The Biography Podcast - Stories of Life

Biography Podcast 0030 - Cleopatra

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:54:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Welcome to all you newcomers and welcome back to everyone else glad to have you here for this special episode 30 of the Biography Podcast - Stories of Life. Today, I'm finally back, and I'm profiling our second woman in a row as our subject! I hope you enjoy it.

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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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Cleopatra. The name conjures up images of a beautiful, exotic woman. A seductress of two of the most powerful men in Rome. It also conjures up images of a defiant death. Legend has it that in order to avoid being at the complete and totla mercy of the ruthless general Octavian, who was also her greatest enemy, she closed herself off in her chambers and had an Egyptian asp bite her on the arm, it's poison threading through her body and killing her within minutes.

But who is the true woman behind the legend? The seductress? The skilled politician? Did she truly kill herself the way that legend says she did? We shall soon see.
Cleopatra was born at the beginning of 69 B.C. or at the end of 70 B.C. in Egypt. Cleopatra, although known as Egypt's greatest Queen, had not even the smallest drop of Egyptian blood. She and her entire family,which consisted of several siblings, was what was called Macedonian Greek. "Dark" Greek but Greek in customs, tradition, and language. She also spoke several other tongues besides her own, including Arabic and Egyptian. Egyptian being a langage that her predecessors didn't even bother to learn. She could also read hieroglyphs.

At the age of seventeen, cleopatra became co-regent or co-ruler of Egypt with her ten year old brother Ptomely and following his death after a massive Civil War she married her younger brother, Ptomely XIV who was only six years old. This meant that Cleopatra, the eldest of the two, was the supreme ruler.

Cleopatra turned out to be very good at politics and was able to bring prosperity and peaceful times to a country which had become poverty stricken and torn apart by war. But it was only the beginning.

Cleopatra met Julius Ceasar when she was twenty one years old. Ceasar was charmed by the youthful and intelligent woman and took her to Rome with him. Thus began the most famous affair in history. One historian states that contary to popular view, Cleopatra only allied with him because of shared political views rather then romantic love. Nevertheless, a year or two later she bore him a son named Cesarion, though Ceasar never publicly acknowledged him as his son much to Cleopatra's dismay.
A few years later, Ceasar was assasinated and Cleopatra left Rome and returned to Egypt once more. In order to have full power of the throne and have sole control of Egypt, Cleopatra murdered her brother who had been ruling in her abscence and appointed Cesarion, her son, to the throne.

In 41 B.C., Mark Antony, whom Cleopatra had met a few years before, summouned her to meet him in Tarsus. Thus began Cleopatra's second love affair. However, historians say that her interest in Mark Antony was not purely political as it had been with Ceasar but was born of a true romantic interest in him. It is shown in records of the time that the two lovers returned to Egypt and were married in the Egyptian tradition and had three children, two sons and a daughter, by their union. It seemed that Cleopatra had finally found happiness, but sadly, it was not to last.

On September 2, a few years after they were married, Cleopatra and Mark Antony combined armies to take on the forces of Rome that were controlled by Octavian, a ruthless Roman general who had become over time Cleopatra's worst enemy.
Facing defeat, it has been said until recently that in an act of incredible cowardice, Cleopatra turned and fled the battle. Now, according to records recently uncovered it is now said amongst historians that her escaping was a part of a planned maneuver rather then cowardice on her part. Antony, seeing Cleopatra's escape, decided to abandon his fleet and follow her as she made her return to Egypt. They lived in relative safety there for nearly a year.

However, Octavian was ruthless and pursued Antony to Egypt where Antony's troops deserted him after Octavian's appearance in Egypt. Mark Antony found himself in a hopeless situation and he chose to take his own life. Cleopatra became a virtual prisoner of Octavian and he planned to parade her around Rome To make sure everyone knew how great of a general he truly was. Cleopatra however had other plans.
Just eleven days after Mark Antony's death, Cleopatra herself comitted suicids in her chambers in Rome virtually ruining Octavian's plans. In the end, it was she who had the last word.

Though legend suggests that Cleopatra ended her life through the bite of an Egyptian asp, some hisotrians aren't so sure. There are some who debate that she could have taken some kind of poison to end her life. As for her children by Marc Antony, no one truly knows what became of them. Yet another enticing mystery in the life of one of the most extraordinary women in history.

Biography Podcast 0029: Update

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 04:09:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I know, it's been a while since you've heard from me. Listen in for a few minutes and I'll have you up to date.

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Biography Podcast 0028 - Joanne (J.K.) Rowling

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 03:38:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Welcome to all you newcomers and welcome back to everyone else glad to have you here for this special episode 28 of the Biography Podcast - Stories of Life. Today, we do something a little different, we have someone who is still with us and is a woman as our subject! I hope you enjoy it.

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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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Joanne Rowling (a.k.a J. K. Rowling) was born on July 31,1965 in Chipping Sodbury , England, to Peter James Rowling (an aircraft engine plant employee) and a lab technician Anne Volant . Rowling lived in Yate, Gloucestershire England with her parents and her sister Diane (called Di, born 23 months after her) until her father moved the family to Winterbourne when she was four. While in Winterbourne, she attended St. Michael's Primary school. Later, around age 9, the family moved for the last time - fulfilling a dream of her parents - into the country town of Tutshill, near chepstow, South Wales.

Rowling's childhood seems to have been a happy one, full of fond memories, writing, stories and play acting on the stairs (which were a great prop) of the Winterbourne home. Many of her memories include her sister Di who, as she explains it in her biography, was her best friend - when they weren't fighting. And it seems like some of their rows were quite spectacular - including one where young Jo (according to Rowling no one called her Joanne growing up unless they were mad at her) threw a battery at her sister and hit her just above the eye. The scar remains to this day. Of course, Rowling insists that she never expected to hit her and that she fully anticipated that her sister would duck!

Rowling went to secondary school at Wyedean starting at age 11. It is the place where she met Sean Harris -to whom she dedicated Chamber of Secrets. Harris was a confidant of Rowling, and a great encourager of her writing and she herself says that "he was also the only person who thought I was bound to be a success at it, which meant much more to me than I ever told him at the time." Sean Harris also owned the Ford Anglia which was the car used by Harry and Ron Weasley to fly to Hogwarts at the beginning of the second Potter novel.

After Wyedean, Jo moved to the south coast of England and attended the University of Exeter where she studied French (bowing to the wishes of her parents) and the classics - many of which have impacted her writing of the Harry Potter novels. In 1990, after leaving university, Rowling moved to Manchester, England and there worked with Amnesty International and more importantly for the millions of Harry Potter fans - ended up on a train ride that was delayed where the thought of a scrawny black haired boy that was a wizard. It was on that train ride - bereft of a pen - that Joanne Rowling formed many of the main characters and themes of her extraordinary novels. Later in that same year if 1990, on December 30, something happened that as Rowling says changed both her world and Harry's forever: her mother died.

Nine months later, Rowling moved to Portugal to teach English at a language institute. The move had two purposes. First, to get away for a while. Second, to write more of her book by taking advantage of the hours associated with her new job. However, in 1992, Jo did something she hadn't planned on - she got married. While the marriage ended only a short time later in 1993, Rowling claims that when she returned to Edinburgh in time for Christmas 1994 even, though she didn't have the hoped for finished manuscript of her book, she had the best thing that she had been given in her life - her daughter Jessica.

In 1995, Rowling went into a writing "frenzy" as she describes it. Knowing that teaching full time and raising a daughter by herself would leave her little to no time to write, Jo determined to finish the first book before starting a job. Through 1995, every time Jessica would fall asleep in her pushchair, Jo would dash to the nearest cafe to write. Soon, the book was done. But the publishing didn't happen quite as quickly.

Once the book was completed, Rowling then TYPED the manuscript herself. When it was done, she covered the first three chapters and sent them off to her first agent. She thinks it must have been sent back the same day it returned so quickly. Thankfully, the second agent she tried requested the rest of the manuscript and then shopped it around to the publishing houses. The publishing houses, however, didn't seem to see it with quite as much promise as 12 publishers rejected the book before it was give a green light from a small firm called Bloomsbury. And why did Bloomsbury OK the book? Well, as legend has it, it was the eight-year-old daughter of the company chairman, a girl called Alice Newton, who was given the first chapter of the book to review that made the sale. Immediately after reading the first chapter - she demanded the second. Thus, the Philosopher's Stone was set to publication in 1997 with an initial print run of only 1,000 copies. In the spring of 1997, an auction was held for the American publishing rights which was won by Scholastic, who paid Rowling the sum of $100,000. It's reported that she says that "she almost died" when she heard the news.

Of course, if you've been on planet earth, in an industrialized nation and out of a coma since 1997, you know what has happened since then. The Philosopher's Stone (later released in the US as Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone) went on to win awards, as did the second book - Chamber of Secrets, and the third book Prisoner of Azkaban. In fact, after the third consecutive Nestle Smarties Prize was awarded (the first time an author had won three times in a row) Jo withdrew Goblet of Fire (the fourth book) from contention to allow other books a chance. She has also won the Hugo Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the Whitbread Award for Best Children's Book, a special commendation for the Anne Spencer Lindbergh Prize. And the popularity of the books continued to soar as Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix (the fifth book) and Half-Blood Prince (the sixth book) all had opening weekends that not only set records for book publications - but compared to the revenues of blockbuster movies!

Because of these incredible sales, Rowling has become a celebrity rather than just an author, however, over time she has come to grips with the fame. Thankfully, in Edinburgh, it seems that people don't accost her on the street - possibly because she's taken to coloring her hair in a subdued blonde rather than the red she became famous for when she was first recognized for the series.

Speaking of blockbuster movies, in 1998, Warner Brothers purchased the movie rights to the first two books for a figure into seven figures. No worries for Warner - the purchase payed off as movie goes flocked to Rowling's boy wizard come to life on the big screen. And they're still flocking to the theaters with each movie being bigger than the previous. On a side note though - the fourth movie really DIDN'T do justice to the book and many Potter fans wish they could conveniently jinx director Mike Newell. Alas, that's not possible and probably just as well, because instead, the Potter and Jo Rowling faithful are waiting for the release of the fifth movie (probably opening even as you're hearing this) and the final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on July 21, 2007.

Lest you think Rowling has been sitting on her nest egg the entire time that Harry Potter has rocketed her to fame, let me be sure to inform you of all of the work that Jo Rowling has continued to do with charities from Comic Relief to Children and Young People in Crisis. She has written two books, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Quidditch Through the Ages which have raised over 15 million pounds for Comic Relief and has donated 22 million of her own personal money. And, as one might expect of someone who lost a parent to the disease, she also contributes money to the research and treatment MS.

Though Jo Rowling's first marriage didn't end well, she has fared much better the second time around. She was married to husband Neil Murray in 2001, and has had two children - son David in 2003 and dauther Mackenzie in 2005. She lives happily with them in several locations in Scotland and London.

So, are there more Potter's to come? According to Jo, no. Aside from the possibility of publishing an encyclopedia of the Potter universe (which would be greatly welcomed by the Potter fandom) based on the notes and backstories of the characters she has developed, Jo has said there would be no more Harry Potter books. She is planning on writing other children's stories however - which she will publish under her own name.

Sources: jkrowling.com, wikipedia, januarymagazine.com, scholastic

Biography Podcast 0027: Martin Luther - Part II

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 03:09:00 +0000

Yo, yo, YO!!! Back again with part two of Martin Luther. I hope you all enjoy this episode, I know I did. Of course, I enjoy them all - even the ones I'm doing research for now. Having said that, we have some new music, some iTunes reviews and a small peek into what happens when I create a podcast. Enjoy the show!

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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed what became known as the 95 Theses and these theses disagreed completely with what the church was doing. This sparked a revolution that swept through Germany like a firestorm. Unlike most knowledge passed by form of mouth, the theses were passed throughout Germany by the first printing press. Although the 95 theses were originally written in Latin, they were quickly translated into German, French and English (amongst other languages) to give this influential work a wider spread audience. As a result, Luther and his ideas became widely known much to the displeasure of the religious leaders of the time.

At first they ignored the German monk and his ideas until he wrote another, more controversial work entitled The Resolutions, which attacked the power of the pope and incurred the wrath pope himself. At one point, he was told to recant his beliefs. he simply told the religious leaders that "...Unless I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture and evident reasoning, I am convinced by the Sacred Scriptures I have cited- For I believe neither solely the pope or the councils for it is often evident that they erred and often contradict one another. My conscience is captured by the word of God. Thus, I cannot and will not recant." Then martin Luther walked out of the hall, firm and confident in the belief that what he had done was right. Shortly after this, he disappeared from under the church's watchful eye for a time.

In 1524, Luther again gained notice by the church when he began courting and eventually marrying a former nun by the name of Katherine Von Bora. This shocked everyone everybody including prominent members of the religious order, for not only did he challenge the Pope's power but he broke his monasterial vows and married a woman who was considered to be an outlaw of the church. Despite the controversy, Luther and his wife had a happy and loving marriage and raised six children.

