Who We Are
Leadership:
The vision of excellent leadership at Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force, starts at the very first moment when current and future team members have the common goal of achieving the most in their professional career as part of a team that highlights each team member’s unique skills and talents. Our common goal, is to save the Environment around the World by Land, Sea and Air.
Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force is a firm believer that doing what you enjoy doing the most in life for work equals excellent results in the short, mid and long term. This action alone, provides for better results at an individual and at a team level becoming more productive and efficient. Last, but not least this action also reflects on an excellent delivery of products and services to clients and enhanced collaboration with other key like-mined leaders.
Leadership consists of working at becoming a better and more proficient individual on your skill set, doing what you enjoy doing the most benefiting society and the environment as a whole while setting high standards and a great example for other likeminded individuals to follow.
In summary, leadership at Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force is the art of mastering at achieving a win win collaboration between opposing parties which in some cases could have greater power and influence in a certain area of the market or the entire Planet.
Alicia Valdes
Global Eco Army, Navy, Air Force & Space Force
President & Chief Executive Officer
Speaks English, Spanish & Romanian
Alicia Valdes (born September 6th, 1980) is a Global Entrepreneur, Businesswoman, Environmental Conservation Leader, Visionary, Philanthropist, Model, Human Rights Advocate, Speaker, Peace Advocate, A Voice for the Voiceless, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Choice Defender. Top Expert in Solar Technology applied in 18 different industries Statewide, Nationwide, and Worldwide. Business and Ecosystem Conservation Mentor for Children, Teens, and Adults. Ms. Valdes is the former President and CEO of Bright Solar Systems. A Worldwide Solar Consulting Firm with an outreach of 17 Countries and Solar Power application in 18 different industries.
Quote: "My mother always called me "My little SUNSHINE" She always knew I came to this World to do something Nice and Beautiful! My dear mother made me with a special ingredient called LOVE."
Quote: "There is no reason to look back, when you have so much to look forward to."
Quote: "Dream, Believe and Achieve!"
Ms. Valdes has advised President Barack Obama and Florida Governor Rick Scott in matters related to the importance of Solar Technology deployment Statewide and Nationwide. She has also instilled the crucial need of enhanced implementation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects for schools and colleges to President Obama.
Bright Solar Systems Completed the Encore Solar Park on time and budget for the client on March 14, 2012. Encore is a 450+ Million Dollar project in the heart of Tampa Bay, half owned by Bank of America and half owned by the Tampa Housing Authority. Bright Solar Systems Awarded Solar Source as the Top Selective Solar Technology Provider of the Year 2012 on July 19th, 2013 along with client Tampa Housing Authority in Tampa, Fl.
Bright Solar Systems was Nominated for the prestigious CREW Tampa Bay "Excellence Award", in the categories of Crew Member Networking Deal Maker of the Year Excellence Award and Sustainable Exterior Excellence Award on December 5th, 2013 in Tampa, Fl. Bright Solar Systems worked with the ISES: P.O.W.E.R. at the University of South Florida, a student organization that promotes the knowledge and education of sustainable energy. Assisted ISES with the mission to inspire an era of solar energy innovation and speed up the transition to a sustainable energy economy.
Ms. Valdes was Invited as Guest Lecturer for USF Students in different fields and topics related to advancing education, research, and policy in the Solar Industry in July, 2014.
Bright Solar Systems worked with the Colombian Government and the Chamber of Commerce in May, 2012 in reference to possible solar panel installations in rural areas and various municipal schools that lack electricity.
Ms. Valdes was Appointed Colombian Ambassador by the International Green Energy Council on May 2, 2013 located in Washington, DC.
Provided multimillion/billion-dollar sales and installation agreements to Valpak, Cox Media, Pepsi, Grand Central, Mercury Advisors, Grand Central at Kennedy, ZMG Construction, St. Anthony’s Hospital, Howard Johnson Hotels, Bank of America, the City of Tampa, FL U.S.A, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Delhi, India and Nakatsu City, Japan.
Developed productive sourcing relationships through North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia, South Africa and the Middle East within less than a year of being in business.
Within the first 3 years in business, Bright Solar Systems identified and acquired new business and managed all aspects of the project lifecycle-from scope of work through provisions of deliverables, follow-up, and relationship management-for large-scale, long term Projects with an average amount of $1Million to over $100 Billion. Bright Solar Systems consistently delivered mission-critical results driven by visceral “hard-wired” need to strategize, to innovate, and to disprove words “it can’t be done!”
Now she is best known as the President & CEO at Global Eco Army and serves on its Board of Directors. She is referred as an Angel of Hope for the World. She is fluent in Spanish, English and Romanian. On her very first year she was able to plant trees and conduct cleanups by land and water in 4 continents with over $1,000 Eco Soldiers and Eco Marines. She also managed to raise 1/4 Million Dollars in tangible and intangible donation on the first 12 months.
Ms. Valdes has been featured in major TV News outlets such as ABC Action News, Channel 8 and Bay News 9. She has been interviewed by the Morning Blend Show and Blum TV Show between a few others locally in Tampa, Florida. Internationally she has been featured in the TV news in Kiev, Ukraine; Burundi, Africa; Bogota, Colombia; Mexico City, Mexico. Ms. Valdes has also been featured in numerous New Letters and Press Releases such as Cision PR Newswire, NewsTalk Florida, IQ Stock Market, The Free Press, Spot on Florida, Yahoo News and MSN. Recently she was featured in the May Edition of El Puente Magazine.
On the non-profit's second year Anniversary on Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2022, The Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor congratulated Alicia Valdes and Global Eco Army on the ambitious goal to plant 8 billion trees Worldwide alongside taking 10% of Plastic pollution out of the Ocean Worldwide.
On April 21st, 2022, The Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor, the City of Tampa and Chief Sustainability Officer Whit Remer came to the Global Eco Navy River Cleanup Event on Earth Day to congratulate the Global Eco Marines on the mission to SAVE the Hillsborough River and the Planet.
EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Ms. Alicia Valdes, President & CEO of Bright Solar Systems was born in Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 1980 from Romanian mother and Colombian father. At the young age of 5 Ms. Valdes relocated with her mother to Colombia to re-unite with her father. Ms. Valdes was raised in Bogota, Colombia where she attended North Gym High School. Subsequently after her High School graduation, she attended Sergio Arboleda University and studied Finance and International Business for a period of 1 year.
At the age of 18 Ms. Valdes and her parents relocated to Tampa, FL U.S.A in 1999. Once in the country Ms. Valdes became an International Student at Florida Metropolitan University where she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. While attending school Ms. Valdes had her own business from the age of 20 to 25 importing clothing from Colombia.
At the age of 25 she worked as a Customer Service Representative at Hype Park Insurance, where she was later promoted to Personal and Commercial Lines Insurance Agent and last Compliance Director. In her position as Compliance Director, she made sure that each Company’s Underwriting Guideline was properly followed in order to successfully bind coverage for the Named Insured.
FAMILY
Ms. Valdes Mother, Susana Szakacs is a Romanian Violinist. She played First Violin with The Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra for 15 Years and The Tampa Bay Symphony in Tampa, Florida. Internationally Mrs. Szakacs has performed in Europe, South America and United States with accomplished Artists such as Sarah Brightman, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Diana Ross and The Mannheim Steamroller Orchestra. Besides her extensive career as Violin performer, she also has dedicated most of her life to music education in many Universities abroad such as National University, Los Andes University and Javeriana University in Bogota, Colombia and to private students. Further, Mrs. Szakacs was the String Director for 3 consecutive years in Tampa Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida. She currently has a Music Studio and teaches Violin and Piano lessons to all age students. Ms. Szakacs’ mother Ms. Dora Teleki was a German/ Austro-Hungarian Violinist and Singer, Ms. Dora Teleki was the daughter of the former Prime Minister of Hungary Pal Telki. Ms. Szakacs father served in the Romanian Air Force as Pilot in World War II and her grandfather was Captain in the Hungarian Army.
Ms. Valdes Father, Jorge Pena is a Colombian Doctor. He received his General Practitioner Doctor Degree in Cluj-Napoca, Romania with a Specialization in Geriatrics. He later moved to open his own Doctor’s Office Practice in Bogota, Colombia and also worked as Geriatric Doctor for various Nursing Homes. He is currently a Home Health Care Provider for an American Home Health Care Institution. His father was a wealthy businessman that owned several Supermarkets, Homes, Residential Buildings, Lands and Businesses in Colombia. His mother was Dressmaker.
EARLY CAREER AND BUSINESS
At the age of 14, Ms. Valdes graduated as a Professional Model from John Casablanca’s in Bogota, Colombia, where she pursued her modeling career for 14 years until the age of 28 in United States. Ms. Valdes also worked as Receptionist in her father’s Doctors Practice at the age of 16 to gain real world work experience. At the age of 19 she moved to Florida to pursue her studies and worked in another Doctor’s Office as a Doctor’s Assistant with Patient’s Paperwork. As an International Student from Colombia, she had to pay College Fees that were 3 times more expensive than the ones paid by local Florida Residents. Ms. Valdes worked 5 jobs to be able to pay for her own college without the assistance of her parents, financial aid from the Government or, any type of financing options because they were not available to her at the time.
