The Cajun Navy

DIY rescues down in flooded Louisiana. That's some can-do spirit, initiative, and neighborly feeling: see a problem, do something about it, save some stranded folks.

The 2015 Rose Parade

This year's Tournament of Roses, one of my favorite New Year's traditions, has the theme "Inspiring Stories" to honor remarkable men and women.  I was surprised and delighted to see this beautiful float!

Recognize the motto "Go For Broke"?  It's from the 442nd, of which several veterans were on the float this morning.  If you aren't familiar with its history, please do look it up when you have a moment.

Meet Bretagne the 9/11 Search Dog

I didn't read this until today, but now I think I have something in my eye.

Glorious: Commander Hadfield's "Space Oddity"

The International Space Station's utterly delightful Canadian commander is set to come back home to Earth tonight, and he caps his months-long reign of awesomeness with this, the first music video from space:

Rescue Me

Tales of real-life heroism and derring-do from 1939 to 2009.

Photo of the Day: Chen Guangcheng and Christian Bale

You all know about Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese human rights activist who managed to escape and is now in the States.  You may not know, though, that while he was still under house arrest in China, Christian Bale attempted to visit him.  The two finally met when Chen was honored with a human rights award earlier this week.  Here's a charming photo of the actor and his hero.  (Oh, and there's video in which Bale mentions Chen detailing the Chinese government's gross human rights abuses, especially against women.)

Meet the Biblioburro of La Gloria, Colombia

Here's the story of schoolteacher Luis Soriano, his burro, and an unusual library.  

Disgustingly Cute: Three Stowaways

This story is from last year, but I don't care.  The news lately has been so awful that I think we need (a) some feline cuteness as a balm, and (b) a reminder that good and decent folks live in our world too.  The attention in recent days has gone to the worst of the violent psychotics.  Please to contrast ambassador-murdering criminals with military personnel who foster lost kittens in their spare time.

Here's the story straight from one of the folks involved:

I'm Navy deployed overseas... 

We were in port a few days ago, and a cat came aboard via mooring line. We lost track of her, and found her later that evening. We managed to get her back to the pier, and waved goodbye as we took off. This cat seemed unusually upset by this... 

Turns out, in the short time she was on board, she gave birth to THREE kittens. The poor things went almost four days with no food or mommy before we found them in the machine shop. We have been bottle feeding them all day, and have already contacted local veterinary services to come check them out. 

After the initial shock of being found, and feeding, the kittens are just as happy and playful as any other cute little bugger you'd find anywhere else. They were a great boost to crew morale, and I LOVE THEM. 

I'm a sucker.

Kudos, sir!  More awwww-inducing photos here.  Know your past too, as this is just one instance in the long, long history of military personnel taking time for kittehs (see this for more photos ranging from 1888 to 1959).

A Tribute to Neil Armstrong, BOTW Style

There was no doubt who should be BOTW this week, and here is the newest entry in that peerless catalogue of history's most awesome masters of butt-kickery.  Yesterday was a blue moon too, so it seems more fitting than ever to pay tribute to that iconic American hero - tough, smart, cool under pressure, humble, indefatigable.  As always with BOTW, language warning.

Requiescat in Pace, Neil Armstrong

Hail and farewell to an American hero and icon.  Neil Armstrong takes his final journey at age 82.

Awesome: Oscar Pistorius Makes History in London

Alessandra and I have been following the South African athlete's career with great interest.  What a story!  I watched him run  the 400 meters this morning and qualify for semifinals, and it was awesome.  In case you've been living under a rock for a while and don't know who Oscar Pistorius is, here's the scoop.  

UPDATE: Pistorius didn't make it out of semis, but it doesn't matter.  He is still victorious as far as everyone is concerned.  The crowd roared, my buddies and I cheered, and the defending 400 meter Olympic champion exchanged bibs with him in a charming gesture. Pistorius gets the heroes tag.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker Pulls a Gosling: Chivalry Lives ... And Is Hot Again, Thank God

I've noted Booker before and his undeniable flair, but look at this!  He just saved a woman from a burning building!  (Here's even a tweet from him.)  The Internet, of course, went bananas immediately.  Here's a hilarious example:

OK, last I heard, the beneficiary of Booker's heroics hasn't written any self-involved silliness for Gawker, but these are early days, hm?

