Random News: September 25, 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 September 25, 2023, and it’s a Monday. I’m up and about, showered and dressed, and drinking coffee, so let’s take a look at various news-like items.

• Over four months after they first went on strike, Hollywood writers have reached a tentative deal with studios on a new labor contract.
• The agreement between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers — the group that represents all major Hollywood studios — was announced yesterday following several marathon bargaining sessions this week in Los Angeles.
• Terms of the deal, which were not immediately made public, must still be ratified by the WGA's approximately 11,000 members.
• I’m very glad for them, and I’m glad for everyone who watches entertainment so that they’re not subjected to writerless utter shit in the form of reality TV.
• Moving on.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed several bills over the weekend aimed at bolstering the state’s protections for LGBTQ people.
• The new laws focus on support for LGBTQ youth. One law sets timelines for required cultural competency training for public school teachers and staff, while another creates an advisory task force to determine the needs of LGBTQ students and help advance supportive initiatives. A third requires families to show that they can and are willing to meet the needs of a child in foster care regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
• "These measures will help protect vulnerable youth, promote acceptance, and create more supportive environments in our schools and communities," said Newsom. I’m proud to live in a state where this is a priority.
• In other news, the pressure is mounting for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to resign after being indicted on bribery charges this past week.
• Prosecutors are accusing Menendez and his wife of accepting "hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes" in cash, gold, lavish gifts and other expenses in exchange for using his power to benefit a trio of New Jersey businessmen.
• Menendez did step down as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Friday. Disparate political voices ranging from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) have joined the chorus of political leaders calling on Menendez to step down.
• Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said Saturday he will run against Menendez for the Senate job in 2024. Good.
• Moving on.
• Are you panicked about this WaPo/ABC News poll showing Biden trailing Trump with 42 percent support, compared to Trump with 51 percent support? Don’t be.
• With over 13 months before an election, polls have shown us absolutely crazy things before. This poll lost a ton of credibility by stating that Trump leads Biden among young voters by over 20 points.
• What you can do is to encourage people to vote. In general, the more people who vote, the more likely it is that we get leaders who represent the will of the majority of people (duh). The more apathetic the voting populace is, the worse we get.
• Let’s move on.
• Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is ramping up the pressure on Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to avoid a government shutdown by moving first on a stopgap funding bill that will pass the Senate this week, a few days before the September 30 deadline.
• That’s smart.
• The Senate’s plan is to send the bill to the House and put pressure on McCarthy to bring it to the floor for a vote it would pass with bipartisan support if given the chance.
• Meanwhile, former President and current accused felon Donald John Trump yesterday urged Republicans to dig in as a shutdown looms over Washington, arguing that President Biden will take the blame if the federal government closes.
• But I don’t think he will. Republicans in similar shutdowns have ended up taking the public relations hit in polls when the government has closed after battles between GOP Speakers and their rank-and-file memberships.
• Let’s do some world news.
• Ethnic Armenians living in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh began evacuating from the enclave yesterday, just days after Azerbaijan launched a rapid offensive to retake the territory, prompting local fighters to agree to a cease fire.
• The first evacuees arrived in Armenia on Sunday afternoon. By Sunday night, more than 1,000 people had crossed the border into Armenia.
• Leaders in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan, warned that the initial departures could quickly grow into a mass exodus from the enclave, amid fears among ethnic Armenian residents that they would face violence or persecution if they opted to stay.
• Yes, that’s how it usually happens. Do you wake up every day being appreciative that you don’t live in a disputed territory where you and your family might be forced from your home via threat (or action) of violence?
• You should. A lot of people in the world do.
• And now, The Weather: “SCRAPZ” by Lutalo
• Speaking of weather, if you haven’t heard yet… it’s going to be an El Niño year this winter. It will be the first in a few years to feel the effects of the phenomenon, which has a sizable impact on the weather during the coldest months of the year.
