Friday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“To achieve success no matter the job, we must pay a price.”

                            Vince Lombardi

A friend sent this to me. “I was sitting at the breakfast table with my 16 year old granddaughter and asked her what tomorrow was. She said it was President's Day. I asked her what does this mean. She said the it is when the President steps out of the White House and if he sees his shadow we get one more year of baloney.” Thanks Gary.

On occasion we must remember the good people that have passed through some of our lifetimes...here is one.

                                 Cole Porter

                             Songwriter/Composer

Cole Albert Porter was born in Peru, Indiana on June 9, 1891 to a wealthy Episcopalian family. Their money came from Cole’s grandfather who was a timber and coal speculator. Cole’s mother Kate was musically inclined and encouraged Cole to take violin lessons at the age of 6. At the age of 10 he began taking piano lessons and he wrote his first operetta with the help of his mother who recognized his musical talent. His grandfather wanted him to become a lawyer and he went to Worcester College and then to Yale and then to the Harvard Law School where he roomed with Dean Acheson who became the American Secretary of State under Harry Truman. While at both Yale and Harvard he was a member of several honor societies but his mind was not of law, it was on music. In fact he wrote 300 songs while at Yale including the Yale fight song which is in use to this day. Cole’s inattention in law classes caught the attention of one of his professors who told him to “stop wasting his time”. Cole took him to heart and transferred to the School of Music. Cole introduced one of his creations in a Broadway musical revue. It was titled “Esmeralda” and proved to be a hit. After that he had several failures in a row and the pressure of failure got to him and he moved to Paris and hung out with other American ex-patriots like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. In WWI Cole did not register for the draft but knocked around Europe fraternizing with the other intellectuals know as “The Lost Generation”. He claimed to have joined the French Foreign Legion but there is no written proof of it. However, in the French Foreign Legion Museum there is an acknowledgment that he was indeed a Legionnaire. In 1918 he met a wealthy Louisville, Kentucky divorcee named Linda Lee Thomas who was 10 years his senior and married her the next year. Even though his wife conceived and miscarried and they were married for 34 years, he was often seen with Hollywood beauties on his arm, those that knew him believed he was more homosexual than bi-sexual. After he and Linda moved to Hollywood it became more and more apparent. He admittedly wrote “Easy to Love” to architect Ed Tauch and “You Would Be So Nice to Come Home To” to choreographer Nelson Barclift. The children of long time friend Ray Kelly receive royalties from the music of childless Cole to this day. Cole’s sexual preference notwithstanding, he was an enormous musical talent but his wife Linda and he did separate over his philandering. The famous composer Richard Rodgers met Cole in Venice in 1919 and Cole played some his compositions for him. Rodgers was amazed to discover that he did not have anything playing on Broadway. Cole came back to the US in the late 1920’s and began to make up for lost time. In three years Cole wrote three scores for successful musicals on Broadway that included the immortal songs “Let’s Do It” (Lets fall in love), “You Do Something To Me” and “What Is This Thing Called Love?” In 1932 he gave us “Night and Day”, the song most recognized as pure Cole Porter. From this point on it was almost one smash hit after another including these songs: “I Get a Kick Out Of You”, “You’re The Top”, “Begin the Beguine”, “Just One Of Those Things”, “Red, Hot and Blue”, “It’s De-lovely”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “In The Still of The Night”, and “Don’t Fence Me In” believe it or not. In 1937 he was in a riding accident that damaged both of his legs to the point that amputation of them both was considered. He went through over 30 operations and one leg was saved but Cole was essentially an invalid and in pain for the rest of his days resulting in times of deep depression. His wife Linda came back to him to care for him in this trying time. In spite of his infirmities he continued to score at least one musical per year until his beloved mother died in 1952 and his wife in 1954. After that although he continued to write he was not as prolific and his depression, ulcers and leg pain finally took its toll and he never wrote another score after 1958 and spent the remainder of his years in relative seclusion. In 1964 in Santa Monica, California at the age of 73 the soul of Cole Porter departed this earth because of kidney failure. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Peru, Indiana between his wife and his father. He is without question a musical legacy worldwide.

        This Date in History   January 30

1972 Earlier the English Parliament had decreed that anyone that seemed to be a threat to the peace in Northern Ireland would be arrested. We all know how hot blooded the Irish are anyway and with this obvious trampling of their rights would not stand without action. A group of civil rights workers notified the Londonderry authorities that they would be forming a civil rights march on this date in protest of what Parliament had decreed. The Londonderry and British authorities disallowed the march but the marchers showed up anyway. The British responded with sending in a platoon of Royal paratroopers with instructions to stop the march by whatever mean it took. When the marchers reached the paratroopers that had the road blocked, the paratroopers indiscriminately open fire with automatic weapons into the unarmed crowd. The result was 13 killed and 19 wounded and is known to this day as “Bloody Sunday”. As you can guess, the entire free world raised almighty hell and money flowed into the Irish Republican Army like the Amazon meaning that the British would have their hands full with the IRA for years to come and indeed they do.

     Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Thursday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“OK, we'll go.”

These immortal words were uttered by US General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The D-Day invasion was scheduled for June 5, 1944 but the weather was prohibitive and the invasion was delayed one day. It positively could not be delayed any longer for several reasons. The invasion forces were already aboard ships ready and eager to go. If the invasion was delayed another day the ships would have be refueled and they could not be refueled with all those troops aboard meaning they would have to disembark greatly increasing the chance of a breach of secrecy. Not only that there had to be a full moon for the paratroopers and gliders and there had to be a low tide at dawn so all the obstructions could be seen. All of these conditions would not be available for another month. It all depended on the weather report and one English weatherman in particular. On the evening of June 5 Eisenhower called in the English weatherman and his staff for a briefing. The weatherman predicted that there would be about 40 hours of favorable weather including all day June 6 and most of June 7. After the briefing by the weatherman Eisenhower asked the opinions of the members of his staff. All of the pros and cons of going or waiting was discussed. British General Bernard L. Montgomery was the last person to give an opinion and he said “We cannot take those troops off and wait. They have been trained to a razors edge and are ready to go.” Everybody in the room looked at Eisenhower with bated breath waiting for a decision. It was then that he uttered those immortal words and the room was empty in 30 seconds...except for Ike. There were a lot of things to get done and not a lot of time to do it. The most ambitious military operation in history was under way.

