May 18, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World AIDS Vaccine Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For May 18, 2018 Prince Charles who should abdicate in favor of Prince William will be walking Meghan Markle down the aisle in her wedding to Prince Harry; a man was shot after shooting up Trump’s resort at Doral in Miami; still no apology from the White House or Kelly Stadler over her mocking remarks that McCain’s opinions on Haspel did not matter as he was dying anyway so the story is still in the news as is the revelation that heads may be rolling in the communications department in the White House over leaks; in another example of the craziness that plagues college campuses, a University of Akron professor has been castigated for his plan to raise female student grades to encourage them to enter STEM fields; Debbie Wasserman Schulz is making a fool of herself once again after lambasting the NRA as an “organization just shy of a terrorist organization” (Oliver North did not help the cause of civil discourse be calling Parkland School survivors civil terrorists—another example of rhetoric run wild to tear apart the social fabric of this country); President Trump rightfully called MS-13 animals which the MSM distorted with headlines charging that he was demeaning all immigrants as animals (so typical of the bias and hatred toward him); in a real oops moment that should haunt her if she is found guilty, Anngenette Welk who has been charged of killing a mother while DUI was smiling for the cameras for her arrest mug shot (maybe she was still toasted at the time of the photo):

                                                          

   

In Chicago through May 16, 2018, 909 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 149 have died (when will Chicago 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?)

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Kim Carnes, factoids of interest for this day in history, the your pursuit of mammonism and  a relevant quote by Doctor Anthony Fauci on AIDS and the fight against it,  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. World AIDS Vaccine Day—observed since 1998 to mark the first anniversary of a speech by Bill Clinton challenging society to come up with an effective AIDS vaccine to stop the spread of a disease that is estimated to infect 1.8 million people annually with 1 million dying from the disease yearly.       

2. International Museum Day—celebrated since 1977 to promote the role of museums in our culture and society.       

3. 1980 Number One Song— the number one song in 1980 on a run of 9 weeks in that position was “Bette Davis Eyes ” by Kim Carnes.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPOIS5taqA8

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mammonism” which means the pursuit of wealth which is one of the hallmarks of capitalism which by creating wealth as opposed to spreading wealth from those who have to those who have not enables all members of society to improve their lot in life.

5. I Can See Russia—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1970 of noted comic Tina Fey perhaps best known for her portrayals of Sarah Palin.  
         On this day in: 

a. 1917 after declaring war on Germany on April 6, 1917, the Selective Service Act of 1917 was passed giving the U.S. the power to conscript in order to be able to raise an army to go to Europe to defeat the Axis Powers.   

b. 1933 President Roosevelt signed legislation creating the Tennessee Valley Authority which resulted in the creation of hydroelectric dams throughout the Tennessee Valley bringing electricity to hundreds of thousands of people.

c. 1980 Mt. St. Helens erupted, killing 57 people, causing over $1 billion in damages and depositing ash in 11 states and 5 Canadian provinces; the eruption was the largest in the 48 contiguous states. 

d. 1990 in France a modified TGV train achieved a new rail speed record of 320.2 mph.

e. 1994 Israeli troops completed their withdrawal from Gaza turning it over to the Palestinians to govern.     

         Reflections on the fight against AIDS: “Although it is still important to develop an HIV vaccine, we have significant tools already at our disposal that can make a major impact on the trajectory of this epidemic.”
Doctor Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases.  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 18, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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