March 31, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Back Up Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For March 31, 2017  While drama continues on the issue of Russian interference with an election that was lost by a totally failed candidate, with a total absence of message, compounded by arrogance and felonious behaviors that caused great disgust and rejection, Trump is moving forward on by executive order addressing the $347 billion trade deficit with China and its dumping and currency manipulation; the Hawaii judge appointed by Obama who extended his TRO will be appealed (how many tourists from the banned countries visit Hawaii to give the state standing?—most likely 0); Biden the proponent of the Biden Rule slamming picks of SCOTUS judges in the last year of a lame duck term is back in the news claiming that nine Reds told him it was wrong to block Garland’s nomination (given the charged partisan environment at the time and the perception that HRC was a shoo-in for the election look to the legacy enhancing ego of Obama that should have deferred any nomination until after the election and with consultation with HRC had she won as expected); in another news item that is chilling for those on highways an interstate truck driver was arrested for driving nonstop from Washington to Massachusetts thanks to copious use of meth, cocaine and LSD; in yet another example of a double standard, HRC who was castigated by Comey for being extremely careless with respect to her handling of classified material along with six of her aides retained her access to classified materials after she left her quid pro quo office at the State Department and kept it during the campaign (maybe the Senate should investigate her and Bill’s quid pro quo ties with the Russians as it may be more rational given her presumed victory that the Russian hacking and more likely than not a Russian electronic and paper trail that would have proved conclusively the quid pro quo of the uranium deal that stripped us of 20% of our uranium supplies and would have been a sword of Damocles over her head during her presidency); Massachusetts is joining the ranks of the anarchists with legislation introduced to become a sanctuary state; amazing when dollars get involved and a city may no longer lap at the federal trough as after Sessions announced that “sanctuary cities” will face a federal funding cutoff, Rockville, Maryland notorious for an alleged rape of a 14 yr old by a 17 and 18 yr. old illegal piously announced that they are not a sanctuary city; almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through March 30 increasing by 9 to 728 and the death toll rising to 130 (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 to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like (when will Chicago residents through the city council try to impeach this pathetic, inept mayor?).  

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Roberta Flack, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Mark Twain, while hoping you are fully prepared to face any issues on a hodiernal basis, 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 Back Up Day—celebrating a way to really not get fooled the following day by a loss of data by backing up one’s data including photos; but once again this is an observance that should be followed daily not once a year.

2.  Transgender Day of Visibility—promoting since 2009 acceptance of transgenders especially those like Kaitlin Jenner who have come out of the proverbial closet.

3. 1973 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1973 on a run of 5 weeks in that position “Killing Me Softly With His Song” by the one and only Roberta Flack.  Here is a recording of her performing the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMzzw6IXH1s At 78 and proving that music is the fountain of youth still going strong and performing.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “hodiernal” which means something that most procrastinators abhor, relating to today.

5. Last Stage Coach Into Oblivion—bemoaning the birth on this day in 1940 of Barney Franks who with Senator Dodd co-authored a bill with great aims but in reality has shackled the ability or desire of banks to lend to the job creation engine of this nation—small business and with a president now in office who understands job creation will be gutted.

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1492 in an example that Christianity has a history of intolerance, Queen Isabella of Castille ordered her 150,000 Jewish and Muslim subjects to convert or be expelled.

b. 1854 Commodore Matthew Perry with cannons primed forced Japan to sign a treaty opening up ports to trade with America.

c. 1917 to the joy of future cruise ship passengers the United States acquired the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million.

d. 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps was formed to bring true shovel ready projects to combat unemployment caused by the Great Depression.  

e. 1992 in an end to a naval strategy moment, the last U.S. battleship, the USS Missouri, was decommissioned and now resides as a museum in Pearl Harbor.    

Reflections on the need for battleships from the past: “If we had less statesmanship we could get along with fewer battleships.” Mark Twain If he was right might explain why Trump wants to cut the budget for the Foggy Bottom which was totally politicized under Clinton (the quid pro quo Wal-Mart) and Kerry. 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.

