Saturday, December 30, 2017

December 30, 2107 Ridley's Believe It Or NotFalling Needles Family Fest Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 30, 2017 As we near the end of the year it seems that the news has gone into hibernation as people are reflecting on the events of 2017 and predictions of what 2018 will look like as the midterm frenzy will take hold and make it almost impossible for a partisan, deeply divided nation to accomplish anything meaningful for the mere mortals who are trying to thrive and survive outside the Swamp; as Trump is preparing to present his infrastructure plan to repair our crumbling roads, bridges, waterways, airports, tunnels and pot hole infested streets the doubling of our national debt effects under Obama’s 8 years of stagnant self inflicted wounds of regulations and taxes killing GNP growth is coming home to roost in spades (the only silver lining might be to allow public works contracts to pay less than union wages to save money); there may be hope in the land of state sponsored terror and theocracy as protests appear to be breaking out in Iran over the dictatorial rule of the mullahs (why is the MSM MIA in reporting the growing wave of protests erupting in the streets of Tehran?); no thanks to a politicized CH&OA FBI but thanks to Judicial Watch and other FOIA warriors heavily redacted emails sent by HRC’s trusted aide Huma Abedin to her pervert husband now serving time to be printed show that some were marked classified at the time of sending (another example of two standards of law, one for HRC and the Clintonites and the other for mere mortals who served this country like Petreaus or Flynn); if you were considering a vacation visit to China, you might want to reconsider at least if you had Harbin, China on your list as hidden cameras show hotel workers at three high end hotels cleaning glassware with toilet brushes, mopping floors with water from toilet bowls and folding towels on the bathroom floors; almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 29 increasing to 3551, 626 of whom have died which gruesome as it may be represents a very slight year to date decrease which in the waning 2 days of December is definitely helped not by increased police presence but by Officer Arctic Weather now on patrol in Chicago.
       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 unlike Congress,  you are free from lentor and a relevant quote by Matt Lauer on what must in his mind be a euphemistic justification for sexual harassment, 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. Falling Needles Family Fest Day—in another really slow day for holidays and observances and scraping the bottom of the barrel to find this one, celebrated by the family watching the needles of a very dry Christmas Tree slowly one by one falling to the floor reminding the occupants of the house that it will be very soon time to take down the ornaments  and place the tree outside to be picked up.
2. National Soda of Bicarbonate Day—commemorating the many uses of baking soda especially as a reliever of heartburn or indigestion caused by too much celebrating on New Year’s Eve but even so as holidays go still scrapping the bottom of the barrel.
3. 1964 Number One Song— the number one song in 1964 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “I Feel Fine” by the Beatles. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpBiGdV-oJI  
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lentor“ which means sluggishness which seems to describe the state of activity of Congress trying to solve the issues facing this nation.
5. Reptilian Hyperactive Brain Poster Child—bemoaning in the year of the sexual perverts or cheaters the birth of Matt Lauer whose career and marriage is down the proverbial toilet due to his sexual harassment of women which until November of this year NBC had turned a blind eye for many years. One can only feel sympathy for his soon to be ex-wife and their three young children ridiculed by his antics and perversions. 
    On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1936 the UAW staged its first sit down strike at GM’s plant in Flint, Michigan which lasted into February and resulted in the recognition of the UAW as the union for GM workers.
b. 1993 Israel established diplomatic relations with the Vatican and upgraded its relations with Ireland to full diplomatic status.
c. 2005 Tropical Storm Zeta was formed in the Atlantic 30 days after the hurricane season had officially ended to become the latest tropical storm formed in the Atlantic and did not dissipate until January 7, 2006 to have the distinction of being only the second tropical storm to span two calendar years.
d. 2006 ETA, a Basque separatist group parked a car laden with 800 kilograms of explosives in a parking structure at the Madrid International Airport but fortunately called 45 minutes before it was set to go off, enabling police to evacuate the airport resulting in only two deaths  of people who had the misfortune of sleeping in their car in the structure.
e. 2006 Saddam Hussein, was executed but his execution did nothing to stem the violence against coalition forces or innocent civilians.    

Reflections on the what is a euphemism for sexual harassment which is never justified; “When you have somebody in a position of power show interest in you after you've kind of been down and out, that's  a big boost.” Matt Lauer I suspect that the numerous women subject to Matt’s sexual interests were in no way boosted only threatened and frightened by this perverted predator.

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.

