April 28, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Workers Memorial Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 28, 2018  Pompeo is on the ground running first to NATO to remind them of need to spend at least 2% on defense then on to Saudi Arabia then Jordan as Israel faced another Friday of violent demonstrations on the Gaza Strip Israeli border; U.S. will open its embassy in Jerusalem on May 9 to coincide with the 70^th anniversary of the Jewish State; Trump has called on Tester to resign after his slanderous attacks on VA nominee Jackson caused him to withdraw his name (look for Trump and Melania to campaign against Tester this fall); On the PC front Whole Foods is getting slamming for its partnership with a restaurant start-up called “Yellow Fever” as being racist (interesting that the co-founder Kelly Kim was born in South Korea and immigrated legally to the U.S. as a child); the caravan of “refugees” from Central America is camped out at Sanctuary State Mexico border supposedly looking forward to crossing on Sunday en mass; on the thin Blue Line front since January 1 of this year, 34 police officers have been killed in the line of duty; in Chicago through April 27, 2018, 714 people have been shot, of whom 122 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to The Jackson Five, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that know when not to be malapert and a relevant quote by Jessica Alba on what is important and what is secondary,  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. Workers Memorial Day—created by the AFL-CIO in 1970 to honor those workers who have died, been injured or contracted diseases during the course of their work and to advocate for measures to advance worker safety.    

2. Great Poetry Reading Day—promoting during Poetry Month the reading of great poetry be it in full rhyme or blank or free verse and since it is also Kiss Your Mate some advice nothing warms the cockles of a woman’s heart more that a poem crafted for her, something the Alaskanpoet is very good at.    

3. 1970 Number One Song— the number one song in 1970 on a run of 2 weeks in that position was “ABC” by The Jackson Five.  Here is a recording of the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7796-au8U Check out a very young Dick Clark and Michael Jackson.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “malapert”  which means bold or saucy which sadly describes too many men whose reptilian brains control their activities.

5. Nice Storm and Silver Surfer—celebrating the birthday of noted actress Jessica Alba who had an agent at age 12 and who has appeared in a wide variety of films.
         On this day in: 

a. 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd topped the charts as number one and remained on the charts in lower positions for a record 741 weeks.

b. 1986 high levels of radiation were detected at a Swedish nuclear power plant forcing the Soviets to reveal the Chernobyl Disaster.

c. 1988 near Maui, Hawaii flight attendant Clarabelle “C.B.” Lansing was blown out of Aloha Airlines Flight 243, a Boeing 737, in mid air and fell to her death when a portion of the fuselage was blown out in a rapid decompression. The plane with 65 injured passengers and crew somehow managed to make an emergency landing due to the very skilled efforts of the pilot and copilot but was damaged beyond repair:

                                                              

d. 1994 CIA counterintelligence officer and analyst Aldrich Ames pled guilty to espionage for the Soviet Union and later Russia revealing to them identities of most of the agents operating in the Soviet Union and Russia; this traitor is rotting for the rest of his life in a federal prison.

e. 2004 CBS News released tapes showing CIA and U.S. Army personnel at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq torturing, raping, sodomizing and otherwise abusing Iraqi detainees.  

Reflections on priorities in a 24/7 world:” I wish there were two of me and 48-hour days so I could get everything done. But for me, I have to not try and think that everything has to be 100% perfect all the time and leave room for error. As long as my kids feel loved and a priority, everything really is secondary.” Jessica Alba Astute observation.   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.             

