AOL Top Ten British heroes

[leslie]

In a recent poll on AOL (in UK) the voted Top Ten British heroes were

AOL Heroes: The Top 10

1 Winston Churchill 2 Nelson Mandela

3 Martin Luther King 4 Muhammad Ali

5 Mother Teresa 6 Elvis Presley

7 Gandhi 8 Margaret Thatcher

9 Princess Diana 10 Ellen MacArthur

My own number 1 is Princess Diana

Leslie

[kaima]

Thanks Leslie. We get so self=centered with our "world's best" lists in the U.S. that consist of primarily our people it is refreshing to get an outside view now and then.

By the way, who was Princess Diana? We had a real King, Nat King Cole, but his daughter was not named Diana...

[leslie]

Kai - 'Who was Princess Diana' - how dare you. She was the most wonderful Princess of current times - a beauty, a supporter of ill and disabled children, a lovely lady etc. (OK she had her faults but I would forgive any of them for what she was. She married Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir to our throne - two children - and all the time Big Ears was affairing with Camilla Parker Bowles. They eventually divorced, she was killed in a car 'accident' (?) in France and Big Ears married Camilla - I don't think many people want Camilla to be Queen, or even Consort - she will probably be Duchess! I'm not sure even how many people want Big Ears as King - they would prefer his eldest son (William) to be so instead.


" DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES

Lady Diana Frances Spencer was 20 when she married Prince Charles, heir to the throne of Britain, on 29 July 1981. Diana's youth and beauty made her a favorite of the public and the paparazzi, and her personal life was frequent fodder for tabloids. She and Charles had two sons, William (b. 1982) and Harry (b. 1984), but the marriage was troubled almost from the start. Diana and Charles were divorced in 1996 and Diana devoted her life to her two sons and to worldwide charities. She and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, were killed in 1997 in a high-speed car crash in Paris, France (being chased by the paparazzi).
Extra credit: According to the web site of the Royal Family, "The Princess was the first Englishwoman to marry an heir to the throne for 300 years (when Lady Anne Hyde married the future James II from whom the Princess was descended)"... Diana's nicknames included Lady Di, the People's Princess, and the Queen of People's Hearts... At Diana's funeral Sir Elton John sang "Goodbye England's Rose," a reworking of the tune "Candle In the Wind" which he had written earlier about Marilyn Monroe.

That's who Princess Diana was.

Leslie

[bescheid]

Leslie

That was an interesting top pole. It is interesting what is top notch in the UK.

I expected princes Diana to be a favourite, but, was taken back by the entry of Nelson Mendela. That man made a complete turn around from being one of the most dangerous terrorist in South Africa. Then made a complete turn around by gaining his law degree in prison, then after his release, become that nations top leader.

Thank you

Charles

[nancy]

By all that is sacred and holy, how can anyone think ELVIS is a hero? Great singer and performer, but a hero???

How do you define hero? In the absence of raw personal sacrifice, I would say it is someone who has made the world a better place for their fellow man. So Princess Di would certainly qualify as a tragic heroine.

what about my personal favorite King John of the Magna Carta?

Who is Ellen MacArthur--- Is this the one they mean? Ellen MacArthur : Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born July 8, 1976) is a British sailor from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, Isle of Wight. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman who, on February 7, 2005.

Drives me batty when little kids today say that some sports type (Barry Bonds???) is a hero...

[leslie]

Nancy
Re your father Kong John - the poll was for current 'heroes' - I agree with you about Elvis; great performer but that's it. You are correct with your identification of the sailor Ellen McArthur - I would have expected her to come much higher.

Charles
I go along with Nelson Mandela being high in the list - if it hadn't been for him, blacks in South Africa would still be isolated.

Leslie

[franek80]

NONE OF THE ABOVE

[leslie]

Frank
Sorry, I didn't understand your post -"NONE OF THE ABOVE"?
If it was meant to say you didn't see any of the people named as heroes, you are not British, in Britain, and I understand that the AOL home page items are different in US to GB.
On the other hand, if you didn't mean that - I am at a loss. Please elucidate.
And I feel your comment about 'hots' was very much an undesirable thing to post on this forum.
Leslie

[franek80]

Leslie,
I just could not find anybody in there as a hero. Maybe when old dragon breath Cammilla gets to be Queen I may change my mind..
(HOTS, That bothered you? I was being gentle with you..

[rdywenur]

Franek .....I think you owe Leslie an apology as he is right in his statement and to me as well. That comment was out of bounds. Why would you think I was not offended also.

Leslie....I love Princess Diana. When she got married I remember setting the alarm clock to watch her get married so I would not miss anyting. When she died I was in tears for days. We all love her here. She was a beautiful person inside and out.

Why can't Elvis be a hero. He did lots of good deeds and came up from nothing to practically immortal. He was basically a good person.

I personally can't understand how Muhamed Ali and MLK got onthat list. They aren't British.

[nancy]

rdywenur said:

Why can't Elvis be a hero. He did lots of good deeds and came up from nothing to practically immortal. He was basically a good person.

I personally can't understand how Muhamed Ali and MLK got onthat list. They aren't British.

OK, I am interested to know about the good deeds of Elvis.

I agree with wondering about M. Ali (he was a fighter, how can that possibly be a hero??) .

I guess it is OK for the Brits to acknowledge someone other than Brits as heroes, but I am not sure that I agree with their choices.

As for Franek and his comments, gee, I think he was just saying that Leslie likes Rdy, give the poor old guy a break.

oops, I am out of here.

[kaima]

rdywenur said:

Why can't Elvis be a hero. He did lots of good deeds and came up from nothing to practically immortal. He was basically a good person.

I personally can't understand how Muhamed Ali and MLK got onthat list. They aren't British.

? Elvis is also not British. Where is your constancy?

Kai

[rdywenur]

Nancy..Elvis use to buy cadilacs for perfect strangers and give them as gifts. He also gave and raised money to charities.

[jimpres]

Definition of a hero found on the inernet.

a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"
the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
champion: someone who fights for a cause
Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
(classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god

I'll go with Mr Churchill, Terese, MLK, Gandi, Thatcher and Princess Di

Jim

[kaima]

leslie said:

Kai - 'Who was Princess Diana' - how dare you.
Leslie

Leslie,

I will admit that I know who Princes Di was. You are just the victim of my beliefs as an American. In polite terms I simply say "to hell with all 'royalty' and 'nobles'. I get worse from there. Perhaps I will save all that for a separate topic and nmot divert this one. Please, keep your royalty if you are so fond of them. I think it is sick that Americans find them so fascinating!

Kai