The insanity on the issue of immigration continues to accelerate

Lost in the rhetoric and demonizing is any chance of rational acts or debate

The position of the Blues is set in uncompromising stone

Open borders, catch and release, never send the illegal aliens back to their homes

The position of the Reds is that we must secure the borders, deport the criminals and make it a crime after deportation the border again cross

Lost in the shuffle and rhetoric is a discussion of the basic issue of how many immigrants and what kind of aliens do we admit and at what cost?

Do we prioritize family members or immigrants with needed and useful skills?

Financially  independent who can pay their own bills?

Should we not emphasize those immigrants who want to into our culture assimilate?

As opposed to those who are prone to reject our values and isolate?

Until we come to some agreement on numbers and talents we are just wasting our time

Until we do a better job of assimilation in this PC insanity world we are attacking the issue half heartily with wasted nickels and dimes

Sanctuary cities, sanctuary churches, sanctuary schools and now sanctuary restaurants when will this nonsense ever end?

What is best for America in terms of who gets in and who stays has to be the new normal the only acceptable trend

We need the best and the brightest to come to our shores

The rest who do not make the cut should face a closed door  

© January 31, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 31, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 31, 2017 The hysterical theater among the Blues continues unabated and getting worse from Schumer’s fake tears to an acting AG refusing to enforce President Trump’s executive order resulting in her firing (too bad she will not be disbarred) to Senate Blues boycotting the hearings on Price and Mnuchin and doing everything they can to delay a vote on Sessions (are there any adults left among the Blues?); not sure if one can take this with a grain of salt but the American Action Forum reported that Trump’s freezing of regulations will save the economy almost $200 billion; the UN Security Council is meeting to consider what to do over Iran’s flaunting of Security Council resolutions banning them from conducting ballistic missile development (great job Obama and Kerry); rumor has it the U.S. will pull out of the Paris climate accord in days; news that the attack on a Saudi frigate off the coast of Yemen was a suicide bomber not a missile and the target was believed to have been a an American ship and the attackers, you guessed it were an Iranian backed terror group (thanks again Kerry and Obama); on the ISIS front an infamous ISIS beheader has been killed by assailants in Iraq; ending on a sad note through Monday as President Trump is raising the possibility of sending in federal agents to Chicago, the number of  mostly blacks were shot by mostly blacks in Chicago rose to 305   with 52 fatalities and from Mayor Emanuel and the BLM nothing but the sounds of silence. 

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Savage Garden, factoids of interest for this day in history, a reflection on life by Tallulah Bankhead, hoping in you are able to avoid any cacoesthes urge, 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. Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day—celebrating the payment on January 31, 1940 of the first Social Security checks sent out to retirees (the first check was to Ida Fuller in the amount of $22.54). Sadly with the aging of the population coupled with increases in longevity, this is an observance that we may not be observing in the future unless the program is reformed.  

           2. Inspire Your Heart with Art Day—celebrating one of the things that separate humans from all other animals on this planet, the ability to create art and to appreciate art; surprise your Valentine with a homemade card and a poem customized by the Alaskanpoet.

          3. Number One Song in 2000 —celebrating the number 1 song in 2000 on a run of 4 weeks in that position “I Knew I Loved You” by Savage Garden. Here is a link to Savage Garden performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjnmICxvoVY

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “cacoethes ” which means an urge to do something inadvisable like eating too much or exercising too little or in the case of politicians an urge to spend, spend, spend and then tax, tax, tax.     

           5. Good Girls—celebrating the birth on this day in 1902 of Tallulah Bankhead noted stage actress who struggled with alcoholism, smoked way too much, fought addiction and sexual proclivities and who died at age 66 from emphysema and pneumonia with her last words being “codeine bourbon.”  

 On this day in:

 1. 1747 the first clinic for venereal disease opened at London Lock Hospital.

 2. 1917 after a two year hiatus, Germany announced that its U-boats would resume unrestricted warfare against merchant shipping including ships of neutral nations like the United States.   

