HappyDude's Inspirational People - Alex Zanardi

By Simon Wright - Human Interest Piece

FOR many, they will have never heard of the name Alex Zanardi.  However, he is one of the most inspirational people I know and is a perfect example of battling back from shocking luck and still being determined to succeed at the top level.  Zanardi, 44, switched sports last summer from motorsport to hand biking, which is a form of Paralympics cycling.  He aims to win gold for Italy at next summer’s Paralympics in London.  If he does achieve this incredible feat, it will complete a remarkable and brilliant story.

     It was ten years ago this month that Zanardi suffered his shocking moment of grave misfortune.  Four days after the terrorist attacks in the United States, Zanardi was competing for Mo Nunn Racing in the ‘American Memorial’ event on the Lausitzring circuit in Germany; CART’s first European event for years.  In 2001, he had struggled for consistent form, but came through from 21^st on the grid to lead the race, setting fastest lap in the process.  After a late fuel stop, the former double CART champion spun on the pitlane exit and back onto the racetrack.  He was narrowly avoided by Patrick Carpentier, but Alex Tagliani wasn’t so lucky.  The impact was absolutely horrific, with Zanardi’s car ripped apart.  In the incident, he tragically lost both his legs; one above and one below his knees.  Tagliani luckily only suffered back pain in the crash.  For a while, it looked like Alex had lost his life, but rapid medical intervention from the Champ Car doctors and Zanardi’s ability to fight on saw him survive one of the worst crashes ever in the history of open-wheel racing.

UNSUCCESSFUL: Zanardi's 1999 season with Williams was a disaster

    Before Lausitzring 2001, Zanardi had achieved immense success in the US Champ Car series.  He raced for Chip Ganassi between 1996-1998, winning the ‘rookie of the year’ award in 1996 and two titles in 1997 and 1998.  His Formula One career was sadly less successful.  He raced for Jordan, Minardi, Lotus and Williams over two different stints, but only ever scored one championship point for sixth place in the 1993 Brazilian Grand Prix.  After his first stint in CART, Zanardi went back to F1 with a high reputation, but he had a nightmare 1999 season with Williams.  Seventh place at Monza was his best finish, with 11 retirements from 16 events.  No points against Ralf Schumacher’s 35 saw Sir Frank Williams terminate Zanardi’s contract in preference to 20-year old British sensation Jenson Button.

    Following a determined rehabilitation programme, Zanardi felt he wasn’t finished with racing after the accident and had unfinished business to conquer.  Two years after his crash, he returned to Germany to compete the final 13 laps he was unable to do in 2001.  Had he raced in the 03 event, he would have qualified a staggering fifth on the grid!  A year later, Alex returned to motorsport full-time, by competing in a hand-controlled BMW touring car in the European Touring Car championship.  In 2005, he won a reverse grid event in France in a series that had now been renamed as the World Touring Car championship.  Always a popular figure in any motorsport paddock, he went onto win events in Istanbul in 2006 and back-to-back triumphs in Brno, Czech Republic in 2008 and 2009.  At the end of the 2009 season, having proved his point and showed triumph over adversity, Zanardi decided to retire from all forms of motorsport.

CHALLENGE: Zanardi is one of those people who loves a challenge

    In between his racing, Zanardi did compete in the handcycle division at the New York marathon in 2007, finishing a stunning fourth, having only trained briefly for the event.  He has since turned this into a new sport, rather than an excessive hobby.  In the last two years, Zanardi has won the Venice and Rome City marathons in the wheelchair category and is now aiming high at competing for Italy at next summer’s Paralympics in London.

     Alex Zanardi is one of the most inspirational people I have ever heard of.  His desire and willingness to not let a crushing incident like he suffered on that overcast, German afternoon in September 2001 deserves full recognition.  I am inspired by his story, and I really hope he gets to achieve his new goal of competing at the Paralympics next summer.  This is the ultimate story of bravery and courage against total adversity.  

Pixar Animation Studios - 25 years of magic moments

By Jason Wright (Entertainment Expert)

THE sound and image of a hopping lamp is certainly the best way to describe Pixar in a nutshell.  The release of Cars 2 this year marks the 25th anniversary of the studio’s production in film.

