Ridley’s Believe It Or Not For April 21, 2020 As the U.S. starts
creeping toward a reopening of its economy with growing protests across the
nation over lockdowns, the CV pandemic across the planet continues with
some evidence it is slowing down unabated with 63,085 new cases (2.54% increase)
increasing the total to 2,543,588 cases,
1,679,958 of which are active, 863,630 of which have been closed
with 687,034 recoveries (79.55%) and 176,596
deaths (20.45%); in the U.S. which has the dubious distinction of leading the
world, new cases of 18,719 (2.36% increase in new cases) have brought total
cases to 811,478 with 684,106 active cases and 127,372 closures, 44,752 of
which have been deaths (35.13%) and 82,620 of which have been recoveries (64.87%), while total testing has ramped up to 4,132,898 3,974,114, an increase of 158,784 over yesterday; the Senate by voice
vote has approved a $484 billion stimulus bill with $320 billion for the PPA
which ran out of money, $75 billion to hospitals many of which had to close
down non COVID related activities, $25 billion for testing and $60 billion for emergency disaster loans
but no money for the states (fortunately may not include any funds for illegal
aliens judging by the rants of AOC); the House will vote by proxy on Thursday
so Nancy would have to leave the security of her ice cream stocked freezer;
Schumer and Pelosi acknowledged they had delayed the process but claimed
victory because of non related PPP additions to the original proposal (both of
these leftist resist mongers need to look up the word Pyrrhic as some 5 million
news workers were thrown out of work by employers in total stress mode because
of the delay); Maryland’s governor Hogan who is being lambasted for his stay at
home order closing “nonessential” business has relented in a small way to
permit hair cuts for military and first responders and persons working in jobs
or for employers that require grooming standards and who provide written
documentations to that effect (no wonder they protested in Annapolis); in a don’t pop the corks yet moment the VA
released the results of a study done on almost 400 VA hospital patients with
SARSCO-V2 and found hydroxychloroquine to not be effective in reducing deaths
or ventilator usage; Kentucky’s Governor Besher ordered continuation of his lock down orders after a spike in CV cases on Sunday following a protest in the
state capital last week (how to balance on the tightrope of leveling the curve
and not falling off it due to collapse of the economy is going to be one great
challenge); in another troubling bit of news Chinese researchers have discovered
the SARSCO-V2 has mutated into 30 different strains, 19 of which have now just
been discovered (if COVID-19 is doing the same thing we may be in a world of
hurt to discover a vaccine or have confidence that antibodies will protect
already infected from new strains; AOC is having an orgasm over the collapse of
oil prices even though that may some mean the end of our oil shale industry and
our independence from imports; on the health front news which may or not be
accurate given the secrecy in the Hermit Kingdom, Rocket Man may be in serious
condition following cardiac surgery; just when you thought that the Squad could
not stoop any lower, Ayanna Pressely comes out with a rant calling Trump’s
response to the CV pandemic as “war crimes;” in Chicago, as of April 20,
2020, 712 shootings of whom 134 have died (so much for the effectiveness of
Chicago’s stay at home order); Baltimore with a fraction of Chicago’s
population and hoping against all hopes that 2020 will not be a record in terms
of deaths now stands at 52 behind Chicago with 82 murders (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 video link to Fine Young Cannibals, the fact that your study
of orthopterology extends only to politics, and a quote by Queen Elizabeth
II on being a queen, 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. Use Big Word Day—not sure when or by whom created or
even why but maybe an attempt to impress listeners of the speaker’s
intelligence although using words that most people may not understand or even
be able to pronounce is more likely a sign of stupidity or lack of knowledge on
the topic on which the speaker is pontificating.
2. National Tea Day—celebrated primarily in
the United Kingdom to celebrate the vast quantities of tea the British brew and
drink to satisfy their caffeine cravings.
3. 1989 Number One Song— the number 1 song
in 1989 on this day on a run of 1 week in the position was “She Drives Me Crazy”
by Fine Young Cannibals. Here is a recording of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtvmTu4zAMg
This British band as a band performed from 1984 to 1992 but its 3 members individually
are still performing today.
4. Word of the Day—today’s word of the day which is a
quasi big word in honor of the observance is “orthopterology” which means the
study of cockroaches when used to describe the movement of Chinese Communist
Party when you shine the light of truth on it.
5. Acnephobiac—celebrating the birth on this day in 1911 of successful Ivan
Combe, best known for his development of Clearasil and Odor Eaters and whose
pimple of life dried out for good on January 11, 2000.
On this day
in:
a. 1926 Elizabeth II was
born and would become Queen of the United Kingdom and its Dominions on February
6, 1952 and has ruled since then to become England’s longest ruling monarch and
given the fact that her mother lived to be 101 probably has many more year in
her to serve on the throne if she so desires rather than abdicate to Prince
Charles.
b. 1962 The Seattle World’s
Fair (Century 21 Exposition), the first world’s fair in the United States since
World War II opened.
c. 1977 the Broadway Musical Annie opened at the Alvin Theater on
Broadway for a run of almost six years.
d. 2014 the City of Flint,
Michigan switched its water supply to the Flint River which led to unsafe levels
of lead contamination in the new water supply that adversely affected 12,000
residents and created a national scandal.
e. 2019 on Easter Sunday 8
bombs were detonated by Islamic extremists at churches, hotels, and other
locations in Sri Lanka, killing some 259 people including 49 foreign nationals.
Reflections on being Queen
of England: “I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or
administer justice but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my
devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of
nations.”Queen Elizabeth II
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.
©
April 21, 2020 Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
Alaskanpoet for Hire, Poems to
Admire
Poet Extraordinaire Beyond Compare
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