 3. 1930 the 3 M began marketing Scotch Tape.

 4. 1968 Viet Cong attacked the U.S. Embassy in Saigon while launching simultaneous attacks across South Vietnam, seizing Hue and holding it for weeks; the Tet Offensive as it was called spelled the beginning of the end of Johnson’s presidency and support for the Vietnam War.

 5. 2010 Avatar became the first film to gross over $2 billion in ticket sales worldwide.    

Reflections on a decadent life style from one who lived it: “It's the good girls who keep diaries; the bad girls never have the time.” Tallulah Bankhead 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.

© January 31, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 30, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Fred Korematsu Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 30, 2017 President Trump sounds like an infomercial signing an executive order that requires for each new proposed federal regulation, two must be eliminated; troubling news that Iran is once again thumbing its nose at the world by test firing another ballistic missle;  President Trump’s executive orders temporarily blocking admission of visa holders from seven predominantly Muslim countries with massive terrorist attacks has been stayed by a federal court judge in Brooklyn and has been accompanied by numerous protests at airports across the land; the myopic chief denizen of the swamp Chuck Schumer has vowed with tears to empathize his commitment  to fight President Trump’s attempt to protect this country tough and nail; the big winner in the bro ha-ha over banning potential terrorists from Muslim countries is the ACLU which has reported a flood of contributions in excess of $24 million; President Trump will announce his pick for a SCOTUS Justice tomorrow and after seeing the reaction by the Blues led by Schumer to the banning of refugees, the Senate Blues should be shopping for lead jackets as my prediction is that regardless of who President Trump selects the Blue Senators will Bork him or her which means the Reds should use the nuclear option; stunning news out of Quebec on the shootings in a mosque that killed six is that one of the two shooters arrested is a Moroccan (the biggest threat to Muslims and why they need to join the fight against ISIS is radical Islam); celebs were on a rant and rave last night at SAG awards against President Trump—when will they wake up to the fact that normal Americans may appreciate their talent but think on political issues they are useless and clueless; Masaya Nakamura the creator of the Pac Man video game has passed away at 91; ending on a sad note through Sunday as President Trump is raising the possibility of sending in federal agents to Chicago, the number of  mostly blacks were shot by mostly blacks in Chicago rose to 293  with 50 fatalities and from Mayor Emanuel and the BLM nothing but the sounds of silence. 

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Britney Spears, factoids of interest for this day in history, a reflection on internment by Fred Korematsu , hoping in your speaking and writing that you are not viewed as a blatherskite, 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. Fred Korematsu Day—observed in California, Illinois and Virginia to honor the birth of Japanese-American civil rights advocate Fred Korematsu who was the plaintiff in one of the worst decisions SCOTUS has ever handed down, ruling that FDR was justified in interning Japanese-American citizens on the West Coast after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.

           2. School Day of Nonviolence and Peace—celebrating since 1964 the idea that nonviolence and peace should be the cornerstones of any civilized education and observed on the anniversary of the death of Mahatma Gandhi.

          3. Number One Song in 1999 —celebrating the number 1 song in 1998 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears. Here is a link to her performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-u5WLJ9Yk4

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “blatherskite ” which means a person who talks at great length without making much sense—a perfect word to describe most politicians whether they be Red or Blue.     

           5. Guns of August—celebrating the birth on this day in 1912 of noted historian and journalist Barbara Tuchman who won two Pulitzer Prizes for The Guns of August and Stilwell the American Experience in China.  

 On this day in:

 1. 1835 in the first assassination attempt on a U.S. President, a house painter Richard Lawrence tried to assassinate President Andrew Jackson but was subdued by Andrew Jackson and bystanders and ended up spending the rest of his life in an insane asylum.

 2. 1908 Mahatma Gandhi was released from prison in South Africa after serving two months by Premier Jan Smuts. 