Although Luther was looked at as a hero by many and still is, he was not a saint. In his later years, he spoke very ill of the Jews and their religion saying at one point, "We must exercise harsh mercy with fear and trembling in the hope that we could could save some (of the Jews) from the flames and embers... They are under God's wrath a thousand times worse then we could wish it upon them..." Luther went so far as to threaten to burn down their schools, synagogues, etc.and take their prayer books away from them because, in his opinion, "blasphemies" were taught in them. The question is, why did Luther turn against the Jews? The answer remains a mystery even today.

On February 17, 1546, martin Luther's life came to an end in his childhood hometown. He died of natural causes and his funeral was held in Wittenberg shortly after. Luther's wife died in 1552.

Martin Luther's teachings and rebelliousness live on to this day and he will continue to live on as long as those who have the ability to do so stand firm to what they believe, no matter the consequences.

Biography Podcast 0026: Martin Luther - Part I

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 04:43:00 +0000

Hey peeps! What up? I know I've been out of hearing for a bit - but I'm back with a determined vengeance! So what have I got for you? Well, it is part of of a script from a listener! See, you can be famous too! Who was it? It was Rachael Goddard that did us the honor. So, sit back, grab a beverage and enjoy part one of Martin Luther - and the longest mail bag ever!

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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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It is October 31, 1517, Wittenberg, Germany. All of the village is asleep, and all is silent as a man dressed in monk's robes walks up to the church's door with papers in his hand. Suddenly, the silence of the night is punctured by the loud hammering of the monk as he leaves the pages on the door of the church and calmly walks away, not realizing that these simple sheets of paper will spark a religious revolution that will change the course of history forever. Who is this man you may ask and how did he change the course of history? The man's name was Martin Luther and he was a monk, a teacher, an intellectual, and most importantly, a revolutionary.

Martin Luther came from very humble beginnings. He was born in Eiselben, Saxony, on November 11, 1483. Although Martin was born in Eiselben, he and his family moved shortly after he was born to Mansfeld, where his father worked in the copper mines. Hans Luther was an aggressive and fiercely ambitious man and wanted more then anything to move his family out of the peasant class and into the working class and he succeeded. Martin luther was greatly favored by his father and as the years passed, his father strongly desired for his son to attend good schools and make a name for himself and have a better life then he had ever had.
Luther went to school first in the town where he was raised and then in the nearby town of Erfurt, a leading University town in Northern Germany. He excelled at Erfurt and after he graduated with his Master's in 1505 he enrolled in law school according to his father's wishes in May of the same year. He went back home to visit his family for a few weeks. After his visit home he rode back to school on horseback. In a story that had been recounted by Luther himself told many times, he recalled that on his way back to school, a storm hit and a lightning bolt crashed very near to him, throwing him from his horse and in great fear cried out, "Help me St. Anne, I will become a monk." Little did he know that those words would change the course of his life forever.

Fourteen days after the fateful storm on July 17, 1505. Luther entered the Monastery of The Hermits of St. Augustine at Wittenberg, Germany and did exactly what he had promised St. Anne. He became a monk.

In the early Spring of 1507, Luther was about to be ordained as a priest. He invited his father to his first Mass. Hans luther came, bringing along with him twenty Mansfeld residents and an open mind and heart willing to forgive Luther for his disobedience. However, Luther did badly performing the mass. He stammered, shook, and very nearly lost control. To make matters worse, his father was reported to have said "God give that it wasn't a devil's spook." referring to the storm on the way to Erfurt. His father left angry and disappointed. Martin Luther decided to instead turn his attentions to the study of theology as he seemed to not be meant for the priesthood. He fared much better in this study and in 1508, received a degree in theology.

In 1510, Martin luther and a fellow monk went to Rome. Martin Luther was fairly disgusted and shocked by what he called, in letters later in life, "...The knavery, the horrible sinfulness and debauchery that are rampant in Rome... If there is a hell, Rome must be built on top of it; for every kind of sin flourishes there..." Luther and his fellow monk spent a month in Rome and then returned to Germany. This fateful visit to Rome would be a key factor for Luther's opinions later on.

When Luther returned his mentor, Johannes von Staupitz, the head of the monastery; wanted him to pursue a doctorate in theology as he had done so well in that study before he went to Rome. Interestingly Staupitz also provided one of the cornerstone's of Luther's faith by urging him to trust in the goodness and mercy of God and not to rely on any type of effort or work to earn salvation. Luther did as his mentor requested and received his doctorate in theology in the year 1512 and immediately started lecturing at the University of Wittenberg.

The year 1516 was a crucial turning point in Martin Luther's career. At that time, Martin Luther, despite his mentor's assurance that a benevolent and loving God existed he was in constant torment over the state of his soul. Suddenly, one day as he was reading the gospels, Luther came upon a series of phrases by St. Paul, one of which read: "The just (or righteous) shall live by faith." As Luther contemplated the passage, he interpreted it to mean that the just will live by faith alone. Luther was instantly persuaded and we can only guess how relieved he was. He felt the that people had to live by faith alone; no person's good works could earn him or her a place in heaven. Much less guarantee it.

At that time, the Roman Catholic church was selling what was called "indulgences." They were pieces of paper that deceived the common people into thinking that they could purchase grace for their dead relatives. Luther was horrified and angered that the church was doing this and came up with an idea to alert the common people of the deception of the church.

Biography Podcast 0025: Vlad the Impaler - Part II

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 05:21:00 +0000

Yo yo yo! What up out there in the nation! Phillip here stoked and ready to serve up Vlad Dracula - Part II. Snuggle up, find a blankie, turn on the lights - it's coming at you now!

Contact info:
e-mail: biographypodcast [at] gmail.com
voicemail: 206-202-W00T (9008)
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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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The Impaler's rule continued along the same lines. Many boyars were taken captive and used for slave labor, the church structure was changed with Dracula putting his uncle (a Bishop) as the head of his church rather than answer to Rome. Then, Vlad the Impaler went on one of the most awful reigns of terror known to man, killing between 30,000 to 100,000 men, women and children. Numbers only comparable to the brutality and cruelty of Nazi Germany or Stalin's Russia. For the sake of saving the young listeners, I will spare most of the details, however, if you can imagine a cruel and unusual way to kill someone, Dracula did it. He impaled, he boiled people, he had them skinned, he had their internals cut out and cut people open - while they were alive. But mostly, he impaled.

While impalement wasn't the invention of Vlad Dracula, he raised it to an art form, in ways a little to graphic for me to describe here. But, if Dracula was so busy raising torture to an art form and murdering thousands of people - how did he stay in power? Why wasn't there some type of rebellion? The answer to the question was in two parts. It was a willing ignorance from the ruling elites that were willing to allow whatever happened inside Romania to stay inside Romania (kind of like modern day Vegas) as long as Vlad was also killing the Turks - which he was also doing by the thousands; and, it was fear and intimidation that kept the countrymen quiet. But, it couldn't stay quiet forever, and, it didn't.

Near the middle of the second rule, conflicts started again with the Ottoman Empire, and the Son of the Dragon was in the midst of the trouble. With the west, lead by the Roman Church attempting to stay out of all out war, Dracula pushed the then Sultan, Sultan Mehmed whom he knew from his boyhood, into a desire to crush the Wallachian ruler once and for all by sending back his emissaries with their traditional head garb nailed to their heads with rusty spikes. Despite a potential last effort at relative peace by the Muslims - which Vlad responded to by impaling an advanced guard and leaving them out in the sun to rot - the Sultan was finally inflamed enough to attack.

The numbers were staggering. Dracula was out manned, he was desperate. He appealed to Rome to authorize a Holy Crusade (which they did), though it was by threatening them to provide help or be attacked by *him* if Romaina was taken. The 30,000 men weren't enough though. Dracula knew that he could not defeat the massive Ottoman force no matter how brilliant a physical campaign could be run. He knew that he had to defeat the Ottomans in their imaginations. And he knew the way to do it. As the Sultan and his men marched on the capital, Vlad Dracula took all of the Muslim captives he had taken - all 20,000 of them - from his dungeon. When the Sultan and his men reached the capital they saw a vision of hell. 20,000 of their comrades with their robes billowing about them, impaled through their backsides with the spikes coming out of their mouths. The Ottomans buckled their mounts, turned in terror and rode for the Danube praying for deliverance from the devil behind them. What Vlad the Impaler did not know was that among the retreating Turks was his brother, Radu, who was determined to take Wallachia for the Turks and become the first Prince crowned in Romania for the Ottoman Empire.

Using his knowledge of Vlad and his knowledge of the Europeans, Radu - also son of the dragon - planned his attack. Using the same mind games, Radu stationed troops where he could summon them, then infiltrated the Boyar class. There he took advantage of Dracula's cruelty by promising the boyars that there would be no more torture, a restoration of their ruling class - and peace with the Turks - *if* they supported him as prince. With the die thus set, Radu started a rebellion. Vlad, thinking that his brother could not bald-face betray him, made the mistake of letting his guard down. Radu, calling for troops out of nowhere attacked and routed the Prince's castle... but Vlad wasn't there. As it turned out, Vlad was vacationing in his castle to the north of the capital. Hearing this, Radu surrounded the castle and attacked. With but a few gunners and troops the castle was soon breached. Rather than suffer a horrible fate, Vlad's wife threw herself from a tower. With his wife and his kingdom gone, Vlad Son of the Dragon fled for his life to Hungary - where he was promptly arrested and imprisoned by King Matthias.

While imprisoned, confined to his cell, the former prince practiced a strange habit of impaling spiders, roaches and mice that he would trap. According to prison guards, he would skewer them with slivers of wood pried from the floorboards of his cell and display them, trophies, on his windowsill. He'd sink into a reverie after stabbing them, gazing in awe at their tiny twitches until they finally lay still. But Vlad was not to be in prison long.

Only several months after Vlad was imprisoned, Radu settled into his seat on the throne of Wallechia, affairs calmed down, and Vlad's imprisionment became more of a "tag" program - where, while he was still technically in custody of the King, Vlad was on a release program and could go (within the country where he would). Here Vlad Dracula proved his sanity, and his deviousness. While in custody, Dracula, rather than being a lowly prisioner, turned on all the charm of a brilliant noble born and charmed the court of the King - going so far as to win the heart of the Countess Ilona Szilagy - a cousin of the King - and getting the king's blessing to marry her and an apartment to live in! Vlad was on best behavior in this marriage (as opposed to earlier marriages and affairs where he had his wife and mistress killed in gruesome manners) - and the Countess provided the son of the dragon with two strapping sons - one even named Vlad. But, even with prosperity, a wife, healthy children and all the benefits of being one of the king's confidants - Dracula was not happy. He wanted war - and as it turned out, he didn't have too long to wait.

After 13 years as a political prisoner - King Matthias officially pardoned Dracula - but with a purpose. Unrest had grown in Wallechia for two reasons. Vlad's brother Radu was in trouble with the boyar class, who were unhappy with him because he hadn't come through with all the reforms in their favor that he had promised when they helped him overthrow his brother Vlad. Meanwhile, Matthias and Steven the Great were unhappy with the Turkish presence and the traitorous actions of Radu, so, in an historical first alliance of all three portions of modern day Romania, along with Vlad, they plotted Radu's overthrow. There was only one problem, the people of Wallechia hadn't forgotten Vlad in his long absence. It seems that cruel torture, impalement and enslavement sits long on a populations mind. Undeterred, Matthias became Vlad's front-man. But why would he do such a thing? Good question.

Matthias wanted Vlad on the throne for two simple reasons. He knew he would be a capable commander, and he knew he'd be loyal. He wanted his cousin Vlad on the throne because it would be beneficial for him, and so, Matthias became Dracula's pimp. How'd you like to go down in history with that inauspicious moniker, heh?

Anyway, with the plot in motion, Matthias provided the blood thirsty Impaler with an army to terrorize the Turks, drive Radu out and weaken the sultan - all which Dracula did with relish. Getting rid of Radu was easier than planned - he died of syphilis. Would it surprise you to hear that Dracula wasn't all broken up over it? Good, because he wasn't. Instead of morning, starting in October of 1475, Dracula went on an impalement spree, cutting a swath through the reeling Turks all the way to the Danube. In one of the most staggering blood baths ever recorded, the 5,000 Crusaders routed the Turks and had Vlad ensconced in the palace at Tirgoviste by March of '76. Matthias did a masterful PR job for Dracula, telling the ruling class that the son of the Dragon was stabilizing the region and telling the Pope it was for the cause of the Crusades. Unfortunately, he couldn't sell it to the local counties around the palace, and that made Dracula's final rule briefer than the life expectancy of a vampire with a stake in it's heart.

