Hotel Chelsea (09.05.23)

First Tuesday of the month? You know where to find me. Photo by Kat.

Greetings and salutations, readers. I'm back once again with a non-news blog, and as usual, we'll be talking about my latest live show, and as usual in recent years, it was at Hotel Chelsea in Second Life. But first, let's talk about other shit as we are apt to do.

What's Going On?

That's the title of an iconic song by Marvin Gaye. I tried to cover it a couple of times but then became painfully aware that covering one of the best vocalists in history is just begging for punishment.

But asking the question "What's going on?" is important. It opens the door to people talking and learning, and gaining both knowledge and perspective. And what's going on with me is inevitable different than what's going on with you, even if we seem like similar people with similar backgrounds in similar places.

I've seen that most people tend to assume that their lives, with their own challenges and joys and struggles and successes, are the same as most other people's... and it's simply not true. Look, we do have a lot of commonality, and by "we", I mean humans around this whole planet. But our personal experiences drastically inform our respective outlooks, and that's how you end up with the extraordinary polarization that seems so rampant today, especially in the USA but all over the world in reality.

Whatzupwitu?

That's the title of an absolutely terrible song from 1993 by Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson for some reason. But to answer the question in regard to me, personally, I'd say that not much out of the usual has been happening. I work a lot, like most people. I've been very consistent in most areas of my life, from doing my daily "Zak's Random News" bullets, to my daily workouts, to when I go grocery shopping each week (Tuesdays about 2:30 in the afternoon), to even the times I tend to go to sleep and wake up (10:30PM and 6AM on weekdays, if you care).

Me? I'm fine. Literally no complaints.

It sounds boring, but I think a lot of my early life, which was often filled with haphazard chaos and constant upheaval, led to a point where boring routine is welcomed and appreciated. Also, my version of "normal", which includes being a performing musician and working in the fields of rock-and-roll and media, might be less boring than some other person's overall lifestyle.

Down with the Sickness

That's the title of a 2000 song by Disturbed, which remains their best-known track. The early 2000s were, in my opinion, a particularly bad time in music overall, across many genres. there are, as always, exceptions, but that song isn't one of them. Side note: the band seem like good people. I'm just not a fan, and no band expects everyone to like everything they do.

Anyway, I am healthy -- another thing I am always grateful for these days -- but it seems like once again, tons of people I know are getting COVID right now. That includes a number of good friends of mine who'd managed to avoid it for the entire 3-1/2 years until now. Anyway, there's obviously a massive surge right now. Those who are vaccinated and recently boosted are far better off than those who aren't, obviously.

The current COVID variant, EG.5 (known informally as Eris) doesn't seem to be any more dangerous than other recent strains, but it sure seems highly transmissible.

But we're seeing widespread school absences and other pieces of evidence that show the current surge is super bad. Most people are not having severe symptoms, thankfully; hospitalization numbers are not up drastically. While I know folks tend to have short memories, allow me to remind you that wearing masks in indoor public settings, washing your hands, and trying to socially distance yourself is the best way to avoid COVID, along with the aforementioned vaccinations.

Speaking of which, the upcoming COVID-19 booster is expected to be available in the United States as early as next week -- potentially as soon as September 13 -- and it will help protect against the currently circulating variants. I'll be getting mine, and so should you.

Jimmy Buffett (1946-2023)

I'm gonna tell you, because I'm an honest guy and I don't bullshit people for any particular reason... I was never a Jimmy Buffett fan, or a Parrothead, as they are called. I think it's likely that it's been 40+ years since I went out of my way to hear a Jimmy Buffett song, or that I even didn't bother changing the station when one of his tunes came on the radio.

I don't hate Jimmy Buffett's music. I just find it insipid and predictable, while my tastes are the exact opposite, looking for tunes that are innovative and dissonant and musically challenging. And it's sort of funny that I learned "Margaritaville" when it was a new song in 1977. Why? Because I was a beginning guitarist and that song essentially has three chords, and it was in an "Easy To Play" beginner's guitar book that I had at the time.

His music? Nah. The person? Hell yeah.

But let me also tell you, Jimmy was an amazing person, which is much more impressive than being some kind of amazing musician. He'd built a business empire with his restaurant chains, casinos, sports teams, real estate, and other investments, and his net worth was over $1 billion at the time of his passing. Jimmy was also a philanthropist and worked causes to help save the environment, did fundraising for disaster relief efforts, and was a huge Democratic supporter, hosting rallies and doing fundraising efforts for many Dem politicians like Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and others.

And a final note about his music. It was fun, and it was funny, and never took itself seriously... and I appreciate that as well. There's nothing wrong with music that offers an escape from one's daily life, and I think a whole lot of people got joy and fulfillment from the vibe of being on an island somewhere and sipping a tasty beverage just from hearing one of his songs. Rest in peace, brother.

Are You Going To Talk About The Show Or Not?

Of course I am. Jesus, have some patience.

Let's start by telling you that something happened at this show that hasn't happened to me in years: my stream server wasn't functioning, something I didn't discover until the moment I attempted to begin my show. It's been so long that my stream has been consistently functional that I never bother to check beforehand. The whole show could have gone downhill quickly, but Hotel Chelsea had a stream available, bless them, and I just quickly plugged in their info and bang-zoom, I was rocking. I've already contacted my stream folks to inform them of the issue, which should be resolved quickly.

Me being me onstage at Hotel Chelsea. Photo by Kat.

My view from the stage. Photo by Kat.

In addition to doing the aforementioned "Margaritaville" for the first time in 46 years -- fuck, I'm old -- I also reached into the deep annals of my song list and did a few that have been rare in recent years. I hadn't performed "Sunny Came Home" in over a decade, and even my own very silly song "Pickles" got pulled out for the first time in almost exactly three years; the last time I did it was on September 7, 2020.

Every time I glance down from the stage at Hotel Chelsea and see Shyla the Super Gecko, who manages the venue and stands front and center, it puts a smile on my face. Photo by Kat.

"Pickles" was a tune I did all the time at another venue where I used to play often before it went into longterm hiatus. Also, since the actual cat (yes, there was a real Pickles) moved away with its owner, I suppose I hadn't felt any inspiration to play it since. But it's a silly song and people love that shit, and I have to admit, it was fun to play and was an excellent closer for my set.

Overall the show went fine despite the stream issue. We built up a smallish but respectable crowd, and everyone seems to have a good time. That's all I ask from a show in Second Life.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

All I Want (Joni Mitchell)

*Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett)

Accidents Will Happen (Elvis Costello)

Crosses (José González)

Either Way (Wilco)

Sunny Came Home (Shawn Colvin)

Alabama (Neil Young)

Games Without Frontiers (Peter Gabriel)

Things Under Trees (They Stole My Crayon)

River Man (Nick Drake)

Man of Constant Sorrow (Traditional)

Pickles (Zak Claxton)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.

Big thanks to the folks who came out to the show, with an extra big helping of thankfulness to the following who helped support it!

Beth Odets, Charles Somerset, cristoofarr Resident, Trouble Streeter, Richy Nervous, Kat Claxton, my terrific manager Maali Beck, Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko, and Chelsea's great staff.

Random News: September 6, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s September 6, 2023, and it’s a Wednesday. I’m waking up to a busier-than-usual household, with my significant other heading out on some travels, so I’ll kick out some news and then get back to the hustle and bustle.