• El Niño occurs when ocean temperatures are warmer than normal for an extended period. Along with a shift in the jet stream, El Niño typically brings wetter and cooler weather to the South while the North becomes drier and warmer.
• Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. In states plagued by drought, like Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi it will be welcomed. We typically get our asses flooded here in SoCal in an El Niño year.
• The family of a Black student who was suspended from his high school over his hairstyle filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Saturday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the state's attorney general, alleging they failed to enforce a new state law that outlaws discrimination on hairstyles.
• Darryl George, a 17-year-old student at Barbers Hill High School in Mont Belvieu, TX, has been serving an in-school suspension since August 31 after school officials said his dreadlocks violated the district's dress and grooming code.
• The lawsuit states that his ongoing suspension is a violation of Texas' CROWN Act, a new law that is intended to prohibit "discrimination on the basis of hair texture or protective hairstyle associated with race." I agree.
• Are you old? You probably are. If so, you may not know that the etiquette of phone calls have changed in recent years. A few tips, especially if you’re calling someone under 40.
• Text people before calling to ask if they’re free to talk now, especially if it’s a video call. 
• Do not just text “call me”. If it’s about a specific topic, mention it in the text what it is you’d like to talk about so they can be prepared.
• Don’t leave voice mails. They’re pointless. No one listens to them anymore, and it’s more likely they’ll be reading a transcribed text version anyway that be or may not be correct.
• Stop expecting people will even answer their phones.
• And do not use your speaker phone in public. Never do that.
• Side note: these are etiquette rules that don’t apply all the time to your close friends and family. But for business and other semi-formal interactions, stop treating your phone like it’s 1983 and you’re calling someone from a kitchen or at an office desk.
• From the Sports Desk… in one of the most lopsided games in NFL history, the Dolphins pummeled the Broncos 70-20 on Sunday. It was the most points any NFL team has scored since Washington scored 72 against the New York Giants in 1966.
• From the Not Really Sports Desk… during the Chiefs 41-10 rout of the Bears, the attention was often not on the field of play, but instead on Travis Kelce’s family suite, where Taylor Swift was seen cheering on her maybe-boyfriend.
• Today in history… the last Roman emperor elected by the Senate is Marcus Claudius Tacitus (275). England and Scotland sign the Treaty of York, establishing the location of their common border (1237). Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa reaches what would become known as the Pacific Ocean (1513). The United States Congress passes twelve constitutional amendments: the ten known as the Bill of Rights, the unratified Congressional Apportionment Amendment, and the Congressional Compensation Amendment (1789). Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is founded in New York City (1912). TAT-1, the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable system, is inaugurated (1956). Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, is integrated by the use of United States Army troops (1957). Dr. Frank Jobe performs first Tommy John surgery on baseball player Tommy John (1974). Bill Cosby is sentenced to three to ten years in prison for aggravated sexual assault (2018). 
• September 25 is the birthday of novelist William Faulkner (1897), artist Mark Rothko (1903), pianist/composer Dmitri Shostakovich (1906), MLB player/sportscaster Phil Rizzuto (1917), journalist Barbara Walters (1929), author/illustrator Shel Silverstein (1930), pianist/composer Glenn Gould (1932), keyboardist John Locke (1943), actor Michael Douglas (1944), model/actress Cheryl Tiegs (1947), actor/director Anson Williams (1949), actor Mark Hamill (1951), NBA player Bob McAdoo (1951), actor Christopher Reeve (1952), actor Michael Madsen (1957), actress Heather Locklear (1961), actress Aida Turturro (1962), NBA player Scottie Pippin (1965), rapper/actor Will Smith (1968), journalist Bill Simmons (1969), actor Hal Sparks (1969), actress Catherine Zeta-Jones (1969), rapper T.I. (1980), actor/rapper Donald Glover (1983), and NFL player Brandin Cooks (1993).

That’s plenty for a Monday morning. I’ve got a typical day… lots of writing and creating to do for my clients. That’s fine. Enjoy your day.