With Vlad on the throne, Matthias' army returned home in March leaving Vlad with barely 2,000 men to defend the kingdom and to attack the Turks if needed. Unfortunately for Dracula, by November the Sultan regrouped and he was called to go into battle again. By Christmas, the Impaler would be dead. You see, unfortunately, when the son of the dragon sounded the battle cry - no one responded. Dracula, a man virtually without an army, went to fight the Sultan troops that numbered in the TENS of thousands.

On a cold morning not long before Christmas, Dracula and his vanguard encountered an overwhelming body of Turks. Lead by their leader who wielded his father's Toledo blade and charged screaming into the fray like a berserker, the Romanians, though in great minority, fought like devils. But, even the devil will have his day of judgement - and that day Vlad the Impaler had his. How Dracula died is anyone's guess...assumptions are many and witnesses unreliable. In the end, only this is certain – it was recorded by the monastery monks – his body was found mutilated in a nearby bog: The only way the good priests could tell who he was came from the medallions and the princely vestments he wore. He was decapitated, seemingly in ritualistic style after death. His head was nowhere to be found. Where he is buried is unknown.

Biography Podcast 0024: Vlad the Impaler - Part I

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 06:53:00 +0000

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay getting this show out to you, but you still gotta feel the love - well kinda. Why? Because it's all about Vlad this week. Find someone you love to snuggle with - Dracula is coming at ya!

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Biography Transcript
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Vlad Dracula was born into the cut-throat culture of Renaissance-era Romania to Basarab the Dragon the Royal Governor of Transylvania and Princess Cneajna of Moldavia in either November or December 1431. A son of tumult in a land that knew battle from the day of his birth well past the day of his death, Vlad son of Dragon (which is what Dracula means), never knew peace. His story is one of pride, courage, war and insanity.

Born the second son of the Royal Governor, Vlad along with his brothers Mircea (the first born) and Radu were trained to be warriors from their youth, all learning to steady a bow, wield a blade and ride bareback before they reached the age of their scholastic studies. Fighting was first because in the era and land that he lived in, war was constant over either religion with the Ottoman Turks, with rulers of the surrounding kingdoms such as Hungary and Poland or internally with the other members of the Romanian royal families trying to take over the different lands.

At the time of Vlad's birth, Romania (as was the case with what we have come to know as many modern European countries) was not one kingdom, but three. Vlad's father Barsarab was Governor of center kingdom, Transylvania, but there were two others including Wallechia (the southern kingdom and military state that Vlad was to rule later) and the eastern kingdom of Moldavia (the place of his mother's origins). In this environment, Prince Vlad was raised to be a noble familiar with all the affairs that impacted the kingdoms surrounding him and the treacheries of the court. He was a "gentleman" when the occasion was fit, and he was fluent in several languages including Romanian, Turkish, Latin and German. He was also a mass murderer, a Christian crusader and determined and brilliant military commander.

When Vlad was barley a teenager at age 13, Basarab the Dragon made the crucial mistake of responding to the request to treat with the Turkish court. Of all the nobility of Romania, the Dragon was the only noble to show up, and when he did both he and his two youngest sons (Vlad and Radu) were promptly arrested. In order to gain release, the Turkish court demanded that Basarab leave his two sons in custody, which without other alternatives, he did. In doing so, he provided the environment for the creation of one of the most bloody despots of all time.

After the Dragon's departure, the Turkish court imposed the same discipline on others they had taken captive. They were to become Muslims (a shock to the son of a devout and devoted Catholic mother who raised her sons in the church), engage in Islamic studies, study Persian and Arabic - all to prepare them to become part of the Ottoman ruling class. During most of their time in captivity, they were given fairly free reign. Each boy took differently to the circumstance, Radu considering Turkey his adopted country, Vlad bemoaning the lack of personal liberty and being openly derisive of the Asian customs. Accordingly, Vlad was taken to the whipping post on several occasions in order to help him curb his tongue.

In 1445, three years into his captivity, the Romanian kingdoms launched another Crusade against the Ottoman Turks. Though the Dragon did not personally bear arms in the fight, the Turkish court still threw Vlad and Radu into the dungeon. There, they received daily floggings and endured long periods of hunger. Dracula's insolence harshened his treatment; he suffered various tortures to mind and body. Still, he was kept alive. It was there, from a narrow window above his cell, Vlad Dracula witnessed the executions of less-fortunate prisoners taking place in the yard outside. Depending upon their crime, they received various punishments. Many were impaled.

At first, the teenage boy must have been repulsed at the site of impalement. But, after a while, he grew fascinated by it. Impalement, the most inhuman of punishments, involved piercing a body length-wise through an orifice with a sharpened pole, the victim then left to die atop the raised pole. Death was excruciating and sometimes slow. Dracula watched the victims squirm, scream, hemorrhage, then die. Vlad learned to detest his captives for their cruelty. Battered, starving, cut, singed and now having to view what the Turks did several times a week just beyond his windowsill, he probably went mad. It was there that his thirst for revenge grew and the making of the monster and heroic Crusader became complete. Now all the son of the Dragon needed was a way out of his imprisonment.

While Prince Vlad was imprisoned, the European crusade was led by Jonas Hunyadi, called the White Knight. After a few victories, Hunyadi's forces encountered an overwhelming force of Sultan Murad's army and the Crusaders were slaughtered and scattered. Hunyadi was forced to flee on foot. Shortly after, Hunyadi gathered a small army and rather than attack the Turks, he mounted an attack against Dracula's father in an attempt to regain power, run Wallechia, and hopefully still attain his goal of ruling Hungary. The Dragon was caught completely off guard and along with his wife and first son was forced to flee the castle for their lives.

When Vlad was 17 news that his father, mother and brother (who had been buried alive) had been attacked and massacred reached him. He went berserk. Seeing this, Sultan Murad determined that the Dragon's son had suffered enough and offered him a command in the cavalry. Vlad Dracula jumped at it and in less time than you can say "silver bullet" had slyly turned his release into his coronation party. Using shrewdness that served him well for the rest of his life, Vlad played his two enemies against each other by proposing to the sultan that he should fund him and supply an army so that he could take back the throne of Wallechia. If the sultan would help, Vlad promised to keep highways and commerce open and provide a 10,000 ducat annual tribute to the Sultan. The Sultan bought the plan - and Vlad struck.

With a large contingent of tribal horsemen riding with him the son of the dragon struck stealthily, swiftly and mercilessly. In a night raid Vlad's army attacked the vanguard of Hunydai's army and wiped it out, however, to the great disappointment of Dracula, Hunydai had escaped. Swiftly consolidating his power, Dracula placed himself on the throne, then rooted out and made examples of anyone who had supported Hunydai. Dracula's first reign began - and in almost record time came to a close, when within 2 months Hunydai's armies had regrouped, been reinforced and headed back to the castle. Prince Vlad saw the army coming and fled to his mother's home land of Moldavia where he was provided refuge by the family for the next three years.

In the third year, Prince Bogdan who was responsible for protecting the young prince, was assassinated. In need of protection, Vlad turned back to Wallachia where Jonas Hunydai - who was now ruling Hungary, found need of the former Turkish royal slave. In an odd alliance of two brilliant opportunists, the enemy of their enemy became their friend and they united against the new Turkish Sultan. Vlad, who was known by many names such as Vlad the Warrior Prince or Vlad the Conqueror, now set out for the title he wanted most - Vlad Son of the Dragon - Vlad Dracula.

When they allied, Hunydai assigned Vlad to two key provinces that needed to be defended against the Turkish forces. Soon, however, Hunydai called on the warrior prince to provide insight on how to attack the Moors as they stormed into eastern Europe after felling the Holy Roman empire. Hunydai relied on Dracula's two pronged strategy to defeat the oncoming Turks, and in two victories they sealed the security of Hungary and Romania, with Hunydai saving Belgrade. Vlad on the other hand is, according to uncontested legend, is said to have come face to face with is family's murderer, taken him on in single combat and in a single stroke - lopped of his head. Within a year of the dual victory, however, Hunydai had died and again, Prince Vlad mounted the Wallachian throne. This time though, there was no route. Instead, the new ruler had the the Dracula Crest – the crest bearing a winged dragon (the symbol of courage) embracing the Cross (a symbol of Catholicism) – on the provincial stamp, banners, coins, public buildings, suits of armor, and on a glorious plaque hanging above his throne. He had been called by many other names, but finally the one that he coveted was his - Vlad Dracula.

The new prince waisted no time in changing the order of things and for establishing his reputation for brutal retribution against his enemies. Dracula immediately created a military state, instituting what was essentially marshal law. His reason? Wallachia was on the front lines of defense against the Turks - there needed to be constant vigilance. And he, the new voivode the Warrior Prince would be the sovereign decision maker rather than the feudal system of the domnul (or princes) that were puppets of the boyars (or ruling class). To evidence this, Dracula invited 200 boyars who had written letters of complaint about the new system to the capital in Tirgoviste where he hosted a dinner. There he accused them of being the reason why the country had been unstable, then had them taken out, speared thereby killing them, then impaled and put on display outside the palace wall on display. The message was clear, Vlad the Dragon would not be trifled with.

Biography Podcast 0023: Update- eBay's Vladuz the Russian Impaler

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 02:25:00 +0000

You won't believe this till you hear it. Vlad lives in 2007!

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Biography Podcast 0022: Update with GREAT Listener Email

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 05:26:00 +0000

Hey all, a little update with a GREAT listener email. I hope I'm not too sappy and I hope you enjoy it!

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Biography Podcast: Vlad the Impaler Promo

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 02:15:00 +0000

A Biography Podcast first - a promo! Let me know what you think :-)

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Biography Podcast 0021: Feel the Love! It's St. Valentine

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 06:02:00 +0000

Happy Valentines Day! Please accept my apologies for the choppy presentation today - it's what happens when you record late on little sleep! I still hope you enjoy our episode on St. Valentine though!

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Biography Transcript
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The origin of St. Valentine, and how many St. Valentines there were, remains a mystery. One opinion is that he was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. Other historians hold that St. Valentine was a temple priest jailed for defiance during the reign of Claudius. This we do know, that whoever he was, Valentine really existed because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

Though his birth date and birthplace are unknown, there is a woodcut portrait of Valentinus, and aside of it text states that Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius the Goth [Claudius II]. Since he was caught marrying Christian couples and aiding any Christians who were being persecuted under Emperor Claudius in Rome [when helping them was considered a crime], Valentinus was arrested and imprisoned. Interestingly, Claudius is said to have taken a liking to this prisoner (much like King Herod took a liking to John the Baptist) -- until Valentinus made a strategic error: he tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death.

While in jail, allegedly Valentinus did not rest, in fact, being in jail or dead is no excuse for non-performance of the supernatural by a potential future Saint. Accordingly, one legend says, while awaiting his execution, Valentinus restored the sight of his jailer's blind daughter. Another legend says, on the eve of his death, he penned a farewell note to the jailer's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine." Of course, that would be odd considering his name was Valentinus, but I will say that it was a legend.

The Legenda Aurea does not contain anything about hearts and last notes signed "from your Valentine", as is sometimes suggested in modern works of sentimental piety [1]. Many of the current legends surrounding them appear in the late Middle Ages in France and England, when the feast day of February 14 became associated with romantic love.

A Little bit about Valentine's Day

In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.

Biography Podcast: Valentines Day Call In!

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 02:16:00 +0000

Hey there! Send us a message for someone you love - keep it family friendly - and we'll play it for you. Nothing says love like a shout out from the Biography podcast!

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Biography Podcast 0020: Repost - Domenico Zannini

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:59:00 +0000

Hello, and thanks for joining us here in the Biography Podcast. This special episode is dedicated to a Rhode Islander of some merit, Domenico Zannini. I hope you enjoy his story.

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Biography Transcript
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Domenico Zannini was born the third and youngest child of two Italian immigrant parents, Luigi Zannini and ??? Nicoletti, on February 11, 1917 in Providence, Rhode Island. Dom or Dominic as he was called by many, did not have much money - or much luck early in his life. Besides being born youngest in his family, Dom grew up in the roaring 20s in Providence, then a stronghold of the Irish who had come over before the Italians. Being Italian in Irish Providence was no easy task as it made it difficult for Luigi to get work, and it made it difficult for Dom - or as he was to become known to his closest friends "Pee Wee" - and his older brother and sister Al and Betty to get by on the streets. And thus was born the fighter. And while it was tough, it prepared young Domenico for what was to come.

From all accounts, Dom was a gregarious and fun loving child, and he was always into some mischief. But soon much of Dom's fun and his innocence would be stripped away. While Dom was still young, Luigi passed away leaving his mother, sister and brother to fend for themselves. Not one to quit, Dom's mother remarried, and again Domenico had a male father figure - but then, just as the country was entering the great depression tragedy again struck when Dom's mother was suddenly taken away from him leaving him to live with his step father and his new wife. Shortly thereafter, Dom's sister Betty - they oldest of the Zannini's, was married and she took in both Dom and his older brother Al.