• Pop quiz: what happens after you fuck around?
• Answer: you find out, as did Enrique Tarrio, former chairman of the far-right band of thugs called the Proud Boys. He was sentenced yesterday to 22 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy and leading a failed plot to prevent the transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden.
• The sentence from District Judge Timothy Kelly is the longest given to anyone in relation to the January 6, 2021 failed coup attempt at the US Capitol.
• Judge Kelly, who was appointed by Donald Trump in 2017, said, “The jury didn’t convict anyone for engaging in politics, they convicted Mr. Tarrio and others of engaging in seditious conspiracy. I don’t have any indication that he is remorseful for the actual things he is convicted of, which is seditious conspiracy and conspiracy to obstruct the counting of electoral votes. Mr. Tarrio was the ultimate leader of that conspiracy. I don’t really think this is super debatable. I do think the evidence supports the inference that Mr. Tarrio was the ultimate leader, the ultimate person who organized, who was motivated by revolutionary zeal.”
• I agree.
• What’s that? You want more good news? Let’s fucking go…
• Yesterday, a federal court blocked a newly drawn Alabama congressional map because it didn’t create a second majority-Black district as the Supreme Court had ordered earlier this year.
• In a unanimous decision from a three-judge panel, which had overseen the case before it reached the Supreme Court, the judges wrote that they were “disturbed” by Alabama’s actions in the case.
• Alabama had snubbed the Supreme Court’s order that the maps should be redrawn. White voters currently make up the majority in six of the state’s seven congressional districts, although 27% of the state’s population is Black.
• Good. Alabama is going to be forced to represent the people who live in the state… what a novel concept.
• Moving on.
• Not much to report on the first day of the impeachment trial for Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, which began yesterday. He pleaded not guilty to 16 articles of impeachment relating to allegations of bribery, dereliction of duty and disregard of official duty.
• Yesterday morning, the GOP-controlled Texas Senate rejected all of Paxton's motions to dismiss, although Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is presiding over the trial, ruled he could not be compelled to testify.
• Paxton's wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, is not allowed to vote for obvious reasons. She is sitting for the trial, however, but will not be serving as a juror. 
• His trial continues today.
• In other news…
• President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to Capt. Larry Taylor yesterday, honoring the Army pilot who risked his life during the Vietnam War by flying into heavy enemy fire to save four members of a reconnaissance team from almost certain death as they were about to be overrun.
• Taylor’s story is phenomenal. On the night of June 18, 1968, then-1st Lt. Taylor flew his Cobra attack helicopter to rescue the men after they had become surrounded by the enemy. He had been ordered to return to base, but refused when he learned that the team's escape route was a death trap and there was no other rescue helicopter being sent.
• Only 3,515 US military personnel have received the Medal of Honor, out of 40 million who have served since the Civil War.
• And as long as we’re on the topic of the US military, it’s time to get aggressive about the man who may be weakening America’s military might more than any other single individual: Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). 
• The three US military service secretaries went on the offensive about Tuberville’s ongoing hold on senior military nominations, saying he is aiding communist and autocratic regimes, and being used by adversaries like China against the US.
• Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, and Army Secretary Christine Wormuth all stated that adversaries to the US are paying attention to Tuberville’s attempts to undermine our combat readiness.
• The guy has got to go. No one person can ever again be in a position to put our entire country’s national security at risk. I’d also opine that were something to happen that resulted from Tuberville’s antics, he should be considered liable.
• Want some Don the Con news?
• Special counsel Jack Smith is now looking at how money raised off baseless claims of voter fraud was used to fund attempts to breach voting equipment in several states won by President Joe Biden.
• Yesterday, Smith additionally made a new court filing the accuses Donnie Dump of making daily statements that threatened to prejudice the jury pool in Washington.
• As has been stated many times in many ways, El Dumpo’s stream of threats would have long ago been enough to have him remanded to jail in advance of his trial. For any other defendant, that would be true. There are constant signs of proof that some people are indeed above the law.
• Do you like that? Knowing someone has more rights than you, even though you’re both citizens of the same country where the Constitution itself requires all people to be treated equally?
• Neither do I. 
• And some breaking news about the Dumpinator: this morning, he lost his SECOND defamation trial brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, whom he raped in the 1990s.
• Judge Lewis Kaplan said the upcoming trial for Carroll’s civil lawsuit against Trump will only deal with the question of how much the former president should pay her in monetary damages.
• And now, The Weather: “Any Day Now” by Laura Groves
• Hopefully your weather is getting better, as it seems to be for much of the country as these heat waves finally begin to diminish.
• A brief aside on “Internet challenges”. They’ve been popular for a couple of decades, mostly among young people. Some have been fun and pretty harmless, like the ice bucket challenge that raised funds and awareness for ALS going back to the 2000s.
• But most of them are stupid and dangerous. A Massachusetts teenager died Friday after he took part in a viral social media trend known as the "One Chip Challenge," which the teen's family believes contributed to his untimely death.
• 14-year-old Harris Wolobah did the “one chip challenge”, eating an extremely spicy Paqui chip at school. He got sick afterward and taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
• Talk to your kids and explain to them how participating in some company’s efforts for viral marketing just makes them a sucker.
• Maybe the actual challenge is being smart enough not to take the challenge.
• Let’s do a different kind of chart… the worst of the best. It’s the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100 from 40 years ago this week, in September 1983. Many of them are songs that had already peaked and are on their way down. Others are songs that were lucky to ever hit the charts at all and never made it further up. A couple of them — like “Heart & Soul” and “Rockit” — were new entries that week that ended up being huge.
• 81. All I Need To Know (Bette Midler). 82. Blame It On Love (Smokey Robinson & Barbara Mitchell). 83. Heart And Soul (Huey Lewis & The News). 84. Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel). 85. Spice Of Life (The Manhattan Transfer). 86. Rockit (Herbie Hancock). 87. What's She Got (Liquid Gold). 88. Baby, What About You (Crystal Gayle). 89. Trouble In Paradise (Jarreau). 90. You Put The Beat In My Heart (Eddie Rabbitt). 91.Take Away (Big Ric). 92. Change (Tears For Fears). 93. Just Got Lucky (Joboxers). 94. Electric Avenue (Eddy Grant). 95. 1999 (Prince). 96. Garden Party (Herb Alpert). 97. Our House (Madness). 98. Fake Friends (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts). 99. Cuts Like A Knife (Bryan Adams). 100. Midnight Blue (Louise Tucker).
• A quick note about my show last night that will be covered in more detail in my other blog. I ended my set with my original song “Pickles”, a tune about a neighborhood cat that I wrote and recorded in exactly five minutes back in 2019 or so.
• The last time I performed “Pickles” was on September 7, 2020, almost exactly three years ago to the day. I’d forgotten how much I liked that stupid-ass song.
• From the Sports Desk… congrats to 19-year-old American Coco Gauff, who overcame the heat, humidity, and a tough opponent to reach the US Open semifinals for the first time. She beat 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 yesterday.
• Coco is the first American teenager to reach the final four at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams was the runner-up to her older sister Venus in 2001.
• Today in history… Christopher Columbus sails from La Gomera in the Canary Islands, his final port of call before crossing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time (1492). The Pilgrims sail from Plymouth, England on the Mayflower to settle in North America (1620). Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman in the United States to cast a vote legally after 1807 (1870). Anarchist Leon Czolgosz shoots and fatally wounds US President William McKinley in Buffalo, New York (1901). The Monterrey Institute of Technology is founded in Monterrey, Mexico as one of the largest and most influential private universities in Latin America (1943). Tawny Elaine Godin, an eighteen year old pianist from Yonkers, was crowned Miss America (1976). Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking a record that had stood for 56 years (1995). Princess Diana’s funeral is attended by over a million people lining the streets and 2.5 billion watching on television (1997).
• September 6 is the birthday of educator/activist Catharine Beecher (1800), soldier/diplomat William Rosecrans (1819), sociologist/activist Jane Addams (1860), businessman/diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (1888), singer-songwriter/guitarist Jimmy Reed (1925), singer-songwriter/guitarist David Allan Coe (1939), songwriter/bassist Roger Waters (1943), actress Swoosie Kurtz (1944), actress Jane Curtain (1947), businesswoman Carly Fiorina (1954), bassist/composer Patrick O’Hearn (1954), comedian Jeff Foxworthy (1958), actress Rosie Perez (1964), singer-songwriter Macy Gray (1967), singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston (1969), singer-songwriter Dolores O’Riordan (1971), actor Idris Elba (1972), and NBA player John Wall (1990).

