October 31 History Halloween

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 30, 2014:  Trust your Halloween will be a great one and as always hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quotes involving Halloween and a poem relating to Halloween just posted on www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com “Halloween is not just for kids”, with a smile on your sunscreened face, enjoying a caramel apple, blessed with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Halloween—Tonight is the night that drivers in residential neighborhoods must drive oh so carefully as the streets as clogged with young ghosts and goblins weaving under the weight of bags full of candy and later the roads will be clogged with adults in costume driving back from Halloween parties.

      2. Books for Treats Day—celebrated since 1995 an idea created by Rebecca Morgan at her home in San Jose  of “feeding children’s minds not their cavities.” Great idea to give used children’s books as opposed to candy (probably cheaper too).

      3. 7 Billion Day—commemorating this day in 2011 according to the best estimates of the U.N. that population of the Earth reached 7 billion; the day is to be observed by creating awareness of  reproductive health, poverty, women empowerment, youth, environment sustainability, ageing, and urbanization, by encouraging people to take actions and recommit to humanity.

      4. Now You Know Who To Blame—wcelebrating not the proclivity of politicians to blame the other party but rather the difficulties in achieving weight loss occasioned by the birthday on this day in 1860 of Juliette Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts U.S.A., the organization that brings us those delicious Girl Scout cookies we find so hard to resist.

      5. National Caramel Apple Day—celebrating a treat that is both  great for your health (apple) and great for dentists (caramel).

On this day in

      a. 1913 the Lincoln Highway, the first highway across the United States from New York City to San Francisco, was dedicated. 

        b. 1941 after 14 years of work, Mt. Rushmore was completed. 

       c. 1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh security guards, causing widespread rioting in India in which over 10,000 Sikhs were killed.

      d. 2000 a Russian Soyus rocket brought the first resident crew to the International Space Station which has been occupied continuously and amicably since then (why can we not have the same concept on Earth)?

Reflections on Halloween as you check to make sure the candy bowl is full and your costume and the costume of your trick or treaters is ready to go: 1. “ I'll bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.” ~Author Unknown; 2. “Eat, drink and be scary.” ~Author Unknown; 3. “True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about but few have seen.” ~Author Unknown  Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History, poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times

© October 31, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
Rhymes on the Memorable Times
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift      

October 30 History Mischief Night

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 30, 2014:  Trust your Halloween Eve  is proving to be a great one and as always hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from H.G. Wells, with a smile on your sunscreened face, enjoying a slice of pumpkin bread with breakfast, blessed with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Mischief Night—observed on the eve of Halloween as a great evening to practice your tricks before on Halloween giving the either/or ultimatum.

      2. International Orthopedic Nurses Day—honoring those angels of mercy assisting the doctors mending bones or replacing orthopedic parts during surgery and the first kind face one wakes up to after and looks to when the drugs wear off and the pain takes off like a rocket.

      3. One Person You Would Never Fire Day—honoring not those totally indispensable employees of an organization, but rather the birthday of Ivanka Trump born on this day in 1981.

      4. National Pumpkin Bread Day—celebrating a great use for the meat of the pumpkins you are carving to put out tonight—pumpkin bread.

On this day in

       a. 1938 Orson Welles broadcasted on the radio H.G. Wells War of the Worlds, causing panic that the U.S. was being invaded by Martians

       b. 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt approved $1 billion in Lend Lease aid to the Allied Nations to aid in the fight against the Germans and Italians.

       c. 1945 thanks to the foresight of Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signed a contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, breaking the color barrier in baseball.

      d. 1974 the Rumble in the Jungle was fought between challenger Muhammad Ali and champion George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Ali regained his title by knockout.

Reflections on the similarity of struggle against a strange invading army with with different values in fiction published 116 years ago and the reality of the ISIS hordes seeking to destroy the non-Islamic world today: “At the time there was a strong feeling in the streets that the authorities were to blame for their incapacity to dispose of the invaders without all this inconvenience.” H.G. Wells, War War of the Worlds published in 1898

Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History, poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest.

www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times

© October 30, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

Rhymes on the Memorable Times

The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift      

October 29 History International Internet Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 29, 2014:  Trust your Wednesday  is proving to be a great one and as always hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from the Dan Quayle, with a smile on your sunscreened face, enjoying a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, blessed with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. International Internet Day—observed since 2005 to commemorate the first transmission of an electronic message from one computer to another in 1969. Where would we be without the internet today?