There aren't many accounts of depression era Providence in the Zannini family from Dom's side other than it was a struggle. Still, Domenico lived and laughed. He loved music and as a child sang in at least one Parrish choir. Educationally, he pushed on and even went to the 10th grade in high school before needing to leave and get a job to help support the family. There is one or two accounts by Pee Wee of even being used as a football for some games at the school, probably because while in high school he hadn't even reached 5 foot tall! But, what Dom lacked in height he made up for in fight and intelligence.

Once out of school Domenico worked in the grocery stores at first. Back in the 30s the grocery store (in his case the A&P) was a vastly different environment from today's big super stores. Then, it was all service. Dom started the way everyone started, by pushing a broom, but had soon worked his way up to providing service to customers as they came into the store. Dom would take the customer's order, run back into the store and fill the order, then come up front again, tally the amount and collect payment. Soon the exercise of writing down the prices of all the goods was purely for the sake of the customer because Dom was so good at math that he could add up the items as fast as he would get them. A talent that never left him even when he was older as he would visit his son where he worked as a cashier in a grocery store and add up the items on the belt at the register, total and then apply the appropriate tax (and it varied - not all items were taxed!) and give the number to his son by the time it would be totaled in the register.

Dom wasn't only good with numbers though and as soon as he was old enough he took to the pugilistic arts. While never gifted enough to be a great, his ability to fight served him well in the rough and tumble streets of Providence as well as in the ring - and it served him well as a soldier in the Big war, WW II. Domenico also worked in several of the Roosevelt administration programs including the CCCs , and while in that service contributed to the building of Beach Pond - a place that later in life was frequented by himself, his wife and his children.

As soon as the US announced that they were at war, Domenico went to volunteer and help Uncle Sam fight back the Axis powers. Zannini wanted to join the Navy, but at 5' 2" and barely 130 lbs soaking wet he didn't meet the minimum requirements so off he went to the Army office and signed up. Soon he would be off seeing parts of the world that the Italian kid from the mean streets of Providence could have never dreamed of.

After going through boot camp in the south (an experience that he never forgot) Domenico was shipped into the Pacific theater to fight the Japanese. His first assignment was on the island nation of Australia, which was also a place that he never forgot or grew tired of telling stories about. Until the day he died he always carried a small wallet from Australia in his pocket where he kept a picture of his wife and first son. In Australia, Dom the party animal legend was born. While he was down under Dom hooked up with guys that were to become life long friends: Tony Pelegrini, Tarquinio "Turk" Pambianchi, Al "the rug merchant" Acid and Joe Campenella. Like all men of their generation, very little was said about the war - but oh did the boys talk about the R&R. Pee Wee as he was then and forever known to his buddies from the war, always had liked two things: women and drinking. It was a pretty close race for which was number one or number two. While out on R&R, the boys decided to have a test of nerve and skill, while they were pretty much wasted. The bet? That Dom couldn't dive off the second floor balcony of the hotel into the swimming pool. Well, as it turned out, Pee wee was one hell of a diver and he took the bet. What he didn't know was that the pool was partially drained. What he did know after the dive - and a rather sudden stop - was that his nose was broken AGAIN. Luckily (especially for me, otherwise I wouldn't be here) that was the only injury and Dom collected on the bet. It was also the last time he dove off a second floor balcony into a pool.

Later in the campaign Dom's unit was transferred from Australia to the Philippines . It was this journey that was the most harrowing of his life. Shortly after departure the ship he was in, which luckily for him was a converted merchant ship and not a navel vessel, was tracked buy a submarine. For days the crew and the passengers sweated it out constantly vigilant for the tell tale signs of the submarine's impending attack. Then, suddenly, the sub was gone and the tension lifted - but even with that, the ship was always on the alert until their arrival. It was while in the Philippines that Dom was injured and not in any glorious fighting, but during a troop movement. A simple march, someone lost their footing and suddenly Domenico found himself in the hospital with knee problem. After a fairly quick recovery, Dominic found himself back on duty in time to celebrate Victory over Japan (or VJ day) before wrapping his military career and returning to the states.

When he returned Domenico found a good job in the famous and burgeoning Providence jewelry industry. He worked hard all day and he partied hard all night - especially out on the dance floors and ballrooms of 1940's Rhode Island. It was there that Domenic - a graceful and skillful dancer met another dancer, but one that stole his heart, the young, vivacious and striking Italian beauty Amelia Urciouli. Oddly, she had no such idea in her mind! However, being the fighter and never being one that took no for an answer, Domenic continued his pursuit until one day Amelia finally caught him - and on September 27, 1947 they were married.

After marriage, life settled into fairly normal patterns for Dom and Molly (as Amelia is known). They found their own apartment and had their first child, a son named Louis after Dom's father Luigi, in April of 1950. Five years later, and after several misses, they had their daughter named Elise (after Molly's mother Elisa) in November of 1955. In 1959 Dom and Molly fulfilled a life long dream and they moved out into the Providence suburbs and bought a home in Coventry, RI. A year later their second son and last child Phillip (who was apparently not named after anyone) was born in October of 1960. In the mid 60s Domenico left the volatility of the Providence jewelry and cutlery industry for a position in Davisville, RI working on the maintenance of Navy planes in the famous home of the See Bees. In 1974, Domenic's knees finally caught up with him and he was forced to retire on 100% medical disability from the Army. But where retirement is the end of the road for many, it was the start of the road for Dom and Molly.

Suddenly with time on his hands, Dom pursued two passions. 1. Golf. 2. Serving the needs of others. And he pursued them both with a vigor seldom seen. In relatively little time Domenico became Grand Knight in the Knights of Columbus, President of the Rhode Island chapter of the Disabled Veterans of America and of the AARP. His tireless and selfless giving of himself made him friends wherever he went. Both he and Molly served in meals on wheels (and got their 16 year old son to go with them by promising to let him drive the family car). He recieved countless citations from the DAV, the K of C and the Town of Coventry for ceaseless service to the community. But, of all the things he did, the one that the kids in the family enjoyed the most was his running the dough-boy booth (fried dough) at the local church carnival ever year.

In the late 70's and early 80's a lot was happening in the Zannini household. Unfortunately, some of it wasn't that good as Dom suffered a series of heart attacks. Still, even after the heart attacks, his golf game got better (though he was shorter off the tee) and some exciting things were happening too.

In 1978 his baby girl Elise got married. In 1979 Dom saw his first grandson (from his daughter Elise) born. A few short years later in 1982, Domenic along with Molly got to see one of their dreams fulfilled when their youngest child Phillip graduated with a college degree. It was the first time to the best of their knowledge that a complete generation of children were able to complete higher education. A few years later in 1985, his oldest son Lou was married. In 1992 Dom and Molly also saw another dream fulfilled when Phillip and Shanna were married on their 45th anniversary, September 27. That year in December, for the first and only time, the entire family gathered at Dom and Molly's home to celebrate Christmas with all of the children, their spouses and their grand-children.

On March 23, 1993 Dom and Molly ate a quiet dinner. After dinner, as was his habit, Dom did the dishes and made coffee for his wife of 45 years. After coffee, Dom passed away quietly as a final heart attack took his life after he had fallen asleep in his favorite chair.

Domenico Zannini was never a rich man in terms of money, but he died a man of great wealth. He was a man of great character, kindness and compassion - and at the same time he was a man's man, a fighter and a mischief maker of the first order. He left behind him a legacy far greater than his humble and tragic beginnings might have offered. He was a leader not just in words, but actions. He made sure his children accomplished something he never had the opportunity to accomplish. He was a loving husband, a loyal and fierce friend. Anyone who ever met him never forgot him. In fact, until the day he died he never had to pay on the family bet that no matter where he went, he would know someone. And that wasn't just in the local environment - it included travel across country, to Vegas, Florida, San Francsico and Hawaii. No matter where he went, someone always knew, remembered and greeted Domincio Zannini - the little man with the big heart.

Biography Podcast 0019: Norton I - Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 06:35:00 +0000

Welcome to the second episode of the new year, and our first real local character. I apologize for the delay, but I think you'll find it worth the wait. And, Sorry ladies, it's another guy but I'm sure you'll still enjoy our presentation of Joshua Norton - Emperor of the United States.

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Biography Transcript
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Emperor Norton I

Joshua Abraham Norton (ca. 1815 – January 8, 1880), also known as His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, was a celebrated citizen of San Francisco who proclaimed himself "Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico" in 1859. Though he was generally considered insane, or at least highly eccentric, the citizens of San Francisco in the mid-to-late 19th century celebrated his presence, his humor, and his deeds. He continues to be a patron saint of the unusual, and of eccentrics, as he is mentioned as a Saint in the Principia Discordia (1970), the seminal main text of the Discordian religion.

The self-declared "Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico," Joshua Abraham Norton was one of the most picturesque figures in California history. Norton was born in 1818 or 1819 in London, England, but was taken almost immediately to South Africa, where his parents had decided to move to seek their fortune. In 1849, having failed in business ventures in South Africa, the already psychologically unstable Norton moved to San Francisco, one of the thousands who rushed there hoping to strike it rich.

Norton soon became a commodities merchant, and for several years achieved a large measure of financial success -- enough to be invited to join the elite San Francisco Vigilance Committee. But in 1853 his failed effort to corner the local rice market put him into bankruptcy. And his bankruptcy, in turn, seems to have driven him insane. Six years later, in 1858, he announced that:

At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of the United States, I, Joshua Norton, declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States.

It was published the following day, on the front page, under the headline; "An Emperor among us?

It is not known how the good citizens of San Francisco initially felt about their new monarch, but they apparently soon got used to him, for he was often seen walking the streets of the city, dressed in his regal, although frequently a bit worn, alternating blue and grey uniform, to show his support for both the Union and the Confederacy, his beaver hat with its colored feathers, his saber at his side and gnarled cane and wiry umbrella in hand. When his uniform was worn out, the Board of Supervisors, with a great deal of ceremony, presented him with another, for which he sent them a note of thanks and a patent for nobility in perpetuity for each supervisor.

Over the next twenty-one years, Norton cut a striking figure as he roamed the city in a European-style military uniform with a plumed top hat and a sword at his side. Norton caught the attention of Samuel Clemens, then working as a newspaperman in San Francisco. Years later, Clemens -- by that time the celebrated writer known as Mark Twain -- would reveal that he had based the character of the King in Huckleberry Finn on the eccentric Joshua Norton.

As Norton the First, Emperor of the United States of America and Protector of Mexico, he found, if not a fortune, at least some of the privileges of his office. He lived at a boarding house on Commercial Street, and was registered as "Emperor, living at 624 Commercial St." in a census done August 1, 1870. He lived there for seventeen years, but refused to pay the rent by week and instead paid by day. He was fed for free by some of San Francisco’s finest restaurants, which he graciously allowed to put up signs which said; "By Appointment to His Emperor, Joshua Norton I." He had a standing ticket, together with his two dogs, Bummer and Lazarus, at any play or concert in the city’s theatres. He was given a bicycle by the city as his means of royal transport, he was allowed to review the police to check that they performed their duty; a special chair was reserved for him at each precinct.

He marched at the head of the annual Police parade and reviewed the cadets at the University of California. The Emperor was even allowed to print his own money, which was honored at most places in the San Francisco area, and even a few banks. Where saner men had tried to break the currency monopoly and been arrested, Norton I got away with it, on the grounds, one must assume that he wasn’t perceived as a threat. The stories about Emperor Norton are many, and some more factitious than others.

One story tells how on January the 21, 1867, an overzealous Patrol Special Officer, by the name of Armand Barbier, arrested His Majesty Norton I for vagrancy. It was pointed out that the Emperor had $4.75 in his pocket and lived in a lodging house, and so technically wasn’t a vagrant. Armand Barbier then declared that Norton was of unsound mind and arrested him as a danger to himself and others. This created a public uproar and several scathing newspaper editorials followed the arrest. Norton was was held in custody pending examination by the Commissioner of Lunacy. City Police chief Patrick Crowley saw to it that the hearing was never held, apologized to the Emperor and ordered him released. There after, all police officers began to salute Norton when he passed them on the street.

At one point, Emperor Norton took the title "Protector of Mexico" because Mexico had, as he said, "Beseeched him to rule over her." But this didn’t last long; he soon dropped his new title with the explanation that it was "impossible to protect such an unsettled nation." Norton also published many proclamations, some of them sensible, others rather eccentric, and many even of questionable origin. For example the following;

"Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abominable word "Frisco," which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of a High Misdemeanor, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars." (1872)

Though to this day, it is still advisable never to call San Francisco “Frisco” in presence of a native.

