My Pick for the 100 Most Important People of all time

1. Mother Eve - First Human Being. Mother of Humanity according to genetics.
2. Socrates - Philosopher. Taught western society to question and think.
3. Johannes Gutenberg - Inventor of the Printing Press.
4. Abraham - Father of Western Monotheism.
5. Isaac Newton - Physicist. Discovered laws of Motion and Law of Gravity.
6. Alexander Graham Bell - Inventor. Built first telephone.
7. Confucius - Philosopher. Dominant influence on Chinese society.
8. Jesus Christ - The Raison d’etre for Christianity.
9. Muhammad - Founded Islam. Wrote the Koran.
10. Aristotle - Philosopher and Scientist. Set up guidelines for knowledge.
11. Moses - Religious leader. Receiver of the Ten Commandments and the Torah.
12. Siddhartha Gautama - The Last Buddha. Religious Leader.
13. Martin Luther - Leader of Protestant Reformation.
14. Virgin Mary - Mother of Jesus Christ. Object of worship.
15. Hammurabi - Babylonian ruler. Set up first set of known Codified Law.
16. St. Paul - Religious figure who helped greatly to spread Christianity to the masses.
17. Anton von Leeuwenhoek - Microscopist. First to identify Germs.
18. Nicolas Copernicus - Scientist. Champion of the Solar centered universe theory.
19. Johannes Kepler - Mathematician and Astronomer
20. Hippocrates - Medical Doctor. Father of Medicine and Diagnosis.
21. Charles Darwin - Biologist. Proponent of Evolution by Natural Selection.
22. Plato - Philosopher. Built on the Socratic foundation to search for knowledge.
23. Democritus - Scientist and Philosopher. Gave name to ‘democracy’
24. Joseph Lister - Medical Doctor. Introduced antiseptics conditions in surgery.
25. Leonardo Da Vinci - Artist, Inventor and Anatomist.
26. Albert Einstein - Physicist. Pioneer in Relativity and Nuclear Physics.
27. William Shakespeare - Playwright. The Greatest in his field.
28. Gregor Mendel - Austrian monk. Father of Genetics
29. Galileo Galilei - Astronomer. Inventor of the Refracting Telescope
30. Henry Ford - Inventor. Developer of the Production Line
31. Edward Jenner - Medical Doctor. Developed immunization technique against Smallpox.
32. Louis Pasteur - Scientists. Discovered cure for rabies. Developed Bacterial sterilization procedures. Defeated age old Theory of Spontaneous Generation.
33. Alexander Fleming - Discoverer of Penicillin
34. James Simpson - Medical Doctor. Developed First Real Anesthetic - Chloroform
35. Gottlieb Daimler - Built first Motor Vehicle
36. Mahatma Gandhi - Political Activist. Won independence for India. Father of non-violent philosophy.
37. Guglielmo Marconi - Sent first Radio transmission. Built first wireless radio.
38. Wright Brothers - Brothers Orville and Wilbur. Built and flew first airplane
39. Adolph Hitler - German dictator whose actions were responsible for World War II and the Holocaust
40. Mao Zedong - Chinese Leader. Communist Revolutionary.
41. John Logie Baird/Vladimir Zworkyin - Joint Inventors of Television.
42. Vladimir Lenin - Russian Revolutionary.
43. Genghis Khan - Mongol Warlord. Conquered most of Asia and parts of Europe.
44. Constantine - Roman Emperor. Conversion to Christianity on his death bed helped spread Christianity across Europe.
45. Elizabeth I - Queen responsible for the future growth of English Power.
46. Julius Caesar - General and Politician who played a significant role in the expansion of Roman Power.