© March 31, 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

March 30, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Bipolar Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For March 30, 2017  The House Intel Committee has imploded and many of us are waiting with baited breath to see what Nunes has seen on surveillance and unmasking of Trump Campaign and Transition Team members; Evelyn Farkas’ revelations on surveillance and unmasking raise great concern over the extent of involvement of Obama appointees and whether such surveillance was not for counter intelligence but rather had the sole purpose of obtaining information to damage the credibility of a Trump Presidency (already we have seen a total scorched earth policy over the Gorsuch nomination by biased partisan Blues); the Senate Intel Committee is beginning hearings today with assurances that it will be thorough and bipartisan (with ideologues like Kamala Harris don’t bet on it); while Michelle Dubois continues to take heat for notifying illegals on her Facebook of a pending ICE raid big city mayors almost all Blue were meeting with the head of Homeland Security over the issue of sanctuary cities (this will be a judicial blood bath if Trump tries to defund them and better yet seeks clawback of funds previously given (there are a lot of good lawyers at the DOJ—the lights should be burning late to see how to accomplish defunding or perhaps more efficiently confirm the legal basis for arresting mayors or sheriffs who fail to comply with detainers); in an example of complete anarchy, Sally Hernandez, the sheriff of Travis County, has indicated that she will only respond to detainers for  capital murder, aggravated sexual assault, and human smuggling which means assaults, attempted murder, kidnapping, manslaughter, second degree murder, robbery to name but a few violent crimes will not be honored and those illegals will be roaming the streets of Austin (fortunately the governor can cut back funding and a bill is in the state legislature put city officials in jail for not cooperating); Bill Di Blasio, the mayor we all like to despise, has announced that anyone in New York City who has served his or her sentence will be hired by the city (noble goal but what about the unemployed who have not committed crimes); talk about judicial overreach the Venezuela Supreme Court has ruled that the National Assembly with its majority consisting of opposition to a very unpopular quasi dictator Maduro is in contempt and has taken over its powers (what a mess as the country is in economic freefall due to Maduro’s socialist policies); almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through March 29 increasing to 719 and the death toll rising to 124 after a respite of two days of no new deaths (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 to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like.

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, music links to Celine Dion and America, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Celine Dion, while hoping you are fully prepared to debate any issues you face so you do not appear to be gobemouche, 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 Doctors Day—celebrating since 1933 the contribution to our health care system of doctors and celebrated on the anniversary in 1842 of the first case of general anesthesia of a patient during surgery.

2.  World Bipolar Day—promoting awareness of the disease that affects some 60 million around the world and seeking to remove the social stigma of suffering from the disease. It is celebrated on this day as today is the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh who was posthumously diagnosed as probably being bipolar.

3. 1972 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1972 on a run of 3 weeks in that position “A Horse with No Name” by America.  Here is a recording of the band performing the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAJ0l4OBHM

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “gobemouche” which means a gullible or credulous listener which Gruber thought us all to be.

5. My Heart Will Go On Forever—celebrating the birth on this day in 1968 of bilingual Canadian recording star Celine Dion, blessed with an incredible voice and stage presence. She is best known for “My Heart Will Go On Forever” from the movie Titanic.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNIPqafd4As

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1858 a wooden pencil with an attached eraser was patented by Hyman Lipman.

b. 1867 in one the great real estate deals of all times given the wealth in oil and fisheries that has been extracted there from, Alaska was purchased from Russia for the sum of $7.2 million ($.02 per acre).

c. 1939 the Heinkel 100 fighter plane reached a world speed record of 463 mph but fortunately for the Allies the plane was never put into production as it was 26 mph faster than the P-51 Mustang which ruled the skies over Europe once it incorporated a Merlin engine.

d. 1981 President Ronald Reagan narrowly escaped death after being shot by John Hinckley, Jr. who was found not guilty by reason of insanity and jailed in a federal psychiatric facility until being released in September of last year to live with his mother.  

e. 2012 in something that has become the norm not the exception, Visa and Master Card announce a massive data breach by hackers with over 10 million credit card numbers compromised.    

Reflections on what is important in life from the birthday girl: “After everything is said and done, at the end of the day it's about songs.” Celine Dion Great observation and since songs usually stem from poetry this poet is in total accord as we need more poets and less parasites. 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.