A few of Norton’s edicts were actually very much ahead of his time, such as the one ordering a suspension bridge to be built at the exact spot where the Golden Gate Bridge now stands;

"The following is decreed and ordered to be carried into execution as soon as convenient:
I.That a suspension bridge be built from Oakland Point to Goat Island, and then to Telegraph Hill; provided such bridge can be built without injury to the navigable waters of the Bay of San Francisco. II.That the Central Pacific Railroad Company be granted franchises to lay down tracks and run cars from Telegraph Hill and along the city front to Mission Bay.
III.That all deeds by the Washington Government since the establishment of our Empire are hereby decreed null and void unless our Imperial signature is first obtained thereto." (March 1872)

And the following, regarding the project of a local inventor, thirty six years before the Wright brothers made their first flight in 1903;

"Whereas, we Norton I, "Dei Gratia" Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, being anxious for the future fame and honor of the residents of San Francisco, do hereby command all our good and loyal subjects to furnish the means and exert their best skill and advance money to make Mr. Marriot's aerial machine a success.
Given at San Francisco, Cal., this 25th day of July, A.D. 1869, in the seventeenth year of our reign."

The Emperor had two dogs, some sources say the dogs were originally strays given to him by the city, that he had named Lazarus and Bummer. Regardless of how the dogs came to belong to the Emperor, there was no question that the dogs were his faithful charges and his constant companions. Most of the contemporary cartoons of the Emperor showed him walking his dogs. Tragedy struck, however, when, in October 1863, Lazarus was run over and killed by a fire-truck. A public funeral was held, and many prominent people turned up to console the Emperor. Bummer continued to beg for scraps at his masters´ feet until the 10th of November 1865 when he, too, shuffled off this mortal coil. To honor him, Mark Twain wrote the epitaph for the noble canine.

For the next 15 years, the Emperor himself lived out his remaining years in his little room at 624 Commercial Street, continuing to oversee his domain during his daily walks. Finally, on the 8th of January 1880, Norton I, "Dei Gratia" Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, was promoted to glory on California Street, while on his way to a lecture at the Academy of Natural Sciences, two blocks away. The cause of death was apoplexy. In his pocket was found some telegrams, a coin purse, a two and half dollar gold piece, three dollars in silver, an 1828 French Franc, and a few of his own bonds. When reporters sacked the Emperors´ tiny apartment they discovered that all he left behind in the world was his collection of walking sticks, his tasseled saber, news clippings, his correspondence with Queen Victoria and President Lincoln and 1,098,235 shares of stock in a worthless gold mine. The Morning Call ran the headline; "Norton the First, by the grace of God Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, departed this life."

Though the city was prepared to put the departed Emperor into a common grave, the citizens of the City would not let Norton see that ignominious end. So, on the 10th of January 1880 Emperor Norton was buried in the Masonic Cemetery, where wealthy citizens of San Francisco had paid for the coffin and funeral expenses. The funeral cortege was two miles long and an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 people turned up for the funeral.

On 30th June of 1934 Norton the First’s grave was moved to Woodlawn Cemetery by the citizens of San Francisco. On January 7, 1980, San Francisco marked the 100th anniversary of the death of the United States only Emperor with lunch-hour ceremonies at Market and Montgomery streets.

Biography Podcast 0018: Liliʻuokalani, Queen of Hawaii

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:57:00 +0000

Welcome to our first episode of the new year, and our first female biography on the podcast!

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Biography Transcript
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Liliʻuokalani, Queen of Hawaii (September 2, 1838 – November 11, 1917), originally named Lydia Kamakaʻeha, also known as Lydia Kamakaʻeha Paki - after her adopted father, with the chosen royal name of Liliʻuokalani, and later named Lydia K. Dominis, was the last monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

Early life

Hawaii’s last sovereign queen was born on September 2, 1838 in Honolulu. According to Hawaiian tradition, she was adopted at birth by Chief Abner Paki and his wife, Konia (a granddaughter of King Kamehameha I). This tradition spread the future queen's other syblings (10 or so) to other strong chiefs on the islands - as a way to promote unity amongst the Hawaiian people. Liliuokalani’s childhood years were spent studying and playing with Bernice Pauahi, the Pakis’ natural daughter. Liliuokalani received her education at the Royal School for several years, then a series of day schools where she would eventually meet and become interested in her future husband John Dominis.

Reign

Queen Liliuokalani's ascencion to the throne was not direct. The journey started several years before she inherited the throne and at one point, the opportunity for her to ascend might not have even been allowed. Kamehameha V was the next to last King of Hawaii. He in turn also had a Queen, and she was also of Hawaiian royal birth. Before passing away, the King had the opportunity to make the Queen the rightful heir of the throne. Alas, for whatever reason he never did, and thus, Queen Emma became the Queen Dowager - but did not inherit the crown. Because of this, the determination of the royal line was left to the board of governors and it was this group that chose Liliuokalani's line as being the proper line of royal succession. Then, by popular demand her brother was crowned King Kalakaua. Still, even after having the royal line established through her family, the Queen's succession to the throne was unlikely.

King Kalakua had a brother who was the heir apparent and the king also had a daughter - though she was born only shortly before the King's death. While Kalakaua was king, he was virtually forced to sign what is known as the Bayonet Constitution. This wasn't completely without precedent as the monarchy in Hawaii wasn't absolute and was heavily influenced by what was known as the "missionary party", or those that were from the US. While Kalakaua was still king, his brother and heir to the throne died an early and unfortunate death - thereby leaving Liliuokalani as the heir apparent.

On September 16, 1862, she married John Owen Dominis, who became Governor of Oʻahu and Maui. They had no children; Liliʻuokalani's heiress for several years was her niece Victoria Kaʻiulani (1875–1899), although Kaʻiulani predeceased her.

Liliʻuokalani inherited the throne from her brother Kalākaua on January 17, 1891. Shortly after she gained power, she tried to abrogate the existing Bayonet Constitution and draft a new constitution that would restore power to the monarchy. American and European subjects of the Kingdom of Hawaii, threatened by the elimination of suffrage by the queen's proposed constitution, asserted that the queen had "virtually abdicated" by trying to subvert the constitution and organized to depose her. Besides the threatened loss of suffrage, business interests within the Kingdom were concerned about the removal of foreign tariffs in the American sugar trade due to the McKinley Act (which effectively eliminated the favored status of Hawaiian sugar due to the Reciprocity Treaty), and considered the possibility of annexation to the United States (and enjoying the same sugar bounties as domestic producers) as a welcome side effect of ending the monarchy. During the overthrow in 1893 the American minister in Hawaiʻi at the time, John L. Stevens, ordered troops from the U.S.S. Boston ashore, to protect American businesses and property. The Queen was deposed on January 17, 1893, and a provisional government was instituted.

Now, in this next segment, please observe what happens in the American political system. And note the queen's behavior which effectively ended the monarchy and independence of Hawaii. Sadly, as you'll see, that wasn't the only possible outcome.

The administration of Grover Cleveland commissioned the Blount Report, and based on its findings believed that the overthrow of Liliʻuokalani was illegal and offered November 16, 1893 to give the throne back to her if she granted amnesty to everyone responsible. She initially refused, and it was reported that she said she would have them beheaded - she denied that specific accusation, but admitted that she intended them to suffer the punishment of death.[1] With this development, then-President Grover Cleveland sent the issue to the United States Congress. Although she changed her mind on December 18, 1893, and U.S. Minister Willis demanded her reinstatement by the Provisional Government, the Provisional Government refused. Congress responded to Cleveland's referral with another investigation, and submitted the Morgan Report by the U.S. Senate on February 26, 1894, which exonerated both Minister Stevens and the U.S. troops from any responsibility for the overthrow. On July 4, 1894, the Republic of Hawaiʻi was proclaimed and Sanford B. Dole, one of the first people who originally called on the institution of the monarchy to be abolished, became President. It was recognized immediately by the United States government.

Liliʻuokalani was arrested on January 16, 1895 (several days after a failed rebellion by Robert Wilcox) when firearms were found in the gardens of her home, of which she denied any knowledge. She was sentenced to five years of hard labor in prison and fined $5000, but the sentence was commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of ʻIolani Palace until she was released in 1896, with the establishment of the Republic of Hawaiʻi. Failing in attempts to regain the throne, she unsuccessfully entered against the federal government claims totaling $450,000 for property and other losses, making personal claim to the crown lands. The territorial legislature of Hawaii finally voted her an annual pension of $4,000 and permitted her to receive the income from a sugar plantation of 6,000 acres (24 km²). She went home to Washington Place, where she lived as a private citizen until her death in 1917 due to complications from a stroke. She was 79. As expected, Hawaiʻi was annexed to the United States through a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1898.

Liliʻuokalani was an accomplished author and songwriter. Her book, Hawaiʻi's Story by Hawaiʻi's Queen, told the history of her country (and was one of the source documents for this script). Some of her best-known musical compositions include the anthem, "Aloha ʻOe," which she composed during her captivity (also known as "Farewell to Thee"). This was the end of the Hawaiian Monarchy.

Biography Podcast 0017: Jesus of Nazareth

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:49:00 +0000

A special Christmas episode, Jesus of Nazareth. This content is shared from a Christian world view. We hope you enjoy it and have a marvelous Christmas and New Year!

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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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Jesus of Nazareth

2000 years ago one man changed the world. 2000 years ago, one manned spawned a movement that continues to grow to this very day. His life was subject to political intrigue, his death more so. His teachings have set men free and sent men to war. His treatment of the poor, of woman and the needy were revolutionary. He claimed to be the incarnation of God on earth - one with the Father - and since he did people have both loved and reviled him for it. Man, Prophet, Teacher, King, Son of God. This is Jesus of Nazareth.

Born to a carpenter of humble means, according to the most reliable sources, Jesus of Nazareth made his appearance into this realm in the town of Bethlehem under the lowliest of circumstances - a feeding trough in the stable of a regional Inn. For the next 30 years, things didn't get much better. After his birth, Jesus' parents packed him up and headed to Egypt to avoid the purging of the Jewish children two and under by the then king Herod. After returning to his Nazareth with his adopted father Joseph and mother Mary, Jesus settled into being a child in a relatively poor but happy household. Though historical and Biblical texts don't share anything specific about the childhood of this religious revolutionary, it seems he was a special child - evidenced by the fact that he was a child who actually obeyed his parents! No, really, it's in the text.

Around age 12 or 13 Jesus did something that was a harbinger of things to come. While in Jerusalem for one of the traditional feast days Jesus decided to bug out on Joseph and Mary and hang with all the old professors of theology in the Temple. Give the boy his props - he had them all eating out of his hand. And anytime a 13 year old can stand toe to toe with a theology major - that's a good job. Unfortunately for Jesus, it was probably one of the last times that the Jewish priests didn't try to trap or kill him.

Between the Teaching at the Temple and the next major event in Jesus' life, no historical source says anything about the young prophet. In fact, nothing is heard until we see Jesus at a wedding party with his mother. And to think, everyone there was drinking! And, Jesus even contributed to the delinquency by performing his first miracle - turning water into wine. Rebel. OK, not really, but now we think that he SO was.

That was just the start for the now 30 year old Jesus, barely a warm up act for what was coming next.

After going to John to be baptized, and into the desert for 40 days of fasting, Jesus started his public ministry. Jerusalem and the surrounding area had never seen anything like it. Blind men born blind were given sight. People who had never walked now walked. And, a widow's son was given back to his mother because Jesus interrupted the funeral procession to bring him back to life! As amazing, as awesome, as jaw dropping spectacular as those miracles were - they were nothing compared to the message that Jesus spoke wherever he went. Love. Love for your enemy. Love for the unlovely. Blessings and not cursing. Forgiveness from the throne of heaven. And this forgiveness didn't depend on your own righteousness. It didn't depend on you being good. Tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans (virtually enemies of the Jews), even women living with men out of wedlock were all welcome. As Jesus said, it wasn't the healthy that needed a doctor - it was the sick, the hurting. And Jesus came and healed them. Some of physical ailments, but more with ailments of the heart. The rejected, the lowly, the outcasts of society - Jesus had one message that no one else had ever had: come. His treatment of women was earth shattering and revolutionary - in the truest sense. Never before had anyone considered women on such equal footing. Never before had any theology treated women with such dignity and respect. Jesus now wrote the rules. But there was one problem. The religious leaders hated him. They were afraid that this man that spoke nothing but love, openly - in the Temple courts, would somehow bring the wrath of Cesar down on the Jewish nation. Why? Because he claimed that he was the I AM. The name that God called himself by in the Jewish scripture. The Jews had been awaiting God's messiah - who they assumed would be a King - and indeed Jesus was a King and he verified that claim in his interview with Pilot. Because they were afraid that Jesus would incite the people to a political uprising, while all the time Jesus was pointing people a spiritual renewal and rebirth by the Holy Spirit, the Jewish leaders panicked and tried to protect themselves by arresting Jesus. Instead by doing what they did, within 70 years they brought the Roman Eagles down on themselves.

