Ridley's Believe It Or Not--This Day In History: September 2016

Friday, September 30, 2016

September 30, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Recovery Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 30, 2016 Only 40 waning but increasingly vitriolic days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president; Trump and Clinton are both on the campaign trail trading sexist barbs at each other (time to focus on the issues and record which Hillary will lose badly); the man shot in El Cajon was a criminal that the U.S. tried to deport twice but his home nation Uganda refused to take him back; in yet another example of how polarized this nation has become, Blues in Florida are outraged that voter registration drives are taking place at Chick-fil-A outlets; on the addiction front a new drug ABT-436 is showing promising results in helping alcoholics to stop drinking by regulating vasopressin (affects stress and anxiety); in Arkansas a federal District Court Judge has blocked the state’s attempt to defund Planned Parenthood; the news out of Syria is pretty grim and getting grimmer as casualty figures from Aleppo (the place that Gary Johnson had a complete mental loss moment on) soar; the AGs from four states have sued in federal court to block Obama from transferring domain registration from ICANN to an international body (why doesn’t Obama adhere to the basic rule that if it works don’t try to fix it?); on the sports front, Stanford plays Washington tonight in Seattle—Go Cardinal!

As Trump is trying to become more presidential, going to www.lyingcrookedhillary.com is a great way to start your day along of course with www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com and reading Clinton Cash would be a great read to understand the quid pro quo mentality of the Clintons.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Rosemary Clooney, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Rob Lowe, while looking forward to sipping a hot mulled cider, 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. International Blasphemy Day—celebrated in the U.S. and Canada since 2009 to encourage the criticism of organized religion in ways that by such religions would be considered blasphemous; a safe bet would be that it is not observed in Muslim countries where blasphemy would likely result in execution.

2. Recovery Day (Canada)—first observed in 2012 to celebrate the achievement of addicts and alcoholics who have achieved long term sobriety and are able to live normal and productive lives.

3. 1954 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1954 on a run of 6 weeks in that position “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney. Here is a recording of Rosemary Clooney performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0KESKN5b2M

4. National Mulled Cider Day—celebrating a beverage to take the chill off as the days start to get colder and shorter. Here is a killer recipe: http://www.thenibble.com/REVIEWS/main/cocktails/mulled-wine-cider-glogg-recipes.asp#cider
5. When Your Number Is Called, No Place To Hide—celebrating the birth on this day in 1947 of noted glam rocker and founder of the English band T.Rex who never learned to drive due to fears of a premature death only to die as a passenger a fortnight away from his 30^th birthday after a night on the town.

On this day in:

a. 1882 Thomas Edison’s first hydroelectric plant located at Appleton, Wisconsin commenced operations.

b. 1938 in a what would prove to be a no one will listen moment, the League of Nations passed a resolution banning the bombing of citizens on the same day Britain, France, Italy and Germany in an appeasement moment signed an agreement in Munich granting the Sudetenland to Germany.

c. 1955 James Dean at the age of 24 was killed in an automobile accident enroute to a race in Salinas he was going to enter.

d. 1968 Boeing rolled out its 747 which is still in service today.

e. 2005 the Danish weekly Jyllands Posten published 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad and Islam in an unfavorable light prompting outrage in the Muslim world.

Reflections on sobriety on Recovery Day (why this day is celebrated in Canada but not here where AA was founded is a complete mystery): “Sobriety was the greatest gift I ever gave myself. I don't put it on a platform. I don't campaign about it. It's just something that works for me. It enabled me to really connect with another human being - my wife, Sheryl - which I was never able to do before.” Rob Lowe, noted American actor Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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Smoke and You Die Vape & You Spare

We have suspected for a long time since the Surgeon General’s Report that smoking is bad for your health

For oncology departments and funeral homes the habit creates a lot of wealth

Too many cases of lung cancer, too many cases of heart attacks, too many cases of strokes

Before you develop too much sympathy remember for every ten smokers who die maybe one non smoker dies from second hand smoke

Despite years of higher taxes, anti smoking ads, and curbs on where you can light up and all manner of efforts to this habit snuff

Nicotine is more addictive than cocaine and breaking the urge to smoke is really very tough

All around you see people chewing nicotine gum or a patch of nicotine

A safer way to deliver a drug from which after being hooked most smokers would like to wean

We now find that in the El Cajon shooting of an unarmed black man

All he was pointing at police was a vapor in his hand

No body cams which without which how do you detect or absolve any police crime?