© March 30, 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

March 29, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Vietnam Veterans Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For March 29, 2017  While both the Senate and the House appear loath to conduct any inquiry of the quid pro quo of Russia and the Clinton Foundation and Bill Clinton’s outrageous speaking fees in Russia while HRC was Secretary of State while 20 percent of our uranium assets ended up in Putin’s hands, it’s pedal to the metal time with respect to Russian influence in the elections and possible interaction by Trump campaign with Russia (lurking in the background and not getting as much attention is the involvement of Obama holdovers in government on why Trump Transition Team and Campaign members were being swept up by incidental monitoring and then unmasked which is a felony); Pierce College joined the ranks of the PC tyranny over free speech by preventing a student from handing out copies of the Constitution outside the school’s “free speech” zone and is now being sued by that student (let’s hope he wins big time to end this nonsense); while Christie dodged the bullet over the Bridgegate scandal and is slotted to head Trump’s commission on opioid addiction, two of his aides did not and they were sentenced to go to prison, one for 18 months and the other for 2 years plus 500 hours of community service; in yet another example on the growing spread of anarchy on the issue of illegal immigration, Massachusetts Representative Michelle DuBois got wind of an upcoming ICE sweep in Brocton and posted on her Facebook a warning to illegals in the area (she pulled the notification but continued to defend her actions); in North Carolina a Red state representative released a report that 320 illegals were licensed by the Secretary of State as notary publics with the power among others to attest to absentee ballots; on the refugee front news that individuals on the 9^th Circuit, Washington, and Hawaii masquerading as judges should take to heart, the FBI has ongoing terrorism investigations on 300 refugees many of whom are from the countries Trump wants to ban and those investigations represent 30% of the active terrorism investigations (even more frightening is that the FBI is becoming stretched very thin by the magnitude of the investigations); in yet another example of incompetence in vetting, three Iraqi refugees applying for citizenship have been arrested for immigration fraud for failing to disclose that two of them were brothers of a kidnapper who held an American hostage in Iraq for a year in an underground bunker; almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through March 28 increasing to 711 but the death toll remains stuck at 123 for the last two days (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 to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like.

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, including a poem in honor of Vietnam Veterans Day http://alaskanpoet.blogspot.com/2016/11/tribute-to-marines-at-khe-sanh-on-this.html,  a music link to the Temptations, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Zack Wamp, while bemoaning the fact that bi-partisanship has flatlined in the Swamp, 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 Mom and Pop Business Owners Day—celebrating the backbone of our economy and the driver of job creation, small business, and the dedication of small business owners to their employees and their community. Celebrate the day by shopping at a small business.

2.  Vietnam Veterans Day—honoring the service of the almost four million veterans who served in the Vietnam War, especially the 58,164 whose names are etched on the Wall.

http://alaskanpoet.blogspot.com/2016/11/tribute-to-marines-at-khe-sanh-on-this.html  

3. 1971 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1971 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Just My Imagination” by the Temptations.  Here is a recording of the band performing the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Z9-QCmZyw

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “flatline” which means to die and which perfectly describes what has happened to compromise and bi-partisanship in the Swamp.

5. Pedal to the Metal—celebrating the birth on this day in 1943 of Eric Idle, noted British actor, comedian and co-creator of Monty Python and the Flying Circus still going strong, idle and definitely in the words of an English knight on the bridge “I’m not dead yet,” as he gets slowly hacked to pieces.  

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1806 construction began on the Great National Pike, the first federal highway better known as the Cumberland Road was authorized to run 620 miles from Cumberland, Maryland on the Potomac River to Vadalia, Illinois.

b. 1847 American forces led by General Winfield Scott took Veracruz after a siege 20 days.
c. 1867 Queen Victoria gave her Royal Assent to the British North America Act which established the Dominion of Canada on July 1 of that year.  

d. 1961 the Twenty Third Amendment was ratified which allowed residents of the District of Columbia to vote in presidential elections.  

e. 2014 the first same sex marriages were performed in England and Wales.    

Reflections on the disgraceful conduct of anti war protestors demonstrating not only against Vietnam War but also against those in uniform coming back from their tour of duty: “Thank you for the sacrifices you and your families are making. Our Vietnam Veterans have taught us that no matter what are positions may be on policy, as Americans and patriots, we must support all of our soldiers with our thoughts and our prayers. Zack Wamp, former Republican member of the House from Tennessee. The Ridley Corollary is that in addition to thoughts and prayers we must unlike our former feckless president support them with our wallets. 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.

