[Ciexyz]

The film "Elizabeth" was certainly an achievement. It was a quality film that got buried under the awards for "Shakespeare in Love". Guess the film community can take only so much history at any one time! Same situation happened with "The Thin Red Line", it got buried by the success of "Saving Private Ryan".

I'm fascinated by the whole era of Elizabeth I and her shipbuilding program and her encouragement of privateers like Sir Francis Drake. Their raids on Spanish shipping in the New World enriched the English crown and also robbed Spain of necessary monies to finance its Army in Holland. Elizabeth built her new navy and increased her nation's prestige with this stolen Spanish coin and treasure.

I only vaguely followed the scandal about the misdiagnosis of Agent Orange cases by the government....but it certainly sounds like a tragic situation.