Random News: October 19, 2024

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 19, 2024, and it’s a Saturday. Again, no news today as I remain in vacation mode.

• Still in Joshua Tree. In case you’re confused, which you’re not but I’ll tell you anyway…
• Joshua Tree is a small town in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles east of Los Angeles. It’s also the name of the national park in the vicinity.
• I’ve been coming to the desert for most of my life, but it wasn’t until 2010, after Kat moved to Southern California from Seattle, that we began taking our vacations here on a regular basis.
• We rent a little house and enjoy the peace and quiet, along with the uniquely beautiful desert scenery and wildlife. There’s no place like this on earth.
• We’ve come here by ourselves, as we did this time, and we’ve brought companions, like our bandmate Bunny and our great friend Jess. It’s always fun.
• Since we live at the beach, the desert represents a big departure from our day-to-day lives. It’s a nice change of pace and a very different vibe.
• I should note… there is a fuck-ton of newsworthy things going on. I’m not detached from that, especially with 17 days remaining before what might be the most important election of our lives.
• But you don’t need me to keep informed, despite the fact that I enjoy writing these reports for you each morning, and you presumably enjoy reading them.
• Meanwhile, I’m enjoying relaxing and reading, something I almost never have time to do while at home and running a small business.
• I read the entirety of Geddy Lee’s autobiography, ‘My Effin’ Life,’ in the past day. I enjoyed it a lot. If you were ever a Rush fan at any point, it’s an excellent read.
• Not much else to say for now. I made us eggs Benedict yesterday morning, so it’s Kat’s turn to whip up some grub this morning. I’m getting hungry so maybe I should remind her of that… or maybe not. Might be a bad idea.
• And now, The Weather: “Nowhere To Hide” by Barney Cortez
• From the Sports Desk… the Mets slayed the Dodgers 12-6 yesterday, so LA is leading that series 3-2 now. They play game 6 in Los Angeles tomorrow.
• And the Yankees beat the Guardians 8-6, taking a 3-1 lead in the ALCS. Game 5 of that series is today.
• Today in history… King John of England — my 25th great-grandfather — dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry — my 24th great-grandfather (1216). Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology (1512). John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States (1789). Austria cedes Veneto and Mantua to France, which immediately awards them to Italy in exchange for the earlier Italian acquiescence to the French annexation of Savoy and Nice (1866). Max Planck discovers Planck's law of black-body radiation (1900). Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University (1943). President Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes (1973). Black Monday has the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling by 22%, 508 points (1987). Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity (2005). 
• October 19 is the birthday of activist John Woolman (1720), actress LaWanda Page (1920), actor Robert Reed (1932), singer-songwriter/musician Dave Guard (1934), illustrator Peter Max (1937), actor Michael Gambon (1940), singer-songwriter/guitarist Peter Tosh (1944), actor John Lithgow (1945), singer-songwriter/guitarist Patrick Simmons (1948), NBA player Joe Bryant (1954), politician Michael Steele (1958), boxer Evander Holyfield (1962), actor/director John Favreau (1966), animator Trey Parker (1969), actor Chris Kattan (1970), and MLB player José Bautista (1980).

Time to get back to nothing at all. Enjoy your day.