CP Historical Figures Draft (Round 14) (pick anytime)

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by troutman

Now I can see it.

Good

--- btw I also wanted to add that I'm shocked that the Simon Fraser University is named after Simon Fraser.

[Flash Walken]

really good picks, guys.

I thought the explorer catagory might be a little heated, and it looks like I am right so far.

[driveway]

I'm gonna go outside the box a little bit on this pick, if anyone disagrees, I'm prepared to defend the choice.

In the category of Explorer, team Know Your Role selects:



Laika, the first mammal to enter space.

Laika was a stray from the streets of Moscow. She was trained, along with two other dogs, for participation in a mission that was to repeat the stunning soviet success of Sputnik 1.

Laika died a few hours after launch, but her mission proved that living creatures could survive launch and entry into orbit and paved the way for manned missions into space.

Wherever else we end up going in the universe some small amount of credit deserves to go to this small stray dog, who was incapable of understanding her place in human history.

[Yeah_Baby]

It is "Historical Figures" . So I have no problem with you pick.

[GirlySports]

Hmm I'm not sure the dog did any exploring. It was more the human-controlled space craft.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Hmm I'm not sure the dog did any exploring. It was more the human-controlled space craft.

But the category is explorer/discoverer correct? Therefore the dogs body discovered it could survive in space.

[Itse]

In the 5th round, team HeroQuest picks Stanley Kubrick in the visual artist category.

I'm not really big into the traditional visual arts (painting, sculptures so on), I could've picked maybe a photographer or two, or someone more modern (a.k.a. Not Dead).

So I went with an easy one. Movies are more than moving pictures, but there's no denying this guy had a knack for creating powerful visual images. Here's a few stills.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by driveway

I'm gonna go outside the box a little bit on this pick, if anyone disagrees, I'm prepared to defend the choice.

In the category of Explorer, team Know Your Role selects:



Laika, the first mammal to enter space.

Laika was a stray from the streets of Moscow. She was trained, along with two other dogs, for participation in a mission that was to repeat the stunning soviet success of Sputnik 1.

Laika died a few hours after launch, but her mission proved that living creatures could survive launch and entry into orbit and paved the way for manned missions into space.

Wherever else we end up going in the universe some small amount of credit deserves to go to this small stray dog, who was incapable of understanding her place in human history. Ithroughout human history

Hey, I wrote an article about dogs of the Soviet Space Program for the latest issue of UPPERCASE Magazine!
http://www.uppercasegallery.ca/uppercasemagazine/

The thing about Laika's mission is that it was largely politically motivated, and was the only time the Soviet program sent up a dog without intending to bring her back down; Kruschev wanted a spectacular event to correspond with the 40th anniversary of the revolution, so they were forced to throw something together without the amount of planning and care they would normally give it. Many of the scientists later said that they regretted her mission and they didn't enough out of it scientifically to make it worth killing her.
So I'm not sure she really discovered that much, but I still think this is a pretty cool pick. Nicely done.

[Five-hole]

With my fourth round pick, team Five-hole selects, in the category of Poitical Leader, Pericles.



Pericles (also spelled Perikles) (c. 495 – 429 BC, Greek: Περικλῆς, meaning "surrounded by glory") was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars.

Pericles had such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, his contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens". The period during which he led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 BC, is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles", though the period thus denoted can include times as early as the Persian Wars, or as late as the next century.

Pericles promoted the arts and literature; this was a chief reason Athens holds the reputation of being the educational and cultural centre of the ancient Greek world. He started an ambitious project that built most of the surviving structures on the Acropolis (including the Parthenon). This project beautified the city, exhibited its glory, and gave work to the people. Furthermore, Pericles fostered Athenian democracy to such an extent that critics call him a populist.

The Age of Pericles

[Pericles] fostered arts and literature and gave to Athens a splendor which would never return throughout its history. He executed a large number of public works projects and improved the life of the citizens. Hence, this important figure gave his name to the Athenian Golden Age.

[Yeah_Baby]

I was wondering how soon of Thucydides, Pericles would be taken.

[Aeneas]

I will pick in south of the equator...

Stephen Biko

He was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa who was murdered while in police custody for his beliefs.
I was living in England at this time and remember it somewhat. I was probably too young to appreciate exactly what was going on but remember the outrage in the newspapers.

