January 6, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Take a Poet to Lunch Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 6, 2017 The first week of January is not over but 57 people have been shot in Chicago, 8 of whom have died while the mayor’s office and the CPD seem paralyzed and BLM seems mute (http://heyjackass.com/ for a good link to update the carnage); growing concerns that North Korea may be much closer to being able to construct a nuclear tipped ICBM capable of reaching the United States (China needs to hear the call of the world community for all hands on deck to force North Korea to terminate its nuclear weapons program or face destruction on a level the world has not yet seen); Hillary's emails are like the toxic spill that keeps on leaking and show a pattern of complete disregard for security in an age of unrelenting cyber warfare by hostile nations (Obama should spare the nation of the agony of this felon and pardon her so the incoming Trump administration does not divert political capital needed to end Obamacare and creating jobs through lower taxes and repeal of the myriad of job killing regulations implemented by 8 years of Obama); in a sign that maybe the Blues may be receptive to learning the lessons of 2016, as opposed to trying to find someone, anyone, anything to blame, the mayor of South Bend has tossed his hat into the ring of a crowded field that includes a rabid anti-Semite Rep. Ellison to head the DNC; in a rare show of bipartisanship the House voted  342 to 80 to condemn the UN Security Council Resolution which this feckless administration abstained from (next step hopefully is to cut back our funding); in a scene reminiscent of Animal House before his legacy begins to burn and crash, Obama planning a last White House party bash with A-list celebs coming to fawn over in their minds the greatest president to ever grace the White House lawn; Seattle voters in droves voted for HRC and now voters in Seattle will get vouchers of $100 each to either donate to the candidates of their choice (read Blues) or have it come back to the city (already the Evergreen State seems to be toking way too much).      

          As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Rupert Holmes, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from Khalil Gibran, looking forward to using the Word of the Day, “gasconade”, blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

          1. National Take a Poet to Lunch Day—this is a whimsical holiday this poet can really get into—what better way to have and digest a great meal if accompanied by a poet/who knows it/ready to your great traits extol/ while between munches rhymes to sooth your soul/ not in rap or hip hop or punk rock/ but poetic thoughts to the stress and worries of the day block/ and if lunch would put you in hock/ there is always a Starbucks down the block.

          2. World Day of War Orphans—creating awareness and funds for the plight millions of children who have lost their parents in the civil wars and terrorist acts in the Middle East, Afghanistan and large swaths of Africa.

          3. Number One Song in 1980—celebrating the number 1 song in 1980 on a run of 3 weeks in that position “Escape” (the Pina Colada Song) Rubert Holmes. Here is a link to Rubert Holmes performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLom-87AmO8                                                       

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “gasconade” which means extravagant boasting or bragging, a word that fits our departing president like a well tailored suit when he talks of his accomplishments as he prepares to leave office.

          5. You Don’t Need to Be a Prophet to See Where a Path May Lead--celebrating the birth on this day in 1973 of Khalil Gibran, noted Lebanese-American author, artist and poet, best known for The Prophet, who died with way too many poems and books not yet written at the age of 48 from cirrhosis of the liver from way too much alcohol.

On this day in:

1. 1838 Alfred Vail demonstrated a telegraph system over a distance of two miles using a series of dots and dashes (the forerunner of the Morse code.

2. 1907 Maria Montessori opened her first school and daycare center for children of working class parents in Rome, Italy.

3. 1929 Mother Teresa began her steps toward ultimate sainthood but arriving in Calcutta to begin her tending to the poor there.    

4. 1947 in a making the world smaller event, Pan American Airlines became the first airline to offer a round the world ticket.

5. 1974 in response to the OPEC oil embargo of the United States as a result of its support of Israel, daylight savings time commenced 4 months earlier. 

Reflections on how to retain wisdom from the sagacity of a prophet: “Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.” Khalil Gibran, how true, how true and probably most egotists and narcissists have long ago ceased to be pillars of wisdom except in their own minds. 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.