© December 30, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare   
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Friday, December 29, 2017

December 29, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Pepper Pot Soup Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 29, 2017 As we near the end of the year, events continue to occur showing that we live in a dangerous place as our satellites capture a Chinese ship despite all of their pious statements that they have cut off shipments of oil to North Korea, transferring oil to North Korean vessels, prompting South Korea to seize it and hold the crew of 25 Chinese nationals and 2 from Myanmar pursuant to the recent expanded sanctions passed by the Security Council which acts by the Chinese should merit increased sanctions against Chinese banks (when will the Chinese come to their senses and eliminate the rogue regime and move to a unification of a united  Korea that would turn the former North into a prosperous customer for Chinese goods instead of a nation of starving souls) while Russia is accused of shipping oil also on three occasions; not sure what the guests and hosts on Morning Joe are drinking but it certainly is not coffee as RINO pollster Kristen Anderson appeared on the show to express fears that Trump would invalidate the 2018 midterm elections if the Blues won and were dumb enough to start impeachment proceedings in the House (talk about idiocy and fanning the flames of hate and fear); Trump gave an impromptu interview with the NYT on a broad range of subjects including his belief that while Mueller may have been inept in picking his team of Clintonite hacks, he has treated Trump fairly and once again indicated he has no plans to fire him despite all the MSM hysteria warning that will soon happen; he also made it clear that there will be no DACA unless it is accompanied by immigration reform like ending lottery immigration and chain migration to be replaced by merit based immigration, more border and interior security and the Wall for both illegal immigration and the illicit flow of opioids (will be interesting to see if the Nancy and Chuck Show will be dumb enough to commit political suicide by shutting down the government in favor of 800,000 illegal “dreamers”); Trump also slammed the ineptness of the USPS which continues to run in the red while Amazon runs circles around them and demanded to know what is happening with the criminal case of the Pakistani IT staffer for Debbie Wasserman Schulz and other Blues arrested moments before trying to flee the U.S. as it is looking more and more like the unauthorized removal of government data from Congressional databases and a threat to our national security; conservatives have long noted Mika’s delusions  and left wing slants in the political arena but by trying to arrange a face to face meeting between the 10 female victims and pervert Halperin so he could apologize shows how out of touch she is with victims’ feelings and fears as a result of sexual harassment; Y may be for “Yesterday,” but today U is for “Undertaker” as noted mystery writer Sue Grafton has passed away after a two year battle with cancer at her home in Santa Barbara; almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 28 increasing to 3545, 623 of whom have died which gruesome as it may be represents a very slight year to date decrease which in the waning days of December is definitely helped by the arctic weather affecting Chicago.
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Bobby Vinton, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are free from lentigos and a relevant quote by Dith Pran on genocide and the death of Pol Pot, 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. Still Need to Do Day—time for all procrastinators who have postponed tasks that needed to be performed this year like paying property taxes or making charitable contributions before the new tax cuts and limitations on SALT  take effect (should make one feel better about oneself which might enhance the chances that New Years’ Resolutions will actually be performed as opposed to being tossed in the trash of noncompliance).
2. Pepper Pot Soup Day—commemorating the soup that won the Revolutionary War for the Americans created on this day in 1777 at Valley Forge where the Continental Army had its Winter Headquarters and was in near starvation conditions but on this day treated to bowls of pepper pot soup created by the baker general of the Continental Army Christopher Ludwick who managed to scrounge up some pepper corns, meat, tripe, seasonings and other scraps of food to create a hearty spicy soup to feed the frail and weakened soldiers.
3. 1963 Number One Song— the number one song in 1963 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “There! I’ve Said It Again” by Bobby Vinton. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLAhVU0NOm0 “The Polish Prince of Poch” although no longer performing is alive and well at the young age of 82 living with his wife of 55 years living in Florida.
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lentigo“ which means a freckle and even though it is winter time with not much sun still a reminder that teens and children should use sunscreen if fair skinned to avoid freckles.
5. You Would Drink Also If You Were Innocent But Found Guilty—celebrating the birth on this day in 1923 of Doctor Sam Sheppard, noted surgeon who was charged with the murder of his wife who was bludgeoned to death on July 4, 1954 in their home in Ohio in what became one of the more sensationalized criminal trials in American history and which would be the inspiration for the TV series The Fugitive starring David Jansen and the movie by the same name starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. Sheppard was convicted but with the aid of a young lawyer F. Lee Bailey had the conviction overturned and was found not guilty on a retrial but sadly upon return to freedom started abusing alcohol to ease the pain of prison and the death of his wife and died of liver failure on April 6, 1970. 
    On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1975 a bomb with the explosive force of 25 sticks of dynamite exploded in the main terminal of LaGuardia Airport in New York City, killing 11 and injuring 75. Unfortunately the bomber or bombers were never caught.
b. 1997 in a bad day for chickens, Hong Kong began to kill some 1.25 million chickens in an attempt to eradicate its bird flu epidemic.
c. 1998 in a what took you so long moment, leaders of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia apologized for the murder of some one million Cambodians in the 1970’s immortalized in the movie The Killing Fields.
d. 2006 after missing six years of payments due to exchange rates, the U.K. made its final payment on the post WWII loan made by the United States to maintain Britain’s post war military commitments.
e. 2013 in another chilling wake-up call to the problems faced in Russia from radical Islam, a suicide bomber detonated 10 kilograms of TNT just outside the entrance to the Volgograd 1 train station in Volgograd, Russia, killing 18 and hospitalizing 38.    

