Ridley's Believe It Or Not--This Day In History: August 2019

Friday, August 30, 2019

August 30, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National College Colors DayNati

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 30, 2019 Comey continues to come across as a disgraced FBI leaker and architect with a plan to trap the President-Elect Trump into perjury before his firing and the appointment of the Special Counsel Mueller (he should not be dong high fives over the IG’s decision not to recommend prosecution and should be sweating blood over his role in the FISA warrants, the first of which he signed); whether he gets prosecuted like he should his reputation has been torched and his “beloved” FBI is in shambles replaced with a culture of integrity with a culture of leaking; in an example that Trump is fed up with leakers, after an off the record dinner briefing with reporters Trump’s longtime assistant Madeline Westerout abruptly resigned for her leaking details of the dinner meeting; Omar should be on her prayer rug thanking Allah that the FEC that should be prosecuted for using campaign funds to pursue the extra marital affair with her campaign consultant cannot as there are three vacancies on it leaving only three and unable to prosecute (Trump needs to fill that at least one vacancy so she can be prosecuted); although the number of countries with a wealth tax has dropped from 12 to 3 due primarily to difficulties in administering it and the fact that wealthy individuals can simply move residences, many Blues are hot to trot to adopt it (caveat emptor to taxpayers--when has a tax with a low initial rate not risen dramatically over time due to unrestrained spending desires?); as Dorian barrels to Florida with a glance at devastated Puerto Rico whose corrupt president has resigned to avoid impeachment, Trump can’t resist himself with a tweet slamming the Mayor of San Juan for ineptness over last Hurricane to devastate the island (please tone it down Mr. President with encouragement to do better as opposed to attacking); while the Reds rail at late term abortion in Virginia as infanticide, new discoveries of a pre Columbian burial site of the Chimu Indians conquered by the Incas revealed a mass grave of 250 children and 40 warriors sacrificed to appease the Chimu gods in the 15^th Century; after a former New York City Fed Chairma called on the Fed to allow the economy to tank so Trump would not be reelected, Senator Tillis has called for hearings on the Fed’s “independence” (as Trump has been railing against Chairman Powell, sadly many Blues seem to be on the same page wishing for a recession to be able to beat Trump);; in Chicago through August 29, 2019, 1848 have been shot of whom 310 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 227 have been murdered in Baltimore (when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Fergie, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you have a pochette handy and a relevant quote from Robert Falls, a former slave on rebelling against slavery, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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 College Colors Day—created in 2005 to celebrate the beginning of the intercollegiate sports season by wearing your favorite college’s color which in my case is Cardinal and White as Stanford takes the field at the Farm tomorrow against the Stanford of the Midwest Northwestern.

2. International Day of the Disappeared—commemorating since 2007 the plight of thousands of people around the world secretly held in prison for crimes or protests against their government or officials thereof.

3. 2006 Number One Song— the number one song in 2006 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “London Bridge” by Fergie. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WgKubW5Z0o. Fergie is not the former divorced wife of Prince Andrew but an American borne singer who struggled and according to her beat meth addiction.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “pochette” which means pocket notebook which is always handy to have when one feels a poem coming to fruition that you don’t want to lose.

5. From The Oracle Of Omaha To Oracle of Everything—celebrating the birth on this day in 1930 of noted investor Warren Buffet who is a very rich man and who is considered one of if not the best investors of our times and is still going strong making money for his investors in Berkshire Hathaway.

On this day in:

a. 1800 Gabriel Prosser postponed his planned slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia due to rain and was betrayed by two slaves and caught when the governor called out the state militia. He and his 25 followers were hanged after interrogation and severe restrictions were placed on slaves to prevent a repeat attempt by other slaves.

b. 1918 Fanni Kaplan shot but did not kill Vladimir Lenin and after she was executed on September 3, 1918, the Bolsheviks instituted the Red Terror which resulted in the deaths of some 10,000 opponents and presumed opponents of the regime.

c. 1945 General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander, arrived at Atugi Naval Base in Japan to accept Japan’s surrender.

d. 1963 as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis which brought the United States and the Soviet Union to brink of nuclear war, the hot line link was established between Moscow and Washington, D.C.

e. 1967 Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first African-American Justice to SCOTUS.

