Inilah Sushil Kumar, Slumdog Millionaire di Dunia Nyata

Nasib Sushil Kumar berubah dalam satu malam, dari pegawai negeri miskin jadi jutawan, berkat kuis Who Wants to be Millionaire.

Kumar adalah orang pertama di India yang berhasil memenangi kuis populer itu dan ia berhak atas hadiah senilai 50 juta rupee (lebih dari 1 juta dolar AS). Ketika bintang film legendaris Amibath Bachchan, sang pembawa acara kuis, menyerahkan cek hadiah, Kumar dan istrinya yang baru ia kawini empat bulan ini larut dalam tangis bahagia.

“Anda telah menciptakan sejarah. Kemampuan dan semangat Anda telah membuat Anda melangkah sejauh ini,” komentar Bachchan.

“Kami sangat bahagia, tetapi lebih dari itu, kami masih tidak percaya,” tukas Kumar.

Kemenangan Kumar seperti mewujudkan isi film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ di mana si protagonis bernama Jamal Malik menang di kuis Who Wants to be Millionaire. Film arahan sutradara Inggris Danny Boyle tersebut akhirnya memenangi Oscar sebagai Film Terbaik tahun 2008.

Sebelum menjadi jutawan baru, Kumar hanya seorang PNS di kota Motihari, negara bagian Bihar di India sebelah timur. Penghasilan pria 26 tahun itu hanyalah 120 dolar (setara Rp 1,1 juta) per bulan. Untuk menambah-nambahi penghasilan, Kumar bekerja sebagai guru les privat.

Kumar memang menggemari kuis WWTBAM, tetapi caranya untuk bisa menonton acara tersebut tidaklah mudah. Sebagai anak buruh tani, keluarga Kumar tidak mampu membeli televisi sehingga ia harus menontonnya di rumah tetangga. Saat menyaksikan kuis tersebut, Kumar sering sekali menjawab dengan benar sehingga tetangga-tetangganya mendorong dia mencoba peruntungan sebagai peserta.

Kumar juga adalah orang desa. Perjalannnya ke Mumbai untuk menjalani rekaman kuis tersebut adalah kali pertama buatnya bepergian naik pesawat. Ia juga mengaku bahwa Mumbai adalah kota besar pertama yang pernah ia kunjung.

Ketika sudah menjadi peserta kuis, target Kumar tidaklah muluk-muluk. Bisa mendapat hadiah 50 ribu dolar atau 100 ribu dolar saja sudah cukup. Karena itulah, tatkala menghadapi pertanyaan ke-13, ia yang sudah mengantungi hadiah 200 ribu dolar berpikir untuk mundur. Namun takdir menggariskan Kumar terus melaju setelah berpikir keras.

“Saat saya melihat pertanyaan itu, saya tidak tahu jawabannya. Tapi saya terus saja memelototi pertanyaan tersebut dalam waktu lama dan tiba-tiba saya tahu kalau dua dari empat (jawaban) itu salah,” beber Kumar.

Dengan sebuah bantuan yang memungkinkan seorang peserta untuk memberi dua jawaban alternatif, Kumar pun sukses melewati hadangan itu. Penyelenggara kuis menolak mengungkapkan apa pertanyaan tersebut dan hanya memberi petunjuk bahwa soal itu terkait dengan sejarah.

Rencana Kumar

Dengan hadiah besar yang sudah ia kantungi, apa rencana Kumar? Tidak terlalu mewah. Kumar berencana memakai uangnya untuk mengambil kursus persiapan ujian PNS sehingga ia bisa mendapatkan posisi yang baik dan bergengsi.

Kumar juga berencana buat membelikan istrinya sebuah rumah, melunasi utang orang tuanya dan membantu memodali empat saudaranya untuk membuka usaha kecil.

Masih ada lagi, Kumar juga tidak lupa dengan asal usulnya dan ia berencana untuk membangun perpustakaan di Motihari sehingga memungkinkan anak-anak di sana memperoleh pengetahuan yang sejak dulu ia damba-dambakan.

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KISAH Sushil Kumar seakan menjadi perwujudan cerita fiksi film Slumdog Millionaire. Pemuda berusia 26 tahun itu memenangi acara kuis populer Who Wants to Be a Millionaire versi India. Ia meraih hadiah utama sebesar 50 juta rupee (sekitar Rp6,4 miliar).


Kumar adalah putra buruh tani miskin yang berpendapatan Rp1,1 juta per bulan. Saking miskinnya, keluarga Kumar tidak mampu membeli TV. Ketika ingin menonton TV, ia harus menumpang di tetangga sebelahnya. Mirip dengan kisah Malik, Kumar pun rajin menonton kuis yang dipandu aktor Amitabh Bachchan. Karena menguasai pengetahuan umum, Kumar dibujuk untuk ikut Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.


Tidak disangka langkah Kumar di acara tersebut tidak terhentikan. Hingga pertanyaan ke-12, ia telah mangantongi hadiah 10 juta rupee. Kumar tetap bersikeras menyelesaikan satu pertanyaan terakhir (ke-13).


"Saat melihat pertanyaan tersebut, saya tidak tahu jawabannya apa, tapi saya terus melihat itu cukup lama dan tiba-tiba saya tahu dua dari jawaban itu salah," jelas Kumar.


Saat berhasil menjawab pertanyaan tersebut, pekerja kantoran ini akhirnya benar-benar menjadi Slumdog Millionaire. Kumar dan istrinya tak kuasa untuk menangis ketika Bachchan menyerahkan cek sebesar 50 juta rupee. "Anda telah membuat sejarah keberanian dan tekad telah membuat Anda datang ke acara ini, kata Bachchan.


Uang itu akan digunakan Kumar untuk belajar sebelum mengikuti tes pegawai negeri sipil India, agar pekerjaannya lebih terjamin.


"Saya ingin memperbaiki rumah saya, membeli beberapa kebutuhan dasar, dan pindah ke Delhi untuk belajar sebagai persiapan tes PNS. Ia juga akan membelikan istrinya rumah baru, melunasi utang orang tua, memberikan bantuan kepada saudara agar bisa membuka usaha baru.


Tidak hanya itu, Kumar juga berencana untuk membangun perpustakaan di rumahnya, Desa Motihari, agar anak-anak dapat memiliki akses membaca buku dan mendapatkan pengetahuan seperti keinginan Kumar yang selalu diidam-idamkan.

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Seorang pria miskin di daerah terpencil India menjadi orang pertama yang memenangkan hadiah 1 juta dolar dalam sebuah acara televisi, mirip kejadian dalam film Slumdog Millionaire.

Pria yang bernama Sushil Kumar ini untuk menonton acara televisi favoritnya “Who Wants to Be Millionaire” harus pergi ke rumah tetangga karena tidak memiliki televisi sendiri. Sebagai pegawai pemerintahan di desa, ia hanya berpenghasilan 120 dolar per bulannya. Untuk menambah penghasilannya ia memberikan les privat. Ketika menonton kuis di televisi, ia selalu menjawab dengan benar setiap pertanyaan, hal itu membuat tetaangganya menyarankan agar ia mengikuti kuis tersebut.

Kumar yang istrinya sedang mengandung lima bulan ini memiliki rencana yang sederhana ketika menginjakkan kaki untuk pertama kalinya ke kota Mumbai, menghasilkan uang. Hebatnya, ia berhasil mewujudkan tujuannya itu. Ia menorehkan sejarah saat bintang film kawakan India Amitabh Bachchan yang menjadi host acara tersebut menyerahkan cek 50 juta rupee atau senilai 1 juta dolar.

“Anda telah membuat sejarah,” demikian ungkap Bachchan. “Kemampuan dan tekad Anda telah membuat Anda berhasil sampai sejauh ini dalam acara ini.”

Kumar yang berusia 26 tahun ini mengatakan kepada pemirsa televisi bahwa keluarganya begti miskin, ia akan menggunakan uang tersebut untuk melakukan persiapan ujian pegawai sipil sehingga bisa mendapatkan pekerjaan yang lebih baik, selain itu akan membelikan rumah untuk istrinya serta membayar hutang-hutang orangtuanya. Selain itu Kumar juga akan memberikan modal kepada saudara-saudaranya supaya bisa memulai usaha kecil dan juga membangun sebuah perpustaan di Motihari, desa tempat tinggalnya. Ia ingin agar anak-anak di desanya bisa mengakses buku dan pengetahuan seperti yang ia dambakan.