This Date in History January 29

1936 On this date the first baseball players were selected for the newly opened Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. They were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson. Ty Cobb, to this day, is the most productive hitter to ever play the game. Babe Ruth was both an ace pitcher and a devastating home run hitter, Honus Wagner was a versatile infielder and a dependable clutch hitter, Christy Mathewson had the most wins in National League history up until that time and Walter “Big Train” Johnson is considered to be one of the most powerful pitchers in history. The Hall of Fame was supposed to have opened in 1935 but money was at a premium because of the Depression so the opening was delayed. The rumor was spread that Civil War General Abner Doubleday was the inventor of baseball in Cooperstown but that was bullshit. The local businesses fostered that idea to pump up business and they made contributions toward the building of the Hall. The Hall of Fame has about 350,000 visitors a year.

1820   After 10 years of a debilitating disease that lead to total insanity, King George III of England died. King George was the chief antagonist of the American colonists that resulted in the American Revolutionary War. King George knew that he was not well and was desperately seeking someone that he could trust to take care of business in his behalf. He found one in Lord North and King George was very relieved. The problem was that England lost its most profitable colony in America and the English people were furious. In 1784 William Pitt the elder gained enough power in Parliament to take control. After this the King retired from active participation in government except for an occasional interference with major issues such as “Catholic Emancipation” which was defeated in 1801. I have not researched this issue but I will soon. King George had a long history of illness beginning in 1765 when he had a nervous breakdown and in the winter of 1788-89 he had a severe bout with mental illness. By 1810 he was permanently insane but he was cared for tenderly by his wife Charlotte Sophia. His son, the Prince of Wales, was named regent and assumed throne as King George IV when his father died in 1820.

Born today:

1737 Super American Patriot Thomas Paine. He said “When we are planning for posterity, we must remember that virtue is not hereditary.” Paine was one of the greatest wordsmiths this country ever produced.

1862 English composer Fredrick Delius. He said “Music is an outburst of the soul”. Indeed Fred, indeed.

1874 US industrialist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. He said “A friendship based on business is better that a business based on friendship.” The Rockefeller dynasty began with the establishment of Standard Oil which eventually became Esso and then Exxon.

1880 US comedian W.C. Fields. He said “My illness is due to my doctor insisting that I drink milk. It is a whitish fluid that they force down helpless babies.” Fields was a famous imbiber.

1923 US writer Paddy Chayefsky. He said “"Now listen to me, goddamnit! The Arabs are simply buying us! A handful of gas, shahs, and emirs who despise this country and everything it stands for—democracy, freedom, the right for me to get up on television and tell you about it—a couple of dozen medieval fanatics are going to own where you work, where you live, what you read, what you see, your cars, your bowling alleys, your mortgages, your schools, your churches, your libraries, your kids, your whole life...!" Pay attention to Paddy, y'all, it could happen.

1939 Australian feminist Germaine Greer. She said “Freud is the father of psychoanalysis, it has no mother.” I agree Germaine.

            Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Wednesday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

During the American Civil War US General John Sedgwick rode up to a high point to observe the progress of the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Va. Upon arrival his staff told him that he ought to take cover. Sedgwick scoffed and said “They couldn't hit an elephant at this dis…..”

I recently have been given access to a set of ten books about the American Civil War. This set of books was published in 1911 and commends the 50^th anniversary of this tragedy. The book is a lot about the combat photographers of the day. They also have an interesting format. On the left page is an description of a particular event or battle and the right page has photos of what was described. Almost all of the photos were taken by the Brady and Gardner team. There were others but none could match them. There is one pic of a man looking over a battlefield using binoculars and a cloud of smoke was rising where an artillery barrage had just been fired. It was the opening guns of the Battle of Antietam or sometimes known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. This was the bloodiest single day in American history, y'all. There were over 23,000 casualties in 12 hours. It was unimaginable horror. By the way, battles during the Civil War were named differently dependent on the Confederacy and the Union versions. For instance: The Battle of 1^st Manassas and the Battle of 1^st Bull Run are the same battle. Under most circumstances the Confederacy named battles after the closest town or village like Manassas and the Union named them after prominent geographical features like Bull Run Creek...but the blood flowed and the horror endured regardless of the name.

Recently I watched a program on the History channel about Thomas Jefferson. The “guide” through this program knew as much about the history of the United States as Kaylee the Lab. The “guide” acted astounded that Jefferson had help write the Constitution containing such phrases such as “Liberty and justice” but had about 600 slaves working his plantation Monticello and said that Jefferson was nothing but a racist. That got to me and here is my vent for that stupidity.

Jefferson was one of the smartest men this country has ever produced. The survival of this great experiment in a democratic republic never before tried in the history of the world would never had survived without Jefferson and people like him. Slavery was accepted as the norm in those days but changed later on. Nearly every Native American tribe used human beings as currency and that was just the way things were, good, bad or indifferent. There are many examples of racial prejudice that glare at us throughout history. I have chosen three. President Andrew Jackson hated Native Americans primarily because his family had to fight for survival against the Cherokees and Creeks while settling in the Waxhaw region on the North Carolina/South Carolina border. Jackson witnessed unspeakable torture delivered upon his friends and family at the hands of the Indians and he never forgot it. It was Jackson that implemented the infamous “Trail of Tears” moving the native Americans from their east coast homes to Oklahoma.

Then there was Ulysses Grant. His wife had three slaves for a while but eventually freed them. While Grant was President one of his relatives was riding on a train and met two men that were cotton brokers. These two guys found out that this man was related to Grant and schmoozed up to him just hoping that he would influence Grant in their behalf so they could get a piece of the glut of excess cotton gathered from the south after the Civil War. Grant smelled all of this out and came within a hair of killing the cotton brokers. They were Jews and Grant hated Jews from then on. That's right, y'all, Ulysses Grant was a racist...not against the blacks but a racist none the less.

And finally there was the British Empire. They were involved in the west African slave trade from day one. Then there came a time that it was not financially viable to continue so James II authorized the capture of those pesky “semi-human” Irishmen and selling them into slavery to the sugar plantation owners in the Caribbean and Barbados in particular. They kidnapped and sold about 1.1 million Irish into slavery. They were without a doubt racists...not against the blacks but racists none the less.

I am a racist myself...that is not the right word...I am prejudiced. I am vehemently opposed to any American that is trying to tear down or denigrate this great nation while suckling on its bounty. That really bothers me...especially Michael Moore, Al Sharpton and especially that jackass “guide” that knew nothing about anything but felt he was qualified to judge others. OK, I feel better now.

