April 20, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not 4/20 Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 20, 2016 Unfortunately still 275 days to go in President Obama’s   pathetic lame duck term but political theater is alive and well as Trump trumps the field in New York and HRC with her hot sauce ala Beyonce in her purse pandering to African-Americans trounces Sanders. Interesting side note to FBI investigation of HRC is that FBI is now investigating the mayor of New York, another HRC supporter, for criminal election law violations. Obama landed in Saudi Arabia this morning as speculation swirls about Saudi involvement in 9/11 and Obama’s slow walk on releasing 28 pages of classified material that might shed light on that involvement. I trust your Wednesday is proving to be a great one; and as always, I hope  you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to Thelma Houston, factoids of interest, a  relevant quote attributed to Barack Obama while looking forward to enjoying a bowl of lima beans (recipe included), blessed with a positive attitude and  secure in  the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or  anniversaries, 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. 4/20 Day—a true counter culture day created by some high school students at San Rafael High School in 1971  who gathered to search for a supposedly abandoned marijuana plot near the school; today 420 is the code number for those who use and support the use of marijuana which in places like Colorado and in a growing number of states for “medicinal” purposes is losing its stigma of illegality. 

2. Volunteer Recognition  Day—commemorating the great contributions to our communities and nation of those who volunteer not for recognition or accolade but the inner satisfaction when a person gives back to his community with his or her services; once more here is an observance that should be recognized every day, especially in the era when public programs are under intense budgetary stress.                                    

3. 1977 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1977 on a brief run of one week in that position Don’t Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston. Here is a link to Thelma Houston performing what many consider one of the greater dance songs in history, Don’t Leave Me This Way:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35FqbbZWPsM   

4. Lima Bean Respect Day—celebrating one of the more popular New World foods that the Spanish discovered and which are a power house of vitamins, fiber and other nutrients.  Consistent with my goal to always provide useful information in Ridley's Believe It Or Not-This Day In History here is a link to a quick and easy recipe for lima beans that is guaranteed to be tasty and devoured: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/46990/easy-lima-beans/

5. Like Father Like Son—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1972 of Stephen Marley, son of Robert Marley, who like his father has pursued a career as a reggae artist.   

On this day in:

a. 1535 the sun dog phenomenon, two horizontal bright lights appearing as smaller suns linked by a holo due to the interaction of ice crystals in the atmosphere with the rays from the Sun, appeared in Stockholm which were immortalized in the painting Vädersolstavlan by Urban malare. Here is a photo of sun dogs over North Dakota:

                                                      

               

b. 1871 the Civil Rights Act of 1871 was enacted into to law in response to racial violence by the Klu Klux Klan and empowered the President with the right to respond to racial violence and to suspend the right of habeas corpus which President Grant used to decimate the KKK which was engaging in a reign of terror and murder against African-Americans in the South. 

c. 1926 to the great sorrow of actresses and actors who did not have great speaking voices but great facial expressions Western Electric and Warner Brothers announced the creation of Vitaphone.     

d. 2008 in discarding moment of the epitaph “Women drivers!,” Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 to become the first female winner in history of an Indy race.   

e. 2010 BP’s oil platform Deep Horizon exploded, killing 13 workers and creating a seabed gusher of oil that took over 6 months to cap and resulted in millions of barrels of oil being released into the Gulf of Mexico to devastate the shores and seabeds of the Gulf.    

It has taken almost eight years of nontransparency and dishonesty but finally a quote on 4/20 Day that reveals some missing honesty from our current occupant of the White House as opposed to the man who had previously occupied it and sadly may become on January 20 the First Man and on this issue the First Deceiver:  “When I was a kid I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”―Barack Obama If this quote is true, then given the dishonesty of this president, the people not supporting the legalization of marijuana have the best argument to bolster their campaign against legalization.   

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© April 20, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 
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