Thank God for a phone video showing this killing in real time

As a white poet a sense of relief that I am not going to be shot on sight

With respect to black males what we are doing is not right

We as a nation have dumped people with mental issues into the streets

Shame on us that someone so suffering gets fatal bullets to greet

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Thursday, September 29, 2016

September 29, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Heart Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 29, 2016 Only 41 waning but vitriolic days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president; Comey came under attack yesterday for granting immunity to top Clinton aide Cheryl Mills for obstruction of justice as Clinton aides wiped her server clean after the House issued a subpoena to preserve all documents (no wonder the vast majority even almost Blues believe Clinton is untrustworthy-- http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/29/reps-clinton-aides-who-got-immunity-deals-directed-email-scrubbing.html); Trump is gearing up massive ad buy as millions are now flowing into his campaign); Libertarian Gary Johnson has another Aleppo moment his mind “froze up in another Aleppo moment during another interview with MSNBC not being able to name his favorite foreign leader (as we get older not uncommon to have a “senior moment” but one wonders if Larson was having another “weed moment”); in a desperate to energize her campaign and lackluster millennial support Clinton and Sanders were campaigning together in New Hampshire while a First Lady who has class (as opposed to when it comes to the appearance of pay to play a potential First Man who does not) was campaigning for Hillary); we all know that smoking is lethal for your health but so evidently is vaping as El Cajon police shot and killed a black man suffering from mental problems caught on video pointing a vaping device at police; the campaign when it comes to issues than people really care about like jobs and safety is aping the death spiral of Obamacare as Clinton blatantly doubles down on the sexist card with a 20 year old alleged claim of bullying by a former Miss Venezuela against Trump who is also alleged to have threatened to kill a Venezuelan judge who indicted her boyfriend for attempted murder (about the same time ago as Bill Clinton was having his sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky and Hillary was lashing out against “bimbos”); on a final and more optimistic note time to pray for the Cardinal as they meet a very talented Washington team in Seattle this Friday—Go Stanford!

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Les Paul and Mary Ford, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Hugh Jackmans, while looking forward to sipping a hot mocha (killer recipe for an almond mocha below), 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. National Coffee Day—for caffeine addicts this is your day as many coffee chains are giving away free coffee, free coffee with food purchase or discounted prices to celebrated the day (the 600 pound gorilla is not but Starbucks will donate a coffee tree for each coffee purchase to fight the blight caused by coffee rust).

2. World Heart Day—created by the World Heart Federation not to shame lawyers especially divorce ones or litigators that are perceived as being without a heart but rather to promote awareness of the causes of heart disease which kills near 20 million people a year worldwide.

3. 1953 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1953 on a long run of 11 weeks in that position “Vaya Con Dios” by Les Paul and Mary Ford. Here is a recording of Les Paul and Mary Ford performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqZ0Sdz_V40

4. National Mocha Day—celebrating that classic coffee upgrade when your taste buds have become bored with plain coffee to enjoy with a few added calories; here is an easy recipe to avoid the Starbucks charge for almond mocha: http://www.folgerscoffee.com/coffee-recipes/coffee-drink-recipes/almond-mocha-coffee
5. Angels And Singing Cowboys—celebrating the birth on this day in 1907 of the “Singing Cowboy” Gene Autry who after an illustrious career in Westerns went on to buy and bring the California Angels to Anaheim.

On this day in:

a. 480 B.C. the reason why Greece is not farsi speaking is that the Greek navy under the command of Themistocles destroyed a far larger Persian fleet under the command of Xerxes I.

b. 1789 pursuant to Congressional action taken before it adjourned, after being reminded by President Washington of the need to establish a standing regular army, the U.S. Department of War established a regular army of several hundred men.

c. 1829 Sir Robert Peel established the London Metropolitan Police hence the nicknames of “bobbies” and “peelers” for its officers.

d. 1916 oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller became the world’s first billionaire.

e. 2008 following the bankruptcies of Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual aggravated by the failure of the House to pass Bush’s 700 billion dollar bailout plan, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 778 points, the largest loss in its history.

