July 10, 2018 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Clarihew Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For July 10, 2018 Mission accomplished in Thailand as the last four boys and the coach were successfully rescued from the cave (what a great testimony to the ability of the world to unite to fight a potential nature driven tragedy which gives some hope the nations of this blue speck can unite to resolve man made tragedies like trade wars, nuclear proliferation and migration creating civil wars); Brett Kavanaugh was named as Trump’s pick to SCOTUS and the response of the left was immediate and rabid to fight to the last Senator to block confirmation (what a contrast between a judge who is opened minded, reveres the Constitution and is not prejudgmental and the rabid left who want nothing to do with the advise and consent role other than say no and demonize the nominee and launch scare tactics that women are going to die if he is confirmed); Trump is off to  a NATO summit and a visit to the U.K. that may not have a government to receive him as Prime Minister May is on a slender thread and then off to meet Putin; in another over the top rhetoric totally counterproductive Blue New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon called ICE a terrorist organization; in Stockton known as the foreclosure capital of the world news of a pilot program that is giving 100 residents $500 a month without restrictions; leave it to the Blues to politicize the rescue of the trapped Thai soccer team; this time in the form of Sen. Durbin comparing the trapped boys to illegal aliens separated from their parents; on the border front good news is that Mexico may establish a border force to halt or at least hinder the flow of illegals from Central America entering Mexico to journey to our border; the love birds of anti-Trump bias, Page and Strzock,  may be hedging on their agreement to appear before Congress to testify; in Chicago, through July 9, 2018, 1462 people mostly of color have been shot by mostly people of color, of whom 226 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, music links to Robin Thicke and Arlo Gutherie,  factoids of interest for this day in history, the fact you are able to separate the meretricious rhetoric from reality; a relevant quote from Brigadier D. J. Anderson on the fall of Mosul, 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 Clerihew Day—commemorating the birthday on this day in 1875 of Edmond Clerihew Bentley, an English writer who popularized the clerihew, a four line biographical poem with an AABB rhyme scheme with the subject in the first line: Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet/When it comes to rhyme he knows it/ Wild fish fishing his way through the Farm/ Farm raised salmon he thinks causes great harm.       

2. Cow Appreciation Day—today is the day to don a cow costume and head to the nearest Chick-fil-A to receive a free entrée.

3. 2013 Number One Song— the number one song in 2013 on a run of 12 weeks in that position was “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell. Here is a recording of the song:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “meretricious” which means superficially attractive but lacking value which describes to a tee some of the ideas of the left like open borders or free college for all.

5. Don’t Fly Take the Train—celebrating the birth on this day in 1947 of Arlo Gutherie, noted iconic pop singer of the 60’s with such hits as “City of New Orleans”-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvMS_ykiLiQ   

         On this day in: 

a. 1962 in a world got much smaller moment, the U.S. launched into orbit Telstar, the world’s first communications satellite.

b. 1992 former dictator of Panama Noriega was sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug dealing and racketeering.

c. 1998 the Catholic Diocese of Dallas agreed to pay $23.4 million to nine former altar boys who alleged they were molested by former priest Rudolph Kos. 

d. 2005 Erden Eruc began his solo human powered circumnavigation of the world from Bodega Bay, California, which journey was completed on July 21, 2012.

e. 2017 Iraqi forces liberated Mosul from ISIS but not before most of the buildings therein were heavily damaged or destroyed by fighting.

    Reflections on the retaking of Mosul from ISIS: “The inevitable and imminent fall of Mosul does not mean that Daesh is defeated. The sequencing . . . of course, will be up to the government of Iraq.” Brigadier General D.J. Anderson, a senior officer in the U.S. led coalition against ISIS who predicted actions against ISIS would continue.
    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 10, 2018 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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