Random News: March 8, 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 March 8, 2023, and it’s a Wednesday. Various things happen every day, and some of them may affect you, so here’s a list of random whatever…

• Today is International Women’s Day. It’s a big fucking deal.
• On March 19, 1911, the first International Women's Day was marked by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.
• It’s now celebrated on March 8 every year, and is a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
• In some parts of the world, IWD still reflects its political origins, being marked by protests and calls for radical change; in other areas, particularly in the West, it is largely sociocultural and centered on a celebration of womanhood.
• In case you think otherwise, women are still paid less than men for the same work, are not presented with as many opportunities for growth and advancement, are less likely to be trained and chosen for leadership roles, are far more likely to be victims of violence and of sexual harassment, are subjected to antiquated gender roles, have less access to education worldwide, and have decisions regarding their reproductive plans made on their behalf without their approval.
• Guess who does this to them? Here’s a hint: it’s not other women.
• Anyway, Happy International Women’s Day to all the women, and the men who support and don’t subjugate them.
• I had some weird shit just happen.
• It was 6:45AM and I was on my back patio, looking at my phone and waiting for my coffee to brew.
• Yes, the patio with the fence torn down that the landlord hasn’t done shit about yet.
• And I simultaneously heard a thump-thump-thump and, glancing up, saw some… thing… run by super fast. By the time I poked a head around the corner, it was gone.
• It was way, way too big for a cat or a rodent. But it didn’t seem like a dog, and we don’t really have stray dogs around here.
• I think it was a coyote.
• Wow.
• Moving on…
• Of the four Americans kidnapped near the Mexico border last week, two were found dead and two alive, though in dire condition.
• I know “medical tourism” is a thing, especially in a country where we offer such awful health care to our own. Still, going there for a cosmetic procedure obviously isn’t worth it.
• Who said this?
• “We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can’t wait. I hate him passionately. That’s the last four years. We’re all pretending we’ve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it’s been is too tough to digest. But come on. There isn’t really an upside to Trump.”
• Why, that’s Tucker Carlson of Fox News, in text messages revealed in the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit.
• In other news, I hope you don’t like TikTok, because I think it’s days are numbered for US residents.
• A bipartisan group of senators introduced a sweeping bill yesterday that would allow the federal government to regulate and even ban foreign-produced technology, including TikTok.
• The bill, the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act, would give the secretary of commerce broad power to regulate tech produced by six countries that have adversarial relationships with the U.S.: China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. It’s endorsed by both the GOP and the White House.
• Welp. That’s what happens.
• Completely evil Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) signed into law this week legislation that rolls back significant portions of the state’s child labor protections.
• The law eliminates requirements for the state to verify the age of children younger than 16 before they can take a job.
• Disgusting pig.
• Oklahoma voters rejected a state question Tuesday to allow for the recreational use of marijuana, following a late blitz of opposition from faith leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors. They would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis and join conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have approved similar proposals in recent years.
• They chose the other side of the ballot, which says they have to get their weed from a guy named T.J. in a McDonald’s parking lot.
• And now, The Weather: “Mitsuwa” by Draag
• Northern California is about to get blasted by another storm, this time of the atmospheric river variety. Rainfall totals were forecasted to range from 1.5 to 4 inches in the Bay Area. 
• Major flooding is expected.
• It won’t impact us down here in the LA region. Just a little rain on Friday.
• From the Sports Desk… Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Tony DeAngelo received a major penalty and a game misconduct last night after spearing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry in the dick. Ow.
• DeAngelo entered a players scrum in front of the Tampa Bay net, led with his stick and speared Perry, who immediately fell to the ice on his back.
• That’s not cool, man.
• Today in history… An anonymous writer, thought by some to be Thomas Paine, publishes "African Slavery in America", the first article in the American colonies calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolition of slavery (1775). French aviator Raymonde de Laroche becomes the first woman to receive a pilot's license (1910). The United States Senate votes to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule (1917). Daytona Beach and Road Course holds its first oval stock car race (1936). The iconic Volkswagen Type 2 "Bus" begins production (1950). US Marines arrive at Da Nang, Vietnam (1965). Philips demonstrates the compact disc publicly for the first time (1979). While addressing a convention of Evangelicals, U.S. President Ronald Reagan labels the Soviet Union an "evil empire” (1983). International Women's Day marches in Mexico become violent with 62 police officers and 19 civilians injured in Mexico City alone (2021).
• March 8 is the birthday of composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714), journalist/politician Simon Cameron (1799), SCOTUS justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841), actress Louise Beavers (1902), actor Alan Hale Jr. (1921), actress/dancer Cyd Charisse (1922), singer-songwriter Richard Fariña (1937), actress Lynn Redgrave (1943), actor Micky Dolenz (1945), bass player Randy Meisner (1946), singer-songwriter Carole Bayer Sager (1947), singer-songwriter Gary Numan (1958), journalist Lester Holt (1959), NBA player/broadcaster Kenny Smith (1965), actor Freddie Prinze Jr. (1976), and tattoo artist/model Kat Von D (1982). 

I seem to be doing okay. I’m still a little freaked out by the encounter with the mystery animal. You know, we live in places where we do have to share the environment with other animals. Many of them were here first. Still, that was a trip. Enjoy your day.