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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: SoopaX]
    #4122541 -

That's why I generally stay out of there.


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Magash's Grain Tek  + Tub-in-Tub Incubator + Magash's PMP + SBP Tek + Dunking = Practically all a newbie grower needs :thumbup:

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122546 -

Quote:
You insinuated that he does it for tax breaks which is just a completely illogical statement.


No, you interpreted it that way. Tax breaks are not the only reason I'm sure (see other reasons listed above). If you want to praise him as a great man for donating HALF of his MASSIVE income, then go ahead. I don't hold anyone on a pedestal, perhaps thats where our philosophies clash.

Quote:
Don't you think that anything you say which is anti-establishment or mainstream is therefore clever, original and/or correct.


:jerkoff: Don't you think that anything you say which is pro-establishment or mainstream is therefore clever, original and/or correct.

Your combatitive attitude is best suited for OTD.


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Tao]
    #4122548 -

Do you know the definition of a fraction? 3/4 is a fraction. 1/2 is a fraction. 1/4 is a fraction. Need I go on?


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122552 -

http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/business/0,39023166,39151789,00.htm

Australian Democrats IT spokesperson Brian Greig has lashed out at Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates over local charity contributions Gates announced as part of his visit to Australia yesterday.

Click here to find out more!
Gates locked arms with Prime Minister John Howard to announce the contributions before a tightly vetted contingent of media in Sydney yesterday. Under the program Microsoft will spend AU$40 million over the next five years to help improve technology literacy in under-privileged communities.

But Greig today characterised the Microsoft's community welfare contributions as tainted charity.

According to Greig, the software tycoon's global philanthropy exercises carry a hidden agenda to persuade beneficiary governments to reverse policies promoting the use of open source software.

"Bill Gates is a very astute and very wealthy business and he doesn't do anything based purely on generosity or philanthropy," said Greig.

Greig described the AU$40 million sum as "a drop in the ocean" compared to the estimated AU$1 billion in revenue the software giant generates in Australia, and helped the company "to create a soft cuddly face" for the public.

Greig claims Gates' whistle-stop visit to the country was more likely to have been motivated by NSW Commerce Minister John Della Bosca's intention to end the state government's reliance on proprietary software.

Greig claimed that there were precedents for the case that countries that had adopted pro-open source stances reversed their position after accepting Gates' charity.

He hinted at the case of the Indian government, which was contemplating a similar strategy to NSW government up until November 2002 when Gates announced he would pump over US$500 million into the economy.

According to reports at the time, in addition to assistance from Gates' highly publicised global vaccination programs Gates committed US$100 million to help combat AIDS in India. The remaining US$400 million went into to expanding the company's activities and 'improving computer literacy' in the country.

As if to reinforce his point, Greig echoed a metaphor that Microsoft is beginning to see as a threat to its image, describing the charities' decisions to accept Gate's "largesse" as embarking on a form of addiction in which they will become dependent on Microsoft for future software.

"Once a group is 'addicted' to a certain form of proprietary software, moving away from that framework can be very difficult and very expensive,? he said.

The comments echo those of Sergio Amadeu, president of the Brazilian National Institute for Information Technology. Amadeu faced legal action in Brazil early this month for comparing Microsoft's activities in giving software to developing governments for free to that of "drug dealers".

Open Source Industry Australia called the lawsuit an unjustifiable attack on freedom of expression and defended the comments, claiming they bore striking similarity to those they alleged Gates himself made in 1998.

OSIA alleged that Gates, in addressing the question of software piracy in China, said:

"As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade".

OSIA believes the lawsuit was pursued in response the Brazilian government's decision to shift 300,000 of its PCs from Windows to Linux.

"If Mr Gates can make comments that allude to Microsoft's practices getting users addicted to their software, then Microsoft has no grounds to claim that Mr. Amadeu's comments are defamatory," wrote OSIA in a statement released last week.

In January 2002 a British charity criticised the activity of the Gates-funded Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisations (GAVI) Africa claiming it created new markets for costly vaccines while doing little to tackle major diseases.

Microsoft Australia declined ZDNet Australia's requests for comment on this report.


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122556 -

Ha, I knew you would say that. I never said it wasn't technically a fraction, but you were deliberately using it in the definition of the word to trivialize what he has given as a small part.