On National Coffee Day rlections on a unique aspect of coffee: “To me, the smell of fresh-made coffee is one of the greatest inventions. Hugh Jackmans, noted Australian actor and portrayer of Wolverine in the X-men series Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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Wednesday, September 28, 2016

September 28, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Freedom From Hunger Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 28, 2016 Only 42 waning but vitriolic days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president; Trump and Clinton are both on the campaign trail trading barbs at each other but Trump touted the raising of $18 million in the 24 hours after the debate; Comey is being grilled by the House over immunity offered Clinton aides and the fact that Mills who was a potential target participated in Hillary’s interview with the FBI (sadly just like she corrupted the State Department, the FBI seems to have been corrupted by her also at a time when Comey was also warning that Europe and the U.S. will be the Diaspora for radical Islamists not killed on the ground in the caliphate); in another we do not need this moment El Cajon police shot and killed another black man after a taser failed to subdue him and after he pulled an object from his pocket and assumed a shooting stance (fortunately so far the protests are angry but not violent); in an example of the generosity of humans, over 150,000 individuals and corporations from 120 countries have donated enough funds to distribute $350,000 to the estates of each person killed in Orlando and up to $300,000 to each person wounded (on a bitter note half of those killed have parents or ex-spouses fighting with each other or with each deceased’s partner over who shall receive the funds); in an event that will raise ethical questions a baby was born five months ago with the DNA from three sources--father, mother with some potential fatal disease causing DNA removed and the DNA of the egg donor.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Jo Stafford, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Jeff Bridges, while looking forward to sipping a cold brew, 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. National See You At The Pole Day—celebrated since 1990 not at the South or North Pole but rather at 7:00 in the morning by Christian students to meet in front of the flag pole at their school for prayer, scripture readings and worship in an era when Christianity is under attack and schools are terrified of lawsuits by the ACLU over any hint however slight that a public school is violating the separation of church and state requirements of the 1^st Amendment.

2. Freedom From Hunger Day—first observed in 2006 to create awareness of global hunger which lurks even in the U.S., including affluent areas like Orange County, California where millions of Americans face hunger problems every day.

3. 1952 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1952 on a run of 5 weeks in that position “You Belong To Me” by Jo Stafford. Here is a recording of Jo Stafford performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQfF84ackMM

4. National Drink Beer Day—celebrating a beverage that has been around since mankind first started domesticating grains although one would have thought the day should be celebrated on September 17 since that is the first day of Oktoberfest.
5. Thank God, God Created Woman—celebrating the birth on this day in 1934 of one of France’s best contributions to our artistic culture Bridget Bardot famous for such films as And God Created Woman; she has since retired from acting but has found a new passion as an animal rights activist.

On this day in:

a. 1066 William the Conqueror landed at Pevensey, England to begin the Norman conquest of England.

b. 1928 Sir Arthur Fleming noticed in his laboratory a bacteria killing mold growing which became known as penicillin, the world’s first anti-biotic.

c. 1970 Egyptian President Nasser died from a heart attack and was succeeded by Anwar Sadat.

d. 1971 Parliament in the United Kingdom passed the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 which ban the use of marijuana for medical purposes.

e. 2008 SpaceX successfully launched into orbit Falcon 1, the first privately funded spacecraft.

Reflections on hunger while obesity is growing and is becoming a major problem in America leading to diabetes, stroke and heart attacks: “35 million people in the U.S. are hungry or don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and 13 million of them are children. If another country were doing this to our children, we’d be at war.” Jeff Bridge, noted American actor who is the brother of fellow actor Beau Bridges and the son of the late Lloyd Bridges Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2016

