February 28, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Rare Disease Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 28, 2017 Tonight Trump appears before a Joint Session of Congress to deliver his vision for America in first State of the Union Address (we can expect zero applause from the blues who will be glued to their seats and the only suspense from them will be can they in their devastated state refrain from showing no class and boycotting the speech?); 39 days into his term and already Blues led by the defeated Islamist anti-Semite Ellison and the scumbag accuser Maxine Waters are calling for impeachment (no wonder Trump is bemoaning their ultimate disappearance; Pelosi was on a full snit fit with cries that Trump is trying to make America sick again;

while we are moving full speed ahead to build a wall on our Southern border, news out of Europe is that EU charities are encouraging traffickers to set sail with boats overloading with  migrants from Africa to Europe under barbaric conditions and dangers; Mardi Gras at New Orleans was marred by another vehicle e plowing into a crowd of high school band members; ranking of all 50 states came out to add spice and interest at cocktail party conversations (for what it’s worth Massachusetts is number 1, California number 23 (with the government sector near last even with not a single Red state wide office and overwhelming majorities by Blues in both state houses of the legislature) https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings; almost like a stuck record, the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 27, rising to 517 shootings with 98 persons dead (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Art Mooney, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from the National Organization of Rare Disorders, while regaling your guests with your abilities as a deipnosophist, 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. Rare Disease Day—first observed on 3/29/2008 to promote awareness of the needs of those patients that are suffering from diseases that affect a very small portion of the population thereby making it difficult to conduct research on trying to find a cure given the market size. 

2. Tailors’ Day—clothes may or may not make the man but they provide sources of income for thousands upon thousands of garment workers and tailors; observed on this day as it is the birthday of Elias Howe on 1845 of the sewing machine.  

 3. 1948 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1948 on a run of 3 weeks in that position “I’m Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover” by Art Mooney.  Here is a recording of him performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NobGWZEkKsk Do not ask me why the song was not released to time with a number one ranking on St. Patrick’s Day.

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “deipnosophist ” which means a person skilled in the art of after dinner conversation which you will if you regularly read Ridley's Believe It Or Not-This Day In History.                         

      5. Stoning Ends Rolling—celebrating the birth on this day in 1942 of Brian Jones, the founder of the Rolling Stones whose drug and alcohol use caused the band to ask him to leave in June of 1969; one month later he was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool.

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1827 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company was formed as the first railroad to offer commercial freight and passenger service.   

b. 1847 regular steamboat service between the West Coast and the East Coast was inaugurated when the SS California steamed into San Francisco Bay four months and twenty-two days after it had left New York Harbor.      

c. 1940 the first college basketball game to be televised was won by University of Pittsburgh 47-37 over Fordham in Madison Square Garden.

d. 1954 the first color TV sets using the NSTC standard went on sale to the public.

e. 2004 over one million Taiwanese participated in the Hand to Hand 228 Incident rally, creating a human chain 500 kilometers long across the island to commemorate the 228 Incident where some 30,000 civilians were massacred by Chiang Kai-shek’s armed forces that had fled to Taiwan from Mao’s Red Chinese.  

Reflections on rare diseases from the National Organization of Rare Disorders: “Alone we are rare. Together we are Strong.”  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.

© February 28, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

February 27, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World NGO Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 27, 2017 The Oscars went into full Trump bashing mode and when it came to announcing the Best Picture Award noted leftist Warren Beatty could not do something so simple as correctly name the winner and these script pundits think we mere mortals should care what they think; Trump preparing do address the Congress but indications that his budget will include billions of dollars in increasing military spending and massive cuts in a bloated government; in a chilling look into the future of what massive admission of Muslim migrants might foretell for this nation, news out of Germany which has admitted over a million Muslim refugees that attacks on migrants are averaging ten a day; Christians are fleeing the Sinai due to ISIS threats and the world was treated to another example of barbarism as a German sailor was beheaded by radical Islamists in the Philippines; another Trump appointee, this one for Navy Secretary, probably not wanting to be ravaged by Schumer’s obstructionist gang has withdrawn from consideration; the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 26, rising to 512 shootings with the aim getting better so the total dead has risen to 98 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets better.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Freddy Martin and his Orchestra, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Ethan Zuckerburg, while degusting your favorite meals, 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. World NGO Day—celebrated since 2010 to promote awareness of the importance of non governmental organizations to promote human welfare to the benefit of society.