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Magash's Grain Tek  + Tub-in-Tub Incubator + Magash's PMP + SBP Tek + Dunking = Practically all a newbie grower needs :thumbup:

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122558 -

Even the people Gates is donating too aren't blind

http://indiabroad.rediff.com/money/2002/nov/16mess.htm


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Tao]
    #4122560 -

Really? You know everything don't you? Even the richest man in the world's intentions


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122567 -

So you're bringing in the completely unfounded and unsupported opinions of pure conjecture from people like yourself on another type-of message board. Brilliant source, especially the first two comments:

Quote:
It's the starting of Imperialism!!!


Quote:
a business man can never think of generosity



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Magash's Grain Tek  + Tub-in-Tub Incubator + Magash's PMP + SBP Tek + Dunking = Practically all a newbie grower needs :thumbup:

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122570 -

I'm just failing to see the selfish benefit he receives from trying to cure Malaria? Does he secretly have it?


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Magash's Grain Tek  + Tub-in-Tub Incubator + Magash's PMP + SBP Tek + Dunking = Practically all a newbie grower needs :thumbup:

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Tao]
    #4122574 -

You're right...the people directly affected by him are completely irrelevant since they post on a gasp...MESSAGE BOARD :smirk:


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Tao]
    #4122580 -

Do you believe his intentions always pure? Yes or no would suffice without lame personal insults.


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122585 -

Sorry, why is their baseless conjecture relevant?

Yes, message boards are not a very good source. Try citing someone's thoughts on a message board in an academic work. You can barely get away with putting a website as a source. Thats because anyone can write anything on the internet without anyone fact-checking or peer reviewing.


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Magash's Grain Tek  + Tub-in-Tub Incubator + Magash's PMP + SBP Tek + Dunking = Practically all a newbie grower needs :thumbup:

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122591 -

It's hard to define or to characterize someones 'intentions'. However, lets look at the results. Lets say that Gates's funding puts 1500 "low income" kids through college and prevents half a million people from dying of malaria. Does it really matter if he does it for self-gratification or not? Do those people care about the cause?


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Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women, man

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Tao]
    #4122593 -

Relevance is clearly subjective. I consider people native to the countries he is charming relevant to the discussion. You can disregard them if you wish.


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122600 -

Your article was referring to Microsoft's donations. That is called PR. Having the intention of doing good work while at the same time promoting the corporation's image are not mutually exclusive and it is done the world over.

As for his private donations (the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), until I have some reason to believe he has selfish intentions, yes, I will give the benefit of the doubt to the world's largest philanthropist who has donated $23 billion, 54% of his net worth.


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Magash's Grain Tek  + Tub-in-Tub Incubator + Magash's PMP + SBP Tek + Dunking = Practically all a newbie grower needs :thumbup:

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Tao]
    #4122647 -

If Microsoft is ever entirely broken up, his charity fund will NOT be affected. What better huge pool of money to use to sway people with than his "charity" fund? IMO, there is none.

You are free to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Just as I will continue to treat him with scrutiny and not blindly accept his acts as 100% good-willed and not self-promoting.


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122658 -

Man, it is so cool to knock anyone with a lot of money.

"Gotta keep working against the man."

Ger ahold of yourself, buddy. The day you spend billions of dollars for diease reaearch, funding poor libraries, and sending inner-city kids to school, that's the day you can make more baseless claims about Gates.

I bet the liberal bandwagon is a smooth ride, eh?

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Redstorm]
    #4122705 -

Since when does amount donated mark a person's generosity? If I had the funds, I would do the same he has done and more. I'm not quite a technological mogul yet though. Did you miss that part?

BTW, please point out my baseless claims. I have done nothing but question his motives.


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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Organic]
    #4122722 -

I would say the amount he has donated has a lot to do with his generosity. Ok, if amount donated is not a good standard, what would be? Percent donated?

So what percent of your income do you donate?

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Re: Two things that piss me off [Re: Redstorm]
    #4122755 -

At a point (especially greater than 1 billion dollars), the cost of living is irrelevant. Anything greater than what you need to survive is excess, imo. I would donate all of my money in his position except a nest egg for my family and retire, wash my hands clean.

Right now I personally earn <$1000 a month, which entirely goes to living costs. I do not live an extravagant life nor do I have the desire to. The most valuable material possesion I own is a computer, and I didn't even buy it, it was given to me for an act I did for someone. I don't have a car and donate my fruits of labor to a needing community at no charge. If I buy anything, it is shared at no charge--be it food, LSD, or whatever. This is not a charity competition though.


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