© April 28, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

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April 27, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Design Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 27, 2018  In a historic moment the presidents of North Korea and South Korea met at the border to discuss the end of the Korean War and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula (this meeting would have never occurred without the efforts of the U.S. and Mike Pompeo (sadly in a continuing display of obstruction almost treasonous only 7 Blues voted in favor of his confirmation  but not the illegal alien support queen Harris and an aging Feinstein); House Panel found no evidence of collusion with the Russians by the Trump Campaign although partisan hacks like Schiff immediately dismissed the finding (time for this travesty and distraction from the efforts to make America great again and end this witch hunt); in yet another example of how petty and childish the Blues are capable of the Lubbock Democratic Party saw fit to crop Melania Trump out of the photo of the Obamas, Bushes and George H.W. Bush appearing at the funeral of Barbara Bush; the reptilian brain has claimed another victim—Tom Brokaw whom Linda Vester has claimed he groped her and tried to forcibly tried to kiss and who has dropped out as commencement speaker at Sacred Heart University; Merkel and Trump meeting today to discuss Iran, trade, and North Korea; Cosby has been found guilty on his retrial; in Chicago through April 26, 2018, 710 people have been shot, of whom 121 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to The Fifth Dimension, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that because you know what you are saying you can be malacophonous and a relevant quote by Jeff Sessions on impeachment,  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 Design Day—celebrated since 1995 to promote awareness of the contribution of design to our culture and society.    

2. National Hairball Awareness Day—one days of awareness of pets’ promoted by the American Veterinary Association and why one should brush cats frequently to minimize the ingestion of hairballs caused by self grooming.    

3. 1969 Number One Song— the number one song in 1969 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Aquarius Let The Sunshine In” by The Fifth Dimension.  Here is a recording of the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPK7ZF6jfJE

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “malacophonous”  which means soft spoken which definitely does not describe most politicians. World Design

5. Who Wants To Buy His Story?—celebrating or bemoaning depending on one’s political point of view the birth on this day in 1969 of Cory Booker, a 2020 Blue presidential wanna-be but listening to his leftist rants and obstructionism perhaps a poster child for the concussion results of having played tight end for Stanford. Like most Blues, Booker has never worked in the private sector and was one of the Blues hectoring Pompeo on the issue of LBGT “rights” during his confirmation hearings.
         On this day in: 

a. 1805 8 Marines led by Lt. O’Bannon and some 500 Berbers successfully attacked the city of Derna in Tripoli in the Barbary Coast War.

b. 1974 10,000 people marched in Washington, D.C. demanding the impeachment of Richard Nixon.

c. 1981 Xerox PARC introduced the computer mouse.

d. 2005 the Airbus 380 had its maiden flight.

e. 2006 construction began on the Freedom Tower (later renamed One World Trade Center) in New York Center.

Reflections on impeachment:” Whereas the handling of the case against President Nixon clearly strengthened the nation's respect for law, justice and truth, the Clinton impeachment may unfortunately have the opposite result.” Jeff Sessions Sadly, Sessions’ recusal and the appointment of Mueller and his band of anti-Trumpsters have shredded what little respect outside the Swamp there remains for the integrity of the DOJ and the FBI. 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.             

© April 27, 2018 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

April 25, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Malaria Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 25, 2018  Red Debbie Lasko was victorious last night in a special election in Arizona in a district Trump won by 21 points, beating her Blue opponent by over six points; Maxine Waters bias and hatred bile oozing from every pore was honored at a gala put on by Time Magazine honoring the 100 most influential was calling for Trump to resign (typical rant as she competes with Pelosi to be the most despised Blue by the Reds in the House); Melania Trump pulled off a winning state dinner for the Macrons without having to hire an event planner as was the case under Obama Administration (what an absolute woman of class); Randa Jarrar who lashed out at Barbara Bush on her death and had over 10,000 people signing petitions demanding her removal has dodged the discipline bullet according to President Joseph Castro (what a joke masquerading as a professor to condemn her students to steady dose of propaganda ill suited to assist them in gaining meaningful employment); another day in Afghanistan another day of complete mismanagement of the Afghanistan reconstruction efforts by the World Bank as several billions may have been lost due to mismanagement and corruption leaving U.S. taxpayers holding the bag; Andrew Yang an entrepreneur running for president on the Blue ticket has come up with a ridiculous idea of paying every citizen 18-64 $1,000 a month costing the Treasury $2 trillion (shades of free bread and entertainment in the Coliseum during the Roman Empire); Cristina Cifuentes, a regional Madrid premier caught on tape shoplifting and exposed as forging her Master’s Degree was forced to resign; the NFL already reeling from the kneeling protests during the National Anthem and the concern over concussions and brain injuries now has cheerleaders filing lawsuits over sexual harassment by the teams and their fans; in Chicago through April 23, 2018, 690 people have been shot, of whom 115 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Frank and Nancy Sinatra, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that usually thieves with mainour are caught and a relevant quote by Maraboli on Parent Alienation Syndrome and its effect on children,  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. Parent Alienation Awareness Day—promoting awareness since 2005 of the collateral damage that too often occurs during divorces in which the custodial parent to the detriment of the children seeks to alienate the noncustodial parent from the children.   