© March 29, 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

March 28, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Weed Appreciation Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For March 28, 2017  Chuck Schumer made the news in a way that most of us would regret, interfering with a couple’s quiet dinner in a trendy restaurant because the wife had voted for Trump, forcing them to leave and not content following them out into the sidewalk to continue his meltdown rants (what a total asshole; too bad the husband did not deck this pompous swamp creature) http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/27/schumer-goes-off-on-trump-supporter-at-nyc-restaurant-witness-says.html); Sessions has thrown down the gauntlet against sanctuary cities that cuts in federal funding to them may be on the horizon as a result of such policies (unfortunately the knee jerk reaction of failed mayors like Emanuel and Di Blasio is vow to fight instead of doing what most Americans would want which is to honor detainer requests of illegals who have been jailed and are about to be released); lawyers for the two illegals arrested in Rockville, Maryland for the rape of a 14 year old are claiming she texted one of them that she wanted to have sex (typical ploy blame it on the victim); in a  like father like son moment the father of one of the perpetrators was arrested for being in this country illegally; a House seat in Montana and one in Georgia will be up for election shortly to fill vacancies created by Trump appointments (could be a harbinger of how we are viewing Trump’s early days in office and the effect of the botched attempts by the Reds to repeal Obamacare); talk about a real war on women especially Muslim women, the Center for Disease Control estimated that 500,000 young women have suffered or are at risk to suffer female genital mutilation in this country, a barbaric practice that will only increase as more and more refugees from the Middle East are located here (what is mind boggling is that at the state level only 24 states outlaw the practice but 26  do not); as expected the Huskies thwacked the Quacks and join Stanford, South Carolina and Mississippi in the Women’s Final Four—Go Stanford; almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through March 27 increasing to 707 but the death toll remains stuck at 123 (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 to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like.

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Simon and Garfunkel, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from will.i.am, while thankful that today if you work out in the gym to forestall Type II that you have remembered to pack some empasm in your gym bag, 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.  Weed Appreciation Day—celebrating not pot which is becoming legalized in more and more states but those weeds like dandelions, chicory or blackberries that are useful to humans as opposed to weeds that one has to continue to pull out to preserve one’s garden. Yesterday’s word of the day deracinate would have described the process.

2.  American Diabetes Association Alert Day—created by the American Diabetes Association to promote awareness of the growing tide of Type II Diabetes and steps to avoid the disease. Here is a link to determine your risk factors:   http://www.diabetes.org/are-you-at-risk/alert-day/?referrer=https://www.google.com/     

3. 1970 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1970 on a run of 6 weeks in that position “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel.  Here is a recording of the duo performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjNgn4r6SOA

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “empasm” which is a perfumed powder sprinkled on one’s body to mask the odor of sweat.

5. Cowboys Rule—celebrating the birth on this day in 1986 of Stefani Germanotta but known to her fans as Lady Gaga, one very precocious artist and song writer who learned to play the piano at age four and was singing in New York City nightclubs at the age of 14. Was the featured act for Super Bowl L and LI halftime shows but like so many artists she is definitely not one of the “deplorables” who supported Trump. If you want to impress her on a first date ride up to her residence on a horse wearing a cowboy hat and denims and she loves men that are cowboys.  

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1910 Henri Fabre became the first person to takeoff in a seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion, taking off from a water runway at Martigues, France and to his delight returning safely to land in the water.

b. 1933 Imperial Airlines City of Liverpool on a flight from London to Brussels had the misfortune to become the first plane destroyed by sabotage when one of the passengers or crew started a fire on board the aircraft while it was still enroute. The likely suspect was seen jumping to his death without a parachute just before the plane crashed into the ground killing all on board.
c. 1969 poet and Nobel Laureate Giorgio Seferis went on the BBC to broadcast his opposition to the military junta ruling Greece.

d. 1978 SCOTUS in Stump v Sparkman held that a judge who approved the sterilization of a 15 year old minor without her knowledge and with any examination of the facts behind the mother’s sterilization petition and without counsel appointed for the minor was immune from a suit by the minor when she discovered after marriage that she had been sterilized had judicial immunity from litigation.  Really a bad decision that left a young woman with no recourse

e. 1979 in a someone up there must be watching over us moment the Unit 2 of a nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island suffered a loss of coolant and a partial melt down of its core but fortunately no radiation was released and no workers or residents of the surrounding communities were injured or killed.     

At least two or three out of five are within our own lifestyle control and all are if we start electing officials who cut government spending and taxes and reduce or eliminate job killing regulations:“There are five issues that make a fist of a hand that can knock America out cold. They're lack of jobs, obesity, diabetes, homelessness, and lack of good education.” will.i.am, noted Hip Hop artist. 
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.

