heroes

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Hurricane Harvey wreaks historic devastation: By the numbers
The remnants of Hurricane Harvey continued to dump rain on several southern states nearly a week after making landfall in Texas as the most powerful storm to hit the mainland in over a decade.

Harvey's torrential rain, devastating winds and widespread flooding have so far cost at least 39 lives, driven over one million people to evacuate their homes in Texas and caused extensive destruction that will likely make it one of the costliest storms in U.S. history.

Here is a look at the storm's historic devastation, by the numbers:

More than 20 trillion gallons: That's the total amount of rain that fell across Texas and Louisiana, a staggering deluge that represents enough water to supply New York City's needs for over five decades.

$125 billion: Texas Gov. Greg Abbot said his state will need federal relief money "far in excess" of that total. Moody’s Analytics has estimated $97 billion in destruction alone and some $108 billion in total damages counting lost output.

51.88 inches: The amount of rain recorded at Cedar Bayou on the outskirts of Houston in just under five days, marking a new record for the heaviest rainfall for a storm in the continental U.S., according to the National Weather Service.

3: The number of times Harvey made landfall– twice as a hurricane in Texas and once more as a tropical storm in southwestern Louisiana.

185,149: Homes estimated to be damaged or destroyed by Harvey, according to Friday’s data from the Texas Division of Emergency Management.  read more »

Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown discusses Luftwaffe Aircraft - Published on Apr 23, 2014

Readers' comments -
"A great man he was the Last of a rare breed"
"Capt.Brown, a classic sort of guy"
"An amazing man. Superb achievements in pretty much every aspect of his career."
"Thanks for the video. It is good to see the Pilots telling their stories in what they did in the second world war. The real warriors of the sky and the planes they fly."

Vedio: Capt. Eric 'Winkle' Brown: the first Mosquito carrier deck landing, Published on Jul 16, 2015

In March 1944 the De Havilland Mosquito undertook carrier deck landing trials on HMS Indefatigable in the Irish Sea, giving the then Lieut. Brown the chance to make the first deck landing of a British heavy twin-engine aircraft. In this video the Patron of The People's Mosquito talks about the aircraft and the challenges he faced when presented with the task of landing it on deck.

Reader's comment: "Capt Eric 'Winkle' Brown truly is one of the finest examples of the Greatest Generation. What an honour to watch this video."

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Captain Eric Brown was friends with astronaut Neil Armstrong

Update with BBC vedio: "Story of Captain Winkle Brown"

Readers' comments:
"Bow in Respect!! I kept Saluting him during the Documentary. Blessing!!!"
"What a human being, RIP Captain Brown. A true Scots old school hero."
"He is probably the greatest man that I ever heard about. R.I.P Mr Eric Brown:')"
"An interviewer once said he made James Bond seem boring. RIP great man."
"Will we ever know the FULL story, I wonder? What an astonishing man, what an astonishing career. I salute you, Sir. RIP."
"Would love to meet this gentleman. The word hero is overused but in this case it's spot on?"
"I had some friends from Scotland when I attended Arizona State University. They were fearless rugby players. Captain Brown is a true Scot. Best pilot, and one of the greatest humans the world has ever known. Honest and true. God bless you Sir!!!"

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Pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown holds two of the most startling records from the world of flying. He has flown 487 different types of aircraft. Today's test pilots average fewer than 100 flights. "Over 50 is deemed a large number. We can't imagine in this day and age how dangerous his job was." Captain Brown has piloted 2,407 aircraft carrier landings. That's just a part of his extraordinary life. Brown's exploits run through some of the most momentous events of world history. He was at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, he interrogated Hermann Goering, helped liberate the Belsen concentration camp and by chance managed to sing with the Glenn Miller band.  read more »

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Prince Harry’s moving Christmas card photo honors World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot. The touching story behind - Harry recalled meeting WWII veteran Tom Neil as one of his "most memorable moments" of 2015, which is why it felt right to put it on the card. For his annual holiday missive, Harry chose a snap taken of him with a veteran at the Battle of Britain commemorative event he attended in September. (You'll recall his major Top Gun moment striding around in that flight suit).

Prince Harry's Very Touching Official Christmas Card - Harry and Neil, his "most memorable moments" of 2015 meeting a Hurricane ace Tom Neil, 95, in Battle of British, wwii  read more »

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George Lucas, father of "Star Wars", is a pioneering filmmaker who redefined how films are made. Lucas wanted to make a movie that would teach children the central ethic of right and wrong, good and evil. “I want[ed] to see if I can bend their lives at a particular point in time when they’re very vulnerable,” he recalls, “and give them the things that we’ve always given kids throughout history. The last time we had done it was with the Western. And once the Western was gone, there was no vehicle to say, ‘You don’t shoot people in the back’ and such.”

He’ll receive a Kennedy Center Honor this weekend for his blockbuster work in movies and film technology, but he’s quick to point out that he’s the only recipient this year who isn’t technically a performer. The Honors are being held a mere 12 days before the intensely anticipated release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the saga’s seventh episode. Harrison Ford said: “George has been amazing to me. He’s been the author of the early chapters of my life and given me the opportunity to have a really extraordinary life.”  read more »

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Firefighters in Wellesley, Massachusetts braved an icy Charles River over the weekend to save a Golden Retriever named Crosby.

Boston Firefighter Risks Life to Save Husky from Icy Death
Boston firefighter Sean Coyle came to the rescue this morning when he pulled a 13-year-old husky named Sylvie from the brink of death after she fell into 20-degree water.

Sylvie and her owner had been walking along the Boston Harbor when she plunged through the ice near Castle Island. Her owner immediately called 911, and seven-year veteran of Ladder 19 answered the call.

Coyle’s outstretched arm was met by a receptive Sylvie, ever so grateful to have her rescuer’s help. He managed to pull her from the icy water, but needed a rescue for himself when he fell in. He had been judiciously attached to a rope, and was able to be pulled to shore by fellow firefighters.

Both he and Sylvie were gradually warmed up and recovered.

This was the second time Coyle had saved a dog from the water. His first rescue was of a dog stuck below the rocks on Pleasure Bay. He says a life is a life, be it two- or four-legged.

"We look at the pets like citizens," he said. "They're loved by their owners and we want to make sure, whether it's in a burning building or a freezing lake, we just want to get them out safe."

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"Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit." - Baltasar Gracian
*update* March 7, 2013 -

*update* February 21, 2013 - Japan halts whale hunt after Japanese factory ship rammed Sea Shepherd ships one after another, and 4 times rammed/damaged their own supply tanker, S Korean Sun Laurel" Video - Nisshin Maru rams Bob Barker, Steve Irwin, and Sun Laurel (now oil spill in S Ocean - Antarctic Whale Santuary)

Feb. 20, 2013 “I don’t think we have ever had a more eventful few hours in the 9 years we have been opposing the whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and certainly there has never been a day when all of our ships were rammed one after another,” writes Paul Watson on Facebook. “It is also the first time we have ever been rammed by the Nissin Maru, and to top it all off, the Japanese factory ship four times rammed and damaged their own supply tanker, the Sun Laurel.”  read more »