Random News: November 5, 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 November 5, 2022, and it’s a Saturday. I’m in a blue robe and have a full cup of delicious coffee, so beyond that, I got this…

• The 2022 National Election is in three days on Tuesday November 8. I hope you vote.
• There’s no way to tell what will happen at this stage. Historical patterns would say that Republicans will win many seats and take over the House and Senate.
• But things have changed drastically compared to the time frame where those patterns emerged. The stakes are much higher, spearheaded by the repeal of Roe v Wade earlier this year but also driven by many other factors that energize voters.
• For a midterm (non-Presidential) election, the early voting numbers are very high, and that’s a good sign. But frankly, no pundit or polling group really knows what will happen on Tuesday and the days following while the votes are tallied.
• Two years ago, we spent that whole week nervously watching vote counts in various states. As you may recall, it wasn’t until Saturday morning of the following weekend that the race was called for Biden.
• So what I’m saying is, don’t expect instant gratification. In this bizarre world, it will likely take time before we know who’s won what.
• But do vote if you have yet to do so. The bigger the voter turnout, the more the elected candidates represent the will of the people. That’s what a democracy is all about.
• I will point out for the record: electing people who deny the free will of the people to hold fair elections can result in this country losing its democracy and becoming a form of government where the people do not get to choose its leaders ever again. It means losing the very concept of America forever.
• Hope it all works out. I’ve done all I could do.
• Moving on.
• I almost don’t want to talk about the Twitter debacle, but it merits a mention.
• The platform’s new owner laid off roughly 50% of the workforce in the past few days. It’s estimated that 3,700 people lost their jobs.
• A number of them immediately filed a class action lawsuit alleging that Twitter is in violation of the federal and California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act), which requires that an employer with more than 100 employees must provide 60 days’ advanced written notice prior to a mass layoff.
• We’ll see how that goes.
• Meanwhile, the new Twitter owning is threatening to “name and shame” the advertisers who are leaving the platform in droves… because that’s the very best way to get them to give him more money.
• It seems insane, but it’s also very much in line with a person who, due to his unfortunate disability that doesn’t allow him to have any perception of human emotion, genuinely doesn’t get why his actions are perceived as wrong.
• Moving on from that.
• Thoughts going out to the folks in North Texas and Oklahoma who got nailed with tornadoes yesterday. Over 50 homes were destroyed.
• Climate change will continue to cause this kind of devastation, and much worse. There’s very little we can do to stop it now, but we can slow it down a bit.
• And now, The Weather: “Prescribed Burn” by Shadowgraphs
• SCOTUS justice Amy Coney Barrett on Friday again declined to block President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt. Barrett denied an emergency request by the Indiana borrowers, represented by a conservative legal group.
• Judge Arthur Engoron has imposed an independent monitor to oversee the finances of the Trump Organization. 
• It means the company is unable to change its corporate structure, sell or transfer non-cash assets, or make deals without giving notice to the court.
• This is part of NYAG Letitia James’ $250 million fraud suit again Trump Org. The FPOTUS is not happy. I’m pretty sure he’s never happy, has never been happy, and doesn’t know what happiness is.
• I — along with anyone else who understands happiness — am miles above the quality of life of people like him. It’s never about money or power. He’ll never get it.
• Today in history… Guy Fawkes is arrested in the Gunpowder Plot (1605). French-American forces under Colonel LaBalme are defeated by Miami Chief Little Turtle (1780). Nat Turner, American slave leader, is tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in Virginia (1831). In defiance of the law, suffragist Susan B. Anthony votes for the first time, and is later fined $100 (1872). Woodrow Wilson is elected the 28th President of the United States, defeating incumbent William Howard Taft (1912). The Everett massacre takes place in Everett, WA as political differences lead to a shoot-out between the Industrial Workers of the World organizers and local police (1916). Franklin D. Roosevelt is the first and only President of the United States to be elected to a third term (1940). Richard Nixon is elected as 37th President of the United States (1968). Bill Clinton is reelected President of the United States (1996).
• November 5 is the birthday of painter Anna Maria van Schurman (1607), socialist Eugene V. Debs (1855), journalist Ida Tarbell (1857), writer/philosopher Will Durant (1885), astronomer Fred Lawrence Whipple (1906), singer Roy Rogers (1911), actress Vivien Leigh (1913), accordionist Myron Floren (1919), musician Ike Turner (1931), singer Art Garfunkel (1941), actor/playwright Sam Shepard (1943), musician Gram Parsons (1946), musician Peter Noone (1947), actor Armin Shimerman (1949), actor Robert Patrick (1958), musician Bryan Adams (1959), actress Tatum O’Neal (1963), actress Famke Janssen (1965), actor Sam Rockwell (1968), guitarist Jonny Greenwood (1971), MLB player Johnny Damon (1973), musician Ryan Adams (1974), golfer Bubba Watson (1978), and NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. (1992).

Okay then. Might work on some music today, maybe? Not sure yet. It seems like the weather is crisp but super nice. I should get dressed. I’m just gonna sit here and consider things for awhile. Enjoy your day.