Reflections on the need to rebel against slavery: ““If I had my life to live over I would die fighting rather than be a slave again. I want no man’s yoke on my shoulders no more.”
—Robert Falls, age 97, Knoxville, Tennessee Wonder how much shorter slavery would have lasted if early on there had been more men like Prosser and Turner and less slave betrayers like Pharoah.

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.

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

August 29, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Day Against Nuclear Testseive

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 29, 2019 Comey must be thanking his lucky stars that the DOJ he and Obama mangled still has residue of two classes of justice, one for us wee mortals and the other for elite like him and HRC as despite a scathing report to add to his disgrace, the IG did not recommend criminal prosecution (as Comey has the “What Me Worry Look” of Alfred E. Neuman of Mad Magazine-

creating total outrage and further debasement of a once high integrity, high standard FBI); Biden’s ability to remain the master of the gaffe is still mind boggling as he recounted a story of his appearing in Afghanistan to award a medal to a Naval officer who tried to save a wounded soldier but the facts were misstated a concern over his mental fitness that is becoming more apparent with each gaffe; CNN has already signed up to protect Biden from his gaffes by comparing him to Reagan’s use of a movie on World War II when handing out Medals of Honor; on the heels of Andrew Luck retiring due to injuries after 5 years, Ron Gronkowski revealed the injuries suffered while playing including having a centimeter of fluid collecting in his brain (any speculation he will return really should be dismissed); for Jeopardy fans good news as Alec Trabec announced that he is back from pancreatic cancer therapy and will be host as the game show starts another season on September 9, 2019; the Bill of Rights assault by the Blues continuing after their war on the 2^nd have now declared war on the 1^st embracing non religious believers and attacking the concept of religious liberty (makes you want to believe in Hell and encourage its enlargement to place these Blues as they fade into the left); Hurricane Dorian is getting stronger and may hit Florida as a Cat 4 which will be potentially devastating; in a possible sign that it bias may be hitting readership and revenues, the Washington Post has published an advertising section extolling China’s points of view in what many observers indicate is pure propaganda for China; in Chicago through August 28, 2019, 1842 have been shot of whom 308 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 225 have been murdered in Baltimore (when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Mariah Carey, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are living in a pluviose environment and a relevant quote from the Ingrid Berman on dealing with cancer, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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 Against Nuclear Tests—created unanimously by the UN and celebrated on the anniversary of the closing on this day in 1991 of the former Soviet Union’s Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site.

2. National Sacrodosis Day—attempted to be treated by a joint resolution of Congress in 1994 which failed and is now celebrated on April 30^th of each year to raise research dollars for treatment of and create awareness of this autoimmune disease which can be fatal.

3. 2005 Number One Song— the number one song in 2005 on a run of 15 weeks in that position was “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0habxsuXW4g .

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “pluviose” which means rainy which describes Southeastern Alaska to a tee.

5. From Sweden With Love—celebrating the birth on this day in 1915 of noted Swedish Academy Award winning and nominated Actress who sadly was a heavy smoker and died too early with many movies yet to be made of breast cancer after an 8 year struggle on her 67^th birthday.

On this day in:

a. 1911 Ishii, the last known survivor of the Indian Yahi Tribe, came into contact after hiding for years from the whiteman with Californians to die on March 25, 1916 from tuberculosis.

b. 1958 the U.S. Air Force Academy opened its doors at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

c. 1966 the Beatles played their last paying concert at Candlestick Park.

d. 1997 Netflix was launched as an online DVD rental service.

e. 2005 Hurricane Katrina, a Cat 5 Hurricane devastated most of U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana through the Florida Panhandle, causing 1836 deaths and $125 billion in damages.

Reflections on cancer from one who fought it for 8 years but continued to perform her incredible craft: “Cancer victims who don't accept their fate, who don't learn to live with it, will only destroy what little time they have left.” Ingrid Bergman how true her observation was.

