Nu mai e nimic de făcut, afară de cazul în care Miss Marple ar putea să ne ajute. Aţi putea, Miss Marple ? Am presimţirea că scrisoarea vă spune ceva, aceea despre întrunirea religioasă. Nu vă aminteşte de cineva sau de ceva limpede ca lumina zilei ? Aţi putea să ajutaţi doi tineri disperaţi să fie iar fericiţi ?
Dincolo de aspectul bizar al lucrunlor, era ceva cinstit în apelul său. Ajunsese să aibă o impresie foarte bună despre posibilităţile men-tale ale acestei domnişoare — bătrînă, fragilă şi demodată. S-a uitat la ea cu un fel de spe-rantă în priviri.
Miss Marple a început să tuşească, în timp ce îşi netezea dantelele rochiei.
— Imi aminteşte, a recunoscut ea, întrucîtva de Annie Poultny. Scrisoarea e cît se poate de limpede pentru mine şi doamna Bantry. Nu vorbesc despre scrisoarea referitoare la întrunirea religioasă, ci despre alta. Trăind atîta timp la Londra şi neocupîndu-vă cu grădinăritul, Sir Henry, nu ati putut observa ceva ?
— Ei ?, a zis Sir Henry, ce să observ ?
Doamna Bantry a întins mîna şi a luat un prospect. L-a deschis şi a început să citească cu glas tare şi răspicat :
„Dr. Helmuth Spath. Liliac, flori splendide, sustinute de o tulpină foarte lungă şi dură. Efect decorativ în grădină. O noutate foarte frapantă" ;
„Edgar Jackson. Splendide crizanteme de culoare cărămizie" ;
„Amos Perry. Roşu aprins, efect decorativ deosebit" ;
„Tsingtau. Roşu-portocaliu strălucitor, plan-tă de grădină de mare efect, florile tăiate re-zistă mult timp proaspete" ;
„Honesty *, cu literă mare în scrisoare, vă amintiţi ? Flori roz şi albe, bogate, enorme".
Doamna Bantry a azvîrlit catalogul şi a zis cu o voce care parcă tuna : Dalii !
— Dalii !
— Şi litera iniţială înseamnă moarte **, a adăugat Miss Marple. Acesta era şi avertis-mentul. Ce putea să facă el cu o scrisoare pri-mită de la cineva pe care nu-1 cunoştea, încăr-cată de nume pe care nu le ştia ? A aruncat-o pur şi simplu secretarului său.
— Aşadar...
— Oh, nu, a zis Miss Marple, nu secreta-rul, lucrurile sînt clare, el nu e vinovat. Dacă
* Onestitate în engleză, dar şi dalie ** Death, în englezâ.
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luni, 25 aprilie 2011
Scoala de soferi
Apoi s-a uitat peste scrisoare. Miss Marple a venit mai aproape de ea, a pipăit hîrtia cu degetele şi au început să vorbească în şoaptă.
— Dar de ce secretarul a rupt cealaltă scrisoare ?, a întrebat deodată Jane Helier. Lucrul acesta pare foarte, foarte curios. De ce a primit o scrisoare din Germania ? Deşi, după cum spuneţi, el eîn afară de orice bănu-ială...
— Dar Sir Henry n-a spus aşa ceva, a zis repede Miss Marple, întrerupînd discuţia şop-tită cu doamna Bantry. El ne-a spus că sînt patru suspecţi, aşa că în piesa ac^asta joacă şi Templeton. Nu-i aşa, Sir Henry ?
— Aşa e, Miss Marple. Am învăţat un lucru dintr-o amară experienţă : să nu te grăbeşti niciodată să spui că cineva e în afară de orice bănuială. Pînă acum v-am dat motive să credeţi ,că trei dintre ei pot fi vinovaţi, deşi e puţin probabil să fie. N-ar trebui ca acest ucru să fie valabil şi în cazul lui Templeton.
Dar, urmînd cele spuse mai înainte, am fost forţat să recunosc că în fiecare armată, în marină şi în poliţie există un număr de trădători din rîndurile acesteia, chiar dacă nu ne convine să admitem această idee. Am examinat la rece cazul lui Charles Templeton.
M-am întrebat adeseori, ceea ce domnişoara Helier a întrebat adineaori. De ce el a fost singurul dintre cei din casă care nu a putut arăta scrisoarea pe care o scoala de soferi primise, scnsoare care, pe deasupra, mai avea şi un timbru ger-man ? De ce să primească scrisori din Ger-mania ? Ultima întrebare e naivă, fără îndo-ială, dar i-am pus-o şi lui. Mi-a răspuns des-tul de simplu : mama lui avea o soră mâritată cu un german, scrisoarea era de la verişoara lui. Am aflat ceva ce nu ştiusem înainte — că Templeton avea rude în Germania, coea ce m-a făcut să-1 pun hotărît pe lista celor sus-pecţi. Era omul meu, aveam mare încredere şi ţineam la el ; dar, urmînd calea justiţ.iei şi a cinstei, trebuie să admit că el e cap de listă.