© March 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

                        

March 27, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Theater Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For March 27, 2017  The Blues that were as recently as two weeks ago on life support are back in the obstructionist game full time preparing to be nuked over Gorsuch’s nomination and dancing in the streets over the Freedom Caucus’ sabotage of the repeal of Obamacare which is becoming the greatest job killer of all time (fortunately for the Reds it still has Obama’s name on it but it will implode leaving people in a world of real hurt and angrier over professional swamp denizens be they Red or Blue than ever before—term limits); biggest fear facing market is that needed tax cuts will go down the drain due to an emboldened Schumer and his lackeys; finally a revival in Appalachia as coal is being mined again and miners are working seven days a week; another battle brewing over privacy and safety as Scotland Yard in a dispute with WhatsApp is trying to open Masood’s encrypted messages sent before his vehicle attack on Westminster Bridge; the Catholic Church in Mexico has proclaimed that any Mexicans who work on the wall Trump wants to build are traitors and acting immorally (like the women who didn’t vote for Hillary and according to Madeline Albright have a special place in hell, any Mexican so employed will have his or her special place); as Iraqi forces move to retake Mosul, U.S. sends an additional 200 soldiers from the 82^nd Airborne to assist; on the sports front, the Stanford women came back from a 16 point deficit in the third quarter to defeat Notre Dame, setting up a potential showdown with UConn and the drama of two sisters named Samuelson playing against each other for the National Championship;   almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through March 26 increasing to 701 and the death toll rising to 123 (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 to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like.

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Tommy Roe, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Jay Leno, while thankful that today is not to deracinate in the garden, 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 Whisk(e)y Day—first celebrated in 2009 to honor the making of whisky and whiskey and to raise funds for research into Parkinson’s Disease (no relation to the disease and the consumption of spirits).

2.  World Theater Day—created by the International Theater Institute in 1961 to promote appreciation of and support of live theater and proving Shakespeare’s astute observation that “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players.”  

3. 1969 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1969 on a run of 4 weeks in that position “Dizzy” by Tommy Roe.  Here is a recording of him performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2DLMVxg02Q

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “deracinate” which means to tear something out at the roots which is what we desperately need to do with the corruption and lobbying weeds in Washington, D.C.

5. Call It For What It Is—celebrating or bemoaning the birth on this day in 1963 of Quentin Tarantino a director of really violent films who sees no connection between gun violence on the screen and gun violence on the streets and who created a storm of controversy at a Black Lives Matter rally calling police murderers.   

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1915 Mary Mallon aka Typhoid Mary the first asymptomatic carrier of the typhoid virus in the United States was placed in quarantine where she would remain for the rest of her life.        

b. 1964 a 9.2 earthquake, the strongest ever to hit the United States, struck South-central Alaska killing 125 people and causing massive damage to Anchorage and leveling the town of Valdez (the southern terminal of TAPS).
c. 1975 after years of delay due to litigation and Alaska Native claims construction on the Trans Alaska Pipeline

System finally began.

d. 1998 in a let the good times roll moment, the FDA approved the sale of Viagra designed to prevent erectile dysfunction in men.

e. 2016 at a park in Lahore, Pakistan a suicide bomber targeting Christians celebrating Easter detonated his bomb, killing 70 and wounding some 300 others.    

A note of humor on Viagra:  “More coming out about Saddam Hussein. We now know he takes Viagra and he has as many as six mistresses. No wonder Congress is reluctant to take action against this guy - he's one of their own.” Jay Leno.  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.

© March 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

On Gorsuch Time To Nuke Schumer

In the event of nuclear Armageddon only the cockroaches will survive

Schumer and his lackeys are not cockroaches and after the nuclear option politically his party will be in destruction overdrive

Schumer is a useless denizen of the swamp that has never worked in the private sector

His ideal is not the businessman creating jobs but public service unions and the federal tax collector

He would not know how to create a job if his life depended on it

His brand of obstruction explains why when solving problems D.C. has run out of gas, has simply quit

He is so biased against Trump that in his distorted reality the Senate should only advise and block

No nominee selected by Trump would cause him to the barriers to SCOTUS unlock

If Trump could somehow resurrect Warren or Douglas from their graves

Under Schumer not even such liberal leanings would a nomination save

Time for Mitch to call Schumer’s bluff and change the rules

Cram down the nomination with the nuclear option tool

Pack the circuit courts with conservative judges especially the ninth with its leftist slant

A sense of following the law as opposed to following personal views supplant

Under the banner of partisanship our government has failed to work

The idea of doing what’s best for the country is an idea our swamp creatures shirk

Wear an arm band of black to the demise of trust thanks to Schumer in our Supreme Court mourn

