January 8 History War On Poverty Day

Ridley's Believe It Or Not—January 8, 2015:    Trust your Thursday is off to a great start and you are following your 2015 resolutions. As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids and a relevant quotes from Andrew Cuomo, Aristotle and Ali,  with a smile on your face, savoring a few pieces of English Toffee, 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, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient.  You need only contact me for details.

       1. War on Poverty Day—commemorating Lyndon Johnson’s introduction of legislation introduced on January 8, 1964 commonly known as the War on Poverty; sadly given the policies of the current administration it is a war especially in black neighborhoods that we have lost.

        2. Midwives’ Day—celebrating the accomplishments in the third world of midwives without whom childbirth would be even more dangerous that it already can be.   

       3. 1977 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1977 You Don’t Have to Be a Star by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.

        4. English Toffee Day—nothing like this sweet treat made from caramelized sugar and topped with nuts to ruin a diet.

         5. Blue Suede Shoes Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1935 of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley who died far too early at the age of 42 from prescription drug abuse, a path that another icon of music Michael Jackson was doomed to repeat.

On this day in

       a. 1889 Herman Hollerith was issued a patent for his punched card calculator.

       b. 1975 Ella Grasso was sworn in as governor of Connecticut, becoming the first female governor of a state elected as opposed to succeeding a deceased husband in the position.

       c. 2002 President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act; sadly where parents do not have the choice of charter schools or where mayors like Di Blasio a the beck and call of teachers unions fight them tooth and nail, in the inner cities too many children of color are left further and further behind.

      d. 2011 Jared Lee Loughner unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, severely wounding her and 11 others and killing six people. He is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole.

Reflections on the War on Poverty: “There was never a war on poverty. Maybe there was a skirmish on poverty.” Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York “Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime.” Aristotle “Wars against nations are meant to change maps. Wars against poverty are meant to map change,” Muhammad Ali

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© January 8, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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