Wednesday, August 9, 2023

August 8, 2023 Ridley's Believe It Or Not

 

 

The Mega Millions jackpot which had grown to $1.58 billion was won with a winning number sold in Florida to a lucky winner who will pay not state income taxes, only federal on the winnings (the winning numbers were 13,19, 20, 32 and 33 with the  mega number drawn of 14. Powerful storms have hit the East Coast, killing 2 people and leaving 400,000 without power. In the World Cup games yesterday, France beat Morrocco 4-0 and Columbia beat Jamaica 1-0. Zoom which was taking no prisoners during the pandemic with its online video conferences now wants its employees to return to their offices as it announced the obvious that it is more effective in workers are physically present. In the Ukraine War, an assassination plot against Zelensky, Russia’s prime target, has been foiled with the arrest of a Russian operative who was gathering information on Zelensky’s planned visit to Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region at the end of July.  While Russians continue to target civilians with airstrikes, killing at least 7 and wounding dozen in a residential building in the city of  Pokrovsk, Ukrainian forces were striking a critical bridge linking Crimea to Russia.  In the first Republican Primary Debate, Mike Pence has raised enough money from small donors to qualify to be in the debate which Trump has not yet formerly committed to (He really should because if he does not he loses ability to blister Biden and the DNC for refusing to allow Biden to show his cognitive impairment against RFK). Los Angeles already suffering from a prolonged writers’ strike and actors’ strike and rolling strikes of hotel workers has been hit with a 1 day walkout of its city workers. Making amends for his gaffe of calling the Grand Canyon on of the 9 wonders of the world corrected to 1 of 7 on the list of wonders which it is not as that list only includes manmade structures, Biden declared his 5th National Monument in 10 months, the million acres of land surrounding portions of the Grand Canyon—The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni–Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument which has significance to Native American tribes and will preclude the mining of uranium in the   monument lands. Ohio voters failed to pass a referendum raising the voter approval necessary to amend their Constitution from 50% plus 1 vote to a 60% approval requirement.
             August 8, 2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet 
             Noted Holidays: National Dollar Day: Celebrating the creation of our monetary system by the Continental Congress on this day in 1782 setting the value of the coins used by their metallic content with gold pieces at $10 and silver at $1, and the value of other silver pieces at $1/10 and copper pennies at $1/100. The nation would have to wait until 1862 before paper money known as Federal Reserve Notes appeared on scene.
             Word of the Day: the word of the day is “asceticism” which means the doctrine that self denial of the body’s wants leads to spiritual enlightenment which as can be seen from obesity and drug and alcohol usage and rocketing credit card debt is not practiced by a good portion of the nation’s population.
              Song of the Day:  The number 1 song on this day in 2023 as we leave 1940 and come back to the present is c before we go back to the present tomorrow to again go back daily is “Try That in a Small Town” by Jason Aldean to share number 1 status with 11 other songs achieving number 1 ranking while 6 acts including Jason Aldean achieved number 1 status for the first time. Here is a recording of Jason Aldean performing the song that makes the leftists cringe “Try That in a Small Town”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_RKu-ESCY
              August 8 Birthdays: “Little Big Man Misnamed As One of Hollywood’s Biggest Stars: Dustin Hoffman born on this day in 1937 in Los Angeles who first appeared on the silver screen in The Graduate to win the first of 7 Academy Award nominations, 2 of which resulted in him winning an Oscar but the $20,000 he was paid netted him only $4000 after taxes and expenses and soon he was living on unemployment checks in New York City until he landed a starring role in Midnight Cowboy less than two years later which resulted in another Academy Award Nomination and his career was off to the races.
              August 8, Historical Events In Rhyme
              1.     On this day in 2022 FBI agents executed a search warrant at Mir-A-Logo looking for documents that were classified/Necessitated because it was felt Trump’s cooperation in turning over classified documents the DOJ felt it could no longer rely/Since Trump had the power to declassify while in office one has to wonder why he did not so act/Probably his efforts to overturn his loss was too much of a distract.
               2.     On this day in 2015 in an unincorporated area of Harris County David Conley/Entered the home of his former girlfriend Valerie Jackson to go on a shooting spree/Handcuffed her and her husband and 6 kids/ But she before handcuffing her he did/ Texted her mother that she was being at gunpoint being held/Police arrived shortly and knocked but no answer or sounds as the soon to be victims looking at a gun had not yelled/ Police left and came back twice alerted by Jackson’s siblings with result the same/Before the 4th visit they knew a man wanted on a warrant was inside and into the house they came/Conley started shooting and the officers beat a hasty retreat calling for backup/ Conley soon surrendered before more shooting could erupt/Tried, convicted and for the 8 murders sentenced to life without possibility of parole/But leaving us wondering if his victims would be alive today if the after the text message of being hostages at gunpoint they would have performed a more aggressive role.
               3.     On this day in 2004 a bus chartered by the Dave Matthews Band was crossing the Kinzie Street Bridge over the Chicago River/When the driver decided to flush the onboard restroom and 800 pounds of human waste deliver/Not into the waters below onto a tour boat’s viewing upper decks/Being covered suddenly with urine and fecal matter after paying a fare is not what the passengers should expect/The Band donated $300,000 to environmental groups protecting the river/The driver was sentenced to 150 hours of community service and required to the Friends of the Chicago River $15,000 deliver.
               4.      On this day in 2000 the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley having been sunk 136 years ago after causing the USS Housatonic to sink/Was raised to the surface from the drink/The TV show on the H.L. Hunley showed the 8 man crew unable to the water in the sub expel/Which doomed them to dying in a slow asphyxiation Hell/ But in realty the boat was too close to the target on spar detonation/instantaneous death from the blast was the fatal causation.
               5.      On this day in 1974/Nixon announced that at noon tomorrow he would be president no more/It would be time to on the Nixon presidency close the book/Save only due to the Grace of Gerald Ford a last flight on Air Force One to California he took.
               Famous Quote by Richard Nixon Announcing His Resignation: “I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.
              To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home.
              Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.
              As I recall the high hopes for America with which we began this second term, I feel a great sadness that I will not be here in this office working on your behalf to achieve those hopes in the next 21/2 years. But in turning over direction of the Government to Vice President Ford, I know, as I told the Nation when I nominated him for that office 10 months ago, that the leadership of America will be in good hands.”

 © August 8, 2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet
www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
Poems on Events of the Day
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