Kemiskinan tidak seharusnya menjadi alasan untuk berhenti bermimpi. Ada banyak kesempatan yang Tuhan sediakan untuk setiap orang yang mau berusaha dan bekerja keras untuk mewujudkan cita-citanya. Terkadang caranya bahkan diluar pikiran kita, contohnya adalah apa yang dialami oleh Kumar. Kecintaannya untuk belajar dan membaca buku, membuatnya berhasil mencapai sesuatu yang dulu ia anggap sebagai kemustahilan.


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Bunyi Pasal Ganti Rugi Delay Pesawat dan Bagasi Hilang

Maskapai wajib memberi ganti rugi Rp 300 ribu/penumpang bila pesawat delay lebih 4 jam. Bagasi hilang juga wajib diganti maksimal Rp 4 juta. Hal itu tertuang dalam Peraturan Menteri Perhubungan (Permenhub) 77 Tahun 2011 yang diteken pada 8 Agustus dan diperkirakan berlaku November 2011. Peraturan tentang Tanggung Jawab Pengangkut Angkutan Udara ini mengatur mengenai asuransi delay pesawat, bagasi hilang dan kecelakaan. Berikut bunyi pasal-pasal inti dari 10 Bab dan 29 Pasal yang ada:

BAB II
Jenis Tanggung Jawab Pengangkut dan Besaran Kerugian

Pasal 2

Spoiler for Pasal 2:

Pengangkut yang mengoperasikan pesawat udara wajib bertanggung jawab atas kerugian terhadap:

1.      penumpang yang meninggal dunia, cacat tetap atau luka-luka;

2.      hilang atau rusaknya bagasi kabin;

3.      hilang, musnah, atau rusaknya bagasi tercatat;

4.      hilang, musnah atau rusaknya kargo;

5.      keterlambatan angkutan udara; dan

6.      kerugian yang diderita oleh pihak ketiga.

Pasal 3

Spoiler for Pasal 3:

Jumlah ganti kerugian terhadap penumpang yang meninggal dunia, cacat tetap atau luka-luka sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Pasal 2 huruf a ditetapkan sebagai berikut:

1.      penumpang yang meninggal dunia di dalam pesawat udara karena akibat kecelakaan pesawat udara atau kejadian yang semata-mata ada hubungannya dengan pengangkutan udara diberikan ganti kerugian sebesar Rp 1.250.000.000,00 (satu miliar dua ratus lima puluh juta rupiah) per penumpang.

2.      penumpang yang meninggal dunia akibat suatu kejadian yang semata-mata ada hubungannya dengan pengangkutan udara pada saat proses meninggalkan ruang tunggu bandar udara menuju pesawat udara atau atau pada saat proses turun dari pesawat udara menuju ruang kedatangan di bandar udara tujuan dan/atau bandar udara persinggahan (transit) diberikan ganti kerugian sebesar Rp 500.000.000,00 (lima ratus juta rupiah) per penumpang.

3.      penumpang yang mengalami cacat tetap, meliputi:

1.      1 penumpang yang dinyatakan cacat tetap total oleh dokter dalam jangka waktu paling lambat 60 (enam puluh) hari kerja sejak terjadinya kecelakaan diberikan ganti kerugian sebesar Rp 1.250.000.000,00 (satu miliar dua ratus lima puluh juta rupiah) per penumpang; dan

2.      2 penumpang yang dinyatakan cacat tetap sebagian oleh dokter dalam jangka waktu paling lambat 60 (enam puluh) hari kerja sejak terjadinya kecelakaan diberikan ganti kerugian sebagaimana termuat dalam lampiran yang tidak terpisahkan dari Peraturan Menteri ini.

4.      Cacat Tetap Total sebagaimana dimaksud pada huruf c angka 1 yaitu kehilangan penglihatan total dari 2 (dua) mata yang tidak dapat disembuhkan, atau terputusnya 2 (dua) tangan atau 2 (dua) kaki atau satu tangan dan satu kaki pada atau di atas pergelangan tangan atau kaki, atau kehilangan penglihatan total dari 1 (satu) mata yang tidak dapat disembuhkan dan terputusnya 1 (satu) tangan atau kaki pada atau di atas pergelangan tangan atau kaki.

5.      penumpang yang mengalami luka-luka dan harus menjalani perawatan di rumah sakit, klinik atau balai pengobatan sebagai pasien rawat inap dan/atau rawat jalan, akan diberikan ganti kerugian sebesar biaya perawatan yang nyata paling banyak Rp 200.000.000,00 (dua ratus juta rupiah) per penumpang.

Pasal 5

Spoiler for Pasal 5:

1.      Jumlah ganti kerugian terhadap penumpang yang mengalami kehilangan, musnah atau rusaknya bagasi tercatat sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Pasal 2 huruf c ditetapkan sebagai berikut:

1.      kehilangan bagasi tercatat atau isi bagasi tercatat atau bagasi tercatat musnah diberikan ganti kerugian sebesar Rp 200.000,00 (dua ratus ribu rupiah) per kg dan paling banyak Rp 4.000.000,00 (empat juta rupiah) per penumpang; dan

2.      kerusakan bagasi tercatat, diberikan ganti kerugian sesuai jenisnya bentuk, ukuran dan merk bagasi tercatat.

2.      Bagasi tercatat dianggap hilang sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (1), apabila tidak diketemukan dalam waktu 14 (empat belas) hari kalender sejak tanggal dan jam kedatangan penumpang di bandar udara tujuan.

3.      Pengangkut wajib memberikan uang tunggu kepada penumpang atas bagasi tercatat yang belum ditemukan dan belum dapat dinyatakan hilang sebagaimana dimaksud pada ayat (2) sebesar Rp 200.000,00 (dua ratus ribu rupiah) per hari paling lama untuk 3 (tiga) hari kalender.

Pasal 7

Spoiler for Pasal 7:

1.      Jumlah ganti kerugian terhadap kargo yang dikirim hilang, musnah atau rusak sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Pasal 2 huruf d ditetapkan sebagai berikut:

1.      terhadap hilang atau musnah, pengangkut wajib memberikan ganti kerugian kepada pengirim sebesar Rp 100.000,00 (seratus ribu rupiah) per kg.

2.      terhadap rusak sebagian atau seluruh sisi kargo atau kargo, pengangkut wajib memberikan ganti kerugian kepada pengirim sebesar Rp 50.000,00 (lima puluh ribu rupiah) per kg.

3.      apabila pada saat menyerahkan kepada pengangkut, pengirim menyatakan nilai kargo dalam surat muatan udara (airway bill), ganti kerugian yang wajib dibayarkan oleh pengangkut kepada pengirim sebesar nilai kargo yang dinyatakan dalam surat muatan udara.

2.      Kargo dianggap hilang setelah 14 (empat belas) hari kalender terhitung sejak seharusnya tiba di tempat tujuan.

Pasal 9

Spoiler for Pasal 9:

Keterlambatan angkutan udara sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Pasal 2 huruf e terdiri dari:

1.      keterlambatan penerbangan (flight delayed);

2.      tidak terangkutnya penumpang dengan alasan kapasitas pesawat udara (denied boarding passenger); dan

3.      pembatalan penerbangan (cancelation of flight)

Pasal 10

Spoiler for Pasal 10:

Jumlah ganti kerugian untuk penumpang atas keterlambatan penerbangan sebagaimana dimaksud dalam Pasal 9 huruf a ditetapkan sebagai berikut:

1.      keterlambatan lebih dari 4 (empat) jam diberikan ganti rugi sebesar Rp 300.000,00 (tiga ratus ribu rupiah) per penumpang;

2.      diberikan ganti kerugian sebesar 50% (lima puluh persen) dari ketentuan huruf a apabila pengangkut menawarkan tempat tujuan lain yang terdekat dengan tujuan penerbangan akhir penumpang (re-routing), dan pengangkut wajib menyediakan tiket penerbangan lanjutan atau menyediakan transportasi lain sampai ke tempat tujuan apabila tidak ada moda transportasi selain angkutan udara;

dalam hal dialihkan kepada penerbangan berikutnya atau penerbangan milik Badan Usaha Niaga Berjadwal lain, penumpang dibebaskan dari biaya tambahan, termasuk peningkatan kelas pelayanan (up grading class) atau apabila terjadi penurunan kelas atau sub kelas pelayanan, maka terhadap penumpang wajib diberikan sisa uang kelebihan dari tiket yang dibeli.

