There’s nowhere near as much hoopla as there was last year, for the sixtieth anniversary, but sixty-one years ago today, in bad weather in the English Channel, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, with huge casualties. They established a beachhead, however, and it was the beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi fascism. In light of the recent vote in France over the EU, it might be useful to read what I wrote last year, on the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Paris, about the post-war quagmire there.

[Update at 9:45 AM EDT]

David Galernter had some thoughts last year on the hypocrisy and lack of knowledge of the baby boomer generation when it comes to honoring the “greatest generation.”

OK, so I don’t like boxing movies, but what’s not to like about a flick about one of the great figures in aviation history?

Well, a few things, actually. I saw The Aviator last night on DVD. It was a watchable movie, but despite his best efforts, and he is a good actor, I just couldn’t buy DeCaprio as HH. He just seemed too young, and I doubt if Hughes’ voice had that high a pitch.

Kate Blanchett captured the voice and mannerisms of Kate Hepburn pretty well, but she didn’t really physically resemble her, so that was a little jarring as well. On the other hand, I didn’t immediately recognize her as Kate Blanchett, so that’s something.

The thing I liked least about it though was too little emphasis on his technological achievements, and too much on his mental debilities. It was hard to believe that he could go from urine-collecting naked nutcase to someone who embarrassed a Senate Chairman in a hearing just a few days later. But that’s probably just my bias–perhaps Scorcese emphasised (and overdramatized) what worked best for a mass audience.

I’ve been reading a lot of good reviews of Cinderella Man, but sorry, I have not just zero, but negative interest in boxing movies, regardless of how good they are. I don’t watch live fights, couldn’t imagine actually paying money to do so, and in general have no desire whatsoever to watch one man pummel another. I have not seen any of the Rocky series (partly for that reason, but also partly because I’m not a big fan of Sylvester Stallone). If you tell me that a movie features boxing, it’s an automatic turnoff to me.

I wonder how out of the norm I am.

John Podhoretz has an amazing story about Ted Turner. Well, at least it would be amazing if it were about anyone other than Ted Turner…

Winds of Change has a Memorial Day roundup.

…we band of brothers.

Apparently, there were more Englishman, and fewer French, at Agincourt than mythology about it would have us believe:

There are people building and flying new Messerschmitt ME-262s. Looks like it would be a fun little airplane, albeit a little pricy to operate.

Hurricane season doesn’t start officially for two more weeks (June 1st), but the first named storm has already appeared. It’s starting in the wrong place (the Pacific–they usually originate in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa) and headed in the wrong direction (northeast, instead of west). That won’t stop it from threatening Florida, though, if it survives its excursion across Central America. Time to check the supplies…

Hurricane season doesn’t start officially for two more weeks (June 1st), but the first named storm has already appeared. It’s starting in the wrong place (the Pacific–they usually originate in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa) and headed in the wrong direction (northeast, instead of west). That won’t stop it from threatening Florida, though, if it survives its excursion across Central America. Time to check the supplies…

Hurricane season doesn’t start officially for two more weeks (June 1st), but the first named storm has already appeared. It’s starting in the wrong place (the Pacific–they usually originate in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa) and headed in the wrong direction (northeast, instead of west). That won’t stop it from threatening Florida, though, if it survives its excursion across Central America. Time to check the supplies…