2. World Malaria Day—one of the eight disease prevention days of the World Health Organization promoting efforts to combat this deadly disease that kills tens of thousands of people each year in Africa and the Middle East primarily.   

3. 1967 Number One Song— the number one song in 1967 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Somethin’ Stupid” by Frank and Nancy Sinatra.  Here is a recording of the father and daughter duo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f48fpoSEPU

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mainour” which means stolen goods discovered on or near a thief. 

5. A Star Is Born—celebrating the birth on this day in 1969 of actress and producer Renee Zellweger who had her first break in Jerry Maguire and went on to receive Academy Award Nominations and Oscars and is now working on a biopic of Judy Garland.

         On this day in: 

a. 1953 Francis Crick and James Watson published a paper describing the double helix structure of DNA.

b. 1954 the first practical solar cell was demonstrated by Bell Labs.

c. 1959 the St. Lawrence Seaway linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean was opened for business.

d. 1961 Robert Noyce was granted a patent for an integrated circuit..

e. 2004 a large crowd of marchers estimated to be 500,000-800,000 marched in the March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C. to protest the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 which was ultimately ruled to be constitutional by SCOTUS.  

Reflections on Parent Alienation Syndrome’s effects: “Parental Alienation is an emotional act of violence that is aimed at an adult, but critically wounds a child.” Steve Maraboli, noted speaker and author.   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.             

© April 25, 2018 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

April 24, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Armenian Genocide Rembrance Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 24, 2018  The supporters of a movement to have California secede from the United States have been granted permission to start collecting signatures to have the matter placed on the 2020 ballot (God help us if these idiots succeed); the Always Biased Cack "News" "reporter" Jonathan Karl  was ridiculed by the president for asking a stupid question on whether Trump would pardon Michael Cohen; Kate Middleton has just delivered a son, the 5^th in line to the British throne (kudos to a complete woman and mother of total class); the first installment of “refugees” from Central America that Mexico did not impede has arrived at Sanctuary Border,  California but President Trump unlike Obama is dispatching a flood of agents and judges to send these illegal “refugees” back as opposed to catch and release them into the interior never to be seen inside a courtroom again; Toronto reeling after Alek Minassian in a rented Ryder van killed 10 pedestrians and injured 15 others; the father of the Waffle House shooter may be facing federal charges for returning the four guns to him (fortunately the shooter has been captured); the bane of most conservatives and the most overturned Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit has seven vacancies which Trump can fill with hopefully some conservative judges to rein in its leftist tendencies; finally some sanity in the Senate as on party lines, Pompeo was recommended as Secretary of State by the Committee on Foreign Relations; the petition to have FSU fire Randa Jarrar for her profanity laced attack on Barbara Bush shortly after her death now has 10,000 signatures and growing as the predictable news just released that George H.W. Bush is back in intensive care; Trump’s selection to head the VA is on hold as allegations have surfaced concerning improper conduct; in Chicago through April 23, 2018, 678 people have been shot, of whom 111 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to The Young Rascals, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that hopefully the new mahout for the House Republicans will support the Trump Agenda and a relevant quote by Henry Morganthau, Sr. on the  Armenian Genocide,  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. Armenian Genocide Rembrance Day—commemorating  the genocide by the Turks starting in 1915 of over a million Armenians which many believe given the lack of the civilized world’s reaction was the inspiration for Hitler’s Holocaust of the Jews.   

2. Fashion Revolution Day—commemorating the anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza clothing factory in Bangladesh that killed 1133 workers and injured 2500 by promoting worker safety by encouraging buyers to purchase clothing from manufacturers with acceptable safety standards.   

