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.
Good morning. It’s December 29, 2024, and it’s a Sunday. We’re getting down to the final few days of 2024. Perhaps in these waning days, we should look back and see what happened this year.
- I’ll restate my opinion that there are no bad years or good years.
- Good and bad things happen to people all the time. And my great year could be your terrible year, and vice versa.
- There are certain years that humanity as a whole face major challenges. In recent memory, 2020 seemed very hard for most folks due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- But — looking at it from another angle — it did, in some ways, offer people a perspective that they’d likely never had before. We learned from that shit… the lockdowns, the closures, the changes in routines, and appreciating things that you’d perhaps previously taken for granted.
- I’ve written on this topic before… the idea that people tend to complain about things without realizing how good they actually have it, and how much worse it could be.
- And that is not in ANY way meant to minimize the challenges that you’ve gone through in 2024, or any other previous year.
- I have friends and family who’ve faced incredibly tough times, with serious health challenges, financial woes, relationship difficulties, and of course a wide swath of people who get very wrapped up in political and societal issues who found 2024 to be extremely stressful.
- It’s all legit. When we talk about bad years from a historical perspective, it’s not focused on the individual… because, as I said, each person has their own trail to forge.
- Scholars have suggested the year 536 as the worst year to be alive. There was a volcanic eruption early in the year, causing average temperatures in Europe and China to decline and resulting in crop failures and mass famine for well over a year.
- 536 sounds just awful, the more you look into it. I promise that nothing we’ve experienced as humans in the past century came even close.
- 1349 has to be on anyone’s list of shitty years. The “Black Death” caused by bubonic plague was at its peak, killing somewhere between 25-200 million people, or around 30 - 60% of Europe’s entire population at the time.
- A little closer to the present, 1918 could have been pretty good, with WWI drawing to a close. But there were still some of the worst fighting in that war going on when the Spanish flu began to take hold. There was no vaccine or effective drugs to fight the H1N1 influenza virus, and around 50 million lost their lives to the disease over the next few years.
- And frankly, at any time, another virus or previously unknown disease could have the same impact… especially in a world where certain people have disavowed science and allowed themselves to be unnecessarily susceptible to serious illness.
- But back to the present.
- If you’re waking up someplace today and you have a home, some food to eat and clean water to drink, clothing to wear, and there aren’t bombs dropping and gunfire popping in the streets, congratulations… you’re leading a pretty fortunate human life, as far as lives go from a historical perspective.
- And if you have things like phones and computers and vehicles, and get to do things like read books and watch movies, and enjoy pastimes like sports and games, and especially if you are able to spend time being creative with things like music and art… I mean, that’s a huge indication that you are very, very lucky.
- And overall, you probably have a better lifestyle than any generation of humans that occupied this planet before you.
- So here’s to 2024. It’s been a year. Ups and downs, successes and failures. And here we are, alive and going into 2025, and whatever it may hold for us.
- Let’s do some news.
- Donnie Dump has weighed in his opinion on the rapidly intensifying conservative ivil war between MAGA and his boss, Elon Musk.
- And he sided with Elon.
- Snorrrrrrrrrt.
- Yesterday, Dumpy said he is a believer in the H-1B immigration program. He said, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them."
- The Dumpster was unambiguous in his support. “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” Dump said.
- He’s now clearly supporting the side of Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Sriram Krishnan, and David Sacks against the majority of his MAGA base who don’t want any employment pathways for people outside the USA.
- Keep in mind that previously, Dumpy had criticized the H-1B program and restricted the access to foreign worker visas during his first term.
- But now that Elon is the secret actual president, Dump will do whatever Elon says. Dump did another 180 when he recently said that any immigrant graduates from US college, universities, they should get green cards automatically.
- Interestingly, Dump’s and Musk’s outlook on this one particular issue is shared by most Democrats. And the MAGAs don’t know what to do. They can’t understand being in a position to disagree with their Dear Leader, but this goes completely against their outlook of racism and xenophobia.
- Poor MAGA. Always fucking themselves.
- While we’re on this topic of MAGA never getting what they thought they were getting… it’s time to talk about the change in tone between president-elect Dumpy’s statement during the election versus now.
- He promised voters he’d bring down the cost of groceries quickly. He now admits that it’s difficult to bring down the cost of groceries once they’ve gone up.
- He campaigned on a promise that he’d somehow use tariffs to bolster the U.S. economy and manufacturing. Now he says that he cannot guarantee tariffs won’t not lead to higher consumer prices.
- He ridiculously claimed he’d end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours. He actually stated that if elected, he’d get that done before he even took office.
- But in his first post-election press conference from his Mar-a-Lago golf motel in Palm Beach, FL, Dumpy suggested that ending the war in Ukraine would be more difficult than easing tensions in the Middle East.
- Look… no one should be surprised by any of this. In 2016’s presidential race, Dump famously (and repeatedly) vowed he would build a wall along the southern border and that Mexico would pay for it.
- Very little border wall was ever constructed, and Mexico didn’t pay a dime for the small amount added. U.S taxpayers did.
- Dump had also promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, known as ObamaCare. Not only did he fail to get rid of the ACA; he and his teamnEver even proposed any actual plan that could replace it.
- Fascinatingly, 82% of the people who make use of ObamaCare (which is just a nickname for the ACA, of course) are those who live in Dump-supporting red states. Just 18% are in blue states.
- Anything that significantly changes the ACA — like removing the pre-existing condition clause — would impact them harshly and immediately.
- Let’s move on.