On last Thursday morning a woman was asleep on a USAirways flight from Boston to Charlotte. She was awakened by her seatmate that she did not know massaging her breasts. She woke up and told the masher to knock it off and then called a flight attendant, but before the attendant got there he had copped yet another feel. The attendant found her another seat and told the captain about these events the he notified the Charlotte USAirways ops about the situation. A couple of Charlotte’s finest was waiting at the gate for this jackass. I wonder what row she was on…how deeply she slept, etc, etc? Just joking.

Here is an event that I experienced as an air traffic controller. It was at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Ga. Moody was a training base for all-weather interceptors. After a class got to a certain point, drone aircraft would be launched from Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Florida to a point in the Gulf of Mexico and the fighter/interceptors from Moody would be radar guided toward the drone until the aircraft radar picked it up, then the fighter was to shoot down the drone, regardless of the weather. One of the pilots in training had a wife that was afraid for her husband flying fighters. Her husband had received special permission for his wife to watch from the control tower a “maximum effort” night launch. It was supposed to give her confidence. I was working in the tower that night. Her husband successfully got his F-86D off the ground and was up to about 500 feet when he declared “Mayday” meaning he was in serious trouble. His plane exploded into a ball of flame and crashed to the earth about 2 miles south of the base. There is no need for me to tell y'all what turmoil ensued. She was pregnant, too.

This Date in History January 28

1777 On this date British General John Burgoyne submitted a battle plan to British General Sir Henry Clinton. Burgoyne suggested that he head a large force of 8,000 troops out of Canada and go down Lake Champlain, the Mohawk River and eventually the Hudson River and isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. Burgoyne felt that if he could accomplish this it would make Philadelphia ripe for the picking by British General Howe. The plan was approved and Burgoyne achieved a modicum of success when he captured Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. What Burgoyne did not plan on was the over extension of his supply lines the further south he moved. Eventually the Patriots simply swung around and cut his supply line. Soon after this Burgoyne lost the Battle of Bennington, Vermont and engaged in a bloody draw at Bemis Heights, New York. After these battles he was unable to re-supply his troops so he retreated 16 miles north to Saratoga, New York and surrendered his remaining 6,000 troops to US General Horatio Gates. When the government of France saw this victory they officially recognized the United States as an independent nation which, of course, meant war with England. France had been covertly sending America money and the tools of war now they did it openly and with much more supplies. This decision by France assured an American victory because it meant that England would have to fight a war on both sides of the Atlantic.

1958 On this date a 19 year old high school dropout from Lincoln, Nebraska named Charles Starkweather and his 14 year old girlfriend Carol Fugate murder a Lincoln business man, his wife and their maid. This was the last in a string of 10 murder committed by the duo. This murder spree began at the home of Carol and an argument broke out between Charles and Carol’s parents. Charles chose to shoot Carol’s parent and strangle Carol’s two year old sister. Carol and Charles stayed holed up in the house for a few days before leaving in Charles’ car. Their next victims was a farmer and two teens and after that it was the previously mention Lincoln businessman, wife and maid. They were not done yet. They shot and killed a traveling shoe salesman to get his car. They were surrounded and captured near Douglas, Wyoming. Both Charles and Carol were convicted of murder and Charles got the death penalty and Carol got life. In 1959 Charles Starkweather went to meet his maker medium rare after a visit with the Nebraska version of “Old Sparky”. Carol was paroled after 18 years. How could that girl sit in the house with her dead parents and sister for several days? They paroled her because she was so young at the time of the murders. I will have to call bullshit on that.

1986 On this day the space shuttle Challenger was set to launch for the 10^th time. All previous missions with this vessel had been flawless. The shuttle had been scheduled to launch on January 22 but there were weather issues so the launch date was pushed back to January 28. Aboard with the regular astronauts was a school teacher name Christa McAuliffe from New Hampshire. The outside air temperature was below freezing and the rocket booster manufacturer warned the launch officials that some of the parts of the rocket booster do not operate well in cold weather, especially the O-ring seals. They warned that they became brittle in the cold and would not hold. The launch officials blew it off and at 11:39a the Challenger blasted off. Seventy-three seconds into the flight the shuttle exploded into a spectacular three armed display and fell into the Atlantic killing all aboard. An investigation later proved that an O-ring seal had indeed failed and the flame from the rocket boosters had not been contained inside the cylinder causing an explosion. The arrogance of the launch officials in allowing the launch in spite of being warned set space exploration back several years.

Born today:

1887 Polish pianist Arthur Rubenstein. He said “When I was young, I had success with women because I was young. Now I have success with women because I am old. Middle age was hell.” Way to go Art, way to go!

1933 US writer Susan Sontag. She said “The best answer is one that destroys the question.” Susan is no longer with us.

1948 Latvian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov. He said “When we dancers watch Fred Astaire, we know we are in the wrong business.” Fred was a pleasure to watch.

Died today:

1960 US writer Zora Hurston. She said “Every distant ship has every man’s dream aboard.” Yes it does...for me at least.

1996 Russian writer Josef Brodsky. He said “Life, the way it really is, is not a battle between bad and good, it is a battle between bad and worse.” And I thought I was a pessimist.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.

Tuesday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

Hitler was persuaded by Herman Goering that England could be defeated by air power alone. After one particular raid the German Air force lost over 70 aircraft and Hitler knew that a land invasion would be a blood bath so he put a stop to it all and headed for Russia. Winston Churchill was asked about England's ability to withstand such a pounding and stay viable. He said “This was certainly not the beginning of the end...but it surely is the end of the beginning.”

That inspirational courageous and brave warrior...and part time Pillsbury Dough Boy Michael Moore has once again stuck his size 12 malodorous foot into a mouth that has a severe underbite and said that using the proposition of “What would Jesus do?” He said that he certainly would not shoot someone in the back like a sniper. However he neglected to mention that God told Joshua through Moses that every man, woman and child they encountered traveling north up the Jordan river valley should be killed. I would like to see a show of hands of those that thinks that Michael Moore is not worthy of any consideration...me neither.

This morning I was at my favorite eating place here in Greenville and a man came in and sat down beside me. We struck up a conversation and he said that he had just flown in from New Jersey to avoid what was coming the next few days. We began talking about the weather and he raised that same old tired crap about 2 inches of snow shuts down the schools here in South Carolina and they just laugh about it. I could not help myself and told him that we here in the Bible Belt do not have our asses taxed off to pay for the snow removal equipment and we do not feel the need to prove our manhood by the ability to drive in the snow...we do it in another arena...and we are not worried about it anyway. We parted enemies and I feel good about it.

