Random News: October 15, 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 October 15, 2023, and it’s a Sunday. I’ve got my coffee and I’m in a robe; let’s see what’s up on this spinning globe.

• Skywatchers and other lovers of nature and science got to enjoy a solar eclipse yesterday morning here in the USA and various other parts of the world in proximity to the path of totality.
• What is a solar eclipse? It’s when the moon gets directly between you and the sun. Many thousands of years ago, before we understood the relatively simple mechanics of what causes an eclipse, people assumed the sun was being eaten, or that it was some kind of omen.
• People have been able to successfully predict the timing of eclipses since about the 4th century BC.
• The next eclipse viewable in North America will happen on April 8, 2024, with a path from Mexico to Canada.
• Moving on.
• Israel Defense Forces said this morning that they’re in formation to strike Gaza City, as troops massed on the border ready for an apparent ground invasion.
• Northern Gaza will be the center of Israel's next counterattack in an effort to strike Hamas leaders. Gaza is experiencing a dire humanitarian crisis with clean water, food, fuel and medical supplies running out as hundreds of thousands of people flee to the border crossing with Egypt. Electricity has been unavailable for days.
• More than 2,300 people have been killed in Gaza and 9,000 injured so far. In Israel, 1,400 people have been killed and 3,500 wounded. Twenty-nine Americans were also killed and 15 remain missing.
• Nothing good will come from any of this, but once the wheels of war start turning, very little can be done to slow them down. 
• You think this is all stuff happening to other people far away, and doesn’t involve the USA? Think again. We’re amassing a huge military presence in the region. Israel is our ally, and we’re fully obligated to protect them.
• In addition to the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group that I mentioned previously. we’ve now ordered a second U.S. carrier strike group — the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group — into the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
• In addition to the flagship aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, this includes the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea, USS Monterey, and USS Vella Gulf, as well as the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Mitscher, USS Laboon, USS Mahan, and USS Thomas Hudner, and more.
• Over 5,000 US Navy personnel are part of the USS Eisenhower alone.
• Why? Because this shit could blow up way beyond the confines of Israel and Palestine, with other forces in the area (both governmental and terrorist groups) ready to join the fray.
• None of this is good news, I promise. Not for anyone on any side.
• Also here in the US, the FBI and other agencies are still saying that they do not have “specific and credible intelligence indicating a threat to the United States stemming from the Hamas attacks in Israel”.
• However, there has been a big uptick in domestic threats due to the “heightened environment”. Federal agencies are calling for increased vigilance and are requesting that police continue to share intelligence.
• Threats and acts of both anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim violence occurs during flare-ups in the Middle East. 
• “History has been witness to antisemitic and other forms of violent extremism for far too long. Whether that be from foreign terrorist organizations, or those inspired by them, or domestic violent extremists motivated by their own racial animus, the targeting of a community because of their faith is completely unacceptable. We remain committed to continue confronting those threats—both here in the United States and overseas." - FBI Director Christopher Wray
• Let’s move on for now.
• Sunday is Gunday at Zak’s Random News, where we look at some of the incidents of gun violence in the USA over the past couple of days.
• Three dead and at least 13 shot across various violent incidences across Chicago, IL. Three dead and another three injured after a shooting at a party in Denver, CO. One dead, two critically injured in a shooting in Portland, OR. One dead in a shooting in Newport, VT. A teenager shot to death in Fall River, MA. One dead after a shooting in the Saint Matthews neighborhood of Louisville, KY. One dead after a shooting in Orange Park, FL. One dead in a shooting in Little Rock, AR. One dead after a drive-by shooting in Bexar County, TX. Another dead after being shot during a struggle over a handgun with his wife in San Antonio, TX. One dead and another injured in a shooting at a shopping plaza in South Dallas, TX. One dead and two wounded in a shooting at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in east Oakland, CA. One person is dead and two injured following a shooting in northwest Albuquerque, NM. One dead and another in critical condition after a shooting on the northwest side of Indianapolis, IN. One dead in Fort Lauderdale, FL. One dead in Monroe, NC. One dead in Dorchester, MA. One shot while driving on I-264 in Virginia Beach, VA. Three shot during a memorial service at a cemetery in Oakland, MN. Three people shot near the food court at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, TX, where concealed weapons are allowed and encouraged. Three shot at a Waffle House in Bibb County, GA. Three people shot outside the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, MO. Three teenagers shot in Cleveland, OH. One shot at a Walmart in Roswell, NM. One shot in downtown Wilmington, NC. One shot in Pittsburgh, PA’s South Side neighborhood. One shot in Minneapolis, MN’s Uptown neighborhood.
