August 30, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Day of the Disappeared

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 30, 2017 Houston area waters are finally starting to recede but the death toll is rising to 23 along with the number of residents admitted to shelters and nearby Beaumont and Port Arthur are literally under water; MSM always quick to find anything to criticize Trump for are in a frenzy over Trump’s supposed lack of empathy and Melania’s wearing stiletto heels on to Air Force One while the Texas governor grades Trump’s deployment of federal resources in Texas as meriting an A+; the DNC (Dedicated to Nominate Clinton) dodged a class action lawsuit by Sanders supporters seeking refunds of contributions to the DNC that clearly rigged the primary process to make sure she got the nomination and given her abysmal campaign and lack of energy in hindsight guaranteed Trump would win; Congress is reaping the sowing of the seeds of obstruction and gridlock with an approval rating of 15% which given what has been accomplished seems overstated by a factor of 5; Trump is taking his case for tax cuts to the people in Springfield, Missouri tonight (Sen McCaskill needs to listen and get on board if she wants to return to the Senate in 2018);  the scenes of volunteers in boats saving trapped Texans reminds us the tragedies like Harvey bring out the best in Americans but the news that thieves posing as DHS officials ordering people out of their homes so they can be burglarized also reminds us that such tragedies sadly bring out the worst; news that the Antifa movement because of its violence may be of concern to liberal anti Trumpers (why should there be any doubt that these thugs should be prosecuted and disavowed?); through August 29, 2017 in Chicago the number of people being shot climbed to 2516, but surprise, surprise the death toll remained at 434.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant chilling quote by Jorge Videla on the disappeared in argentina, hoping that if you are opening a jeroboam tonight you have a few friends to share it with you,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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 Day of the Disappeared—created in Costa Rica in 1981 by the Latin American Federation of Associations for Relatives of Detained-Disappeared to create awareness of the plight of people wrongfully arrested and incarcerated and to agitate for the end of such practices far too common in Latin American countries with dictatorships.      

2. National Beach Day—created by Colleen Paige in 2014 to promote cleaning up beaches of trash and debris which is not only unsightly but also a danger to wildlife on our beaches.        

3. 1941 Number One Song— the number one song in 1941 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Green Eyes” by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Here is a performance of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI7U2Ys4DM0

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “jeroboam” which means a large bottle of wine holding the equivalent of 3 liters of  wine.       

5.  Quite A Cup of Tea—celebrating the birth on this day in 1946 of Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton who retired from acting after the birth of her two daughters but after a divorce has returned.

On this day in:                       

a. 1963 in a move designed to prevent accidental nuclear war and ease tensions the Washington, D.C. Moscow hotline was installed.   

b. 1967 Thurgood Marshall became the first African American appointed to SCOTUS.   

c. 1984 the Space Shuttle Discovery took off from the JFK Space Center on its maiden voyage.

d. 1992 after being wounded by a FBI sniper who killed his wife, the 12 day siege of Ruby Ridge ended with Randy Weaver surrendering to authorities.  

e. 1995 NATO started launching air strikes against Bosnian Serb forces in Operation Deliberate Force.    

Reflections on the ends justified the means rationale of Jorge Videla former dictator of Argentina who is now serving a life sentence for his part in Argentina’s Dirty War: “Let’s say there were 7,000 or 8,000 people who needed to die to win the war against subversion. There was no other solution. We were agreed that was the price to win the war against subversion and that we needed it not to be evident so that society didn’t notice.” Jorge Videla His figures are sadly too low as most historians believe 30,000 Argentines disappeared many weighted down and droped from airplanes into the Atlantic to avoid detection. 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.  

