March 24 History World Tuberculosis Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 24, 2015 Trust your Tuesday is proving to be a great one and you have a Popeye’s Louisiana Fried Chicken outlet near you to enjoy its $1.29 two piece special. Great win for the Stanford women who advance to the Sweet 16 for the 11^th time in the last 12 years to face a powerful Notre Dame team in Oklahoma City while the Stanford men play Vanderbilt today in the NIT. As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music video, and a relevant quote by Jon Yong Kim,  enjoying a bowl of chocolate covered raisins while watching your favorite team play in the NIT or the NCAA Tournaments (both men and women), blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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 Tuberculosis Day—an observance designed to create awareness of a deadly disease that still infects and kills millions, mostly in the third world.

       2. American Diabetes Association Alert Day—as this nation becomes more and more obese leading to an increased risk of coming down with type II diabetes, alerting Americans of the need to take the American Diabetes Risk Assessment test and start implementing steps to reduce the risk of a disease that leads to amputations, blindness and a whole host of problems that will not make your day.

      3. 1991 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1991, as part of a 2 week run, Coming Out of the Dark by Gloria Estefan, a Cuban American singer and songwriter who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.. After putting up with an ad for the series Silicon Valley, here  is a link to the song being performed by Gloria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzO11KQLskM      

      4. National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day—great way to feed your chocolate cravings and take in some iron at the same time.
      5. Smell the Roses Day--celebrating not an excuse to leave work to sniff the roses in your garden or park but rather to celebrate the birthday on this day in 1807 of Louis Rose, a pioneer instrumental in the development of San Diego.
On this day in
     a. 1882 Robert Koch announced the discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.
     b. 1944 in an escape memorialized by the movie The Great Escape, starring among others Steve McQueen who was born on this day in 1930, 76 POWs escaped from Stalag Luft III in Germany; sadly 73 were captured and of these 50 were executed by the Germans.
     c. 1958 Elvis Presley was drafted into the United States Army and ultimately sent to Germany.
     d. 1989 the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound shortly after leaving Valdez and spills over 200,000 barrels of oil into the surrounding waters, one of Alaska’s more prolific commercial fishing grounds.
     e. 2003 the Arab League voted 21-1 to demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. and British forces from Iraq. We obviously did not but when we did in 2011 as a result of Obama’s actions without leaving residual forces we created the vacuum which ISIS flowed into with all the violence, terror and beheadings we are seeing today.

Drugs always follow the money whether legal or illegal: “If you look at three diseases, the three major killers, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, the only disease for which we have really good drugs is HIV. And it's very simple: because there's a market in the United States and Europe.” Jim Yong Kim current president of the World Bank and part president of Dartmouth his observation would also apply to Ebola. Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join 155 growing followers and please 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. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © March 24, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes for the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

March 23 History National Puppy Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 23, 2015 Trust your weekend was a great one and your brackets in the NCAA (great win for the Stanford women) and NIT (great win for the Stanford men although against Vandy it would be nice if other members of the team would score more). Last night after 13 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes and 51 seconds, the last musher in the Iditarod, Cindy Abbott arrived in Nome. 12 out of the starting 80 contestants dropped out in this most difficult of all races for humans and dogs ro. Hope you enjoyed my coverage since the start of the race on March 9.    
As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music video, and  relevant quotes on mushing and sled dogs,  enjoying your favorite chips and dip while watching your favorite team play in the NCAA Tournaments (both men and women), blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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 Meteorological Day—an observance created by the World Meteorological Organization to promote the study of weather and climate predictions.
       2. National Puppy Day--celebrating today as a day to adopt and not shop for the puppy of your dreams and while doing that donate a few dollars to your local animal shelter.                                                                            

                                                                                   

      3. 1990 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1990, as part of a 2 week run, Black Velvet by Alannah Myles, a Canadian born songwriter and singer who was writing songs at the age of nine. After putting up with an ad from Days Inn, here  is a link to the song being performed by Allanah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkXNEmtf9tk 

