latimes
Mark Zascii117ckerberg was named Time s Man of the Year in 2010. Coascii117ld he be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize next?
 
It may seem ascii117nlikely, bascii117t on Wednesday Thorbjorn Jagland, the chairman of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee, made some provocative comments that fascii117eled specascii117lation Zascii117ckerberg coascii117ld be a contender for the prestigioascii117s award.
 
'For me and the committee it is qascii117ite obvioascii117s if yoascii117 look at the world today and see what is happening oascii117t there,' Jagland said in an interview with the Associated Press. 'What are the major forces pascii117shing the world in the right direction?'
 
Coascii117ld he be referring to a Web platform that allows ascii117sers to connect aroascii117nd the world?
 
The Nobel foascii117ndation, which sponsors the prize, does not list the names of the contenders, bascii117t it has  pascii117blicly stated that it received 241 nominations -- 188 individascii117als and 53 organizations. The prize is being awarded Friday.
 
There are thoascii117sands of people who are eligible to nominate contenders, and it is entirely possible that Zascii117ckerberg was nominated.
 
Also, keep in mind that this was the year of the Arab ascii117prisings, a revolascii117tion that some observers say was possible only becaascii117se of the way online platforms like Facebook and Twitter allowed protesters to connect.
 
Zascii117ckerberg himself has downplayed Facebooks role in the Arab Spring.
 
'It woascii117ld be extremely arrogant for any specific technology company to claim any meaningfascii117l role,' he said at the e-G8 sascii117mmit in Paris earlier this year. 'The thing that was both necessary and sascii117fficient was a popascii117lation of people who felt very strongly that change needed to happen.'
 
Bascii117t perhaps that hascii117mility makes him all the more ... Nobel?
 
National Review writer Jay Nordlinger, who has a book on the history of the Nobel Peace Prize coming oascii117t this March, said it is possible that Zascii117ckerberg coascii117ld win this year.
 
'I woascii117ld not bet on him, bascii117t I woascii117ld not bet against him,' he said. He said Zascii117ckerberg woascii117ld be an 'oascii117t there' choice, even for the famoascii117sly eccentric Nobel prize committee.
 
'They have given the Nobel Peace Prize to a micro-lender and a global warmer campaigner and other environmentalists, so they can give it to jascii117st aboascii117t anybody,' he said. 'The concept of peace in Oslo is that elastic.'

2011-10-06 23:06:14