Instead of the usual bad news of the day, I will send y’all one of the greatest love stories in history. It is the biography of Robert Dudley.

Robert Dudley

Earl of Leicester

This is the story of unrequited love between two people that were in love for most of their lives but were kept apart by the politics of Elizabethan England. Elizabeth stated that she would never marry because she was fearful that her powers would be diluted by a husband. The present day Prince Phillip of England is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and is titled as Prince Consort.

Most contemporary historians believed that Robert Dudley and Elizabeth, the future Queen of England, were born on the same day, it was later determined that Robert was probably one year older. Robert was the son of John Dudley, Earl of Warwick, Duke of Northumberland and protector of England during the reign of Edward VI. Robert was the fifth child of thirteen. He first met Elizabeth when he was eight years old, probably in a royal classroom. They became good friends and their friendship lasted throughout both of their lives. He was certainly a match for Elizabeth intellectually but was not interested in the classics. He was also into the classics in addition to mathematics, astronomy and astrology. He was good athlete and a superb horseman. When speaking of Elizabeth later on he said that he knew her better than anyone, even from the time she was eight years old. He said that Elizabeth had always told him that she would never marry.

Robert married Amy Robsart in 1550 with Amy being the daughter of a Norfolk squire. Even thought people though they were in love, the marriage contract indicated otherwise. Normally daughters were not heirs to their father’s estate but Amy was the exception, she was an heiress making the marriage advantageous to both. The marriage ceremony between Robert and Amy was a glittering one with all the appropriate pomp and circumstance. The festivities were attended by Elizabeth and the Boy-King in waiting, Edward VI.

After Robert’s father tried to usurp the throne and place his sister-in-law Lady Jane Grey on the throne the shit hit the fan. This rebellion was quashed and Robert, his father and five of his brothers are imprisoned in the Tower of London in the Beauchamp tower awaiting trial. Elizabeth was also imprisoned in the Tower but in the Bell tower. The two wings were joined by a walkway and Robert and Elizabeth met frequently on this walkway and their friendship turned to love even though they were closely guarded. After all was said and done, Robert’s father John, Roberts brother Guilford and Lady Jane Grey had a meeting with a big guy with a big axe out on the lawn of the Tower. All the others were released.

Robert and his brother Henry went to France to fight on the behalf of the King of France, Phillip II. Henry was killed in this war. After returning to England Robert found out that Elizabeth was in serious financial trouble and sold some of his lands and bailed Elizabeth out and she never forgot Robert’s generosity. Elizabeth ascended to the throne of England in 1558 at the age of twenty and Robert's star began to rise. He was made the Master of the Queens Horse, a very prestigious position that required him to be in the presence of the Queen almost constantly. It was his function to plan her public appearances and personal entertainment. Robert was good at this because he and Elizabeth share the same love of drama and music. There was no doubt that he was the Queens favorite which automatically made him the most despised man in England. Within the first years, Elizabeth showered Robert with titles, among these was the Earl of Leicester, properties and money and spending more time with him than anyone else. Tongues wagged as to their intimacy, all assumed they were lovers. It was also said that Elizabeth was carrying Roberts child but this story was easily dismissed, but there was no doubt that they were deeply in love. They were bonded by knowing each other as children, had suffered imprisonment together, and each trusted and respected the other totally. Like any couple they occasionally argued, but Robert always spoke and treated Elizabeth with the respect that her position deserved.

No one had a good word to say about Robert except the Queen and her family. Elizabeth was an astute judge of character and it is impossible to think that she would not have detected any insincerity in Robert over their relationship of thirty years. There is no question that Robert loved her. Had the political circumstances been more favorable there is little question they would have been married. Privately she told Robert that she would marry no one else, but she couldn’t marry him. The biggest problem with the bar to their marriage was the circumstances of Robert's wife’s death. She was found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs with a broken neck and naturally everyone pointed their fingers at Robert and Elizabeth. For a long time people had been saying he and Elizabeth were planning Amy’s death so he could marry Elizabeth. This shadow of doubt plagued the two for the rest of their days making the birth of any of their children suspect if they had married. Amy was probably terminally ill with breast cancer or as it was called “malady of the breast”. In fact medical opinions of today suggest that the cancer had probably reached her spine and it was weakened to the point that any kind of pressure would have broken it. However, such medical knowledge was unknown in those days and all, including Robert, believed she was murdered. Robert waited for many years hoping Elizabeth would change her mind but she didn’t. At a gala celebration in 1575 in Warwick Castle, Robert formally asked for Elizabeth’s hand and as always she refused. So in 1578 Robert married the Queens cousin, Lettice Devereux, the Countess of Essex.

He may have well been in love with her because she was a reported stone fox but the real reason he married her was that she was pregnant and a family of the stature of the house of Essex demanded that he make an honest woman of her. Robert tried to keep the news of his marriage from the Queen but she found out anyway. In 1580 Lettice gave birth to a son also named Robert. The child was a sickly one and died at the age of four which devastated Robert. The death of this child almost assured the end to Robert’s lineage. He had a child by an affair with Lady Dudley Sheffield but illegitimate children could not be an heir. Lady Sheffield claimed that she and Robert were married in a secret ceremony but there was no evidence of it and Robert always denied it.

In 1588 Robert was put in charge of the land forces during the assault by the Spanish Armada but Robert was not a well man, probably suffering from stomach cancer and his days were numbered. He was on his way to Buxton to bathe in the supposed “healing” waters there but he never made it. He died at his house in Oxfordshire on September 4th, 1588. Upon hearing the news, Elizabeth locked her self in her bedroom and stayed for days. She kept the last letter from Robert in her safe until the end of her days. The letter follows:

“I most humbly beseech your Majesty to pardon your poor old servant to be thus bold in sending to know how my gracious lady doth, and what ease of her late pain she finds, being the chiefest thing in the world I do pray for, for her to have good health and long life. For my own poor case, I continue still your medicine and find that [it] amends much better than any other thing that hath been given me. Thus hoping to find perfect cure at the bath, with the continuance of my wonted prayer for your Majesty's most happy preservation, I humbly kiss your foot. From your old lodging at Rycote, this Thursday morning, ready to take on my Journey, by Your Majesty's most faithful and obedient servant,

R. Leicester

Even as I had writ thus much, I received Your Majesty's token by Young Tracy.”