3. 1966 Number One Song— the number one song in 1966 on a run of 1 week in that position was “Good Lovin’” by The Young Rascals.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g55XaECGBN0

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mahout” which one who drives an elephant  and which when it comes to Republicans, hopefully Ryan’s replacement will be more committed to the Trump Agenda. 

5. Ran Out of Letters—celebrating the birth on this day in 1940 of  noted author Sue Grafton best known for her 25 novels on private investigator Kinsey Millhone starting with A Is for Alibi and ending with Y Is for Yesterday before dying of cancer on December 28, 2017.

         On this day in: 

a. 1953 Winston Churchill was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

b. 1957 the Suez Canal was reopened to traffic following the introduction of UN Peacekeepers.

c. 1967 Soviet Cosmonaut Vladimir Koramov became the first human being to die in a space mission when his Soyuz 1 failed to deploy its parachutes on reentry.

d. 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope was placed into orbit by the Space Shuttle Discovery.

e. 1996 President Bill Clinton signed into law The Antiterrrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 passed by Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support following the World Trade Center Bombing.  

Reflections on the Armenian Genocide: When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race; they understood this well, and, in their conversations with me, they made no particular attempt to conceal the fact… I am confident that the whole history of the human race contains no such horrible episode as this. The great massacres and persecutions of the past seem almost insignificant when compared to the sufferings of the Armenian race in 1915." Henry Morganthau, Senior, American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I  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.             

© April 24, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to AdmireA

April 22, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Earth Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 22, 2018 California can add another dubious distinction to its list of disasters like the most number of homeless, the high cost of housing, the most burdensome business regulations and the fact that due to Moonbeam’s idiotic Sanctuary State status it leads the nation in releasing gang members subject to ICE detainer requests to continue their criminal activity (Moonbeam is so out of touch with reality of criminal illegal alien activity and its adverse effects on public safety); another shooting this time at a Waffle House near Nashville that left four people dead and four wounded and created a predictable more gun control response by the Blue Mayor but created one hero, Robert Shaw, Jr., a 29 year old patron who ran to the sounds of gunfire and managed to tackle the shooter and wrest his weapon away and force him to flee (a photo of a very brave young man):

                                                  

To add to California’s potential woes, the U.S. Geological Report that the Bay Area is sitting on a ticking tectonic time bomb that could kill close to a 1,000 residents and injure 18,000; after slow walking legitimate document requests from Congress in exercise of its Constitutional mandate for oversight of the Justice Department and FBI, Chairman Nunez announced that no official intel was utilized to launch the Russian “collusion” probe and that long time Clinton hack Sidney Blumenthal has his fingerprints all over false information used to justify the probe (aka the Mueller witch-hunt); Pompeo’s nomination will be voted on a Senate committee where unless Rand Paul comes to his senses and votes in favor, his nomination will go to the Senate this week with a negative recommendation (what an absolute lunacy and travesty by the Blues as Trump is doing what no other president has been able to do—meet with Kim to hammer out a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula); in Chicago through April 20, 2018, 653 people have been shot, of whom 109 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Righteous Brothers, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you can change channels and avoid magpiety and a relevant quote by Chritine Lagarde on the Paris Agreement and how to implement it,  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. Earth Day—created by Senator Gaylord Nelson to promote awareness of the for environment protection and preservation and now observed by 193 nations.    

2. April Showers Day—celebrating the April showers that bring May flowers but sadly not today in drought plagued California on a very sunny and clear day.    

3. 1966 Number One Song— the number one song in 1966 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “(You’re My) Soul And Inspiration” by The Righteous Brothers.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjuaVo74meY The duo was disbanded on Bobby Hatfield’s death on November 5, 2003 from something very unrighteous cocaine addiction that caused a heart attack. Medley revived the duo with Bucky Heard in 2016 and they are performing today.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “magpiety” which means garrulity especially on religious or moral issues which sadly describes far too many politicians who drone on and on in support of their positions or oppositions.  