47. George Washington - American Revolutionary War General and First President
48. Otto van Bismarck - Prussian statesman and Unifier of Germany.
49. Napoleon Bonaparte - French Emperor. Conquered vast portions of Europe in the late 18th and early 19th century.
50. Marie Curie - Two time Nobel Prize Winner. Discoverer of Radium.
51. Alexander the Great - Macedonian General. Created vast Empire during 12 year span.
52. Thomas Jefferson - US Statesman. 3rd President. Took prominent role in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.
53. Karl Marx - Philosopher. Author of the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital.
54. Christopher Columbus - Explorer.
55. Kublai Khan - Enlightened Monarch of China
56. Henri Dunant - Founder of the Red Cross
57. Sigmund Freud - Father of Psychoanalysis
58. James Watt - Scottish Engineer . Involved in the development of the Steam Engine.
59. Jonas Salk - Scientist. Developed Polio vaccine
60. Thomas Edison - Inventor. Most noted for the Electric Light Bulb.
61. George Stephenson - Inventor and Railway pioneer. Built the Rocket Steam Engine.
62. Homer - Greek Bard. Author of the Iliad and the Odyssey
63. Carl Jung - Psychologist. Father of Analytical Psychology
64. St. Augustine - Philosopher. Father of Church doctrine,
65. Peter the Great - Russian Tsar. Modernizer of the country.
66. Kublai Khan - Chinese -Mongol Emperor.
67. Pope Urban II - Champion and main driving force behind the First Crusade.
68. Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain - Financiers of the Voyage of Columbus and the Spanish Inquisition.
69. Jozef Stalin - Soviet dictator
70. Archimedes - Greek Scientist and Mathematician
71. Michelangelo - Italian Painter and Sculptor
72. Charles Babbage - English Computer pioneer
73. Marco Polo - Middle Ages Italian explorer
74. Lao Tzu - Chinese Philosopher and writer. Founder of Taoism.
75. Nikolai Tesla - Yugoslav Physicist. Father of Alternating Current.
76. St Paul - Leading figure in the spread of Christianity
77. Charlemagne - French King and Religious leader.
78. James Watson and Francis Crick - Co-discovers of DNA Double helix structure.
79. Michael Faraday - English Scientist. Great figure in the field of Electromagnetism.
80. Menes - Egyptian pharaoh. Unifier of Upper and Lower Egypt.
81. Abraham Lincoln - American President. Freed the Slaves of America and saved the Union.
82. Sulamein the Magnificent - Turkish (Ottoman) Empire Builder
83. Robert Oppenheimer - Nuclear Physicist. Father of the Manhattan Project.
84. Hernando Cortes - Spanish Conquistador.
85. Ramses II - Egyptian Pharaoh
86. Samuel Colt - Inventor of the revolver.
87. Euclid - Greek Geometrician. Author of The Elements.
88. Voltaire - French ‘Age of Reason’ Philosopher.
89. Winston Churchill - British Politician and Writer.
90. Werner von Braun - German Rocket Pioneer.
91. Georg Hegel - German Philosopher. Father of Dialectics.
92. Tamerlane - Muslim Conqueror and warlord.
93. Simon Bolivar - South American Liberator
94. Andreas Vesalius - Leading figure in the birth of Modern Anatomy.
95. John Bardeen - Co-inventor of the transistor. Superconductor pioneer.
96. Joan of Arc - French saint, soldier and motivator.
97. Martin Luther King - American Civil Rights Leader.
98. Justinian I - Byzantine Emperor.
99. Chi Huangdi - Chinese Emperor. Builder of the Great Wall of China.
100. King David - King of the Jews.