© August 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

August 29, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Day Against Nuclear Tests

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 29, 2017 Harvey’s rainfall has set a new record with over 52 inches as rain continues to fall to the point that reservoirs are overflowing creating more mandatory evacuations with loss of life climbing to 14; the silver lining in this disaster of epic proportions has been the outpouring of Texans with boats coming out to rescue friends, relatives and complete strangers (here is a link to donate to the Red Cross to help it in their aid efforts https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation?scode=RSG00000E017&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxPW21vr81QIVElcNCh0mUQY2EAAYASAAEgICofD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CMGmkNz6)

_NUCFdV5Ygod6xUEFQ); Trump and several members of his cabinet have just landed in Corpus Christi and are being briefed by local officials as to their needs, which needs Trump has indicated will be met immediately (since he is a builder not a politician not only will needs be met but expect recovery as opposed to Katrina or Sandy to occur on time, under budget and without fraud and abuse (thank God HRC given the quid pro quo of the Clinton Foundation in the Haiti earthquake aftermath is not in the Oval Office); the mouse that roared has launched a missile over Japan which is a flagrant provocation (China has a clear choice to reign in this obese lunatic or face the real possibility of nuclear strikes against Kim and his missile and nuclear sites and a nuclear armed Japan with a military charged not just with defense but with offensive capabilities and goals in addition to massive sanctions against the Chinese economy); on the academic front U of Tampa prof Ken Storey who tweeted Texas deserved Harvey because it voted for Trump has been fired (kudos U of Tampa!); in addition to worrying about nuclear tipped missiles, Kim has 200 An-2 biplanes that are hard to detect due to low speed that could carry a nuclear warhead (remember the low speed British biplanes launched from an aircraft carrier managed to damage the Bismarck’s rudder, enabling the British battleships to catch her and pound her to the bottom; Pelosi leads the hypocrisy parade with total silence on the violence by Antifa in Berkeley; normally Mayor Di Blasio is totally out to lunch on almost all issues, but should be cheered for raising the price of cigarettes to $13.50 a pack and seeking to cut in half the number of places that can sell the cancer sticks; through August 28, 2017 in Chicago the number of people being shot climbed to 2507, 434 of whom have died.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote by Mark Skousen on the fraud in Katrina relief efforts, hoping that you are not exposed to any jeremiads,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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 Day Against Nuclear Tests—created by the UN General Assembly on December 2, 2009 to promote awareness of the danger of nuclear weapons and the testing thereof and to the need for a nuclear free Earth (sadly the observance is not celebrated by the obese lunatic of the rogue nation North Korea); August 29 was chosen as it coincides with the closing of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan in 1991.      

2. According to Hoyle Day—commemorating the death of Edmond Hoyle on this day in 1769 and who wrote the rules for the popular 17^th and 18^th century card game of whist, but is forever remembered in the English language by the phrase “according to Hoyle.”      

3. 2017 Number One Song—leaving 2017 to go back to 1940 and then to head year by year to the present, the number one song in 1940 on a run of 12 weeks in that position was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Here is a performance of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il7DWoLySW8

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “jeremiad” which means a long harangue or lengthy list of complaints which describes the rants from the MSM in reporting on Trump and his agenda.       

5.  Queen of the Blues—celebrating the birth on this day in 1924 of Ruth Lee Jones better known to her fans as Dinah Washington who was one of the most popular female black singers of rhythm and blues but ending up drinking far too much and died of an over dose of barbiturates while sleeping with her 7^th husband Dick “Nightrain” Lane at the age of 39.

On this day in:                       

a. 1916 the U.S. passed the Philippines Autonomy Act laying out the framework for the Philippines to become an independent nation in the future.

b. 1949 the Soviet Union thanks to its espionage efforts on the Manhattan Project successfully tested its first atomic bomb known as “Lightening Joe” in Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan.   

c. 1966 in an end of an era moment, the Beatles held their last paying concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

d. 1991 the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union disbanded all activities of the Communist Party, an act which Putin is determined overturn and return Russia to its former territorial glory. 

e. 2005 in an it almost seems like yesterday moment after slamming into Florida, Katrina got her second wind in the Gulf reaching a Cat 5 status before slamming into Louisiana to devastate and flood New Orleans and kill over 1800 people.  

A hope that Harvey recovery operations will not be a repeat of Katrina recovery efforts that occurred 12 years earlier: “Fraud is common when you give away billions. Fraud related to Hurricane Katrina spending is estimated to top $2 billion. In addition, debit cards provided to hurricane victims were used to pay for Caribbean vacations, NFL tickets, Dom Perignon champagne, 'Girls Gone Wild' videos, and at least one sex change operation.” Mark Skousen, noted investment analyst and college professor. Although the number seems high and outrageous it represented only 2 2/3 percent of the money doled out by the federal government for relief. 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.  