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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

August 28, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Note I

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 28, 2019 In a wakeup call to politically biases artists like Taylor Swift, lowest VMA ratings ever a warning that politics and entertainment don’t mix (nothing like a drop in sales to bring fair and balanced back to entertainment); Matthis’ op ed bemoaning the state of the Trump Administration’s failings in dealing with our allies should be a wakeup call to Trump as Matthis is certainly no biased political hack like Brennan or Clapper spewing their venom on the Trump Administration; a good sex scandal trumps political idiocy every day as Omar issues a terse denial of an alleged affair with a political consultant that resulted in divorce proceedings (a prediction that Omar’s star has peaked and the reality of her legal issues re immigration and political views will make her a 1 term phenom and many a less than 1 term); in the race to be the sacrificial lamb to Donald Trump, 10 Blues have made the debate stage with a sequel politically to Cocoon of 3 old warriors Biden, Warren and Sanders being in the top 3 and in a not too surprising result given their records and views Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland (who sadly is a voice of reason railing against the leftist drift of the Blues), and Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota receiving not a single vote in the polls; the firing of Officer Panetelo for his role in the tragic death of Eric Garner has sent NYPD morale to an all time low in the words of a retired NYPD Lieutenant while de Blasio with his idiotic presidential campaign plays the role of Nero playing the fiddle while morale burns to the ground; Brazil’s President Bolsenaro’s denial of $40 million in aid to fight the Amazon wildfires really calls into question any denials that the fires have been caused to clear vast areas for logging; Hurricane Dorian may increase to a Cat 2 Hurricane when it hits Florida and in the process reaching there give Puerto Rico what it definitely does not need a good dowsing of rainfall; in Chicago through August 27, 2019, 1837 have been shot of whom 305 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 224 have been murdered in Baltimore (when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Terror Squad, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not obsessed with plutomania and a relevant quote from the Walker Report on the police riot at the 1968 Democratic Convention, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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. Radio Commercial Day--commemorating what would become the first of many, first commercial on radio using Radio Station WEAF in New York was purchased for $100 ($1424.54 in today’s money) by Queensboro Realty for 10 minutes of commercial air time.

2. National Bow Tie Day—commemorating a fashion accessory that has been around since the 17^th Century and which is now being sported by women also, but if you have difficulty in surmounting the rite of passage by tying one, there is always the preformed clip on.

3. 2004 Number One Song— the number one song in 2004 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “Lean Back” by the Squad. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiiTx5u5Nb8.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “plutomania” which means a mania not for the lovable Disney cartoon dog of Mickey Mouse but a mania for money which most politicians have in wanting to take it from you either in the form of taxes or donations to their campaigns.

5. Fade to Black—celebrating or bemoaning, depending on your politics, the birth on this day in 1969 of singer and actor Jeff Black who is a rabid anti-Trump zealot.

On this day in:

a. 1937 Toyota became an independent company and from those beginnings has grown to be the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

b. 1963 on the Lincoln Memorial at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.

c. 1968 at the Chicago National Convention protests by anti-Vietnam War protestors turned into what many commentators have referred to a police riot by the Chicago Police Department.

d. 1988 at an air show in Ramstein, Germany, 3 planes of the Italian equivalent of our Blue Angels collided while performing, killing 3 pilots and 67 spectators on the ground and injuring 346 spectators.

e. 1990 Iraq declared occupied Kuwait to be its latest province a designation that lasted until the successful victory by U.S. led coalition in Desert Storm.

Reflections on the 1968 Democratic Convention and the police response: “... unrestrained and indiscriminate police violence on many occasions, particularly at night. That violence was made all the more shocking by the fact that it was often inflicted upon persons who had broken no law, disobeyed no order, made no threat. These included peaceful demonstrators, onlookers, and large numbers of residents who were simply passing through, or happened to live in, the areas where confrontations were occurring.

“Individual policemen, and lots of them, committed violent acts far in excess of the requisite force for crowd dispersal or arrest. To read dispassionately the hundreds of statements describing at firsthand the events of Sunday and Monday nights is to become convinced of the presence of what can only be called a police riot.” Walker Report created to study the Chicago Democratic Convention protests

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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