Status Quo in Football

For what its worth there was very little shift in the power dynamics of European Football. I am hoping (and praying) that next season will be different. This tedium is a killer.

France
League Champs: Olympic Lyonnais (7th in a row)

Spain
League Champs: Real Madrid (2nd in a row)

Scotland
League Champs: Glasgow Celtic (3rd in a row)

Netherlands
League Champs: PSV Eindhoven (4th in a row)

England:
League Champs: Manchester United (2nd in a row)

Portugal:
League Champs: FC Porto (3rd in a row)

Italy:
League Champs: Inter Milan (3rd in a row)

Only Germany bucked the repetition trend with Bayern Munich winning the Bundesliga (Stuttgart were the Champion's last season).

Knowledge of Topics

I consider myself a generalist although I have strong bend towards history, physics, global politics, philosophy, comics and sport (particulary Soccer).

The following is a list of subjects that I have no qualms in discussing ad nauseam with anyone (for many hours if necessary). I believe that I have a strong knowledge in these areas although I am constantly on the look out for ways of enhancing and improving my understanding in these disciplines.

History

British History since 1066 - especially from Henry VIII onward.
Jewish History Until the 2nd century AD
Modern Jewish History - 19th, 20th and 21st centuries
The Middle East Conflict
History of South Africa
World War I and II ( I am stronger with WWII though)
US History from the Civil War onward
The French Revolution
Napoleon
The Holocaust
German Unification
Italian Unification
Louis XIV
Russian History from 1820 onward
Ancient Rome
The Cold War
History of Physics
History of Biology
Ancient Greece
The Space Race
The Third Reich
Africa in the post-colonization period
20th Century History (General)
Ancient Civilizations - Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Assyria, Persia (General)

Science

Classical Mechanics
Relativity and Quantum Physics
Optics
Cosmology - Origin of the Universe
Evolutionary Theory
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Freud v Jung
Global Geography
General Chemistry
General Electricity and Magnetism
IQ Testing and Psychometrics
General Biology - particulary Genetics
Time
Population Demographic Trends


Philosophy

Kantian Ethics
The G-d debate ( I am a theist)
Rationalism v Empiricism debate
Criticisms of Post-Modernisms
Jewish Philosophy
Political Philosophy (especially Conservatism)
The Athenian Trio
Comparitive World Religions (a truely fascinating topics)
Philosophies of Pedagogy
The Affirmative Action Debate

Global Politics

The War against Islasmofascism
Canadian Politics
US Politics (General)
European Politics (General - mainly UK and France)
Free Speech
Global Politics (General - Overview)
World Ideology overview

Comics

Tintin
Asterix
Judge Dredd
Rogue Trooper
Batman
Brit Coms 1970s-1980s - Roy of the Rovers, Battle Action, Tiger, Look and Learn, Eagle
Classic Comics

Sport

World Football (Soccer for the Yanks - particular emphasis the EPL and the World Cup)
Tennis
Heavyweight Boxing
The Rugby World Cup (although I can improve on this)
The History of the Olympic Games

My Grandfather

My education into the world of knowledge was driven to a large extent my grandfather. On Sunday mornings as a child I would go over to my Grandparent’s apartment. It was furnished in a manner that was very comforting to me, in that it invited inquiry and gave off a sense of warmth. I loved the visits and relished the opportunities, often spending days before hand thinking about the future outing. A plethora of books filled the solarium (or patio as we called it in South Africa) of the apartment. Most of these books dealt with history, archaeology and the Bible. All of which were of course of great interest to my grandfather. It was obvious that he wanted to share this knowledge with me as he seemed to invite me to read the books and ask questions on the content. I took to this opportunity with zest. Questioning him on everything from the Population of the great cities to the origins of the Boer War. His answers were well thought and detailed. He spared me no simplicity in his explanation, seeking with each description to broaden my mind. I could feel myself grow, what I was receiving was invaluable. I would be forever hooked on the pursuit of knowledge.

Movies I have seen lately

Iron Man - It was much better than I expected it to be. Robert Downey Jr. was first rate in his performance, the tech gadgets were neat and the story line, while predictable, played out well on screen. Rating: 7.5/10.

Juno - Overhyped and overrated. The female lead role actress was commendable but the movie lacked the zest and coherence of a top flick. Rating: 5/10

Charlie Wilson's War - This was a Johnny Come lately Democrats taking credit for the defeat of the Soviet Union movie. While Phillip Seymour Hoffman was excellent as usual. Tom Hanks' turned his role into an upmarket Forrest Gump. Julie Roberts failed to impress as did the obvious butchering of historical facts (for example there was an emphasis in the movie on the lack of American follow up in Afghanistan after the Soviets were driven out - this was simply not the case). Rating: 6/10

Bumping a Teacher

Source: http://www.projo.com/education/juliasteiny/content/se_educationwatch11_05-11-08_PCA1S0R_v8.22a279c.html