Okay. As I said, it’s sort of a busy day here as final travel prep is being made and such. I’ll be dropping off her and her mom, who is traveling with her, at LAX later today. Side note: I’m not going anywhere. I barely tolerate going across the street to the grocery store. Side note to my side note: I don’t have any specific personal issue with being out of the house or traveling… no agoraphobia or anything of that nature. I just like being home. Enjoy your day.

Random News: September 5, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s September 5, 2023, and it’s a Tuesday that feels just like a Monday. I’m getting my brain working — c’mon, you stupid brain! — and drinking coffee and checking out the news, which seems to be helping. I also have a crazy day ahead that includes a bunch of work, grocery shopping, a live show in Second Life to perform, and a visit from my significant other’s mom. Therefore, let’s get this rolling…

• As mentioned yesterday, I’ll be keeping an eye on Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial that starts today. I’m not rooting for the fellow Republicans who are impeaching him; I’m just wanting him to fail because he’s a piece of shit.
• Moving on… but I’ll give you info later.
• In global news that just can’t be good, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss potentially providing Moscow with weapons to support its ongoing war in Ukraine.
• US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters last week that Russia's defense minister recently traveled to North Korea to "try to convince Pyongyang to see artillery ammunition" to Russia, and after the visit, Putin and Kim exchanged letters "pledging to increase their bilateral cooperation."
• Kirby warned that the U.S. will take direct action, including by imposing sanctions, against individuals and entities that work to facilitate the supply of weapons between Russia and North Korea.
• None of this should be terribly surprising, given the long relationship between North Korea and Russia. Still, it’s not at all great news for anyone on this planet.
• Today is the sentencing for Former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio. He’ll be the final Proud Boys leader convicted of seditious conspiracy in the January 6, 2021 failed coup attempt to receive his punishment.
• The Justice Department wants the 39-year-old Tarrio to spend more than three decades in prison, describing him as the ringleader of a plot to use violence to shatter the cornerstone of American democracy and overturn the election victory by Joe Biden.
• Keeping an eye on that.
• Two states have primary elections today: Rhode Island and Utah. Their voters will choose party nominees for US House seats.
• In Rhode Island, a crowded Democratic field will be narrowed down to one in the race to succeed Democrat David Cicilline, who resigned in May to lead the Rhode Island Foundation.
• In Utah, Republicans will decide their nominee in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, which GOP Rep. Chris Stewart is expected to vacate on September 15, citing his wife’s health concerns.
• Moving on…
• WIC, a federal program that helps poor families afford healthy food, could see substantial benefit cuts starting in October. Roughly six million low-income Americans could become some of the earliest victims of an unresolved Washington budget battle.
• Congress now has just weeks to shore up the program’s finances, fund the federal government, and avert a potentially catastrophic shutdown.
• WIC provides financial support for low-income pregnant and nursing women, as well as children up to age 5.
• They’d rather take away food from the mouths of these folks than touch the tax rates of people who make billions of dollars each year, which could easily pay for these programs many times over.
• In other news…
• Along with about 50 people I know or have heard about in the past couple of weeks, first lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.
• She is currently experiencing only mild symptoms and will remain at the Bidens’ home in Rehoboth Beach, DE. President Joe Biden tested negative.
• And now, The Weather: “Heaven” by Mitski
• More tropical storms are forming in the Atlantic this week. Florida, the Caribbean, and the Gulf areas should be keeping an eye on things, as they do.
• RIP to singer-songwriter Gary Wright, the synth-heavy musician best known for his hit singles “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive,” who died yesterday at 80.
• I jammed a couple of times as a teen with his son Justin, a singer who sounds very much like him. We grew up in the same area.
• A lot of folks don’t know that previous to his solo career, Gary was a founding member of the U.K.-based band Spooky Tooth, and then became an in-demand session keyboard player from the late ’60s on, playing on all of George Harrison’s solo albums, on Ringo Starr’s early singles, and did records with Nilsson, Tim Rose, B.B. King and many others.
• Elon Musk said U.S. ad revenue for X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, was down 60% in a series of tweets Monday. Elon then blamed it on the Jews.
• He said the ad sales were off due to critical statements from the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish non-governmental organization that seeks to fight antisemitism and extremism around the world.
• Musk then said, “If this continues, we will have no choice but to file a defamation suit against, ironically, the ‘Anti-Defamation’ League.”
• The ADL released several reports detailing how antisemitic posts have spiked on X since Musk purchased the platform, then unblocked a number of users who had previously been kicked off the site for violating hate speech policies and loosened the platform’s content moderation policies.
• Google turned 25 yesterday, I distinctly remember the moment in 1998 when I was searching for some info on that Internet thing using AltaVista or the like, and a tech-geek coworker of mine was like, “Why aren’t you using Google?”
• I couldn’t believe how fast it was compared to everything else available at the time. The concept of a pre-indexed search was totally new then.
• 23 people were injured yesterday after an SUV plowed into the wall of a Houston-area Denny’s restaurant.
• There were some severe injuries but none appeared to be life-threatening, which is why I don’t feel so bad about calling the accident a Grand Slam.
• Did you know you can take Interstate 10 — as we we call in SoCal, “the 10” — across the whole USA? It’s true. Start in LA, on the beach of Santa Monica, CA (where it converges with Highway 1), and end up smack dab in the middle of Jacksonville, FL (where it converges with I-95).
• On the way, you’d pass through Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, San Antonio, Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Mobile, and Tallahassee. And a lot of desert and swamp and desolate shit.
• From the Sports Desk… with the NFL season starting in just two more days, here’s a quick look at the most highly-paid player in each position based on average per year for the next three years.
• Quarterback: Justin Herbert (LA Chargers), $53.3 million
• Running Back: Christian McCaffrey (SF 49ers), $17.2 million
• Wide Receiver: Cooper Kupp (LA Rams), $26.7 million
• Tight End: T.J. Hockenson (Minnesota Vikings), $17.125 million
• Offensive Line: Andrew Thomas (NY Giants), $23.5 million
• Cornerback: Jaire Alexander (GB Packers), $21.7 million
• Edge Rusher: T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers), $30.5 million
• Defensive Tackle: Aaron Donald (LA Rams), $31.6 million
• Off-Ball Linebacker: Roquan Smith (Baltimore Ravens), $20 million
• Safety: Derwin James Jr. (LA Chargers), $19.6 million
• Kicker: Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens), $6.2 million
• Long Snapper: Joe Cardona (NE Patriots), $1.6 million
• Punter: Michael Dickson (Seattle Seahawks), $3.9 million
• The highest total guaranteed money? That goes to Cleveland Browns QB Deshaun Watson, who ends up with $230 million even if he doesn’t do shit.
• Today in history… Louis XIV's Superintendent of Finances is arrested in Nantes by D'Artagnan, captain of the king's musketeers (1661). Tsar Peter I of Russia imposes a tax on beards for all men except the clergy and peasantry (1698). First Continental Congress assembles in Philadelphia (1774). The Siege of Fort Wayne begins when Chief Winamac's forces attack two soldiers returning from the fort's outhouses (1812). Sam Houston is elected as the first president of the Republic of Texas (1836). The first United States Labor Day parade is held in New York City (1882). A group of youths affiliated with the fascist National Socialist Movement of Chile are executed after surrendering during a failed coup (1938). Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg constitute Benelux (1944). Cassius Clay wins the gold medal in the light heavyweight boxing competition at the Olympic Games in Rome, later changing his name to Muhammad Ali (1960). Squeaky Fromme attempts to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford (1975). The Space Shuttle Discovery lands after its maiden voyage (1984). Liz Truss is declared the winner of the UK Conservative Party leadership election, beating Rishi Sunak (2022).
• September 5 is the birthday of king Louis XIV (1638), composer Johann Christian Bach (1735), poet/author Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy (1817), inventor Lester Allan Pelton (1829), outlaw Jesse James (1847), pianist/composer Amy Beach (1867), MLB player Nap Lajoie (1874), composer John Cage (1912), actor/comedian Bob Newhart (1929), author Werner Erhard (1935), singer-songwriter/guitarist John Stewart (1939), actress Raquel Welch (1940), director Werner Herzog (1942), singer-songwriter Al Stewart (1945), singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury (1946), singer-songwriter Loudon Wainwright III (1946), singer-songwriter/drummer Buddy Miles (1947), cartoonist Cathy Guisewite (1950), actor Michael Keaton (1951), drummer/songwriter Brad Wilk (1968), guitarist Dweezil Zappa (1969), director/musician Liam Lynch (1970), actress Rose McGowan (1973), and NFL player Mac Jones (1998).