© August 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

August 28, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Dream Quest Day and Jubilee Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 28, 2017 Harvey continues to cause massive flooding throughout Houston and now threatens dams in the area (New Orleans survived the initial onslaught of Katrina only to have the levees fail and submerge large parts of the city); almost like desperate calls for boats by the BEF from the beaches of Dunkirk, the call has gone out for volunteers with boats in Harris County  to be able to rescue people trapped their homes by rising waters; the flooding has caused several refineries to shut down causing gasoline futures to rise 7%; Trump will visit areas hit by Harvey tomorrow and has been given high marks for his response to the tragedy; on the inane PC front, the Orpheum Theater in Memphis that has been showing Gone With the Wind for thirty-four years has decided to cease screenings due to “insensitive racial content” (when will the leftist celebs in Hollywood start demanding that the numerous Oscars awarded to the film be revoked?); news out that while the VA still struggles to address wait lists, a new scandal is coming to the surface--the delay in seeing nonVA doctors notwithstanding legislation signed into law to allow the practice if a vet lives more that 40 miles from a VA facility or has not been sign within 30 days (why not turn the VA into a Medicare like program and eliminate it as it seems this bureaucracy is incapable of addressing its problems?); on the powder keg front the potential clash between India and China over some worthless territory in the Himalayas has been solved with India removing its troops; with Nixon we had ping pong diplomacy with China and with Putin we have judo diplomacy as he is visiting Hungary for the World Judo Championship Matches; through August 27, 2017 in Chicago the number of people being shot climbed to 2503, 433 of whom have died.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote by Sheryl Sandberg on facing tragedy, hoping that in dealing with issues you face that you are not jejune,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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. Rainbow Bridge Rembrance Day—commemorating those pets who have passed; the day stems from an anonymous story poem written in the 80’s or 90’s  called “Rainbow Bridge” which was a bridge to enable dogs to cross over into heaven to romp and play to their hearts content.      

2. Dream Day Quest and Jubilee Day—commemorating one of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” historic speech delivered from the Lincoln Memorial on this day in 1963 as part of the March on Washington for Jobs.        

3. 2017 Number One Song—the number one song in 2017 on a run of 15 weeks in that position was “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. Here is a performance of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “jejune” which means naive, simplistic and superficial which is exactly where our leaders cannot be in dealing the complex problems that face this nation.     

5.  Not Just Another Pretty Face In My Book—celebrating the birth on this day in 1969 of Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook and who had the misfortune of losing her husband while on vacation to a head trauma caused while working out on a treadmill.                    On this day in:

a. 1898 in it’s all in the name moment, Caleb Bradhamm changed the name of his soft drink from “Brad’s Drink” to “Pepsi Cola” and the cola wars were on.

b. 1937 Toyota Motors became an independent company.     

c. 1955 14 year old Emmett Till an African American visiting relatives in Mississippi was falsely accused pf flirting with a white woman that so enraged her father and uncle that they kidnapped him, beat him viciously, killed him and tossed his body into a river and to add insult to injury were acquitted by an all white jury; the murder was a galvanizing event for the Civil Rights Movement.

d. 1968 during the Democratic National Convention a police riot occurred and hundreds of police viciously attacked 10,000 anti Vietnam War protesters in Grant Park,  most of whom had violated no law, had ignored no order and were not a threat to anyone. 

e. 1988 at an air show at Ramstein, Germany, three Italian jets from the Italian Air Force’s equivalent of our Thunderbirds collided in the air and crashed to the ground, killing 75 people and severely injuring 346.  

Reflections from the birthday woman on coping with tragedy: “I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give in to the void: the emptiness that fills your heart, your lungs, constricts your ability to think or even breathe. Or you can try to find meaning.” Sheryl Sandberg, truer and more profound words have rarely been spoken. 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.         