While attending College from 2000 to 2004 Ms. Valdes opened her own Business Importing Clothing from Colombia to United States, she sold a brand called Besame (Kiss Me) which specialized in female swimwear, lingerie, jeans, shirts, pajamas, dresses and men swimwear and underwear. She owned the business for 5 years. While still in College Ms. Valdes worked for various Insurance Companies as Personal and Commercial Lines Insurance Agent from 2000 to 2004. Her 3rd Job was as Spanish and Dance Teacher for Kindergarten and Elementary School children. Her 4th job was as Spokes Modes on Trade Shows; Print Model for Calendars, Magazines, Stock Images, News Papers, Banners, Online Advertisement; Artistic/ Freeze Model for Artists and Shopping Malls; and Runway Show Model for Harley Davidson, Bridal Dress Kashi Couture and Summer Love Bikinis in Florida, California, and South Carolina. Ms. Valdes was also a Movie Extra in a movie in Florida and a Model for a Music Video in California. Her 5th job was managing her mother’s Music Studio in the Marketing and Development Departments.
MID CAREER AND BUSINESS
After Alicia Valdes graduated from Florida Metropolitan University in 2004, she started working for Hyde Park Insurance Services from 2005 to 2007 as Property & Casualty Insurance Agent and Compliance Director. She Provided Auto, Homeowner’s, Dwelling Fire, Flood, Umbrella, Watercraft and Motorcycle Insurance Quotes. As an Agent she established a 95% closing ratio on sales. Established a multi-million-dollar book of business through client’s referrals, repeated business and Networking Events. Trained new staff members in customer service as well as in sales. Ms. Valdes excellent work ethic turned into new business acquisition & client retention success. She was the Number One agent on the first quarter following promotion to Sales Agent. Helped in the joint team effort to establish a $18 Million book of business for the agency for both Commercial and Personal Lines Accounts. She once again exceeded expectations through cross selling and trilingual skills.
While working in Insurance, Ms. Valdes also assisted her former husband Miguel Valdes in his business, who was the Major League Baseball Coach for Jose Contreras a Pitcher for The New York Yankees. Her former husband Miguel Valdes was an Olympic Champion and Coach many years in the row with the Cuban National Major League Baseball Team for 30 years. Once established in United States, her former husband was the Coach and Manager for many baseball players from Cuba and Dominican Republic looking to be drafted in the MLB for the New York Yankees, White Socks, The Rays and New York Mets between others.
Despite of being married to a Millionaire, Ms. Valdes never stopped working one day of her life, in fact, she did not mind signing a Prenuptial Agreement. She always cherished her independence and she felt too creative to be a stay home wife! She always felt that the World needed her, needed her passion and skills to make the World a better place. After being with her husband for 3 years, a divorce took place where both parties remained amicable with no children in between. After her divorce, from 2007 to 2008 Ms. Valdes wanted to explore working in other Industries, since she had a tremendous ability to learn new concepts in a fast and effective manner and her multi-tasking skills always facilitated a smooth transition every time. She started working as a Sales Consultant for Mercedes Benz of Tampa Bay for 1 year. Then she wanted to learn more about Property Management since her and her husband had acquired investment properties together while married and after the divorce, she was left with a couple properties to manage. Ms. Valdes decided to become a Leasing Agent for an Apartment Complex, then she was promoted to Assistant Manager within one month and later to General Manager within 2 months. She was in the Property Management Industry from 2008 to 2010.
BUSINESS
Ms. Valdes always wanted to own 5 businesses since childhood, that was her dream. She already owned one in the past, in her early 20’s, now she wanted to get to the next level and own her second business and create everything from zero, she wanted it to be her style, with her integrity, with her ethics/transparency, creativity, passion, knowledge and love. She only had her savings to invest in the business, no outside investor help.
Therefore, she became the Founder, President and CEO of a Solar Technology Consulting Firm called Bright Solar Systems, Inc, in Tampa, Florida United States from July 2010 to July 2016.
From 2016 to 2020 she worked as a Personal Lines Insurance Agent for Glenn Mitchell State Farm Insurance, the largest Insurance Company in U.S.A
As President & CEO Ms. Alicia Valdes has positioned Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force as primary driving force behind the acquisition of State, National and Worldwide awareness of the importance that taking care of the Planet has in order to achieve a more sustainable socio-economical and environmentally friendly culture for Residential, Commercial and Governmental customers all around the World. Global Eco Army is a 501c3 Nonprofit Organization doing business as Global Eco Navy and Global Eco Air Force which solves the World's greatest existential issues that had been affecting over 7 billion humans in the past 100 years.
Global Eco Army’s main goal is to become the Largest Nonprofit in the World in charge of restoring the Planet's Ecosystem by Land, Sea and Air. Global Eco Army is divided in 3 branches. Global Eco Army saves the World by Land, Global Eco Navy saves the World by Sea and Global Eco Air Force saves the World by Air. The organization seeks to have under its wings all other Environmental Non-Profits around the World and help each, and everyone; without exception to achieve their financial and projects goals.
The priority, and future term goal, is to employ 1 billion people by 2050, whom, are highly specialized, motivated, and dedicated to SAVE THE PLANET. 197 Countries are required to place an equal percentage of their GDP towards a Global Environment Preservation Fund which is being proposed by Global Eco Army. The funds are disbursed as needed to mitigate water, air, and soil pollution related issues all around the World. The funds will provide payroll for the massive workforce employed, the various causes, R&D and deployment.
Global Eco Army will be the number one and only impartial entity in the World, which belongs to the entire Planet as a whole in charge of, carefully studying each and every method applied to save the Environment.
In 2020 Global Eco Army helped 12 Environmental Non-profits achieve their goals locally, nationally and internationally. Global Eco Army Donated funds to the following Non-Profit organizations to aid to their cause. Further, helped promoting them on Social Media Platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn. Greenpeace, SolarStratos, International Anti-Criminal Alliance, Ocean Cleanup, 8 billion Trees, Greening Burundi, Global Citizens Climate Lobby, Word War Zero, Earthday.Org, Care2Petition, Fridays for Future and The Nature Conservancy.
Each idea and technological advancement will be carefully studied and implemented according to highest legal, safe, ethical and moral international standards of business practices. This method of collaboration will avoid monopolies from taking place, which abuse their power in the financial markets.
Soldiers from 197 Countries from age 3 to over 100 are envisioned to help plant trees via digging holes in the ground with a Shovel, via Drones and via War retrofitted Airplanes. Global Eco Navy will also deploy machines to take out the plastic waste from rivers, lakes and oceans.
Ms. Valdes is characterized by consistently delivering mission-critical results - driven by visceral “hard-wired” need to strategize, to innovate, and to disprove words “it can’t be done!” Gifted with the vision, determination, and skills needed for high-level revenue building strategies and tactics. She is effective and accountable in high-profile executive roles. She overcomes complex business challenges and makes high stake decisions using Performance Improvement experience-backed judgment, strong work ethic and irreproachable integrity. Respected as a proponent of empowerment and accountability.
Elon Reeve Musk FRS (/ˈiːlɒn/; born June 28, 1971) is an entrepreneur, investor, and business magnate. He is the founder, CEO, and Chief Engineer at SpaceX; angel investor, CEO, and Product Architect of Tesla, Inc.; founder of The Boring Company; and co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI. With an estimated net worth of around US$265 billion as of May 2022,[4] Musk is the wealthiest person in the world according to both the Bloomberg Billionaires Index and the Forbes real-time billionaires list.[5][6]
Quote: "When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor."
Quote: "The first step is to establish that something is possible; then probability will occur."
Quote: "I could either watch it happen or be a part of it."
Musk was born to a Canadian mother and White South African father, and raised in Pretoria, South Africa. He briefly attended the University of Pretoria before moving to Canada at age 17. He matriculated at Queen's University and transferred to the University of Pennsylvania two years later, where he received a bachelor's degree in Economics and Physics. He moved to California in 1995 to attend Stanford University but decided instead to pursue a business career, co-founding the web software company Zip2 with his brother Kimbal. The startup was acquired by Compaq for $307 million in 1999. The same year, Musk co-founded online bank X.com, which merged with Confinity in 2000 to form PayPal. The company was bought by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
In 2002 Musk founded SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company, of which he is CEO and Chief Engineer. In 2004 he joined electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors, Inc. (now Tesla, Inc.) as chairman and product architect, becoming its CEO in 2008 In 2006 he helped create SolarCity, a solar energy services company that was later acquired by Tesla and became Tesla Energy. In 2015 he co-founded OpenAI, a nonprofit research company that promotes friendly artificial intelligence (AI). In 2016 he co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology company focused on developing brain–computer interfaces, and founded The Boring Company, a tunnel construction company. He also agreed to purchase the major American social networking service Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion. Musk has proposed the Hyperloop, a high-speed vactrain transportation system. He is the president of the Musk Foundation, which donates to scientific research and education.
As Chief Philanthropy Officer, Mr. Musk will assist Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force to acquire over $500 Trillion Dollars in donations Worldwide to help SAVE THE PLANET by Land, Air and Sea. Negotiate with various companies and countries around the World to set a percentage of their GDP and their revenues for Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force to obtain an equal contribution from all for the purpose of Environment preservation.
As Chief Innovation Officer Mr. Musk will formulate creative ideas to become more effective and efficient with time and budget allocations for the various missions by Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force. Even implement a 4th branch for the Nonprofit.
