Tuesday, July 31, 2018

6 Anti-Trump Academics To Solve Shadow Banning?


Accussations of political bias continue to swirl around Twitter
Twitter’s solution to shadow banning should make Reds bitter
Six academics have been selected to develop health to assess tweets
To evaluate and put fake news and the echo chambers into retreat
Sounds like a good idea but with one severe catch
The six selected have anti-Trump bias in their inner core deeply etched
Attacking Trump and his supporters in the past without let–up
Objectivity may be the Twitter goal but the selection is corrupt
A social media equivalent of the pot calling the kettle black
More likely than not shadow banning will be alive and well and on the attack
© July 31, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Shadow Banning The New Iron Curtain


A new iron curtain is coming down on social media land
Not made of iron known only as shadow ban
Twitter’s algorithms filter out those on the right
Keep their thoughts and ideas and tweets hidden from sight
Under the guise of a hate speech label
Swept under the rug cleared from the ideas table
A person banned from social media and his or her ideas simply cease to exist
Hidden in the enveloping shadow banning mist
Free speech rules must be applied to those on both sides of the political spectrum
Favoring the right over the left or left over the right is a policy that should never beckon
If one point of view is banned history should teach
No one is left with the right of free speech  
© July 31, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Mark Roberts Attack On Melania Disgraceful


Mark Roberts, an independent conservative running for an Oregon Congressional seat
Personifies the advance of disgraceful rhetoric and civility in full retreat
Implied in a tweet that FLOTUS was a prostitute working by the hour
Disgusting and disgraceful language that should be scrubbed and scoured
The tweet was flagged and Melania supporters are rightfully bitter
Demanding Roberts be banned immediately from Twitter
A disturbing and shameful trend
That needs to come to an end
Jack Dorsey is the CEO of Twitter and those outraged should contact him
Demand that Roberts account be sawed off the Twitter tree limb
Being FLOTUS does not give a jerk like Roberts a license or a right
To impugn her morality and ethics by comparing her to a woman of the night
© July 31, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Swedish "Hero" Blocked Deportation of Afghan Convicted of Assault


When it comes to immigration our U.S. left does not have a monopoly on flaunting the law
In Sweden an Afghan migrant was on a plane to be deported as his asylum claim was flawed
Elin Ersson a student at Gothenburg University refused to take her seat
The plane could not take off so the deportation attempt was defeated
Heralded a hero for deportation attempt to block
Now here comes the idiocy behavior shock
The man had been convicted of assault and had a prison sentence over his head
Was to be deported back to Afghanistan instead
Why she was not pulled off the plane is a mystery complete
Like here law and order when it comes to immigration is in full retreat
The face of Europe is being changed by migrant hordes
Who refuse to on the assimilation ship climb aboard
© July 31, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

