February 15, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Susan B. Anthony Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 15, 2018 Parkland is grieving today and joined by a nation shocked by the evil that drove Nicolas Cruz to gun down 17 innocents and wondering how authorities missed the signs of a very troubled youth (look at the photos of the victims and tears will flow down your face); Joy Behar, a rabid leftist, obese unfunny cohost on The View was attacking Pence’s faith, calling Christianity a mental illness (hope the sponsors were listening and pulling their support of that program); if we are going to have any immigration reform, the Senate will have to dump the 60 vote requirement to pass any legislation as the Blues in their desperate quest for new Blue voters will not agree to ending chain and lottery migration and once again will sell this country down the river and shut it down to hold it hostage to their demands for amnesty of the “Dreamers” (their view means these innocents are rapidly becoming ”Nightmarers” if and when they shut the government down and Social Security and Medicare checks and military funding are halted watch the American public turn on them and their Blue sponsors like you would not believe); in Chicago through February 14, 2018 267 people have been shot of whom 52 have died (in a rarity no one on Valentines Day was killed).

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to TLC,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact you are not suffering from lippitude and a relevant quote by Chris Farley predicting his demise to some extent,  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. Susan B. Anthony Day—commemorating the work of Susan B. Anthony in the movement to bring voting rights to women but observed as a legal holiday with state offices closed only in Florida.

2. ENIAC Day (Philadelphia)—celebrating since 2011 the unveiling on this day in 1946 of the world’s first practical computer developed at Penn’s School of Engineering, the Electronic Numeric Integrator and Computer (ENIAC).

3. 1995 Number One Song— the number one song in 1995 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Creep” by TLC. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZydtG3xqI

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lippitude” which is a soreness of the eyes which many of us experience watching the debates in Congress over such issues as immigration reform or fiscal restraint.

5. Please Everyone But Yourself--celebrating the birth on this day in 1964 of comedian and actor Chris Farley who was always trying to please the audience be it on Saturday Night Live or in such movies as Tommy Boy but although he could make people laugh he could not overcome obesity coupled with drug and alcohol abuse even after 12 rehabs and died from an overdose on December 18, 1997.

          On this day in:                                                               

a. 1933 in Miami, Guiseppe Zangara, a naturalized Italian immigrant, tried to assassinate President-Elect Roosevelt with a handgun but missed hitting five others including the mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak who died of his wounds on March 6, 1933. Justice moved faster then and Zangara was tried, convicted and executed on March 10, 1933.

b. 1972 sound recordings were granted copyright protection in the United States for the first time.

c. 1992 serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of killing 17 boys and having sex with some of them after death; he was sentenced to life in prison which proved to be a short sentence as he was killed by a fellow inmate in less than three years.

d. 2001 the first draft of the human genome was published in  Nature.

e. 2003 in 600 cities around the world, some 6 to 12 million people marched to protest the upcoming war against Iraq to rid it of WMD that it did not possess.

Reflections that success does not guarantee happiness: “I used to think that you could get to a level of success where the laws of the universe didn't apply. But they do. It's still life on life's terms, not on movie-star terms. I still have to work at relationships. I still have to work on my weight and some of my other demons.”  Chris Farley Hard to work on demons when one is in grip of addiction. 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.

© February 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

February 14, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Valentines Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 14, 2018 Another day of troubling signs ignored and at least 17 innocents killed at a Parkland, Florida high school shooting by a suspect in custody who had been expelled for disciplinary reasons; the innocents have not arrived at the morgue or identified and Handler is already tweeting that Republicans are responsible and have blood on their hands—she is a pathetic creature who should get down on her knees and thank God she is allowed a forum to spread her hate and bile; Flynn’s sentencing has been postponed so Mueller can extract leverage over him as questions continue to mount over why Comey told legislators that the FBI believed Flynn had not lied to them and why the FBI in filing for a FISA warrant that led ultimately to the appointment of Mueller and the bogus Russian collusion delusion did not disclosure that the DNC and HRC campaign paid for the false anti- Trump dossier (why has the judge who was deceived not called the FBI and DOJ before him or her and had a hearing on whether they should be held in contempt and any evidence used by them to pressure Flynn to plead guilty be thrown out along with his guilty plea?); on Inauguration Day the lying and deceiving “It’s a video queen” created a CYA memo to herself detailing a meeting involving Obama who was insisting that the investigation of Trump and possible Russian collusion be done by the book; in a new poll out in New York the troika of Blues who have presidential aspirations, Gillibrand, Cuomo and DeBlasio,  should forget those aspirations as large majorities believe these leftist politicians will lose; in Chicago through February 13, 2018 256 people have been shot of whom 51 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Celine Dion,  factoids of interest for this day in history, learning another word “lipogram” that you can use in Scrabble and a relevant quote by Tim Buckley on his vision of where he was going,  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. Valentines’ Day—celebrated since 1400 as a day to express one’s love for one’s valentine with flowers, dinners, candy, cards and other gifts.