Dar e ceva aici, nu ştiu ce, nu ştiu... Şi, după toate probabilităţile, n-o să ştiu nicio-dată. Nu problema pedepsirii ucigaşului, o altă problemăvmi se pare de o mie de ori mai importantă : a distruge întreaga carieră a unui om cinstit din cauza unei suspiciuni de care nu pot să nu ţin seama.
Miss Marple şi-a dres glasul şi a zis cu blîn-deţe :
— Sir Henry, dacă am înţeles exact, tînă-rul Templeton e singurul la care vă gîndiţi atît de mult ?
— Dar de ce secretarul a rupt cealaltă scrisoare ?, a întrebat deodată Jane Helier. Lucrul acesta pare foarte, foarte curios. De ce a primit o scrisoare din Germania ? Deşi, după cum spuneţi, el eîn afară de orice bănu-ială...
— Dar Sir Henry n-a spus aşa ceva, a zis repede Miss Marple, întrerupînd discuţia şop-tită cu doamna Bantry. El ne-a spus că sînt patru suspecţi, aşa că în piesa ac^asta joacă şi Templeton. Nu-i aşa, Sir Henry ?
— Aşa e, Miss Marple. Am învăţat un lucru dintr-o amară experienţă : să nu te grăbeşti niciodată să spui că cineva e în afară de orice bănuială. Pînă acum v-am dat motive să credeţi ,că trei dintre ei pot fi vinovaţi, deşi e puţin probabil să fie. N-ar trebui ca acest ucru să fie valabil şi în cazul lui Templeton.
Dar, urmînd cele spuse mai înainte, am fost forţat să recunosc că în fiecare armată, în marină şi în poliţie există un număr de trădători din rîndurile acesteia, chiar dacă nu ne convine să admitem această idee. Am examinat la rece cazul lui Charles Templeton.
M-am întrebat adeseori, ceea ce domnişoara Helier a întrebat adineaori. De ce el a fost singurul dintre cei din casă care nu a putut arăta scrisoarea pe care o scoala de soferi primise, scnsoare care, pe deasupra, mai avea şi un timbru ger-man ? De ce să primească scrisori din Ger-mania ? Ultima întrebare e naivă, fără îndo-ială, dar i-am pus-o şi lui. Mi-a răspuns des-tul de simplu : mama lui avea o soră mâritată cu un german, scrisoarea era de la verişoara lui. Am aflat ceva ce nu ştiusem înainte — că Templeton avea rude în Germania, coea ce m-a făcut să-1 pun hotărît pe lista celor sus-pecţi. Era omul meu, aveam mare încredere şi ţineam la el ; dar, urmînd calea justiţ.iei şi a cinstei, trebuie să admit că el e cap de listă.
Dar e ceva aici, nu ştiu ce, nu ştiu... Şi, după toate probabilităţile, n-o să ştiu nicio-dată. Nu problema pedepsirii ucigaşului, o altă problemăvmi se pare de o mie de ori mai importantă : a distruge întreaga carieră a unui om cinstit din cauza unei suspiciuni de care nu pot să nu ţin seama.
Miss Marple şi-a dres glasul şi a zis cu blîn-deţe :
— Sir Henry, dacă am înţeles exact, tînă-rul Templeton e singurul la care vă gîndiţi atît de mult ?
joi, 10 februarie 2011
D-Day.
From Brian Williams' "The Airborne Landings":
Starting at around 11 PM on June 5th, approximately 13,000 American parachutists would descend upon the peninsula via hundreds of twin-engined C-47s. The C-47 was a DC-3 aircraft that held 18 parachutists (known as a "stick" to the men). At the low speed of 120 mph, the flight would take them over an hour. The parachutists were weighed down with nearly their body weight in equipment and weapons. They would be prepared as much as possible since they would be dropping behind enemy lines - cutoff from the invading force. Whatever weapons they would fight with would be carried on their backs or strapped to their harnesses. The exception to this would be the artillery battalion of twelve 75 mm howitzers which would accompany the division. Later, heavy mortars and heavier anti-tank could be brought in by glider. In any case, there was no guarantee that the parachutist would form up with his unit once soon after he left the plane - if at all.
The planes took off and flew at 500 feet for about half and hour to avoid detection by German radar. After a slight ascent to make landfall and avoid the AAA guns, the final approach would be at 700 feet. Meteorologists had called for a calm night and nearly the entire flight was without incident. But, as the flights approached the coast of France, they encountered a cloud bank that dispersed many of the planes...only a few minutes before the dropzone. Between the chaotic mess that followed the dispersal and the enemy flak, several planes were damaged or destroyed...along with numerous injured parachutists within. In addition, because of flak, many pilots increased their speed and varied their altitude dramatically. Despite these dangerous conditions, the green light was given for the crew to jump. Aircraft speeds had reached as high as 150 mph (normal jump speed was 90 mph) - which led to numerous injuries.
At 700 feet, the descent took less than one minute. By this time, German flak artillery and AAA were shooting at anything in the sky...including the parachutists themselves. Many were hit on their way down or drowned upon landing in the flooded plains of the Douve and Merderet rivers. Although the plains were mostly only 2 to 3 feet deep (in some places more), the weight of the men, in conjunction with the dragging of the parachute could easily prove fatal. In contrast, unopened chutes among the Americans were very uncommon with their static-line parachutes. In addition, the Americans carried a reserve chute just in case.