For those of you who do Second Life, I’ll be at Hotel Chelsea tonight for my regular first-Tuesday-of-the-month show there. Should be fun. Beyond that, I’m just planning on getting shit done as I usually do. Enjoy your day.

Random News: September 4, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s September 4, 2023, and it’s a Monday. Here in the USA, it’s a national holiday we call Labor Day. I’m not entirely off work, but I’m not really on either, which is basically your life 24/7/365 when you own a business. But let’s talk about stuff regardless.

• What is Labor Day? I ask that each year because I genuinely think a lot of people don’t know.
• And truthfully, I think a lot of people are either totally ignorant or completely misinformed about most of the holidays we celebrate in the USA.
• Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.
• Oregon was the first state of the United States to make it an official public holiday in 1887. It became an official federal holiday in 1894 and has remained so ever since.
• What is labor? is that only applicable toward jobs that require physical effort? Is this holiday limited to blue collar workers?
• Fuck no. It’s for everyone who works for someone else (oddly, that doesn’t include me, but I digress). If you’re an employee, you perform labor for a business where the business benefits from your efforts more than they pay you for it. That’s literally how businesses work. If you cost the business more than you bring in, either in revenue/profit or savings, there’s no point in your being there.
• Labor Day is probably the most universal holiday in the US, second only to Independence Day. Damn near everyone is a worker. More people are workers than those who celebrate Christmas. More people are workers in the civilian world than those who did military service.
• If you like Labor Day weekend, or any weekend, or not being forced to work 16 hours per day without any days off until you die, or not having your young children be forced to work in brutal conditions, the labor movement is who you should thank.
• It’s one of the most liberal, progressive concepts that exists in our country… that as a worker, you have rights and you have the power to exercise those rights.
• Just note: plenty of labor leaders died, got the shit kicked out of them, or got arrested to fight for the rights of working people. If it was up to the corporations who generally control things, you’d never have any rights at all as an employee.
• So really, thank them.
• Alright, let’s check the news… and staying on our labor theme at the same time.
• The Big 3 automakers — General Motors, Stellantis, and Ford — make billions in profits, but they’re seemingly unwilling to budge to the newest demands of the United Auto Workers, and whew, the UAW is going for the gusto this time.
• They want a 46% pay raise, a 32-hour week with 40 hours of pay, and a restoration of traditional pensions. Otherwise, plan on a potential strike from 146,000 UAW members.
• ”Our employers only value one thing, profit; they do not value us. And the only way the working class advances is if we stand together.” - Shawn Fain, UAW leader
• Moving on…
• Tomorrow, the Texas Senate will convene as a high court to consider the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
• He’s been accused by his own party of taking bribes and abusing his office. The Republican-controlled Texas House of Representatives voted 121-23 on May 27 to impeach him on these charges.
• Paxton was indicted on securities fraud counts in 2015. His own staff reported him to the FBI for suspected corruption in 2020 over his dealings with Nate Paul, a donor and real estate investor, for which Paxton struck a $3.3 million settlement.
• According to the impeachment articles, Paxton used his power and office to help Paul work through legal difficulties. They also accuse him of accepting bribes in the form of renovations to his home and a job for a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.
• When confronted allegations of wrongdoing, Paxton retaliated against whistleblowers in his office and spent government money trying to cover up his wrongdoing with a sham investigation into their claims.
• Hopefully justice will be served. Paxton is a grade-A asshole, one of the worst.
• Moving on.
• President Joe Biden is in Philadelphia today for a Labor Day event, touting the importance of unions and applauding American workers in building the economy.
• Biden's Labor Day speech came after news last week that America’s employers added 187,000 jobs in August, evidence of resilient labor market.
• In other news, the Minnesota Department of Corrections says a situation at the Stillwater prison has been resolved after an emergency lockdown on Sunday.
• Inmates have returned to their cells after about 100 of them refused to do so yesterday morning. An emergency lockdown was issued starting around 8 AM for the incident.
• A Stillwater inmate gave the reason for the uprising in a phone interview. “It's supposed to be a record week of heat and they got us locked in cells. No air conditioning, no water, no showers, no nothing. It got to a point now where we had to take a peaceful protest and take a stand for our rights and say, 'Listen, we ain't taking no more.’"
• I support that. If we’re going to lock people up (and yes, there are valid reasons for using loss of freedom as a punishment), they still need to be treated humanely. Even here in the civilized USA, there are some prison conditions so bad that they’d be illegal if the same things were done to animals in a pound.
• And now, The Weather: “The Dark Prince” by Eyedress & Mac DeMarco
• Here’s some weird weather shit for ya. In Rochester, NY and surrounding areas, meteorologists are warning about dangerously high heat on this Labor Day, while Lake Tahoe, NV experienced near freeing temps overnight.
• Now that we’re basically past the point of no return of what used to be weather anomalies caused by man-assisted global climate change, you can expect the unexpected from now through however long you live.
• RIP to Steve Harwell, the former lead singer of the rock group Smash Mouth, who died today at age 56.
• No official cause of death was shared, but Harwell had reportedly fought cardiomyopathy and chronic liver failure, which both likely stemmed from his chronic alcoholism. I won’t speak ill of the dead, but there were many incidents of that guy not treating others well due to being drunk. It’s sad.
• I just saw the very best description of contemporary Burning Man, courtesy of my friend Beachy Piers. Someone was asking what Burning Man was and couldn’t figure out why it had any appeal.
• “That’s because it used to be a real earthy grassroots gathering, which, like everything in this capitalistic hell, has now turned into rich people LARPING the idea.”
• Exactly correct.
• Got a cool chart for you today. It’s the first week of September 1977. I’ve just started fourth grade. I’m already playing guitar. I know at least six chords, which is twice as many needed to have a hit song.
• 1. Best Of My Love (The Emotions). 2.(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher (Rita Coolidge). 3. I Just Want To Be Your Everything (Andy Gibb). 4. Handy Man (James Taylor). 5. Float On (The Floaters). 6. Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac). 7. Easy (Commodores) 8. Strawberry Letter 23 (The Brothers Johnson). 9. Telephone Line (Electric Light Orchestra). 10. Smoke From A Distant Fire (The Sanford/Townsend Band). 11. Star Wars (Main Title) (London Symphony Orchestra). 12. Just A Song Before I Go (Crosby, Stills & Nash). 13. Barracuda (Heart). 14. Cold As Ice (Foreigner). 15. Keep It Comin' Love (KC And The Sunshine Band).  16. On And On (Stephen Bishop). 17. Swayin' To The Music (slow Dancin') (Johnny Rivers). 18. Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band (Meco). 19. That's Rock 'N' Roll (Shaun Cassidy). 20. Don't Worry Baby (B.J. Thomas)
• Got another special chart for you today. It’s some of the current Top 10 on Apple’s iTunes chart.
• 1. Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffett). 4. Come Monday (Jimmy Buffett). 5. Cheeseburger in Paradise (Jimmy Buffett). 9. Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes (Jimmy Buffett). 10. It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere (Jimmy Buffett).
• From the Sports Desk… Ben Shelton and his scary serve moved into the quarterfinals of the US Open yesterday with a 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Tommy Paul. Shelton won 75% of his first-serve points, blasting 16 aces and putting in two serves in one game recorded at 149 mph.
• Holy shit. 
• Shelton will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe tomorrow, while American Taylor Fritz will square up against some guy named Novak Djokovic.
• Also at the Sports Desk, a reminder that the NFL season kicks off (literally) on Thursday September 7. Your team most likely has its depth chart pretty well set, so you can go check that out if you’re interested. It’s also not too late to get in on an NFL pool just for fun.
• Today in history… Romulus Augustulus is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself "King of Italy", thus ending the Western Roman Empire (476). The worst day of the Great Fire of London (1666). 44 Spanish settlers found El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles, now known as Los Angeles (1781). After almost 30 years of fighting, Apache leader Geronimo surrenders to General Nelson Miles in Arizona (1886). George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film (1888). A German submarine makes the first attack of tWWII against a US warship, the USS Greer (1941). The first live transcontinental television broadcast takes place in San Francisco, from the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference (1951). The governor of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to prevent Black students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School (1957). Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games (1972). Two students at Stanford University named Larry Page and Sergey Brin found something called Google (1998).
• September 4 is the birthday of businessman Stephen Whitney (1776), inventor Lewis Howard Latimer (1848),  businessman William Lyons (1901), mob boss Mickey Cohen (1913), businessman Henry Ford II (1917), chemist George William Gray (1926), actor Dick York (1928), golfer Raymond Floyd (1942), singer-songwriter/drummer/guitarist Gene Parsons (1944), guitarist Danny Gatton (1945), golfer Tom Watson (1949), drummer Martin Chambers (1951), idiot Drew Pinsky (1958), guitarist/songwriter Kim Thayil (1960), actor Damon Waynans (1960), MLB player Mike Piazza (1968), actress Ione Skye (1971), music producer Mark Ronson (1975), singer-songwriter Beyoncé (1981), and comedian Kyle Mooney (1984).

