January 14, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Ratification Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 14, 2018 the fingers are being pointed at the State of Hawaii for the false alarm of an incoming missile that caused all sorts of panic and emphasized the need to solve the problem of a soon to be nuclear armed North Korea (face to face would be fine and we have precedence of solving the Cuban Missile Crisis by the Soviets withdrawing their nukes from Cuba while the U.S. with little fanfare removed its Jupiter IRMBs from Turkey in which the message has to be crystal clear that Kim’s only chance to remain alive and in power is a destruction of his missile and nuclear weapons program coupled with a peace treaty with South Korea and a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Peninsula (with South Korea’s larger population and economy that dwarfs the  economy of North Korea, it could build an armed forces power house that should be able to deter the North from crossing the 38^th Parallel); for political gain they think they will achieve by forcing a government shutdown, the Blues have squandered the future of the “Dreamers” by refusing to accept anything other than amnesty without any conditions (the Dreamers were right to boo Nancy Pelosi as they have to be smart enough to realize this issue is merely a ploy by the party with no ideas to increase the number of Blue voters not to benefit them); one can only hope that the Reds have got their message game on and will be able to pin blame where it belongs on the obstructionism of Schumer and Pelosi and their lackeys; Harry and Meghan find their upcoming nuptials clouded over inane remarks coming out of England about her “tiny brain” that will “taint” the Royal Seed; is Manning a patriot ala  Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers or a traitor like Eric Snowden, a question that Maryland Blue voters will have to decide as the convicted felon will be running for the Senate against the Blue incumbent (fitting that “she” chose the Blues that, had the FBI and the DOJ not been corrupted, would have as the Blue leader of the party a would be felon soul mate); 2018 in Chicago is off to another bloody start in terms of shootings and killings through the 10^th of January with 77 shot, 16 of whom have died while the mayor and his administration remain MIA in terms of addressing the problems faced by residents of color in that city.

       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Don McClean, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact students entering college realize they will not be able to levant from the costs of a four year college as opposed to a community college that leaves the student with the ability to find a job and a relevant quote by Andy Rooney on predictions 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. Ratification Day—commemorating the ratification by the U.S. Senate of the Treaty of Paris on this day in 1784 that formally ended the Revolutionary War.
2. Feast of the Ass—commemorating on a day when observances of note are few and far between not a feast to commemorate the achievements of the Democratic Party symbolized by a jackass a medieval Christian celebration commemorating the roll of the donkey in bringing Mary to a stable in Bethlehem.

3. 1972 Number One Song— the number one song in 1971 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Bye Bye Miss American Pie” by Don McClean. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr-BYVeCv6U

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “levant” which means to run away from one’s debt which is today so much harder after 8 years of Obama’s adding $10 trillion.

5. A Career that Lasted More Than a Few Minutes More--celebrating the birth on this day in 1919 of Andy Rooney long time journalist with CBS best noted for his closing remarks on 60 Minutes. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1943 President Roosevelt became the first president to fly in an airplane when he boarded a plane in Miami and flew to Morocco to meet with Winston Churchill to discuss war strategy.

b. 1952 NBC’s long running TV show Today made its debut with David Garraway as host.

c. 1967 the Human Be-In was held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, launching the summer of love and a boom for florists selling flowers to wear in one’s hair in San Francisco.

d. 1967 The New York Times broke a story that the U.S. Army was conducting secret germ warfare experiments.

e. 1973 Elvis Presley’s live concert Aloha in Hawaii was broadcast via satellite and watched by the largest number of viewers to watch a program by a single entertainer.     

Reflections on pollsters and pundits in a polarized world: “The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong. Andy Rooney He was spot on on that observation on the predictions that Hillary would win in a landslide.