Early life
Childhood and family
Further information: Musk family
Elon Reeve Musk was born on June 28, 1971, in Pretoria, South Africa.[7] His mother is Maye Musk (née Haldeman), a model and dietitian born in Saskatchewan, Canada,[8][9][10] but raised in South Africa. His father is Errol Musk, a White South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, and property developer who was once a half-owner of a Zambian emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika.[11][12] Musk has a younger brother, Kimbal (born 1972), and a younger sister, Tosca (born 1974).[10][13] His maternal grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, was an adventurous American-born Canadian who took his family on record-breaking journeys in a single-engine Bellanca airplane to Africa and Australia;[14][15][16] Musk has British and Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry.[17][18] When Musk was a child, his adenoids were removed because doctors suspected that he was deaf, but his mother later decided that he was thinking "in another world."[19] The family was very wealthy in Elon's youth; Errol Musk once said, "We had so much money at times we couldn't even close our safe".[12] Elon's father was also elected to the Pretoria City Council as a representative of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party, with the Musk children reportedly sharing their father's dislike of apartheid.[20] After his parents divorced in 1980, Musk mostly lived with his father in Pretoria and elsewhere,[17] a choice he made two years after the divorce and subsequently regretted.[21] Musk has become estranged from his father, whom he describes as "a terrible human being... Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done."[21] He has a half-sister and a half-brother on his father's side.[14][22] Elon attended an Anglican Sunday school in his youth.[23] Around age 10, Musk developed an interest in computing and video games and acquired a Commodore VIC-20.[24][25] He learned computer programming using a manual and, at age 12, sold the code of a BASIC-based video game he created called Blastar to PC and Office Technology magazine for approximately $500.[26][27] An awkward and introverted child,[28] Musk was bullied throughout his childhood and was once hospitalized after a group of boys threw him down a flight of stairs.[21][29] He attended Waterkloof House Preparatory School and Bryanston High School before graduating from Pretoria Boys High School.[30]
Education
Musk graduated from Pretoria Boys High School in South Africa.
Aware that it would be easier to enter the United States from Canada,[31] Musk applied for a Canadian passport through his Canadian-born mother.[32][33] While awaiting the documentation, he attended the University of Pretoria for five months; this allowed him to avoid mandatory service in the South African military.[34] Musk arrived in Canada in June 1989, and lived with a second cousin in Saskatchewan for a year,[35] working odd jobs at a farm and lumber-mill.[36] In 1990, he entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.[37][38] Two years later, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the Wharton School.[39][40][41]
In 1994, Musk held two internships in Silicon Valley during the summer: at energy storage startup Pinnacle Research Institute, which researched electrolytic ultracapacitors for energy storage, and at the Palo Alto-based startup Rocket Science Games.[42] In 1995, he was accepted to a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in materials science at Stanford University in California.[43] Musk attempted to get a job at Netscape but never received a response to his inquiries.[32] He dropped out of Stanford after two days, deciding instead to join the Internet boom and launch an Internet startup.[44]
Business career Zip2
In 1995, Musk, his brother Kimbal, and Greg Kouri founded web software company Zip2 with funds from angel investors.[21] They housed the venture at a small rented office in Palo Alto.[45] The company developed and marketed an Internet city guide for the newspaper publishing industry, with maps, directions, and yellow pages.[46] Musk says that before the company became successful, he could not afford an apartment and instead rented an office and slept on the couch and showered at the YMCA, and shared one computer with his brother. When he and Kimbal could not agree on business decisions, they settled their differences through wrestling.[47] According to Musk, "The website was up during the day and I was coding it at night, seven days a week, all the time."[45] The Musk brothers obtained contracts with The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune,[48] and persuaded the board of directors to abandon plans for a merger with CitySearch.[49] Musk's attempts to become CEO, a position held by its Chairman Rich Sorkin,[50] were thwarted by the board.[51] Compaq acquired Zip2 for $307 million in cash in February 1999,[52][53] and Musk received $22 million for his 7-percent share.[54][55]
X.com and PayPal Main articles: X.com, PayPal, and PayPal Mafia
In 1999, Musk co-founded X.com, an online financial services and e-mail payment company.[56] The startup was one of the first federally insured online banks, and, in its initial months of operation, over 200,000 customers joined the service.[57] The company's investors regarded Musk as inexperienced and had him replaced with Intuit CEO Bill Harris by the end of the year.[58] The following year, X.com merged with online bank Confinity to avoid competition.[45][58][59] Founded by Max Levchin and Peter Thiel,[60] Confinity had its own money-transfer service, PayPal, which was more popular than X.com's service.[54][61] Within the merged company, Musk returned as CEO. Musk's preference for Microsoft software over Unix created a rift in the company and caused Thiel to resign.[62] Due to resulting technological issues and lack of a cohesive business model, the board ousted Musk and replaced him with Thiel in September 2000.[63][b] Under Thiel, the company focused on the PayPal service and was renamed PayPal in 2001.[65][66] In 2002 PayPal was acquired by eBay for $1.5 billion in stock, of which Musk—the largest shareholder with 11.72% of shares—received $175.8 million.[67][68]
In 2017 Musk purchased the domain X.com from PayPal for an undisclosed amount, explaining it has sentimental value.[69][70]
SpaceX
In 2001 Musk became involved with the nonprofit Mars Society. He was inspired by plans to place a growth-chamber for plants on Mars and discussed funding the project himself.[71] In October 2001, Musk traveled to Moscow with Jim Cantrell and Mike Griffin to buy refurbished Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could send the greenhouse payloads into space. He met with companies NPO Lavochkin and Kosmotras; however, Musk was seen as a novice and was even spat on by one of the Russian chief designers. The group returned to the United States empty-handed. In February 2002, the group returned to Russia to look for three ICBMs. They had another meeting with Kosmotras and were offered one rocket for $8 million, which Musk rejected. Musk instead decided to start a company that could build affordable rockets.[72] With $100 million of his early fortune,[73] Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp., traded as SpaceX, in May 2002.[74] As of 2021, he remains the company's CEO and also holds the title of Chief Engineer.[75]
SpaceX attempted its first launch of the Falcon 1 rocket in 2006,[76] and although the rocket failed to reach Earth orbit, it was awarded a Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program contract from NASA later that year.[77] After two more failed attempts, which reportedly caused Musk so much stress that he was "waking from nightmares, screaming and in physical pain",[78] SpaceX succeeded in launching the Falcon 1 into orbit in 2008, making it the first private liquid-fuel rocket to do so.[79] Later that year, SpaceX received a $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services program contract from NASA for 12 flights of its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station, replacing the Space Shuttle after its 2011 retirement.[80] In 2012 the Dragon vehicle berthed with the ISS, a first for a private enterprise.[81]
Working towards its goal of reusable rockets, in 2015 SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9.[82] Landings were later achieved on an autonomous spaceport drone ship, an ocean-based recovery platform.[83] In 2018 SpaceX launched the Falcon Heavy; the inaugural mission carried Musk's personal Tesla Roadster as a dummy payload.[84][85] In 2017 SpaceX unveiled its next-generation launch vehicle and spacecraft system, Big Falcon Rocket, later renamed to Starship, which would support all SpaceX launch service provider capabilities.[86] In 2018 SpaceX announced a planned 2023 lunar circumnavigation mission, a private flight called dearMoon project.[87] In 2020 SpaceX launched its first crewed flight, the Demo-2, becoming the first private company to place a person into orbit and dock a crewed spacecraft with the ISS.[88]
SpaceX began development of the Starlink constellation of low Earth orbit satellites in 2015 to provide satellite Internet access,[89] with the first two prototype satellites launched in February 2018. A second set of test satellites and the first large deployment of a piece of the constellation occurred in May 2019, when the first 60 operational satellites were launched.[90] The total cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy the constellation is estimated by SpaceX to be about $10 billion.[91][c]
The company has attracted criticism from astronomers who say Starlink's satellites are blocking the view of the skies, and from experts arguing that they risk colliding and causing dangers in space.[94][95] Musk rejected the criticism, stating that the impact of satellites is "nothing" and that "space is just extremely enormous, and satellites are very tiny."[94]
Tesla Main article: Tesla, Inc.