July 31, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World Ranger Day



Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 31, 2018 CBS is appointing an outside law firm to look into allegations of sexual misconduct by Les Moonves (he has a lot to lose with an annual salary of $70 million); Mollie Tibbets, the University of Iowa student is still missing after two weeks; on the crime front McDonald’s was scammed to the tune of $24 million by an ex-cop providing security for its Monopoly game promotion; on the hypocrisy front leftist director of the Guardians of the Galaxy who was fired by Disney for his pedophile tweets is being supported by his artistic friends in stark contrast to stars who fled from Roseanne Barr like she was radioactive; Dak Prescott, the QB for the Dallas Cowboys has slammed Collin Kaepernick for his kneeling protests during the national anthem and has been slammed as an “Uncle Tom” by the left; Chicago is gearing up for a major protest against gun violence in the city and demanding that the pathetic mayor Rahm Emanuel resign due to his being MIA in addressing the violence; on the why we need a wall front Mario Sanchez-Ochea who has been deported 5 times was arrested for his third DUI; on the academic intolerance front, two professors have resigned from the UVA’s Miller Center for Public Affairs after it had hired Marc Short a former Trump aide; through July 30, 2018, 1707 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 277 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 and when will Rahm Emanuel resign?).
        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Rosemary Clooney,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not suffering from mogigiphia; a relevant quote from Whitney Young, Jr on the role of blacks in the Vietnam War, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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 Ranger Day—celebrated since 2007 to honor the contributions of park rangers in protecting wildlife and maintaining the national and state parks around the world.
2.  Uncommon Musical Instrument Awareness Day—celebrating the fact that you can create music with almost anything to the pleasure of listeners and those creating the music.
3. 1951 Number One Song— the number one song in 1951 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Come On-a My House” by Rosemary Clooney. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mriXncI96lw
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mogigiphia which means writing with difficulty which describes the bureaucrats that create the entries to the Federal Register that regulate our daily lives.
5. The Good Die Young—celebrating the birth on this day in 1921 of Whitney Young, Jr. noted civil rights activist and former president of the Urban League who died from drowning while swimming in Lagos, Nigeria at the far too early age of 50. 
 On this day in: 
a. 1941 under orders from Adolf Hitler Hermann Goring ordered SS General Reinhard Heydrich to prepare a report on the materials and finances need to implement the final solution to the Jewish Question.
b. 1970 the last day of the officially sanctioned rum day in the British Navy, ending a tradition that had been observed since the 17th Century.
c. 1971 Apollo 15 Astronauts were the first to ride a lunar rover on the surface of the Moon..
d. 1991 in a making the world safer moment, the U.S. and the Soviet Union signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty which resulted in both nations reducing their nuclear stock piles.
e. 2006 Fidel Castro turned over power in Cuba to his brother Raul.
    Reflections on the contributions of blacks to the War in Vietnam: “Although blacks are only about a tenth of the population, they account for a fifth of the land troops in Vietnam and a higher percentage of the casualties. Some of the frontline fighting units, including many of the elite troops, are 30, 40 and 50 percent black.” Whitney Young, Jr.
    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.             
© July 31, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Monday, July 30, 2018

Disagreeing Does Not Make a Person an Idiot

Here’s the way to bring people together to at least try to issues discuss
Starts by not insulting their intellect and throwing them under the bus
Insult a person by calling him or her as an idiot
And he or she tunes out and the opportunity for rational thought
Disappears behind name calling demeaning and demonizing rings
Instead of solutions only more divisiveness to the table bring
The divide between Blue and Red becomes wider each day
Soon culminating with anger causing persons to go into harm’s way
Both sides of the aisle and both sides of the networks
A political process that is broken and totally berserk
At each other’s throats unable to solve problems that lurk
Congress stuck in gridlock refusing to do its work
A dangerous world confronts us when we should be speaking with a unified voice
Instead we hear resist and calls for impeachment as the desired choice
Well past time for the rhetoric peddlers to tone it down and chill out
Time to end the dog whistles of rhetoric putting sanity to rout
© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley the Alaskanpoet 

Lawson Craddock First American to Win Lanterne Rouge w/Broken Shoulderr

Alaskans and Texans share the common trait of true grits
Whether racing in the Iditarod or Tour de France, it is hard for them to quit
The Tour de France at 3500 kilometers is longer raced in the summer time
But the Iditarod is still a thousand miles mushing through freezing climes
Both races award the last place finisher the in lantern in red
Motivation to finish when there is not a chance of winning and quitting instead
Lawson Craddock on the first day of the race crashed and broke his shoulder bone
From hopes of being a supporting  team member he was tossed into the pain zone
Unable to stand on his bike, bleeding from a facial gash
Looking at 21 days of pain from his early crash
Quit, not a chance no way to waste all that training by refusing to advance
On winning he had not a chance
Only the motivation to finish and raise funds for a velodrome in his home state
200 grand raised a rouge lanterne to his painful journey sate
Not all racers finish this challenging exhausting race
Great tribute to a Texan, the first American to finish in last place.

© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley the Alaskanpoet 

California Maternity Deaths On A Steep Decline

During the War in Vietnam the cry was often heard
This war is a lost cause the chances of winning absurd
Why not declare victory and leave
No more flag draped coffins with family members to grieve
In the 50’s another war was being waged
A concerted effort to maternity deaths engage
Modern medicine managed to reduce deaths to one in 1,000 births
The battle had been won, modern medicine had proved its worth
Then in the 60’s the battle lines and focus shifted to the fetus in the womb
Prenatal care, ultra sound, prenatal operations anything to save the fetus the doctors could assume
Lost in the shuffle maternal mortality began to rise
Soon we had again the highest rate in the developed world of maternal child birth demise
Finally California a state which records one eighth of U.S. births each year
Declared war, assembled teams of doctors, nurses and health professionals to on the battle lines appear
Hard to believe that a state in which the quality of life is in the dumps
Could the risk of maternal death slowly but surely begin to trump
The answer fortunately for women was a resounding yes
Focus on maternal care and maternal deaths are 55 percent less
Great strides to reduce the risk of a child growing up without a mom
Thanks to dedicated teams working at birth with great aplomb
© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley the Alaskanpoet  a

Flip Prison or Pardon for Manafort?