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 14, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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

January 12, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Pharmacists Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 12, 2018 Nancy Pelosi is being rightfully ridiculed for lampooning the five white guys Blue and Red trying to forge a compromise on DACA by speculating they are going to open up a hamburger stand (Five Guys?) and worse as someone who has never been dependent on a paycheck to paycheck basis dismissed the millions of dollars of bonuses and wage increases from a growing list of 130 companies so granting as a result of the Armageddon tax cut as mere crumbs; Trump is in hot water for allegedly blasting the idea of immigration from s*-hole countries like El Salvador and Haiti (wonder in the PC world we live in how many lefties and MSM will be taking their families to vacation in such garden spots—suspect it will be 0); in a classic example of how out of touch celebrities are with the American people, Bella Thorne was in a Twitter snit fit that she missed her boyfriend’s concert because of road closures in Santa Barbara as a result of deadly mud slides (nothing like compassion for the 17 who died or the numerous homes devastated); Texas Tech students and fans at sporting events salute other fans with a finger salute which at a airport when one student seeing a man wearing a Texas Tech sweatshirt  gave  only to be pulled out of line by TSA; on the sports front Pepsi will unveil a remake of its iconic Pepsi ad with Cindy Crawford during Super Bowl on February 4; 2018 in Chicago is off to another bloody start in terms of shootings and killings through the 10^th of January with 71 shot, 16 of whom have died while the mayor and his administration remain MIA in terms of addressing the problems faced by residents of color in that city.

       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the George Harrison, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that the economy has been freed of the lethiferous tendencies of the previous administration and a relevant quote by George Bezos. Everett Koop on death and smoking, 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 Pharmacists Day—commemorating the contribution to our health system of pharmacists especially those who are on the lookout for overprescriptions of opioids that too many doctors seem to be addicted to.
2. Feast of the Fabulous Wild Men Day—commemorating on a day when observances of note are few and far between all those weight lifters and athletes that treat their bodies like temples of worship.

3. 1971 Number One Song— the number one song in 1971  on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP9wms6oEMo

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lethiferous” which means causing death which when it comes to economic growth describes what we have experienced under the high taxed over regulated economy of the Obama years.

5. Up the Economic River with a Lot of Paddles--celebrating the birth on this day in 1964 of one of Princeton’s more successful alums, George Bezos, the founder of Amazon and owner of the liberal anti-Trump leaning Washington Post who is now reputed to be the richest man in the world. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1971 federal prosecutors indicted the Harrisburg Seven led by Catholic anti-war protestor Father Berrigan for plotting to kidnap Henry Kissinger and blow up tunnels underneath government buildings in the Swamp; after a trial in which the defense called no witnesses and 60 hours jury deliberation, the judge declared a mistrial and the defendants were not retried. The case was perhaps one of the first in which scientific jury selection based on demographic info was used to pick a jury most favorable to the defense.

b. 1991 the Congress authorized the use of military force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait which it did in 100 hours after crossing the border into Kuwait.

c. 1998 19 European countries agreed to forbid human cloning.

d. 2006 a stampede occurred at the Stoning of the Dead on the last day of the hajj held in Mina, Saudi Arabia, resulting in the death of 362 Muslim pilgrims.

e. 2016 in another example of how to ruin a tourist economy, an ISIS suicide bomber punched his one way ticket to “Paradise” by detonating his bomb that killed ten foreign tourists and wounded fifteen others near the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.     

Reflections on the future of the Washington Post: “We will need to invent, which means we will need to experiment. Our touchstone will be readers, understanding what they care about—government, local leaders, restaurant openings, scout troops, businesses, charities, governors, sports—and working backwards from there. I'm excited and optimistic about the opportunity for invention.” Jeff Bezos

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 12, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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

January 11, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Awareness of Human Trafficking Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 11, 2018 Talk about a feast or famine weather world in California—after days of almost 30 fires raging out of control in Southern California that destroyed almost 1,000 structures, taxed the efforts of almost 9,000 firefighters and killed two humans and scores of horses, California was hit with massive rain storms, the mudslides from which have killed 17 with 8 still missing and believed possibly dead; Chelsea Handler rants have stooped to new lows in her profanity laced attacks on Senator Graham urging him to come out of the closet (the LGBTQ community usually expressing anti homophobic rage at the drop of the hat is strangely silent as opposed to condemning her outburst); now that a DACA deal may be nearing fruition the Blues have turned their wrath of Trump’s desire to end temporary refugee status of 250,000 Salvadorians and Haitians that started over two decades ago due to natural disasters; on a day when more MS-13 gang members have been charged with murder Trump gets slammed by the PC Police for calling El Salvador a “s-hole” which it is; the Blues are being boxed into a corner as without border security, end to chain migration and lottery migration they will not get a DACA bill and if they shut down the government over the interests of DACA they will be blown out of the water in November (immigration cannot be the Groundhog Day of politics that because of a porous border we have the same problem of more illegals that we have to deal with again in 2 or 3 years; in another example of how difficult it is to find peace in the Middle East Gadot of Wonder Woman fame who is an Israeli wore a designer dress from Ellie Saab who is Lebanese to the wrath of Lebanese who are technically still at war with Israel; 2018 in Chicago is off to another bloody start in terms of shootings and killings through the 9^th of January with 63 shot, 15 of whom have died while the mayor and his administration remain MIA in terms of addressing the problems faced by residents of color in that city.