2. International Polar Bear Day—promoting conservation efforts to protect the polar bear and its habitat.

3. 1947 Number One Song—celebrating  the number one song in 1947 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Managua Nicaragua” by the Freddy Martin. Here is a recording of Freddy Martin and his Orchestra performing the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5nzolCUeLg

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “degust” which means to taste or swallow slowly to appreciate the taste of what one is eating or drinking.                      

      5. This Blake Is No Flake—celebrating the birth on this day in 1971 of Sara Blakely noted entrepreneur who created to the joy of women everywhere Spanx and has joined the ranks of the elite billionaires.

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1782 the British Lion threw in the towel as the House of Commons voted against continuing the Revolutionary War.

b. 1922 SCOTUS in the case of Leser v. Garnett rebuffed a challenge to the ratification of the 19^th Amendment which granted suffrage to women.      

c. 1951 to the great disappointment a future president who in his delusional state would remain confident that he would have won a third term, the 22^nd Amendment limiting a president to two terms was ratified.

d. 1991 President Bush announced to the nation that Kuwait had been liberated.

e. 2002 in yet another example of religious intolerance that the world continues to struggle to come to grips with in Godhra, India a Muslim mob attacked a train carrying Hindu pilgrims and torched it, killing 59 pilgrims.

Reflections on NGO’s: “Increasingly, I'm inspired by entrepreneurs who run nonprofit organizations that fund themselves, or for-profit organizations that achieve social missions while turning a profit.” Ethan Zuckerman, Director of the MIT Civic Center Media Institute.  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.

© February 27, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

    

February 26, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Carnival Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 26, 2017 The DNC, to the dismay of the RNC, may be taking some small steps toward remaining as a political party as it turned back the candidacy of the rabid anti-Semite and possible closet Islamist Ellison and elected Perez instead to head the DNC; President Trump has indicated that he will not go to the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner perhaps further highlighting his distaste of the media; in another reminder of the wisdom of the adage that one should never drink and drive, a motorist in a “highly intoxicated state” crashed into a Mardi Gras crowd in New Orleans injuring 28 pedestrians; the blood bath in retail continues as after news that JC Penney would be closing 130-140 outlets, Sears announced that it was laying off more than 130 employees from its corporate headquarters; brace for the celebs at the Oscars lambasting Trump tonight (does anyone care what these highly paid script reciters think?); in yet another example of the reach of Islamist terrorism, the Pentagon announced plans to expand its operations in Somalia to counter the growing threat of al Qaeda there; almost like a stuck record, the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 25, rising to 506 shootings but the aim was off so the total dead remains at  96 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Betty Hutton, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Bernie Sanders, while watching a callithumpian parade, 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. Carnival Day—on a day when the holidays and observances are few and far between, what better way to celebrate than to visit a carnival visiting a town near you to be entertained and mingle with real people before watching the pampered elite of Hollywood on the red carpet or on stage spouting off against the deplorables who pay the outrageous ticket prices and totally outrageous concession prices for the privilege of watching movies that belittle them.  

2. Tell a Fairy Tale Day—promoting not the tales of a balanced budget or hype that the policies of the politicians are proceeding to accomplish their goals that we hear too often from the Swamp but rather the act of telling or reading to a child a fairy tale that excites them to pursue reading on their own.

 3. 1946 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1946 on a run of 1 week in that position “Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief” by Betty Hutton.  Here is a recording of her performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZYYqQInrDg

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “callithumpian” which means a discordant band or a noisy parade which often describes the Stanford band’s performances at football games.                         