Here's something more important: there's going to be a Gosling-Booker superhero comic on Tumblr done by some playful artists!  Bookmark http://goslingandbooker.tumblr.com/.  Check out the cover art at the link where one of the artists also mentioned another real-life hero, Captain Sully (of the "Miracle on the Hudson"). On a related note, is the greater New York/Newark area some kind of hotbed for dashing heroes?  

OK, guys of the universe: the bar's just been raised.  Just kidding ... or am I?

Look, I'm just happy that there are people out there who are still willing and able to lend a helping hand when they see a need.  They're real human beings and real heroes.  And that's something all of us can aspire to. 

What Do You Do After You Shoot Bin Laden?

You go to Disneyland.  You go off in a daring raid and rescue American and Danish hostages from Somali pirates.  Kudos!

Ave atque Vale, Vaclav Havel

Havel, Czech dissident playwright and the first president of the Czech Republic after the Velvet Revolution, has died at the age of 75.  Reason magazine has a number of features on Havel.  Oh, and note that Noam Chomsky considers Havel "morally repugnant" -- which means Havel really is all that and a bag of chips.  Hail and farewell, sir, and thank you for your efforts to undo Communism in eastern Europe. 

Ten Years Later

It doesn't seem like ten years have passed.  But I remember a sunny late summer day much like today, with blue skies and bright air, when I was thinking about school and making coffee before idly deciding to turn on the morning news as I often did (and do) during a bit of breakfast.  Things were never the same again.  

Today you'll read and hear all sorts of comments and retrospectives and analyses (and "analyses").  Some will be good, some bad, some foolish, some infuriating, some optimistic, some pessimistic; some will cover themselves with quiet humane dignity and others with cheap vulgar shame.  I'll leave you instead with some that remind us what courage looks like and who the real heroes were.  See this profile of a remarkable individual. (Note too this sobering assessment by a professor of history.)  I'll say this, though: in the aftermath, everyone -- everyone -- showed their true colors.  


UPDATE 1:  See what Jon Stewart said right after the attacks.  I've never loved Jon as much as I did when he said this, and regardless what you might think of him as a rather lefty comedian, you'll want to take a look.

The Daily Show

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"I wanted to tell you why I grieve, but why I don't despair."


UPDATE 2: See Gary Sinise's personal perspective.

Nerd Notes: Warrior Scholars of World War II

Meet Patrick Leigh Fermor (1915-2011) and some of his remarkable peers in this captivating obituary. I am utterly charmed.  Leigh Fermor, by the way, managed to kidnap a Nazi general on Crete and quote the Roman poet Horace in almost the same breath.  Hail and farewell, sir!  Ave atque vale!

Life Imitates Homer's Iliad: Meet Acting Sgt. Dipprasad Pun of the Royal Gurkha Rifles

Wow:

Britain's newest hero is a Nepali. 

Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday awarded Britain's second-highest award for bravery, the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross, to Acting Sgt. Dipprasad Pun of the Royal Gurkha Rifles. 

While stationed as a lone sentry at a checkpoint in Afghanistan's Helmand province on September 17, Pun fended off an attack by up to 30 Taliban fighters. 

"There were many Taliban around me," Pun said in an interview with British Forces News. "I thought they are definitely going to kill me. ... I thought before they kill me I have to kill some of them." 

During the 15-minute battle, Pun fired more than 400 rounds of ammunition, detonated 17 grenades and a mine and even threw his gun tripod at a Taliban fighter climbing toward his position ...  "He was just about to climb up there and I hit (him) with my tripod and he fell down again," Pun told British Forces News. 

Pun's actions saved the lives of three fellow soldiers at the checkpoint and were the "bravest seen in his battalion over two hard tours in Afghanistan," according to his medal citation. 

Pun was not wounded in the firefight.

And unlike Achilles, Dipprasad Pun isn't the son of a goddess!  His next appearance must surely be here!  More here and here.  Kudos, sir.  Here's more about the Royal Gurkha Rifles.

The Judge and the Prince

Here's a cool story from the UK!

You Go, Girl: Veena Malik and True Feminism

Here are some related thoughts along with this, but, really, just watch Veena go gloriously ballistic on her critic.  Now think if you would rather a world with people like Veena in charge or people like her critic calling the shots.

You may remember other Pakistanis who opposed religious violence and extremism -- folks like Shahbaz Bhatti and Salman Taseer.

Terror and Courage at Fukushima: Update

Here is an update on Fukushima, where some 400 workers are taking turns in their Herculean task.  I had posted about these unsung heroes here.