Musk next to a Tesla Model S at the Tesla Fremont Factory in 2011 Tesla, Inc.—originally Tesla Motors—was incorporated in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who financed the company until the Series A round of funding.[96] Both men played active roles in the company's early development prior to Musk's involvement.[97] Musk led the Series A round of investment in February 2004; he invested $6.5 million, became the majority shareholder, and joined Tesla's board of directors as chairman.[98][99] Musk took an active role within the company and oversaw Roadster product design but was not deeply involved in day-to-day business operations.[100] Following a series of escalating conflicts in 2007 and the 2008 financial crisis, Eberhard was ousted from the firm.[101][102] Musk assumed leadership of the company as CEO and product architect in 2008.[103] A 2009 lawsuit settlement with Eberhard designated Musk as a Tesla co-founder, along with Tarpenning and two others.[104][105] As of 2019, Elon Musk was the longest tenured CEO of any automotive manufacturer globally.[106] In 2021 Musk nominally changed his title to "Technoking" while retaining his position as CEO.[107]
Tesla first built an electric sports car, the Roadster, in 2008. With sales of about 2,500 vehicles, it was the first serial production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells.[108] Tesla began delivery of its four-door Model S sedan in 2012;[109] a cross-over, the Model X was launched in 2015.[110][111] A mass market sedan, the Model 3, was released in 2017.[112][113] The Model 3 is the all-time best-selling plug-in electric car worldwide, and, in June 2021, became the first electric car to sell 1 million units globally.[114][115] A fifth vehicle, the Model Y crossover, was launched in 2020.[116] The Cybertruck, an all-electric pickup truck, was unveiled in 2019.[117] Under Musk, Tesla has also constructed multiple lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle factories, such as Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, Gigafactory 2 in New York, Gigafactory 3 in China, Gigafactory 4 in Germany and Gigafactory 5 in Texas.[118][119][120][121][122][123]
Since its initial public offering in 2010,[124] Tesla stock has risen significantly; it became the most valuable carmaker in summer 2020,[125][126] and it entered the S&P 500 later that year.[127][128] In October 2021 it reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion, the sixth company to do so in U.S. history.[129] On November 6, 2021, Musk proposed on Twitter selling 10% of his Tesla stock, since "much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance".[130][131] After more than 3.5 million Twitter accounts supported the sale, Musk sold $6.9 billion of Tesla stock in the week ending November 12,[130] and a total of $16.4 billion by year end, reaching the 10% target.[132] In February 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that both Elon and Kimbal Musk were under investigation by the SEC for possible insider trading related to the sale.[133]
SolarCity and Tesla Energy Main articles: SolarCity and Tesla Energy
Musk provided the initial concept and financial capital for SolarCity, which his cousins Lyndon and Peter Rive co-founded in 2006.[151] By 2013, SolarCity was the second largest provider of solar power systems in the United States.[152] In 2014 Musk promoted the idea of SolarCity building an advanced production facility in Buffalo, New York, triple the size of the largest solar plant in the United States.[153] Construction on the factory started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. It operated as a joint venture with Panasonic until early 2020 when Panasonic departed.[154][155]
Tesla acquired SolarCity for over $2 billion in 2016 and merged it with its battery energy storage products division to create Tesla Energy.
Neuralink Main article: Neuralink
In 2016 Musk co-founded Neuralink, a neurotechnology startup company to integrate the human brain with artificial intelligence (AI) by creating devices that are embedded in the human brain to facilitate its merging with machines. The devices will also reconcile with the latest improvements in AI to stay updated. Such improvements could enhance memory or allow the devices to communicate with software more effectively.[156][157]
At a live demonstration in August 2020, Musk described one of their early devices as "a Fitbit in your skull" that could soon cure paralysis, deafness, blindness, and other disabilities. Many neuroscientists and publications criticized these claims;[158][159][160] MIT Technology Review described them as "highly speculative" and "neuroscience theater".[158] On the other hand, biomedical engineer Peter Bannister has defended Musk's sci-fi–inspired rhetorical overreach as inspirational for aspiring engineers and scientists.[161]
The Boring Company Main article: The Boring Company
In 2016, Musk founded The Boring Company to construct tunnels.[162] In early 2017, the company began discussions with regulatory bodies and initiated construction of a 30-foot (9.1 m) wide, 50-foot (15 m) long, and 15-foot (4.6 m) deep "test trench" on the premises of SpaceX's offices as it required no permits.[163] A tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center was completed in early 2021.[164] Local officials have approved further expansions of the tunnel system.[165]
As a merchandising and publicity stunt, The Boring Company sold 2,000 novelty flamethrowers in 2018.[166][167] The idea, and his fascination with the idea of a flamethrower in general, was inspired by the Mel Brooks-directed film Spaceballs (1987), something confirmed in the documentary film Return to Space, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.[168][169]
Hyperloop Main articles: Hyperloop and Hyperloop pod competition
In 2013 Musk announced plans for a version of a vactrain (or vacuum tube train), assigning a dozen engineers from Tesla and SpaceX to establish the conceptual foundations and create initial designs.[180] On August 12, 2013, Musk unveiled the concept, which he dubbed the Hyperloop.[181] The alpha design for the system was published in a whitepaper posted to the Tesla and SpaceX blogs.[182] The document scoped out the technology and outlined a notional route where such a transport system could be built between the Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area at an estimated total cost of $6 billion.[183] The proposal, if technologically feasible at the costs he has cited, would make Hyperloop travel cheaper than any other mode of transport for such long distances.[184]
Donations and non-profits
In 2012 Musk took the Giving Pledge, thereby committing to give the majority of his wealth to charitable causes either during his lifetimes or in his will.[230] In 2014 Musk donated $1 million to a museum dedicated to Nikola Tesla.[231] In 2020 Forbes gave Musk a philanthropy score of 1, because he had given away less than 1% of his net worth.[232] In November 2021, Musk donated $5.7 billion of Tesla's shares to charity.[233] He has endowed prizes at the X Prize Foundation, including $15 million to encourage innovation in addressing illiteracy and $100 million to reward improved carbon capture technology.[234][235][236][237] After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Musk facilitated sending Starlink systems purchased by other European nations and private funding to Ukraine for internet access and communication in the besieged country.[238] Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Musk personally for the support of Ukraine and announced further talks between the two about space projects to take place after the war.
Fascinated by adventure and exploration since his childhood, Raphaël Domjan is today an eco-explorer active in protecting the planet, its biodiversity and atmosphere. Through visionary projects and audacious challenges, this Swiss national wants to show that renewable sources of energy are reliable, efficient and economically viable.
" Using innovation, the spirit of exploration and the dream to change our society and create a better world" - this is what drives Raphael Domjan.
As Global Solar Eco Air Force and Global Solar Eco Navy Visionary Officer, Mr. Domjan engages with a variety of scientists, physicists, engineers and investors interested in mainstreaming solar power in the Nautical, Aeronautical and Aerospace Industries all around the World.
In 2005, he set up an association and surrounded himself with people able to help him realize his project PlanetSolar. Five years later, a trimaran 35 metres long, 23 metres wide, with solar panels covering a surface of 537 m2 was launched.
The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar's port of departure and arrival was Monaco. With a crew of three, he set sail at the helm of 'his' solar boat on 27 September 2010, heading west in search of the sun. PlanetSolar returned with its Swiss skipper to 'le Rocher' on 4 May 2012 to complete the first solar-powered voyage around the world. This was a record.
The sky was clear, the stars shining brightly and another idea came to him: approach space, see the curvature of the earth and observe the stars during the day using solar energy!
With this even more audacious project, Raphaël Domjan wants to continue demonstrating the potential of renewable energy. "Having circumnavigated the world in a solar boat, I wanted to go further and show that solar energy can enable us to do things that cannot be done with fossil fuels."
This was the beginning of a new eco-adventure that was launched in March 2014 with the name SolarStratos. The aim of the mission is to make the first-ever manned solar-flight to the stratosphere. As with PlanetSolar, Raphaël Domjan is looking for ways to improve our knowledge and expertise in the development of technologies to create a sustainable world. In his mind, "SolarStratos is a symbol of the pioneering spirit, of the dream, of innovation with the aim of demonstrating the potential of renewable energies and energy efficiency."
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor, producer, and environmentalist. He has often played unconventional parts, particularly in biopics and period films. As of 2019, his films have earned US$7.2 billion worldwide, and he has placed eight times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actors.
Quote: "If you can do what you do best and be happy, you're further along in life than most people"
Quote: "For the Economy itself will die, if our Ecosystems collapse."
Quote: "Global warming is not only the number one challenge we face today, but one of the most important issues facing all of humanity... We all have to do our part to raise awareness about global warming and the problems we as a people face in promoting a sustainable environmental future for our planet".
As Global Eco Army Chief Awareness Officer, Mr. DiCaprio, engages with a variety of nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and investors as well as greatest leaders and visionaries in the World interested in reversing the environmental damage caused to the Planet.
Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor, environmentalist and philanthropist.
In 1998, he created the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to support organizations and initiatives dedicated to securing a sustainable future for our planet. Since that time, Leonardo has built longstanding relationships with some of the great leaders and thinkers on the planet, staying continually engaged and active on the most pressing issues we face – climate change, access to clean water, protecting biodiversity, oceans conservation and disaster relief.
In addition to WWF, Leonardo sits on the board of several organizations dedicated to these issues including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Global Green USA and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Over the last 12 years, Leonardo has worked strategically to shift public awareness on key issues.
Through his foundation, Leonardo has produced a number of media projects that communicate the urgency of the issues to the public, including two short web films Water Planet and Global Warning, which have been viewed by people around the world. He dedicated half of his website (www.leonardodicaprio.org) to environmental news and content and is now building his social media channels in an effort to reach the public more directly.
In 2007 (after 4 years of development), he released his first feature length documentary, The 11th Hour, a hard hitting and inspiring film that features over 50 of the worlds leading experts on environmental issues and the exciting solutions that can save our planet and humanity.
Ron DeSantis
Global Eco Army, Navy, Air Force & Space Force
Chief Human Rights Enforcement Officer
Ronald Dion DeSantis (/dɪˈsæntɪs, diː-/; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving since 2019 as the 46th governor of Florida. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Florida's 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2018. DeSantis was a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He withdrew his candidacy in January 2024.
Born in Jacksonville, DeSantis spent most of his childhood in Dunedin, Florida. He graduated from Yale University and Harvard Law School. DeSantis joined the United States Navy in 2004 and was promoted to lieutenant before serving as a legal advisor to SEAL Team One. He was stationed at Joint Task Force Guantanamo in 2006, and was deployed to Iraq in 2007. When he returned to the U.S. about eight months later, the U.S. attorney general appointed DeSantis to serve as a special assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Middle District of Florida, a position he held until his honorable discharge from active military duty in 2010.