That’s all for now. I’m going to get back to not working except for when I work a little. Enjoy your day.

Random News: September 3, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s September 3, 2023, and it’s a Sunday. I’m sure that various things have happened since we last met here. I don’t know what they are. so let me go check and then I’ll tell you.

• I guess we can talk about Burning Man?
• There was a time that I really wanted to go to Burning Man. Just to check it out. I’ve been — back in the day — part of many peripheral scenes, like being a Deadhead, or being a desert rat, or being a general weirdo, that would make it seem like the kind of thing I’d be into.
• But there was always some aspect that made it disconcerting for me. It’s hard to describe. I do like being isolated; I don’t like being isolated with 70,000 other people, if that makes sense.
• Anyway, at the moment, tens of thousands of people attending Burning Man are being told to conserve food, water and fuel as they shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert after a heavy rainstorm pummeled the area.
• After heavy rains started saturating the area Friday night, the entire place turned into thick, ankle-deep mud. The desert sand has turned into thick clay and puddles and mud are everywhere. People are wrapping trash bags and Ziploc bags around their shoes to avoid getting stuck, while others are walking around barefoot.
• Now there’s no way in or out. At least one person has died. And that all sounds like just straight-up hell to me.
• Moving on…
• Sunday is Gunday at Zak’s Random News, where we look at the mass shootings and other instances of gun violence over the weekend this far.
• One dead, six injured in a mass shooting in Lynn, MA (a city in which I once resided). Two dead and one wounded overnight in Moreno Valley, CA (a city I drive through on the way to the desert). A 16-year-old dead and another injured at a football game near Baton Rouge, LA. One shot dead in Roanoke, VA. One dead, one injured in a carjacking in Monroe, MI. One in critical condition after being shot in Hartford, CT. A female victim hospitalized after being shot in South Bend, IN. Two shot dead in Indianapolis, IN. One shot dead in Atlanta, GA. Three shot on the west side of Chicago, IL. Some guy shot at a Shake Shack in Kansas City, MO. one dead, another in critical condition after a shooting in Philadelphia, PA. One dead in Henry County, VA. One killed, another shot in Fayetteville, NC. A 20-year-old student shot dead at NSU in Norfolk, VA. One shot, one killed in Colorado Springs, CO. One shot dead in Cincinnati, OH. Three dead in a murder-suicide in Miami-Dade, FL. Two women dead and a teen hurt in Washington, DC.
• I just can’t keep doing this. There are more, but what’s the point?
• That is a typical weekend of gun violence in America. And those are just the ones I saw in a quick scroll of the news.
• The most likely way your children will die is via gun violence. Are you going to wait until after their funerals to become people who support sensible gun control laws? Because it seems that’s what most people do.
• Moving on…
• In “the Party of Family Values” news, longtime Republican campaign operative and former aide to Chris Christie, Kevin Tomafsky, has been arrested and charged with possession and creation of child pornography, and engaging in sexual conduct with a child.
• Tomafsky, 41, was indicted in July and arrested on August 15 after being charged alongside the victim's father. Fucking hell.
• In other news, CBS Sunday Morning ran a piece today about Oregon, and how the eastern part of the state wants to secede and join Idaho because Idaho is more representative of their red-state values.
• Some would opine that they could simply move to Idaho, but no, apparently they want their cake and to eat it too.
• There are plenty of states we call “blue” or “red” where those definitions don’t at all represent all areas of the state. Washington, Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, and many more states all have large populations that buck the stereotypical outlook of the state.
• And yes, it’s very typical that larger, more urban areas are liberal/Democrat while rural, sparsely populated areas are conservative/Republican. We have no choice than to try and get along regardless. Isolating ourselves by location and ideology isn’t going to help in the short or long run.
• Let’s do some other news.
• Yesterday, a Florida judge struck down congressional district lines for northern Florida advocated by Gov. Ron DeSantis, ruling that the Republican governor’s map had improperly diluted Black voting power.
• That seems to be happening a lot, huh? Almost like these states are taking whatever desperate measures for the will of the people to be negated in order to hang on to power? Hmm.
• Judge J. Lee Marsh concluded that the congressional boundaries – which essentially dismantled the seat once held by Al Lawson, a Black Democrat – violated the state’s constitution, which protects minority-access districts.
• He’s ordered the legislature to draw a new map. The DeSantis administration is expected to quickly appeal the case all the way to the Florida Supreme Court.
• Similar gerrymandering efforts in states such as Alabama and Georgia could play a significant role in which party controls the US House of Representatives after next year’s elections. Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the chamber.
• And now, The Weather: “Leave That Town” by Joe Vann
• How’s your weather? Mine is overcast and gloomy and sprinkly, and I couldn’t be happier (though we are having what they call “monsoon-like” conditions, meaning it may be raining but it feels more like someone is pissing on you).
• Not that I know what that feels like specifically. I just have a good imagination.
• Some Don the Con news? Sure, why not.
• Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who you may recall as Hillary Clinton’s running mate back in 2016, is the latest to add his voice to the idea that a strong legal argument can be made to use the 14th Amendment to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot in 2024.
• "In my view, the attack on the Capitol that day was designed for a particular purpose at a particular moment, and that was to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power of as is laid out in the Constitution. So I think there's a powerful argument to be made."
• Per the 14th Amendment, anyone who engages in insurrection against the USA can’t run for office unless they are granted amnesty by a two-thirds vote of Congress.
• Guess we’ll see if they have the balls to uphold our Constitution. I doubt they will, but you never know.
• On a very different topic…
• Someone mentioned awhile back how most of the people mentioned in my daily birthday list are not young, and it’s true; some of them were born 3,000 years ago. But I know what they meant.
• Truth is, as I mentioned in reply, that it often takes awhile to achieve enough significant things in life that would merit a mention here, and I have pretty high standards for inclusion. However, it brought up another idea.
• I’d like to give you a list of politicians and politically-focused social media influencers who are part of Gen Z, meaning that they are no older than about 25. No matter how old you are or how wise you think you are, I definitely recommend that you search for and follow these people…
• Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL), gun control activist David Hogg, Democratic delegate/activist Victor Shi, anti-animal cruelty activist Ed Winters, women’s rights activist Nadya Okamoto, social justice activist Chloé Hayden, disability rights activist Madeline Stuart, anti-cyberbullying activist Trinity Morisette, gun control activist Emma González, poet/activist influencer Amanda Gorman, environmental activist Mya-Rose Craig, LGBTQIA+ activist/organizer Desmond Napoles, climate activist Greta Thunberg, education/gender activist Malala Yousafzai, and many others.
• I’m more than twice as old as any of these people and I learn things from them. So can you. Side note: I think Gen-X has more to relate to with Gen-Z than we do with the Boomers or Millenials. Just an opinion.
• Today’s charts are from the Billboard Top 200 albums list in September 1970. I was just over a year old and may hav been living in a Cleveland, OH suburb called Brooklyn. Pretty damn great list, if you ask me.
• 1. Cosmo's Factory (Creedence Clearwater Revival). 2. Woodstock (Soundtrack). 3. Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 (Blood, Sweat & Tears). 4. Chicago II (Chicago). 5 Deja Vu (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young). 6. Closer To Home (Grand Funk Railroad). 7. Tommy (The Who). 8. Absolutely Live (The Doors). 9. Live At Leeds (The Who). 10. John Barleycorn Must Die (Traffic). 11. Mad Dogs & Englishmen (Joe Cocker). 12. On The Waters (Bread). 13. Eric Clapton (Eric Clapton). 14. Let It Be (Soundtrack) (The Beatles). 15. Ecology (Rare Earth). 16. ABC (Jackson 5). 17. Sweet Baby James (James Taylor). 18. Eric Burdon Declares "War" (Eric Burdon And War). 19. McCartney (Paul McCartney). 20. Neil Diamond/Gold (Neil Diamond)
• From the Sports Desk… I gleefully gave you the schedule for week 1 of the NFL season that starts Thursday night. Just in case you have total amnesia about which teams may be good or bad this year, here are the biggest point spreads for this week. 
• Ravens (-10) over Texans. Commanders (-7) over Cardinals. Chiefs (-6.5) over Lions. Vikings (-6) over Buccaneers. Everyone else is within one touchdown, and even so, no one really knows how teams will be in the first week with all the changes that happen in offseason trades, drafts, coaching changes and so on.
• I’ll bet that at least one if not more of the “sure picks” above loses, much less doesn’t cover the spread.
• Today in history… Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa defeats Sextus Pompey, ending Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate (36 BC). San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world's oldest republic still in existence, is founded (301). Richard I of England — aka Richard the Lionheart — is crowned at Westminster (1189). During the Battle of Cooch's Bridge, the Flag of the United States is flown in battle for the first time (1777). Future abolitionist Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery (1838). Malcolm Campbell reaches a speed of 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph (1935). France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia declare war on Germany after the invasion of Poland, forming the Allied nations (1939). Qatar becomes an independent state (1971). The American ‘Viking 2’ spacecraft lands at Utopia Planitia on Mars (1976). The U.S. and China, together responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, both formally ratify the Paris global climate agreement (2016).
• September 3 is the birthday of engineer/businessman Ferdinand Porsche (1875), physicist Carl David Anderson (1905), actress Kitty Carlisle (1910), pianist/composer Memphis Slim (1915), singer-songwriter/guitarist Freddie King (1934), singer-songwriter Al Jardine (1942), singer-songwriter/bassist Dug Pinnick (1950), singer-songwriter Steve Jones (1955), MTV veejay Adam Curry (1964), actor Charlie Sheen (1965), NBA player Damon Stoudamire (1973), and snowboarder Shaun White (1986).