      5. Kaine Mutiny—celebrating or bemoaning, as the case may be depending on your political view, not the movie with the same homonym but rather the birthday on this day in 1958 of Tim Kaine who the deplorables rose up and trounced along with his pathetic running mate.  

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1909 fitting that as we approach the Oscars the first successful motion picture process in color, kinemacolor, was displayed at the Palace Theater in London. 

b. 1935 the march to war continued as Adolph Hitler ordered the establishment of the Luftwaffe in violation of the Versailles Treaty.      

c. 1979 to the joy of rail car passengers including this poet who will be on the Coast Starlight this weekend in a sleeper, the Superliner railcar entered service with Amtrak.

d. 1993 a truck bomb detonated underneath the North Tower of the World Trade Center killing 6 and injuring over a thousand; the “blind sheik” who masterminded the attack finally completed his one way ticket to Paradise by dying in a federal prison recently.

e. 1995 the UK’s oldest investment bank Barings folded after one of its securities traders Nick Leeson lost over $1.4 billion speculating on futures contracts on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange.

Reflections on why this man could never be president as the Trump rally has added over $2 trillion to investors’ net worth since Trump’s election: “Establishing a 0.03 percent Wall Street speculation fee, similar to what we had from 1914-1966, would dampen the dangerous level of speculation and gambling on Wall Street, encourage the financial sector to invest in the productive economy and reduce the deficit by more than $350 billion over 10 years.” Bernie Sanders, socialist, leftist candidate who ran against Hillary Clinton for the nomination and what may be very frightening probably had a great chance of defeating Donald Trump compared to the lifeless, inept candidacy of Hillary Clinton.  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.

© February 26, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

February 25, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Quiet Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 25, 2017 The DNC is meeting today to elect its new chairman and the question is how much further to the left away from the mainstream the party will move with Ellison and Perez both very liberal the leading candidates http://alaskanpoet.blogspot.com/2017/02/blues-moving-to-left-at-dnc.html; DHS is moving at flank speed to start constructing the wall although still uncertain how it will be paid for (why not put every abled bodied male caught trying to enter this country illegally to work  building it?); news media outlets are still in an uproar over Spicer’s banning certain news outlets from a briefing while admitting some additional outlets that tend to be conservative; Trump still is having difficulty in staying focused on the economic issues that really concern us like jobs, security and growth and continues to attack the media and the FBI (the smoke coming out the  White House is not the notice of a new Pope but rather the burning of political capital in a wasteful manner); as the mere mortals brace themselves for a wave of political anti Trump rhetoric at the Oscars, George Clooney in accepting an honorary Cesar in France could not restrain himself from attacking Trump implying he represents hate; finally a glimmer of sanity in the Political Correctness Iron Curtain that has descended down on most of our colleges and universities, the trustees of Orange Coast College have rescinded the suspension of a student who taped a professor’s rant that Trump’s election was an “act of terrorism” (unfortunately for the students, the professor was not fired for academic terrorism in making it pretty clear that if a student disagreed with her views, a F would be in that students future);  Justice Ginsburg who looks like death warmed over has indicated she will stay on SCOTUS as long as she can (she really should resign due to age and health but such resignation would really tilt the balance in favor of conservative views for the next decade or so); in another you will not believe this moment a group witches have gathered to cast a spell on President Trump; almost like a stuck record, the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 24, rising to 502 shootings with the aim improving so the total dead has risen by 2 to  96 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Andrews Sisters, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Anne Frank, while hoping that your favorite sports team plays in and wins a barn burner of a match, 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. World Sword Swallowers Day—celebrated on the last Saturday in February at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museums around the world to raise money for research in swallowing disorders and esophageal cancer.

2. Quiet Day—promoting the solitude and benefits of ramping down the noises that as humans we are constantly exposed to in order to reduce stress and promote tranquility (this is one observance that should be mandated on the political scene to tone down the escalating rhetoric against Trump).

 3. 1945 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1945 on a run of 7 weeks in that position “Rum and Coco-Cola” by the Andrews Sister.  Here is a recording of them performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGxL2uNr7bk

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “barn burner” which means an exceptionally exciting event, especially a sporting event or in political arena Trump’s campaign and election.                        