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10 Jalan Maut di Dunia

Inilah jalan-jalan paling berbahaya di dunia yang memakan korban ratusan orang tewas setiap tahunnya.
1. Jalan Maut di Bolivia

Jalan Yungas Utara, juga dikenal sebagai jalan maut, membentang sejauh 61 sampai 69 km dari La Paz (ibukota Bolivia) ke Coroico di daerah Amazon di kawasan Yungas, Bolivia. Begitu berbahayanya hingga melegenda. Pada tahun 1995 Inter American Development Bank membabtisnya sebagai “jalan paling berbahaya di dunia”. Diperkirakan 200-300 orang tewas tiap tahun di jalan tersebut. Sepanjang jalan itu banyak salib berdiri menandai banyak tempat kendaraan-kendaraan mengalami kecelakaan.
Di akhir 2006, setelah dibangun selama 20 tahun, sebuah jalan baru (by-pass) dari La Paz ke Coroico dibuka untuk umum. Jalan baru ini mencirikan konstruksi modern (jembatan, drainase, dll), jalur ganda, trotoar, pagar pengaman dan banyak elemen lain yang membuatnya jauh lebih aman dibandingkan jalan lama. Akibatnya sekarang ini jauh lebih sedikit orang memakai jalan Yungas Utara yang lama, meski justru banyak para petualang bersepeda menikmati sensasi bahaya di sana.


2. Terowongan Guoliang di Cina

Jalan di pegunungan Taihang ini dibangun oleh penduduk desa setempat. Diperlukan 5 tahun untuk menyelesaikan terowongan sepanjang 1.200 meter itu, dengan tinggi kira-kira 5m dan lebar 4m. Sejumlah penduduk tewas oleh kecelakaan selama pembuatannya; namun penduduk lainnya dengan tabah tetap melanjutkannya.
Pada tanggal 1 Mei 1977, terowongan itu dibuka untuk lalu lintas. Letaknya di provinsi Hunan, Cina.


3. Ruta 5 : Jalan Antara Arica ke Iquique di Chili

Jalan antara Arica ke Iquique ini terkenal berbahayanya, melalui lembah-lembah teramat dalam dan berkelok-kelok, serta di dasar lembah nampak banyak kerangka mobil korban kecelakaan. Kadang-kadang bila anda di situ menyaksikan mobil dan bis melintas dengan kecepatan tinggi, anda mungkin mengira mereka dengan bodohnya menantang maut atau mereka justru hantu yang sedang lewat. Penampakan seperti itu dimungkinkan oleh pemandangan sekitarnya yang sunyi terpencil dan berwarna membosankan. Maka bila berkendaraan di sana harus dengan konsentrasi penuh dan menghindari mengkonsumsi bahan-bahan yang dapat menyebabkan halusinasi.


4. Jalan Siberia ke Yakutsk di Rusia

Jalan raya federal Rusia ini menghubungkan Moskow dengan Yakutsk di mana pernah tercatat suhu terdingin di luar Antartika. Yakutsk adalah kota terbesar yang pernah dibangun di atas tanah yang selalu beku. Kebanyakan rumah dibangun diatas balok-balok beton karena tanahnya beku sepanjang waktu.
Apa hubungan semua itu dengan kenyataan sebagai salah satu jalan paling berbahaya di dunia?
Selama musim dingin yang kira-kira 10 bulan, berkendaraan ke dan dari Yakutsk menghadapi tantangan salju lebat, es dan penglihatan terbatas. Namun kondisi jalan di musim dingin ini bagaikan piknik saja bila dibandingkan dengan kondisinya di bulan Juli dan Agustus ketika hujan musim panas menghantam jalan tak beraspal itu membuatnya menjadi kubangan Lumpur.
Jalan tersebut tak bisa diaspal atau diperluas karena tanahnya selalu beku. Bisa sampai terjadi ribuan kemacetan lalu lintas di masa seperti itu, dan di saat-saat kemacetan seperti itu, para pengendara dan pemakai jalan lainnya yang terjebak, bisa melewatkan waktu dengan menjarah, berkelahi atau menculik orang-orang yang lewat. Itulah bajak lumpur Siberia.


5. Jalan Raya Sichuan – Tibet di Cina

Di Cina, angka kematian oleh kecelakaan lalu lintas hamper berlipat dua selama 20 tahun terakhir (1985-2005), naik dari 3.9 ke 7.6 per 100.000 warga. Salah satu penyumbangnya tak pelak lagi adalah jalan raya Sichuan – Tibet, sebuah jalan di dataran tinggi antara Chengdu dan Tibet dimana sering terjadi tanah longsor dan longsoran batu.
Jalan raya tersebut mempunyai panjang 2.412km, mulai dari Chengdu di Sichuan di sebelah timur dan berakhir di Lhasa, Tibet di sebelah barat. Jalan itu membentang melalui Ya’an, Garze dan Chamdo, menyelusuri 14 gunung yang tingginya rata-rata 4.000-5.000 meter, menyeberangi lusinan sungai terkenal (seperti sungai Dadu, Jinsha, Lantsang, Nujiang), melintasi hutan tua dan banyak sekali bagian berbahaya. Namun dibalik itu, sepanjang jalan tersaji pemandangan spektakuler dan juga dijumpai budaya etnis yang unik.


6. Jalan Raya James Dalton di Alaska

Jalan raya James Dalton ini adalah jalan berkerikil sepanjang 414 mil. Dari belokan Livengood di jalan raya Elliot, lurus menuju utara, melintasi tundra kutub sampai ke bagian-bagian paling utara Alaska. Alyeska membangun bagian jalan yang sulit sepanjang 360 mil, sekarang dikenal sebagai jalan raya Dalton, dari sungai Yukon ke Teluk Prudhoe, dengan biaya 150 juta dollar guna memasok fasilitas minyak di dataran utara. Jembatan jalur pipa menyeberangi sungai Yukon (sungai ini panjangnya 1875 mil) adalah satu-satunya tempat penyeberangan sungai di Alaska itu.
Memang ini bukan untuk pengendara yang nyalinya ciut atau mereka yang memakai kendaraan baru. Itu masih merupakan rute utama untuk memasok lading-ladang minyak di Teluk Prudhoe, dan anda harus berbagi jalan dengan trailer atau traktor yang besar-besar. Kaca depan mobil maupun lampu depan sering terkena batu-batu yang terlontar. Kebanyakan perusahaan rental mobil tidak mau menyewakan mobilnya bila dipakai melewati Jalan Dalton itu. Truk-truk yang melaju kencang di jalur tersebut, melontarkan debu atau Lumpur tebal, membuat penglihatan hamper-hampir tertutup total. Lubang-lubang jalan sudah banyak menyebabkan kerusakan pada kendaraan hingga memerlukan perbaikan, namun stasiun bensin serta bengkel praktis tak diketemukan disana. Jangan coba-coba berkendaraan di jalan Dalton tersebut kecuali anda memakai mobil berpenggerak 4 roda, membawa CB radio, bekal bensin cukup, makanan, ban cadangan dan sekoper perbekalan lain.


7. Jalan Patiopoulo – Perdikaki di Yunani

Ini berupa lintasan sempit, kotor, padat lalu-lintasnya, membentang dari Patiopoulo ke Perdikaki di Yunani. Jalannya memiliki tanjakan dan turunan yang curam, berbahaya sebab banyak lubang besar namun sedikit pengaman bagi kendaraan yang melintas disitu. Jalannya sempit, serta di kiri dan kanannya langsung berhadapan dengan jurang tanpa ada pagar pengaman atau apapun yang bisa menahan kendaraan jatuh ke bawah. Setiap tahun banyak orang tewas disini. Jalan itu dipakai oleh pejalan kaki, ternak, truk, bus dan mobil. Ini betul-betul jalan yang berbahaya, sebagian besar hanya ada kerikil di permukaannya. Tidak ada garis tanda apapun yang menandai di mana pinggiran jalannya. Malam hari jalan ini semakin berbahaya dan kebanyakan kecelakaan terjadi di malam hari.


8. Trollstigen di Norwegia

Trollstigen (tangga Troll) adalah jalan pegunungan di Rauma, Norwegia. Itu merupakan bagian dari jalan nasional Noerwegia no. 63 yang menghubungkan Andalsues di Rauma dengan Valldal di Norddal. Jalan ini menjadi daya tarik popular bagi para turis karena kecuramannya yang 9% dan adanya sebelas tikungan amat tajam yang menanjak di lereng gunung. Makin ke atas jalan makin menyempit dengan belokan-belokan tajam. Meski di tahun-tahun belakangan sudah diperlebar, kendaraan yang panjangnya lebih dari 12.4m dilarang melewati jalan tersebut.
Di puncak tersedia tempat parker yang luas dimana para turis dapat menyimpan mobil, lalu dari situ berjalan selama 10 menit ke sebuah ketinggian seperti balkon. Dari tempat tersebut mereka bisa melihat jalan dengan segenap belokannya dan juga air terjun Stigfossen. Air terjun ini nampak indah, mengalir jatuh setinggi 320m sepanjang tepi gunung.