       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the B.J. Richards, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you seem to be free from lethe and a relevant quote by C. Everett Koop on death and smoking, 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 Awareness of Human Trafficking Day—created by the U.S. Senate on June 22, 2007 and observed since 2008 to create awareness of the need to combat human trafficking in this country and throughout the world.
2. Cigarettes Are Hazardous to Your Health Day—commemorating the release by the Surgeon General’s report on this day in 1964 that pronounced the link between smoking and lung cancer, a link which the tobacco companies have fought tooth and nail as millions of smokers have died since its release.

3. 1970 Number One Song— the number one song in 1970  on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head” by B.J. Thomas. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT1HCQcSHW0  

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lethe” which means forgetfulness which too often describes an increasing number of baby boomers as they age.

5. Dueling Pistols--celebrating the birth on this day in 1757 or 58 of Alexander Hamilton one of founding fathers and the first Secretary of the Treasury who was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr although many have speculated he wasted his first shot given his opposition to dueling as a means of settling disputes. Fortunately he beat the PC move to replace him on the $10 Bill with Harriet Tubman who will replace Jackson on the $20 Bill. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1908 the Grand Canyon National Monument was created.

b. 1922 marked the first use of insulin to treat the disease of diabetes.

c. 1935 Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the United States.

d. 1973 in a lengthen one’s career move, the American League owners approved the use of the designated hitter.

e. 2003 Governor George Ryan of Illinois commuted the sentences of 167 prisoners on death row to life after a detailed investigation of the practices of the Chicago Police Department revealed that many convictions had been tainted due to torture practiced by police officers under the command of Jon Burge.     

Reflections on progress made from the first smoking warning in 1964 but a lot more in the fight to eliminate smoking remains to be done: “Cigarette smoking is clearly identified as the chief, preventable cause of death in our society.” C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General

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 11, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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

January 5, 2017 Ridley's Believe It OR Not National Bird Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 5, 2018 Another day, another record closing on Wall Street and a growing list of 100 companies that have declared bonuses to their employees as a result of the Blue maligned tax cut that will be really felt in February paychecks with lower withholding; Schumer and Pelosi are really missing the wave of concern over illegal aliens and even more missing the outrage that will be transferred to the ballot box in November if a Blue Senate filibuster over funding because of no amnesty without conditions or compromise on DACA shuts this country down; the wheels of Justice move slowly and in the case of the Clintons many believe the wheels move not at all but there is now hope that revelations that the DOJ is investigating the reek of quid pro quo of the Clinton Foundation while Clinton was Secretary of State and has been hit with a letter from Grassley and Graham demanding a criminal referral against the author of the GPS Fusion anti-Trump dossier for lying to the FBI (Huma Abedin should be the next target for the same crime followed by Cheryle Mills for the same crime); new hire at ESPN Katie Nolan used the flu medication excuse for calling Trump a “f**king stupid person” on air and for now has dodged the pink slip bullet (news flash Katie stick to sports; ESPN does not stand for Electoral Slanted Propaganda Network); Trump and his senior advisers will be at Camp David this weekend plotting the passing of the Trump Agenda in 2018; 2018 in Chicago is off to another bloody start in terms of shootings and killings with the 2^nd day  in the New Year ending with 22 people shot, 3 of whom have died while the mayor and his administration remain MIA in terms of addressing the problems faced by residents of color in that city (if I were a minority living in that city I would be praying for continued arctic air to keep the shooters shivering to miss their targets).

       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Marvin Gaye, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are leptosome; relevant quotes BF and AF on sexual harassment by Charlie Rose, 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—celebrating our avion friends by bird watching, studying birds and yes smoking birds and better yet adopting birds but candidly have no idea why on this day it is celebrating as opposed to a nice balmy day in the spring or summer.
2. National Screenwriters Day—celebrating the contributions to our entertainment media by screenwriters without whom movies, television and other media entertainment would be few and far between and totally unscripted.