© January 65, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 5, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Bird Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 5, 2017 The press remains fixated over dubious claims that Russian hacking tilted the election in favor of President-elect Trump as Assange and Guccifer both of whom cast doubt on Russia’s hacking into the DNC and Clinton Campaign operatives (Assange said a anyone could have hacked into Podesta’s email as his password was “password”); but Assange said it best “the Democrats didn’t pick the strongest candidate” which will rank as 2017’s biggest understatement;  the brutal kidnapping and torture by four blacks that was live streamed on Facebook is now being investigated as a hate crime; finally some good news out of Chicago as the 150,000 gang members estimated there were reduced by 6 as 6 members of the Los Hobos Gang were convicted and face life in prison, but the news is tempered by the fact through the first several days in January 7 people killed and 48 wounded with some predictions that the killings in 2017 may reach 850; Turks are on full scale manhunt for the killer in the Istanbul nightclub attack that killed 39 innocents as his photo is probably the most circulated photo in Europe (add another radical Islam group of recruits to your list--Uighurs, an ethnic Turkish group, some members of which have been trained in Afghanistan by Al-Qaeda; in yet another example on how disconnected and aloof Blue big city mayors are from ordinary Americans, Di Blasio of NYC deigned to go to the Long Island Railroad derailment that injured 100 commuters because no one died (even his supporters view this man as a pompous sphincter); whether you agree with him or not, President-elect Trump is making a huge financial sacrifice to become president, terminating discussions in three countries over new Trump properties to have constructed there (contrast that with the Clintons who viewed the presidency as a stepping stone to great wealth which they achieved after leaving office, especially when HRC became the master of the quid pro quo game and Bill’s speaking fees went through the roof).

          As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Bee Gees, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from Dwight Eisenhower, looking forward to using  the Word of the Day, “fugacious”, blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

          1. National Bird Day—celebrated by thousands upon thousands of Americans engage in bird watching and learning more about the avians that may have descended from the dinosaurs.                                                                             

          2. Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival—celebrating in Harbin, China, the largest ice and snow sculpture festival that draws attendees and participants from around the world and lasts for a month—definitely something to go onto one’s bucket list.

          3. Number One Song in 1979—celebrating the number 1 song in 1979 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Too Much Love” by the Bee Gees. Here is a link to the Bee Gees performing the song:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nREV8bQJ1MA

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “fugacious” which means something that tends to disappear or is fleeting as Obama’s executive orders will soon be with a President Trump sitting in the Oval Office.

          5. One Way to Never Forget One’s Birthday—celebrating the birth on this day in 1978 of January Jones noted actress, model and single mom.

On this day in:

1. 1757 Louis XV survived an assassination attempt by Robert-Francois Damiens who will have the unenviable distinction in French history of being the last person to be executed by a very painful process known as drawing and quartering, the typical method of punishment for someone convicted of regicide or attempted regicide.

2. 1914 the Ford Motor Company announced it would institute an eight hour work day with a living wage of at least $5 a day (worth $118 in today’s dollars or $14.75 an hour which is less than the $15 an hour minimum wage most Sanders-like Blues want).

3. 1949 President Truman announced the Fair Deal which promised to continue and expand the New Deal but with Republicans controlling Congress, the Fair Deal was mostly DOA with the coup de gras delivered by the Korean War and its claim for increased military spending.     

4. 1957 President Eisenhower in an address to Congress outlined the Eisenhower Doctrine which provided for economic and military aid to any country in the Middle East attacked by another nation (read Soviet Union). Poor Ike must be rolling in his grave looking at what has happened to the American presence and prestige under this feckless lead from behind president.

5. 1972 in a great day for American preeminence in space, President Nixon ordered the development of the Space Shuttle Program (he like Eisenhower must be rolling in his grave to see that program under Obama end and leaving us to act like hitchhikers to put our astronauts into the International Space Station). 

Reflections on leadership that our current president in his community organizing days never learned from a former president: “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Dwight D. Eisenhower 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.