Reflections on the genocide by Pol Pot of Cambodia from a Cambodian who somehow survived the ordeal to be immortalized in The Killing Fields: “"This is sad for the Cambodian people because he was never held accountable for the deaths of 2 million of his fellow countryman. The Jewish people’s search for justice did not end with the death of Hitler and the Cambodian people’s search for justice doesn’t end with Pol Pot." Dith Pran as quoted in The Times on the death of Pol Pot in 1998.

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.

© December 29, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare    
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Thursday, December 28, 2017

December 28, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Pledge Allegiance Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 28 Last chance in 2017 to see the Stanford Heisman winner, Bryce Love and his “Sweet Feet” light up the defense this evening in the Alamo Bowl; thanks to the Trump election and the tax cut which the MSM and Blues have totally erroneously cast as a tax cut for the rich and not the middle class the markets may close at 25,000 before year end; whereas in the U.S. too many like Rep Lee are too quick to the racist card toss our English cousins have it right as Prince Harry will be marrying a divorcee who has a black mother and white father and unfortunately an estranged half sister who may be trying to pedal a tell all book about her half sister Meghan; both parties have doubled down on the 2018 midterms with the MSM and “pundits”, consistent with their erroneous predictions of a HRC sweep, are predicting loss of House and possibly Senate while the Blues are MIA in terms of trying to work with Trump and hoping that the tax cuts fail to stimulate the economy (proof is in the pudding and the first MSM and Blue lie will be in February when millions of Americans receive paychecks with the decreased withholding putting more money in their pocket, the second lie will be that increased GNP growth will very early on cause the pundit predicted static model deficit not to grow but to start shrink like a puddle on the pavement in Death Valley on a warm July day, the third will be an infrastructure plan that will be shovel ready unlike Obama’s pathetic attempt that wasted close to a trillion dollars that the Blues will oppose and the fourth will be the Blues’ attempt to shut down the government because they will not negotiate on border security, the ending of immigration lotteries and chain migration in favor of merit based immigration, ending of funding to cities that continue their sanctuary status and building the wall in order to pass DACA legislation creating a path to citizenship); if the Reds stay on focused message against the party of no ideas and scorched earth, the Blues will take a great step toward the need to start wearing wigs; Ray Moore has become the new  Marvin K. Moody replacing HRC after suing to stop the certification of his opponent by the Alabama Secretary of State (time for this pervert to disappear!); almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 25 increasing to 3540, 622 of whom have died which gruesome as it may be represents a very slight year to date decrease which in the waning days of December is definitely helped by the arctic weather affecting Chicago.
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Tornados, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that your property is not lentic; a relevant quote by Denzel Washington on not be trapped by one side views, 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. Pledge of Allegiance Day—observed since 1945 on the anniversary of Congressional legislation on this day in 1942 recognizing the words to the Pledge of Allegiance written by a Francis Bellamy, a Southern Baptist minister in 1892 (he would be rolling in his grave at the antics of Kaepernick and some of his fellow NFL players).
2. Holy Innocents Day—commemorated by Christians to honor the souls of those children killed by King Herod in his failed attempt to find and kill Jesus Christ.
3. 1962 Number One Song— the number one song in 1962 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “Telstar” by the Tornados. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0jUvufQgQo
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lentic“ which means associated with standing water which is something during mosquito season you do not want to see in warm climes.
5. Don’t Pull The Plug Before In The Can—celebrating the birth on this day in 1954 of Denzel Washington noted Academy Award winning actor who has starred in such films as Malcom X which was almost never completed since Spike Lee was hopelessly over budget, Glory, Training Day, and Remember the Titans. 
    On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1832 with three months left in his term as vice president, John C. Calhoun became the first vice president to resign to be appointed a Senator for South Carolina to better represent the state in the Nullification Debate being waged in the Senate over slavery.
b. 1867 the United States claimed the Midway Atoll, the first territory outside the continental United States and the site 75 years later of the battle that turned the tide against the Japanese in World War II.
c. 1895 Wilhelm Rontgen discovered a new form of radiation which would later come to be designated X-rays.
d. 1973 to the bane of developers but the joy of threatened species, the Endangered Species Act was approved.
e. 2017 in another example of why radical Islam is a clear and present danger to innocent Muslims 41 Shiite Muslims were killed in suicide bombings in Afghanistan.    

