Shave at Floyd's

A Shave at Floyd’s

After trying and failing to grow a beard I would want to see cover my face Decided easier to go to a barber to obtain clean shaven look to put in place

Went to Floyd's in Costa Mesa and was told it would be a near hour long wait

Fortunately Harp's is next door with great food and Guinness to hunger and thirst sate

Went back and had Jerry as my luck of the barber draw

Hit jackpot and was with the shave totally awed

First the electric clippers to shorten the stubble

Then hot aromatic towel to soften the rubble

Then a razor with a blade so very sharp

Wielded so smoothly no nicks and cuts no need to summon Angels playing harps

About as close and smooth as close and smooth could possibly be

Another hot towel and from a shaggy appearance set free

Maybe imagination as the hairs hit the floor

Some of my years disappeared out the door

Well worth the 32 dollars and tip

Nothing bets a shave by a barber with a steady hand and grip

© February 28, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

February 28, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not International Day to Stand Up Against BullyingInt Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 28, 2020 At a time when the markets are being rocked by coronavirus fears and the number of infections are increasing in more and more countries along with deaths, what is needed are clear heads and bipartisan responses and instead we are inundated with MSM rhetoric that this is the Trump coronavirus; classic example of how this virus is stoking the flames of partisanship; Garamendi is in a snit fit over the response or as he claims nonresponse of Trump to coronavirus and threatens Don Trump, Jr. with altercation (good luck on that John as it’s been over 50 years since you played football and wrestled for Cal); the second case of the virus not stemming from a known infection has been reported in California; as Iran is hit with the spread of infections and deaths, the Great Satan has offered assistance to fight the virus (wonder if the move will still the “Death to  America” chants in the streets of Tehran?); Nunes has indicated the subpoenas are in place ready to be filed against senior FBI and DOJ officials involved in the FISA Court abuse and the Russian collusion delusion investigation (would prefer that guilty parties plead guilty and seek pardons form Trump as a means to restore the integrity of the DOJ and FBI and like Ford’s pardon of Nixon attempt to heal the nation);  Trump may have made great strides in reshaping the ultra-leftist 9^th Circuit but its recent ruling banning Trump’s executive order to force asylum seekers to return to Mexico pending adjudication which has been immensely successful in reducing illegal entry shows that much more appointments need to be made; Mark Zuckerberg has been hit with numerous allegations of misconduct involving his family and aides which spokesmen deny and claim to be unfounded; black commentator for CNN Angela Raye is heaping shame on black supporters of President Trump (wakeup call CNN black voters are just like other voters who have a tendency to vote their pocket books and the news for blacks in that regard is great); in Chicago, as of February 27, 2020, 331 people have been shot of whom 65 have died as no one died yesterday in a minor miracle; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has fallen 16 behind Chicago with 49 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

 As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Teressa Brewer,  the fact that you do not suffer from ochlophobia,  a relevant quote by Lady Gaga on bullying,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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. Global Scouse Day—created Liverpool, England, the city that brought us the Beatles, to celebrate a beef or vegetable stew by the same name. For those curious on how to make it here is a link: https://globalscouseday.com/bby  

2. International Day to Stand Up to Bullying—created in 2008 when two students in Nova Scotia stood up to a bully who was bullying a fellow classmate for wearing a pink shirt.

3. 1953 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1953 on this day on a run of 5 weeks in the position was “Till I Waltz With You Again” by Teresa Brewer.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt-oU8KqQFs. This prolific singer who recorded over 600 songs during her career waltzed her last on October 17, 2007 at the age of 76.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “ochlophobia” which means a fear of crowds, a characteristic all of us may soon acquire in the coronavirus pandemic continues to expand out of control.

5. Anti-Trumper All the Way—celebrating or bemoaning depending on your political views the birthday on this day in 1953 of Paul Krugman, noted purveyor of the “Dismal Science” who has been a rabid critic of Trump’s economic policies.