© January 5, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 4, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Braille Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 4, 2017 If you thought there might be any chance at bipartisanship forget it as the Botox Lady touts that the Reds are going to make America sick again (how many people get sick just looking at this ideologue) and the chief swamp denizen who has never been in the private sector in the Senate throws a snit fit on the floor of the Senate over Trump’s tweet (time for us to find out Schumer’s sock size for asbestos socks so voters can hold his feet to the fire for obstruction and decimate the Blues who support him); the press is sharpening its biased and partisan teeth for President-elect upcoming press conference (wonder how many if any the New York Times and Washington Post reporters get to ask); Obama in his waning days is like the Marvin K. Moody of politics huddling with the Blues today to try to save Obamacare, an effort thanks to budget reconciliation championed by the departed tyrant Harry Reid is doomed to fail; Obama against the advice of his military and President-elect Trump is releasing 4 “extremely dangerous” detainees from Gitmo to that bastion of democracy and funder of radical Islam, Saudi Arabia (what about the idea of make America safe again does Obama not understand); the House has identified two Obama job killing regulations on the books that they will be moving forward to repeal; Chicago earned the distinction of the black on black murder capital of the nation and is out of the gate to repeat with 54 shootings in the first 4 days of January (if these shootings were occurring in the business district of Chicago or in upper class neighborhoods where Blue elected officials like the mayor reside they would be stopped cold which support’s O’Reilly’s conclusion that the inaction by the mayor and governor is pure racism; and sadly on a really sick note, 4 blacks were arrested for kidnapping and torturing for over 24 hours a white mentally disturbed youth but fortunately they were stupid enough to live stream 4 hours of their heinous inhumanity which resulted in their arrest.

         As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, 2 music links the Bee Gees and Randy Newman, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from Bob Ney, looking forward to enjoying  the Word of the Day, “eviternity,” blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

          1. World Braille Day—celebrating the contributions to the blind’s ability to read and to write of Louis Braille who was born on this day in 1809.                                                                           

          2. Short People Day—commemorating the adage that you don’t have to be tall in body to accomplish tall goals and stand tall in your achievements Randy Newman’s thoughts on their living notwithstanding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bfyS-S-IJs

          3. Number One Song in 1978—celebrating the number 1 song in 1978 on a run of 3 weeks in that position “How Deep is Your Love” by the Bee Gees. Here is a link to the Bee Gees performing the song:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpqqjU7u5Yc

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “eviternity” which means something of eternal existence or last duration which fortunately with a President Trump sitting in the Oval Office most of Obama’s executive orders will not have that characteristic.

          5. Love More Not Less—celebrating the birth on this day in 1957 of noted country singer Patty Loveless who game back from vocal chord surgery in the 90’s and is still going strong at 60.essman).

On this day in:

1. 1853 after being kidnapped and sold into slavery Solomon Northrup regains his freedom and later publishes his memoirs 12 Years a Slave which later became a national best seller.

2. 1865 the New York Stock Exchange opened at its permanent residence near Wall Street in Manhattan.

3. 1958 after spending 3 months in orbit, Sputnik 1 fell to Earth and burned up in Earth’s atmosphere.   

4. 1999 former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura was sworn in as the governor of Minnesota. 

5. 2007 in a day that sadly marked the end of bipartisanship for the Blues, Nancy Pelosi, a true ideologue, was elected House Majority Leader, the first female to hold that high office. 

Reflections on the importance of Braille: “Effective use of Braille is as important to the blind as independent mobility, knowledge in the use of adaptive technology, and the core belief that equality, opportunity and security are truly possible for all people who are blind.” Bob Ney Republican Congressman from Ohio who was blind to basic honesty (there must not be Braille for how to avoid political corruption) and was forced to resign from the House and served 30 months in prison for corruption.  
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.

