June 15, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Global Wind Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For June 15, 2016. Unfortunately still 239 days to go in President Obama’s pathetic lame duck term as he appears more petulant every day as his lack of any strategy against radical Islam and his delusional failure to identify it as a major problem to our way of life continues to pile up bodies; Hillary actually used the term radical Islam and surprise, surprise there were no riots in the streets in Cairo or any other part of the Muslim world and no flood of potential fighters heading off to Syria to join ISIS; Bernie comes out swinging against the DNC demanding that the superdelegates be eliminated in future elections, that open primaries be the norm and that the head of the DNC be replaced if HRC is to count on his supporters—good for you Bernie as your ideas may be out to lunch but as opposed to HRC at least you are honest with integrity, traits completely lacking in HRC; Makeen’s wife may be facing the death penalty for conspiring with Omar in the Orlando shootings and finally after doubling down on banning Muslims from countries with jihadist terror, Trump is off to meet with the NRA as Pelosi and the mainstream media continue to beat the drums for more gun control (aka code words for eliminating the Second Amendment).

More tragedy in the Orlando as a two year old at Disney World, wading in a lake, is taken by an alligator and really a lot of tragedy in Venezuela as that failed socialistic state implodes. On a light note, as always, I hope  you enjoy today’s holidays and observances,  a music link to the Captain and Tennille, factoids of interest, a  relevant quote from Henry David Thoreau germane to wind power while looking forward to enjoying a nice lobster, 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. Global Wind Day—celebrating the strides made to the dismay of the thousands of birds, including our national symbol, that are chopped to pieces, of wind power in generating electricity. Although the industry due to federal subsidies has made great strides since 1970 it still only generates only 4.7% of our electricity, dwarfed by the 80 % generated by fossil fuels including coal (20% which Obama and HRC want to bring down to zero).

2. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day—commemorating an observance near and dear to this Baby Boomer’s heart in 2006 by the World Health Organization and the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse to create awareness of the problem of elder abuse that aging seniors to often face while their perpetrators often practice it with impunity.                    

3. 1975 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1975 on a run of four weeks in that position “Love Will Keep Us Together” by Captain and Tennille. Here is a link to Captain and Tennille performing “Love Will Keep Us Together.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjloX_EvYiI No guitars only two pianos and a drummer.

4. National Lobster Day—celebrating this poet’s favorite crustacean whether steamed with garlic and butter or prepared in Little Saigon House Special Style which is also a taste treat. For those of you health conscious addicts concerned over cholesterol, remember that a lobster is 90 percent shell and other inedible parts—if in Orange County go to Cove Seafood II (formerly the Dragon Phoenix Seafood Palace) in Westminster for a lobster and dim sum and tell them the “Lobster Man” referred you.   

5. How To Sink A Galleon Without Firing A Shot—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1953 of Sri Lankan born but naturalized citizen of one of Wharton’s more famous and infamous alumni, Raz Rajaratnam, a noted investment banker in the Wall Street Michael Douglas mode who went on to form the hedge fund Galleon that made millions for its investors until he was arrested in 2009 for insider trading, tried, convicted and sentenced to   pay a fine of $150 million and serve 11 years in a federal prison. He will regain his independence on July 4, 2021.  

On this day in:

a. 1215 King John was forced by the barons of England to sign the Magna Carta, the first steps in limiting the absolute power of the King of England.

b. 1667 Jean-Baptiste Denys performed the first documented human blood transfusion on a fifteen year old who survived only because the amount of sheep’s blood used was only 12 ounces. He performed animal blood to human transfusions three more times, but the patient on the second and third attempt died and the procedure using animal blood was banned in 1670. Not until 1902 when Karl Landsteiner discovered the four human blood types did transfusions using human blood become safe and reliable which safety in the early 70’s was called into question due to AIDS and patients like Ryan White could contract the disease which at that time was a death sentence with contaminated blood.  

c. 1992 in a chilling reminder to jihadists that you can run but you cannot safely hide, SCOTUS in the case of United States v. Avarez-Machain ruled that the U.S. could forcibly removed wanted criminals even if the host country objected to the process—life would be better if we could extract the ISIS higher ups for intel and then let them rot at Gitmo as opposed to droning them to death.

d. 1994 in a what took you so long moment, Israel and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations.

e. 2012 Nick Wallenda became the first person to walk over Niagara Falls on a tightrope, obviously without a net below with heavy mist coating his tight rope, making it very slippery.

Reflections on how things have a tendency to never change even after the passage of over 150 years even in the forefront of technology: “First, there is the power of the Wind, constantly exerted over the globe…Here is an almost incalculable power at our disposal, yet how trifling the use we make of it! It only serves to turn a few mills, blow a few vessels across the ocean, and a few trivial ends besides. What a poor compliment to we pay our indefatigable and energetic servant!” Henry David Thoreau The Paradise (To Be) Regained Democratic Review November 1848. Could not agree with him more although in the case of the Obama administration and its focus on crony capitalism, involving the federal government in wind power to pick winners and losers is like having the feds steering a Yankee Clipper into and area of no wind only to become becalmed and wonder why the ship is not moving as its cargo begins to rot and the public waiting for that cargo starves.  
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.                                                                                                                                                

© June 15, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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