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How Do You Define Courage?
When Tim Haney was twelve years old, he and two friends stole a historical plaque from a tree at the Vrooman Mansion in Bloomington, Illinois. The 12"x 15" plaque noted that both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had given speeches under that tree. Tim is 62 now. Having felt guilty about the Halloween prank for 50 years, he recently returned the plaque to the mansion. Although the mansion is now an inn, Tim has returned to normal - Normal, Illinois that is.
In 2005 J.T. Nesbitt was a famous motorcycle designer. Then hurricane Katrina destroyed everything he owned. Now Nesbitt is a New Orleans bartender by day and a race car builder by night. His race car is a 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII, dubbed the "Stinkin Linkin" because of how it smelled when he found it filled with flood waters. To try to break a land speed record, Nesbitt drove the Lincoln to Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. After the disastrous 2,000 mile trip - documented in the movie "Salt Dreams" - the car made it to 162 mph before spinning out of control. In 2008 Nesbitt's goal is to break 200 mph, which would make the Stinkin Linkin the world's fastest Lincoln - and would be one Katrina victim's attempt at a speedy recovery.
On September 26, 2008 Swiss daredevil Yves Rossy jumped from a plane at 8,800 feet and crossed the English Channel strapped to a homemade wing. The 22-mile trip took 10 minutes and traced the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, who 99 years before had been the first person to cross the Channel by plane. Four kerosene-burning jet turbines kept Rossy and his 121-pound, carbon-composite wing aloft. As Rossy steered with body movements, a heat-resistant suit protected him from the hot turbines - preventing this from becoming just another hot-shot stunt.
On the same day - September 26, 2008 - Florida Keys carpenter Greg LeNoir displayed a different kind of courage. When he took his 14-pound terrier Jake for his daily swim at the marina, a 5-foot shark surfaced and grabbed almost the entire dog in its mouth. LeNoir balled up his fists and dove off the pier. He beat the shark on the back until it let go of his dog. Jake received bite wounds, but wasn't critically injured. As for LeNoir, he said his dog deserved whatever he could do. What he did was show that man can be dog's best friend.
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