August 27, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Petroleum Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 27, 2019 Yoga may do wonders for your health but not if practiced on the 6^th floor on a balcony using a railing and causing the woman to fall 80 feet, break 110 bones and endure 11 hours of surgery; on the impeachment front, it would appear that the Judiciary Committee headed by Nadler the snake Adder, had made the decision to proceed with impeachment even before Mueller’s report was released (nothing like guilty until proven innocent Nadler); Taylor Swift at the VMA Awards was on a full on anti-Trump rant (stick to writing and singing songs Taylor as it is a lot better for your economic health; in a pathetic moment almost meriting pity as he sucks up another MSNBC check, trying to remain relevant Brennan declares Trump to be delusional (great mystery of life is why this hack has a security clearance if that is still the case); mea culpa in my declaring Steyer had bought his way on to the debate stage which was not true as he lacks one more poll showing him with the cutoff poll numbers the DNC requires; after being lambasted for not commenting on the completely insane remarks of Alan Frances of Duke on his show that Trump has killed more people that Hitler, Stalin and Mao, the Helter Skelter equivalent of objective journalism Brian Skelter has come up with the lame excuse that he remained silent because of “technical difficulties” that prevented him from hearing (far fetched to classify his over the top bias as the equivalent of “technical difficulties,”); Maryland which should be called “Sanctuary City Land” has the dubious distinction of having 5 rapes by illegal aliens this month (all of these Blue Open Border zealots should be required to meet with the parents of those raped, assaulted or murdered by illegals and that especially includes the illegal alien supporter queen Kamala Harris); in a remake of the movie Cocoon geriatric Biden is tied with Sanders and Warren in a three way race with Biden’s supporters with no one bit of enthusiasm for their gaffer in chief; Omar is in the bad news spotlight causing the divorce of a political consultant’s marriage due to his affair and her perjury past on her marriage status and immigration fraud may result from her departure from the Congress and the Squad (bite the hand that fed you with a release from a refugee camp and the teeth of justice even if delayed will bite you back); in Chicago through August 26, 2019, 1826 have been shot of whom 305 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 223 have been murdered in Baltimore (when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Beyonce feat. Nelly feat. Jay Z, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that despite large numbers of millionaires in Congress we do not have a plutarchy and a relevant quote from James Hansen on nuclear power, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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 Petroleum Day—commemorating the discovery of petroleum by Edwin Drake in Titusville, Pennsylvania on this day in 1858, a day which in AOC’s framework is a day that will forever live in infamy although it produces about 40% of the energy produced in the United States.

2. Touch a Heart Tuesday—celebrated on the last Tuesday of August since 1988 to encourage acts of kindness that warm a person’s heart be that person a family member, friend or stranger.

3. 2003 Number One Song— the number one song in 2003 on a run of 8 weeks in that position was “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce feat. Jay Z. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViwtNLUqkMY This very popular singer has sold over 300 million records, but sadly is a staunch supporter of Obama and Hillary Clinton.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “plutarchy” which means government by the wealthy which we may face if Steyer obtains the Blue nomination and faces Trump in the general.

5. Drive Don’t Fly—celebrating the birth on this day in 1877 of Charles Stewart Rolls who co-founded the Rolls-Royce Company but sadly became the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident when the tail fell off a Wright Flyer he was piloting on July 12, 1910.

On this day in:

a. 1928 the Kellogg Brian Pact outlawing war between nations was signed by 15 nations; although 61 nations ultimately signed it was ignored on September 1, 1939 when Germany invaded Poland just a little over 11 years later.

b. 1956 the nuclear reactor at Calder Hall in Britain was connected to the nation’s power grid making it the world’s first nuclear powered generating station.

c. 1979 in the deadliest attacks on British soldiers in Operation Banner in Northern Ireland, 18 British soldiers were killed in an ambush by the Provisional Irish Republican Army near Warren Port, Northern Ireland and a member of the British Royal Family, Count Mountbatten, was killed along with 3 others when a bomb was detonated on his boat in Mullgamore, Ireland.

d. 2003 6 party talks involving North and South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and the United States convened to unsuccessfully resolve security concerns over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

e. 2011 Hurricane Irene made landfall on the East Coast of the United States, killing 47 people and causing $15.6 billion in damages.

Reflections great news if he is right: “With a fourth generation of nuclear power, you can have a technology that will burn more than 99 percent of the energy in the fuel. It would mean that you don't need to mine uranium for the next thousand years.” James Hansen, adjunct professor for Program on Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions of the Earth Institute of Columbia University.

