Ridley's Believe It Or Not--This Day In History

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

July 8, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Math 2.0 Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 7, 2020

CV World: The CV pandemic across the planet continues with 288,015 new cases (a 2.44% increase compared to a 1.08% increase yesterday) to bring the total to over 12 million at 12,067,971 cases, 4,455,603 of which are active, 7,542,368 of which have been closed with 6,993,216 recoveries (92.72% compared to yesterday’s 92.60%) and 549,152 deaths (7.28% compared to yesterday’s 7.4%).

CV USA: New cases of 123,780 with total cases of 3,131,147 (a 4.12% increase compared to yesterday’s 1.15% increase) with 1,622,816 active cases of which 15,387 (15,198 yesterday) are in serious or critical condition and 1,508,331 closures, 134,041 of which have been deaths (8.91% compared to yesterday’s 9.12%) and 1,373,885 of which have been recoveries (90.09% compared to yesterday’s 90.88%) (our death rate percentages continue to improve and are finally in single digits since Cuomo repealed his order sending CV positive patients on May 10 but remain higher than the world probably due to idiots like Cuomo sending positive CV patients into nursing homes to infect the residents and staff who then die and accounted for some 40% of our deaths with 39,468, 195 tests (so much for Biden’s claim of lack of testing by Trump and implications Trump is slowing testing to hide CV increases).

Non CV News: It is common knowledge that Blues drop the race card regardless of the facts and the drop of the hat but Johnathan Lopez an aspiring Oregon commissioner wannabe has sunk to new lows by writing a anti-Mexican hate to himself and depositing it in his mail box and reporting it only do have later pangs of conscience and admit to his act; in a case of the race card gone amok in the leftist city of Seattle, the city held segregated training sessions for its white employees, encouraging them to give up their whiteness by giving up expectations of security, job promotions and all activities that the diversity trainers believe are racist (“Black Lives Matter-White Lives not Wanted in Seattle); the Seattle driver who hit and killed one protester and injured another on a blocked off section of the 5 in Seattle is a black naturalized citizen from Eritrea who in his bail hearing said in tears “it was a horrible accident” has had his bail set at $1.25 million though not yet charged with any criminal act while the crash is being investigated (far different than the rioters burning down buildings and looting who are released OR); Weak Joe Biden who is making a great pretense of chomping at the bit to debate Trump while probably wetting his pants at the prospect of his fading mental capabilities being exposed to the American people has received a predictable response from a NYT leftist hack urging him not to debate unless Trump releases his 2018 tax returns and a “independent team of fact checkers” are present to present their findings in the last 10 minutes of the debate (safe bet is that Biden who has come out agreeing that even as blacks are dropping like flies from black on black shootings funds should be reallocated from police budgets to other nonpolice agencies will find a way to avoid debating Trump); SCOTUS ruled in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor’s 7 year fight against Obamacare’s requirement that it provide contraceptives to its employees but the concurring opinions may mean the case against them is not fully dead and buried; in a outrageous case of “Don’t Worry He’s My Brother” CNN with Chris Cuomo probably leading the charge completely ignored a damning report on Governor Cuomo’s handling of CV cases and nursing homes that led to the deaths of thousands of the elderly in them; in a spiking the ball moment President Trump and Mexican President Obrador held a joint signing declaration on the USMCA in the Rose Garden to the howls of Blues; in Chicago as of July 6, 2020, the number of shootings increased to 1866, of whom 336 have died (so much for the defund the police movement and for the effectiveness of Chicago’s stay at home order and a complete dereliction of duty by Mayor Lightfoot other than swearing at people outraged over the killings); Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths but now seems to be shooting less and killing less and is now 167 behind Chicago now at 169 murders (when will Chicago and Baltimore get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color and when will the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than shootings by police or random mass shootings?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Wings, the fact that you can be when needed to be exercise parciloquy, and a quote by John Dickinson on folly of seeking independence from Great Britain, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

1. Math 2.0 Day—created in 2009 to celebrate the intersection of math and technology in our lives and to promote the study of mathematics, achievements in which are lacking somewhat in our public schools.

2. Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day—celebrating a great way to sate the chocoholic in you free of guilt as you are also consuming needed protein with the almonds.

3. 1976 Number One Song— the number 1 song in 1976 on this day on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Silly Love Songs” by Wings. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dbYxAr697w. the band was formed after McCartney’s departure from the Beatles and went through numerous personnel changes but the trio of Paul and his wife Linda and former Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine were always present until the band disbanded for good in 1981.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “parciloquy” which means laconic which is the exact opposite of the type of speeches we have to endure from too many politicians.

5. Should Have Gone Pro Early--celebrating the birth on this day in 1997 of Bryce Love, noted Stanford running back who finished second in the Heisman like his fellow teammate Christian McCaffrey, but who unlike him stayed at Stanford for his senior year and was hobbled by injuries to his ankle and was drafted in the 4^th Round by the Washington Redskins but due to preseason injuries and the CV pandemic has yet to take a professional snap.

On this day in:

a. 1775 the Continental Congress in a last ditch effort to avoid war with Great Britain signed the Olive Branch Petition condemning the acts of King George III’s ministers but pledging loyalty and urging King George III not to take military action against the colonies. To no one’s surprise, King George III in a snit fit refused to even read it and Parliament declared the 13 Colonies to be guilty of treason in August.

b. 1932 to the sounds of people leaping out of Wall Street windows during the Great Depression, the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached its lowest level ever at 41.22.

c. 1947 reports were broadcast that a UFO had crashed near Roswell, New Mexico which led to the Roswell Incident and the belief that not only are we not alone but that we have been visited.

d. 1960 Francis Gary Powers, having been earlier shot down in his U-2 over the Soviet Union, was charged with espionage.

e. 1970 President Nixon delivered a message to Congress urging that self-determination be the official policy toward Native Americans which led to the ultimate passage of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.

Reflections on why some of the colonists did not want war only a change in policy of ministers advising King George III: “There are many persons who, for their own ends, extol the advantages of a republic over monarchy. I will not undertake to examine which of these two forms of government merits the preference. I know, however, that the English nation, after having tried them both, has never found repose except in monarchy… the English constitution seems to be the fruit of the experience of all anterior time… when the counterpoise of monarchy shall no longer exist, the democratic power may carry all before it and involve the whole state in confusion and ruin.” John Dickinson, drafter of the Olive Branch Petition.

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.

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Tuesday, July 7, 2020

July 7, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Black Out Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 6, 2020

CV World: The CV pandemic across the planet continues with 123,81663,816 new cases (a 1.06% increase compared to a 1.78% increase yesterday) to bring the total to 11,779,956 cases, 4,462,733 of which are active, 7,317,205 of which have been closed with 6,775,470 recoveries (92.60% compared to yesterday’s 92.45%) and 541,753 deaths (7..4% compared to yesterday’s 7.55%).

CV USA: New cases of 34,583 with total cases of 3,007,367 (a 1.15% increase compared to yesterday’s 1.83% increase) with 1,583,289 active cases of which 15,198 (15,990 yesterday) are in serious or critical condition and 1,458,661 closures, 133,041 of which have been deaths (9.12% compared to yesterday’s 9.25%) and 1,325,620 of which have been recoveries (90.88% compared to yesterday’s 90.75%) (our death rate percentages continue to improve and are finally in single digits since Cuomo repealed his order sending CV positive patients on May 10 but remain higher than the world probably due to idiots like Cuomo sending positive CV patients into nursing homes to infect the residents and staff who then die and accounted for some 40% of our deaths with 38,750,645 tests (so much for Biden’s claim of lack of testing by Trump).