Reflections on the polarization of our society by the birthday celebrant which the partisan denizens of the Swamp should pay heed to: “I'm not a liberal or a conservative completely. Who is? Or why do you have to be? You assess the pros, the cons, of both sides and you make an intelligent decision.” Denzel Washington.

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.

© December 28, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

December 26, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not First Day of Kwanzaa

Today is one of the largest shopping days of the year and people flock online and to the malls for Day After Christmas Sales or to with refunds in hand for unwanted gifts use them to buy something more desirable or in the eyes of the retailers more expensive; the War on Coal may be over but the war on junk science justifying many of the EPA’s job killing regulations (which under Obama, the EPA refused to hand over many of the scientific reports justifying the regulations) is picking up steam as is Pruitt’s requirement that no scientist may sit on an EPA investigation panel who has also been the recipient of an EPA grant; although Trump has indicated time and time again that despite the stench of bias coming from the 7th Floor of the FBI, he has no intention of firing Mueller; so the MSM is still in a state of rabid lather claiming dire consequences if he does (time for the House to get serious and subpoena documents from the FBI pertaining to Uranium One, Hillary’s private server, the anti-Trump dossier and its use in obtaining FISA warrants and its role in trying to subvert Trump’s election and if the FBI and DOJ refuse to  comply due to their lame excuse of the existence of an ongoing investigation by the IG’s office, the House must start holding the recipients of those subpoenas in Contempt of Congress); an obese rabid non funny Rosie O’Donnell displayed the rhetoric that is systematic with the partisan gridlock by launching a Twitter storm alleging Ryan will go straight to Hell for his role in getting the tax cut bill passed ( nothing like giving back to taxpayers a larger portion of their money to provoke the wrath of ideologues like Rosie); in another example of why actresses and actors should not be listened to when they speak their minds as opposed to wanting mere mortals to believe that because they can play someone whose opinions we should listen to, actress Jenna Fischer was rightfully Twitter slammed when she carped that the tax bill banned deductions for teachers deducting the cost of school supplies they bought out of their own pocket which it clearly does not as the current deduction of $250 remained unchanged; on the better late than never front, Ambassador Niki Haley announced a reduction of the UN budget by $285 million in a step in the right direction; despite a rabid party before country obstruction, Trump has had 19 of his appointees to the federal courts confirmed compared to only 12 during Obama’s first year with the possibility of 143 vacancies being filled not counting 1 (Kennedy) or 2 (Ginsburg) openings up on SCOTUS;  almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 25 increasing to 3530, 619 of whom have died which gruesome as it may be represents a very slight year to date decrease.
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Elvis Presley, factoids of interest for this day in history, not being lendrumbilating over what you hear or read in the MSM, a relevant quote by Chris Rose on diversity in holidays like Kwanzaa, 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. Boxing Day—celebrated in England and the British Commonwealth since the 1830’s by Lords and their Ladies by giving to postmen, errand boys and their servants of all kinds, a Christmas Box of presents and gifts.
2. First Day of Kwanzaa—celebrated first in this country in 1996-1997 by African-Americans for a festival that lasts one week honoring each day one of the seven principals common to the African American heritage like unity or improving one’s community.
3. 1960 Number One Song— the number one song in 1960 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” by Elvis Presley. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cS5aCozhcA 
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lendrumbilate“ which means to gullibly believe in a word’s veracity which is another reason to always have access to a large dictionary.
5. Out of the Pot and Into the Frying Pan—celebrating the birth on this day in 1936 of Kitty Dukasis, the wife of Governor Dukakis who unsuccessfully ran for president against George H. W. Bush; during the campaign she revealed that she had a long term addiction to diet pills and after her husband’s loss turned to alcohol but fortunately for her and her marriage was able to move from the ranks of a functioning alcoholic to that of a recovering alcoholic.
     On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1941 in a bad day for turkeys, President Franklin Roosevelt signed legislation creating the 4th Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving Day.
b. 1944 in a move that sounded the death knell on Hitler’s rash double down attempt to win the war, General George Patton’s 3rd Army broke the siege by the Wehrmacht and SS of the town of Bastogne, Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge.
c. 1963 “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” were released by the Beatles marking the beginning of Beatlemania that swept the nation.
d. 1972 in the bombing straw that broke the camel’s back, 120 B-52s, each carrying 26 tons of bombs attacked Hanoi, the largest number of planes in a sortie ever performed by the Strategic Air Command to force the NVA and Viet Cong back to the negotiating table in Paris.
e. 2009 China opened the longest high speed rail route between Beijing and Guangzhou with speeds as high as 220 miles an hour; when the line is extended to Hong Kong the total distance will increase to almost 1400 miles.    