Alrighty. That seems like plenty. I’m on my second cup of coffee and have several things that I might do today. I might not, but I probably should. Enjoy your day.

Random News: September 2, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s September 2, 2023, and it’s a Saturday. I slept in a bit today on the start of a three-day weekend here in the USA, and now I’m sipping a cup of Peet’s Guatemala San Sebastian, a single-origin offer from the Antigua Valley of Guatemala, offering a complex and bold flavor profile of vanilla orchid, bittersweet chocolate, and Guayaba pastille. It’s really pretty good.

• I normally start things off with some hard-hitting news, but this does indeed hit hard: RIP to Jimmy Buffett, who died yesterday at age 76.
• Everyone knows Jimmy for at least the song “Margavitaville”, and might also be aware that he owned a couple of restaurant chains.
• Something you probably don’t know. Despite a low-income upbringing, Jimmy was one of the world’s wealthiest musicians with a net worth of over $1 billion.
• And much more impressive to me: Jimmy was involved in a multitude of charitable efforts, and was a major supporter of liberal causes and Democratic politicians, having held fundraising events for Hillary Clinton and many others. He was a good dude all-around.
• Let’s do some news.
• Yesterday, Proud Boys members Dominic Pezzola and Ethan Nordean were sentenced for their roles in the January 6, 2021 failed coup attempt.
• Nordean, one of the leaders of the group, was sentenced to 18 years in prison, and Pezzola, who became one of the more recognizable faces of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack after video showed him smashing a Capitol window with a riot shield, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
• Unlike his co-defendants, including Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, Pezzola was acquitted by a jury of the most severe charge of seditious conspiracy. But Pezzola did what many MAGA types tend to do, metaphorically shooting himself in his own dick by screaming, “Trump won!” as he was led from the court. Previously, he’d been crying and begging forgiveness.
• He probably isn’t smart enough to know that the DOJ can and probably will appeal his sentence to get more time in prison, and use his utterance as evidence that he was never truly contrite.
• Enrique Tarrio's day in court is approaching -- he is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday.
• Moving on…
• Could a Democrat replace Sen. Mitch McConnell to represent Kentucky? If Mitch were to step down, Gov. Andy Beshear might be tasked with appointing a replacement.
• Beshear would not speculate on the matter. “There is no Senate vacancy. Senator McConnell has said he’s going to serve out his term, and I believe him, so I’m not going to speculate about something that hasn’t happened and isn’t going to happen.”
• Probably a good idea.
• If Mitch were to suddenly vacate the role, it would be a different story. Regardless of who ends up representing the people of Kentucky, the bigger question is who would be the next Senate Minority Leader. It comes down to three senior GOP Senators named John: Thune (SD), Cornyn (TX), and Barasso (WY).
• They’re all every bit as awful as Mitch, so they’d fit right in.
• In other news, President Biden is in Florida right now, getting a firsthand view of the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia. 
• In addition to surveying the destruction, Joe will be meeting members of the community impacted by the hurricane, as a President should.
• Moving on…
• We’ll be talking more about the Labor Day holiday on the actual date of the holiday, but I’ll briefly mention that if you like work holidays, or three-day weekends, or weekends at all, you know who to thank, right?
• These are all liberal concepts that conservative fought bitterly against and lost. Any day you have where you’re not being forced to work is the result of the efforts of liberal people.
• You’re welcome.
• Speaking of the conservative Republicans, I’m excited to find out how they’re planning on helping the American people when they return from their long summer vacations. Will it be to boost the economy? To figure out a better health care plan for all citizens? To start addressing the more and more dire results of man-assisted climate change?
• No. House speaker Kevin McCarthy says that the top order of business will be to figure out some way to impeach President Joe Biden.
• I’m sure that’s important to all of you. Ha!
• Let’s do some Don the Con news.
• Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis has implied that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows may have committed perjury in his unexpected witness stand appearance earlier this week. Ruh-roh.
• "And after insisting that he did not play 'any role' in the coordination of slates of 'fake electors' throughout several states, the defendant was forced to acknowledge under cross-examination that he had in fact given direction to a campaign official in this regard," Willis wrote.
• These guys keep committing crimes to try and cover up their other crimes.
• The bigger news in regard to Meadows’ testimony as that it’s going to blow back on Trump himself. Everything he said pointed to that he was doing his criminal actions on direct order of the former president.
• Let’s move on.
• In really bad news, North Carolina is going to make it more difficult to vote by mail. The Republican-controlled state legislature is expected to override a veto from Gov. Roy Cooper on a sweeping absentee ballot bill.
• NC Senate Bill 747 would reduce the period of time an absentee ballot can be received in order to count, as well as increase signature scrutiny and other measures which advocates say would result in less rightful votes being counted.
• Remember: Republicans always want to make it harder to vote and to count as few votes as possible. That’s their only hope of winning, by subverting democracy.
• That being said, here’s a new law in a conservative state that I agree with: a new law in Texas requires convicted drunk drivers to pay child support if they kill a child’s parent or guardian, according to House Bill 393.
• The law went into effect yesterday. It says those convicted of intoxication manslaughter must pay restitution. The offender will be expected to make those payments until the child is 18 or until the child graduates from high school, “whichever is later,” the legislation says.
• Don’t drink or use drugs and drive. End of fucking story.
• Here’s a new Texas law that didn’t work out. A federal judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing a law requiring pornography sites to implement age-verification measures, after finding the law unconstitutional.
• U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra said the law violates the First Amendment because it “substantially regulates protected speech, is severely underinclusive, and uses overly restrictive enforcement methods.”
• Do you know how much porn is viewed in Texas? Neither do I, but it’s a lot.
• Let’s move northward to the state of my birth, Ohio.
• The wording of a proposed constitutional amendment on Ohio’s fall ballot to ensure abortion rights seems straightforward: It would enshrine the right “to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.”
• But voters are getting a different message from the measure’s opponents. They are characterizing it as threatening a wide range of parental rights.
• Do not listen to that shit. Women deserve the right for the state not to control their reproductive freedom. This isn’t just a blue-vs-red state issue; measures protecting access to abortion have succeeded in Democratic- and Republican-leaning states, including California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, and Vermont.
• Ohio will join them in November. Laws restricting abortion are immensely unpopular, and candidates who support those laws should be removed ASAP.
• And now, The Weather: “So You Are Tired” by Sufjan Stevens
• Another noteworthy RIP this morning to former U.N. Ambassador and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who helped negotiate release of detained Americans. He has died at age 75.
• Richardson was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election but eventually dropped out and endorsed Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.
• From the Sports Desk… oh my sweet lord, NFL football is back. I am super excited. Here’s the week one schedule, but the first game being played on Thursday Sep 7, the rest of them on Sunday Sep 10, and the Monday night game on Sep 11.
• Detroit at Kansas City, Carolina at Atlanta, Cincinnati at Cleveland, Jacksonville at Indianapolis, Tampa Bay at Minnesota, Tennessee at New Orleans, San Francisco at Pittsburgh, Arizona at Washington, Houston at Baltimore, Green Bay at Chicago, Las Vegas at Denver, Philadelphia at New England, Miami at Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams at Seattle, Dallas at New York Giants, Buffalo at New York Jets.
• Today in history… Pharaoh Cleopatra VII of Egypt declares her son co-ruler as Ptolemy XV Caesarion — it doesn’t last long (44 BC). Cicero launches the first of his oratorical attacks — Philippicae — on Mark Antony (44 BC). The Great Fire of London breaks out and burns for three days, destroying 10,000 buildings (1666). The United States Department of the Treasury is founded (1789). Vice President Theodore Roosevelt utters the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a big stick.” (1901). Arthur Rose Eldred becomes first Eagle Scout of the Boy Scouts of America (1912). Japan signs their official surrender in WWII aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay (1945). Google launches its Google Chrome web browser (2008). 
• September 2 is the birthday of organist/composer Georg Böhm (1661), baseball player/businessman Albert Spalding (1850), pianist Horace Silver (1928), businessman Arnold Greenberg (1932), businessman Peter Ueberroth (1937), singer-songwriter/keyboardist Billy Preston (1946), NBA player Nate Archibald (1948), NFL player Terry Bradshaw (1948), teacher/astronaut Christa McAuliffe (1948), actor Mark Harmon (1951), tennis player Jimmy Connors (1952), skateboarder Tony Alva (1957), keyboardist/composer Steve Porcaro (1957), NFL player Eric Dickerson (1960), actor Keanu Reeves (1964), actress Salma Hayek (1966), singer-songwriter K-Ci (1969), and comedian Katt Williams (1971).

It’s drizzling and overcast but oddly warm here. I’m going to… I don’t know what. Do something. Maybe not. Enjoy your day.

Random News: September 1, 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.

---

Good morning. It’s September 1, 2023, and if you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! My name is Zak, and I’ll be your server of information. Let’s find out what’s been going on since we last met…

