Mandela Tribute 1

Leaders, celebrities and entertainers across the world paid tribute to Nelson Mandela.

President Obama issued a heartfelt homage to the fallen icon in a nationally televised address, praising Mandela for achieving “more than could be expected of any man.”

“We have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth,” Obama said in a nationally televised address shortly after news of Mandela’s death was announced.  He said “He no longer belongs to us — he belongs to the ages.”

“His journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings — and countries — can change for the better,” Obama said. “And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable.”

President Obama watches TV news coverage about the death of Nelson Mandela.


"I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela's life," Obama said. “My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid.”

'He no longer belongs to us,' Obama said of Mandela. 'He belongs to the ages.'

Former President Bill Clinton, who was the first serving American President to visit South Africa, praised the late icon as “one of (the world’s) finest human beings” and “a true friend.”

“History will remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation,” Clinton said in a statement. “We will remember him as a man of uncommon grace and compassion, for whom abandoning bitterness and embracing adversaries was not just a political strategy but a way of life.”

Former President George W. Bush, meanwhile, called Mandela “one of the great forces for freedom and equality of our time.”

“Laura and I join the people of South Africa and the world in celebrating the life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,” Bush said in a statement. “He bore his burdens with dignity and grace, and our world is better off because of his example. This good man will be missed, but his contributions will live on forever.”

House Speaker John Boehner praised the icon as an “unrelenting voice for democracy.”
“(Mandela’s) ‘long walk to freedom’ showed an enduring faith in God and respect for human dignity,” Boehner said in a statement. “His perseverance in fighting the apartheid system will continue to inspire future generations.”

New York politicos weighed in on the historic figure as well.
“Today, we lost one of the most transformative and influential figures in modern history,” Mayor Bloomberg said Thursday. “Nelson Mandela was a global icon who broke the back of apartheid in South Africa and inspired generations of people around the world with his spirit of resolve and reconciliation.”
Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio expressed his condolences, too.
“We live in a far better world today because of the life and work of Nelson Mandela,” de Blasio .

Gov. Cuomo praised the luminary for setting a “profound example of humanity.”
“Nelson Mandela showed that a dedicated person of courage actually can change the course of history,” Cuomo tweeted.

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali also immediately expressed his fondness for the late leader.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Mandela,” Ali said in a statement provided to NBC News. “His was a life filled with purpose and hope; hope for himself, his country and the world.”
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron saluted Mandela as “a hero of our time.”
“A great light has gone out in the world,” Cameron tweeted.

Former Mayor David Dinkins (center) observes moment of silent for Nelson Mandela during a memorial service Thursday for political consultant Bill Lynch.

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton received the news of Mandela’s passing as they attended the premiere of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” which chronicles the leader’s storied life.

'We were just reminded what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. It's very sad,” Prince William reportedly said as he departed the theater.

One of Mandela’s daughters, Zindzi Mandela, was also in attendance at the premiere, on behalf of her family. She was reportedly told of her father’s deteriorating condition just before the film began.

Irish singer and businessman Bono, meanwhile, led a chorus of words from the entertainment industry, saying Mandela “played with the highest stakes.
“He put his family, his country, his time, his life on the line, and he won most of these contests,” Bono said in a statement. “Stubborn til the end for all the right reasons, it felt like he very nearly outstared his maker. Today, finally, he blinked. And some of us cry, knowing our eyes were opened to so much because of him."

Hugo Chavez

Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was the President of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when it merged with several other parties to form the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), which he led until his death in 2013.

Born into a working-class family in Sabaneta, Barinas, Chávez became a career military officer, and after becoming dissatisfied with the Venezuelan political system, he founded the secretive Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement-200 (MBR-200) in the early 1980s to work towards overthrowing it. Chávez led the MBR-200 in an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Democratic Action government of President Carlos Andrés Pérez in 1992, for which he was imprisoned. Released from prison after two years, he founded a socialist political party, the Fifth Republic Movement, and was elected president of Venezuela in 1998.

 

Chavez Electoral Performance:

Chavez won his first term in office with 56.2% of the popular vote, which he increased to 59.8% in the next elections. By the time he won his third term in 2006 he had a whopping 63% of the voters of Venezuela backing him. The turnout for the 2006 elections was 74% of the eligible voters in the country. The nearest to competition Chavez faced was in his last term in office, when he won with support from 54% of the votes against his opponent's 45%, and that election in October 2012 saw a mind-boggling 80% voter turnout.

So what are Chavez's unforgivable crimes against Washington?

In his speech in UN, Chavez roared "The devil was here yesterday. Right Here, Right Here and I can still feel the smell of sulphur in this table." obviously pointing out at the then US president.

Chavez nationalised his country's most valuable resources, marginalising the powers of some very big American companies. He chose to ally with Cuba and started a programme to import Cuban doctors from Havana's fabled health sector to help push up rural health missions in Venezuela, raising hackles in Washington. He also reached out to Iran and other countries the US deemed untouchables. In effect, Chavez is a quintessential American hero who thumbed his nose at established power centres. He also initiated far-reaching policy shifts empowering more indigenous people in the country.

If these enterprises were all only cosmetic, for Venezuela also had a reputation for producing world beauties with its cosmetic surgery advances and cheap prices for such surgeries.

About 48% of Venezuelan households lived in extreme poverty in 1997 according to the World Bank; that is the year before Chavez first came to power. A Wikipedia chart shows that the Chavez period reduced this to 21%. Chavez managed to dramatically redistribute wealth far more equitably during his reign. And this was through the 2008 collapse of the financial system and the resultant contraction of the global economy.

