pelosi, an 82-year-old man who was attacked in his home by a hammer-wielding assailant.
• This was a popular one on Twitter with the MAGA crowd: “Sending Prayers for Paul Pelosi, 2nd time he’s been publicly hammered this year!”

• Mr. Pelosi required surgery to repair his fractured skull and defensive injuries to his arm and hands. It appears he will survive.
• The assailant, 42-year-old David DePape, is a Trump supporter who had a Facebook full of anti-liberal and antisemitic memes and conspiracy theories about Covid, the 2020 election, and the January 6 attack.
• We all know people like that. I certainly do. Any one of them could be the next MAGA terrorist or assassin. A person who would hammer a senior citizen to death in their own home over political differences.
• Please vote for people who condemn violence as a means to political goals.
• Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, US Capitol Police and National Counterterrorism Center sent a bulletin to state and local election officials.
• They warned that domestic violent extremists pose a heightened threat to the 2022 midterm elections, and that perceptions of election fraud will likely result in heightened threats of violence.
• Not surprising in this hideous timeline, but a note to stay safe to my many friends who are poll workers and election officials.
• More than 19,495,000 early votes have now been cast. KEEP IT UP.
• And now, The Weather: “Billy” by Horsegirl
• From the Sports Desk… PHILLIES! The Sports Desk was chilling last night and every so often was pulling up the score of Game 1 of the 2022 World Series. First time I looked, Astros were up 2-0. Then 5-0. I decided seeing Houston win was just going to piss me off so I ignored the game at that point.
• A good while later, I was like, “Oh, how’d that game come out?” and turned it on just in time to see J. T. Realmuto blast a 10th inning homer to bring the score to 6-5 Phillies, and then bit my nails for another half inning until the win was done. Nice!
• A funny aside about the Musk Man’s purchase of Twitter, which was a done deal as of yesterday.
• Early yesterday, Elon tweeted, “the bird is freed.”
• And Thierry Breton, the EU's commissioner for the internal market, responded: "In Europe, the bird will fly by our rules.”
• It’s gonna be fun. Muskrat is already facing a potential financial disaster with this acquisition. He will have to balance the requirements of the advertisers, Internet regulations in places like Europe and California, and the possibility of alienating the largest portion of Twitter’s user base so they don’t abandon the platform and make it immediately valueless.
• There’s a great article in The Verge titled ‘Welcome to hell, Elon’ that goes into great detail about the disastrous, unwindable war that Musk has chosen by purchasing the platform. This was a great section…
• “Twitter, the company, makes very little interesting technology; the tech stack is not the valuable asset. The asset is the user base: hopelessly addicted politicians, reporters, celebrities, and other people who should know better but keep posting anyway. You! You, Elon Musk, are addicted to Twitter. You’re the asset. You just bought yourself for $44 billion dollars.”
• Today in history… First trial for witchcraft in Paris leading to the death of three people (1390). Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England (1618). Mount Hood (Oregon) is named after Samuel Hood by Lt. William E. Broughton (1792). Eighteen countries meet in Geneva and agree to form the International Red Cross (1863). Second trial of Sacco and Vanzetti in Boston, MA (1921). The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", beginning the Great Depression (1929). The first-ever computer-to-computer link is established on ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet (1969). Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year-old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space at that time (1998). Delta Air Lines merges with Northwest Airlines, creating the world's largest airline and reducing the number of US legacy carriers to five (2008). Hurricane Sandy hits the east coast of the United States, killing 148 directly and 138 indirectly, while leaving nearly $70 billion in damages and causing major power outages (2012). 
• October 29 is the birthday of author Jean Giraudoux (1882), Nazi piece of shit Joseph Goebbels (1897), writer Dominick Dunne (1925), animator Ralph Bakshi (1938), painter Bob Ross (1942), producer Don Simpson (1943), actor Richard Dreyfuss (1947), singer Kevin DuBrow (1955), actor Dan Castellaneta (1957), actress Joely Fisher (1967), actress Wynona Ryder (1971), actress Gabrielle Union (1972), swimmer Amanda Beard (1981), and singer Tove Lo (1987).

Well, I guess I’ll take a shower and do things. I can do things in a bathrobe and often do, but certain aspects of life require me to be clothed. I would have done well in ancient Greece, wandering about in my toga all day. But then, it’s almost November and I don’t like cold breezes blowing up my skirt. In any case, make a plan to vote a week from Tuesday (if you haven’t done so already), and enjoy your day.