Bill and Warren, is it really giving?
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
Rocky Moore wrote:
where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
That would be the best use of the money, in my opinion. That is why Carnegie built all those libraries. (I used to be a member [technically still am] of the world's first Carnegie library. But I recently moved house.)
Upcoming Scottish Developers events: * UK Security Evangelists On Tour (2nd November, Edinburgh) * Developer Day Scotland: are you interested in speaking or attending? My: Website | Blog
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
Rocky Moore wrote:
Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way.
I am sure they would have though of that.Its not like the money will be lying around the place. Most of it will be in MS stock to take advantage of the stock market. They wouldnt offload their stock onto the market even for philanthropic reasons for the simple reason unloading that much money on the stock market may cause havoc
If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
"Roti, Kapada and Makaan" English Translation"Food,Clothing and House" Education may set people free but for those who dont have access to even basic amenities like those above, what will they do? You are assuming that everyone needs of food,house and money are met for them to be able to utilise the educational centre but for those unfortunate ones who dont even have the basic amenities of life, they wont have much use of them. I live in India and on the weekends, I teach Mathematics at hostels for the underprivileged. Every so often, I find a student missing because his family needs him to go out and work to make some money. The new government mandate making primary education compulsory and abolishing child labour is a good step but its going to be a long time before it really begins to affect the life of the poor.
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
The Bill and Melinda gates foundation is the worlds largest contributor to research into the eradication of malaria which is also one of the worlds biggest killers, especially of babies and children under school age - it is probably a valid investment that allows more children to reach an age where they can even begin to benefit from a decent internet connection...and if I had billions to give away I think it'd be going on the same good causes.
'--8<------------------------ Ex Datis: Duncan Jones Merrion Computing Ltd
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
Handled correctly, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Dumping the body of their wealth on a problem might fix it in the short term, but it would also exhaust their ability to help in the future. Establishing a trust with a base-level of capital and then funding your initiatives from that capital's growth means that you can be helpful over the long term, albeit at a slower rate.
Rocky Moore wrote:
I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth
As Chris mentioned, it already exists. I think your suggestion is in the right direction, however. A lot of the world's ills (poverty, hunger, social unrest and injustice, for example) have obvious high-tech solutions. Poverty - give them money. Hunger - airlift them food. Social unrest and injustice - open your borders to their refugees and/or topple their government. Unfortunately, I don't think those means of dealing with the problem are terribly effective except as emergency measures (which may be necessary in any case). I think real solutions to these problems require a low-tech solution, at least in part: cultural and social change through education. "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day; teach a man to fish, he eats for life." This approach isn't without its rough edges, including its basic assumption that the Western approach to things is right for everyone. The sad thing is, I'm afraid we're going to find out Malthus[^] was right before we figure out how to save ourselves :sigh:.
Software Zen:
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OMG! That was funny...and I don't say that often or easily.
"When I get a little money, I buy books and if any is left, I buy food and clothes." --Erasmus
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Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
Rocky Moore wrote:
Education can set people free
Amen brother! Err, I mean.. Dolphin, brother!
We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
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Rocky Moore wrote:
Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way.
I am sure they would have though of that.Its not like the money will be lying around the place. Most of it will be in MS stock to take advantage of the stock market. They wouldnt offload their stock onto the market even for philanthropic reasons for the simple reason unloading that much money on the stock market may cause havoc
If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
"Roti, Kapada and Makaan" English Translation"Food,Clothing and House" Education may set people free but for those who dont have access to even basic amenities like those above, what will they do? You are assuming that everyone needs of food,house and money are met for them to be able to utilise the educational centre but for those unfortunate ones who dont even have the basic amenities of life, they wont have much use of them. I live in India and on the weekends, I teach Mathematics at hostels for the underprivileged. Every so often, I find a student missing because his family needs him to go out and work to make some money. The new government mandate making primary education compulsory and abolishing child labour is a good step but its going to be a long time before it really begins to affect the life of the poor.
RahulOP wrote:
"Food,Clothing and House"
People will fight for that, but strangely enough, people will not fight for education. Agreed that there are more fundamental needs. But as harsh as that sounds, experience shows that if you give these people only food, clothing and housing, you end up with more people needing food, clothing and housing. Education gives them a possibility to fight their own poverty. It helps then not to become dependent of you. It is supposed to be an chinese saying: If you save someones life, you are responsible for it. So what I'd like to see is a package deal. Education, and basic Food, Shelter, Clothing as needed.
We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
Linkify! || Fold With Us! || sighist -
Do you think Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are really giving all their money away? At the rate they plan to do so, it would seem they would earn more than they are giving away if the bulk of their fortune was in a simple low yeild bank account. I mean, it does not look like the value of either person will be going down any time soon. Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way. If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
No, they are not giving _all_ their money away. Just a significant chunk. This will generate profits, a part of which will be used for whatever humanitarian purpose. The main plus a part of the profits will continue generating new profits, hopefully forever. It is an old formula. The Nobel prize works on the same principle and it is easy to understand why. If all the money were given away, the funding would disappear after a short period. It is the reason why to qualify as a foundation in the US, it has to give at least 5% (I seem to remember) of its assets per year. Forcing a higher donation threshold could cripple its functioning. Regarding what to do with "billions" to solve the world's problems, the answer is pick any ONE and make your contribution. It doesn't matter if what you have to give is a single dollar or an hour of your time.
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Rocky Moore wrote:
Just curious what everyone thinks. It is great that the money is going out to others, but it seems if they just set the bulk away in decent investments, they would end up giving far more way.
I am sure they would have though of that.Its not like the money will be lying around the place. Most of it will be in MS stock to take advantage of the stock market. They wouldnt offload their stock onto the market even for philanthropic reasons for the simple reason unloading that much money on the stock market may cause havoc
If I had billions to give away for the global good,, I would build the best interactive multimedia educational center on the earth where anyone could study virtually any subject anywhere in the world with a decent internet connection. Education can set people free.
"Roti, Kapada and Makaan" English Translation"Food,Clothing and House" Education may set people free but for those who dont have access to even basic amenities like those above, what will they do? You are assuming that everyone needs of food,house and money are met for them to be able to utilise the educational centre but for those unfortunate ones who dont even have the basic amenities of life, they wont have much use of them. I live in India and on the weekends, I teach Mathematics at hostels for the underprivileged. Every so often, I find a student missing because his family needs him to go out and work to make some money. The new government mandate making primary education compulsory and abolishing child labour is a good step but its going to be a long time before it really begins to affect the life of the poor.
RahulOP wrote:
Education may set people free but for those who dont have access to even basic amenities like those above, what will they do? You are assuming that everyone needs of food,house and money are met for them to be able to utilise the educational centre but for those unfortunate ones who dont even have the basic amenities of life, they wont have much use of them.
But the point here is, all those that would have access to the education stand a chance of bettering the global market place opening even greater opportunities for those without. You can take all the wealth of both of those individuals and still not feed, house and cloth everyone in the world, but you can give hope to a person that works 10-12 hours per day to better their life by education. Even a bigger dream is that with free open education, some would take advantage of their new smarts and actually design solutions to the worlds problems, not based on just how much money they will make but rather to help everyone. To quote some of those 80's shows, "That would be sweet dude!"..
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista
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I would sure hate to have my education based on Wikipedia.. Can you imagine learning to develop software by what you find there ;)
Rocky <>< Latest Code Blog Post: ASP.NET HttpException - Cannot use leading "..".. Latest Tech Blog Post: Getting up and running on Microsoft Windows Vista