      2. World Psoriasis Day—creating awareness and the need for research for a disease that affects over 125 million people around the world leaving huge flakes of skin and in some cases painful arthritis.

      3. National Cat Day—honoring those independent felines whose unclean litter box or the sound of them chewing on bird or mouse caught outside at night but brought into your bedroom will drive most people into the street.

      4. National Oatmeal Day—celebrating whether instant or slow cooked that great breakfast dish especially honey and raisins to warm the insides of your belly on a cold fall morning.  

       5. Truth or Consequences Day—bemoaning the birthday on this day in 1897 of Joseph Goebbels the Nazi Propaganda Minister who along with his wife after killing all of his children beat the hangman in the Fuhrer Bunker in the closing days of WWII by committing suicide.

On this day in

       a. 1863 18 countries meet in Geneva, Switzerland to form the

 International Red Cross.

       b. 1956 the Suez Crisis begins as Israel pushes Egyptian forces

 out of the Sinai enroute to the Suez Canal which according to the

 Constantinople Convention guaranteed free maritime passage in

 time of war and peace.

c. 1994 Francisco Martin Duran fired 29 shots from an assault rifle at the White House and was convicted of attempting to murder President Clinton and sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and is projected to be released in 2029. Reflections on the International Internet Day: “If Al Gore invented the internet, I invented Spell Check” Dan Quayle former vice president of the United States and an atrocious speller and grammarian, here with a sense of humor. Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 29, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

October 28 History International Animation Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 28, 2014:  Trust your Tuesday  is proving to be a great one and as always hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from the Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix, with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a chunk of chocolate melting in your mouth exciting your taste buds, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. International Animation Day—observed since 2002 to commemorate the efforts and accomplishments of artists in animation media.

      2. Ouchi Day—celebrating the refusal of the Prime Minister of Greece on this day in 1940 to accept the demand from the Italian ambassador to Greece that Greece allow Axis forces to enter Greece thereby provoking war with Italy and Germany and delaying the invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany with tragic consequences for the Germans.  

      3. Statue Of Liberty Dedication Day—commemorating the unveiling of the Statue Of Liberty on this day in 1886 by president Grover Cleveland. 

      4. National Chocolate Day—celebrating a seventh wonder of the world--chocolate; whose production is being threatened to the endemic of Ebola in West Africa.

       5. Gateway To Wealth Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in October in 1955, of the cofounder of Microsoft, Bill Gates.

On this day in

       a. 1915 Richard Strauss conducted his tone poem Eine Alpensinfonie in Berlin.

       b. 1919 in a “last call” for American partygoers the U.S. Congress overturned President Wilson’s veto of the Volstead Act, paving the way for Prohibition to commence in January.

c. 1962 the Cuban Missile Crisis ended with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev blinking and ordering the removal of Soviet IMBM’s from Cuba. Reflections on the difficulty inherent in predicting the advance of technology: “When we think about online learning, it's such 'early days.' Bill Gates is a wildly smart insightful guy. Yet, even a guy as smart and insightful as that, 30 years ago can say things like, ‘Who’s ever going to need more than 640K of memory?'” Reed Hastings, cofounder of NetFlix Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 28, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

October 27 History Navy Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 27, 2014:  Trust your Monday  is proving to be a great and as always hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a baked potato sour cream and  chives, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. World Day For Audiovisual Heritage—observed since 2005 to create awareness of the need to preserve and protect audiovisual media.

      2. Navy Day—celebrating the accomplishments of the U.S. Navy.  

      3. Dylan Thomas Day—commemorating the birthday on this day in 1914 of Wales’ greatest poet who died way too early at the age of 39 from alcoholism.

      4. National Potato Day/ American Beer Day—celebrating two of the basic food groups favored by Irish poets.

On this day in

       a. 1964 Ronald Reagan launched his political career by delivering a speech in support of Barry Goldwater’s presidential campaign—great speech but LBJ won a landslide.

       b. 1981 in an “awesome” display of seamanship, Russian submarine U137 ran aground on the east coast of Sweden.

c. 1988 President Reagan ordered our brand new embassy in Moscow to be demolished due Russian listening devices being embedded throughout the structure. Reflections on Dylan Thomas:”An alcoholic is someone you don’t like who drinks as much as much as you do….I have just had 18 straight whiskies. I think that is record.” (spoken before going into a coma from which he never recovered) Dylan Thomas Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 27, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

 

October 23 History Mole Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 23, 2014:  Trust your Thursday is proving to be a great one and that you are able to view the partial solar eclipse at 3:30 this afternoon and as always enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from the Greek poet Archilochus, with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a slice of Boston cream pie, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Mole Day—celebrated, since 1991 by chemists and chemistry students between 6.02 A.M. and 6.02 P.M. with 6.02 x 10/23 representing Avogrados number, the number of particles in a mole, one the seven base systems of international measurements.