© January 4, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 3, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Sleep Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 3, 2017 Looks like 2017 in the Pac 12 football is going to be a return to the days USC and the 11 Dwarfs as SC came back from behind to with less than 2 minutes remaining to beat Penn State with a field goal 52-49(going to be tough being a Stanford fan in the fall); in the poor optics of who shall watch the watchmen when the Commander of Twitter is watching, House Republicans first voted to eviscerate the non-partisan (hard to believe the such a word can still exist in Washington, D.C.) Congressional Office of Ethics and move its functions back to the House Ethics Committee and now have delayed that action; Ford wanting to take advantage of the predicted tax and regulatory reform that Trump will push has announced its intention not to build a new factory in Mexico and instead invest $700 million for a facility in Michigan; WikiLeaks founder Assange still hanging out in Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid possible extradition back to Sweden for sexual misconduct continues to deny that Russia was the source of the WikiLeaks from the DNC and Clinton campaign officials; Blues have signaled their intention to “slow walk” eight of Trump’s picks for Cabinet, including one of their own, Senator Sessions, heralding another fierce and bitter fight in the 2018 elections;  in the first three days of 2017 33 people have already been shot with 3 fatalities and the 3^rd is not yet done as President-elect Trump informs the nation that if Mayor Emmanuel cannot get violence under control he needs to call in for federal help (why this mayor has not called on the governor is mindboggling and why this sanctuary city is going to spend $1.3 million to hire lawyers to represent illegal aliens in deportation proceedings as opposed to spending that money to hire more police officers is mindboggling also); the former head of the Chicago PD leveled the cause of the surge in murders that has claimed mostly blacks shot by blacks on the BLM movement; on a final and happy note a two year old twin in Utah was caught on a nursery video cam of saving his twin from serious injury by lifting a chest of drawers off him (where were the parents while this struggle was going on?): http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/03/caught-on-video-2-year-old-boy-pushes-dresser-off-twin-brother-stuck-underneath.html

          As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from John Steinbeck; an awesome video link of a two year old twin moving a chest of drawers off his twin, looking forward to enjoying  the Word of the Day, dumbsize, blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

          1. National Sleep Day—after celebrating way too much on New Year’s Eve and probably spending too much time on New Year’s Day watching football and eating way too much, today might be the day to catch up on some sleep deprivation recovery after Arianna Huffington has been harping for most of 2016 that Americans do not get enough sleep and if catching a few more winks you can dream that all of your New Year’s resolutions are still intact.                                                                            

          2. National Write to Congress Day—commemorating a long standing tradition as the 115^th Congress was sworn in today of writing to them to express one’s ideas by email, fax or snail mail (which is slower than ever due to security concerns particularly if a political contribution for the next campaign is enclosed probably will get read).

          3. Number One Song in 1977—celebrating the number 1 song in 1977 on a run of 1 week in that position “You Don’t Have to Be a Star” by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Here is a link to the dynamic duo performing the song:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nb9jJg_wIU

          4. Word of the Day—The word of the day is “dumbsize” which is the act of reducing the staff of a company or organization to a point where it can no longer function effectively; this is the mantra used by bureaucrats when faced with any reduction in budget or staff or in the rate of increase in budget or staff and which one can only hope President-elect Trump ignores as soon as he takes office..

          5. Quitting Is So Hard to Do—celebrating the birth on this day in 1956 of actor and director Mel Gibson who unfortunately started drinking and smoking at a very early age (hard not to start smoking when your paternal grandfather was a millionaire tobacco businessman) but after some DUI’s seems to have turned his struggle with alcohol around due to AA and is supposedly smoke free after decades of cigarette usage.

            On this day in:

1. 1521 Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin Luther.

2. 1888 the James Lick Telescope, aka “the Big Lick” located on top of Mt. Hamilton near San Jose was first used. Until 1897 it was the largest refracting telescope in the world.

3. 1938 the March of Dimes was organized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to raise money for research to combat polio, a disease which he suffered from although most voters were unaware of the fact.    

4. 1959 Alaska was admitted to the United States as its 49^th state.  