      5. Too Biased and Profane to Handle—celebrating or bemoaning, as the case may be depending on your political view, the birthday on this day in 1975 of one very biased anti-Trump comedian, Chelsea Handler.

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1836 Samuel Colt was granted a patent for a revolver. 

b. 1933 the USS Ranger, the first aircraft carrier designed from the start to be an aircraft carrier, was launched.      

c. 1939 in a sign that war was coming in the future the first of 1.5 million Anderson shelters distributed to civilians before the outbreak of war were distributed in London.

d. 1968 in the village of Ha My in South Vietnam, 135 unarmed women, children and elders were killed and buried by South Korean Marines in a common grave. 

e. 1987 after learning that since 1981 Southern Methodist University had been making illegal payments to its football players, the NCAA cancelled the university’s entire 1987 football season.

Reflections on quiet: “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be.”  Anne Frank Hiding from the Germans the poor child and her family probably never saw the outdoors after the start of the war until they arrived at the concentration camp for extermination.  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.

© February 25, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

February 24, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Stand Up to Bullying Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 24, 2017 As the stock market rises to new highs and small business optimism rises to new highs over Trump’s ideas of tax cuts and regulatory reform despite the Schumer’s minions doing everything in their tooth and nail pocket to delay, the Reds await President Trump’s address at CPAC today; news that by August which is compared to past administrations hyper speed, tax cuts and reforms will be in Congress (each day of delay gives the delusional Blues another day to consolidate their battered forces to fight to insure that notwithstanding the benefit to the American people that Trump will fail); in yet another problem with Russia emboldened by the pathetic HRC reset and a feckless 8 years of Obama, we are now facing a growing militaristic presence by them in the Arctic but how hobbled are we with $20 trillion of national debt and rising interest rates to respond; if you think the Blues have gone ballistic you have not seen anything yet as Senator Cruz predicted another SCOTUS nomination will become available soon as Justice Ginsburg who can barely stay awake is in her 80’s as is Kennedy who may want to stay on to mentor his former clerk Gorsuch; if you want to see an example of media bias and exploitation of children in action view this short anti-Trump piece from NBC ”News”— http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/23/nbc-news-video-featuring-kids-terrified-about-trump-comes-under-fire; in a day of news of chaos and dismay a slight ray of hope for this polarized planet with the news of discovery of 7 planets orbiting Trappist 1 a star 40 light years away as three of the seven may be in the zone that supports life as we know it here (long way to go so maybe we should focus on harmony and discourse here and damp the rhetoric); almost like a stuck record, the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 23, rising to 497 shootings with the aim bad so the total dead stuck at 94 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Glen Gray, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Andrew Vachss, while trying to avoid amphibology in your speaking and writing, 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 Stand Up to Bullying Day—celebrated since 2008 on the last Friday in February and really should be observed every day of the year—no one either physically or cyberly should have to endure a bully and anyone of us not bullied who observes but is silent should be condemned. In honor of the observance today if you have a pink shirt in your wardrobe wear it and if not buy one for next year.

2. International Repetitive Strain Injury Day—promoting awareness of the workplace injuries caused by doing the same task over and over in the absence of proper ergonomically designed workplaces and celebrated on the last Friday in February.

 3. 1944 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1944 on a run of 5 weeks in that position “My Heart Tells Me” by Glen Gray.  Here is a recording of Glen Gray performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhS5qJ-KNRU

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “amphibology” which is a phrase or sentence that is grammatically ambiguous which is how the diplomats or politicians typically speak.                       

      5. An Apple a Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1955 of one amazing entrepreneur Steve Jobs, cofounder of Apple taken from us far too soon from prostate cancer.