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Monday, August 26, 2019

August 26, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Dog Daybeleive91

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 26, 2019 On the opioid front, Johnson & Johnson have had handed to them a $578 verdict for their roll in promoting their opioid drugs; dramatic drone footage of the Army Corps of Engineers building a section of the 18’ high bollard border wall in Arizona were illegals used to flow across in numbers like schools of salmon coming to spawn; after the left’s hue and cry over Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Mexico if they did not cooperate in assisting in the stopping of illegals crossing into the U.S’, recent data shows the threat worked and Mexico’s efforts can be seen in an almost 40% drop in illegal crossings; the years of our educational system demeaning our values are bearing fruit as a new Wall Street Journal survey shows that millennials are abandoning faith, patriotism and having children (another reason for more charter schools and less teachers’ union bureaucrats running our schools); the scenes from the G-7 meeting in France have been pretty opulent but Trump is suggesting the next G-7 be held at his Doral Resort in Miami where each country can have a villa (slight concern over the emollients clause to the Constitution fueling increased howls for impeachment might torpedo the site location) market bounced back somewhat over belief that China and the U.S. will restart trade talks and may be close to a trade deal; MSNBC’s attacks on Trump are in full force and effect as Rachel Maddow attacks latest nominee Menashi to 2^nd Circuit as being racist and a white supremacist (shame on this pathic biased pseudo “journalist” who does not belong on the air; in Chicago through August 25, 2019, 1821 have been shot of whom 304 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 222 have been murdered in Baltimore ( when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are able to escape the clutches of plenonectic people and a relevant quote from Simon Winchester on the Krakatoa eruption, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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. Women’s Equality Day—commemorating the effective date of the 19^th Amendment which gave women the right to vote and celebrated on this day since 1973.

2. National Dog Day—created by Colleen Paige in 2004, an animal rights activist whose family adopted a dog on this day, to promote awareness of the need to adopt dogs as opposed to having them euthanized.

3. 2002 Number One Song— the number one song in 2002 on a run of 7 weeks in that position was “Dilemma” by Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=donqtllL3hM This noted rapper and singer is in hot water with the IRS over large tax lien and has been accused of rape.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “plenonectic” which means greedy or covetous which describes feelings of politicians when it comes to your earnings and assets.

5. Home Alone Can Still Age—celebrating the birth on this day in 1980 of noted child actor who bridged the gap Macauly Culkin who after 15 movies in 7 years took a break and went to a private high school in Manhattan and then returned to acting.

On this day in:

a. 1983 the volcano Krakatoa in Indonesia began its final paroxysmal, stage ultimately spewing tons of ash into the atmosphere which lowered temperatures worldwide and killed some 36,000 people.

b. 1920 the 19^th Amendment granting women the right to vote went into effect.

c. 1944 with German snipers still active, Charles de Gaulle entered Paris triumphantly.

d. 2011 Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, its first composite material jetliner received certification from the FAA and EASA to begin operations.

e. 2015 TV journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward of CBS Affiliate WBDJ of Roanoak, Virginia were murdered on live TV interviewing the head of the Chamber of Commerce of Moneta, Virginia by ex-fellow worker Vester Flanigan who had been dismissed from the station two years earlier and who shot and killed himself after a 5 hour manhunt in Moneta, West Virginia.

Reflections on the eruption at Mt. Krakatoa: “The eruption of Krakatoa was, indeed, the first true catastrophe in the world to take place after the establishment of a worldwide network of telegraph cables—a network that allowed news of disaster to be flashed around the planet in double-quick time.” ― Simon Winchester