Manafort goes on trial today not for Russian collusion but for the laundering of cash
Mueller is banking that on squeezing him rather than prison his loyalty to
Trump will crash.
Two trials one in the Swamp
Where anti-Trump feelings among black jurors will tromp
The other in Virginia where Manafort may have a better chance
Trump does have something up his sleeve that may block a flip to advance
He has the power to grant a full and complete pardon and set him free
Trump values loyalty and although the pundits will on the fallout disagree
With Podesta getting immunity for the same crimes
Motive to get to Trump with a biased probe should eliminate risk of time
High stakes with the midterms in less than 100 days
Reds are hoping the good economic news will voters favorably sway
Blues with their new found socialist agenda will be hoping Blue Wave does not fade away.

© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley the Alaskanpoet   

Conservatives Should Be Bitter Banned by Twitter


A new iron curtain is once again descending in the West
Social media is banning conservative thought that its leaders detest
Pairing up with the Southern Poverty Law Center, a left wing group
Whose mission is to label conservatives as hate groups,  banning them from social media loops
Twitter which used to be the paragon of free speech
No more as Reds are blocked unable to their followers reach
Nunes is fighting, filing a complaint with the FEC
A dangerous precedence blocking those with whom you disagree
The president of Twitter’s leftist tendencies are well known
In the forefront of urging a Blue Wave to the Reds be overthrown
Acquiring Smyte so it easier to “hate speech” or trolling block
Restraints on political discourse must be unlocked
Without access to the internet one has ceased to exist
Open access to all left and right we demand, we must insist
If the blocking continues legislation must be passed
Blocking of conservative thoughts must not be allowed to last
© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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Medicare for All Will Break the Taxpayers' Bank


The numbers on Sanders’ pie-in-the sky Medicare plan are coming in
Costs in the trillions raising questions of how anyone running on it would win
32.6 trillion dollars over ten years
A tax burden that would cause our growth to disappear
Harris and Warren are with Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez to push for Medicare
How to pay for it will put taxpayers in deep despair
Single payer health care is a disaster with long wait times
Look only to the VA and wait times to see it verges on a crime
Rationing of health care is the logical result
Less access to doctors for patients to consult
We finally have achieved a growth rate of over four percent
Blues want to break the bank and send economy into downward descent
© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Mad Maxine Claims God Has Sent Her to Remove Trump


Maxine Waters continues to become unhinged
Now claims that God has put her here to stop Trump in her latest anti-Trump binge
At a sermon yesterday she so proudly proclaimed
When a person claims a direct line to God is that person verging on insane?
Urging people to take to the streets
To bring this president down to defeat
If Maxine believes that God has appointed her as the His angel of destruction
Her followers may be induced to remove Trump not by impeachment but by violence without compunction
No barriers to acts when one hears the clarion call from God to act
Resort to any means to this president forcibly from office sack
Dislike of a president Maxine is not an impeachable crime
Not now, not ever-- a plan without reason or even rhymes  
© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

July 30, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Whistle Blower Appreciation Day


Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 29, 2018 CBS’s Board is meeting today to determine the fate of CEO and Board Chairman Les Moonves after allegations by 6 women of unwanted sexual advances; Justice Ginsburg who looks like she struggles to stay awake during oral argument has assured supporters she hopes to remain on the bench for at least 5 years; Blues are in full on delay mode with Kavenaugh and are demanding millions of pages of documents involving the time he was employed by President Bush (why cannot the over 300 judicial decisions be sufficient to take a measure of the man’s judicial philosophy and record; firefighters are working 48 hour shifts in appalling high temperatures battling the 17 wild fires that are devastating California (Jade Bell and Jack Fannin of Redding have been arrested for looting houses subject to mandatory evacuation notices due to the Carr Fire that has destroyed more than 650 homes); Maxine Waters is becoming more and more unglued suggesting in a church sermon on Sunday that she has been sent here by God to stop Trump ; on the divisive political front a Tennessee Blue communications official has lambasted Trump and scoffed at reaching out to Trump supporters, calling them idiots (the only idiot is this person as calling voters idiots for supporting Trump is a guaranteed way to end any chance of discussion of common problems); on the shark front during “Shark Week” fishermen off the coast of Rhode Island landed a 6 foot long Great White Shark only to catch and release the huge fish; in Arkansas 69 year old Patricia  Hill shot and killed her husband Frank because he had purchased pornographic materials;  through July 28, 2018, 1687 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 273 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 the Nat King Cole,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are able to buy goods from a modiste, a relevant quote from Lionel Fisher of whistle, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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. International Day of Friendship—first proposed In Paraguay in 1958 to promote friendship within a culture.
2.  National Whistle Blower Appreciation Day—created in 1778 with the passage of the Whistle Blower Protection Statute and dedicated to protecting Whistle Blowers who with great courage bring fraud and malfeasance in government agencies to our attention.
3. 1950 Number One Song— the number one song in 1950 on a run of 5 weeks in that position was “Mona Lisa” by Nat King Cole. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIDX18Xl16s
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “modiste” which means a maker or seller of fashionable dresses and hats.
5. I’ll Be Back—celebrating the birth on this day in 1947 of former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger who defeated Gray Davis in a recall election and is best known for his three Terminator movies.
 On this day in: 
a. 1974 Richard Nixon turned over subpoenaed Watergate Scandal recording tapes as required by SCOTUS.
b. 1975 Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan at 2:30 p.m. never to be seen again.
c. 2003 the old style Volkswagen rolled off the assembly line in Mexico for the last time.
d. 2006 the longest running music show “Pops on Tops which had aired for 42 years aired for the last time on BBC Two.
e. 2012 a power grid failure which lasted 2 days left over 300 million Indians without power in the largest power outage in history.
    Reflections on whistle blowers: “Curmudgeons speak up because they have to, because it’s become critically important for them to tell the truth as they see it. Telling the truth is as natural to them once more as it was when they were children. The fact that no one cares to listen is inconsequential. Curmudgeons speak up, raise their voices, stand for something too right to be silent about anymore, whatever the cost, despite a world that deals with what it doesn't want to hear by crucifying the messenger.
Increasingly these days, they're being called by another name: whistleblower.” Lionel Fisher, noted author and
columnist,
    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...             
© July 30, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Sunday, July 29, 2018

July 29, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Tiger Day


Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 29, 2018 CBS is reeling over allegations by 12 women of unwanted advances by the CEO and Chairman of the Board Les Moonves and by “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager (what is with the reptilian brain in the news and entertainment industry?); on the wildfire front, 6 people have been killed in Northern California wildfires raging out of control while the state is battling 17 wildfires across  the state with the largest fire the Carr Fire has destroyed 500 homes and is only 5% contained; Taco Bell is banning employees who use an employee discount at the restaurant from eating their meals off site; in Carmel, Indiana, a synagogue was vandalized with a spray painted Nazi flag and anti-Semitic slogans; if you are an Amazon user here is a link on how to go to settings and protect your privacy https://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/07/28/5-amazon-obscure-settings-should-change-now.html; Occasio-Cortez supporters are clueless on how the country is going to pay for free college and health care for all; Michael Cohen secretly taped conservations with Donald Trump discussing the payment of sums to Playboy model to keep here silent on an alleged affair; in New Orleans two people shot into a large crowd in front of a daiquiri bar, killing 3 and wounding 7 and then fled into the night; Trump and the publisher of the New York Times are in a Twitter snit fit over a private meeting held between the two of them on July 20, thee contents of which were revealed by Trump to the dismay of the New York Times; through July 28, 2018, 1682 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 272 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 the Perry Como,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are a mnemonist a relevant quote from Charles, Prince of Wales on having a mistress, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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. International Tiger Day—created at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit to promote awareness of the need to protect the habitat of these big cats.
2.  Rain Day—celebrated in Waynesburg, PA since 1979 as it almost always seem to rain on that day since the 1800’s..
3. 1949 Number One Song— the number one song in 1949 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Some Enchanted Evening” by Perry Como. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pqRl2GH_uc
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mnomonist” which means someone whose memory is never erased, a trait that most politicians do not possess.
5. News At Noon—celebrating the birth on this day in 1936 of noted radio and TV broadcaster Tom Snyder who was the first to have a news broadcast during the noon hour; a heavy smoker he quit 7 years prior to his death from leukemia at the age of 71. 
 On this day in: 
a. 1948 after a 12 year hiatus due to World War II, the Summer Olympics took place in London.
b. 1981 a global television audience estimated to be over 700 million watched the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales to Lady Dianna Spencer in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
c. 1987 the Prime Minister of Great Britain Margaret Thatcher and the President of France Francois Mitterrand signed an agreement calling for the construction of a tunnel under the English Channel.
d. 1996 the child protection of the Communications Decency Act was struck down as being too broad.
e. 2015 Microsoft released Windows 10.
    Reflections on sowing the seeds of separation:” "Do you seriously expect me to be the first Prince of Wales in history not to have a mistress?"— Charles (as quoted in The Daily Mail in 1994
    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.             
© July 29, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Sex Scandal at CBS