9. Jalan A682 di Inggris

Jalan A682 ini terletak antara belokan 13 jalan M65 dengan Long Preston, dan menjadi jalan terburuk di Inggris sebab selama 10 tahun terakhir telah menyebabkan hamper 100 kecelakaan. Jalan A682 itu berupa satu jalur sepanjang 14 mil membentang dari belokan 13 jalan M65 dekat Nelson, Lanchs, ke long Preston di YorkShire utara. Dalam 3 tahun terakhir, terjadi 22 kecelakaan berat – dua diantaranya memakan korban jiwa. Para ahli menyimpulkan setiap tahunnya terjadi 0.5 kematian untuk setiap 10 mil.
Di waktu subuh hari minggu, jalan itu menjadi favorit bagi pengendara sepeda motor.


10. Jalan Lintas Stelvio Trollstigen di Italia

Jalan ini merupakan jalan lintas gunung yang tertinggi di Alpen timur dan kedua yang tertinggi di pegunungan Alpen sesudah jalan Col de I’lsevon (2.770m). Jalan lintas Stelvia ini menghubungkan daerah Valtellina dengan lembah Adige atas serta Merano. Letaknya di pegunungan Alpen Italia, dekat Bormio dan Sulden, 75km dari Bolzano, dekat perbatasan dengan Swiss.
Meski barangkali tidak segawat jalan-jalan maut lainnya, namun yang pasti jalan ini mendebarkan jantung. Buku tur menyarankan bahwa pendakian paling berat dan spektakuler adalah dari arah Prato, sedangkan dari arah Bormio lebih ringan. Memiliki 48 tikungan tajam, jalan ini dianggap jalan dengan rangkaian belokan tajam yang terbaik di pegunungan Alpen.

 Sumber

10 Tempat Diving Terindah dan Terbaik di Indonesia

1. Pulau Komodo

Pulau Komodo adalah sebuah pulau yang terletak di Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara. Pulau Komodo dikenal sebagai habitat asli hewan komodo. Pulau ini juga merupakan kawasan Taman Nasional Komodo yang dikelola oleh Pemerintah Pusat. Pulau Komodo berada di sebelah timur Pulau Sumbawa, yang dipisahkan oleh Selat Sape.

Tahun 2009, Taman Nasional Komodo dinobatkan menjadi finalis "New Seven Wonders of Nature" yang baru diumumkan pada tahun 2010 melalui voting secara online di www.N7W.com



2.Pulau Bunaken

Bunaken adalah sebuah pulau seluas 8,08 km² di Teluk Manado, yang terletak di utara pulau Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Taman laut Bunaken memiliki 20 titik penyelaman (dive spot) dengan kedalaman bervariasi hingga 1.344 meter. Dari 20 titik selam itu, 12 titik selam di antaranya berada di sekitar Pulau Bunaken. Dua belas titik penyelaman inilah yang paling kerap dikunjungi penyelam dan pecinta keindahan pemandangan bawah laut.

Sebagian besar dari 12 titik penyelaman di Pulau Bunaken berjajar dari bagian tenggara hingga bagian barat laut pulau tersebut. Di wilayah inilah terdapat underwater great walls, yang disebut juga hanging walls, atau dinding-dinding karang raksasa yang berdiri vertikal dan melengkung ke atas. Dinding karang ini juga menjadi sumber makanan bagi ikan-ikan di perairan sekitar Pulau Bunaken.

 

 

3. Pulau Wakatobi

Kabupaten Wakatobi adalah salah satu kabupaten di Provinsi Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia. Ibu kota kabupaten ini terletak di Wangi-Wangi, dibentuk berdasarkan Undang-undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 29 Tahun 2003, tanggal 18 Desember 2003.

Wakatobi juga merupakan nama kawasan taman nasional yang ditetapkan pada tahun 1996, dengan luas keseluruhan 1,39 juta hektare, menyangkut keanekaragaman hayati laut, skala dan kondisi karang yang menempati salah satu posisi prioritas tertinggi dari konservasi laut di Indonesia.



4. Tulamben, Bali

 

Tulamben sudah sangat terkenal di kalangan penyelam domestik maupun mancanegara. Apa yang membuat Tulamben begitu terkenal? Tak lain adalah kemudahan dan kekayaan biota laut yang ditawarkan oleh situs penyelaman ini. Ditambah dengan bangkai Kapal USS Liberty yang sangat mudah diakses dan menyajikan berbagai mahluk bawah laut mulai dari yang kecil seperti siput laut, kepiting dan udang, ghost pipefish dan pygmy seahorse sampai yang besar seperti hiu, ikan Mola mola, dan lain lain. Tulamben menawarkan situs penyelaman yang sesuai untuk kursus penyelaman, penyelaman santai (fun dive) dan fotografi bawah air.

 

 5. Kepulauan Raja Ampat,

 


Kabupaten Raja Ampat adalah salah satu kabupaten di provinsi Papua Barat, Indonesia. Ibukota kabupaten ini terletak di Waisai.

Sebagai daerah kepulauan, satu-satunya transportasi antar pulau dan penunjang kegiatan masyarakat Raja Ampat adalah angkutan laut. Demikian juga untuk menjangkau Waisai, ibu kota kabupaten. Bila menggunakan pesawat udara, lebih dulu menuju Kota Sorong. Setelah itu, dari Sorong perjalanan ke Waisai dilanjutkan dengan transportasi laut. Sarana yang tersedia adalah kapal cepat berkapasitas 10, 15 atau 30 orang. Dengan biaya sekitar Rp. 2 juta, Waisai dapat dijangkau dalam waktu 1,5 hingga 2 jam.

6. Selat Lembeh,

Selat Lembeh adalah perairan sempit (selat) yang memisahkan daratan utama Pulau Sulawesi dengan Pulau Lembeh. Kota Bitung terletak di salah satu sisi selat ini. Selat ini dikenal memiliki kekayaan keanekaragaman hayati laut yang sangat tinggi dan menjadi salah satu objek wisata selam utama di Sulawesi Utara.

Selat Lembeh atau biasa disebut Lembeh Strait merupakan tempat wisata favorit bagi para penggemar wisata bawah laut. Berbagai flora dan fauna seperti terumbu karang beraneka warna dan fauna laut yang mempesona pasti mengundang decak kagum bagi setiap orang yang melihatnya. Untuk informasi Anda, Perairan Selat Lembeh termasuk dalam wilayah Kecamatan Bitung Selatan, Kotamadya Bitung, Propinsi Sulawesi Utara. Perairan yang mempesona ini terkenal dengan keanekaragaman invertebrata terutama dari kelompok Echinodermata.

7. Pulau Bangka,

Pulau Bangka adalah sebuah pulau yang terletak di sebelah timur Sumatra, Indonesia dan termasuk dalam wilayah provinsi Kepulauan Bangka Belitung. Populasinya pada 2004 berjumlah 789.809 jiwa. Luas pulau Bangka ialah 11.693.54 km².

Pulau Bangka. Laut tunggangan dan puncaknya, karang lunak indah dan spons. SAWARNA bawah air. Besar ikan dan kehidupan makro beragam, dengan bungalow pemandangan laut yang ditetapkan dalam pasir putih bubuk di sebuah kebun kelapa, seperti surga di bumi.

8. Pulau Banda

Kepulauan Banda terletak di tenggara Pulau Ambon yang terdiri dari 10 pulau kecil yang meliputi luas keseluruhan 55 Km2. Tiga pulau terbesar di kawasan ini adalah Pulau Neira, Pulau Banda Besar dan Pulau Gunung Api.

Kawasan perairan di kepulauan ini memiliki kehidupan bawah air yang sangat mengagumkan; surga bagi penyelam bawah air. Wisatawan juga dapat melakukan snorkeling di kawasan terumbu karang yang sangat indah. Jika itu belum cukup, tersedia Gunung Api untuk didaki.

9. Alor,

Alor adalah sebuah pulau yang terletak di ujung timur Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara. Luas wilayahnya 2.119 km², dan titik tertingginya 1.839 m. Pulau ini dibatasi oleh Laut Flores dan Laut Banda di sebelah utara, Selat Ombai di selatan (memisahkan dengan Pulau Timor), serta Selat Pantar di barat (memisahkan dengan Pulau Pantar. Pulau Alor adalah satu dari 92 pulau terluar Indonesia karena berbatasan langsung dengan Timor Leste di sebelah selatan.

