Yolanda Moreno

First Dancer of Venezuela

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Yolanda Moreno

First Dancer of Venezuela

Yolanda Moreno was the prima ballerina of Venezuela. Born in San Juan, she started dancing aged 13 and her talent was soon recognised. She quickly became an international star and later became a choreographer as well. During her career she gained the title of “The Venezuelan People’s Ballerina”. Over the course of her career she has performed in more than 500 choreographies and reinvigorated the public interest in Venezuelan dance and folklore. She also founded one of the most successful dance schools in Venezuela.

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Ydnekatchew Tessema

Member of the International Olympic Committee in Ethiopia and President of the African Football Confederation

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Ydnekatchew Tessema

Member of the International Olympic Committee in Ethiopia and President of the African Football Confederation

Ydnekatchew Tessema was a footballer and pioneer of modern sports organizations in Ethiopia. He is considered one of the country’s biggest sporting heroes. He played and coached Ethiopian clubs and teams, and founded the modern Ethiopian Sports office at age 22. Africa saw him as an ambassador of African sport who took pride in athletic advancements made by the continent, and in March 1988, he was made Posthumous Honorary President of the African Football Confederation. He led many Ethiopian sports delegations, including Ethiopia’s Olympic teams to Rome 1960, to Tokyo 1964 and to Mexico 1968. He was the leader of the struggle that expelled apartheid in South Africa from African Football in 1960, from the Olympics in 1971 and from FIFA in 1976.

Mr. Tessema was awarded the Gold Mercury Award for his success in developing sport in the country and contributing to African sport, evidenced through the endeavors of such international athletes as Abebe Bikila, Mamo Wolde and Mirutse Yifter. The awards ceremonies and conference of the Gold Mercury International Award took place in Ethiopia, and was the first time ever an award ceremony was conducted in Africa. Tessema’s exemplary attitude to sport was made apparent through his conviction that sport should be a shared ideal, irrespective of race, tribe, religion or politics affiliation. He viewed it as a way for us to overcome these differences.

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Time Magazine

Magazine

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Time Magazine

Magazine

Time Magazine is an American weekly news magazine which has become the world’s largest circulated weekly news magazine, amassing a readership of 25 million people. Time Magazine was established in 1923 by Briton Hadden and Henry Luce, becoming the first weekly news magazine in the United States. Its aim was to convey the news from the perspective of the people, which explained the reason for the single person cover, which it has become known for. The first issue was published on March 3, 1923 and following Hadden’s death in 1929, Luce managed Time Magazine singlehandedly. During the early years of the magazine, an innovative approach to marketing led to its readership increasing dramatically. From 1931 a weekly radio programme, ‘The March of Time’, was broadcast featuring a dramatisation of the week’s news for listeners. This brought the magazine significant publicity. The writing style in Time Magazine was initially very distinctive, regularly using inverted sentences. It also became known for its red border and its annual person of the year, which is awarded to the individual or group who has had the biggest impact on the news during the course of that year.

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The Times

Newspaper

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The Times

Newspaper

The Times is one of Britain’s longest running and most influential daily newspapers. It is traditionally regarded as a moderate newspaper, often supporting the Conservative Party. The Times was founded by publisher John Walter in 1785 under the name, ‘The Daily Universal Register’. This was later changed to The Times in 1788 and it henceforth it began to publish commercial news and notices. From 1817 to 1841, The Times was controlled by Liberal editor Thomas Barnes, who developed it into a larger, independent newspaper that would now begin to widely influence British opinion. In 1841, John T Delane became Editor, and hired the world’s first war correspondent to cover the Crimean War. In the 1950′s The Times enjoyed a long awaited overhaul due to Editor Sir William Haley who put news on the cover in place of advertisements. In 1981, The Times was bought by News International and in 2003 the newspaper began to be produce tabloids and broadsheet styles. The Times is renowned for quality journalism and has employed many distinguished journalists during its long history. These include, amongst many others, Robert Fisk, Lord Reese-Mogg, Michael Atherton, Robert Crampton, Michael Gove, Alice Bowe and Peter Riddel.

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The Economist

Magazine

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The Economist

Magazine

The Economist is a weekly magazine, focusing on international business and world affairs. Its editorial stance supports free trade and globalisation and it targets educated readers and influential professionals. Founded in 1843 by James Wilson, its initial aim was to advance the repeal of the Corn Laws, which were a system of import tariffs. In its early stages it chose to focus on thirteen key areas, including parliamentary reports, general news from the Court of St James, the metropolis and the provinces, agricultural topics, commercial topics and colonial and foreign topics. Today, The Economist features articles on world news, politics and business as well as occasional articles on science, technology and the arts. It has become well known over the years for its critiques and opinions on various economic policies, as well as its views on politicians. It has also become known for its competent analysis of world affairs and has appointed many distinguished editors during the course of its publication. These include Sir Walter Layton, Sir Alistair Burnet, Andrew Knight and currently John Micklethwait.