3. 1969 Number One Song— the number one song in 1969 on a run of 7 weeks in that position was “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hajBdDM2qdg

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “leptosome“ which means a person of slim or slight build, a person that companies like NutriSystems or Jenny Craig detest unless they have become so as a result of their products.

5. The Bloom Is Of The Rose--celebrating the birth on this day in 1942 of former well respected TV journalist for CBS and PBS but whose reptilian brain got the better of him as 8 women came forward to allege sexual harassment by him resulting in his termination. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1914 as a result of the increased productivity of his factory workers due to the introduction of assembly lines Ford Motor Company announced a new wage of $5 a day for 8 hours of work ($124.28 in 2017 dollars).

b. 1933 the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began and was completed on May 27, 1937.

c. 1949 President Harry S. Truman unveiled his Fair Deal Program, most of which ideas were derailed by a conservative Congress.

d. 1957 in an address to Congress President Dwight Eisenhower announced the Eisenhower Doctrine which announced that a nation in the Middle East attacked by another nation could seek military assistance from the United States.

e. 1972 President Nixon authorized the Space Shuttle Program to go forward.     

Reflections on sexual harassment BF and AF: "Is this just the tip of the iceberg we're seeing? Is there some sense there's a lot of other things coming out in this story?" Charlie Rose asked Kantor, who co-wrote the Times' Weinstein investigation, on "CBS This Morning." “"I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe all of these allegations are accurate.I always felt that I was pursuing a shared feeling, even though I now realize I was mistaken." Charlie Rose AF by CBS and PBS. Amazing how an overactive reptilian brain clouds one’s judgment.

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, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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

January 4, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Braille Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 4, 2018 all those pundits who predicted a Trump victory would the market tank must be eating crow as the market just notched another 1000 point rise in the fastest time in history; Pelosi and Schumer will look like the idiots they are by without any basis claiming it was a tax cut for the rich paid for on the backs of the poor; since most taxpayers except the really wealthy do not itemize top one percent of income holders will be paying more taxes totally offset by the wealth creation in their portfolio (Andrew Cuomo is beating a dead horse on this one including his pipe dream of becoming president); light bulbs may be going on the heads of Blues who are hell bent to place the needs of “Dreamers” over the rights and needs of citizens and legal immigrants and just maybe they are realizing that without a wall, enhanced border security, end of chain migration and lottery immigration to be replaced with immigration based solely on merit, enactment of Kate’s Law and an end of federal funds to any sanctuary state or city, the Dreamers are not going to get their amnesty so we looking at this problem once again in 10 years with a another 1,000,000 illegal “Dreamers”; if Michael Wolfe whose journalistic reputation for credibility is in the tank thinks Americans living outside the Swamp other that the Clintonite sycophants are going to waste dollars in buying his book, he is about as dumb as dumb can be; unrest still occurring over corruption and theocracy in Iran; Trump has dramatically increased the offshore acreage on both coasts opened to drilling even as the advocates of climate change are freezing their collective fannies in huge areas of the U.S. giving us another reason to either eliminate the 60 vote filibuster rule in the Senate or elect a lot more Reds to the Senate; 2018 in Chicago is off to another bloody start in terms of shootings and killings with the 2^nd day  in the New Year ending with 18 people shot, 3 of whom have died while the mayor and his administration remain MIA in terms of addressing the problems faced by residents of color in that city (if I were a minority living in that city I would be praying for continued arctic air to keep the shooters shivering to miss their targets).

       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Beatles, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are leptochrous in dealing with rants from the left and a relevant quote from Patty Loveless on word of mouth marketing Kate Bosworth on change and aging, 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—commemorating the creation of Braille by Louise Braille who was born on this day in 1809.
2. National Trivia Day—whether celebrating this day with a game of trivial pursuit with friends and family looking up some interesting facts to keep the dementia away.

3. 1968 Number One Song— the number one song in 1968 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “Hello, Goodbye” by the Beatles. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblYSKz_VnI

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “leptochrous“ which means having thick skin which our current and former president and too many in Congress lack which explains the divisiveness and gridlock in the Swamp.

