Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 21, 2020 As the U.S. starts creeping toward a reopening of its economy with growing protests across the nation over lockdowns, the CV pandemic across the planet continues with some evidence it is slowing down unabated with 63,085 new cases (2.54% increase) increasing the total to 2,543,588 cases, 1,679,958 of which are active, 863,630 of which have been closed with 687,034 recoveries (79.55%) and 176,596 deaths (20.45%); in the U.S. which has the dubious distinction of leading the world, new cases of 18,719 (2.36% increase in new cases) have brought total cases to 811,478 with 684,106 active cases and 127,372 closures, 44,752 of which have been deaths (35.13%) and 82,620 of which have been recoveries (64.87%), while total testing has ramped up to 4,132,898 3,974,114, an increase of 158,784 over yesterday; the Senate by voice vote has approved a $484 billion stimulus bill with $320 billion for the PPA which ran out of money, $75 billion to hospitals many of which had to close down non COVID related activities, $25 billion for testing and $60 billion for emergency disaster loans but no money for the states (fortunately may not include any funds for illegal aliens judging by the rants of AOC); the House will vote by proxy on Thursday so Nancy would have to leave the security of her ice cream stocked freezer; Schumer and Pelosi acknowledged they had delayed the process but claimed victory because of non related PPP additions to the original proposal (both of these leftist resist mongers need to look up the word Pyrrhic as some 5 million news workers were thrown out of work by employers in total stress mode because of the delay); Maryland’s governor Hogan who is being lambasted for his stay at home order closing “nonessential” business has relented in a small way to permit hair cuts for military and first responders and persons working in jobs or for employers that require grooming standards and who provide written documentations to that effect (no wonder they protested in Annapolis); in a don’t pop the corks yet moment the VA released the results of a study done on almost 400 VA hospital patients with SARSCO-V2 and found hydroxychloroquine to not be effective in reducing deaths or ventilator usage; Kentucky’s Governor Besher ordered continuation of his lock down orders after a spike in CV cases on Sunday following a protest in the state capital last week (how to balance on the tightrope of leveling the curve and not falling off it due to collapse of the economy is going to be one great challenge); in another troubling bit of news Chinese researchers have discovered the SARSCO-V2 has mutated into 30 different strains, 19 of which have now just been discovered (if COVID-19 is doing the same thing we may be in a world of hurt to discover a vaccine or have confidence that antibodies will protect already infected from new strains; AOC is having an orgasm over the collapse of oil prices even though that may some mean the end of our oil shale industry and our independence from imports; on the health front news which may or not be accurate given the secrecy in the Hermit Kingdom, Rocket Man may be in serious condition following cardiac surgery; just when you thought that the Squad could not stoop any lower, Ayanna Pressely comes out with a rant calling Trump’s response to the CV pandemic as “war crimes;” in Chicago, as of April 20, 2020, 712 shootings of whom 134 have died (so much for the effectiveness of Chicago’s stay at home order); Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths now stands at 52 behind Chicago with 82 murders (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 and when will the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).
As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical video link to Fine Young Cannibals, the fact that your study of orthopterology extends only to politics, and a quote by Queen Elizabeth II on being a queen, 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. Use Big Word Day—not sure when or by whom created or even why but maybe an attempt to impress listeners of the speaker’s intelligence although using words that most people may not understand or even be able to pronounce is more likely a sign of stupidity or lack of knowledge on the topic on which the speaker is pontificating.
2. National Tea Day—celebrated primarily in the United Kingdom to celebrate the vast quantities of tea the British brew and drink to satisfy their caffeine cravings.
3. 1989 Number One Song— the number 1 song in 1989 on this day on a run of 1 week in the position was “She Drives Me Crazy” by Fine Young Cannibals. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtvmTu4zAMg This British band as a band performed from 1984 to 1992 but its 3 members individually are still performing today.
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day which is a quasi big word in honor of the observance is “orthopterology” which means the study of cockroaches when used to describe the movement of Chinese Communist Party when you shine the light of truth on it.
5. Acnephobiac—celebrating the birth on this day in 1911 of successful Ivan Combe, best known for his development of Clearasil and Odor Eaters and whose pimple of life dried out for good on January 11, 2000.
On this day in:
a. 1926 Elizabeth II was born and would become Queen of the United Kingdom and its Dominions on February 6, 1952 and has ruled since then to become England’s longest ruling monarch and given the fact that her mother lived to be 101 probably has many more year in her to serve on the throne if she so desires rather than abdicate to Prince Charles.
b. 1962 The Seattle World’s Fair (Century 21 Exposition), the first world’s fair in the United States since World War II opened.
c. 1977 the Broadway Musical Annie opened at the Alvin Theater on Broadway for a run of almost six years.
d. 2014 the City of Flint, Michigan switched its water supply to the Flint River which led to unsafe levels of lead contamination in the new water supply that adversely affected 12,000 residents and created a national scandal.
e. 2019 on Easter Sunday 8 bombs were detonated by Islamic extremists at churches, hotels, and other locations in Sri Lanka, killing some 259 people including 49 foreign nationals.
Reflections on being Queen of England: “I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”Queen Elizabeth II
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, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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