After arguably his most notable miracle where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (which is saying quite a bit considering he walked on water, and calmed the sea), the religious leaders began to work more fervently to bring Jesus down. They were so determined to trap Jesus that two sects of the Jewish priesthood that were at odds even agreed to work together. They didn't trap Jesus though they certainly tried, but they did finally get one of his disciples to sell him out for 30 pieces of silver, and they took him captive. After railroading him through a rigged trial where they couldn't even get two of their own paid witnesses that could agree, the Sanhedrin (the ruling religious body) sent Jesus to the Roman government to be crucified. And that was the only thing they were interested in and insisted upon, even inciting a mob to near riot in insisting upon releasing a known murder and having the carpenter's son condemned to hanging on a cross.

In the end, the Sanhedren succeeded, and Jesus was crucified. At his death, the day darkened, there was an earth quake and the temple curtain was torn in two - something never before recorded. At the end of the day a follower named Joseph took his body and buried it in his own private tomb. Fearing that one of his followers might steal the body and claim that Jesus was raised from the dead, the Jewish leaders convinced the Romans to guard the tomb. On the third day, Jesus rose from the dead as he had claimed. Because of the inexplicable evidence, or lack of evidence to show that his followers might have taken him, the Jewish leaders paid off the Roman guards and had them taken care of while spreading the rumor that they had fallen asleep and that was when the body was taken. Never mind that a Roman soldier would have been virtually drummed out of service for such gross incompetence - that was the story. The problem for the religious leaders was that the story didn't wash with reality AND there were over 500 witnesses that saw Jesus after his resurrection.

After restoring Peter, Jesus blessed the rest of the Apostles, promised his return and then ascended into the heavens promising that he would send the Holy Spirit of God as a deposit for those that believed. And the world has never been the same.

In all, during the course of his life, Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled over 300 prophesies in the Jewish scripture regarding his birth, life, death and resurrection. The odds of one person being able to fulfill all of these prophesies is astronomically against it ever happening. Even if Jesus and his followers were able to orchestrate some of the events - and even if his parents were in on it before he was born and purposely arranged his birth and subsequent flight to Egypt, there are still hundreds of prophesies that could never have been arranged.

Jesus life was one was not one in a million or one in a billion. It was ONE. There has never been another like it. And in it all, Jesus did something that no one else did - he claimed to be God. Above and beyond being a good man, a moral leader, a prophet or a teacher - something that any man and many men have claimed to be, Jesus made one claim that put him into a unique class. A class where he was either what he said he was - God incarnate - or he was a completely stark raving mad lunatic. If he wasn't God then everything he taught was subject to his lunacy. In fact, one of his own followers - a former murderer named Saul who became the most prolific writer of the New Testament and became known as the Apostle Paul - even said that if we lived according to the rules but had no hope of life with God after physical death that we were fools and to be pitied above all else. Jesus of Nazareth was unique. He asked for nothing and everything. He asked for our hearts, but before he did, he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins because he thought we were worth it.

So, who is this Jesus of Nazareth? Is he a mad man? Is he the Messiah? We know that he lived and that he died. We know that according to one of the most reliable historical references that he was witnessed as being alive after the Resurrection. We know that history changed with his life, we know that the accounting of time changed.

Yes, many men have done stupid things in the name of this Jesus. Wars have been fought, lives have been lost. Ironically, according to what Jesus taught - there is never a word anywhere that would have instructed his followers to do such a thing. Jesus was about the love. The love of God for man. The love that takes away all mans sin. The love that raised Jesus from the dead and provided the Resurrection power for each and every person that would choose to believe in him and have new life and life eternal. LOVE. Love for your neighbor, love for your enemy, love for your spouse, your children, your parents. Love that transcends, love that goes beyond anything we can understand. Not "love" as we so often think of it or equate it with simple emotion or physical attraction. Love rather that prefers others before itself, love that serves, love that brings freedom, joy and new life with it.

This is Jesus that says come as you are. This is the Jesus that we hear the angels tell the shepherds about, the reason why there is peace on earth and good will towards men. This is the Jesus that caused the angels to rejoice, this is the Jesus that was born in a manger. Born to die, be raised and to one day come again in all his glory as the risen Lord of Lord and King of Kings. This is the Jesus of Christmas. This is Jesus of Nazareth.

On this Christmas, may the joy, peace and love of the Christ child enter and dwell in your heart. Merry Christmas!

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A final comment: Please note that I hold no ill will towards the Jewish people. In fact, because I'm so interested in all the Jewish holidays and feast days people ask me if I'm Jewish - and I tell them I am by adoption. What I have shared regarding the actions of the religious authority in the state of Israel is just that, a statement. Without these actions by the authorities the ancient prophesies regarding the Messiah would have never been fulfilled. Without a Messiah, this goy would still be a sinner lost in his sin rather than a sinner saved by grace. If anything, I have boundless and eternal gratitude towards those of Jewish heritage because without them, I would have never gotten to join the party.

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OK, that's a wrap and I do hope you've enjoyed the Biography Podcast presentation of Jesus of Nazareth. If you have any questions regarding Jesus, feel free to contact me. In fact, if you have any flames or any comments feel free to send them along. Till next time, do something amazing that will be in your biography - LOVE someone. I'm out - Peace!

Biography Podcast 0016: Edward O'Hare - Courtesy Matt's Today in History

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 02:16:00 +0000

The 16th Episode of the Podcast, care of Matt Dattilo of Matt's today in history - the Biography Podcast Presents Edward O'Hare!

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God bless, now go out and do something amazing that will be in your biography!

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Biography Transcript
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Today in 1943, Edward “Butch” O’Hare disappeared in the Pacific Ocean near the Gilbert Islands. Thus ended the life and career of one of the greatest naval aviators of the Second World War. O’Hare, and thousands of others like him, formed the core of the pre-war military aviation community in the United States. When the war came, they held the thin line of defense and helped train the raw recruits who would come to dominate the skies all over the world.

Butch O’Hare was born in St. Louis, Missouri in March, 1914. He entered the US Naval Academy in 1933 and spent the first two years after his graduation in 1937 as a line officer. He reported for flight training in 1939, the same year that his father was gunned down in Chicago for providing evidence at Al Capone’s tax evasion trial some years before. It was rumored that the elder O’Hare testified against Capone to ensure that his son received an appointment to the Naval Academy, but no documentation has ever surfaced linking the two events.

In Spring, 1940, O’Hare was assigned to VF-3, the USS Saratoga’s fighter squadron. His executive officer was John Thach, who would also become famous as a navy fighter pilot. Lieutenant Thach immediately recognized O’Hare’s natural flying skill and became his mentor, teaching him everything he had learned in his more than ten years of flying for the navy. Their routine was one of practice, practice and more practice, for it was clear to the men of VF-3 that the war raging in Europe would soon come to them.

O’Hare was newly married and still stationed aboard the Saratoga on the morning of December 7, 1941. Five weeks later, the ship was hit by a Japanese torpedo in the waters near Hawaii, necessitating a trip to California for repairs. O’Hare’s squadron was transferred to the USS Lexington, the ship from which he would first meet the enemy.

Today, it is hard to fathom how delicate the position of the US Navy was in the early months of 1942. The Japanese task force that had attacked Pearl Harbor contained six aircraft carriers; that was more than the US Navy had in the entire Pacific at that time. So when the navy’s carriers sailed from Pearl Harbor in early 1942, not only was each ship worth it’s weight in gold, but so were the crews on board. Although new pilots were in the training pipeline by December, 1941, precious few of them had reached the fleet. Thus, the few hundred pilots on US Navy carriers, along with the Pacific Fleet submarines, were all the nation had with which to defend herself and strike a blow at the Imperial Japanese Fleet.

The USS Lexington was preparing to strike one such blow on February 20, 1942. The ship and her escorts were 450 miles from Rabaul when radar operators spotted a group of enemy bombers. Fighters were launched from the Lexington and met the bombers. Since O’Hare and his wingman were the last craft off the flight deck and were not engaged, they were the only two in position when a group of eight Japanese bombers appeared on the other side of the task force only 12 miles away. Already outnumbered, O’Hare’s situation grew worse when his wingman announced that his guns had jammed. 27-year old Lt. Butch O’Hare was about to take on 8 Japanese bombers by himself.

Years of pre-war gunnery training was put to good use as O’Hare, with only enough ammunition for 34 seconds of firing, went to work on the bombers’ wing fuel tanks. He made four passes over the formation, each time working to avoid return fire from the bombers’ guns. By the time he had shot down his fifth plane and damaged a sixth, the formation was within range of the task force’s anti-aircraft guns. The three remaining bombers dropped their ordnance, but scored no hits. Out of ammunition, O’Hare returned to the Lexington, only to be fired on by an over-eager gunner while on final approach. The shots missed; during the entire affair, O’Hare’s plane had only been hit by one enemy round.

It was clear to all present that O’Hare, along with the pilots who had attacked the other bomber groups, had saved the Lexington from serious damage. When the ship and her escorts returned to Pearl Harbor on March 26th, reporters and photographers scrambled to see O’ Hare. He became an instant celebrity. The Grumman Aircraft plant at Bethpage, New York, where O’Hare’s F4F Wildcat was made, sent him 1,150 cartons of Lucky Strike cigarettes. By shooting down five aircraft, he became an ace, the Navy’s first during the Second World War. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and was the first naval aviator to ever receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Through it all, O’Hare maintained his modesty and seemed, to one observer, to be embarrassed by the entire fuss. At a time when the United States needed heroes, O’Hare filled the bill.

Over the next 18 months, O’Hare attended publicity shoots and parades. More importantly, he was made a squadron commander and used his experience to teach new pilots the art of aerial combat. It was not until August, 1943 that O’Hare and his squadron (now comprised of the newer F6F Hellcat) embarked on the USS Independence, an escort carrier. In his absence, the war had changed. While still a potent enemy, the Japanese were on the defensive. American industrial might had turned out new carriers and planes while young men from every walk of life had learned how to fly them. The end of the war was still a long way off, but victory for the Allies was all but assured.

O’Hare was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses for his actions in combat over the next few months. In September, he was made the Commander Air Group on the USS Enterprise, meaning that he would be in charge of not just the ship’s fighters, but her bombers and torpedo planes as well. At that time, it was traditional for the CAG to fly in a TBM-1 Avenger, a slower aircraft with better radios than the fighters and a crew of three. Instead, O’Hare requested and was given permission to continue flying his Hellcat. It would be a fateful decision.

Knowing that the Americans owned the skies during the day, the Japanese began sending their bombers on night missions against the carriers. The attacks were incredibly hard to defend against. O’Hare and a small group of officers began to develop counter-tactics. Instead of sending groups of fighters to search the darkness for the bombers, they began to use the Avenger aircraft and her radar set as a sort of guide plane for the fighters. Once the Japanese bombers were found by the airborne radar, the fighters would be vectored to their position.
The first of these missions was scheduled for the night of November 26, 1943. As the CAG, O’Hare volunteered to lead the mission. It was rough from the start as the fighters had trouble finding their escorting Avenger. Then, once the Japanese bombers were found, there was difficulty giving the fighter pilots the right directions. In the confusion, a Japanese bomber ended up behind the American formation. The Avenger’s gunner fired on the bomber, which fired back. In between the two aircraft was Commander O’Hare’s plane, which was seen to fall out of formation towards the ocean below. He was never heard from again.

A search was conducted in the area of O’Hare’s last position, but nothing was found. He was reported missing in action; it was not clear if he had been hit by the Japanese bomber or friendly fire. He was declared dead one year later. He was award the Navy Cross and Purple Hearth posthumously on November 26, 1944.

In 1945, a Gearing-class destroyer was named in O’Hare’s honor. After the war, Robert R. McCormick, publisher of the Chicago Tribune, suggested re-naming Chicago’s Orchard Depot Airport in O’Hare’s honor. The name change became official on September 19, 1949. Today, O’Hare International is one of the world’s busiest airports.

Biography Podcast 0015: Santa Claus

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 16:01:00 +0000

The 15th episode of the podcast: You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why - the Biography Podcast Presents Santa Claus!

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---------------------
Biography Transcript
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The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers, thieves and robbers. After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic, called manna, formed in his grave. This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas. The anniversary of his death became a day of celebration, St. Nicholas Day.

What do we know about the real St. Nicholas? He was born, ancient biographers tell us, to wealthy parents in the city of Patara about 270 A.D. He was still young when his mother and father died and left him a fortune.

As a teen-ager, Nicholas' humility was already evident. He had heard about a family destitute and starving. The father had no money for food, much less the dowry needed to marry off his three daughters. He was ready to send his oldest girl into the streets to earn a living as a prostitute.

Under the cover of night, Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins through the window of their humble dwelling. In the morning the father discovered the gold. How he rejoiced: his family was saved, his daughter's honor preserved, and a dowry for her marriage secured. Some time after, Nicholas secretly provided a dowry for the second daughter. Still later for the third.

