Rivers

 As these things go, this one was more random than most. I was driving across the Potomac River a while back (on a bridge, of course) when out of nowhere I wondered, how many rivers have I crossed without benefit of bridge or boat? At first I figured the answer was "Damn few," but after a few moment's thought, I realized it was probably more than most people. For the record, the rivers I have crossed under my own power without benefit of any spans or floatation devices include the New River in Virginia, the Firehole River in Wyoming (in Yellowstone Park), the Fu Lung River in Taiwan, and the Saluda and Broad rivers in South Carolina. There might be more. I'll have to think about it.

Thank you, Karl Marx

 Not in the habit of thanking Karl Marx for anything, but I am happy to say that on this date in 1883, he made his finest effort on behalf of humanity. He died. Alas, his philosophy did not die with him and it causes human misery throughout the world to this day. Karl, give Satan a high five for, well, not me. Certainly for you.