2. Ash Wednesday—celebrating the first day of Lent and the 46 day countdown to Easter.

3. 1994 Number One Song— the number one song in 1994 appropriately for Valentines’ Day on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8HOfcYWZoo

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “lipogram” which is a style of writing which a certain letter is omitted-definitely a word to use in a Scrabble game and cause your fellow players a great deal of anguish.

5. Thrown Off A Bucking Horse--celebrating the birth on this day in 1947 of Tim
Buckley, noted American singer song writer who produced nine successful album but who experimented in his music and unfortunately in his drugs and died of an overdose of heroin at the age of 28.

          On this day in:                                                               

a. 1899 voting machines were approved for use in federal elections, the same elections that we now believe the Russians are working 24/7 to hack into to affect the results of voting in 2018..

b. 1989 Union Carbide agreed to pay $470 million to the Indian government for deaths and damages suffered by people near the Bhopal disaster.

c. 1989 in an example of the lack of tolerance, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa urging Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, the author of The Satanic Verses.

d. 2005 YouTube was launched by three former PayPal employees who must be laughing all the way to the bank as Google bought the company in 2006 for $1.65 billion.

e. 2018 17 people were shot to death at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and the suspect, a former student who was expelled last year is fortunately in custody for the shootings.

Reflections on what might have been but for heroin: “ I can see where I'm really headed, and it will probably get farther and farther away from what people expect of me.” Tim Buckley Sad but another creative life cut short by drugs. 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.

© February 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     

February 9, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Read In The Bathtub Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 9, 2018 The dreamers fixation by the Blues faded enough to enable the Congress to pass a budget and keep the government open but Congress really gets scathing reviews for this process and loading on debt like a drunken sailor on a spree; Trump maybe hot to have a military parade but the Seal who killed bin Laden thinks the idea sucks; we know the reptilian brain crosses the political aisles and we now have received news it crosses the gender lines as California Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, a leader in the #Me Too movement, has been accused of grabbing the crouch of one of her male staffers; in another example of why cities that fail to cooperate with ICE should receive no federal funding, NYC last year refused to honor 1,526 detainer requests last year which means 1526 criminals were released back onto the streets instead of being deported; California is a basket case in terms of spending but UC Berkeley has managed to find $800,000 to address the needs of its undocumented student aliens; the poster child for failure of socialism, Venezuela, will hold elections on April 22, 2018 as it slides further into bankruptcy and soaring inflation thanks to Maduro’s policies; Rob Porter, secretary to President Trump, has resigned over allegations brought by his two ex-wives that he physically abused them during their marriage; Pence in Korea passed on an opportunity to have dinner with the a delegation from North Korea; despite Obama’s denials to the contrary that he never talked to Comey about the “investigation” of HRC’s server, texts between the two love birds Page and Strzok indicate they were spending a lot of time preparing info for release to the president;  in Chicago through February 7, 2018 244 people have been shot of whom 46 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to C+C Music Factory,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not suffering from limophoitos and a relevant quote by Abraham Lincoln on the Department of Agriculture,  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. Read in the Bathtub Day—clueless where this delightful combo of a relaxing bath while reading came from but as soon as I finish with Ridley's Believe It Or Not-This Day In History will celebrate the day.

2. International Winter Bike to Work Day—clueless where this came from and why anyone would want to ride a bike if the roads were covered with ice and snow or if it was snowing (have yet to see a bike equipped with chains for traction).