• Guess what? That’s not even close to all of them. I think I got through less than half. I just couldn’t spend my whole Sunday listing every gun-related death from Friday and Saturday.
• Why would anyone want to visit the USA, or establish a business here?
• Moving on.
• Apparently a lot of folks who have money are supporting President Biden’s reelection bid. His campaign announced raising $71 million in the third fundraising quarter of the year, giving him a significant advantage over the current Republican field.
• No surprise.
• By comparison, the Trump campaign has said it raised $45.5 million during the same period this year, while the campaign of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $15 million.
• Go Joe!
• In other news, China has reacted to a recent U.S. report weighing up the possibility of simultaneous wars against both Moscow and Beijing by warning Washington that "those who play with fire will perish by it."
• Per the 145-page report released this week by the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, the U.S. is not ready to face the challenge of the growing nuclear threat posed by Russia and China.
• No shit.
• The report also explores a possible worst-case scenario with a possible coalition between Russia and China against the U.S. And of course, their finding is that American leaders should change the country's strategic posture and step up its military modernization.
• So, more bombs, more planes, more guns. And so it goes.
• Let’s move on… with another kind of news you may not want to hear.
• Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, has won the Louisiana governor's race. The win is a major victory for the GOP as they reclaim the governor's mansion in that state for the first time in eight years.
• Landry will replace current Gov. John Bel Edwards, who was unable to seek reelection due to consecutive term limits. Edwards had been the only Democratic governor in the Deep South.
• What kind of guy is Landry? He’s a textbook far-right MAGA with staunch support of Louisiana laws like banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths, the state's near-total abortion ban that doesn't have exceptions for cases of rape and incest, and a law restricting youths' access to "sexually explicit material" that will target LGBTQ+ books.
• And now, The Weather: “Tristan” by Virgo Rising
• Fall temps are starting to arrive in many places across the US. I made my move from shorts to jeans last week, and pretty soon here the flannels are going to make regular appearances.
• Rest in peace to actress Piper Laurie, who dies at 91. You probably remember her from her role as the mother in the horror film ‘Carrie’, though she did a ton of other great work as well.
• From the Sports Desk…. number of events going on today beyond the typical Sunday of NFL football, now in week 6.
• The WNBA Finals are on, and the Las Vegas Aces are just one win from a repeat championship. The New York Liberty are in a win-or-die situation from today’s game at Barclays Center in NYC.
• Today is also the start of the MLB conference series championships, with the Rangers at the Astros in the ALCS. The NLCS starts tomorrow with the D-backs at the Phillies.
• Today in history… Adoption of the Gregorian calendar begins, eventually leading to near-universal adoption (1582). Queen Marie Antoinette of France is tried and convicted of treason (1793). The Edison Electric Light Company begins operation (1878). Dutch dancer Mata Hari is executed by France for espionage (1917). The New York Municipal Airport, later renamed LaGuardia Airport, is dedicated (1939). Luis E. Miramontes completes the synthesis of norethisterone, the basis of an early oral contraceptive (1951). FORTRAN, the first modern computer language, is first shared with the coding community (1956). The Black Panther Party is created by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale (1966). Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading points scorer in the NHL (1989). The Cassini probe launches from Cape Canaveral on its way to Saturn (1997). The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes down 733.08 points, or 7.87%, the second worst percentage drop in the Dow's history (2008). 
• October 15 is the birthday of poet Virgil (70 BC), astronomer Asaph Hall (1829), philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844), boxer John W. Sullivan (1858), politician Paul Reynaud (1878), author Mario Puzo (1920), singer-songwriter/guitarist Barry McGuire (1935), actress Linda Lavin (1937), musician/activist Feta Kuli (1938), actress Penny Marshall (1943), singer-songwriter/pianist Chris de Burgh (1948), skateboarder Stacy Peralta (1957), chef Emeril Lagasse (1959), and actor Dominic West (1969).

That’s all for now. I need breakfast. My tumbly is rumbly. Enjoy your day.