5. Love Less to Love More--celebrating the birth on this day in 1957 of noted American country singer Patty Ramey better known to her fans as Patty Loveless and perhaps should be known as the Tommy John of vocal chord surgery who underwent  surgery on her vocal chords to come strong with a more powerful and vibrant voice and still going strong today. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1865 appropriate that today when the market closed at yet another all time record high the New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent location near Wall Street in New York City.

b. 1884 the Fabian Society was organized and what has to be amazing after the record of socialism destroying the economies of Venezuela and Cuba and any other country where its failed economic ideas have been foisted upon the residents of that country, it still is in existence and embraced people like Bernie Sanders in this nation.

c. 1951 in a glaring rebuke to MacArthur’s assurances that the Chinese would not cross the Yalu, Chinese and North Korean forces recaptured Seoul.

d. 1958 Sputnik I which inaugurated the satellite age fell to the Earth to be replaced by hundreds upon hundreds of more sophisticated satellites launched by dozens of countries.

e. 2018 to the dismay of stranded travelers we have added a new phrase to our lexicon, “bomb cyclone” which is a winter storm in which the low pressure at its center has dropped at least 24 millibars in 24 hours resulting in high winds, snow, freezing temperatures and in the case of East and Midwest, thousands of cancelled flights.     

Reflections on guerrilla marketing in the pre internet go viral age videos: “It's kind of odd when you think of Loretta Lynn, when she was first traveling and recording country music. It was all built through word of mouth. If you pleased the fans, they would pass it around to their friends and family.” Patty Loveless Astute observation confirming that the best ads in the world are the validation of a product or service by family, friends and people you respect and trust who are validating not because they are being paid but believe you could be helped by the product or service.

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, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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

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

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 2, 2018 The youth in Iran are rioting in the streets and the death toll among protesters has risen to 20, killed by a brutal regime (ironic that the Iranian Nuke Deal which lined Iran’s pockets with billions and removed the sanctions may prove to be the Trojan Horse that will sink the regime in that none of the money went to the people suffering from catastrophic unemployment but rather to support terror, the military and corrupt politicians); exciting Rose Bowl overtime win for Georgia which unfortunately was not carried by NBC; proving that California has lost its luster by becoming a sanctuary state against the wishes of its citizens who do not want MS-13, felons and opioids streaming across our borders and that a picture is worth a thousand words check out signs that are suddenly appearing on our streets and when coupled with the limitation on SALT should cause a major exodus of residents and their high incomes to low tax states:

                                                   

In yet another example of how sick our society has become, blogger Logan Paul who evidently has millions of followers posted the photo of a suicide victim who was hanging from a tree near Mt. Fujii while giggling and laughing over the victim’s death; Kellyanne Conway rightfully slammed the “it’s a video queen” Susan Rice for advising Trump to be quiet while the theocratic Iranian thugs are killing their own people just like our feckless former president was silent during the uprisings in 2009; in 17 days the federal government runs out of money which thanks to the scorched earth of Schumer’s lackeys is one hell of a way to run a government; 2018 in Chicago is off to another bloody start in terms of shootings and killings with the first day in the New Year ending with 10 people shot, 2 of whom have died while the mayor and his administration remain MIA in terms of addressing the problems faced by residents of color in that city.

       As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Monkees, factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that in dealing with people to get things done, you are lepid and a relevant quote by Kate Bosworth on change and aging, 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 Buffet Day—after all the Christmas Parties, New Year’s Eve’s Parties and New Year’s Day caloric splurges, this strikes me as a holiday we need like a hole in the head given the amount of weight that many of us have gained during the Christmas season.

2. National Motivation and Inspiration Day—created by Congress on December 18, 2001 At the request of motivational speaker Kevin McCrudden to impress upon the American people still reeling from the attack on 9/11 of the importance of inspiration and motivation in our daily lives and that death and destruction notwithstanding we as a nation have a lot to live for.

3. 1967 Number One Song— the number one song in 1967 on a run of 7 weeks in that position was “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees. Here is a recording of the song:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udX6y-FB3vU

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lepid“ which means pleasant or charming which describes a behavior more likely to win an opponent over as opposed to ad hominen attacks with over the top rhetoric that seems the rule of discourse in the Swamp today.