In 2004, Providence named a beloved biology teacher, John Wemple, Teacher of the Year. In the spring of that year, Amgen Corp. gave Wemple a $10,000 award for science teaching excellence. But shortly after, Providence laid him off from his job at Classical High. He’d been “bumped” by a teacher who had the right, thanks to state law, to displace a colleague with less seniority in the system. Wemple’s widely acknowledged merit counted for squat. A tony private school snapped him up.
The message to the kids is that the silly grownups can’t tell the difference between an excellent or indifferent teacher, or that they don’t care who teaches the kids. Forget science; seniority-driven school systems teach cynicism.
Last year at Times2 Academy, a district-charter school in Providence, 14 of the 18 elementary teachers were bumped out and replaced with teachers that the charter’s home district no longer needed because of declining enrollment. The time and resources spent on professional development, team-building and cultivating those bumped teachers just went down the tubes. Times2 leaders had to start all over again building the school’s culture. Devastating. And in the service of what?
“Bumping” is only one of several educationally pernicious personnel practices left over from the factory-model labor contracts that depress the quality of Rhode Island schools. Factory-model contracts treat teachers as interchangeable. It doesn’t matter whose hand is on the educational die press. What matters is their date of hire.
Most other states are further along in the process of professionalizing teachers. Rhode Island General Law 16-13-6 states that when the student population declines, teachers must be laid off “in the inverse order of their employment,” and rehired, when possible, according to their seniority in the system. Period. Merit is not an issue.
Last October in Providence, the East Side Parents Education Coalition hosted an education forum with the elected officials from the greater East Side. To everyone’s surprise the officials all came — from the state Senate, House and City Council. The conversation was temperate until the subject of bumping heated up the room. A parent recounted the John Wemple story, leading others to share their experiences of having some marvelous teacher yanked out of the classroom, often replaced by someone distinctly inferior.
Parents waxed so hot at the session that both Rep. Gordon Fox and Sen. Rhoda Perry agreed to submit legislation to end the practice of bumping.
However, the two bills appear to be languishing in the legislature, at least partly because neither offers a clean, clear solution.
I consulted the Business Education Partnership, the go-to people for understanding Rhode Island education’s labor contracts. They have four reports on the state’s teacher contracts that propose solutions to each of the problems they identify, including bumping. (Available at www.edpartnership.org)
For openers, BEP’s chief analyst, Lisa Blais, said, “There is no one bad guy here. There’s a culture of the way we do business that prevents us from getting what we need. Across the nation, districts complain that seniority does not work in the interests of the kids. Unions complain that administration doesn’t know what they’re doing. Both have a point. So our concept is to acknowledge fundamental practices like seniority and tenure, and to work with them instead of trying to bury them.”
To professionalize education personnel practices, Blais and her colleagues put the focus squarely on evaluation. Rhode Island is one of only a handful of states that do not mandate that teachers be evaluated. In fact, most Rhode Island teachers are never evaluated in any meaningful or helpful way.
Blais says the key to an effective and fair evaluation system is to use several different measures, instead of just one principal’s say-so. Evaluations should include objective, quantifiable information, such as student achievement, as well as administrator and peer observations. The resulting evaluations should place teachers at one of four levels: master, pre-master, basic and below basic.
With these categories in hand, teachers would no longer be interchangeable. Any teacher with two consecutive below-basic evaluations could be let go. (At last!) No basic teacher could bump a master, no matter how long he or she has been in the system. Only master teachers should be peer evaluators.
In other words, let’s develop standards that have teeth. The state’s official teacher standards are fine, but in practice they are treated as nice, ignorable guidelines and not as the foundations for rigorous evaluation. Distinguishing between the lazy and the committed, between the well-informed and the limited, between those who speak clear English and those who are poor communicators, would go a long way toward dismantling factory-model schools. This BEP recommendation is right on the money.
That said, however, developing evaluation systems takes time. In the meantime, Rhode Island could pass a very simple law stating that all teachers should be hired professionally — matched to the job via an interview and resumé or portfolio in hand — and that no teacher, however senior, is owed any job other than as a substitute teacher. If enrollment declines, the “excessed” teacher automatically becomes a substitute — until landing a more permanent position. That way the schools stay stable, and the teacher’s livelihood is intact. Yes, an “excessed” top-step teacher will be more expensive than regular subs. But that would be far less expensive than the wasteful havoc seniority and bumping are currently causing. If no school wants the “excessed” teacher for a permanent position, it shouldn’t be the kids, parents and school that suffer.

See the Source at the Top for the Rest

Some Neat footer facts

The FA Cup takes place on Saturday and I have been in somewhat of a footer trivia mood as of late. Here are a few to wet the appetite:

Leicester City have reached the finals of the FA Cup Four times losing on every one of the occasions.