On this day in:               

      a. 1953 James Watson and Francis Crick announced to friends that they had discovered the chemical makeup of the DNA molecule.

     b. 1958 a school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunges down an embankment into the Levisa Fork River resulting in the death of the driver and 26 school children.

     c. 1983 the final episode of M*A*S*H aired on TV watched by some 106 million viewers, a record for a last episode number of viewers.                                            

d. 1993 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raid the Branch Davidian Compound near Waco, Texas trying to serve arrest warrants which resulted in a shoot out in which 4 ATF agents and 6 Davidians were killed prompting a 51 day siege before the Compound was set on fire with multiple fatalities to the Davidians.

e. 2013 Pope Benedict XVI resigned as Pope, becoming the first do so since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.

Reflections on bullying: " I've been actually really very pleased to see how much awareness was raised around bullying, and how deeply it affects everyone. You know, you don't have to be the loser kid in high school to be bullied. Bullying and being picked on comes in so many different forms.” Lady Gaga
    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.             

          © February 28, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift,

All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

February 27, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not World NGO Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 27, 2020 At a time more than ever when we need unity to fight an unknown threat in terms of spreading and lethality, Pelosi and Schumer are once again showing terminal signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome trying to turn the coronavirus into a political weapon to use against Trump while the two B’s seeking the nomination Bloomberg and Biden were slammed by fact checkers from misleading statements that Trump has cut back of NIH funding; although Biden appears to be leading in South Carolina, Sanders is surging for Super Tuesday and may prove unstoppable which has the DNC in a world of hurt even as Pelosi with a straight face indicates the party is united and will support whomever is nominated including Socialist Sanders (doubt if that message will resonate in the Districts Trump won in 2016); markets still being hammered by the rise in coronavirus cases in and out of China but any stock involved in possible vaccines, testing, or treatment is going off the charts; not only are a majority of the co-hosts on The View, clueless but it looks like the leftist stooges in the studio audience are also as they were chastised by McCain over applause over alleged failings of Pence as overseer of the efforts against coronavirus here; Anthony Ferrill a black electrician who worked for Molson for 17 years evidently had disputes with workmates and felt he was discriminated against so he returned the company’s Milwaukee brewery site and shot an killed 5 co-workers before turning the gun on himself; disgraced former Blue Mayor of Baltimore was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion; Maricopa County in Arizona, the state’s most populous county, became the second county in the country to become a 2^nd Amendment Preservation City; the “Lovebirds” Strzok’s and Page’s texts and emails to each other read by Dean Cain and Kristy Swanson brought the house down at CPAC; in Chicago, as of February 26, 2020, 330 people have been shot of whom 65 have died; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has fallen 17 behind Chicago with 48 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

     As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Johnny Ray and the Four Lads,  the fact that you are opposed to ochlocracy,  a relevant quote by Michael klare on the invasion of Iraq to liberate,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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 Polar Bear Day—created by Polar Bear International to create awareness of the dangers faced by Polar Bears due to shrinking sea ice caps caused by climate change.

2. World NGO Day—created in 2014 and observed in 96 countries to promote awareness of the importance of nongovernament organizations to address social and economic issues.

3. 1952 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1952 on this day on a run of 11 weeks in the position was “Cry” by Johnny Ray and the Four Lads.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUlymVnbjEs. Ray struggled with alcoholism most of his life and his Crying stopped on February 24, 1990 from liver failure.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “ochlocracy” which means government by mobs which describes what Antifa wants to impose upon us. 

5. Worthy on or off—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1961 of noted professional basketball player James Worthy who played with the Los Angeles Lakers.

On this day in:               

     a. 1951 the 22^nd Amendment limiting the president to two terms was ratified the states; but unfortunately we did not address the need for term limits of members of Congress, too many of whom make holding office a career which is not what the founding fathers had in mind.

      b. 1962 in what should have been a wake-up call that we were supporting an unpopular leader in Diem, two South Vietnamese pilots bombed the Presidential Palace in a failed assassination attempt.

     c. 1964 the government of Italy asked for help in stabilizing the lean of the Tower of Pisa which after years of study and efforts was successfully completed in May of 2008.                                            

 d. 1991 President George H. W. Bush announced that Kuwait had been liberated..

 e. 2004 Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo was sentenced to death for his role in the nerve gas sarin attacks on the Tokyo Subway in 1995 and finally had his date with the gallows met on July 6, 2018.

Reflections on the invasion of Iraq to liberate Kuwait: "The invasion of Iraq was not an unprecedented event; it really was the natural extension of a conflict with Iraq that began on August 2, 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait and occupied Kuwait, which was a major oil supplier to the United States.” Michael Klare, Five Colleges Professor of Peace and World Security Studies.
       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.             