Non CV News: A Gallup poll just came out to confirm what we all must suspect—this nation is more divided than ever as 91% of Republicans support Trump and just 2% of Democrats support him; CNN “journalist” Don Lemon got into a fiery exchange with black actor Terry Crews who has been demanding unity as opposed to divide telling him that Black Lives Matter was formed to deal only with brutality and killings by police not the black on black shootings that plague our inner cities (all shootings and killings of unarmed citizens are tragic but police shootings of unarmed blacks are a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of black on black shootings); in another reason why we should reexamine the extent of our contributions to the UN, the UN Human Rights Council which regularly castigates Israel and has members on it from countries whose human rights practices are less than stellar, appears to be inclined to

Charge Trump with violations of international law for ordering a drone strike that killed Iranian General Soleimani; President Bolsonaro of Brazil, the second country the hardest hit by the CV virus after the U.S. after flouting the social distancing and mask rules, has gone to the well one too many times and has tested positive after exhibiting a high fever; Dunkin Donuts has announced the closure of 450 outlets by the end of 2020 although not collateral damage due to the defund the police movement trying eliminate or at least the number of police but rather its termination of its partnership with Hess that had a shop in is Speedway service stations; China is back in the news as unfavorably as ever as FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that half of its counterfeit case load is coming out of China; fed up with WHO’s deception and lack of independence from China on the CV pandemic, Trump has notified WHO of its intent to withdraw from the organization; while an increasing number of residents want to escape the high taxes and high urban areas of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, the Blue Governors there imposed a 14 day quarantine on anyone coming from the states of AL, AR, AZ, CA, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, KS, LA, MS, NC, NV, OK, SC, TN, TX, and UTs; Trump and Melania are holding a meeting at the White House on how best to reopen schools this fall, which should be watched by millions of parents who have been at wit’s end to school closures (why schools with the least vulnerable population have been closed while the most vulnerable in nursing homes have died like flies is a great mystery); in Chicago as of July 6, 2020, the number of shootings increased to 1858, of whom 335 have died (so much for the defund the police movement and for the effectiveness of Chicago’s stay at home order and a complete dereliction of duty by Mayor Lightfoot other than swearing at people outraged over the killings); Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths but now seems to be shooting less and killing less and is now 166 behind Chicago now at 169 murders (when will Chicago and Baltimore get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color and when will the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than shootings by police or random mass shootings?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Captain and Tennille, the fact that you can avoid the need to parbreak by not listening to most of the MSM, and a quote by Will Rogers on the Hoover Dam, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

1. Black Out Tuesday—not sure where this day created in 2015 to encourage supporters of the Black Lives Matter to refrain from spending any money on this day to generate support for the Black Lives Matter movement (given the fact that due to riots and the CV small businesses more likely than not are suffering and the observance could be better celebrated by shopping at black owned businesses).

2. World Chocolate Day—celebrated on this day in 2009 and one of the easier observances to celebrate—just head off to your favorite confectioner and buy a choice serving of chocolate.

3. 1975 Number One Song— the number 1 song in 1975 on this day on a run of 5 weeks in that position was “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennille in their first number 1 song which was also the longest running that year which saw a record 35 different number 1 songs. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QNEf9oGw8o . Love held this dynamic husband and wife duo together for 39 years of marriage until Tennille filed for divorce on January 16, 2014 but remained friends and she was with him at his bedside when his life ship went down on January 2, 2019 from kidney failure.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “parbreak” which means to vomit which is a natural response after hearing a rant from any member of the Squad or its honorary member Maxine Waters.

5. Best Replacement--celebrating the birth on this day in 1940 of Richard Starkey now Sir and better known to his numerous fans and Ringo Starr who replaced Pete Best as the drummer for the Beatles, enjoyed a remarkable solo career after their break up, overcame struggles with alcohol, married actress Barbara Bach and is enjoying the good life at 80 as 1 of 2 surviving Beatles.