The reptilian brain is alive and well at CBS
Its CEO and Chairman of the Board Les Moonves is going to be under some stress
Six women have come forward alleging unwanted sexual advances
Nonconsensual unwanted one way romances
Executives forcing themselves on subordinates beyond the pale
Look to job loss and a marriage to most likely fail
Why cannot the reptilian brain comprehend?
Grass is not greener on the other side of the fence only grass in a relationship that will quickly end
Sadly Moonves is not alone Jeff Fager executive producer
Of 60 minutes had 6 women complaining of his being a seducer
© July 27, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Friday, July 27, 2018

Zuckerberg Loses $15 Billion As Facebook Tands


A bad day for Mark Zuckerberg as his Facebook stock
Took quite beating that should have left him in a state of shock
$15 billion of his  value down the drain
Dropping him out of 4th to 6th in  the top ten billionaires’ reign
Privacy concerns have forced a commitment to spend billions more
Also a growing threat of censorship that the company will find hard to ignore
Largest drop in market value in the history of our stock market
So much for the idea that high tech is where investors should park it
Before one feels sorry for Mark one should remember $8.3 million he earns
Making the mortgage payments should not be the slightest concern
Question is whether Facebook is now a buy
And if and how long before it recovers to its former high.
© July 27, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

July 27, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day



Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 27, 2018 Very troubling news of a spike in death threats to members of Congress and their families along with a spike in death threats to heads of federal agencies (although the majority of death threats are directed toward Reds, it is time to tone down the rhetoric and the dog whistles of violence on both sides before real people serving their country start getting killed or maimed); North Korea has returned remains of servicemen killed in the Korean War as promised in the Singapore Summit; on the reptilian braind front, the president of CBS, Lee Moonves, has been accused of sexual misconduct; on the Fox News Front, news out of the Huff Post that Kimberley Guilfoyle’s departure from Fox was not voluntary but the result of misconduct (wish her well at the pro Trump PAC she is going to and she will be missed on The Five); the United Nations which is becoming an anti-U.S. and anti-Israel debating society supposedly is running out of cash and appealing to member nations to come to the rescue (hopefully the U.S. will have a deaf ear); the U.S. economy in the second quarter surged at a 4.1% growth rate (talk about crumbs Pelosi); the Carr wildfire burning north of Sacramento has jumped the Sacramento River and burning 33,000 acres with a 3 % containment is racing toward the city of Redding; although Putin will not be coming to the U.S. before the elections, Trump has indicated a willingness to visit Moscow (given the hysteria from the left on the Helsinki Summit may not be a good idea); through July 26, 2018, 1649 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 266 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 the Kay Kyser and His Orchestra,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not being exposed to any mizzle; a relevant quote from Peggy Fleming on role of parents in her career as a skater, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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. National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day—celebrating the cessation of hostilities in the Korean War on this day in 1953.
2.  Bagpipe Appreciation Day—commemorating that unique musical instrument that has been around since Mesopotamian times and today is a mainstay at funerals and St. Patrick Day Parades.
3. 1948 Number One Song— the number one song in 1948 on a run of 6 weeks in that position was “Woody Woodpecker” by Kay Kyser and His Orchestra. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyCDt5rZ5b0  
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mizzle” which means to rain in small drops which given the fires in California would be welcome as a first step.
5. Lonely At The Top—celebrating the birth on this day in 1948 of Peggy Fleming, noted figure skater, who won the only Gold Medal won by the U.S. in the 1968 Winter Olympics and who successfully battled breast cancer.
    On this day in: 
a. 1929 the Geneva Convention regulating the treatment of prisoners of war was signed by 53 nations. 
b. 1974 the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 in favor of impeachment based on obstruction of justice of Richard Nixon.
c. 1987 RMS Titanic, Inc. began the expedited salvage of the RMS Titanic.