Banyak wisatawan asing yang pernah ke Alor terkagum-kagum. Sebab, selain dimanjakan keindahan taman lautnya, mereka juga menemukan fenomena taman laut tersebut langka dan sangat menarik. Makanya, wajar jika wisata bahari Alor dengan panorama bawah laut yang spefisik di Selat Pantar menjadi primadona dan pemikat bagi para diver kelas dunia dari Amerika, Australia, Austria, Inggris, Belgia, Belanda, Jerman, Kanada, Selandia Baru, dan beberapa negara di Asia.

10. Kepulauan Derawan

Pulau Derawan terletak di Kepulauan Derawan, Kecamatan Derawan, Kabupaten Berau, Kalimantan Timur Satuan morfologi Pulau Derawan adalah dataran pantai bertopografi datar. Pantai pasir memiliki kemiringan lereng sekitar 7° - 11° dengan lebar 13,5 - 20 meter.

Di perairan sekitarnya terdapat taman laut dan terkenal sebagai wisata selam (diving) dengan kedalaman sekitar lima meter. Terdapat beraneka ragam biota laut di sini, diantaranya cumi-cumi (cuttlefish), lobster, ikan pipa (ghostpipe fish), gurita (bluering octopus), nudibranchs, kuda laut (seahorses), belut pita (ribbon eels) dan ikan skorpion (scorpionfishes).

Pada batu karang di kedalaman sepuluh meter, terdapat karang yang dikenal sebagai "Blue Trigger Wall" karena pada karang dengan panjang 18 meter tersebut banyak terdapat ikan trigger (red-toothed trigger fishes).

Quote:

Beberapa Jenis Tumbuhan dan Buah Penambah Kesuburan

ALANGKAH bahagianya seorang pasangan yang baru memiliki seorang buah hati. Hal tersebut merupakan impian setiap suami istri. Namun tidak setiap pasangan diberikan anugerah serupa. Terkadang mereka harus menunggu dalam waktu yang lama untuk mendapatkan buah hati.

Berbagai usahapun dilakukan untuk mendapatkan buah hati. Langkah untuk kedokter, alternatif atau mengkonsumsi asupan obat-obatan menjadi langkah yang dilakukan untuk meningkatkan kesuburan.

Berdasarkan informasi, ternyata faktor makanan merupakan sesuatu yang menentukan tingkat kesuburan sistem reproduksi manusia.

Bahan-bahan makanan, seperti sejumlah sayuran dan buah-buahan dapat meningkatkan kesuburan dan sering kita temui, bahkan mungkin sering kita konsumsi. Berikut ini merupakan sayuran dan buah-buahan yang dapat membantu meningkatkan kesuburan.

Quote:

Pegagan

Pegagan merupakan tanaman merambat yang sering dimakan sebagai lalapan segar. Dalam pegagan terkandung asiaticoside, thankuniside, isothankuniside, madecassoside, brahmoside, brahminoside, brahmic acid, madasiatic acid, meso-inositol, centellose, carotenoids, garam-garam mineral seperti garam kalium, natrium,magnesium, kalsium, besi, vellarine, dan zat samak atau tanin.

Madecocassosida dapat memacu produksi kolagen. Kolagen berperan besar dalam regenerasi sel kulit termasuk sel telur (ovum) pada wanita dan sel sperma pada pria. Pegagan mengandung karoten yang berperan sebagai antioksidan. Karoten menjaga mutu sperma dan sel telur. Caranya dengan melindungi dinding sperma dan sel telur dari kerusakan akibat radikal bebas. Mineral-mineral seperti kalium, natrium, kalsium, besi dan fosfor dalam pegagan juga penting bagi kesehatan tubuh.

Quote:

Wortel

Wortel mengandung air, protein, karbohidrat, lemak, serat, abu, nutrisi anti kanker, gula alamiah (fruktosa, sukrosa, dektrosa, laktosa, dan maltosa), pektin, glutanion, mineral (kalsium, fosfor, besi, kalium, natrium, amgnesium, kromium), vitamin (beta karoten, B1, dan C) serta asparagine.

Beta Karotennya merupakan anti oksidan yang menjaga kesehatan dan menghambat proses penuaan. Beta Karoten dapat mencegah dan menekan pertumbuhan sel kanker serta melindungi asam lemak tidak jenuh ganda dari proses oksidasi.

Daun wortel mengandung porphyrins. Zat ini dapat merangsang kelenjar pituary dan meningkatkan hormon seks.

Quote:

Jambu Biji Merah

Hampir semua buah berwarna cerah kaya likopen. Meski tampak berwarna kekuningan pada bagian luar buah jambu biji lokal merah, namun bagian daging buahnya sangat merah. Seperti halnya tomat, daging buah jambu biji lokal yang berwarna merah juga kaya akan likopen. Likopen dalam jambu biji lokal merah bersifat antioksidan dan menyuburkan sistem reproduksi pria. Oleh karena itu, konsumsi jus jambu biji merah secara rutin juga dapat meningkatkan kesuburan pada pria.

Quote:

Kemangi

Kemangi juga dikenal sebagai sayuran yang dapat dimakan segar sebagai lalapan. Tanaman beraroma wangi ini mengandung arginine yang memperkuat daya tahan hidup sperma, mencegah kemandulan, dan menurunkan gula darah. Daya tahan hidup sperma penting untuk mendukung proses pembuahan sel telur. Sedangkan kandungan boron berperan merangsang hormon androgen dan estrogen serta mencegah pengeroposan tulang. Kedua hormon ini besar perannya dalam sistem reproduksi wanita.

Untuk meningkatkan vitalitas, dianjurkan untuk mengkonsumsi daun kemangi sebagai teman makan sehari-hari.

Quote:

Seledri

Sayuran pelengkap berbagai masakan di Indonesia ini berkhasiat tonik, memacu enzim pencernaan, menurunkan tekanan darah, menghentikan pendarahan, peluruh kencing, peluruh haid, peluruh kentut, menurunkan asam urat, membersihkan darah.

Perannya dalam sistem reproduksi karena seledri mampu memperbaiki fungsi hormonal yang terganggu, seperti nyeri haid, haid tidak teratur, ataupun haid terlalu banyak.

Daun seledri kaya senyawa minyak atsiri, kalsium, besi dan magnesium. Daun tanaman ini juga kaya vitamin A, vitamin B, dan vitamin C.

Setiap 100 gram daun seledri segar terkandung 130IU vitamin A dan 15 mg vitamin C. Vitamin A dan vitamin C dikenal sebagai antioksidan cukup kuat. Serangan radikal bebas terhadap dinding sperma dan sel telur dapat dihambat oleh kedua vitamin ini.

Quote:

Daun Katuk

Tidak hanya sebagai pelancar ASI daun katuk juga kaya senyawa yang dapat menggenjot mutu dan jumlah sperma, termasuk membangkitkan vitalitas seksual. Daun katuk dipenuhi senyawa fitokimia berkhasiat obat.

Dalam tubuh laki-laki senyawa aktif daun katuk akan merangsang pembentukan hormon keperkasaan, yang akan menggenjot vitalitas seksual. Bahkan, produksi sperma melaju pesat seiring dengan peningkatan kualitasnya. Daun katuk dipuji mampu mengembalikan vitalitas dan kesuburan pria loyo.

Quote:

Semangka

Bersama vitamin C dan betakaroten dalam buah semangka, likopen dapat melawan berbagai jenis kanker. Dalam sebuah riset dilaporkan bahwa konsumsi likopen yang cukup pada pria bisa membantu menurunkan resiko kanker prostat. Mereka memiliki masalah dengan sperma, yakni jumlah sperma terbatas, struktur sperma tidak normal, dan pergerakannya lamban.

Semangka juga memiliki senyawa pembangkit gairah, yaitu sitrulin. Kerja senyawa ini diketahui setara dengan viagra. Senyawa kelompok asam amino ini dapat memicu produksi nitrit oksida, yang berperan dalam peningkatan kemampuan seksual pria.