     Pixar’s traits go back to 1979 when Ed Catmull, a New York university graduate, teamed up with George Lucas, known for masterminding the Star Wars saga.  Together, they set up a Computer Graphics division within Lucasfilm to trial and test out early CGI animation functions.  The release of Disney’s Tron in 1982, which relied mainly on CGI effects, convinced Catmull that it was time to move into the foray of animated film.

     Four years later, Pixar was born.  Spearheaded by Catmull, John Lasseter and Apple guru Steve Jobs, the first few years saw a production of animated shorts.  The first being Luxo Jr which featured the lamp mascots whilst backstage, it was case of solving the necessary issues and problems required before beginning to consider producing a feature animated production.

     In 1991, the company piloted their early creations in a feature film to several investors.  Walt Disney Pictures liked this idea a lot, believing that it would revive their animation crown which had begun to wane in the late eighties.  A $26million investment was made to distribute three animated films and in 1995, Toy Story was the first film to be produced in complete CGI, opening to huge box offices figures worldwide.

     Many box office successes continued with A Bug’s Life (1999), Toy Story 2 (2000), Monsters. Inc (2002), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004) and Cars (2006) whilst at the same time, the studio continued to churn out quirky and witty short cartoons to accompany the theatrical releases.  The partnership brought a new lease of life to Disney’s animation features.

     However, behind the scenes, events were of a more crumbling nature.  A disagreement over the release of Toy Story 2 and contractual arguments soon broke out between the two parties which eventually led to the announcement of a split Pixar and Disney in 2004.

     Less than two years later however, when Pixar was preparing to sign a lucrative distribution contract with 20^th Century Fox, Disney vetoed the deal when it came up with a final offer that Pixar just couldn’t refuse…company takeover.  It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney for an estimated $7.4 billion.  Steve Jobs became a non-executive producer, as he went to return to his first love of Apple whilst still continuing to work for Pixar and John Lasseter was appointed as president of Disney’s Animation Studios.

     This new deal brought more box office hits in Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and ten years after the first sequel, the Toy Story trilogy was completed with Toy Story 3 last year which subsequently grossed nearly $200 million worldwide.

     The success of the movies in the box office have also earned critical acclaim in the form of award, for example a Pixar film has won the award for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars six times in the last eight years, better than a standard 1:3 ratio.

     Love it or hate it, you just can’t ignore Pixar’s films and they will be around for a very long time to come.  Congratulations on Pixar’s deserving 25 years of success and here’s to the next 25 years!

Gina Little - Marathon magic

IN LIFE, we all meet or hear of some amazing feats and more so, people who inspire us.  Historically for me, I’d certainly put Nelson Mandela, the late Mother Theresa and even Bob Geldof into the list of people who have attempted to make the world a better place.  Last week, I was on work placement for Runner’s World and undertook the tricky task of doing a telephone interview (one of my biggest fears!)  I spoke to an inspiring woman, who has plenty of Marathon Magic.

INCREDIBLE: Gina Little has a load of Marathon Magic

     Gina Little might be in her sixties, but her passion to run is inspirational.  Only recently, she just took part in her 400^th marathon; an off-road trail marathon in Hertfordshire.  When I spoke to her, she had just competed in her 402^nd marathon, a staggering and amazing achievement!

    I asked Gina what made her start running in the first place; “The London Marathon goes above the top of my home, so I went and watched the second marathon.  I then did the next marathon in 1983.  I enjoyed it, but thought it was going to be a one-off.”

     401 marathons later and not only is Gina very experienced at this distance, but she still loves the competition and certainly has caught the marathon bug.  In fact, she has competed in 41 marathons in each of the last two calendar years (2009 and 2010).  Admittedly, she said that the marathon suits her body and style of running and finds shorter distances such as 5K and 10K tough to work out, but even so, it takes a lot of fitness and stamina to keep going without even thinking of stopping.  Gina joined a special 100 marathon club in September 1999 and from then, it all exploded.  The following year, she had to cope with the tragic death of her husband, yet the running bug kept appealing to her.      

