Churchill has been nipped!
As a well-known anglophile, we are interested in all things WSC. Perhaps the most iconic image of the great man was taken by acclaimed portrait photographer Yousuf Karash, whose show of portraits of acclaimed figures was recently at UM and you could have caught Rumpole there if you were sharp.
On December 30, 1941, as the war was going badly and Britan was barely hanging on, WSC visited Canada and addressed the Canadian Parliament. He was not prepared for the portrait and when told he had to sit for it, he glowered and told the young artist he had time for one shot. Karash, a young portrait photographer, was brash enough to tell the leader of the free world fighting fascism that he could not hold his beloved cigar. Churchill told him to bugger off in so many words. Karash snatched the stogie and ran back to his camera and snaped the picture of Churchill glowering at him and the rest is history.
The signed original hung in the landmark Fairmont hotel in Ottawa until recently, when it was discovered the portrait hanging was the not the original. It turns out from examining selfies on social media that the theft occurred around the end of 2021.
TO THE MOON ALICE
We are going back to the Moon. In 2025 we are going to land three astronauts on the moon. One will be a woman. One will be a person of color. The third will not be Rumpole. Not only are we going back to the Moon, but we are also going to land at the south pole, where ice and other valuable minerals are believed to exist. The poles of the Moon exits in perpetual darkness which makes landing and staying there much more difficult. But the existence of ice means water and hydrogen, which means fuel for a trip to Mars. The poles are the valuable parts of the Moon, which means China wants to establish a presence there as much as the US. Putin has threatened to invade once he's done with Ukraine. The poles of the Moon are the Big Kahuna in NASA speak.
And today- Monday- the SLS rocket that will soon take humans to the Moon is being launched and tested in the Artemis 1 mission. The rocket will be launched and then within a day NASA will say something that it has not said for 50 years "GO FOR TLI" which all NASA nerds means "go for trans-lunar insertion" and Artemis will leave earth orbit for the Moon where it will spend six weeks in orbit.
The most important test will be the heat shields on the Orion capsule, made of new material never tested in an actual re-entry, will be tested as the capsule comes into the atmosphere at 32 Mach and reaches temperatures of 5000 degrees Fahrenheit, or close to the temperature in Las Vegas around noon when we were there the other day. The re-entry with humans aboard in the future will not be as fast and as hot- but NASA is pushing the edge of the envelope to make sure the rocket and capsule are safe.
Upon a safe launch and return, NASA in 2024 will send a crew to orbit the Moon, much like the famed Apollo 8 mission that saved 1968. We have written before about Apollo 8, and our view of the historic nature of the mission. It was the very first time humans had left earth orbit for inter-space travel- the future of our race. And it was the very first time humans orbited another celestial body. And it generated the most iconic picture of the Apollo era- Earth Rising.
Things in space are about to get exciting again. It's about time. We are really excited about this.
Now what about that "Alice" quote? A bunch of 30 something judges are sitting around their chambers wondering about that. That's because they led deprived childhoods. They were never exposed to the Great One- Jackie Gleeson. Here's a clip. Of course, today it would never be allowed on television. It is not politically correct.
14 comments:
Lovely post today Rump. What a great show - "The Honeymooners" starring Jackie Gleeson �� ❤️ �� I watch it, now and then, with my 20 year old daughter. She loves "I Love Lucy" starring Lucille Ball.
So I read "Year of Dangerous Days" (about Miami in 1980) on your recommendation Rump. Fascinating read for a criminal lawyer who didnt live here then (and was decades away from adulthood).
Some disorganized thoughts:
1. The author presents, without question, the narrative that the county and city cops did indeed murder McDuffie, and invokes the " racist white jury" trope to hand-wave the acquittals. He compliments the lead defense attorney O'Donnell on being flashy, but doesnt spend much time on contemplating reasonable doubt. So... was there reasonable doubt?
2. The riot reaching the courthouse is fascinating to someone who works there everyday now. Book describes rioters shoving burning newspapers under the doors to try to torch the building and burn out Janet Reno, whose office was upstairs. Were any blog commenters there at the time?