 3. 1930 the Politburo under the urging of Joseph Stalin ordered the extermination the Kulaks which resulted the deaths through starvation and executions of over 2,000,000 innocents (had the Germans been thinking correctly, they would have harnessed the Ukrainians to their side and wiped the Soviets off the the map in WWII).

 4. 1945 in the deadliest maritime disaster of record, the Wilhelm Gustloff crowded with refugees fleeing from the advancing Red Army in East Prussia was sunk by a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea killing some 9,500 civilians. .

 5. 1948 after fulfilling his dream of independence for India Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist Nathuran Godse who in a deranged sense believed that Gandhi was favoring Muslims over Hindus.   Godse was apprehended, tried, convicted and executed although two of Gandhi’s sons pleaded that his life be spared.   

Reflections on a really bad SCOTUS decision that has never been overturned and still is precedent that probably could be used against Muslim Americans: “As long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without trial or hearing. I would like to see the government admit they were wrong and do something about it, so this will never happen again to any American citizen of any race,  creed, or color.” Fred Korematsu  Scary thought as we become more and more polarized and fearful for our safety. 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.

© January 30, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 28, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Tet

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 28, 2017  President Trump received support for his proposed wall from Netanyahu; President Trump and Putin were on the phone discussing how to improve strained U.S./Russian relations especially in the area of defeating radical Islam; Reds after meeting in Philadelphia are coming to realize that repealing Obamacare will be easy replacing it is going to be a lot more difficult and will require votes of Senate Blues which are problematical at best; President Trump’s executive order freezing the admission of refugees from 7 countries claimed its first victims as 12 refugees were detained at JFK, an event that 2 Blue representatives turned into a partisan anti-Trump media event; President Trump tweeted that he will announce his pick to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Scalia on Thursday and the big issue in Washington is whether the Reds will exercise the “nuclear option” if Blues filibuster his pick; in another example of how divisive this nation has become Secret Service agent Kerry O’Grady has been placed on administrative leave for posting on Facebook that because of his policies, she would no longer be willing to take a bullet meant for him; more drama on the entertainment front as Oscar favorite Casey Afflect has been hit with a growing number of sexual harassment claims; on the sports front, Serena Williams beat her sister in the Australian Open for her 23^rd major tournament win to pass Steffi Graf who had previously held the record in the Open era. ending on a sad note through Friday as President Trump is raising the possibility of sending in federal agents to Chicago, the number of  mostly blacks were shot by mostly blacks in Chicago rose to 282  with 48 fatalities and from Mayor Emanuel and the BLM nothing but the sounds of silence. 

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Janet Jackson, factoids of interest for this day in history, a reflection on art by the birthday boy Jackson Pollock, hoping in your speaking and writing any adscititious words improve  the clarity of your thoughts, 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. Tet—observed by the Vietnamese as the lunar new year; if going to Little Saigon  today expect long waits in line at any restaurant located there.   

          2. Data Privacy Day—celebrating since 2007 the need to create awareness of need for data protection and privacy and promote best practices to insure the protection of data.

          3. Number One Song in 1998—celebrating the number 1 song in 1998 on a run of 2 weeks in that position “Together Again” by Janet Jackson. Here is a link to her performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfK5QhZ9u7o

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “adscititious ” which means forming an addition or supplement which is not integral— something politicians are prone to do in their long winded speeches when on camera during hearings and hoping to create the sound bite that makes it to the evening news.     

           5. On the Canvass of Life Bodies Splatter—celebrating the birth on this day in 1912 of noted abstract painter Jackson Pollock noted for splattering, dripping or pouring paint directly onto canvas; unfortunately at the age of 44 after a night on the town, less than a mile from his home,  he drove his car into a tree and died.  

 On this day in:

 1. 1878 the Yale Daily News became the nation’s first college newspaper.

 2. 1898 Walter Arnold of East Peckham, Kent became the first person to be ticketed for speeding for traveling at 8 mph and was ultimately fined one shilling.  