Evidently Elizabeth had sent Robert a gift.

It is a rumor that in Elizabeth’s last few days she could not speak and had the archbishop at her side holding her hand. Since she had no heir, everyone was waiting for her to name one. The archbishop went through a series of names and she would respond by squeezing his hand. It was determined that Elizabeth wanted James VI of Scotland to succeed her. When the archbishop mentioned the deceased Robert Dudley, Elizabeth squeezed his hand for a long time and a tear fell from her eye. But that is just a rumor. It has been reported that Elizabeth had another lover in the Earl of Essex. This may be true by I prefer to remember her childhood friend and her adult lover as her most favorite, Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester.

             Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Monday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“My wife and I decided that we were in love, but it turned out to be benign.”

Woody Allen

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin declared that there would be definite retribution for a bombing at the Moscow airport. I believe this guy. The Russians do not have a Constitution whereby everyone has “human rights” and are guaranteed due process of law. I saw several instances whereby a criminal in Russia is not arrested and cuffed and quietly led to a squad car. In one instance a man had high jacked a tour bus and was caught in a road block. The police ordered him to release the passengers and he complied…15 seconds later he was dead. There was no negotiation. In another instance the Russian police had a hidden camera in a hotel room where an undercover cop was making a drug deal with some long time drug dealers. One of the drug dealers got angry and slapped the undercover cop. The cops observing from another room had enough and burst into the room guns drawn. The three drug dealers automatically fell to the floor and curled into the fetal position with their hands over their heads. They knew what was coming and the cops did not disappoint . They pistol whipped all of them senseless and dragged their ass out of there. I don’t know about these days but a while back if a criminal was sentenced to death in Russia they would not tell him the date of his execution. While in prison waiting, once in a while a guard would sneak up behind him a dry fire a pistol beside his ear. Sometimes they would take him out into the courtyard, tie him to a post and a crew of riflemen would draw down on him and then not shoot and walk away laughing. That would be worse than death, y’all.

I think y’all will remember the story I told about two armed robbers going into a Subway sandwich shop in Charlotte and demanding cash. The man behind the counter produced a gun of his own and outright killed one of the robbers and severely wounded the other. The wounded bastard got out of the hospital the following Monday and was warmly met by a couple Charlotte’s finest and whisked off to the joint. To my knowledge no charges have been filed against the man that was behind the counter at the Subway.

This Date in History January 26

1788 Eight months Captain Arthur Phillip was commissioned by the British government to establish a colony in the newly discovered land that eventually became Australia. The strange part of it was that the British government wanted Phillip to do it with prisoners that may or may not have farming expertise. So Phillip set out with 11 ships headed to the land down under with nearly as many Marines aboard as he had prisoners. On this date he hove to off the east coast of what was labeled New South Wales and the country of Australia was born. Right from the git-go Captain Phillip found out that most of his prisoners indeed knew more about robbing and killing than they did about farming and not only that the soil was not rich enough to raise crops. Needless to say discipline among the prisoners became a serious problem. Hungry criminals can be a handful, Marines nearby or not. Finally the Marines were not up to the task and Captain Phillip himself took over control of the prisoners and he proved to be a tough but fair overseer, but many floggings and several hangings ensued. Eventually Captain Phillip, the Marines and the prisoners were on the cusp of starvation for several years. Captain Phillip returned to England in 1792 but the colony had already showed signs that it would survive and by the turn of the century the colony became prosperous with a deep sense of patriotism. In fact in 1808 an Australian historian wrote “there was a celebration of the founding of the colony with much drinking and merriment.” Australia is famous for having one of the largest quantities of beer consumed per capita on the planet, mostly Foster’s. I like it myself.

1950 After years of hassling with the British, India passed its own Constitution and became an independent nation on this date. Indian religious leader Mahatma Gandhi had been leading the fight for independence for decades and he finally succeeded. But before all of this came to pass, religious differences between the Hindus and the Moslems raised it ugly head. To settle this problem the British Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten, declared that the country would be partitioned with the Moslems going to Pakistan and the Hindus to India. This seemed like a perfect plan but the Moslems and the Hindus still fought vicious battles where thousands were killed, including Mahatma Gandhi. He was a Hindu and was assassinated by another Hindu because Gandhi accepted the partition in the interest of peace. You can say what you want but the most bloody and vicious wars ever fought were in the interest of one or more religion against another. Remember the Crusades?

1863 After the disastrous tenure of US General Ambrose Burnside in command of the Army of the Potomac and his subsequent removal, on this date US General Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker took command. Hooker knew that the morale of the Army of the Potomac was at its lowest ebb and he needed to do something to restore pride. He allowed each regiment to design and wear their own “badge” or shoulder patch hoping this would have an effect. Hooker was a West Point graduate and participated in the Seminole War. When the Civil War broke out he was given the rank of Brigadier General and given command of a Division in the Army of the Potomac. Speaking of command, Abe Lincoln had been having a hell of a time finding a commander that could defeat Robert E. Lee. This was a tall order for anyone. Lincoln had gone through Generals Irwin McDowell, George McClellan, John Pope, McClellan again, Ambrose Burnside and now Joseph Hooker, none of which had been successful against Bobby Lee but Hooker had his chance coming. Hooker had two faults: women and whiskey. In fact he allowed prostitutes to follow his army around and that is where the word “hooker” to identify prostitutes came from. In May of this year Joe Hooker got his chance against Bobby Lee in an engagement near the small Virginia town of Chancellorsville. Hooker had a good plan and by dark of this fateful day he had the Army of Northern Virginia caught in a pincer movement. But “Fighting Joe” had not planned on the tactics of Lee and the brilliance of “Stonewall” Jackson. Jackson led his division on a forced night march around the right flank of Hooker’s army. The next afternoon while the Union troops on the right flank were cooking their supper, all of a sudden deer, rabbits and all types of game came running out of the woods behind them and right behind the animals came Jackson’s wild-eyed screaming Confederate infantry and those stunned Yankees got up and ran without even stopping to gather their weapons and put out their camp fires. Hooker had the Army of Northern Virginia outnumbered by at least two to one but was routed by Bobby Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Thus was the beginning of the end of the career of “Fighting Joe”.