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1803 in a landmark decision SCOTUS in the case of Marbury v. Madison established the principles of judicial review.  

b. 1868 President Andrew Johnson became the first president to be impeached and like the second Bill Clinton was acquitted in the Senate, but unlike Clinton whose Blues voted on party lines, Johnson escaped impeachment by one vote of the required two thirds vote.      

c. 1968 the Tet Offensive was halted by the Viet Cong and NVA and Hue was recaptured by U.S. Marines but the terminal damage to the U.S. political support for the war had already occurred.

d. 1983 in a better late than never moment the Congress formally condemned the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II.  

e. 2008 after 32 years of tyrannical rule in Cuba Fidel Castro retired as President aka the Alaskanpoet dictator of Cuba.

Reflections on the cowardice of bullying: “Fighting means you could lose. Bullying means you can't. A bully wants to beat somebody; he doesn't want to fight somebody.” Andrew Vachss, noted American crime fiction author and child protection consultant 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.

© February 24, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

February 23, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Great American Spit Out

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 23, 2017 As the stock market rises to new highs and small business optimism rises to new highs over Trump’s ideas of tax cuts and regulatory reform despite the Schumer’s minions doing everything in their tooth and nail pocket to delay, the Reds gather for their annual CPAC meeting with Pence speaking today and President Trump on Friday; someone in Indiana is a very happy camper since he purchased the winning Powerball ticket worth $435 million (for his sake one would hope the tax cuts planned by Trump go through); backed by U.S. air strikes, Iraqi forces have seized a key runway in Mosul and in a classic example of “mission creep,” U.S. Forces providing training and advice are reported to be exchanging fire with ISIS fighters; we know that Chicago is reeling under a wave of shootings and today we learn that the CPS have instructed all principals to deny entry of any ICE agents without warrants (watch the  coming battle over federal funds and “sanctuary city” status; in a “Footloose” déjà vu moment the town of Henryetta, Oklahoma repelled its decades old ordinance against dancing event within 500 feet of a school or church—welcome to the 21^st Century; the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 22, rising to 495 shootings with the aim getting better so the total dead has risen to 94 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Robert E, Lee, while trying to tone down your zoolatry of your pets, 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. The Great American Spit Out—celebrating not a contest to see who can expectorate the furthest but rather a day to forego the use of all smokeless tobacco which has more nicotine than  cigarettes, is filthy, and causes cancer of the tongue, lips, and gums—not a pleasant sight.

2. World Understanding and Peace Day—promoted by Rotary International to promote understanding of and goodwill toward our global neighbors as essential ingredients in achieving and maintaining peace.

 3. 1942 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1942 on a long run of 10 weeks in that position “Moonlight Cocktail” by  Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, Here is a recording of Glenn Miller and his Orchestra performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7mXUmC47oU

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “zoolatry” which is the worship of or excessive devotion to animals a trait too often common to many pet owners.                      

      5. Easy Rider—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1939 of Peter Fonda, best known for his role as Wyatt “Captain America” Earp in the iconic Easy Rider and father of Bridget Fonda, giving us three generations of actors and actresses including “Hanoi Jane.”

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1778 Baron von Steuben arrived at Valley Forge to help train the Continental Army.

b. 1861 President-elect Lincoln arrived secretly into Washington, D.C. to thwart an alleged assassination plot (why the U.S. never created a trained protective detail like the Secret Service as a result is mindboggling).      

c. 1903 Cuba leased Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. “in perpetuity” which was a good thing as President Trump is planning to expand the number of detainees there (the war against terror would proceed a lot better if we deviated from the Obama proclivity to drone anything that moved and instead taking prisoners to extract human intel.

d. 1954 to the joy of parents across the nation the first inoculations against the dreaded disease polio began in Pittsburgh.

e. 1991 ground forces cross the Saudi Arabian border into Iraqi border beginning what Hussein touted as the “Mother of All Battles” which ended in an American and its coalition decisive victory in 100 hours.

Reflections on one of the reasons the Confederacy lost: “I have been up to see the Congress and they do not seem to be able to do anything except to eat peanuts and chew tobacco, while my army is starving.” General Robert E. Lee 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.