Biko was arrested several times for protesting against the regime, the last time he suffered major head injuries while in custody then died shortly after a 1000 mile ride in the back of a land rover naked.

I think his life and death sum up apartheid. In 1973 it was illegal for him to make speeches, or even to speak to more than one person at a time. His movements were strictly watched, and it was even forbidden to quote anything he might say. He was arrested 21 August 1977, beaten, and was still alive 11 September 1977 when he was loaded naked into the truck for the trip to Pretoria. He died 12 September 1977.

When in university he helped found the South African Student's Association, which later evolved into the Black Consciousness Movement.

Biko is credited with the phrase, "Black is Beautiful"

He defines that as: "man, you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being."

Biko will be forever remembered through many different ways, music among them. "Shame" by The Lucy Show is a favorite of mine.

Peter Gabriel's take:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY_5e...eature=related

"...black and white, with only one colour dead."

[troutman]

I select in the Wildcard category, JOHN WARE:



John Ware had an interesting life, becoming a rancher in the Millarville area. His old ranch is not far from where my parents have their ranch. Nearby Ware Creek is named for him, as well as Mount Ware, and a school in Calgary.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ware

John Ware (c. 1845 – 12 September 1905) was an African-American cowboy, best remembered for his ability to ride and train horses and for bringing the first cattle to southern Alberta in 1876, helping to create that province's important ranching industry. [1].

Ware was born into slavery in South Carolina. After the American Civil War he left the Carolinas for Texas where he learned the skills of a rancher and became a cowboy.Ware's great stature and dedication to hard work made him a natural and allowed him to work his way up to Canada driving cattle from Texas up to Montana and then up into the great plains that would eventually become Alberta. Upon his arrival in Calgary he found work at the Bar-U and Quorn ranches [2] before starting his own ranch near the Red Deer river.[3] By 1900, he and his wife, Mildred, had five children. He moved from the Calgary area to a spot north of the village of Duchess, Alberta. In 1902 his first home was destroyed by the spring flood. He rebuilt on higher ground overlooking a stream, now called Ware Creek. Three years later Mildred died of pneumonia in the spring; despite being a master horseman John was killed in the fall when his horse tripped in a badger hole crushing its rider and breaking his neck. Ware's funeral was reported to be the largest held in the city.

Like any folkhero there are a wide range of tales about his ability to eat, ride, shoot, and contribute to Western culture. It is said that he was never tossed from a wild horse and that he popularized steer wrestling which would then become a highlight of the Calgary stampede. The local First Nations' people allegedly called him "Matoxy Sex Apee Quin" (bad black white man) because of his courage and enormous strength, and wondered if he had connections to the spirit world. The story of John Ware is that of a remarkable figure in history who helped to lay the foundations of the ranching industry in western Canada and at the same time defying stereotypes. Born a slave Ware worked his way to being one of the most well respected figures in frontier Alberta crossing race lines thanks to his good nature and hard work.

He is the subject of a biography, John Ware's Cow Country by J. W. Grant MacEwan [I read this book]

The Legend of John Ware:

http://www.albertacentennial.ca/hist...px~id=245.html

Canada's Legendary Cowboy:

http://www.glennjlea.de/EN/John_Ware.php

[Displaced Flames fan]

In the category of Writer team Historyectomy is proud to select Norman Maclean.

wikiness...

Born in Clarinda, Iowa on 23 January 1902, Maclean was the son of the Rev. John Maclean, a ScottishPresbyterianminister, who managed much of the education of the young Norman and his brother Paul until 1913. The family relocated to Missoula, Montana in 1909. The following years were a considerable influence on and inspiration to his writings, appearing prominently in the short story The Woods, Books, and Truant Officers (1977), and semi-autobiographical novella A River Runs Through It (1976).

Maclean attended Dartmouth, where he preceded Theodor Geisel (perhaps a future draftee) as editor of the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern comedy magazine. He went on to the University of Chicago where he earned a masters and PhD in literature.

Later in life, at the encouragement of family, Maclean began to write down many of the stories he told of his Montana youth. He published A River Runs Through It and Other Stories in 1976 and was nominated for a Pulitzer prize.