On this day in:

a. 1930 Industrialist Henry Kaiser began construction of the Boulder Dam (later renamed the Hoover Dam).

b. 1983 11 year old elementary school girl Samantha Smith was invited by Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov to visit him in Moscow after she wrote him concerning her fears of nuclear war; Andropov was ill when Smith arrived so she only was able to talk to him by phone. Sadly, this young peace activist was killed in a plane crash on August 25, 1985.

c. 1992 to the joy of men living in New York, the New York Court of Appeals ruled that women have the same right as men to go topless in public.

d. 2007 the first Live Earth concerts to raise awareness over the need to fight climate change were held in 11 global locations with some 150 musicians and broadcast and streamed throughout the globe.

e. 2016 Army Reservist veteran Micah Xavier Johnson, angered over killings of blacks by white policemen, ambushed Dallas police officers and in the ensuing shoot out killed 5 and wounded 9 others plus 2 civilians until the police for the first time in police history in the U.S. used a robot carrying bomb and detonated it near the room where he was holding out, killing him.

Reflections on the Hoover Dam: “The Democrats are going to change the name of the Hoover Dam. That is the silliest thing I ever heard of in politics . . . Lord if they feel that way about it, I don't see why they don't just reverse the two words.” Will Rogers too bad we don’t have him alive today given the political divide that could really use some bridging the gap humor.

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Monday, July 6, 2020

July 6, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Fried Chicken Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 6, 2020

CV World: The CV pandemic across the planet continues with 202,889 new cases (a 1.78% increase compared to a .72% increase yesterday) to bring the total to 11,656,140 cases, 4,518,501 of which are active, 7,137,639 of which have been closed with 6,599,073 recoveries (92.45% compared to yesterday’s 92.38%) and 538,566 deaths (7.55% compared to yesterday’s 7.62%).

CV USA: New cases of 54,066 have brought us past the 3,000,000 mark with total cases of 3,007,367 (a 1.83% increase compared to yesterday’s .56% increase) with 1,572,893 active cases of which 15,990 (16,007 yesterday) are in serious or critical condition and 1,434,344 closures, 132,704 of which have been deaths (9.25% compared to yesterday’s 9.5%) and 1,301,640 of which have been recoveries (90.75% compared to yesterday’s 90.5%) (our death rate percentages continue to improve and are finally in single digits since Cuomo repealed his order sending CV positive patients on May 10 but remain higher than the world probably due to idiots like Cuomo sending positive CV patients into nursing homes to infect the residents and staff who then die and accounted for some 40% of our deaths with 38,114,943 tests (so much for Biden’s claim of lack of testing by Trump).

Non CV News: In an act which the Governor of Illinois and the Governor of New York should have done a long time ago, the Republican Governor of Georgia has called out the National Guard following a weekend of violence that saw 31 people shot and 5 killed in Atlanta at the same time as the Mayor of Atlanta Bottoms has announced after pleading with residents to stop shooting each other that she has tested positive for the CV virus; Ghislaine Maxwell is now in a federal detention center awaiting a bail hearing on Friday and probably under greater security that Epstein received at Rikers Island as the smart money is betting she will sing like a canary, naming various high placed elites like Prince Andrew and possibly Bill Clinton who participated in Epstein’s abuse of minors (have to believe many computers’ and smart phones’ emails and text messages are being super scrubbed nervously by those potential suspects); after paring $1 billion from the NYPD budget and witnessing a 4^th of July weekend with 8 killed out of 44 people shot delusionally blames the CV pandemic and not his anti-police stances (this inept idiot must go!); Kamala Harris’ Wikipedia has had 500 edits as she lusts for VP slot; WHO whose credibility and objectivity over the CV pandemic has just been hit with revelations that contrary to past statements it did not learn of the virus from China but from the internet (no wonder the Chinese Communists want to strictly control and monitor the internet); in Chicago as of July 5, 2020, the number of shootings stands at 1836, of whom 330 have died (so much for the defund the police movement and for the effectiveness of Chicago’s stay at home order and a complete dereliction of duty by Mayor Lightfoot other than swearing at people outraged over the killings); Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths but now seems to be shooting less and killing less and is now 163 behind Chicago stuck at 167 murders (when will Chicago and Baltimore get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color and when will the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than shootings by police or random mass shootings?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to the Hues Corporation, the fact that you like to finish paravant in contests you enter, and a quote by Roger Kahn on Jackie Robinson, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

