₦airaland Forum

https://www.nigerianmuse.com/images/sinosat-2-1.jpg

Nigeria firm denies Africa's first comms satellite missing in orbit

Wed, 12 Nov 2008

Abuja - Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited on Wednesday denied allegations that Africa's first communication satellite was missing in orbit. Ahmed Rufai, Managing Director of the company, a public-private partnership, said that the satellite was powered down after technical problems were identified on Sunday night.
"We, in collaboration with our Chinese counterparts, identified some problems on Sunday and had to switch off the satellite to enable us to carry out fault analysis of the situation," he said, adding that the satellite was fully insured.
Chinese embassy officials in Nigeria declined to comment.
The Nigerian press had widely reported Wednesday that the satellite had disappeared in orbit.
The China Great Wall Industry Corporation built the satellite at a cost of 256 million dollars. It was launched from the Xichang space launch centre in south-west China's Sichuan province on May 14, 2007.
The satellite was designed to serve as the strategic backbone for Nigeria's communication industry.
It was also meant to provide the much-needed bridge to close the digital divide being experienced by African nations and provide the enabling platform for Africa to be relevant in today's information age and digital economy.
The NIGCOMSAT-1 project was designed to cover a host of requirements in sectors such as security and surveillance, banking, oil and gas, telecommunication, internet services, among others.

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/241322,nigeria-firm-denies-africas-first-comms-satellite-missing-in-orbit.html

There are today over two million Americans incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails throughout the United States. More than one-half, or one million, are black men and women. The devastating human costs of the mass incarceration of one out of every 35 individuals within black America are beyond imagination.

https://www.nigerianmuse.com/images/sinosat-2-1.jpg

Nigeria firm denies Africa's first comms satellite missing in orbit

Wed, 12 Nov 2008

Abuja - Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited on Wednesday denied allegations that Africa's first communication satellite was missing in orbit. Ahmed Rufai, Managing Director of the company, a public-private partnership, said that the satellite was powered down after technical problems were identified on Sunday night.
"We, in collaboration with our Chinese counterparts, identified some problems on Sunday and had to switch off the satellite to enable us to carry out fault analysis of the situation," he said, adding that the satellite was fully insured.
Chinese embassy officials in Nigeria declined to comment.
The Nigerian press had widely reported Wednesday that the satellite had disappeared in orbit.
The China Great Wall Industry Corporation built the satellite at a cost of 256 million dollars. It was launched from the Xichang space launch centre in south-west China's Sichuan province on May 14, 2007.
The satellite was designed to serve as the strategic backbone for Nigeria's communication industry.
It was also meant to provide the much-needed bridge to close the digital divide being experienced by African nations and provide the enabling platform for Africa to be relevant in today's information age and digital economy.
The NIGCOMSAT-1 project was designed to cover a host of requirements in sectors such as security and surveillance, banking, oil and gas, telecommunication, internet services, among others.

Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/241322,nigeria-firm-denies-africas-first-comms-satellite-missing-in-orbit.html

https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j250/Johnequa/MichelleObama.jpg

SeanT21:
For all those that are critizizing Mrs Obama,She looks Beautiful and Well Gromed!!

I agree,she look very beautiful.

Who is the Nigerian Obama who will unite the country?

United States involvement in Congo and the Credit Crunch.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2CSGjIyE-0

https://ak.buy.com/db_assets/large_images/791/60145791.jpg

Nelson Mandela has paid tribute to legendary singer Miriam Makeba who passed away yesterday after a concert in Italy. The singer became the first African woman to win a Grammy award (1966).
The Former South African President described Makeba as "South Africa's first lady of song… She richly deserved the title of Mama Afrika". Makeba, 76, became an icon during the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa during the 1960s, her music gave a voice to those without one.
Stevie Wonder was also sanctioned for protesting against South African apartheid at the Embassy in America. Wonder was arrested in 1985 and described himself as a ''conscientious criminal'' against oppression.
For Makeba though, the punishment was more severe, after protesting the government barred her from South Africa and in 1963 she testified to the United Nations despite the inherent danger she faced. Miriam spent three decades abroad until Mr Mandela personally requested her return.
"Her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us. Even after she returned home she continued to use her name to make a difference by mentoring musicians and supporting struggling young women," Mr Mandela said.
Makeba has been on a "farewell tour" of the world since 2005 and died after falling ill following her performance at an anti-racism and anti-organized crime concert.