     Part of her local Plumstead Runners club, Gina told me what keeps her driving to succeed in the marathon distance; “The other people you meet in marathons are great.  I still enjoy the challenges thrown at me.  In fact, I am still beating marathon runners today who are 20 years younger and that’s exciting.”

     Gina’s PB (Personal Best) for a marathon is 3hrs 26mins, achieved in of all places, London in 1993.  Fifteen years later she took part in six marathons in six days in six separate counties of Northern Ireland.  To keep the amazing statistics going, Gina has competed in 21 Berlin marathons and has also competed in Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles, Hawaii and last year, Tokyo, which was one of the destinations she’d been determined to compete in.  For the 400^th marathon, she had a cake of her picture to celebrate the remarkable achievement and loads of good luck and congratulations cards from friends, colleagues and well-wishers.

     I asked Gina about today’s training regimes and whether she fits into the crowd of sticking to a demanding physical routine.  “I don’t have a race plan; I simply go and run how I feel.  I prefer to run on my own and do my own thing.  At the end of the day, you can’t plan when you do a PB, it just happens and I’m a prime example of that (the London PB 1993), it just happens.  I firmly don’t agree with all these high-profile training regimes.”

     Gina has absolutely no plans to finish either.  She is still hoping to go to New Zealand and attempt the Auckland marathon and with her desire to run abroad, it’s hard not to see why.  This year alone, she has already run in Cyprus, Spain and Switzerland and trains hard for a marathon nearly every week.  In fact, her next race is this weekend in Faversham, with further events in Cambridge, Ireland and Yorkshire around the corner.  Gina is already booked up for the rest of the year and upto April 2012 and will also be marshalling at next summer’s London Olympics.

     Gina Little is an amazing woman and I had real pleasure in hearing her story, as she said to me; “I just want to carry on doing what I want to do for as long as possible.”  She is an inspirational character if there ever was one.  

Osama Bin Laden is dead

ONE of the biggest mass murderers in history, Osama Bin Laden is dead.  He was shot dead in the town of Abbottabad, around 50 miles away from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad in the early hours of this morning.  Bin Laden has finally been captured after a decade of search from US troops.  This followed the event that changed everyone’s lives.

     Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda planned a terrorist attack to such detailed plan that it was going to have deadly results.  On Tuesday September 11, 2001, planes were hijacked and flew into some of America’s landmark buildings in New York.  Both towers of the World Trade Centre collapsed with hundreds trapped inside the burning buildings.  The casualties on this day were horrendous and the War on Terror began.

     Bin Laden wasn’t a stranger to the terrorist network.  US embassies had been bombed in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.  However, it was the events of 9/11 that put him into global context as the world’s most wanted man.  Within months, America, with Britain’s help went into Afghanistan and they began air strikes to get their man.  However, George Bush would never seek his prize and it has taken a decade before the news of his demise could be broken this morning by his replacement Barack Obama.

     With backing from the Taliban, Bin Laden set-up training camps and hence, many extremist groups have been created since.  With Bin Laden’s death, it might be a massive setback on Al-Qaeda that their figurehead is no longer around, but the War on Terror will still go on and there is likely to be a backlash on his death from Al-Qaeda.  This morning, Foreign Office leader William Hague has insisted that British embassies across the world review their security policies in a heightened alert of a possible attack.  Currently, Britain, like America – remains at the second highest terrorist threat level possible, not at the critical mark yet.  US officials have said that after being shot in the head, Bin Laden's body was buried at sea, according to Islamic traditions.  Three other men, including one of Bin Laden’s sons were also killed in the mission.  The whole operation took approximately 40 minutes to complete.

     There might be now some justice for the families who have lost their lives in terrorist atrocities; not just those in America, but those killed in Bali (2002), Istanbul (2003), Madrid (2004) and London (2005). 

     There is no doubt that the world is still nowhere near a safe place.  In fact, everyone still has to totally remain vigilant, especially as risks may well rise in the US and the UK in the coming weeks.  However, there can be no doubt that Osama Bin Laden’s death is a historical news moment and the biggest news story of 2011.  The War on Terror goes on and will for generations to come, but this is a victory for the West and in particular for Barack Obama, who now will get high praise for keeping all this quiet and earn a second term in office as American President.  The world’s most wanted-man has finally been taken out of the picture for good and for the families, some form of justice has now been done, even though it won’t bring their loved ones back.

