November 25, 2016 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Black Friday

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For November 25, 2016 Hope your waistline is not bulging after a day of feasting; in just another example of why government needs to be reduced, employees the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the bane of business created by Dodds-Frank, gave all of their political contributions to Democrats, $50,000 in the aggregate; the hypocrisy theater is still SRO as Representative Ellison who is running for the head of the DNC and has been a harsh critic of Senator Sessions for racial remarks allegedly made by him 30 years ago evidently now refused to be interviewed telephonically by the New York Times (this guy looks like a true Trojan Horse for the Blues given his proclivity for giving paid speeches before Muslim Brotherhood and pro Palestinian sponsored events and not reporting as required by House Ethics Rules) when informed he would be asked about his past controversial dealings with the founder of the Nation of Islam;  the crowds in the malls today may be a little lighter as online sales on Thanksgiving increased by 14 percent to surge over $1 billion (already a killing in a parking lot at a Wal-Mart in Nevada on Black Friday); in a mockery of the true meaning of Christmas—peace on Earth, goodwill to men, three men  stringing Christmas lights in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood of Philadelphia were shot by two black males from a passing car and who sadly remain on the loose; if Europe does not have enough problems with radical Islam, Turkey is now threatening to open its borders to migrants from Syria who will be flooding once again into Europe over the EU’s condemnation of Erdogan’s crackdown on dissent following the failed coup; in yet another example of the failure of socialism, citizens of Venezuela are fleeing by the thousands as the nation continues its downward economic spiral; on a final note the Reds are deeply divided over whether Giuliani or Romney should be Secretary of State (my opinion if asked would be that given his experience in saving the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics Romney would be perfect to head the VA).

      As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to the Mills Brothers, factoids of interest for this day in history, a relevant quote from an anonymous source, while looking forward to enjoying some leftovers from your Thanksgiving meal (killer recipe for turkey soup 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. International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women—created by the UN General Assembly in 1999 to promote awareness of the need to prevent physical, mental, and emotional violence against women; this is another observance that should be observed each and every day of the year.

2. Black Friday—celebrating if a retailer or bemoaning if a consumer looking for a parking space or waiting in long lines at the checkout counters the busiest shopping day of the year and the official start of the Christmas shopping season.
3. 1943 Number One Song—celebrating the number one song in 1943 on a run of 13 weeks in that position “Paper Doll” by the Mills Brothers. Here is a recording of the Mills Brothers performing the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42mQhMAg-7s

4. National Leftover Day—celebrating all the creative ways to use the leftovers one was unable to consume during the caloric orgy of consumption on Thanksgiving (my favorite is turkey noodle soup and easy and tasty recipe follows): http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/old-fashioned-turkey-noodle-soup   

5. A Salute for the Ages—celebrating the birth on this day in 1960 of John F. Kennedy, Jr. who along with his wife and sister in-law was killed flying a private plane to Hyannis Port in 1999 and is best remembered for saluting his father’s caisson as it rolled mournfully past him.

                                                     

                             

On this day in:                                                                                   

a. 1783 three months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War, the last British troops evacuated New York City, a date now celebrated in New York City as Evacuation Day.

b. 1874 the Greenback Party was formed as a result of the Panic of 1873 and at one point had 21 members in the House but faded into dissolution by 1899.      

c. 1947 the “Hollywood Ten” a group of noted screenwriters and directors refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and were blacklisted by movie studios (today they would be hailed as heroes and conservative screenwriters like actors find jobs far and few between).

d. 1952 Agatha Christie’s play the Mouse Trap debuted in London and is still being performed today, the longest continuously performed play in history. 

e. 1986 in an event that almost cost Ronald Reagan his presidency, Attorney General Edwin Meese admitted that funds from covert sales of arms to Iran were illegally diverted to Contra rebels fighting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. He resigned as Attorney General not due to the Iran-Contra Scandal but rather due to the Wedtech Scandal involving minority owned businesses set aside preferences to Wedtech, a company that fraudulently concealed its non minority majority ownership. 

Reflections on the irony of Black Friday: “Only in America do people trample each in a frenzy and fight each other for sales and bargains exactly one day after being thankful for what they already have.” Anon How true it is; at least shopping online you avoid the frenzy and the worst thing that might happen to you is that the transaction records and your data might be hacked. 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.

© November 25, 2016, Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

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