1936 On This date the dismembered corpse of Frances Portillo was found with the head in a basket and the remainder of the various parts stuffed into burlap sacks in Cleveland, Ohio. This was not the first nor would it be the last. The killings and dismemberment continued until the number reached double digits. Needless to say the Cleveland PD was frantic to find the “Mad Butcher”. The corpses had been dissected with precision and therefore the PD began looking for a real butcher. The arrested a butcher named Frank Dolezal and interrogated him for 40 straight hours until he confessed to killing Frances Portillo. Frank committed suicide in his cell soon thereafter. Very few of the people of Cleveland believed that Frank Dolezal was the actual “Mad Butcher” and that the real killer was a well heeled and well connected member of the community. The Cleveland PD chose to destroy any and all records about these crimes and the killings stopped after the suicide of Dolezal. But the actual identity of the “Mad Butcher” is unknown to this day.

1875 The James brothers, Jesse and Frank, had been hotly pursued by the Pinkerton Detective Agency for over a year. They had been hired by the railroad barons to try and stop the robbing of their trains and banks by the James gang. They were not successful, in fact one of their best detectives named James Witcher had been found dead from a gunshot to the abdomen and his upper torso had been eaten by wild hogs. It was known that Jesse and Frank would visit with their kin in Clay County, Missouri on occasion. On this date a group of men surrounded the house of Jesse and Frank’s mother in Clay County thinking that the James boys were home visiting Mom. It has never been confirmed if the men surrounding the house were law enforcement officials or Pinkerton detectives or a combination of both. Anyway, the people surrounding the house decided to throw in a couple of flares to flush out anyone in the house. One of the flares exploded killing Jesse and Frank’s nine year old step-brother outright and took off one of Mom’s arms. Jesse and Frank were not there and the local community came after the ones that surrounded the house with blood in their eye. The lawmen/detectives got away and no one to this day admits to who it was that committed that atrocity but after this the Pinkerton Agency cut back on their often violent methods.

Born today:

1715 French philosopher Claude Helvetius. He said “To limit the press is an insult to a nation; to prohibit the reading of certain books is to declare the inhabitants either fool or slaves.” A while back a church in a small town outside of Greenville, SC threatened to picket the local library to remove Catcher in the Rye from the shelves as being immoral because it mentioned masturbation. There is no need for me to tell you what my response to that was. There is nothing more immoral on the planet than to tell someone what they can or cannot read. That is nothing but an attempt at mind control. I had forgotten why I don’t attend organized religions, now I remember.

Born today:

1880 US General Douglas McArthur: He said “I will keep on living as if I expect to live forever. Nobody grows old by living a number of years. People grow old for deserting their Ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin but to give up wrinkles the soul.” General McArthur was one of America’s greatest military commanders in spite of having an ego the size of Oklahoma.

1918 US writer Phillip Farmer. He said “The universe is a big place, maybe the biggest.” Phillip, shut up.

1925 US actor Paul Newman. Paul has a side business of different salad dressings and once said “It is embarrassing to know that my salad dressings are out grossing my movies.” Paul donates all of the profits from his salad dressings to charity. He is no longer with us. He had been married to actress Joanne Woodward since 1958.

1929 US cartoonist Jules Feiffer. He said “Christ died for out sins, dare we make his martyrdom meaningless by not committing them?” I am working on it Jules.

1935 US baseball catcher Bon Uecker. When asked how do you catch a knuckleball he said “You wait until it stops rolling and go pick it up.” Bob worked for several years as the color man of baseball game broadcasts. He was a funny guy.

1961 Canadian ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky. He said “You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take.” I have a friend in Charlotte that said “80% of all the golf balls that you do not putt hard enough don’t go in the hole.”

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow



Friday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“What is a friend? A single soul living in two bodies.”

Aristotle

A friend and I went to see American Sniper this past Tuesday. I is a bio of the most prolific sniper in American military history. He was a Texan, human with all the frailties...and most of all a Patriot. I was touched.

A while back ago a skeleton was uncovered near Leicester, England. The method of the burial indicated that it could be a person of royalty and a carbon 14 test showed that the skeleton was the right age to be Richard III, King of England. Richard was killed in combat near the burial site. That's right folks, he was that last monarch to lead an army in combat. A DNA specimen was gathered from the skeleton and compared with known blood kin descendant. Lo and behold the skeleton was indeed that of Richard III. Richard III, the king of England was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Can you imagine Obama leading a SEAL team on a search and destroy mission?

A few days ago a pelvic bone fragment was uncovered near Winchester, England that was thought to be that of King Alfred the Great. A carbon 14 test proved that the bone fragment was indeed old enough to be that of Alfred. Alfred the Great died in 899 after years of bloody warfare fighting the ferocious invading Vikings to a standstill. The cause of Alfred's death is unknown but he suffered from some malady for years before his death. His chronicler described in detail the symptoms and today's diagnosis would indicate Crohn's disease. There is very little chance that a DNA sample could be used to confirm that the bone was indeed from Alfred because there is no known and documented blood kin relative to use as a comparison. Let us just remember that King Alfred was the only king of England to have been called “the Great”.

This Date in History January 23

1865 On this date CSA General John Bell Hood is relieved of command of the CSA Army of Tennessee thus ending a sad chapter in the history of the United States. Hood had requested to be relieved a couple of weeks earlier. John Bell Hood was born in Kentucky and graduated from West Point in 1853. As with most of his class, he served in the western theater until hostilities broke out at the start of the Civil War. Hood resigned his commission and offered his services to the famous Texas 4^th Infantry. His regiment was sent to serve with CSA General Robert E. Lee and the equally famous Army of Northern Virginia. Hood served with distinction in the Peninsular Campaign and especially in the Battle of the Seven Days in 1862. Hood aggressive nature did not go unnoticed and he was eventually given command of a division. There is little question that his aggressive counter-attack at the Battle of Antietam saved General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia from total annihilation. His next major assignment came at the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg in June of 1863 when he was ordered to attack the left flank of the Union lines on a hill known as Little Round Top. He had under his command was the 4^th and 5^th Texas, the 5^th Alabama and a number of other regiments totaling about 2,500 men. He was attacking the 20^th Maine numbering about 300. At the onset of the battle Hood was severely wounded and lost the use of an arm as a result. Hood’s troops were not successful in turning the flank of the Union army on Little Round Top only because of the stubbornness of the 20^th Maine and the resolve of their commander Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain. Hood spent quite a bit of time recuperating from this severe wound. Hood resumed his duties with the CSA Army of Tennessee and fought at the bloody Battle of Chickamauga where he was again severely wounded which resulted in the loss of a leg. When US General William T. Sherman began his attack across the state of Georgia beginning near Chattanooga, Tennessee and aimed at Atlanta and the port of Savannah, CSA General Joseph Johnston was in command of the CSA Army of Tennessee. Johnston knew he was out manned and outgunned and chose to use defensive strategy by digging in, fight and retreat. The closer Sherman got to Atlanta, the more nervous CSA President Jefferson Davis became. Finally Davis decided that the CSA needed a more aggressive commander of the Army of Tennessee and relieved Johnston and named Hood as his replacement. Hood assumed command and immediately struck hard at Sherman’s army in three different futile and costly attacks in and around Atlanta. Eventually Hood pulled his army out of Atlanta, moved west and headed north back toward Chattanooga hoping that Sherman would follow to protect his supply line but it didn’t happen that way. Hood finally moved the Army of Tennessee within striking distance of Sherman’s vital supply line near Nashville, Tennessee. Another Union army was dug-in and waiting but Hood flung what was left of his army at the Union fortifications in two unsuccessful and even more costly attacks. At the end of these two battles the CSA Army of Tennessee ceased to exist as a viable fighting force. When Hood took command in July of 1864, the CSA Army of Tennessee had 64,000 troops, when he was relieved on this day there was 18,000. War is hell.