3. 1991 Number One Song— the number one song in 1991 on a run of 2 weeks in that position was “Gonna Make  You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now.)” by C+C Music Factory. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaTGrV58wec

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “limophoitos” which means insanity caused by a lack of food which in this obese nation would  be a rare occurrence.

5. The King of the Hill--celebrating the birth on this day in 1942 of Carole Klein better known to her fans as Carole King who has written over 400 songs and is still singing and writing today.

          On this day in: 

a.  1870 President Grant signed a joint proclamation of Congress creating the U.S. Weather Bureau.                       

b.  1889 President Grover Cleveland signed a bill elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet level status.

c.  1950 Senator McCarthy accused the State Department of being riddled with Communists.

d. 1964 the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and were viewed by 73 million in the U.S.

e.  1971 the Sylmar earthquake measuring 6.5-6.7 hit Los Angeles, killing 64 people and injuring 1,000.

Reflections on the Department of Agriculture: “"The Agricultural Department, under the supervision of its present energetic and faithful head, is rapidly commending itself to the great and vital interest it was created to advance. It is precisely the people's Department, in which they feel more directly concerned that in any other. I commend it to the continued attention and fostering care of Congress." Abraham Lincoln in his last address to a joint session of Congress.  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.

© February 9, 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

February 6, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Ronald Reagan Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 6, 2018 Taiwan was hit by a 6.4 earthquake, killing 2, injuring almost 150 and causing huge damage; the troika of Democratic state AGs from California (to no one’s surprise), Illinois and New York have launched into a taxpayer wasting Don Quiote charge against the Trump Agenda from trying to ban fracking to overturning the tax cut due to limitations on SALT deductions under a false mantra of trying to enforce the rule of law (total joke, really about more scorched earth in another venue); just when you thought the stench of corruption emanating from Obama and the HRC campaign on the Russian collusion could not get worse, the Senate has released its memo on the collusion of the Obama Administration, HRC campaign and Steele in funneling false Russian information designed to destroy Trump’s candidacy (since when it comes to reporting on the illegal activities of the HRC or Obama the MSM always seems to lose its tongue, here is a news link: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/06/sean-hannity-senate-releases-memo-2-0-and-it-should-scare.html); on the dueling memos, the 10 page Blue version is supposed to have a lot of sources and methods endangering our national security that was Leaker and Liar Schiff’s argument for not releasing the Red’s 4 page memo (redact and release to the American people along with the supporting material for the FISA warrant and appoint a special counsel to investigate the sham investigation of HRC’s private email server); freight in the U.S. is handled by private companies while passengers are hauled by a quasi public AMTRAK dependent on the government which has been hit with 24 derailments since 2014 and just had the misfortune of having one of its high speed (125 mph) trains have a car separate from the train in Maryland (not sure whether this is a justification for more infrastructure or the result of government incompetence but for trainophiles like me it’s scary); not all illegals are criminals but some are and that brings into clear focus that the needs of the “Dreamers” should never trump the needs of Americans to be protected from assault by illegals as represented in Maryland when an illegal from El Salvador urinating in public (which is probably acceptable behavior) at a bus terminal attacked someone who had the temerity to suggest he should use a public restroom with a box cutter (hopefully he is convicted on assault with a deadly weapon and after serving time is deported and when he returns as it is almost certain he will, the Senate will have come to its senses and passed Kate’s Law and should he cross and be be caught face 5 years in prison);); in Chicago through February 5, 2018 240 people have been shot of whom 43 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Paula Abdul,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that many of our lakes and streams are not polluted for our limnetic friends and a relevant quote by Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere on FGM,  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 Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation Day—created by the UN in 2003 to attack this feudal barbaric practice emanating primarily out of Muslim countries which sadly immigrants from them often bring their barbaric beliefs with them (wonder how long the practice would continue if the fathers or husbands complicit in the practice  on their daughters or wives would suffer a similar fate).

2. Ronald Reagan Day—created by proclamation of 21 governors in 2011 on the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth and increased to 40 to honor his service as a two term governor of California and two term president of the United States.

