Microsoft boss is the biggest donor in history

The Times (London) ^ | 1/25/2005 | Sam Lister

[KwasiOwusu]

TODAY’S donation pushes Bill Gates into an even more exalted position as the world’s biggest philanthropist.
The Gates foundation, which is worth $30 billion, (£17billion), is now the largest charity to have been created by a single benefactor or private company by a factor of three, following a previous $3 billion gift from its founder last July. Mr Gates has stated that he intends to give away 90 per cent of his fortune, which is currently valued at about $50 billion.



The causes to which he has channelled his wealth — global health inequalities, education programmes, public libraries and projects around his home town of Seattle — have changed dramatically because of his contributions.

To date, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation has been the largest recipient of his charity. His pledge today follows an initial $750 million grant in 1999, which was used to help to set up the organisation to support research and improve access to vaccines.

As well as saving an estimated 670,000 lives through vaccines, it has also helped to facilitate major breakthroughs on vaccines for diseases such as malaria, rotavirus and meningitis.

[KwasiOwusu]

Great work.
Being from Africa myself, of course I have plenty of admiration and appreciation for the great work Bill Gates is doing to help the sick, the poor and the less fortunate of the world.

[Rodney King]

Great work now. Just wait 50 years until the Gates Foundation is taken over by communists, as has happened to the Ford foundation. Then we'll be in big trouble.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Just wait 50 years until the Gates Foundation is taken over by communists, as has happened to the Ford foundation. Then we'll be in big trouble"

Heaven forbid.

[Brilliant]

That's good, but he's also the richest man in history.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

My best friend did a grad degree at Cambridge University in England, and has a daughter studying there now. Through him I'm aware that Gates has endowed Cambridge with Gates Scholarships, to rival the famous Rhodes program at Oxford. Apparently, the Gates program has successfully brought a tremendous number of great scholars to Cambridge and created an exciting, creative atmosphere.

[Imaverygooddriver]

And the Clintoon administration chose to go after him rather than Bin laden.

[Bikers4Bush]

Exactly.

[CasearianDaoist]

Well both Hewlett ande Packard set up trust that had to spend the whole bundle in a narrow time frame. It all depends on how Gate's sets it up. So fatr he is very much following an old silicon valley tradition.

[KwasiOwusu]

"the Gates program has successfully brought a tremendous number of great scholars to Cambridge and created an exciting, creative atmosphere."

It has indeed.
The Queen (on recommendation of the British Government) gave Gates a Knighthood last year for that and other great charitable works by him in Britain.

[marty60]

Yep, they thought it would be good PR. see how much we hate rich people. They made the mistake of thinking that all the Gates bashing meant that people didn't like him. They forgot the American Family . I can beat up my Brother, but others better leave him alone.

[Mr. Jeeves]

And yet he still can't buy the admiration of the socialist elite.

He would do more good, for his company and the world, by spending a few hundred million to buy a copy of Atlas Shrugged for every high school student in America. You want to the see Left really start foaming at the mouth? That should do it. ;)

[KwasiOwusu]

"And yet he still can't buy the admiration of the socialist elite"

The socialist elite don't want to hear anything good about America or Americans.
An American from the dreaded "big business" actually doing great good in Africa?
Heck the socialist elite don't wanna know about it.
That's not the way its supposed to be.
All "big business" and people from big business are monsters, right? :)

[JustDoItAlways]

Don't forget where all those billions came from.

YOU

You donated that money. In exchange for receiving crappy products and not being to able to buy other products which would likely have been better.

[KwasiOwusu]

"Don't forget where all those billions came from.
YOU
You donated that money. In exchange for receiving crappy products and not being to able to buy other products which would likely have been better"

I knew it wouldn't take long for the Gates-hating, open source lunatics to show their snarly faces yet again , and prove to the entire world how really screwed up they are.
Why don't you go suck on a melon?
On the other hand I'd be perfectly willing to take you on usual if you feel like getting a mauling yet again. :)

[Dr. Marten]

"You donated that money."

That's hogwash!

I don't care for Microsoft, but the man made a product and provided services. Nobody forced anyone to buy it.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Don't forget where all those billions came from.

YOU

You donated that money.

Somebody needs to go back to Capitalism 101.

[ken21]

many small american towns of the last century had public libraries built by the carnegie foundation.

have the gates' done anything comparable?

there are many city libraries in the united states without good computers.

[KwasiOwusu]

"That's hogwash!
I don't care for Microsoft, but the man made a product and provided services. Nobody forced anyone to buy it."

Just try explaining that very simple concept of free enterprise and capitalism to the open source crazies.

As for as these hate-filled nasties are concerned, it's all about " We hate Bill Gates".

Gates saves 670,000 lives in poor countries?
Why, "Gates sucks" and "Micrtosoft sucks".
That's the only thing these pathetic, screwed up souls know or care about..

How more pathetic can one get?

[KwasiOwusu]

"Somebody needs to go back to Capitalism 101"

Exactly!

[N3WBI3]

The causes to which he has channelled his wealth — global health inequalities, education programmes, public libraries and projects around his home town of Seattle — have changed dramatically because of his contributions.

Including paying for UN abortions....