5. Worth the Price of Admission--celebrating the birth on this day in 1983 of noted American actress Kate Bosworth whose many roles have included The Horse Whisperers, Straw Dogs, and Superman Returns. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1920 the Justice Department with Hoover of the FBI organizing the raids commenced its second set of Parker Raids against resident aliens who were communists and anarchists but as the total arrested climbed past 3,000 also illegally swept up and detained American citizens simply because they were present in a union organizing hall during a raid. When the proverbial dust had settled over 500 aliens had been deported.

b. 1942 as a result of MacArthur’s retreat into the Bataan Peninsula, the Japanese occupied Manila.

c. 1963 in South Vietnam clashes between Viet Cong forces and South Vietnamese troops and their American advisers were on the rise and on this day in 1963 350 Viet Cong achieved their first victory over 1500 South Vietnamese soldiers and their American advisers at the Battle of Ap Bac in South Vietnam; the victory would be the Viet Cong’s first but over the next ten years not its last as the nightmare known as the Vietnam War continued to escalate.

d. 1967 Ronald Reagan was sworn in as the governor of California.

e. 1974 President Nixon signed legislation passed in response to the OPEC embargo due to our support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War lowering the maximum speed on our highways to 55 mph, a speed ignored by most motorists and so saved very little gasoline.     

Reflections on the relationship of maturity to things that remain important to a person from the birthday girl: “It's sort of interesting how, when you get older, things that were once so important sort of fall away.” Kate Bosworth Astute observation, the corollary of which is that the hard part as one ages is to identify and retain core values.

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, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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

January 1, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Global Family Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 1, 2018 The youth in Iran are rioting in the streets and 12 protestors have been shot and killed creating perhaps a golden opportunity to support a large segment of the population who are fed up with the theocratic rule of the mullahs more concerned about fomenting terrorism than the welfare of the average Iranian; the new year is not one day old and Rocket Man is threatening the U.S. that he has nuclear tipped ICBMs that can reach any place in the U.S. and he has the nuclear launch button on his desk (we are running out of time and the revelation by satellite photo that China was caught off loading oil to a North Korean ship makes a mockery of China’s promise to impose sanctions on North Korea or abide by the latest round of UN sanctions); the it’s a video queen Susan Rice put forth her two cents on the demonstrations in Iran by telling Trump to be quiet ala Obama during the demonstrations back in 2009 (fat chance Trump will heed her advice); a surrealistic tweet by Comey calling for ethical leadership in 2018 (talk about the pot calling the kettle black); Trump has announced that he is withholding almost $300 million in aid to Pakistan due to its links to terrorists, signaling an end to aiding those nations that want to bite the hand that feeds them; CNN’s Randi Kaye from Denver on the air lit a bong, held a joint and seemed to have taken several hits as she seemed disoriented (legal in Colorado but still illegal at the federal level); legal from a state law standpoint in California to buy recreational marijuana from licensed dispensaries; 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 31 increasing to 3561, 624 of whom have died which gruesome as it may be represents a very slight improvement over the carnage in 2016.

       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,  your boat is not lepadoid and a relevant quote by Holliday Grainger of acting, 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. Global Family Day—a day for peace and sharing celebrated on New Year’s Day in the United States.

2. National Bloody Mary Day—commemorating the drink that most people turn to as a hangover cure resulting from drinking far too much the night before  (more effective cure would have been drinking a lot less the night before).

3. 1966 Number One Song— the number one song in 1966 on a run of 2 weeks in that position was “Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. Here is a recording of the song:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWyzwo1xg0

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lepadoid“ which means resembling a barnacle which is what you want your hull to never have that characteristic.

5. Holliday For A Holliday—celebrating the birth on this day of not British actress Holliday Grainger who started acting when she was only six years and who unlike many child stars has grown into a fine actress on both the small and large screen both here and in England. 

    On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1983 ARPANET officially changed to the Internet Protocol and the internet age was upon us.

b. 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement so despised by Trump as a job killer for Americans went into effect.

c. 1999 Euro currency was introduced in 11 nations of the EU but not in the U.K., Sweden, Denmark, and Greece (Greece adopted the Euro in 2002).

d. 2010 a car suicide bomber was detonated at a volleyball tournament at Lakki Marwat, Pakistan, killing   105 and wounding 100 spectators.

e. 2017 an Islamist under ISIS orders currently in custody and awaiting trial, shot and killed 39 people and wounded 70 others at the Reina Nightclub in Istanbul.    

Reflections on the idea that work should be what a person enjoys doing: “I don't have any massive ambitions to be a movie star. I'd like to continue acting as long as I enjoy it. I'm grateful to be where I am, but maybe at some point I'll be ready for the next stage in my life when there isn't acting.” Holliday Grainger.

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, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

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