Posted on 01/22/2005 8:16:51 AM PST by Libloather
Glamorous turn their minds to poverty
By Annabel Crabb
London
January 23, 2005
Angelina Jolie is on the list. So are America's best-known Bills: Clinton and Gates.
Bono wouldn't miss it; neither would Richard Gere. Or Sharon Stone.
Yes folks: it's the World Economic Forum, assembling this week in the postcard-perfect alpine resort town of Davos, Switzerland, to bend the greatest minds of our generation to solving global problems.
The World Economic Forum, or Davos as it is casually termed, was established in 1971 by the dashing Swiss academic Klaus Schwab to bring together the energies of business and politics around the globe. More than 30 years later, it has acquired the fashionable patina of an A-list event.
Largely inaccessible to the public and to non-approved photographers, the five-day summit is an opportunity for the cream of business to glad-hand each other, glad-hand political leaders and savour the possibility of jostling Jolie in the coffee queue.
Australia will be sending a contingent; Prime Minister John Howard, Trade Minister Mark Vaile and ACTU president Sharan Burrow and a selection of business luminaries.
This year, the summit's theme is "Taking Responsibility For Tough Choices".
"I'm sure that the canapes are very nice, but I'm quite sceptical as to whether anything actually gets changed there," says Paul Miller, senior researcher for the British think-tank Demos, who is suspicious of the event's increasingly Hollywood flavour.
"Personally, I've never been and I wouldn't go - it's like a parallel universe, a very safe place for people to go to and talk about poverty without actually having to encounter it," Mr Miller said.
Magical moments in Davos history tend to be exalted picture opportunities.
In 1994, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat reached an agreement on Jericho and the Gaza Strip; several years later in the same forum, the same pair created comparable headlines by virtue of their open hostility. In 1992, South African president F.W. de Klerk exchanged his first handshake with Nelson Mandela outside his homeland; a public declaration of peace.
Every year, overstretched hoteliers in the tiny town face the same, laughably easy, ethical question: Is it wrong to charge Bill Gates 10 times the going rate for a room?
The New York Times this week published an inside account of the organising group's last-minute scramble to nail down the program details.
The account depicts Mr Schwab and his assistants bustling around madly, dousing spot fires that would not be out of place on Oscar night. Gates wants more exposure! Clinton doesn't want to speak on the Sunday! British Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to come, but shouldn't be anywhere near his Chancellor and former best friend Gordon Brown!
Possibly the most bankable star in the Davos galaxy this year is Jolie, who is attending as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Having already been blamed for one global tragedy this year (the break-up of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston) the Hollywood actress is now using her star power to correct another (the suffering of refugees).
John Howard is due to arrive on Friday - just in time for two authorised protests inside the town's limits.
And Billy Jeff is STILL invited?
This is almost humorous. Liberal hypocrisy at its best -- and again, these leftists think the solution to "poverty" is taking money from those that work and prosper, and give it to those that do not want to work and prosper.
Nevermind the root causes of poverty, ignorance, oppression and failed totalitarian governments -- those thing that ARE THE ROOT CAUSE OF FAILED COUNTRIES that do not have functional economies.
Let's hear these limosine liberals address that for a change -- hitting hard at the lack of democracy and free peoples.
** THAT WILL BE THE DAY **
My money goes to those who have charitable foundations already.
Rutger Hauer has his Rutger Hauer Starfish Association. It helps children and pregnant women with AIDS. Been around for six years (at least, I think). Jerry Lewis (gag) has his. Many athletes have their own charitable foundations. Michael Schumacker, the German race car driver donated $10,000,000. to the tsunami relief. He does lots of charity.
These rest of these show-biz folks? All for show. It's as make-believe as their movies.
"Bono wouldn't miss it; neither would Richard Gere. Or Sharon Stone"..NOW I feel all better./barf
Problem solved. No more poverty.
I am truly impressed that the glamorous decided to share all their wealth to eradicate the biggest problem in the universe.
I may have to take back a lot of nastic and sarcastic things I've said in the past.
Now I know why Rutger has been taking so many projects below his talent. Underneath that tough guy image, obviously, is a very nice man.