1968 The United States intelligence gathering vessel USS Pueblo is on patrol 16 miles off the coast of North Korea when a North Korean gunboat pulls along side the Pueblo and orders it to stop. The commander of the lightly armed Pueblo, Captain Lloyd Bucher, tries to run away but the gunship opens fire killing a crewman and wounding Bucher. Bucher surrenders and the ship is ordered to the North Korean port of Wonsan. The crew of 84 is taken off the ship and sent to the capitol of Pyongyang where they are imprisoned. US President Lyndon Johnson demanded the release of the crewman stating that the ship was in international waters when attacked and captured. The North Koreans refused stating that the ship was well within the North Korean limit of 12 miles. Johnson had a much larger problem in the small Oriental country of Vietnam and did not want to risk having to fight another military engagement so he decided to let our guys rot in that North Korean prison and try to resolve the problem diplomatically. The North Koreans wanted Captain Bucher and the crew to make a public statement avowing that they were indeed intentionally spying in North Korean waters and were deeply sorry for this breach in the sovereignty of North Korea. When interviewed the American sailors made sarcastic remarks and stuck up their middle finger, a gesture the North Koreans did not understand. Finally the North Koreans caught on and beat those guys for a week and threatened further torture if their demands were not met. Not only that, they demanded that the US State Department to issue a similar statement. The US government finally conceded and issued a public apology and the crew was released. It would not do for me to be in a position of power when that sort of atrocity is made on our guys by those vermin in North Korea. I can assure you that part of the Orient would glow in the dark to this day.

1870 This is another incidence of the American cavalry out of control. Earlier a Montana cattle rancher named Malcolm Clarke had accused a Blackfoot sub-chief name Owl Child of stealing his horses and had savagely whipped him in public. As you might expect, Owl Child returned with a huge group of his closest friends and capped Clarke and his son in the most horrible of fashions and then fled north to join up with a group of rebel warriors led by another Blackfoot named Mountain Chief. The public outcry became so loud that the military Indian agent in that area notified Colonel Eugene Baker to gather up some troops and cavalrymen and seek out Owl Child and bring him in. The only problem here is that Colonel Baker is heavy into the sauce and stays in the bag most of the time. Anyway, the force led by Baker set out looking for Owl Child. Finally, some of Baker’s Indian scouts find an Indian encampment. They return and tell Baker what they had found but they could tell by the markings on the teepees that they were not of the tribe that Owl Child belonged to, that they were a peaceful group of Blackfeet. Baker absorbed this information along with another quart of whiskey and at dusk he says “I don’t care, they are still Indians” and orders his troops to surround the village and open fire and burn anything combustible including their meager food supply. The troopers surround the encampment and did indeed open fire and burned all that would burn. The Indians have no idea what the hell is going on and are massacred. The total killed was 39 men, 60 women and 55 children. Baker allowed the capture of a few of them but when he found out that some of them have smallpox, a gift from the damned Europeans, and ordered them released out onto the prairie in a Montana winter with no food. When word of this atrocity reaches the east there is a loud outcry and demands are made to correct this situation. President Ulysses Grant ordered that all Indian agents must be civilians from now on. But the troopers and Colonel Baker were never brought to justice. No wonder Crazy Horse, Dull Knife, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull and the others were so vicious and cruel in their retribution. What goes around…......

1556 In the middle of the afternoon the ground around the Chinese city of Shannxi begins to heave and shake. It is the beginning of the most deadly earthquake in recorded history. The city is a conglomeration of small shacks and huts that are heated by charcoal braziers that also serve as a stove. The aftershocks continue until the following morning triggering huge crevasses that open and close crushing thousands of people along with miles long landslides not to mention the fires. After all was said and done there were an estimated 830,000 deaths. I am going to repeat this: 830,000 deaths. The second largest disaster in history was the tsunami of 2004 in the Indian Ocean. There were only 240,000 deaths there. Repeat: 240,000 deaths.

Born today:

1737 US Super Patriot John Hancock. He said “A chip on the shoulder is too much baggage to carry around all of your life.” I know what will cure that infliction...age or a severe ass-kicking.

Died today:

1875 English clergyman Charles Kingsley. He said “Young blood must have its course, lad, and every dog its day.” I had often wondered where that adage came from.

1893 US clergyman Phillips Brooks. He said “Be such a man and live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and lived a life such as your, the earth would be a paradise.” Phillips, you failed to mention women...Paradise Lost....just joking.

1931 Russian dancer Anna Pavlova. When on her death bed and seconds from dying she said “Get my swan costume ready.” An artist to the end.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow

Thursday

Good morning,

Quote of the day:

“Believe that you fit for where you are in this season of your life and are being prepared for the next season to come.”

                                     Bishop T.D. Jakes

I recently received a request from someone about helping her write a book. She said it would be a novel about Morley. I asked further and what I found was that Morley was a moose...a stuffed animal moose. Don't get me wrong there are millions of books and videos about animals but this one was different. This lady said that she was never without Morley and has been on the Today Show because of this peculiarity. She carries that stuffed animal no matter where she is even walking down 42^nd street. She told me that she has been on three cruises and had Morley with her no matter where she was on the boat. Does anyone else beside myself find this at least spooky? I told her that I was a historian and wrote about real events and people living or dead and the travels of a stuffed animal was out of my purview. Comments anyone.

