i saw this guy on real sports a few weeks ago.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranulph...ykeham_Fiennes
he's amazing. basically a british explorer that has done some ridiculous [censored] and should've died like 30 years ago.
here's a decent summary taken from
http://www.nyt.co.uk/sir.htm:
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"LOOK FOR A BRAVE SPIRIT" is the Fiennes family motto - and a thousand years of courageous and resourceful ancestors, traceable directly to Charlemagne, live on in Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
Born in England in 1944 and brought up in Africa, he followed his father’s path into the Scots Greys before joining the elite SAS regiment. He was then the youngest captain in the British Army but was dismissed for blowing up the film set of Doctor Doolittle. After 2 years with the Sultan of Oman’s forces, he began a series of expeditions.
Up the White Nile in a hovercraft; parachuting onto Europe’s highest glacier; forcing his way up 4,000 miles of the mightiest rivers of Canada and Alaska; trekking on foot and unsupported to the North Pole and the great Transglobe expedition in which Fiennes and his companion Charles Burton became the first men in history to reach both Poles.
He was the Personal Representative (Europe) of Doctor Armand Hammer, Chairman of Occidental Oil, from 1984-1992.
In 1993, the Queen awarded him the OBE for human endeavour and charitable services. His expeditions to date have raised over £5 million for charity.
He has published 12 books including The Feather Men, which was the UK and Commonwealth Number One Bestseller as well as Mind Over Matter and Living Dangerously - both of which are available to clients as personalised gifts at business conferences.
In November 2003, Ranulph Fiennes and Mike Stroud completed an incredible seven marathons in seven days: a global adventure that began in the wilds of South America and finished in New York's concrete jungle.
In March, 2007, despite former frostbite injuries, limited climbing experience and a fear of heights, at the age of 63, Ran successfully climbed the North Face of the Eiger to raise money for the Marie Curie cancer charity after losing his wife, mother and sister to the disease over an 18-month period.
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also
salman rushdie is pretty sweet, and whether you agree with his politics or not,
ralph nader has led a very interesting life.