Ioseb Jughashvili; born Georgia, 18th December, 1878 died 5th March, 1953. remembered not with any affection by many as Joseph Stalin.
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; born Ukraine, 23rd April, 1891 died 5th March, 1953 and who’s death went pretty well unnoticed, now remembered with some affection by many.
Prokofiev had the misfortune of dying on the same day as the reviled Stalin and thus his demise was barely acknowledged.
The media was full of the Stalins life, the atrocities committed at his behest, and why not? The world was glad to be rid of him.
Poor Sergie. 😞
In the years 1941/42, the second world war raging, it appears that not all men were off serving King and country, for a couple of extraordinary boys were born in ’42.
The first in Oxfordshire in January ’42 and named Stephen William, and the second in Buckinghamshire in March ’42 and was given the names John Edward.
Both boys went on to achieve excellence in their chosen fields, one, Stephen, became an household name, John didn’t.
They were both attached to Cambridge University. Stephen fields? ‘General relativity & Quantum gravity’ whatever that means; and Johns fields? ‘Chemistry & Micro biology’.
In 2001 John received a knighthood; in 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Prize, something which eluded Stephen. They were both Companions of Honour.
On the 6th March 2018 Sir John Edward Sulston, CH. FRS (who?) died, (stomach cancer) with scant notice from the media.
On the 14th March Stephen William Hawking CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA died, to worldwide surprise and media frenzy.
“Such is life” as Ned Kelly is supposed to have said……….
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/mar/11/sir-john-sulston-obituary
Vale Sir John Sulston
LordBeariOfBow 
Thank you for this. Bravo, Sir John Sulston! Well done. I wish I had known him. Hope all is well with you.
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Hello Pam, I’ve been a bit off of late but am feeling almost human at the moment 👽👽 as I said almost human, 😉😉
I’ve spent the last couple of days going through email and stuff get motivated, and thought I’d give Sir John a bit of a mention, he actually did more stuff of use to the human race than Stephen H. I think, You haven’t been posting I noticed from the lack of email notifications, I hope you;’re not getting back into your bad old ways 😠 🐱🐱🐱🐱🐻🐻🐻🐻
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Oh, I think I am. Yes, Sir John worked day in, day out, to learn about living things here. That is remarkable.
Fame is a chicken-and-egg thing, really. The press and public feed one another. Certain humans are selected to follow, and everyone thinks they should be interested in those persons.
I am very glad to hear you are feeling better. When I don’t hear from you, I become concerned. I did not bother you this time, as I reckoned you had other things on your mind. But I’m glad to read this latest post from you. Your salt and codswallop add nice spice to life.
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I hate to admit it Pamela but I think getting old is my real problem, it’s slowing me down, not so much in the head but in the body, the old adage “the spirits willing but the flesh is weak” has really taken on meaning of late 😀
I must admit I get a feeling of disappointment when events of the type that I mentioned in the post occur, it is so wrong. 😦
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Not overlooked by you. Thank you for bringing him to my attention. So many very important and deserving scientists and researchers are virtually unknown by the general public.
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these two were really contemporaries, but I suppose theres more romance in the stars than in micro biology.
What gets me as that intelligent men like Sir John die from stomach cancer instead of getting it fixed like I did, You’d think a bloke like that would have some idea what was going on inside himself wouldn’t you?
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Your antipathy for the possessive form is on full display . . . that said, you can’t really compare the two and expect to arrive at a reasonable “who’s better” comparison.
At best, you get biased opinions (SJES was a socialist, so of course you would like him more) but even if not biased, their individual contributions to humanity are difficult to gauge by any one set of metrics.
However, there is one benefit of anonymity that you failed to mention:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2018/03/conservative-christians-claim-stephen-hawking-burning-hell/
I’m assuming few people of faith took note of SJES’s passing . . . and fewer still danced a little perverse jig of joy at the thought of someone tormented by hellfire for eternity.
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I was not comparing the two, I was highlighting, well at least I thought I was; the difference in the medias approach to the deaths and reporting of 4 different people, 😟 😧 😟 😧
Seems pretty simple to me but then we both realize that I am; as you’ve 🏄♂️🏄♂️🏄♂️🏄♂️taken pains to assure me on many occasions 👏👏👏
😀
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Oh, but that I could read emojis . . . As best as I can work things out, you’re three-times-a-clapping, although I fail to draw a connection between the comments and that statement.
As for your denial, I beg to differ . . . you did explicitly draw a comparison between the two and even slipped in a nice dig that SH had contributed little of substance toward the betterment of the human race when compared to SJES.
But, take heart . . . I’m neither castigating nor criticizing your obvious preference for one science field versus another. In fact, I have no horse in the race, as it were, when it comes to choosing one versus the other for assigning the higher praise.
Besides, I’m sure it sufficed for both that they were admired and respected by their peers . . . which we are not. Not their peers, I mean. Also, I suspect, not admired and respected.
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Gosh! Just finished reading the exchange between you and Disperser. Any comment I might make is completely eclipsed. Glad to hear you are a little better. My bro’ is not so good.
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He’s the epitome of a “GRUMPY OLD MAN” and he’s not really that old, just a boy really trying to impress a wise old man 😀
My problem is not that I’m actually sick just so damned tired all the time, try to do in my 83rd year what I did in my 38th year, well not everything. I have an excellent appetite and am eating well, which is not surprising as I do the cooking, Just need to rest up more. Which is time wasting.
Sorry to here your bro’ not doing so well, pity he spat the dummy and walked out of hospital when he did. He’s regretting it now I imagine.