WORLDWIDE REACTION TO BIN LADEN’S DEATH

George W. Bush (Former American President) – “The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakeable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.”

David Cameron (Prime Minister) – “It is time to thank those who work around the clock to keep us safe from terrorism.  Their work will continue.  I would like to congratulate Barack Obama and those responsible for carrying out this operation.”

Tony Blair (Former Prime Minister) – “This is a huge achievement in the fight against terrorism, but we know the fight against terrorism and the ideology that Bin Laden represents, continues and is as urgent as ever.”

William Hague (Foreign Secretary) – “It is unequivocally a good thing that he is no longer able to pursue terror, murder and mayhem in the world.”

Angela Merkel (German Chancellor) – “Bin Laden was a symbol for the international terror that did not respect life, only killed and only destroyed.  His death is good news.”

US Open Review - Rafa Reigns Supreme In New York

There can be no doubt that 2010 in the world of tennis belongs to Rafael Nadal.  The stunning Spaniard may have had to wait twenty-four hours to claim the 9^th Grand Slam success of his career, but his epic four-set triumph over Novak Djokovic in Monday’s men’s singles final was a special moment for Nadal.  It was his third Grand Slam in a row, and he becomes only the seventh player in the history of the game to have won all four grand slams (Australia, France, Wimbledon and the US Open).  He equals a feat set by Roger Federer, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver, but has bettered the likes of Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg. 

Coming to Flushing Meadows, Nadal was playing down his chances, as this was his weakest surface on the tour.  Prior to this year, he had never made the final at the US Open, but he was in unstoppable form in the previous fortnight, as shown by his ability to overcome a sticky patch in the final.  Djokovic won the second set, then went stride for stride in the third set, before a crucial break on the Serb’s serve was the turning point,  The 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 scoreline was a fair reflection on what was the best final of the entire tennis year.

After years of constant frustration, Djokovic showed he does have some extra mettle in his game, that had been previously missing.  His semi-final win over the former king of the game, Roger Federer was of immense quality, and showed that when he is on form, he should be feared.  Sadly, he doesn’t produce it on enough occasions.  His defeat in the final will be hard to take, but he wasn’t disgraced and come Melbourne next January, we will see if this run to the final in New York can take his game up a level.  Federer’s semi-final loss completes a dismal year by the high standards of the Swiss legend.  Since his Australian Open win in February, Federer suffered two shock quarter-final eliminations in the summer Grand Slams, was beaten by Lleyton Hewitt in the final in Halle and has also struggled to make an impression on the ATP circuit, with just one victory in Cinnancti.  Never write off Federer, because he has bounced back before, but it is a worring slump of form and he will hope for better in 2011.  So too will Andy Murray after quite frankly, the worst year of his professional career.  Since reaching the final in Australia, Murray’s form has been very patchy, even on the hard-court surface, which is his strongest by some distance.  Granted, he did well to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, but Andy has lacked consistent performances this season and needs to bring in a new coach quickly.  His third round exit in Flushing Meadows to the Pole, Stanislas Wawrinka was a shocking near-collapse of a player’s game.  He must do better if he is to remain in the elite next year.

With no Serena Williams, due to a broken foot, the women’s game was wide open again, and it resulted in a second successive US Open triumph for Kim Clistjers.  The Belgian ripped the Russian Vera Zvonareva to pieces in Saturday’s final, romping home 6-2, 6-0 in just under an hour.  Zvonareva’s floods of tears at the end of the contest suggested that she knew she had disappointed, especially after her impressive win over the No.1 seed Caroline Wozinacki in the semi-finals.  With Maria Sharapova returning to her best form, before being dumped out by Wozinacki, and the likes of Francesca Schiavone and Sam Stosur breaking through this year, the Williams sisters may not have it all their own way next season.

Robbie Returns To Take That - A Mistake Or A Wise Move?