          © February 27, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift,

All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

February 25, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Mardi Gras

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 25, 2020 Bob Iger has stepped down as CEO of Disney after an incredible run; Jim Acosta cannot help himself and made a fool of himself trying to attack Trump during his press conference (this biased reporter always trying to make a press conference about himself really gives journalism a bad name and reputation); Justice Sotomajor in a blistering dissent over SCOTUS’ curbing of nationwide injunctions attacked judges appointed by Trump as being biased toward him which resulted in a scorn of criticism (if SCOTUS degenerates into a swamp of biased judges the rule of law which most of us believe in will be severely threatened); AOC’s days of self-promotion may be numbered as the New York Post reported that her district may redistricted out of existence (could not think of a more fitting oblivion for this idiot); Joe Biden’s firewall in South Carolina may be on its last brick as Sanders continues to surge in the polls and more troubling to Biden among black voters continues to surge (tonight’s debate could be make or break for Biden and the second tier candidates except Bloomberg who with the amount of money he has committed to spend will be in the race until the Democratic Convention but for his sake hopefully he will not make a fool of himself repeat of his last performance); as Bernie gets more cocky over his chances his past praises of authoritative socialist or communist regimes like Castro are coming out (great fireworks on The View as clueless Behar and McCain got into a snit fit over Castro’s literacy program in Cuba); Trey Gowdy is in the news urging U.S Intel to stop briefing lying, leaking Adam Schiff; on the coronavirus front over 80,000 cases with new cases spiking in Italy and Iran (as an example that the virus picks no favorites, Iran’s top official charged with fighting the virus has been infected); in Chicago, as of February 24, 2020, 318 people have been shot of whom 61 have died; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has fallen 14 behind Chicago with 47 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Patti Page,  the fact that you can obvert from difficult situations that may confront you,  a relevant quote by Mark Tweain on Mardi Gras,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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. IHOP® National Pancake Day®—celebrating at IHOPs a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes at participating IGHOP locations.

2. Mardi Gras—celebrating the ending of a great Carnival party with a blow-out party to start the beginning of Lent the next day.

3. 1951 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1951 on this day on a run of 9 weeks in the position was “Tennessee Waltz” by Patti Page.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44B6B1OycgI. A heavy smoker starting in 1942, she managed to quit the habit later in life and have more than 30 years of life cigarette free but died at age 85 on January 1, 2013 of heart and lung problems.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “obvert” which means to turn or alter which describes what Joe Biden must do in his collapsing campaign if he has any chance at all for the nomination. 

5. Leave the Driving to Me—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1961 of noted NASCAR racer David Allison who crashed his helicopter on July 12, 1993 while trying to land it at the infield of the Talledega Super Speedway and never regained consciousness and died the next morning.

On this day in:               

     a. 1933 The USS Ranger was launched by the U.S. Navy, its first ship to be designed from the  keel up as an aircraft carrier.

     b. 1956 Nikita Khrushchev in a speech, The Cult of Personality and Its Consequences, denounced the cult of personality of Joseph Stalin.

     c. 1987 Southern Methodist University’s football team received the death penalty from the NCAA and was banned from all competition during the 1987 season.                                            

d. 1991 the Warsaw Pact was abolished.

e. 1994 Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Palestinian worshipers at the Cave of the Patriarchs, killing 29 and wounding 129 before being beaten to death by the survivors.

Reflections on Mardi Gras: “"It has been said that a Scotchman has not seen the world until he has seen Edinburgh; and I think that I may say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi-Gras in New Orleans." — Mark Twain Having been in all 50 states and one trip to Mardi Gras, I agree completely with Twain’s observation..
      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.             

