Heroes - Real life people

[DarkNinja13]

@Darkninja: The Satanist who wrote an article saying Jews are descended from reptiles? Tell me you're joking, dear Sithis do.

 

I thought we were supposed to kep the negativte fedback on choices to a minimum.

 

The meditations she provides on her site are sound and they are getting me results, so I don't care what she thinks on anything else.

 

Let' s try to keep it a friendly thread without too many negative comments on other people's choices.

 

Since one of my heroes is "unacceptable" I get the feeling I am not welcome in this thread.

So be it

[grannywils]

@Darkninja: The Satanist who wrote an article saying Jews are descended from reptiles? Tell me you're joking, dear Sithis do.

 

I thought we were supposed to kep the negativte fedback on choices to a minimum.

 

The meditations she provides on her site are sound and they are getting me results, so I don't care what she thinks on anything else.

 

Let' s try to keep it a friendly thread without too many negative comments on other people's choices.

 

Ninja:

 

You are welcome on this thread. This is not a debate thread. I'm sure that people can find fault with almost anyone's choices if they are of a mind to. That is why I specifically made the request that we keep negative comments out. You are not at fault here. We are discussing people who are heros to each of us. Not everyone has to agree, and I wish those of us who do not would chose another thread for that sort of discussion if at all possible. That of course is not an order. I am not in a position to make orders, but I am just trying to do something positive here. We have a place for debates, and this just doesn't happen to be it..

 

Since one of my heroes is "unacceptable" I get the feeling I am not welcome in this thread.

So be it

[grannywils]

Since I started this thread I feel it is important that I say something here. I do not condone everyone's beliefs, but I do accept their right to have them and to express them. If you feel someone is heroic to you, feel free to say so. Your having said so does not necessarily mean that I or anyone else agrees with you, but I at least believe in your right to your opinion. There have been some controversial people mentioned on this thread, but again I reiterate that this is not a debate thread. If someone has a problem with a choice I strongly recommend that a debate thread be opened to discuss it.

[Vindekarr]

I'm sure nobody can disagree with these two.

 

These two are probably my biggest person heroes.

 

Dan Abnett and JRR Tolkien: These men inspired me to become a writer in my own right, they also got my adoration of classic fantasy started, and by extension, led me into video games and writing novels and cartoons.

 

Dan Abnett and JRR Tolkien wrote entirely diferent books in entirely diferent ages, but for me they're equally excellent. Abnett is a modern writer, sticking mostly to sci fi, I know his work from reading his two main WarHammer 40,000 omnibus novels. Guant's Ghosts and Eisenhorn. Now, some may scoff at comparing a bloodthirsty, stylised realm to Tolkien's serious LOTR. But it's a very fair comparison.

 

They have a resemblance in writing styles, and both of them can just weave a realm with words SO well that you can almost SEE it.

 

In Abnett's case it's the WarHammer 40K world, which is an extremely dark far future one. In it, humanity clings on as this huge faceless empire that's so vast so old and scattered that some worlds are literaly forgotten to have existed. This empire is undfer constant attack by several vicious alien species, but it's real threat is an internal power called Chaos, which arises from human emotion-hope, greed, despair, and bloodlust. Those emotions weaken the psychic boundaries that protect a human's mind from a chaos theory inspired dimension known only as "the warp" who's very influence is enough to drive a human instantly insane just by looking at it. The result is an exceptionaly good universe for a writer-they get almost unrivaled ability to add onto and explore this dark world. It's just detailed beyond detailed-if you can set aside your existing notions of 40K being a nerdy tabletop game, the novels do NOT disapoint. And that's because the writers can use the resources the game gives them. Abnett's worlds for example just mesh so neatly into the existing storyline, and inegrate a newcomer so well, it's like reading one of the old calssic sci fi. Truly a remarkable author.

 

JRR Tolkien wrote the world famous Lord Of The Rings in the 1950s. This is the best book I've ever read, and I've read it 4 times. It's a total 360 degree world. With every not overdone, but with the detail being there for when the writer want's to give the audience a look in close. Tolkien was a MASTER writer, so with such a vastly good world to draw on, and with his vast talent, the result is one of the finest novel's I've ever had the pleasure of reading. You really should read Lord Of The RIngs if you havent-it's a book everyone should read as a matter of course.

[Aurielius]

My personal favorite hero among the famous category of real people was General Jimmy Doolittle, who had what pilots call the 'right stuff'. He was a leader that could lead his men on a raid on hell and still get volunteers.

 

The B-25 raid on Japan has gone down in the annals of World War II as a classic example of the courage and ingenuity of American airmen in combat. Led by the then Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, the raid came at a time when the Japanese were advancing steadily across the Pacific. Guam, Wake, Hong Kong, and Singapore had fallen. In the Philippines, General Wainwright and the remnants of his force were making a brave but hopeless last stand on the Corregidor.

 

The appearance of 16 B-25s over Japan on April 18, 1942, lifted the gloom that had descended upon America and her Pacific allies. The bomb damage that resulted was not great, compared with that inflicted later in the war, but the raid had some far-reaching effects. The Japanese wee forced to retain fighter units for the defense of the home islands which had been intended for the Solomons, and they felt compelled to expand their Pacific perimeter beyond the area where it could be defended adequately.