Galloping inflation has been the one big elephant in the Venezuelan presidential suite. It clocked 22.8% early March this year. However, inflation has been descending from more than 100% in 1990 to an excess of a mere 70% in mid-'90s. So any amount of control of the beast should be in keeping with its size before Chavez took over in 1998.

 

Steve Jobs - Tribute

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

"Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor."
- Mr.Bill Gates, Microsoft Co-Founder And Chairman

"Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started."
- Bob Iger, CEO Of Walt Disney Company

"He was a great man with incredible achievements and amazing brilliance. He always seemed to be able to say in very few words what you actually should have been thinking before you thought it. His focus on the user experience above all else has always been an inspiration to me."
-Larry Page, CEO Of Google, On Google+

"The world is a better place because of Steve, and the stories our company tells have been made richer by the products he created. He was a dynamic and fearless competitor, collaborator, and friend. In a society that has seen incredible technological innovation during our lifetimes, Steve may be the one true icon whose legacy will be remembered for a thousand years."
-Jeff Bewkes, CEO Of Time Warner

"Once in a rare while, somebody comes along who doesn't just raise the bar, they create an entirely new standard of measurement.
-Dick Costolo, CEO Of Twitter, On Twitter

"Steve Jobs was a visionary and a wonderful friend of The New York Times. He pushed the boundaries of how all providers of news and information interact with our users. I am among the many who deeply regret his passing."
-Arthur Sulzberger, Chairman Of The New York Times Company

"Steve was one of a kind. For many of us working in technology and entertainment, Steve was a new kind of hero that lead with big, bold moves and would not settle for less than perfection. He is the best role model for a leader that aspires to be great."
- John Riccitiello, CEO Of Electronic Arts

"VISIONARIES are always called CRAZY in the beginning.
A VISIONARY sees things that everybody else says is IMPOSSIBLE,
sees a World that People can't invision (sic)-MAC, IPOD, IPAD, IPHONE, ITUNES and PIXAR.
I have nothing but Love for Mr. Jobs and Apple, they have always given me and my films L-O-V-E.
Peace and Blessings to his family."
-Spike Lee, Producer/Director/Actor, On Twitter

Ratan Tata (Chairman TATA & Sons): He has changed the way of life of many. Apple's products, under his leadership, have had a profound impact on mankind, unequalled by any other company in the information and technology space

Sunil Bharti Mittal (Chairman Bharti Airtel): He was a visionary and true pioneer, and his strong personality turned Apple into a cult brand that is loved across the world. Steve has left an indelible mark on the technology industry, and his spirit of innovation will be an inspiration to millions for a long time to come

Steven Spielberg : Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips

Steve Wozniak : It's kind of like when John Lennon died, or JFK... I'm a little bit, like, awestruck, just dumbfounded, and I can't put my mind into gear Robert Iger: Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started

Eric Schmidt: He was able in his mind to imagine what would happen when things were 10 times faster or 100 times faster and start to think about how the technology evolves... Everything he did, he was two or three or four steps ahead in thinking

Howard Stringer: The digital age has lost its leading light, but Steve's innovation and creativity will inspire dreamers and thinkers for generations

Arianna Huffington: Thank you for changing our world.

Michael Bloomberg: Tonight, America lost a genius who will be remembered with Edison and Einstein, and whose ideas will shape the world for generations to come

N Chandrasekaran (TCS CEO): No one has shaped the technology revolution like Steve Jobs. From the Macs and Pixar's animation; from the iPod to the iPad, Jobs has driven disruptions across many industries using technology and innovation

Suhel Seth: Barack Obama should be there at Steve Jobs' funeral...to show the world that America can engage the world through innovation, not war

Swati Piramal : Thank you Steve. U touch our lives everyday. We will miss u

Steve Jobs : 1955-2011

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)


"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators
- brave enough to think differently,
-bold enough to believe he could change the world,
-and talented enough to do it."
- Barack Obama

"Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend.
Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world.
I will miss you."
- Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder

"He not only gave me a lot of personal advice and encouragement,
he showed all of us how innovation can change lives."
- Jerry Yang, Yahoo! co-founder

"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him,
it's been an insanely great honor."
- Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder

Some key quotes from Steve Jobs:



COMMENCEMENT SPEECH AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY, 2005
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice."

ALLTHINGSD CONFERENCE, 2010
"There's nothing that makes my day more than getting an e-mail from some random person in the universe who just bought an iPad over in the UK and tells me the story about how it's the coolest product they've ever brought home in their lives. That's what keeps me going. It's what kept me five years ago, it's what kept me going 10 years ago when the doors were almost closed. And it's what will keep me going five years from now whatever happens."

INTERVIEW WITH PLAYBOY MAGAZINE, 1985
"I don't think I've ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn't be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders' meeting, everyone in the auditorium stood up and gave it a 5-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe that we'd actually finished it. Everyone started crying."

APPLE PRODUCT LAUNCH, JUNE 2011
"One more thing ..."

INTERVIEW WITH BUSINESS WEEK, 2004
"Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we've been thinking about a problem. It's ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea."
"And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We're always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it's only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important."

INTERVIEW WITH FORTUNE MAGAZINE, 2000
"In most people's vocabularies, design means veneer. It's interior decorating. It's the fabric of the curtains and the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a man-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service."
"My position coming back to Apple was that our industry was in a coma. It reminded me of Detroit in the '70s, when American cars were boats on wheels."

COMMENT TO NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER WHO ASKED ABOUT JOBS HEALTH, 2008
"You think I'm an arrogant who thinks he's above the law,
and I think you're a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong."

INTERVIEW WITH WIRED, 1996
"These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I'm not downplaying that. But it's a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light -- that it's going to change everything. Things don't have to change the world to be important."