© August 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

August 27, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Petroleum Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 27, 2017 Harvey continues to inundate  the Houston area with massive amounts of rain with nowhere to go other than to flood homes, businesses and roads with more heavy rain forecast (when you have flood waters to the height of traffic signals you have a problem); sadly the death toll has risen to six but is expected rise further when and if the waters start to recede; at least Texans are coming together as one with volunteers with flat bottom boats bringing ala Dunkirk friends and strangers to safety; President Trump has acted decisively to speed federal aid to Texas and will visit the area on Tuesday; one slight silver lining is that 20,000 passengers remain stuck at sea on cruise ships that cannot return to port (as long as supplies hold out being on a cruise ship beats being in a Red Cross shelter); Biden is back in the news with over the top rhetoric claiming Trump has unleashed the darkest forces to overcome years of civil rights progress and slamming Trump for pardoning an 85 year old sheriff Joe Arpaio (denials notwithstanding with remarks like that Joe still has a case of presidential fever); Trump has overturned Obama’s ban of giving surplus military equipment to police departments; in Berkeley, ground zero for the free speech movement a hundred hooded anarchists entered a no hate rally looking for counter protesters to physically attack while the police did not stop these anarchists;  in another example of the ingenuity of human traffickers, Border Patrol agents discovered a tunnel near Otay Mesa when they arrested 30 illegals including 23 Chinese; through August 26, 2017 in Chicago the number of people being shot climbed to 2498, 432 of whom have died.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Chainsmokers, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote by Irene Parby on the roll of women in politics, hoping the jebels you face in life are short and with gentle slopes,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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 Petroleum Day—celebrating to the dismay of the eco-warriors the discovery by Edwin Drake of petroleum on this day in 1858 of petroleum in Titusville,Pennsylvania.      

2. Lyndon Baines Johnson Day—celebrated in Texas to commemorate the birthday on this day in August 27, 1908; given the rains coming down in Houston, the state holiday festivities will be somewhat restrained.       

3. 2016 Number One Song—the number one song in 2016 on a run of 12 weeks in that position was “Closer” by Chainsmokers. Here is a performance of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT-JzR0qn3o

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “jebel” which is a term used in the Middle East or Africa to designate a mountain or hill which is what unfortunately we still have climb to defeat radical Islam there or at home.     

5.  Cats Rule Humans Drool—celebrating the birth on this day in 1958 of Dennis Avner aka80 Stalking Cat who underwent a record 14 body modifications to make his face look like a tiger; sadly he only had one life not nine which he discovered when he committed suicide in 2012.  

                                                       

    

On this day in:

a. 1918 Mexican and American forces fought at the Battle of Ambros Nogales in which 4 American soldiers died along with 30 Mexican soldiers in the only battle fought on U.S. soil in World War I.

b. 1927 five Canadian women (the Valiant Five) filed suit in the Canada Supreme Court to decided the issue of whether term  “person” in the  British North America Act includes a female person to the which the court ruled no only to be overruled by the Privy Council in 1929 thereby clearing the way for women to be appointed to Canada’s Senate.     

c. 1942 the first day of a two day massacre of some 14,000-18,000 Jews in the town of Sarny, Ukraine.

d. 1956 the nuclear power station at Calder Hall in the United Kingdom was connected to the national power grid to become the first operating nuclear generating power plant. 

e. 2003 in a glaring example of futility in dealing with the rogue nation of North Korea, the first six party talks on the security concerns of North Korea’s nuclear program commenced among North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States.  Reflections on a woman’s roll in politics: “If politics mean…the effort to secure through legislative action better conditions of life for the people, greater opportunities for our children and other people’s children…then it most assuredly is a woman’s job as much as it is a man’s job.” Irene Parby, one of the Valiant Five.  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.  