Reflections on celebrating holiday and observance diversity, especially in December and January: “ Do what you do. This Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, Twelfth Night, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, St. Paddy's Day, and every day henceforth. Just do what you do. Live out your life and your traditions on your own terms. If it offends others, so be it. That's their problem.” Chris Rose, noted New Orleans writer and journalist.

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.

© December 26, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Friday, December 22, 2017

December 22, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Abilities Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 22, 2017 Yesterday was symbolic for the tax cut signed by Congress to be forwarded to the President for his signature today before flying to Mar-a-Lago as it was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year and like the darkness of  the pathetic growth of less than 2.2% per year during Obama’s 8 years we are now heading for more economic sunlight of growth that should be in excess of 3% or more; the drama and the over the top rhetoric of the Blues is incredible from Jackie Spier with her lump of coal to Pelosi with her Armageddon and Frankenstein to Schumer’s bald face lie that too many people will see their taxes rise and the cuts for individuals are not permanent but are for corporations thanks to arcane rules of the Senate that are an obstruction to getting anything accomplished (safe bet would be any amount of wager that when the individual tax cuts start to expire, Congress will extend them and the other safe bet will be that taxpayers will see the increase in take home pay and those out of the work force will be drawing a paycheck for the first time in years and dismiss Pelosi and Schumer as fools); we just barely dodged the bullet on a government shutdown but Schumer has thrown the gauntlet that on January 19, 2018 he wants citizenship amnesty for  the illegal aliens protected by DACA or face government shutdown ignoring the fact that to achieve a resolution there needs to be an end to chain migration, end to funding of sanctuary cities, passage of Kate’s Law, building the Wall, and an e-verify requirement for employers of aliens (once again the Blues are putting the needs of illegals ahead of the rights and needs of American citizens which if one social security check is missed the senior citizens will dump the Blues like a hot rock); when it comes to hypocrisy Hillary, fresh off her delusional book tour, takes the cake slamming the politization of the DOJ over reports that it may be looking into in a more thorough manner the Uranium One Deal and the quid pro quo of the Clinton Foundation and Bill’s speaking fees while totally ignoring the politization of the DOJ under Holder and Lynch (she probably forgot about the highly unethical meeting of Lynch on the tarmac with Bill to “compare notes on golf and grandchildren”); on the sexual harassment front 18,000 have signed online petitions demanding Matt Damon be dropped from his cameo role in Oceans 8, a film about empowering women, due to allegations of his enabling Hollywood’s number one pervert Harvey Weinstein; Apple faces a class action lawsuit by owners of older iPhones claiming Apple is deliberately slowing down functions in order to prompt holders to buy newer models; Susan Rice the discredited “It’s the video” queen slammed Trump’s America first strategy by claiming that he will lose America’s moral authority which after repeatedly lying to the American people on Benghazi she has none; Eric Schmidt, the Executive Chairman for Google worth almost $5 billion dropped a bombshell by announcing that he was resigning from the company to devote more time to philanthropy;  almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 19 increasing to 3504, 614 of whom have died.
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Guy Mitchell, factoids of interest for this day in history, not being complicit in your dealings with your fellow human beings, a relevant quote by Andrew Fastow on breaking the rules, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.
1. National Mathematics Day (India)established by India on this slow day for holidays and observances to honor the contributions to mathematics by Srinivasa Ramanujan an Indian who had no formal training in mathematics but is generally regarded as a genius but unfortunately died way too early of hepatitis at age 32.
2. Abilities Day—celebrated by those with mental, physical and/or emotional challenges and their caregivers on this day since 1999 proving that the only true disability is the disability of quitting or giving up. I you see someone today wearing a white ribbon, good chance that person is celebrating today’s observance.
3. 1959 Number One Song— the number one song in 1959 on a run of 2 weeks in that position was “Heartaches by the Number” by Guy Mitchell. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmRjgWW8yn0
4. Word of the Year 2017—today’s word of the year as chosen by Dictionary.com is “complicit” which is the act of choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others; having partnership or involvement in wrongdoing which the left feel Trump is guilty of as do the Reds with respect to Hillary and her Foundation and both parties agree that in the political, entertainment and news arenas, too many people are complicit in sexual harassment.
5. Off Balance Out of Mind Into Jail—celebrating or bemoaning the birth on this day of Andrew Fastow, the CFO of Enron, whose off balance sheet financing schemes and his taking concealed ownership positions in them was instrumental in driving the company into bankruptcy and him into prison for over five years. He was released in 2011 and speaks on the issue of fraud and what companies need to do to prevent schemes like his from defrauding them and their investors.
     On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 610 the Prophet Muhammad stated he had been visited by Gabriel and received his first revelation from God.
b. 1894 the Dreyfus Affair began in France when Dreyfus was wrongfully convicted of treason.
c. 1989 the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, closed for 30 years was reopened ending the partition of Germany between West Germany and East Germany.
d. 2001 Richard Reid boarded American Airlines Flight 63 from Paris to Miami with explosives packed in his shoes which fortunately failed to detonate after the plane had taken off. This radicalized Islamist for his efforts is now serving three life sentences plus 110 years at a federal maximum security prison without possibility of parole and will die there.
e. 2010 the 17 year old policy of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military was rescinded by executive order executed by President Obama.    