Semoga bermanfaat bagi kita semua terutama pasangan yang mendambakan kehadiran buat hati

In condolence of Steve Jobs (Steven Paul Jobs)

 

Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)^[2][6][7][8] was an American computer entrepreneur and inventor. He was co-founder,^[9] chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc.^[10][11] Jobs also previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of The Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer.^[12]
In the late 1970s, Jobs, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Mike Markkula,^[9] and others, designed, developed, and marketed one of the first commercially successful lines of personal computers, the Apple II series. In the early 1980s, Jobs was among the first to see the commercial potential of Xerox PARC's mouse-driven graphical user interface, which led to the creation of the Macintosh.^[13][14] After losing a power struggle with the board of directors in 1985,^[15][16] Jobs resigned from Apple and founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specializing in the higher-education and business markets. Apple's subsequent 1996 buyout of NeXT brought Jobs back to the company he co-founded, and he served as its CEO from 1997 until 2011. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios.^[17] He remained CEO and majority shareholder at 50.1 percent until its acquisition by The Walt Disney company in 2006.^[18] Consequently Jobs became Disney's largest individual shareholder at 7 percent and a member of Disney's Board of Directors.^{[19][20][21][22]}
His aim to develop products that are both functional and elegant earned him a devoted following.^[23]
On August 24, 2011, Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple's CEO. In his letter of resignation, Jobs strongly recommended that the Apple executive succession plan be followed and Tim Cook be named as his successor. Per his request, Jobs was appointed chairman of Apple's board of directors.^{[24][25][26][27]} On October 5, 2011, Apple announced that Jobs had died at the age of 56.^[8][28]

Early years

Steve Jobs at the WWDC 07

Jobs was born in San Francisco^[1] and was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs (née Hagopian)^[29] of Mountain View, California, who named him Steven Paul.^[2] Paul and Clara later adopted a daughter, whom they named Patti. Jobs' biological parents – Abdulfattah John Jandali,^[30] a Syrian Muslim^[31] graduate student from Homs who later became a political science professor,^[32] and Joanne Simpson (née Schieble), an American graduate student^[31] who went on to become a speech language pathologist^[33] – eventually married. Together, they gave birth to and raised Jobs' biological sister, novelist Mona Simpson.^{[34][35][36][37][38][39]}
Jobs attended Cupertino Junior High and Homestead High School in Cupertino, California.^[23] He frequented after-school lectures at the Hewlett-Packard Company in Palo Alto, California and was later hired there, working with Steve Wozniak as a summer employee.^[40] Following high school graduation in 1972, Jobs enrolled at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Although he dropped out after only one semester,^[41] he continued auditing classes at Reed, while sleeping on the floor in friends' rooms, returning Coke bottles for food money, and getting weekly free meals at the local Hare Krishna temple.^[16] Jobs later said, "If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts."^[16]
In autumn 1974, Jobs returned to California and began attending meetings of the Homebrew Computer Club with Wozniak. He took a job as a technician at Atari, a manufacturer of popular video games, with the primary intent of saving money for a spiritual retreat to India.
Jobs then traveled to India to visit the Neem Karoli Baba^[42] at his Kainchi Ashram with a Reed College friend (and, later, the first Apple employee), Daniel Kottke, in search of spiritual enlightenment. He came back a Buddhist with his head shaved and wearing traditional Indian clothing.^[43][44] During this time, Jobs experimented with psychedelics, calling his LSD experiences "one of the two or three most important things [he had] done in [his] life".^[45] He has said that people around him who did not share his countercultural roots could not fully relate to his thinking.^[45]
Jobs returned to his previous job at Atari and was given the task of creating a circuit board for the game Breakout. According to Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari had offered $100 for each chip that was eliminated in the machine. Jobs had little interest or knowledge in circuit board design and made a deal with Wozniak to split the bonus evenly between them if Wozniak could minimize the number of chips. Much to the amazement of Atari, Wozniak reduced the number of chips by 50, a design so tight that it was impossible to reproduce on an assembly line. At the time, Jobs told Wozniak that Atari had only given them $700 (instead of the actual $5000) and that Wozniak's share was thus $350.^{[46][47][48][49][50][51]}

Beginnings of Apple Computer

See also: History of Apple

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at the fifth D: All Things Digital conference (D5) in 2007

In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne,^[52] with later funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product-marketing manager and engineer A.C. "Mike" Markkula Jr.,^[9] founded Apple. Prior to co-founding Apple, Wozniak was an electronics hacker. Jobs and Wozniak had been friends for several years, having met in 1971, when their mutual friend, Bill Fernandez, introduced 21-year-old Wozniak to 16-year-old Jobs. Steve Jobs managed to interest Wozniak in assembling a computer and selling it. As Apple continued to expand, the company began looking for an experienced executive to help manage its expansion.
In 1978, Apple recruited Mike Scott from National Semiconductor to serve as CEO for what turned out to be several turbulent years. In 1983, Steve Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?"^[53][54] The following year, Apple aired a Super Bowl television commercial titled "1984". At Apple's annual shareholders meeting on January 24, 1984, an emotional Jobs introduced the Macintosh to a wildly enthusiastic audience; Andy Hertzfeld described the scene as "pandemonium".^[55] The Macintosh became the first commercially successful small computer with a graphical user interface. The development of the Mac was started by Jef Raskin, and eventually taken over by Jobs.
While Jobs was a persuasive and charismatic director for Apple, some of his employees from that time had described him as an erratic and temperamental manager. An industry-wide sales slump towards the end of 1984 caused a deterioration in Jobs's working relationship with Sculley, and at the end of May 1985 – following an internal power struggle and an announcement of significant layoffs – Sculley relieved Jobs of his duties as head of the Macintosh division.^[56] He later claimed that being fired from Apple was the best thing that could happen to him; "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life."^[57]

NeXT Computer

See also: NeXT

Steve Jobs on computer graphics. Interview excerpt from 1995.^[58]

The NeXT used by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN that became the first server in the World Wide Web.

Around the same time, Jobs founded another computer company, NeXT Computer. Like the Apple Lisa, the NeXT workstation was technologically advanced; however, it was largely dismissed by industry as cost-prohibitive^{[citation needed]}. Among those who could afford it, however, the NeXT workstation garnered a strong following because of its technical strengths, chief among them its object-oriented software development system^{[citation needed]}. Jobs marketed NeXT products to the scientific and academic fields because of the innovative, experimental new technologies it incorporated (such as the Mach kernel, the digital signal processor chip, and the built-in Ethernet port)^{[citation needed]}.
The NeXTcube was described by Jobs as an "interpersonal"^{[Need quotation to verify]} computer, which he believed was the next step after "personal"^{[Need quotation to verify]} computing. That is, if computers could allow people to communicate and collaborate together in an easy way, it would solve many of the problems that "personal" computing had come up against.^{[citation needed]}
During a time when e-mail for most people was plain text, Jobs loved to demo the NeXT's e-mail system, NeXTMail, as an example of his "interpersonal" philosophy^{[citation needed]}. NeXTMail was one of the first to support universally visible, clickable embedded graphics and audio within e-mail^{[citation needed]}.
Jobs ran NeXT with an obsession for aesthetic perfection, as evidenced^{[original research?]} by such things as the NeXTcube's magnesium case. This put considerable strain on NeXT's hardware division, and in 1993, after having sold only 50,000 machines, NeXT transitioned fully to software development with the release of NeXTSTEP/Intel.^{[citation needed]}

Pixar and Disney

In 1986, Jobs bought The Graphics Group (later renamed Pixar) from Lucasfilm's computer graphics division for the price of $10 million, $5 million of which was given to the company as capital.^[59]
The new company, which was originally based at Lucasfilm's Kerner Studios in San Rafael, California, but has since relocated to Emeryville, California, was initially intended to be a high-end graphics hardware developer. After years of unprofitability selling the Pixar Image Computer, it contracted with Disney to produce a number of computer-animated feature films, which Disney would co-finance and distribute.
The first film produced by the partnership, Toy Story, brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released in 1995. Over the next 15 years, under Pixar's creative chief John Lasseter, the company would produce the box-office hits A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007), WALL-E (2008), Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010). Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3 each received the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, an award introduced in 2001.
In the years 2003 and 2004, as Pixar's contract with Disney was running out, Jobs and Disney chief executive Michael Eisner tried but failed to negotiate a new partnership,^[60] and in early 2004 Jobs announced that Pixar would seek a new partner to distribute its films once its contract with Disney expired.
In October 2005, Bob Iger replaced Eisner at Disney, and Iger quickly worked to patch up relations with Jobs and Pixar. On January 24, 2006, Jobs and Iger announced that Disney had agreed to purchase Pixar in an all-stock transaction worth $7.4 billion. Once the deal closed, Jobs became The Walt Disney Company's largest single shareholder with approximately 7% of the company's stock.^[19] Jobs's holdings in Disney far exceed those of Eisner, who holds 1.7%, and of Disney family member Roy E. Disney, who until his 2009 death held about 1% of the company's stock and whose criticisms of Eisner – especially that he soured Disney's relationship with Pixar – accelerated Eisner's ousting. Jobs joined the company's board of directors upon completion of the merger. Jobs also helped oversee Disney and Pixar's combined animation businesses with a seat on a special six person steering committee.

Return to Apple

Jobs on stage at Macworld Conference & Expo, San Francisco, January 11, 2005

See also: "1998–2005: Return to profitability" in Apple Computer, Inc.