A friend told me that one of his ancestors was a pirate and asked me to do an essay on what I found. Here is the results:

                                  Stede Bonnet

                             The Gentlemen Pirate

This is a story of a well heeled, cultured Englishman that became a pirate because of a woman. Stede Bonnet was born on Barbados in 1688 the son of a wealthy plantation owner. I do not know what his farm products were but in those days Barbados was famous for sugar cane and rum. Stede inherited the estate after his father’s death in 1694. In 1709 he married a woman of means named Mary Allamby also of Barbados. After several years of Mary’s constant carping and in spite of having three children, in 1717 Stede decided to take up piracy in spite of not having even basic rudimentary sailing skills. He bought a 30 ton sloop, named it The Revenge, probably because of his bad experience with his wife and outfitted it with 10 guns and hired a pirate crew of 30 and gave them a salary. This was unheard of in the pirating arena, most other pirates allowed their crewmen to share in whatever booty was captured. Stede headed for the American east coast and was successful in capturing and looting several ships but then he ran across a Spanish war ship and a sharp battle ensued. Stede and company were forced to withdraw after suffering several killed and many severely wounded including Stede. He ordered his ship to Nassau in the Bahamas, a well known refuge for pirates. It was there that he met two pirates named John Hornigold and Edward Teach, also known as “Blackbeard”. Stede was not getting any better so he turned over command of his ship to Blackbeard and out they went to the American coast looking for prey with Stede as a guest of Blackbeard. As y'all may have heard the name of Blackbeard’s flagship was Queen Anne’s Revenge. Blackbeard probably named his ship that as a slap at the king of England at the time. Stede had a meeting with the Governor of North Carolina who offered him a pardon and if he would go “privateering” against Spanish shipping that was coming from Mexico and Central America laden to the scuppers with gold captured from the Aztecs, Maya and Inca and give the Governor half of everything he captured. By now Stede had healed well enough to take command of his own ship and he and Blackbeard parted company. Stede wanted to go pirating again but he also did not want to lose his pardon from the North Carolina so he decided to use the alias of “Captain Thomas” and renamed his ship the Royal James and went pirating again. The good Governor offered Blackbeard a similar deal whereby Blackbeard could use Okacroke inlet and Bath, North Carolina in particular as a secure home base but in return he must give the governor half of his booty. Stede’s ship was leaking badly and needed careening. This meant the ship was leaned over to one side and the seams on the bottom were re-sealed. To do this they needed shallow and calm water. Stede chose the shallow and calm estuary of the Cape Fear River, North Carolina. In the mean time the Governor of South Carolina had got fed up with Stede and Blackbeard attacking nearly every ship departing from or arriving in Charleston, South Carolina harbor and sent a hired militia led by Colonel Robert Rhett to put a stop to it. Rhett caught Stede in the Cape Fear estuary while still careening. There was a battle for several hours but the pirates were surrounded by a force of superior numbers and chose to surrender. Stede and company were brought to Charleston and put on trial along with another pirate named Richard Worley and his crew. Somehow Stede escaped but not before promising the South Carolina Governor that he would cut off his own arms and legs to prevent him from ever pirating again. The Governor did not buy it and sent out a search party looking for Stede. Stede had hired two slaves that had access to a boat to take him and his sailing master to safety. The four were cornered on Sullivan’s Island (the home of one of my favorite watering holes in Poe’s Tavern) and the two slaves were killed. Stede and his sailing master were brought back to Charleston to be tried before Judge Nicholas Trott. The Trott family was famous in South Carolina history and was mentioned in my essay on the history of Daniel Island. Anyway, Judge Trott gave no quarter and sentenced Stede and his crew plus Richard Worley and his crew to death by hanging. The whole crowd was indeed hanged at “White’s Point” which is today the southernmost point of the Charleston, South Carolina peninsula, better known as “The Battery”. It is estimated that between Bonnet and Worley there were 35 or 36 men that were hanged on that day. The whole bunch was “buried” on the southern shore of James Island. They really were not buried but thrown out on a mud flat at low tide. We know what this means. They were left for the crabs and sharks to devour. By the way, after Blackbeard made his deal with the Governor of North Carolina, the Governor of Virginia knew that every ship entering or leaving the Chesapeake Bay was at risk so he sent a militia hunting for Blackbeard. They cornered Blackbeard on Okacroke Island, North Carolina and after a savage hand-to-hand fight Blackbeard was eventually killed and beheaded. This essentially ended the pirating in the Carolinas but it still flourished elsewhere as long as Spanish ship were hauling all that gold back to Spain via the Gulf of Mexico, the Florida Straits, the Bahamas and the American east coast.

                This Date in History    January 22

1980 On this date a bunch of United States college kids playing ice hockey in the Olympics knocks over the four time world champion Russian professional hockey team. It was known as the Miracle on Ice. I remember watching it to this day. With about 20 seconds to go the American announcer Al Michaels was about to pee his pants. The American team had a one goal lead and the Russians had the puck but it was stolen by the US team and they just skated around until the clock ran out. With about 3 seconds to go Al Michaels screams “Do you believe in miracles, YESSSSS!” What an exciting moment it was for us all.

Born today:

1788 German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. He said “Every man assumes that his field of vision is the limits of the world.” Art, this is not exactly true, some people live in even smaller cocoons that that. Now a-days the world is the distance between the eyes and an i-phone.

1819 US writer James Russell Lowell. He said “In creating, the only hard thing is the start; it is no harder to create a blade of grass as it is an oak tree.” Jim, you left out creating an amicable relationship with a bitterly divorced woman.

1864 French writer Jules Renard. He said “Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties.” That’s right Jules; everything is focused on what is below.

1892 US writer Edna St. Vincent Millay. She said “Life is not just one damned thing after another, it is the same damned thing over and over.” Boredom is a bitch, Edna.

1900 Mexican filmmaker Luis Bunuel. He said “Thank God, I am still an atheist.” Luis, shut the hell up.

1932 US senator Edward Kennedy (MA). When speaking about George W. Bush he said “I hate to see young men get ahead just because of a famous family name.” Hey Eddie, can you spell hypocrite?

1962 Australian naturalist Steve Irwin. He said “Crikey mate, it is safer to deal with Australian crocodiles or western diamondback rattlesnakes than those executives and producers and the other sharks in that big MGM building.” Steve is gone, killed by an accidental sting ray barb to the heart. I miss him.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.