      4. National Chip and Dip Day—great way to combine your favorite chips with your favorite dip (mine is guacamole).
      5. Rocketman--celebrating not the classic song by Elton John, but rather the birthday on this day in 1912 of Werhner Von Braun, the father of the V-2 rocket and who after the war was instrumental in the development of the U.S. space program.
On this day in
     a. 1775 Patrick Henry gave his famous speech at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia which included “Give me liberty or give me death!” The speech was duly noted by Ted Cruz in his announcement of his candidacy for president today.
     b. The first telephone was installed in the White House; sadly our current president seems not to like to use it to contact members of Congress, preferring to use his pen instead.
     c. The U.S. Army sold its last carrier pigeon and would exclusively rely on radio to communicate in the field with its troops.
     d. 1983 in what would prove to be the straw that broke the Bear’s back, President Ronald Reagan announced his Strategic Defense Initiative to build a system able to intercept incoming ballistic missiles.
     e. 1989 in a scam of huge proportions, two Utah scientists claimed they had produced nuclear fusion at room temperatures.
     Now that the Iditarod is complete some reflections:  "If you aren't the lead dog, the view never changes." -Author Unknown "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog”-Mark Twain "If my cold weather suit isn't getting dirty - then I'm not mushing hard enough." -Christian Hollingsworth "I do not know the word quit. Either I never did, or I have abolished it." -Susan Butcher, second woman to win the Iditarod and winner of four Iditarods "I'm sure the average Iditarod dog gets better care than 99 percent of the dogs in America."-DeeDee Jonrowe, 61 year old who has competed in 33 Iditarods and finished second three times "Alaska, where women win the Iditarod and the men mush poodles." -John Suter, musher who competed in 4 Iditarods

Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join 155 growing followers and please 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. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © March 23, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes for the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

March 22 History World Water Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 22, 2015 Trust your weekend is proving to be a great one. As of 9:25a.m. this morning there were 3 mushers still on the course from Safety (22 miles from Nome) to White Mountain (77 miles from Nome). Cindy Abbott, who unlike last year when she broke her Pelvis not far from Willow but still managed to mush 600 miles, is still in the race in last place after checking into White Mountain at 1 this morning.        
As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music video, and a relevant quote from the Cornerstone Speech,  enjoying some coq au vin while watching your favorite team play in the NCAA Tournaments (both men and women), blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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 Water Day—created by the United Nations in 1993 to promote fresh water development and conservation. As we in California head into another year of severe drought, definitely a day to observe.
       2. Emancipation Day (Puerto Rico)--celebrating the abolition of slavery by Spain of slavery in Puerto Rico on this day in 1873; slaves were required to work three more years.
      3. 1989 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1989, as part of a brief 1 week run, The Living Years by Mike and the Mechanics, an English pop rock band formed in 1985. Here is a link to the song being performed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k
      4. Coq Au Vin Day—great way to use some of the cheap wine you have been given and a very tasty way to enjoy chicken without all the fat of frying it.
      5. Beam Me Up Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1931 of William Shatner aka Captain Kirk of the Enterprise and still going at warp speed today in the ads for Priceline.
On this day in
     a. 1872 Illinois became the first state to require sexual equality in employment.
     b. 1960 Arthur Schawlow and Howard Townes received the first patent for a laser.
     c. 1972 Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. Although 35 states ratified it, the required number of states ratifying an amendment to the Constitution was 38 and the Equal Rights Amendment failed to become part of our Constitution.
     d. 1972 in a heralded move to kick the government out of the bedroom, the Supreme Court in Eisenstadt v. Baird ruled that like married couples, unmarried couples could buy and use contraceptives 
     e. 1993 Intel shipped its first Pentium chips which markedly increased computer speed and performance.
     Reflections from bodies of fresh water like lakes and rivers: "Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting, and doing the things historians usually record while, on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry, whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happens on the banks." Will Durant, noted historian and author.

Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join 155 growing followers and please 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. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © March 22, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes for the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

March 21 History World Poetry Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 21, 2015 Trust your weekend is proving to be a great one. As of 9:10 a.m. this morning there were 24 mushers still on the course from Safety (22 miles from Nome) to Koyuk (171 miles from Nome) Cindy Abbott, who unlike last year when she broke her Pelvis not far from Willow but still managed to mush 600 miles, is still in the race in last place after leaving the Koyuk checkpoint a little after 5 this morning.                                                             
As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music videos, and a relevant quote from the Cornerstone Speech,  enjoying some corned dogs while watching your favorite team play in the NCAA Tournaments (both men and women), blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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 Poetry Day—created by UNESCO in 1998 to promote poetry—one of the few activities of the UN that are truly worthwhile.
       2. World Puppetry Day—celebrating the use of puppets since 2003. Given the fact that too many of our politicians in their quest to remain in office seem to be mere puppets of the lobbyists and PACs, it should also be a day of mourning.
      3. 1988 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1988, as part of a 2 week run Man in the Mirror by the one and only Michael Jackson. Here is a link to the song being performed by him after a short ad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps
      4. National Corn Dog—observed on the first Saturday of the NCAA March Madness Tournament starting in Corvallis, Oregon. The observance was expanded to include tater tots and beer and is celebrated throughout the country probably because of the link to basketball.
      5. Bach Around the Clock Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1685 of Johann Sebastian Bach prolific composer and performer to King Frederic II of Prussia. Here is a link to some of his works (preceded by short ad). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JQm5aSjX6g  
On this day in
     a. 1804 Code Napoleon became the civil law of France.
     b. 1861 Alexander Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederacy, gave what is known as the “Cornerstone Speech” justifying the secession from the Union.
     c. 1925 in an example of the evolution of knowledge going the wrong way, the Butler Act prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools was enacted into law in Tennessee.
     d. 1952 Alan Freed presented the Moon Dog Coronation Ball, the first rock and roll concert which was held in of all places, Cleveland, Ohio.
     e. 2006 the social media site Twitter was founded. 
     From “All men are created equal” to the Cornerstone Speech in less than one hundred years: “Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition.” Alexander Stephens With idiotic thoughts like that no wonder it has taken us so long at such a high cost in lives and lost minds to improve our racial climate.

Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join 155 growing followers and please 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. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © March 21, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes for the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

Ridley's Believe It Or Not March 20 History Vernal Equinox

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 20, 2015 Trust your Friday and Vernal Equinox (first day of spring) is proving to be a great one and that your weekend will be even better and your horoscope today is favorable. As of 7:00 a.m. this morning there were 33 mushers on the course from Safety (22 miles from Nome) to Shaktoolik (221 miles from Nome) Cindy Abbott who unlike last year when she broke her Pelvis not far from Willow but still managed to mush 600 miles is still in the race in last place at the Shaktoolik checkpoint.                                                           
As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music videos, and a relevant quote  and  relevant quotes on astrology from Andy Rooney and Cassius in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar,  enjoying some ravioli, blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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 Day of Happiness—created by the General Assembly of the UN in 2012 to promote social activities to promote happiness; given the difficulties we face in an increasingly unsafe world a daunting task.

       2. International Astrology Day—celebrating the beginning of the astrological year with the sign Aries waving good bye to the last month of the astrological year—Pisces.

      3. 1987 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1987, as part of a 2 week run Lean on  Me by Club Nouveau, an American pop band formed in 1986 whose song Lean on Me won a Grammy in 1987.  Here is a link to the song being performed by the band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwIzcNLOogc

      4. National Ravioli Day—great way to intake your carbs.

      5. Total Solar Eclipse Day—celebrating a total solar eclipse visible in the North Atlantic, Greenland and parts of Northern Europe but sadly not in the United States starting at 8:30 GMT (1:30 am in California). Always an awesome sight even if not memorialized by Carly Simon in You’re So Vain.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZmCJUSC6g

On this day in

     a. 1854 the Republican Party was organized at Ripon, Wisconsin.