5. Dying Not In Bed But Doing What One Wants To Do Is New Immortality—celebrating the birth on this day in 1944 of  Steve Fossett, who made millions trading options and commodities and used the freedom created by that wealth to set numerous records in sailing, ballooning, gliders, jets, boats and other daredevil exploits including finishing 47^th in the Iditarod and was on a routine pleasure flight soloing over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and never reached his destination prompting a search by hundreds of volunteers. After being declared dead by a probate judge in February, 2008, his remains and the wreckage of his plane were found in October of that year.

         On this day in: 

a. 1864 the U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act of 1864 which mandated the us of In God We Trust on all coins minted as official currency.

b. 1915 in a frightening escalation of man’s inhumanity to fellow men, the Germans utilized chlorine gas on hapless Allied forces ill equipped to be protected from its use in the Second Battle of Ypres.

c. 1977 optical fiber is used for the first time to carry telephone traffic..

d. 2000 in a predawn raid ordered by AG Janet Reno, federal agents, guns drawn, forcibly removed 6 year old Elian Gonzalez, whose mother had died fleeing Cuba with him in a boat, to his father living in Cuba.

e. 2016 the Paris Agreement which sets forth commitments of its signatories to limit the emission of greenhouse gases, which agreement President Trump has indicated he will withdraw from in November, 2020 before the end of his first term.   

Reflections on the Paris Agreement and how best to implement it: “Governments must now put words into actions, in particular by implementing policies that make effective progress on the mitigation pledges they have made. That is why my key message is to price carbon right and to do it now.” Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.  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.             

© April 22, 2018 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

April 21, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Grounation Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 21, 2018 On the desperation front as the DNC is failing on the public court of opinion Russian collusion delusion front, it has moved into a real courtroom and has filed suit against Russia, Wikileaks, Donald Trump, Jr. and others connected with the Trump campaign (when will Perez and his stooges realize that they lost because of a failed candidate, no ideas, and a perception by the public that she was dishonest and probably not physically fit for the office?—hope never as that will prevent self examination to come up with ideas like Trump is propounding to grow the economy); Comey and McCabe should be counting their days not behind bars on two hands (Comey should really get off the book tour as each word out of his mouth puts him closer to indictment); on the food front, the CDC due to an ecoli outbreak has warned consumers to avoid all Romaine lettuce; on the wrongful death front, the teen crushed to death by the flipping of a third row seat onto him, called twice to 911 with description and location of car but police called never got out of their cruiser; Senate subcommittee should vote on Pompeo and their will be hell to pay as Trump readies himself for a meeting with Kim if he is not confirmed; in Chicago through April 19, 2018, 645 people have been shot, of whom 108 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you can change channels and avoid magniloquent speeches and a relevant quote by the birthday girl Patti LuPone on need for hard work,  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. Grounation Day—an important Rastafari holiday celebrating Haile Selassie’s visit to Jamaica on this day in 1966.   

2. National Thank You For Libraries Day—celebrating the importance of and contributions to our culture of libraries especially as they move at flank speed into the digital and internet world.    

3. 1965 Number One Song— the number one song in 1965 on a run of 1 week in that position was “Game of Love” by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzVLQTovv_g

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “magniloquent” which means a speaking in a grand or pompous manner which is what we have come to expect from the denizens of the Swamp.  

5. Don’t Cry For Me—celebrating the birth on this day in 1949 of Patti LuPone, noted film, theater and television actress best known for her starring Tony Award winning roles in Evita and Gypsy.

         On this day in: 

a. 1962 the Seattle World’s Fair with its iconic Space Needle and Seattle Monorail opened as the first World ‘s Fair in America since World War II.

b. 1975 after the last South Vietnamese outpost in the path of the North Vietnamese Army advancing toward Saigon fell, President Thieu fled Saigon.

c. 1977 the musical Annie opened on Broadway at the Alvin Theater where it would run for almost 7 years.

d. 1993 in a justice may move slowly but it does move, Bolivia’s Supreme Court sentenced former dictator Luis Garcia Meza to 30 years without parole for murder, theft, fraud and violating the Bolivian Constitution;  he still has 5 more years to go and at 88 more likely than not will die in prison.

e. 2014 the city of Flint, Michigan changed its water supply to the Flint River which led to an outbreak of lead poisoning that infected 12,000 residents and the deaths of 15 from Legionnaires’ Disease and the indictments of 15 officials, 5 of whom charged with involuntary manslaughter and awaiting trial.  

