At around 3:25 this afternoon US Airways flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in which seemed to be a normal flight. Around 5 minuts later at approximately 3:30 pm the plane was forced to make a crash landing in the hudson river after hitting a flock of birds which took out two of the planes engines.

The pilots quick thinking and knowledge of flying helped him to realize he should stay over the hudson river because the plane was going to crash. Doing this he did not put any other civilian lives in jeopardy. When the plane crashed into the hudson river, rescue boats were able to save all 155 passengers, 5 crew members,co-pilot,and the hero pilot who made the rescue possible.

He is this weeks American icon because without his fast thinking the situation could have been much worse. He was prepared for the worst and did one hell of a job accomplishing what he was trained to do.

My boy

 
For my first pick in the 2009 season i am going to choose Thomas Paine.

I am choosing Thomas Paine as the weekly American icon because he gave the everyday Americans the spark to fight for independence. With the new year upon us I believe we should look for a spark such as common sence to get us going toward our resolutions. I may sound foolish but I believe if more people are given a little motivation it will take them a long way. For example, if somebody wanted to start running on a regular basis perhaps a pair of running shoes or a subscription to a running magazine may light that fire for them.

Thomas Paine gave the Americans a reason to look for independence. And now if we look back at it, he has shown us all that we can accomplish a task easier if we are presented with a starting point.

Walt and his Mouse

For the December 8th – 15th weekly american icon I am going to choose Walt Disney because of his death on December 15th 1966.

This post is unlike my last post because there are no events going on in the world around us that have influenced me to choose Walt. I just feel that his life events reflect those of a great American icon.

Walt Disney was born to Elias and Flora Disney on December 5th, 1901. Walt spent his early childhood years moving around with his family before they ended up settling down in Chicago after his father recieved a job at the O-Zell jelly factory. In Chicago Walt attended McKinley High School and took courses at the Chicago Art Institute during his freshman year. At age 16 Walt dropped out of high school to join the army. Soon after Walt was denied of joining the army because of his age; but instead of moving home, Walt decided it was best to try and find success on his own. After a few rough patches Walt found success in the cartoon industy in Hollywood.

During Walt’s time with cartoons he had a great impact on the Americans around him. He used cartoons such as Donald Duck to boost the morale for Americans. Also the hit song  “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” in his most successful cartoon short, The Three Little Pigs, bacame the anthem of the Great Depression.

Walt Disney did more than just become successful for himself. Walt Disney tried his best to make the lives of the people around him better and by doing this karma rewarded him with success.

“You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” -Walt Disney

For the second week in a row the choice for the weekly American icon was and easy one. On November 19th, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln made one of the most famous speeches in American history; The Gettysburg Address. In just over two minutes, this speech summed up the entire purpose of the civil war. President Lincoln described the north’s victory as a “new birth of freedom” that would help to bring equal rights to all Americans. I decided to choose Lincoln as the weekly American icon because this speech has played a very important role in the fight for equality in America. As this struggle seems to be getting less and less because of recent events such as the election of President Obama, I am proud to give the trophy to my man Abraham.

Da Big Whoop

With the first pick in the 2008 american icon draft, the wai chooses….. Whoopi “Da whoop” Goldberg.

This weeks American icon was an easy choice. Due to the fact that Whoopi Goldberg’s birthday was on november 12th, she became elegable to become this weeks american icon.

For starters, Whoopi Goldeberg is one of only 13 people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, and Oscar, and a Tony Award. She has appeared in films such as The Color Purple, Ghost, Sister Acts 1and 2, Rat Race, The little Rascals, and many more. Because of her extensive list of movies, appearences on daytime tv, and overall lifestyle, Goldberg has been an inspiration to all. She has showed that pereverence is the key to success. She knew what she wanted to do in life and had the will to achieve it. That is why i have choosen her as this weeks american icon. Americans need to learn to be more like Da Whoop and strive for greatness.

Also this icon does not have to be a present day figure. For example, if George Washington was born on a day in this week of history, he could be given the award. I would then describe some of the events that have made George worthy of this icon title.