5. 1977 Apple Computer Corporation, founded by Steve Jobs, Steven Wozniak and Raymond Wayne was incorporated. Ronald Wayne in what has to be the worst deal in history sold his interest back to Jobs and Wozniak (had he kept it, it would have been worth north of $60 billion.  

Reflections on the importance of sleep: “It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it.”  John Steinbeck, noted American author of such novels as Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row  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.

© January 3, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 2, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Science Fiction Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 2, 2017 Looks like 2017 in Chicago is going to be a deadly repeat of 2016 in which 762 victims were murdered as 2017 opened with 3 homicides and 16 wounded; sadly being a black male in Chicago is a very dangerous place to be; Turkey still has not identified the cold blooded jihadist that killed 39 people at an Istanbul night club and wounded 70 others; the Russian diplomats and operatives expelled in a typical Obama “too little too late” move have arrived in Moscow as Trump continues to express doubt over hacking of the DNC by Russians while expending precious political capital he will need to undo the disasters of the Obama administration (for starters how about approving Keystone XL and creating thousands of high paying jobs); Obama is going to give his farewell address from Chicago (not sure what he is going to talk about but given his delusional view of the world he probably will extol how much better we are saddled with $20 trillion in debt and safer with ISIS running rampant, North Korea to test an ICBM and Iran on a path to nuclear weapons); Mariah Carey and Dick Clark Productions are in a snit fit over her total disastrous performance in Times Square; on the sports front, USC returns to the Rose Bowl to meet Penn State.

          As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to the Bay City Rollers, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from Barry Goldwater coupled with a video link to the infamous “Daisy ad” that destroyed his candidacy, looking forward to enjoying  the Word of the Day, blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

          1. National Weigh In Day—after celebrating way too much on New Year’s Eve and probably spending too much time on New Year’s Day watching football and eating way too much, today is the day to benchmark those resolutions to lose weight and enjoy more exercise by weighing in to see how much you can lose and keep lost—obesity is not one’s friend.                                                                            

          2. National Science Fiction Day—celebrating the genre of fiction that over the years has produced the reality of many of our scientific achievements from putting a man on the Moon to the bionic replacement parts of today; the day was chosen to honor one of the great science fiction writers Isaac Asimov who was born on this day in 1920.

          3. Number One Song in 1976—celebrating the number 1 song in 1976 on a run of 1 week in that position “Saturday Night” by the Bay City Rollers. Here is a link to the Bay City Rollers performing (or better yet screeching) the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBn2ux5vRHk

          4. Word of the Day—The word of the day is “catoptromancy” which is the art of foretelling the future by the use of a mirror; maybe if someone can look at himself honestly in the mirror as opposed to delusional eyes he would have a better chance to predict it (makes sense as if our president were honest with himself, he would predict that his legacy will largely be flushed down the toilet).

          5. Count to Ten Forward and Backward—celebrating the birth on this day in 1909 of noted conservative Barry Goldwater who represented Arizona in the Senate for 30 years and whose candidacy for presidency in 1964 was obliterated by attack ads of the Democrats including the infamous “Daisy ad” that terrified voters that Barry Goldwater would cause a nuclear war with the Soviet Union (only because of her arrogance that she could not conceive of being defeated by Trump did Hillary not roll out a remake of the “Daisy ad”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-VzZQGWOqA

            On this day in:

1. 533 Mercurius became Pope and was the first Pope to adopt a new name, becoming Pope John II.

2. 1900 diplomat John Hay implemented the open door policy to promote trade with China a door which to the tune of over a $300 billion trade deficit has turned into a one way street which hopefully Trump will renegotiate.

3. 1920 in one of our total disregard for the Constitution moments in our history, the second roundup of communists and anarchists known as the Palmer Raid occurred led by J. Edgar Hoover, netting some 3,000 individuals who were in most cases illegally arrested and detained although some 500 noncitizens were deported.    