 

For American and her allies the raid was a badly needed morale booster. Besides being the first offensive air action undertaken against the Japanese home islands, the Tokyo raid accomplished some other "firsts" that augured well for the future. It was the first war action in which the United States Army Air Force and the United States Navy teamed up in a full-scale operation against the enemy. The Doolittle Raiders were the first and last to fly land-based bombers from a carrier deck on a combat mission.

 

General Doolittle was awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor and later the Congressional Medal of Freedom the two highest awards available for an American and the only person to have both.

[Vindekarr]

The doolittle raid was an amazing historical moment-I did a little reading after you posted that, being reeally into military history, and it's just amazing. Taking a squad into the deepest territory of a mighty and frightening enemy is the height of military valour, that's staring death right in the face and stealing his wallet in the process as one man once said.

 

But doing that in something as downright unsafe as the B 25 mitchell takes even more guts. In modern times, military aircraft are protected by thick superstructures, incredible manueverability, and thick armour plate. the B 25 mitchell wasnt, for those who dont know much about this period's technology, Mitchells were basicaly as durable as a bra. Because they were made of basicaly the same stuff. Cloth outer coating over aluminium or woodwork, you get hit, you're a dead man-they couldnt stop a bullet, and you didnt have an ejector seat, even worse, the bloody things were flamable, and the enemy had tracer rounds! I wouldnt go anwhere near a plane that unsafe on a sunny afternoon, let alone over Japan in WWII, especialy Japan in fact, since Japanese aircraft of that period were so lethal against target that couldnt properly fight back.

 

I have another to add to the list.

 

I dont know this peoples's names, but bloody hell, I wish they were my doctors!. The nuerosurgery team at McKay Dee hosptial in Utah, america, deserve a mention here. They deserve a mention because earlier this month, a skater fell at very high speed, suffuring a horrific brain swelling beyond what was survivable. Reacting quickly, the doctors performed and almost impossible, untried surgery, removing the skater's outer skull layers and freezing them to protect them. The swelling went down-(your brain can recover from that, it's if it cant swell out that's the problem) and they defrosted the skull fragments, heated them up to human temperature, and re installed them.

 

After a further two weeks in a drug induced coma, the skater woke up. He said he'd never skate again, as he'd rather do snowboarding instead. As he preffered a softer landing in the future. He was later released, despite the surgery's 95% mortality chance, he lived, with no permanent loss of brain function-just a little short term memory loss and a brief loss of motor ability. Once he'd been taught how to move his muscles, he returned to his life, without any permanent harm, thanks to a bunch of doctors from Utah and their extraordinary surgical skill-and a fair dose of pure luck.

[brokenergy]

For me there are only a few heroes in life. One is my parents for working so hard raising us with little money that they had, another is Dr. Victor Chang, who performed the one thing which I feel that we should give if we die, organ transplants for the terminally ill. It was his work that allowed those people to live long and fruitful lives. Unfortunately he was shot down by members of the Chinese triad, who where trying to extort him. It is people like him that deserve all the credit, as they are saving people who have lost all hope. The only reason I have brought this up is because that his shooting was close to an apartment in which my family was living and he died in the year I was born.

[kieranfoy]

I hear you on Abnett, Vindekar: Eisenhorn was simply astonishing. Admitedly, there were a few lore goofs, but other than that... well, the writing is astounding.

 

In my opinion, Tolkien was simply a master world-builder and lore-writer, but... frankly, his prose drags a bit, and he seems to spend as much time describing feasts and relating songs as he does advancing the plot. Might be just me, who knows!

[grannywils]

I hear you on Abnett, Vindekar: Eisenhorn was simply astonishing. Admitedly, there were a few lore goofs, but other than that... well, the writing is astounding.

 

In my opinion, Tolkien was simply a master world-builder and lore-writer, but... frankly, his prose drags a bit, and he seems to spend as much time describing feasts and relating songs as he does advancing the plot. Might be just me, who knows!

 

I disagree on Tolkien Kieranfoy. I thought he was an outstanding writer. Not only were his plots well thought out and delivered, but his use of the language was supurb. And I know of no one before or since who so creatively brought forth an entire new world and language into which the reader, young or old, could immediately assimilate himself. There have been others, I know, but I truly believe he was the master. Just my opinion.

[Vindekarr]

Yeah, for me Tolkien is the finest writer I've ever seen.

 

Orwell, Abnett, and Tolkien are all writers you should read at some point.

 

George Orwell's books, Animal Farm and 1984 are shockingly good social commentories-even 50 years later the only thing that isnt 100% graphicaly believable is the use of helicoptres.

 

Dan Abnett's book are some of the best modern sci fi around. Masterfuly writen, and admitedly, with a couple of lore goofs, but in my personal view, the superb writing more than makes up for it. Gaunt's Ghosts was one of the most enjoyable war novel's I've seen, despite the plasma cannons and the fact that the extremists are a daemonist cult, it's very current and at times brutaly realistic at depicitng the horror of warfare.

It also brings forth the full enjoyment of the astonishing WarHammer universe from the perspective of totaly ordinary human men and women, rather than the towering invicible chivalrous Astartes super soldiers who are the normal view point.

 

Tolkien's works are another to read before you die. Lord Of The Rings is a timeless epic. Not only is it spectacularly well written, but it's a beautifuly composed world and a classic, epic, storyline. A must read, especialy in the full versions, not a lot comes anywhere near this masterpiece for shear quality.