Into the Storm

The latest DVD selection from our friends at Netflix was this WWII biopic of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

Not necessarily one I would have chosen myself, but I gave it a shot since the leading role won Brendan Gleeson an Emmy Award.

And, with a Gleeson in the film, how bad could it be, right?!

Basically, every American's favorite Brit is in France in the days immediately after the war . . . waiting in dread for the 1945 election results that would throw him out of office.

Through a series of flashbacks, the audience learns what brought him to that point . . . and, on a more personal level, what brought his marriage to the brink of failure.

The great thing about Churchill's story is that both his marriage and his political career survived the calamity of 1945. Indeed they both rebounded rather nicely.

But, this film doesn't let the audience know that.

It does, however, quite accurately portray FDR as a socialist suck-up to Stalin. For that reason alone, it should be shown to every high school student in America.

Bottom line: If you're a history buff, you'll probably like it.

Word Nazis

Wow, yours truly was somewhat taken aback by the response to yesterday's post about the British elections.

Ironically, none of the emails received in this little corner of heaven had anything to do with Gordon Brown, David Cameron, or Nick Clegg.

Rather, every single one of them was an indictment of my use of the adjective "reckless."

I was told in so many words to invest in a new spell-checker, that said descriptor should have been preceded with a w. ("wreckless")

That just didn't sound correct to me, so I did some research. "Wreckless" implies the lack of a collision or some other disastrous event. "Reckless," on the other hand, is apparently an abbreviated form of "reckonless," to be used in describing something that can't be reckoned (calculated).

All that being said, I have to stand by my use of RECKLESS.

Oh, and David Cameron will be the next British PM, too!

Politics . . . British style

Ok, I'll admit it.

I am the reason why CSPAN continues to broadcast the British Parliament on those three-digit cable channels around this little corner of heaven.

Frankly, it's the best reality tv one can find.

But, I realize I'm a member of a distinct minority on this side of the pond.

Most folks over here are sick enough from American politics to devote any time following overseas elections.

So, I'm sure most of ye devoted socks couldn't care less about the fact that Britain will most likely have a new Prime Minister tomorrow.

Just don't tell the folks at Bright House about your apathy, or they might engage in some reckless reprogramming!

Beach Erosion isn't ALWAYS a bad thing . . .

I can't think of a single instance before today when yours truly ever had anything positive to say about beach erosion.

But, recent storms along the Cape Code National Seashore have worn away enough sand to expose the wreckage of 231+ year old British warship: HMS Somerset III.

If the name doesn't ring a bell for ye socks, don't feel too bad. I'd never heard of it before, either. But, according to historians it was this ship that Paul Revere had to evade on his historic ride, during which he warned his fellow patriots, "The British are coming, the British are coming!"

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized said ride by Revere, but only alluded to the lurking maritime threat. He never actually named the ship in his famous poem.

Anyway, it turned out that HMS Somerset III sank off Cape Cod back on 2 November 1778, with four hundred British troops on board.

Thirty-seven years ago, another bout of beach erosion revealed the ship's wreckage. Now, it has resurfaced, and technology has advanced to the point where an extensive survey can be made without disturbing the vessel's remains.

The researchers better work quick, though. It won't be long til the cape sands cover up the timbers again, and they might have to wait another 37 years to get another opportunity to pick over the remains . . .

The voyage of the Lady Juliana

The PBS series "Secrets of the Dead" continues to shine in obscurity--though with a decidedly Australian flavor this season.

Tonight's episode described the voyage of the Lady Juliana, a ship of female convicts sent to populate the British penal colony down under.

It was really an interesting account, and the producers are to be credited for tracking down and interviewing a handful of descendants.

Again, I don't know why the "big" networks continue to force-feed tripe like American Idol.

Or, could it be that I'm just "out of step" with the rest of the tv-viewing public.

Sadly, I think the latter is the case.

Oh, well . . .

The Catalpa Rescue

I just watched an excellent documentary on the "Catalpa Rescue."

The rescue got its name from the ship Catalpa pictured here, an old whaler from the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Anyway, it was featured on the PBS series "Secrets of the Dead," which usually includes a lot of forensic detective work in its episodes.

But, that was not the case tonight. There were no bones, no DNA testing, no botanical consultants.

Just the recounting of this fascinating story, one that (despite my lifelong love of history) had completely escaped my usually astute radar.

Anyway, it seems the British imprisoned 6 Irish soldiers for treason back in 1866 and sent them to a remote prison at Fremantle (near Perth) in western Australia.

One of the men, James Wilson, managed to sneak a plea for help to Irish nationalist John DeVoy, who had been exiled to the United States.

DeVoy rallied the American Irish group Clan na Gael to free the "Fremantle Six," as they were called. He soon had thousands of dollars pouring in to his office, enough to buy the Catalpa and finance a bold raid on the British prison.

If your local PBS station airs this episode, I can highly recommend it. True stories are always the best, and this one is full of a lot of drama, adventure, etc. And, it ends with an emotional unfurling of Old Glory by the captain of the Catalpa as a warning to the British navy vessels pursuing them that all those aboard enjoyed the protection of American sovereignty on the high seas.

I like any such reminder of America's long association with the cause of liberty. I only wish examples like this weren't relegated to PBS. The "Big 4" networks should be taking note.