1. International
No Diet Day–with millions going hungry each day, thought this might be a
slap at those facing near starvation but was wrong; the day is to promote body
acceptance, including fat size and body awareness and has been celebrated since
1998—look for someone on the overweight side wearing a light blue ribbon.
2. National Nurses Day—celebrated
since 1982 and honoring the contributions of nurses, that thin line of care
between doctors and patients and patients and hospital administrators. If my
R.N. mother were alive today, she would be pleased to have been so honored.
3.
National Teachers Day—celebrating the
contribution of our teachers to the education of students, young and old,
public, private, and especially in urban areas like New York City charter
schools (if Di Blasio can stop counting his public teachers union’s contributions
long enough to visit charter schools in his city).
4. Tourist
Appreciation Day—since California
continues to lose jobs (most recently Toyota) to low tax and low regulation
states like Texas, this is a day we should thank our tourists and money they
spend here and the sales tax dollars they generate.
5. National Crêpe
Suzette Day—celebrating a great pastry supposedly created in 1885 in Paris. If
you consumed beaucoup de libations yesterday not such if you are ready to enjoy a Crêpe Suzette created by pouring liqueur
(usually Grand Marnier) over a freshly-cooked crêpe with sugar and lighting it.
On this day
in:
a. 1882 in a low point of immigration reform, Congress passed the Chinese
Exclusion Act excluding Chinese laborers and miners from entry into the United
States, a travesty that was not repealed until 1943.
b. 1981 almost 100 years later a
jury of architects and sculptors unanimously selected Chinese-American Yale
educated architect Maya Ying Lin’s design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (aka the
Wall) from 1,421 other entries—absolutely a must see when anywhere near
Washington, D.C.
c. 2001 the recently canonized Pope, John Paul II, on a visit to Syria became
the first Pope to visit a mosque.
Why the laws of exclusion are bad ideas: “My grandfather on
my father’s side helped to draft one of first constitutions of China. He was a
fairly well known scholar.” Maya Ying Lin
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 Boko Haram’s
jihadist war on school girls; Blues and Reds uniting to force approval of
Keystone XL; Condi Rice at Rutgers’ loss withdrawing as a commencement speaker;
death of 77 year old pilot at air show trying to cut a ribbon; more on Phoenix
VA deaths; the just released nonredacted
Benghazi emails; Kerry’s apartheid characterization of Israel; Obama’s
admission that he does not know whether new “sanctions” will work against
Putin; the scandal of vets dying in Phoenix while waiting to see a doctor; coffee
as the new wonder drug to curtail Type II Diabetes to join numerous other
comments on news events always in rhyme of course.
©May 6, 2014
Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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