The death count
in Maui has risen to 99 with only 25% of the burned area searched for bodies
and the indictment count for Trump has risen to 4 with Trump and 18 others
indicted for acts trying to overturn the Georgia election results with this one
being potentially far more serious as it offers the D.A. the probability of
turning several Trump confidants who have been indicted. The Fulton County has
promised when Trump appears he will have a mug shot taken which will be
campaign fodder for both Reds and Blues. Before the Grand Jury voted on Trump’s
indictment, Fulton County posted a copy of the indictment which included charges of violating the Georgia RICO
Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act), solicitation of
violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit filing false
documents and more and then quickly pulled down which outraged Trump’s lawyers.
In the Ukraine War Russian shelling killed at least 2 dozen civilians including
a newborn in the Kherson region while Russia reported retaliatory strikes in
Russian territory while the sanctions imposed have driven the Ruble to a 17 month
low against the dollar. The Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated due to a bomb
threat for several hours. Toyota’s headache with certain 2022 and 2023 Tundra
and Tundra Hybrid models continue with its 7th recall this year of
168,000 for a potential fuel leak problem. In a case raising howls of protest
police in Marion, Kansas raided the offices of the town’s sole newspaper the Marion
County Record and the home of the editor’s and publisher’s 96 year old
mother who died the day after the raid by executing a warrant involving identity
theft at a local restaurant (the smell of fish is in the air as the paper was
investigating improper activities of the police chief and look for a wrongful
death suit). On the climate change front, federal statistics show that the
month of July was the hottest ever by ½ degree Fahrenheit going back to July,
1850. Sales of elderberries, packed with anti-oxidants are booming.
August 14, 2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The
Alaskanpoet
Noted Holidays: V-J Day: Celebrating
the signing of the Unconditional Surrender by the Empire of Japan on the deck
of the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo Bay on this day in 1945 and celebrated
on that day until 1966 and thereafter when it was to be celebrated on the
second Monday in August.
Word of the Day: the word
of the day is “assentation” which means an insincere or glib assent
which politicians are experts in the practice to allay the wrath of voters and
stay in office.
Song
of the Day: The number 1 song on this day in 2017 was “Despacito” by
Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber on a run of 16 weeks to share
number 1 status with 11 other songs achieving number 1 ranking while 12 acts,
including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, achieved number one status for the first
time. Here is a music video with English and Spanish lyrics of Luis Fonsi and
Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber performing “Despacito”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbPIem7pLtQ
August
14 Birthdays: “The Magic is still there.” Erwin “Magic” Johnson: Born on this day in Lansing, Michigan on this
day in 1959 was a former NBA Hall of Famer
for the L.A. Lakers and successful businessman and very visible HIV activist
having contracted the disease in 1991 and part owner of several sports franchises
including the L.A. Dodgers and the Washington Commanders (who are now facing
calls from Native Americans to return to being the “Redskins” again).
August 14, Historical
Events In Rhyme
1. On
this day in 2015 after being closed for 54 years/ The American Embassy in
Havana was officially reopened and the American flag once again in Havana
appeared/Raised by the same 3 Marines who had lowered it 54 years ago/ But the
path of shedding communism on the island is proceeding if at all too very slow.
2. On
this day in 2003/starting at 4:10 P.M. EDT/Ontario and large parts of the
Northeast and some of the Midwest were hit with a blackout of the power grid/ 10
million Canadians and 45 million Americans into total darkness quickly slid/crews
working round the clock finally restored all power by August 16/Ending the
second most widespread power blackout the world has ever seen/The cause of this
sending 55 million people in to the Stone Age darkness event?/A software bug in
a control room of First Energy in Akron that failed to notify operators of need
to redistribute power to the blackout prevent.
3. On
this day in 1994 noted assassin and terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez aka “Carlos the Jackal”/Who for many years
authorities were trying to arrest and shackle/Was grabbed by French police illegally
while hiding in Khartoum/Snatched in the middle of the night by armed authorities
from his bedroom/Tranquilized and spirited out of the country to be tried in
France/Found guilty and sentence to 3 life sentences without possibility of
parole to end forever his assassination chances/ Now rotting in a prison cell
at the age of 73/To be freed from his cell is something this killer will never
see.
4. On
this day in 1980 Lech Wałęsa led strikes at the Gdansk shipyards/the first sign
of Poland entering into a struggle long and hard/To free Poland from the Soviet
Communist yoke/After 10 years his Solidarity Labor Movement the Soviet’s iron
grip broke/To become in 1990 Poland’s first elected president since 1926 and
the first ever by popular vote/He and his Solidarity Movement were crucial to
the end of the Cold War promote.
5. On this day in 1935
President Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act/No longer would the
United States be the only industrialized nation that a social security system
lacked/Financed by pay as you go taxes on payroll/To provide some financial
security for retirees as a worthy goal/Now as number of retirees grow and the
ratio of workers to retirees shrink/Grave concerns the Social Trust Fund unless
retirement age be increased or benefits capped will be buried in red ink.
Famous Quote on the
dangers to Social Security: Larry Elder, longshot candidate in 2024 for
Republican nomination for the presidency: “According to the Social Security
Administration, in 1945, 41.9 workers supported each individual retiree, while
today only 3.3 workers support each retiree. This system cannot continue.”
© August 14, 2023 Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet
www.alaskanpoet.blogspot.com
Poems on Events of the Day
Unique Commissioned Poems for Special Events
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