Source: http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvuk/news/459865-mandela-mourns-miriam-makeba

Watch the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCc61z9IFu4
Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata

https://ring.cdandlp.com/corner%20records/photo_petite/113398113.jpg

[img]http://dipitadidia.unblog.fr/files/2007/04/miriammakeba.jpg[/img]

https://www.vinylmaniaque.com/pochettes1/eps-int-myriam-makeba.jpg

There is already a topic on this subject here: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-193710.0.html

Can we have a British Obama? Yes we can

Unsurprisingly Barack Obama’s election has kicked off a debate about whether a non-white person could become Prime Minister in Britain. I’m an optimist on the question; I think we have come a long way from Cheltenham in 1992.
One thing worth noting is that the non-white population in Britain is only around 10 percent compared to more than twenty percent in America. Also, Britain’s history with race is less fraught than America’s. There wouldn’t be the same level of emotional intensity about the first non-white Prime Minister that there has been about the election of the first non-white President.   
Trevor Phillips has a point about the dead hand of the party machine. But that is not unique to Britain. It is worth remembering that Obama lost a Congressional primary in 2000 in part because the party machine thought he would upset the ethnic balance if he won, he was considered not black enough compared to the former Black Panther Bobby Rush. There are also other ways around the traditional party structures now.

https://blog.themavenreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/obama_family_essence_575.jpg

For instance, the London Mayoralty now presents an alternative route to national prominence.
Finally, politics is unpredictable—few in 1970 would have predicted that by the end of the decade Britain would have a female Prime Minister and there wouldn’t have been many people in 2000 who would have predicted that George W. Bush would be succeeded by the first black president. As Conservative Home reminds us, Margaret Thatcher famously predicted that there wouldn't be a female Prime Minister in her lifetime. None of this is to say that we should be complacent. A system which results in only 15 of 646 MPs being non-white is not sufficiently inclusive or meritocratic. But looking at the candidates selected by both major parties for the next election, the parties are clearly beginning to do a better job on this front.

Source: http://www.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2585876/can-we-have-a-british-obama-yes-we-can.thtml

South African singer Miriam Makeba dies


JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who wooed the world with her sultry voice but was banned from her own country for 30 years under apartheid, died early Monday after a concert in Italy. She was 76.
The Pineta Grande Clinic, a private clinic near the southern city of Naples, said the singer died after being brought there. The ANSA news agency reported that Makeba apparently suffered a heart attack after performing for 30 minutes at a concert against organized crime.
The death of "Mama Afrika," as she was known, plunged South Africa into shock and mourning.
"One of the greatest songstresses of our time has ceased to sing," Foreign Affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said in a statement.
"Throughout her life, Mama Makeba communicated a positive message to the world about the struggle of the people of South Africa and the certainty of victory over the dark forces of apartheid and colonialism through the art of song."
Makeba wrote in her 1987 memoirs that friends and relatives who first encouraged her to perform compared her voice to that of a nightingale. With her distinctive style combining jazz with folk with South African township rhythms, she was often called "The Empress of African Song."

https://www.wijsf.com/jazzwomen/images/Miriam_Makeba_-_sepia.JPG

She first started singing in Sophiatown, a cosmopolitan neighborhood of Johannesburg that was a cultural hotspot in the 1950s before its black residents were forcibly removed by the apartheid government.
She then teamed up with South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela — later her first husband — and her rise to international prominence started when she starred in the anti-apartheid documentary "Come Back, Africa" in 1959.
When she tried to fly home for her mother's funeral the following year, she discovered her passport had been revoked. It was 30 years before she was allowed to return.
In 1963, Makeba appeared before the U.N. Special Committee on Apartheid to call for an international boycott of South Africa. The South African government responded by banning her records, including hits like "Pata Pata," "The Click Song" ("Qongqothwane" in Xhosa), and "Malaika."
Makeba received the Grammy Award for Best Folk Recording in 1966 together with Harry Belafonte for "An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba." The album dealt with the political plight of black South Africans under apartheid.
Thanks to her close relationship with Belafonte, she received star status in the United States and performed for President John F. Kennedy at his birthday party in 1962. But she fell briefly out of favor when she married black power activist Stokely Carmichael and moved to Guinea in the late 1960s.
After three decades abroad, Makeba was invited back to South Africa by anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela shortly after his release from prison in 1990 as white racist rule crumbled.