          © February 25, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift,

All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

February 24, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Shrove MondayB

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 24, 2020 the pandemic potential for the coronavirus is still there as cases continue to pop up in previously uninfected areas and the potential impact on the global supply chain tanked the markets as the Dow fell over 1000 wiping out all of 2020 gains (since Trump’s trump card is the economy, prepare yourself for an attack by the MSM that he is somehow responsible for the outbreak’s spread); Trump is visiting India to the cheers of millions of Indians as he and Melania are enjoying a guided tour of the Taj Mahal before getting down to discussion with India’s Prime Minister Modi (do not be surprised if we see some positive job creating news coming out of his visit); Nancy Pelosi who probably has yet to step foot in any of San Francisco’s needle and feces infested neighborhoods visited China Town to promote tourism there (not sure if she was wearing a mask but probably not); Harvey Weinstein, after 5 days of jury deliberation was convicted of third degree rape and despite looking like he was one near step to the grave with his walker was sent to jail pending his sentencing on March 11 (hopefully his sentence brings an end to the casting couch in Hollywood); former NYC crime mobster Sonny Franzese released from prison three years ago in an early release has died of natural causes in a nursing home at 103; Chris Matthews of MSNBC has apologized to Sanders for comparing Sanders’ victory in Nevada to that of the Nazis victory over France in WWII (last time I heard Sanders, a Jew, had no Mainsteins on his staff); it has taken him three years plus of 24/7 resistance alerted the Trump Administration to the fact that Tik Tok is owned by the Chinese government which resulted in TSA banning its employees from using it; in a Paper Lion moment emergency backup goalie David Ayres, a Zamboli driver, suited up when the Carolina Hurricanes two goalies were injured in a game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, stopped 8 of 10 shots and led his team to victory; in Chicago, as of February 23, 2020, 313 people have been shot of whom 60 have died; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has fallen 13 behind Chicago with 47 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

     As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Red Foley,  the fact that if a Red Trump will obnumbrate his opponent in November,  a relevant quote by Walter Cronkite on the Vietman War,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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 Bartending Day—celebrating a profession that goes back to Roman and Greek times and has morphed into skilled mixologist, part time psychologist and flair creator of drinks.

2. Shrove Monday—celebrating the Monday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

3. 1950 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1950 on this day on a run of 4 weeks in the position was “Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy” by Red Foley.  Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEClMiOp6OY. His shoes no longer needed shining after he died of a heart attack at age 58 on September 19, 1968.

4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “obumbrate” which means to overshadow which Blues must fear Trump will do to any of the candidates they finally pick to run against him. 

5. The Apple of Our Eyes—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1955 of the co-founder of Apple, Steven Jobs, who died too soon from prostate cancer on October 5, 2011.

On this day in:               

    a. 1917 U.S. Ambassador Walter Page to the United Kingdom was given a copy of the Zimmerman Telegram intercepted by British agents which promised to Mexico German support to enable it to recover Texas, Arizona and New Mexico if it declared war on the United States, which coupled with the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare would cause the United States to declare war on Germany.

    b. 1949 the Armistice Agreements bringing an end to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War were signed.

     c. 1968 hobbled by not be able to use heavy artillery, the U.S. Marines completed the recapture of Hue bring and end to the Tet Offensive that put the nail in the coffin for American support of the Vietnam War.                                            

d. 1980 having upset the heavily favored Soviet Ice Hockey Team in the semifinals, the U.S. completed the Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland for the Gold Medal.

e. 1996 two planes operated by a civilian relief agency, Brothers to the Rescue, were shot down in international waters off the coast of Cuba by the Cuban Air Force.

Reflections on the Vietnam War by then one of the most trusted voices in the MSM: “For it seems now more certain than ever, that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate. To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past.” —Walter Cronkite in an editorial at the close of the CBS Evening News broadcast after his visit to South Vietnam to report on the Tet Offensive.
    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.             