3. 1990 Number One Song— the number one song in 1990 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “Opposites Attract” by Paula Abdul. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xweiQukBM_k

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “limnetic” which means living in fresh water which in D.C. has been diluted and contaminated by the features and creatures of the Swamp.

5. The Greatest Generation and There But For the Grace of God--celebrating the birth on this day in 1940 of the man who turned down an offer to be the press secretary for Richard Nixon, Tom Brokaw, noted television journalist for NBC News and co-anchor for many years of the Today Show and anchor for many years of NBC Nightly News and author of The Greatest Generation.

          On this day in: 

a.  1918 British women over the age of 30 who meet certain property requirements were given the right to vote upon passage of the Representation of the People Act 1918 by Parliament.                      

b.  1922 the London Naval Agreement limiting the size of the navies of the United States, England, Japan, France and Italy was signed.

c.  1959 Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments filed the first patent for an integrated circuit.

d. 1976 the president of Lockheed Corporation testifying before a Senate Subcommittee admitted that the company had paid $3 million in bribes to Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka.

e.  2016 two years before Taiwan was hit by a massive earthquake today, Taiwan was hit with a 6.6 earthquake which killed 117 people.

Reflections on the barbaric practice of FGM: “You or any of your family members may not have practiced female genital mutilation, but that is not enough reason to keep silent about it. You need to speak out against it to discourage others from the practice”- Joseph Osuigwe Chidiebere, noted Nigerian author, anti gender violence activitist and anti-trafficing advocate. 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.

© February 6, 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

February 5, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Western Monarch Butterfly Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 5, 2018 Brady ran out of rabbits to pull out of his helmet and the Patriots’ dream of another Super Bowl via a Hail Mary into a crowd in the end zone fell short; in the movies we had Deliverance  with “Dueling Banjos,” but in politics we have dueling memos as the House Intel Committee will meet today to vote on whether Lying and Leaking Adam Schiff’s counter memo will be released to Trump to declassify (not my words but Trump’s new label which is obviously not designed to bring people to the table); George Stephanopoulos’ $15 million salary at ABC exposes the hypocrisy of the term “public service” when it should be called “deferred or accrued private enrichment” as this Clinton crony pseudo journalist evidently is in the financial hot seat over his salary to the extent he and his wife have had to reduce the sale price of their Hampton Roads Mansion by $1 million; in another example of the consequences American citizens are enduring because of an open border,  Manuel Orrego-Savala, a twice deported illegal from Guatemala with a BAT of .15 killed Indianapolis Colt linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver yesterday; workers are now receiving higher paychecks due to reduced withholding (watch Trump’s popularity continue to rise as ads are already rolling out reminding workers not a single Blue voted in favor of the tax cut and Pelosi continues to mislead the people that 86 million taxpayers will have their taxes increased); in Chicago through February 4, 2018 236 people have been shot of whom 42 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Paula Abdul,  factoids of interest for this day in history, enjoying the fact that you can limn people and situations and a relevant quote by Louie Schwartzberg on butterflies,  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 Weatherpersons’ Day—celebrating the contributions made by meteorologists for the accurate weather forecasts needed for our safety, minimization of property damage and our economy and recreational choices and celebrated on this day in honor of one of the first weather forecasters to take meteorological measurements, John Jeffries who was born on this day in 1744.

2. Western Monarch Day—created by the California State Legislature in 2004 to celebrate the migratory Western Monarchs’ return to the Central Coast of California to winter there from October to March.

3. 1989 Number One Song— the number one song in 1989 on a run of 3 weeks in that position was “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El1kgCqD7Xk

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “limn” which means to describe or portray in paintings or words, be they in prose or be they in poetry and with twitter as we have seen with Trump can be a 24/7 effort.

5. Bridging The Child Star Gap To Accomplished Actress--celebrating the birth on this day in 1962 of Jennifer Jason Leigh, daughter of Vic Morrow was killed while filming of The Twilight Zone who started acting when she was nine and was fortunate to star in Fast Times at Ridgemount High, a career launching pad for her and her co-stars.