 3. 1909 U.S. troops left Cuba with the exception of those remaining at Guantanamo Bay who have remained to this day.

 4. 1915 Congress established the U.S. Coast Guard as a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.

 5. 1986 the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff killing all 7 astronauts aboard.  

Reflections on art from one of its masters:”Abstract painting is abstract. It confronts you. There was a reviewer a while back who wrote that my pictures didn’t have any beginning or any end. He didn’t mean it as a compliment, but it was.” Jackson Pollock  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.

© January 28, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 27, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 27, 2017  It may only be photo opts but the anarchy of American cities declaring themselves to be “sanctuary cities” has just claimed its first surrender in Miami which hopefully the renegade mayors of San Francisco, L.A., Chicago, and New York in order to preserve federal funding will come to their senses and no longer support the nonsense of not responding to detainer requests from ICE (God help the Blues who once again try to block Kate’s Law as more and more parents face the agony of a child killed by an illegal alien—vote them out); CAIR which is a complete sham for promoting the idea of peaceful Muslims slammed President Trump’s proposed executive orders on suspending visas of persons coming from radical Islam infected areas and freezing Syrian refugees (what about the fact that radical Islam is slaughtering Muslims in increasing record numbers does this pathetic group not get, understand or get on the front lines to protest?); at a time when we need unity more than ever the Blues seem to be on a “not now not ever” campaign against President Trump with Senator Gillibrand (the one pathetic Senator voting against Mathis-how out of touch with reality of a dangerous world can a New York liberal be?) trying to lead the pack; after the Women’s March to protest Trump a pro life march will occur today in the swamp (ironic that the news today was of a pregnant woman who after being diagnosed with cancer and enduring chemo became pregnant and after the cancer reappeared had deliver prematurely not one but four children who are still in ICU but doing well—what a precious gift is the gift of life); California has too often been at the forefront of radical ideas but the latest one tops the list as a petition to put on the ballot the succession of this state from the United States has been filed (if we had a two party state instead of a leftist Blue super majority state never would have happened—time for anyone with intelligence, drive, and money to find perhaps another state and pack clothes to deal with the less than pleasing weather); in yet another example of why we must move quickly to reduce taxes and unshackle the regulatory chains strangling business for the fourth quarter we find that the economy grew at an annual anemic rate of 1.9% (just another final parting gift from a clueless and failed president); ending on a sad note through Thursday as President Trump is raising the possibility of sending in federal agents to Chicago, 266 mostly blacks were shot by mostly blacks in Chicago with 46 fatalities and from Mayor Emanuel and the BLM nothing but the sounds of silence. 

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Toni Braxton, factoids of interest for this day in history, a reflection on the Holocaust by a survivor Zygmunt Bauman, hoping you approach issues in a zetetic manner, 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 Holocaust Remembrance Day—observed since 2005 by the UN but as we see in the lands occupied by radical Islamists like ISIS genocide is still alive and well and the civilized world seems helpless to kill without mercy the fanatics who continue that horrific practice. 

          2. National Geographic Day—celebrating the formation of the National Geographic Society on this day in 1888.

          3. Number One Song in 1996—celebrating the number 1 song in 1997 on a long run of 11 weeks in that position “Un-Break My Heart” by Toni Braxton. Here is a link to her performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Rch6WvPJE

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “zetetic” which means proceeding by investigation or inquiry which is always better than relying on false news which is the new normal in today’s politically charged world.    

           5. For the Left Big Eddie Is Always Ready—bemoaning the birthday of Ed Schulz, a very left wing commentator who finally found MSNBC to be too conservative for his leftist leanings and moved to the RT Network funded out of Moscow.  

 On this day in:

 1. 1606 the trial of Guy Fawkes and his conspirators began which would end with their execution on January 31 of the same year.

 2. 1944 the 900 day siege of Leningrad (St. Petersburg) was finally lifted.