Reflections on the addendum to the old adage that you can structure but you cannot hide forever unless maybe if your last name is Clinton by the master of concealment: “There are people who look at the rules and find ways to structure around them. The more complex the rules, the more opportunities.” Andrew Fastow Sadly to the detriment of the employees at Enron who lost their pensions by investing in Enron stock only to have it become worthless, he  is right especially when greed supplants integrity, honesty and moral character.

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.

© December 22, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire             

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

December 20, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Go Caroling Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 20, 2017 The tax cut bill is finally heading to the president for his signature as already the party of obstruction and economic destruction is beating the drums that it is a tax cut for the rich paid for by the middle class (the first tangible sign of the benefits of the tax cut came from AT&T announcing as a result of the bill its 200,000 employees will receive a $1,000 bonus and it will be spending a $1 billion more in capital expenditures when it is signed by Trump as the Reds have doubled down and hopefully the economy will take off and such take off heralded to the public to sweep the midterms); who polices the police as McCabe was grilled for almost 8 hours on the bias of the FBI in the form of anti-Trump bias and in the form of pro-Hillary bias with subpoenas expected soon to be served on the anti-Trump, pro-Hillary cabal (write your member of Congress and demand his testimony be made public as any involvement by the FBI and/or the DOJ to influence an election is outrageous and should merit long prison sentences for the guilty so involved); the Marvin K Moody of the pervert club, Al Franken, announced he will leave the Senate on January 2, 2018—good riddance pervert; once again proving the reptilian brain excesses knows no party line, Florida State Senator Lavala who is running for governor has resigned after a report was made public detailing his sexual harassment and possible quid pro quo sex for legislation after Red Governor Scott and AG Bondi demanded he resign; Kim has just given us another reason to annihilate his regime as news out that his military is testing the insertion of anthrax into missile warheads; Rosie O’Donnell must be breathing easier as she will not have to fork over the $2,000,000 promised if Red Senators would vote against the tax cut bill;  almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 19 increasing to 3493, 612 of whom have died.
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Teddy Bears, factoids of interest for this day in history, not being leguleian in your dealings with people, a relevant quote by Suzy Kassem on “honor” killings, 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 Human Solidarity Dayestablished by the UN General Assembly to promote solidarity among those who benefit the most and suffer the least with those who suffer the most and benefit the least by promoting programs to eradicate poverty around the globe.
2. Go Caroling Day—celebrating one of the great aspects of Christmas singing Christmas carols, especially putting together a group of singers and going to nursing homes and senior assisted living centers. Even if you can’t carry a note across the room, the cold night air outside will turn anyone into a Bing Crosby incarnate.