But on the third occasion, the girls' father stood watching. As soon as the bag of gold thudded on the floor, he chased after the lad till he caught him. Nicholas was mortified to be discovered in this act of charity. He made the father promise not to tell anyone who had helped his family. Then Nicholas forsook his wealth to answer a call to the ministry.

At the nearby city of Myra a bishop supervised all the churches of the region. When the bishop died, the bishops and ministers from other cities and villages -- Nicholas among them -- gathered to choose a successor.

Nicholas was in the habit of rising very early and going to the church to pray. This morning an aged minister awaited him in the sanctuary. "Who are you, my son?" he asked.

"Nicholas the sinner," the young minister replied. "And I am your servant."

"Come with me," the old priest directed. Nicholas followed him to a room where the bishops had assembled. The elderly minister addressed the gathering. "I had a vision that the first one to enter the church in the morning should be the new bishop of Myra. Here is that man: Nicholas."

Indeed they did choose him as bishop. Nicholas was destined to lead his congregation through the worst tribulation in history.

In A.D. 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered a brutal persecution of all Christians. Those suspected of following the Lord were ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods. Nicholas and thousands of others refused.

Ministers, bishops, and lay people were dragged to prison. Savage tortures were unleashed on Christians all over the empire. Believers were fed to wild animals. Some were forced to fight gladiators for their lives while bloodthirsty crowds screamed for their death. Women suffered dehumanizing torment. Saints were beaten senseless, others set aflame while still alive.

Yet persecution couldn't stamp out Christianity. Rather it spread. Third Century leader Tertullian observed, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."

Those who survived Diocletian's torture chambers were called "saints" or "confessors" by the people, because they didn't forsake their confession that Jesus Christ is Lord. Nicholas was one of these.

Finally, after years of imprisonment, the iron doors swung open and Bishop Nicholas walked out, freed by decree of the new Emperor Constantine. As he entered his city once more, his people flocked about him. "Nicholas! Confessor!" they shouted. "Saint Nicholas has come home."

The bishop was beaten but not broken. He served Christ's people in Myra for another thirty years. Through the prayers of this tried and tested soldier of faith, many found salvation and healing. Nicholas participated in the famous Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. He died on December 6, about 343, a living legend, beloved by his whole city.

St. Nick of yuletide fame still carries faint reminders of this ancient man of God. The color of his outfit recollects the red of bishop's robes. "Making a list, checking it twice," probably recalls the old saint's lectures to children about good behavior. Gifts secretly brought on Christmas eve bring to mind his humble generosity to the three daughters.

Yet if he were alive today, this saint would humbly deflect attention from himself. No fur-trimmed hat and coat, no reindeer and sleigh or North Pole workshop. As he did in life centuries ago, Bishop Nicholas would point people to his Master. "I am Nicholas, a sinner," the old saint would say. "Nicholas, servant of Christ Jesus."

Through the centuries many stories and legends have been told of St. Nicholas' life and deeds. These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.

The Legend

Strictly speaking, the tradition of St. Nicholas is not synonomous with the role of Santa Claus in the U.S.. As practiced in many European countries, the celebration of St. Nicholas is separate from the Christmas holidays, and occurs during the 2 weeks prior to December 6th, which is St. Nicholas's day. Sometimes St. Nicholas Day is the main holiday for gift giving, and not Christmas.

In the Netherlands, legend has it that Sinterklaas (Dutch name for St. Nicholas) arrives in the Netherlands by way of steamboat from Spain 2 weeks before his traditional birthday, December 6th, along with his helper, Zwarte Piet (Black Pete), who will help disperse the gifts and candy to all the good children. Sinterklaas, along with the zwarte piets, will go abroad at night and stride about the countryside wearing his red mantle, his mitre, and his golden crosier and sporting a long, white beard. Referring to his book that lists all the good and bad children, Sinterklaas will deliver presents to all the good children, but watch out if you've been bad! The bad children may be taken back to Spain with him. The Low Countries (Belgium and Luxemburg) have basically the same traditions surrounding St. Nicholas, but not to the extent of the Netherlands. Children in Luxemburg call him Kleeschen, and his helper is Ho˜seker (Black Peter). Belgian children know him as Sint Niklaas.

In Germany, St. Nicholas is also known as Klaasbuur, Sunnercla, Burklaas, Bullerklaas, and Rauklas, and in eastern Germany, he is also known as Shaggy Goat, Ash Man and Rider and is more reflective of earlier pagan influences (Norse) that were blended in with the figure of St. Nicholas, when Christianity came to Germany. After the reformation, St. Nicholas's attire began to change, maybe as a reflection of the change from the Roman church, and he started to wear a red suit with fur. His dark-skinned helper is most often known as Knecht Ruprecht. Although he still visits many homes on Dec 5th/6th and leaves candy and gifts in the children's shoes, more recently St. Nicholas has begun showing up on Christmas Eve in Germany and is called Father Christmas.

In France, he is now called Pere Noel (Father Christmas) and he travels in the company of Pere Fouettard. Pere Noel leaves presents for good children, while Pere Fouettard disciplines bad children with a spanking. Pere Noel only sometimes leaves presents on St. Nicholas day, more often now on Christmas. St. Nicholas day was celebrated formerly in Russia, but under Communism he was changed to Grandfather Frost and wore blue instead of red. In Sicily, he comes on Dec 13th and is called Santa Lucia.

The Holiday Today

In anticipation of St. Nicholas's nightly visits, children in several European countries put their shoes in front of the fire place. They sing traditional songs and provide a carrot or hay for the horse. At night Black Pete puts gifts and candy in the shoes. In the Netherlands, families celebrate St Nicholas's birthday the night before his feast day (December 6th). At one point during the evening, a loud knock will herald the arrival of Sinterklaas and at the same time candy may be thrown from upstairs; when the door is opened, a bag of gifts will be on the doorstep. For families with older children and adults, different twists are added to the gift giving and may include gag gifts or the drawing of gift ideas or names, and most times are accompanied by poems with a "personal touch" that poke fun at the recipient in a gentle way (or not, depending on the families ;) ). Wrapping the presents up in odd packages and planting a trail of clues is also part of the general fun, and can sometimes be pretty tricky to get to, depending on the squeamishness of the recipients.

Biography Podcast 0014: William B. Hartsfield - Maynard H. Jackson

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 01:22:00 +0000

The 14th episode of the podcast, a double biography! Thanks for staying subscribed - you rock!

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Biography Transcript
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Sorry! No transcript today.

Biography Podcast 0013: Old Hickory - Andrew Jackson

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 03:00:00 +0000

The 13th episode of the podcast, and finally another biography! Sorry to keep you waiting so long, the explanation is after the biography. Thanks for staying subscribed - you rock!

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---------------------
Biography Transcript
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Andrew Jackson - Old Hickory
7th President of the US

Andrew Jackson stood, awaiting the command to fire. Here, this day 23 years before he would be inaugurated President, Andrew Jackson displayed the confidence, honor, integrity and determination that would make him the most popularly elected President of his time. He stood on a field of honor, in this case to defend a slur against his wife. Many times later the field and the cause of honor was different, but the result was the same. This day, when the command came, Jackson stood as his opponent Charles Dickinson, who was considered the best marksman in Tennessee, drew with speed and deliberation and fired at Jackson, hitting him just to the left of his coat button. But while staggering Jackson, Dickinson's bullet didn't kill him. Unfortunately for Dickinson, Jackson's bullet killed him. Jackson was not left unscarred. The bullet settled in his chest to close to his heart to be removed. It caused infection after infection and along with other wounds from other fields of honor, they eventually brought this popular President to his resting day. But for this day, Andrew Jackson overcame, he lived to become one of the land mark Presidents in US history.

Born in a backwoods settlement in the Carolinas in 1767, Andrew Jackson received sporadic education. But in his late teens he read law for about two years, and he became an outstanding young lawyer in Tennessee. Jackson prospered sufficiently to buy slaves and to build a mansion, the Hermitage, near Nashville. He was the first man elected from Tennessee to the House of Representatives, and he served briefly in the Senate. A major general in the War of 1812, Jackson became a national hero when he defeated the British at New Orleans.

In 1824, Andrew Jackson won the popular vote in a four horse race for the Presidency. In fact, it wasn't even close with his margin of victory over the closest competitor, John Quincy Adams, being 153,000 votes to 114,000. Unfortunately - or maybe fortunately in the long run - Jackson didn't have enough votes in the electoral college to win the majority and the vote went to the House of Representatives, who would then determine the winner from the top three electoral vote getters. In one of the most brilliant and desperate plays of his career - which he also effectively ended at the same time - Henry Clay swung the vote to John Quincy Adams making him the sixth President of the United States and Andrew Jackson went back to Tennessee. But the story wasn't over then for Old Hickory, in fact, that was when the party really started. Oh, and by the way, for all you Al Gore fans out there - both of you - he wasn't the first person to win the popular vote and loose the election. Continuing on.

Back in Tennessee, General Jackson more or less paced the floors for the next three years, champing at the bit for a fair race for the Presidency. He was concerned for his country. During those years many were saying that the Union would not last because of it regional divisions (North, South and West) and because of the economic issues, including slavery, that divided it. Before the results from the House were announced after 1824, Jackson declared: "The people are the safeguards of their own liberties, and I rely wholly on them to guard themselves. They will correct any outrage upon political purity by Congress; if they do not, now and ever, then they will become the slaves of Congress and its political corruption." Thankfully for Andrew Jackson and for the country, he was right and the people were ready to speak in the election of 1828. And, as a personal note - oh that it were so now in 2006 where we constantly are thrown from one party to the other of Congress that does their will and not the will of the people. But you know - in a way - it was Andrew Jackson that was responsible for that, so let us continue.

Andrew Jackson had married fairly young to the love of his life, Rachel. Unfortunately unknown at the time of their marriage, Rachel's divorce from her first husband had not been completed. This item of information provided to be a keystone of what became known as one of the ugliest political races, true gutter politics at its worst, of all time. As distraught as it made Jackson, Rachel was his calming influence - a balm to his stormy temperament. Rachel provided grounding for Jackson, and foundation and importantly, a conciliatory nature. Because of this, Jackson was able to not only survive but thrive as the election approached.

Through the election year, Jackson grew as a politician. He followed the goings on across the country. He knew that the government was corrupt (though then President John Quincy Adams' reputation was never in question), he new the people were upset, and he knew they were ready for reform. With the sound of revolution in the air, Jackson fought against his political opponents by coalescing support around him and leading the newly formed Democrats on to soundly defeat the National Republicans. (Personal note: Wow, that does sound a bit similar to this most recent condition and election - does it not?) In the end, this was the birth of the two party system which survives to this day.

Alas, for Jackson, the victory was bitter sweet, for with receiving the news of his election victory, his stalwart and loving - yet sickly wife of 27 years - Rachel who had stayed by him throughout the race, who according to posterity prayed for those that slandered her and her husband and asked God to forgive them, his dear wife Rachel relaxed her tenacious will to live and passed away. Jackson was inconsolable, but, after burying her, and grieving for her Andrew Jackson headed to Washington to serve the people, not the establishment. He went to Washington to serve the Union, the whole Union and keep it together, vibrant and strong.

Jackson's term in office was turbulent. The South was determined to succeed, the President was determined that it would not. Actions taken and laws made during his Presidency set the groundwork for the primacy of the Federal Government that later Lincoln would use as his authority less than forty years later in declaring war against the Confederate States. Jackson's term also saw him fight an evil that would wait till the next century before finally being instituted - a private national bank. In one of the biggest party battles, Jackson waged war against the Second Bank of the United States, a private corporation but virtually a Government-sponsored monopoly. And won. It would be 1917 before the Fed - a private corporation that the Government pays to print it's money, then pays interest to on that money, instead of printing the money itself and incurring no costs - would be established.

In 1832, Jackson again won the Presidency with 56 percent of the popular vote. At the end of his term in 1836, Old Hickory retired to The Hermitage where he lived until 1945 when he finally was reunited with his beloved Rachel.

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Biography Podcast 0012: The Listener's Talk Back

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:54:00 +0000

The 12th episode of the podcast - The Listener's Talk Back!

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Biography Podcast 0011: Vote Cast

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 20:06:00 +0000

The eleventh episode of the podcast - get out the Vote!

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Biography Podcast 0010: Rant-Cast 0001

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 04:15:00 +0000

The tenth episode of the podcast - I break loose with listener e-mail, voice mail and history. We've got it all! Enjoy!

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Biography Podcast 0009: Knee Surgery Update

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 02:58:00 +0000

The ninth episode of the podcast - just a quick update. Enjoy!