[img]http://spiritosanto.files./2008/06/makeba5.jpg[/img]

"It was like a revival," she said about going home. "My music having been banned for so long, that people still felt the same way about me was too much for me. I just went home and I cried."
She insisted that her songs were not deliberately political.
"I'm not a political singer," she insisted in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper earlier this year. "I don't know what the word means. People think I consciously decided to tell the world what was happening in South Africa. No! I was singing about my life, and in South Africa we always sang about what was happening to us — especially the things that hurt us."
Makeba announced her retirement three years ago, but despite a series of farewell concerts she never stopped performing. When she turned 75 last year, she said she would sing for as long as possible.
Graham Gilfillan, Makeba's longtime business manager, said the family was holding a meeting in South Africa and would release a statement later Monday.
Arts and Culture Ministry spokesman Sandile Memela described Makeba as an international icon.
"It's a monumental loss not only to South African society in general but for humanity," he said.
Tributes poured in on morning radio talk shows, with many callers in tears as they recalled her humor and her unrelenting spirit.
"She had been part of my life for a long time. It is a great loss," singer P.J. Powers told local radio station 702. "She had a huge soul."

Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jK_Aed0fG4UHhDXEI2SuOdZLDKHAD94BVGU00

[img]http://roadkillrefugee.files./2008/03/obama-father-son.png[/img]
Barack Obama with his father

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Barack Obama with his grandmother

[img]http://perchristumblog.files./2008/03/obama-christ.jpg[/img]

President Obama and Michelle Dancing Celebrating
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33nhev_BiKw

Condoleezza Rice Congratulates Barack Obama Victory
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGLmD37YRhI&eurl=http://grioo.com/ar,reactions_video_condoleeza_rice_felicite_barack_obama,15584.html

War in Congo kills 45,000 people each month

Decade-long conflict is most deadly since 1945
Half of dying are small children, survey showsChris McGreal in Johannesburg guardian.co.uk



A decade of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo is continuing to kill about 45,000 people each month - half of them small children - in the deadliest conflict since the second world war, according to a new survey.
The International Rescue Committee said preventable diseases and starvation aggravated by conflict have claimed 5.4 million lives since the beginning of the second Congo war in 1998, equivalent to the population of Denmark. Although the war officially ended in 2002, malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia and malnutrition continue to claim thousands of lives.
The study of 14,000 households across Congo between January 2006 and April 2007 found that nearly half of all the deaths were of children under the age of five, who make up only 19% of the population.
"The majority of deaths have been due to infectious diseases, malnutrition and neonatal- and pregnancy-related conditions. Increased rates of disease are likely related to the social and economic disturbances caused by conflict, including disruption of health services, poor food security, deterioration of infrastructure and population displacement. Children ,  are particularly susceptible to these easily preventable and treatable conditions," the IRC survey says.

https://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/imagerepository/BUkids390.jpg

Congo has endured two foreign invasions and protracted civil war since the aftermath of Rwanda's genocide spilled across the border in 1994 with an influx of more than a million Rwandan Hutu refugees. The years of conflict resulted in millions of people fleeing their homes, sometimes to live for years in forests where many died, and the collapse of what infrastructure still remained after decades of neglect under Mobutu Sese Seko.
Those who returned home found water sources, health clinics and farms destroyed. Marauding bands of armed men were responsible for mass rape, particularly in the east of the country, which made it much more difficult for women to venture into fields to grow food.
"When war destroys a country's economy and infrastructure, there's no quick fix," said Dr Richard Brennan, one of the survey's authors. "Significant improvement in Congo's health and mortality will require years of unwavering commitment from the government and the international community and substantial financial investment. Sadly, the humanitarian crisis in Congo continues to be overlooked and funding remains disproportionate to the enormity of need."
The IRC said that a peace deal in the eastern province of North Kivu, where fighting has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in recent months, is also crucial to curbing the rising death toll.
There was hope yesterday that the conflict in the east might finally be drawing to a close after the government and armed groups were reported to be ready to sign a peace agreement. But the deal apparently did not directly address how to deal with two of the most important armed factions - that of the rebel Tutsi general, Laurent Nkunda, who is wanted for war crimes, and the Rwandan Hutu group that has been a leading cause of instability.
Congo is one of 11 countries where 20% of children die before the age of five, according to a Unicef report released yesterday. A child born in Sierra Leone has the lowest chance of surviving until the age of five. The report, the State of the World's Children, says nearly 9.7 million children under five died worldwide last year from disease or lack of food.
In Sierra Leone, which is still recovering from an 11-year civil war, the child mortality rate was 270 deaths per 1,000 births. The average rate in developed countries is six deaths per 1,000 births.
Twenty-eight of the 30 countries with the highest child mortality rates are in sub-Saharan Africa. But Unicef said there have also been successes on the continent. Mozambique has seen a 41% drop in child mortality since 1990.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jan/23/congo.international

