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Eleuthera Byways: Edwin’s Fishlake

Eleuthera Byways: Edwin’s Fishlake

First pub­lished in The Eleuther­an, Sep­tem­ber 2008; Edwin’s Tur­tle Lake Marine Pre­serve, with a fine new dock and the bot­tle shack restored in Decem­ber 2014.

Edwin’s of old

Three miles south of Governor’s Har­bour, on the right side at the S-bends as the road plunges toward Pal­met­to Point, is a large salt­wa­ter lake. Passers­by who stop to inves­ti­gate will find the remains of a curi­ous shed built of mor­tar and beer bot­tles, the amber, green and clear glass sort­ed by colour, bot­toms fac­ing out. A few yards away, obscured by bush and weath­ered by the years, was a wood­en sign whose words were just legible:

Edwin’s Fish­ing Lake

Estab­lished March 10th 1954

The First Fish­lake of the Bahamas

Over 20,000 fish of 32 vari­eties have

been placed in this lake.…

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In Memoriam: Richard M. Langworth CBE (1941–2025)

In Memoriam: Richard M. Langworth CBE (1941–2025)

It is with incal­cu­la­ble sad­ness that we announce the pass­ing of Richard M. Lang­worth CBE, who died peace­ful­ly in the ear­ly morn­ing hours of Feb­ru­ary 20th, 2025, at the age of 83.

Sum­ma­riz­ing the life of a man who accom­plished so much and pos­i­tive­ly affect­ed so many is an impos­si­ble task. For­tu­nate­ly, he doc­u­ment­ed much of it him­self — 726 blog posts remain as a tes­ta­ment to his pas­sion for his­to­ry, auto­mo­biles, and the endur­ing lega­cy of Sir Win­ston S. Churchill. His work extend­ed beyond this site with dozens of books, writ­ten or edit­ed, and hun­dreds of pub­lished mag­a­zine and jour­nal arti­cles.…

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French Magnanimity: De Gaulle’s Gift of a Lalique Cockerel

French Magnanimity: De Gaulle’s Gift of a Lalique Cockerel

“The conversation turned to the French Fleet, and Clementine said she hoped that its ships and crews would carry on the fight with us. De Gaulle curtly replied that what would really give the French Fleet satisfaction would be to turn their guns ‘On you!’ (meaning the British). Winston tried to mediate but Clementine interrupted him, and said in French: ‘No, Winston, it is because there are certain things that a woman can say to a man which a man cannot say, and I am saying them to you—General de Gaulle!’” After this verbal fracas, the General was much upset, and apologised profusely, and later presented her with the Lalique.

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Churchllian Shakespeare: AI Presents “You’re drunk…You’re ugly”

Churchllian Shakespeare: AI Presents “You’re drunk…You’re ugly”

Setting: A grand hall in Westminster. Tapestries hang from the walls, and the faint clink of goblets echoes through the air. Enter:  Sir Winstonus Churchillius, goblet in hand. Lady Bessica Braddockia approaches, fanning herself dramatically. Lady Bessica: “Hail, Sir Winstonus, thou art returned, From feasting, drinking, or some sport absurd? Thy face is flushed, and eyes like moons do glow; Dost thou drown England’s cares in wine's deep flow?”

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Reviewing Netflix’s Churchill: The Things We Do for England…

Reviewing Netflix’s Churchill: The Things We Do for England…

There’s a way to derive a mostly correct picture of the man from this show: ignore Part 1. The other three parts also suffer from occasional forays into fiction. But they are more accurate, with honest dialogue, well-chosen quotations and spectacular footage, much of it freshly colorized. Kudos to Andrew Roberts, Jon Meacham, Allen Packwood and Catherine Katz for keeping it on track, and to Lord Roberts for his eloquent finale.

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Happy New Year: “May we all come through safe and with honour”

Happy New Year: “May we all come through safe and with honour”

As the last minutes of 1941 ticked away, Churchill’s special train was steaming south on New York Central's broad tracks along the Hudson. Appropriately close to Roosevelt’s home at Hyde Park, the Prime Minister called staff and reporters to the dining car. He entered the carriage amid cheers and applause, raising his glass to the company. “It was with no illusions,” he wrote, “that I wished them all a glorious New Year.... 'Here’s to 1942, here’s to a year of toil—a year of struggle and peril, and a long step forward towards victory. May we all come through safe and with honour.'"

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Churchill’s Christmas, 1882-1947: Halcyon and Sterner Days

Churchill’s Christmas, 1882-1947: Halcyon and Sterner Days

At Christmas 1932, Churchill received as a present “a huge bottle of brandy, and decided to paint it, accompanied by lesser bottles," Johnnie Churchill remembered. "He sent us children scurrying around Chartwell to find them: 'Fetch me associate and fraternal bottles to form a bodyguard to this majestic container.'"

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The Language: Canceling Clichés and Issues over “Issues”

The Language: Canceling Clichés and Issues over “Issues”

Commentator Bill O’Reilly proposes a new Cancel Culture for a collection of jargon that Churchill would define as “grimaces.” A cliché, he says, is “a phrase or opinion that is overused and lacks original thought.” Here are his nominations for grimaces we never need to hear again. He forgot “issues” but it’s not a bad list! Celebrate O’Reilly’s modest proposal: Avoid fashionable filters and fad-words in language. “Short words are best,” Churchill said, “and the old words, when short, are best of all.”

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Virgil Exner, Part 2, Chrysler: Birth of the Tailfin

Virgil Exner, Part 2, Chrysler: Birth of the Tailfin

With acres of glass, low beltlines and slim roof pillars, Exner’s 1957 Flite-Sweep Chrysler products were unchallenged by any rival and prefigured the shape of American cars for the next decade.The most important thing about them was their revolutionary lowness, which was no accident. Exner had demanded that they stand five inches lower than the ‘56s. Coupled with such innovations as “Torsion-Aire” ride, TorqueFlite automatic and potent V-8 engines, they represented a pinnacle, a company reborn. They were Virgil Exner’s finest hour.

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Virgil Exner, Part 1, Studebaker: How Ex Marked His Spot

Virgil Exner, Part 1, Studebaker: How Ex Marked His Spot

At Studebaker, Exner and the Loewy Associates had revolutionary ideas: integral fenders, vast areas of curved glass, doors cut into the roof. Raymond Loewy detested the use of chrome as embellishment. He preferred slim, tapered shapes, and practical devices like glass or clear plastic headlamp covers to improve streamlining. Loewy also preached lightness, warning of the cost of excess weight in fuel consumption and performance. Throughout the studio, on walls, floors and ceilings, he posted signs reading: WEIGHT IS THE ENEMY.

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