          On this day in: 

a.  1919 Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, D.W. Griffith, and Charlie Chaplin launched United Artists.                      

b.  1958 in a real “oops” moment of the coast of Savannah, Georgia, after a collision in a training mission with an F-86 fighter, a B-47 carrying a Mark 15 H-Bomb was forced to drop it off the coast of Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia but fortunately it did not explode but the bomb has never been recovered.

c.  1962 after years of guerilla warfare by Algerians seeking independence from France, President Charles de Gaulle called for the independence of Algeria to the dismay of the 20% of the population that was of European descent.

d. 1985 in a better late than never moment, Ugo Vetere, the mayor of Rome, and Chedli Kibli, the mayor of Carthage, met in Tunis to officially end the Third Punic War which had started 2,131 years earlier.

e.  1997 the three largest banks in Switzerland announced the formation of a $71 million fund to aid victims of the Holocaust.

Reflections on butterflies: “Metamorphosis has always been the greatest symbol of change for poets and artists. Imagine that you could be a caterpillar one moment and a butterfly the next.” Louie Schwartzberg, American director, producer, cinematographer and pioneer in high end time lapse photography. Another reason to judge a person by not the coler of his skin, religion or creed but rather what lies within. 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.

© February 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

February 2, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Groundhog Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 2, 2018 This should be a day of great drama as the FISA memo which may contain damning allegations of improper use of the false anti-Trump dossier assembled by Fusion GPS and paid for by HRC’s campaign and the DNC to obtain FISA warrants on Trump supporters and members of his transition team will be released today for the public to make their determination of the real collusion and obstruction of justice; Blues are missing the fact that Trump is blasting the politicization of the DOJ and FBI at the top while praising the work of the rank and file, 99.9% of whom are dedicated patriots; Comey is trying to out tweet Trump and doing a very bad job of it as he rants about no schools or streets named after Senator Joseph McCarthy; ICE is telling where Jerry Brown can take his ideas of a Sanctuary State by raiding 77 businesses in Northern California searching for illegals (the wall we also need is an e-verify wall to eliminate the magnet of finding a job for illegals); that noted four legged meteorologist Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadows so we are in for six more weeks of winter; shades of ping pong diplomacy as North Korean athletes arrive in South Korea for the Winter Olympics and every athlete is reported to have receive condoms for after event fun and excitement;; in Chicago through January 31, 2018 209 people have been shot of whom 36 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Tiffany,  factoids of interest for this day in history, enjoying the fact that you are not in a limicolous state and a relevant quote by Gary Paulsen on the Iditarod,  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. Groundhog Day (U.S., Canada and Germany)—celebrating an early end to winter if the groundhogs do not see their shadows upon exiting from their hole and having to endure six more weeks of winter if they do.

2. World Wetlands Day—celebrated first on this day in 1997 to mark the anniversary in 1971 of the Convention of Wetlands promoting awareness of the importance of wetlands for humanity and the need to preserve them to provide habitat for marine and bird life dependent on them.

3. 1988 Number One Song— the number one song in 1988 on a run of 2 weeks in that position was “Could’ve Been” by Tiffany. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LzGss9QGAk

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “limicolous” which means living in mud which most of the soldiers in the trenches in World War I on the European front had to endure in the trenches and dugouts.

5. To Have An Angel--celebrating the birth on this day in 1947 Farah Fawcett best known as one the angels in Charlie’s Angels who died way too early at 62  of colon cancer.

          On this day in: 

a.  1925 dog sled relay teams of 20 mushers and 150 dogs that had covered 674 miles in 5 ½ days to bring antitoxin for diphtheria, led by a lead dog Balto, whose statue can be found in Central Park, arrived in Nome to end the epidemic that had devastated the town to inspire the Iditarod Race 42 years later and will commence again on March 3, 2018 and will be followed with daily  updates at www. Alaskanpoet.blogspot.com.                                                    

b.  1935 polygraph tests administered by Leonarde Keeler two murder suspects were admitted into evidence at their trial for the first time in American jurisprudence.

c.  1980 reports began to surface that the FBI was targeting political figures for bribery and corruption in a sting operation known as “Abscam” which resulted in the arrests and convictions of six Congressmen and one Senator plus several state officers.

d.  1989 with their tail between their tanks’ legs the last Soviet armored forces left Kabul to withdraw back into the Soviet Union.

e. 1990 South African President F.W. Le Klerk announced he had lifted the ban on the African National Congress and that he would soon release Nelson Mandela.