Obama 'brings hope of black Prime Minister

Victory for Barack Obama in US presidential election could bring forward the prospect of a black British Prime Minister by decades, it has been suggested.
Senator Obama's historic campaign has already sent a powerful charge through the UK's ethnic minority communities, said Simon Woolley, the director of Operation Black Vote.
And the reality of a black President in the White House would do even more to convince youngsters from ethnic minority backgrounds that there should be no ceiling on their political ambitions.
"We are calling it the Barack Obama Generation of young would-be politicians who are coming through from the community, and especially from the churches," said Mr Woolley. "If any of them can come through, I think we will see a black Prime Minister within 25 years.
"There's no doubt that it will happen eventually, and I think that Obama's presidential candidacy - and hopefully his victory - will bring it forward."
It is quite likely that Britain will have a minority PM before the proportions of MPs at Westminster finally match the ethnic make-up of the country, which at present trends will not happen for 75 years, said Mr Woolley.

https://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2008/05/04/alg_obama-family.jpg

"In spite of all the obstacles, there is still room for a special individual to come through," he said.
But he suggested that Britain still lags behind the USA in its acceptance of black figures at the highest levels of politics.
"Sadly, I don't think the British electorate, in some quarters, are yet ready to accept somebody from an ethnic minority as Prime Minister," he said.
Mr Woolley named Labour's higher education minister David Lammy and Tory science spokesman Adam Afriyie, as well as prospective parliamentary candidates Chuka Umunna (Labour, Streatham) and Helen Grant (Conservative, Maidstone and the Weald), as politicians who might have the talent to break through to become the first black PM.
But he added that the first black politician to claim the top job may equally well now be an unknown teenager inspired by the example of Mr Obama to dare to dream of a career leading all the way to 10 Downing Street.
"Here, as in America, there is a deluge of talent out there and we have been asking black talent to come out of the shadows and put themselves forward and aim high," said Mr Woolley.
"That has been the problem in the past. At the very least, Obama has taught us that we can aim for the very highest office. In the past, our own lack of self-confidence and the barriers have meant we have settled for second best.
"The greatest benefit of the Obama campaign is the excitement it has generated in the community. Never before in my lifetime has there been such excitement from young black Britons wanting to get involved in politics and to serve the community. This comes from the Barack Obama experience."
For a black candidate to rise to the top of British politics in current circumstances would require an individual of exceptional talent and appeal on the scale of Senator Obama to overcome barriers which do not stand in the way of their white rivals, said Mr Woolley.
"Those barriers are at every level, particularly in the selection process," he said. "The party structures tend to select people like themselves, so it is doubly difficult to break the mould. In the States, anyone can put themselves up and if they've got the support they can be President.
"Hopefully, Obama's candidacy will in some respects embarrass the political parties into doing more. Clearly they are not doing enough."

Source: http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=10667614&imageindex=7

MrCrackles:
When African leaders and nation would never learn to do anything beneficial for themselves, they resort to relying on other countries!

I agree 100% with you,African nation have to stop begging.The election of Obama hasn't given Africans any newfound power or control of anything. For some it has given them a since of euforia that might last for a few days, and things will go back to normal, and they will still be left to accomplish for themselves.

[img]http://www.thewe.cc/thewei/&_/__/bar/ebony_obama.jpe[/img]

https://images.huffingtonpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/600/slide_600_12437_large.jpg
[quote author=i_laugh link=topic=191691.msg3039665#msg3039665 date=1225858995]Why is Mr Obama referred to as a black man, when he is 50% black and 50% white?