September 27, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Tourism Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 27, 2016 Only 43 waning days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president; far from being a boring night the debate produced a lot of fiery exchanges with Trump on the defense and missing the opportunity to label the true disgrace on her server not that her aides took the fifth but her destruction of evidence, her lying about emails to the American people, Congress and the FBI and her husband’s private meeting with Lynch on her plane to talk about “grandchildren”; both candidates are on the campaign trail; the California Democratic Party is under investigation for taking money in from oil companies which is legal and then funneling it to Jerry Brown’s reelection campaign (detect a little hypocrisy here?); in a sign of growing backlash over the flood of refugees almost all Muslims into Germany, a mosque was bombed in Germany; on the PC idiocy gripping college campuses Clemson University has banned memes referencing the gentle gorilla Harambe who was shot and killed in the Cincinnati zoo because they would promote racism and rape (and parents paying over $30,000 in tuition put up with this nonsense); on the sports front Dodgers clinched their division.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Tony Bennett, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Tahir Shah, while looking forward to enjoying a generous serving of corned beef hash, 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. National Voter Registration Day—created to urge all citizens who have not registered to vote to register to vote; democracy only works if large percentages of its citizens vote and vote intelligently with an understanding of the issues and the candidates’ positions.

2. World Tourism Day—created in 1980 to promote awareness of the contribution of tourism to our economies and how it affects social, cultural and political values worldwide.

3. 1951 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1951 on a long run of 8 weeks in that position “Because of You” by Tony Bennett. Here is a recording of Tony Bennett performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-4zvArJDGg

4. National Corned Beef Hash Day—celebrating this great breakfast meal and perfect way to get rid of leftovers from a previous dinner. 5. The Great Illusion—celebrating the birth on this day in 1885 of Harry Boughton, noted and famed magician for such illusions as sawing a woman in half, the disappearing birdcage and the floating light bulb, and better known as Harry Blackstone and the father of Harry Blackstone, Jr. also a noted magician in his own right and honorary member of the Orange County Nights of the Roundtable.

On this day in:

a. 1777 in a great question for Jeopardy Lancaster, PA became the nation’s capital for one day as the Continental Congress vacated Philadelphia to escape being captured by the invading British troops.

b. 1822 Jean-Francois Champollion announced that he had deciphered the Rosetta Stone.

c. 1930 Bobby Jones completed Golf’s Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open, the British Open, the U.S. Amateur and the British Amateur.

d. 1979 Congress approved the Department of Education as the 13^th Cabinet.

e. 1983 Richard Stallman announced the GNU project, a Unix-like operating system that differs from UNIX in that it is free software.

Reflections on the tourists: “As I see the world, there's one element that's even more corrosive than missionaries: tourists. It's not that I feel above them in any way, but that the very places they patronize are destroyed by their affection.” Tahir Shah House of the Tiger King: The Quest for a Lost City Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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Monday, September 26, 2016

September 26, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Johnny Appleseed Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 26, 2016 Only 44 waning days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president and only a few hours to go until the first debate that will probably be watched by over 100 million people; on the sports front two legends are no longer with us—Arnold Palmer who just died and Vin Skully who has retired from broadcasting the Dodgers’ games; mass shootings in Houston by of all persons a lawyer; on the political front just hours before the first presidential debate, the liberal media has realized that Trump has surged to make this race a dead heat and is favored in key battleground states and they are in panic mode with editorials and coverage vilifying him. Hope everyone has time to watch the fireworks tonight.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, music links to the Weavers and Marty Robins, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Herman Kahn, while looking forward to enjoying a generous serving of pancakes, 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. Lumberjack Day—created in 2005 to honor, due to the environmentalists, a dying over regulated breed--the lumberjack; today would be a great day to eat pancakes and wear plaid but if you have an ax with you make sure it is a toy one, given the fears over terrorists’ stabbings and axings.

2. National Johnny Appleseed Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1774 of John Chapman, aka Johnny Appleseed, who was a New York nurseryman who traveled west and along the way planted apple trees for settlers in Ohio and Pennsylvania to have a source of food.

3. 1950 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1950 on a long run of 13 weeks in that position “Goodnight Irene” by the Weavers with Gordon Jenkins. Here is a recording of the Weavers with Gordon Jenkins performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSDyiUBrUSk

4. National Pancake Day—celebrating this high great breakfast meal especially when covered in real maple syrup—great day to hop down to IHOP. 5. Go To El Paso With A Big Iron On Your Hip—celebrating the birth on this day in 1925 of noted country and pop singer and song writer better known to his fans as Marty Robbins—here is a link to him performing the ballad “Big Iron.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGmUsJvRv7U