• Rabbit rabbit rabbit.
• I’m just saying, a lot of good shit has happened since I started writing this magical new month incantation in these bullets. What if I’m the one saving the world? You can’t prove I’m not.
• Okay, seriously now…
• Two former Proud Boys leaders who had been convicted of seditious conspiracy for their actions during the Jan. 6 failed coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol were sentenced yesterday. 
• While the judge handing down some of the longest sentences yet for someone charged in the January 6 attacks, a lot of people don’t feel the punishment was strong enough… including the DOJ.
• U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Joseph Biggs, the former leader of the group's Florida chapter, to 17 years in prison. He sentenced Zachary Rehl, the former leader of the Proud Boys' Philadelphia chapter, to 15 years in prison.
• Prosecutors had sought 33 years in prison for Biggs. Biggs' sentence is the second longest for any defendant charged in connection with the Capitol attack; Rehl’s sentence is the third longest.
• Next Tuesday is the sentencing for the Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio.
• While we’re on the topic of shithead insurrectionists, a bunch more have just been arrested. Over 1,100 have been charged so far, including the former president.
• Nathan Earl Hughes of Fayetteville, AR was arrested Wednesday and is charged with a felony offense of civil disorder along with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings.
• William Frederick Beals II, 52, of Ringgold, GA  is charged with a felony count of knowingly making false statements, along with several misdemeanor offenses. Beals wore a black helmet with a "FUCK ANTIFA" sticker on it when he stormed the Capitol. He was at the front of the mob, climbing scaffolding to get toward the building. This was also the genius who posted a video screaming that rioters "took the White House.”
• Peter Willey, 37, of Virginia, and Ethan Mauck, 31, of Pennsylvania were arrested on charges that include felony obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder along with a slew of misdemeanors. Willey and Mauck were both arrested in Roanoke, VA.
• Philip Anderson, 28, of Mesquite TX was rested Tuesday and charged with felony offenses of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, along with misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
• As promised, justice will not rest until every single one of the anti-American scum who tried to forcibly overturn our free and fair election of January 6, 2021 answer for their crimes. Believe it!
• Moving on… sort of.
• Yesterday, the criminal mastermind Donald John “El Dumpo” Trump pleaded not guilty in the sprawling Fulton County election interference case. He’d been scheduled to be arraigned in person on Wednesday but Georgia law allows criminal defendants to waive their in-person appearance and enter a formal plea through court filings.
• This is the fourth time that Dumpty Dump has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges since leaving the presidency. In this case, Trump is charged with racketeering in his alleged efforts to upend the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
• After a judge last week set a trial date of October 23 for co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro, who had requested a speedy trial in the case, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis asked the judge overseeing the case to schedule a trial for all 19 defendants for the same date of October 23, 2023.
• But just hours after entering his “not guilty” plea, Felon Don filed a motion to sever his case from the other defendants. In the filing submitted yesterday, Trump's attorney Steve Sadow said that he "will not have sufficient time to prepare" for the case.
• In important news regarding the Georgia case, Gov. Brian Kemp says ill-fated attempts by state Republicans to call a special session to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis are not going to work.
• Kemp rejected Republican Sen. Colton Moore, who called for a special session to punish Fani Willis for prosecuting the former president and 18 co-defendants. Holding a special session by the end of the year would have required the governor’s support as well as three-fifths of both the House and Senate to sign on.
• ”I have not seen any evidence that DA Willis' actions or lack thereof warrant action by the prosecuting attorney oversight commission. As long as I'm governor, we are going to follow the law and the Constitution — regardless of who it helps politically.” - Gov. Brian Kemp
• Let’s end this topic with some juicy and delicious news.
• Yesterday, Superior Court of Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee — I like that guy! — said that all proceedings in his courtroom related to the case will be livestreamed and allowed to be televised.
• McAfee said he would make all hearings and possible trials available to be broadcast on the Fulton County Court YouTube channel.
• Transparency will really help people understand this case.
• Okay, let’s do other news.
• A Missouri judge ruled yesterday that the 84-year-old white homeowner who shot a Black teenager after he mistakenly went to the man’s house must stand trial.
• Judge Louis Angles issued the ruling after hearing from several witnesses at a preliminary hearing, including Ralph Yarl, the teenager who was shot by Andrew Lester on April 13 when Yarl went to the wrong house to pick up his younger brothers.
• But in another “went to the wrong house” case…
• The fatal shooting of a University of South Carolina student this week who was trying to enter the wrong home on his own street has been deemed a justifiable homicide and no charges will be filed.
• I guess I get it. And please everyone… don’t enter the wrong house. Don’t even pull in the wrong driveway. There are so many people who are ready at a moment’s notice to try out the shiny new gun they bought and bring death, pain, and suffering to other people. That AR-15 cost about $1000, and what’s the point if you can’t kill someone for making a U-turn on your property?
• In related news, the Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide.
