Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 1, 2017 Looks like 2017 is going to be a radical Islam repeat of 2016 as a gunman burst into an Istanbul night club after shooting a policeman and a civilian outside and killed at least 37 celebrants and wounding dozens before fleeing into the night (national manhunt for this killer); Chicago ended 2016 with over 760 homicides and over 3500 shootings and has entered 2017 a bang (no pun intended) with two homicides in the Uptown area (where is the mayor, where is the governor and where is the Illinois National Guard and where is the outrage?); Mariah Carey totally flopped in her Times Square performance on New Year’s Eve; Huskies were as expected crushed by Alabama; in the Sun Bowl, Stanford beat North Carolina in a thriller with Stanford sacking the
North Carolina quarterback’s two point conversion attempt to send the game into overtime; that venerable icon the “Hollywood” sign high in the hills over Los Angeles was hit with a prank on New Year’s Eve to commemorate the legalization of marijuana: 2017 also is looking like a more of the same with North Korea hinting that it would be testing an intercontinental ballistic missile in the very near future. Unfortunately the only sanction that would work on that rogue nation would be to assassinate Kim Jong Un and every member of his extended family.
As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Elton John, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from Pharaoh Akhenaton, looking forward to enjoying a the Word of the Year, 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. Polar Bear Swim Day—time to celebrate the new year with the madness of a group of swimmers plunging into the frigid lake or ocean waters to raised money for charity or for the joy of seeing that one’s heart is not stopped by the frigid waters. The first recorded Polar Bear Swim took place in Boston in 1904. Great shot of event at Vancouver where the water temp is probably in the low 50’s or high 40’s (note the boats on hand to provide assistance if any of these fools cramp up):
2. Public Domain Day—celebrating the day depending on the jurisdiction when copyrighted material comes into the public domain and may be sold without payment of royalties.
3. Number One Song in 1975—celebrating the number 1 song in 1975 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by Elton John. Here is a link to Elton John performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib3EpoZH4xc
4. Word of the Year—The Oxford Dictionary named as 2016’s Word of the Year “post truth” which means circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. The word described our election season to a “T.”
5. H Is for Hypocrite—celebrating the birth on this day in 1895 of J. Edgar Hoover the long time head of the FBI who ran the bureau as his own personal secret police force, illegally wiretapping, breaking and entering without warrants and subjecting suspected communists, deviants and gangsters to illegal surveillance, including Martin Luther King, Jr. He was instrumental in getting Eisenhower to ban the employment of gays in the federal government although it has been highly suspected that Hoover was a closet gay and a secret lover of his assistant Tolson whom he deeded his estate to.
On this day in:
1. 1772 travelers’ cheques were first issued by the London Credit Exchange Company for use in 80 European cities.
2. 1788 the first issue of the Times of London was published.
3. 1804 French rule in Haiti ended and Haiti became the first black republic and second independent country in North America after the United States.
4. 1808 the United States banned the importation of slaves but would have to undergo the Civil War and 55 more years of slavery before the practice of slavery ended.
5. 1971 in another step to reduce smoking and the millions of deaths associated with it, all cigarette ads are banned on television.
Reflections on how to live up to one’s New Year’s Resolutions: “Those who gave thee a body, furnished it with weakness; but He who gave thee Soul, armed thee with resolution. Employ it, and thou art wise; be wise and thou art happy.” Akhenaton, Pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 17 years and sired King Tut. 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.
© January 1, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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