Reflections on mushing in the Iditarod, the Last Great Race on Earth:” You're never the same after you run the Iditarod, and I still lust to go out and run with dogs, even though I know that I shouldn't. But I'd give just about anything to be able to do it again. To see the horizon again from the back of a dog team would be wonderful.” Gary Paulsen, noted author and writer who has raced in two Iditarods. 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.

© February 2, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire           

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare                   
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February 1, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Freedom Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 1, 2018 This has to be a nervous day at the FBI as the infamous 4 page memo which is believed to document what should be really scary to Americans concerned over government intrusion into the 2016 elections-- abuse of FISA warrants through the use of false information in the anti-Trump dossier from Fusion GPS funded by HRC’s campaign and the DNC which led to the firing of Comey and the appointment of Mueller with his team of rabid anti-Trump members should be released to the American public tomorrow; in a classic case of delusion Schumer had the gall to claim that Obama should be given credit for the economy’s performance in 2017; not to be outdone Pelosi must think she still is speaker in a letter to Ryan demanding that Rep. Nunes be removed as chairman of the Intel Committee claiming he is not fit; Michael Wolff’s 15 minutes of fame for his anti-Trump diatribe Fire and Fury is fast fading as even the MSM questions his credibility (you know you are in trouble when the most anti-Trump critic Mika Brezinski cut him off and stated the credibility of the whole book was in question); Maxine Waters was in the news again making a fool of herself demanding that whenever Trump is on TV there should be a parent’s advisory warning (how with all that bile and hatred can she properly represent her district?); Trump is meeting with Republican lawmakers at a resort in West Virginia to strategize plans for the agenda in 2018 and keeping control of both houses); in Chicago through January 31, 2018 209 people have been shot of whom 36 have died.

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Madonna,  factoids of interest for this day in history, enjoying the fact that your limicoline address is where you want to be and a relevant quote by Eddie Adams on his iconic Tet Offensive photograph,  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 Freedom Day—commemorating the signing by President Lincoln of a Joint Resolution of Congress that would later become the 13^th Amendment which outlawed slavery; the day is also the first day of Black History Month.

2. World Hijab Day—created in 2013 and observed in 140 nations to encourage Muslim and non Muslim women to wear the hijab.

3. 1987 Number One Song— the number one song in 1987 on a run of 1 week in that position was “Open Your Heart” by Madonna. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snsTmi9N9Gs

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “limicoline” which means living on the shore which assuming we do not have climate change and rising sea levels a great place to live.

5. The Good Die Young--celebrating the birth on this day in 1984 of Lee Thompson Young, a talented young actor and graduate of USC who sadly committed suicide at the young age of 29.

          On this day in:                                                               

a. 1942 the Voice of America began broadcasting to areas controlled by the Axis.

b. 1946 Trygve Lie of Norway was picked to be the first United Nations Secretary-General.

c. 1960 four black students staged a lunch counter sit-in at the Woolworth store in Greensboro, North Carolina igniting a wave of similar sit-ins across the South which ultimately forced Woolworth’s to end its segregated lunch counter policy in July of the same year.

d. 1968 in what would become one of the iconic videos and still photographs of the Vietnam War the leader of a Viet Cong sapper unit who had just killed a South Vietnamese colonel, his wife, his six children and his 80 year old mother  was captured in Saigon during the beginning of the Tet Offensive and was summarily executed by South Vietnam’s National Police Chief.

e. 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentering the Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

Reflections on an execution on a Saigon street of a Viet Cong sapper during the Tet Offensive: “ Two people died in that photograph: the recipient of the bullet and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera. Still photographs are the most powerful weapons in the world. People believe them; but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. ... What the photograph didn't say was, 'What would you do if you were the general at that time and place on that hot day, and you caught the so-called bad guy after he blew away one, two or three American people?'.... This picture really messed up his life. He never blamed me. He told me if I hadn't taken the picture, someone else would have, but I've felt bad for him and his family for a long time. ... I sent flowers when I heard that he had died and wrote, ‘I'm sorry. There are tears in my eyes.’" Eddie Adams the photographer who took the photograph. 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.

© February 1, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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