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We don’t discuss that, but I doubt it would have made a difference. His is oesophageal, same as his Dad, and same age (71). My brother got a couple of years grace, but never returned to full health, and the eating has always remained a problem. His doctors don’t seem to have been as diligent in the call-backs and follow ups as yours either – at least as far as I can understand. Not judging by how far it has spread. It’s all very sad.
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It is indeed Gwen, I was very lucky from the word go, and nobody knows that better than I 🙂
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Many of our true heroes die with barely a word of recognition. Perhaps their will to do good without notoriety is what truly makes them heroic.
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You summed that up perfectly GP. Thanks 🙂
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It’s good to see you’re still kicking around and doing your part to entertain and enlighten us! Seriously, I admire your grit, your obvious love-affair with history and your commitment to telling us about people who mattered. How’s Coco doing these days? I miss your updates about him, with photos. 🙂
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Never thought of myself as an entertainer Elouise, or a teacher then I just think of me as a bit odd.
My Coco is not very well, which I find very upsetting, he has not recovered very well from the last operations. 😦
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I’m so sorry to hear about Coco. 😟 Most great teachers and entertainers are at least a bit odd, in my experience. 😊
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I found this so interesting! Thank you for teaching me about Sir John!
How are you doing Lord 🐻 of B?!
How is Coco doing?
You have both been in my thoughts for healing!
😈 😎 
😉
HUGS!!!
🙂 😀 😛
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Thank you diem3 😀 I’m glad YOU found it interesting, he 🐺🐺 didn’t, as you can imagine, unless it can be photographed it doesn’t make sense. He 🐺🐺 even complains about the smileys that I send him 😈
My Coco 🐶🐶 is not very well Carolyn 😦 I will take him to the vet next week for his follow up check, I think what it is he’s starting to feel his age now, he always thought of himself as a young puppy romping 🐾🐾 and playing having fun 🐾🐾, now he just likes to rest up and eat. He’s 🐶 nearly 11, now 🐻🐻 😀
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Aw, poor sweet Coco! 😦 11 is old for most pups. Coop is 9, so I know he won’t be in my life forever. 😦
Pats for Coco and HUGS for you!!! 🙂
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Yes, well, so much of what humans do and think en masse is disappointing. You have a few years on me, Lord Beari, yet I find myself slowing a bit as well. Perhaps, too, it is the weight I’ve gained–to my surprise. But prolonged illness can affect the body in many ways. I am glad you are here, and that I am connected with you, and we are sending one another messages through this medium. Take care, and I look forward to your next post. Meanwhile, I raise a glass to you. Slainte!
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Cheers Pamela 🍻 🍸 🍻 🍸
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Never really understood what Stephen was on about, actually. John seems to have been into more useful stuff. Stalin had it coming. The greatest loss from my point of view was Prokofiev — he has inspired a love of classical music (his, anyway) in Granddaughter R.
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My thoughts entirely, Stephen was either exceedingly bright, or the greatest con-man ever, probably the first, but it was way way over my head.
Never could make head or tail of Sergie ‘s works Pete and his big dog excepted. I’m more of a Beethoven Handel Hadyn Schubert sort of bloke
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Hi, Brian.
I’m back to add another comment. This time on Stephen Hawking. Yes, he was incredibly bright from the beginning of his life. In addition, he was suddenly pushed into the limelight because he was diagnosed with ALS at a young age. My sister Diane died of ALS after learning to live with it for 10 years. She was in her 60s. I watched her struggle and decline, flying from Philly to Houston several times a year to sit with her and help in any way I could. It was heartbreaking and also enlightening.
To live 10 years with ALS takes a monumental effort by all concerned. I can’t begin to imagine what it took for Stephen Hawking to live with ALS for multiple decades, traveling, writing and remaining active in his field. I admire his grit. The ALS community of survivors is relatively small quickly changes. Many don’t live more than 5 years. Others die sooner. Many choose not to continue living.
Hence a large part of the fascination with SH. He, my sister, and another ALS friend who has now lived more than 20 years with it (diagnosed in his 30s) are witnesses to a key element in long-term ALS: an active mind. As a by-product, those who live long with this cruel disease become beacons of hope for others devastated by it. So whether I like SH or not, and whether I think his work is worthy or not, I find him courageous and worthy of deep respect for living so openly and with gusto and grit a life none of us would like to live.
I also happen to believe you have some of SH’s best qualities when it comes to survival. 🙂
Elouise
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We are/were both stubborn?
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Maybe. But I was thinking about your active mind.
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Bit of a curse really,I awoke the other morning 3 am with the answer to something which had been plaguing my mind for a few days, I’m planning to do a short post on this very soon, sometime in the next month or so :twisted:,
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You say you’ve been crook. I am so relieved to read that. I was fearing the worst. At the school in which I started teaching there were two fellows who were the very best of friends, One was the very staunch Chaplain and the other the banner waving Atheist. They were always arguing as to whether the one or the other would ever know who was right.
Welcome back, and I don’t know what right you have to call Disperser a “Grumpy old Man” It’s a sure case of the pot and the kettle.
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Never thought of me as a grumpy old man;m always thought I was a charming sort of bloke, now I have something to smile about,
It puzzles me that there are those that think there is something to argue about, especially an atheist, a real atheist will never bother arguing as there’s nothing to argue about
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It wasn’t really arguing. It was just friendly banter.
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Sometimes ‘friendly banter’ can take nasty turns, seen it happen matter of fact, I’m usually slap bang in the middle of ’em 👿
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Yep. Noticed that.
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You may possibly be right. If you are then it won’t make any difference to me. If I am right then you will find out and it might make a difference to you.But let’s not argue about it.
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Me! Argue? Heaven forbid
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