Leaving probably the military the last standing in which our faith and belief has not been shorn

© March 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

March 23, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Puppy Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For March 23, 2017  The Reds are beginning to look like the Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight as Red moderates and conservatives may not have ironed out their differences and enough members of the Freedom Caucus may vote against it (after 7 years of running against Obamacare it boggles the mind that the Reds would not have created a bill they could all back instead of waiting for a Trump upset and then have to scramble); what may be the real loser here if the Obamacare repeal goes nowhere will be tax cuts we desperately need which if not put in place will doom the Trump presidency as we will have zero chance to reach the 3-4 percent growth Trump expects; on the issue of surveillance of Trump and members of his campaign and transition team, the fat lady is singing and the tune and the notes are really chilling in the amount of surveillance by the intel community of members of the Trump campaign and transition team and the unmasking of those under surveillance and leaking of names (perhaps it is time to launch an investigation of Obama’s involvement even though that would plunge the left into terminal hysteria); worse the surveillance of some individuals has nothing to do with Russians who are believed to have tried to influence the election; the irony that today is the anniversary of the first of 12 interviews by David Frost of former President Nixon on the Watergate Scandal and the Nixon Tapes; Los Angeles which used to be called the City of Angels should now be known as the City of Anarchists issuing directives forbidding airport police or firefighter from cooperating with ICE (Sessions should convene a federal task force at the DOJ to determine whether Mayor Garcetti and other city elected officials are violating the law and if so file charges and jail them (we cannot live in an environment of anarchy); in yet another chilling reminder of the presence of terror and why we need a travel ban however temporary it may be, police in Antwerp thwarted a London copy cat jihadist killing spree, arresting a man of North African descent who was driving his car at a high rate of speed toward a crowd of pedestrians; almost like a stuck record or a remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continues unabated with total shootings in 2017 through March 21 increasing to 656 and the death toll fortunately stuck at 119 (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 to find and shoot victims) and yet nothing, absolutely nothing, appears to be occurring to address this blight on blacks and minorities which is what racism from a black mayor really looks like.

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, another music link to Otis Redding, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from Andrew Peterson, while if serving in the military overseas your platoon is not the subject of a comisado, 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 Puppy Day—created by Colleen Paige in 2006 to honor mankind’s most lovable friend and to promote adoption of and spaying and neutering of puppies and rail against the puppy mills that stock far too many pet stores.

2.  World Meteorology  Day—created by the World Meteorology Organization in 1961 to promote appreciation of the importance of meteorology in predicting and forecasting weather around a different theme each year. For 2017 the theme is “Understanding Clouds,” not the internet ones but the ones we see in the skies above us.    

3. 1968 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1968 on a run of 4 weeks in that position “Sitting on a Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.  Here is a recording of him performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTVjnBo96Ug

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “comisado” which means a military surprise attack conducted at night which given the night vision goggles worn by the U.S. Military will give us an advantage over forces of ISIS as we can see and they cannot.

5. Stuff the Sheepskin—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1955 of Moses Malone perennial All Star and Hall of Famer who became the first player to skip college and go directly into the pros; the fierce rebounder and prolific scorer hauled down his last rebound at the age of 60 dying in his sleep a heart attack.  

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1806 after spending three months near Astoria, Oregon the Lewis and Clark left Fort Clatsop that they have constructed to begin their return journey to St. Louis, Missouri (as a side note upon arrival to the Pacific Ocean the members of the expedition voted on the issue of whether they should move their camp to the south side of the Columbia and a slave York and an Indian squaw, Sacagawea, were allowed to vote, the first time in American history that a woman and a slave were allowed to vote).        

b. 1857 Elisha Otis’ first elevator was installed at 488 Broadway in New York City.
c.  1909 former President Theodore Roosevelt leaves for a post presidency safari in Africa sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Geographic Society.

d. 1977 British journalist began the first of twelve interviews with resigned former President Nixon on the Watergate Scandal and the Nixon Tapes.

e. 1983 in what would prove to be the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union since it did not have the economic base to compete with the United States, President Reagan made his initial proposal for the Strategic Defense Initiative, a defensive system designed to shoot down incoming ICBMs.  

Reflections of the impact of puppies on human beings:  “I'll put her in charge of the puppies. I've twelve this week that need tending. How does that suit you?"
Leeli's mouth hung open. She tried to say something but instead crumpled to the floor. She had fainted with joy.” Andrew Peterson, The Monster in the Hollows.  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.

© March 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