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Biography Podcast 0008: Ronald Reagan Part II

biographypodcast@gmail.com (Phillip J. Zannini) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 04:39:00 +0000

The eighth episode of the podcast - Ronald Wilson Reagan - Part II, 40th President, Actor and name sake of Regan Airport in Washington, DC. Enjoy!

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Today's Text
==============
"We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look."
- Ronald Reagan

Starting in 1964, Ronald Reagan became ever more active in the political sphere. Not that he had been inactive as evidenced by his active campaigning for Nixon. In fact for almost 10 years, starting in 1954, Reagan had been gaining experience by touring the country and speaking to large crowds of GE employees as part of his contract with GE Theater and by running for honorary Mayor. So, when 1964 came, Ronald Reagan's political train had already gained momentum and was rolling down the tracks. A speech for Barry Goldwater's 1964 campaign officially launched his political career as a Republican. As noted in his autobiography An American Life, Reagan always claims that he did not leave the Democratic party, it left him. It was a great disappointment to him, but determined as always he moved on. The same year "The Friends of Ronald Reagan" a political support group was formed, and the next year, 1965, Reagan announced his candidacy for Governor of California. In 1966, Reagan won the election in a landslide setting himself up for a potential 1968 Presidential bid. In 68, Reagan announced his candidacy for President at the Republican convention, but later joined in unanimous support for Nixon. Then, in 1970, he won re-election for a second term as Governor of California. In 1974, Reagan declined offers from the Ford administration to be ambassador to England (the court of St. James), and both Secretary of Transportation an Commerce. In 1976, he announced his candidacy for President. Although he lost the nomination to Ford after a strong primary, 1976 laid the groundwork for his presidential bid.

1979 dawned gray in the US. President Carter was beleaguered, the Misery Index was high, gasoline prices were high and American citizens were being held hostage. It was in this climate that Ronald Reagan announced his candidacy for President. Entering 1980, it was not a slam dunk that Reagan would win the nomination, in fact, going into the primary in NH George H. Bush was the front runner because he had won in Iowa - until the first debate.

"We are the showcase of the future. And it is within our power to mold that future-this year and for decades to come. It can be as grand and as great as we make it. No crisis is beyond the capacity of our people to solve; no challenge too great."
- Ronald Reagan

It was in the debate moderated by the Nashua Telegraph, paid for by the Reagan Campaign because he believed all the candidates should have a voice - not just the front runners - that Reagan feels that he won the primary and possibly the election. On the occasion, Reagan was there with all the candidates behind him while Bush was on the other side of the stage. The moderator, Jim Breen, told the sound man to turn of Reagan's microphone though Reagan wanted to make an announcement to explain why there was a delay in getting the debate started. After the second time that Breen told sound to cut the microphone, Reagan got upset, stood up, grabbed the mic, asked if it was on and then after sitting back down in his chair said "I am paying for this microphone Mr. Green!" The crowd went wild. Reagan went on to trounce all five candidates in the primary, won the Republican nomination, and speaking a message of hope and strength, swept to victory in one of the most lopsided elections in US history.

In January 1981, shortly after being announced Time Magazine's Man of the year, Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th President of the United States and started the Reagan Revolution. Reagan's platform of across the board tax cuts removed the undue pecuniary tax burdens that freed up a new wave of investment and brought thousands of quality jobs into the US Economy. However, for each fight won on the tax front, there was a loss on the spending front as the Democratic held Senate and House - led by Tip O'Neil - continued to push for more spending to keep pace in social programs with the spending that Reagan proposed for building the US Military back into a top rate fighting force.

Note: These tax cuts were vastly different than the cuts that were offered by the Bush 43 administration. The cuts that the Reagan Administration proposed were put in place by a vastly simplified tax code - one that has been continuously modified since the change, making it almost as bad with loopholes as it was before the Reagan proposed changes. Also understand that even as high as taxes are again now, they are not nearly as high as they were in 1980 when Reagan took office. What he proposed was truly revolutionary. Also, the Democrats in that day were not the Democrats or the Republicans of the early Bill Clinton administration. If anything they were only slightly better at not spending than the current Republican congress which doesn't seem to have seen a spending bill or pork opportunity they don't like. So, while Reagan was pushing tax cuts and in theory decreasing revenue, congress was spending more. That is what caused the initial build up of the deficit in the early to mid-80's. Of course, by the late 80's the economy had done a complete about face and that's what lead to the surplus of money that was used to pay down the debt and deficit in the 90's. Now, back to the biography.

A few short months after his Inauguration on March 30, 1981 Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt by Presidential stalker John Hinckley, Jr. Characteristically, Reagan greeted wife Nancy as she visited him after surgery with "Honey, I forgot to duck" (borrowing Jack Dempsey's line to his wife the night he was beaten by Gene Tunney for the heavyweight championship." Interestingly enough, this episode had many of what would come to be considered the Christian Right (a major part of the Reagan Revolution) wondering if in fact Ronald Wilson Reagan might in fact be the prophesied anti-Christ because he survived a head wound and his full name had 6 characters in each part leading to the number 666. Thankfully, it turns out that he wasn't the anti-Christ - though there are some that might still argue that - and he did recover to continue governing the country. This is also quite interesting because, as it turns out in the following years, it was Reagan's own strong Christian faith that lead to him referring to the USSR as the Evil Empire. He was even questioned at one point regarding the Star Wars defense program because he had been discussing Armageddon with some friends. Funny, you never know how things work out.

In 1982 Reagan began what was the beginning of the end of the Cold War by announcing the joint US-USSR Strategic Arms Reduction Talks. Also in 1982, Reagan was required to handle the first military crisis in Beirut, Lebanon which also had to be dealt with in the following year, 1983, after a tragic bombing.

In 1983 Reagan, in response to a bloody coup that provided a perceived threat to US students, ordered US troops to invade Grenada to over throw the Marxist regime associated with Fidel Castro's Cuba. This was part of the global war that was constantly part of the US/Russia/Cuba tension, and which eventually lead to Reagan's biggest crisis in the second term of his Presidency.

In 1984 Reagan, not surprisingly, declared his bid for re-election. His eventual opponent was former Carter Vice President, Walter Mondale. In their first debate on October 7th, most people thought that Reagan looked bad, befuddled and confused. According to Roger Ailes, who was called in after that debate, it was because the team handling Reagan wasn't playing to his strengths and had burdened him with trying to memorize everything, every little fact and figure that had to be debated. Ailes had Regan relax, then asked him how he was going to cope with the burning question of age and his capacity to be the President during the next debate. Reagan's answer was brilliant and Ailes told him to use it during the next debate with Mondale on October 14th. Sure enough, the question did come, and herewith I present the transcript...

MODERATOR: Mr. Trewhitt, your question to President Reagan?

REPORTER: Mr. President, I want to raise an issue that I think has been lurking out there for two or three weeks, and cast it specifically in national security terms. You already are the oldest President in history, and some of your staff say you were tired after your most recent encounter with Mr. Mondale. I recall, yes, that President Kennedy, who had to go for days on end with very little sleep during the Cuba missile crisis. Is there any doubt in your mind that you would be able to function in such circumstances?

REAGAN: Not at all, Mr. Trewhitt and I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience. If I still have time, I might add, Mr. Trewhitt, I might add that it was Seneca or it was Cicero, I don't know which, that said if it was not for the elders correcting the mistakes of the young, there would be no state.

That one response, in the same way "I'm paying for this microphone Mr. Green!" did so much for his 1980 campaign, assured voters that Ronald Reagan was indeed sound. It convinced them so much in fact, that Reagan again swept to one of the most lopsided victory in electoral history with only one state - Michigan, the home of Walter Mondale - carrying for the Democrats. And, as a side note, it's the only time I can recall in my memory that Massachusetts - where I live - actually didn't got Democrat!

In January 1985 Ronald Reagan was again inaugurated as President of the United States, and, unbeknownst to him, was to suffer a key loss to himself and his Presidency when Ed Meese was nominated and later confirmed as Attorney General. Why Meese was such a key was that he along with James Baker and Michael Deaver formed the Reagan "Troika". This group, more than anyone, because of their long ties - in some cases going back to his California Governorship - understood how Reagan operated and governed. Reagan was a famous delegator who believed highly in getting the best people in place and then getting their input. He was not a President like Bill Clinton after him, who was intimately involved in every detail of everything that went on in his administration. Unfortunately, those coming in to replace the Troika didn't understand his style and consequentially did not provide Reagan with the information and/or feedback with which he was accustomed - choosing to operate more independently. It was this failure by Reagan that lead to the scandal of his second term, Iran-Contra.

Because the scope of this podcast is limited and Iran-Contra could be discussed for hours if not days, let me limit the description to this. Iran-Contra involved selling weapons to Iran (an avowed enemy) to get money to support the Contra's - an anti-communist gorilla group in Nicaragua. It was not Ronald Reagan's finest hour. He did testify under oath, and not surprisingly, his knowledge of the details of certain happenings was sparse and inconsistent. Many attribute this to two causes. One, the Troika not being there to support him with the required information, and two - the possible first signs of the disease he was later diagnosed with - Alzheimer's. In my opinion, it was the first and not the latter that was his failing.

However, before having to deal with Iran-Contra in 1986, Reagan had a busy 1985. Mid-year he underwent surgery for colin-cancer, and in October he was called on to lead the US response to the Achille Lauro hijacking. In the penultimate foreign policy moment in US-USSR history, on November 16, he started the Geneva Summit with Mr. Gorbachev. Finally, in December, the year was nicely wrapped up with an all-star tribute conducted in honor or Dutch Reagan.

1986 opened with both hope and tragedy. While the US made strides in talks with the USSR to open the year in January, we closed the month with the tragedy of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, and, with the gift that he always used to rally the nation's spirits, President Ronald Reagan conveyed the grief of regret and the hope, joy and pride in the Challenger astronauts that made us all proud to be Americans. In March, as a harbinger of things to come, the President addressed the nation regarding Nicaragua, and as summer dawned Reagan participated in the Centennial celebration for the Statute of Liberty. In October, with the leaves turning in the north of the country, Reagan traveled to Reykjavik for his ultimate moment and greatest success in US-USSR political history - the Reykjavik summit with Micael Gorbachev. Alas, the afterglow from Reykajavik was barely warn off when in mid-November the President addressed the nation regarding arms and the Contra aid situation. In late November the Iran-Contra scandal broke wide open and the Tower Commission was appointed to study the affair. As ever, the President chose to stand and speak with the nation, and in December he again addressed the nation regarding Iran-Contra - then, to cap the year and start the new one of 1987, he addressed the people of the USSR in a rousing New Year's Eve address.

In 1987 Reagan seemed to more fully gain back his form and hit stride again. He started the year in January by addressing the Congress in the State of the Union Address and stating "I'm back." Indeed he was. Reagan didn't hide as the Tower Commission reported in late February and he followed up the report again by speaking to the nation in March and August. In June, President Reagan visited Berlin and made what might be the most remembered one line of his political career when he said "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" And though the wall did not come down in his administration, George H. W. Bush was there as President when the wall came down in 1989. The rest of the year saw Regan's administration dealing with much turbulence in the Gulf. Iraq bombed the USS Stark, Reagan had to address our Gulf policy. The year was also a battle on the legal front with much ado about justices when Reagan nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court, saw that nomination defeated and then nominated and had appointed Judge Kennedy. And while all this was going on, the President was still able to be beside the first Lady as she underwent surgery for breast cancer. To wrap the year, the INF Treaty was announced and signed.

1988 was not as momentous as 1987 for policy, but the Reagan stayed busy. He was not finished with budget reform and started the year by addressing the issue in the State of the Union. He then presided over air strikes against Iranian oil platforms in the Gulf, deployed US forces to Honduras and saw the INF treaty ratified. The second half of the year was spent wrapping things up. Reagan endorsed Bush for the Republican nomination, gave his farewell address at the Republican National Convention, signed several trade agreements, participated at the ground breaking for the Reagan Presidential Library and in December, he participated in a mini-summit with Gorbachev in New York, then gave his final press conference.

In 1989, President Ronald Wilson Reagan gave his farewell address as a President to the nation, then departed to return to his beloved ranch and horses in California.

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Ronald Reagan stayed active in the years to come before finally being diagnosed with Alzheimer's and settling down in his home in Los Angeles. He was as ex-President much as he was as President - an ambassador of good will and good cheer.

Ronald Wilson Reagan will be remembered as many things. Some say that he was the greatest President of the 20th century, others - the worst. He will be remembered as the B-movie actor turned politician, he may even be remembered for Iran-Contra. But regardless of what action or inaction Ronald Reagan will be remembered for specifically, his love, his positive message to believe in ourselves and believe in God and his ability - much like FDR - to capture our attention and inspire us to greatness will always be felt. Reagan fomented a political revolution in our country that has carried to this day. He was a standard bearer for integrity, kindness and freedom. And, where ever he went, Ronald Reagan left hope. Hope for our today and hope for our future.

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