Of course, trees, buildings, anti-glider poles and other obstacles lent to a large number of injuries. But, many were injured from the impact of the landing itself - which resulted in usually sprains and broken legs. But, by far, the potentially most dangerous situation arose from the unexpected turbulence and the resulting dispersal of the units.
The Landings
Units found themselves scattered all over the Cotentin Peninsula. In almost every case, several hours were spent just trying to find out where they were and to find others in the same Battalion or even Regiment. In some cases, contact with other friendly units were not made for days. Commanders who had landed in the drop were forced to gather any men they could find on their way to their objective - in the dark. Teams that had formed to blow up communications center or bridges found themselves without the necessary equipment because either it or the men carrying it were lost. About 60 percent of the equipment dropped was either lost by falling into swamps or into enemy-controlled areas.
Operation OVERLORD, the Allied codename for the invasion of Normandy, involved more than 150,000 men and 5,000 ships. Operation OVERLORD included American, British, Canadian, Polish, and French Armies. By nightfall on June 6th 1944, Hitler's stronghold on the coast of Normandy had been breached. The Allies sustained over 9,500 casualties compared with 4-10,000 Germans, but America and her allies began the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation.
"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free."
- President Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984, at the D-Day Commemoration in Normandy, France
Starting at around 11 PM on June 5th, approximately 13,000 American parachutists would descend upon the peninsula via hundreds of twin-engined C-47s. The C-47 was a DC-3 aircraft that held 18 parachutists (known as a "stick" to the men). At the low speed of 120 mph, the flight would take them over an hour. The parachutists were weighed down with nearly their body weight in equipment and weapons. They would be prepared as much as possible since they would be dropping behind enemy lines - cutoff from the invading force. Whatever weapons they would fight with would be carried on their backs or strapped to their harnesses. The exception to this would be the artillery battalion of twelve 75 mm howitzers which would accompany the division. Later, heavy mortars and heavier anti-tank could be brought in by glider. In any case, there was no guarantee that the parachutist would form up with his unit once soon after he left the plane - if at all.
The planes took off and flew at 500 feet for about half and hour to avoid detection by German radar. After a slight ascent to make landfall and avoid the AAA guns, the final approach would be at 700 feet. Meteorologists had called for a calm night and nearly the entire flight was without incident. But, as the flights approached the coast of France, they encountered a cloud bank that dispersed many of the planes...only a few minutes before the dropzone. Between the chaotic mess that followed the dispersal and the enemy flak, several planes were damaged or destroyed...along with numerous injured parachutists within. In addition, because of flak, many pilots increased their speed and varied their altitude dramatically. Despite these dangerous conditions, the green light was given for the crew to jump. Aircraft speeds had reached as high as 150 mph (normal jump speed was 90 mph) - which led to numerous injuries.
At 700 feet, the descent took less than one minute. By this time, German flak artillery and AAA were shooting at anything in the sky...including the parachutists themselves. Many were hit on their way down or drowned upon landing in the flooded plains of the Douve and Merderet rivers. Although the plains were mostly only 2 to 3 feet deep (in some places more), the weight of the men, in conjunction with the dragging of the parachute could easily prove fatal. In contrast, unopened chutes among the Americans were very uncommon with their static-line parachutes. In addition, the Americans carried a reserve chute just in case.
Of course, trees, buildings, anti-glider poles and other obstacles lent to a large number of injuries. But, many were injured from the impact of the landing itself - which resulted in usually sprains and broken legs. But, by far, the potentially most dangerous situation arose from the unexpected turbulence and the resulting dispersal of the units.
The Landings
Units found themselves scattered all over the Cotentin Peninsula. In almost every case, several hours were spent just trying to find out where they were and to find others in the same Battalion or even Regiment. In some cases, contact with other friendly units were not made for days. Commanders who had landed in the drop were forced to gather any men they could find on their way to their objective - in the dark. Teams that had formed to blow up communications center or bridges found themselves without the necessary equipment because either it or the men carrying it were lost. About 60 percent of the equipment dropped was either lost by falling into swamps or into enemy-controlled areas.
Operation OVERLORD, the Allied codename for the invasion of Normandy, involved more than 150,000 men and 5,000 ships. Operation OVERLORD included American, British, Canadian, Polish, and French Armies. By nightfall on June 6th 1944, Hitler's stronghold on the coast of Normandy had been breached. The Allies sustained over 9,500 casualties compared with 4-10,000 Germans, but America and her allies began the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation.
"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free."
- President Ronald Reagan, June 6, 1984, at the D-Day Commemoration in Normandy, France
Wild Ride
Video of a Mooney airplane making its approach to a small airstrip at Whidbey Island, Washington. Two words. Go. Around.
Ever wonder what pilots say just before a crash? Yep, you guessed it...and this one is no exception.
It's all about the aimpoint.
Patrick
Ever wonder what pilots say just before a crash? Yep, you guessed it...and this one is no exception.
It's all about the aimpoint.
Patrick
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