May 31, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World No Tobacco Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For May 31, 2016 Finally only 234 days to endure President Obama’s pathetic lame duck term. Political theater in really high gear with Hillary watching Sanders surge leaves New Jersey in a panic mode and heads back to California and Sanders basks in the adulation of the fans at a Warrior game but has a rally disrupted by of all people animal rights supporters; national polls continue to show Trump gaining ground and in a tit for tat moment Sanders endorsed Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s primary opponent. On the day after Memorial Day another VA hospital, this one in Tacoma, is slammed by its own IG, prompting more Senate hearings—when will this mess ever be fixed?  As always I trust your Tuesday is off to a great start and that you will enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Everly Brothers, factoids of interest, a relevant quote from Adrienne Herron,  while  looking forward to enjoying  a few macaroons (killer recipe below), blessed with a positive attitude and  secure in  the knowledge that, if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like birthdays, weddings, or  anniversaries, you know that the Alaskanpoet can provide you with a unique customized poem  at a great price  tailored to the event and the recipient. You need only contact me for details.

1. World No Tobacco Day—created by the World Health Organization in 1987 to promote abstinence of the use of any tobacco for at least 24 hours to promote awareness of the 6,000,000 deaths at least caused tobacco use, including some 600,000 victims who are exposed to second hand smoke. Great observance but should be observed daily, one day at a time until tobacco use is eradicated from the globe. 

2. National Meditation Day—here is another observance that should be observed each and every day not just on May 31. Why limit the benefits of meditation—achievement of a higher state of consciousness, greater focus, awareness, creativity and a relaxed and tranquil state of mind to only one day in the year?   

3. 1960 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1950 on a run of five weeks in that position Cathy’s Clown by the Everly Brothers.  Here’s a link to the Everly Brothers performing the song on a very young looking Dick Clark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UonBS_mvW-E      

4. National Macaroon Day—celebrating those tasty cookies using egg whites as opposed to flour that have been a staple of Italian and French cooking for centuries. Here is a failsafe recipe complete with photos for a coconut macaroon that even someone who can barely boil water would master. http://www.onceuponachef.com/2014/12/coconut-macaroons.html  bon appétit!   

5. Democracy Is Always Served By Its Own Bard—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1819 of Walt Whitman, one of America’s most influential poets best remembered for Leaves of Grass and known as the “Bard of Democracy.”

On this day in:

a. 1790 to the joy of authors, including poets, the U.S. enacted its first copyright statute, the Copyright Act of 1790 which provided copyright protection for 14 years with a right to renew for an additional 14 years.   

b. 1889 a private dam above the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania failed, releasing a flood of water that equaled briefly the water flow of the Mississippi River which destroyed the town and killed over 2,200. The public outcry over the failure of the legal system to punish the owners was instrumental in moving our tort system from fault based to strict liability.   

c. 1929 the first talking Mickey Mouse cartoon, the Kartoon Kid was released.  D.C.                                                              

d. 1971 in accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed in 1968, Memorial Day was observed for the first time  on this day as opposed to the traditional May 30th.   

e. 1977 after nine years following the discovery of oil in Prudhoe Bay, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was completed over the objections of environmentalists which in the pipeline’s construction and operation have largely proven to be unfounded just as the same objections in the case of Keystone XL assuming we elect a president who will take his or her climate change blinders off will prove to be.

    Reflections on smoking and secondhand smoke “Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of  preventative death in the United States. For every eight smokers that die, they take one non-smoker with them.” Adrienne Herron  

 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.

© May 31, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 
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