Please i need answers, I don't need assumptions or stories.[/quote]As you can see on the picture above,it is a Black familly in the White House.
We have to think UNITY.
The First Lady is Black.
The two childrens of the First couple are black.
It is a Black familly in the White House.
Leave the First Black Familly Alone.

Barack Obama election night speech to be behind bullet proof glass

Here at Grant Park in Chicago, the stage for what Barack Obama hopes will be a victory speech on Tuesday night is being set up.
On either side of the lectern is a large bullet proof glass screen protecting him from any shots fired by would-be assassins who might be positioned in skyscrapers overlooking the venue.


https://wa3.images.onesite.com/blogs.telegraph.co.uk/user/toby_harnden/tob.jpg?v=80000
The bullet proof glass screens that will protect Barack Obama

One of the workers helping build the steel-reinforced stage said the two screens (which measure about 10 feet high and 15 feet long and are about two and a half inches thick) had been lowered into place by cranes at about 5pm today.
He described how Secret Service agents had taken up different positions on the stage where they had been lit up up ont heir chests with red dots apparently "fired" by other agents using laser guns and posing as snipers aiming from the windows of different skyscrapers. The existence of the screens was first reported by ABC radio news.
The screens would protect Mr Obama from most of the high-rise buildings surrounding the park with the line of sight from many other buildings being be blocked by the press stand and broadcast tents . This is the first time I have seen bullet proof screens being used to protect Mr Obama. Law enforcement officials with binoculars often scan tall buildings close to campaign rallies.
Mr Obama first received Secret Service protection in May 2007, a much earlier juncture than previous presidential candidates, after his Senate colleague Dick Durbin raised concerns about his safety. Last week, federal agents in Tennessee broke up what they described as a plot by two white supremacists to assassinate Mr Obama as party of  a "killing spree" targeting black people.

Source: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/2008/11/04/barack_obama_election_night_speech_to_be_behind_bullet_proof_glass

Video-Obama and McCain - Dance Off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzyT9-9lUyE

Video-Obama and McCain - Dance Off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzyT9-9lUyE

F1: Lewis Hamilton snatches world title
Nov 3 2008 Western Mail

LEWIS HAMILTON became the youngest Formula One world champion after what he described as “one of the toughest races of my life”.
The McLaren driver, 23, only needed to come fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix to take the title and make history.
But he was trailing in sixth on the final lap after he was overtaken by German driver Sebastian Vettel.
He only took the title after a nail-biting finish which saw him overtake the slowing Timo Glock in the final minutes.
“It was just one of the toughest races of my life,” Hamilton said.
“My tyres were a little bit shot so I was struggling to keep the pace up.
“Then it started to drizzle and I didn’t want to take any risks.
“The last corner I managed to get past Glock – and I can only thank God.”
Hamilton said he still did not know if he had won the title when he passed the finish line at Sao Paolo’s Interlagos circuit.
When he heard the confirmation, he said: “I was ecstatic.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00637/news-graphics-2007-_637688a.jpg
Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Hamilton

He said it had been “a dream” to repay the faith that McLaren had shown in him.
Hamilton went into the race with a seven point lead over his nearest rival, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.
The Brazilian driver had the support of his home crowd and Hamilton was booed when he pushed Massa into second place by only one point.
Hamilton’s father Anthony described the crowd’s reaction as “a shame” and said they should have been “fair sportsmen”.
“To be honest, I thought it was over. I thought it was gone. But I believed in God, I believed that right would come through,” he said.
“We have had to overcome a lot. I am extremely pleased not just for us but people like us.
“We came from nowhere, had a dream, worked hard, dedicated ourselves and here we are on top of the world.”
Hamilton’s brother Nick said Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, who was killed in a crash in 1994, was his brother’s hero.
“It means so much to him to win the title here. Being here in Brazil, knowing it’s his country, it’s amazing.”
Also watching from the McLaren garage was Hamilton’s pop star girlfriend, Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger.
Massa looked close to tears after the race.
“It’s really an emotional day for me. You get here. You’ve almost done everything perfectly but I saw Lewis passing Glock and that really mixed a lot of emotions,” he said.
He said he was proud to have won the race and added: “I know how to win and I know how to lose.”
Last year it was Hamilton who lost by one point, to Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen.
He was leading the championship, but his dream of being the first driver to take the title in his rookie season was left in shreds at the same circuit where he today tasted success.
Hamilton is the first Briton to take the world championship since Damon Hill in 1996.
He joins an illustrious list of racing greats, including British drivers Nigel Mansell, James Hunt, Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees and Mike Hawthorn.
Hill said: “It’s a momentous day. We’re here celebrating another British world champion and I’m really pleased. He will go on and win more championships.”
Hamilton, who will be presented with the winner’s trophy at the gala dinner in Monaco early next month, managed five wins from 17 races despite a season plagued with difficulties.
The final race of the season was delayed by 10 minutes after a sudden downpour.
And there was drama from the start with Scottish driver David Coulthard, 37, crashing out with Nelson Piquet Jnr after just 300 metres in the final grand prix of his 15-season career.