Reflections on professionalism and work ethic: “I have a very high standard. I expect everyone around me to work equally as hard because people pay a lot of money for tickets. They demand the best that we have.” Patti LuPone in her book Patti LuPone: A Memoir.  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.             

© April 21, 2018 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

April 19, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Bicycle Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 19, 2018 On the FBI illegality front the Inspector General recommended criminal charges be filed against Andrew McCabe- great first step in draining the anti-Trump bias in the Swamp; when does sanity return to the Russian collusion delusion witch-hunt and we end this Mueller travesty?; IG is not finished and very soon we should see a report that really slams Comey, Lynch and the FBI for the whitewash “investigation” of HRC’s private email server (what we really need to see is a real investigation of the blatant quid pro quo practices of her as Secretary of State that funneled millions of dollars into her Foundation and Bill’s pockets in speaking fees—if there was anyone that should be locked up it is the Clintons); after seeing McCabe in the crosshairs of criminal prosecution, Rosenstein comes out and states Trump was not a target in the raid on his lawyer Michael Cohen (when does this rogue special prosecutor have his Russian collusion delusion terminated so we can continue in Trump’s quest to make America great again?); Elizabeth Warren moment déjà vu as Andrew Cuomo makes the ridiculous claim that he is an undocumented alien (does he know that illegals vote in droves during an election?); as the world has high hopes that the meeting between Trump and Kim that Pompeo has vetted favorably in a secret meeting with Kim, our aging senior senator from California Diane Feinstein totally infected by the progressive disease that funs unchecked through our Barbara Boxer on steroids junior senator Kamala Harris has announced that she will vote against Mike Pompeo (totally outrageous for Blues to hinder and obstruct Trump being able to name his team in this really critical push to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula—McConnell off your ass and push this nomination to an immediate vote even if you have to use the nuclear option); any idiot would know that the only weapon effective against a gun is another gun in the hands of a trained person but in Illinois Democrats want to reallocate funds for school security to hire therapists; in Chicago through April 18, 2018, 637 people have been shot, of whom 107 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to The Beatles, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are blessed with magnalities today and a relevant quote by Jannie Coverdale on the death penalty verdict for McVeigh,  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. Bicycle Day—commemorating this day in 1943 when Albert Hoffman three days after he had accidentally absorbed some LSD purposely ingested .25 micrograms of LSD and after commencing hallucinogenic effects had his assistant ride with him on a bicycle to his house and then to record the effects of the dose.   

2. Dutch American Friendship Day—commemorating this day in 1782 when the Netherlands recognized John Adams as the Ambassador from the United States and the U.S. purchased a house at Fluwelen Burnwal 18 in The Hague to become its first embassy.    

3. 1964 Number One Song— the number one song in 1964 on a run of 5 weeks in that position was “Can’t Buy Me Love” by The Beatles.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srwxJUXPHvE

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “magnality” which means a great act or event which fits the tax cut to a tee.  

5. Cars Can Be Unsafe Places In Which To Be—celebrating the birth on this day in 1933 of Vera Jayne Palmer better known to her fans as Jayne Mansfield, noted actress, pinup and Playmate who like her father many years earlier when she was a small girl was killed while driving the family car but in Jayne’s case she was killed when a car she was in with three adults in the front seat and her three children asleep in the back seat ran into a semi-truck, killing all three adults but only slightly scratching the children.

         On this day in: 

a. 1984 “Advance Australia Fair” was adopted as Australia’s national anthem.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8tswkr25A0

b. 1985 200 federal agents besieged a right wing white supremacist survivalist cult The Covenant, The Sword and The Arm of the Lord in Arkansas. Fortunately for all involve the group surrendered two days later.

c. 1993 the 51 day siege of the Branch Davidian Complex ended when a fire broke out, killing 76 Davidians including 16 children under the age of 10.

d. 1995 in revenge for the ATF assault on the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco, Texas, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols parked a Ryder Rental Truck loaded with more than 4800 pounds of explosives in a drop off zone under the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City which also contained a day care center for the children of federal employees and lit the fuse. When the truck exploded five minutes later, 168 people in the building were killed, over 670 injured and a one third of the building destroyed.

e. 2011 Fidel Castro resigned as Party Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, a post he had held since 1961.  

