Word: portly
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Meanwhile, about 7,800 miles from Portsmouth, the Argentines braced to defend the British territory that they had invaded on April 2. C-130 Hercules military transports marked with the sky-blue and white colors of Argentina roared back and forth between the tiny island capital of Port Stanley and their mainland base, 600 miles away. The aircraft brought food, ammunition, trucks and members of the Argentine 9th Infantry Brigade to bolster the 2,500-man invasion force. In Buenos Aires, the government made further preparations for battle. Some 80,000 Argentines who had just finished their year of compulsory...
...Falklands' British Governor, Rex Hunt, recounted the story of the actual fighting, a tiny force of Royal Marines battled determinedly and well for several hours against an overwhelming force of Argentine troops who stormed the tiny (pop. 1,050) settlement of Port Stanley. The marines finally laid down their arms at Hunt's command. He disputed Argentine claims that the assault resulted in only one Argentine dead and two wounded; at least five and possibly 15 invaders were killed, Hunt said, and 17 were wounded in the fighting...
...refused to shake hands with the Argentine general commanding the invaders, an attitude, his adversary said, that he found "very ungentlemanly." Retorted Hunt: "I think it very uncivilized to invade British territory. You are here illegally." Donning his ceremonial uniform and plumed hat, Hunt was then chauffeured to the Port Stanley airport in his official limousine (the same Austin model used as a London taxicab), with a small Union Jack fluttering defiantly from the hood. Said Hunt in London: "I am still Governor. We must do what we can to go to the rescue of the Falkland Islanders...
...idea behind La Entrada al Pacifico (Corridor to the Pacific) is to ease overconcentration of Asian trade in Southern California by diverting goods to a port in western Mexico and transporting them to Midland. Marfans see a plan that could fill Midland's pockets but potentially devastate Marfa's culture, lifestyle and economy, based in large part on tourism thanks to Marfa's proximity to Big Bend National Park and its reputation as an artists' haven (artists and galleries have been a fixture in town since celebrated sculptor Donald Judd relocated here from New York...
Residents do have hope. The arrival of massive numbers of 18-wheelers depends on Mexico's infrastructure. So far, work on the trans-Mexican highway hasn't broken ground, and the port in western Mexico needs repair. The results of a government-funded study about how well the plan would work for West Texas will be released soon. But for the locals who see this land as a refuge--and, on occasion, a Hollywood backdrop--the decision to build or not to build isn't even a question...