      2. International iPod Day—celebrating the release of the first iPod on this day in 2001 and the beginning of the end of CD players.  

      3. Swallows Leave San Juan Capistrano Day—honoring that swallows’ rite of passage, the day they leave to return to their summer homes in Argentina, 6,000 miles away.

      4. Partial Solar Eclipse Day—celebrating one of the amazing bits of celestial viewing a partial solar eclipse, visible today in California and the West Coast at 3:30 P.M.

      5. National Boston Cream Pie Day—celebrating another great desert treat best eaten as opposed to thrown.   

On this day in

       a. 1850 the first National Women’s Rights Convention began in Worcester, Massachusetts.

       b. 1946 the first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly occurred in an auditorium in Flushing, Queens in New York City.

c. 1983 in Beirut the U.S. Marines Barracks was hit by a suicide bomber in a truck, killing 241 Marines.        d. 2002 40 armed Chechen terrorists seized the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow, holding over 700 theater goers hostage; Russian security forces two days later stormed the building, killing all terrorists but in the assault over 130 civilians lost their lives.  Reflections on today’s partial solar eclipse: “"Nothing can be surprising any more or impossible or miraculous, now that Zeus, father of the Olympians has made night out of noonday, hiding the bright sunlight, and . . . fear has come upon mankind. After this, men can believe anything, expect anything. Don't any of you be surprised in future if land beasts change places with dolphins and go to live in their salty pastures, and get to like the sounding waves of the sea more than the land, while the dolphins prefer the mountains." May refer to a total solar eclipse of 6 April 648 B.C. Archilochus, Greek poet (c680-640 B.C.) Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 23, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

October 22 History Wombat Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 22, 2014:  Trust your Wednesday is proving to be a great one and that you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from Jean-Paul Sartre, with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a bowl of nuts to munch on, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Wombat Day—celebrating, since 2004 those cuddly marsupials native to Australia, with copious amounts of chocolates and wine gums (I kid you not).

      2. International Stuttering Awareness Day—observed to create awareness of speech impairment that affects one percent of the world’s population—stuttering which unfortunately does not affect our politicians in D.C.

      3. National Knee Day—honoring that joint that was never designed to play football or basketball but fortunately has been the subject of great advances in replacement surgery.

      4. National Nut Day—celebrating not the crazies of the world but rather those delicious nuts we all enjoy as snacks.   

On this day in

       a. 1857 using a filament of carbonized thread Thomas Edison tested the first incandescent light bulb which lasted 13 ½ hours before burning out.

       b. 1924 Toastmasters International was founded.

c. 1962 President Kennedy after reviewing air reconnaissance photos of Cuba showing the presence of nuclear weapons in Cuba announced a naval blockade of the island bringing the world closer to nuclear war; fortunately the Soviets blinked.        d. 1964 Jean-Paul Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, an award he declined.   Reflections on the importance of poets in a society: “Every age has its own poetry; in every age the circumstances of history choose a nation, a race, a class to take up the torch by creating situations that can be expressed or transcended only through poetry.” Jean-Paul Sartre Another reason why we need fewer parasitic lawyers and more poets Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 22, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

October 19 History Rainforest Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 19, 2014:  Trust your Sunday is proving to be a great one and that you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and quote from Mother Teresa, with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a bowl of seafood bisque, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Mother Teresa Day (Albania)—celebrating in the land of her birth in 1910 of Mother Teresa who lived most of her life in India administering to the poor and sick.

      2. Rainforest Day—observed to create awareness of the importance of rainforests to our ecosystems; sadly, rainforests are being reduced at an alarming rate due to human activity such as logging and farming.  

      3. Fisher Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1489 of John Fisher, a catholic bishop and tutor to Henry VIII who was beheaded in 1522 on orders of King Henry VIII for refusing to recognize his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.  