3. 1958 Number One Song— the number one song in 1958 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “To Know Him Is To Love Him” by the Teddy Bears. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCnUsInBQws The song was recorded for a low cost of $75 and stayed on the top 100 list for 23 weeks but the group never replicated its commercial success and disbanded after two years.
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “leguleian” which means like a lawyer or underhanded which describes most representatives and senators to a tee in that too many are members of the bar and almost are or after a few terms will become underhanded.
5. Some Things Are Faster Than A Speeding Bullet—celebrating the birth of Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes on this day in 1942. He was an Olympic Gold Medalist and NFL Hall of Famer and considered to be one of the fastest humans on the planet but whose speed could not outrun prostate cancer which killed him in 2002.
     On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1946 the movie It’s A Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart was released; if you are one of the few people who have not seen it, have no fear as you will surely get another chance on TV in the coming days.
b. 1951 in Arco, Idaho the EBR-1 nuclear plant became the first reactor to generate electricity but before one could pop champagne corks, reality set in as the amount of electricity generated could only power 4 light bulbs.
c. 1957 in a death knell to transatlantic passenger ships and propeller driven passenger planes, the initial production version of the  Boeing 707 jet made its first flight and would go into commercial service in October of 1958.
d. 1989 the U.S. invasion of Panama deposed Panamanian dictator and drug trafficker Manuel Noriega and brought him to the U.S. for trial and conviction to release him for good behavior after serving 17 years of his 40 year sentence, releasing him to France to be sentenced to 7 years for money laundering but quickly extradited to Panama to be sentenced for murder in 2011; he was diagnosed with brain cancer in March, 2017 and the poster child for acne died two months later.
e. 1991 in another example of the difficulties in assimilating Palestinian militants, Palestinian born Zein Isa and his Brazilian born wife were convicted and sentenced to death for the “honor” murder of their 16 year old daughter who was dating an African American and against her parents’ wishes had a job at Wendy’s and liked music and dancing. Fortunately because of his membership in a jihadist group, the FBI with a warrant had planed listening devices in the home and his daughter’s screams were recorded along with Zein’s cries of “Die daughter die.” Both scumbags cheated execution and died of natural causes while in prison.    

Reflections on the complete absence of honor in “honor killings”: “Cultural and religious traditions that forbid cross-cultural unions prevent peace on earth. Instead of rejoicing that our sons and daughters are heart-driven and love other humans outside of their familiar religious, social or cultural domains, we punish and insult them. This is wrong. Honor killings are not honorable by God. They are driven by ignorance and ego and nothing more. The Creator favors the man who loves over the man who hates. If you think God will punish you or your child for allowing them to marry outside of your tribe or faith, then you do not know God. Love is his religion and the light of love sees no walls. Anybody who unconditionally loves another human being for the goodness of their heart and nothing more is already on the right side of God.” Suzy Kassem Rise Up and Salute the Sun:The Writings of Suzy Kassem.  She is a noted American author and poet of Egyptian descent that mullahs and imans in the Muslim world ought to be extolling her thoughts to their faithful. 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.