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Teo Capriles

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Teo Capriles

Athlete and Founder of the Venezuelan Federation of Swimming

Teo Capriles was a renowned Venezuelan athlete. Born in 1907, his athletic skill was evident from an early age and he excelled in cycling. In 1936 he travelled to Berlin intending to participate in the Olympics which were being held that year, but was refused permission to compete as there was no Venezuelan representation. In 1938 he participated in the Bolivarian Games and in 1946 he participated in the Central American and Caribbean Competitions winning gold medals in both. He became the most successful Venezuelan cyclist of the time. He retired aged 40, having also competed at high levels in swimming and diving. He went on to become the Founder of the Venezuelan Federation of Swimming. His sporting legacy also led to the Caracas velodrome being named after him, as well as a swimming academy. He was also a skilled painter and musician, creating over 300 works dedicated to the Venezuelan landscape.

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Television Trust for the Environment

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Television Trust for the Environment

Non-Profit Environmental and Development Organisation

The Aldabra Foundation was presented with the 2006 Gold Mercury Environment Award for its work in providing specialised knowledge and financial support to ensure the preservation of the ecosystem and environment of Aldabra. Aldabra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holding the finest surviving tropical atoll ecosystem and the largest raised coral atoll on earth. Due to its unique ecosystems and the species within, it is ecologically and scientifically valuable. The Foundation recognises this and aims to ensure the preservation of the atoll, as well as to promote scientific research into Aldabra’s pristine marine and terrestrial environments. The Aldabra Foundation’s goal is to secure the ecological wonders of Aldabra for future generations by creating the resources and harnessing the expertise required for this task. The increasing impact of human activity is contributing to the decline of the world’s coral reefs, however Aldabra has thus far escaped much of these stresses. Because of this it provides a natural laboratory for studying tropical marine ecosystems and related environments. The Foundation’s mission is to set up a highly developed research facility on the atoll, which will be capable of supporting world leading scientific research into the environment. This will in turn enable comparative terrestrial and marine analysis to achieve a better understanding of ecological change as well as specific anthropogenic impacts on tropical ecosystems such as overfishing, pollution, global warming and ocean acidification.

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Television Trust for the Environment Award Announcement

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Sadequain Naqqash

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Sadequain Naqqash

Painter

Sadequain Naqqash was a legendary Pakistani artist, whose talent earned him widespread recognition and awards, including the Gold Mercury International Award. He was born in 1930 to a family whose trade was calligraphy. In the late 1940′s he joined the Progressive Writers and Artist Movement and his exceptional skill was quickly recognised, allowing him to hold his first solo exhibition in 1954. During the 1960′s he focused on the idea of labour, struggle and persistence against natural elements and these ideals featured heavily in his works of the time. Sadequain was deeply interested in the mysteries of the universe, the meaning of life, role of human beings in the universe, freedom and self-determination, survival and progress and the fine line between reason and emotion. He became well known for his exquisite calligraphy skills, acting as an innovator in this medium in Pakistan. He is often credited with bringing this art form into the mainstream. He was also renowned for his murals which earned him respect and admiration around the world. These large murals dealt with a range of subjects. His most famous mural is currently situated in the Head Office of the State Bank of Pakistan and is entitled, ‘Treasures of Time’. He was dedicated to his art and known to paint all day and night and it is estimated that he created over 15,000 pieces of artwork. His talent earned him numerous awards, including the ‘Tamgha e Imtiaz’, the ‘Laureate Biennale de Paris’ and the ‘Quaid e Azam Award’.

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Rudolf Dassler

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Rudolf Dassler

Founder PUMA

Rudolf Dassler was the founder of German sportswear company PUMA. The company began in 1924 when Dassler joined his brother in forming a shoe factory. The company gained a significant amount of publicity and increased sales after American sprinter Jesse Owns wore Dassler’s spiked track shoes at the 1936 summer Olympics. After they both joined the Nazi party, the relationship between the two brothers became fractured, which led them to split the business in 1948. Mr Dassler then went on to create a new sportswear company which was initially named Ruda before the name was changed to PUMA in 1948. The business grew quickly, with athletes and every day Germans favouring the PUMA footwear. Following Mr Dassler’s retirement he handed control of the company over to his son who helped transform the company into a worldwide phenomenon.

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Rómulo O’Farrill

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Rómulo O’Farrill

Media Entrepreneur

Rómulo O’Farrill was a Mexican media entrepreneur. Born in 1917, he was the eldest son of Rómulo O’Farrill Silva, an automobile industrialist and publisher who co-founded ‘Telesistema Mexicano’, ‘Novedades’ and ‘The News’, as well as ‘Instituto Mexicano de Rehabilitación’. In 1933 he attended the United States Benedictine based school, St Anselm College, in order to learn English. After graduating in 1937, he received an MBA from the Detroit Business Centre. In 1949 Mr O’Farrill and his father obtained a concession from the XHTV-Channel 4, the first commercial television station to be used in Mexico. The first commercial broadcast from the station was the state of the union address by President Miguel Aleman Valdes in September 1950. The family’s television holdings grew and eventually developed into Telesistema Mexicano which would later be renamed Televisa. Mr O’Farrill would later manage and then become Chairman of the Board of this company. In 1969, the O Farrill’s established a newspaper company which distributed the newspaper ‘Novedades’. They also launched ‘The News’, which would become one of Latin America’s largest distributing English language dailies. During his career he sat on the boards of a number of corporations, including RCA Victor de Mexico and Sears Roebuck de Mexico. From 1962-1963 he served as President of the Inter-American Press Association. He was also a founding member of the Mexican Council of Businessmen and was appointed Honorary Consul of Ireland in Mexico, a role he held for over twenty years.

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