© December 14, 2023 Ridley’s Believe It Or Not
On the Ukraine War front, Zelensky
was in Washington pleading for continuation of military aid package to Ukraine while
Reds are standing fast that it must be accompanied with a major increase in
funding to secure the border even though Biden has earmarked for release $200
million already approved. U.S. intelligence opining that Russia has lost a
staggering 87% of the troops it started the invasion of the Ukraine with which
if the intel is correct one has to wonder when Russian mothers seeing a
constant stream of coffins containing their sons call it quits.
On Hamas Israel war front, a
recent report by U.S. Intelligence claims that half of the munitions from the
U.S. are not of the “smart” variety but dumb bombs which are more likely to
cause collateral damage which could explain the rising Gaza civilian casualties
being reported in Gaza. Hamas appears to have gone dark in terms of
negotiations to release the 100 or so hostages held by it.
On the Biden impeachment front,
House Reds voted to commence an impeachment inquiry which does not guarantee
impeachment but moves the decision
closer. Hunter was a “no show” for his subpoenaed deposition but instead on the
Capitol Steps held a press conference to excoriate Reds who are threatening to
destroy him, allegations after hearing from the whistleblowers who have
revealed the extent of Joe Biden’s involvement, should fall on deaf ears.
The Senate passed a massive
Christmas present for members of the military, increasing pay and benefits 5.6%
to result in increased costs of $886 billion but contained short term provision
allowing the interception of foreign nationals’ U.S. based communication
systems which has ruffled the feathers of some privacy and 4th
Amendment zealots.
On the autopilot front, Tesla has
announced a 2 million vehicle recall for its vehicles using autopilot due to
some 1,000 car crashes, some 7 of which have be fatal.
On the DEI front the Regents of
the University of Wisconsin cut a deal with state Reds where the number of DEI
positions will be frozen and dozens of DEI positions will be reallocated in
exchange for $800 million of new funding projects and initiatives. Not surprising,
given that across the nation more and more people are realizing that the “I” in
DEI means not inclusion but “ineptness” and the “D” means not diversity but
“Damaging”.
On the climate change
front, as nations are looking to EVS’ to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels
while almost all of cobalt critical in the lithium batteries used comes from
China and the Republic of The Congo a new cobalt mine in Idaho which looked
extremely promising will not be closed before even opening due to the collapse
of cobalt prices due to lack of EVS’ demand.
December 14, 2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet
Noted Holidays: Free
Shipping Day: Created in 2008 by
Luke and Maisie Knowles of Kinoli, Inc. to encourage procrastinators to
purchase gifts that needed to by shipped in order to be received by Christmas
and in the first year had 250 participating companies, with some big names such
as Target and JCPenney. Now with the internet it is rare to find a company
that does not offer free shipping on all purchases or at least those above a
given dollar amount.
Word
of the Day: The word of the day as we continue with words
starting with “b” is “blype” which means a piece
of skin that peels off after a sun burn which with the concern over the
damaging effect of the UV in the Sun’s rays, especially skin cancer has led to
less sunburns due to copious use of sunscreen and sun tan lotion.
Song of the Day: Leaving
the number 1 songs on this day in 1940’s to come back to the number
song in 2011 in the U.S.A. was “We Found Love” by
Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris a run of 8
weeks to share number 1 status with 13 other songs, while 9 acts, including
Calvin Harris, achieved their 1st number 1 single. Here is a recording
with lyrics of Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris performing “We Found Love”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrJosGJj7w0
December 14 Birthdays: “Running Through the
Color Barrier but Tackled by Disease”: celebrating the birth on this day in
1939 in New Salem, Pennsylvania of Ernie Davis, half back at Syracuse, who was
the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961 and to be drafted
in the first round by Washington in 1962 and traded to the Cleveland Browns but
diagnosed with leukemia to die on May 18, 1963 without ever taking a snap in
the NFL.
December 14, Historical Events in
Rhyme
1. On this day in 2012 in Newton,
Connecticut 20 year old Adam Lanza killed his mother with 4 shots to her head/wearing
her pajamas while still in bed/Then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School and
shot and killed 20 aged six and seven
kids in a brief shooting spree/Plus 6 members of the school staff who died
trying to save any kid Lanza could see/First responders arrived on scene in a
few minutes of time/ As Lanza was shooting himself to death for his
crimes/Lanza’s house has been razed and now open space/Sandy Hook Elementary
has been razed and a new school built to it replace/Remington Arms sued for
selling the guns settled for $73 million bucks/But in terms of more mental
health funding for Newton residents, the residents are still out of luck.
2. On this day in 1994
China the climate change bete noire for its coal fired power plants building
spree/Started construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the River named Yangtze/To
now become the world’s largest hydroelectric generating plant with a capacity
of 22,500 (MW) of electrical power /Due to the reservoir holding 39.2 million
m3 of water that over the river downstream towers/Our biggest dam the Grand
Coulee is dwarfed in size/Has only a capacity of 6,809 (MW) to its customers
supply.
3. On this day in
1985 the glass tent was broken when Wilma Mankiller became the principal chief of
the Cherokee Nation/An activist before she ran a program on the tribe’s
economic salvation/If she was misnamed with her surname her history does not
show/Married only twice and only one premature estate plan to bestow/One of
several women to be on quarters including Stanford grad Sally Ride who would
into space go/Unlike Elizabeth Warren who to further her career Cherokee Tribe
status claimed/This Native American as a true Cherokee was worthy of her fame.
4. On
this day in 1903 at Kill Devil Hill at Kitty Hawk/Wilbur made the first attempt
to fly but after 3 ½ seconds the motor balked/Stalls and crashes into the ground/Still
convinced the flight idea is sound/the Wright Flyer is painstakingly repaired/On
the 17th ,4 trial flights of the Flyer with Orville first are made
for 12 seconds in the air/On the last flight Wilbur flew for 59 seconds a
distance of 852 feet/Finally with an engine humans would be able to gravity
defeat.
5. On this day in 1812 Ney’s rear guard
of Napoleon’s Grande Armée which had with 450,000 troops crossed the
Niemen River into Russia in June/With only a thousand still able to fight with
the Grand Armée in ruins/Defeated by the weather, lack of supplies and Moscow
burned before their very eyes/Retreated in a dwindling, starving, diseased, disorganized
mass/Each day by Cossacks who the retreat with death harassed/ Napoleon who had
left Moscow on a sled on December 5 and followed by less than 30,000 who had
preceded Ney faced a rising Allied tide/Forced to fight outnumbered on 2 sides/Soon
to be sent off to Elba in exile but too quickly to return/To be defeated at
Waterloo and his permanent exile on St. Helena learn.
Quote by Napoleon to his British Doctor while in exile after entering
Moscow a week after the Battle of Borodino: “This fire demolished everything. I
was ready for everything but not this. Who could think that people would burn
their own capital? If not for that fateful fire, I would have had everything
for the army. Next year, either [Russian emperor] Alexander would conclude
peace, or I would be in St. Petersburg,”
© December 14, 2023 Ridley’s
Believe It Or Not
www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
Poems on Events of the Day
Unique Commissioned Poems
for Special Events
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