In it's 30+ year history has Davos produced a single social or economic proposal that was successful? Just curious. Sounds like typical liberal irrelevance to me.
He is that. He makes the whole thing very personal.
Last month he was in South Africa doing a T.V. series called "Poseiden Adventure." He played the older priest. He was there for 10 weeks.
While he was there he did three things for his Rutger Hauer Starfish Association.
1. On Worlds Aids Day he got permission to have hung 23 HUGE red AIDS ribbons on the HUGE cranes n the citys waterfront. It was just to build awareness in that town and country. The photo of that was all over the African presses. It was a good thing.
2. He had an hour-long bay boat ride for 30 women, all with AIDS. It was very simple, low-key, cake, champagne. They sang, ate cake, drank champagne and enjoyed themselves for a short while.
3. He organized, bought for and ran what he called ANGELRIDE. You know Hauer LOVES motorcycles. Well, he went to the local orphanage and arranged a big party/game day for the orphans. He paid for everything, games, toys, food, etc. The kicker? He got 30 of the local Hell's Angels to come to the orphanage and give 5-minute rides on their "Hawgs" to the children. It was quite a day.
Nothing huge or flashy, but from his heart. I support him and his Rutger Hauer Starfish Association. by buying on his auctions and donating occasionally. The personal touch is more valuable in some cases. The BIG institutional efforts are great, but it's nice to know that a human touch takes place once in a while.
He also does "random acts of kindness" for people and places...ones he doesn't even know, but who ask.
I have to say this also. There are SO few decent movies and projects to do -- very, very few "Blade Runners." Even Brando only did a half dozen really good movies in his life.
Wayne did a WHOLE BUNCH of woof-woofs. Wayne once played a Mongol in a Ghengis Khan movie. Wayne: "I've come to bring ya gifts, oooo Khan." Harhar. It was HORRIBLE.
Edward G. Robinson was in the 10 COMMANDMENTS. He was an Eygptian something or otber. I could SWEAR he had a cigar in his mouth.
Tony Curtis played a Viking...harhar. Tony: "I will avenge my "fadda."
It is a shame about Hauer, but he still works A LOT and, apparently, that's enough for him. That one he did with Caroline Alt, the model, "Blind Justice"? STINKO! Hauer was great but I couldn't watch it for long because Alt was just dreadful.
Hauer will be 61 tomorrow, January 23.
I need to go wash my mouth out now.
Lemme guess: they drove up in chauffered limosines, having arrived in private chartered jets, and having gormet food catered, all in the name of discussing poverty.
Work is work, and for an actor, where there is no guarantee of job security, you take what you get. I'm certain Hauer is even more popular overseas then he is in America (like a number of other European actors, such as Jurgen Prochnow or Jean Reno who tend to make token appearances in American films which flop here but do well internationally), but he obviously cares deeply about the humanitarian causes he works for, and a substantial portion of his paycheck must go to them. He's obviously not taking projects just to pay his own bills, but other people's as well.
Yep all around.
He is very popular in Europe. He has all kinds of awards from European "Hollywoods."
He is a national hero in Holland, called the "quintessential Dutch actor." They even issued a stamp about him and when he turned 50 there were all kind of awards, film festivals, etc.
He gets to be in the cockpit when KLM lands..and of course, when he flies KLM. Hauer never did get his pilot's license, but he almost did and LOVES to fly. So, the Dutch pilots occasionally let him sit in the cockpit on landing.
Apparently he was hell on wheels when young...always did his own stunts, especially in cars and motorcycles.
rutgerhauer.org is his web site address.
It's one of the largest web sites around, of its kind. It's quite a groupie site too...but they always are. THAT part is kind of nauseating to me but, the groupies (women and teenage males) aside, the site is always positive and DOES actually have an altruistic mission.
Hauer himself comes onto the guestbook, when he's working, and tells us what's up. Harhar, the women groupies DRIP and DROOL when he does, (As a woman, it is downright embarrassing to me to see HOW they carry on. He's been married to the same woman for 20 years, happily so, apparently, but that doesn't stop the groupies from ... well, you get my point.).
It IS interesting to hear of his travels, movie stuff and AIDS things.
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