"All public officials, including the secretary of state, must be held accountable." Ron DeSantis
"We need to save the country." Ron DeSantis
"The country's on the wrong track." Ron DeSantis
As Chief Human Rights Enforcement Officer Mr. DeSantis is in charge of bringing ethics and morals in the workplace, the collective society, the State of Florida, the US Nation and the World.
Mr. DeSantis will improve our planet's consciousness defending truth, protecting the voiceless, empowering freedom of speech, choice and movement. And most important of all ending the deceit behind the greedy, unethical and profit seeking corporations, institutions and government entities.
Mr. DeSantis will protect the youth from being a victim of pedophiles that had been getting away with brainwashing children as young as 5. Part of the Human Rights of individuals is to be allowed to have an innocent infancy, without any type of brainwashing on gender types available for children to choose from at such early age. Minors under 18 must be protected in the type of information and entertainment they consume in school and after school.
DeSantis was first elected to Congress in 2012 and was reelected in 2014 and 2016. During his tenure, he became a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and was an ally of President Donald Trump. He briefly ran for U.S. Senate in 2016, but withdrew when incumbent senator Marco Rubio sought reelection. DeSantis won the Republican nomination for the 2018 gubernatorial election and narrowly defeated the Democratic Party nominee, Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum, in the general election by 0.4%.
DeSantis was governor during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole. He encouraged the passage of the Parental Rights in Education Act. In the 2022 gubernatorial election, he defeated Charlie Crist by 19.4 percentage points, the state's largest margin of victory for a governor's election in 40 years.
On May 24, 2023, DeSantis announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, and he continued to serve as governor during the campaign. On January 21, 2024, DeSantis withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Trump.[2]
DeSantis has written two books: Dreams From Our Founding Fathers, published before his first campaign for Congress in 2011, and The Courage to Be Free, published in 2023.
Early life and education
[20][21] DeSantis attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and Dunedin High School, graduating in 1997.[14]
After high school, DeSantis studied history at Yale University. He was captain of Yale's varsity baseball team; he played outfield, and as a senior in 2001 he had the team's best batting average at .336.[22][23][24][25] DeSantis was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and of the St. Elmo Society, one of Yale's secret societies.[21][26][27] While attending Yale, he worked a variety of jobs, including as an electrician's assistant and a coach at a baseball camp.[14] DeSantis graduated from Yale in 2001 with a B.A., magna cum laude.[28]
After Yale, DeSantis taught history and coached for a year at Darlington School in Georgia,[29] then attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 2005 with a Juris Doctor, cum laude.[30] At Harvard, he was business manager for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.[
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force
Chief Warrior Officer
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (/ˈʃvɑːrtsnɛɡər/;[1][a] German: [ˈaʁnɔlt ˈʃvaʁtsn̩ˌʔɛɡɐ]; born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-American actor, filmmaker, businessman, author, and former professional bodybuilder and politician.[2] He served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 to 2011. As of 2019, he is the most recent Republican governor of California. Schwarzenegger began lifting weights at the age of 15. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 and went on to win the Mr. Olympia contest seven times, remaining a prominent presence in bodybuilding and writing many books and articles on the sport. The Arnold Sports Festival, considered the second most important professional bodybuilding event in recent years,[3] is named after him. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, as well as the sport's most charismatic ambassador.[4]
After successful careers in bodybuilding, Hollywood and politics, the Governator is fighting for Mother Earth. Arnold Schwarzenegger explains in his own words why he's all in as an eco-warrior.
Quote: "Positive thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner"
Quote: "Be hungry for success, hungry to make your mark, hungry to be seen and to be heard and to have effect. And as you move up and become successful, make sure also to be hungry for helping others."
Quote: "What is the point of being on this Earth if you are going to be like everyone else?"
As Chief Warrior Officer, Mr. Schwarzenegger is in charge to train our troops mentally and physically for any challenge or task that requires the strongest human endurance. He will ensure that our troops are in excellent shape for the task in hand by land, sea and air. His mentorship will create and manifest the courage for our troops in the battlefield. He will transform the impossible into possible, yes we can! attitude all around the World.
Mr. Schwarzenegger will improve our Planet's economy without impairing our environment. He will be a passionate defender of our Planet Earth Environment, providing real leadership to protect our precious land, air, and water.
He believes that part of our Planet's greatness lies in its natural reources and beauty. What we do to our Planet must improve our quality of life, and environmental damage runs counter to that. Even from an economic perspective, our environment must be protected. If we have beaches soiled by oil spills, tourists will not come. If we log our forests irresponsibly, stream beds will be destroyed and our fishing industry will be damaged.
Mr. Schwarzeneger believes we can improve our Worldwide Economy without impairing our environment, and will govern by this belief. He will assemble a team of environmental advisors that will elaborate on key issues.
Breathing clean and healthy air is the right of all Citizens of the World.
California’s Clean Air Act was the model for the federal Clean Air Act and California always led the nation in clean air programs. As governor, he examined the federal exemption of new sources of industrial air pollution from “new source review” and proposed state regulations to ensure that new facilities do not worsen air quality.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, KG, KT, PC, ADC (William Arthur Philip Louis;[fn 1] born 21 June 1982) is a member of the British royal family. He is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Since birth, he has been second in the line of succession to the British throne.
Quote: " Twenty years on I still feel the love she gave us and that is a statement to her massive heart and her amazing ability to be a great mother"
Quote: " People say it's not ambitious, but is actually quite ambitious wanting to help people"
Quote: " My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful and caring. "
Prince William has announced a multi-million pound prize for “visionaries” working to solve “Earth’s greatest environmental problems,” from climate change to air pollution. The Earthshot Prize will be awarded to five winners, every year, for the next 10 years. The initiative’s goal is to provide “at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.”
The prize was designed by and will initially be handled by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge — headed by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
More than 60 organizations and experts were consulted in the process; in time, the Earthshot Prize will likely become an independent organization that continues to involve environmental NGOs, according to a press release from Kensington Palace.
This year, the initiative will debut a series of “Earthshot challenges,” according to its website, with a goal of “[seeking] answers to the biggest issues currently facing the planet, including: climate and energy, nature and biodiversity, oceans, air pollution and fresh water.”
As Global Eco Navy Admiral, Prince William will assist in bringing to fruition the most challenging solutions to reduce plastic pollution all around the World and convert salt water into drinking water. He will also contribute with his philantropic support to promote our Global Eco Navy around the World.
As Global Eco Air Force 5 Star General, Prince William will assist in providing a Prize that aims to encourage transformative environmental solutions — especially for communities most vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. He will also contribute with his philanthropic support to promote our Global Eco Air Force around the World.
Earthshot Prize winners will involve a significant cash-prize, as well as public recognition at an annual ceremony. Submissions will be accepted from “individuals, teams or collaborations — scientists, activists, economists, leaders, governments, banks, businesses, cities, and countries,” the press release notes, with a goal of sparking a global movement by inspiring “collaborative projects that would not otherwise have been pursued.”
In a statement, Prince William said that humanity now faces a “stark choice” between maintaining the status quo — which, he argues, will “irreparably” damage the planet — or cultivating innovative solutions. “The next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests, William said, framing the Earthshot Prize as part of “a decade of action to repair the earth.”
William was educated at four schools in the United Kingdom and studied for a degree at the University of St Andrews. During a gap year, he spent time in Chile, Belize, and Africa. In December 2006, he completed 44 weeks of training as an officer cadet and was commissioned in the Blues and Royals regiment. In April 2008, William completed pilot training at Royal Air Force College Cranwell, then underwent helicopter flight training and became a full-time pilot with the RAF Search and Rescue Force in early 2009. His service with the British Armed Forces ended in September 2013.[3][4] He then trained for a civil pilot's License, and spent over two years working as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Though Major-General Sir Sebastian Roberts, General Officer commanding the Household Division, had said William's deployment was possible, the Prince's position as second-in-line to the throne and the convention of ministers advising against placing that person into dangerous situations cast doubts on William's chances of seeing combat. These doubts increased after Prince Harry's deployment was cancelled in 2007 due to "specific threats".
William, instead, went on to train in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, obtaining his commission as a sub-lieutenant in the former and flying officer in the latter—both broadly equivalent to the army rank of lieutenant. After completing his training, William undertook an attachment with the Royal Air Force, undergoing an intensive, four-month training course at RAF Cranwell.[43][44] Upon completing the course on 11 April 2008, he was presented with his RAF wings by his father,[45] who had received his own wings after training at Cranwell.[46] During this secondment, William flew to Afghanistan in a C-17 Globemaster that repatriated the body of Trooper Robert Pearson.[47]
William was then seconded to train with the Royal Navy from June to August 2008, during which he spent three weeks at the Britannia Royal Naval College training on units of the surface fleet and submarines, as well as with the Fleet Air Arm and the Royal Marines.[48] He spent a day on submarine HMS Talent.[49] During a five-week deployment on HMS Iron Duke in the Caribbean, he took part in a joint operation with the United States Coast Guard that identified and captured a speedboat carrying 900 kg (2,000 lb) of cocaine worth about £40 million.[50][51] The ship also took part in other raids.[52]
Because of William's future royal role, a long-term career in the military was considered out of the question; due to his position, his desire to see active service was unlikely to be fulfilled. William originally joined the military on a short-service commission lasting three years. It was announced in September 2008, however, that he would be extending his forces career in 2008 by accepting another secondment that included working at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and non-operational flying with the Army Air Corps.[53] It was later announced that he would transfer from the Army to the RAF to train as a full-time search and rescue helicopter pilot.[54]
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Arabic حمدان بن محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم) (born 14 November 1982) is the Crown Prince of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is popularly known as Fazza (Arabic: فزاع), the name under which he publishes his poetry, and which means "the one who helps" in Arabic.
