Sometimes Bill makes it Tough for me to Dislike him.
Of course, much of that dislike is rooted in ridiculous Maclot reflex, some of it just based purely on the crappy software they make... but either way, when I read things like this:
...it makes it tough for me not to respect the guy a bit more. The fact that they're actually spending time in some of these countries, rather than just flinging their money from afar, is the biggest reason why.
Quote:
The scene in Botswana last week was a scripted moment, to be sure, with a handful of journalists in the room to record it. But it accurately reflected just how deeply Bill and Melinda Gates have become enmeshed in the health issues that shorten lives in poor countries.
The Gateses are pouring billions of dollars into world health initiatives, a cause they have backed since 1994 but have tackled with rising fervor in the past couple of years. The extent of their giving has grown so quickly that the world has barely begun to absorb the implications.
Their money is being used to dramatically expand and improve international vaccination efforts. They are bankrolling programs to find new ways to stop the world's greatest killers, including AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The Gateses have created a foundation worth $25 billion, the largest in the world, and have pledged to give it most of the rest of their $46 billion fortune, derived largely from stock in Bill Gates's company, Microsoft Corp.
Their foundation far exceeds in assets some better-known names in American philanthropy. It is 10 times the size of the Rockefeller Foundation and three times the size of the Ford Foundation. It is only slightly larger than the Wellcome Trust, a London charity that was once the world's largest, but the Gates Foundation has adopted a more intensive focus on saving lives in poor countries.
The Gateses have said they expect to supervise the foundation for the rest of their lives, which could easily mean 30 or 40 more years. They seem virtually certain to surpass John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford, the oil and automobile magnates, in the scope of their philanthropy.
The scene in Botswana last week was a scripted moment, to be sure, with a handful of journalists in the room to record it. But it accurately reflected just how deeply Bill and Melinda Gates have become enmeshed in the health issues that shorten lives in poor countries.
The Gateses are pouring billions of dollars into world health initiatives, a cause they have backed since 1994 but have tackled with rising fervor in the past couple of years. The extent of their giving has grown so quickly that the world has barely begun to absorb the implications.
Their money is being used to dramatically expand and improve international vaccination efforts. They are bankrolling programs to find new ways to stop the world's greatest killers, including AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The Gateses have created a foundation worth $25 billion, the largest in the world, and have pledged to give it most of the rest of their $46 billion fortune, derived largely from stock in Bill Gates's company, Microsoft Corp.
Their foundation far exceeds in assets some better-known names in American philanthropy. It is 10 times the size of the Rockefeller Foundation and three times the size of the Ford Foundation. It is only slightly larger than the Wellcome Trust, a London charity that was once the world's largest, but the Gates Foundation has adopted a more intensive focus on saving lives in poor countries.
The Gateses have said they expect to supervise the foundation for the rest of their lives, which could easily mean 30 or 40 more years. They seem virtually certain to surpass John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford, the oil and automobile magnates, in the scope of their philanthropy.
...it makes it tough for me not to respect the guy a bit more. The fact that they're actually spending time in some of these countries, rather than just flinging their money from afar, is the biggest reason why.
Comments
There is (some) more info linked below, but it seems safe to continue hating Bill, (though his parents seem like nice people):
http://archive.salon.com/21st/featur...29feature.html
I still hate Gates the business man, but Gates the man himself is a little less detestable for now...
-- The Usual Suspects