On Thursday night, the worst secret is music was revealed, as after fifteen years and constant speculation over whether it might happen, Robbie Williams will return to Take That.  They will work together on a new album for the band, due to be released around Christmas time, and go on tour together next year.

Williams quit the band fifteen years ago, after a row with the manager of Take That, and various disagreements with the other band members.  Now, he will be reunited with the Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange for the first time since they record the No.1 song ‘Nobody Else,’ back in 1995.

All five singers have written the songs for the new album, which is due for release in late November.  Their first appearance back on stage together came last September in New York, shortly after Take That’s ‘The Circus Live’ tour.  Since then, speculation has intensified about a proper reunion, which included Robbie and Gary working together on Simon Cowell’s charity single ‘Everybody Hurts,’ for the Haiti earthquake appeal.

Take That spilt back in March 1996, having been the heartthrobs for many girls during the 90’s.  Songs such ‘A Million Love Songs’ and ‘Relight My Fire,’ got the pulses racing of many girls, and won critical acclaim from music experts.  They reformed in 2005, and have gone on to even further success, with three No.1’s (Shine, Patience & Rule the World) and two sell-out tours.  Robbie Williams has also gone onto great success as a solo artist, releasing ‘Bodies’ last year, adding to his growing collection of unstoppable hits from the past, including ‘Millennium,’ ‘Angels,’ and ‘Rock DJ.’  This year, Williams won the Outstanding Music Contribution award at the BRITS.  Since leaving Take That, he has eight UK albums released.

Fellow band mate Mark Owen told the BBC of his delight at Robbie’s return.

“Getting the five of us to be in a room together, although always a dream, never actually seemed like becoming a reality.”  “Now the reality of the five of us making a record together feels like a dream.”  “It’s been an absolute delight spending time with Rob again.  But I’m still a better footballer!”

It is still unclear whether this is a temporary reunion, or a permanent move.  It could have a major impact on the fortunes of both Take That and Robbie Williams future careers.  Having been a big fan of Take That myself in the 1990’s, I generally hope this move works for both parties, but can’t help feel that this is a major gamble that has been taken.

6-Year Old Controls JFK Airport - Plane Stupid!

When news came through on Wednesday of a six-year old child taking control of one of the busiest airports in the United States, it sounded really stupid.  Not surprisingly, an air traffic controller at New York’s JFK airport, the 6^th busiest in the States has been suspended and rightly so.  It was just fortunate that nothing horrific happened; otherwise we would be hearing one of the world’s greatest cock-ups.

US officials have opened investigations into the incident on February 17^th, when most pupils in New York were on a half-term break from school.  More reports have come in that a seven-year old girl was allowed similar responsibility by the same individual to take control of the tower, only one week later.  The JFK airport handles over 1,000 flights a day and serves 48 million passengers, with normally top-notch quality.

Whether the pilots were annoyed or not, they didn’t sound it on the transcript.  In fact, they found the whole incident quite humorous. 

TRANSCRIPT OF THE INCIDENT

Child: JetBlue 171 cleared for takeoff.

Male pilot: Cleared for takeoff JetBlue 171.

Man: Here's what you get, guys, when the kids are out of school.

Male pilot: I wish I could bring my kids to work.

Child's voice: JetBlue 171 contact departure.

Male pilot: Over at departure JetBlue 171. Awesome job.

[New transmission]

Child: 403 clear for takeoff

Adult: 403 clear for takeoff. Thank you very much and have a great day.

Child: AirMex 403 contact departure. Adios.

Woman pilot: Contact departure Air Mexico 403. Adios.

Child: Contact departure. Adios amigos.

Man: Adios amigos. Over departure JetBlue 195.

Very quickly, a probe has been launched by the Federal Aviation Administration, who in a statement said: “Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic.  “This behaviour is not acceptable and does not demonstrate the kind of professionalism expected from all FAA employees.”

To conclude, this incident is shocking to hear about and though maybe will see it as bone-starving hilarious, imagine if something bad had happened at JFK on February 17^th, no-one would have been laughing then.  This was a bad case of just ‘Plane Stupid.’