Prince William has led tributes to John “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, after his death aged 105. The Prince of Wales wrote on social media that he was “sad” to hear about the passing of the last of “The Few”. He added:  “We owe so much to Paddy and his generation for our freedoms today. Their bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered. We shall never forget them.” Born in Dublin in 1919, Group Captain Hemingway enlisted in the RAF in 1938 and soon became one of the young pilots who fought in the Battle of France. Two years later, he was among the men known as  “The Few” , a term coined by Winston Churchill to describe Britain’s Battle of Britain pilots. Chief of RAF Air Staff Sir Rich Knighton passed condolences to Mr Hemingway’s family and friends. “I am thankful that I was able to meet and spend time with him in Dublin, most recently in January this year,”  he said. “Paddy was an amazing character wh...

A quite well done animated presentation on YouTube of the first meeting of Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo and Emperor Sheev Palpatine, with dialogue as it appears in Timothy Zahn's novel "Thrawn."

Today is world book day.  Grand Admiral Thrawn was an avid collector of all forms of art and culture - and that specifically included not just paintings and sculptures but also music and literature. He once said that  "Each culture is different. Each species is unique. That presents a wealth of information to be gleaned from the study of their art, their literature, their history," Thrawn would certainly have approved of these quotes by perhaps the greatest US President of all time, Abraham Lincoln. He was a great lover of books. 

"I’ve seen criticism directed at J.K. Rowling for her portrayal of house elves in Harry Potter, particularly the fact that they remain slaves and don’t get a happy ending. I think it’s completely valid for an author to create a grim, imperfect world without feeling obligated to resolve every injustice. Fiction is a form of creative expression, and authors don’t owe readers a morally sanitized or uplifting narrative. A story doesn’t have to reflect an idealized world to have value it can challenge us by showing imperfections, hardships, or unresolved issues. The house elves in Harry Potter are a reflection of the flawed nature of the wizarding world, which itself mirrors the inequalities and blind spots of our own society. Expecting authors to “fix” everything in their stories risks turning fiction into a checklist of moral obligations rather than a creative exploration of themes. Sometimes the lack of resolution or the depiction of an unjust system is what makes a story compelling...

"I can ask no more than your best. And will accept nothing less." Grand Admiral Thrawn