     b. 1883 the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the first treaty involving the protection of intellectual property, was signed in Paris, France.

     c. 1985 in a triumph of women’s accomplishments, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the Iditarod, the Last Great Race on Earth; if you had been following my blogs you would have noted that two of the four finishers after the winner, Dallas Seavey, were women.  
     d. 1987 in step to change AIDS from a death sentence to a disease that with treatment albeit expensive, the FDA approved the drug AZT for use in treating AIDS.
     e. 2003 in response to Saddam Hussein’s refusal to allow inspection and removal of weapons of mass destruction that did not exist, U.S. and coalition forces commenced the invasion of Iraq which resulted in the toppling and ultimate execution of Hussein and unfortunately the chaos that has continued in Iraq since then and continues today. 
     Two great quotes on Astrology separated by 500 or so years: “I don’t differentiate much, except in degree, between people who believe in religion from those who believe in astrology, magic or the supernatural.” Andy Rooney, noted commentator on CBS’s 60 Minutes “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." Cassius in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Act 1, Scene ii

Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join 155 growing followers and please 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. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © March 20, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes for the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

March 19 History Return Of The Swallows Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 19, 2015 Trust your Thursday is proving to be a good one. Here is video link to Dallas Seavey crossing the finish line early on the morning of the 18^th. Check out the wind burned face and the excitement of his dogs along with all people out cheering in the dark in what probably was near below zero weather probably for some time. Also note the skateboarding technique in which Southern Californians excel.

http://www.adn.com/video/video-dallas-seavey-wins-2015-iditarod-sled-dog-race

Nearing midnight on the 18^th 19 mushers had made it into Nome and 47 still on the race course in a line stretching from the Safety checkpoint (22 miles from Nome) to Unalakleet (262 miles from Nome). Cindy Abbot is in last place but still in the race.                                                            
As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music video, and a relevant quote  and a relevant quote from Bob Dylan, enjoying some poultry cooked how you like it, blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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. Return of the Swallows Day—celebrating the return to San Juan Capistrano and the Mission located there of swallows that have wintered in Goya, Argentina in a celebration held this Saturday complete with bands, riders, and plenty of food booths—a fun day for the family.
       2. International Clients' Day—celebrating the since 2010 the most important asset a business has—its clients; authored by Lithuanian and Russian businessmen. Again to prosper a business should view every day as Clients' Day to honor and appreciate its clients.
      3. 1986 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1986, as part of a brief 1 week run These Dreams by Heart, an American rock band formed in 70’s that first found success in Canada. In their four decades of performance they have sold over 35 million records but These Dreams remains their only number one hit. Here is a link to the song being performed by the band:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkuyTX_KbGY  
      4. National Poultry Day—not sure where this day celebrating all the turkeys, chicken, geese and duck we raise for consumption and for their eggs originated but a roast chicken might be a healthy way to celebrate it.
      5. B-52’s Day—celebrating not the long range bomber first flown in 1952 and still in service today, but rather the birthday of Ricky Wilson, the founder of the rock band B-52’s, who was born on this day in 1953 and who died way too soon at the age of 32 from AIDS.                                                                                                    
On this day in
     a. 1918 the U.S. Congress established time zones and approved daylight saving time for the first time.
     b. 1920 the U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles for the second time which prevented the U.S. from becoming a member of the League of Nations, thereby severely limiting its ability to deter future aggression and prevent the rise of such dictators as Mussolini and Hitler.
     c. 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada.
     d. 1962 Bob Dylan released his first album, Bob Dylan, which sold only 2,500 copies, which given the fact he went on to make 36 albums and sell over 100 million reinforces the adage if you don’t succeed, try again.                                                     
     e. 1987 in brewing sex scandal, televangelist Jimmy Bakker resigned as the head of PTL Club and hands over control to Jerry Fallwell.   
Why poets trump musicians from the mouth of a great musician: “I consider myself a poet first and a musician second. I live like a poet and will die like a poet.” Bob Dylan He may die like a poet but his estate after all of the records sold will die like a very, very wealthy man.