Quote: "Her mood is like the rule of authority which already has a law. And her beauty is like a Queens position. So high in class no one can touch her. And her manners are already created in her from a very long time with deep roots."
Quote: “Making a difference to the environment starts with the small changes,” says the royal.
Quote: " Time has granted a year and inspiration is generous so we make ourselves useful and we seek what's useful.
In every year I try to achieve dreams, my age dreams are always increasing.
For those who want to be in the front.. In the front in the row of thinkers and entrepreneurs
Converse with yourself in an entirely calm moment, if the age is over it doesn't rewind
And tell yourself, frankly this year I feel some ambition and will
Don't consider yourself just a number among numbers, oppose your time and make use of its stubbornness
This is an awareness message for private and for public, and I'm not seeking a commendation for it."
Prince Hamdan was flying through Dubai’s skies on a brand-new zipline, and now HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is diving to the depths of the city’s seas.
The Crown Prince of Dubai got his scuba gear on in aid of International Volunteer Day, and helped clean up the shoreline in the city.
The royal joined a team on a waste-recovery mission, pulling on goggles and an oxygen tank to pick up litter from the seabed.
As Global Eco Navy Admiral, Prince Hamdan will coach and inspire scuba divers around the World to help clean the seabed. He will also make a substantial financial donation to deploy sea cleaning machines around the World such as the Ocean Clean Up and the Interceptor between others. He will also contribute with his Philanthropic support to promote our Global Eco Navy around the World.
The World Organization of Racing Drones (Word) was held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, on March 11 and 12 in 2016 at Skydive Dubai. The World Drone Prix Dubai 2016 had over 100 drone racing teams from across the globe attending.
Word is the first official regulatory authority for the sport of drone racing, joining together a community of drone racers, fans, and manufacturers from around the globe, to advance a sport that is unlike any other, and the first sport to truly merge technology advancement with human capability.
International and local competitors race in Dubai, which lead to introducing the public to a new sport that is open to participants of all ages, genders and abilities."
As Global Eco Air Force 5 Star General, Prince Hamdan will coach and inspire all ages and genders around the Globe to use drones to plant tree seeds and re-generate our Ecosystem. He will also contribute with his Philanthropic support to promote our Global Eco Air Force around the World.
Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, the senior wife of Mohammed. He is the second son of their 12 children and the fourth of his father's children. Hamdan's elder full brother was Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed.[2]
Hamdan Bin Mohammed al Maktoum was educated in Dubai at the Rashid School For Boys, and then at the Dubai School of Government.[3] He continued his studies in the United Kingdom where he graduated from Sandhurst in 2001,[4] and later attended the London School of Economics.[5][6] In his interview with Vision he described how Sandhurst taught him the importance of self-discipline, commitment, virtue, responsibility, endurance, understanding, teamwork, friendship and the benefits of hard work.[7]
Hamdan was appointed as the chairman of the Dubai executive council in September 2006.[6] On 1 February 2008, he was named as the Crown Prince of Dubai. As the new hereditary prince, he appointed new key personal and financial advisors such as a global economist and a hedge fund tycoon from HN Capital LLP.[6] In July 2009, he was appointed president of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University formerly Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University.[8] He is also the head of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for young entrepreneurs, and sits on the Dubai sports council and the Dubai autism centre.[5]
He was part of the Dubai World Expo 2020 delegation when Dubai was awarded the rights to host the event.[9] He also went to the top floor of the Burj Khalifa to wave the UAE flag, a few days after the World Expo 2020 win.[10] He is also the founder of the Hamdan International Photography Award, which was launched in 2011.[11]
The Crown Prince's Instagram account has more than 8.8 million followers as of November, 2019; he posts pictures that showcase his hobbies, which include animals, poetry, sports, photography and adventures.[12]
Hamdan Al Maktoum is a licensed and a well cultivated equestrian, a sky diver and a scuba diver. He dives in Fujairah.[5] He is known for his romantic and patriotic poems in Arabic. He publishes his poems under the name Faz3 (فزاع). He rides for Godolphin stables. He is also a member of the Royal Ascot.[13]
Sheikh Hamdan won a gold medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA), team gold in 2012 and a bronze medal in 2010. He led a team of five UAE riders at Championships in Samorín on 17 September 2016.[14][15]
Huang Ming (Chinese: 黄鸣; born 1958) is a Chinese solar energy researcher and entrepreneur. He established the solar water heater manufacturing company Himin Solar, which was central in the development of the Solar Valley in the city of Dezhou.[1]
“I have a dream, a common dream of the people devoting to renewable energy source around the world, that for the blue sky and white cloud of the later generations, qualified products are used to realize renewable energy substitution.
I have a dream that one day throughout the whole world, renewable energy sources will take the dominant position.
I have a dream that one day my entire country fellows, even the global citizens, know about solar energy and make full use of it.
I have a dream that one d ay solar industry will be as advanced as IT industry, as mature as electric home appliances industry, and as largescaled and automatic as automobile industry.
I have a dream that one day the sky will be much bluer, the water will be more limpid; our homeland will be full of sunshine, tranquil with no war.”
He was a deputy to the 10th and the 11th National People's Congress. He drafted the Law on Renewable Energy and united other representatives in support of it. As a politician he has played a central role in developing renewable energy in China, including the passing of the Renewable Energy Act in 2005. The Renewable Energy Act was passed in 2005 and took effect in 2006, a substantial achievement that echoed globally. According to Hurun Report's China Rich List 2013, he has an estimated fortune of $330 million USD, and was ranked 945th richest person in China.[2]
Huang Ming was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 2011 "for his outstanding success in the development and mass-deployment of cutting-edge technologies for harnessing solar energy, thereby showing how dynamic emerging economies can contribute to resolving the global crisis of anthropogenic climate change".[3] He owns over 600 patents.[4]
Jeffrey Preston Bezos (/ˈbeɪzoʊs/;[a][2] né Jorgensen; born January 12, 1964) is an American internet entrepreneur, industrialist, media proprietor, and investor. He is best known as the founder, CEO, and president of the multi-national technology company Amazon. The first centi-billionaire on the Forbes wealth index,[3] Bezos has been the world's richest person since 2017 and was named the "richest man in modern history" after his net worth increased to $150 billion in July 2018.[4] According to Forbes, Bezos is the first person in history to have a net worth exceeding $200 billion.
“If you double the number of experiments you do per year you’re going to double your inventiveness.” – Jeff Bezos
“Life’s too short to hang out with people who aren’t resourceful.” – Jeff Bezos
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” – Jeff Bezos
Born in Albuquerque and raised in Houston and later Miami, Bezos graduated from Princeton University in 1986. Bezos holds a degree in electrical engineering and computer science. He worked on Wall Street in a variety of related fields from 1986 to early 1994. Bezos founded Amazon in late 1994 on a cross-country road trip from New York City to Seattle. The company began as an online bookstore and has since expanded to a wide variety of other e-commerce products and services, including video and audio streaming, cloud computing, and AI. It is currently the world's largest online sales company, the largest Internet company by revenue, and the world's largest provider of virtual assistants[6] and cloud infrastructure services through its Amazon Web Services branch.
Bezos founded the aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company Blue Origin in 2000. Blue Origin's New Shepard vehicle reached space in 2015, and afterwards successfully landed back on Earth. The company has upcoming plans to begin commercial suborbital human spaceflight.[7] He also purchased the major American newspaper The Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million, and manages many other investments through his Bezos Expeditions venture capital firm.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has confirmed the first of his $10 billion (£7.6 billion) pledge to help stop climate change.
Bezos, whose net worth is estimated at $183.6 billion (£139 billion), has posted on Instagram to share the news.
He wrote: "I've spent the past several months learning from a group of incredibly smart people who've made it their life's work to fight climate change and its impact on communities around the world. I'm inspired by what they're doing, and excited to help them scale.
"Today, Monday November 16, 2020 I'm pleased to announce the first Bezos Earth Fund recipients - 16 organizations working on innovative, ambitious, and needle-moving solutions. This $791 million in donations is just the beginning of my $10 billion commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs, and others. We can all protect Earth's future by taking bold action now."
Michael Rubens Bloomberg[2] (born February 14, 1942) is an American politician, businessman, and author. He was mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013. He is a candidate in the Democratic Party primaries for the 2020 United States presidential election.
Bloomberg grew up in Medford, Massachusetts and attended Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School. He began his career at the securities brokerage Salomon Brothers, before forming his own company in 1981 spending the next twenty years as its chairman and CEO. He is the co-founder, CEO, and majority owner of Bloomberg L.P., a global financial services, software and mass media company that bears his name, and is known for its Bloomberg Terminal, a computer software system providing financial data widely used in the global financial services industry.
As of November 2019, this made him the 9th richest person in the United States and the 14th richest person in the world; his net worth was estimated at $58 billion.[3] Since signing The Giving Pledge whereby billionaires pledge to give away at least half of their wealth, Bloomberg has given away $8.2 billion.[4] Of $3.3 billion he gave to Johns Hopkins University, his $1.8 billion gift in 2018 for student financial aid was the largest private donation ever made to a higher education institution.[5]
Quote: Being an entrepreneur isn't really about starting a business. It's a way of looking at the world: seeing opportunity where others see obstacles, taking risks when others take refuge."