His other works include: Young Men and Fire and USFS 1919: The Ranger, The Cook and a Hole in the Sky.

He's probably my favorite author and it's largely because I relate to the subject matter. He was certainly a poet as evidenced by the famous last lines of A River Runs Through It which was spoken so eloquently by Robert Redford in the closing scene of the film adaptation. It gives me goose bumps every time I read it or hear Redford verbalize it.

"Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters. "

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by troutman

I select in the Wildcard category, JOHN WARE:

Awesome pick; one of the most interesting figures in our province's history (and indeed in our nation's history, though he's almost unknown outside our borders).

[Displaced Flames fan]

bump..updated post above with pick

[troutman]

"Like many fly fishermen in western Montana where the summer days are almost Arctic in length, I often do not start fishing until the cool of the evening. Then in the Arctic half-light of the canyon, all existence fades to a being with my soul and memories and the sounds of the Big Blackfoot River and a four-count rhythm and the hope that a fish will rise. Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of those rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters. "

I want that on my tombstone.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Itse

In the 5th round, team HeroQuest picks Stanley Kubrick in the visual artist category.

I'm not really big into the traditional visual arts (painting, sculptures so on), I could've picked maybe a photographer or two, or someone more modern (a.k.a. Not Dead).

So I went with an easy one. Movies are more than moving pictures, but there's no denying this guy had a knack for creating powerful visual images. Here's a few stills.

Good call. I wish I'd thought of him.

I read a book once called (I think) "Interviews With Stanley Kubrick".

That guy was pretty thorough. He was, for example, quite particular about how certain cans were arranged on the shelves in the cooler that Jack Torrance gets dragged into in The Shining. That was regular old food on the shelves, but he was trying to convey some sort of message about how the hotel was built on an Indian burial ground just by the setup of the cans.

Or something like that. I've watched that movie many times and I ain't never seen the deal with the cans. Just looks like cans to me.

It might have been as simple as something like "Indian Brand Oatmeal" but I got the impression there was more to it than that.

And I've never been able to figure out that very short scene where Jack's wife is all panic stricken and she just happens to see a guy in a bear suit "going south" on a dude in a tuxedo. That's all there is to that little scene -- nothing about it before or after. It's just stuck in there. It must mean something, but I don't know what it is.

[RougeUnderoos]

Explorer -- Leif Ericsson

Leif Ericson (Old Norse: Leifr Eiríksson)[1] (c. 970 – c. 1020) was a Norse[2] explorer who was probably the first European to land in North America (excluding Greenland) around 500 years before Christopher Columbus.[3] According to the Sagas of Icelanders, he established a Norse settlement at Vinland, which has been tentatively identified with the L'Anse aux Meadows Norse site on the northern tip of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

I don't know a hell of a lot about this guy, but I always thought it was cool that he came to North America 500 years before Columbus but doesn't get the credit.

Plus, Vikings are neat-o.

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Good call. I wish I'd thought of him.

I read a book once called (I think) "Interviews With Stanley Kubrick".

That guy was pretty thorough. He was, for example, quite particular about how certain cans were arranged on the shelves in the cooler that Jack Torrance gets dragged into in The Shining. That was regular old food on the shelves, but he was trying to convey some sort of message about how the hotel was built on an Indian burial ground just by the setup of the cans.

Or something like that. I've watched that movie many times and I ain't never seen the deal with the cans. Just looks like cans to me.

It might have been as simple as something like "Indian Brand Oatmeal" but I got the impression there was more to it than that.

And I've never been able to figure out that very short scene where Jack's wife is all panic stricken and she just happens to see a guy in a bear suit "going south" on a dude in a tuxedo. That's all there is to that little scene -- nothing about it before or after. It's just stuck in there. It must mean something, but I don't know what it is.

What about the squirrel people?? I once read that Stephen King was quite upset about how the movie turned out, but I can't understand that. It's brilliant in every way. They even cast Torrance's wife to make the audience sympathize , even if just a little bit, with Jack as he grows more and more annoyed with her whiny ass.

[Displaced Flames fan]

L'Anse aux Meadows is on my list of must see before I die places.

I used to take great pleasure in telling my peers that Columbus was a lost idiot and that Erikkson discovered America. It's still a widely held misconception in the States. Years of bad curriculum.