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Sunday, August 25, 2019

August 25, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Park Services Founders Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 25, 2019 Don Quixote lives and has resurfaced in the form of former Red Congressman Joe Walsh who has announced he will run in the Republican primary against Donald Trump (if the courts uphold the inane Newsom back law in California of barring anyone from the ballot who does not file tax return copies even then with write-ins Trump would beat him as the only person on the ballot); on the sports front good news in that Louisiana beat Curacao, the reigning international champions, 8-0 in the Little League World Series; America met the sacrifices of WWII and the Cold War and should also meet the sacrifices of a trade and intellectual property war with China regardless of costs borne in the short term ignoring the calls of the left to throw in the towel and accept domination by the Chinese); a legal Iranian immigrant with an empty pocket and rose to become a wealthy real estate investor was killed by a lawyer who claimed his Mercedes had been hit by a golf ball was hit by the Mercedes and killed resulting in the lawyer being charged with murder (hate crime?); Manhattan may be astronomical in terms of real estate prices but 60 miles north just across the border from Fairfield, Connecticut $850,000 buys you a private island on Putnam Lake with an almost 2,000 square foot house and solar powered boat (non believers in climate change only should apply); Sanders Election co-chair stated that the Gaffer in Chief regretted his comment on Obama’s assassination and claimed its now a three person race with Biden and Warren also in the race (a race with three losers out of touch or out of fitness for the job); on the academic freedom front Duke Psychiatry Professor Alan Frances has proved that to teach the subject to know psychosis you have to be one or at least partially by claiming Trump is just like Hitler, Stalin and Mao and whose policies have killed millions (Huh? If an alumni you might want to consider holding up on your donation or at least converting it to a donation to the athletic department for men’s and women’s basketball tickets; on the sports front Andrew Luck has run out of luck and due to injuries has elected to retire; at least one good thing will come out of the G-7 Meeting as the participants have pledged to aid Brazil in fighting the disastrous Amazon wildfires along with the 60,000 troops Brazil has belatedly called out; on the porous, open and dangerous border front suggest all should follow @CBPArizona on Twitter for updates on apprehensions and support for the idea of completing the wall; in Chicago through August 24, 2019, 1815 have been shot of whom 303 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 220 have been murdered in Baltimore ( when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Alicia Keys, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not hounded by pleniloquence and a relevant quote from Joseph L. Sax on National Parks, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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 Park Services Founders Day—commemorating the signing into law by President Wilson the Organic Act calling for the newly created National Park Service to identify and create national parks worthy of protection from development so they can be enjoyed by future generations.

2. Sacrifice Our Wants for Other Persons Needs Sunday—created by Lorraine Jara and celebrated on the last Sunday in August by reaching out to help people with physical, emotional or mental needs with acts of help to make their lives easier.

3. 2001 Number One Song— the number one song in 2001 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “Fallin” by Alicia Keys. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Urdlvw0SSEc This noted singer, songwriter and classical pianist is on a roll.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “pleniloquence” which means excessive talking a trait one of my ex-wives possessed to my discomfort and those around her.

5. Shaken Not Stirred—celebrating the birth on this day in 1930 of noted and knighted actor Sean Connery who starred in the first 7 James Bond movies and went on to have a long storied film carer until retiring from acting and producing in 2007 and enjoying the retired life today.

On this day in:

a. 1939 an ill-prepared for war Britain and humiliated by its appeasement at Munich signed a treaty with Poland to defend Polond itf it were invaded which it was by Germany 7 days later and WWII was off to the races.

b. 1950 2 months into the invasion by North Korea of South Korea and fearful of disruption of our Korean War effort, President Truman seized the nation’s railroads to prevent a strike.

c. 1967 George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder and head of the American Nazi Party, was assassinated by a former member of his own party he had expelled who was caught, tried, convicted and sentenced to 20 years but paroled after 8 and serving 6 years after for a parole violation.

d. 1997 Egon Krenz the last leader of East Germany before its reunion with West Germany was convicted of his “shoot to kill” order against people trying to escape Berlin and served 4 years of his 6 year sentence before released on parole.

e. 2017 Hurricane Harvey a Class 4 Hurricane and one that lingered for days made landfall in Texas causing massive flooding, 106 deaths and $125 billion in damages.

Reflections on access to our National Parks: “It is impossible to provide unlimited visitation and the essential qualities of an unconventional, non-urban experience simultaneously. Here too a compromise is called for: a willingness to trade quantity for quality of experience. There is nothing undemocratic or even unusual in such a trade. The notion that commitment to democratic principles compels the assumption of scarcity is one of the familiar misconceptions of our time. We need a willingness to value a certain kind of experience highly enough that we are prepared to have fewer opportunists for access in exchange for a different sort of experience when we do get access.”
― Joseph L. Sax, Mountains Without Handrails: Reflections on the National Parks