The Scottish Club Queen’s Park have played in two English FA Cup finals losing both of them.

The FA Cup was originally founded in 1872 as a knockout tournament for Amateur Clubs.

Blackburn Olympic in 1883 were the first Professional club to win the FA Cup.

In 1889 Preston North End won the FA Cup without conceding a goal throughout the entire competition. They also won the League that year without losing a game.

Cardiff City in 1927 are the only non-English club ever to win the FA Cup. Perhaps they can add a second one on Saturday....

Blackburn Rovers were the first team that still exist today in the League to win the FA Cup. They did so in 1884 repeating in 1885 and 1886.

11-a-side teams were first introduced in Football in 1841.

Everton, Arsenal and Newcastle United have been FA Cup runners-up the most times. 7 for each club. Liverpool have been runners-up 6 times, Manchester United 5 times.

Tottenham Hotspurs are 8-1 in FA Cup finals. Their first loss was the 3-2 defeat against Coventry in 1987.

Manchester United have been League Runners-up 12 times. Liverpool and Aston Villa are tied for 2nd place with ten runners-up berths each. Manchester United’s first season as runners-up was 1947.

Notts County have not won a trophy since 1894. Talk about long suffering fans.

The now discontinued Cup Winners Cup was won a record four times by Barcelona.
Chelsea were England’s most successful club in this competition winning the tournament twice, in 1971 and 1998.

The Cup Winners Cup was won more times by English clubs (8 times) than clubs of any other European Country. Spain and Italy each had clubs win the Cup 7 times.

Greatest Fiction Writers of All-Time

Something to debate:

1. Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. Leo Tolstoy
3. Victor Hugo
4. Charles Dickens
5. Franz Kafka
6. Maxim Gorki
7. Joseph Conrad
8. Miguel de Cervantes
9. Geoffery Chaucer
10. James Joyce
11. Alexander Dumas
12. Edgar Allen Poe
13. Jonathan Swift
14. Boris Pasternak
15. Thomas Mann
16. Albert Camus
17. Alexander Solzhenitsyn
18. Marcel Proust
19. JRR Tolkien
20. Virginia Woolfe
21. Emile Zola
22. Hermann Hesse
23. Mark Twain
24. Yasunari Kawabata
25. Jane Austen

Lefty Political Definitions

Alternative Press - An alternative but very often only to sanity.

Anarchist - The foot fungus of the political world.

Anti-Globalization Protest - A chance to wreak havoc at the taxpayer’s expense.

Anti-Zionism - The politically correct form of Anti-Semitism.

Capitalism - All that which is evil. Even if it pays the bills.

Fidel Castro - A Great leader. Suppression of Free Speech and Democracy aside.

Noam Chomsky - Leading scholar of the school of ‘Progressive’ Political Hypocrisy.

Collective - A group structure implemented to water down individuality with mediocrity.

Colonialism Blame Theory - Excuse for Third World politicians to continue being second rate leaders and first rate scoundrels.

Communism - A failed philosophy except in the mind of university intellectuals.

Dead White Men - Thinkers blocking the path of the illogical.

Egalitarian Belief - The reduction of all to an equality with nothing.

Environmental Movement - Fascism for Vegetarians.

Feminism - A convenience for women to be just as idiotic as men.

Foreign Aid - Petty Cash for the bribery process.

Free Enterprise - Biased system favoring those with talent and a drive for hard work.

Freedom Fighter - A murderer with good taste.

Free Speech - That which all claim to champion but secretly wish to crush.

Hierarchy - A direct path leading to the most incompetent.

Marxism - Philosophy that for all purposes should have remained a theory.

Political Correctness - Twisted semantics that functions to strangle free thought.

Ralph Nader - Politician unelectable at any speed.

Oppressed - What every lefty dreams of being.

Peace - Ideal worth killing others over.

People of Color - Phrase foolishly used by those who claim to be politically color-blind.

Progressive Force - ‘Forward Thinking ‘ politics of the ideology that bought you the Gulags, Killing Fields and Purges.

Racism/Sexism - Common catch words designed to end debate.

Socialism - Marketing euphemism for Communism.