1. National Fried Chicken Day—not sure where this day came from or who instituted it but suspect a restaurant or a chain specializing in fried chicken had something to do with it but given the fact that Popeye's has its leg and thigh special on Tuesday, it should be celebrated tomorrow.

2. International Kissing Day—an informal observance that started in the U.K. and spread internationally in the early 2000’s but with the CV pandemic in full swing and social distancing trying to be the norm, may not enjoy a lot of celebrants today.

3. 1974 Number One Song— the number 1 song in 1974 on this day on a run of 1 week in that position was “Rock the Boat” by the Hues Corporation in the band’s first number one song in a year in which there were 35 different number one songs. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfBwsG8ubFw. The trio was formed in Santa Monica in 1969 and disbanded in 1980 with the lead singer of their “Rock the Boat” hit dying from drug abuse on February 15, 1992 at age 49.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “paravant” which means in front which describes Hidin’ Biden in the polls right but hopefully for Trump supporters does not describe the outcome at the polls on Election Day.

5. Like Father Like Son--celebrating the birth on this day in 1946 of former President George W. Bush who like his father led this country into a war with Saddam Hussein but unlike his father was in Iraq fighting much longer than the 100 hours his father needed to best Hussein in Desert Storm.

On this day in:

a. 1919 the Atlantic Ocean became a much smaller place when the British dirigible R 34 became the first airship to complete a trip across it.

b. 1944 Jackie Robinson on an Army bus failed to move to the back of the bus when ordered to do so by the bus driver was court marshaled but acquitted by an all white officers’ panel.

c. 1986 Davis Phinney became the first American to win a stage of the Tour de France.

d. 1988 the Piper Alpha drilling platform in the North Sea was destroyed by explosions and fires that killed 167 men including 2 crew members of a rescue ship; only 61 workers escaped the platform.

e. 1990 the Electronic Frontier Foundation designed to promote internet civil liberties was founded.

Reflections on Jackie Robinson: “Jackie Robinson made his country and you and me and all of us a shade more free.” Roger Kahn, author/sportswriter.

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Sunday, July 5, 2020

July 5, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Workaholics Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 5, 2020

CV World: The CV pandemic across the planet continues with 81,247 new cases (a .72% increase compared to a 2.58% increase yesterday) to bring the total to 11,453,251 cases, 4,436,133 of which are active, 7,017,118 of which have been closed with 6,482,256 recoveries (92.38% compared to yesterday’s 92.35%) and 534,862 deaths (7.62% compared to yesterday’s 7.65%).

CV USA: New cases of 16,401 have brought total cases to 2,953,171 (a .56% increase compared to yesterday’s 2.62% increase) with 1,559,054 active cases of which 16,007 (16,017 yesterday) are in serious or critical condition and 1,393,117 closures, 132,378 of which have been deaths (9.5% compared to yesterday’s 9.5%) and 1,260,739 of which have been recoveries (90.5% compared to yesterday’s 90.5%) (our death rate percentages continue to improve and are finally in single digits

since Cuomo repealed his order sending CV positive patients on May 10 but remain higher than the world probably due to idiots like Cuomo sending positive CV patients into nursing homes to infect the residents and staff who then die and accounted for some 40% of our deaths with 37,557,476 tests (so much for Biden’s claim of lack of testing by Trump).