Reflections on the verdict of death against Timothy McVeigh: “"This is not a time for celebration. A man's life is being taken from him. It's something that we wanted, and it's not done out of revenge. It's because we felt it was necessary." Jannie Coverdale whose two grandsons died in the bombing.  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.             

© April 19, 2018 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

April 18, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Newspaper Columnists Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 18, 2018 On the illegal alien front news that should really make you want to take to the streets in protest as DHS released a report on the dozens upon dozens of illegal alien gang members including MS-13 that were released from incarceration despite the fact that there were outstanding detainer requests from ICE with the greatest number being released in California (thanks for putting us at risk Moonbeam while you are fully protect by police packing heat and thank God that Orange County has told Moonbeam to take a hike and will publish names and release dates of illegals in its jails-- http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/04/18/dhs-reveals-dozens-ms-13-other-gang-members-released-by-sanctuary-policies.html; former FLOTUS Barbara Bush has passed at age 92 leaving her husband of over 72 years in a world of grief as outpourings of sympathy and prayers pour in (save from one very angry progressive English professor at Fresno State who in a profanity laced tweet was glad she had died-what a disgrace mocking academic freedom); the passengers on the Southwest Airlines’ flight that had one jet engine fail are very lucky to have had one of the first female naval aviators, Tammie Jo Shults, as a pilot to safely land the damaged aircraft; Comey continues to embarrass himself and the FBI with the aid of the Cack News Network by spreading a discredited salacious rumor that Trump was watching prostitutes urinate on each other as he tries to sell what is turning out to be a complete dud of a book; Trump wants to remove some irresponsible domestic spending increases in the Omnibus spending bill recently passed which McConnell has said is an idea DOA (Reds are smoking crack or meth if they think after their miserable performance that voters will give them another two years in control of both houses of government); in Chicago through April 17, 2018, 631 people have been shot, of whom 106 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to The Chiffons, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you have mastered magirics and a relevant quote by Samantha Cameron on being a conservative,  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 Day for Monuments and Sites—created by UNESCO in 1983 to promote awareness of the cultural diversity represented by such monuments and sites, their vulnerabilities and the need and means to protect them.  

2. National Newspaper Columnists Day—created by National Association of Newspaper Columnists formed in 1977 to promote and recognize the contributions of newspaper columnists to our society and celebrated on the anniversary of Ernie Pyle’s death on this day in 1945 while covering the war in the Pacific.    

3. 1963 Number One Song— the number one song in 1963 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “He’s So Fine” by The Chiffons.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rinz9Avvq6A

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “magirics” which means to the science or art of cooking, which is a great skill to possess especially if you want to entertain at home.

5. Creative Line of Royalty—celebrating the birth on this day in 1971 of Samantha Cameron, direct descendant of King Charles II, successful creative director of Smythson of Bond Street and wife of former British Prime Minister David Cameron.

         On this day in: 

a. 1906 a large 7.9 earthquake and ensuing fire destroyed 80 percent of San Francisco and killed some 3,000 people.  

b. 1943 Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, was shot down and killed by U.S. P-38 fighters while flying to inspect troops on Bougainville Island.

c. 1946 the International Court of Justice held its first session at The Hague, Netherlands.

d. 1954 Gamal Abdel Nassar seized power in Egypt.

e. 1983 a suicide bomber detonated outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon,  killing 63 people.  

Reflections on what it means to be a true conservative: “I'm definitely a Tory. My dad was a Conservative councillor, and I spent years as a child knocking on doors with him. I'm a Tory because I'm passionate about business and enterprise. But I am also a compassionate Conservative. There should always be a net through which no one should fall.”Samantha Cameron. Definitely right on point and advice we all should heed. 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.             

© April 18, 2018 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