In 1996, Apple announced that it would buy NeXT for $429 million. The deal was finalized in late 1996,^[61] bringing Jobs back to the company he had co-founded. Jobs became de facto chief after then-CEO Gil Amelio was ousted in July. He was formally named interim chief executive in September 1997.^[62] In March 1998, to concentrate Apple's efforts on returning to profitability, Jobs terminated a number of projects, such as Newton, Cyberdog, and OpenDoc. In the coming months, many employees developed a fear of encountering Jobs while riding in the elevator, "afraid that they might not have a job when the doors opened. The reality was that Jobs' summary executions were rare, but a handful of victims was enough to terrorize a whole company."^[63] Jobs also changed the licensing program for Macintosh clones, making it too costly for the manufacturers to continue making machines.
With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, most notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs's guidance the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of the iMac and other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. At the 2000 Macworld Expo, Jobs officially dropped the "interim" modifier from his title at Apple and became permanent CEO.^[64] Jobs quipped at the time that he would be using the title 'iCEO.'^[65]
In recent years, the company has branched out, introducing and improving upon other digital appliances. With the introduction of the iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software, and the iTunes Store, the company made forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. On June 29, 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business with the introduction of the iPhone, a multi-touch display cell phone, which also included the features of an iPod and, with its own mobile browser, revolutionized the mobile browsing scene. While stimulating innovation, Jobs also reminded his employees that "real artists ship",^[66] by which he meant that delivering working products on time is as important as innovation and attractive design.
Jobs was both admired and criticized for his consummate skill at persuasion and salesmanship, which has been dubbed the "reality distortion field" and was particularly evident during his keynote speeches (colloquially known as "Stevenotes") at Macworld Expos and at Apple's own Worldwide Developers Conferences.
In 2005, Jobs responded to criticism of Apple's poor recycling programs for e-waste in the U.S. by lashing out at environmental and other advocates at Apple's Annual Meeting in Cupertino in April. However, a few weeks later, Apple announced it would take back iPods for free at its retail stores. The Computer TakeBack Campaign responded by flying a banner from a plane over the Stanford University graduation at which Jobs was the commencement speaker.^[16] The banner read "Steve — Don't be a mini-player recycle all e-waste". In 2006, he further expanded Apple's recycling programs to any U.S. customer who buys a new Mac. This program includes shipping and "environmentally friendly disposal" of their old systems.^[67]

Resignation

Wikinews has related news: Apple executive Steve Jobs resigns

In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, but remained at the company as chairman of the company's board.^[68][69] Hours after the announcement, Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares dropped 5% in after-hour trading.^[70] The relatively small drop, when considering the importance of Jobs to Apple, was associated with the fact that Jobs' health had been in the news for several years, and he was on medical leave since January 2011.^[71] It was believed, according to Forbes, that the impact would be felt in a negative way beyond Apple, including at The Walt Disney Company where Jobs served as director.^[72] In after-hour trading on the day of the announcement, Walt Disney Co. (DIS) shares dropped 1.5%.^[73]

Business life

Wealth

Even though Jobs earned only $1 a year as CEO of Apple,^[74] he held 5.426 million Apple shares, as well as 138 million shares in Disney (which he had received in exchange for Disney's acquisition of Pixar).^[75] Forbes estimated his net wealth at $8.3 billion in 2010, making him the 42nd wealthiest American.^[76]

Stock options backdating issue

In 2001, Steve Jobs was granted stock options in the amount of 7.5 million shares of Apple with an exercise price of $18.30, which allegedly should have been $21.10, thereby incurring taxable income of $20,000,000 that he did not report as income. This indicated backdating. Apple overstated its earnings by that same amount. If found liable, Jobs might have faced a number of criminal charges and civil penalties. Apple claimed that the options were originally granted at a special board meeting. Furthermore, the investigation is focusing on false dating of the options resulting in a retroactive $20 million increase in the exercise price. The case is the subject of active criminal and civil government investigations,^[77] though an independent internal Apple investigation completed on December 29, 2006, found that Jobs was unaware of these issues and that the options granted to him were returned without being exercised in 2003.^[78] On July 1, 2008, a $7 billion class action suit was filed against several members of the Apple Board of Directors for revenue lost due to the alleged securities fraud.^[79][80]

Management style

Jobs demonstrating the iPhone 4 to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on June 23, 2010

Much was made of Jobs' aggressive and demanding personality. Fortune wrote that he was "considered one of Silicon Valley's leading egomaniacs".^[81] Commentaries on his temperamental style can be found in Mike Moritz's The Little Kingdom, one of the few authorized biographies of Jobs; The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman; and iCon: Steve Jobs, by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon. In 1993, Jobs made Fortune's list of America's Toughest Bosses in regard to his leadership of NeXT. Cofounder Dan'l Lewin was quoted in Fortune as saying of that period, "The highs were unbelievable . . . [b]ut the lows were unimaginable," to which Jobs's office replied that his personality had changed since then.^[82]
Jef Raskin, a former colleague, once said that Jobs "would have made an excellent king of France," alluding to Jobs' compelling and larger-than-life persona.^[83]
Jobs always aspired to position Apple and its products at the forefront of the information technology industry by foreseeing and setting trends, at least in innovation and style. He summed up that self-concept at the end of his keynote speech at the Macworld Conference and Expo in January 2007 by quoting ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky:^[84]

There's an old Wayne Gretzky quote that I love. 'I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.' And we've always tried to do that at Apple. Since the very very beginning. And we always will.

—Steve Jobs

Floyd Norman said that at Pixar, Jobs was a "mature, mellow individual" and never interfered with the creative process of the filmmakers.^[85]
In 2005, Steve Jobs banned all books published by John Wiley & Sons from Apple Stores in response to their publishing an unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs.^[86] In its 2010 annual earnings report, Wiley said it had "closed a deal ... to make its titles available for the iPad."^[87]

Inventions

Jobs is listed as either primary inventor or co-inventor in 338 US patents or patent applications related to a range of technologies from actual computer and portable devices to user interfaces (including touch-based), speakers, keyboards, power adapters, staircases, clasps, sleeves, lanyards and packages.^[88][89]

Philanthropy

After Bloomberg accidentally published Jobs' obituary in 2008, Arik Hesseldahl of BusinessWeek magazine noted that "Jobs isn't widely known for his association with philanthropic causes", compared to Bill Gates' efforts.^[90] After resuming control of Apple in 1997, Jobs eliminated all corporate philanthropy programs.^[91]

Personal life

Jobs married Laurene Powell, on March 18, 1991. Presiding over the wedding was the Zen Buddhist monk Kobun Chino Otogawa.^[92] The couple have a son and two daughters.^[93] Jobs also has a daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs (born 1978), from his relationship with Bay Area painter Chrisann Brennan.^[94] She briefly raised their daughter on welfare when Jobs denied paternity by claiming he was sterile; he later acknowledged Lisa as his daughter.^[94]
In the unauthorized biography, The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, author Alan Deutschman reports that Jobs once dated Joan Baez. Deutschman quotes Elizabeth Holmes, a friend of Jobs from his time at Reed College, as saying she "believed that Steve became the lover of Joan Baez in large measure because Baez had been the lover of Bob Dylan." In another unauthorized biography, iCon: Steve Jobs by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon, the authors suggest that Jobs might have married Baez, but her age at the time (41) meant it was unlikely the couple could have children.
Jobs was also a fan of The Beatles. He referred to them on multiple occasions at Keynotes and also was interviewed on a showing of a Paul McCartney concert. When asked about his business model on 60 Minutes, he replied:^[95]

My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other's negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.

