10 Men I Admire - Part 1

Donald Trump

Yeah he's a bit of a tool but it's amazing what a self centered jackass with money can accomplish. With nothing but money and a serious driv eto succeed he has crafted a real estate empire that spans the states as well as a television show. You have to wonder if he was bullied as a kid and feels the need to be better than everyone else as a result. He may be a twit but you have to admire anone who has a solid grasp of what they want, although he really should put his hair on the list of things he needs to renovate.



Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Here is a man with beliefs so strong he could convince the world that it is flat and then throw it like a frisbee if he so chose. In his own words

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. "

What else can you say? The man is an example to the whole world for what you can do when you believe in your cause and yourself.

Douglas Adams

With an imagination the size of a planet this man crafted a fictional universe that makes as much sense as our real one. Maybe he was on the right track?! Just in case, I'll have to be much nicer to mice in the future. If you've read the Hitchhiker's series and enjoyed it you should give his Dirk Gently books a crack. It'll give you a whole new take on navigation and the Norse gods.

Stephen Hawking

A great example of not letting life get in the way. Diagnosed with ALS when he was 21 it was figured he would die in a few years, but still went on strong. Instead of pining away he has focused his brain on the universe around us and has developed theories that make my able bodied brain ache. He takes the cosmos and the physics of the univers and can make it almost understandable to schlubs like me, now that;s talent. Face it folks, the guy held the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University, formerly held by Sir Isaac Newton. And I still have trouble getting the time on my VCR right!!

Terry Fox

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia he was diagnozed with cancer at the tender age of 18. The bone cancer claimed his leg in 1977 and while most people would decide their life was over after this kind of trauma, Terry took a look at the suffering of people with cancer around him, many of them kids, and decided things needed to change. He spent 18 months preparing by running over 5000 kilometers and set off on April 12th in 1980 at St. John's Newfoundland. People didn't really take note at the start and they had trouble getting attention at the start. He made it all the way to Thunder Bay, Ontario befre the cancer that claimed his leg took his lungs. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22. While he is gone, he has left a legacy bigger than the man who strated it. To this date the Marathon of Hope that he began continues each year (I only do 10K and I'm spent - the man was a machine) and so far has raised over $360 million dollars in over 60 countries to help fight cancer. Thanks his efforts, if he was diagnosed today he would not only have survived, but liekly would still have his leg too. If that doesn't impress you, nothing will.