d. 1995 the Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated.
e. 1996  Eric Rudolph detonated a pipe bomb at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, Georgia during the Summer Olympics, killing one person and injuring over a 1009; Rudolph after fleeing and living as a fugitive for 5 years was caught and pled guilty to the Atlanta bombing and several other bombings and is now serving life without possibility of parole.
    Reflections on skating by one very famous American skater: “I wouldn't have started skating if it weren't for my Dad, but I became a skater because of my mom. It is not stretching the point to say, 'We became a skater,' two people, one pair of skates. We each had a job to do to make me a champion skater, and I certainly didn't do it on my own.” Peggy Fleming
    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.             
© July 27, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire
Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
The Perfect Gift, All Recipients to Receive Lasting Lift

Thursday, July 26, 2018

July 26, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not One Voice Day


Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 26, 2018 Jim Jordan has tossed his hat into the ring to become Speaker of the House should the Republicans retain control of the House after being in the forefront of the effort to impeach Rod Rosenstein; Michael Cohen may be facing serious ethical problems with the release of the secretly recorded tape he made with Trump (not to mention relations with future clients who would be leery of having attorney client conversations recorded);Tom Arnold was on a raving rant against Trump and his supporters to promote his quest to prove Trump is a racist; on the PC front radio talk show hosts Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco are off the air for referring to New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as “Turban Man” in a segment attacking his decision to suspend marijuana prosecutions; the deadly fire in Greece that has killed 82 people is now believed to be the result of arson; the planned invitation to Putin has been postponed due to the Mueller witch-hunt according to John Bolton; Mark Zuckerberg lost $15 billion of wealth as Facebook shares were down 19% today; through July 25, 2018, 1643 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 264 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 the Harmonicats,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact that you are not the subject any mistetch; a relevant quote from Sandra Bullock on meeting artists, secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like 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. National Intern Day—created by Way Up to promote internship as a means to get a toehold in a career at a low cost to the employer.
2. One Voice Day—commemorating since 1997 the reading of the Universal Peace Covenant, a 577 world covenant to bring families and nations together in peace, on this day.
3. 1947 Number One Song— the number one song in 1947 on a run of 4 weeks in that position was “Peg O’ My Hearts” by the Harmonicats. Here is a recording of the song:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BIuX7IsdE8
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “mistetch” which means a bad habit which politicians seem to have when they are prone to resort to rhetoric in demonizing their opponents positions.
5. Blind Sided—celebrating the birth on this day in 1964 of noted actress Sandra Bullock who won an Oscar for her role in The Blind Side and starred in the mega hit Gravity.
    On this day in: 
a. 1948 President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981 which desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces.  
b. 1963 Syncom II the world’s first geosynchronous satellite was successfully launched by NASA.
c. 1989 a federal grand jury indicted Cornell University student Robert T. Morris, Jr. for releasing the Morris Worm; he was the first person to be indicted under the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He was sentenced to three years of probation, 400 hours of community service and fined $10,050.
d. 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by George H.W. Bush.
e. 2016 Solar Impulse 2 became the first solar powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.
    Reflections on artists by a great one: “I've always said that the experience of meeting an artist that you are in awe of and that you hope to create with one day is usually disappointing because you put them up on a pedestal, and then you're like, 'Wow, that's not a nice person.'” Sandra Bullock.
    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.             
© July 25, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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