Ridley's
Believe It Or Not—May 18, 2014:
Kudos to California Chrome (sounds like a horse owned by Google). Hope
you are enjoying the weekend and will enjoy these holidays, or celebrate in a
culinary fashion, found for today along with the factoids and quotes.
1. World AIDS Vaccine Day—honoring since May 18, 1998 the efforts of the research and
medical community to develop an AIDS
vaccine to combat a disease that kills over one and a half million people
throughout the world each year.
2. International Museums Day—celebrating and
honoring since 1997 the contributions of museums to our knowledge and culture
with this year’s theme with a nice ring--Museum Collections Make Connections;
great way to escape the heat and sun—visit a museum.
3. Bay to Breakers Race Day—longest consecutively
held race first run in 1912; 7.46 miles in San Francisco with over 100,000
runners, many in costumes.
4. Revival, Unity and Poetry of Magtymguly Day (Turkmenistan)—celebrating in Turkmenistan
the works of Magtymguly, a 18th Century philosopher, spiritual
leader and, most importantly of all, poet.
5. National
Cheese Soufflé Day—always tasty light airy cake but a challenge to stay
risen if a large truck passes by while in oven and vibrations cause it to fall
flat.
On this day
in:
a. 1692 Rhode Island became the first colony in North America to abolish
slavery, an act which unfortunately the all of the other 12 colonies did not
follow.
b. 1896 the Supreme Court in Plessy v Ferguson upheld the separate
but equal doctrine in public transportation, services, facilities and education,
a decision which condemned millions of children of color over the years to a second
rate education in the South which was finally overruled in Brown v. Board of Education 58 years later on May 17, 1954.
c. 1980 Mt. St. Helens, a dormant volcano, blew its top, killing 57 people and depositing
ash inches thick as far away as Northern Idaho and Western Montana.
Ignorance
on the effects of a disease is no excuse to discriminate against its victims: “Because of the lack of education on AIDS, discrimination,
panic and lies surrounded me.” Ryan White, an AIDS victim who contracted AIDS
from a blood transfusion and died one month from his high school graduation.
Please enjoy
the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if
you like them, retweet and join almost 140 growing followers
and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and
entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for
poems on climbing into the mountains to be nearer to God; the 2014 Boston
Marathon; on the Mustangs going to the Dance with a losing record; to honor
Cindy Abbott, a half blind 54 year old mother suffering from a rare disease who
competed in last year's Iditarod until forced out with a broken pelvis after
600 miles to join a great collection of my poems to inspire, touch, emote,
elate and enjoy. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for poems on Sudan preparing
to hang a pregnant wife for marrying a Christian; Eleanor Clift’s assertion
that Ambassador Stevens wasn’t murdered only died from smoke inhalation; CA
AB1965 allowing dogs in outside dining areas; on ICE releasing convicted
murderers and violent felons onto our streets; celebs boycotting Beverly Hills
Hotel due to Brunei adopting Sharia law; Boko Haram’s jihadist war on school
girls; Blues and Reds uniting to force approval of Keystone XL to join numerous
other comments on news events always in rhyme of course.
©May 18,
2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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