"The best leaders INCENTIVIZE, INSPIRE & EMPOWER their teams to be creative and innovative."
"The basics of commerce don't change: You've got to have something that people need, something that they can't get elsewhere. And the more they can't get it elsewhere, the more they need it."
"Don't be afraid to assert yourself, have confidence and in your abilities and don't let the bastards get you down."
As Chief Philanthropy Officer, Mr. Bloomberg will provide a financial donation to plant billions of trees around the World.
Further, Mr. Bloomberg will donate a special software designed to keep track of our Planet's efforts to reduce the pollution in our water, air and soil.
Last, but not least, Mr. Bloomberg will provide advertisement for our Global Eco Army, Navy and Airforce all around the World to reach greater masses with the objective to have them join for action.
Bloomberg served as the 108th mayor of New York City, holding office for three consecutive terms, beginning his first in 2002. A lifelong Democrat before seeking elective office, Bloomberg switched his party registration in 2001 to run for mayor as a Republican. He defeated opponent Mark J. Green in a close election held just weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
He won a second term in 2005 and left the Republican Party two years later. Bloomberg campaigned to change the city's term limits law and was elected to his third term in 2009 as an independent on the Republican ballot line. His final term as mayor ended on December 31, 2013.
Bloomberg also served as chair of the board of trustees at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, from 1996 to 2002. After a brief stint as a full-time philanthropist, Bloomberg re-assumed the position of CEO at Bloomberg L.P. by the end of 2014.
Bloomberg officially launched his campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination in the 2020 presidential election on November 24, 2019, following weeks of speculation that he would join the race as a late entry.[6]
Bloomberg attended Johns Hopkins University, where he joined the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi. In 1962, as a sophomore, he constructed the school mascot's (the blue jay's) costume.[17] He graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. In 1966, he graduated from Harvard Business School with a Master of Business Administration.[18][19]
In March 2009, Forbes reported Bloomberg's wealth at $16 billion, a gain of $4.5 billion over the previous year, the world's biggest increase in wealth in 2009.[36] At that time, there were only four fortunes in the U.S. that were larger (although the Walmart family fortune is split among four people). He had moved from 142nd to 17th in the Forbes list of the world's billionaires in only two years.[37][38] Subsequently, Forbes reported his wealth at $22 billion, then $31 billion, then $43.3 billion, and ranked him 11th-, then 10th-, then 6th-richest in the U.S.[24][39][40] As of November 2019, Bloomberg was the 14th richest person in the world, with a net worth estimated at $58 billion.[3]
During his second term as the mayor of New York City, Bloomberg unveiled PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York on April 22, 2007, to fight global warming, protect the environment and prepare for the projected 1 million additional people expected to be living in the city by the year 2030.[114]
Under PlaNYC, in just 6 years New York City reduced citywide greenhouse gas emissions by 19% since 2005 and was on track to achieve a 30% reduction ahead of the PlaNYC 2030 goal.[115] In October 2007, as part of PlaNYC, Bloomberg launched the Million Trees NYC initiative, which aimed to plant and care for one million trees throughout the city in the next decade. In November 2015, New York City planted its one millionth tree, two years ahead of the original 10-year schedule.[116]
In 2008, Bloomberg convened the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), an effort to prepare the city for climate change.[117] In 2012, Travel + Leisure readers voted New York City the "Dirtiest American City," for having the most extant litter.[118] Bloomberg has been involved in motivating other cities to make changes and has spoken about reducing carbon dioxide emissions, using cleaner and more efficient fuels, using congestion pricing in New York City, and encouraging public transportation.[119]
Bloomberg unveiled the Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) in June 2013, after the city was affected by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. The $20 billion initiative laid out extensive plans to protect New York City against future impacts of climate change.[120] On September 26, 2013, Bloomberg announced that his administration's air pollution reduction efforts had resulted in the best air quality in New York City in more than 50 years.[121] The majority of the air quality improvement was attributed to the phasing out of heavy polluting heating oils through New York's "Clean Heat" program.[122] As a result of the improved air quality, the average life expectancy of New Yorkers had increased three years during Bloomberg's tenure, compared to 1.8 years in the rest of the country.[123]
By 2017 Bloomberg donated 100 million dollars to the campaign Beyond Coal, that helped close over half of the US coal power stations, since 2011 when it was expanded due to his financial help. In 2017 he donated 64 million dollars more, the day after Scott Pruit began to abolish Obama's Clean Power Plan.[124]
In 2019 Bloomberg with Sierra club and other organization launched "Beyond Carbon" an initiative to complete transition of USA to non fossil energy sources.[125]
Michael Bloomberg with Jerry Brown launched and are leading the America's Pledge: a coalition of cities, businesses, states and more in the US to reduce greenhouse gas emissions[126][127] The organization contains 68% of the GDP and 65% of the population of United States. In COP25 it presented a report named "ACCELERATING AMERICA’S PLEDGE" in which it explained that already existing commitments can cut USA greenhouse gas emissions by 19% by 2025 and by 25% by 2030. Accelerating local action can lower emissions by 37% by the year 2030 and if federal support will be adjusted by 49% by the same year relative to the level of the year 2005.[128][129]
Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren OON (/væn ˈbjʊərən/ van BEWR-ən,[8] Dutch: [ˈɑrmɪn ˈjoːzəf jɑˈkoːbʏs ˈdaːniˌjɛl vɑn ˈbyːrə(n)]; born 25 December 1976)[1] is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer from South Holland. Since 2001, he has hosted A State of Trance, a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40 million listeners in 84 countries on over 100 FM radio stations.[9] According to Djs And Festivals, "the radio show propelled him to stardom and helped cultivate an interest in trance music around the world."[10]
Van Buuren has won a number of accolades. He has been ranked the number one DJ by DJ Mag a record of five times, four years in a row.[11] He was ranked fourth on the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs list in 2015, 2016, and 2019,[12] and third in 2017.[13] In 2014, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for his single "This Is What It Feels Like" featuring Trevor Guthrie,[14] which makes him the fourth trance artist ever to receive a Grammy Award nomination.[15] In the United States, he holds the record for most entries, twenty-one, on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[16]
" Who am I? I'm just a humble, Law student from the Netherlands who's not into drugs or crazy after partying or making lots of money. I'm just in this Industry because I'm really, truly passionate about this music, and I hope that shines through."
" You don't need drugs to have an amazing time, you really don't."
" I think dance music is a beautiful thing, its a great thing, and that's what I want to show the World: Dance music can really bring people together."
As Chief Music Officer, Mr. Armin Van Buuren, is in charge of creating the best music for our Global Eco Army Troops deployed to save the World. Armin's music will provide our crew members the energy that they need to perform on their challenging tasks to save the Earth. Armin will provide the mental fuel for our Soldiers, Airmen and Navy Seals.
Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, on 25 December 1976,[1] but grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. Van Buuren started making music when he was 14.[17] He was inspired by French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre.[17][18] Van Buuren graduated from the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, and studied law at Leiden University.[19] He began working as a DJ in Club Nexus, playing multiple sets a week, most of which lasted six or more hours.[20] In 1999, he met Dave Lewis who introduced him as a DJ in England and the United States.[21] As his musical career began to take off, he put his law degree on hold, but he did return to graduate from law school in 2003.[22]
On 18 September 2009, Van Buuren married Erika van Thiel.[23] Their daughter Fenna was born in July 2011.[24] Van Buuren announced just hours before he was due to headline the main stage at Tomorrowland (27 July 2013) that his wife had given birth to a son, Remy.[25]
On 16 February 2018, Van Buuren explored his family history in an episode of the TV series Verborgen verleden, the Dutch version of the UK series Who Do You Think You Are?.[26]
In 1996, Van Buuren released EP and Push on Timeless Records. Van Buuren had his first success with a track called "Blue Fear", which was released under the Cyber Records label in 1997. Another successful track, "Communication", was released under the same label and became popular in Ibiza, Spain in the summer of 1999.[27] After being signed to AM PM Records,[21] this track entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 18 in 2000.[28]
In the beginning of 1999, Van Buuren started his label Armind together with United Recordings. The first release, Gig – "One", was well received. The second release, "Touch Me" under the name Rising Star, was signed to Ministry of Sound in the UK, before the record was released. By the time of his third release, Gimmick – "Free" was signed to R&S Records. During this year, he remixed the first two singles of Gouryella (Gouryella and Walhalla) and, under the guise of Rising Star, produced a remix of L'Esperanza, a song by Airscape.[29][30]
The first single of Van Buuren's fifth studio album, Intense, titled "This Is What It Feels Like", featured Canadian singer and songwriter Trevor Guthrie, and was released on 5 April 2013. The single nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording.[62] The tour for the album, Armin Only: Intense, was announced on 17 October 2013.[63]
30 April 2013 saw the abdication of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in favor of her son, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who was crowned that day. Van Buuren was the headline act in a performance to a live audience celebrating the King's crowning in Amsterdam. While he was performing live together with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima and their three daughters made an unplanned visit on stage.[64][65]
Armin van Buuren performing at Ultra Miami 2014
On 19 October 2013, Armin van Buuren was ranked number two DJ in the world by DJ Mag. On 26 January 2014, Armin van Buuren attended the 56th Grammy Awards, in relation to his Grammy Award nomination for the single featuring Trevor Guthrie, "This Is What It Feels Like" in the category of Best Dance Recording
Van Buuren's DJ logo, used in shows as of 2015
On 8 May 2015, Armin van Buuren released the first single from his sixth studio album, Embrace, which was released on 29 October 2015.[66] The single is titled "Another You" featuring Mr Probz. Three weeks after releasing "Another You", Van Buuren also debuted another remix from Game of Thrones official theme which is originally made by composer Ramin Djawadi.[67]
On 16 October 2015 Armin van Buuren released the next single from Embrace called "Strong Ones" featuring Cimo Fränkel. This was followed by the release of his collaboration with Cosmic Gate "Embargo" on 22 October 2015. To accompany the album's release, Van Buuren announced the return of the Armin Only series of parties.