          © February 24, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift,

All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift

February 20, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Great American Spit Out Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 20, 2020 Eric Holder who politicized the DOJ to protect Obama as his wingman lost his cool and told journalist Paul Sperry to “shut the hell up” in a exchange over the contributions to Obama by federal prosecutor Mollie Gaston who signed off on not prosecuting Andrew McCabe; Judge Jackson sentenced Rodger Stone to 40 months and elected not to follow the 7-9 proposed by the federal prosecutors which should cause the left to further lather up over presidential meddling of the judicial process even though the judge said the DOJ proposal of 7-9 years was excessive (most likely Stone will appeal and after the election do not be surprised to see a presidential pardon); last night’s debate in Las Vegas stripped the ad hologram veneer from Bloomberg and he was scalped by Pocahontas and crucified by the other 4 candidates in a refreshing internecine battle of presidential wanna-bes; while Trump was speaking at the graduation ceremonies at Hope for Prisoners, a former consultant for Bernie Sanders 2016 run was arrested for planting weapons in a Tennessee correction facility under construction; Rep Gaetz went into clueless Joy Behar’s The View to scoff at the Venezuelan segment of the Democratic Party and Bloomberg’s poor showing in the Nevada Debate last night;  the MSM desperate for someone to rescue the Blues from the disaster of a socialist Sanders run and looking to Bloomberg as a savior agreed that his performance was a disaster; North Korea which has zero credibility for telling the truth has claimed that it has no cases of coronavirus but experts doubt the claim while in South Korea the number of cases of the virus in 24 hours has doubled to 102; in Germany a right wing extremist with anti immigrant views went on a killing spree against Kurdish patrons of two Hookah establishments before being found dead; the Blue Presidential Debate had 20 million viewers on NBC and MSNBC while Fox programming came in at 3.1 million and the Cack News Network whose ratings continue to fall had a paucity of 569,000 viewers (how long will advertisers continue to air ads on a network that literally no one watches?); in Chicago, as of February 19, 2020, 287 people have been shot of whom 53 have died; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has has remained 9 behind Chicago with 44 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to Evelyn Knight,  the fact your speeches are not obtund,  a relevant quote by Edward “Butch” O’Hare on World War II American pilots and their plains,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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 Day of Social Justice—created by the UN General Assembly and celebrated since 2009 to promote solutions to such social justice issues as poverty, exclusion, gender equality, unemployment, human rights and social protection.

    2. Great American Spit Out Day—celebrating the day which users of smokeless tobacco can stop for one day as a first step in ridding themselves of this dangerous cancerous habit whose only decent aspect is that at least it does not create deadly second hand smoke to kill those around chewers.

    3. 1949 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1949 on this day on a run of 7 weeks in the position was “A Little Bird Told Me” by Evelyn Knight.  Here is a recording of the song: https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-mnet-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mnet&p=evelyn+knight+a+little+bird+told+me#id=1&vid=62a01e743745916d04b77d0925c87314&action=click. The birds stopped speaking to her on September 28, 2007 when she died of lung cancer at the age of 89.

    4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “obtund” which means to blunt or dull which describes most political speeches to a tee other than those of Trump at one of his rallies. 

5. X Can Be a Deadly Letter—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1967 of Kurt Cobain, noted Generation X guitarist, singer and songwriter who battled drug abuse since his teens and committed suicide with a shotgun on April 5, 1994.

On this day in:               

     a. 1872 the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened in New York City.

     b. 1931 the U.S. Congress approved the construction of the Oakland Bay Bridge.

    c. 1942 Edward O’Hare became America’s first ace shooting down 5 Japanese bombers in one mission to receive the Medal of Honor; he was later killed in combat and is remembered for having O’Hare Airport in Chicago named after him.                                      d. 1943 as a contribution to the war effort, movie studio executives granted the War Information Office the power to censor movies.

e. 2003 a pyrotechnic display at the Station nightclub in Warwick, Rhode Island during a Great White concert went awry, killing 100 and wounding 200 concert goers.

Butch O’Hare’s reflection on American pilots: “You build them, we’ll fly them and together we can’t be beat” Edward “Butch O’Hare. .    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.             

          © February 20, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift,

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February 19, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not Iwo Jima Day9