 3. 1967 the Soviet Union, United States and the United Kingdom signed a treaty banning the deployment  of nuclear weapons in outer space.

 4. 1973 the Paris Peace Accords were signed bringing an end to the Vietnam War in form only as the war would continue without U.S. involvement until South Vietnam fell in 1975.

 5. 1980 through the cooperation of the U.S. and Canadian governments six U.S.  diplomats were secreted out of Iran.  

Reflections on the Holocaust and why the evil it represents should never be allowed to repeat itself: “The risk of the Holocaust is not that it will be forgotten, but that it will be embalmed and surrounded by monuments and used to absolve all future sins.” Zygmunt Bauman Noted Polish born sociologist and historian of the Holocaust 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.

© January 27, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 26, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Customs Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 26, 2017  President Trump’s mode of diplomacy appears to be catching on as the President of Mexico informed him on Twitter that he is cancelling their scheduled meeting to discuss the wall and NAFTA; several senior members of the State Department have resigned and those resignations have been accepted as has the head of the Border Patrol appointed by Obama in the last year of his term; new executive orders means that you will see no more additional Syrian “refugees” for near term future; look for an executive order shortly reducing U.S. funding of the UN; look for the battling of the two dueling infrastructure spending bills one to be proposed by President Trump which envisages a public private joint venture and the one proposed by the Blues which is solely public funding (remember the Obama “shovel ready projects” mantra that was a complete disaster);  ;  on the economic front the Dow broke through the 20,000 barrier for the first time in its history and closed up again today at 20,100.49 (thanks in large part to the election of President Trump); ending on a sad note through Wednesday as President Trump is raising the possibility of sending in federal agents to Chicago, 264 mostly blacks were shot by mostly blacks in Chicago with 45 fatalities and from Mayor Emanuel and the BLM nothing but the sounds of silence. 

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, factoids of interest for this day in history, an understatement of the first order by Monica Lewinsky, wondering about the ylem present at the creation of the universe, 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 Customs Day—celebrating the contributions of customs officials to a nation’s security and collection of revenue.

          2. Lotus 1-2-3 Day—celebrating the introduction of Lotus 1-2-3, a very easy to use spread sheet program making modeling and financial projections far easier. It dominated the market until the introduction of Microsoft’s Excel.

          3. Number One Song in 1996—celebrating the number 1 song in 1996 on a long run of 16 weeks in that position “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. Here is a link to them performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXxRyNvTPr8

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “ylem” which is in the big bang theory of the creation of the universe, the primordial matter composed primarily of neutrons at high temperature and density.   

           5. The Nightbird Chirps—celebrating the birth on this day in 1937 of Alison Steele known to her fans at WNEW radio as “the Nightbird”. She was a pioneer disc jockey in a profession dominated by men. She died far too early of stomach cancer at the age of 58.

 On this day in:

 1. 1699 the first steps were taken to after centuries of ascendancy to turn the Ottoman Empire into the “sick man of Europe” and its ultimate destruction during World War I with the Ottoman Empire executing the Treaty of Karlowitz which resulted in the Ottomans ceding large parts of Central Europe to Austria and bringing an end to the Austro-Ottoman War.

 2. 1905 the world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan, was found at the Premier Mine near Pretoria, South Africa weighing almost 2/3 of a kilogram.

 3. 1920 former Ford Motor executive Henry Leland launched the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to Ford.

 4. 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Janet Travell as his personal physician, the first woman to serve in such capacity.

 5. 1998 President Bill Clinton went on national TV and solemnly lied to the American people that he had not had sexual relations with that woman Monica Lewinsky (what about oral sex did that sexual predator not understand as being a sexual relation)?  

Talk about an understatement or a really sick pun: “I voted Republican this year; the Democrats left a bad taste in my mouth.” Monica Lewinsky Although there have been no studies, my take would be that of parents with teen age daughters who wanted to serve as White House interns or who were interns, those parents voted 100 percent for Trump to keep the First Predator from roaming the White House in search of prey. 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.