Non CV News: Portland, the City of Roses, is turning into the City of Perpetual Unrest as for the 38^th consecutive day police report civil unrest and the CBP as its agents arrive to protect CBP stations slams leaders of Portland for being MIA in combating the riots; chilling video from a surveillance camera in NYC that shows De Blasio with his NYPD budget cutting is putting citizens at risk as a man is shot dead in the head and a woman wounded in broad daylight (this fool needs to be recalled); as the controversy of the name of Redskins continues, its quarterback has recommended the name “Red Tails” in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen who flew P-51 fighters with red tails (what about the thousands of white airmen who fought and died over the skies of the Pacific, Africa, Asia and Europe like the Flying Tigers, Black Sheep or Doolittle’s Raiders?); Bolton has turned into a 24/7 huckster trying to sell his book by criticizing Trump at every opportunity implying that he spends more time watching TV than listening to his advisers or reading brief materials; Duckworth is being mentioned as a possible VP pick for Biden and is proving adept in the dodge and switch skill as when asked about removing statues of George Washington she immediately shifted top the issue of the CV fight (so typical and why we should rarely trust politicians even decorated ones who are rookies); Florida which has enough to worry about with a rise in CV cases has now to cope with a deadly water borne brain eating amoeba the Naegieria fowleri with 32 confirmed cases since 1962; in Chicago as of July 4, 2020, there is no Independence Day from gun shots as the number soared by 46 to 1824 shootings of whom 328 have died (so much for the defund the police movement and for the effectiveness of Chicago’s stay at home order and a complete dereliction of duty by Mayor Lightfoot other than swearing at people outraged over the killings); Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths but now seems to be shooting less and killing less and is now 161 behind Chicago stuck at 167 murders (when will Chicago and Baltimore get serious about this carnage or is this the case of true racism as a Blue run city turns a deaf ear and a blind eye to the slaughter of people of color by people of color and when will the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than shootings by police or random mass shootings?).

As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to George Harrison, the fact that you do not paravail in terms of your person qualities, and a quote by Christopher Hitchens on the evil of the Taliban, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, college graduations, birthdays, weddings, or anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem at a great price tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

1. National Workaholics Day—not sure where this day came from or who instituted it but has to be difficult to celebrate given the number of workplaces shut down due to CV pandemic or perversely easier as more people are working home so the workaholic does not have to waste time commuting.

2. Mechanical Pencil Day—celebrating that useful writing tool that saves trees and never needs sharpening.

3. 1973 Number One Song— the number 1 song in 1973 on this day on a run of 1 week in that position was “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” by George Harrison. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-KAvPbO8JY. This former lead guitarist for the Beatles went on to have a successful solo career but sadly had smoke one too many cigarettes and succumbed to lung cancer on November 29, 2001 at the age of 58.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “paravail” which means lowest a measurement when it comes to integrity and honesty which describes to a tee too many of our long term politicians.

5. Smoked Too Much, Lived in L.A. Too Much--celebrating the birth on this day in 1928 of noted actor Warren Oates best known for his roles in movies directed by Sam Peckinpah and who burned the candles at both ends to die far too early of a heart attack at the age of 53 on April 3, 1982.

On this day in:

a. 1937 to the joy of Filipinos and the bane of future American GIs, Hormel Corporation introduced Spam to the American palate.

b. 1971 President Nixon certified that the 26^th Amendment lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 had been ratified.

c. 1975 Arthur Ashe became the first black player to win a Wimbledon Men’s Singles title.

d. 1980 Bjorn Borg became the first person to win 5 Wimbledon Men’s Singles titles in a row.

e. 1999 President Bill Clinton imposed trade and economic sanctions on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Reflections on the Taliban: “[I]f you think that American imperialism and its globalised, capitalist form is the most dangerous thing in the world, that means you don't think the Islamic Republic of Iran or North Korea or the Taliban is as bad.”― Christopher Hitchens, noted English-Ameerican essayist and social commentator who authored 30 books but was a heavy smoker and drinker and died of pneumonia on December 15, 2011 at the age of 62.

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