WW1 Centennial News: Episode #40 - “Ask Alexa” | Spy ring in Palestine | Richard Rubin | Booby Trap | 100C/100M Ridgewood, NJ | David Hanna | #CountdownToVeteransDay and more…

Summary: <br> Highlights:<br> <br> Ask Alexa: “Play W W 1 Centennial News Podcast” |@ 01:00<br> Second Liberty Bond drive launches |@ 02:00 <br> Spy ring in Palestine - Mike Shuster |@ 06:25<br> War In the Sky - RiesenFlugzeug - behemoths of the sky |@ 10:10<br> Great War Alliance Forum |@ 13:05<br> Follow up on Cardines Field rededication |@ 13:55<br> Holding talks about WWI in communities - Richard Rubin |@ 15:15<br> Speaking WWI -  This week: “Booby Trap” |@ 21:30<br> 100C/100M in Ridgewood, NJ - Chris Stout |@ 23:10<br> “Rendezvous With Death” - David Hanna |@ 28:30<br> Pershing/Lafayette statues rededicated in Versaille |@ 34:40<br> Trek through the Dolomites - WWrtie Blog w Shannon Huffman Polson |@ 36:00<br> The Buzz on #CountdownToVeteransDay -Katherine Akey |@ 36:55<br> <br> Opening<br> Welcome to World War 1 centennial News - It’s about WW1 THEN - what was happening 100 years ago this week  - and it’s about WW1 NOW - news and updates about the centennial and the commemoration.<br> Today is October 4th, 2017 and our guests this week are:<br> <br> Mike Shuster from the great war project blog,   <br> Richard Rubin, author of The Last of the Doughboys and Back Over There<br> Chris Stout from the 100 Cities / 100 Memorials project in Ridgewood, New Jersey<br> And David Hanna, author of the WW1 book and now website - Rendezvous with Death<br> <br>  <br> WW1 Centennial News is brought to you by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission and the Pritzker Military Museum and Library. I’m Theo Mayer - the Chief Technologist for the Commission and your host. Welcome to the show.<br> Preface<br> Before we get going today I wanted to let you know, <br> especially all of you who own Amazon Echo or other Alexa enabled device, Alexa has a new skill. If you say “Alexa, play the “W” “W” one centennial news podcast” she will dutifully find the most current episode on the internet and play it for you.<br> We are excited because that opens up WW1 Centennial News to 20 million new player and all you have to do is ask! Welcome to the future - but right now - let’s jump into our wayback machine and head 100 years into the past!<br> World War One THEN <br> 100 Year Ago This Week<br> [MUSIC TRANSITION]<br> Yes, we’ve gone back in time 100 years to explore the war that changed the world! And It’s the first week of October 1917.<br> What’s on the US government’s mind this week? <br> Raising money to pay for the war!<br> [SOUND EFFECT]<br> Dateline October 1st 1917<br> Headline: Secretary of the treasury - McAdoo begins Second Liberty Loan Drive...<br> Five Billion Dollars from Ten Million Subscribers fixed as goal!<br> So In 1917, financing a war with deficit spending is not at all the plan. The Wilson administration is determined to raise the money needed for this immense effort, and in part, by issuing of government backed war bonds. <br> This is innovative… and it is interesting to note, that the same 1917 law that authorizes the war bonds will continue to be used to sell US treasury bonds 100 years later!<br> Back in June (during our episode 24), we reported on the Wilson administration touting the first liberty loan drive was an unprecedented and huge success. In fact, they raised $2 billion dollars from five and one half million people! A century later that $2 billion is the equivalent of 38 billion dollars. So - not too bad!<br> This Second Liberty Bond drive is targeting twice as much revenue from two times as many subscribers. <br> Though there is a lot of controversy about how successful the liberty bond program is, with the government claiming HUGE success and other press of the time criticizing lackluster enthusiasm and talking about the discounting of the bonds,  anyone who has ever undertaken to raise substantial amounts of money KNOWS, it’s no cake walk! <br> Focusing on participation by the general public as small investors -- Secretary  Mcadoo