© February 23, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

February 22, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not European Day for Victims of Crime

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 22, 2017 As the stock market rises to new highs and small business optimism rises to new highs over Trump’s ideas of tax cuts and regulatory reform despite the Schumer’s minions doing everything in their tooth and nail pocket to delay, Maxine Waters wins the rabid ideologue rhetoric prize for swamp denizen of the day by calling all of Trump’s cabinet nominees “scumbags” (Pelosi call this pathetic creature into your office for a “woodshed” discussion); in a world that sees Stockholm up in flames by rioting “refugees”, China putting missiles on islands created by them in the South China Sea, and escalating bloodshed in eastern Ukraine thanks to the number one thug in Europe Putin, the news headline is the fight over transgender bathrooms—some sanity as Trump administration will reverse federal requirements that user can go into bathrooms that comports to his or her sexual identity as opposed to biological identity and leave it up to the states; like so many Blues in denial mode, Podesta is still playing the blame game over Hillary’s loss due to her being a completely failed and pathetic candidate out of touch with the mere mortals suffering under 8 years of Obama and blaming the FBI conspiring against her; in just another example of complete lack of accountability and potential fraud, news today of a $1billion paid out to Social Security recipients with no Social Security numbers (not my problem even if concerns that the system will be bankrupt); in yet another sad example of rampant and maybe growing anti-Semitism, Nancy Salem a preschool teacher in Texas has been fired for tweeting a need to kill more Jews (totally outrageous thoughts); finally on the good news front two pet owners in Texas who were arrested for shoplifting told officers that they had a Chihuahua puppy in their car causing police to investigate where they found a puppy in near fatal overdose mode from chewing on heroin the owners had left in the car and saved him by taking him the to the hospital; the carnage in Chicago continues unabated through February 21, rising to 483 shootings with the aim getting better so the total dead has risen to 89 (God help those poor minorities being shot mostly by minorities when the weather gets warmer and the shooters’ aim gets really better and there is more daylight.  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Artie Shaw, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Herb Brooks, while bemoaning that you are not in England enjoying a waygoose, 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. European Day for Victims of Crime—created by the EU in 2012 to promote rights of and compensation to victims of crime which given the massive influx of unvetted and unassimilated “refugees” as one has seen in Stockholm becoming the new rape capital of the world will probably only increase.

2. International World Thinking Day—celebrating a day which coincides with the birthdays of Lord Baden-Powell and Lady Olave Baden-Powell founders of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (precursor to the Girl Scouts) to contemplate on issues that affect young women.

 3. 1941 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1941 on a long run of 13 weeks in that position “Frensi” by the Artie Shaw. Here is a recording of the Artie Shaw performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMOHMYl5BCs

     4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “waygoose” which is a summer party usually in England by a printing house for its employees as opposed to a fowl flying away.                      

      5. Why We Endure Keeping Up—celebrating or bemoaning the birth on this day in 1944 of Robert Kardashian noted lawyer, father of the Kardashians and friend to O.J. Simpson, believe by the prosecution to have disposed of his bloody clothes after the murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman and who like many smokers died of cancer this time of esophageal 8 weeks after diagnosis.

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1819 to the joy of future New Yorkers and Canadian snowbirds, pursuant to the Adams-Onis Treaty Spain sold Florida to the United States for $5 million.

b. 1856 the Republican Party opened its first national convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (one can only imagine those present rolling in their graves over the Trump Phenomenon).      

c. 1924 President Calvin Coolidge became the first president to deliver a radio address from the White House.

d. 1980 at the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, the USA Hockey Team in what has been called the “Miracle on Ice” defeated in the semi-finals the Soviet Union 4-3 to advance and win the Gold Medal.

e. 1997 Scottish scientists in Roslin, Scotland announced that they had successfully cloned a sheep named Dolly.

Reflections on dreaming from the coach of the winning Miracle on Ice Team: “We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams.” Herb Brooks, coach of the USA 1980 Hockey Team No wonder Trump won and despite the media flack and Blue obstruction the market is shooting to the moon, adding over $2 trillion in wealth after his election. 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.

© February 22, 2017, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

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