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No, not a loss at all. He had a long and successful life, gave his people and the world his best, and made us all richer thereby. It's just his time to rest, after a job well done! 
Will Rogers never met me.
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Maximilien wrote: A huge loss for humanity.
Why? Why is he any more important than anyone else? Why is his loss greater than that of anyone else? What did he do for humanity? Don't see much of a legacy to be proud of in SA: the politicians have changed but there is still grinding poverty and unbridled violence. He was merely an interlude.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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You just don't get it, do you, Merrens? But then, you didn't get Doctor Who either.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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Forogar wrote: You just don't get it, do you, Merrens?
That's just it: I do get it.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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Aha! But do you get what getting it means?
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I do, but do you?
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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Quote:
I do, but do you?
That's rather a personal question! Especially if sheep are involved. Can we get back to the subject?
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I thought sheep were the subject.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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Forogar wrote: you didn't get Doctor Who either
You say this as if it were a bad thing.
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To turn that around, there are very few deaths that could not be said to be a huge loss to humanity. Given how interconnected humanity is, each single person can touch on and have an impact on hundreds or even thousands of others. Every interaction, every small act of kindness or rudeness or spite or love or any number of other acts has a ripple effect which touches those around them, and moves on from them to others.
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That's getting a bit touchy feely isn't it.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can.
“We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Sorry. My old neighbour died a few days ago and it was her funeral today.
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I'll let you off this time then.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can.
“We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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Loss, not sure if that is the way to describe it, he has only been a figure head for some time. And yes SA is still a problematic place, however I believe it is a dramatically better place than it was and he was both the figure head and driver of that change.
I'm just not looking forward to the out pouring of angst we can expect from the media, I just wish they would leave the rest of us in peace. He's dead let the poor old bugger go!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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Mycroft Holmes wrote: not looking forward to the out pouring of angst we can expect from the media,
Indeed: was the same when Diana died. I simply could not understand why people were lining up by the side of the M1 to pear at a coffin. Mawkish and sheep-like.
And yes, I am elephanting cynical.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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So true. And unfortunately I work at one of those media outlets. I think I'll play some Ramones in Nelson's memory. Too late for "I Wanna Be Well" so it'll have to be "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow".
mark merrens wrote: And yes, I am elephanting cynical
I wonder how many CPer's are cynics? When I was about 18 one of my teachers (who was about 60) told me I was the most cynical person he'd met.  Either he hadn't met many cynics or I started early.
If your neighbours don't listen to The Ramones, turn it up real loud so they can.
“We didn't have a positive song until we wrote 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue!'” ― Dee Dee Ramone
"The Democrats want my guns and the Republicans want my porno mags and I ain't giving up either" - Joey Ramone
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The best compliment I ever received was from a manager who once told me I was a "cynical, bombastic, belligerent bastard".
I replied "That's a lot of big words for a project manager..."
Fortunately we got on okay.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
Those who seek perfection will only find imperfection
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
me, in pictures
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You seriously need to figure out the Quote Selected Text button.
Maximilien is the Original Poster, mark merrens is who you responded too.
Michael Martin
Australia
"I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible."
- Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004
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Thanks. I had to look for the button. I found it. Because of my experience in another forum, I expected all control buttons for quoting to be at the top of the message, so I never noticed it, even though it's quite large.
I deleted that post and re-posted the same reply, but with quoted text, replying to mark merrens
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mark merrens wrote: Why?
Because he was a great person who changed where he lived for the better.
mark merrens wrote: Why is he any more important than anyone else? Why is his loss greater than that of anyone else?
Nobody asserted he was more important than anyone else. He did, however, have more of a positive impact on his local country than most people do.
mark merrens wrote: What did he do for humanity?
In addition to being a spiritual leader, he systematically opposed the oppresion of black people in South Africa, to the point where his oppressors put him in jail for 27 years. Even there he used communication as a force for good. He became such a symbol that he rose to the presidency, where he continuously improved things.
He lead by speaking the truth.
mark merrens wrote: Don't see much of a legacy to be proud of in SA: the politicians have changed but there is still grinding poverty and unbridled violence. He was merely an interlude.
Violence is recently on the rise in South Africa, but it is still down 44% since 1995. There is less oppression and much less violence than there once was. I suspect there is less poverty too.
mark merrens wrote: He was merely an interlude.
No, he made a major changes in South Africa to undo apartheid, so much so that Nelson Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Even when he was young and in college, he was an activist to improve things for his fellow students.
He inspired the creation of the The Nelson Mandela Foundation, The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation.
There is more. There's a short biography of him at http://www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017
Few people are willing to suffer serious harm to their opportunities, their freedom, and even risk their life to stand up for what is right. He was such a person, and by his activism, he made such major changes to South Africa that the vast majority of people, in, and outside of, his own country, recognize him as a great man.
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Too true. Princess and I recall the endless queues in and around Sandton in 1994 when we voted. We went back on the second day and still stood in line for a long time to vote.
An awful lot of corruption happened in politics at that time. They even redrew the electoral boundaries to ensure the ANC had a guaranteed seat throughout all Joburg. In Sandton in 1990, just before he was released from prison, Sandton had an excess of R140m in the council coffers. A number of suburbs went to court to have that money returned to the ratepayers. The court ruled no. In the years that followed, R140m was "lost" and no improvements were made to the township of Alexandra and other deprived areas. As Desmond Tutu said "the ANC stopped the gravy train just long enough to get on it". The pension fund of KwaZulu Natal was plundered within two years after the elections. All of this happened on his watch.
It's right to remember him for the great statesman he was. He had more integrity in his little finger than the subsequent incumbents had in their bodies. He brought respect, dignity, honesty and trust to his role as president. I would like to think that President Shower Head Zuma can learn some of those values but I doubt it.
If there is one thing more dangerous than getting between a bear and her cubs it's getting between my wife and her chocolate.
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You dare to publicly challenge the accepted view of a man, who is seen as great, and make some people feel deeply uncomfortable?
You're brave!
“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”
― Christopher Hitchens
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![Rose | [Rose]](https://www.codeproject.com/script/Forums/Images/rose.gif)
I just heard the news...he was a good and just man and will be missed.
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R.I.P
Wonde Tadesse
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