© August 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 a Lasting Lift                           

August 26, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Equality Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 26, 2017 Harvey slammed into Texas as a category 4 hurricane and though quickly downgraded to a tropical storm is like the bad inlaw you cannot get rid of and is remaining in Texas expected to dump three plus feet of rain in the coming days bringing flooding to the Houston area (only one person has died as a result of the storm as gas prices across the country have surged); Trump is being slammed by the left and MSM for pardoning Sheriff Arpaio (where was the outrage when Clinton pardoned felon Mark Rich after his ex-wife gave almost #$1,500,000 to his campaign, his wife’s Senate campaign and to the Clinton Library Foundation?); Gorka is out as a Deputy National Security Adviser to Trump; African-American Grand Canyon University Professor Toby Jennings is out of a job for indicating that certain members of BLM should be hanged for their violent rhetoric; Blues are salivating over possibilities of flipping the House by tying all Reds to Trump (please Pelosi stay in power with your delusional rants that fire up the Red base and turn out the vote); as the Pope decried the latest ISIS video as a threat to Christianity, two knife attacks in London and Brussels with no one killed other than the two delusional jihadists who will find no virgins in Paradise, the doors to which have been closed to them; through August 23, 2017 in Chicago the number of people being shot climbed to 2481, 427 of whom have died but in a rarity no deaths in the last two previous days.

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to OMI, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote by Nicolas Kristof, hoping the Houston jawholes remain unclogged,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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. Women’s Equality Day—celebrating the adoption of the 19^th Amendment granting women the right to vote in 1920.    

2. Repentance Day—celebrated in Papua New Guinea on a day when holidays and observances are few and far between since 2011 to promote the fact the nation is primarily a Christian nation.      

3. 2015 Number One Song—the number one song in 2015 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Cheerleader” by OMI. Here is the performance of the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGflUbPQfW8

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “jawhole” which is a hole that sewage or runoff runs into which in Houston’s case if they are not kept unclogged it is going to be in even more of a flooding hurt.   

5.  Home Alone Again—celebrating the birth on this day in 1980 of child star Macauley Culkin best noted for the Home Alone  series of movies and who has discovered the hard way that being a child actor phenom does not always translate in to adult stardom.       

On this day in:

a. 1498 Michelangelo was commissioned to carve the Pieta at the Vatican.

b. 1789 the National Constituent Assembly of France approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen which was heavily influenced by Thomas Jefferson.     

c. 1883 Mount Krakatoa began its violent eruptions that lasted until the next day and destroyed 70 % of the island and spewed tons of ash and debris into the atmosphere causing temperature drops of 2 degrees in the Northern Hemisphere and the combination of debris and tsunamis killed over 36,000 people.  

d. 1977 the National Assembly of Quebec passed the Charter of the French Language making French the official language of Quebec. 

e. 2015 Allison Parker and her cameraman Adam Ward while conducting a live interview of Vicki Gardner of the local Chamber of Commerce were shot and killed by a disgruntled former worker at the station they worked for named Bryce Williams who was found later in his car with a self-inflicted bullet wound from which he expired in the hospital.   

Reflections on gender equality especially in those feudal countries hobbled by Sharia: ”In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism. We believe that in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality around the world.”  Nicholas D. Kristof, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide  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.  

© August 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

August 24, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Independence Day Ukraine

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 24, 2017 Congressman John Lewis of Minnesota is just the latest Red to be targeted at their homes by well funded leftist activists to protest the lack of town hall meetings that they can then disrupt and intimidate (make no mistake about it the left will do everything including violence to undermine the Trump agenda); the rhetoric from the Blues continues to flow over the top as Clapper infamous for his blatant lying to Congress on the collection of megadata of Americans claims that Trump is unfit to be President (why isn’t he facing perjury chargers?),  Don Lemon of Cack “News” Network accused Trump of inciting civil war (what a crock as anarchy by the left continues unabated) and a former CIA operative agent Valerie Plame who is on a quest to obtain control of Twitter so it will terminate Trump’s tweets pontificated how concerned she was over Trump’s temperament to be Commander in Chief to a willing interviewer from the Cack “News” Network Wolf Blitzer; a federal district court judge has ruled that Senator Menendez’s corruption trial move forward which means he will be absent from voting during the trial (bring Obamacare repeal back as you would only need 49 votes which hopefully Mitch has to send it to Mike Pence to vote the tie breaking vote); in a chilling reminder of why we are so fortunate that a very weak person Hillary Rodham Clinton is not in the White House, she in a promo snippet of her upcoming delusional book What Happened  spoke about how threatened she felt during the second debate with Trump roaming the stage (imagine how threatened in dealing with Putin, Kim, or Iran she would be); on the PC athletic front ESPN shifted Korean American sports commentator from covering the UVA football opener because of his name Robert Lee might offend people because of the protests in Virginia (when will insanity stop?); on the European terrorist front, ISIS boasts to Spain that more attacks are coming: Rome officials blast refugee migrants with water cannon; and the mayor of Venice has instructed police to shoot anyone yelling “Allahu Akbar”; hold on to your hats Mitch is sending signals that no tax cut this year as Trump threatens to veto any debt ceiling bill not coupled with funding to build the wall bill; through August 23, 2017 in Chicago the number of people being shot climbed to 2460, 426 of whom have died sadly only when things like a major snow storm, massive rain, or a total eclipse does the maiming and death daily total sink.