State Socialism - Rule by the ultimate corporate monopoly.

Taxes - The punishment for working too hard.

Trade Unions - A lefty’s best friend, until he/she tries to enter the job market.

Trotskyite - A Marxist on Uppers.

United States - A country that can do no right. Contrast with Iraq, China, North Korea and the old Soviet Union.

My All-Time Top Twenty Favourite TV Shows

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
2. St. Elsewhere
3. House
4. Persuaders
5. Magnum PI
6. Family Ties
7 . Star Trek the Originals
8. Star Trek - Next Generation
8. Night Court
9. Seinfeld
10. Happy Days
11. Fawlty Towers
12. All in the Family
13. Buck Rogers
14. Different Strokes
15. High Chapparel
16. Battle Star Galactica
17. V
18. Dallas
19. Knight Rider
20. Bonanza

On Genetics

Genetics is a fascinating subject. I have taken several courses in the discipline. The following are some key milestones I have identified in the field (not in chronological order).

1. Gregor Mendel’s Experiments with peas show the passing on specific characteristics in defined ratios. Birth of the Science of Genetics.
2. Hugo De Vries re-discovers Gregor Mendel’s work
3. Charles Darwin describes Natural Selection of trait factors in his book the Origin of the Species

4. Ancient man diversifies dog species through selective breeding.
5. Identification of DNA as the unit of inheritance.
6. Watson and Crick reveal the double Helix structure of DNA.
7. Identification of the Chromosome unit within the cell nucleus
8. Deciphering by scientists of Cell Division processes as Mitosis and Meiosis
9. Discovery of RNA and the deciphering of the DNA-RNA transcription process.
10. RNA-protein translation process is unveiled.
11. Recombinant DNA Therapy is developed.
12. Discovery of the process of Crossing Over in Meiosis – Allows for Variation enhancement
13. Cary Mullis develops the Polymerase Chain Reactor
14. Work with fruit flies and radiation sheds light on the driving force of mutation and its effect on inheritance
15. First official clone revealed. That being the sheep Dolly
16. Human Genome Project is completed.
17. Discovery of the Retrovirus and the birth of Gene therapy.
18. Discovery of the Enzyme DNA Polymerase.
19. Discovery of Stop/Start genes in the Human Genome
20. Birth of the Science of Population Genetics – Leading figures: Sewell Wright, Hardy and Weinberg
21. Discovery of Mitochondrial DNA.
22. Dynamics of x-chromosome inheritance are revealed,
23. Discovery of the process of Epistasis whereby one gene set suppresses another.
24. Identification of the genes for specific diseases such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anaemia and Tay Sachs etc.
25. Invention of Modern DNA Fingerprinting techniques

The Sixteen Laws of Business

1st Law: The size of the department budget surplus is directly proportional to the cost of the end of year party.

2nd Law: The Revenue and Cost sides of a business are mutually exclusive.

3rd Law: Bad decisions multiply quicker than good decisions.

4th Law: Only when the revenue side has bankrupted the company by selling at below cost will it be discovered that they can do something wrong.

5th Law: There are more people at their level of incompetence in a company than anything else.

6th Law: Profits arise only out of a mistake in the billing system.

7th Law: One does not enter business to make a profit but to create the illusion of a future profit.

8th Law: The buck is always passed. In 2788 it will eventually be paid for by some sucker.

9th Law: Nobody is cool until they have gone through Chapter 11 at least once.

10th Law: Several failed ventures add up to a great credit rating.

11th Law: Its all over when accounting moves in.

12th Law: Every product is doomed to market failure. The key to great business is to prolong the time until failure as long as possible.

13th Law: Palm reading is more accurate than marketing. Marketing is more accurate than economics.

14th Law: Beware of somebody who calls themselves an investment expert they are either stupid or crooked. There is no such thing.

15th Law: Every analyst is a genius after the fact.

16th Law: Interest rates defy all laws of logic.