      4. Seafood Bisque Day—celebrating a really great soup especially when the days start getting colder.  

On this day in

       a. 1950 Iran became the first country to participate in Truman’s Point Four Program, a program designed to bring American technology and know-how to developing countries in agriculture, industry and health to aid in their development—It is a safe bet that the mullahs in Iran have long since forgotten the aid given to that country under the program.

       b. 1960 to the dismay of cigar lovers in the U.S., the U.S. imposed a total embargo on the island of Cuba, which embargo still exists today.

c. 2003 Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II.        d. 2005 Saddam Hussein went on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.   Reflections as the baby boomers start nearing their life expectancy: "I am  not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, 'How many good things have you done in your life?' rather he will ask, 'How much love did you put into what you did?”               Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 19, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

 

October 18 History Alaska Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 18, 2014:  Trust your weekend is off to a good start and that you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and  quotes from a note African American poet Maya Angelou, with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a chocolate cupcake as a treat, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Alaska Day—celebrating one of the great coups of American diplomacy; this day in 1867 that Russia transferred Alaska to the United States for the paltry sum of $7.2 million (about $114 million in today’s dollars or about a day and a half of the value of the oil pumped through TAPS; if you see an Alaskan today hug that person (today the Alaskanpoet will be wearing a red Stanford polo and hugs are always welcome).

      2. Persons Day—observed in Canada to commemorate the decision in Edwards v. Canada by the Canadian equivalent of our Supreme Court that ruled on October 18, 1929 that women were eligible to sit in Canada’s Senate.

      3. National No Beard Day—celebrating the excuse to shave off one’s beard which if one is getting up in years has a tendency to come in gray anyway—a holiday not celebrated in Iraq or among the fanatics of ISIS.   

      4. Great Scott Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1927 of the Academy Award winning actor George C. Scott of Patton and Dr. Strangelove fame.

      5. National Chocolate Cupcake Day—celebrating a great way to blow your diet with this tasty treat.  

On this day in

       a. 1775 Phyllis Wheatley the second published African-American poet and first woman was freed from slavery.

       b. 1851 to the bane and woe of future high school students Herman Melville’s turgid novel The Whale (later renamed Moby Dick) was published.

c. 1922 the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) was founded to create a nationwide network of radio transmitters to provide for a national broadcasting service.          d. 1954 Texas Instruments announced the first transistor radio. Reflections on why we need more poets and fewer lawyers:  “There is nothing so pitiful as a young cynic because he has gone from knowing nothing to believing nothing. The main thing in one's own private world is to try to laugh as much as you cry. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns all clean.  Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable.” Maya Angelou noted African American poet who recited a poem at Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 18, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift

October 17 History Black Poetry Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—October 17, 2014:  The weekend is almost upon us which means on Saturday and Sunday you have to go to my blogs to receive these gems. Hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and the quote from Joseph Wresinki, with a smile on your sunscreened face, looking forward to a plate of your favorite pasta, blessed with a positive attitude, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for a memorable event or the coming Christmas, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.

      1. Edge Day—celebrating since 1999 dancing on the straight edge with hard rock and moshing (slam dancing)—definitely not a dance floor for the baby boomers in Social Security mode.

      2. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty—first observed in Paris in 1987 when 100,000 gathered to honor the victims of hunger, poverty, disease and fear—great idea that gets lost in the fog when entrepreneurship and capitalism get attacked as the cause of poverty.

      3. Black Poetry Day—commemorating the birthday on this day in 1771 of Jupiter Hammond, the first African American to publish his own verse and expanded today to honor the contributions of African Americans to our literary culture.

      4. Mulligan Day—celebrating the fact that everyone not just those on the golf course deserve a second chance, a “do-over”.

      5. National Pasta Day—celebrating a great way to get your carbs especially in the form of linguine with clams in a white sauce with plenty of garlic.

On this day in

       a. 1881 Thomas Edison filed a patent for the optical phonograph (movie).

       b. 1931 Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentence to serve 11 years.

c. 1933 Albert Einstein correctly perceiving the future of the Nazis fled Germany to emigrate to the U.S.        d. 1973 in a wake up call as to why we need the Keystone Pipeline OPEC commenced an embargo on the U.S. for its support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.                                       Reflections on International Day for Eradication of Poverty: “Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights be respected is our solemn duty.” –Joseph Wresinski (1917–1988) founder of ATD Fourth World Amen to that but the discussion is always in the details of how to achieve it. Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join almost 150 growing followers and please follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs--click on links below. Go to www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com for Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—This Day In History,  poems to inspire, touch, emote, elate and enjoy and poems on breaking news items of importance. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © October 17, 2014 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes on the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Spirits to Receive the Perfect Lift