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Magic, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote by John Lennon on death, wishing the Blue janissaries would abandon Pelosi and Schumer and demand what is best for the nation,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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 Waffle Day—celebrating not the unique and despicable talent of politicians to skirt issues and questions but rather that tasty breakfast item smothered in all sorts of toppings and cooked with a waffle iron for which a patent was issued on this day in 1869 to Cornelius Swarthout.     

2. Den' Nezalezhnosti—celebrated by Ukraine to mark its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 but given Putin’s actions in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine not sure how many more celebrations may be held in the future.      

3. 2014 Number One Song—the number one song in 2014 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Rude” by Magic. Here is the performance of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh2xe4jnpk

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “janissary” which is a member of a highly loyal group of supporters of a person or a cause which describes Trump’s supporters and Sanders’ supporters to a tee and which were far and few between in HRC’s case.    

5.  Iron Man—celebrating the birth on this day in 1950 of Carl Ripken, Jr. who played in 2632 consecutive games, totally smashing Lou Gehrig’s record to set a record given the proclivity of teams and players to trade and be traded that will probably never be broken—great work ethic Carl!      

On this day in:

a. 1963 in the quagmire that began even before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the U.S. State Department cabled to officials in the American Embassy in Saigon that as a result of raids on the Buddhist Xa Loi Pagoda that South Vietnamese generals be urged to mount a coup against President Diem if he did not dismiss his brother Nhu (he did not but they did and both Diem and Nhu were shot and South Vietnam while trying to fight a war was exposed the musical chairs of ruling leaders).

b. 1967 Abbie Hoffman and his Youth International Party members temporarily shut down trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange by tossing hundreds of dollar bills onto the trading floor from the visitor’s gallery causing traders to stop what they were doing to scoop up the dollars floating down.    

c. 1981 Mark David Chapman was sentenced to 20 years to life for the killing of John Lennon; he is still in prison at age 65 after numerous parole hearings with another scheduled in 2018 (as long as Yoko Ono is still alive a good bet that he will never see the light of a free day).

d. 1995 Microsoft 95 was released by Microsoft. 

e. 1998 in a Big Brother is encroaching on your privacy moment the first human implantation RFID was tested in the United Kingdom. 

Reflections on death from a person no longer with us because of Mark David Chapman: “I'm not afraid of death because I don't believe in it. It's just getting out of one car, and into another.” John Lennon I am surprised John did not use the term “submarine,” but the analogy is a good one that all Christians should welcome since the physical car they are getting out of most likely is in need of repair with far too many miles on it and the other is brand new. 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.  