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 19, 2020 AOC whose one woman fixation with promoting herself has run afoul of Whoopi Goldberg who has taken her to the woodshed for her attacks on older women Democrats; at the Blue Presidential Primary Debate tonight expect the political equivalent of the Night of the Long Knives as Bloomberg thanks to his millions in ad spends has risen to the point of being on the debate stage to face concerted attacks by the other candidates and perhaps the carving up of a rapidly collapsing candidacy of Joe Biden (Todd already under attack for his past performance as a moderator of the last debate is facing new scorn for failing to ask ask the president of a liberal advocacy group Center for American Progress about a New York Times bombshell report that Mike Bloomberg avoided critical coverage of his candidacy after giving them money which is consistent with his directive to Bloomberg News to cover only Trump adversely and not comment on the Blues running which suggests rather than wait to be elected he ought to sell that portion of his empire immediately); Chris Murphy of Connecticut is being slammed by Trump for meeting with Iran’s leaders and suggesting he should be prosecuted under Logan Act; the tendency of Blue candidates to play the race card at the drop of a hat may have run into a snag as George Zimmerman has filed a defamation lawsuit against Pocahontas and Mayor Pete for defaming him in an attempt to win black votes (hate lawyers but can’t do without them); in a bizarre case in Washington, Juliette Leilani Parker has plead not guilty to posing as a photographer and drugging a mother with narcotic laced cookies and trying to steal her baby with the aid of her 16 year old daughter; Agnes Gibboney, an Angel Mom and Republican candidate for the House is slamming L.A. Mayor for encouraging illegals to scam the system to avoid deportation and his support for sanctuary status of the city; while the world is on pins and needles as the case and death toll of the coronavirus continues to spread, Senator Tom Cotton has raised a interesting theory that the disease originated from a high security biochemical laboratory in Wuhan; in what many are claiming a Royal Family tone death moment, the Royal Family paid a birthday tribute to Prince Andrew who has been severely tainted by his connections with Epstein; in Chicago, as of February 18, 2020, 282 people have been shot of whom 52 have died; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has dropped back to 9 behind Chicago with 43 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

   As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to the Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra,  the fact the clouds are not obtenebrating you today,  a relevant quote by José Abad Santos moments before his execution to his son,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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. Iwo Jima Day—commemorating the beginning of the invasion of Iwo Jima on this day in 1945, an extremely bloody battle won against the Japanese by the U.S. Marines.

    2. National Vet Girls Rock Day—created by Vet Girls Rock on this day in 2019 to honor the service of female members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

   3. 1948 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1948 on this day on a run of 10 weeks in the position was “Ballerina” by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VzN3t_SvR4.

    4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “obtenebrate” which means to cast a shadow over which describes to a tee what Michael Bloomberg’s comments on minorities and transgenders may do to his chances to win the  Democratic nomination. 

5. Robes Are Not Bullet Proof—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1886 of José Abad Santos, the 5^th Chief Justice of the Philippines Supreme and on the flight of President Quezon to the U.S. following the Japanese invasion became Acting President and Commander In Chief of the Philippines Armed Forces but was captured by the Japanese and executed by them on May 2, 1942.

On this day in:               

     a. 1847 the first group of rescuers reached the Donner Party that had been stranded by snow in the Sierras and forced to survive by cannibalism of those who had died due to starvation and sickness after their food supplies ran out awaiting rescue.

    b. 1913 Pedro Lascurain became the President of Mexico and then as part of General Huerta’s overthrow of the government resigned less than one hour later becoming the shortest-lived presidency of any country.

     c. 1943 the U.S. Army was mauled and retreated in its first combat with German forces at the Battle of Kasserine Pass.                                            

d. 1963 Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique and the feminist movement was off to the races.

e. 1976 in a better late than never moment President Gerald Ford rescinded President Roosevelt’s disastrous Executive Order 9066 expelling Japanese-Americans from the borders of the Pacific Ocean into internment camps by Proclamation 4417.

Last words from a patriot to his son before execution: “Do not cry, Pepito, show to these people that you are brave. It is an honor to die for one's country. Not everybody has that chance.” José Abad Santos.
    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.             

          © February 19, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

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February 18, 2020 Ridley's Believe It Or Not National Battery Day

Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For February 18, 2020 After the DNC has altered the rules of admission to the debates and fueled by his millions spent on ads, Michael Bloomberg will appear on the debate stage and has announced unlike Trump, he will sell his Bloomberg News Network;  Trump is in the judicial news again, commuting the sentence of ex Governor Blagojevitch and pardoning Michael Milliken, former NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik and former owner of the 49’s Edward de Bartolo, Jr. (judge is moving forward on sentencing of Roger Stone amidst the furor over the DOJ’s withdrawal of the prosecutors’ recommendations of 7-9 years; anti-Trumper Blue Senator Chris Murphy has admitted to meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister in Munich totally ignoring the fact that foreign policy should be conducted by the president not members of Congress (Iran must be in a totally depressed mood after the impeachment farce failed and Trump continues to pursue crippling sanctions); Behar who is the head clueless on The View and Meghan McCain, the only sane view on the program got into a snit fit over criticizing Bloomberg for his minority policies and his misogynist views; at a Sanders’ rally in Colorado a black man wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and a white Sanders’  Supporter got into a brawl while Sanders droned on (Sanders has ridiculed Bloomberg for being unable despite his billions of being able to defeat Trump); conservatives in liberal Oregon fed up with the state’s leftist policies are now trying to move a slice of the state to Idaho (shares of the creation of West Virginia); thanks to well engineered safety features, Randy Newman injured near the end of the Daytona 500 is awake in serious condition talking to doctors; battered by over 300 lawsuits by former Scouts claiming sexual abuse the Boy Scouts of America has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; in Virginia, Blue Governor Northam’s relentless assault on the Second Amendment was stalled when 4 Blues joined Reds to defeat a sweeping anti-assault weapon bill in committee (wonder if the 2^nd Amendment in the state capital had something to do with the vote); in Chicago, as of February 17, 2020, 278 people have been shot of whom 52 have died; Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms of deaths has dropped back to 9 behind Chicago with 43 murders by shootings (when will Chicago and Baltimore 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 the left focus on the problem of color on color shootings in Blue run cities which have been more deadly and more numerous than random mass shootings?).

    As always, I hope you enjoy today’s holidays and observances, factoids of interest for this day in history, a musical link to the Nat King Cole Trio,  the fact you are not oblselquious,  a relevant quote by the Conspiracy prior to the trial of the Chicago Seven,  secure in the knowledge that if you want to find a gift for any memorable events like Father’s Day, 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 Drink Wine Day—not sure who created this or when but if a wine lover needed an excuse to enjoy a fine glass of wine today would be a day to do it and if fortunate to live in Orange County, California, the Wine Lab in Costa Mesa in the Camp would be the perfect venue.

     2. National Battery Day—celebrating the contribution to our society and a means to reduce carbon emissions of batteries which were first invented by Allessandro Volta at the turn on the 19^th century and have evolved to the lithium batteries that power our cell phones and enable electric cars like Tessla to go increasing ranges between charges. The day was chosen as it marks Volta’s birthday in 1745.

   3. 1947 Number 1 Number One Song— the number one song in 1947 on this day on a run of 1 week in the position was “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” by the Nat King Cole Trio. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47TG8iAs6LU A heavy smoker, the King lost his crown to lung cancer on February 15, 1965 shortly after recording an album against his doctor’s wishes to start treatment to insure his family’s welfare.   

   4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day is “obsequious” which means servilely ingratiating or fawning a trait which affects most which politicians seeking your vote near election day. 

5. Clapper Queen—celebrating the birthday on this day in 1957 of noted television game show hostess on Wheel of Fortune who holds the Guinness Book of Records for the most claps.

On this day in:               

      a. 1954 the first Church of Scientology was established in Los Angeles, California.

    b. 1970 the Chicago Seven are found not guilty of inciting riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968.

    c. 1972 in California the California Supreme Court in the case of People v. Anderson invalidated the death penalty and converted all sentences to life imprisonment (the state has not executed anyone since 2006 and now has more than 700 prisoners rotting on Death Row).                                            

d. 1979 Richard Petty won his then record 6^th Daytona 500 as leaders Donnie Anderson and Cale Yarborough crashed on the final lap.

e. 2010 WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of classified documents from a U.S. Army soldier now known as Chelsea Manning who was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 35 years but had “her” sentence commuted by Obama after serving 7 years but is again back behind bars for contempt of court for refusing to answer questions about Julian Assange.

Reflections on the Chicago Seven Trial: “The Conspiracy in the streets needs: freedom, actors, peace, turf, money, sunshine, musicians, instruments, people, props, cars, air, water, costumes, sound equipment, love, guns, freaks, friends, anarchy, Huey free, a truck, airplanes, power, glory, old clothes, space, truth, Nero, paint, paint, help, rope, swimming hole, ice cream, dope, nookie, moonship, Om, lords, health, no hassles, land, pigs, time, patriots, spacesuits, a Buick, people's justice, Eldridge, lumber, panthers, real things, good times."  -- Leaflet handed out by the Conspiracy office in the week before the trial of the Chicago Seven. .
    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.             

          © February 18, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet

Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to Admire

Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare

The Perfect Gift,

All Recipients to Receive a Lasting Lift