© January 26, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift All to Receive a Lasting Lift

January 25, 2017 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Fluoride Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For January 25, 2017  President Trump is on a roll toward his job creation goals—signed executive orders to start process of building a wall on our porous border with Mexico and executive orders to strip sanctuary cities of federal grants and enhance ICE’s ability to deport illegal aliens; do not be surprised if Obama’s failed policy of admitting thousands of potential radicalized or easy to be radicalized “refugees” will soon be frozen; Chelsea Handler who is a fraud posing as a comedian continues to rail at FLOTUS (once again the left who preach tolerance are the least tolerant of them all when it comes to anyone who disagrees with them in the slightest); the Blues in the Senate led by the chief swamp denizen Chuck Schumer continue to try to delay confirmation of President Trump’s cabinet picks (at least some senators have a sense of duty and confirmed Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador 96-4 with you guessed it out of touch socialist Bernie Sanders voting no); Chicago which cannot keep its black citizens safe from black on black shootings is set to defy the federal government on Trump’s plan to strip federal funding due to its sanctuary city status will have a new ally as its school board will declare it to be a sanctuary school district (pure hype as more likely than not most illegal aliens have probably dropped out by the 9^th grade);  in yet another example of failure, a non-partisan report on the School Improvement Grant program that under Obama soared to over $7 billion during his term revealed the expenditure was a total failure in terms of improving students’ achievements (Schumer needs to get out of the way and confirm charter school advocate Betsy DeVos);  on the economic front the Dow broke through the 20,000 barrier for the first time in its history and closed at 20,068.51 (thanks in large part to the election of President Trump); on the entertainment front Mary Tyler Moore is dead at 80; ending on a sad note through Tuesday as President Trump is raising the possibility of sending in federal agents to Chicago 248 mostly blacks were shot by mostly blacks in Chicago with 44 fatalities and from Mayor Emanuel and the BLM nothing but the sounds of silence. 

        As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, a music link to TLC, factoids of interest for this day in history, an observation on winning by Steve Prefontaine, wondering what xenology will yield while gazing up into the heavens, 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. A Room of One’s Own Day—celebrating the need of all to have their own private space that can be decorated as that person sees fit and so named to honor the birth of author Virginia Woolf on this day in 1882 who wrote a novel with the same title.

          2. National Fluoride Day—celebrating the introduction of fluoride into our municipal water supply which first occurred in Grand  Rapids, Michigan on this day in 1945.

          3. Number One Song in 1995—celebrating the number 1 song in 1995 on a run of 4 weeks in that position “Creep” by TLC. Here is a link to TLC performing the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlZydtG3xqI

          4. Word of the Day—the word of the day is “xenology” which is the scientific study of extraterrestrial phenomenon (are we really alone in the universe or are there hundreds of planets out there with ET’s?).   

           5. Run Don’t Drive—celebrating the birth on this day in 1951 of Steve Prefontaine, one of America’s greatest long distance runners who tragically with a blood alcohol level of .16 crashed into a wall on May 30, 1975 driving home from a race victory party and was pronounced dead at the scene.  

 On this day in:

 1. 1881 Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell agreed to form the Oriental Telephone Company to sell telephones in Greece, South Africa, Turkey, India, China, Japan and other Asian countries.

 2. 1915 the U.S. became a much smaller nation when Alexander Graham Bell instituted transcontinental phone service between New York and California.

 3. 1924 the first Winter Olympics were held at Chamonix in the French Alps.

 4. 1949 the first Emmy Awards were presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club in California.

 5. 1998 Pope John Paul II made an historic visit to Cuba calling for an end to repression by the Castro regime and castigated the U.S. for its attempts to isolate the island nation.  

Reflections from the birthday boy on how to beat him in a race: “Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it.” Steve Prefontaine Sadly, alcohol does not bleed but it sure as hell can cause a drinker to bleed and bleed badly to death. 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.

© January 25, 2017 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet 

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