SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted December 18, 2005 Time names Bono, Bill and Melinda Gates Persons of Year (CNN) -- The good deeds of an activist rock legend and one of the world's richest men and his wife carried the day in 2005, as Time magazine on Sunday named U2 frontman Bono and philanthropic couple Bill and Melinda Gates as its "Persons of the Year." At Friday's photo shoot for Time, Bono said, "I'm experiencing an unusual feeling. I think it's called being humbled. "The work that I do with DATA and the One Campaign has been helped by what Bill and Melinda do," he said. "This can be a generation in which we eradicate extreme poverty." Bono is a co-founder of the DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) organization, which fights poverty and HIV in the developing world. From that organization was spawned the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History. "It has been a great year for global health to get more visibility," Bill Gates said Friday. "The more people know about it, the more they want to act." The magazine said that while sudden disasters grab the headlines, other tragedies unfold daily. "And who is proving most effective in figuring out how to eradicate those calamities? In different ways, it is Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of the world's wealthiest charitable foundation, and Bono, the Irish rocker who has made debt reduction sexy," Time's managing editor Jim Kelly writes. The Gateses, the magazine notes, "spent the year giving more money away faster than anyone ever has." In January, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation committed $750 million to improving access to child immunizations, accelerating introduction of new vaccines and strengthening vaccine delivery systems. The foundation focuses on education, global health, improving public libraries and supporting at-risk families, according to its Web site. The Gateses awarded grants to schools in Texas, Colorado and Massachusetts, as well as the Lutheran World Relief program, which received $640,000 to help nomadic communities in Niger avert food crises. Bono was one of the organizers behind this year's Live 8 concerts in nine cities worldwide. The concerts were aimed at getting the leaders of the world's nations leaders to come to the aid of impoverished Africa. They did so at the G8 summit, agreeing to double aid to Africa to $50 billion by 2010 and cancel the debts of the poorest nations. "Bono charmed and bullied and morally blackmailed the leaders of the world's richest countries into forgiving $40 billion in debt owed by the poorest," the magazine said. Time's list of "People Who Mattered" in 2005 ran the gamut from President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to a fictional villain, a spy and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. (Photo essayexternal link) Along with Darth Vader, CIA agent Valerie Plame and Pope Benedict XVI, Time tapped: * Plame's husband, former diplomat Joseph Wilson * Texas Rep. and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay * Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad * Apple computer chief Steve Jobs * New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin * U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald * British Prime Minister Tony Blair * Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin * Chief Justice John Roberts * Peace activist Cindy Sheehan * Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice * "Commander in Chief" star Geena Davis * Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican. * Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada * Rapper Kanye West * Teen golfer Michelle Wie, who turned pro in '05. Time for Kids readers picked their "Person of the Year," choosing Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling in a narrow vote over seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Pulling in third were "Heroes in Times of Need" -- those who worked to help people affected by 2005's string of natural disasters, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake. (Local heroesexternal link) Time's editors tapped former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush as their "Partners of the Year" who came together as emissaries and fundraisers, first for victims of the tsunami in south Asia and then for the victims of the other disasters. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/18/time.poy/index.html The "Person of the Year" was never intended to be an award, merely an acknowledgement of who made the biggest single contribution (good or bad) to the world (or sometimes just the news) over the last 12 months, hence the reason Hitler and Stalin have been given the recognition in years past. In recent years though, its become a joke as the "honor" has been given out like some sort of lifetime achievement trophy. Here's a list of people who've "won" it: 2000s 2004: George W. Bush For reshaping the rules of politics to fit his ten-gallon style 2003: The American Soldier The face of America, its might and good will, in a region unused to democracy 2002: The Whistleblowers Women who blew the whistle on Worldcom, Enron and the FBI 2001: Rudolph Giuliani New York mayor leads with his heart after 9/11 attacks 2000: George W. Bush 41's son elected President in the most controversial fashion 1990s 1999: Jeff Bezos Amazon.com founder changed face of business 1998: Bill Clinton/Kenneth Starr President, independent counselor waged public battle 1997: Andy Grove Intel CEO helps led digital revolution 1996: David Ho AIDS researcher pioneered treatment for deadly disease 1995: Newt Gingrich Speaker of the House spearheaded G.O.P.'s sweeping congressional victory 1994: John Paul II Pope traveled the globe to express his conservative views 1993: The Peacemakers Mandela, De Klerk, Rabin and Arafat found ways to break out from prisons of war 1992: Bill Clinton Wonder boy from Hope, Ark., broke 12 years of G.O.P. control of White House 1991: Ted Turner His Cable News Network revolutionized news coverage 1990: George Bush President acted decisively abroad; waffles at home 1980s 1989: Mikhail Gorbachev "Man of the Decade" became patron of change 1988: The Endangered Earth Jumpstarted a new era of environmental activism 1987: Mikhail Gorbachev Shattered Soviet lethargy 1986: Corazon Aquino Led peaceful revolution that ended Marcos years in Philippines 1985: Deng Xiaoping Reshaped China by embracing free-market reforms 1984: Peter Ueberroth Married Big Business to the Olympics with profitable L.A. Games 1983: Ronald Reagan/Yuri Andropov Deadlock failed to de-escalate cold war missile race 1982: The Computer TIME