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“Sir Richard Branson has pledged $3bn (£1.66bn) over the next decade towards combating global warming.
“The billionaire said business had a duty to future generations and the money would come from the profits of his Virgin Group’s airline and train operations, making it one of the most significant investments by a private firm in green initiatives.
The funds will be invested in schemes to develop new renewable energy technologies, including new biofuels for aircraft which could cut down on damaging CO2 gases.
“As part of the investment, more than half of the profits of Virgin Trains - of which Sir Richard’s Virgin Group owns 51% - will be allocated to the environment.
“Perth-based Stagecoach, which has the remaining 49% stake in Virgin Trains, said it had no plans to match Branson’s pledge.
A Stagecoach spokesman said it had been aware of the Virgin Group’s announcement, and it hoped to pilot some of the renewable energy initiatives financed by Sir Richard.
“Announcing the investment in New York, Sir Richard said that future dividends and proceeds from the sale of assets, including shares from Virgin’s airline and train operations, would be invested in green power in an effort to wean the world off oil and coal …” The Herald
“Sir Richard’s pledge also comes soon after Sir Tom Hunter, currently the richest man in Scotland, announced he is to spend £55m on improving health and education in two African nations, as part of the Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative …” Can Branson’s billions help save us from global doom?
“The ambitious founders of Google, the popular search engine company, have set up a philanthropy, giving it seed money of about $1 billion and a mandate to tackle poverty, disease and global warming,” according to The New York Times.
“But unlike most charities, this one will be for-profit, allowing it to fund start-up companies, form partnerships with venture capitalists and even lobby Congress. It will also pay taxes.
“One of its maiden projects reflects the philanthropy’s nontraditional approach. According to people briefed on the program, the organization, called Google.org, plans to develop an ultra-fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid car engine that runs on ethanol, electricity and gasoline …”
In the wake of international commemorations on the fifth anniversary of 9/11, I think it behoves us to bear in mind that Muslim people in general have been tarred with the same brush as a few Muslim terrorists, which is obviously like blaming all Christians for the wrong deeds of a few Christians. This report shows that ill effects are falling upon innocent philanthropic organisations because of a general ignorance of the Muslim world:
Last year, workers at a small Muslim social service agency in Virginia received a disturbing letter from their bank. After six years, Wachovia Corp. was closing the account of the five-person agency that specializes in domestic violence services and other types of immediate assistance to families of all religious backgrounds.
“We were totally shocked,” said Margaret Farchtchi, board treasurer of the Foundation for Appropriate and Immediate Temporary Help, also known as FAITH. “We always kept our accounts in good shape.”
But the agency also had other reasons to think that they would not be targeted. “We felt very secure because we are a local charity,” explained Farchtchi. “We don’t have donors from overseas. We thought we were out of what you might call the danger zone.”
Many people thought the same. As such, the story of FAITH illustrates the challenge now facing the Muslim community. Since 9/11, the government has frozen the assets of six large Muslim organizations and shut them down — although no one has been convicted of any crime. People, in turn, have begun donating in larger numbers to local charities, assuming these organizations to be free of international ties and safe from government interference. But the experience of FAITH suggests that there are no guarantees.
“U2 and Green Day are set to make a charity record together to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
“The two super groups will record a cover of minor 1978 punk hit The Saints Are Coming by British group The Skids.
“All proceeds from the song will go to the Music Rising charity, which was set up by U2 guitarist The Edge to replace musical instruments lost when the natural disaster struck America’s Gulf Coast last year.
“A statement from Green Day reads: ‘New Orleans has always been a special city to us, being a hotbed of music and creativity, and it’s hard to believe parts of the Gulf region still remain devastated.’
“‘We feel that it’s important to continue to raise awareness’.”
“The tears failed to flow yesterday as Michael Schumacher, the world’s most successful racing driver, announced his retirement and then faced up to how to spend the rest of his life.
“The man the world believes has the hardest heart in sport refused to let slip what his future holds. Only his closest friends and confidants know what awaits him after a motor racing career that has raised millions of pounds for charity.
“The son of a builder from Kerpen, near Cologne, has donated almost £30 million to projects around the world in the past four years alone and, if motor racing fails to hold its allure when he hangs up his helmet at the end of the Formula One season, it is thought that he might plough his considerable wealth into a full-time foundation.
“If the public perception of Schumacher for the past 15 years has been one of snarling arrogance, the private Schumacher, 37, is a warm family man whose tastes are as mundane as a Bacardi and Coke and a cigar, and who wants to know that his vast earnings are not all being stashed in offshore accounts.
“Unlike like many famous sportsmen or showbusiness stars, he has kept celebrity magazines at arm’s length and his donations would have gone almost unnoticed but for research by BusinessF1 magazine, which checked records in Germany. They found that Schumacher had contributed to the building of hospitals, orphan-ages and schools in areas such as Peru and Senegal.
“He was the biggest private donor to the Asian Tsunami Appeal, giving about £6 million, and works tirelessly for Unesco, the United Nations’ body that works with children.
“But so secretive is he about his giving, few, even in his Ferrari team, knew the extent of his charitable work …”
Elton John says that guilt about a self-indulgent past provoked him to get involved in the fight against AIDS. He believes that philanthropy is more rewarding than all of his musical achievements.