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Thursday, August 22, 2019

August 22, 2019 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Plant Based Milk Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For August 22, 2019 Senator Sheldon Whitehorse of Rhode Island needs to get off his high horse as Judicial Watch has filed a complaint with the Rhode Island State Bar for his joining a brief threatening SCOTUS that if they don’t heal themselves they will be restructured; Fox News study of homelessness on Blue run cities on the West Coast focused on Seattle which spends $100,000 per year per homeless person and is still awash in drugs, needles and tents and increasing crime as the homeless attack residents and vandalize property (many cities may be hit by a brown wave of feces rejection by residents to vote Blue politicians out at the local, state and federal offices and if you are a resident putting up with the utter chaos, you are probably saying it’s about time long overdue); San Francisco Blues must think changing a name changes reality as the City with no longer call persons convicted of a crime “convict felons” but “justice involved persons” as if the new name will cause the feces, drugs and crime to disappear along with the mental illness; just when you thought it was safe to go into the water, news coming out that Yellowstone is home to a super volcano which if it erupted which it has not done in over 640,000 years could kill millions and damage crops and cities in the Midwest with ash fallout and blockage of the Sun; in Texas, the state executed its 4^th inmate this year, Larry Swearingen 19 years after his conviction for killing a female college student (with delays such a this which are common even in states like Texas, one has to wonder what deterrent effect the death penalty has and is it worth it in terms of cost to the state as opposed to life without possibility of parole); Big 7 Travel in a survey of 1.5 million residents ranked all 50 states in terms of “friendliness” and to no one’s surprise New York came in last closely followed by Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey in 48^th, 47^th and 46^th but in a surprise given its large Somali refugee population Minnesota was ranked as the friendliness (sadly, do not know where California with its mountains of tents, feces and needles ranked); Sanders stuck in the polls and watch an Elizabeth Warren surge is borrowing from a revised George Wallace playbook and is not going to be outlefted by her as he proposed a $16 trillion Green Deal, and wants a registry of dishonest police officers and a cut by half of the of prison population; AOC continues to amaze even herself on her hypocrisy and idiocy motoring through the Midwest attacking the Electoral College as racist because it gives smaller states a voice in the Swamp (if this idiot can read and digest which is doubtful she would understand why the Electoral College was implemented and it’s not racist); rabid Blues were picketing a lifetime award being granted to Nancy Pelosi for not pursuing Trump’s impeachment which is an idiotic idea that will fail and doom many a Blue new member; in Chicago through August 21, 2019, 1779 have been shot of whom 297 have died and in Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population, 220 have been murdered in Baltimore ( when will Chicago get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Sisqo, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not of plebian characteristics and a relevant quote from the DOJ of the Ruby Ridge Shooting, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, 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 Plant Based Milk Day—created by Plant Based News in 2017 to promote the use of milk produced by plants such as almonds to soya to cashew nuts to hemp to aid those who are lactose intolerant and reduce the number of dairy cows to reduce emissions of methane gas from them.

2. Black Women Equal Pay Day—celebrating the day on which black women will have earned the wage rates as non Hispanic white women for the same type of work.

3. 2000 Number One Song— the number one song in 2000 on a run of 2 weeks in that position was “Incomplete” by Sisqo. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6qqS9mbdY4 This noted R&B singer is still performing but has not won any music awards since 2000/2001.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “plebian” which means of the common people a status in which politicians hold us mere mortals in such low regard.

5. Stronger Chains Than Alice—celebrating the birth on this day in 1967 of Layne Staley, lead singer and songwriter of Alice in Chains but who was saddled with addiction and withdrew from society to die on April 5, 2002 of an overdose like his prior fiancée weighing only 86 pounds and having been dead for 2 weeks before being discovered in his apartment.

On this day in:

a. 1910 Cadillac Motors Corporation was formed.

b. 1978 the Congress passed the District of Columbia Voting Rights Act to amend the Constitution to grant the District Electoral College and Congressional representation which the only states ratified resulting in the Constitution failing to be so amended.

c. 1992 FBI sniper Lon Horiuchi at a 11 day siege of Weaver’s compound in Ruby Ridge shot and killed Vicki Weaver who was holding her 10 month old child; no criminal charges were filed only wrongful death actions which were settled against the FBI.

d. 2003 Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was suspended from the court for refusing to obey a federal court order requiring him to remove a rock containing the Ten Commandments.

e. 2004 versions of the paintings The Scream and Madonna by Edvard Munch are stolen at gunpoint from a museum in Olso, Norway.

Reflections on justification for shooting the Weavers: “The assumptions of federal and some state and local law enforcement personnel about Weaver—that he was a Green Beret, that he would shoot on sight anyone who attempted to arrest him, that he had collected certain types of arms, that he had "booby-trapped" and tunneled his property—exaggerated the threat he posed.” DOJ Memorandum on shooting.

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