This edition of the tour will be titled Armin Only: Embrace and is set to take place throughout both 2015 and 2016. As the title of the tour suggests, it will be based around the collection of music that he's showcased on his new album.[68]
Armin van Buuren performing in 2017
On 2 February 2017, Armin van Buuren officially opened a new A State of Trance radio show studio in Amsterdam as part of his celebrations for the 800th episode of the radio show. The studio is located in the Armada headquarters.[69] With the new accommodations made possible by the studio, he introduced a new segment of the radio show called Service for Dreamers where he invites fans to send in their favorite trance tracks that have a special meaning to them. Every week one track gets chosen to be featured live on the show and introduced by the fans of the radio show live, either by a walk-in, phone call, Skype or other means of contact.[70]
In 2017, Armin van Buuren announced he will be releasing an online MasterClass sharing his expertise in electronic music production.[71]
On 13 April 2017, Armin van Buuren performed at the Heineken stage in Shanghai, in the first Formula 1 Festival along with Angela Chang.[72]
Armin performed a seven-hour-long set at the Romania Untold Festival on 6 August 2018, clocking from 2:00 a.m. to after 9:00 a.m.[73] This outlasted his previous 2017 ASOT performance, which had gone on for five hours.[74]
On October 6, 2019 he performed at Republic Square, Yerevan, Armenia as an opening act for the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT).[75]
On 25 October 2019, Armin released his sixth studio album, Balance.[76]
Barack Hussein Obama II (/bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/ (listen);[1] born August 4, 1961) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president of the United States. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.
Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. After graduating from Columbia University in 1983, he worked as a community organizer in Chicago. In 1988, he enrolled in Harvard Law School, where he was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. After graduating, he became a civil rights attorney and an academic, teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992
to 2004.
Quote: "CHANGE WILL NOT COME IF WE WAIT FOR some other person or some other time. WE ARE THE ONES WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR. WE ARE THE CHANGE THAT WE SEEK."
Quote: "Life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children - all of our children - a better World. Even if it's difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don't get very far in our lifetime."
Quote: "Your voice can change the world"
He represented the 13th district for three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997 until 2004, when he ran for the U.S. Senate. He received national attention in 2004 with his March primary win, his well-received July Democratic National Convention keynote address, and his landslide November election to the Senate. In 2008, he was nominated for president a year after his campaign began, after a close primary campaign against Hillary Clinton.
He was elected over Republican John McCain and was inaugurated on January 20, 2009. Nine months later, he was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
After winning re-election by defeating Republican opponent Mitt Romney, Obama was sworn in for a second term in 2013. He advocated for gun control in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, indicating support for a ban on assault weapons, and issued wide-ranging executive actions concerning global warming and immigration.
Two years after graduating from Columbia, Obama moved from New York to Chicago when he was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project, a church-based community organization originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Roseland, West Pullman, and Riverdale on Chicago's South Side.
He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988.[51][101] He helped set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens.[102] Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the Gamaliel Foundation, a community organizing institute.[103]
Despite being offered a full scholarship to Northwestern University School of Law, Obama enrolled at Harvard Law School in the fall of 1988, living in nearby Somerville, Massachusetts.[107] He was selected as an editor of the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year,[108] president of the journal in his second year,[102][109] and research assistant to the constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe while at Harvard for two years.[110] During his summers, he returned to Chicago, where he worked as a summer associate at the law firms of Sidley Austin in 1989 and Hopkins & Sutter in 1990.[111] After graduating with a JD degree magna cum laude[112] from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.[108] Obama's election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention[102][109] and led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations,[113] which evolved into a personal memoir. The manuscript was published in mid-1995 as Dreams from My Father.[113]
In 1991, Obama accepted a two-year position as Visiting Law and Government Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School to work on his first book.[113][114] He then taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for twelve years, first as a lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and then as a senior lecturer from 1996 to 2004.[115]
He joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a 13-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an associate for three years from 1993 to 1996, then of counsel from 1996 to 2004. In 1994, he was listed as one of the lawyers in Buycks-Roberson v. Citibank Fed. Sav. Bank, 94 C 4094 (N.D. Ill.).[117] This class action lawsuit was filed in 1994 with Selma Buycks-Roberson as lead plaintiff and alleged that Citibank Federal Savings Bank had engaged in practices forbidden under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act.[118] The case was settled out of court.[119] Final judgment was issued on May 13, 1998, with Citibank Federal Savings Bank agreeing to pay attorney fees.
He sponsored a law that increased tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.[126] In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures.[127][128]
During his 2004 general election campaign for the U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting death penalty reforms
Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks, but the bill failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee.[158] Regarding tort reform, Obama voted for the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies complicit with NSA warrantless wiretapping operations.[159]
Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works and Veterans' Affairs through December 2006.[173] In January 2007, he left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.[174] He also became Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on European Affairs.[175]
bama addressed supporters and volunteers at Chicago's McCormick Place after his reelection and said: "Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties."[208][209]
President Obama's 2011 State of the Union Address focused on themes of education and innovation, stressing the importance of innovation economics to make the United States more competitive
globally.
On February 17, 2009, Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the deepening worldwide recession.[251] The act includes increased federal spending for health care, infrastructure, education, various tax breaks and incentives, and direct assistance to individuals.[252]
The economy of the United States has grown faster than the other original NATO members by a wider margin under President Obama than it has anytime since the end of World War II.[284] The Organiz
ation for Economic Co-operation and Development credits the much faster growth in the United States to the stimulus plan of the US and the austerity measures in the European Union.[285]
Obama at a 2010 briefing on the BP oil spill at the Coast Guard Station Venice in Venice, Louisiana
On September 30, 2009, the Obama administration proposed new regulations on power plants, factories, and oil refineries in an attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming.[290][291]
On April 20, 2010, an explosion destroyed an offshore drilling rig at the Macondo Prospect in the Gulf of Mexico, causing a major sustained oil leak. Obama visited the Gulf, announced a federal investigation, and formed a bipartisan commission to recommend new safety standards, after a review by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and concurrent Congressional hearings. He then announced a six-month moratorium on new deepwater drilling permits and leases, pending regulatory review.[292] As multiple efforts by BP failed, some in the media and public expressed confusion and criticism over various aspects of the incident, and stated a desire for more involvement by Obama and the federal government.[293]
In July 2013, Obama expressed reservations and said he "would reject the Keystone XL pipeline if it increased carbon pollution" or "greenhouse emissions."[294][295] Obama's advisers called for a halt to petroleum exploration in the Arctic in January 2013.[296] On February 24, 2015, Obama vetoed a bill that would have authorized the pipeline.[297] It was the third veto of Obama's presidency and his first major veto.[298]
Obama emphasized the conservation of federal lands during his term in office. He used his power under the Antiquities Act to create 25 new national monuments during his presidency and expand four others, protecting a total of 553,000,000 acres (224,000,000 ha) of federal lands and waters, more than any other U.S. president.[299][300][301][302]
Many commentators credit Obama with averting a threatened depression and pulling the economy back from the Great Recession.[514] According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Obama administration created 11.3 million jobs from the month after his first inauguration to the end of his term.[519]
A 2018 survey of historians by the American Political Science Association ranked Obama the 8th-greatest American President.[4] Obama gained 10 spots from the same survey in 2015 from the Brookings Institution that ranked Obama the 18th-greatest American President.[534]
Steve Ribble
Global Eco Army, Navy and Air Force
Accountant
Mr. Stephen Ribble is the former Accountant for Bright Solar Systems.
Mr. Ribble is also President and CEO of Guardian Accounting Group, a full service accounting firm focused on small business owners and professionals.
Currently he is the Treasurer at Global Eco Army. As Treasurer, Mr. Ribble provides financial oversight and monitor the financial health of the organization.
He serves as a member of the Executive Committee and chairs Global Eco Army Finance Committee.
As Treasurer, Mr. Ribble's specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
1. Overseeing, in coordination with the Executive Director:
a. The creation, presentation and monitoring of the annual budget
b. The timely and accurate completion of the organization’s tax forms and annual audit
c. The creation and distribution of financial reports prior to board meetings
2. Presenting financial information to the board and being available for questions
3. Monitoring compliance with financial policies and procedures; suggesting changes and new policies as needed
4. Providing regular financial oversight and alerting the Executive Committee immediately if concerns arise.
He has extensive experience with tax issues facing small business owners and his practice focuses on consulting related to the formation and ongoing operations for these individuals.
These services range from year-end tax planning strategies to advice relative to specific business transactions.
Prior to forming Guardian Accounting Group, Steve was a Regional Vice President at Deutsche Bank.
Stephen holds a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from the University of South Florida and is a member of the Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society.
He is a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals and the Carrollwood Area Business Association.