On this day in:

a. 1933 Machine Gun Kelly caught without his Thompson submachine gun surrendered to federal agents after shouting “Don’t Shoot G-men,” saddling them with a nickname still used today to describe federal agents in law enforcement.

b. 1950 following the successful and daring landing of U.S. forces at Inchon, Seoul was recaptured; but the South Korean capital was recaptured by the Chinese and North Koreans on January 7, 1951.

c. 1960 the first televised presidential debate took place between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon which was watched by an estimated 70 million viewers (predictions are that over 100 million will be watching tonight).

d. 1969 the Beatles released their last album Abbey Road.

e. 1983 at a time of strained relations with the United States and fortunately for the hundreds of millions of Americans and Soviet that would have died, fortunately Soviet Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov manning a Soviet early missile warning center correctly identified a report that the U.S. had just launched a Minuteman nuclear armed missile at the Soviet Union as being erroneous thereby preventing an accidental nuclear war between the two nations.

Reflections on the anniversary of an almost accidental nuclear war that border on the delusional: “From a scientific perspective there is some indication that a nuclear war could deplete the earth's ozone layer or, less likely, could bring on a new Ice Age - but there is no suggestion that either the created order or mankind would be destroyed in the process.” Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Institute and preeminent military strategist and futurist on the 20^th Century although on this quote I believe he is out to lunch. Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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Sunday, September 25, 2016

September 25, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Gold Star Mothers Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 25, 2016 Only 45 waning days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president and only 1 day until the first debate; on the blue on black front, the Charlotte police department has relented and released their dash cam videos which although one hears the commands yelling at Scott to drop the gun, the video is inconclusive (the gun that was at the scene according to police must have fingerprints and the FBI hopefully could trace where it was purchased which information to forestall any further riots should be released); the shooter in Burlington, Washington who killed 5 people was a Turkish immigrant supposedly having legal status (so much for vetting once again); mass shootings in Baltimore (probably gang related) and on the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois; Mexico is being inundated with a flood of illegal aliens on its southern border who unfortunately hell bent to journey up north and cross or open border; in another chilling reminder of why we need to close our southern border which is being swamped with drugs and cartel members in addition to illegal aliens, seven people died from overdoses of heroin in the Cleveland area which is on pace to have 500 overdose deaths this year; on the sports front at the Rose Bowl in a true nail bitter, Stanford beat UCLA for the ninth time in a row b 23-13 by scoring two touchdowns in the last 28 seconds and will face 9^th ranked Washington in Seattle in a crucial game with both teams undefeated—Go Cardinal!

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Vic Damone, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Barbara Walters, while looking forward to enjoying a generous serving of lobser, 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. International Ataxia Awareness Day—celebrated to promote awareness of and raise research dollars for ataxia a disease ot the nervous system that destroys balance and coordination.

2. National Gold Star Mothers Day—celebrated on the last Sunday in September to honor the sacrifice and pain suffered by those mothers who have lost a son or daughter while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

3. 1949 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1949 on a run of 4 weeks in that position “Your Breaking My Heart” by Vic Damone. Here is a recording of Vic Damone performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hGSiN8w1gg

4. National Lobster Day—celebrating this highly evolved omnivore’s favorite dish which is best found at the Cove Seafood II in Little Saigon. 5. You Don’t Need Hindsight To Create 20/20—celebrating the birth on this day in 1929 of noted television journalist and anchor Barbara Walters, noted for The View, 20/20 and The Today, being named the first woman co-anchor of a nationally syndicated news program and her unique interviewing style and the number of famous leaders and personalities that she has interviewed.

On this day in:

a. 1789 the Congress passed 12 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the first ten of which became known as the Bill of Rights and were soon ratified by the states, the Congressional Apportionment Amendment which was never ratified and the Congressional Compensation Amendment which was finally ratified in 1992 over two hundred years later as the 27^th Amendment.

b. 1942 in a move which condemned thousands of Jews to ultimate death during the Holocaust the Swiss ruled that persons fleeing countries in Europe based on their race were not political refugees and therefore were to be denied entry.

c. 1956 TAT-1, the first submarine transatlantic telephone system commenced operations bringing the two continents closer at least from a communications standpoint.

d. 1974 the first ulnar ligament replacement surgery was performed on Dodge pitcher Tommy John, who after a two year rehab process was able to pitch for another 13 years.

e. 1992 NASA launched the Mars Observer probe built at a cost of over $500 million; sadly that money went for naught as the probe failed 11 months later only three days before it was to be inserted into Martian orbit.