50 Greatest Sportsmen of All-Time

1. Pele - Soccer
2. Jim Thorpe - Football, Track and Field
3. Tiger Woods - Golf
4. Muhammed Ali - Boxing
5. Jessie Owens - Track and Field
6. Michael Jordan - Basketball
7. Carl Lewis - Track and Field
8. Jack Nicklaus - Golf
9. Wayne Gretzky - Ice Hockey
10. Jean-Claude Killy – Skiing
11. Lance Armstrong-Cycling
12. Garfield Sobers - Cricket
13. Garrincha - Soccer
14. Hank Aaron - Baseball
15. Miguel Indurain - Cycling
16. Aryton Senna - Motor Racing
17. Johan Cruyff - Soccer
18. Pete Sampras - Tennis
19. Diego Mardonna – Soccer
20. Roger Federer – Tennis
21. Michael Schumacher - FI
22. Paavo Nurmi - Track and Field
23. Rod Laver - Tennis
24. Jahanghir Khan - Squash
25. Wilt Chaimberlain - Basketball
26. Babe Ruth - Baseball
27. Jim Brown - Football
28. Lasse Viren - Track and Field
29. Mark Spitz - Swimming
30. Joe Louis - Boxing
31. Bobby Orr - Ice Hockey
32. Sugar Ray Leonard - Boxing
33. Stanley Matthews - Soccer
34. Donald Bradman - Cricket
35. Eddie Merckx - Cycling
36. Sergei Bubka - Pole Vaulting
37. Johnny Weismuller - Swimming
35. Jerry Rice – Football
36. Eric Heiden – Speed Skating
37. Viktor Barna – Table Tennis
38. Dale Earnhardt – Nascar
39. Brian Lara – Cricket
40. Willie Mays – Baseball
41. Joe Montana - Football
42. Rocky Marciano - Boxing
43. Matt Biondi - Swimming
44. Tom Watson - Golf
45. Mario Lemieux - Ice Hockey
46. Magic Johnson - Basketball
47. Zinedine Zidane - Soccer
48. Bjorn Borg - Tennis
49. Roger Clemens - Baseball
50. John McEnroe - Tennis

Ten Greatest Shakespeare Plays

1. Hamlet
2. Julius Caesar
3. Richard III
4. Othello
5. Henry V
6. King Lear
7. The Tempest
8. Macbeth
9. Much ado about nothing
10. Anthony and Cleopatra

The Seventies

Fifteen Great Things about the 70s (not in order)

1. Casual Sex was easier to obtain
2. There were less Computer Geeks running around.
3. As an English Soccer Fan - Liverpool were brilliant and Manchester United were crap.
4. There was no RAP music.
5. Tennis matches were fun to watch. Borg-Connors-Vilas Era.
6. Monty Python
7. Charlie’s Angels
8. Popsicles cost 5c and you could buy gum for 1c.
9. Star Wars debuted
10. Comics were more focused on story than effect.
11. Voice Mail was almost non-existent.
12. Nobody knew what it was to ‘leverage synergy’
13. No Cell Phones and Yuppies
14. The Space Race was looked at with confidence
15. Cars didn’t all look the same. As they did in the 90s.


Fifteen not so Great Things about the 70s (not in order)

1. Terrorism. Pity its still with us. Now worse than ever.
2. Grotesque hairdos
3. Lots of bad disco songs
4. Chequered suits
5. Serial Killers such as the Son of Sam
6. Mood Rings and Pet Rocks
7. Studio 54
8. Yasser Arafat addressing the United Nations with a pistol in his belt
9. Three Mile Island
10. England not qualifying for World Cup 74 and 78
11. Skylab crashing to Earth
12. The Yom Kippur War
13. Giant size calculators with limited power
14. Head cases such as Jane Fonda and Patty Hearst
15. Idi Amin

Extra-Terrestrial Interaction

The following question has always bothered me: If superior intelligent Extra-Terrestrials do exist, why have they not contacted us ? Hence the following argument:

1. Earth exists in a protected zone. A guardian species from our dimension or perhaps another has placed Earth in the off-limits category away from all other Alien life. The reason for this is to protect humanity against interaction with other species that are more advanced and whose influence may prove to be deleterious to human kind.
2. Humanity may exist in this protected zone for the life time of our species but I suspect that is not the case. What I think is that when the ‘guardian’ species suspect that we are capable of weathering an interaction with a more advanced alien culture they will remove the barriers to allow contact to occur.

Its just a thought. But perhaps those UFOs so many have seen in the skies above are the guardian’s checking up on their protected species.