© August 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

August 22, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Be An Angel Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 22, 2017  Millions in America including this poet in Salem, Oregon for the event were treated to a spectacular solar eclipse yesterday ( at Salem it was total for almost two minutes and the traffic jam back to Portland was about 100 times longer but worth it); Trump gave a great speech last night focusing on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s being MIA in the struggle against the Taliban and radical Islam and most importantly the need for unity among Americans (total deaf ears by the Waters, Sharptons, Pelosis, Schumers and MSM fake journalists like Acosta; the driver of the van in the Barcelona attack has finally gotten his delusional one way ticket to Paradise punched by Spanish police; the U.S. Navy has never been hesititant to sail into harm’s way but now the harm’s way may not be limited to shells, bombs, or missiles and may include hacking into the navigation systems of our ships of war given two recent collisions of naval ships in the Pacific with civilian vessels (does anyone suspect the Chinese?); looks like ends-justify-the means Clinton supporters are back in the limelight after the USPS has been cited for breaking the law by allowing employees supposedly engaged in permitted union work but instead providing services to Clinton’s campaign prompting Senate Reds sending out letters to 10 Swamp federal agencies demanding explanations of involvement if any of their employees’ potentially criminal activity in working for the Clinton campaign; in another example of why parenting classes should be required in some cases and why it is difficult in this era of everyone has a smart phone, a 34 year old Florida mother of a 14 year old daughter was arrested for felony child abuse after being caught on tape watching her daughter in a fight with a six month pregnant minor urging her on and standing idly by (disgusting!); on the if you don’t acquit time for you to quit, after a hung jury and mistrial, Cosby has hired a new legal team for the retrial; through August 21, 2017 2439 people have been shot in Chicago, of whom 424 have died.

 As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Robin Thicke, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote by Bill Parcells, looking forward to not being viewed as a person as someone who is full of jacantcy, 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 Tooth Fairy Day—this is a day children who are partially traumatized by the loss of a baby tooth relish when they wake up and find that on average the tooth fairy has replaced that baby tooth under the pillow with $4.66 (the $.25 the tooth fairy left under my pillow in 1953 is worth $2.24 today so the tooth fairy has been making a great return on enamel).

          2. Be An Angel Day—most of us have been exposed to angels in our lives from the fireman saving our home to the life guard saving us a child to the simple act of someone giving up their seat to a pregnant mother on a bus; created in 1993 by Jayne Feldman to honor those angels and to encourage all of us in our own way to be angels themselves.

          3. Number One Song in 2013—celebrating the number 1 song in 2013 on a run of 12 weeks in that position “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke. Here is a link to the song: https://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines/USUV71300454https://www.vevo.com/watch/robin-thicke/blurred-lines/USUV71300454

         4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “jactancy” which boastfulness, vainglory” which without any accomplishments to speak out any words out of members of Congress for the great job they are doing is reeks of jactancy.

              5.  Never Say Never--celebrating the birth on this day in 1941 of Bill Parcells, noted football coach who is the only coach to take four different teams to the playoffs and who kept retiring only to like tuna being drawn to the hook or seine kept coming back as a coach.       

 On this day in:

1. 1864 in an attempt to ameliorate the hell on Earth known as war especially as it relates to prisoners and wounded, 12 nations signed the First Geneva Convention. 

2. 1950 Athea Gibson became the African American to compete in an international tennis tournament, later going on to win 11 Grand Slam Tournaments.   

3. 1953 the French penal colony on Devil’s Island infamously memorialized by the movie Papillion starring Dustin Hoffman and Steve Macqueen was permanently closed.      

4. 1978 Congress passed the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment which would have treated the Swamp for federal elections like a state and granted it 3 Electoral College votes. Fortunately for Reds and Independents only 16 states ratified the amendment so it is not part of the Constitution.   

5. 1992 FBI sniper Lon Horuichi after wounding Randy Weaver as he was opening the door to his cabin at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, shot and killed Vickie Weaver who was inside the cabin holding her 10 month old daughter; Horiouchi never spent a day in jail for this illegal use of force against Vicki Weaver but the taxpayers coughed up over three million dollars to settle a wrongful death suit and almost three years later in revenge for FBI actions at Ruby Ridge and Waco, Texas McVeigh and Reynolds blew up the Oklahoma City Federal Building, killing 168 innocents and wounding more than 680.

Reflections on why football is a lot like life with many of the same rules of competitiveness, effort, and practice: “No matter how much you've won, no matter how many games, no matter how many championships, no matter how many Super Bowls, you're not winning now, so you stink.” Bill Parcells 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.                                                                                           
 © August 22, 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