Please enjoy the 140 character poems on events of interest on my twitter account below (if you like them, retweet and join 155 growing followers and please 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. Go to Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times for comments on important and breaking news events that should be of interest. www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com Ridley's Believe It Or Not  Rhymes On The Newsworthy Times © March 19, 2015 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare Rhymes for the Memorable Times The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

March 18 History National Biodiesel Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not—March 18, 2015 Trust your St. Patrick’s Day was blessed with shamrocks and good blarney. Dallas Seavey crossed the Nome finish line early this morning ahead of his father Mitch Seavey who left the Safety checkpoint 22 miles away from Nome 1 hour and 13 minutes after Dallas mushed into Nome. Jessie Royer and Aliy Zirkle are in fourth and fifth place two and one half minutes apart after leaving White Mountain 77 miles from Nome. DeeDee Jonrove, the youthful 61 year old who has raced the Iditarod 33 times has climbed up to 29^th and is in Koyuk and Cindy Abbott moved up to 69^th and has left Nulato 393 miles from Nome. Talk about one happy musher and two very happy dogs! Dallas because he has won this race three out of the last four years and for enduring temperatures of as low as -50 below and on the trail for 8 days 18 hours 13 minutes 6 seconds, he will win $70,000 and a new truck valued at $40,000; the dogs happy because no more sleeping on straw in the cold. As to the rest of the mushers still on the course one can only imagine the perseverance in takes to continue and be able to look in the mirror and smile—“I raced in the Last Great Race on Earth and finished!”

                                                             

As always, I  hope you enjoy the holidays and observances, factoids of interest, music video, and a relevant quote  and a relevant quote from Neville Chamberlain, enjoying some lacy oatmeal cookies, blessed  with a positive attitude even though you know you will have to wade through tons of spam in your inbox, and secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable event 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. Oil Expropriation Day (Mexico)—celebrating the expropriation by Mexico in 1938 of all mineral and petroleum reserves found in Mexico and the nationalization of all companies engaged in the production and refining of petroleum.
       2. National Biodiesel Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1858 of Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine and a great visionary who believe his diesels could be powered by fuel from vegetable oil.
      3. 1985 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song on this day in 1985, as part of a 3 week run Can’t Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon, an American rock ‘n roll band formed in 1967 that sold over 40 million records but whose success faded in the 90’s. Here is a link to the song being performed by the band. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xv5uft_reo-speedwagon-can-t-fight-this-feeling_music
      4. National Lacy Oatmeal Cookie Day—not sure this highly evolved omnivore knows the difference between an oatmeal cookie and a lacy oatmeal cookie but the photos on the internet looked inviting.

      5. Peace In Our Time Day—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1869 of Neville who appeased Hitler by forcing the Czechs to cede over to Germany the Sudetenland so Germany could protect the ethnic Germans there (Ukraine and Crimea have a similar ring with Putin playing Hitler).                                                                                                          

On this day in
     a. 1850 American Express was founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo.
     b. 1937 the Pedaliante, the first human powered aircraft flew a distance of one kilometer, leaving one very tired pilot gasping for breath.
     c. 1965 Russian Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov became the first person to walk in space, exiting from his orbiting Voskhod 2 spacecraft for 12 minutes.
    d. 1968 the U.S. Congress voted to end the requirement of a gold reserve to back U.S. currency.                                                           
     e. 1974 to the relief of American, European and Japanese motorists, OPEC ended its 5 month oil embargo; another stark reminder of why we need Keystone XL.
Déjà vu words that if our current president spoke with a British accent would be even more of a chilling reminder of the consequences of appeasement: “However much we may sympathize with a small nation confronted by a big and powerful neighbours, we cannot in all circumstances undertake to involve the whole British Empire in a war simply on her account.” Neville Chamberlain We in the Middle East and around the world are reaping the seeds of American withdrawal and lack of leadership planted by this administration.

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