- The Food and Drug Administration is on the cusp of deciding whether to ban a controversial bright cherry-red dye used in drinks and snacks but that has been linked to cancer in animals.
- The decision on red dye No. 3 is more than three decades in the making.
- Food safety advocates for years have pressured the FDA to ban the dye used in bubble gum, candy, and fruit cocktails, contending it would be safer to use natural coloring derived from plants such as beets and red cabbage.
- Red No. 3 was approved for permanent use more than 50 years ago, but people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Dumpy’s pick to lead the nation’s health department), along with social media influencers and lawmakers from both parties are increasingly scrutinizing the chemicals and ingredients found in food and drinks.
- It’s probably a good idea. We eat so much ultra-processed foods, I think we stop even considering what we put into our bodies.
- A side note: in 1990, the FDA forbade the use of the color additive in cosmetics like lipstick and blush because studies showed high doses could cause cancer in rats.
- Shrug. I don’t need my food to be bright and shiny. I just need it to taste good and be nutritionally beneficial.
- Moving on.
- In “I Wish People Weren’t Weird and Dumb” news, two Oregon men were found dead in a Washington state forest after they failed to return from a trip to look for Sasquatch.
- The 59-year-old and 37-year-old appear to have died from exposure. The weather and the men’s lack of preparedness led their demise. A family member reported them missing at around 1am on Christmas Day after they failed to return from a Christmas Eve outing.
- If you’re unclear on this, Sasquatch is a folkloric beast thought by some to roam the forests, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. He is also known as Bigfoot, though some feel he’s a separate entity.
- Oh, and… HE’S NOT FUCKING REAL. Don’t die over stupid shit, you fucks.
- Let’s once again move on.
- Police in Chile say they have recovered three watches belonging to Keanu Reeves – including a $9,000 Rolex – that are thought to have been stolen from the actor’s Los Angeles home in late 2023.
- The Rolex Submariner — engraved with the actor’s first name and the words, “2021, JW4, thank you, The John Wick Five” — was found yesterday in eastern Santiago during a police operation linked to a series of local robberies.
- You… stole…. John Wick’s… watch? Oh shit.
- And now, The Weather: “Aries” by Free Lunch
- From the Sports Desk… there are 15 modern era finalists for the next class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Up to five of them will get inducted this year.
- Here’s the 15. All outstanding players, obviously. I’ll tell you which five I’d choose.
- Eric Allen, cornerback; Jared Allen, defensive end; Willie Anderson, tackle; Jahri Evans, guard; Antonio Gates, tight end; Torry Holt, wide receiver; Luke Kuechly, linebacker; Eli Manning, quarterback; Steve Smith Sr., wide receiver; Terrell Suggs, outside linebacker/defensive end; Fred Taylor, running back; Adam Vinatieri, kicker; Reggie Wayne, wide receiver; Darren Woodson, safety; Marshal Yanda, guard/tackle.
- And here’s who I think should be enshrined at Canton.
- Gates, Kuechly, Manning, Suggs, and Vinatieri. Though Taylor and Smith are fully deserving as well. I mean, all of them are. But I’ll go with those guys.
- In more NFL Sports Desk news, some big games yesterday, with the Chargers punching a ticket to the Wild Card after killing the Pats 40-7.
- The Bengals edged the Broncos in OT 30-24. Both teams, somehow, are still not officially eliminated from the playoffs. Their fate comes down to the final week of the season.
- And the Rams beat the Cardinals 13-9 due to a last-second interception. We’ll have a pretty good handle on the playoff picture after today’s games.
- In “I Guess It’s Sports” news, Magnus Carlsen, the world's top chess player, has quit the World Rapid Chess Championship being held in New York after refusing to change out of jeans to abide by a dress code.
- The Norwegian chess grandmaster was fined $200 on Friday and given a warning by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the governing body for international chess championships, to change into acceptable attire or be disqualified.
- He was wearing a shirt, blazer and jeans. After receiving the fine, he said, ”I said I'll change tomorrow.” But when officials insisted, he told them to fuck off and left.
- I’m not a big fan of dress codes either.
- Today in history… According to John Smith, Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan leader Wahunsenacawh, successfully pleads for his life after tribal leaders attempt to execute him (1607). Three thousand British soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell capture Savannah, GA (1778). The United States annexes the Republic of Texas (1845). In the Wounded Knee Massacre on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, 300 Lakota are killed by the United States 7th Cavalry Regiment (1890). Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty (1911). Cecil B. DeMille starts filming Hollywood's first feature film, The Squaw Man (1913). The Irish Free State is replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution (1937). Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia (1989). The last known speaker of Akkala Sami dies, rendering the language extinct (2003).
- December 29 is the birthday of inventor Charles Macintosh (1766), chemist Charles Goodyear (1800), US president Andrew Johnson (1808), UK prime minister William Ewart Gladstone (1809), cellist Pablo Casals (1876), politician Tom Bradley (1917), golfer/architect Pete Dye (1925), actress/producer Mary Tyler Moore (1936), actor Jon Voight (1938), singer-songwriter/bass player Rick Danko (1943), singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull (1946), actor Ted Danson (1947), drummer/songwriter Cozy Powell (1947), TV producer Brad Grey (1957), comedian Paula Poundstone (1959), NFL coach Sean Payton (1963), director/screenwriter Lilly Wachowski (1967), actor Jude Law (1972), NFL player Myles Garrett (1995), and MLB player Julio Rodríguez (2000).
Time for me to get out of this robe and into some productive stuff, whatever it may be. Enjoy your day.
