Random News: October 4, 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 4, 2022, and it’s a Tuesday. Here’s what it is…

• It was 100 days ago today that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, removing the rights of safe and legal health care from millions of Americans.
• Five weeks from today on November 8, this nation is going to have the first real chance to show how we feel about that by voting out every single candidate who supported it.
• There are 167.5 million women in the USA. Piss them off, and pay the price.
• In other news…
• Hershel Walker was a great football player in his prime.
• But it turns out he is a horrible human being and certainly no one that should take part in national politics. It turns out that the Senate candidate for Georgia, who is very vocal in his anti-abortion, no exceptions messaging, paid for an abortion for an ex-girlfriend in 2009.
• Walker claims to be a devout Chiristian. He is also twice-married, with four known children, all from different mothers, and allegedly has other children that he does not publicly acknowledge.
• Do not elect people who say one thing and do the opposite. You’re smarter than that. These people represent you and your ethics. Remember that.
• As long as we’re discussing reprehensible Senate candidates, news came out about Dr. Mehmet Oz’s research experiments at Columbia that killed 329 dogs and inflicted extensive suffering on them, violating the Animal Welfare Act multiple times, for which Columbia quietly paid a fine.
• I can’t even repeat the details. It is beyond sickening and frankly the man should be in jail.
• It’s just awful and one of the most horrible things I’ve ever heard about a human doing. Do not allow a person this cruel and evil to be your Senator, Pennsylvania.
• Moving on.
• Fuck off, North Korea.
• Seriously, firing a missile over Japan? That is some reckless shit that does nothing but get you condemned on the international stage. Shame on you, Kim Jong Un.
• The sedition trial for members of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers started yesterday. 
• The DoJ showed evidence of the Oath Keepers’ attempts to stop the lawful transfer of power after the 2020 election by any means necessary, including taking up arms against the United States government.
• A good portion of the evidence shown so far has been the rightists’ own text messages, videos, and recordings.
• Fuck around, tell on yourself, find out.
• And now, The Weather: “Chow” by Sun Era.
• Last week, a bunch of Republicans had a talking point, asking people to check their 401(k) funds and to complain to Biden about it.
• But in the past two days, the Dow has rallied more than 1,000 points. People are showing confidence in the economy and in America.
• From the Sports Desk… the Sports Desk would be negligent if the Sports Desk didn’t continue to acknowledge Albert Pujols’ historic end to his storied career. Last night he hit career home run #703, which also moved him into sole second place in all-time RBI’s with 2,216. 
• Also, for being a not-super-huge baseball guy, the Sports Desk must also mention the Seattle Mariners making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2001. This 21-year playoff drought had been the longest in any major professional sport.
• As a science guy, I definitely have to salute Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger. These three dudes are sharing a physics Nobel prize for their work in quantum mechanics.
• Their work helped prove the concept of quantum entanglement, a phenomenon Einstein described as “spooky action at a distance”, and is so fucking weird that it’s hard to even believe it’s possible. Bravo!
• Today in history… the Battle of Lake Poyang, one of the largest naval battles in history, has Zhu Yuanzhang's rebels defeat rival Chen Youliang (1363). The Gregorian Calendar is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII (1582). The Swedish Army defeats the armies of Saxony and the Holy Roman Empire at the Battle of Wittstock (1636). Mexico adopts a new constitution and becomes a federal republic (1824). The Crimean War begins when the Ottoman Empire declares war on the Russian Empire (1853). The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas opens as the first public college in Texas (1876). First run of the Orient Express (1883). Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mount Rushmore (1927). The Metropolitan Police and various anti-fascist organizations violently clash in the Battle of Cable Street in London (1936). Sputnik 1 becomes the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth (1957). Richard Noble sets a new land speed record of 633.468 miles per hour (1,019.468 km/h) at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada (1983). Battle of Mogadishu occurs killing 18 U.S. Special Forces, two UN Peacekeepers and at least 600 Somalian militia men and civilians (1993). WikiLeaks is launched (2006). Bubba Wallace becomes the first African-American Driver in the modern era of NASCAR to win a major race (2021).
• October 4 is the birthday of Louis X of France (1289), politician Richard Cromwell (1626), entomologist Nikolaus Poda von Neuhaus (1723), President Rutherford B. Hayes (1822), painter Frederic Remington (1861), actor Buster Keaton (1895), activist Mary Two-Axe Earley (1911), inventor/busniessman Ken Wood (1916), actor Charlton Heston (1923), author/futurist Alvin Toffler (1928), football player Sam Huff (1934), author Anne Rice (1941), baseball player/manager Tony La Russa (1944), actress/activist Susan Sarandon (1946), actor Christoph Waltz (1956), actor Bill Fagerbakke (1957), music executive Russell Simmons (1957), basketball player A. C. Green (1963), actor Liev Schreiber (1967), actress Alicia Silverstone (1976), and basketball player Derrick Rose (1988).

Okay, so… I have a lot going on today. A bunch of meetings, more work, getting groceries in between it all, and a show tonight in Second Life (and I’ve been so busy, I haven’t even bothered letting anyone know about that). But you know, I think that having a full and fulfilling life beats the alternative. That being said, I need a fucking vacation at some point because I don’t want to just drop dead at a young age. I’ll give that some thought. Enjoy your day.