THE WORLD PORTAL

Ted Turner is an American media proprietor, philanthropist and founder of the cable television network CNN. He also founded WTBS, which pioneered the super station concept in cable television. He was born in Cincinnati Ohio as the son of Florence and Robert Edward Turner II, a billboard magnate. He graduated from the military-oriented McCallie School in Chattanooga Tennessee. He was not normal boy in the school, and he got nickname “Terrible Ted”. In 24 years, he suffered the loss of his dad when his father shot himself due to the fall of his billboard business. After that he decided to run the business himself and slowly rebuild his father’s legacy. He became president and chief executive of Turner Advertising Company and turned it firm into a global enterprise. In 1975, when FCC allowed Turner’s WTCG-TV-Channel 17 in Atlanta to use a satellite to broadcast old movies, situation comedy reruns, cartoons, and sport nationwide to cable-TV subscribers, then WTCG (now WTBS) was reaching two million subscribers and Turner was worth $100 million. In 1980, he started CNN, a 24-hour news channel and the first national cable network. It worked very well and it was the only news source that carried the press conference live. However, he started  other TV stations like TNT, Tim Warner etc. He is also active in environmental groups and has received many civic and industry honors. He was selected as the Man of the Year in 1991 and received the Governor’s Award from the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also member of the board of several organizations including the national cable television association, the Martin Luther King center for nonviolent social change and the greater yellow stone coalition. He is also an accomplished yachtsman, and he has made many donations to charitable organizations. He is successful not only in the television and cable industry, but also he owns various ranches within the U.S. making him the largest single landowner in America. Turner now dedicates his time and resources to making the world a better, safer place for future generations.

Vladimir Putin was the second president and the current prime minister of Russia. He also served as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He served Russia as president in two times. Putin got good public opinion throughout his presidential and prime minister terms. He was born in St Petersburg as the child of Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin, a factory foreman and Maria Ivanovna Putina. He graduated from Leningrad State University. Thereafter he was recruited into the KGB. He also became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1990, he was appointed Mayor Sobchak’s advisor on international affairs. Then he became Mr Sobchak’s head of external relations and then served as deputy mayor from March 1994. In 1998, President Boris Yeltsin appointed him as head of the powerful Security Council. After Boris Yeltsin sacked Sergei Stepashin in August 1999, he became Russia’s prime minister. On the last day of the 20th century, Boris Yeltsin resigned and appointed him as acting president. Before presidency he had no experience of elected office. Afterwards he proved that he is a good speaker and he became most popular among young people, Muscovites and educated people. In 2000, his popularity increased, when he came in for serious criticism in relation to his ignoring of the Kursk submarine disaster. But in 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis, the death of 130 hostages in the special forces’ rescue operation seriously affect the President Putin’s popularity. On his presidency, Russia’s economy bounced back from crisis, seeing GDP increase six-fold , poverty cut more than half and average monthly salaries increase from $80 to $640, or by 150% in real rates. In 2008, he was appointed as prime minister of Russia. Putin married to Lyudmila Shkrebneva and they have two daughters. He has good command of English and German and he is fond of sports, especially judo. Also he received many awards. In 2007, Putin was named Person of the Year by Expert magazine.