In 1982, Jobs bought an apartment in The San Remo, an apartment building in New York City with a politically progressive reputation, where Demi Moore, Steven Spielberg, Steve Martin, and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, daughter of Rita Hayworth, also had apartments. With the help of I.M. Pei, Jobs spent years renovating his apartment in the top two floors of the building's north tower, only to sell it almost two decades later to U2 singer Bono. Jobs had never moved in.^[96][97]
In 1984, Jobs purchased a 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m²), 14-bedroom Spanish Colonial mansion, designed by George Washington Smith, in Woodside, California (also known as Jackling House). Although it reportedly remained in an almost unfurnished state, Jobs lived in the mansion for almost ten years. According to reports, he kept an old BMW motorcycle in the living room, and let Bill Clinton use it in 1998. Since the early 1990s, Jobs has lived in a house in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood of Palo Alto. President Clinton dined with Jobs and 14 Silicon Valley CEOs there on August 7, 1996 on a meal catered by Greens Restaurant.^[98][99] Clinton returned the favor and Jobs, who was a Democratic donor, slept in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House.^[100]
Jobs allowed Jackling House to fall into a state of disrepair, planning to demolish the house and build a smaller home on the property; but he met with complaints from local preservationists over his plans. In June 2004, the Woodside Town Council gave Jobs approval to demolish the mansion, on the condition that he advertise the property for a year to see if someone would move it to another location and restore it. A number of people expressed interest, including several with experience in restoring old property, but no agreements to that effect were reached. Later that same year, a local preservationist group began seeking legal action to prevent demolition. In January 2007 Jobs was denied the right to demolish the property, by a court decision.^[101] The court decision was overturned on appeal in March 2010 and the mansion was demolished beginning February 2011.^[102]
Jobs usually wore a black long-sleeved mock turtleneck made by St. Croix, Levi's 501 blue jeans, and New Balance 991 sneakers.^[103] He was a pescetarian, one whose diet includes fish but no other meat.^[104][105]
His car was a silver 2008 Mercedes SL 55 AMG, which does not display its license plates.^[106][107]
Jobs had a public war of words with Dell Computer CEO Michael Dell, starting when Jobs first criticized Dell for making "un-innovative beige boxes".^[108] On October 6, 1997, in a Gartner Symposium, when Michael Dell was asked what he would do if he owned then-troubled Apple Computer, he said "I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."^[109] In 2006, Steve Jobs sent an email to all employees when Apple's market capitalization rose above Dell's. The email read:^[110]

Team, it turned out that Michael Dell wasn't perfect at predicting the future. Based on today's stock market close, Apple is worth more than Dell. Stocks go up and down, and things may be different tomorrow, but I thought it was worth a moment of reflection today. Steve.

Illness and death

In mid-2004, Jobs announced to his employees that he had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his pancreas.^[111] The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is usually very poor; Jobs, however, stated that he had a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor.^[111] After initially resisting the idea of conventional medical intervention and embarking on a special diet to thwart the disease, Jobs underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy (or "Whipple procedure") in July 2004 that appeared to successfully remove the tumor.^[112][113] Jobs apparently did not require nor receive chemotherapy or radiation therapy.^[111][114] During Jobs' absence, Timothy D. Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations at Apple, ran the company.^[111]

Jobs at the 2008 Macworld Conference & Expo

In early August 2006, Jobs delivered the keynote for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. His "thin, almost gaunt" appearance and unusually "listless" delivery,^[115][116] together with his choice to delegate significant portions of his keynote to other presenters, inspired a flurry of media and Internet speculation about his health.^[117] In contrast, according to an Ars Technica journal report, WWDC attendees who saw Jobs in person said he "looked fine".^[118] Following the keynote, an Apple spokesperson said that "Steve's health is robust."^[119]
Two years later, similar concerns followed Jobs' 2008 WWDC keynote address.^[120] Apple officials stated Jobs was victim to a "common bug" and was taking antibiotics,^[121] while others surmised his cachectic appearance was due to the Whipple procedure.^[122] During a July conference call discussing Apple earnings, participants responded to repeated questions about Steve Jobs' health by insisting that it was a "private matter". Others, however, voiced the opinion that shareholders had a right to know more, given Jobs' hands-on approach to running his company.^[123] The New York Times published an article based on an off-the-record phone conversation with Jobs, noting that "while his health issues have amounted to a good deal more than 'a common bug,' they weren't life-threatening and he doesn't have a recurrence of cancer."^[124]
On August 28, 2008, Bloomberg mistakenly published a 2500-word obituary of Jobs in its corporate news service, containing blank spaces for his age and cause of death. (News carriers customarily stockpile up-to-date obituaries to facilitate news delivery in the event of a well-known figure's untimely death.) Although the error was promptly rectified, many news carriers and blogs reported on it,^[125][126] intensifying rumors concerning Jobs' health.^[127] Jobs responded at Apple's September 2008 Let's Rock keynote by quoting Mark Twain: "Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."^[128] At a subsequent media event, Jobs concluded his presentation with a slide reading "110/70", referring to his blood pressure, stating he would not address further questions about his health.^[129]
On December 16, 2008, Apple announced that marketing vice-president Phil Schiller would deliver the company's final keynote address at the Macworld Conference and Expo 2009, again reviving questions about Jobs' health.^{[130][131][132]} In a statement given on January 5, 2009 on Apple.com,^[133] Jobs said that he had been suffering from a "hormone imbalance" for several months.^[134] On January 14, 2009, in an internal Apple memo, Jobs wrote that in the previous week he had "learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought" and announced a six-month leave of absence until the end of June 2009 to allow him to better focus on his health. Tim Cook, who had previously acted as CEO in Jobs' 2004 absence, became acting CEO of Apple,^[135] with Jobs still involved with "major strategic decisions."^[135]
In April 2009, Jobs underwent a liver transplant at Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute in Memphis, Tennessee.^[136][137] Jobs' prognosis was "excellent".^[137]
On January 17, 2011, one and a half years after Jobs returned from his liver transplant, Apple announced that he had been granted a medical leave of absence. Jobs announced his leave in a letter to employees, stating his decision was made "so he could focus on his health". As during his 2009 medical leave, Apple announced that Tim Cook would run day-to-day operations and that Jobs would continue to be involved in major strategic decisions at the company.^[138][139] Despite the leave, he made appearances at the iPad 2 launch event (March 2), the WWDC keynote introducing iCloud (June 6), and before the Cupertino city council (June 7).^[140]
Jobs announced his resignation from his role as Apple's CEO on August 24, 2011. In his resignation letter, Jobs wrote that he could "no longer meet [his] duties and expectations as Apple's CEO".^[141]
On October 5, 2011, His family, in a statement, said Jobs "died peacefully today surrounded by his family . . ."^[142]

Screenshot of Apple.com's tribute to Steve Jobs

Apple released a separate statement saying that Jobs had died.^[8][143] The statement read "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts".
Also on October 5, 2011, apple.com greeted visitors with a simple message: Steve Jobs' black-and-white picture, his name and his years of birth and death. Clicking on Jobs' image led to an obituary that read: "Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple." An email address was also posted for the public to share their memories, condolences, and thoughts.^[144]
Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene, to whom he was married for 20 years, their three children, and a fourth child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, from a previous relationship.^[145]

Statements on Jobs' death

Statements were released reacting to Jobs' death by notable people in the US, including Microsoft's Bill Gates, Walt Disney Company's Bob Iger, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and President Barack Obama.
Bill Gates released a statement saying "I'm truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work. Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely."^[146][147]
Walt Disney Company president Bob Iger said in regards to Jobs; "Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined. Steve was such an "original," with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Laurene and his children during this difficult time."^[148]
American director Steven Spielberg said; “Steve Jobs was the greatest inventor since Thomas Edison. He put the world at our fingertips.”^[149]

Honors

He was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 with Steve Wozniak (among the first people to ever receive the honor),^[150] and a Jefferson Award for Public Service in the category "Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under" (a.k.a. the Samuel S. Beard Award) in 1987.^[151] On November 27, 2007, Jobs was named the most powerful person in business by Fortune Magazine.^[152] On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Jobs into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.^[153]
In August 2009, Jobs was selected as the most admired entrepreneur among teenagers in a survey by Junior Achievement.^[154] On November 5, 2009, Jobs was named the CEO of the decade by Fortune Magazine.^[155] In September 2011, Jobs was ranked No.17 on Forbes: The World's Most Powerful People.^[156] In December 2010, the Financial Times named Jobs its person of the year for 2010, ending its essay by stating, "In his autobiography, John Sculley, the former PepsiCo executive who once ran Apple, said this of the ambitions of the man he had pushed out: 'Apple was supposed to become a wonderful consumer products company. This was a lunatic plan. High-tech could not be designed and sold as a consumer product.' How wrong can you be".^[157]

In popular culture

Due to his young age, great wealth, and charisma, after Apple's founding Jobs became a symbol of his company and industry. When Time named the computer as the 1982 "Machine of the Year", it published a long profile of him as "the most famous maestro of the micro".^[158][159] In 2011 Jobs was voted Best Business Entrepreneur On Earth. Jobs was prominently featured in three films about the history of the personal computing industry:

• Triumph of the Nerds – a 1996 three-part documentary for PBS, about the rise of the home computer/personal computer.
• Nerds 2.0.1 – a 1998 three-part documentary for PBS, (and sequel to Triumph of the Nerds) which chronicles the development of the Internet.
• Pirates of Silicon Valley – a 1999 docudrama which chronicles the rise of Apple and Microsoft. He was portrayed by Noah Wyle.

After his resignation as Apple's CEO, Jobs was characterized as the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford of his time.^[160][161