• People who sell firearms online, at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
• Let’s hope it happens.
• Meet Chad Christopher Stark, 55, a man from Texas.
• He pleaded guilty yesterday to making threats against public officials in Georgia following the 2020 election. A sentencing date has not yet been set for Stark, who was indicted in January 2022.
• Stark posted a threatening message that said in part: “It’s time to invoke our Second Amendment right it’s time to put a bullet in the treasonous Chinese [Official A]. Then we work our way down to [Official B] the local and federal corrupt judges. It’s our duty as American Patriots to put an end to the lives of these traitors and take back our country by force we can no longer wait on the corrupt law enforcement in the corrupt courts. If we want our country back we have to exterminate these people.”
• That’s the MAGA mindset. We’re trying to do things like encourage voter drives and raising awareness about climate change, and they want to “exterminate these people”. There’s no way to compromise or meet in the middle. There is no middle.
• You tell me what the center point is between “People should have health care” and “Jews will not replace us”.
• And now, The Weather: “Heavy Water” by feeble little horse
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said yesterday that restoring power and clearing debris would be a key priority in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia. There are also concerns over flesh-eating bacteria, carbon monoxide, and other health risks in the state, because Florida.
• Analysts are now estimating that Idalia may become the most costly climate disaster in the US this year. President Joe Biden has requested billions of dollars more in extra disaster relief as part of a supplemental funding request.
• Joe will visit Florida on Saturday morning to survey the recovery efforts.
• Heading to a barbecue or block party this coming Labor Day weekend? You may be being watched.
• Those attending outdoor parties in New York City may notice an uninvited guest looming over their festivities: a police surveillance drone. The NYPD plans to pilot the unmanned aircrafts in response to complaints about large gatherings.
• The plan drew immediate backlash from privacy and civil liberties advocates, raising questions about whether such drone use violated existing laws for police surveillance. In most places in the USA, you can’t be spied on unless there is a reasonable cause for suspicion.
• Moving on…
• I’m going to make a vast sweeping generalization now, so prepare to be butthurt.
• The grand majority of the YouTube “life advice” people are full of shit and potentially dangerous spreaders of misinformation and false information, and have a bad influence on the world at large.
• Case in point: Ruby Franke, the Utah mom behind the family YouTube channel "8 Passengers," was arrested Wednesday on child abuse charges after authorities found a malnourished minor with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities.
• The channel was known was promoting a strict parenting style and was popular with Christians and conservatives. It had nearly 2.3 million subscribers before it was taken down earlier this year.
• Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also arrested on the same charges. The two regularly collaborate on relationship and parenting advice videos for Hildebrandt's life counseling service ConneXions.
• The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and transported to a local area hospital.
• Frankes’ eldest daughter Shari, 20, posted about her mother's arrest to her Instagram Story on Wednesday night with the caption, "Finally."
• Don’t ever base your child-rearing decisions on something you saw in a Mommy Blog. Never ever.
• From the Sports Desk… as we’re less than a week out from the first NFL game, a point where I tend to forget that any other sport exists, here are the leading MLB teams from both leagues with their current record and projected chance of making the playoffs.
• AL: Baltimore Orioles (83-50, 99.9%); Tampa Bay Rays (82-52, 99.8%); Seattle Mariners (76—57, 86.6%); Houston Astros (77-58, 94.6%).
• NL: Atlanta Braves (88-45, 99.9%); Los Angeles Dodgers (83-50, 99.9%); Milwaukee Brewers (74-59, 96.8%); Philadelphia Phillies (74-59, 96.5%).
• Today in history… A 9.4 earthquake nails Chile's Atacama Region causing tsunamis in Chile as well as Hawaii and Japan (1420). Lady Anne Boleyn is made Marquess of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII of England (1532). Louis XV becomes king of France at age 5 (1715). The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is founded in San Luis Obispo, California (1772). The Tremont Street Subway in Boston opens, becoming the first underground rapid transit system in North America (1897). The Great Kantō earthquake devastates Tokyo and Yokohama, killing about 105,000 people (1923). Nazi Germany and Slovakia invade Poland, beginning the European phase of World War II (1939). Adolf Hitler signs an order to begin the systematic murder of mentally ill and disabled people (1939). A coup in Libya brings Muammar Gaddafi to power (1969). The SR-71 Blackbird sets the still-current record for flying from New York to London in the time of one hour, 54 minutes and 56.4 seconds at a speed of 1,435.587 mph (1974).
• September 1 is the birthday of Liao Dynasty emperor Jing Zong (948), organist/composer Johann Pachelbel (1653), MLB player Jim O’Rourke (1850), author Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875), writer/activist Liz Carpenter (1920), boxer Rocky Marciano (1923), saxophonist/clarinetist/composer Art Pepper (1925), politician Ann Richards (1933), singer-songwriter Conway Twitter (1933), lawyer Alan Dershowitz (1938), actress Lily Tomlin (1939), singer-songwriter Barry Gibb (1946), drummer Russ Kunkel (1948), singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan (1957), NBA player Tim Hardaway (1966), and NFL player Clinton Portis (1981).

Well, that’s a lot of important stuff to know. I think you’re better off knowing more than knowing less. If I have inadvertently made you “woke”, I don’t apologize… and it wasn’t inadvertent, I promise. Enjoy your day.