© December 20, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire             

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting LiftR

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

December 19, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Holly Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For December 19, 2017 House passed the tax cut without a single Blue vote and goes to the Senate for voting tonight where it will pass (if the economy is surging at 4-5 percent going into the 2018 midterms the video clip of Pelosi ranting that the legislation is the worse bill ever played over and over will be the death knell of the Blues); just when you thought that the rogue regime could not stoop any lower our intelligence community confirmed that the massive ransomware hacking attack in May that cost billions worldwide was a direct result of North Korean efforts (cyber attacks on a nation’s infrastructure and businesses is a declaration of war and North Korea must be held accountable even if it means nuking Kim and his military into incinerated ashes which we should do before not after he has several nuclear armed ISBMs; another story we never would have heard about if Hillary had won is surfacing that Obama sacrificed an anti-Hezbollah task force to be able to push the Iran nuclear deal through; although Mueller’s credibility is now zero, the left is hoping Trump will fire him so they can unleash thousands into the streets to protest the action; with McCain back in Arizona being treated for brain cancer, Pence has delayed his trip to Israel until next year so he can break a 50-50 tie to pass the tax cut bill tonight; Andrew McCabe will be testifying in closed session before the House as more and more it looks like a cabal of senior FBI agents and DOJ members were working 24/7 to insure Trump lost and when he did not used the anti-Trump dossier paid for by the DNC and Clinton campaign to illegally obtain FISA warrants to intercept communications of Trump supporters (time to end the FBI stonewall and DOJ stonewall with subpoenas and contempt of Congress); having the FBI be guilty of such practices is unprecedented and completely unacceptable and having the DOJ doing the same thing while to be expected due to the politization under the hacks Holder and Lynch is just as unacceptable); on the teacher sex exploitation front a former Christian school teacher has been arrested after a yearlong sexual relationship with a 15 year old after having been caught in bed by her husband; the Amtrak derailment south of Tacoma, Washington probably stemmed from the fact that the train was going 80 miles an hour in a curve rated at 30 miles and hour;  almost a stuck record or a gruesome  remake of Groundhog Day, Chicago style,  the carnage in Chicago continued unabated with total shootings by mostly minorities against mostly minorities in 2017 through December 18 increasing to 3489, 611 of whom have died.
       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, music links to Elvis Presley and Phil Ochs, factoids of interest for this day in history, being able to impress your friends with your legerity, a relevant quote by Christopher Hitchens on the impeachment of Bill Clinton and his character or lack thereof, 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. Goa Liberation Dayin a day totally devoid of holidays if in India you could celebrate the liberation of Goa on this day in 1961 by India by force of arms or if in Portugal bemoan such naked aggression.
2. Holly Day—commemorated in song during the Christmas season as the number one plant to deck the halls with since Roman times during Saturnalia with the prickly leaves representing the crown of thorns Christ was forced to wear and the red berries His blood dripping from those pricks.
3. 1957 Number One Song— the number one song in 1957 on a run of 7 weeks in that position was “Jailhouse Rock” by Elvis Presley. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZJTgYzf9FE
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “legerity” which means lightness or nimbleness which is an apt description of the running style of the Stanford Heisman winner Bryce Love who hopefully has recovered from his high ankle injury and will be at 100 percent for the Alamo Bowl.
5. Stopped Marching Way Too Early—celebrating the birth of noted American protest songwriter and singer Phil Ochs who campaigned for civil  rights and against the War in Vietnam but hobbled by alcoholism and bipolar disease saw his career evaporate and ended up hanging himself on April 9, 1976 in his sister house that he had moved into. Here is a link to one of his classic songs “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv1KEF8Uw2k
     On this day in:                                                                                   
a. 1777 the Continental Army near starvation and lacking all manner of clothing goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge to be decimated by hunger, disease and misery.
b. 1946 in what would ultimately lead to the U.S. disaster in Vietnam, the First Indochina War between France and the Viet Minh, who we should have backed as opposed to later backing a corrupt Diem, commenced.
c. 1984 the Joint Declaration providing for the return of Hong Kong to China was signed by China and the United Kingdom.
d. 1998 Bill Clinton became the second president in this nation’s history to be impeached but was acquitted by the Senate on straight party lines.
e. 2016 at a Christmas market in Berlin next to the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, a jihadist inspired by ISIS from Tunisia who was turned down as an asylum seeker carjacked a large van and drove into a crowd of shoppers, killing 12 and injuring 56 others before being shot to death several days later in Milan, Italy.    

Reflections on why a wife after 24 years later in many cases never falls far from the husband’s tree especially if that husband is a Clinton: “During the 1992 election I concluded as early as my first visit to New Hampshire that Bill Clinton was hateful in his behavior to women, pathological as a liar, and deeply suspect when it came to money in politics. I have never had to take any of that back, whereas if you look up what most of my profession was then writing about the beefy, unscrupulous 'New Democrat,' you will be astonished at the quantity of sheer saccharine and drool. Anyway, I kept on about it even after most Republicans had consulted the opinion polls and decided it was a losing proposition, and if you look up the transcript of the eventual Senate trial of the president—only the second impeachment hearing in American history—you will see that the last order of business is a request (voted down) by the Senate majority leader to call Carol and me as witnesses. So I can dare to say that at least I saw it through.”―Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22: A Memoir Looking at her years as Secretary of State and her quid pro quo for the Foundation and Bill’s speaking fees and one gets an understanding why this corrupt tag team stayed together. 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.

© December 19, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire             

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift