Launch Group

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Gates may change direction of philanthropy

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's focus on creative capitalism, combining business and philanthropy to effect change, brings out critics on both sides of debate.

While it's too early to tell if Bill Gates will impact philanthropy as he has the technology industry, his support of creative capitalism has the potential to change how people engage in philanthropic efforts.

Gates leaves his full-time duties as Microsoft chairman on Friday to focus on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the philanthropic organization he founded in 2000 with his wife. It boasts the largest philanthropic endowment in the US, at US$38.8 billion, according to the foundation's 2007 financial report.

Megan Sather, a Gates Foundation spokeswoman, said that rather than focus on specific projects right away, Gates will first work to raise global awareness of some of the foundation's key issues. They include health care -- especially providing vaccinations for rare diseases that affect children and helping to stop the spread of AIDS in Africa -- and bringing food and sustainable methods of agriculture to some of the world's poorest nations.

Read the full article by Elizabeth Montalbano from Computerworld here.

Labels: Make a Difference, Media Entertainment and Technology

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Social Networking Wars

Think social networking sites are fun and useful? See what happens when things get a little out of control for one social networker who might just be over the whole social network thing. Let the social networking wars begin!

Labels: Just for Fun, Media Entertainment and Technology