The rocker founded the Elton John Aids Foundation just months after abandoning his hedonist lifestyle in 1990, and he has since gone out of his way to raise millions for medical research into the killer disease. He says, “In the 80s I didn’t really do much for Aids. I was too unreliable at that time in my life, with drugs and drink involved, to actually come to the fore and be accountable. “When I got sober in 1990, then I realised that my life was just so out of whack, so self-absorbed, so self-obsessed and six months after that I did get sober and I thought, ‘Right, I’m gonna do something now.’” The British star admits his charity work is now more rewarding than all his musical achievements and accolades - especially when he gets the chance to meet the people his efforts have helped. He adds, “It’s really, really satisfying. I am doing something decent with my life, I’m not wasting it. I’m not putting it up my nose, I’m not drinking it, I’m not putting it down my throat, I’m actually doing something that is worthwhile and I wish I had come to my senses much earlier.”
“United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today [8 September] told more than 2,500 representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) gathered in New York for their last annual meeting before his term ends in December that the support of civil society groups has been critical to his accomplishments.
“Mr. Annan, who is widely viewed as having broken new ground in terms of NGO involvement in the UN’s work, also stressed the vital role these groups have played in achieving progress on a number of political and social issues.
“‘Much of my daily work involves contacts with Governments. Yet, much of what I have achieved as Secretary-General was made possible by your support and involvement’, he told the closing session of the annual conference, which is organized by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).
“‘That is why, as I approach my own transition from public civil servant to a private life, I am particularly delighted to be amongst so many civil society representatives from all over of the world who have gathered here to learn, exchange ideas and build ties’, Mr. Annan said.
“The Secretary-General, whose second and final five year term expires at the end of this year, looked back ‘with some pride and satisfaction on a decade in which UN-civil society interactions have both widened and deepened’.
“‘From debt relief and the fight against disease to good governance, human rights, the global NGO revolution has helped move the global agenda and given new life and new meaning to the idea of an international community’, he said. ‘More and more, the initiative in taking action to improve the human conditions comes from voluntary groups such as yours’.”
“Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, the world’s third-richest man, will give away a chunk of his fortune by matching donations to health, education and social programs in Mexico.
“Slim, who owns a telecoms and retail empire and has a fortune estimated at over $US30 billion ($39 billion), will meet all contributions dollar for dollar, his spokesman and aide Arturo Elias Ayub said.
“‘We want to offer Mexican or foreign foundations that we will match any amount they invest in social work in Mexico,’ Elias Ayub told Reuters. It was unclear how much Slim’s donations might ultimately total.
“‘The idea is social programs focused on real needs: education, health, nutrition, research,’ he said.”
We believe that philanthropy is interesting, timely and exciting, and we also believe that it makes good sense. Individuals and businesses are increasingly finding that they can be agents of change in a troubled world, and meet needs that should and can be obsolete in the 21st Century ... Read on and meet your guides
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 21 (IPS) - Continued violence against women is one of the focuses of a continental meeting reviewing progress made towards achieving gender equality in Africa. [Link]
Athens, Greece: More than 3,000 Greek citizens have responded to a WWF call over the past four days by sending their Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis, a WWF e-card asking him to take an active part in the global efforts to fight climate change. In the card is a projection of what Thessaloniki, ... [Link]
Yakima Philanthropist Planned Multiple Million Dollar Donations ... KNDO/KNDU, WA - 13 hours ago The will of local philanthropist , Helen Jewett, is now available to the public. It reveals the numerous donations she planned for 21 organizations in the ... [Link]
The Philanthropist's Christmas - Part 3 Evening Bulletin, PA - 19 hours ago There was a quick jump, a tumbling rush, and Skiddles, the lost Skiddles, was in the philanthropist's arms. Mrs. Bailey shut the door with a troubled face. ... [Link]
Paul Newman's Will Revealed Entertainment Tonight News - 1 hour ago The star and philanthropist left his Oscar statuettes and other theatrical awards, in addition to name, signature and image rights to his Newman's Own ... [Link]
United Way Honors Two Distinguished Couples With National Award ... MarketWatch - 6 hours ago 2008 United Way Tocqueville Society Award Recognizes J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver and John E. and Francie G. Pepper ALEXANDRIA, VA, Nov 21, 2008 (MARKET ... [Link]
East Texas Review East Texans join philanthropy celebration East Texas Review, TX - 1 hour ago Chairman Derrith Bondurant Kim Beckham calls his lecture The Power and Passion of Philanthropy . He recently made his case before the Association of ... [Link]
Your Money New Approaches to Holiday Gift Giving New York Times, United States - 3 hours ago If you add philanthropy to your holiday gift routine, for instance, you may end up spending more. So this is simply a reminder that there may be another way ... Meaningful Gifts, Some With Low Price Tags ... [Link]
Mass High Tech Mass High Tech fetes ‘Tech Citizens’ Bizjournals.com, NC - 5 hours ago Companies such as IBM Corp. and Boston Scientific Corp. were honored for their corporate philanthropy and focus on partnering with local charities. ... Nonprofits turning to technology to bolster visibility ... [Link]
LAist PhiLAnthropist : The Stuffed Turkey Edition LAist, CA - Nov 20, 2008 Think massive city-wide Burrito Project on Thanksgiving. Ten years ago, Echo Park resident Barry Waters cooked and delivered 28 meals to homeless people in ... [Link]
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“The ambitious founders of 
Elton John says that guilt about a self-indulgent past provoked him to get involved in the fight against AIDS. He believes that philanthropy is more rewarding than all of his musical achievements.
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