Source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports/sports-news-round-up/2008/11/03/f1-lewis-hamilton-snatches-world-title-91466-22169626/

F1: Lewis Hamilton snatches world title
Nov 3 2008 Western Mail

LEWIS HAMILTON became the youngest Formula One world champion after what he described as “one of the toughest races of my life”.
The McLaren driver, 23, only needed to come fifth in the Brazilian Grand Prix to take the title and make history.
But he was trailing in sixth on the final lap after he was overtaken by German driver Sebastian Vettel.
He only took the title after a nail-biting finish which saw him overtake the slowing Timo Glock in the final minutes.
“It was just one of the toughest races of my life,” Hamilton said.
“My tyres were a little bit shot so I was struggling to keep the pace up.
“Then it started to drizzle and I didn’t want to take any risks.
“The last corner I managed to get past Glock – and I can only thank God.”
Hamilton said he still did not know if he had won the title when he passed the finish line at Sao Paolo’s Interlagos circuit.
When he heard the confirmation, he said: “I was ecstatic.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00637/news-graphics-2007-_637688a.jpg
Lewis Hamilton and Anthony Hamilton

He said it had been “a dream” to repay the faith that McLaren had shown in him.
Hamilton went into the race with a seven point lead over his nearest rival, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.
The Brazilian driver had the support of his home crowd and Hamilton was booed when he pushed Massa into second place by only one point.
Hamilton’s father Anthony described the crowd’s reaction as “a shame” and said they should have been “fair sportsmen”.
“To be honest, I thought it was over. I thought it was gone. But I believed in God, I believed that right would come through,” he said.
“We have had to overcome a lot. I am extremely pleased not just for us but people like us.
“We came from nowhere, had a dream, worked hard, dedicated ourselves and here we are on top of the world.”
Hamilton’s brother Nick said Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna, who was killed in a crash in 1994, was his brother’s hero.
“It means so much to him to win the title here. Being here in Brazil, knowing it’s his country, it’s amazing.”
Also watching from the McLaren garage was Hamilton’s pop star girlfriend, Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger.
Massa looked close to tears after the race.
“It’s really an emotional day for me. You get here. You’ve almost done everything perfectly but I saw Lewis passing Glock and that really mixed a lot of emotions,” he said.
He said he was proud to have won the race and added: “I know how to win and I know how to lose.”
Last year it was Hamilton who lost by one point, to Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen.
He was leading the championship, but his dream of being the first driver to take the title in his rookie season was left in shreds at the same circuit where he today tasted success.
Hamilton is the first Briton to take the world championship since Damon Hill in 1996.
He joins an illustrious list of racing greats, including British drivers Nigel Mansell, James Hunt, Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, John Surtees and Mike Hawthorn.
Hill said: “It’s a momentous day. We’re here celebrating another British world champion and I’m really pleased. He will go on and win more championships.”
Hamilton, who will be presented with the winner’s trophy at the gala dinner in Monaco early next month, managed five wins from 17 races despite a season plagued with difficulties.
The final race of the season was delayed by 10 minutes after a sudden downpour.
And there was drama from the start with Scottish driver David Coulthard, 37, crashing out with Nelson Piquet Jnr after just 300 metres in the final grand prix of his 15-season career.

Source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports/sports-news-round-up/2008/11/03/f1-lewis-hamilton-snatches-world-title-91466-22169626/