3. The "retribution" murders during the riot were appalling. A pair of white brothers on NW 62nd Street had concrete dropped on their windshield from an overpass, and once they crashed, they were pulled from their car, repeated stomped until their skulls caved in, and then driven over four or five times. Their bodies were left in the street, where they remained alive for hours. Another white was burned alive. Police who tried to recover the bodies were sniped at.
4. Mayor Ferre, an obvious friendly source for the author, was quoted during the riot as predicting "In 1990 Miami blacks will still be living in filth in Liberty City". Its been 30 years since 1990. Was he right? If so, why?
5. There were two rival reactions to Mariel in 1980: 1) pro: America is a land of welcome, Statue of Liberty etc, and these refugees will be woven into the fabric of Miami and -- if anything -- enrich the city. 2) con: No city can incorporate a hundred thousand refugees, most of them dirt poor, many of them criminal and mentally unwell, without severely degrading the culture and quality of life of the city.
So... it's been forty years. Who was more correct?
Finally 6. Ferrer and his crew made a fundamental decision in the late 70s. They would turn Miami's focus south, create a hub for Latin American finance and immigration and trade (understanding this would bring cocaine as much as international trade), rather than do as Tampa was doing and continue to face north, maintaining Miami as an Anglo, southern American city. It's obvious we are all still living in the aftermath of this decision. Was it the right decision for Miami?
There is a great show on Apple TV — For All Mankind — that explores an alternate history in which the Soviets landed on the Moon first and the space race never ended. Apple just renewed the show for a fourth season.
Who's Winston Churchill?
Most fun and good things have been cancelled by the "woke" society.
10 am. I was there when they tried to burn down our courthouse. So we’re many others like Ted Mastos.
Eddie O’Donnell played the case the right way - defending a white police officer in the Deep South where the victim was black. Back then that was a hard defense to beat. And yes everyone one of those cops murdered McDuffie. Pure and simple. His blood and life are on their souls for eternity staining them forever.
The retribution murders - especially those two young men - bothers me to this day. I drive down that street once or twice a year and think of them. But then - having been around so long there are dozens of places I drive by and think of murder cases I was involved in. Hazard of the trade.
Ferre was right to have Miami turn south for its future.
Miami’s absorption of Cubans in 1960s and during Mariel made our city a much better place. The difference is Mariel came with a much higher price at the outset. 98% of the people who came during Mariel made this city better. 2% caused a hell of a lot of problems. You had to live through it to underhand it. It was rough.
African Americans have yet to reach economic equality. But economic issues are evening out. Which if course makes uneducated white Yahoos nuts because they were raised in a culture that their race and not their ability is what made them entitled to economic advantages. This the 35% of people who support the former president. He panders to their anger.
I am so pleased you read the book. Made my night reading that.
Hr
Sorry Rump , Mariel brought 125,000 Cubans to Miami. 20% came from Castro’s prisons and Mental institutions. East Little Havana & SoBe were overwhelmed by them and crime soared, though Colombian drug trade also added to the violence.
Scarface ( the movie) and Miami Vice were only a little over the top representing what was happening here in S. Florida
"But economic issues are evening out." What fucking world do you live in?
Eddie O was the best prosecutor I have ever faced. Bar none.
Judge Hanzman is GOD.
Eddie O had charm
Eddie O was my Division Chief in Major Crimes in the 70's in the State Attorney Office.
The greatest prosecutor ever.
Can't tell you how much I learned from him.
Never saw him use a note while doing direct or cross.
Not every one can do that, but if you can you reduce the chance of losing your audience, i.e. the jury
A gentleman and a force to be reckoned with.
As it turned out I prosecuted all three of the murder cases that grew out of the McDuffie acquittal. Hopefully some of the skills that I learned from the MASTER made a difference.
The Best
So honored to have a Judge Glick comment. You weren’t so bad yourself judge when you were in the Sao. Hope all is well.
Yousuf KARSH.
I read the Dangerous Days book before Rumpole mentioned it. It was ok, though severely limited because the author used very few sources. 9.10's questions and comments are on point; it would be useful to dip into other books and articles to seek more answers and additional views.
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