anticipated a revolution 1981: Lech Walesa Solidarity leader struck first blows against Kremlin's empire 1980: Ronald Reagan Americas leaned right, and The Great Communicator was born 1970s 1979: Ayatullah Khomeini Rarely has so improbable a leader shaken the world 1978: Teng Hsiao-p'ing Brought stability to China, long racked by extremism 1977: Anwar Sadat Dared greatly with surprise peace gambit and trip to Israel 1976: Jimmy Carter Played outsider status into successful run for White House 1975: U.S. Women Refusing to play second-fiddle, women asserted their equality 1974: King Faisal Saudi led OPEC price hikes that roiled world markets 1973: Judge Sirica Broke Watergate open by pursuing truth in the White House 1972: Nixon/Kissinger Master diplomats talked detente with U.S.S.R., visited Mao 1971: Richard Nixon Opened China's door, devalued dollar, quelled antiwar protest 1970: Willy Brandt West German tried to bring about enlarged, united Western Europe 1960s 1969: Middle Class Their silent but newly felt presence began to shape course of nation 1968: U.S. Astronauts Led the way as race to moon enters final lap 1967: Lyndon Johnson Vietnam turned him from architect of social reform into embattled leader 1966: Young People They shook up society, trusted no one over 30 1965: Gen. William Westmoreland Oversaw struggling U.S. grunts in Vietnam 1964: Lyndon Johnson President began to forge his Great Society 1963: Martin Luther King, Jr. Led civil rights cause by arming troops with dreams and oratory 1962: Pope John XXIII Opened the windows of his age-old Church, sparks revolution 1961: John F. Kennedy Won battle for White House against Richard Nixon in squeaker 1960: U.S. Scientists Scored inpressive gains while struggling to keep pace with Soviets 1950s 1959: Dwight D. Eisenhower Rallied NATO allies by facing up to high-flying Khrushchev 1958: Charles De Gaulle Crisis in Algeria brought WWII hero back to power in France 1957: Nikita Khrushchev Scored an immense propaganda victory over U.S. with launch of Sputnik 1956: Hungarian Patriot Launched first revolt behind Soviet's "Iron Curtain" 1955: Harlow H. Curtice Helped steer U.S. into new age of wide-open affluence 1954: John Foster Dulles Secretary of State brought "brinksmanship" to cold war lexicon 1953: Konrad Adenauer Forced war-shattered West Germany to face the future 1952: Queen Elizabeth II Her coronation ushered in a new era for Britain 1951: Mohammed Mossadegh Rallied short-lived anti-Western government in Iran 1950: G.I. Joe Marched into history as cold war heats up in Korea 1940s 1949: Winston Churchill Named Man of the Half-Century 1948: Harry S. Truman "Gave 'em hell" with stunning victory over Tom Dewey 1947: George Marshall Secretary of State oversaw visionary Marshall Plan 1946: James F. Byrnes First Secretary of State to face the cold war 1945: Harry Truman Answered critics and proved his mettle 1944: Dwight D. Eisenhower Rolled back Germans after leading Allies into France 1943: Gen. George Marshall Oversaw vast war effort on two fronts 1942: Joseph Stalin The U.S.'s new ally in war against Hitler 1941: Franklin D. Roosevelt Faced two potent foes after preparing reluctant U.S. for battle 1940: Winston Churchill Britain stood firm against Hitler, who conquered five nations 1930s 1939: Joseph Stalin Paved the way for Hitler's war by signing secret pact with old enemy 1938: Adolf Hitler His figure strode over Europe with all the swagger of a conqueror 1937: Gen. and Mme. Chang Kai-Shek Japan's invasion of China imperiled them as "Man and Woman of the Year" 1936: Wallis Simpson Shook the British crown with her new husband, once King Edward VIII 1935: Haile Selassie Ethiopia's king fought an incursion by Italy's strongman, Mussolini 1934: Franklin D. Roosevelt The President battles the Depression 1933: Hugh Johnson National Recovery Administrator works tirelessly to revive America's economy 1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt Takes over as President for nation facing economic calamity 1931: Pierre Laval His energy and vision restored France to the center of world events 1930: Mohandas Gandhi The pacifist mobilizes India to pursue its independence 1920s 1929: Owen Young U.S. businessman chaired second post-war Reparations Conference 1928: Walter Chrysler Rocked Detroit by buying Dodge and unveiling a new line, Plymouth 1927: Charles Lindbergh His solo New York-Paris flight made him a legend http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/archive/stories/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Art Sandusky 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 I wanted Nature to win it. No single person has really been worthy of the title this year. Friggin' Bono? Whatever. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 The best was when Mick Foley was winning and they removed him so people started voting for Flair...and then they removed him. Kayne West and Darth Vadar, fine and dandy. Professional wrestlers? No thank you sir! Now someone call Geena Davis, we need to put her character on the cover! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gary Floyd 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 Bono? Fuck that. I fucking hate Bono. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ravenbomb 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 The best was when Mick Foley was winning and they removed him so people started voting for Flair...and then they removed him. When was this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CheesalaIsGood 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 Ugh. That is some dumb ass shit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2GOLD 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 The best was when Mick Foley was winning and they removed him so people started voting for Flair...and then they removed him. When was this? God, it was a couple years back like when Mick's first book came out. The online poll had Foley in front by a HUGE margin, I mean he had it in the bag. So Time removed his name because he "didn't fit into what they were looking for", so people responded by pushing Flair to first. Time removed him because "characters played by actors didn't fit into blah". Now? Geena Davis is a finalist for playing a bad President. Nice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AboveAverage484 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 The best was when Mick Foley was winning and they removed him so people started voting for Flair...and then they removed him. When was this? I believe it was after he achieved some mainstream recognition after releasing his book, which was late 2000, early 2001, IIRC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slayer 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 I thought the Foley thing was in 1998 after the HITC monster-bumps, and the Flair sentiment was after his situation with Bischoff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Failed Bridge 0 Report post Posted December 19, 2005 I'm surprised Senator McCain didn't get any recognition for basically helping back the MLB Player's Union into a corner on the Steroid Testing policy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spman 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Bill O'Reilly should have been man of the year. Bill O'Reilly kicks ass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snuffbox 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Pass the douche... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Honest question here: for all of his grandstanding, has Bono ever actually done anything? How much of his fortune has he donated? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Special K 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Oh, and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (with love!) is a fucking terrible, awful, no-good album. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vitamin X Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Darth Vader should have won, damn it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
snuffbox 0 Report post Posted December 20, 2005 Honest question here: for all of his grandstanding, has Bono ever actually done anything? How much of his fortune has he donated? Live8 did have a big impact on the G-8 conference...and Bono had more to do with that than anybody. Some countries debts were eliminated and alot of money was donated by wealthy nations. Bono has been to Africa to assist people often and has had several meetings with President Bush and other world leaders. He is also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his poverty/AIDS work. I really doubt that Time and the Nobel folks are just really big U2 marks... That said, I wouldnt have argued if Bush Sr/Clinton or Nature had gotten the award...and I dont see much arguing against who did get it either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Your Paragon of Virtue 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2005 Justice Gomery was the Canadian version of the magazine's person of the year. At least that makes sense given the criteria. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hogan Made Wrestling 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2005 I don't see anything wrong with these choices, particularly given what happened this year. Although if I was voting myself, I'd probably go with Patrick Fitzgerald. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted December 22, 2005 I don't see anything wrong with these choices, particularly given what happened this year. Care to elaborate on that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cawthon777 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2005 I thought the Foley thing was in 1998 after the HITC monster-bumps, and the Flair sentiment was after his situation with Bischoff. Yep, Foley's was 1998. I think it took off right around the time he won his first title from Rock. I don't recall Flair being involved but if it was after his situation with Bischoff, that also would have been 98; he returned to TV in September. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hogan Made Wrestling 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2005 I don't see anything wrong with these choices, particularly given what happened this year. Care to elaborate on that? What I mean is that it wasn't a big news year for human stories, all the major stuff that happened was nature related. And most of the humans in the news this year were there for negative reasons (Brown, Delay, Nagin, Libby, etc.). Live 8 was one of the more successful and noteworthy positive events that happened. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2005 Okay, I see your point. My problem with Time is that this is the same recognition they've given to people like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Its okay to give it to someone with a negative reputation because its not supposed to be an endorsement, but an acknowledgment of who made the biggest mark on the world in a given year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fartsauce 0 Report post Posted December 23, 2005 I like U2 but Bono should not get that award thank you very much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2005 IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AN AWARD!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hogan Made Wrestling 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2005 Okay, I see your point. My problem with Time is that this is the same recognition they've given to people like Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Its okay to give it to someone with a negative reputation because its not supposed to be an endorsement, but an acknowledgment of who made the biggest mark on the world in a given year. I agree with you, but TIME basically pissed all over that by not making Bin Laden person of the year in 2001. Making "The American Soldier" person of the year last year was pretty lame as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corey_Lazarus 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2005 So Time's saying that Bono did more than any other human being on the planet to help others...well, I guess that a rockstar can do more than politicians, charity organizations, etc. Fuck U2. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chaosrage 0 Report post Posted December 24, 2005 Wasn't Hank the angry drunken dwarf in 1st place while Flair was in second? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Tuxedo Mask Report post Posted December 24, 2005 Who are Melinda and Bono Gates? Isn't Bill the only important one? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianGuitarist 0 Report post Posted December 25, 2005 I agree with you, but TIME basically pissed all over that by not making Bin Laden person of the year in 2001. Making "The American Soldier" person of the year last year was pretty lame as well. Al Franken made an interesting point: Somewhere, bin Laden is enraged at Bush for giving all this 9-11 based recognition to Saddam. And if Stalin, Khomeini and Hitler all got it, bin Laden certainly, um, deserved it. Who did get it in 2001, incidentally? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted December 25, 2005 Who did get it in 2001, incidentally? Rudy Guiliani. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