4. 1974 President Nixon signed legislation lowering the speed limit to 55 miles per hour to conserve fuel during the OPEC oil embargo arising out of our support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War.

5. 2016 in another example that Muslims are very likely to kill other Muslims, the Sunni led Saudis executed Shiite Sheik Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others (tiring day for the beheader) for seeking independence for Shiites in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Reflections on extremism and moderation still valid today, even more so: “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”  Barry Goldwater  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.

© January 2, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 1, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Polar Bear Swim Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 1, 2017 Looks like 2017 is going to be a radical Islam repeat of 2016 as a gunman burst into an Istanbul night club after shooting a policeman and a civilian outside and killed at least 37 celebrants and wounding dozens before fleeing into the night (national manhunt for this killer); Chicago ended 2016 with over 760 homicides and over 3500 shootings and has entered 2017 a bang (no pun intended) with two homicides in the Uptown area (where is the mayor, where is the governor and where is the Illinois National Guard and where is the outrage?); Mariah Carey totally flopped in her Times Square performance on New Year’s Eve; Huskies were as expected crushed by Alabama; in the Sun Bowl, Stanford beat North Carolina in a thriller with Stanford sacking the

North Carolina quarterback’s two point conversion attempt to send the game into overtime; that venerable icon the “Hollywood” sign high in the hills over Los Angeles was hit with a prank on New Year’s Eve to commemorate the legalization of marijuana:    2017 also is looking like a more of the same with North Korea hinting that it would be testing an intercontinental ballistic missile in the very near future. Unfortunately the only sanction that would work on that rogue nation would be to assassinate Kim Jong Un and every member of his extended family.

          As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to Elton John, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant observation from Pharaoh Akhenaton, looking forward to enjoying a the Word of the Year, blessed with a positive attitude and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

          1. Polar Bear Swim Day—time to celebrate the new year with the madness of a group of swimmers plunging into the frigid lake or ocean waters to raised money for charity or for the joy of seeing that one’s heart is not stopped by the frigid waters. The first recorded Polar Bear Swim took place in Boston in 1904. Great shot of event at Vancouver where the water temp is probably in the low 50’s or high 40’s (note the boats on hand to provide assistance if any of these fools cramp up):

                                                                              

          2. Public Domain Day—celebrating the day depending on the jurisdiction when copyrighted material comes into the public domain and may be sold without payment of royalties.

          3. Number One Song in 1975—celebrating the number 1 song in 1975 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by Elton John. Here is a link to Elton John performing the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib3EpoZH4xc

          4. Word of the Year—The Oxford Dictionary named as 2016’s Word of the Year “post truth” which means circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. The word described our election season to a “T.”

          5. H Is for Hypocrite—celebrating the birth on this day in 1895 of J. Edgar Hoover the long time head of the FBI who ran the bureau as his own personal secret police force, illegally wiretapping, breaking and entering without warrants and subjecting suspected communists, deviants and gangsters to illegal surveillance, including Martin Luther King, Jr. He was instrumental in getting Eisenhower to ban the employment of gays in the federal government although it has been highly suspected that Hoover was a closet gay and a secret lover of his assistant Tolson whom he deeded his estate to.

            On this day in:

1. 1772 travelers’ cheques were first issued by the London Credit Exchange Company for use in 80 European cities.

2. 1788 the first issue of the Times of London was published.

3. 1804 French rule in Haiti ended and Haiti became the first black republic and second independent country in North America after the United States.  

4. 1808 the United States banned the importation of slaves but would have to undergo the Civil War and 55 more years of slavery before the practice of slavery ended.

5. 1971 in another step to reduce smoking and the millions of deaths associated with it, all cigarette ads are banned on television.

Reflections on how to live up to one’s New Year’s Resolutions: “Those who gave thee a body, furnished it with weakness; but He who gave thee Soul, armed thee with resolution. Employ it, and thou art wise; be wise and thou art happy.” Akhenaton, Pharaoh who ruled Egypt for 17 years and sired King Tut.  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.

© January 1, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

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