Reflections on success from one of the masters of it :”[Success] can make you a prima donna, or it can smooth the edges, take away the insecurities, let the nice things come out.” Barbara Walters Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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Friday, September 23, 2016

September 23, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Native American Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For September 23, 2016 Only 47 waning days to go until the only polls that matter close for Trump to continue his pivot before we elect a new president and only 3 days until the first debate; on the blue on black front, the Tulsa police officer who shot an unarmed black in Tulsa has been arrested for manslaughter and the protests in Charlotte continue but at least peaceful last night amid growing calls that police videos be released to either confirm or deny the presence of a gun or a book held by the victim; in two really disturbing items on the sanctity of our elections news that even now top Blues are concluding that Russia is definitely behind growing cyber efforts to influence our election and the Obama administration is pedal to the metal to spare no money to naturalize as many people as possible before the elections so they can vote (i.e. vote Blue); on the crime front Weiner is being investigated by the NYPD for his sexting with a minor (this guy really needs some professional help) and Brad Pitt is being investigated by the FBI over claims that far too often arise in divorce proceedings that he abused one of his children; on the sports front my beloved Cardinal goes into the Rose Bowl with a three point spread favorite against the Bruins to see if they can beat them nine times in a row—Go Cardinal!

As Trump is trying to become more presidential, going to www.lyingcrookedhillary.com is a great way to start your day along of course withwww.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com and reading Clinton Cash would be a great read to understand the quid pro quo mentality of the Clintons.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Francis Craig and His Orchestra, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Kurt Vonnegut, while looking forward to enjoying a pot pie, 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. Native American Day—celebrated in California and South Dakota in a better late than never moment after we took their lands and basically violated and ignored every treaty with tribes we entered into to commemorate and honor the contributions American Indians have made for this country (thank God for Hollywood to make a movie Windtalkers about the Navaho code speakers who were so vital to the war in the Pacific).

2. National Dogs In Politics Day—celebrating the Nixon’s famous “Checkers Speech” after he had been charged with using $18,000 of campaign funds during the 1952 elections for his own personal use, he went on TV to proclaim that his two daughters had received a dog as a gift which the family would keep and had named Checkers; man’s best friend when it have always been a focus of attention in elections and the presidency (had Goldwater been a better candidate LBJ’s pulling one of his beagles up by the ears might have cost him the election).

3. 1947 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1947 on an unbelievably long run of 12 weeks in that position “Near You” by Francis Craig. Here is a recording of Francis Craig and His Orchestra performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbZLpAMnclQ

4. National Great American Pot Pie Day—celebrating a dish that has been around since Roman times; if you don’t want to be dependent on Marie Callender for this culinary treat here is a recipe for chicken pot pie that is easy and delicious. http://blog.thenibble.com/2015/09/23/food-fun-chicken-pot-pie-baked-potato/
5. How To Derail A Trane—celebrating the birth on this day in 1926 of noted and pioneering jazz saxophonist John Coltrane aka the Trane who blew his last not at the too early age of 40 due to suspected heroin use.

On this day in:

a. 1642 Harvard College graduated its first students.

b. 1780 British major John Andre was arrested as a spy which led to the exposing of Benedict Arnold as a traitor.

c. 1889 Nintendo was founded.

d. 1911 in a making the world smaller moment pilot Earl Ovington under the authority of the U.S. Postal Service delivered the first air mail.

e. 2002 the first version of the web browser Firefox Mozilla was released.

Reflections on our treatment of American Indians:”“It's a widely accepted principle,' he says, 'that you can claim a piece of land which has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years, if only you repeat this mantra endlessly: 'We discovered it, we discovered it, we discovered it....” Kurt Vonnegut, Deadeye Dick great American author who was a POW at Dresden when it was leveled by American and British bombers toward the end of World War II. Please enjoy the poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and follow me) and follow my blogs. Always good, incisive and entertaining poems on my blogs—click on the 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 or go to Ridley's Believe It Or Not for just This Day in History.

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