Random News: January 20, 2023

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 January 20, 2023, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again. Here’s a bunch of stuff that might interest you, affect your life, cause you to shrug in perplexed puzzlement or lack of giving a shit, or otherwise…

• 2023 has already had a rough start for musicians and music lovers. RIP to David Crosby, a major influence on me and my songwriting, especially in regard to vocal arrangement and production.
• I read Crosby’s autobiography ‘Long Time Gone’ right when it came out in the late ‘80s. I would never have predicted he’d live for over three more decades past that point.
• If you don’t know, Crosby was a member of seminal ‘60s folk rock group The Byrds, and then put together the supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash (later Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young).
• He did a musical thing that I’ve done ever since via his influence. Due to his love of jazz, Cros didn’t go for the easy harmony. Instead of the 1-3-5, he’d be singing these middle 2’s, suspended 3rds, sixths… anything to make it more interesting.
• One of his final tweets was in reference to heaven. He said it was overrated and cloudy.
• Upon hearing about his passing, I had that weird personal reaction of, “But I was just chatting with him on Twitter two days ago!” Well, my snarky tweets apparently didn’t stop him from shuffling off his mortal coil.
• Damn.
• Here’s a short list of songs that really represent Crosby’s skills as a singer and/or songwriter: “Eight Miles High” (The Byrds), “Mr. Tambourine Man” (The Byrds), “Wooden Ships” (CSN), “Long Time Gone” (CSN), “Guinnevere” (CSN), “Music Is Love” (solo).
• In the “How Surprising (Not)” file: the Supreme Court says it is unable to identify the person who leaked the draft opinion from last May that ended up previewing their overturning of Roe v. Wade.
• Court investigators conducted 126 formal interviews of 97 employees, all of whom had denied being the source of the leak.
• Several employees did acknowledge that they had told their spouses or partners about the draft opinion and the vote count. That is in violation of the court’s confidentiality rules, the report said.
• The big takeaway from the report… it conveyed the distinct impression that there were enough holes in the system that the mystery of who leaked the opinion may never be solved.
• Proof-absent opinion from me: I think it was Alito.
• Moving on…
• Alec Baldwin has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the deadly 2021 “Rust” film shooting.
• The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will be charged with the same.
• A conviction is punishable by up to 18 months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine, according to the district attorney.
• Here’s the thing: the basis of the charge is that the prosecutors were told that “every actor checks the gun” before pulling the trigger. What in the actual fuck are they talking about?
• Does the actor check the cables and lighting setup to make sure the key grip and gaffer won’t actually electrocute someone? Is every single actor and actress experienced enough with firearms to hold the responsibility of confirming the kind of ammunition loaded into a prop weapon that’s been handed to them?
• I understand that the armorer (whose job this is) might be liable. I get that Baldwin, as a co-producer of the film, could be hit with a big civil suit, and probably should.
• But this criminal charge will be a precedent that might change the way movies are made, with every actor and actress now being legally responsible and liable for things that happen on set.
• Fucking ridiculous. Moving on…
• Three Marines were arrested Wednesday for their participation in the failed coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
• Micah Coomer, Joshua Abate, and Dodge Dale Hellonen were arrested on four charges each. They are the first active-duty military members to be arrested in connection with the siege since Marine Maj. Christopher Warnagiris, who was taken into custody in May 2021 on nine charges.
• All three Marines, who were arrested more than two years after the attack, work in jobs connected to the intelligence community.
• Semper fi, I guess.
• The administration of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is blocking an AP course for high school students on African American studies.
• The Florida Department of Education’s Office of Articulation said the course is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”
• The order did not elaborate on what the agency found objectionable in the course content.
• In Florida, don’t say gay… or, apparently, Black.
• And now, The Weather: “Change Your Mind” by Lo Noom
• A real headline that made me actually laugh out loud: “Rep. George Santos denies ever having been a drag queen”
• Snort.
• The FPOTUS and his lawyer, Alina Habba, have been fined almost $1 million by a federal judge in Florida for what was ruled a frivolous lawsuit brought against his 2016 presidential rival Hillary Clinton and others.
• “He is the mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process, and he cannot be seen as a litigant blindly following the advice of a lawyer. He knew full well the impact of his actions. As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Habba.” - U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks
• Ha ha, motherfucker.
• From the Sports Desk… it’s been a stressful week for me, and I’m hoping to unwind this weekend with some enjoyable NFL divisional playoff games. 
• As a reminder: Jags at Chiefs - Saturday at 1:30 PST. Giants at Eagles - Saturday at 5:15 PST. Bengals at Bills - Sunday at 12:00 PST. Cowboys at Niners - Sunday at 3:30 PST.
• Today in history… The first English parliament to include not only Lords but also representatives of the major towns holds its first meeting in the Palace of Westminster, now commonly known as the "Houses of Parliament” (1265). Portuguese forces under the command of Estácio de Sá definitively drive the French out in the Battle of Rio de Janeiro (1567). The High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I begins its proceedings (1649). The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonization of Australia (1788). Hong Kong Island is occupied by the British during the First Opium War (1841). The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Harbor as a naval base (1887). Newly formed automaker General Motors  buys into the Oakland Motor Car Company, which later becomes GM's long-running Pontiac division (1909). The first full-length talking motion picture filmed outdoors, In Old Arizona, is released (1929). King George V of the United Kingdom dies and his eldest son succeeds to the throne, becoming Edward VIII (1936). Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner are sworn in for their second terms as U.S. President and U.S. Vice President; it is the first time a Presidential Inauguration takes place on January 20 since the 20th Amendment changed the dates of presidential terms (1937). John F. Kennedy is inaugurated the 35th President of the United States of America, becoming the youngest man to be elected into that office (1961). Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States of America (1981). Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated as a federal holiday for the first time (1986). Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America, becoming the first African-American President of the United States (2009). Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States of America; at age 78, he is the oldest person ever inaugurated (2021). Kamala Harris becomes the first female Vice President of the United States (2021).
• January 20 is the birthday of composer Johann Hermann Schein (1586), lawyer/politician Richard Henry Lee (1732), botanist Carl Linnaeus the Younger (1741), physicist André-Marie Ampère (1775), suffragist Harriot Stanton Blatch (1856), mafia boss/politician Enoch L. Johnson (1883), musician/songwriter Lead Belly (1888), actor George Burns (1896), businessman Aristotle Onassis (1906), pianist/composer Juan García Esquivel (1918), director Federico Fellini (1920), actor DeForest Kelley (1920), singer-songwriter Slim Whitman (1923), actress Patricia Neal (1926), comedian Arte Johnson (1929), astronaut Buzz Aldrin (1930), director David Lynch (1946), singer-songwriter Paul Stanley (1952), sex offender Jeffrey Epstein (1953), comedian/commentator Bill Maher (1956), MLB player/manager Ozzie Guillén (1964), actor Rainn Wilson (1966), political strategist Kellyanne Conway (1967), musician/producer Questlove (1971), and politician Nikki Haley (1972).

Fridays are almost always busy for me, and that’s okay. Fridays also include my weekly sushi lunch which I always look forward to, and if things work out in some miraculous way, hopefully I’ll be able to get the hard stuff out of the way early and kind of gently wind into the weekend come this afternoon. Enjoy your day.