Hero or Legend

Below is a brief but heated convo between Karl of the channel 9 morning show, and Mia, of mamamia.com, on the recent Tour de France win by Cadel Evans.



When I think of the word 'hero', I picture Doctors, Nurses, Ambulance drivers, Foster Parents, Missionaries, and the like. So, a person who saves someone, a person who heals, a person who cares for the homeless, the orphaned, the hungry etc. I never ever think of a cyclist. No matter what he has accomplished.
So, I can kind of get where Karl is coming from, but in all honesty, I can understand the point that Mia is making. However, Karl had already decided to send Mia through the mincer before the interview began, and had no real intention of letting her explain why she feels the way she does. I have always thought of him as an arrogant prick, so this only compounds that, nonetheless, he is entitled to his opinion, entitled to stand up for a fellow cyclist, and fellow Aussie.
There is no doubt about it, Cadel Evans will now go down in history as one of many Australian sporting legends and deservedly so, however, we have gotten the words 'legend' and 'Hero' intertwined.

Lets look at the word Legend.
Here I quote from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/legend
leg·end

1.

a. An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.

b. A body or collection of such stories.

c. A romanticized or popularized myth of modern times.

2. One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame.

3.

a. An inscription or a title on an object, such as a coin.

b. An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.

Does Cadel meet the true description of legend? Although he will most likely be called an Aussie 'Sporting Legend' for years to come, no. He does not meet the true meaning and description of Legend. He is not a mythical story passed on from generation to generation. He is also not romanticized, but he has achieved fame. So of course this is all my opinion, and you may or may not disagree, but I really do not think he meets the true description of the word legend. It's a crying shame really- because I thought it suited him.

Now lets look at 'Hero'.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hero

hero

1. a man distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, fortitude, etc.

2. a man who is idealized for possessing superior qualities in any field

3. (Myth & Legend / Classical Myth & Legend) Classical myth a being of extraordinary strength and courage, often the offspring of a mortal and a god, who is celebrated for his exploits

4. the principal male character in a novel, play, etc.

So what about hero? You could definitely say Cadel is distinguished by exceptional courage. And he does possess superior qualities in his field, clearly. So it looks like Cadel does meet the true meaning and description of 'Hero'.

So now that I know that Cadel and other sporting 'legends' should be called 'Sporting Heroes', I believe that there should be a new word created to describe our caregivers, doctors and nurses who go above and beyond their ever day roles. I think there will always be a disagreement about who should be called a hero or a legend, because we have meshed the two words together and they are some what similar.
There is only really one answer to this dilemma, and that is to create a new word and let legends be legends and heroes be heroes. Separately.

The Best Donuts You Will Ever Eat!

Being the Kritikal Thinker that I am, and also the food enthusiast that I am, I have come across an apparent 'Secret Donut Recipe' in my search for the best home made donuts ever. However, the 'Big Secret' is simple. It's mashed potato. Donut makers across the globe know this is not a new invention, they know it's no secret. So here is my 'Not-A-Secret-Recipe' for lovely donuts that you really can't stuff up. Have a go at this delicious treat and feel free to comment on your success! Good Luck!

Kritikal's Donuts!

Ingredients
4 Teaspoons yeast
1 Cup of warm Milk
1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup mashed potato (The Big Secret) *Where did my sarcasm font go?*
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Vegetable oil- 2 inches in a pot/pan.

Method
Combine Yeast, 1/2 teaspoon Sugar and Milk in a bowl.
Set aside for ten minutes while you work on the next part.
Sift the Flour, 1/4cup Sugar, Salt, and Nutmeg into a large bowl.
Add mashed potato to the dry ingredients along with the yeast mixture and mix until a dough ball forms. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about ten minutes, adding a little flour as needed.
Once kneaded, roll the dough out to about a half and inch thickness, and cut out your donuts. Set the donuts onto a lightly floured tray for and hour. This recipe makes approximately 10 donuts.

Fry donuts in and inch or two of vegetable oil, that has been heated to about 175 c or 375f until lightly golden brown on each side. After cooking, place on paper towel to absorb any excess oil, then roll them in cinnamon sugar, or glaze.
Enjoy!

A couple of Kritikal Tips!

• The more you knead the dough at the beginning, the better your donuts will be-
  
• so put the effort in, and I promise it will pay off.
  
• Do not over heat the oil- burnt donuts suck.
• The donuts must float on the oil, if they are on the bottom of the pan, you need more oil.
  
• Test a piece of dough before frying your donuts to make sure your oil is hot enough- or better still, use a candy-makers thermometer.
• If the oil is not hot enough, the donuts will absorb a lot of oil and taste like shit.
  
• Slide the donuts into the oil away from your body to avoid nasty splashes.
• Use your common sense, don't leave the hot oil alone, and don't let the kids at it without supervision. Our burns units are already full.
• Always eat treats like donuts in moderation.